October 2, 2006 - Monday

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Todays Gazette is brought to you by --- The Daily Grind. 24 5 street
East.
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The current temperature is 52 degrees.
Yesterdays H/L temperature was 84/46
Normal H/L temp for this date is 63/39
The low on this date in 1999 was 19. As I remember, it wasn't one of
the better day's to be working in the Ag Dept.
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"Profanity makes ignorance audible."
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L O C A L news & stuff,.. mostly stuff.
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Yesterday afternoon sure was a nice one. It's hard to believe that in
a few short weeks it could easily be 100 degrees colder.
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Although the 2006 American Crystal Sugarbeet harvest "officially" began
Friday night at midnight, for some, and Saturday morning for the rest.
Growers have yet to put in a full day of harvest. Harvest conditions in
the field, from the folks I've talked to, are good. The weather,
unfortunately, has also been good, to good as a matter of fact.
Warm temperatures cause the root temperatures to reach the mid to
upper 60's by early afternoon. 55 degrees seems to be a magic number for
storing sugarbeets long term. If the root temperature is higher than
that when it goes into a long term storage pile. It will almost
immediately start breaking down and becomes worthless.
Frozen beets present the same problem as harvest temperatures begin to
fall to the lower end of the thermometer. As a matter of fact. It isn't
unusual to shut down harvest around noon because of heat, start up in
late afternoon and shut down during the night due to frozen beets. That
my friends, is when agriculturist's must look both ways,... and often,
before crossing the street.
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Although it's been a few days since Millicent sent this, I think most
of the numbers are still valid. She wrote: >>>
Hi, Gary! Here in Virginia the nighttime temperatures are almost
neck and neck with Grafton's! It still warms up in the afternoons
though, usually in the 70's and 80's, but mornings are unusually cold
for this time of the year. Tonight it is predicted to get down in the
low 30's and maybe into the 20's; brrrr. Thankfully, our gas prices
have been going down almost daily and I can gladly relate that today
some are in the $1.78 - $1.80 range. Wish they would have been at the
price when we drove to Grafton for my 55th high school graduation
reunion this summer! Our trip home was so enjoyable and the parade
was one of the best we have seen in Grafton. I had my camera ready to
take a picture of you and your wife but as soon as I shot you turned
your head! Can't win them all, I guess! Again, thank you for all
the information you relate so effortlessly (it seems to me!); we enjoy
it each time it comes through. Tom and Millicent La Berge <<< Thanks
for caring and sharing Millicent. It still costs about $2.20 to fill a
one gallon can here.
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Please welcome Harley, Garret, Lisa, Susan, Kathy, Julie and Mary Lynn
to the Gazette family.
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I hope everyone will read and heed the following note from Cindy. She
wrote: >>>
Gary, Again today we lost another one of our valuable teenagers driving
faster than a car is meant to be driven. It seems that we loose one on
an average of one every six months, but they just don't seem to slow
down. The community next to us yesterday had five kids in a car and lost
one. Today our small farm community had two boys at the young ages of 16
and 17 that both perished when they hit a tree going around a curve to
fast. They put governors on our school buses to keep the speed down for
the adults driving the children. Wouldn't you think there would be a way
to do the same to a young persons car that has a "lead foot"? Our
prayers go out to these families and I hope these tragedies will open
the eyes of at least one of our kids to SLOW DOWN. Give your kids an
extra hug tonight. Cindy
Thanks for caring and sharing Cindy. I'm reminded of an old saying I
read somewhere, that says. "Write if you can, call if you can't, and
tell your loved ones they are, before it's too late."
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It saddens me to share the following obituary. Mrs Maxwell will be
remembered by many as that wonderful little lady who planted music in
our soul.
I might also pose the question. I wonder what would have happened, had
Olwen actually pursued a professional music career? Would Peggy Lee
still have recorded "who's sorry now", or, would she just been sorry?
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Olwen (Mrs. James) Maxwell, 86
Olwen Elinor Rowland was born April 17, 1920, in Colorado Springs,
Colorado. Olwen was born one month after her parents, Hywel C.
Rowland and Gladys Muriel Rowland arrived in this country from Wales.
Olwen graduated from Grand Forks Central High School in 1937. Music
was always a special part of life for Olwen and the entire Rowland
family. Olwen competed in the North Dakota State Vocal Music
Competition receiving first place against Peggy Lee. Olwen graduated
from the University of North Dakota. She accepted a teaching position
in Cando, North Dakota, where she met James H. Maxwell, also a new
teacher and coach. Olwen and James were married on December 28, 1941,
in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Following James' service in World War II, the Maxwells moved to James'
home town of Grafton, North Dakota, where James, taught, coached, was a
principal and the superintendent of the Grafton Schools during the years
of 1954 to 1979.
Olwen's family always came first in her life and she had a strong,
living faith. She was kept very busy raising their five
children. She also remained active with her music. She directed
choir at the Grafton Federated Church, was a soloist for many occasions,
and gave individual voice lessons. Olwen went back to her teaching
career once her children were all in school teaching music at Chase
School. Olwen completed her Masters Degree at UND and as part of her
master's program wrote and directed a musical, "So Grafton Grows."
Olwen also started a Junior Choir at their home church, Zion English
Lutheran Church, which she directed for many years. She was very
talented. In addition to her music she did beautiful sewing,
designing clothes, dolls, and did lovely intricate hand work such as
Hardanger.
Following James' death, Olwen lived with her daughter Kathy's family, in
Hudson, Iowa; Kewaunee, Wisconsin; Glencoe, Minnesota; and Mahnomen,
Minnesota. In 2000 Olwen moved to the Good Samaritan Assisted
Living-Heritage Pines Apartments in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. She
returned to Grafton in May of 2005 to the Lutheran Sunset Home.
Olwen was preceded in death by a sister, Noel Rowland; her parents,
Hywel and Muriel Rowland; her daughter, Meribeth Maxwell; and husband
James.
Olwen is survived by her sister, Dilys (Hans) Midstokke, Freeport,
Illinois; brother, Robert (Jean) Rowland, Stillwater, Minnesota;
brother, Trevor (Marilyn) Rowland, San Jose, California; son, James R.
(Darlene) Maxwell, Bloomington, Minnesota; son, John (Joan) Maxwell,
Grafton, North Dakota; daughter, Phyllis (Tom) Trelfa, Oslo, Minnesota;
daughter, Kathy (Jack) Stronstad, Mahnomen, Minnesota; nine
grandchildren, James N. Maxwell, Jennifer (Brian) Berg, Jeremy Haug,
Jacque (Chad) Frost, Jocelyn Stronstad, Jonathan Stronstad, Kara
Maxwell, Dana Maxwell, and Amy Maxwell; and seven great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Olwen's Life will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2006,
at Zion English Lutheran Church, 1100 Hill Avenue, Grafton, North
Dakota, at 7:00 p.m., with Rev. Bernhard Seter officiating. The
family will receive visitors at the church, prior to the service,
beginning at 5:00 p.m.
The Tollefson funeral home is in charge of the arraingments and you can
sign Olwen's guest book at www.tollefsonfuneralhome.com
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GOTTA GO WORK ON MY DASH
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The Gazette works best, when the folks that read it, write it. Or so it
seems to me.


Write if you can, call if you can't, and, tell your loved ones they are,
before it's too late.