We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
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Dan, When I first saw the cover of your latest VV issue, I thought, "Oh well, probably the usual trite gift guide." Was I wrong! You made it personal, interesting and funny. Well done! Thanks, Cindy Carter Freeport Editor’s Note: Thank you! It was our first attempt at such a Guide, but we got a lot of positive feedback from it. Hello, First I want to commend you on creating the contest. I have some MAJOR questions, that where not thought through. 1. How many times can a person, family, household, company, enter??.... [If a creation is able t...
I used to own a 1965 International Harvester Scout. Back in the day IHC not only made tractors and farm equipment but they also made SUV’s. The Scout was one of the original SUV’s. I picked my Scout up as an exchange for working for a farmer. It was a red two door, with a removable top. It had a three-speed transmission and four cylinder motor. The farmer used it around his farm for chores and such. By the time it caught my eye, it had seen its better day. I asked him if he was interested in...
Thanksgiving is now over, so that means that it is once again time for the Christmas Spirit to fill us with a sense of the Holidays. But exactly what is this Christmas Spirit anyway? Why is it that some people long for the chance to walk the streets in sub-zero weather singing carols, while others dread the prospect of hauling decorations down from the attic and making the obligatory trip to see the relatives? In order to see where you rank, and how you look at the Holiday season, we offer you...
The holiday season reminds us of all the blessings for which we are thankful and filled with gratitude. If there is one group of people that stand tallest in deserving our gratitude in 2020, it is frontline healthcare workers. The first responders, nurses, doctors, mental health professionals, public health administrators and many others deserve our sincere thanks and praise. They report to work every day, understanding the risks to themselves and their families, to help us and our families. We...
No, I’m not a conspiracy theorist. Quite the contrary. I love listening to all sides of a discussion. I’m writing this on the 24th of November, just 21 days after arguably the most controversial election any of us can remember. There is little doubt that each presidential candidate got in excess of 70 million votes. Though the electoral college has not yet met, that will be mid-December, to formally elect the President. Of course, the media has declared Joe Biden the winner, the Trump Team cli...
I came across an organization this week that I had never heard of before. It’s called “The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.” Since 1947, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (heretofore referred to simply as the Bulletin) has portrayed on its cover what is called the Doomsday Clock. This clock registers how close the world is to nuclear apocalypse by the proximity of the minute hand to midnight. A group of nuclear scientists meet in Chicago twice a year to weigh both positive and negative facto...
As a kid, I thought the people that moved away for the winter were nuts … but now I’m not so sure. We all know the snow and colder temperatures are coming, and maybe it was the announcement of our Snowman contest … but for whatever the reason all of this weather stuff reminded me of the worst storm I was ever involved with. Back when I was a freshman in High School, we lived in Northwest Indiana, where lake effect snow made for far more inches of the white stuff than we see around here on an an...
Voters’ rejection of the Tax Hike Amendment on November 3rd has brought into full focus the terribly unbalanced budget passed by the Democrat majority during the height of the pandemic in May of this year. You see, Governor JB Pritzker and democrat leaders were counting on at least $3.4 billion in new revenue generated by passage of the “Tax Hike” Amendment, about half of which they anticipated being available for this fiscal year. Their strategy failed and they now find themselves deali...
Maybe it is the early cold snap in October, daylight savings time, the exhaustion from current events, or weariness of COVID-19, but we could all use some holiday cheer to get us in the mood for better things to come! This weekend Downtown Freeport and Lena are rolling out their best holiday merchandise, specials and holiday hospitality for shoppers around the region. There is no better time to stop in and see the tremendous things our local merchants and businesses are offering for everyone on...
Dan, I just wanted to say "thank you" for your recent article "At Least It's Over......Sort Of". What you had to say was right on point and very well written. I think this country would be far better off if we got rid of the career politicians and implemented term limits. At least that would be a good place to start. Thanks again. Jack Rife Editor; While it was framed by it's opponents as a "No more taxes" vote, a "No" vote did not change the ability of the state to raise taxes. All the "No" vote did was to assure that if there is another...
Life on earth is very short. The Bible says: “With the Lord a thousand years are like a day,” (2 Peter 3:8). In other words, as God sees life on this earth: ● Abraham was born on Wednesday. ● King David was born on Thursday. ● Our Lord Jesus was born on Friday. ● The middle ages flashed by yesterday, and our generation will have passed before this service is done today. ● If God should let the world continue, another 30 generations will have passed by tomorrow morning. On that scale, a life...
I apologize right now for going into teacher mode this week, but … well … I think you’ll understand why if you bear with me. Back in my teaching days, I would include a famous poem by John Donne in my Literature classes that I’ll bet you might have heard some lines from … No Man is an Island. It’s really not a long poem – in fact its really short – but its one of those short reads that says an awful lot and makes you think. First, the background – it was written in 17th century England,...
You know, being a kid was great. Being a grown up is hard work. As a kid we played some and we worked a lot. Being a farm kid meant we worked hard and we did everything the old fashioned way. I started driving a tractor when I was about six years old. I drove the baler where we went in low first as slow as we could go with just enough throttle so the plunger wouldn’t jam on the baler. I knew how to throw the lever to shut the PTO off and I knew how to push in the clutch and brake to stop the t...
