Even though spring has arrived Mother Nature is still having a problem deciding where she should send the rain, or should it be snow, or maybe a freezing drizzle! Of course she can always send the sunshine. We always enjoy that even if we do need moisture. We were one of the fortunate ones that received some rain this past week. It was a nice slow rain and every drop of it soaked into our thirsty earth. It also washed off our windows and even more important, washed away our little black beetles. My door has been covered with them and the rain was good. I don’t know if you remember the old saying that predicted "rain on Easter and it will rain the next three Sundays." If it would continue to be rainy for that long it will not be very conducive for the farmers getting into their fields. But, we can’t have everything and we do need the moisture. Even though the farmers get restless this time of year, you can count on them to get their crops in on time. This is so important, not only for the farmers, but for our communities here.The Steen community was shocked and saddened Saturday to hear of the sudden death of Duane Sandbulte. He and his family have been residents of the Steen-Hills community for many years. Funeral services were Tuesday at Steen Reformed Church. Burial was in Eastside Cemetery. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family. Evelyn Tilstra was released from St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester on Tuesday and has returned to her home. Paul Bosch and son, Eric, from Brandon were Wednesday evening callers in the home of his parents, Dries and Laura May Bosch. Henrietta Huenink’s sister, Dorothy Sides, from Friendsville, Tenn., came last Tuesday to visit her sister and to attend the 100th birthday of her mother, Dena Korthals, on Saturday. She returned to her home on Sunday. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Yvonne Rozenboom on the death of her father, Warren Hagland of Mountain Lake. Special music at Steen Reformed Church Sunday morning worship service was provided by Heather and Lowell Bonnema. Mildred Paulsen attended the Local Advisory Committee for the Mental Health Center at Windom on Monday evening. Several from Steen Community attended the musical production "Bow the Knee" at the American Reformed Church in Luverne Saturday and Sunday evenings. Several have been asking me how Floyd Paulsen, son of Melvin and JoAnn Paulsen, is getting along following the accident he had sometime ago. His mother, JoAnn, told me he was no longer in a wheelchair. He is able to be on crutches and will be for another four weeks. However, he is able to get around under his own power now.Gracia Schrick from George, Iowa, and her mother, Jane Bonnema, attended the bridal shower for Heather Bonnema last Saturday morning. Easter Sunday afternoon callers in the Dries and Laura May Bosch home was their son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Amy, and daughters, Emma and Isabel, from Sioux Falls.Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Harvey Rozeboom family on the death of Harvey’s brother, John, last Monday. Funeral services for him were on Friday. Easter Sunday dinner guests in the Daryl and Marie Paulsen home were Francis and Jane Mainolfi, Sioux Falls, Steve and Sherry Paulsen and sons, Tyler, Tanner and Trevor, Hills, Clark and Suzie Meyer, Brandon, and Mildred Paulsen. Arnold and Jane Bonnema were Easter Sunday dinner guests in the home of their son George and Sharon Bonnema in Luverne. Other guests were their daughter, Julie and David Haugom, Luverne, and their daughter from the Cities. Those of us that grew up in the years of the Great Depression often remember how little money was available in those years to pay your bills and take care of families. This is especially true as the value of our money has diminished this past year and the prices of goods and services have gone up and money has become harder to make reach all of the areas we need it to. That got me to thinking, just how important is money. We are learning just how important it is to get our priorities straight. As I thought about this it seemed to me that having money is just not enough but more and more it is what we are all striving for. Money, by itself, does not have a whole lot of value. It is what you can purchase with it that makes it valuable. If there was nothing to purchase it wouldn’t have much value.The late George Horace Lorimer, who for many years edited the now defunct Saturday Evening Post, once wrote these words. "It is a good thing to have money and the things money can buy but it is good to check up once in awhile and make sure we haven’t lost the things that money cannot buy."Money cannot buy real friendship, it must be earned.Money cannot buy a clear conscience, square dealing is the price tag.Money cannot buy the glow of good health, right living is the secret.Money cannot buy happiness; happiness is a mental attitude and one can be as happy in a cottage as in a mansion.Money cannot buy sunsets, singing birds, and the music of wind in the trees, these are as free as the air we breathe.Money cannot buy inward peace. It is the result of a constructive philosophy of life. Money cannot buy character, character is what we are when we are alone with ourselves in the dark. Hopefully, you will continue this list yourself. You will agree that among the things money cannot buy are some of the most valuable treasures life has to offer. It is a good thing to check up now and be sure we are not missing these things.

