After all the cold, wet and windy inclement weather we had this year, everyone was concerned about the farmers and their crops in the fields. However, the crops are looking great! The corn was knee high by the fourth of July. All of the other crops are doing well so all is well on the home front.Congratulations to Sid and Anna Mae Berghorst, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the Forrester Center in Rock Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday. You know summer has arrived when you hear that strong voice from the ball diamond giving the teams the word that it was time to "Play ball!" The Steen team has done this. Their first game of the season was Friday night, July 1, at the Steen ball diamond. The game began promptly at 8 p.m. They played Beaver Creek but do not have the score. Next week Steen will play at Sioux Center, Iowa. Hope to see you there.Overnight guests in the Winnie Scholten home on Sunday evening, July 3, were a former Steen area resident and a relative of Winnie’s, Marylin Scholten, and several of her friends from Michigan and Wisconsin. They left Monday morning to continue the tour they were taking.The Steen Senior Citizens had their July meeting Tuesday, July 5, at the Steen Community Building. Games were played and lunch was served. Weekend guests in the Art and Henrietta Boeve home were their daughter and son-in-law, Anita and Gregg Bosch, and their daughter, Mikayla, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Greg and Michelle VanWyhe and family and Glen and Ann Boeve. The Steen community was surprised to hear that the Jim Harsma family has moved from their home in Steen back to the Sandbulte farm near Hills. Steen residents will miss them but wish the best for them. Art and Henrietta Boeve attended a Boeve family reunion at the Hull, Iowa, park on Monday, July 4. Also attending were Greg and Michele VanWyhe and children and Glen and Ann Boeve. Guest Day at United Methodist Church in Luverne will begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. The speaker is Jerry Carl, CEO at Sioux Valley Luverne Medical Center. Steen Reformed Church will sponsor "An Evening in the Park" Sunday, July 10. There will be special music and ice cream bars. It is a very nice evening and everyone is welcome!Everyone gets so excited when a new baby arrives and we all want to hear its name. This past week on Monday we observed the birth of our nation. After reading this article titled "They Called It America," I decided we all should know why that name was chosen. They Called It AmericaBy Rabbi SilverGod built him a continent of glory, and filled it with treasures untold. He studded it with sweet-flowing fountains, and traced it with long-winding streams. He carpeted it with soft-rolling prairies and columned it with thundering mountains. He graced it with deep-shadowed forests and filled them with song. Then He called unto a thousand peoples, and summoned the bravest among them. They came from the ends of the earth, each bearing a gift and a hope. The glow of adventure was in their eyes, and in their hearts the glory of hope. And out of the bounty of earth, and the labor of men; out of the longing of heart, and the prayer of souls; out of the memory of ages, and the hopes of the world, God fashioned a nation in love, and blessed it with purpose sublime. And they called it America.

Luella’s last thoughts; new people in townCorey and Vickie Busswitz have moved here from Sioux Falls. They have purchased the former Bajema home. Corey works at HyVee in Sioux Falls and Vickie is with Edward Jones Investments, also in Sioux Falls. Brandy Kellar and her 5-year-old son, Tristan, are living in the duplex, formerly the residence of Betty Larson, which they have purchased. They came here from Sioux Falls. Robin Hoenke is settled in the former Dahlquist home, which she purchased. She teaches mathematics at the H-BC schools. Robin formerly lived in Brandon, S.D. Amy Brandt and Mike Kerkove are getting settled in their newly built home, which has been moved to 4th Street in Hills. They are not new residents here because they formerly lived in the City Apartments. Amy works at Wendy’s and Mike works at C&C Labels. They have a 10-year-old son.Thanks to Cheryl Pavel for taking on the job for reporting the "Hills Local News." You can give her a call at 962-3344.LuellaShirley Olson and niece, Susan Olson, Madison, S.D., spent last week attending an Olson family reunion in New Rockford, N.D. The reunion takes place every five years and this year 65 to 75 people from all across the United States came for the three-day event. This year’s reunion was hosted by Shirley’s sister-in-law and her husband, Metta (Olson) and Jack McDowell, on their century farm. Nieces of Evelyn Rogness spent Friday overnight with her. They were on their way home to Minneapolis from Oregon. Ron and Jan Solberg spent a week traveling and visiting family while they took their grandchildren, Jo and Brett, home to Lansing, Kan., after a three-week stay. They then continued on to Champaign, Ill., where Jan visited with daughter, Janine, while Ron attended a workshop at the Fermi Lab in Chicago.Wilmer and Betty Elbers have cousins, Joe and Alberta and Bill and Betty Berghorst of Ripon, Calif., visiting friends and relatives in the area after attending the 50th wedding anniversary of Sid and Anna Mae Berghorst of Steen last Saturday. Sunday noon, Joe and Alberta Berghorst were the dinner guests of Wilmer and Betty, while Sunday evening dinner guests of Wilmer and Betty’s were Bill and Betty Berghorst, Ripon, Ed and Iva Elbers, Luverne, Miriam Mowl and daughter Sheryl Halm and her family of Bellflower, Calif. Tim and Lois DeHaan and family spent vacation at Maple Lake by Alexandria. While the weather was cold and rainy, they enjoyed the trip and relaxation. Lonnie Albers and sons, Zack and Thomas, from Gregory, S.D., enjoyed camping at Lake Benton over the July 4th holiday. Lonnie then hosted the July 4th celebration for family and friends. Heather Albers was able to attend also while on her way from Spearfish, S.D., to Minneapolis. Alice Kolsrud has been able to return home after being in the Luverne Community Hospital recovering from her surgery.Gert Steinberg and Lena Marbus recently returned from a two-week trip to Boise, Idaho, where they visited a granddaughter of Lena’s and Hamilton, Mont., where they visited a sister of Gert’s.

By Lori EhdeFamily Dollar will occupy the 11,200-square-foot building recently vacated by Luverne True Value and Country Store.Gary and Nate Golla finalized the sale of the building on June 16 to Minneapolis developer, Anxon Inc., which in turn is leasing it to Family Dollar."We tried a lot of different things for that building," Gary Golla said. "We talked to the city about a day care center; we talked to the county about a law enforcement center. We tried to get local businesses to subdivide it. But it was getting to the point where we had to do something, and these guys actually found us."Family Dollar will open on July 28, and merchandise will occupy 8,000 square feet of the building. It will be family and home items mostly priced at $10 or less.A store manager will soon be hired, and about two weeks prior to opening, seven or eight full- and part-time local employees will be interviewed on site.Golla said he’s pleased the building will be occupied, and he said moving True Value next to the Farm Store on the south Highway 75 location has been good for business."It’s been a good business decision," Golla said. "We’re extremely happy we’re able to keep the division of the Country Store that we moved to the new location."Those departments include paint, lawn and garden, pets and Just-Ask-Rental. "They’re continuing to do well," Golla said.Family Dollar, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., operates 5,700 stores in 44 states. There are 60 in Minnesota, with two in Sioux Falls and one in Worthington.

