January Ruts

I remember my Uncles and Aunts telling stories about how they used to get stuck driving their cars on their roads back then and would have to get a team of horses to come pull them out.

Think about the old cars we see in parades that they used to drive. They were two wheel drive. They had skinny tires. And they were low to the ground. The gravel roads this week have been falling apart. Warm and wet in January in Iowa is not the way it's meant to be.

We have a scheduled a fair amount of corn to go to market this month and have been trying to haul in the mornings. This week it hasn't been freezing overnight and the trucks are carrying around 2500 pounds of extra empty weight due to the mud.

So we have been hanging around the shop more. The forklifts are getting their yearly servicing.

It's too warm to race on the ice and the kids have been working on their bikes.

We decided to give the TW 20 a makeover. Mike has been cleaning and sanding. Jim worked on welding some cracks and dents in the sheet metal. BJ ordered decals, interior upholstery, and a seat. Stay tuned.

I was driving to Albia and was listening to the inauguration activities on Friday. I was encouraged by all the prayers given and all the times God was acknowledged. It's been awhile. Ken, our state senator, also stopped by on Friday for coffee and we talked about state government. There is legislation in sub committees protecting our babies before birth. I think our governor would sign a life bill if it came across his desk before he goes to China to be an ambassador. There will also be ESA (educational savings account) legislation where the power of education goes back to the parent and some educational money will follow students to the accredited school of their choice.

Our countries government has continually put in extra thousands of dollars in our schools each year trying to improve education for our kids while taking out prayer, Christian songs, Christmas, and activities and conversations that involve God's name. They have even made laws allowing girls and boys to use each other's restrooms for Pete sake. I think it's about time to try something different.

The Bible talks about faithful patriarchs that were blessed to live long enough to see their families to the third and fourth generations. My parents have been faithful in many ways. Mom can only walk anymore with a walker and a lot of pain. However she still has her smile and pleasant, giving, attitude when you go see her. Below she is holding my granddaughter, Hazel.

My Dad was the youngest of ten children and last week his last living sibling, Aunt Kay, died. Talking to Dad are Jan, my cousin Don, and cousin Dick and his wife Linda. My sympathies to Dick and Linda who lost a great-granddaughter just after birth. Nora Faith's parents were Joel and Sarah.

Aunt Kay's funeral was that icy Monday last week. These are my brothers, Doug and Bill.

Aunt Kay had asked if I and the boys would sing at her funeral. She lived in Newton. Uncle Herm has been gone for years. When we would visit her she would love to talk about the old days including muddy roads.

Speaking of the third and fourth generations of families, many times that's close to a hundred years difference in age. Hazel was at the funeral.

Our son BJ had his 37th birthday yesterday. He and Cassia have five children. Their oldest is our oldest grandchild, a 9th grader. Natalie is helping her Dad in this picture.

I was surprised and pleased to see Rusty at our churches Christmas Eve service about a month ago. He was married to my cousin's daughter, Shelley. Rusty has had a lifetime of poor choices. Rusty passed away Thursday evening from complications of cancer that few people knew he had.

Rusty had gotten his life back on track around Christmas time and due to a series of events I feel privileged to have been part of he and Shelley's lives for the past three weeks. You never know when a conversation with someone will be your last one. Make this next week a good one. Ruts and all.