First snow in Omaha

The snow comes down. Wet, heavy, driven by wind kind of snow the first of the season. Tree limbs bend low laden with leaves green and bright bold fall colors as the first frost is yet to come. The approach of winter in the city of Omaha patch worked with unharvested fields of corn and uncut soybeans. Fields wet from recent rains troubles that the farmers don’t need.

Grannie Annie and the old guy had come to this fair city to enjoy visiting with daughter, granddaughter and her two sons ages 31⁄2 and 10 months. The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission had brought us to Lincoln for their regular bimonthly meeting and why not enjoy the great grands for a couple of days. The plan was to travel home on Sunday but wet highways with strong winds and poor visibility didn’t seem like a good idea. Why not stay another night and accept better traveling conditions tomorrow? The retired life definitely has its advantages.

On Saturday we were privileged to attend the presentation of a “Quilt of Valor” to brother-in-law Dale Nielsen, USAF Retired, and five other gentlemen all of whom served in the Vietnam and/or Korean wars. Warm hand-stitched and quilted from bold colorful fabric designs presented in appreciation of those who had served our beloved country in time of war. I had not heard of the program Quilts of Valor before but it is a program conceived a few years ago to make up for the terrible public treatment that many servicemen received from the hippies and anti-war demonstrators upon returning to the States fresh from their time in Vietnam. A nice thoughtful gesture and long overdue. Bless them all.

We dropped by Fort McPherson to say a final goodbye to Arley Steinhour on our way home. Arley was probably one of the strongest charismatic Christians that I’ve ever had to privilege to know. He lived his belief, wrote copious faith centered poetry and I know he looked forward to meeting the Lord especially during the trials of his terminal illness. His ceremony of internment with military honors, his choice, was a celebration of life not a time of sadness.

Arley came from humble beginnings and an undeserved rough childhood. He found some confidence as a good football player in high school yet did poorly academic wise and why not? At least one teacher, a guidance counselor no less, told him that he was just dumb and would never do well in life. Yes, a teacher in the McCook school system actually told him that. He believed her and so took only classes like art and English to stay clear of science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects reserved for the smarter kids in his class. Well the US Navy didn’t quite see it the same way. When he enlisted the Navy sent him to nuclear submarine school. No dummies there. Tough academics cutting-edge physics, technology, engineering those things he had skipped in high school but with his natural ability and a sharp mind he was able to keep up with his peers. So it was with a well-earned pride he served a two-decade long career in a very elite division of the military. His specialty radio communications. It is fitting that he now rests forever in the company of fellow service members, known and unknown, that he loved in life. “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the kingdom of heaven”.

On a lighter note, I spent some time with a dear friend recently who had just changed his voter registration. In the past, he had always voted Independent but missed the ballot for local politicians. Occasioned by a move to a new address this time he registered as Republican. The recent debacle of the Senate hearings for Judge Kavanaugh may have been a motivating factor for the move. I also note that he watches more Fox News and has come to disdain the reporting of CNN and MSNBC. Gotta love the guy that has come to see the light. It might be a harbinger of how the mid-term elections are going to go.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail