The Good Life – March-April 2017

BY: BEN HANSON • MR. FULL-TIME DAD 

A few weeks ago, I got accused of being a 

helicopter parent. Why? Because I wouldn’t 

allow my then 15-month-old son, Macklin, 

to run around with a plastic fork in his hand. 

I calmly explained to my foresight-deficient 

friend that while said fork may be a harmless, 

utilitarian eating device to us adults, it’s nothing more than 

an unsheathed, medieval eye-poker for an uncoordinated 

toddler who only learned to walk two months prior. 

It wasn’t helicopter parenting. It was parenting. Parenting 

with an eye for potential disasters, and so far Mack still has 

two intact eyes, as do all of his playmates. I doubt I’ll ever 

receive the thanks I most definitely deserve, but it made 

me realize something. If forks are no longer forks, what 

else has changed since the introduction of toddlerhood 

into my life? 

The short answer was a lot. Some things have even taken 

on new meaning now that we have a walking, handsy 

toddler meandering his way through the house. And it’s 

not just things. A lifetime of carefully cultivated comfort 

is being systematically dismantled under the Mack 

Administration. 

Ruined Routines 

I’ve never lost my car keys. Why? Because I follow a 

routine. I always (used to) put them in the same spot—the 

left hand pocket of my jacket. Well guess which arm Mack 

prefers to ride in to and from the car? My left, which means 

there’s no way to both carry him and access my keys. It’s a 

real problem. 

So just put your keys in your right pocket, you’re thinking. 

I guess I have to. I guess my son—whom I love more than 

anything, but has only been a part of my life for about 

1/17th the amount of time I’ve routinely kept my keys 

in my left pocket—now gets to dictate where I store my 

personal items. Fine, but now I’m going to have to find 

a new place for my wallet, which will undoubtedly force 

my phone to find a new home. I just want to know where 

it will end. I’m worried this is how fanny packs came into 

existence… Oh, you got kids? Here, wear this and forget 

you ever had pockets. 

Everything Gets Taller 

I remember the day we brought home our entertainment 

center. Miraculously, it matched the sofa table we already 

had in the downstairs living room. Same color wood, same 

finish and even the same height. The DVD player, receiver, 

record player, etc. all looked like they were custom made 

for this piece of furniture. I remember thinking we did 

it. We completed the basement, and with it, the house. 

Everything was perfect. 

Then we brought Mack home, and that veil of perfection 

started to show just how thin it really was. The more 

mobile Mack became, the more that perfection rubbed 

2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com

off our house… and in one specific way. Those 

perfectly matching tables have one fatal flaw— 

they’re not six feet off the ground. Which is 

normal. They’re normal tables. With normal 

things on them. For normal people. But 

toddlers are not normal people. 

As such, the new definition of perfection in 

our house is “a realistic expectation to be able 

to sit for more than one minute before having 

to get up and move something up and out of 

Mack’s reach.” You’d think as a stay-at-home 

dad who spends most all day playing this game 

that eventually I’d win, or at least get a glimpse 

of the final move. Nope. Honestly, I think the 

only way to win this game would be to move 

and start fresh. 

Kitchen Dowel Rods 

One challenge to the “Raise & Save” game 

showed itself early on: shelf space. We do not 

have an abundance of shelving in our house, so 

we quickly depleted all the easy moves. (Plus, 

just because something is out of arm’s reach by 

no means makes it out of site, and that game… 

let’s just say that game has no winners.) 

You also can’t take the entire lower half of 

your kitchen and move it up, at least not easily. 

Securing the cabinets was simple enough with 

your standard kid-proofing gear, but I had to 

get a little DIY when it came to the drawers. 

One dowel rod placed vertically down through 

a row of drawer handles joins them together 

into one, child-proof mega-drawer. So along 

with essentials like measuring cups, extra 

garbage bags and assorted can koozies, you’ll 

also find a few dowel rods in our kitchen should 

you ever need to… um, dowel something. 

They don’t match the rest of our decor in 

any way, but they cost $0.98 a piece and do 

a fine job of keeping Mack out of my koozie 

collection. The rods also do a great job of 

destroying the finish on the drawers, ensuring 

a future kitchen remodel. You’re welcome, 

Dear! 

A lot has changed in a short amount of time. 

I can only imagine what it must be like for 

Macklin, for whom everything is not only 

changing, but everything is new. It’ll be 

a long time before he understands why I 

locked up the good filet knives behind a 

dowel rod immediately after he discovered 

them. But one day, I hope he’ll shake my hand 

—with all five fingers—and say thank you. • 

urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 3

Contents 

VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 5 

MARCH-APRIL 2017 

02 

06 

10 

14 

18 

24 

30 

MR. FULL-TIME DAD 

EVERYTHING'S AN EYE-POKER 

THE CHANGES A TODDLER BRINGS TO YOUR LIFE 

CHEF JUDD 

MORE THAN A TASTING ROOM • THE PROOF IS IN THE FOOD 

HEAD OF THE CLASS 

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF 4TH GRADE TEACHER 

BRANTON BAARSTAD 

HAVING A BEER WITH ... 

