Hi neighbors. Coffee never tastes as good as it does when used to regain strength (and as an excuse to stop working) after physical labor.

Thursday I joined my fellow Tri-County Genealogy group in Sheldon to help move a large amount of historical data from a private home there to the storage area of the Nevada Public Library.

It is an extraordinary collection and an extraordinary amount of work went into moving it. If you have ever moved boxes of books and papers, you know what I'm talking about.

There is still a lot of work to be done before getting the work copied for public use.

As the work becomes more available, genealogists and historians will be more than pleased with it. For all who helped lug boxes and books -- thank you!

All this moving took place Thursday so I didn't get to watch President Bush take his pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States. I hope that promise is one all Presidents take more seriously than anything else they say while in office.

Have you read the Constitution? I'll have to admit it's been a while since I did. A long while. I think it's something each American should have a copy of in their homes. If you are not familiar with it, how are you going to know if any of our elected officials are keeping their promises to uphold and protect it? When I was in school -- and yes the Constitution had already been written even way back then -- we had to pass a test on the Missouri constitution to qualify for eighth grade graduation. In high school it was the United States Constitution we had a test on. It was a test you had to pass to graduate high school. Some took it every year of high school before passing it. I don't know if this is still required or not.

I think the Constitution or a general course on how our state and federal governments are organized, how they work and the responsibilities of citizenship would be a great adult education class. In fact, I think each school district should receive state and federal funding earmarked just for that class to be offered at least periodically. I would certainly like to take it.

I have spoken to some naturalized citizens and they all commented on how tough the test is to become United States citizens. They have to answer lots of questions about the Constitution and how our government is set up. Just because we are born here doesn't mean we shouldn't know about how the whole system works.

While I don't think any type of testing should be mandatory, I do think people should have these classes available to them at least every four years.

The United States website offers pamphlets on these topics, but there is nothing more stimulating than people getting together in a classroom setting and talking and learning together.

Of course, a lesson now and then on driving might be good too. For those familiar with Nevada, the turn from Osage Boulevard onto Austin can be tricky. There are two left turn lanes. If you are in the right hand one -- be careful. For some reason people in the left hand lane cannot see people in the right hand lane and will more often than not, veer into the right hand lane as they make their turn.

This must be some strange phenomenon only witnessed at that particular intersection. Granted, most cars do have a blind spot between the windshield and passenger's door window. But if a car has been sitting in the lane to your right for several seconds waiting for the light to change -- you can be pretty certain they are still going to be there when the light turns green and you start turning left. I wonder where people think those right hand lane people go? There is nowhere else they could be but in that lane turning left.

Ok, pet peeve over. I know I had to speed up considerably one day when a driver to my left insisted on moving into my lane whether my car was there or not. They even hit my back fender. I motioned for them to follow me into Vinyards parking lot but of course they ignored me and went merrily along their way. Just be aware that is a dangerous intersection if you are planning a left turn from Osage onto Austin.

Until the next time friends remember, some lessons can be taught and others have to be learned through experience. Whether it's local history, the Constitution, or simply how to navigate Nevada traffic without collision, there is always something to learn from other people's experiences.