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 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 – 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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The Rooster Crows – August 17, 2018

On August 17, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

After a week of what can only be described as oppressively hot and humid weather conditions, relief arrived early on the morning of Tuesday, August 14, in the form of a cold front that swept down from Canada, entered the U. S. free of tariffs, and dropped temperatures from the 90’s to the lower 50’s before the mercury bounced back up into the mid-70’s by mid-afternoon. The hot weather has allowed the wheat harvest to proceed at a rapid pace, with semis hauling wheat to the Wheaton-Dumont Co-op’s Rutland facility in what seems like an endless stream of huge trucks with smiling drivers, and the Co-op’s semis hauling the wheat out to larger, unit train loading facilities about as fast as it comes in. Much of North Dakota’s grain harvest: wheat; corn; and, soybeans; has gone for export, to markets in Asia and Europe, for many years, but America’s withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership, and the escalating trade war with China and the European Union, has resulted in favored treatment in those markets for wheat from traditional competitors, such as Canada, Australia & Argentina, and Chinese domination of a trading bloc on the Pacific rim that was once dominated by the U. S. until early in 2017 when the U. S. pulled the pin and abandoned the field to the competition. North Dakota’s soybean producers are now looking at a potential bumper crop to harvest with a shrinking market into which to sell it. As of Thursday, August 9, according to a member of the North Dakota Soybean Council, there were no orders for North Dakota soybeans at ports on the Pacific coast. “Trade wars are good, and easy to win,” a President once said, but this trade war is starting to look bad for the good guys, and any way you cut it, it’s looking as if North Dakotans are once again being played for suckers by powerful interests, both political and economic, outside the State. Well, election day is coming up. You never know, those North Dakotans just might fool them.

Saturday, August 4, saw a lot of action in Rutland: RLF & MD rummage sale & scalloped Potatoes w/ham dinner at the Town Hall; Sargent Central International Ambassadors of Music Junk-Fest, Farmers Market and dunk tank fund-raiser on Arthur Street; and, the 10^th Annual Rutland Rib Fest on Main Street. Following are reports from Pam Maloney, Debbie Banish and Mike Pyle on the day’s activities. From Pam: “We did very well at the rummage sale/dinner. We made $500 on the rummage side & $525 on the dinner. The total of $1025 will be split evenly between Sargent County Relay for Life and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.” From Debbie: “We had 10 junk-Fest vendors and 5 farmers market stands. All five of the music students: Tyler Banish, Eric Bergeman, Ethan Bergeman, Kiauna Bergh, and, Thomas Mehrer took turns getting dunked. Their day started around 7:30 am when they greeted the vendors and helped them set up, as needed. A freewill bucket was set up at the ‘entry’ to the vendor area which was outside, on Arthur Street, between the Erickson Building the Rutland water tower and the Rutland Oil Co. building. The students had fruit trays and water for sale, as well as the metal artwork. Thanks to Rutland Fire Chief Andrew Woytassek and the Rutland-Cayuga Rural Fire District, the dunk tank was set up and filled with water just after noon to give the water time to warm up before the fun began at 4. Each of the kids took a 30-minute shift on the dunk chair. Their time in the tank ended around 7 when others who wanted to donate the $5 could sit in the tank and be dunked. That was a big hit with the younger kids. The students made just over $1,200 from their August 4 effort. The Sargent Central International Ambassadors of Music students and parents also volunteered at the Bobcat employee picnic in Gwinner on Sunday, August 5, to raise more funds to help pay for the trip. They will also be selling the metal artwork and will have a raffle board at Uff-Da Day in Rutland on Sunday, October 7. A freewill supper fund-raiser will be served prior to the Sargent Central One Act Play in November at the Sargent Central Events Center.” From Mike: “There were 5 rib chefs in the competition for the Best Ribs In Rutland title this year: Mahrer Brothers; Hanna Brothers; Digger’s Barbecued Ribs; Little Guy’s; and, Stoke & Smoke. The Best Ribs In Rutland title went to Hanna Brothers this year, the second time they have won the competition in the event’s 10 year history. Second place went to Little Guy’s, in that teams first appearance in Rutland. The judges admitted that all the ribs were delicious, and that their decision was both difficult and delightful. The judges in 2018 were: Arthur Davidson of Rochester MN, Mike’s Dad; Jeremy Becker, formerly of Rutland, now of Rochester MN; and, one surprise, anonymous judge selected from the crowd at the last minute when the regular judge was not able to be here. It’s a tough job, but somebody had to taste all of those ribs. The people judged all of the ribs to be delicious, because all of the rib vendors sold out. The 11^th Annual Rutland Rib-Fest is being planned for the same weekend, same location in 2019.” Thanks to Pam, Debbie & Mike for the reports, and for another big day in the little city that can.

