The Rooster Crows – September 28, 2018

On September 28, 2018May 5, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

The rain that began on Wednesday evening, September 19, and continued throughout Thursday and into the early hours of Friday, September 21, proved once again that while it may rain on the just and the unjust, alike, it does not rain in equal amounts. Neighbors Norbert Kulzer and Roger Pearson report .9 of an inch and .8 of an inch respectively, while a block down the street Paul Anderson’s electronic gauge measured 1.11 inch of precipitation. Jim Lunneborg reported “an even inch” at his farm in Shuman Township, and Mark Wyum’s rain gauge also recorded an inch at his Ransom Township farm. It was raining “pennies from Heaven,” in Havana, though, reports Rutland Bank Station Manager Shawn Klein, as her rain gauge showed 1.4 inch of precipitation on Friday morning. After 3 days of pleasant weather for the weekend, a drizzly rain settled in on Monday and Tuesday, September 24 & 25, bringing harvest activities to a halt, but only leaving ¼ of an inch of precipitation in its wake. The weather forecasters are projecting the first frost of the season for this weekend, and that should get the combines rolling at full speed. Soybean growers have been informed that the $12 Billion Trump Tariff Bail-out fund will pay $1.62 per bushel on ½ of their soybean bushels, or ½ of $1.62 on all of their bushels, whichever makes them feel better. The cost bases for beans in Sargent County is now at $1.75 per bushel, so it won’t come close to making anyone whole, but, as the old-timers would say, “It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.” Can’t argue with that.

Nineteen volunteers, some veterans of the 2018 Uff-Da Day Lefse Campaign along with some new trainees, gathered at the Rutland Town Hall on the morning of Thursday, September 20, and made 1,261 sand cakes for this year’s Uff-Da Day event. Another crew of similar composition worked on Krumkake, those paper-thin cone shaped pastries, on Tuesday, September 25. The following report was obtained from Uff-Da Day Chairperson Marcia Brakke: “… We made 917 krumkake on Tuesday, September 25, in the Town Hall kitchen. Half were packaged for sale in packages of 5 and the rest went into tins to serve at the Scandinavian Dinner at the town hall on Uffda Day. We finished this task in approximately 2 hours, made 11 double batches, and had fun to boot. Takk skal de ha!” There is no report on how many sandkaker and Krumkake had to be taste tested by Quality Control at the time they were made, but it appears that all involved had an enjoyable time, and justifiably so. The schedule for Uff-Da Day XXXIV on Sunday, October 7, is as follows: 8 AM The “Uff-Da Day Classic” 5K Walk/Run commences at the City Maintenance Building on the south end of Main Street, at the corner of First & Cooper; All Day – Rutland Depot Museum and 1 room School House exhibit on Main Street; All Day – antique, classic and downright interesting Car Show on Gay Street; 10 AM Craft Booths at Bank, Rutland Oil Co. building, Erickson Building (the former Ink’s/Bohn’s/Lariat Bar building) and at other locations in the downtown area of metropolitan Rutland; 10 AM Sale of Packaged Lefse, Sandkaker, Krumkake and Uffda Day 2018 T-Shirts at Legion Hall/Rutland Fitness Center on the corner of Gay & Bagley Streets; 11 AM Old Parsonage Antiques & collectibles shop, with Wine Tasting on the Front Porch at 217 First Street; 11 AM “Bounce house” games for kids on Gay Street, across from the Rutland Town Hall; 11 AM Scandinavian treats, Demonstrations & sale, at Senior Center on Main Street, with Live Musical Entertainment; 11 AM Abelskivers, hot from the pan, in front of the Legion Hall/Fitness Center; 11 AM Uffda Tacos at the Rutland Fire Hall on Bagley Street; 11 AM Scandinavian dinner Featuring Rutland Scalloped Potatoes, made with real Hand-cut Ham, real potatoes and real Cream, Scandinavian Delicacies and Live musical Entertainment; 1 PM Uffda Day Parade commencing on Dakota Street, west on Gay Street, north on Ross Street, west on Front Street and south on Main Street; 1:45 PM Nickel Scramble on Main Street, in front of the Depot Museum and the Erickson Building; 2 PM Pedal Pull Challenge on Main Street; 3 PM “Nor-Ski” 1st Annual Competition at the corner of Bagley & Gay Streets. There’s Free Parking all over town; Handicapped Spaces are Available at convenient locations; and there’s an Information Booth on Main Street in case you get lost and need a hug. Come early and stay late! Rutland is the place to be, and Uff-Da Day is the event to see, on Sunday, October 7, 2018.

