An acquaintance returned from a trip to China recently. "How were your flights?" I asked. "Smooth as silk," he said, and I was reminded of how my flights to the land of the Great Wall in 1995 were anything but smooth. Let's check my travel journal for proof.My first plane landed in Denver. And it sat, and it sat, and it sat. Mechanical problems. By the time we departed for Los Angeles five hours late, it was obvious I would miss the following leg to Japan. However, I was told not to concern myself, that the airline would do all the worrying, that I wouldn't miss my flight. But I did the math and since we were taking off from Denver one hour before my LA-Tokyo flight was due to leave, well ... My real concern was that my host in China, Mr. Hu Zong Feng (Hoover), would be waiting for me at the Beijing airport at our originally scheduled time. I had no way to contact Hoover. He was taking the slow train from his home in Xian to Beijing, a 20-hour ride. Poor guy. He was going to be as lost as I was. I demanded that United Airlines help me contact Hoover. They were reluctant. I demanded in LA that they FAX Beijing. "Can't do that, sir!" I demanded they call Beijing. "Can't do that, sir!" Eventually, a supervisor sent an electronic message to Beijing airport with no assurance it would ever arrive.After the unscheduled overnight, I learned the electronic message was never acknowledged. So, I did not know if Hoover would be at the airport in Beijing to great me. If not, I'd be arriving at 10 p.m. in a country whose language I didn't read or speak, without knowing which hotel Hoover had booked, and not knowing another living soul there. So the question was: Is it possible to get lost in a country of 1.25 billion people? This was a big trip for me, considering I had received a kidney transplant just three years earlier. This story is a mere token of the unusual number of stresses I encountered on the trip. Yet, my philosophy is that I'd rather be challenged by the disruptions of travel than to remain forever in the safety of a routine life.The leg to Japan was tolerable because a sympathetic attendant found a place in first class for me. Leg room. The best food. Attention to my self-pity. However, another two-hour delay awaited me for the final leg to Beijing. By then, I couldn't imagine where Hoover was or what he would be thinking. I was going to need to use my survival skills, big time!From my journal: "Touchdown at 22:30, 50 hours from Sioux Falls. Smooth through customs and immigration. Military personnel checking us never asked for any of the papers I was required to bring. But where's Hoover? Searched the entire facility, not knowing what Hoover looks like. But I'm a tall American. He can spot me, right?"I'm soon outside the exit doors where there are 100 or so people waiting behind a low fence. They all have hand-printed signs with the name of the person they are meeting. With no choice but to join the ritual, I begin the search for my name on one of the signs, bending over to read each carefully. None were in English. Some of the people suppressed laughs."I was nearly at the end of my hunt when two lines of lettering on a 5x7-inch piece of worn paper caught my eye. One line read: "Frederic Manfred". And below my misspelled name was the word "Welcome". I had found Hoover. Big smiles and a big hug between an extremely thankful American and his new Chinese friend."

Application forms for hunting or fishing licenses in Montana now offer several options for identifying hair color. The choices include blond, black, gray, white, red, brown and, believe it or not, bald. "Bald has been a selection on Montana’s hunting and fishing applications since the 1970s," reports Reuters, "but the form was always filled out — discreetly, it seems — by a store clerk." Now that the applications can be filled out by anyone using the Internet, "bald" is suddenly being noticed. Several questions about baldness and hair color must remain unanswered, especially for Montana store clerks who are still filling out the forms. (Internet applicants will have to live with their own consciences.) The following guidelines, in the form of frequently asked questions, should be passed along to those employees: 1. What about dyed hair? White or graying hair, even though it is dyed, is still white or gray. This is why high-powered microscopes, similar to those shown on TV’s crime scene investigation shows, have been placed next to every store cash register in the state. Obtaining a sample for determining true hair follicle color under the microscope lens might pose a problem. If the applicant refuses to relinquish a strand of hair voluntarily, necessary force might be required. All employees in your store have been trained by the state to respond to this call for help — "Hair follicle alert! Hair follicle alert!" Within seconds, store employees will pin the reluctant applicant to the floor and secure a hair sample. (Note: Not even little, old ladies with purple or blue hair should be exempted from this treatment.) 2. What if customers lie about their true hair colors? This great state doesn’t take kindly to people who lie. A person who lies about hair color will very likely lie about other things, including their real weights, whether they floss their teeth daily or their involvement in local horse and cattle thefts. They will be shown no mercy in our court system. 3. What about people wearing obvious wigs or toupees? If it looks plastic, it probably is. Give any suspicious hair a surprise tug. You will immediately have your answer. 4. What about heads that have been completely shaved? Are they technically bald? If the applicant’s head is completely shiny and reflects overhead light, consider that person bald. If the head is covered with a telltale "shadow" and very faintly reveals a full hairline, hair follicle examination will reveal the applicant’s true hair color. (Refer to #1 for involuntary follicle removal.) 5. Should applicants with thinning hair, receding hairlines or bald spots all be classified as "bald?" This is why all store employees directly involved with the sale of hunting and fishing licenses in this state are required to have a strong background in geometry. Those math skills and memorized formulas will allow them to quickly calculate what percentage of a scalp’s surface is actually covered with hair. Any amount less than 20 percent would indicate serious hair loss or baldness. All calculations by store employees will be considered final. 6. Wait a minute! What if you know for certain that a fellow employee had a girlfriend take the high school math tests for him? What if that unnamed individual passed math, but with the lowest scores in the school’s history? We repeat — all calculations by store employees will be considered final. Live with it.

Dick and Audrey Heidenson returned home Tuesday after spending five days at the resort home of their son, Steve, at Battle Lake. Jill Kolsrud, Charlotte, N.C., visited her grandmother, Alice Kolsrud, Thursday afternoon.Wendell and Kathryn Erickson spent from Wednesday, June 23, through Tuesday, June 29, in the home of their daughter, Anna and Mike Gilman, Eden Prairie. Sunday, June 27, they attended the 50th wedding anniversary of Wendell’s brother and wife in Coon Rapids. Wilmer and Betty Elbers joined relatives at a gathering Saturday evening at the Edgerton Park to greet Lee and Renee DeBoer of Boulder City, Nev. Evangeline Opheim’s niece and nephew, Ruth Hilderman, British Columbia, and Rick Cherland, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada, came Thursday for a visit and left Friday for the Cities to visit relatives of the Cherland family.Wendell and Kathryn Erickson went to Worthington on Sunday, the 4th, to take in the celebration at Prairie Village.Chuck and Rheta DeBoer attended the 4th of July parade at Inwood Saturday. Monday night friends from their church came for a picnic. Mae Top’s niece, Linda Ziegahn and husband, stopped to visit overnight Saturday. They were moving from California to Ohio. To visit with them, Bill and Judy Top, Sibley, Iowa, Jim and Gerry Sandstede, Luverne, and Allan and Judy Top, Hills, came. On Sunday for dinner were Allan and Judy Top, Jared, Kristen and Tess VanMaanen, Valley Springs. Vi Thompson, Springfield, Mo., a sister-in-law of Evelyn Rogness, and her daughter, Dawn Olney, Kansas City, Kan., spent from Tuesday until Friday of last week with Evelyn. Lexia DeWit, Sioux Falls, was a last week Wednesday visitor in the home of her parents, Cliff and Vi VanWyhe. Steve and Robie Horsman had a neighbor picnic supper at their home Sunday, the 4th of July. Also present was their daughter, Kally Horsman, Steen.Noreen and Gary Greves, Verona, Wis., came to Hills and along with Harriet Skattum, on June 26, to visit relatives and enjoyed a reunion at Volga, S.D. Harriet spent over the 4th in the home of her daughter, Margo and DeWayne Edwards, Forestburg, S.D.Weekend visitors in the home of Howard Hoyme were his son, Neal and wife, Kathy, of Pierre, S.D.Anita Rogers, cousin of Faith DeBoer, Cypress, Calif., spent two weeks here and have returned home. While here she and Faith went to Harmony to visit the Amish colony, saw a play put on by the Calumet Players, "Sound of Music," and attended Jesse James’ Days at Garretson, S.D., while also visiting relatives and friends. Sunday evening, the 4th of July, Jim and Gerry Sandstede, Luverne, took their mothers, Mae Top and Florence Sandstede, to supper and fireworks in Flandreau, S.D.

