ONE!!!

Leonidas (Leo!) is one today.  He is such a cute sweet little boy.  Happy birthday Leo and may your day be special.
Love, Grandpa Lee and Terry

Some history

This is perhaps one of two pictures that I have with our barn in.  Some history of our barn.  Joan, Dave and I are standing to the SE of the barn.

• There is no electrical pole by the barn which means this is before Dad wired the barn for lights
• The SE part of the barn had a large pen with the water tank in it.  That is where Dave and I often let the water tank overflow and flood the pen!
• It is clear that the picture was taken before I was able to wear real pants with a belt like Dad.
• The far side of the barn, had the stanchion's for milking cows.  I don't think we ever milked more than 5 or 6 cows even though there was room for at least a dozen.
• The north third of the barn was where we kept hay.  There was a door high on the north wall that we could open and throw loose hay or bails into the barn.  That was the place the cats would hide out.
• The east side of the barn had three pens in addition to the one with the water tank.  I don't think they had cement floors.
• Down the middle of the barn, from the hay room to the south, was a walk way.
• There was a door on the SW corner where we would let the cows in for milking.  That was also the door Mom would put a dish towel to call us home for lunch.  I wonder if she wiped the dishes after hanging the towel out???
• Later, when Dad wired the barn, the light pole was just north of where my head is in this picture.  That was an easy way to shimmy up to the roof.  On lazy sunny days I would shimmy up and lie on the west roof dreaming of what I would do when I grew up.
• We would often play tag etc. on the beams in the barn.  One day I fell into a pen on my head and got the wind knocked out of me.  I thought I may die!
• On days when I could get out of work I would take a rake and smooth the barn yard on the south end of the barn.  For the most part the cow pies were dry because in the summer the cows would spent time in the pasture so I did not have to worry about soft ones!!!  Then I would use a rubber ball as a baseball and throw it against the barn wall and I would be part of the Milwaukee Braves team.  I would usually be the shortstop or the pitcher and we would always win.  Sometimes Eddie Matthews would hit a homerun and often Spahn would strike out someone on the New York Yankees!
• By the time I left home there were several small window panes broken and I do not remember them being fixed.  
• On the west wall there were nails where we would hang the chain kickers that we would put on the cows so they would not move their feet and kick over the milk bucket.
• We had more than one milk stool and there was no real place for them, just any place we put them down.  Most of them had one leg so you had to balance yourself as you milked.  
• In the winter, before we had lights in the barn, it was almost magical as you hung the lantern on a nail after you entered the barn which was a bit warm from the body heat of the cows.  As one milked the cows ate hay and and cats lurked in the dark with their beady eyes waiting for a squirt of milk.  On my way out I would pour some milk in the cat dish and cats would appear out of the dark to get their fill.
• Way towards the back of the picture you can see the shop where we parked the Ford tractor and spent time making toy guns etc.  That was also the place I would often keep a can with dirt and worms in for my fishing up at the lake.

Time to get to work as Brian and Tammy will arrive later today and there is a bit of work to do before they arrive.  

More pain--more gain

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  A day to give thanks (of course we should do that everyday), a day to relax, a day to be with family and friends and a day to look forward to the coming Advent Season.
YESTERDAY---More gain, we played fairly well but more pain too.  Our third court fell 3-6 and 3-6.  Our second court won their first set, lost their second set in a tie breaker and lost the match in a tie breaker.  My teammate, Rich, and I lost the first set in a tie breaker, won the second set and lost the match in a tie breaker.  A fun time but with disappointing results.  Playing at the 3.0 level is certainly more fun and adds to ones game so we will take the matches in stride and move on to the next week.  We have 3 more fall matches left and then a 3 week break before winter season.  It will be a learning season for sure but on the far end we should all be playing a better game.  Here is hoping this body of mine holds up.  I have had NO injuries this fall but that darn back lets me know that all is not perfect.  As I lay in bed this morning ready to get up the muscles in my right shin kept tightening up which kind of pulled my toes towards my upper body.  Oh my to be even 50 again---no I am fine where I am.
A relaxing stay at home Thanksgiving for Terry and I.  Her son Brian and his wife Tammy are on their way here now and will arrive perhaps on Friday.  We will have our turkey/dressing etc. after they arrive.
As I type I see that the temp in Naples is 68.  For many many Thanksgiving Days the measure, weather wise, was whether it was freezing in the garage or not!  I am guessing it is doing that in St. Paul today.
I am not getting on with some of my winter projects yet.  It is not a matter of lazy or anything, just not into things at this time.
Actually I may start to print our Christmas cards today.  They are ready to go so only need to decide who they go to, get the labels and print out the cards.  It would be nice to get that done by the end of next week.  Maybe I should just cut this short and get to work.  My FP is history for the day and I am, at this moment, ready to do some work.
Again, to anyone who happens to read this have a very very happy Thanksgiving and may the coming Advent season be a blessing in surprising ways.

