Dick Trail

Yes, a favorite United States holiday will be here in two days. It is my favorite. Grannie Annie and your old columnist have celebrated all over the USofA, but of course, the food at home is always the best. Food, family, and friends enjoying it all. What could be better?...

Your old columnist finds it hard to see the why of resistance to Jewish believers in our beloved USofA. Southwest Nebraska has only a small Jewish population, a reflection of settlement patterns rather than sentiment. The presence or absence of Jewish neighbors has never been a point of concern here, and it would not be one. Therefore, it is hard to understand why all the Jewish hatred that we see is demonstrated on the nightly TV news...

She loved it. Formally it was a funeral, but for us it was a family gathering to celebrate a long life well lived. The celebration was for my sister Margaret Trail Nielsen, and I've known her for some 88 years. Margaret, nicknamed Maggie, was the eldest of four children and loved stepping in to take over during any temporary absence of our mother...

A teacher takes great pride in having a student do well in life. Possibly your old columnist might qualify as a teacher because over the past 62 years, I have taught both men and ladies to fly all sorts of aircraft. I have been privileged to help airline pilots, crop sprayers, instructors, Air Force pilots and those who simply wish to fly for enjoyment in their journey to learn...

I felt great joy when I read the announcement by our President that the GIB had been rescued in Iran. Great memories from my days flying air refueling tankers in the Vietnam conflict. Actually, it happened all too often when one of our fighters had suffered combat damage over North Vietnam and had to punch out over enemy-held territory. ...

It was with delight that I read Sue Doak's column in Friday's Gazette. She wrote of the "first frame structure in Red Willow County". Ah yes, I knew it well. The Fitches were about our closest neighbors when my family, parents and four siblings moved from Hitchcock County to down in the valley a few miles south of McCook. ...

Your old columnist had to chuckle a bit. Living here in our Independent Living Facility, new rules changed assigned seating for dining to "sit anywhere you desire." Grannie Annie and I decided to sit and visit with new friends during our three meals a day. ...

Lesson learned! It has not been a great idea to try to write a column on the day of my birthday. My cell phone keeps dinging with a happy birthday message on Google Messenger, which I acknowledge and then lose that train of thought. Then Facebook keeps responding with birthday wishes. Grannie Annie sez that I need to admit to 89 years. I am blessed; thank you!...

So today is election day. This old guy is urging you to vote if you haven't done so already. Yes, it is hard to know who to vote for. Unless you do a little research into the candidates, about all one sees is yard signs. Who are they? What have they done in life? Why are they running now?...

It was a meeting of old guys, your old columnist included. Last week, my son Don drove me to visit the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Actually, it was for a mini-reunion of the graduating class of 1959. About thirty of us classmates were present. We were the first ever class to graduate from the brand-new Academy, and only 207 of us made it through those tough (for me) four years. Now, only about a third of us are fortunate to still be enjoying life...