When they started the season winning one of three games, you had to wonder what kind of year it would be for first-year head coach Coy Hupfeld and the NRHEG High School softball team.

Since then there’s been little doubt.

The Panthers ended the regular season last week with a pair of victories, extending their winning streak to six games. They’re 12-3 overall, 6-1 in the Gopher Conference, having won 11 of 12 since starting the season 1-2. They opened sub-section play Tuesday. The Panthers finished in a three-way tie for the conference championship.

NRHEG 15, Medford 5 (Five innings)

The Panthers hosted the Tigers Monday, May 11 and came away with an easy five-inning victory.

The weight men and the distance relay guys have led the NRHEG boys’ track and field team all spring.

So it was no surprise they did so in the Gopher Conference meet at New Richland Tuesday, May 12.

Keith Maxon won the discus and the 4x800-meter relay team took gold as the Panthers finished fourth among seven squads. USC/AC won the title with 170 points, followed by Maple River with 144, Blooming Prairie 100, NRHEG 96, Medford 68, Bethlehem Academy 64 and WEM 26.

“It was a good showing by the boys tonight,” said NRHEG coach Duey Ferber. “We were pleased with a fourth-place finish.”

When examining the Gopher Conference meet on paper, NRHEG girls’ track and field coach Duey Ferber figured his Panthers had a good chance to finish in fifth place.

His figuring was right on.

The Panther girls were fifth out of seven schools in the conference meet they hosted Tuesday, May 12 in New Richland.

“It was a good night for our girls,” said Ferber. “We ended up about where we figured we’d place.”

WEM won the championship with 154 points, with Maple River second at 105. USC/AC was next with 102.5 followed by NRHEG with 95, Medford 79.5 and Bethlehem Academy 55.

The good news for the NRHEG High School baseball team is that the Panthers snapped a losing skid last week.

The bad news is it was sandwiched by a pair of lop-sided losses.

The Panthers, who finished the regular season Tuesday and open section tournament play Friday, saw their record slide to 6-11 overall and 5-7 in the Gopher Conference.

Medford 11, NRHEG 4

The Panthers kept it close for five innings against the highly regarded Tigers at Legion Field Monday, May 11 but saw the visitors blow it open in the late innings.

Medford managed three runs in the top of the first inning in drizzly conditions. The Panthers plated a run of their own in the bottom of the first.

The NRHEG High School clay target team took to the range once again last week as they continue to try and catch the conference-leading team from McGregor-Aitkin-Cromwell.

However, it was would be the MAC team that would continue to expand their lead over the second-place team from NRHEG.  At the same time, the local boys did expand their own lead over the rest of the field and they now find themselves solidly in the runner up position after starting the season in fourth.

With the Memorial Day observance soon upon us, many things come to mind.

For more than 100 years the Geneva Cemetery has been honoring those buried there. The first acre of land for the Geneva cemetery was donated by David and Emma Jones in 1885 and additions to the cemetery were purchased in 1919, 1959, and 1974. The Carl Gardner Jensen family were the first caretakers of the cemetery on the hill and through the years that position has been kept in the family. Five generations have continued as caretakers, including Julius Jensen, Walter Jensen, Earl and Esther Jensen, Jerry and Sharon Jensen, Jerry Jensen, Tom Jensen and now Sam Jensen have all served as caretakers and have done a wonderful job.

The Geneva Cemetery Board and others are to be commended for their devotion in keeping the cemetery on the hill a hallowed home.  Over the years a speakers platform was added to the cemetery as a memorial from the Orville Ingvaldson family in honor of their daughter, Beryl, and a large flag pole has also been erected.

The Geneva school children were always a part of the Memorial Day recognition even when other cemeteries were not paying a tribute to their "someones" who were no longer alive. My grandmother Hanson, along with the other school children in the early 1900s, took part in Memorial Day recognitions and it continued for a great many years.

I can remember when I was in grade school how the students at Geneva would prepare for that special recognition. We would practice how we would march into the cemetery. We also had to learn how we would get the rows of students turned around when it was time to exit the cemetery after the Memorial Day program had concluded.

When Memorial Day arrived the school children would gather at the old school, which was located on the west side of Central Avenue, in the 200 block, and they would march to the cemetery. The children brought lilacs and other spring flowers to place on the graves.

In my later years, when I was a member of the high school band, we always took part in the Memorial Day programs. One of the trumpet players each year was asked to play "Taps" and would move to a distant corner of the cemetery.

We have always had a very dedicated group of local veterans who took part in the Memorial Day remembrance and it continues today. The local American Legion Post #296 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars #8941 have been a part of this yearly remembrance and the Women's Auxiliary also takes part.

The Geneva Cemetery Board places flags at each of the veterans’ graves while the area service men and women place flags on the gravesites of veterans at a large number of area cemeteries. For a great number of years a memorial wreath was placed at the grave site of one of the local veterans in Geneva and now a wreath is placed at the speakers platform, which honors all veterans.

When I think of Memorial Day and what it stands for, the song, "God Bless The USA" by Lee Greenwood, also comes to mind.

If tomorrow all the things were gone,

I'd worked for all my life.

And I had to start again,

with just my children and my wife.

I'd thank my lucky stars,

to be livin here today.

'Cause the flag still stands for freedom,

and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

and I won't forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,

next to you and defend her still today.

'Cause there ain't do doubt I love this land,

God bless the USA.

From the lakes of Minnesota,

to the hills of Tennessee.

Across the plains of Texas,

From sea to shining sea.

From Detroit down to Houston,

and New York to L.A.

Well there's pride in every American heart,

and it's time we stand and say.

That I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,

next to you and defend her still today.

'Cause there ain't do doubt I love this land

God bless the USA.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

• Thursday, May 21st: Tony Dodge, Christopher Flim, Tom Wilker, Joel Cooper, Ryan Parks

• Friday, May 22nd: David Eliason, Christine Thompson Krause, Lori Lembke, Scott Dirksen, Pat Horan, Mark Christensen, Jim Obermoller, Michael Sarver, Roger Thompson, Andrew Grunwald, Karla Hanson, Ernie & Sue Swenson, Chuck & Susan Grubish, Toni and James Perschbacker

• Saturday, May 23rd: Stephane Paul Martin, her 6th; Will Richard Utpadel, his 8th: Ilsbeth Wayne, Jeanne Simonson, Melissa Shaunce, Burton Borchert, Orville Langlie, Karen Quam, Rodney & Peggy Sorenson, Duane & Janice Morreim, Jeff & Sara Miller, Rebecca & Tim Brekke

• Sunday, May 24th: David Christensen, Marlyn Swearingen, Reta Draayer, Nina Widlund

• Monday, May 25th: Dakota Matthew Kath, his 10th: Riley Dean Disher, his 8th; Jack Harpel, Jackie Johnson Miller, Jim Pichner, Cara Christensen, Valerie Peterson, Richard Fetterly, Bill Nechanicky, Rick Miller, Deb Parks, Paul Reese, Troy & Kelly Utpadel, Dave & Barbara Van Gorkom

• Tuesday, May 26th: Jeff Wayne, Roger Wangsness, Natalie Hanson, Jim Cummins, Jennifer Beaber, Jeremy Beaber, Melissa Redmon, Karey (Kalakian) & Chris Shearman

• Wednesday, May 27th: Eileen Bergland, Lisa Hanson, Steve Jepson, Shane Callahan, Stacy Wobschall, Rev. Beaber, Theresa Kasper, Rick Loven, Carolee Broitzman George, Tracy Marcus, Lisa Hanson, Steve Jepson, Michael Butler, Steve & Karen Quam, Megan & Joel Cooper

• Saturday, May 30th: Payton Allen Misgen, Daniel Larson, Molly Hanson, Chuck Crabtree, Shirley Nelson, Julie & Toby Oquist

May your special day blossom with many reasons to smile!

This past weekend I attended The Governor’s Fishing Opener on beautiful Lake Vermilion, which sits just south of the Boundary Waters in Northeastern Minnesota. It has the town of Tower on the east end and Cook on the west end.

Each year the event is kicked off by an opening ceremony followed by the community picnic. The picnic is probably one of my favorite parts of the weekend that doesn’t involve fishing. There is live music, entertainment and various vendors with games and displays for folks of all ages. The people from the community come from miles around to enjoy the picnic and take in all the festivities. It is always fun to watch the people as they enjoy this event and mingle with the media folks as they gather to listen to the Governor speak.

The whole object of this opener is to bring attention to the host community and to kick off the Minnesota tourism season. Travel and tourism in Minnesota generates $13 billion in revenue each year.

You could say Lake Vermilion pretty much has it all. It is a 40,000-acre body of water with both rocky shoreline and sandy beaches. It also has hundreds of small bays and coves along with vast open water. Fishing is great on Vermilion with many species including walleye, northern pike, muskie, both large and smallmouth bass along with perch and panfish like crappie and sunfish. The slot limit on the lake is 18-26 with one keeper over 26 for walleye and 24-36 with one keeper over 36 for northern. There are 365 islands on the lake; some have cabins and lake homes and others are just undeveloped wilderness. The area has many nice resorts and some very nice golf courses. This weekend was also marked by the dedication ceremony for Lake Vermilion State Park that includes the Soudan underground mine.

This year I was lucky enough to be able to bring my grandson, Dylan, along for an experience he will not soon forget. After we had registered at Fortune Bay Resort & Casino, which was headquarters for the event, we checked in at our cabin at Bayview Lodge where we met up with my old friend Jeff Anderson, a sportscaster from Watertown, South Dakota.

Later that evening we met the person who would be our fishing host and guide for Saturday’s day of fishing. His name was Bill Conger (no relation to the town) a resident of Cook. I could tell right away we would once again be fishing with someone that truly loved the outdoors and more importantly loved the area in which he lived. He has belonged to the Lake Vermilion Sportsman’s Club, which he says is a great organization that has done much for the preservation and improvement of this vast lake. Bill has also served on the school board and has been involved in many other community activities.

He and his wife met in college and although he was originally from New Jersey and his wife from Cook, they decided to settle in the town of Cook after graduation. There was a time when he didn’t think he would like Northern Minnesota but once they decided to make it their home he said he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else

Bill works in the mining industry in sales, but with his vast knowledge of the area he could easily be a tour guide for the Vermilion area. One story he told was about an island on the lake called Gold Island which was actually prospected for gold in the late 1800s. The quest for gold didn’t pan out (pardon the pun) but it did eventually lead to the start of iron mining in the area.

On Saturday morning we attended the opening day ceremonies and then headed out in search of the wily walleye. With Bill we got the whole package. Not only did he know how to fish walleye, but he knew more about Lake Vermilion and the area than I could ever possibly remember.

The Pike River runs into Vermilion and that is where the walleye go to spawn in early spring. The Vermilion River is the outlet which flows north to Crane Lake. Bill said that when the Boundary Waters were first being formed the government wanted to include Lake Vermilion. The lake had already seen a lot of development, especially on the south side, so the residents of the area opposed it and won. The Boundary Waters actually begin about five miles north of the lake and most of the north shore of the lake is undeveloped, so there is still a lot of wilderness to enjoy.

Many of the lake’s 365 islands are small and undeveloped, but some are so large that you wouldn’t think of them as islands. There are many nice lake homes and cabins on the lake and as a fisherman I was almost overwhelmed with the lake’s beauty. The kid in me gets excited about fishing by just looking at the beauty of the lake and all of those islands. Bill said one of the things he likes about this big lake is that no matter how windy it gets you can always find a place to fish that is out of the wind. He did put us on some fish and the best part was that we all caught a walleye, which was the species we were seeking that day. We had to go quite a ways by boat to get results but it was well worth it. Some of the walleye we caught were in 45-50 ft. of water but I caught mine in 12 ft. or less. Although most of the fish we caught were in the 10-12 inch range I did manage to get a 17-incher (can you say lucky?).

