By TROY THOMPSON

Sportswriter

The NRHEG girls’ basketball team rebounded from a pair of sluggish starts last week to continue riding a season-best three-game win-streak and push their record to 8-7 overall, 5-2 in the Gopher Conference.

NRHEG 45, Blue Earth Area 32

It took the Panthers a while to get going at home on Tuesday, Jan. 20 against Blue Earth Area (BEA) in a non-conference tilt. The Bucs nabbed a 4-1 lead a full seven-minutes into the game before Marnie Wagner tied the game with a three-pointer and put the Panthers ahead for good with a hard-fought bucket in the paint on the next possession.

The Panthers picked up steam and finished the first half with a 15-6 run to take a 24-12 lead into the break. The spurt was highlighted by Gretchen Ramaker’s nifty runner in the lane and three-point shots by Grace Johns and Maddie Wagner.

NRHEG will host its annual spelling bee on Jan. 29, beginning at 9:30 in the high school gym in New Richland. Qualifiers from grades 5-8 will attempt to spell their way to be named champion and represent NRHEG in North Mankato in February at the regional bee. Family, friends, and the general public are invited to attend this event.

• 8th grade: Micah White, Aubrey Johnson, Jack Hogstad, Sophia Mrotz, Hailey Stenzel, Jadyn Surat

• 7th grade: Jayna Domeier, Lexi Combs, Mason Ferber, Tiara Malakowsky, Karter Koziolek

• 6th grade: Ashton Cords, Riley Schultz, Lorelei Strom, T'Shayla Hinderscheit, Danielle Nappin, Jonah Stafford

• 5th grade: Nik Petsinger, Brock Routh, Porter Peterson, Sophie Stork, Alex Dobberstein, Cora Harpel.

My full name is Mark Alan Domeier. I’ve mentioned before that I rarely get called by my first name anymore, but it’s always interesting to me how I got my name. My dad told me once that he wanted four sons and would name them after the four Gospel writers. Well, I was the only son out of four children, and I was given the name of the second of those four in the Bible.

The name Mark actually was around prior to the time of Christ. If you go way back to old Latin, it is Mart-kos, which means consecrated to the god Mars, the Roman god of war. I do enjoy mythology quite a bit, so I guess that’s apropos!

As I researched my name, it was interesting that following the Middle Ages, my name wasn’t prevalent until the 19th century. Of course, Mark Twain, from that century, might be one of the most famous people with whom I share a name, though that was just a pen name for Samuel Clemens. Funny, too, how he’s one of my favorite authors!

There have been plenty of famous Marks, but my favorite is likely Mark Hamill, the actor who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movies (as well as the upcoming one). Fitting there as well that I share a name with an actor who had such a big impact on me!

I suppose the fact that I “mark” papers might round out just how well my parents named me! As far as my middle name… I have no idea. I think they just liked it, even though it’s not what you might consider the normal spelling.

My wife at least knows the origins of both her names. She was named Michelle as a female version of her dad’s name, Michael. Little did she know, it was originally a French name, later adapted by English-speaking countries. It has a more Christian meaning, as it derives from Hebrew, and means “Who is like God?”. Yes, that’s a question mark, not a comparison to the Supreme Being!

Michelle’s middle name is Jane, and that was easily identified since her grandma’s name was the same. However, when our daughter was born, we wanted a nod to that, but with a twist. We came up with Jayna. It’s a tribute to Michelle’s grandma, but gives our first-born a pretty unique name. We both really liked the name Emily, but also each had cousins with that name, so that became Jayna’s middle name.

Yes, the name Jayna is used in the old Super Friends cartoon (one of the Wonder Twins), but I swear I had forgotten that. There was a character in some of the Star Wars novels named Jaina; she was the daughter of Han and Leia (also a twin, scary!), but that’s not the basis of our daughter’s name either.

Before our son was born, we weren’t sure if we were having a boy or a girl, so we had to prepare for either. No matter what, we wanted to have some homage to my side of the family. When he was born, we took both my grandpas’ names and applied them to Anton William. However, my grandpa always went by Tony, and my boy just isn’t a Tony, so he’s got his own claim to the name. If Anton had been born a girl, he would’ve been Olivia Ann, Olivia because we really liked that name and Ann after my grandma.

