Our Hometown • December 2023

OURhometown Daily Freeman-Journal

HAMILTON COUNTY

The

December 2023

City Scene pg. 12

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V.9 Issue 12 | December 2023

OUR hometown PUBLICATION INFORMATION

CONTRIBUTORS

EVERY ISSUE : 12 City Scene 14 Let’s Eat

EDITOR

JANE CURTIS

16 Landmarks

PUBLISHER

TERRY CHRISTENSEN

ADVERTISING

TREVOR CHRISTENSEN

18 Savvy Senior

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MICHELLE COLSHAN

STORY

MICHAEL ECKERS

PHOTOS

DAVID BORER

Direct inquiries to: 720 Second Street, Webster City, Iowa 50595 515-832-4350 Our Hometown is published monthly by The Daily Freeman-Journal, with all rights reserved, Copyright, 2023.

23 Parting Shot

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DECEMBER 2023 | OUR HOMETOWN

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By david borer

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Windows of Inspiration “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

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In the dimly lit Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Barbara Flowerday Golberg has let her light shine by literally letting light shine into the church.

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She did this through the use of her talents in designing stained glass windows.

The project began with an octagonal window in the front of the church above the altar; it progressed to the design of a cross-shaped window on the church’s opposite end. Then she designed six more rectangular memorial windows along the east and west sides of the church.

Goldberg first became interested in working with stained glass back in the late 1980s when a friend asked her to try a class in stained glass.

That led to more classes.

Back then, she said, there were many studios where you could take very “hands on” classes.

The first window Golberg designed was the window above the altar.

“It’s the Jan Marvel window, which was donated by Tom and Judy McLaughlin and they picked out the symbol and shape, so they wanted an octagon.” Marvel, who was Judy McLaughlin’s mother, passed away in 2009. The window was completed and installed in May 2010.

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“The second window was this 10-foot cross in 2012 after my husband, Lynn, and Mark Whaley died. Mark Whaley died in December of 2010 and Lynn died in May of 2011. And so this is a memorial window to them. And both of these windows were cut into the church. This one,” she said, indicating the cross window, “replaced the cross.

It was cut into the church by Loran Seiser, who actually put in all these windows.

Shepherd window in 2017, in memory of Barbara Ann Hosack. The border colors are red and blue; those are the colors of the Episcopal Church. Some of the symbols are the Bible, the Word of God, the Episcopal Shield, a shell with drops of water symbolizing baptism and, while unrelated to symbols of the faith, there is a hat that was added due to Hosack’s love for wearing hats. Another interesting feature is the center rectangle with no symbols. The clear rectangle lines up “I wanted the windows to match perfectly so that if you look straight because they were right across from out you will see the church’s statue of each other, but our cross was in the way. So Loran said, ‘Why don’t you just the Good Shepherd. make a cross with the middle being The Christmas and Epiphany window the same as that one (the window was completed in 2018. It was above the altar).’ So that’s how that purchased anonymously and dedicated came about.” to the Glory of God and all the children. Its borders are white with After the two initial windows were gold trim for Christmas and green trim finished, Golberg recalls looking for Epiphany. around while at church and thinking that glass was needed.

Richard Mason, who was on the vestry at the time, asked her to design all the windows before she started creating them in case something happened to Golberg that would prevent her from completing the project.

Also, in the creation of the windows Golberg used double-strength clear glass, knowing that this would allow more light into the church than traditional multi-colored stained glass.

The first of the six memorial windows to be completed was the Good

On the Christmas side of the window are the three wise men and the shepherd with his sheep looking at the rays of light coming from the star over the manger; there are also rays from the star shining on Jesus lying in the manger.

On the Epiphany side are a baptismal fount, a cross symbolizing Jesus, the dove symbolizing God the Father, a baptismal shell and the Paschal candle, signifying new life with baptism.

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The third memorial window is the Easter and Pentecost window, created in 2019 and given by the Haberman family. Its border is white with gold trim for Easter and red for Pentecost.

requested to be crucified upside down as he did not deem himself worthy to be crucified in the same way as Christ.

On the Easter side, symbols include the empty tomb indicating the resurrection, the cross with the crown showing Christ’s triumph over the cross, and the Paschal candle indicating the new beginning in the church year.

Due to the entrance to the church, the sixth and last window is shorter. This newest and final window is called the Advent window, which was given by Deb Leksell. It was installed during the first week of December. The border colors are purple and blue. It represents the Advent season or the four Sundays before Christmas, anticipating the birth of Jesus. The symbols on this last memorial window are the Alpha and Omega — the beginning and the end, the PAX — peace symbol, and the oil lamps to light the way in anticipation of the coming of the Christ child.

Next came the Lenten window installed in 2020 and given to the church by the McLaughlin family. The borders are purple for Lent, red for Holy Week and black for Good Friday. Symbols of Holy Week include a palm tree or Palm Sunday, praying hands for repentance, a water jug, bowl and sandals to symbolize Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and empty bowls to indicate fasting.

These first five memorial windows are seven feet long.

For Maundy Thursday there is a chalice and wafer to indicate the Last Supper and a money bag to represent Judas’ betrayal.

Golberg did substantial biblical research on the symbols of the Church’s liturgical season.

And for Good Friday, a crown of thorns for Jesus’ arrest and torture, hammer and nails for the Crucifixion, and the three crosses representing Jesus’ crucifixion on Calvary or Golgatha.

“Every time I finish one and put it in, it’s my favorite,” Golberg said, “and I wasn’t really sure about that one (the Advent window), because to me it seems plain. And then when I got it in here, I thought, Oh, it just completes the whole church’ … I’m real happy with it.”