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The Rooster Crows – August 10, 2018

On August 10, 2018May 8, 2019 By rutlandramblingsIn Rooster CrowsLeave a comment

By Bill Anderson

Two weeks ago, Harvey Bergstrom predicted that he would begin cutting his 2018 wheat crop between the 5^th and the 10^th of August. Harvey was right on. Harvest operations on the Bergstrom Farm began in the field just west of the home quarter on Sunday, August 5, Harvey reported. The yield, protein and quality were all in the “excellent to outstanding” range. Then came the rain. The showers that passed through on Sunday night were uneven, leaving More moisture to the south and east. Only about .01 inch of rain fell in Rutland, while about 1 inch fell in the area south of Cayuga. Harvey was smiling on Monday morning, even though he had only managed to get 3 semi loads combined before the rain halted harvest operations. Kim Rasmussen stopped in at The Lariat for coffee & conversation on the morning of Wednesday, August 8, and reported similar wheat harvest results west of Havana. Kim states that the wheat crop is not quite as good as last year, but he’s not complaining, as the 2^nd best wheat crop in the history of the farm is sure a lot better than the worst one.

Well, it’s August, and Uff-Da Day XXXIV in Rutland, on Sunday, October 7, is less than 2 months down the road. Planning and preparation for this year’s event have been underway since last Fall, and Uff-Da Day Chairperson Marcia Brakke supplied the following report of recent Uff-Da Day preparation activities: “Here is the report on the Lefse 101 for Adults class held on the evening of Tuesday, August 7, in the kitchen of the Rutland Town Hall. The lefse 101 Adult students are: Cindy Klapperich from Oakes; and, Ruby Gramlow from Fullerton. (Note: New lefse making expert Cindy Klapperich is Sargent County’s Family & Community Wellness (F&CW) Agent in the County’s NDSU Extension Service Office.) We also had three instructors: Lori McClean; Marcia Brakke; and, Mary Ann Leverey. We made 116 pieces of lefse for Uff-Da Day, and each student took home a package of lefse. The students caught on quickly and were soon rolling great lefse that for the most part were round and browned just the right amount. Everyone had fun! The Lefse For Kids class, for children ages 7 through 14 that was held on Tuesday, July 31st in the Town Hall kitchen was a great success, in that everyone had a good time, and the students were rolling and turning lefse like pros by the time the class was over. The students were: Zaebyn Olafson; Jackson Jochim; Kylie Ceroll; Lilith Pavek; Abby Erickson; Maddy Erickson; and, Sophie Erickson. The Instructors were Marcia Brakke and Kathy Marquette. One student stated he was surprised that the lefse “tasted way better than what it looks.” We cheered their accomplishments and soon, after just a few tries, they were rolling and turning lefse successfully. The students were able to take home several packages each of lefse, and the class was free of charge. We have never done classes before but will certainly offer them again. Stay tuned.” Thanks to Marcia for the report, and congratulations to the students, both kids and adults, for learning a skill that will last a lifetime.

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