DAY 69 

This is Marci, Brittni’s mother. She gave me a place to camp, and I took this photo in the morning before I departed, Marci gave me grain, apples, and carrots for Reba, and offered dog food for Jill. Marci told me that God’s job for her was to take care of animals (she runs an animal rescue operation). And from what I could see, she was totally committed to it, but didn’t have any problem spending some of her kindness on me. Thank you Marci and Brittni for your kindness!

This is my good friend Gary. I’ve known Gary and his wife Sondra for over 40 years. Gary’s job keeps him on the road, and especially over the past two years. Now happy to be home for the holidays, Gary took his classic car out for a ride to check on me. We were both “gear heads” in high school, and when I got in his car to get out of the wind and talk, it took me back to those days when it seemed I drove nothing but Chevy SS cars (I had trucks also). We talked about cars, and made some loose plans to go fishing at a great bass pond I know of. Gary brought me a few groceries, and surprise-surprise, he brought me a Thanks Giving dinner complete with salad and dessert plate from His family get-together (that’s three Thanks Giving meals for me)! Thank you Gary and Sondra!

Entering the town of Westphalia. Note the road-sign “Meth Watch.” It’s a good idea but personally; I think it would be better for everyone to put the Meth dealers in stocks alongside the road for a few days than to put them in prison for a few years with three square meals a day and full health care. It would be less painful on everyone except maybe the drug dealers and the bureaucratic system that has grown up around taking care of them. I met a handful of sheriffs on the Lewis and Clark trail who told me the drug problem in rural America was a bigger threat than most folks care to admit. I strongly believe we could fix the problem, if we were free to do so.

In the last post, when I spoke about going after the drug dealers…this is what we would be protecting. These happy kids are from the surrounding area and beyond. I met them and their parents when I got to church in Westphalia (the only church in town, see photo in following post). It was my first stop, to ask a lone gentleman directions to the library (there is no public library in Westphalia). After speaking with the gentleman and telling him what I was about, he invited me into the church basement which was big and completely full of folks, I mean there were a lot of people in there, and this is why I laughed and thought the man was joking when he said they were all one family, but in fact is was the Mader family, with the mother and father, who had nine daughters and six sons, plus grandkids and great-grandkids, all having their Thanksgiving dinner in the church basement. So I got to eat Thanks Giving dinner #4! Wow! I’ve been eating good lately! I passed out cards and, after dinner, I drove to the city park, unloaded my wagon, and returned to the church to give rides.

When the people in the church basement learned what I was about, they wanted to come and see my horse and wagon. Reba, as always, is the star of the show!

While giving rides to the kids from the surround area and beyond (Garnett, Iola, etc…), I saw a kiddo on her bicycle and I asked if she wanted to ride along and told her that she needed to go and get her parent’s permission and then go to the church (you never saw a child ride her bike for home so fast - ha ha!). Then, she and a group of friends darn near beat me back to the church! I asked if they had their parent’s permission, and in fact they did, so we loaded them on the wagon and away we went. Then back to the church to pick up another load! (Note: The girl in the foreground has make-up in her eye, which was very obvious in real life, but in the photo it looks like a shiner… it is not.).

Another load of happy kiddos! (And I got speak with and give my cards to their parents).

Downtown Westphalia.

Sturdy old building in downtown Westphalia (the build date is on the building, 1920s).

Neat old house in Westphalia (its build date is also 1920s).

Residential Westphalia.

I’d love to see one of these in all our little towns!

My camp at the park in Westphalia, in the evening time. (Note: I’m camped at the back of the park, there are modern restrooms at the front of the park).

Text Post: DAY 69: I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO KATHY, JAMIE, AND LEON at the Coop in Westphalia. While giving rides in the wagon, I heard Reba’s left rear shoe coming loose again, not real loose. I’ve been keeping an eye on it, so on my way back to the park, I stopped at the Coop and asked for a couple of hammers. I then unhooked Reba and tried to use the hammers to tighten the shoe, and like before, I took the slack out of it but I didn’t really tighten it. Then Leon came out with a king-sized pair of channel locks and my eyes lit up when I saw them; “Oh thank you sir!” I used the channel locks and this time I actually tightened the shoe. Good deal! And thank you Kathy, Jamie, and Leon!