Subject: SHIVERCITY GAZETTE
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Todays Gazette is being brought to you, in part, by the Adams Funeral
Home.
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The current temperature is -11 degrees.
Yesterdays H/L temperature was 19/-9
Normal H/L temp for this date is 20/1
It sounds like our inventory of snowman parts will be getting
rearranged again Thursday and Friday due to high winds.
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"Profanity makes ignorance audible."
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L O C A L news & stuff,.. mostly stuff.
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For several years, during the Christmas season, in the late forties and
early fifties. The Adams Funeral Home in Grafton had a Little White
Church in the lawn in front of the funeral home. The windows were lit up
at night and they would play beautiful Christmas music amplified through
the Little Church. I remember often driving by as slow as possible to be
able to hear as much of the music as possible on the way by. It wasn't
unusual to see long lines of vehicles doing the same thing.
The last few years, if I remember right, that little church was set up
inside the funeral home in one of the large front windows. I believe
that was done to ward off possible problems with vandals, though I don't
know that for certain.
Anyway, several years later, as we were decorating our house for
Christmas. I decided I would like to have a little church in our front
yard. So, I made a fairily large, "little" church out of chicken wire -
a trait I learned in the flower business - and decorated it with 500
tiny white lights. The windows were trimmed with blue lights, the
steeple was lit up with green lights and the cross was bright red.
I really enjoyed "our" Little Church and considered it one of the
better displays of the 90 thousand plus lights that decorated the house
and everything else in our yard that would hold a light. It wasn't
unusual to get dozens of phone calls, from all over the area, asking
when, or if our decorations would be turned on.
It was gratifying to sit in the living room and watch the steady stream
of cars drive by the house, often they would stop, and take pictures,
some would wave and honk their horn as they passed by. Some would even
come to the door and thank us for the Christmas display.
Then, one night, as I watched the cars go by, I thought of that Little
White Church in front of the Adams Funeral Home, so many years before,
and how beautiful it was to have Christmas music playing from the
church. I decided then and there, "our" little church was going to have
music too.
I "acquired" a couple of long play CD'S of Christmas music, (both, in
the Lawrence Welk Style) set up a CD player and a reasonably good
quality speaker inside the church and I was set to enjoy the rest of the
Holiday watching and listening to "our" little white church playing
beautiful Christmas music surrounded by 90 thousand plus lights.
After the first night and several favorable comments I found myself
thanking God and Bill Adams for the memory and was looking forward to
the second nights display complete with music medley.
It was 5:15 pm and already dark so I started turning on all the lights.
3 switches in the garage, 2 in the kitchen, four in the living room, 2
each in the small bedrooms and 3 in our bedroom. Then I plugged in the 4
cords in the outlet outside of the garage and the 4 cords in the outside
outlet by the front door and I was "almost" ready to sit back and enjoy
the evening.
The last step was to turn on the CD player and plug in the remote
speaker. That done, I opened the front door to be sure the music was OK
and then I pushed myself back in my recliner with a fond feeling of
accomplishment.
Vehicles would stop in front of the house to look AND listen and I was
so pleased. Then vehicles started blocking the street and, at first I
was impressed, then as the lines started getting longer. I started
getting concerned.
Then the phone rang. As I picked up the receiver I glanced at my 30th
anniversary American Crystal Sugar Company clock, it said it was 7:15.
Before I could finish saying hello, the voice on the other end said,
SHUT THAT GALL DARN MUSIC OFF. WHO IN THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE
ANYWAY? THIS ISN'T A DAD BURN CARNIVAL YOU KNOW. IF YOU DON"T SHUT THAT
DARN MUSIC OFF, I'LL COME OVER THERE AND STUFF IT WERE THE LIGHTS WON'T
SHINE. (I cleaned that up a bit for the clergy and younger readers, and,
for some reason the real words seemed to have had more meaning.)
Anyway, I had already enjoyed two of the most memorable hours I'd had
in many years. And for that I am most thankful.
Aren't memories wonderful?
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I have received word from our area's short rod fishermen at Arnesen's.
It isn't much, and, I may have misunderstood it because It sounded like
a couple of the party had a problem waking up in the morning. I'm
guessing that's because of all the fresh air,...and carbonation. It
certainly, I don't think, couldn't have been because they had a problem
going to bed the night before. Anyway, I can hardly wait til they get
back with an "honest" fishing report. For you non-fisherpersons. That
last part, about an honest report,..... that's an oxymoran, pure and
simple.
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I don't have enough information germain to the subject to make an
intelligent response. So I'm going to have to let Ron LaMont handle his
note all by himself. He wrote: >>> Hello Gary, as I continue to
receive the gazette on a daily bases I assume everything is still going
okay for you. Do enjoy receiving the news from Grafton even after
having left the city some fifty-eight years ago. Wanted to share a
bit of information with you and others, as you see fit, concerning what
is happening to the Country of some of our ancestors:
Maybe because I spend quite a number of days each year riding in
airplanes. Also, I just happened to be across the street from the
Pentagon on 9/11. With our twenty-first century Nazis, today better
known as eighth century Muslim's, their daily actions seem to register
with me more quickly than most U. S. citizens.
Having said that, I recently read an article by Mr. Dennis Prager where
he quoted from an article of 1945 by the anti-Nazi German pastor Martin
Niemoller, who wrote the following:
"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I
wasn't a Communists. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up
because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't
speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that
time there was no one left to speak up for me."
Am I being overly sensitive, well two of my Great Grand Parents, Oluf
and Ingaborg (Tveeten) Knutson, both immigrated from Norway in the
1800's. With family members still in Norway I do become concerned with
the actions of a few Muslim nuts. Yes, I know, Norway is a leading
anti-Israel "peace at any price" county. However, something must be done
when illiterate Muslims are allowed to storm the Norwegian embassy in
Damascus and torch the place because of a couple of cartoons printed in
a newspaper.
Yes, I know, in North Dakota or Texas what happens in Damascus has
little impact, so I didn't speak up because I wasn't in Damascus.
Have a great day!
Regards, Ron <<< Thanks a million for caring and sharing Ron. You have
delivered a whole buffet full of food for thought. I'm not sure, but I
think "we" faced much the same conundrum a while back when "we" couldn't
decide the rightful name of "our" Grafton High School Spoilers. Folks
just stood by and watched it being stolen.
Or so it seems to me.
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Although Marian says she hasn't got time to write something. Little
does she know, she has. She speaks of the Senior Citizens Club, a group
I am "gracefully" growing into. Marian Hajicek's note: >>>
Dear Gary, Yes, I received your email and I thoroughly enjoyed
reading it. When things settle down a bit I will see if I can't
submit something to you. I have a very busy weekend coming up. I
am president of the Grafton Senior Citizens Club and this weekend we are
serving food for the Gun show that is here in Grafton twice a year.
It is held at the Armory. We have our club rooms there also, and have
kitchen facilities there so we will be serving chili, BBQ's, chips,
Nacho's, bars, coffee, pop, Polish sausage on bun with sauerkraut and
water. If you are in town and don't know what to do, come on down and
visit us. This is on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday the
hours are 9am to 5pm. Sunday the hours are 10am to 4pm. Hope to
see you there. Thanks again for your interesting letter. Marian
<<< Thank you a million Marian, for your very interesting letter. Maybe
while your poking around the kitchen at the Armory. You can find out why
the Archery Club sponsors a gun show.
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GOTTA GO WORK ON MY DASH
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The Gazette works best. when the folks the read it, write it. Or so it
seems to me.
Write if you can, call if you can't, and, tell your loved ones they are,
before it's too late.
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