Ever had "one of those days?"
I had one the other day. Seems Google was hacked and my email was sending out messages to people. Scarey. I don't know what else the hackers got about me, but I will be watching my financial accounts like a hawk.
But, along with that came a new epiphany. I have a very diligent bank in Meridian Bank here in AZ. Within minutes of their reception of an email from me about being locked out of my account, they called me to see if I had sent them an email. They assured me they did not send anything and helped me reset my password and ID. Small town community banks are like that---they watch over their customers and care just a little more.
When we moved to AA 2.5 years ago, we looked for a bank that would treat us like Farmer's Merchants Bank in Paxton did. We wanted someone that would know us when we walked in the door and would call us by name. We got that. When we deal with people at the bank, we feel we are dealing with friends, not some major corporation that is cold and insensitive.
That, I think, is the key to good customer relations. Treat people like their friends and you want them to return. Be kind, gentle, understanding, and willing to go out of the way to help. The more I am treated this way, the more I want to return. I always felt that way with Shields Automart in Paxton, that is why I bought about 20 cars from them over the years. That is how I find my doctor. If I can trust the person to let me know the facts quickly and up front, then I am more likely to feel comfortable with that proctology exam.
For instance... I went to my urologist for a small problem and he suggested a cytoscopy. (I will leave you to look up the details.) When he came into the exam room, I asked him, "What kind of grade did you get in this procedure?" His answer? "Grade? I just now looked over the manual on how to use the instrument!" I like a Dr. with a sense of humor! ( I think he was joking....)
Anyway, when it comes down to trusting people, it is kind of like picking your nose.... You can pick your friends, You can pick your nose... But you can't pick your friend's nose.
Doughnut
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Visiting the Donut Machine
Ever had one of those feelings of love, hope, excitement and joy all wrapped into one little emotion all at once? Been stunned by the mere sight of something you have not seen in a long time? We get that feeling with people, but machines? Well, I had those feelings yesterday when my son Jim and I went to Las Vegas to see the doughnut machine my parents had their Donut Shop when I was growing up . To make a long story short, my brother and I gave the machine back to the company that originally made it (DCA/Moline Manufacturing in Duluth, MN) and they restored the machine and now send it around the world to baker's conventions and make donuts with it for conventioneers!
We were met at the convention by Charlie Heinmuller of Moline Manufacturing and led into the giant hall where the machine literally was positioned in the middle of the arena. As we turned corner of the exhibit and spied the machine, the visual of the machine and smell of the heating oil wafted me into a sea of dreams. There I was, back in the Donut Shop in Hoopeston with Mom at the end of the table icing those treats and Dad adjusting the air pressure to make them perfect.
A lump rose in my throat as Charlie explained how they had left many of the pieces, including the motor, intact and had retooled some gears. We laughed as he told me how the machine draws crowds overseas when it is at exhibitions there and how many foreigners clamor for the doughnuts it puts out. These people want to buy the machine, but they are rebuffed by Gary Moline and the others at Moline Manufacturing because of the machine's history both with their company and with America. The machine, he tells them, is priceless.
I went to the side of the machine, peered inside at the spider where the doughnuts are separated so they can cook. It looked as though it was still 1964, and was just as clean as it was then.
The smells got even more powerful and the images clearer as the two men responsible for running the machine, Bob and Chris, were introduced to us. I told them how my dad used to dress in khaki pants and a V-necked T-shirt. They looked at each other, and broke out in laughter and recounted how they wanted to dress in khakis and then each unbuttoned their shirt to show me their V-necked T=shirts! We roared! As I explained to Bob and Chris how Dad used to coax the machine into getting the just right pressure, they constantly chuckled and said, "We have to do that, too!" At one point, Bob turned to Charlie and Don Moline (the Chairman of the Board of Moline Manufacturing who had joined us) and said, "We ought to hire him to run this thing!" We met the entire Moline family from Gary the President to his sons. It was good to see that the machine was involved still in a family business where many of the employees were also multi-generational.
Chris backed out of a small storage area carrying a mixing bowl full of dough. Though smaller than the one Dad used, he climbed on top of a small ladder and poured the dough into the machine. As he did this I told him how Dad filled the plugged cannister on the ground, then lifted it onto the machine and pulled the plug just as he got it over the cutter. He agreed that would be much easier. (the next file might be a bit sideways!)