It’s such an important decision when parents are expecting. After all, the names you choose will be saddled on your child forever! I remember discussing names and immediately dismissing some, based on students I’d had in class! I didn’t really want to be reminded of some of them, which might have limited the number of names we had to choose from! There’s currently another Jayna in our school district, but I’ve yet to have an Anton; I guess I will in a few years for sure.

Some people don’t choose a name until the baby is born. They want to see what the baby looks like and then decide. I guess that works, but I’ve always felt like our kids have really grown into their names. It’s good to wait to see what a pet looks like before naming it, but I liked being prepared for our children.

As mentioned, our kids have some unique names, but this is happening more and more. It’s not just the originality, but trying to spell names in different ways. Growing up, we thought it was weird to have a Jennie and a Jenny in our class. Now I might have a Haylie, a Hayleigh, and a Hayley, usually all in the same class section, just to make calling on students an adventure!

Names are important; they give us our identity. It’s good to know who we are and maybe even to know that we were meant to be that person from the time we were born!

Word of the Week: This week’s word is ultracrepidarian, which means giving opinions beyond one’s area of expertise, as in, “The ultracrepidarian nonsense spouting out of Cliff Clavin’s mouth at Cheers was enough to make the other patrons roll their eyes.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!

While happy with the recent warm weather, the scurs are curious about the sudden appearance of 12 deflated footballs in the back of the ’74 Gremlin. Curious because they didn’t know it would hold that many. Will they remain flat or will warmer temps reinflate them? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a chance of rain and snow mix in the overnight. Highs near 40 and lows in the upper 20’s. Colder on Thursday under mostly cloudy skies. Highs near the freezing mark and lows in the mid-teens. Friday, partly sunny becoming cloudy with a slight chance of overnight snow. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a modest chance for snow. Highs in the low 30’s and lows around 10. Sunday, partly sunny and much colder with a slight chance of forenoon snow. Highs in the upper teens and lows around 5. Continued colder under sunny skies for Monday. Highs around 10 with lows around 5. Mostly sunny with temperatures rebounding for Tuesday. Highs in the low 20’s and lows around 5. The normal high for February 1st is 24 and the normal low is 5. The scurs will see their shadow meaning there are still 6 more weeks of winter, minimum.

The second full moon for the month will occur on February 3rd and generally goes by the Full Snow Moon as this is the moon when the tribes of the northeast generally experienced the most snow. It also was known as the Full Hunger Moon as the once well-stocked larders going into winter began to run short. It was for this reason the Ojibwe knew this as the Full Sucker Moon. The Sioux were very observant or observative depending on your preference. They knew this as the Raccoon Moon as the raccoons would awaken and begin to move around in the warmer temperatures. At the ranch, it is the Full Shearing Moon or at least we hope it is sometime before the next one. 

We’ve sawed off a large chunk of winter. January is about shot and if historic long-term normal temperatures are any indication, we should be on the downhill slide. At any rate, the duration of the cold spells typically becomes shorter and snowfall declines somewhat in February. March will usually bring more snow although December accumulations in the most recent 30 year normal have overtaken March as the snowiest month. The reason for this being that more of our precipitation is falling in March in the form of rain. How much snow have we had this winter? Since November at the ranch we have garnered 21.6”. At the SROC in Waseca, they’ve measured a whopping 25.7”. Normal for November through January at the SROC is roughly 30.3”. Much of our snow has melted and with the possible exception of the most recent thaw thaw, much of the precipitation has stayed on the landscape. This snowmelt is important for the recharge of shallow wetlands, many of which were low going into the winter.

Birdwatching at the ranch seems to hinge on the weather. When it snows the cardinals appear. When it melts, they’re nowhere to be seen. Warm temps have meant suet and sunflower seed consumption are both down. Even the squirrels are not eating both ears of corn on the warm days. It doesn’t stop their circus act as they go up, down and around the trees in the yard in rapid fashion. We did get a glimpse of a female pileated woodpecker Saturday as she tried to get on one of the small horizontal suet feeders. Upon seeing that, we replaced one of the three horizontal feeders with a cage type feeder. No luck we’re aware of as we haven’t seen her since. As fast as pileated woodpeckers can eat suet, we’d probably notice it. The same day, a more subtle change with the appearance of a half dozen goldfinches, the largest group we’ve seen since likely sometime back in August. Perhaps they’ve marked the spot with their GPS and will come back to it if it gets cold again. 

