Plymouth News
Plymouth News for the week of Feb 6th, 2012
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Guess I should mention that it is Super Bowl Sunday. Caught the last 5 minutes of the game. That was pretty exciting and afraid that is my "years worth of football". There probably is no hope for me. Had invited some friends over for dinner not even realizing that it was the biggest day of the year for football fans.
Got the greatest idea from a email this week. When the lights go out, you have to try to find the candles, the oil lamp or the flash light. Then you are afraid that the candle will set the house on fire and all that kind of stuff. Well how about those solar lights that we all have lining our walks. They are really inexpensive. They last forever. All they need to recharge is to be put out in the sun. So the email suggested next time the lights go out, put a solar light in each room. If the lights are out for more than a day, just stick it back outside and recharge it. Brilliant-why did any of us not think of that.
I have crocus and daffodils coming up and my butterfly bush is still green as is the bamboo. Interesting winter or lack of it. Again I feel so fortunate to be living where we live- there has been bad weather on all sides of us.
You will remember the squirrel story of two weeks ago and that I lost one of my four friends. Well one day this week I looked out at the maple tree where the squirrels hang out with the oil sunflower seed and the ear corn and I counted five squirrels. They must have heard that there was a vacancy at the Inn. Love to watch them and very happy to have some new friends.
The Sisters in Christ of the Burnside Christian church invited me to come and speak to their group on Wednesday evening. Found my way there a bit early and brought my things in and was looking around the building. I noticed the church board which said there were 240 people for services. Asked one of the ladies if that board was correct and she said that it was. Imagine Burnside, probably with less than two hundred residents having 240 for church. Amazing. They had to build a new sanctuary a few years ago and learned that all the pews are full every Sunday. Wow! Anyway took 3 baskets of antiques over and we talked about some of them. The ladies brought in some of their favorite things for evaluation or to share. Nice evening.
Went to Lowderman's auction on Thursday. Was very interested to see the large quantity of new furniture which they had for sale and which I thought brought very good prices. I was surprised. Got two mannequins for the store and a few small things. Had dinner with a friend and got home in time to watch my favorite TV shows.
I have told you before that I consider the 4.95 per month that I spend with Adams for caller ID as one of my best investments. I use it to sort which calls I answer or which ones I answer and then explain to the caller that I do not talk to people who have their ID "blocked". Well I looked at the caller ID when the phone rang this week and it said "phone scam". When I answered it was Rachel who tells me at least 4 times a week "that there is no problem with my credit cards at this time..." so it really was a phone scam but the first time that has ever come up on called ID. Good work Adams.
Dot Burdett said there was good attendance at the potluck at the Senior Center in Augusta on Thursday.
Came home from work on Friday afternoon and found a lot of yellow paint chips at the base of my back porch steps. Connected that with the scars on my patio and side walks, all on my property, also with some yellow paint and figured out that I had a person actually skate boarding off my back porch steps. Think some parents need to teach their off spring about private property. Have had trouble up town with this but certainly did not expect it on my own back porch where I feed my kitties and enter my home.
The Plymouth Old Settler's committee is sponsoring a breakfast on February 18th. Hope you will come out and support the event. It will be at the PCCC.
Hope you are continuing to enjoy the great weather. Have a great week. Scatter kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of Jan 30th, 2012
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Some news from last week. Gerald White gave phase two of his talk on the prairie restoration which he has done on his farm at Plymouth Women's Forum on Monday evening. We all enjoyed his slide presentation and information. Hostesses for the evening were Mimi Lawton and Wanda Eddington who filled in for Carolyn Hamilton.
The finance committee met at the Living Faith Methodist church on Wednesday evening. The missions committee met on Wednesday January 25th at the Living Faith church in Bowen. The big news is a concert to be held in Charger Auditorium on Saturday evening March 24th. The concert will be held as a fund raiser for the "Imagine no Malaria" campaign of the United Methodist Church in conjunction with other groups. There will be more information to come but save that date on your calendar now.
Attended the "First Annual Technology Summit in Western Illinois" which was held at Sullivan And Son's new building just west of Plymouth. There was an excellent crowd present to hear presenters from Adams, ETC Computerland, Computer Works, PC Technologies, Illinois Signal, Frontier, Hancock Health Dept., the McDonough Telephone Coop and more. The topics were interesting even though I did not understand everything which was presented! I was interested to find out just how many companies already exist to help with computer problems and to lead the way with improved technology in our area of the state.
Also went to visitation for Jan Holmes on Wednesday evening at the Living Faith Church. It was obvious that she had many friends. There were a lot of donations for the Southeastern Food Pantry in her name.
Don't know if you have been out just at the right time of evening this week, but the moon has been "new". It has also been horizontal so it looks like a huge smile. I like to think of it as "God's smile" for us.
We almost had an Emmaus gathering on Friday evening. Dot Burdett and Regan Ramsey arrived but the car load from Bowen got to Augusta and turned around and went back home. The roads were less than ideal with the snow falling.
