Take Photos At Funerals

A few days ago, we attended the funeral of Husband's 99-year-old great-aunt, at an ELCA Lutheran church in Waverly, Iowa. The sanctuary was framed on all sides by stunningly gorgeous stained-glass windows; I ventured back in there after the lunch to take photos. (By the way, for any LCMS readers out there: this ELCA funeral was very old-time, orthodox Lutheran. In the lunch line after the funeral, I found myself next to the pastor who had preached the very excellent funeral sermon. While scooping chicken casserole and potato salad onto our plates, we conversed briefly about the current state of Lutheranism, and he recommended a book to me, Principles of Lutheran Theology, by Carl Braaten, although he said it was a bit "academic".)

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There was such a multitude of stained-glass windows in that church, I hardly know where to start, but will begin with this scene of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. This window is situated above the altar area:

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It is flanked by these next two windows, depicting the two Lutheran Sacraments:

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COMMUNION:

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BAPTISM:

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I didn't take my new camera to the funeral, so this shot of the altar with its beautiful Last Supper carving is not as clear as I would have liked:

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Before the funeral, the casket was in the church narthex for viewing, alongside a table of family photos, many very old. I snapped pictures of the old photos. In case you don't realize it, that is a great way to acquire family history photos for yourself. In my post about Aunt Luella a few days ago, her photo shown there was cropped out of a snapshot of several photos sitting on the table. After cropping and enlarging, it turned out quite well, I think. (I did ask her daughter for permission first. She exclaimed, "Oh, yes......take pictures, and give me some later!") And, as I was snapping the photos, the funeral home guy came up to me and said, "Its wonderful that you're doing this........families usually forget to take photos at funerals. Be sure you take pictures at the committal service in the cemetery, too." I did, and later burned two CD's of the day's photos and sent them to Aunt Luella's daughter and son.

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Should anyone be interested in reading the funeral sermon, email me at junebug1976@hotmail.com .

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Turkey Coincidence

This just about made me fall over with laughter this morning: Last night's football game was played at a school which goes by the name of "Turkey Valley"............OK...........this morning my sore and slow-moving tailback son asked me to go to the mailbox to get the newspaper for him. When I got down to the mailbox, here's what I saw on the road........a wild turkey mama and her young'un!! How bizarre is that?! I have NEVER seen a mother turkey with a young one before in my entire life!! Let alone right on the road near our farm! Let alone the morning after playing a team from a place called "Turkey Valley"!! I LOVE IT!!

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I had to entend the zoom all the way out to get the picture because I couldn't get very close to the turkeys, of course, or they'd high-tail it back into the tall grass in the ditch.

This camera, a Canon Power Shot SX100IS, arrived back at my house two days ago after being repaired at the Canon Service Center in Elk Grove, Illinois. The lens wouldn't open and extend after I had dropped the camera in the grass a couple weeks ago. Last week, I boxed the camera up and put a note inside saying that I had dropped it and would pay for repairs, if payment was required due to the problem stemming from my own clumsiness and stupidity. Well, guess what, they repaired it for free! This is the second time I've sent a camera in to the Canon Service Center, and I'm impressed with their prompt and considerate service. I, of course, followed all the directions, sending a copy of my sales receipt along, too. I'm only mentioning this so you won't hesitate to send your Canon camera there if it needs repaired.

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Have a great Saturday........I'm off for some fun........a long drive to meet my daughter to give her a bunch of sweet corn! And, I hope to find photo ops along the way!!

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Pasture Psychology 101

Husband turned me, his wife, out to pasture the other day, to spend the rest of her days in peaceful grazing..........NOT REALLY!! My task was to bring the heifers home from their late afternoon alfalfa-munching session. The sun was very bright in the western sky, hence the lighting in these scenes:

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To set the stage: A group of bovine heifers would be comparable to a bunch of human teenage girls. Oh, for pity's sake, why is one of them suddenly galloping, as if with great purpose........towards ME? What could she possibly want?

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She doesn't look very happy, actually. Oh, brother.......wouldn't you know it. Whenever I decide to come out of my shell and socialize, it seems there's one critter in the crowd who has to run right over and start divulging his or her problems to me. At times, I feel like Rick in Casablanca.......everyone came to him, desperate for some sort of help. The heifers and others know they can safely confide in me; I'm empathetic and will listen with nonjudgmental ears and an open heart and mind, and do what I can to help them. Isn't that just the sweetest thing? (Gag) It can be problematic for me at times, though.