The ewes continue their gestation, getting a little plumper each day. Their full fleeces obscure a good view of their udders so it’s anybody’s guess how close they are to lambing just yet. Their feed consumption varies with the temperature too. On the coldest days, they’ll burn through four slabs of hay from a big square bale. When temps are in the 30’s and 40’s, three will generally suffice. Of course there’s always Poofy, one of the ewes that was shown many years ago by the daughter of some friends in WI. Poofy seeks out whoever is feeding grain at night and sticks her head in the bucket. Not just a little; she buries her head in the grain up to her eyeballs while stuffing as much feed in her mouth as possible. Most of the other ewes probably wouldn’t get by with that. This one is special though. She’s old yet always manages to produce nice lambs as have many of her offspring we’ve kept. A true matriarch if ever there was one.

Fudgie and Ruby continue to enjoy the winter for the most part. They’ve supervised Mrs. Cheviot’s Christmas un-decorating of the house and the live tree now provides extra cover for their squirrels. There’s been some early season mud to play in so they need to be wiped down before coming inside. The dogs continue their daily gate watching duties as well, using their eyes to convince the sheep it’s really not worth their time to mess with them. They also use their eyes on us as we’re about to leave for work. And with a Border Collie, there’s no question about what those eyes are saying.   

See you next week…real good then. 

So, you may be asking yourself - or maybe not - how is it going after week one of the grand experiment? You know, the one where I try to slice 20 hours a week or so from my work schedule and still maintain my sanity. Well, I can tell you how it's going from this perspective. I'm going crazy.

It's not that I haven't found enough to do to fill my schedule. The hours I usually work at the Star Eagle have been taken up by all kinds of household tasks: cleaning, emptying the cats' litter box, dishes (a lot of dishes), garbage, making coffee, and laundry (a lot of it) have filled my time quite nicely, thank you. I'm sure Eli, my 17-year-old, appreciates the meals I have been preparing for him as well, and I believe I'm doing myself a favor by cooking three square meals a day.

But, I'm still getting a little case of the cabin fever. Why, just the other day, I found myself looking forward to a trip to the dentist - so much so that I even took a trip to the barber, just to prepare, only to find out Leo is out of the office until at least March. Who can blame him? If I could be out of the house and to a warmer climate until then, I don't think I'd be battling cabin fever or looking for something to do.

I really admire anyone who can crank out a column on a weekly basis, people like Mark Domeier, Al Batt, Dick Herfindahl and the like. As I've been told numerous times throughout the years, I wish I could write like they do. In fact, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard that, well, I'd have a lot of dollars by now.

But the truth is, it's hard to write a column every week. Even with all my spare time, this one does not come easily. If the words of a boss I once had, writing a column is easy - as easy as it is to cut open a vein.

Actually, it's not that difficult, as long as you have the inspiration and the ideas. Coming up with ideas can be tough, however.

One thing I have tried awfully hard to do is to stay out of Reed Waller's way. He appears to have embraced his new role at the newspaper, and I can say with all honesty, it made me smile the other day when he referred to Troy Thompson as, "My new sportswriter," rather than "Your new sportswriter," or even "Our new sportswriter." Troy comes to the Star Eagle with a game or two under his belt, having worked for the Rochester newspaper, and though I'm sure the Swami (Dale Kugath) will be missed by many, including myself, we're hoping Troy will step up and fill the ticket nicely. We haven't asked him yet if he's willing to write a column or two, but I wouldn't bet against it.

But back to the house. It has been years since it's been this clean, and keeping it clean is high on my agenda of things to do not only in the near future but the far distant future as well. I plan to keep it spic and span, with maybe a little help from Spic and Span, and maybe even Mr. Clean.

And then there's ESPN. Is there anyone else out there who leaves it on their TV screen 24 hours a day?

It reminds me of a refrigerator magnet I once had, displaying a '50s model clad in '50s-stye lingerie, with the saying, "No matter how she tried, Violet just couldn't compete with ESPN."

And that reminds me of a baby born in Albert Lea several years ago who was lucky enough to be named "Espn,"  by his parents. I think you pronounce it "Espen," though I'm not certain and not sure I want to be. It's a good thing I didn't think of it when my kids were born.

One thing is for sure. I don't know how much longer I can hold back before returning to the Star Eagle on a full-time basis. After all, there's only so much kitty litter to go around. And this house can only be so clean.

