Halloween Snow

We had a Jellyfish and Scuba Diver visit us in Brookdale during a Halloween snowstorm. The temperature was just below the freezing point but it accumulated to where you could "track a rabbit". It came down through much of the afternoon. Their visit was timely since a group from Kindergarten were a bit late in getting here. A crowd of residents and staff had gathered in the Dining room so Jack (the Scuba Driver) and I made the rounds to the delight of all. Other youngsters also came in during supper to visit relatives and for all  of us to enjoy.  The kids had some

competition from the adults in their costume displays. The Snowman was a fellow from Brookdale as is the lady who dressed as a witch. She is a lady that once lived as a neighbor of our house. My Dad used to say that we could expect the number of snows during the winter that matched the date on the calender when the first snow fell (enough to track a rabbit). I don't ever remember getting our first one on the 31st. Hope it doesn't hold true. We spent our first full day inside Brookdale since we moved the first of September.

New Sweater

I have written about a vest sweater of mine that appears to have gone astray during our move here to Brookdale. While the mystery of the missing sweater remains, Carolyn has provided me with an even better one. It is of the Patagonia brand made in Sri Lanka and sold at Scheel's in Lincoln. This was my first day to "model" it and the collar really proved it's worth. We were down at the house where Elaine did a washing and I did some cleaning up in the front yard. I cut down the Morning Glory vine that had been frosted, blew the leaves off the porch and those under the barberry bushes and then cut them up with the lawn mower. I put on the grass catcher to pick up the residue as well as leaves from part of the yard. The temperature was in the mid thirties with a strong 30-35mph wind blowing out of the north. The new sweater is what made it possible for me to do it.

We had been to Walmart and got gas before going to the house so we didn't have much time between unloading and going to supper. The supper was a little light so we enjoyed some of Gary's Kettle Korn. We also enjoyed a phone call from son Verlon in Richmond, VA. He commented on last night's blog of the grass seeding of our "A" Twp. farm. He and I walked over it a few years ago and had a great time. He was old enough to have helped with the seeding and remembers it well. We did have some question as to where yesterday's picture was taken. I'm sure that it was shot toward the south-east since the road in the background, is an east-west dirt road. I believe that my blogs bring back some memories but also provide the family living away as to what and how we are doing.

Our "A" Twp. Farm

During my review of files this afternoon, I came across the Conservation Plan for our "A" Twp. farm  as well as the ASCS Conservation Reserve agreement. Needless to say, I couldn't throw either of them in the garbage. This picture fits right into that time frame when we had the terraces constructed, much of the basic seeding done and were doing some "spot over-seeding" with this rig. Elaine was along to take care of the 4 kids when we unhooked the trailer and did our seeding. The little "end-gate" seeder ran off the power take-off and worked great. While we over seeded some bromegrass to make sure we had cover, we also seeded some Sandlove grass that came on beautifully in the following years. Basically, it was seeded to Switchgrass, Big and Little Bluestem, and Indian grass. The farm has been sold a couple times since we had it back in the 1950's and '60's but has never been cultivated. It has been pastured after coming out of the Conservation Reserve program. Unfortunately, much of the Native grasses have been overtaken by Bromegrass. My having seeded a bit of it to assure cover may have been part of the problem but the management of warm season grasses is distinctly different than the cool season Brome. We drove past it last week and it still looks much better than when we bought it 60 years ago.

Big Day for Jack

Jack was real proud of his special birthday cake that his Mommy made for his 3rd Birthday. It wasn't just a regular 3-layer chocolate cake but one cut and molded to provide a ramp for his truck to go from the 4th layer level to the 1st. After our soup lunch, he was able to blow out the candles following the "Happy Birthday Chorus" and then ate some of the cake. It was then time to open gifts with big Sister giving him some help. He first opened a "Filling Station" with which he was so fascinated, he had to be encouraged to move on. Next came 2 tractor-loaders which he wheeled around and then opened what appeared to be a "magic bus". It had buttons and doors that I couldn't even follow, but it was a big hit. He was most gracious in thanking us and giving kisses goodbye.  Don called on the cell phone as we got home, and I have the "ringer" set to where there was no problem hearing it. We had a good visit and I had my nap. It warmed up this afternoon and the wind finally went down. Ben reported that it got down to 19 degrees in Seward this morning. We are flipping between the World Series and Nebraska football.

