Corn

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Something special about the light.  Everywhere I walked life was stirring--a squirrel scolded me, I startled a number of deer, and a chipmunk stopped to watch me pass as I walked down the railroad tracks.  But everywhere there was corn, ready to be harvested.  The majority of our corn goes to the Cargill Plant in Eddyville, and from there it travels all around the world.  It's a good thing we have corn, corn, and more corn.

Man Weeping

The heat has hit most of the country very hard this week, and I knew that I had do get my walk in early.  Dew still heavy on the grass, I went to one of my favorite walking places, Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville, IA.  At 7AM I see a few walkers, a couple of runners, but very few people who are visiting grave sites.  Today was different.  As I did my laps, I noticed a man in the distance standing in front of a gravestone, perhaps 50 yards away.  White polo shirt and jeans, he looked to be in his seventies.  He didn't notice me, but as I approached I could see his shoulders heaving, and as I drew even closer, I heard a sob.  I turned on my heel, and walked away, leaving him is privacy.  Twenty minutes later he was still there, only slightly more composed.  He nodded as I passed.  By the time I left, he was gone.

When my walk was over, I went to the gravestone where he had been weeping.  Flowers adorned it, as did photos of what I presumed to be a grand baby.  On the tombstone of a husband and wife, the woman's birthdate in the 1930's, as well as a death date in January of this year was etched. The husband's birthdate was inscribed, but not the death date.  I presumed that the husband was the man I saw weeping.  Two rings were interlocked on the stone, with a marriage date inscribed--1959.

How wonderful, I thought. To have been loved, and to love someone so much that seven months after the passing of the loved one, not just tears were brought to ones eyes, but heartbreaking sobs.  And fifty plus years of marriage. As sad as this gentleman was, if we were all only so lucky as he.

July 2, 2011: A Carnival Arrives

I left before dawn this morning, wanting to avoid the heat, anticipating a day in the 90's.  A train whistle blew as I closed the door behind me, so I headed for the railroad tracks, hoping to be there in time to see the train pass.  There's just something about trains. I hustled, but slowed to listen to the birds calling, and didn't get there in time.  I felt the cool tracks when I arrived, and sat there with my hand on the rail, feeling the vibration fade. I walked down the tracks in the cool before dawn, and found myself at the park in Bussey, IA.  Much to my delight, a carnival had arrived overnight, and equipment, rides, and RV's covered one corner of the park.  Bussey has a great Fourth of July celebration, and the carnival had arrived early to set up.

I walked quietly through the carnival area, not wishing to wake anyone up.  The city had mowed the grass the day before to be ready for the event where hundreds, if not thousands, of people with ties to Bussey (population about 450) come home for the Fourth of July.

I was pleased to see that the company that owned the carnival was local--nearby Oskaloosa. Which made me think that I needed to know more about them. How do they make money?  Does the city pay them, or do they come for free and make money off of concessions and rides?  Do they travel far?  Do they go to Missouri? Nebraska? Illinois? Does someone try to book them for county fairs? Is there lots of competition from other companies?  How do they keep their rides safe?  Are there inspections?  How about the food?  How does one get into the carnival business?

The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite movies--I wonder why they chose this theme?  I also wondered about who painted this. A local, or is this something that is purchased?  How can a movie that premiered in 1939 still hold our attention?  Where did the artist learn this technique?

I saw the concession stand and knew I would come for the holiday, bring the kids and buy something. Probably too much. I have been at the park for the holiday before, and the place is packed.  All of the boards that you see in the foreground have numbers and labels on them.  Like pieces to a puzzle they must fit something!  How long does it take to be a good worker?  Are they really called "carnie's," or could that be an insult?  Why does someone go into that kind of work, and how does it pay?  Is it a rewarding lifestyle?  Do they work all day in the heat setting up, or do they get up early to work in the cool of the morning?  Do they only work every weekend?  Do they get paid by the hour, or are they salaried?

And, are there clowns?  Seems that clowns are with circuses, but why not have a clown image or two at a carnival?

Wow, so many questions.  All from a walk before dawn.  I beat the heat, got an hour's worth of exercise, and lots to think about.  Works for me.  

June 29, 2011: Missing Wife

Where is Nellie Gaston?  I walk by this marker regularly in Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville, IA, and always wonder what happened to Nellie.  When husband Charles died in 1935 her plans were clearly to be buried next to him. But by all appearances, it didn't happen.  Was she "lost at sea?"  Did she find another love late in life, and does she now lie next to him in a nearby plot? Or in another city? Charles died at the age of 62, and it's quite possible that if they married young, they could have had thirty or forty years of wedded life together.  It is also quite possible that she had another romance late in life, and chose to spend eternity with her new love.  What would Charles think?  I believe that most of us want our spouses to be happy after we are gone, should we go first, and that if a relationship follows and they are happy, all the better.  So, I'm hoping that Nellie found love once more, and lived out the rest of her life in wedded bliss, and now lies next to her second husband.  I also hope that that Charles would be happy for Nellie, and only a little jealous, even if he must lie alone for eternity. Darn it!