MIKE McFEELY 

ON THE COVER 

SISUFAB'S JOE KARVONEN REVS UP 

BEFORE YOU PULL THE TRIGGER 

THE NEED FOR PROPER GUN PROCEDURES 

LOCAL HERO 

WILBERT SCHEFFLER - KOREAN WAR VET 


The 

GOODLIFE 

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OWNER / PHOTOGRAPHER 

Darren Losee 

darren@urbantoadmedia.com 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Meghan Feir 

Brittney Goodman 

Ben Hanson 

Krissy Ness 

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writers or advertisers and do not necessarily represent 

the views or policies of The Good Life Men’s Magazine. 


More Than A Tasting Room • The Proof is in the Food 

BY: KRISSY NESS • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Justin “Judd” Eskildsen has been cooking for over fifteen 

years and like most cooks he started at the bottom and 

worked his way up. With no formal training Eskildsen 

has proven he has style and talent in the cooking world. 

He began his journey at a young age in his mom’s kitchen. 

From there he worked at fast food restaurants and local 

restaurant Coaches before working his way to Red 

Bear in Moorhead. After taking a ten-year hiatus from 

cooking, Eskildsen then spent a year working under Chef 

Steve Schulz at The Toasted Frog as his Sous-chef. He 

mentioned that chef Schulz is his biggest local influence, 

“He never really sat down and taught me things, but he 

asked questions about dishes our crew would create that 

would encourage ideas that I already knew, but didn't put 

much importance in.” Eskildsen stated. 

The Coteau des Prairies Lodge in Havana, ND hired 

Eskildsen for his first gig as a stand-aloneChef. He created 

a 5-course beer dinner featuring Drekker Brewing Co. 

and it was an immediate hit. He has been called back 

to do many dinners since then. One of them being the 

“Tapas and Cocktails” featuring Proof Artisan Distillers 

before being officially hired as Proof’s head Chef. What 

an honor it must be to have someone taste your work and 

immediately want to hire you as their head Chef! 


“I like to have few good drinks, lots of great food, and too 

many laughs with the people who are close to me! FAMILY! 

Whether it's my real family, my close friends, my crew or 

Joel, John and the Minions... I love those people, and being 

able to have a free day with a group of any of those people 

is THE definition of The Good Life.” 


“One of my favorite 

things since I've started 

cooking again, is when 

I see my food set in 

front of people, 

and they immediately 

reach for their phones 

to take pictures.” 

Eskildsen has taken the knowledge 

that he acquired on his own and 

from those he has worked with 

along the way and brought that with 

him to Proof Artisan Distillers. 

Working beside Eskildsen is his 

Sous-chef, Erik Johansen; because 

of his help, it is not uncommon 

to see Eskildsen roaming around 

Proof’s tasting room. “One of 

my favorite things since I've 

started cooking is when I see my 

food set in front of people and 

they immediately reach for their 

phones to take pictures,” affirmed 

Eskildsen. Among all the great 

food served at Proof, it is first and 

for most a tasting room for spirits, 

“It's irresponsible to serve cocktails 

without offering food; I created 

fairly large portions of appetizers 

meant for sharing.” The Tapas 

menu is meant for 3 or 4 people 

to share, but as the menu gained 

popularity Eskildsen expanded his 

menu to include entrées. When the 

people ask, he delivers. 


Every week Eskildsen prepares a special 

dish, The Chef’s Feature, which is an 

entrée he creates on his “days off”. These 

dishes usually feature fish of the highest 

quality and freshness available. Eskildsen 

revealed that working with exotic fish is 

one if his favorite dishes to prepare. All 

of the fish he prepares is, as I mentioned 

before, fresh - like shipped from Hawaii 

weekly—fresh! It is important to add 

that if you find yourself wanting to try an 

entrée but notice an issue with allergies, 

speak to your server and Eskildsen will 

personally discuss options with you. It 

is not often that you find yourself in a 

situation where the head Chef will take 

time out of his busy night to ensure you 

enjoy every part of your meal. 

Among all the food and cocktails served, 

there is an entire staff at Proof that makes 

sure you are taken care of - from servers, 

to the mixologists and cooks. Not only 

does the food compliment the cocktails, 

so do the fine people working there. 

Their knowledge on everything, Proof is 

nothing short of an experience when you 

visit. 

The journey for Eskildsen has been that 

of hard work and dedication. It is truly 

exciting eating his food and experiencing 

Proof’s tasting room. 

If it is amazing cocktails, delicious entrées 

or maybe just a couple appetizers you are 

looking for - look no further than Proof 

Artisan Distillers. You will get the best 

downtown Fargo has to offer without 

the hustle and bustle of a busy, crowded 

restaurant. Keep in mind though; Proof is 

not a restaurant but rather a tasting room 

and one heck of an experience. • 


BY: BEN HANSON 

When given the assignment to profile a local elementary 

school teacher, I expected the interview to be a mixture 

of guarded cynicism and outright fatigue. Just the thought 

of trying to hold the attention of 30 nine-year-olds for six 

hours a day makes me tired ... and a bit cranky. But Branton 

Baarstad, a third-generation teacher at the beginning of his 

career, surprised me. 

Halfway through his first year teaching 4th grade at 

Roosevelt Elementary School in north Fargo, Baarstad is 

neither exhausted nor jaded. Quite the opposite, in fact. His 

optimism and excitement about his chosen profession are 

as genuine as any parent could hope to find in their child’s 

teacher. 

“It’s been awesome,” Baarstad said of his first few months 

on the job. “My class has been great, the staff is amazing 

and so is this community.” 

