Remembering Bill Watson by Charlene Watson

William George (Bill) Watson

William George Watson, better known as Bill, was born on February 22, 1934 in Lincoln County Kansas, to Emery H. Watson and Hazel A. (Loy) Watson. He passed away on December 30, 2014, at the Mitchell County Hospital in Beloit, Kansas, after a lengthy illness.

Bill spent the first five years of his life on a farm west of Barnard, Kansas. He attended Rocky Point Country School, located across the road from his home, for the first year of school. This was during the Kansas Dust Bowl years and was not an easy time for the family.

In 1939 or 1940 the family moved to a farm northwest of Barnard, where Bill lived for the rest of his life. He attended grade school in Barnard and graduating from Barnard Rural High School with the class of 1952. While in school he participated in baseball, basketball, and football, school plays, and was an active member of the Salt Creek 4-H Club. He became the 4-H Club livestock leader as the years went by and his own children joined the club. Bill had fond memories of walking or riding his horse to school with other kids throughout his freshman year of high school. After graduation Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army Active Reserves in 1953 and was in the QMCUSA through May 31, 1961.

Bill met his future wife at a surprise birthday party at the home of his parents in February 1952. Two years later on June 11, 1954 he married Charlene May Rawlings at the Presbyterian Church in Beloit, Kansas. In his words, she became his wife, his lifetime partner and the love of his life. The couple made their home on the family farm near Barnard where they raised their five children, Vicki, Beverly, Dwight, Jeana and Ginger.

When he graduated from high school, Bill’s parents gave him three registered Hereford cows and this was the foundation for a lifetime in the registered Hereford business. Seeing that the future of the Hereford breed was in the Polled Hereford segment, Bill and his new bride switched to the Poll’s in 1954-1955 and continued to raise them for the next 60 plus years.

Bill’s “love for raising and showing cattle” continued throughout his life as he and his family showed in local, state, and national cattle shows all over the country. He also raised Registered Australian Blue Heeler dogs. The Watson’s had an enjoyable life with a host of cattle friends they made throughout the U.S, Canada, Australia, and the world. Bill was proud of being the Lincoln County Wheat King and later named the Outstanding Farmer of Lincoln County.

Bill was baptized and became a member of the First Baptist Church of Barnard, where he served as a Deacon in later years. He was a member of the Barnard Masonic Lodge, Barnard Chapter 360 Order of the Eastern Star, Barnard Lions Club, and the Lincoln County Hereford Assn. He was a lifetime member of both the American Hereford Assn. and the American Polled Hereford Assn. He served as a director on the Salt Creek Watershed Board for over 30 years and was active in county and state Republican organizations.

Bill enjoyed attending his children and grandchildren’s activities and sporting events over the years. He celebrated his 80th Birthday on February 22, 2014 and the Watson’s celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on June 14, 2014.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include his wife Charlene of the home, five children: Vicki (Doug) Lebien, Lincoln; Beverly Boling (Rob Daniels), Tulsa, Oklahoma; Dwight (Tracy) Watson, Barnard; Jeana (Mark) Eckhart, Lincoln; and Ginger (Steve) Sedbrook, WaKeeney. Also, seven granddaughters, seven grandsons and six great grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly.

Bill and Charlene Watson Celebrate 60 Years of Marriage

Bill and Charlene Watson are celebrating 60 years of marriage.  They married in 1954.  They have five children; Vicki, Beverly, Dwight, Jeana, and Ginger.  They continue to live on the farm where Bill's parents got their start.  Bill and Charlene have been active in many organizations including the First Baptist Church of Barnard and  the Barnard Lion's Club.  Charlene is an accomplished local musician and writer.

There is a public reception from 2-4 p.m. at the Barnard Community Center on Saturday, June 14th.

Things Of Interest by Charlene Watson (Are They REALLY True?)

     When I read this I couldn't resist sending it in for the Barnard Banter. There are some really good facts in here and also some pretty weird ones. (Especially the no belching because there is no gravity and the nasty mouthwash part.)  All in all, I thought there  some interesting facts that people (like me) didn't know before. --- Charlene Watson       

                    Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.

Astronauts can't belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.

Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.

The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!

Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!

Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years .

Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end .

If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.

Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals

Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.

The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.

Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent

Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450?F

The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean

The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man

Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density

The University of Alaska spans four time zones

The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.

In ancient Greece , tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.

Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

A comet's tail always points away from the sun

The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent

Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.

The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.

If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.

When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight

In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed

Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside

Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams

The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year

The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust

Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters

Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy

Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down

Everything weighs one percent less at the equator

For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off

The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.

