Page 4 - Clear Lake Mirror Reporter E-Edition 12-23-2015

Opinion
Page 4 • Dec. 23, 2015
My
Christmas
Letter
By Guest Columnist Dorothy Rosby
Merry Christmas,
It’s been a tough year since my
last Christmas letter. My email ac-
count was attacked by spammers. My
printer died. My computer crashed.
I’ve had it with technology. I would
have written this letter by hand if I
thought you could read my writing. spilled in the bottom of my oven and a
If that’s not bad enough, I’ve had
a bad case of tennis elbow since June.
I’d tell you that’s why my handwrit-
ing is unreadable, but I hate to lie
during the holiday season.
The funny thing is, I can’t even
remember the last time I played ten-
nis. I think they call it tennis elbow
because that’s easier to pronounce
than lateral epicondylitis, its official amount of traveling since my last
name. Plus it sounds more interest-
ing than inflammation of the elbow
tendons and more glamorous than
“washing the windows elbow” or
“chopping vegetables elbow.” Accord-
ing to my health consultant, Google,
any activity that involves repetitive
use of the forearm can lead to tennis
elbow. That’s why plumbers, paint-
ers, and cooks are all candidates for
it, and it explains why I’ll be avoid-
ing plumbing, painting, and cooking
from here on out.
And here’s another reason to
avoid cooking. Our dishwasher quit
working several months ago. For
about twelve seconds, I thought about
not replacing it. We’re empty nesters
now. How many dishes can we dirty?
As it turns out, a lot. You don’t real-
ize how many dirty dishes you’re per-
sonally responsible for until you have
no dishwasher to wash them in and
no child at home to blame them on.
We did replace the dishwasher, just in
Newspaper attends Youth Conference
Thirty parishioners from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Clear Lake, attended the
National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 19-22 in Indianapolis, Ind. Here the
group takes a moment with their Mirror-Reporter to show everyone who reads
this that being with 23,000 other Catholic teens is proof to them that God is
good. -Submitted photo
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case washing dishes causes tennis el-
bow.
I didn’t get a single thing I asked
Santa for last year. And I didn’t even
ask for that much—a smart smoke de-
tector that can tell the difference be-
tween a kitchen fire and a little cheese Clear Lake Post Office drive-through according to
year’s supply of sunglasses, which, for
me, would be 20 or 30 pairs. It seems
like I lose a pair every other week or
so. Just the other day, I found a pair
I’d been missing for almost a month.
They were right there in the bottom of
my purse all along. Maybe I’ll resolve
to clean my purse more often in 2016.
On the bright side, I did a fair
Christmas letter. Who wants to be
home when your dishwasher doesn’t
work?
I attended a conference in In-
dianapolis in June, and during one of
the excursions conference organizers
offered, I got to visit the Indianapo-
lis Motor Speedway. I sat in the press
box, stood in the winner’s circle, and
even rode around the track. My be-
ing at the Speedway was ironic on so
many fronts. For one thing, I’m not
into cars at all. A hot car to me is one
that has a good radio and bun warm-
ers. And I’m not into racing either,
though I am into speeding. I’m jok-
ing!
My husband and I bought a
camper last spring and took it on its
maiden voyage over Memorial Day
weekend. If voyage isn’t a word you
normally associate with land travel,
you’ve never been on a camping trip
with us. Our tent is 10 times more
See ROSBY on page 5
Serving Clear Lake & Ventura
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REMEMBER WHEN
25 Years Ago
December 1990
Clear Lake and Ventura area residents may
send Christmas greetings to relatives and friends
serving in Saudi Arabia via a free facsimile service
provided by the Clear Lake Independent Telephone
Company. The telephone company is providing the
Operation Desert Shield fax service in cooperation
with AT&T.
In an effort to speed mail delivery, a new mail
box for regional delivery has been installed at the
Postmaster Gordon Morse.
