This column in the paper ….
This column in the paper last week started by saying what a week it has been. If you only knew.
First of all, it seemed strange that the column was shorter than normal. Then I had computer problems and if you own one you know what I am talking about. For four days I sat here without Internet. It is frustrating enough to not have the computer working, it is having one and not knowing a darn thing about how to fix it.
Then I got lucky. After calling in for service I must have talked to three or four people, who all transferred me to someone else. Finally I landed a sweet young lady by the name of Esther. She sure knew more than I did and quickly had me checking my modem. In a matter of ten seconds, that is the time she had me shut the modem off and turn it back on again, and presto, there I was. Back in business.
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There wasn’t that much on the first page anyway, just me rambling on about driving around looking at crops.
I had mentioned an e-mail from Florence’s sister-in-law in Denver, saying they had a problem. Their governor had told them they could go back to church, but their church said, nothing doing.
It was kind of like our church. When the church newsletter, “Trinity Tidings” came out at the end of May, the church council had decided, at the suggestion of synod, no church services until July. In addition, no passing the offering plate, no coffee fellowship and no sharing the peace. Then one final thing. No singing! That threw me for a loop and I wondered how we were supposed to sing our praise to God without singing. Then I thought, no it works just like a prayer. God knows what we are thinking without us singing out loud.
Reminded me of an old family story. Sue was probably in second or third grade when she announced one Sunday, “Dad I’ll sit by you if you promise not to sing.”
Didn’t she know that in high school I was a member of the boy’s glee club my freshman and sophomore years? Then they didn’t offer it after that. Were they telling me something?
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It must be that I like the color green. I’ve mentioned for weeks about how the crops are doing and the brown ground is gradually turning green. Then a week ago Saturday I drove to the Highground. I like to go there once in awhile, just to see everything, but that day was a bit special. They were having sort of an open house so we could meet the new Executive Director Chris Pettis.
I was sharing some things about the early days of the Highground when I realized he knows Scott Schultz. That would be like getting it first hand right from the horse’s mouth.
Then, as I was leaving, I decided to take the long way home by way of going to Granton on Highway 10. What a magnificent view, either to the left or right. It is kind of like riding on top of the world. Too bad there aren’t pull-offs so one could stop for a minute and just soak the whole view in.
Then instead of taking County Road K, I drove up Romadka Avenue. Just north of Highway H the road goes through a wooded section where the trees almost touch from one side to another. Whoever said we don’t have any beauty here in the flatlands.
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By the time I got home, the controlled burn of two older homes on North Main Street was about over. Another page of history is gone and a new one opening as something new will probably be built in its place.
While the fire destroyed a couple of old landmarks in town, it opened the door for tons of memories that flowed from the minds of, well I can’t call them young kids, but those who grew up when they were homes to someone.
I’ll have to give Jody Hartl Smith credit for getting it started as she went on Facebook and told of growing up in the house just to the south.
It even brought back memories to me as we rented a house on Division Street just a block away. I kind of think the lady that owned it lived in one of those houses.
I remember it well as Father King was one of our first visitors who came over to welcome us to town. Another first time caller was Joe Poehnelt who stopped by to line up some fuel oil business. Later we would find ourselves living right next to the Poehnelts over on First Street.
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It was kind of like old times when the memories of so many filled Facebook for several days. In fact, I think it was Jody today that had tons of pictures from way back then. Then of all the businesses that were in the Allen Block Building that was destroyed by fire in 1931.
One was the Loyal Tribune, who the owners, Cowles and Steiner, moved to what we called Loyal School and Office Supply until it was moved to the present site.
We had just moved to Loyal in the fall of 1968, after Lawrence Davel closed the Davel Store that was located in the lower level of the Town of Loyal building. The Town of Loyal residents voted for years upstairs in the township quarters.
Actually Main Street has changed a lot over the years. When we first came I recall when someone wanted directions to the school, you sent them up to the O & N Lumber corner and turned right. O & N was long gone and became UBC but the name hung on.
City hall is in the same place, but larger, but gone is Emma’s Beauty Shop, a tavern and an old garage where Ron Domine was selling snowmobiles and fixing cars when we came. He later bought Stock Chevrolet, which was next to Trindals, which is now Vita Plus. Later Mike Hayes had it for his business.
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Things have settled down a bit from all the demonstrations that took place last week all over the country, and the world for that matter.
It is such a sad situation, but how can you just erase history? We all studied it in school, or should have, and there are pages and pages written about slavery and how black people were treated in this country.
When I wrote about my trip to Florida, I mentioned being in Georgia where the Cherokee Indians lived until our government moved them to Oklahoma on what was called the Trail of Tears. Sadly it happened, but let us not sweep it under the rug, but learn from it and change our attitudes to those we call the minority.
