Christian Photographers Community

Jeanne, I'm sad that you are lonely.  I know how it feels when the house is empty.    Take care.

Larry, I was at Cornerstone Inn with the ladies at church in March but it has been a year since I was there with my classmates.  And gel fill is a filler that hardens on your nails to make them smooth.  Once my nails are polished they look as smooth as glass!  My real own nails are split with dips and valleys.  Terrible nails! 

Jane, you can also hear the people in the hot air balloons when you are on the ground.  I was in Albuquerque for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and staying at Ivalou's brother-in-law's house.  We were in the back yard and heard people talking.  Remember all the homes there have cement block walls around their back yards.  We thought it was a neighbor over the wall but the voices got closer and closer.  Finally one of us looked up and there was a hot air balloon right above us!!

I got to the pool and did my exercises and then got my nails done with time to spare.  I took my book along and read some of it until I saw someone in the group come to Applebee's parking lot.  I had the Riblets and Twisted Potatoes with cole slaw.  Delicious!  Messy but delish!!

Now a reprieve until 5:10pm when I get Ivalou, then Marge and then Betty for Meals on Us at church this evening. 

Then once back home again, I had better pack for my two day trip!!

I GUESS WE ARE MORE JET-LAGGED THAN I THOUGHT!  I WAS UP AT 3 YESTERDAY, TODAY AT 4.  Oops!!  Sorry, I accidentally hit the caps lock key.  I didn't get anything posted yesterday because I went down to grandson Curtis's and spent the afternoon so he could teach me how to do a power point show.  He also backed up every photo I had on an external hard drive grandson Mark gave me.  Now that will go into the safe.

I am getting rather weary of war movies, after four days of them!  Darrel really likes those.

I want to start writing on our trip, but am having trouble keeping my eyes open, so guess I will see if I can take a nap first.  I have an appointment for another interview in the morning.  People are missing my stories in the paper!    (So they tell me, anyway!)

Abby drove up here to see the chiropractor this morning, arriving at his office while I was in the waiting room; so we had a nice visit, then I took her to lunch.  I cannot believe our little granddaughter is only one month away from turning "Sweet Sixteen!"

Abby drove?  Janet?  And she's not 16 yet?

I can't believe that little girl is almost 16.  Today is Rebecca's 16th birthday.



Etta Sue, I'd like to get my nails done.  Mine are like yours..They are constantly splitting and breaking.

Yes, Pat, she has her driver's license.  I knew she and Rebecca were close in age.  They just grow up TOO FAST!!

My throat feels as if it is getting sore, better go find some zinc and vitamin C.  I have started typing up the trip story.  But I can't find the start Curtis did on the Power Point Presentation.    

Hi, friends,

It's late evening, and I'm STILL trying to recover from the flurry of activities this weekend.

One highlight was a granddaughter's graduation. She was SO beautiful. Another was getting to see my young granddaughter pitch 2 innings in a fast-pitch ballgame. She did very well, and all were surprised - she's been playing first base. Had never pitched in a ballgame before!

And, there were other good times as well, One was playing with a balloon and my youngest great-grandson (about 18 months old). He had so much fun he was giggling and often would stop to laugh aloud. When I had to walk away, he called "ban ma" which was the first time he called me by name: Grandma. Those great grands are really special.

Nowwwww, to rest up from all that fun.

Ruth Ann

Chilly and rainy this morning, but it's supposed to get better.  By Friday we may even get up to 90.   

I'm still recuperating from my daughter's visit.  While she was here I didn't get any nap time and we wound up talking half the night - then up at 6:00 or 7:00 to get the next day underway.  But what a wonderful way to get exhausted!   

I agree with you both, Ruth Ann and Jeanne!  Well said.

I have an appointment to interview a special couple who are both about 94 years young, for another of the series of articles I am writing.  Sort of amusing....one of the ladies at the senior center said to me on the first day I was back, "You haven't had any articles in the paper lately!"  So I told her I had been out of the country!

We have been having terrible winds here.  We missed the day of 80 MPH ones, but yesterday was bad, and last night worse.  It tore about half the shingles off our big house (the one that is rented) and did a lot of damage around town.  Well the big one, not last night.

How I wish I had one of you techie people here to help me get started again with posting photos!  I just feel totally inadequate, and I have so many wonderful photos I would like to share. 

