One day at the office, our manager, Rick, was talking about getting something done and used the phrase, "knick-knack paddywhack."He paused, and in a Seinfeld-esque moment said, "Did you ever wonder where these sayings come from? And what does ‘knick-knack paddywhack’ mean, anyway?"It’s a part of the famous nursery rhyme that helps kids learn rhythm, rhyme and counting. "This old man, he played one, he played knick-knack on my thumb, with a knick-knack paddywhack, give a dog a bone. This old man came rolling home."It goes on to rhyme with all the numbers up to 10, but I don’t know what a paddywhack is or why children should be singing of an old man rolling home.However, I do know the origins of a couple of nursery rhymes — and they might make you think twice the next time you hear children reciting them.‘Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary’This bloody little story is about Mary Tudor, who was daughter of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary was a staunch Catholic and the garden referred to is an allusion to graveyards which were increasing in size with those who adhered to the protestant faith.The silver bells and cockleshells were actually instruments of torture, which I don’t think I should describe in this publication.The "maids" were used to behead people. The original guillotine was called the Maiden. Mary also burned people at the stake, but her total executions were just 300 during her reign. Here’s the rhyme in case you forgot:"Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockleshells, and pretty little maids all in a row."‘Ring Around the Rosy’This dates back to the Great Plague of London in 1665. (The first round of the bubonic plague hit England in the 1300s, however.)The symptoms of the plague included a rosy, red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin. Pockets and pouches were filled with herbs (or posies), which were carried because people thought bad odors transmitted the disease."Ashes, ashes," refers to the cremation of those who died from the plague. The death rate of more than 60 percent was stopped by the Great Fire of London, which killed many rats that helped carry the disease.There has been some dispute to this theory, but I prefer to believe it.Here’s a refresher in this rhyme: "Ring around the rosy. Pockets full of posies. Ashes, ashes! We all fall down!"

After staging countless interviews with Adrian cross country mentor Doug Petersen during his entire 20-year run as head coach, I always considered him to be a pretty level-headed individual.However, when I was prodding him for information for our Fall Sports special section in August, I thought Petersen might be losing his grip on reality.During this particular interview, Petersen was pointed in his opinion.He said both the AHS girls’ and boys’ teams had similar goals of qualifying for the state meet, and Petersen was confident the teams would reach that goal.Right about then, I started questioning his sanity.I realized the Dragons were returning talented individuals to both teams, but I couldn’t absorb Petersen’s expectations of sending both teams to Northfield at that time.I thought to myself, how can two teams that finished fourth at the section meet in 2004 expect to make it to state this year? It just didn’t make any sense to me.Well, I now stand corrected.After watching the state championships unfold in Northfield Saturday, I realized Petersen wasn’t setting unrealistic goals for his athletes. He knew way back in August that he was in charge of one of the state’s best cross country programs. I just was too stupid to realize that he wasn’t pulling my leg.While the AHS boys deserve credit for placing eighth in a competitive 16-team field, it was the Dragon girls who stole the show by capturing the school’s first state championship as a team.With just two of the seven runners possessing prior state meet experience, the Adrian girls were not the most battle-tested team in the Class A field. The Dragons simply were the best team in Class A … period."This group of girls never ceases to amaze me," Petersen said of his state champions."They’ve grasped everything we’ve tried to accomplish this year, and they are a very team-oriented group. I’ve told these kids many times that I’ve been coaching for 20 years, and right now I’ve probably got six or seven of the best dozen athletes I’ve ever had.""The thing about these girls is that they’re very competitive," he continued. "They hate to lose, even to each other. Our order of finish has changed from meet to meet with these kids, so they are very competitive within our own ranks. They run well as a team, and they’re not too afraid to run against each other."The scary thing is, the Dragons could become an even better team in the future.Barring some unforeseen misfortune, the entire championship team will be back next fall.Petersen will not take anything for granted, but he does think the AHS girls can be a cross country force again next year. "We’ll just have to reload our guns and see what happens next year," he said.Based on a talk I listened to between coach and runners after Saturday’s meet, I think the girls are already looking forward to next season."Do you girls want to do this dance again next year?" Petersen asked, after posing for a picture with the state champions.The response Petersen received was a resounding "Yes!"Kudos to the CardsWhile it was the Adrian girls who returned home with the championship trophy, don’t overlook Luverne Cardinals’ accomplishments at the state meet.Thomas Pinkal, who made the All-State Team by placing 20th overall, is the perfect example of what a person with desire can accomplish.After finishing 72nd at the state meet last year, Pinkal worked hard all summer and fall to earn a spot among the state’s elite runners on Saturday.Way to go, Thomas!All the Luverne girls did was make their fourth straight appearance at the state meet and turn in a program-best fifth-place effort.Luverne loses a quality senior in Kelsey Dooyema, but the Cards have enough returning talent (including three-time All-State runner Lexi Heitkamp) to reach the state meet again in 2005.Congratulations to all the runners who represented the Star Herald coverage area well in Northfield. You all should be proud of what you’ve achieved.