By Lori EhdeIn high school Carole Achterhof always found a way to write humorously, no matter what the writing assignment."The teacher kept me after school one day," Achterhof recalled. "She said, ‘I don’t know what to do with you, Carole. Life is not funny. Do you expect to make money by being funny?’ … I wish she were alive today," Achterhof said.Today, Achterhof is not only making a living being funny – both writing and speaking – but she spent 30 years as an English teacher besides.In 1996, Achterhof retired from teaching English and Spanish at Adrian High School, and last week she announced she’s retiring from her column writing as well."After 22 years, 1,144 columns and countless wonderful memories, the time has come to say good-bye," she wrote in an e-mail to the publications that carry her humor column.Writing career started at the Star Herald,/B>Achterhof got her start in column writing in 1983 as editor of the Rock County Star Herald.She titled her personal column, "Letters from the Farm," because she and Roger were living on a farm near Luverne at the time.While she enjoyed covering local news, the column allowed her to write humorously – mostly about personal experiences, such as plucking chickens on the farm and gaining weight during pregnancies."There was such a great response," Achterhof said.She was at the paper for only a year before she returned to teaching, but in that time she remembers major accomplishments and major blunders. She implemented as policy that women should always be referred to in the paper by their first and last names. "It was always Mrs. Bill Jones," Achterhof said. "Here these women were doing great things, and they didn’t even have an identity."A major blunder she remembers is a typo in a recipe that required wrapping a mixture in plastic and refrigerating. The version that made its way to print said, "Crap in plastic and refrigerate."A year isn’t long at any job, but in that time her column drew a following, and Achterhof kept writing. She started with a handful of newspapers and now has 50 publications in three states on her mailing list. "I think it’s best to say good-bye when you’re at your peak," she said. "Too many people hang on, and then your work becomes dull, and it becomes a chore."She said she never had mental blocks for column topics but said she could see a day when that might come, and she didn’t want that day to come."I always had a pile of ideas to draw on," she said. "Now, I’ll have to use them on my family when I corner them at the table … or on the golf course. You don’t just retire from humor."Her columns have been fodder for five books Achterhof has published, including her first one, "Never Trust a Size 3," and her most recent one, "How to Pose With a Fish."Humor is mechanism for dealing with stressFor Achterhof, humor has been more than a means for making a living. It’s been a survival mechanism for dealing with hardships in the Achterhof family.In 1980, their fourth and youngest daughter, Katie, died of cancer – neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer that strikes eight in a million.She was 7 years old and a first-grader at Luverne Elementary.In 1978, their second daughter, Linda, who was 12 at the time, went blind from a cyst in the center of her brain. After eight surgeries, her sight was restored, but she still has surgeries to control infections.In 1986, the Achterhofs lost all their farmland. When land values plummeted, the banks called up the loans they had taken out to pay for the surgeries."Roger had a job (at FGL Commodities) and I had a job, but we lost all the tangible stuff," Achterhof said.In 1987, their third daughter, Marta, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a single car accident. She was 16 at the time of the accident, and she was 18 when she woke up from her coma two years later.She’s now 34 and lives with her parents. "She continues to improve," Achterhof said. "She walks by herself on parallel bars … she’s very bright."Achterhof said their oldest daughter, Kristin, is a litigation attorney in Chicago. "But she didn’t escape the family trauma," she said. "She’s still the brunt of all the lawyer jokes and all the blond jokes."Reaping what you sowAfter years of dealing with her children’s pain, Achterhof last year was faced with her own medical emergency. Doctors removed a golf-ball-sized tumor from Achterhof’s brain. It was benign, but it required major surgery."My family treated my surgery like it was a big laugh," Achterhof said, "because that’s what I’ve taught them."In reality, the procedure was no laughing matter. Recovery required staples across her head from ear to ear. But she can’t resist joking about it anyway."They pulled my whole scalp down over my nose," Achterhof said. "And when they pulled my scalp back up, they inadvertently removed the crow’s feet around my eyes. It was probably a $50,000 eye lift."The tumor was removed from her left frontal lobe, the part of the brain that determines personality."I didn’t know what would happen to me in surgery," she laughed. "I was afraid I’d wake up a Republican – but you can’t print that. I know how people are in Rock County."She said she recovered nicely, but then she had to, because her daughter, Linda, had two brain surgeries before and one after Achterhof’s."Linda has brain surgeries like the rest of us have common colds – she bounces right back. So the pressure was on for me to get better," Achterhof said.Humor never retiresGiving up her columns won’t mean Achterhof will give up humor. She’ll still be busy with her speaking engagements and stand-up comedy.She’s been addressing audiences more than 30 times a year in 19 states and 135 different cities over the past six years.Her audiences vary from head injury support groups to nurses’ organizations to children. This weekend, she’ll be the guest speaker at a town celebration in Stickney, S.D.Her speaking engagements and even her comedy routines carry different messages, but they have a common theme: Humor is a survival mechanism."Humor is a mechanism for dealing with both professional and personal stress," Achterhof said."You have to live humor, and breathe it and eat it. It really helps you get through the rough spots in life … You can’t hope to find positive solutions with a dismal attitude."She said addressing live audiences gives her more freedom than she has with the written word."When you write humor, you have to take readers to the edge, while staying within the limitations of good taste," Achterhof said. "But it’s an unseen audience, so you can’t read their faces, you can’t see them clutching their chests or hear them gasping or see them rolling their eyes. With a live audience, you can go further."The Achterhofs lived near Luverne for 30 years and now live in Spirit Lake. Their home is in Jackson County and overlooks Little Spirit Lake.

By Sara QuamLess than half of Rock County residents who are eligible for food support use it, and only 12 percent of eligible seniors are on the program.This information surfaced during a recent audit of Rock County Human Services’ food support program. The audit covered everything from giving accurate benefit amounts to customer service and even made sure there was no evidence of discrimination or violation of civil rights.Rock County passed the audit, however, the program could be more successful by reaching more people.Financial Assistance Supervisor Diane Holmberg said it’s unfortunate that many of the people who qualify for food assistance don’t apply for it."There are 757 people living in poverty in Rock County," Holmberg said.Census data provide the county with accurate income statistics.Of those who qualify for the food support program (formerly food stamps), only 44 percent use it. An even smaller amount — 12 percent — of senior citizens who qualify are on food support.Holmberg said, "For some elderly, it’s just a different mindset than we see in younger people and there may be a pride factor to that."She also said that some elderly are intimidated by the card system. The cards were designed for security and efficiency and, to some degree, to prevent embarrassment of using actual food stamps. But carrying cards and memorizing PIN numbers is a new concept to many lower income elderly.Because of the low use percentage, Rock County Human Services is starting to promote the program more intensively to people already receiving services and through posters or pamphlets in the grocery store.These outreach efforts will let people know that the food programming goes toward home delivered meals and can be used for groceries delivered to the home."People may not realize that we can go to them if they want to apply. We don’t hesitate to do a home visit for the disabled or elderly. And they can also designate someone to sign papers for them if they want someone else to come to our office on their behalf," Holmberg said.The average amount used per case on food support is $176 per month. The average per person is $66.The smallest amount a person or case can get is $10.Holmberg said, "I think there’s a myth about the $10 being all they can get so they don’t bother applying." Holmberg said, "In general, it’s a supplement to what they already spend on groceries."The income guidelines are generally as follows:o1 person can earn a monthly household income of $1,009 before taxeso2 people can earn $1,354o3 people can earn $1,698o4 people can earn $2,043o5 people can earn $2,387Shelter costs and assets are also considered on the sliding scale that gives food program money to people in need.Rock County has a steady caseload of about 135 on food support. One large family would count as one case just as an individual is one case.Rock County spends no money toward the food program. The actual food dollars come from the federal government, and administration for the program is funded by the state and federal government.

