America: Celebrating 250 Years

Last evening, we went to Sterling Community Theatre's production of the musical, Come From Away. It tells the true story of how the people in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, opened their homes and community to strangers when American airspace closed during the 9/11 attacks. Ultimately, 38 international planes carrying 6,579 passengers and crew were diverted to an old air base in Gander.

The airline passengers were from all over the world, speaking different languages and practicing different religions. But local residents opened their homes, schools, churches, community buildings and hearts to thousands of travelers they had never met. While the musical acknowledges some misunderstandings when the various cultures collide, the overriding message celebrates how ordinary people can find common ground and care for one another with hospitality, compassion, and human connection during difficult times. 

 

Photo from the Theatre Kansas Facebook page

 

I'd never seen the musical, but I read the book on which it was based, The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim DeFede. The Sterling Theatre Troupe is chock full of talented singers and actors. The musical has a 12-member cast who portray more than 150 characters. There aren't elaborate sets. Only a few chairs and tables are shifted to create the illusion of being inside an airplane, at a local pub or finding shelter at a school gym. (If you're near Sterling, there are still two opportunities to see the musical at Sterling High School: 7:30 Friday, July 3, and at 2 PM on Sunday, July 5. There is no July 4th performance. Tickets are available at the door.) The production also includes a talented nine-member band that almost made you believe you were in a pub in Newfoundland with their whistles, mandolins, fiddles, accordion and more.

 

The musical's central message is this: Despite our differences, we are all connected. And isn't that a good message to remember as we celebrate our nation's 250th birthday?

 

Display along Highway 50 in Stafford, KS

 

It may be hard to remember that, if we're only relying on news programs or scrolling through our social media feeds with the plethora of contrasting opinions and points of view ... and the viotrol that often accompanies those sources. 

 

This morning, I picked up a little book that has been decorating my mantle from Flag Day to the 4th of July. It was one of the "treasures" from my Grandma and Grandpa Neelly's house. It's called We Love America: Simple Stores of American Living. The back cover says it is part of the Patriot's Series. I don't remember my Grandma reading this particular book to us, but I loved the illustrations so I brought it home anyway. 

The book's copyright is "MCMXLI." I'll save you a Google search. That's 1941.

On the inside cover, it says: Janis Neelly from Your Sunday School Teacher. It's Grandma Neelly's handwriting, so it was really to my mom from her mom masquerading as her Sunday School teacher. (We moms are always wearing multiple hats, aren't we?)

It had been awhile since I'd looked inside. But this morning, I picked it up and looked through it. 

The book "visits" different children and tells about their homes - everything from the "big city" to an "Indian pueblo." I've shared a few of the pages on the blog before.

 

Some of those children live on a farm: I couldn't help but contrast the hay found in the book with some photos I took a couple of weeks ago in a neighbor's hay field.

  

I liked the patriotic wrap against a dramatic sky.

 

But, back to the book. Other American children live on a ranch:

It's not surprising that the farm and ranch pages appealed to me. But this time, I noticed some other pages. In one, three little boys watch a parade. But they don't all look the same. 

  

  

"They do not all have the same ways. But they all like parades." 

 

The same is true for three little girls at a circus:

 

"Do you know something? American girls do not all look the same. They do not all have the same ways. But they all like to go to the circus."

 

A little boy discovers he can go to school, even though he doesn't have any money. 

 

Sammie learns that American libraries are free. 
 

One of the pages reminded me of the message of Come From Away: "It's fun to be friendly, wherever you go."

 

Perhaps those are messages worth remembering as we celebrate our 250th birthday. May we - like those Newfoundlanders - find common ground in our differences and respond with compassion and understanding.

 

Happy Independence Day weekend everyone!
 

Knee High by the 4th of July?

Knee high by the 4th of July.

Just like putting something in the "ice box" or saving something to a "floppy disk," the terminology is no longer relevant today. Once upon a time, corn farmers measured the success of their corn crop, wanting it to be "knee high by the 4th of July." 

So did Rodgers and Hammerstein have a more accurate measuring stick for today's corn? In “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from their musical, Oklahoma!, the main characters marvel at the height of the corn, singing:

“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow ...

The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,

And it looks like it’s climbin’ clear up to the sky.”

Since there were no elephants around, I used my handy 6-foot-1-inch measuring stick. I'd say it looks good ... for now.  

With significant advances in agricultural technology, genetics, disease control and growth efficiency, today’s farmers can expect corn to reach far higher than the knee come Independence Day. Modern corn can flourish in conditions that might have stunted the plant in past generations. So in dry times or wet, too warm or too cool, the stalk generally keeps on growing and produces an ear. 

As you can see in the photo below, we got quite a bit of rain last week. Depending on the location, we got between 2 and 4 inches.

