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