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.

        I meet some of the most interesting people in life.
        Take for instance a couple ladies I met last week at the Grinnell Post Office.
         I had stopped there to mail a couple packages of my books.
         The first lady said she thought she knew me.
         “I am J.O. Parker,” I told her, thinking she might connect me with the newspaper.
         “Do you know who you look like?” she said.
         “No,” I replied.
         “Boss Hogg,” she told me. “You look like Boss Hogg of the Dukes of Hazzard.”
          I wasn’t sure if that was a complement or if I was supposed to run and hide.
         “He’s your twin,” she said. “Everyone has a twin.”
          I told her I had met Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) at a car show back in the day in my hometown of Tulsa.
         She went to list the other characters in the popular 1970s and 80s show, saying that Roscoe is dead and so is Uncle Jesse.
          She liked Uncle Jesse, she said.
         She then explained to me what she was mailing. It was some sort of artwork that she did. I didn’t quite understand it as I finished taping up my packages and she stepped to the counter to mail her items.
          I was next in line and as I waited, another lady came into the post office.
        “You need to be careful,” she told me, referring to the ice melt covered steps outside the post office. “You don’t want to fall.”
          It had been slick earlier in the week and the post office tossed out a bucket of ice melt.
         “It’s tough when you get old,” she went on to say.
         “I’m 65,” I told her, adding that I had just signed up for Medicare.
          She couldn’t believe it that I was 65. I can’t either.
          “You got good genes,” she let me know as I thanked her.
           That’s a nice thing to say and a compliment to my parents.
          The Dukes of Hazzard was a great show and I rarely missed an episode. I remember riding with my dad on many Friday nights to the Chuckwagon drive in on north Sheridan in Tulsa and picking up four wheel burgers and French fries for supper with the family. The eatery was shaped like a covered wagon and their specialty was the wheel burger. We’d go to the take out window and carry the food home where my folks, my brother and I would enjoy supper while watching the Duke of Hazard and Dallas.
        Those were some of the greatest memories of my growing up days as was Christmastime and the many August vacations we took in dad’s 1967 Chevrolet C-10 pickup to places like Nashville, Disneyland and Niagara Falls.
       I was already out of high school when the Dukes of Hazzard started airing. I didn’t go out too much during that time in my life and often hung around at home.
        I also enjoyed watching “The Incredible Hulk” on television. My brother and I got to meet Lou Ferrrigno (who played the Hulk in the show along with Bill Bixby) at a Tulsa mall J.C. Penneys many years ago.
        Anyway, when I got home that evening, I found a photo of Boss Hogg on the internet and a recent photo of me. I posted them on my Facebook page asking folks to share their thoughts if I was the Boss’ twin.
       One person said I was his twin. Another suggested I buy a white cowboy hat and see. One couple said I was way better looking. And another asked if I was letting everyone know what costume I needed for Halloween 2025.
       I have some similarities to the Boss, but I wouldn’t go as far as being his twin. I think I will pass on the Halloween costume, but do like the white hat idea.
      Like me, everyone loved the Boss and his relentless crooked pursuit of the Duke Boys and his on-going badgering with Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane and his dog, Flash.
      I loved his white Cadillac and large white hat with his big cigar and his huge appetite. It was a classic television show from the good old days.
        It was fun to visit with the lady and if anything, I appreciated the memories and a laugh.
       I hope everyone has the best Christmas with family and friends. Take a few days off work and the hustle and bustle of life and enjoy the holidays. Time spent with family is never wasted and the never-ending pile of work and meetings will be there when you get back.
        And always remember, it’s better to give than to receive!
        Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day

          One of my favorite adventures as a community journalist is taking Santa photos.
          This year I’ve captured Santa in Grinnell, Brooklyn, Montezuma and Deep River, where he arrived on the back of a fire truck with sirens blaring.
