Category Archives: General

Can It!

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Marty Ryan

In 2009, I won a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair for my caramels. It was my mom’s recipe, and it took me several tries to get them to taste and be the same consistency as hers. But the … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Brain Drain

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Marty Ryan

Have you ever walked into a room and couldn’t remember why you were entering that room? I have the answer as to why that phenomenon is common among us old folks. Bear with me. It’s no surprise that my annual … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Political Baptism II

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Marty Ryan

1987 was a busy year for me in politics. Not only was I the Secretary-Treasurer of the UFCW Iowa Branch and the Secretary-Treasurer of the local union, UFCW Local 440, I was the Chair of the Crawford County Democratic Party. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Political Baptism

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Marty Ryan

Naivety has always been one of my strong traits. Almost forty years ago, I was elected as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Iowa Branch for the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW). I was also the recently elected Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sneak Peek

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Marty Ryan

There was no better rite of passage from childhood innocence to arrogant adolescence in the 1960s than to see how many kids you could stuff into the trunk of a car and sneak into the drive-in movies. Bub had a … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Everyone’s Best Friend – Jim Malloy

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Marty Ryan

June 3rd is a significant date in my life. My parents, Francis Martin Ryan and Rhea Madonna Fritz were married in Breda, Iowa, on this date in 1941. Twelve years later on the same date, my brother Kevin (“Cub”) was … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment