Dustin Honken is to be executed tomorrow, July 17, 2020 in Terra Haute IN. Dustin was convicted of murdering two of his drug business partners who were scheduled to testify against him, and unfortunately the girl friend and her two children of one of those men.All of this took place in or near Mason City IA and became a major news story during the 1990’s and early 2000’s.The Des Moines Register published a good timeline.Murderpedia also has a synopsis of Honken’s crimes.Honken will be the third person executed this week as the Trump Administration lifted a long-standing ban.
Angela Johnson was Honken’s girlfriend and, as explained in the article above, assisted in the murders. She became the first female sentenced to death by a Federal jury since the 1950’s. Her sentence was overturned in 2012. She is now serving a life sentence.
So why am I posting this information? There are some twists in this case that I find particularly interesting. First, the bodies of Greg Nicholson, Lori Ann Duncan, and Amber and Candice Duncan were found on a county road between Clear Lake and Mason City in 2000. The new Cerro Gordo County Law Enforcement Center was built in 2007 across the street from where those bodies were found – go figure.
Second, scrolling through the TV channels in early 2017, I stumbled upon an episode of Gangsters: America’s Most Evil retelling the story of Dustin Honken and those involved. I was surprised to find that they suggested that the main character, Walter White in AMC’s Breaking Bad (though the IMDB description does not mention Honken), was the inspiration for the character.I haven’t watched the episode in quite a while, but I remember that he moved from the Midwest to Arizona where he set up a meth lab for distribution to the West Coast and to ship east to Iowa for further distribution.
Walter White, like Honken, created a new super meth concoction that was sought after throughout the drug user community. Though Honken was not a teacher, he was a Chemistry “whiz.“
I am always intrigued by stories of people who, for whatever reason, deviate from social norms and cross the line into devious and violent behavior. I’m no doctor, but I’ve always contended that the line between normal and seriously abnormal behavior is a thin one.What makes a Richard Speck or Ted Bundy do what they do? What about Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, or the BTK Killer? And don’t even get me started on doomsday cult leaders!
I understand that many had various types of trauma during their youth. But some also exhibit sociopathic symptoms early in life that surface independently from those traumas (such as mutilating animals). Let’s face it. We all experienced trauma of one sort or another when we were young.
I don’t have answers. I’m just fascinated and watch documentaries about these people, similar to watching documentaries about the Holocaust.One thing I’ve learned by watching and reading is that there are probably dozens, if not hundreds of serial killers and crime-related (hush up) murders than we are even aware.
So tomorrow will end the story of a very bad man who impacted my life by brutally executing an innocent family (the Duncans) and some not-so-innocent other bad guys who didn’t deserve to die. I’ll leave it to others to determine if capital punishment is moral, ethical, and/or serves as a deterrent tocrime. I will continue with my fascination.
Yep. There are now skinny ears on the stalks. I actually noticed them yesterday, but didn’t take the pic until today.
We’ve been getting plenty of rain and sunshine. No doubt these will fill out sooner than later. Speaking of that; more later.
Knee High by When?
Hi there. Long time no post!
I haven’t posted for some time. Having inadvertently posted something I didn’t realize was political and receiving an unexpected and disturbing negative response, I’ve taken a break to figure out how I want to proceed with this site.
I think I’ve found a subject that won’t elicit too controversial a response – growing corn. Hopefully it is the beginning of the next phase of posts.
While walking one of my “northern” routes on June 17th I came across a field of corn that was knee high – yep, June 17th. The saying I learned at an early age was “knee high by the 4th of July.” Not anymore! So I stopped to take a pic to show those who may not be near Iowa’s magnificent corn fields. Yes Jan, the one with the sexy knee.
On June 23rd I walked the same route and found the corn had grown – a lot! Below are some pics in chronological order. They are all taken within a couple feet of each other along the same field border:
Knee High – June 17th
Shoulder High – June 27th
Head High – June 30th
Over 7 foot – July 8th
Though already way over my head, there are no corn ears visible on any stalks in this field or any that I pass while on my walking adventures. I’ll continue to monitor and add to this post one way or another as the summer progresses.