         I’ve taken at least 75 photos of kids and Santa this year. I love capturing all the smiles of area youngsters sitting on Santa’s lap or kneeling by his side and sharing their Christmas wish lists, while telling Jolly Old St. Nick that they’ve been a good boy or girl.
          However does he keep that list of who has been naughty and nice?
         What’s more special is all of these communities host holiday/Christmastime celebrations in connection with Santa’s visit.
      Grinnell hosts Jingle Bell Holiday while Brooklyn celebrated the season with Christmas Traditions. Montezuma was home to Hometown Holiday and Deep River hosted Santa at the American Legion. Every youngster in Deep River received a gift certificate, a bag of goodies and a free toy. And then after meeting will all the little ones, Santa took off in a Legion member’s pickup and made the rounds across town dropping off goodies for all.
           I always enjoy taking photos and talking to folks during these wonderful holiday celebrations.
        And I attended the Brooklyn Community Theatre production of “Many Things” at the Brooklyn Opera House. The Christmas play was written by Josh Gerard, the Brooklyn librarian, pastor of New Beginnings Church and playwriter and actor.
            It was a great production and I left thinking of all the blessings that life has afforded me.
           I don’t know how Santa does it, sharing cheer and leaving toys, electronics and many other gadgets with boys, girls and those of all ages across the globe, and all in one night. 
           I remember all the excitement of Santa arriving at the Parker house on Christmas eve. My brother, Tom, and I never went without a bunch of gifts on Christmas morning.
            I was so excited about Santa and Christmas morning one year that I went to bed at 6 p.m. so Santa would arrive quicker. As I tried to sleep, a knock came on one of my bedroom windows.
            I pulled back the shade and there was Santa in all his glory calling my name with a ho, ho, ho!
            We had a gas lamp in our front yard by the porch and at Christmastime, my family had a plastic two-piece Santa mask that went around the lamp.
            How that plastic mask didn’t catch on fire is amazing.
          My dad had taken one of the plastic Santa faces and held it up to my bedroom window having some fun. I was so excited to see Santa.
            I finally got to sleep, only to wake up around 2 a.m. I couldn’t sleep anymore, so I got everyone up and we opened gifts and then all went back to bed.
           We always set out a cookie and a glass of milk for Santa’s visit and on Christmas morning, the cookie and milk were always gone.
            We had a fake chimney, so it had to be our parents who let him in the house. I guess I will never know.
          Santa’s gift was always unwrapped and the rest of the family gifts where wrapped and neatly placed under our Christmas tree.
            After marrying Debbie, our first two Christmases, Santa wrapped my gift and left Debbie’s unwrapped.
            That second year, Debbie asked me why Santa didn’t wrap her gift.
            “He never did that when I was growing up,” I told her.
            “He did that when I was growing up,” Debbie told me.
            I sent Santa a note via email, and asked that he wrap Debbie’s gift. And it’s been that way in the year’s since.
         Debbie and I have enjoyed wonderful Christmases together and with family. Our home and garage quickly fill up with shipping boxes and wrapping paper fills the living room. We all check several times to make sure everyone gets a gift or two.
           That’s really what Christmas is about – Jesus, family, friends, giving to others and a time of reflection for life’s many blessings. Toss in some good food and all is well with the world.
            It is the most wonderful time of the year!
            Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

        I woke to an unpleasant surprise on Monday morning – a light blanket of snow.
        I’ve lived in the state for almost 27-years, and I still don’t like snow and cold.
       Having grown up in Oklahoma, we didn’t get the snow like in Iowa. However, I do recall a few big storms through the years.
      One that comes to mind was in March of 1984, or maybe 1989. There’s been a lot of water and snow under the bridge since those days.
     Anyway, it snowed 14-inches and shut down my hometown of Tulsa for three days. By early March, Oklahomans are usually enjoying 70 plus degree weather, not a big a snowstorm. There was no mail, package deliveries, school and many business were closed due to the storm.
