The front porch is about as Americana as anything. It defines a more peaceful time when family gathered and friends joined in for conversation in an early evening or a Sunday afternoon. “The Waltons” may come to mind. (Follow the link, and you will smile… I promise.)

Lemonade was sipped, and apple pie was served. A game of checkers might have even been played. Not many of the world’s problems were solved on these porches, if they were even talked about at all. 

Maybe those are days gone by. Maybe they never existed. Maybe they are visions from commercials I remember as a youth. Regardless, I miss the front porch. And, truth be told, I never lived in a home that had one. By the 1970s and 1980s, homeowners opted for more privacy and started building decks in their back yards. My wife and I had what kind of resembled a porch at our house in Nebraska, but it was more decorative than useful. I don’t think we ever sat there. So how do you miss something you never had?

Tracy Lawrence had a hit country song in 1995 called “If The World Had A Front Porch.” You don’t have to like country music or have grown up on a gravel road to appreciate this song and the memories it invokes. Part of the chorus includes: “If the world had a front porch, like we did back then. We’d still have our problems, but we’d all be friends.” 

He may be right. Those on the front porches in TV commercials looked happy. I am fairly certain that every Country Time Lemonade commercial featured a home with a beautiful front porch as part of their nostalgic efforts to remember the “old fashioned” days. 

When I was in college, my friend Mark and I repaired and painted a front porch on an old country home. When we first looked at it, we asked each other why anyone would put any money into that old dump. The we replaced a bunch of boards. Added some new railings. And painted it all. By the end, that tattered terrace became a beautiful front porch that the family was able to use again. Our repairs made the homeowner smile, and we did, too. 

Do you have a front porch on your home? Or did you have one growing up? What memories do you have from those times? Send me a note and let me know. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

Our Best of Guthrie County poll is now up to 288 votes, which is a great start. We had a total of 471 votes last year, and we expect to exceed that with a strong push in the final weeks. We certainly appreciate your support of the people, businesses, places and events of Guthrie County by voting in our poll.

Are you curious who is in the lead? I pulled the results so far, and here are just a few examples:

• Dowd Drug is in the lead for Best Guthrie County Pharmacy.
• Newcomer The Captain’s Pick is the choice for Coldest Beer in Guthrie County.
• Café on the Hill has a commanding lead for Best Spot for Breakfast in Guthrie County.
• Little is the choice so far for Best Guthrie County Teacher.
• And, in a highly contest race, The Color Nook currently has the lead for Best Guthrie County Hair Salon.

If you haven’t voted yet, there is still time. There are 82 categories to vote in ranging from best place to take your dog, to best plumber, to best dinner spot. You can even vote for best elected official. Your vote can make a difference. Cast it now at https://gctimesnews.com/best-of.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

I attended a community event recently and noticed a friend with a shirt that appeared off-balanced. It was a pressed, button-down shirt that he was wearing untucked in one of those trendy ways today, but one side of the shirt was longer than the other. I dismissed this as just another modern fashion trend I am unaware of. Then I looked closer and noticed the collar of his shirt was also off. Assuming this was now a buttoning error, I felt comfortable pointing this out to my friend. He thanked me, excused himself for a moment, and came back buttoned up to perfection — and then ribbed me for being the “clothing police.” 

It happens. Most all of us have erred in getting dressed in some way. Many of us have been guilty of “leaving the barn door open.” For you city folks, that’s a reference to accidentally leaving the zipper on your pants down. This is a more awkward situation to address with others, as you leave the unzipped person wondering why you were looking down there in the first place. 

My junior high wrestling coach, Fritz Nielsen, would frequently point out to me how proud he was of having matching socks on. I didn’t understand the accomplishment, until Fritz explained that he dressed himself each morning in the dark. With a degree of color blindness, I can relate. 

When I was coaching wrestling, my fellow coaches and I would do our best to help our athletes dress properly for competition. Inevitably, though, a newcomer to the sport would step on the mat with his singlet on backwards and then take a ribbing by his teammates. This was a mistake a wrestler would make only once. 

Truth be told, I have made my share of dressing mistakes, and I am not referring to bleu cheese. I am convinced this is inherited, as my father, Wayne, would often miss a loop with his belt. When we noticed others doing this, my siblings and I would affectionately refer to this as “pulling a Wayne.” For whatever reason, I seem to be “pulling a Wayne” more often now when I get dressed. Maybe I am in a hurry. Maybe my fingers don’t work like they used to. Or maybe I just don’t care. Probably all three. 

There are solutions to all this. Don’t wear shirts with buttons. Avoid wearing belts. And make sure all your socks are black.

