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."

Let’s try to all jump and down and keep warm with a few random thoughts this week.

1. I was standing in Afton Monday afternoon working up a quote on a new geothermal system and the rain started to fall. I’m not a fan of rain most days, unless it comes with the hail and tornadoes that I love so much, and even less of a fan of rain in May that comes down in the form of sleet.
2. In a major power struggle last weekend the cats took drastic measures against one of my curtains this weekend and showed me who is the boss. I now bow down to my feline overlords.
3. This week one of the few neighbors from when I was a kid growing up on the farm turns 100 years old. Ardus Walker and her husband Howard lived in a big stucco four-square house up a long tree lined lane across from my grandparents. They were always so very kind to me when I was a young lad and were one of my best customers during FFA fruit sales. She’s a grand lady and I wish her well on this wonderful birthday and hopefully there will be many more to come.
4. The kids and I ventured to the Des Moines Science Center over the weekend. I’d never been to the new building and to be honest, I loved most of the exhibits, but was really disappointed in how many of them were in disrepair. It took a little of the fun out of it to be quite honest.
5. Have you ever just wished that you could help someone without them knowing about it? I’m in that kind of quandary lately, and I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out a way to do it and seem like I have no idea what’s going on.
6. Did I hear right at Casey’s the other morning…Earlham schools are starting back to school August 10th? Wow, talk about either working on year around school, or padding for snow days. I’m not sure it’s a bad thing, but it is a shame in a way that the kids will miss those fun August days of play before school starts again.
7. Wells Fargo (from here on after known as “those corporate hacks”) have notified customers that Dexter and Redfield branches will be closing August 1st. On one hand I say good riddance to them. If anyone, and I should know, thinks that those corporate hacks, had the interest of their customers…small town customers in mind they are fooling themselves. Hopefully some local bank will step up to the plate and open branches in those communities. I blame the credit problem on the big banks in a way. When banking was done with people who were your friends and neighbors, they knew you, and were willing to talk to you, take a gamble on you and you built good ties with them and paid off your loans because you knew the banker. Today, it’s all about greed and some nameless person looking at a score number on a computer somewhere in Wisconsin. So, I ask those of you who work for small local banks…which one of you want my money? It might not be much, but I’m shopping and would like to hear your proposals. Otherwise it’s all going in a Mason jar buried in the yard somewhere.
8. If I haven’t told you lately…I really miss your smile. You know who you are… so don’t be such a stranger.
9. The Dexfield Reunion seems to be coming along nicely. It sounds like it’s going to be a grand time in June, and I’ve even got a few tricks up my sleeve so come out and enjoy a great time and help raise money for a very worthy cause!
10. Finally this week. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback about a column I wrote a while back about the virtues of being still. You might need to go back and read that if you’re struggling like I am to remember that. Let it work within you, and the results will amaze you!

See you next week…remember, we’re all in this together.