FROM THE CORNER

BY DAVID JANKOSKI

As we have traveled around the area over the past week, it is evident that the harvest from farm fields has begun. Dried corn fields are being confronted by choppers that are cutting corn for silage. Early planted corn is being harvested on farms where cows are still being milked. The harvest of corn and soybeans, sold as cash crops, will soon join in the harvest. Hopefully, the weather will hold and farmers will not get bogged down and have difficulty getting the bountiful crops out of the fields. Soybeans are now turning golden yellow and soon too will be ready for harvest. *** While the Labor Day weekend campers have mostly left the campground at Chapman Park, a few hardy campers are still there. Most weekends this past summer the campground had a decent number of campers present. If you drove through the campground on weekends, you had to be careful as there were always lots of little ones riding bikes, or crossing the roads going to the playground. *** If you didn’t have anything to do on Sunday, September 12, you really didn’t want to be doing anything!! The Stanley area was full of activities, thus offering a wide variety of events to choose from. There was something for everyone!! The biggest event was the Car, Tractor, Snowmobile, and Motorcycle Show down at Soo Park, plus craft vendors who offered a nice variety of items for sale. The entered vehicles this year included some very interesting and unusual ones. Down at the Chapman Park Rodeo Arena, there was a Fun Horse Show for area people with horses. The Stanley-Thorp Methodist churches celebrated an anniversary and over at All Saints – St. Joseph’s Church in Boyd, parishioners assembled to help Father William Felix celebrate the fortieth anniversary of his ordination, with a parish picnic following at Lotz Park in Boyd. So another busy weekend was squeezed in, before we get to far into fall weather. Although the day started out chilly, by afternoon it was very pleasant outside. *** A few days ago, I read some distributing forecast signs for winter 2021-22. Now understand, much of what follows is folklore, but we will all to soon be able to determine how much might be true. Squirrels, birds and bees are some of the best forecasters of winter!! However, even the thickness of an onion skin, may also tell us something of future weather. +++ Here is a bit of squirrel wisdom: "Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry, Will cause snow to gather in a hurry.” +++ Bird and bees wisdom: “See how high hornet’s nest, will tell how the snow will rest.” While a band of brown on a woolly caterpillar means the same thing. +++ Trees, flowers, vegetables and other plants are also weather forecasters!! When leaves drop early, autumn and winter will be mild, but if they fall late, winter will be severe. Folklore claims that thicker onion skins can signal a cold and snowy winter. “Onion’s skin very thin, mild winter coming in. Onions skin thick and tough, coming winter cold and rough.” +++ Other signs of a bad winter are: Flowers blooming in late autumn, corn husks thicker than normal and tight, tough apple skins and plentiful ber- ries and nuts. +++ While lots of berries, nuts and flowers may be a sign of a lovely warm November, weather wise, winter will probably be awful. +++ So, you have your fall work cut out for you – see if any of these signs are true. (Some info from the Old Farmer’s 2021 Almanac) *** Have you discovered yet that effective Sunday, August 29, the cost to mail a first class letter, which is one ounce in weight, increased three cent to $0.58 from $0.55? This includes Forever stamps. *** “Love, joy, peace, patience and kindness … these are the ingredients of lasting happiness.” John Bartrunek (From “A Quiet Place”) *** It was interesting to learn recently that the new Highway G bridge in Greenwood, that is being replaced in 2022, will have a snowmobile lane, that is expected to also be used by four wheel vehicles, bikers and walkers. The money needed for the lane is from state snowmobile license fee dollars. *** The concept of a four-day work week has been around for sometime. But it has never gained much traction in the United States. Worldwide experiments have included four eight-hour days, or five shorter days of work. However, no big companies have implemented a shortened work week. One exception was Microsoft Japan, which experienced lower electricity costs and a 40% increase in productivity after implementing a four-day work week in 2019. However, Iceland has the most experience with a four-day work week. In Iceland, the majority of workers have contracts that shortened their hours. Two trials involving 1% of Iceland’s working population found the employees with reduced work hours experienced a reduction in burnout, while productivity increased, or stayed the same. Perhaps that will lead to other bosses trying a shortened work week for their employees. *** Smile time. Winston Chruchill loved paraprosdokians, which are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected. Read them slow. 1.) Behind every successful man is a woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman. 2.) A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory. 3.) You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. 4.) Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. 5.) There's a fine line between cuddling and … holding someone down so they can’t get away. 6.) I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not so sure. 7.) You’re never to old to learn something stu- pid. 8. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call what ever you hit the target. 9.) Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. 10.) Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. 11.) Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 12.) I’m suppose to respect my elders, but it's getting harder to find one. +++ An old lady came to a lawyer 's office and asked for help to arrange a divorce. "A di vorce, asked the unbelieving lawyer: “Tell me how old are you?” “I’m eighty-four.” “Eighty-four! And how old is your husband?” “My husbands eighty-seven.” “My, my,” said the lawyer, “and how long have you been married?” “Next September will be sixty-two years.” “Married sixty-two years? Why would you want to divorce now?” “because,” the woman answered calmly, “enough is enough.”