Kansas Prairie Archives for April 2003

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Tuesday, April 29, 2003

DIGI-WALKER PEDOMETER

In terms of accuracy, reliability, ease of use, and cost, the DIGI-WALKER pedometer has no peers. It is the best pedometer for the money that you can buy today. Researchers at leading universities rely on DIGI-WALKER pedometers to provide the best data for clinical trials, and top educators across the country pick DIGI-WALKER pedometers to provide the best activity motivating tools for their students.

So says their website. Supposedly, it is the most accurate and reliable in the industry.

A friend of mine...the one with whom I had lunch a couple of weeks ago...was showing me hers that she uses to check the number of steps she takes a day. 10,000 is the goal which is the eqivalent of five miles. It looked like a dandy thing and since my old pedometer has been in the "misplaced category" for years, I ordered a couple. They are cheaper by the twos. I got the clearance models which apparently are just like the regular models.

I'll let you know how it works. Or how well I think it works. It's a small thing...about the size of a small matchbox...that you can hang on a belt... or as my friend says..."just stick it in your pocket".

They have several varieties that do everything from burn the toast to walk the dog. I just got the kind that counts your steps.

You can take a look at them and find more than you could ever want to know BY CLICKING RIGHT HERE

Posted by Peg Britton @ 01:12 PM CST [Link]

WALMART IGNITION PATROL

I don’t go to Mallwart often, for the same reasons none of us should, but yesterday I popped in there for a couple of hard to find items. Going there is always an experience. Walmart seems to breed its own culture. There is a life-style among the shoppers and employees that seems unique to me.

Almost always I encounter someone standing there alone talking to himself/herself. Women seem to be the worst about uttering self-musings. Standing there all alone in front of an array of “some puzzling display” from which they have to make a single selection, I listen to the internal debate they have going on in their heads. “Let’s see…ummmmm, this is cheaper, no, ummm, it’s got onions, ugh, what the heck is trisodiumbiarbonatedtriglycerides? ah…well, Bob’s okay with that…but ohhh pretty package….more meat in this one, microwavable, it says…." And the grunts and groans that emerge are collectively humorous. I stand there taking it all in, smiling like a mule eating briars. I guess that makes me one of them.

Walmart ought to have a little reserved corner of their store devoted to single individuals who talk to themselves. They can gather there with other single shoppers who talk to themselves. Then as their numbers increase, they can go hand in hand to shop and talk with each other.

They could merge with the ones who insist on helping you with everything. Always helpful, they roam the store looking for someone who needs assistance. They don’t wear Walmart apparel so beware as they come in all kinds of ready-to-wear disguises. Remember the little old lady who provides free and unsolicited services for the hearing impaired? (Check my archives for the entry on February 28th, 2003.)

Yesterday I had a new adventure at Mallwart. It came in the form of the checkout lady. With no one other than me in her line, she nicely and very cleverly created an opening to gently admonish me about what I have dangling from my car keys. It seems that the small billfold that I have attached to my keys should be removed BEFORE I insert the key in the ignition… because she learned that from her husband. I could tell she’d had the lecture from him in a form more stern than I was now receiving from her. She was helping the elderly with her newly acquired automotive information.

She said her husband knew all about those things and now she knew too and was happy to share that hard-to-get information with me. It seems that the weight of my billfold, which I didn’t think was significant, will damage the ignition and soon I will need to have it repaired...the ignition that is…and where will I find someone to do that? Whew! I donno…it never crossed my mind.

So as to not let this important piece of information die with my ignition, she continued. “See? You have that thingy that connects your keys to your billfold…lemme show you (she relieves me of my billfold and car keys for her demonstration)... what do you call this clippy thing?... and where did you get it, at a hardware store? …and anyway, you can just remove your billfold from it like this (and she starts her demonstration) and it releases like this (she does it twice to reinforce her point) and you can put your billfold somewhere else (she placed it on the counter in front of me), then reconnect it after you turn your engine off and remove the key (she took my billfold off the counter and reconnected the various parts). See how easy that would be, she said, and you won’t ruin your ignition.

I thanked her for all that good information, and asked that she also extend my thanks to her husband. Now I have to avoid the same checkout woman next time as I'm sure she's part of the "Walmart Ignition Patrol" and my picture is in her deck of cards. Violators will have some consequences to suffer and I suspect one ought to avoid experiencing that at all cost.

I know. This is one of the frustrated Walmart women who never got into their management trainee program. She was actually very nice and deserves to be in management, in my opinion.

I got all that free information just by being a Walmart shopper. That store and the people in it amuse me. Nice, just amusing. There’s probably nothing you ever wanted to know that you couldn’t learn from some shopper among the masses of people just waiting to impart information on the unsuspecting bystander.

Stay tuned. There is bound to be more.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 11:11 AM CST [Link]

WHAT GRADE OF GASOLINE IS BEST?

This came this morning from Dan Allard, a former Ellsworthite now living in Texas. I found it informational and a good thing to know.

Many people believe using premium or mid-grade gasoline in their vehicle is always the best choice. They pay the extra money believing the terms “premium,” or “mid-grade,” signify the fuel is better than “regular” unleaded. In fact, all the word premium actually describes when referring to gasoline is the “premium price” you are paying for the higher octane you probably don’t need.

Octane is a term used to describe a gasoline’s ability to resist knock. That formula you see on the side of the pump, R+M/2, represents the average of the Research Octane Number (RON) and Motor Octane Number (MON). RON relates to low to medium speed knock and MON to high speed or under-load knock. Once R+M/2 is figured, the result is the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), or pump octane rating. Added to this alphabet soup is the “ONR,” or Octane Number Requirement. The ONR is what your engine requires to operate knock-free and is determined by the compression ratio, timing, air/ fuel ratios, type of combustion chambers, and other design elements of your engine as well as environmental factors such as humidity or altitude.

What makes your engine run, and your vehicle go, is a series of controlled explosions occurring at precise times within the combustion chambers of your engine. Inside each of these chambers a moving piston squeezes a mixture of air and gasoline to just the right amount of compression before being ignited by the spark plug. Knock occurs when any of these explosions happen before they’re supposed to, and the sound you hear is the force of an early explosion against a moving piston causing it to slap against the wall of the chamber (cylinder) it’s moving within. The problem with this, in addition to the obvious mechanical shock to engine parts, is if the early explosion is severe enough it will force the oil out from between where these metal parts touch and cause them to wear.

Fuel with a higher octane number, such as premium, burns slower and because of this can be compressed more in the combustion chamber without causing an early explosion. This makes it perfect for engine designs requiring high compression, such as found in high performance sports or luxury cars. In engines not designed with high compression, the higher-octane fuel is not burned completely and results in excess carbon build-up and fouling of spark plugs. Tests have also shown that using a premium or mid-grade gas in an engine not designed for it may actually reduce your gas mileage, thereby wasting money in more ways than one.

Many people believe they need premium or mid-grade gasoline because they occasionally hear their engine knock when passing or under a load. Modern engines are designed with knock sensors that will cause a change in the engine’s ignition timing to stop this knock or its severity. Only when the knock is continual, or severe, should a change to a higher-octane fuel be considered in a car with a modern “computer” management system.

Just remember, the higher price you pay for premium is to offset the added cost of refining to achieve the higher octane, not to make a better gasoline. Follow the fuel recommendations found in your vehicle’s manual and if your engine doesn’t need a higher octane, not only are you wasting money at the pump by buying premium, you may also be wasting money down the road.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:14 AM CST [Link]

I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD

Last night, someone in our family received a very prestigious award at Southern Methodist University in a ceremony honoring undergraduates who excel academically. Most of the honorees were graduating seniors, a few were juniors, and there was one lone sophomore. Guess who? Someone who spent most of her years going to school in Lincoln KS, the last two at Salina Central.

She was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, which is the engineering equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most respected honors organization in the US for liberal arts students. She’s majoring in mathematics and computer engineering. Double major.

She served as chairman of their pledge class and was just elected vice-president of the campus engineering organization. Go girl!

SMU has an outstanding engineering department, ranking nationally considerably above both KU and K-State. Such rankings are made available yearly by US News and World Report and other publications. This isn’t an award that is easily earned. SMU is not quite up there with MIT, Cal Tech and Case Western Reserve, etc. in the national engineering rankings, but comes out in the top group overall. That reason for that rests with the inclusion of a more rounded schedule of liberal arts subjects along with engineering. It is a very good fit for her and will serve her well when she graduates.

I couldn’t be more proud of her.

(If she sees this, she'll make me take it down....but, I think she is too deeply immersed in finals to notice.)

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:00 AM CST [Link]

Monday, April 28, 2003

EISENGLASS HILL

Twice today I went by where Eisenglass Hill is supposed to be. It is still missing. I wonder what the State Highway Department spent on that bit of folly. Kathleen sure hasn't appeared to dip into the highway funds for cuts if they can spend money like that so loosely during these tough economic times. We could have used whatever money they wasted on that in education. That hill had been there forever and no one to my knowledge had ever stumbled over it. Well, we won't need to worry about that anymore. Historians will spend forever trying to locate it in years to come. I don't see anyone coming forward and boasting about what they did. I sure wouldn't.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:43 PM CST [Link]

MY ARCHIVES

Just in case you didn't know...when looking for some specific article in my greymatter blog archives, remember that once you open the archives you can scroll down and find whatever you might be looking for by topic. Click on it and it should pull it up for you.

We didn't add the comment section until later, but you have the opportunity to make comments on my more recent blogs. A few have so you can check those out as well. You can also write me at the address that is listed on the nav bar. I'll promise to answer as promptly as I can.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:33 PM CST [Link]

Sunday, April 27, 2003

ISP INTERNET ACCELLERATOR

For those of you using KIT as your isp, their new x4 Accellerator seems to be a Jim Dandy. I haven't given it the full test as all their sign-ups have slowed the whole system down. But...once everyone is on, then it should work very well. I've used it for almost two weeks and have noticed a difference in some things already. Mail service is certainly better than I have experienced in years.

The ISP Internet Accelerator uses a patented and proprietary method of compressing standard graphic images found on the Internet and in POP3 e-mail. Acceleration is dependent upon a client application that runs on your PC and a server application that runs on a special compression computer owned by your KIT.

Once configured properly, the ISP Internet Accelerator requires very little interaction from the user. It is designed to work behind the scenes with existing Web browsers and e-mail applications. The most common interaction that a user has on a day-to-day basis occurs when different image qualities are desired

It costs something less than $2.00 a month. If you hook it up and don't like it, you'll get your unused portion of it back, just like on your regular service. KIT has good policies in that regard.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:55 PM CST [Link]

EVERYONE IS GOING IN THE SAME DIRECTION....A POSTIVE STEP FOR ELLSWORTH COUNTY

In an unprecedented effort, Ellsworth County Community Development, the Ellsworth-Kanopolis Chamber of Commerce and Ellsworth County Economic Development, Inc. are harnessing efforts and putting together a marketing package for recruiting new residents, according to information from Sarah Grace Geiger in response to one of my blogs. What a wonderful attempt at unifying the community this could be...a marvelous step forward. YES!!!

She describes the steps as follows:

First step: hosting “commuter coffees” at major employers in town. Ask them to fill out a survey of information such as family size, occupation, what would entice them to move here, etc. Give them cookies and a chance to win a model house/doll house.

Second step: engage the community. The group will recruite about 15 people to become part of a team to develop a 1,5, and 10 year strategy for increasing population. This team involves people throughout the community—mostly younger with families. The hope is that the results will include an incentive package—financial incentives.

Third: engage the plan, get to work, get families to move to town and get more students into our school.

This program deserves all our support. Other groups could work on financial incentives to encourage people to move to town. We need to increase our number of school age children as that is essential to our vitality and existence as a town.

I site Wakeeney as an example again. They have 79 seniors in their graduating class and 11 students in kindergarten. Something has to happen fast in Wakeeney to turn that around. And we are showing the same trends in our school population, so it is mandatory that we do something now.