So what’s it really like to teach the 4th grade? Baarstad 

filled me in on what his usual day looks like at the head of 

the class. 


Good Life: First off, why 4th grade? 

Why not middle school or high school? 

Branton Baarstad: Initially, I wanted to 

be a music teacher, but halfway through 

college I decided I didn’t want to focus 

in just one area and wanted to teach all 

subjects. So I went to the elementary 

level and loved it. From practicums 

to time in the classrooms, I realized I 

could give back to my students what my 

teachers gave to me in the elementary 

classroom. It really felt like I was in the 

right place. 

GL: What do you hope your kids learn 

from you? 

BB: I try to teach my students that in 

life it’s not always about getting the best 

grades or the best this or that. It’s about 

doing your best and pushing yourself to 

your limit. If you do that, nothing will get 

in the way of becoming what you want 

to be. I want to see my students succeed 

every day, becoming better people not 

just better students. I also try to show 

them that they are not just loved by their 

family, but they’re also loved here at 

school by the teachers and faculty. 

GL: What does a normal day look like 

for a guy teaching the 4th grade? 

7:00 am 

I get up and get ready. My commute only takes 

about ten minutes, and I usually get to work 

around 8:00. [Baarstad earlier admitted he’s 

not a morning person, which might explain 

why, despite the short commute and lack of 

breakfast, he requires 50 minutes to muster the 

wherewithals to get out of bed and into the car.] 

8:00ish am 

I make coffee in my classroom … I’ve got a Keurig in my 

room. [Again, not a morning person.] I have all my stuff 

ready to go from the day before [it’s impressive how well 

he knows himself], so I just check the kids have what they 

need. 

8:20 am 

The bell rings. All teachers stand in the halls to greet their students in the 

morning, so I’m out there talking with them as soon as they roll in. Once 

they settle in, they start their morning work and get their brains going 

for about 15 minutes. I take a lunch count and attendance at that time 

and go around to make sure students are working and doing what they’re 

supposed to be doing.

8:45 am 

We start in with large group reading time for about 20 

minutes or so ... maybe a story from a book we read together 

or vocabulary or spelling words. 

9:00 am 

We work on writing for about 45 minutes … we’re working 

on personal narratives now, then it’s off to gym or music for 

40 minutes. This is my prep time to get ready for the next 

part of the day. 

10:40 am 

I pick up my students and we grab milk and juice on the way 

back up to our classroom to start our “dailies” … we rotate 

through every 15 minutes for one-on-one time, so every 

week I get at least 15 minutes with each student to check in. 

12:30 pm 

I pick up students at the lunch room and head back up to 

classroom for 15-20 minutes of silent reading time. I let 

them choose their own book to make sure they enjoy the 

reading, then we break into small group and large group 

math, for 70-80 minutes. 

2:00 pm 

We close out the day with either social studies or science. 

At 2:45, I have my students write in their planners, clean 

up their area and the bell rings at 2:52 and I hand out my 

high-fives. 

11:50 am 

Lunchtime and recess! I take 

them down for lunch and then I’ll 

usually go to the teachers’ lounge 

to see the other teachers and 

some parents if they’re there. I sit 

and talk and eat lunch … 

[I asked what he eats for 

lunch, and he said 

“some snack 

foods.” A dietary 

intervention 

may be 

needed.] 

“My class has been great, 

the staff is amazing and 

so is this community ... 

the students have a knack of 

knowing ‘hey this guy’s not ready, 

we got five minutes to go crazy!” 


3:00 pm 

Sometimes I have meetings after school; every 

Tuesday and Wednesday I have meetings for sure, and 

some Mondays. 

AFTER SCHOOL 

During the weekdays, I usually go home after 

preparing for the next day. I’m not coming in early 

to do prep work! I go home and run to train for 

Fargo marathon, then it’s Netflix and chill with 

my two dogs. It depends on how wired my brain 

gets on when I fall asleep. Sometimes it’s 10 p.m., 

sometimes it’s midnight. 

There you have it. A day in the life of an elementary 

school teacher in Fargo, ND. Not as crazy as you 

might expect, but perhaps that’s due to Branton 

Baarstad’s enviable professionalism and enthusiasm 

for his job. Still, he readily admits he has to keep a 

keen eye on his class to avoid a potential derailment. 

“You have to be on the ball all the time,” he said. 

“If you don’t, the students have a knack of knowing 

‘hey this guy’s not ready, we got five minutes to go 

crazy!’” • 


14 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com 

“Living the good life 

to me means having 

enough time aside 

from my job that I 

love to have some 

free time to relax 

with my family, my 

dogs and my cats.”

BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

As the radio announcer of “The Mike McFeely Show” on 

970 WDAY and a columnist for the “Fargo Forum,” Mike 

McFeely has been a recognizable voice in the community 

since the ‘90s, soon after he graduated from Moorhead 

State (MSUM) in 1989. 

On a typical, blustery Tuesday in Fargo, I had the 

opportunity to sit down in Drekker Brewing Company 

and pick McFeely’s brain about things besides politics, 

but President “The Donald” still got brought up, so don’t 

worry. 

Good Life: Are you nervous for the weird questions that 

are about to hit you? 

Mike McFeely: Should I be nervous for the weird 

questions? I’m in talk radio, so you never know what’s 

going to come. It’s usually people, who I often envision 

living in their mom’s basement, calling me, so I think I’m 

prepared. You don’t live in your mom’s basement, do you? 

