| Christie Vilsack's columnsAlas, we're losing Christie Vilsack as a columnist here @ Offenburger.com By CHUCK OFFENBURGER January, 9 2006 COOPER, IA Christie Vilsack, the first lady of Iowa who for three years has written the “By the Way” column for us at Offenburger.com, will no longer be a regular here. Our columnist ends the year by announcing her third annual holiday awards, the ''Christies'' By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 27, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA They go to Iowans the first lady encounters practicing the real spirit of the season, like a choir director who conducted ''Julefest'' sitting down, because she'd just donated a kidney to save her brother's life.Helping bring an innovative literacy program to pediatric docs in Iowa: ''Reach Out and Read'' By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 12, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA The physicians are giving books to the children they are seeing, and highly recommending that the parents read out loud to the kids. Giving them such ''food for the mind'' is as important as giving them ''food for the body.''When you think of our veterans and all they've given, just what have the rest of us sacrificed? By CHRISTIE VILSACK November 28, 2005 WASHINGTON, D.C. She finds a classmate's name on the Vietnam War Memorial on the National Mall, just after visiting a baldy wounded Iowa National Guardsman in an Army hospital. Are we as supportive as we should be?You feel like a real Iowan when you get to take part in our annual fall rite, harvesting corn By CHRISTIE VILSACK November 14, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Sue McKinney coordinates the fancy teas at Terrace Hill, the governor's mansion in Des Moines. But she also farms with her husband, and she had a very interested passenger on a recent day when she was combining corn.The importance of taking time to mentor the next generation about political involvement By CHRISTIE VILSACK October 31, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Magdalen Meade, who was just such a mentor for our columnist the first lady of Iowa, died recently back home in Mount Pleasant. Such people as Magdalen wind up changing many lives. We need more like her.The charming tale of an old family story becoming a book for 42,000 of Iowa's kids! By CHRISTIE VILSACK October 10, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA As Iowa's first lady, our columnist picked Dubuque teacher and writer Frances Kennedy's ''The Pickle Patch Bathtub'' to give all the state's kindergartners next spring. But now she finds senior citizens are loving it, too!What is it that makes some marriages so successful? Here are two with insights By CHRISTIE VILSACK September 26, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA One thing seems to be a willingness to try new things together, like the Boswells getting a horse and carriage for their 50th anniversary, or the Brents, at 91 and 85, buying a boat and learning how to fish!Rockin' out in sign language, to help those who don't hear enjoy the big concerts more By CHRISTIE VILSACK September 12, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA For our columnist, the signing work of Deb Ditolla and Bill Ainsley was a real highlight of the ZZ Top concert at the Iowa State Fair. Do these interpreters really know all those songs, like they seem to?A red ribbon in state fair pie baking after forgetting the sugar in a sure prize winner By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 29, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA It was a pie-baking nightmare for Iowa's First Lady, featuring missing Pyrex dishes, then the sugar goof and finally, the pie-eating First Dog of Iowa. But she says you must try her peach hickory nut pie recipe.Why quilting is so popular, especially in a deep-rooted state like Iowa, where it just fits By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 15, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA They really reflect the culture that builds through the generations in our communities. The nation's governors are raving about the specially-made quilts they received as gifts when they met in Iowa earlier this summer.When you think about it, Iowa's churches play a huge role in the yearly success of RAGBRAI By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 4, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Our columnist went to mass the morning after the big bike ride finished, and joined the congregation in singing the great old hymn “Taste and See.” She realizes that could be RAGBRAI's theme song!Doing New York with two young Iowans who for now are trying life and careers there in the city By CHRISTIE VILSACK July 4, 2005 NEW YORK, New York Two of our columnist's former students showed up when she and the governor were recruiting young former Iowans. So she had them show her their city, and reminded them of opportunity waiting in their home state, too.A fascinating glimpse of the experiences of Doug Vilsack in the west Africa nation Namibia By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 21, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA It is a place where even ordering tuna in a grocery store turns into an eye-opening adventure. The younger son of the governor and first lady is seeing life from an outpost on the banks of the Zambezi River. Next: Law school.It may look like a heap, but this 1988 Pontiac Bonneville is like part of the family now By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 6, 2005 MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA The Vilsacks bought it as a safe car for their teenage boys, and it indeed has been one. With 187,000 miles and