Went to the auction at Sullivan and Son on Saturday. Great social event. I have always felt at ease with claiming the whole area for Plymouth so will tell you that John and Arlis Dittmer from West Plymouth were there as was Stan Dixon and his wife from northeast Plymouth, Phil Stienbarger from south Plymouth and many, many more. Lots of interesting things at the auction. Got some ducks, some neat glassware and a couple of pieces of furniture for the shop.
Another historic building has been lost. The former Augusta Grade school burned in the early hours of Saturday morning. Most recently it had been used for the Lions Club and a Museum but both had vacated the building. When ever something burns at 3 am I always am suspicious. Have you noticed how many fires begin at 3 am?
Still feeding the rest of my squirrel friends and the birds who frequent my yard. Was rewarded with a big "Red-bellied woodpecker" this morning. Never understand why they are called that when the red is on the back of their necks.
Went to Quincy after church to try to find replacement covers for the light which crashed during the "water event" of last week. Found that I could not buy just the light cover so will call the company and see if they can ship them to me. My contractor says it may be more economical to replace the whole light fixtures than to just get the covers. Does not make a lot of sense but I do understand the system better now.
Ran into Dr. Wright in Sam's so got to thank him in person for buying my lunch a week or so ago. Have been seeing a lot of my former students from Central. It is really neat to see how they have grown up and become fine adults.
Hope you have been enjoying the great weather this winter. We have been so fortunate! All next week also looks good. Even if we do get some winter weather during February, we have not had much during November, December and January and that is really something to be thankful for unless you happen to have a lot of stock in Ameren or like to sled or ski.
Have a great week. Scatter Kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of Jan 23rd, 2012
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
We learned at church this morning that Jan Holms had lost her battle with brain cancer. She fought so bravely for so long. Our sympathy to her family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
What do tap dancing sounds on flue covers, a bath tub that suddenly won't drain and water coming through your kitchen ceiling all have in common? Give up? You will remember that I have mentioned that I and friends of mine have "singing" flue covers when the wind is strong. Lately mine have not been singing but producing sounds more like tap dancing. Have gone out to check for birds on covers but there were none. They like to sit on them when the weather is really cold to warm their feet. But there was a squirrel on the roof and then I have seen him on the chimney top between the flue covers a couple of times. Thursday morning I heard a very strange noise which I thought was on the roof. Never had heard that particular noise before and when I ran outside to look, there was nothing on my roof. Well Friday morning the bath tub would not finish draining and the water in the stool would not go down. I came downstairs and water was coming through my kitchen ceiling. Not a good sign and not good for a dry wall ceiling. Rushed to the basement and shut off the water to the whole house and called Ramsey's. They were here in a jiffy. God bless them. Recounted my story of hearing a strange noise yesterday "on the roof" and asked if it was possible that a squirrel had gotten down my vent pipe. There did not seem to be much interest in my squirrel theory. Took the front off my tub, roto ruted my stool etc. then someone went to the basement and started banging on pipes. They were blocked. Eventually Steve cut a pipe and found red hair and one of my pet squirrels in an elbow in the basement. Now I was in and out to the store and not sure just how the rest of the story played out. I did ask if they gave my friend a Christian burial in the back yard and they indicated they had not, said more like a "burial at sea". When I left for the store, one of the light fixture covers on the kitchen ceiling was filling with water. I got the ladder but knew I could not get it down by myself so asked the guys to take down the fixture cover. Well gravity is a quick and powerful force! They came to the store to get me to survey the damage and we mopped and picked up fixture pieces.
I am so thankful that I got help almost immediately. I am even more thankful that we did not have to tear out walls to find the problem. "Curiosity killed the squirrel" may be more apt than the original saying. I have had four squirrel friends in my yard for several years. They have eaten bushels of oil sunflower seeds and corn. Will miss this little guy. No one should end of inside an elbow in the sewer system in the basement. Nor should any human come down stairs to find water running through a ceiling!
And, by the way, it is not legal to cover a vent pipe. Starting classes next week on "eat more so you will not fit inside a vent pipe".
Scatter sunflower seeds.
Plymouth News for the week of Jan 16th, 2012
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Monday evening heard an ambulance come into town then heard the helicopter arrive and it was on the ground for a half hour. Our sympathy to the family of Lawrence Cox who passed away this week. Perhaps the two events are related. The Cox family has been an important part of Plymouth history.
Since there has not been a lot of traffic at the store this week have been working on the store. You will not recognize the back room next time you come in. Have gotten most of the merchandise off the floor and on to shelves. I am still working on it but I think things will be easier to find.
I keep reading that if one does not eat breakfast they are actually "more beautifully rounded" than those who do eat breakfast. Now breakfast is not one of my favorite meals despite having a bed and breakfast but I am making a real attempt to eat oatmeal most mornings. Actually I hate oatmeal but with enough cinnamon, sugar and fruit in it it is somewhat tolerable. Hope it makes me more healthy!
Had lunch at the Best Buffet in Quincy on Wednesday as usual. The waitress came over and told me that Dr. Wright had paid for my lunch. This has happened before but I have never seen him. I am sure that it is one of my former students at Central, David Wright. Thanks to him.
Wednesday the weather was beautiful and the temperature up to 57 degrees. Thursday we had snow. If you like weather changes, Illinois is the place to live,
Joshua Twidwell was named to the "President's List" at Culver Stockton College. I believe this means he had a perfect 4 point average. Congratulations Joshua.
The Warehouse Pickers will play at the former Plymouth school building on Saturday, January 28th at 6:30 pm. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy the music which is to glorify God, entertain the public and just have a time of sharing the enjoyment of the music. Would like to compliment Bob and Melanie Kessler for donating the use of the building for this event. I did not know about it last time they played so asked when the next program would be and want to let all you out there know also.
The only thing better than one pot luck is two potlucks. There were about 50 people who stayed for the pot luck after church at the Living Faith Methodist church on Sunday. Of course all the food was great as well as the fellowship. Later on Sunday the Plymouth Women's Circle sponsored a pot luck at the PCCC. There were twenty one present which included Charlotte Dorethy who is recovering from surgery. Certainly was good to see her again. Hope she continues to improve.
Also visited with Esther Sellars on Sunday afternoon. She has a back injury and is on rest for some time. It would be difficult not to be able to do anything for a few weeks. Hope her recovery goes well.
Saw a big beautiful shooting star this week. Kind of disappointing to know that it really was probably a piece of space junk tumbling back into the atmosphere.
We know that some of the soldiers who have witnessed such horror during their tour of duty have lasting problems. I was reading this week that one thing which they can do is to just be thankful for one small thing each day. Then two then more and more. No matter how bad things may seem in our life, there is still one thing to be thankful for. If we can just find that one thing and then build on it, life improves even though it may seem like there is no hope. Be thankful for each day you live, enjoy the sunshine or the snow. Look at the birds which come to your yard to feed and add color and activity to your life. Thank God for your health or ask him to improve it. Just keep building on the things for which you are thankful and get some exercise and hopefully life will improve if it needs to do so.
Give thanks, scatter kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of Jan 9th
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Even though we have had no snow have been putting out 4 kinds of seed for my friends with feathers. This has been quite successful. On Monday there were cardinals, blue jays, juncos, Eurasian tree sparrows, finches, chickadees and two squirrels that I saw at one time. Love watching all this wild life. They bring me joy.
Thanks to Darla Whitford who brought me food to the antiques store. Loved the soup and ham and beans. Thank you.
Peg Webster, my cousin's wife, went with me to Quincy on Wednesday. We stocked up the antique mall booth, Sullivan's antiques and more, then we shopped till we dropped. Always have to check out several stores to see if anyone has Iams on sale. No one did but Shop Ko had 15% off so that worked.
Thursday was just a beautiful day. November, December and now January have been really nice. Hope everyone is enjoying the warm days as much as I am. It is so very nice not to be worrying about the furnace and the wildlife which I do when the temperature gets to zero. Would be OK with me if we just did not have any zero weather this winter.
Friday evening the Harvestland Emmaus group met at the Christian church in Macomb. Pastor Bruce Weiman from Living Faith lead the service. Always a nice group.
If it is Saturday, it is steak and shrimp night at the Ponderosa in Macomb. Took Dot Burdett and we enjoyed dinner there. David and Katey Kerr were also there. Dave commented that a vegetarian was a "bad hunter". Had not thought about it in just that way. Anyway I helped out a farmer who raises livestock and a fisherman who fishes for shrimp. Hope the shrimp came from American waters.
Sunday was church. We had over a hundred for services. Pastor Bruce was not feeling well but did a great job anyway. Hope he soon feels better. Pastors never has time to be sick just like funeral directors are never supposed to die. Well maybe not just like.
Went to Macomb to have lunch with Francoise and Art Peterson. Was a great lunch and nice conversation. Thanks.
Since there was no newspaper during the week between Christmas and New Years, you can pick up my blog for that week on www.plymouthil.com.
Hope you have a great week. Scatter Kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of Jan 2, 2012
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Today is the first day of the new year. For each of us it can be a fresh start. Whether it is, is up to us. We can choose to be more positive, more healthy, more happy, do more for others or we can stay in the rut we have been in. For a lot of us that "rut" may already be a good thing but if it is not, let's try to improve. Look around you and see if there is anyone who needs a friend, help with some project or maybe just some of your time. You always have something to give and it is in giving that we receive. Happy New Year.
On Wednesday I traveled to Peoria as many of my stoneware items were on display at the Peoria library. The exhibit had been there for two months and was to end the last of December but we closed it on Wednesday so I could bring my things home. Though they looked very nice on display and were shared with others, I think they were glad to get home. Stacy Peterson, the curator of the exhibit, and I had lunch together and I got to tour the library and meet several of the employees. The main branch of the library is downtown and has recently undergone an expansion and a revitalization. It is beautiful, functional and being used. I was interested to learn that Peoria has a homeless population and that they use the library frequently. Interesting day. Also stopped by to see my college friend, Georgette Engler.
Thursday Mike and Will Sullivan had an auction at their new site just west of Plymouth. It was a huge sale and many people from the area were in attendance. Was really fun to see friends and get an opportunity to buy some really neat things. Got one wonderful early desk and a great spinning wheel to go in the antiques store.
