My life in a nutshell

My life (so far), in a nut shell

During my senior year in High School I was in the band, playing the sousaphone at all the home football games and in the concert band.  My younger brother Darrell, was a freshman that year and he also played the sousaphone.  I took shorthand and typing classes, with my goal being a secretary to someone at Union Pacific Railroad.  I went with the EUB Church group on a missionary trip to Trinidad, CO the week after graduation and the next week Dad took me to Omaha where I had enrolled in an 18-month Business Assistant course at CE School of Commerce at 16th and Howard Streets.  Dad & I stayed at the YMCA the one night he was there and we went to the school.  They, as part of the schooling, had lined up a sleeping room for me and a job.  I stayed in an upstairs bedroom in a house at the base of WOWT-6 TV Tower about 36th & Farnam or Harney.  I took the bus the 10 blocks or so to school until one morning I just missed a bus and walked the distance, beating the next bus.  From then on, I walked to and from school.  The tuition was $440 per 9 months; I got 90 cents an hour at my cafeteria job in Brandeis store about 3 blocks from the school.  In 9 months I was able to pay off that $440 loan and save up the $440 to pay the last 9 months of my schooling.   I, and several other guys, would leave school at 11 am, get our lunch and get our white aprons on and be on duty by 11:30.  I bussed dishes, cleaned tables, and later progressed to helping carry out food from the kitchen to the food line.  We would leave by 1:30 and be back to classes for the afternoon.  Then we would be back to Brandeis by 4:30 to help clean the kitchen and put any food away.  They were open Monday and Thursday evenings for supper, so those nights we worked until 8:30 when the line was open and then clean up.

