The Rooster Crows – Nov. 25, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

To the list of things to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend, add sunshine and temperatures above the freezing mark. After putting up with snow covered ice for 2 weeks, we are ready to be done with Winter and all of its 4 letter gifts: cold; wind; snow; and, a 3 letter trinket, ice. Even though the first day of Winter is still a month in the future, it will be a relief to have the Sun take away its opening salvo. Sunshine and high temperatures in the mid to upper 30’s pushing to the end of November is certainly a blessing worthy of a sincere “Thank You!” to the one providing those conditions.

Work on The Lariat Bar, getting it ready for opening day, is progressing at a steady pace according to Patty Woytassek, a member of the Board of Directors, and the point contact person between the Board and Manager Sue Kaehler. Patty reports that some unexpected glitches have delayed the bar’s projected opening from December 1 to December 8. The Lariat’s work force of bartenders, waiters & waitresses, cooks and helpers has, for the most part, been hired, and is chomping at the bit to start meeting, greeting and serving customers. To the list of those who were workers at The Lariat Bar last week, the names of Janice Christensen, Denny Pherson, Jerry Woytassek, Nick McLaen, Dennis McLaen, Trent Nelson, Mike Nadler, Calvin Jacobson and Zach Jacobson have to be added. Janice, who had the building constructed back in 2009, was providing technical advice to those making modifications and connecting essential equipment; Denny was the “Go-Fer,” running for parts, supplies and, when necessary, lunch; Jerry & Nick were toting & hauling; Dennis delivered a new safe, although it is not clear whether or not he stocked its shelves; Calvin & Zach were servicing the cooler behind the bar; Trent was installing a new service window between the main barroom and the back room; and, Mike had been called in to move the electric line that was discovered to be in the center of the new service window. Patty also reports that a new, commercial, dishwasher has been acquired from the Brenco Co. of Fargo. Brenco will also be coming in to power scrub the floors and apply sealant prior to Opening Day. According to Patty, the Lariat has been an exciting place for the past few weeks, with vendors, suppliers, workers, and sidewalk supervisors coming and going. She says that, as much as possible, supplies will be obtained locally. Arrangements are being made to obtain most groceries through Central Grocery of Forman; potatoes will be supplied by Heimbuch Potato Farm of Cogswell; and, some meats, including Mark Wyum’s favorite hot dogs, will be acquired from Fairmount Meat Locker of Fairmount. Keep your eyes & ears open for any changes in the Opening Day schedule, but Sue & Patty are pretty confident that December 8th will be the date.

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The Rooster Crows – Nov. 18, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The winter storm that began on the evening of Wednesday, November 9, and continued through Thursday & Friday, November 10 & 11, covered Rutland and vicinity with an inch thick coating of solid ice, and left a trail of broken branches, snapped power poles and downed lines in its wake. Otter Tail Power’s service in Rutland had only a few, brief interruptions of a couple of minutes or less, but downed power lines on the Dakota Valley (formerly RSR) Rural Electric Co-op’s system left several hundred farm and rural customers in Sargent, Ransom, Dickey & Lamoure Counties without electric power for a day, or more. Several dozen linemen from surrounding RECs came in to assist Dakota Valley meet the emergency and get its lines back in service.

Most rain gauges have been taken in for the season, but a few of the sophisticated all-weather electronic gauges were still in operation during the storm. Chuck Anderson reports that the electronic gauge at his Weber Township farm had filled up with ice, so he had to bring it in to let it thaw out before it would give him a reading. He states that once the ice had melted the gauge held .94 inch of liquid water. An unconfirmed report of .68 inch of precipitation was received from Sargent County’s Hub City, our neighboring community of Forman.

Jim & Mary Ann Levery called their Ransom Township neighbors, Mike & Jill Anderson, on the evening of Wednesday, November 9, to check on the weather. Mike gave Jim the bad news, and then Jim informed Mike that he & Mary Ann were at the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville TN, attending the annual Country Music Awards ceremony. They had great seats, Jim reported, as far back and as high up as you can get. The acoustics were very good, though, and they could hear the music just fine. Anyone who has heard Jim sing and play the guitar during Rutland’s Uff-Da Day might have thought that Jim was in Nashville to receive an award, but he said, “Not this year.” The Leverys had departed for Nashville on Sunday, November 6, and met up with a tour bus that took them to Nashville for a week of touring the sites and enjoying country music. One of the places they visited was the Johnny Cash Museum which contained many artifacts from that Star’s career. Jim said that the weather in Nashville was very pleasant during most of their visit, with the temperature in the 70’s most of the time. The temperature began to drop and the rain began to fall right after they departed Nashville, headed for home. They arrived home on Sunday, November 13, and report a very good time in the Capitol City of Country Music. 

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The Rooster Crows – Nov. 11, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

“Don’t know why … there’s no sun up in the sky … stormy weather…” moaned the late blues singer Lena Horn as she mourned the loss of a faithless lover in her classic theme song. Her sentiments were echoed by Republicans on the morning of Wednesday, November 9, as they awoke to find that their predicted Red Tidal Wave had not materialized as the votes had been counted the night before. There was not even a Red Wave, as many Democrats had feared, although the national results might be described as a Red Ripple. As of Wednesday morning, control of the U. S. Congress was still in doubt, although it looked as if the GOP might eke out a bare majority of a few votes in the House of Representatives. The Senate had 48 Democrats, 47 Republicans and 5 contests still too close to call. The election results indicate a fairly decisive rejection of Trump and Trumpism by America’s voters and may indicate that the flood of political poison unleashed on America’s body politic by Trump’s brand of politics may finally be receding. In North Dakota, the GOP, fueled by a flood of oil money, has retained control of State government by a substantial margin. The initiated measure that would have legalized the recreational use of marijuana in the State appears to have gone up in smoke, and the voters approved an initiated measure limiting State Legislators and the State’s Governor to two consecutive 4 year terms. Well, Election 2022 is over, and Election 2024 has begun. This year neither the red wave nor the blue wall controlled the result. Next time, who knows? 

The first winter storm of the season has been predicted to hit North Dakota, South Dakota & Minnesota on Thursday and Friday, November 10 & 11, threatening to disrupt activities and programs honoring America’s veterans on November 10 and on Veterans Day, November 11. According to Kaia Mahrer, a teacher at Sargent Central, if Thursday’s predicted blizzard causes the scheduled November 10 program at the Sargent Central Activities Center to be postponed, the program will be rescheduled to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 14. Keep your eyes & ears open for schedule changes.

The Rutland City Council met at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 7, in the Rutland Town Hall with Mayor Mike Mahrer; Auditor Deb Banish; and Council members Bill Anderson; Rodney Erickson; Delores Lysne; and Lori McLaen; present. Also present was City Maintenance employee, Scott Haan. The Council and Mr. Haan discussed a minimum hours guarantee per pay period for Mr. Haan’s position, and reimbursement of Mr. Haan for use of his personal vehicles while performing city work. The Council approved payment of a minimum of 50 hours per bimonthly pay period for City employee Scott Haan; and, authorized a payment of $50.00 per month to Mr. Haan for the use of his personal vehicles for City work. The Council also complimented Mr. Haan on the excellent work that he has been doing for the city. The Council discussed the State of North Dakota’s water operator certification requirement and approved the City entering into a contract with Southeast Water Users to maintain an appropriate valid operator certificate for the City of Rutland’s municipal water system. The Council authorized the purchase of the tax forfeited property in Rutland described as Lots 1 & 2, Block 5 of the Original Townsite of Harvard a/k/a Original Townsite of Rutland, at a cost of $1.00 plus delinquent special assessments, if the property is not sold at the County’s auction on November 15. The Council discussed the cost estimate for replacement of two exterior entrance doors at City Hall. The Council postponed action until other cost estimates have been received and reviewed. The Council approved the October financial reports and payment of bills as presented. The Council Adjourned at 5:45 p.m. The next meeting of the Rutland City Council is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 5, at the Rutland Town Hall. All meetings of the Rutland City Council are open to the public, and Rutland residents are invited to stop by to observe their City’s governing board in action.

