By Bill Anderson

Soybean harvest has been going strong since Wednesday, October 17. The temperature climbed way up to 73 on Thursday, October 18, 60 on Friday, October 19, but only 37 on Saturday, the 20^th, before climbing back up into the high 40’s and mid-50’s through Wednesday, the 24th. Mark Wyum reports that yields are fluctuating from 40 bu. Per acre to 60 bu. Per acre, with the average being somewhere in the mid to upper 40’s range. Mark states that he made the mistake of harvesting his best fields first, so he has been disappointed with the declining per acre average yield of the bean harvest since then. Cameron Gulleson reports results similar to those reported from the Wyum Farm, with the average running about 47 bushels per acre. The yields would be considered to be good, if commodity prices were at their pre-tariff, pre-trade war levels. Depressed prices and rising interest rates – we have been down this route before. A philosopher once made the statement, “Those who will not learn the lessons of history are condemned to repeat them.” Is that a school bell, or an alarm bell, we hear ringing? Either way, there could be a lesson coming at us.

Rutland natives David & Pat Kulzer, accompanied by their dog, Buster, departed Rutland, bound for their home on the west slope of the Rocky Mountains, in the Swan River Valley of northwestern Montana, on Friday, October 12. They arrived at their mountain home on Sunday, October 14, and the following report was received from Pat: “…Weary Dave & I arrived home about 3 pm yesterday. We decided to take the shortest route home, via Highway 200, but the cold northwest wind on Saturday made it a long day’s drive from Dickinson to Lewistown. Today begins a weather warmup and for the next week we’re supposed to enjoy temps in the high 60s. Having so recently experienced rain, wind, cold, snow, more wind & blizzard, we will definitely enjoy this Indian Summer! The tamaracks and aspens are bright gold now, so the scenery is beautiful, too…” Thanks to Pat for the report, and the Rutland community thanks the Kulzers for helping out during Uff-Da Day activities on Sunday, October 7.Jesse & Marcia Brakke of this community headed for Stillwater MN on the afternoon of Thursday, October 11 to help with wedding preparations for Jesse’s son, James Brakke of Stillwater, and James’ fiancé, Miss Sydney Koch, a native of Fargo ND. The couple were married on the afternoon of Saturday, October 13, in a ceremony at a Unitarian Church near Stillwater. The groom is the son of Jesse Brakke of Rutland and the late Michelle (Garot) Brakke. The bride is the daughter of Randy & Jean Koch of Fargo. Among those who traveled from a distance to celebrate with the bride & groom were James’ maternal grandparents, James & Diana Garot of Oceanside CA, James’ uncle, Bob Garot of New York City NY, and John Welch, a lifelong friend, from Charleston SC. James, a 2010 graduate of SCHS and a 2016 graduate of the NDSU School of Pharmacy, is employed as a pharmacist at the Walmart Pharmacy in New Richmond WI. The couple will be making their home in Stillwater MN. Their many friends in Rutland extend their congratulations to James & Sydney on the occasion of their wedding, and best wishes to them for a long and happy life together.

Lyle Katterhagen of Long Prairie MN, his brother, Neal Katterhagen of Briarville MN; and, Dale Weick of Minneapolis MN hunted pheasants in the Rutland area from Wednesday, October 17 to Monday, October 22. According to Lyle, the trio bagged some birds and scared quite a few more during their hunting excursion. He states that they are considering another visit to the Rutland area around Veterans Day, when more corn should be harvested, affording the pheasants less cover to hide in. The 3 Amigoes, Katterhagen, Katterhagen & Weick, resided in The Bagley House at 301 First Street during their visit in Rutland.

Halloween came early to Rutland this year, as the “Tricks or Treats” folks were out and about on Sunday, October 21. The following report was received from Carolyn Christensen, a member of Unit #215 of The American Legion Auxiliary in Rutland: “Our Trick or Treat for Veterans for the Gladys Ray Shelter & Veteran’s Drop-In Center, which we held on Sunday, October 21st, was another successful event. Those traipsing around town were Diane Smith, Joanne Harris, Pam Maloney and her granddaughter, Beckette Jensen (We believe in starting them young) and Carolyn Christensen. Nordland Lutheran Church quilters donated 14 beautiful quilts and we collected many bags of warm clothing, personal care products and food, as well as $170 in cash during the two hours we spent going up and down the streets of Rutland.  We are so grateful to the community of Rutland for the wonderful support that we receive for the project. Our little town has a big heart. I have written an article for The Teller which includes a couple of pictures so more detailed information is included there regarding the shelter itself & the services that it provides.” Thanks to Carolyn for the report, and a big “Thank You!” to the ladies of The American Legion Auxiliary for their work on behalf of the nation’s veterans.

Calvin Jacobson of Jacobson Excavating was at work digging the new foundation for The Old Parsonage at 217 First Street on Tuesday & Wednesday, October 23 & 24. The old rock cellar and perimeter foundation that had been under the house for the past 116 years were dug out on Tuesday, and there has been no trace found of the itinerant evangelist who, according to a legend related by Dick Meyers, had been buried in the crawl space beneath the house sometime in the misty past. Once the excavation work has been completed, forms for the new foundation and basement will be set by Strege Construction, and cement will be poured. Plans call for the new foundation and basement to be under the old house and a new addition that will be built on to the east.

After a slow start to his 2018 fishing season, Roger Pearson is finishing the open water season strong, bringing home limits of walleyes from several recent visits to Sprague Lake and Lake Tewaukon on the Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge. Roger states that he has been using minnows for bait, rigged to catch the eye of a hungry walleye. He also reports that some anglers at both lakes have been catching some nice sized Northern pike, but Roger is not fishing for them so he doesn’t catch them. In an effort to make the fishing resource last, Roger switches lakes after catching his limit at one or the other. The walleyes fooled him last weekend, though, when he went out to Lake Tewaukon after catching his limit of nice walleyes at Sprague Lake the day before. Only the small walleyes were biting at Tewaukon the next day, and they all had to be put back into the water so they could grow up to become “Whoppers.”

Speaking of whoppers, the 2018 campaign is now less than 2 weeks from Election Day, and our President, a guy who has earned a well-deserved world-wide reputation as a monumental liar, is leading his party’s charge to the finish line, hurling whopper after whopper, to be gobbled up by the gullible. In his latest attempt to divide Americans by hyping fear of immigrants, the President has been screaming about a caravan of refugees from the Central American countries of Honduras and Guatamala who recently crossed the southern border of Mexico, heading north. The refugees, mostly women and children, are fleeing violence, poverty and oppression in their home countries. The President says that there are criminals and drug dealers among them, without any evidence to back up his assertions. Besides, Central American criminals and drug dealers have plenty of money. Why would they be walking across Mexico? They are much more likely to be found staying in a Trump Hotel, playing golf at a Trump golf course, or traveling in a Trump chartered airplane with members of the Trump family. After all, people with a lot of money have to be all right, don’t they, even if they are criminals and drug dealers. Well, there’s no evidence of that, either. When pressed for evidence to support his claims, the President responds, “Well, it could be.” Well, the Earth could be flat and the Moon made of green cheese, too, but there’s no evidence to support those claims, either. The President makes statements that he knows to be false for the purpose of rousing irrational fears in the American people, for the purpose of rousing up hatred against people we have never met for wrongs that have never been committed. Is that the America we want to be? Sounds more like Nazi Germany. As of Friday, October 26, there are 91 weeks down and 117 to go until January 20, 2021. Back in 2016, the President said that we have to make America great again. How about if we just concentrate on calming down the reckless rhetoric, and making America America again?

Well, that’s the news from Rutland for this week. For additional information about what’s going on in the little city that can, check out the community’s internet web site at www.rutlandnd.com, and take a look at the Rutland Facebook page while you’re at it, too. Remember to patronize your local Post Office, and don’t forget to keep the pressure on the U. S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! Later.