I need to print off a set of the questions I use for the interviews and get around.  So I wish you all a wonderful day, and I will be back later.

I came back to tell you that Bo Crocker, whom I interviewed earlier, passed away while we were gone.  He had his 99th birthday four days before his promotion to heaven.

Ivalou, Betty, Marge and I went to church last evening for 'Meals on Us'.  We had the choice of chicken salad, tuna salad or sandwich spread on white/wheat bread or croissant.  Also potato chips and mixed fruit or watermelon. For dessert it was lemon cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake or Poppy Seed Cake.  Iced tea or coffee.  Pretty grand meal! 

The phone woke me this morning.  Marge.  Did she leave her cell in the back seat of my car?  So I put on my robe and went to the garage to see.  No cell there.  I called her back.  She knows she used it yesterday morning.  Then rode with Betty to Applebee's and then to a nursing home to visit someone.  Then back home and in my car.  Hope she finds it!

I am all ready to leave for Cornerstone Inn.  Well, not really.  Need to change clothes and put last minute things in the suitcase. 

It is bright and sunny and 74°.  Nice day for driving.

We have heavy rain here in the north.  I am hoping it doesn't wash our seed (vegi garden) away.  Toronto had heavy rain last night , one of the major highways was flooded (Don Valley Parkway) and is closed today.  Many motorists will be late for work this morning.  I will check our creek later today.

Betty how are you making out with the rain?

I have this weeks assignment done and submitted, now for the test..... I am getting concerned about the exam, My memory has taken a leave of absence, and I really need it back!  LOL

Janet Do you have PSP? 

We have had high winds here as well this month but nothing like what Janet is experiencing.

Well bye for now Be back later.

Hi everyone.  It is another nice but cooler day here in Georgia with some clouds but no rain forecast.  We have had a busy morning as after coffee Pat and I went to Bible study, then to Dunkin' Donuts, and finally went to a new pizza place that opened four days ago in the shopping center where McDonald's is located.  It is a local franchise  caused Marco's Italian Pizza and it was very good, one of the better pizzas we have enjoyed for a long time.  I am now laying down to rest.

No I don't have PSP any more Judy.  It was on my desktop that crashed and burned. 

I am so tired, hope to get over this jet lag soon.

Janet you can also edit you photos in Paint, do you have Paint?

I have had a semi busy morning, after the gym, I vacuumed  the house as far up the hall to the doors that go into the front part of the house., Two bedrooms, computer room master bath and the hall.That's all my back could handle. I also washed the rug and blanket that the dogs lay on in the computer room, went to the mall to get 1 fingernail repaired, fixed and ate lunch. this afternoon I need to go to the bread store to pick up  enough bread to last until my Breadman machine arrives on the 4th, (next week), I thought about making some by hand but I don't think I could stand there long enough to do the  manual kneading. When I went to the mall I went early and walked some but with every step I took I could sure feel it in my back and hip, This pain has sure curtailed my walking program. I've been walking over 170 miles per month for ove a year. So far this month I have 168 miles.

Those grands are wonderful.  Our only granddaughter is 16 years old today.  Her older brother will be 18 this summer and he is graduating high school at the end of this week - we are in Minnesota covering the event.  Lots of fun.

Marilyn:  Sorry that you are enduring an episode of back pain - may this pass quickly.  Lots of walking for you - that is great.

Jeanne:  Sometimes a visit with the children can make a person want a vacation from anything after they leave    we wouldn't miss any visit though. 

Hello from Cornerstone Inn in Nashville, Indiana!  It is nice and sunny....a change for us...but predicting rain for this afternoon. 

We have all talked, walked, ate and slept!  Nice to get away from home!



   

Hi everyone.  We have an overcast but not chilly day here in Georgia.  Since I posted late yesterday and have nothing on the schedule for today at this point I don't have anything to write about.

Janet, you can download a free program called Irfanview that is fast and easy to use and I have used it for a long time.  It makes it easy to resize a photo and do other editing functions.  Here a link to the download site:  http://download.cnet.com/IrfanView/?tag=main;pop 

Marilyn, surely vacuuming must be one of the worst things to do for your back.  It has been several years since I tried to use the vacuum to do any extensive sweeping (probably since we have been usiing the housekeepers).

Carol, it sounds like you have made it to Minnesota and are ready for the graduation. 