Echoes from the Hartland Loafers’ Club Meeting

I’ve always wanted to be a jockey.

You're too big to be a jockey.

I realize that I’d have to lose a few pounds to become a jockey.

You’d have to lose a few pounds to become a horse.

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: If I wait until the last minute, it will only take a minute to do.

Speaking over there

I spoke at a retirement village where the joy of not missing out had been replaced by the joy of missing out. Before I took the stage, I visited with a group of guys who had grown up in homes where the hottest spice available was ketchup. A bald fellow there threatened to switch barbers. He claimed his was not only cutting too much off, he was pulling it up by the roots. Another said that his sleep apnea turned out to be nothing more than his wife’s elbow in his ribs while he was snoring. A chap claimed that he hadn’t lost a step. It just took him longer to find it.

Most agreed that once they had tried retirement, they found they were perfect for the job.

The years fly by, but the moments last forever

I grew up in an Allis-Chalmers family. I was forbidden to date a girl from a family who owned even a single John Deere.

There wasn’t a farm implement that I couldn’t break. Fortunately, there wasn’t a farm implement my brother Donald couldn’t fix.

I was working on the WD45 tractor. I needed to replace a part. It was a simple task, but I struggled to get the new part into place. I thought I knew what I was doing. I was seldom right, yet I was never in doubt. I compounded the problem by being too stubborn to ask for help. I toiled as if I were attempting to empty the ocean with a spoon. I worked so hard that beads of sweat took turns running down my nose and jumping to the ground. I finally got the part in. I could get any part to fit if I used a hammer that was big enough. The part didn’t do its job. I realized that I’d put the part in backwards.

Donald took a look at my predicament and said, "I don’t believe I’d have done it that way."

I strive to be that kind.

Customer comments

Bob Hess of Luther, Michigan wrote, "One of the first times I had a senior moment, I got in the truck and remembered I had forgotten something. Ran back to the house, got in there and couldn't recall what I went back for. Sheepishly went back and asked my wife, 'Do you remember what I remembered that I forgot?'"

Mary Guggisberg of Freeborn said that her husband Bill underwent a number of medical tests. She added that the good news is that the doctors found that Bill does have a heart.

Ron Brey of New Richland said that the days may go by slowly, but the years go by quickly.

Eleanor Kottke of Mankato told me that a February meeting would be held sometime in February. I think it’s good to allow some wiggle room.

Donna Rae Scheffert of Northfield didn’t join her husband when he bungee jumped. She stood nearby, holding his life insurance policies.

Neal Batt of Hartland knows of a family that has only one rule at the dinner table. Every eater must keep one foot on the floor at all times.

I asked Tom Benson of Hartland how his long-suffering wife Pat puts up with him. Tom replied, "I give her a medal every now and then."

Judy Hendrickson of Hartland retired after many years of fine and faithful service to the patrons of her cafe. It’d be impossible to determine the number of meals she’d prepared. Retirement hasn’t been easy for Judy. She has found it hard to cook for just two people.

Talking with the Holstein

The Holstein is a retired dairy cow, so she has time to talk. I whined to the Holstein about all the work I had to do.

The Holstein chewed her cud thoughtfully before saying, "It would be easier to do if you replaced 'I have to' with 'I get to.'"

Nature notes

What is the difference between a beak and a bill? Nothing. The words are synonymous.

Meeting adjourned

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."-Lao Tzu

As we venture further into the hard water fishing season there are many things to consider. One of them is not only treating fellow fishermen with respect, but the environment. There have been many springs when I have taken a walk past the channel near Frank Hall Park and seen the trash that has been left on the ice by irresponsible fishermen.

Most of us who fish respect the environment and pick up after ourselves so that we leave the area as clean as and sometimes even cleaner than we found it. On the other hand, there are those few who seem to show up at almost any outdoor activity with little or no regard for the environment. There are also those who are looking for a shortcut or seem determined to save themselves time by driving on thin ice instead of walking, or not checking before heading out on the ice. These are usually the folks you read about who have had to have their vehicles extracted from a lake or river. We have all witnessed “that guy” at one time or another whether it is on open water, hard water or at an access. It’s the guy that is always in a hurry and whose time is so valuable that he can’t wait. These are the folks that sometimes end up on America’s Funniest. I have known a few folks like this and usually their mistakes are due to being oblivious to the surroundings or, even in some cases, a little too much cheer before going onto the lake.

One instance that comes to mind is the time that a friend of mine, who we will call Larry, had gone out fishing in the evening after consuming a couple of beverages. As evening set in he decided to call it a night and was in the process of driving his boat onto the lift when I noticed that his motor was revving at high RPMs. I turned to see what he was doing just as the trolling motor which he had left down finally broke off, sending him lunging forward onto the lift. His friend who was in the front of the boat held up the motor that had broken into two pieces with the wiring on the inside still holding it all together. This was quite a site and I have to say that by that time my sides were hurting from laughing, at Larry’s expense of course, I don’t think that he ever quite saw the humor in it. There is a moral to this particular story and that of course is the drinking and fishing do not mix thing. If you feel the need to have a strong beverage, it’s best saved for sitting by the evening campfire or back at the cabin.

Whenever I take a drive in the country and pass by a natural stream that has not been altered by man I get a good feeling inside. To me the beauty of a natural stream, especially in winter, is always a thing of wonder. A stream that is flowing the way nature intended takes on a personality all its own and has a sort of freedom that still makes me excited when wondering what could be lurking just out of sight around the next bend. I have been that way since I was a young boy and nothing about that has changed, except for the young boy part.

Yes, nature still has a lot of great adventures for us to see and experience that you just won’t find by watching TV or surfing the Internet. Just the act of walking on a trail, visiting a park or relaxing by the shore of a lake can be very rewarding in itself, especially if you take pause to reflect on what is around you and enjoy what nature has to offer. I usually try to do a lot of walking outdoors in the non-winter months and I have often been guilty of being in a hurry and not taking time to savor the moment.

Speaking of savoring; my grandson Trevor has been having some pretty good luck fishing through the ice on Fountain Lake this winter. He has caught some dandy crappie and some sunnies with an occasional pike thrown in. I have heard from other folks that there are also some dandy walleye being caught in the low light hours. Yes, we have to consider ourselves lucky to have such a fine fishery for us to enjoy right here in our own back yard.

I have mentioned to Trevor that Grandpa sure likes crappies and a few fillets would fit nicely in my frying pan but so far he hasn’t taken the hint (bait).

Until next time, stay warm and enjoy the beauty of winter and always respect the environment.

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.

Together we can find answers, predict, prevent and help cure or prevent disease.

We have put our money and merchandise on the line for research for cancer. As individuals we should do our best to keep cancer from invading our health and our lives. There are things we can do and there are things we can't do, but intelligence tells us we need to look at the things that could enhance our health. The media, reading material, common sense — and yes, our doctors — can give us tips that may or may not help. Let’s get smart, tough and look at the things that could make a difference.

Look to healthy living. We all know there are things we should or should not do. Bacteria feeds on sugar. Smoking and second-hand smoke does matter. Chemicals from food are chancy; we even need to look at the side effects we may get from the pills we take.

Veggies and other foods can help the immune system keep problems from forming. Many of the same things that are dangerous for our heart or diabetes, etc. are also dangerous in regards to cancer.

If refined foods contain things that may be dangerous, maybe it is time for us to go back to the basics so we know what we are eating.

Voice your opinions about the things you don't like that are in our foods, things like fructose and chemicals. Buy organic. Stop looking at some foods as being "treats" and consider them culprits instead and keep them out of your house so you won't be tempted to eat them. 

Change your eating habits. Let manufactures know what you think about the products that they are making. Read labels and leave foods that have questionable ingredients listed in the first three ingredients on the package that may be dangerous on the shelf. Get outside and enjoy some fresh air, exercise and live a healthy lifestyle. Start using home remedies like vinegar and soda, etc., instead of sprays, and stop using cleaning situation that may be dangerous and hazardous to our health.

It is also important to be aware of the things that we keep our food in. Check plastic and other items that you might store food in for hidden contaminants. Glass is breakable, but it is safer to store food in than plastic. Some metal cans may not always be as safe for most fresh or frozen foods.

The only sugar substitute I know of that is safe is Stevia, but it is super sweet. Most recipes that people make using this product will not need to be changed all that much if you use a little less sugar. Butter is better than substitutes; just use it sensibly.

