IDEAL BAKERY & THOSE CREAM PUFFS!

       This past week someone posted on Facebook a video recipe for making homemade vanilla cream puffs! It took me immediately back to the Ideal Bakery on the south side of  West Main near the Tremont complex  in Marshalltown, Iowa back in the 1950's. 

        While in Marshalltown, for whatever reason and usually the last thing before returning home, my mother would make a quick stop at Ideal Bakery the best bakery in six counties around! No matter what she purchased, I knew I was in for a real treat. Especially, if she brought home a few "cream puffs"-chocolate or vanilla!

       You would think a kid would be partial to chocolate right? Not me. I really was fond of the vanilla ones. Back then, they weren't some little winky light weight puffs. No sir! They were bigger than your fist and you better be prepared when you took that first bite. That vanilla pudding would just keep coming. Oh my!

        

SAVOR THE MOMENT!

         Yesterday, Friday the 24th of March, was a very warm and Spring like day. Most people coming out of the Burg Grocery would comment on the beautiful day and then finalize by saying that it would be getting colder or rain was in the forecast! 

        We need to learn how to just concentrate and savor the moment of a beautiful day. No different than if we were standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon. All it takes really is seconds to take that "snapshot" in our mind and store that moment forever! The same goes for that first Spring rain! Think of the positive even if a chilly day lies ahead like that pot of simmering "chili!"

GIMME THOSE FROZEN STRAWBERRIES!

     Before you start jumping all over me about eating good, wholesome, fresh fruit, listen to my reasoning. It all started, of course, when I was a kid. There was a time way back in the Dark Ages, when you couldn't buy fresh fruit in the winter. 

        My mother would occasionally buy frozen strawberries during the off season. I always loved all that sweet juice and those really cold strawberries poured over shortcake! Yes, I do like in season fresh strawberries and I even like them better when I put a little sugar on them and let them "ferment" in the refrigerator for a spell! 

DORIS & DENNIS DO DIXIE COMING SOON!

BRANDON'S JOKE OF THE WEEK

        Three guys come in to Shrink's office for evaluation. The doctor asks the first guy what 3x3 is ? The reply was 264. The second guy was asked the same question and the answer was Tuesday. The third patient was asked the question of 3x3 and his answer was 9. How did you arrive at that answer asked the Shrink? It was obvious replied the third guy. 264 plus Tuesday=9! 

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

       Yesterday at the Burg Grocery something highly unusual happened. Two customers, one right behind the other, at the checkout had identical dollar and to the penny amounts. Yes, that is what I said. They had different grocery items and yet had the same dollar amount of $28.95!

       I saw this happen many years ago at the Hy-Yee store in Marshalltown, Iowa. There the two customers were at the two check outs side by side, but, had identical amounts within seconds of one another. Once in a Blue Moon, maybe!

MY CLOSE ENCOUNTER W/ FAME!

     It was around fifteen years ago, give or take, I found myself and my companion at the New Orleans airport at mid morning. We had attended the New Orleans Jazz Festival and were headed back home. 

       Unfortunately, we had  miscalculated our flight schedule, and should have been back to Chicago by this time in the morning. But, on a positive note, while awaiting to negotiate a new way home with an airline employee, a very pleasant surprise was just ahead of us.

       Just in front of us stood a very "pretty" young lady dressed simply in just a T shirt and blue jeans. When the airline addressed this young beauty with no entourage around, as Miss "BERRY," I knew immediately that it was none other than the movie star Halle Berry! I was speechless! Yes, that's what I said-speechless! 

        I am sure that she was probably there for the Jazz Festival in some capacity. What was cool was to be standing within 1 or 2 feet  of a celebrity of her stature! It was one of those encounters that one never forgets. Lucky me! 

          

THE RUSSIANS COULD NOT FIND ME!

        I have written about all my favorite places on the farm where I grew up to play and that were "hideouts." I had all kinds of places that could be designated as hideouts--the cave, hay lofts in our barn, the area above our detached garage, the "ditch" near the northwest corner of the farm and my top secret hideout.

       This hide-out could have never been found and not even by the Russians our big enemy back in the 1950's. The quarter mile south was  where the road that went by our house met the road that went west one mile to highway 14. About 50-100 yards from that corner was a square concrete culvert that ran under that road from one side to the other. With water running through it on occasion and dropping down a few feet into a creek, it was like a small waterfall. 

        Maybe you have been a little disappointed in my hide-out, but, it was mine and mine only. Believe me, they never could have found me, not even those bad Ruskies!  

ANOTHER GREAT DAY W/ FRIEND JERRY

       Saturday I drove to Urbandale and met up with my friend and old Laurel classmate for an afternoon get together. We had lunch at the Water Front in West Des Moines and we both agreed that through the years of dining there, we have never had a bad meal. Today was no exception.

