Okay, I really wanted to tell you about something. It all started…

Oops, wait, someone over here needs something. Hold on.

Done. Now, where was I? Oh yes, so anyway…

Gosh darn phone! I’d better take this.

Now, finally, let me tell you… Wait, where are you going?

Ever been in this situation, on one side or the other? Annoying to get interrupted? Annoying to get ignored while an interruption takes place? Do you notice it getting worse?

In our fast-paced world, it seems like people are more and more eager to get their point across quickly. Maybe it’s because they’re afraid they’ll forget what they were going to say. Maybe it’s because they lack patience. Maybe it’s because they have a hard time focusing on any one thing for very long.

Michelle and I watched an episode of Modern Family the other night that was a perfect example of this. It was completely shot from the perspective of one of the characters interacting with others via her computer. She was messaging, calling via Facetime, checking her Facebook, Googling things, and various other activities, never paying too much attention to any one thing. It was a great microcosm of so many people in the world today.

We’re all guilty of interrupting others, for one reason or another. But what can we do to slow down this epidemic, especially among young people?

Watching Deb Goette, who coached the 8th grade girls for basketball this year, is a great example of how to handle this problem. Kids would constantly come and try to talk to her when she was in a conversation with someone else, and she would simply hold up a hand. Barring an emergency, the person she was talking to initially was considered more important; the other person would just have to wait.

I was trying to teach a lesson on persuasion to my 8th graders. There were given a scenario where, within their groups, they had to come to a consensus on some imaginary situations. It was interesting to watch the groups debate. Many kids had a hard time listening to others; they wanted to spout their point of view RIGHT NOW. One of the items to learn was to listen first. By listening, especially during an argument, we can often find clues to help support our side by better understanding the opposition.

Even in a non-confrontational situation, if we listen more, we’ll eventually get our turn. We might even find the other person more willing to hear us out if we’ve given them that courtesy.

When I was putting together requisitions last school year, I found a stanchion and ropes that I could use to form a pathway to my desk for students seeking help. It ended up costing too much, and there were other items I needed more from my budget, so I didn’t get it. I wish I had. I had two students waiting at my desk recently, and I was helping one answer a question. Another student came to the front of my desk and just started talking to me about a problem. Wait, don’t you see these two people over here already? This is not a solitary situation either; it happens often in classrooms, hallways, etc. I even had a student walk up to me in the front of the class while I was finishing a class discussion and interrupt to tell me something not related at all!

Our cell phones seem to be just as bad, if not worse, at interrupting. How many times are you talking to someone when your phone rings or buzzes, and you immediately reach to check it? It’s become habit for so many of us. Out to eat at a restaurant, in the middle of a conversation – is there a possible emergency? Maybe, but a quick check and ignoring it can be good too, without losing much of the current conversation.

Let’s face it – the world is changing. However, we can limit the interruptions with some basic lessons in courtesy and find that we still accomplish all we need to do. Maybe I’ll order those stanchions for next year though, just in case.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is fissiparous, which means tending to break into parts, as in, “The class became fissiparous when everyone wanted to interrupt everyone else to create many discussions.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

The scurs received much hate mail last week after below normal temperatures for January continued to plague us. Fortunately they were able to burn it to stay warm. Will the Weather Eye bail them out this week or will readers continue to supplement the scurs’ heating bill? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper single digits and lows around 10 below zero. Rebounding for Thursday under sunny skies with highs in the low teens and lows around 10 above with temps rising overnight. Mostly sunny for Friday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper teens. Slightly cooler for Saturday under partly sunny skies. Highs in the low 30’s with lows near 20. Sunday, mostly sunny and warmer. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Continued sunny and pleasant for Monday. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Partly cloudy and seasonal for Tuesday with highs in the mid to upper 30’s and lows in the mid 20’s. The normal high for March 8th is 36 and the normal low is 27. On March 8th, we will experience 11 hours and 30 minutes of daylight for the first time since back on October 5th. On the 8th, the scurs will be setting their clocks ahead an hour under protest of the nanny state’s infamous Daylight Wasting Time.