duct tape on the upholstery, it is still rolling. It just needs a little hometown tune-up now and then.Our Iowa kids are a rainbow: Their mixes of colors, cultures and languages reflect the world By CHRISTIE VILSACK May 23, 2005 STORM LAKE, IOWA Our columnist spent two weeks in her role as first lady of Iowa helping hand out a bi-lingual book to 40,000 kindergartners across Iowa. Doing so, she got an inspiring look at our new diversity in towns like Storm Lake.''Derby Day'' in Kentucky is so much more than just a horse race, she has come to realize By CHRISTIE VILSACK May 9, 2005 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY The Vilsacks, who lived the lives of political long shots in Iowa when they started, found themselves betting on the unheard-ofs when they joined the crowd of 140,000 at Churchill Downs on Saturday.The importance of hospitality -- sharing what's homemade, handmade and heartfelt By CHRISTIE VILSACK April 25, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA The busier times get, the better our state will do if we all remember to genuinely welcome visitors with the special little touches that make Iowa uniquely Iowa. (Hey, we've got a piece of pie here with your name on it.)What a bunch of slobs we've become, and our ditches and fencelines hold the proof of that By CHRISTIE VILSACK April 11, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA What ever happened to ''Don't be a litter bug''? There is trash being carelessly discarded everywhere, and maybe most aggravating of all are those awful plastic deli bags. Come on, Iowans, let's pick up after ourselves.A whole lot of life happens when you go for the annual mammogram -- and please do By CHRISTIE VILSACK March 28, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA It is a life-affirming experience, with a lot of camaraderie, when you put on that ''pink cape'' and go through the yearly exam at the health center. Of course, the ice cream afterward is a pretty good incentive, too.The generations come and go, and while we mourn we also can celebrate the life cycles By CHRISTIE VILSACK March 14, 2005 MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA Our columnist is mourning her aunt and mentor Jessie Schley, who died at 93. She thinks of Ecclesiastes: ''A generation goes and a generation comes...'' And she thinks of the ties that bind us all here in the heartland.She wins her family's race to get to all 50 U.S. states, with an adventure on beautiful Maui By CHRISTIE VILSACK February 28, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA She and her late brother had both been to 49 states, so she vowed never to visit the 50th. But then her husband surprised her with Hawaii tickets -- and reminders that her brother would not have settled for a tie, either!Taking a look at pre-school the way the French do it: They're way ahead of us with their pre-k By CHRISTIE VILSACK February 14, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Today 95 percent of the families in France take their children to voluntary, free pre-school, where they have well-trained and well-paid teachers. In Iowa, only 18 percent of our 4-year-olds attend an accredited pre-school.Our columnist, a career teacher: The high school experience has to be redrawn, more rigorous By CHRISTIE VILSACK January 31, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Across the nation and here in Iowa, too, ''the progress of our high school students is flat,'' she says. In Iowa, the only state with local control of its school standards, it means we all have to get involved in the discussion.It is all of you ''everyday activists'' out there who make a columnist's life a fun one By CHRISTIE VILSACK January 17, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA Fun and insightful follow-up on several of her columns that you'll remember from 2004: Picking up pop cans, competitive pie baking, presidential politics, hobnobbing in a fine barbershop. A good year!The phone call that all parents fear, a reminder that we cannot always protect our children By CHRISTIE VILSACK January 3, 2005 DES MOINES, IOWA The recent death in a car accident of Des Moines teenager Nick Bisignano, whom the Vilsacks knew, was a jolt. Then they had a nervous 24 hours of their own after a nighttime call from a sheriff in South Dakota.It's now time for the ''Christies,'' our columnist's awards for the best and zaniest of the holidays By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 20, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Iowa's first lady has pushed herself to really celebrate this holiday season, doing something every day in December to experience the spirit. That has given her a warm, fun view of Iowans at Christmastime.This mailman is such a pro that not only do his customers like him, so do their dogs! By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 6, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Jim Caligiuri has been delivering the Waterbury neighborhood on the west side of Des Moines for 24 years. He is now serving a second generation of homeowners, many of whom think of him as part of the family.Well, if you're going to blow off your diet, it might as well be in Germany and France! By CHRISTIE VILSACK November 22, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA And then Thanksgiving! Kind readers, be advised: By the time you get done with this column, you're going to be salivating for creme brule. But you'll learn about some interesting companies with Iowa operations, too.You just never know what you'll hear or whom you'll see around the next corner in Iowa By CHRISTIE VILSACK November 1, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Call this ''Travels with Mrs. Sackville.'' Ooops. We mean Mrs. Vilsack, of course. She keeps her ear to the ground for us as she makes her stops around the state, and you'll have as much fun as we did at what she hears.Horror stories about retirees' outrageous bills for the drugs they must have to stay alive By CHRISTIE VILSACK October 17, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA After a tour to 16 pharmacies across the state, our columnist feels like she has had a crash course in ''Mediscare 101.'' The system is obviously a mess, everybody knows it and real rage is growing among the elderly.Ah, the glories of our porches! Great places for viewing the small dramas of everyday life By CHRISTIE VILSACK October 4, 2004 MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA She notices on her walks around Mount Pleasant and Des Moines, that people seem to have abandoned their porches. Where are they? Don't they know what they're missing? Architects do, and are including porches again.A course for women who want to learn the skills and joys of life in the outdoors By CHRISTIE VILSACK September 20, 2004 GUTHRIE CENTER, IOWA Besides learning a lot in classes like “Intro to Firearms,” “Basic Shotgun” and “Backing Up a Boat Trailer,” our columnist says the weekend was also a grand “escape from makeup, pantyhose and earrings.”A quick change in her vacation plans put her unexpectedly in a ''New York frame of mind'' By CHRISTIE VILSACK September 6, 2004 NEW YORK CITY Her husband Gov. Tom Vilsack was summoned to give the Democrats' responses to the speeches at the GOP Convention. So while he worked, she was out among the grand characters of the city she's always loved.You dream of a blue ribbon, but your real hope is that your pie isn't sent to the 'table of shame' By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 23, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA But that's where this entrant's sweet potato pie wound up in the pie baking contest at the just-ended Iowa State Fair. Two consolations: 1) She learned a lot, and 2) the judges she deals with at home aren't as persnickety.The gifts the governor has given her the past 31 years have always been interesting By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 9, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA For her recent birthday, he arranged for her to have a chat with one of her favorite columnists, Newsweek's Anna Quindlen -- another of his unusual gifts. Warning, husbands, the governor sets a high standard for us!John Kerry learned about potluck suppers in Iowa, now he wants us all 'round the table By CHRISTIE VILSACK July 27, 2004 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS In a speech to the Democratic National Convention, our columnist touts small town values, and tells why she picked Kerry out of the crowded field of candidates last January and endorsed him.As she prepares for her speech to the nation's Democrats, let's remember her political roots By CHRISTIE VILSACK July 19, 2004 MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA Our columnist will be a prime-time speaker tonight (July 27) at the party's national convention in Boston. A year ago she wrote this column on just what she thinks Democrats stand for, and why she is one.Exciting times, indeed, in the Vilsack family. There's hardly enough time to eat a pork chop By CHRISTIE VILSACK July 2, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA The schedule has been plenty nutty lately. Sometimes you just have to laugh, like on her late-night drive wearing a nice dress and Reeboks while gnawing on an Iowa chop, hoping no one would recognize her.Barber poles have always caught her eye, so she stops in at a great shop in Des Moines By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 21, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Bill Sharp has been running a shop for 50 years in what was once the heart of the African American community. He's now helping his son Larry there and, as it's been for decades, the shop is still a great place for stories.The actresses in this theater have lived so much drama, they can act it out well, too By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 7, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA A look at an innovative, 7-year-old program at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville -- staging plays with the inmates as the cast and crew. It's helped change some lives that needed changing.How to keep a great Iowa story alive: Give a book about it to each one of our kindergartners By CHRISTIE VILSACK May 24, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA A new children's book ''Sweet Corn and Sushi'' tells how, in 1959, Iowa farmers sent live hogs and feed for them to typhoon-stricken Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan -- starting 44 years of international friendship.Those morel mushrooms are calling us into the woods now, and the hunt is really worth it! By CHRISTIE VILSACK May 4, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Our columnist swears that her friend and guide Khanh Hamilton ''waves her magic stick and mushrooms pop from the ground.'' But the time in the woods is actually just as important as the mushrooms you find.She has visited 400 of Iowa's public libraries and she's seen all they offer -- including a cat! By CHRISTIE VILSACK April 19, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA The library in little Dows, Iowa, even has its own song. The one in Iowa Falls has a ''giggle room.'' Osage's will loan you a cake pan to bake a Mickey Mouse-shaped cake, and see the cat ''Dewey Readmore Books'' in Spencer's.An Iowa trade delegation finds New Zealand to be a land of fantasy -- and of the fantastic By CHRISTIE VILSACK April 6, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA The governor and first lady led 28 Iowans to look at ways two ''Middle Earth'' kinds of places might develop economic, agricultural and research alliances in the biosciences. They had a heck of a lot of fun, too.''James Gang''? Young Iowans who're making a big difference in their state and community By CHRISTIE VILSACK March 22, 2004 IOWA CITY, IOWA Amanda Styron and her pals in Iowa City rally 'round the ''pragmatic'' ideas of philosopher William James, and ''go public.'' Their projects are creative and fun, but they also foster community service.When you visit Washington DC, 'the presidents always seem to be looking over our shoulders' By CHRISTIE VILSACK March 8, 2004 WASHINGTON, D.C. Our columnist the first lady of Iowa gives you an inside look at the capital at its formal best, from the grand old Willard Hotel to an elegant dinner and lunch at the White House. There were ''goose bumps moments'' aplenty.Going shopping to find that perfect outfit from, say, 1898. Not a replica, but an original! By CHRISTIE VILSACK February 23, 2004 DAVENPORT, IOWA You can find vintage clothing at the amazing ''Trash Can Annie'' store in this city on the Mississippi River. Our columnist wears two of Annie's outfits, actually. She's still looking for a bustle.This teacher says it's time that all Iowans make a stand for fully funding education here By CHRISTIE VILSACK February 9, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Some legislators are suggesting that educators agree to pay cuts, accept layoffs, teach from outdated books and get used to larger class sizes in these tough budget times.The ''Real Deal'' on her support of John Kerry's late surge to victory in the Iowa caucuses By CHRISTIE VILSACK January 26, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA After she endorsed the Massachusetts senator, she went on the road in Iowa with him for a week. It was like ''a refresher course in political science 101.''So, thank you, Mrs. Perkins. You made a real difference in somebody's life last year By CHRISTIE VILSACK January 12, 2004 DES MOINES, IOWA Our columnist is continuing a tradition started by her mother-in-law Dolly Vilsack, beginning each new year with a letter of thanks to someone who gave her a boost the previous year.Let's call them the ''Christies'' -- our columnist's awards for notable holiday gifts and acts By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 29, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Oh, the things a first family gets asked to do -- dance in ''The Nutcracker,'' try a favorite possum recipe. But they also witness a whole lot of good happening right in front of them.Realizing again why so many love to hunt -- even if they can only bag one lousy pheasant By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 17, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA It's the tradition, the time together, the stories they love, even if Iowa's first dog Rosie turns out to be a better hunter than the gang coming through the fields behind her.Listening to a refugee's story helps remind our columnist how thankful we all should be By CHRISTIE VILSACK December 1, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Little Aldijana Avdich came with her family from Bosnia. Now in high school, she volunteers as much as she can, in thanks for all the help her family received.The possibilities come so clear when you get with the kids receiving even a little bit of help By CHRISTIE VILSACK November 18, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA When will we admit that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? We all need to become advocates for these financially-strapped programs that really do work.Take it from Iowa's first lady: The Vilsacks are not living ''in a bubble'' here in Iowa By CHRISTIE VILSACK November 3, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Truth be told, they're probably more in touch with real life in Iowa than most of their newspaper critics are. Our columnist takes us through a typical weekend, how they ''stay grounded'' in what's most important.When 70,000 readers, writers & storytellers gathered in Washington, DC, it was hoppin'! By CHRISTIE VILSACK October 21, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA At the National Book Festival, our columnist meets well-known authors, touts Iowa books and encounters a storyteller so good he makes you want to do the ''Lindy Hop.''Overnighting in Tokyo, then Chicago, then Sac City, Iowa. Her favorite? Sac City Motel By CHRISTIE VILSACK October 6, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Of course, she didn't have to endure an earthquake in Sac City, like in Tokyo. The room in Iowa wasn't pointlessly big, like in Chicago. And the owner of the Sac City Motel will clean the pheasants you shoot, too.Her favorite Iowa views: A rural church, a cityscape & an inspiring river overlook By CHRISTIE VILSACK September 22, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA What makes a view beautiful? The scenery, sure. Also important: Our past, the people we’re with when we see it, the time of day, the circumstances that brought us there, and other such places we can compare.Now we know, hastily-passed ''Patriot Act'' turns out to be a real threat to our freedoms By CHRISTIE VILSACK September 8, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA When we are not paying attention, we slowly lose our freedoms. Like those small checks we write that deplete our bank accounts without our realizing it, we are writing checks on our freedom account and before we know it, we’ll be overdrawn.You may think you're showing a steer at the Iowa State Fair, but actually, it shows