Friends

We attended a reception at the Library this afternoon where a Daughter of Jacques and Ann Berger was recognized for having donated this "Friends" sculpture to the Library. It is located near the west door and fits in to the landscaping beautifully. We are all very proud of our Seward Memorial Library and this is one more feature that helps make it a community centerpiece. The Bergers were an old Seward Family and for years associated with an "Auto Shop" Business. Back in the days when automobiles had generators, they had the equipment and ability to "rewind them" which brought customers to town from miles around. The modern "Alternators" have changed all of that and their business has gone the way of many in our small towns. We knew the Bergers through the Church as well as through their business. Jacques was in Kiwanis and an early user of Ameritrade for stock market trades during his retirement years. In fact he was instrumental in getting me started with Ameritrade back in the early '90's. They were good people and this is a great memorial. Thanks

Politics

It takes a certain type of person to be a politician. On occasions, this is how I feel like I'm treated on the Seward City Council, and that's only a hint at what people must go through at the State and National level. I don't know why we can't have civil discussion  of the problems and agree on rational decisions. We really do pretty good at the local level and yet we are troubled by the need for everything to be discussed in open meetings. I long for the days when it was possible to get together on the golf course or over a beer and hammer out differences. What has happened to the "Art of Compromise". Our small coffee group is made up of fellows from both ends of the political spectrum and yet we are able to agree on many things and enjoy each others company. The public is bound to have negative impressions of all politicians when their opponents continue to hammer away at their weakness or make misstatements (if not lies) about their records. We would have more respect for our leaders if the media and opponents didn't trash them as they do. Probably none of them are as bad as their opponents would lead us to believe or as good as what they and their party tell us. And, we the voting public, get chewed up by the alligator. 

60 short years ago.

This picture was taken 60 years ago in the summer of 1952. Verlon would have been approaching his 2nd birthday and Tim was about 4 months old. Elaine was in the prime of her life but the old '41 Chevy was on it's last legs. There was very little traffic on the graveled East Bradford St.  and it never occurred to me that we were not legally parked when we were headed the wrong direction. This Chevy was my first car and was our family car until the folks got the new Fleetline Chevy in 1948. I had driven the '41 back to Virginia along with brother Don and 3 buddies early in 1948. Don, Ed and I also went to Chicago to see the Yankees play the White Sox and the Cubs play the Cardinals that same fall. It served us well.

Later in the summer of '52 we were able to trade-in the old '41 to Sahn Chevrolet for a "brand new" '52 Chevy 2-door. We were real proud of our 1st new car and of the fact that we were able to pay for it before driving away. We even parked it headed the right direction. Another item of interest is the TV antenna on the top of our little house. We were able to get 2 channels from Omaha and 1 from Lincoln with our Admiral set from the House of Davisson. We were the first of the SCS guys here in Seward to have TV. Jim, Dave and Clarence all came up to the house to watch Dr. Roger Bannister run the 1st 4 minute mile on live TV. It was a momentous occasion at the time. 

Black Walnut Trees

We were pleased to see our Walnut trees doing well as we checked on them last Friday. We planted 24 of them in the spring of 2009 , hauled out a lot of water the first year, put in a couple replacements the next year and were pleased to see that they are all alive and doing well. The trees are located next to Plum Creek and are on excellent soil. Those conditions have been what has helped them through the very dry summer we are experiencing. The planting is adjacent to the Hiker-Biker trail and the City crew has done a good job of keeping the area mowed. There is also a planting of Northern Pecans which Chuck planted at the same time but we didn't walk down the trail to see how they are coming. I refer to these as "our" trees even though they are located on City land and are considered a Chamber of Commerce-First Impressions project because Elaine and I were the ones that planted & tended them during their first couple years. 

Highlights

This is our book of "Highlights". At the end of each year I go back through my Daily Journal and briefly list what I consider highlights by month and date. When we started this summary some years ago, it took a while to "catch up" by going back through the early years. One big 3-ring binder contains the most important events to remember from the time I started keeping a 5-year Diary when I was 15 years old, through 2011. My criteria of items to be included has varied over the years.  For the first time this year, I am drawing a couple lines along the edge of the page every day of special events as I enter them. The number of pages to cover a year has varied from 2 to 8 . The book is really an "index" to all of my Diaries and Journals. If it were necessary to grab only one item to save if the house was on fire, this book would be it. It should be in a safety deposit box down at the Bank and then I could save this computer. 

