Columns

Roxanne Converse-Whiting Driving across the beach at McConaughy is not for the faint hearted or two-wheel drive vehicle. The sand is fine, powdery and has been compared to the sand in Hawaii.

A girl potato and boy potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married, and had a little sweet Potato, which they called 'Yam.' Of course, they wanted the best for Yam. When it was time, they told her about the facts of life.

Barb Bierman Batie Greetings from Germany! By the time this column reaches you, Hubby and I will be winging our way home from a wonderful nine days spent in Germany and Belgium. We left last week to fly to Germany for the wedding of our 2012 IFYE to Nebraska from Germany, Chiara Wagner.

Roxanne Converse-Whiting I was out for a walk when I was surprised to see a marigold blooming through the metal grate of a gutter. It mesmerized me to see that this little plant had the tenacity to grow despite its circumstances.

Part Two ELLEN MORTENSEN Last week we reviewed the Callaway Village Board special meeting held on Aug. 17, in which community members were invited to share their thoughts and inputs with the board and Pool Committee regarding a proposed bond resolution.

I was listening to Carson Tueller share his story about being a quadriplegic on a podcast when one line hit me like an arrow that embedded itself into my thinking. Even if removed like an arrow would need to be, this one line has permanently left a mark.

Those of us who were part of the Baby Boom generation, now in our 60s and 70s, no longer recognize the nation in which we grew up. We are strangers in a land that gets stranger by the day.

Saturday was a memorable day and while in hindsight I am finally able to smile, the moment the lights went out I was a hot mess, literally and figuratively. But perhaps we’d better set the scene.

After reading about the proposed swimming pool in Callaway, I regretted not attending the open house. I was surprised at how far down the road the Village Board is on this proposal. The price tag was shocking. The Board estimated the Callaway taxpayer cost at $73 per month on a $100,000 property. Since the median listing for a home in Callaway is $132,500, a more realistic monthly cost might be $100 per month. Assuming that a fairly high percentage of residents have $100 of discretionary spending money per month, the cost doesn’t seem out of reach. But let’s just think about how discretionary money is spent now. Maybe these people eat out at one of our restaurants once in a while, or go to Henry’s for a draft. They might use some of it to help support the VFD, the American Legion, their church or any number of worthwhile causes. Any or all of them could go wanting.