Etta Sue, hope the rain leaves you all alone at the Cornerstone Inn but suppose you will be staying indoors so probably won't impact your activities. 

I realized I hadn't heard from Gord this morning, unfortunately in calling, I woke him up!  I have posted an update Check here.  Things didn't go as well as they had hoped pain wise.

I have an Eye appointment this afternoon.  Hoping for new glasses, and I will use one of those strings to hang them on!  I am notorious for loosing my glasses, I set them down and forget where they are.

I have a test to write today and this lesson is done.  One assignment is left, and that can be started as soon as he releases the work.  I will start it and get it done as soon as I can, then spend time studying.  I am really concerned about choking on the exam......That is something I have done since childhood, however my marks are such I will pass even if I do choke.  This is stress.

We have a beautiful day today, Sunny and warm.  I will be meeting up with someone after my appointment to drive her to work.

Have a great day everyone.

I just had a call from Gordon.  Noreen had a bad reaction to the anesthetic.  He is hoping they don't release her today!  Please pray for both of them that God gives them strength.   

On top of this a good friend of God's is very ill.  This is a man who has been a friend to him (That I also know) for over 40 years. 

Gordon is overwhelmed with all that is going on.

Hi, friends,

I'm sorry Gord and Marilyn are having so many troubles, and that Janet's still tired from the trip. Y'all get better, okay?

I just heard a thunderclap. Maybe we're going to have one of those heat-related thunderstorms we often get here during the summer.

Y'all have a good rest of the day with our Lord.

Ruth Ann

Hi Everyone...

Was just speaking to Gord and he's on his way to the hospital.  Poor Noreen.  It's awful what she's been through.


Larry, just heard of an awful tractor trailer accident in Lawrenceville.  That's where Fotobirder lives and near to you, right?

   Hi to all Gordon here.  Thanks for you all being there and please continue to pray as Noreen is not feeling well  Thanks for all of you and I will try to be back later.  All our love to you.  Gordon and Noreen.

What a day!  I went to finish the interview I started yesterday, then came home for a few minutes before Darrel and I went to lunch at the sr. center; then we went to Garden City.  And I am so sleepy!  I wanted to do more typing, but think instead that I will go to bed early and get up and start on it again in the morning.

See you tomorrow!   

Hi everyone.  It looks like it will be another nice day in the 80s with no rain predicted.  I went to coffee at the senior center this morning but we came home about 15 minutes early as I had an appointment with a friend at 9 am.  He just left.   Pat has gone for a doctor's appointment and then will attend a meeting and have lunch out.  So I will have a quiet morning.  I did finish the long audiobook written by Donald Rumsfield and really enjoyed it but it was over 700 pages in print so took a long time.  Then last evening I downloaded the last book that Betty White has written and listened to it.  It only took a little over 2 hours and it was very nice and light listening.  I have downloaded another book from the library by Michael Connelly and will start listening to it today.  There is nothing else on the schedule for today.

Judy, if you will pass even if you do choke on the test then try to let the stress go and take the pressure off yourself.  You have done the work and will be prepared so you will do fine.  Hope you get your new glasses.  Sorry to read the not good news for Noreen and now the good friend of Gord's as well as a friend of yours who is very ill. 

Pat, yes that accident in Lawrenceville is close by, perhaps 5 miles, and I know the exact spot as it is in the shopping strip just across the side street from the Aldi's where we shop.  According to the paper he went across two lanes of the southbound traffic and into the shopping center businesses and they think he had some medical problem but was dead after the accident so they don't know yet whether it was from the accident or a health situation.  He had just been released the day before by his doctor to start driving a truck again.  Fortunately there were no other injuries and it was just the tractor of the semi without a trailer attached. 

Gord, hang in there and hope today finds things better for Noreen and for you. 

Janet, it looks like you have resumed your busy schedule.  Hope you slept well last evening. 

Thanks, Larry.  I did get a good night's sleep, and am always thankful when that happens.  I got up early, read my bible, did my nails, listened to Joyce Meyer while they dried, then started typing the story from the interview I finished yesterday.  By the time I finished and got it sent to the paper, it was time for lunch.  So I took the camera card to the news office so they could take the photo of the Bogues off it (after we ate) and am now home again.

My once-a-year painting class in Fowler starts on Monday and I am not in any way prepared!  So guess that is what I will be doing this afternoon and tomorrow.

I will post in a separate window the story I just finished.  I hope you enjoy it!

                                                      TREASURES FROM PARK VIEW
                                                       KENNETH AND ALMA BOGUE

Kenneth Bogue was born at Luther, Oklahoma on May 22, 1920.  Alma was born on a farm near Carnegie, Oklahoma on January 11, 1918.  Kenneth grew up and attended school until 6th grade near Norfolk, Oklahoma, then the family moved to Cushing, Okla., where he attended school until his sophomore year.  At that time they moved to Coffeeville, Kansas where he graduated from high school in 1938, in a class of 364 students.

Alma grew up on the farm where she was born, attending 6 years in a one-room school, then transferred to another building which housed grades 7 through 12, graduating in 1935 in a class of 12.  This school was near Alden, Oklahoma.

Kenneth's dad worked for the MK&T railroad, called the "Katie", which was the reason the family moved often.  Alma's parents were farmers.  After Ken's sophomore year, his parent moved back to Oklahoma, but Ken wanted to finish high school in Coffeyville, so was allowed to stay there.  He lived in an upstairs 2-room apartment in the home of friends of his parents.  After graduation, his uncle, who owned a small business in Guthrie, Oklahoma, told Ken that if he would work for him that summer, the uncle would enroll him in college and pay his fees.  This was an offer he couldn't refuse, so after working for the summer, his uncle enrolled Ken in Central State Teachers College in Edmund.  I asked if he'd always wanted to be a teacher, and he said no, but that was where his uncle enrolled him, so he became a teacher!

Alma attended Ward Business College in Anadarko for one year, but then her sister suggested that since business jobs were scarce, maybe Alma should go to Edmund to the teachers college and become a teacher, so she did.  After graduation, she went back to the area where she grew up and taught in the one-room school, teaching all eight grades, for two years.  She and Ken had married, so after those two years, she stopped teaching and stayed home to raise their two sons.  When their youngest son was in 7th grade, they were living in Ulysses, and at that time she returned to teaching.  She taught at Sullivan, teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts, then 5th grade.  After 13 years at Sullivan School, Alma retired in 1971.  She says that she rather feels bad about those first two years she taught, as she wonders if she did her students justice.  I'm sure teaching all eight grades was a real challenge for a young teacher!

After he finished college, Ken was placed in a teaching position in Arcadia. (The college had a placement service at that time.)  There, he taught high school English for three years.  He then joined the US Navy during WWII and served for three years.  The Navy sent him to school to become a pharmacist mate.  His job was receiving wounded from SE Asia, in a facility near Oakland, California.  Upon his release from the Navy, he went back to teaching in Cherokee, Okla.  Kenneth grew up with Pawnee Indians, many of whom lived in that area.  He taught in Cherokee for five years.  Then Jack McDaniel, who was city manager at Cherokee, came to Ulysses to work for Pioneer; his wife Doris was teaching here.  Jack called Ken to tell him that a debate coach was needed in the Ulysses high school; he recommended Kenneth, so he came here, applied, and was hired in 195l.  He taught speech and debate in Ulysses High School 1951-1963, then for two years he was HS Principal.  When Ulysses schools unified, Merril Durr was principal at Joyce, he was hired as Superintendant, and Kenneth became assistant superintendant, where he was for eleven years until his retirement in 1977.

Kenneth was attending summer school, which he did every year while in college, allowing him to finish in three years.  One summer he was taking a class in ballroom dancing.  Alma came to the class with another guy, was dancing with him when Kenneth cut in; and Kenneth wound up taking Alma home.  Since neither of them had any money, their dates consisted mostly of walking around campus together.  Once in a great while they would go to the movies.  Kenneth's parents sent him $25.00 per month; his room and board cost $22.50, so that left him $2.50 to pay for things like toothpaste and other necessities.  Alma said she was amazed that her dad gave her a checkbook on his account!  He was very frugal with his money, and she said she was always very careful how she used that checkbook.  Neither of them had a car, but they did attend school activities together.