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The Rooster Crows – Nov. 4, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Pleasant weather has been the rule of the week. The temperature on the evening of October 31, Halloween, was so mild that homeowners could sit out on their front porches to greet the little princesses, pirates, werewolves, and witches who hit the candy Mother Lode on their “tricks or treats” route. This was one of the nicest Halloweens in recent memory, although the keepers of weather records have told us that Halloween 2016 was even warmer. Last year, the temperature on Halloween was 42. Take your pick!

No tricks, but possibly some treats, are in store for past and future patrons of The Lariat Bar in Rutland. At a meeting of shareholders called by the directors of Rutland Improvement d/b/a The Lariat Bar LLC, held in the Bar on the evening of Thursday, October 27, the directors disclosed that a manager for the business has been hired, and intends to be on the job by mid-November. The Lariat is expected to be fully stocked, staffed and open for business, both at the bar and in the kitchen, by December 1, 2022. The name of the new manager has not yet been revealed, but it is not expected to be: Ink; Bud; Toddles; Ronald; Martin; Darwin; Kathy; Calvin; Wendy; Junior; Art; Deadeye; Bruce; Paula; Norman; Rita; Janice; Bradley; Rebecca; Jeremy; Mike; Pete; or, Michelle. There are no clues suggesting that Jack Prindiville will be taking over again, either. Just be patient. All will be revealed in due time. Just plan to be in Rutland at the beginning of December, when there will be hot times in the old town, again.

Renee Cramton of this community has been under Hospice care at Sanford Hospital on North Broadway in Fargo for the past several weeks. Renee has been fighting cancer for more than 25 years. She had moved to Bemidji to stay with her son, Jim Cramton, in early October, shortly after Uff-Da Day, but declining health required the move to Sanford in Fargo. Renee’s many friends in Rutland extend their best wishes to her and her family.

CORRECTION: In last week’s column that appeared in the Sargent County Teller it was reported that Joy Harris had accompanied Mike Harris and Andy Harris from San Diego CA to Rutland, arriving in Rutland on Tuesday, October 25. That was incorrect. Joy did not accompany Mike and Andy to Rutland. In fact, she was visiting family in the Philippine Islands at the time. Apologies are extended to Mike Harris, Joy Harris, Andy Harris and the readers of The Sargent County Teller for the error.

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The Rooster Crows – Oct. 28, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The weather roller coaster continues. From downright cold at the middle of last week to pleasant, with the temperature in the high 60’s on Friday & Saturday of last week to windy with a high of 77 on Sunday, culminating in a thunderstorm on Sunday evening that plunged the mercury into the 30’s and made up for its lack of rain with an abundance of violent wind, sharp bolts of lightning and ominous claps of thunder. Up to ¼ inch of rain from Sunday’s storm was reported from Weber Township, Forman and Cayuga, but Rutland and surrounding area received less than .1 of an inch amid all of the sound and fury. Well, as is written in Scripture, it does rain on all, the just as well as the unjust, alike, just not in equal amounts.

Pam Maloney reports that her high school graduating class, the Sargent Central Class of 1977, held a 45th Class Reunion at the Coteau des Prairies Lodge earlier this month. About one-third of the graduates attended and all had a good time reminiscing about the good old days. Pam stated that they enjoyed looking through the old Sargent Central annuals that have now been digitized and posted on Sargent Central’s internet web site at www.sargentcentral.org/digital-yearbooks. Even the handwritten notes and quotes are visible in the on-line versions of the annuals. Sargent Central’s first year, and first annual, began with the 1959-1960 school year. At that time, the District was made up of the Brampton, Cayuga, Cogswell and Forman School Districts. The Rutland and Rutland Consolidated School Districts joined Sargent Central in the fall of 1963, and the Havana School District became part of Sargent Central in the fall of 1969. According to Pam, most of her classmates have now figured out what they want to be when they grow up. Discussions are underway for the 50th Reunion in 2027.

