In Our Community
Rin-Tin-Tin was one of the first and last adventure shows of the air, with a gap of two decades in between.
The first Rin-Tin-Tin was heard on NBC Blue in 1930 as a 15-minute Saturday show for Ken-L Ration. That ran until 1934 (for CBS Sundays in its last year). It featured the exploits of the marvelous German Shepherd wonder dog who battled bad men and the elements in the name of his master, and had been starred in movies as early as 1932. By Janary 2, 1955, three canine lifetimes had passed since the initial series, but Rinty was resurrected for another series, replacing The Shadow in a 30-minute Sunday format for Milk-Bone and the Mutual network. This time he was owned by a frontier lad named Rusty, who rode with the 101st cavalry out of Fort Apache. It opened with a stiff bugle call and Rusty’s preadolescent cry, “Yo, Rinty!” Near the story’s end, Rusty put Rinty through his paces, in whatever adventure they finished, inevitably ending with, “Okay Rinty, you’ve earned your Milk-Bone.” This series only ran one season. There are only two episodes that have survived to date. The series made a very successful transition to television with the same story line. None of the 15-minute episodes have been found. Listening to 1370 KDTH’s Big Broadcast on Sunday nights from 6 to midnight, you might hear Rinty barking for a Milk-Bone. 
Thefts of ... Everything
We’ve seen these stories before: a Department of Veterans Affairs employee finally gets caught stealing drugs. Usually this happens in a VA hospital, but not always. Recently, a former chief pharmacist at a veterans care home admitted that he stole 12,000 doses of various opioids and tampered with the electronic and manual prescription logs to cover it up. And how long will he stay in the slammer? It’s likely to only be four years.
There are problems in veterans care homes, but it isn’t always drugs that are taken. Sometimes it’s cash. In one care home, the receptionist was charged with stealing $8,000 in prepurchased meal money and then fixing the books. Turns out this receptionist was a convicted felon and had stolen $60,000 from a previous employer, a fact that never showed up in a background check. At another VA nursing home, an assistant administrator got hold of a veteran’s ATM card and checkbook and used it as his own personal piggy bank. A fiduciary, responsible for managing a veteran’s money, misdirected $71,000 of a veteran’s assets and kept collecting after the veteran had gone into a veterans’ care home. A registered nurse at another veterans’ care home brazenly stole money. At yet another veteran home, two people were charged with stealing donated money that was to be used for an event for the residents. Sometimes, though, it’s not drugs or cash. Sometimes it’s medals. That’s when it gets personal. A 96-year-old veteran had his Legion d’Honneur medal, France’s highest decoration (given to him by the French consul general for his efforts on D-Day) stolen from a bedside drawer. The veteran’s job during the war in France was to mark minefields. I’m glad to report that the veteran’s nephew managed to get him a replacement medal from France. © 2019 King Features Synd., Inc. 
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The Power of PersistencePersistence may be a non-tangible principle, but it’s a principle most of us have had to literally step over or else it would have tripped us! I’m referring to the results of the persistence of a tree growing over time next to a sidewalk. Eventually, inevitably, the heavy concrete section of the sidewalk must give up conforming to being level like the other sections of the sidewalk because of the growth of the tree roots beneath it. The heaved up section of the sidewalk we come upon is a silent testimony to the power of the persistence of the tree!
President Calvin Coolidge stated, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Inventor Thomas Edison stated, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Rarely is anything of consequence accomplished when we try hard for a short period of time. On the other hand, the power of persistence is an irresistible force that God uses when applied to a situation that He wants changed. Achieving a difficult goal, overcoming a painful past, transforming character for the better, building deeper and more mature relationships with others, and growing a deeper relationship with God all require the application of persistence and its identical twin, perseverance. The next time we see a piece of sidewalk raised by a tree root let’s remember that what lies at the root of accomplishment are these identical twins! “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36 
Life After A Dementia Diagnosis
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When one of my sons was in junior high school, he made me a trellis as a wood shop project. We put the trellis along the driveway and close to the house. Then we planted a rose bush at the base that would creep up the trellis tiers. It grew into a beautiful display of gorgeous, bright red blooms, with the sweet aroma of perfume.
We enjoyed the trellis and rose bush for many years but in time the wood rotted so we removed the trellis and replanted the rose bush along the chain link fence in the back yard. I missed my trellis display. Sometimes in remembering my lovely arrangement of flowers, I think of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This being, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The History books mention that these were possibly built by King Nebuchadnezzar II in 600 BC. The Hanging Gardens were several tiers of platform terraces but didn’t actually hang, they were built on roofs and terraces. I recently viewed a colored picture of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, painted by Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck, and I must say, I am jealous of his having the opportunity to paint such a beautiful picture. His conception of the Garden was breathtaking! Actually, here in Davenport, Iowa, we have the beautiful Vander Veer Botanical Park. The public can visit the Conservatory during the open hours. And the art of gardening can be seen throughout the entire park. I often go there and look at all the huge Hosta plants they have in plots of little hills. You can get lost in all the greenery. Also, there is a lagoon at Vander Veer Park that is surrounded by a cement walkway that you can walk around and watch the fish in the water. And there are often ducklings following their mother as they learn to swim. This is such a special time, when you see baby ducks going in and out of the water while trying to keep up with their “mom.” In my neighborhood there was an older gentleman (deceased now) who had his whole front yard covered with an array of different flowers. My friend, Helen, said she thought it was over flowered. I disagreed. He had planted his flowers in many arrangements. Some grew out of old car tires. Others grew on the rungs of a ladder. He had tall flowers and short ones. But best of all, he had a garden of many colors, just as Joseph’s “coat of many colors.” I wonder how many of you have beautiful, home-grown gardens filled with multi varieties of beautiful flowers and other plants? Your garden may be the Eighth Wonder of the World. At least your World. 
If I have ever made any valuable discoveries,
it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent. —Isaac Newton |
The Mustang
I watch many trailers on the computer looking for something interesting to rent and then do a review. I found a very good film called The Mustang. The trailer said it was inspired by real events, and it takes us to an aspect of life that I didn’t even know excited.
Matthias Schoenaerts plays Roman, a violent convict who is given a chance to participate in an outdoor program as part of his social rehabilitation. There is serious anger locked inside Roman and it is explosive when released. Such an explosion resulted in Roman battering his wife and now he is 12 years into his prison sentence. Roman’s only hope comes in the form of the above mentioned program where he helps break wild mustangs and sells them at auctions. Bruce Dern plays Myles, the horse expert who runs the program. The program may be what is needed to help Roman calm down and get his act together. Another thing that Roman needs to do is repair the relationship with his pregnant daughter so he can experience the joy of being a grandfather. Some wild horses cannot be broken. Such is the case with Roman’s mustang. What he does about that problem is heartwarming to watch, and it shows that Roman is finally in touch with his humanity. Sometimes our 4-legged friends are better at providing that than other humans. This film is Rated R and is available at most Redbox locations. 
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