June 27, 2011: Sign Down

Straight line winds hammered the county last night. Everywhere I walked were downed trees, signs, trash cans, and leaf litter. A tree came down on a camper, destroying it. Winds were over 70mph, and we all hunkered down and felt lucky when it was over. Dawn broke, and neighbors and strangers lent each other a hand. Power lines were re-connected, branches and trees cut up and hauled away, and the scars will heal. No one was hurt.

For some reason, for all of the damage I saw, this sign down spoke the most to me. This welcome sign greeted people coming from the west at the entry to town, and was posted at the edge of Graceland Cemetery. When I first encountered it, I wondered how old the sign was, and how the members of the clubs that do so much for the community felt when it was erected.  Was there a ceremony?  A dedication?  Did all clubs donate money for the sign to be built and erected?  How long ago did it happen? Was a committee involved?  Who designed it?  What determined the placement of the individual club signs?  Where did the clubs get them?  Is there a place where they can be ordered, or were they all created locally? Did the people who designed the sign hope that someone would join their club and come to meetings after seeing the signs?  For people driving by, was this welcome sign an indication of the vitality of the community, or a monument to some of the clubs that are not prospering, a sign of times gone by?  Are some of the clubs gone?  Will they all rally to make sure the sign goes up again?  Who will fix it, who will erect it, and will there be the pride that I suspect was there when it originally went up years ago?  What will the people who erect the sign feel as they raise it? Or, will the sign be hauled to the landfill, with a few dedicated members of the clubs taking their individual signs home, to eventually gather dust in the garage of a descendent who doesn't care at all--who doesn't know what an "Optimist" is, or what "Lions" contribute to.  And what the heck is "Rotary," anyway?

But we'll see. Will the sign go up again?  Will it be bigger and better, with maybe more clubs contributing?  Maybe it will be a big neon sign with floodlights reaching skyward, attracting interest from 50 miles away?  We'll see. But if it's raised again, I'll be there. 

June 25, 2011: Spray Paint Hieroglyphics

Every profession has it's language, its codes, its symbols that the means of interpretation are held only by those that practice that profession.  As I walk the streets of Pella, IA, that code is expressed by spray paint on the sidewalks by the street department that relates to construction activities that are going on.  I presume the blue near the top of the photo represents water since it is near a drain? The orange providing instructions regarding curbside gutters?  But what does the orange T represent that differs from the straight lines?  And why the asymmetry? I also saw yellow arrows running down sidewalks.  Probably everyone from the city public works director on down in that department knows what all of this means, but I walk in ignorance, as do most of us.  Somewhere is a plan, a map, and someone has to put the marks on the grounds that are a recipe for construction.  Instructions as to what is to happen where, in a common code that all involved know what to do.  I wonder if this code is common only to the city of Pella, or if people all over the state, country, or even the world use it.  I wonder if the code traces it's roots to the ancient Romans, or beyond.

June 23, 2011: Ideal Concrete Cozy

Somebody lost a cozy. How do you lose a cozy? And why would you throw a cozy out of the window?  Isn't it a little heavy to blow out?  There wasn't a beer can in it, or near it, so it wasn't an angry spouse saying "throw that damn beer out, you can't drink and drive!"  And, the image of Charley is charming, in a 1950's kind of way--back when men tipped their caps to a lady.  I had no idea that there was "quality concrete," as I assumed that it was much the same.  I do understand prompt delivery.  "Ideal Concrete," nice brand.  After all, who would want concrete that wasn't "ideal."  And, if some big jawed fellow (implying strong) is going to deliver it, it is nice if he is polite, like Charley here.  It looks like this cozy is trying to appeal to women, but do lots of women buy concrete?  Maybe so...Or, maybe the hope is that the wives and girlfriends of the guys given the cozies will associate the politeness of Charley with their significant other?  And why do concrete companies give out cozies, and who do they give them to?  Can you see some guy at Ideal giving a cozy out after selling some concrete?  As in "Hey, thanks for buying eight tons of concrete from us, here is your cozy?"  Or maybe the company gives out the cozies to their employees, and an employee got fed up and threw it out the window of the truck?  Or maybe it was the owner of the company who threw it out, thinking that "I can't believe that some damn salesman sold me these cozies!"  Anyway, the closest place there is an Ideal plant is Knoxville. I think that the next time I drive by, I'll stop and ask if someone lost their cozy.  Maybe they will give me one? I could actually use a new cozy!