What this group is doing is the right thing. They deserve our support.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:36 PM CST [Link]

REMEMBER TO CLICK ON YOUR REFRESH BUTTON FROM TIME TO TIME

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:44 PM CST [Link]

COUNTING THE DAYS TO INDEPENDENCE

There is a huge tidal wave moving from the west to the southeast across Kansas comprised of people of all ages, gear, musical instruments, art work, props, signage, dancing shoes, soap boxes, food and everything you ever wanted to know about 150 or more Kansas communities.

This mass will begin to gain momentum toward the end of the week as it arrives in Independence Kansas for the weekend. All eyes are on Independence and the yearly Kansas Sampler Festival. It is the most important two days of the year for Kansans to learn about Kansas. More and more people are coming to realize that each year and taking advantage of a great weekend of fun.

I can only guess at the number of people who will be in Independence Saturday and Sunday for the Festival, but last year there were 7,100 visitors, as I recall. The numbers will probably increase by a thousand or two this year as each year the event has more and more attractions to draw people to the Festival.

You can scroll down my daily blogs and find schedules and lots of information about the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the Festival and the Explorers Club. Or...you can go directly to the Kansas Sampler Foundation website where nothing is left to chance by clicking HERE and getting all the straight information about this organization that does so much for so many.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:11 PM CST [Link]

METAPROS STATS FOR MY WEBSITE... people are indeed reading about Ellsworth County and our backyard events

For the month of March:

Total Hits (any request) 22,294
Total Files sent 15,651
Total Files saved by cache 5627
Total Page Views 5,518
Hits per day (Max) 1407 (Average) 719
Total Logfile Entries Read 22, 295

I launched http://kansasprairie.net in June 2002.
August was the best month for hits at 36,485.
December was the month of the fewest number of hits at 13,149
So far this month, my site has had 22,766 hits.

There are many other stats, but these are the ones of interest to most.

I have regular readers from K-State, Bryant TX, St. Joseph MO, Reston VA, Salina, Wichita, Kansas City, WaKeeney, Oakley, County Durham ENG, Denmark, Topeka, Halifax NS, Manitoba CA, Toronto CA, Minatu-ku Tokyo, Rio de Janiero...and a plethora of school districts/community colleges/universities and military bases all over the world. The ones I just listed, plus many from my home base, are a few of the ones that have hit my website in the past 12 hours.

I thank you all.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:38 PM CST [Link]

Saturday, April 26, 2003

MORFORD EGGS AND THINGS

Moreford's have a lovely assortment of plants to satisfy every gardener. They also have fresh country eggs, which happen to be a passion of mine. The kind that are layed by chickens who scratch around for food. The kind that stand up all filled with pride, showing off a round orange face when you break it into the skillet. None of those pale yellow eggs that run all over the pan. Not in our house, if we can avoid it.

And, when you drive up to Morford's to make a purchase of eggs, you can hear the roosters in the background which lends credibility to their product. They are very noisy roosters. I'm not sure where the hens are, but they must have the roosters around for a reason.

I should have asked what kind of chickens they have, not that I'd remember. They’re the variety that gives you colored Easter eggs without all the work…shades of pale green and blue all the way through the shell. The kind my friend in England doesn't believe exists.

Morford’s is located just a little west of Kanopolis on the low road. Turn where the sign says to turn and you’ll soon be there. They have a huge and impressive operation of plants and flowers and will have a variety of produce to sell when the time is ripe.

Leave me some eggs, please.

P.S. Here is a comment from my Geordie friend in England who doesn't believe eggs come in pastel hues of green and blue:

"Just read your blog,no way does a hen lay coloured eggs apart from white and brown,for me to believe the eggs are the colour you described somehow your gonna have to get a photo of em and send it to me."

Posted by Peg Britton @ 05:02 PM CST [Link]

NAVIGATION BAR, STERLING, MUSIC, ORPHAN TRAINS AND IDEAS

We've added some new things to my website navigation bar. The navigation bar is that list of stuff on the left of the splash page such as "Home", "Prairie Introduction", "Mom and Pop Shops"...the first page that comes up when you access my website.

If you run your cursor up and down that area, you'll see the new additions under "Kanopolis" and "Odds and Ends".

If you run your cursor over the Ellsworth County map, also on the left right under "Contact Peg", you'll see some new additions for the "Ellsworth High School" and "Ellsworth County" websites. When you slide your cursor over Ellsworth County link, you'll see stair step links to "City of Ellsworth" and "Ellsworth Heritage". Isn't that neat?

Those are the only recent additions, but check back frequently as we're always adding new material.

Yesterday I was in Wichita for an all-day meeting of facilitation boards across the state. It was very informational, interesting and fun. I went with a good friend from Sterling, Renee Lippincott, who is the director of their Main Street program. When you drive down the Main Street of Sterling you just feel good. It looks like a town where you'd like to live, visit, shop and own a business. A Main Street town since 1997, the effect of the state program has instilled an attitude in Sterling leaders about doing things well and being sensitive to appearances. They have also shown their support through funding.

A clean town with restored historic downtown buildings, old-fashioned street lamps and street signs, trees, benches and nice sidewalks give people a favorable reaction to the town.

A fire in February of 2002 destroyed some historic buildings in the 200 block. The owners were adamant that the new building fit the historic look of downtown. Getting an architect who had a sensitivity and appreciation for downtown architectural design was key. Look at the new home for Ben Marshall's Sterling Bulletin. It is a tremendous asset in the visual attractiveness of downtown Sterling.

Renee Lippincott is the sparkplug behind the Main Street Sterling program and full of wonderful ideas and enthusiasm.

I've been thinking about how nice it would be to have a city appreciation gathering for all our teachers and staff. I think it would be great if we could have a big picnic in Preisker Park, have town people buy up enough tickets for a catered BBQ to treat all the teachers...maybe have some homemade ice cream and cake. A town appreciation picnic. That sounds like a great idea to me. We do owe our teachers so much and rarely thank them enough.

Which reminds me of something I've blogged before...

Long ago we had a city band and city band concerts in the summer time in Preisker Park. It was great fun to go listen and either clap your hands or honk your horn in appreciation, depending on where you were sitting to listen to the music. If you forgot the Friday night concert and were still at home...no problem, you could hear faint strains of the music and the horns honking in unison did not go unnoticed. It always brought a smile to my face.

I think it would be wonderful if we could revive a city band and have concerts one night a week in one of the parks maybe occasionally in downtown Ellsworth...where people would gather for that and maybe have some other things to go along with it. Our stores could stay open and perhaps we could draw in some shoppers and listeners from other towns. We have a lot of musical talent, both young and old, and it would be wonderful if they would share that with the rest of us during those long summer evenings. They could be evenings of fun for everyone, including the musicians both experienced and beginners.

Concordia has been picked to be the home of the Orphan Train Museum. The Orphan Train Heritage Society of America recently selected Concordia to be the home of their national museum and research center. The museum will be in the 1917 Union Pacific depot that will be restored. The depot will also be used as a community center. In June they will host a five-state reunion of those who rode the orphan trains. Cloud County Community College is writing a play about the Orphan Train Experience. This major attraction will give people yet another reason to visit Concordia, along with the restored Brown Grand Theatre. You'll have a wonderful experience touring the Brown Grand with Susie Haver or Holly Andrews (Jan's daughter) showing you around.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 12:27 PM CST [Link]

Thursday, April 24, 2003

I HEARD A GOOD ONE TODAY

It seems someone during a meeting of a local organization last night asked what I was doing "reading in the back room” of the Independent. Now that is really funny since I've been doing it two days a week for 4 years or so. Every Monday and every Tuesday each week, year after year. I was about as close to the back door as you can get, as there was no other place for me to sit. That place is packed with people and desks…all taken by employees.

When the paper was first organized about four years ago, I started proof-reading for them as a volunteer, to help them out. I just stayed. I guess I forgot to go home. I’ve never been paid nor had any benefits other than a meal or two now and then.

Proofing has nothing to do with editing or the content of the paper. Proofing involves catching misspelled words and I usually do it by reading backwards through an article, word by word, so I haven’t the slightest idea what I am reading. When I read the paper, I read it fresh just like other subscribers.

It takes some qualifications to edit, if that were the implication, and I have no such qualifications. They wouldn’t have let me do it anyway. Writers don’t want people editing their stories and they get really grumpy if anyone tries to rearrange their words or tell them what to say.

I don’t know how you can resign from a non-paying, volunteer job, but I just did last week. I want to have more time to do other things. Two days a week out of my life at my age is a big chunk and I wanted that time back to use in other ways. I have a lot of projects I'm involved in right now.

Everyone ought to volunteer some time to help others…and many do. Mine just happened to be that I was helping friends by doing some thankless, time-consuming dull work. And all my friends know that.

If they really get pinched for a proofer, I'll go back down if they call. But I won't be eager as I'm really enjoying the extra time I seem to have suddenly acquired.

So....that's what I was doing in the back room of the Independent.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:47 PM CST [Link]

MORE ON THE WATER WAR

I wonder what the people in Ellsworth County are going to do when they wake up some morning and realize Salina, Russell and Hays have claimed all the water rights to Kanopolis Lake and what little might be left for us will be so expensive we can hardly afford it? We could be the big losers in this political game of "who get's the water"?

Do you know how many people from Ellsworth cared enough about this very serious issue to attend the water meeting yesterday? Seven of us, that I saw. There may have been others but the room should have been full of people from Ellsworth. There were a lot of people from Hays, Russell and Trego Couty. Cedar Bluff is another water target for Hays and Russell.

We all may have water tomorrow and next year, but you need to be seriously concerned about where you are going to get it in 10 to 20 years. People in western Kansas have already come to this realization...and are ready to wage war over water rights.

Who do you have protecting your water rights?

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:05 PM CST [Link]

WHAT IS THE KANSAS SAMPLER FESTIVAL?

The Kansas Sampler Festival is designed to provide the public a sample of what there is to see, do, hear and taste in Kansas.

The mission of the Kansas Sampler Foundation is to preserve and sustain rural culture and this event, a project of the foundation, helps achieve that mission by giving Kansas communities a quality event to showcase their offerings and it educates the public about Kansas. The intended result is to get more people traveling around Kansas.

There are many aspects to the festival. Beside the community and attraction booths, entertainers come to not only add sound and color but also to get bookings. Kansas product people come not only to sell but to find new retail outlets and for the networking. Food vendors come to showcase Kansas foods, a Kansas style of cooking, or a Kansas restaurant. The public comes because they can find information about the entire state in one place -- and they get to enjoy a broad perspective of Kansas in one weekend. There are thousands and thousands of Kansans---and friends from across the border -- who are interested in finding day trip information and learning the Kansas story.

Above all, the Kansas Sampler Festival is designed to be fun and to show that exploring Kansas is fun. It truly is an event that every Kansan should attend. You'll find out about local cafes and their specialties, where the best soda fountains are, where you can watch a first run movie in a historic theater, where you can take a tram ride into a buffalo herd, where you can buy specialty products in small towns, where you an find amazing grassroots art, and much more. At the Festival, we supply you a sampling, a teaser of what you can see when you go from town to town across Kansas.

It is an event that makes you feel good about being a Kansan!

For more information about the Kansas Sampler Foundation, go to www.kansasampler.org. Scroll down for further listings.
(Taken from the Kansas Sampler Festival Program, by Marci Penner.)

Posted by Peg Britton @ 05:35 PM CST [Link]

JUMPING AND SINGING AND ASSORTED THINGS ON A THURSDAY MORNING

Number Three Grandson is going to be running and jumping in Russell today at a track meet for middle school folk, if it doesn't get rained out. I'm going as I haven't yet seen him do either this spring. And spring is what I hope he does....lift himself right off the ground and soar over that bar. Aim for a school record. Shades of Javier Sotomayor. 2.45 meters. 8.038058 feet. When Javier was 15 he cleared 6.56168. I find that just amazing.

It's always fun and interesting to see all the middle school kids perform then go into high school and learn more about what competition means. High jump is one of my favoite field events so I find it enjoyable at any level of proficiency. Ballet in motion, sometimes.

