Keeping kids busy during the summer

I was a bit tickled at fellow columnist Ronda Graff’s latest column. She told of her efforts to find reasonable activities for her children for these summer months. Camps are closed, our swimming pool closed and the list goes on and on.

Reflecting over the years of my growing up none of that was a problem. I worked at a job as did the majority of my peers during the summer months when school was out. Naturally being raised on a farm there were a multitude of jobs that I was qualified to do and when working for a neighbor they actually paid. My friends in town worked as bellboys running the elevator in the Keystone, ushering at the Fox and Temple theaters, and most of the other businesses in town had slots for young people to learn and be productive.

Have you ever heard of a hired girl that helped cook, clean, do the washing and the other myriad of household chores? My mom hired kids to hoe weeds out of soybean fields. George Clark hired kids to pick up potatoes—I drove the tractor. Good honest labor and good training.

It isn’t Ronda’s fault but over the years people in positions of power that are obviously much smarter than the rest of us have made rules that won’t allow young people to work, They can’t drive tractors or operate farm equipment, for hire, until they are almost beyond high school age. Most of the mechanical equipment in a commercial kitchen is off limits. Youth have to receive minimum wages even if they are learning the skills needed to be productive and their employment is not worth what is required by the entrepreneur in charge. The result is kids unstructured and likely to get in trouble unless steered by interested moms.

Ronda and her family live in a bit of a historic home. I wish that she would write of its history in some future column. You see it is what we used to call the poor farm. In a prior time government was not nearly as generous in their welfare largess and people that were down and out were sent to the poor farm. Oh, they hated the stigma of it, but it did provide a respite from the elements and encouraged those residing there to secure employment when it became possible. Living at the poor farm they worked, manual labor, growing crops producing the food that they stored and lived on. There used to be a large potato cellar in which to store produce all winter long. I’ve never set foot in the place but I kept an eye on it as I farmed right across the road. I am sure that the Graff’s have made modern improvements but there is a great story for her to tell. A brick stairway down to their creek? I’m intrigued.

Isn’t it wonderful to live in small town America where we haven’t experienced the rioting, looting and burning that larger cities in our beloved United States are putting up with at the moment?

Interestingly most of those cities where the civil unrest is taking place are governed by Hillary voters. Those seem to be the places where COVID-19 pandemic dictates require most people to stay in their homes to prevent the spread of the disease.

Police Chiefs, Mayors and Governors of Hillary voting bent evidently have little clue how to be leaders yet they are in charge and happy to dictate to the great unwashed beneath them.

All too many reporters also sup on the same ignorant brew. I’m remembering one female commentator, I don’t remember her name, commenting on how smart the mayor of Minneapolis was to withdraw all his policemen from the areas where the rioting was taking place on the second night of unrest. She and the mayor, both had to have been Hillary voters, evidently thought that the rioters would lose interest in stealing and voluntarily cease their ruinous activities. How did that work out? I guess that the bad guys didn’t read the memo because the looting and burning was even worse than the night before.

I remember the Watts riots in Los Angles. Watts was evidently a poor area and the rioters found little resistance. Then the perps made the mistake of trying to move into nearby prosperous Korea town to continue their rioting, stealing and arson activities. There they were greeted with young Korean men standing on the roofs of their businesses armed and ready to shoot. Yes, shoot they did, rioters died and the remainder turned around and moved back into their own territory to create their havoc.

Most readers may be aware that I have for the past several years have been the chairman of the governing board at Camp Comeca. Comeca is a church camp operating under the auspices of the local Kansas Nebraska United Methodist Church Conference. Comeca sits on the high bluffs south of Cozad on the edge of the Tri-County Canal and overlooks the North Platte River Valley to the north. It is a beautiful site and has excellent facilities. At Comeca’s request the Methodist Conference recently voted to sell the Camp to a local group of supporters called the Cozad Camping Ministry. After this month it will operate as a non-ecumenical church camp under the name Comeca Camping and Retreat Center. Located halfway from Denver and Omaha it will draw campers from both cities and the large area in between.

For those who are interested in Comeca Google the name and read the site’s presentations. Each day on Facebook one can click on “Comeca Connection” and enjoy a five minute devotion. It will make you smile and they do accept donations.

A perfect launch of two American astronauts back into space. A wonderful show.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail