Last Saturday I was a passenger in a vehicle that went by Hobby Lobby two times and didn’t have time to stop so I could buy some more quilt material for 40% off. I told them that the sale wouldn’t be there the next week but to no avail. On Tuesday of this past week, I went along to Sioux City to pick up some food for the Food Pantry at Siouxland Food Bank. This time I convinced him to go to Hobby Lobby first. When I got there I discovered that the sale was OFF. Now I had to pay original price. Besides this I had to content with a cart that had one wheel that didn’t want to move all the time!
As if this wasn’t enough, the candle section must have been close by as my eyes were watering. It seemed all I was doing was taking a tissue to them. There were three women talking by some material that I thought I knew two of them, but with the “tears” couldn’t be sure. One of them passed by me and smiled. I sure thought she was Jeanette Prunty. There was another one that looked like Karla P. That night I called Jeanette—and sure enough, it was her! I apologized for acting like I was ignoring her. Afterwards Zachary said it was Karla’s vehicle that was there.
I like to look and feel the material when I go to this department. When I returned, I was told that I had spent 2 hours there. I informed him that it was more like just over an hour and thanks to him on Saturday, I now had to pay full price for what would have been 40% off then. That kept him quiet!
Jan and Ron Brown took the bus that went to the Buffalo Roundup in South Dakota the weekend before. She said there were approximately 40,000 people there. I asked her if she had gotten up to the fence like I had. She hadn’t. I had stood there since 6 a.m. waiting for the buffalo that didn’t come until after 11:30 a.m. It was cold but I was prepared. What I wasn’t prepared for was when the buffalo broke away from the horses and riders doing the rounding up. The first bunch broke the corral fence and the rest were heading for the side fence where I was standing. It seemed like they were about to hit the fence when a horse and rider got between the rushing herd and headed them toward where the others had broken the corral fence. Wow! What a relief!
Have you ever experienced a “bull in a china shop”? That is what happened Wednesday when some mattresses were put in place. Zachary and Bethany were bringing the box spring from upstairs down to the first floor. They were using the “servants’ stairway” that the kitchen help used to use in this house. It has 8 steps, a platform, and another direction of 8 steps. I opened up the door across the way from the last 8 steps. Bethany shut it as it wasn’t necessary to have the article go straight across. Eventually it had to be opened as they couldn’t make the sharp turn. (Of course, I didn’t know anything about moving!)
When the mattress came upstairs, they used the other stairway. Now, it was easier to just toss anything in their way into another room. If I thought the computer room was a disaster, the whole area around it is now. I’m not kidding when I say it was like a bull in a china shop. What took them a few minutes to move, will take me quite a while to put back to where it was in the first place.
I have been telling where my oven died at last. I was surprised on Friday night to find a new one waiting to be installed! I left a note that there had better be an electrician around when they put it in as neither one of them knew how. Oh, they had taken the old one out, so they knew how to put the new one in. Saturday night I came downstairs to find the two of them sitting on chairs in front of the installed oven and looking over some instructions. It wasn’t what the instructions were for, but how to use a phone with this oven. That is when I said that I was not going to bake if I had to have a phone to do so. They laughed and said it wasn’t that at all. However, Zachary did say he could tell the temperature of the oven when he was in the basement. Hopefully I really don’t have to get instructions on how to bake using this oven!
We went to Verdetta Peterson’s funeral on Saturday. Her family filled up most of one side of the church. She had just celebrated her 96th birthday. A few years ago I bought a piece of pie at the Methodist Food stand at the Marcus Fair. It was pineapple and was delicious. I put in my column that I had no idea who made it. A few days later the phone rang and Verdetta said she didn’t want me to wonder who had made it as it was she who had! Many times after that, she would call and say that she had made some pies and would I like a pineapple one. Yes! Her crust was flaky and was made with lard. That made the difference! May her memories comfort her family at this time as well as to those whose lives she touched. May she rest in peace until we meet again.