       We both had a delicious seafood chowder, while I chose a pan -fried trout and Jerry had a sea-food taco! I know it was St. Patrick's week-end, but, this place was filled with patrons at 11;30 AM. It's nice to know that one of your favorite restaurants is still a success after its original opening in 1984.

         After doing a little site-seeing of newer homes in the outlying suburban neighborhoods, we settled in to watch the Drake-Kansas State NCAA women's basketball game. Then after the game was over we went up to the nearest Tasty Taco location and had my favorite food item that I dearly miss from not living in Des Moines. 

       On the way home to Williamsburg and to put the icing on the cake, I stopped off at the Kellogg exit and had a couple of scoops of the best hard ice-cream at the "Best Burger in Iowa Cafe!"  What a great day! 

WHY DO WE TALK TO BABY'S---!

     A young lady with her new baby came into Burg Grocery this past week and was immediately the big hit. One female employee, after the new mother had left, asked me why do we talk to babies in the way we do. Other words, we bend down and start talking in this "baby voice" and do all this "gitchee gitchee goo" stuff! Why oh why!

       Along those same lines, when talking to an elderly person, we start talking louder and slower, making the assumption that the Senior is possibly hard of hearing. Same goes for talking to someone we think is a foreigner. Again, we talk slower and louder like that might help them to understand better!

HE NEVER HEARD OF COKE FLOAT!

        Don't get me wrong, I love, on occasion, a root beer float. And, especially remembering those "frosty" mugs of root beer at the A & W on north 3rd Avenue in Marshalltown, Iowa back in the late 50's and early 60's.

       While helping out a customer at the Burg Grocery this past week, he had purchased a two liter bottle of Cola and some vanilla ice-cream. I asked him if he was going to make a "Coke Float?" He had never heard of such a thing. I mentioned that years ago I began making Diet Coke floats which I dearly love, more so than the traditional  root beer float. Try it you might like it! 

DON'T CARRY A $50!

              After a guy mentioned that he never carried $50 bills due to confusion with $20's, reminded me of a situation years ago while dining out. I was finishing eating at Tamea and Sons, a fine Italian eatery on SE 1st street in Des Moines, Iowa. 

               Our waitress was busy at another table and I put in what, I thought was the proper amount of the tab, and signaled to the waitress that the amount was left on the table. When I got home I realized I had left her a $20 bill and a $50 bill instead of two $20's. The waitress had to love her $30 tip. Never again did I carry a $50!  

REMEMBER-"MAMA MIA THAT'S A SPICY MEATBALL!"

CAN'T REMEMBER?-DO YOUR ABC'S!

       As we get older, we sometimes forget a name from the past. I'm always bringing up my mother's technique of remembering a name or a place she had forgotten. She would almost immediately start by saying A, B, C, etc. until many times she would blurt out what she was trying to recall. Give a try sometime! You may find that technique helpful.  

REMEMBER--"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ATE THE WHOLE THING?"

DID YA EVER WONDER HOW?

        I wrote how our sports uniforms got cleaned and washed in another story at good old Laurel High. But, I have always wondered  how the entire process is done with college or professional sports.

        I have always wondered how, for example, the University of Iowa deals with the washing or cleaning, if you will, of the dozens of uniforms after a football game. Are the uniforms cleaned individually by player? What kind of detergents are used? If one athlete has an allergy or condition how is that dealt with? How many extra uniforms are available or taken on away games for back-up?

        I know these are things most of us fans should not concern ourselves with, but, I just have one of those inquiring minds, I guess. And, if you just sit on the bench most of the game with just a little sweat, does your uniform get washed? Just wondering!  

A TAYLOR'S MAID-RITE TO GO!

       This past Saturday, I just had to get out of Dodge and decided to drive up and visit my sister Doris. I offered to pick her up and drive to Marshalltown for my favorite sandwich which I hadn't had for a few short months. She didn't feel like getting out so I delivered.

       My only disappointment was that it seems like those Maid-Rites aren't quite as good as if you were actually eating one right there at that counter and stool on 3rd Avenue. The malt also losses some of its thickness and I don't think you get as much in that cardboard go cup. After all, part of the charm of ordering a malt is having, on occasion, the server poring the malt into your glass with precision! There will be a next time, and, besides, my visit with my big sister was what was important! 

NEW KONG MOVIE NOT FOR ME!

       This past week-end, I made my Sunday morning pilgrimage to the Marcus Theaters in Coralville, Iowa. There wasn't anything that I really wanted to see, but, I thought why not see maybe the third or fourth "Kong"  movie ever made. 