Dan Carlyle of Wadena MN and Dan Kuffler of Scottsdale AZ were in Rutland from Thursday, October 20 to Sunday, October 23, hunting ducks and pheasants in the company of their sons. The group stayed at Ione Pherson’s short term rental property, “The Bird’s Nest,” during their Rutland visit. The 2 men have been frequent hunting season visitors in the Rutland area since the late 1980’s. Mr. Kuffler states that he recently acquired a summer home at Battle Lake MN, where he finds relief from Arizona’s oppressive summer heat. Mr. Carlyle was a classmate of Bill Anderson’s in the University of North Dakota Law School Class of 1988. After several decades practicing law in the courts of Minnesota, he recently changed careers and is now General Manager of the Todd-Wadena Rural Electric Cooperative, a co-op that provides electrical service to farms and rural communities in Todd and Wadena Counties. During many previous visits to this community, the Carlyle-Kuffler duo has been accompanied by Mr. John Nelson and Mr. Bill Spears of Wadena, but those 2 gentlemen stayed home to tend to other business this year. Dan & Dan report that both Mr. Nelson and Mr. Spears are in good health, as full of good stories and as ornery as ever. If any of those stories aren’t true, they should have been. Their many friends in the Rutland community extend best wishes to all 4 of them.

Jesse Brakke of Rutland; Claire Brakke of Madison WI; Janelle Brakke of Fargo; Robert & Darby (Brakke) Sebree of Cincinnati OH; Kaia Mahrer and children: Brody, Julia, Adalyn & Kaitlyn of Rutland; Steve Thorfinnson of Fort Ransom ND; and, Dana & Wanda (Brakke) Rasmussen of Moorhead MN; enjoyed lunch with Kathy Brakke of this community on Thursday, October 20, at the “Porter Creek” restaurant in Fargo. Kathy is the mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, mother-in-law and aunt of various members of the group. She currently resides at Mapleview Memory Care Center in Fargo. All those who attended the gathering report a very enjoyable time.

Rutland native Bonnie Anderson, now a resident of Brookings SD, was a visitor in her old home town from Friday, October 21 to Sunday, October 23. Bonnie was a guest of her sister-in-law, Dianna Anderson, and helped Dianna celebrate her birthday at the Rutland Seniors’ Center on Saturday, October 22. Bonnie’s primary reason for making the drive up to Rutland was to give her younger brother, Jerry Nelson, a training session in how to make apple pies the way their Mother, the late Betty (Colby) Nelson, used to make them. Many here remember that Betty was an outstanding cook, baker & pastry chef, and if anyone went away from her table hungry, it was their own fault. Betty also often contributed her considerable culinary talents to her sister and brother-in-law, Lois & Ralph Nelson, when they owned and operated the Rutland Café from 1962 to 1998. Those were the days!

Six first cousins, descendants of Rutland pioneers Ole & Julia (Peterson) Anderson, held a reunion at Prante’s Restaurant in Wahpeton on Friday, October 21. The following brief report was received from presiding Family Matriarch Sonja Christensen: “…Seven of us gathered at Prante’s – Beverly (Bartunek) Schons of Fargo; Steve & Vickie (Bartunek) Renner of Des Moines IA;, Joanne (Anderson) Harris of Rutland; Paul Anderson of Rutland; Judie (Anderson-Seavert) Grohs of Rosholt SD; and, me, Sonja (Anderson) Christensen of Wahpeton. Beverly & Vickie are daughters of the late Bill & Norma (Anderson) Bartunek; Joanne is the daughter of the late Melvin & Ila (Kronk) Anderson; Paul is a son of the late Earl & Irene (Henjum/Brown) Anderson; and, Judie & Sonja are daughters of the late Rudolph & Edna (Bernt) Anderson. A lot of stories and laughter proceeded around the table. Paul had to leave early to attend to some lake responsibilities, like leaves, dogs, etc. We then went over to my apartment where we had apple crisp and ice cream. The party ended too soon, but a special time was had by all. …” Thanks to Sonja for the report.

Kathy Wyum drove to Minneapolis on Friday, October 21, for a visit with one of her sons, Jesse Wyum, who resides in the area near Lake Bde Makaska, formerly known as Lake Calhoun. Kathy reported that they rented rooms in the Radisson Hotel that is attached to The Mall of America, and took advantage of the very pleasant weather to explore the area around Lake Bde Makaska that includes many classic homes from the Victorian era. Kathy returned home on Sunday, October 23.

