I got wind the other day of a group of Montezuma High School boys who started a garage band. I think it was Debbie who found out about the band on Facebook.
        She’s pretty good about sharing news story ideas with me and I appreciate it. It’s great to have a wife who helps me better serve the area.
        Anyway, I reached out to one of the band member’s moms, Dana Desrochers, this past weekend and she arranged an interview with the band on Sunday early afternoon at the school.
     Band members are Ethan Desrochers on vocals, Isaiah Wilson on guitar, Evan Haughery on bass and Easton Hudnut on drums. Desrochers and Wilson are in ninth grade and Hudnut and Haughey are both in tenth grade.
    They call their band “Unknown” and the boys have been playing together for several years in the Montezuma Pep Band. They first talked about starting a band three years ago, but nothing came of that until this past fall.
       Since that time, they have been practicing during the lunch hour and on weekends at the school. They also practice at band member’s homes.
        The boys enjoy playing rock and roll and heavy metal music and have played at basketball games. They’ll be playing at Montezuma Summer Nights on June 19 on the Montezuma Square and will also perform at the Montezuma Variety Show on March 22 at the school.
        The boys plan to write and record some of their own music and produce an album. I’m looking forward to writing another story when they release their album.
        I told the boys that back in the day when I was in high school, we had live bands at school dances. One of the popular bands during that time was called “Daddy’s Money.” A classmate of mine, Rick Hemmert, played drums in a band with his brothers.
        They played all the cover tunes of the 1970s rock and roll music.
      “Daddy’s Money” played at my high school senior prom in 1978. They later changed the band name to “Paradise.”
       Hemmert went on to enjoy a long career in music playing drums and recording albums with Carla Olson and the Textones.
        Growing up, I didn’t have a stereo. I had a Panasonic tape recorder that my mom bought me to record a piano recital in sixth grade. I rode my bicycle to Radio Shack about a mile and one half from my boyhood home and bought a spool of stereo speaker wire and ear plug piece to attach it to my tape recorder.
        I found an old television speaker at a neighborhood television repair shop a block from my home.
       I used a strand of speaker wire and rigged up a stereo in my bedroom. I would pop in a cassette tape and listen to my music.
      My first cassette tape was by Three Dog Night and featured “Joy to the World” and “I’ve Never Been to Spain,” both written by the late Hoyt Axton.
       I learned to play “Joy to the World” on the piano and performed it and Handel’s “Messiah” at recitals. I also learned to play “Let It Be” by the Beatles.
       I kind of miss playing the piano and once I retire, I might give it another try. I’m going to have to buy a keyboard to practice.
       In seventh grade, I joined the Columbia Record Club. Some of you might remember the CRG. I was able to purchase 13 cassette tapes for a penny with the stipulation that I would buy another 10 or 12 at full price plus shipping and handling.
      In junior and senior high, I hung out with a friend, Weldon, who lived a few blocks from my boyhood home. We both had newspaper routes in Tulsa in the 1970s and enjoyed music.
        He had a nice stereo and I would spend time at his house listening to music. One of my favorite albums was titled “Brain Salad Surgery” by Emerson Lake and Palmer.
        I bought my first home stereo in 1981. It featured an Akai receiver and turntable and a Yamaha tape deck and recorder. The speakers were Norman Lab.
         I paid about $750 for the setup and it was awesome sounding.
         I still have the speakers and a few years ago, I had them tested at the former Music Shop in Grinnell. The owner said they sounded like brand new.
        That’s pretty good for nearly 45-year old speakers.
        I’ve been to a number or rock and roll concerts through the years. My first one was the Dobbie Brothers in April 1979 in Tulsa.
       I saw a lot of good bands back in the day that included REO Speedwagon, Journey, Heart, Little River Band, Charlie Daniels, ZZ Top, Van Halen, Bad Company and more. I later started attending Christian bands that included DeGarmo and Key, the Joe English Band, Sweet Comfort Band, Petra, Resurrection Band, Mylon LeFever and Broken Heart, David and the Giants and the Imperials.
          Since those days, I’ve attended a few country music concerts including George Strait in Des Moines. It’s hard to beat George Strait and his guitar. What a show!
           Thanks boys for all the music memories.
         I hope the Montezuma boys keep it up. Music has the ability to bring people together. I’m rooting for them and hope that they have much success in their band and in life.
          Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

​        I attended the comedy night at the Brooklyn Opera House on Saturday, Feb. 22.
       It was a fun evening of improv, joke and storytelling that lasted nearly two hours.
       I’m thinking maybe I should have signed up and participated in the event.
      Then I thought that wouldn’t work because there would be nobody to take photos. I am the camera man, as youngster have called me in the past.
      That didn’t keep me from thinking about what my opening dialog would center around. The last time I was on the stage was December 1971 when I played a snowman in the sixth grade Christmas play in elementary school.
      My mom made my snowman outfit from a white bed sheet. There were two us that had snowman roles.     The other snowman had an outfit that had wire hoops to make it look like a real snowman. My outfit was a white bed sheet.