      Tulsa didn’t have snowplows back in the day outside of some plows that the state used to clean off the interstates and main throughfares. The rest was left to melt and refreeze until it was gone.
        It was bad enough that I got stuck in my driveway and had to call a friend to drive his four-wheel drive up and down the driveway to help get me unstuck.
       Some of my fondest memories of snow in Tulsa was when I was a kid. I remember on occasion my dad loading my sled, a gift from Santa, in the back of his pickup and carrying me a few blocks to a big hill in my neighborhood. It was there that I would join some of my school chums and go sledding for a time, until I got too tired.
        And I remember lots of ice storms in Tulsa in the 1970s. I took my share of slips and falls while delivering my newspaper routes and even once, wrecked my car during high school when I backed in to a sign pole on an icy morning.
       My mom was quite upset with me and took my car, a 1959 Chevrolet Impala, to a body shop and had them fix the crash and repaint my car. She also took my driving privileges away, which hurt a lot more than the crash.
        In January 1977, during my junior year in high school, we had a Tulsa blizzard for the books. When we crawled out of the bed at 4 a.m. to deliver our newspapers, it was snowing heavily and piling up quickly. It was also bitter cold and the wind was whipping the snow around like a tornado. My family threw 400 Tulsa World newspapers on Sunday and trudging through that storm was one that I will never forget.
        My dad drove his pickup loaded with newspapers while my mom and I took turns walking a block at a time placing the Sunday news on our customer’s porches. The warmth of my dad’s truck kept us going. We finished delivering the last newspaper around 10 a.m. We typically were done by 7 a.m., but not on that day.
          There have been a few winter-weather challenges along the way since moving to Iowa.
         In the late 1990s, I remember driving my S-10 pickup to see a friend and his family in Princeton, Ill. I never checked the weather when I traveled, so most of the time I had no idea what was happening. If it wasn’t for cell phones and Debbie, I probably still wouldn’t be checking the weather.
         I had stopped in Davenport to top off my gas tank, buy a Pepsi and a Sunday newspaper. The cashier told me to be careful. I thanked him and went on my way.
         I didn’t give it much thought until I was about 10-miles west of the Quad Cities where I drove headlong into a winter snow storm. There were vehicles and semis littering the ditches. With no weight in the back of my pickup, it was a miracle that I made it home without sliding in the ditch. I about yanked the steering wheel out of my truck from gripping it so tight as I inched along the Interstate.
         And another time, after moving to the country northwest of Montezuma, I went to pick up a pizza on a snowy Friday night. At the time, our driveway had quite an incline. It has since had some improvements made to it and is much better these days. I tried driving up our driveway, only to slide backwards and right into the road ditch where I hit the E-911 sign in my yard. I ended up breaking my outside driver’s side mirror in the process.
         My brother-in-law stopped a couple days later with his John Deere tractor and pulled me out of the ditch. That was not a pleasant situation.
           There is one thing about living in Iowa. There are a lot of hardy folks in this state. It’s not uncommon for me to see some fellow with no coat in short-legged britches on a cold, snowy winter night walking across the street into a building or house.
           It’s also not uncommon to drive by some homes and the driveway is full of four-wheel drives after a snowstorm. The good old boys stopped for a few beers and a tasty grilled steak on the BBQ grill. And they like to go ice fishing and hunting in the dead of winter. I enjoy sitting in my easy chair in my warm house.
             I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough snow. I’m already looking forward to spring.
            Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

            It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas at the Parker house.
            We set up our Christmas tree this past weekend and Debbie decorated it.
        We’ve never set our tree up this early. It’s usually after Thanksgiving and sometimes a week or two before Christmas. A few years ago, we set up the tree, but didn’t get it decorated.
           When we first moved into our country home on Thanksgiving weekend in 2006, we set up a small fiber optics tree in lieu of the new artificial tree we had purchased after Christmas the year before.
