* And So They Say: Leta Bouchey: “Yes, it was cold at the football game Friday night, but it was worth it.” Lionel Carter: “Butch Ostmeyer isn’t any better at picking baseball winners than he is at fishing.” Dean King: “I think eventually I’ll get all my things moved over from Hays.” Velma Bartlett: “This rain is wonderful, but I wish I had got my bulbs planted first.”

Rustin and Holly Odle had the most unusual pumpkin patch this season, the result of a May 29th flooding rain. The Odles had just planted their garden a week or two before the rains and had planted pumpkins, watermelons, tomatoes and onions. Their garden was located beside their pasture fenceline that goes down into a draw. The tiny plants had just started to grow, but after the area flooded, they hadn’t paid attention to their garden, giving it up for loss. But Rustin had a big surprise some weeks later when he had to go down into the draw to check on a cow. He went home to tell Holly she had to go check their garden. There were pumpkin vines growing all over the place, with pumpkins hanging from a pile of dead trees. The Odles counted around 15 to 20 of the orange globes, having grown into odd pear shapes as they grew among the trees.

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* And So They Say: Jo Carmicheal: “I still say that the scenery around here is just as pretty as you will see anywhere.” Dr. Dean: “I was amazed at the number of replies I received to my help wanted ad in the Record. Your want ads really work.” Mrs. Ray Schindler:“Ineverthought I’d see the day when I would have my 15th little grandsweety.” Mrs. George Riffel: “George wants to go deer hunting in Wyoming, but it seems sort of silly to me as it won’t be long until he can hunt them in his own pasture.” Twila Smith: (Monday): “Three months and one day from now will be the day after Christmas.” Doris McMichael: “I was the pitcher for our school’s baseball team when I went to school in the country.”

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It hadn’t happened since 2000, but the Stockton Tigers finally got the monkey off their backs as they won a Homecoming football game, defeating the visiting Wilson Dragons by a score of 50-36. Homecoming 2008 Royalty crowned the previous Friday night at Tiger Stadium were King Ty Winters and Queen Jennifer Nelson, who presided over the festivities that evening.

Historians dream of instigating debates to establish their academic identity. That debate runs its course and fades away. The historian’s books become bestsellers, but eventually move to the bargain bin. One historian presented a thesis that continued to instigate argument for decades. The historian was Frederick Jackson Turner and his thesis, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” claimed that constant movement into the frontier created the American character. Turner’s concept meant that it was the West that became the incubator for America’s rugged individualism. The argument sat uneasy with recent scholars. They accused him of not recognizing gender influences on the frontier. One critic believed Turner rested his argument on ‘documents and general impression rather than a scientist who goes out for to see.’ However, did that critic do the ‘going out to see’? If not, there is plenty of amazing evidence that would support Turner’s thesis. Evidence that established the Great Plains women or ‘Women of the Middle’ and how the Frontier created this historic individual.