The City Council of tiny (pop. 40) Mount Sterling, Iowa, will soon decide the fate of an anti-lying ordinance. According to Reuters, the mayor pro tempore, Jo Hamlet, "has heard one too many tall tales." "People shooting 15-pound geese and catching 9-pound bass and 28-pound gobbler turkeys and over 200-point bucks — I thought maybe we ought to ... tame down a little bit," Hamlet stated. The ordinance would also ban claims of high corn yields and ordinary gossip. Hamlet must have had tongue in cheek when he suggested the possible punishments might include mouth-washings and tongue-lashings. If the ordinance passes, an obvious place of change will be the driver’s license office. Car and truck drivers, actually capable of casting shadows as wide as a barn or a 12-row corn planter, will no longer be able to say they weigh much less than they do. If the law is followed to the letter, Mount Sterling will become a town without childhood myths and legends. It would be a town without a tooth fairy, Santa Claus or Easter Bunny. ‘Your tooth fell out, huh? Well, big deal. Here’s a quarter." "Here, take these bags of candy. Thank goodness I don’t have to spend half the night hiding thousands of jelly beans and marshmallow bunnies under sofa cushions. I’ve got better things to do with my time." "Bah. Humbug." All of the fun would be missing. The new ordinance might also lead to an increased number of guilt-filled confessions. "Hello? Is this the IRS? I think I might owe you guys some money." "Remember when I told you I had never been married before?" Unable to tell even white lies, how will people respond to the challenging questions which surface continually in personal relationships? Armed with the truth and nothing but the truth, men would be unable to heed the advice of Olin Miller, "A man who won’t lie to a woman has very little consideration for her feelings." Truly honest opinions might ruin many marriages. "Honey, does this dress make me look fat?" (If that floral print had to cover any more surface, you would look like one of those 20-acre botanical gardens they’re always showing on the travel channel.) "Why can’t we be romantic like we used to be?" (Let’s face it, after all these years, you’re either looking more like me or your mother. I can’t decide. It’s a toss-up.) "So, how do you like this new recipe?" (Thank goodness our children have grown up and moved out. Collateral damage from this particular disaster should be minimal — just the two of us. It’s kind of funny when you think about it — ours may be the first deaths attributed to bad linguini.) Even if the anti-lying ordinance is passed in Mount Sterling, at least one form of stretching the truth will continue to survive. According to Douglas Malloch, "The biggest liar in the world is They Say." As anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows, They Say is mighty difficult to track down.

Villagers observed the celebration of Easter. They attended Good Friday and Sunday morning worship at the Tuff Home, being chauffeured back and forth due to the rain. Many villagers went with family and friends away for dinner, while pretty pastel tablecloths and Arnold’s wooden crosses welcomed others who had guests or remained for the traditional ham dinner. The Olson’s had extended an invitation to anyone to join their family in the community room and some did. We hope you had a blessed Easter as well. "Rain, Rain, go away, come again another day." Such is not the case of the moment. We welcomed the rain for we did need the moisture but doesn’t it make a muddy gray world ? When Jim Crawford, Carolyn’s brother-in-law, visited the Village he brought with him a C.D. that his son, John Robert, of Nashville, Tenn., had made. On it he’s singing with his daughter a song he wrote, in support of the U.S. soldiers and their families. It’s titled "Daddy, Please Come Home, the Little Soldiers Prayer." We’re always impressed when we know someone on tape but the song and the singing impressed us more.Spring is evident at the Village. Lawn chairs are being placed on the patio. Flower pots are waiting to be planted. Inside we have pussy willows, a beautiful begonia, a gift from Miles and Arla Olson and Berdella’s Easter Lily. Five blooms to remind us. However, we did not plant potatoes on Good Friday.Arnold S. had a birthday (91) and, of course, we had to celebrate. Arnold had guests for dinner and served lemon cake and ice cream for dessert. Two days later it was Palma’s turn. She had an afternoon party with huge pieces of chocolate cake. Palma’s age? Thirty-nine she said.Last week I told you we had "Red" Day but I failed to tell you Pastor Berg showed up for Bible study wearing a bright red clerical shirt. The circle met in the community room. Earl’s son and family visited from Rochester. There were villagers who gathered on Saturday to dye Easter eggs with Caroline’s family. I’ll keep you posted.

By Sara StrongIn my last column, I talked about an award-winning frugal man who used the same meat all week to flavor his sandwich bread, actually eating the meat only at the end of the week. His story inspired me to ask readers to submit their tips for saving money. They weren’t asked for masterful pinching techniques, just some ways to save a buck here and there. I’m thankful that I got some replies to share. Here they are: o"This one is from the Luverne area. Ma was a cook in a local restaurant during the 1950s. There was a local gentleman, wealthy, who would purchase a cup of tea and toast. When he finished his lunch, he would ask for a napkin to wrap the used tea bag in. He said it was good for three or four more cups of tea."When this man finished his tea, he would pour all of the leftover cream that had been served with the tea and all of the sugar that he could get into the same cup and drink it.oHunt. If you do the butchering yourself, a winter’s supply of meat is just the price of a hunting license and some ammo. oShop for used items and go "junking."o"My uncle saved all his junk mail and cut it into pieces to use for scratch paper."That same man got a vasectomy after his first child proved to be an expensive addition to his budget.oDon’t let your teenage son drive — insurance for young males is outrageous!oRinse baggies and tin foil to reuse them, if they haven’t stored meat.oA reader’s aunt worked an entire week for a woman, weeding her garden. On Saturday she expected a large wage, but the lady presented her with a bouquet of cosmos flowers as payment. Years later the story was a family joke and for the garden worker’s 65th birthday, (you guessed it) she received a bouquet of cosmos flowers.oIf you work outside the home, bring your lunch to work every day. It saves at least $20 a week, and about $1,000 a year.o"My husband won’t let me buy liquid laundry detergent." He calculated the cost per load and powder is a much better buy.We’re still accepting cheap tips from readers, if anyone has more to share. Send them to the Star Herald at P.O. Box 837, Luverne, MN 56156. Or e-mail them to saraq@star-herald.com.

By Carole AchterhofThe City Council of tiny (pop. 40) Mount Sterling, Iowa, will soon decide the fate of an anti-lying ordinance. According to Reuters, the mayor pro tempore, Jo Hamlet, "has heard one too many tall tales." "People shooting 15-pound geese and catching 9-pound bass and 28-pound gobbler turkeys and over 200-point bucks — I thought maybe we ought to ... tame down a little bit," Hamlet stated. The ordinance would also ban claims of high corn yields and ordinary gossip. Hamlet must have had tongue in cheek when he suggested the possible punishments might include mouth-washings and tongue-lashings. If the ordinance passes, an obvious place of change will be the driver’s license office. Car and truck drivers, actually capable of casting shadows as wide as a barn or a 12-row corn planter, will no longer be able to say they weigh much less than they do. If the law is followed to the letter, Mount Sterling will become a town without childhood myths and legends. It would be a town without a tooth fairy, Santa Claus or Easter Bunny. ‘Your tooth fell out, huh? Well, big deal. Here’s a quarter." "Here, take these bags of candy. Thank goodness I don’t have to spend half the night hiding thousands of jelly beans and marshmallow bunnies under sofa cushions. I’ve got better things to do with my time." "Bah. Humbug." All of the fun would be missing. The new ordinance might also lead to an increased number of guilt-filled confessions. "Hello? Is this the IRS? I think I might owe you guys some money." "Remember when I told you I had never been married before?" Unable to tell even white lies, how will people respond to the challenging questions which surface continually in personal relationships? Armed with the truth and nothing but the truth, men would be unable to heed the advice of Olin Miller, "A man who won’t lie to a woman has very little consideration for her feelings." Truly honest opinions might ruin many marriages. "Honey, does this dress make me look fat?" (If that floral print had to cover any more surface, you would look like one of those 20-acre botanical gardens they’re always showing on the travel channel.) "Why can’t we be romantic like we used to be?" (Let’s face it, after all these years, you’re either looking more like me or your mother. I can’t decide. It’s a toss-up.) "So, how do you like this new recipe?" (Thank goodness our children have grown up and moved out. Collateral damage from this particular disaster should be minimal — just the two of us. It’s kind of funny when you think about it — ours may be the first deaths attributed to bad linguini.) Even if the anti-lying ordinance is passed in Mount Sterling, at least one form of stretching the truth will continue to survive. According to Douglas Malloch, "The biggest liar in the world is They Say." As anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows, They Say is mighty difficult to track down.

