Rush Hour Traffic in Iowa

This is my commute. For my friends and relatives in Phoenix and LA, and scattered elsewhere around the country. I remember taking an hour to travel 4 or 5 miles on the Freeways on the way to work in the morning and on the way home in the afternoons... That was year round. Here in Iowa in only happens a few weeks out of the year, but it can sure be a drag having to crawl along at 5 or 10 MPH. Fortunately there's not much oncoming traffic, so you can pass on the downhills. In case you're wondering, that's a ice-scraper/snow brush for the windshield that's sitting on my dash in the top picture.

New Mayor

Connie Bridgmen was elected Mayor of Ricketts Iowa yesterday by a vote of 47-7.
Mind you, this is a preliminary result- I'm not the best journalist, my only source on this is my wife's grandmother, Laura Langholdt, a long time resident of Ricketts. I've tried the Crawford County website and Iowa's Secretary of State, even the Denison Bulletin/Review but no one has anything posted yet.

You may scoff at an election with only 54 people voting, but remember, the Ricketts population is only 140. When you consider how many of those 140 are children, that's an amazing turn out!

I'd better keep my nose out of it, but I can tell you that it was a rather contentious campaign. Former Mayor Copeland had a long record to run on, but still decided to "go negative" toward the end there. I couldn't tell you whether that was a determining factor or not, but I'm sure that there are plenty of those 54 voters who would tell you if you asked.

Sorry, I don't know anything about who else may have gotten onto the city council, but if you call the number for City Hall on the right side of this website, you can probably find out sooner or later.

Kudos to all you Ricketts voters who came out and participated in our American democracy. Good luck to Mayor-Elect Bridgmen.

You're all welcome to participate in this website by sending me any notices, memos, pictures, ideas, stories, memories or announcements that you'd like to share with your fellow "Rickettosians." Just write me at ted.mallory@gmail.com.

Election Day: Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Polling site: Rickets City Hall

Polling hours: 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Mayor, two candidates, two-year term: Connie Bridgeman and Wayne P. Copeland

Three council positions, three candidates, two-year terms: Drene Briggle, Jennifer Hennings and Edwin D. Schreiber

Ballot question on changing the use of local option sales tax funds

Not the same Ricketts #18

Lieutenant Milton Ernest Ricketts, USN (1913-1942). Halftone photograph copied from Medal of Honor, The Navy. Lt. Ricketts was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Coral Sea, 8 May 1942. He was in charge of a USS Yorktown (CV-5) damage control party that suffered many casualties from a bomb explosion. Despite mortal wounds, Lt. Rickets deployed a fire hose and successfully contained the resulting fire before he died.

You guessed it, Lt. Milt here doesn't really have anything to do with the city of Ricketts, a sleepy little village in Western Iowa, but most of the rest of this website does.

Don't forget, if you're from Ricketts, you're invited to their annual reunion, next year it will be on the fourth Saturday in July. If you're Joe Ricketts, maybe you'd like to come too, and bring the team, Ricketts has a ball diamond. Maybe they'd be willing to put on an exhibition. Or play the guys in the Fire Dept? Wouldn't that be great?

As for everybody else, if you have memories or pictures of Ricketts to share, email them to our webmaster: ted.mallory@gmail.com I'll even accept funny, kitsch, or corny "Not the same Ricketts" ideas. Help put Ricketts on the map!

I mean it you guys- I need your help. There are a couple of people who hate when I post these "not the same Ricketts" things on here, well, then send me something better. What's going on in Ricketts? Any announcements? Any great memories or stories or pictures? How about from Ricketts Thanksgivings from days gone by?! Help me out- please!

Fire Prayer Request

As you might imagine, since we used to teach at Los Angeles Lutheran Jr/Sr High School, My wife and I are very concerned about our many friends, former students and former colleagues in Southern California. Can you imagine 250,000 people in 7 counties having to be evacuated? An area the size of Washington DC has been burned. From Malibu to Mexico is effected- basically an area the size of South Carolina!

The Buckweed and Stevensen Ranch/Magic Fires have us the me worried. Especially after that wild accident in the I-5 tunnel last week. Basically these fires are each on opposite sides of the Santa Clarita Valley. We used to go to Church at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Canyon Country.

Breathing, driving, and if it comes to it- evacuating are a major dangers that our friends are facing- let alone the possibility of losing life, home, and property.
I was disappointed by the coverage on CNN, so I turned to a local TV station there, KTLA, they had a terrific link to an interactive map of the fires from Google.

Please, it's not just a bunch of rich celebrities in Malibu Canyon, it's real people all over Southern California. If these fires aren't contained soon, this could become LA and San Diego's Katrina.

Please pray that the Lord would protect the residents in the fire's path and that He would guard, protect, and guide the many firefighters, both professional and volunteer and the National Guardsmen and women who help too. Pray that the 70-100 mph winds would die down and that moisture would come so that the fires could be contained and put out.

Thank you.

