Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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This is the time of year I'm thoroughly tired of gardening. I'm ready for it to be finished. The wheat crop is all in the bins, the trees are turning color and dropping leaves like crazy, and I'm over it. Fall doesn't fill me with hope and enthusiasm like spring does. The dahlias and gladiola bulbs have all been dug. They've been drying in the garage for a few days. Soon I'll cut the tops of them and layer them atop and between old burlap potato sacks in the Styrofoam cooler I've used for them...
I had a a few weeks off from writing, which has really helped me without my having to ask for it. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the John Deere Trac, running the grain cart while Dennis runs the combine. The houseplants had already been gathered together on the front deck, in the shade of the Virginia creeper that has grown up on the south side. I’d done that over a few mornings before heading out to the fields in order to make watering them easier. I didn’t have to drag the hose all over the yard in my limited time before becoming the ...
Scottie 2020 pride buttons are now available for purchase to support the Glasgow Scotties during Homecoming and beyond. Buttons are $10 each or only $5 to renew last year’s button. Money raised during the sales will go towards bringing tournaments and the Saskatoon Police Pipe Band to Glasgow when they are able to attend. During Spirit Week, there will also be two cash drawings held Monday through Thursday for a chance to win $200 each and on Friday there will be two cash drawings for a chance to win $500 each. You do not need to be present t...
Editor's Note: This column was submitted to us on Aug. 31. The making of another frosting used up the remainder of my fresh raspberries. The following recipe was finally tested and is definitely a keeper. I’m using it for graham cracker “sandwich cookies”, as well as on a dark chocolate cake. The cupcake recipe I recently shared also makes a fine 9x13” cake. Chocolate and raspberries really do go well together. Cream cheese makes a frosting so much richer, too, don’t you think? Fresh Raspberry Frosting 1 C raspberries (fresh OR frozen) 2...
A.J. ETHERINGTON THE COURIER The Valley County Fair made its way to Valley View Home last week to bring the festivities to residents who remain largely isolated from the outside world amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Valley View's activities director Terri Wedel told the Courier that back in May she was having a discussion with a few residents as they talked about the things they looked forward to over the summer that they would likely miss this year. "We had many topics from farming, ranching,...
Budding entrepreneur Oakleigh Trott chose one of the hottest weeks of the summer to set up shop in front of her house. Selling $0.50 lemonade one cup at a time, she amassed quite the business "Ya, I've had to buy more supplies a whole bunch of times" says Oakleigh, age 7. Oakleigh decided that instead of spending her money on toys or something special for herself, she would donate all her earnings to the Valley County Community Pool Fundraiser. "When I thought about what to do with the money, I...
First off, I'm offering a confession: my gardening skills are not up to par this year. I'm feeling rather disappointed in my efforts this year. I don't know if it is because it's 2020 (the whole Covid-19 thing, killer insects running amok, the politics, etc) or if it is just my age slowing me down. I'm just not getting as much satisfaction out of growing flowers and vegetables as I normally would. I never got around to sprinkling granular fertilizer over the ground before planting. I haven't add...
This week's column will be almost all recipes. I'm using up my remaining raspberries without just freezing them 'as is'. Save these winners for next summer. They'll be worth it, I promise! I'm in between Whole Life Challenge sessions (the next one starts the day after Dennis' birthday, yay), so I'm back to using regular flour and real sugar for the next six weeks. No need to look for almond flour or fake sugars. First up, I made these bars, but I'll warn you right away, where it says "ungreased...
While I’m still harvesting a few raspberries, they are definitely at the tail end of their capacity to produce appreciable numbers for this summer. A few of the canes may flower again and attempt a second crop, but those berries will succumb to the first frosts if the usual pattern holds. And I’m thinking about possible frosts since our temperature dipped below 40° this Monday morning. Sunday morning was also quite chilly up here just south of the border. I don’t want to contemplate the coming of winter, but it is what it is. Naturally, my gre...
I'm still spending all the hours of every morning picking raspberries. They just keep on ripening and requiring picking. I'll go around the outer edges of the long rows one day, and then through the center between the two thick rows the next. Then repeat. Sundays are skipped. I believe I have enough berries frozen to last through the long winter months, so others are now benefiting from my largesse. The local cafe should soon have jam. Several of my church families had containers of berries to...
I could get used to only writing a column every other week. The Courier hasn't had room for my drivel a couple of times lately, so I've enjoyed those "free" Mondays. The problem is remembering which Monday is the one I need to sit down and put pen to paper. (The polishing occurs when I rewrite this using my iPad - if you can call my finished work polished.) The heat has arrived, along with less rain. This means I have been putting the drip system to work, watering half the garden at a time....
“Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow?” “Like an out-of-control jungle, that’s how!” (I’ve resisted working this little jingle into my column for years, and aren’t you sorry I finally succumbed?) In place of silver bells and cockleshells, I have sunflowers, moon flowers, baby’s breath, bachelor buttons, and zinnias planted. They’re supposed to draw in bees, and I have seen bumblebees stumbling along the ground. The flowers are being slow to produce blooms. I hope these hot, sunny days give them a huge boost in growth. All th...