By the way, It’s 95 degrees at our house today, with a heat index of 105. It is expected to be the hottest day of July – at least for a while. Hope everyone is staying cool. Cheryl, hopefully you will reach 70 degrees 🙂
I haven’t posted for some time. Having inadvertently posted something I didn’t realize was political and receiving an unexpected and disturbing negative response, I’ve taken a break to figure out how I want to proceed with this site.
I think I’ve found a subject that won’t elicit too controversial a response – growing corn. Hopefully it is the beginning of the next phase of posts.
While walking one of my “northern” routes on June 17th I came across a field of corn that was knee high – yep, June 17th. The saying I learned at an early age was “knee high by the 4th of July.” Not anymore! So I stopped to take a pic to show those who may not be near Iowa’s magnificent corn fields. Yes Jan, the one with the sexy knee.
On June 23rd I walked the same route and found the corn had grown – a lot! Below are some pics in chronological order. They are all taken within a couple feet of each other along the same field border:
Knee High – June 17th
Shoulder High – June 27th
Head High – June 30th
Over 7 foot – July 8th
Though already way over my head, there are no corn ears visible on any stalks in this field or any that I pass while on my walking adventures. I’ll continue to monitor and add to this post one way or another as the summer progresses.
By the way, It’s 95 degrees at our house today, with a heat index of 105. It is expected to be the hottest day of July – at least for a while. Hope everyone is staying cool. Cheryl, hopefully you will reach 70 degrees 🙂
“With Justice —Peace. Without it —Our smashed windows”
Yesterday I received an email from Penzey’s, a spice house chain based in Milwaukee WI. I’ve been buying spices from them in store in Des Moines, but most recently online due to the pandemic. I’m on their newsletter list for that reason. The message speaks for itself, so I’m posting it here in its entirety .
“Of course if I wanted to toss rocks where there is community-supported racism I could start right here in the Milwaukee area and stop in Madison on my way up to Saint Paul and then across the river to our Hennepin Ave store in Minneapolis where, last I heard, at least one door and one of the big windows have already been smashed. The reality is, this is America where community-supported racism is eating away at every community across the country.
“I received a couple emails yesterday from customers upset that we should be victims of the unrest when we actually try to do more than most to make a difference. And it’s right there on google if you type in Penzeys Hennepin to make sure you are spelling Hennepin correctly and then click the News tab. The first story up is “A list of the buildings damaged, looted in Minneapolis and St. Paul.” But then if you scroll a touch, the fourth story down actually is “Penzeys Spices takes a strong stand against racism and Trump” from November 22, 2016. If only protesters googled.
“But as much some days I vehemently oppose racism, every day I benefit from the privilege white skin gifts me. If sweeping up some glass and replacing a couple windows is a piece of everybody realizing the costs of racism-fueled police violence towards minorities is no longer affordable, then so be it. And yes, here is where I point out one more time, voting for a presidential candidate whose own party labeled a “textbook” racist well before the election is indeed a racist act. And no, the fact that 63 million Americans did this does not make it any less racist. If this was you, make amends and move on. It’s not that hard.
“But as much as the Republican Party of late has given up on subtle racism and gone all in, the lack of awareness for just how deeply racism and privilege are intertwined runs the entire length of America’s political spectrum. Can anyone say college loan forgiveness? It’s like someone looked at the idea of reparations for slavery and said yes let’s do that, but let’s find a way that all the money goes to white people instead. And I’m not saying the idea is without merit, but seriously, how can you float it without in the very same breath acknowledging all those who our country’s racism blocked from accessing that opportunity? We all need to do better. A lot better.
“But enough complaining, and how about a positive idea instead. After an email from us a couple years back in support of Black Lives Matter in Saint Louis, I ended up in an exchange of emails with a retired police officer from the area. At first he was taking the, if you support them then you hate us approach. I started out with, this denial of racism in our communities and on the force really isn’t doing you any favors. The best cops are always the ones with their finger on the pulse and who live and breathe the street. Saying racism isn’t a thing can’t help but raise questions of corruption and at the very least looks clueless which isn’t a good look for a detective.
“Ultimately I pitched the idea of doing a full 180 and becoming the true heroes in America’s fight against racism. It’s not really that far of a stretch. Imagine the voice-over of the recruitment ad: “We live on the front lines where America’s racism meets reality and we are looking for help. Everybody talks about fighting racism, but we’re the ones actually doing it. Want to help? Do what it takes to earn yourself a badge and come join us. It won’t be easy, but you will be in the very place where making a difference matters most.”
“In the end he wasn’t quite ready to embrace my pitch, but we did part on much better terms than we began. And of course mine is an experience of white privilege, but the vast majority of those on the force I’ve interacted with over the years have been good eggs. Still the willingness to tolerate bad eggs is at the heart of so many of these problems. It’s got to end. Smartphones are everywhere and that’s a very good thing.
“And Justice Seasoning. A big part of “Penzeys Spices takes a strong stand against racism and Trump” lives in this blend and it really is a good one. After our Wednesday email, our first to most of our customers in seven weeks, I received many thousands of emails in return and a lot of them held questions that the best response to was, just buy the Justice Seasoning it’s probably our best blend and it has no salt as well because it just doesn’t need it. Plus, as you can see from the poster below with the text from the label, it really does start: With Justice —Peace. Until Justice once again lives in the White House, the Senate, and most importantly in the Supreme Court there can be no peace. 11.3.20 Vote Justice.
“And if you don’t mind waiting 2-2 1/2 weeks for delivery shop now at penzeys.com. Yes, the huge surge in online orders brought on by the coronavirus has us a bit behind, but with our new system we are gaining every day. And the sweet thing about having a couple of weeks worth of orders in the house is that for scheduling grinding, blending and packaging we don’t have to guess what we will need two weeks from now, we already know. Ordering now helps, and all orders ship in the order received and aren’t charged until shipped.
“If you live close to one of our stores you can save a whole bunch of time by placing an order for touchless pickup through your local store. Just click here to get started. It only takes a couple days at most.
“And if you own a store somewhere can I give you some advice? In the late ’70s the MPD (Milwaukee Police Department) had the Beare brothers, both detectives, both really good Cooks, and both customers of my parents’ store at a time when our neighborhood was becoming a little bit more out of control. At one point one of them took me aside and explained how it was my job to keep our windows from being broken.
“The good news was, that as much as we all like to think there is some intention behind broken windows, the truth is the vast majority of the time how it happens is pretty simple and without much in the way of premeditation at all. It boiled down to this. If you see a nice rock about the size of your hand or slightly smaller, as a human you will most naturally pick it up. Once in hand you will look for something to do with it, and if you see anything that could be a target, such as a store window, you will let loose with the rock. Therefore dispose of hand-sized rocks 2-300 feet from your store and keep any target-like posters out of your window.
“If you are from the Milwaukee area and have a tip for us possibly finding a Beare brother recipe please send it our way at editor@penzeys.com. Thanks!
“Thanks for reading, thanks for your support, and most importantly of all thanks for caring enough to cook. You really do heal the world,
Eight years ago today I rode my Trice from here in North Liberty to Millstream Brewery in the Amana Colonies, a trek of about 19 miles each way. Though it was not a long ride as they go, it was an accomplishment just because I wanted to do it for a while.
Two things I remember; the stretch of roadwork on Hwy 6 where new asphalt was being laid – I had to navigate the one-lane road that remained open along with the rest of the highway traffic, and Millstream Brewery.
Millstream resurrected brewing in the Amanas in 1985 after about 100 years without a brewery. I had a blast at their sample bar trying various brews, taking them out to the patio to quench my thirst. Unfortunately I was by myself and am not in the picture with my ride. I was happy to have made the trek home without incident after having a few. I rather enjoyed it. It’s not something I would normally do.
Which leads me to the title of this post. I was a cyclist for over 20 years. Starting out in the Mason City area on a “normal” road bike, I switched to a recumbent 2-wheeler and rode all over North Central Iowa. I’d break it down, put it in the back of my Honda Element, go to state parks, or just ride the county roads around the area. I even rode the loop around Crater Lake in Oregon on a solo road trip I took in 2006.
