Simply North - Spring 2017

The Journal Presents

Simply North Spring 2017

Live. Play. Enjoy.

A time for love and golf Willie Frank explores spring Ernest Oberholtzer A man who stood strong

AIS: NO JOKE THE LOVE OF COACHING GARDENING MAGIC

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Contents

Spring 2017

4, 5

FLIPPIN’ AND SIPPIN’ Break-feast; Snack-tivity for kids

6

NORTHERN GARDENER Garden Magic

7

SHORTS & FILL-INS Letting the light in

16, 20

FEATURES

SIMPLY SOLUTIONS Restoring a piano; The ultimate Mom and Pop gift guide

10

22

12

GUEST FEATURE The promise of spring

COACHING LOVE Meyers and Grinsell

ERNEST OBERHOLTZER Who was he?

18

AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES They’re no joke

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218-285-7411 Simply North • Spring 2017 | 3

Flippin' & Sippin'

Co-worker collaboration:

Break-feast

By Whitney Jackson

O

ffices oftentimes resemble the hit television show “The Office” without people even noticing it. If you’re an avid watcher of the show’s re-runs, you’re likely to laugh along with the goofy anecdotes and dream of eating cake nearly three times a week like the employees do, thanks to the efforts of the dysfunctional party planning committee.

While office treats can be something to look forward to and break up your day, they aren’t always healthy, leaving you feeling slow, tired, and possibly hungrier later on.

Office parties will likely never be a thing of the past, but nowadays offices are more likely to be seen encouraging their employees to participate in biggest loser challenges or Fitbit workweek challenges, leaving employees to depend on their co-workers as their new fitness accountability partners.

However, the problem with trying to be healthy usually lies in the diet. Enter that double fudge cake being presented to Michael on “The Office” all over again.

A great way to innovate healthy eating habits not only at home but also in the office is to bring in healthy snacks for all to enjoy. While this task may seem daunting, recipes are usually quick and

Banana peanut butter overnight oats (2 servings) INGREDIENTS: • 2/3 cup rolled oats • 2 tbsp peanut butter • 4 tsp chia seeds • 2 tsp honey or maple syrup • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk • 1 scoop chocolate protein • 1 banana, sliced DIRECTIONS: Combine everything into a bowl.

Split mixture into two mason jars.

Let sit in the fridge overnight.

Enjoy with a co-worker!

easy and your co-workers will be happy you kept them in mind. Think energy balls, protein shakes, egg cups and fruit, and ditch the sweets that will just make you sleepy and regretful.

The featured recipe packs a ton of filling flavor, keeping you satiated and smiling until lunch.

Flippin' & Sippin'

Caterpillar and Butterflies:

A snack-tivity for kids

By Danielle Schermerhorn

S

pring is in the air! It always arrives a little later than the calendar date in our neck of the woods. Rest assured, soon we will see critters crawling and flying as trees bud, and life emerges from winter’s grasp.

What better way to discuss how creatures change than a lesson on caterpillars and butterflies! This lesson is reinforced with a Snackster Sam approved snack.

Caterpillar and watermelon butterflies are incredibly easy to make — no worries about Pinterest fails — and will get children excited about eating and trying new fruits and vegetables.

Things you’ll need:  Round toothpicks  Watermelon  Grapes or cherry tomatoes  Blueberries or raisins Directions: First, lay out all of your items. Carefully cut some of the toothpicks in half, as you’ll use these for antennas.

Next, ask the children to help string the grapes or tomatoes onto a toothpick.

About 3 of each will fit on one toothpick.

Feel free to mix and match for a multicolored caterpillar! Using the halved toothpicks, place them at one end of the caterpillar. Cover the end with either blueberries or raisins.

To make the butterfly, cut about 3/4 inch slices of watermelon. A mini watermelon will be easiest to cut, but any size watermelon will work. Using a knife, cut away triangle-like shapes on each side to reveal a butterfly shape. Decorate the butterfly with blueberries or raisins. Add antennas as you did for the caterpillars.

To make the conversation even more fun, create a scene with lettuce or other greenery. Snap peas can represent cocoons, too. After you admire your creation, dig in and enjoy it!

Happy Spring! Share your creations on Instagram and Facebook using #SnacksterSam! You can learn more about Snackster Sam’s mission at snackstersam. com.

Contributed photos

Simply North • Spring 2017 | 5

Northern Gardener

A little garden magic

By Kris Jackson

W

e should now be past the wind advisories of March, as well as the 6 degree temperatures, not to mention the icy sidewalks and parking lots. We are also now past my personal favorite winter pastime – driving by frigid water waist high in the ditches.

This is now the perfect time to remind ourselves that we battle our own seasonal issues, just as other gardeners before us.

“Tho’ an old man, I am but a young gardener,” said Thomas Jefferson.

It was mid-March in 1809, when 65-year old Thomas Jefferson had left James Madison’s inauguration as the fourth president of the United States. Former President Jefferson traveled by carriage 120 miles with a surplus of shrubs just waiting to be planted at his precious home.

Rosemary Verey, a self-taught garden designer and writer from England often said, “it’s a sin to be dull.” Never timid about ripping out an overgrown treasure, she gave others the permission to always 6 | Simply North • Spring 2017

improve and create something better. She was known to have a flowery style – mixing perennials, annuals and bulbs with trees and shrubs.

One of my favorite gardeners to KRIS watch and read was JACKSON Cassandra Danz. A New Yorker, with a quirky sense of humor and casual way of handling the work involved in garden maintenance. She always promoted using newspaper, three to six layers thick, to begin a new bed. It was the natural way to suffocate what was beneath without chemicals.

She was also a great fan of English gardener Christopher Lloyd and her books reference him several times with fond memories of their conversations.

Now, if you popped in some bulbs last fall, good for you, as there will soon be a blast of color to greet you. Enjoy the blooms

and take notes for plantings this autumn.

If you are planning a new bed, consider newspaper as your starter. Remember that shrubs give a lot of color in the spring, and some leave us berries in the winter.

Consider purchasing a new tree that flowers or turns color in the cooler temps, just watch for sales and do a little research prior to planting.

But mostly, take note of the magic that happens when perennials bloom, ornamental grasses stand tall and vegetables are ready to harvest. Just like famous writer, Beatrix Potter, you may see some furry little characters in your gardens or that crazy Peter Rabbit!

Good reads for springtime gardening include, “Founding Gardeners” by Andrea Wulf, “Rosemary Verey” by Barbara Paul Robinson, “Mrs. Greenthumbs Plows Ahead” by Cassandra Danz and “Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The Plants & Places That Inspired The Classic Children’s Tales”

by Marta McDowell.

Jackson is a former Chisago County Master Gardener.

Shorts and Fill-ins

Letting the light in a spring cleaning how-to

By Whitney Jackson

W

hile the majority of people despise spring cleaning, it can easily be seen as a positive if

you let it.

Ultimately, spring cleaning allows us the opportunity to open up the doors and windows and let the sun shine in, with all of its warmth and bright light. It’s also a wonderful time of year to transform our homes into clean, happy and efficient spaces.

Below is a shortened guide to spring cleaning a few popular rooms of the house, which doesn’t have to be tackled all at once, but over time. The sun is to be enjoyed in more ways than one, so be sure to get your fix outdoors as well.

Entryway and Foyer:  Dust lighting fixtures  Empty out coat closet – sort items as you return them and store out of season items or donate unneeded items  Clean or replace entry mat  Sweep and scrub floors



Wash doors, knobs and walls Bedrooms:  Open windows  Dust furniture and additional furnishings  Remove everything from closets and drawers – donate items no longer needed  Move bed – sweep or vacuum underneath and sort and put away anything that was underneath  Freshen bed mattress by sprinkling with baking soda, letting it sit briefly, and then vacuuming it up – can also flip mattress  Wash windows and window sills – take out and wash window screens as well  Wash mirrors and dust art  Wash doors and doorknobs  Sweep and wash floor or vacuum  Wash and dust floor registers and other vent covers Bathrooms:  Empty all cabinets and vanity, wash inside and replace items – discard expired medications and cosmetics

     

Clean tub and drain – wax if necessary Clean toilet – inside and out Clean sink and drain Clean mirror and frame Dust light fixtures Sweep and wash floors Kitchen:  Remove and clean window coverings  For each cabinet and drawer, remove items, wipe out drawer, return items – donate unneeded items  Clean and organize pantry – check food expiry dates  Clean oven and stovetop  Clean and organize fridge and freezer – defrost freezer if necessary, check food expiry dates  Clean microwave and crumbs out of toaster  Wash counters and wipe down any other counter appliances  Wash and shine sink, shine faucet and clean drain  Sweep and wash floor  Dust light fixtures Simply North • Spring 2017 | 7

Wait.

What do we do with a boy?

By Emily Gedde

I

wasn’t expecting blue frosting to be in the center of a cupcake revealing my sister was pregnant with a boy.

I was used to always seeing pink.

But not this time.

My brother-in-law, Shaver, literally jumped out of his seat with excitement. A boy.

He and my sister, Jackie, invited friends and family over last September to reveal the sex of the baby she was expecting. Like many gender reveal parties, we all had our guesses, and the room was divided by the 50/50 chance.

Given our family history, I guessed pink.

But it was blue. Blue for a boy. Something my family hasn’t experienced in years.

Finley was born Jan. 20. He’s perfect in every way. And he’s unique.

Of course, he’s special because there’s only one Finley Briggs, but like I said: my family hasn’t experienced a birth of a boy in years.

On my dad’s side, it has been almost 58 years since a boy was born and that was my dad.

On my mom’s side, the story is very similar. My cousin had a little boy, Tanner, two years ago and he was the first boy on that side in 62 years. Just when we were getting used to a boy, two girls were born between Tanner and Finley.

I have two daughters and my sister also has a 5-year-old daughter who are more like sisters than cousins. With a boy thrown into the mix, we’re all part of a fresh learning experience.

Diaper changes are new – and attract quite the audience from Finley’s sister and older female cousins, who have a lot of questions.

Luckily they’re young enough to be distracted easily. And we’ve already started panicking about gift giving. Picking out frilly dresses, dolls and fancy nail polish comes natural. I don’t even know how to navigate around the boy toy aisles.

The men of the family find this uncharted 8 | Simply North • Spring 2017

Getting six children ages 7 and under to smile, let alone look at the camera is no easy task.

Pictured from the left are: Tanner Heinle, 2; Pippa Heinle, 11 months; Lucy Briggs, 5; Finley Briggs, 3 months; Rena Gedde, 7; and Ruby Gedde, 2. The 2-year-olds were especially not thrilled with a group cousins photo.

territory hilarious. That’s fine, when we’re busy attending princess tea parties, they can take Finely to the shack.

I’m thinking that’s why Shaver was so excited in the first place.

GIRL GATHERINGS Growing up, my sister and I were very close to our three female cousins. We’d spend many summer nights at my grandparents’ home on Ponto Lake, a small lake north of Brainerd. My grandpa was extremely out-numbered by his wife, two daughters and five Summer weekends at my family’s cabin on Ponto Lake granddaughters who hosted many consist mostly of women. Before Finley was born, evenings of dress up, karaoke and Tanner was outnumbered. Pictured from the left are: facial parties. He liked to complain Emily Gedde, Ruby Gedde, Jackie Briggs, Lucy Briggs, about it, but I know he secretly liked Mollee Heinle, Pippa Heinle, Marcia Stanton, Rena it. We’d retreat to Ponto on weekends Gedde, Nikkee Francisco and Tanner Heinle. leaving my dad and uncles at home When the five granddaughters started to spend the weekend fishing or working dating, we’d bring boyfriends out to Ponto on projects around the house. When we for a weekend in the summer. We wanted were out there, it was like a girls’ night out to share with them our favorite spot and get event all the time. a glimpse at some of the memories made When making a speech at my wedding, there.

But we weren’t used to having boys my dad said he knew one day the boys around to cut down trees, build fire pits and would come.

And they did. want to spend a majority of the weekend in

a boat fishing, not laying on a dock working on a tan. Weird.

I can recall one summer when my nowhusband, Mike, was visiting. He spotted a garter snake attempting to eat a frog. It was disgusting. Still, we were all a little intrigued, but from a distance. Standing on benches and chairs, we watched the snake struggle to drag the frog backwards. Mike, for some reason I still don’t understand, wanted to get a closer look. So he scooped the snake up on a rake. That was too close for us.

Everyone scattered.

My oldest cousin hurt her ankle while escaping, her younger sister was going to jump in the lake, but was stopped short by a baby snapping turtle in her way, my mother and sister took refuge in the cabin, and I just ran. I ran away from my ridiculous boyfriend holding a snake on a rake.

At some point in the less than 10 seconds Mike was holding the rake, he too realized the snake was too close. Reflex kicked in and he proceeded to fling the reptile away from himself not realizing how good his aim was.

Now remember me? I just ran to get away.

I thought I was safe stopping several feet away from the scene of madness only to turn around to something wiggling midair in my direction. I had no time to fully process what happened next.

It hit me.

The snake hit me.

I’m actually surprised I ended up marrying Mike after that. I can’t even explain how angry I was. Everyone else thought it was hilarious. Writing this, I might still be a little scarred.

I fear that scenario is only foreshadowing summers to come.

See a Sanford specialist in

INTERNATIONAL FALLS At Sanford Health, we believe quality care should be delivered close to home. Our team of specialists provides health and healing where it’s convenient to you. Where you feel at home.

Sanford Health specialists who provide outreach to Rainy Lake Clinic include: Medical Oncology Elie Chalhoub, MD

Nephrology Daniel Louvar, MD

To schedule an appointment, call (218) 333-5407.

To schedule an appointment, call (218) 333-5100.

Pediatrics William Bock, MD

Ophthalmology Mark Dwyer, MD

To schedule an appointment, call (218) 333-4710.

To schedule an appointment, call (218) 598-5665.

Optometry Ragna Godtland, OD

FUTURE WEEKENDS Summer getaways are no longer going to be estrogen-dominated gatherings. While Finley and Tanner will be outnumbered by 10 women, there will still be two boys now. Two boys to fling snakes, talk trucks and stir up trouble. It’ll be interesting to see the influence the boys have on the girls and how all of their upbringings will be different from what my sister, cousins and I had.

I doubt they’ll have to wait until they’re in their 20s to have a snake flung at them.

I’m excited about this new generation of cousins/best friends and to see what the future holds for them and my grandpa is excited he’s not the only male anymore.

To schedule an appointment, call (218) 598-5665.

Dr. Godtland sees patients in International Falls & Baudette

048006-00040 12/16

Simply North • Spring 2017 | 9

Love of coaching Meyers, Grinsell have 40 years combined coaching

By Danny Chen Sports Editor

F

or more than 15 years, Rob Meyers and Tim Grinsell have partnered to coach a basketball team of fifth-and sixth-grade girls.

And each year, their success is shown in the accumulation of wins in big tournaments such as in the state Pacesetter Youth Basketball program.

So what’s the secret?

“We try to keep things informal,” Meyers said. “They don’t call us Mr. Meyers or Mr. Grinsell. They call us Rob and Tim. One of the things that we found in (Sylvia Hatchell’s book ‘The Complete Guide to Coaching Girl’s Basketball’), is that girls want you to like them and be their friends first. You have to be their coaches second.”

It’s that type of approach that has made their teams successful, and helped them to develop future varsity talents in International Falls.

With Grinsell’s 23 years of coaching and Meyers’ 17 years, they have a combined 40 years of basketball knowledge.

With so much success in the youth level, why they didn’t coach at a higher level?

“Well, with shift work (at the mill), we 10 | Simply North • Spring 2017

Tim Grinsell, left, and Rob Meyers participate in an inbound play with Kelby Anderson. (Staff photo by Danny Chen)

can’t move up,” Meyers said. “There’s no way for us to coach a junior high program, or a varsity program. This is where we decided to stay, and it’s been fun.”

Their work conflict has been a blessing in disguise for the International Falls High School girls’ basketball program.

Instead of the traditional, hard-nosed approach that many coaches use, the ‘friendly’ approach employed by Meyers and Grinsell has made the young girls listen more carefully.

“Well, we do run at the beginning of the year,” Meyers laughed. “Running improves

the hearing, but a lot of them are self-motivated to improve themselves. Some of them do goof around, but we have to remember that they are kids.”

From the youth level, they have prepared the girls for what is ahead of them at the varsity level.

“You see the group of juniors at the varsity level, we went to the state tournament for Pacesetters with them every year,” Grinsell said. “Teah Goulet was crossing me over even before she was on varsity.”

Grinsell referred to the juniors on the Bronco girls’ varsity team, which has reached three consecutive Section 7AA semifinal games in their career.

“We’re getting to the point where we’re looking for another state championship,” Grinsell said.

For the coaches, it’s not the money that motivates them. In fact, they are considered volunteers.

“Our enjoyment is to be able to watch these girls continue to play basketball up through their senior year,” Meyers said.

“We’re going to be their biggest fans when they get out there on the court.”

As their girls’ basketball season is about to come to a close, Grinsell and Meyers have already informed the school that this will be the final year they will coach.

Both coaches cited that they needed more family time.

“I want to watch (my eighth-grade grandson) Justin play basketball,” Grinsell said.

“That’s one of the biggest reasons for me. I saw only two of his games this year.”

When they retire, they are leaving behind two pairs of big shoes to fill in the International Falls community.

Many supporters have noted that very few coaches are willing to sacrifice their time and take no pay, like Meyers and Grinsell have done.

“People always say, ‘Why do you volunteer?’” Grinsell said. “My wife doesn’t even get it, why I spend all this time in the gym with other people’s kids. There’s just something about it — the energy, and the girls really put in a lot of effort to get better.

“It’s also more than just teaching basketball. We’ll get kids here once in a while where you know they have problems at home, and this just becomes such a nice place for them. It’s their chance to be a part of something. A lot of people don’t see that, but I think we do.”

