My Grandma Hanson could entertain, teach and discipline without actually disciplining the children in the family. Peeling a potato with a peeler – feeling the skin, the water you washed it in, why we should eat that potato or whatever fruit or vegetable we were preparing — were always part of her teachings.

Children learned what measuring was all about and were able to observe and help her as she prepared oh so many meals.

The grandchildren liked to do dishes when they could squish the soap suds, felt big when they could pick up the dirt from the floor by sweeping, could mix things together and wear an apron like hers.

Picking up sticks or pulling weeds or dandelions could be a counting game, as were climbing the stairs and counting the steps.

My sister, Kaye, also taught a form of “Grandma School.” She was great at teaching her boys to be watchful when she was driving, identifying cars, the shapes and colors of signs and what they meant. She also explained why we have rules of the road and the value of side vison so one didn’t get caught unaware of dangers along the road.

Her boys still observe and identify makes and models of cars and, of course, license plates.

I’ve always enjoyed watching “Smarter than a 5th-grader” though it should be renamed, “Smarter than a kid.” Children do have natural abilities. Adults don’t always squish them.

Mrs. Zeman, who raised her family east of Geneva back when I was growing up, would bring her children into the town restaurant, not necessarily for the food, but to read the menu, as well as learn how they should behave when in a restaurant. She also taught them how to order their meals, etc. so when the real opportunity would come up they knew how to act, order a meal, and so on.

Another type of Grandma, or Mother School in this case.

The natural and the obvious of childhood intelligence is often overlooked. It is time we realize it.

I see by the Mankato paper that condolences need to be extended to Dan Dorman of Albert Lea. 

Dan’s 75-year-old bus driving father-in-law walked across the road to pick up his mail and was killed by a lady who was texting a message on her phone to her daughter as she was driving down the road. The lady didn’t realize where she was until she saw the blaze of orange from what the victim was wearing.

A high price to pay for distracted driving. The memory of the tragedy will linger for longer than the few minutes it would have taken to stop her vehicle and relay the message if it was really that important.

Cell phones are a convenience and a blessing, but what did we do before they hit the market? It is not the phone, like guns, that is the problem. It is the misuse of the equipment that matters.

Today is the oldest you’ve ever been and also the youngest you’ll ever be again. Make the most of it. Let’s make this day worthwhile.

Smile and know God is watching you. I know because I asked him to!

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Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented that they like to read about events such as family and school reunions, birthdays and anniversaries, and birth and wedding announcements.  In order to read about these important things we need our faithful readers to pass along the information to us.

Also, if you have an idea for a story that you think would be of interest to our readers, please contact me.

If you have birthdays and anniversaries you would like to include, or news to share, please contact me via  e-mail, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by postal mail, P.O. Box 192, Geneva, MN 56035; or telephone, 507-256-4405.

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Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, April 7th: Janye Villarreal, Janice Jensen Skovera, Lou Hanson-Vu, Katie Lembke, Michael & Kari Ingvaldson, Gary & Sonya Peterson

• Friday, April 8th: Ivy Obermoller, Dick Tracy, Nick Vreeman, Tim Stollard, Mark Hemingway, Sherri Carlson, Karen O'Byrne, Bob Donovan, David Pitcock, Dale & Vivian Dulas, Paul & Karissa Dolan

• Saturday, April 9th: Becky Larson, Justin Tufte, June Lageson, Abby Paige Christopherson, Raianna Thomas, Jim Kaplan, Kiersten Knudson, Mike Nechanicky, Larry Sarver, Clarice McGrath, Tiffany Chrz, Joe & Mandy Moon

• Sunday, April 10th: Kimberly Luhring, Sara Bergerson, Sarah Skroch, Sophia Rose Christensen, Luke David Olson, Daniel Gould, Liz Reichl, Harold Pitcock, Arlen & Coleen Brekke, Lawrence & Dorothy Sprankle

• Monday, April 11th: Barb Marcus, Ruth Benson, Lori Dobberstein Sodeman, Jessica Dobberstein, Jacob Alan Reynolds, Dan Nelson, Darrin Thostenson, Theresa Bartsch, James Thompson

• Tuesday, April 12th: Tiegen Kay Richards, her 8th; Rory Ann Bickler, Guy Cromwell, Charise Oland, Cheryl Thompson, Deb Wilking, Allen & Betty Brandt, Roger & Reta Draayer