At this time of the year I get downright giddy. Why, you ask? Well, because it’s time for the annual South Dakota pheasant hunting trip. For those of you who haven’t ever hunted pheasant in South Dakota, you may not understand my giddiness, and for those of you who have walked behind your canine hunting companion waiting for the next rooster to flush, you understand.About 10 years ago my hunting buddies and I happened upon pheasant hunting paradise near Winner, S.D. Needless to say, we have returned every year since. Over the years, nine different dogs have made the trip with us. This year, two rookie dogs will make the trip along with four veteran dogs. One of those veteran dogs is Hunter, my chocolate lab. He has been with me on all of the trips, and there are signs this year’s trip may be his last. I am looking forward to this year’s trip for — of all things — Hunter’s sake. For 12 hunting seasons Hunter and I have shared countless memorable hours in the field together. I owned both of Hunter’s parents so he has been a part of our family since day one. Hunter and I have put in a fair number of hunting hours this fall preparing for this year’s South Dakota trip. The hundred, if not thousand, miles that Hunter has logged flushing birds for me over the years have taken their toll. Yet he isn’t ready to quit. Old dogs, like old hunters, don’t cover as much ground as we once did so we try to hunt smarter.Of the six dogs making the trip this year, Hunter is the elder statesman. He’ll be the first in the field and try to be the last one out. He has learned to pace himself and doesn’t waste energy like his younger, less experienced canine hunting underlings.Yet not long into the day’s hunt he’ll be winded and will have a hard time catching his breath. As I help him back into his kennel, he’ll tilt his head up at me and we make eye contact. We pause for a moment and it’s as if he is saying, "Thanks for the help, partner." It breaks my heart to see this dog doing what he loves for what may be the last time.I can sense Hunter knows the end is near and he isn’t about to give up yet. As long as he wants to hunt, I’ll be there at the end of the day to help him back into the kennel, and this time when our eyes meet, I’ll be the one saying, "Thanks for the memories."

Playing bingo with the goal of winning a turkey has never been high on my to-do list. Well, honestly, I must admit that I didn’t even know such an event existed until last year.Last November I was sitting at my desk in Luverne, creating advertisements for the Announcer, when paperwork for the Hills American Legion turkey bingo night came across my desk.I took great care in building the ad – after all, it was for my town’s Legionnaires and I wanted it to stand out in the paper.That day when I arrived home from work, I promptly told David, my husband, that we would be spending Saturday night downtown at the American Legion winning a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.Even as I type the sentence, it doesn’t make much sense; but the idea, however novel, seemed brilliant to me. I wanted my family’s Thanksgiving feast to come from playing bingo.When Saturday night came, David was still unsure of the idea, as was I. I didn’t think they were going to be giving away turkeys — maybe coupons for turkeys, or a discount on a turkey, but not real turkeys. My husband was on board because it was bingo and he has always had a fondness for games of chance.When we arrived at turkey bingo, we selected chairs off in the far corner. We were still very new in town, and separating ourselves from the folks we had not met seemed like the easiest way for us to concentrate on our bingo cards – after all, we wanted to be winners.The gaming started promptly at 7 p.m. and following the first cry of "Bingo!" all my dreams were confirmed – they really were giving away turkeys.Not just one turkey, but lots of turkeys. Every winner would get a whole frozen turkey that night.Knowing this turned up the heat on my desire to be a winner — I WANTED A TURKEY.When the next game started, we doubled our efforts, playing two cards each. There