You want to make your own choices.

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All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

Simply North • Spring 2017 | 11

Who was

Ober smiling, g, wearing ng on one ne o off his h iss p pl plaid laid ad sshi shirts, irts r , ccirca rt i a irc 194 1 1940s.

940s.

94 0

Ernest Oberholtzer?

Ernest C. Oberholtzer (1884-1977)

By Mary Casanova

A

lmost single-handedly, Ernest Oberholtzer stood up to the towering industrialist, E.W. Backus, who was ready to build 16 dams in addition to the one operating on Rainy River in International Falls. What led this short, quiet, violin-playing man to this David and Goliath environmental battle?

Picture the string of sapphire lakes that form our north country — from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to Voyageurs National Park to Quetico Provincial Park — a delicate chain of lakes with islands, inlets and bays and inhabited by bear, wolves, moose, otter, eagles, and loons.

The flood of 2014 gave folks a good idea of how rising water levels can change and devastate shoreline. Now, imagine the water levels in these lakes rise and rise until islands and inlets are submerged, until tiny lakes lose shoreline and merge into a few vast lakes resembling giant bathtubs. Yet this is what our wilderness lakes would resemble today had it not been for the nearly single-handed efforts of one man who stood up to powerful industrial interests that would have permanently raised lake levels to such devastating levels. For decades, Minnesotans and visitors have enjoyed these lakes that dot Minnesota’s northern 12 | Simply North • Spring 2017

Ober and Rosa, his mother, canoe on Rainy Lake in the 1910s or early 1920s. (Photos from the Oberholtzer Foundation Archives)

border like rare jewels, yet few know the heroic story of the early conservationist who saved these waters — Ernest Oberholtzer, or simply known as “Ober.”

Indeed, as a lifelong Minnesotan, I was not aware of Ober’s efforts or his island home until Charlie and I moved to the area from St. Paul — by way of finishing college in Duluth — 36 years ago. Back then I was an aspiring writer, fresh from college with a degree in English. Hoping to gather with other writers, I learned that Mallard Island

on Rainy Lake was — and still is — run by the Ernest Oberholtzer Foundation. After Ober’s death, the foundation formed to protect his island home and to continue to operate it as space open to writers and artists, lovers of wilderness and the arts. And so I applied for a week’s residency, which started a nearly annual pilgrimage with several other children’s authors for a week of reflection, canoeing, listening, and writing.

Water laps along the boat’s pontoons as we journey from the mainland to the

The Review Islands, photo taken by Don Maronde in 1982.

cluster of pencil thin islands called the Review Islands, where a loon pops up, as if to welcome us back.

Every time I step onto the floating dock and cross the rough wooden plank to the rocky spine of Mallard Island, I appreciate again the environmental battle fought in the 1920s. Since then, the island and its structures remain relatively unchanged, making it easy to be transported back to a time when wilderness was more commonly thought of as a thing to be conquered; protecting wild places was a radical concept that went against the more widely accepted notion of progress.

From old sheet music to artifacts, from cook stoves to two upright pianos, it’s also easy to imagine a younger Ober reading in a wicker chair on a porch or paddling between the islands at dusk. From the west end to the east, the buildings (designed by Ober and built by local carpenters and masons, both white and Ojibwa) are Japanese House, Big House, Bird House, Winter House, Artists House, Cook House, Wannigan, Cedar Bark, Book House, and Front House. The structures, which all nest amidst cedar and

pine, house over 10,000 books. This was Ober’s “little university” where he hosted scores of visitors, from authors and scientists to politicians and musicians, hoping to share his love of wilderness.

Ober, however, didn’t come to the north country with a political agenda or looking for a fight. Born along the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, Ober experienced his share of early sorrows. Before he was 6, his father abandoned him and his mother, Rosa — who would become Ober’s constant supporter in the decades to follow. At 7, he lost his 5-year-old brother to a traumatic head injury. He and his mother moved in with his German grandparents, and it was Ober’s grandfather who gave him a violin when he was 11. Only a few years later, both of his grandparents passed away. While grieving his grandparents, he was struck by rheumatic fever and bed-bound for three months. At 17, his doctor predicted that his illness-damaged heart would only take him through another year of life. While he was ill, he continued to read the journals of those who had traveled the Minnesota-Canadian boundary waters.

After he graduated from Harvard, he made his first trip north in 1909 at the age of 23. On his first canoe trip, he found he needed to rest often to catch his breath, but discovered that the rigors of wilderness began to help revive his body and restore his strength. The doctor’s one-year prediction stretched into a lifetime. By 1912 he was a year-round resident on Rainy Lake, defying the doctor’s predictions.

Fascinated by the area and the native peoples, drawn to explore uncharted regions, Ober set off with Billy McGee, his Ojibwa friend, from Winnipeg to the Hudson Bay and back, a 2,000-mile journey only one other white man had taken back in 1770.

They left in late June and returned in early November, stuffing their pant legs with wild dried hay in the last part of the trip to keep from freezing.

Ever a student, Ober was fascinated by the world around him. Paddling silently into marshy bays, he photographed moose in their natural habitat and later lectured on the subject in England. He was fascinated by the language and stories of the Ojibwa peoples he met and over time earned the rare Simply North • Spring 2017 | 13

title “Atisokan,” meaning Teller of Legends, from the Seine River Ojibwa, as Ober had come to know the Ojibwa language well enough to retell myths and legends to natives who had lost their language. He was a violinist and skilled musician. And he was a writer, publishing stories in magazine such as “Boys Life,” weaving in the adventures of the north.

But his most lasting legacy is as an environmental conservationist. When he understood how the plans of the towering industrialist, E.W. Backus, would destroy the wilderness waters he’d come to appreciate, he took action.

And that story is the stuff of legends, too.

E.W. Backus, who stood at 6 feet tall and was known for wearing striped trousers, vest, tie, and dark coat, was a leading lumber baron and industrialist of his era.

He’d already built a successful paper mill and hydroelectric dam that harnessed the river linking Fort Frances, Ontario, and International Falls, Minnesota. He was a visionary, too, with his sights set on expanding industry. More paper mills. More water to be harnessed via dams. In fact, he and Minnesota & Ontario Power proposed a succession of 16 hydro-electric dams that would become, in Ober’s words, “the most ambitious project for hydroelectric development ever launched in America.”

In striking contrast to E.W. Backus, Ernest Oberholtzer was a quiet-spoken, elflike man of 5 feet 6 inches with an entirely different vision. He often wore baggy khakis, canvas sneakers, and softly worn plaid shirts. He’d portaged between lakes and rivers; he’d paddled endless miles exploring wilderness; he understood the spiritual

value of untamed regions. He understood that once wilderness is gone, it’s lost forever.

Though Ober loved the tranquility and natural beauty of his island home, he uprooted himself for long stretches of time to Minneapolis and Washington, D.C in order to continue his conservation efforts.

From 1927, he worked for the public dedication of the Rainy Lake Watershed.

He became permanent chairman of the Quetico-Superior Council in 1928. And he worked for the rest of his life as a lobbyist for the environment, going on to help found the Wilderness Society and Friends of the Wilderness.

At a pivotal moment in the fight to save the border waters, Ober happened to cross paths in a hotel lobby with Backus.

Allegedly, Backus looked down at Ober and said, “Still climbing the tree?”

Defeat, however, came not to Ober, but to Backus. Ober prevailed in his efforts to save the border waters and returned to his beloved Mallard Island. Alone and financially ruined, E.W. Backus died of a heart attack at his hotel room in New York City.

Over the years, my time on Mallard Island has helped me to start or finish numerous books for young readers. When I was working on a book set in the south of France, I only had to turn to the books near my bed to find — to my amazement — the information I needed on olive trees in Provence and music and lutes in the 16th century. A week on Mallard Island is always magical. It means falling asleep to the lonely song of loons and water swishing against the rocky shoreline. It means sleeping in any number of cabins, from Ober’s Big House with its sacred drum and stone fireplace, to

Cedar Bark, once a floating brothel, to the Bird House, a three-story towering structure designed to help store more books, to the Front House, perched on the island’s eastern point where the sun rises in a fiery ball across Rainy Lake — and also with a back door so discreetly hidden that it’s possible to exit to use the outhouse and not find your way back into the cabin again.

To sum up Ober’s environmental achievement, picture again the border lakes of Minnesota. What comes to mind? Paddling from lake to lake? Rocky outcroppings, nesting loons? Perhaps moose grazing in shallow bays and great blue herons fishing in secluded inlets? Without the undaunted, tireless efforts of Ernest Oberholtzer, our beloved chain of northern lakes would not resemble the wilderness we have come to know and love.

For more information about Ernest Oberholtzer and Mallard Island, visit www. eober.org.

Casanova lives with her husband, Charlie, in Ranier. Their two children are married and working in the arts in New York City and Minneapolis. Mary is the author of more than 35 books, includMARY ing historical-fiction CASANOVA novels set on Rainy Lake (“FROZEN” and most recently, “ICE-OUT”).

This article first appeared in a slightly different form in a 2014 Ernest Oberholtzer Foundation newsletter.

300 7th St., Int’l Falls, MN 218-283-2595 Mon.-Fri. 8-5 Sat. 8-12 SHOP ONLINE: www.northernlumberyard.com

14 | Simply North • Spring 2017

e h t f f O

BEATEN PATH

May

June

 Quaking aspen leaves unfurl. In the common vernacular this is referred to as “green up.”  The buzzing of bumblebees can be heard.  American bitterns boom from the predawn depths of cattail marshes.  Spring azure butterflies can be seen dancing along woodland trails.  Yellow marsh marigolds blot the swampy woods.  Red blossoms of the red maple appear before the leaves, and the greenish flowers on the sugar maples will bloom a week or two after leaves unfurl.  The ovenbirds, warblers known for building domed nests, ring out in song from the forest.  The first of the “cling-on” wood ticks can be found as early as mid-April.  Snoring calls from marshy ponds are the first signs that leopard frogs have awakened. The spotted green-and-brown frogs are sometimes found on land.  No i s y, b l a c k e d - h e a d e d g u l l s , Bonaparte’s gulls, arrive in large flocks.  The silvery sheen of big-toothed aspens can be seen among the green of leafed-out quaking aspens.  Magnolia warblers return to the north woods in the spring, enticing birders from all over to see the colorful “winged jewels.” Most warblers winter in Mexico, Central America and South America.  Heading back north from Mexico and Central America is the ruby-throated hummingbird.  Rose family fruit trees begin to bloom — the wild plum, juneberry, pin cherry and chokecherry.  The American toad gives a longer call on a warmer night, and high-pitched trills can be heard near larger wetlands.

 Common nighthawks return to the night sky. Swooping and gliding, some have been recorded consuming 500 mosquitoes on a single evening.  Beneath pines in the sandy soil, watch for the pink-purple fringed polygala flowers.  The fawns of white-tailed deer lie motionless to escape detection. However, black bears are still able to locate and eat a fair number.  Hundreds of dragonflies, spiny baskettails, emerge and swarm near the lake shores.  “Cotton” is shed by the balsam poplar and cottonweed trees. Silky-haired seeds drift in the wind from the female trees.  Dig wild leeks – the small but potent onion-like bulbs – now.  Luna moths appear around lighted areas. They slowly run out of energy after gorging on leaves as fuel while caterpillars.  Eastern forest tent caterpillars, familiarly known “army worms,” gorge aspen leaves and often strip whole forests. Droppings may be heard pattering like rain. In the cocoons, sarcophagus flies lay eggs; a once-every-11year event.  Frothy masses made by nymphs of an insect called froghoppers, cling to plant stems. Also known as spittlebugs, they pierce the stem, suck up plant juices and blow bubbles. The blob protects the developing insect until adulthood.  The female Western painted turtles have left the water and are in search of soft soil or sand to lay eggs. She backs in and drops four to eight, one-inch long, white eggs after digging a hole with her hind claws, then heads back to the safety of the water after covering them.  Lingonberries grow in the north woods, although few are aware of it. Locally known as mountain cranberry, the close relative of the blueberry flourishes on rocky cold shores.

