Business as usual in flyover country

Grannie Annie and I drove to Kearney this past week to attend a board meeting. To and from it was evident that the harvest of soybeans and dryland corn is in full swing. For an illustration of how vital irrigation is to this country note that corn under the pivots is still green and still producing pounds for what looks to be a bountiful yield. Now if the price per bushel would be better it would maybe a good year---farmer thinking.

Seeing the roads and towns along the way busy with farmer traffic gave the impression that the Covid pandemic really isn’t much hampering our way of life here in fly over country. Farmers toil in accordance with the seasons and this is too busy a time to sit isolated in our homes.

Our freedom from the draconian lockdown procedures occurring in larger cities was illustrated by the surprise on the faces of friends visiting from Denver. “Few persons are wearing masks, inside and outside” exclaimed Roger. “Your stores and eating places are open for business! Boy it sure isn’t that way back home.” Aren’t you, dear reader, glad that you choose to live here?

Our visitors coming from as far as Arizona, Illinois and New Jersey were here to celebrate a reunion of McCook High School class of ’55. Reunion #65 for us. Just one half of our class of some 113 graduates are yet alive but attendance at our reunion was greatly diminished by the fear of Covid. All too many near and far stayed away most stating that Covid was the reason they chose not to participate in festivities and a chance to catch up on friends of days gone by. Maybe that was good judgment on their part as due to age, we are all in our eighties, and have various maladies puts us in the high risk category according to Covid “experts” in Washington D.C. Still it was a bit sad to miss out on catching up with all those who enjoyed recalling the perils of high school together.

It may be a rumor but I understand that a friend’s wife had a recent pleasant surprise. The couple had attended the big motorcycle rally at Sturgis this summer. I understand that she had recently gone in to give blood and after testing was rejected due to her blood sample showing Covid anti-bodies. Most likely she had had the disease and never realized that it was happening. Possibly her body developed a immunity to the disease and she was never struck with any of the bad effects. The “experts” had forecast that attendance at Sturgis was sure to cause a huge resurgence of the disease country wide. Possibly her experience points to our population attaining what they call herd immunity and that would be a good thing. Again for me the entire episode was only hearsay but one can only hope.

Our Chamber of Commerce director is to be complimented for pressing on with McCook’s Heritage Days Celebration. Yes the number of parade entries was about half the usual. Someone edicted that the throwing candy to the youngsters was verboten. How did that prevent the spread of Covid? The crowds lining the parade route was maybe somewhat diminished but parade we did and everybody appeared to be having a good time.

By the way, I paid $35 for my 1925 Model T back in 1935 not the $3500 that the announcers misread from their scripts.

Saturday our son Don (“Dusty” his high school moniker) and I attended the recognition program for former Governor and Senator Ben Nelson at the Library. Ben as you’ve read by now established a living trust for our library in memory of and recognition of his mother. A significant sum of $500,000 earned in his life of great achievement. Talk about a selfless gift to our community.

I consider the former governor a friend from my youth. Ben possesses a fantastic knack for remembering people’s names and faces. He remembered Don, formerly sans whiskers, from meeting him nearly 40 years ago in Lincoln. When I complimented him on that particular talent Ben told me that he could have named everyone in attendance but didn’t for fear of leaving someone out. Thank you Senator Nelson. McCook is proud to call you our son.

Another thing that our Denver friends were not impressed with was the riots that took place in their fair city. For one the State Capitol building was ravaged and is now boarded up and unusable. Thankfully we in McCook haven’t had the same problems. For one our local excellent police force would not stand for those who want to riot to make some esoteric point. Still though we aren’t lily white and crime-free as some culprits have recently broken windows of the West First Chapel church building to gain entry and tear things up.

Why in the world would anyone break into a church a sacred place that is solely supported by tithes and offerings of its members. Such criminals are not my kind of people!

That is the way I saw it.

Dick Trail