Two tablespoons of peanut butter is equal to a meat serving, but look for the "real thing" that is just peanuts without all the added items. Lynda Jensen used to say, "I don't want lard in my peanut butter." Real peanut butter may be a little more expensive, but it is far better for you. Try almond butter for a change. It has added benefits.

Let's make 2015 the year we raise our intelligence to look into the causes and cures for healthy eating. Think green, think vegetables. Drink water - lots of it. Learn to eat smaller pieces of meat and other foods. They will taste different.

Use your food chopper to cut up vegetables - like cucumbers, carrots, radishes and celery that you can add to your salad as well as learn to use less dressing. The old adage of dipping your fork in the dressing is still a good way to get a taste without overdoing.

Can't give up these goodies? You can if your life depended on it. Isn't it worth it?

At least go moderate - cut back a little at a time. Smaller plates, smaller helpings, less food - less meat - fewer snacks - and make them healthy snacks.

If you've ever sat in front of a big box store and watched the people who come out with their pendulum stomachs, wide behinds and fat thighs or looked at the content of what's in some of the grocery carts, it may give you reason to think. Where do I want to be in 2015 in the scan of life?

Are you a list maker? Then start there! Also picture the amount of sugar in that can of soda pop. back and add a little bit of club soda in your glass until you break the sugar habit.

Think about how many hours of work or exercise you will need to do in exchange for whatever you eat. No, I am not your doctor - I am just your friend. These are things that I struggle with too.

Try things you didn't think you would like. You might be wrong.

There used to be a gentlemen on television who would go around checking to see what people had in their shopping carts. He was rude to be sure, but not so dumb as it made people aware of what they were buying.

If you view it through the idea that there is a purpose beyond you and what you want, it makes sense.

Life is not just about you! You have family and friends - your health concerns them as well.

It a big commitment to get healthy and it will demand a great deal of patience but it will be worth it in the long run.

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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. 

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This week’s birthdays and anniversaries include:

• Thursday, January 29th: Molly Jo Wayne, her 7th Jalen Aaseth, Rick Seath, Andrea (Hanson) Carter, George Dettman, his 85th, Kim (Harpel) Johnson, Zenobia Haberman, Stephanie Jensen

• Friday, January 30th: Allison Grunwald, Renae Wallace, Trudy Nelson, Cody Boverhuis, Dennis Jensen, Jeanette Fetterly, Michael Robinson, Scott Morreim, Wally Wobschall, Missy (Wayne) & Sean Engel, their 6th, Paul & Diane Stollard

• Saturday, January 31st: Ethan River Thompson, his 10th; Avery Routh, her 10th; Dana Jensen, Jim Worrell, Keith Hagen, Sue Richards, David Skroch, Jim & Lois Plunkett

• Sunday, February 1st: Grayson Joseph Bickler, his 7th; Richard Grunwald, Brad Hagen, Tom Olson, Shelly Wencl, Sam & Sharon Peterson, Darrin & Michelle Hanson

• Monday, February 2nd: Kia Jayann Buendorf, her 7th; Matt Davis, Addie Farr, Joey Farr, Michael Farr, Butch Otteson, John Fornberg, Robert Hanson, Jim Motz, Karri Bangert, Lillie Fenney

• Tuesday, February 3rd: Avery Jean Blouin, 2014; Bowen Gregory Jensen, his 9th; Lily Neitzel, Julie Hanson, David Johnson, Sherry Misgen, Tara (Stollard) Richards, Francene Pittman, Jeremy Hanson

• Wednesday, February 4th: Aaron Duane Bauers, Tyler Cerney, Tyler Sorenson (1994), Waylen Busho Jr., Billy Glynn, David Newgard, Roy Jensen, John Lent

• Thursday, February 5th: Crystal Simonson, Blanche Kasper, Darrell Howell, Randy Reese, Ericka Johnson, Kylee Jace Wilson, Wesley Schoenrock

• Friday, February 6th: Jean Klocek, Carolyn Hanson, Dean Jensen, David Kelly, Martin Bartness, Colleen Borchert, Troy Haddy, Jean Clausen, Sonja Thompson, Megan Stephoni, Todd Nelson, Brooke Burns, Kay Swenson

May your special day be a happy memory and tomorrow a bright new promise.

As you may have heard, the Waseca Sleigh and Cutter medallion has already been found! That is great news for the winner, but somewhat disappointing for those who wanted the search to go on. The winner is a young woman named Chris Christensen.