Blooming now, it bears red fruit in August.

 Adorned with six black and white spots on each wing, the the twelve-spotted skimmer hunts in sunny glades. Check stream banks for ebony jewelwing, the iridescent green damsel with black wings.

The damselflies wings are held over their backs at rest while dragonflies keep their wings flatly spread.

July  The showy lady’s slipper, Minnesota’s state flower, starts to bloom.  Birds and chipmunks now feast on ripe pin cherries. Over 80 various critter species make use of the tree.  Pine sawyer beetles, large and slow in flight with long antennae, are out and about.

Although large in size, they are harmless unless annoyed. Larval grubs of the pine sawyers make creaking sounds from dead logs.  Shelf-like clusters of oyster mushrooms, edible, white and fleshy, sprout from still-standing-but-dying aspens. As with any wild edibles, make sure you know what you are picking before ingesting.  In a good year, blueberries are now juicy and plump.  The little brown bats search for mosquitoes and other insects after dark. Insects are scooped up in the tail membrane and transferred to the mouth in midair in a split-second maneuver.  Red squirrels are dropping spruce cones at a rate of one every second and a half to store for use in the winter. The squirrels are able to smell buried cones under a foot of snow.  Bald-faced hornets catch mosquitoes and flies, bring them to their hive where they are chewed up and fed to developing larvae.  Black bears in their second summer are on their own. Two to three young are born in the winter den to a sleeping mom.

Simply North • Spring 2017 | 15

Simple Solutions

Restoring a piano: a step-by-step project

By Jackie Krueger

W

hen my friend asked if I wanted to salvage her old piano I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough!

I immediately drove over to her garage to have a peek. I was hoping it was an old upright and I was not disappointed. The 100 year old beauty stood proudly against the wall. It was in pretty good shape and I couldn’t wait to start my project.

I drove home with all kinds of ideas going through my head. I told my husband, Ken, that I wanted to use the wood to make a small bench with storage underneath. He just looked at me like I was crazy. Then I made the mistake of looking on Pinterest.

Boy, did I have fun! After many hours, I decided that I wanted to make a desk for myself and use all the smaller parts for crafts.

It is at this point that Ken wants me to put a warning for all significant others to run or make sure your marriage is on solid 16 | Simply North • Spring 2017

ground! A piano is heavy and they will be asked to help… a lot! Ken had just finished a 13-day elk hunting trip and we were about to start all the prep work for the Arrowhead Ultra 135 so he owed me big time! He was not getting out of this.

At first I wanted to preserve as much of the piano as possible. I took what I could apart by myself but large, six inch long screws don’t like to come out of 100-yearold holes. It came down to brute strength.

Enter Ken’s first day.

The inner workings of a piano are pretty fascinating. The keys are connected to felt hammers that strike long wires. The wires are attached to a very large, heavy, cast iron harp. Of course I wanted to save all of these parts! I had big plans for craft ideas. It only took me two days to unscrew every key and hammer.

Add another four hours to unscrew all the wires. This was no easy task. Ken took pity on me and helped finish the wires. He also crawled underneath to remove the foot

Jackie and Ken Krueger restored an old piano into a desk that sits in their living room. (Contributed photos)

pedals and long pieces of wood they are attached to. I made sure to save any part with manufacturing information and dates.

Before long I had several boxes of bolts, wire, keys, and hammers.

One of the desk pictures on Pinterest used the whole piano but after Ken flat out refused to move the 500-pound harp onto a truck bed and into our house, I relented and we decided to cut the back half off. This was another fun task. Ken took advantage of a chain hanging from the rafters and we used a rope to help lower the piano onto its back. This is where the mumbling under his breath may have started. I reminded him that he loves me and likes spending time with me. I was reminded of the “if looks could kill” saying.

Now that we had the piano down, Ken attached a long 2x4 onto the side to use as a guide for the circle saw. He ran it down both sides and we were then able to pick up the front half of the piano. This can be done standing up but we didn’t want it to fall and crack the cement.

Just as we finished, our son Matt showed

Pieces of the piano are used for decor in the couple’s home.

up and helped us set the back half up again.

We could now cut off all the pieces of wood from the back that I wanted, including the wooden handles used for moving the piano.

Matt then helped load the harp into the back of the truck. He was not impressed with my future projects either. Like father, like son?

After bringing all my treasures home it

was time to build my desk. We had to buy a 4x8 sheet of oak faced plywood to attach to the back of the desk. I chose oak for the grain that would show up even if painted.

Next I removed the hinge from the top cover of the piano and placed the front half on top as a shelf. It has a nice finished front for a clean edge. The back cover and another long piece of the back side were cut to size as the remaining shelves. I chose not to paint the three shelves as an accent to the cream color of the rest of the desk. The final piece added was a large plate of quarter inch tempered glass. I wanted glass so I could see three of my favorite photos that I placed in the space under the glass.

I cut the board with the foot pedals into a smaller size and hung them next to my new desk. The wooden handles from the back and an interesting arch where the wires were attached make great shelf decorations.

The remaining large pieces from the piano, along with a few new boards, made a great window seat with storage underneath. After it was all finished even Ken had to admit that it turned out pretty well!

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Simply North • Spring 2017 | 17

Zebra mussels attached to a clam. The mussels feed on zooplankton but attach to nearly any hard surface. Heavy infestations cause a multitude of problems.

AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES ARE NO JOKE

By Dale Olson

T

here are still a lot of people who don’t take aquatic invasive species seriously. I mean, get real!

Lakes are full of snails, crayfish, weeds L aand other things. What’s the big deal if tthere’s a few more? It’s just more fish ffood. Right?

Sorry folks, but that line of thought is WAY off the mark! Please stay with me and you’ll see what I mean.

Everyone has heard about the food chain. I don’t mean the chain of Super One or Walmart stores you see all over the place. I’m talking about the bug that gets eaten by a minnow, the minnow gets eaten by a perch, the perch gets eaten by a walleye and up the ladder it goes. Every link in the chain is dependent on the one before it. If the chain is broke, it’s useless.