you! By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 24, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Not wanting to be taken as ''a wimpy town girl,'' she continues to tussle with the big critters. But she confesses she has occsionally wondered just where her state trooper and his gun are.Li'l Miss Frese goes to Washington, and gets in touch with the inspiration that city gives us all By CHRISTIE VILSACK August 11, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Rebekah Frese, 8, of Marshalltown, Iowa, visited the nation's capital this summer, and her experience reminded our columnist of just how meaningful first trips there are.It's not easy being low-tech when a whole high-tech state is watching while you learn By CHRISTIE VILSACK July 28, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA If our sons hadn’t left us to go off to college seven years ago, just when we needed them to shepherd us into the electronic age, maybe we wouldn’t be in this fix.Continuing an analysis of political parties: Let's now take a look at the Republicans By CHRISTIE VILSACK July 14, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA A Democrat's hometown lament: ''I’ve often said, that living in Mount Pleasant, if I didn’t have Republican friends, I wouldn’t have many friends.'' Let's analyze our political affiliations: So just what is it that makes a Democrat? By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 30, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA She's a chip off the ol' block, since her father always said he was ''a revolving Democrat – a Democrat no matter which way you look at me.'' In this column, she considers her own party. Next column, the Republicans.''Teach'' was a legend to 40 years of girls going through Mount Pleasant High School By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 15, 2003 MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA Since I was involved in all of the activities she was advisor for, and since her physical education class was required, I was her minion. We should all be so lucky to have someone like her touch our lives. Back home in Mount Pleasant, taking part in the never-ending transitions of the generations By CHRISTIE VILSACK June 1, 2003 MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA Commencement is a tricky word, suggesting simultaneous beginnings and endings. When does one phase of life end and another begin?The first ladies of many states (and a few ''first dudes'') help each other more than most of us know By CHRISTIE VILSACK May 20, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA If they're hiring staff for a governor’s residence for the first time, or dealing with a political columnist who doesn’t like their hairstyle or their spouse’s politics, they're more likely to call another first lady than even their best friends at home. And they regularly cross party lines to assist each other.You're browsing in an art gallery, and suddenly there you are! Your long-ago pose has become art By CHRISTIE VILSACK May 4, 2003 IOWA CITY, IOWA A lot of Iowans are still finding themselves in the historic photos of Pete Wettach, the lithographs of Grant Wood and the paintings of Marvin Cone.History, fun and, of course, tea while visiting Richard, Lord Acton, the Iowan in the British House of Lords By CHRISTIE VILSACK April 20, 2003 LONDON, ENGLAND A visit to Parliament reveals that our Lord Acton is widely admired and respected for his hard work, love of British lore, keen wit and self-deprecating humor.The first lady goes to ''Guys Night Out at the Library,'' and finds some big readers (one very big) By CHRISTIE VILSACK April 6, 2003 DYERSVILLE, IOWA The event at Dyersville ''was one of the best'' she's experienced in her four years of visiting and advocating for Iowa’s public libraries.Do the Iowa girls and women playing basketball today know what and who came before them? By CHRISTIE VILSACK March 23, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA Our first lady has been slipping in unnoticed to watch girls' state basketball tournament games, and has some thoughts about the players -- current and former.How the whole state came to read a book together - and the lively discussions of it happening now By CHRISTIE VILSACK March 9, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA She has Iowa senior citizens, students, authors and even prisoners reading, talking about and arguing over Leif Enger's novel ''Peace Like a River.''The nostalgia we all have for artifacts from our past is very real, indeed By CHRISTIE VILSACK February 23, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA An 89-year-old woman visiting the governor's mansion is sure the hobbyhorse displayed there is the long-lost one she had as a little girl in eastern Iowa -- and she finds a sympathetic ear for her story.A few calm minutes in the Osceola train station become like Iowa theater in the round By CHRISTIE VILSACK February 10, 2003 OSCEOLA, IOWA Pat Green has not had a vacation for 15 years. Every day she helps passengers board Amtrak destined for faraway places she’s never seen. Like clockwork – once in the morning and once at night, seven days a week – she and her partner J.R. “Junior” Black help folks laden with skis, suitcases and shopping bags board the east and westbound trains at the Osceola depot.Iowa's first lady came to realize that she wanted, and needed, to be writing again By CHRISTIE VILSACK January 26, 2003 DES MOINES, IOWA "I know you're a very important person and you're in a hurry," said the woman, apologetically, as she wanded my shoeless feet in clear view of the Iowa Hawkeye football fans waiting to board the charter to the Orange Bowl in Miami…
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