I later sold that bike and bought a Trice 3-wheel recumbent; the one in the picture at Millstream. I so enjoyed that ride. No balance problems, smooth gear ratios. But it became a problem as I aged and moved to the river hills area around Iowa City. It became too much and I actually completely quit riding and sold my rig about four years ago.
So today my Facebook feed posted the Millstream picture (at the top of this post) to remind me of the event I posted back then. It worked. Here I am reminiscing about times past and won’t be again. Riding was good times. Walking is my good times now.
Whatever it is you enjoy, go do it. You never know how long you’ll be able to enjoy your special, personal, good time.
50 years ago today armed Army National Guard members opened fire on students at Kent State University in Ohio. Thousands of student protesters were gathered to protest the Viet Nam war and the recent invasion of Cambodia ordered by the Nixon administration. Four students were killed and another nine injured during the 13 seconds of shooting.
This New York Times opinion piece offers reasonable perspective and context for both sides of the incident. Regardless, Kent State was a turning point in the politics of the Viet Nam war, the anti-war movement, and the general mistrust of our national and state governments by the youth of the day. Like too many other incidents during the 60’s and early 70’s, many of my generation remember where they were when they heard about “The Kent State Massacre.”
Contemplating its effect on me then and now, I find myself predicting that when this happens again, it won’t be the National Guard or any national military group who opens fire on unarmed protesters. It will be white nationalist and supremacist counter-protesters, bolstered by some of our political leaders, who will take care of the dirty work for them – and with even less provocation.
“Ohio” Song by Neil YoungStephen Stills tells the story that when Neil heard about the shootings, he went off into the woods and returned about an hour later with the song. They immediately gathered to record it for an immediate single release.
Scott Weiss was my friend! I don’t know how many real friends he had, but I didn’t have many growing up – not true friends anyway. I was reminded of Scott while watching TV recently. Here’s how my mind works (Of course, these thoughts surfaced and unfolded in just moments):
Pam and I were watching a fixer upper type program where the design/construction team renovated a house for a couple moving to town. The wife had to look at the properties and choose one with her husband looking at videos from afar. They selected the house without him ever seeing it in person.
This is important because we watched about 50 minutes while the house was renovated before “meeting” the husband. When he showed up for the reveal, he was using what appeared to be a home-made, wooden walking stick, not a cane, to support his walking. I couldn’t tell what medical condition afflicted him. He may have had a stroke.
The walking stick reminded me of the walking stick I’ve had since high school. I made it from a branch collected from a birch tree while walking in Walnut Woods near Des Moines. I broke off the branch at the suggestion of Scott Weiss (Papa Bear) who suggested it would make a good one. I took it home, stripped it, stained it, and coated it with urethane. I still have it. I even used it on a day hike in Glacier National Park in 2002. The center pic below was taken with a 35mm film camera, before I converted to digital.The lake is Grinnell Lake.Check the link to get a different perspective on where we were.Zoom in to see the path we were on.
That got me thinking of Scott. He died from Pancreatic Cancer in 2010. His passing hit me hard. I knew him as Papa Bear though his obituary just calls him “Bear.” Scott and I spent much time together during our high school years. He was 2 years older and went to a different high school, but we were connected through synagogue and youth group. We were both deep searchers and experimented with various religious doctrines, philosophies, and drugs. I remember reading Be Here Now, my first try with lousy Iowa ditch weed, and staying up nights expanding our minds and contemplating the Universe. We mixed Boone’s Farm Strawberry Wine with McDonald’s Strawberry Shakes, mostly to hide the wine. I could go on with many stories of our escapades. Learn a bit more on this on my SongspagewherePapa Bear – Ode to Scott Weisslyrics are posted.
Our lives crossed at various times after marriage and while rearing our children. Just thinking about this brings back fond and fun memories.
