The Past & the Future

Julie, John and the kids got up to see us this evening. Jack has been learning new songs in preschool and all it took was a little encouragement from his Dad to get him going. He sang about ducks flying away and for each verse, he demonstrated with his fingers how many were left. The monkey song was similar but they were playing in a tree. He likes his preschool and really likes to sing. He is quite "outgoing" and should get along O.K. in school. Sadie told of her experience in learning a new letter of the alphabet each day and taking something from home that began with that letter. Her next one is "W" and I suggested a bottle of water and she may just do it. She has a mind of her own however so it will be interesting to see if she takes my suggestion.

John and Julie both had pictures on their phones from their trip to Peru that showed some of the ancient bench terracing and cultural practises of over 5,000 years ago. Various strains of vegetable crops like potatoes were developed that are still being produced. They told of the extreme variance in climate because of proximity to the ocean which the ancient people utilized to develop various strains.

We certainly appreciated the company this evening and are always so pleased to see the kids make themselves so comfortably at home here. Jack sat on my lap and we took some "photo booth" shots like we did when he was a year old. Sadie got in on the fun too but the results are only for local consumption.  Their visit helped make our day. After sleeping late we listened to Rev. Keck talk about his emotions while seeing recent re-runs of Mr. Rogers programs. I went down to the Library with Carolyn this afternoon to hear Ted Genoways talk about his recent book  "The Blessed Earth". It will be a future blog.                                                                                  

Some of our 1986 Activities

I could write about my impressions of Nebraska's 28-42 loss to Purdue this afternoon but the family may get more enjoyment from seeing some of the pictures of 1986 that I processed today. We had a great motorhome trip during the summer that took us back east to visit family. This was at Williamsburg, VA. It was one of the trips where where we took Julie without Carolyn along. Aunt Anna (Vrana) Barth's funeral was held in Seward with the "Cousins Picture" taken in Soucek's back yard. It included Dale Vrana, Vivian Soucek, Tony Vrana, Dick Olson, Bob Olson and Pat Grimes. Kneeling are Phil Vrana and George Rada. Elaine put together a collection of Christian Church

Symbols that were displayed in a downtown store window as well as at other locations. Elaine and I enjoyed participating in a Lincoln Square Dance Club. We joined it at the invitation of Vivian and Ed Soucek and often shared rides with them. I am so pleased that we were able to travel and do so many things as we did in the 1980's

Time Flys

We were graciously entertained during our Dinner this noon when the Men's Choir from Concordia came and sang for us. They also moved on down the hall and sang for those in the Assisted Dining room which we could hear as background music. You know you are living in a small community when... This could be continued with something that comes up nearly every day. While working through my 1986 pictures and checking our Highlights book, I came across a Journal entry that told of my having conferred a degree on one of our "table mates". I took the Journal along to dinner and showed it to Steve. I had also written of  Julie and his son who were  friends.

Our entertainment isn't limited to what is provided in the facility but to some extent by what goes on right outside our Patio doors. We had suspected that the heavy cement lid may cover a cesspool and this morning it was pumped out. We didn't open the doors to check on any smell but enjoyed knowing that we didn't have to help them. This picture of Elaine with Nebraska Congresswomen Virginia Smith was one of the pictures I processed today. It was taken on July 4, 1986 at the dedication of the Calamus Dam where she spoke along with Senators Exon and Zorinsky. We got away at noon and were back in Seward to join folks on our driveway to watch the parade. We had supper and watched the fireworks that had been moved from the park to Concordia because of floods.

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Birthday Happy Hour

I found excuses to stay away from the Kavanaugh/Ford Hearing

until late this afternoon. After hearing some 45 minutes before going to supper and hearing both on C Span, I have had enough. I was pleased to have finished my scanning of 1985 pictures this morning which resulted in 152 great "shots". Elaine had a 1:00 Dentist appointment  which resulted in her scheduling a crown while I did some shopping at Walmart and went to Cattle Bank. We got back up to Brookdale just as Lonnie Piitz was ready to entertain us for an hour with his accordion and humor.  We were back from that when Carolyn came by with Jack. He was able to get his ice cream cone with Carolyn's help while the TV was mutted. Jack played with his trucks and tractors on the floor while Carolyn went over to pick up Sadie from school. I need to apologize to all 3 of them for letting the Hearing gain more of my attention than their visit. I did get back to hearing part of the C Span version after supper, since I hadn't heard Dr. Ford earlier. I have never been a big fan of Term Limits but believe the time has come when they need to be considered for Judges as well as members of Congress. The length of time that some current members of both bodies have served is more scary than comforting.

Front Door of Hughes House

Carolyn took us up to the house this afternoon to see the installed Front Door. It was one of the first items sh e purchased some months ago to go into the house. After she   refinished it, you couldn't imagine a more beautiful entry door. Carolyn and Ben have been so involved in the construction of this house that it will be truly "theirs".  They have taken pictures to know where the studs are after they are covered with drywall. Ben even did some marking out in the garage to aid future installations. We not only enjoyed seeing the house but also the visit with Carolyn and the break from my work on 1985 pictures. We again did many interesting things during the year that Julie started to school and Carolyn started teaching 2nd grade here in the Seward Public Schools. I have 2 envelopes of pictures to finish but will have more "selected" for this year than any other so far. It has been much easier to work with this year since the prints have all been numbered and stored in the original envelope with some description of what is covered. While it was commendable to put the earlier ones in albums, it was much more difficult to get them to where they can be divided for each family.

Latter '84

Our 1984 selected pictures are on the Flash Drive. I was able to get to a benchmark and am ready to move on to '85. It didn't seem like it was that long ago until Elaine mentioned that Granddaughter Heather was about to have her 35th birthday. I remember of working with her pictures ahead of her first birthday during '84. We did a lot of traveling during that year with our Motorhome being new and we traveled to Soil and Water Conservation Society, National Association of Conservation Districts and other professional meetings as well as visiting family in Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina. In the process we visited the Baltimore Mansion in Ashville, NC and the World's Fair at Knoxville, TN. We concluded our year's travel with a trip to Hawaii. We had been there earlier but this was strictly a pleasure trip. I believe the last of my Hawaiian shirts went either to Garbage or EtCetera in our move here a year ago. One of my favorite pictures is that of Dad up in the pasture looking over the Vrana farm where he grew up and farmed for many years. I remember the day we made that trip as well as if it were last week.

Installation and Removal

Lt. Governor Keller is shown here during the Kiwanis Club of Seward's Installation ceremony today. She is installing new Treasurer Linda Sackschewsky and Secretary Erin Weides. We had a full program of Recognitions, Awards and Installation. Outgoing President Jerry Meyer selected Clarence Wattier and Ken Wulenwaber to share the "Kiwanian of the Year" Award. Jill Purdue was installed as President with Crystal Kirby as President elect and Jonathan Jank as Vice-President. There were also some 15 new members who took the oath of membership. Marv Taylor was recognized for his continuing efforts in bringing in new members.

President Jill Perdue gave a brief outline of priorities for the Club during her year as President. It is great to see the high number of women in our Clubs leadership positions as well as in the percentage of new members.

On a sadder note, I lost an upper back tooth to Dr. Matt Kunasek's strong arms, his experience and knowledge. Elaine worked with the kitchen staff to provide me with a soup, jello and apricot bar supper.  The tooth served me well but had developed an abscess a few weeks ago but Dr. Matt's pill prescription cleared that up. It had been filled several times and it was time for it to go.

Another Full Day

I watched Rev. James Keck at 9:00am this morning on Fox channel 09 from Omaha. It has become part of my  Sunday morning ritual  after breakfast and reading Sunday papers. Rev. Keck is Senior Pastor at First Plymouth Church in Lincoln and always provides an inspirational sermon.

Our lunch this noon featured baked ham with cherry sauce, mashed sweet potato, corn and Cherry Pie. It was served in near record time which I appreciated with Tiger leading the Champions Tour from Atlanta. At 2:30 we joined a few others in the Dinning room for a Church service with Pastor Robert Perry from the Seward United Methodist Church. He came to Seward this summer. It was our first opportunity to meet him and we were favorably impressed.

The Golf Championship was getting down to the wire so as soon as my supper plate was served, I took it back to our unit where I was able to watch Tiger Woods win the tournament. This was his first win for several years during which time he has undergone several surgeries and labored at his rehabilitation. Carolyn came up during the afternoon to visit and while she was here, Verlon called. He has been real regular in calling about once a week which I really appreciate. This has been another full  day.

Nebraska 0-3

While Coach Frost had some discussions with the Officials, this is part of what he told the team after their 56-10 defeat by Michigan according to Lincoln Journal Star sports writer, Steve Sipple.
    "I told them I honestly believe this is going to be the bottom right here," he said. "I don't know how many times I've been a part of a game like that. But we got beat in every phase."

He paused before adding, "We're really going to find out who loves football and who loves each other, and who's going to band together."

       We fans have been through these "Feast or Famine" situations before and there is no doubt in my mind that we will "grow" out of this 0-3 start. But we may have had our expectations raised too high by all the press coverage the team and Scott Frost received since he was hired. We need a bit of the old adage that, "If you set your sights low enough, anything will make you happy".

Vrana Farm near Garland

I continue to work on 1984 pictures and this is one of my favorites. It was Saturday, August 11th when Elaine and I took Mother and Dad on a ride in the country. We visited with Paul Wagenknecht before driving up through their south 40 and into what had been the pasture at the old Vrana farm. This picture of Dad was taken near the top of the hill up from where the pasture gate was at one time. It is apparent that the pasture wasn't grazed during this summer with the native grass showing good growth. My Grandparents, Joseph J. and Antonia Vrana bought the farm north of Garland and moved from Saunders, Co, NE to it in 1905. Dad would have been 8 years old at the time. This is where he went to Country School and spent a short time in Kansas City at an Auto Mechanic school. He and Mother were married in 1920 and lived in Seward with Dad working as a Highway maintainer for the state of Nebraska.

We moved out to the farm in 1932 when I was 6 years old. While we moved to a farm west of Bee in the late '40's, members of our family continued to farm the land until it was sold at auction in 1960. Dad actually had the high bid but after a couple days of being concerned about debt, they sold it to Paul Wagenknecht who had the next high bid.   Dad must have had many interesting memories as he took this picture of the area on the other side of the creek where the farmstead was located. I picked up a red glacial rock about the size of a wild duck which I kept along with a collection. It was brought along when me moved up here and is out on the patio.

A lot of Activity

Tim Javorsky entertained in the Brookdale dining room this afternoon. He has electronic accompaniment for his singing and playing of the saxophones which makes for a lot of sound. His rendition of "How Great Thou Art" was his top number in my book. We had a busy day with a futile coffee group effort at 9:00am.  Elaine went along for my app't with Dr. Summa at 10:15 where we got flu shots and a couple prescriptions for my cough. After dinner, Elaine had a "wash & set" app't. I went down to Walmart for supplies, picked up the prescriptions and went in "Sheer Reflections" to wait a few minutes for Elaine to be finished. We were reminded of Javorsky's performance to start 5 minutes after getting home. We took in his hour-long session but Elaine could tell you that I got a few "winks" along the way. The Temperature reached 95 in Lincoln

for the 7th consecutive day over 90 but the clouds rolled in this evening. There were reports of high winds, rain and hail in the Beaver Crossing area. We have had the wind and some rain but haven't seen any hail here.  It appears that this cold front moving through from west to east, will cool our weather to more seasonable levels. 

I flipped the TV channel to the Kansas City game where it was the top of the 4th and the Royals behind Detroit 5 -9. Merrifield got his 3rd hit in the game. Dozier hit a home run to center field to make it 7 - 9 going into the bottom of the 4th. After losing their last 4 games, the Royals need a win. Their loss last night was their 100th for the season to go with 52 wins. Their record is second only to the Baltimore Orioles record of 108 with only 44 wins. Boston has won 103 with 49 losses.

Family Picture

The old pictures are interesting to work with but once in a while I need to "close the book" and work in the more recent. This was taken out at the Owens house where they had a birthday dinner for me when the boys were all here in June. Tomorrow will be the last day of summer and the 7th consecutive day that our temperature has been over 90 degrees. I believe hurricane Florance may have disrupted the normal movement of air currents even this far inland. Warm dry weather this time of year is beneficial for corn and bean harvest. They have really dried out during this past week and the harvest of seed corn is already well underway. Crop yields are projected to be very good in this area.

Activities

After working to wrap-up my scanning of 1983 pictures, Elaine and I took a break and went down to the ice cream machine for a little treat. The Nu-Ride exercise bikes are nearby so I rode for a while. It really seems to provide an excellent workout for legs and arms as well as respiratory functions. Our Coffee Group met this morning with 5 of us around the table. We were able to watch the versatile Rev. Pam Williams do some painting on the wall of the Coffee room while we carried on our discussion. This was the first time we met at 9:00am rather than 10:00 and it seems that it may work out better for more people. We were pleased to have Carolyn and Ben come up for a short visit this evening.