Saturday evening was New Year's Eve. Does not seem like that is as important a date as it once was. Perhaps it has to do with ones age. Hum. Dot Burdett and I went to Macomb to have dinner at the Ponderosa as they have steak and huge shrimp on the buffet on Saturday evenings. It was great. Saw lots of people from Plymouth there also enjoying dinner. Ralph and Carolyn Frakes, Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Ussery, Mark and Janine Dorethy, Larry Weaver and his wife were there too. Nice dinner.
Sunday when we arrived at Living Faith church, there were seats set up in the fellowship hall. Hymnals resided on the seats, the piano had been moved in there, the alter was set up there too. Seems the heat was not working in the sanctuary. Was a nice change. We were closer to each other and to the pastor. Good service.
Had lunch at Ma and Pa's in Plymouth on Sunday. It was great partly because we knew so many people who were also there. Every one was wishing every one "Happy New Year" and we all meant it. Nice to live in a small town.
As I have previously mentioned, I read "Heaven is for Real". I was so impressed with the book that I gave many of them for Christmas so others might read it too. One of the people I gave a copy to asked if he could pass it on to someone else. That was great. Hope the massage in that small book spreads far and wide and perhaps helps many people.
I often tell you about Prince Harry. Not sure he enjoyed the holidays as there were a lot of people he did not know in his home. He was not feeling well for a couple of days but is now good. Anyway I thought he needed more attention late one evening and came back down stirs to sit with him and hold him for a while. He allowed that for about fifteen minutes then got up and off my lap and went to the sofa by himself. I guess he had heard that cats are supposed to be aloof. Didn't think he knew that as he is normally a very people oriented "person".
Sunday was very windy. Will be glad when that stops. Sometimes my chimney cap "sings". Was at the home of friends for dinner and they mentioned that they had recently gotten a chimney cap and that they thought it made noise so I explained the tendency of chimney caps to "sing". It's OK once you realize just what the noise is.
For years Ben and I and several couples from the area hosted dinner parties in each others homes once a month. We enjoyed each other's company. That fell by the wayside when all the couples except us either moved or divorced then Ben died. It has been a pretty long nine years. Think it may be time to reach out to others again. Perhaps we all have become too content to watch TV, read, use the computer, the cell phone etc. Several couples have invited me to dinner now I think it may be time to return the favor. Maybe we can start a new revolution-people actually talking to each other in person.
So think what you can do to have a great new start in 2012. Scatter Kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of December 25th
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
I know there is no paper this week, but it is Sunday so I will write my column as usual.
Today is Christmas. It was a lovely holiday for me. Things have gone well at the store in December. I found things I liked for my family. The Christmas Eve service at Living Faith had over 160 people in attendance. I cooked the turkey yesterday so that we could attend church on Christmas day. May never cook a turkey on Christmas day again. Thank you Carol Rankin for the suggestion. Now if I could just learn how to make dressing for 10-20 instead of for 50! Anyone need some left over dressing?
Dot, Ed and I had dinner on Christmas Eve then went to church and came back here for Santa's visit.
This morning we were off to church again. There was a fairly good crowd considering it was Christmas day and many had meals to prepare for family. Pastor Bruce did a beautiful job making us understand that Christmas celebrates the birth of a real person. There was birthday cake and mulled cider after the service. How proper to have a birthday cake for the Christ child but how often we do not even think of that.
My family gathered in my home for Christmas dinner. We filled the dining room but managed to get back to the kitchen for more food. Santa must have lost quite a bit of his load near here as boxes and bags kept coming into the house. Though there was a stack of gifts for my grand nephews, they both liked one white bear the best and were not sure that Christmas was really about sharing. My nephew and his girl friend announced that they were engaged and a really beautiful ring had appeared on her left hand. All in all, it was a lovely day for us.
For others, I know that holidays are not so bright. You may be ill, you may have recently lost a loved one, you may be alone or lonely. You may need a job or a place to live or be hungry. But what we need to know that no matter what our circumstances, Christ was born today and that we have the promise of a better future if only we will accept that fact.
Merry Christmas and may 2012 find your life filled with hope, good health and prosperity.
Plymouth News for the week of December 19th
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Cat nip grows in my yard next to the tree where I feed the squirrels and woodpeckers. This week I saw a guest gray kitty come to visit the cat nip patch.
We had 115 at the Living Faith church on December 11th. Don't know how many we had today but like the increasing number of people who are coming to our church. May that trend continue. Our Sunday worship service begins at 10 am and we will have a regular service on Christmas day as well as a Christmas Eve service on Saturday evening. If you do not already have a church family, why not join ours.
Women's Forum met Monday evening at the PCCC. Pastors Jerry and Patsy Spratt gave a lovely Christmas program. Hostesses were Margaret Siepel and Georgia Owen.
Plymouth Women's Circle met Wednesday evening at the PCCC. Hostesses for the evening were Mimi Lawton, Dot Burdett and Joyce Steiner. We filled cookie and candy boxes to deliver to many residents in Plymouth and to former residents now in nursing homes. All those cookies and candies surely looked good.
