"You know," Ivan said,
"when people read the Echo, I really don't expect a belly laugh or a knee slap, but I would appreciate an intellectual nod every once in a while."
"I would like to see all the churches in town put the Smith Center football teams, the volley ball teams, and the cross country team on their prayer list," Ivan said. "Not to pray for victory, unless so led, but to pray for their health and well-being and to keep them injury free."
"There were four generations of Lulls in the Second Cup last Wednesday morning," Ivan reported. "There was Linton, his son Murray, Murray's son Andy, and Andy's son Cooper. Andy is kind of young but he will learn. He invited grandad Linton to visit him at his new home in Boulder. Linton got to thinking it over and thought maybe he couldn't stay over 30 days. You soon learn when you invite grandparens to visit, you invite them for the weekend. Then you tell them of some chore around the house that you were planning to do on Saturday, and tell them that they can go to church with you on Sunday. That usually heads them off at the pass."
"Joe Lambert has done some figgerin'," Ivan said. "Joe says with the price of gasoline, the young people are going to have to stay home and that might make for more kids. Look for a baby boom around late May or early June."
"LoVelle Kirchhoff picked up a box of rolls at the Second Cup last Thursday morning," Ivan said. "Headed off for Athol with em so he could treat the Athol Brain Co-op to rolls on his birthday. They are called the Athol Brain Co-op for a couple of reasons. One is because they meet at the Athol Grain Co-op and the second reason is because Athol Brain Co-op is shortened to A B C and they are still working on their A B Cs. The As the Bladder Fills Club, on the other hand, is working on their Doctorate in rumors, gossip, and untruths."
"The Lutheran Ladies held their monthly breakfast meeting at the Second Cup last Thursday morning," Ivan reported. "They are a nice bunch of ladies. You can't find fauilt with any of them, either individually or as a group. EXCEPT - it's hard for me to say this, but - that group of Lutheran Ladies sang Happy Birthday to Shirley Hartman and even in Christian Charity I have to say that was possibly the worst rendition of Happy Birthday I've ever heard."
"I was getting a hair cut in Paul's Barber Shop last Thursday afternoon," Ivan said, "when I heard this mellow sound coming out of a radio. I knew immediately that Paul had gotten his radio fixed. The radio is a 1941 Minerva radio made by the Minerva Corp. of America. They were sold by Rex Gibson at his store in Athol. The radio had blown a tube and Paul has been searching for one. One of his patrons had a friend in Wichita. The friend in Wichita was a ham operator and he sent a tube to Larry Lambert to repair the barbershop radio."
"I was complaining," said Ivan, "about my Hays Daily News being found in my neighbor's flowers, my flowers, in my tomato vines, and anywhere but in front of my door. Jack McClain came up with the answer. Jack said, 'Sounds like you got a Kansas City Royals' pitcher for your paperboy.'"
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