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Ramona

By JESSICA GILBERT

Ramona correspondent

(785) 965-2621

Christmas festivities add lively punctuation to our lives this time of year. This past Thursday the Lutheran Women's Missionary League from Trinity Lutheran Church in Ramona had their yearly Christmas luncheon and invited many ladies in the community to attend.

Tables were beautifully decorated and, as is tradition, each place setting had a little something to take home as a reminder of the event — small Christmas trees, angel bells, candles.

After the meal we became a lovely Christmas choir as Pastor Davis led the group in Christmas carols. He shared a wonderful secret — cyberhymns.com has all the words to Christmas carols you could want, plus stories about the songs.

The league members who cooked the yummy meal were Orvell Brunner, Yvonne Brunner, Paula Fike, Marge Hanschu, Trevia Schneider, and Leola Neuschafer of Hope. Ramona ladies who attended the luncheon were: Betty Ohm, Kim Wingerd and her daughter Lacy, Barbara Wingerd, Marguerite Utech, Frances Hanschu, Martha Ehrhardt and her daughters Pat and Jessica, Darlene Sondergard, Leona Deines, and Ramona's temporary postmaster, Nancy Hatterman. Arlene Carlson was a guest from Burdick.

Postmaster, Kathy Werth, would have been at the luncheon, but she was getting ready to leave Ramona again and take a post in Canton. She's barely been here long enough to catch up on the news of what happened while she spent nearly three months at the Herington Post Office. "I'll probably be gone a couple of months again," said Kathy.

Another person who'd planned to attend the Christmas lunch was Naomi Fike. "I told my doctor he was making me miss one of my favorite lunches," said Naomi from her bed at Herington Hospital.

Naomi went to a doctor's appointment and was promptly admitted into the hospital this past Tuesday because her potassium levels were out of site. She remained in good spirits, enjoyed having good food arrive three times a day and not have to cook it, and also was eager to come home on Friday. "Oh it's so good to be here," said Naomi when she walked in the door and found her favorite chair.

The Lutheran Women's Missionary League entertained twice this past week. In addition to the Christmas luncheon on Thursday, they prepared lunch for the Pastors' conference on Tuesday. "The pastors from our circuit meet at the church and we prepare a morning treat and also lunch," said Orvell Brunner. The only league member missing was Trevia Schneider who was out of commission due to back problems.

Orvell shared that her granddaughter, Emily Koch Schlickau came for a weekend visit. "She had work in Manhattan and a party with her cousins at Nolan and Melissa Brunners," said Orvell.

Paula and Warren Fike were entertained this past weekend when Warren's brother, Duane Fike and family, from California, took the Fikes and Petersons to lunch in Abilene. "Duane comes and takes us all out to eat every year and we celebrate Christmas together," said Paula.

A group from the Ramona Senior Center went to Newton this past Tuesday to see Christmas lights. "We went to a new subdivision in the south part of Newton and oh, the lights were beautiful. We had such a neat trip," said Darlene Sondergard, who's secretary-treasurer for the Ramona Senior Center.

Also on the excursion were Al Sondergard, Bob and Rita Brady, Marlene Anduss, Steve and Myrna Eskeldson, Fred and Marguerite Utech, and Frances Buxman. The group had dinner before taking in the lights and displays.

Pat, Tooltime Tim, and I trekked to Salina Sunday evening and took in Red Fox Lane — so many lights that I was seeing stars for hours afterward!

As I absorbed the beauty I also kept thinking, "Who in the world put up all these lights in these high trees!" That was a natural thought because this past week I've been putting lights up in Ramona — on anything that stands still for 10 seconds — or so my sister says!

Later when I read the Salina Journal I learned that a nursery company is hired to put up all those lights on Red Fox Lane and I'm sure they have fancy equipment that lifts them high in the trees. I admit it, I'm envious.

We in Ramona have no such luxury — if a ladder can't take us there, that's as high as the lights go! At city council Monday evening, council member Jeannie Weber had an ace bandage on one hand. "What happened?" someone queried. "Oh, the doctor said I've been overworking," and she grins. Jeannie, along with me, Pat, and Tooltime Tim, have been decorating maniacs!

Every evening Jeannie can be seen driving around town slowly. Sometimes she circles more than once. "I just have to see what everyone is doing and what's new!" she says.

Don Matkins and Kathy Werth have to be added to the "decorating maniac" team. Their yard has more lights than anyone's I believe. "Don teases me that I have enough decorations every time I want to add something new. The latest is a large snowman," said Kathy.

We love cruising by Kathy and Don's house, because when we see all those lights we don't have memories of putting them all up. And each new addition makes us childishly smile.

And that's the news from Ramona where we still have a few strands of lights to put up and we're hoping you'll come into town from 6-7:30 this Saturday night and create a traffic jam or two!

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