The Rooster Crows – Sept. 9, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The days are warm, the nights are cool, the lawns are getting brown, but the leaves have not yet begun to fall. It’s September, the most pleasant month of the year. Other States are flooding out or burning up, but up on the northern plains, out here on the prairie, residents are enjoying their reward for surviving December, January, February, and March. This little bit of Heaven called September doesn’t last very long, although it can occasionally stretch out and wrap itself around a substantial chunk of October, too, but it sure is nice while it’s here. Every silver lining has its cloud, though. Our old friend, the late Clayton McLaen, used to remind us that, “North Dakota has only two seasons: Winter; and getting ready for Winter.” It’s a sobering thought. Brace yourself, it’s coming. But, could we enjoy September half as much had we not experienced January?

Harvey Bergstrom, Mike Banish, Rick Banish, and Chuck Anderson took advantage of the pleasant weather for a trip up to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion at Rollag MN, on Friday, September 2, the first day of the 4-day event. Rumley Oil-Pull tractors were featured at the event this year. “Kerosene Annie,” the oldest Rumley tractor in existence, built during the first decade of the 20th Century, was the star of the show.  She is normally on exhibit in a glass case out in Idaho, but this year she broke loose and came out to Rollag to display her power and do some of the work she was built to handle more than a century ago. The four local men report a very good time observing steam power, horsepower and oil power in action.

The whitetail deer archery hunting season opened on Saturday, September 3, and two expert hunters in the hills of Tewaukon Township, Jim Huckell and his son, Bill, wasted no time in filling their tags. By sundown on opening day, they had each bagged a big buck, with its antlers still in velvet, and were getting ready to enjoy some venison.

Chuck Sundlie took advantage of the nice weather during the Labor Day weekend to apply a coat of paint to the south side of his house in the 400 Block of Cooper Street. Chuck’s house was originally built and occupied by the Osterberg family back in the early days of the 20th Century. Dick Meyers recalled that Grandma Osterberg was a very kind and generous person who was always willing to contribute her time or donate her resources to community and school causes back in the 1930’s & 40’s.

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The Rooster Crows – Sept. 2, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Even though the cell phone had predicted sunshine, another welcome rain fell on Rutland and vicinity on the afternoon of Friday, August 26. Bradley Wyum reported .3 of an inch in his gauge 1½ block east of Main Street, but there were several bugs in the gauge so he checked the neighbor’s rain gauge, too, and found that it registered .25 of an inch and was free of bugs. Two blocks to the east Roger Pearson & Norbert Kulzer both had .25 of an inch in their gauges. As their gauges agree so seldom as to make agreement notable, the assumption is that at least one of the gauges, maybe both of them, must be wrong. Kurt Breker reported .35 of an inch at his farm south of Cayuga. The long-range forecast is now for sunny weather for the next several weeks, so stand by for a flood. Weather forecasters and politicians have two skills in common: first, they can predict with absolute certainty what’s going to happen; and second, they can explain, with equal certainty, why it didn’t. Well, we can’t do much about the weather, but we do have it within our power to replace the current crowd of politicians with a new bunch. Throw the old rascals out and give our new rascals a chance!

Mike & Debbie Banish departed Rutland on the morning of Monday, August 29, bound for Medora ND on a shakedown cruise with their recently acquired motor home. The Banishes were planning to do some touring in Theodore Roosevelt National Park on their Polaris side by side RV, which they towed behind the motor home. They plan to be back home when they get back home, sometime in the next week or two.

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The Rooster Crows – Aug. 26, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

A very welcome rain fell on Rutland and vicinity on the morning of Friday, August 19. Even Kurt Breker’s perennially drought parched fields near Cayuga were blessed with 1.1 inch of cool, clear rainwater. Norbert Kulzer reported that his rain gauge registered 1 inch when the rain had stopped falling, while the gauge of his next door neighbor, Roger Pearson, showed only .65 of an inch. Mike Wyum reported that he has 3 rain gauges in the garden at his Ransom Township farm, and that one of them held .9, one held .95 and one held 1.1 inch. Mike says that he’s adding them all together, dividing by 3 to get the average, and then rounding up to arrive at a full inch of precipitation. Harvey Bergstrom reported 1½” at the Bergstrom farm 2 miles south of Cayuga, and Chuck Anderson reported that his rain gauge showed 1.02” after the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared away at his farm in Weber Township. It is reported that cornstalks in local fields are “…smiling from ear to ear.” Some more rain wouldn’t hurt, but no one is complaining right now.

Chuck & Mary Beth Anderson; Mike & Phyllis Wyum; Alan & Doreen Olstad; and, Mark & Kathy Wyum; boarded a bus at Forman sponsored by the Sargent County Farmers Union on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 17, for a trip to Fargo to attend a F-M Red Hawks baseball game at Newman Outdoor Stadium. The Red Hawks took on the Sioux Falls Canaries, and whipped ‘em by a score of 7 to 0. Well, you wouldn’t expect a canary to do very well in a contest with a Hawk, anyway, would you? All who made the trip report that the afternoon at the ballpark was very enjoyable.

