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The Rooster Crows – May 11, 2012

With crashing thunder, flashing lightning, pounding hail and destructive winds, the storm on the night of Wednesday, May 2 marched from west to east across Sargent County, tracking along Highway #11, with Rutland on its south edge, leaving a trail of wreckage in its wake. Rutland and its immediate vicinity received .3 of an inch of rain out of the tumult.  The storm did its worst damage in Cayuga, where many trees were down and the power line was damaged south of Cayuga, along County #12.  The cupola on the westernmost of the 2 old grain elevators in Cayuga was blown completely off the building, turned 90 degrees and then dropped straight down on the east side of the structure, leading to some speculation that a tornado may have been at work in the midst of the storm’s action.  The old elevators have been abandoned and unused for more than 15 years, and the only regret about the damage is that the storm did not complete its work and remove them entirely.

Lenny Runyan reports that his father, Warren Runyan Sr. of Reading, Michigan, passed away on April 9, 2012, at the age of 77. Reading is in the southeastern corner of Michigan, near the Ohio border.  Lenny had spent a couple of weeks in Reading, tending to his father’s estate before returning to his home, here.  He reports that the recovery of the auto industry has the economy looking up in Michigan.  Lenny also states that raccoons and skunks have been decimating his chicken flock this Spring, but he has plans to alleviate the problem that may not be conducive to the survival of raccoons and skunks.  Lenny and his wife, Kathy, reside on the former Francis & Rozilla Maly farmstead, in the hills south of Rutland. Read More »

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RCC April 9, 2012

President Paul Anderson called the meeting to order at 7:00pm

Members present:  Paul Anderson, Kathy Brakke, Rebecca Christensen, Bert Siemieniewski, Lori McLaen, Shari Leinen, Ione Pherson, Jeanne Leinen, Delores Lysne, Diane Smith, Bill Anderson, Roger Pearson.

The secretary’s minutes from the March meeting were read and approved. Lori moved/Rebecca gave the second.  Delores commented on difficulty getting information [from vendors] to do the cost analysis on Hall events as discussed at last month’s meeting. Paul said they would get all the information needed.

Financials were looked at and discussed in lieu of a report since the treasurer was absent.  Balance sheet shows $12,106.61 in checking and Savings. The net income from the supper/play & pinochle tournament totaled $2,980.46.  Bert made a motion to approve the financial report and Kathy offered the 2nd to the motion.

Old Business:

There was some discussion regarding the supper served with the play.  It was suggested, in the end, that the play be held two nights, one with a supper and one without… making it more accessible for everyone, and bringing in another night of profits.   Families with children could then attend the night of the play only.  That would be a solution to the cost and noise issues.  It will be looked into for next year’s production. Read More »

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The Rooster Crows – May 4, 2012

“April showers bring May flowers,” the old saw goes.  A quarter of an inch of rain last Friday and Saturday, April 27 & 28, and another .1 of an inch on the night of Monday, April 30, have kept the green things green, while temperatures moving up from a cool 36 above on the morning of  Thursday, April 26 to 75 and muggy on Tuesday, May 1, have kept them growing.  May flowers are not far off.  Pleasant conditions in the late afternoon of Monday, April 30, prompted Bruce Peterson to vow that he would get the Peterson’s family garden planted when he got home.  Well, at least he would get it tilled and get started planting.  Well, at least he would look the situation over and give it serious consideration.  The problem is that gardens always look so much better in the seed catalog than they do in reality. The seed catalog only shows the final product, but never the stiff knees, sore back and calloused hands that a garden usually produces even more abundantly than zucchinis and cucumbers.  Some of the Assembled Wise Men have noted that it is a good thing to have your own garden, but it is even better to have a neighbor who is a good gardener and produces a surplus.

Steve Wyum reports that he and Sheila vacationed at a resort in Cancun, Mexico, from Thursday, April 12, to Tuesday, April 17, and witnessed the marriage of their youngest son, Paul, and his fiancé, Brittany LeClerc, in a beach ceremony at the resort there on Sunday, April 15.  Others from this community who made the trip to Cancun for the wedding were: Kenny & Tanya Hamilton and family; and, Paul’s cousin, Jesse Wyum.  Steve states that the resort was lush, plush and luxurious.  One of the memorable activities he and Sheila participated in during their stay at the resort was “Zip-lining,” a method of traveling from point to point by hooking onto a cable line while wearing a sling similar to a parachute harness, and then “zipping” through the jungle along the cable for several hundred yards, from tree house to tree house, ala Tarzan and Jane.  The zip-lining traveler wears a heavy leather glove on one hand, in order to brake their speed by grasping the cable behind them.  Attendants are stationed at each station along the line to make sure that travelers don’t slam into walls or trees, Steve says.  On one occasion, Sheila braked a little too soon, and stopped short of the next treehouse, leaving her dangling above the jungle floor.  The attendants had seen this happen before, though, and quickly retrieved Sheila from her predicament.  At the conclusion of the Zip-line trip, Steve noted, the traveler has the option of releasing the harness and plunging into the lagoon below from a considerable height, an option which he exercised.  He was not quite prepared for the impact, though, and observed that the plunge has the capacity to turn a bass voice into a soprano if done incorrectly.  Steve still has a fine bass voice, friends note.  The bride and groom, Brittany and Paul, are making their home in Fargo where both are employed.  Their many friends here extend congratulations to the couple on their marriage, and best wishes for a long and happy life together.