Progress---some

Kind of like the separator we had in our entryway on the farm for our milk.  You poured the milk in the top and cream would come out one and milk out the other.  I think ours looked better than this!
Terry and I are finishing our 16th day of our "change our eating ways".  I would say that so far, for me, it has been quite good.  First, I have cheated NONE!  For me that is amazing!  I have lost 11 pounds and can feel it for sure.  Also it SEEMS that I do not have the cravings to eat so much.  I am a habitual snacker and that has not been the case for the last 2 weeks.  BUT I do miss the cheese and the bread.  Sugar, not so much.  The craft beer---I like it but it has not been so difficult to live without it.  I went through a stage last week where I had NO energy but  that has turned around and I am back to my normal self.  I played tennis yesterday and today and was not really tired after 90 minutes.  We will see what the long term brings. All next week we will have visitors so the eating plan is out the window for that time and then we will get back on it for most of the month of December.  I would like to CUT OUT snacks and feel satisfied and then I would like to lose a minimum of 15 more pounds.  If I could do that I would be within 5-7 pounds of my HS weight.  We will see, maybe I am wanting and expecting too much.
No FP now as it is late afternoon.  I took a run to Target and the traffic was awful.  I did take advantage as I ordered Terry's Christmas present on line today and saved 55%.  I wanted to order it last week but last week there was 40% off so the wait was worth it.
We have a home tennis match tomorrow and I am hopeful of winning at least 1 and maybe 2 courts.  IF we are competitive I guess I should be happy for now BUT.....
Enough for now.

Can't let November go past without a deer picture

Carmen, Dave, Ronald (Red), John and Dick

I am guessing 1962 or 63, not sure.  I am guessing it was before John's red pickup as the deer are on top of the car.  Ronald, John and Dick were three of the greatest young men ever.  I could add Dave too but he was a bit younger.  It doesn't look like Dave or I had the best clothes for deer hunting!!!  I am sure there was red someplace but really it looks like we are ready for school.  I think the station wagon was John's.  Dick was a good friend of Ronald and John.
Not much else to say today.  My weight, that had gone south for one day, was back on track yesterday and today.  No more weight loss for the last few days so will have to be content to stick to the eating plan for now and see if I feel better.  The loss of 10 pounds certainly helps but MORE is needed.  We will try to stick with it until next Saturday when Brian and Tammy arrive.  We will celebrate Thanksgiving perhaps on Sunday or Monday after.
I am feeling pretty good about Christmas coming.  Gifts for kids and some others are done, Christmas card is ready to print but not sure about grandkids.  As they get older it is more difficult to come up with something they need/want.  I try to be so careful as the gifts my kids received from grandparents sometimes bordered on???????.  We always appreciated the thought but......
The last drop of FP is cold so the end.

The learning continues???

Mom's side, Sampson, side of the family.
We would meet in Glenwood MN once in the summer. On the way there we would read Burma Shave signs and count horses!
Janet, Joan, Dave and I are in the picture along with Mom and Dad
Many aunts and uncles in it too.

We had our 4th fall tennis match and once again it was a losing thing.  Not all bad as the team we played won the 3.0 division last winter so we expected them to be good and they were.  It was a fun time, as fun as losing can be, and I am hopeful that we learned some things too.
I stepped on the scale this morning and my first goal weight, which I had achieved the last 3 mornings, had gone south!  Tomorrow will be another day!
We are creeping up on Thanksgiving Day quickly.  After that I can go into stores again as looking at Christmas things in October and November is too much for me but after Thanksgiving it is OK.
Not much news today as I finished my FP and breakfast so I should be good to go for tennis at 7:30.  I have been struggling a bit as the "no sugar" effect on my body has not passed.  It is better but not good.  It seems one is supposed to rely on GOOD fat and not sugar so will see how it works long term.  Perhaps I can blame eating for losing our league matches!