       I think some of the other kids laughed at me, but I didn’t care. It was a fun memory.
      I can’t forget about taking dancing lessons at the Pink Barn in Tulsa (a real pink barn) when I was 16. My mom paid for the lessons to give me a chance to socialize and meet girls. I learned a move or two, but didn’t find a girlfriend.
      As I was taking photos of the different acts, I was thinking about what else I might share if I were on stage. I could share funny experiences about life or talk about seeing the wonderous works of God in my life.
      I remember the time Debbie and I got ready to leave for a playoff basketball game at GMG and our garage door broke. We had to leave it open all night since it wouldn’t shut.
     My brother-in-law stopped by the next day and bolted a steel support bar across the middle of door that allowed the garage door to work again.
     We used it that way for 10 years before finally getting new garage doors and a garage door opener three plus years ago.
      And then there was time a racoon got in our garage.
      Debbie said we used a live trap to catch it and the family released in the woods the next day.
      When you live in the country, it’s best to leave the garage door shut. There are all kinds of critters out and about and at any time, one might find solace in the garage.
      I would hate to find a skunk in there.
     And then there was time our kitty brought a baby rabbit, a snake and a frog into our house. Not all at the same time.
     I could talk about almost running out of gas the time that Debbie and I were taking a mini vacation to Hannibal, Mo.
      We were rolling down Highway 61 late at night and I noticed we were about out of gas. The little yellow     “your almost out of gas” figure hadn’t yet come on the dash, but it had to be close. Thankfully, I found a gas station that was still open and was able to top off our tank.
      Debbie has never let me forget that one and often reminds me or asks if we have gas before leaving on a trip or going to Des Moines.
     And then there was time that I ran out of gas in my old 1959 Impala while out job hunting. Seems like it was around 1979. I had $3 in my pocket and a gas can in the trunk. $3 would buy a lot of gas at 25 cents a gallon in 1979. I waked about a half mile to a gas station and it was enough to get me home.
      In November 1981, I had quit by night job at a Tulsa grocery and drug store chain. The store took up half a city block and was so big, that it took eight hours to clean it.
      I got tired of working there and quit. It wasn’t one of my brightest moves, especially in the economy of the day.
     I had been looking for a new job for quite some time with no luck when a friend invited me to a youth revival in Tulsa. I was 22 at the time. I wasn’t a youth, but felt I could relate to others in attendance.
      While listening to the message, I decided after the service to ask the minister to pray with me. He was head of the youth division for the Assembly of God churches in America, which is based in Springfield, Mo.
After the service, I went to the front of the church and sat on a pew and waited about 15 or so minutes. Everyone was about cleared out and the minister asked how he could help me.
      I told him my situation and he said let’s pray and ask God to get you a job in three days. This was a new concept to me to pray and ask God to do something like helping me find a job. 
     On the second day of job hunting,  I stopped at a friend’s auto upholstery business near my boyhood home. There was a fellow in there named Bucky who asked my friend if he could leave his car there one more day so he could arrange a ride. He had a nice old Buick and was getting a new convertible top installed.
       I offered to give him a ride and he accepted.
      I followed Bucky home and then gave him a ride back to my friend’s upholstery shop to pick up his other vehicle. We started talking and he asked me what I was doing. I told him I was looking for a job.
      “They’re hiring at my job,” he told me.
     He worked in a small factory in West Tulsa that made sheaves used to move wire cable lines on large cranes.
      To make a long story short, I was interviewed and hired on the third day. It was one of the many miracles    I’ve experienced along life’s way.
      I leave you with this - keep your head up, keep dreaming and keep on walking.
      Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

​         Debbie and I enjoy going antiquing when we are able.
        Some of our favorite spots are the Brass Armadillo in Des Moines and Antiques Iowa in Story City north of Ames.
       The Plaza Antique Mall in Dyersville is another great antique mall featuring the old town movie theater façade at the entrance to the building.
       It’s been a number of years since we last visited The Plaza Antique Mall and we hope to get back there again soon. Being Dyersville, the antique store does have a nice selection of Ertl toy tractors and implements.
In 2009, my dad gave me his old Farmall 130 tractor with a couple implements. It came with a brush hog that my mom bought him to mow the pasture.
       He wanted me to have the tractor and Debbie and I arranged to have her brother and a friend drive to Oklahoma and bring it to Iowa.
        The Farmall 130 was manufactured in the late 1950s.
       My dad bought the tractor and implements from a neighbor in Oklahoma in the early 1980s and always enjoy mowing or driving around the yard.
       It sat in my driveway for several years and we opted to sell it to a collector and restorer in Oskaloosa. He gave us a fair price and went on to refurbish the tractor.
      I was able to take some photos of the refurbished Farmall 130 tractor in the Montezuma “Let Freedom Ring” Parade and wrote a story about it that was published in Farm Collector magazine.
      The tractor had a large dent in the front grill from the time my dad passed out from the heat while out mowing and ran into the back of the family Mercury.
