Anniversary/Christmas

      The Lexington Landing Christmas Party was tonight. The powers that be also used the gathering to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the building and community. Built by the Wedum Foundation whose mission is to build senior housing it is operated (well) by Presbyterian Homes. Several staff members who have been here since the beginning were recognized. Because the foundation built the building no large payment is necessary to become an inmate.

   Jim, our food services director goes all out for these events. The hot buffet had meatballs, pigs in blankets, egg rolls, empanadas, something Mexican and pulled pork sandwiches. There was a separate cold, hors d'ouevres  table with shrimp, cheeses, and other detectibles.  A multitude of sweets filled another table. Jim said he was preparing for 200 diners. 

   So is life in the OFH!

Takk for alt,

Al

"The mission of the J. A. Wedum Foundation is to develop and utilize the resources of the Foundation to positively change and improve people’s lives in the spirit of stewardship and generosity as exemplified by John A. Wedum, the grandfather, and carried forward by John A. Wedum, the grandson. The philanthropic impact of the Foundation has reached far and wide, bettering the lives of people of all ages while fostering a variety of vibrant and connected communities. This charitable mission falls into three areas:"

Senior Housing

"Creating and providing a new standard in high-quality housing for seniors is the central philanthropic focus of the Foundation. At each senior community, we strive for excellence in living with a serene, elegant setting and engaging caring staff."

Good Book!

      Having been around agriculture for most of my life, I consider myself quite well informed. Still, I learned a lot from Sea Of Grass, by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty. It's new book, published this year. This comprehensive study of the American prairie isn't all bad news. The subtitle of the book, The CONQUEST, RUIN, and REDEMTION (emphasis mine) of NATURE on the AMERICAN PRAIRIE, gives a clue that there is also good news about restoration. 

      "Plants, microbes, and animals together made the grasslands one of the richest ecosystems on Earth, and a massive carbon sink,..." Flyleaf.  Grasses are interesting for a number of reasons such as 80% of their biomass is underground. Fire is their friend burning off the thatch that inhibits seedlings and removes woody competitors such as cedar trees. When Europeans arrived grass covered one fifth of America. "The Montana writer Richard Manning estimated that these native grasslands were so productive before Europeans arrived that they produced more protein, in the form of bison, than the American cattle industry does to today on the same land." P. 14

    Few of us want to read only bad news. While there is much bad news about the prairie significant efforts are being made for restoration. Much has been written about nitrates polluting drinking water and the Mississippi River. Significant energy is going into ameliorating that issue. Bison are being returned in significant numbers to grassland. Successful organizing is occurring among farmers for more sustainable agriculture. These are a few examples of "redemptions".  

   Highly recommended!

Takk for alt,

Al

Sinai News!

      The Sinai Cooperative Grain Elevator sells gasoline and diesel fuel at pumps. The fuel is sold on credit but no credit cards are accepted. Patrons establish an account with the elevator. When purchasing fuel the buyer enters his/her ID #. At the end of the month the Elevator sends a bill for the fuel purchased. It's a helpful system allowing me to fuel tractor, truck or car 24/7.

    The December bill arrived and with it some news about the Elevator. In 2025 it handled 1,060,422 bushels of corn and 163,017 bushels of soybeans. This latter figure is interesting becasue a soybean processing plant is in Volga, 10 miles away. The soybean plant pays the best price so, why did beans come to Sinai? One guess is that the sometimes hours it took to unload at the soybean plant made Sinai attractive. There wait times were minimal.  Also, farmers south and west of Sinai would save ten miles of hauling.

    This statement was included in the Elevator's report. "We tried something new this year and bagged corn to ship out later. There are ten bags filled with 135,000 bushels of corn."  The local corn crop was so huge that many terminals stopped buying before harvest ended. With this storage option Sinai kept buying until the end of harvest. Perhaps some of those sellers may become regular patrons. Hopefully, management did the calculations so that all this corn can be marketed at a profit.

    Sinai Cooperative Elevator is a bit of an anomaly as it is locally owned and free standing.. Most local elevators have forgone independence and joined large amalgamations. Why has Sinai Elevator been able to remain independent. Perhaps there are two reasons. It's has had years of good management. Elevator management is extremely complex. Second, the local farmers are loyal patrons.

Takk for alt,

Al

Bags filled with corn.

Neither Asked?