The Full Moon for the month falls on the 5th and goes by several names, the most common of which is the Full Worm Moon. Reputedly the ground actually thaws out and worm castings begin to be seen. It also goes by the Full Crow Moon as the tribes of the Northeast made note of the crows calling this time of year as a signal that winter was over. It also is known as the Full Crust Moon for the freezing and thawing making the snow crusty and the Full Sap Moon for the sap running and being collected from the maple trees. Early settlers also knew this as the Lenten Moon, the last moon of winter. The Ojibwe knew this as the Snow Crust Moon and the Sioux as the Moon When Buffalo Cows Drop Their Calves. At the ranch, it’s the Moon When Ewes Drop Their Lambs. Smaller ruminants but the principle remains the same.

In February, the weather continued to frustrate those who wanted to see some warmer temperatures. In other words, all of us. The first half of the month was tolerable, but after Valentine’s Day the wheels came off. Ice conditions on area lakes continued to thicken and there were reports of up to 30” of ice before the mass exodus of fish houses this past weekend. The frost depth at the SROC measured 25” on March 1st. Their average daily temperature for the month of February was colder than what was recorded for this past January by 7.3 degrees. It was also below average by 9.5 degrees for the month. The most recent NOAA 30-day outlook is calling for lower-than-normal temperatures for March and the near-term forecasts seem to bear that out. Still, there is little snow cover and the moisture profile is not at capacity in the top 5’ anyway. That was noted last fall when we saw many area shallow wetlands lower than normal. In other words, we still have a chance to see an earlier spring than perhaps the last two years at this point. Think warm thoughts.

As expected, the lamb population exploded since last week. Fourteen ewes came in and three of those were at chore time ahead of Tuesday’s predicted storm. Not unusual for ewes to drop their lambs when the pressure begins to fall as it did. Almost needed a catcher’s mitt to keep up as fast as they were coming. The rapid increase means more chores of course. What was taking 20 minutes for the two of us suddenly balloons to over an hour per session. As cold as it’s been, there has been a lot of warm water hauled from the house to the barns in 5-gallon pails. It helps keep the buckets thawed and sheep actually like drinking lukewarm water. As the saying goes, a ewe that drinks well milks well and under stressful conditions, we want to enhance the odds of that happening. A person begins to feel like a beast of burden after a while though. A dozen buckets a day takes its toll. Thankfully we aren’t wading through snowdrifts like we were last year at this time.

Ruby and Fudgie truly enjoy lambing season. In addition to their gate watching duties, it’s their time to shine. When we move the ewes with lambs to the main barn, one of us grabs the lamb or lambs and the plan is that the ewe will follow due to scent and sound recognition. Ideally. The dogs are at the ready should the ewe decide to go astray. Sometimes it appears they’re being counterproductive. When that happens, a quick “stop” command is like hitting the reset button so the ewe stays on track. The ewe is outnumbered so she has few options. Both Border Collies also both love getting into the feed sack containing afterbirth outside the lambing barn. They’re persistent even after they’ve been scolded countless times for it. It doesn’t amuse either Mrs. Cheviot or me very much as you’re never sure where or when they might yack up a frozen treat they fished out of the bag. Dogs will be dogs I guess.

It may become spring someday if the horned larks are any indication. I started noticing them along the roadsides last week, although after they got here, they had to be questioning their decision to return. Little Jerry the rooster pheasant has been slinking around the yard, trying to conceal himself in the brush. Usually he’s pretty good at it, although his tracks in the snow are a dead giveaway of his whereabouts on a given day. Any inkling of a transition at the birdfeeders however is very subtle. A lone goldfinch appears sporadically and that’s about the only deviation from the winter bird pattern so far. Still, one has to be satisfied with the nice group of birds we’ve had to observe at the ranch this winter. I’ve never heard any birdwatcher claim to dislike seeing cardinals on a snowy day.  

See you next week…real good then.

NRHEG High School Principal David Bunn has announced the names of students selected to the Honor Roll for second quarter 2014-15

“A” Honor Roll

Grade 12 — Brady Beenken, Lydia Culver, Karina Gaona, Ryann Hagen, Kaylee Hanson, Kelli Harrington, Jade Hill, Kyle Holz, Logan Knutson, Grant Kyllo, Jake Langlie, Melissa Malakowsky, Keith Maxon, Sandra Quezada, Shanna Stencel, Anna Stork, Aurora Strom, Spencer Tollefson, Trevor Tracy

Grade 11 — Anna Bailey, Abby Christopherson, Nicole Edon, Lizzy Hagen, Cole Ignaszewski, Katharine Lewer, Anna Lundberg, Whittney McCamish, Marissa Mortenson, Jessica Nafe, Clayton Nelson, Corrie Powell, Torrie Stencel, Taylar Tieskotter

Grade 10 — Chad Agrimson, Oakley Baker, Rachel Collins, Grace Johns, Maurya Johnson, Jennifer McKay, Lacey Nelson, Samuel Prigge, Cynthia Quezada, Nora Retallick, Kallie Spooner, Maci Surat, Cecelia Torp

Echoes from the Loafers' Club Meeting 

Why do you go ice fishing? 

Because it's nice to get away to a place where I can relax without a care. You should try it. 

I don't need to. I don't care now.

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: Always leave the price tag on any exercise equipment you buy. It might provide an incentive.

Worrying at a buffet

My wife and I aren’t always full-service diners. We were at a buffet. Buffet is a Norwegian word meaning, "get it yourself." The restaurant’s sneeze guard was in the shop for repairs, so we were each given headgear with a face shield to wear. We couldn’t even sneeze on an elbow. No, they didn’t really give us a mobile sneeze guard, but they should look into it. 

My wife looked worried.  

That’s because she was worried. I said, "You worry too much. You probably inherited that trait. Your father worried, didn't he?" 

My bride replied, "Only when I started dating you."

I can’t believe it was that long ago until I try to remember it

They were the times when the nights were darker than they are today.

Extension cords and multi-outlet plugs took the place of adequate wiring.

The school’s walls were painted either a morning breath blue or a heartburn green. The school’s spitwad-sniffing dog moved by the desks and lockers. At least that was the rumor I started when a neighborhood dog entered the school after being enticed by the heavenly smell of tater tot hotdish. He was a gigantic Saint Bernard with an appetite even larger than he was.

The dental office fiendishly amplified the sounds of the drill through the office’s sound system.

We blogged by looping Main in an old car.

They were dark days. They were good days. They were the days we were given. They were the way they were.

I was reminded of these things recently when my wife made hamburger gravy on mashed potatoes. It was delicious, just as it had been when the lovely lunch ladies prepared the delicacy when I was a frequent patron of the school cafeteria.

Forgive me

I sat near the rear of the plane, where legroom was nothing more than a rumor. The airline didn’t offer a snack cart. They e-mailed each passenger a 25 cents-off coupon good on a bottle of water purchased at a convenience store. I took the time that I’d usually be enjoying a glass of cranberry juice to wish that I was flying on a glass-bottomed airplane. I pretended to listen to the flight attendant give her safety talk and demonstration because no one else was. I wanted to ask her to repeat it in case I missed something, but I thought it wise not to.

The fellow next to me struck up a conversation. He had been visiting and was going home, just like me. In a state where most everyone lives close to water, he didn’t. He said that all his relatives who had lived in the area were now in the local graveyard. We talked about those we loved who had died. It’s not hard to lose loved ones. It’s hard taking a trigonometry test you didn’t study for. Losing a loved one is heartrending awful. We go to wakes and funerals. We hug until we can stop crying. We cry until we can stop hugging.

He had cleaned the house of a recently deceased relative. In doing so, he’d developed a great respect for those who get rid of things.

We do let go of things, but they have claw marks on them when we do. We hoard stuff (that’s the technical term for things we have no use for, but keep anyway), just as we store grudges and refuse to forgive. It can be difficult for some folks to forgive people for not being who they thought they were. Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison while waiting for the rat to die. Get over things as quickly as possible.