Neither of the games is as exciting as it was watching Jack celebrate his birthday. It seems that Nebraska starts out well but then when something goes wrong, like the unsuccessful 4th down try early on, that they just can't overcome it. We are pulling for the Astro's in the World Series. Not that we have any strong attachments to either team. We did have nice times when we visited each of their parks some years ago. The Astro's have never won a World Series so this is their chance.

Treasures

I'm not sure when we inherited this framed certificate of Mother and Dad's wedding. They were married before District Judge, Rob. R. Reid in Lincoln on October 14, 1920. Dad's sister Anna and Mother's brother Bert Walker were the attendants. I suspect we received this after Vivian passed on and Sandy probably felt we should have it. I'm sure Mother would have talked more with Vivian about their wedding than what she or Dad ever mentioned to me. The writing on the certificate is in Mother's hand which I'm sure she did at a much later date as the original faded. Dad's birth date was October 18, 1896 so he would have been 4 days short of being 24. Mother was born on August 7, 1900 so she would have been 20. I found it interesting that I was 20 days short of my 24th birthday when Elaine and I got married. Vivian wasn't born until over 3 years after the folks were married and I know of no reason for their wedding at that particular date. They did live with Dad's folks for a short time.

I also "found" this box of "sermons" that we had saved from Rev. W. Graham Smith, D.D at Fairlington Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, VA. Rev. Smith was from Ireland where he received his early degree before coming to the US. He was a scholar and excellent preacher. We became Presbyterians in moving to Virginia with Fairlington Church across the street from where we lived. They had an excellent youth program and with 4 youngsters, it was a natural. We continued our membership and active involvement through two household moves. Rev. Smith always provided a single spaced, 4-5 page copy of his weekly sermon. He came to the Church a couple years after we joined and was still there when we came back to Nebraska in 1980. What surprised me is that we have copies of his sermons well into the '80's that had been mailed to us.

USDA Seal

By an Act of Congress, approved August 8, 1894, the Secretary of Agriculture was authorized and directed to procure a proper seal to be known as the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture. By an order dated June 21, 1895, Honorable J. Sterling Morton, at that time Secretary of Agriculture, proclaimed the adoption of an Official Seal for the Department of Agriculture. Records indicate that the design for the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture was drawn by A. H. Baldwin, an artist in the employ of the Department. The importance of the plow can be summarized by Daniel Webster, who in 1836 said: "When I have hold of the handles of my big plow in such a field as this, with 4 yoke of oxen to pull it through, and hear the roots crack and see the stumps all go under the furrow out of sight, and observe the clean, mellowed surface of the plowed land, I feel more enthusiasm over my achievements than come from my encounters in public life in Washington".

Some years ago, I'm quite sure that it was son Jon who game me this little model plow. I'm sure he was aware of the symbolism of it in the USDA seal. Since his career in the Department has exceeded mine, it seemed a very meaningful gift.  Somewhere along the way, it fell off the shelf and broke a handle. We moved it up to Brookdale and again attempted to glue it back together. It didn't take so we wrapped Scotch Tape around it. We had friends drop by who volunteered to take it and see if they could get it attached. They even came back with "Nail polish remover" to help get the glue off our fingers. Great Friends or What!!

The Hills Keep Getting Steeper

We have typically gone on our car ride to "the hills" sometime near Elaine's birthday on September 3, but with moving, we didn't get it done till today. It was a beautiful afternoon with corn and soybean harvest underway. We took our "normal" route by taking the old "golf course road" up to the Flowerday Farm from the south.We still have the SCS Farm Plan that was done years ago that we want to pass on to the Nielsen's (the present owners). We then went east to the Bohemian Alps and admired the beauty of Johnson Dam and Pond. It was just a short jaunt past the old Vrana farm where the walnut tree and windmill are the remaining landmarks.  We stopped to see Vivian and Don's initials scratched into the bridge structure over Oak Creek and were pleased to see the nice water flow through the  channel is several feet lower because of straightening. 

