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“We don’t know them all but we owe them all!” A great saying this Veterans Day as this is being written. I swell with pride thinking of our brave veterans who were willing to serve this great country and keep it safe and free. I think of this every time I go to vote, attend the church of my choice, give a salute to the American flag as the anthem is being played, live where I chose, do the jobs I chose to do and not be afraid of being arrested for supporting my country. I was raised to give honor to this America and the veterans and activ...
As I write this, it’s Election Day tomorrow! People have either gone to the polls to vote early, filled out and mailed them in, or will head to the polling places tomorrow. This election time has been a whirlwind. A time of conflicts, a bunch of promising proposals, name calling back and forth, a trying time for sure. When this newspaper edition comes out, the election will be all over, or will it? Will the ballots all be counted? Will there be some last minute findings to question the findings? Will there be riots not accepting the outcome? Wi...
Happy Fall-idays! The feeling of fall is all around us. As I write this, there are the sounds of combines busy in the neighboring field harvesting corn. My supposed-to-be-retired farmer husband has been busy the last few days helping his son by planting wheat in the just harvested soybean fields. Though I haven’t seen or heard any geese flying south yet, it soon will be happening. The once green grasslands are now showing dreary brown and tan tones. Down in the Limestone Creek, the tree leaves are changing from green to yellow, browns and g...
If you were around as a child when the first television shows came on air, you probably quickly became a regular viewer of “The Howdy Doody Show.” I did not get to watch this show when it came on in 1947. It wasn’t until my parents purchased their first television set in the early 1950s that I began watching it. It captured my interest as it was of a western cowboy and cowgirl’s presentation. The show’s emcee was Bob Smith but his show name was appropriately Buffalo Bob. He was dressed in cowboy fashion. The star of the show was a puppet na...
Apple picking season is upon us. One never knows for sure if their apple trees are going to produce or not. Sometimes there comes a frost upon the apple blooms and this can mean there will be a no or low yield. This year, there is a bountiful yield of tasty apples. Some apples are made into delicious treats such as jellies, applesauce, apple cobblers, apple cakes, apple breads, apple muffins, apple salads, cider and, of course, the all American dessert — the Apple Pie. Simple things like a baked apple, a candied apple or a juicy caramel c...
It’s time for a Pumpkin Palooza! Pumpkins are everywhere and ready for either decorating, carving or eating. They are grown in colors such as light green, white, blue and of course the usual orange. This time of the year, the pumpkins are seen everywhere including on porches, in yards, on sidewalks and in the house displayed on tables and shelves. They are on display in stores, on trailers and in front of specialty shops, all offering the pumpkins of all shapes and sizes for sale. Speaking of sizes, the record for the largest pumpkin was set a...
Remember when window shopping was enjoyed? In my youth, most stores had large tall windows on both sides of the entrance. The large windows had platforms behind them so the store could display their products eye level to people passing by. The object of the window displays was to draw the people’s attention and hopefully have them stop to look things over. Thus potential customers were drawn to look and admire the store’s latest offerings, which would hopefully draw them inside the store to make a purchase. At night, lights were turned on so...
There are two historical and unique houses currently for sale in my hometown, Burr Oak. These two houses have changed hands through the years but thankfully the owners respected the origins of the house and chose to keep most of the house the way it looked when it was built about 115 years ago. Being historical, and with me being interested in history, I grew up admiring these houses. When I chose to write a history book about my hometown, Burr Oak The Roots Run Deep, I hoped to bring the history of the many large houses, along with the...
The calendar says it’s time for the summer season to change and we are to “fall” into the next season. It’s a beautiful and colorful season but it also is a busy one. The mum flowers are popping out their brilliant colorful blooms and the trees are beginning to show signs of changing the colors of their leaves. Farmers are as busy as the squirrels trying to prepare for the coming winter months. The combines are busy picking corn and soon it will be time for the harvesting of soybeans and milo. The last cuttings of alfalfa and feed are being b...
My hubby and I may not own a cabin or a summer home, but we do have a “home away from home,” our camper trailer. It takes us wherever we like to go. It can be be parked near a lake to provide a wonderful lake side view. It may take us on a journey to visit relatives or friends that live miles away, it may take us on a winter trip to an RV park in a warmer climate, or it may be stationed at a farmstead where yard and pasture work needs to be done for more than one day. All is done in the comforts of our “home away from home.” where we have ou...
High school freshmen have a lot less to beware of starting their school year than the freshmen did years back. Back in the day there were sneaky seniors who couldn’t wait for high school freshmen initiation to arrive at the start of a new school year. That was just the thing to do back then when the freshmen class got plenty of attention. It was considered as sort of a “right of passage” by all of the high school students. After all, the sophomores, juniors and even the seniors had to go through the dreaded Initiation Day, and all knew once...
Looks like the “Dog Days of Summer” are extending. Reports say officially the Dog Days begin the last of July and continue on into August. This saying was originated years ago and has to do with the Romans and Greeks, noting a certain star alignment. All I know is as far as many are concerned, August has always been noted as a month to deal with concerning hot temperatures. Lately it hasn’t been a good last couple of months for farmers and ranchers in the area. Temperatures have been easily and regularly reaching up into the 100s or the high...
Most earnest seamstress women and those that do the necessary stitch work probably have a fabricated tomato pincushion included in their sewing basket. As I again take out my tomato pincushion where all my stick pins and needles stick out making for an easy find, memories of these pincushions comes to mind. I received my tomato pincushion 60 years ago when my mother and I were gathering all my required items needed to take home economics class in high school and learn to sew. Though I never fully understood the importance of this unusual...