St. Luke's Annual Soup Supper

"Kirschsuppe" (cherry soup with dumplings) warms the soul. It's a Pomeranian (Low German) specialty that has been tradition at St. Luke's Fall Soup Supper forever!

St. Luke's Soup Supper is Sunday, October 21st in Ricketts.
They will be serving from 5-7 PM
Menu: Chili, Vegetable Soup, and Kirschsuppe! As well as sandwiches, desserts & beverages.
$5 for adults
$3 for Children over 4

Wild Art

I just overhauled my art blog. When you visit it you can see;
1. My cartoons 2. My photographs & digital images 3. My paintings, drawings, and prints 4. Artworks or photos by some of my students 5. Some of my favorite paintings by famous artists and why I like them. And recently added... 6. Advice and links for elementary teachers who didn't major in Art, but want to teach it to their students. Please, click on the archives to look at more art.

http://malloryart.blogspot.com

Every week there's something new. This week, there's also a slick new look!

Happy October

Mallory's Milieu

Interested in more than just the weekly column and occasional political rants?
You can see all of my cartoons (just MY cartoons) as well as all kinds of my artwork and photography. Not to mention book reviews, recommended links, and even some music and videos. All of it is at http://tmal.multiply.com

Annual Soup Supper

Immanuel Lutheran Church (Triple Parish),
Soldier Township (just west of Ricketts proper)

Annual Soup Supper
Sunday, September 30
4:30 PM-7:30 PM
Serving Potato, Chili, & Beef Vegitable
Sandwiches and deserts
Carryouts available
$5 Adults - $3 Children

Annual Fire Prevention brunch Oct. 7

The Ricketts Fire Department will be hosting their annual Fire Prevention Brunch Sunday, October 7 9:30 AM- Noon at the Ricketts Community Center.
They'll be serving pancakes, sausage, applesauce, and maybe scrambledeggs.
Free Will Offering

Homecoming Parade

The Lills drove in the Charter Oak-Ute Homecoming parade Wednesday, September 12.
So did the guys in the Volunteer Fire Department. Believe me, that rig can make a lotta noise when it wants to!

First (annual?) Kid's Day

Area youth had one last chance to say farewell to summer recently. The City of Ricketts put on a special day just for kids, Saturday, September 8, 2007. Twelve adult volunteers treated kids to fun food, games and music at the Ricketts city park and shelter house from 4 to 10 PM. Kids could buy hotdogs or nachos for a dollar and pop for 50 cents and ten tickets for a dollar. Then they could use tickets to play games like darts and ring toss for older kids or pin the tail on the donkey or bean bag toss for younger tots. Every game offered prizes. Kids could participate in a free throw contest, a water baloon race or a three-legged race. Teens and "Tweens" were invited to stick around and dance the night away inside the shelter house.

Ricketts' Kids Day Today

Ricketts Kids Day today
September 8, 2007
At Rickett's City Park & Shelter House
4 PM-10 PM

Tickets for rides and games are 10 for $1
Hotdogs are $1

$2 For admission to the Teen Dance

Don't miss the fun! Watch this space for pictures next week.

Pop is 50¢

Not the same Ricketts #17

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp.'s founder Joe Ricketts is now part of the crowd of potential buyers for the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

The Cubs team is up for sale because its owner, the Tribune Co., is selling itself to Chicago real estate mogul Sam Zell for $8.2 billion. That deal was contingent on the media company selling its non-core assets, including one of the most fabled franchises in sports.

Astronomical prices are expected for the Cubs. Forbes estimated the value of the Cubs at $592 million in April. Only four baseball franchises had higher values in the magazine's annual list: the Yankees at $1.2 billion, the New York Mets at $736 million, the Boston Red Sox at $724 million and the Los Angeles Dodgers at $632 million.

I know that this will be hard to believe, but Joe Ricketts really has nothing to do with the city of Ricketts, a sleepy little village in Western Iowa, but most of the rest of this website does.

We hope to see you at the Ricketts' Kids Day at Ricketts City Park & Shelter House.
Saturday, September 8, 2007 4 PM-10 PM

Don't forget, if you're from Ricketts, you're invited to their annual reunion, next year it will be on the fourth Saturday in July. If you're Joe Ricketts, maybe you'd like to come too, and bring the team, Ricketts has a ball diamond. Maybe they'd be willing to put on an exhibition. Or play the guys in the Fire Dept? Wouldn't that be great?

As for everybody else, if you have memories or pictures of Ricketts to share, email them to our webmaster: ted.mallory@gmail.com I'll even accept funny, kitsch, or corny "Not the same Ricketts" ideas. Help put Ricketts on the map!

Mallory's Photography

You can see some great pictures Ted got at last Friday Night's Boyer Valley v. Treynor football game, and some wild shots he took camping this weekend at http://malloryart.blogspot.com

Or, you can see Cheer pictures from the Treynor game at http://www.cheercoach.blogspot.com