Save Ottumwa Post December 18, 2024

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•••••DECEMBER 1 8, 2024•••••

The gift-giving season is fast approaching.

If you are like a lot of people, this means you are brainstorming presents to give your children and grandchildren. While it may be tempting to purchase Financial Gifts with items like toys and a Lasting Impact clothes that can be immediately enjoyed, you may want to consider gifts that will provide value to the recipients for years to come.

Here are a few financial gift ideas that they can use and appreciate long after the wrapping paper comes off.

Contribute to a savings account.

Help instill the importance of financial discipline by gifting funds to open a savings account. Encourage young ones to save at least a portion of what they earn through allowance, chores, or a part-time job. Like any habit, saving takes practice before it becomes second nature.

Purchase a U.S. savings bond.

Give someone you care about a secure way to save. Savings bonds are an investment backed by the U.S. government. There are no fees or (Financial cont’d on pg 2)

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(Financial cont’d from pg 1) many young adults. If

expenses, and bonds generally do not trigger state or local taxes.

Donate to charity in the recipient’s honor.

A charitable donation is a thoughtful way to acknowledge a cause your loved one cares about.

As you research charities to support, look for ratings that indicate how efficiently these organizations use donations.

Fund education savings. Your generous gift can help a student start saving for future college costs. There are several types of savings and investment plans designed to help students, parents and other supporters save for future education expenses.

Every little bit helps. A small contribution to a 529 plan today will be given the chance to potentially grow and could make a significant difference when your child or grandchild is ready for college Help chip away at a debt. Many young adults are burdened by student loan debt. Juggling work and loan repayments can be challenging. Your loved one will be pleasantly surprised when you relieve them of loan payments.

Help with a down payment. Purchasing a car or a first home may be out of reach for

you have loved ones who could use help with these major purchases, your financial gift can assist them as they get settled and on their way to greater financial stability.

Give the gift of cash.

Everyone appreciates a cash infusion. If you’re so inclined, you can suggest how the money is spent, but they may appreciate being able to decide for themselves.

Gift an appointment with a financial advisor. Help your loved ones establish a financial plan with the assistance of an advisor you know and trust. This thoughtful gesture can create lasting value by helping lay the foundation for future financial security.

DECEMBER 1 8, 2024

Duane J Lusson, CFP, ChFC, CLU, MSFS, is a Private Wealth Advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Ottumwa, Iowa.

He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 33 years. To contact him, call 641-684-4200 or stop by his office at 527 W. Second in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Stock investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Highquality stocks may be appropriate for some investment strategies.

Ensure that your investment objectives, time horizon and risk tolerance are aligned with investing in stocks, as they can lose value. .

Investment products are not insured by the FDIC, NCUA or any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution, and involve investment risks including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value.

Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

Securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2023 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Texas Donuts

HITCHING THE

After church this morning, I went downstairs for fellowship - donuts and coffee, which is a good choice of refreshments.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like donuts.

Granted, there are some people who shouldn’t be eating them (myself included,) but it doesn’t mean we don’t like them.

Most everyone will agree donuts are delicious, but they can become a source of dispute.

Even the spelling causes differences; is it a donut, or a doughnut? I usually spell it donut just to appease the masses (mostly Americans) who are spelling doughnut incorrectly. However, spelling is not the only issue. Many foods fall under the title of donut. But what exactly is a donut?

A donut is usually a round baked good, topped, or filled in a variety of ways.

(Although I don’t know why it’s considered a baked good when most donuts are deep fried.)

Most donuts have a hole in the middle. A donut without a hole is a Bismark, unless the Bismark gets stretched out of its roundish shape, then it’s a long john. Whether they are filled with custard, crème, or jelly; frosted or plain, the long john and Bismark are still donuts.

Both have an interesting history with similarities, and differences. Have you ever wondered why the B in Bismark is always capitalized?

The Bismark was named after Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Germany in the late 19th century.

So, grammatically, it is a proper name. But why is the J not capitalized in long john? During my research I found the term long john, is supposedly named after the late-19thcentury heavyweight boxer John Sullivan. Sullivan was known for entering the ring wearing men’s long underwear, thus the name, long john. And so, by my way of thinking the J in long john should also be capitalized. But I digress.

Not only do I digress, I am most likely incorrect as I am confusing long john underwear, (named after the boxer) to the long john donut. I have no idea why these donuts are called long johns. One thing is certain, Otto von Bismark, and John Sullivan, teach us the donut has long been an internationally acclaimed treat.