GL: I actually don’t, though it’s a nice basement. So, 

what’s your favorite family tradition? 

MM: Well, I’m blushing because I thought it was going to 

be all, like, political, weird questions. My favorite family 

tradition is going to Itasca State Park in the fall to look 

at the leaves. It drives people crazy because they can’t 

believe it. I’m the guy who’s always ripping people and 

being mean to people on the radio, and I like to go to 

Itasca with my wife, daughter and our dogs and look at 

the colorful leaves. It’s my favorite day of the year. 

GL: If you could meet anyone from the past or present, 

who would it be? 

MM: Oh, my... Again. 

GL: I told you these were going to be tough questions. 

MM: I know, but who thinks about these things? 

GL: I do. 

Darren Losee: Meghan does. 

MM: Is this supposed to provide a window into my soul? 

GL: Yes. 

MM: I would like to meet Donald Trump because that 

would be absolutely fascinating. How could you not want 

to sit down and absolutely question everything about him, 

just to set him off? He clearly has a very thin skin and is 

very narcissistic and insecure. 

GL: I’d also like to ask him these questions. 

GL: What’s your biggest pet peeve—when people call 

from their mothers’ basements? 

MM: My biggest pet peeve in the world is that people don’t 

seem to trust anyone. Facts don’t matter anymore. You 

can tell facts to somebody, but if they don’t want to believe 

it, they just won’t believe it. They’ll go on the internet and 

find other facts that they think are facts, but they’re not 

facts, and then they’ll pretend it’s a fact. You can’t reason 

with people if they disagree. 

GL: Where do you get your facts? 

MM: I get my facts from credible news organizations. 

As much as people don’t want to believe them or think 

it’s all fake news out there, there are still journalistic 


“I would like to meet Donald Trump because that would be absolutely fascinating.” 

standards, like the “Washington Post,” “The New York 

Times,” “Minneapolis Star Tribune,” “LA Times,” “Fargo 

Forum”—there’s lots of actual news organizations that 

still try to find facts and present them as facts, but people 

just don’t want to believe it. 

GL: How do you know those are credible sources? 

MM: Because they employ real journalists. At some 

point, you have to trust institutions. If you don’t trust any 

information, unless it’s information you agree with or 

that solidifies your viewpoints of the world, how do you 

go forward? 

GL: How do you decide which journalists are credible 

and trustworthy? 

MM: Maybe it’s old school, but I believe journalists that 

are trained at reputable universities are trustworthy and 

at least attempt to be objective. Are any of us always 

objective all the time? We all have our biases and see the 

world through our eyes, but if you are a trained journalist 

and understand the role of a journalist, then I should 

trust you. 

GL: If two journalists attend the same reputable university 

and one of them goes to work at a news organization you 

don’t particularly like, would you still trust them? 

MM: I would probably lose trust for them if they go to 

a Breitbart.com. I don’t believe that’s a credible news 

source. It clearly has a slant that goes one direction and 

has an agenda or a purpose behind it. If you’re going to go 

work for that organization, then can I trust you anymore? 

GL: What is something people do that you love and 

always catches your attention, like someone opening a 

door for another person, or someone giving you a napkin 

with a beverage? 

MM: I like how people cannot resist petting a dog. When 

a dog walks up to somebody, I know it’s a good person 

if they instinctively reach down to pet the dog’s back. 

Somebody that blanches, ignores, or shoves the dog 

away—I have questions about them. 

GL: If someone wrote an article about you, what do you 

think would be a fitting headline? I don’t get this option 

because the headline is always relatively the same. 

MM: “He’s not as big of an a**hole as you think he is.” 

GL: Whose radio talk show would you want to listen to 

more, Batman’s or Superman’s? 


“My biggest pet peeve 

in the world is that 

people don’t seem 

to trust anyone.” 

MM: Batman. He’s more of a broody and 

introspective guy, and I picture myself 

as being broody and introspective, 

though I don’t know if that’s how I’m 

seen or not, so how could you not want 

to listen to a broody and introspective 

talk show host? 

GL: What’s been your worst date 

scenario? 

MM: Any date I’ve been on because I’m 

a bad dater. 

GL: What was the worst and most 

uncomfortable one? 

MM: Every date I’ve been on. I’m not 

kidding. I’m a terrible dater, and I’ll 

give you my wife’s phone number and 

you can ask her. 

GL: So how did that progress? How 

did you get a wife? 

MM: Alcohol. I’m not joking. God put 

alcohol on this earth for bad daters like 

me to actually have a shot. 

GL: Hah. A shot. 

GL: Favorite breakfast food? 

MM: Bacon. But I’m trying to not eat 

a lot because I’d like to live beyond 

the age of 55. I mean, I hope that’s 

everybody’s answer. If somebody says 

oatmeal, they should be shot. 

GL: Chewy or crispy? 

MM: Not crispy, but cooked beyond the 

point of rawness. Chewy, but not to the 

point of crispness. 

GL: That’s a very good place to be. 

MM: And pre-cooked, microwavable 

bacon should be outlawed. 

GL: What does living the good life 

mean to you? 