I didn't understand the newspaper account regarding district budget information where it said "The music program remains intact." Then later in the article it said Ellsworth had three music teachers (when we have had four) and 37 coaches. Russell, at the top of the heap in the NCAA, has four music teachers and 48 coaches. Maybe I don't understand the word "intact".

I am happy that rumors were dispelled about the disrict vehicles. It doesn't help anything to hear it repeated that the school district bought a $60,000 suburban so that the coaches can use that instead of riding to out of town sports events with the team. Not so. Everytime it circulates it has to be dispelled.

I can't imagine anyone believing we'd send board members out of the country to meetings. That makes no sense at all, but I suppose there are a few who would believe almost anything. It's essential that board members and administrators attend meetings along with other school board members and state education leaders in order to stay informed. By not attending and not staying well informed, one courts problems, some potentially serious, that could be avoided.

The board and administration do an excellent job of staying on top of things and they should be commended more frequently for their diligence and hard work. That doesn't mean we should shirk at the opportunity to express objection if we disagree with some of their decisions and the way they handle some matters. We can still stive for common goals of improvement while trying to iron out differences of how those goals are achieved. At least we should be able to do that. We should do that. Patrons should be active participants and informed.

I recently visited with a friend from WaKeeney who told me they have 79 seniors and 11 in kindergarten. They have a critical situation, which is the trend in our rural communities. If you don't have students, you can't maintain a school. The same can happen to us as we, too, are experiencing declining enrollments. If Salina has its way, they would swallow us all up. The day may come when we are down to too few students that transporting our children to Salina to school might become an option. I hope I never live to see it. I hope people circle the wagons and do something to make our community stronger before then. We're operating on borrow time.

So, what do we do about it? We must attract people to live here, one way or another. Maybe we need to establish some kind of incentive program to encourage people, who are commuting here to work, to move here. It would be a great beginning if everyone who works here also lived here. And it would be wonderful if everyone who finds it necessary to commute elsewhere to find satisfactory work, could find work here.

We also need a city owned broadband internet and cable service, in my opinion. We need to maintain quality of life standards that are absolutely necessary to attract people to small communities. People aren't going to move here from larger communities and settle for a lot less than they are accustomed to. And the trend is continuing that people are leaving our communities and not coming back. They aren't going to move here just because we have a glut of housing. We have to reverse that flow somehow, someway before it is too late. The town can become septic overnight and then it will be too late to do anything about it. We have to stop the bleeding....now.

I just got the word. The track meet was cancelled because of rain. Now let it rain.

Mark Roehrman, owner of the Antique Mall, said he conducted about 60 people through the underground and Masonic Lodge during the Spring Gather. I was one of those as I was interested in seeing how much he had accomplished since the last time I was there. He has it all cleaned and ready for renovation when the time comes. There was a lot of "stuff" to haul out of there and it looked to me like it would take months, but Mark moves slowly and methodically and in no time at all, it was once again empty. It will be a show piece when it is completed.

The coffee area is showing progress too. His mom has painted tiles for the walls to match the tiles on the tables and chairs. It's going to be very classy. A large cabinet will be built for the south wall to match the others along that wall. I'm ready for the coffee makers to arrive!

I just saw the pajamas. Two pair, exactly as he wanted, stylish and classy. Perfect. I understand he found them at Dillard's.

The high school track meet in Sterling, scheduled for 3:00 today, hasn't been called because of rain, but it looks dark off in that direction. I'd like to see Grandson Number Two jump. The middle school track meet has been rescheduled for tomorrow in Russell, 1:00.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:11 AM CST [Link]

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

WATER WARS

There was a water meeting today attended by the Grabbors and Grabees. People were there from Saline County to Trego County and all the towns in between.

It was interesting. There are those wanting to protect Kanopolis and Cedar Bluff water and those wanting to get water rights from those sources for their towns in the middle of the district. It has already been demonstrated that politics enter in to this to a great degree.

The shotguns are coming out of mothballs and getting a good dose of spit and polish. No kidding. If you haven’t already noticed, stay tuned as the water wars around us are eventually going to get your attention.

One day, it is said, there will be a huge ditch from the largest fresh water supply in the world that will come down this way from the Great Lakes and then veer south and west to California.

Meantime…let’s just hope for rain.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 11:55 PM CST [Link]

THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW IF YOU DON’T ASK

“We have a shortage of pajamas around here”, so it was said last night and reiterated again this morning. “Nothing but winter flannel pj’s in this house”, said a plaintive voice. “I can’t stand up in the summer ones I have or they fall to my ankles. They are ready for the rag bag!” Ah…mere mention of the rag bag and I know these are desperate statements.

This was a moderate emergency of sorts. It wasn't a REAL emergency as we've experienced before. Heck…pajamas never wear out and are perfectly fine until you have to make that emergency run to the hospital and then it’s panic time. No matter how hard you look, there never is a pair for such emergencies…except for maybe the pair with partial elastic that happens to be in the laundry. These were more in the category of causing possible arrest before we made it two blocks to the hospital.

But that was just a projected emergency that flashed through my mind.

And, then we have THE bathrobe that is covered with ink residue from reading the morning paper. After a while it looks more like the paper than the paper since it carries with it all the latest scoops from USA Today, the Indy and the Salina Journal. When he moves it's like the latest news flashing on the canopy above Times Square.

This all looks like a disaster ready to happen and I really start to pay attention.

Now you have to know that he doesn’t often shop for things such as this, or at least he hasn’t for a long time. Things just magically appear in his drawer when the time seems right for new ones…but it was apparent his personal shopper has fallen down on the job. He was talking about his “in between” wardrobe…right smack in the middle between the winter flannel variety and the torrid summer heat short legs and sleeves variety.

As he headed out on his shopping venture, I suggested Penny’s would have a good assortment of reasonably priced “durable” pajamas, with good elastic. Just the kind he was looking for. With all the assurance of a veteran shopper, he headed out to find his favorite spring/fall model…cool, crisp cotton with long sleeves.

After looking around on his own and finding none, “some nice lady” suddenly sidled up to him. He said she was “very helpful” which makes me a little suspicious that good looking male pajama shoppers are an easy target for women who pretend to be pajama clerks. Right? She quickly informed him that the only style Penny’s carried was flannel pajama bottoms. Only bottoms, no tops. That confused him. How can they be pajamas if they don’t have two parts? He told her he thought he was too old for the one piece styles. Maybe age is a factor but I think he wanted a more complete outfit. Something more stylish. Classy. Studly.

So, he described again what he was looking for and guess what? They had no pajamas. None. Only those “bottoms”. There were no pajamas. None of those easy to acquire items that senior citizens call pajamas which would be something to cover both the top and bottom. Part One and Part Two that come in sizes A, B, C, D and E. All nicely folded with straight pins holding everything neatly in place. Nada.

He was informed that Penny’s only carry pajamas at Christmas time. How incredible! He said he was desperate and couldn’t wait until Christmas…or even one more day. I can only surmise that every man in the country who wears pajamas, and granted, most don’t, must get an ample supply of whatever-kind-of-pajamas-they-like-or-don’t-like at Christmas time so as to last until the following Christmas.

That has to be the most brilliant strategy ever on the part of Penny men’s wear buyers but pretty tough on the one guy in the world who doesn’t get pajamas at Christmas time.

He persevered, found what he wanted and cancelled the emergency.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 11:33 PM CST [Link]

Tuesday, April 22, 2003

WHAT'S HAPPENING YOU ASK?

Ellsworth County will be recognized as an Outstanding Kansas Community at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23 at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility Staff Development Center. The Department of Commerce and Housing will be making the presentation. Way to go Ellsworth County!

The Ellsworth County Medical Center, in partnership with other county health organizations, will be sponsoring the annual Smoky Hill Health Fair on Saturday, April 26 at the Ellsworth City Hall. For more information, contact Mike Morgan at 785-472-3111 x 303.

Carpet Central, located on Douglas Street next to Drovers Mercantile, will be celebrating their grand opening on Friday, April 25 at 2:00 p.m. Sheri Bennett, of Kanopolis, will be the new store manager. The store will feature, carpet, laminates, and wallpaper. Stop by the store and welcome Carpet Central to town!

The Chamber’s Relay for Life team will be holding a garage sale from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 at the home of Loren and Callie Reber, 203 Evans. Shop for great bargains and support the team!

Greg Valentine, SRS Manhattan Area Director, will be conducting an open meeting on April 29th at 10:00 am in the Friendship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Ellsworth, 405 N. Lincoln Avenue to address concerns about the closing of the Ellsworth county SRS office located in Ellsworth. Any interested parties are invited to attend the meeting.

Kansas Travel and Tourism is hosting a tour of Kansas for tour guide operators. They will be traveling through Ellsworth County on Wednesday, April 30 and stopping at the Kansas Original Market in Wilson. Kansas T&T is doing a great job at working hard to promote Kansas. Please give your support to Kansas Originals Market!

The Smoky Hills Charitable Grant Foundation will host their first awards program on Friday, May 16 at 10:00 a.m. at Citizen’s State Bank & Trust in Ellsworth. The first grant recipients will be announced at the reception.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 05:02 PM CST [Link]

CHEF'S WORK

Our chef daughter served 74 dinners for Easter and reported everyone seemed to have a nice time and enjoy everything. She has another of her usual busy weeks...a dinner party for 30 tonight. Thursday is the Greyhound golf tourney for 75, Friday she has a buffet dinner for 100, and Saturday a wedding reception for 225. Needless to say, her week is booked, as that is in addition to the regular traffic for meals. Anyone who wants to open a restaurant should go talk with her first! Cooking is a passion. It has to be to live to do what she does.

She does have some new Lebanese dishes that she is serving, thanks to Jamal who joined her after the Ramada Inn North in the Salina closed. That was always one of our favorite places to eat so it's nice to have him there working for Ally where we can continue to enjoy his dishes. The food can't be beat and if you know the chef, you can get in....just the same way we do. Call for reservations at the Abilene Country Club.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:56 PM CST [Link]

LITTLE BOWS ON MY OAK TREE....for Kristofer Thompson

The limb on my oak tree is getting loaded with little bows. I had to replace several of them after the wind storms that we had. Kris has been gone 16 days already and I've covered each day with a yellow bow. That hardly seems possible. The 4th Infantry Division is in Baghdad...and that's the unit he is in.

Kris called his mother, Cindy McAtee, at 12:15 our time, Monday morning, April 21, from a satelite phone. She reported he sounded great. Evidently, wherever he is, the locals have been serving meals, because he has cereal for breakfast, and each box of cereal has a type of "football card" written in Arabic that advertises the cereal. He said the soldiers get a big "morale booster" if their box of cereal contains a card. He said his mom better start looking for "Choco Balls" cereal here in Ellsworth, because he was going to want a lot of it when he gets home. Ha...I bet.

He also said that for Easter, they ate steak and lobster. He said it wasn't the best he's had, but it wasn't bad. He also claimed to be stinky dirty.

They had gone through a sand storm recently in which he had to use his compass to make sure he was walking in the right direction. He could see no more than 10 feet in front of him. The weather patterns are really odd. He said that during the night, there are light shows of lightning streaking across the sky and during the day, it is very hot but ever so often they will get a few drops of rain seemingly out of nowhere.

He cautioned me not to believe CNN when they indicate the war is almost over. He said there is still fighting going on. He did get to watch CNN Sunday, but knows nothing of recent news (Roy Williams's resignation) He does know about the POW's returning home and that Bush went to Ft. Hood.

He said that when he got to Kuwait, he had 4 letters waiting for him. He said that they will be moving soon, so he probably won't be getting mail again any time soon. He said that tomorrow, they were going to visit some ancient ruins, wherever that might be. Cindy said when she talked with him she almsot had the feeling that he was on some kind of vacation. He said his men were all doing well and had good attitudes. He said it would be a long time before he could call again.

My grandniece also got a call from her boyfriend who is in Baghdad. He was in one of the Presidental Palaces and a newscaster offered his phone for him to call Aimee. They talked about 10 minutes. It was pretty special for each of them.

