Happy Birthday Leonidas

How about that for a happy 2 year old!  Leonidas is one good looking young man!  Happy Birthday from Grandpa Lee and Terry.

Chilly day 2

Day 49, "Every picture has a story"

This is a bar in Raleigh NC which advertised they have the most beer on tap in the world.  This was their second floor which only had out of state beer.  On the first floor they had all state beer.  Between in and out state they claimed they had over 400 beers on tap.  Needless to say we did not stay to try all of them!!!  We did have lunch there and the food was very very good.  This was on our trip along the east coast when we visited presidential libraries and then Arcadia National Park.  To this day it is our favorite national park.  

Our tennis match was a no win but a fun time yesterday.  I and my partner lost on court #1 in a 10 point match tie breaker.  We fell 3-6 in the first set but came back and won set 2 with a 6-1 score.  We just could not put it away in the tie breaker and fell 7-10.  It was fun BUT losing is never as much fun as winning!

Another cool day with a start of 49 on the 7:30 tennis courts.  I played from 9:00 to 11:30 and that was a bit too long but it was fun.  

I have been working on a yearly calendar book for Terry and I.  I put pictures in of kids and grand kids on the date of their birthday so it takes a while.  It will be finished by the weekend.

"For sure" the FP kept me going most of the day as I finished it before tennis.  Maybe that is why I played kind of good!  Enough

A bit of a chill!

Day 48, "Every picture has a story"

In 2013 Terry and I were in the middle of camping all over the US.  There were times when a camp ground was isolated and we may be the only ones in the campgrounds as we often camped after Labor Day when much travel was over for families.  We had experienced some times when in the middle of the night we wondered if we were safe.  SO we decided to get our conceal and carry permit and then purchase a hand gun just in case the bad guys found us!!!  The conceal and carry class consisted of two half day classes and then shooting on the range.  As Terry was not excited to shoot those noisy hand guns I purchased a pair of ear protectors and then said she could use the 22 Diamondback 6 shooter.  Here she proudly shows how she did!  Given how well she did I decided that if we ever needed to protect ourselves I would give her the gun!  Well not really but she proved that she is some sort of a sharp shooter!  The range was a FUN time for me.  The instructor had several different firearms and I was able to use them all.  Oh my goodness that was FUN.

We have our 5th of 8 league matches today.  It is our last away match.  It is against a team that has won most of their matches up to this point so maybe we need to decide to be graceful in case we lose.  "For sure" we will play with the idea that we will win.

Mother nature came in with a cool front last night.  This morning the temp was at 50 which is about 14 degrees below normal.  It will be good for tennis at 2:00.  I may not even need ice in my water.

I am headed to the courts at 10:30 as Karl and I will spend about 30 minutes hitting cross court and then some serve and returns.  One can never get enough of that.  I still have high hopes that there is some "up side" to my tennis game but I will share how true that is tomorrow.  I am playing court #3 with Terry so it will be interesting.

FP went the way of GONE as I worked on our 2019 calendars this morning and the FP helped suppress a bit of frustration as things did not always work so well!  Lets hope the tennis goes better than the computer this morning.

Day 47, Every picture has a story"

Out with the old and in with the new.  A few years ago Terry and I purchased a 41" TV and thought we were "in" so to speak.  Of course now the "in" is the "out" so we needed to change.  We went to Target a week ago Sunday and purchased a 65" TV.    With $300 off, an additional 15% off and then 5% with your Target Card it was a steal of a deal.  Then we went to Costco and purchased a wall mount.  Yesterday was a banner day.  We attached the wall mount and then hooked up our new TV and NOTHING.  Terry was on the phone with our provider for at least 45 minutes but NO success.  We did not have TV.  Late in the evening I discovered "my mistake" and presto we had TV on our new 65"!  I will not go into detail about what transpired but all is forgotten (and forgiven) now as our new, wall mounted, TV is working and the OLD goes into the guest room.  We still have to make a hole in the wall to put the wires through so you do not see wired hanging down but that should be an easy task, I THINK.  We went next door where contractors are completing a redo of a villa.  We wanted to see how the metal studs were as you needed, we thought, to attach the wall mounting to the studs.  There were 2 guys there and both said that is not necessary so that made our job easier.  We did fasten the mount to the wall with 8 fasteners.  That may have been over kill but better safe than sorry.  Now it is just sit back and enjoy.

We have a major cool down in the works today and tomorrow.  A high of 68 today and tomorrow, for our tennis match tomorrow, a high of 63!!!  That will be nice tennis weather.  By Thursday we should be in the 70s again.  After our match tomorrow we will be over half finished with our fall season.  I have put myself on court #3 tomorrow as I am trying to get different people to play with players they probably will not play with in the winter.  I am hoping for at least one court win tomorrow and maybe 2.  The team we play are ahead of us in the standing and of course in the fall the standings are not that big a thing but still it is fun to win!

I was lazy today as I forced myself to fall back to sleep and did not get up until Terry woke me a short while after 8.  Can not remember the last time I slept until that late.  I was able to get breakfast in and my FP went with me to the courts.  I finished it there so that is history.