The fifth memorial window was installed in 2022 and represents Ordinary Time, that time where Jesus and His Apostles taught and spread the teachings of Christ. The main feature of this window are the Apostolic shields, with etchings in the glass representative of each of the Apostles. For example, the second shield represents Simon Peter. Etched into the glass on his shield is shown the Keys of the Kingdom and an upside down cross indicating the form of death he would die. He is said to have

The windows were labors of love.

DECEMBER 2023 | OUR HOMETOWN

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LET’S EAT Sandwich puts bacon on notice Bacon has undeniable appeal. With its smoky and salty flavor, bacon often can transform dishes from tasty to delicious.

There are many ways to enjoy bacon during meals, and not just at the breakfast table.

In this recipe for “BLTs with Pimiento Cheese,” bacon is the star of the show and enhanced by pimiento cheese, which is a spread traditionally made from shredded cheddar, mayonnaise and pimiento peppers. It’s often called the “pâté of the South” because it is frequently utilized in cuisine popularized in the southern United States.

Those seeking a sandwich that is full of flavor, look no further than this recipe, courtesy of, “Cooking Light (SHOULD THERE BE A COLON AFTER COOKING LIGHT?) Fresh Food Superfast” (Oxmoor House) by The Cooking Light Editors.

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BLTs with Pimiento Cheese Yield: 4 servings

1⁄2

cup light pimiento cheese spread (such as Price’s)

8

(1-ounce) slices whole-wheat bread

12

reduced-fat bacon slices, cooked

4

green leaf lettuce leaves

12

(1⁄4-inch-thick) slices tomato

1⁄4

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.

Spread 1 tablespoon pimiento cheese over each bread slice.

2.

Top each of four bread slices with three bacon slices, one lettuce leaf, and three tomato slices. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with remaining four bread slices. Cut sandwiches in half; secure with wooden picks. Serve with a mixed fruit salad.

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LANDMARKS

DO YOU

How well know Hamilton County?

Look at these photos and see if you can identify these local landmarks.

Photo #1

No Winner

Clue: “Look up.”

No Winner 2nd Clue:

“The first word is water” 16 OUR HOMETOWN | DECEMBER 2023

Submit your entry

6 2 FREE MOVIE PASSES

Correct answers will be entered into a drawing for to the Webster Theater

Photo #2

Please include the name of the building icon on which the Landmark is located, your name & phone number.

Submit your entry jcurtis@freemanjournal.net or deliver to The Daily Freeman-Journal at 720 Second St., Webster City, IA DECEMBER 2023 | OUR HOMETOWN

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SAVVY SENIOR

by Jim Miller

Smart Home Devices to Help Seniors Age in Place Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve been talking to my mobility challenged mother, who lives alone, about automating her house with some smart home products to make it more convenient. She’s very interested but we’d like to get your opinion as to which types of smart devices are most helpful for seniors aging in place.

Searching Daughter 18 OUR HOMETOWN | DECEMBER 2023

Dear Searching, If your mother is game, smart home products – such as smart lights, video doorbells and voice-activated speakers – can be very useful for aging in place. These devices can add safety and convenience to a home by providing voice and app-controlled operation, which is extremely helpful for seniors who have mobility issues or reduced vision.

Smart home technology can also provide family members peace-of-mind by giving them the ability to electronically keep tabs on their elder loved one when they can’t be there.

If you’re interested in adding some smart home products to your mom’s house, she’ll need home Wi-Fi installed, and she’ll need either a smartphone, tablet or smart speaker to operate them. To help you get started, here are some different types of devices to consider that are very helpful to older adults.

Smart speakers: A smart speaker – like the Amazon Echo, Google Nest or Apple HomePod – can serve as the brains of a smart home, controlling the devices with voice commands or automating them.

These devices can also play your mom’s favorite music, read audiobooks, make calls, set timers and alarms, provide reminders for medications, appointments and other things, check traffic and weather, answer questions, call for help in emergency situations and much more – all done by voice commands.

Smart light bulbs: To help prevent home falls – which are often caused by fumbling around a dark room looking for a light switch – smart light bulbs will let your mom turn on and off the lights by voice command, smartphone or tablet. These bulbs can also change brightness and color and be programmed to come on and off whenever she wants.

Smart plugs: These small units plug into a standard outlet and connect to the internet. That means your

Sendr you or seni ions t questo

?

mom can control whatever she plugs into them – from a space heater to a coffee maker – using her voice or phone.

Video doorbell: Safety is also a concern for older adults, especially those who live alone. A video doorbell would let your mom see and speak to visitors at the door without having to walk over and open it.

Smart locks: For convenience and safety, smart locks would give your mom keyless entry to her home, provide customized access to family, friends and caregivers, and let you monitor who comes and goes from your mom’s house.

Smart thermostat: This lets your mom preprogram or manually control the temperature in her home with voice command or via phone, and let you monitor it too.

Smart smoke alarms: These will alert your mom when smoke or carbon monoxide is detected and will also send alerts to your phone if a problem is detected.

Stovetop shut-off: To prevent home cooking fires, smart stovetop shut-off devices, like the IGuardStove, will turn off electric and gas stovetops when left unattended, and will alert you via text.

Medical alert system: These devices provide wearable wrist and/or necklace emergency buttons that would allow your mom to call for help if she were to fall or need assistance. Many systems today also provide voice activated and fall detection features, and caregiver tracking apps that will let you keep tabs on her.

Cameras and smart sensors: If your mom needs more in-depth monitoring, there are indoor cameras you can install so you can see, hear and talk to her from your phone. Or, if that’s too intrusive, you can install smart contact sensors on her doors so you can know when she comes and goes, or on her refrigerator door so you can know if she’s eating.

Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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