PAGE 4 PRESS PERSPECTIVES OCTOBER 23, 2013
FROM TH E
EDITOR'S DESK...
By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
BY ALLISON OLIMB
EDITOR, WALSH COUNTY PRESS
The organizers of the Walsh
County Fair, like any fair or event,
have the challenge of dealing with
a greedy generation of folks asking
"what's in it for me?" rather than
taking in the event for what it is and
all of the hard work that goes into
it.
There may not have been a
rodeo this year, but that didn't stop
the 4-Hers and open class exhibitors
from putting their best effort for-
ward.
I judged the youth photography
category for the 4-Hers. My kids
were amazing this year. I had a beck
of a time narrowing it down to my
Hello,
Well, by the time you read this
Shirley should be heading home.
You see, she had knee replacement
surgery on Monday. I blame it on
barrel racing decades ago when
she would take a barrel a little
close and bang her knee on a barrel.
She blames it on carrying buckets
to feed calves because I like to have
chores for her to do. But, like Con-
gress, it does no good to play the
blame game. It is time to move for-
ward.
I had an entire column in my
head dealing with this. How I was
going to write about the grindstone
I had bought Shirley so she could
sharpen sickles and knives as she
pedaled. How I bought this bike that
would generate electricity as it was
pedaled, so as Shirley rehabbed, we
could power the house and save
some money. How I was going to
buy some smaller buckets so she
would have an easier time feeding
calves until she healed up. But one
of my neighbors warned me that
many readers would think I was
making light of a very serious sit-
uation so I will not go there.
top picks for Grand Champion,
Reserve Champion, and honorable
mentions. The kids I spoke with
were just starting out. Their biggest
challenge? Holding the camera
straight. But some did better than I
even imagined working on focus
and subject framing. Their love of
photography was just starting out.
They found their inspiration all
around.
I remember when I was that 4-
Her and my photos were the same:
my dog, my cats, my family mem-
bers on our vacations, my special
trips.., it was my life and I captured
it on film (because that is what we
used back then). To be honest, I pens, or just spending some time
probably wouldn't have taken such with the critters between judging Prairie Fare
an interest had I not had a looming events.
project deadline, but now, I am
glad I did.
I learned a lot from tlose four
minutes or so that I spentwith my
judge in each category.
And I remember the excitement
that came along with dragging my
family to the fair to show off each
one of the ribbons I earned.
It is strange how you forget the
feeling that comes with being young
during fair time. I had to drag my
son from the animal barns because
all he wanted and all he needed from
that event was to pet a bunny and sit
on a pony for a few minutes to be
sublimely happy. He ran from pen
to pen to see what kind of critter
would greet him next.
The part that amazed me was that
each time we were in that barn, there
was no shortage of youth caring for
their animals, whether it was feed-
ing, cleaning their animalls or their
Hat
When you are in the livestock
business, or farming in general,
you deal with a lot of injuries. Like
when I told you about Ralph being
injured while helping us earlier
this summer. And Ralph, by the way,
is on the mend, albeit it slowly.
I was telling a friend about this
horse wreck the other day. He start-
ed telling me about a wreck he wit-
nessed a couple years ago. It hap-
pened at a dude ranch in South Cen-
tral North Dakota.
This rancher runs a dude opera-
tion in conjunction with his cow-calf
outfit. He has a couple hundred
cows, so he splits his branding into
halfa dozen work deals.And he gets
lots and lots of dudes to help, and
that is using the word "help" loose-
ly, with his brandings.
IftG,Qod . Happenings at Our
'.xt ,. s0maptan Good Samaritan
J OCle2 Am. anda Daley,.A_i'fifies Asst.
What is Going on in Activities/Upc0ming Ex/ent:-i i : :
Oct: 14. . ..... Hymn Sing wl ChealKox ......
Oct. 18 ....................... Painting w/Bernie Wilebski
Oct. 21 ......................... Staff/Resident Pumpkin Carving
Oct. 24 ...................... Auxiliary Luncheon & Program w/Good
Sam Auxiliary
Oct. 31 ...................... Kids invited to Come Trick 'Or Treating 4-
A special
THANK YOU to
all the volunteers
that come and give
of their time and
share talents with
us this week. It is
always
appreciated and
the residents are so
grateful.
Thank you to
the following
volunteers this
week: (I apologize Photo: Submitted
if anyone is left
out.) Embroidery Above: The Resident's enjoyed a different type
Group: Linda of bowling, Pumpkin Bowling.
Larson and Shirley
Soblik; Hymn Sing: Cheryl Cox and Friends (2nd Monday of Every Me);
Rosary: Shirley Soblik; Daily Devotions: Lois Ydstie, Dorothy Novak,
Pastor David Hinrichs, Jan Novak, Amanda Daley; Arnold Bratten and
Sue Fagerholt. Daily Devotional Accompanists: Mary Seim, Jan Novak,
and Pastor David Hinrichs; Men's Group: Arnold Braaten; Bible Study:
Jeanean McMillian; and Saturday Mass: Father Gary Lutein
This week we started with the Halloween Events. Residents enjoyed
Pumpkin Bowling and decorating gourds. We also had a Painting Day
with Bernie Wilebski. We want to take the time to Thank Bernie for
coming and letting the residents express their talents.
If you have a talent you would like to share or would like to vohmteer
with us please call the Good Sam @ 284-7115. At the moment we are
currently looking for Special Music for Sundays. It could be a group
that needs a place to practice. We enjoy any music you have to offer!
| Pu]g0000 Walsh County Health Distr'ct
NDSU Agriculture Communication
I was reading an article the oth-
er day that said there are basically
two types of people in the world,
those who are happy and those
who are not. Happiness does not
come from fame, fortune, other
people or material possessions, it
comes from within. Simply put,
happy people choose to be happy by
how they live their lives. Here are
some things that happy people
seem to have in common:
They don't hold grudges
They treat everyone with kind-
ness
They see problems as chal-
lenges
They express gratitude for
what they already have
They dream big
Tips
Now, we used to run a dude deal
ourselves. And rest assured, when
someone wearing flip flops and
shorts tells you they know how to
ride, and they want an eight hour
ride when it is 100 above, you
know they are either insane or just
like to be in pain. But we did have
experiences with riders who assured
you they could handle any aorse you
ran under them.
Anyway this rancher was getting
his crew mounted up to gther fifty
pair to brand that afternoon. One
guy, who was a little too heavy (who
am I to judge), struggled to get on
his horse. When he was about half
on, and not holding on to the reins,
the horse took off. I mean he real-
ly took off. He could have been in
the lead at Los Alamitos for a mil-
They don't sweat the small stuff
They speak well of others
They never make excuses
They get absorbed in the pres-
ent
They wake up at the same time
every morning
They avoid social compar-
isons
They choose friends wisely
They don't seek approval of
others
They take time to listen
They meditate
The eat well and exercise
They live minimally
They tell the truth
They accept what cannot be
changed
Are you happy today?
These kids and those who show-
case in the open class work so
hard.
They don't need a camival, or
rodeo, or some other dog and pony
show. They work with their projects
and their animals all year long to
proudly showcase them during four
days in October.
Though some may say that there
is something missing, those people
are missing what is fight in front of
them. Though it might be nice to go
back to the days of the Potato
Queen Pageant or some other big
time events, there is something
special to be said about the purity of
the event still holding true to its roots
when it was first created, a showcase
of Walsh County agriculture.
Like "' the Walsh County Press on Face-
book and check out our blog at http://walsh-
countypress, wordpress, corn
lion dollars. And this old boy is
hanging on for dear life.
Well, I imagine that is what we
would all do. His best deal would
have been to fall off immediately,
but alas, he didn't. He held on un-
til that horse was cutting a hole in
the wind and passing everyone in
sight. When the horse was going
faster than he had ever gone in his
life, the rider lost hold.
All the other riders were sure he
was dead. And I'm thinking maybe
he was wishing he was as well. He
broke all the ribs on one side of his
body and separated both shoul-
ders! Both! Now, I had a hangnail
once...But I'm guessing this hurt
worse. But his help was smarter than
we were with Ralph. They did call
the air ambulance and had him out
of there in short time.
I guess the guy healed up fine.
Doesn't care to ride anymore
though.
Get well Shirley! The calves
are bellering for you and I don't
know how much you've been feed-
ing them.
Later, Dean
Legislative Veteran Warns
About Lobbfing
After 25 years ofneutrality as Di-
rector of the North Dakota Leg-
islative Council, John Olsrud has
broken his silence about the dangers
of lobbying in a recent article car-
fled by the Northern Plains Ethics
Journal centered at North Dakota
State University.
As Council Director, one of
John's duties was providing ethics
training for new legislators.
