Along Our Way

Randy Bunkers, co-owner with his wife Phyllis of the Bunkers Dunkers Bakery on the east side of the courthouse square in our county seat town of Jefferson, has just turned 60 years old. On Saturday, January 14, the Bunkerses celebrated with free ''donut holes'' – the little balls punched out of their famous glazed donuts – and free coffee for much of the morning, and the place was packed. Everybody was telling their favorite ''Bunkers Dunkers'' stories.
[FOR A STORY & THE PHOTOS IN
IN LARGER FORMAT, CLICK HERE.
]

A conversation


with the Offenburgers

Chuck Offenburger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins follicular lymphoma cancer on July 10, 2009, had six months of chemotherapy & started a maintenance program. Carla Offenburger underwent surgery on April 26, 2010, for removal of a jaw tumor which was found to contain adenoid cystic carcinoma cancer. She underwent six weeks of follow-up radiation in June and July, 2010. Since then she has returned to good health, but she continues to have close medical observation. Two days after Carla finished radiation, Chuck noticed a pain in his left hip, and within days, a small mass near his tailbone was diagnosed as more aggressive large-cell lymphoma. In the fall of 2010, he underwent intensive chemotherapy, and had a stem cells transplant in November, with follow-up radiation in January, 2011. Since then he's been doing well, too, but continues to have regular check-ups. We post updates frequently here, including brief insights from Chuck, Carla and at least one of you readers.

“Chuck, in the past year, I’ve seen you with long hair, no hair and now this short hair. This is best.”

FOR THE LATEST UPDATE, CLICK HERE.

What's the deal with the Saddle Shoes?
What's the deal with the
black & white saddle shoes?



Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa.

Here's looking at life
at Simple Serenity Farm


We've had very little snow so far this winter. Saturday morning, January 14, brought a reminder of just how pretty a light snow can be. Just over an inch fell in the wee hours, and the countryside was beautiful at wake-up time.
Click here for larger format

Earlier photos in this series


Chuck Offenburger's
latest book on sports
legend Gary Thompson

''GARY THOMPSON: All-American'' is the new, 352-page biography of one of the state's genuine sports icons. From 1950-'53 Gary Thompson led the Roland Rockets to high school sports glory in basketball and baseball, giant-killers from one of Iowa's small schools. Then he led the Cyclones at Iowa State from 1953-'57, becoming the college's first two-sport All-American. He's had major success in broadcasting and business, from his home base in Ames. And he and his wife Janet have a family as solid as they come. "I'm the luckiest guy around," Thompson says.


CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Our Partners & Patrons
Iowa Hall of Pride
Sam's Barber Shop
Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney
KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show''
The Monks of New Melleray Abbey



RELATED LINKS
About Offenburger.com
Biographies
Want to Reprint?
Want Updates?

ARCHIVES
Chuck Offenburger's columns
Christie Vilsack's columns
Carla Offenburger's columns
Carla's book reviews
Guest Columns

Life at Offenburgers'
Simple Serenity Farm   --2003-2005
  --2006-Now

Our Iowa News Digest
Along Our Way
The Simple Serenity Farm columns

Heres the archived updates from the farmstead and three acres in southern Greene County, Iowa, that the Offenburgers bought in the fall of 2003, had rehabbed and, in the summer of 2004, now call home.

June 23, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

June 6, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

May 30, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

May 23. 2005
By Carla Offenburger

May 16, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

May 9, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

May 2, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

April 25, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

April 18, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

April 11, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

March 28, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

March 21, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

March 14, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

March 7, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

February 28, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

February 21, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

February 14, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

February 7, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

January 31, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

January 24, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

January 17, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

January 10, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

January 3, 2005
By Carla Offenburger

December 27, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

December 20, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

December 14, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

December 6, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

November 29, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

November 22, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

November 15, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

November 8, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

November 1, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

October 25, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

October 17, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

October 11, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

October 4, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

September 27, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

September 20, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

September 13, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

September 6, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

August 30, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

August 23, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

August 17, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

August 9, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

August 2, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

July 26, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

July 19, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

July 12, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

July 5, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

June 28, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

June 21, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

June 14, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

June 7, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

May 31, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

May 24, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

May 18, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

May 11, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

May 4, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

April 27, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

April 19, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

April 13, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

April 5, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

March 31, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

March 22, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

March 16, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

March 8, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

March 2, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

February 23, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

February 16, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

February 9, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

February 2, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

January 26, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

January 19, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

January 12, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

January 5, 2004
By Carla Offenburger

The First Few Months
By Carla Offenburger

To read Chuck's original column about buying the farm, click here.

Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney