In this issue

• Chocolate
• UPS
• Wooden Shoes
• Disc Golf Tour
• Book Review

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Letters From Ralph

Ralph J. Mouw, a native of Orange City, Iowa, never forgot his roots - even when he was halfway across the world during World War II. In this collection of letters, you'll find a firsthand account of what life was like during the war at home and overseas. Although letters were heavily censored during the war years, the editors have added comments to place them in context.

San Diego Vacation Rental

Christmas Chocolate
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

Our Christmas order should be here soon. This year we will only have the small chocolate Santas and only dark chocolate letters. If you need certain letters, you can give us a call or an e-mail and reserve them because some are quite limited.

We will be getting in more chocolates and will be selling them at two Vendor Fairs. The first one will be in Sioux Center on Saturday, November 19 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. There will be approximately 40 unique booths. Renae Vander Schaaf and I will be sharing one. We usually try to set up in the hallway in their public library before you get into the bigger rooms.

The other vendor fair will be in the Orange City Town Hall and I don't have specific dates for that yet, but that one will be in December and I'll let you know more about that in the November newsletter.

Another Christmas suggestion is puzzles. We have a nice selection of both new and used. If you need more details, stop at our little home store or give us a call (712-737-8920). Most of them are 1000 pieces and many are very challenging, especially some of the used ones. Many of those came from my daughter and she only likes challenges. I like to do some of hers, too, but they take me a long time. However, I really feel like I've accomplished something when I finish one.

UPS Up and running Again
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

We have shipped UPS from our store for many years now. However, I always used a specific computer program with which I was pretty familiar. All of a sudden this summer, everything changed and for awhile I was not comfortable with the new software. However, it changed back to something that I could handle again, so I would encourage you to bring your UPS to us and we will take care of it for you. If you are planning to ship for Christmas, try get your items in early. It gets much more expensive if we have to deliver in a shorter amount of days.

Wooden Shoe Prices Going Up
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

I would encourage anyone who knows they will need new wooden shoes for the Tulip Festival to purchase them before January 1. On January 1 all of our plain wooden shoe prices will increase. Before Covid we received free shipping if we had a large enough order. Since Covid, we no longer get free shipping, and shipping on wooden shoes in not inexpensive and, sadly, we have to pass on some of that expense to our customers. We do try to keep a nice inventory on hand at all times, so we should be able to help you, if you need shoes.

Juliana 2022 Tour is Over but a Big Day is Coming
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

The 2022 Disc Golf Tour is over for the year. Jim and Juliana capped off their tour with a fun Master's only event called The Bud Hill Masters just outside of Memphis, TN. A master's event consists of age protected divisions, meaning that you must be at least 40 years old to play.

The Big Event in Juliana's life right now is her upcoming wedding. On October 26 Juliana and Jim Oates will be married in the Alton Presbyterian Church. I'm not sure what her plans are after that except that both she and Jim are planning on going on tour next season. Juliana's official address is Orange City, Iowa and Jim's is California. They have some big decisions coming up about where their home base will be in the future.

Book Reviews
By Owner: Bonnie Meier

My personal reading has been very interesting the past little while. I completed the book Inferno by Dante which was the first of a three part series called Divine Comedy. I am now reading the second book in the series called "Purgatorio". I can understand a little better why it is called a comedy because Hell was kind of funny in that Dante had it populated with all his political enemies. There were also a couple of popes down there and anyone who was hypocritical in the church. The very bottom of Hell, along with Satan himself had three people, i.e. Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus, Brutus and Cassius, who killed Julius Caesar. "Purgatorio" is an allegory telling of the climb by Dante up the Mount of Purgatory. He is guided by the Roman poet Virgil. The original was written in Italian in the 14th century. Purgatorio represents the penitent Christian life in which Dante discusses the nature of sin and gives examples and talks about moral issues in politics and in the Church.

This book takes place in the year 1869 and is historical fiction based on the story of Dutch people who had first moved from the Netherlands to Pella, Iowa and now are in the process of moving from Pella, to Orange City, Iowa. Renae is a columnist and writer for agricultural papers. She lives on a farm in northwest Iowa with her husband Dave and six children (children are grown now). The book was published in 2013 and will be available at the vendor fair in Sioux Center on November 19 or you can order from Jubon Juweelen. It is a soft cover book and sells for $12.00.

This book was published in 2016, is a soft cover and sells for $9.00. It is the true story of a very harrowing experience that Deb went through by mistakingly being arrested on drug charges in Boulder, Colorado. If this could happen to Deb, it could happen to anyone. Deb was the homecoming queen in Charles City in the 80s and is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. She tells of spending time in jail and all her related experiences. I do have several copies on hand.

NOTICE: For Christmas we give out 2023 calendars that you peel the back off and stick on your computers, so you have your yearly calendar handy all year round. I have to order a minimum order that is way above the needs I have locally. So, if you would like a calendar (that includes our name and telephone number, so you always have it handy) just give us a call and I'll send you as many as you like (if you want some for the people you work with, too, that is great). If you would like some, call or e-mail. There will be no shipping charge because this is the one form of advertising that I do and I would like to get as many out there as I can.