       It happened to be a hot Oklahoma summer day. I’m sure my dad was thinking the grass needed mowing and due to the heat, probably should have waited until later.
      His buddy, Roger, was there at the time and saw what was happening. He was running after my dad and hollering his name. We are thankful Dad didn’t fall off or get hurt.
       Later, I was able to buy an Ertl toy tractor of the Farmall 130 at an toy store in Dyersville. 
      One of my favorite antique ventures is hunting for postcards. There are two postcard dealers at the Brass Armadillo who have an expansive offering of postcards, all of which are categorized by state, subject, farming, comical, World War II and much more. There’s even a chair and table at each dealer’s booth to use to sort through the boxes of postcards.
       Debbie will go one way and I will head to the postcard section.
      We also have enjoyed visiting antique stores in Hannibal, Kirksville, Columbia, Eldon, Marshfield, Ozark, Joplin and Lebanon in Missouri. All those cities and towns have nice antique malls. We have also visited antique malls in Illinois, Oklahoma and Kansas. 
     Going antique hunting on E-bay is another of our favorite pastimes. We have purchased a number of goodies through the on-line auction service. In fact, I’ve been buying on E-bay since 2004. My first purchase was a book on Buford Pusser, the legendary sheriff of McNary County, Tenn., who carried a big stick and kept law and order.
       His life was featured in a series of three DVDs from the 1970s. I remember seeing the first movie at a theater in Tulsa my senior year in high school.
       When buying on E-bay, be careful of the shipping costs. Some dealers have some steep prices to ship the items. Other sellers have high prices on their goods. Look around for the best deal and make your bid and leave it.
      Outside of collecting postcards, I enjoy collecting cigar boxes, Auburn rubber toy tractors, pop bottle openers, Pepsi collectables and seed corn booklets.
      Back in the day, seed corn dealers used to give their customers a pocket-size seed corn booklet. Some have various seed corn company history and others are blank or have charts to track prices and yields.
One seed corn booklet that I bought at the Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant a few years ago was used to record the farmer’s family tree.  It lists in detail the entire family.
       The seed corn books are colorful and full of history.
      What Cheer is another great place to find antique goodies if you are willing to do a lot of walking, dig through the treasures and have a pocketful of change. I like doing the digging, but I don’t have a pocketful of change, so I have to move on in some cases.
      I always enjoy entering my antiques in the Iowa State Fair. The antiques are located in Pioneer Hall. I typically win a few ribbons and once won a sweepstakes ribbon for my antique Will Rogers mantel clock.
       And now our oldest nephew enters antiques with us at the ISF. I enjoy the challenge and seeing who can pick up the most ribbons.
       And in recent years, we have purchased some items through auction services on-line and in person.
      We bought some Pepsi collectables through an auction from New York state and we also attended a two-day auction at a Pepsi bottler in northeast Missouri a few years ago. The owner had passed away and the family was selling his collection. It was amazing how much the Pepsi metal signs went for. They were all out of our price range.
      Debbie recently found a Barbie auction and had a great time digging through the large collection on-line and bidding on a few items.
     It is fun doing something we enjoy together. It’s all about the thrill of the hunt and enjoying God’s blessings.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

​       It might be cold outside, but when I’m visiting with folks, my heart is warm and happy no matter the temperature.
      And that was the case on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the 50th wedding anniversary of George and Jane Cline of Brooklyn.
       I was invited by the family to come take photos of the life milestone and celebration held at the Michael J. Manatt Community Center.
       It was surprise event hosted by their son, Seth, and his girlfriend, Amy.
       They had a nice a turnout and it was an enjoyable afternoon with good food.
       I met a lot of good people and reconnected with some I hadn’t seen in a while.
     I took time to visit with the couple at the end of the event and learned how the Clines made it to this milestone.
     “Compromise and give and take,” said Jane as she and George visited with a few remaining guests. “There were some bad times, but the good things outweighed the bad.”
     The couple met on a blind date and Jane said they went on their first date on Sept. 21, 1973. They were married on Feb. 8, 1975. George said the weather was much worse 50 years ago than on Saturday.
     Jane spent her early years in Guernsey before moving to Brooklyn in fourth grade. George is a life-long Brooklyn resident.
      When the couple married, George worked as farmhand. The couple was able to buy their first farm, an 80-acre spread west of Brooklyn, in 1993.
      The couple still has a cow calf operation and raises chickens.
      George worked for Sig Mfg. for 13 years, then spent a number of years at Victor Manufacturing, retiring in 2017.
       “He was a factory worker and a farmer,” said Jane of her husband.
      Jane worked as a proofreader at the Brooklyn Chronicle and spent time in the BGM kitchen cooking area youngster’s meals. She spent 20 years at Manatts as an accounting clerk and performed data entry in the trucking division. She retired in 2019.
       “Family is important,” said Jane of the day’s activities as she and George soaked it all in.
       What a wonderful story of hard work, faith and determination that led to their 50th wedding anniversary.
       Sitting at the table next to Jane and George reminded me of the importance of celebrating life.
