Shop Where I Live
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

Some time ago we put quite a few items on a site called Shop Where I Live. This is a business based in Iowa and when the businesses from NW Iowa went on the site there weren't very many communities involved. However, now they are located in 16 states and 34 communities, so we are getting a lot more exposure. Our community includes all of NW Iowa -- so a community isn't just one town. Anyway, about two weeks ago I saw on my e-mail that I had my first order through the site. It was for two of Juliana's collector discs. What a joy they were to work with. That's all I had to do was send the discs. Shop Where I Live took care of the billing, taxes, etc. These discs went to a fan of Juliana's in Georgia. Anyway, imagine my delight the next morning when I received two more orders for discs. One order from Salt Lake City, Utah and one from Des Moines. Needless to say I sold out of those discs that day. But it was fun finding a new way of selling. You should check them out. They now represent communities from the west coast to the east coast and from North Dakota to Texas.

Puzzles
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

We still have quite a few puzzles for sale. For awhile during the pandemic we were all sold out and some are still not easy to get, but we now have a variety of new and used. I'll try to post the pictures on Facebook in the near future, but remember, we will deliver them, too. No charge if within five miles of Orange City, $5.00 delivery fee with 15 miles and we'll have to arrange a delivery price if more than 15 miles out of Orange City. My husband and I started doing puzzles during the pandemic and we have one going all the time now. (So much more relaxing than news now days).

Knitting Needles
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

When we sold our bricks and mortar store a couple of years ago we sold most of our notions during an on-line auction. However, we didn't sell many of our knitting needles because no one person is interested in buying that many needles. They really need to go to a retail outlet. They are all Clover brand needles and are of a high quality. So, the reason I'm mentioning them here is that I'm wondering if anyone knows of a retailer that would like to purchase the whole lot. There is a five sided rack filled with needles, plus many crochet hooks and knitting and crocheting accessories. They range in price (retail) from $2.25 to $15.00 with most of them averaging about $10.00. We have almost 500 items, so you can see this not a small thing. I just checked the retail price of an item marked $15.00 and it now sells for $16.75, so the prices I put on a couple of years ago can be increased by quite a bit today. There is really no shelf life on them because they are all wrapped and sealed and in perfect condition. I kept the Gutermann thread as well, but that moves pretty good and I promised several ladies that I would keep that in town because when you run out of thread, you need more. However, with a good pair of needles, once you buy a pair, unless you lose them, there is not much resale, like the thread. Anyway, if any of you know of someone or organization that would be interested in purchasing the Clover notions at a good price, I'd love to visit with them.

Juliana Back on tour
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

After about a 15 year hiatus from disc golf, Juliana is back on tour. She's finding that she still loves the sport, the people, the atmosphere and the excitement that comes from playing. However, she was surprised at all the advances and how much disc golf has progressed in all ways including the number of people now involved. All the major events are now broadcast on a special internet connection and UDisc keeps stats on players and gives play by play info for the major tournaments. Since the last newsletter Juliana has played in the Masters Cup at De Laveaga (California), the Portland Open in Oregon and is currently playing the PDGA Worlds in Ogdon, Utah. She writes a very interesting (usually daily) blog on her facebook page and I have really enjoyed following her. A couple of weeks ago Innova called her and asked if an organization could do a write-up on her. She said, "Sure" and asked which organization that was. They said AARP. That surprised her, but she did turn 50 this year and if she can be an inspiration to other 50 year olds, more power to her.

Book Reviews
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

My books this month are all brand new and come from my Dutch source in Canada. I haven't even read them all yet, but I'll tell you about them.

We used to carry a nice little Dutch-English Dictionary, but we sold out of the ones we had in inventory during the Tulip Festival. However, Mr. VanderHeide Publishing (my source for Dutch books) is now carrying a new Dutch-English/Enlish-Dutch Dictionary by Arseen Rijckaert. The original copyright for this book is 1979, however, it just had its fourth printing in 2005. It is a much larger book than the small one we used to carry and has over 35,000 entries with pronunciation for each English entry and a basic pronunciation chart for the Dutch language. It is called the "Hippocrene Standard Dictionary" and measures 6" x 9" and sells for $29.95.

This book is one I have on my bucket list. It is over 400 pages long with many charts and maps. According to a review by Robert D. Swierenga he stated that it had been eighty years since the last comprehensive study of the Dutch immigrant experience by a Netherlands scholar. That book was "Netherlanders in America" and I believe that I have reviewed that more than once in this newsletter. However, Swierenga said that it was worth the wait. He said that Krabbendam has a firmer grasp of American history and culture than Jacob Van Hinte because Van Hinte only did a whirlwind tour of the USA in 1921 while Krabbendam actually earned his M.A. in the United States, is widely traveled and versed in American religious culture. The book was copyrighted in 2009 and published by the Reformed Church Press. There are 17 pages throughout the book that specifically mention Orange City. The book sells for $39.95 and I only have one on hand, but can quickly order more. If I send this to you through the mail, please add another $3.80 for postage.

I've carried this book before, but sold out of it, so I ordered more. It is the story of Diet Eman. This is a hard cover book that is the autobiography of an ordinary woman who, with ordinary friends and with the strength of an extraordinary God, risked everything to help Dutch Jews during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Ultimately their courageous efforts saved the lives of hundreds of Dutch Jews during World War II. This book sells for $24.95.