The French bring the beignet, and cruller, to the donut case. Italians offer the bombolone, and zeppole. The apple fritter,

Merry Christmas!

POST

dates to the 14th century in England, Scotland, and Wales; even the churro is often referred to as a Mexican donut. It seems everyone worldwide, wants to be part of the donut business – even the Texans.

I was first introduced to the Texas Donut, when my parents owned the Runway Café, at the Ottumwa Airport. A regular glazed donut was twentyfive cents, where a Texas Donut would set you back four-bits. A Texas Donut is like a traditional glazed donut on steroids. It’s a giant size would fill a seveninch plate, and it was eaten with a knife and fork opposed to one’s fingers.

They were big, soft, and plenty sweet – when they were fresh.

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satisfy my sweet tooth.

Just down from the high school, was a small bakery: Paris Pastry and Cakes. Donna Paris made a great cake, but her donuts weren’t anything special. One day, I tried one of her Crème Horns and I was in love! It was a hallow horn shaped puffpastry, filled with crème.

As Donna’s business grew, she added more goodies to her pastry case. She started selling Dutch Letters.

A Dutch Letter is a puff pastry, filled with almond paste, and lightly sugared.

“These are every bit as good as the Dutch Letters from Jaarsma’s Bakery in Pella, Iowa,” I said.

“You goof,” Donna replied. “Those are Jaarsma Day old, or more, the Dutch Letters. I drive to Texas donut was dry and Pella twice a week to tough. I would put a dayget them, and the crème old Texas Donut in the horns, too.” My world was microwave oven for fifteen shattered. I thought Donseconds and it was once na was making her own again soft, but the glaze crème horns. was melted giving the donut a different texture.

Maybe I was better off Texas donuts are best not knowing where the served fresh. At the Run- pastries came from. Ever way Café, ours came from since that day of truth, the the Hy-Vee bakery. crème horns just didn’t taste as fresh as when I I knew a lady who worked got them from Jaarsma’s in the Hy-Vee bakery, and Bakery in Pella. I again she made Texas Donuts. I found myself settling for thought I would love a job lesser donuts. I wanted like that, until she told me fresh. her shift started at 3 a.m., making donuts. I decided One day, a new donut it would be best for me to shop appeared on the remain on the consumer corner of Richmond Avside of the donut industry. enue and Milner Street, Texas Donuts seemed to in Ottumwa, Iowa; Dunkin lose their popularity and Donuts. I thought I was in finally disappeared. Also, heaven. I hadn’t been to a Hy-Vee stopped baking Dunkin Donut shop since their donuts in the local my brother Gerard and store.

I had our paper route in Madison, Wisconsin. Near Hy-Vee donuts were the end of our route, there shipped in, prebaked from was a Dunkin Donut shop places unknown to me. on Monona Drive, but The local bakery simply the place made us a little glazed, or frosted the do- nervous. nuts and put them in the case. I could tell the difMonona Drive divides the ference; they were not the Cities of Madison, and same. For many years, I Monona. It may sound was forced to eat regular cliché, but every time Gedonuts that did not comrard and I went to Dunkin pare to Hy-Vee’s Texas Donuts, the parking lot Donut, in size, or softness. was filled with squad cars.

I found a new source to The counter was lined

with police officers from both cities, who were 10-7. Also, it was hard to get there. Crossing the busy four lane road was like playing Frogger; the object was to get across the street without getting smashed by a car. Although both stores always seemed to have cops present, the Dunkin Donut store in Ottumwa was much easier to access.

glazed donuts, about the same volume, but at thirty-nine cents each, it cost a lot more than the fifty-cents I was used to paying. They say all good things must come to an end, and eventually the Ottumwa store closed, and I once again settled for sub-standard donuts.

Then came the Krispy Kreme era; I was an instant customer.

Dan and Joy Quigley were the owners, and their donuts were made in house, not shipped in. The freshness was like a blast from the past. The first time I visited, I ordered a Texas Donut. “We don’t have Texas Donuts,” Joy said.

Instead, I bought three

Krispy Kreme donuts set the new standard, by (Just the Other Day cont’d on pg 4)

Ray’s Longbranch Homemade 1/2 lb. Tenderloins & Hamburgers Drakesville, IA • 722-3355

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(Just the Other Day cont’d from pg 3)

which all other donuts were to be measured. I would go to the Home Oil convenience store across from the radio station where I worked, and eat several glazed, and raspberry jelly-filled Bismarks in one setting.

You might say I was addicted to them. They were so soft they melted in my mouth. After a few months (maybe a year) (or two), of this over-indulgence, the sweetness lost its allure.