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Upon reaching me, the troubled heifer turned away so I wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. Oh, the poor dear!

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"They aren't being nice to me.......", she whispered, stifling a sob. "Them......over there......the other girls in the heifer herd.......they are snotty and won't include me in their chatting cliques as we munch alfalfa."

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Racking my brain for comforting words to say, I replied, "Look me in the eye.....um, oh, I see you don't have an orange name-tag earring. Perhaps that's the reason the others aren't friendly to you; they don't know what your name is, thus they don't know who you are. There, there.......cheer up........its not really your fault, you see. When I get back to the barn, I'll try to find your name in the record book and make a new name-tag earring for you to wear. Perhaps that will remedy the situation: The other girls will know who you are and you'll be wearing the same earring style as they are. Sometimes that's all it takes to be included in the popular clique."

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Well, will you look at this.......some heifers are just so brazen, coming right over and openly attempting to eavesdrop on a private conversation. I commented to NoName, "Are you sure you even want to be included in a group like this? Do you really wish to have friends who are that nosy??"

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NoName could see my point, I guess. She wandered off to graze by herself in the evening light. She'll be OK. Sometimes being alone for awhile is therapeutic. It works for me. I predict NoName's mood will lighten up very soon........in fact, it appears she may have brightened already!!

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Gridiron Fun.....Maybe

Oh, high school football is such a big deal in small-town Iowa. I try to pretend to enjoy it. There's my son, on the ground.......#21, white jersey. Just so he gets back up, that's all I care about.

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He's a tailback......and often ends up on the ground! Next thing we know, he has managed to become the center of official attention........due to a leg cramp! He ran 60 yards for a touchdown early in the game, but Husband and I didn't see it because we weren't there yet. The game was about 40 miles away........its one of those schools out in the middle of nowhere, just like ours. There's no place to eat on the way home, so I made sandwiches to take along.

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It's half-time.........I enjoy watching the band. This one is good-sized for a small, rural Iowa school.......good for them! I can't say the same for our school.......very few people give a hoot about band there, and it shows. The instructor sincerely tries, but very few parents encourage their kids to be involved in music. Me? I've given up. My first three kids were in band and chorus, but the last one is not interested.......I can't fight it anymore.

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The home side was backed up by a gorgeous sunset sky for awhile:

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Its over.......we lost, but no one got hurt; that's the main thing. Here the teams line up to shake hands after the game:

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It was a balmy evening........too warm for playing football, in my opinion.......nice for the spectators, though. In a few weeks, we'll probably be huddled shivering under blankets as we watch the games.

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I hope your team was victorious!! I'm staying up late tonight to watch the Olympic gymnast, Shawn Johnson of Iowa, on The Tonight Show. She's up next........

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Girlie Wisdom Forward

My sister just sent me this email forward:

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GIRLIE WISDOM!

1. A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills... she has 14 kids but doesn't really care.

2. One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.

3. My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

4. The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

5. The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.

6. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.

7. Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

8. Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.

9. I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my knicker's.

10. Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks 2 sizes!

11. Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' .....Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

12. I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!

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SEND THIS TO 5 BRIGHT WOMEN YOU KNOW AND MAKE THEIR DAY!!! LIVE SIMPLY.....LAUGH OFTEN....LOVE DEEPLY !!!

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SkyWatch Heifer

Welcome!!

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You know the routine..........gaze here a few seconds and then go to the official SkyWatch Friday website to launch yourself to fantastic sky scenes from around the world!!
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Thank you for stopping by! May you find pleasant, peaceful pastures to graze in today!!



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Spreading Awards & BaNOOer

There's something nagging at the back of my mind.........ever since yesterday's post about the "Kick-A** Blogger" award which Bob Brague (that's "rhymeswithplague") sent my way. I mentioned that I don't normally use the word A**, and that is true. Similar to Bob and others, my parents raised their children to not use vulgar language, and I've tried to instill that habit in my children, too.

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Certainly, there were times over the years when a sudden "Oh, shit!" would come out of my mouth, like when I pulled my van into the path of a car near the orthodontist's office in Waterloo, causing a minor fender-bender, and commotion involving sirens and police cars. (No one was hurt.) My kids gaped at me incredulously, possibly more for the word I had blurted out than for the fact that I'd just crashed into another vehicle!

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Anyhow, I don't want you to get the wrong impression..........we may not talk filthy around here very often, but there is plenty of filth on this farm. Filth, as in........cow manure, otherwise known as cow poop or cow baNOOer. These first two photos show a piece of farm equipment known as a "maNOOer spreader", shown here in all its dried-poop-encrusted glory. A manure spreader gets filled with manure, obviously, then a tractor pulls it across the field, where the manure spreader does just what its name indicates........spreads manure over the ground to be utilized as fertilizer. When a farmer uses this piece of equipment, he says he is "hauling manure".

I wanted to show you this manure spreader because it is about to move on to a place of possibly greener pastures and better poop, if there is such a thing. Husband is trading it in soon for a brand-spankin' new Knight manure spreader which is on order. Isn't that exciting!! The new manure spreader will arrive sparkling clean and shiny, and I'll be sure to run out and take a photo as quickly as possible, because once the the first skidloader bucket-full of cow manure plops into the new spreader, there will be NO clean and shiny ever again for that manure-handling machine.......NEVER, EVER!!

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This next photo is being inserted just for the heck of it. The other day the dogs and I were bringing heifers home from the pasture. We were walking along the now timber-weed-lined creek waterway when two water birds suddenly flew up, wings a-thrashing, from down in the nearly-dried-up creekbed. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you'll be able to see the birds over on the right side, just above the weed-line. I imagine its a pair of wild ducks; we seem to get a pair of those nesting here every year.

Also, over on the left side of the photo, is a heifer suddenly kicking her hind legs WAY UP in the air, and her tail is a-flyin' in a silly, curly fashion. Buster the Dog is staring innocently at me, as if to say......."I didn't do it.....honest, Mom, I didn't!" It was just a random goofy scene, so I had to post it. Like I said, you'll need to click on the photo to enlarge it in order to see everything just described.

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Alright.......drum roll.......here we go.......my CHOICEs to receive the "Kick Ass Blogger" award:

First, below are the guidelines for choosing award-winners.........copied from http://www.mammadawg.com/, a site of which I know nothing about: (Evidently, "mammadawg" inaugurated the "KickA** Blogger" award.)

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["Maybe they've got incredible, original content. Or they're overflowing with creativity. Is it someone that helps you become a better blogger? Or a bloggy friend you know you can count on? Or maybe it's someone who simply inspires you to be a better person... or someone else who sends you to the floor, laughing your ass off."]

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Award recipients are supposed to choose 5 award winners, but I am not that ambitious right now. TWO and only two bloggers are receiving this award from me and they are Kate, author of "Chronicles Of A Country Girl" and "Kate's A Picture A Day" blogs, and Sherry of

"A Feather Adrift" blog. Their blogging styles are not alike at all, but I admire them both very much! I think they probably know the usual blog award routine: contact the recipients you choose, link to them, link back to "mammadawg.com", and put your name on the Mr. Linky list there.

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Kate's "Chronicles of a Country Girl" blog was one of the first blogs I ever stumbled into.......I still remember the photo that was on her post the day I discovered her blog......it was stunning, as are all of her photos. She really knows her way around a camera, knows what makes a great photo scene, and takes amazing close-ups. Anyhow, because of reading her blog, my thick head finally understood what photo-editing is, and that, lo and behold, there was photo-editing software already on my computer. You see, I was an absolute ignoramus when I purchased my first digital camera about a year ago. Kate is also a gifted storyteller, plus is an encourager of other bloggers; she leaves witty and insightful comments on a regular basis. I don't know how she manages to visit so many blogs, but its always a treat to receive a comment from her! So, Kate, you truly deserve this "Kick A** Blogger" award because your blogging truly does "Kick A**"!! (If you've already been bestowed with this award, well.........now, you have it again!)

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Sherry, author of "A Feather Adrift" was another blogger I stumbled upon in the early going, or she stumbled onto my blog......its difficult for me to remember now. She has kindly been a regular reader of my blog and she lives in Iowa, too, though she hails originally from Michigan. I am in awe of Sherry's prolific writing abilities, and she has the ability to cover diverse subject matter, including politics, religion, art......you name it.......she can write about it.......and write VERY WELL about it, too!! She helps me understand the current political climate, and makes me think deeper about many things. In short, Sherry "Kicks A**" as a blogger, too! And, as with Kate......Sherry, if you've recieved this award already, you now have it again!