And last but not least:

In 2012, December has 5 Mondays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays. This apparently happens once every 823 years!

Charlene

Happy Birthday Charlene Watson

Charlene Watson celebrated an undisclosed number of anniversaries of her 21st birthday on December 15th.  Happy Birthday Charlene, with best wishes and blessings for many more.

Easter Morning at the First Baptist Church of Barnard

The members of the First Barnard Baptist Church are having a musical program called "The Wonders of Easter" this Sunday morning March 31,2013. Pastor Dennis Finch will offer the Welcome and Opening Prayer followed by Congregational singing. This will include vocal numbers by various members and groups from the congregation. The program was written and compiled by Chalene Watson; Pianist is Vicki Lebien and Organist is Carol Modrow. Roxie Pruitt will be doing the Narration and Scripture for the morning. We welcome everyone to come and join us as we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah He has Risen! -The members of the First Baptist Church.--Submitted by Charlene Watson.

"You Took My Parking Place at Church" submitted by Charlene Watson

"You Took My Parking Place At Church"

Submitted by Charlene Watson
(This should wake us up.)

One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near the driver got out and said, "I always park there! You took my place!"

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit! You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye,

"I took your place!"

When you read this, say a prayer... That's all you have to do. This is powerful. If we share this will our family and friends...Maybe, just maybe, we can get the world to start thinking about who took our place...

"Waste and Taxes" submitted by Charlene Watson

I want to share this article from the April 1952 entitled, “Waste And Taxes.” --- It has been said, “What does around comes around comes around.” This article could have been in today’s newspaper except that the waste now is so many times greater now than it was at that time. What would we have thought if we could have seen then what is happening today?

Waste and Taxes

“This snapshot on taxes and how tax money is wasted has been provided by John S. Knight: ‘When you realize that the federal government today employs 2,500,000 people at the cost of more than $666,000.000 a month; that one of every five citizens receives some form of income from the government; that $1 out of every $4 we earn goes for taxes to support the federal government and that about $1 out of every $10 spend it being wasted, it’s time to do something.

"We have 29 federal agencies lending money, 28 handling welfare projects, 16 in wildlife preservation, and 50 compiling statistics. One agency has enough light bulbs to last 93 years, and another has enough loose-leaf binders to last 247 years. One bureau has 24 supervisors for every 25 employees. It’s your money! What are you going to do about it?

"Well, the answer to that last query is not very much. The American taxpayer has been in a curious state of mind for years now – a condition which we have called punch drunk for want of any better term. But he has allowed himself to be bamboozled into paying the highest taxes of history by government administrations which continually harp on emergency – and while he squirms and squawks as the tax feather come off, he does little about the matter.

"In this presidential election year, he is likely to be bamboozled into voting for the same spendthrift crowd in Washington again by the wiles and clever pleas of politicians. But if he persists in helping to keep the same gang in office by his vote, his playhouse and that of the nations is in great danger of toppling over.

"Why he won’t see it --- on the basis of plain arithmetic, if nothing else – is something difficult to understand.’” (Article attributed to the El Dorado Times).

P.S. – I love that term, “bamboozled.”  It fits our government in 2011 just like it did in 1952 only more so.  –(Charlene’s Freelance Publications).

"Too Much" submitted by Charlene Watson

Too Much of Everything

(No author given)

“Too much oats and too much wheat, too much corn and too much heat.

Too much cotton and too much oil, too may hours we don’t toil.

Too many highways, too many cars, too many people behind the bars.

Too much poverty, too much wealth, too many people in ill health.

Too much politics, too much booze, too many wearing high-heeled shoes.

Too many loafing, too many bets, too many failing to pay their debts.

Too many living beyond their means, too many buying canned corn and beans.

Too many hiring their washing done, too many playing bridge for fun.

Too many sowing their wild oats, TOO MANY CANDIDATES OUT FOR OUR VOTES.

Too many people looking to Uncle Sam.

Too many people don’t give a damn.

Too much buying of goods on time.

Too many people don’t save a dime.

Too much ball and too much play, too many politicians on big pay.

Too many taxes, too much spent, too many folks spend every cent.

Too much reform and too much law. It’s the darndest mess you ever saw!”

    

If this doesn’t sound like last night’s news, I don’t know what does! You could almost expect the next line to read:

“Too much cheating in Wall Street markets, too many politicians lining their pockets.

Too much trading under the table, making our finances more unstable.

Too much Fanny-May and Freddie-Mac, too much corruption behind our back. 

Too many politicians with their hands outstretched waiting for handouts at our expense.