That's the latest update I have.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:51 PM CST [Link]

Monday, April 21, 2003

IT'S FESTIVAL TIME

It’s time to start thinking about the Kansas Sampler Festival….and it’s time to kick off the season of exploring our Kansas towns and byways.

The Kansas Sampler Festival is held the first weekend of May to help get the public excited about planning day trips and exploring Kansas during the summer months. From Elk Falls and Elk City to Wichita to Ellsworth, communities of every size will have representatives to answer questions, distribute literature and inspire Kansans to travel and explore their area.

KANSAS SAMPLER FESTIVAL
Riverside Park, Independence
Saturday May 3, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday May 4, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Admission adults $5.00; children ages 7 – 14, $3.00
www.kansassamplerfestival.com

Learn what there is to see and do in Kansas. Visit with representatives from more than 150 Kansas communities who will be promoting their events and attractions. There are treasures all over our state that are worth exploring.

Sample the authentic Kansas cuisine.

See a variety of Kansas entertainers: musicians, poets, dancers and re-enactors.

Sample and buy Kansas made products.

Witness live demonstrations.

There will be many food vendors to choose from.

Performers scheduled to entertain you are: Ann Zimmerman, Susie and the LuWondas, Steve Bowman, Harkey the Clown, Teresa Bachman, Cliff Sexton, 48 Stars-Voice Impressionist, Laurie Michelle and Larry Hucke, John Hamlin, Larry Hanson, Brothers and Sisters, Buster Jenkins and Betty, Elliott Family Band, Newgrass Tradition, Walnut River String Band, Allen Macfarlane, Margie Broeckelman, Bennie Holtsclaw, Equine Eagles, Heartland Twisters, Charlie Trayer and Cowdogs, Lindsborg Folkdanslag, Promenade Square Dance Club.

New events at this year’s Festival include:
Arts and crafts vendors representing the top arts and crafts events in the state.
Demonstrating artists, who will also sell their products.
Display of the Governor’s quilt and quilting demonstrations.
Working cowdog demonstrations.
Little Giant coal shovel demonstration.
Antique cars by the RPM Car Club.
Petting zoo.
New activities in the kids’ tent.
Ethnic dancing.

It’s fun to learn about Kansas. It’s a beautiful drive from here to Independence, and there are many things to do in Independence. If you want to plan some road trips this summer, this is the best place to go to find out what all the areas of the state have to offer. Be an expert on Kansas. We have so much of which to be proud.

Taken from the Kansas Sampler Festival Program compiled by:
Marci Penner, Executive Director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation
Melody Clubine, director of the Kansas Sampler Festival.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 06:18 PM CST [Link]

YEAHHHHHHHHHH !

There was very good news filtering around downtown this afternoon.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 05:10 PM CST [Link]

Sunday, April 20, 2003

ODDS AND ENDS

The birds are busy. A robin has chosen our Amur Maple by the front door as her choice location for a nest. There are a bazillion other trees in our yard that would be better for her, but today she is not to be distracted from her motherly instincts as she works feverishly building an abode for her children. Then she will abandon her nest and sleep on the hard ground or hung from a tree. I don’t know why they don’t just hang around their nests and make a real home out of them, adding little nest annexes and towers, decks and perches. Maybe even start a worm farm. They could settle in that way. Seems logical to me.

My friend, Anne from County Durham England who visited here after I visited her, just wrote and told me the heather in the moors is about to bloom. Seeing heather in bloom is enough for me to traipse back over there. I was there a year ago and loved County Durham and Northumberland. That’s a most beautiful rural countryside …like you just imagine England should be. The moors are a lot like the prairies of Lincoln County. I just would like to see the heather when it is in bloom. I missed it last year but could easily visualize how beautiful it must be along side the yellow flowering gorse.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow and Tuesday to play catch up around here. I’ll miss dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s at the Indy, but not TOO much. Actually, it’s the people I’ll miss seeing on a regular basis, but I can still pop in and see what they are up to. Life marches on.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 02:44 PM CST [Link]

WEBSITE UPDATE

My webmaster and I have updated my website to include some additional articles and features. I provide the material and she does the amazing stuff of slapping it on the site so you can see it. Her part is way beyond me and I thank her enormously for being so willing to do it. Good webmasters are hard to find and she is excellent (if you need one) and the fact she lives 750 miles down the road matters not. She’s as close as the telephone.

You’ll find new material under the new heading “Kanopolis”. There is also good material about bison under the heading “Odds and Ends”.

If you run your cursor over the map of Ellsworth County, you will see another county site, in addition to Blue Skyways, that was built by some high school students. They have done a splendid job on it and continue to improve it.

We’ve also added the USD #327 school website (which is down at the moment) for your easy access. School students also constructed it, but I think Bernie Schulte, and maybe others, may work on it this summer. Those are difficult to design and a bear to maintain. It will be an excellent resource for various schedules for athletic events, programs, school schedules and holidays, etc.

I’d still like to have comprehensive articles on the history of the Midland Hotel, Kanopolis, Holyrood, Lorraine and Carneiro. I don’t have time to research and write them so if any of you care to do that…pick one of those and research it and write an article…I’ll put it on my website and be most appreciative of having that information to share with others. It would help a lot to round out the information I have about Ellsworth County and make it more inclusive. That has always been my intention, but I just don’t have the time for it.

There is still some room left before I have to jump up to another category with my host, MetaPros. I have something over 15 M in place now and have a little way to go before I start to consider what to leave and what to take down or to jump up a notch (which costs me more money every month).

Websites aren’t just something you post and then walk away from as they require constant updating. There in lies the challenge. I’m always open to suggestions on mine and welcome your input.

We couldn’t ask for a more perfect day than we have today. The rains last night and the sun today …and the absence of wind…combined to make this a glorious day. We appreciate such days, particularly after some of the windy ones we’ve had where we had to hang on to something to keep from blowing away. Ah! Kansas.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:42 AM CST [Link]

Saturday, April 19, 2003

SALMON ON THE GRILL

Tomorrow our family is gathering around the table later on in the afternoon for a repast of fresh veggies, salad and salmon fixed on the grill. They all can’t make it as two are in Illinois and another is cooking for the masses. There will be six of us, but that will be very nice, especially since the famous family pie maker is one of them and will bring fresh strawberry pies to die for.

I found a beautiful salmon filet weighing about three pounds so I’ll marinate it and then throw it on the bbq grill. The recipe I’ll use is a variation of the usual one…maybe just a little special for the holiday. I make a marinade from juice of a lemon, a little fresh minced garlic, 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of orange juice, 1/3 cup of packed brown sugar, ¼ cup of salad oil and some fresh ground pepper and then let the salmon marinate in the sauce in the refrigerator a couple of hours. Since I don’t have a basket for it, I’ll just put it on a piece of heavy duty foil and let the fruitwood smoke billow from the side.

Speaking of…we have an old Charbroil that we cook on that has been around almost as long as we have. My parents gave it to us shortly after we were married and if I had a dollar for every time we've used it, I could really retire. When they built those years ago, they built them “hell for stout”, as Lloyd Grothusen used to say. They don’t make them anymore, so we’ve learned, and our smoke basket just fell apart last week after a day of smoking some baby back ribs. Alas! Years of use has taken its toll on this 52 year old relic. Brit took the shards of the basket to Shorty Choitz who made us a new one out of steel that will most certainly last 100 years. It’s a dandy and he did a super job on it. We will initiate it tomorrow. It's the Shorty Choitz's of the town that make this the greatest place in the world to live.

Smoking salmon always brings to mind the backyard parties of long ago hosted by a couple of our friends, Carolyn and Clair O’Donnell. They would involve 20 or 30 adults and a passel of kids. They were great fun. Carolyn’s sister lived in Eugene Oregon and back in those days of rather dependable rail service, she would ship fresh whole salmon to us from Oregon. It was the same way grocery stores got fish and shell fish from the coast in the old days. The salmon were packed in ice as they left Eugene and repacked several times along the way by train personnel. They had a special service just for that.

We’d all gather in the back yard of their home in anticipation of the special treat we were going to enjoy and spend an inordinate amount of time speculating exactly where in Kansas the train might be as it headed our way. Sometimes it was a longer wait than expected, but it was always late so we figured that into our plans. The charcoal was laid; the refrigerator and tables were laden with food we’d contributed. There were coolers full of beer and sodas and snacks to tide us over. I even remember the weather being perfect....but memories sometimes fade.

Once the call came from the depot announcing the salmon had arrived, a couple of the guys would head down there to pick up the crate while others made sure the charcoal was blazing. There were usually two large salmon still packed in ice and ready for the fire. We rinsed them off, slathered them in lemon garlic butter and cooked them slowly over the coals. We hovered over the grill watching it cook away. That was the best salmon ever…and about the only time we ever had salmon in those days.

My friend who planned all of this for so many of us is lying in the hospital as I write this. She and I frequently reflect on these good times we had so many years ago. Good memories such as these mean a lot to her during such times as these.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:25 PM CST [Link]

RESTON VIRGINIA

Hello to the marketscore user from the Reston VA area. How about a chat? You know where to find me. Thanks for your loyalty.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:39 PM CST [Link]

STUFF TO DO

I spend so much time each day doing “stuff” just so I can get around to doing the things I want to do. It takes more and more time each day for the former, leaving less and less time for the latter.

There are certain things we feel compelled to do every day, sometimes several times a day…like grabbing the tooth brush, squeezing the tube and brushing 3 minutes. There goes 3 minutes of an otherwise good day…x 4 or more.

Then there is flossing, swishing with Listerine, taking showers, putting on sun screen and make up, rubbing down with moisturizer, taking pills, drinking a gallon of water, getting dressed, putting on shoes and socks, tying shoe strings (tough with a spine that doesn't bend), cleaning and filing nails, cleaning my "sleeper machine" hoses and mask, eating, doing dishes, putting stuff away, looking for misplaced stuff, watering flowers, picking up stuff and moving it somewhere else to pick up later and move again, remember vitamins, returning phone calls, delivering stuff, making appointments, getting groceries, cooking, clearing a path from the front door…and then maybe …just maybe…there might be time to do something we really need or want to do. That’s not mentioning the necessity of getting out and walking an hour a day. I guess that’s why that part isn’t happening. Maybe when the fitness center opens………

This kind of "stuff" takes longer than it used to and that leaves less time for all the good stuff you can't really enjoy until all the other "stuff" is done. Whew...I haven't even mentioned sleeping and other such necessities. No wonder I feel as thought I never get anything done!

Posted by Peg Britton @ 01:37 PM CST [Link]

CALEB'S FLOWERS

Today Caleb Svaty is opening his greenhouses for flower sales. Why don't you stop by and take a look at his wide assortment of flowering plants. You might see something you really like that you can hang or place in that perfect spot where you can enjoy it all summer long.

This is Caleb's passion...growing things...and he's very good at it. He's still in high school yet he knows what he loves to do and that is something that is going to help all of us. We need to show him that from our support he can look forward to a future as a master gardner.

After the flowers, he has vegetables galore lying in wait for our selection. I can hardly wait.

One of the dozen requirements for having a successful small town is the presence of a produce market. We have one here with Caleb, so let's support him in every way we possibly can. This is where we can make a difference....each and every one of us.

The greenhouses are in the same location as always...on Grandma Svaty's farm just a mile from highway 14/156 junction heading southwest toward Holyrood. You can't miss it... but watch the traffic when you're making your turn.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:33 AM CST [Link]

SCOTT OTT CRACKS ME UP

U.S. Finds Iraq Contractor with No Political Ties
(2003-04-19) -- The U.S. government has awarded a $7.9 Billion contract for the redevelopment of Iraq's oil industry to the only company it could find that had no political connections.

The White House, under pressure from Democrats to avoid awarding bids to major campaign donors, located the contractor in rural Howard, Pennsylvania.

Bob Yoder, of Howard, who runs a small engine repair shop, salvage yard and "groundhog mitigation service", said he'd do his best to get Iraq's oil industry "up and humming again."

