The Thrashing Run, etc.

This is a continuation of yesterday's blog in which I attempted to relate some of Elaine's respect for her Dad and his ability to do things to make her feel he was very exceptional. She grew up with him having a thrashing machine and a "D" John Deere. This meant that he had a "thrashing run" with 5-6 neighbors.

One neighbor dropped out of the group when he learned that another neighbor had a patch of bindweed. She was about 16 years old when photographed with her Dad, Mother and brother Dale. The love and respect for her Dad even shows through on the picture. It was probably a year or so after the picture was taken that Dale introduced Elaine to a friend of mine at a dance. He was not anxious to dance with her so I volunteered. Things have not been the same since. They have been better.

I wish that every little girl could grow up being as proud of their Dads as Elaine has been of hers. Sometimes our daughters know us too  well and recognize our many foibles but still love and respect us for who we are. Elaine has never compared me to her Dad and has always helped to bolster  my image, particularly when our four children were at the formative stage. However, there are some things that no one could do as well as Albert. In fact there were quite a few things. One that she has talked about for years had to do with his ability to turn a cream separator.  Her family milked cows and sold cream, dressed chickens and eggs to people in Seward during the days of her childhood. As her story goes, “Daddy was the only one that turned the handle on the cream separator because he could turn it at just the right speed to separate out cream that when cooled, would hold up a knife. And, that is what their customers expected”.  I have heard that story over the years as part of the history of her growing up on the farm during hard times. Though dubious, I never questioned its authenticity.  Elaine’s older brother (and he has a PhD in Agronomy) were out for lunch last week so I asked him if he ever turned the cream separator as a young man and he gave us the same story Elaine has been telling. After lunch we all went up to help her older sister Joyce celebrate her 92^nd birthday. At an appropriate time, I asked her if she remembered anything about their cream separator and selling cream during the depression years. Would you believe she repeated Elaine’s story word-for-word. What a wonderful memory of a Dad who could do something that so impressed his children that they all recall the details after 70 years.   

Coconut Cake

The last piece of a good cake is always the best and here is the last piece of the best cake that we ever have around our house. I have been “spoiled” by having some of it with ice cream each afternoon when getting home from the golf course, but now it's gone. This white coconut cake, made about 3 days ahead, refrigerated and sealed in a tupperware container, seasons through to make it a moist, flavorful cake for a special occasion. It is messy to cut, but good to eat. (Recipe: Page 47 of the Vrana Cookbook)  

New Sox

I have reached the stage in life where very few things I buy, or are given to me, are as satisfying as the items they are replacing. A few years ago the question was being asked: “How many Senior Citizens does it take to change a light bulb”. The answer was 100. It takes 1 person to change the bulb and the other 99 to tell how good the old one was. That may be an exaggeration but my last computer, camera, phone, pair of shoes, golf glove, straw hat, etc. didn't seem to be as good as the old one. (At least not for a while.) However, I was recently pleased with the purchase of 4 new pairs of sox. We got them at the J. C. Penney store in Lincoln. They are the easiest to pull on and off, most comfortable sox I have ever had. They are Dr. Scholl's Crew sox, consisting of 95% Polyester, 3% Nylon, and 2% Spandex. It may be the Spandex that sets them apart. I understand it has some elastic features. They were made in China with satisfaction guaranteed by Dr. Scholl's Sox in Mt. Airy, NC. The sox carry the seal of the American Podiatric Medical Association. And yes, they were on sale when we bought them.  

Seward Bandshell

The Seward Bandshell celebrated it's 75^th anniversary a year ago. Just a half block off the “square”, it has been the “jewel” of downtown Seward since it was built. New mental benches have been installed and major structural renovations were made during the past year. In his Stories about Seward, Harold Davisson gives a lot of credit to then Mayor George Thomas, for the bandshell's existence. “The old Wickersham livery stable, the John Fleener poultry house, and the bottling works, then owned by Jake Imig were torn down and dirt from the property (City Recycling Center) south of Homer Houdersheldt's Skating Rink was hauled in to fill up the hole and build up the place for the spectators.“ Davisson goes on to say that Harry Jones and T. Norval covered a considerable amount of the expense of construction. The first time I walked across the stage of the bandshell was in the spring of 1938 to receive my 8^th grade graduation certificate. It was a thrill to be involved in the graduation of 8^th graders from all the Country Schools in Seward County. Going on to High School in those days was considered a privilege and this event marked the completion of formal education for many youngsters. It is used frequently these days for a variety of events but the City Band Concerts are the big draw. Thanks, Mayor Thomas.  

Golf from the Yellow Tees

My Brother Don takes pride in pointing out that he plays from the White Tees at his home course and I play from the Yellows when we compare golf scores. Likewise, I took considerable comfort in reading a recent article about Jack Nicklaus being involved in the, “Tee it Forward” program. He is quoted as saying: “We constantly encourage golfers to play the proper tees, but too often they want to bite off as much of the course as they can. What ends up suffering is their scorecard and their overall enjoyment. This program should help stimulate people to play the proper tees and maximize the golf enjoyment”. The article goes on to say that: “If you can hit a Driver 275 yards on average, then the recommended 18-hole yardage is between 6,700 and 6,900 yards”. An accompanying chart shows:

250 yards 6,200-6,400.

225 yards 5,800-6,000.

200 yards 5,200-5,400.

175 yards 4,400-4,600.

                                                                          150 yards 3,500-3,700.

Our Seward Course is 6,552 from the Black tees, 6,250 from the White, 5,228 from the Yellow and 4,862 from the Reds. This implies that I should average 200 yards with my Driver. I wish I could but still have no plans to start playing from the Reds. But with the temperature pushing 100 and humidity in the 70% range, we only played 9 holes this afternoon. 

Old Crows, etc.

When a friend recently learned of the connection between “The Crow’s Nest” and my last name, he sponsored me for membership in ASCAR (American Society of Crows and Ravens). It is an international disorganization of some 700 individuals. Their association is based on, “shared attitudes and appetites but markedly diverse interest - appreciative, scientific, aesthetic, literary and mythic - in crows, ravens and their significance both ecological and metaphoric”.  Members receive a copy of the Corvi Chronicle “which is published irregularly by Corvis with an interest in or need for doing so”. The Society has no officers, rules or regulations; does not keep records or levy dues. When conducting Society or other business, Corvis prefer to use only a number, i.e. Corvi # 25, 39, 457, or whatever. All members are encouraged to send notes, essays, tales, clippings, sketches or photos to the editor of the Chronicle for publication.  The accompanying example is a sheet from the 10 page, Spring 2011 edition which speaks to the intelligence of Crows. I remember my Dad telling about splitting a Crow’s tongue when he was a boy and teaching it to talk. I never really believed it but am convinced they are pretty smart birds.