Sandi Chats

A year or so ago I wrote a blog on gratitude and being thankful for the many blessings we enjoy but take for granted. I believe I vowed, at least in my mind, to remain mindful of the blessings that life has given me. But I forgot to remember! So a blog, just like a good sermon, needs to repeat itself every so often to remain at the forefront of consciousness. There are jobs that are known for putting people in the mood to confess, and believe it or not, the county treasurer's job can be one of those! Facebook is another place to see what people are dealing with and get some insight into their private lives. This past week has put me in mind of several situations that have given me cause to be thankful. One person I talked to this past week mentioned great financial discouragement...and how I can relate to that! It's true that money can't buy happiness, but it sure can relieve some stress and make life easier! And the lack thereof can make life tough. I recall some times

Sunset on the St. Louis River When I began this blog I said I would be posting about my travels, which promptly became non-existent! Life got busy and we went places but no place that was blog-worthy. Unless you are an avid Fast Draw fan, posting about the latest shoot sounds like the one before it. And, other than trips to visit the kids, we haven't done anything worth sharing...until last weekend. Last weekend was the Wisconsin State Championship held at Superior, Wisconsin, which is a vvveeeerrrryyyyy long drive! We have been through the Duluth, Minnesota/Superior, Wisconsin area on a couple of other trips, but I don't think we had ever put our feet on the ground there. But Mike wanted to attend this shoot since it was one we hadn't done before. And it just happened to work out this time. So Friday morning at "O dark thirty" we finished loading the last of the items in the camper and struck out for the North Country. It was raining but didn't cause

I see that I have been AWOL for  nearly two months! In the meantime we had the biggest winter blizzard we had all year, spring has arrived in full bloom and we now have the air conditioner turned on and running. It's always been said that if you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait 5 minutes! And this has certainly been true this year.  My focus this year is on transition. Life is a constant transition but it's usually the kind of transition that takes place gradually and in the background of consciousness. This year, with my pending retirement, there is active and targeted transition going on. Plans are being talked about, to-do lists are being made, and the things I've done for 26 years are being wrapped up and prepared to hand over to someone else. I keep thinking I should be sad and sentimental and nostalgic, but honestly, I am looking toward the future with anticipation and excitement. I'm sure you are asking yourself what can I do that would be thi

I like to joke that my job is only a "temp job" since I have to be reelected every four years. Job security is hard to come by these days, and this job is no different except that I am guaranteed a four-year run between elections. I began this job in 1992 working as a deputy for the county treasurer. I held that position for 6 1/2 years until that treasurer retired then ran for the position myself. I took office in January 1999 and have held the position for 19 years...and counting. Time has gone so fast, and it sometimes boggles my mind that I have held this position for nearly 20 years. Including those years I served as deputy, this will amount to 26 1/2 years at the same job. That calculates out to be 40% of my life at this job. In contrast, we milked cows less than half that time and it seemed like a lifetime! So this year I bravely stepped out and decided to retire at the end of this term. It wasn't an easy decision to arrive at. What about the finances? What w

You may recognize the title of this blog as also being the title of a Laura Ingalls Wilder book where Laura describes a winter from her childhood that lasted seven months. This was the winter of 1880-1881 when the Dakota Territory, where the book takes place, was very sparsely settled. The book tells of the hardships of living on the prairie during seven months of blizzards and cold with scant provisions. Yeah, those people were tough!!! We have all heard the stories about the Blizzard of '88 (that's 1888), when many people on the Plains perished due to being caught in a sudden 3-day blizzard. And my folks tell stories from the Blizzards of '49 (that's 1949), which they lived through. How planes dropped provisions to snow-bound residents and how the  "weasels" had to come out and open the roads. The '49 blizzards were a series of blizzards that hit every few days for several weeks, totally paralyzing this area. Fast forward to the current winter that w

Seems this winter has worn on long enough...can I get an "Amen" for that? And meal planning around warm comfort foods has also worn somewhat thin at our house. We have probably made 10 gallons of chili, 10 gallons of vegetable beef soup and 5 gallons of cheeseburger soup, which are our favorites, plus the occasional bowl of tomato or potato soup. Basically we are just tired of the same old same old stuff! And yet, it is still soup weather and appears that it will be for some time to come! Spring doesn't seem in any hurry to show its face! Last weekend we were in Valentine for the Heart City Jackpot. A lady from the Nebraska Adoptive and Foster Care Parents support group sold concessions at our shoot. On Sunday she made white chicken chili. Now I've heard of it and seen recipes for it, but in my little square box chili must be made from beef with a tomato base and red beans for it to be real chili.  Robbi set up her concessions for breakfast and put that soup on

We have a policy at our house, we never buy new furniture and we never buy used appliances. The new appliance policy is just so we don't have to replace appliances so often by buying them half worn out. The no-new-furniture policy is a matter of economics. We finally hauled off our old couch last spring. We picked it up at the local "trash to treasures" event a number of years ago. It was butt ugly but built to last, however we managed to wear it out after many years of use. Even after it broke, we propped it up with a 2x4  block for a couple of years. It was finally just time to get rid of it, so out it went! So for several months we lived without a couch. I didn't realize how much I would miss a couch. I had a comfortable easy chair, but by the time I sat down and two dogs joined me in it, and I tried to juggle a drink and a book, none of us was comfortable. One of my guilty pleasures is to lay on the couch. A couch, a good book, a blanket and a Sunday afterno

I don't know if it's just the long dark days of January or if life really is bearing down on people more than usual, but I've talked to a lot of people recently who just seem to be getting worn down by the ongoing cares of life...the drama, the never-ending responsibilities, the bills, the family situations...and the list goes on and on.  Well, I hate to break it to everyone, but this is called life. It's extremely doubtful that any of us is facing a unique situation. It might be a new one for us, but it's not unique in the whole scheme of life.  But that doesn't make it any easier to bear just knowing that others face these situations. Seems we at our house have been in discouraged mode for a year now...with no relief in sight! Health, finances, and just the ongoing struggles that make up our lives seem to be taking their toll. I wish I could offer some kind of magical advice that would set everyone on a path to peace, health and prosperity, but that'