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High school football starts tonight. Am I cheering about that fact? Not really, because I have a son playing varsity this year. Its a rough game, as we all know, and I will spend most of my time praying that no one gets hurt. Also, because of evening milking chores, its difficult for Husband and I to get to games that are farther away, as many of them are going to be this year. As a parent, I dislike not being in attendance, but I'm to the point where I will not go alone to games anymore. In the past, when my father-in-law was still living, he would go along, but now he's gone, so I'm down to nobody else, unless my daughter happens to come home from college on Friday evenings and wants to go. But, she often has other plans. I'm not complaining.......just explaining one of the problems with dairying........its difficult to go to events that are in the evening, and that's when most school events are, of course.

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Well......GO, TEAM, GO!! And, that goes for YOUR team, too!!

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Kick-A** Award

Okay.......truly I never use this three-letter word "a**" in my daily speaking, but this "Kick Ass Blogger" award was sent here from a fellow-blogger whom I admire immensely, thus I'm constrained to accept the honor. Thank you, Bob Brague, the genius author/creator/owner of the very excellent and informative "rhymeswithplague" blog! You are definitely a "Kick A** Blogger"!!

The rules are that I'm to choose 5 other bloggers to receive this "Kick A** Blogger" award, and I promise to do that soon, if I can find 5 that I think wouldn't mind having the word "Kick-Ass" on their blog. I haven't been visiting other blogs the last couple weeks, because there's been so much going on here at home.......my son's wedding, moving my daughter to college, baling hay........writing blogposts!!. And, you ask, how can I find time to write blogposts when I'm too strapped for time to read other blogs? Good question........I guess you can see where my priorities are. Its an illness, I think......I'm constantly thinking of things I want to blog about, and seeing cool stuff to photograph, which leads to another blogpost. Yikes, I'm really hooked on this blogging thing!

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Thanks again, Bob Brague!!

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Ruth's Meme - Chapter 3

To know what this is about, you need to first go to Ruth's Visions & Revisions Blog to read about her fiction-writing meme:

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Chapter 3:

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By the time I reached the Northside Zoo parking lot, it was nearly 8:00 a.m., hopefully allowing me enough time to check in at the security desk and reach my office by 8:15. A downpour during the night had left puddles here and there, so I parked carefully to avoid stepping out into one. The rain had washed a mish-mash of leaves, plastic bottles, and other bits of trash up against the sidewalk curb. I made a mental note to suggest to Pete in Groundskeeping that it was time to do a clean sweep of the parking lot again, though really that was out of my jurisdiction since I was employed in the Zoo veterinary office. As I stepped across the damp asphalt, I thought about fishing around in my purse for my cell phone to see if there were any messages from Elliott, but decided to wait until later.

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Mr. Folger in the Security Office offered me a nod and a hearty "Good Morning". He knew this was my first day of being in charge of dispatching duties in the Veterinary Office. He smiled, causing his gray moustache to widen considerably, and said, "Are you ready for today, Ruth?" For a brief instant he reminded me of the man who had been God in my dream, but I mentally shook off that thought as ridiculous. I replied, "Yes, I am, Folger, and thanks for asking!" He handed over my security badge for the day, which I promptly clipped to the front of my Zoo uniform blouse. As I turned to head down the hall to the Veterinary Office, Folger reached into the phone file slot, retrieving a memo slip which he handed to me, "There was a phone message for you." Puzzled, I took the slip from him and continued to my office.

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Since I was in charge today, opening up the office was my responsibility. After unlocking the door, I turned the wand on the window blinds, taking a few seconds to gaze across a manicured lawn towards the Monkey House and Yard. Beyond the tall fence, I could see the monkey community already busy with their morning routines, which would pretty much continue the same all day long; swinging from tree branch to tree branch, shrieking.......picking through the fur of companions, and grinning big toothy grins at the early morning maintenance workers walking by. With a sigh, I shook my head slightly......."Oh, to be a monkey."

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There were several desks in the room, mine being along another wall near a window which looked out over the flamingo pond. On my desk was a clipboard showing the scheduled veterinary procedures for the day: Foot checks on the elephants and giraffes; a maternity issue in the zebra pen; and an exam of an ailing peacock. That was just the scheduled activities for the day.......other matters always turned up for our crew of veterinarians, which was soon to be joined by Elliott now that he had finished his internship in Bombay, India. I could never understand why he had chosen to intern so far away, but evidently he craved some travel and adventure before settling down.

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Elliott and I had met at veterinary school at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, a few years ago. I never progressed beyond the first year of vet school; the class load was just too difficult for me. I returned to the Chicago area to live with Gram and Gramps, and found a veterinary assistant's position here at the Northside Zoo. Elliott and I had kept in touch while he was still in Ames and then later in India.

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Suddenly, I remembered the memo Folger had handed to me. It said I needed to call a phone number to reach Elliott on the plane. Good grief. I scooped through my purse, searching for my cell phone, with no success. Darn.......I must have left it back at the house. That meant I'd have to use a Zoo phone, which I disliked doing for my personal calls.

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I dialed the number, which must have been directly to Elliott's seat on the plane, but it was not a very good connection. I could tell the voice was his, but he kept cutting in and out, and garbling up. This much I could gather: Due to mechanical problems on an earlier flight, THEY would now be landing in Milwaukee, instead of at O'Hare. "Pick us up....(crackle, crackle).....Milwaukee". Darn.......I'd have to drive all the way up to General Mitchell International Airport on the south side of Milwaukee after work today, and with no cell phone along. And........Elliott had said, "US"........"Pick US up".......US.......that's plural!?? Whatever was that supposed to mean??? I thought Elliott was alone!!!

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Okay, now any of you can write a Chapter 4. Link it back here to this post on my blog, and also to Ruth's original Chapter 1 post on her blog.

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I think you also would need to go read Sherry's Chapter 2 .

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Golden Flower Season

Here's what currently showing on the road ditch stage right now: the glowing footlights of sunflowers and goldenrod. (Lots of ragweed, too........Ah-ah-ah-CHOO!! Yes, I have hayfever this time of year; runny nose and itchy, watery eyes. I look forever like I've just had a crying jag. I don't take medicine for it, but do take plenty of tissues along! Years ago, my mom didn't believe in spending money on kleenex, so I always had to have an icky handkerchief with me. She loved pretty hankies, and still does. We had to iron them back then, too!)

I believe this to be Showy Goldenrod, solidago speciosa, of the Aster Family......so says the wildflower book.
Many prairie sunflowers are a-bloomin' now, too, and each one seems to have its own bug-in-residence:
Although golden-colored blossoms are in the majority right now, there are a few dissenters.........here's a purplish one........it may be Germander. If anyone recognizes it as something else, let me know in a comment.
And, lastly, this is "Oyster Plant" or "Salsify". Here's what the Peterson Field Guide says about it: Note the long grasslike leaves and spiky, sepal-like bracts that exceed the rays. Flowers close by mid-afternoon. Stems hollow. There is a similar yellow species, Yellow Goat's Beard, with which it often hybridizes. (Early in the summer, we did have lots of Goat's Beard in bloom here.)
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Enjoy the glow in your world today!! If you care to, describe it as one color in a comment. I'll go first: GOLDEN!

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Great-Aunt's Funeral

Today we attended the funeral of Husband's 99-year-old great-aunt, Luella:

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Luella was the last surviving sibling from a family of eight. Her grandparents had emigrated from Germany. Here's an excerpt from her obituary:

"........she graduated from the 8th grade (at a Lutheran parochial school) in 1923. Luella was always at the head of her class, had perfect attendance, and was urged to continue her education, but due to poverty and other circumstances was denied further schooling. Her mother taught her well in domestics, and she worked in the households of her older sisters and other farm families for several years. Luella then worked for the local North West Bell Telephone exchange. Luella met William, who was also a farm hand. After four and one half years of slaving for others they decided to combine their work ethics and were married in May of 1931. Luella and William worked as farm help for several more years until they began farming on their own rented farm. They farmed there for ten years without the aid of electricity, and in 1947 were given the opportunity to purchase their own farm (due to gracious help from a kind banker they never forgot). They worked through some struggling times but always pulled through. Luella loved working beside her husband, driving the tractor and baler, raising her laying hens that helped her become the "egg lady" to many area families, and enjoying her holly-hocks and garden."

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Undoubtedly, Aunt Luella's story is similar to those of untold numbers of women down through time. Even at ninety-nine, she retained her sharp memory; plus her trademark sharp tongue and independent nature. She had remained living alone in her farm home until just a few weeks ago when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Before that, she had spent a total of two days in the hospital in her entire life.......in traction for a back injury.