• Wednesday, April 13th: Victor Mrotz, Jamie Johnson, Andrea Casteron Malo, Ava Raye Chapman, her 7th; David Clausen, Margie Nesdahl, Pat O'Conner, Jason Sullivan, Roxie Ritz Simmons, Megan Benson, Charlotte Miller, Curtis Klecker, Shannon & Jason Peterson, their 11th

• Thursday, April 14th: Dakota Clark, Anna Elizabeth Bailey, Tina Hagen, Jason Vogt, Rachel Oswald, Marcia Hemingway Jensen, David Jensen, Ron Huber, Butch & Gail Ottesen8; Terry Jensen, Barry Troe, James Benson, Sarah Christine George, Cayla Conroy

It is your special day - take a break and celebrate!

Echoes From the Loafers’ Club Meeting

You think people don't like you? Have you tried a little kindness?

Yes.

What did that get you?

Suspicion.

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: We all have those days where we’re not sure if we’re coming or going. My brother-in-law, Duane Swenson, reminded me of a fellow we knew years ago who had a door on each end of his garage so that he never had to back out. He might not have known if he was coming or going, but he knew that he was moving forward.

Scene from a marriage

"Did you forget to shave?" my wife asked.

"No," I replied defensively.

"Did you use a mirror?"

"I did, but I got up so early, my mirrored image hadn’t reported to work yet."

We all have our pet peeves. Something that irritates us like a chainsaw scraping a blackboard at 3 a.m. The travel-sized shaving cream I use when on the road comes in an aerosol can. Sophisticated men maintain that only a fool uses anything other than a bar, tube or jar of shaving cream, but the can works for me. The nice thing about being a fool is that we have our own special day, April Fool’s Day. 

I follow the directions. I wash my face with warm water and leave it wet. I shake the can, hold it upright and press the top to release lather.

The problem is that the shaving cream can is like a ketchup bottle. To quote Richard Armour, "Shake and shake the catsup bottle. None will come, and then a lot'll."

That’s how the foam is dispensed. It’s either too little or too much. I’ve declared it a pet peeve, but I refuse to hold it in contempt.

I changed the subject by whispering something soft and sweet in my wife’s ear: "Vanilla pudding."

The perils of parking 

I visited a college to watch a granddaughter's athletic endeavors. Where to park? Most of the parking places were permit only. Signage was lacking. I had a friend in college who paid the same in parking fines as he did in tuition fees. He parked illegally and then raised the hood of his car in the hopes that the tow truck drivers would have a heart and take pity on him. They didn't. I recall coming home from college one weekend. I’d caught a ride with a buddy, leaving my car at school. A blizzard hit while I was home. My car was parked on the odd side of the street when it should have been on the even side. Or maybe it was on the even side of the street when it should have been on the odd side. No matter, it was on the wrong side. My car was towed as far from the university as possible without involving a barge or an airplane. I paid a fine, a tow charge and storage fees. The bill exceeded the vehicle’s value. An acquaintance, who claims to have anarchistic tendencies, picks a couple of laws that he likes and obeys them. I try to obey all laws.

I finally found a place to park. I parked legally away from any rusty, banged-up cars. I figure if drivers don't care what their cars look like, they won’t care if they dinged mine. I parked as far away from where I needed to be as my car would have been towed to if I’d parked illegally.

Pink hair

A small town I know suffered a spate of deaths in a short time at a rate that if continued would have wiped out its entire population within a year.

I waited in line to pay my respects at a visitation.

The woman just ahead of me was young, but wore the hair of someone younger. It was pink.

"I like your hair," I said, because that's all a man should ever say about a woman's hair. "How did you decide on the color?" 

"My husband grew a beard," she answered. "I told him that he could grow a beard if I could dye my hair pink."

Nature notes

"Do crows mate for life?" Generally, unless a mate is killed or incapacitated. However, if a young pair bred unsuccessfully, they might break the pair bond and start seeing other crows. A divorce, corvid style.

Meeting adjourned

The more time you spend comparing your life to others, the less time you’ll have to enjoy yours. Be kind.