       I should have quit while I was ahead or behind.  Kong, in this one, was bigger than the Empire State Building he crawled up in previous flicks. There was just too much load noise with all the swatting by Kong of attacking helicopters and his battling these huge lizard like monsters. Special effects have gone beyond this old man. Give me a simple suspense/murder and/or who done it kind of movie. Unfortunately, they are far and few between!   

WHO CLEANED THOSE LAUREL UNIFORMS!

       When I was attending Laurel Consolidated School and participating in sports, we didn't have the equipment nor personnel to wash or clean athletic uniforms and etc. after sporting events. 

          Unfortunately, that gruesome task fell on our mothers. Especially difficult was washing those football uniforms. For me, personally, it was with some pride and embarrassment. Our pants in football were white. And, of course, after a game, assuming you played hard and did your job, had lots of grass stains and sometimes a little blood on them. 

       My mother, being the cleaning "addict" that she was went after those pants with vengeance. She would usually soak them over night in bleach and water. Then, before actually washing them, she would scrub the stains with a brush. 

      What was somewhat embarrassing was as our team was running out onto the field before a game, my pants were beyond white-maybe dazzling white--like something from a "TIDE" commercial. They should have hired her as the team manager in charge of uniform cleaning. Even if we wouldn't have won a game, we would have been the brightest and whitest team in the state! 

       

MONDAY "THE" WASH DAY!

       When I was a kid, back in the 1950's, Monday was wash day and it was at least an all day ritual. And, the hub of the operation was that southwest room in our basement. My mom would roll out the old wringer washing machine along with a pair of rinse tubs. 

      I never paid much attention just exactly how she sorted out everything and what she used for detergents, bleaches, etc., but, she had to hall it all down from upstairs from the main clothes hamper in the bathroom. She pretty much had to stick around and keep an eye on the who;e operation from start to finish. That included running clothes through the ringer to the rinse tubs and back again. She was always shifting that lever on the washing machine to change its direction.

      The next hard exercise was carrying the first load up the stairs in a lined clothes basket. Then it was out to the heavy wire gauge clothes line that was behind our house. I can still see my poor mother, especially on a colder day, wiping the lines with a damp washcloth and her red hands before hanging the clothes with wooden clothes pins. There was a talent hanging sheets so they would blow just right with a "billow." Nothing today compares to the smell of fresh sheets hung out or towels. Nothing!

        On rainy or cold winter days, clothes would be hung up on lines that remained up in our middle room of the basement. And, of course, Tuesday was ironing day and as I remember that was also pretty much an all day deal. To think that today I hesitate from throwing a load of clothes in the washer and then bringing up a load from the dryer and folding them while watching TV--rain or shine! Poor me!

       

REMEMBERING "WHERE"S THE BEEF!

     The other day, I greeted our Meat Dept. manager with "We have the meats!" The line is from Arby's commercial where the guy says that line. However ,our manager, at the Burg Grocery, was not familiar with it. But, he did remember the slogan from Wendy's, back in 1984, where the little old lady said; "Where's the beef!"

        Despite the fact our manager is 39 years old and would have been just a little kid, that line stuck with him somehow. That was a great commercial and slogan. It stuck and was remembered for years afterward. I can still see that lady and her saying it to this day. The power of advertising!

OUR SCARY BASEMENT!

        There are basements and then there was our basement-scary! Let me start with the enclosed landing and entry way from the west side of our house. A few steps would take you up into the main bathroom or straight ahead you would descend down the narrow stairs to THAT basement. 

      About half-way down those stairs there was an open stair back plate. You always knew that there was something or someone hiding under that dark and empty area under those stairs and just ready to reach out and grab your leg and then God only knows what after that. Why that plate was never replaced I will never know!

        If you did make it safely down to the bottom, you were faced straight ahead with the entrance to THE furnace room. But, there was also a door that stood open to that area, and, you always knew that there was the possibility that it would go flying shut in front of you with some sort of "thing" greeting you and saying "Howdy!"

      If you made it through the door and into the furnace room without your heart coming to a halt, your next huge test at survival began. Once into the furnace room, you were greeted with that huge coal-fed monster  with those huge steroid induced heating pipes ascending to the rooms above.  To the back and right of the furnace was another dark and vacant area that you knew something very bad could be lurking. 

       On a minor note there was a small room in one corner that cobs were kept for stoking the furnace. There was a small corner area in that room that someone could be standing without one seeing even though a real slight chance. 

      As a young boy after my dad died, it was my job to fill the stoker with small chipped coal that then was augured into the furnace. Also, the hard ash or "clinkers" that formed after burning needed to be removed daily and put into buckets and spread onto our drive-way.

        Now here comes the scary part. Each evening, if I made it alive this far, I would gather up enough courage to open the door to the coal room. Every evening before opening that door, the hair on the back of my neck would rise up and the feeling of true fear would over come me. We're talking bone-chilling heart-throbbing stuff here!

