Well, this has not been my favorite year gardening! It seems like every pattern of weather was messed up, and the consequences were and are enough to make me wonder why I work so hard to “make it work.” 
Of course, my expectations belong to me, and what you see is what you see, not the picture in my mind of what I carefully envisioned and planned.
I’m reminded of that so often when I’m working in the Healing Garden at Sanford, and a patient or visitor comments of how beautiful the garden is, and those comments put the whole effort back into a proper perspective.
So, the extremely dry weather has curtailed the invasion of slugs up until now and that’s good news. And I saw a couple of Japanese beetles on a hydrangea three weeks ago, and their numbers have remained really low, so that’s another plus.
Tomatoes love hot weather. My plants are really big and really loaded with fruit, and that’s what I’m happy to see.
And then my pole beans finally got the hang of how to climb the poles I put up for them so the rabbits can’t reach the growing tips of the vines, plus they are blooming and I’m picking lots of beans from the bush varieties.
And the electric fence has kept the deer out of my big garden, provided I remember to plug it in after I leave the garden. … Don’t know who tells them when I forget, but they figure it out, and they figure out when I remember, too!
The rows of onions are so happy to get a drink and are filling out beautifully.
The new variety of cauliflower called Goodman was the best cauliflower I’ve ever grown, so I’ll hang on to that name.
I just transplanted all the cabbage seedlings for a fall crop and planted seeds of Romaine lettuce that should be luscious, as the picture shows, in late September. The second week of August I will plant seed for a fall crop of radishes.
So  what I am saying is that even though some crops really struggle because of the drought, I (we) are blessed to have water available to help our food crops survive. And to plan is a good thing, but be flexible in your expectations and appreciate the good.
And yes, there are and always will be bugs and diseases happy to short-circuit your efforts, but thankfully there are ways to prevent and stop those attacks … even using electric fence for the deer .. too bad their memory is better than mine!

Luverne alumna Wendy (Anderson) Grill shared this image of her LHS Class of 1967 taken during their July 15 reunion at the Generations Event Center. Pictured are (front, from left) Connie DeBates Peterson, Annie Martin West, Margaret Christiansen Freese, Linda Sparrow Iveland Johnson, Ardis Ormseth Michaelson, Pam Hansen Case, Linda Schaeffer Moore, Linda DeBoer Olivier, Marilyn Schmuck, Karen Schadwinkel, Kristi Fitzer, Suzie Hansen, Nancy Ericksen, (second) George Jensen, Elaine VanBelle Boergerhoff, Diane Gonnerman, Elaine VandeHoef Boeve, Kathy Vandenhoek McClure, Wendy Anderson Grill, (third) Ron Lippi, Terry Gonnerman, Doug Schumacher, Steve Laudon, Kent Gabrielson, Steve Dooyema, Gary Drost, Charles Getman, Gary Golla, Robert Ruddy, Tim Connell, Martin Nergaard, Larry Goebel, Larry Toft, Allen Meinerts, Darrell Schmidt, Robin Savage, Donald Johnson, Roger Henderson and Steve Tofteland.

Luverne High School Class of 1962 graduates gather July 14 at Take 16 Brewery for a reunion. They include (front row, from left) Bill Mohr, Bob Alink, Linda (Bowman) Moeller, Joyce (Raschke) Forrest, Sandy (Miller) Murphy, Darlene (Hitch) Woolsey, Barb (Mulvihill) Priesz, Stephanie (Anderson) Frackman, Bill Martin, (back) Bill Reu, Carl Meinerts, Loren Forrest, Dale Heckt, Virg Smit, Vivian (Hansen) Aarestad, Vikki (Golla) Joseph, Keith Brooks and Art Braa. Not pictured is Paul Schmalz.