Friendship Club met at the home of Joyce Steiner on Thursday evening. Those present in addition to the hostess were AJ Johnson, Mimi Lawton, Dot Burdett, Esther Sellars and Katherine Kee. Katherine gave devotions, Mimi a health report and AJ gave household tips. All enjoyed a carry in dinner.
Friday evening the Plymouth Women's Circle fixed dinner for all the employees of the Village. I understand the food was great and that there was a good attendance. I was at home waiting for B&B guests to arrive during the actual dinner!
Since Saturday was graduation at WIU, I had a house full of guests on Friday evening. Three car loads of guests came back to the antiques store to shop on Saturday. Some of them had shopped with me at Spoon River but had no idea that I had such a large shop in Plymouth. They enjoyed shopping and I liked the fact that they drove back from Macomb to shop in Plymouth!
Read an article about the 25 most healthful foods one can eat. I thought that you might find the list interesting and that you might want to add some of these foods to your own diet if you are not currently eating many of them. Here goes: eggs, Greek yogurt, skim milk, salmon, lean beef, beans, nuts, soy beans and tofu, oatmeal, flax seed, olive oil, avocado, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, red peppers, figs, blue berries, Asian pears, lychee, apples, guava and my favorite, dark chocolate. I am doing fairly well at 17 out of 25 but am sure that I do not eat many of those as often as I should. Then there were some I have never heard of like lychee. Get to the store and buy some health food-dark chocolate.
Christmas is this week. Hope you get all your cards sent and preparations made so that you can attend the church service of your choice on Sunday. I know that some of us who are hosting Christmas dinners are going to have to figure how how to cook some of the things differently than we normally cook them. But that is ok. Maybe we can start some new traditions. Actually like the fact that Christmas falls on Sunday so that we can celebrate the birth of Jesus on "God's day". Wishing you a Merry Christmas not "happy holidays." Let's remember the reason for the celebration.
Plymouth News for the week of December 12th
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Told you about my bus trip last week and that we went with a group called "The Chosen Ones". They and the "Lesters" gave a concert in Quincy on Monday evening so I took Dot Burdett to see both groups. There was quite a crowd from the Plymouth area. I saw Josh Kessler, May Ann Kerley, Rev. and Mrs. Owen, Esther Sellars, Margaret Siepel and Katherine Kee . Hope I did not miss anyone. Before the concert there was a dinner. They have set the 2012 Quincy concert at the Holiday Inn on the first Monday of December. All the tickets sold and the hotel had to set up another table for more guests.
Wednesday I took the day off from the store to stock up Sullivan's mall in Quincy. That did not work out! When I got to the corner of Broadway and 36th, there were many police cars, ambulances and all traffic was stopped from going north at the intersection. Same intersection I told you about seeing an accident happen last time I was in Quincy. When I got to Sullivan's, there was a sign on the door saying they were closed. Because the lights were on and I could see the owner sitting in a chair, I went in any way. Seems a person had taken an axe to the front door and broken into the mall, At that point they were not sure what all was missing. No one could walk around in the mall because it was a crime scene and the police could not finish their investigation because they were all at the accident scene on Broadway. Since I was in Quincy and had hired Linda to cover the store for the day, I shopped.
Came home from Quincy so that I could attend the Village Board meeting which is held on the 1st Wednesday of the month. The village hall was dark. Seems the meeting had been moved up to Tuesday. There are only two or three people in the village who attend the Board meetings besides the trustees, but we had not been told of the change. Talked to one of the trustees tonight and it does look like there will be some positive action in the village due to the sale of several run down properties at auction. Hope these plans work out. Note that one house is being demolished on Route 61. That is a start. There are more houses and buildings that need to come down both for safety and looks.
Bible study was lead by Pat Phelps on Thursday morning. There were 11 people present which included, Pat, Charlotte Dorethy, Mimi Lawton, Marlene Kimble, AJ Johnson, Dixie Anderson, Dot Burdett, Dorothy Torok, Pastor Bruce Weiman, Carolyn Ussery, Joyce Steiner and Prince Harry. This study continues on Thursday mornings at 9:30 am. Marlene brought me a quart of vegetable soup which she had made. It was greatly appreciated. Mimi Lawton furnished cake for dessert.
Friday evening our Emmaus group met at my home at 7 pm. Dot Burdett was hostess. There is a men's Walk in Quincy in January and we would love to have some men from the community participate. If you are interested, let pastor Bruce know as he is one of the speakers for the Walk. The women's Walks are normally held two weeks after the men's.
Saturday I worked the store. If you are looking for some Christmas presents, please remember to shop locally. My buildings are full.
Also went to Vermont on Saturday evening to have dinner with friends. Two of Ben's friends from Missouri were among the guests.
Decorated my too large, lop sided pine tree in front of my home on Sunday afternoon. Hopefully one will only see the lights and not the shape of the tree. Got some of those new energy efficient lights so will see how they look.
Got an email about shopping "American Made" this week. As I have been "beating this drum" for sometime will mention that this email was about building supplies. A home can be completely made from only products which are American made. The price is not more and the quality is often better than imported products. The email pointed out that just a 5% increase in buying American made supplies would make a huge difference in more American jobs. When you are shopping, please try to look for things which are made in America.
