Last week I shared the story of how the last name of my ancestors was changed way back in the 1600s. I can understand that it may not mean much to you as a reader, but for me, it is fascinating, and so I was happy to share the story. That name change occurred in the family that I’ve only known as Wedel—that being my Grandmother Goertzen’s maiden name. This week I want to tell you the story of my Grandfather Goertzen, and eventually, I’ll get to the family farm where I grew up, which was in the Goertzen family for over 100 years.

By Nancy Becker I have in my possession the story of my ancestors, dated in the mid-1600s. This story is archived in the church records of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, my home church, in Goessel, Kansas.

* I have put my order in for a lovely, and long, fall season with the leaves turning into beautiful shades of orange, yellow and red. If it goes the way I would like it to, fall will have some cool rainy days when needed and will stay around until the end of November.

Are you running low on good news these days? Here’s a story that will make you smile, give you goosebumps and maybe even a tear, so you may want to have a box of Kleenex nearby. This was written by Beverly L. Jenkins and posted on August 23, 2022 to an online blog: InspireMore. The story melted my heart, and I’m betting it will do the same for yours.

THIS AND THAT * I have decided to be the Roma Smith of my generation who went to the Stockton swimming pool whenever she could! She is my inspiration with her “plain old vanilla” walk. And I will add that I met my water spirit at the Hays Aquatic Park this summer. This 80-something lady goes to the pool whenever she can to work on her tan! That is so me.

By Nancy Becker __ Not happy with where you live? I’d suggest you just hunker down and stay put, because Kansas was just recently ranked as the 2nd cheapest state to live in during the current inflation surge. A survey titled America’s Top States for Business considered 88 different metrics and 10 categories of competitiveness.

THIS AND THAT * “Leave it to Beaver” TV star Tony Dow recently passed away. I loved watching that show when I was growing up. My favorite episode was the one where the Beaver climbs up on a gigantic billboard to see if there is really coffee being poured into a cup from a giant coffee pot.

__ With the Rooks County Free Fair now in the rear-view mirror, I have a these reflections over the past week. First of all, it was HOT, and that had to have created a lot of anxiety and exhaustion for the kids and their parents participating and trying to keep livestock cool. This is where lessons are learned and memories are made— and just like life in general, you gotta take the good with the bad. But in spite of the heat, the week was all about fun. Everywhere I went and wherever I looked, people were having FUN. I must say, however, I missed the rain that the fair so often brings. But as someone pointed out, rain was in the forecast for this week, which would be the “traditional” week for the fair schedule.

Hello! I am contacting both of your papers this week (the Stockton Sentinel and the Phillips County Review) so that you know what I am up to, particularly since I will be walking from the Rooks County Courthouse to the Phillips County Courthouse on Wednesday, beginning sometime around 8:30 a.m. I will start by introducing myself in case you missed the news in Central Kansas over the last few years.

THIS AND THAT * The cool people will get this….George Jetson was born on July 31st, 2022. * Did you know it is 75 days until Halloween?! (August 18th) * I am proud to announce that I have completed the first item on my bucket list.