         I knew opening that door there would be something monstrous lying behind that huge pile of coal. That feeling never got any better, but, I had to take it like a man. It was my job. After all, I didn't want anything sinister happening to my mom or my little sister-right? `It did always seem amazing that my mom didn't find me lying there frozen in fright or at the very least sitting in a corner babbling to myself! The upside to all this is the fact that those nightly rituals,  nothing much ever scared me later in life. 

TALE OF TWO BASEMENTS!

     
                                               THE FRIENDLY SIDE

      First, I will describe the side of our basement that was for most practical purposes a pleasant experience most times. The three rooms on the south half  were not offensive in any way. 

      The southeast room that was under the living room was used pretty much for storing jars of  canned fruit and vegetables. Never went in there very much. The middle room, which was directly under the dining room, was used in the winter to hang clothes to dry and I had an electric train set up in there for some time. I do remember my sister Doris decorating this room for a Halloween Party when she was in high school.

       The southwest room, which set directly under the kitchen, was the basement hub especially on Monday wash day.  My mother had the old wringer washing machine set up in there along with the two rinse tubs. Washing was an all day affair, up and down the stairs to the outside to hang clothes on the line set up northwest of the house with thick gauge wire. 

     Also,  A shower was rigged up in that room. As I got older, a shower was quicker than taking a bath in the tub upstairs. The downside was once you shut off the water after your shower it got cold real quick. You didn't waste time. You dried and headed upstairs. 

        In that same room was a door on the west side leading up with cement stairs to storm doors that laid out at a 20 degree angle or so. We never used it much except to haul larger items up and down. The foundation was incredible for its time. The walls, over 18 inches thick,  and floors were all poured mixed concrete. 

------------coming soon-THE SCARY SIDE! 

        

SPEAKING OF ATTICS!

       Many a night, while lying in bed, I would hear all kinds of things going on in the "attic" above me. I wasn't terrified of it, but, when hearing a strange noise coming from up there at night could raise a hair or two on the back of your neck. 

         Our attic was huge. Actually the size of the entire house. Not much was actually kept up there. We cleaned it twice a year and my mother was always good at keeping "stuff" up there to a minimum. 

           It had an area in one corner that was round, coned shaped due to the cupola on the southeast front of the house. The area was always dark and a little mysterious. There were windows to the east, west, and south. Because our house sat on a plateau, was large,  and a two story, you could see a very long distance in all directions. 

       Lastly, there was a small attic on top of the main attic. Never remember going up there or why the house was designed that way, but, just always thought that it was cool. 

FLYING A KITE!

       Does anyone fly kites anymore? Someone brought it up the other day when it was so windy and being March. I'm not sure the last time I have seen a kid out somewhere flying a kite, at least around here. It seems like when I was a kid, about this time of year. you bought a kite` and gave it a shot. Sometimes, it didn't last long after it came crashing down and broke up a bit. It was a "sport" that one could easily be discouraged! Just another memory!

NEVER SEEN OR HEARD THIS BEFORE!

       I helped a lady out with her groceries this past Friday at the Burg Grocery that made a point of letting us all know that she was in her late 70's, and, was still active with her 80 plus year old husband on their Century Farm.

       When we got to her vehicle and opening the rear door, I noted her brand new "pitch fork." She had been in Iowa City and had just purchased it. I had to ask her if SHE really used it and if she used it to pitch stuff that most people would find offensive. The answer was yes on both accounts!

        What a woman! My own mother always told the`story that when she got married to my dad and lived on a farm that she wouldn't drive a tractor or other words do farm work per say. She never did! I always thought she was tough for all she did for the time. Ha!`  

HAVE YA EVER NOTICED?

         I don't know about you, but, for a long long time, it has amazed or maybe more like intrigued me how close actors have to stand to one another while conversing on TV or even in the movies. I realize that they have to get closer so they can get into the camera range. But, in real life, I can't imagine standing only inches from someone and look them in the eye that close and talk without starting to laugh or worrying about bad breath. It's got to be tough!

        While we're on that line, do you ever find it strange when there is a scene and two people are in a car driving somewhere and the passenger appears to be really sitting near the center of the car and close to the driver. I've noticed weird stuff like that in movies and TV since I was a kid. I used to notice if a cowboy was wearing a different colored shirt in the next scene even though it was the same day! OK, so I need to find a new hobby!

        

I THINK I'M LOSING IT!

       Since I was in my early 40's, I developed a habit of operating off a "To Do List" whether it applies to a grocery list or a week-end list that focuses on chores, etc.  Where the list can't help me is when the following happens.

