Brownstown-Sefton News

Nature’s Critter’s “Sound(s) of Music”
The melodic sounds of the wild birds have been so prevalent over other sounds, even over the I-70 road traffic, and we have enjoyed them so much. This weekend, as we worked outside, we noticed more little creatures joining the chorus
A little frog was apparently in high spirits, as he serenaded us continuously with his sound; some geese that landed nearby were vocalizing, adding a louder, more aggressive note to the music (rather like a tuba); then, a tinier, softer, but very clear sound,  joined in, and we couldn’t identify the origin of that little critter. Star, the little white dove, sits and listens to them and, once in a while, she coos, as if joining them.
Rufus and Alice (Hummingbirds) have arrived!
Anticipating the return of Rufus and Alice, we got their feeder filled last week, in spite of obstacles that kept cropping up.
When we got out the old feeder, we thought it looked pretty decrepit, so we decided to invest in a new one this year. After all (we reasoned), they fly hundreds of miles to return here every year (usually just the two of them), and they deserved a new dining spot.
We wanted one just like the old one, as it had served us well. There were none; they all seemed to be fancier and different.
We went ahead and bought a new one, and discovered when we got home that it was broken at one of the feeders. We took it back, went to another store and bought one of the new-fangled ones that you fill from the top.
Great idea…if it works, which it didn’t. After filling it with the nectar, I hung it up and had just entered the house when I heard a loud “thump.” The top had come off the feeder, and the sticky, red, sugary nectar was spilled on the deck, an open invitation to ants, wasps, etc.
Checking the feeder (which was unbroken), we found that the lid, from which the feeder hangs, did not screw on securely. It would go so far, then skip on to begin again, without ever tightening up to hold the feeder in place.
Back to the store to return the feeder, and unwilling to buy another fancy one, we returned home, cleaned up the old one, filled it and hung it up with no problems.
And, just in time! Rufus was seen hovering and looking in the patio door as we were filling the feeder.
They had evidently just arrived, as we have been anxiously watching for them, wondering if they would make it back this year. They have come here every spring for several years, usually all by themselves.
The old feeder is working fine. We haven’t actually seen both of them together at the feeder yet, but we really hope they made the trip all right together.
An interesting note – We just recently learned that there is actually a species of hummingbird named the Rufus. Rufus and Alice (Hummingbird) are actually named for our Mennonite friends, Rufus and Alice Martin.
Coming Up in Our Community
Free Summer Lunches for Kids coming soon
The Summer Lunches for Kids Program has been very successful in Vandalia and Ramsey and is now expanding to Brownstown. The program begins the first week in June and goes until the first week of August.
The Sefton HCE will sponsor the Brownstown program.
It will be held in Brownstown every Wednesday, from noon-1 p.m. at the Brownstown United Methodist Church. The lunches are free.
Donations of peanut butter and jelly are welcomed (Grape jelly is the preferred flavor by the kids, but any will be accepted).
National Pet Week begins on Monday
Let us hear about your pets, past or present.   
Jennie Alice Harner to celebrate 95th Birthday
The children of Jennie Alice Harner invite the community to celebrate their mother’s 95th birthday on Saturday, May 26. The cake reception will take place from 2-4 p.m. at Liberty Christian Church in Brownstown. No gifts, please.
Jennie Alice’s address is: Friendship Manor, 221 E. Cumberland, St. Elmo, Ill. 62458.
Village of Brownstown Cleanup Day
The village of Brownstown will sponsor a Cleanup Day on Friday, May 11. All residents and property owners are encouraged to help clean up their environment. D.B.S. Disposal will pick up all unwanted items. Village residents are to place all unwanted items in the same place they place their weekly garbage.
Any items to be picked up are not to be placed out for pick up before Thursday, May 10.
Items that will not be picked up are: electronic items, such as computers and printers; microwaves; clocks; TVs; speakers; Ad Power supplies; tires; batteries; shingles; siding; vehicles; building materials; and leaves, sticks, shrubs, trees, grass, or garden clippings. Landscape waste cannot be dumped in the landfill.
Any Electronic Items for Disposal…
…should be taken to the Fayette County Water and Soil Conservation District Office, 301 S. Third St. in Vandalia, on Wednesdays, from 1-5 p.m. for recycling these items which include: TVs (if tube not broken), microwaves, phones, cash registers, keyboards, audio devices, batteries, cell phones, flashlight, car phone, cameras, clocks, computers,  any computer items, copiers, disk drives, cords, power strips, hubs, switches, fax machines, scanners, stereos, typewriters. Contact for recycling at www.fayettecountyswcd.com
Plan Now for the Village-Wide Garage Sales
The village of Brownstown will be holding its annual Village-Wide Garage Sales from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, June 1, and from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, 2012.