Our Four Kids

I've had this late '60's picture of our 4 kids in the Ridge Road house for some time waiting to use on a time like tonight. It was taken after Verlon was in the National Guard based on his pants and boots. Jon was probably in HS at Wakefield. We talked on the phone with both Verlon and Tim last night but wonder about their weather this evening. There were reports of a Tornado in the Richmond, VA area and in the DC area this evening. I was able to get several '83 pictures added to the Flash Drive today and got albums lined up with late '83 pictures and those of '84. After that I will be working with pictures still in their original envelopes with dates and subjects. It will make it easier that scanning album pages.

A Full Sunday

We enjoyed a Worship-Singing service this afternoon led by Rev. Pam Williams. In addition to this choral group their were others with musical instruments including Cindy Mavis playing piano. We heard that the word "Gospel" is a combination of the words, God and Spirit. And, how Jesus taught us about the "Grace of God". We in the audience were invited to join in the singing and readings with printed hand-out sheets. There was a good turnout of residents for the service and the group was, going from here at Brookdale directly over to the Greene House. One of the highlights was a duet sung by Elizabeth Mavis and Lloyd Schulz.

We also took in Rev. James Keck's sermon from First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln telecast on Sunday mornings. He used Mathew Chapter 14 as his scripture reading to talk about "courage". He used the flying monkeys and other characters from the "Wizard of Oz" to demonstrate that we, like these characters, have more abilities than we have the courage to demonstrate. He cited Jesus walking on water as a Resurrection event to encourage not being afraid and having the courage to "take a chance".  He too taught us that the word "Worship" came from the Greek "Worthy Ship". We were also pleased to have Carolyn come take us up to see this last week's progress on their house. Most of the wiring is in and the 4 heavy beams have been installed and treated in the Great room. The number of wires leading to the Circut Breaker Box  is unbelievable

Early '83

We had our noon meal in the room with the UN-L game with Troy starting at 11:00am. It was one of the least satisfying Nebraska games that I ever remember. Though the final score was 24-19, the game wasn't really that close. There were a few minutes in the 4th quarter when it appeared they had a chance but it was quickly scuttled. Next week Scott Frost takes the team to Michigan where NE sports writers had projected us to lose our first game. I felt we might  see Martinez after the first half with the importance of getting a win but the Coach must have reasons for keeping him out of it. Coach Frost is looking toward the future and Martinez can be an important part of it. It appears that the best we can now hope for is a 5 win 6 loss season. That would set a pretty low first year record for improvement. I moved in to 1983 with my picture scanning after the game. This is one of the collages I developed for "early '83" some years ago. The pictures I'm scanning are added to these. The '80's were a real challenge for us with my job, the farm, our place in town and the traveling involved. Yet, as we look back, they were some of our happiest years. Carolyn and Julie were such a pleasure.

Our year-1982

This is one of my favorites from the 97 pictures I

put on my Flash Drive of 1982 pictures. It was taken out at our pond on July 25th right after we stocked it with 300 Bass and 300 Croppies. I reached a milestone with the '82 pictures today and realized what a big year it was for us. We drove to Phoenix in February for an NACD mtg; had a Family reunion at the farm on Mother's Day. Saw Tim get his Law degree, visited Verlon in Richmond, VA, helped Jon & Mary move from Southport to Franklin, NC and went to the Worlds Fair in Knoxville, TN in May. We bought a new '82 Silverado Chevy Pick-up in June. Elaine resigned her Civil Service job and we hosted a "Down on the Farm with Charlie Thone" Day. I moderated a week long "Platte River Forum" at the National Guard Training Center in Grand Island, NE and visited Ft. Collins and Rocky Mt. NP in August. In Sept. we went to the State Fair, I joined a tour of South Platte Dams and had mtgs in Columbus & O'Neill, NE. We visited brother Jerry and Sondra's family at their Grade A Dairy farm in Tomah, WI  in October. We sawed wood with a buzz saw and ground chicken feed with the hammer mill at the farm in November. Tim and I saw Nebr. beat Oklahoma 28-24. We had 25 family members at the farm for Thanksgiving. Elaine's Mother, Flora Flowerday died on Dec. 2nd with the funeral at the UCC Church. Verlon was with us for Christmas where Julie helped to brighten our spirits. It was a full year.

Dave and Dawn Mundt

Dave & Dawn Mundt entertained at Brookdale this afternoon where 4 members of the Staff were honored. Dawn had been here earlier with another lady who went by the "Kramer Sisters".  As a retired insurance adjuster, Dave said that as he was along with the "sisters" and saw the happiness in the faces of the  audiences, he decided that he wanted to become part of bringing pleasure to people. He is an excellent vocalist with his voice blending beautifully with his wife's. In addition to singing, he also played a "drum box" that he sat on and a "scarecrow" for accompaniment to polka music. They began with the 1948 song of Eddy Arnold singing "Bouquet of Roses" and followed with "Any Time". 