William “Bill” Fillis, 91, Blair, Nebraska, died Thursday, July 21, 2022.
Visitation will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 29, at Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 30, at PassageWay Church in Blair. A military graveside service will follow in the Blair Cemetery.
William Fillis was born on Nov. 1, 1930, in Wyoming, the son of Andrew and Stella Fillis. He grew up in Bridgeport, Nebraska, and graduated from Bridgeport High School.
At the age of 17, he joined the United States Navy and worked as a medic during the Korean War.
After his discharge from the Navy, Bill moved to Denver where he met Gwene Welk. They were married in 1960. Bill was a longtime employee of the United States Postal Service. He enjoyed woodworking and woodcarving, raising flowers, gardening and leatherworking throughout his life. He also enjoyed watching baseball.
Bill is survived by his children, Michael (Beth) Fillis, Michelle (Paul) Lindgren and Mark (Val) Fillis; grandchildren Ryan and Robert Fillis, Allison (Seth) Lawrence, Evelyn, Isaac (Annie) and Julia Lindgren, Greg and Derek Fillis; siblings Jim Fillis, Dorothy Brenning and Andy (Susan) Fillis.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Gwendolyn; his parents; two sisters and a brother.
Memorials may be directed to the family for later designation.
Arrangements are provided by Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair, Nebraska, www.campbellaman.com.
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Ronald Elliott Evans, 69, Pipestone, died Tuesday, July 19, 2022, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
A funeral service was Monday, July 25, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pipestone, with burial at St. Leo Cemetery in Pipestone.
Ronald Evans was born on Jan. 14, 1953, to Gerald and Ruth (Moore) Evans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He was raised on the farm and helped with farm chores. He graduated in 1972 from Pipestone High School in Pipestone. He attended Minnesota West Technical College and completed the carpentry program. Ron worked at Great Plains Lumberyard for a short time and then at Bayliner Marine.
On Feb. 7, 1976, Ron married Gloria Schneekloth at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. Shortly after their marriage Ronald went into farming, first on the home place and then a year in the Hardwick area. The couple then settled on an acreage south of Pipestone, where Ron milked cows for over 25 years and raised crops. He eventually raised stock cows with his son, Kyle. While farming, he also worked full time for Gorter Clay and Dairy in 2006.
Ron was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pipestone. He enjoyed mowing his lawn the “right way” and driving his Ranger with his dog by his side. He also enjoyed helping his kids show animals at the Pipestone County Fair. Ron's passion in life was farming and his love of animals.
Ronald is survived by his wife, Gloria, of Pipestone; children Paul Evans of Holland, Angela (Anthony) Iverson of Slayton, Christopher (Shelby) Evans of Pipestone, and Kyle (Kathryn) Evans, also of Pipestone; 10 grandchildren, Kodi (special friend, Kyle), Nakia, Mason, Zoey, Luke, Adam, Bryer, Brooklyn, Bria, and Eli; two great-grandchildren; 11 siblings, Kathryn  Vogh of Tower, Ray (Ginny) Evans of Pipestone, Lucille (Jim) Klein of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, Barbara (Gary) Jopp of Pennock, Bonnie Sexton of Jaynesville, Mary (Gary) Anderson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jim (Mary Ann) Evans of Pipestone, Janelle (Randy) Gorter of Parkersburg, Iowa, Dennis (Jennifer) Evans of Jasper, Joyce Crawford of Brandon, South Dakota, and Jerry (Ruth) Evans of Pipestone; and one brother-in-law, Ron Raatz of Cottage Grove.
He was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Lester and Norma Schneekloth; his sister, Geraldine Raatz; and brothers-in-law Victor Vogh, Steven Sexton, Brian Crawford, Steven Schneekloth and John Schneekloth.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Pipestone, hartquistfuneral.com.
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On Monday Rock County 4-H’ers were busy bringing general projects to the exhibit building on the fairgrounds in Luverne. Each exhibitor talked with a judge, who will award the 4-H’er with a purple, blue, red or white ribbon.

For the third year in a row, the Luverne Redbirds will face the neighboring Adrian A’s in the first series of the Region 13C playoffs.
The Redbirds qualified for the region tournament by sweeping the Heron Lake Lakers 13-1 and 5-0 last week.
Luverne, 19-2 in league play and 23-2 overall, is seeded second in the Region 13C tournament behind the Milroy Irish (18-1 in league play, 24-3 overall).
Adrian (9-12 in league play, 14-13 overall) advanced to the 13C tournament by sweeping the Lakefield Horned Frogs 2-0 and 8-7 last week. The A’s are seeded seventh in the region.
The teams have played twice this season with Luverne winning both contests.
The Birds defeated the A’s 8-6 on June 17 and 11-1 on July 9.
“We’ve had some good games with Adrian in this round of the playoffs the last two years,” said Luverne player-manager Brooks Maurer.
The best-of-three series opened Wednesday (July 27) at Redbird Field. Game two will be in Adrian Friday night. If necessary, Game 3 will be played at Redbird Field Sunday afternoon.
That game is scheduled for 4 p.m., following the state Legion baseball championship game which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Redbird Field.
 
                             
League Playoff Results
 
Luverne vs Heron Lake
July 20: Luverne 13, HL 1     
July 23: Luverne 5, HL 0
 
Hadley vs Mountain Lake
July 20: Hadley 8, Mt Lake 2
July 23: Hadley 26, Mt Lake 1
 
Adrian vs. Lakefield
July 20: Adrian 2, Lakefield 0
July 22: Adrian 8, Lakefield 7
 
Jackson vs Worthington
July 20: Worthington forfeited
July 22: Jackson 10, Wgtn 3
 
Fairmont vs Pipestone
July 20: Fairmont 12, Pipestone 1
July 22: Fairmont 17, Pipestone 2
 
Fox Lake vs Ruthton
July 20: Fox Lake 6, Ruthton 0
July 22: Ruthton 9, Fox Lake 8
July 24: Ruthton 15, Fox Lake 14
 