All the lakes are open in our part of the state and when that happens I look back to the days when the bullhead was king of early season fishing. As a kid there were a few times when my uncle Harvey would take me with him to Pickerel Lake to fish bullheads. In those days folks learned about any area fish bite strictly by word of mouth.

Spring is when the bullheads are the best eating and that is also when the bite is usually the best. I can remember how folks would line the shore of Pickerel Lake and the cars would be lined up along the roadside on Highway 69. All of the "old timers" would await the day that ice out occurred so that they could pursue that whiskered fish. I can remember how pumped up my father-in-law Orv Johnson would be when one of his card playing buddies at the Twin Lakes Liquor Store would tell him about the latest hot spot where those big old yellow bellies were biting.

I have to say when I was growing up the bullhead was, beyond a doubt, the most abundant fish in the area. There was actually nothing better than a meal of early season bullhead pan fried and served with fried potatoes and Van Camp's pork & beans; yum, yum, mighty tasty. A lot of rural bars and service clubs would hold bullhead feeds and smelt feeds, both of which have become pretty much a thing of the past.

As a kid I paid my dues like all of the other kids who fished the whiskered one; that is getting stung by the dreaded stingers that the bullhead has which inevitably end up poking even the most careful fisherman. It wasn’t just a poke, but something that would stay with you for awhile, just as a reminder that you had been had by the bullhead.

Every once in a while I look back and remember fondly those days gone by and more importantly I wonder where are the bullhead? Folks used to also line the shores of Albert Lea Lake, especially by the Jugland Dam. Catching the whiskered one was pretty simple and there used to be an abundance of them. I know that times have changed and you won't find a guy in a $30,000 bass boat bobber fishing bullhead but they should still eat as good today as they did years ago. Bobber fishing was a favorite for a lot of bullhead fishermen & women but using a simple hook and sinker with a gob of worms letting it lay on the bottom was pretty darned effective; if you didn’t get snagged up on the bottom. When I worked at Conger Creamery me and a couple of my co-workers would go to Pickerel Lake and fish at night. We’d start a bonfire, cast out a gob of worms and wait for the line to go tight. It was simple fun that yielded results without a whole lot of effort.

I’d noticed a gradual decrease in the number of bullheads where I kept a seasonal camper on Lake Tetonka in Waterville. The year before I moved the camper up north I talked to some folks from Iowa who came up to the lake each year to fish bullhead for their annual feed. They’d said that the bullhead numbers had declined so bad that they had to go to the Morristown Dam to get their fish. On that same note they also said that the city of Waterville had folks fishing in Morristown so that they could have fish for bullhead days. Not a good thing for a town that called itself "the bullhead capitol of the world".

I spoke with a gentleman who has lived on Albert Lea Lake for many years and he told me that he used to catch a lot of bullheads every spring while fishing off his dock. He said that now he’s lucky to catch any. I am no marine biologist so I won’t guess as to what has caused the decline but I would sure be interested in finding out. I know that during my last few years at Best Point Resort on Tetonka Lake I would occasionally see a bullhead swimming just below the surface with a sore on its side. There could very well have been a disease of some sort that took its toll on that species. I am sure that the bullhead population or lack thereof is not at the top of the DNR list of things to worry about.

Speaking of a fish of a different color; I have seen some folks catching perch while fishing from the Front Street Bridge and I have also heard of folks catching and releasing some nice walleye while fishing the channel below the dam on Bridge Street.

I plan on taking a few days and heading up to the cabin to check and see how many trees are down and if the cabin survived the winter. I could wait until the opener but the little kid inside of me wants to get up there and like I do with my grandkids I will probably give in to the old kid’s wishes.

Until next time, it's a good time to drop a line in for some perch and panfish.

 and, who knows, you may even catch a nice mess of bullhead. If you don't want to fish, it's still a great time to take a walk or ride your bike around the lake.

Remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers. They are the reason that we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

We got home from Arkansas late Saturday, March 19. Late Saturday-early Sunday it snowed enough to make everything white. By Monday evening, the snow was gone as it melted away.

I got up Tuesday morning, had my usual cereal breakfast and made a major decision. Based on the sun shining, no wind, the temperature in the high fifties, I decided it is that time of the year to start my spring/summer/fall walk around Fountain Lake of an hour or two, depending on the route I take.