 We went over past what we called the Roth place when we owned it and went on south to Old Mill Rd. which took us past the 2 vehicles parked in downtown Garland. We went a mile south past our "John Meyer farm" and visited with Mrs Duer who was out at the road and ready to go on a horseback ride. She remembered taking us on a tour of the house a few years ago and invited us to do it again some time. They continue to make improvements on the place. We took a deep breath as we entered our Brookdale unit and thought it was well we had the farms when we were young but glad we don't have them now.

Milestones

I reached a milestone today by pulling out the last file folders from the last file cabinet, box, etc. that we had at the house. It has been a nastoligic trip these past few weeks by going through  some 40 years of files, it's good to get them sorted down to what is now important. This picture and story came from a file of "Letters to the Editor" and was really filed out of place. The file mostly consisted of what I had written to the Editors of the Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha World Herald, and Seward Independent. A copy of the published item was also included with my submission. I had a high rate of publication and going back through them was most enjoyable.
This article was published by the Seward Independent, cut out, laminated and given to us by the Cattle National Bank & Trust Co. It tells of my having achieved the goal of seeing major league baseball games in all 30 of the major league parks ( a record achieved on 2 different occasions but lost as new ball parks  were built). I'm out of date now with the new park this past season in Atlanta. This story caught my eye since getting a phone call on Saturday from Tony telling of  just becoming engaged to be married. He and Jen were both on the phone during the Yankee-Astro game, and they weren't even watching it.

Seward Fast Mart

Richard Gokie , owner of the Seward Fast Mart at 215 N. 6th Street in Seward provided the program at Kiwanis today by bringing us up to date on the construction under way at the facility. They have acquired additional land and are moving the new convenience store back further from 6th street which will provide for additional gas pumps and customer parking in front of the building. Sixth street in downtown Seward is also Nebraska Highway # 15 going through the city. The highway carries a considerable amount of commercial truck traffic and the additional frontal space will be attractive to some of it.  Richard and his brother have facilities in O'Neill, Columbus, Grand Island and Lincoln as I recall. It appears that the Convenience Store component is a very vital part of the business. We are pleased to have Richard and his family here in Seward and wish them well in the expanded business. 

Changes in Agriculture

We got up to the Seward County Historical Museum in Goehner this afternoon and got the "folding Walking A" turned over to them. The picture shows it in its extended "working" position but its folding makes it very compact. The fellow shown with me is whom we filled in papers for the gift. He was not familiar with the "tool" having grown up as a city kid in Superior, NE. I will provided them detailed information of its usage back in the early days of farm crops subsidies. It was used to measure the size of fields before the days of the land being photographed which enabled fields to be accurately measured with a Planimeter. This was back in the 1930's and '40's when farmers were provided subsidies for reducing the number of acres they planted to certain crops. It was thought that limiting the acres of production would increase the price that the crop would bring. It was commonly called "a program that paid farmers for not farming" which was an over simplification of commodity control.

We came back to Seward on Alvo Rd. which is 1 mile south of the highway. It took us past the Briggs Feedlot where we were amazed at the enormous silo that had been filled recently. There were many more lots of cattle on feed beyond what are shown in the picture. We saw several combines at work with this one harvesting soy beans. All reports are that this has been an excellent crop year with even dry land crops setting record yields. We have come full circle from the Walking A days of limiting production to feeding the world if NAFTA programs stay in tact. 

Autoharp

Spectrum, our Internet provider went down last night as I was working on this Autoharp blog. It saved the picture but everything I wrote was lost. It's almost ironic since that is the story on this instrument as well. Elaine bought it for me as a Christmas present in 1981. These were not real happy days and she must have thought it would help get me out of the "doldrums". I just never took to playing it. While Jon was still at home before getting married, he and I would spent many happy hours singing but we haven't since.

