It looks like our long dry spell has come to a halt. I can’t remember for sure but it seems like it was Wednesday when we had that loud crash of thunder followed by a heavy downpour of long hoped for rain. It was just what we need to wash things off from the long cold winter and soften up the ground so things will start growing. We can be thankful for that loud clap of thunder and the rain that followed as it seems that all of the moisture we have received lately are light showers which arrive most every day but they dry up very rapidly. We can be grateful for them as they kept things growing. Most of the crops are in and things are looking up for the farmers. And with the positive attitude of our farmers they are all ready figuring how many bushels of corn to the acre they will have. What a wonderful world this would be if we could all maintain their attitude of "Things will be better next year!" Pete and Trudy Teune attended the wedding of their grandson, John Wayne Teune and Tammi Nicole Swenson, at Green Bay, Wis., on Saturday, May 15. John is the son of Rick and Judy Teune. Dries and Laura May Bosch attended a commencement party in honor of Ashley Cox at the home of her parents, Allen and Cindy Cox, Adrian. Allen is the son of Laura May’s sister, Kay Cox of Adrian.Laura Paulsen, Hills, and Bernice Aukes attended a bridal shower Saturday afternoon in the home of Karen Sandager in honor of Erin Crawford (bride-to-be of Michael Brandt) on Oct. 2. Erin is the daughter of Mary and Clair Crawford. Congratulations to them!Graduation exercises will be at 7 p.m. Friday, May 28, for the seniors of Hills-Beaver Creek High School. Those graduating from the Steen area are Erin Boeve, Jeremy Elbers, Kristen Harsma, Dylan Klarenbeek, Lee Jackson, Melinda Sandstede, Drew Spykerboer and Trey Van Wyhe. Congratulations and best wishes to them. Sunday afternoon callers in the home of Henrietta Boeve were her daughter and husband, Pete and Judy Boeve, Sioux Falls.I can hardly believe it but the last day of the 2003-04 school year will be on Friday, May 28. Best wishes for a fun filled summer for both students and teachers. It will be fall before we know it.Memorial Day services will be at 9 a.m. Monday, May 31, at the American Legion Hall in Hills. Everyone is welcome. Vacation Bible School will be from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning on Monday, June 7, through Friday, June 11. Note the changes in time. Students are asked to bring a sack lunch. Mildred Paulsen attended a workshop sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Health in collaboration with other programs in the Nobles County Courthouse on Monday. Topics included high blood pressure, causes and treatments of hypertension, and diabetes. Inspiration Hills Auxiliary will host a Memorial Day summer kick-off fund-raiser. Activities include games for kids, walks, rides, silent auction, evening meal and the Praise Band from Sioux Falls. Supper will be served from 4 to 6 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Memorial Day will soon be here. It is a very special day set aside for all of us to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us as well as those who have given their lives for our country and the freedoms we all enjoy. Memorial Day, the first day of our summer holidays, means we will turn to our favorite pursuits — picnicking, boating, mingling with the crowds at the racetrack, or the ballpark, puttering in the yard, or lazing in the sun. It began as Decoration Day when garlands were placed on the graves of the Civil War dead. It became Memorial Day and an occasion for America to honor those who gave their lives in all wars. It has continued with solemn ceremonies in cemeteries across the land with parades of school children proudly carrying American flags. On this day families decorate the graves of those whose memory they cherish.Yes, we need to relax and enjoy the holiday, but let us not forget to display the Stars and Stripes in our yards, to take that journey to the cemetery with our tokens of geraniums and wreaths.Let us remember who we are and where we are. Americans in a free land with the power of self-determination and pause to honor those who have preserved our heritage!