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AND........the church where the funeral was held has stunningly beautiful stained-glass windows!! Thus, I now have a new supply of church window photos to post on Sundays! Hooray!

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As I sat there (Husband was in the front as a pallbearer), I decided that in my next life (which, of course, will not occur) I might like to be a funeral director. Not to do embalming or anything like that.......but, to work at funerals and with grieving families. I enjoy watching the funeral home guys do their thing.......they have funeral-directing down to an art.......always looking dignified in dark suits, but sporting wacky humor behind those solemn faces. At least, that's how the funeral home guys are around here. Most likely, a well-developed sense of humor is required to survive that line of work. Listening to countless funeral sermons might get tiresome, but spending time in the lovely churches would be pleasant, I think, AND, they get to eat delicious church lunches on a regular basis! That is one thing I've noticed when helping with funeral lunches at our church: the funeral home guys hang around the kitchen, very eager to grab a plate and heap it full after their cemetery duties are finished!

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Blue-Tailed Butterfly

I wasn't going to blog for awhile, but........... after baling hay all afternoon today, I was walking down to the mailbox when this butterfly suddenly struck a photo pose, and I just couldn't resist:

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Other than monarchs, I'm ignorant of butterfly types and names, so maybe someone can enlighten me about this one. Light yellow is the main color. Thanks.

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UNI Campus Tour

Last Thursday, my daughter moved back to her dorm at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Yes, I helped, joining the queues of sweltering, panting parents, trudging up and down many flights of stairs in the un-air-conditioned dorm building, carrying loft pieces, boxes, totes, pillows, microwaves, TV's, computers, futons........you name it.......anything and everything that might be needed by college students in their dorm rooms.If you happened to not have a loft with you........you could rent one of these black metal ones. My daughter uses a wooden one, built by my stepdad. Its very sturdy, but takes up a bit more room than the standard ones.
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After the moving-in was sufficiently accomplished, I bid my daughter farewell and took a stroll around campus. Most enjoyable! Bordering the sidewalks and buildings were gorgeous flower beds and endless, well-tended landscaping.

I wonder what these plants are which look like some sort of space-age cabbage.
This bright pink flower had a huge bloom........too bad it was vined around a utility pipe.......but it was still showy and pretty!

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I had never seen this metal panther sculpture before. The UNI sports mascot is a panther.........a purple one, though!

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I haven't visited very many college campuses, but I think UNI's is very pleasant, with the venerable old buildings and trees, and is not quite as sprawling as the Iowa State campus in Ames. UNI is the smallest of the three state schools, with the others being the U of I in Iowa City and ISU in Ames, of course. UNI specializes in training teachers, and their Business and Accounting programs are reportedly top-notch. I've been impressed, too, that UNI helped develop prairie plant seed mixtures to be used along highway ditches and right-of-ways in Iowa, usually after new shoulders and roads are put in. They drive along with a machine that blows the seed and mulch mixture out to cover the bare ground. A truly good idea, I think. UNI has great music programs, too........it is a good school, and we are fortunate to live close by.

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The campanile towers above the old section of the campus.

One time, back in my high school days, our band marched in the UNI Homecoming Parade, and then we spent the rest of the day on campus. One thing we did was climb the stairs to the top of the campanile. As I recall, there was a big keyboard sort of thing up there that was used to play the chiming bells. The campanile's base is dated "1926" and says "In Memory of Founders".

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If you click this photo below, you'll be able to see the words "Iowa State Teachers College" above the pillars, with the date, "1900", above that. When I was a kid, my parents would refer to UNI as simply "T.C.", for "Teachers College". I believe by then, its official name was "State College of Iowa".......I think so, anyway. It became "The University of Northern Iowa" when I was a teenager, I think. I'm open to corrections on this information.

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Hidden in a shady Hosta garden on the south edge of the old part of campus is this stone marker, which I'd never noticed before. "I.S.N.S. - AD 1895". That would stand for "Iowa State Normal School". In my old World Book dictionary, the definition of "normal school" is: a school where people, usually high school graduates, are trained to become teachers, especially a separate institution for teacher education offering a two-year course and a certificate.