November 14, 1971---SOME TIME AGO!!!

HAPPY 46 TRAVIS

Another day in 2017 and another Lee birthday.  Travis have a fun birthday and celebrate with friends.  Have an exciting and blessed coming year.  Love, Dad and Terry

Another Wednesday, another match and another loss!

Audrey on the left and Faustina on the right

Faustina on the left and Audrey on the right

How about those girls in red!  The bottom picture was taken in 2008 and the top in 2016.
My tennis team did win one of three matches on Wednesday and there were no blow outs so that was a plus.  I and my teammate lost 3-6 and 4-6 on court 1, we won court 2 in a match tie breaker and one of the two sets on court 3 went to a tie breaker so really not so bad.  I played with the best player on the team but he is not used to playing doubles so it will be a work in progress.  He will be gone for the rest of the fall and in the remaining 5 matches I will mix up players as I have said in the past this is kind of spring training for the winter.  Winter, it will be a challenge too but I will try to get the best pairings together and try harder to win some matches.  All in all it has been, it is and it will be fun.
I am really trying hard to change my eating habits and lose weight.  Five days and some weight has come off but I have felt it on the court, a bit sluggish.  I quit after an hour yesterday as I just did not feel well.  It does not help either as our weather has been very warm.  It has been in the mid 80s when we play.
I finished Terry's calendar for 2018 and I think it turned out great.  It ended up being 102 pages, 51 pieces of paper, 39 pictures and a lot of work but it was worth it.  I ended up making double of everything so I have one too.  The pictures on the front of our 2018 calendars are below.  I had to do something so we could tell them apart.

It is hard to believe that we are less than 2 weeks from Thanksgiving.  Terry and I may just keep a low profile on Thanksgiving and then crank it up starting the Saturday after as Brian/Tammy arrive for a 5 day visit.  We may just save our turkey day for when they are here.  We did invite a couple and a guy over but they both had plans already.  Maybe a good reason for me to TRY and keep on my eating plan for a few extra days.
Enough for now.  My FP is still hot so I may just relax for a bit and read a book to start the day.  Nothing like relaxing after one gets out of bed!!!  Need I say that retirement is a full time job!!!

A project finished

A North Dakota photo perhaps taken around 1970 or so
From left to right Marvin Lee, farmer and son, Bob Mouw, John Mouw and Dad
I am sure the prong horns were loaded into John's trusty red Ford pickup for the trip home
I shot my one and only prong horn in the late 70s but was not on this trip

Last year I searched and searched for a 2017 calendar book for Terry but could not find what I liked so I made one.  She uses it so much I thought I would make one for 2018 and also do one for me.  I insert pictures of people on the week of their birthday/anniversary and then put in ages.  I purchased a 100 sheet pack of presentation paper so I could print on both sides.  At the end I had 4 sheets left to put in the back for notes.  I finished it yesterday and took it to Staples to have it cut to size (5X8) and then bound.  I will pick it up today.  Terry already has a Dr appt for 2018 so she needs it.  It was a fun but frustrating project.  With figuring out pictures, note pages and weeks I ended up wasting about 6 pages but in the end it turned out fine. Nice to have it finished.
Every once and a while I will go to LuLu publishing to see if any books have sold.  At this time, two and a half years after publishing, most of the time the revenue page shows -0-$ but this morning 3 e-books and 3 paper backs were sold!!!  That means a check for about $9 will be coming this month.  A little bit closer to my million dollar goal.  Wait a minute, that means I am only .0016% to my goal so I may have to wait a bit😕.  I guess I had better not go out and spend $$ based on future book income!  No Bentley for me yet!!!  I am thinking that I may need to start promoting it in a big way.  Here in Naples you often see someone standing on a corner waving a banner for a business.  Maybe I should go to Staples, get a 6X8 banner and stand on the corner.  "North Dakota Boy writes history book.  Pull over and get you HOT copy"  On second thought it is not so hot so I may just forget that and play more tennis.  Speaking of tennis we have our 3rd match today.  I will be playing court #1 with the best player on our team.  I was thinking maybe we should move down to court #3 to kind of make sure we win.  No no I would not do that but after losing 2 straight weeks in a match tie breaker maybe something different is in order.
Terry is still struggling with her broken bone in the left foot.  Yesterday we saw the Dr and he read the MRI report.  She is now in a boot and will see the Dr. in 2 weeks.  It is healing but way way too slowly. We hear of people battling cancer etc. so I guess we should be thankful and patient with a broken bone.  Brings thoughts back about my broken wrist and the two surgeries to repair and take out the metal plate.  Of course bones will heal and many other ailments are not that way.
We are having warm weather for this time of the year.  Today as I take the court the temp is supposed to be high 80s.  I guess the idea is to have plenty of water and not run like a crazy man on the court.
Enough for now as the FP, with no cream, is finished.  No cream because Terry and I are experimenting with something new in our eating.  If we are successful I will share at a later date.  If we fail you will hear NOTHING!!!

