by Greg Koelker
My old friend and mentor Harry Opsahl had a mantra that went something like this, “Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where da birdies is.” Well, on March 2, El and I were taking a coffee break when she exclaimed, “Look, look!” She had spotted the first robin of the season at Grouse Hollow.
We drove down and up Highway 35 Sunday. The birds are gathering along there. We saw many eagles and hundreds of geese and ducks taking in the open waters on the eastern shore. Just outside of Ferryville a huge bald eagle suddenly flew up out of the ditch and almost tagged the windshield of our truck!
Sunday was a sad trip. We went to a celebration of life for Cousin Steve Pluemer at the Holiday Gardens in Potosi. Steve and Ellen’s first cousin Susan Uppena Pluemer were married for 56 years. My dad, the Tri-State Breeders AI technician in Grant County, knew Steve as a little kid and said he was full of it. Adult Steve said the same of Dad. Steve was a Vietnam vet who purchased a farm shortly after returning from overseas. Steve was fun. In high school he was a quarterback and for a number of years, he’d play behind center in his stocking feet in our annual Squirrel Picnic jungle rules football game. (I know I missed work the next day many times.) He and Sue farmed for many years. I remember his story of the $3500 shoes. He said he was “ordered” to get a new pair of shoes for an upcoming wedding. He said because he was made a day late by shopping for shoes, he was also a day late selling his hogs and he lost $3500 in the deal. He loved people, regularly spending time volunteering at several assisted living homes. We saw him often at Orchard Manor when my mother was there. He had an opinion on most everything. He liked my jokes. Steve and Sue have three great children and an entire football team’s worth of grandchildren and even one great grandchild. Anyway, Ellen and I think the world of him and Sue. Steve will be missed by us and so many others.
Until next time, get out – I got another email from Tractor Supply Company the other day. It asked for all of my information like phone number, social security number, etc. It said after I provided that I’d get a bonus bag of stuff from Tractor Supply. Okay, this was not from Tractor Supply Company. It is not their fault. It was a phishing expedition by someone too lazy or too sinister to make a living by working for it. Don’t be taken in by these phishing cons. DELETE is my first choice. If it looks real, contact the sender and check. Scammers hauled in nearly $5 billion dollars in 2025.
Pray for sanity to return to the world. Peace.
Greg Koelker is a lifelong resident of the Driftless region along the Mississippi River. He is the acclaimed author of the “Grouse Hollow Journal,” a column that celebrates rural life, nature, family heritage, and the traditions that bind communities together. While technically focused on the “outdoors,” his writing often explores broader themes of community values and education.
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