Nebraska Celebrates Birthday on My Retirement Date

whimsical WED

Bracing for Retirement . . . No, Really, Seriously!

I may have made fleeting references that March 1 would be my official retirement date. Well, that day has arrived. Am I ready for it? I guess I have to be. There are a few technical details that I have yet to work out.

1. There are official documents that I need to photocopy, then mail to CRP. * I completed those forms yesterday with the help of my better half. This included taking them to the Elkhorn Valley Bank ** & having them notarized. ***
2. I have to write a letter to the NE District Office of the LCMS, asking to have my status on the synodical roster changed from Minister of Religion active to Minister of Religion inactive. [In case you're wondering, this status results in no special perks for me, like being able to perform weddings.]

* Concordia Retirement Plan. Those of you who are affiliated w/the Lutheran Church Mo. Synod may be familiar w/this Plan. Those of you who have been through this process may have some empathy for the ordeal it's been to work through the on-line first, then the paper process. I will give a shout-out to the CPS & CRP reps who helped walk me through this.
** This is NOT a paid, product placement.
*** Why, you may ask, did we have to have these documents notarized? I designated 100% of my survivor benefits to my better half. Sorry, kids, you will have to sort things out w/your mom in the case of my early--or late--demise.

There Is No Place Like Nebraska!

Coincidentally, Nebraska celebrates its 150th today! [In case you need a reminder, I am a native, born in Odell. You can look it up.] In the 2/26 Omaha World Herald, there was a special 2-page insert of quotes from a variety of notables. Here are 2 of my favorites.

• "For a long time I couldn't decide whether the original settlers in Nebraska were insane or just stupid, & then I saw a stadium full of UNL football fans in action on a SAT & realized that they must have been both ... The UNL didn't so much play FB as engage in weekly ritual slaughters ... Watching NE play FB every week was like watching hyenas tearing open a gazelle." Bill Bryson
• "But NE was not always a bad of roses. When the first settlers arrived, they found a harsh, unforgiving place, a vast treeless expanse of barren, drought-parched soil. And so, summoning up the dynamic pioneer spirit of hope & steely determination, they left. But a few of them remained & built sod houses, which are actually made of dirt. Think about that. You can't clean a sod house, because it would be gone. The early settlers had a hell of a time getting this through to their children. 'You kids stop tracking dirt out of the house!' they'd yell." Dave Barry

WED Nebraska Whimsy

• Also from OWH (2/10):  "Idyllic life at Boys Town was fleeting for teenage Manson, author relates . . . Today, few Omahan's know that Manson, the infamous cult leader convicted of orchestrating the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate & 6 others in CA, spent a brief stint at Father Edward Flanagan's children's home. Details of his time here are scarce. Manson ran away after just a few days." [C.M.'s life may have taken an entirely wholesome turn had he stayed at Boys Town.]
• Ditto OWH (2/13): "A 3-minute chance to make a connection. Omaha library's speed dating event offers an opportunity for singles to meet dozens of people in one afternoon . . . " [Let's see YOUR public library top this event!]
• Once again OWH (2/16): "You better believe it:  Sasquatch Summit is coming to NE. Bigfoot believers, rejoice:  you won't have to drive to the Pacific Northwest or Oklahoma any longer for a seminar on sasquatch. That's because a long-time 'big footer' from Hastings, Harriett McFeely is organizing a hometown hoedown on the hairy hominoids." [This seminar was last weekend, & I missed it. I may have to cross it off my bucket list.]
• And again OWH (2/27):  "Beatrice bakery keeps fruitcake tradition alive. This Christmas will mark 100 ears since Grandma's Fruitcake first made yuletides bright. The fruitcake didn't originate at the Beatrice Bakery Co., but it's keeping the tradition alive w/thousands of fruitcakes produced each year for holiday celebrations across the country, the Beatrice Daily Sun reported . . . [My sister Carolyn has lived in Beatrice since 1977, but has never mentioned this.]

Let's Talk about Weather & Nebraska

• I'm typing this on WED 2/22. The outside temperature is 75 degrees. We've been having spring-like daytime temperatures off & on for this past week.
• I'm typing this on THU 2/22. Last night the forecast was for a winter storm watch, beginning at 6:00 p.m. this evening with a possibility of anywhere from 1-3" to 4-6" of snow overnight into FRI.
• This morning, THU 2/22, Lois checked the weather before she left for school. The winter storm watch had turned into a winter storm warning & moved up to earlier in the afternoon. Now we are forecast to get 6-10" of snow by FRI evening. She might get a snow day tomorrow!
• When I left for Lincoln around noon today, we were getting mixed precipitation:  half-hearted sprinkles, ice pellets, & some flurries. No precipitation of any kind by the time I got to Lincoln.
• After I picked up the girls at school this afternoon around 4:00 p.m., it was beginning to sprinkle a little. We stopped at Hy-Vee to pick up some snacks. As I walked through the parking lot to the store, I was greeted by a huge thunder BOOM!
• The forecast for Lincoln is a possibility of 1-3" of snow overnight into tomorrow.
• When I left Sarah's house at 8:50 p.m. to pick Brianna up from play practice it was snowing . . . also there was thunder & lightning.
• Postscript #1:  Now it's 7:30 a.m. on FRI 2/22. I'm getting ready to take Brianna to school. I looked outside. Lincoln got maybe, MAYBE, an inch or two of snow. [I WILL have to brush snow off my car & guess who forgot to bring along a snow brush along.] I checked online. I'm not sure how much snow Norfolk got, but CLS cancelled school today, so Lois got a snow day. I am happy for her.
• Postscript #2:  It snowed off & on all day in Lincoln today . . . definitely more than 1".
• Postscript #3:  Norfolk's official total for this storm was 6".

More Bracing for Retirement Features, Continued THU 3/2!