"To everything there is a season, a time for every pupose under heaven."

On Sunday, May 15, the New Richland Area Ministerium will have a Community Worship Service for the Blessing of the Bikes at City Park. The Blessing of the Bikes is a nationwide annual tradition. Riders of motorcycles, bicycles or even tricycles are blessed by clergymen in hopes that it will bring safety for the rider in the coming season.

"I'd rather be riding my bike thinking about God, than sitting in church thinking about my bike."

Generally, the Blessing of the Bikes focuses more on rider safety than religion. However, the service does include prayers and reading of biblical passages, and bikes are usually sprinkled with holy water.

Everyone crashes. Some get back on, some don't, some can't. A brief memorial service is held to acknowledge riders who have died in the previous year. The Blessings of the Bikes Services highlights religion, fitness, cyclists' rights, and safety.

"Respect the person who has seen the dark side of biking and lived to tell about it."

The Blessing of the Bikes Service will begin at 3 p.m; followed by supper at 4 p.m. Music will be provided by "Just Friends," and free will donations will be accepted, with all proceeds going to the New Richland Area Food Shelf.

Even if you don’t ride yourself, come and see the parade of bikes through the New Richland City Park.

This is the season for The Blessing of the Bikes, a time that will clear your mind, and restore your faith.

Led by freshman Carlie Wagner’s four first-place finishes, the NRHEG girls’ track and field team won the Blooming Prairie True Team Invitational Tuesday, May 3.

The Panthers totaled 779 points for the victory. Following: WEM 701.5, JWP 683, Blooming Prairie 641.5, Mankato Loyola 511, Medford 510, Faribault Academies 304.5 and Triton 275.5.

Wagner continued her fabulous freshman season, winning the 100 meters in 13.82 seconds, the 200 in 27.52, the 400 in 1:01.67 and the high jump at 5-2.

The Panthers had four other wins, by Anna Schlaak in the 100 hurdles (17.76), Jill Kalis in the discus (116-4), Amber Schmit in the shot put (33-11) and the 4x200 relay team of Danielle Krueger, Raelin Schue, Alearah Neumann and Taylar Tieskotter (1:56.63).

“This was a very fun meet for the girls,” said NRHEG coach Duey Ferber. “The weather was decent and we came away with a win. Carlie had another great night, Anna Schlaak looked very good in the hurdles and the 4x200 relay was very tough tonight.”

Other top-six places for NRHEG: Krueger, second, 400 and 800; Katharine Lewer, second, 3200; Kaylee Maxon, second, discus and fourth, shot put; 4x100, second (Abby Crabtree, Neumann, Paige Bolduan, Schue); Crabtree, third, 1600 and sixth, pole vault; Mikayla Lindell, third, shot put and fourth, discus; 4x400, third (Hailey Schuller, Abby Wacholz, Tieskotter, Jamie Ulrich); Schlaak, fourth, high jump and fifth, 200; Schuller, fourth, long jump and sixth, 300 hurdles; 4x800, fifth (Emily Habeck, Destinee Meyer, Lewer, Shantaya Olson); Katie Cole, fifth, 100 hurdles; Wacholz, fifth, high jump; Ulrich, fifth, triple jump; Ashley Garretson, sixth, 100 hurdles.

The Panthers ran Tuesday, May 10 at Maple River. They return to Blooming Prairie Tuesday, May 17 for the Gopher Conference meet.

T.J. Schiltz appears to be peaking at the right time.

The ninth-grader led the NRHEG boys’ track and field team at the Blooming Prairie Invitational last Tuesday, winning the 1600 and 3200 meters.

“T.J. is really running well in the distances,” said NRHEG coach Duey Ferber.

Schiltz ran the 1600 in 4:52.51. His time in the 3200 was 10:33.04. He also ran the 300 hurdles and took fifth.

Tyler Holz had a first place in the pole vault, clearing 9 feet, 6 inches.