My grandma attended this "normal school" after her graduation from eighth grade country school in northern Blackhawk County. Her parents sold their farm equipment and livestock and moved to Cedar Falls so she could attend "college", as she called it. She earned her teaching certificate after two years, and then her family moved back out to the farm. Grandma taught in country schools near Dunkerton for several years. Dunkerton was one of the first rural school districts in Iowa to consolidate. In 1921, I believe, the big, new brick school building was built. It now houses the Dunkerton High School. My grandma taught there for one year, before she "retired" from teaching to get married to the neighbor guy across the fence, and be a farmer's wife. Before she passed away in 1991 at age 90, I was able to tape-record her talking about her country one-room schoolhouse teaching experiences. Most interesting!! I wish Grandma could have lived to the computer age, with its ease of writing.......she told me she had written many stories when she was younger, but had thrown them all away when she got married. Oh, my.
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Grandma.......this post is dedicated to you!! I should blog about Grandma sometime.......we loved going to her house; she had a color TV, lots of toys, and a CANDY DRAWER in the kitchen! That's the first place we headed for!

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Here's my post from a year ago when I attended my daughter's freshman college orientation day at UNI. This was from back in the days when my blog had no readers, but I enjoyed blogging, anyway!

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(I've been blogging like a manic fool the past week. It is so much fun.......reminds me of when I was yearbook co-editor in high school, choosing photos, and writing copy and captions.......makes me feel young again AND keeps my mind busy!! I do thank all visitors for stopping by, whether you have a blog of your own or not.......it doesn't matter, and whether you leave comments or not, it doesn't matter, although I do enjoy your comments! To you fellow-bloggers, I say a hearty "thank-you" for continuing to visit here, commenting or not, when I have not been getting out and visiting your blog. Now, I'm going to take a few days off to visit other blogs and catch up on what's happening in your lives.)

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Rhymsie......Get Over Here!

Rhymsie, Rhymsie........what have you done.........you old "Kickin'A Award"-winning, genius blogger from Georgia, you!! Hey, can't you hear me hollering to you through the wilderness of cyberspace??!

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I woke up this morning and found I had forgotten to put Miss Kitty in the basement last night. Well, great timing........she gave birth to three kittens during the night, choosing a remote corner where there happens to be several old record albums stashed, including "The Statler Brothers Greatest Hits", with the famous harmonizing "brothers" pictured on the cover.

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Rhymsie, you told me in a comment awhile back that some people say you resemble the bass singer from the Statler Brothers, pictured here on the album cover with a microphone in his hand. I believe his name is "RhymeswithRareOldMead" (said with a northern accent, please, and you can think of better words to use), and he evidently stayed at Miss Kitty's side during the birthing! Perhaps he is the father.......I wouldn't know about such things, though. Leave it to a guy with a moustache to do such a thing, though.......(Do you have a moustache?).

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Rhymsie, the thing is.........YOU are responsible for the scene in this photo! After YOU mentioned your resemblance to a Statler Brother, I dug into a closet to find the old record album and listen to those great songs again! Then I placed the album cover right here on the shelf in the photo. Yes, yes.......its all YOUR FAULT!! Thanks a whole lot!! Maybe you'll have to pay "kitty support"!
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Church of Wedding

This post will bring the wedding subject to a close for now. Here are scenes I enjoyed inside the church where my son's wedding took place last weekend:

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If you've been hanging around this blog much, you know that I tend to post photo scenes of church buildings or stained-glass windows on Sundays, IF I have such photos available. Sunlight or light from inside is so beautifully transformed as it filters through the colored glass designs!
This Lutheran church is of the ELCA synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Supposedly, it is more liberal than the Lutheran synod I belong to, the LCMS, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. In our small, rural Iowa community, there are four churches, all Lutheran, two ELCA, and two LCMS. The town and surrounding area was settled almost exclusively by German Lutherans. How the two different synods ended up being established right here is a mystery to me, for presumably the people were all originally of the same Lutheran faith. But, perhaps there were differing factions who came from various German provinces or states back in the 1800's when many were emigrating to the U.S.
There's even a traditional Crucifix in this ELCA church. The wooden carvings of the altar piece are distinct and beautiful, fashioned as several miniature steeples, somewhat similar to the altar design at the church I attend.
This whole church structure design, exterior and interior, is indeed similar to my LCMS church, just a few miles away. The walls of both churches are covered in that old-fashioned molded tin paneling, covered over with layers of paint, of course.

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Have a very blessed Sunday!

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