Elaine and Phlox

Here is Elaine with a clump of Phlox  in our back yard. The first time I took a picture of Elaine standing by some blooming Phlox was a year or so after we were married and she was pregnant with our first child. We lived in a little furnished apartment over on east Lincoln Street here in Seward. The Maltby's who lived in the house with the apartment had a lovely garden where the Phlox was blooming. A lot of water has flown down the Big Blue River between the time of the two pictures. But, the water in the river was flowing at a minimal level as we crossed it today. The farmers who irrigate out of it have been shut off unless they were among the earliest permit holders. We had gone to Goehner for the 125th anniversary of the village where the Kitones sang as part of the celebration. After our concert, we toured the Seward County Museum there in Goehner and went through the 1906 Gottlob and Anna Eberspacher house which has been restored and is part of the exhibit. It was an interesting afternoon. 

Neil Armstrong

The announcement of Neil Armstrong's death today and pictures of his being the first man on the moon on July 20, 1969 caused me to see how I recorded the event at that time. "We went to late Church. Aldrin and Armstrong landed on the moon about 4:00pm. They are to get out and walk on the moon in just a few minutes (10:15), "  I noted the following day that we stayed up till 1:00am watching the moon walk. Tim was out in Lincoln for UN-L Freshman orientation. A few days earlier Tim and I had gone down to JFK, sat in upper deck box seats and watched the Senators beat the Yankees both games of a double header. We didn't get home till 6;20. A few days later Jon ran into a car with his bike and needed 9 stitches in his forehead at the Alexandria Hospital emergency room. Verlon was working in Richmond and thinking of joining the Navy. Laurie flew back to Baltimore with Tim following his orientation and we took them to the White House to see Nixon and the visiting German Chancellor Kissinger. My promotion to Assistant Director of Personnel for SCS was being processed. Jon decorated the basement for  Carolyn's 16th birthday. I took Elaine to Trader Vic's for her 39th birthday.  It was a busy time in our lives. 

Snoopy & Golf

I came across this clipping of a Peanuts cartoon recently that had been tucked away for safe keeping. It may have been where I got the idea for doing something similar when I have difficulty going to sleep. It doesn't happen very often but will occasionally when I participate in a controversial evening meeting. It's not only the problems of the meeting but every other concern seems to surface and keep me awake. After a bit of tossing and turning, I turn all my problems over to God and start playing the golf course at the Seward Country Club. I tee off on #1 with my Driver, use my 3 wood to get around the corner, my 7 wood gets me on the green where I 2-putt for a par 5. ( I play better in my thoughts than for real). I then use my 3 wood to tee off on the par 3 #2 and continue the process on around the 9 hole course. I don't remember ever "playing" the full 9 holes and am usually asleep after 3 or 4 holes. I was wide awake at 7:30 am this morning while playing with Charley, Chuck and Dale. My game was nothing special but Dale birdied #6, boogied #9, and parred the other 7 holes for a 35. I don't recall ever having played with anyone before while parring  the course. I think he will play with us again tomorrow morning. 

Tomatoes

This little "raisin size" tomato is a fitting example of our efforts to raise tomatoes this summer. We didn't have real good luck last summer so planted them in new places this spring. This came off a plant in the back yard near our compost pile. I picked it yesterday at the time of deciding to quit watering it. We have one plant of the south side of the house that has produced a few and another plant on the south side of our front porch. I'm still watering them but my hopes for them are not too high. It's a bit ironic that I used the letter from the Nebraska Hall to lay the little "sprig" on for taking the picture. Though I'm "in the Hall", I can't even raise tomatoes. The 100 year old organization has some 200 members who have been identified as having made a significant contribution to Nebraska Agriculture. I was nominated and voted in by the membership for accomplishments during my career with the USDA Soil Conservation Service, with the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and the International Soil and Water Conservation Society. My ability to raise tomatoes was not a part of the consideration. Our weather this year is a reminder that no matter how much we think we can control nature, we get frequent reminders as to who is in charge.   

Sadie & G. Grandmother

Yesterday we got up to see Sadie , her Mother and Grandmother. She was two weeks old this past Monday and was put on a different feeding regimen. It has really "perked her up". It seems that she wasn't getting enough to eat and is a much happier baby under the new set up.  You can tell by the look on Great Grandmothers face that she too is in better spirits now that Sadie is doing better. We all are feeling better now that she is. This is really a new experience for Elaine and I. We weren't around our own grandchildren very much when they were this age. While we went down to North Carolina to see Julie when she was just 9 days old, it was only for a weekend. I noted in my Journal on January 18, 1980 that, "Julie Noelle is real well filled out and a pretty little baby. She woke up soon after we came and is real alert. While she was on her stomach she lifted up her head and turned it from one side to the other". On February 8th Carolyn called to say she was up to 10lbs. and 5oz. The Doctor had said she was, "A perfect baby with exceptionally good muscular coordination". They came up to Washington for a weekend visit in late March. And didn't see them again until we were all moved back to Seward at the end of June. From then on, they were an important part of our household. 

Seward City Council

Peace and Harmony prevailed at the time this picture of the Mayor and members of the Seward City Council was taken soon after the current Council members and the new Mayor were seated some months ago. All was not that harmonious this evening when 3 Council members were absent and a decision was to be made on the budget. Five of the eight Council members are necessary to constitute a quorum. When it appeared that a vote was about to be called on a motion that was on the floor, one of the Council members walked out. That left us short of a quorum and the meeting was adjourned. It now appears that a special meeting will be necessary to meet the budget time table. One of the first requirements for anyone considering a leadership role is to "show up" for the meetings. 

Jerry's Memorial

My brother Jerry loved to play golf. He loved the Tomah, WI course where he played and was on the Board of Directors for many years. He had sponsored the marker at the Tee Box on the 17th hole with his "Vrana Drywall" business. After his death a year ago, his family (shown above0 worked with the Club and had this bench erected near his sign. The back rest of the bench contains a message that was a part of his funeral folder. This lower picture was taken back in the fall of 2004 when Don's and us went up to Tomah for our annual visit and round of golf. That was a great day.

Albert Ebers

Jon sent a message this morning that they got home last night O.K. While they had a good time all week with us, he mentioned the day we made the excursion to Beaver Crossing as a highlight. This picture was taken at the local Dairy Queen after getting back to Seward. We had also stopped at the Salem Cemetery where Jon was interested in seeing the Albert Ebers tombstone. Jon sang with Albert in the Methodist Church Choir during the time they lived here in Seward during the early 90's. Albert was a great guy. He graduated from UN-L back in the mid 30's and worked for the Soil Conservation Service during its earliest days. He came back to the family farm in Seward County and practiced "stubble mulch" farming long before it was recognized as "No-till". This was back in the days before chemicals were an integral part of farming and while it never "caught on", it was a stepping stone in getting us to where we are today. Albert was a deeply religious man and asked me on more than one occasion about my expression "My enemies don't hurt me, its my friends that cause me the greatest pain".  I don't believe Albert had any enemies and when he died at 95, a quote in the local paper said, "He was as close to being a Saint as a Methodist could become". 

Laptop visiting

Jon, Mary  and Anna are on their way home to Burke, VA. We had an interesting and enjoyable week while they were here with us. Elaine and Mary might say that too much time was spent with laptops open as shown in this picture. It seems that the only difference between what the young people do tweeting messages and our being on our laptops is the size of our equipment. As the result of some of Jon's knowledge, we have already been in touch with a contact whose family tree and ours share some ancestors.   The continual learning is what makes computers addictive.

Beaver Crossing Hardware Store

We took Jon, Marry and Anna down to Beaver Crossing today to visit the Hardware Store. The town is some 20 miles SW of Seward and has a population of around 400. Though there is no place in town to buy a quart of milk or a loaf of bread, they have an outstanding Hardware Store. I am pictured here visiting with Dean Pankoke who established the store and has since turned it over to his son. Dean worked for a Land Improvement Contractor back in the years when I worked for SCS here in Seward County as a Field Technician. The store carries a wide assortment of products and customers come from miles around to shop. Many come out from Lincoln and beyond. One of their many unique products is "Blackburn stakes". These are the little wire marking stakes with colorful plastic ribbons that are used to show the location of buried utility wires, identify boundaries or for a myriad of uses. Mr. Blackburn, the original producer of the stakes came to Seward in the early 50's and gave us a few of them to use in surveying field terraces. Needless to say we ordered more and today they are used throughout the world. They are still produced at Neligh, Nebraska where Dean says he orders them. He and I reminisced about many of the people that worked for SCS over the years and the many farmers for whom we surveyed conservation practices and Dean would build them with heavy construction equipment. It was a good visit. Dean is legally blind but his memory is exceptional. 

