Pedley's Ponderings

What an absolutely crazy two weeks it’s been here in northwest Iowa. I speak for the entire region when I say I’m sick of seeing soiled junk on curbs. Until it dries out for an extended period of time, everyone will remain on edge whenever rain is in the forecast.

My heart aches for the thousands of people affected by devastating floods in Rock Valley, Spencer and elsewhere. The hopeless feeling of watching a river destroy your home is unimaginable, and the rebuilding process will be a monumental task. Seeing a unified effort to help those affected by floodwaters has been a highlight in an otherwise murky month. As long as we have community, it feels like we’ll be OK.

Hyper-locally, a lot of people got washed out by flash flooding or sewer backup. Neighbors helped neighbors tear out basements and other volunteers helped haul the mess away. The amount of people who lent a helping hand is truly remarkable, and it reminded us of why we live where we do. It’s good to know people have your back when things hit the fan.

• Snakes, snakes, snakes

We have a budding entrepreneur in our household these days. Seven-year-old Oliver has started a snake removal business and is now serving the Hartley area.

We’ve had two calls thus far to properties on First Street Southeast, the first of which yielded zero serpents while the second resulted in 10. These garter snakes were surprisingly fast after cooking all day in the sun, so I did most of the catching at first. Oliver was still able to snag a few with his trusty net, though, and he was quite proud of his efforts. So was I.

Since his business centers around removing the snakes humanely, we took the critters to a friend’s pond southwest of May City for release. Upon embarking down the path, Oliver reminded me that my rusty 2004 Buick Century “is not an off-roading vehicle, Dad...” I took it under advisement but nonetheless proceeded bravely, if not stupidly, forward.

Since it hadn’t rained in at least two days, I figured we’d be fine. That wayward assumption was proven wrong almost immediately as I ran into a soupy mess a third of the way to my intended destination. I stopped short and figured this was as good of a place as any for the snakes.

Upon their release, we hopped back into the car to head home. I put the Buick in reverse, but it didn’t budge. I then put it in drive, and it crawled slightly closer to the puddle in front of me. I was stuck, or very close to it.

Assuming a seven year old wouldn’t provide much push from the front bumper, I told Oliver to hang on. I hammered it in reverse and was able to find enough traction to get moving again. We quickly booked it out of there and decided that we’ll find a different release spot next time.

Oliver was excited to count his money on the way back. After thumbing through 10 one-dollar bills, he separated the stack in half.

“Here you go Dad,” he said, extending five of them to me.

“What’s this for?” I asked.

“It’s for helping me; it’s your half,” he told me.

The gesture made me chuckle, but I told him the cash was all his. Knowledge was my only payment that day: A Buick is indeed not an off-roading vehicle, folks.

• Debate debacle

Like millions of Americans, I tuned in to the presidential debate last week despite my better judgment. I got what I expected.

The bar was low for President Joe Biden. All he really needed to do was prove he was cognizant and coherent, which he woefully failed to do. His performance was cringe worthy and I can’t believe his handlers allowed the debate to even happen.

On the other side of the stage, former president Donald Trump expectedly lied, lied again and lied some more. Nothing new there, but his performance was head and shoulders above his mumbling counterpart.

What a sad state of affairs this country has found itself in. We’ve been faced with this rematch for four years, yet did nothing to prevent it. Here we are.

Suffice it to say I detest both options in November and am having real reservations about participating at all. I’ve never intentionally sat out an election at any level in my life, but after watching last week’s showcase, that’s looking pretty darn appealing in 2024.

Nick Pedley is the news editor and ad manager of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.