I had started that in June of 1961 and about March of 1962 I got heated about something one of the bosses did and I walked out.  The school got me a job cleaning up in a valve/spigot factory after hours, but I only worked there a few days before I quit.  They sent me to a job calling people to set up appointments to have garage doors sold, but I left that after a couple days.  Then, the school lined me up with a job starting at 11 pm at night to 7 am the next morning working in the police station typing up accident and incident reports.  I worked that job until I got my Diploma from CE and started working full-time for Union Pacific in October of 1962.  During this time I met a girl in typing class from Iowa.  We started dating and there were days that when I was supposed to be sleeping after school and before going to work at 11 pm we would spend time together.  There were some pretty sleepy nights at work for a while.
When I got my Diploma as Business Assistant I was offered two interviews; one at the Omaha Federal Reserve Bank and the other at Union Pacific headquarters office.  I have wondered where we would be today if I had gone to the government job.  I went to UP and was hired in the Freight Claims department typing the checks for payment of damaged goods being shipped.  From there I moved over to the Personal Injury department and handled all the filing, incoming mail and general gopher work.  Phyllis & I started dating in September of 1962 and got married in Shambaugh, IA on March 10, 1963.  We stayed one month in an apartment and then I bought a mobile home at 84th & Blondo Streets - the far west side of Omaha at that time.  We lived there until October of 1965 after having our son born in April of 1965.  We then bought a house in the town of Millard, southwest of Omaha.  I was still working in the Personal Injury department when, in May of 1967, a promotion to Assistant Claim Adjuster in the Personal Injury department in Salt Lake City, Utah was offered.  We sold our home, had the car and a small camping trailer as well as all our personal belongings put on a railroad car and moved to Salt Lake City.  I was the secretary to the District Claim Agent there and was to learn the business of handling personal injury claims.  They had a large Diesel shop there and I spent some time there.  I eventually got to interviewing employees involving injuries on the job and also employees in vehicle accidents.  By 1969 I was handling a few cases on my own, but feeling the pressure.  In January of 1970 I was offered the job as Junior Claims Adjuster in Kansas City, Kansas and we moved there, finding a duplex in Overland Park, KS.
It seemed to me that in most cases of claims, if the claimant was happy with the settlement, the boss was unhappy because it should have been cheaper.  If the boss was happy with the settlement, usually the claimant was ticked off.  I decided I wasn't cut out for the job the day I went to a farm near Falls City, NE to talk with a widow about the death of her husband who had failed to see a freight train in Hiawatha, KS and been killed in the accident.  With her two children, probably under 12 years old, sitting on the couch and her crying, and my stating our condolences as the company and that i would be in touch with her, I decided I wasn't cut out for the job.
We looked around the Callaway/Broken Bow, NE area for jobs and then in the Clarinda area.  I was interviewed by Maurice Rarick, plant manager for Hygrade Foods, a dry sausage plant, and he put me to work with the plant accountant who was to retire in two years.  We rented a rather run-down place some 5 miles from town and planted a garden, bought a calf to raise to butcher and generally enjoyed the life back in the country.  Our daughter, Michelle, had been born in Salt Lake City in late December of 1967 and the two kids enjoyed the country life.
In October of 1972 we bought 12 acres about 4 miles west of Clarinda on the side of Highway 2 including all the farm buildings.  About that time we were advised that HyGrade was sending in an accountant who had been with HyGrade 24-years and was in a plant they were closing in Tampa, FL.  I did several jobs not in accounting - working with employee insurance, safety stuff in the plant, etc.  I was offered a job at Clarinda Elevator being  "outside salesman".  I did calling on people in the country and also filled in at the office when the boss didn't make it to work many mornings.  In 1974 I was offered the job as Manager of Coin Grain Corp., an elevator bought by my boss and 3 other men as well as I had a small stake in the purchase.
I hired Phyllis to keep books and we spent the nearly 20 years (October of 1974 to September of 1994) working there.  I had many differences with one of the owners who was also the district feed salesman for Purina and we often locked horns.  We were finally able to force him out when he took bankruptcy in the late 1980's.  We got as high as 8 employees and were running a feed mill, liquid fertilizer business as well as the buying/selling of corn, beans, wheat and oats and storage of beans and corn.  The business changed as many farmers got their own semi-trucks and started taking their own grain directly from the farm to markets in St. Joseph, MO and other places.  We finally sold the fertilizer business and a bagged feed store we had opened  in Clarinda, and by 1994 where down to only one employee beside myself and Phyllis.  Over the years, the other owners had sold out and Phyllis & I owned the business.  I finally announced closing the elevator in June or July of 1994 and by September we had bought and sold all the grain in storage, sold out the inventory and sold the buildings to various farmers.
In 1984 the agriculture side of things was slowing down and I had bought a magnetic sign machine and gotten into selling signs.  I was on the Iowa State Grain Elevator board for a year and made a lot of contacts there.  One of the people came to me, finding we could make signs, and inquire about our selling the 4-sided diamond then required on any building with any chemicals in it.  They put out the word and we started sending them everywhere in Iowa.  There are hundreds of warning signs, on anhydrous tanks as well as all around the fertilizer business that are required and we made them.  We also got into the 4' x 6' and 4' x 8' business signs that were put on posts in front of buildings.  By 1994 we were real busy at that so didn't have any down time after selling the elevator, but was super busy with the signs.  I built a double-car garage in front of the old garage we had and also filled in between the old garage and the house with an office.  By 1998 we were going full blast there.  We worked that until we sold the business to a neighbor across the highway in the fall of 2008.
We started going to Texas for a bit in 2006 and by 2008 we had bought a travel trailer and spent two or three winters in it at an RV Park in La Feria, TX (Next door to Harlingen) and in 2010 we bought a permanent mobile home there.  We now spend our winters at that location, but still pull a small travel trailer and explore the areas we drive getting to and from Kenwood RV Park each fall and spring.

So, now you know (at least some of what we did the last almost 60 years)
Lynn

Hot, hot

86º with bright sunshine and humidity something north of 110%!!!

Went up to the farmers market on the square - only 1 booth there.  Phyllis got some zucchini and green beans.  Stopped at Orscheln and got some things and also dropped off tin and plastic at the recycling spot this morning.  

Wondering through the obits on KMALAND.com this morning -- lots of people listed with less than my age!!

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With the 12 to 17 inch rains in the Rio Grande Valley this week, we once again, had some water in the Texas Room.

Color is drastically changing in my left leg.

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Phyllis' flowers in front of the garage doing well, if
the squirrels will leave them alone.