You may contact the Village Hall to have your name and street address added to the village garage sale map at no cost to you.
Call 427-3345 before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30.
The maps will be at the village hall, Brownstown First National Bank, Mark’s Café and Victory Lane.
Memories often come to mind…
…about friends that have passed on. Last week, as I drove past the late Virgil and Esther Torbeck’s house and noticed the closed basement garage doors, I remembered the many times they invited their friends (which included musicians) to gather in that basement for the music, fellowship, laughter and snacks.
Esther also traveled many a mile taking her friends to events, or just driving around the countryside, reminiscing about the places and people once known and visited, or even where she once lived as a girl.
She called herself the “Crazy Grandma” and contributed the stories about her “escapades,” which added a lot of humor and interest to this column. Imagine my surprise when I found an e-mail awaiting me from her daughter, Connie Torbeck, who had no knowledge of my thoughts of her mother.
From our Bright Pink Homestead Mailbox…
… came a letter from Dublin, Ohio. Connie Torbeck wrote, “Panzi, you have mentioned before that you have missed mom’s ‘Crazy Grandma’ news since she left us in 2004. So, I am submitting a bit of news that I am sure she would have passed on to you Hope all is well with you. I enjoy keeping up with the local news in your column.”
A Third Great-Grandson….
…recently joined Virgil and Esther Torbeck’s progeny of five great-granddaughters and two great-grandsons.
Otto Palmer Erlandson was born April 16, 2012. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 21.25 inches long. he is named Otto after dad’s (Virgil) father, Otto Torbeck. The parents are Robin (Torbeck) and Dirk Erlandsen, and the maternal grandparents are Gene and Marti Torbeck, all of Bar Harbor, Maine. Paternal grandparents are Ray and Judi Erlandsen of Payson, Arizona. This is Robin and Dirk’s first child, and Gene and Marti’s first grandchild.
You may recall that Robin, along with brothers Erik and Brian, a.k.a., “The Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers,” performed a puppet show at the elementary school a couple of years ago to benefit the Brownstown Branch Library.
We are glad that some of Virgil and Esther’s family care enough to keep up with the community news. Connie, although she lives away from here, has contributed a lot to the community through her research and sharing the history of Brownstown and with the library.
Checking Out the Brownstown Branch Library
• Ricky’s John Deere Collection – Featured this month at the Brownstown Library is part of sixth-grader Ricky Williams’ John Deere collection of tractors, trucks, and semis.
Ricky has been collecting the collectibles for years.  Actually, his parents Rick and Patti Williams began the collection for him when he was just a year old, and it has grown over the years to well over 200 pieces.
• Botannical Gardens Trip – The Friends of the Library are sponsoring a trip to the Botannical Gardens in St. Louis on Tuesday, May 15. Next Monday  is the last day to register for this trip. Call the library for more details.
• Nadine is Coming (Back) to Brownstown! She will be returning to the stage on Sept. 15 in a benefit for the Brownstown Branch Library. Stay tuned for more information.
Brownstown Jr./Sr. High School News
• The library continues to collect Box Tops for Education labels and Campbell Soup labels. Send them in with students by May 11.
• Pop-top tabs continue to be collected for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. More than 5 gallons worth of tabs have been collected this year. They will be turned over to the local Home Extension organization in early may. Tabs that are brought to school may be given to Miss Stine.
• All library books are due next Monday. Anyone needing a few extra days should see Mrs. Claycomb. Students are asked to return all overdue books and pay fines before the end of the year.
• The spring sports and academic awards ceremony is next Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.
Coming & Going
DeeDee, Lois & Shirley Go Shopping
Dee Dee Diveley and friends Lois Jackson and Shirley Ferguson went shopping in Effingham recently. Dee Dee purchased a brand new Sunday-best pair of shoes and an item for her collection of (mostly-old) bedpans-an authentic “Jones Specialized” pan, made by Jones Metal Product Co. Hospital and Surgical Wear, from West Lafayette, Ohio.
Dee Dee brought the cherished purchase (bedpan) for show and tell at the recent Golden Years meeting.
