Christ has Risen but my Teams have Fallen

Sadie received her first Easter Bunny when Elaine and I were able to give it to her. She was pretty excited about it but believe she liked the basket it was in better than the actual Bunny. Mother Julie is looking around the corner to see what is going on. We had a great Baked Chicken Dinner with all the trimmings. We had all been to Church and the Nebraska vs Duke Women's basketball game was underway before we finished eating. When we got the TV turned on, Nebraska had a small lead. However, they just couldn't hold it. At one time they missed something like 16 consecutive 3 point shots. It still stayed close but when Jordan Hooper went out with an ankle injury, the chance of a Nebraska win were diminished, but they had a great season. Next Year.

 Sadie liked her Easter Bunny and the basket it came in but they didn't compare with the fun that a little girl can have with a "spring door stop". She quickly learned that it made funny sounds when it is sprung and released. Just hitting it with a little hand would even bring a delightful sound. I'm surprised that someone hasn't made a toy that would duplicate the door stop. It would be difficult to make something as accident proof as this spring stop with a rubber tip. 

Oh Yes, it was bad enough seeing the Duke Women beat Nebraska but the Duke Men's loss to Lexington only added to the misery. It's good to be able to "drowned our sorrows in Sadie pleasures".

Seward, Past and Present

I went down to the Schweitzer Auction at the Ag Pavilion this morning. This Grandfather Clock was the feature attraction and sold for some 4,000.00 dollars. The sale bill describes the clock as follows: "Late 1800's to Early 1900's Royal Furniture Co, Grand Rapids, 8' Tall,Moon Dial, Exquisite Face, Tubular Chimes, Brass Pendulum, Three Chime Settings: Notre Dame, Westminster, & Trinity." It is a fantastic piece of furniture. I didn't buy anything but enjoyed looking at many interesting items. It is also an opportunity to visit with many friends. Carolyn was down while I was there and it's always interesting to look at things with her. She was fortunate to be the "winner" on several items. One was a "50 Year Anniversary" publication of the "Blue Valley Blade". It is dated January 11, 1928. Elaine and I have both been through it this evening and find it most interesting. It has articles written by some of the earliest settlers in Seward  County and is most enjoyable reading. Many of the Ads in the paper were those of the first businesses that I remember in Seward when I was a kid. It made me realize that I have a "living history" of a pretty high percentage of Seward's existance. In fact, some of the people that we visited with at the auction have just purchased a downtown business location that  they will develop as an "Art Gallery" entertainment venue. They are interested in some of my old Seward pictures taken from the Courthouse Dome and suggested that they may also organize opportunities for "Old Timers" like me to present seminars on earlier days in Seward. They are thinking of being able to serve wine and make it an interesting gathering place. I hope it succeeds. 

Success wasn't to come to the #2 seeded Ohio State basketball team as they were knocked out by #9 seeded Wichita State this evening. The top seeds haven't done very well in the tournament. Duke will play the only remaining #1 seed Louisville tomorrow evening. The Nebraska Girls play Duke tomorrow afternoon. We will be rooting for the Duke men but against the Duke women. 

A Year Ago we had Blossoms

Our temperature hit 70 degrees today for the first time since last October. However, it hardly compares with a year ago on this date when this picture was taken. This Hopa Crab is on the #5 fairway at the Seward Golf Course with the two small Bradford Pears on the far side of the cart path. I have swung my driver a couple times in our yard but have not yet gone out to the course.  I'm still keeping my "options" open and hope to be able to play but just haven't caught the "bug" as yet. During the "off season", I have become so committed to getting certain things done with pictures on the computer, that I have completely gotten out of my summer routine. I did make some progress with my new "video 2 PC" project today and overcome the frustration of yesterday. 

Problems

This picture was taken on June 12, 1997 as we completed our 10 Country Tour of Europe. We left home on May 25 and spent a few days with Flowerday's in England before joining the tour. Then we stayed an extra day in Paris where we visited the Louvre and I posed for this picture. I might look a bit tired and frustrated but not nearly as much as I feel tonight.  I worked with my newly purchased USB Video Conversion System this afternoon and was able to download bits of information from the Camcorder to the PC. I was making progress in learning the system and tried to email a segment to my laptop. Being a large message, it was very slow to load so I just closed it out. I later went to send another message and realized my earlier one was still in the Que which started to send again. I couldn't find a way to stop it so just let it load. When it was all but loaded, an error message appeared that indicated it was too large to send. Now I still have the problem of trying to get it out of my mail system. At one time I had a printer icon on the lower tool bar where I could cancel mail being sent but I can't find it. I have shut the PC down and hope that the message will go away but would appreciate any any suggestions. 