       It’s easy to get busy in life and forget to celebrate your accomplishments and milestones.
       We all need to do a better job in the celebration department.
      It might be something as simple as overcoming an obstacle at work or reaching a milestone or celebrating a special day in your life.
       It doesn’t have to a big anniversary, it could be that you lost 15 - 20 pounds on a diet or you saved enough money to buy a new vehicle or you got out of debt or paid a loan off.
      There’s no limit to how you celebrate a milestone. Set goals and when you reach a goal, take time to be thankful and celebrate, then move on to the next step.
       It’s easy to put things off until later. Don’t let the busyness of life keep you from enjoying life.
       A few weeks ago on a Friday evening, I told Debbie that Valentines’ Day was going to be special this year.
      She was thinking that I was going to take her to some crowded fancy sit down restaurant. That was not the case.
      “We’re going to Culver’s,” I told her. “I’ll even go through the drive-through and eat in the car unless it’s too cold.
        “I might go inside,” Debbie said with a smile.
        I typically don’t buy roses and boxes of candy, but I do enjoy a double cheeseburger deluxe at Culver’s
     And Valentine’s Day is this week. About the only thing that will keep us from going is snow and bad weather. If that is the case, we will go as soon as possible.
      We had the opportunity last fall to make the trek to Hannibal, Mo., and the Lake of the Ozarks for a few days of rest, relaxation, good food and antique hunting in honor of our 20th wedding anniversary and my 65thbirthday. We had a great trip and came back refreshed and ready to tackle our dreams.
       I leave you with this - enjoy the day, the week and enjoy life! You are valuable and have talents that others need.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

         When it comes to finding story ideas, I can usually sniff out some good ones.
         That was the case the other day while scrolling through Facebook.
         I came across the Facebook page of The Iowa Gallivant, better known as Jay Jay Goodvin of Iowa City.
         His real name is Jay Goodvin, but he said when he says, “Jay Jay, people are more apt to hear him.”
    Goodvin has been traveling around the state for 11 years eating all kinds of foods from different restaurants and small town mom and pop eateries and then sharing videos of his experiences, all while giving the eatery a plug.
       He calls his fans Gallivant Nation and has quite a following on Tic Tok and other social media outlets. He calls himself a culinary crusader who is passionate about travel, food, family, overalls and the American Cornbelt.
       He’s been featured in the Des Moines Register, Ag Day, Farm Journal’s Pork and various other publications through the years. 
     So, I reached out to Goodvin recently and had the chance to interview him via telephone on Ground Hog Day.
      His most recent venture was eating a tenderloin in all 99 of Iowa counties. The project took 10 months and just wrapped up in late January. Goodvin will announce the winner of the best Gallivant tenderloin on Feb. 13 on social media. He will also announce his next statewide eating project on that day.
       When asked if the winning restaurant will get an award or trophy, Goodvin said, “They will get a nod from my favorite tenderloin and a spike in business will be their prize.”
     Before this project, Goodvin said he has been to every single county in Iowa multiple times eating everything from pizza to pasta, chili, pancakes, soups, salads, egg rolls, corn dogs and about anything else worth trying.
      Goodvin spent more than 20 years working in the restaurant and the hospitality industry before starting the Iowa Gallivant.
       “It started as an on-line family scrapbook project,” he said. “It turned into this beast.”
       When asked how he chooses a restaurant, Goodvin said he lets the locals and restaurant fan bases guide him.
      In Poweshiek County, he visited the Classic Deli in Brooklyn a couple months ago, where he enjoyed a tenderloin and some sides.
       He might show up at a restaurant wearing a pair of Key brand bib overalls or one his “Keep Gallivanting” T-shirts and Tenderloin and Chili ball caps.
       He sells T-shirts, bib overalls, ball caps and accessories on-line at tig.keyapparelstore.com.
       He carries a well-groomed beard along with a deep, inviting voice that makes you want to sit a spell, enjoy some iced tea and a visit.
     He doesn’t get paid for visiting the different restaurants, but said he funds his eating ventures by promoting different communities, organization and events on his travels.
       “Cities and communities hire me to do that while out traveling,” said Goodvin.
      He usually calls a restaurant the day before or the day off to let them know he’s going to stop by and make a video.
       “I think it is only fair that they know someone is going to be their making a video,” he said.
       A few years back, he traveled the state eating different kinds of sausage.
      “One of my favorite trips was Iowa’s Wurst Road Trip, casing the state for the best sausage,” he said. “That was hugely successful and I loved it.”
     That led him to write a book, Rural Iowa Sausage: History & Tradition of Brats on the Backroads, which was released in November 2023.
      The book features a story on Dayton Meats in Malcom.
     “Have your tried their homemade pies?” Goodvin asked me of Daytons.
     “I bought one once and put it in the freezer and forgot about it,” I replied.
     He went on to praise Dayton’s for their homemade pies. He said lard makes the best pies and there’s no better place to find lard than at a meat market.
     That’s making me hungry – not the lard, the pie.
     He does all of his own posting on social media with help from his wife. When he stops at a restaurant, his wife, or sometimes a customer, restaurant employee or someone in the restaurant will film him while he enjoys a tenderloin or some other kind of food.
     I mentioned that the next time he’s in Poweshiek County, I would love to meet and have my photo taken with him. I will put it right next to the Iowa Governor and a photo that Debbie and I have from the state fair with the now late Frank Fritz of American Pickers fame.
    And I mentioned to Debbie, that Goodvin would be a great speaker at our next All-Iowa Writers’ Conference in September.
      Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

       The Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl for a third straight year to tackle the Philadelphia Eagles for all the marbles.
       This is the Chiefs’ third trip in a row to the Super Bowl and fifth time in the last six years. Of the last four trips, the Chiefs have won twice against the San Francisco 49ers and beat the Eagles two years ago. They lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-9, in 2020.
      I’m OK with the Chiefs heading to the Super Bowl for a third straight year and I hope they can pull a three-peat off.
       If the Chiefs do, they will be the first team in NFL history to reach that milestone.
      I’m a long-time Dallas Cowboys fan and I admit, they stink. They have all kinds of talent, but something in the Big D just isn’t clicking as the they aren’t winning.
      The Cowboys have played in eight Super Bowls, winning five and losing three. During the 1990s stretch, the Cowboys won three games in four years.
      They beat the Buffalo Bills two years in a row, 1993 – 94, under Coach Jimmy Johnson.  The third Super Bowl win of that four-year stretch and the last for the Cowboys came in 1996 under the direction of former OU Football Coach Barry Switzer. Coach Tom Landry, who I got to see at a game, led the Cowboys in the other five Super Bowl games, winning two and losing three.
      I’ve attended seven Dallas Cowboys games in the old Texas Stadium, including two Monday Night games and five Thanksgiving Day games.
     Many moons ago, Johnson coached the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Switzer was at neighboring OU. There was a stretch of some 20 years that OU ruled OSU on the gridiron. Even with Heisman Trophy winner, Barry Sanders, OSU couldn’t beat OU.
      When Johnson took the Miami Hurricane gig, OU couldn’t win a game against them.
      In fact, Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman, a Henrietta, Okla. native, started his college career at OU. In a game his freshman year against the Hurricane in Norman, he broke his leg and ended up sitting out a year before transferring to UCLA and taking the reins of the Bruins. 
     Since folks will be filling their refrigerators with cold ones, picking up some steaks, loading up with chips and dips and inviting family and friends over to watch the big game, I thought this would be a great time to share some Super Bowl history and trivia.
      The Buffalo Bills have the most consecutive appearances in the Super Bowl with four from 1990 – 1993. They are also one of two teams to lose four Super Bowls. For the Bills, it was four in a row.
      In addition to their recent success, the Chiefs lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 1 on Jan. 15, 1967. In Super Bowl 4, the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings, 23-7. They didn’t make it to the Super Bowl again until 2020. That’s a 53 year stretch.
       The Minnesota Vikings have played in four Super Bowls from 1970 – 1977, losing all four games. They lost to the Chiefs as earlier mentioned and the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 13, losing that game, 16-6. They also lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32-14 in 1976 and the Oakland Raiders, 32-14 in 1977.
      When I was in junior high or middle school as some call it these days in the early 1970s Vikings Coach Bud Grant would bring the team to Tulsa during playoff games to practice at Skelly Stadium, home of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. News reports that I have read, say the team came to Tulsa to get away from ice and snow in Minneapolis because they didn’t have an indoor practice facility.
      Another report I read was that then Vikings General Manager Jim Finks, a former TU and Pittsburg Steelers quarterback, was the connection that landed the team in Tulsa to practice.
       I never tried to sneak in, but reports say the practices were closed to the public.
      It seems one year while they were in town, it snowed in Tulsa. Skelly Stadium is on Route 66 just more than one-half mile from my boyhood home.
        The Steelers won two consecutive Super Bowls in 1975 – 76 and again in 1979 – 80.
       The Miami Dolphins appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls, winning the last two. And I can’t forget about the New England Patriots, who have appeared in 11 Super Bowls, winning against the St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams.
      The Patriots were eliminated in the AFC Championship Game to eventual Super Bowl 50 Champs, the Denver Broncos. The Patriots and Broncos are tied for the most Super Bowl losses at five.
      And the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) have played in five Super Bowls, winning three and losing two. I once got to meet the Washington Redskins Mascot in Dallas and purchase some Redskin goodies, including a “Hogs” T-shirt and ball cap.
        Do you remember Redskins fans dressing up in hog outfits complete with big noses?
      There are four NFL teams who have not played in a Super Bowl – Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
         I was kind of hoping the Lions would have got it done this year. As my football savvy nephew said, “I’m not surprised with all their injuries.”
     And of course, I can’t forget about the Chicago Bears beating the Patriots, 46-10, in 1986. Do you remember the William “Refrigerator” Perry Super Bowl Shuffle?
         I haven’t come close to touching on all the Super Bowl history and trivia in this column.