One-half of North Iowans are afraid the United
States will engage in military combat in the Persian
Gulf, and one-half are afraid we won’t, Rep. Fred
Grandy, R-Iowa, said on a swing through north
Iowa to visit constituents.
Members of the Agape Christian Family
Church will once again “adopt” residents of Handi-
cap Village who do not have families to share the
Christmas holiday with. A tree at the church holds
tags of those needing gifts.
Lcpl. William D. (Bill) Bradlow, a member of
the Marine Corp Reserve - 2nd Battalion, Delta
Battery, 14th Marine unit, reported for active duty
Nov. 11. On Dec. 1 the unit left for Camp LeJeune,
N.C. where they joined the Marine 2nd Division.
Around mid-December, the division will leave for
Operation Dessert Shield. Bradlow is the son of
Jane Bradlow, of Clear Lake and graduate of CLHS.
The Ventura boys basketball team came away
with two victories last week, beating Northeast
Hamilton, 73-59 and Nora Springs-Rock Falls, 70-
Last minute requests, 199054. Scott Hinrichs led the team against Northeast
Hamilton with 19 points and nine rebounds. Troy
Roenfanz added 16 points. Hornets also scored 19 Megan Keefe, daughter of Mike and Sue Keefe, of Clear Lake, stopped off at Santa’s house in 1990 to give
points against Nora Springs-Rock Falls. Tim Bray her last minute gift requests to Santa.
added 16 points in that contest.
The Clear Lake girls picked up two conference know that the city would be against the routing year.
wins last week. They outscored Clarion, 65-57, of Highway 18 away from Clear Lake in prepa- Miss Madelyn Miles, who is working on
and they topped Webster City, 62-56. Kathy Walls ration for Interstate 35. According to the Iowa KGLO staff in Mason City, is now on for an hour
made 25-points for the Lions against Clarion and Highway Commission’s five year plan, Interstate weekly with, “Adventures of the Little Tin Soldier.”
Mindy Day and Sheila Barlow each had 20 points. 35 will reach Clear Lake in 1970. Mrs. Dan Spilman is in Park Hospital after
Against Webster City, Day was the leading scorer Rubi Carter, of Davenport, Iowa, is the new breaking a leg.
with 29-points. Walls added 22-points. manager of the Clothes Closet (formerly the Four
Playing at the Cinema V Theater is Al Pacino Seasons). The Clothes Closet offers such brands 100 Years Ago
and Diane Keaton in “Godfather II.” Also playing as Karet of California, Country Set, Gay Gibson December 1915
is “Rocky V,” starring Sylvester Stallone, and “Three and others. The auto plates for 1916 will be pullman
Men and a Little Lady.” Grocery specials for the week at Shop-N- green in color with cream figures. An order for
Found in the classified: For Sale: all redwood Save include: Ore Ida French Fries, 2 lb. bag, 39¢; 200,000 pair of plates has been given. The cost of
swim platforms, completely assembled, $458; For Folgers Coffee, 2 lb. tin, $1.39; bananas, lb., 10¢; sending them out will be $16,000.
Rent: downtown apartment, one bedroom, $185; waxed rutabagas, lb., 8¢; chuck steak, lb., 49¢. Apparently some dope fiend is breaking into
House For Rent: 1 bedroom, basement, garage, Garman and Smith Drug Store at 220 N. Main
$240; Ventura Duplex For Rent: two bedroom, 75 Years Ago Ave. some time during the night. Morphine and
deck, C/A. $300; For Sale: like new, 3 bedroom November 1940 cocaine were missing along with about $5.
home, lake view, big new garage, big lot, 2225 S. Rev. Merwin and son, Art, left here Tuesday An auto/buggy accident occurred at the Clar-
Lakeview Dr., $156,900. with trucks loaded with 10 tons of onions, bound ence Knutson corner. An auto driven by Martin
for southern Louisiana. They have enclosed Peterson and a horse and buggy driven by John
trucks in which was a bucket like container which Trimble ran into each other. The auto was con-
50 Years Ago was filled with glowing charcoal. This they said siderably broken and the horse was scared and cut
December 1965 would keep the onions from freezing. On the up. The horse faired better than the auto.
