Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Greetings and Welcome to The 405 Coffee Break with O.K. Solberg
New episodes tend to air over the local KMMR radio station @ 5 minutes past 4PM each M-F. And have been doing so, nearly every week since Sept 2018.
I'm D.J. Rasmussen, O.K.s friend since junior high, possibly your neighbor & this websites maintainer, whom strives to get each episode's show notes written, the transcript proofed and the audio posted to the internet within a few hours of that days KMMR air time. NOTE: recently been publishing most new releases by 4:30PM.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the time we can spend together.
Wanna again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break. Guys. Wednesday, get your cup of coffee, glass iced tea, bottle of water, beverage of your choice. Let's see what's happening.
OK Solberg:Spring wheat $5.57 a bushel. 550lb steer calf $4 98. Not as high as silver, but it's getting there. A butcher hog in Iowa 60ยข a pound, and a 100lb fat lamb in Billings $2.65 a pound. But, guys, there's more, much more.
OK Solberg:Hey. Hey. Hey. Have you ever been as busy as a one armed paper hanger or busy as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs? I gotta get these episodes written and recorded. Now pause a moment. It has been said, and it's accurate to the t.
OK Solberg:When someone says they wanna write or be a writer, the advice that many give, and it's good advice, the advice is write what you know. What? Yeah. Heck, that makes it easy. Every one of these stories that I'm telling from my childhood are true, accurate, and believe me, I know them. So I'm writing what I know. Today, it's gonna be an experience from 3rd grade.
OK Solberg:But first, a bible verse. Listen now. A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 27:22
OK Solberg:Well, you know, yesterday's episode about writing on the playground kinda dried up my bones, but let's do like Paul Harvey used to do. He would say, but wash your ears out with this. You know, guys, I like that. Paul Harvey would tell some news that was a bit depressing, and then he'd say that.
OK Solberg:And then he'd give some news on a happier note. Here's the happier note. In 3rd grade at Malt Elementary School, I had Mrs. Lucille Eaton as my teacher, and my bestest friend was Eddie Swartz. Yes, sir. Eddie Swartz.
OK Solberg:And in honor of my old friend, I must tell you that dear Eddie, Ed Schwartz passed away just recently, and I was able to share at his funeral this exact story. So being Eddie was my best friend. We hung out all the time at recess and even in the classroom when we did joint projects. Now listen to this. Eddie asked me if I can stay overnight with him sometime.
OK Solberg:Now think about that. That is an invitation that says more than you can imagine on the surface. An invitation like that means, hey, I enjoy your company. Let's hang out more often. What?
OK Solberg:Is that good or what? I think gooder than good. So the plans were made, the date set. Now please realize how big of an event this was for an 8 year old country boy. Sure.
OK Solberg:I had stayed at Tim Bruckner's house, but that was right near our house out in harm. It was great, but that was kinda like family. This is someone from the big city of Malta. Actually, they live North Of Malta, but, anyway, he wanted me to stay overnight with him on a weekday. Guys, biggest thing that ever happened to me up till this time.
OK Solberg:I kid you not. I remember my mom made me take a bath the night before. I didn't quite understand that. See, I I I took a bath on Saturday, but, well, you know how mothers can be. So I distinctly remember sitting in that bathtub anticipating my stay with Eddie Schwartz.
OK Solberg:Yep. I still remember looking at the soap in the soap dish on the left side of the bathtub. Looking at that soap in the soap dish realizing and believing what I thought and was saying, tomorrow will never come. I honestly thought that. Sitting there, saying to myself, tomorrow will never come.
OK Solberg:Now realize in the mind of an 8 year old, this is the way it translates out. First off, you have to get dried off from this bath, then you go to bed, and that's like, what, 9 hours of total misery because you can't stop thinking about staying at Eddie's house and you certainly can't get to sleep, then if and when you get done with sleep, you have to go upstairs and eat breakfast and oh, guys, here comes a really long part, really long part. Now you have to ride that school bus all the way to town and stop after stop after stop, goes to Bruckner's, go to Porter's, then, oh, down the road, miles to Feuer's, and then Kindle's, and then Salisbury's and then Stiles and wait at each stop till the kids board the bus and then finally, Flatlands at the old Rube Thompson place that is now Hinman's. And if that isn't enough, then you have to sit through 7 hours of boring school. Really?
OK Solberg:Tomorrow will never come. Guys, it came. And I got to stay overnight with Eddie, and I helped his siblings do chores and ate supper with the whole family. And then we started playing games. Do you remember that electric football game that we saw advertised on TV?
OK Solberg:Oh, man. Swartz had one. You set up all the players, both defense and offense, and then hit the switch, and the playing field starts to vibrate. Well, let me tell you. It looked better on TV than in real life, but it was something new.
OK Solberg:We had the time of our lives playing this game and that game, and I believe they also had Rock them Sock them Robots. It was great, and I'll never forget it. So if you listened yesterday to my playground chalk writing and you felt sorry for me, just remember, that wasn't the end of the story.
OK Solberg:Only 14 months later, that little boy who was humiliated with a bucket of soapy water and a sponge was now spending the night with his bestest friend in the world, Eddie Swartz, thinking tomorrow will never come. But it did. It came. And it was a highlight of my 8 year old life, and I'll never forget it.
OK Solberg:So until next time, as you go out there, remember now. Don't be bitter.