          With boxes and furniture everywhere, it was next to impossible to set up and decorate our tree in our new home. Debbie bought the fiber optics tree at Target and we set it in the bay window and all was good with the world.
           I’ve mentioned this in past columns, as a child growing up in Oklahoma, my folks didn’t set up anything Christmas until Dec. 15.
           We always bought a fresh-cut tree and one year we purchased our tree in early December. My dad tied it to the clothesline in the backyard so it stood up straight until Dec. 15, when we were allowed to carry it in the house.
           We didn’t get out a box of decorations, lights or set up the manger until mid-December.
           I still have the manger and figurines of baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the three wisemen, the shepherds and some animals that I placed under the Christmas tree as a youngster every year.
          My mom bought the manger and figurines at TG&Y Five and Dime store in Tulsa. The manger still has the price tag on the backside. I think she paid a $1 or two.
          The old cardboard manger is in sad shape. I’ve thought about having a local craftsman make a new one, but I haven’t followed through with the project.
         A couple years ago, our oldest nephew, Gavin, found a wooden manger at a sale and bought it and gave it to us. It’s a nice addition to our Christmas deorations.
      Christmas was always exciting in the Parker house growing up and each year, Santa would give my brother and me an orange, apple and some nuts in our stockings.
       I asked my mom about it and she said it was a reminder of her growing up years in Southern Missouri when an orange, apple and nuts were all she and her siblings got for Christmas some years. Other times they got a set of new clothes, but nothing else.
       My folks didn’t have a lot of money, but they somehow found a way to give my brother and me the best Christmases gifts and memories possible. I can’t imagine getting a pair of pants and a new shirt and no toy or keepsake. I’m so blessed!
       I still have my Allstate (Sears and Roebuck) train set I got for Christmas when I was age 7. It doesn’t work and the box is somewhat fragile, but it’s priceless to me.
       I keep a running list of Christmas and birthday gift ideas on our home computer that I update each year. Outside of some music from the 1970s and several photography books, one of my top gifts this year is life-long fishing licenses for senior citizens. I will never need to buy fishing licenses again.
      Other items include a Tulsa ball cap, tools, postcards, a new frying pan, old board games and some antiques. 
        Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the Christmas season this year and getting our tree set up early is an added plus.
       I kind of feel like a kid again. Maybe it’s because I turned 65 this year. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that life milestone.
        I encourage folks to take time to celebrate and enjoy life. The holidays are a great time to do something good for someone else.
        Some ideas include making a donation to the local food pantry or giving some funds to a local outreach that helps those who are in need. Montezuma, Brooklyn and Grinnell all have wonderful outreaches that help others.
        Another suggestion is to buy a sack of groceries or a gift card for a neighbor or friend in need. Together, we can make a difference in this world and every gift is important.
        As we all know, the real reason for Christmas isn’t the gifts, it’s celebrating Jesus. He is the reason for the season. Spending time with family and friends and enjoying lots of good food isn’t too bad either.
         Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

​        Like my dad, I’ve developed a somewhat bad habit of gawking while driving.
      Debbie reminds me often to put both hands on the steering wheel and quit gawking at the scenery.
      That was the case last Saturday while traveling to Pleasantville to set up a booth and sell our books at a craft show in the school gymnasium. 
      I was checking out Red Rock Lake and apparently was weaving on the highway some. I hit the rumble strips on the side of the highway several times on the curvy stretch of road between Pella and Highway 14.
      I was trying to eat my McDonald’s sausage biscuit and drink my ice tea with one hand on the steering wheel and it was putting Debbie on edge.
      Plus, I was checking out the road to nowhere at Red Rock Lake near Highway 14. There’s a road and a bridge that goes right into the lake. I suppose it was the old Highway 14 that was flooded when the lake was built.
      And then there is the mile-long bridge on Highway 14.