        The other day while watching TV in my living room, I decided I wanted to check on the schedule of the State Boys Basketball finals. By the time I walked out to the kitchen where my lap-top is kept, I had forgotten why I was out there in the first place.

         I know what you are thinking. Get a smart phone you idiot and you wouldn't have to go to the kitchen. But, it could have been that I was going out to the` refrigerator!  Thank goodness I haven't forgotten why I walked into the bathroom yet!  

REMEMBER BUGLES, WHISTLES, & DAISIES?

      When I was a young man and just out of college, I went to work for General Mills for a short period of time in the mid 1960's. I didn't last long as I came to realize, I didn't care for, at least, that type of retailing and traveling. But, I did call on nothing but the Hy-Vee stores at the time which were only located in the southern tiers of counties in Iowa from border to border.

      One thing that General Mills came out with as a new food product at the time were the snack items of Bugles, Whistles, and Daisies. The only one still remaining are the Bugles.  I can honestly admit, I never did care for any of them-much! 

AUNT GLATHA LAVERTY & BLOODCURDLING SCREAM!

       There is that old expression about being at the right place at the right time or not sometimes. This one was always good for a great family story. This event happened one night at our house south of Laurel and it involved my Aunt Glatha Laverty, who was visiting for some reason and yours truly, who was trying to catch a "bat" who got loose from our attic and was flying around the upstairs area.

        I managed to get the bat down to the main area and was attempting to get it outside at the same time my Aunt Glatha was leaving. When she saw the  bat flying by her head she immediately gave out this bloodcurdling scream that only she could do. She could have had a part in an old "horror" movie with that outburst! To this day, I can still see her running for her car, hands waving over her head and her chilling scream will never leave my head!

IT WASN'T A COONSKIN CAP!

         The other morning as I was driving downtown Williamsburg, I spotted these three ladies out for their morning walk. One lady appeared to be wearing what I remembered as a Davy Crockett Coonskin cap without the tail. When the show was popular back in the late 1950's on the Disney Hour, Davy Crockett was a hero to every young boy in America. During that time, I possessed one of those hats with great pride. 

         As I drove closer to the group of ladies, I realized that the one lady was not wearing a "Coonskin cap," but, it appeared to simply be her own hair. She had extremely thick hair that must have been streaked or whatever the term is. At least she provided a warm memory, if only for a fleeting moment.

VOULEZ YOUS

  A week ago lat Sunday night I attended the live performance of Mama Mia at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City. If you want to watch something that will really make you feel good pull up the dance and singing number called "VOULEZ YOUS on U Tube! If this doesn't make you want to get up and dance?

MY BEDROOM AS A KID!

     By today's standards, my bedroom would have made a monk happy. It wasn't all that big. As a matter of fact it was the smallest of the five upstairs bedrooms in our home. But, it faced south with lots of sunlight from the set of windows that reached across the entire south side of my room complete with a built in sitting bench. I had a great view of our driveway and a quarter mile south so I could detect anyone coming for a visit.

       It had a walk-in closet that wasn't all that large, but, had a window that provided natural light and it also had 1 by 1 slats up high that opened into the adjoining closet for additional natural light. The door into my room had a glass transom above it that could be adjusted for additional light and air flow. That was really cool.

       The decorating was quite simple. A wood head board double bed, nightstand, chest of drawers, unfinished and just varnished, a couple of shag throw rugs on either side of the bed, one western scene paint by numbers picture on the wall. and, a metal oval waste can with college pennants. (A collector's item today) No TV, no computer, and not many clothes hanging in the closet. 

       One thing I did get at some point was an electric blanket. The upstairs wasn't heated in the winter or much. There were mornings were you could wake up and see your breath and with steam coming off the blanket. You didn't waste much time getting dressed and going down-stairs. 

       One fear I had at night on occasion was the doorway and stairs that ascended to the attic. Some nights I swore I could hear noises coming from up there or footsteps. If anyone would have come down from there (they never did) I would have been a goner as the door to my room was on the other side of that attic door and hall!

       Every Saturday morning, I had to clean my room. All clothes hung, bed made, and rugs shook out the window. The hard wood floors were dusted and on occasion the "drill sergeant" would inspect to make sure there no dust bunnies under the bed. It was a simple rule. Room cleaned or not go out on a Saturday night. End of story!  


    

LAVERTY FAMILY CHERISHED PRINT!

       The "Print" of my dad, uncle Tommy and Grandpa Laverty will always be cherished as a family treasure. It was published originally in Wallace-Farmer magazine in the early 1930's and was brought to my attention in the late 1990's by Bill Lyle, a Laurel farmer and family friend. Bill ran in to me at the HY-Vee in Marshalltown and said he had found this print at a flee market in Waterloo. Looking at it for the first time, it was a very moving moment for me. In additional importance was having Bill saying that he thought my dad was "the most gentle man he had ever known." 