Seward Cemeteries

Jon's curiosity about Civil War Veterans buried in Seward sparked my interest in the history of Seward's Greenwood and North Cemeteries. I checked with the fellows at coffee this morning and didn't get much information so as is often the case, I checked with Elaine. She is a member of the Genealogical Society and was involved some years ago in it's publishing books with data on "who is buried where" in cemeteries throughout the County. The books also contained information on the Cemeteries' history.  Seward's first burial site was on the Robert Gale property which is now part of the Concordia University Campus. In 1874 the Seward Cemetery Association was formed. They purchased school land and established the Seward (North) Cemetery. However, there was  some dissatisfaction with the location "nearly a mile north of the city on a dusty road, devoid of trees, it was unprotected from the elements and grave-robbers". In 1878 the Greenwood Cemetery Association was formed and bought land to establish their Cemetery closer to town. In 1948 both Cemeteries were reorganized under the city's charter "for the safety of the records" in future years.  We also have the Anderson Cemetery west of town that was transferred to the City in 1949. (Information from records compiled by Jane Ramsay Graff)

Jon, Mary & Anna's visit

I was able to snap this picture of Mary, Anna and Jon this noon after we had finished our sandwich lunch. They have visited the Pioneer Village in Minden,  spent a day in Lincoln, have been out to see the new Owens house, and we've done a lot of visiting.  This has been a big year for Jon with his taking on the persona of Justin Morrill, the author of the Morrill Act 150 years ago that provided for the US Land Grant College system as well as the establishment of the US Department of Agriculture. When he does these reenactments he tries to dress, talk and act as closely to the way Congressman Morrill might have at the time. (hence the long hair). 

Sadie at 1-Week,

Here is Carolyn and her Granddaughter Sadie taken about 18 hours after Sadie's birth last week. There were times when Carolyn was raising Julie as an only child, that I suggested she was "busier than an old hen with one chick".  Unless you have actually seen an old hen with only one chick, it would be difficult to get the full meaning of that comparison. That said however, Carolyn has been an excellent Mother and well on her way to being an excellent Grandmother. It was fortunate that she was able to retire from her school teaching job last year and available now to do whatever is necessary in her new role. Carolyn has been so busy this past week that she hasn't updated her Blog so it seems appropriate that I show a picture depicting her loving care being shown to Sadie. We are all enjoying the cool weather we have had the past few days but still need rain. The corn crop is far enough along that it wouldn't help much but the soybeans could be helped considerably. A nice 2" rain would help everyone's morale. They were watering the greens at the golf course this morning so Charlie and I were unable to finish a par 4 hole. We both were laying 2 and needed to chip on and putt but with the sprinklers running, were unable to do so. We agreed to just take our pars and move on. That enabled me to have a string of 6, 4's (we were past the par 5's) and one of my best rounds of the season. I hope Sadie will be a good golfer along with all of the other hopes that are being held out for her. Here is how she looked yesterday on her 1-week birthday

The Exalted Ruler & Golf

This print of Charles M. Russell's painting of "The Exalted Ruler" hangs on our kitchen wall. I bought it about 40 years ago while on a business trip to Montana. The exalted ruler is of course, the bull elk in the foreground of the picture amongst his harem. What is also shown is the vanquished former ruler to the left on his way down the hill. And, to the right we see the next one in line to hold the title of "exalted". There was something about Rory Mcllroy's winning the PGA Championship yesterday by 8-strokes and the "Record Romp" headline in the sports page of this morning's paper, made me think of this picture. Golf is not as "absolute" as the laws of nature and Mcllroy may not be the "Exalted" leader but it makes you wonder if Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and others are not on their way down the hill. The "young bucks" have sounded their horn,  they are closing in and ready to take over. But don't despair, even the vanquished bull may pick up a win along his way down the hill and I hope my old heroes might do likewise. 

John & Sadie

Sadie Elizabeth Owens has been a major attraction  throughout this past week since she joined our family. While there have been many pictures of she and Julie posted, the new, proud Dad also deserves recognition. John has done a yeoman's job by changing diapers, wrapping the baby in "swaddling clothes", and the many little task associated with having the first new baby in the house. It has been over 60 years since Elaine & I shared that experience.  When our children were born, Fathers were not a part of the birthing process. My role ended with carrying the suitcase and helping Elaine inside the Hospital door,  where I was told to leave and wait for a phone call. Hours of nervous waiting were finally relieved with a message that I could see Elaine and the baby. Mothers spent 10 days in the Hospital after the baby was born and Fathers were expected to respect posted visiting hours.  In our case, bottle feeding was mandated and my role was holding the bottle for the 2:00am feeding. I suppose my first diaper changing came after about 2 or 3 weeks. If the baby cried, the Doctor suggested we let him cry and not spend much time holding him. Things did change a bit between our first and last but not much. Today's full partnership arrangement is so much more humane.  I certainly congratulate John for being a full partner. And, predict that he and Sadie are going to have a close relationship and be great buddies; they are already.

Visitors

Son Jon, Mary and Anna come out to visit today. They flew out of Dulles to Omaha where they rented a car and drove on out to Seward. We were happy to see them. This picture was taken 4 years ago when Mary & Anna flew out.  Jon has been here since while on a business trip in the area. I don't know if Anna will get out to the golf course with me this time but am sure she would enjoy it. Carolyn and Ben came over to visit with them (as well as us) this evening. We got a bit of rain that caught Ben on the Bike Trail. We were happy to give Carolyn our usual birthday greetings. She is still "aglow" with being a grandmother and did some baby girl shopping in Lincoln today. I tapped into Jon's computer knowledge and have already learned a few things. And, anticipate getting a few other computer problems resolved while they are here.

The Drought of 2012

I got out the lawnmower this afternoon and mowed the lawn for the first time since before the 4th of July. I set the mower low, took off the catcher and just shredded the dry grass. I did run the sprinkler over it twice yesterday morning as the temperature cooled but question whether it can come back. This is the driest lawn we have ever had. Our current drought has been compared to 1956 and I have pictures of our lawn at that time and it never looked as bad as this. During the '30's we didn't even think about a lawn. In my early SCS days a farmer east of Seward tore down an old log cabin that had native grass sod about 3 inches thick in the walls for insulation. My boss was a good friend of this farmer and brought in a chunk of the sod. We watered it and put it outside our office at the corner of 7th & Seward St. It wasn't long before it showed some signs of life. I don't think it was a revival of the original grass but it did get green with some grasses. If that could happen after it being a chunk of sod for 75 years, maybe our lawn can come back with something green. 

Sadie & G. Grandad

We didn't get to see Sadie today since they went home this morning. Our reports from Carolyn are that everything is going O.K. This picture was taken over at the Hospital yesterday. Grandma Carolyn took supper over to the family this evening and also helped Ben celebrate his birthday. I played golf with Charlie and the guys early this morning. After not having played yesterday, I needed to be "retrained", it wasn't a good game. I might also have been bothered by the Tumble Windmillgrass seed heads that were rolling around on the course and even on the Greens. (Someone said you need to find an excuse for a bad game and never admit that you're just not very good.) I did some more "spot watering" this afternoon and am very concerned that some of our lawn will need to be overseeded in a few weeks. It will be an act of faith to do any seeding unless we get a change in the weather. The outlook isn't very favorable. There were some showers around the area the past couple days but we didn't get any moisture. It did cool off today which was a big improvement over the 103 degree temperature that we had yesterday. Little Sadie is the greatest source of pleasure for us these days,  just even thinking about her and her loving family. 

Proud Great Grandparents

Elaine and I went along with Carolyn to the Hospital to see "the girls" this morning. Both were doing fine. Sadie's hair had been shampooed so she was even prettier than she was yesterday. The expression of joy on our faces reminds me of the picture taken of my folks down at cousin Ted's some years ago as Dad played his accordion, Mother was clapping to the music and the rest of us were dancing the "Flying Dutchman". Our facial expressions of unmitigated joy is only a symbol or how we really felt. It seems that the older a person is, the more they appreciate the miracle of the birth of a baby. Sadie is really a well loved little girl and has already brought unbounded joy to many. Her name appeared in lights this morning as she was Welcomed on the Home Town Bank marquees. 

Sadie Elizabeth Owens

This picture was taken yesterday evening a short time after Sadie Elizabeth Owens came on the scene. She is a chubby 8 pound, 1 ounce baby who Julie says is a good nurser. John has already taken on the fatherly duty of changing diapers. We got over to see and even hold her for a few minutes this morning. The years go by so quickly (like toilet paper when you get down near the end of the roll) that it doesn't seem very long ago that I baby sat Julie for an hour or so when she was a baby and our first time to see her. Carolyn and Elaine left me "in charge" while they went downtown in Boone, NC to buy some necessities. It was the beginning of our bonding which has continued over the years. Today is the 112th anniversary of my Mother's birth date. Some years ago I took a picture of Mother, Elaine, Carolyn and Julie on our front porch and referred to it as "The Four Women in my Life". I'm now looking forward to the day in the near future when I can take a similar picture. While Mother will not be in the photograph, I'm sure some of her loving features have been passed on through the generations and will be carried on by Sadie. 

The Fire House 5+

Mel Bolte and the Fire House 5+ Band played at the Ag Pavilion as part of the County Fair Yesterday. Mel and Steve Smith have played in the band since they were in High School many years ago. We went to the Seward City Band final concert for the season this evening at the Band Shell where the Fire House Band also had a part on the program. Most of the Fire House players are also in the City Band. It was a great concert this evening featuring several College songs and a couple polkas. Mel told the history of the Fire House 5 and how they originated back in the '30's to visit towns in the County to promote the County Fair. They have now been invited to participate in the State Fair Parade this year along with representative groups from all 93 Nebraska Counties. I have known Mel for many years and we serve together on the Chamber 1st Impressions Committee. He has been Chairman of the City's Park and Recreation Committee for a number of years and instrumental in many improvements to the City. 

Seward County Fair

We attended the Seward County Fair this afternoon. A cold front came through last night and the temperature was in the low 80's. It was the nicest day in the past several weeks. I wore a windbreaker to play golf this morning. This display at the fair was probably about 8'by 8' square and all made up of vegetable products. The yellow is ears of non mature corn, also very visible is the white cauliflower. The green around the edge is sweet corn with the husk still on the ears. There are also peppers, onions, beets, tomatoes, broccoli, etc. It reminded me of a display that people from the Staplehurst area, used to have every year at the Nebraska State Fair. While I was taking this picture, an older lady came by and she knew the people that put the old display together. 

For us, one of the highlights of the Fair is the Accordion Jamboree. This is Elmer, Jean & Jim who are key players in the group. This year their were 15 button accordion players, Elmer plays the Tuba and sings, Ed plays the drums and a fellow played a guitar. Franklin Hronik from here in Seward took over some of the leadership this year from Jim and did an excellent job. They are a fascinating group to be able to play the way they do without the benefit on any sheet music in front of them. Ed's drum and Elmer's tuba set the pace and they all play together without a hitch. Of course they played Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie, the Saddle Horse polka and my favorite was the Green Meadow Waltz like Dad used to play. I would go back again tomorrow if they were playing again. 

Prostrate Spurge

Prostrate Spurge is amazing plant. It seems to thrive under conditions where nothing else will grow. We have some growing on our sidewalk in full sun with its root in the cracks between sections. It is even invading the greens and other areas out at the Golf Course. Because prostrate spurge grows from a small taproot it is easy to remove large plants by hand. Spurge will survive in harsh conditions where the turf grass has long-since departed. Spurge must reproduce by seed from year-to-year. Encouraging turf grass density in the fall and spring should be fairly effective for limiting the presence of spurge in turfed areas. Spurge is most likely to invade when spring conditions have opened the turf from drought or grub damage. Prostrate Spurge is a late-germinating summer annual, ideally suited to fill-in voids in the turf during June, July and August. Since it comes back from seed every year, you can also help prevent prostrate spurge by applying a pre-emergence herbicide in spring before the seeds germinate. Usually one application, followed by a light watering, in late April or early May will eliminate most annual weeds for that summer – provided the soil is not disturbed afterwards, and weather patterns are normal. If the weed has been a serious problem you may choose to make a second application, however, about sixty days after the first, for added protection.

Impatients

The Inpatients in our shady back yard are about the only plants that are holding up in this hot, dry weather.  I do some "hose watering" every couple days to keep them going. Last night we received 0.25" of rain which is close to the 0.33" that we got during the entire month of July. We are now over 5.00" below normal. What is concerning is the widespread drought that we are experiencing. Our weather this summer is more like I remember from the '30's than the hot, dry years we had in the mid 50's or late 80's. I believe we will get through this year with the "disaster programs" and crop insurance that is in place, but can't help but wonder what will happen if we have several years in a row like we did in the '30's. Food prices especially are bound to go up and land prices come down from the record highs set earlier this year. 

Sam & Louie's in Seward, NE

Sam & Louie's have been in Seward for a few months but this evening was the first time we have tried it. We were favorably impressed. It has some of the appearance of a "Sports Bar" but very tastefully done. The food was great and Elaine brought part of her's home. The Menu is quite varied and offers a wide selection of choices. We are looking forward to Jon, Mary and Anna being out to visit us in a couple weeks and this will need to be one of our stops while they are here. After my folks retired, they went out for dinner at least once every month when their Social Security check came in the mail. We decided tonight that we should do something similar. This  place is located at the west edge of town, adjacent to the Pac 'n Sav home owned store where we buy most of our groceries.