         No matter which team wins, it’s the Super Bowl. My hope is that the commercials will be great again this year.
         Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

​       It was a cold, wet Saturday morning in mid-September 1997. I had turned off Highway 63 and was headed north on Iowa 149 through a detour toward Delta.
         Iowa 149 goes through Sigourney and then North English, but was detoured through Delta due to road work.
        As the rain pelted on my windshield and the swishing sounds of my wiper blades rubbing across the glass rang in my ears, my mind took a few moments to reflect on my decision to apply for a newspaper job in Iowa with Marengo Publishing Company. MPC was owners of newspapers in North English, Williamsburg, Marengo, Montezuma, Brooklyn, Belle Plaine and another paper in southern Benton County.
        I had learned about the company though my photojournalism instructor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He knew a fellow at MPC who earned his master’s degree at MU and knew that I was considering working for a small town newspaper.
        As I tooled along, the Iowa Hawkeyes were playing football on the radio. I had finished my coursework at MU, but still had a couple incompletes to wrap up before receiving my degree. 
        As I tooled along in my Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck, I was thinking about the weather and the crazy idea of living north of Missouri in Iowa.
        I interviewed for the editor’s position at the Williamsburg Journal-Tribune on the first visit, but didn’t get the job. It would be three months later in December 1997 when Alan Sieve with MPC, who I interviewed with in September, would come calling with another job offer.
       He had a position at the North English Record and was looking for an editor. He liked me, but was a bit unsure about my lack of experience in reporting on such things as the school board and city council.
       At MU, I spent a summer semester working the news desk at the Columbia Missourian, a student-ran daily newspaper that gives journalism students an opportunity for on-the-job training. The editors at the Missourian are students earning their master’s and Ph.Ds. 
        My focus at the Missourian was covering the rural areas and writing feature stories. I didn’t cover local politics and education. I was more interesting in cover agriculture and rural areas.
        When Alan called the second time, I was on the road with my brother in his 18-wheeler. He was driving for Mayflower Van Lines. We had picked up a load of furniture in Detroit and was headed for Tulsa when Alan called.
        I stopped at the Landmark in Williamsburg and was interviewed for the North English job in the back seat of a Ford Focus. I landed the job a week later on Christmas Eve and began working for the Record on Dec. 29.
         When asked during the interview if I had any concerns, I touched on the snow and cold.
       I dove right into my job at the Record and remember my first school board meeting in January 1998. I remember sitting in my pickup in the school parking lot praying and asking God to guide me. The board meeting lasted until after midnight.
        My lack of experience gave me the desire to learn beyond college. It was my job and I was going to make the best of it. And in the process, I made many friends and connections and raised the subscription and store copy sales of the Record greatly.
        Iowa is a beautiful state and I met my lovely bride at the Iowa State Fair.
       Now that I have lived in Iowa for just more than 27 years, I still don’t like the winter weather. And I sure don’t care for the snow.
      I’ve endured the Iowa Vortex a half of dozen years ago when temperatures reached -22 degrees below zero and windchills where in the deep freeze. And just this last week, temperatures dropped to -10 with cold windchills.
        It didn’t take me long to learn the importance of wearing multiple layers of clothing to stay warm.
      The cold leads to schools starting late, canceling ball games and even companies shutting down early or closing due to the weather.
      That’s too cold for this southern boy. It got below zero in Tulsa on occasion and we had some terrible snow and ice storms that shut the town down for days at a time. There were no plows in Oklahoma, at least when I was growing up, so the snow and ice melted during the day and refroze during the nighttime. 
       I took many spills on the ice and remember on occasion pulling my sled piled with newspapers through my customers’ yards to deliver the daily news.
        I’m glad to be in Iowa, still delivering the news. As for the cold weather and snow, it can stay to the north. And spring is just around the corner and so are good things to come.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

        I admit, I’m not always the best listener.
      Back in elementary school, my report card often had the category, “Usually doesn’t listen” checked.
        What can I say?
         I love to talk.
       In high school, I was sent to the dean’s office once for talking in architecture class my junior year.
      The dean called my mom to complain about my bad behavior only to have her tell him that he needed to spend more time cleaning up the smoke hole at school (the place where smokers took their daily breaks) and less time worrying about me talking in class.
I don’t remember what came from that episode, but I always appreciated my mom standing up for me.
      Talking is something that has hung with me for many moons. I’ve been a firm believer for years that talking opens up doors and creates opportunities. How does anyone know what is going on in your life if you don’t stop and talk? It starts with a simple hello.
        I can’t count on my hands and toes the number of stories and story leads I’ve gotten from visiting and talking with folks.
        It’s good to listen too, and that is an area I need to work on a bit more.
        Take for instance, this past Sunday evening.
      While fixing supper, Debbie was chatting with me from across the room. I admit, I didn’t hear much of what she was talking with me about.
       She was watching a crime show and I thought she was talking about that. That was not the case. She had a watched a Tik Tok video about a fellow in Wichita, Kan. who mowed and cleaned up badly overgrown yards, free of charge.