Next came the moment of truth.... Bob and Chris turned the machine on and let it do its magic! The orginal motor chummed like clockwork and the gears ran flawlessly. The dough dropped magically into the hot oil and floated around the moat, getting flipped after 27 seconds by a flipper and 45 seconds later emerged from its circuitous route as a delicious globule of glutenous delight!
We all stood there transfixed by the metaphysical relationship that frying doughnuts work on the human psyche. As they rolled out the fron chute onto a table similar to what mom had, I had the urge to pick one up and place it into some ghostly bowl of icing. Chris reached over with a stick much like Dad and Mom used and placed it gently on the wire basket to cool. a lump rose in my throat that could only be choked down by a bite from that first one! Like Dad had done so many times, I picked it up, broke it into two pieces to check for doneness, and popped one piece into my mouth! For a fraction of a second, Mom and Dad stood next to me and I defied the laws of physics and went back in time. The doughnut was perfect!
The batch continued to run until the inevitable end where the "crippled" doughnuts came out. (I know, it is not PC, but that is what we called them.) For old times sake, one even got caught under the flipper in the back and had to be rescued. (In my book, Arnold Schuff would have gotten these.) There was no icing, but Chris did put about a dozen of them into a sack of sugar and coat them.
Bob and Chris were gracious enough to sack up a half dozen for us (I am sure I could have had more.) and Jim and I bid adieu to that doughnut machine. Mom and Dad get to spiritually go to places they could otherwise never see, and whenever I think of them and that machine, I will not see the rusted piece of junk that was in my garage for so many years, but rather I will remember that iconic piece of my childhood and Americana and the two loving people who taught me to always "keep my eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole!"
Doughnut
Friday, September 24, 2010
To Sheldon,my brother.
One of life's greatest joys is family. One of life's greatest frustrations is family. One of life's greatest enjoyments is family.... I think you get the picture.
During my trip back to Illinois to publicize my book, GROWING UP DOUGHNUT, I had the pleasure to stay with my brother Jim in the tiny hamlet of New Salem, IL. Jim is a few years older than I am, and, he would say, wiser. Me? I got the looks in the family jeans.(the misuse is intentional)
During the course of our visit, my brother Jim seemed to me to have picked a bit of a compulsive behavior. Maybe it is his advanced age (He is, after all older than I.), or maybe he has always been this way and I never noticed. He has to have things just so, and he has become a creature of habit. For instance, I first recognized this problem when I was in the bathroom weighing myself and my luggage for the return trip. After I had concluded the exercise, I put the scales back where I thought they were. Jim immediately moved them 1/4 inch closer to the wall. He said that he had, "calculated the required space needed to look over his stomach and see the numbers..." Apparently being a little too far away might have made him weigh more.
In the "having things just so" file...When he drives, he has to have the passenger visor at just the right angle, or it makes him feel out of sorts when he drives. When he mows, he makes sure that his lines are straight. Me? I have to worry about whether my rocks get raked just right in my desert lawn.
All this came to a head when we were watching The Big Bang Theory. I realized that Jim, who is highly intelligent, had traits similar to those of Sheldon. So, I have taken to calling him Sheldon. I wonder, does this make me Leonard, Raj, or Walowitz? (Jim might say my actions resemble Walowitz's mom.)
Jim made an astounding observation when we were traveling the back roads of Pike County looking for deer during my stay. ( I have to say, for a county that boasts that it "harvests" 10,000 deer a year, I saw only 4...they were in Calhoun County, not Pike. Do deer know about this harvest?) The observation was this... it is amazing that two rather large guys from such a small mother could be so vastly different. He is a small town guy who likes to live in relative seclusion without all the hubbub of people. I, on the other hand, have migrated to the big city and now like the sights and sounds and interactions I have with people on a daily basis.
He is probably right. We are vastly different. But we still have one thing in common that I never told him. That is...when he is not around, I miss him.
Keep mowing Sheldon, and make sure your lines are straight.
Doughnut
During my trip back to Illinois to publicize my book, GROWING UP DOUGHNUT, I had the pleasure to stay with my brother Jim in the tiny hamlet of New Salem, IL. Jim is a few years older than I am, and, he would say, wiser. Me? I got the looks in the family jeans.(the misuse is intentional)
During the course of our visit, my brother Jim seemed to me to have picked a bit of a compulsive behavior. Maybe it is his advanced age (He is, after all older than I.), or maybe he has always been this way and I never noticed. He has to have things just so, and he has become a creature of habit. For instance, I first recognized this problem when I was in the bathroom weighing myself and my luggage for the return trip. After I had concluded the exercise, I put the scales back where I thought they were. Jim immediately moved them 1/4 inch closer to the wall. He said that he had, "calculated the required space needed to look over his stomach and see the numbers..." Apparently being a little too far away might have made him weigh more.
