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The loving hand of discipline

Many years ago, long before Facebook memes were a thing, I saw a plaque with an inscription which read, “Discipline your children now so correction officers don’t have to do it later.” I was raised by parents who probably never saw that inscription but certainly believed in its message. They took to heart the Biblical admonition of Proverbs 13:24 ̶ “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” You don’t have to look far these days to see the disturbing results of parents who are unwilling to discipline ...

Be sure to attend your county fair

Times change. Even so, there are a few constants in life. One is the pleasure provided by the county fairs that continue to be a highlight of summer in Iowa. For as far back as anyone who now lives in this part of Iowa can remember, these summer festivals have been much-anticipated and much-enjoyed features of summertime. The fairs, of course, have changed over the decades. One central theme, however, remains much the same — a celebration of farm life and the assorted positive educational and personal-growth pursuits that are treasured features of life in rural and small-town ...

Listen, but also be heard

This week and last week there have been a number of meetings with the Webster City school officials. Some have been with architects, meetings they call SPARK meetings where they are beginning to develop a plan for upgrading, redesigning or rebuilding the Webster City High School. There was a school board meeting this week too. And there are more community meetings to talk about changes for the high school starting with tonight. We all need to be paying attention. The taxpayers of the community are paying the bill for this work, paying through property taxes if owned, through rent ...

Summer vacation memories

It’s summer vacation season. At fast food joints and c-stores you can see the vacationing families in their loaded-down cars and minivans heading somewhere. The children look bored, Mom appears exhausted and Dad looks broke. When Cindy’s and my children were younger we took family vacations each year but they were modest compared to the extended vacations some folks enjoy these days. Nonetheless, those summer trips provided many great memories. Believing that a vacation ought to offer something for everyone, we always included a major league baseball game in our ...

Crankbaits in the summer

The weather in many areas has been very inconsistent this summer. One day it’s warm, the next day it’s twenty degrees cooler. The one weather related thing that we’ve been able to count on is the wind. One day it’s windy, the next day it’s windier. But as we get farther into summer, there’s something else that we can count on. The water is warming up, and as the water warms, crankbaits can be very reliable fish-catchers. Here are some ideas about crankbaiting for more fish in the summer. Crankbaits come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. They’re productive by either ...

Wisdom from around the world

Some Americans wrongly think we’re better, smarter or even more sophisticated than citizens of other nations. We have more toys, more technology, more money. Sadly, we also have more problems. It is worthwhile to consider the value of other cultures’ wisdom. Without advanced degrees and 21st century technology, even the less advanced cultures around the world have wisdom similar, even superior to our own. I enjoy studying the “folk wisdom” of other cultures. My mother was a first generation American, the daughter of immigrants from the Netherlands and Germany. Neither of my ...