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I love Christmas wrapping paper, but I think our oldest nephew, Gavin, is the king of the wrapping paper in our family.
He often stops at our house to visit and at Christmastime, he’s usually carrying a dozen or so rolls of wrapping paper. He’s always looking for a good deal on wrapping paper and has an uncanny ability to sniff out a bargain or two. We have wrapping paper in about every nook and cranny of our house. If we ever move, I bet we will find a few rolls hidden in a basement closet or maybe the garage. It’s really my fault. I’ve been buying Christmas wrapping paper for years. It’s so beautiful. I especially like the two-sided wrapping paper. It gives me a choice. I guess I’ve passed along my love of wrapping paper to our nephew and he put it into overdrive. I think Hobby Lobby has the best wrapping paper. It’s nice and thick and easy to use. Hallmark has nice wrapping paper too, but it can be quite pricey, unless you can catch it on sale. I like the big two-sided rolls sold at Sam’s Club. Most of Wal-mart wrapping paper is cheap, but when on sale, it’s hard to beat on a budget. And they usually have some great character wrapping paper. One of my favorites is Scooby Doo. I like the wrapping paper that has the squares on back to make cutting easier. If there are no squares on the back, I will fold the paper and make a crease, then cut along the fold. It can be a little messy or cut crooked, but it’s the thought that counts. The irony of it all is neither Gavin nor I like to wrap. I’m usually up until midnight struggling through wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve. It takes me about twice as long as anyone else to wrap gifts. Debbie is the wrapper in our family and is called on to wrap most of the presents. She’s also quite a shopper and like Gavin, has an uncanny ability to find great bargains. She’s always looking for free shipping deals and when buying online, she knows how to check and see if a website is a fake or has a bad or no return policy. There are lot of folks and companies out there scamming people. My advice, be careful. I tried to look up statistics on wrapping paper use in American and most websites were centered around recycling, waste and using sustainable eco-friendly wrapping products such as recycled or upcycled materials. In my opinion, giving someone a wrapped gift is never a waste. I still remember those days of setting up the Christmas tree in my boyhood home. I was in charge of decorating and putting up the manger scene and even helping my dad decorate the house. I still have the manger. My mom bought it and the figurines at TG&Y Five and Dime in Tulsa. The manger is a little rough from age, but the figurines are like knew. I hope someday to have a new manger custom-built. We had such blessed family Christmases. So many memories with family, good food and fun opening the presents. And as I’ve mentioned before, the Jackson family Christmases on my mom’s side of the family were just the best. J.B. and Rosemary Jackson were the best hosts. No one went home hungry and everyone, even the adults, received a gift. I can still see Aunt Rosemary sitting at the grand piano as we all sang Christmas carols like “Hark the Heard the Angles Sing,” “O Holy Night,” “Jingle Bells,” and Silent Night.” I have some wonderful childhood Christmas memories from my dad’s side of the family as well. My great grandma Minnie (my dad’s grandmother) made some of the best biscuits. I thought that was the case until I figured out they were store bought. They were still good! Wrap those gifts and enjoy Christmas Day with your family and friends. And while you are at it, take time to be thankful for all life has to offer. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.
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I’ve visited doctors more times this past year than I’ve eaten at Culver’s.
I love Culver’s, so that is saying a lot. After enduring colon cancer surgery, lots of prods and pokes and 10 days and nine nights at the Methodist Hospital in Des Moines in late March, I’m a cancer survivor. Other health issues included the installation and removal of a chemo port, two preventative treatments of chemo, a blood clot in my lower right leg and my most recent element, a bulging disk in my lower back. I’ve had enough of being sick. I calculate that I’ve had at least 40 plus doctor’s appointments this year. I’m hopeful and thankful that the new year will bring better things in the health department and I can get back to my old self. And I could not have been more blessed to have one of Iowa’s best surgeons doing the cancer operation. I remember when Debbie and I sat in his office and heard him say, “Everything will be fine. This is a routine surgery.” I’m thankful to God that I remain cancer free. I’m also thankful that the cancer was discovered early and it had not spread in my body. Following the chemo treatments, Debbie and I took a trip in early June to my boyhood home in Tulsa to attend a cousin reunion. After returning a week later, I noticed that my right leg was swollen. The right leg was two-inches bigger than the left leg. After traveling to Oskaloosa for a leg scan, I was put on blood thinners after the scan indicated I had a blood clot. I visited my doctor almost weekly and endured blood clot meds for nearly three months. A following up scan in early September indicated that I had a clean bill of health. While dealing with my blood clot, I started experiencing pain in my upper right leg in August. At first, I thought it was another blood clot. My primary care doctor assured me that it wasn’t. As the pain intensified and spread across my back and into my left leg, I finally visited with a pain specialist at the Iowa Clinic in West Des Moines in early November. That visit led to an MRI and CT scan (cancer follow up) on Nov. 21 on the same day. Debbie and I met with the pain doctor on that day and a cortisone shot was planned for Dec. 30, nearly six weeks later. After sleeping in the Lazy Boy chair for a couple nights, I moved back to the bed and found some comfort sleeping on top of the sheets and blankets. I’ve also enjoyed a study diet of Tylenol and Ibeprophen while time ticked along slowly. I had my name on a waiting list at the pain clinic just in case someone canceled. I hit the jackpot early this week when I received a call on Monday, Dec. 15 offering me an opportunity to have a cortisone shot nearly two weeks earlier than scheduled. I was so thankful to receive my cortisone shot later that day as at 3 a.m. on Monday this week, the pain shooting through my body caused me to jump out of the bed. A stop at the kitchen for a glass of iced tea and catching my breath was just want I needed. I’m already feeling better, but was told by the doctor giving me the cortisone shot that it could take a week or two for the shot to take full effect. I’m hoping that this will be my last doctor visit in 2025. My next scheduled appointment is Jan 16 as a follow up to my cortisone shot. Through all this pain and health challenges, I’m so grateful that I remain cancer free and that I’m moving forward to better health. I’m also thankful that I was able to sign up on Medicare and Social Security late last year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The only other surgery I had was when I had my tonsils removed at age 7. And I’m most thankful that God’s healing power has been overseeing it all. And I couldn’t have gotten through it all without Debbie. She was beside me at the hospital, sleeping in a chair and staying with me for eight of the nine nights there. In spite of the many life and health challenges this year, I’m so blessed. And that brings me to Christmas and the New Year. The holidays will be a bit leaner this year in the Parker house, but as my mom and dad did back in the day, they found a way to get by brother and me a few gifts under the Christmas tree. I never did without or went hungry in life and during Christmas. That family tradition will continue again in 2025. Next week we all celebrate Christmas. During the hustle and bustle of life, take time to turn off social media and share your thankfulness for all your blessings. And if able, be sure and take time this season to help others with a gift card, a cart of groceries, a tank of gas or in some other giving way. Merry Christmas! It’s always better to give than receive. And one last thing, I was hired as the editor of the North English Record on Christmas Eve 1997. This year marks my 28th in Iowa. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching holiday movies.
My favorite is “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart. It’s a classic with a message. I enjoyed the Brooklyn Community Theater production of the movie as it would have been done on the radio. The local actors and actresses, all of which had more than one role, did a great job. I’m glad I got to see it. Another favorite and more modern movie is “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” starring Chevy Chase and a host of other nutty characters. My favorite character in the movie is Cousin Eddie. I’ve watched the movie a couple times this year already. I enjoy “Elf,” as well and “Home Alone” is another favorite, especially the first one. “A Christmas Carol” is another good one. Debbie and I always try to watch “Frosty the Snowman” and the classic, “The Muppet Christmas Carol.” The Muppets perform the classic Dickens holiday tale, with Kermit the Frog playing Bob Cratchit, the put-upon clerk of stingy Ebenezer Scrooge (Michael Caine). The movie includes other Muppets -- Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Sam the Eagle – who weave in and out of the movie. And of course I can’t forget Hallmark and now Great American Country movies. This is just a few Christmas movies I enjoy. I’m not much into baking cookies or making big holiday meals. However, I enjoy making mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. I once tried my hand at making a pecan pie and it turned out great. I’ve never tried to bake a turkey or smoke a ham or brisket. I leave that up to the real cooks in my Iowa family. We enjoyed smoked brisket for Thanksgiving this