Don't you wonder...or the moral of the story...

By Mary Reiman

Don't you wonder...

About where they keep all those cones in the winter? It must be a very large storage unit. You know, those orange and white cones that seemed to be around every corner this summer. Maybe there were road repairs only on streets I drove this summer. I greatly appreciate the work, but those cones kept multiplying throughout the summer, like the little tribbles on Star Trek.  There were a lot of cones, even after they removed the ones that had been run over. If only those cones could talk, what stories they would tell.

About the red spray paint sprayed on the streets, especially downtown. I searched for information about what that means. Have not yet found the answer. New curbs? New electrical lines or cables going under the street? Or simply a reason to put out more orange and white cones?

About labels. I’ve never been too concerned about labels. It doesn't matter that I'm  not wearing the latest fashion. I simply want clothing that's soft and comfortable. The same with cars. Get me wherever I want to go…and home again...in comfort.

So imagine my surprise, when I suddenly realized I had been labeled. I had read Hillbilly Elegy, so I knew Mr. Vance as an author, but I doubt he ever read my blog so he doesn’t know me, and yet he feels the need to give me a label. 

Yes, I am a childless cat lady. Well, I was. In reality, I was more of a childless dog lady, although my original pet was Tommy, the gray farm cat we dressed up and put in the baby buggy and pushed around the front yard. She was amazingly compliant.

I don’t have children, but I sure do have family. My loving biological family and my fabulous friends' family. Those in Lincoln, as well as those far away, sustain me. How lucky I am.

Needless to say, I never thought I would be labeled as someone ‘without a direct stake in our country’ because I do not have children. I pay taxes, vote, support our community, and reside in a state that has a relatively high inheritance tax for those who are not married and do not have children. Financial planners say we should definitely not be single and die in Nebraska. The state will take too much of our money that could be left to causes of our choice. (Yes, that's exactly how they say it). But this is my home and I don't want to move. I often wonder if our state officials consider this as one reason why people are leaving our state?

About today. It is Labor Day and we honor and thank all laborers of the world. Those who are paid for their hard work, and those who volunteer their time and energy to provide services to us all. 

This could lead me to two topics I really wanted to write/rant about this week. 

Not the announcement of the placement of someone new to the Nebraska Library Commission board, but the removal of one of the current board commissioners. A good woman, a knowledgeable woman unanimously elected chair of the commission board earlier this year whose name is no longer on the list of board members. If you followed the report in the newspaper, you know the story. 

I will not be writing more about this right now because a few months ago when I was critical of our state politics, my blog was removed from Facebook. I’m still not sure what the trigger words were that led to the disappearance of that blog, never to be seen again. But I will keep researching how and why some Facebook posts vanish. Be assured, I will come back to both of these topics at a later date.

About the label I would rather have: Cousin...or in this case, maybe second cousin twice removed?

I was visiting a cousin this week, and she informed me that Tim Walz’ mother’s maiden name was Reiman. Who knew? 

When my grandpa moved to northwest Iowa, his brother moved to northeast Nebraska. Both brothers had several sons. And those sons had several children. In Butte, one of those children was Tim Walz’s mother. And in Milford, one of those children was me.

Yes, it was a large family. My great grandparents had many children, and those children had many children. When I was in elementary school, grandpa’s brother would often come to visit. We called him Uncle because that’s what dad called him. In reality, he was my great uncle. I don’t remember any of his family coming with him. We did not take vacations, never went to Nebraska, so I never met them. I don’t remember even looking up Butte on the map. We just knew that’s where grandpa's brothers lived.  Those who study genealogy could probably easily determine if we are second cousins twice removed, but that’s what I believe when looking at the family tree. (If you know for sure, please let me know!)

So the moral of the story is…you just never know! And yes, it is a small world. And yes, I hope no one feels I have offended anyone on Facebook causing this blog to disappear. And yes, it’s sort of fun to say I'm related to a vice presidential candidate.