Friday, April 3, 2026

Friday in Clarinda, IA


 Rain much of the night, then held off until mid afternoon after we left the funeral for Phyllis' first cousin Judy Heuer.  Many, many relatives there to visit with before the service and after returning from the cenetary to the church.


This afternoon I picked up some of the many twings and small branches that are on the lawn.  About 3:30 it started pouring rain again.


We leave about 7 in the morning for Marengo, IA to visit with Cam and his family over the weekend.

LCM

Thursday, April 2, 2026

At our Clarinda home

 56º and rain just quit.  Since we hadn't seen any rain all winter, driving in rain yesterday and this rain overnight kind of unusual!  

Will not have internet at home until Tuesday afternoon.   Phone as a Hotspot is terribly slow; after 25 minutes trying to upload a photo on the  computer I gave up.  This Now  is on phone. 

Got to Clarinda about 6 pm yesterday after getting supper in Maryville, MO after driving in rain most of the day. 


Well, I am finding it difficult to make this up on the phone,  at least with photos. 

Monday, March 30, 2026

A little bump in the road going north

A cool 69º here in Livingston, TX aat 10:00 pm Monday night.

Things haven't gone as planned.  After driving in thick fog for most of two hours we had a wheel bearing go out on the trailer about 10:30 this morning, only 80 miles into the 480 miles planned to drive .

today.  Had some problems getting lined up with a repair guy and he finally got to us about 2:30 pm.  After removing the hub with bearings, etc., (which didn't come off easy) he drove back to his town of Livingston (we were about 6 miles north of here at the time) and discovered some of the parts had to be ordered in and won't arrive until sometime tomorrow morning.

So, we cancelled our reservation 400 miles up the road and grabbed a site here.  Would be 644 miles now from here to Cape Girardeau and we don't think repairs can be made until mid-morning to noon.  We were going to visit with Don & Vicki tomorrow afternoon, but this would be more than a 14 hour drive which is way more than I want to drive in one day pulling the trailer and we wouldn't get there until sometime during the day Wednesday.  Due to our needing to leave Cape Girardeau on Thursday for Clarinda for the funeral on Friday for Phyllis' cousin Judy, this would be a very short visit.  So we called Vicki and explained it to her and told her we would be down to see them in May before Decoration Day.  (She had planned on our driving over to the Illinois site of their cemetary to put out flowers- so will do that for her then).

Depending on how early we get out of here tomorrow, we should get to our Clarinda home Wednesday, or Thursday at the latest.  Is about 800 miles to Clarinda from here.  We don't like to drive over 350 miles in a day pulling the trailer, but have made exceptions and may have to now.

LCM


Sunday, March 29, 2026

On our way north from the Rio Grande Valley

 A cool 70º here near Dayton, TX (some 37 miles northeast of Houston) at 8:00 pm.  Cool breeze, not running AC and windows open in the trailer.  Got here about 6:00 this evening after driving 380 miles, leaving the First Methodist Church parking lot at 10:35 am after singing Easter Cantata at 9:00 am srvice and a brief breakfast served in the basement afterwards. Didn't have to unhook trailer, only have electricity hooked up - can pull out easily early in the morning.



During Cantata performance 3-29-26 at First Methodist Church in Harlingen, TX

Will download the video and post it on my YouTube page sometime in the future when am at home in Clarinda.



I took these four photos during the 20-minute warmup/rehearsal before the service started.





We are, for sure, going from Cape Girardeau on  Thursday to Clarinda, IA so we can attend Judy Heuer's funeral there on Friday, making our way to Marengo, IA and the extended family there on Saturday morning.

More later, Lynn


Saturday, March 28, 2026

Our 5 month winter stay in Texas about over - leave tomorrow

 72º here in La Feria, TX at 8:45 pm on Saturday.

Been a busy day.

Started out with a Birthday Breakfast (for Phyllis) at IHOP.

Then we drove by the First Methodist Church parkiing lot in Harlingen to see where we could park our pickkup with our travel trailer in the morning.  Had not paid any attention to the far side of the lot and where I thought we would go in didn't work, so got our bearings to come off 6th Street, make a wide circle and park heading back to the street.  Will get there before 8 am; report in our chairs for the Cantata at 8:30, starts at 9:00 am.  Then there is to be a breakfast for the choir and 7 orchestra members who will be playing.

Here are some pictures of the over-two-hour practice Wednesday evening:












Got the golf cart charged and cover put on

Got all outside windows and doors covered with
insulatiion.  Windows onto Texas room, not.

Window awning down, and though I didn't
get a picture, I coverd the Texas Room door
with steel like the window on the left of the 
door that I did not take down this winter.


Got the hot tub drained, dried and Damp Rid put in for summer
I was able to give the propane tank covers a
fresh coat of white paint.








Dish receivers packed away to use in Clarinda.

Have the trailer hooked to the pickup, chocks removed from the wheels.  Will sleep in the trailer tonight and pull out in the morning for Harlingen.
Have RV park reservation at a park north of Houston in Dayton, TX for tomorrow night - some 380 miles. Then on Monday 480 miles to Kinsett, Arkansas.  Tuesday we drive 240 miles to Cape Camping in Cape Girardeau where we will stay while visiting brother Don and his wife Vicki.
Had planned to drive on Friday to Marengo, IA to spend time with family.  But, Phyllis' cousin Judy Heuer passed away and her funeral will be on Friday so we are now thinking of going to Clarinda on Thursday afternoon, attend the funeral on Friday and then drive to Cam's late Friday without the trailer and visit with them over Easter weekend.  Will see.

Later, Lynn

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Saturday, March 25, 1978 - 48 years ago today

 72º here in La Feria, TX at 9:00 am Wednesday - predicted high of 90º; still dry as a bone!  Click on any photo to enlarge.

Dad, November 1963 at our mobile home in Omaha
My dad, Kermit Lester Miles, was born near Pana, Illinois, on September 6, 1904.  He passed away on Saturday, March 25,1978, in his farm house between Callaway and Oconto, Nebraska.  Dad grew up near Huron, South Dakota, and had come down to Custer County, NE in 1932 or 1933 to pick corn by hand - at one cent per bushel, plus room & board..  He met mom when he went into the Callaway Telephone office to call home and she was the "operator" at the time.

Dad in 1933




By March of 1978 Dad had been on the farm/ranch with an Oconto, NE address, about half-way between Oconto and Callaway, NE 31 years.  In 1947 he had helped move our house and barn some 7 miles from the ranchland out to a road only about a mile off Highway 40 that runs from near Kearney, NE, through Oconto and Callaway northwest to Arnold, NE.  Highway 40 was gravel at the time and the road that ran by our place was dirt, with a smattering of river gravel, I think.

At the start of that move, the landlord, James Cornish, had bought a small wooden chicken house, locating it up the hill a bit from where the house and barn eventually was moved to, and Dad spent many a night staying in the little building.

With four boys in the family and four boys in Jim Cornish's family, we all helped with the work on the farm, especially remember the haying crews and working cattle at "the ranch", the oriignal site of our house and barn.

By 1978 it was determined that PCA (Production Credit Association) was not willing to loan the partnership of Dad and my oldest brother Roger operating money to proceed with their row crop and cattle operation.  I believe the interest rates in the late 1970's were very high and much of agriculture was having trouble, moneywise.   A farm sale date was set for March 27, 1978, to sell the fair-sized cattle herd and farm equipment.  They were still on rented land where Dad lived.
Arial photo of our place in the 1970's



We lived near Clarinda, IA (about 45 miles east of Nebraska City, NE, and I planned on going out for the weekend to help Dad and Roger line up equipment for the sale the following Wednesday.  My younger brother, Darrell, flew in to Omaha from either Ohio or Florida where he was working for Cargill in their Accounting Department and I picked him up at the airport and we drove on out to the home place, surprising Mom & Dad as we had not told them Darrell would be coming.  I can't remember if this was on Friday afternoon or on Saturday morning.  

I recall on Saturday that Dad spent time haying the cattle with the John Deere tractor that had the FarmHand Loader on it.  This was to the west side of the buildings in the photo above.  There had been snow that hadn't melted where the machinery was to be displayed at the sale the next Wednesday and it was pretty muddy and we didn't do much with that.



At photographer's December 1950

1976 - Mom, Dad, Darrell, Louise, Lynn

1974 Dad with grandkids Michelle & Cameron



In the 1960's - back, Roger, Donald, Louise, Darrell,
Lynn.  in front, Dad Kermit & Mom Pearl

































Dad & Mom on their front steps in 1978


After supper that evening Dad sat at the living room table and was writing in his diary as he had done for years.  It was after 10:30 pm and Johnny Carson was on TV.  I heard him yell "Mom" or "Pearl" and looked over and he was slumped on the table.  Darrell came out of one of the bedrooms and we got Dad on the floor and the two of us did CPR on Dad as Mom called 911.  We did not get Dad to respond and when the ambulance had driven the 7 miles from Callaway they took him to the Callaway Hospital.  We followed in the car.  The doctor and nurses worked on him for some time, but finally came out and told us that they were unsussful in reviving him.

This was late Saturday night and the farm sale was scheduled for the following Tuesday.  With advertising done over many states, the cattle were beginning their calving, and the necessity to hold it as  scheduled on Tuesday.  Funeral was scheduled for Wednesday, the 28th of March, which is Phyllis' birthday.  She had stayed in Clarinda with our son and daughter, and she got her parent's car and drove out to the home place on Sunday and stayed until after the sale.  There was quite a crowd for the sale, and I recall being out within that crowd when I heard a couple men exclaiming "He just died on Saturday and they are already having his sale!"  I explained to them that the sale hd been scheduled, but Dad's heart attack had not been plannee.  Our son, Cameron was just 12 years old and daughter Michelle was 10 years old at the time.  I think it was Reverand Koelling (sp) came out to the house and visited with Mom & us, and held the funeral.

Dad was 73 years old.

Lynn
























Monday, March 23, 2026

The Pelican

 “A wonderful bird is the Pelican. His beak can hold more than his belly can. He can hold in his beak Enough food for a week! But I’ll be darned if I know how the hellican?” —Dixon Lanier Merritt



Friday in Clarinda, IA

 Rain much of the night, then held off until mid afternoon after we left the funeral for Phyllis' first cousin Judy Heuer.  Many, many r...