By Elaine Rassel
I’m beginning this article with the sad news that last Sunday (Oct. 24) Judy Clausen’s house was totaled due to a fire. I’ve walked in their shoes and never wished this to happen to anyone else. Material things can be replaced but human lives cannot. Both Judy and Jill made it out of the burning house.
We were fortunate that Jerry Pallesen’s house across the street from our property was empty and we lived there until our present house arrived. The Clausen’s were given 3 days at the Guesthouse (hotel) free right after the fire. Thanks to whoever arranged this. Then there were others that also made the Guesthouse available to them for extra days. Thanks to all who arranged for them to have some place to live until their house is replaced or whatever they plan on doing.
Larry and Joellen Mullally (former owners of The Golden Pheasant in Remsen) have moved to Storm Lake to be closer to their daughter. Larry has health problems that his daughter described on Facebook. She asks that we keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
The two music concerts at MMCRU High School and MMCRU Middle School showed the talent these students have. It is too bad that 7&8 grades don’t have that many in choir. When they come to high school, not many will be coming to choir. Our music program needs to try and get more interested before we have none at all. I can see the frustration of the instructors, who are qualified to teach large groups, and end up with a small group.
Sunday’s paper told of an East High student (Sioux City) Michael Widjaja, age 17, who was selected to be a part of the Iowa High School Music Association’s All-State Music Festival. Then he was accepted to play as part of the All-National Honor Ensemble with the National Association for Music Education’s All-National Symphony Orchestra. He will be one of just six trumpet players from across the United States to have the honor of playing with the All-National Honor Ensemble during a virtual event that will take place Jan. 22-24, 2022. He was stunned that he had made it all the way to a national symphony orchestra. “It goes to show if you’re willing to work hard, you will be rewarded,” he said.
During the pandemic, he lost his job and had to stay home as many school students did. It was during this time that he practiced and practiced as he had the time. Well, all this paid off for him.
He started playing in the fifth grade on a well-used trumpet that had been played by other family members in past years. His family was one that encouraged music education. He was playing piano at age 4. He is thankful for the music teachers he had along the way. He is an Indonesian and says there is a stereotype of Asian kids as being insular (narrow mined) and not being sociable. He wants it known that he is very sociable and with the support of his family, he has been willing to work hard to achieve his musical dreams. “Talent is important. Being a kind human being and a compassionate member of society is even more important,” he states. (Encouragement from family, as well as school support, is important no matter what school you go to.)
Ila O’Brien is on her way back to her part-time home in Tennessee. Linda, Ila, and I got carry-outs from the Methodist Salad Bar Luncheon on Thursday and enjoyed the time of being together until next year.
The Mexican gray wolf is back in the news. Federal wildlife officials are proposing to change the way these wolves are managed in the American Southwest and saying removing population limits and setting goals for genetic diversity will help the endangered species recover.
Management of the wolves has had numerous legal challenges over the decades by ranchers and environmentalists. The Mexican gray wolf, the rarest subspecies of the gray wolf in North America has seen its population nearly double over the last five years. A survey shows at least 186 of them in New Mexico and Arizona. If the wolves travel beyond boundaries set by the government, they can be trapped and relocat3ed, returned to captivity or potentially killed.
Environmental groups are satisfied with boundaries but feel more should be done as limiting conflicts with livestock and releasing more captive packs into the wild. Ranchers in the mountainous regions of south-eastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico where the wolves roam have said livestock deaths due to wolves preying have escalated as the population grows. They can confirm 95 livestock deaths for the year. Even if ranchers put their cattle on private pastures, the wolves are still killing livestock. One rancher described a trail of blood that stretched 150 feet along a creek in which his cattle were attacked and their unborn calves eaten. Ranchers say that something has to be done about these wolves coming past their boundary and killing rancher’s stock. They don’t receive timely compensation for livestock lost to wolves.
Enough rain Monday evening caused mudslides that closed roads in the San Bernardino Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. They even had snow! The rain and snow were welcome in Northern California, which is so dry that nearly all of it is classified as either experiencing extreme or exceptional drought. While setting rainfall records, wildfires were doused.
Well, I received a letter stating that due to Medicare benefit changes and increasing health care expenses have made it necessary for us to adjust Medicare Supplement premiums. All Medicare Supplement policies within your state and with your type of plan will be affected by a premium change $349.53. Also, Prescription plan will be increasing. The people on Social Security are getting a 5% (or so) raise. This is where the additional money needed will be coming from. No, the plans on television good luck if you can find a doctor, hospital, eye doctor, hearing specialist, etc. that will take those plans. If seniors were making the money some of the others are now making, we wouldn’t have to worry about these extra costs rising.
There was an article about why jobs are available and no people to fill them. Reasons were: Some retired early from their job, some didn’t want to work where COVID was, some are caring for family members; some had problems with management as well as the rudeness of customers, women had to stay home to home school or babysit their child because no sitter was available, some were getting Unemployment checks because their place of employment stated they had to be vaccinated and they couldn’t, so they had to quit their job. However, there will be FREE money for those that can prove that they cannot work. So, when the Afganistans come to our area and get a job, are they really taking the job away from us?? Sioux City is have a number of them come to their city.
Take a look around at other communities. Most of their old schools were built close to the time Marcus school was. When it becomes too costly to band-aid, something has to be done. That is when a new school comes about. If people think they are going to go to a district that has low taxes, be prepared for a new school to put the taxes up to where other districts are. It is only a matter of time for districts to build a new school.
If you aren’t happy with the results of the election of city/school, and you didn’t vote then forever hold your peace.
As of this writing, I don’t know where the Veterans’ program is going to be. The Superintendent’s letter said, REMSEN and the Sioux City Journal said, MARCUS. I don’t know if there is going to be anything for the veterans before the program or after the program.
Keep in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost loved ones to death, are experiencing health problems, are struggling to make ends meet as expenses keep going up even though they are working, help people to realize that there are jobs out there; and work on closing the distance between friends and family. If you still have a roof over your head and a place to live, count your blessings.
I will leave you with this quote from Harry Truman (1884-1972) U.S. President: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”