Friday, November 28, 2014

Rural Radio

The television in my cabin receives six channels.  I'm too cheap to buy a satellite dish, and cable television service doesn't come within ten miles of the place,  so I have only the few digital broadcasts that come in over the air.  The television channels aren't good -  mostly game shows, Matlock reruns, and the Golden Girls - so I listen to the radio a lot.

Local radio is a couple of FM stations that play country western, public radio, an AM station that runs syndicated talk radio, and the AM station that focuses on "local interest."  That one is my favorite, because it has content aimed at farmers and local small businesses.

What I learned this morning listening to rural radio:
  • Seventy-six percent of he standing corn crop has been harvested and 24 percent remains in the field because of wet and snowy conditions.  Eighty eight percent of the soybean crop has been harvested.
  • H & H Implement Sales is having a Black Friday sale on Kubota tractors, offering the best prices of the year on reliable and efficient Kubota tractors.
  • There are no stockyard prices for hogs and beef because the markets were closed Thursday for Thanksgiving.
  • Mr. Carl Ninneman passed away Wednesday after a lengthy illness.  Arrangements are being made by Gaffney - Busha Funeral Home.
  • The Northland Pines girls varsity volleyball team plays at Crandon Saturday afternoon.  There will be a team bus, but no fan bus, so if you're going to watch teh girls play, you;ll have to drive yourself to Crandon.
  • The DNR district office reports that the ice on the lakes is still thin and people shouldn't try ice fishing or snowmobiling until the ice is thicker.
  • Federal agents working with Oneida Reservation police arrested a 36 year old man and a 29 year old woman for selling heroin and methamphetamine at the Lac Du Flambeau casino, following a the month-long investigation of the overdose death of a casino patron.
  • Bakers at the Red Canoe Bakery worked overnight so you'll be able to enjoy their fresh, delicious donuts, rolls, and pastries this morning when you stop in for a cup of hot, strong coffee!
  • Big crowds of Black Friday shoppers are reported at Walmart stores in cities around America. The local Shopko has added staff to make your Black Friday shopping experience pleasant and fun!
  • The DNR reports that the deer kill was down 26% from last year's hunting season because of the heavy snows in the opening week of deer hunting season.  Area hunters report capturing photos of grey wolves on their deer stand trail cams, raising the possibility of the wolves thinning out the deer herd before hunting season.
  • A tanker truck containing farm waste slid off of US 2 in snowy conditions early this morning.  The westbound lane is closed while crews attempt to pull the truck back onto the highway.
  • A reminder to not to miss the Saturday morning polka radio hour from 8 to 9 tomorrow morning.  And right after that comes the radio market show when you can bid on specials offered by our advertisers.
It's 9 degrees here, with snow showers on the way.  I'm going to bundle up and take a drive out in the country.  I'm going to stop at a cheese factory to buy cheese curds, a local specialty, swing past the Kubota dealer (just looking) and pick up a cup of coffee at Red Canoe Bakery. And maybe see if Shopko has any Black Friday deals on insulated underwear, while I'm at it.



32 comments:

AllenS said...

I love living in the country. I'm near enough though to the Twin Cities to have a variety of things to listen to, go to, shop at, or watch on the tv. I do have DirecTV. Signed up in 2008.

ndspinelli said...

Local radio is a hoot. The call in on local radio is hilarious. That said, I could not travel the country w/o satellite radio. Well, I could, but I choose not to.

Unknown said...

I dunnknow. Shopco on black Friday? Risky.


Today I'll be spread around the kitchen floor, hovering above tarps, pretending I know how to re-stain wood.

Michael Haz said...

That sounds vaguely sexual.

ricpic said...

Real life, baby, it's the greatest.

KCFleming said...

When I was in sixth grade we moved from Omaha to Winona, a southeastern MN town of 26,000. I think they counted the college kids in that number,

Besides being able to walk its entire width in a half hour, and a bar on every corner, and people living in shanties on the water, there was Saturday radio with polka. Apparently people actually wanted to listen to it. Every week.

The strangest thing was when they broadcast the July 4th fireworks. On the radio. They described each one. I thought it was hilarious.

The Saturday shopper was best, hearing people describe the stuff they wanted to sell or give away free, and the announcer repeat it.

A strange culture at first.

Unknown said...

Platonic. 100% I need this wood frame material to learn to like me just as I am.