Too many taxpayers getting the shaft and left to swim without a raft.

Fire the politicians on the take! Make them pay for their mistake. Power to the people and the Constitution, bring back faith in our great nation. Bring back patriotism, honor to the flag and lift it high in jubilation. Honor our troops for service given and sacrifice made. Call a club a club and a spade a spade.

Bring back pride in the Red, White, and Blue, praising God and Country too.” Well, those are my thoughts, how about you?” – AMEN!

(If some of this doesn’t rhyme, don’t tell me because I don’t want to know. -- Charlene’s Freelance Publications, Barnard, KS.)

When Father Carves the Duck...submitted by Charlene Watson

Charlene had actually submitted this for Thankgiving, but I've been MIA due to semester end work at all of my schools.  It fits Christmas so well though. :-)

When Father Carves the Duck

(Author Unknown)

We all look on with anxious eyes
When father carves the duck,
And mother almost always sighs
When father carves the duck;

Then all of us prepare to rise,
And hold our bibs before our eyes,
And be prepared for some surprise,
When father carves the duck.

He braces up and grabs a fork
Whene'er he carves a duck,
And won't allow a soul to talk
Until he's carved the duck.

The fork is jabbed into the sides,
Across the breast the knife he slides,
While every careful person hides
From flying chips of duck. 

The platter's always sure to slip
When father carves a duck,
And how it makes the dishes skip!
Potatoes fly amuck!

The squash and cabbage leap in space,
We get some gravy in our face,
And father mutters a Hindoo grace
Whene'er he carves a duck.

We then have learned to walk around
The dining room and pluck
From off the window-sills and walls
Our share of father's duck.

While father growls and blows and jaws
And swears the knife was full of flaws,
And mother laughs at him because
He couldn't carve a duck.

Our Government at Work by Charlene Watson

Our Government At Work

The names have been with held in the following story because this is just picking fun of Washington bureaucrats in general and not of any administration in particular. I am not picking fun at any particular administration that has been in charge of this country.

For those who have never traveled to the great West, cattle guards are horizontal steel rails placed at fence openings on highways to prevent cattle from crossing. For some reason the bovines will not step on the guards, probably because they fear getting their feet caught between the rails. I need to make that clear in order for everyone to appreciate the following story:

The President received a report that there were over 100,000 cattle guards in Colorado. Because Colorado ranchers protested his proposed changes in grazing policies; he ordered the Secretary of Interior to fire half of the guards immediately.

Before the Secretary could respond, and presumably straighten him out, the Vice President intervened with a request that before any of the guards were fired they be given six months of retraining. OMG! And these are the people that are running our country.

Thanksgiving Prayer/Harvest time submitted by Bill and Charlene Watson

Happy Thanksgiving -- Charlene and Bill

I visited here today and thought that you would enjoy it too! - check this out at: http://wandascountryhome.com/thanksgivingprayer/index.html

I'm Fine by Charlene Watson

I'm Fine

(Author Unknown)

Submitted by Charlene Watson

It is better to say "I'm fine" with a grin,

than to let people know the shape I'm in.

I'M FINE!! HOW ARE YOU?

There's nothing the matter with me,

I'm just as healthy as can be,

I have arthritis in both knees,

and when I talk, I talk with a wheeze.

My pulse is weak, my blood is thin,

but I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.

And arch supports I need for my feet.

Or I wouldn't be able to go out in the street.

Sleep is denied me night after night,

but every morning I find I'm all right.

My memory's failing, my head's in a spin,

but I'm awfully well for the shape I'm in.

Old age is golden, I've heard it said,

but sometimes I wonder, as I go to bed.

With my ears in a dreawer, my teeth in a cup,

and my glasses on a shelf, until I get up.

And when sleep dims my eyes, I say to myself,

is there anything else I should lay on the shelf?

The reason I know my Youth has been spent,

is my get-up-and-go has got-up-and-went!

But really I don't mind, when I think with a grin,

of all the places my get-up has been.

I get up each morning and dust off my wits,

pick up the paper and read the obits.

If my name is missing, I'm therefore not dead,

so I eat a good breakfast and jump back into bed.

The moral of this as the tale unfolds,

is that for you and me, who are growing old.

It is better to say "I'm fine" with the grin,

than to let people know the shape we are in.

I'M FINE!! HOW ARE YOU?

Ella Dryden as I Remeber Her by Charlene Watson

Ella Dryden as I remember her

By Charlene Watson

Everyone in Barnard knows the story of how Ella and Jimmy Dryden met and fell in love as youngsters in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the early 1900's but were separated for many years after Jimmy emigrated to the United States. They both married and lived their own lives until many years later in 1966 when Jimmy came back to Scotland to visit after they had both lost their mates. Before he returned home, Jimmy asked Ella to marry him and come to the United States to live.