John Hoflen of Bismarck ND visited family and friends in the Rutland area from Friday, October 21 through Monday, October 24. John, a 1962 graduate of RHS, was a longtime member of the North Dakota Army National Guard’s pistol and rifle marksmanship teams, and reported that he and his brother, Rob, used up a good part of last Saturday sharpening their shooting skills at the Rutland Sportsmen’s Club’s John Narum Trap & Rifle Range near Silver Lake. He headed back to Bismarck on Monday, October 24, after one more round of coffee and conversation with the Assembled Wise Men at the Rutland Seniors’ Center.

Stephen Kulzer of Hartford SD and his son, Will Kulzer of Brookings SD, along with their hunting dog, Indy, were visitors at the home of Stephen’s parents, Norbert & Beverly Kulzer, from Friday, October 21, through Sunday, October 23. Stephen & Will were hunting for wild ducks and ring neck pheasants, and had some luck on both counts. One of the ducks bagged by Will had a band on its leg, and he intended to check with the US Fish & Wildlife Service to find out when & where the duck had been banded. During the previous week, from Wednesday, October 12, to Saturday, October 15, Brooke Kulzer, one of Stephen & Ann Kulzer’s daughters, had been a guest of her grandparents in Rutland. Brooke is a graduate of SDSU in Brookings, working on her Master’s Degree, and had just completed a project studying shorebirds and other wildlife on the “Outer Banks” islands on the coast of North Carolina. One of the species they worked with was the sea turtle, which has become an endangered species in recent years, in part because of human encroachment on the turtles’ nesting habitat. Earlier this year Brooke had worked on a waterfowl banding project in southern Arkansas, and she is interested in finding out if the banded duck bagged by Will this past weekend was one that she banded last Spring. Brooke’s & Will’s sister, Lauren, is also a graduate of SDSU at Brookings, and is currently an RN working at a large hospital in Kansas City MO.

Members of Rutland Improvement d/b/a The Lariat Bar LLC Board of Managers met on the afternoons of Sunday, October 23 and Monday, October 24, in The Lariat Bar building on Rutland’s Main Street to interview applicants for the Bar’s management position. A meeting of shareholders has been called for 7:00 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, October 27, at the Lariat Bar.

Mike Harris, accompanied by Mike’s brother, Andy Harris of this community, arrived in Rutland at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 25. Andy had flown from Fargo to Mesa AZ on Thursday, October 20, and met Mike there. Mike had started heading this way with his pickup and 5th wheel travel trailer from San Diego CA a few days earlier. On Monday, October 24, Mike & Andy were in Amarillo TX at 6:30 in the morning, and decided to drive as far north as they could make it that day. They kept driving, stopping only for fuel, and made it all the way to Rutland in one, long, day of driving. Mike is now fully retired from the U. S. Navy, and plans to get in some pheasant hunting around the old home town before moving on.

Meanwhile, Halloween, with ghouls, ghosts, goblins and prowling politicians is just around the corner. Monday, October 31, is the big day for the ghouls, ghosts and goblins, but the politicians have to wait until Tuesday, November 8, for their ship to come in, or sink, whichever it might be. President Biden and former President Trump are not on the ballot this year, but they are hovering over it like a couple of Charles Dicken’s ghosts. Many voters are not enamored of President Biden, but they sure don’t want to return to the mean spirited incivility, chaos, corruption and calumny of another Trump Presidency, either. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Americans will choose whether America’s toughest Grandma, Nancy Pelosi, will be wielding the gavel, or if the whimpering wavering, quivering & quavering Kevin McCarthy will take her spot at the Speaker’s Rostrum. In the Senate, the choice is whether the fast talking New Yorker, Sen. Chuck Schumer, or wily Kentuckian, Sen. Mitch McConnell, will be setting the agenda. Big choices for a big country. In North Dakota, another 2 years of control of the State by big oil and big money appear to be on the horizon. Well, as one pro-Union South Carolina politician said of his State just prior to the Civil War, more than 162 years ago, “It’s too small to be a republic, and too large to be an insane asylum.” Some things in the body politic, like a bad dinner, just have to work their way through the system.

