I put on a belt the other day and missed one of the loops on my pants. My brother Steve and I used to call this “pulling a Wayne,” a reference to our father who would frequently do this. Yes, we do become like our parents — whether we want to or not.

A 2020 article in Psychology Today explains that this happens due to “family scripts” that describe the acceptable ways we behave, speak and think. It says there are three types of these scripts: replicative, corrective and improvised. Without getting into the weeds too much, here are some brief explanations of each, according to the story. 

Replicative scripts are ones you repeat from your family of origin, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Corrective scripts occur when a person consciously chooses to do things very differently, or even opposite from, the scripts they experienced growing up.

Improvised scripts are born out of necessity or curiosity. They are not a replication or a correction of the past but are rather new and often spontaneous.

A more humorous explanation of why we become like our parents can be found at cracked.com, which says the behaviors of the elderly that we write off as “old-person lameness” are all based in biology, and that, no, we can’t stop them.

This story says as we age, our brains will stop getting pleasure from new music (agreed); our physical urge to rebel will fade away (sure); our brains will start getting pleasure from boring stuff (yep); it will become physically impossible to sleep in (no doubt); us men will stop trying to change the world (never wanted to); we will find ourselves eating bland food because we can’t taste it (or because spicy foods don’t digest like they used to?); and our memories of the past will become “The Good Old Days” (explains most of my columns). 

As for missing the belt loops? Well, I will chalk that up to three things: 1) the odds have increased since I now wear a belt every day; 2) a decrease in my range of flexibility; and 3) I really don’t care — and not necessarily in that order. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

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

As most of you know, we have been working on collecting photos of veterans with ties to Guthrie County for an upcoming special section we will be publishing in the month of November in Panora Times, Guthrie Center Times and Lake Panorama Times. 

A total of 222 veteran photos have been submitted so far and are now posted at https://gctimesnews.com/veterans. If you were one of the folks who sent in a photo and information, please visit the site and let us know by Oct. 31 if anything needs to be changed before we send the pages to the printer. The website will stay up year-round and can be edited and updated, but the print edition cannot. We will accept a few more photos until Oct. 31. You can submit them on the website at https://gctimesnews.com/veterans or you can contact Cheryl Castile at or cheryl@gctimesnews.comor 641-332-2707. 

I thank each of you who submitted a photo for this effort. More importantly, I thank each of the veterans who served our country to ensure that we can all enjoy the freedoms we too often take for granted.

If you own or manage a business and want to show your appreciation to these veterans as well, contact Kerry Jacobsen at kerry@gctimesnews.com or 641-332-2707 for ideas on how you can do that in this section, too. 

Ribbon cutting and open house events

We had our official ribbon cutting for our new office at 104 Industrial Road in Guthrie Center on Wednesday, and I thank those in the business community who took time to join us for this celebration. I had a good friend who once told me that ribbon cuttings are to a business what a wedding celebration is to a newly married couple. It is a milestone event to be shared with people who are important in your life. 

If you were able to attend our ribbon cutting, I thank you. If you were not able to attend, we are having a community open house for everyone on Wednesday, Nov. 13 from 4-6:30 p.m. I look forward to showing the work we have done to the building and sharing more about our company and our plans for the future. I also found a box of unnamed photos from many years ago that may be of interest to some of you. You are more than welcome to take any of them.

I hope to see you Nov. 13.

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

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

Whatever happened to conversion vans? If you are smiling right now, you probably owned one. If anything ever needed to come back, these are it. 

I never owned a conversion van. I’m a bit too young for those, but my older brother had one. He also had a moustache, silk shirts and a belt with his name on it.

If you don’t recall what a conversion van was, let me help you out. They were essentially cargo vans that were decked out, typically by a third-party company but also by a generation of do-it-yourselfers. Popular full-sized models that were used for the base included the Chevrolet Van, the Dodge Ram Van, the Ford E-Series and my personal favorite, the GMC Vandura.

Trendy features included shag carpet, captain’s seats, luxury lighting, 8-track players and lots of oak trim. The cool ones had fold-down beds, fiberglass bubble tops and gas stoves.

Conversion vans started to become popular in the 1960s with the hippies, and those Volkswagen models really were groovy. But the ones I recall were in the 1970s — and the more custom paint they had, the better. Think nature scenes, flames and lots of Americana. Those were the days of Evel Knievel, after all. The side windows were also a signature feature, often in small circles, rectangles or diamonds — and almost always tinted. 

Few things are as identifiable with the 1970s era as conversion vans. Unfortunately, they went by the wayside along with dark wood paneling, crochet throws and mood rings. 

Some say the demise of conversion vans was due to the federal government and vehicle manufacturers demanding new safety guidelines be adhered to. Others say the vans priced themselves out of the market with extravagant features. In reality, the rising cost of fuel made these gas-hogs less attractive for the average American. 

Regardless, conversion vans were the ultimate vehicle for road trips, and they looked really cool in the driveway. You know the saying, what goes around, comes around. Well, don’t call it a comeback, but you, too, may be driving one soon. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

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

When I was a younger man working at The Des Moines Register, I was planning a vacation and told a customer I would be off work and explained how I planned to cover the bases. He looked at me with a stern face and said, “Vacation? You don’t work Sundays, do you? That’s 52 days of vacation a year.” He continued, “Wait, you don’t work Saturdays either, do you? That’s another 52 days. That’s 104 days of vacation per year. How much vacation do you need?”

