By Bill Anderson

It was bound to happen, sooner or later, but who would have thought that it would have taken this long? Roger Pearson’s rain gauge registered 1 full inch of rain on Wednesday, October 13, and Norbert Kulzer’s rain gauge, right next door, measured .9 of an inch from the same event. For the first time in 2021, Roger’s gauge measured more rain than did Norbert’s from the same rainfall. What this turnabout portends for the future is anyone’s guess. Will the Red Sox win the World Series? Will the Vikings win the Super Bowl? Well, we can’t expect miracles from .1 of an inch of rain, but it does appear that the times may be a’changin’.

June 26, 2022 will be the 40^th anniversary of Rutland’s record breaking World’s Largest Hamburger, but October 28, 2021, is the 40^th anniversary for the Waloch-Johnson Insurance Agency, the company that has been providing insurance services in the Rutland community for the past couple of decades. Kristine Radke, the agent in charge of the Waloch-Johnson Insurance Agency office on Rutland’s Main Street, has invited the Rutland community to a 40^th anniversary Open House from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Thursday, October 28. Kristine promises coffee, cookies, prizes and straight talk about insurance. The Waloch-Johnson Agency is the successor of the Anderson Insurance Agency that provided insurance services in the Rutland community from 1907 until it was merged with the First National Agency of Milnor back in the mid 1990’s and was later acquired by Waloch-Johnson in the early years of the 21^st Century. The Waloch-Johnson Agency provides a full line of insurance services for family, farm, home, auto and business needs. Be sure to stop in on Thursday, October 28, to join in the celebration.

James & Sydney Brakke of Somerset WI, accompanied by their English Spaniel dog, Mabel, are visiting at the home of James’ Dad, Jesse Brakke, in Ransom Township this week. James is a 2010 graduate of SCHS and a 2016 graduate of the School of Pharmacy at NDSU in Fargo. He is currently employed as pharmacy manager at the New Richmond WI Walmart store. James, Sydney & Mabel arrived at Rutland on Tuesday, October 19, and plan to head back to Wisconsin on Sunday, October 24.

Mike & Debbie Banish enjoyed a two-week tour of Ireland back in September. In October, they changed the second letter of their destination from “r” to “c” and took a trip to another island nation, Iceland. On Wednesday, October 6, Mike & Debbie, accompanied by Mike’s brother, Rick, took off from the Fargo airport, bound for Reykjavik, Iceland, via Minneapolis and JFK airport in New York. They arrived in Reykjavik at 8:00 in the morning, which would have been 3:00 a.m. out here on the prairie. They flew on Delta Airlines, and their tour was organized by the Collette Tour Group. Mike described the mountains of Iceland as “spectacular,” rising out of the Ocean to a height of several thousand feet. Mike also appreciated the fact that Iceland, like North Dakota, is practically treeless, and affords some long distance, unobstructed views of the island’s scenery. According to Debbie, there are 30 active volcanoes on Iceland, any one of which could be a few minutes, or a few centuries, away from an eruption. Despite all of this volcanic activity, there is only one active geyser on Iceland, and it erupts every 5 minutes. They visited several beautiful waterfalls, including one that you could walk behind, a wet but refreshing experience; Glacier Bay; the Black Sand Beach; and, the Blue Lagoon, where they went swimming in the water that is warmed by the geothermal heat of volcanic activity. The air temperature at the time they took their dip in the Blue Lagoon was 40 degrees, Debbie reported. The Blue Lagoon even had a swim up bar where those enjoying the warm water could obtain a liquid refreshment. Their menus included cod, reindeer (possibly Rudolph) & duck (maybe Donald), and they even partook of brennivin, a drink that the Icelanders have named “The Black Death.” It was OK, Debbie said. Among the places they visited was The Lava Center, a scientific facility at which Iceland’s frequent, almost daily, earthquakes are recorded. Iceland is at the junction of the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates, and it is the only place in the world where both plates and the Atlantic Ridge can be seen above ground, and above water. The Banishes returned to Rutland on Tuesday, October 12, retracing their journey of the week before. They thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Iceland, originally settled by the Vikings over 1,000 years ago. According to Debbie, neither the Banishes nor the Vikings have yet decided on their next destination. 

Joanne Harris, Beverly Kulzer, Cher Spieker and Delores Lysne of this community were among the more than 60 women, members of the Catholic Christian Mothers, who attended a retreat at the former Blue Cloud Abbey near Summit SD on Tuesday, October 19. The Rutland ladies, all members of Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Parish in Cayuga, were also joined by Ivadel Woytassek of Cayuga. According to Joanne, women from Catholic churches in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota attended the retreat. The Rutland ladies report a very instructive, inspiring and uplifting experience.

No progress has yet been made in either reopening the Rutland Post Office, closed since September 30, or in providing postal services at a new temporary or permanent location in Rutland. According to Acting Gwinner Postmaster Jackie Lemna, a team of Postal Service inspectors checked out the closed Rutland facility for mold, asbestos and other health & safety concerns on Friday, October 8, but nothing more has been seen or heard since then. It is not known if the owner will be given the opportunity to clean up the problem caused by his neglect, or if the current lease will be terminated because of the building’s unfitness for use. The Postal Service has been made aware that there are suitable alternative locations for temporary or permanent Post Office facilities in Rutland. Patrons of the Rutland Post Office are urged to write to the State’s Congressional delegation: Senator John Hoeven; Senator Kevin Cramer; and Congressman Kelly Armstrong; to request their assistance in restoring a Post Office to the Rutland community.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, the Democrats are doing what they do best, fighting among themselves; the Republicans are doing what they do best, nothing; and former President Trump is doing what he does best, spreading “The Big Lie.” As long as everyone is doing what they do best, what more can we ask?

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.