First off, let me apologize for taking a week off from writing about gardening. We had a family gathering to celebrate a 90th birthday. It took a week to properly fete the birthday girl. There wasn't much gardening done during that week. Now I feel like I'm running way behind. I do believe every single seed pod that fell from from the Chinese elm tree that overhangs the garden was viable. They've sprouted with abandon between the rows and also with precision alongside every wanted vegetable I'd...
Editor’s Note: This column was submitted to us on June 7. Due to space in the past few issues of the Courier, this column was held. I’m still enjoying fresh rhubarb and asparagus, but not together of course! I still haven’t made a rhubarb pie, but I did make a sugar-free, wheat flour-free rhubarb crisp, so as to be compliant with the Whole Life Challenge nutritional plan. I used almond flour and coconut palm sugar. That sweetener is dark, like brown sugar, so the dessert wasn’t as pretty as other rhubarb crisps, but it was tasty. I’ll try a dif...
Another busy week has been competed, with a lot accomplished. First off, almost all my houseplants have been moved outside. The hoya vine and the mother spiderplant don’t go out. I’m loathe to disturb them and possibly lose them. Don’t tell my other plants, but they’re rather expendable. My aloe veras (two huge pots) have been busy multiplying and need to be split, as does my snake plant. Those are on the agenda. There are a couple of cacti from Arizona I should split. One of those is an agave, but I won’t ever attempt to make tequila w...
It's very easy to lose track of time now, isn't it? In farming, one day is much like another, so holidays tend to sneak up on us. I let this Memorial Day ambush me, especially since there wasn't a program for which I needed to play piano. Sure, I'd seen all the references to applauding our military members, appreciating the sacrifices of our veterans for the rest of us, but I kept thinking I had another week before the actual day of honor for them arrived. So I'm apologizing to the staff of the...
We’re almost finished seeding the wheat crop. I hope that’s finished by the time we get our mailed copy of the Courier. We’ve been watching the forecast, and so we decided to work on Sunday (a rarity for us). That’s thrown me off schedule, because now Monday (deadline day) doesn’t “feel” like Monday. It’s as though I’m still waiting for the weekend and that day of rest. (It should have felt like a Sunday, though. The winds were fierce, as has become usual for Sundays lately.) Speaking of farming, I’d like to remind everyone to please slow down...
Some planting has been done up north, both in the garden and out in the wheat fields. Dennis finished pre-working the many, many acres that will be seeded (and fertilized) this summer. He's now started up the air seeder. There was a slight delay between those two operations due to the .41" of rain last Friday. He says he'll be "self-isolated" in the tractor for the next two weeks. That leaves me with plenty of time to do my thing. Of course, I get interrupted regularly: he'll need my help to...
Small communities enjoy the comradely of shared history and traditions. They remain strong through ideals of generations of families sharing similar values, secrets, traditions, triumphs and tragedy. These communities are enhanced through the years as family trees branch with the introduction of spouses or business people. These "recruits" bring with them new ideas, their own traditions and create a dynamic society that grows and thrives. The Hinsdale High School Class of 2020 has only four...
We've finally had several nice days up here in the way-beyond middle-of-nowhereland. That has allowed lots of outside work to be completed. The garden space has been worked, despite a slight mishap with the garden tiller. Note to self: when turning the little garden tractor sharply, remember the tiller attachment on the back swings farther out in the opposite direction of your turn. AND having the tines rotating at a rapid clip means they will grab the strip of old truck tarp that's suppressing...
For years I have ignored Dennis' many farming magazines and newsletters. I have separated the pages of the newsprint ones to use the sheets to line the garbage cans and for washing windows. Newsprint is wonderful for cleaning glass, leaving a lint- and streak-free finish. Of course, they leave your hands black, but hands are very washable. Just use lots of soap and a soft-bristle nail brush (and/or soak in bleach or lemon water, depending on which smell you want left behind), then use lots of lo...
Closing the Glasgow City-County Library was difficult, but important to keep people safe during this challenging time. Undoubtedly, it has had a huge impact on our patrons and community. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve and change, the library is working on ways to safely provide services as we begin to reopen in phases at some point in the future. The Valley County Friends of the Library will be providing free grab-and-go bags Thursday, April 23, and Friday, April 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the library, 408 3rd Ave. S....
While the calendar says it’s spring, there’s still the occasional snowflake swirling down, at least up north. I wish Mother Nature would update her calendar to match ours. The sky is blue and the sun is shining as I write this Monday morning, and the temperature is well above freezing. What few snowdrifts remain are slowly melting away. The howling winds are assisting with that. Most of the seeds I started are sprouting, which is encouraging. However, some of the starter pots are showing no signs of activity, which isn’t. Okra was the first...