Estimates suggest there are around 60 million

enough.’”

The Covid outbreak forced Ben to stop guiding and his County Parks job got a lot busier as he was in more demand on the front lines of the pandemic, working longer hours. “I enjoyed the break from guiding. I was too busy to fi sh. But my mind got me thinking about Lake Superior and Michigan, kind of like I dreamed about Mille Lacs as a kid. I told Kim I was going to out to buy a new fi sh fi nder. What I failed to tell her was it was attached to a 22 foot Starcraft covered boat with 3.0 inline Mercury engine, already rigged with downriggers and outriggers for Great Lakes fi shing. Kim kind of shook her head.” She had seen Ben succeed as a walleye guide. “It was another good deal. Just like all my other boats, this one also needs a little loving to get it up and running. ”I got a text the other night from Ben about the Starcraft with some pictures of the big boat with the fl oor ripped out and the covered cabin in pieces on the ground and the message, “I got it to turn over!”

Jim Bennett is an outdoorsman who lives and worked in the St. Croix River Valley and can be reached at jamesbennett24@gmail. com

HOROSCOPES

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20

Aries, when faced with too many options, you may have diffi culty making a fi nal decision. This is when you may need to bring in a second opinion.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21

Don’t let indecisiveness get in your way, Taurus. You really know what you want deep down, so put those plans into action as soon as you can. Others may come along for the ride.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21

Don’t feel like you need to make sense of everything all of the time, Gemini. Sometimes things will work themselves out and will become more clear over time.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22

Don’t put too many eggs in one basket, Cancer. Look for diff erent opportunities to diversify your skill set and make yourself more attractive to both acquaintances and employers.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23

There is little point focusing all your energy on a situation that you know will not go in your favor, Leo. Instead, start zeroing in on a diff erent project or task.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22

Creative pursuits are keeping you busy, Virgo. While they may fi ll the hours, fi gure out a way to turn hobbies into something profi table. You may need the money soon enough.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23

It is hard to foster tight relationships when you do not actively work on them, Libra. Sometimes you need to take the lead and initiate contact with others.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22

Don’t be too hard on yourself if some poor news at work seems to be directly related to one of your assignments, Scorpio. You were only one factor in this situation. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21

Take as many moments as you can steal for yourself in the days to come, Sagittarius. Soon enough you will be too busy to sit and relax for any amount of time. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20

Friends certainly have your back, Capricorn. You must be willing to accept their assistance in your time of need. Even though you’re a giver by nature, accept the help.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18

Aquarius, it may be up to you to step up and make up some of the fi nancial defi cit in your household when you get news that aff ects everyone. You can

quickly recover.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20

New career goals may have to be put on hold for the time being, Pisces. Another issue takes precedence at the moment.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

JUNE 7 Iggy Azalea, Rapper (30) JUNE 8 Torrey DeVitto, Actress (36) JUNE 9 Natalie Portman, Actress (39) JUNE 10 Kate Upton, Model (28) JUNE 11 Shia LaBeouf, Actor (34) JUNE 12 Adriana Lima, Model (39) JUNE 13 Tim Allen, Actor (67)

CLUES ACROSS 1. It’s now called Experian 4. You can draw it 7. Very fast aircraft 10. Go quickly 11. Fifth note of a major scale 12. Biochemical abbreviation 13. Make somebody laugh 15. Returned material authorization (abbr.) 16. City in NE Morocco 19. Colorless gas 21. NE football player 23. A snake is one 24. Small spot 25. Inform 26. Republic of Ireland 27. Large statues 30. Documents about an individual 34. Helps little fi rms 35. Namibia’s former name 36. Large insects 41. Thirsty 45. A well-defi ned track or path 46. One who utilizes 47. Plant-eating mammals 50. Not in tip-top shape 54. Alternate names 55. A part of a broadcast serial 56. City in central Italy 57. LOTR actor McKellen 59. Trees provide it 60. Men’s fashion accessory 61. Type of screen 62. Snakelike fi sh 63. Possesses 64. When you aim to get there 65. Tooth caregiver CLUES DOWN 1. Hit heavily 2. Italian rice dish 3. Some are cocktail 4. A citizen of Israel 5. Read-only memory

6. Passed by 7. Northern diving ducks 8. References 9. Iranian language 13. Swiss river 14. Woman (French) 17. Gov’t department (abbr.) 18. Consumed 20. Ailments

22. Balkan Jewish appetizer 27. Reciprocal of a sine 28. Skywalker mentor __-Wan 29. Resinous secretion of insects 31. Similar 32. Female sheep 33. Cool! 37. Borders the Adriatic Sea 38. Flowers 39. It’s sometimes upped 40. Immobile 41. Female body parts 42. Common request 43. Made a second thrust 44. Fell into deep sleep 47. Subway resident 48. Brew 49. The event of being born 51. Aspirations 52. Doctor of Education 53. Punk musician __ Dee Ramone 58. A subdivision of a play

I fell in love with Wisconsin dairy

Many of you do not know much about me. You probably know I live in a small town in Wisconsin, I have four kids, and I really like food.

I grew up in a Minneapolis suburb. I loved the outdoors and fantasized about living like Laura Ingalls Wilder when I grew up. As a teen, I lived up to the “Wilder” dream of my childhood idol, attending concerts at First Avenue, dressing like Madonna, and driving a Corvette. I had a soft side, too. I loved to camp and cooked gourmet meals with my best Wild Chow friend—we did everything together until she moved to France. Lisa Erickson We’ve always stayed in touch, even though we went our separate ways. Though oceans apart, our discussions about food grew in-depth and knowledge. Dairy kept coming up as our main topic of interest.

Later, my time on the UW System Board of Regents and the Wisconsin Technical College Board opened my eyes to how integral and interwoven dairy is to Wisconsin. I learned how Wisconsin became the dairy state, about Babcock, how researchers in Madison discovered warfarin, and so much more related to dairy.

Eventually, we started doing research, which resulted in a book about dairy and cheese in Wisconsin. The depth of tradition, love, and passion in dairy knocked my socks off. I wanted to be part of that passion.

In early 2019, after we fi nished our book, I accepted a job with Crystal Ball Farms Dairy as the dairy plant manager. I couldn’t be happier. I am part of carrying on the tradition of dairy in Wisconsin and the nation.

June is dairy month. Join me in celebrating dairy and supporting Wisconsin dairy farms.

Dairy Good Cake

2 cups fl our 1 ½ tsp salt 2 tsp baking powder 4 eggs, room temperature 2 cups sugar 1 Tbsp vanilla extract ¼ tsp almond extract 1 cup whole milk 10 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the fl our, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract, until thickened. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Heat the milk in the microwave. Add the butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Add the milk to the batter, stirring to combine.

Divide the batter between pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cakes.

Pudding (Frosting)

2/3 cup sugar ¼ cup Flour 2 Tbsp cornstarch 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs 2 cups whole milk, heated very hot 6 Tbsp butter 1 tsp vanilla ¼ tsp almond

In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk together sugar, fl our, cornstarch, salt, and eggs until smooth. Gradually add the hot milk to the sugar and egg mixture, stirring constantly. Over medium heat, stir constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Cool completely.

Slice the cakes in half horizontally. Set one of the four layers aside. On a cake plate, place one layer and frost with pudding as you would frosting. Top with the next layer and frost. Place the third layer on top and frost the entire cake on sides and top. With the last layer, over a bowl crumble the cake. Press the cake crumbs into the pudding all over the frosted cake. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.