Why TV shows like CSI

may not always be realistic!

Crime Prevention Officer David Timm of Cannon Falls explained some of the equipment and technology used by the police department in crime scene investigations at the third annual Senior Health Fair at the community center.

Timm displayed some of the techniques including scene photography, marking and identifying evidence, finger print detection and processing, and using plaster to make molds of tire tracks.
He also explained that crime scene investigation doesn’t end there as all evidence must be packaged individually and sealed to prevent tampering and then the evidence is placed in a secure evidence room to establish the chain of custody for each item of evidence.

It's just an example of how local law enforcement handles a crime scene - as compared to some of the TV shows.

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Like riding a run-a-way horse!

Just like riding

a run-a-way horse!

The horse was a favorite of mine. He seemed to like giving rides to little kids and had the smoothest gait that flowed across the ground. We just rode him with a rope halter.

After an hour or so of treating the kids with rides, I got on old Fiero myself while a guest got on my younger horse and we rode down the trail for a short jaunt.
On the way back my 24 year old steed decided he had had enough of the trail and broke into a run toward home. When reaching the corral he screeched to a stop! Since I was still in the saddle I turned him around and headed back out on the trail to teach him that he doesn’t get away with that type of behavior.

I also had to explain to my guest that I had to follow through – just like raising children. (Of course I was totally embarrassed but that also goes along with raising kids and horses!)
I was also trying to figure out why my horse had acted this way. A physical action is a form of communication too.

So Fiero and I walked the short distance to where he had broken away before and then headed back toward the barn. But he took off at a run again! This time he didn’t stop at the corral but swirled around the barn and headed to a fence where he screeched to a stop.
This is when I noticed my right arm was shaking. And my right leg. (I wondered how it could stay in the stirrup!)

But I made the decision to turn the horse around again… and back out onto the trail we went. And yes, this time he walked back to the barn where I got off and unsaddled him. And I pondered what he had been trying to tell me.

So how does this tie in with speaking to the Cannon Falls city council at their meeting? They certainly weren’t running away. But as I was talking I noticed my hand was shaking… and then my leg started shaking!

Now I enjoy these folks. I just wanted to explain some things to them.

I wanted to tell them that although I live outside the city limits, I’m concerned about the city’s residents and their taxes.
That’s when I held up some papers (and noticed how I was shaking!) that stated the potential tax increases that Stanton Township residents might get if they had been forced to be annexed through one proposal. It’s not that folks don’t like you, I explained, it’s just that they were scared.

So I encouraged the city council to take care of their present residents and then other folks would feel a lot better about being made a member of the family.

I don’t remember much about what I said that night even if it was short. I had just read a book about the effectiveness of trust in business transactions. If there is trust by the parties involved, the process is speedier and involves less cost.

This is also true for horses… if there is trust there is cooperation and speed… and that could help all of us get back to the barn more easily!

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Autumn friends!

These little critters were available at the

Cannon Falls Farmer's Market
one recent Saturday morning.

Forty years of riding in the

Cannon Falls Ridge Riders Saddle Club

Some 40 years after it began, the children and grandchildren of the original members are taking part in its activities from trail rides to parades to horse shows.
The club was incorporated on June 22, 1967 by Eldridge Banks, Melvin Swanson, Orlando Norstad, and Merle Larson. Previously it was in Vasa.

Rustianna Mechura, Northfield is one of the kids who grew up in the Saddle Club and has remained active along with her husband, Troy Mechura and kids, Dalton, Dylan, Tate and Mason.

Last summer, Tate, 7, wore part of the Indian costume that his mother wore when she was a child. Here Tate and his mother are with his new horse, Starfire Will, a gift from members, Melroy & Cathy Thompson when they heard Tate's old pony had to be put down due to cancer. (Photos from Dorene Marroquin.)

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And here is his mother, Rustianna Marroquin Mechura, in the costume when she was a child.



Rustianna recalled that “Don Lindahl, now an honorary member, was a member as a kid when we were the Vasa Christian Ridge Riders.” Then he “joined back up with his kids, Jay, Kris, and Holly and eventually the grandkids Jason, Dustin, Matt and Nate.”
She added, Tony Banitt and his brothers Todd and Kerk along with their Dad, Rick, and their uncle, Howard were involved back in the 70's and 80's. Rick and family moved to Nevada but Tony is back as president of the club with his family.
Leanne Ronning of Welch explained that she “grew up in the saddle club. People were willing to teach you.” Later her children, Jesse, Ryan and Jerah got involved.

Dorene Maroquin, Welch, added that most of the members at that time had little kids. So besides riding horses at the shows, they had games for the kids who didn’t ride, like water balloons.
Leanne also recalled the Pajama Fun Show where they were riding in their PJ's! And how they pulled their horse trailers with their cars because they didn’t have pickup trucks.
Jerry & Rose Pederson, Cannon Falls, were very active through the years and now they include their son Mike and his daughter Allison.

Mary Molenaar, Cannon Falls, raised horses for many years and was an avid trail rider until an accident on one of those trails curtailed her activities. But you will see a big smile and hear many stories of her favorite outings with her horses if you ask. Here she is waving from her first parade after her accident. Leanne Ronning is at the left on the white Appaloosa.

The club’s biggest on-going effort was building their arena at the Cannon Valley Fairgrounds and in 1998, the 120 by 300 foot arena was moved to its present location above the grandstand. It also has a warm-up area for the horses, and a 12 x 24 foot building that includes the food stand, entry booth and announcing stand. (Cannon Falls Beacon).
The club received support from many individuals, businesses and organizations in building the new arena. The panels and gates were donated by Jim and Bonnie Simon in memory of their daughter, Jami.

This year the club is working to add lights to the arena. Some of the horse shows are lasting into the evening and lights would add safety and the ability to accept the increasing number of horses. A grant from the Minnesota Horse Council for $5000 has begun the effort to raise the approximately $15,000 needed.

Present officers are President, Tony Banitt; Vice President, Barb Dralle; Secretary, Rustianna Mechura; Treasurer, Troy Mechura; Board of Directors, Margo Reichert, Dorene Marroquin, Don and Colleen Fogle and Cheryl Tollas.
Through their efforts they have created a new website: http://www.cannonfallsridgeriders.com/ and have brochures at the Chamber of Commerce.

Because of contributions by companies like the Cannon Falls Beacon, Cannon Trailer Sales, Cannon Valley Fair Board, CVR Country Supply, Sir Speedy, etc. the club is growing and plans to be part of future generations sharing friendships and their love of horses.

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Saddle club meetings and shows still have the generations taking part.

Meeting. Front row: Cheryl Dahl, Cheryl Tollas, Lexi Banitt, Queen Jenna Dralle, Leah Banitt. Back row: Julia Dahl, Brian Dahl, BOD Margo Reichert, Vice President Barb Dralle, BOD Colleen Fogle, President Tony Banitt, Beth Banitt, BOD Don Fogle.


Show. At the Cannon Falls Ridge Riders arena at the Fair Grounds. Front row: Lexi Banitt, 2007 Queen Jenna Dralle, 2007 Jr. Prince Tate Mechura, 2007 Jr. Princess Alaina Dettling. Second row: Beth Banitt, Cody Banitt, Rose Pedersen, Leah Banitt (in front), Allison Pedersen, Dorene Marroquin, Rustianna Mechura holding Mason. Back row: Tony Banitt, Jerry Pedersen, Mike Pedersen and Steve Dettling.





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Because readers could relate to a "mouse in the house"...

When my friends think something is funny, I then feel good writing about it. I ran this idea about the "mouse in our house" on a blog recently and because of the response (you understood my problem) it grew into this column in our local paper.
Thanks a lot!

Sherlock “Homes”… I need you!

OK - So I'm NOT Sherlock Holmes (corrected spelling). But I could use some detective help.

Every autumn out here in the country it seems like a mouse decides to move in with us for a while. But then the little critter gets lost and ends up staying permanently!
And that leaves quite a smell! Whew!
The problem is that until the smell gets REALLY BAD you can't pin point where it's coming from! It's just ALL OVER the house!
(I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points but THIS IS REALLY GETTING BAD!)

Even the very cells of your nose seem permeated with the odor of dead mouse. Every sniff you breathe reeks of dead mouse.
When you go to town you wonder… maybe it’s not just my sense of smell. Do my clothes smell too?
You worry as you walk into the city hall council chambers for a meeting… is everyone going to turn and point and cry out… “Euuuch! Dead mouse smell!”

It’s actually a relief to head out to the horse barn because it smells good out there! Although as I pulled open a drawer holding some tack supplies, a fat brown mouse was peering up at me. I took the drawer outside and tipped him out into the grass.
No barn cats in sight. They’re nice and fat already I guess.
Maybe I should let the barn cats in the house for awhile. They’re allowed in the laundry room on especially cold winter nights. But by now this mouse is probably stuck somewhere inside a wall.

Maybe I should move into the barn!
It might be a compliment if someone said, “Where you living… in a barn?”

Last year I found a decaying mouse in the air return vent in a downstairs bedroom. This morning I heard something drop in the attic.
I guess that means the whole house gets a cleaning! (That's an overwhelming thought to this "housekeeping challenged" person... hopefully I can find the mouse first!)

Which way to safety?
The decision could mean their lives.

If they had taken the shorter route to safety, they might not be here today.
They could see the car ahead of them on the flooded highway reaching higher ground. It looked like they would be out of the rising torrent of mud and water soon. But they could not see that wood and debris had been caught under their car and would stall them and mean they would have to just try to save themselves.
Mike and Lori Fraser of Cannon Falls and sons Joshua, 10, Jacob, 4 and their 12 year old border collie/lab mix, Abby, had been camping in their pop-up trailer at the Pla-Mor Campground and Marina located about six miles south of Winona on Hwy 14/61 on the weekend of torrential rains in the area.

It was a “cruddy weekend”, Lori recalled, so at 3 a.m. Sunday morning they decided to pack up and leave. It had rained all day Saturday so the ground was mushy and it meant everything would be packed away while wet. And it was difficult for Lori who has rheumatoid arthritis in one knee.

Driving back up the “switch-back” road and onto the main highway was OK, Mike recalled, just slow going.
But when they got outside Minnesota City they realized they were in trouble. Although the car was still running it wasn’t moving. It had gotten hung up on debris. Joshua looked out the windows and exclaimed, “I think you’re moving.” But Lori explained that it was the water running by the car that was moving. They were stuck.

Lori called 911 and was told they would send a boat. The family watched the water rise outside their car. Soon the water covered their headlights. It got half way up their door.

They saw flashing police car lights about one block ahead of them. That’s where the car they were following had made it to higher ground.
What the Fraser’s did not know was that the road ahead of them had a dip in it. This meant that the water would probably have been up to Mike’s chest and the current was violently pulling everything with it.

In their rear view mirror Mike saw some flashlights. Two young men who had just graduated from high school were with the Goodview Police Reserve. They had also heard Lori’s 911 call and canceled the boat because they would help the family out.

And Mike decided to go back towards them instead of straight ahead.

They believe this likely saved their lives.

The police directed them to walk diagonally to the current for about a mile. Lori had their dog on a leash and Jacob was carried by one of the police reservists. The little boy recalled wondering, “Are they going to take us to jail?” He was happy to see that when they got to a safe area “They gave me a police dog puppy!” (Stuffed animal.)

But even with the rain gear they were soaked and only had the clothes they were wearing.

Joshua had had to leave his “Game Boy” (a hand held game console) in the car and the little stuffed black bear he had had since he was two years old. But after wading through muddy waters up to his waist he realized he probably wouldn’t have been able to save his stuff anyway.
Their clothes dried out while they wore them.

They spent about 45 minutes sitting in a fire truck while people were being rescued from a nearby motel. Then they were brought to a station were volunteers were handing out coffee and umbrellas and even socks. Yes, one person had gone to a nearby store and bought packages of socks for those rescued.

Later they were taken by a city bus to St. Mary’s University where the Red Cross was headquartered. While watching the TV they saw footage of their car and camper on the road! Here Jacob received another stuffed animal. A bear. He was so concerned about his brother leaving his in their flooded car that he insisted on giving this bear to him.

Jacob exclaimed to Joshua, “You’re the BEST brother in the world!” Older brother Joshua retorted, “I’m you’re ONLY brother!” But little Jacob insisted, “You’re still my best brother…”

Soon they called Lori’s Mom, Gay Gellert to see if she could come and get them. Not knowing the flooding dangers still going on, Gay asked a friend, Lyle Noble, to come along.

Several days later, the Frasers were able to see their impounded car and camper. The car was a total loss. The camper wasn’t covered by insurance so they brought it back home and were surprised to find that only a little mud had seeped in on the floor. But Lori explained that they used a lot of bleach in cleaning it up!
And they had been able to salvage just about everything else… including Joshua’s Game Boy and bear!

(Lori is a Goodhue County Social Worker and part of the South East Minnesota Behavioral Health Team that was organized to help in crises. Lori volunteered to go back to the area a few days later. She explained, “Our role is to assess the needs and talk to people and advise of the available services.”)

Sherlock "Homes"!

OK - So I'm NOT Sherlock Holmes...

Each Fall of the year, it seems like a mouse decides to move in for the winter.

But then it seems the little critter gets lost and ends up staying permanently!

But what a smell!

The problem is that until the smell gets REALLY BAD you can't pin point where it's coming from!

It's just ALL OVER!

I know I'm using a lot of exclamation points but THIS IS REALLY GETTING STRONG!

Last year I found a decaying mouse in the air return vent downstairs.

This morning I heard something drop in the attic.

I guess that means the whole house gets a cleaning!