As Ella told it in her delightful Scottish burr, “I just hopped on a plane and arrived in Boston in February of 1968, wondering if I had done the right thing traveling all that way to marry Jimmy.” All her doubts were dispelled, however, when Jimmy and his family met her at the airport in Wichita and gave her a wonderful welcome. They were married in March fourteen days after she arrived here; and she became an American citizen in September of that same year.

I tell you all of this to explain how this delightful little white haired Scottish lady came to live in Barnard and become part of the First Baptist Church family.

 Jimmy had suffered many physical setbacks and was confined to a wheelchair by the time his daughter Lila and son-in-law George moved them to Milo and then later into Barnard. They enjoyed traveling and seeing the country for some time until Jim suffered a brain injury in a serious car wreck. He was no longer able to drive a car so this spunky little haired Scottish lady learned to drive a car for the first time in her life. She continued to care for him in their home. This was what everyone loved and admired about her; she didn't let anything keep her down.

  “After the wreck Jim was just like a child and I had many heartaches and tears but through it all, the Lord never failed me. I was given the strength to carry out my task of taking care of him,” Ella said. After his death in 1977, Ella returned to the little house in Barnard where she and Jim had spent their last years together.

Ella was very active in the First Baptist Church. She had been a professional seamstress in Scotland and loved to sew. She spent many hours working on quilts and other projects with the Missionary ladies.

Ella also sang in the choir and it was always a treat to hear her clear soprano voice ringing out with praise to her Lord. The whole congregation looked forward to the Sundays when she favored us with a solo, sung in her delightful soft Scottish burr.

  Everybody in town knew and loved Ella with her pure white hair and her constant infectious smile. She seemed to be able to overcome any obstacle but Ella shared the following thoughts with me one day. “Outwardly I carry on as usual, inside I am heart broken. I miss Jim so much but time is a great healer and as I go on the hurt is easing.”

When Ella died in 1992 at the age of 94, it left a big hole in the life of her family, her community, and her church. Somehow, I am sure the two childhood sweethearts are together again in heaven and the lilt of their Scottish voices can be heard sharing a joke or telling a story. Who knows, perhaps Jim is entertaining them all with a Scottish Highland Jig and Ella is sitting on a cloud nearby singing hymns to her precious Lord and sewing costumes for the Angels to wear. This is the way I will always remember Ella.

– (Charlene's Freelance Publications, Barnard, KS)

Questions to Ponder by Charlene Watson

                                     Questions For You To Ponder

(Submitted by Charlene Watson)\

Why does a gynecologist leave the room when the patient gets undressed?
* If a person owns a piece of land do they own it all the way down to the core of the earth?
* Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed?
* Is it possible to brush your teeth without wiggling your bum?
* Why is it called Alcoholics Anonymous when the first thing you do is stand up and say, 'My name is Bob, and I am an alcoholic'?
* Why are they called stairs inside but steps outside?
* Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
* Why does mineral water that 'has trickled through mountains for centuries' have a 'use by' date?
* Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out'?
* What do people in China call their best plates?
* Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
* Can blind people see their dreams?
* Why is a person that handles your money called a 'Broker'?
* If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?
* If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?
* If a man is talking in the forest, and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong?  (Bill particularly likes this one)
* Why is it that when someone tells you that there are over a billion stars in the universe, you believe them, but if they tell you there is wet paint somewhere, you have to touch it to make sure?
* Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?
* Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you but when you take him on a car ride he sticks his head out the window?

------------------------------------

Thank You from Charlene and Bill Watson

THANK YOU

I want to thank Dr. Klenda, Dr. Concannon, all the nursing staff and aides for the wonderful care I received before, during, and after my recent surgery. People have asked if I was satisfied with the care I received while a patient at Mitchell County Hospital or if I wish I had gone some place else. I cannot say enough about the care I received. I was completely happy with every aspect of my care. It was nice for our family not to have to travel a long distance to see me.

I also thank my family and friends for their prayers, calls, cards, flowers and visits during that time and since I returned home. Thanks to Pastor Dennis and Carol Finch for their visits and prayers. As usual our family has taken turns staying with us, fixing food, and making sure I behaved myself as much as they possibally could. I hope to be back to normal in the near future if I can just figure out that is. Bill says I have two speeds: Full speed ahead or flat on my back, and no neutral and after all these years he should know. Thanks again everyone.

May God Bless you all.   – Charlene and Bill Watson