In Our Community
“Hi-ho Silver” was a catch phrase during the golden days of radio, that everyone who lived through those times were vary aware of. I suppose even if you didn’t live at that time, The Lone Ranger is somewhat known to most people due to the movie that came out several years ago starring Johnny Depp.
The radio program started in 1933 over station WXYZ Detroit with an actor by the name of George Seaton, who in future years became a famous film director-producer. The role was then passed on to an actor by the name of Earle Graser who really brought the Ranger into popuality during the 30’s. Unfortunately, in 1941 Graser was killed in a car accident. So what do the folks at WXYZ in Detroit do but choose an actor by the name of Brace Beemer. Beemer began his radio career in Indianapolis in 1922 and then joined WXYZ in 1932. He played the masked rider until its last episode in September 1954. In all, there were 2,958 half hour programs. The lead character’s distinctive voice, however, proved to be a handicap. Beemer was unable to get back into radio because sponsors believed that his voice was identified too closely with The Lone Ranger. An adventurous boy, Beemer somehow enlisted in the army in World War I, then suffered wounds while serving in France with the famed Rainbow Division. He was barely 14. Earlier, in his career he had been the narrator and “Sergeant Preston” on Challenge of the Yukon in 1941 and 1953-54. I heard a story recently that when Beemer went on personnal appearances, the actor who played Tonto — John Todd who was a small stout former stage actor who looked nothing like an Indian. So apparently, the producer hired Jay Silverheels who was an Indian to appear with Beemer at these appearances. Who would have thought that Silverheels would eventually play Tonto on the TV series? AM 1370 KDTH’s Big Broadcast which is on Sunday nights from 6 to midnight plays The Lone Ranger fairly regularly. So tune in and hear the thundering hoofbeats of the “great horse Silver” and hear “Hi-ho Silver!” once again. 
Looking Out for No. 1
All across the country there are veterans who might be ill and not know it. The reason: They don’t have the results of their medical tests.
If you have medical tests done at a veterans’ facility, before you leave, ask when the results will be ready. You’ll likely be told, “Someone will call you.” Get a name and write it down. Later if you start getting anxious because you haven’t gotten a call, give it one more day ... then go on the hunt. Leave messages for your care manager, if you have one, and your doctor. Give it another day. If you don’t hear back, try again. Call the medical facility and ask for the lab. They’re not likely to give you the results, but ask when the results were ready, and get that person’s name. That’s part of your ammo ... knowing that results were ready and when. Then call the care manager or doctor back and state that the results were ready at a certain time. See how this works? Be proactive. Through all these steps, your name gets out there as someone who’s hunting for test results. The same is true if you have a My HealtheVet account. Once you get the results over the phone, ask that a copy be mailed to you (or print it from your online account), which you’ll then put in your file at home. If you have a condition that is regularly monitored, there’s a possibility that you can make pals with someone in the lab who will just read the results to you. The bottom line is that you don’t stop until you have the results. Stand up for yourself and guard your health. Don’t assume that no news is good news. Be sure. © 2018 King Features Synd., Inc. 
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Life’s Building Materials
Part of our neighbor’s house in Mexico is built of concrete block, and the other part was built of adobe. I use the past tense when referring to the adobe portion of the house, for it is no more. It sustained irreparable damage during the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit the central part of Mexico on September 19, 2017.
Adobe bricks are a mixture of mud, clay, and straw and are cast in open molds, then air-dried. It’s one of the oldest building materials and can last for years, but as our neighbors and many others in central Mexico found out, it’s not especially strong. We build our lives out of a variety of materials, the most important materials not being material in nature at all, but immaterial. The material building materials of life consist of houses, cars, electronics, bank accounts, clothes, and other tangible materials, but these aren’t the most important building products for constructing a great life. Far more important are such things as faith in God, love, honesty, commitment, patience, integrity, and a host of other immaterial building materials. There’s also a long list of immaterial building materials that are harmful and dangerous to use. This list includes hate, lust, self-serving, racism, greed, apathy, and a host of others. When building something it’s important to use the right materials, good materials. Our neighbor in Mexico is going to rebuild. He told us he’ll be using concrete block, not adobe! Good choice. We all need to make ongoing choices of what we’ll utilize to build our lives. It’s up to us to make good choices. The apostle Paul’s words in a letter to the Corinthian Christians: “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” 1 Corinthians (3:10-13) 
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We live in such a busy world that it is difficult to find even a few treasured moments to reflect upon our free time. I enjoy the solitude and silence given to me on special occasions. I know that there will be disturbances in my day, and while I welcome them, I also need my moments of silence and solitude in order to be creative.
I don’t know what will come out of my mind today, but it will have meaning to me and possibly others. There have been lots of visions and happenings fed into my mind over the past 78 years and some thoughts have only been whispered and stored in my brain for future use. I think some thoughts are planted in our mind when we are calm and peaceful and not even thinking about anything in general. We see, we smell, we hear, we touch, and maybe even murmur, but we are actually unaware of our thoughts. Perhaps this is where my poetry is born? It is going to be a beautiful day. It is 80 degrees now but might change later. It is a sunny day. I have the AC turned on. I wish it was not so hot because I like to have the house opened up. I love to feel the breezes coming through the doors and windows. As I contemplated my free moments, I decided to stroll out to my kitchen and look out the window. This is what I saw thru the recently washed pane. There was the aggressive and noisy Mr. and Mrs. Blue Jay arguing with the soft and melancholy voiced Mourning Dove. They were fighting over the freshly stocked bird feeder as to whom owned that space at that time. Consequently, there were loosened feathers flying everywhere. I continued to watch for a little while until I saw the dove wander over to the finch feeder and pick up some seeds that were dropped to the ground when the finches fed from the sock feeder. My moments of solitude were now shared with the activity of wild life. The birds busy lives made my busy world calm and peaceful. What do you do when you have a few precious moments of solitude and silence? I hope you find a time, place, and comfort zone to unwind after a busy day. We need it. 
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Wonder
Every so often a film comes down the pike that will be loved by every generation because it touches the heartstrings in a very special way. In 2017, that honor belonged to Wonder. If you are one of those people who only rent movies a few times a year, make sure you include Wonder. You will be glad that you did. It is simply that good.
Nate and Isabel Pullman (played by Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts) have two children, Via and Auggie (played by Izabela Vidovic and Jacob Tremblay). Via has no physical problems but Auggie has a genetic disorder what has left him with facial deformities. Auggie had been homeschooled by his mother, but now that he is about to enter the 5th grade he needs to learn more than his mother can teach him and he must enter the local public school for the first time in his young life. Sadly, some of Auggie’s fears are realized as he endures cruel comments by some of the other students because of his appearance. But slowly there are also examples of kindness and acceptance, which warms our heart as much as it does Auggie’s. A special ‘Thank You’ to R. J. Palacio for writing such an amazingly wonderful story, and a special ‘Thank You’ to Lionsgate Films for making such an amazingly wonderful movie. This film is rated PG and is available at most Red Box and Bluebox locations. 
I’m beginning to understand myself. But it would have been great to be able to understand myself when I was 20 rather than when I was 82.
—Dave Brubeck |
