Hi neighbors. I hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy the few good days of warm weather we‚ve had. Although I've been in Iowa this entire week, I have my computer set to keep track of the weather in Nevada. Actually there isn't much difference between the temperatures in Iowa and Nevada, other than the wind.

Never have I come to Iowa that the wind wasn't blowing! I don't mean just a little breeze to keep you cool either. I mean the "turn your umbrella inside out and blow your hat off your head" kind of winds. I've never figured out why, for certain.

It has always been my habit to wear a headscarf on windy days. I hope some of you can remember headscarves! My daughter tells me they are very out of style and almost relics. If they are that old as fashion statements, I reassure her, they are bound to come back into style any day now.

Nevertheless, I don't wear them for style, but to keep my hair from flying and to keep the wind out of my ears.

My daughter told me once that she wouldn't be caught dead in a headscarf, so I told her I would suppose the easiest way for her to be certain to live to become a very old woman is to always wear one. She didn't see the humor in that.

She does wear hats on occasion. I never wear a hat. I see men with caps on a lot, but even that isn't as common as it was 10 years ago. Maybe headwear is going out of style for everyone.

The Iowa landscape is almost identical to southwest Missouri, except for more deep pits made from strip mining. There aren't nearly as many trees as in Missouri.

I was told Iowa used to have a vast forest, but you couldn't tell it now. Maybe a hint to Missouri -- guard your forests! Plant a tree!

A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from Kelsey Smith, one of our Nevada youths serving in Iraq. He has graciously agreed to an interview and that will be in the paper near Veteran's Day. Be sure to watch for it.

Also remember that the men and women serving in Iraq need a few things, and always welcome "care" packages from home with snacks and hygiene items.

But mostly they want letters and news from home. So if you have time and want to e-mail or write letters to Kelsey or other Vernon County neighbors serving in Iraq, please do so.

If any of you have sons, daughters, wives, husbands, brothers or sisters serving in Iraq and would like to let people know where to write or e-mail them, just drop a note off to me and I'll run that information in my column. You can contact me through the Daily Mail office (leave a note at the front desk) or call me at (417) 667-2024. My e-mail address is nancymalcom@sbcglobal.net so you can let me know that way as well. Just be certain to leave your own phone --number or contact information.

Since the Nevada Daily Mail and Sunday Herald are online at --www.nevadadailymail.com, parts of the newspaper are available for anyone to read. Many in the military enjoy reading about their hometowns this way as almost all newspapers now have a website.

The only problem with that is the access issue, as Internet use is often limited to short time periods. Most soldiers want to spend the limited Internet time e-mailing their friends and families, not perusing newspapers.

Copies of the newspaper, or specific articles about things they might find interesting, are always welcome, and can be read on the soldier‚s own schedule.

Pictures from hometown people are always welcome as well, I would imagine. Anything that relates to home and the life they were involved in before they left would be a nice thing to send as well.

I know some youth groups were involved at one time in sending letters and packages to our military. Hopefully we can get some other service men and women's addresses in Iraq or Afghanistan for clubs and organizations to "adopt" and start corresponding with.

People who are housebound or otherwise unable to help with the war effort in other ways, can use this route to make a valuable contribution to the well being of our military serving overseas.

Until the next time friends remember, we are home safe and sound due in a large part to the sacrifices of time and effort by those who have chosen to put their very lives on the line to protect us. Writing a letter or two seems like a very simple "thank you."