Our Fourth of July weekend turned out to be perfect as far as the weather was concerned. Do you suppose our weatherman has finally gotten our message that when special holidays arrive we would appreciate a real nice day? It was a perfect day for picnics, and family get-togethers and also to take a couple of days to visit relatives you hadn’t seen for several years. If we didn’t get to do anything we had planned we certainly couldn’t blame it on the weatherman. However, on July 5th we had an entirely different story. Monday morning arrived bright and sunny but by noon the raindrops began falling and they continued to fall all afternoon. We were very fortunate to receive a little more than an inch of rain. It was really appreciated as the crops and gardens were beginning to need some moisture. We also have to be thankful that we didn’t receive the three or seven inches of rain that other areas received. Do you suppose our weatherman has changed his ways and listening to our desires and needs? Art and Henrietta Boeve attended a Boeve family reunion on Monday, at Hull, Iowa, State Park. There were 50 relatives who gathered to enjoy the day together. The Hills Town softball team had their annual Fourth of July Tournament Friday and Saturday in Hills. The Steen team and the team from Carmel, Iowa, couldn’t play as several ballplayers were attending family reunions at Inspiration Hills.Jo Aykens’ son, Paul, and his wife Carole, joined a tour group of 28 people and traveled to Holland. They went sightseeing in Holland, riding bicycles. They returned home Wednesday. Dries and Laura May Bosch attended the Bosch Opener Golf Tournament, in Minneapolis this year. The Bosch Opener is made up of family members. The tournament began Thursday and they returned home Sunday. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. The Steen Softball team got off to a good start this year. They won five out of six games they played at the beginning of the season. On Friday, July 9, Beaver Creek plays at Steen and on Tuesday, July 13, Steen plays at Carmel, Iowa. Hope their good luck continues.The Girls’ League of Steen Reformed Church left Tuesday morning for Lake Okoboji, Iowa, for their annual campout. They return home on Wednesday afternoon. Harold Wissink entered Luverne Community Hospital Saturday and was able to return home Thursday. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Ron VanRuler and family on the death of his brother-in-law, Ed Brands, who passed away early Monday morning. Funeral services were Wednesday.Anita (Boeve) Bosch, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, visited her parents Art and Henrietta Boeve and other family and friends Sunday. She returned home Friday. Mildred Keunen spent several days this past week visiting Ginger and Jim France, Sioux City, Iowa. Brian Dengler led the worship services at Steen Reformed Church Sunday morning. Sunday evening, the youth shared their experiences on their mission trip to Urban Ventures. Kenneth Bosch and Kari Rozeboom will attend camp at Inspiration Hills this week. This past weekend was a long weekend celebrating the Fourth of July and the founding of America. Most of us are so accustomed to all of the freedoms we have and enjoy that very seldom do we think of what this nation was like before. Personally, I think it is time for all of us to think about all the freedoms we have and appreciate them a little bit more. With all the turmoil in the world today I feel we must have faith in America. I quote, "Breathe there a man with soul so dead who never to himself has said, ‘This is my own, my native land.’ ""America … land of opportunity.America … land of dreams and hopes for millions of oppressed people throughout the whole world. America … the land where individual liberty gave to individuals the right of useful expression and achievement. America … where Henry Ford could start in a little one-room shop and build an industrial empire providing work for many people.America … where Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Alexander Graham Bell turned ideas into wealth and enjoy the accumulations of their efforts. America … rich in natural resources used in acreages with unlimited use to future generations. America … is bulging with good things for all … for all willing to work and save and build. America … pulsing with life and opportunity. We must remember America is not great because of what government did for the people, but because of what government permitted free people to do for themselves." Lots of food for thought here. However, because of these things we have a strong free country, and it is up to us to keep it that way!