 Jon has taken it out of the case a few times when back visiting but never really got in to playing it. A song book came with it that shows the cords that coincide with the buttons on the instrument. It couldn't be any simpler to play. Maybe that's the problem; no challenge!! I don't believe Mother Maybelle Carter's was that simple. We have offered it to Jon at times but it's still here. We are going to have to make a decision in the very near future as to putting it on our Auction in December. What do you think Jon, should we put it in the same box as the accordion?

Cherry Pie & Ice Cream.

Elaine baked her first Cherry Pie in the kitchen of our apartment here at Brookdale. It turned out pretty good and tasted even better. The butter pecan ice cream added to the pleasure. I began the days  activities by taking a folder of Soil and Water Conservation Society information over to Doug Garrison at the NRCS office here is Seward. Doug has been involved with the Society over the years and told of also getting a box of historic information from the Paul Smith files. Elaine had a pleasant visit with Susan Walsh who brought a bouquet of her last flowers of the season. This evening Carolyn came up to visit. She always has interesting things to tell us about Sadie and Jack but also about she and Ben going on a car ride out in the "hills". We have a tradition of going on about the same trip at the time of Elaine's birthday. We haven't done it yet this fall with the moving project but still plan to do so. Who knows; we may even do it tomorrow if its another nice fall day.

A Missing Sweater

This picture was taken early last spring when we had no thoughts of moving to Brookdale. With Jack on my lap, he was all that I could think of. One of the things we are still looking for is the blue sleeveless sweater I was wearing. As I recall we ordered it from Haband a year or so ago. I am still wearing a older one with a narrow  mandarin collar. The "missing one" has a very pronounced collar as shown in the picture. It is also a bit larger and lighter blue than my old one. We have looked high and low at both places in everywhere it could possibly be, and can't find it. During the summer when the boys were here, I offered them to take any of my things they may be able to use, since we knew we would have to cut down because of space at Brookdale. We and Carolyn have also taken many things to EtCetera in our process of "cleaning out".  And, a lot of stuff has gone in the garbage so I just know where it may be. 

Here is another picture of Elaine and I out on the deck last spring when I was wearing the new sweater. This afternoon we were setting out on the patio having a drink when I had on my old one. The little black bugs drove us inside. I'm concerned that a few of them may have even followed us. The Yankees just won 5-0 over the Astro's in Yankee Stadium. They now lead the series 3-2 and will head for Texas to find the American League Champion.

Elaine, I and "The Girls".

We didn't spend much time at the house today but I brought home several files to go through while watching baseball games. I was pleased to see the Yankees win and will be pulling for the Cubs. One of the folders had Carolyn's name on it and covered the late '80's & "90"s. Carolyn was teaching school and Julie was in High School. The girls spent a lot of time with us and we were really caught up in all of Julies school activities. The picture is on the walk in front of our 1st street house. The two large Pin Oaks in the background were taken down a few years ago and we don't miss them. Going back through the file reminded me that this was probably one of the happiest periods in our lives. Our health was good, we were retired from day-to-day work. I played golf regularly, was on the City Council and involved with various other organizations. The girls helped me with computer problems.

One of our favorite meals was the Soup, Salad and Breadsticks at the Olive garden in Lincoln. The girls had also acquired a little poodle and named him "Jack". He was  a member of the family.

I would often pick him up from Carolyn's house after coffee and we would keep him until she would pick him up after school. We would visit when I brought him to our house with him setting on my lap and his head out the window. We would visit about a variety of subjects and he never seemed to disagree with anything I said.  It was a sad day  when he had to be put down. I was on the number 1 green when the call came that he was gone. The sorrow of loosing him was more than offset by the pleasure he provided. It was a touching part of those exceptional years of being a part of the girls exciting lives.

