Hey, guys. Ben here. It’s fall in the Ozarks and this morning we took the kids to an apple orchard/cider mill not too far from here. It was a beautiful, crisp autumn morning and we had a wonderful time. The kids got to climb ladders and pick apples… and then pick raspberries and blueberries and watch the production of apple cider. We all had a great time enjoying the change of seasons. We’ll all get together tomorrow morning for the big KU-TCU game. GO HAWKS!

A few things:
-We’ve been watching – and cheering on – Cris Pannullo as he pushed his winning streak to 6 games and $162,000 plus today. Dub, David and I think he’s awesome!
-We watched the first episode of “Celebrity Jeopardy” and half of the second. We thought it was an actor playing the part of Jeopardy host and a bunch of actors playing the part of Jeopardy contestants. We won’t be watching it again.
-We had a bit of a “dust up” at school last week. The parents of two of our students came to school demanding that a list of books they handed us be deleted from our library and on-line availability. I explained that they could “opt out” of any book availability for their children and that we’d block them from reading them. They said “That’s not good enough. We want them removed so no student at your school can read them – ever.” I said that simply wasn’t possible and that the agreement they’d signed when they enrolled their kids explicitly gave the school the right to determine materials and curriculum. They said if we didn’t remove the books they would take their kids to another school. I told them we would respect their choice. After talking with Dr.C., we decided to refund their tuition in full and expel them from our school. It made me really sad. These are two bright, intelligent kids who were popular with the other kids and deserve a good education – but are suffering as children of what I feel are mis-guided parents. I hope they do well and thrive in another school.
-We’re watching the mid-term elections closely. In Missouri, there’s an initiative to legalize recreational Marijuana use for individuals over the age of 21 years… and, of course there’s Trudy Bush Valentine (D) running against Eric Schmitt (R) for U. S. Senate. Since Missouri is comprised of mostly MAGA republicans, we hope for (but don’t expect) sensible outcomes.
Anyway, that’s what’s happening here. The kids are excited about Halloween and we’ll make a big deal out of it – even if it isn’t David’s and my favorite holiday.
The good news is football season is going strong and Thanksgiving isn’t that far away. Stay well and happy. We love you. Ben and David
p.s. Bill. We’re really happy to hear the results of your prostate check. Congrats… and carry on!