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.
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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. I believe it’s a dying art that may have come to end, or at least it seems that way in recent years.
Giving and receiving Christmas cards with family photos and letters are all but gone. And how I miss them. Debbie and I have received three cards this year. One from an Iowa cousin, who sends pictures of her family every year, one from a Montezuma family and the other from the financial fellow at the bank. We might have one or two more trickle in, but that is about it. I used to gets lots of Christmas cards back in the day and loved reading all the letters and looking at the family and dog and cat photos. When I was kid, my mom had a felt Santa on a hanger with sparkly glitter with a large pouch like a Santa toy bag where she placed all of our cards. It hung by the front door on a nail stuffed full of Christmas cards. I don’t even know if folks still write Christmas letters these days. I admit, it’s a lot of work to write a letter. And with stamps being nearly 75 cents, it’s much easier to take to social media or skip it all together. Debbie and I haven’t mailed out a Christmas letter since pre-Covid. We used to do some really nice ones, giving a detailed list of life happenings. One year we did a collage of photos in our letter. We have good intentions, but never seem to get around to it. Several years ago we didn’t mail our Christmas cards out to the end of January. It was the thought that counted. I love reading the letters and I also enjoyed writing my own letter and sending them out. I’d stop at Walmart and pick up some festive holiday paper and print out the letters, sign them with Debbie and put them in a card to be sent to friends and family. Actually, I bought the paper and Debbie wrote the letter and addressed the envelopes. Having Christmas cards is not the problem. I think we have a tub full of them in the basement that we picked up at after Christmas sales. The biggest issue is taking the time to put everything together. But it is worth it to stay connected. As a blog writer wrote on the Internet, the best part of sending out Christmas cards is reconnecting with friends and family. I think that is what I miss the most. It seems like when you send out a Christmas card, you get one back or vise-versa. If you haven’t sent a friend or family member a card in several years, I think it’s easy to take your name of the list. My aunt Alice, who lived in Fayetteville, Ark., always sent us a Christmas card. It was a simple card usually with a manger scene on the front and was always signed, Aunt Alice. But unfortunately, Aunt Alice, my mom’s younger sister, passed in January at the age of 83. She and my late Uncle Ronnie owned a chicken farm where they raised fryers for Tyson and other big chicken companies. They had two large chicken houses that held 16,000 chickens each. I used to drive from Tulsa about once a month to spend a couple days with Aunt Alice and Uncle Ronnie. Aunt Alice made the best homemade shrimp pizza and we’d always spend one evening playing cut throat rummy, a card game consisting of sets and runs using three decks of cards. Jokers and twos were wild. And I loved going bowling with Uncle Ronnie, who was next to impossible to beat. I miss her a lot and I miss her Christmas cards and occasional calls. Next year for sure, Debbie and I will get our ducks in a row and send out Christmas cards. I might have to resort to sending a few out this year via social media or at least posting some type of letter on my Facebook page. Experts in the Christmas card department say the prime time to send out Christmas cards is early December. That gives folks time to read your letter and return the favor. We all have a story to tell as life is a story. Life is not mundane or boring, it is exciting with opportunities to use your talents to bless others. I encourage you to write down or keep a journal of all of life’s blessings. There are so many things in life to be thankful for in the past and in the present. At the end of the year, you won’t need to rack your brains to remember what you did in January and February. Let’s get back to sending out Christmas cards and keeping in touch with our friends and family the old fashioned way. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. |
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