While our dryland corn liked the moisture, it was not so good for harvesting wheat. We cut late Monday afternoon (June 28 - after rains the weekend before kept us out of the field) and then weren't able to cut again until late evening, July 2. It gave us plenty of time for a crop update tour and other excursions.

The toadstools growing on the Stafford golf course sometimes caused some confusion with golf balls. It's not often you make a trip to the golf course when there's still wheat to be cut. But it took our minds off the uncompleted task for a little bit, I suppose.

The clouds provided a pretty backdrop for some dramatic landscape photos on the way home, too.

 

The humidity didn't allow early starts in the wheat field.

After Randy checked pastures on Saturday, he suggested a photo opportunity along U.S. Highway 50, just outside Sylvia. Someone had decorated their barbed wire fence with American flags. 

That excursion had me looking for my own medium-sized American flag for some shots in our wheat field while we waited on the sun to dry out the wheat.

Test weights suffered from the rain, but, thankfully, we didn't get hail or extreme wind, so the crop kept standing. The wheat is still yielding well. Yes, we are still cutting.

And, when you have time to play with filters and such, you make patriotic messages on photos.

The hiatus also gave me more time to practice the patriotic piano prelude I had planned for church on the 4th of July.  I played "The Star-Spangled Banner," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "God Bless America" and "America" before church started on Sunday, July 4. And I also played during communion, so it was a lot of extra playing. These days, I think about my piano teacher, Mrs. Lighter. She'd be amazed that the Moore girl with the least natural ability on the piano spends so much time playing these days. If only I'd devoted that practice time as a kid ... Oh, the wisdom of advancing age!

Thankfully, we hired a young farmer from the area to do some custom cutting for us. So we are getting closer to completion. The finish line is hovering at the horizon (though not today).

 

We are thankful for the co-op workers who came in to weigh and dump wheat trucks at Zenith on Saturday and Monday. I did take them some cookies. (I know it's not much, but we appreciate their work when many people were celebrating the 4th at the lake or elsewhere. The custom harvesters got a cookie delivery, too.)

The hay fields liked the rains, too. As I walked to the combine through an alfalfa field last evening after delivering supper, I decided that my camera needed "smell-o-vision." Swathing and baling the second cutting will have to wait until after we are done with the wheat.

Randy is battling some mud as we continue cutting. So far, he's been able to work his way through it. We hope that trend continues.

 

A Day Which Will Live In Infamy

Photo by Brent Fritzemeier

December 7, 1941:  It was a typical Sunday. Early church bells had just begun to ring. Some servicemen were still sleeping. Others were on their way to breakfast.

But the ordinary turned to extraordinary in just moments. On that Sunday morning, the first two waves of aircraft - about 180 planes - roared off the decks of Japanese carriers north of Oahu at 7:49 AM.

Photo from Yahoo images

At 7:55, the quiet morning at Pearl Harbor was ripped apart when the first Japanese bombs dropped. Some Japanese aircraft swooped down on the harbor and Battleship Row. Others headed for nearby airfields, where American planes were lined up, wing-tip to wing-tip. Within minutes, the aircraft were reduced to useless heaps of torn and melting metal and the harbor was choked by black smoke and fire as mighty ships slipped toward the ocean floor.

Photo from Yahoo images

A few minutes into the attack, a message was sent to the U.S. capitol: Air raid, Pearl Harbor - This is no drill! Pearl Harbor was pounded with bombs, torpedoes and bullets from 7:55 until 9:45 AM. As the Japanese planes roared away, they left 2,403 American officers and fighting men dead and another 1,178 wounded. Civilians were also caught in the crossfire of the surprise attack.

Photo from Yahoo images

For most Kansans, it was just another typical Sunday. Many had gone to church and were relaxing with their families and friends after a big Sunday dinner on this day of rest. Many had been listening to the Sunday afternoon broadcast of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra when the first newsflash interrupted the programming.

From Yahoo images

President Franklin D. Roosevelt had hoped to keep America out of World War II. All that changed on December 7, 1941.

Yahoo images

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. In 2008, I interviewed about 20 servicemen and women who had served our country during World War II. The hours of interviews eventually led to a story that took up 24 pages - all single-spaced in a Word document - so I can't reproduce it here. The story was broken into a series of articles for the Wesley Towers Tapestry newsletter. All of those I interviewed were residents of the Hutchinson retirement facility. Many of them have since passed away. None of them were at Pearl Harbor, but several of them joined the service in response to the attack.

The interviews were some of the most moving stories I'd ever heard. They talked humbly and quietly about their service at Guadalcanal, the Island of Tarawa, the Aleutian Islands, Italy, at the Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Okinawa and on ships in the Pacific. Two of the men actually saw the flag raised on Iwo Jima. Some served on bases on the homefront. One woman shared her experiences as the wife of a Prisoner of War. One woman served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, and another was a special services librarian. Those men and women who shared their stories represented all branches of the armed forces.