Tony Wacholz won the discus at 129-7. He was second in the shot put.

“Tony continues to throw well,” said Ferber.

Mankato Loyola won with 740.5 points. The Panthers were fourth with 568.5.

Other NRHEG top-six places: Evan Ferber, second, high jump and fourth, 300 hurdles; 4x200 relay, second (Ross Chester, Geoff Ramaker, Brian Billing, Hunter Eustice); Kyle Bayerkohler, third, 800 and sixth, 400; 4x100, third (Chester, Ramaker, Billing, Eustice); Chester, fifth, long jump; Tyler Crabtree, sixth, shot put; 4x800, sixth (Karter Sletten, Bayerkohler, Jade Waltz, Hans Frank).

The Panthers ran Tuesday, May 10 at Maple River. They return to Blooming Prairie Tuesday, May 17 for the Gopher Conference meet.

The NRHEG baseball team hosted Glenville-Emmons in a nonconference game Tuesday, May 3 and lost 7-1.

“We ran into a solid pitcher who held our bats in check,” said Panthers coach Jeff Reese, whose team fell to 4-6 overall. The Glenville-Emmons pitcher did not face more than four batters in an inning until the seventh.

Sam Lundberg was 2-for-3 with a double for NRHEG. Lucas Meyer doubled and drove in a run. Carter Tollefson and Eric Sorenson had one hit each.

Cody Kraay started on the mound and took the loss. In 4 2/3 innings, he allowed six earned runs on eight hits, striking out five and walking five. Tollefson went 2 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run on three hits, with no strikeouts and one walk.

“The players keep working and showing that they will never give up,” said Reese.

The Panthers played JWP Tuesday, May 10. They host LCWM Friday, May 13 and play at USC Monday, May 16.

The verdict is still out on sugar. It remains a matter of opinion, but I saw an ad on the television explaining that sugar is sugar, whether it comes from corn or not.

This is not true. Quite simply, there is a difference between real sugar and corn sugar. The reality is that corn sugar is the ingredient more commonly known as HFCS, otherwise known as high fructose corn syrup.

The compound HFCS, which came into existence in about 1957, is a popular food item in sodas, breads, candies, soups, dressings and dairy products. It is an inexpensive alternative to sugar that many believe is worse for you than the real thing.

HFCS has managed to find its way into many processed foods, so don't forget to read the label. If it is on the label, get it off the table! If you’re not already aware, HFCS can also cause insulin resistance, which can lead to type two diabetes and fatty liver disease. It also affects your body’s feeling of being full, causing overconsumption.    

Actually, research has found that rats fed a diet of HFCS gained 48% more weight. There was also a marked increase for fat found in their blood, when compared with those fed common table sugar.

The HFCS argument has gone on for years. Most independent studies say that there’s no difference. C&S sugar still claims that "only cane sugar was sugar" - sugar beet sugar was somehow inferior.

Studies by the American Medical Association say, "It appears unlikely that HFCS contributes more to obesity or other conditions than sucrose." They do however call for further independent research on the subject. 

In any case, HFCS has been classified as generally recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1976. Although it’s not “harmful,” I would try to avoid HFCS sugar as much as possible.

There’s one other aspect to cover: taste. When traveling in foreign countries, experienced travelers try to avoid the water, and drink carbonated beverages such as soda, beer and sparkling water. You see, carbonated beverages are commercially produced, giving us some assurance. 

This carbonation kills bacteria, so when hearing the hiss of carbonation, we are assured that it has not been tampered with. Why do I mention this? Because Coca-Cola tastes different in other parts of the world. A quick check of the ingredients shows that they use sugar instead of corn syrup.

There is a slogan used to halt the use of salt. You've heard many say I don't use much salt and never put it on the table. Good for you. But that is not the whole story.  The real story is in that number after sodium on the food label. If that number is high, don't buy it.

Sea salt does have some ingredients that may be good for you, but the fact remains, it is still salt. Don't let the manufactures fool you into thinking that it is safe to use, if you are not advised to use salt. 

Also, remember to check the herbs and spices (but also check for salt) for flavoring foods. As manufacturers remove oils from foods and plaster the information on the label, they neglect to tell you that they slipped in other ingredients like salt and sugar - all to enhance the flavor.

While on the subject of what not to eat or use, let’s talk about the dangers of plastic. It has been found that plastic is not as innocent or as forgiving as once thought. Young children should not be exposed to most plastic utensils or toys, especially foods heated in plastic dinnerware.

The rule also applies to kids of all ages. Since many toys are imported from other countries, who knows what is in there. It is hard enough to monitor things made here in our own country, let alone things made elsewhere. 

As for washing those toys, some say a little bleach in hot water and a rinse later is OK. Others say vinegar or peroxide will disinfect and not leave a chemical residue.

Considering the worth of your child - aren't organics worth the cost? Researchers now say children fed organic foods do better than those who aren't. Yes, we can wash and spray, but what’s to say it does the trick.

I've stuck my neck out before and will no doubt again, but I am not ashamed to say I do not care for tattoos. Why anyone would permanently discolor and damage a perfectly beautiful God-given body, I'll never know.

I guess that is their business, not mine. However, tattoos aren't just a blotch on the skin. In actuality they are harmful. Dark henna, the blue and black dye, is especially harmful to the skin. The dye may be safe to use on your hair, but it has not been approved to use as skin dye in the USA. 

Another consideration is this: the henna dye is derived from indigo, and contains PPD, p-pyhenylenediamine. Again, it may be ok for hair but not for skin. Research shows that 15% of people have an allergic reaction to it, more so as they age and are exposed to sun and light.  

It can cause intense scarring, liver tumors, breathing problems and other complications, not to mention embarrassment in the later years. One might also ask if the ink contains such ingredients as silver nitrate, chromium or pyrogalliol.

A recent Mayo Clinic study found that chewing gum can boost your metabolism up to 20 percent.

That could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. It also boosts memory, prevents tooth decay and relieves tension and stress. It helps you control eating habits and cravings for food, because it gives your mouth an activity. It is better for your teeth and overall health to chew gum that has a little bit of sugar from cane sugar, than it is to chew gum with artificial sweeteners.

There is a strange sounding gum I have never found called Xylitol, which is derived from birch trees and is low in calories. It has a much lower glycemic index than sugar so it is safe for diabetics. Actually it can protect your teeth from decay.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, May 12th: Everal Lageson, Richie Robinson, Dorothy Jensen, Larry & Jean Klocek

• Friday, May 13th: Brooklyn Christine DuBois, her 8th; David Richards, Rose Glienke, Troy Donahue, Curt Esplan, John Nechanicky, Holly Pence, Tracy Swearingen, Larry Schmidt, Reed Thostenson, Rose Glienke, Alan & Kathy Knudson, John & Barbara Olson

• Saturday, May 14th: Clair Dahl, Linda Olson, Anna Mae Peterson, her 6th; Katie Peterson, Ginger Thompson, Bruce Waage, Brad Wayne, Judy VerHey, Mark VerHey, Jeff Christensen, Shannon Krikava

• Sunday, May 15th: Carter Hagen, Evan Dobberstein, Megan Grubish, Alex Wayne, Mark Flesche, Dan Hagen, Don Hagen, Nicole Strand Harris, Stephanie Krueger, Neil Berg, Sandy Jensen, Marsha Neitzell, Tammy Thompson, Brett & Jessica Richards, Ralph & Irene Krueger, Jon & Nicole Farr

• Monday, May 16th: Ron Kubicek, Mark Reistad, Mark Skroch, Vernie Stieglbauer, Kim Lageson, Doug Lembke, Judy Karsjens, Anne Larson, Allycia Zinke, Becky Phagan, Bev White, Annie Larson, Christine & Brian Carlson

• Tuesday, May 17th: Laura Caroline Deml, her 4th; Caitlyn Nelson, David Thompson, Dale DeRaad, Rhonda Lund Thevenot, Jerry Blouin, Robert Briggs, Dyne Thereneau, Kay Barclay, Darlyne Paulson, Luella Reiman, Judith Hatch, Thomas Shawback, Rose & Carl Glienke

• Wednesday, May 18th: Blake Ihrke, Zachary Jacob Dau, Cory Bailey, David Farr, Arlene Busho, Arlene Cummins, Xan Johnson, Mandy Muri Johannsen, Charlie Hanson, Dan Schember, Hank Thompson, Carol Stohr, Vernetta Scott, Roger Draayer, Kelly Krumwiede, Rod Serdahl, Dan & Val Schember, Sue & Dean Westrum, Ken & Pat Sable

• Thursday, May 19th: Christina Hill Berry, Madison Schweirjohann, Summer Schember Schultz, Mike Rysavy, John Oolman, Dawn Parks, Tim & Tiffany Hanson

• Friday, May 20th: Oakley Baker, Kaye Schember Cady, Laureen Hohansee, Kathy Hanson, Hannah Ashton, Carrie Thorstenson, Penny Nordhorn, Haley Collins, Scott Stohr, Kevin Peterson, Kent Lageson, Josh Kelly, Virginia Jensen, Cynthia Butler, Jay & Marsha Neitzel, Ed & Camille Nelson, Hannah Ashton, Adam & Kristen Arends

Here's hoping that your special day brings you laughter, a light heart and much love.

The 2011 Minnesota fishing opener is less than a week away and Mother’s day will already have been celebrated. For many years, Mother’s Day was always on the same weekend as the opener. A couple of years ago, the DNR decided to move the opener back a week, for scientific reasons I assume. I don’t think anyone in power would have been influenced to make that move by their wife – or could they? The way it stands now, there is no longer a conflict and everyone seems happy.

The later opener was implemented to give the fish more time to spawn. I guess with all the modern technology they have today someone decided to try and level the playing field. I have found that using my fish locator doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll be boating my limit every time I hit the water.

Looking back to Mother’s Day and remembering what my Mom meant to me when I was growing up, I appreciate even more of the things she taught me about enjoying the outdoors. She was the one who encouraged me to go fishing whenever I could. She taught me the basics of fishing and some of those tricks I still use today. Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of fancy fishing equipment – just hook, line and sinker so to speak. When I first started fishing, I used a cane pole and I’d use a throw line when I rode my bike to “the mink farm” for a day of fishing and hanging out.

My dad worked six and sometimes seven days a week, so he had little time to spend and he really wasn’t a fisherman by any stretch of the imagination. So Mom was my teacher. When Dad did have time off there were many Sunday afternoons when we’d go to St. Olaf or Beaver Lakes so we could enjoy a little picnic and I’d get to do a little fishing.

As I got older, I’d ride my bike to town to fish and Mom would always greet me with enthusiasm when I came home with a stringer of fish, even though she was usually the one who had to clean them. Many of those times the fish were on the stringer most of the day and were not in edible condition. She told me it was a waste, so I learned about catch-and-release at a fairly young age. I’ve told the following story many times, but I always feel that it’s worth repeating.

When I was growing up there were so many questions I’d want answered, and at times I would worry about different things and at times I wasn’t able to sleep. Mom would offer me this advice, “Pray, talk to God, and think of some fun place you would really like to be and go there; it works for me.” I have found that after all these years, it still works for me too.

Our old neighbors, Florence and Lyle Rupp, bought a resort on Leech Lake and one summer they invited us up for a week. My dad couldn’t find any way to get time away from his gas station so Mom, my sister Judy and I went. I had my driver’s license, so I did most of the driving and as a new driver I jumped at the chance. We had a ’52 Ford that ran great except for one small glitch; it would vapor lock. Whenever you’d stop it took awhile to get it started again, but luckily it always started. This is a problem that used to be pretty common in a lot of cars years ago.