And either throw away that collection of promotional screwdrivers or sell them on eBay.

Customer comments

• Ric McArthur of Morpeth, Ontario, sent along this hopeful note, "Smile, the days are getting longer. You'll have more daylight to shovel the snow." 

• Ron Guidry of Gibson, Louisiana, told me that he dropped out of school after he’d completed the fourth grade. He didn’t want to get ahead of his father.

Meeting adjourned

Kind words echo forever.

It seems like we are destined to be blessed with cold temperatures for a while. I know we are all getting sick of the cold weather, but every time I find myself beginning to whine I think about those poor folks out East and realize that I don’t have to shovel the cold.

My brother-in-law Lynn, who lives in Nome, Alaska, calls me just about every time we are having below-zero temps and Nome is in the 30s. They have had above normal temperatures and below normal snowfall for the past couple of years, which is not a good thing for folks who hunt, trap and fish in that area. It took quite a while before the rivers were safe enough to travel on with snow machines, which is what they call snowmobiles up there. They need ice on the rivers to get to the areas they want to trap. Falling through the ice in frigid temperatures can be deadly, especially when you are miles from help.

Three years ago Lynn was able to do a lot of trapping and I believe he got 27 fox that season plus a wolf, wolverine and martin. The last two years the weather hasn’t been trapper friendly. A few weeks ago he was able to put out some crab pots on the Bering Sea. Soon after he had put the pots out he suffered a setback when he hit an ice heave that had been covered with snow and injured his ribs. After he felt good enough to go back he started sending me pictures of his catch. He has gotten as many as 12 Alaskan King Crabs in a single day, some pretty good eating no doubt.

Light goose hunt is now open

A spring conservation hunt on light geese began Sunday, March 1, and runs through Thursday, April 30. Light geese are snow geese, blue-phased snow geese and the smaller Ross’s goose.

A federal conservation order, which permits the take of light geese during the spring, is in place to reduce the population of snow geese and Ross’s geese that breed in Arctic coastal areas and around Hudson Bay. High populations of the birds have caused considerable habitat damage to these fragile ecosystems.

Minnesota has participated in this spring conservation action each year since 2000. Harvest of light geese in Minnesota has varied from a few hundred to several thousand birds each spring.

To participate, a spring light goose permit is required and may be obtained through any Minnesota DNR license agent, via telephone at 888-665-4236 or at www.mndnr.gov/buyalicense>online. There is a $3.50 application fee to cover the cost of issuing the permit. No other license, stamp or permit is required.

A summary of regulations is available at www.mndnr.gov/hunting/waterfowl/lightgoose>online, from license vendors, DNR wildlife offices or by calling the DNR Information Center at 888-646-6367.

I know my grandson Trevor will be taking part in the light goose hunt again this year. Goose hunting is probably his favorite thing to do when it comes to hunting and last year he did quite well.

If hunting doesn’t do anything for your “cabin fever” then maybe getting together with fellow fishermen and talking about the upcoming season will help. Ray Hangge of Muskies, Inc. has sent me the latest news release from the area chapter.

MUSKY TALK NEWS

The March meeting of Cross Roads Chapter 54, Muskies Inc. will be 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at Eagles Club in Owatonna.  Our guest speaker will be Trvis Nielsen of Winnebago. Trvis guides on Southern Minnesota and North Iowa lakes. Our meetings are second Wednesday of the month and include informative speakers, (as available), updates, door prizes, raffle and lots of musky talk. You need not be a member to attend. Bring a friend, and help improve musky fishing in Southern Minnesota.  Mark your calendar, for the 2015 Minnesota Musky Expo, April 10, 11, 12.

Until next time, stay warm, check those tackle boxes, take some time to enjoy the outdoors and remember; spring is just around the corner.

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

Think high school state basketball tournaments — think snowy weather. At least it seems to hit our area so often we think it will happen during the state tournaments.

