Speedy September! The month has been going by way too fast. Early in the month I read about “Chick-fil-A,” a fast-food outlet founded by Truett Cathy in 1946. Although I have never heard of them, there are over 1,000 of them in the United States today. The founder’s slogan was, “Put people and principles before profit.” With that in mind, he did not allow the “Chick-fil-A’s” to be open on Sundays. After reading that, I found myself reflecting on changes in the pace of life now compared to, say, 40 years ago. Sundays were pretty much considered a day set aside for church, family and rest. Most businesses were closed, including gas stations and restaurants. Traveling between here and Sandstone in the early ’60s, Jerry made sure he filled the car with gas on Saturday as there were a number of “blink and you’ll miss it” towns along Highway 23 without gas stations. There was a station open in Foley on Sunday, and we developed the habit of filling up there on our way home. It was a little “mom and pop” station. They were open on Sundays because they closed Saturdays out of respect for their religion. He was a neat little man, and I never figured out how he did it, but he was always at the pumps by the time we pulled up. He filled the tank, washed all the windows, checked the oil, and chatted with the kids – talk about full-service! I wonder if the world would be in better shape today if Sundays were still a day of rest. Would families get along better? In case you’re wondering, yes, we are guilty of getting gas and eating out once in a while on Sundays. On rare occasions, we’ve even gone shopping. Bridal showers are a fun tie in our family. At the one for my niece, a prize was given to the lady with the heaviest purse. The purses weighed anywhere from 1/2 a pound to five and 1/2 pounds. I would have liked to see what all was in the winner’s. County Fair Day took place Sept. 17. A number of attendees shared their crafts, canning and baking. Rootbeer floats and mini-donuts were available for sampling. Darlene, Katherine, Anita and Reiko were the winners of door prizes. Bingo on the second and last Fridays of the month continues to be enjoyed. On Oct. 14, the Flavors on Fridays students will bring ice cream to the center. It costs 30 cents a scoop and is always a surprise as they bring different kinds. The usual senior dining special of roast beef, normally served the first Wednesday of each month, will not take place in October. Somebody scheduled Oktoberfest for that date. Roast beef will be on the menu the first Wednesday of November. The annual “Bring a friend for apple pie” day is coming up on Oct. 22. Reservations are appreciated a few days earlier for that, but we will still accept them the day before. I recall we had 35 diners last year. I would like to see us top that this year. To make it more special, I’ve booked some entertainment for right after the meal. Greta Leen is a multi-talented musician and singer (she yodels too) who, along with our sister-in-law Betty Lou Hoeft, has agreed to come dine with us and entertain us. Make your reservations now, you won’t regret it. Sept. 30 was a bummer of a day as it was the third day with a sore throat; it was cold out and I was feeling lousy. I was counting on hitting the hay early when the phone rang. Our oldest, Angie, had a big problem. A dog was seen killing her chickens. I was the only one she knew who was a “chicken killer,” meaning I knew how to butcher them. Her neighbor scared the dog off and called Angie at work. They had raised the chickens together and had them booked for a trip to Little Falls the next day for butchering. We ended up going over to butcher the ones the dog had killed. Now, my hubby doesn’t do such, but he helped by washing the meat after Rick skinned them and I had them gutted and cut up. They were nice, big chickens, and it would have been a shame to have the meat wasted. Janelle went along and did some gophering and helped dad clean the meat. Angie got off early and came home to join the “party” as she called it. I couldn’t believe it, but she pulled on rubber gloves and wanted to learn. Where was she when we raised chickens and I did the butchering? She refused to be around and tells horror stories of my chicken-killing. Actually, all the kids do. Anyway, it was 1:30 a.m. when I crawled into bed, but I had done a good deed for someone and had a few chickens in the freezer. Sam was a kind of seedy-looking guy in the maintenance department where I worked. But he was pretty sharp. One day Sam was going to work on some heavy machinery. He had a tool carrier slung over one shoulder and was dragging a chain behind him. “Why are you dragging that chain, Sam?” someone asked. Sam replied, “Did you ever see anybody push one?” When Sam was about to retire, he was asked what he was going to do. “When I get up in the morning, I won’t have anything to do,” Sam said. “And when I go to bed at night, I’ll have it all done.” ‘Til next time,