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The Rooster Crows – April 27, 2012

Corn planters have been working their way across fields in the Rutland area this week, and even a few fields of soybeans have been sown, as well.  Another .2 of an inch of rain on the morning of Wednesday, April 18, and a sprinkling on the morning of  Thursday, April 19, gave the growing wheat just what was needed to keep it lush and green, as the 2012 crop appears to be off to a good start.  Temperatures, too, have been on the rise, with the mercury hitting the 80 mark on Tuesday, April 24, before beginning to cool down to a more seasonable range.

The Sage of Weber Township, Jack Brummond, stopped in at the General Store for a session with the Assembled Wise Men on the afternoon of Thursday, April 19.  “No comment!” was Jack’s response to questions about the progress of his 2012 non-campaign campaign for the Governor’s office.  Jack did report that, “the corn is already knee high in Weber Township,  If you’re standing in a knee deep hole, that is.”

Marcia Brakke of Havana; Margo Ganske of San Diego CA; Mary Ann Parker of Casselton; Sue Anderson of Rutland; Victoria Christianson of Denver Co; Kate Tagg of Blaine MN; and, Kathy Brakke of Rutland; had their sewing machines humming from the evening of Thursday, April 19, until the afternoon of Sunday, April 22, during their annual “Quilting cousins weekend” in Rutland.  The ladies, with 1 exception, are either descendants of, or are married to descendants of, the late K. P. and Ingrid Ahrlin, who emigrated from Ostersund, Sweden, to Rutland, Dakota Territory, in the late 1880’s.  The friends and cousins all share a passion for quilting, and greatly enjoy their combination family reunion/quilting retreat each year.  This year, they occupied the kitchen in the Bill Anderson & Kathy Brakke home on Thursday evening and all day Friday, then moved up to the Rutland General Store for Saturday and Sunday.  They took a break from their labors on Saturday, though, to enjoy a tour of the Coteau des Prairies Lodge, and a visit to the Weber Township home of Mary Ann Thornberg, where they were served a gourmet luncheon and enjoyed desserts in Mary Ann’s “Summer Kitchen.”  The Quilting Cousins are already planning their next get-together, in April of 2013. Read More »

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The Rooster Crows – April 20, 2012

Rain!  After 6 months of drought conditions, the heavens opened and poured down rain upon Sargent County in a deluge reminiscent of the Spring and Summer of 2011.  In the City of Rutland and its immediate vicinity, precipitation amounts were moderate, .45 of an inch on Friday, April 13, and .95 of an inch on Sunday, April 15, with another .5 of an inch on Monday, April 16.  Around the area, though, in every direction from Rutland, rain gauges registered from 2.5 to 3.5 inches by Monday afternoon.  Mother Nature did show some consideration, though, giving area residents a perfect spring day of sunshine, 70 degree temps and no wind on Saturday, April 14, and another nice day on Tuesday, April 17, followed by more rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.  Local farmers, whose corn planting schedule was put on hold by last week’s freezing temperatures, are now biding their time waiting for fields and roads to dry out and firm up enough to support the weight of tractors and planters.  Meanwhile, the trees are greening up, flowers are getting ready to blossom and lawn mowers are poised for action in every community throughout the region.  Come on, Spring, we’re ready for you!

This Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day, a day dedicated to consciousness of, and concern for, the environment we live in.  The recent outbreak of violent weather throughout the Midwest has been cited by environmental activists as further evidence that global warming, accelerated by human impacts on the environment, is having an adverse effect on weather patterns.  Political conservatives, though, funded by coal and oil company PAC’s, reject that view, claiming that, other than the fact that average temperatures have risen by several degrees around the globe during the past half century, there is no evidence that global warming is occurring, and, other than the fact that human industry belches hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere each day, there is no evidence that human activity is having an impact on climate.  So far, the denial approach of, “If you ignore any problem long enough, it will either go away by itself, or become so large that there is nothing you can do about it, anyway,” has been adopted by much of the world.  It is much simpler than actually determining what is occurring and what can, or should, be done about it, and then doing something, like reducing the emissions of greenhouse gasses, to address the problem.  Well, we can all hope that the conservatives are right, and there is no problem, but as this planet is the only home we have right now, maybe we should consider the scientific evidence and hedge our bets, just in case they are wrong. Read More »

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