I remember when I was growing up some of the piled snow here in our area of Southern Minnesota started to look like mountains. Many still talk about the time the county highway department had to make a tunnel through the big snow drift on the west side of Geneva so the farmers could get their milk to the creamery. That particular area of town was noted for the height, and the hard packed snow drifts that accumulated there.

I learned that there had been pictures taken of a family member standing on top of the telephone poles back in the early years. I guess one could say that many "snow stories" from events back then grew like the snow banks.

Many times we associate major events like snowstorms by what else occurred at the time. Many times we remember them by the age of our children or family relatives. When my cousin, "Pixie," was born in March of 1951, her mother had to walk a quarter mile in the snow so she could get transportation, which helped get her to the hospital. And when it was time for Phyllis and her new baby girl to come home again they had to stay with my grandmother’s sister Ellen in Albert Lea for a few days before they could go home.

When our middle daughter, Kimberly, was born in April of 1973, it required a call for a snowplow so Daryl could get back home to Geneva so he could pick me up and take me to the hospital. Daryl had spent the night before Kimberly was born at the home of my dad’s brother in Albert Lea because he couldn't get home because of a "spring" snowstorm. We didn't think we would have to worry about a snowstorm in April, but we did.

My nephew, Cameron, was born during the Super Bowl Storm in 1975 and that year we had many large snowdrifts that lined the roads like tunnels.

Not all snowstorms have been remembered by the birth of new babies. My aunt and uncle, Phyllis and Eugene Hagen, experienced a snowstorm in New York while Eugene was in the Army serving his country. They laughed about how little the native New Yorkers knew about driving once a small amount of snow had fallen. The people in New York would get out of their cars and leave them in the middle of road. What was a major snowstorm to the people of that area was just another snowfall to a seasoned Minnesotan.

Then there was the year the Blooming Prairie boys’ basketball team advanced on to the state basketball tournament in 1966. The snowstorm didn't keep the local sports fans from attending the state tournament so they could cheer on those Blossoms.

Surprisingly, some of our biggest snowstorms arrived sort of out of season. Our family remembers the Halloween storm of 1991. My Grandmother Hanson was living with my parents at the time and sport that she was, she made it a fun occasion and said it was just like camping out. Daryl’s parents, Jack and Vernetta Paulsen, who lived a couple miles east of Geneva at the time, didn't enjoy their "Halloween treat" as they didn't have electricity on their farm for two weeks following.

This year’s winter weather has affected many corners of our United States that normally don't get snow. It is pretty spectacular to think about the miles and miles of highways that we once drove on while we were on our way through Texas to visit my sister Kaye in Arizona that have been closed this year because of the snowy weather conditions.

When I look at the pictures of the Boston area and see all the snow they have been getting this year I can only feel sorry for them. But then I have to remember how they would make fun of our Midwest area and our crazy weather conditions. The worst is yet to come for them when we think about what will happen when over 90 inches of snow starts to melt!

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Some of our Star Eagle readers have commented 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 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.

This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

• Thursday, March 5th: Dayna Schember, Nicole Ella Schultz, Tim Toft, Vickie Haberman, Steve Van Ravenhorst, Declan Dean O'Brien, his 4th

• Friday, March 6th: Valerie Schember, Aaron Reese, Larry Reese, Dawn Dulas, Lynda Maddox Norland, Wade Wacholz, Ryan Schimek, Marlene Peterson, Lillian Weaver, Jami Ann & Travis Marzolf

• Saturday, March 7th: Jace John Goslee, his 9th; Marlee Diane Dutton, her 11th; Jake Ortiz, Emily Horan, David Otterson, Chuck Hagen, Lorna Reistad, Kenneth Peterson, Lance Cummins and Peggy Evenson 

• Sunday, March 8th: Derek Alan Lee, Janice Olson Paulson, Greg Nelson, Carla Paulsen Haugen, Melissa Trindad, Kathy & Mike Plunkett, Stephanie & Tom Pulley

