PAGE 4 PRESS PERSPECTIVES MAY 25, 2011
F ROM TH E
EDITOR'S DESK...
BY ALLISON OLIA4B
EDITOR, WALSH COUNTY PRESS
How does that old saying go..
• when it rains it pours?
Try any metaphor or clich6 like
it and you'll have the week I just
had.
A marathon, a treadmill with
no off button, if something could
go wrong, it probably did . . . ]
would throw in an "it could be
worse, it could be raining," but it
did rain and quite a bit, so let's
not go there.
But then something utterly un-
fathomable happens, and every
small stress and close call seems
trivial.
At last count, 116 people were
killed in a tomado that wiped out
a large portion of the city of Joplin,
Mo. The twister ranked as an EF4
with winds between 190 and 198
mph, and grew as wide as three-
quarters of a mile at one point
along its estimated four-mile track,
according to Missouri's State
Emergency Management Agency.
It even tore through a hospital.
It was described as though a
bomb went off. The glass was
blown out of the exterior. X-Rays
were found 70 miles away. They
set up triage centers.
Mother Nature doesn't care if
you have work to do, or if your
house is flooding, or if you live in
a city with a population of 50 or
50,000. She doesn't care if you
make a half-million a year. She
doesn't care if you have benefits.
She doesn't care if you are the
meanest person in the world or if
you will be remembered as a saint.
Suddenly, being angry about a
rude phone call or stressed about
working late hours or worrying
about anything, really, seems un-
necessarily exhausting.
Hello,
Wow! What a rain! If you keep
a journal, write this one down. It
is probably a rain of a lifetime.
I'm not sure jiast how big an area
it covered, but I was as far south
as Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood to
the Canadian border since Friday.
And I was never out of the rain in
that three day period. Reports
were ranging from a couple
inches, to nearly eight inches in
spots. There are a lot of fields that
will not see a tractor and drill this
spring. But there are a lot of
alfalfa fields that have'a great
chance of a wonderful hay crop.
Problem is feeding hay is
crowding cutting hay.
Making the drive from the
Canadian border to the Black
Hills, you could se'e a lot of
drainages that for years you did
not know existed. Vast bottoms
were covered with water. The
creeks and rivers were beyond
their banks. Dams and dugouts
are overflowing. Wild flowers
that have lain dormant for years
are beginning to blossom. I don't
know about you, but I would
dang sure rather wait for it to dry
up, than to wait for it to rain. I've
done both. And I'll take the rain.
Hat
But then, I don't live in the
Mississippi Valley. Or the Mouse.
Or the Red River of the North.
Everyplace I've ever lived, the
rain falls and it runs down hill.
One day last week, Shirley and
I were going to tag some calves.
Well, Shirley was going to tag
some calves. We were over by the
round pen looking for a rope and
I turned to say something to
Shirley. As I turned to speak, I
saw Shirley petting a deer!
Scratching it on the head and
back! A little yearling buck. As
usual, Shirley had a little cow
cake in her pocket and the deer
nibbled on that. It was about a
half mile from the house and
hung around there a couple days.
We determined it must have been
bottle raised by someone, and
dumped out by our place. Shirley
thought it was neat. We bragged
to our friends how Grandma was
a "deer whisperer". The
grandkids thought it was cool.
Tips
The deer has now ventured
over to our yard. Last night it ate
Shirley's tulips. This morning it
ate the petunias. When I opened
the door this moming, to let the
entryway air out a little from wet
'jackets and boots, the deer came
in and wandered around the
entryway. As I write, it is
munching on the freshly planted
trees on the south side of the
house. I think it is testing
Shirley's love of wild animals.
We have an old picture of
Shirley's mother, Dorothy,
standing by a white-tail buck she
shot back in the early forties. I
have a picture in my mind of
Shirley standing by this little
button buck...Never mind.
That reminds me of a fishing
story. A true fishing story. Ten
years or so ago. I don't know how
many of you fish. A fishing.
license in North Dakota costs like
fifteen dollars. And for an extra
dollar you can buy one for your
CO52522gG9 od -
Happenm00 atOur
Good Samaritan
Monica Simon ADC
May 17 was our Syttende Mai Celebration we had lefse,
rommegrot, Lutefusk and more. The Dietary department did a
wonderful job providing such good treats for us on this very important
day.
We hope everyone has Wonderful Memorial Day Weekend as we
take time to remember those who have served our country.
Upcoming Events:
May 24 3:00 FIRST UNITED BANK will be serving lunch and
entertaining us in honor 3f 125 years of service in Park River
May 26 3:00 Auxiliary Program and lunch hosted by Mountain
Lutheran Church of Adams
June 2 2:30 Holy communion service with Rev. Jeff Johnson
June 9 3:00 Monthly Birthday Party Hosted bu Hoople Lutheran
Church
June 23 3:00 Monthly Auxiliary Program and lunch hosted by
Bethel Baptist Church of Park River.
June 10 7:30 Mennonite Singers
Devotional leaders for the week were Lois Ydstie, Dorothy Novak,
Bonnie Van Bruggen, Corrine Ramsey and Jan Novak. Accompanists
were Monica Simon, Laura Brodina, Amanda Daley and Jan Novak.