The Dining room was filled with residents that enjoyed the staff recognition, treats that were served and the entertainment. Dawn played the Guitar and at times a Mouth harp along with it. While much of the music was the classic country western and WWII songs, Dawn played a few polkas on the button accordion. She is the daughter of Leonard Beckwar who had a polka band for many years. They closed with the Eddy Arnold song "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep you". It was great entertainment, and we look forward to their being back.

Elaine's Perm

Elaine is shown here writing the check for the "cut & perm" that she got this afternoon in Shear Reflections. I got down to get her a bit early and just waited inside which enabled me to get the picture. Unfortunately, I heard the operator say what the charge was which was a bit of a surprise. But, it was well worth it. Not only from appearance but more importantly her well being, she certainly deserves it. I may have said more than I should have in discussing with her the impression I have that its ladies that are at least 80 years old that have continued to wear the style that was popular when they were young. It made me realize that people have to be at least 75 years old to even have a memory of WWII. 

I scanned pictures today of a trip we took in May of 1982 with Carolyn and Julie. We left Seward on the 15th to see son Tim receive a Law degree in Indianapolis, visit son Verlon in Richmond, VA; help son Jon and Mary move with a U-Haul truck from Southpoint, NC, to Franklin, NC; attend the Worlds Fair in Knoxville, TN; visit Opraland in Nashville, TN and get back to Seward on the 30th. We also visited friends and National Parks along the way.

Family pictures of 1977, etc.

I found some 1977 pictures today in an album that was overlooked earlier. It contained pictures of the families of brother Don and Gladys, sister Janice and Larry Sorge and Ours. All were taken on or near the Christmas Holiday. Those 41 years have gone by pretty fast and the families have all grown considerably. All 3 of these pictures are already on the 32gb flash drive that I have plugged into the computer. It will take some time for me to get everything on it that I hope for, but it should be an interesting data source. 

Four of us did get together here in the coffee room this morning where we talked alternatives with the staff for drawing more participants. One of our participants told some interesting stories about a Hurricane that he went through some years ago in the Golf Shores area of Alabama. I told of our Grandson being on the fast track for learning about hurricanes in his new job as News Director in a Raleigh, NC TV station.

We recognized the anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy in Seward today with 2977 small US flags placed in the Kiwanis Parade of Flags area by Concordia U. Students. We had a special memorial service led by Terry our Brookdale Director ahead of  our noon meal.

Hughes House Progress

Carolyn took us up to tour their house under construction this pm on a day when nothing was being done there. She is shown here with the "roughed in" fireplace. This is the south side of the big room what will serve as Living-Dining room kitchen. To the right of this 1st picture are windows and doors leading to the patio and back yard. The 3rd picture was taken from the middle of the L-D-K area from about the patio doors. It looks to the north where a kitchen counter will be installed.

The laundry room is located on the left side of this picture (NW corner of the house) the right side beyond the wall is the front end of the garage. This last picture is of the 6x8 inch wood beams that will be spaced across the ceiling of the big room. These beams as well as some of the front entry, uses the experience of the General Contractor in building Log Cabin buildings as well as conventional. They are planning on a lot of activity there tomorrow.

Grandparents Day at Brookdale.

We were honored today by John bringing Sadie and Jack up to have Dinner with us today at the Brookdale Celebration of Grandparents Day. Julie is feeling better but not yet up to par. We spent a bit of time in our unit talking about all the things they have been doing. Jack seems to believe that he needs to be doing something while getting his picture taken even if it's "pursing" his lips like being ready to give a kiss. They were excited about getting out to the "Bouncy House Slide" as soon as Dinner was finished. Sadie got there ahead of Jack but he wasn't a bit bashful about getting his shoes off and going down the slide several times. I walked over to see the 5 old Model A Fords and was surprised to find old friend, Jim Cook the owner of one of them.

Jim spent a career as an attorney on the staff of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and the NE Department of Natural Resources. We worked together during most of the 1980's. He did much of the work on his old model A. After a couple engine problems with "restoration", he decided to "revamp" it to "sports car" status with a V8 engine etc. Brookdale Staff Director pitched right in and helped serve drinks to the large crown that turned out for the event. I think everyone who attended must have had a great impression of this facility and all the people who work here.