Later in life, after he moved to Louisiana, we got together periodically when he came back to Iowa. Unfortunately, it was typically for someone else’s funeral like his Dad’s, or for our mutual friend, Bill “Grouch” Ohringer. We never lost our connection and enjoyed our time together.Scott’s Mom died while I was away on other adventures so I wasn’t around to mourn her passing with him. So it was not too difficult to write a song in Scott’s honor. But it did take a while and though I have music for the lyrics, the song is challenging for me to play on the guitar and I have not practiced it much nor recorded it. I do have plans to include it on my next album, whenever that happens. Meanwhile, I am posting the lyrics on my Songs page. In my mind It is still a work in progress, but I want to post it while I’m remembering Papa Bear. I still feel his absence whenever I do. Hopefully, you will appreciate its sentiment.
I’ve been experiencing some disappointment with further developing this blog. Now that it’s up and running, I have a bit of writer’s block trying to figure out what to post next. Though I’ve invited only a few people, those who have signed up to receive posts (thank you!) remain even fewer.
Additionally, I’ve been trying to figure out how to connect This Day in History as an RSS feed, a link that automatically updates from another site. I’ve researched and think I figured out which widget I need on my site. But the History Channel site isn’t intuitive and I haven’t figured it out yet.
But I want to get my readers familiar with this connection that I’ve been enjoying. I first looked it up on April 3rd, Liz’s 40th Birthday. Since that time I’ve been receiving daily updates giving me the highlights for the day. For instance, today is the anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earth Quake of 1906. I’ve been watching a documentary about it.
So…
I hope you enjoy This Day in History as much as I am. You should be able to sign up to get daily email with the highlights. I’ll let you know when I get the RSS feed figured out.
Long before my Mill debut (see my “What is Wut Javia?” post), I played my first gig at Coffee Cat in Mason City (MC) IA. It was while living in MC that my musical awakening began.
I knew Cathy from her student days at NIACC. She opened the coffee house after taking the entrepreneurial program there. Cathy sold Coffee Cat a few years ago after getting a master’s degree in psychology (I think).
Part of her marketing strategy was to host live music by local and up-and-coming artists on Friday nights. Somewhere along the line I saw that a guy named Michael Whisler would be playing a session on Friday night. He was billed as playing 12-string guitar just like Leo Kottke! Kottke has a unique 12-string style using various open tunings to assist his mastery of finger picking and range up and down the fret board!
My wife and I went to listen. I was amazed. Not only did he play Kottke songs flawlessly, his original compositions maintained the same level of complexity and melody. Even his vocals were similar in style to Kottke’s. We stayed for the entire evening. I was so excited and started thinking of preparing to play a set sometime in the future.
We were chatting with Cat while Michael was tearing down his equipment. When I asked him where he was going, he said he was headed home (North Dakota); that he would drive for a while, sleep in the car, and finish tomorrow. I looked at Pam, she nodded, and I asked Michael if he would stay the night with us, offering a meal and a bed. I helped him finish packing up and he followed us home.
After he inhaled leftover smoked ribs and fixings, we went to my office, took out the axes (guitars), and started to jam. Pam went to bed and the next thing I knew it was 2:30 a.m. That was the night I decided to learn how to finger pick my guitar – a huge development after 30 years of strumming!
Now I had a goal! I’d built a repertoire of songs and began to earnestly practice. I recorded my first album Catching Up on Life (at home on simple equipment) and booked a date. I invited a few friends (Cat likes that!) to ensure I wasn’t playing to an empty room – ready to play.
To my surprise, Coffee Cat was full. To my greater surprise, people stayed after I started playing. What a rush! I played for two hours with songs from my album, some of my unpublished songs, and a few songs by those who inspired me including Bob Dylan, (Baby Let Me Follow Down) which he learned from Eric Von Schmidt, Cat Stevens (Where do the Children Play), and Simon and Garfunkel (Only Living Boy in New York).
I had a great time.The positive responses and feedback I received from those who were at Coffee Cat that night, inspired me to continue writing and playing my music. I have enough new songs for a new album + and hope to add more. Eventually, I’ll publish Catching Up on Life on this site. I’ve already posted a couple songs on the Songs page.