Mr. Yoder has never contributed to any political campaign and has never voted in an election.

"Between the engine shop and shooting groundhogs, I really don't have time for politics," said Mr. Yoder. "My old lady and I are excited about this deal because we've never flown in an airplane before."

2nd Saddam Half-Brother Caught, Total Now One
(2003-04-18)-- U.S. Special Operations forces arrested a second half-brother of Saddam Hussein yesterday. The U.S. plans to combine him with another half-brother caught recently and put them on trial as one entire brother.

"It all adds up," said U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. "A half-brother here, a half-brother there, and soon you've got the pieces of an entire crime family. By the way, we hope to find half of Saddam Hussein as well."

Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, arrested yesterday in Baghdad was Iraq's chief of intelligence.

"It might be hard to develop a case against him," said Mr. Rumsfeld, "since we have little evidence that the Iraqi regime was acting with any kind of intelligence.

Blix Announces Farewell Tour of Iraq
(2003-04-17) -- Hans Blix and his band of U.N. weapons inspectors announced today a 27-city Iraqi Farewell Tour. Mr. Blix, whose recent travels in Iraq drew massive media coverage even though he didn't perform, said he's excited about the prospects of this new gig.

"The Iraqis seemed to love us last time," said Mr. Blix. "After all, we spent a lot of money and left the country exactly as we found it."

All the above were written by Scott Ott. Scott's blog is written as a series of news releases which just double me over. Although they are funny in themselves, they really make sense if you've read the current newspaper articles that form the basis for his satirical writing.

If you want to read more of Scott Ott's musings, "News Fairly Unbalanced. We Report. You Decipher," you can find him on Scrappleface >>>> CLICK HERE

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:20 AM CST [Link]

Friday, April 18, 2003

KUMQUATS

The kumquats are in and I can’t resist the lure of them, mostly because they remind me a lot of the bittersweet aspects of life. These little sweet/sour fruits are members of the citrus family which you can readily see and taste with the first chomp. You have to persevere to get to the sweet part. To me the kumquat is a delicacy whether eaten fresh or preserved. I just like the little debbils. The thick sweet peel and a tart pulp are such a contrast and very tantalizing. You’d think it would be the other way around…. exemplifying the juxtaposition of life sometimes.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:48 PM CST [Link]

MUSIC IS A SWEET NOTE IN LEARNING

There are plenty of armchair school superintendents who know how to solve school budget problems.

Cut the fluff, they say. Get ride of sports, music and other arts education. Stop entertaining these kids and focus on the basics.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

Sports and arts are critical elements of a young person’s development. But those areas, and the arts in particular, are some of the first to suffer when budgets get tight.

Stories in Thursday’s Journal remind us of how important music programs are for educating young people. Reporter David Clouston reported on the Class 4030201A state music festival in Ellsworth. Dennis Bozarth, former high school and community college band director, wrote a commentary on the Class 6A and 5A festivals in Wichita.

Area music programs involve hundreds of students, providing a rich learning experience that teaches discipline, teamwork and so much more. Consider these excerpts from research compilations published by the National Association for Music Education:

*The Texas Commission on Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Report states that high school students in band or orchestra programs report the lowest use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. That trend continues for life.

*A UCLA study analyzed the U.S. Department of Education data on 25,000 secondary school students and found “significantly higher” mathematics proficiency among those involved in instrumental music programs. This improvement occurs regardless of socioeconomic factors.

*According to the medical journal Neurological Research, a study showed that music training is “far superior” to computer instruction in enhancing students’ abstract reasoning skills, which are necessary for learning math.

Other studies find that music lessons improve scores on IQ tests and college entrance exams. Musicians also undergo physical changes in the brains structure that enhance information exchange among sections of the brains.

It is no wonder the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 includes arts in the list of “core academic subjects.”

That designation means that arts education, including music, will be partially protected from the cost-cutting ax---and from those who view the arts solely as “entertainment.”

By Tom Bell…Editor and publisher of the Salina Journal, April 18, 2003

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:18 AM CST [Link]

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

NEW DIRECTORS NAMED FOR STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND HOUSING

Lt. Governor/Commerce Secretary John Moore today announced two new directors in the Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing (KDOC&H).

Scott Allegrucci will head the Travel & Tourism Development Division, effective immediately. Matthew Jordan will become director of the Community Development Division, starting April 28.

Scott Allegrucci is a native Kansan whose work history includes conceiving and overseeing the January 2003 Family Festival, which featured Kansas’ heritage and was attended by 8,000 people. His background also includes jobs in California and New York as a performer, writer, director, and producer for television, feature films, and the stage.

“Scott brings a fresh look at Kansas from someone who is familiar with and has a great love for our state,” said Lt. Governor/Secretary Moore. “We believe his media expertise and knowledge, his creative approach to challenges, and his leadership skills uniquely qualify him to successfully tell the Kansas story and increase tourism.”

“I am truly honored to have this opportunity to help advance Kansas tourism and increase economic opportunities in the state,” Allegrucci said. “I am proud of our state’s unique, creative experiences and welcome the challenging work of building and then exceeding our visitors’ expectations

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:50 PM CST [Link]

SEBELIUS VETOED THE AG TOURISM BILL

Today the forces are at work in Topeka to undo what Gov. Kathleen Sebelius did in her first-ever veto on a bill designed to help and encourage agricultural tourism in Kansas. What was she thinking?

This came as a real shock to those who worked so hard to get this bill passed. If someone had spoken up, there would have been opportunity to address the concerns, Sen. Karin Brownlee said. As it is, Brownlee and others are considering challenging Sebelius' action. A two-thirds vote of the membership of both houses is required to override a governor's veto.

Senate Bill 134 established limited liability for farmers who open their lands to recreational farming and ranching activities. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House 86-39. Marci Penner (of the Kansas Sampler Foundation) and others called it one way to bolster a faltering agricultural economy.

“We weren’t asking for money,” Penner said, “just removal of a blockade that’s really been hurting rural development.”

Senate Commerce Chairwoman Karin Brownlee, R-Olathe, said the measure simply created an appropriate level of liability to allow landowners to negotiate affordable insurance. “I’m disappointed because of lost opportunities for agricultural communities,” Brownlee said.

Penner said farmers already had begun making plans for hayrack rides to pumpkin patches and for welcoming visitors during harvest. For more of this to happen, she said, Kansas must develop limited liability.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:32 PM CST [Link]

I'M NOT AT THE INDY ANYMORE

Last night, after a couple days, in a long string of days, months and years of dotting i's and crossing t's at the Independent newspaper, I decided to give that volunteer job to someone else. I guess I just reached a point where I want to do something else with my Mondays and Tuesdays. I've had to rearrange schedules and plan for it, and I just want to move on with other things that are also important to me.

I started volunteering my services when Linda started the paper several years ago. We've been friends for many years and helping her where I could seemed the right thing to do. I've done a little of everything, but mostly just proofed copy before it heads to Howard in Hays for printing.

Occasionally, Linda would send me out to get a picture or capture a story. I even wrote a few stories for the paper...but they were few in number. That's not my forte. I have particularly loved going to the Kindergarten to do stories with Meredith's students. I marvel at her and those kids every time I visit her room. And the Spring Gather and Fall Roundup always have been special to me.

So, that's the end of that story. I can't say I'll miss my friends there as I'll still be in and out of the office. But I just "freed up" two days a week and it feels pretty nice. I've loved the experience enormously and made good friends there, but now it's time to move on.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:15 PM CST [Link]

YELLOW BUSES EVERYWHERE

The town is full of musicians today participating in a band and vocal festival. There are yellow school buses everywhere. Parents are flooding the town and all the restaurants were full to overflowing. What a great thing for the community.

A friend and I ate at KC’s and it was full of diners. The food was worth the wait. I had, for the first time, their bacon cheddar cheese burger with grilled onions, tomato, lettuce and pickle. Mustard of course. It was perfect and one of the best, if not THE best, I’ve ever had.

As we were paying, I spied a cake that Karen had just baked and iced. A carrot cake, which was still slightly warm. I couldn’t leave without a piece. She makes great cakes. She’s a good cook. That’s a good place to eat.

We're having lima bean and ham soup around here tonight, if I can manage to get it together.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 02:59 PM CST [Link]

SURF...Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program

Someone I love and respect a great deal is going to participate in The SURF program this summer which allows her, as an under grad student in computer engineering and mathematics, to:

Spend 12 weeks at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a major government science and technology research center that is a century old and highly respected internationally...

Live in the Washington, D.C. area (Gaithersburg MD) for the summer, with travel and housing paid through her university (Southern Methodist University) from National Science Foundation funds...

Be full a participant in a research effort, with a project that is suitable to the period of time available and her educational background and interests....

Work directly with NIST scientists as a research advisor...

Attend a special weekly seminar program of outside speakers and partake of other science seminars
available at NIST...

Present her own research results to NIST scientists and other SURFers, toward the end of the summer...

Work with 14 other SURF students and summer hires in her division from universities across the country ...

Be provided a $4,000 stipend for the summer...

Areas of research being undertaken at the Information Technology Laboratory are wide-ranging. She will be working with Dr. Kevin Mills in the field of artificial intelligence systems evaluation/ computer communication/networking, particularly the ability of devices to detect each other. I think. It's way beyond this grandma.

[more]

Posted by Peg Britton @ 01:19 PM CST [Link]

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

CALEB SVATY'S FLOWERS

Caleb Svaty, our local flower and produce guy, is having a sale of hanging plants and flowers at his greenhouse this Saturday morning. I’m not sure when it starts, maybe 8:00 or 8:30 am. Check his ad in the Indy tomorrow. The greenhouse is located at his Grandma Svaty's farm on 156, where they sell flowers in the spring, produce in the summer and pumpkins for Halloween.

Caleb is quite the young entrepreneur and even though he is still in high school, he has been growing produce and flowers commercially for a very long time. He started when he was very young (I started to say “small”, but Caleb has never been small) helping his dad measure the weight of produce and counting change for customers. There were many times he carried my purchases to the car for me.

Caleb was at the track meet today at the high school and told me about his weekend plant sale plans. He had just competed in the weights…and came out pretty well. He said he’d do better next time. He is one hulk of a guy. If he gets his timing down just right, he’ll toss that shot out of sight.

This is a hard-working high school student who could use the support of the community. He is doing this because he loves it and wants to continue with it. Stop by Saturday morning and check out his flowers. You won’t be disappointed that you did. I’ll see you there.

The storm is coming. Time to unplug the computer.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:22 PM CST [Link]

THE WORLD IS A LITTLE CRAZY

You know the world is a little crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing American's of being arrogant and Germany doesn't want to go to war.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 09:53 PM CST [Link]

YOU CAN COMMENT ALL YOU WANT

As a reminder, you can click on the comment section after each of my blog entries and make what ever comment you care to make for others to see. You don't have to sign your name if you don't care to. You can use whatever handle you like. If you use the same one consistently, then we can follow your comments with more interest. You can be as frank as you like, but just keep it clean and follow the rules used in other publications...albeit this is a bit irregular from the norm.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:16 AM CST [Link]

Monday, April 14, 2003

236 ENTRIES

Since my blog was moved to my kansasprairie website, I have made 236 entries. That's a lot of writing.

I don't know how many entries I made on the old blogspot site. I could check, but I figured it doesn't matter. There are a lot since I launched it the first part of June.

The Midland Hotel has lost Steve Boehmfeldt as its manager. I hear a new manager is coming in two weeks. A woman. I don't know who. It will be interesting to see who they can recruit for a chef as good ones are scarce as hen's teeth. It might be mid-May before they are open. It will take a long time to recruit a head chef, line cooks and train the employees. That's a tall order.

A huge 3rd armored division is just now passing through Baghdad. That means tanks galore. Captain Chad Roehrman, son of Gail and Mark, is in the 4th armored division and left April 3rd for Kuwait. He must be nearing Baghdad about now as he is a tank commander and they are headed that way, according to news broadcasts. Kristofer Thompson, a second Lieutenant, is in the 4th Infantry Division. He is the Air Defense Liason officer for 3rd Brigade. His primary duty is air defense planning for his brigade for both Patriot and Stinger based missile systems. He is personally in charge of five Bradley fighting vehicles in his planning duties.