Did a total of an hour on 4 different machines yesterday in Cardiac Therapy.  Feeling lots less pain, other than the shingles area, and moving much more freely.  Planning our trip to Lincoln for doctor visits next week and then to Stratford, IA the following week for a Bluegrass Festival.

Looks to be a lot of entertainment.  We plan on going up day or two before it starts to get a good location with the trailer with 30-amp electricity so will have air conditioning.

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A friend asked a gentleman how it is that he never married? Replied the gentleman, "Well, I guess I just never met the right woman. I guess I've been looking for the perfect one."  "Oh, come on now," said the friend, "Surely you have met at least one girl that you wanted to marry."  "Yes, there was a girl once. I guess she was the one perfect girl and the only perfect girl I really ever met. She was just the right everything and the perfect girl for me."  "Well, why didn't you marry her," asked the friend.  "She was looking for the perfect man," he said, "and I wasn't it." 

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- What's the difference between a vision and a sight? When my wife gets dressed up for a party she looks like a vision and when she wakes up in the morning she's quite  a sight!

'Nuther time - Lynn

From the past

Nothing much going on here in Clarinda, IA, so here are a few pages of a 254-page word document (Ramblings) I found on my computer:

This is the first document created on the Toshiba Notebook Computer bought in Omaha January 27, 1998.

Names of some people known.

Wink Runyan, cousin of Phyllis’ lived north of Coin on the Coin Road.  He had been a machinist in Kansas City years before and liked to work with steel and with his hands.  Could really work with a lathe, both wood and steel.  He died of a heart attack sometime in 1992?

 He knew cars and would visit about the models, horsepower, etc.  He was real happy with the Ford Taurus that he was driving the last several years of his life.  His wife rarely left the place, it seemed, but Wink would come to town often.  He had a ShopSmith that was earlier than the Mark V that I had.  He had worked in the Kansas City, MO area earlier in his life as a machinist.  When he died his last words were “I can’t stand the pain” from the heart attack.

Merrill Munsinger, Luther Munsinger, Walter Armstrong, Steve Armstrong, Steve Rowan, Jack Whitmore, Luther Compton, Steve Cabbage, Thaine Cabbage, Rick Cabbage, Tom Williams. Art Greenwood, Merrill Miller, Jack Pearson,

Walt Armstrong was with us right from the time we bought the elevator.  He wanted to bring in corn in October of 1974  when we first started, but because the Federal Inspection was not complete okaying us as a licensed warehouse we couldn’t start for a day or two.  When Claude (the inspector guy) gave the okay, I drove out to Walt’s place west of Coin and told him to bring in the corn.  Was the first grain we handled as Coin Grain.  His boy Steve and he checked in nearly daily for years.  We watched Steve’s kids grow up as they rode in the tractor cab delivering grain.  Jeff used to stick out his tongue at Phyllis.  She threatened to kiss him if he did it again. He would stick out the tongue and run, but one day she caught him.  He was really embarrassed.  Was probably 5 to 8 years old.  Walt’s wife Shirley worked in the Coin Cafe for many years.  Walt would help on Friday Fish Nights.  On those nights Fran and Darrell Murphy worked along with them too and whoever was running the cafe at the time.