     I think they need to have higher guardrails on that stretch of highway across the lake. When there is a crosswind, it feels like I’m going to fly over the side of the bridge into the water. I always have two hands on the steering wheel when going across the mile-long bridge.
     My dad was bad about gawking and talking to strangers. I remember one time on a family vacation when we had stopped in Springfield, Mo. We were at a stoplight and a fellow was walking across the road.
      “How are you, Fred?” my dad hollered from his window.
      The fellow looked at him, like “do I know you or are you some kind of nut?”
       I’m sure his name wasn’t Fred.
      My dad would laugh as he got the biggest kick out of having fun with a complete stranger in some other town.
      I typically don’t holler at folks out the window, but I do seem to get easily distracted as I enjoy checking out the scenery.
      I enjoy God’s beauty and as one of my elementary teachers said, “I usually don’t pay attention in class.” I need to do a better job paying attention to where I am at on the road.
    Texting is another issue of concern for those with cell phones these day, which is most everyone who walks and breaths.
     I haven’t figured out how to text and drive. Some people are experts at texting and driving, but not me.
     Sometimes I will make a call and talk with someone on the phone speaker while driving, which is almost as bad as texting and driving. 
      I see people all the time texting and driving on the two-lanes and interstate highways. In fact, on the way home from the craft show, I saw a driver on the road from Pella texting at the intersection of Highway 14. She wasn’t paying any attention to where she was on the road.
     And speeding is another issue. Most folks drive too fast these days. I probably drive slower than I should, especially while on deer watch when driving in the early morning hours or at night after covering a game or some community event.
     I dislike people tailgating me. If I’m driving too slow, go around me and move on. If a deer pops out of the ditch, we are both going to be in trouble and I’m going to get it from the front and back. So, please slow down. If you are late, leave five minutes early.
      Another bad habit I have is not coming to a complete stop at stop signs. Debbie said her dad once got a ticket for coming to a rolling stop at a stop sign and she often reminds me of when I do the same thing.
      I never got a ticket for making a rolling stop, but my dad once got a ticket for turning right on red in the 1970s before it became law.
     There are all kinds of statistics on districted driving and many states have band texting and driving with fines if you get stopped. They probably should band gawking, too.
      I’m thankful for Debbie paying attention and helping me get to and from where I am going and through life.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

​            My cell phone rang and woke me from my slumber on Friday morning a week ago.
        I had taken off work at my day job to get some things done and was sleeping later than usual. 
        It was John Dodds of rural Montezuma on the line.
       He called to see if I might be interested in joining him for lunch at Culvers in Pella. The timing couldn’t have been better, so I agreed to join him.
       I had written a story on John last spring about his hobby of making wallets from old baseball gloves. In fact, I bought a wallet from him made from a George Brett glove. George played for years with the Kansas City Royals and I had the chance to see him play a few times back in the day.
       John appreciated the story I did on him and promised to take me to lunch.
      I’ve known John from when I was working full-time in the news business. At the time, he was serving as the minister of Grace United Methodist Church in Brooklyn.
     He came to Brooklyn in 2005 and after a few years, moved to a church in Carlisle before retiring from the pulpit and getting remarried and moving to a farm south of Montezuma.
      John, who is several years older than me, grew up in southern Indiana and was a big New York Yankees and Micky Mantle fan back in the day.
     “I liked him (Mantle) because he had a cool name,” said John in an earlier interview. “A lot of kids back then were Yankees fans. It was a time when baseball was truly an American pastime.”
     As a youngster, he had aspirations to play baseball in the big leagues, but after playing the game for three years in high school and running cross country for two years, he opted instead to become a teacher. While attending community college to study elementary education, John become acquainted with a young man who shared his faith with him.
      “He invited me to a revival service where I asked Jesus into my heart,” recalled John.
    After much prayer, John ended up switching gears and enrolled in Nazarene College in Kankakee, Ill., where he earned his bachelors in religion. He went on to attend Nazarene Seminary in Kansas City where he preached at a church in Missouri on Sundays while taking classes during the week.