Have a great week. Keep preparing for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child. Scatter Kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of December 5th
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Well I finally did it. You know those bus tours where you see groups of people with straps around their neck with their name on it and the name of the tour company. Not sure if the tag is so the tour company will remember your name or so that you will! Anyway last August when the "Chosen Ones" were performing for Old Settlers, they announced that they were sponsoring a bus tour to Branson in November. Esther Sellars and I signed up. We left Augusta at 6 am on Monday morning because I was not sure how long it would take me to drive to Manchester, Il. Turns out Manchester is just below Jacksonville and the computer was correct in the amount of time it would take to drive it. I really hate to group myself with "senior citizen" but we went early so we would be on time and I think that may make me a "senior citizen". The bus was to start loading at 8 am for an 8:30 departure time. We were there before 8 and the bus was already mostly full. Seems they had picked up in Litchfield at 6:30.
Luggage was stowed and we headed for Branson. Stopped at a Sirloin Stockade for lunch and I knew I was going to like this tour! Our first show was the Dixie Stampede. I did not know just what to expect but it was neat. Beautiful building. We were ushered inside by our guide. At each stop a guide got on the bus and told us what to do when we got inside even if we were just eating. We had a group photo taken as well as a photo of all the participants. These were for sale later. They were surprisingly well done so we purchased ours. There were no utensils for dinner. All food was consumed with your fingers, my kind of place. Then were were treated to a great show with lots of horses and animals and of course a Christmas theme. Dolly Parton was only there on the screen-probably a disappointment for the guys. Had a light tour and an ice cream social.
Tuesday we took in two shows-the Shoji Tabuchi show and the Jim Stafford show. The first show was really wonderful and it was interesting to learn that the theater was renown for its bathrooms! Well they were outstanding but I am not sure that I would have ever thought of making my bathroom a "must see" in Branson. Dinner at the Golden Corral and another ice cream social. Now I was really into these tour guides!
The "Chosen Ones" are friends with the "Lesters" who are also a gospel group and who have also performed at Old Settlers. They gave a joint Christmas program in Forsyth, MO and then we departed for Lamberts- home of the throwed rolls. I missed my first one so there was a roll on the floor.
Great three days. Maybe being a "senior citizen" is not all bad.
Managed to work in two auctions this week despite the trip. Did not get much for the store as some auctions are just better than others.
Sat down last night and composed my Christmas poem. Since there is nothing really exciting happening in my life, my Christmas letter has become a poem of sorts with a yearly theme. This year's theme is heaven since the book "Heaven is for Real" is so interesting and so popular.
Sunday afternoon found me doing a lot of things which had not gotten done. The fish ponds are now covered. The wreath is at the front door even though I could not get it to light. The bird bath warmer is in place and the Christmas bear has now replaced the rabbit in the gazebo. Always more to do but a start.
Hope you have a good week. Hope your holiday preparations are going well. Scatter Kindness to all.
Plymouth News for the week of November 28th
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. My niece, Marcella Hardin, cooked Thanksgiving dinner for part of the Steiner clan. She got the holiday issue of Southern Living and fixed everything they suggested. We had baked turkey, smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, dressing, cranberry relish, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin cheesecake, lemon pound cake, pumpkin nut bread and I suspect there was more. The interesting part of this wonderful meal was that there were only six of us to eat it!.. Guests at Ila Steiner Robb's home included Ila, Marcella, Dot Burdett, Roger Steiner, Rachel Mullins and Joyce Steiner. Curtis, Shawna Sprinkle, Calvin and Felix Steiner joined the group later in the afternoon.
Last week I suggested that you shop locally so that your money does not go to support some Chinese export or outsourced job to India. The news media has also been stressing shopping locally owned stores as much more of the money spent stays in the community. A really good idea. Now I also want to suggest "green" wrapping. When gift bags became popular, they were much easier that wrapping presents. Now I want to suggest reusable bags to hold gifts. If you literally want to go green, County Market has reusable bags in green. If you are happy with any reusable bag, many stores offer them. Aldi's are sort of cream colored and Wal -Mart's are normally blue plus many organizations offer them as incentives to send money. There was a news report last evening saying that they had tested reusable bags for cleanliness. They reported that 70% were clean but that there were some with crud growing in them. Perhaps you should not put your Christmas presents in the same bag you used to carry home fresh meat. Actually I was suggesting new reusable bags for the Christmas presents!
A gentleman drove to my store to buy Aladdin parts. I had met him at 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington and told him I carried them. You never know if chatting with a customer will bring them to your store. Was nice of him to drive to Plymouth.
We have really been blessed with great fall weather in 2011. Hope we will remember that when we are whining about our winter weather.
Have had a guest this week from Arizona who is visiting with Dale and Marsha Kelly and their family. Also had another Bed and Breakfast owner here on Saturday evening. They came down to buy some things from the store as well as stay. They took back a set of gold flatware, a hall tree, a couple of boxes and two kinds of polish to use at their B&B.
Went to an auction at Sullivan and Son's new building on Saturday. It is just beautiful. Everything is first class. The front part of the building has offices and the area where one gets buyers numbers and pays for their merchandise. You go through a door into a carpeted area with large round tables and a place for food to be served. There is a large kitchen attached to the food area. There are two more auction areas which can be closed off from each other so that two rings may run at the same time. Everything is done in neutral colors. Even the rest rooms are fantastic. And of course Mike and Will Sullivan are good people and good auctioneers. I also love the fact that the auction house is only ten miles from my store so when I bought too many things to go in my van, it did not take too long to make a couple of trips back over to the auction site to pick op the rest of my purchases. There were many local people at the auction partially because some of the merchandise was from George Slater's estate. It was a good day Saturday at the auction.
Was talking to another local business man a couple of weeks ago. We were discussing just how lucky we are to live in this area. We have some ugly weather, but no hurricanes. We have snow but not feet of it like some places. It gets hot but not as hot as other places like Texas which had over a hundred days of over a hundred degree temperature this year. We may have some fires get out of hand, but no wild fires burning huge areas. Anyway he suggested that we not let a lot of other people know how fortunate we are to live in central Illinois as they all might start moving here.
Hope you have a great week. I think that it might be time to start preparing for Christmas. Scatter Kindness to all God's creatures.
Plymouth News for the week of November 21st
Plymouth News by Joyce Steiner
My feet hurt! We just finished our first three community simultaneous Thanksgiving dinner. It was a product of the Living Faith Methodist church. We had dinners in Plymouth, Bowen and Augusta at 4:00 pm on Sunday evening. Each community prepared part of the meal. The ladies of Plymouth were responsible for home made rolls, desserts and salads. We prepared enough for the other two communities and drivers took them to Augusta and Bowen. Turkey, potatoes, gravy, noodles, dressing, and green beans came from the other two towns to Plymouth. Though we thought we might be short of pies and baked 2 more at the last minute, we did not need them as they remained uncut after the meal. We also delivered meals to those who could not get out. All in all, I think everything went well.
Plymouth Women's Circle had their Christmas Bazaar on Saturday so the same group of ladies also prepared for that. Then it was the first gun deer season so I had a full house of hunters for the weekend. Well I think you get the idea-there are a lot of tired feet but hopefully happy hearts in all three communities.
We talk a lot about black Friday but I want to mention "small business Saturday". We are all too likely to go to a big store out of town to do our Christmas shopping but we need to think about the small businesses in our own communities. Now of course I have prejudice here as I own and run an antique store in Plymouth. If you think "green" you need to shop for antiques for gifts. Each item in an antique store has been around for a while. No new trees were cut, no new oil products were used, no plastic was made from oil, none of the items were imported from China or made by jobs outsourced to India. Most of the products have lasted for 50 or more years and if treated properly will last that long again. There are not batteries to buy or replace. By now you have the idea-shop local and help save the environment at the same time.
Attended an IEA Retired meeting on Tuesday in Rushville. Had the honor to sit with Senator John Sullivan and Representatives Jill Tracey and Norine Hammond. They all spoke. How can the Illinois legislature seem to be so bad when we have such good people representing our area. The program was on the Honor Flights to Washington DC. It was an interesting evening.
Plymouth Women's Circle met at the PCCC on Wednesday. Hostesses for the evening were AJ Johnson, Pat Phelps and Marge Goodin. We prepared for the Bazaar.
Many years ago there was a doctor in Plymouth named Tuck. His nephew, Hazen Tuck, stopped by the antique store a few weeks ago. Thursday I received a Tuck family history in the mail from Hazen. He compiled it after visiting Plymouth. I was very excited and grateful to get the book. It even has a photo of the Dr. Tuck sign which is currently on display at the Bed and Breakfast.
Had a house full of hunters all weekend. They come from Northern Illinois and Michigan. We figured that they have been coming here for over 20 years. Since we started the B&B in 1988, that is entirely possible. Great guys. They had gotten two deer as of Saturday night.
Have a good Thanksgiving. Remember that it is more than the day before black Friday. Think "green", shop locally at you small family owned businesses on "small business Saturday" and remember them often.
Plymouth News for the week of November 14th
Don't forget the Plymouth Women's Circle bazaar on Saturday, November 19th from 9 to 11 am.
Attended a meeting of the Adams advisory board on Monday evening. Jane Menn and John Jefferson are also members. Ken Flesner, who was an administrator at the Camp Point schools when I taught there, was the other new member. Think it will be interesting to be part of that group and perhaps have some input on some of the things Adams is planning for our benefit.
Had B&B guests when we had the earth quake. It woke me up but not them. Perhaps that was a good thing. Normally I know when we are having an earth quake but thought my guests had made some noise which woke me until I heard the report the next morning.
There is a small yellow book called "Heaven is for Real" which was written by Todd Burpo. You may have seen the family on the Today show. It is about his son, Colton, who was seriously ill and evidentially died for several minutes. During that time he visited heaven. The family did not realize this at first but every so often Colton would mention something about heaven or Jesus. It is a very interesting book and I suggest that everyone read it. So far I have purchased 8 copies to give as Christmas presents. Most of what is said is reassuring but some of it is a bit frightening.