So what happens if the smallest animal — the first link in the chain — disappears? What if an aquatic invasive species, or AIS, like the spiny waterflea, invades a lake and eats all the zooplankton before the minnows and perch get to it? The answer is pretty simple. Small fish populations decline and game fish either die off or are stunted due to having less food. Most small fish don’t eat 18 | Simply North • Spring 2017

spiny waterfleas because of the sharp barbed spines. With no predator to keep them in check their population explodes.

The spiny waterflea is only one species of AIS. There are many plants and animals that fall into the AIS category and most of them cause havoc on the rhythm of the ecosystem. Because of the problems that some species have caused, the fight against invasive species has become a high priority item in many states. In some areas, boats have been totally banned from certain lakes.

In other areas, every watercraft entering a body of water is inspected. Failure to abide

by AIS laws can result in hefty fines.

In 2014, a bill was passed through the Minnesota Legislature to grant an annual amount of $10 million to the counties in Minnesota. The money is divvied up among the 87 counties based on the number of boat accesses and boat trailer parking spaces in each county.

Koochiching County’s share of the grant this year is $128,427. In order to receive the funding, counties have to agree to use it for aquatic invasive species programs. Some of the programs you will see in the county this year include: Boat inspections – This is the first year the county will be involved in inspecting boats for AIS. This will be done at various locations and times by trained personnel.

Decontamination unit – A decontamination unit will be available for boats that are found to be suspect for AIS. These boats must be decontaminated before they are allowed in the water. Depending on the volume of traffic, courtesy washing may also be available.

Zebra mussel traps – Zebra mussel traps are no more than a piece of PVC pipe tied to the dock or a nearby tree. They will be found at some of the boat accesses in the county.

Advertising – Advertising is ongoing.

It’s done via bulletin boards, posters at gas stations, newspaper ads and multiple other avenues.

Special event booths – At some local events like fishing tournaments and the Outdoor Expo you will find brochures and other items available.

There is a lot more to the aquatic invasive species problem than meets the eye. Some lakes have the life choked out of them by thick mats of invasive vegetation like the starry stonewort or zebra mussel infestations.

So far we have been pretty lucky regarding AIS here in northern Minnesota. Some

e t a r eb g Celp n i r S

people shrug their shoulders and say things like, “Lakes and rivers are full of critters. What’s the difference if another clam or crayfish comes in?”

Or they believe it’s just a matter of time before our lakes are infested with various unwanted species, so why bother with all this “keep them out” nonsense.

That might be true but why speed it up by being careless?

If we all put in a little effort to clean, drain and dry our boats we can avoid some big issues, perhaps for a long time. Once AIS become established, there The spiny water flea is abundant in area lakes. They measure is no turning back. one-quarter to five-eighths of an inch long and sometimes Olson serves as the collect as gelatinous masses on fishing lines and other gear. director of Koochiching Eggs are resistant to drying and freezing which allows them County Environmental to survive being inadvertently transported from lake to lake.

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Simple Solutions

Mom The Gift Ultimate & Pop Guide

By Whitney Jackson

W

to. Better yet, plant the seeds and add a few hanging baskets around the home with help from the whole family. Need a little extra color added to the deck? Surprise mom with solar illuminated planters (gardeners.com) when you’re out planting together.

FOR MOM ON SUNDAY, MAY 14 We’ve Got This, Mom Show mom how much you love her this Mother’s Day by sending her away. That’s right. Hustle mom out the door with a gift certificate to have her hair or nails done, or to get a massage. Whether her appointments are for an hour or last all day, give mom a specific amount of time to be gone so she’s forced to take some time for her. We all know it’s much needed and well deserved.

Thanks to Mom Grab the kids and keep the gift-giving simple for mom by filling up a large mason jar with notes dedicated to her. Include everything from ‘I love you’ to ‘thanks to you mom, I learned ….’ Not only will the notes make mom smile, but they’ll remind her of all the love her family has for her, which surely isn’t in short supply.

A Project For All Flowers are a great surprise at home or at the workplace during the dreary winter months but once spring arrives, it’s better to let mom use her green thumb, get some sun, and plant her own seeds the way she wants

FOR POP ON SUNDAY, JUNE 18 What I Love About Dad Skip the tie this year and either buy a “What I Love About Dad” book (uncommongoods.com) to fill in or get out some markers and construction paper with the kids and create your own while they do the same. While it may be up your kid’s alley but not yours, Uncommon Goods has everything from an IPA beer brewing kit to customizable coffee mugs.

Daddy & Me A picture is worth how many words?

Come on, you know the saying and let’s be honest, it’s true.

Dad will love looking at a photobook, courtesy of popular photo-sharing site Shutterf ly, or a homemade scrapbook for years to come so plan ahead and put those stacks of photos to good use.

Take it from someone who gave her dad a photobook of his greatest hunting memories — there will be tears.

Make Dad Cool Again Go big this Father’s Day and give a gift your dad can really use. The world’s smartest toolbox

ith spring comes bright flowers, the hope for summer and a whole lot of sunshine.

Spring also brings along Easter egg hunts and a day dedicated to mom, pop, and mother and father figures everywhere. As time goes on and between birthdays and Christmas, gift giving can become a little more difficult each year without some inspiration. Below is a list of popular yet unique gifts that will be just as fun to give as they would be to receive.

(coolbox.com) is officially here. The gift, which was originally featured on the hit entrepreneurial show “Shark Tank,” is now taking pre-orders for the first toolbox featuring rolling wheels, clock, bottle opener, detachable LED lamp and a whiteboard.

Wait, did I mention it comes with Bluetooth speakers and mobile device integration?

You’ll be just as obsessed as dad will be, if not more so.

Remember, while the above includes a few great presents to give, all Mom and Pop really want are to spend some time with you. So, squeeze in a celebratory brunch, a fishing weekend or a movie instead of the cliché text, phone call or gift card. It’ll be a day well spent and you’ll both thank each other for it.