Needless to say, and despite my friend’s comment, I am not really a member of the “clothing police.” Meanwhile, you should check your belt loops. You may have pulled a Wayne. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Ever wonder if you are a good neighbor? Sure, you keep your lawn mowed. You don’t let your dog bark continually. And you paint your house as needed. Those things all help, but what do your neighbors truly think of you? If you really want to know, ask the neighbor kid. Think I am wrong?  Let’s take a walk down memory lane.

Think back of your younger years and the time you spent outside. You were likely more conscious of the neighborhood surroundings than most adults. As such, you had a solid grasp on the temperament of the folks living near you. Which of your childhood neighbors did you really like? And which ones did you avoid? I am betting you didn’t have to think long before images of certain people came to mind. 

I remember the neighbor who taught me how to fly a kite. And I remember the one who tossed my bicycle in the street because I had it in his driveway when he came home from work. 

I remember the neighbor who came across the street to help me down from a tree that I was too scared to jump down from. And I remember the neighbors who never answered their door during Trick or Treating. 

I remember the neighbor who taught me how to throw a perfect football spiral. And I remember the one who told my friends and me to shut up when we were playing kick the can in the early evenings. 

Just a few years ago, I saw a neighbor boy while getting in my vehicle to go to work. The boy made eye contact with me briefly and then looked away. I yelled out, “Good morning, neighbor!” He looked directly at me and then cracked something that was beginning to resemble a smile. I doubt that this brief conversation changed his day, but who knows? That small gesture may have been just what he needed. And even if it wasn’t, it made me smile. 

Robert Frost once said that good fences make good neighbors. He may have been right, but I prefer this quote from Bruce Lee: “If every man would help his neighbor, no man would be without help.”

How will the neighborhood kids remember you?

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

“When you coming home, Son?”” “”I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then, Dad. You know we’ll have a good time then.”

Those, of course, are the words of the late and great Harry Chapin in his 1974 folk rock song that has transcended generations, “Cat’s in the Cradle.”

My sister had a 45 of it that I played repeatedly on my General Electric Solid State portable record player nearly four decades ago. I memorized the words then, and I still know them today. 

Many of those words hit home, but mostly the word “then” — back in the 1970s and now.

I thought of the song recently after a conversation with my friend, Brian, who told me he was going on fishing trip with his 80-some-year-old father. This conversation made me think of a similar trip my father and I discussed but never took. 

Dad asked if I would join him on an ice-fishing trip. Like the lyrics of the song, I came up with a number of excuses. 

“The new job’s a hassle, and the kid’s got the flu.” Or something like that.

A wonderful mentor of mine offered great advice when deciding when to do things. He said to ask yourself, “If someday, why not now?” Sometimes, there are legit excuses. More often than not, though, we simply procrastinate. That’s true with tasks, but it’s also true with things we really want to do. 

Like going fishing with your dad. 

In his final years, my dad likely had regrets of not spending more time with his children. I know I have regrets of not spending more time with him. Hopefully, I am learning. In reality, we tend to be like our parents, whether we want to or not. 

“He’d grown up just like me. My boy was just like me.”

Let’s hope we can all turn more “thens” into todays and make time for a few fishing trips.  

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

With our without shoes. That sounds like a poorly pronounced U2 song from 1987, but it’s not. Rather, it is a decision we get to make in Iowa’s summer months. 

Do you remember being a child and feeling the hot concrete on your bare feet? That warmth felt so good and never seemed to burn. And do you remember watching adults in the same situation, prancing around like they were on hot coals? What is it about an adult’s foot that is so much more tender than a child’s? One would think that a kid’s bare skin would be more sensitive than an adult’s. I guess we have pampered ourselves as adults for too many years with all those fancy shoe coverings. 

Speaking of being pampered. We had one window air conditioner in my childhood home, and I thought we had it made. I don’t remember being uncomfortably warm inside the house, but I do vividly remember putting my face in front of that air conditioner and feeling the cold AC blowing my Shaun-Cassidy-like hair. The next house we moved into had central air conditioning, and I soon became spoiled by the evenly cool air. Ever since, I much prefer a well-chilled home. Yes, pampered again. 

Did you ever notice how much cooler a lush forest can be than other outside areas, especially on a hot summer day? Aside from the shade, there are other biological reasons for this that I won’t bore you with in this column. My friends and I didn’t know why it was cooler in the forest — or care — but we migrated to the trees. We pedaled our bicycles to the state park and ran around in the woods on the trails, and we never seemed to get too hot — at least not until the bicycle ride back home in the afternoon. 

Most of my childhood summer days were spent at the public swimming pool. There simply wasn’t a better way to cool down, and, of course, we were also entertained by watching the adults trying not to burn their feet on the hot concrete. 

Regardless of how hot it gets, we still have a wardrobe decision to make.

With or without shoes?

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707