year prepared by our middle nephew. It was quite tasty. My mom was a great cook and when I returned home during college or after moving to Iowa, she went over and above in preparing a family holiday meal. As I have written before, her mom was a great cook and could cook up a meal for a dozen or more people in just a few hours. I never cared for my mom’s dressing at Thanksgiving time, but everything else was the best, especially the deviled eggs and homemade cole slaw. When I was around age 7, I asked my mom to cook a Thanksgiving meal. So, she did. She went all out cooking a turkey and making homemade dressing. She put a couple spoonful of dressing on my plate and didn’t like it. I had to sit at the kitchen table and eat the dressing before I could go play with my cousins. At age 66, I’m still making memories and thanking God for his many blessings. This year I am thankful to be cancer free after colon surgery in March. It was this time a year ago that my stomach was bothering me. The pain would come and go and it would hurt a lot. I was still working my day job back then and I would have stop while on my forklift until the pain subsided. Thanks to the encouragement of Debbie, I went to see an endocrinologist at the Iowa Clinic in West Des Moines in February. She encouraged me to get a CT scan and a colonoscopy. The cancer was discovered during the colonoscopy on March 11. I met with a surgeon on March 13 and had my surgery on March 21. I was in the hospital for 10 days and nine nights. I’m thankful that I remain cancer free and I’m more thankful that Debbie has been by my side throughout the whole process. I’m also thankful for my family and for the trip that Debbie and I took to Oklahoma in early June to attend the Horton (my mom’s dad’s side of the family) cousin reunion. All of my cousins but two were in attendance. It was a great day and good to see everyone. I’m thankful that Debbie and I have food to eat, a roof over our heads and many more blessings. No matter if you can purchase gifts or not, just remember that Jesus is the reason for the season and getting together with family and friends is one of life’s biggest blessings. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and came across a Bird Buddy, a digital birdfeeder with a camera that is powered by a solar panel.
All one has to do is hang or attach the bird feeder to a post, porch or outbuilding and fill it with bird feed. The owner then can watch live from their tablet or cell phone as the different birds stop for a snack. The basic ones cost $100 with the more sophisticated ones costing nearly $200. That’s a far cry from the electric bacon cooker I bought my mom in the 1970s. It sat on the counter in our kitchen. The cooker featured two doors on each side that folded down. The user would then place the strips of bacon over the top and close the doors and turn it on. One could cook a half dozen or more strips of bacon at the same time. The cooker even had a grease catcher. We also had a bread warmer with a cloth lid. It plugged in and kept the rolls at those holiday meals warm. Santa brought me an Allstate Train Set and a Creepy Crawler set one year. I’m sure train sets are still available and I found several varieties of Creepy Crawler sets online. I still have the train set, but sold the Creepy Crawler set in my parent’s auction. I also had a wood burning kit and my own camera, an Argus Twin Reflex model that used Kodak 620 film. It came with two lens, thus the twin reflex. I flipped the top up and looked through one lens and the film was exposed with the other lens. I also had quite a collection of Matchbox Cars. I owned an AM pen radio. I bought it from a gadget book. It looked like an ink pen, but was a radio. That was the coolest gadget. I loved staying up late and listening to the radio before falling asleep. Debbie and I went online looking for unique Christmas gifts for that hard-to-buy for person. Here’s what we found. • Powerup 4.0 The Next-Generation Smartphone Controlled Paper Airplane Kit that ramps up the traditional paper airplane. The RC Controlled easy-to-fly paper airplane comes with autopilot and gyro stabilizer and is designed for hobbyists, pilots and tinkerers. • How about a LEGO minifigure designed and personalized from scratch? The interactive experience guides you through every step, from choosing faces and hairstyles to picking outfits and accessories, giving the creator full control of every detail. • Here’s another gift we found – a personalized LED Neon Light that the user can customize with their name and logo for weddings, birthdays, businesses, salon, home decor and more. • Another gadget we found is a Worx 4V Electric Screwdriver with a set of six bits, a screw holder and charger. What’s better than a six shooter screwdriver? • Another unique gift we found is a rechargeable heated ice cream scooper with LED display. No more bending a spoon with this beauty. It will dig right through that clump of hard ice cream and will be melting before you take a bite. • How about a cell phone printer that makes 4x6 prints directly from your phone? Kodak has several different models and there are a number of other companies such as Canon that make them. They also make portable label printers. • And something a little more down to earth is a Living Legacy QR Code Memorial Plaque. You make a tribute to the person who had passed away. You place the scannable QR Code on the gravestone and it allows you to watch a memorial video, see photos or view a webpage about the person. • And in wrapping this up, how about a two slot hot dog and bun toaster with mini tongs? The cooker works with chicken, turkey, veggie links and sausage brats. I’m hungry – let’s eat. Of course a new cell phone or Apple iPods, iWatch, a computer or iPad or some other electronic gadget makes for a nice gift. If that is out of your budget, there is always unique one-of-kind gifts available or even a homemade gift. There are also many personalized gifts or trips for couples and families. There are old standbys such as a new pair of work or outdoor boots, coats, gloves, or a new pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. Merry Christmas to all! Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. I enjoy listening to “On the Road” stories with Steve Hartman on Facebook.
