Chicago is known as the windy city but when the wind blows on the plains there is no stopping it. Friday we had that kind of wind that blew and blew and you could spend the next day picking up branches and looking for things that the wind decided to move. It reminded me of the dirty ‘30s when the wind blew so hard and the dust blew so much that we had dust banks instead of snow banks in our ditches. The dust did not respect anything or anybody and most of us were living in older houses and we had to dust every day to survive. When I think back to those years everyone had their own windmill and everyone had their own ancient water supply. The wind chargers that we see appearing on our landscapes today remind me that I am a firm believer in wind power. For all of us who live here know there is never a shortage of wind! Before we had electricity on the farm we had wind chargers in our homes for our electricity and, of course, the windmills provided the water supply outdoors. Everyone was self sufficient in those years and I think that there was certainly nothing wrong with that. I think it is time for us to get more windmills going for our power. If we have to endure the wind we might as well reap the benefits from it as well. Vacation Bible School will begin on Monday, June 9, and continue through Friday, June 13, at Steen Reformed Church.Gary and Carlotte Paulsen, Ogden, Iowa, were brief visitors in the home of his mother, Mildred Paulsen, on Wednesday, May 28. Jane Bonnema entered Luverne Community Hospital last Monday and was able to return to her home on Wednesday. However, she re-entered the hospital on Sunday and remains a patient there at this time. Malena Boeve was transferred from the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center to the Tuff Home in Hills on Wednesday to recuperate from her fall. Friday afternoon guests in the Jo Aykens home were her cousins, Rick and Audrey DeBoer, Sioux City, Iowa.Dries and Laura May Bosch left for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to visit in the home of their son, Gregg and Anita Bosch on Friday, May 23. While there they also visited with Gregg’s sons, Chad and Sheri Bosch, and their daughter, Mickayla, who also live in Cedar Rapids, and their son, Ryan and Amy, Sioux Falls. Their son, Steven Bosch, drove down from the Cities and their son, Jeff and his son, Bo, from Ohio, came to complete the family gathering. Kathleen Esselink was admitted to Sioux Valley Hospital Sunday. She was able to return home on Wednesday.Kendell and Kim Paulsen, Conner and Courtney, Ogden, Iowa, visited in the home of their grandmother, Mildred Paulsen, on Friday. Steen Senior Citizens had their June meeting on Monday at the Community Building in Steen. Games and cards were played. Lunch was served by Harold Wissink and his sister, Joan Hoogeveen. A Doyle family gathering was at the Magnolia Steak House Saturday night. Those attending were Alice and Ron Ehrisman, Wagner, S.D., Margaret and Harold Schlimgren, Edwina and Ron Rust, all from Luverne, Kay Cox, Adrian, and Dries and Laura May Bosch, Steen. The Girls’ League of Steen Reformed Church had their father/daughter cook out in the Fellowship Hall of Steen Reformed Church at noon. I am having a difficult time making myself believe this school year is over. Where does the time go? Those little beginners only a few years ago are now going to join a group that I did not realize existed but I know it is true. When they are 10, 11, and 12 years old they are not old enough to be a teenager so they join a group called the In Betweens. They are no longer 10 but not quite in their teens. They are in the middle. They are:"Between cowboys and Indians and kiss and tell!Being told, "Oh, doesn’t he say the cutest things" and … Be quiet.Between an allowance … and a job.Between playing with marbles … and using their marbles.Between their father coming home from the office with a surprise toy for them … and their father coming home with, "Have you done your homework yet?"Between bubble gum … and breath mints.Between frogs and puppy dog tales … and the birds and the bees. Between parents reading bedtime stories to them until all hours of the night … and being told to go to bed at 8 p.m. to keep them off the streets.Between the bicycle … and the family car.Between baby talk … and locker room conversations in gym class. Between cookies and milk … and pizza and coke. Between Saturday morning cartoons … and Saturday night dates.Between freckles … and pimples.Between a steady friend … and a steady date.Between their first catcher’s mitt … and their first kiss!Between getting candy from relatives … and giving candy to girlfriends. Between being cute … and being handsome.Between the Apache War Dance … and a high school dance. Between comic books … and Shakespeare.But most of all, between the backyard … and the world."Isn’t it a shame that a between-ager can’t jump straight from 10 to 13. This was taken from an article written by Dan Valentine Jr. My thanks to him!