In the "having things just so" file...When he drives, he has to have the passenger visor at just the right angle, or it makes him feel out of sorts when he drives. When he mows, he makes sure that his lines are straight. Me? I have to worry about whether my rocks get raked just right in my desert lawn.
All this came to a head when we were watching The Big Bang Theory. I realized that Jim, who is highly intelligent, had traits similar to those of Sheldon. So, I have taken to calling him Sheldon. I wonder, does this make me Leonard, Raj, or Walowitz? (Jim might say my actions resemble Walowitz's mom.)
Jim made an astounding observation when we were traveling the back roads of Pike County looking for deer during my stay. ( I have to say, for a county that boasts that it "harvests" 10,000 deer a year, I saw only 4...they were in Calhoun County, not Pike. Do deer know about this harvest?) The observation was this... it is amazing that two rather large guys from such a small mother could be so vastly different. He is a small town guy who likes to live in relative seclusion without all the hubbub of people. I, on the other hand, have migrated to the big city and now like the sights and sounds and interactions I have with people on a daily basis.
He is probably right. We are vastly different. But we still have one thing in common that I never told him. That is...when he is not around, I miss him.
Keep mowing Sheldon, and make sure your lines are straight.
Doughnut
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Trip Update
Blogging? I ain't been doing no stupid blogging!
Finally! I got some time to write something, and I have to say it has been so long, I barely know how to put my fingers on the keys of the keyboard, let alone put words together in to phrases, sentences and paragraphs. You don't use it... You lose it, I guess.
Many of you know that I have been away from home for a while. No, I did not run away (although in my youth I thought of it... wanted to go and see the world), I have been on a "World Tour" promoting "Growing Up Doughnut."
To some the term "World Tour" conjures up far away, exotic places; meeting with thousands of throngs of people who clamor and hang on my every word. Well, that is exactly what I did. And for good measure, I added a "reunion" to the title. So, I went on the "Growing Up Doughnut Reunion World Tour."
I went to exotic places like Pittsfield, IL; Champaign, IL; Paxton, Loda, Hoopeston, Cheneyville, and Griggsville, IL. I spoke to Women's Groups, Reading Clubs, Libraries; just about anyone that would listen to me about my pride and joy from the depths of my psyche--Growing Up Doughnut. I went to out of the way places in Iowa and Missouri. And saw my old house in Hoopeston, the sweet corn canning factories, the Sweet Corn Festival and learned of the crowning of the National Sweetcorn Sweetheart, Brittany Hagan of Indiana, the second most beautiful girl in all of America. ( I say this because her chances are good that she will be Miss America like 5 other contestants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Sweetheart )
The real orders of the trip, though, was to sell the book, sign the book, talk about the book, and reconnect with old friends; some who I had not seen in 30 years. I met up with Roger Beatty (who is in the book) and learned that he is now called "The Stink Ditch Guy" because of our escapades in the book. I also saw my good friend Don Smith from Carterville, and the Drollinger girls who came from West Lafayette and Georgia. Harold Simpson treated me to a Diet Coke at his Dairy Queen on Main Street, while Molly Culbert opened her shop "Flowers and Gifts by Molly" for a book signing. In Paxton, Andy Hudson let me have a table to greet friends and sell books in his store, "Hudson Drug and Hallmark Store". And Jane Addams Bookshop gave me a great deal of help promoting the book to folks in Champaign. Anne Dill of WCIA-TV and Dave Bennett and Jennifer Ketchmark of WCFN-TV put my story on the morning and evening, and I found two old friends in Wendy Doan-Mingee-Davis and John Green working there.
My family back in Illinois helped by lodging me: pseudo children Ryan and Elizabeth Carlson not only put up with me, but also saved the trip by letting me borrown Elizabeth's car. My former partner-in-crime, Jim Flaherty, gave me a bed and beer, while his lovely wife, Pam, fixed food for me (something she rarely does for Jim, according to him.) My real cousin Joan entertained me and my nephew and niece, Nick and Erin with a meal, and stayed up way past her bedtime to catch me up on the 30 years we have missed with each other. Despite having knee problems, Linda Martin let me crash on her couch on a stormy night in the Sweetcorn Capital of the World.
