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Sniffing out bargains

I love a bargain. Finding something I need at a great discount is a joy. Back when GPS devices were relatively new, I purchased a $199 brand name GPS navigation system for less than $50. That’s a bargain! Our mother taught her kids the art of bargain shopping. It was a matter of survival for a woman with a tight budget and a hungry husband and six ravenous children to feed. I joke that I can sniff out a bargain. When I go shopping I usually check out the clearance shelves first. I have also learned the skill of not buying something I don’t need just because it’s cheap! The ...

Olmstead was an accomplished scout

I was at a gas station recently and bought some really tasty popcorn from a Cub Scout. Having been a Scout myself — Cub, Boy and Explorer — in my distant youth, I had to look into the history of scouting here. I had no idea that Webster City hosted one of the first troops in the nation. ...

A little appreciation is the least we owe

It’s October and this is Pastor Appreciation Month. With regular church attendance in the United States on the decline this observance could seem to be losing importance. As someone for whom faith is important, I maintain it is more important than ever. A survey by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in the fall of 2023 found that more than half of current ministers had considered leaving the ministry. It’s a stressful job. My parents were devout Christians and we missed very few Sundays in church. The first pastor I can remember is the Rev. Roskamp. He was the ...

Did I ever tell you the story of that ditch?

In the late fall of 1979, the Iowa Department of Transportation learned that there is nothing simple about installing a 150-foot ditch. It happened in Highview. Karen Strunk didn't mind losing a little business this fall to road construction. She didn’t even raise her voice when traffic was temporarily detoured through her parking lot. But last Monday, upon returning home from a short trip, Karen Strunk found what she had feared — a freshly dug ditch in front of her cafe in Highview — she had finally had enough. The Department of Transportation had informed her the ditch was ...

There’s a doo-hickie for that

Perfectly in line with a personal belief that any DIY plumbing repair attempt requires at least two trips to the hardware store, a recent one of mine did just that. Thank goodness there are resources right here in Webster City. Having at least one source for household fix-it supplies was ...

Singin’ the haircut blues

A few decades ago singer Ray Stevens wrote and made famous a comical number called “The Haircut Song.” “When you get a haircut,” Stevens sang, “be sure to go back home. When you get a haircut, get a barber you have known.” He goes on to tell of the harrowing experiences he experienced in unfamiliar barbershops. While it’s a fictional number, I can tell you “The Haircut Song” is close to the truth. As a youngster, Dad decided who would cut my hair. After all, he was paying the bill. After I was old enough to pay for my own haircuts, I tried out several barbers. ...