technology in agriculture

A lot was happening in Seward today with the lighted parade to get started soon. When Dad used to come get us from country school once in a while, with a team of horses and farm wagon, we never thought people would stand in line for such a ride. Nor would have Chris Turner ever thought that this little house that he built on N.2nd St. back in the 1890's be so well remodeled and decorated for the Holiday's, as it is today. It's been well maintained. Things were also happening on North Columbia Ave. where Carolyn was putting up wallpaper in the guest bedroom of their new house. She had already done the guest bathroom. I visited with Verlon this morning and he tells me of enjoying the house pictures as it comes along. The tile floor, wainscoating and colorful wallpaper make for a very attractive bathroom. We admire Carolyn's ability to do the quality job in putting up the wallpaper, just like every thing else that she undertakes. I'm sure the contractors will be impres

 Brother Don holding Kristine is the feature attraction of this picture and I wonder how many people viewing it could name everyone on it. I can alert you to Elaine standing to the left of Don but would appreciate someone commenting on the others. Yes, I know Gladys and most of the others but there is a couple I'm not sure of.  I tried to work on the 1994 pictures today while watching the Nebraska-Iowa football game. The TV was right next to where I was working and didn't miss any plays. I had conceded defeat a couple times before that 4th quarter. While it would have been great to win, I don't thing the Team or Coaches need to apologize to anyone for the loss. They showed enough improvement as the season went on to be very optimistic for next year and the future.

We continued one of our Thanksgiving Day traditions today by watching the Macy Parade until Santa Clause arrived at Herald Square. The temperature there was the lowest in over 90 years of the Parade in New York City. The 24mph winds were a problem and the big balloons were kept at a lower than normal level. Carolyn and Ben took us along out to Julie and John's where we joined Jerry and Bev as well as Sadie and Jack. A great dinner of Turkey with all the trimmings, Carolyn's "Pink Stuff" and A Pumpkin Cheese Cake for Dessert.  The kids enjoyed the 60 degree temperature by playing on the driveway. Jack is becoming an expert on identifying and collecting insects.  Sadie brought out a water "gun" that shot out bubbles. Some of us sat on the porch and watched all the activity. On our way home we visited the new Hughes house under construction. We had driven by it but hadn't been inside for a couple weeks where a lot of progress has been made. We got a call fr

In completing the drawer of 1993 picture envelopes today, I found a plain one with these Christmas picture Greetings. This one of Emily and Thomas Goodwin was from Jim & Julie. This predates Phillip arrival on the scene. The next one is of Ethan McWilliams and it came from Dave and MaryBeth McWilliams. This too was ahead of Tony. The next one is of our own Grandaughter Anna. It was not on a Greeting card but among the 1993 pictures. This was at the time Jon, Mary and Heather were living here in Seward. The last one is of Gina Jo Vercellino and came from Sandy and Mick. They are all too cute to have just been left in the file.  I regret not having one of Jerry & Sondra's family but will see what I can find.  These youngsters all seem to grow up so fast. Carolyn stopped by this afternoon with Sadie and Jack. We have seen Jack more frequently but we're surprised at how tall Sadie has grown. We plan to be out at their house tomorrow for Thanksgiving. We are very fortunate i

Brookdale hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner this noon with all the tables forming a long one that extended the entire length of the Dining Room. Rosellen gave the invocation and non alcoholic juice was served. It was followed with a Cranberry salad, Turkey, Stuffing, Creamed Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy with a choice of pie. We had Pecan. It was a great meal with the staff joining us at the table. It was suggested that everyone "dress up" for the special event which brought a variety of compliance. The Ladies typically dress better than most of us Men so they all looked real nice. But, I didn't see any high heels, thank goodness. I put on a necktie, dark trousers, sport coat and dress shoes but few men took the suggestion very seriously. Many of us had been watching the Class C2 State Championship game and as  Dinner wound down, the TVs were turned up to see Utica Centennial vs Norfolk Catholic. The game ended with a 21-21 tie in regulation. Norfolk scored a TD on th

I'm working in 1993 pictures and this was at Mahoney in late July. This Florence and Tony family reunion followed one  with Cousins, Aunts and Uncles earlier in the month at Seward. Julie always found ways to amuse herself and others. The picture doesn't show it very well, but she has snap-on clothespins on her socks that make her feet look like Duck paddles. She could probably tell us more about it. This picture was taken at every family reunion since Uncle Joe held Don and cousin Dolores on his knees when they were babies. I'm not sure if that original even exists but I believe this is the final copy. This next one is of Julie holding Maggie and Heather with Anna. Though '93 was the year that Tim and I did our Baseball trip and that Vivian and Eddy; Don and Gladys; and, Elaine and I went to the Czech Republic, these family pictures may be of more interest to future generations.

