A piece of wire, a story unraveled

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By Bill Wundram | Thursday, April 3, 2008 11:22 PM CDT | () comments

Dick Morrow of East Moline chuckles over this ag laugh from Successful Farming …

“AFTER digging to a depth of 10 yards last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire 100 years old. This showed their ancestors already had a phone network more than a century ago.

“NOT to be outdone by New Yorkers, California scientists dug down 20 yards in their state. A Los Angeles Times headline announced: ‘California archaeologists find 200-year-old copper wire — sign of an advanced high-tech network 100 years before New York.’

“A WEEK later, the Ames Tribune in Iowa reported: ‘After digging 300 yards down in cornfields near here, self-taught archaeologist Ole Johnson reports finding nothing. Johnson concludes that 300 years ago, Iowa had already gone wireless.’”

Another look for Monkey’s Eyebrow

A deluge (which means more than two calls) about my rainy afternoon search on Sunday for a town called Monkey’s Eyebrow … Some folks insist there is such a place.

“I’ve been there, and there is nothing there,” reports Willy Johnson of Rock Island. “I’ve seen license plate frames that say, ‘Where is Paducah? Paducah is between Monkey’s Eyebrow and Possum Trot.’ I’m going to try and get you a picture.”

We’ll not hold our breath to see …

Blessed Iowa

On the sixth day, God turned to the Archangel Gabriel and said, “Today, I am going to create a land called Iowa. It will be a land of outstanding beauty. It shall have majestic landscapes of rolling green, hawks, forests and rich farmland.

“I shall make the land rich in resources so as to make the inhabitants prosper. I shall call these inhabitants Hawkeyes, and they shall be known as a most friendly people.”

Gabriel said, “But Lord, don’t you think you are being too generous to these Iowans?”

“Not really,” replied God, “just wait and see the winters I am going to give them.”

Getting the message

On Iowa 22 just west of Davenport, two big side-by-side billboards:

One, in 6-foot capital letters, just says: “JESUS.”

As if offering a suggestion, another billboard two feet away:

“Live it up! 35 minutes west on Highway 22, Riverside Casino.”

Root, root, root for the home seat

Now that’s it’s “play ball” time, a tale from Al Balk, ex-Rock Island Argus reporter. While living in Manhattan in 1973, Al bought a castoff Yankee Stadium seat for $7.50. A treasure! A seat that once saw Babe Ruth smack homers!

“I paid $7.50 for it, plus about $5 cab fare to pack it back to my apartment,” says Balk.

Balk decided to cash it in before moving from upstate New York back to Illinois nine years ago and sold it for $53 … a respectable profit.

Now, he is kicking himself after reading a piece in the New York Post that seats from Yankee Stadium — set to shut down after this season — will be sought-after memorabilia and could fetch thousands of dollars at auctions.

One is only young once

Dr. Herb Janke just had his 90th birthday dinner party at the Arrow Café in Lowden, Iowa. Herb said to omit all gifts, but said he would accept a trampoline, a motorcycle or a hospital bed.

Bill Wundram can be contacted at (563) 383-2249 or bwundram@qctimes.com.