Application forms for hunting or fishing licenses in Montana now offer several options for identifying hair color. The choices include blond, black, gray, white, red, brown and, believe it or not, bald. "Bald has been a selection on Montana’s hunting and fishing applications since the 1970s," reports Reuters, "but the form was always filled out — discreetly, it seems — by a store clerk." Now that the applications can be filled out by anyone using the Internet, "bald" is suddenly being noticed. Several questions about baldness and hair color must remain unanswered, especially for Montana store clerks who are still filling out the forms. (Internet applicants will have to live with their own consciences.) The following guidelines, in the form of frequently asked questions, should be passed along to those employees: 1. What about dyed hair? White or graying hair, even though it is dyed, is still white or gray. This is why high-powered microscopes, similar to those shown on TV’s crime scene investigation shows, have been placed next to every store cash register in the state. Obtaining a sample for determining true hair follicle color under the microscope lens might pose a problem. If the applicant refuses to relinquish a strand of hair voluntarily, necessary force might be required. All employees in your store have been trained by the state to respond to this call for help — "Hair follicle alert! Hair follicle alert!" Within seconds, store employees will pin the reluctant applicant to the floor and secure a hair sample. (Note: Not even little, old ladies with purple or blue hair should be exempted from this treatment.) 2. What if customers lie about their true hair colors? This great state doesn’t take kindly to people who lie. A person who lies about hair color will very likely lie about other things, including their real weights, whether they floss their teeth daily or their involvement in local horse and cattle thefts. They will be shown no mercy in our court system. 3. What about people wearing obvious wigs or toupees? If it looks plastic, it probably is. Give any suspicious hair a surprise tug. You will immediately have your answer. 4. What about heads that have been completely shaved? Are they technically bald? If the applicant’s head is completely shiny and reflects overhead light, consider that person bald. If the head is covered with a telltale "shadow" and very faintly reveals a full hairline, hair follicle examination will reveal the applicant’s true hair color. (Refer to #1 for involuntary follicle removal.) 5. Should applicants with thinning hair, receding hairlines or bald spots all be classified as "bald?" This is why all store employees directly involved with the sale of hunting and fishing licenses in this state are required to have a strong background in geometry. Those math skills and memorized formulas will allow them to quickly calculate what percentage of a scalp’s surface is actually covered with hair. Any amount less than 20 percent would indicate serious hair loss or baldness. All calculations by store employees will be considered final. 6. Wait a minute! What if you know for certain that a fellow employee had a girlfriend take the high school math tests for him? What if that unnamed individual passed math, but with the lowest scores in the school’s history? We repeat — all calculations by store employees will be considered final. Live with it.

Robert C. Larson, 77, Armour, S.D., formerly of Hills, died Saturday, July 3, 2004, at Douglas County Memorial Hospital in Armour. Services were Wednesday, July 7, at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Armour. Burial was in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, Armour. Robert Larson was born to Theodore and Lubbertha (Lucy) Larson on April 16, 1927, in Hills. He attended school in Hills. As a young man, he worked for area farmers near Hills.He married Mildred Eitreim on Nov. 21, 1947, in Hills. In 1949, they moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., and worked at John Morrell Co., later returning to Hills and raising mink as a hobby. On Aug. 10, 1954, they moved to Armour to begin a lifelong career as a mink farmer. Mr. Larson was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Armour. He served on the City Council and was instrumental in starting Colonial Manor Nursing Home. He belonged to various mink ranch associations. He enjoyed golfing and hunting. Survivors include his wife, Mildred Larson, Armour; four children, Beverly (Gary) Menning, Charles (JoEllen) Larson, Ronald (Jena) Larson, all of Armour, and Pamela (Ted) McMahon, Gillette, Wyo., 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; one brother, Paul Larson, Ennis, Texas; and two sisters, LaVon (Robert) Campbell, Minneapolis, and Audrey (Martin) Feistner, Madison, S.D.Mr. Larson was preceded in death by his parents, twin brothers, Quinton and Delmer, and two sisters, Dolores and Charlotte. Koehn Bros. Funeral Home, Armour, was in charge of arrangements.

