A caller said the other day she had read about my tastes for food.
"I know you like most kinds of foods from what you write about mushrooms, turkey fries, kolaches, pan fried chicken and sticky dumplings to name a few, but tell me truthfully, is there anything you don't like and what are your favorites?"
Well, the first part is simple — peanut butter is my enemy.
And for the life of me, I don't know how anyone else can stand to eat it. The taste chokes me up. When the females in our house start with the peanut butter cookie bit, I open a window.
Millie says it's all in my head, but I think she's wrong. It has something to do with pollution. Betcha if they took all the peanut butter out of Los Angeles, the skies would be clear.
What are my favorite foods?
Glory be. That's a long list.
I suppose No. 1 would be pan fried chicken.
And then there's dozens of others like apple pie with a flaky and sugared crust, strawberry preserves and sour cream chocolate cake.
When I was in the military service and overseas there were two things I wanted in the worse way — fresh milk and chocolate cake.
I settled for a lot of powdered milk and (heaven forbid) chocolate cake made with mayonnaise before I ever got back to civilization and food (I probably was a lot healthier without the rich foods).
The Navy did serve a couple things I really enjoyed because no one else liked them, probably — corned beef and cooked cabbage and a salad of ground up carrots mixed with raisins.
Allen Holmes, who organizes the reunions each year of Company B guardsmen in Nebraska City, said the group will meet May 15 at Memorial Building to swap stories and have a luncheon at Steinhart Lodge.
It was 54 years ago that Company B guardsmen camped on the courthouse lawn, marched down Central Avenue and boarded trains to fight during WWI.
The ex-guardsmen are a proud lot as illustrated in Mr. Holmes' letter.
"A couple days ago this writer witnessed on TV a scene that made him realize how unstable and childish full grown adults, veterans just out of combat, may act under a given set of circumstances.
"Marching up to barricades set up at the entrance of the National Capitol they ranted and raved, hurled insult after insult against their country and the manner with which it operates, finally tossing their service and decorative medals over the barricade.
"What a pitiful sight it was to see these young veterans of a war, like other wars before, throwing not only their medals but their futures away in one motion."
Nebraska City Senior High and School for the Visually Handicapped athletes will be recognized at the May 15 banquet sponsored by the Booster and Optimist clubs.
Jerry Hall and Norwin Bruening are confident it will be one fine program. The speakers are Huskers Bob Newton, Dan Schneiss and Ed Periard, all members of the nation's No. 1 football team.
If they are as pleasant and entertaining as Jerry Tagge, the Husker quarterback, who spoke at the Knights of Columbus banquet for Lourdes, then it will certainly be an interesting evening.
Up the lazy river . . .
The new marina at Riverview park will be dedicated at 11 a.m., Sunday by Governor Exon. Boating enthusiasts are looking forward to a renewed boating program.
A number of years ago, the Nebraska City Boat club was an active organization and stirred up a lot of interest in pleasure boating.
We remember the hydroplane boating races and enjoyed them very much. Clem Landis, Sr., was in that race and we understand he is still entering boating races.
As a matter of fact, one fellow told me that Clem is the only man he knows who gets special introduction at the races generally about birthday time . . . Clem will be 72 years young this racing season.
It was a good boost to the general economic thinking in Nebraska City to read that Nebraska Outerwear plans a new building for its factory now located above Newberry's.
It also makes Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hunter, local plant managers, pretty happy. They've worked many years to help build production in Nebraska City.
Stan Portnoy, Omaha, general manager, said the company hopes to build a 30,000 square foot steel structure on the industrial site in the southwest part of town. Understand the building would be east of Crown-Line Plastics.
John Sautter, Plattsmouth, former News-Presser, is determined to finish college.
John worked at the News-Press during the summer a couple years ago. He's now working parttime at Penney's in Omaha, going to school and the family is living in Plattsmouth. John just happened to have a picture in his billfold of his 18-month-old son.