We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
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Someone called the other day asking if I had time to come over and chat for a while. We worked out a time and before we hung up I asked him if there was anything in particular he wanted to talk about. He hesitated for a moment and then said, “Yes, my funeral.” I get those kinds of calls every once in a while. People want to get their affairs in order and they figure the best person to talk to is the preacher. When I talked to the gentleman mentioned above, we had a grand old time going back ove...
My brother's a (beep). For some reason, Dan made me the subject of his column – complaining about having to live with me for the past year, and talking about how happy he was that my wife and I now have our own home. Well, in the words of Paul Harvey ... "And now, the rest of the story." Living with Dan is no picnic. Yes, I have a habit of coming home after work and taking a nap on the couch. And while, he says I snore, there's no proof of that – but more on that later. The point is, I act...
As your Senator of the 45th District, I am privileged to be the legislative voice of about 220,000 citizens in Northwest Illinois. I gauge opinions and priorities by reaching out to the public through mailed surveys, town hall meetings, telephone town hall events, conversations at coffee shops and other places where people gather, or by simply stopping by your door for a quick chat. The results of these efforts are three-fold. First, they ensure my constituency is appropriately represented in...
Hi Dan, I have been getting Village Voices for several years now, and enjoy the local sports and columns. I decided to get into the NCAA Tournament pool this year just for the heck of it. I could not believe it when I opened the paper Wednesday and read that I came in first. I was hopeful for a pizza, and thought that would be a long shot. Thanks for doing this, and thanks for the headline. I like the ‘Bourne Supremacy.’ William Bourne Freeport Dan, I just want to compliment you on your articles in Voices weekly paper. I will first explain tha...
I keep busy all week long being a shepherd for my church flock. I have always loved people and God has really blessed us with people from our church. In my spare time, I like to be a farmer. I have a skid loader that is about 20 years old but is still in pretty good shape. My dad gave it to me when he no longer needed it. When he had it, it burned up in a fire but he bought it back from the insurance company and fixed it all up. I’ve had a few problems with it over the years, but mostly m...
Show me an arrogant man, and I’ll show you a bachelor. Now, I’m not saying that cocky men can never get married. No, I am simply uttering one of the universal truths that all married men find out the hard way – a wife strips a man of his ego. I tend to sleep later than my wife – but I also stay up much later, so it all evens out. Still, I can’t afford to be a slug – especially on Sundays, because I need to finish that week’s paper. Anyway, I heard my wife come into the room while I was still i...
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they have the heart”, Elizabeth Andrew. This past week was National Volunteer Week. I would like to take a moment to thank the many volunteers who help make Farm Bureau and our programing possible. We have a wide variety of individuals who dedicate their time and talents to our organizations; some serve on our boards and help guide the organizations, some serve as presenters for Ag in the Classroom Programs. Others host tours at their farms and bus...
One Sunday a grandma came to church with two of her grandsons who were about 13 and 15 years old. We hit it off right away and invited them all over for Sunday dinner and football. Grandma liked Westerns better than football, so she passed on the invitation and went home and watched John Wayne movies instead, but the boys were happy to come over. They were good kids but had no farm experience so when 5 o’clock rolled around and we told them we had to go out and do chores, they were very c...
Nobody ever likes being sick, but … on occasion … there are some benefits. Big bought with the flu? You end up losing a few pounds. Stuffed up nose? You miss out on some of the uglier smells our world has to offer. Anyway, For almost a month I had been dealing with what – at this point – my wife and I are convinced was probably Covid. Massive chest congestion, that has improved a great deal, but is still not totally gone. Part of the “illness” was a massive amount of nasal congestion,...
I don’t remember March 5, 1944. I am sure my late mother Katherine would have. It is the day I entered this world. It doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that was 80 years ago. I’m now operating completely by the late Toby Keith song “Don’t Let The Old Man In.” Apparently, his inspiration for that song was from Clint Eastwood, age 93, and still a favorite Hollywood actor and director. I truly recognize how blessed I am. So many contemporaries have passed to the “great beyond” and m...
It’s no secret that Governor JB Pritzker is the most liberal governor our state has ever seen. After all, he made Illinois the abortion capitol of the United States and brought us mandatory LGBTQ curricula in schools, free healthcare to migrants and illegal immigrants, and the SAFE-T Act, which eliminated our cash bail system. The Governor is also responsible for appointing people to serve on a little-known panel called the Prisoner Review Board (PRB), a 15-member group that serves as I...
Why did Beethoven get rid of his chickens? All they said was, “Bach, Bach, Bach.” Well, it's springtime and that means there’s work to be done outside. Last winter early on, when we had a bunch of deep snow, our heifers decided to get out. My pasture has a permanent fence on two sides and a two-wire electric fence around the rest of it. For the most part, the fence holds the cattle in. Occasionally, a calf or maybe two will find a way to get out, but usually it's no harm done - They get out and...
They say that fish and family both go “bad” after three days, well my cousin Chuck moved in with us last March – and it has been quite a year to say the least. Now, I love my cousin, and I’m certain that he had to “adapt” to the little things my wife and I do during his stay – as did his wife – but … when it’s your house, and you tend to do things a certain way … I think it would be best if I simply gave examples. The Television OK, I have a tv in my office, which I use for background noise,...
