Dexter Iowa Community Site

Consider this quote from Abe Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

How about a few random thoughts to kick off the new year?

1. For those train buffs out there be on the look out for Iowa Interstate's new engine to appear sometime this month going through town. It will be painted as a Heritage Unit paying tribute to the Rock Island Railroad. The unit is currently in Kansas City being painted.
2. I could manage all this snow if we could just have it a little warmer out this way. With what looks to be another week of near zero and below zero temperatures I'd even take a high in the 20s at this point. I think that Spring will come but we just may have to salt and shovel a path for it to get here.
3. The gravel roads are really getting dangerous. What little sun they have melts that top layer and freezes overnight making it nice and smooth, so be careful out there.
4. The annual Weesner Christmas went off without too much trouble. The food (and yes there were hamballs) the family (wow...there really are alot of us in a very small space) and of course the famous white elephant gift exchange really brought the holidays to a close in style, although I still can't believe that I missed out on ending up with the AARP personal massager and combination laser light rape whistle gift.
5. There were a couple of brave souls down on the pond ice fishing this morning. I can barely seem to be able to walk on the ice on the sidewalk without falling down so I'll stick to roaming around the house and looking out the window. The horses don't seem to mind the cold weather much, and Tucker the dog loves it as it has broughten the pheasants out from hiding and he's turned the driveway into his own trophy room full of feathers.
6. I was thinking of trying to come up with a few new years resolutions, but decided that I'll just concentrate on getting out of bed on these cold mornings and finding a job soon. Some days you need to set the bar low.
7. Finally this week, I was telling my youngest about Christmas time when I was his age and I'd almost forgotten one really important part of growing up. Each year we would go to the Roundhouse for a movie. I think they ran some cartoons and usually some Disney movie while we all sat in the old wood bleachers on the east side of the building. When the movie was over we would all head outside to see Santa arrive on the fire truck and each of us kids got an orange and a bag of peanuts in the shell. I was reminded of this when the kids and I went to the grocery store and Paige wanted to buy those peanuts. The kid in me thought it was a great idea, but the "have to clean up the mess" Dad part of me vetoed that so we got cookies instead.

I hope that for all of you, this coming year is one filled with peace and prosperity. That you all have a chance to look back at where you've been and to make a few new memories along the way. See you next week.

Remember...we're all in this together.