     After becoming an ordained minister, he spent time in the pulpit at churches in Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma and Iowa before retiring.
      One of those stops included a few years ministering in Oklahoma City, Okla. It was there that he spent two years as chaplain with the Oklahoma City 89s baseball team. The 89s were a AAA farm team for the Texas Rangers organization.
      “I didn’t get a chance to play baseball professionally, but I did get a chance to minister to some major league baseball players,” recalled John in an earlier interview. “I sure enjoyed that.”
        Since I grew up in Tulsa, John and I seem to have a Oklahoma to Iowa connection of some sorts and we have visited often through the years.
      I always enjoy a trip to Culvers for lunch, supper or anytime and spending it with my friend made for a great and relaxing day. We enjoyed visiting about life and our love of God while enjoying a double cheeseburger with the works. It was a wonderful day.
      When I interviewed John last spring, he said one thing that I will always remember.
      “People will forget everything about you, except how you made them feel,” he said.
      There’s a lot of truth in that statement and one I have taken to heart.
      I’ve enjoyed making friends with many folks, both young and old, during my nearly 27 years in Iowa and most importantly, meeting my wife, Debbie, in this fine state. I’m so blessed and so thankful for all of life’s experiences and all the people who have crossed my path. 
       I’m thankful for all the people who have allowed me to share their stories. My favorite part about being a community journalist is finding and telling people’s stories.
       I’m looking forward to sharing more stories in the coming years, months, weeks and days.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

        I wore two pairs of socks, two shirts, a pullover jacket and a stocking hat to stay warm. The only thing missing was a warm pair of gloves as I held on to my camera, switching hands and pushing them into my pockets one at a time in an effort to stay warm.
          It helped, but I still had to thaw out my hands when I got home.
         It was all worth it as I paced the sidelines at Badger-Gabriel Football Field in Montezuma on Friday, Nov. 1. It was a great game between Montezuma and the favored Bedford Bulldogs in second round 8-man playoff action.
         I could have easily been home relaxing in my comfy chair with a blanket, but then I would have missed all the fun of the playoff game.
         And what a game it was.
       With just under two minutes left, the Montezuma Braves took the ball and drove it nearly the length of the field, scoring with 10-seconds left on a short pass from quarterback Brady Boulton to Carter Michalek to win the game, 32-28.
       Montezuma led most of the game until shortly after halftime when Bedford took the lead. The Bulldogs pretty much had the game in the bag until the final Montezuma drive.
        I call it Montezuma Magic.
       The Braves move on to the quarterfinal round and will travel to Lenox to take on the Tigers on their home field on Thursday, Nov. 7.
         The winner advances to the semifinals at the UNI-Dome.
        It was exciting to watch the Braves came together, play as team, overcome all sorts of obstacles and pull off the win.
      I’ve covered a lot of Friday night football in my newspaper career and Friday’s game was one for the record books.
        There have been a lot of good ones through the years and I’ve enjoy them all.
       One that comes to mind is a first-round playoff game in 2006 against Appleton-Parkersburg. It was a cold, cold night. In fact, Montezuma set up a tent with a heater for fans to stay warm. I spent halftime in my truck with the heater blowing full blast to keep warm.
      I remember then Braves head football coach, Joe Donavan, telling the team, they were not playing AP’s history, they were playing this team.
    I don’t remember the final score, but it was Montezuma 20 or 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. Montezuma kicked off to open the game. The ball hit the knee of an AP player and bounced off and a Braves defender recovered it to score a touchdown.
      AP, as it was called, was coached by the now late legendary Ed Thomas, who was killed on June 24, 2009 by a former player in the school’s weight room. Just a year earlier, Thomas led the charge to clean up Parkersburg after a tornado had earlier tore the town apart.
     Thomas coached at the school for 37 years, winning two state championships and nearly 300 games. Four of his players went on to play in the NFL.
