The above picture is of exchange student Johannes Faust and his family. His family arrived to visit with the Bryce Steiner family, where Johannes has been since February. He is part of the Rotary International placement of exchange students.
By: Stan Jordan
Johannes Faust was born in Bad Kreuznach, Germany on October 28 of 1998. There are three children in the family.
He went to school at Bingen Am Rhein. He likes math, physics, chemistry and biology. When he gets home, he will start his junior year.
His father, Stefan, is and architect and his mother, Christina, is a lawyer and he has a pretty sister, Catherine, who is thirteen years old.
Johannes’ hobbies are hunting, hiking, rock climbing and the fire brigade.
He got home on August 4th, after being gone eleven months.
He visited lots of places here in the states: Colorado, Yellow Stone, New York, Boston and San Francisco. He loved Florida and was over whelmed at the Grand Canyon (the size, color and its history).
He liked the way we celebrate Thanksgiving. The also celebrate Thanksgiving where he lives, but they do not celebrate the 4th of July, but they do have a Labor Day. He enjoyed the fireworks on the 4th of July.
For a few months he was a guest at the Bryce Steiner home and a couple of other homes. He was a student under the Rotary International.
For a man on the outside looking in, I certainly enjoyed visiting with Johannes and his fine family.
See ya!
Everybody Has A Story
By: Stan Jordan
Each and every minute of the day for you is history. Whether you believe it or not, it is. And lots of those minutes become memories. It doesn’t matter much if you’re nine of ninety, every minute is history. Maybe nothing happens to make that moment stand out, but it is past and is now history.
When you look back over your childhood at the earlier times you can remember, that is history 
and probably a good scene. Maybe like your first pedal toy or your first bike or maybe your first day in pre-school. It might have been a big moment then, but it will always be a bigger moment when you look back on it. You will never forget that time, and in your case, it’s history.
Stop and think back at your “firsts”. The first day of school, the first time the coach put you in the game, your first driver’s license, your first date or your application for your first job. Everybody has had these moments and that, in your case, is history. You don’t think of it as history, but it is.
In nearly all cases, that will be a pleasant memory and you have a lot of them. Yes, everyone has a story to tell.
See ya!
Sam Rivers, Indian Agent Chapter 45
By: Stan Jordan
Sam told Billy about the gardening and the hunting for the winter meat supply, about the two bridges the engineers built, along with the big community building for the Calamus Village. Yes we have been quite busy for those four years, but the natives have made a lot of progress.
The general said, “Billy, I would like to have you see the Calamus Village. We can make it there in a one day long travel.”
Billy counted up his furlough time and he said he could use four days yet. He has to return to Fort Kearney and there will be some orders for him at the end of his forty days. After they arrived at the Calamus Village, Billy fit in very well as he and the natives could talk together pretty good.
As they sat around the cook out area and talked in the warn sunshine, a cloud of dust was coming from the north. The don’t seem to be in a hurry to get here. We all stood and watched the dust cloud get closer. There was a lot of mumbling and grumbling for the natives of the villages.
As they neared our camp we could see they carried bows and arrows and spears and tomahawks. That was probably all the arms they had. I gave the peace sign as did Limping Buffalo and Pony That Walks. After a few seconds and mumblings amongst themselves the six newcomers all gave the peace sign.
The one with the most armament and eagle feathers looked around and grumbled, “White Elk?”
Limping Buffalo pointed to himself and waved and gestured to the other chief about White Elk being gone to the happy hunting ground many moons ago. The chief turned to his tribe and told him the situation. After a while, the two chiefs could understand each other a little bit. He is Broken Lance and they are the Loup River Tribe. They are about tow days march to the northwest of the Calamus River Village.
Yes they are armed, they didn’t know what to expect. They heard there are war drums to the east – many war drums. Broken Lance said, “We are farmers and we don’t like war. The Crow and Black Feet like war. They no like the white man. We hear you give some blankets to us?”
Then I told the chief who that man here is, the white chief to the south. And I told him about our policy on blankets – if they will agree to learn to live the white man’s ways and to get along and be peaceful, if the fort has any blankets and supplies, if they can be issued and if we have any to give. Then both of the other tribes talked about each getting two blankets and the other supplies they have gotten.
They pointed to me, the agent, and to General Kearny, and to Billy Metzgar and said, “Straight tongue, straight as an arrow.”
See ya!
Old Sayings Kids Have Never Heard
By: Stan Jordan
I’m operating on one cylinder
It’s off towards Murphy’s
Has the cat got your tongue
She sleeps with one eye open
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
One in the hand is worth two in the bush
Don’t slam the door
Get all your ducks in a row
It’s katy wampus
Is that glass half full or half empty
You’re slower than molasses in January
He took hook, line and sinker
He couldn’t carry a tune in a basket
You’re not dry behind the ears yet
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth
Kids should be seen and not heard
That was before duct tape
He’s goes to bed with the chickens
You go straight to bed
Clean up your plate
She finally hooked him
Fish are like relatives, after three days they start to stink
He smokes like a chimney
It’s in the mail
If you tied her hands, she couldn’t say a word