Three Coins in The Fountain

This is a picture taken during our Globus 10 country European tour  back in 1997.  We walked down to the beach at Monaco and came across this fountain with the "Three Coins in The Fountain". It seemed only appropriate that Carolyn, Julie and Elaine would strike a similar pose. Julie had been embarrassed by the sights on the topless beach but enjoyed their fully clothed version of the "Three Coins". We continue to enjoy the pictures from the trip; many of which have been placed in an album. As I continue to work on my Collages for 1997, we have also been watching the Camcorder tapes on TV.

Today we enjoyed meeting Brother Don and Gladys in Lincoln for lunch. We then went to Best Buy where I bought a USB Video Conversion System. Hopefully this will enable me to edit the Camcorder tapes and record them on DVDs. I installed the program on the PC this evening and using it appears to be quite a challenge. As I've said  over the years, "Some people who have very few problems, go out and buy some".  I hope that isn't what I have done.

Cousin Alan Flowerday

Elaine had made contact with a distant cousin in England who had done considerable research on  Flowerday family genealogy. In late May 1997, we took Carolyn and Julie along and went to England to visit them and "Flowerday" country. We spent 3 very enjoyable days with Alan and Ann. We were able to visit the place where Elaine's Grandfather, William, was born and visited with an elderly gentleman who had worked with William's brother who didn't come to America. We visited several Churches and Cemeteries where ancestors were buried. The 3 days were ahead of a Globus 10 country tour of Europe which we joined in London. More about that later.

Puzzles, Birds & Cats

Elaine got her 1,000 piece Jigsaw puzzle put together today. It is called,"A Work Of Ark".  She brought it out of the closet during the time Jon, Mary and Anna were here a couple weeks ago. It has been on the dining room table since with a few pieces put in place every day. I might have even put in as many as 8 or 9. It is the first jigsaw puzzle that Elaine has put together for a few years; she used to do a couple of them every winter. We do have another puzzle for which we have no answer. We have hundreds of Robins in Seward this spring. We have never seen them in the large flocks  that are around town at this time. I watched 30-35 of them in our back yard this afternoon as we had our afternoon coffee. 

I was out in our backyard over the weekend and saw feathers where a cat had obviously got a Junco. We are not friends of cats in our yard and "shoo" them away whenever we see them. We have even been know to throw something at them. On one occasion we had a live trap in the back yard that the Police Department set to catch what we thought may be a Raccoon or Opossum. Instead it caught a big old yellow feral cat. We have wondered about having them bring back the trap each time we see a cat hiding in the bushes and looking for a victim. 

International Soil & Water Conservation Society

Craig Cox had just been appointed to head-up the staff in Ankeny, IA when the International Soil and Water Conservation Society held their Annual Meeting in San Diego in 1998. Pictured (L-R) is Craig, Jon Vrana, me & Jim Gulliford. I had filled the Exec. VP position from '89-'91 so had some appreciation for the challenge Craig was facing. He did a very good job and resigned a few years ago to work in Des Moines for the Environmental Working Group with Ken Cook. Jim headed up the State of Iowa's Natural Resources Conservation agency for a number of years before going to work for the US Environmental Protection Agency. After serving as Regional Director in Kansas City for a few years, he was promoted to the Washington, D.C. Office. He was able to return to Iowa a few years ago and holds the position that Craig and I both filled as Head of the Ankeny Staff. Little did we know when this picture was taken nearly 15 years ago that it would work out that way. I have always been pleased to see people follow me in positions when they are more capable and do a better job than I did; certainly Craig and Jim both fulfill that criteria.

Hazardous Waste

A "Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day" was held down at the Seward County Fairgrounds this morning. We took down some 12-15 cans of old paint. Some of it was old enough to contain lead, it was in the basement for a long time. We appreciated the opportunity to properly dispose of it. The event was sponsored by the Four Corners Health Department, York/Seward County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Seward/York Emergency Management, City of Seward and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and Co-Sponsored by the Garbage Company. While we only took down paint, they accepted a wide rage of materials, such as: Poisons, Yard Chemicals, Acids, Pesticides, Fluorescent bulbs, etc. Our community is a better place because of such events.