Thaine Cabbage is Phyllis’ first cousin.  When we moved to Clarinda in 1970 and lived in east river when I worked for Hygrade Foods, a dry sausage plant.   I used to drive up to the elevator and eat my sack lunch in the car, or sometimes visit with Thaine or the guys working there.  When we bought our 12 acres west of Clarinda in October of 1971, he encouraged me to use the farm buildings there and lined up a bunch of feeder pigs to come in from southern Missouri.  When they unloaded the 80 head of 20 to 25 lb. pigs and I gave a check for over $800 for them I was worried sick about investing all that money in something that would probably get sick and die.  He helped advise me on setting up pens around the hollow-tile hog house down to the west of the barn.  The fat hog market price at the time was in the low $20/cwt.  Within a month or so as the pigs grew, they showed to be of two different sizes and I sorted them into two pens, having to haul water for one group and divided the one galvanized feeder that neighbor LeRoy Rope gave me.  As it was in the winter and snow and frozen water, etc. I decided to sell off about 40 head so would have one uniform group.  The fat price had gone up considerably and we made something like $15 or more per head selling them as bigger feeder pigs.  The next week we took the other group to the sale barn in Clarinda and ended upmaking a little over $2,000 on the whole bunch and had them only about 2 months.  With that we bought more feeder pigs and sold some of them as larger feeders and finished some as fat hogs.  At that time there was not near the restrictions in selling feeder pigs from the farm.  Later on you had to have vet inspections and be registered to sell pigs anywhere other than as fat hogs. Over the years, while I worked at Hygrade, later at Clarinda Elevator, and for a while when we started running Coin Grain we had many different pigs.  I usually had something on feed and at one time bought 10 head of Purebred breeding gilts from the Purina Program.  Got a purebred boar from them, also.  Bought a set of metal farrowing crates from Loren Jackson at Coin.  We set them up in the hog house, and when farrowing locked the sows in the crates, turning them out twice a day to feed and water and exercise.  Was quite an experience.  We did our own vaccinating, castrating, ear notching, tail docking, etc.  Some times were exasperating when few live pigs were born or the big old sows would rear up in their crates and try to tear things up.  Some times they did.  I used a lot of scrap lumber and made divider boards between the crates, which could be taken out as the pigs got bigger and ran to bunches of sows.  Also put boards on the cement so they would not be so cold on the floor and rigged heat lamps above them.  One time when checked found a lamp had fallen down onto the board.  It had not captured any pigs below it, but had gotten the board hot enough that it was smoldering and had eaten part of the board away, but had not burst into flames.  Probably because the hood of the lamp was snug onto the board and would not have let much oxygen get in to burn.  If that had not been the case the hog house would probably burned down.  I had taken a lot of scrap lumber and lined the walls of the building, trying to retain some warmth.  We also used a queen-bee type heater to heat the air.  One time the fat market looked promising and I got over 600 feeder pigs on hand.  Built pens everywhere, was in the summer so had dirt lots fixed up.  I did not hedge or sell any fat hogs for future delivery.  Thought would probably make something like $6000 because $10 per hog as margin wasn’t uncommon at the time.  Even promised Cam and Pat, who were attending Iowa University at the time, that would really have some big bucks to help them out with their money needs.  Well, of course, the fat market went down as every one else also loaded up on hogs and we lost a little over $2,000 for our effort instead of making anything.  I did end up with a lot of hog panels, which were used later.  When we got out of the Elevator in ‘94 we cleaned up all the hog and cattle panels and fence posts and wire and sold all of them, just so if had the urge to buy some hogs wouldn’t be able to.  Now (in December of 1998) the hogs are at a 50-year low price of less than 10 cents a pound and feeder pigs can be bought for nearly nothing.  Without fences won’t try it, but would if had facilities.

 Roger Miles - Born March 12, 1937, near Callaway, Nebraska.  He is my oldest brother.  My early remembrances of him include him and Dad being in a disagreement near the back door to our house, which was in the kitchen at the south end of the house.  Later I recall he went to high school in Callaway.  It was about 7 miles from where we lived between Callaway and Oconto, to the school in Callaway and there were no busses in those days so it was arranged that he would board with some people in Callaway.  He came home on the weekends, it seems.  I recall that he had a bicycle, maroon and cream and I think he had a job working in the grocery store or somewhere in Callaway.  Can’t recall the name of the people he stayed with, but the house was south of the main street about two or three blocks and was just south of where Stub Strong lived.  (Stub was the car dealer in town and Dad bought the 1947 Plymouth from him in 1949.  The Plymouth was green, had a single stop light on the rear, which was mounted in the center of the trunk lid and was shaped like a shield.  The small running or stoplights were on the rear of the fenders and were really small lights.  Of course, at that time there were no turn signals.  In 1956 or about that time, Dad bought 1954 Pontiac from a dealer in Broken Bow, NE.  It was 4 doors, I think, where the Plymouth had only been a 2 door.  We ran the 47 Plymouth as a pickup, hauling gas cans in the back seat down to the tractors when we were planting or harvesting.  One time I burned out the clutch, had gotten stuck in some plowed ground and kept trying to get out until burned out the clutch.