Update: Dan Rather just announced the 3rd Infantry was there and the 4th is coming to Baghdad. Keep your eyes peeled for Chad and Kris.

The Kansas Sampler Festival is coming up the first weekend in May.....Saturday and Sunday May 3rd and 4th. It's in Independence and will be one of their largest and best Festivals. Marci Penner, the executive director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation was here on Saturday for our events. If she can come to ours, we should make every effort to attend hers. It's very much worth the drive to Independence to Riverside Park to see all the exhibits from more than 150 Kansas communities and experience a wide variety of entertainment and food. You can learn about anything you ever want to know about Kansas, and then some, at the Kansas Sampler Festival. If you haven't joined the Kansas Explorers Club, give me a call and I'll sign you up. It's a good thing to do for $18.67.

"There are six new state legislators this session under the age of 30. The veteran lawmakers say this group is breathing new life into the state political scene.

"Our rural communities need enthusiasm and vision on city councils and county commissions. What can you do as a leader to help cultivate active involvement from this age group? Sarah Grace Geiger, Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce Director, held an "Under 30" Think Tank. These are the four goals she hopes to accomplish:

"1. Educate future (and present) leaders about the issues affecting rural communities.
2. Provide a place where their ideas are valued.
3. Stimulate young people to engage actively in their community.
4. Create a network of young people.

"We need their vision and energy and must create a pathway for their voices to be heard." (Excerpts taken from We Kan!, a publication of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, April 2003)

Plant your feet well tomorrow when you go outside or you might land upside down. It's going to be a windy day.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:06 PM CST [Link]

OUR HATS ARE OFF TO GEORGE STOVER AND SCOTT MOORE...SOOPER DOOPER POOPER SCOOPERS

I was downtown Friday afternoon when the first horse in town "accidentally" dropped clumps of dried grass which they are prone to drop, especially when the excitement of prancing down our city streets tends to encourage such action. The horse was just following the pattern established over many years of thousands of horses before it.

And wouldn't you know? Someone called to complain before the poop had a chance to plop on the brick street. It was a phone call made as the event was being unleashed. They called the city office, Drovers got a call and most likely the Chamber heard the noise. The alarm sounded. "Horse poopie in the streets of Ellsworth!" They were irate about it. I'm sure that individual raised a lot of furor over it with anyone who would listen. What a pity!

Now, what's the problem? For the last 140 years or so, Ellsworth has been famous for having a reason to have horse poopie in the streets. It is a cattle town and one of the three most historic that Kansas has to offer, along with Dodge and Abilene. What a rich history we have indeed. This kind of history includes drovers, cattle, horses and a tolerance for various kinds of manure....the stuff we need to promote and hang our hat on if we want to stay alive with tourists.

There were a whole lot of people who put many man hours into this weekend event. That list is very long. They also spent a lot of their own money, out of pocket, to bring all these people to town so they could spend money in our stores, get familiar with what we have to offer in this area...and get to know the great people who do very positive things like this to keep the community alive. These are the people who return to Ellsworth because they like events like this. The weekend was a huge success.

So guess who cleaned up the droppings? George Stover, the financial administrator at the hospital, and Scott Moore, our city administrator. These two tall handsome, wonderful civic leaders work tirelessly for our city and will, without blinking an eye or the slightest objection, volunteer to scoop up horse manure. They do what ever it takes and we owe them both a great deal of gratitude for the important work they do...manure aside.

The complainant must not have enough to do. Perhaps he/she/they could volunteer to help with these civic events and become more a part of the community. We will even supply a scoop and a bucket.

Or, someone could capitalize on the accumulations by digging a trench, filling it with horse droppings, put in some dirt, stir it around and plant leeks just as the English have done for centuries. They produce the most famous leeks in the world. English leeks can't be beat and this is why. There is a purpose for everything.

But I think a little patience could be demonstrated especially when this event did so much good for the town. Horses are always going to be part of our landscape. Just watch what's underfoot when you walk. It's not much to ask.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 07:05 PM CST [Link]

KRISTOFER JAMES THOMPSON HAS ARRIVED IN KUWAIT

Kris's girlfriend called his mother yesterday afternoon to relate she had received a call form a flight attendant from Delta Airlines in Memphis. The attendant relayed a message to her from Krisofer and wanted his mother to know he had arrived safely in Kuwait. Kris left Colorado Springs early the morning of April 7th.

It's pretty amazing the way information is gathered during these modern wars, isn't it? It was also nice that the flight attendant complied with Kris's request as it meant a lot to his girlfriend and family.

As of Saturday, Mark Roehrman had not heard anything from his son since he left, but assumed he was in Kuwait as well.

Mark and I are wearing very similar yellow ribbons...his is for Chad and mine if for Kris.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 03:25 PM CST [Link]

Sunday, April 13, 2003

TERRY OGLESBY CELEBRATES HIS FIRST YEAR OF BLOGGING

Possum is Good Eatin' and it's Good for You!, so says Terry's home page. Too bad it isn't raccoon he's after as we've now bagged eight of them.

My new friend, architect (If it don't line up, it ain't architecture!) and fellow blogger, Terry Oglesby celebrated his first year of blogging earlier this month. I've intended to offer my congratulations in a more timely fashion, but...alas...I'm a little late. Terry won't mind.

I enjoy his POSSUMBLOG remarks as they make me smile. He posts a lot of goings on with his family, his daughter's soccer games, his missed doctor's appointments, the war, life's little indignities, friends and occasionally he has a comment about my blog, which is pretty cool since my blogs are pretty bland by comparison.

Anyway, I thought you might like to read what he had to say about his first year of blogging:

"HEY!!

"All of you go wish this guy a happy one year blogiversary!!

"[...] Not to overstate the case, but the blogosphere represents something completely new, the emergence of a self-appointed, independent punditocracy, capable of instanteously disseminating news, information, and commentary to an interested and educatated audience. That is a major achievement, one carried out not according to plan, program, or fiat, but organically, from the bottom up. The true blogosphere is made up of the independent voices of individuals, heard through the medium of the internet, setting their own agendas, reacting in individual ways to news and information from around the world.

"It is this individuality of the idiosyncratic voice that makes the blogosphere such a grand and glorious place. As a whole, it's an enormous crazy orchestra composed of a thousand bangers, clangers, kazoos, bazookis, and gongs, all going full blast, playing a thousand different tunes at once. And yet, strangely, if you give yourself over to the noise, you can hear in the madness the making of a beautiful, wild music. That is how the blogosphere should be understood, as the triumph of free speech over all else, of noise and riot banging out the cacophonous symphony of freedom.[...]

Posted by Terry Oglesby

For those of you who are still trying to comprehend my interest in blogs, Terry says it best. Free speech over all else....the cacophonous symphony of freedom.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 11:41 AM CST [Link]

Saturday, April 12, 2003

ELLSWORTH TO HAVE SPECIAL COWBOY WEEKEND

Events: Many activities will take place at the End of Trail Town

The Capital-Journal

Ellsworth will return to the past like never before today, Saturday and Sunday. The End Of Trail Town is bracing itself for the biggest blowout since the cowboys hit town in the 1870s.
The newest addition to the special cowboy weekend, The Grand All-Horse Parade, returns Ellsworth to the day before the motor car. Rob Phillips, of the Eldridge Hotel, has for years produced the successful Christmas parade in Lawrence. The Edridge Hotel is coordinating the wagons to make Ellsworth's Grand All-Horse Parade an extravaganza. The "Cavalcade Of Carriages" will represent all the high wheeled horse-drawn vehicles associated with the Eldridge reputation. Phillips said there will be covered wagons, chuckwagons, doctor buggies, box wagons, spring ranch wagons, carriages, a stage coach and even a school bus. The bus is an original enclosed wagon that was originally used to "bus" children to school in the Larned area. Wagons from Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas are registered. Individual cowboys and saddle clubs will fill out the parade. The parade begins at 11 a.m. Saturday in downtown Ellsworth.

The traditional events for the weekend include the 1870s Cow Camp, beginning at 6 p.m. today, with a chuck wagon meal and lots of camaraderie around the campfire.

The Cowgirls Ranch Rodeo takes place this evening at the Ell-Kan Rodeo Arena. A Cowgirl Auction begins at 7 p.m. followed by the rodeo at 7:30 p.m. Admission to the Cowgirls Ranch Rodeo is $5 per person.

Saturday morning, cowboys roll out of their bedrolls with the sun. There will be a hot cowboy breakfast available from the chuckwagon.

The Grand "All Horse" Parade, featuring the Eldridge Hotel's "Cavalcade of Carriages" starts at 11 a.m. Many of the outfits in the parade will be on display in the afternoon just north of the Cow Camp.

Hungry? Head out to The End Of Trail Working Ranch Horse Show. The Ell-Kan Saddle Club will be serving a cowboy deal. The Ranch Horse Show is a true cowboy event. Admission is $5 per person. The ticket also is good for admission to the Ranch Rodeo on Saturday evening.

The 1870s Cow Camp lasts all day with reenactors living the frontier life and relating their experiences to just about anyone who will listen. Lots of Old West displays and some demonstrations of "how it used to be" brings the camp to life.

Chuckwagons were the center of operations on the trail drives to Kansas. All afternoon, the participants in the Historic 1870s Chuckwagon Cook-off will be on hand showing off their wagons in all their glory. The cook-off is judged at 4:15 p.m. and spectators can partake at 4:30 p.m. The cost is $9 per plate.

The Ranch Rodeo Cowboy Auction is at 6 p.m. The rodeo begins at 7 p.m. The End Of Trail Ranch Rodeo has a reputation for bringing in some of the best cowboys cow country has to offer. Each ranch team carries on the time honored tradition of "riding for the brand" to compete for the championship. Events include team penning, wild cow milking, team doctoring, double mugging and team calf branding. The End Of Trail Ranch Rodeo is sanctioned by the Ranch Horse Association of America. Admission is $5 per person.

The Kansas Vigilance Committee will be shooting it out Old-West style at the Butterfield Gulch beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday. The Gulch is 1/2 mile east of US-156 highway on K-140. Turn south for about a quarter of a mile, watch for the signs.

Cowboy Church Service will be at the 1870s Cow Camp at 9 a.m. Sunday. Most of the cowboys are from some distance away. Many will begin to break camp early. Take that into consideration for Sunday plans.

The C.O.W.B.O.Y. Society came into being because of its love for the cowboy way of life. For more information, call the Ellsworth/Kanopolis Chamber of Commerce at (785) 472-4071 or Drovers Mercantile at (785) 472-4703.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 04:49 PM CST [Link]

THERE’S STUFF ON THE STREETS…..(this is Ellsworth after all)

Yes, there is that tell-tale stuff on the streets that lets you know the Gather is gathering. It’s ELLSWORTH, after all, the wickedest town in the west.

All types of early frontiersmen, buffalo cowboys and drovers hit town yesterday. Many came Thursday and pitched their tents and laid out their stakes at the Cow Camp.

The re-enactors congregated at the grade school to tell about their lives to the school children in the afternoon. The one who got the most attention was Barry Tompkins of Nicodemus/Bogue whose re-enactor name I can’t recall. He’s a movie star of some fame and because of him, Danny Glover did the historical tour narration of Nicodemus, the all black community north west of here. He and his wife, Angela, who is also a re-enactor have been friends of mine for a couple of years now. I went to their grand opening of Ernestine’s Barbeque in Bogue last May and blogged that evening of good food and conviviality.

But I digress. Yesterday people were in and out of Drovers, visitors were taking in the sights of Ellsworth while the others were roaming around the Cow Camp visiting with friends. I had a couple friends who came for the event and we enjoyed the stew that Linda made and Jim stirred at the Cow Camp. They had a huge iron pot full of it. They also had biscuits that filled the back seat of my car and 12 huge turkey roasting pans of peach cobbler. A friend and I toted all the food from Drovers to the Cow Camp and I can tell you, there was lots of it. Linda had to be busy for days making all of it to feed the hundreds that were there. They accepted donations but I wonder if they covered their expenses. They put a lot of their own money into this event....into all corners of it....and we could all do a better job of kicking in a little to help them. They won't ask.