MM: Living the good life to me means 

having enough time aside from my 

job that I love to have some free time 

to relax with my family, my dogs and 

my cats. I don’t have any aspirations 

of being wealthy or jet setting across 

the world. I just like to spend time with 

them, cooking steak on the grill, mixing 

a drink and relaxing with the dogs in 

the backyard. I’m a simple man. • 


BY: BRITTNEY GOODMAN • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Joe said he has “always” been into power sports 

and motorcycle racing, since childhood. And now, he 

added: “I’ve had the luxury and misfortune of turning 

my hobby into my job. It’s both the best thing and the 

worst thing in the world.” 

Joe wants to keep the excitement in power sports and motorcycles: “They’re toys. I 

work in an industry of ‘big people toys.’ So many of us still tap into our youth mentality 

of wanting to have that toy ... And I am the same way. I still get excitement out of it.” He 

especially likes getting other people into these sports as a hobby: “My job is fulfilling because I can 

see the passion growing in someone else.” 


“I work in an industry of ‘big people toys.’ So many of us still tap into our youth 

mentality of wanting to have that toy ... And I am the same way. 

I still get excitement out of it.” 

Joe, 28 years old, started Sisufab in 2013, building his 

own shop in West Fargo, after a lifetime of motorcycle 

and power sports devotion, education, and also paying his 

professional dues. In addition to attending the Motorcycle 

Mechanics Institute, specializing in Harley-Davidson early 

and late models and Honda Hontech, he also has Harley- 

Davidson dealership experience and factory training, 

Triumph Motorcycle technician training, and extensive 

training and experience with Indian Motorcycles. 

Beginning with riding a dirt bike as a kid, Joe went on 

to work for an Arctic Cat ATV dealer as an adolescent 

and then worked at Ma’s Cycles in West Fargo during 

High School. Attending what Joe called West Fargo High 

School’s “excellent recreational engines program,” he 

is a two-time state winner in the Skills USA Motorcycle 

Service Technology program. Skills USA promotes 

vocational competitions for high school and college 

students across the United States. During his junior year 

he placed third nationally and in his senior year he won 

first place in the national competition, which also landed 

him a scholarship to the Universal Technical Institute 

– Motorcycle Mechanics Institute (MMI) in Phoenix, 

Arizona.

After college at MMI, Joe worked for the local Harley- 

Davidson dealership and then also what is now Legendary 

Motor Sports (formerly Indian Triumph of Fargo). 

In 2013, Joe explained, “I thought I was going to get out 

of the motorcycle industry, but that didn’t happen.” While 

he was working in electric motor sales and service for 

a friend’s company, he built a small shop in West Fargo 

solely to work on motorcycles on the side, “and after a 

little while work came to me, and it really took off, and 

now we are where we are today.” 

Joe gives a great deal of credit to what he gained through 


Skills USA and West Fargo’s programs: “Those pinnacle 

game changing points steered me in the right direction 

to go to college. Both of these programs are ones that I 

do not want to see go away as they are huge assets to this 

industry” and provide opportunities for young people. 

Currently, one would describe Sisufab as “very busy.” Joe 

smilingly said, “There’s no lack of stuff to do.” 

“Since we’re a smaller shop – there is constantly a 

struggle in balancing how much work one can do,” Joe 

explained. But he added, “It’s not a bad problem to have.” 

He described the local motorcycle culture as “strong:” “It

is better than it was in the early 2000s and it is also more 

diverse – we work with every kind of brand.” Although Joe 

described that a heavy part of their business is working 

on cruisers, such as Harley-Davidson and Indian, his shop 

also “branches away from that too.” Looking around the 

shop, there is often exotic motorcycles, like Ducati and 

Aprilia, mixed in with more common foreign motorcycles, 

like Honda and Kawasaki. 

Something new for Sisufab has been becoming the sole 

US distributor for the German motorcycle company, 

Krämer Motorcycles, specializing in road racing 

machines. Joe described this as exciting but also as a 

challenge, as it was more work than anticipated: “We 

are technically the US end of the company and the sole 

distributor. It’s been a good thing but a daunting task. It 

is fun and it also opens us up to the nationwide market.” 

The name of his company, Sisufab comes from the 

Finnish word “sisu” which means “courage, resilience 

and determination” and “fab” for “fabrication.” 

Joe lives with his girlfriend of six years, Brittany Taplin, 

who in addition to her work with a local architecture firm, 

helps out Sisufab with graphics, web site, computer work 

and in organizing and facilitating special events. Joe said 


“I find myself concentrating more on making other people happy 

than on anything else. Making money is just a byproduct. If you 

concentrate on making money, you aren’t very happy.” 

that Brittany is also into power sports and has plans to 

explore road racing this year. 

In their spare time, Joe and Brittany love to go ice racing: 

“We put studded tires on our dirt bikes, haul them to a 

friend’s lake place, plow a track on the ice, and go ride.” 

Joe also enjoys non-motorized recreation, of the bicycle 

kind, as a way to keep in shape and relax. 

What’s on the horizon for Joe and Sisufab? First off, he 

is helping to organize an indoor motorcycle flat track 

race at the Schollander Pavilion at the West Fargo 

Fairground this April 29th. Flat track racing is highly 

competitive and fast-paced and is also sometimes 


referred to as “dirt track” racing. The last time flat 

track racing happened in West Fargo was in the 1980s. 

Joe is hoping this event will help spark excitement for 

motorcycle racing in this community again. 