A family vacation was almost unheard of for us back then, so we really enjoyed that week. My sister got to spend time with her good friend Sherry and Mom and I got to do a lot of fishing. The Rupps’ oldest daughter, Jeannette, took us northern fishing and Mom had a ball. I still have that red and white “River Runt” lure that was the killer lure that summer. The weather turned rainy and windy for a few days, but we fished off of the long dock and caught walleyes. I can remember Mom standing on the dock and the waves rolling in and splashing almost all the way up to her waist, but she just kept on fishing. Later that day she got a huge fish on and fought it for about 10 minutes before it finally started coming in and as it got close to the dock we could see that it was a big muskie. Before I could get it into the landing net, it wrapped around one of the posts on the dock and snapped the line. It was pretty quiet for a while before Mom broke the silence and said, “Now that was fun!” I guess that’s where I get the idea that it’s not always about catching fish as much as it is about enjoying the experience.

Getting back to the Mother’s Day thing, there was this time that I gave my mother a rod and reel for her birthday. I knew how much she liked that rod and reel and for some unknown reason it gave me this “brainstorm” of an idea that my wife would just love to get a rod and reel for Mother’s Day. I can still see the look on her face when the boys and I proudly presented her with that “great” Mother’s Day gift. I do believe it took about 10 years before she finally quit reminding me about the sentimental gift I gave her on that one unforgettable Mother’s Day. That was definitely what you’d call a life lesson!

Until next time; it’s time to do a little fishing so get out and enjoy the great Minnesota outdoors!

Remember our brothers and sisters who are proudly serving our country so that we can keep enjoying the freedoms that we have today.

I don’t think anyone would deny that our Minnesota Twins are in a slump. They are not hitting, not playing defense and both their starting and relief pitching has been just fair during the month of April. Another problem as mentioned in last week’s column is that they are not thinking ahead, and are letting opportunities slip by because of lack of forethought.

In addition, they were beset by injuries. Two players, Jim Thome and Delmon Young, have sore rib muscles. Another starter, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, has a broken leg and Joe Mauer has bilateral leg weakness.

Now I certainly understand not playing with broken leg, but sore rib cage muscles? I don’t know about that, especially after both players mentioned put baseballs in the stands during batting practice. Now I know it’s really easy for me to sit on the sidelines and question their determination. And they may well be unable to play or play well and perhaps it is better to have a player with lesser skills out there on the field than an injured Thome or Young.

The Twin I’m most concerned about is Mauer. What’s wrong Joe? Here is a 28-year-old man who can’t play because of weak legs. Joe is a competitor and I’m sure he’d be out there if he could be. But obviously he’s not and as the time he’s been injured and on the disabled list stretches toward a month, one grows concerned. What’s wrong Joe?

Injuries have played a large role in the Twins’ slump. There is no question about that, but their continuing flubs have a person concerned also. A good friend who is a clinical psychologist has this to offer after reading last week’s column about the Twins’ problems. He felt that, "It has to be tough to live with the awareness that they were division champs last year and this year have fallen out of sight. Your comments that individual players are not prepared suggests that they not only weren’t concentrating, but there is a possibility that they were so depressed cognitively, they can’t problem solve in advance."

He went on to say that the players know they are not playing well and are thinking, "How am I going to mess up now?" He notes that kind of thinking is self-defeating. I have to agree and feel that he has stated the problem very well. An old baseball guy might say the problem is that they are pressing too hard. I think that’s true and my friend pointed out why.

Sometimes slumps by teams or individuals go on for a lengthy time and it’s possible that skills or techniques have eroded. From a psychological standpoint, it may be something fairly simple such as the realization that he or any one player, doesn’t have to win the game all by himself, that he doesn’t have to assume that burden. The worry and the dark cloud lightens, skills increase, the team gets a few breaks and starts winning once more.

