A Sunday contemplation from Rich DeVries

Summer Getaways—Starry Nights

He made the stars also.
Genesis 1:16

According to National Geographic, the most mind-boggling thing we can do is gaze into the starry night.  On a clear night we might see 3,000 stars with the naked eye, but no one knows how many stars exist.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 8

The Bible frequently tells us to stargaze.  The Lord told Abraham, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them” (Genesis 15:5).  He told Job, “See the highest stars, how lofty they are!” (Job 22:12)  The psalmist praised God when he considered the moon and the stars, which God ordained (Psalm 8:3).

We may have too much light in our cities, but (here in CWL) sometime during this summer, find a dark place, look up, count the stars, and praise the God who created them and who calls each of them by name (Isaiah 40:26).

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, / Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Stuart Hine

Careful!

It appears someone has gained access to my contact list and is sending emails in my name about wire transfers. It is not from the View address, it is from my lakefolks address. Please be careful and do not follow any instructions given.
Ken

IMPORTANT... in case you missed the e-blast

Effective immediately so please make note.

New Visitor Call-In Number is 815-339-0311.

Your personal code remains the same

Capron Rescue Squad update

Meet our Public Safety squad August 2nd from six to eight

 This is termed the "NATIONAL NIGHT OUT" but in reality it is your chance to not only meet the force but also ask questions, tell them your concerns, and in general have a good time. These are the people who protect our community and yes, put themselves in harm's way if necessary. Lives have been saved and serious problems averted through their actions. We are fortunate to live in a community where we have our own patrol and controlled admission.
As a side benefit to showing up will be an ice cream social for all to enjoy. Bring the kids and have a fun evening.
Ken

Beach closed and skimmer waiting for parts

No surprise, the runoff from the farm fields after the last rain brought bacteria into our lake including e.coli so the beach is closed until we get a clear sample. We test the lake constantly to ensure safety. Closings will be pretty much a yearly occurrence in a man made lake. Notice will go out when it is open again. At least the pool is set to go.
Our skimmer is waiting for repair parts before it can hit the lake again. I didn't ask what is needed. Now we will once again see the inlets as they used to be before the skimmer unless the parts arrive quickly. Brace yourselves, I was at Pierce Lake this afternoon and it is really ugly by the tollway end. Green, slimy, bubbly looking stuff for hundreds of feet into the lake. We have been looking good.
Ken

Reminiscences

Rich riding through my "old stomping grounds" in Southwestern Iowa brought back memories of what many of those living in this more civilized area have probably not experienced in their youth. Bear with me while I re-live a couple of these memories from my childhood.
 Grandpa Dillenburg had passed on in his forties so Grandma lived alone down by the train tracks in the tiny town of Benton. It was the southernmost home in the town of maybe fifty people and no other home was on the dirt road. South of the house was a cornfield and after that another dirt road leading to a small creek to the west. Grandpa had been a painter and he used all his left over paint to paint the house and the large rocks that were near it. The home was bright with blues, reds, yellow, white, you name it. Quite a place. No indoor plumbing or water. The old pump in the front yard was the water source. Anyway, I digress.
 I would occasionally stay with Grandma. While there I have eaten horse corn (known here as field corn). We picked it from the corn field across the driveway and boil it like sweet corn. Not too bad actually. I have no idea who's field that was where we picked it. Another treat was popped soybeans. They didn't pop like corn but they broke open when fried in oil and would be crunchy and again, not bad.
 Then there was the "road hunting." We only walked

when hunting squirrels. For pheasants, rabbits, and quail we simply drove along the gravel roads in the winter and Dad shot them out the car window with his .22 rifle or single shot .410 shotgun. Many times he would put the gun over me to shoot out the passenger car window. My job was to run out and grab the game and throw it on the floor in the back seat so we could proceed. I remember one snowy day Dad and I were making the rounds and had an especially fruitful day, bagging 18 rabbits. We got home and someone had dropped off another 12. Dad had thirty rabbits to clean. Mom would fry rabbits and make some of the best gravy from the cracklins you have ever eaten. Illegal hunting? Heck yes, but that made it more fun. Besides, it really was a plentiful food source in the poorest county in Iowa.
 Anyone wasting their time reading this to the end, thanks for listening to an old man's ramblings about the good old days.
Ken

This is the ride Rich is on

The driver of the truck that struck and killed a cyclist in Iowa on Sunday performed CPR on the cyclist until paramedics arrived, according to the driver's wife.

