I had a surprise last Saturday while after getting my hair done. Two days before, I was surprised when I went to celebrate Shirley Shea’s birthday at Heartland Care Center and found there were two other ladies also celebrating their birthdays! All three of them, Dorothy Clow (96), Margie Schiltz (90) and Shirley had been born on Sept. 1! I wasn’t ready for the surprises that happened on Saturday!
As I was waiting for my ride home, two gentlemen came in with Lila Galles into the shop. One of them was walking to the chair where I had thrown my jacket. I said, “Hand me my jacket and you can have the chair to sit in.” He picked up my jacket and helped me put it on! Then when Zachary came, as I went to the door, the other young man got up quickly and opened it up for me! I hadn’t had this kind of “gentlemen attention” since heaven only know when! They were a son and grandson of Lila’s and had an Illinois license plate on their vehicle. It’s too bad that some of our Iowa people couldn’t be as polite as these Illinois guys!
I found out that cousin Jeneen from Rocky Ford, Colorado was coming to Iowa for a visit. She arrived on Saturday to celebrate her Aunt Marlene (Vern) Jorgensen’s birthday.
Saturday Zachary, Steve and I went to Galva where Marlene’s son, Kevin had an open house for her birthday. Sharon Harswick and Linda Johnson from Wisconsin had come back for this party as well as Tammie Atchison and Karen Jorgensen from Sioux City. There were many others that had also come to Marlene’s party. On Sunday, Sharon, Linda, and Jeneen planned on going with Marlene and Kevin to the Spencer County Fair.
There was another event in our area that they would have enjoyed going to but their arrival in Iowa came a day too late—the Harvest Festival at Grand Meadow. We went by there to go to Galva on Saturday. There were people there! I don’t know if the rain we had on Friday spoiled the attendance for them on that day. We needed rain and I guess we can’t be choosy was to when it should come.
The MMCRU football boys lost their game to Akron-Westfield by 20-21. I would have thought that the rain didn’t help this game at all!
Saturday, coming home we went looking for Merlin Hunt’s grave as long as we were in that area. (Jeanette had his three children at her day care for many years.) The cemetery at Washta had many “Hunts” but none of them were who we were looking for. It was at the one in Quimby where a Merlin Hunt 1926-1957 is buried. This wasn’t the one (maybe it was his dad?) Finally we found the one we were looking for and not close to the other one at all.
With the rain came a cold spell, also. Saturday night it was 49 degrees—a far cry from what we have had for many days! We went to Le Mars to the Pizza Ranch for supper, taking Steve with us. It is getting so that each of you had better have $15 or more with you when you go to eat anywhere. I hadn’t gotten to the grocery store in time to get something for supper, or else we would have eaten at home! Even the “All you can eat Shrimp” is not the price of $16 any more but has another $5 tacked on to the price at the famous shrimp place in Sioux City—and don’t forget the % for a tip! Anymore, I can see where a couple going out for a night on the town had better have enough cash on them! Just eating somewhere could be the extent rather than going to a movie or any place else. (Maybe the time is coming when the couple will have to each pay for their own?!)
I was reading in Dear Abby where a guy was complaining about how his date was always getting the most expensive food item when they went out. She either didn’t eat it all and left it or didn’t eat much and took the rest home. According to him, she knew he didn’t have much money to eat out this way. Abby advised him to let her know “before” going out about his finances, or ask her to pay for her own food, or have coupons ready!, or not go out to eat at all. How long to you think this couple will be a “couple”?! if he takes these suggestions?
This past Thursday was the day that Queen Elizabeth from England passed away at the age of 96. Now her son, has been named King Charles III along with his wife, Camilla. After his former wife, Princess Diana found out about his seeing Camilla, he hadn’t been regarded as a best choice. However, this is where monarchy comes about and he was next in line to follow his mother. It has been said that the Queen told Camilla in February of 2022 that it was her sincere wish that Camilla should be known as Queen Consort after her son succeeded her. Queen Elizabeth has had enough stress lately with Grandson Harry and his wife, Meghan. It would appear that she wears the pants in that family or else Harry wouldn’t be going along with all she is doing.
As it is getting closer to November, there seem to be more problems with candidates. Feenstra and his challenger, Melton are not going to appear at a Sept. 12 forum at the Clay County Fair in Spencer. Melton says his challenger “backed out” as an example of not willing to appear at an open forum”. Feenstra’s campaign disputed Melton’s assertion that Feenstra was avoiding public events and that he is attending two joint forums in the coming weeks. And, the reasons go on and on. Events leading up to November’s election have been “anything to get your vote”.
A woman in Sioux City was followed by a car that blocked her path on an access road in the 200 block of Nebraska Street. Once the car was stopped, Joy Scott (40) and Miracle Walls (24) opened her car door and assaulted her. The woman had called her brother before she was stopped who arrived on the scene and tried to break up what as happening. Another, Aaron Word (18) was in the car with Scott and Walls and is charged with shooting the woman’s brother on the back and once in the chest. Word is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 13 on charges of attempted murder, willful injury, intimidation with a weapon, going armed with intent and trafficking in stolen firearms. Walls was placed on probation in May after pleading guilty to third-degree burglary. And—Scott pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary but the judge gave her a deferred judgment and sentenced her to two years’ probation. But, she still must pay restitution of $506 to the Iowa Crime Victims Assistance Program.
So, even though Scott helped Walls assault the woman they had stopped, Scott was given probation. Something just doesn’t seem right about this situation. Did they know the woman in the car they stopped? I’m glad I don’t live where all this is going on.
As if there weren’t enough problems with the drought we have had as well as more than “hot” days, now farmers who raise turkeys and chickens have to be on the alert for the bird flu that is supposed to be caused by droppings of wild birds in the early stages of their annual fall migration. Wild birds are believed to be primary carriers of the version of “avian flu”. Even people who have just a few backyard chickens should be on the alert.
Not any turkey or chicken farmer wants what happened in 2015 that resulted in the destruction of more than 31.5 million chickens and turkeys in Iowa and resulted to a $1.2 billion hit to the state’s economy. New cases have been found at poultry farms in Minnesota and Ohio and backyard flocks in Wisconsin and Indiana.
In 2015 there were 77 sites hit by avian flu and this spring, there were only 19 sites affected. Lessons learned have helped with the reduction as to keeping watch on their flocks and trying to safeguard them. Being alert to changes in your flocks, could save them from experiencing the 2015 problem again.
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost loved ones to death, have had their lives changed, are experiencing health problems, some of which are terminal, are trying to make ends meet even though they have a job, encourage those to find a job, and be with those who are still struggling to close the distance between friends/family with a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings.
I will close with this quote from Thomas Edison (1847-1931) American inventor: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”