As I write this Francisco Liriano has thrown his no-hitter and the Twins recently scored nine runs in a game. Who knows, that may start the Twins down the right road, but they will not be the Twins of old until Morneau, Cuddyer and Valencia start hitting and they get the core of the team back from injuries. C‚mon Joe, Delmon, Tsuyoshi and Jim, get well.

A piece of baseball wisdom could be that: "Slumps are self perpetuating until they are not." Kind of like Yogi Berra‚s old saying, "It‚s not over ‘til it’s over."

Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting

“Your bill shows ‘Miscellaneous.’ Nothing is itemized.”

“That’s because if I take the time to itemize things, your bill would be higher.”

“My bill is too high now.”

“Miscellaneous doesn’t come cheap.”

Driving by the Bruces

I have two wonderful neighbors — both named Bruce — who live across the road from each other. Whenever I pass their driveways, thoughts occur to me, such as:  “I don’t know” might be the wisest thing I’ve ever said.

Things I’ve learned

1. To keep the dream alive, hit the snooze button.

2. To ask directions only when I know where I’m going. That way I know if I’m getting good directions.

3. To lose things in places where it would be easy to find them.

Finding fishermen

Dale Hurni of Princeton told me that he when he was a school administrator at Wheaton, he caught two boys who had skipped school to visit a local fishing hotspot. The boys couldn’t imagine how Dale knew where to find them. Dale didn’t tell them that he was playing hooky, too.

A tall drink of water

My brother Donald says that band-aids come in only two sizes — too big and too small. Humans come in many sizes. Not one is too big or too small. I’m a tall fellow. If I should trip while writing this, I’d be halfway to town. People keep asking me if I’m getting taller. I tell them that I am. I consider it quite an accomplishment. Tall is good. I have proof. Using a formula called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, researchers put together a map of where joy is the highest in America. They were able to describe what the happiest person in the country looks like. This person is a man and he is tall. I did well on those two. This happiest person is an Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business, and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year. Maybe I’m the second happiest.

Spell check

I stopped to get gas. There were a number of large signs advertising the station. The word “road” was a prominent part of that advertising. On one of the professionally lettered signs, the word “road” was spelled “raod.” The big sign was evident to those pumping gas and to those driving by. I’m not averse to making a mistake. I must enjoy making mistakes because I make so many of them. That said, I think that if I were a professional sign painter and I had just painted, “RAOD” in giant letters, I would question my job performance. After all, the word wasn’t “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” I don’t think that “road” is a great spelling challenge for most people. President Andrew Jackson might have disagreed with me. He said, “It's a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word.” If spelling is a problem and you are a professional sign painter, a dictionary would be a wise and necessary investment. There are only four letters in “road,” but by misspelling it as “raod,” the painter got half of them wrong. Maybe he’d been on the raod too long.

A scene from a marriage

I told my wife that women talk more than men do. I showed her a study that found that men use about 10,000 words per day while women use roughly 20,000 words per day.

My bride mulled over that information and said, “Women have to use twice as many words as men. That’s because they have to repeat everything they say to a man.”

“What?” I said.

Nature notes

House sparrows are not natives of this country. Accounts differ, but it appears that Nicholas Pike, Director of the Brooklyn Institute, purchased eight pairs of sparrows from Liverpool, England in 1850. He released them in the spring of the following year. They did not survive. The next year he purchased 25 pairs of sparrows and released them along the East River. Birds were released into Central Park (possibly to control cankerworm infestations in trees), Union Square Park, and Madison Square Park. In 1854 and 1858, the bird was introduced to Portland, Maine, in 1856 or 1857 to Nova Scotia, and in 1858 to Rhode Island. In 1869, 1,000 house sparrows were set free in Philadelphia. The same year, they were released in Galveston. House sparrows were introduced to San Francisco in 1871-1872 and to Salt Lake City in 1873-1874. While thriving in this country, house sparrow populations are declining drastically in England.

