Sunday morning blew in with very strong and very cold winds which had been predicted. I for one did not appreciate them. They continued to blow all of Sunday and Monday morning. However, they were predicting the temperatures would be warming up, and believe me, I am ready for that. With the wind that strong my house felt like I had forgotten to shut the windows, so I checked but no, they were closed! The winds were so cold even the leaves were huddled up against my deck and they also flew into my garage to get out of the cold wind. I had just cleaned my deck so I really didn’t appreciate their coming. I’m hoping they will leave soon with the wind so I won’t have to sweep them up again. All I could think about was this old poem that I learned many years ago. It began with, "The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow and what will the poor robin do then?" I don’t think the robins need to worry as I think they have gone to other winter homes. At this time the wind is still blowing and who knows what the weatherman has in store for us this time of year. We just have to hope for the best! The Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School Council and peer helpers will hold a roller skating party on Friday, Dec. 17, at the elementary gym. Those attending are to bring their own skates. If anyone has an extra pair of skates that are not being used, bring them also. Admission will be $1 per student. Orrin and Bernice Aukes and Mildred Paulsen joined the Friendship Club from United Methodist Church in Luverne Sunday noon for their Christmas dinner at Luverne Pizza Ranch. Their club meeting followed at the church. Melba Boeve, Betty Elbers, Carol Hoogeveen and Doris Blom joined a tour group that took them to Omaha, Neb., on Friday where they attended a concert by the Gaithers Friday evening. They returned home on Saturday. Mildred Keunen, Mary Jo Suzie and her mother, Millie Richals, Joyce and Jo Aykens attended the Singing Christmas Tree Concert at First Assembly of God Church in Sioux Falls on Saturday. Sunday afternoon guests in the Orrin Aukes home helped Orin to celebrate his birthday. Guests were Brian and Dan and Amy Fopma, Lisa Telford and daughter, Taylor Telford, all from Sioux Falls, and Jeff Aukes and friend Sheila Sarutski.The Little Patriot Academy will present their preschool Christmas program at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20, at the elementary school. The public is invited to attend.There was a Psalm and Hymn Sing at Tuff Home in Hills on Wednesday. Those taking part from Steen were Mildred Keunen, Malena Boeve and Jo Aykens.Steen Reformed Church will present their Sunday School Christmas program a 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 19, at the church. Everyone is welcome.Christmas is rapidly approaching! There will be no school Dec. 23 through Jan. 2. There will be an early dismissal on Wednesday, Dec. 22. School will resume on Jan. 3. Happy Holidays to all of the students, teachers, custodians and office personnel.Christmas is definitely in the air. Streets and homes are all beautifully decorated with lights and other things such as nativity scenes and, of course, Santa Claus. Christmas music fills the air. For a better description I am going to share with you these words about "Christmas Magic" written by Sylvia J. Green."Christmas Magic fills the air,With people shopping everywhere. With holiday songs being sung, And tinseled trees neatly strung. This and the scene of Bethlehem, Have People singing ‘Amen.’ For in a manger meek and mild, Lies a little babe, mankind’s child; A gift sent from the Father above, Teaching us His meaning of loveO’er all the world this scene takes place.No matter what religion or race,For be it Santa or the son of man,A Holy Merry Christmas is His plan.

© 2004 Carole R. Achterhof Forgetfulness is a human condition. Even though Dorothy Parker contended, "Women and elephants never forget," we all do it. With the hectic schedules of today it’s easy to forget appointments, where we parked the car or even that last batch of cookies, now burned to a crisp in the oven. However, if you will pardon the expression, forgetting to have a baby seems like an inconceivable idea. Last month a 57-year-old woman from New York became the oldest American ever to give birth to twins. According to the media, the woman, a motivational speaker, said she had always wanted children, but "her career kept her too busy." In other words, she forgot. She apparently forgot to put that particular activity, giving birth, on her list of things to do. In her defense, it should be noted that forgetting to have babies appears to be a growing trend in our country. Much has changed since 50 years ago, when people would joke about young women going off to college to receive their "Mrs. degrees". Many of those young women, Mrs. degrees or even bachelors’ degrees in hand, would settle down in suburbia, raise their families and put any possibility of a career on a back burner. Now it’s increasingly common for young women to place their careers first. It’s as though they first want to succeed in the workplace, travel the world, and own the best clothing, cars and houses. It’s only when they reach 50 or 55 that they begin asking themselves, "Now what am I forgetting? Oh, yes! I was going to have a baby!" The mother in New York brushes off suggestions that it might be unwise to have children so late in life. "What you lack in energy," she said, "you make up for in wisdom." That may sound good on paper, but trying to catch a naked toddler as he races out the door, or turning 63 and sending a first-grader off to school in the early morning with 35 freshly baked cupcakes might require more than wisdom. In all fairness perhaps we should explore the advantages of becoming a first time, menopausal mother. For starters, if women would put off having their first children until they are eligible for retirement, they could look fantastic in a two-piece bikini on any public beach for at least five decades. In the delivery room, while in the throes of labor, they could turn to their husbands and scream, "I’ll never go through this again!", and mean it. They wouldn’t have to worry about friends and neighbors asking, "When are you going to have another baby?", because those people will still be in shock over the first bundle of joy. Baby showers and golden anniversaries could be combined activities, a real plus for people who dislike stringing up crepe paper streamers and inflating balloons. The new parents wouldn’t have to worry about grandparents spoiling their child. Think about it. As the new baby’s teeth would grow in at the same time the new parents are losing theirs, it would be possible to buy baby food by the case lots at any discount warehouse store. Imagine the savings! Last but not least, if the timing is right, Medicare might pick up the expenses.

