Friday, June 18, we had hot ham and cheese sandwiches… a new item for our center. Our cook cut the ham thin, served it hot and provided buns and cheese slices for guests to assemble their own sandwiches. Guests at our table thought they were good, and even commented that they liked the ham sliced thin. I know that thin sliced meats are popular in the deli’s too, and most places offer ham, beef and turkey in several varieties.

Birds are pretty much into the nesting season. My house wrens moved into one of our houses and sing so pretty, but scold when I go near the house. My feeders are visited by a lot of house finches. They are really red now. Birds really are “dirty,” though; I have one feeder on my porch and my flower boxes are full of growing sunflower seeds the birds drop, along with lots of “fertilizer.” My husband, Roger, reported that he saw a pheasant hen crossing the gravel road with a bunch of chicks following.

Gardens are doing good and so are the weeds and lawns. Wellman’s Farmer’s Market is on Tuesday evenings. Gardens are fun to admire, but require a lot of work to keep them clean and producing.

This must be the season for lilies. They are showy, watch for them in flower gardens. The place I noticed had several colors and was right along the sidewalk. There were several very healthy milkweed growing and my husband called them weeds, but I assured him they were probably grown to attract butterflies. People are now planting butterfly gardens to attract butterflies. Modern farming practices have seriously effected their habitat. I’m sure some of us remember the clouds of small yellow and white butterflies that populated the alfalfa fields when they were in bloom.

Monday, Dean and Betty Swartz had lunch at the center. They were visiting Iowa relatives. Dean and Betty always visited Dean’s sister, Erma Rugg, when she was alive, but Swartz’s still have family and friends in this area. They lived in the Wellman area for many years before moving to Waco, Texas. I especially enjoy visiting with Betty. She is a “crafty” person and is active in their senior center conducting craft classes.

Tuesday, we had several guests. Letha Schmidt and her mother, Ethel Miller of Muscatine, came to lunch. Some of you will remember Ethel’s delicious cinnamon rolls at the “tiny diner.” Ethel and her husband, Delmar, ran the “tiny diner” in the fifties or sixties. There is now a pizza place at that location.

Bill and Edith Nisly brought her sisters, Mildred Graber and John and Effie Miller of Kalona to lunch Tuesday. The ladies were going to Edith’s to quilt after lunch. The quilt was of embroidered blocks and was for Edith’s daughter. I wonder how many people realize how many hours of hand work go into a quilt… no wonder they sell for so much money.

Wednesday, we attended the Hills Bank Friends Club potluck in Kalona. I wondered who was eating at the center because I saw so many people who usually eat at the center there, along with a lot of other Wellman people. There were certainly a lot of homemade goodies. There were 24 guests at the center, including members of the Grandview Club.