Cotillion Club

Cotillion Club enjoyed its last event of the year on June 14 at the Country Club.

Although it poured outside, that didn’t deter us from having a blast.  The Austin Big Band entertained with its songs from the past. From swing to polka to Latin, every dancer and listener enjoyed the music.

As always, the food was delicious. Succulent roast beef and buttery cod gave us the energy to show off all our dance moves. This summer a recruitment committee will be formed, so keep a look out for fun changes that will attract even more members to this nearly 100-year-old club.

If you are interested in attending as a guest in the fall when the club resumes, please contact Rachel Stange at 507-475-0641.

 Brownsdale Study Club

Brownsdale Study Club met on June 15 at the home of Mary Gallaher. Fern Paschke called the meeting to order with all members reading the “Collect.” May minutes and treasurer’s reports were read and approved. Ten members answered roll call by sharing a special event this year.

There was no old business. In new business, a cook-out is planned in connection with the Farmer’s Market on Friday evenings in downtown Brownsdale from 5 to 7 p.m. A motion was made to adjourn the meeting. The hostess for our July meeting will be Fern Paschke. The outside reading was given by Fern on “Cactus: A Thorny Plant.”

Cactus plants grow in desert regions that get less than 10 inches of rainfall per year and where water evaporates quickly. The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is near Tuscon, Arizona. The arid conditions in the desert allow about 90 percent of sunlights to reach the ground. Most cacti have spines or needles but don’t have leaves. All cacti are succulents- full of juice.

The have shallow roots and quickly take up and hold large amounts of water. Their spines capture less sunlight, making the plant grow slower. Spines also shade the cactus and protect it from predators. Their skin may have a waxy surface that protect it from the sun’s radiation.

The tall straight plants are called saguaros (sah-WAH-rohs). They grow only in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona and northern Mexico. They can grow to 60 feet tall, but don’t begin producing branches or arms until they are 50 to 70 years old.

The fuzzy bumps you see on a cactus’s skin are called areoles. They produce spines, branches and flowers that can be white, yellow or pink. Cacti are important to desert animals, bats, birds and insects. They help pollinate the flowers to produce seeds. Seeds are eaten by birds, mammals and coyotes. Some birds make nests in large cacti. If the weather is very dry, jackrabbits and bighorn sheep will eat the cacti to get water.

Native Americans use tongs to harvest the fruit of the prickly pear cactus to make wine, jelly and syrup. It can also be eaten fresh, fried or grilled. The cactus plant is valuable to desert life.

The main topic was given by Joyce Juhnke. “Six Days Make One Weak,” copied from an old adage of the early 1900s. Remember? Seven Days Make One Week.

Wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday, clean on Wednesday, mend on Thursday, hoe on Friday, bake on Saturday, rest on Sunday. That was how it was!

On Monday, the wood cookstove was blazing. The boilers of water were steaming. Work clothes were soaking. It was wash day. Wet clothes were hung outdoors on steel wire lines to dry. In the winter, they were first hung to freeze dry and then brought indoors to fully dry.

On Tuesday, it was ironing day. The “sad irons” with wooden handles were heating on the cookstove. When a wet finger sizzled on the bottom, the iron was ready to press the clothes.

On Wednesday the boilers of hot water, suds and wax were ready to clean the ceilings, floors, walls and windows. Aching backs only prepared stew or a pot of beans for supper.

On Thursdays, it was a day to put patches on the tears of the overalls, mend other clothing and darn socks.

On Fridays, the family worked together to hoe or weed and learn about vegetables and plants which we canned later.

On Saturday, it was food preparation day or baking. It was also bath night for the whole family. Everyone cleaned up in a big washtub and stayed close to the wood heater to dry off before bedtime.

On Sunday, it was church and rest day. Company came too. We were ready to rest after that. Six days did make one weak.

Now, let us compare the work schedule of then and now.

Monday — wash day is any day with a dryer indoors. Who pumps and heats water for washing anymore?

Tuesday — who irons?

Wednesdays — when do we clean? Vacuum cleaners and damp mops do the work for us.

Thursday — mending is a lost art.

Friday — who wants to hoe and weed when most foods from supermarkets cost less than it takes to grow them?

Saturday — we still bake, but we use an electric beater to mix ingredients and an electric oven to bake things.

Sunday — we have less rest and sharing time and less hours to “dream and scheme.”

Today’s world of pressure, jets, politics and rising prices are enough to make us weak.

 

Knights of Columbus

Austin fourth degree Knights of Columbus raffle winners are Anita Fischer, Austin $500; Ann Maley, Oronoco $300; Deb Kahler, Austin $100 and Barb Kasel, Austin $100. Thank you to everyone that purchased.