Oldre probateDISTRICT COURTPROBATE DIVISIONFIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICTNOTICE AND ORDER OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKESTATE OFNorman G. Oldre, a/k/a Norman Oldre DECEDENTIt is Ordered and Notice is given that on May 5, 2003 at 9:00 (a.m.) a hearing will be held in this Court at the Rock County Courthouse, 204 East Brown, Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of Decedent, dated February 19, 1979 and codicil (N/A) to the will dated N/A, and separate writing (N/A) under Minn. Stat. 524.2-513 ("Will"), and for the appointment of Barbara Oldre whose address is: 813 North Oakley, Luverne, Minnesota 56156 as personal representative of the Estate of the Decedent in a SUPERVISED administration. Any objections to the petition must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper and if no objections are filed or raised, the personal representative will be appointed with full power to administer the Estate, including the power to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, to sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the Estate.Notice is also given that (subject to Minn. Stat. 524.3-801) all creditors having claims against the Estate are required to present the claims to the personal representative or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this Notice or the claims will be barred. /S/ TIMOTHY K. CONNELL 4/9/03Timothy K. Connell Judge Date/S/ SANDRA L. VRTACNIK 4/9/03Sandra L. VrtacnikCourt Administrator DateAttorney For Personal RepresentativeDonald R. KlosterbuerSkewes, Klosterbuer & Vajgrt, L.L.P.120 N. McKenzieBox 538Luverne, MN 56156-0538Telephone 507 283-9111Attorney License #56674(4-17, 4-24)

Mortgage foreclosure sale set for June 6NOTICE OF MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALEThe right to verification of the debt and identity of the original creditor within the time provided by law is not affected by this action. YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that default has occurred in the conditions of the following described mortgage: DATE OF MORTGAGE: October 5, 2001 DATE OF CORRECTIVE MORTGAGE: January 11, 2002 MORTGAGOR(S): Jimmy Alan Morey Jr and Joann C. Morey, husband and wife MORTGAGEE: Jasper State Bank DATE AND PLACE OF RECORDING: October 16, 2001, at 1:05 p.m. as Document No. 151184 in the Office of the Rock County, Minnesota, Recorder; and January 15, 2002, at 1:30 p.m. as Document No. 151970 in the Office of the Rock County, Minnesota, Recorder. LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY: Lot Three (3), Block Seventeen (17), Rose Dell Addition to the City of Jasper, County of Rock, State of Minnesota COUNTY IN WHICH PROPERTY IS LOCATED: Rock ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF MORTGAGE INCLUDING AMENDMENTS THERETO: $7,500.00 AMOUNT DUE AND CLAIMED TO BE DUE AS OF DATE OF NOTICE, INCLUDING TAXES, IF ANY, PAID BY MORTGAGEE: $6,363.89 Prior to commencement of this mortgage foreclosure proceeding, the holder of this Mortgage complied with all notice requirements as required by statute and all conditions precedent to foreclosure and/or acceleration of the debt secured by the mortgage; No action or proceeding has been instituted at law or otherwise to recover the debt secured by said mortgage or any part thereof; Pursuant to the power of sale contained in said mortgage, the mortgage will be foreclosed to pay the debt secured by said Mortgage, taxes, if any, on said premises, and costs and disbursements, including attorneys’ fees, allowed by law, and the above-described property will be sold by the Sheriff of Rock County as follows: DATE AND TIME OF SALE: June 6, 2003, at 10:00 o’clock a.m. PLACE OF SALE: West Entrance of the Sheriff’s Office, Law Enforcement Center, 213 Luverne Street, Luverne, Minnesota 56156. REDEMPTION PERIOD: The time allowed by law for redemption by the mortgagor(s) or mortgagor(s) personal representatives or assigns is six (6) months from the date of sale. MORTGAGORS RELEASED FROM FINANCIAL OBLIGATION ON MORTGAGE: None. THE TIME ALLOWED BY LAW FOR REDEMPTION BY THE MORTGAGOR, THE MORTGAGORS’ PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES OR ASSIGNS, MAY BE REDUCED TO FIVE WEEKS IF A JUDICIAL ORDER IS ENTERED UNDER MINNESOTA STATUTES, SECTION 582.032, DETERMINING, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT THE MORTGAGED PREMISES ARE IMPROVED WITH A RESIDENTIAL DWELLING OF LESS THAN FIVE UNITS, ARE NOT PROPERTY USED IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AND ARE ABANDONED. Dated: April 11, 2003JASPER STATE BANK, MortgageeO’NEILL, O’NEILL, & BARDUSONBy: /s/ Damain D. SandyDamain D. Sandy114 North Hiawatha AvenueP.O. Box 128Pipestone, MN 56164Telephone No.: (507) 825-4266Atty. Reg. No.: 240667Attorneys for the MortgageeThis is an attempt to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.(4-17, 4-24, 5-1, 5-8, 5-15, 5-22)