One of the greatest things happened to me when I was speaking at the Hoopeston Library on Sunday, though. (Thanks here to Linda Mitchell) While I was speaking about the book, two women entered from a side door and approached me at the podium. They just stood there and did not say a word. I was flabbergasted...who were these women that they would block the public's view of an important figure like me? As I stared at them, the age on their faces dripped away revealing two lovely ladies whom I had not seen in 20 years. There before me were my cousins from Chicago, Vera, and Suzie! Their grandfather was the man I owed my name to! I almost broke out in tears.
Overall, the trip was fantastic, and I have more stories to tell. Watch on Friday for a story about my brother, Sheldon!
Doughnut
Finally! I got some time to write something, and I have to say it has been so long, I barely know how to put my fingers on the keys of the keyboard, let alone put words together in to phrases, sentences and paragraphs. You don't use it... You lose it, I guess.
Many of you know that I have been away from home for a while. No, I did not run away (although in my youth I thought of it... wanted to go and see the world), I have been on a "World Tour" promoting "Growing Up Doughnut."
To some the term "World Tour" conjures up far away, exotic places; meeting with thousands of throngs of people who clamor and hang on my every word. Well, that is exactly what I did. And for good measure, I added a "reunion" to the title. So, I went on the "Growing Up Doughnut Reunion World Tour."
I went to exotic places like Pittsfield, IL; Champaign, IL; Paxton, Loda, Hoopeston, Cheneyville, and Griggsville, IL. I spoke to Women's Groups, Reading Clubs, Libraries; just about anyone that would listen to me about my pride and joy from the depths of my psyche--Growing Up Doughnut. I went to out of the way places in Iowa and Missouri. And saw my old house in Hoopeston, the sweet corn canning factories, the Sweet Corn Festival and learned of the crowning of the National Sweetcorn Sweetheart, Brittany Hagan of Indiana, the second most beautiful girl in all of America. ( I say this because her chances are good that she will be Miss America like 5 other contestants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Sweetheart )
The real orders of the trip, though, was to sell the book, sign the book, talk about the book, and reconnect with old friends; some who I had not seen in 30 years. I met up with Roger Beatty (who is in the book) and learned that he is now called "The Stink Ditch Guy" because of our escapades in the book. I also saw my good friend Don Smith from Carterville, and the Drollinger girls who came from West Lafayette and Georgia. Harold Simpson treated me to a Diet Coke at his Dairy Queen on Main Street, while Molly Culbert opened her shop "Flowers and Gifts by Molly" for a book signing. In Paxton, Andy Hudson let me have a table to greet friends and sell books in his store, "Hudson Drug and Hallmark Store". And Jane Addams Bookshop gave me a great deal of help promoting the book to folks in Champaign. Anne Dill of WCIA-TV and Dave Bennett and Jennifer Ketchmark of WCFN-TV put my story on the morning and evening, and I found two old friends in Wendy Doan-Mingee-Davis and John Green working there.
My family back in Illinois helped by lodging me: pseudo children Ryan and Elizabeth Carlson not only put up with me, but also saved the trip by letting me borrown Elizabeth's car. My former partner-in-crime, Jim Flaherty, gave me a bed and beer, while his lovely wife, Pam, fixed food for me (something she rarely does for Jim, according to him.) My real cousin Joan entertained me and my nephew and niece, Nick and Erin with a meal, and stayed up way past her bedtime to catch me up on the 30 years we have missed with each other. Despite having knee problems, Linda Martin let me crash on her couch on a stormy night in the Sweetcorn Capital of the World.
One of the greatest things happened to me when I was speaking at the Hoopeston Library on Sunday, though. (Thanks here to Linda Mitchell) While I was speaking about the book, two women entered from a side door and approached me at the podium. They just stood there and did not say a word. I was flabbergasted...who were these women that they would block the public's view of an important figure like me? As I stared at them, the age on their faces dripped away revealing two lovely ladies whom I had not seen in 20 years. There before me were my cousins from Chicago, Vera, and Suzie! Their grandfather was the man I owed my name to! I almost broke out in tears.
Overall, the trip was fantastic, and I have more stories to tell. Watch on Friday for a story about my brother, Sheldon!
Doughnut
Friday, September 17, 2010
I'm back!
Hey! I am sorry for not writing in so long... I have been out of touch with reality with promoting the book back in Illinois (lack of internet helped, too.). But I PROMISE I will start writing again on Monday... and I have some very important news to relate...
