Tuesday September 13

Saying for the day:The way to succeed is to double your failure rate.Thomas Watson
------ There was lots of excitement in Pigeon Falls today. Nancy Emelia Vanhala chained herself to the old oak tree on the vacant lot on main street. Nancy as everyone in Pigeon Falls knows is the great, great, granddaughter of Emil Towner Vanhala, Pigeon Falls only decorated World War I hero and quirky inventor( He invented the self adjusting suspenders). Nancy is very active in almost every organization in town and very well liked. She was protesting the decision of the town council to sell the lot which belongs to the city and to have the tree cut down. It seems a local unnamed merchant wanted to put a store there. To be fair to the town council the action would have saved on fall cleanup and keeping up the lot. Nancy carried a sign that said save our tree and no more tourist traps. Somehow CNN got hold of the story and there was a cameraman there to record the moment. Pigeon Falls made the national television news and the town council looked like villains. The council met in emergency session and voted four to one to rescind the action. They felt that Pigeon Falls didn't need the adverse publicity and the local merchants objected to being called tourist traps on national TV. It seems they see themselves as vacation enhancement providers. In any case the tree is saved. A lot of Pigeon Falls people even some who are friends of Nancy are wondering what was so special about that tree. The woods around Pigeon Falls have lots of oak trees and one oak is as good as another. For now Nancy has put away her signs and is back to just being a generally helpful person. I'll keep you informed.
------I had a good night last night. In the morning I sent my Christmas want list to the three kids. Got an E-mail from Pennie who is on a cruise ship in Florida and having a great time. After breakfast Betty and I cleaned off three shelves in the bedroom, organization continues. We got rid of a box full of garbage and we found some projects for ourselves and for the grandkids. In the afternoon I finished Jack's Sauna. Betty trimed trees around the house and did some painting of loads for train cars. I cleaned off some more garage shelves getting ready to bring in the houses at the end of the month. Then I worked on the Lanyon part of the family website which will take several more days. I am short so much information. Betty made a tree chart to paste paper apples on for her Tops group. Well I need a breathing treatment and a bath.
GBYA