President Jerry Meyer's Address

Jerry Meyer, newly installed President of the Kiwanis Club of Seward, gave his incoming President Address this noon. He went over the 2017-2018 Goals and Objectives and what is needed and expected from members for the club to have a great year. Our Motto is: "Serving the Children of the World". Our Defining Statement: "Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time. Our Vision: Kiwanis will be a positive influence in communities worldwide...so that one day, all children will wake up in communities that believe in them, nurture them and provide support they need to thrive". Our Goal: "To perform meaningful service, with service to children as our priority". He also recognized Roger Mailand for his service as 

Chair of the Spiritual Aims Committee. Other Chairs had been recognized at previous meetings. We had 60 members present today and with Jerry's leadership, this is expected to be an outstanding year for our Club. The "Empty Bowl" Luncheon will be held tomorrow under the leadership of Pam Moravec. Some 16 vendors have agreed to provide the soup. This event continues to be the major fund raiser to support the "back-pack program" in the Seward Elementary schools. This is a program that the Club has sponsored for the past several years that fits President Meyer's Goals and Objectives perfectly.

Historic Folding "Walking A"

This was my blog page of August 2, 2015 in which I tell of acquiring a "folding Walking A" at an estate auction and our intent to giving it to the Seward County Museum in Goehner, NE. Today was the day that was to happen. We took it to Goehner and found that the Museum didn't open on Sunday till 1:30 pm so we went on a countryside car ride and returned after 2:00. The place was still not open so we came on home. It is a piece of history but unless we find a convenient way of getting it in the Museum, we just may put it on our December auction.

Old Farm Journals

Yesterday son Jon sent out the attached picture of Hugh Hammond Bennett on the cover of the March 1951 issue of the Farm Journal.  Mr. Bennett was instrumental in the establishment of the USDA Soil Conservation Service back in 1935. Jon has worked for the Agency for over 40 years and has been doing some research on Mr. Bennett recently. SCS was the acronym used to identify the agency for a number of years but with an expanded mission, it was changed to the "Natural Resources Conservation Service" or NRCS. By coincidence, I came across some old Farm Journal Magazines in a box that we received when Elaine's folks passed away back in  the 1980's. The oldest is from November 1953 and tells of an anticipate "Shake-up in USDA" as recently elected President Eisenhower takes over. Among other changes to PMA and the Extension Service, it says that, "Seven regional Soil Conservation offices will be eliminated". One of them was in Lincoln, Nebraska. It goes on to say, "The new set-up will work even more directly through farmer-run Soil Conservation Districts, which the Administration holds in high regard. USDA expects that this new plan will strengthen soil conservation.

I went back to my 1953 Journal and found an entry on Oct. 6 that "The Regional SCS office in Lincoln to be abolished".  I was in my 5th year of working in the SCS Seward Office where interest in Irrigation had peaked because of the dry year. During October 19-21, my boss had arraigned for me to work in Lincoln with the Regional Office engineers since they were waiting to be reassigned. It was a most interesting assignment to work with experts on Irrigation but to listen to the discussion when each of them would come back from their interview with Washington Office personnel people. I didn't meet him at the time, but Richard Cheney Sr. was the Regional Administrative Officer who was transferred in a similar position in the Wyoming SCS office. Richard J. was 12 years old when they left Lincoln for Cheyenne, WY. He went on to earn a couple college degrees, went to Washington where he followed Donald Rumsfeld through several positions and was elected Vice-President on the ticked with George W. Bush. He was very active in the events that follow the September 11 tragedy in NY City.

Soil Conservation 1935-1985

We were down at the house again this afternoon and I went through some Soil and Water Conservation Society files. This "commemorative art work" recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Soil Conservation Society of America has been prominently displayed in the stairwell to our house lower-level since 1985. The file told of all 250 numbered limited-edition prints  having been sold except one (and it just happens to be lucky #7). Elaine wrote the $5.00 check of June 9, 1985 and we received it soon after. We put it in a glass frame which has been the "Welcome" to our lower level for the past 32 years. It will probably be one of the last things to be removed when we clean out the house. I believe this was done by an artist called "Buckles" but am not sure. I would appreciate a comment with that information. I am not aware of any name on our copy nor have I ever noticed a number. I recall discussing this with Max Schoeph who was a long time employee of the Society. If he happens to have this post called to his attention, I'm sure he could add to this posting.

