Meet Burr Morse from Vermont

82º with heavy rain in La Feria, TX -- 85º with sunshine here in Clarinda, IA at 3:45 pm on Friday afternoon.  Nice listening to the non-noise of neither the furnace or Air Conditioner here today.

We have visited Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks near Montpelier, Vermont twice over the years.  Really enjoyed visiting with the owner, Burr Morse, and have gotten his e-mails which are both musings and sales pitch for their products.  Here is the one I received today:

News From Vermont #434 Whatchu Doing Standing Over There?

April 30, 2021  The expression "each to his own" never gets more real than when the "cup-half-full" folks get together with the "cup-half-empty" folks for a little note comparin'. I, personally, have struggled with a "cup-half-empty" attitude my whole life thus far. Although I have always hoped my so inclined mind would mutate toward the better side, the other day it got even more so, quite literally.  I had a little time to kill that day over in West Lebanon, NH and decided to walk a short distance to a big name coffee place to see if, indeed, their coffee is all it's cracked up to be...forgot the place's name but it had something to do with a celestial body and a dollar bill. Now admittedly, I walked in with an "attitude" (I love my coffee but basically believe it all comes from the same tank). Right off the bat, I did something stupid. There were little circles on the floor indicating where folks should stand and the first one I saw said "pickup order". Following in my dyslexic mind, I focused on the "order" part and waited there. Ten minutes of waiting brought both the feeling that I was in the wrong place and that the counter workers had developed an "attitude" to match my own! I then sheepishly strolled over to another spot where I could read the offerings and prices...voila, I had found the ordering place at last! Knowing zilch about lattes, macchiatos and Frappuccino's, I made up my mind, for some reason, to go with an espresso, small. The girl taking orders, who had the personality of an undernourished coffee bean, looked up and rolled her eyes. In a weak voice, I squeaked "expresso, small". She gave me that "are you kidding?" look, took my three dollars, and pointed me back to my "pickup order" spot.  Another girl who acted like I was a mere interruption appeared and plunked a seemingly empty cup in front of me. I stood for a moment in an un-caffeinated fog thinking "what the...?". When I finally removed the cap and peered in at about three eyedroppers full of dark liquid, it hit me...this was indeed their version of an "expresso, small"!  It took me a lukewarm minute to polish off those few drops of very muddy coffee as I walked back to my car, lamenting my three dollars gone forever. But maybe it was money well-spent as I also learned some valuable lessons: 1) coffee is one of the best tastes in the world so no add-ons or embellishments are ever necessary; 2) Burr Morse will never be a "coffee snob"; and 3) whether literally or philosophically, please fill up the damned cup!     Here is Burr in pics  from different e-mails of his, a kindly old fella. P.S. Hello to all you maple fans out there! Jake here (Mail Order Manager) just wanting to wish everyone a Happy Spring! What a great time it is here as we are just wrapping up our sugaring season and more then ready for some warmer weather! I just wanted to put it out there that after a lot of discussions and meetings we have decided that we will need to raise our syrup prices:( I know, I know...it's not an easy or fun thing to do but the time has come. BUT before we do that, we want you to be able to order whatever you may need before that kicks in! So feel free to check out our website or call (which is what I always recommend as it's just nicer to be able to talk a real person) and get it at it's current prices while you can!  Here is their Website: Click HERE

Old photos

 80º in La Feria, TX and 59º here in Clarinda, IA at 9:40 am Thursday.

Am going to show some old photos:

Think this was taken

at Uncle Jack's place

near Gothenburg, Nebraska

in 1961 or 1962

This was at Aunt Alma's place in Wolsey, South Dakota in fall of 1962

At my grade school, Lower Lodi,  near

Oconto, Nebraska probably in early

1950's.  My only classmate, Carolyn Downin, is deceased as well as Ann & Robert Vollenweider and Bobbie West.

I believe this was taken at brother Don's place in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1968.  Was brother Darrell's graduation from the University of Nebraska.

These next series of photos were

taken at the farm where I grew up

between Oconto and Callaway, Nebraska -- probably around 1974

Dad feeding his Herefords

It seems like Dad said to me 
something like "If you weren't hanging
on to that camera you could help me"

Dad in the living room of our house where I grew up.

Dad at the "oil shed"

The sileage wagon.  I helped Dad

feed sileage in the morning

and hay after school when

I was home, before

heading to college.

A "just born" calf.

Dad feeding hay with the Farmhand Loader on the 60 John Deere.

More another time, Lynn

Thinking back

 53º with overcast skies here in Clarinda, IA at 10:00 am.

Since I am 28,447 days old today, (77 years, 10.5 months)  I have been thinking about things in the past.