Yes, this opener was a very memorable one and it was made special not only by Bill, our fishing host and beautiful Lake Vermilion ,but by the many nice folks who live in the area. My grandson Dylan probably said it best when he said, “Grandpa, I just can’t believe how nice the people of this area are.” That about says it all; so if you want to take a vacation that you will surely enjoy and create some unforgettable family memories, then Lake Vermilion is the place to go. You can find out more about the many fine resorts in the area by contacting the Lake Vermilion Resort and Tourism Association @ 800-648-5897 or go to www.explorevermilion.com.

Until next time, once the weather settles down the fish should be biting so take some time to get out and enjoy the great Minnesota outdoors.

Please remember to keep our troops in your thoughts and prayers because they are the reason we are able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have today.

Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting

What are you doing?

I'm helping you.

I'm not doing anything.

I know. That's why I'm willing to help.

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: There is a long line to anything that is free.

The cafe chronicles

The waitress told us that if she didn't work there, she’d pay to get in. The food was better than eating my own cooking. I hadn't eaten myself into next week. I'd had an elegant sufficiency. I sat back, comfortable in my food intake, and listened as a member at the table of infinite knowledge ordered everything well done. Even the green salad. He wanted all his food to be well done.

He was a worrier. He had thrown a boomerang away years ago and he still feared its return. He didn't grow a garden. He found a supermarket more dependable. He gave up gardening the year that all the zucchini resembled LBJ. He considered himself an outdoorsman. He went camping — sort of. He takes the screens off his bedroom windows during the mosquito season. He’d found a way to make people like him. He finds out what they think about something and then he tells them that they are right. People find being declared a genius endearing.  

Eating in the café is an elucidatory experience.

Syzygy

I was in the middle of three lanes headed north. The car on each side of me was of the same brand of car as I was driving. I don't own a rare kind of automobile, but it’s not the most common either. Three passenger vehicles traveling in a parallel formation caused me to feel as if I’d won a game of tic-tac-toe. The coincidental arrangement was over faster than a dollar dinner. In astronomy, an alignment of three celestial objects, such as the sun, the earth and either the moon or a planet is called syzygy. Syzygy occurs at the time of full moon and new moon. And maybe when three homogenous vehicles journey shoulder-to-shoulder down a highway. 

The brunch bunch

I ate brunch with a friend. Brunch combines all of the excitement of breakfast and lunch. We shook hands when we met at the restaurant and watched others bump fists. I wondered what would be next, knocking elbows? My friend told me of the exploits of his dog Leonard as bad music annoyed the background. It was a poor version of the music played in the movies when wild horses are running on the screen. It was slightly better than static. The man said that his ex-wife had remarried. I congratulated him on acquiring a husband-in-law.

It was nice sharing a look ahead and a look back with a friend.

The next morning, I had breakfast with Pat Ryan of Janesville. We ate in St. Joseph's where we were both teaching writing classes at a college. I waved at Pat as I drove out of the parking lot.

I didn’t look back. Many people maintain that we should never look back.

Pat’s Kia had refused to start. It needed a friend’s car to work the other end of the jumper cables. I wasn’t there.

I should have looked back.

An old coot talked about bald eagles on TV in New Orleans

Thank you to those who sent clips of my appearance on the FOX 8 News WVUE-TV in New Orleans. I was on a segment titled, "The Bald Eagle: A Louisiana Success Story." It’s amazing to see bald eagles where once I couldn’t see them no matter how long or hard I looked. Each eagle I see is a miracle, as is every other living thing. Except maybe chiggers and deer ticks. I’m proud to be a trustee of the American Bald Eagle Foundation that has helped with the eagle’s recovery. Louisiana was lovely and I delighted in doing the TV gig. The recovery of the bird that is our national emblem is encouraging, heartwarming and amazing.

