The Rooster Crows – May 7, 2021

On May 7, 2021 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

Big trucks, little trucks, big tractors, bigger tractors, planters, rock rollers, rock pickers and every other kind of machinery needed to plant a crop have been moving through Rutland this week as spring planting finally got into high gear. Commodity prices are up, covid-19 cases are down, the Sun is shining, the sky is blue, God is in Heaven and all is right with the world this week, at least so far. The temperature is still going up and down, too, from a high of 86 on Saturday, May 1, to a predicted low of 50 on Wednesday, May 5. In between, though, there was a very comfortable 74 on Sunday, May 2. Reports from the field are that the timely rain received back in April was just what the Doctor ordered, as soil moisture is good throughout the area. Even some combines have been observed, heading off to the shop to be serviced and made ready for the upcoming harvest season. Hope still springs eternal, on the farm as well as on the ball diamond.

The Sargent County Public Health District has reported more encouraging news on the covid-19 front this week. According to District Health Nurse Briana Spellerberg, there were 8 active covid-19 cases in Sargent County as of Tuesday, May 4, down from 16 a week earlier, and the percentage of adult County residents who have received at least 1 vaccination shot is at 53.6%, up from 52.8% a week ago. County Health Nurses Spellerberg and Chapin will be administering vaccinations to workers at the Bobcat Factory in Gwinner later this week. To make an appointment to obtain a vaccination, call: the Sargent County Public Health District in Forman at 724-3725; Forman Drug in Forman at 724-6222; or, Sanford Clinic in Oakes at 742-3267. All 3 of the currently approved vaccines: Moderna; Pfizer; and, Johnson & Johnson; are now available, although they may not all be available at the same time from the same supplier. Congratulations to the personnel of the Sargent County Public Health District, Forman Drug and Sanford Clinic for the work they are doing to protect the people of Sargent County from the ravages of the coronavirus.

Kaia Mahrer of this community was in Grand Forks on Thursday & Friday, April 22 & 23, completing her final examination for certification as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She started the course last fall, and, due to covid-19 restrictions, completed most of her studies in a virtual classroom, on line. As a music teacher at Sargent Central, she’s used to teaching that way, and now she’s used to learning that way, too. Kaia will be working with the Forman Ambulance Squad of the Sargent County Ambulance Service. Congratulations to Kaia on her accomplishment, and on her dedication to community service.

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The Rooster Crows – April 30, 2021

On April 30, 2021 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

There was a smile under that mask! On Tuesday, April 27, the CDC revised its covid-19 pandemic facemask guidelines, no longer recommending that facemasks be worn while outside. In response, Mother Nature removed her mask, revealing bright Sun, blue skies, and a generally beautiful day. She has promised more to come, at least through the weekend, too. Facemasks are still recommended while indoors with unvaccinated people, but Mother Nature spends most of her time outdoors, anyway. The more people get vaccinated, the quicker we can get rid of the facemasks altogether. Oh, happy day!

Prior to revealing the bright, sunny side of her personality, Mother Nature bestowed approximately ½” of rain on Rutland and vicinity on Sunday night and Monday morning, April 25 & 26. Roger Pearson’s rain gauge registered just over .4 of an inch, and Norbert Kulzer’s gauge wasn’t quite up to the spot, just above the ½” mark, where it would start leaking out, so we’ll say “thanks for that.” Jim Lyon of Geneseo was in Rutland on Monday morning, April 26, and reported that moisture was good in that area of Sargent County. All he was waiting for was for the soil to get warm enough to germinate the seed, and for the sun to shine enough to let it grow.

The Rutland Senior Citizens Club thanked patrons of the Monday, Wednesday & Saturday morning coffee sessions at the Seniors Center for their generous free will donations with dinner at the dining room of The Lariat Bar on the evening of Wednesday, April 28. Twenty-nine coffee session patrons attended the event, including: Chuck & Mary Beth Anderson; Mark & Kathy Wyum; Norbert & Beverly Kulzer; Janny Kiefer; Delores Lysne; Rick Banish; Mike & Debbie Banish; Janice Christensen; Dianna Anderson; Yvonne Johnson; Joanne Harris; Steve & Sheila Wyum; Rick Bosse; Roger McLaen; Duane & Sharon Lock; Kurt Breker & Laura Mahrer; Bill Anderson; Roger Pearson; Joel Susag; Doug & Cher Spieker; and Hal Nelson. Guests ordered from the menu and report a very enjoyable evening with great cuisine, fine beverages, and outstanding company.

Some of Rutland’s stalwarts have been in the hospital during the past week. Calvin Jacobson was taken to a Fargo hospital following a fall from a ladder on Friday, April 23 that resulted in a fractured hip bone. No surgery was required to repair the break, and Cal was released from the Hospital on Tuesday, April 27. He is planning to take it easy for a few days before going back to work.

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Seize the Day!

On April 26, 2021 By rutlandramblingsIn Life In GeneralLeave a comment

For more information contact: Cindy Klapperich, cindy.klapperich@ndsu.edu

SEIZE THE DAY! (Published in The Sargent County Teller, 04.23.21/2021 issue.)

Nothing Says Spring Like this Veggie

What veggie can be eaten raw, grilled, steamed or roasted, is fairly hardy and can grow wild among grass, and when eaten raw has a taste similar to fresh garden peas? If you guessed asparagus, you’re right! It is a vegetable that just seems to shout “spring,” right?

The NDSU Extension Family and Community Wellness agent in Cavalier county, Katie Henry, is a friend and colleague who tells the story of an asparagus “farm” that grew along a shelter belt that was just down the road from where she lived as a child. As she tells it, people could go pick all of the asparagus they wanted and leave their money in a little cash box under the tree at the end by the road, on the honor system. She considered it to be a fun adventure to go asparagus hunting among the grass when she was a youngster.

Asparagus may be harvested from about mid-May until the third week in June, beginning in its third or fourth season of growth, not earlier. The shoots are best cut when 6-10 inches tall. If they get taller than that, they tend to be “woody.” New shoots may be cut as often as every other day if temperatures and moisture conditions are favorable.

Asparagus should not be harvested any later than the third week of June so that the plant can rejuvenate itself for the next year. Asparagus plants, once established, can produce for up to 20 years.

To harvest asparagus, push a knife into the soil close to the shoot, cutting it slightly below the soil surface, or simply snap the shoot off with your fingers. As with all fresh fruits and vegetables, be sure to rinse with clear running water and a slight amount of friction before eating it or preparing it for a recipe.

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The Rooster Crows – April 23, 2021

On April 23, 2021 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

April seems to be bucking the season. It opened with a beautiful weekend over Easter, with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the 70’s, but the farther it goes, the colder it gets. The low temperature in Rutland on Wednesday, April 21, was 25 degrees and snow flurries, while Fargo set a record for cold on this date with 18. That’s 82 degrees colder than the record high for the same date of 100 above, set back in 1980. Thursday, April 22, was the 42^nd annual Earth Day, a day dedicated to contemplating what we have been doing to our planet, and how to correct our blunders. Not to worry, though. President Joe Biden has hosted a “Climate Summit” of world leaders to discuss the situation. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion, and in observance of worldwide covid-19 recommendations, the summit was a virtual one, held online via ZOOM or some other video conferencing program. Picture it, hundreds of elected presidents and prime ministers, hereditary monarchs and tyrannical dictators in bathrobes, sweat suits and bedroom slippers, wearing facemasks and sitting in front of their computers, sipping coffee and discussing the fate of the world. Should we be comforted? Ask the Assembled Wise Men 42 years from now and they’ll let you know.

Hal Nelson has been treating an injured leg for the past week, the injury sustained while fishing at Sprague Lake. The walleyes had been biting, so Hal was out there enjoying the sport when he noticed some action on his line. He jumped to get the line and set the hook, slipped on a rock and fell onto some willow stumps left by a foraging beaver. The willow stumps were sharpened like punji stakes and put some serious scratches on Hal’s leg. He is getting around, though, and hopes to be back up to full speed in the near future.

Kenneth Maly of Chinook MT was visiting old friends in Rutland on the evening of Wednesday, April 14. Kenny is one of the sons of the late Francis & Rozilla Maly, and he grew up on the Maly family farm in Weber Township, south of Rutland. He is now employed by the Blaine County highway department out of Chinook, and he states that the county there has more than 1,300 miles of county gravel roads to maintain. Gravel is difficult to obtain for parts of Blaine County, Kenny says, and some roads are posted warning drivers to stay off of them when it is wet. “They might be out there until it dries up again,” he says. Kenny was employed by the Sargent County Road Department back in the 1990’s, before he moved to Montana. He planned to drive to Minneapolis to visit his daughter and 5-year-old granddaughter on Friday, April 16, and to return to Rutland on April 22 for a few more days of visiting friends and family here before returning to Montana. Kenny says that he likes living in the Chinook community, but he still has plenty of good friends and good memories in Rutland, too.