were about 25 people playing, so our chances of getting a bingo seemed pretty good.An hour passed and still no bingo for the Moore house. I was starting to run out of money, I had drunk three cups of coffee and eaten my share of goodies during the first 10 games. So I had to scale back our operation a bit. We no longer could afford to play two cards apiece.As we watched other families stand up and scream "Bingo!" or politely raise their arm and whisper, "I think I may have bingo," we noticed a trend. In one corner of the room, a group of visitors from the Elbers and Bush families kept winning all of the turkeys.Well, maybe not all of the turkeys, but I bet they took home enough poultry that night to feed the entire family for the month of December.I guess they had a hot stack of bingo cards and ours were all duds. The evening eventually came to an end without my getting to even pretend I had a bingo.I had taken my camera with me to the event thinking I could capture some exciting bingo moments on film – but I must have become so bitter by my struggles that I didn’t get any pictures.I probably complained about the night a bit to my family over the holidays – since I had promised to bring the main course and arrived empty-handed. Following that, I don’t think I have thought about it since, until…Monday night when I was driving to the compost pile, my husband noticed a sign in front of Orv’s that said,Turkey BingoSaturday NightAmerican Legion7-9I will be there on Saturday night, and I plan on bringing home a turkey. In fact, I don’t want to bring home just one turkey for Thanksgiving this year. I want to win two turkeys. That will give me a spare to keep around for Christmas dinner as well.The Veterans in our area stumbled upon a wonderful idea with turkey bingo. They put on the event the day after Veterans Day for a reason. I encourage families in the area to show up on Saturday with a fistful of dollars and a mindset for fun.Our area veterans deserve our support and they are kind enough to provide us entertainment and nourishment in the process.I don’t even eat turkey, but I sure would like to have this year’s Thanksgiving turkey handed to me by one of America’s heroes. Story ideas or comments can be emailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.

MINUTES OF THE HILLS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITYOCTOBER 11, 2005Linus Svoboda, President of the Hills EDA, called the meeting to order at 7:15 P.M. with the following Board members present: Linus Svoboda, Keith Elbers, Ross Metzger, Jim Jellema, and Pete Hoff. Others present: Connie Wiertzema, EDA Secretary; Joanne Goehle, EDA Treasurer; and Lexi Moore, Reporter-Hills Crescent.Motion by Elbers, seconded by Hoff to approve the minutes of September 13th. Motion carried. Motion by Jellema, seconded by Metzger to approve payment of the September expenditures. Motion carried.Elbers informed the Board that the party purchasing Southern Hills Condos units will view the units on October 20th, and close on units #500 and #502 on October 21st. The closing date for unit #506 will be in November. Motion by Jellema, seconded by Hoff to transfer donated funds from Keith Elbers, a percentage from the sale of the two condo units (#500 & #502), toward the City’s park fund. Motion carried. No further business, meeting adjourned at 7:30 P.M./s/ Connie J. WiertzemaConnie J. WiertzemaEDA Secretary(11-10)

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE HILLS CITY COUNCILOCTOBER 11, 2005Mayor Jim Jellema called the meeting to order at 6:02 P.M. with the following Council members present: Jim Jellema, Linus Svoboda, Keith Elbers, Pete Hoff and Ross Metzger. Employees present: Joanne Goehle, City Treasurer; Connie Wiertzema, City Clerk; and Wayne Ward, City Maintenance. Guests; Lexi Moore-Hills Crescent. Motion by Elbers, seconded by Hoff to approve payment of the September expenditures: General $60,735.31; Park $2,412.95; Fire $968.09; Street $2,740.91; Legion $901.74; Sewer $1,753.63; Garbage $2,962.22; Recycling $842.84; Water $5,068.83; Baseball $74.34; Softball $24.93. Motion carried.General