Christmas 2008

Dear Ones,

Our Christmas tree is up and it is beautiful-but; haven’t they all been beautiful??

Growing up in Nebraska was always a challenge for our family to find a tree that we could get, for free!!!  I’m talking depression days in the 20’s and thirties.  Bread was ten cents a loaf-but who had a dime in those days.  Milk was seven cents a quart but; again, who had any money.  We would usually approach Mr. and Mrs. Cedar who owned the pasture at the top of our hill.  There were usually a few small coniferous trees that would do for a Christmas tree.  They were always kind and generous — to our request so we’d cut one of their conifers and decorate it with our yearly, worn-out; ragged ornaments.  I remember cloth covered replicas of apples and other fruit—plus there were festive ropes of popcorn and cranberries.  This we did yearly we would pop the corn to be strung for rope decorations for the tree and the cranberry ropes added red to our efforts- The final result was a beautiful, home-made, creation that made us all quite joyous.  We did what we could in the way of gifts for each other.

Later, we graduated to trees brought in from Colorado—brilliant and snappy green as opposed to our local brownish affairs—that; when we could afford the imported trees. 

Then there were years when we did the “angel-hair” spun glass that encased our tree with an ethereal look—Marilyn and I opted to decorate a tumbleweed as a “tree” one Christmas.  I don’t think, it was over finances, but seemed a happy, joyful project.  We sprayed the weed with a whitest glitter and decorated it—and, it was a beautiful “tree”, as is our present tree—beautiful!!!

Lovingly

 

 

 

“Fifteen minutes of fame”

Dear Ones

An ad on television reminded me of my “fifteen minutes of fame” – The artist, Andy Warhol first used that phrase– He said, “everyone in the world is famous at some time or another –even if it’s only for fifteen minutes!!!” That’s almost as he said it—anyway; I had my “fifteen minutes” at a Boy Scout Swimming and Diving meet. Genoa didn’t have a swimming pool but we did have Greek’s gravel pit, – (cold and clean) and the Beaver Creek- (not so cold but totally filthy). When the local scout troop was invited to participate our scoutmaster (a Mr. McLaughlin) said yes for us. Some of our group were pretty fair swimmers as to speed, but were pretty average as to style in the varied categories. We did not win any points in the swimming categories. As to the diving matches, I was the lone entrant, as one had to be able to do five dives for judging. Remember, that we did not have our own pool so it took some imagination to come up with as many as five dives. — I don’t think “belly-flop” was one of the acceptable efforts. I executed my five dives; and on my swan dive one is supposed to arch his back—I arch my back all right—in the wrong way—I pushed out my rear in a very definite pose, which was totally ludicrous everyone roared in laughter; but not me, I was totally humiliated. Our scoutmaster saved the day for me and acknowledged my “fifteen minutes of fame”– He said, “Laugh all you want to at Wally’s effort—but, remember, he’s the only one of our team that gave us any scores!!” That made my “fifteen minute of fame” very rewarding — my amateur diving efforts gave the Genoa Boy Scout team even a small bit of statewide (??) recognition.

Lovingly

 

Dear Ones

Dear Ones,

I never saw the “Pike Pawnee Village” but I heard about it from the men who excavated it. George Metcalf, Marvin Kivett and Mr. A. T. Hill –Mr. Hill was the head of the Nebraska Historical Society for years, and I was a junior archaeological student at 15 in 1940. (I’m wondering—“Wally, why all this flood of memories about archeology, especially about digs on which you were not personally involved??”—Don’t stop me!!)

The village was located; between Guide Rock and Redcloud on the Nebraska-Kansas border, or near it— It was such a monumental find and so historically important that Mr. Hill knew he had to have total control; so, he bought the farm.
Zebulon Pike was an U.S. Army officer and he lived from 1779-1813—I don’t know the exact years when the archaeologist excavated the village but; it was very systematically done. The village was in Pawnee territory and there was apparently harmony between that nation (the Pawnee) and the new nation of the United States.

I heard a rumor during the summer of 1940 (remember, I was 15th then) that there’s evidence around Genoa that a segment of Zebulon Pike’s army were dispatched to central Nebraska which was all Pawnee Land at the time. Some folks even claimed that finds had been made near the Lookinglass Creek that were from the Pike group— I still have artifacts related to Army life—brass buttons, brass spur fragments. Who knows??? Maybe Zebulon Pike and his troops even slept at the Coffin Site (my great Uncle) near the Looking Glass Creek. Remember; from my Nebraska travels that I mentioned the creek called Lookinglass—does this interest you??? Mmmmmmm
Oh yes, Pikes Peak is name after Zebulon Pike.

Lovingly,

Pastor Wally

 

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