I have a new business partner. No, I didn’t fire Terry, although there are times, he tries my patience … but I’m sure I drive him nuts too, so that works. What happened is that – as I may have mentioned, my wife and I got a new dog from Freeport’s Friends Forever. We tend to prefer rescuing a dog – partly because we don’t have the patience to train a puppy anymore – but mostly because a rescued dog seems to know it was just released from hell, so they are far more eager to please. So my n...
While Election results from Tuesday’s General Election will not be certified for several weeks, it certainly appears that voters have summarily rejected an effort backed by Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats to change our State Constitution to allow for a progressive income tax increase, which they believed would annually raise $3.7 billion in new taxes. It is not surprising that voters are sick and tired of the games played by Springfield politicians with continual and broken p...
Editor; It has been a YEAR since a juvenile DESTROYED both public restrooms at the Stockton Park house during a home football game. He tore the soap and towel dispensers and sinks off the walls as well as ruining the toilets in both restrooms. He then started destroying the brick fire pit which the Lion's Club built. Witnesses told the police. The park supervisor gave the videotape to the police which shows the culprit doing the damages. The video, pictures of all the damage, and a list of witnesses were given to our state's attorney who...
I’m not sure where, on the calendar of life, middle age begins and ends, but my kind and loving brother said to me a couple months ago: “You walk like an old man.” Did you know there’s a word for the phobia of growing old? It's called Gerascophobia. I didn’t know they had a name for such a thing but I should have because there are phobias for everything. Here’s a common phobias list: acrophobia, fear of heights; aerophobia, fear of flying; arachnophobia, fear of spiders; astraphobia...
Everyone has their own personal quirk which sets them off into irrational anger. Some refer to it as a "pet peeve," but I simply have come to call it - the breaking point. Now, granted, I try to maintain my composure in most situations. And, in all honesty, I think I do pretty well. I have weathered the perfectly timed mess in the house before company arrives ... "Dad, the cat puked on the carpet again!" "That's nice, paper towels are on the counter, have fun cleaning it up." I have played...
The way the citizens of Illinois have been inundated these days with paid advertising, you would almost be led to believe that Illinois Democrats have not had unfettered power over our State Government for the past fifty years. Many progressives would have you thinking the top of every agenda at every unit of government should be expanding abortion, socializing healthcare, or all about “fairness”. All of this distracts from the truly unfair reality that the largest group of disenfranchised Ill...
Don't be upset that rose bushes have thorns; rejoice that thorn bushes have roses. As we approach the election on November 3, I’ve been emphasizing intercessory prayer. I don't know why prayer makes such a difference, but I know it does. You can plan a program, think through all the details, set up all the help, get all the things you need, instruct everybody, rehearse it and run through it - and it may fall totally flat. But if you involve others in the ministry of prayer concerning it, t...
I’ve got a question – if you have ever seen the movie, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” what is your favorite scene from that movie? There’s a reason why I ask, but I’ll get back to it later, I promise. I got one of “those” phone calls the other day – you know, one of those calls that no matter what, you were never prepared to receive, and it slugs you in the gut. Linzy Friedlein, a former speech kid who was currently my assistant coach for the Stockton/Warren speech team … was gone. Like...
Editor; The week of October 12-16, 2020 is recognized as IAHCE Week. The Illinois Association for Home and Community Education (IAHCE) was organized as the Illinois Home Bureau Federation in 1924. In 1962, it became the Illinois Homemakers Extension Federation. In 1993, the name changed to Illinois Association for Family and Community Education. Then, in 1995, the name changed again to Illinois Association for Home and Community Education. IAHCE is a volunteer organization with its members recording over 586,582 volunteer hours in 2019 in the...
A few weeks ago I mentioned The Black Robed Regiment in this column. That initiated a bit of a response from some readers. One person wrote to me and said he had never before seen The Black Robed Regiment mentioned in any newspaper and he doubted that many pastors even know their history as it relates to America’s founding. The Black Robed Regiment were preachers who fought in the Revolutionary War. Following are two stories of such preachers (there are more but space does not allow). On S...
Ever been accused of eating something … a little weird? Now, in my house, my wife has started to tease me every time we go out to eat over how simple I am to cook for. “Just get him something fried that he can put hot sauce on.” At first, I was a bit offended, but the more I thought about it, she’s dead on. I do consider myself a hot wing expert. In my opinion food is hot enough when it makes your eyes sweat. But what got me to thinking was when I went up to make myself a sandwich today for lun...
Dan, We just saw the photo in this week’s paper of Emilee. We wanted to thank you for publishing the blurb. Deb Hamilton told me she had told you about Emilee’s Monsoon story. Emilee actually knew nothing of the “Monsoon”. We planned the surprise in anticipation she was going to still be in the hospital waiting for her bone marrow to begin producing new, healthy cells again. She was luckily released a week before her birthday. We have not counted yet how many cards she received-they are actually still arriving! But the response has been no...
