Economies are huge in this nation

The safety of food sold in grocery stores has been in the news lately. I think it would be very difficult for a store operator to keep up with the thousands of products that have a shelf life.

How would you know how much to order each week to make sure it all stays in balance?

I have also read about people who live off of food that is discarded by the stores and that stores also donate items to organizations that can use them to feed the hungry.

It is a difficult balance when the margins are so slim already.

I mentioned to son Dan the other night an old grocery store that is no longer open. He proceeded to tell of an experience years ago where he and a friend were on one of their travels and purchased some hot dogs from a small country store.

When they started to eat them, something wasn?t right. So they looked at the package and the use-by date was four years earlier, or something like that.

The Ranneys were in town for the Arts & Crafts Fair. I told Dave I didn?t need to listen to the KU football game Saturday night because I would just watch the Mark Mangino show on TV.

He then quipped, ?Do you have a wide screen TV??

Don and I hosted a communications class from Tabor College communications class for a tour of our business this past week and had the opportunity to explain our mission and how we do what we do.

It?s always a good experience to describe where you came from and where you are going. I was im?pressed by their curiosity and attentiveness. The first one from the class to read this and call me will get a free dinner on me anywhere in town.

In the past we made our photos available for purchase on our Web site, but it was a system that was hard to use.

Now you can click right from the story to the photo on the site and also find unpublished photos from the same events. If you don?t see what you want, you can send a request form from the site. And you can even buy a print of page sections of a particular issue.

It?s been a while since we had the Iron Kettle Restaurant (formerly the Guest House) along East D Street. Some of you will remember that it was located on both East D and downtown.

For a time, the Iron Kettle was located where the Marion County Learning Center is now situated.

Operating both restaurants was Leonard Johnson, who died much too young. He was a brother to William Johnson, retired Tabor College professor. Mrs. Johnson and daughters Geneva Just and Kaylene Unruh still live in Hillsboro.