Merry Christmas 2007

Greetings: Glad your address enjoys an Earth zip code, which means fate punched your ticket for ride about old sol – but some dear friends cope with the aftermath of a near miss.

Following last years Christmas the guy above had his throat cut and staple-zipper installed on the outside. However not long after the above photo, fate struck Warren a near fatal blow – he was saved by a craftsman who installed a staple-zipper on the inside. He now deals with an overactive thinker – connected to disabled parts. But he can smile, his lifetime helper Patty is there, shown above making sure he remembered how to count money. She now counts the money for him so he can focus on mastering skills he never dreamed would be required. The new endeavor is called applied tenacity and taken with self administered humor.

Some from Mary & Marjorie’s class of 47.

The 2007 gathering of class of 47

Four of six from class of 41

This season activated memories of wonderful people and times past while storing this years events. We’ve experienced miraculous technology advances, yet the most remarkable are those we inherited at birth. It seems unbelievable that happenings before age one have survived, proven by mothers photos, The gift of a fresh memory at birth enables us to become humans. Sister Marjorie and I visited and took photos of the site where we were born. The original terra fir’ma has been completely overgrown. We did find the train rails where they parked empty wheat cars before harvest. However the once diligently maintained drainage ditch is now overgrown with trees leaving no clue of it’s once neatly maintained contours.

In 1930 the Banta Mill burned, the rail road siding is between our home left and the people on drainage ditch slope. Mid photo is of people on or near bridge over the drainage ditch. Right photo is drive way between our home site left and rails right.

The above rail and tie are perhaps 100 years old. The third view was taken from the bridge looking west, toward the people in upper left view – completely overgrown it will soon block flow after heavy rains. These color photos were stored on a tiny silicon chip – made from the ingredients about me in that sand pile, At that time humans were unaware of the “enormous size” of things too small to see, knowledge is recent.

Current residence have no awareness that mill and our old home ever existed. When my memory deactivates the only thing left will be photos take by Mom – photos that may no longer see the light of day.

The only things that last are the handed down ancient DNA codes, almost flawlessly replicated since humans separated from other animals by learning how to speak and write. Our human memory evaporates and each new human starts with a blank slate – their inherited environment permits them to live a different increment of Earth time. Each political campaign, makes one wonder about voter qualifications. All who reach age 21 can vote, even if they can’t read or write – so long as they can punch a choice. Society is always at risk.

Mary’s new car front and back. Mary and Norm Walter, friend and salesman

After Alumni we remained in our KS home pending the Bobbitt Cousin Reunion in near by Norton. Prior to the reunion we bought Mary the above a car, a 2006 Lincoln Zepher and left her prior 1995 Lincoln Continental in Oberlin, along with a 1986 Olds that was her mothers and a 1986 T-Bird I bought new from Jack Kump. My arithmetic was faulty, because the garage only holds two cars. To solve this we added a 20’x20’ car port extension from the present garage. We enjoy the luxury of being illogical.

“One at a time please – I’m not the one that left the lid up”

From Cousin’s Reunion

Trimming bushes, those at center right should have been removed before not after port installation.

I trimmed bushes along the left side of the drive and on the back side of the property and piled them near the alley for pickup. There were four major batches done in spurts. My butt, leg & lower back yelled their objections while I sweat profusely. I went through a lot of diet pop – and darn glad my parts kept functioning. I emailed progress to the kids, who violently objected to my plans to buy a tall step ladder and chain saw to trim back yard tree who’s branches were competing with TV cable. I didn’t buy a ladder but did buy a chain saw.

I remove sod for expansion of the driveway for car port base. I placed the sod along the back of property and used a scoop shovel as a sled to “haul” the chunks. I’d periodically sit on a stool until by leg muscle oxygen supply was refreshed. It required two slab changes, one on the left and one on the right,. The existing cub on the right (north side) caused access problems when attaching sheet siding – I learned how not to install a car port.

After the car port was installed, it was necessary to remove all the bushes on the north side as there were small trees that would soon be a problem. The good thing was I was “forced” to exercise.

Mary had difficulty getting up and down the steep stairs to the basement to do laundry so we had a stacked washer dryer combination installed in a corner of the kitchen dinette. She discovered the garbage disposal and refrigerator had gone out so those were replaced. I upgrade computers we leave there and built a place for a combination printer, scanner copier. We also installed a new flat panel TV. It seemed sad to leave the refurbished home empty and unused

In 2006 Charlie Corcoran was kind enough to sponsor my becoming a Rotarian, My and Mary’s father had been Rotarians so it felt natural and rewarding to attend and sometimes participate. I wrote a tribute to Charlie after he died, which the Oberlin Herald saw fit to publish – I was pleased to receive positive comments for having done so. Cousin Warren suggested I should write rather than trim bushes, so on his advice I tried “painting word vignettes” of past experiences. The Oberlin Herald saw fit to publish two, one about WW II remembrances and the other about my first jobs – those who read the Herald know of these. For my turn to have the Rotary program, I prepared a hand out as I thought we’d be gone, I presented a C-130 gunship pilots story of it’s use in Iraq plus of my participation in the design of that vehicle. More recently I wrote or our first radios, first encounter with presidential elections and Oberlin unemployed when they closed the banks in 1933. I also wrote of “Dust-Drought-Depression”. Warren has a natural gift for writing but I struggle to find the right words and combinations; a story is more readily told than written.

I recently joined three others on a trip to Dayton OH, to plan the design of a granite memorial to the 19^th Bomb Group by the 19^th BG Association. The outfit originated in 1932 and has been active ever since under differing names and primary functions which changed according to our nations need. In later years it became an Air Refueling Group which will deactivate in 2008 as part of a base closing program. Arriving at a concept has not been easy and it remains to be seen if it will be implemented. The cost is estimated to be in excess of $25,000 and must be approved as correct and appropriate by the Dayton Air Force Museum.

My “buddy” Art Aronsen and I have decided to proceed with printing a history banner, in color for use by persons or museums. The above requires a magnifying glass to read but will be 3 feet wide when printed by Art as a wall hanging banner. I spent years acquiring the history information it contains, it’s almost a history of flight spanning multiple generations, conflicts, airplanes and places. I used satellite images to create the flat world map.

Mary’s been doing battle with health problems in the form of arthritis in her feet, making it painful to walk. Reluctantly she gave up being Art Guild President, a task she has enjoyed. The organization has been a success, primarily due to her personal efforts.