Sunday Worship services were led bu Rev. Totman and Mass was
led by Father Lutein. Shirley Sobolik led Rosary and Communion.
We thank everyone who gave of their time and talents this week.
Many activities have taken place this week and we have also
enjoyed many walks outside enjoying this beautiful weather.
WORKSITE WELLNESS
Walsh County Health District
" ..... "" .... ""0"°" Short Shots
-l[Ti]l ITTI
Are you a business that wants to promote wellness for your
employees?
Are you unsure how to get started?
North Dakota has a great new resource just for you. Through a
joint effort by Dakota Medical Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield
of ND, and Healthy North Dakota a great resource booklet has been
developed. It is geared for both small and large size business, and has
great ideas of how to get started, and resources to use.
If you are interested in this free booklet, contact Pete Seljevold at
701-277-2414 or pseljevold@hndww.org.
Do you want your news noticed?
Do you or your group
have a story to tell?
we're here to help.
Contact The Press: (701) 284-6333
"They' re cutting off our mail,"
roared Einar Stamstad as he tore
through the door of the
community hall where the
Homeland Security Committee
was about to dole out garden
space for the big 2011 rutabaga
contest.
"They're'closing post offices
and abolishing mail routes all
over North Dakota," Einar added
breathlessly as he folded on a
steel chair. "That's more
important than rutabaga
contests."
"Don't panic!" advised Little
Jimmy. "They're just holding
hearings."
"Well, they're talking about
eliminating our mail carrier and
the post office he comes from
and abolishing the post office
where his post office gets mail,
and all the way up the line,"
corroborated Tor Torvaldsin.
"It's because we didn't get
enough people for the census so
we declined 16 per cent,"
concluded Holger Danske. "Not
only should we have counted
Dogg but also those three cats in
the old blacksmith shop."
"Maybe we voted the wrong
way in the last election,"
speculated Madeleine Morgan,
"but there was no fight way."
"Somebody in Old Hogs
Saloon in Darby said we will
have to get our stuff by e-mail"
Einar added.
"What's e-mail?" asked Old
Sievert.
"That comes on the
computer," explained Little
Jimmy. He knew because he was
the only person in town who had
one.
"Does it have a slot for
letters?" queried Sievert. Of
course, Sievert hadn't written a
letter since him and his only
brother, Lamech, had an
argument over shocking oats in
1953 and Lamech went to Seattle
to work for Boeing.
"Well, I heard the mailman say
that the post office was going
broke with all these people using
e-mail," Holger Danske affirmed
It is impossible to become com-
pletely stress-free while still main-
taining a level of responsibility,
but there is no reason we as people
should have to make life difficult
for anyone else around us.
There are some things we have
no control over.
So, would you rather be the one
remembered for a smile and a
thank you, or the one who snapped
at everyone and never had a help-
ful word?
I'm not about to break into
song, but Annie may have had
something here. The sun will
come out tomorrow. Bet your bot-
tom dollar that tomorrow, there'll
be sun.
Like" the Walsh County PJess on Facebook
attd check out our blog at http:#walshcounO,-
press, wordpress.com
spouse. Shirley doesn't like to
fish. Or maybe she doesn't like
the beer. They kind of go together
you }mow. Anyway, I had
purchased a fishing license. A
license. For me. Because, like I
said, Shirley doesn't care for
fishing. We had gone with
another couple. Up on the lake.
It was a beautiful day. Water
was clear. Winds were light. Sky
was clear. Beer was cold. Shirley
had a good book along. So as we
fished, she sat reading a book. I
cortvinced her to at least hold
onto a rod while she was reading.
Fine.
In about five minutes here
came the Man. The Man with a
badge. The game warden. In a
boat. That should be illegal. He
came to check our licenses. No
problem. At least for me and the
other couple. Not the same for
my spouse.
When she found out I hadn't
spent an extra dollar to but her a
license, the fish hit the fan. Our
State Representative got her
name in the paper and a hundred
dollar fine for fishing without a
license. Which is a lot better than
I .got by.
, Looking for dry spot, Dean
t
as he whittled a head of
Abraham Lincoln out of a piece
of willow.
"Ben Franklin sure would be
mad to hear the government was
killing his old department," Little
Jimmy noted.
"Let's just hope he doesn't
fifid out," added Einar.
"If they can't afford mailmen,
why can't they just put the mail
on the train so we can pick it up
at the depot like the old days,"
Old Sievert suggested.
"We don't have a train
anymore," pointed out Orville
Jordan, the last depot agent.
"We don't even have the
depot," added Alert Officer
Garvey Erfald.
"Maybe the UPS guy could
bring the mail," suggested Einar.
"He comes more often than I get
mail anyway."
"The way everything is being
consolidated these days, I spose
all of North Dakota will have to
go to Fargo to get mail," Josh
Dvorcheck added.
"Next thing you know they'll
consolidate all of us homeland
committees now that Benny
Laden has been sent to his
reward," Garvey predicted. "If
that happens, we might as well
roll up the north forty and put the
binder away."