        To go on, the print was an advertisement page by International Harvester/Farmall. It featured my Grandpa, T.A. Laverty, my dad, William John, standing greasing the tractor and Uncle Tommy, filling it with gasoline from the gravity fed pump behind.

       I remember my cousin, Alan, and I when we were very young trying to pump it together. It was very hard. My dad at the time would have been in his early twenties, my Uncle Tommy a year or so older, and my Grandpa in his late sixties. 

   

  

OUR DINING ROOM/FAMILY HUB!

      Through the years, I have always had a problem with homes I owned because the dining room never seemed to be large enough. I did, back in the 1980's,  live in a townhome in West Des Moines that had an oversize dining room with a somewhat small living room. I didn't care. It was great to pull a chair back from the table and not bang into the wall just behind. I knew why I loved that place. It reminded me of the dining room where I grew up.

      At Christmas time the table with leaves could accommodate 10 to 12 family members easily with the kids card table close by. It was where the action was at least from the perspective of this male kid. The real action, I suppose, was probably in the kitchen with the ladies.

      During the cold winters, Mom would close off the living room with the pocket doors that joined the two rooms and basically shut down the house to just the areas of the dining room and kitchen. With all the glass windows to the south with its built in bench seat, it was by far the coziest room in the winter. 

       Many a winter day when snowed in, we would play Chinese Checkers by the hour. And, on during those cold winters, the TV would be moved into the dining room and we could watch from there the likes of Davey Crocket on the Disney hour. Also, being in the middle of the house one had to go through it to go elsewhere. It was my favorite!

DO AS I SAY NOT DO!

     We all possess treasures of some kind and intend to pass them on to family or loved ones. A lot of us assume that we have told the story that goes with that item and we have told it to family and they will all remember where it came from or its significance for ever and ever. 

       I was always grateful that several things passed along to me included a note that went along with the item. An example`is an old quilt given to me my mother. She pinned  with a piece of paper a short narrative about it. 

       Let's face it. By the time some things get passed down a few generations some details like dates or exactly who possessed the item can get forgotten. I haven't moved up to the smart phone yet, but, for those of you who have here is my advice. 

        Line up those treasures and shoot pictures of as many as you think are very important and take them in somewhere and have photos made. Then, write on the back of the picture a short narrative about it and then put it in safe place or give to that special someone.  Don't just   leave them in "cyberspace!" That can get lost in there too!

        This task is on my "bucket list" for yet this year. I have always joked about the fact if we document better where some of our "stuff" comes from, at least it will create some guilt when our kids put it in a garage sale!

       

DON'T MESS W/ IOWA BOTTLE BILL!

      This past week there was a letter to the editor in theDes Moines Register entitled "Perspective on the bottle bill from a can scavenger." It had to do with Iowa's incentive to pick up cans wherever they are to be found.

       I have always thought since the bottle bill was enacted many years ago what a good idea to place a 5 cent bounty on cans and bottles as an incentive to return them. And, for some to go out and pick them up. Some states have just a pound amount on cans and I assume bottles. It is hard to relate to something that symbolizes 1/1000 of a pound or whatever. 

       To look down on the ground and see this object that symbolizes a monetary amount is important. And, we can immediately relate to it even if it is a small amount. Years ago when attending football games at Kinnick Stadium(Iowa Hawkeyes) the whiskey bottles and beer cans were laying thick at the conclusion of the game. But, just like a group of piranha, there were all kinds of people swarming around and picking them all up within minutes. Thank goodness they have cracked down on alcohol in the first place.   

        Say what you will about global warming and all the things we don't do, recycling and even picking up a 5 cent can are a couple of the little things that can make a difference!  

         

OLD CANCELLED CHECKS & LAUREL AREA MEMORIES!

     When my mom passed away in 2003 one decision that had to be made was what to do with old cancelled checks that she had kept. She had kept every single check that she or my dad had written from 1934 up at least until the 1970's. 

       My sisters didn't have any interest in them, but, I guess something told me that those checks could or would provide some stories and insight to life many years ago involving family and the surrounding community. 

       Keep in mind my mother was not a pack rat or as we call them today a "Hoarder!" Far from it. My mother was more like a "minimalist." She was very good at keeping things like, fiesta dishes, photos, quilts, furniture pieces etc despite the fact that she was always cleaning and "pitching" stuff. The only thing I wish she would have saved were my old comic books! I digress. 

        I spent about 3 months each night in bed, while watching TV,  going through check by check month by month. Some I did discard due to duplication like $1.00 checks written to a grocery store. My parents were married in 1932 and the checks didn't start until 1934. The 2 year lag will never be known.