Nature notes

Feed the monarch butterflies. There are a number of milkweed species native to Minnesota. Butterfly weed and clasping, common, fourleaf, green comet, oval-leaf (dwarf), poke, prairie (Sullivant’s), purple, showy milkweed, sidecluster (wooly), slimleaf (narrow-leaved), swamp, tall green and whorled milkweed. Meeting adjourned

Meeting adjourned

Being kind to others is an easy way to be kind to yourself.

As you read this, the NRHEG senior class of 2015 is entering its last week in high school. This is another fantastic group of kids, many of whom have shown tremendous growth since their time haunting the junior high hallways. I was even told that there are over 40 honor students this year – way to go!

It’s a rowdy time in the school. I remember teaching seniors years ago and trying to keep them on task in May, especially their final few days. All students get this way, but knowing that the shackles are about to come loose for the final time is a special anticipation that we really only experience once. Sure, it’s exciting to finish college, but it didn’t feel quite the same; after all, I only spent four years there compared to the 13 from K-12. Plus, I knew that meant I had to really become an adult and get a real job!

I was thinking about those honor students. I also thought about all the great athletes we have. That led to thoughts of the tremendous musical talent I’ve witnessed, as well as the theatrical exceptionalness. Add to that the students who have shown their muster through FFA and building some amazing projects in the shop. What a wide range of talent we have at NRHEG! Every student seems to find a niche and an area in which he or she can truly shine.

And this is why it’s so important to do more than JUST be a student. There are so many talented people in our world, and as students exit high school and some eventually further their education, while others hit the work force or join the military, life is about so much more than grades.

Some students were grumbling recently about how useless they thought various classes were. I managed to show how some of my knowledge of chemistry was useful in cleaning up spills and how knowing some physics is important to understanding how to make a baseball make some funky moves on its way to the catcher’s mitt. Sure, my economics class in college didn’t do much except fill out a requirement, but you never know when something I learned there might pop up and become useful.

Life should be a broad canvas, not just a narrow paintbrush. I’ve known kids, both when I was in school and since I’ve been a teacher, who were so focused on getting good grades that they missed out on other opportunities. Plus, as some of them found out, when employers look at resumes, they want more than just good grades. After all, we don’t take many tests at our everyday jobs, do we?

To our seniors: paint in big, beautiful strokes! Cover the whole picture with color, not just the main part! Fill out your resume with more than just work-related items. In today’s competitive marketplace, no matter what your occupation of choice, showing that there’s more to you than just another drone is vital.

After I was hired and had been at NRHEG for a couple of years, I asked our superintendent, Mr. Lorenz, what about my resume stood out. After all, I was fresh out of college and had no teaching experience. There were two things that he told me jumped out at him: I had directed the pep band at Winona State and I collected comics.

Some of you might wonder why I would put those things on my teaching resume. It was for the very point I’m trying to make: I had to stand out. About 90 people submitted resumes to NRHEG in 1996 for an English position. Mr. Weber and I were both hired. Those aren’t great odds, but we managed to be unique. Would pep band or comic book collecting make me a better teacher? Maybe not, but they showed that I had a life outside my classes and that I was willing to get involved.

So, graduates of 2015: add to your resume! Show the world that each one of you is special and has talents outside those that will earn you money. Not only might those things help you get a job, but you’ll enjoy life so much more. It’s nice to leave work behind and just do something you enjoy.

And please enjoy the end of your high school career! It’s a wonderful time, filled with memories. Please carry your Panther Pride with you and be positive, responsible, respectful, and safe as you move on to your own paintings!

Also, to all my readers, please have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Take a moment to remember all those men and women who have given their lives so we can grill out and enjoy freedom with our families and friends. God bless America!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is opsimath, which means one who learns late in life, as in, “The opsimath looked back on a life too full of work and wished he had spent more time smelling the roses he used to love.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs did not see the big chill coming, probably because they missed the boring movie of the same name! The Weather Eye does not have an air conditioning setting either, so that didn’t help. Will the scurs’ Acme aftermarket AC arrive before next week or will it be a moot point? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a high in the mid-50’s and a low in the low 40’s. Sunny on Thursday and warmer. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-40’s. More sun on Friday and continued pleasant. Highs near 70 with lows near 50. Saturday, mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Cloudy on Sunday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Memorial Day, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs in near 70 and lows in the mid-50’s. We will experience 15 hours of daylight on the 23rd, the same as we saw last July 20th. The normal high for May 24th is 72 and the normal low is 51. With the recent windy weather, the scurs are wondering when seed companies will start handing out chinstraps with their free hats.