Rutland natives Mike & Diane Kulzer, now of Fargo, were visitors in their old home town from Friday, August 19 to Monday, August 22. They visited Diane’s mother, Phyllis Erickson, and helped her with some chores around the house during their stay. Mike also did some repair work on the deer stands on his hunting grounds near Rutland.

Family, friends and neighbors got together at the Coteau des Prairies Lodge on Saturday, August 20, to celebrate Curt & Judy (Lee) Silseth’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. The Party was organized by the Silseths’ 3 children: Jill; JJ; and, Christie; and Curt & Judy didn’t know that the party was for them until they got there. The Silseths’ many friends in the Rutland community congratulate them on the occasion of their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and extend best wishes to them for many good years to come.

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The Rooster Crows – August 19, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

The old saying that, “No news is good news,” does not apply when it comes to rain. As of Tuesday, August 16, there was no news about rain, and that was not good news. Well, the old timers always used to tell us that, “It always rains after a long dry spell,” and once again, the old timers were right! The dry spell had lasted about long enough, and accompanied by just enough thunder and lightning to awaken a person, but not enough to get them out of bed, a little rain was provided early on Wednesday morning. It wasn’t much, Chuck Anderson measured .07 of an inch at his Weber Township farm, and Mike Banish’s rain gauge held .08 of an inch on Wednesday morning, but it was enough to wash off some dust and put a sparkle on the lawn. Surprisingly, the corn and soybean crops still look pretty good, and the 2022 spring wheat crop, although there aren’t many acres, looks pretty good, too. Perhaps Mother Nature is just showing us, once again, that she can be generous or miserly, and there just isn’t one darned thing that we can do about it. Our only choice is whether we complain about what isn’t there, or express our gratitude for what is. We can think about that while we’re vacationing in Florida, Arizona or Mexico this coming Winter.

Capt. & Mrs. Mike Harris departed Rutland on the morning of Monday, August 8, bound for their home at San Diego CA. They planned to make the trip slow and easy but drove as far as North Platte NE on Monday evening. Their second stop was at Colorado Springs CO on Tuesday evening. They arrived safely in San Diego by the weekend. They plan to be back in Rutland after the Captain has been officially debriefed and detached from the U. S. Navy, sometime around the 1st of November.

The steering committee composed of : Katie McLaen; Mike Wyum; and, Paul Anderson; appointed by investors to complete the purchase of the Lariat Bar and get organized to get the business back in business reports that progress is being made on all fronts. To date, approximately $220,000.00 has been invested in Rutland Improvement LLC d/b/a The Lariat Bar, and it is expected that there are still a few more investors who will be chipping in on the project in the next few days. Committee member Katie McLaen recently sent out a press release to local news outlets and web sites informing qualified persons that those interested in a management position with the enterprise should contact: Paul Anderson @ 701.261.4638; Mike Wyum @ 701.678.3634; or, Katie McLaen @ 701.680.9354. The plan is to be up and running as soon as possible, with a target date of October 1, 2022, or earlier.

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The Rooster Crows – Aug. 12, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

“Ask and ye shall receive,” the scripture reads. Last week rain was requested on Friday morning, and rain was received that night. That’s a quicker return than Sears-Roebuck or Montgomery-Ward used to make back in the day. It wasn’t a lot of rain in the Rutland area, but, as the Old Timers say, “It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.” In an unusual coincidence worth noting, the rain gauges of next door neighbors Norbert Kulzer and Roger Pearson agreed that .2 of an inch was the amount received in Rutland. Harvey Bergstrom reported that his rain gauge on the Bergstrom Farm south of Cayuga held “.29 of an inch and 10 mosquitoes,” when he checked it on Saturday morning. Mike Banish reported that the gauge at the Mike & Debbie Banish farm held .22 of an inch on Saturday morning; Lisa Wyum reported that the gauge at the Tom & Lisa Wyum Farm south of Buffalo Lake held .235 of an inch on Saturday morning; Steve Wyum reported .325 of an inch at the Steve & Sheila Wyum farm northeast of Rutland; and, Randy Pearson reported that the gauge at his Shuman Township farm registered .75 of an inch. Reports from the airports at Gwinner and Milnor indicated 2 inches at Gwinner and 1 inch at Milnor.

Mark & Vicky Weber took their business, M & V Consulting, on the road last week, and traveled out to the western reaches of the State to check farm fields for bugs, weeds, diseases and other disorders. The Webers were in Dickinson on Thursday & Friday and checked fields in the Dickinson, Mott, New Leipzig and Carson areas before heading for home on Friday night.