Checking 28,012.89General Fund CD#18924, 3.55%, 6/9/05 (prev. #18614) 246,637.06General Fund CD#19056 (prev. #188764) 4.25%, 9/15/06 122,287.95Fire Truck Replacement Fund CD#18647 cashed in May 2005 0.00Hills EDA Security Deposit Account 1,938.48Hills EDA Checking - Acct. #1248 2,343.61Southern Hills Condo Acct. #1263 (248.89)EDA CD#18870, 3.25%, 5/7/06 75,630.77Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Metzger to approve the Treasurer’s report. Motion carried. Additional information for Nick Klein’s building permit: the fence will be 80’ from the edge of the alley and 42’ from the street.The Council refused to rent out storage space for feed supplies. Elbers will obtain estimates to install tile in the city’s property in Park View Third Addition. The Council instructed city maintenance to install fencing around the recycling buildings. The Council denied a request to purchase an additional mower. The city maintenance department was instructed to store the handicap dock inside the maintenance building during the winter months. Motion by Elbers, seconded by Metzger to contract with Meulebroeck, Taubert & Co. for auditing city records, not to exceed $3,650, $3,760 and $3,880 for years 2005 through 2007. Motion carried. Motion by Hoff, seconded by Metzger to pay the DRG, Mechanical bill for the installation of a water line to Alan Leenderts new home. Motion carried. An estimate from Connie Cole is forthcoming for painting the post office and American Legion building. Motion by Svoboda, seconded by Hoff to adopt a resolution to assess the street improvement costs for Sixth Street in Park View Third Addition; and South Elizabeth Avenue in Park View First Addition; and also for outstanding utility and property cleanup costs. Motion carried. The Council will not insure the handicap dock; the premium is estimated at $118 per year. The November regular meeting is rescheduled for November 7th at 6:00 P.M., due to Election Day on the 8th. Due to the misplacement of an abstract for the property that Rod Verhey purchased for $1.00 from the City, property located at 220 South Main Avenue, the Council will contact Verhey to discuss options for resolving this matter. Motion by Elbers, seconded by Metzger to refund a utility deposit to Dave and Lexi Moore. Motion carried. Motion by Metzger, seconded by Hoff to increase garbage and recycling rates $1.00 each, effective Jnuary 1, 2006. Recycling rates will increase from $2.00 to $3.00, and garbage rates from $4.00 to $5.00 per month. Motion carried.No further discussion, meeting adjourned at 7:15 P.M./s/ Connie J. WiertzemaConnie J. WiertzemaCity Clerk(11-10

10 years ago (1995)"In a special meeting last Monday night, building committee members brought their proposal before a full H-BC Board of Education. The board voted 6-1 in favor of sending building/remodeling plans to a public bond election with an estimated project cost around 5.5 million dollars. Ronald Crawford voted against the motion." 25 years ago (1980)"Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Goehle drove to Marshall Saturday to watch 14 college area girls basketball teams in a scrimmage. Leanne’s team from Augustana was a participating team." 50 years ago (1955)"Hills’ four building projects made excellent progress the past week. … Remolding work on the school is progressing; Chuck’s Champlin Service Station is nearing completion; Herman’s ‘66’ Service is also taking shape nicely; and the Village’s share of the building program in Hills has just about been completed, as the new pumphouse and pipelines for the new well are connected to the existing system."75 years ago (1930)"The Hills auditorium is capable of holding a large crowd and every seat was taken last Friday night to see the school play "Sonny-Jane." Miss Gladys Greehling is to be commended for getting the three-act play down to such fine points, and goes to show what students can do when they are prompted by an efficient instructor."100 years ago (1905)"Otto Paulsen of Steen is busy hauling lumber for a new barn and other improvements on the place he recently purchased out here."

Audrey and Dick Heidenson, Hills, had quite the exciting month of October while vacationing in the Chicago, Ill., area. They left Hills on Wednesday, Oct. 5, and returned home on Monday, Oct. 31. First they visited with friends and family in the Chicago area and attended Dick’s 62nd high school reunion. Approximately 200 people, including spouses, attended the reunion and Dick and Audrey really enjoyed the get-together. From there, they traveled to the Boston area and spent time visiting their nephew, Rick Swanborg and family. Oct. 22nd found them back in Apple Valley at their daughter’s home, Jan (Heidenson) and Mark Ausland, ready to celebrate Audrey’s 80th birthday. The day was great and everyone made it back to Apple Valley to celebrate with Audrey except one grandchild. The evening of Audrey’s birthday found Dick not feeling too well. Dick then ended up taking an ambulance ride to St. Paul on Saturday, Oct. 22, Audrey’s birthday, to the hospital. On Monday, Oct. 24, Dick underwent a heart angiogram and angioplasty. He was able to leave the hospital on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and they returned home to Hills on Monday, Oct. 31. Dick is doing fine now, I am glad to say, and this was one birthday Audrey will never forget. Looking on the bright side, as Audrey stated, "Needless to say, we saw a lot of family either way, at the party and at the hospital." Happy Birthday, Audrey, and get well, Dick! Alice Kolsrud celebrated her Nov. 3rd birthday with family on Friday, Nov. 4. Harlan and Bonnie Kolsrud of Worthington and David Kolsrud of Beaver Creek took their mother out to dinner at the Red Lobster in Sioux Falls. They all shared a special evening together. Happy Birthday, Alice!Kathryn and Wendell Erickson traveled to Eden Prairie on Friday, Oct. 28, and attended the confirmation of their granddaughter, Krista Gilman, on Sunday, Oct. 30, at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church. Krista’s parents, Anna (Erickson) and Mike Gilman hosted the family get-together in Krista’s honor. Also attending the confirmation party were the following children of Kathryn and Wendell’s: Kirsten Erickson, Sioux Falls, S.D., Margaret Erickson, Worthington, Charles Erickson, Waconia, and Hans and Susan Erickson and family of Eagan. They all had a very good day and enjoyed celebrating in Krista’s honor. Congratulations, Krista!Three-year-old Colby Hadler was able to spend Saturday, Nov. 5, with his grandma, Joanne Goehle. Colby lives in Edgerton and is the son of Brenda (Goehle) and Mark Hadler. Colby keeps grandma busy and Joanne finds him totally delightful!I would like to say "Thank You" to everyone who helped make the Tuff Bazaar on Nov. 5 so great! It takes many people and lots of hard work on your part. Again, thank you for all of your work. Thank you to Diane and Eugene, owners of the Hills Donatello’s Café, for their contribution to the raffle drawings at the Tuff Bazaar, which I was lucky enough to win one of. I would like to thank not only Diane and Eugene, but everyone who contributed prizes, food, handmade items and time and love to making the Bazaar so great!Sunday, Nov. 6, Joanne Goehle and son Tom traveled to Tyler for the confirmation of Joanne’s grandson, Andrew Carmany, at First English Lutheran Church. Andrew is the son of Steve and Leanne (Goehle) Carmany. Steve is also the minister of the church where son Andrew was confirmed. Leanne teaches high school in Lake Benton. Congratulations, Andrew. I would like to remind everyone that the "Hills Local News" for the Nov. 24 Thanksgiving issue needs to be called to me by Wednesday, Nov. 16, to make the Thanksgiving issue. So, come on, everyone out there, give me a call before Nov. 17, leave a message if you need to, and I will call back. Thank you!

Hermina Mulder, 94, Ellsworth, died Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005, at the Hospice Cottage in Luverne. Services were Friday, Nov. 4, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Maurice E. Hagen officiated. Burial was in Luverne Memorial Gardens, rural Luverne.Hermina Meester was born to Dan and Agnes (Buss) Meester on Aug. 29, 1911, in Lyon County near Rock Rapids, Iowa. She married Henry Mulder on Nov. 28, 1933, at Worthington. They lived their entire married life on several different farms in the Minnesota and South Dakota areas. They farmed near Adrian until 1941 when they moved to Garretson, S.D., where they farmed the next 16 years. In 1978 they moved near Steen where they lived the past 20 years. In 1998 shortly after her husband died, she moved to Centennial Apartments in Luverne until she moved to Parkview Manor in Ellsworth. Two weeks ago she was admitted to Sioux Valley Hospice in Luverne. Mrs. Mulder enjoyed farm life, working side by side with her husband. She also enjoyed milking cows, growing beautiful violets, crocheting and knitting and having her family over for special occasions and Sunday dinners. Survivors include three sons, Ron (Betty) Mulder, Duane (Joyce) Mulder, all of Luverne, and Ervis Mulder, Canton, S.D.; six grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and one brother, Harold Meester, Huxley, Iowa. Mrs. Mulder was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Henry, and three sisters. Roste Funeral Home, Hills, was in charge of arrangements.