Joy Neal Kidney's Blog, page 53

The Quiet Cowboy by J. D. Wininger

The Quiet Cowboy

by Guest Blogger J.D. Wininger

With a nod of his head, he states matter-of-fact, “We’re burnin’ daylight.” As he sits down beside me, I think to myself, This fella doesn’t talk much; but he sure is a good worker. After early morning chores (feeding, watering, and herd checks), he glances my way, “Time to feed the critters”, and off we go to feed Bubba and the barn kitties. Following a pat on the head and straightening Bubba’s rugs, it’s time for our breakfast.

He pours his coffee in silence. He knows where things are located now, so he’s able to help himself. “How do you want your eggs, Mr. John?” As he grabs a couple of plates, he grabs a small bowl and says, “Scrambled please.” A brief reply is his usual response.

Oh, sometimes he’ll talk your ear off. “I was a pretty good dairy man in my youth. I could work a 100-foot Straight A (a type of dairy barn) by myself, before sunrise.” He isn’t bragging, but remembering his strong work ethic as a young man. That same spirit flows through him today, tempered with age and seasoned with wisdom from a lifetime of lessons.

He’s quick to remind me, “I wasn’t always responsible though. I quit my dairy job. Not because I didn’t love workin’ with them ole cows, but because it wasn’t fair to them or my boss. They deserved someone more responsible than I became.” I thought, I wish we all could be that honest with ourselves. It seems people today seek to blame others rather than look in a mirror and see what part they had in the situation. As I’m getting to know my ranch foreman better each day, I’m learning more from him than he is from me.

As is often the case, the mentor can end up being the one who learns the most. CLICK TO TWEET

I met Mr. John at our church. A quiet fella, he would sit by himself near the back. Sometimes a shy lady accompanied him; turns out she is his widowed sister-in-law. He would only speak when spoken to. I made it a point to seek him out each Sunday morning for about a month and spend a couple minutes sharing with him. When he came forward, requesting to make sure his salvation was secured and later baptized, our entire church erupted in celebration. One morning, noticing the brand on my vest, he quizzically looked at me. “You got a ranch?” When I affirmed I indeed had a small ranch, his eyes lit up. “I grew up in Pickton, over by Como”, he excitedly stammered.

Smiling, I replied, “I didn’t know that. That’s great cattle country over there. And good hay too.” With a broad smile, he looked up, “My daddy, brothers, and me worked in them hay fields 14 hours a day years ago. Ooh-wee, was that hard work, but hard work makes you healthy. I’d make almost 30 dollars a day.” From there, the roots of friendship grew.

It seemed Mr. John was leery of most folks. He would talk with Pastor Wilton or Pastor Grady and his wife, but mostly, John kept to himself. As we grew more comfortable with one another, I invited him to Life Group. He shared he didn’t drive, and he wasn’t comfortable walking the streets after dark. I promised we’d carry him home, and he agreed to join us.

When I learned where my new friend John lived, it broke my heart. It seemed prejudice and persecution displaced him; and he was most grateful that a nearby church offered him a dry place to sleep, and others a shower now and again. With no bathroom facilities and winter coming on, God placed a burden on my family’s heart to do more. It took some convincing him, but Mr. John is the newest resident at our Cross-Dubya ranch. He’s cleaned up the old bunkhouse (two rooms plus a full bath where the original property owners lived while building the house) and made himself a great apartment. Mr. John is an answer to prayers for help around the ranch; and he’s cleaned everything else too. I’ve never seen the barn, garage, workshop, and bunkhouse so sparkling and clean. Neither has my Ms. Diane, much to my chagrin.

Together, we tackle all the chores that need doing around the ranch. I love his work ethic, attention to detail, and “Can Do” attitude. It’s been years since being blessed to work with a self-starter who not only thinks for themselves but does every task with skill, precision, and professionalism. Our cattle and other livestock adjusted to him quickly as he exhibits the same calm, easy-going nature I handle them with.

When I glance over to check on him while we’re doing separate tasks, I see a mixture of joy and satisfaction on his face. When we’re not working, he keeps to himself. On sunny days, I’ll find him sitting outside in the sun, reflecting upon life. At other times, I find him listening to music, reading his Bible, or reviewing his Sunday school lesson. He wanders out to the barn or a pasture to “check on things” every afternoon. I often find him out there, offering a treat to “Mavric” the bull or visiting the donkeys. There’s such a peace about him when he’s outside in “God’s country” as he likes to call it. I can’t tell you how many times he has said, “I never dreamed I could ever do this again.”

When you find him sitting alone or with the animals, he seems to look into the distance. Pensive, contemplative; it’s as if he is reconciling his life. I sometimes wonder if he’s thinking about the past, thanking God for the present, or wondering about the future. Perhaps it’s all those things, but John is quick to tell you, “There’s a reason the rear-view mirror is so small and the windshield is so big.” I can’t help but think of Chapter 42 of the book of Job when I consider my friend and brother in Christ, Mr. John.

God will redeem the years you have left when you surrender your life to Him. CLICK TO TWEET

Watching him hold a newborn calf; cradle its head in his hands as he reaches down to nuzzle its nose and softly talk to it. His gentle soul is on full display. Surely, God is redeeming his years.

Since hiring on here at the Cross-Dubya, Mr. John has not only made my life easier, he’s brought an infectious, child-like joy of discovery into our every day. The way he fusses over “Miss D” and spends time with Bandit the cat and her litter of kittens, he expresses his gentle heart in so many ways. To see his smile and hear his “ooh-wee” when I gave him his own ranch business card and apparel with our brand on it was priceless. In his usual laconic manner, he clutched the shirts and muttered, “Reckon I’m ridin’ for the brand now.”

How long our friend Mr. John stays with us here at the Cross-Dubya remains to be seen. While he’s here, he is a tremendous help to me, brings joy into our home, and God’s blessings keep pouring in. I love discussing God’s word with him, explaining things, and working beside this precious man of God. I pray you reach out and touch someone with God’s love this week.

As a special treat, I’d like to share the words of a poem from Mrs. Martha Snell-Nicolson. I cherish these words as I, too, have grown older. Click this link to read and download “His Plan for Me”.

God’s blessings,

J.D. Wininger recently shared this as an 8-minute story on Our American Stories.

J.D.’s website.

He is also a regular contributor to www.pjnet.tv

Unfortunate Spring Weather, May 12, 1907

All of Sherd Goff’s Audubon County crops had been planted the spring of 1907.

But the Audubon newspaper an the unfortunate story: “We have had all kinds of weather the past week. Sunday [May 12] was very warm but exceedingly unpleasant because of the wind that blew the dust in all directions. One man put it the wind blew corn rows crooked. In fact, it was one of the worst we have ever seen of the kind. Monday was cooler and Tuesday was cold and Wednesday cooler still, with a little snow. . . The whole country is suffering more or less from the unusual cold and drought we are having this spring.”

Decades later, Sherd’s oldest daughter Leora remembered that the wind blew all day and most of one night, and the dust in the air was terrible. A lot of seed was exposed and some blew away. It was a little late in the season to replant field corn, so Pa decided to plant popcorn since it has a shorter growing season.

That popcorn crop did so well that he continued raising it, along with field corn, oats, and hay. For several years, he contracted with a popcorn company each spring, in Chicago or Odebolt, to grow so many acres, the company furnishing the seed. 

Sherd Goff’s crib of popcorn

They did so well from marketing his popcorn crops to buy a farm in neighboring Guthrie County four years later. He was even called the Popcorn King of Guthrie County.

Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots

The Goff Children in Photos, Three at a Time

Leora was the oldest

From Leora Goff Wilson’s memoirs: “When we had photographs taken, there were always three of us in each picture–the first picture earlier was of Merl, Wayne (the baby, six or seven months old), and myself (when I was maybe two and one-half years).”

Wayne, Leora, and Merl Goff, 1893, Hartington, Nebraska

Leora was born in Guthrie County, Merl in Green County, then they moved to Nebraska, where the next three were born.

—–

“The second group was of Georgia, Jennings, and Rolla (when Rolla was about nine months old).”