Another Bookcase

This is a bookcase that we are pretty sure came from some of Aunt Ethel's estate auction. It has been loaded down in our shop area for the past several years. Carolyn and Ben brought it up to our apartment yesterday and put it in the "closet" where a washer/dryer can be placed. Elaine polished it up this evening and I put a few things on the lower shelves. As I did, I realized that we are just bringing up more "stuff" than we have room for. We were down at the house today where Elaine did a washing and I went through several of our travel folders and disposed of much of it. If and when we sell the house Elaine will have to use the laundry facilities available here or we will have to move the bookcase out and get a washer/dryer in its place. There is something about a housewife doing her own laundry, cooking and baking, and all the household activities that she has done for many years that helps her fell better than having them done for  her and I like eating in my pj's and reading the paper. Jim got the TV set up in our bedroom so I was able to watch the Yankees beat the Indians last night after we had gone to bed. That's a "perk" that we wouldn't have had down at the house. We are watching the "rubber" game (in our living room) between the Nationals and Cubs with Washington leading 4-3 after the top of the 3rd inning.

Essential Items

With our move to Brookdale, Elaine and I have both conceded to parting with many of our possessions that we accumulated over the years. I made an exception for my "Tool Box". I bought it at Sears soon after we moved back to our Seward farm in 1980. It was essential to have an assortment of tools for work on farm equipment and most everything else. We carried it with us for several thousand miles in our Motorhome. It has set at the edge of our garage, handy to the inside door, to make it available during the past several years. I backed the car out of the garage the other day and emptied everything out of it, starting with the tray that holds most often used tools and sets at the top of the box. Then I went through and removed unneeded duplicates and a few useless items. I carefully put everything back in place and have every intention of bringing it up here. It will be in our garage and available for any task where I need a tool. Come to think of it, I'd better bring up my "jumper cables" and "battery charger" too.

Vrana Brothers

I try to do a little sorting of files each day as we spend some time down at the house. This came from a Soil and Water Conservation file where Brother Don and I were involved with a "hired-hands" auction for a Conservation Club on East Campus at UN-L. This was back on February 18, 1992 which means it was 25 years ago. It's a bit ironic that Don and I had our pictures taken with the hats on just a few days ago.  I wore mine a few times while working with the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission but never since that I remember.  I came across a letter written in 2001 in response to the local Grange Master asking why we were not renewing our membership. It was the most complete listing of organizations I was involved with at that time, that I ever remember seeing in writing. I was on the City Council and still deeply involved with many other Church, Political, Fraternal and Environmental organizations. I kept it for future reference.

Scary Stuff

Mark Musick, retired Nebraska Air National Guard major general who dedicated over a decade to uncover unpublished information on Howard Hughes, presented the program at Kiwanis this noon. He was involved with the book "Boxes" on his findings some years ago with author Douglas Wellman, and has now released a new book with more recently found information. He had the privilege of becoming personally  acquainted  Eva McLelland, Hughes wife for over 30 years though he married and lived under an assumed name. While it was an interesting presentation, it was a bit scary when he told of the control Hughes had over politicians in high places. Some of Musick information came through the CIA which led me to believe that it is probably well "That we don't know how sausage is made". When asked about whether it was possible for any one to have that kind of "control" of politicians today, he implied that it not only was. but is.

Seeking Divin Harmony

We were up last night to see Nebraska take the short end of a 38-17 score against Wisconsin. So we didn't get to Church this morning. Rev. Keck down at First Plymouth in Lincoln has been a favorite TV Preacher for some time. Since our TV provider has changed, we have not been able to get his program but this morning I got it streamed live on my laptop. His message was patterned after a sermon that Rev. Otis Pike, a long time Minister at that Church, had given back in 1978 and dealt with"Harmony". While he used some musical examples of harmony, he went far beyond that in recognizing that change disrupts our attempt to get some level of harmony in our lives. It really struck home with me in our transition stage of moving from our home of 36 years to an Independent Living apartment in a Brookdale retirement facility. Our faith in God is critical as we undergo the number of changes that we are undergoing. The strength and courage that Carolyn has demonstrated in getting ready for our Auction and helping us adapt to the changes  is all a gift toward achieving a higher level of Harmony in our lives. Thanks be to God !