We had a neighbor to the east, Peter Johnson.  Though this was the same name as my Mom’s Dad, I think this guy was some distant cousin.  He had a little farm and owned a small Chevy Coupe car that was two-toned blue and he sold it to Dad.  It had a huge trunk.  Very small back seat. We ran it down to the irrigated ground a lot and sat in it while watching the irrigation ditches and setting the siphon tubes.  I always liked to read, and dad took several newspapers.  I usually took the Life Magazine, Look, Colliers, and others, along and one time we had trouble and the windshield wipers wouldn’t work.  Dad stopped in at one of the car garages in Callaway to have them see what was the trouble with it.  They found a Colliers magazine up under the dash, where it interfered with the mechanical arms that were supposed to go back and forth when they ran.  Dad was a little upset with me for having the magazine because he seemed to think that too much time was spent reading.  That is just like he would come into the bedroom where Darrell & I slept and tell us to turn off the light.  Quite often he would say I’m not going to tell you again to shut off that light!    Of course, I turned it back on so I could read.  In a little while he came in and said Shut off the light.  I said I thought you said you wasn’t going to tell us that again@ and he didn’t think that was too funny. 

 Bob Miller, wife June Miller, Bob worked for me at the elevator in Coin for many years.  Came from Greenfield where he had worked for _________at elevator.  He ran the Big A, and did lot of things.  When he decided to move on they sold their house and all extra stuff and moved to north edge of Arkansas and June got a job in the headquarters of Wal-Mart.  Bob went to work in a water bed company, working with the wood part of bed frames, etc.  We visited them in 1995, the spring after we closed the elevator.  They had bought an acreage some miles from town.  Heard since then that he had lost his job and was playing Mr. Mom -- though their kids are away from home.  They had two boys.  Both of them (and June) worked part time for us at the elevator.  They boys cleaned the office in off hours for a time.

 Rusty Orme, wife Janet Orme, Rusty came to the elevator directly out of high school.  Was good help, but wanted to run things.  Finally left to work for plumber in town and that didn’t work out too long.  He managed elevator in Missouri, then worked for Bob Shirley at elevator in Percival, Ia.  Last I knew he was working at transmission  plant in Shenandoah and farming, renting from Francis Chapman and getting some financing from Francis also. They had bought a place in Northboro, IA, where Rusty’s Mom & Dad live.

Darrell Lee Murphy,   Married to  Terri  Daughter Brea  Charlie Long, Shirley Long, Duane Graft, Loren Jackson, Darrell D. Murphy,

 Chuck Mayer, wife Phyllis.  Chuck sang 2nd Tenor in Plainsmen group.  Retired from telephone company when was in mid 50’s and helps sons farm and also takes down wooden buildings for the wood.  He is lay minister for the Methodist Church.

Trent Mayer,  Lived south of the Hog House that AQ Tip@ owned (Van Buskirk)  Then moved to the Big Hog set-up north of us. 

Harold Rowan wife Phyllis, Mother Thelma   Harold seemed to be the last one done with corn or beans every year.  And, when he would store the grain and finally sell it, it market at the lowest price of that commodity that year.   I think he was the only one we ever bought $4.50 beans from.  He was kind of a loner, not normally working with any neighbors unless it was Kurt (his boy) or Steve.  Steve had farmed for a while, but after buying the place just east of the river on J52 he took bankruptcy and got a job in town.  I think at Lisle Corp.  We had looked at the place to buy (or rather, I had looked) at one time because it was so close to Coin and the elevator we were both working at.  Phyllis wanted to stay at our place west of Clarinda at least until the kids got through school in Clarinda as she had gone to school there and didn’t necessarily want to have them go to South Page.

 By the time they got out of school I was out of the notion of moving.   As it turned out (this is in 1998 as I write) that was for the best.  Because?  Because since we are working out our office at home the location on State Highway 2 helps greatly for drive-by  business and access to us.