"What's a binder?" Little
Jimmy asked.
Old Sievert leaned over and
,, !
whispered. Someday you tell
me about e-mails and I will tell
you about binders."
"I fiaove we offer one of those
• cliff'hanging bipartisan midnight
compromises and tell 'em our
.last offer is three mail deliveries a
week to Old Hogs Saloon, take it
or leave it," Josh said, pounding
his fist on Dorken's table.
A flurry of "seconds" echoed
across the hall as the Committee
members rushed out the door to
plant rutabagas, the crop of the
year.
Extension Exchange
Walsh County Nutrition, Food Safety
and Health Agent
Julie Zikmund, MPH, RD, LRD
Tips for summer
barbecues:
Healthy grilled vegetables
With Memorial Day right
around the corner, we are "offi-
cially" ready to kick off the
grilling season. Many of us will
have family gatherings this
weekend to celebrate. Grilling
with vegetables is a nice way to
mcorporate more veggies in our
diet and who doesn't like the fla-
vor that grilling adds to any
food?
It's easy to cook vegetables on
the grill because you don't have
to worry about overcooking
them. And grilling vegetables
brings out their natural flavors.
Some may even say that vegeta-
bles taste the best when grilled.
Here are a few tips to think
about:
Marinating vegetables will
help them caramelize and that
brings out their best flavors. Just
submerge the vegetables in mar-
inate for about an hour before
you put them on the grill.
If you don't' marinate veg-
etables, just brush them with a
little canola or vegetable oil prior
to grilling. (Avoid using olive oil
due to its low smoke point) Add
some herbs/herbal seasonings to
enhance the flavor without
adding salt.
" Cut grilling vegetables into
shapes that will make it easier for
them to cook.
Be sure to account for veg-
etables that do (potatoes, sweet
potatoes, ect) that do require
longer cooking times. Consider
using the microwave to start the
cooking process and then add
other veggies that require less
time. :. ' ( ., .,.
¢r Most vegetables are usu-
ally done in 8-10 minutes. Thick
vegetable pieces may take
longer; Thin or delicate (mush-
rooms, tomatoes, green peppers,
etc) vegetables may require less
cooking time.
yegetables Ideas for Barbecu-
ing
Any kind of onion, sliced
into 1/2-inch thick rounds.
- Corn on the cob is an easy
one, just remove the husks and
rotate during grilling (about 10
minutes).
Grill portabellas like a
burger or them cut into thick
slices.
," Grill small mushrooms
strung on a skewer or kabob.
r Eggplant, cut lengthwise
into 1/4-inch slices.
Zucchini, cut lengthwise
into 1/4-inch slices.
Asparagus spears. Just trim
off the white end and grill the
spears whole.
Wrap whole potatoes in
foil and grill for about an hour.
Try slicing up potatoes in
thin, long pieces for a healthier
way to serve chips.
If you can't BBQ on a grill,
broiling is another cooking
method that can be done using
your stove. You can enjoy the
same flavors right in your oven!
Have a great Memorial Day
and Weekend. More on grilling
fruits next week! Until then...
All m ybes t t ° you and your
" i'amily, :l
Julie
Adapted from Nour&h Interactive -
m'w.nourishinteractive.corn
It's easy to cook vegetables on the
grill because you don't have ,to
worry about overcooklng them. And
grilling vegetables brings out their
natural flavors."
Around the County
Walsh County Extension Office Park River - 284-6624
Tractor safety school
set for June
The NDSU Extension Office
in Park River, ND will be hosting
a Tractor Safety School June 14 -
16. The school is intended to give
classroom and behind the wheel
instruction to youth that are plan-
ning to operate machinery. Oper-
ating a large piece of equipment
requires maturity, judgment and
responsibility. Youth will receive
hands-on experience with quali-
fied instruct&s, as well as, class-
room instruction. Tractor Safety
School is intended for youth from
age 14-16. Youth who are 13 and
turn 14 during the summer, and
successfully complete the course,
will be issued their certificate
upon their 14th birthday. This cer-
tificate regally permits a minor
under the age of 16 to drive a trac-
tor and operate identified ma-
chinery for hire.
Youth will be trained in tractor
safety, driving skills, general
knowledge of tractors and what to
do in emergency situations. It is
recommended that youth receive
training in these areas even if they
never work off the family farm.
The farm can be a dangerous
place with farm accidents lead-
ing to injury or even death.
Tractor Safety School will run
from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the
Walsh County Fair Building in
Park River. The class will be of-
fered on a first come first serve
basis with a minimum of 15 and a
maximum of 30 students being
accepted. If the class fills, inter-
ested students will be placed on a
waiting list and will be notified of
a cancellation. A fee of $35 is
charged to help cover the costs
of the training. Registration
Forms are available at the Walsh
County Extension Office and are
due by June 7 to the Extension
Office. If you have any questions,
feel free to contact the Extension
Office at 284-6624.
Until next week...Theresa
Dates to Remember:
June 14-16Tractor Safety School; Walsh
Fair Building, Park River, ND
County