Later we attended the cow girl auction and ranch rodeo. I think you really have to love horses to fully appreciate those events…. and there was a good crowd of people who did. Tonight the men get to show off their horses so it should be another well-attended event. Dennis Katzenmeier and his crew of helpers put this part of the weekend together. I was amazed at the number of people who were there working the event.

The parade starts at 11:00 today, so they say. You know how parade starting times tend to be. But it should be very interesting. Some of the entries were on display yesterday at the Cow Camp and they are very outstanding. While you are waiting for that event, you can browse the sale items that will appear in front of the stores.

The Chuck Wagon cook-off is this afternoon. If you buy a ticket, you can have a meal the participants prepare. I heard it was going to be chicken fried steak, but I don’t know for sure. If you buy your ticket at Drovers this morning it will cost you $7.00. At the event, it will be $8.00. I hope they have a sell-out event for this.

And will the person/people who have called Drovers and the city and the chamber office to complain about horse poop on the streets please cool it. A lot of people have spent a lot of their own money and time to bring this event to Ellsworth and they can’t attend to everything “right now”. I suspect there will be a lot more of it after the parade today…horse parades being what they are.

I hope to see all of you downtown this morning. Rob Phillips, the organizer of the parade...and owner of the Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence that sponsors their 100 wagon Christmas parade each year...says we have to bring out the crowds before he'll bring the wagons back to Ellsworth next year. So, come to the parade and bring a lot of friends along too.

It's time to head that way.....

Posted by Peg Britton @ 09:01 AM CST [Link]

Friday, April 11, 2003

BARN RAISING

I'm sure you all know that I KNOW there are many sides to any one of a bazillion issues involving our schools. No one has commented negatively about what I said, but they have commented about “the other side of the story” in letters to me, assuming I didn’t know. I do know, but I welcome their letters.

Primarily, I made an effort to point out what I saw and heard from the perspective of those who attended the meeting and what was said following the decision. I have a lot more insight into the issue than the few words I wrote on the matter. I just tried to come down the middle based only on the meeting and only the positive aspects that were presented.

There are many teachers I count among my friends and I trust the accuracy of what they tell me on this and other issues. And, I also understand that any negativity expressed the other night would have been ill-conceived.

The fact remains, there are still a large number of people who weren't happy about the decision of the board and ultimately the board is accountable to them.

One of the things that I’ve observed over the years is that support for our schools comes from many places. There are also places where support is lacking, tenure being one that now is an issue with people. The people of this community have always needed some way to connect their support with the schools as a group where some kind of unifying force brings them together. A kind of barn-raising attitude, as it were. Don’t ask me why as I don’t know, but I have long observed this and I suspect when people find a unifying force that brings them together, they go forth. They also unify against things, which is what we always want to avoid.

Patrons need to have something to hang their hat on in regard to their schools, a unifying force, so to speak. We know we have some excellent teachers. That isn’t the issue here. Unfortunately, patrons don’t fill stadiums to cheer teachers as they should. But maybe it’s because they express it in other ways.

Traditionally, the rallying cry to bring people in support of our schools has been the athletic program…mainly football. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard it said in years past, “Ellsworth is a football town”. Well, it isn’t any more, and hasn’t been for a long time. It also isn’t a basketball town and won’t be for years to come.

In so far as athletics are concerned, for reasons evident to most, it is now cross country and wrestling that capture the attention and support of the public, along with girl's events. Golf and tennis. Individual sports. Even that support is rather limited to parents and relatives of the student athletes. People don’t loyally congregate any more in great numbers in support of the football or basketball programs. I think the days have passed for the more traditional athletic programs. They involve too few students and cost too much to stage, and students are discouraged with the programs. If you look at the pattern of participation over the past years, especially in our smaller schools, individual sports are gradually taking the place of more traditional programs that once were successful.

So, where do you find all those school supporters now? In the PAC!

What has bridged the community with the schools, culminating with the Dave Rankin years, has been music. It has taken a long, long time for that to happen involving the hard work of many. I think that is undeniable. The PAC brims to capacity with every performance and people of the community take enormous pride in the accomplishments of the students. They give credit to people in the music department and the cooperation they observe within the department and classroom teachers working together. There may be internal problems and downsides associated with this, but that never shows during a performance. Such success has its detractors.

My observation tells me that there has been an effort afoot to minimize the importance of the music program perhaps because a little of the tail is wagging the dog. It seems to me that to have support of the patrons of this district backing the schools through whatever program, in this case music, has to be the best of all worlds. When you fill the PAC to capacity and see parents helping stage the events, you have to admire the results. And most of all, the pride that echoes from parents and friends is no less important or less heard than the rallying cry of a state championship in football. In this case, the state champions are coming from our music program. The music program k-12, along with administrative and school board support, is responsible for this success of the program. Excellence has been rewarded by overwhelming support from the general public. If they aren’t finding this means to draw them to the schools, people have a tendency to start picking away to a greater extent at the things that might bother them about our schools.

Where else is the rallying cry for our schools going to come from? Where else is there any cry for a barn-raising? You won’t fill a stadium talking about test scores although no one denies they are foremost in the minds of parents.

Patrons see “results” in the music department. Individuals with a common cause take pride in sharing those feelings in large numbers and crowing about the success of the program. You can’t blame them for wanting it to continue with the same high standards.

When you see the community backing the schools in such numbers no matter what the program, it doesn’t seem to make sense to me to give them less than what they are asking for and accustomed to having. You just don’t want to turn these people away. Internally, within the system, you make the program work. The only program that has in many years or will in the future be capable of drawing great numbers of patrons together is music. They leave a musical event happy and proud “of their schools”. It makes sense to keep these people happy. That just “ain’t gonna happen” again in the good ole boys traditional sports or any place else that I can see on the horizon.

And I reiterate: This is only my observation, based on years of soaking up information.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 12:06 PM CST [Link]

THE HORSES ARE HERE!

It has been a long wait, but the horses are here. The Spring Gather is one of my favorite weekends of the year, the other being the Fall Roundup. The idea was conceived by Linda Kohls and Jim Gray, co-owners of Drovers Mercantile and organizers of the C.O.W.B.O.Y. Society. The Chuckwagon cookoff and Ranch Rodeo were the brain child of Dennis Katzenmeier. I hope I have that right.

I like the atmosphere the re-enactors give to the town, making it reminiscent of our early settlement days. The nostalgia brought on with thoughts that my paternal ancestors were here in the 1870s is created with the sights and sounds at the Cow Camp. I can even reflect on the early times I visited my grandmother here in the early 30s and her house that was…and still is…right by the river bridge. It is a weekend of remembering for me.

Along with it, there are many activities to witness today and tomorrow…and a couple on Sunday. I think I’ll drop in the grade school where a few of the re-enactors are appearing before the students in an assembly. This was made possible through the efforts of Greg Heller of Kinsley and Linda Kohls, and of course Mike Browne, the principal. This should be a good learning experience for the students. This weekend is a good opportunity for everyone to get up to speed on our early frontier history.

We have some friends from Great Bend and Sterling coming for the Cowgirl Auction and Ranch Rodeo tonight and several more coming tomorrow for the all-day events. We need a lot of warm bodies lining the streets so the possibility of having the all-horse parade next year can become a reality. The support of the town’s people really needs to be in evidence. The sidewalk sale is a great addition and I understand it was Garnell Hanson’s idea. She took the idea and ran with it. I had a couple people from Russell tell me yesterday that was the clincher for them to come to Ellsworth tomorrow. We need to provide something for everyone, it seems

The last I heard, the parade tomorrow will originate south of the bridge, proceed north to North Main, west to Kansas Avenue, north to 8th Street, east past the Kwik Shop and south on Douglas. There was talk of going north to 9th street but going up and down the hill doesn’t seem a good idea to me with those horses and heavy wagons. Yeah, I know…that’s the way they crossed the plains, but they are already here now and may not want to do that.

A lot of time and effort have gone into making this weekend available for us and our friends, for our fun and enjoyment…and an opportunity for businesses and service organizations to make some money. It is truly unique and one we should foster for that reason, if no other. There will be lots of Kodak moments, so take advantage of them and come join the fun.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 09:15 AM CST [Link]

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS

Once you find an internet service provider who provides good service, it’s not likely you want to recommend them as you never know with any degree of certainty how long the service will continue to excel. Certainly, because of past experiences, I'm skeptical, but I am also very pleased with Carroll’s Web and find it is far superior to the service offered by Informatics. I don’t feel I am betraying my friends at Informatics as the land service is all owned by the same company. It matters not a bit to Informatics or Carroll's Web which service you use.

That has to be a little confusing. As you know, Informatics has been purchased by Carroll’s Web, but the only thing they have changed about the service through Informatics is their billing procedures. So, if you’re having trouble with your Informatics service, it is very likely it will continue, as they are way behind in technical capabilities anyway.

My experience was pretty bad in that I was getting deluged with spam and virus laden messages from Informatics every time I’d open my mail server. The messages I would send to other Informatics addresses came back. They’d get that fixed then the Grapevine addresses where I’d send mail would all come back. Finally, things were so bad I was connecting at 31.2 and couldn’t download mail, send mail or access a browser. I was about convinced my computer had shot craps.

So, in a moment of desperation I called KIT and asked them to switch me to their service. I had already adjusted most of my settings to what I assumed theirs would be (right on!) so all I needed was the dial up number and those secret numbers to key in. It took less than five minutes and VOILA! my computer ran better than it had in months and all services were perfect. It has been that way for several weeks now so I will share that information with you.

I have not received any more credit card, mortgage payment, diet, body parts "enhancement" spam. It has completely ended. I occasionally get a virus laden message, always to the same address, probably caused by a spambot that picked it up off my website (you noticed we changed my address on my blog so that can't happen again) or one of any places where I may have left my address on the net. I'm pretty careful about that so I suspect a spambot on my website is the culprit. I think the only way to stop it is to cancel that address for awhile.

The downside is that you have to inform all those people you know that you have changed your address. In my case, it was helpful to have a domain name address that will remain constant. And for that, I would highly recommend MetaPros out of Wichita. Their service is the best of any I’ve located. Just call Brad and he’ll take care of everything you need. But you still need an ISP in order to make that work. Most individuals, unless they have a website or business, don't need a domain name.

So I have two kans.com addresses (Carroll’s Web) and two kansasprairie addresses (hosted by MetaPros). There will always be uncertainty about the kans.com addresses as we never know when the company might be sold, merged or whatever. But as long as I pay my registration fee, which I need anyway for my website, my kansasprairie.net addresses are mine.

If you're having trouble with your Informatics service, then I'd suggest you change over to KIT, Carroll's Web. Their number is 1.800.290.4599. Their support duo can fix you up quickly and easily by walking you through your settings. It won't cost a thing.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:15 AM CST [Link]

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

IT'S TIME TO GATHER UP YOUR SPURS AND SADDLE

End of the Trail Ranch Rodeo Set for this Weekend

The End of the Trail Ranch Rodeo will kick-off Friday evening, April 11 with the Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo at the Ellsworth Rodeo Grounds. The Cowgirl Auction is at 7:30 and the Cowgirl Ranch Rodeo is at 8:00.

Saturday morning sometime around 11:00....you know how parades are about starting on time...the Grand All Horse Parade will start from the cowcamp and proceed north to one of the Main streets and turn west to Kansas Avenue, then north to 8th street, east to Douglas and south through town. There will be a side walk sale to keep you occupied while you're waiting.

Following the parade, the Ranch Horse Show will begin. It is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. The Chuckwagon Cookoff is at 4:30 p.m. I hear chicken fried steak is on the menu. Whatever it is, it will be good. Buy your ticket in advance at Drovers or the Chamber office for $7.00. $8.00 at the Wagon.