The 72-year-old RAGBRAI participant was killed early Sunday near Glenwood, Iowa, after his bicycle was struck from behind by the pickup truck.

Wayne L. Ezell of Jacksonville was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement from the Iowa State Patrol. The crash occurred about 6:40 a.m. on U.S. Highway 34.

North Boone 3 BBQ!

Pretty heavy downpours this weekend

 I was happy to see at least to this point the new design for the lower end of the system as well as the smoke testing and sealing has worked for AQUA. I saw no discharge coming out of manholes or elsewhere. If anyone saw a problem please let me know. Keep your fingers crossed!
Ken

A short Sunday Smile

Welcome aboard Tom sr.

Tom Pinkowski has joined our merry group as a member of the ECC. He is doing a great job asking the right questions and showing his desire to be sure the regulations are followed. Tom was voted vice-chairman at the last meeting. Our chair is Darin Wheeler. Darin must be camera shy, I have no picture of him to post.
Ken

Crazy Rich is at it again!

As has been his routine the last few years, Rich Witt is going to ride in RAGBRAI. This is a bicycle trek hundreds of miles long, this time across Southern Iowa. Having lived in Southwestern Iowa until I was 12 I can attest to the unforgiving hills,dust, and weather. We all should wish him the best in this adventure. He is by far a better man than I. July 24th through the 30th will be days (and nights) he will never forget.

Ken

Personal Board meeting notes

Board meeting notes... July 19, 2016

Open forum for property owners included mowing contractors indicating it was unfair to make them trim when some Candlewick owned areas are not adequitely trimmed.

Another P.O. discussed what some feel is a lack of enough utilization of our EcoHarvestor for weed and algae control.

A third P.O. Would like to see media coverage for some of our events in the future.

The AQUA update... Joel (from Aqua) indicates the lift station and road repairs are finished. A power surge from a lightning strike or ComEd burned out the number one pump plus some wiring and we have been running on back up. Pump number one will be back on line hopefully wihin two weeks of you reading this. We can expect the Rec
Center sewer credit for the pool filling on our next rec center AQUA bill.



Finance Commission reports bad debt write offs in the amount of $1,451.34. Accounting adjustments total $845.00.
Our standing at the end of June is Operating cash of $1,770,233.95, Operating investments of $330,867.54, Reserve investments $3,609,613.74. Total investments $3,940,481.28 and Total cash of $5,710,715.23.
We are currently under budgeted expense by $19,566.72 and over revenue budget $21,733.70, meaning we are “to the good” by $41,290.42 fiscal year to date.



Public Safety reports the National Night Out will be August 2 at the Rec Center from 6 to 8 in the evening. Meet your Public Safety staff and have some free ice cream.



Lake Management reports the Kid's Fishing Tournament had a poor turnout this year and will be on a different date next year. BioSwale plantings are complete. The commission feels the harvester is being underutilized.



Events asked for the gates to be open October 1 from 11-4 for a kite flying event. The board denied the request.
The First Responders picnic is in the planning stages.



The Rec Commission mentions Yoga is on Mondays at 7 p.m., Aqua Zumba Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Karate is averaging 9 to 12 participants, and Swim classes have five levels with five pupils each.
The Dog Park has sold 25 tags this year. Some are using it without tags and there needs to be signage indicating no guest usage. The baby pool is losing water. Investigation is underway to find the source of the leak.



The Outpost planning is moving ahead. During this meeting the architect was selected to draw the blueprints and oversee construction of the new building. As I have stated before, all hinges upon the final board vote deciding whether to proceed with the planned construction.