Meeting adjourned

Compliments pay the greatest interest. Invest in some kind words.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 the Twins played a night game at Target Field in Minneapolis against Tampa Bay. What was so unusual was not the fact that the Twins lost, but the clothing they wore consisted of baseball caps with flaps and earmuffs, plus sweatshirts with a hood. Under the uniform either a full long-john or a to the waist long-john was the undercover apparel worn. Yes, it snowed and the green grass was white!

With all the cold weather, Genie has gone to an undercover outfit also. Her’s is an under the cover while watching the Twins on TV.

Where our son lives, in Vermont, it began snowing at a minor league baseball game just as the game started. These were the big, fluffy snow flakes which caused the game to be cancelled. The fans decided to make the best of it so they built a life-size snowman at all nine positions!

The word is out on defeating the Twins. Score four runs and most likely your team will win. Score five or more runs and it is almost certain your team will win. (The Twins have only scored more than five runs once so far as of the writing of this article.)

Can a high school softball player hit two home runs in one game? Can a high school softball pitcher throw 25 strikeouts combined in two consecutive games? Can the above mentioned players live on the shore of Beaver Lake? Can the above players have a coach named Wenday? Can the above players actually be one in the same person? Ask Jade Schultz and she will tell you yes to each question. How does Jade know? Because she is that person.

There is an old Norwegian true fable that the robin will build a nest after it has snowed on its’ back three times. This fable goes on to say that is als the time to begin field work (including getting the garden ready for planting.) In other words, whether the tires hold up, green or red, let’s roll!

Rumor has it that Grandma and Grandpa Denherder of Beaver Lake are out of pennies. Thanks Madison, for your help in NRHEG Elementary as a student in raising pennies for your school to be third in its size in Minnesota in the Pennies for Patients campaign. (The money is used to fight blood cancer.)

Times have changed. It used to be a great fun-filled tradition. I’m referring to the filling of a May basket with goodies and leaving it on a doorstep as you ran away after ringing the door bell on the first day of May. I will admit getting a surprise of snowflakes in the air on May 1st but sad to say “No May basket.”

Do you remember when you planted a tree on Arbor Day?

Did you remember Mother’s Day? If so, great. It not, it’s not too late to ask for forgiveness.

An young man from Ellendale is now a college graduate. He graduated Cum Laude in Finance which means he worked his tail off to get good grades. He has a good work ethic as he was one of the best carry out cashiers at Lerberg’s that we’ve experienced. Tom Burshem, you will be a good finance person!

We are currently spending our days and nights betwen the lake cabin, our house in Albert Lea, and the Sunshine (Knights Inn) Motel on East Main in Albert Lea. We’re now shooting for June 1st for our Albert Lea house to be livable.

 — — —

Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. This is the Hanson’s 36th summer at Beaver Lake. They leave the lake in mid-October to go south — to Albert Lea — and return in April. Bob says if you enjoy his article, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of Wisdom: There is always room for God. 

The scurs covered the bases last week, which is more than you can say about the Twins recently. What’s on tap this time around? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a good chance of thunderstorms. Highs of 80 and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy on Thursday and cooler with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 70 and lows around 50. Friday cloudy and cooler with a chance of rain. Highs of 55 and lows dropping to 45. Slightly warmer but remaining cloudy on Saturday with a moderate chance for showers. Highs of 60 and lows around 45. Partly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs of 60 – 65 and lows near 45. Partly sunny on Monday with highs of 65 and lows of 55. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs of 75 – 80 and lows of 55. The normal high for May 15th is 71 and the normal low is 46. Sunset will occur after 8:30 on the 13th, the latest it’s been since last August 7th. The scurs are mailing their property taxes in with an IOU. 

