Lots of things

I have been kind of busy these last few days so I think it is just type up a list time.

--Rose enjoyed her week in NE on the farm. I drove in Thursday & we returned on Saturday.

--On the trip in, I stopped at a Confederate Memorial State Park and also the Lexington Civil War Battlefield State Park. Both were really interesting. First the Confederate Memorial--it was a kind of retirement home for ex-Confederate soldiers that were down on their luck. It was started with private money back in the 1890s and eventually was switched over to the state running it. It closed once the last soldier died in 1950(I think) at the age of 107. There were still some widows that were moved to other homes. The grounds have a couple of nice lakes/ponds and a chapel and cemetary. There is also a large monument donated by the Daughters of the Confederacy--it was of a large lion that had been struck a deathblow but was still fighting to death. I enjoyed a peaceful walk through the cemetary and a nice talk with the park ranger(?) who seemed very informed and knowledgeable. I hope to return at some point. The chapel was under restoration and was not open.

The Lexington Battlefield had a main house, called Anderson House that was a Union hospital originally but the Confederates didn't realize this and charged and took the house. The Union troops retook it and then lost it again. I did not take the tour of the house but instead did the free walking tour. You could see where the house was damaged from gun shots. The other memorible part was how steep the hills were going up to the Union trenches. The Confederate soldiers had to charge literally uphill with little cover. Today there are lots of trees & brush around but it said most of the land was clear back then. Just in looking down that hill you get a real sense of how tough war really is. The Confederates won this battle on its 3rd day. Their winning strategy was to water down bales of hemp and carry them up the hill as shields protecting them from Union gunfire. Also the Union troops were badly outnumbered 3500 to over 10,000. As well as the Union troops were without water and supplies for the last 2 days of the battle. It was not a large battle as far was dead and wounded go, but it was an early victory for the South.

I mentioned it to Rose when I got to NE that I went there and she actually wanted to see it also. On the way back to St Louis we stopped there. We walked around the Anderson House and started to walk to where you could see the trenches and the steep hill, but it was too much walking. Rose had her crocs on so grass clippings and water were getting inside her shoes. I was able to show her one trench from kind of a distance though. She kind of liked it.

--While in NE, it was Cuming County Fair. My mom & I took the girls through the livestock barns and they actually liked it--seeing the sheep and goats. The pigs were being shown so we could go through those barns. We also walked through some of the other barns with displays of 4-H stuff. There were also rides in the afternoon and wagon ride that was slowly pulled by a tractor around the whole park.

The big thing for me was being able to visit District #34 school house. This is my grade school from K through 6th. The county moved it from where it sat south of Wisner to the county fairgrounds and have it as a museum. It was the first time I had been in there since probably my younger sister was going there. I have some distinct memories of the school and also very many kind of fuzzy memories. Some of the same furniture was there but most was donated from other schools in the area that had also closed. Overall it was funny how small it seems now. Even though I know it is only a one room school house it always seemed larger to me, at least in my memories. Rose seem to really enjoy it also. I would like to get back again with the whole family so they could all see it.

Also while riding the wagon around the park, a dad and two of his children got on. His daughter has Down Syndrome and he was even wearing a Buddy Walk shirt. I also had on one of my Buddy Walk shirts. He grew up in West Point but now lives in LA. His daughter, who I cannot remember her name, is 7, born a month after Thomas. This is just another reminder of how small this world is, just imagine the odds of the two of us bumping into each other in West Point NE, when we now live in St Louis & LA and having in common children with DS that are only 1 month apart in age.

--After the fair, had to stop at the Diary Keen in Wisner for ice cream. It has been there since the '50s I think with the same name that whole time. I don't have it memorized if it was first or Diary Queen but I just know it was a high school hangout for me.

--No running. It is bad. I really need to but don't know when I will get it in yet.

--Reading my 2 books, The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy and See You Later Alligator by William Buckly. Making progress on both. Will probably finish Tolstoy first because it is a very short book. While in NE I checked through some of the Reader's Digest condensed books my mom has. I found a Horsecatchers by Mari Sandoz in one & brought it back with me. I don't like condensed books but beggars can't be choosers either. I have been wanting to read another Sandoz book and this is what came along for me. Don't know when I will get to it but it should be soon.

--Olympics started. I do enjoy them a lot. My main complaint is usually too much fluff and not enough of actually showing the events. So far it hasn't been too bad, but will have to see. I really like the more minor sports and usually they don't get near enough TV time for me. I can do without the basketball, baseball, tennis etc, sports where there is already a professional league going. I can watch the pro's do it during the season, I do not need to see it during the Olympics.

--School starts tomorrow. I know my wife is especially ready for the kids to be off to school. Angie, our youngest, is doing preschool--half days in the morning. That means Debbie will have a couple of hours free. Should be interesting to see what if anything gets accomplished.

I am sure there is probably more but that has been a lot of typing and it is getting late.