       He had received a call from a friend about an elderly lady who lived somewhere in the Wichita area.
       “So, I stopped by her house and her lawn was getting crazy,” said Spencer, owner of SB Mowing. “She’d been trying to get someone out to take care of it but nobody was answering their phones. The city had given her a warning for her grass and was going to charge her $240 to cut it, which she couldn’t afford.
       Spencer offered to mow the elderly lady’s yard, clean up the cracks in the driveway and cut down a large volunteer tree.
       When he was done, the lady expressed thanks and was touched by what he had done for her.
       Spencer posted a video on social media of him doing the work for this lady. That led to several of his viewers reaching out, offering to help the lady and asking him how they could do so.
      He went back to the elderly lady’s house and told her that there were people who wanted to help her do things such as fix her cracked driveway and make a ramp and fix up her back deck. He asked her if it would be OK if he started a Go Fund Me account for her.
      She couldn’t believe that anyone would want to help her financially, but she said that would be OK.
      Spencer asked the lady that if they received enough money, was there anything else she needed done in the house?
     She told him she needed a way to get up and down the basement stairs to the laundry. She also told him she had two windows that were broken and needed replaced.
Within 24 hours, 21,000 people had donated to the Go Fund Me and raised more than $500,000. He went back to tell her about the Go Fund Me account and she couldn’t believe it. She was almost in shock, saying “well, there is no fire here or no hurricane.”
       “Are these people from your church,” the lady went on to ask.
       “No, these are people from around the world,” Spencer told her.
       She said all her life, she had helped other people until she got down and out.
      “These kinds of things happen to other people, not to me,” she said. “All my prayers worked.”
       What a cool story in the midst of a world of craziness. Talking, listening, sharing your story and helping make life better for others is what life is all about to me.
       I encourage you to take time this week to do something good for a neighbor, a friend or even a stranger.
     I’m thankful Debbie shared the story with me. Hopefully I will do a better job listening next time.
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

        Did you see the post on the Iowa Lottery Facebook page about the Newton man, Daniel Bragg, who won $150,000 in the $10 Money Gift scratch ticket?
      According to the Iowa Lottery story, Bragg drove his 2001 Chevrolet Suburban with 849,000 miles through a snow storm to collect his winning prize. His first thought when he realized he had won was getting a new vehicle.
       I’ve heard of vehicles with 300,000 plus miles, but not 849,000 miles. He got his money out of that vehicle and it looks like he has enough money to buy a new pickup truck.
        The Iowa Lottery Facebook page is filled with stories of winners from all across the state. 
       I’ve bought numerous lottery scratcher tickets through the years and the most I’ve won is $50 several times. Debbie once won $200 on an Iowa State Fair scratch ticket some years ago that we bought at the Montezuma Super Valu. It provided extra spending money for our annual trip to the Iowa State Fair.
       Santa always leaves us a host of Christmas lottery tickets in our stockings each year. Most years we win a few dollars, but not much more. It seems one year that I won $25. This year, I won $15 and Debbie didn’t win anything.
     And I’ve bought numerous Powerball, Mega Million, Lotto America and Lucky for Life tickets through the years, and the most I’ve won is $7 or $8.
       I once found a handful of lottery tickets in a local grocery store parking lot. I picked them up and ended up winning a few dollars on one that hadn’t been scratched.
       And each month I receive a free scratcher ticket or lotto ticket from the Iowa Lottery that comes via email. I won $4 in November and I think that is the most all year.
      It’s amazing what one can spend on lottery tickets. The most that I have spent on a single lottery ticket is $10, but nothing more. You can spend up to $50 on a scratcher ticket these days. Currently the Iowa Lottery offers one $50 scratcher ticket, two $30 tickets, four $20 tickets, 13 $10 tickets, 14 $5 tickets, 11 $3 tickets, 20 $2 tickets and seven $1 tickets.
      The lottery has become big business in recent years. Some years ago, a scratcher ticket was $1, $2 or $3. I would pick up one or two tickets now and then, spending a few dollars, but I can’t imagine spending $30 or even $50 for a winning chance.
     I think it might be better to give that money to the local food pantry or outreach that helps others. I think the funds would be better spent than on a lottery ticket. I’m sure I will still buy one or two this coming year.
Black-eyed peas
      Growing up in the south, a tradition in my boyhood home and many southern homes is eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
       My mom always said that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day would bring good luck and prosperity in the new year.
      She’d purchased dried black-eyed peas in a bag and would soak them in water overnight. She sometimes would add a piece of ham for flavoring while they stewed on the stove.
      It’s hard to beat a bowl of black-eyed peas. They go good with anything from hamburgers to a chicken fried steak.
      Some folks in the south eat collard greens with their black-eyed peas. I don’t remember eating collard greens, but I do remember eating cornbread with my black-eyed peas on occasion. My dad loved fresh onions out of the garden with anything he ate. One of his favorite afternoon snacks was wilted lettuce from the garden with hot bacon grease poured over the top along with fresh onions.