As I was walking I decided winter is over and spring is here, with summer just around the corner based on the following:

1. Per the calendar, it is now spring.

2. The ice is out of Fountain Lake.

3. Fishermen are open-water fishing.

4. I see boats on Fountain Lake.

5. Lots of ducks and geese are on Fountain Lake.

6. Youth are playing basketball outside in the park by Valley Street.

7. Youth are using the skateboard park.

8. I see robins—one momma robin tells me she has had snow on her back three times, so it is time to nest.

9. No snow to be seen.

Yogi Bera was a man of many talents. He was the catcher for the New York Yankees for many years and then the manager. Yogi helped the Yankees establish the fact of the team being the powerhouse in baseball for many years.

Yogi is better known for his Yogi-isms. The following is his best known and how it came to be:

Yogi was the catcher when the Yankees were playing the Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore. At the end of two innings, Baltimore was ahead 15-0 The sportswriter for the Baltimore Sun newspaper started giving Yogi a tough time, even going so far as to ask Yogi for one of his Yogi-isms to summarize how bad the Yankees were playing.

Yogi let fly with a stream of chewing tobacco into the dugout tobacco can as he said, “It’s not over ‘til it’s over,” to the Baltimore sportswriter.

The Yankees made a fantastic comeback and won the game 20-18. The sportswriter ate crow as he wrote in his column about the game, including the conversation in the dugout with Yogi. Now you know what brought about the best Yogi-ism.

In the beginning of this column I wrote about how I knew winter was over. I, too, must eat crow as I forgot about Yogi and his Yogi-isms.

Late Wednesday, early Thursday winter was still here as a blizzard with a foot of wet snow, bringing things to a standstill in this area. Yes, Yogi, “it’s not over ‘til it’s over.”

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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. 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. Bob says if you enjoy his column, 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 are starting to wonder if the Weather Eye is hooked to the brakes somehow, based on the spring weather. It definitely has been stubborn since about mid-March. Will it put its foot on the gas finally or do the brake adjustment wheels need a shot of PB Blaster? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain turning to a rain/snow mix by evening. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the upper 30’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of rain/snow mix in the forenoon. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the low 30’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly sunny Sunday with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 30’s. Monday, cloudy and slightly cooler with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Continued cloudy skies for Tuesday with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. The normal high for April 8th is 53 and the normal low is 32. We are back to over 13 hours of daylight on April 6th about the same as we were on September 4th. The scurs could use a Labor Day break after slaving over this forecast.

More rainfall this past week sent us well into the “slightly above normal” category for March. At the ranch we garnered 2.86” of total liquid precip, with 12.6” of snow for the month. April started out in similar fashion with .4” recorded from last Thursday’s rain. Saturday was cool and blustery while Sunday got us to 73 degrees under breezy conditions at the ranch. Although this dried the surface out nicely, underneath the soil remains pretty sticky in many places. Cooler temperatures and a wintry mix for the week don’t bode well for large amounts of fieldwork being accomplished anytime soon. While our possible early spring has disintegrated to some extent, it also remains entirely possible that it could turn and suddenly when it does. Stay tuned.

Sunday’s wind did allow for some gardening on the south-facing slope. Got a few radishes put in the ground as a germination check if nothing else. Radishes are among our favorite early vegetables. With several packages of seed that were a year or two old, it made for a nice experiment. If they don’t come up, they can easily be tossed and replaced with newer seed that will. The soil was in nice shape so just taking the garden rake over the surface, scattering the seed in the worked bed was enough once tamped in firmly. 

Another set of triplets from a black ewe made us wonder if we should be buying lottery tickets. Oddly enough, it was the same assortment we got out of a different black ewe a couple weeks ago: a black buck lamb and two white ewe lambs. The odds of this happening are somewhat unusual, especially in the same season. They are doing well and the weather has been somewhat cooperative lately. Cool, but generally dry. At least it’s not below zero so the ewe has been able to keep up with their demands. We’re down to one ewe left to lamb that’s close enough so we can tell anyway. It’s been a long haul since February 22nd and it’s time to put a fork in it. 