By Sara QuamThe city of Luverne will find an architect in July, who will help council members decide what to do about a Fire Hall expansion.An architect will initially look at the current structure and tell whether an expansion as tentatively planned is feasible. A new location may also be explored, but cost estimates are also needed for all options.A new truck coming in just three weeks has to be temporarily stored in the city’s electric department building because the Fire Hall is too low for it to fit.The preliminary plans call for an addition to the west that would double the length of the building and bring it up to code.The addition of more bays will bring all the equipment inside one building and make everything easier to access for emergencies. The drive-through bays will mean fire department members won’t have to back out in every case.The addition of four bays leaves one open for the future growth of the department.Funding any building project is another part of the issue.Economic Development Director Jill Wolf is looking into grant opportunities for funding part of any Fire Hall project.One, in particular, is for public safety facilities in cities with less than 5,000 population.A general obligation bond would need voter approval. Otherwise, the LEDA could finance the project through a separate loan that wouldn’t require a special election. Then, the city itself would lease the building from the LEDA to pay off the financing.The city could also have a public hearing and pass a capital improvement plan and have a 30-day waiting period and state approval for a bond.Summer internCouncil members heard a report from student intern Thomas Pinkal, who worked at the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center through a school program. He said, "It was a great experience for me."Pinkal turned his internship into a part-time job that he’ll keep through the summer and coming school year. He also completed his lifeguard training.During his time as an intern, he developed a swimming lessons database, which included whether students passed or failed and the name of their instructor. He also familiarized himself with the insurance industry by working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield for the membership incentive program. He also developed a database for that new system. Pinkal honed his communication skills by working with customers, signing them up for memberships or lessons and answering phones and making tanning appointments.He also called people who responded to a facility questionnaire to get more information.In other business Tuesday, the council:oPassed an agreement with Sioux Valley to use the Pool and Fitness Center for rehab. Generally, Sioux Valley Regional Health Services, as Luverne Community Hospital, will have exclusive use of the pool for a few hours a day Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sioux Valley will pay $1,150 monthly for January through May and August through December. The charge changes to $1,000 for June and July since the hospital gets fewer consecutive hours because of the busy swimming lessons schedule.oWaived fees to the Chamber of Commerce, sponsoring Hot Dog Night July 14. The Chamber requested that the city block Main Street from Freeman to McKenzie from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and that the city provide picnic tables and pick up trash and sweep the street after the event.oReceived a favorable audit of financial reports from a private accounting firm. The auditor noted that the city did a "great job" in following new accounting guidelines, and that in all the cities, Luverne is the only one to do its own total financial report. The Finance Officer for the city is Barb Berghorst.oReceived a department report from Water and Wastewater Supervisor Al Lais. He said the new water tower is working and providing service to everyone west of Highway 75 and North of the tennis courts. More will be added to that system later. The Minnesota Veterans Home and that neighborhood are also using the new tower and report increased water pressure.

By Lori EhdeBlue Mounds State Park campers and employees are anxiously awaiting news from the state Capitol.Today is the day Minnesota lawmakers were supposed to have wrapped up the legislative session. If they didn’t meet that deadline, various state agencies would shut down, including the state park system.As of Wednesday, the local Blue Mounds and Split Rock Creek state parks were booked full with July 4 weekend campers.If the state announces a shutdown, all those campers will have to make new plans for the holiday, according to Rick White, park manager."At this point, we’ve been told not to create scenarios, but we’re telling our campers if this occurs, we’ll be notified Thursday by e-mail that there will be no camping and their fees will be refunded," White said."That’s a fairly good-size loss in revenue, not to mention a lot of unhappy campers."White said the park typically sees about $6,000 per week in revenues during the months of July through August, and a shutdown now would represent a revenue loss of nearly 95 percent.He said the Luverne and Pipestone communities will also feel the revenue loss. "It’s a huge loss to the community if these people get turned away," White said. "We figure they spend about $150 per day on food, gas, entertainment, souvenirs and groceries."There are 125 camping units reserved between the Blue Mounds and Split Rock Creek parks for Thursday through Monday of the July 5 weekend. That doesn’t count the three rustic group camps.If state offices are shut down, the 22 employees at Blue Mounds and Split Rock Creek parks will go home. They’ll be able to use those days as vacation days, if any are accrued, or they’ll be on unpaid leave.At Blue Mounds, the hiking trails and beach area will be open for use, but the gates to the campgrounds will be locked, as will bathrooms and offices.

