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The first freshman class 60 years later

Members of my Northeast Hamilton Community High School Class of 1966 are making plans for a 60th class reunion. Sixty years — can you believe it? We have enjoyed class reunions every five years since 1971 when we all thought we were getting old. We stand corrected. The distinction that sets apart the Class of ’66 is the fact we were the first freshman class of a newly reorganized school district. Beginning in the 1950s the state put pressure on Iowa’s smaller school districts to buddy up with neighboring districts. Located in north central Iowa, the Blairsburg, Kamrar ...

Work the weedline

For many of us, the 2026 open water fishing season is in full swing. As in previous open water seasons, some anglers are promising themselves that they’re going to add a technique to their fishing in an effort to catch more fish. Versatility is a quality the most successful anglers ...

Just do something

I’ve been catching some interesting videos online lately, and for me that is something. I don’t even like to sit for a movie, but these little videos are short. They are the ones where people are mowing and cleaning up lawns for abandoned properties and people who are not able to take care of property themselves. And they are doing it without being paid It brightens my day. Those simple little videos of lawn mowers and weed eaters speeding through a yard, picking up limbs, trimming bushes, and trimming the curbs reminds me that there are some people who are trying to make a ...

Ever wonder where that came from?

My grandfather, in referring to the weather, used to say, “Red in the morn; sailors take warn. Red at night, sailors’ delight.” I have heard others use terms and phrases like rule of thumb and peeping tom. When I hear these phrases I often wonder where, when and how they originated. Curious minds want to know so I did some research. Here, then, is the history of some sayings and phrases you may have said – I have often used the phrase, you’re barking up the wrong tree. People who know these sorts of things claim it originates from hunters in the early 1800s. Coon hounds ...

Where have all the seniors gone?

It’s graduation week. By Sunday night there will no longer be any high school seniors….they will be graduates of the high school they have attended for the past year. And they will be looking forward to their future. It’s a future that needs them desperately to step into some important roles. In every community, in every school district, our children learn how to be students, to lead in their classrooms and activities, on the sports fields and organizations that they find of interest. We want them to also lead in their communities after high school. When a student graduates, ...

Sometimes I hear an echo

Some years ago I was given an insulated travel coffee cup by a firm with which we did business. It was a lovely cup — tall, slender, stainless-steel inside and out, nice rubber grip on the outside. A short time after I acquired the cup, I had an appointment in a town about 40-minutes away. It was an early morning appointment, the time of day I needed coffee-to-go, so I filled the travel cup and was on my way. After merging onto I-80 and comfortably on my way, I flipped open the lid and took a sip of coffee. Or rather, I tried to take a sip of coffee. I was cruelly reminded that ...