Save Ottumwa Post September 25, 2024

Postal Customer

Ottumwa Publishing

641-208-5505

ottumwapost.com

•••••SEPTEMBER 25, 2024•••••

PAGE 2

SAVE OTTUMWA POST

watch the rabbit as it even more fun for him stays just far enough since now Zane will ahead of the dogs to occasionally shoot a keep things interestsquirrel that Red has ing. It is not what one treed. The little dog would call actual hunt- is a bundle of energy ing as nobody shoots that loves nothing the rabbit. It is more more than to be in about the chase than the timber. He can getting a rabbit. The be sound asleep but dogs have a good time if someone says the practicing their track- word “squirrel,” he is up and ready to go.

The Thrill of the ing skills, we enjoy listening, and I also Since squirrel season Chase believe the rabbit has has opened, there has been several fried Fall weather a good time. When it squirrel meals at seems to have arrived their house. The right on schedule. The little dog is good temperatures have at his job. dropped at the same time the calendar said Though Damon it was supposed to. and Zane have This is both unusual dogs that could and nice. It is good to almost be clasget the hunting dogs sified as profesout on a cool morning sional hunters, to practice their skills. we have two Small game season dogs that enjoy is open so a person hunting also, can hunt squirrels and even if they are rabbits. not that good On Saturday at it. Billie, the mornings, our son, gets tired of the game poodle, and Jag, the Damon will usually antique terrier, both come over for coffee. after an hour or so, it disappears over the love to chase anyOn the way down the hill into the heavy tim- thing that is willing to hill to the house, he will turn loose his two ber. The beagles then run away from them.

Billie hunts primarbeagle hounds to hunt come to the house, get a drink, and usuily by sight and Jag is our resident rabbits. ally take a quick nap mostly a scent hunter.

By the time we all on somebody’s lap, One would think that get our cup of coffee getting ready for the would be a good comand settled in on the next hunt. bination for hunting, porch, the dogs are on Our grandbut neither are highly the trail of a rabbit. We skilled. Jag will get enjoy watching and lis- son, Zane, has been training a squirrel dog. confused and hunt the tening to their baying Red has figured out scent trail backwards as they go from one place to another in hot the sport and loves to tree squirrels. It is (Outdoors cont’d on pg 4) pursuit. We can also

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

WE ARE YOUR

Hunting & Fishing Supplies

HEADQUARTERS

• Bows • Arrows • Tips • Releases & MORE! • Poles • Lures • Hooks • Line & MORE!

Check out our deer mineral options !

641-722-3357 20927 Ice Avenue Bloomfield, IA 52537

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

SAVE OTTUMWA POST •OTTUMWAPOST.COM

BARN RESTORATION Specializing in Barn & Pole Barn

Repair and Restoration

See more restorations!

WAGLER BUILDERS

(641) 777-5000 • john@waglerbuilders.com

@waglerbuilders

Harvest Galore for ‘24!

Curt Swarm, Empty Nest The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Mathew 9:37-38

We didn’t ask the Lord to send us laborers, but we did put out a message on social media that we had radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, aronia berries and Macintosh apples free for the picking (or some already picked) and, oh boy, did we have takers!

One morning I was out picking tomatoes and there was a farmer mowing the ditches with one of those flex-wing mowers. I had a five-gallon bucket full of tomatoes, so I waved and tipped the bucket to show him.

He stopped mowing, came over and admired the tomatoes. Politely, he didn’t say a word about our weedy garden, except, “It’s a good year for everything.”