By Sara QuamCounty Commissioners have more information to help them decide what to do with the Law Enforcement Center — whether to rebuild or remodel.Building a new facility by the Rock County Highway Department on Blue Mound Avenue would cost about $2,122,252.Remodeling and adding on to the existing Law Enforcement Center would cost about $2,465,669.Both plans have allowances for new furniture and fixtures, contingencies and inflation costs because the work won’t be done in 2005.Bryan Paulsen, architect, presented the two plans to the Rock County Board Tuesday.One of the biggest issues for commissioners is finding a new occupant for the existing LEC if they do rebuild.County Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "There’s going to be a lot of discussion for the board and a lot to work through."Commissioners may decide in as soon as a month and are meeting more to look over plans and to get public input. If they make that decision, work could start in the spring of 2006.The County Board passed a capital improvement plan recently, giving it the authority to bond for more than $1 million to spend on any LEC project.Other than the two options of rebuilding or remodeling, commissioners may also decide to do nothing.RebuildingThe county owns land between the current Highway Department and Human Services buildings that could provide the site for a new LEC. The preliminary plans give a new LEC 9,280 square feet.The space would include interview rooms, a secure entrance and exit, more office space and additional storage. It also has space for a community meeting room and holding cells for prisoners.It has more windows and a single floor plan, so work space would be brighter and more efficient there.Paulsen said the construction can be done mostly in wood. Some parts, for security, will be other materials, but wood saves money in most cases.The surface of a new building would be stucco and brick. The roof would be pitched, so all mechanical systems would be inside.The design allows for easy future expansion, if that is ever needed.Paulsen said the positives about building new versus remodeling are: obuilding new is the less expensive optionothere is room for expansion in the futureothe horizontal design is more efficientoBlue Mound Avenue provides good access othere is a community meeting roomogreater square footageRemodelingPaulsen said the positives about remodeling versus new are:othe existing facility is next to the courthouseousing it saves a historic buildingorelocating servers and dispatch equipment won’t be necessaryothere may not be another appropriate use for the building if it is not the LECThe surface would be a pre-cast, textured concrete made to match the Sioux quartzite of the old LEC. The rooflines would be separate and the original structure will be preserved as much as possible.The plans for remodeling and expanding the existing LEC give it almost 11,000 square feet, but much of that is not usable space.Paulsen said, "Your net to gross square footage is really whacked and you’re still compromising your goals because things are not on the same level."He said those efficiency issues are always problems when renovating instead of building new.An addition to the LEC gives it a secure garage entrance and holding cells, two major needs in the department now.A consideration in remodeling the existing facility is how operations will continue during the work.

By Lori EhdeIn high school Carole Achterhof always found a way to write humorously, no matter what the writing assignment."The teacher kept me after school one day," Achterhof recalled. "She said, ‘I don’t know what to do with you, Carole. Life is not funny. Do you expect to make money by being funny?’ … I wish she were alive today," Achterhof said.Today, Achterhof is not only making a living being funny – both writing and speaking – but she spent 30 years as an English teacher besides.In 1996, Achterhof retired from teaching English and Spanish at Adrian High School, and last week she announced she’s retiring from her column writing as well."After 22 years, 1,144 columns and countless wonderful memories, the time has come to say good-bye," she wrote in an e-mail to the publications that carry her humor column.Writing career started at the Star HeraldAchterhof got her start in column writing in 1983 as editor of the Rock County Star Herald.She titled her personal column, "Letters from the Farm," because she and Roger were living on a farm near Luverne at the time.While she enjoyed covering local news, the column allowed her to write humorously – mostly about personal experiences, such as plucking chickens on the farm and gaining weight during pregnancies."There was such a great response," Achterhof said.She was at the paper for only a year before she returned to teaching, but in that time she remembers major accomplishments and major blunders. She implemented as policy that women should always be referred to in the paper by their first and last names. "It was always Mrs. Bill Jones," Achterhof said. "Here these women were doing great things, and they didn’t even have an identity."A major blunder she