For his business, Joe said, “Our future goal at this point 

– our achievable goal – is to try to find a new building 

to grow our business in size physically. Our shop is new, 

but it is small. We keep it tidy and clean but it is too little 

for what I have on a day to day basis.” 

Joe looked forward: “We have the hopes of expanding 

into doing more of a dealership set up, but not on a 

big scale. We have a strong market here. I am pretty

confident in the future that we will continue to grow at a 

steady and manageable pace.” 

When asked “What does The Good Life mean to you?” 

he explained: “To me, ‘the good life,’ is to be able to 

enjoy what I do on a day to day basis – through my 

business, being able to enjoy what I do with power 

sports and motorcycles and to help other people with 

the same thing. It makes my life enjoyable. It is a reason 

to get up in the morning and go to work. I find myself 

concentrating more on making other people happy than 

on anything else. Making money is just a byproduct. 

If you concentrate on making money, you aren’t very 

happy.” • 



Ready. Aim. Fire. Actually, wait. 

There is a lot more to shooting a 

gun than just pulling the trigger and 

looking like you just stepped off the set 

of “Duck Dynasty” or “Lethal Weapon” 

(one, two, three or four). 

As a woman who has never worn pink 

camo and has not hunted much of 

anything, besides deals on clearance 

racks, my experience with guns is 

solely comprised of one game of Annie 

Oakley with a rifle and a handful of 

clay pigeons in a forsaken field. 

To familiarize myself with the basics, 

Brent Brattlof, the general manager at 

Bill’s Gun Shop and Range in Fargo 

and Moorhead, graciously taught me 

a few pointers about gun handling 

and safety. Every current and potential 

firearm owner should practice 

the steps mentioned in this article 

faithfully. 

To put the lesson into action, I was 

allowed to carefully use a 9mm 

handgun in the range, which was an 

exhilarating experience. I just wish 

I had been wearing my prescription 

glasses. 

Before you buy 

Whether you are a collector, a hunter, 

a safety activist or a combination of 

all three, it’s important to know the 

purpose behind the purchase before 

making your final selection. 

“You have to have a knowledge of 

the firearm to know what you want,” 

Brattlof said. “There should be intent 

behind every purchase.” 

The staff at Bill’s Gun Shop and Range 

not only helps customers choose the 

right gun for their specific situations, 

they give in-depth training, illustrate 

how to take apart a firearm 

for field tripping and cleaning, 

offer classes, and sell safety 

equipment and safes for 

secure storage. 

Guns in the home 

As is the case with numerous 

Midwestern residents, Brattlof 

grew up in an environment 

where hunting meant spending 

some quality time with his 

father. 

“I probably started shooting when I 

was 8 with just a little .22 bolt-action 

rifle,” Brattlof said. “It just kind of 

progressed as I got older into hunting 

long guns, and I bought my first 

handgun when I was 22.” 

Every responsible gun owner knows 

that education begins in the home. 

In order to prevent accidents and the 

mishandling of weapons, parents need 

to educate their children about the 

proper treatment, power and potential 

dangers of weapons. 

“In my house, they stayed locked up 

in a safe. I didn’t even know where 

the key was until I was 16. I had zero 

access to the firearms, unless my dad 

was involved. Once I turned 16, I knew 

where the guns were, just in case I 

would need access to be able to 

protect or defend myself.” 

Although the risks of 

owning precarious 

weapons are real 

and must be 

taken seriously, 

the chance of 

accidents and 

incidents occurring 

can be greatly 

reduced with 

proper training. 

BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 


As shooting becomes more of a sport, this 

type of education can be taught in entertaining 

ways, whether your child is participating in 

trap leagues or going to the range with your 

supervision and companionship. 

If you are going to carry a gun, you need to 

know how to correctly handle it. 

1. Never point a gun at someone 

“Always keep it in a direction where you know 

that if it goes off, it’s not going to hurt anybody 

or go where somebody could potentially be 

hurt.” 

2. Act as though the gun is 

loaded 

“Never underestimate the power of a firearm, 

and never underestimate the person handing 

you the gun. You don’t know if somebody 

keeps it loaded or not. When you pick it up, 

always treat it like it’s loaded. Keep the gun 

pointed down, clear the chamber to make 

sure it isn’t loaded, and even double check to 

make sure you didn’t miss something.” 

3. Don’t get too friendly with 

the trigger 

“Never have your finger on the trigger until 

you’re ready to shoot.” 

4. Hold the gun firmly in your 

hand 

“Make sure you have a firm grip so the recoil 

doesn’t force the gun from your hand.” 

5. Point in a safe direction 

“Make sure it’s pointed in a safe direction 

before you fire, and always know what’s 

behind your target as well, especially for deer 

hunting.” 

6. Store ammo separately from 

the firearm 

“When we transport firearms, the ammo and 

the guns are never in the same case. They’re 

always separated.” 


7. Communicate and store your 

firearms in a safe place 

“There’s sometimes a lack of communication as 

far as what needs to happen after the purchase. 

If you take the gun home in the case that you 

got, make sure to move it to a safe or secure 

location.” 

Bill’s Gun Shop has six locations (five that 

have ranges) in North Dakota, Minnesota and 

Wisconsin. They host special nights for youth, 

ladies, and college students at discounted rates. 