     Montezuma lost the first three games of the 2006 regular season before going on a run that ended with playoff wins against AP, Dike-New Hartford and St. Ansgar, finishing the season as state runners-up. That included a 20-0 win at Iowa City Regina during the regular season.
     About every Montezuma fan was at the UNI-Dome games and I was walking the sidelines, capturing all the excitement from the field and in the stands.
     And in recent years there have been lots of great games with last second 40 plus yard field goals to win and former quarterback Eddie Burgess dragging a half dozen players into the end zone to score for the Braves.
     I didn’t play football in high school. I went out my sophomore year during spring drills to play my junior year. In the 1970s, Oklahoma had spring drills in high school.
    I struggled to run the drills. The coaches sent me home to try something more my speed. I now get to capture the action and fun of the game with my camera.
     Congrats to the Braves on all their success and a hearty thanks to all the young people who put in the hard work and effort all season long to make Friday Night Lights special for all.
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

       Our faithful house cat, Smokey, died this week.
       He’d been struggling of late and we knew his time was short. 
       He was a good kitty and Debbie and I loved him dearly.
       Smokey showed up at our house in early December 2007. He’s been with us for almost 17 years. That is a long time in kitty and doggy years.
      When Smokey showed up at our door, I found a big bowl of leftover spaghetti in the refrigerator and fed him. He ate it all. By the second day, he had moved into our garage and the third day, he had moved into our house.
      He was getting old and having a tough time walking and getting around. We had two sets of pet stairs next to the couch so he could get up and down where he loved to take long naps.
     I remember when Smokey was younger. He loved jumping into our bed and often times staying there all night. He loved his kitty treats and catnip bananas. I’m sure we spent a small fortunate on treats.
     When we first got him, he would go outside and hunt. Once, he brought a rabbit in the house and let him loose. The rabbit fond a hiding place in our bedroom behind our dresser. We had to move the dresser and catch the rabbit and put him in a trash can to take him back outside.
      He also once brought us a garden snake, right into the kitchen.
     Another time, we had some business guests at our house. They were getting ready to leave and we were all standing outside. Smokey captured a large bull frog and kindly deposited it at our guests’ feet. He was quite proud of himself.
      He would often set on one of our retaining walls and wait for a mouse to stroll by. He loved catching mice. Once, he went outdoors and caught a mouse. He was proud of his find and brought the mouse in the house and decided to let the little fellow go. I’m sure he wanted to play, but the mouse had other ideas and took off for a hiding place in the basement.
     Debbie was a bit upset and told Smokey to go to the basement and catch the mouse. He did and stayed there for three days. He not only caught it, he ate it.
     He'd also enjoyed crawling into the attic of our house from the garage. He’d somehow shimmy right up the wall and get into the rafters. Our garage does not have a ceiling, so it was easy access to the attic.
We’d have to coax him down and bring him back inside.
      He was family and we are going to miss him. We are very thankful for the time we had with Smokey.
      Debbie loves all of our animals. Our new puppy, Boomer, who we got a year ago Labor Day weekend from a friend in Fayette, Mo., is a joy to be around. He loves to jump all over me and has gotten big enough to about knock me down.
      Debbie enjoys taking him for daily walks.
     He’s warmed right up to our chocolate lab, Rex, who has been with us since November 2010. Rex can’t jump like he once did, but when a coon or some other critter comes around, Rex and Boomer are quick to defend our turf.
      And it’s about time to call the vet and farrier for our three mini horses – Harmony, Gazer and Sophie. And our hay supply is getting a bit low. I’ve got the hay man on speed dial.
      We have had our mini horses since August 2016 and they bring us much joy.
      And I can’t forget about our outdoor Tom cat, Oscar. He’s a good little mouser and likes to take naps in our garage. He was another cat that just showed up at our door and we took him in and he’s stayed.