56 years ago last week we had our first son born in Omaha, NE.  About 53 years and 4 months ago our daughter was born in Salt Lake City, UT.  About 60 years ago I graduated from High School in Callaway, NE and started business school in Omaha where I met Phyllis.  About 58.5 years ago I started working in the Union Pacific Headquarters Offices in Omaha, NE.  A little over 58 years ago I married Phyllis Cabbage from Clarinda, Iowa in Schambaugh, Iowa.  Almost 54 years ago we moved from Millard, NE (now part of Omaha) to Salt Lake City, Utah when I took job as Personal Injury Claim Adjuster with Union Pacific RR.  51 years and 4 months ago we moved to Overland Park, KS when I took the job as Personal Injury Claim Agent in the Kansas City, Kansas, office.  50 years and about 8 months ago I left employment with Union Pacific and we moved to Clarinda, IA when I took job as Assistant Accountant in the office of HyGrade Foods.  About 48 years ago we bought 12 acres including farm house and farm buildings 4 miles west of Clarinda where we lived until almost 11 years ago when we moved to our present location on the southwest edge of Clarinda.  49 years and 4 months ago I started working at Clarinda Elevator and about 46.5 years ago I took over management at the grain Elevator - Coin Grain Corp - in Coin, IA.  About 36.5 years ago we took on additional job of sign making at our home.  A little over 26 years ago we sold Coin Grain elevator and about 12 years and 5 months ago we sold our Miles Sign Company.  At that time we bought a Travel Trailer and started spending as much time as possible seeing the USA.

A little over 43 years ago my Dad died where I and brother Darrell performed CPR when he had a heart attack, on the farm near Callaway, NE.  34 years and 4 months ago Mom died in the hospital in Callaway, NE following a heart attack.  13 years ago next month my sister, Louise, died of a heart attack following years of complications with diabetes.  84 years ago last month my oldest brother, Roger, was born.  82 years ago next month my next oldest brother Don was born.  About 75.5 years ago my younger brother, Darrell, was born.  Some 71 years and 3 months ago my sister, Louise, was born.

A little over 74 years ago Dad & Mom moved us from a farm a few miles south of Callaway, NE to a farm some 8 miles southeast of  Callaway and 7 miles northwest of Oconto, NE.  I went to school in a rural schoolhouse about 2 miles from us at Lower Lodi School until graduated 8th grade in 1957 and then went to the big city of Callaway (about 600 to 700 people) for high school, graduating in 1961.  Mom & Dad remained on that farm until 1978 when he passed away.

12 years and 4 months ago we retired after selling our Sign Business we had operated at our place west of Clarinda.  We started going south to Texas with a Travel Trailer at that time and a little over 10 years ago we bought the mobile home we now spend our winters in, in the town of La Feria, Texas -- adjacent to Harlingen, Texas.

Wonder what will happen in the future and what trips we may take.

Lynn

Checkin' in

 89º in La Feria, TX, but 67º here in Clarinda, IA at 5:00 pm Tuesday.

Made a trip to Omaha yesterday for a doctor appointment and do some shopping.  I also took my trike to a dealer there to have shifter and cable to front derailleur replaced.  Ate lunch at Don & Millie's and on way out of town got a bite at Panda Express in Council Bluffs, IA.

Did get a new photo from brother Roger's

Grandson Steve's family

Not much going on

Later, Lynn

Visiting with the Neher's

 90º in La Feria, TX -- but 65º here in Clarinda, IA at 2:00 pm on Sunday.

With construction work going on at the hospital across the street, they are running out of parking places; so, cars parked on the street, sometimes in front of our place and to the east.

For the 38 years we lived in the country west of Clarinda, Jim & Evelyn Whipple were our neighbors across the highway and to the west.  We moved to our place in town in 2010 and in about 2018 they moved to a house a stone's through from us across highway 2 here in town.

Last Thursday was their 70th wedding anniversary and they had an open house for people.  Evelyn has had some light strokes over the years and is unable to talk clearly.  Jim is deaf as a board -- so it is interesting visiting with them.  Lady in the center of photo at left is their daughter Linda.  In photo above their son Jim is at far right.

This is from 2014 of Jim & Evelyn

I failed to put this picture taken at Mary Jo Herzberg's place the last Sunday when we stopped for Pizza and a visit in Villisca, IA.

A few more pictures from last weekend in Marengo that I didn't post earlier.

Yesterday Patty Steckelberg came over and went with us down to Maryville, MO to eat at Pizza Ranch with Harold & LaRhoda Neher and their daughter Tammie and her husband Pat.  After eating we went east to Mozingo Lake where they had rented a cabin for the weekend.  With the weather being kinda warm we played Pegs & Jokers on their deck.

With a bit of a north breeze, we put up a tarp to keep the wind off us.  The west sun kept us warm as we played three games, though.

As we were leaving.

More another time.  Lynn