“Some of you may know that I have had Diabetes for over 45 years. Although I’ve tried to do a good job in controlling my diabetes the disease has affected my Kidney function. Over the past several years the kidney disease has gotten worse. Last October I was hospitalized with End State Renal Disease (ESRD) with kidney function at 8%. To keep my kidneys functioning and maintaining my life; I am currently receiving dialysis treatment five times a week at home.” Daniel Switalski
April 8, 2020:
Dan corrected my mistake in this post from yesterday (See comments at the bottom of the page. Here’s the correct contact information to contact his specific Living Donor nurse:
“…if interested in more specific information on how to help me, the actual number to call is (414)646-0584. That is a direct line to the transplant living donor nurse coordinator. Thanks for your consideration!“
April 7, 2020:
Yesterday I invited my good friend Daniel Switalski to visit this site and sign up for updates. He responded immediately, then sent me a copy of an open letter he’d selectively sent out in February asking for interested parties to consider being a live kidney donor for him.
With Dan’s permission, I am posting the entire letter here for you to read. If you call the phone number listed, 855.NFK.CARES (855.653.2273), and mention his name, Dan Switalski, you will be directed as to how to proceed.
Dan is one of those friends that, even when you don’t “talk” for a long time, it’s just like you talked yesterday when you finally do. We had a chance to Zoom this morning. It was great seeing him and catching up on a few things. I learned that Dan is a glass blower this morning and that he’s trying to learn to play a guitar. I already knew about his fly fishing (I’ve done that with him). I also learned that we hold different political views. But it doesn’t matter.
Here is a link to Dan’s Facebook page called My Kidney Story. Dan’s letter is shown below in its entirety.
Dan’s Story
Dear Family and Friends,
Some of you may know that I have had Diabetes for over 45 years. Although I’ve tried to do a good job in controlling my diabetes the disease has affected my Kidney function. Over the past several years the kidney disease has gotten worse. Last October I was hospitalized with End State Renal Disease (ESRD) with kidney function at 8%. To keep my kidneys functioning and maintaining my life; I am currently receiving dialysis treatment five times a week at home.
There are two treatment options for Kidney failure, Dialysis Treatment or Kidney Transplant.
Over the past two months Paula and I have been talking with the Transplant Team at St Lukes Hospital. We received confirmation from the Transplant Team that they are now accepting pre-screening calls for live donor transplant on my behalf. This call was an answer to our prayers. As Kidney transplant is the BEST option available to people like me with Kidney failure.
Receiving a Kidney transplant will provide me with a healthier longer life, allowing me to do the things I know God has in store for me.
Asking a family member or a friend to consider donating a kidney to me is very difficult. But in sharing this with you and you in turn sharing with others allows a means to get my story out and provide a chance for receiving a transplant.
Understandably some people are afraid about the surgery and what living with one kidney will mean. Here’s some basic information about kidney donation:
*You only need one kidney to live a healthy, long life
*Most donor surgery is done laparoscopically, meaning through tiny incisions
*The recuperation period is usually fairly quick, generally two weeks
*The cost of your evaluation and surgery will be covered by my insurance. The hospital will provide extensive information on this
*You will have a separate team of healthcare professionals to evaluate you as a living donor. Their job is to help you understand the risks and benefits and look out to your best interest
You can also learn more about living donation on the National Kidney Foundation (FKF) website: www.kidney.org/livingdonation or by contacting the NKF’s free, confidential helpline at 855.NFK.CARES (855.653.2273) or nkfcares2kidney.org. If you want to talk to someone who’s already donated a kidney, NFK can also help.
We may find during the process that you and I are not a match. That’s okay. A kidney paired donation can occur by using a national network of computers to find a transplant recipient that matches your organ, while they have friends or family that may be a match for me.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. If donating a kidney to me is something you would like to consider, I would be happy to tell you more about my story and explore the process of determining if you are a match for me. You can also contact my transplant center (Jeffrey Klister, RN, BSN) directly at 414. 646.0584.
I know living donation may not be right for everyone – but you can still help. Consider being an organ donor after death. Also, help me by sharing my story with everyone you know. I want to bring awareness to kidney disease and living donation. I am hopeful my efforts will help me receive a kidney in the near future and encourage others to consider helping the many people on the wait list.
Thank you again for your time in reading my story. – Dan