I cut back to one or two donuts per occasional visit, until I lost interest in donuts. Time marches on.

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Their donut selection was no match for Bloedow’s, however Kwik Trip offered their own brand of donuts, called Glazers, and they were very similar to my old friend, the Krispy Kreme glazed donut. Yum.

buried. We planned to eat on our way out of town. I wanted something healthy, like chicken, or fish, but Melissa was in the mood for a donut. “Not just a donut,” she said. “A maple frosted, glazed donut.”

Waterloo was about half way on my commute from Minnesota to Iowa, and there was a Kwik Trip just a few blocks from the girl’s house. Most Mondays, I would stop by their house in the wee hours of the morning, leaving a halfdozen box of Glazers and a gallon of milk inside their front porch. Occasionally, the box would be missing one or two donuts. Those were memorable days.

I stuck to my guns, “We need to eat healthy, honey. Do you want fish or chicken?”

“KFC and Long John Silvers, are probably less healthy than donuts,” She argued. I don’t know if that’s true, but she was very persuasive. Besides, she had been searching online and had a local place in mind. “It’s called Nana’s Daylight Donuts, Melissa accepted a posiand it’s not far from here.” tion as Photo Editor of the Melissa and I were spend- I wept a bit as we passed Daily News, and moved ing more of our weekends KFC and Long Johns, but to Winona, Minnesota. on the north shore of Lake admittedly, Nana’s soundMeanwhile, two of our Superior. We found anoth- ed good, too. We decided daughters, Sydney, and to go inside rather than er great little donut shop, Delaney, were living in using the drive up.

World’s Best Donuts, in Waterloo, Iowa; both were downtown Grand Marais. students at University of Melissa asked if they had Their donuts are indeed Northern Iowa, in Cedar any maple frosted, glazed good, but now I found falls. I still worked at the donuts. “I will make them myself challenged to radio stations in Ottumwa verify the claim within their for you,” the lady said. So, during the week, then name. To do so, we would Melissa ordered two, and went to Winona on the a blueberry cake donut. I have to travel the world weekends. Every Monday starting with the United had an apple fritter.

I would get up at two in States, and Canada. the morning to drive back I took one bite of my fritto Ottumwa, to be on the ter from Nana’s Daylight We’ve visited many doair at 6 a.m. I laughed Donuts. It was amazing. nut shops all around thinking, “I might as well I hadn’t had an apple the country. Competing be making donuts at Hyfritter this fresh and deliwith Dunkin Donuts, and Vee.” cious since our last Circle Krispy Kreme, Canada Tour around Lake Supehas Tim Horton’s. Very, In Winona, I discovered rior. Voyageur’s Lodge in good, and fresh! There two new donut sources: Batchawana Bay, Ontario are some really good Bloedow Bakery is a local chains. Although our Canada, make their fritters small corner shop with research is far from com- fresh from scratch, daily. fresh baked breads and plete, to date, we’re finding “Try this, babe,” I said and amazing donuts! You were the best donuts are made gave her a bite. Melissa best off arriving at Bloefresh, in-house at smaller, agreed, it was fantastic. dow’s early before they As I finished my fritter, local shops. sold out of donuts. the lady brought melissa Recently, we visited Lyons her freshly maple frosted Kwik Trip is a chain of Cemetery in Greenwood, glazed donuts, and blueconvenience stores I first Indiana, where some of berry cake donuts. We frequented in Winona. headed to the van with our Melissa’s ancestors are

DECEMBER 1 8, 2024

goodies.

Melissa took one bite of her maple frosted donut.

“You’ve gotta try this,” she said, handing me her donut.

“Wow! That is darn good,” I said taking a second bite. Melissa accused me of eating her whole donut. (It wasn’t whole, she took the first bite.) “Well, I shared my apple fritter with you,” I rebutted. Melissa and I recall that story a bit differently.

“No, you did not,” she was adamant. “You handed me the empty bag your fritter came in. I found a small crumb in the bottom, and ate it. You ate the whole thing before we even got in the van; snarfed it all down!”

“Well, technically that is a bite,” I claimed. Yes, Nana’s Daylight Donuts are that good! I do like donuts.

I even like Hostess powdered sugar, and Crunch Donettes, the little mini donuts. Personally, I don’t know if there is such a thing as a bad donut, it’s just that some donuts are better than others. Much better!

Our quest to find the best donuts in the world continues, and I will let you know when we find “thee best.” In the meantime, people will debate, and bakers will claim to have the best. Still, I don’t think any donut will ever match my first Texas Donut at the Runway Café.

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