By Bill Anderson

For those who are old enough to remember Al Capp’s “Li’l Abner” comic strip, today, Friday, November 2, is Sadie Hawkin’s Day, the one day in the year when it was permissible, at least in Li’l Abner’s home community of Dogpatch, for a spinster lady to run down and capture any bachelor she could lay her hands on and drag the hapless creature to the Finish Line where Marryin’ Sam, the local preacher, would pronounce them man and wife.  Times and customs have changed, but in this year, 2018, the national equivalent of Sadie Hawkin’s Day is Election Day, when it is not only legal, but encouraged, for any candidate to run down citizens and drag them to the polls to perform their patriotic duty. Thankfully, unlike Marryin’s Sam’s pronouncements of life sentences in Dogpatch, commitments made in a polling place or voting booth, like the promises of the candidates, are short term, for no more than 2, 4 or 6 years. Some of the promises don’t even make it past the vote counting.  Well, the election campaign of 2018 will be over when the polls close on the evening of Tuesday, November 6, and the election campaign of 2020 will begin at the same instant. In Sargent County, citizens have the ability to end the pursuit by utilizing Vote By Mail to mark their ballots at home and mailing them in to be counted; by voting early, prior to election day, at the Sargent County Courthouse in Forman; and, by casting their ballot on Election Day at the County’s centralized polling place at the Sargent County Courthouse in Forman. In Dogpatch, Li’l Abner’s mother, Mammy Yokum, was the undisputed boss, the power who settled disputes, righted wrongs and imposed order. When Mammy Yokum made her decision and laid down the law she concluded her pronouncement with, “I has spoken!” Every voter who casts their ballot in this election is entitled to quote Mammy Yokum, and there will be another chance to make a pronouncement in only 2 more years.

Rainfall has been scarce during the past week, but cool mornings and heavy dews have been no friends to those trying to harvest the 2018 soybean and corn crops. Thunder and lightning rolled through the area at about 6:30 in the evening on Saturday, October 27, and left behind just enough of a sprinkle to make the combines growl as they chewed through the soybean fields. Paul Anderson’s electronic rain gauge recorded.15 of an inch of precipitation on Sunday morning. The rain gauges of Norbert Kulzer and Roger Pearson have been retired for the season and will record exactly the same amount every morning from now until next Spring. Although most local producers are still concentrating on the soybean harvest, some corn has also been combined, and reports of both yield and quality indicate an excellent crop.

Steve & Sheila Wyum returned to their Ransom Township farm home on Friday, October 19, at the conclusion of a 10-day Autumn Vacation trip to Italy.  They had flown out of Fargo on United Airlines on Monday, October 8, with a stopover in Chicago prior to the non-stop flight to Rome. The following report was provided by the Wyums: “We were fortunate to have weather in the 60 to 80-degree range for the entire ten days, 4 days in Rome & 6 days in Cortona, the heart of the Tuscany region. In Rome we toured many of the early Roman ruins; the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Circus Maximus (Ben Hur chariot race). St. Peters Square & Sistine Chapel were impressive.  Traffic in Rome is a bit hectic. Tuscany abounds with agricultural diversity: grape vineyards, olives, wheat, sunflowers. In Tuscany, we stayed in a beautiful villa where the food was excellent.By the way, wine tasting is so-o-o good! One morning we went on a truffle hunt with our farmer guide and expert hunting dogs. The truffles look like sponges and have a musty odor.  They are very expensive in restaurants. The countryside scenery is breathtaking. We toured several villages. They had many artisans and musicians. The movie Under the Tuscan Sun (Diane Lane) was filmed in Cortona , a beautiful town. The Italians talk of their poor economic stability, and they don’t believe England is helping by withdrawing from the Euro Community. They feel the unpredictability of the US in trade discussions makes it harder for Italy to resolve its own dilemma. Our limo driver likened Trump to the former Italian Prime minister Berlusconi, who was a multi-billionaire media mogul with a brash, overbearing personality. He was convicted of tax fraud.”  Thanks to Steve & Sheila for the report.