10 years ago (1994)"Former publisher of the Hills Crescent Roy V. Hanson died last week on Dec. 6 at the age of 85 years. Hanson, a resident of Hills since 1910, began working at the Hills Crescent at the age of 12 years old. He learned the trade from his father, Adolph Hanson.In 1939 he took over the business after his father passed away. He ran the local newspaper until 1943 when he was called to serve in the U.S. Navy, at which time the Crescent ceased operation for the next six months …" 25 years ago (1979)"The Beaver Creek Area Jaycees are sponsoring a New Year’s Eve dance, Tuesday, Dec. 31, at the Beaver Creek Community Hall."50 years ago (1954)"A local housewife was seen planting tulip bulbs outside her home Monday of this week, while across the street a neighbor was washing his car. What has California got that we haven’t got, except smog?"75 years ago (1929)"Hjalmer Astrup and Harold Qualley are home from Luther College. The former to spend the holidays at Rev. Theo. Rodsater and Harold to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O.G. Qualley."100 years ago (1904)"Mr. and Mrs. Sundberg and Mr. and Mrs. Smith moved to the new Hellie residence on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. This is a very commodious residence of six rooms with ample closets, and is very conveniently arranged. The residence is well located and is quite an addition to the southeast portion of Hills. Owing to the scarcity of residence property, the two families named will occupy the building jointly this winter."

10 years ago (1994)"Former publisher of the Hills Crescent Roy V. Hanson died last week on Dec. 6 at the age of 85 years. Hanson, a resident of Hills since 1910, began working at the Hills Crescent at the age of 12 years old. He learned the trade from his father, Adolph Hanson.In 1939 he took over the business after his father passed away. He ran the local newspaper until 1943 when he was called to serve in the U.S. Navy, at which time the Crescent ceased operation for the next six months …" 25 years ago (1979)"The Beaver Creek Area Jaycees are sponsoring a New Year’s Eve dance, Tuesday, Dec. 31, at the Beaver Creek Community Hall."50 years ago (1954)"A local housewife was seen planting tulip bulbs outside her home Monday of this week, while across the street a neighbor was washing his car. What has California got that we haven’t got, except smog?"75 years ago (1929)"Hjalmer Astrup and Harold Qualley are home from Luther College. The former to spend the holidays at Rev. Theo. Rodsater and Harold to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O.G. Qualley."100 years ago (1904)"Mr. and Mrs. Sundberg and Mr. and Mrs. Smith moved to the new Hellie residence on Wednesday and Thursday of last week. This is a very commodious residence of six rooms with ample closets, and is very conveniently arranged. The residence is well located and is quite an addition to the southeast portion of Hills. Owing to the scarcity of residence property, the two families named will occupy the building jointly this winter."