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.

The Rooster Crows – Oct. 21, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Cold! Wind! Dry! Leaves!’ Nuff said! A portent of things to come. The low temperature on Monday, October 17, was +13, not too cold by January standards, but bad news in October. It has been colder, though. Back in 1972, the low temperature on October 18 was +10, a mark that has stood the test of time.

Speaking of the weather, they have it in other parts of the country, too. Sargent County native Millie (Breker) Schlekeway, who grew up on the Ferd & Olivia Breker farm in Tewaukon Township and made her home for many years on the east side of Clear Lake in South Dakota, recently reported to family members here about her experience with Hurricane Ian, the giant storm that recently did billions of dollars of damage, in addition to injuring & killing many, as it smashed its way across Florida. Millie now makes her home near Sarasota FL, a community that was just grazed by the edge of the storm as it passed by. Millie told her niece, Janet Kiefer, that even though she had lived for years in North and South Dakota, where there is plenty of wind, she had never experienced wind like Hurricane Ian. The wind blew with such force that it literally screamed, she said. Fortunately, Millie’s home suffered only minor damage. It takes more than a hurricane to chase a North Dakota native out of anyplace she wants to be, and Millie intends to stay put in Florida, at least until Spring comes to the prairie.

The dry weather of the past several months has allowed harvest of the 2022 corn and soybean crops to proceed at a rapid pace. Randy Pearson reports that his son, Chris, finished combining his 2022 crop on Saturday, October 15, and is now assisting a brother-in-law and neighbor, Tyler Speich, with his corn. According to Randy, the further north they went, the better the yields were. Chuck Anderson reported that he and his son, John, finished up with the harvest of their 2022 crop on Thursday, October 13. Chuck stated that their corn crop in Weber Township averaged 180 bushels per acre, the best report received so far. Well, the harvest isn’t quite done, yet, and as long as the combine is rolling, the possibility of making a profit remains.

At a special meeting of the congregation held on the morning of Sunday, October 16, members of Nordland Lutheran Church approved a proposal to acquire and install a new live streaming; audio; and video; system that will provide a better quality sound and video experience both for those attending services and programs inside the church and those participating online via the internet. The equipment will be supplied and installed by Mr. Randy McGinnity of RPM Sound Design of Wheatland ND. Cost of the project is $16,942.95, and the new system is expected to be up and running before Nordland’s Sunday School Christmas Program in early December.

Denny Pherson reports that the Gleaner combines of Pherson Custom Combining are still going full speed ahead, now under the direction of his son, Brian Pherson, the 4th generation of the Pherson family to head up the business that was started back in 1954 by Brian’s Great-Grandfather, Percy, and Grandfather, Dennis Sr. Denny isn’t letting any grass grow under his feet, either. He has now gone “Back To The Future” and for the first time in several decades the Pherson Farm is raising chickens and selling eggs. Denny says that Ione is in charge of the egg business right now, but has threatened to turn it over to Denny, “…the first time anyone calls me Edith.” Edith Pherson was Denny’s grandmother. She raised chickens and sold eggs in this community for many years, and when she ended her egg business she was delivering eggs for 50 cents a dozen in her Chrysler New Yorker 5th Avenue luxury car. Pherson Farm’s Poultry & Egg Division now has farm fresh eggs available in the refrigerator at the Rutland Elevator. These eggs have yolks that stand up and look you in the eye when they are dropped into the frying pan, and the price is reasonable, too. Feeding the world and fighting inflation, all with a simple egg. Next on Denny & Ione’s agenda, a milk cow!? Who knows? If Denny is becoming Percy, can Edith be far behind?