Unknown said...

9 degrees. brrr. We had that cold deep freeze a few weeks ago. Today--- upper 60s for the high.

For this, I am thankful. ( Open doors and windows :)

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Love it.

Except for the polka music and the corn report it is exactly like our local AM radio station. We also have occasional lost dog or found dog reports along with some about missing horses and other livestock. The swap and sell hours on Saturday morning are pretty cool too.

Since this is our permanent home we did spring for satellite and high speed internet (DSL through our phone company.) Lately we stream, through the net, most of our entertainment using a Roku box.

It is unseasonably warm here.....26 this morning when I went to let the cat out. Normal would be in the single digits. We are expecting (hoping and praying) for rain and maybe some snow at the upper elevations.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm not complaining but I face the same here in media shortcomings here at my parents in GA.
The have dish and the have Spanish dish.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

That means no ESPN no CNN no FOX

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Plenty of food thou, but a weak wifi for some reason.

Dad Bones said...

The older I get the closer I listen to the funeral notices on my small town radio station.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

One of the jokes in our little town is that you need to look carefully at the funeral notices on the doors to the post office, just to make sure that isn't your photo on the flyer.

rcocean said...

I really hate Walmart. Living in Rural America is the best, as long as you're within 100-150 miles of a big city.

edutcher said...

The Blonde has a similar ordeal with one of her patients' taste in TV (she's doing in-home care).

For you, the snow will eventually melt.

Be thankful.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I really hate Walmart. Living in Rural America is the best, as long as you're within 100-150 miles of a big city.

I qualify.

I really LOVE Walmart. One stop shopping for that monthly trip to town. Costco and Winco as well as Tractor Supply for our animal feed, CarHart work clothes and the 501 Levis that my husband loves.

You don't have to drive all over the freaking town to get your shopping done.

Walmart, in our area, is neat clean, friendly and you can find just about anything you want at really good prices. Is it the top quality that you might get if you were shopping at Nordstoms or Macys. Hell no! But who cares. If I can buy decent White Stag t-shirts for $5 each. Hanes underwear at bargain prices. Function and utilitarian items for the house like Better Homes and Gardens sheet sets. Buy these at Walmart or go pay 3 to 4 times the amount elsewhere.....I'm at Walmart all day long.

Walmart meat is terrible, so we buy that at Costco.

I love love love Walmart.

Michael Haz said...

Ditto Walmart. We made a trip to town today and stopped at Walmart, Menard's (a regional Home Depot competitor), the bakery/grocery store run by a group of Mennonites, and Aldi.

I have no quarrel with Walmart. In fact, one of their stores hired my learning disabled sister and for fifteen years paid her $12/hr to straighten shelves, all the while providing her with medical insurance, a 401(k), and an employee stock ownership program.

There was a lone picketer at Walmart, some gent in his 50s, who was holding a hand lettered sign, and obviously freezing his keester off. We waved, he waved back, and that was it. Proposing a labor action here where the forestry and lumber industries have been crushed by government regulations is a bad plan.

rcocean said...

The problem with Walmart is it put a lot of small town businesses OUT of business.

Yeah, sure they charged me more, but I felt I supporting people who were actually part of my community. Lets just hope Walmart doesn't start jacking up their prices now that they've established a virtual monopoly in many parts of rural America.

rcocean said...

And of course, a big business is big target for PC, left-wing activism, and labor union extremism.

I wonder what would happen to Walmart if a bunch of greedhead Corporate raiders or Soros type Lefties took over from the Walton Family.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Lets just hope Walmart doesn't start jacking up their prices now that they've established a virtual monopoly in many parts of rural America.

What do you mean virtual monopoly in rural America? I just listed three other stores that I frequent when we go to the 'big city'. There are more than just those three. Lots of small businesses that are specialty stores. Craft stores for "good" yarn and fabric. Big and Tall for clothing. A really good meat and fresh seafood market that has been around for 50 years.

Do you think that WalMart is the only large store in town and the rest of the area is a desert for retail? Besides the specialty stores there are lots of other big box type stores. Home Depot. Lowes. Best Buy. TJ Max. Dollar stores galore. Penny's. Macys. Sears. BevMo. They all compete with "main street". BTW: Our "Main Street" is full of winos and panhandlers anymore.

Why is WalMart the big villain when these other stores are just as competitive and just as much a squeeze on the Mom and Pop hardware stores etc? Why pick on WalMart only?

In addition in our little town nearby..about 30 miles away, there are many small stores and restaurants that are thriving because with the price of gasoline, many people just suck it up and pay the inflated price because it isn't cost effective to go to the "big city" for everyday items.

Besides. If WalMart decides to raise their prices we have a lot of other choices. Amazon.com is one that I use a lot. Zappos too.

In the commercial world, either you are the biggest and lowest priced or you need to provide specialty goods and excellent customer service to compete.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Re your second thought.

Walmart would fail miserably if the leftards took it over. They would try to tell people what they should buy instead of offering what they want to buy. For our own good of course.

Inventory turn would come to an extreme slowdown. No one wants to go to the store and see the same tired, overpriced, unwanted merchandise sitting around for months and months. The stores would be losing money hand over fist.

Cost of wages would skyrocket making everything else in the store more costly, while the wages of those who are shopping will not be rising at the same time.

Prices would go up and the quality of items would not go up correspondingly.

Bankruptcy.

ndspinelli said...

Pogo, Our daughter went to Winona State. I like the town. We bought a 5 bedroom house and had her manage it. She learned more doing that then in school, which is why we did it. Real world experience, baby.

ndspinelli said...

Lot's of Pollock's in Winona.

Michael Haz said...

I've heard the comment several times over the past few years that Walmart "puts mom and dad shops out of business."

Maybe it's true where you live, but it hasn't been the experience near us. In fact, it's been the opposite. Our local optician leases space from Walmart and offers optical exams. Walmart sells the glasses and contacts, but he keeps the money made from eye exams. It has increased his business.

The local hardware store guy bought an outlot from the Walmart developer and built a new Ace Hardware store. He benefits from the high volume of traffic going to Walmart. Ditto the guy who bought a Subway franchise that operates inside Walmart.

Thee aren't any closed stores where we live because of Walmart. And there a lot of people who now work for Walmart who have access to medical insurance and didn't in the past.

It probably varies from community to community, but Walmart has been a net positive where I live.

ken in tx said...

Want to know what would happen if leftists took over? I know because I used to be in the Air Force. I was once on a BX/Commissary advisory board. The BX manager told us that they frequently stopped carrying items that were too popular. They got written up by inspectors for not keeping the shelves stocked. For the same reason, they carried things that nobody wanted, such as ink cartridges for printers they didn't sell, but no cartridges for the ones they did. Bicycle tires for the size bicycle they didn't sell, and so forth.

This is how a bureaucracy runs a business.

Low prices for almost nothing you want to buy.

KCFleming said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
KCFleming said...

Ndspinelli,
Man what a small world.

Hope your daughter had at least one glazed donut at Bloedows.

AllenS said...

DBQ, if you have a Fleet Farm store near you, you'd find excuses to go there.

I always say: "if you can't find it at Fleet Farm, you probably don't need it."

ndspinelli said...

Pogo, Small world indeed. The girl loves food but does not like donuts. So, while her roomies would chow down those superb donuts from Bloedow's, she tried one, said OK, and never had another.

Titus said...

When I was young we would travel to my dad's cabin in Bruce, Wisconsin-population 600. In the winter we had to snowmobile back to the cabin because the road wasn't plowed

Outdoor toilet, generator, and wood burning stove. I loved hearing the local radio. The cabin was on the mighty chip-chippewa river.

My dad caught on fire and my sister hit him when she slinged a clay pigeon-which took out his eye, at that cabin.

Bears would scratch the cabin-there were bear scratches all over the exterior.

He bought the place for like $10.00 an acre and sold it last year for $1000 an acre-he had over 500 acres on that spot. He built these spots in trees to look out for deer.

My fave part was the fish fry at the supper club and when my dad would shine the lights of his truck in the woods and see all the deer.

We would sometimes go to the big city Ladysmith for a treat.

I would love to go back and spend a weekend.

The poor town though-almost every business is boarded up-no more grocery store, bowling alley, hardware store, local bar, Viking Burger-all gone!

I am cosmo and fab now but appreciate the fact that I had the experience.

Titus said...

Oh, and he had 1960's Playboy calendars hanging up everywhere, and a huge stack of Playboys by the Lazyboy. I mean huge calendars. My mom would be dusting around the place and cleaning all the pages of the calendars.