Debbie and I were in Brooklyn the other day taking a little league team photo, which happened to be on the softball diamond.
      Before leaving, Debbie nudged me toward the pitcher’s mound, where she stood and reminisced about her days of youth.
      She played softball in middle school at Montezuma and often talks about the time the game was on the line.
       She got up to bat, hit the ball and then ran into the other team’s first baseman, who was blocking the bag. It must have been quite a collision as she ended up with skinned knees and elbows.
        “I wasn’t going to be denied,” she said.
        The coaches took Debbie out the game to patch her up, but her extra effort helped the Bravettes win.
        Her winning attitude, fighting spirit and passion for life are three of the many things I love about Debbie.
      And her love for the game of softball continues well into her adulthood. She and I are both fans of the game and the Oklahoma Sooners, who won the softball national championship in 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
       We got to see the Sooners play two games in Lawrence, Kan. in late march and have seen them play a number of games at Iowa State University on four different trips to Cyclone nation.
       We also watched the Missouri Tigers a few years ago in a playoff game in Columbia. And we’ve watched four pro softball games in Chicago, Columbia and East Peoria, III.
       We have a trip to Norman and the new Love Field to watch the Sooners play on our bucket list and we also hope to attend the World Series of College Softball in Oklahoma City, someday.
        Hardly a weekend goes by from early February through the national championship in early June that our television doesn’t have a game on. And there are the midweek games. Debbie loves watching and analyzing all the games.
       And this past weekend (Friday, May 17 – Sunday, May 19), I would estimate that Debbie watched parts of 30 different games, including both games between OU and the Oregon Ducks.
      The Sooners won both games, 6-2 and 3-2 to advance to the super regionals against the Florida State Seminoles. The winner of the best of two games out of three will advance to the college world series.
        The Seminoles, who have struggled a bit this year, won it all in 2018.
        The Sooners also run-ruled  Cleveland State in the opening round of regional action.
       At one point in game two, the Sooners were up 2-0. I left the room and soon after the game was tied two all. I was encouraged by Debbie to find my way back to the living room to send good vibes to the Sooners.
        Sooner Magic, as it is called in Oklahoma, must have worked as they won the game.
      It doesn’t hurt that the Sooners are loaded with talent and when they are on their A game, they are unstoppable.
        Two teams that didn’t make the next round, but played lights out in the regionals, were the University of Omaha and Liberty University. Both of those teams should be on the softball radar to look out for next season.
       Other teams that have advanced to the super regionals to keep an eye on as the playoffs continue are Texas, Tennessee, Duke and Florida, who is playing much better of late. Alabama is usually always in the thick of things, but they don’t have as strong of a team this year. The Roll Tide Head Coach, Patrick Murphy, is an Iowa boy. Missouri and Arizona are two other teams on a roll and should give whoever they play a challenge.
        Outside of watching softball, there’s plenty of community events, parades, rodeos and the county fair on the horizon to keep me busy this summer.
        If you see me out and about, stop and say hello. I always enjoy visiting and talking about life.
        Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

        Debbie and I love being an aunt and uncle and supporting our nephews and family.
        And last week took the cake as all three of our nephews were in the limelight.
      Our youngest nephew, Peyton, a sophomore at Montezuma High School, was inducted into the National Honor Society.
     Our middle nephew, Sawyer, a 2022 graduate of Montezuma High School, graduated from the John Deere Tech program at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) in Calmar. And our oldest nephew, Gavin, a 2021 graduate of Montezuma High School, completed his BS Degree in Agricultural Business with a minor in Entrepreneurship from Iowa State University in three years.
      It all started on Wednesday evening, May 8, as Debbie and I attended the NHS induction at the Montezuma High School. We are so proud of Peyton and his work ethic and good grades in school.
       On Thursday, May 9, we headed northeast to Calmar to attend two ceremonies. The first, which was held at the NICC campus, was focused on the 24 young men graduating from the John Deere Tech program. These young men not only learn to use a wrench, they learn to use a computer.
      Afterwards, we enjoyed a luncheon and a tour of the facilities. The young men learn everything John Deere from working on engines to fixing planters, tractors, combines, plows and anything John Deere. 
       According to the John Deere website, there are 24 John Deere Tech programs spread out across the country with the only Iowa location in Calmar. 
      That evening, the family enjoyed pizza at Mabe’s, a Decorah institution located a short 10 miles from Calmar. We then attended a campus-wide NICC graduation that evening at the Center for Faith and Life on the campus of Luther College. It was a beautiful ceremony.
        While some of the family returned to Montezuma that evening, Debbie and I stayed the night in Decorah and returned home on Friday, May 10.
       We followed Sawyer home as he is moving back after two years. He will work at Van Wall John Deere in Grinnell beginning in June.
      It was up and at it at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11 to get ready for a trip to Ames to attend commencement exercises at Hilton Coliseum for Gavin.
      Debbie was up shortly after 4 a.m. to feed the animals and I followed suit more than an hour later. I’m thankful she does all that work getting us ready to go. If it was left up to me, we might have gotten there when it was over.
        Gavin’s graduation started at 9 a.m. and included both the School of Business and the School of Agriculture in one ceremony. It took just more than two hours to hand out diplomas to more than 900 graduates. That was one of three ceremonies being held that day at Hilton Coliseum.
       Gavin is going to work for Farm Bureau Insurance and is working to build his goat meat business, Boer Certified. I tried the goat sticks and they are pretty good. I’ve heard the goat brats are good grilled.
      After the ISU ceremony, we enjoyed lunch at a nice restaurant in nearby Boone. And that evening, we returned to the Des Moines area for a graduation celebration supper for the entire family.
       I’m sure we put more than 500 miles on our Suburban over a four day period, and every minute we spent and mile we drove was worth it
      Several times tears welled up in my eyes and I’m sure Debbie was touched as well as we watched these young men graduate and be honored for their hard work.
    Our three nephews spent many days out our house as youngsters under Debbie’s care. I remember making several trips to Sam’s Club and purchasing school supplies as Debbie held summer school for several years. She’d open the garage door on nice days and the boys would color or paint what they saw first. And sometimes that would be deer in our yard.
       There was playtime, rest time and study time.
      It all made a difference as she played a big part in their lives that started when they were still in diapers.
     And as proud of our nephews as we are, we know that the future is looking bright for these young men as they find their place in life and go on and do great things in the world.
     Outside of a relationship with God, there is nothing more important than family. This Oklahoma boy is proud of my Iowa family and my lovely bride while planting my roots in this fine state. 
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

         Beginning this weekend, numerous area high schools and many trade schools, colleges and universities will hold graduations.
        It’s a special time of the year when high school seniors prepare for the future and reach their dreams. And for college graduates, many will complete internships or enter the workforce in their chosen field. Some will continue their educational pursuits.
         I remember when I graduated from high school in May 1978 and opted to enter the workforce. I trained in the printing trade in a high school vocational program and during the last semester of my senior year, I took an English course in the morning and then went to a job at a print shop a few miles away where I ran a letterpress (the old lead type). My job was printing three-to-a-page business checks using a press called a “Jumping Jack.”
    I continued in the printing business for almost a year after graduation before pursuing a different direction. I held other jobs including working as a custodian at the an all-night grocery and drug store, setting up double wide mobile homes with my uncle and working at a factory that made sieves used to move steel cables in cranes. I spent 7.5 years working for the circulation department with the Tulsa newspapers and a couple years selling and delivering waterbeds and oak furniture made in Tulsa.
     I returned to college in my late 20s after winning a camera in a weight loss bet with a co-worker a few years earlier. I started studying photography in 1987 at a community college in Claremore, Okla., a community about 30 miles northeast of Tulsa. After earning my AAS Degree in Graphic Technology (photography) in 1991, I decided to continue my educational pursuits.
     I left Tulsa in August 1992 after being accepted at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After graduating from MU at age 38 with my BS Degree in Agricultural Journalism in December 1997, some 19-years after high school, I moved to Iowa and began my community journalism journey.
      I have shared many stories in this column through the years of overcoming challenges and setbacks while working my way through college. I spent hours and hours being tutored in algebra and math. It took me three tries to get into journalism school. Thanks to hours of tutoring, guidance and studying, I passed the required 100-question grammar test with a score of 82 on the third try. I needed an 80 to pass.
     I remember the day well. It was my 36th birthday and while I and the other students, all a dozen or so years younger than me, waited to take the test, I found a place of solace at the other end of the building where I started to pray.
     I walked back and forth on the sidewalk praying. Every so often, someone would walk by and I’d stop praying and greet them. I then would go back to my business of building my faith.
    While praying, I told God that I might not understand it all, but that I believed I belonged in that (journalism) school and that I was going to get in.
      I’m glad I didn’t give up and let my past failures dictate my future.
    Through my life experiences, I have garnered a bit of wisdom that I believe will help you on your life journey. Here they are:
      • You will make mistakes. Don’t let a mistake define you. I’ve missed it more times than I’ve ever gotten it right. If you fail, get up, knock the dust off your hands and feet, forget the blame game and get on with life.
      • You will hear the word “no” many times in your life. It will come from family, co-workers, well-meaning trusted advisors, neighbors, friends and an assortment of other places. Don’t let “no” be the final word or end to a dream. Don’t quit. It’s like running water that hits a rock. It doesn’t stop, it goes over or around the rock and keeps flowing.
      • Be kind to others. Treat others as you would want to be treated. It’s something that I’ve taken to heart my entire life. It’s some of the best advice my momma ever gave me.
      • Hold the door open for others. Don’t forget to say thank you or send a “real” thank you card through the mail.
     • Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Knowledge is power. No matter your age, you don’t know it all.
     • Treat your elders with respect. Learn from them. They have years of wisdom.
    • Take time to meet and get to know your neighbors and others around you. There are people who will cross your life path and are there to help you be successful.