        In a follow up story I will at least make a list of the interesting things those old checks do provide about our family's past. I would recommend to anyone, if you have old checks and or documents don't throw them away. As a matter of fact it would behoove all of us to keep or get from our bank print outs (if possible) of checks that we have written. They do tell a story and if nothing else they "trigger" stories! 

I MISS THE LIKES OF WALTER CRONKITE!

     My Grandma Smith, in her later years and living at the South Ridge Nursing home in Marshalltown, Iowa, loved watching baseball and  her favorite Chicago Cubs. She didn't like watching football and especially basketball because the players were "moving too fast."

       She was in her 90's when she made that statement and I am only in my early 70's, but, I can relate only in a different way. My problem is with commentators on a lot of the cable news networks. Why do so many of them have to talk extremely fast(and loud) and on top of that they have several of them on one show and they continuously are interrupting one another and over talking each other. 

         Maybe old age is catching  up with me, but, I remember when newsmen like Chet Huntley, Edward R. Murrow, and Walter Cronkite were giving the nightly news. It didn't seem like they were talking like they had to catch a train or plane and weren't shouting at you! 

OUR KITCHEN @ THE BIG HOUSE

    Just like the rest of our farm house, the kitchen was also big. The size was what most women would want in a kitchen. Lots and lots of floor to ceiling built in cabinets, but, it had no real counter space. My mom either sat items on the sink while working around or on the table in the center of the room.

      The south wall was centered with a door to the enclosed knotty pine porch that was added around 1950. To the left of the door was a window that remained when the enclosed porch was added. To the right of the door was all built in oak cabinets floor to ceiling(10 ft,) 

      The east side of the kitchen was all cabinets to the ceiling with a see-through waist-high counter space with a pass through to the dining room. There also was a doorway then to the dining room.

     The north wall included a doorway to the main bathroom the to its left was a long cast-iron/porcelain sink on legs with one large sink well and at both ends an area to wash/dry dishes etc.  Next to the sink was, I believe the refrigerator. 

        The west wall had the stove centered by two windows on either side. Somewhere in the late 1940's an electric stove replaced an old wood burning stove. 

      The kitchen was the daily hub and that south entrance was where most everyone entered the house. My dad did used the enclosed entrance on the west side of the house that went up to the bath and down to the basement to enter after work and hang his work clothes. 

      A few of my toys were kept in the lower right hand cabinet on the east wall. Two significant things I remember about the kitchen were  the sound that the wash pan made in the sink when moving across pieces of sand or grit. It was like fingernails on a chalkboard. The other was, before TV, lying under the sink after supper and listening to the radio.(Green Hornet & Amos & Andy)
        

EVEN SPAGHETTI-TOO MANY CHOICES!

       This past week, the Burg Grocery  had a a special on their store brand of spaghetti. Both regular and "thin" spaghetti can be purchased "free"  with a certain coupon. This led me to wonder why we really need a thin, regular, and one more to be found  is angel hair spaghetti.

     You have to wonder what is the real measurement difference between the three and then don't forget there is those flat cousins called linguine and fettuccine! Again, is this a great country or what!

       

ECONOMICS NOT MY CUP OF TEA!?!?

      When I attended Drake University one of my basic business courses was in Economics. I understood most principles of economics--supply, demand, strong dollar, deficits and all the rest. The professor usually had these long complex multiple choice questions that could have you talking to yourself. The bottom line was, I didn't grade very well in the end.

        One remark found in a column this past week in the Des Moines Register left me perplexed. It had to do with whether the Federal Reserve should raise interest rates at this time. The quote was from Fed Reserve Governor Lael Brainard-who has long been a proponent of keeping rates lower for longer-reversed course saying that--"the economy appears to be at a transition and it will be likely be appropriate soon to remove additional accommodation." 

       From that statement. it is hard to determine if he means rates need to be raised or lowered! If I am the only one that has a hard time with statements like that, I either need to stop reading this Mumbo-Jumbo or go back to school! 

        

      

PLAYING ON A FARM--NOT BORING!

       Years ago, after my youngest grandson mentioned that he thought it would be boring living on a farm. I reminded him very quickly that it was not and here were some examples. First of all our farm was 160 acres and that was a good start.

       Each farm building was to be explored. Especially the barn. The haymow was always exciting to do a little jumping off and down to soft hay below.  Climbing up to the peak and just enjoying the view and a little daydreaming from atop my world.

      We had a cave behind our house where a home had sat at one time, moved, capped with concrete. A cellar type angled wood door and concrete steps led down to my "headquarters/hideout" for hours and hours of playtime. 

       The groves north of our home provided lots of time playing Tarzan or cowboys up in those trees. Further out into the northeast corner of our farm was a deep crrek/ravine that was graet for exploring. 