The spring 2015 weather roller coaster ride continues. We go from temps in the upper 70’s to near freezing in a two-day span. We also received precipitation that varied from over 2” west of Bugtussle to .35” over the weekend. The rainfall pattern has somewhat flip-flopped in May as compared to April. The trend in April was for rainfall to be heavier as one went east and south. More recently the systems such as the past weekend have tracked more west and north. At the ranch for instance, as of May 18th, measurable precipitation was recorded on 11 days in May. However, the total accumulation has only been 1.53” with the greatest single rainfall event in that timeframe being .51” on the 15th. It rains frequently but not much at a time. 

Cold temperatures have been limiting crop progress and fortunately weed growth as well while waiting for enough rainfall to activate some of the pre-emerge chemicals. Fields look good from the road although several have expressed their disappointment that stands are not perfect given the nearly ideal soil conditions at planting. Not surprising however when one looks at the temperature data and the length of time it took the corn to emerge. Too many days with single-digit or zero GDU accumulation shortly after planting for many fields doth not a perfect stand make. Not that one shouldn’t plant in mid-April, but there can be tradeoffs. 

The weather has continued to move things along at the ranch, particularly the lawn. Cool season grasses such as bluegrass and brome have really thrived with the recent conditions. This means lots of mowing, or at least the intent anyway. Hit and miss showers over the weekend kept the lawn wet when mowing time was available. It also messed up any gardening plans in the near term although the seed in the flats at my little fat buddy’s greenhouse are still emerging as of last check. Still plenty of time especially given the potential for frost this past Tuesday morning. Thirty-four-degree low at the ranch for those keeping score at home.

Lots still to look at though. Checking the previously unoccupied wood duck house, it too is filling up with eggs. Common yellow-throated warblers were cranking up their little “ witchity-witchity-witchity” call on the 15th. I could hear a hummingbird in the trees that same night but couldn’t see the little bugger. The next morning he was at the nectar feeder though he didn’t hang around long. The catbirds and orioles however have set up camp for good with all of them frequenting the jelly feeder throughout the day. They’re starting to consume a little more each day. Pete seems to keep a good supply of jelly on hand and I suspect he knows why it goes out of the grocery store as fast as it does.

The red osier dogwood, nannyberries and other viburnum such as the American cranberries are in bloom as are the lilacs. Smells heavenly especially when it warms up a little. The apple trees are about done blooming with quite few blossoms still on the trees through the past weekend. The ground is littered with the petals not unlike the confetti left over from a parade. The Honeycrisp tree finally decided to bloom so it should be interesting to see if it sets any apples. The Fireside, Haralson and SnowSweet all flowered well and appear to have set a fair amount of fruit. Whether they maintain it especially after a heavy apple like last year remains questionable.

With both parents gone, Memorial Day gives one pause for reflection. Mentioned in a recent column were the plants we brought back from Mom’s place including Solomon’s Seal and a Jack in the Pulpit. In the past week or so, it became apparent that my work a couple fall’s ago transplanting Jack in the Pulpit seeds had suddenly paid. There are several dozen new seedlings appearing, far more than I ever expected. To some it may not be a big deal. However, when one considers these plants originated from Jack in the Pulpits my dad rescued in a soon to be nearby bulldozed woods back in 1967, it puts it in a different perspective. It also speaks to me of all the time my folks spent with us kids, taking us on trips to the area woods. and introducing us to plants such as bloodroot, Dutchman’s britches and bluebells. It certainly gave us an appreciation for the outdoors, one that we as a family continue to enjoy to this day.

See you next week…real good then.