I am putting articles in this week’s paper (if there is room) about the drug Fentanyl and also some of the new challenges that Social Media has endorsed to the teens and tweens. Some of them don’t even make sense. Why would you take a non-cooked chicken and put NyQuil all over it, then cook it, and finally eat pieces of it? Kids are doing this to keep up with their peers. It is sad that kids have to do challenging things to keep up with their peers. Where have the days gone to where it really didn’t make a difference about competing with someone?
I see where Tyson is closing their office in Dakota Dunes and sending this as well as an office in Chicago to Springdale, Arkansas. There are about 1,000 corporate staff in the Dunes and Chicago area that would be moving. What has Arkansas got to offer that was worth closing our area office? People have the chance to go along with the move or those that choose to stay will be eligible for severance, with packages determined on an individual basis. The relocations will begin in early 2023. Jobs are available but if it isn’t what they were used to, will they take a new job? Someone said that a minister from Sioux Falls (in his Sunday morning message) said that South Dakota was welcoming 10,000 immigrants. Are there enough jobs in that state for this many people? Is there going to be housing available as well as schools? New York is experiencing this as well as D.C. when Texas sent thousands of immigrants to these two places. Texas said they were tired of Washington not doing anything about securing the border and leaving Texas with the end result.
We had our first freeze on Thursday night. I still kept my plants covered over Saturday when it seemed to warm up somewhat.
Owen Alesch, a senior suited up to play for the Royal’s football team for the last time when MMCRU played South O’Brien for MMCRU’s homecoming game on Sept. 23. Owen couldn’t play because of some concussions he had in the past. Coach Oswald talked with O’Brien’s coach and asked if Owen could suit up, get the start and play a down at wide receiver. No one would throw to Alesch and O’Brien’s coach promised that Alesch wouldn’t get hit. Because of these two coaches working together for this favor for Alesch, #80 jersey was put on and his name was on the loudspeaker. Owen was named team captain because of his dedication and loyalty to his team. Owen is on Cross Country and when not on this, he came to every football practice. Adam Dublinske for Cherokee Chronicle Times wrote a nice article on this last time play for Owen.
Talking about sports, did you see the article written on bad behavior by coaches, parents, and fans? This yelling, harassment, disrespect and sometime physical assault is directed at high school referees, umpires, and other officials during and after games. But it doesn’t sometimes stop there—it goes on to social media.
This behavior is unacceptable and embarrassing and is having serious consequences on the future of high school sports.
There are some states that are experiencing a critical shortage of high school officials because of the behavior of coaches, parents, and fans. 55% of officials say that the reason they quit is because of the abuse from coaches, parents, and fans. 59% don’t feel respected. 57% think sportsmanship is getting worse and 84% feel officials are treated unfairly by spectators. There are 46% that feel unsafe or feared for their safety due to spectator, coach, administrator, or player behavior.
Officials are leaving the profession faster than new ones can enter. What are the consequences if this continues? Games and competitions may be canceled due to lack of officials.
Is there a solution to this problem? Everyone involved in high school sports, and that includes the media, should focus on supporting the student-athletes playing the games and away from criticizing the individuals officiating the contests. You don’t have to join in on the harassment just because the people next to you are. Instead encourage them to remain respectful. With no high school officials, there can be no high school sports. You can be a positive role model at your high school’s athletic events.
Did you see in the Sunday, Oct. 9, Sioux City Journal (Section A—Opinion page) the article written by Tom Dorr on CO2 pipelines produce many economic benefits? Information on Tom: He is a former undersecretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, former president & CEO of the U.S. Grains Council, and a Northwest Iowa landowner and (was a former resident of Marcus.)
Keep Kent Carlson in your prayers. Send a card and let him know you are thinking about him. His address is: Sanford Hospital Kent Carlson 1301 W. 18th Room 5258 Sioux Falls, SD 57105 He is not taking visitors and not answering the phone at this time.
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost loved ones to death, have had their lives changed, are experiencing health problems with some being terminal, are trying to make ends meet even though they have a job, encourage those jobless to find a job, and be with those who are still trying to shorten up the distance between friends/family by building a bridge instead of a wall.
I will leave you with this quote from Milton Berle (1904-2002) American comedian: “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”