See their ad on the back page for more info. • 


HOW TO TIE A BOW TIE 

IN 7 EASY STEPS (maybe 8 or 9) 

STEP ONE 

Begin with the bow tie facing 

up with the left side (A) slightly 

longer than the right side (B) 

and cross A over B. 

STEP TWO 

Bring A under B 

and bring up through the loop. 

(Throw it over your shoulder to 

get it out of the way.) 

STEP THREE 

Form a bow shape with B by 

folding the crease to the right 

and then folding to the left. 

(Don’t let go!) 

STEP FOUR 

Bring A over and down the 

middle of bow shape created 

in step 3. 

STEP FIVE 

Fold A into a second bow 

shape and hold. 

STEP SIX 

Push the new bow A through the 

loop behind bow B. Make sure 

folded ‘bows’ are on opposite 

sides of the tie. 

STEP SEVEN STEP EIGHT STEP NINE 

Tighten by pulling the 

folded sides of the bow. 

Adjust bows evenly. 


See step 1. Start process over 

because you are frustrated and 

not happy with your 

first attempt. 

Optional. Take a selfie and post 

it online because you are proud 

that you accomplished such a 

grown-up task.

RETHINK AQUAVIT: TRY IT IN A COCKTAIL 

Aquavit is starting to make a splash in the states. 

Not only for toasting or special occasions, our VänSkap 

Aquavit can be enjoyed alone or in a cocktail. 

PHOTO BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

HISTORY: 

Aquavit is a 

flavored spirit that 

has been produced 

in Scandinavia since 

the 15th century. 

To honor our deeply 

rooted Scandinavian 

heritage, we bring 

you our VänSkap 

(Swedish for 

friendship) Aquavit. 

FRIENDSHIP COCKTAIL 

• 2 oz MINIONS VänSkap Aquavit 

• 1 Teaspoon Honey 

• 2-4 Dashes Orange Bitters 

Pour all ingredients over ice. 

Stir for 30 seconds. Strain into 

a martini glass or cocktail coup. 

Garnish with braided orange. 

TASTING NOTES: 

Sweet notes of 

citrus, fennel, 

and star anise are 

balanced with spicy 

notes of caraway, 

coriander, juniper and 

a slight hint of dill. 

HOW TO ENJOY: 

Aquavit can be 

enjoyed chilled 

in a small glass or 

provide a unique 

twist in a traditional 

cocktail. To friends 

new and old, we raise 

our glass and say 

"VänSkap". 

RECIPE: 

Try this simple and 

tasty recipe you can 

make at home. 

www.proofdistillers.com 


BY: BRITTNEY GOODMAN • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

87 year old Barnesville native, Corporal Wilbert Scheffler 

of the US Army 7th Infantry during the Korean War, is 

a local hero worth getting to know. This reflective and 

grateful farmer and television repairman’s life was greatly 

influenced by his time in service in Korea. 

Wilbert is the recipient of many honors for his time in 

service, including the Bronze Star, Korean Service 

Medal, Good Conduct Medal, United Nations Service 

Medal, Combat Infantry Badge and the National Defense 

Service Medal. 

He entered Basic Training in 1952 at Camp Breckenridge, 

Kentucky. Wilbert described his fellow soldiers as “all 

farm kids, all the same people like I am.” After basic 

training, Wilbert said that where the soldier was assigned 

was “alphabetical”: “If your last name began near the 

beginning, you went to Germany. Mine was later, so I 

went to Korea. That’s that.” 

During his time in Korea, one of his duties was guarding 

a prisoner of war camp. Wilbert explained, “We spent two 

years guarding prisoners. Years later we learned it was 

a leper colony.” He did not end up with leprosy. Wilbert 

was also struck by the poverty of the Korean people, 

especially the children: “What really got me over there 

were those little orphan kids — they were starving. How 

they survived I don’t know. Many soldiers threw crackers 

to them and they fought over them.” 



He recalled one time early in the time in Korea: “I was 

so lucky … I was on the north side of Arsenal Hill – I 

moved out in the open so that I could see and I no more 

than moved and a mortar round came. I was buried 

under the rubble and dirt and I was protected. I was on 

guard duty all by myself. I was all alone and it was a bad 

place. But I was protected.” 

Wilbert was dismayed by the lack of attention paid to 

the veterans coming back from the Korean War. With 

emotion, he said, “When I came back from Korea, nobody 

gave a darn.” But something happened in October 2016 

that brought tears of joy to his eyes – he was one of the 


veterans selected to travel to Washington DC on the 

WDAY Honor Flight. Wilbert exclaimed, “The Honor 

Flight was like living in another world! People were 

so nice. And after the flight, returning home, seeing 

all those people at the airport when we came back, 

it got to me.” 

During the Honor Flight, Wilbert met many people and saw 

much. He described being kindly wheeled around in his 

wheelchair by Mike McFeely who took him to the Franklin 

Roosevelt Memorial. Wilbert enjoyed his time with Tracy 

Briggs, Forum Communications and founder of the Honor 

Flight back in 2007: “We got along really well. I could say 

anything to her and she understood. She wheeled me to the 

Vietnam Wall, the Korean War monument, and the Lincoln 

Monument.” Wilbert then got up to get something from 

another room and returned to proudly show me the thank 

you note he received from Briggs, smiled, and said: “She’s a 

nice lady.” 

When I asked Wilbert about the movie “Pork Chop Hill” he 

said, “It was a good movie. Gregory Peck is very good in it. 