• Monday, March 9th: Reese Sharon Glynn, her 8th; Taylor Jensen, Chris Clausen, Peter Dammel, Curtis Langlie, Mark Sawyer, Joel Wacholz, Jacklyn Cromwell Olson, Chris Farr, Joleen Thompson

• Tuesday, March 10th: Julie Stieglbauer Dahl, Sue Misgen, Aaron Callahan, Travis Johnson, Michelle Olson Bedney, Tom Vavra, Heidi Mattson LaFave, Chuck Hanson, Gayle Dummer, Douglas Schmidt, Linda Anderson, DeLynn Johnson Rohrbacher, Hannah Emily Brunsen

• Wednesday, March 11th: Arielle Lynn McClaskey (2011), Elsie Jacobson, her 2nd; Marian Mast, Carolyn Flesche, Leroy Folie, Kari Thostenson, Jon Carlson, Michelle Meyer, Larry Richards, Tim Simon, Joan Ahlstrom Didderich, Tanya Swearingen, Tom Arbogast, David Callahan, Dean Lembke, Spenser Sebastian Sommers, his 11th; Doug Blouin, Wendell Kuehni, Paul & Shirley Nelson

• Thursday, March 12th: Chelsea Hanson, Sadie Jaymelynn Arends, David Paulson, Jason Bowman, Terri Engel, Robert Hall, Harlan Stanley Malz, Spiering Brody Sundbland, Gary & Barb Paulson, Jack & Gloria Jensen

• Friday, March 13th: Joanna VerHey, David Mangskau, Lynda Kruckeberg, Darla Waltz, Jessica Liverseed, Tony Tonsing

• Saturday, March 14th: National Potato Chip Day! Laura Katherine Worrell, Connor Duane Klemmsensen, his 7th; Sierra Christine Krause, her 5th; Brian Cerney, Brent Huber, Marcia Hutchins, Lee Loverink, Mary Finch, Kathy Molenaar, Trevor Titus

Wishing you sunny smiles to warm your heart on your special day! 

Funeral services for Carol Reese will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 7 at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Richland. Pastor Paul Andree will officiate. Visitation will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, New Richland, from 4-8 p.m., Friday, March 6, 2015 and again one hour prior to the service Saturday at church. Interment will be in St. Olaf Cemetery near New Richland, Mn.

Carol Reese, age 59, of New Richland, loving mother, grandmother, wife, sister, daughter, teacher, and friend, passed away in the presence and warmth of her family on Wednesday, March 4.

The NRHEG girls’ basketball team ended the regular season against possibly the toughest team it could face in the postseason.

The Panthers hosted Section 2AA favorite St. Peter Monday, Feb. 23 and lost a 49-40 nonconference decision at New Richland. The Panthers, 9-3 in Gopher Valley Conference play, finished the regular season with a record of 13-11. 

The Saints started the game strong, scoring their first eight points on transition baskets. They led 19-14 at halftime.

According to Panthers coach Onika Peterson, free-throw shooting was a key factor.

“They shot 18-for-30 from the line,” said Peterson. “We shot 5-for-18. We can’t shoot 27 percent from the free-throw line; they should be easy baskets.”

Funeral services for Mardell Lorraine Robinson of New Richland, MN, were held at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 28, 2015 at the All Saints Catholic Church in New Richland. Father Raul Silva officiated. Friends greeted the family one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment was in Calvary Cemetery, New Richland, MN.

Mardell died Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at Whispering Oak in Ellendale, MN, where she had resided for the past three weeks. She was 86 years of age.

Mardell was born August 24, 1928 in Waseca, County Minnesota, the daughter of Herman J. and Mary L. (Wood) Wenzel. She was a graduate of New Richland High School. On November 12, 1947 she was united in marriage to William “Bill” Robinson at the All Saints Catholic Church in New Richland.

Mardell was an active member of the All Saints Catholic Church, member of the Catholic Daughters and the Church Guild. She worked for many years at the Pioneer Telephone Company in New Richland and was the gambling bookkeeper for the American Legion. Mardell was President of the American Legion Auxiliary from 1971-1972. She also was a Cub Scout leader.