Hartman, a CBS correspondent, travels across the United States sharing stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, then shares it on his evening news segment on Friday nights. The stories are often heartwarming and touching. And often times they center around kids doing good things. Take for instance 11-year-old Ruby Chitsey from near Harrison, Ark. in the northwest corner of the state. Ruby enjoys going to work with her mom, Amanda, who travels to area nursing homes caring for patients. That’s when Ruby got a pen and paper and came up with an idea to ask the residents if they could have any three things, what would they want? She thought most people would ask for money, houses or a Lamborghini. Instead, the requests where for a new razor, new shoes, cheese, avocados, watermelon, oranges, chocolate cake, Dr. Pepper, larger shirts and Vienna sausages, lots of Vienna sausages. At first, her mom Amanda said, that Ruby didn’t have any intentions. “I think she was curious as to what they would want,” said her mom. Surprised at the requests, Ruby decided she needed to do something, so she started a charity called “Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents” a nonprofit organization that fulfills small wishes of nursing home seniors. Ruby opened a Go Fund Me account to fund the project. After making her list, Ruby purchases the items at a local grocery store and goes from room to room handing out the goodies. “It really lifts you,” said Ruby. “It really does.” Update on Ruby The “On the Road” story of Ruby aired in March 2019. I reached out to Ruby via email and here is what she had to say. “My little project has turned into something way bigger than I ever imagined” said Ruby via email. “We’ve now fulfilled more than 100,000 wishes, opened a 5,000-square-foot community center, bought a delivery van, expanded across the country and we teach twice-a-week classes helping other kids learn how to love and serve seniors the way I was taught. And the kids LOVE it! We make nursing home field trips. “We also started pop-up clubs across the country so classrooms and youth groups can do what we do in their own communities. We have one right now in Winfield, Kan. It’s a class of fourth graders. “I’ve also become a published author of the book, “Kindness is My Hobby.” “The best part is that along the way I’ve made some of my best friends in the nursing home,” added Ruby. “The seniors have helped me just as much (probably more) than I’ve helped them. “Now I’m a high school senior and I am 18. I am eight years into this journey, getting ready to carry the movement with me to college and study gerontology. I can’t wait to keep learning and growing and finding new ways to make life a little brighter for the residents who shaped me. This is what I am supposed to do and I am excited for the future.” Cancer update As many of my readers know, in March doctors found that I had colon cancer. It was discovered on March 11 during a colonoscopy. I had surgery on March 21 and spent 10 days and nine nights at Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. I had a great surgeon who got me back on my feet. I had a CT scan on Nov. 21 at the Iowa Clinic in West Des Moines. I received a good report and remain cancer free since my surgery. A blood clot in my right leg was discovered in early June. With medicine and prayer, the clot has dissolved and is gone. I have since develop a bulging disk in my lower back and have endured some back pain issues for a while. I’m slated to receive a cortisone shot before year’s end. The pain doctor said that will make a big difference. My wish for the holiday season is that we all take time to be a difference maker in someone else’s life. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. On Friday a week ago, I was at the new American Legion Post 169 building in Montezuma to visit with Ron Hensel, commander of the local legion.