May 17th will mark the Full Moon for the month of May. This one goes by several names, the Full Flower Moon, the Full Corn Planting Moon and the Full Milk Moon. It was at this time that many farmers could curtail the feeding of hay and turn their cows out on pasture to graze as the grass had finally become lush and thick enough to support them. This was not a good time to stand directly behind the cows while they were in the stanchions however, for obvious reasons. The Ojibwe called this moon the Full Blossom Moon and the Sioux, after horses had been introduced of course, the Moon When Ponies Shed.

Soil conditions this past week definitely shaped up in the greater Bugtussle area as farmers were planting corn in earnest. Some were fortunate enough to finish planting corn and in some cases, managed to get their soybeans planted as well. The drier April in this area turned out to be in their favor as temperatures allowed little drying in that timeframe. To the north and west, farmers were less fortunate with rains slowing and stopping progress on Friday night then again on Sunday morning. Monday morning brought more general and substantial rain across Waseca and adjacent counties. It’s tough to venture a guess as to what percentage of corn is planted. Around Bugtussle it’s probably close to 75%. Not far to the north it’s probably closer to 15%. Just not enough rain-free days and hours of drying weather to allow for much more than that.

The weather has been allowing for a lot of bird migration however. This past week about the time I’d sent the copy to press, of course a white-throated sparrow showed up amongst a group of Harris’ and white-crowned sparrows. They usually do and this year was no exception. A brief stop at the kindly neighbor’s pasture revealed the bluebirds had returned to their favorite nesting box again for what is probably the fifth year in a row. On 5/6, the song of the first house wren was heard at the ranch and on 5/7, there were several female rose-breasted grosbeaks but as of yet, no males here. On 5/8, the first two Baltimore orioles were at the jelly feeder that had been put in place a few days before their arrival. 

May 9 brought a mixed bag with a rooster pheasant trying to migrate through the side of the house. The house won of course but the pheasant managed to break a hole in the vinyl siding before breaking his neck. The electric fence was grounded out so it was time to track down the ground and take a peek in the wood duck house while I was at it. Opening the observation door on the side I could see it was occupied. A brown feathered tail with black bands was evident so I calmly slipped my hand over the body of the nesting kestrel and slowly brought her out where I could see how many eggs were in the nest. She looked at me and my leather-gloved hand with total amazement and disbelief as I counted the three eggs, then gently replaced her on the nest. She didn’t get excited and fly out as expected. Amazing how small these little falcons are, even smaller than a robin when you actually get your hands on one.

Ruby had another busy weekend of appointments to keep. First she went to the Heartworm Clinic in Little Jerusalem where she received many compliments on how pretty and well behaved she was. I must have a little of my mother in me as I wasn’t particularly amused by some of her antics since she isn’t real used to being on a lead rope. She minded, but just barely. After all the attention it was time to get the lawnmower fired up and as most Border Collie owners will attest, that usually fires the dog up. Time for the time honored tradition of biting the lawnmower tires passed down from generation to generation. That was followed of course by herding the lawnmower back and forth across the yard, getting her nice white socks all grass stained. Lawn mowed, the chores were next and after that, playing in the garden dirt. The tiller occupied Ruby’s attention while she wisely kept her distance from the rotating tines. Now her socks were not only grass stained they were muddy too. Sound familiar to you moms out there in the audience? We finished up in the dark and went in the house to scrounge up some food and refreshments. I sat in my chair and Ruby flopped down on the rug a few feet away while I petted and stroked her back. We were both tired and knowing there was another long day ahead, we both needed our beauty sleep. 

The next morning she was ready for chores and then, up for planting the potatoes. Since we were heading to Mom’s for Mother’s Day, I made her stay in the house. Planting what turned out to be 40 hills of potatoes (I thought there were only 30 until I added the 10 hills of Norkotah russets) she would’ve started out the trip all mud. As it was she played with Fudgie again and had another long day of seeing the world outside of Bugtussle. She must adapt more rapidly than we do though. When we arrived back home, I was tuckered and she wanted to play ball until almost 11 p.m. There may be a Tommy John surgery in my future if this keeps up.

See you next week…real good then.