But nothing can accurately show what we went through.” 

Wilbert says that circumstances and people saved his life while 

in Korea. Wilbert asserted, “Other people stepped in and saved 

me. I didn’t ask for any favors.” 

One of those that stepped in was his best friend at war, 

Jim Cunningham, who assigned Wilbert to the Commo 

(Communications) Unit because of his knowledge of working 

with radios and other devices. Wilbert always had a radio: “I kept 


the 

radio 

going, 

guys loved the 

music. It helped us 

all. I carried the radio 

on my backpack. I made 

a case big enough for six 

flash light batteries and 

made it go 24 hours a day so 

that the guys had music. Music 

was just a life saver.” 

One time Wilbert left his radio at the 

prison camp he was guarding. When 

he got back to his unit, it was gone, and 

he figured it was lost forever. Then Jim 

Cunningham said, “Did you know they 

shipped your radio, it’s in supply?” Wilbert 

explained, “Getting that radio back was a 

life saver for me. It was a Zenith. It was high 

quality.” 

Another person whose intervention perhaps saved 

Wilbert’s life was the officer who decided to send 

him to the rear of the line during the Pork Chop 

Hill battle. Wilbert emotionally explained, "My best 

friend in the Army, Jim Cunningham, died on that hill. 

Somebody was looking out for me." 

He described the battle: “The last battle – out of the clear 

blue sky – I had about 40 points and I was supposed to go 

home. The guys with that many points went back in the 

rear. The Chinese hit Pork Chop and they were bound to 

take it, they just swarmed into battle. And then, us guys in 

the rear, we heard that we were going to counter attack. 

They lined us up. So many guys were so afraid, they 

just collapsed. They did not even have enough officers 

to make a company. We went to Hill 200, and they had 

decided to abandon Pork Chop.” 

a doctor go out of his way to say ‘stay another day?’ He was 

kind of like Alan Alda from M.A.S.H., a young guy. I don’t 

know his name. I think he saved my life.” 

Coming back from the war, he lived his life as a farmer and 

a television repairman on the side: “Back in the stone age, I 

fixed everyone’s television.” 

Wilbert misses Jim Cunningham and communicates with 

a relative of Jim’s via email and letters. After the war he 

became friends with fellow veteran, Dick Mosca, who was 

an officer in the Navy and a Minnesota highway patrolman 

who died a week before the October 2016 WDAY Honor 

Flight: “He accepted me for what I was. We would go to 

veteran’s funerals together. I really miss him.” A major 

reason Wilbert went on the Honor Flight was to honor Dick. 

Wilbert has been married to Mary Ann since 1976. 

They have two children. Their son, Bill, works in the IT 

department at MSUM and who Wilbert encouraged with 

computers. His daughter, Peggy, lives in Carrington. She 

has given him two grandchildren. Evidence of his pride in 

his children and grandchildren are in the many photos in 

their Barnesville home. Mary Ann and Wilbert are active in 

the Barnesville VFW chapter, where he is a Quartermaster. 

Wilbert’s son, Bill said this of his dad: “I think the war affected 

him in some pretty profound ways. He values all life and 

living and, consequently, none of our family members are 

hunters, which is unusual for this area. He often feels guilty 

eating meat. We grew up on a farm with pet cats, dogs, a pet 

chicken that lived in the house for a while, even a pet calf 

that roamed our farm yard at one point that he had to bottle 

feed to keep alive. He values home and hearth above all else 

and was never much for travel or similar excitement that 

most people crave after he returned home. I don’t think any 

of us who weren’t there with him can ever fully understand 

what he saw and what he went through… As a listener to 

his stories, it is hard to process it all, I couldn’t imagine 

And finally, there was a doctor at the M.A.S.H unit 

where he was recovering from a very bad fever. Wilbert 

remembered that the doctor asserted, “Stay another 

day. It’s really bad out there.” Wilbert thinks his chances 

of survival were greatly increased by that kind doctor: 

“My company went into it. It was really bad, but I stayed 

another day or two, and was saved.” He asked, “Why did 


living through and surviving it. All he wanted was to be 

home and ever since he returned home, it’s where he 

wants to be and where he is happiest - surrounded by 

everyone and everything he values most.” 

Bill continued: “We did not have a lot growing up but 

he’d still go the extra mile for friends and people in 

the local community by helping them with their TVs 

and electronics much like he did maintaining radio for 

friends back in Korea. Without realizing it at the time, 

I followed in his footsteps by continuing the tradition 

and helping people in my community with computers 

and still do even today in my free time.” 

Bill credits Wilbert for his career in computing after 

his dad brought a very early Apple II Plus computer 

home one day for Bill: “I hooked it to one of the many 

televisions in my bedroom (one of the perks of having 

a dad who fixed TVs!) and it was love at first sight for 

me when I realized I could program it to do whatever 

I wanted.” 

When asked about how he keeps all of these memories 

clear, Wilbert said, “I eat a lot of blueberries. It keeps 

your mind sharp.” He is proud that the only pill he 

takes is for high blood pressure. 

When asked what he considered “The Good Life,” 

Wilbert thought a bit and said, “I don’t know ... After 

I got back from the war and I owned a farm and I was 

helping people with their machinery and television ... 

That to me was a good life. All that I went through in 

the war and I was not wounded and I am alive. That is 

a good life.” •

The Good Life – March-April 2017

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