The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

It's Been Crazy Lately

Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

It has been so busy this time of year, and I was expecting things to lighten up after Christmas. There have been the dinners such as the recent MST pancake and sausage meal at the fire department, and the bank's annual meetings and banquets, the Big River Resources annual Ethanol meeting complete with 12 of the top CEO's and industrial leaders around the U.S. (the first time ever for that gathering), and the Republican Lincoln Day dinner, and sandwiched in between are a lot of family birthdays.

Then, before I knew it, ballots for the consolidated election came in for this week and I had phone calls that Presidential candidate hopefuls are coming into the area to learn about the farmers and ethanol industry.

I have plenty of material to write about, but this week, the ballots took up the majority of the room and my time. Hopefully, next week will allow me time to write a little something and put some pictures in of some of these events.

I also have a great couple of stories on hold I am just hoping to have time to include.

This rain, ice and cold have kept plumbers and electricians busy as well as the home owners on the watch.

And then there are the funerals and deaths that have just weighed on us of so many people. I just received word yesterday, from Brad Beard of Roseville, that our dear friend Don Young of Ohio died suddenly Friday morning when he was walking back from the mail box. He and his wife Brenda were servicing a church the last year and a half in Virginia where he died. Don travels collecting truck loads of things from churches for the poorish of the poor and made several trips with Brad to Indian reservations in the Dakotas. He and Brenda both have contributed many stories each year for our Christmas book and we will greatly miss him and his generous heart and fantastic talent of writing.

I want to mention how much my grandson Caleb, who was visiting over the weekend from Urbandale, IA, enjoyed meeting people at the MST fireman breakfast and eating the delicious sausage and pancakes, an meeting people at the Presbyterian and Rozetta Baptist Churches Sunday.

I also want to say how much I have appreciated all the good comments people have been sending our way about how much they enjoy the Quill and that they hope we continue on. With every birthday, I wonder, but somehow, God sees us through another issue at "The Quill".