Continued Challenges

 I brought the old '92 Buick back to the garage at our house yesterday when we decided to let Linda list it for Auction. It hadn't been driven for over a month so I charged up the battery. I did this while Elaine was at the Beauty Shop this morning and also pulled out several files from one of the file boxes in our old storage area. This afternoon and evening, I got through many of them. There were several files that were very important to me at one time that didn't even make the cut today, such as Cousins Reunions, 1st Impressions Committee, etc. Many other files were reduced considerably with a lot of reminiscing as I went through them.

I also had some time on the PC this afternoon when Elaine lost a listing of family addresses just as she finished it. I got it back but it wasn't easy. I continue to learn features of the smart phone. Was able to return a missed call from Verlon and had a good visit. I took it along to supper this evening to show the fellows we have been eating with quite regularly and took their picture. Our noon meal is always the big one of the day which is probably better for us old folks. Nebraska is playing pretty well tonight and the 17-10 score in favor of Wisconsin  at the half is largely the result of bad luck.

Life at Brookdale

I was so pleased with being able to take a picture with my new camera/phone yesterday, that I decided to do it again tonight. This is a view of our living room featuring a painting of the house at the Vrana farm where I grew to adulthood. The clock is an heirloom of Elaine's family. The City of Seward experienced a devastating tornado in the spring of 1913. Elaine's mother and her 9 siblings      combined their efforts and presented the parents, Charles and Anna Koch, with this Seth Thomas, Chiming clock. Elaine inherited it some 40 years ago and we have had it restored a couple times. Elaine winds it about once a week and it's keeping good time. I have written about the little stuffed animals before telling of getting them earlier this year at an Auction at a very low price. We signed the contract today for our Auction to be held in December. Linda went to considerable effort to help us from getting our expectations too high. I think she is practicing the old adage, that "if you get your expectations low enough, anything will make you happy".

A New Challange

This is the first picture that I was able to take on an Apple smart phone and be able to send it to my laptop and use it in a blog.  Carolyn got a new phone this morning and had her old one brought up-to-date and gave it to me. She got me set up on it this afternoon but I wondered "if I had bit off more than I could chew". Being able to take, send, and use this picture will give me some confidence and help me sleep better tonight. We had a nice time at our Magazine Club meeting this evening. I reported on an article in the current Smithsonian Magazine that told of people in Belgium growing the worlds largest 2,624 lb Pumpkin. Typically, the largest pumpkins have been grown in the New England area of the US but the Europeans have taken up the challenge. The record Carrot weighed 20 lbs and was grown in Newark, England in 2014; the Green Cabbage record was set in 2012 with a 138 pounder in Palmer, Alaska; the Watermelon record is 350 lbs grown in Sevierville, TN in 2013. Elaine reported on Encyclopedias, Books of Knowledge that don't hold the same status level that they once enjoyed.

Good Visit with Don & Gladys

Don and Gladys were up to visit and have dinner with us here in Brookdale today. In our continued task of reducing inventory, we had a few things to send home with them. Don is holding the 1969 Seward County Soil Conservation winner which is the Sandusky farm where the folks were the tennets. The folks were always proud of the recognition and of this aerial picture of the farm. We became the custodians of the picture following their deaths and have had it hanging in my office for the past 25 years. It seemed time to share with brother Don and family. Don mentioned that Kathy has been making wall hangings similar to the one in the picture, that is in the Brookdale hallway. They are made from wooden pallets and recycled.

We went down to the house where Carolyn was continuing to work toward getting "things" ready for our Auction. We got the golf balls sacked up that their family bought from my recent Seward Swap note. Don even found a couple items that he was able to utilize. Every day that goes by makes us realize that we don't need (and don't have room for) a lot of stuff we thought we wanted to keep. After looking everything over and pulling out a few old hats, we just sat down and visited. It was almost like the opposite of a "House Warming" with the 5 of us talking about old times, having a good time and looking forward to the future.