Jankoski

Did you know? On an average 9 people die every day in the United States due to distracted driving and that amounts to 3,142 lives lost every year. Is getting a text message or having a phone conversation more important than paying attention to the road? +++ Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. The National Weather Service confirmed 20 tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin in 2020. That means we all need an emergency plan in case of a tornado. Do you have one? +++ Travel optimism is growing with summer approaching. In a survey, 62% of Wisconsinites expect to travel in 2021 and 26% will take their next three-day trip before June. I’m in both of those counts. *** A drive through Chapman Park Campgrounds on Wednesday, April 14, revealed that the new 8th Avenue bridge is complete and looked very nice from my vantage point. The campgrounds provides a view where you get the total perspective of the structure. Check it out. Anyhow, hopefully it will be open soon. I presume there is still some approach work that needs to be completed.

*** The Otter Lake Booster Club Annual Chicken Dinner is the latest annual event to be resurrected after COVID did away with it last year. This year’s festivities will be held on Sunday, July 18, out at the Otter Lake Day Park. May, June and July will see most area events taking place this year. Boyd-Edson-Delmar Fire Department chicken dinner, Boyd Ringspeil Days, Thorp Dairy Days, the Truck Pull, Rodeo and Watermelon Festival are all being held. We are looking forward to a much better summer than we had in 2020. Let’s all get out and support these efforts that benefit our area communities. *** This past week we had three major donors of artifacts at the local museum. Perhaps the most interesting was a uniform wore by Earl Maves, when he played in an August 1948 All-Star Football Game vs. the Pros at the University of Wisconsin. Earl was the most famous Stanley man to ever play at Wisconsin, where he was titled the “Stanley Steamer.” *** The Executive Committee of Wisconsin Farm Technology Days has confirmed that the event is a go this summer. It is scheduled to be held July 20-22, at Huntsinger Farms in Eau Claire County. Huntsinger Farms is the largest grower and processor of horseradish in the United States and the World. More than 350 exhibitors have already committed to the show. Marieke Gouda Cheese and Penterman Dairy Farm of Thorp will be among the diverse farming operations showcased. Area favorite, Chris Kroeze of Barron will provide an acoustic performance daily. The Committee plans to announce safety protocols that will be required by the end of June. *** Following is a powerful piece that may not be new to some readers as it has been around before, but it is a reminder that most of us need ever so often. Read on. +++ A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.” Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: 1.) Egypt’s Pyramids 2. Taj Mahal 3.) Grand Canyon 4.) Panama Canal 5.) Empire State Building 6.) St. Peter’s Basilica 7.) China’s Great Wall. +++ While gathering up the votes, the teacher noticed that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there are so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help.” The girl hesitated but then read: “I think the “Seven Wonders of the World” are: 1.) To see 2.) To hear 3.) To touch 4.) To taste 5.) To feel 6.) To laugh 7.) and to love. +++ The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary, and that we take for granted, are truly wondrous! +++ Thanks to the friend who sent this my way. Even though I have seen it before, the colorful pictures that accompanied this powerful message were a message in themselves. *** On Thursday, April 22, “Earth Day” is celebrated. The pandemic, that we have survived (at least so far) should have helped us put a lot of things into perspective. For some it has offered an opportunity to rethink and re-imagine how we want to live. What follows is not all my original thinking but what I do subscribe to. Here is a list of five things that should provide food for thought and what can be labeled how we each can HELP THE PLANET TODAY. 1.) Shop responsibly. A staggering 100 billion garments are manufactured yearly. It is important to implement a “buy less, buy better” mindset. Why is this important? Because 11. 3 million tons of textiles went into landfills in 2018. 2.) Avoid single use plastics. Find replacements for single use water bottles, coffee cups and plastic straws. I have a hard time believing this but we are said to eat, swallow or breathe 2,000 particles of plastic a week – about the weight of a credit card. Whatever the amount is, it seems to be too much. And we wonder why there is so much cancer?? Scientists are predicting that we are headed towards dumping 11 million metric tons of plastic in the oceans each year. 3.) Be food smart. We are said to throw away 30 to 40 percent of our food supply. That amounts to 219 pounds for each of us in a year. Eliminating waste helps the pocket book and saves landfill space. 4.) Try composting. Food scraps and yard waste (grass, weeds and leaves) make up more than 30 percent of what we throw away. 5.) Look after and care for your clothes so they last longer. Try to rent or borrow things from a friend or relative as an option to buying when it is an item you will use once or seldom. *** Smile time. A local lumberyard was having an open house, and my mother really wanted to go. Dad, though had no interest. After badgering him with no luck she finally said, “If you don’t go I’ll be the only woman there.” Dad shrugged, “If I go, you’ll still be the only woman there.” +++ Why does everybody sing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” when they’re already there? +++ You want proof baseball players are smarter than football players? How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field? +++ Little league is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets. +++ Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini – they show a lot, but not everything.+++ An elderly couple has just learned how to send text messages. The wife was the romantic type, and the husband more of a no nonsense guy. One afternoon, the wife decided to send her husband a text. She wrote, “If you are laughing, send me your smile. If you are crying, send me your tears. And, If you are sleeping, send me your dreams, I love you.” Her husband texted back, “I’m on the toilet, please advise.”