Rodney Berhorst.  Was kind of hard to do business with.  Got to be pretty good sized, rented the Charlie Hockenberry place just west of Wayne Peterson.  He was pretty big in Moorman feed, though he bought stuff from us.  Always wanted something cheaper.  He was a customer up until the year his boy won Champion Beef in the county fair and I did not go to the cattle auction.  He had always said that he would give his business where they did stuff like that, but I had got to thinking it cost too much money.  He did buy some seed from us until he got to working at a warehouse for Laddy Kahout who was handling ........  seed and then he bought from Laddy.  He had always bought minerals from Lad.  The seed company is the same one that Don Humphrey has been selling for.

Scott Mecom,  Worked for us at Elevator in Coin for about a year.  Was an air-head.  Later went to work for American Cyanamid win the animal side and later over to the field chemicals.  We see him about every January in Omaha when at the Fertilizer show.  He lives...I don’t remember where he lives.  His sister lives in Lincoln.

 J. C. Mecom, Bob Olenius - wife Barb.  He was part owner at the elevator in Coin, but didn’t like the stress of meetings with Mecom and sold out after just a few years.  He took that money and built his new brick house on the Q road.  He always thought he ought to get a few pennies more for his grain account he was a part-owner.

Kenny W. Ripley, wife Patsy.  Though he had been in College Springs for ever, I first met him when we were in Salt Lake City.  He was in a pickup camper trip coming back from Alaska and had stopped to visit Bob & Irene Sliger.     Bob had driven a truck hauling cattle in the 50’s and had run with KW some.  KW was President of Coin Grain when it was first established in October of 1974.  He had run the Lumber Yard in College springs for years.  He also owned several semi trucks and had driven and had his sons and son-in-law Rich Sunderman drive with him.  Ron Kenagy was another driver, who died of a heart attack as he was getting out of the truck on the grain dump at Continental Grain in Atchison, KS in 1997, in January.  He was probably only about 48 to 50 years old.

Richard Sunderman   KW’s son-in-law.  Worked for Firestone Tire in Des Moines, then came down to College Springs and worked for KW.  He drove truck, and basically took over the fertilizer operation.  Mary Kay is his wife.

Kenny Van Fosson  lived south of  College Springs.  His wife died of Cancer in about 1992.  They were in card club that we played in for a while.  Gene and Joyce Ripley were also in that club.  Joyce died of Cancer in about 1994.  They had run a dairy for quite a while.  KW owned the ground where they lived.  In the mid to late 80’s Gene started working for Page County as Deputy Assessor.  When Glen Jamison retired Gene was appointed as Assessor.  Gene & Joyce had big family.  One girl, who married the jeweler’s son in Clarinda (he later committed suicide), Donnie did trucking, carpenter work, ran the lumber yard, then does general repair and construction work now.  David was a younger brother.  He did carpenter work for Donnie when he run the Lumber Yard, and slid off a high barn roof when putting on tin and broke bones in his feet and legs.  Layed up for a while. Then he married and moved to place near Tarkio? Mo where his wife’s family owned farm ground.  Gene’s other boys, one robbed a bank in Burlington Junction, Mo. and was sent to Federal Prison in Leavenworth, KS.  He was there when his mom was sick and finally died.  It was to cost the family $2,000 to have him escorted to the funeral and he would appear in leg and hand chains and be with armed guards, so they did not have him come to the funeral.  One other son Doug did a lot of airplane flying.  He married some girl from Texas, but came up to Creston, IA, to manage the airport in about 1993.  His wife started a barbeque eatery, Smoking Joes, in Creston and asked us to bid on putting up an electric sign.  We went over and measured it, went down to the airport and visited with Doug.  They were getting ready for a free tasting session at the airport barbequing several different types of meat.  We didn’t stay around; told them we had arranged to meet Cam’s for Pizza.  We didn’t go back down to the airport as the kids wanted Pizza.  Doug was rebuilding a couple planes.  Stripped clear down to the metal frame work and then putting skin back on and forming.  Cam later said that his bank had to send someone to Texas to reposes the car they had made a loan on when they were in Creston.

When you go into a men’s restroom and there 10 urinals along a wall and only one man standing in front of one of them you DO NOT go to one next to him.  It just isn’t done.  You put some distance between you!