Saturday allowed me to start the Silver Hawk and proceed to get it out to limber it up. Cranking it over didn’t seem to be producing the desired results, so a little splash of gas down the two-barrel carb was in order. After the initial fireball, it started right up. Always a good idea to have an operational fire extinguisher nearby, which I did. A quick drive up to the “T” and back confirmed that all was as I left it last November. Sunday made for a better opportunity to take a short spin after the Lions pancake feed so stopped by Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer’s house. Didn’t want him worrying that I hadn’t made it out yet. After that I made my way to the local sheep shearer to chit chat and watch his lambs. Can never get enough lamb watching, I always say. Once home, it was time to wipe the bugs off the white bird and put it back in its cage. Driving the Stude is a little like the bathtub when I was a kid: Once I get in I don’t want to get out. At least I don’t look like a prune, yet.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something about the loss of a great man in our community, Darrol Sponberg. The personal kindnesses that he bestowed upon us at the ranch will never be forgotten. When a storm ripped our place apart, he came over with his backhoe and cleaned a lot of the mess up and charged us next to nothing. In the ‘90s, we were frequently showing sheep into November for the NAILE in Louisville. Winter seemed to set in early in those years. He allowed us to bring our pickup and trailer into his large shop with floor heat to wash and dry the animals rather than trying to do it in the cold. We thought we’d died and gone to heaven. In those years we had a great deal of success and Darrol was a large part of it. And he was always genuinely interested in how we did. It was as though our success was a reflection on him. We were proud and so was he.

Last summer, when the car club visited the care center, it was so good of Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer to wheel Darrol out to see the cars. He really appreciated it, although I’m sure he would’ve rather been behind the wheel of one. When we held the most recent Lions pancake feed it seemed odd not to see Darrol there taking tickets. I still recall one time when they were short of help and, despite his bad knees, Darrol jumped in to flip French toast when someone didn’t show up. I know it stiffens my knees up and I can’t imagine how he must’ve hurt after that. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to who he was. Always willing to help out, not afraid of hard work and getting his hands dirty. We could use a lot more Darrols right about now, the way I see it.

See you next week…real good then.

April 10-16 is National Library Week. The New Richland Public library will be having a number of activities throughout the week. Monday, April 11 the “Friends of the Library” will kick off the week with cheese cake and coffee from 3:30 p.m to 6 p.m. Also at the event, the public will be able to purchase a bag and fill it with used books. On Thursday the same event will be repeated. An art show with local art will happen on Thursday and Saturday.

Saturday morning, April 16, will be for the children and those coming with them. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the children will enjoy craft time. Children and adults will be able to purchase a bag and fill it with books.

Stop during the week and enjoy some snacks, get some books and thank the library staff for all they do for the public!

The 2016 Annual Bluebird Expo will be held on Saturday, April 16 at Byron Middle School, 601 4th St. NW, Byron, MN. Registration will take place from 8-9 a.m., followed by the program from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Want to attract bluebirds? This is the place to learn how! Featuring Al Batt, local comedian, whose thoughtful, humorous talks amuse and inform the audience, a program on owls by the International Owl Center, and a program on red-headed woodpeckers by Brittany Nancy Larsen from the Audubon Society, the expo will have sales, demonstrations, videos, exhibits and a silent auction.

Other speakers include: Jake Langeslag, “Goat Dispatch;” Keith Radel, “Increasing Fledging Rates and Keeping Bluebirds Safe;” Ray Simon, program on bats and bat houses. Registration is $12 each, and lunch reservations are $10.50 each. Cash donations are welcome to purchase items for the silent auction.

Questions, call: Jenean Mortenson, (507) 332-7003 or Carrol Johnson, (507) 649-0126 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

A blood drive will be held on Tuesday, April 19 from 1–7 p.m. at the Ellendale Community Center. For appointments call Rebecca, (507) 684-3040. Photo ID or donor card required.

NRHEG Community Education announces a trip to Forest City, Iowa Friday, April 22. They will tour the Mansion Museum, Trinity Church, Waldorf College (with a buffet lunch), and the largest motorhome manufacturing facility in the world, Winnebago Industries, Inc. Do not wear open-toes shoes on this tour.

Leaving at approximately 8:45 am (depending on where the most people are from – either the bowling alley in New Richland or Gopher Stop in Ellendale) You will be notified as this trip gets closer. Please include phone number and email on your registration form.

Cost: $70 (includes the cost of your meal, the bus and the tours).

Register by April 15 by calling 507-417-2667.