remembers is a typo in a recipe that required wrapping a mixture in plastic and refrigerating. The version that made its way to print said, "Crap in plastic and refrigerate."A year isn’t long at any job, but in that time her column drew a following, and Achterhof kept writing. She started with a handful of newspapers and now has 50 publications in three states on her mailing list. "I think it’s best to say good-bye when you’re at your peak," she said. "Too many people hang on, and then your work becomes dull, and it becomes a chore."She said she never had mental blocks for column topics but said she could see a day when that might come, and she didn’t want that day to come."I always had a pile of ideas to draw on," she said. "Now, I’ll have to use them on my family when I corner them at the table … or on the golf course. You don’t just retire from humor."Her columns have been fodder for five books Achterhof has published, including her first one, "Never Trust a Size 3," and her most recent one, "How to Pose With a Fish."Humor is mechanism for dealing with stressFor Achterhof, humor has been more than a means for making a living. It’s been a survival mechanism for dealing with hardships in the Achterhof family.In 1980, their fourth and youngest daughter, Katie, died of cancer – neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer that strikes eight in a million.She was 7 years old and a first-grader at Luverne Elementary.In 1978, their second daughter, Linda, who was 12 at the time, went blind from a cyst in the center of her brain. After eight surgeries, her sight was restored, but she still has surgeries to control infections.In 1986, the Achterhofs lost all their farmland. When land values plummeted, the banks called up the loans they had taken out to pay for the surgeries."Roger had a job (at FGL Commodities) and I had a job, but we lost all the tangible stuff," Achterhof said.In 1987, their third daughter, Marta, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a single car accident. She was 16 at the time of the accident, and she was 18 when she woke up from her coma two years later.She’s now 34 and lives with her parents. "She continues to improve," Achterhof said. "She walks by herself on parallel bars … she’s very bright."Achterhof said their oldest daughter, Kristin, is a litigation attorney in Chicago. "But she didn’t escape the family trauma," she said. "She’s still the brunt of all the lawyer jokes and all the blond jokes."Reaping what you sowAfter years of dealing with her children’s pain, Achterhof last year was faced with her own medical emergency. Doctors removed a golf-ball-sized tumor from Achterhof’s brain. It was benign, but it required major surgery."My family treated my surgery like it was a big laugh," Achterhof said, "because that’s what I’ve taught them."In reality, the procedure was no laughing matter. Recovery required staples across her head from ear to ear. But she can’t resist joking about it anyway."They pulled my whole scalp down over my nose," Achterhof said. "And when they pulled my scalp back up, they inadvertently removed the crow’s feet around my eyes. It was probably a $50,000 eye lift."The tumor was removed from her left frontal lobe, the part of the brain that determines personality."I didn’t know what would happen to me in surgery," she laughed. "I was afraid I’d wake up a Republican – but you can’t print that. I know how people are in Rock County."She said she recovered nicely, but then she had to, because her daughter, Linda, had two brain surgeries before and one after Achterhof’s."Linda has brain surgeries like the rest of us have common colds – she bounces right back. So the pressure was on for me to get better," Achterhof said.Humor never retiresGiving up her columns won’t mean Achterhof will give up humor. She’ll still be busy with her speaking engagements and stand-up comedy.She’s been addressing audiences more than 30 times a year in 19 states and 135 different cities over the past six years.Her audiences vary from head injury support groups to nurses’ organizations to children. This weekend, she’ll be the guest speaker at a town celebration in Stickney, S.D.Her speaking engagements and even her comedy routines carry different messages, but they have a common theme: Humor is a survival mechanism."Humor is a mechanism for dealing with both professional and personal stress," Achterhof said."You have to live humor, and breathe it and eat it. It really helps you get through the rough spots in life … You can’t hope to find positive solutions with a dismal attitude."She said addressing live audiences gives her more freedom than she has with the written word."When you write humor, you have to take readers to the edge, while staying within the limitations of good taste," Achterhof said. "But it’s an unseen audience, so you can’t read their faces, you can’t see them clutching their chests or hear them gasping or see them rolling their eyes. With a live audience, you can go further."The Achterhofs lived near Luverne for 30 years and now live in Spirit Lake. Their home is in Jackson County and overlooks Little Spirit Lake.