    • Don’t pay much attention to the news or believe all the doom and gloom and propaganda on social media. I heard a story once of a car dealer in Arkansas. Sales had been slow for months. He challenged his employees to turn off the evening bad news and ignore the bad reports about the economy. Employees started speaking and praying good things over their business and before long, sales at the car dealership rocketed. It works!
    • It’s okay to turn off social media and live life. I need to do that more. Take an afternoon drive, call a friend, spend time with your significate other, work a puzzle, start a hobby, clean out the garage or go fishing. 
     • It is always better to give than receive. Do something good for a neighbor, a friend or even a stranger. Buy a gift card or some movie passes and give them away. Purchasing a sack of groceries for a family in need is a great way to give to others. Pay it forward!
      • Volunteer your time to help others. Make life better for others and your life will be better.
     • No matter where life takes you, don’t forget about where you came from. Your family and friends love and believe in you.
     • Slow down, pray and be thankful. You don’t have to do it all in one day or an afternoon. Take a vacation or day off and live life.
      • Take ownership of your mistakes and learn from them. Don’t give up, keep on walking.
    • Don’t be afraid to make a change in life. It’s never too late no matter your age to start over or try something new.
    • Some of the best wisdom I heard was from a friend – “People will forget everything about you, except how you made them feel.”
     • And lastly, don’t be late to work.
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

          It’s kind of ironic how life comes full circle.
       While taking a writing course at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I did an essay paper on a story I found in an August 1972 National Geographic entitled “North with the Wheat Harvest” written by Noel Grove with photos by Jim Sugar.
       During the 1971 harvest season, Grove and Sugar followed the Max Louder family of Mankato, Kan. on their annual wheat harvest path from Texas to Montana.
         The story peaked my interest, namely because of my love for combines and farming.
       I first got interested in farming and old tractors in my mid to late 20s when my dad and I would attend the Oklahoma Steam and Gas Engine Show in Pawnee the first weekend of May.
        Pawnee is northwest of Tulsa and is home to the Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum.
       Gordon William Lillie, know professionally as Pawnee Bill, was a performer and American showman who specialized in Wild West Shows. He had a short partnership with William “Buffalo” Bill Cody of Iowa in 1908.
       In 1888, Pawnee Bill and his wife, May, launched their own Wild West Show, which was called “Pawnee Bill’s Historic Wild West.” After struggling financially that first year, Lillie regrouped and changed the show to “Pawnee Bill’s Historical Wild West Indian Museum and Encampment Show.”
         It went on to become a success.
         There’s a lot more on Pawnee Bill, too much to share in this column.
         Pawnee is about 60 miles from Pawhaska, Okla., home of the Pioneer Woman and also the movie site for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
        It was at the Oklahoma Steam and Gas Engine Show that I started photographing old tractors and steam engines, the early beginnings of where I am today in life.
    I was going to the community college at the time taking photography courses. I always enjoyed photographing the old tractors.
        My dad loved to find a bargain and had a nice collection of old horse-drawn cultivator seats. 
       I remember at one show we attended, my dad found an old cultivator seat he was interested in buying. He asked the seller how much it was. “$15,” the seller told my dad.
       That was too much for my dad’s liking, so he’d walk around the grounds, then go back and ask someone else about the cultivator seat.
        I think after several tries, he got the price down to around $10, so he bought it.
     I liked that about my dad. If he found something he liked, he’d work the price down or leave it for someone else.
       I have a number of my dad’s cultivator seats in my antique collection, so I might have that seat.
       After graduating from MU, I landed in North English, Iowa at the Record newspaper.
       It was there that I learned of Noel Grove, who I had earlier wrote a paper based on one of his stories.
     Grove grew up in South English and recalled roaming the Iowa countryside around the family farm. He graduated in 1959 from McPherson College in McPherson, Kan., where he majored in English. After college, he taught English and speech at Inman High School in McPherson and worked as a reporter and wire editor at the McPherson Daily Sentinel. He also worked as a reporter and night editor at the Hutchinson Daily News.
       He joined the National Geographic magazine staff in 1969, where he went on to head the environmental department, a division created for him by then editor Wilbur Garrett. Grove wrote 28 bylined articles for the magazine, contributed several chapters to National Geographic books and was the author of eight published books and more.
     In 1990, he helped found the Society of Environmental Journalists, a non-profit national journalism organization for journalists who reported on environmental topics.
       Grove wrote the book, “Anyone But Duane” and published it in October 2008. It is a true-to-life book about multiple murders that happened in June 1965 when Duane Pope, a classmate of Grove’s at McPherson College, committed a robbery and murders at the Farmers State Bank in Big Springs, Neb., leaving three dead and one severely injured.
        Pope, 81, remains in the Nebraska State Penitentiary. 
     I learned about the book a couple years ago while visiting the English Valleys History Center in North English.
     I never met Grove, who passed away in January 2022 at his home in Virginia, but it’s nice to have the connection to his work through my own writing.
      I look forward to reading his book, maybe in retirement. First on the agenda is reading my wife’s second, third and fourth books.
      At least I have good intentions.
      Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.