Records Are Broken

As I write, the record of Roger Maris’s record of 61 home runs has been tied, and in the few remaining games might be surpassed. I never wanted it to happen. After all, Roger is one of our own. Indications, however, point to the fact that Roger’s family is okay with it, so I will be, too. Maybe a record that stood proudly for 51 years can be broken.

We watched a Netflix documentary titled “Facing Nolan” about the great right-handed pitcher Nolan Ryan. He has set many baseball records which will give future players something to aim for. For instance, he struck out more batters than anyone and ended his career having pitched seven no-hitters.

Ryan stated how he admired the great left-handed pitcher Sandy Koufax who totaled four no-hitters. His wife said Nolan took her on their second date to a ballgame behind homeplate where he watched Koufax pitch. She added he studied his every pitch so hard that he hardly spoke to her. Koufax could throw close to 100 mph pitches which Nolan Ryan could do, too. One of his catchers took issue with that, “Hell, he was throwing 107-108 mph.” Whatever, it is a great documentary. If you have access to Netflix you can see for yourself. My wife sat with me enjoying every bit of it, too.

Threshing and Venlo

I remember my uncle Tommy saying they wanted a straw stack in the barnyard for the cattle, which is what this picture is about. In the year of 1953 an occasional threshing machine could still be seen working. Throughout the winter months the cattle would eat into it so that by spring the pile looked like a mushroom with its round top still intact. As inscribed at the bottom it was at Grandpa Sandvig’s place and I believe it is he in the picture. Of special note is a familiar cab-over truck backed in place for the grain to run into. It and the machine belonged to the Mougey Brothers of Sheldon. 1953-2022, 69 years, how the time has flown by.

A man from the town of Venlo in the Netherlands stated he will be coming to the U. S. to research the existence of our local town named Venlo, a few miles south of Sheldon. Apparently, anything Venlo-related will be of interest to him. Maybe grandparents of this told stories you remember, pictures, advertising calendars from the Venlo store, newspaper articles, etc., etc. It would be fun to see the narrative he constructs based on what he finds, and I’m sure that when finished he would share it with us. Most of us have good cameras on our phones and can take pictures of pertinent objects. I doubt if Administrator Leon will object to considering Venlo on this website. 

Our Boys

 We're proud to recognize our sons on National Sons Day.

FROZEN OBSESSION

      These words from Wendell Berry take on more meaning all the time: “The thought of what was here once and is gone forever will not leave me as long as I live. It is as though I walk knee-deep in its absence.”

     I’m prompted to think of this after watching a PBS program titled “Frozen Obsession” that followed Oden, a Swedish icebreaker, on an 18-day cruise into the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to study the effects of climate change. The crew was made up of a couple dozen oceanography students who focused on climate change as critical scientific and social issue confronting today’s world.

    As I observe it, mitigating the negative effects of climate change is happening too slowly. One particularly upsetting episode showed an ice sample containing plastic particles suspended in the arctic waters. Science tells us the glaciers are melting, oceans are rising, unusual monsoons occur, unproductive droughts choke agriculture, and so much more. 

   Our descendants will live in a different world.