      Leaving the travel story as it was yesterday I thought one of my two readers would ask about the end of the story of missing luggage. Remember that I left them on the bus, walked through customs from Thailand to Laos, and the bus went back to Thailand carrying my luggage. So what happened?

    A fellow passenger on the bus was a European man. He lived in Thailand so he spoke both Thai and English. Explaining my dilemma he said he had a cell phone. Fortunately he knew the number of the bus company so called and explained about my suitcase. It wasn't long until the bus arrived and stopped on the Thai side. At the border there was a customs building. Walking on the opposite side of the building from the customs booth I reached the bus.

   So far so good. But, now I was back in Thailand and had already cleared customs into Laos. What would you do? Surveying  the situation it was apparent that all the border patrol personnel were focused on the sidewalk, which I'd used to enter Laos, and the road next to it. All their backs were to the building and the space between the customs booth and that building. Picking up my bags I walked nonchalantly through that space back into Laos. It worked, I was now in country with my bags.  

   That's my story and I'm sticking with it!😀

Takk for alt,

Al

"Laos features extensive karst mountains, which are dramatic limestone formations characterized by towering peaks, deep caves, and sinkholes. The landscape is particularly well-known in areas like Vang Vieng and Khammouan Province, offering stunning scenery and opportunities for activities like climbing and caving. These mountains are the result of millions of years of erosion on the soluble limestone bedrock."

Except for the tea...

 

On to Singapore!

      To finish that journey of the last two blogs, I did get to Singapore. At the border of Malaysia and Singapore all bus passengers disembarked and walked through the border customs. Once across the border we re-boarded the bus into downtown Singapore. That process, of leaving a bus, walking across the border and reboarding was familiar. 

   Having done that bus/boarder crossing frequently I was led me astray entering Laos. The bus from Thailand dropped us at the border of Laos. Assuming that the bus would meet us after customs I left my suitcase on the bus. When I turned around I saw the bus driving back to Thailand with my luggage. Now I was in Laos and my suitcase in the bus was retreating. Did I ever see my goods again? What would you do? Stay tuned for "the rest of the story."

Takk for alt,

Al

Patuxai Monument, a war memorial, in Vientienne, Laos. When America gave Laos funds to strengthen their military they used the money to build this structure. There are stairs inside, which I climbed to the top for a nice view.  

Would do it differently!

    This will continue the story of my travel from Bangkok to Singapore begun is yesterday's blog. Leaving Penang the next stop was the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia. With it's elevation of 4000-6600 feet it offers a cooler environment for summer visitor. It's where Jim Thompson, the Thai silk merchant, disappeared in 1967 without a trace. He resurrected the moribund, Thai, silk trade. In Bangkok I visited his house and shopped in Jim Thompson's Silk Store. 

     From the Highlands I made a stop in the costal city of Melaka. (see yesterdays picture) In this city the traces of the European colonists is evident. Leaving Melaka my next stop was a bus transfer in Kuala Lumpur, ( where muddy water converges) the Malaysian Capital and a city of 9 million+. Thereby hangs a tale.

     The bus drove a distance through the city. It then stopped at the curb on a city street. It became obvious that this was the end of the line as all the other passengers were disembarking. A bit non-plussed I gathered my bag and approached the bus driver to ask "What now?" or, something like that. Seeing my confusion he pointed to a large building a block away. It turned out to be the bus station. Asian bus stations are not like Amtrac. In the cavernous room were about 200 ticket stations each selling tickets for specific bus lines going to different cities. A man seeing my confusion steered me to a ticket seller who sold me a ticket to Singapore. He then directed me to a bench gesturing where the Singapore bus would arrive. So, the transfer was completed.

    But, this is what I would do differently were I to do it again. It was my one visit to Kuala Lumpur. Why didn't I spend a few days there exploring this fascinating city?

Takk for alt,

Al

"Cameron Highlands sits at a cool elevation ranging roughly from 1,200 to 2,000 meters (around 4,000 to 6,600 feet), with main towns like Tanah Rata at about 1,411m (4,630 ft) and higher peaks like Mount Brinchang reaching over 2,000m (6,600 ft), offering a refreshing escape with its famous tea plantations and cool climate."

"The Kuala Lumpur skyline is famous for its striking blend of modern skyscrapers, dominated by the iconic Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest twin buildings, and the supertall Merdeka 118, Malaysia's current tallest building, alongside the distinctive Kuala Lumpur Tower, creating a vibrant, tropical, and futuristic urban landscape known for its impressive scale and density of high-rises."