     All our pets bring us much joy and we are thankful for them all. I am also thankful for all my friends, family and the many people who have and continue to cross my path in life.
     You are important and bring value not only to me, but to this world.
     In spite of all the craziness in this world, you can still dream and with a step of faith, can see your dreams come true.
      Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.

        Debbie and I along with our oldest nephew, Gavin, and his grandmother, Jan, made the trek to Clarinda in the southwest corner of the state to sell our products at the 65th Annual Clarinda Craft Carnival on Saturday, Oct. 18-19.
   The craft carnival draws more than 475 vendors from all over the Midwest selling their handmade/homemade products in six buildings around the town of Clarinda.
        Customers come from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas. And one vendor said, customers come from as far as Kansas City.
      The craft carnival is under the direction of the Clarinda Chamber of Commerce and is one of the most organized craft events Debbie and I have attended.
      Organizers bus customers from the various buildings and at times, folks are two and three deep at many of the vendor tables, including ours.
      This is our fourth year to sell our books at the craft fair and the first year that our oldest nephew brought goat meat products from his business, Boer Certified, to the craft carnival. His Grandmother Jan came to help during the busy times in his booth.
       We all enjoyed a great day and met some nice people.
       We all plan to return in 2025.
      Some famous folks from Clarinda include big band director, Glenn Miller and Jessie Field Shambaugh, an American educator and activist known as the “Mother of 4-H Clubs.”
     Television personality Johnny Carson was born in nearby Corning, Iowa, but lived for a time in Clarinda. Johnny’s brother, Richard (Dick) Carson, was born in Clarinda. He went on to become a television director for such shows as “The Tonight Show,” “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Merv Griffin Show.”
     We always stay in the neighboring town of Shenandoah, Iowa, the home of the Everly Brothers. It also home of Earl May Seed & Nursery, founded in 1919.
      They have a nice hotel right in downtown Shenandoah with clean rooms and good service. The motel is just a block from the Everly Brothers house and town museum.
     We all enjoyed supper at the Elm Street Grill located at the Shenandoah Country Club. The food was awesome and the company was even better.
      While in Clarinda, we drove by a garage sale and Gavin, our oldest nephew, noticed an octagon table in the yard. He loves the old tables and mentioned something about taking a look at it. I surprised him and stopped while making a lunch run and bought the table for $5. I figured it would be about $30 or $40, so I was pleasantly surprised it was so cheap.
     Gavin loves it and already has plans for its use. It’s a little rough, but with some furniture polish and a good scrubbing, it will be like new.
      The fun part was getting it packed in the Suburban along with our suitcases, products, freezer, tables and chairs for the ride home. Gavin is a master packer and it serves us well to stay out of the way.
      Our trip to Southwest Iowa included a stop at the Ax Murder House in nearby Villisca. I was excited to find the house open for tours along with the giftshop. Time did not permit us to take the tour, but I did purchase an Ax Murder House puzzle and coffee mug in the giftshop.
     All the other times we have stopped, the house has been closed, but is open to folks who fork out a lot of money to spend the night there. The two folks running the giftshop said the Ax Murder House has a new owner and they have made some improvements and keep the house open more. I’m fascinated with the Ax Murder House and have it on my bucket list of things to tour.
     We did meet a lady at the craft carnival who expressed an interest in having us speak about our books at the Clarinda Public Library. If we can put something together and possibly speak at a couple more libraires while in the area, I’m touring the Ax Murder House the next time we in that area.
     This is the first of six craft shows Debbie and I will be attending this fall and early winter. Coming up is Indianola, then Malcom at Bison Days at Sunset Hills Bison Ranch and Lodging north of town. They have a festival the first weekend of November and we are taking part in the area vendor show. I plan to take some photos and write a story for the CR paper while there.
     Then it’s off to craft shows in Pella and Pleasantville before Thanksgiving and rounding up with Victor in early December.
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.