By Bill Anderson
The only people who get hurt on a roller coaster are those who try to get off while the ride is still in motion. Well, there’s no getting off the 2021 weather roller coaster, and it’s still in motion. From an extremely windy high of 76 above on Monday, March 29, to an extremely windy low of 20 degrees on the morning of Tuesday, March 30, Mother Nature showed that she is quite capable of changing her mind without notice. Monday’s wind was from the south, moving soil from worked fields, and even from some no-till fields, to Canada, and Tuesday’s wind was from the north, bringing an equal amount of dirt back with it. The soil in motion never gets put back where it came from, though, and ends up clogging road ditches, culverts, and air filters. The extremely dry and windy conditions of Spring, 2021, are reminiscent of the Spring of 1988. Fortunately, history does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. The weatherman is predicting a steady warm up beginning on Thursday, April 1, and we’re hoping that he’s not foolin’, cause he’s predicting sunny and mid-70’s for Easter Sunday. Bring it on!
Chuck & Mary Beth Anderson hitched their 5th wheel travel trailer to their pickup on Monday, March 22, and headed southwest, bound for Sedona, Arizona, and a sight-seeing tour of the Grand Canyon. On the morning of Wednesday, March 24, Chuck called a friend, Mark Wyum, to report that they were snowed in at a campground in the mountains of New Mexico. Chuck reported that at least 6 inches of snow had fallen, and it was still coming down. A later call to friends here carried the information that the New Mexico Highway Department had opened the roads, enabling the Andersons to resume their journey. Last year, Chuck retired from the North Dakota Highway Department after 24 years, including many hours in a snowplow, and it is assumed that New Mexico’s promptness in getting the road opened for Chuck & Mary Beth was an example of professional courtesy between Knights of the Road.
Dale McLaen of this community has been hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center in the Twin Cities for the past week. Dale underwent surgery last Thursday, March 25, and reports are that he came through the procedure quite well. It is expected that he will be recuperating in St. Paul, under the supervision of his wife, Lisa, for the foreseeable future. Cards & letters may be sent to Dale at the following address: Mr. Dale McLaen, 720 Arlington Avenue West, St. Paul MN 55117. His many friends here wish him a speedy recovery and return to his usual good health.
Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – April 2, 2021”
rutlandramblings 