Memorial services in memory of Ruth K. Smith will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 10, in Grace Lutheran Church Chapel, 500 N. Kniss Ave., Luverne. Ruth Kathryn Smith, 87, died March 10, 2003, at Tuff Memorial Home, Hills. Ruth Searles was born to Jesse and Clara (Warne) Searles on Jan. 3, 1916, near Rock Rapids, Iowa. When she was five, she moved to a farm near Beaver Creek. She later graduated from Beaver Creek High School. She married Henry Smith on July 11, 1937. The couple lived in Adrian where they owned and operated Smith’s Bakery for 44 years. Mr. Smith died in 1983. She moved to Luverne that same year. She lived in Luverne until her health required a move to Tuff Memorial Home April 30, 2001. Survivors include three sons, Richard (Jacqueline) Smith, San Francisco, Calif., Robert (Daryl) Smith, St. Louis, Mo., and Donald Smith, Taipei, Taiwan; seven grandchildren; two brothers, James Searles, White Bear Lake, Joseph Searles, St. Paul; and two sisters, JoLoyce Holmes, Lusby, Md., Clevonne Jeka, Calumet City, Ill.In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Tuff Memorial Home, Hills.

Jacob "Jake" E. Wulf, 85, Lester, Iowa, died Tuesday, June 29, 2004, at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.Services were Friday, July 2, at Apostolic Christian Church in Lester, Burial was in the church cemetery. Survivors include his wife, Alice Wulf, Lester; two sons, Harlan (Betty) Wulf, Lester, and Albert Wulf, Sioux Falls; six daughters, Madonna (Jerry) Krieger, Sioux Falls, Clara (Doug) Schock, Bloomfield, Iowa, Colleen (Tom) Dogotch, Jenell (Roy) Koehl, all of Morris, Minn., Mavis (Mike) Schmidt, Lester, and Nola (Walt) Gerst, Oakville, Iowa; 20 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two brothers, Wilhelm (Leona) Wulf, Lester, and Lawrence Wulf, Larchwood, Iowa, and three sisters, Amelia Roemen, Inwood, Iowa, Mildred (Virgil) Sauder, Morris, and Leah (Dick) Doorneweerd, Beaver Creek.Roste Funeral Home, Rock Rapids, Iowa, was in charge of arrangements.

10 years ago (1994)"The Hills-Beaver Creek VFW team broke in the new baseball diamond in Hills Monday night when they hosted Pipestone. The H-BC Baseball Association is planning a dedication some time in July." 25 years ago (1979)"Dean H. Goettsch will become associated with the Exchange State Insurance Agency in Hills as of July 9. Dean is a fully licensed insurance agent in the state of Minnesota. Dean attended elementary school in Hills and graduated from West Lyon High School, Inwood, Iowa." 50 years ago (1954)"Dr. Don Odland, a brother-in-law of Dr. John Hermanson, Valley Springs, was in town Tuesday. He said he had hung up his shingle in Luverne." 75 years ago (1929)"The Rock County Co-operative Oil Co., will, in the near future, be housed in a new service station, one block south of the Manitou Hotel. This will be good news to the many stockholders of this concern that reside in this community. From a small beginning this co-operative company has been steadily forging ahead until today it ranks among the largest business of its kind in Rock County. Harry Schellhouse is the local manager of the Rock County Co-operative Oil Co., and every time you buy gas from him you are patronizing your own business institution." 100 years ago (1904)"Contractor Hellie and his bunch of carpenters began operations on the new school house Friday and from now on the work will be pushed with all possible haste, as only about 50 days remain before, according to contract, it must be completed. The contract was let April 23rd and more than half the time has passed with only the basement in place."