     I buy black-eye peas in a can these days and cook them for supper. Debbie doesn’t care for black-eyed peas, so when I want a can, I will cook her English peas. It works well for both of us.
        The internet is filled with all kinds of reasons that black-eyed peas bring luck. One article noted that black-eyed peas symbolize the eye of God. Another stated that black-eyed peas given to the poor will inspire them to survive and thrive.
       Another article stated that the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, is one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. That’s a lot of black-eyed peas. Another article stated that black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health. 
      I found another story that noted that black-eyed peas are a good source of fiber and protein and that they contain important nutrients such as vitamins A and K, calcium and iron.
     “Adding them to your diet can help with weight and blood-sugar management while lowering your cholesterol,” noted the article.
     I can’t point to any one thing or tradition in my life that has brought me luck as each day is a blessing from God and an opportunity to do great things in this world. It’s something I don’t take for granted.
      But as I do most years, I kicked off 2025 with some black-eyed peas and hamburgers baked in the oven with mushroom soup. I should have made some cornbread to go along with the meal. Top the cornbread off with a slice of butter and that is good eating. 
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

         It’s been more than 40 years ago since I last went hunting.
     I was sharing this story with a former Montezuma resident on Sunday at Star Lanes in Montezuma.
      I had stopped there to pick up a Pepsi and an iced tea on my home from covering the last Sunday service at the Deep River Christian Church Disciples of Christ.
       The church closed its doors after 134 years of ministering to Deep River and area families.
      I happened to meet John Behounek, a 2005 MHS graduate and school teacher in the Omaha area, who was home with his family for Christmas.
     We started talking football and I mentioned the dismal season the OU Sooners, my favorite team, enjoyed this year.
     That led Behounek to mention the Nebraska Cornhuskers, his favorite team, and coach Matt Rhule, who just finished his second year as headmaster of the Big Red school.
      The Cornhuskers finished 7-6 and near the bottom of the Big 10. They did enjoy a 20-15 Pinstripe Bowl win over Boston College.
      Behounek mentioned that Rhule and company had to re-recruit the Cornhusker quarterback, Dylan Raiola, in an effort to keep him at Nebraska.
     The portal and NIL (paying college athletes to play) have really changed the face of college football with players leaving some schools in droves for greener grass on the other side of the fence.
       Anyway, OU, which has lost its share of players and quarterbacks this year and last, finished the season with a record of 6-7 under head coach Brent Venables, who is in his third year at the helm. It has some Sooner fans calling for Venable’s head.
       I’m not so brutal as the SEC rolled out the welcome mat to OU this season. Outside of a big 24-3 win at home over Alabama, this has been a season to forget. And it didn’t help that the Sooners lost the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl game, 20-21, on a missed two-point attempt against Navy.
      Being a long-time OU fan and remembering the glory days of the Wishbone offense and then the mid-90s, when OU almost had to buy a win, I’m more about giving Venables another year or two.
       I wouldn’t want to be in his or Rhule’s shoes with all the explaining they have to do to fans and university officials.
       Anyway, back to my hunting story.
       My good friend, Rob, and I had decided to go rabbit hunting. Seems like it was around 1981.
       Rob had a 16-gauge shotgun and I had a borrowed 410 single shot shotgun.
     It was Thanksgiving weekend and we took my 1977 Monte Carlo and headed to southeast Oklahoma. We were driving along a gravel road and saw some rabbits in field. So, we stopped at the farmhouse and asked if we could hunt.
       “Sure,” the homeowner said.
      It didn’t take Rob long to bag a few rabbits. I was less fortunate in my shooting skills, but did finally get one or two.
      Rob was carrying the rabbits in his hunting vest. As we walked along the field, he thought it might be a good idea to gut and skin the rabbits.
      We had no knife, so I went and knocked on the homeowners’ door and asked to borrow one. Rob was seated on a log in the fellow’s backyard gutting rabbits and trying to skin them. I was trying not to get sick from the smell as I realized he and I both didn’t have a clue what we were doing.
It didn’t help that it was misting rain and there was quite a chill in the air.
       I looked through the back door of the fellow’s house and saw that he was enjoying an OU vs. Nebraska football game, a Thanksgiving tradition back in the day. I remember some great games in the 1980s.
       I swore right then that I would never miss another OU vs. Nebraska game to be outside in the cold and rain to shoot rabbits that I would never eat.
       We brought the rabbits home and finished cleaning them in Rob’s parent’s kitchen. They were so full of buckshot, they weren’t worth eating. We probably should have used 22 rifles.
       I put several in the freezer for a later date. It must have been at least 10 years later when my mom boiled them and tossed them to the family dog.
      With that in mind, I do appreciate all the hunters who have killed deer, turkey and pheasants this season and I hope they enjoyed their harvests for family holiday meals.
       Thank you so much. Keep up the good work and I will stay home and watch a football game.
      In wrapping this up, I encourage you to find the positives in 2025. It’s a new year and new and good things are on the horizon.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.