 
Region 13C Tournament Seeds
1. Milroy Irish                       18-1
2. Luverne Redbirds              19-2
3. Windom Pirates               16-3
4. Hadley Buttermakers      16-5
5. Jackson Bulls                  15-6
6. Fairmont Martins             14-7
7. Adrian A’s                        9-12
8. Ruthton Royals               7-15
 
 
Region 13C Round One
 
Milroy Irish vs. Ruthton
Wed, July 27 at Irish Yard 7:30pm
Fri, July 29 at Ruthton 7:30pm
*Sun, July 31 at Irish Yard 2:00pm
 
Luverne vs. Adrian
Wed, July 27 at Luverne 7:30pm
Fri, July 29 at Adrian 7:30pm
*Sun, July 31 at Luverne 4:00pm
 
Windom vs. Fairmont
Wed, July 27 at Windom 7:30pm
Fri, July 29 at Fairmont 7:30pm
*Sun, July 31 at Windom 2:00pm
 
Hadley vs. Jackson
Wed, July 27 at Jackson 7:30pm
Fri, July 29 at Hadley 2:00pm
*Sun, July 31 at Hadley 2:00pm
*Game 3 if necessary

“It’s really quite an honor. I’m proud of it but humble, too.”
That’s how Luverne’s Ron Fick described his feelings about being inducted into Huset’s Hall of Fame at the Brandon speedway on Sunday, July 17.
Fick joined Jon Barger, Jay Masur, Cliff Koidahl and Steve Rubin in the Huset’s Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
“It was a great day,” Fick said. “I’ve heard from people all over. It was a lot of fun.”
Fick began his racing career right out of high school in 1972, drag racing at Thunder Valley Dragways.
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always liked motors and it’s just kept going,” Fick said.
He continued his love of racing on snowmobiles while also working on race cars for drivers such as Lyle DeVries, Don Reiners and others.
 In the early 1980s, Fick began racing mini-sprints. In 1982 he began Fick Racing Enterprises and built more than 20 mini-sprint cars for drivers in many states.
Through the 1980s Fick won numerous sprint car races at various tracks, including the 1987 1-80 Nationals in Nebraska and the 1988 Rapid Speedway Nationals.
“In those years we were racing Friday nights in Rock Rapids, Saturday nights in Madison, and Sunday nights at Huset’s,” Fick said. “It was a grind, but it was a lot of fun.”
According to the Huset’s Hall of Fame, Fick began racing 360 sprint cars in 1991 and was named the Rookie of the Year at Rapid Speedway. He also won the Huset’s season championship that year.
In his final season of racing, Fick raced a 410 sprint car and finished tenth in points.
In all, Fick earned 42 feature wins from 1972-1994 in various classes of racing at numerous speedways.
When asked what he enjoyed most, Fick first answered honestly, “Winning.”
“We always ran a conservative, low budget operation,” he said, “We made a lot of our own stuff and did our own work. I’m proud of that”
According to Fick, none of his success would have been possible without the support of many.
“I really have to thank my pit crew guys, family, friends and sponsors,” Fick said. “Without them I couldn’t have done any of it. I appreciate them.”
Fick said he continues to be involved in racing by restoring vintage race cars, many for World of Outlaws drivers. 
“It still keeps me busy,” he said. “I’ve rebuilt cars for guys from all over the country and as far as New Zealand. It’s a lot of fun.”

The Luverne Post 123 Senior American Legion baseball team lost a close 3-2 game to St. James Friday in the sub-state tournament.
As the hosts of the Minnesota American Legion Baseball Division II State Tournament, Luverne will still compete in this weekend’s tournament (see related story).
Jackson won the Southwest Sub-state tournament and will also compete at this weekend’s state tournament.
Post 123, with a 13-7 record entering the state tournament, will play Wadena Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Redbird Field.
On Friday in St. James, the hosts took an early 3-0 lead after the first inning.
Luverne scored its only two runs of the game in the fifth inning.
Elliot Domagala led off the inning with a solo homerun. Later in the same inning, Kaden Anderson hit an RBI double that scored Ethan Beyer.
Luverne had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the seventh inning but was unable to do so.
Braydon Ripka led off the inning with a walk.
Two batters later with one out, Kaden Anderson hit a triple, but Ripka was called out at the home plate for the second out of the inning.
Anderson was stranded at third base and unable to score before the third out that ended the inning.
Anderson led the offense for Post 123 with three hits and one RBI.
Will Serie, with a double in the sixth inning, also had one hit for Luverne.
Beyer pitched the complete six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out eight St. James batters.
 
Luverne          0 0 0 0 2 0 0     2
St James        3 0 0 0 0 0 x     3
 
                          AB    R    H     BI
B Ripka              3     0     0     0
E Beyer              2     1     0     0
K Anderson       4     0     3     1
Casey Sehr        4     0     0     0
R Sneller            3     0     0     0
W Serie              2     0     1     0
C Overgaard      2     0     0     0
E Domagala       3     1     1     1
Carter Sehr        3     0     0     0