Jerry Hinkle, courageous, dynamic Publisher of the Holabird Advocate, has taken the liberty of submitting "My Opinion by John Zilverberg" to the South Dakota War College list of blogs. The SDWC website is read by several policy makers, power brokers, and even a few regular people as well. If John Zilverberg's blog is added, more people will read it by accident then would ever have read a letter to the editor on purpose.

Darrel Hinkle made it to Springfield, Illinois last night to drop off Patrick Van Tassel, Kristi Hinkle's brother. Patrick advised Darrel not to stay around the area because of there is a lot of robbery going on in his neighborhood So he drove on over to Knoxville, Illinois.

At last report, at noon Holabird Time, the Hinkles were in Waterloo, Iowa hoping to get into the John Deere Factory for a tour. They usually don't let in anyone under 12 years of age, and anyone wearing high heels or sandals. The tours are 90 minutes long. They'd also like to stop in at Forrest City and call on the Hansens. Our Publisher advised them to call ahead to make sure they were home and gave them the number.

Letter to the Publisher
Our Small Towns
It has been nearly one year that the towns and surrounding communities of Wessington Springs, Alpena, and Iroquois gave my family a ray of hope during a very dark time. January and February of 2006 the Wessington Springs and Iroquois schools hosted enormous fundraising events for my son Hunter Mees. I would like to take the time to acknowledge how much it meant to our families to experience such support. The group even managed to get Governor Rounds to declare January 27th, 2006 as Hunter Mees Day across the state.
Hunter’s diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma left us all very devastated. I will never be able to express, fully, our gratitude or how supported we all felt during this time. Hunter was a brave little boy whose sadness disappeared those two nights as he watched the boys’ basketball team, many men and boys his own age shave their heads in Wessington Springs. In Iroquois, Adrian and Abrahm Smith, raised $1000.00 on their own in pledges for shaving their long hair made Hunter laugh and remember them even during this last successful State Champion football season.
To Vicki Harmdierks, Judy Brisbine, the many others who worked so hard in Wessington Springs and to Larica Hofhenke, Lori Wehlander and the group from Iroquois, we have not forgotten what you all have done for us or the hard work it took to make it all so phenomenal.
To Jerry Hinkle for taking such a huge interest in a seven year old boy. You all are a gift from Above. As Hunter would say, we thank you all the way to the sun and the moon and the stars and back to your hearts. May God bless you all.

Shannon Walls, Hunter Mees, and our families.

Poetry Corner
i carry your heart with me

by e. e. cummings
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere

i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear

no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want

no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)