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The Rooster Crows – September 21, 2018

On September 21, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

Summer 2018 left in a huff between sundown on Sunday, September 16, and sunrise on Monday, September 17. At 5:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon the temperature registered 93 degrees on a south wind gusting up to 45 mph. By 5:00 a.m. on Monday, September 17, the thermometer registered 48 degrees, accompanied by a 20 mph wind out of the north. A drop of 45 degrees in a span of 12 hours. What a difference a day makes! From wind burn to wind chill in 12 hours. The change in the weather also brought with it a few showers of rain, but not enough to get a reading in any of the local rain gauges. According to information obtained from the internet (and that’s always correct, right?) the Autumnal Equinox will occur on September 22 this year, and astronomers declare the Equinox to be the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. However, there is controversy in the scientific community even about the beginnings and the ends of the 4 seasons. Meteorologists use the Gregorian calendar, the one we all use today, to divide the year into 4 seasons, each 3 months in length, and, as far as the meteorologists are concerned, Autumn began back on September 1. So, are the astronomers correct, or are the meteorologists correct? The answer is: YES! At least the meteorologists are consistent. For them, Autumn always starts on September 1 each and every year, but, philosophers say that consistency is “the hobgoblin of small minds,” so being consistent may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. Astronomers, however, can’t quite pin down a date. They say that, depending on the year, the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, and several other factors, the Autumnal Equinox can occur, and Autumn begin, sometime between September 21 and September 24. So much for the precision of science! Both meteorologists and astronomers agree that after September 22 we will definitely be in the season of Autumn. That’s where the agreement ends, though, as the meteorologists claim that Autumn will end on November 30 and astronomers say that the Winter Solstice marking the end of Autumn and the beginning of Winter will occur on December 22. According to the President, the entire discussion is all part of a plot to take the spotlight away from him, and get people thinking about less significant personages, such as God. Could be.

Curt & Renee Larson arrived home on Wednesday, September 5, at the conclusion of a 3-week trip to Europe that had begun on August 14. Their first stop was Amsterdam, where they boarded one of Viking River Cruises riverboats for a journey up the Rhine River to Basil, Switzerland. In Switzerland they rented a car and drove to Frankfort, Germany, where they stayed with a friend who had been a foreign exchange student in the Larsons’ home a number of years ago, and who is now a Doctor practicing Psychiatry in Frankfort. “No comment,” said Curt. They next traveled to Norway to visit cousins of the Larson and Seavert families, and then on to Sweden where they discovered that Renee’s Swedish forebears had been Jonssons in Sweden and that they had taken the Sundquist name, derived from the name of their farm in Sweden, on their arrival in America. It was a great trip, but tiring, according to Curt, and, as with most trips, the best part was arriving back home.

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The Rooster Crows – September 14, 2018

On September 14, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

Aah, September! Warm and sunny days; cool, clear starlit nights; and, the sustenance provided by nature available in abundance. The sweet corn season is waning, but the products of garden and orchard: potatoes; tomatoes; cucumbers; the prolific zucchini; beets; green beans; plums; apples; and, a myriad of other good stuff; are available everywhere, for a while. As the old-timers often observed, “There’s only 2 things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes.” How true! It’s almost enough to make a person forget what’s coming. Almost, but not quite. Of North Dakota’s 2 seasons: winter; and, getting ready for winter; we are now approaching the end of getting ready. Brace yourself. It’s coming.

Bill Anderson and Paul Anderson of this community drove to Bismarck on Thursday, September 6, where Bill participated in a meeting of North Dakota County Commissioners Association’s Resolutions Committee. The committee considered resolutions dealing with road funding; administration of County Social Services; law enforcement; taxation; initiated measures; and, other topics. The draft resolutions will be considered during the North Dakota Association of Counties Annual Conference in Bismarck during the 2^nd week of October, and the resolutions approved will guide the Associations work during the 2019 session of the North Dakota Legislature. On the return trip, it was noticed that several soybean fields along ND Highway #32 south of Valley City appeared to be nearly ready for harvest, and there is no doubt that combines will be rolling by the time this column is in print.

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The Rooster Crows – September 7, 2018

On September 7, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

Thunder, Lightning and rain visited Rutland at about 2:30 on the morning of Sunday, September 2. Roger Pearson reported that his rain gauge showed .4 of an inch after the rain had stopped and the sun had risen. Roger’s neighbor, Norbert Kulzer, states that he is pretty sure that his rain gauge indicated .5 of an inch. Jason Arth reported .5 of an inch at Northern Plains Ag in Cayuga, and John Buskohl stated that .75 of an inch was received in Milnor. John had just finished cutting 6 acres of alfalfa hay on Saturday, a sure rain-maker, and he takes full responsibility, or credit, for the event.