To the Editor:Coaching is more than winning and losing. Coaching is more than teaching skills and strategy. Coaching is building character, attitude, sportsmanship and life skills. The poem "A Coach Never Loses" exemplifies the coaching of Mary Jo Graphenteen. Her dedication and energies given to Cardinal volleyball are within the lines of this selection. A Coach Never LosesA team can lose. Any team can lose. But in a sense, a very real sense, a coach never loses. For the job of a coach is over and finished once the starting whistle blows. She knows she’s won or lost before play starts. For a coach has two tasks. The minor one is to teach skills: how to serve consistently, pass and set accurately and to spike powerfully. The second task, the major task is to make women out of girls. It’s to teach an attitude of mind.It’s to implant character and not simply to impart skills. It’s to teach girls to play fair. This goes without saying. It’s to teach them to be humble in victory and proud in defeat. This goes without saying. But more important it’s to teach them to live up to their potential no matter what their potential is. It’s to teach them to do their best and never be satisfied with what they are but to strive and to be as good as they can be if they tried a little harder. A coach can never make a great player out of a girl who isn’t potentially great. But she can make a great competitor out of any child. And miraculously she can make a woman out of a girl. For the coach, the final score doesn’t read so many points for my team and so many points for theirs.Instead it reads: So many women out of so many girls. And this is the score that is never published. And this is the score that she reads to herself and which she finds her real joy when the last game is over.Jeanne BowronKari LaisSusan NelsonMark LundgrenTodd OyeJohnna AhrendtJason PhelpsEmily CrabtreeMichael WennigerKatie HemmeJessica Bowron OyeDan AmbornSteve KollmannLucinda Rofshus

Last week I was perusing the household environment, trying to decide which room to clean first. It was then that I noticed how many televisions we have. There is one in the kitchen to watch while we cook and do dishes. I have one in the living room for recording and viewing my two soap operas, "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." The loving husband has one in the family room for watching NASCAR racing, football, Louis Rukeyser's Wall Street, and video movies. He also has one in the garage for watching NASCAR, football, and Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street. We also have an extra TV with a VCR right in it to take on fishing trips for those rare moments when the fish are not particularly cooperative. We do not have a TV in the bedroom. If you have three or more television sets in your house, you are not alone. 41 percent of American homes do. Here are a few more disturbing statistics: oThe average time an American child ages 2-17 watches TV is 19 hours and 40 minutes per week. oThe time parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children is 38 minutes per week. oOn average, American children will spend more time in front of the TV (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours). oThe number of TV commercials viewed by children in one year is 20,000 oThe age by which children can develop brand loyalty is age two. oThe average number of violent acts an average American child sees on TV by age 18 is 200,000. oThe average number of murders witnessed by children by the age 18 is 16,000.Next week (April 21-27) is Turn Off Your TV Week. You are encouraged to "do something" instead of sitting in front of the television. And, I just happened to have an idea for you. Come to the library at 7 p.m. Tuesday April 22, for a special presentation by Minnesota Children’s Author William Durbin. This program is open to all ages. Mr. Durbin will have books available for purchase and they can be autographed after the presentation. Naturally you can come to the library anytime we are open. You don’t have to wait for a special program. Every day is a good day to visit the library. This week you might want to check out the new book by Iris Johansen, "Dead Aim." A celebrated photojournalist, Alex Graham has seen it all. She has recorded some of the most tragic and heartbreaking of catastrophes, everything from natural disasters to infamous acts of terror. Her experiences have left her forever marked with the human side of tragedy. So when a dam breaks in Arapahoe Junction, Colo., Alex is once more at the site doing more than just snapping pictures — she is in the mud with a shovel digging for survivors. Alex finds more than she bargained for. In one terrible instant, she is witness to a conspiracy that will stun a nation. The official story is just a cover-up for a truth so frightening, so unthinkable; anyone who threatens to reveal it must be silenced. Forever. And now that someone is Alex Graham.The first attempt on her life is swift and brutal. Only barely escaping, she finds an ally in an improbable source. Billionaire financier John Logan has his own reasons for protecting Alex, and these reasons alone are likely to get her killed. Using his vast connections and influences, Logan assigns a bodyguard to protect her. Judd Morgan is the best covert commando in the business, and if anyone can keep Alex safe, it’s this quietly dangerous man. Note: The library will be closed on Sunday, April 20, in observance of Easter.