The Bogues married on June 6, 1941 in Chandler, Oklahoma.  They were both attending summer school.  Ken had a friend who owned a car, he loaned it to them to go get married.  They were on the way to Ken's parents' home, stopped in Cushing to get Alma's rings resized, then stopped in Chandler to get their marriage license.  It was raining that day.  They got the license at the courthouse, then went to the Methodist church parsonage and were married, the pastor's family acting as witnesses.  Ken didn't yet have a drivers license, so Alma had to do all the driving, and when they left to go back to Edmund, they found the window in the driver's door of the car didn't roll all the way up, so she got pretty damp!

Some of their favorite memories from childhood include:  Alma:  My family always milked cows, slopped hogs, rode horses and chopped cotton.  When we milked, there were always cats begging for a squirt of milk, and we sometimes obliged to the point that they were soaked with milk.  There were five kids in their family, but her parents always boarded the teacher, too.  A favorite of Alma's was a Ms. Smith, who had a wonderful sense of humor.  Alma's dad was always looking for ways to keep the family healthy, and he came home one time with an antiseptic spray to spray all their throats every night.  She said the antics of the kids while this was administered caused Ms. Smith to laugh so hard, then everybody would get tickled—it was a real circus!  The brother just younger than Alma and she had to wash the dishes, and go bring in the cows by horseback.  One day Alma offered to wash all the dishes if he would go get the cows every time, an offer she sincerely regretted before long.
Some of the games both enjoyed during childhood were:  playing ball with neighbor kids, parlor games in winter, crack-the-whip, Red Rover, Annie Over, Dare Base (a form of tag), marbles, jacks tag and hop scotch.  Ken emphasized that they always had lots of chores to do and not a lot of time for playing.

Alma's mom sold eggs for 10c per dozen, and worked in a restaurant where you could get a really good meal for 35c.  She said she rode horses, but it wasn't for fun—it was work!  She herded cows, rode a horse to school, even when she began teaching, that was still her mode of transportation.  She recalled one stubborn horse that always wanted to go to every water puddle.  The first time, she let him go, thinking he wanted a drink, but when he got to the puddle, he lay down, with her still on his back, in the puddle.  That did not make Alma happy!  And he did not want to move from there.

A favorite memory of Kenneth's is that his dad was friends with some of the Pawnee Indians, and one year he was invited to attend their Pow-Wow.  This was a religious celebration, and one had to be invited if not a Pawnee.  The guests had to park their cars at the edge of the clearing and stay inside the cars, but since Ken was a young boy, he was allowed to sit on the hood of the car to watch.  He remembers that it was quite a sight—all the Pawnees wore their native costumes and head dresses, danced and beat the drums.  He didn't understand the meaning of the ceremony but it made a lasting impression on his young mind.

Both of the Bogues remember some of their favorite teachers.  For Alma, they were Ms. Smith, who boarded with them and was like one of the family, and Ms. Lesch, who was a great teacher.  For Ken, they were his HS Drama teacher—Ken was in all the plays and really enjoyed it.  Another was a lady named Zalduski who taught him Spanish for two years; and he also liked his debate coach a lot.

Ken's first car was a 1933 black Ford, which he bought after his discharge, from a guy he served with in the Navy.  He paid $250 for it, bought it in California where cars in those days were not equipped with a heater.  He drove it home from Oakland in February, so to avoid the coldest stretches, they drove to San Diego, then to El Paso, and back up to Carnegie, Oklahoma.

The biggest changes the Bogues see in the world today from when they were young:  Advances in technology—the first radio program Ken ever heard was a boxing match, which he heard at a neighbor's house.  Alma cites the influx of news. "When we were young, we had no idea what was happening in the world, now we are inundated with news from all over the world!"

As to manners and morals, they agree that "things have gone 'flooey!'  "We behaved when we were young,"  Ken stated.  Kids have so much now, but when he was a boy, the only time the family car was taken out of the barn was to drive to church on Sunday morning, and then it was put back until the next Sunday.  It was an open touring car.

Alma's hobby was doing crafts.  She and Arlene Barnes taught crafts at the care home.  Dorothy Reusser and Ethel Turner helped them.  Kenneth's hobby for years while still teaching was hunting rocks, which Alma also enjoyed.  After retirement, this interest went from being a hobby to being a business as he made many things from rocks, going to shows all over and selling his products.  He said this rock business wound up affording them a good living for 20 years.