Happy Birthday---3

Happy birthday to you Veronica.  Have a special day with Mommy, Daddy and family.  Lotz of love to you---Grandpa Lee and Terry

Great job

Sam riding bike in France last December

One of Terry's grandsons, Sam, competed in and finished his first Ironman race yesterday.  That means he swam 2.2 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles!  A great accomplishment for a 21 year old who is also going to school full time and will finish up his degree this year.  Way to go Sam.
Well last week in tennis it was a repeat of week one.  Karl and I played court #1.  We won the first set in a tie breaker, lost the second set 4-6 and lost the match tie breaker.  A long fun match with disappointing results but really a great time.  I am beginning to think I need an infusion of Kona coffee like I had last year when Kim sent some!  This week I will play with a different player on court #1 so we will see.  This fall is a time to work on things (of course it is most fun to win) and see who can play with others in a good way.  The rubber hits the road for the winter season starting in January but of course it will be fun win or lose then too.
I can hardly believe it but I THINK I am finished with our Christmas Card.  I was totally disappointed in our card last year as I had it printed at Shutterfly and the work I put into it was terrible.  I decided to make one from scratch this year and it is pretty well finished.  Now to get it out before Christmas!!!
Life goes on here in Naples.  There is a constant sound of trucks hauling downed trees and then across the road is a dump site where they grind things up.  I am guessing the noise will go on and on for months.  Actually 100 million dollars later we may have peace.  I am not complaining as we had no damage on the house here so I am thankful.
We went out with friends yesterday to a pizza place called, The Crust.  I do not know if it is a chain but they make very very very good pizza.  It will be reheated pizza for lunch today, um.
I am having fun watching guys who were on my team last year play tennis.  There is something very satisfying to watch guys play knowing that if there had not been a 2.5 team last year these guys  would not be on the court.  My court #2 pairing for Wednesday, Rusty and Karl,  were out hitting the ball yesterday in 84 degree heat.  They want to get better.  That is so fun to see.
It does not seem real that we are into November already.  I really do not know where the time goes but it certainly goes by fast.  The days as well as the weeks, as well as the months and as well as the years.  I am 70, really!  I still can not get my mind around that fact.  As a young boy growing up on the farm if a neighbor was 70 they were really really old.  Don't know what that means for me today.  When I get up in the morning, if I think about it, I feel at least 70.  On the tennis court I don't feel it but I am guessing I play like it!  Whatever happens I am thankful for being here and being able to enjoy life.
Enough for now as my FP is saying that it is time to sip the last of it.

A dream come true---happy birthday Cynthia

Way back in 1977 Gail wanted a daughter so so much.  We talked to an adoption agency in Fargo to see if going that route could happen.  Things did not work out but then on this day in 1980 Gail's dream came true.  Cynthia came into the world in a hurry, so much that by the time I parked the car and hurried into the hospital she had arrived.  Gail had her little girl and she brought so much joy to Gail's life.  Now, thirty-seven years later, Cynthia has a family of her own and she knows how much little ones bring to life.  Three girls and three boys, along with a great husband make life full.  Happy birthday Cynthia, we love you.   Dad and Terry