It’s Olympic time! I enjoy watching the trained and dedicated athletes from all over the world come together to complete for medals. Most of the athletes begin their training at an early age. It makes me think of what we had as youth that would have aided us in our athletic training years ago. As a child, our playground equipment was made out of metal and wood. We had what was called a “merry-go-round.” It had a round metal platform where we’d stand and hang on to metal pipe like handles. When we’d climb on and get in position to take a ride, s...
Having attended the annual Jewell County Threshing Bee and Antique Tractor Show last weekend and seeing the demonstrations of the way things were done years ago, made me realize again how much time and labor went into work that was done back then. Some of the things noticed were the way rope was made mostly by hand, and the labor it took to place the logs just right on the saw mill so the blade could cut them. There was a blacksmith that worked hard forging the metal into needed tools and in mending wagon wheels. Grinding of wheat was mostly do...
It was almost 150 years ago that our earliest pioneers faced one of the worst years on their prairie farms when swarms of grasshoppers invaded the land devouring everything in sight. It was at the end of July 1874. For the previous two years there had been good wheat crops and 1874 was no exception. The wheat had just been harvested and the corn fields were promising a good crop. A Jewell County settler, Joel Green, who had a farm west of Burr Oak, on July 21 began to notice swarms of grasshoppers arriving in his fields. Two days later, he...
The word adventurous means to take a risk, or try new methods and ideas. Have you ever asked yourself what have you done that you considered being the most adventurous? For some it may be be taking a zip line ride, sky diving or mountain climbing but for others it may not be taking those kind of risky adventures. When I think of my most adventurous times, they may be simple but to me they are just as important as the high risk takers. It may be the times standing in from of a group of people and singing a solo or standing in front of judges...
Here’s wishing you had a Happy July! It’s always been a favorite month of mine but maybe one reason for that is my birthday falls in July, though I must say I don’t look forward tomy birthday as much as I did years ago. Thoughts of July that come to mind are making homemade ice cream for friends, relatives and family who come for a Sunday afternoon visit; watching the fireworks as they are sent up into the air,bursting and flowing everywhere; trips to the swimming pool the fun of running through the yard sprinkler on a hot day; taking the t...
Happy 248th Birthday, America! Lately it seems this “sweet land of liberty” has become more chaotic than patriotic. America is still considered to be the best country in the world and the best place to live and raise a family, but we all need to work to make it remain that way. After all “Freedom Isn’t Free.” Thinking back to when the first American Patriots decided that they didn’t want to live under the rules of England and its king, they began to rebel and stood up for what they believed. Those patriots were few in number and were willin...
The country roads are busy as wheat harvest is underway. Like all harvests, the farmers are anxiously getting to reap their rewards for all their efforts and costs of planting their crops. Though wheat harvest isn't like it used to be, it still is an exciting time. With the larger combines, semi trucks and tractor-pulled grain carts, harvesting moves much faster these days. There isn't as much wheat planted as there used to be. The crops most planted in recent years are corn and soybeans....
Looking back on my teen years during the mid 60s, we did some pretty unusual things but also there were some pretty neat things that were done also. Being a teen in those years was unforgettable and I must admit we were pretty sheltered. With the introduction of Rock and Roll music in the late 50s and early 60s, it was the rage to keep up with the latest in music and dance. Elvis, the Beatles, Dave Clark, Petunia Clark, the Supremes were some of the top singers and teens rushed to purchase their 45s and albums. It seemed like every week there...
Some people have favorite trees. My husband likes the native Cottonwood tree since it reminds him of his childhood, as his family lived by the Solomon River where the Cottonwood trees grew in abundance. He enjoyed hearing the sounds of their rustling leaves. For myself, my favorite tree is the native Catalpa tree. It was about four years ago that my husband and I planted a Catalpa tree in our front yard. It has grown a lot since it was planted. Now it provides shade from the morning sun through the front windows of our house. Some may wonder...
Flowers are growing and blooming more this spring than in years past. My favorite, the peonies, out did themselves and now the irises are showing off. Irises have been in North America since the 1600s. They were brought from Europe by early settlers. These lovely flowers can be found not only in North America and Europe, but also in the Middle East, Northern Africa and Asia. History tells us the ancient Egyptians placed an iris flower on the brow of the Sphinx as a symbol of bravery and wisdom. Where did the name “Iris” originate? Reports say...
Recently a hard decision was made at the Schlaefli farm. With our farm pickup getting age and some mileage on it, we decided to trade it for a newer one. For us, as with most farmers and their families, the farm pickup becomes part of the family and makes it hard to part with it. Thinking back over the years we had our farm pickup, we relied on it so many times. It was dependable and came through for us. Whatever the duty we gave our pickup, it was up for the task. Our pickup wasn’t given a nickname as we had done in the past with our other pic...
It was a wet, showery Monday morning and it was enjoyed. After getting flowers, veggies and grass planted last week, the rains were welcomed. Maybe the old saying “April Showers brings May Flowers” should be changed this year to “May Showers bring May Flowers.” I recalled rains received while a youngster on my folk’s farm. Those rains would often fill the ponds, ditches, draws and creeks. I couldn’t wait until the rains stopped and the sun came out as it meant fun times running down into the home pasture, shedding my shoes and wading into...