The scurs and the Weather Eye continue to receive hate mail after Wednesday night’s snowfall event. Are we done with winter finally or is another encore performance (or two) waiting in the wings? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the mid-50’s with lows in the upper 30’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of a rain in the forenoon. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the low 30’s. Partly sunny Friday with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly sunny Sunday with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Monday, cloudy and warmer with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the low 30’s. Continued cloudy skies for Tuesday with highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for April 1st is 49 and the normal low is 29. We continue to gain daylight at about three minutes per day. The scurs are thinking maybe by fixing the dome light in the ’74, where the Weather Eye emanated from, we will see more sun next week. That ship may have sailed. April fools!

We certainly are stuck on some cloudy weather. There are anecdotal indications that all is not well in flyover land. From livestock health issues to vitamin D and human depression issues, this has been a tough one. Our old pal the polar vortex has been bandied about recently as well, leading some to believe that in spite of better-than-even odds of above-normal temperatures forecast by NOAA, we may see a chilly start to particularly the first half of April. Take heart, however. Planting much before about the 20th has shown little or no benefit most years, so if it can get it out of its system by then, we should be fine. Fretting about it won’t change it and planting in mud early is a guaranteed disaster. 

Some have wondered about all the “free” nitrogen we receive in the snowfall as someone in the news media usually gets wound up about that. Typically we receive somewhere in the vicinity of 10–12 lbs./acre of nitrogen from atmospheric sources over the course of an entire year’s precipitation. The nitrogen received is fairly minimal per precipitation event so like most other things, not much in life is really “free.”

Now, if someone wants some “free” sod, I have lots after “freeing” it from my yard with the tractor and bucket. Last week’s snowfall measured about 7.5” at the ranch with what appeared to be roughly that at the Mall for Men. It was some wet, heavy slop and with the rain that preceded it, totaled about .83” of liquid equivalent. For March snowfall, we’ve now received a hair over the 30-year average (1981–2010) at the SROC with 12.5” having been measured at the ranch. Total precip-wise we are still roughly a half inch behind the SROC average with that being likely to change after this reaches print. It really doesn’t matter at this point. The soil profile is saturated; with temperatures remaining cool and skies cloudy with not much for drying winds, it will take a few days for conditions to become fit.

I am convinced this was one of the reasons farmers used to have livestock: To keep them busy enough so they didn’t have time to venture forth until field conditions were truly ready. At the ranch, the end of lambing season is drawing near. Only a handful of ewes remain left to lamb so working in the garden is unlikely to happen until that occurs. The lambs are growing well although they too would appreciate some extended warm, dry weather to run and hop around. The pasture has greened up nicely, however, so once the snow left, the ewes left to lamb aren’t wasting any time to sneak off and grab as much of the new forage as possible.

The snow did make it a little more difficult for some of the birds to find their favorite food, namely earthworms. Fear not, however. Just as at the ranch, there are numerous berry bushes and trees that sustain them through such occurrences. And if there isn’t, they fly someplace where there is. We did finally catch a glimpse of the male cardinal after hearing him singing much of the past couple weeks. He was sticking close to the protection of the brush pile, although we still haven’t seen him at the feeders.

Saturday, we did our agri-tourism bit with my brother and his family, including a great niece who wasn’t even 2 yet coming down from the Twin Cities to feed the bottle lambs. Little Everly was the star of the show, getting to pet the little black lamb named Goober in the lambing barn and bottle feed the little as yet unnamed buck lamb in the main barn. Maybe call him “Clint” after the man with no name from the spaghetti westerns. After that we headed to The Willows for a little lunch and Everly entertained the waitress. It was a fun day and the weather even cooperated, the rain holding off until later that evening.

Easter Sunday of course meant church and after hauling a few flowers around, Mrs. Cheviot decided it was a good day to hit the Easter brunch afterward. I wasn’t arguing. A long week of evening chores by myself as well as moving snow, etc., had me in no mood to work at grilling a meal. That worked. After we got that accomplished we fed the bottle lambs and settled in to watch the replay of the Gopher women’s hockey team winning the national championship. Luckily, I knew ahead of time they had scored right away so was able to pencil in an hour and a half powernap until the third period when I knew they scored again, eventually winning 3-1. Forewarned is forearmed, I always say. 

See you next week…real good then.