Wedding bells were ringing at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 20, when Miss Maggie Marie Schutt and Mr. Colton Corry of this community exchanged vows in a ceremony in the Milnor Lutheran Church, Milnor, with Pastor Peter Hinderlie officiating. A reception dinner and dance followed in the Rutland Town Hall. The bride is the daughter of Mike & Debra Schutt of rural Milnor, and the groom is the son of David & Kori Piatz of Wheaton MN. Maggie is employed as a nurse at Four Seasons Healthcare in Forman, and Colton works at the Bobcat factory in Gwinner. The couple, along with their son, Jameson, make their home at 321 Gay Street in Rutland. Their many friends in the Rutland community extend congratulations to Maggie & Colton Corry on the occasion of their marriage, and best wishes to them for a long and happy life together.

Paul Anderson and Bill Anderson of Rutland were among those who attended a campaign “Meet & Greet” featuring U. S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp on the morning of Monday, October 29, at Hodennate’s in Lisbon.  Accompanying Senator Heitkamp were Congressional candidate Mac Schneider; candidate for ND Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Dotzenrod; candidate for ND Secretary of State Josh Boschee; and, candidate for ND Tax Commissioner Kylie Overson. The meeting was informal, although each candidate did briefly address the group. Topics discussed included: healthcare for North Dakota families; the impact of the trade war & tariffs on North Dakota farmers and workers; protecting every citizens right to vote; modernizing practices and procedures in the Tax Commissioner’s and Secretary of State’s offices; and, farm policy.  In addition to trade, tariffs and ethanol, State Sen. Dotzenrod emphasized the importance of every vote in the forthcoming election. From Lisbon, the candidates drove to Enderlin for another campaign event. Senator Heitkamp, Congressional Candidate Schneider and the other Democratic-NPL Statewide Candidates will be touring the entire State by bus during the final days of the campaign.

The former Mayor of Perry, Dean Nundahl, visited at the home of his sister, Doris Hoistad, in Rutland from Monday, October 29, to the morning of Wednesday, October 31, when he departed for his home in Mankato MN.  Dean stated that he had spent the preceding weekend as a guest in the home of Harris & Carol Hoistad at Lake Poncet SD. He said that he probably won’t be back in Rutland until next April, unless he gets a report that the fish are biting and someone with a nice, warm ice fishing house extends an invitation to him.

The Sargent Central Veterans Day Program is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 8 in the Sargent Central Activities Center, according to SC music teacher Kaia Mahrer. All veterans are invited to attend.  Bergman-Evenson Post #215 of the American Legion, Rutland, will be supplying a Color Guard for the opening ceremony at the program, reports Post Commander Larry Christensen.

America’s military veterans in the Rutland Community received an invitation from the ladies of Unit #215 of the American Legion Auxiliary to attend a soup & sandwich supper at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, November 12, at the Nordland Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall.  Veterans planning to attend the event are asked to let Carolyn Christensen know by Noon on the 12^th.  The Rutland Legion Post will make a decision on Monday, November 5, if and when a Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held in conjunction with Veterans Day this year.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell of KY, and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Ryan of WI, are finally admitting that they intend to go after Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to make up for the massive increases in the national debt and budget deficit caused by last December’s $Trillion tax cut. The President is claiming the authority to repeal the 14^th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution and revoke the citizenship of his political adversaries by Executive Order. Good grief! Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, or is it Trumpania, the land of the gullible and the home of the zany? How many times do Americans in general, and North Dakotans in particular, have to be hit with the 2 by 4 of reality before they figure out what these guys are up to? They are up to just what they say: slashing Social Security; cutting Medicare; hammering Medicaid; and, diminishing the rights and privileges of Americans. Does it make sense to vote for a candidate who promises to support this President 100% of the time? As of Friday, November 2, there are 92 weeks down and 116 to go until January 20, 2021. Well, maybe they won’t look, sound and act so scary after Halloween, Sadie Hawkin’s Day and the Election are behind us.

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. Don’t forget to patronize your local Post Office and remember to keep the pressure on the U.S. Postal Service and the North Dakota Congressional delegation to SAVE OUR POST OFFICE!  Later.