Halloween in Papillion, Nebraska

This afternoon we attended our fifth grade granddaughter's school Halloween party. Several parents were helping out, including our daughter and son-in-law. I was totally impressed with how well-behaved and well-mannered the fifth grade class was. They were not "off the wall" like so many kids I have observed in various schools and other situations.
Tonight was Trick or Treat night. Several neighbors gathered at one neighbor's house for chili and goodies, and then we hit the streets - two anyway - of the neighborhood at Summit Ridge, one of the new developments. Lots of kids in costumes, all accompanied by parents/adults. Many of the houses were decorated - almost like Christmas - with lights and big displays of pumpkins and other Halloween things. The houses that welcomed Trick or Treaters had their outside lights on. The houses that were dark were off-limits. The amazing thing is that everyone followed that understood "rule." Once again, the kids were well-behaved, respectful and always remembered to say "Thank-you" and "Happy Halloween" - except for those who responded to our son-in-law's "Merry Christmas" by saying "Merry Christmas to you, too!" A fun day!

Omaha

I am writing this on our daughter's computer on my first visit to their new home in Papillion, Nebraska, a part of the greater Omaha area. This area brings a bit of culture shock to me. It is flat - at least to a Northeast Kingdom Vermonter. It is non-stop new housing developments - cookie cutter homes, way over-priced and under-built - with an occasional corn field, most with For Sale signs on them, awaiting the perfect bid from a developer with plans to turn it into more housing. It is inconceivable to me that there are enough (or more than enough) people to fill all these new houses. And it is non-stop shopping malls, most of them strip malls or outdoor malls - collections of stores on a kind of pavement "campus."

We visited the zoo on Sunday. It is a nice attempt, but a zoo nevertheless - and most likely the only wildlife to be seen around here.

I have not yet seen Offutt Air Force base where our son-in-law is stationed.

Sunday morning we attended a United Methodist Church in Bellevue. It was a very traditional service, hymns sung slowly, and not a very welcoming congregation. In fact, except for the ushers who gave us our bulletins, hardly anyone spoke to us - not even at the coffee "fellowship" time after worship. Come on, Nebraska Methodists! You can do better than that!