The family of Cayuga native Mary (Kiefer) Breker hosted a Birthday Party in her honor at The Coteau des Prairie Lodge on Saturday, August 6. Mary was actually born in January of 1933, but it was decided to celebrate while the weather was a little more cooperative than it usually is in January. Mary’s parents were the late Bill & Cecelia (Riba) Kiefer, who farmed near Lake Tewaukon at the time of her birth. In 1942 Mary’s Dad and one of her uncles, George “Pete” Kiefer, bought the international Harvester dealership in Cayuga and created a legendary business where customers could buy “…everything from soup to nuts,” and, just in case someone called them on the slogan, they kept a case of Campbell’s soup under the parts counter, and had a penny operated peanut dispenser by the front door. Mary and her husband, the late James Breker, farmed just south of Cayuga and were members of the community for their entire lives. Their son, Kurt, is currently on the farm and one of their grandsons is also producing cattle and grain in the Cayuga area. For many years Mary was the Avon Lady in the Cayuga, Rutland, Geneseo and Havana communities, and she is still known by many and missed by all. The many friends of Mary Breker in the Rutland community wish her a very Happy Birthday, and many more in the future. Mary currently resides at Sheyenne Crossing Assisted Living Center in West Fargo.

Rutland native Bonnie Anderson, now a resident of Brookings SD, was the guest of her sister-in-law, Dianna Anderson, from Friday, August 5, to Sunday, August 7. Bonnie had driven up to attend the Birthday Party for an old friend, Mary Breker, at The Coteau des Prairies Lodge.

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The Rooster Crows- August 5, 2022

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By Bill Anderson

Back in the 1930’s, our parents & grandparents used to sing, “It ain’t gonna rain no more, no more; It ain’t gonna rain no more. So how in the heck can I wash my neck if it ain’t gonna rain no more.” Well, it finally did rain, and, as those Old Timers used to say, “It always rains after a long dry spell.” We’re looking for that rain around here, but there hasn’t been any precipitation of any consequence for quite a while. Meanwhile, the growing crops have been reaching for whatever moisture is in the soil, and that’s starting to run short on the hilltops. It’s not the first time it’s been dry around here, and it won’t be the last, but, for this summer, it has gone on long enough. We’re ready to be too wet, again.

Steve & Sheila Wyum took off on a summer vacation trip on Friday, July 22, with their first stop at Medora and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where they saw the sights and took in the Medora Musical at the Burning Hills Amphitheater. Next on their agenda was the Little Big Horn Battlefield where a Native American guide from the Crow tribe gave them a guided tour of the area where Gen. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th U. S. Cavalry met their end at the hands of Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the combined might of the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes. (It should be noted that Crow scouts also guided Custer and the 7th on that fateful day back in June of 1876.) From there, they enjoyed the scenery of the Big Horn Mountains as they headed for Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they took in the Rodeo & Frontier Days. The last stop on their tour was the ranch of Steve’s cousin, Tommy Fabris, a grandson of the late Isabel Kulzer, in northwestern South Dakota. Tom was a professional rodeo bronc buster in his younger days, until one broke his back, once again proving that old cowboy proverb that, “There’s never a horse that couldn’t be rode, and never a cowboy that couldn’t be throwed.” He made a complete recovery, but now restricts himself to horses that can be, and have been, rode. The Wyums returned to their Ransom Township farm home on Tuesday, August 2, known to Icelanders as “The Deuce of August,” and celebrated by them as their National Day.

Debbie & Mike Banish, Rick Banish and Mark Wyum departed Rutland on Thursday, July 28, bound for Belton MO, a suburb of Kansas City, where Debbie, Mike & Rick checked out a motor home RV. They bought one, a 2019 Integra 45’ Motor Home, equipped with a full kitchen, living room, 1 master bedroom & a pull-out sleeping area, 2 bathrooms, a 605 horsepower X1500 Cummins diesel engine and a separate engine with a generator that produces enough electricity to run the motor home’s 3 air-conditioners. “It’s nicer than our house,” said Debbie. While at Belton, they looked up one of Mark’s & Mike’s old classmates, Becky (Reif) Hall, and her husband, Kirby. Becky is the youngest of the 3 children of the Late Rev. Jack & Martha Reif who were part of this community from 1953 to 1964 when Jack served as pastor of the First Baptist Church and Martha was a teacher and principal in the Rutland school system.  Becky & Kirby invited the quartet from Rutland to their home in Belton for supper on the evening of Friday, July 29. Mark served as an unpaid consultant during the trip, and, as any lawyer can tell you, “Advice is worth what you pay for it.”

The TNT Parish, composed of Trinity Lutheran Church of Forman; Nordland Lutheran Church of Rutland; and, Trinity Lutheran Church of Havana; held a joint service at the Silver Lake Park Pavilion at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 31, the 5th Sunday of the month. It was Pastor Julie Johnson’s Sunday off, so Rachel Hoistad from Trinity at Forman conducted the service. Mrs. Hoistad is currently studying for the ministry. Following the service, a pot-luck dinner at which the cornucopia of good, home cooked fare overflowed, was served. Pastor Johnson will be departing for Holden Village WA on Friday, August 5, where she will take part in a retreat for pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She plans to return on Saturday, August 13.

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