Doughnut
Doughnut
Friday, August 27, 2010
Gettin' Ready To Be Trippin'
In case you have not looked at my profile for a while, I am old. I only say this because I find that as I get older, I don't travel as well. I don't like going to the airport, getting on a plane, and winging my way across the US. I don't like landing, merging in the hustle and bustle of deplaning. The very idea of standing next to people and scrambling to get my luggage makes me fearsome. I have learned to not like crowds.
That being said, I am embarking on a three week trip to Illinois to promote my book, "Growing Up Doughnut." I love talking to people, finding out their stories and reconnecting with friends, but there is something about being away from home that bothers me; I can't put my finger on it.
There is always the chance that I might miss my wife. NAAAAH! How could that be? For two-three weeks, there will be no one to make me eat right, pick up my clothes or whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I will be free! I will go where I want, when I want. Eat what I want, drink what I want. I will be the ultimate bachelor...footloose and fancy free.
Right! If you have not seen my itinerary, you don't know that almost every waking hour is spent on the road or speaking to people. I even get to be on TV (I sure hope that it DOESN'T add 10 lbs), although I have the face for radio. And there will be radio appearances, too. I am going back for two weeks, and will have almost no time for friends that I have not seen in 3 years or more. Is this what celebrities go through? I am sure the paparazzi will be out there, waiting for me show up someplace without underwear on, or to see if I spill spaghetti sauce on myself, or to find me driving drunk!
They are in for a surprise. The most they might get in pictures is me with drool running down my chin as I sleep on a friend's couch. There also might be the occasional doughnut icing on the corners of my moustache and the ketchup on my shirt. But really, I am no where near wild anymore. I mean, when I go out to eat, I drink iced tea because soft drinks make me gassy.
"My Two Hometowns" are great places filled with great people. And, despite my aforementioned fears of travel, I am looking forward to being back, even for a short time. I wish I had more time so I could visit with everyone I miss. So, if I don't get to see you, Just know that I miss you, especially when you're gone.
Look for me in Hoopeston and Paxton and Champaign next week... Here is my schedule:
September 1………….. Paxton Women’s Club 11 AM (Tin Pan)
Loda Library 1pm
September 2 …………..WCIA interview (Approx 7:10AM)
Speak to Jr. English Class Centennial HS (9AM)
WCFN interview (Approx 7:40PM)
September 3……………WHPO Interview (7:30AM)
WPXN Interview (1pm)
Jane Addams Bookshop (Champaign) 5-7
September 4……………Hudson’s Drug Shop @ 9-11AM
Molly Culbert’s (Hoopeston) @ 3-5PM
September 5……………Hoopeston Library @ 2PM
September 7……………Speak to English classes at PBLHS all day
You can also follow my trip on twitter @Donutwriter
That being said, I am embarking on a three week trip to Illinois to promote my book, "Growing Up Doughnut." I love talking to people, finding out their stories and reconnecting with friends, but there is something about being away from home that bothers me; I can't put my finger on it.
There is always the chance that I might miss my wife. NAAAAH! How could that be? For two-three weeks, there will be no one to make me eat right, pick up my clothes or whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I will be free! I will go where I want, when I want. Eat what I want, drink what I want. I will be the ultimate bachelor...footloose and fancy free.
Right! If you have not seen my itinerary, you don't know that almost every waking hour is spent on the road or speaking to people. I even get to be on TV (I sure hope that it DOESN'T add 10 lbs), although I have the face for radio. And there will be radio appearances, too. I am going back for two weeks, and will have almost no time for friends that I have not seen in 3 years or more. Is this what celebrities go through? I am sure the paparazzi will be out there, waiting for me show up someplace without underwear on, or to see if I spill spaghetti sauce on myself, or to find me driving drunk!
They are in for a surprise. The most they might get in pictures is me with drool running down my chin as I sleep on a friend's couch. There also might be the occasional doughnut icing on the corners of my moustache and the ketchup on my shirt. But really, I am no where near wild anymore. I mean, when I go out to eat, I drink iced tea because soft drinks make me gassy.
"My Two Hometowns" are great places filled with great people. And, despite my aforementioned fears of travel, I am looking forward to being back, even for a short time. I wish I had more time so I could visit with everyone I miss. So, if I don't get to see you, Just know that I miss you, especially when you're gone.