I was there taking some photos for a story on the new legion hall building just completed in August. I mentioned to Ron that my grandfather on my dad’s side of the family was a World War I Veteran. I asked Ron if that qualifies me to become a Sons of the American Legion member. “I believe it does,” Ron told me, mentioning that it doesn’t cost much. My uncle Orval, my dad’s younger brother, was a Korean War Veteran and my Uncle Carroll, my mom’s oldest brother, was also a veteran and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. I don’t recall if either of them was stateside or served overseas. I have a large black and white photo in an oval frame of a veteran on my mom’s side of the family in uniform holding a rifle. I remember it hanging at my grandparent’s home in Tulsa and later in the hallway of my parent’s home in Bixby, Okla. I do have his name, but don’t know anything else. I would like to know more about him and hope to dig in to family history soon. Inscribed on the tombstone of my grandfather, James Parker, are the initials PFC BTRY B 72 ARTY CAC. According to Rootsweb.com, the initials PFC BTRY B 72 ARTY CAC are as follows: “The Field and Staff of the 72nd Artillery was organized on May 4, 1918 at Ft. Williams, Maine. Headquarters Company, Supply Company and Batteries A and B were then organized soon after also at Ft. Williams. These Companies were organized from Personnel transfers from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 17th, 18th 19th and 23rd Companies, Coast Defenses of Portland, Maine then stationed at Ft. Williams, and from the 13th Company stationed at Ft. Baldwin.” I don’t recall growing up talking about the military or about my grandfather’s military service. He and my grandmother both passed before I was born. My grandfather was born on April 27, 1887 and died on Nov. 19, 1952 at age 65. My dad was born on June 30, 1929. As with other family members, I hope to dig in and learn more about my grandfather through the National Archives Military Personal Records in St. Louis or another military data base. As a community journalist, I have written a number of stories through the years on veterans. I’ve attended many Veterans Day programs at schools and at community events. I have taken photos of veterans on Memorial Day and at Veterans Day and in parades, during flag presentations at football games and at Quilts of Valor presentations. I’m honored to be able to share these many stories and photos with my readers through the years. I look forward to sharing many more. Moving on I’m so thankful for all the veterans and for their service to our country. I’m also thankful for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays on the horizon. The family Thanksgiving in the Parker house will be a bit earlier than on Thanksgiving Day this year as we will celebrate on Nov. 22. I’m charged with making a green bean casserole, one of my favorites. I hope someone brings deviled eggs. And Christmas may be thinner than usual this year in the gift department and that is OK. It’s nice to be able to give and receive gifts, but that best gift is having a loving and caring family and wife who have my back. I’m thankful to God for his many blessings and the gift of life. I encourage you to take time from the businesses of life during the holidays and enjoy time with family and friends. And this is a perfect time to give to local food pantries and holiday gift outreaches or volunteer and make Thanksgiving and Christmas better for others. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. With the holidays just around the corner, I’m reminded of the importance of family.
Growing up, we often spent Thanksgiving and Christmas Day at my grandparent’s house on my mom’s side of the family. My most memorable Thanksgivings and Christmases were during my later teenage years. We’d all sit around and visit and then eat. My grandmother, who I called Me Maw, could prepare and cook a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal for a dozen or more family members faster than some could get the pans out of the cupboard. Having seven children, she cooked a lot of meals on a wood-burning stove. For years, she worked in care centers, at schools and on river barges as a cook. My grandparent’s lived in several places including north Tulsa, Owasso, a Tulsa suburb, and with my aunt Alice and Uncle Ron in southeast Tulsa. In the mid 1970s, they lived in a three-bedroom prefab home in the county near Coweta, Okla., about 35 miles southeast of Tulsa. My grandpa, who I called Pa Paw, always raised a large garden and he had a few cows, including an old Jersey cow. My mom loved to milk the old cow and bring home fresh milk. She’d used a churn and make fresh butter and cream. I wouldn’t drink the fresh cow milk. Mine had to come from the grocery store. My grandparents raised and butchered a cow and pig or two each year. My grandmother and Mom often mixed up a batch of head cheese. Head cheese is often called jellied meatloaf or meat jelly and is made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig. It is usually eaten cold, at room temperature, or in a sandwich. Despite its name, the dish is not a cheese and contains no dairy products. The parts of the head used vary, and may include the tongue but do not commonly include the brain, eyes or ears. My mom would challenge me to eat a spoonful of head cheese for a $1. Once I polished off the first round, she’d challenge me to a second round in which I most often did not partake. When my grandparents butchered a cow or pig, my grandmother would make scrambled eggs and brains. I may have eaten it without knowing better, but if I did, like the head cheese, I’d pass on the tasty delight. They raised chickens out back of the house. I can still see my grandmother standing at the kitchen sink gutting chickens while sweat ran down her arms. She always