Sammy Boatwright, Dennis Boatwright, John Taggart - Wife Nita Taggart, Myron Nothwer, Elmer Gerdts, Terry Gerdts, Ron Loontjer, - Was my roomate at 2645 St. St. Mary’s Avenue in Omaha while we went to C E School of Commerce at 16th & Howard in 1962.  We later moved to 4312 Burdette Street where we rented the whole upper floor of a house.  There were 3 other guys.  Tom - owned a black and white convertible car - maybe a Dodge or Chrysler)  Tom was another one, kind of loony.  Tom didn’t go to school, but was working in printing.  He took us one time into the building that he was working - some kind of an insurance company.  The building later became the headquarter building for Nebraska Furniture Mart.

   Dave Mattox rented a room on first floor of 2552 Harney Street when I moved into an upper floor bedroom in summer of 1961 I had only the use of the bedroom, was not to have any food in room.  I had a tin of cookies that Mom had made and landlady found crumbs on floor and gave me the dickens. Dave was from some place in Nebraska, I think Tecumseh.  He was big and kind of lazy.  He later joined the Army.  He came to visit us when we lived in Millard.  He would show up un announced and stay around half the night.  Sometimes we just went on to bed and he would watch a movie on TV and then leave late in the night and head back to Lincoln.  At that time he was working for a candy factory in Lincoln.

 I and Ron Loontjer, both worked in cafeteria at J. L. Brandeis so got our noon meal there and evening meal on Monday and Thursday when they were open later for a n evening meal.  On the other evenings we had to put food away in the coolers and quite often ate some then so saved on our food bill at homer.  In the small apartment we had in the basement on St. Mary’s Avenue we had a small refrigerator, a gas range, and a little cupboard space as well as a sink.  The bathroom was around behind-- you had to go out into the unfurnished part of the basement to get to it.  Had a tin shower that was pretty well rusted out.  Only had a 3/4 bed, but we got along.  Sometimes he had Cookie come over and the three of us slept on the bed.  For some reason Ron always had me to the wall and he slept between me and Cookie. 

Maybe more later, Lynn

Some more to deal with

Well, you never know what is headed your way next.  After spending a bit of a rough night Sunday-Monday I showed Phyllis what I thought were bed bug bites.  She promptly said it was shingles.  So we went to the doctor's office and the P.A. assigned us that day confirmed it.  Said since we had come in within 48 hours of it breaking out she thought the medicine that she prescribed would lessen the time it would affect me.  According to the internet Med sites I looked at, that can be from 3 to 5 weeks.  With the chest and leg still in pain this just adds another spot (on the left from below my belt almost to my armpit and both around in front a bit and around in back a bit.)  One of the side effects of the medication is drowsiness and I was having that already.

Here are some of them.  Don't look bad, but can burn and itch

Nothing too much to write about because not much going on.  Did go to Therapy yesterday and worked out on two machines. 

Phyllis' sister Beth and her husband Steve celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary this year and took all their kids, grand-kids to Hawaii.  Here are some of their photos.

Whole clan

Beth & Steve

Son Chris with wife Becky and Sara and Ann

Daughter Kara with husband Jason and Tyler & Megan

GROANER'S CORNER:((  How Many Christians  Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?

- Charismatic: Only 1 - Hands are already in the air.

- Pentecostal: 10 - One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

- Presbyterians: None - Lights will go on and off at predestined times.

- Roman Catholic: None - Candles only. (Of guaranteed origin of course.)

- Baptists: At least 15 - One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken.

- Episcopalians: 3 - One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks, and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

- Mormons: 5 - One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

- Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

- Methodists: Undetermined - Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass. 

- Nazarene: 6 - One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

- Lutherans: None - Lutherans don't believe in change.

- Amish: What’s a light bulb?

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My neighbor rang my doorbell at 3 am... can you believe it!?  Luckily I was still up playing my drums.

Lynn

Quiet weekend

65º in Clarinda, IA at 9:30 am Monday.  No rain overnight and looks like might not be any during today.  Have had way too much lately.