Gene Douglas stopped by the store one day this week. His driver had taken him to the doctor at Carthage.
Went to Quincy on Thursday to take some book racks to Sullivan's antique mall. Found out that if you put 3 book racks on the tail gate at once and lower the tail gate, that 2 are likely to fall off while you are holding the 3rd. Put all the pieces in the van and reassembled them at the mall. A few finishing nails seemed to do the trick of holding them together again. Have spent all week unpacking boxes from Palmyra and putting the items back in inventory at Plymouth Rock antiques. Hard to believe how much time and work this move has been. Still do not have all the things back in my store. Now I will pack up some new things to fill my new booth at the Sullivan mall. While I was in Quincy, I stopped at the Grand Buffet to eat as usual. Saw Jerry and Patty Booth were there so went to sit with them. They bought my lunch. Was a very nice thing for them to do. Jerry does wood working for me and is a fine carpenter. He also did a lot of the wood work in our kitchen remodel.
After I left Aldi's in Quincy, I was stopped at the 4 way stop at 36th and Broadway. A car tried to turn left without a left turn arrow, he collided with a vehicle who had the right a way. That vehicle slammed into another stopped vehicle and threw it into a light pole. One driver in a hurry caused a 3 car accident and at least one person was taken to the hospital. Doubt that the person at fault saved any time by honking and going through the intersection without the light. Wonder if their foolishness made a lasting impression.
Hope you have been looking at the full moon this week. It has been beautiful.
Looked at it as we came home from Hotel Nauvoo on Wednesday. Ed Newton and I took Dot Burdett to the Hotel for dinner as they are closing for the season soon. I like to go on a Wednesday because they have ribs on Wednesday.
I have mentioned the tree which fell on Steve Griswold's home. Terry Long and Freddie Hoelscher cot the limbs off it. This week I noticed that the tree body was standing upright so asked Freddie if they pushed it upright again. He said not. The tree did not break off but was uprooted. It had a root ball that must have been 10 feet across and was perpendicular to the ground. When they got the weight of the limbs off and when it rained some, the root ball must have gotten heavy enough to pull itself back into the hole. Will be interesting to see how well it goes back into the hole and see if it sends out any new leaves in the spring.
Had a good crowd at the Living Faith Methodist church this morning. Was interesting that the sermon was on "Heaven". Good timing!
Have a great week. Scatter Kindness.
Plymouth News for the week of November 7th
Plymouth News by Joyce 'Steiner
Our sympathy to the family of Gene Hendrickson. I believe he passed away on October 23rd in Macomb. He was a brother to Darlene Thomas.
Kelly Hohman, who is the granddaughter of Roy and Olive Alexander who lived in Plymouth and whose home was where Brad Cludray's home is now, would like photos of the Plymouth Square from the 40's through the 70's. If any one has any photos taken during that time period or photos of her grandparents home, she would appreciate knowing about them. You can let me know and I will let her know. It is relatively easy to get copies of photos now. We no longer have to have the negatives. Now that statement certainly dates me!
Bruce and Wanda Eddington's new home was set up on November 2nd. I went over to see how they would get it on the foundation. Was very interesting. This huge crane just lifted half of the house at a time and men with ropes on each end guided it into place without letting it hit the other half. Then the roof was lifted, it was sitting on top of the house, and went together in the middle. As rain was predicted in the evening, the workers got the roof in place and filled in the ends before they left for the evening. Pretty amazing process to have a home put up in one day.
Had a really nice customer at the antique store this week. Mattson's kitty, Toby, comes by the store every day for companionship and food. One day this week his food container was empty and he was very vocal in complaint. The customer went to her car and brought in cat food for Toby. Now that is a nice person!
Attended an Emmaus gathering in Colchester on Friday evening. Pat, Jeff, Danette and Josh Phelps were there as well as Mel Dorethy.
Had a pair of hunters from Georgia at the B&B on Friday evening, they couldn't decide if they were going to stay here for a week or not. Have not seen them since Saturday morning. Currently have two ladies staying with me who are visiting with one's son at WIU. They went hiking at Spring Lake today. Was a great day for a hike or to go to Golden for the Thanksgiving dinner which is what Dot Burdett and I did. Also saw John and Mary Ruth Phillips there.
Got an email suggesting that we give local gifts this Christmas. That made a lot of sense to me. Instead of buying things made in China and helping China's economy they suggested we give local products. Some suggestions were a car detail at a local establishment. Another suggestion was a gift certificate for a hair cut, a day at a spa, for a local restaurant or a locally owned store etc. You get the idea, give something that you know will benefit one of your neighbors businesses and that will help the local economy. Perhaps gift of locally grown food or plants or a certificate for those if not in season. A gift of staying with someone's family for an evening so that they can have a night out would be nice. Be creative-but think locally owned.
The Plymouth Village Board met on Wednesday evening. Jim Mattson was reappointed to the board as Kaitlin Drake resigned. The new well is still not ready to go on line and as we are relying on only one well, that is not a good thing. It has been months and months since the project was started.
Hope you have a good week. There are still a few beautiful red
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