Not too long ago when I read about them moving the space shuttle Endeavor through Los Angeles to its new home in the California Science Center, I found it of interest that two of the operators helping with the move were Gordon Lofts, a Marcellus High School grad who lives in Montana, and his son, Mike.

 

The 14-mile trip took three days for those 14 miles at 2 mph.

 

The Lofts were among a handful of experienced trailer operators from Montana.

 

Trees had to be cut down and 400 traffic signals were removed and reinstalled.

 

They came within inches of poles and trees.

 

The men were all engineers with at least a decade of experience moving large objects.

 

A lot of the moving was done by the help of computers.

 

They used a joystick — not a steering wheel.

 

It was the largest job the company has ever done.

 

I’m sure a lot of folks like me followed this move on TV.

 

Here are some ads out of a 1913 Dowagiac Daily News.

 

For sale: Merry Widow Kisses at Holems — buy a bag for nickel.

 

Camp stools to rent Decoration Day at E.J. Robinsons.

 

Carpet remnants up to 18 yards, 60 cents carpet, 40 cents a yard at Gumms.
Only a small amount of those raisins left, four packages for 30 cents.

 

Mrs. A.M. Moon and Mrs. Don Moon spent Wednesday at Indian Lake, where the latter busied herself in fixing up the cottage for the summer.

 

After the front page heading of the 1913 Dowagiac Daily News, in a little square it said, The People’s Paper, only daily in Cass County, 10 cents a week.

 

Has anyone had the tax trouble we encountered this year?

 

Our taxes were done and sent in by the electronic method by our bookkeeper.

 

Guess what she called to tell us? It had been rejected. It seems there was some trouble with either my Social Security number or my wife’s.

 

I guess what has happened is someone may have used one or the other of ours trying to get a refund.

 

We have used our same numbers for our taxes all these years and had no trouble.

 

All the IRS had to do was look at our last few years of taxes to know we were the right user of our numbers.

 

No, they made us make copies of our Social Security cards and send them to the IRS, which we did some time ago and haven’t heard anything or gotten our refund that they are keeping and drawing interest for them. Boy, ain’t big government great?

 

Here is a story out of a 1943 Daily News.

 

Brooklyn’s baseball player, a 40-year-oldster, had a .467 batting average for 10 games. He gives credit to the glasses he wears at bat and in the field.

 

Also, Detroit W 16 L 16, .500 and my St. Louis Cardinals W-22 L-13, .629.