The Bogue family moved to Ulysses when their sons were five and seven years of age.  Kenneth bought a tent, 11 x 11 feet, some friends loaned them a camp stove, and this was the beginning of many enjoyable times going camping.  They upgraded and added to their equipment as time went on.  Alma remembers the great improvement when they got air mattresses!  Then the next big leap was obtaining a VW Campmobile—after that, it didn't matter if it rained!  The vehicle would hardly make it up a mountain, though.  Their best camping trip was to Alaska in 1960 a trip that the Durrs and their sons also made.  The two families spent nearly all summer on that trip, a memory to last a lifetime.

Ken began writing poetry during his final years of high school.  He had passes on the railroad because his dad was an employee, and he rode the train home on weekends, taking his clothes to wash.  The trip took 4 to 5 hours each way, so to entertain himself he started writing poetry.  He continued this hobby through the years, writing poems for family members and just to express himself.  He has published volumes of his poetry, and presented me with a copy of one book, which I sincerely appreciate.

The achievement the Bogues that gives them the most satisfaction is having raised two sons who are successful, and having a happy marriage for 72 years.

Some valuable lessons they have learned during their years are:  Don't borrow a lot of money to go to college!  Get an education, working to pay as you go.  Have a relationship with God.  Be kind.

The time period their lives they would say were their best years:  Ken—the most enjoyable time was working with the rocks, getting to know others through attending the rock shows.  We bought our first travel trailer in 1978, and then went to Tucson every February to the International Gem and Mineral Show, where we purchased supplies for the rock business.

The first thing Alma saved her money to buy was her cedar chest.  In 1939 the World's Fair was held in New York, and her sister wanted her to go with her to that.  Alma didn't have the money, so her sister offered to pay her way, then Alma could repay her.  She learned then how hard it is to pay something you borrow money for—it took her an entire year to repay that debt.  At the time, she was earning $80.00 per month teaching school.

The wildest thing Alma remembers doing was getting into a cotton boll fight while picking cotton.  Ken remembers when he was 10 years old, he asked for a job picking cotton.  He was hired, and then shocked at how long that cotton sack was.  He remembers the other pickers passing him one way, then coming back and passing him again.  He worked for a few hours, then thought, "I wonder how much money I have made?"  So he took his sack to be weighed and collected his wages—a kingly 15c!

Favorite songs:  Ken said his mother loved music, taught music and voice, also piano lessons, and still when he hears certain music, he thinks of his mother.  "She was my best friend," he says, and the person I most admired.

Alma loves the song My God and I, and most admired her parents.  "They went through hard times, but were good managers," she said, "and Dad was the head of the family."

I asked what was their favorite food, and Ken said, "I like it all—except liver."  Alma said, "I even like liver, and especially love desserts."

Ken shared that his scariest time was when he retired early from teaching, as he was uncertain they would have enough resources on which to live, without that monthly paycheck.  But the rock hobby turned into a business which took good care of them.

Their hopes for the future of our country are to get back to Christianity—to return to God.  We need respect and discipline in our schools—in all of our society.  We have too many one-parent households.  We need God in America today!  Our society is "going to the dogs!"

The persons who most inspired Kenneth and Alma were their parents.  Alma says, "My parents were very present.  They taught us work and responsibility."  Ken said his parents provided a good family life and taught discipline and responsibility.

A product they like and wish they could still buy is Excedrin, which is no longer available.  The worst crime they remember is the Clutter murders at Holcomb.  The first man they voted for as president was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Alma's favorite comic strip was the Katzenjammer Kids.

I asked if they remember eating out as kids, and they said "Never!-- except out in the field, during harvest!"

Ken has enjoyed singing for many years.  He was in a barbershop quartet with Don Cantrell, Lee Shore and Glenn Tuttle.  They went to many performances, even winning the world barbershop competition one year.

Alma said she played basketball and softball as a girl, and Ken said he was always too small to be a good player, so that's the reason he became a debater—that was something he could do.

Alma's favorite novel is Gone With the Wind.  They both remember rationing during the Second World War and Alma still has some of the coupons.

Some of the changes that have come to our area of SW Kansas since they moved here:  Ken said, "When I came to apply for a job here in '51, from Liberal to Hugoton to Ulysses was all pasture land, sagebrush as far as the eye could see.  Then with the coming of irrigation, most of the land was plowed up.  The oil and gas industry made big changes, too."