Savannah Oaks reports The course is still looking good and playing well. Watering during the dry weather is of course a main focus but there have been a couple fungus flare up which were handled promptly. All seems well.



Savannah Oaks clubhouse tells us there are 30 kids playing in the youth league (not bad!). Bags league has ten teams. The eleventh featured Pub Trivia with another good turnout. The 4^th of July tournament went well with 30 players. Chris Murphy took 1^st, Jeff Heinrich took 2^nd, and Brian Lenick took 3^rd place. Longest putt was Noah Kroll, longest drive Chris Murphy, and closest to the pin was Jeff Heinrich, who also won a barbque grill in the drawing!
Savannah Oaks is still struggling in comparison to last year, showing us $4,127 in losses worse than 2015 through June.



The Golf Commission indicates the Youth Tournament is scheduled for August 7^th, Labor Day Tournament September 3^rd, King of the Course is October 8^th. Landscaping around the clubhouse has been freshened up.



The ECC is happy to announce Tom Pinkowski Sr. Has joined their ranks.



Communications is adding a flyer to the new member welcome packet explaining the dog park. E-blasts now cover 900 to 1000 email addresses. (This is a very effective means of disseminating important information and everyone should sign up). Realtors are being contacted about advertising in our ads planned in the Northwest Heral;d for seven months of our fiscal year.



The Roads commission reports BelRock completed phase one of three of the road repairs at a cost of $34,828.80. The Pierce Patching Box has been built and installed for shoulder work and patching and training will be forthcoming. Fahrner Company is recommending micro-surfacing over chip/seal for our roads. A resolution was passed to microsurface the following areas as phase two, 2016.

Midwest Alarm Services was contracted to handle monitoring of our Rec Center alarm services.

Be sure to watch for official minutes printed in your Candlewick Paper.

Capron Rescue Squad post from Facebook

Today, representatives from Mercy Rockford EMS system and the Illinois Department of Public Health came out for our annual Ambulance inspection . We are proud to report all 3 ambulances passed with no discrepancies of any kind. Keeping the equipment that the residents of our District provide for us in top notch condition is our privilege.

Special thanks to Lt. Bouchard for her spearheading and coordinating the inspection process. Thanks also goes to Lt. Schwartz and Lt. Wing, Paramedic Stephanie Vega, EMT's Brian Mroczenski, Kevin Meads, Jen Meier and Johanna Erber for their efforts in making sure everything went perfectly. Well Done !!!

Yes, I am getting political

I watched some of the coverage of the convention on PBS before the main media started covering it at 9. The coverage was a joke. The commentators wanted to be the story and kept cutting away from the speeches to explain how bad the convention had been and how divided the party is.
Next I went to CBS at 9 only to see the speeches cut off again in order to do interviews with anyone they hoped would be negative. Unbelievable.
Probably the most shocking thing in the coverage to me was the segment with Hillary so she could call Trump dangerous, unfit to lead, on and on. Since when does the Republican convention include interviews with their opponents? The media is doing all it can to stop any convention bounce for Trump.
If Trump's wife or one of the speechwriters did copy from Michele's speech it had to have been one of the dumbest moves ever. Did they really believe no one would notice word for word clips? Coincidences happen but boy this is really a heck of one. At least the media is loving it and using it endlessly as a lead item to try to hurt Trump.
Time will tell.
Oh, and if you have a minute click on this link to see our current president taking a segment from a speech of another a few years earlier. No media problem here...
Obama copying another's speech
Ken

Your Sunday Smile... from Dale Mediema

All in the Family

A man was brought to Mercy Hospital and taken in for coronary surgery. The operation went well and, as the groggy man regained consciousness, he was reassured by a Sister of Mercy, who was waiting by his bed.

"Mr. Smith, you're going to be just fine," said the nun, gently patting his hand. "We do need to know, however, how you intend to pay for your stay here. Are you covered by insurance?"

"No, I'm not," the man whispered hoarsely.