Paul Anderson of this community and Carol Fridgen of Spider Lake MN were joined by several friends: Jim and Denise Hawes, Lake Belle Taine MN; Mike and Tudee, Dandalet, Spider Lake MN; and, Terry and Angela Carlson, 8th Crow Wing Lake MN; in Rutland on Thursday, August 30. The eight friends enjoyed lunch at The Lariat Bar in Rutland, toured the community, and topped off the day with the “Farm To Table” Dinner at The Coteau des Prairies Lodge that evening. All enjoyed the fine dining, good company and excellent lodgings furnished by The Lodge. They returned to Minnesota on Friday, August 31.

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The Rooster Crows – August 31, 2018

On August 31, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Life In General, Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

September arrived a week early, with morning temperatures bouncing off the 50 mark every day from Saturday, August 25 to Wednesday, August 29, and daytime highs hovering in the 60’s. The forecast calls for a warmup for the Labor Day weekend, but we have been given a taste of things to come. As the late Clayton McLaen often observed, “North Dakota has two seasons: winter; and, getting ready for winter.” There are plenty of pleasant days remaining in 2018, and the wise resident of the northern plains will use at least some of them to get ready for what’s on the way. Dick Meyers has informed The Assembled Wise Men at The Lariat that he is following Clayton’s advice and is getting ready for winter by making airline reservations for a flight to Arizona at the first sign of frost.

Joanne Harris reports that she attended the 60^th Anniversary Reunion of her high school graduating class, the Morris High School Class of ’58, on Friday & Saturday, August 10 & 11, in Morris MN. Six decades ago there were 92 graduates in the class, states Joanne, and 62 still survive. Of those, 33 attended the reunion, and 29 were unable to attend, for a variety of reasons. Morris is the county seat of Stevens County MN, and the Stevens County Fair was going on during the same weekend as the MHS Class of ’58 reunion, so there were many old friends from her childhood days in town. According to Joanne, some of her classmates are beginning to show their age, prematurely of course.

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The Rooster Crows – August 24, 2018

On August 24, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

The Great Smokey Mountains of Virginia and the Carolinas had nothing on The Great Smokey Prairies of North Dakota last week. Smoke drifting in from forest fires in northern Canada covered the prairies in a gray haze that burned the eyes and caused problems for anyone with a respiratory condition. The smoke was thick enough that the Coteau des Prairies hills south of town were not visible from Rutland for most of the day. The Canadian smoke had cleared some by Saturday, and Sunday’s thunderstorms washed some of the smoke out of the air, at least for a while. In a reversal of normal results, Roger Pearson’s rain gauge showed 1.2 inches of precipitation as of 8:30 on Sunday morning, while the gauge of his next-door neighbor, Norbert Kulzer, registered only 1.1 inch. Randy Pearson reported that the gauge in his Shuman Township farmyard showed 1.85 inch at about the same time, and Ted Lee stated that Mother Nature came up short in his neighborhood, leaving only .45 of an inch of rain at his Tewaukon Township farm home. Harvey Bergstrom and Kurt Breker reported .7 of an inch south of Cayuga, while Doug Spieker reported that his rain gauge captured .9 of an inch, and Jim Lunneborg said that 1.5 inch was recorded at his farm south of Buffalo Lake. By Monday morning the consensus of The Assembled Wise Men was that the soybean crop in the Rutland area now has enough moisture to take it to harvest, and that may be true for corn, too.

Harvey Bergstrom walked out into one of his corn fields while on his way to town on the morning of Saturday, August 18, randomly selected an ear of corn and pulled it off the stalk. He then brought that cob of corn with him to The Lariat for examination and inspection by The Assembled Wise Men. Once husked, it was revealed that the large cob was filled with kernels from end to end, and that the kernels were beginning to dent. Harvey is a virtuoso on the accordion and concertina, and his corn grows up listening to a 4:4 polka beat. Happy corn is productive corn, and there’s nothing happier than a good, old-fashioned polka, the kind Harvey plays at Uff-Da Day each year. After all, corn has ears, big ears this year, so it might as well listen to something good. Anyone who wants to know what makes Harvey go, and his corn grow, should be at Uff-Da Day in Rutland on Sunday, October 7, to hear Harvey’s happy music.

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