The commitment to serving the U.S. in this way has not waned for some. In recent years, Stafford has had several young men and women willing to serve our country. These were the kids I watched on the football field. I served some of them cupcakes at classroom Valentine's parties. They, too, grew up doing ordinary, everyday things in a small town in South Central Kansas. Yet today, they are doing extraordinary things to serve our country. It is their efforts - and the sacrifices made by their families left at home - who help us to continue as the land of the free.

Photo by Brent Fritzemeier,
the Washington Monument from the World War II Memorial

Our little community is no different than others across the nation. Throughout U.S. history there has been an image of the farm boy putting down a hunting rifle to join the military. It was not until the turn of the 21st century that the data was available to document what many suspected – that rural America supplies more than its fair share of military recruits (Wessels Living History Farm - Nebraska).

 On this 75th anniversary of "a day which will live in infamy," let us never forget. It's more than a page from a history book.

... Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.

Yahoo images

Last Sunday, CBS Sunday morning featured several stories related to Pearl Harbor. Click on this link for one of them.

I Pledge Allegiance

The first two photos were taken at the funeral of World War II veteran Jake Yarbrough, November 4, 2015, Stafford, KS

We often take for granted

the very things

that most deserve our gratitude.

--Cynthia Ozick 

It was at Byers Grade School that I learned the words to the Pledge of Allegiance. Every morning, we'd turn our eyes to the northwest corner of the room, put our little hands over our hearts and repeat this oath:

(I'm second from the left)

I pledge allegiance to the flag
Of the United States of America  
And to the republic for which it stands
One nation
Under God
Indivisible
With liberty and justice For all.

The memorizing came, I suppose, from repeating it every day. At first, you have to concentrate hard. You have to think about each and every word to make sure you get it right. There weren't many students in that combination first and second grade classroom. If you messed up, Mrs. Bond might hear you in the dozen or so voices.

Through the years, it could be like many things we say by rote. We may not truly think about the meaning. But there's just something about saying those words in unison with 53,000-plus people that makes me feel the words to the depth of my bones.

 

The Ceremony of Allegiance is as much a part of K-State football games as the coin toss. It gives me the chills - every single time.

So on this Veteran's Day, let's think about our allegiance and where it lies. It's not in the political skirmishes. It's not in the political posturing. It should have the same importance and pride that came when we finally remembered the whole pledge as we stood in our first grade classrooms with our hands placed firmly over our hearts:

One nation
Under God
Indivisible.

On this Veterans' Day, I thank the veterans and the active duty service personnel who protect my right to say the Pledge of Allegiance. It's up to all of us to not just utter the words, but live them.

Flyover prior to the October 17, 2015 K-State game

May we remember what freedom really means.

Simple Stories of American Living

I thought it was time for a rerun of this blog post from 2011. A wrap-up of our 2015 wheat harvest, which we finished on Wednesday afternoon (YAY!) is coming next week. Happy 4th to all!

One of the treasures I found at my Grandma and Grandpa Neelly's house was a little book called We Love America: Simple Stories of American Living.

This isn't a book I remember my Grandma reading to us, but I loved the illustrations so I brought it home anyway.
On the inside cover, it says:

Janis Neelly from Your Sunday School Teacher

It's Grandma Neelly's handwriting, so it was really to my mom from her mom masquerading as her Sunday School teacher. (We moms are always wearing multiple hats, aren't we?)

This book has joined my other patriotic decorations from Flag Day to the 4th of July (and probably beyond, since there's not another holiday coming up right away).

Instead of it just sitting there and looking pretty, I picked it up the other day. And it truly does reflect simpler times, a time when it was cool to be patriotic.
The book "visits" different children and tells about their homes - everything from the "big city" to an "Indian pueblo."

It tells about life on the farm (you can click on the photos and they'll come up bigger so you can read the text):
And life on a ranch:

Things on the farm and the ranch are a little different these days. Hayrack rides are something we do at fall celebrations, not to bring the hay in. Around here, the cattle are rounded up with 4-wheelers, not horses.

Leisure time is spent differently also:
Kids today are much more likely to listen to their ipods instead of a radio or "watch" their music on MTV or CMT or youtube. Having a taffy pull or making candy from scratch is something a few of us may do at Christmas time, but it's not on most people's radar for "family fun."

And while the illustrations and the words make me nostalgic and cause me to reflect on days gone by, I love the ability to type the book's copyright "MCMXLI" into a search engine on the internet and discover it was 1941. (Yes, I could have searched the inner recesses of my mind for the Roman numeral knowledge I had in elementary school, but this was easier - and faster.)

As we celebrate the 4th of July today, it wouldn't hurt to take this sentiment to heart:

Happy 4th of July everyone!