Great Grandmother & Sadie

Sadie came to visit the other day along with her Mother and Grandmother. She knows us and enjoys setting on Great Grandmother's lap. As is noted, the feeling is mutual. She is developing more dexterity in her arms and legs. She enjoys setting on the floor and when laying down, can roll over at will. She enjoys eating pureed food and while she likes it all, can distinguish between peaches and asparagus. We are enjoying each stage that she reaches. One of these days we expect a tooth to appear and it won't be long before she figures out how to crawl. As Great-Grandparents, we are enjoying each of her "stages" and not spending too much time looking ahead to the next one. I am looking forward to the Duke-Creighton basketball game Sunday. They were both victorious today with Duke beating Albany 73-61 and Creighton getting by Cincinnati 67-63. We have been long-time Duke fans since Tim went to school there but also have a lot of respect for Creighton. We get a lot of coverage of the team through the Omaha World-Herald and Omaha TV stations. It is ironic that the two teams in the tournament that we follow most closely, end up playing against each other in an early round.  

Maggie and Technology

This picture of Maggie was taken in May 2004 at Columbus, IN. We were there on a visit that took us to Richmond, VA to visit Verlon; the Washington D.C. area where we visited Jon's family, and saw him receive a MS degree from GWU. 

I have been going through our old pictures and putting together collages of the few years for which it wasn't done previously. In May  '96 we bought a Sony Video Camera/Recorder which we used sparingly for a few years. We also continued to take print pictures with my old 35mm Kodak, an Advantix camera beginning in 1999, and with Digitals  since  '01.   Prints from these are what I am using for my Collages. 

However, some events are on camcorder tape that I wish to use in collages. This image is such a picture. It was obtained by taking the picture of Maggie on the TV screen as the tape was being "played". I haven't as yet figured out how to connect the camcorder directly to the computer so that I might be able to transfer the data on the tapes directly to DVD's. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

1998 Cousins Reunion

The Vrana Cousins Reunion on June 27, 1998 was held at Mahoney State Park near Ashland, NE. We had 2 foursomes that played the Ashland golf course the previous day. Cousin Bob had an Eagle on #4 and was the medalist. Phil and Jean had made arrangements for our group to have the Red Oak Room which provided great space for our gathering. Brother  Don was MC who announced the golf scores and led discussion on plans to have the next reunion at Lexington, NE in 3 years; to be hosted by Bob & Helen. Ruth brought a scrapbook that included a sale bill and correspondence on the sale of the old Vrana Farm and Estate. We not only had an opportunity to tell all the "news" about our own families, but also did a lot of reminiscing about the family gatherings we all were a part of out at the old farm. We all appreciate each other even more as we age and certainly more than when we were "competitive" youngsters. Grandma Vrana may have stimulated some of that competition by telling each of us what great things each of our cousins were doing.

Kiwanis Inter-Club

Four of us from the Seward Kiwanis Club went to Fairbury, NE this noon for an inter-club with the Fairbury Club. They meet at "Wally's Sports Bar" where Club President, Jamie Lambert picked up the tab for our lunch. Dr. Branden Sims, a local Veterinarian was the speaker. He told of their opening a new facility which will include a "Pet Wash Tub". Jamie is Operations Manager of the Lambert Vets Supply company. They do business throughout the United States and their local history is most interesting. Now that I'm "retired" from the City Council, I look forward to going on more of these inter-club visits. They are  an opportunity to see what other clubs are doing, meet new friends and also to appreciate what we have going for us here in Seward. 

Ag Recognition Dinner

I had the privilege of introducing Dr. Dale Flowerday this evening at the Seward Kiwanis Ag Recognition Banquet. Dale was one of three being inducted into the Seward County Hall of Agricultural Achievement. I mentioned Dale's having been born and raised in Seward County and never straying far from his Roots. His ability to use parables in the classroom, to speak with common language, and his sense of humor carried over into his work with farmers and fellow scientist. I told of being personally indebted to Dale for introducing me to the importance of Soil and Water Conservation, but even more indebted for having introduced me to his little sister, my wife of over 63 years.

Dr. Ronnie Green, UNL Vice Chancellor, Institute of 

Agriculture and Natural Resources, gave the main address. He talked about the unique position that the State of Nebraska and UNL are in to help in the challenge of feeding an increasing world population with limited natural resources. 

The program also included the induction of Don Suhr, Insurance and the Pollock Bros, Implements and Hardware into the Hall of Achievement. The Kiwanis Farm Family of the year was Hartman Farms. It is a 3 generation operation which exemplifies a sustainable, productive agricultural operation. 

County Fair Agriculture Scholarships were also presented to Nathan Pflueger of Seward, Josh Mooney of Utica and Dylan Tegtmeier of Milford by Kris Beckler and Ron Gade, President of the Seward County Ag Society. It was a great evening recognizing the importance of Agriculture.

Change in Audience

I have been writing this blog almost daily for the past couple years. My primary motivation has been to enable family who live away from here, have some idea of what we are doing. I've also used many old family pictures to help Grandchildren and other relatives become better "acquainted". I learned early on about going to "Design" then clicking on "Stats" to see the number of people tapping into the site. My surprise was the number of hits from Russia. 

The above map shows by color density, the audience location, over the past month. Russia accounted for over 10% of the total number. The map to the left shows the audience for the past week. It doesn't show a single "hit" from Russia. I am most curious as to what may have brought about the change. I did do a blog on February 18, 2013 on the Movie, Dr. Zhivago, that we had watched the night before. I included a comment about the "love story" and also about how my perspective on the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas II had changed during the past 48 years, since first having seen the movie. I trust that it didn't offend anyone.  Any comments on the change of Russian audience would be appreciated. 

A Happy Birthday Picture

This picture was among the 70  or so, selected from our 1999 pictures that I put on two collages today. We were celebrating Carolyn's birthday with angle food cake and home made ice cream. (Another picture confirms the home made ice cream) As I worked with the picture, the most noticeable change was the little TV. We now have a larger digital with the screen so narrow that nothing is set on top of it. All of us have gained "stature" during the nearly 14 year interval. Julie is now a Mother, Carolyn a Grand Mother, Elaine and I are now Great Grandparents. Some things remain the same: the place mats and Elaine still wears the same blouse. 

My Sister Vivian

It was 5 years ago today that my sister Vivian died during the night without any warning. I was reminded of this by Alyssa, her Great Granddaughter who paid a lovely tribute to her today on Facebook. Alyssa had spent the night with Vivian and went for help when she realized Vivian wasn't going to wake up. She is shown here with her husband Eddy as they celebrated the arrival of the year 2000. It was at the location of their  winter home in Victoria Palms at Donna, TX. They spent many enjoyable winters with friends at that location. I was only 18 months younger than Vivian and she "looked after me" as I started to school here in Seward and beyond. An example came to light only a couple years before she died. While in Garland HS, 3 of us fellows skipped school one afternoon and went to Seward to see the new cars that had just come out. We not only lost our athletic privileges for the balance of the season, but the Superintendent told us he was writing a letter to our parents. As we discussed this incident after our folks had passed on, someone asked, "What did your folks do when they got the letter??" I thought for a moment and said that I didn't remember of their ever getting the letter. Vivian spoke us and said, " I'll tell you why they never got the letter, I faked not feeling well, stayed home from school, picked up the mail and destroyed the letter". It took me over 50 years to learn of that incident and I suspect she did many other things for  me of which I never will know. 

Cornhusker Kiwanis Club at 50

Marv Taylor, Ralph Hansen, Paul Beck and I participated in the Lincoln Cornhusker Kiwanis Club's 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner this evening. Rod Fowler, their Club President and Channel 8 newscaster, served as MC. Jane Erickson, Kiwanis International Trustee, addressed the group and talked about the Kiwanis Family. Her husband Gus and Rod's wife Laurie are also shown in the picture. Charter member Dean Hoy was also recognized for 41 years of perfect attendance. The Kiwanis mission is based on Serving the Children of the World. Rod Fowler gave an excellent personification of Paul Harvey at the conclusion of the program with, "... and on the 8th day, God created a Kiwanian". 

Jon, Mary and Anna's visit

Jon, Mary and Anna had breakfast with us this morning and then were on their way back to Virginia and home. We had a nice time while they were here despite the blizzard Sunday that scuttled some of our best laid plans. I took advantage of Jon's computer knowledge to learn several things. In addition, we bought a Toshiba Backup Portable Hard Drive and got it installed. We downloaded everything that was on my HP PC on to it's 500gb's of storage. It's not much bigger than a deck of cards and I will never know how it can hold that much stuff. Do you suppose it's efficiency exceeds that of the Human Brain?? I also got a Memory Card Reader/Writer to enable me to download pictures from my camera to the laptop without a cord. We enjoyed their visit and look forward to their return sometime in the not too distant future. 

Sam Walton in Bentonville

I am not a Sam Walton history buff but was told some years ago that this was his original store in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. We had been to a Soil and Water Conservation Society meeting in Biloxi, MS and came through Bentonville, AK on our way home. As I remember the story, Sam Wanton worked with the J.C.Penney Company following attaining a BA degree from the U of Missouri. He served in the military during WWII.  He and his brother then had a small chain of Ben Franklin stores before opening his own "Walton's 5-10" as shown in the picture. We got into town back in 1999 just a few minutes after this store closed for the day. I took the picture and we went out to a Motel nearby with a large WalMart adjacent. I bought a Dunlop, No Problem, Titanium, Low center of gravity, 16 degree loft 3 "wood". It has been in my golf bag ever since. It is my main fairway club as well as teeing off with it on the par 3's. I don't remember what I paid for it but it doesn't owe me a thing and has provided some pretty good shots for an old man. 

Spring Snowstorm

We "sprang forward"  our clocks and watches last night and had plans for a full Sunday of activities by going to church, to Friend, NE for a Czech Ag. program and come home through Beaver Crossing. However, none of that was to be when Elaine brought in the newspapers early and announced that we were having a blizzard. It continued throughout the day and is forecast to last until tomorrow morning. We didn't get out of the house all day but did have some visitors. Elaine used her creativity and fed us well. It was a good time for Jon, Mary and Anna to spend time with John, Julie and Sadie. It was also a busy day for the birds in our back yard. The Junco's were particularly active though many others were around. I made no attempt to start up the snow blower nor clean off any snow with it continuing to fall and the wind continuing to blow. Some of the schools in the area have already announced their being closed tomorrow but have not seen anything about Seward. The forecast at 6:00pm was for clearing during the day tomorrow and temperatures to be back up to 50 degrees on Wednesday. The boys State Basketball tournament ended last night and over the years, we have had many spring snowstorms at the time of the tournament. There is no place like Nebraska. 

Son Jon

I feel very honored to be asked to spend a few minutes and write some of my thoughts on my dad's blog, The Crow's Nest.

When I looked at the photograph that my dad took of me for this blog, it has the wonderful appearance of a time of days long ago. No, the hair is not by accident. My life, when not working, is consumed with researching and teaching history through reenactments and living histories.

As I visit my family, I am reminded of time that has passed. Time spent rushing to graduate and get a job. Life spent rushing through a career to get to retirement. As I get older, I am gaining a greater appreciation for the benefits of slowing down and enjoying the now.

As you see me sitting in Dad's old chair, I am reflecting on the day of going from cemetery to cemetery,  visiting small Nebraska cemeteries that contain a number of Civil War soldiers, both north and south. I was surprised to learn today that there are at least 22 Confederate soldiers buried across the State of Nebraska. Confederate soldiers buried nearby more numerous Union soldiers.

As time has a present and a past, time also has a future. I received great news, the kind of news that parents always like to get. Their children are employed. Well, my older daughter let us know tonight that, upon graduation with her doctorate in Latin American history from Indiana, she will be gainfully employed as a professor at Southern Connecticut University. Now I have a place to spend my falls and springs when I retire.

Jon

Grandson Tony & Coach Brown

I continue to work through my 1999 pictures. This is one taken on the 4th of July when we had family here for our 50th wedding anniversary. The Seward 4th of July parade goes past our house and we have a group of "regulars" who watch it from our yard and driveway. Some of these friends were close friends with Ron Brown who continues to serve on Bo Polini's Nebraska staff as Coach of the running backs. He has over 20 years experience as a Nebraska Coach and inspirational leader. He was recognized a year ago last fall when Nebraska played an emotional game with Penn State at College Station. Coach Brown led a Unity prayer with members of both teams gathered on the field. At the time I took the picture, we wondered if Grandson Tony may come back from Indiana some day to play for Coach Brown but it wasn't to be. Tony had an outstanding HS Succor career as a Goalie but never played football. He also competed in cross county. A year ago he did well in his first Marathon in Indianapolis. He will graduate this spring from Indiana University at Bloomington. Since he is our only Grandson, we hope to go back for the event.

