My wife, Gannie, son Brandon, 13, and I returned home to Wahoo, Neb., after visiting my mother, Doris, on Thursday and Friday.

We enjoyed mother's cooking on Thanksgiving. Mom made my favorite side dishes, apple salad and carrot casserole. She made pumpkin pie for Brandon. She also served turkey and dressing with cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes and raspberry gelatine salad.

I also ate a great deal of her homemade peanut brittle, carmel popcorn and other candy.

I'm sure glad we drove Thursday morning instead of Wednesday night. We saw more than six vehicles in the ditch  along Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 169 that had wrecked due to icy and snow-covered roads.

We did not see any deer in mom's yard as we usually do. Speaking of deer, I still have a doe permit to fill. I was blessed with a 10-point buck during archery season and an 8-pointer during rifle season. While the true hunter does a great deal of preparation such as target practice and scouting, he does not do anything great when harvesting the game. Instead, wild game is much like a ripe apple on a tree, you can pick it and eat it, or not. Personally, I always say a prayer after bagging a deer, thanking God for letting me share in the fruits of His bounty.

Shifting gears, it is great Rod Kirkhart is contributing to the Lorimor Web site. He is an all around good guy with many interesting experiences to share.

If I was asked to critique the Web site, and I have not been, I would suggest replacing the first story about the mayor dedicating the new town hall. Surely someone can take a more recent photo of an activity in Lorimor and write about it.

I received an inquiry about my work. I write corporate newsletters for railroad employees. I travel, generally for a week at a time, to places such as Cincinnati, Nashville, Louisville, St. Louis, Topeka, Kansas City and surrounding destinations. While there, I photograph and talk to railroad employees, writing a story about them on the spot using using a laptop computer.

When I return, the stories and photos are composed into newsletters using glossy, high-quality paper, published in full color and mailed. I write for employees who work for Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and a "short-line" railroad, the Alton & Southern. There are only six major railroads in the U.S., but most have many divisions, service units, locomotive shops and other facilities throughout the country. Consequently, the vast majority of the 155 newsletters published by the company that employees me for are for railroad employees.

In family news, brother Jack is enjoying his retirement in Florida. He recently returned from a great fly fishing trip in the West where he landed some trout as long as your arm. Dan enjoys his banking work in Lansing, Iowa.  Off duty, he spends a great deal of time woodworking. Niece Katie was recently featured in a New York Times business section story. An associate professor at the University of Iowa, the story detailed her research into mortgage defaults. Nephew Jake is busy in Philadephia working for a large investment company - or something like that. Niece Emily, a physician, is in residency at a Brooklyn, N.Y hospital - or something like that.

I ain't braggin', just informing.

By the way, I continue my hobby of handcrafting fixed blade knives and daggers for collecting or use in the field. These knives can be viewed on eBay by clicking on Advanced Search, clicking on Items by Seller, then typing randy7514.