stuffed the gizzard and neck in a plastic baggy and placed it inside the chicken before putting the birds in the freezer. My mom and her siblings grew up poor. When she got sick at age 12, my grandfather would carry her to the doctor in town on a homemade bed placed on the plow pulled by a tractor because they didn’t have a car or truck. The doctor wanted to try one more medicine and if it didn’t work, he wanted to carry her to the Mayo Clinic. My grandparents didn’t have any money to take her to the Mayo. The doctor said he’d cover the bill. He gave her a penicillin shot and it cured her. They moved all around in the Bootheel of Southeast Missouri. I remember hearing my mom talking about living on Seven Ditch outside of New Madrid. The roads were known as ditches in that part of the state. They lived in shacks and used the heat from the cookstove to warm the house. Baths were taken in a #3 washtub and when you had to go, that meant a trip to the outhouse. My mom and her siblings picked cotton during the summer months and enjoyed a Pepsi once a year on the Fourth of July. Often times, their Christmas gifts from Santa were an apple, orange and nuts. Santa always left an apple, orange and nuts in my stocking. My mom worked a deal out with Santa as a reminder to my brother and me what she had to endure in life. I have no idea what roughing it in life means. I’ve never done without or went hungry. Anyway, back to the holidays. My mom made cakes for years and people would hire her to make wedding and anniversary cakes, birthday cakes and various character cakes. For the holidays, she enjoyed making a broken glass cake dessert to carry to family gatherings. It was made with lime, orange and strawberry gelatin, placed in a cream filling topped with graham cracker crumbs. She’d often make white divinity, a nougat-like confection made with whipped egg whites, corn syrup and sugar. She also enjoyed making fudge. I enjoyed eating both of the tasty delights as a youngster. Nowadays, I enjoy the holiday meals with my Iowa family. I love the family gatherings and all the good food. I enjoy listening to farming stories. I encourage you this year to gather and reconnect with your family. Outside of a relationship with God, family is the most important blessing in life. Put the politics and the troubles and worries of life on the back burner and take a few moments to give thanks to God for all of His blessings Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. I only remember once traveling through the Oklahoma Panhandle, commonly referred to as No man’s Land, a strip of land between Texas and Kansas in the northwestern part of the Sooner state.
My dad and I had made the trek to visit the Grand Canyon in June 1989. After taking the southern route through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and visiting the canyon, we traveled northeast for supper in Page, Ariz. Motel prices where more than we wanted to spend, so we headed into Utah. It was dark and as we rolled along, I said something to my dad about being in Utah. “That’s great son,” he said. “I just can’t see it.” We stopped at a small motel in Big Water, Utah and spent the night. After enjoying breakfast at a local eatery the next morning, we headed west after I learned about a Hollywood movie set nearby. We drove across the dessert on a makeshift road to visit the Paria movie set, where we spent a couple hours checking out the set constructed in 1962 for the movie, Sergeants 3. In 1976, the ending scene of the Outlaw Josey Wales with Clint Eastwood was the last movie to be filmed there. I took off walking on the western edge of town looking for photo opportunities and went a bit further than I should have. My dad was a touch upset with me doing that, telling me that I could have gotten lost and unable to find my way back. We met and visited with a father and son from Washington, D.C., who were touring the movie set and area. After visiting the Four Corners, where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico intersect, we cut across southern Colorado, staying the night in Durango before crossing over Wolf Creek Pass. Our next stop was Alamosa, Colo. for the evening. We then made our way to Raton, New Mexico and enjoyed a meal at Denny’s. We cut across northeastern New Mexico and made our way across the Oklahoma Panhandle. We came across an oilfield pumping station along Highway 412. It just happened that there were several GASO pumps at the station. My dad worked for GASO Pump in Tulsa for nearly 40 years and may have helped build the pumps at the station. The company specialized in building pumps that push crude oil through oil pipelines. I just remember him standing there looking at the pumps and thinking about the years of service he’d given that company. A wheat harvesting crew rolled by and made a stop to check on equipment and we talked with them about their work. I’m not sure, but I believe we stayed the night in Beaver, Okla. It happened that it was my dad’s 60thbirthday. We’d stopped at a local restaurant the night before and my dad had found some locals to visit with while I made my way back to the motel. A lot has changed in my life since those days. Today, I’d been right there next to my dad listening in or looking for someone to shoot the breeze with. The Oklahoma Panhandle stretches 166 miles and is 34 miles wide. The panhandle is comprised of three counties – Texas, Beaver and Cimarron. Brief history of the panhandle: The Republic of Texas founded the panhandle area on March 2, 1936. Texas surrendered claim; panhandle became “unattached” territory in 1850 First petition for territorial status sent to Congress in February 1887. Second petition for territorial status sent to Congress in December 1887 Attached to Oklahoma Territory in 1890 Prior to Oklahoma Statehood in 1907, the panhandle consisted of one county, Beaver. Farming and ranching operations occupy most of the economic activity in the region, with ranching dominating the drier western end. The region's higher educational needs are served by Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, 10 miles southwest of Guymon. The panhandle features Black Mesa State Park, the highest point in Oklahoma, reaching 4,973 feet above sea level. Beaver, the town my dad and I stayed the night, is home to the World Cow Chip Throwing Championship. Guymon, the largest city in the panhandle, is a hub for the local economy, which includes wheat farming, livestock, hog and dairy farming, manufacturing and oil and natural gas production. Boise City, another city in the Oklahoma Panhandle has an unusual history. During World War II, the city was mistakenly bombed by a friendly U.S. bomber crew during training. The bombing occurred on July 5, 1943, at approximately 12:30 a.m. by a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber. I have briefly touched on the history of the Oklahoma Panhandle. To learn more, visit Wikipedia.org or the internet on Oklahoma history. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. What may be considered by some as one of Iowa’s most famous murders took place in Villisca, Iowa in the southwest part of the state on June 10, 1912.
On that night, someone used an axe to bludgeoned and murder Josiah and Sarah Moore and their four children, Herman, 11, Mary, 10, Arthur, 7, and Paul, 5, along with two child guests, Ina Stillinger, 8, and her sister, Lenae, 11. The family had attended the Presbyterian church in Villisca the evening before where they participated in the Children’s Day Program, which Sarah had coordinated. It was reported that the family arrived home sometime around 9:45 p.m. the evening before the murders. There were several suspects in the murders, including traveling minister Rev. George Kelly, who was tried twice for the murder. The first trial ended in a hung jury, while the second ended in an acquittal. Other suspects included Frank F. Jones, a prominent Villisca resident and Iowa State Senator; hired gun, William “Blackie” Mansfield, Henry Lee Moore, S.A. Sawyer and Joe Ricks, who was detained in Monmouth, Ill., but none were found guilty of the crime. Even though there were many leads and suspects, to this day, the murders remain unsolved. That brings me to another Iowa murder, maybe not as famous, but equally cruel and memorable. During the early morning hours of Nov. 1, 50-years ago this week, Leslie Mark and his wife, Jorjean, both age 25, and their two small children, Julie, 5, and Jeff, 21 months of age, were shot in the heart and head while they slept in their rural farm home near Cedar Falls. A few weeks earlier, Leslie Mark, his father, Wayne, and brother, Jerry, had met at the family homestead to discuss the future of the family farm. Wayne’s cancer had returned and he was updating his will to make sure the family farm business would continue to be successful. He wanted input from Leslie, who had taken on the role of assisting in all aspects of the family farm and Jerry, who had shown an interest in the farming operation earlier in life, but had since moved to Berkeley, Calif. According to reports, the meeting became tense when Wayne announced his decision to divide the family money equally between Leslie, Jerry and their two brothers. He also announced at the time that Leslie and his wife would take over the farming operation, as they had invested both time and money into the farm. Just three weeks before the murders, Leslie and Jorjean and their children packed up their belongings and moved to the family homestead. Wayne and his wife, Dorothy, moved to a smaller home nearby where Wayne could continue gardening as his health allowed. During the investigation detectives learned that rare 38 caliber bullets were purchased at a gun shop in a California town near where Jerry lived. The bullets were those supposedly used in the murders. The gun store clerk identified Jerry as the person who purchased the bullets. Many other clues uncovered by the detectives led them all back to Jerry. That included a motorcycle cross-country ride that landed Jerry in the Midwest. It was also discovered that a shed on Jerry’s property had supposedly been broken into where the gun had been stored. Just 10 days after the murder, Jerry Mark, was arrested and charged with the four murders. Jerry was later tried and found guilty. I first learned of the Mark murders in a book entitled, Brother’s Blood: A Heartland Cain and Abel by Scott Cawelti, a now retired University of Northern Iowa English professor, who attended Cedar Falls High School and knew Jerry Mark. It may have been my local doctor who told me about the book. Debbie ordered it for me and I dove right in, becoming enthralled with the story as it unfolded. Cawelti was a presenter at the 2014 All-Iowa Writers’ Conference that my wife, Debbie, and I host each fall. He shared about the book, the Mark family and the murders. It was a fascinating presentation. You dared not to blink because you might miss something. Jerry was a Peace Corp volunteer, a lawyer, 4-H leader, vice-president of his Cedar Falls High School senior class of 1960, and the one student who was most likely to succeed in life. Jerry Mark remains in the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison where he is serving four consecutive life sentences, all while making numerous appeals for three decades. To learn more about the murders including information compiled from an interview with Jerry Mark, check out Cawelti’ book. It is available through Amazon. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. Debbie and I, along with our oldest nephew, Gavin, made the three hour plus trek to Clarinda in southwest Iowa on Friday a week ago to sell our goods at the 61st Clarinda Craft Carnival on Saturday, Sept. 18.
This is our fifth year and Gavin’s second to attend and sell our goods. Debbie had a great day, selling 17 books, the best she has ever done at any craft event. And Gavin had a great day as well, selling his goat meat products. Debbie’s comment after the carnival, “This was fun.” One young lady bought Debbie’s first three books in her Hope Series last year. “I just love your books,” she told Debbie when visiting our booth. She then discovered that Debbie had published a fourth book in the Hope Series and it was like she found a lost jewel. “I have been waiting for this,” she said as she paid for book four and placed it in her bag. And something new and different this year, I handed out Halloween candy to youngsters and some adults at the carnival. We stopped at a General Dollar in Shenandaoh, where we stayed the night, and bought a large Halloween bowl and some candy. By early afternoon, I had run out of suckers, the most popular candy in my bowl. And late Saturday morning, my sister-in-law, and her friend along with her mother arrived at the craft carnival and stayed the day. The show featured 475 vendors spread out across five buildings in Clarinda. Craft carnival attendees are bused from building-to-building and it’s busy throughout the day. All the items at the Clarinda show have to be homemade or handmade. I remember a couple years ago, several women showed up at our booth toward at the close of the show and were buying books out of our suitcase we used to haul them around. And at our first show, we met two older sisters from nearby Villisca, who shared a story about growing up in the Ax Murder town and not knowing anything about it. After high school sometime in the late 1950s, the two sisters spent the summer working at a vacation resort in Colorado. It was there they learned from a another summer worker about the Ax Murders. When they called home and asked about it, their mother said we never talked about it as relatives of the eight murder victims were still living in Villisca. That was a memorable experience and story. We have three more craft events on the calendar this fall in Indianola, Pleasantville and Victor. We have sold our books at all these shows and have done well in past years. And we expect to do good at all these shows again this year. In past years, we have attended craft shows or other events in Coralville, Des Moines (at Adventureland, Iowa State Fairgrounds and Barnes and Noble), Malcom, Grinnell, Newton, Pella, Jewel, Marshalltown, Nevada, Perry, Calamus, Davenport, Wapello, Burlington, and Rock Island, Ill. As with anything worth trying in life, there is always a risk. The key to success is having a good attitude, connecting with event attendees and talking about your products. It doesn’t hurt to have a nice display to showcase your products. My favorite part of participating in the craft events is spending time with Debbie and meeting new people. And for the last couple years, a fellow I met at the Iowa State Fair Campground who lives south of Clarinda near the Missouri border, comes to the show and always stops and visits. He buys estates and sells the goods online. At this year’s Iowa State Fair, he said he had some postcards and knew I collected them and thought I might be interested. He gave me his business card and asked me to call him before this year’s craft carnival. And in true J.O. fashion, I brought his card home and laid it down and couldn’t’ find it before this year’s event. When he stopped at our booth, I mentioned something about the postcards, saying that I had lost his business card. “I was driving here and remembered about the postcards, but don’t know where I put them,” he told me. Hopefully we will get connected at the 2026 Iowa State Fair Campground and can make a deal. I always say, strangers are just waiting to become friends. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. |
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