Opinion

We’re all feeling the effects of Covid 19 in some way, and many people are trying to find ways to entertain their children while waiting for school to resume.  We have always lived quite a distance from our family, so long car trips were a regular occurrence for us.  Keeping our children entertained on these trips resulted in some great games without game pieces.

An area gentleman has been trying to find a way to make masks without the need for a sewing machine. The talented man could probably sew if he needed to, but he has been researching how to make a mask of his own that fits properly for him, as well as something that could be adjusted but with more layers than a simple bandana. Sharing with me that his future granddaughter, a lab tech, is required to hang her mask up each evening for use the next day saving it for a week, Steve Lucas decided to try his hand at making a mask simply and quickly without needing a lot of equipment to do it.

It is hard to imagine that we have lived in rural Iowa for over ten years now, and I’m happy to report that we are both still alive and facing each new challenge with a laugh and our trusty Kubota. My stories about our adventures have received so many comparisons to the old T.V. show Green Acres that I was determined to take a similar photo for our holiday letter.

Back in the good ol' days, before the internet, well, even before homeschooling was a thing, those of us who chose to homeschool had to rely solely on books from the library and curriculum that could be ordered. Now, homeschooling can be so much more fun and can expand outside the four walls of your home. If you look around, everything around you is an education.

A couple of years ago, I was sitting in my home office when I turned around and noticed the back end of a large animal walking by my window. I jumped up and went to the front door to see what it was, only to discover a very large, curly haired dog in the front yard. When I opened the front door, the dog looked at me for a minute, then came right to me and leaned on my hip.

Editor:To the critics and naysaysAs a WWII bomber pilot of the 8th Air Force reputed to have said after returning from a mission over Nazi Germany, "If I am taking Flak I know I'm over the target."Question?  Why are you critics so vicious?  My only intent is to inform. and see this pandemic ends as soon as possible. Make no mistake this virus kills without discrimination.

A number of years ago, Gene had a meeting in St. Thomas and we decided it would be a great anniversary gift to ourselves to combine business with pleasure. We had stopped in St. Thomas on our honeymoon cruise and it was our favorite island. Unfortunately, the President decided to fly into Eastern Iowa on that day and we scrambled to get to the airport before they closed it down for several hours.

“I feel so stupid!” How often have we said these words after we have done something on impulse or carelessly? I couldn’t count the times. But most of these moments end up being funny stories after we have time to think them over.Several years ago, I was enjoying a warm, spring day and decided to go through my favorite car wash. I pulled in and a smile appeared on my face as I anticipated the rainbow of colors that would appear in the wash cycle.

Dear Editor,I have been hesitant to get into the Covid 19 debate but Vinton Today seems to attract wannabe medical professionals and Trump apologists. No, the President did not cause this pandemic but his dithering and ego has made the situation worse.I do not believe anything he says and neither should the American public. For two months before the virus starting to get going in the US, I attributed his nonsense including that the virus would just disappear and his unwillingness to understand the severity of the problem as just the ramblings of an ignorant self-absorbed person.

Letter to the editor:This video was sent to me by my good friend and TWA colleague.  We have known and trusted each other for more than 30 years.  He has never given me any false information.  I also want our many readers to know that I will never-never write anything I do not believe to be true.   As I understand it this virus crossed from animals, possibly a bat, to a man in Wuhan, China, although there seems to be no definitive establishment of where this virus originated.