I have enjoyed all the stories about Iowa winters and being a 73 year native Iowan, can remember many of those winters when snow was so deep that roads were one lane, with areas where you had to wait if you were meeting another car until that vehicle passed by. That was rural Iowa year after year in the 1960's when my children were small. Road clearing equipment wasn't as sophisticated as now, and many times farmers would help out with manure loader buckets on their tractors, so milk transports and livestock trucks could get to the farms for pick-up. Bulk milk tanks could only hold about a days milk production so it was necessary to get the roads open so a major source of farmers income could be delivered. But with all the nasty winter weather and this winter has set records in the Eastern Iowa area with record snow totals, we have great summer weather, when flooding doesn't occur! I was one of those unlucky folks who lost a home, and have finally purchased a permanent residence after 8 months. We are still waiting for the federal, state government to decide how to purchase our "flood-plain" property. Just be patient. In our area one of the summer activities is the weekly band concerts from early June to August. Many towns have town bands where oldsters and high school band students join together to entertain one night a week in a local park at the band shell. Cedar Falls has the oldest still operating Town Band still giving weekly concerts. A museum is maintained on Main street where the original band practiced. Tuesday night sees the park filled with everyone from birth to g-great grandparents bringing lawn chairs and blankets to spread neatly in rows across the city block park to enjoy the music for about an hour and a half. Karl King and Sousa marches always find a place on the program as well as Broadway musicals. The local Kiwanas club mans the concession stand with pop corn and soft drinks. It is one of their main sources of income for the community projects they sponsor. Ruth Cedar Falls/Evansdale, IA