Ken remembers the dust bowl days of the '50s.  He said a tornado went through Cherokee just at tree top height, knocking out windows in second stories of buildings, but never touched the ground.  Then it hit Woodward, Oklahoma and devastated it.  He was also in a tornado in Carnegie.

Alma remembers being home on break from college when a huge hailstorm wiped out the crop they had just begun to harvest.  The next day, another of her dad's fields was hit and also wiped out.

Memories of church:  Ken—I have gone to church all my life.  I was converted at age 9 or 10 and have loved the Lord ever since.
Alma—I was saved at age 11 and my dad was saved at the same time.  That was so special.  Both have continued attending church all their lives and raised their boys in the church.  Now this legacy is being continued in the lives of sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

What's the best thing that ever happened to you?  Ken:  Alma!  Alma: Ken!  "He was so patient I would get impatient with his patience!

Ken would like to be remembered as a good husband and a good parent.  Alma would like to be remembered as a friendly, caring neighbor and mom.  The legacy Ken wants to leave is having served God as generations before him did.  Alma's legacy is having been the glue that held the family together.

The greatest lessons they have learned during their years are to be a good friend, treat others with respect; to keep your nose clean.

A favorite memory of Alma's is seeing the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and it seeming like no matter where she walked around it, that Lincoln's eyes seemed to follow her.  Ken likes the memory of being a member of The Blue Curtain Players drama group in college; and coaching debate.

Both of them love patriotic songs, the old hymns of the faith, and old-time songs.  Alma's favorite scriptures are Psa. 139 and John 17.  Ken's are John 3:16 and Psalm 23.  His favorite TV show is Classic Gospel, hers is the Mike Huckabee Show.
Punishment for both, at home or at school was getting spanked.  Ken said his middle name is Wayne, which he was called until going into the Navy, and his dad's nickname for him was "Weenie Wart."  Their family call them "Pa and Ma."

The best pet they ever had was a cat named Al Tom.  They had him for about ten years and he afforded them much pleasure and entertainment.

I asked what is the first thing they do when they are depressed.  Ken said he doesn't usually get depressed, but if he does, he keeps it to himself, and Alma said, "Sulk.  Then pray."

What is the most important decision you have made in your lifetime?
Ken:  Cutting in on the dance floor and meeting Alma.  Both:  Marrying each other.

If you were to give an 18-year-old one specific piece of advice, what would it be?  Ken:  Get an education.  Alma: Be good to each other so you are still friends when the kids leave home.  Get married first; then have your children.

The smartest thing their parents ever did:  Ken—Trying to bring their kids up right.  Alma—Staying together through good times and bad.

My visit with the Bogues was delightful, as I am sure those of you who have known them through the years would agree.  They told me they like everything about living in Park View Assisted Living!  I pray the Lord grants this lovely couple good health for many more years.

JanetDamon.com

Another wonderful interview, Janet.  I hope you don't think I'm being too picky but there's something that doesn't quite add up.  I suspect it's simply a typo.

"Kenneth Bogue was born at Luther, Oklahoma on May 22, 1920."

"The Bogues married on June 6, 1931" 

"...a happy marriage for 72 years"

I will be gone all day tomorrow, hopefully getting some good pictures!

OOPS!!  Thanks for the heads-up, Jeanne!  That should be 1941 for their marriage date!  I will email a correction to the paper immediately and hope it gets corrected in time.

Jeanne Lee:  You are so picky 

Janet:  Thanks for listening to me. 

Gord:  My prayers go out to Noreen - you as well. 

Gosh, what a whirlwind here.  Graduation for grandson and the perk yesterday was he kept quiet about graduating with honors and that is a very tough school.  Loved everything but the commencement held outdoors was too long and difficult time for Don.  Then, Don and I left for the luncheon following outdoors at the local golf club - all hockey families.  Don did not feel well and possibly fainted but recovered quickly - back to the hotel where he slept in our daughter's room as we had checked out.  He was not well at all and slept a lot so I drove (almost panicked)  to Minneapolis area and our designated hotel here.  He feels better today.  All our children are ready to fly or drive out here and drive us back but he is well enough to continue and we shall see how things go.  Now we are near wonderful friends and relatives too so anyone would help if needed.  Thanks for "listening" to my saga. 

Janet:  Is the town of Luther named after Martin Luther?  Just curious.  It would be nice.