By ALICE BRANDAU
TV ads appeal to people who don’t get to shop much, and my husband Bob has been eyeing a new belt on RFD-TV. Some friends recommended them, as they are simple to operate due to their ratchet effect. Now, to a farmer, the word “ratchet” is not new.
So daughter Ann called, informing us it had been ordered and would arrive in a few days. As it came in a nice black box, I wasn’t surprised to find a classy belt. There were no directions, but that shouldn’t be a problem for guy who knows how to ratchet. So I helped him get it on, and it fit well, and then he proceeded to “unbuckle” (un-ratchet) it. That’s when trouble started.
We both agreed that the fix should be simple, but for some odd reason, we just couldn’t seem to get it right, and common sense flew out the window. It was replaced with anxiety, and “what if?” set in. Like, what if I have to cut this beautiful belt to get it off? Or worse yet, the need to head to the bathroom would be a calamity. Finally, we found the way to unlatch it. The problem was we had the belt inserted the opposite way we usually do. We took no chances, and Bob has figured it out. This beautiful belt is going to work just fine.
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A huge, happy birthday to Elna Arndt, who is celebrating her 100th birthday. She maintained her home south of Wilton for a long time, eventually residing with her daughter Judy in Hillsboro. Most recently, she has become a resident at Heritage Manor in Elroy. She has a beautiful spirit, and I’m sad to say I was unable to attend her gathering of friends and relatives at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wilton on Sunday.
Hazel Pasch congratulated Elna on Sunday and enjoyed conversation with a number of folk she seldom sees. Later she attended a Lutheran Women’s Mission Society meeting at St. Paul’s in Tomah.
When someone in the Allen Martin family celebrates the big 50th birthday, they party, and a large crowd of relatives and friends gathered Saturday night at the Wilton Legion to help Jim Martin and Shelly (David) Martin make it an event to remember. Those who attended from South Ridge were David and Cathy Brandau, Frank and Darlene Martalock, Hazel Pasch, and Bob and I.
A few weeks ago, we had a wind that caused branches to fall from the maples. Help from son Gale, our granddaughter Amy and her family, who gathered the limbs, piling them on a truck and disposing of them, was truly a relief for this grandma. A pancake supper with real maple syrup finished our day.
Incidentally, it was 60 years ago that a tornado destroyed the buildings on the Al Graewin farm just a couple miles east of us.
For a good number of weeks, we have had lots of phone calls from people asking, “When is the small-animal/consignment auction?” It’s coming fast, and on Saturday, May 8, it will be in full swing at Brandau Livestock in Kendall.
And that’s it for April 3, 2017.