Robert & Darby (Brakke) Sebree arrived in Rutland on Monday, October 17. They made their headquarters at the Ransom Township farm home of Darby’s brother, Jesse Brakke, during their stay here. This was their first visit back to Darby’s hometown since July of 2021. The Sebrees had moved east from their longtime home in Los Angeles CA in October of 2021, and now make their home in Cincinnati OH, just across the Ohio River from the Sebree family’s ancestral farm home in northern Kentucky. Bill Anderson joined them for a fresh vegetable and chicken supper prepared by Robert on the evening of Monday, October 17. On Tuesday, October 18, they visited Pearl Brakke at her home in Havana, and that evening Darby, Robert & Jesse entertained Kyle & Kaia Mahrer and their family at the farm. On Wednesday morning Darby joined the morning coffee session at the Rutland Seniors’ Center, before she and Robert drove up to Fargo to spend the remainder of the week visiting at the home of her sister, Janelle Brakke. On Thursday they were scheduled to take Darby’s Mom, Kathy Brakke, who is now a resident of Mapleview Memory Care in Fargo, out to lunch at the “Porter Creek” restaurant. Friday is their day to start back to Cincinatti, with stops in Wisconsin to visit Darby’s nephew & niece, Mr. & Mrs. James Brakke and Claire Brakke. They are planning to be back in Rutland either next Spring, for Memorial Day, or next Fall, for Uff-Da Day. Maybe both.

The Board of Directors of Rutland Improvement d/b/a The Lariat Bar LLC has been meeting frequently to review job applications and interview prospective employees. The most recent meeting was held in the Lariat Bar on the evening of Tuesday, October 18, with directors Paul Anderson; Rob Wyum; Katie McLaen; Mike Wyum; and Patty Woytassek; present. They’re not ready to open, yet, but they plan to be up and running soon.

Meanwhile, on the national scene, every now and then it’s a good idea to take a look back to see how far we have come. Fifty years ago, on October 17, 1972, the Democratically controlled Congress passed the Clean Water Act and sent it to the Republican President for signature. Members of the 2 major political parties had worked together to address a serious national issue. At that time water pollution was a very serious problem in America. One of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie, had become a giant hazardous waste dump in which no living thing could survive, and several American rivers, including the Los Angeles River at Los Angeles CA, the Chicago River at Chicago IL and the Cuyahoga River at Cleveland OH had become so polluted with flammable industrial waste that they caught fire, threatening to destroy the cities through which they ran. In the half century since it was passed, America’s Clean Water Act has been responsible for cleaning up and restoring many rivers and lakes in this country, including Lake Erie and the rivers mentioned, above, and through its provisions has provided clean water to thousands of communities and millions of people all over America. There is hope. We Americans can work together for the common good, when we are ready to start using the commonsense God gave us. We have done it before, and we can do it again. Sixty years ago, from October 16, 1962 to October 28, 1962, the American people, along with the rest of the world, took a long look into the abyss of nuclear destruction. The Soviet Union, whose leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had threatened to bury us, had been caught trying to secretly install nuclear armed missiles, aimed at the United States, on the island of Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Our President, John F. Kennedy, had informed the Soviets, and the world, that any missile launched from Cuba would result in a “full retaliatory response” against the Soviet Union, and had ordered the American Navy to impose a “quarantine” around Cuba, to prevent any more missiles from being delivered to that island. Tension built as Soviet and American ships headed for confrontation on the high seas. Some American Generals urged an immediate invasion of Cuba by the United States. Soviet leaders threatened nuclear war if the U. S. attacked Cuba. Some Rutland boys would have been in harm’s way if any shooting had started. Harvey Anderson & Leo Christensen were in the U. S. Marines, and Norman Preble was in the U. S. Navy at the time. A nuclear confrontation, whether triggered intentionally or accidentally, would have killed those boys, and millions more, in a matter of minutes. The fate of civilization hung in the balance. Using every avenue of diplomacy available, public and secret, President Kennedy and chairman Khrushchev arrived at an understanding. The missiles were removed from Cuba by the Soviets; the soviet ships that were loaded with more missiles turned around and headed back to Russia; America did not invade Cuba; the U. S. removed some missiles from Turkey; and civilization survived. For 12 days back in 1962, civilization had teetered on the brink of destruction. Calm, strong leadership had removed the threat and saved the day. There are more nuclear actors on the world stage today than there were 60 years ago, and some of them do not seem to be rational. We live in the hope that calm, strong leadership can once again remove the threat and save the day.

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.