While many in government cir-
cles deny that North Dakota has
ethics problems, John is not so
sure. We may not have anyone in
jail, he says, but maybe that is "be-
cause legislators write their own
ethics laws and rules and care is tak-
en to make sure that nothing is done
to disturb the cozy relationship be-
tween legislators and lobbyists."
John suggests that we not Wor-
ry about the lobbyist-funded party
that involves large numbers of leg-
islators and lobbyists. The thing to
watch is the private parties and the
trips financed by corporations that
are kept out of the public view.
Lobbyists spending limits are lit-
tle protection. Lobbyists can dodge
spending limitations by funneling
money through front organizations
that use the money to finance leg-
islative junkets and other favors.
"We never find out if our legis-
lators' trips are paid for by specif-
ic lobbying groups that have a par-
ticular interest in issues in North
Dakota."
The aim of interest groups is to
capitalize on their monetary in-
vestments by securing passage of fa-
vorable laws or killing unfavorable
laws. In this battle, it is helpful to
have the ear of a friendly legislator.
John reported that a lobbyist for
a pharmaceutical company once
told him that it was worth thousands
of dollars just to keep certain bills
from being introduced. Lobbying
pays.
While John's remarks were
aimed at direct lobbying, there is
also the buying ofinfluernce through
campaign contributions. With the
liberalization by the U. S. Supreme
Court of the First Amendment to
permit unlimited contributions, un-
detected campaign money flows
freely in the political system.
Recently, some North Dakota cit-
izens accused special interests of
buying undue influence by donating
to the campaigns of public service
commissioners and members of
the State Industrial Commission.
They actually used the ord
"bribery".
All of the recipients were Re-
publicans. But before we rush to
judgment, we should acknowledge
that the oil and coal industries have
always been regular contributors to
Republican campaigns. So it can't
be assumed that such contributions
are anything unusual unless they get
excessive.
In order to assess the efforts of
these energy industries to gain un-
due influence in the future, it Will be
necessary to compare current with
past contributions to make that
judgment.
While the ethics of legislative and
executive officials have not been
tested in years past, the political en-
vironment in North Dakota has
changed radically with the arrival of
big oil and all of its auxiliary eco-
nomic beneficiaries. They have a
big stake in what the Legislature
does and doesn't do.
But John is right. We can't expect
the Legislature to write new rules for
regulating lobbying or campaign
contributions. Folks who are con-
cemed about the matter will have to
bypass the Legislature and put the
issue on the election ballot to get the
regulations they feel is necessary.
This would require a concerted
effort by a sizable number of citi-
zens. Without the motivation of a
scandalous breach of ethics, citizens
are not likely to be concerned
enough to take that kind of action.
"What is unfortunate about this
picture," Olsrud concluded, "is that
the public will never know who is
buying influence under current
laws."
While the ethics of legislative and
executive officials havre not been
tested in year. s past, the political en-
vtronment m North Dakota has
than. ged radically .... with the arrival of big
od and all of its auxthary economic ben-
eficiarles. "
NDSU Extension Service
Temper Your Sweet Tooth
"Mom, did you notice when the
last cake-decorating class is being
held?" my 10-year-old daughter
asked.
"Yes, your final class is at 6 p.m.
on the last Thursday of October," I
said to my detail-oriented daughter.
"And what is special about that
day?" she asked in a dramatic tone
with widened eyes and raised eye-
brows. She looked a little scary.
"Oh, no, that's Halloween and I
suppose you would like to go trick-
or-treating," I replied when the sig-
nificance of the date dawned on me.
"Well, yeah," she replied matter-
of-factly. She looked very dejected,
with slumped shoulders and a
frown. She loves to dress up in sil-
ly costumes and run from house to
house with her plastic pumpkin
pail.
I guess coming home with a
frosting-covered cake isn't a sweet
enough deal for her, I thought to my-
self.
"You can wear your costume to
cake decorating class," I offered.
"Do you want me to get frosting
on it?" she countered.
She didn't want to miss the class
or the activity, so she will be haunt-
mg our neighborhood extra-early
this year. Neighbors, please be
ready.
You might question what a nu-
trition columnist is doing writing
about taking her kids to cake dec-
orating class and allowing her child
to trick-or-treat.
Frankly, I'm not too worried
about occasional sweet indulgences.
After all, all things in moderation
can fit in a healthful diet.
My daughter had no cavities at
her last dental visit, so I know she
is brushing her teeth effectively. Her
weight is appropriate for her height,
so she is learning to self-regulate her
food intake and stay physically ac-
tive.
