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Oom-pah-pah

Though I regret the embarrassment this may cause my loved ones, I must make a confession: I love polkas. In my youth, polkas were considered “square.” Today’s young folks might call them “dorky” or “pathetic” or another term of derision. After years of trying to hide my attraction to the happy tunes from Europe, however, I must come clean, square, dorky, pathetic or otherwise. My affinity for polkas apparently took root 75 years ago on a farm in northern Iowa’s Kossuth County. My earliest memories of my grandfather’s dairy barn include an old wood cabinet radio ...

Old bones, old homes all have value

Last week, a historic home had to be torn down in Webster City. It was a sad day. I had spent time socially in that house nearly 30 years ago, and loved the people who lived there. It’s not that people didn’t try to save it. But once a house is abandoned or neglected, it’s hard to make up for the years of neglect. Sounds almost like relationships. House ownership has a cost that doesn't stop when you pay the mortgage. Whether your home was built last year or 150 years ago, daily, monthly, yearly maintenance is essential. It can be a losing battle when the repairs outpace the ...

Readin’, writin’, ’rithmetic …

Some time back I saw a bumper sticker that read, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” I quietly mumbled, “Amen.” The bumper sticker brought back memories of a host of teachers and the influence they had on my life. I used to tease my kids that I was so smart I needed only nine weeks of kindergarten. The fact is, I’m so old that kindergarten was still a relatively new-fangled concept when I was a youngster. My school experience began in March (many years ago) with a nine-week (all-day) kindergarten class. Our kindergarten teacher worked hard to prepare us for first ...

Filling the big shoes

It’s a new year, and it’s a year with changes already. At the end of 2025, we saw the retirement of the Daily Freeman Journal publisher Terry Christensen, and the retirement of the Daily Freeman-Journal editor, Jane Curtis. We saw the hiring of our publisher Grant Gibbons. And then we have me. Officially, I’m stepping up with a new title as community editor. Unofficially, I’m filling the big shoes left by Jane Curtis. At least in some ways. I can't be Jane; I've watched her off and on my whole life. We are not the same, yet we have many similar experiences. Jane is my ...

Shift change

Now that I have your attention, I will start by saying what a privilege it has been to lead the Daily Freeman-Journal throughout the past three or so years. (I picture Doug Getter up in heaven rolling his eyes; you may remember that was his response when I took over this position for what I loosely described as a couple of months.) Well, it’s time for a shift change. I write this on my final day as editor of this historic newspaper. As you read this, Kolleen Taylor is assuming leadership under the title community editor. We have a new publisher too; Grant Gibbons, who has been ...

The pain of license plates

In the mail a few weeks ago I received an annual notice from the Dallas County Treasurer. It was time to renew our automobile license tags. We own two cars so the total amount due smacked this frugal Dutchman right between the eyes. Being a pragmatic guy and understanding that taxes and death are two of life’s certainties, I submitted payment. I had nearly forgotten the pain when a couple of weeks later, the mailman brought us the renewal stickers AND brand-new license plates for one of our cars. The old plates were nearly 10 years old and dated back to when we moved to Dallas ...