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Simply North • Spring 2017 | 21

THE PROMISE OF SPRING (a time for love and golf)

By Willie Frank

A

hhh Spring! It’s a time of great and highly anticipated change here in the northland. After a long winter of shoveling and freezing, we can begin to enjoy with measured excitement the lengthening days and presumption of coming warmth that this season has to offer.

It’s when the most ambitious (code word for foolish) and optimistic (also code word for foolish) among us begin to prepare the boat for the coming fishing opener, dust off our golf clubs, or gaze lustfully at the small patches of grass popping up where the snow has receded on the lawn. While nearly universally welcomed, spring up north can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

Spring is easily the most deceptive of seasons with it’s wild temperature swings.

Nothing more properly illustrates this than seeing the diversity of clothing people are wearing when they leave the house anytime from March to May. People wearing shorts and a t-shirt walking side-by-side with people still in full winter gear leave us with absolutely no clarity on what to expect when we step outside. This is why our closets are overflowing with things for all seasons this time of year and we scramble out the door to work in what… a sweatshirt? a parka? shorts? squeezed into my daughter’s Dancin’ with Darcie jacket because I was running late and didn’t even look at what I was grabbing? This teaches us that when you live as far north as we do, there just really isn’t a broad consensus on when spring starts.

The calendar tells us that spring comes 22 | Simply North • Spring 2017

Willie, Jillian, Lindsay and Jaydon Frank pose for a photo during a family vacation.

About the Author Willie Frank describes himself as a library dad, Super One guy, and aspiring 007. As a lifelong resident of the northland, he enjoys much of what the area has to offer. Now, he’s been asked to write silly things about it.

in March. Obviously whoever is in charge of the calendar doesn’t live in Minnesota and hasn’t had to drag their kids through a snowstorm to baseball sign-ups. Those who cling to local lore tell us spring officially begins after the third snowstorm from the first gull sighting. (Personally, I don’t put too much stock in anything that assumes there’s some deep seated knowledge in those garbage scavenging beach turkeys.) The most stubborn of us insist that spring is here at fishing opener regardless of whatever the weather is doing. “Put your shorts on we’re going fishing, I don’t care if it’s snowing.

Why are you crying?”

I think that perhaps the most reliable metric by which we can judge when spring has officially sprung in the northland is the arrival of the snowbirds. I love these people.

They come back from wherever all tan and fit, just giddy about life in general. “How was your winter?” they ask, with a sly grin.

They already know. You know they checked the weather every day they were gone. They

probably congregate in large groups, sitting on patios sipping mimosas, checking to see how many inches of snow they’ve managed to not have to see. All the laughter they’ve had at our expense is clear in their eyes as they look into our haggard, weather-worn faces. Even so, I’m always happy to see them because it means the tide is turning, spring is here, and now the excitement I’ve felt for months is finally justified.

My beautiful wife Lindsay thinks that I get too excited about spring and rush the changing of the seasons. Usually around February I’ll shovel a path to my grill as it sits in the dark and cold, like a relic from a long lost civilization. There was a time when my beautiful wife Lindsay may question the absurdity of this, but the years have shown her that sometimes it’s just best not to ask when you see your husband doing something that defies all logic. She just looks at me, bewildered but lovingly like she usually does when she knows I’m about to do something indefensibly stupid.

Like some meat-crazed archaeologist, I shovel out the grill and set the charcoal ablaze, shivering in the chilly night air while I make my cheeseburger under the stars like I assume my ancestors must have. I stand there in the dark, alone, warming my hands on the outside of the lid while the heat struggles against the biting wind. If I turn from the grill I know I’m guaranteed to see my beautiful

wife Lindsay looking at me from the kitchen window, her shoulders shrugged as if to ask, “When is dinner going to be done?” I have no clue. It’s so dark I can’t even see the burgers and I’m beginning to think the coals have just given up and gone out.

Sometimes even I think that I get a little too excited about the changing of the seasons. Perhaps my beautiful wife Lindsay is right and my excitement for spring just outpaces reality and I should really just tone it down. But then I remember my friends who are fishermen and if I’m a little crazy about spring, I’m nothing compared to these people. Have you ever talked to a fisherman in the spring? I don’t know where these guys keep their boats in the off season but they often describe the work required in finding, cleaning and preparing the boat for the season as requiring no less than an act of God. I like to imagine a group of fishermen huddled around a table with blueprints of a pole barn and all its contents with a big red circle around the boat. Sweaty and frightened, they debate the proper order

of how to begin the process of acquiring their lost treasure. “Should we move the side by side first? Maybe if we can just pull that trailer out that’s in front, we can just squeeze it through without having to move that 4-wheeler,” says the leader.

Like if Indiana Jones had a brother, Minnesota Jones, the stakes are pretty high.

I also like to imagine a fisherman whose daughter has scheduled her wedding day on fishing opener. On the morning of the wedding he sits, devastated, wiping the tears from his eyes on the edge of his bed, looking at pictures of his daughter when she was a little girl. He lingers on his favorite picture the longest, the one of her catching her first fish as he gives way to uncontrollable sobs.

“You’re going to the wedding and you’re going to wear the tie and jacket through the entire reception,” his wife says icily as she walks through the bedroom doing some important mother-of- the-bride thing.

I don’t mean to be too harsh on fishermen of course. In all honesty, I’m kind of jealous because they get to sell the idea of their

hobby like it’s work. They HAVE to spend time and money getting the boat ready, preparing it for the season so that they can ultimately take it out on the lake, braving the elements, spending hours out there all in the name of feeding their families. All so that they can sit triumphantly at the dinner table passing out fillets to their loved ones.

Their faces beaming in a way that says, “See, all along I was doing this for you.” It truly is a brilliant system they’ve devised.

I’m just in awe.

As a golfer, I don’t have the luxury of being able to trick my family into thinking that somehow they benefit from my time on the course. There is nothing about the four glorious hours that I spend playing a game that I love (even if I’m not even any good at it) that I can then take to my family and say, “I did this for us.” Which is really why spring, for me, is often spent devising new ways I can convince my beautiful wife Lindsay that me going golfing is a great idea. By the way, have I mentioned just how beautiful my wife Lindsay is?

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