I knew it would happen!! It’s a sign of the times we are going through. Ad in the Trempealeau County Times: Lutefisk Dinner – Carryout Only. Sunday, October 25, 11 am – 4 pm at North Beaver Creek Lutheran Church, rural Ettrick. All dinners must be pre-ordered and pre-paid at $15 each by October 11. The meal consists of Lutefisk, meatballs, potatoes, gravy, rutabagas, and lefse. I hope some church closer than Ettrick does the same in this area. What would a year without Lutefisk be like?? *** Come this time of year those of us who like to attend Lutefisk Dinners take a lot of ribbing. Admittedly, there are fewer and fewer connoisseurs of this fish delicacy as the older generation passes on to eternal Lutefsk dinners. I’m not sure they are my friend, but one such character provided me with the following story entitled, “How Lutefisk Was Invented.” “Centuries ago the Norwegians moved to Ireland to get away from the bitter Norwegian winters. In a little while there were so many Norwegians that nobody could get elected to office unless they had a Norwegian name. The Norwegians ate so much fish that they were nearly all gone (the fish, that is-not Norwegians). Then the Norwegians began to make lefse out of the potatoes. The Irish were starving to death; so they took typical Irish action. They sabotaged the power plants reasoning that the refrigerators would stop, the fish would spoil and the Norwegians would leave. But the Norwegians kept right on eating the rotten fish, then the Irish in desperation, sneaked into the Norwegian caves and poured lye over the rotten fish. The Norwegians liked this even better. Ever since then the Norwegians pour lye over the rotten fish and call it Lutefisk. Oh, yes, finally St. Patrick drove the Norwegians out of Ireland, and they moved to Minnesota.” And that my friends is a whole bunch of stories rolled into one!! *** Did you know? A giraffe has the same number of bones in its neck as a man. +++ Seventy-five percent of the Honda vehicles purchased in the U. S. are manufactured in North America. +++ Ten percent of the Russian government’s income comes from the sale of vodka. ++ Two out of three adults in the United States have hemorrhoids. +++ Twenty percent of tuxedo rentals take place in May. +++ In the 2016 presidential election, about 67 percent of those eligible to vote in Wisconsin turned out. That compared with a 60 percent turnout nationally. *** Inmates at the Stanley Prison do it again!! As part of the Lions 27-E2 District Convention (Stanley Lions are a part of E-2 District), it had been planned to do a community service project, which was to put together Children’s Care Bags for 150 children at Sacred Heart, Mayo and Marshfield Clinic Hospital, all in Eau Claire. With COVID-19 causing this year’s convention to be canceled, the project was left undone, until a group of area Lions stepped forward and assembled them. Festival Foods donated the environmentally friendly bags to put the items in. Inmates at the Stanley Correctional Institution hand made 100 teddy bears. Various Lions, and others, donated children's books, fleece and flannel blankets, etc. to put in the bags as well. Nice project Lions!! *** Have you been by the Stanley McDonald’s lately? If so, you would have noticed that the place is undergoing a remodeling project. In talking with the construction workers I learned that they began working on the remodeling on Monday, September 14, and the plans were to have the job completed in three weeks – which would make it about this Friday, October 2. My thoughts are that any changes in decor will be an improvement. I hope I am correct. Expect technology to also invade the space. *** In case you haven't noticed the small bridge near the Fandry Park Veteran’s Memorial has been replaced. The old bridge was looking very tacky and it was due time for an upgrade. Nice job by those who worked on the replacement. *** Travel Wisconsin has released five recommended drives with stunning fall scenery. These are all within easy driving distance of Stanley. 1.) Black River State Forest, which is just east of Black River Falls. It is 68,000 acres with unique geology. 2.) Hilltop Color Tours, which includes three of the state’s highest points – Rib Mountain State Park, Timm’s Hill near Ogema, and the Highground near Neillsville. 3.) Upper Mississippi River, which includes traveling Highway 35 from Prescott to Potosi. This is also known as the Great River Road. 4.) Hayward Lakes Area, which has six self-guided fall color tours ranging from 45 to 70 miles in Sawyer County. 5.) Wisconsin Lake Superior Scenic Byway, which provides views along the Bayfield Peninsula. Interested people can visit travelwisconsin. com for more specific information on these tours and others.

*** This past week saw a great deal of work being done to improve Hansen’s IGA’s parking lots. The work is long overdue and it is being done professionally by Haas Sons Inc. It is going to be really nice to have a new parking lot and hopefully water flow issues have been corrected. There were some real danger spots that one had to be extremely careful to not slip and fall during winter/spring thaw and freeze times. *** Smile time. A weeping woman bursts into her hypnotist's office, “I have been faithful to my husband for 15 years, but yesterday I had an affair!” she sobbed. “The guilt is killing me. I just want to forget that it ever happened!” The hypnotherapist shakes his head and sighs, “Not again…” +++ It took “Click it or ticket” to get people to wear a seat belt. I wonder if “Mask it or casket” might work to get people to wear a face mask? +++ My parents spanked me as a child. As a result I now suffer from a psychological condition known as “RESPECT FOR OTHERS.” +++ The world needs more tackle boxes and less X boxes. +++ Aren’t you glad your childhood happened before technology took over? +++ Remember how we played “On-line” (the clothesline) before the INTERNET? +++ I survived spankings … lead paint … rusty playgrounds … second hand smoke … toy guns … no seat belts … no helmets …and drinking from a hose. +++ My curfew was lightning bugs. My parents didn’t call my cell, they yelled my name. I played outside not online. If I didn’t eat what mom cooked, I didn’t eat.