1898 Georgia (4), Rolla (few months), and Jennings Goff (2). Georgia short hair leads me to wonder whether she’d recently had whooping cough. That was why Leora’s hair was cut short the year before.

Georgia and Jennings were born in Nebraska, Rolla in Guthrie County.

—–

“While we lived at Key West [Minnesota], I went with Mamma on the train to Grand Forks [North Dakota] to get their picture taken. I went along, of course, to help Momma with the little ones and to put the finger curls in Willis’ hair. His hair curled over a finger easily and I was the one who took the time to put the curl in his hair at home.”

Ruby, Perry, and Willis Goff, taken in North Forks, ND, 1904

Ruby was born during the one year they lived in the county seat of Guthrie Center, Willis was born after they’d moved back to a farm, and Perry was born during the few years the Goffs lived in Polk County, Minnesota.

—–

Perhaps their mother hoped that Clarence Zenas would be the last Goff baby, born after they returned to Guthrie County.

Clarence Zenas Goff, born 1905

One more baby lived about a year, Virgil Cleon, born in Audubon County, Iowa.

Virgil Cleon Goff, born 1908, Audubon County, IowaThe only family portrait of all of the M.S. Goff family. Back: Jennings (11), Georgia (13), Merl (15), Leora (16), Wayne (14), Rolla (almost 9). Front: Ruby (almost 7), Milton Sheridan “Sherd” (about 42), Perry (almost 4), Clarence (almost 2), Laura (about 39 and pregnant with Virgil), Willis (5). July 4, 1907, Audubon, Iowa, J. F. Frazier’s Studio.

All the Goff children lived into their eighties and nineties, except Georgia, who died when she was 28.

 

Spring in Northern Minnesota, early 1900s

The Goff family lived in northern Minnesota from 1903-1905. Rural schools in Polk County closed during the winter because the weather was too brutal. So the children started classes during the spring. Leora was in her early teens then.

1902 plat map of Key West, MN, Northwest Publishing, 1902. Northern Pacific Railroad goes east and west. The tracks running north are called Sherack Spur. Goff’s lived half a mile north of town, and their school was a mile north of that.

From Leora Goff Wilson’s memoirs: “A branch of the railroad went north and was on the east side of our place. It went to a grain elevator and went by the schoolhouse. At noon on nice days it was so much fun to push a flatcar, which would be along close to the school sometimes. We would all push ’til we got it rolling good and then we’d all jump on and ride.

“One day the bell rang for school and we were quite a way down the track, so we left the flatcar and ran back to school. A section man came to the schoolhouse and told the teacher to not permit her pupils to play on the flatcars. He was afraid some little one would get hurt. Of course, we never thought of that–it was so much fun. So it was a good thing he stopped us, as there could very well have been an accident. 

“Another enjoyable pastime  in spring, when the snow melted and filled ditches along the railroad track, was to fix rail ties together to make a raft and float along. We could do that at school and we had a raft at home, too.”

Rural schools didn’t have playground equipment over 100 years ago. They made up their own games and activities, which would certainly be frowned on today!

Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots

Battle of the Coral Sea: Memories of Donald Wilson, Aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5)

Battle of the Coral Sea

May 1942

Uncle Don Wilson was the the ship’s company flight deck electrician on the USS Yorktown (CV-5). Just like everyone else stationed on the flight deck, Don later wrote, he had his spot to jump into during emergencies–over the edge onto a catwalk.

But while the carrier patrolled  the Coral Sea, another electrician panicked during General Quarters (battle stations) below decks in the steering motor room. Donald traded places with him, glad to transfer from the risky fight deck to an area with extra armor plating for the vital steering, even though during combat with the ship closed up, the room was stifling and the noise deafening.

The Yorktown’s Engineering Department had three divisions–Boiler, Main Engine, and Electrical. Donald was in Electrical (E. Div.), made up of four ‘gangs’–Generator, Power, Lighting, and Interior Communications (I.C.). Donald wrote, “The crew was a closely knit, well-trained group, as evidenced by its late accomplishments.

“My battle station was the steering motor room. During the Battle of Coral Sea, the sound was like a freight train underneath you, in a tin barn in a hailstorm, and a dust storm coming in an open window. I wondered where dust and dirt came from on our clean ship many miles at sea? The only air intake supply was from the trunk from the 5” gun platform topside.

“During all our practice firing (over 5 years) no dirt was ever jarred loose. During the Coral Sea action, our lights were only visible as a glow due to the dust.

“After standing several thousand hours on watch in steering gear, my ears were tuned to the screws’ RPMs (they still are). Our best-ever RPMs were done during Coral Sea battle.”

During the Battle of the Coral Sea, from May 4-8, 1942, a bomb dropped from a Japanese plane hit the Yorktown and exploded deep inside. “The ship vibrated violently, sounding like a freight train,” he later recalled, “or like being in a tin barn in a hailstorm.”

From Leora’s Letters:

The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II:

“That night, the Yorktown held a burial service. The shrouded bodies of forty men were given up to the sea. Of course, Donald could reveal none of this when he wrote home.

“The Wilsons in Iowa heard news reports about a big battle in the Coral Sea. The Japanese reported their victory and the sinking of two carriers. U.S. reports said that a dozen Japanese ships were sunk, but that no American battleships had been lost. The Wilsons did not know that the Yorktown had been damaged and the carrier Lexington lost. But when they didn’t hear from Donald, they worried that he had been in the battle.

“Meadowlarks had been back for weeks, Iowa’s plum thickets bloomed white against spring’s green, potatoes and onions and lettuce had been planted. While the youngest brother, Claiborne Junior Wilson, graduated from Washington Township High, Donald’s carrier, trailing oil from leaking fuel tanks, limped toward Hawaii for repairs. Arriving at Pearl Harbor, the Yorktown–its crew mustered on deck in their dress whites–was greeted by sirens, whistles, and cheering sailors.”

 

 

“Dream Beyond Tomorrow” Series by Starr Ayers (Emma Stories)

Starr Ayers is a multiple award-winning author and writer, a third-generation artist, Jesus follower, incurable night owl, java junkie, rainbow chaser, and avid iPhone photographer who’s always on the lookout for the presence of wonder. She resides with her husband, Michael, in North Carolina, and they have two daughters and a son-in-love. She is active in her church and has led a women’s Bible study in her community since 2003.

For the Love of Emma

A rose-covered grave, seventy-nine letters, and a scribbled note unearth buried emotions and the timeless beauty of first love.

When Caroline Myers discovers a box of letters in her deceased mother’s trunk, she’s captivated by the romance that unfolds between her mother, Emma Rose Walsh, a nineteen-year-old waitress, and Noah Anderson, a handsome young soldier.

Determined to read between the lines, Caroline and her sister, Kate, set out on a search that leads them to the North Carolina foothills and the padlocked gate of the Anderson family cemetery. Will the one who holds the key keep them from unearthing long-buried secrets and fulfilling a request their mother tucked inside the box sixty-four years earlier? Will they find closure—or encounter a surprising revelation that plunges them deeper into the past?

For the Love of Emma is based on a true story from the author’s family.

My thoughts: If you found love letters, from a young soldier who did not become your father, among your mother’s keepsakes after her death, what would you do? Read and ponder them, of course. That’s what really happened to the author and her sister. The contemporary story about the sisters trying to find the young soldier is woven with imaginings of what things were like between Emma and her soldier in1938. A fascinating story, especially at the end where the author reveals what’s true and what she created for this novel.

Emma’s Quest

As the dark clouds of war escalate in Europe, Emma leaves her North Carolina home and the soldier whose heart has never stopped longing for hers. However, when Andrew Brown, the charming Scotsman who’d won her affection, fails to meet her train in Chicago, Emma questions her hasty decision. Hundreds of miles now separate her from all that’s familiar and the people she loves.

Has she misread Drew? Did her rush to heal her past prompt her to dismiss warning bells and ignore common sense?

My thoughts: What a compelling story, especially since it’s based on a family mystery. Tucker’s rock-solid friendship is absolutely endearing.

I was taken with the Recording Scotland Collection and The Pilgrim Trust which is mentioned in Emma’s Quest. In all of the research and reading I’ve done about WWII, this was new and delightful information for me.

The losses of the Brown family touched me as well, as my Grandma Leora lost three sons during WWII and was widowed within a three-year period.

“The Return” is an 11-minute podcast related to the Emma books.

Here is Starr Ayers’ website.

Indie Bookstore Day, April 30, 2022 – Come Say Hi!

Come help Beaverdale Books celebrate Indie Bookstore Day! They will be serving popcorn, offering some give-aways, and hosting “Pop-In Authors.”

They are open Saturday 10 to 5. I will be one of the Pop-In Authors, there from 11 to noon.

Beaverdale Books carries autographed copies of both Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II and Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression.

It’s the only bookstore that ships autographed copies of the Leora stories.

Grandma Leora would be so delighted!

A Man With a Rake (poetry) by Ted Kooser

Happy Birthday to Ted Kooser, born April 25, 1939 in Ames Iowa!

He is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, for Delights and Shadows, and also served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States.

A Man With a Rake is his newest collection–eighteen delectable vignettes, “A Mouse Nest,” “A Sepia Photograph,” a “Fox.” Each a nugget of breathing space, an interlude. I was especially beguiled by “The Closed Road.” Ted Kooser’s gentle poetry captures essence.

The author of over twenty books, including five for children, and lives in a small town in Nebraska.

There’s a reason this poet is much loved. His poetry is so full of compelling vignettes of the ordinary, urging the mesmerized reader to pause and become a noticer of details as well. I’d list my favorite, but there are at least ten of them. I just love this man’s compelling work.

My fibromyalgia symptoms got so miserable I thought I’d never be able to write again. I gave away all of my poetry books, including Kooser’s Delights and Shadows and The Poetry Home Repair Manual. I since have gratefully acquired new copies of both.

I See Guthrie Center First!

       I See Guthrie Center First!The two-toned Chevy kicks up dusttoward Highway 6, back in those days,and heads west through Stuartand under the “whee bridge,” also known asthe old railroad bridge,to the Highway 25 cutoff.We coast to the stop sign,looking straight aheadto an awesome dirt road.But we head right, takingforever and ever to get toGrandma’s house.We finally pass the sign to Monteithbefore the only curve on thisforever road, bored in the back seatwith little sister Gloria,behind Dad smoking his Cameland Mom in a nice dress.How much longer? Soon,just over the hill.I see Guthrie Center first!Small homes pepper the hillannouncing our favorite townbecause Grandma Leora lives there.I saw it first, Dad insists, I just forgot to say so.No fair, I pout. Won’t be long now.The Chevy crosses the river andthe train tracks, and on up to the stop sign.To the left, downtown lines both sides ofHighway 44, which slopes to the town park.We continue northward, watching leftbetween the houses. I see Grandma’s house first!Always a contest, just before turningleft up Ordway, then left onto North 4th.Grandma’s little house is secondon the right.Her glowing white hair appears on the porch,with her delighted grin. I see Grandma first!We spill out of the Chevy for hugs and patsand the most wonderful winsomeness ofbeing with Grandma Leora,no matter who got to see her first.

Coffee Lovers’ Poetry Companion by Dr. Judy Richardson

The Book

For coffee lovers, poetry lovers, lovers of all kinds…
Have you ever stopped to think about how often coffee accompanies so many of our life experiences? Have a seat, take a sip or two of your favorite brew, and see if a poem or two you find in these pages bring back memories of your own.

 

The Author

My Thoughts

What a delightful collection of 56 poems, some rhyme, some don’t. There’s even some coffee quotes.

Memories associated with the delicious brew are categorized under Coffee Shop, Office Brew, Darker Brew, and Life with Coffee. From carefree verses to poignant ones (“The Worst Coffee” is so compelling), coffee had indeed been part of so much of our lives. A wonderful gift book for a coffee lover.

The author’s website.

Dr. Richardson will be first in the lineup of local authors for Indie Bookstore Day at our local Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, 10:00 – 11:00 on April 30.