Mt. Pleasant News

I received a holiday card this week sent all the way from New York City.It was from my friend Billy. Unfortunately for me, I didn't meet Billy until my last few days in Manhattan, but we've kept in touch since I moved to Mt. Pleasant.It was a warm July afternoon when we met. I was sitting on a bench in Union Square Park. Benches lined each side of the cobblestone sidewalk, wrapping around a fenced-in grassy ...

As a journalist there are some stories or interviews that immediately go on your bucket list. For me, it was interviewing a World War II veteran.The summer of 2011 I was interning at the Waterloo Courier. One day in late July, my editor told me to run into Cedar Falls, there was a Korean War Veteran who was going to be receiving medals for his past service.Bob Welter lived in an assisted living facility near my ...

If there's one motto I've lived by all my life, and especially now that I'm a (ahem) ?senior citizen? it is, ?Do something, even if it's wrong.?I often get caught up in the morning in the myriad things I want to accomplish. First and foremost, I need to get in my 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, then I need to do the chicken chores, then I need to shower, then I need to eat breakfast. Then the phone rings and ...

Halloween is over, meaning area retailers will be replacing their Halloween merchandise with Christmas offerings (if they haven't done so already). Never too early to start shopping, you know.While I have strong opinions on Christmas in November, that's for another column. It is not time to leave Halloween yet.Before I begin, I want to emphasize that I am Halloween-neutral. It will never be my favorite holiday ...

Every season, even the ones we don't associate with gardening, presents its necessary gardening chores. Many of these are less enjoyable than planting and harvesting, but getting them done can bring its own sense of satisfaction and give gardeners a good start in the spring.? Vegetable gardens ? While most of the vegetable harvest is complete and the growing area cleaned up, root crops can stay in the ground to ...

Ginnie had been shopping all afternoon and was abuzz with shopitus when she pulled into the garage. I helped her unload the car as she debriefed, shooing the chickens out of the garage with one foot. She had been to Wal-Mart, Target and Kohl's, and was full of stories about this-and-that bargain, this-and-that salesperson, and what is she going to do if they close down ?my? Target? I listened dutifully, as she ...

A couple weeks ago, I gave a call to Scott Quinn, an interfaith leader in northern California. Quinn is living in the heart of California wine-country, which was destroyed by wildfires this month. He was consumed with the task of finding housing for displaced people.I met Quinn this past summer when I interviewed him for a story for United Religions Initiative (URI) about Marin Interfaith Council's homeless ...

We have feasted on fall color this October! Whether you are driving, walking, or just looking out your home or office window, chances are good that you've spotted some gorgeous red, yellow or variegated leaves.While we tend to associate fall color with trees, every part of our landscape has the potential to participate in the pageant. This is exactly the right time to take a close look at your home landscape ...

Granny Smith finally got her four-year-old granddaughter to play in the garden the spring. They planted seeds and watered the soil.The granddaughter came back for a visit in the fall. She screamed with delight at the orange pumpkins, green squash, yellow corn and purple eggplants. ?Mommy, Daddy, look what we made!??Oh, dear one,? Granny said. ?We planted, but God gave the growth. Neither the one who plants nor ...

?It was a good answer that was once given by a poor woman to a minister who asked her, 'What is faith?' She replied, 'I am ignorant, and I cannot answer well, but I think it is taking God at his word.'?What a great description of faith and a practical thought on listening to God. A practice many people are poor at in their walk with the Lord. We are good at talking, but what about listening?Deuteronomy 30 gives ...

When my parents dropped me off to college for the second time, my dad gave me ?the talk.?While my mom finished putting away my clothes in my dorm room at the University of Northern Iowa, my dad led me out into the hallway. We squeezed to the side of the long corridor as my neighbors ? two guys ? walked past.?You have to watch out for them,? my dad said as their door closed shut behind them. ?Unfortunately they ...

Before I forget this (how could I?), I have a book signing scheduled for Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., at SIP in Mt. Pleasant, 120 S. Main St. It's a coffee house. I will read a short selection from my book ?Protected,? answer questions and sign books for those who wish. Books will be available.Ginnie and I just celebrated our second wedding anniversary on Oct. 10. I really went all out and took her to Taco Tuesday at my ...