It is pictures like this one that makes scanning our old pictures enjoyable. This was among the 1993 collection that I worked on today. Ben  and "the girls" did a lot of Rendezvous camping back in those days. I'm sure it was pretty educational for Julie. She and Elaine enjoyed making their dresses. Ben was an old hand at it. He had some "real life" experience as a young man. I have no idea of the number Rendezvous they participated in but know that some of them were even "out of state". I think Sadie and Jack would be interested in hearing some of their Mother's stories. This was also the year that Tim and I went on our Baseball Trip where we saw 9 major league games as well as Cooperstown in 10 days. Tim and I shared the expense and had a great time. He had the route and room reservations all worked out ahead of our leaving. Elaine stayed with Laura, Tony & Maggie while we were gone. We met them at Davenport, IA when we got back.. It is only t

Our Schefflera plant set out on our Patio all summer with our bringing it inside ahead of our first killing frost. It didn't seem to do much a first but recently, it just amazed us with new growth. The very top leaf is one of the new ones that "popped out" within the past month. With the weather like it was in our area today, it's comforting to see something this green with new life showing every day. Our day got underway with Carolyn and Ben coming up to visit. Their visits also brighten the day as we hear new stories of Sadie and Jack, progress reports on their house and some just talk. Ben has such a creative mind that he always comes with some clever comments. We even discussed "The Wall Street Journal".  The Weather was a major factor in the Nebraska-Michigan State game today in Lincoln. It was played in 23 degree temperatures with winds 25mph out of the north and snow flurries during the second half. While Nebraska won 9-6, they trailed for much of the

For many years, Elaine has typed up her notes  taken from my comments as I picked up what we considered "highlights", recorded in my Daily Diary. We attempted to get under way with it today as I dictated the dates of activity for the month of January 2018. I got the HP set up for her to type up her notes with the "Word" program. I have done very little with word on this computer and she has done even less. We ran into problems from the beginning, even in trying to do such simple things as setting single spacing. The computer seemed to think for itself in adding things and not letting me do the things with the cursor that is just taken for granted. I'm looking forward to having some company that can get me and the computer back on track. (I do these blog pages  and most of my other computer stuff on my MacBook but am unable to print anything from it. ) Elaine's shorthand is still good.

I completed the scanning of 255 selected, 1992 pictures today that will be placed on a Flash Drive for future use. We called it a year of transition from working to retirement. However, we continued to be involved in many activities. Our first trip was on Amtrak back home after taking a car to son Verlon in Richmond, VA. We continued the train trip to the west coast to visit family, on up to Washington state to visit friends and Mt. St. Helen's, then came back across the northern states.  After a couple weeks at home, I joined a group of USDA etc. people to meet in Budapest, Romania with representatives from several of the countries that had gained freedom from the Soviet empire.  My prostate operation was done soon after getting home. With a few weeks of recovery, we took the girls to Yellowstone NP with the Motorhome & VW. Elaine and I drove the Motorhome to Baltimore for a SWCS meeting and visiting along the way. Our final trip of the year was a packaged tour to China which

Brandy demonstrated her creativity and technical ability of working with balloons to a good-sized crowd of Brookdale residents here this afternoon. She also did a great job of talking about the art of balloon art as she took requests. She made a variety of objects to fill the requests and then  passed them out. While having participated in numerous workshops to learn the techniques, she indicated that it was practice and experience that enables her to do what she does today. While my big hands helped me compete in various sports, I don't think they ever had the dexterity to make the intricate moves that this activity requires.   I happened to be given one of her creations to take to a great grandchild only to find that Jack and Julie were here visiting with Elaine. Jack just took it over, was amused at it's various parts, and took it along as they left to pick up Sadie from school. I have no idea of the cost of having treats and decorations made for Children's Birthday Part

The Kramer Sisters provided the entertainment for the November Birthday Party at Brookdale this afternoon. While they sing a variety of songs and play several different instruments, it was playing Praha on the Accordion with LeRoy singing the Czech words that was a highlight. He has contributed to the singing to a variety of songs in the past but this was the first time we saw him up front and with a microphone. The performance had just begun when Elaine spotted Jack coming to join us. Carolyn had picked him up from preschool and came by with some things for us. It had been a while since Jack had set on my lap. He continues to grow both physically and mentally. As he looked around at the crowd he told us that there was a man from their Church there. Terry and Carla were both impressed and got pictures of Jack. Now that Jack is 4, it seems like he has really matured. His going to preschool, story time and other activities make a difference. He also has several grandparents tutoring him

This picture was "lifted" from my blog page of 12/29/11 entitled Affectionate Treatment. That page tells of the nurse softening up the collection of wax in my ears and Dr. Vahle finishing it off with special light and tools. I don't remember having that procedure done since then until today. I met with Dr. Summa primarily for respiratory problems and mentioned recent difficulty hearing. He used his special light to confirm the problem and had the nurse come back and do the "irrigation". She worked alone with me holding the "cup" to catch the excess water but did only a minimum amount of probing to extract wax. When we got back to our apartment, I took a nap and the left ear opened up. While we were having supper the other one did. I'm now hearing pretty well again. While I appreciate the nurses minimum invasion process it was a change from what I was accustomed. It reminded me of a Victor Frankl quote in "The Week" magazine I'd read e

Kay Schroeder, is shown here pinning a poppy on WWII Veteran Marvin Schulz as part of the Brookdale activity of Honoring Veterans. Kay is a longtime resident and along with a few others, designated an Ambassador. They help the staff at the frequent activities and provide feed-back to management. Marvin is one of 23 Veterans here in Brookdale. Rosellen recognized them before Dinner in her "Words for Today". She and Eli also led a program of Readings, singing, handing out Certificates, etc. to show appreciation for their having served in the military. It even included some Kolaches like Grandmother used to make. There was a good turnout for the Program and it was announced that the Kiwanis Kitones will be up tomorrow evening to present their Veterans Day Program that will be part of the special Kiwanis program tomorrow.

Rosellen took this picture as we finished our Dinner this noon. We have two TVs of this size in the Dining room. I have one of the best views. Elaine and I change off in our places at the table. Marv Taylor is a table mate to my left. Marvin Schulz is the 4th member at our table but he doesn't like football so  had his Dinner delivered to his room. Only in Nebraska could you have a sell-out, 90,000+ crowd in 23 degree temperature with a strong south wind. Nebraska again scored on their first possession and led 21-14 at the end of the first quarter. And, won the game 54-35. Nebraska got a couple turnover breaks and both offenses seemed to cope with the weather conditions better than the defenses. Martinez continues to pile up yardage running as well as passing. They continue to reduce their number of penalties each game but got one today when a player ran onto the playing field after an exciting play without his helmet on . GO BIG RED

Ken Siemek tells us that it will get up to 35 degrees in Lincoln late tomorrow afternoon. He also says it will be down to 10 at 7:00am with a south wind of 8-16mph making the wind chill around zero. The Nebraska-Illinois football game will start at 11:00am under low wind chill conditions. Nebraska is favored to win and with Frost as our head Coach, how could we not win. Tickets have been made available through social media and the price may be pretty low down near the stadium at 10:30 in the morning.

"Just Us", this 3 man group from Lincoln came out through the light snow to entertain us here at Brookdale this afternoon. We have heard  this group before but continue to be impressed. The lead singer (in the middle) sang with very little break for some 45 minutes. They were asked at the end of their performance to tell us a bit more about themselves. We did learn that the fellow setting down had worked at a variety of jobs. The lead singer had taught school and the fellow to the right is a architect. While we enjoy their continuous singing, the presentation might be improved with some discussion about the songs they are singing and the artist that made them popular.