Lola Albertina Anna Jensen, 96, Hills, formerly of Luverne, died Monday, Dec. 13, 2004, at Luverne Community Hospital. Services were Wednesday, Dec. 15, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Revs. Dell B. Sanderson and Maurice E. Hagen officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne. Lola Johnson was born to William and Ricka (Straus) Johnson on Oct. 14, 1908, in Revillo, S.D. She was raised in Clear Lake, S.D., and moved with her family to a farm east of Ashcreek in 1926. She taught Sunday School in Ashcreek and lived and worked in Rock Rapids, Iowa. She later moved to Luverne and worked at Nelson Bros. Department Store. She married Morris Jensen on Feb. 28, 1937, in Luverne. She was a homemaker. She also worked at Creegers in Luverne. Mrs. Jensen was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. In her retirement, she volunteered many hours at Luverne Community Hospital where she was the first to receive 1,000 volunteer hours. She enjoyed teaching many people to crochet and sew. She was nominated for Rock County Senior Citizen of the Year.Survivors include one son, Bob Jensen, Sioux Falls. S.D.; three granddaughters, Kristin Jensen, Las Vegas, Nev., Brenda (Brian) Rieger, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Annette (Gene) Kamphaus, Nevis; three great-grandchildren, Zackery, Mickala and Katheran Kamphaus; and one son-in-law, Vern Christiansen, Hardwick. Mrs. Jensen was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Morris, in 1996, a daughter, Carol Christiansen, in 1997, one brother, Norval Kraetsch, and five sisters, Violet, Ruth, Mable, Charlet and Ione. Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Funeral services for Patricia Haan will be at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, at Hills United Reformed Church in Hills with the Rev. Doug Barnes officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation is one hour prior to he service on Friday at the church. Patricia R. Haan, 61, Flagstaff, Ariz., formerly of Edgerton, died Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2004, at her home in Flagstaff after a lingering illness. Services were Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Heritage Lifestory Funeral Home-Van’t Hof Chapel, Grand Rapids, Mich. Dr. Robert Godfrey of Westminster Seminary officiated. Pat Hendricks was born to Henry and Ella (Baker) Hendricks on Nov. 8, 1943, in Artesia, Calif. Her family later moved to Edgerton where she attended parochial school. She graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School, Grand Rapids, Mich. She married Richard Haan on Aug. 8, 1962, at the Christian Reformed Church in Edgerton. They then moved to Chicago and later Philadelphia.Survivors include her husband, Richard Haan, Flagstaff; three children, Richard K. (Nicole) Haan and their children, Shakayla and Jalen, Tuscon, Ariz., Brenda (Michael) Ankrom and their children, Jacob and John, Halfway, Mo., and Cynthia (Kolby) Garrison and their son Kaleb, Greenville, S.C.; her mother, Ella Hendricks, Jenison, Mich.; four brothers, John (Arlene) Hendricks, Grandville, Mich., Benjamin (Rosalyn) Hendricks, Wyoming, Mich., Russell (Susan) Hendricks, Grand Rapids, and Steven (Lucia) Hendricks, Jenison, and many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Seminary, 1725 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, Calif. 92027. You may read Mrs. Haan’s life story, leave a memory, make a contribution or order flowers by visiting www.lifestorynet.com

County announces Main Street projectRock County Engineer Mark Sehr announced this week a reconditioning project for Luverne’s Main Street.The reconstruction will run from Highway 75 to Blue Mound Avenue and will be completed during the 2005 construction season.According to Sehr, the project will include the removal of four inches of bituminous asphalt to the underlying concrete pavement, repair of any severely deteriorated concrete pavement area and replacement of some concrete curb and gutter where it has either deteriorated or sunk.Sehr said Main Street would not be closed during the project although there will be times when parking and traffic flow will be restricted.The Main Street project will not begin until after the Highway 75 project adjacent to the new Luverne Sioux Valley Hospital is open to traffic.That project is expected to begin in mid-May, putting the start of the Main Street makeover at approximately the end of July or early August.The reconditioning is expected to take approximately four to six weeks.Although the official detour for the Highway 75 project will go to the west of Luverne, it is expected that much of the local traffic will probably go east to Blue Mound Avenue and down to Main Street, so having them both torn up at the same time is a problem the county would like to avoid.CSFP to begin in DecemberA new program called Commodity Supplemental Food Program is scheduled to begin in Rock County this month.Government commodity supplemental food packages will be distributed to pre-registered, income-eligible pregnant or post-partum women, children up to age 6 and seniors.The program is administered by Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul and you must call there to pre-register.The first distribution is scheduled for Dec.22 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the American Legion in Luverne.Deadline for sign up is Dec. 13.Corn, beans and poplar trees?Could poplar trees soon be added to the list of crops local landowners make a living from?Starting Dec. 1 Minnesota landowners can tap into a new low-interest loan program offering help to those interested in growing short-rotation woody crops such as poplar trees for harvest.The program will be called Agroforestry Advance Loan Fund (AALF).The new revolving loan program is designed to deliver the environmental and economic benefits of poplar trees and other perennial cover crops or alternative crops.According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the new revolving loan program is designed to deliver the environmental and economic benefits of poplar trees and other perennial cover crops or alternative crops.According to the Department of Agriculture the interest in poplar trees has increased because they can be used for energy production in as little as five years and they can be used for paper, pulp, fiber or wood production in ten to fifteen years.The trees also provide environmental benefits such as reduced soil erosion and improved water and air quality.For more information on the program phone 320-253-4380 or at www.mda.state.mn.usYouth Services looking for help with their Angel TreeSouthwest Youth Services in Magnolia, formerly know as Pinnacle, has set up an Angel Tree for the youth in their facility.Southwest Youth Services in a press release said, "Even though these young people may have made some poor choices, they still need people in their lives who care about them. So, if you are interested in being a part of their holiday season, please stop by and pick an angel gift off the tree."For more information phone 507-283-4425.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