DeeDee has been working extensively on her compost pile since her retirement from a long and illustrious career as a nurse at Fayette County Hospital and Long Term Care.
Catching Up with Jennie Alice Harner
Jennie Alice Harner has been enjoying family guests over the past weekends.
Granddaughters Kelly Frisbie, Jana Dakin and Regan Zandstra, along with two of Jana’s children, Connor Joseph and Gabrialla, from White Cloud, Mich., recently spent their spring break at Harner farm.
The following weekend, Jennie Alice enjoyed her family over the Easter holiday, including granddaughter Katie Mateer, along with her husband, Josh, and their three young daughters, Hannah, Jordan and Claire, all from Rockford, Mich.
Also present were: Jarielle Winkleman and her son, a student at MacMurray College, from Sherman; Jvee and Teresa Harner from Effingham, with their daughter, Jenae, a student at North Central College; and Gary and Javonda Barnes of St. Louis, Mo.
The families enjoyed playing at the farm and a Saturday evening meal together. The families took Jennie Alice to Easter sunrise services and breakfast at Fairview before returning to their homes.  
Visited Cousins
The human inhabitants of the Homestead, namely Bill and Panzi, visited cousins Alice and Ed Ward and Brad on Sunday. Alice had been under the weather and underwent surgery recently. While still bedfast, she was smiling and looked pretty good, considering.
The Puleos and Debbie visit Nebraska
Ken and Wanda Puleo and Debbie McDonald left Sunday, April, 22, to go on a trip to Lincoln, Neb., to visit Wanda’s brother and sister-in-law, Byford and Liz Bruce.
Joining Byford and Liz Sunday evening to visit with the Puleos and Debbie were: Byford’s daughter, Christy, and her son, Anthony, of Lincoln; and his son, Steven and wife, Susan, and son, Ben, and daughter, Alanna, all of Omaha. Everyone enjoyed the get-together, visiting and taking pictures.
Monday, Byford took the Puleos and Debbie around the city, seeing points of interest.
Byford, who had been a city policeman and then retired as a lieutenant on the county sheriff’s department a few years ago, knew all the interesting places to see in Lincoln, Haymarket shopping district, Cornhusker Stadium, and others. They stopped for lunch at Runza’s , a popular sandwich chain.
Tuesday morning, the Bruces, Puleos and Debbie met at the Village Inn, another favorite restaurant for breakfast, spent the rest of the day at the Bruce home and then enjoyed Italian food at Valentino’s Grand Buffet that evening..
The Puleos and Debbie had breakfast at The Egg and I in Lincoln on Wednesday and then started home. They stopped for supper in Hannibal, and took a brief view of the old historic area.
Visits Mother in Dix
Saturday, the Puleos and Debbie went to Dix to visit Wanda’s mother. After arriving, they learned more storm warnings were in effect for their trip home. They decided to stop in Farina and wait until the hail and rain ended.
Golden Years Meeting
Twenty Golden years club members and two guests were present for the potluck meeting Tuesday, April 24, at the club building in Brownstown.
The club president, Charles Reece, welcomed those present, and the Rev. Don Thomas asked the blessing for the meal, which included welcome fresh garden produce with radishes brought by Eleanor Kelly and cucumbers brought by Lucille Fisher; homemade bread from Helen Klitzing’s oven, Ina Abendroth’s butterbeans, and homemade pies (raisin and custard) by Pastor Thomas.
Following the completion of Donnie Smail’s kitchen crew’s cleanup, Reece called the meeting to order and introduced the two guests, Jo Stine and Cindi Fedrigon, representing the Fayette County Hospital and Wellness Complex.  They gave informative programs, presentations, and demonstration on Family Nutrition and preserving and/or attaining independence through  occupational therapy. Fedrigon also brought several newer devices and aids in therapy and asked the audience to name or describe their functions. Stine gave a talk on nutrition, with good advice such as reading labels, etc.
Placing the names of all present in a hat, they gave a basket filled with useful household items to the winner, Lucille Fisher.  They also gave hand-outs and various gifts.
Following the presentations, Treasurer Don Smail, gave the financial report. He read “Count Your Blessings,” a poem by the late Ruby Goldborough’s original book of poetry, and then announced a generous gift received from Bill Voisin.  Flo Allen gave two humorous readings and Pastor Don also gave several humorous readings.
The next potluck/meeting will be next Tuesday, and rumor is that a special celebrity will make a guest appearance. All seniors are welcome.