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The Rooster Crows -April 16, 2021

On April 16, 2021April 16, 2021 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

The 2021 Weather Roller Coaster ride isn’t over yet! Since Easter weekend the temperature has gone from the 70’s down to the 30’s, back up to the 60’s and back down to the 20’s, with a return to the 50’s predicted for the coming weekend. It’s either famine or feast in the rain department, too. After the dust was blowing like “The Dirty 30’s” during the week prior to Easter, approximately 2 inches of very welcome rain was delivered to Rutland and vicinity on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, April 6, 7 & 8. The heaviest rain was reported from south of town, with 2.97 inches at the Jacob Breker farm on top of the hills; 2¼” reported by Mike Banish at his farm 2 miles south of town; a second-hand report of 2” at Mike Wyum’s farm a mile east and a mile north of town; 1.75” in Jesse Brakke’s gauge 2 miles north and 3½ east of Rutland; and, Rick Banish reporting 1¼” of rain at his farmstead in Kingston Township, north of Cayuga. No reliable readings were available in Rutland, as Norbert Kulzer discovered a hole in the side of his gauge, just above the ½ inch mark, and Roger Pearson didn’t get his gauge out in the yard until Wednesday afternoon, about halfway through the rainfall event. Roger’s gauge did measure an inch, though, even if it did get a late start. Snow on Tuesday & Wednesday, April 13 & 14, marks the low point of the roller coaster for this week. If you don’t like that, just wait a minute. It’ll change.

Chuck & Mary Beth Anderson returned to their Weber Township farm home on Thursday, April 8, at the conclusion of a 2-week sight-seeing excursion to Sedona AZ and the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. Chuck reports that, after being snowed in for 2 days in New Mexico, they got going and decided to take a look at “Old Town” Santa Fe NM but could barely get through the streets with their ¾ Ton Pickup and Travel Trailer, and couldn’t find a place to park, anyway, so they kept on driving. The Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight, they report. They drove through the 1.6-mile-long Eisenhower Tunnel through the Colorado Rocky Mountains on the return trip, and that was breath-taking, too, Chuck reports, as the roadway at both ends of the tunnel was slick with snow, slush, and ice. It was tough driving through the mountains, where Spring is still a month or two in the future. It was a great trip, Chuck reports, but, as with most trips, the best part was pulling into the yard at home.

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The Rooster Crows – April 9, 2021

On April 9, 2021April 9, 2021 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster Crows1 Comment

By Bill Anderson

Good things come to those who wait,” the old timers used to say, and once again, they were proved right on the evening of Tuesday, April 6, and the morning of Wednesday , April 7. The drought was not broken, but the edge was taken off of it as a steady drizzle deposited .4 of an inch of rain on Rutland and vicinity as of 9:15 on Wednesday morning, according to Norbert Kulzer’s rain gauge at 415 Gay Street. Roger Pearson, whose rain gauge issituated only a few feet away from Norbert’s, and generally measures less rain than Norbert’s, hadn’t checked his gauge yet, so, at least for now, Norbert’s rain gauge is right. Large amounts of precipitation are not in the near term forecast, but the weather gurus are predicting that showers and damp weather will persist until the weekend. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “This rain may not be the end of the drought; it may not even be the beginning of the end; but, it may be the end of the beginning.”

The Rutland community is beginning to move to the “New Normal” of the post covid-19 world. On Saturday, April 3, The Rutland Community Club resurrected the community’s traditional Easter Egg Hunt for children in the community. The event was held in the Rutland Town Hall and in the adjacent City park & playground. The following reportwas received from Community Club President Katie McLaen: “There were over 3,000 eggs hidden and over 50 kids hunting. In addition to the usual prizes, the Rutland Volunteer Firemen donated 6 bicycles as Grand Prizes. Nate Peterson; Raegan Roney; Ruth McLaen; Axel Hanson; Corbin Carlson; and, Jemma Schuster; won them. The Lariat Bar served rolls, juice, bloody Mary’s and mimosas. Hiding the eggs took almost an hour, with 7 people. Finding the eggs only took about 10 minutes.” Thanks to the members of the Rutland Community Club for starting the community revitalization process, and thanks to the Firemen for donating the bicycles.

Despite rapid progress being made on the vaccination front, the covid-19 battle is not yet won, according to Sargent County Public Health District Administrator Brenda Peterson. Ms. Peterson reports that adequate supplies of vaccine are now being received, and that all County residents 18 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated against the virus. Sargent County now has all three of the vaccines approved for use in the U. S.: Pfizer; Moderna; and Johnson & Johnson; available. She also said that the County’s nurses will be administering vaccinations at each shift at the Bobcat factory in Gwinner this coming week. Additionally, they will be in the three public schools in Sargent County: Sargent Central; North Sargent; and, Milnor; administering vaccinations to students who are age 16 or older, with parental permission, beginning next week. Sargent County’s covid-19 case count has been at or near 10 for a while, but 10 new cases were reported as of Tuesday, April 6, so the virus is still a threat to public health and the fight is not yet over. Sargent County Public Health has worked through its waiting list, said Ms. Peterson, so those who want a vaccination can now obtain it very quickly. To make an appointment for a covid-19 vaccination call: Sargent County Public Health at 724-3725; Forman Drug at 724-6222; or Sanford Clinic at 742-3267.

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