He went away with that bucket full of tomatoes, cake out of our Macinhappy for the surprise Ginnie had two differtosh apples. For heav- ent casseroles with a he had for his wife. I was pleased to get rid of en’s sake! I don’t beside of sliced tomatoes. the tomatoes, because lieve I have ever tasted One rider quipped, “Is any kind of cake as I knew I had another this heaven?” In unison, bucket-and-a-half of to- good as this. The nuts, they all chimed, “No, it’s matoes to pick, from just brown-sugar topping Iowa.” and moistness make for a dozen plants. Even As I write this on the cherry tomatoes are a taste extravaganza September 17th, there’s akin to a roller-coaster as big as small tomaa full moon—a Red Harride of the taste buds! toes this year. Mercy! vest Super Moon. The You hit a peak, the bot(Great for impulse eatharvest is bountiful, but tom drops out, leaving ing.) the absence of workers A couple of times you salivating for more. is not a problem, when while I was picking one I’ve never heard of any- we have friendly visitors one foundering on apple who enjoy our produce. thing or another, the cake, but I believe I mailman arrived at the From my recliner, as mailbox. Seeing me in could. And then I would I look out the picture have to be put down— the garden (my happy window, I see the field place), he drove out and happy. of seed corn next to us All of this gardenwent away with buckets being picked. Because full of tomatoes and cu- ing served us well for of the angle of sunlight, Ragbrai (I define “Ragcumbers. Always take there’s a sadness to fall, care of the mail-person! brai” as a word like the but also hope. Hope word “laser” came from for the future of all manGinnie is not a the acronym for “Light “canner.” She has a and-woman-kind. Be at Amplification by Stimu- peace with yourself and pressure cooker but is lated Emission of Raafraid to use it, having others. diation”). We had two heard so many stories of pressure-cooker blow Ragbrai teams staying Ray’s overnight, and Ginnie ups. She does someLongbranch Homemade 1/2 lb. Tenderloins thing called “water bath cooked both supper and & Hamburgers breakfast for them. For canning” and has put Drakesville, IA • 722-3355 supper (in Iowa it’s “supaway a good stock of apple pie filling for apple per” not “dinner”), along pie whenever the mood with Sloppy Joes, Ginnie fixed cucumbers and strikes, and apple butter—my stomach is smil- onions, sliced tomatoes ing. I have never been and home-cooked green beans with chunks of an apple butter fan, having eaten only store- bacon and onion. One bought apple butter, but Ragbrai rider nearly this home made version, cried at the deliciousness of the green from our own Mac apples, is out-of-this world. beans. Ginnie beamed, I can eat it by the spoon and I bragged that I had picked the blue lake full (and do). bush beans just the day Which reminds me. Ginnie made apple before. For breakfast,

PAGE 3

PAGE 4

SAVE OTTUMWA POST

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

(Outdoors cont’d from pg 2)

Mario Martinez, MD, PhD Bienvenida a nuevos pacientes Pella Regional Health Center le da la bienvenida al Dr. Martinez, quien practica Medicina Familiar con Obstétrica.

“Mi pasión es proveer excelentes servicios médicos en el área rural, con un enfoque especial en obstétrica, obstétrica quirúrgica (incluyendo cesáreas), y trabajar con las comunidades marginadas,” dijo el Dr. Martinez. “Yo creo en proveer una experiencia positiva a través de todo el embarazo, empezando con los servicios prenatales hasta llegar al momento de labor y parto, y a los cuidados del puerperio.”

El Dr. Martinez habla con fluides el inglés y el español. Él está casado y tiene dos hijos. El disfruta de pasar tiempo con su familia, ver películas, y ver ó jugar deportes (especialmente el fútbol).

Ahora viendo pacientes en Pella y Ottumwa.

Para hacer su cita, por favor llame al 641.621.2200 o visite PellaHealth.org.

and if Billie loses sight of the prey, it is as if it simply disappeared.

For the longest time, I was certain that Billie would not know what to do with a rabbit if he did happen to catch one. I was wrong about that but there was no chance of us having rabbit stew when he got done with it. He caught it, it was his, end of the discussion. The pair are only slightly better at squirrel hunting. If Billie sees a squirrel, he will chase it up a tree and Jag will come check out the scent. The two of them will then sit at the bottom of the tree wondering where the squirrel went. If the squirrel did not jump to another tree and a person wanted, they could probably get it as the two dogs are not letting it come down. As with Damon and the beagles, we enjoy the thrill of the chase when Billie and Jag go after a squirrel and do not really care about getting it.