I was without words. This customer was having fun with me, but there was also some truth to what he was saying. Some people I know seem to be continually talking about their next vacation, even though they just got back from one. That time off is supposed to make them happy, recharge them, and have them ready to take on the tasks of life again — but it doesn’t seem to do that. They just want more vacation time.

As a teenager, I worked at a local gas station that was open 24/7. Even in the 1980s, staffing was a challenge, especially on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. But when the opportunity came to earn time-and-a-half for holiday pay, I was the first to sign up. I enjoyed working those days, as the store traffic was lighter, the customers who stopped in were quite cheery, and I liked the extra dollars in my paycheck.

When I worked at the Register, we were told in no uncertain terms that we would not be allowed to take vacation between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those were the newspaper’s busiest times with advertising, and we were to be there to make sure of it.  We are not as strict today in our company, but a holiday does mean that we have to complete five days of work in four days. The presses keep running. 

Author Rob Hill, Sr. said, “My goal is to build a life I don’t need a vacation from.” That makes sense to me. But, like most things in life, I have learned there truly are different strokes for different folks. Some people love to travel and spend time on a beach; I get horribly sunburned and have two days of diarrhea. Others want to take a week off and ride a bicycle 468 miles across the state in 90-degree weather; that’s not my idea of a vacation. And a select few enjoy time at home working on a list of projects and relaxing with friends and family; that’s more my style. But, again, to each his (or her) own. 

With holiday vacations approaching, I hope you have plans to enjoy the time off and can then return with enthusiasm, vigor and gusto. The world needs you. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

Do you get cold feet? My inquiry is not an analogy or code for anything. It’s just a simple question. Do your feet get cold?

The website medicalnewstoday.com says your feet can feel cold due to cold temperatures (really?), high stress or anxiety, circulation issues, anemia, diabetes mellitus, nerve disorders, hypothyroidism and other things most of us can’t pronounce. 

Some simple solutions, according to the same website, include movement, socks, foot baths, heating pads, water bottles and my favorite fix — slippers. 

Yes, slippers. I have a half-dozen of them around the home and office. Call me Mr. Rogers if you want, but my feet are toasty, and it’s a beautiful day in my neighborhood. 

My friend Jason used to mock me for wearing them, especially when I would bring a pair over to his house when visiting. Then he started wearing slippers, or “house shoes,” as he calls them. 

As a child, I couldn’t stand to wear slippers. Seems like I received a pair every year for Christmas, but I rarely wore them. But, to be honest, I rarely wore shirts or pants around the house either. Like most kids, I was too warm-blooded for a whole lot of body coverings. 

Most of us can recall the image of the father figure in the home, relaxing in the easy chair, reading the evening paper, smoking a pipe and having the family dog bring him his slippers. In our home, the evening image would be of me in the kitchen, filling the dishwasher, asking Alexa to play some Elvis music, cleaning up the garbage that the dog got into — and wearing slippers. It’s not the makings for a Hallmark movie, but I will take it, as long as I have my slippers.

Comedian/politician Al Franken may have summed it up best with the words, “It’s easier to put on slippers than to carpet the whole world.”

Can you slip into that idea?

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

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

Guthrie County residents have an important vote to cast on Nov. 5 — and not just for the president of the United States. Those of you concerned about emergency medical services (which should mean everyone) need to decide whether or not to approve a measure for a countywide EMS framework, which would be funded through a levy of 75 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation for properties.

The revenue generated from this levy would be used to contract with Panora EMS, Stuart Rescue and Adair Fire and Rescue to ensure emergency medical care is accessible throughout the entire county. This is to include the addition of a fully staffed ambulance in Guthrie Center to improve response times.

Why do we need this countywide EMS framework? Proponents of the levy say the existing structure presents challenges in terms of coordination, resource allocation and comprehensive coverage. In particular, significant gaps in coverage exist when it comes to serving the western and northwestern portions of the county.

I am not writing this column to convince you to vote for this tax levy or vote against it. As with all elections, you have to make a decision based on your personal situation and needs — and, hopefully, a consideration for others’ situations and needs, too. What I do want to share with you is something I learned after reading newspaper clippings from Dave Beidelman, who, along with family members before him, owned and operated funeral homes in Panora and Guthrie Center.  According to a 1955 newspaper advertisement he showed me, the O.J. Beidelman Funeral Home had “the ONLY car in Guthrie County, used only for moving the sick or injured. Trained Attendants. Oxygen Equipment. Portable Stretchers. Arm and Leg Splints.” The ad also stated that the company’s “Universal Car” was used as second ambulance. Yes, the funeral homes provided ambulance service.

A newspaper story from the same year also detailed the purchase of the new ambulance, stating, “The new vehicle is the largest Ford made and is built to provide the utmost in patient comfort and safety. It is painted a light blue with the interior a matching light blue. This is to differentiate it from the regular hearse used for funerals.”

The article also stated that the ambulance was to be used solely for the transportation of sick and injured patients, that it was on call 24 hours a day, and that it could carry two patients at one time.

Now, before you suggest this to current funeral home owners and operators Curtis Twigg and Craig Twigg (and before those guys strangle me), you should know that modern requirements would prevent this from happening today, and that’s not a bad thing, especially when minutes matter. Meanwhile, it is entertaining and informative to look back at how important needs like these were dealt with in years gone by. I can’t help but imagine the look on the faces of the folks who called for an ambulance and saw the funeral director show up in a hearse.

To learn more about the upcoming vote on EMS, visit www.guthriecountyems.org or attend the two remaining public informational meetings: Oct. 14, Yale Community Building, 7 p.m.; Oct. 16: Panorama High School Auditorium, Panora, 7 p.m.

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

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