"Can you pay in cash?" persisted the nun.

"I'm afraid I cannot, Sister."

"Well, do you have any close relatives?" the nun essayed.

"Just my sister in New Mexico," he volunteered. "But she's a humble spinster nun."

"Oh, I must correct you, Mr. Smith. Nuns are not 'spinsters.' They are married to God."

"Wonderful," said Smith. "In that case, please send the bill to my brother-in-law."

Tuesday, the 19th Board meeting agenda

Utter frustration.........

O.K., there are times I wish we had not even purchased the skimmer. Most seem to have forgotten the way the inlets looked and smelled during the heat of the summer. Our lake is remarkably cleaner and nicer than it has been in my memory.
Complaints keep coming... why isn't the skimmer by my property, dock, cove, frontage, etc. The algae pops up from the bottom daily and the skimmer can not be everywhere in the lake at once. The process takes time.
You may remember I posted a week or so ago regarding the lack of manuverability when winds are high. This runs on hydraulic paddle wheels and sits high like a pontoon. It is very difficult to control.
Thursday due to the P.O. complaints it was taken out even though it was windy. After hitting the areas most blocked from the wind it was trying to move from the sheltered area and was being pushed by the wind toward the bank. Sonny, the operator, had to open it up all the way up and fight to stay in open water. You guessed it, another hydraulic pump blew after quite a while problem free. Now we have no skimmer until it is fixed. If the fingers look bad they will just look bad. We all know why.
Ken

One especially handsome group

Sent by Larry Ohlendorf.

I think this is a distinct possibility.  Ken

Written by the distinguished Bill Bennett about Donald Trump.