Mother & I

This picture was taken back in the late 1970's while I was back in Seward. Mother and Dad had the beautiful Saucer Magnolia tree in their backyard. The flowers didn't last very long in our Nebraska climate and this shows them at their peak. We often get our last winter freeze when they are in bloom. The USDA Soil Conservation Service had a Regional Training Center in Lincoln and I got out there from D.C. a few times a year. I occasionally took advantage of the opportunity to then come on out to Seward and visit my folks. This picture was taken on a Saturday afternoon which is evident by Mother having been to the Beauty Shoppe where she had an appointment every Saturday morning. I would go to Church with them on Sunday morning; then fly home in the afternoon and be ready to go back to work on Monday morning. These are cherished visits.

Bluestem Books

We continue to pull out some old pictures to complete our collection of collages. This one is from July 1999. Tim's were back to help celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary which we did on July 3 and stayed on for a few days. We went to Lincoln on Saturday where we visited this Bookstore, the UN-L Campus including the old Coliseum and on out to East Campus for ice cream. Earlier this week, I told Elaine of a new Kiwanian who has an interest in Czech history in Nebraska. She pulled out a booklet on "The History of the Linwood, Nebr. Community". She thought he may be interested in seeing it. I spent about an hour in it last night and didn't remember ever having read it. Neither of us could remember where it came from but assumed I got it at an auction in a box of stuff. This evening as I went back into my 1999 Journal and read about the above picture, I found this notation in regard to our visit at the bookstore: "...I got Ian McHarg's, 'Design with Nature', a good 1908 USDA Ag Yearbook, an excellent Richard Halliburton book, and one on Linwood, NE". What a coincidence, I could have searched forever and not been able to find the source of something I bought over 13 years ago, and here I find it within 2 days of when we first raised the question. 

Winter Texans

Winter Texans in Victoria Palms. We got down to spend 3-4 weeks during the winter for several years but these friends spent most of the winter there.   This picture was taken in late 2000. We had some great times with the Rutledge's, Hackbart's, Soucek's and Armstrong's as well as other friends in the area. With wind gusts of over 40 mph and temperatures in the 20's here in Seward today, it would have been nice to be down there. But like many things, we are pleased that we were able to enjoy it as much as we did when we could. 

Sadie

Sadie had lunch at our house today. Unfortunately I had to go to Kiwanis and wasn't able to eat with her, Elaine and Carolyn. Julie wasn't feeling real well so Carolyn went out to get her for a while. We hadn't seen her for a few days and she always seems to have grown. She was very comfortable setting on a blanket on the floor playing with her toys. Elaine said she sat  up to the table and ate a good lunch. The sweater that she is wearing in the picture was knitted by Julie. A friend of Julie's knitted the cap. I think she likes the way she looks.

A Picture Collage of Past Events

For many years I have scanned our pictures and put together collages like the one shown here. This one is page 1 (of 2) that I just finished for the 2001 year. I still have 5 years ('96-00) to do to get caught up. We were using a Kodak Advantix camera during those years and have kept the prints well organized. We keep the collages in a binder with captions written on the previous page. I try to get pictures that represent the significant things that we do during the year. As we look back we sometimes think that we should take more pictures of the "mundane" things we do on a daily basis. We realize many of life's "ordinary" days are pretty special if they are no longer possible. And, we never know when that may happen. As I walked out of Devaney Field House after Seward lost their semifinal game in the State Tournament, I wondered if I would ever get back. The University basketball teams will be moving into a new facility next fall and Devaney will be remodeled for Volleyball. The State HS Tournaments will still be there but I don't anticipate Seward getting back very soon. 

Our First Little House

This was Elaine and my first house. We bought it in early 1951 and lived there till 1956. It was also my parents first house about 30 years before we bought it. It was one of several houses build along the same plan for people here in Seward that had been victims of the 1913 tornado. Elaine's folks bought it from us and kept it as a rental house until their estate was settled in the early 1980's. We brought 3 babies home from the hospital during the time we lived there, obviously the place has many happy memories. It's nice to see people continue to take care of a place like this that has been a "starter" home for many families over the years

Can't Win them All

This picture was taken down at the Best Buy Store in Lincoln where I had my PC worked on. It is working better but still not 100%. Not only that but Seward HS Girls lost their semi final game in the State Tournament tonight. They were taken to an overtime last night before pulling out a victory but just couldn't do it tonight against Grand Island Northwest, a team they had beaten during the season. So they finish the season 23-4 after winning the last 4 Class B State Championships, it was a great run. Often when you lose, you can look forward to next year, but in our case, there is little hope. About the best we can hope for next year is a winning season unless an outstanding player moves to town.