The Men’s Ranch Rodeo Cowboy Auction is at 6:00, and the Ranch Rodeo is at 7:00 p.m. Advance tickets are available at the Chamber office.

On Sunday, the Cowboy Cowcamp church service is at 11:00.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:52 AM CST [Link]

SCHOOL BOARD DECISION APRIL 8, 2003

I feel compelled to write something about the results of the school board meeting last night, but I have mixed emotions about it. I listened last night to what was said by those at the meeting, during the recesses and I’ve been listening to school patrons and civic leaders all day today. I don't think the issue will soon die.

There are a couple of things to consider.

There were over 200 parents, teachers and supporters who attended the meeting last night in support of Mr. Hakoda. Many of those who attended took their turn at the microphone and expressed their feelings about the work of this man. Student after student told of personal help they had received from him, even in the field of mathematics, where no help could be found elsewhere. It is said he never refused to help a student even if it were on his own time. His successes and popularity are legendary. Not one unfavorable word was spoken about him or his work

The board was unresponsive to the remarks that were made and offered nothing in the way of understanding to those who spoke. There was not much they could say, but their lack of reaction by some was visible, noticed and duly recorded by those in attendance.

Patrons elect board members with the expectation they will strive for excellence in our schools and will not accept being told to manage with something less without valid reasons being offered. There were none offered.

Try to equate what happened last night with the unlikely prospect of having several years of winning football or basketball seasons in Ellsworth, and have the board say to parents and students that we strive for excellence, but we don’t need this degree of excellence anymore. We’ve decided you can settle for a lower standard by practicing and playing less and winning fewer games which would be acceptable and could be achieved with a half time rather than a full time coach.

Would you ever expect this to be said?

We’re talking about $15,000 out of the budget of millions. It’s a drop in the bucket. This isn’t a financial issue at all. This is about something else, in my opinion.

The board is responsible for the decisions it makes. It can accept or reject the recommendation of the superintendent while remembering the board is ultimately responsible for its actions and is held accountable by the people of the community who elect them. We have a good, conscientious board who we trust will make good judgment calls based on all the collective information they can find.

They may want to rethink this one they made last night.

Maybe their thinking has been confined to the box too long and only the facts served them were considered. We don’t know what happens behind closed doors. Perhaps they need to think positively and creatively outside the box to find a way to keep Mr. Hakoda employed full time as the public seems to demand.

Taking the action they did last night is coming down as a terrific blow to the people of this community who don’t want to settle for less than what they now have in the music department. Parents from other school districts whose students chose to come here for our music program have many reasons to be distressed over this action. Parents and patrons take great pride in this music program K-12 and suggest that other departments in the system should follow their example in order for excellence to be achieved throughout our schools. I’ve never heard anyone say we should strive for the lowest common denominator.

In coming days school district patrons will probably place higher demands on our school leaders to find a more acceptable solution to this problem. After all, the board serves at the will of the public, not at the will of the administration. The board is supposed to respond to the needs and wishes of the people such as those who were in attendance last night.

It's highly unusual to have such a meeting as was held last night where all those who were present were of a single mind.

School district patrons need to make their wishes known to board members. Board members in their elected positions need to listen to what their constituents are saying.

That's the way it works.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 01:32 AM CST [Link]

Tuesday, April 8, 2003

HERB DAY IN DENMARK, SATURDAY APRIL 26TH

It's time for the 7th Annual Herb Day in Denmark. It's an event you don't want to miss. This is the time when thousands of people converge on the tiny town of Denmark that has a population of about 25. It's worth the trip just to see what these amazing people can do....and to enjoy their homemade cooking.

You will find herb plants galore. More of everything than you can imagine. It's fascinating what they do to celebrate this day.

Their three buildings...Denmark Hall, Denmark Mercantile and the former Gift Shop building... will be transformed into an herb lover's and gardener's paradise. Basil is the herb of the year and there should be around 12 different varities to choose from. That's just for openers. Just think of the flavors of basil pesto you can prepare from that.

The Denmark Mercantile building will be overflowing with herb plants, flowers, hanging baskets, perennials and more. On the opposite corner, the Denmark Hall will have craft booths with the highest quality exhibitors around. You can buy all kinds of homemade soaps and lotions, candles, bird houses, food sale items...and crafts of all varieties.

The kitchen will be open all day or until they run out of food. They will serve Danish pastries, cinnamon rolls, coffee and tea. That's what you line up for when you first get there. Those Danes really know their pastries so you'll have to pace yourself as lunch will soon follow.

Later, there will be chili, chicken casserole and dessert. They use the same chicken casserole recipe every year and it is great. The local cooks spend hours preparing all their food from scratch and it really tastes like it. The food is worth the trip even if you don't plan to take up gardening. Proceeds from the kitchen will go to the Leap Club of Lincoln Elementary School. I haven't a clue as to what that is, but I'm sure it's a worthy cause. Schools need help these days.

In the former gift shop building you will find more crafts, Herb Day T-Shirts and aprons, man made stone trough planters, candles, potpourri and potpourri supplies. Every nook and cranny will be filled with something interesting to see or buy.

Post Rock District master gardeners will provide educational programs and answer gardening questions. Programs schedules are as follows: Growing Herbs in Containers, 8:30; Herbs in a Wedding, 9:00; Potpourri Garden and how to make Potpourri 9:30; Crafts with Herbs and how to make a tussie mussie 10:00. The programs will be repeated starting at 10:30.

This is one of the largest selections of herb plants under one roof for one day in North Central Kansas. Herbs are the feature with everything being herb and garden related. There is no admission charge. They will be there to greet you come rain or come shine. This is one day you'll want to be in Denmark. There is something for everyone and you'll enjoy the efforts made by the people of this small town.

Directions: from the junction of Hwy. 14 & 18 in Lincoln go 7 miles west on Hwy. 18 then 3 miles north to the Denmark Hall. Watch for the orange sign down on highway 18. For more information call 785-277-3440 or email: herbladyden@yahoo.com

Saturday April 26, 2003, 8am to 3 pm
Denmark Hall, Denmark, Ks. in Lincoln County

Posted by Peg Britton @ 11:30 PM CST [Link]

Thursday, April 3, 2003

KRISTOFER JAMES THOMPSON

Kristofer James Thompson is the son of my good friend, Cindy McAtee. He is a second Lieutenant in the Army and is the Air Defense Liason officer for 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. His primary duty is Air Defense planning for the third brigade. He plans air defense coverage for both Patriot and Stinger based missile systems and is personally in charge of five Bradley fighting vehicles.

Kris is the reason you see me wearing my little yellow bow with a tie tack through it. I wanted to do something special for him and thought if we all did that for one serviceman or servicewoman, we could get them all covered. He was supposed to leave tomorrow for Kuwait, but now it appears it will be Monday.

I have one small bow on a tree outside and once he leaves, I will add a bow for each day he is gone until he returns. That will help keep us ever mindful of what Kris and others like him are doing for us.

I hope you'll all read the letter he wrote to me a couple of weeks ago that is featured this week in the Independent. It is very well written and expresses his feelings about many aspects of our country's involvment in the war. It is with his permission that it appears in the paper. You'll find it in place of Linda's usual editorial.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 10:57 PM CST [Link]

GOING TO LUCAS AGAIN...WHO WANTS TO GO?

I think tomorrow night will be a good night to run off to Lucas to see a couple of good movies. The first one at 7 stars Steve Martin and Queen Latifa ...I can't recall the name....but it's supposed to be very funny. The other is "About Schmidt" with Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates. It was up for a bunch of awards...but I don't know if it won any.

That means we can head up to Lincoln and have barbeque at Extra Innings then veer west on 18 to Lucas. Great plan. They always know we are there when we are in Lucas.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 08:40 PM CST [Link]

TALL AND SKINNY

Yesterday I had to go to Salina for a Dexa test...a bone scan...or whatever you call them to determine bone density. It's a machine they pass over your hips and spine while you lie on a table on your back. You don't even have to take your clothes off which is way cool. The mobile unit doesn't come here until late this month so I couldn't have it done locally as I would have preferred. I needed the test now, so I was told.

Well, you know how they are about such things. You have to fill out all the customary forms about your height and weight, who in your family had what disease or died of whatever, how many surgical procedures you've had, what meds you take, your dog's middle name...the whole gamut of questions. It was a long form.

The lady behind the bullet proof glass at Mowery Clinic is an all too familiar sight as she is the one I get to talk to for other X-ray stuff, once she opens THE window that separates us. She is definitely in charge of the window and I have to wonder if she has been physically attacked at some point in the past to demand such protection. No one else in the clinic is protected like that. The window is never open unless she opens it. It's a bit like going to our county law enforcement center and talking to my friend Rick Harper who sits behind a foot thick piece of something impenetrable.

Anyway, that lady gave me the clip board with the questionnaire, a pen and sent me on my way. Actually, I knew all the answers without digging through my purse to find that information that's often required and more often forgotten. Yesterday I was really sharp! I didn't have to refer to notes.

I answered the myriad of questions and took the form and clip board back to the lady who takes her time in opening the window. One talks on HER terms. I handed her my clipboard and pen and this look of utter dismay came over her face. "You filled this out in RED ink", she says, "and it HAS to be black ink". "You handed me a pen with red ink", I reminded her. She looked at the pen in her hand I had just given her. I looked down on the counter before her, and she did as well hoping to see no red pens, and we both noticed simultaneously that all the pens were red. She was trapped. It was HER mistake. She said again, "It has to be filled out in black ink". "You'll have to fill it out again". Now I know why she needs that bullet proof window! "Again?" I asked plaintively. I mean that thing was long and ink color makes a difference? So I agreed to fill it out again but she couldn't find a pen with black ink and finally decided red ink would have to do. I could tell from the look on her face that this was the beginning of a bad day for her.

Next, the technician takes me off in another direction and has me get on the scales to check against the record I had made in red ink. Then she measures me right on five feet seven inches, just as I hoped. Amazing she says. What? I ask. She said she'd been in that business since the Dark Ages and no one ever had put down their exact weight and height. "They always fudge a lot", she says. I wasn't even sure but I made an effort to guess correctly. Usually people lie, especially about their weight. I never understood that. If people are going to lie, they ought to change their ways when they go see their doctor, don't you think? I don't think it would pay to lie to your doctor.

Older friends of mine who were once taller than I are now shorter so I suspected I was holding my own or growing in a way to make medical book history or sumpin'. I just hoped I was holding my own. It's one thing to be tall and lumpy but quite another to be short and lumpy. I'm not anxious to become short and lumpy if I can remain tall and lumpy. I only dream of being tall and skinny.

I was just happy to learn I was still five feet seven, a height I reached in the 7th grade and haven't wavered from. It has been a long time since anyone pulled out the old ruler and measured me, but they never forget to calculate weight. Never.

Now to the heart of this story. What I have long suspected is absolutely true.

Brit and I were sitting on the back deck, lovely evening as it was, chatting about our day and I was relating the series of events that transpired with the lady behind the bullet proof glass. I also mentioned the five feet seven thing.

You've really shrunk haven't you, he stated very positively. SHRUNK? SHRUNK? How tall do you think I am or was? FIVE FEET TEN INCHES TALL, he said, full of confidence like he's on one of those "Know your Partner" quiz shows and about to win a million dollars or a spin around the world on the QE2, maybe both. FIVE TEN? I bellow back. FIVE TEN? That is just two inches short of 6 feet tall AND at your best you were only six one. I envisioned tall and skinny, like in my dreams.

It's just as I thought, I said, I've lived with you for 52 years and you know less about me than anyone I know. You don't know my favorite color, what books I read, my favorite food, what kind of music I like, who my friends are, what operations I've had, where my scars are, if I can read a map or if I have dyslexia. Who are you? He just laughed and said, well, all those things are true so now you know. I've always worried about you getting lost and me trying to describe you to the police. I never could do that and I need you right here, so don't get lost.

Now, wasn't that a sweet way to get out of a peck load of trouble? Five ten..ah, tall and skinny. I love the way he sees me.

Posted by Peg Britton @ 11:01 AM CST [Link]