I think you will find it very interesting and alarming. Please take the time to read it.
PHD - Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan
Cultural studies at the distinguished and renown Heritage Foundation
Interesting take on Trump.William J. Bennett, Host of Bill Bennett's Morning in America Show, is one of America 's most important, influential, and respected voices on cultural, political, and education issues. He has one of the strongest Christian world views of any writer in modern times.
What I See Happening In a Trump Presidency
By Bill Bennett
"They will kill him before they let him be president. It could be a Republican or a Democrat that instigates the shutting up of Trump.
Don’t be surprised if Trump has an accident. Some people are getting very nervous: Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Eric Holder, Hillary Clinton and Jon Corzine, to name just a few.
It's about the unholy dynamics between big government, big business, and big media. They all benefit by the billions of dollars from this partnership, and it's in all of their interests to protect one another. It's one for all and all for one. It’s a heck of a filthy relationship that makes everyone filthy rich, everyone except the American people. We get ripped off. We’re the patsies. But for once, the powerful socialist cabal and the corrupt crony capitalists are scared. The over-the-top reaction to Trump by politicians of both parties, the media, and the biggest corporations of America has been so swift and insanely angry that it suggests they are all threatened and frightened.
Donald Trump can self-fund. No matter how much they say to the contrary, the media, business, and political elite understand that Trump is no joke. He could actually win and upset their nice cozy apple cart.
It's no coincidence that everyone has gotten together to destroy The Donald. It's because most of the other politicians are part of the a good old boys club. They talk big, but they won’t change a thing. They are all beholden to big-money donors. They are all owned by lobbyists, unions, lawyers, gigantic environmental organizations, and multinational corporations – like Big Pharmacy or Big Oil. Or they are owned lock, stock, and barrel by foreigners like George Soros owns Obama or foreign governments own Hillary and their Clinton Foundation donations.
These run-of-the-mill establishment politicians are all puppets owned by big money. But there's one man who isn't beholden to anyone. There's one man who doesn't need foreigners, or foreign governments, or George Soros, or the United Auto Workers, or the teacher's union, or the Service Employees International Union, or the Bar Association to fund his campaign.
Billionaire tycoon and maverick Donald Trump doesn’t need anyone’s help. That means he doesn’t care what the media says. He doesn’t care what the corporate elites think. That makes him very dangerous to the entrenched interests. That makes Trump a huge threat to those people. Trump can ruin everything for the bribed politicians and their spoiled slave masters.
Don’t you ever wonder why the GOP has never tried to impeach Obama? Don’t you wonder why John Boehner and Mitch McConnell talk a big game, but never actually try to stop Obama? Don’t you wonder why Congress holds the purse strings, yet has never tried to de-fund Obamacare or Obama’s clearly illegal executive action on amnesty for illegal aliens? Bizarre, right? It defies logic, right?
First, I'd guess many key Republicans are being bribed. Secondly, I believe many key Republicans are being blackmailed. Whether they are having affairs, or secretly gay, or stealing taxpayer money, the National Security Agency knows everything.
Ask former House Speaker Dennis Hastert about that. The government even knew he was withdrawing large sums of his own money from his own bank account. The NSA, the SEC, the IRS, and all the other three-letter government agencies are watching every Republican political leader. They surveil everything. Thirdly, many Republicans are petrified of being called racists, so they are scared to ever criticize Obama or call out his crimes, let alone demand his impeachment. Fourth , why rock the boat? After defeat or retirement, if you’re a good old boy, you’ve got a $5 million-per-year lobbying job waiting. The big-money interests have the system gamed. Win or lose, they win.
But Trump doesn’t play by any of these rules. Trump breaks up this nice, cozy relationship between big government, big media, and big business. All the rules are out the window if Trump wins the Presidency. The other politicians will protect Obama and his aides but not Trump. Remember: Trump is the guy who publicly questioned Obama's birth certificate. He questioned Obama's college records and how a mediocre student got into an Ivy League university. Now, he's doing something no Republican has the chutzpah to do. He's questioning our relationship with Mexico; he's questioning why the border is wide open; he's questioning why no wall has been built across the border; he's questioning if allowing millions of illegal aliens into America is in our best interests; he's questioning why so many illegal aliens commit violent crimes, yet are not deported; and he's questioning why our trade deals with Mexico, Russia and China are so bad.
Trump has the audacity to ask out loud why American workers always get the short end of the stick. Good question! I'm certain Trump will question what happened to the almost billion dollars given in a rigged no-bid contract to college friends of Michelle Obama at foreign companies to build the defective Obamacare website. By the way, that tab is now up to $5 billion. Trump will ask if Obamacare's architects can be charged with fraud for selling it by lying. Trump will investigate Obama's widespread IRS conspiracy, not to mention Obama's college records. Trump will prosecute Clinton and Obama for fraud committed to cover up Benghazi before the election. How about the fraud committed by employees of the Labor Department when they made up dramatic job numbers in the last jobs report before the 2012 election?
Obama, the multinational corporations and the media need to stop Trump. They recognize this could get out of control. If left unchecked, telling the raw truth and asking questions everyone else is afraid to ask, Trump could wake a sleeping giant. Trump's election would be a nightmare. Obama has committed many crimes. No one else but Trump would dare to prosecute. He will not hesitate. Once Trump gets in and gets a look at the cooked books and Obama's records, the game is over. The goose is cooked. Holder could wind up in prison. Jarrett could wind up in prison. Obama bundler Corzine could wind up in prison for losing $1.5 billion of customer money. Clinton could wind up in jail for deleting 32,000 emails or for accepting bribes from foreign governments while Secretary of State, or for misplacing $6 billion as the head of the State Department, or for lying about Benghazi. The entire upper level management of the IRS could wind up in prison.
Obamacare will be de-funded and dismantled. Obama himself could wind up ruined, his legacy in tatters. Trump will investigate. Trump will prosecute. Trump will go after everyone involved. That’s why the dogs of hell have been unleashed on Donald Trump.
Yes, it's become open season on Donald Trump. The left and the right are determined to attack his policies, harm his businesses, and, if possible, even keep him out of the coming debates. But they can't silence him. And they sure can't intimidate him. The more they try, the more the public will realize that he's the one telling the truth".

WOW! They were busy this week.

Tomorrow

Solid Sunday advice

Don't tell me we aren't gaining on it!

This is a picture I took July 9th of Fisherman's Cove. This was one of the areas that would seemingly attract algae like a magnet in mid summer in the past. Look at it today and this is mid July with some very hot weather behind us. Compare ours to other lakes in the area. We look great. 
We have had problems with the skimmer but it still has proven to be a great tool for keeping our lake attractive. We will not be able to get around every pier that has some weeds or algae or every floating chunk but I'll tell you folks, in our ongoing battle to continue improvement of property values this is an important tool.
Ken

More Marron Madness

The Vanilla Pudding Robbery

This is just too funny not to share.. Excerpted from an article which appeared in The Dublin Times about a bank robbery on March 2. 

Once  inside the bank shortly after midnight, their efforts at disabling the security system got underway immediately. The robbers, who expected to find one or two large safes filled with cash and valuables, were surprised to see hundreds of smaller safes throughout the bank. 

The robbers cracked the first safe's combination, and inside they found only asmall bowl of vanilla pudding. 

As recorded on the bank's audio tape system, one robber said, 'At least we'll have a bit to eat.' 

The robbers opened up a second safe, and it also contained nothing but vanilla pudding. The process continued until all safes were opened. 

They did not find one pound sterling, a diamond, nor an ounce of gold. Instead, all the safes contained covered little bowls of pudding. 

Disappointed, the robbers made a quiet exit, each leaving with nothing more than a queasy, uncomfortably full stomach. The newspaper headline read:

'IRELAND'S LARGEST SPERM BANK ROBBED EARLY THIS MORNING'....

Where is the skimmer?

Today the guys decided it was a good time to replace the pick-up belt for more efficient operation. There was no break-down, just maintenance. Barring some problem it should be back on the lake Friday.
Ken

From Politico. Informative questioning

FBI Director James Comey confirmed on Thursday that some of Hillary Clinton's statements and explanations about her email server to the House Benghazi Committee last October were not true, as evidenced by the bureau's investigation into whether she mishandled classified information.

During an extended exchange with Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), Comey affirmed that the FBI's investigation found information marked classified on her server even after Clinton had said that she had neither sent nor received any items marked classified.

"That is not true," Comey said. "There were a small number of portion markings on, I think, three of the documents."

Asked whether Clinton's testimony that she did not email "any classified material to anyone on my email" and "there is no classified material" was true, Comey responded, "No, there was classified material emailed."

"Secretary Clinton said she used one device. Was that true?" Gowdy asked, to which Comey answered, "She used multiple devices during the four years of her term as secretary of state."

Gowdy then asked whether it was true that Clinton, as she said, returned all work-related emails to the State Department.

"No, we found work-related emails, thousands that were not returned," Comey said.

"Secretary Clinton said neither she or anyone else deleted work-related emails from her personal account. Was that true?" Gowdy asked.

"That's a harder one to answer," Comey responded. "We found traces of work-related emails in, on devices or in slack space. Whether they were deleted or whether when a server changed out something happened to them, there is no doubt that the work-related emails that were removed electronically from the email system."

Gowdy asked whether Clintons' lawyers read every one of her emails as she had said. Comey replied, "No."

July 17th 6:30 p.m.

Stop by the Rec Center for this free outdoor concert.

Candlewick Lake Public Safety
WEEKLY REPORT
Week Ending 7-5-2016
 

Rescue Calls
Public Safety responded to six (6) medical calls this past week. All six (6) subjects were transported to the hospital.

Medical Assist
Public Safety responded to a residence in the 600 blk. of CWD for the report of a women who had fallen. She was observed by the Officer through a window, to be lying on the floor. The Officer promptly summoned Capron Rescue for assistance. Capron Rescue and Public Safety assisted the resident, she was transported to the hospital.

Juvenile Problem
Public Safety Officer responded to Quincy Ct. for a juvenile problem. Upon arrival the Officer learned some older boys had been using foul language and harassing some younger youths. Parents were spoken to and made aware of the circumstances. Warnings were given, the parents would handle this incident.