      My cousins on my dad's side only lived a mile away on their adjoining farms. We had their ponds, grounds, and buildings to explore. We also had an old military surplus Jeep to drive around in. What fun!

      In our machine shed where the dirt was soft from machinery rolling around, I would build roads with my Tonka trucks and earth movers. I had an electric train set up in the basement on a "cool" plywood layout. Our house was big enough with 5 bedrooms upstairs., a full attic and basement to spread out for playing. Especially on rainy days.

       As mentioned in another story, we had a huge front yard for family events and recreation. Nearby Indian Burial grounds to explore on an adjacent farm. Did I mention the farms to explore of nearby playmates? There were culverts under roads to explore and fishing Rock Creek which originated just north of our place.

        In the winter when we were snowed in, we would play games like Chinese Checkers and yes, we did have radio and TV. The winter also provided lots of snow with huge drifts to build igloos and great sledding. Then when staying in Marshalltown with cousins, that opened up many more opportunities to meet new kids and new territory t explore.

        Living on a farm in the 1950's was not boring to say the least. And, lots of times working and playing went hand in hand. There was always some kind of action going on. All that with no computers, smart phones, or social media! 


        

   

THE FRONT YARD

        Most memories we have are usually bigger than life, but, the front yard where I grew up on a farm was really big and wide. The wide poured concrete sidewalk started at the ditch that connected the gravel road that went by our house. The sidewalk divided a basically flat bluegrass yard and continued up to the front of the house and wrapped itself all the way to around back and beyond. 

        The north half of the yard was perfect for hours of enjoyment playing croquet by family. My mother loved playing the game and played to win. That beautiful yard provided many good times by family, cousins, playmates, and classmates alike.

      Some of my earliest memories are ones of riding my tricycle out to the end of the sidewalk ending at the front ditch. Then, turning around and going all the way back past "the cave" to my tractor tire sand pile and on occasion my imaginary friend. 

       Then back again, just like a teenager scooping the loop. It was my turf. The price I paid, as I got older was mowing all that "turf!" It could easily kill a day if mowing all at once. And no, we didn't have "no stinkin" riding mower. Your legs did the walking!

FARM PETS AND ANIMALS

             Most farm kids in my day had a dog or more and their job was to mainly act as an alarm system and companionship. Most dogs were not allowed in the home, at least not ours. My dogs must have done "their thing" in places that out of the way because it didn't seem that we ever had a problem or need for a "pooper-scooper.  I had two dogs that were both black Cocker Spaniels--Blackie and Midnight. They didn't do anything fancy or hunt. They were just good "pals" plain and simple.

      My older sister, Doris, had a Collie named Brownie. As the story goes, she had gone into a pig pen and made a mother sow very angry and was trying to attack Doris. Brownie kept itself between Doris and the sow and kept barking until my folks came to rescue her. My younger sister, Deborah, had a Shetland pony named Rocky. I was never fond of that animal as I was the one who generally fed it and it could be mean and bite on occasion. 

        During the 1950's, I raised  Hereford baby calves when I was involved in 4-H. They were provided by my Uncle Paul and Tommy Laverty as they raised Hereford cattle at the time.  One year, I had a steer named Jasper and the following year raised two calves named Tom & Jerry, after the cartoon characters at the time. They weren't big prize winners at the Marshall County Fair, but, taught me responsibility and caring of animals. 

       Also, as a teenager, I helped feed out young calves until they were yearlings for my uncles. Sometimes I would sit in the area where they were and just study their faces and realize how different animals are! Maybe weird I know!  Lastly, at one time I had and raised three ducks named Huey, Dewey, and Louie. I kept them in this home-made portable wire pen so they could move around and eat grass. Never sure what become of them!`

      

WHERE I LIVED/ TOOK MORE THAN ONE VILLAGE!

       As a a youth I grew up on a farm in north Jasper County.(S.E. 1/4 of Section 2, Range 81, Township 18) Our actual address was Rural Route, Gilman, Iowa. Most  county roads had no names or a numbering system as is in place today. Gilman was approximately seven miles east of our farm.

       Three miles plus of our farm and in Marshall County was Laurel, which was our school district, (Laurel Consolidated School) and was also our telephone service location.  Just for information, our phone number was 3 on 5, or by using the old ringer type phone was one short ring and three longs rings. Laurel was where our church was located (Laurel United Methodist Church) and where most of local shopping was done.

        Newton was 20 miles to the south of our farm and was our  Jasper County Seat location.  Marshalltown was about 10 miles north of Laurel and was where we did most of our major shopping and where most of my mother's relatives lived. Finally, Kellogg was a town approx. 7 miles straight south of our farm and where we went to a meat  butcher/ locker/ storage for our needs.