We have quite the collective
"sweet tooth" in the U.S. In 2012,
Americans b6ught 600 million
pounds of candy, with a price tag of
$2.4 billion.
What does the latest U.S. Dietary
Guidelines for Americans say about
foods and beverages with added
sweeteners? From a food science
viewpoint, sugar has many positive
features. It adds flavor, helps pre-
serve food (such as jams and jellies),
promotes browning of cookies and
provides texture in other foods.
However, sweeteners add calo-
ries without nutrients. Therefore, the
dietary guidelines advise cutting
back on foods and drinks with
added sugars or caloric sweeteners.
Specifically, the latest guidelines ad-
vise drinking few or no regular so-
das, sports drinks, energy drinks or
fruit-flavored drinks. We should
eat less cake, cookies, ice cream and
candy.
How can we limit our sweets?
Enjoy a snack-sized candy bar in-
stead of a full-sized one. If leftover
candy is too tempting, keep it in the
freezer, not on the kitchen counter
within easy reach.
After the trick-or-treating ad-
venture, kids and parents should
agree on an appropriate number of
treats to enjoy per day. Sweet,
sticky treats can cause cavities, so
make sure that the little ghouls
brash their "choppers" well after en-
joying a few treats.
Consider these alternative treat
ideas, too.
Sugar-free gum
Packages of trail mix or nuts
Cereal bars
Small boxes of raisins or other
dried fruit
Sugar-free gum
100 percent fruit juice boxes
Snack-sized packages of peanut
butter and crackers, graham crack-
ers or oatmeal cookies
Halloween pencils, pens, stick-
ers, temporary tattoos or spider
rings
Julie' Garden-Robinson, Ph.D!;i'RD.,
L,R.D., is a Aorth Dakota State UntcpkJ:itff Ex-
tension Servic e Jbod and nutr!tion specialist
and professor in the Department of Health,
Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.
Editor's Note
The Extension Exchange columnn was not available this week. It will re-
turn as soon as possible.
Extension on Ag
around the state
Sheep Shearing, Wool Classing
Schools Set for Nov. 23-25
If you are interested in learning
more about sheep shearing or be-
coming certified for wool classing,
plan to attend the North Dakota
Sheep Shearing School on Nov.
23-25 at the Hettinger Fairgrounds
or the Certified Wool Classing
School on Nov. 23-25 at the Het-
tinger Armory.
The topics to be covered during
the sheep sheafing school include:
Professional shearing pat-
terns
Tagging and eyeing
Equipment maintenance and
repair
Wool handling and prepara-
tmn
Instructors for the school are
Wade Kopren, a South Dakota
professional sheep shearer; Mike
Hagens, North Dakota profes-
sional sheep shearer; Reid Redden,
North Dakota State University
Extension Service sheep special-
ist; and Mike Schuldt, a Montana
State University Extension agent.
The school is open to those who
are experienced or nonexperi-
enced in sheep shearing. To allow
for one-on-one instruction, regis-
tration is being limited. The reg-
istration deadline is Nov. 8.
The registration fee is $125.
The fee includes tuition, hand-
book, DVD and singlet. The North
Dakota Lamb and Wool Produc-
ers Association is providing $250
in scholarships to state residents 16
and older. The scholarships will be
distributed evenly among qualified
applicants.
Topics to be covered during the
wool classing school include:
Wool fiber growth, develop-
ment and production
Objective wool measuring
Genetic selection programs
Hands-on wool grading
Wool contamination and han-
dling practices
Wool classing, packaging, la-
beling and marking
Test for level 1 certification
The instructors are Ron Cole,
American Sheep Industry Asso-
ciation wool education consultant,
and Lisa Surber, Montana State
University Wool Lab manager.
The fee for the program is
$175, which includes tuition and
materials. The classing school is
limited to 12 students and the
registration deadline is Nov. 8.
For more information on both
schools, contact Chris Schauer at
(701) 567-4323 or email christo-
pher. schauer@ndsu.edu. Entry
fees for both schools can be sent
to the Hettinger REC, P.O. Box
1377, Hettinger, ND 58639.
The sheep shearing school is
sponsored by the North Dakota
Lamb and Wool Producers Asso-
ciation, NDSU Hettinger REC
and NDSU Extension Service.
The same organizations, along
with the American Sheep Industry
Association, are sponsoring the
certified wool classing school.
Schauer, director of the Het-
tinger REC, is coordinating both
events.
Editor's Note
The Around the County columnn was not available this week. It will return
as soon as possible.