On Saturday, April 6, the Stephenson County Farm Bureau Young Leaders hosted the 7th Annual Bruce Johnson Memorial Farm To Farm 5K/10K run that raises money for Agriculture In The Classroom. This year 220 runners participated in this great event. This event is always a favorite featuring a 10K Run, 5K run, and a 5K fun run/walk. Top finishers for the event were as follows: Overall Top 5K Finishers: Lynnea Groezinger and Dan Palmer Overall Top 10K Finishers: Amy Schultz and Jason Niemann. A full...
The check is in the mail. Somebody did some work for us and when he was done, he sent me an invoice. I wrote out a check and mailed it to him. As a joke, before I sent it, I took a picture of it in the mailbox and said: “The check is in the mail.” About three and half weeks later he sent me a text asking if I’d mailed him the check. Of course I had. So, I did a quick search and discovered that it hadn’t gone through the bank, so I guessed it got lost in the mail. As I was preparing to cancel...
What you are reading right now is both my greatest treasure, as well as the biggest bane of my existence. “I love your column!” If I had a dollar for every person who said that … well … I might be able to buy lunch. (At least a Happy Meal) But, in all seriousness, I know a lot of people read this, and it is for that very reason that it causes me so many headaches – I don’t want it to suck. (Admittedly, it often does – I know that.) I have used my column to go off on a personal tirade agains...
Northwest Illinois is home to some of the most fertile soil in the state, nation, and world, and the farmers who work this land are vital to this state’s top economic driver- agriculture. Knowing this, when I was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2018, one of the first things I did was form an Agriculture Advisory Committee. I was raised in this region, so I recognized at an early age the impact farming and agribusiness have had on people’s livelihoods. Having grown up around the ind...
Hello; I hope this email finds you well. My name is Kelsey, and I am reaching out to inquire about the possibility of implementing an "Animal of the Month" feature in your esteemed publication to promote pet adoptions from our shelters. As a passionate advocate for animal welfare and adoption, I believe that highlighting individual animals in need of loving homes could make a significant impact in our community. My vision for this feature is to create engaging and heartwarming "dating profile" style posts that showcase the personality, quirks,...
Last week was a busier week than normal - what with Easter and all. We had special services at church - more than usual, and more sermons were prepared than what I usually prepare in a week. People came to church from communities near and far. People also streamed us online from, literally, all over the world. We’ve had viewers in Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, and England, not to mention here in the U.S. from sea to shining sea - from New Jersey to Oregon. From Montana to Florida. From Texas to N...
I owe a lot of people an apology. As many know, I was sick as a dog after coming back from Arizona. I felt fine there, but my daughter’s family all came there sick, and how do you tell a three year old not to kiss you goodnight? – So, as expected, both my wife and I got sick when we got home – but she was only bad for a day or two – for me … we’re talking ten days of bad chest congestion and constant coughing as I tried to cough up the crap lining my lungs. The main point being, it took me out o...
Each year I look forward to kicking off the summer with our annual trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. I love visiting the familiar businesses, enjoying treats from the families/farms we visit and seeing those who have become friends over the years. I’d like to invite you on our 2024 trip that will take place Monday, June 10 through Wednesday, June 12. Our tentative agenda is as follow: - Monday: Leave Freeport Walmart at 6:30a.m., lunch and exploring at Linton Garden, Dinner and a show at Blue G...
Well, here we are in the middle of Holy Week. This week, Christians the world around are celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. In this column today, I will talk about death and life and how it relates to Christ and us. Death is nothing to trifle with. Death causes us to be confronted with our need for the gospel. If it were not for sin, we would not have to die. If it were not for sin, we would not deserve to die. Death reminds us that without the gospel, we could not be...
Dan came back from Arizona sick as a dog, so in order to make sure we got a paper out this week, we allowed him to take a week off and picked one of his old columns to re-run. We think it's a pretty special one, so ... enjoy. “Daniel Lewis Stevens you should be smacked!” I would typically get that greeting on the phone about once a month or so. “You do not run “bear” naked. You run “bare” naked. I swear you make more mistakes with your synonyms …” Having a mother who held a PhD had its’ mome...
Ever feel like you’re a burden to your team? Normally, my evenings are spent covering a sporting event throughout the region. But that all changes in the Spring when Softball and Baseball tend to end before seven o’clock at night, so I actually get to see my wife and spend some time at home. And with bad weather canceling games … we actually had time to go out and “do” something – an activity which is normally relegated to the Summer months when school is not in session. Anyway, one of the event...
Recently, I inadvertently came across an old copy of a magazine called Birds & Bloom. The magazine is all about just that – birds and blooms. The subheading under the title says “Beauty In Your Own Backyard.” As I thumbed through the magazine, the beauty of God’s creation overwhelmed me. By now, the attention to minute detail that went into all of God’s creation shouldn’t surprise me, but for reasons beyond my comprehension, it does. This magazine was a self-help guide for all bird and garden...