M.A. (Curley) Hintzman, Chamber of Com- way back they will be loaded with sweet potatoes Joseph Palmer, postmaster, says 3¢ insures up
merce secretary, asked the City Council to take for Iowa customers. to $5; 5¢ insures to $25; 10¢ insures to $50; 25¢
some action to let the Iowa Highway Commission Auto plates are dark blue on white this to $100.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Help pass an animal rassment of the state we call home. state in recent years of sick and ne- ers. Let’s put an end to that.
abuse/neglect bill Betty Soukup, glected dogs which then need to be Of course, companion animals
Clear Lake rescued by Humane Societies and oth- are just one issue. Farm animals are
To the Editor, er rescue organizations. (Remember another. There are many recorded in-
In January, the Iowa Legislature Improve Iowa’s the woman in Feb, 2012 from Con- stances of animal abuse and neglect at
will convene and they have an assign- animal welfare laws gressman Steve King’s hometown who the hands of breeders, at the hands of
ment that needs your help. They are was charged with neglecting some 90 workers in factory farms, and at the
being asked to pass a bill on animal To the Editor, dogs? It took six facilities to deal with hands sick and deranged individuals.
abuse/neglect that will elevate our A recent article in the Des Moines her badly neglected animals.) We need our legislators to take a hard
great state from SECOND in the na- Register described the embarrassing Last April my daughter Suzanne look at what is happening in our state
tion. We follow Kentucky! and disturbing situation for animals participated in a rescue in which she -- and then to actually do something
My passion for animals equals in our state, stating that we are 49th attended a dog auction. Dog auctions about it. It isn’t a pretty picture.
my passion for humans who are in out of the 50 in terms of animal wel- are held to help puppy mill owners di- I personally have already con-
need and have neither voice nor pow- fare laws. We share the bottom of vest themselves of unwanted breeding tacted Rep. Terry Baxter numerous
er. The helpless among us, I believe, the barrel, with Kentucky being the stock. This breeding stock is offered times regarding animal welfare and
are the chosen ones. What if...what if worst. up to other breeders who will then put I will continue to write emails and
God created animals as a measure of In terms of the number of puppy the poor animals through more hell. make phone calls to him and to Sena-
human decency and goodness? What mills, Iowa is second from the top! Rescue operations quietly infiltrate tor Dennis Guth to ask them to sup-
if He created them to teach humans Clearly, that is a dubious honor. There the auction and buy as many of the port animal welfare legislation. If this
about unconditional love? What if are over 200 puppy mills in our state dogs as they possibly can in order to is something that you care about I am
they are here to teach us the value of and Missouri is the only state with stop the cycle of misery and provide asking you to do the same. Emails can
actions, not words. more than that. Let’s get the terminol- the dogs with loving, forever homes. be sent to terry.taxter@legis.iowa.gov
Please take time to make your ogy straight, though. A puppy mill is Suzy came away from that auction and dennis.guth@legis.iowa.gov
voice heard to your legislator. Let not a hobby breeder whose dog has a with 31 miserable, pure bred dogs. One hundred emails from me
them know that our great state is too litter of puppies every year. A puppy She still has nightmares about the isn’t as good as one email from one
smart, too good, too kind to tolerate mill is a large scale breeding opera- ones she couldn’t save. hundred of you! Please do it for man’s
the abuse of animals. We want a bill tion, often with hundreds of adult My point is that it takes so many best friend.
that will end this incredible embar- dogs as breeding stock. This is a dire kind hearts to assuage the misery that
situation. is dealt at the hands of ruthless breed- Kathy Schnell,
We have seen news articles in our Belmond, Iowa
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