I completed the scanning of 1991 photo's today and have put 241 prints, (85.6 MB)  on the Flash Drive. This compares with 244 prints, (92.8MB) in 1990. I selected 4 of the '91 prints for this blog page. The one of me and SCS Chief Bill Richards under the painting of Hugh H. Bennett at the Soil and Water Conservation Society, is special to me since it represents my final year of working. I selected this one of Tim, Laura and Maggie. She was born in September of '91 and is one our youngest Grandchildren. Anna was born to Jon and Mary in early '92. The other two pictures are of weddings. Cindy with Chad Clay in Tomah, WI and Dena and Mark Sorge in Loveland, CO. They were '91events that included many family members and provided many pictures. We enjoyed having the St. John's Church Choir sing for us here at Brookdale this evening. Paul Solich played the piano and led them through many of the great old hymns. Their rendition of "Beautiful Savior" and "

Elaine and I voted this morning. The booths were filled so we sat at a table where we were able to utilize the sample ballot we had discussed and filled in earlier. We have been very dedicated in our voting over the years. During our years in Virginia, we continued our voting registration in Lincoln because of friends in local offices. After retiring, I was on the ballot several times while serving on the Upper Big Blue Natural Resource District and the Seward City Council. I even had thoughts about a couple other positions but the "cards" were never right to make a run. I would certainly encourage everyone to give serious thought to running for elected office at sometime. It is a learning process and enables you to broaden your perspective on issues by hearing the virtues of other perspectives.  We began our activities downtown by Elaine getting the new license stickers for the car while I found a place to park. There was a special feeling of cooperation everywhere we went t

I didn't go to Kiwanis this noon but stayed here to eat with Elaine. We had a good Dinner and I even brought the dessert back to have for a night time snack. It provided me an opportunity to make progress on my scanning of selected 1991 pictures. While I didn't get the year finished, I have sorted through all of them to the end of the year. These two were in the last '91 picture package. Tim, Laura, Tony and Maggie were back to Seward for Christmas with family. My retirement at the end of that year marked the end of my working a 40-hour/week schedule. There was very little break between my 33 years with SCS in USDA, 8 years with the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission and 3 years with The Soil and Water Conservation Society. While I continued to be involved in many activities, I seldom have had to be anywhere at 8:00am. The pictures I've scanned so far have really focused on family which will continue.

Elaine pulled this little Mickey Mouse out for me to play with as we watch the ABC Mickey's 90th Spectacular Birthday special. We were very fortunate in visiting Disneyland in 1956 with our 3 older children. We had bought our first TV in 1952 and were well aware of the Disney theme park when it opened. It was a "must" on our list to visit when we took Elaine's parents, Albert & Flora Flowerday and our 3 older children to California. The Flowerdays had retired from farming and had moved into Seward plus we had just bought a new 7-passenger Pontiac Station Wagon. Jon, our youngest was less than 2-years old so we left him with my folks while we were gone. Albert had a brother and wife living in the Santa Ana area where we stayed which was near Disneyland. Elaine and I took the 3 kids and were in the park for the parade. Our tickets enabled us to the rides including the ship and tunnel of love. We just had a great time. Elaine tells me that Jon and Mary were able to v

What would Nebraska's record be if they could have played all season as well as they did today? They still have a way to go but today's play showed how far they have come in several areas. The kicker loosing his balance and falling in attempting to "kick-off" after Nebraska scored the first touchdown, was certainly a unique situation. It almost reminded me of "Lucy" picking up the ball when "Charley Brown" attempted to kick it. I'm not much of an expert on what can happen in kick offs but have never seen anything like it. Not even when our boys were playing little league. I wonder what the rule book says but Google didn't enlighten me much. It appeared today that the kicker was "off balance" before his shoe ever touched the ball. What would have happened had he just "rolled to the side" without ever touching the ball. Might of he gotten a "Mulligan"???  I continue to be impressed with Martinez at Quarterback. H

Pot Coldiron, proprietor of the "Liberty House" Bed and Breakfast was our program for the Magazine Club Meeting last night. It gave us an opportunity to congratulate her for recent recognition received from the State Department of Tourism. It also gave us a chance to learn a bit more about the new Nebraska slogan: "Nebraska; It's not for everybody." We dispensed with our traditional reporting on magazine articles and each told of a favorite destination within the State but outside Seward County that we think could be given more encouragement for visitors. My first thought was Fort Robinson but decided against it knowing that it would be reported on by someone else, which it was. I opted to report on The Museum of Nebraska Major League Baseball at St. Paul Nebraska. They had recently inducted 5 new Nebraska Major Leaguers during Grover Cleveland Alexander Days in early July. They were: Jake Diekman, Brian Duensing, Connor Gillespie, Alex Gordon and Pat Venditte.