Look for me in Hoopeston and Paxton and Champaign next week... Here is my schedule:
September 1………….. Paxton Women’s Club 11 AM (Tin Pan)
Loda Library 1pm
September 2 …………..WCIA interview (Approx 7:10AM)
Speak to Jr. English Class Centennial HS (9AM)
WCFN interview (Approx 7:40PM)
September 3……………WHPO Interview (7:30AM)
WPXN Interview (1pm)
Jane Addams Bookshop (Champaign) 5-7
September 4……………Hudson’s Drug Shop @ 9-11AM
Molly Culbert’s (Hoopeston) @ 3-5PM
September 5……………Hoopeston Library @ 2PM
September 7……………Speak to English classes at PBLHS all day
You can also follow my trip on twitter @Donutwriter
Monday, August 23, 2010
A Heat Advisory?
Today in Phoenix we are under a heat advisory until WEDNESDAY. I really think that a heat advisory here is an oxymoron. I mean, really, heat? Phoenix? August? People really have to be out of it to think that there will be not be adverse heat conditions here at this time of year.
But, Illinois is having heat issues, too. That figures as school is just starting there. We always had a heat wave once school started, and there was no A/C in the student area of the building. Oh, administration offices had the coolness, but the learning part of the schools were unbearable. Made for a great environment. Teachers and students alike were more worried about sweat lines than "getting those test scores up".
I am going back to Illinois next week to promote my book, "Growing Up Doughnut." I will be getting there in the height of Labor Day weekend and staying until the Tuesday after Labor Day. I wish I had more time to see friends and places, but I do have to get back and spend some time with my family before returning here.
Hoopeston and Paxton are two towns very close to my heart. One was the city of my youth, the other the town of my adulthood. I learned many lessons in both of them, and most of my 1260 Facebook friends are from one of these experiences. There are a few from Morning Sun, IA, and a few from Eureka College, but for the most part I either a Cornjerker, a Mustang, or a Panther for most of my life.
I have not been back to these communities in almost three years, and I wonder how much they have changed. Paxton has a few less bridges and Hoopeston has fewer downtown stores. But what has not changed in either of these hamlets is their passion for their towns and their identities with these population centers. Hoopeston has a new project called, "Be a part of it!" and Paxton has its Main Street group. Both are trying to breathe life into towns hit hard by the recession and are holding their heads high.
One thing bothers me about all this. Both communities have vast resources of people who want to work. Hoopeston has factories sitting idle as does Paxton. Why are companies going overseas to get workers and helping those economies instead of helping the US economy right here? That is a question for legislators in Washington and Springfield and Phoenix. Why have they allowed companies to basically abandon the US to help countries in far corners of the world at the expense of our own people? Did the Free Trade Agreement that Reagan thought would create global equalization lead to the problems we face today?
It is time to give politicians who would allow jobs to go overseas a heat advisory.
But, Illinois is having heat issues, too. That figures as school is just starting there. We always had a heat wave once school started, and there was no A/C in the student area of the building. Oh, administration offices had the coolness, but the learning part of the schools were unbearable. Made for a great environment. Teachers and students alike were more worried about sweat lines than "getting those test scores up".
I am going back to Illinois next week to promote my book, "Growing Up Doughnut." I will be getting there in the height of Labor Day weekend and staying until the Tuesday after Labor Day. I wish I had more time to see friends and places, but I do have to get back and spend some time with my family before returning here.
Hoopeston and Paxton are two towns very close to my heart. One was the city of my youth, the other the town of my adulthood. I learned many lessons in both of them, and most of my 1260 Facebook friends are from one of these experiences. There are a few from Morning Sun, IA, and a few from Eureka College, but for the most part I either a Cornjerker, a Mustang, or a Panther for most of my life.
I have not been back to these communities in almost three years, and I wonder how much they have changed. Paxton has a few less bridges and Hoopeston has fewer downtown stores. But what has not changed in either of these hamlets is their passion for their towns and their identities with these population centers. Hoopeston has a new project called, "Be a part of it!" and Paxton has its Main Street group. Both are trying to breathe life into towns hit hard by the recession and are holding their heads high.
One thing bothers me about all this. Both communities have vast resources of people who want to work. Hoopeston has factories sitting idle as does Paxton. Why are companies going overseas to get workers and helping those economies instead of helping the US economy right here? That is a question for legislators in Washington and Springfield and Phoenix. Why have they allowed companies to basically abandon the US to help countries in far corners of the world at the expense of our own people? Did the Free Trade Agreement that Reagan thought would create global equalization lead to the problems we face today?
It is time to give politicians who would allow jobs to go overseas a heat advisory.
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