By Mark HaugenThe Dragons netted their first win of the season last week but dropped two other games as their record moves to 1-3."We’re hanging around but just not getting it done," Coach Randy Strand said.Adrian will host Fulda on Friday night and at MCC on Tuesday.SSC 53, Adrian 45Adrian couldn’t overcome 29 percent shooting from the field as SSC stayed undefeated last Thursday night.The Dragons, trailing 28-23 at halftime, were still within 46-43 but could get no closer."They finished down the stretch with a couple of hoops," Strand said. "It was a battle in and out all the way. We played okay, just didn’t finish well down the stretch."Kayla Bullerman led Adrian with 21 points. Kelly Banck had six points and eight rebounds, while Sam Lynn added nine points, eight assists and six rebounds.Adrian Box ScoreEmily Thier 0 2 0-0 6, Banck 1 1 1-2 6, Lynn 3 3-4 9, K. Bullerman 5 3 2-2 21, B. Bullerman 1 0-2 2, Loosbrock 0 1-2 1.Team Totals:FG Shooting: A 29 percent; SSC 43 percent. Rebounds: Adrian 27 (Banck 8, Lynn 6); SSC 42. Adrian 62, Edgerton 52The Dragons stormed to a 19-8 first quarter lead and held on for the victory.Sam Lynn tossed in 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had six assists for Adrian, as Kayla Bullerman added 14 points. Kelly Banck led with 12 rebounds."We got off to a pretty quick start and were knocking some shots down," Coach Randy Strand said. "We got a comfortable lead but they battled and battled."Edgerton pulled within 56-50 with 2:50 left in the game, but Bullerman knocked down six straight free throws to preserve the win for Adrian.Adrian Box ScoreEmily Thier 1 2 4-4 12, Banck 0 1-4 1, Sam Lynn 5 3 5-7 24, Reisdorfer 1 0-0 2, K. Bullerman 4 6-8 15, Runia 0 2-2 2, B. Bullerman 3 2-6 7.Team Totals:FG Shooting: A 18-57 for 32 percent; E 21-60 for 35 percent. FT Shooting: A 21-31; E 8-15. Rebounds: A 38 (Banck 12, Lynn 8; E 30. H-BC 50, Adrian 38Adrian committed a season-high 12 turnovers and shot just 6-14 from the free throw line.Kayla Bullerman led the Dragons with 16 points. Brittany Bullerman pulled down 10 rebounds, while Lynn dished 12 assists.Adrian Box ScoreJ. Bullerman 0 0-0 0, E. Thier 3 0-0 6, Banck 3 0-1 6, Lynn 2 5-8 9, K. Bullerman 8 0-0 16, B. Bullerman 2 1-3 5, Loosbrock 1 0-2 2.Team Totals:FG shooting: A 16 of 41 for 39 percent. Rebounds: A 27.

By Mark HaugenEllsworth bounced back from a season-opening loss to even its record at 1-1 last week.The Panthers lost 64-53 Thursday, Dec. 2, at Canby and came back with a 59-44 victory at Edgerton on Monday.Canby 64, Ellsworth 35The Panthers were pounded on the boards, getting outrebounded 21-39 and scored only 12 points in the middle two quarters."The first and last quarters were good but we stunk it up in the second and third," Coach Ken Kvaale said. "We had a lack of intensity, maybe some first-game jitters, but just really had some cold shooting."The Panthers hit only 2-12 shots in the second guard.Ben Herman and Cody Schilling led Ellsworth with a dozen points each. Herman had five rebounds and Schilling six assists.Ellsworth Box ScoreSchilling 5 2-3 12, Van Der Stoep 2 1 0-0 7, Herman 3 1 3-6 12, Kix 1 0-0 2.. Team Totals:Rebounds: E 21, C 39.Ellsworth 59,Edgerton 44The Panthers battled back from a 9-4 first-quarter deficit with the help of five 3-pointers in the second quarter and then cruised to the win.Schilling, a ninth-grader, scored 21 points and nabbed 20 rebounds for Ellsworth and also dished seven assists. Aaron Van Der Stoep was good for 18 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Weston DeBurg grabbed eight rebounds."It seemed like we worked harder," Kvaale said. "We came out in a zone press and tried to put some pressure on them. We didn’t get into it right away but then they did pretty well in the second quarter."Ellsworth committed only 10 turnovers.Ellsworth Box ScoreDeutsch 0 1 0-2 3, Kramer 2 0-1 4, Schilling 6 2 3-6 21, DeBerg 1 0-0 2, Van Der Stoep 3 3 3-5 18, Herman 3 1-2 7, Jansma 0 4-4 4.