Public Safety dealt with another juvenile issue at Marina #1. Several youths were jumping off the piers into the water in violation of CWL rules. Some of these youths had received written warnings recently. A citation and several more written warnings were issued.

Theft of Mail
Public Safety responded to the 100 block of Benedict for a report of U.S. Mail missing from the mailbox. The U.S. Postal Service had also been advised. It was recommended a report be made with the BCSO.

Citizen Assist
Public Safety assisted an intoxicated pedestrian in the 2000 blk. of CWD. He was taken home.

Noise Complaints
Public Safety only had to handle two (2) noise complaints after the Fireworks celebration.

Barking / Loose Dog Calls
Public Safety responded to four (4) loose dog calls and two (2) barking dog calls this past week. Four (4) written warnings were issued. The other calls were unfounded.

ATV Call
An ATV was located using the roadway by one of our Patrol Officers. The vehicle was sent home; a written warning was issued.

Fireworks Calls
There were only eight (8) reported fireworks call this past week. These were unfounded and most of them were after the Rec Center celebration.

Lake Patrol
The Lake Patrol Officers did assist several residents with disabled boats. Boat Inspections are still continuing.

Independence Day Celebration
We are happy to report the July 2nd Parade and Fireworks Celebration complete success with no incidents to report.

Our Officers would like to thank all of our residents for their cooperation and assistance during this busy event.

Citations Issued:       27
Warnings Issued:      20

Crazy teacher!

Sunday morning I was driving and had the radio tuned to National Public Radio. As most of you know, NPR is an unabashed liberal leaning media outlet. The interview in progress actually set me back even considering the source.
A school teacher was being interviewed and discussed teaching her students to sing the National Anthem. This was fine until she carried it one step further. "WHY" she stated "since we are such a diverse nation are not all students singing the National Anthem of many nations?" 
She was dead serious. Would you want your children singing the National Anthem of Nigeria or Belgium or Cambodia? Are we to have no national pride? This is the United States of America and we should all be proud of our country and it's anthem. 
Yes, we are a diverse nation, some through legal means and some not, but that doesn't mean we should be attempting to stop assimilation and promote division. This is one nation under God, not many nations under whatever you consider god.
One man's opinion, mine, and of course I am right.  Ken

Happy July 4th

Your Sunday Smile!

Wind can be a problem

 The maintenance guys were making great headway cleaning the lake with the skimmer but mother nature threw a monkey wrench in Friday's plans. Wind can make the skimmer very hard to control with the paddle wheels not to mention getting it onto the trailer. We can not have it being blown into a rocky or shallow area while skimming. I have watched the trailer loading process and it is like threading a needle. That being said, the lake as a whole looks pretty darn good compared to many Fourth of July weekends I can remember. I can walk to the end of our pier and see down at least five feet. That is pretty clear. We are gaining on it.
 I wish the "Dip" was a little better but it is passable considering the circumstances. Enjoy the weekend with family and friends. I know we will be.
Ken

Seniors looking for higher rates for your CDs?

Don't hold your breath..... This is from Bloomberg. All the way to September of 2017 the consensus is continuing low rates.

A restaurant review

I found out a few days ago that Dandy Donuts Lakeside now has fish on Friday nights. I was also told it is very good. We found that to be true. Fran and I each had a two piece fish dinner. It came with fries, bread, and of course those famous donuts. Trust me, it is a full meal and very tasty as well. Stop by and try it.
 Dan told me they experimented with several brands of fish and were not satisfied until they landed on this one. It had consistent size for correct deep frying as well as a great taste.They made the right choice. 
 Dandy is now gearing up for probably the busiest weekend of the summer and it sounds like the weather will be great. There will be specials on hamburgers and pulled pork for all the partiers. They also now have a beer and wine license for those wanting a cold beer with their meal. Stop by and enjoy a tasty meal with Dan and Mary. Great people with a fine community spirit.
Ken