Saturday late afternoon we drove to New Market, IA.  They were having a BBQ and tractor/car show.  Not too many people when we were there, but had some fine barbecue sandwiches and beans.  There was to be a parade at 5 o'clock,  but we left before it.  There were several old tractors and a few cars parked in the Fire Department parking lot.

Went to church yesterday and rested in the afternoon.  Walked the hospital grounds after a shower went through about 5 pm.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A young man watched as an elderly couple sat down to lunch at McDonald's. He noticed that they had ordered just one meal, and an extra drink cup. As he watched, the old gentleman carefully divided the hamburger in half, then counted out the fries, one for him, one for her, etc, until each had exactly half.  Then the old man poured half of the soft drink into the extra cup and set that in front of his wife. The old man then began to eat, but his wife just sat watching him.  The young man felt sorry for them and asked "I'm sorry to intrude, but would you allow me to purchase another meal for your wife so that you don't have to split your food?"The old gentleman said, "Oh, no, thank you. But you see, we've been married a long time, and everything has always been shared, 50/50."The young man said, "Wow! That's commendable." He then turned to the wife and asked, "Aren't you going to eat your share?"The wife replied "Not yet. It's his turn to use the teeth." 

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A man walked up to the counter of an auto-part store. "Excuse me," he said, "I'd like to get a new gas cap for my Yugo.""Sure," the clerk replied. "Sounds like a fair exchange to me."

More later, Lynn

First outing - Earl May Seed 100th Birthday in Shenandoah

79º with bright sunshine in Clarinda, IA at 2:45 pm Saturday.  Had rain over-night and rain predicted again tonight.

Headed out in the rain this morning about 8 am and picked up Patty Steckelberg and went to the Earl May Seed Company 100 year celebration in Shenandoah, IA

Getting our pancakes and sausage in the outside tent.

Eating out of the rain inside headquarters building

Truck of the professional pancake maker

Rain had quit when we were done eating and looked
around the outside display of flowers, etc.

This is the prize for main drawing which we signed up for --
so suppose we will be picking it up after they draw our name.

Small flower flag

Patty got some asparagus from her garden for us.

Walked around the perimeter of the hospital after returning from Shenandoah.  May go to New Market, IA after bit for their BBQ and tractor parade.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Beer Drinking 101::

- Symptom: Feet cold and wet. Fault: Glass being held at incorrect angle. Action: Rotate glass so that open end points toward ceiling.

- Symptom: Feet warm and wet. Fault: Improper bladder control. Action: Stand next to the nearest dog and complain about house training.

- Symptom: Beer unusually pale and tasteless.  Fault: Glass Empty.  Action: Get someone to buy you another beer.

- Symptom: Opposite wall covered with fluorescent lights. Fault: You have fallen over backwards. Action: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

Symptom: Mouth contains cigarette butts. Fault: You have fallen forward. Action: See above.

- Symptom: Beer tasteless and the front end of your shirt is wet. Fault: Mouth not open or glass applied to the wrong face. Action: Retire to the restroom and practice in the mirror.

- Symptom: Floor blurred. Fault: You are looking through an empty glass. Action: Get someone to buy you another beer.

- Symptom: Floor moving. Fault: You are being carried out. Action: Find out if you are being taken to another bar.

- Symptom: Room seems unusually dark. Fault: Bar has closed. Action: Confirm home address with the bartender.

- Symptom: Taxi suddenly takes on colorful aspects and textures. Fault: Beer consumption has exceeded personal limitations. Action: Cover mouth.  

- Symptom: Everyone looks up to you and smiles. Fault: Your dancing on the table. Action: Fall on someone cushy-looking.

- Symptom: Beer is crystal clear. Fault: Someone is trying to sober you up. Action: Punch him.

- Symptom: Hands hurt, nose hurts, mind unusually clear. Fault: You have been in a fight. Action: Apologize to everyone you see, just in case it was them.

- Symptom: Don't recognize anyone, don't recognize the room you're in. Fault: You've wandered into the wrong party. Action: See if they have free beer.

- Symptom: Your singing sounds distorted. Fault: The beer is too weak. Action: Have more beer until your voice improves. 

- Symptom: Don't remember the words to the song. Fault: Beer is just right. Action: Play air guitar.

Well, 'nuff said - Lynn