Enough, I need to get some things finished here.

The last Sunday of November 2018

Day 46, "Every picture has a story"

The year is 1977.  Our family had moved to St. Paul in October and really had not had time to settle in BUT we did invite everyone down for the holidays.  AND they came!  Here is Roxanne sleeping, Lisa reading a comic book, Travis and John sitting by Charlie.  As I remember it was a fun, hectic, exciting time for everyone.  We could not keep all the food in our fridge so we walked down the street to friends who allowed us to keep some things there.  There was way too much food, games almost nonstop and of course chatter all the time.  It appears here that it may be the end of the day with everyone except Lisa looking sleepy!  Of course we will take this time of the year to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus but also to remember those who are not with us anymore.  Here we see Roxanne who died oh so young and Charlie who is also not with us.  May we take much joy in the coming of Christmas and also comfort in remembering those who are in our memories only.

Terry and I took in a play yesterday afternoon.  The name was, "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum".  I will not get into any details but it was funny and put on in a way that was unusual.  I did enjoy it but really when I go to those things I realize how uncultured I am.  I am thankful for my upbringing and my farm life but it did NOTHING for a cultured adult life.  If I could name my upbringing I would do it the same way but then MAYBE I would do some things differently as I became an adult.  I said MAYBE.  I am NOT one to wish I could change my past but rather one to look towards the future and do more.  Does that mean more plays?  Well Terry and I will be seeing 5 more this winter and then also will be going to a lecture series on books that we read ahead of time.  I am thinking that by the time spring arrives I will be all caught up with this culture stuff and be normal, maybe!  As I think about it I may have to, someplace, insert an opera in there as I think that is the way John Mouw got cultured but when I think about it I may pass on that one and remain kind of uncultured.

I did play tennis with some of the "in" guys yesterday.  I would say that I held my own and then some.  In the first 45 minutes I and my partner won 6-0 and 3-2.  In the second 45 minutes I and my partner won 6-3 and 3-2.  It was fun to play with some different people and to have success was frosting on the cake so to speak.

Being it is Sunday I splurged and put a bit of Baileys in my FP which always puts it over the top.  Enough.

That was then and this is now!

Day 45, "Every picture has a story"

Dave, Helen, Joan and Carmen in 2011 ages 67,61,69,61

Dave, Joan, Carmen and Helen in 2018 ages 74,76,71,68

The 2011 picture was taken at our 2011 reunion in Rapid City, SD.  The 2018 picture was taken in Jamestown ND this past September.  I am trying to figure out if any or all of us aged gracefully???  One thing is sure, the smiles remain.  I will add another picture when 2025 rolls around!  I think a trait of the Lees is a big smile but I do not think any of us have the huge belly laugh of Dad.  Just think in 2015 our ages will be 81, 83, 78 and 75--should be fun for sure but I would say we should get together before 2015, right?

This is all for today as I am playing tennis at 9:00.  Unusual that I play on Saturday but will do so.  By the way the FP was great as usual and I did not get on the scale today as those left overs kind of just jumped out of the fridge onto my plate yesterday and I am sure they were just waiting to jump on the scale this morning but I fooled them, way to go Carmen.  Well maybe it did not make any difference!

The day after

Day 44, "Every picture has a story"

The year was 1972 and we were camping for 6 weeks in Lincoln NB as I went to summer school.  We had Grandpa Saunders' pickup and camper but we slept in our tent the entire time.  Gail took Travis, here, and John to the Y for swimming lessons as I went to school.  On our way down to NB we stopped to visit Aunt Helen at the Air Force Academy in CO and then on the way home we stopped to visit friend Larry in Iowa.  Also stopped to see Allen Saunders and his wife Jeanne who just had a baby, Lisa.  A side note to the summer is we rented our home in Devils Lake to a lady who was in town just for the summer.  I do not remember the details but I do remember she rented our home and for some reason we never did meet her!  Do not wonder how we worked the details but we did.  In the picture Travis seems happy to be in the portable crib we had with us!  It was a summer full of memories.  The last nights we were in the camp site, before we left, the campgrounds was taken over by gypsies who flooded the bathroom and had snakes in their sites.  Finally they were told to leave and the next day in the paper there was a story about them where there had been a fight and some guy had his ear cut off!  Fun, right???

Terry and I had a good Thanksgiving yesterday.  We had the Dominos over in the afternoon and then in the evening we went to friends who have a new home near here.  They have done very well for themselves and their home is very lovely  to put it in a mild way!  "For sure" we ate too much but it was a fun day but now we are on to the real holiday, Christmas.

I did finish my FP before my 9:00 tennis match so that is history and now it is on to finish a bit of work.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2018

Day 43, "Every picture has a story"

SOCCER was THE thing for many years in our family.  If I could count all the games we went to see John, Travis, Aaron and Cynthia I would come up with the number of games at about 950 in all.  They ranged from Cynthia at the age of 7 to everyone through high school and then Aaron and Cynthia in college.  The picture is of Aaron and some of his buddies in college.  By the looks of it they must have won their game.  Some of the soccer highlights were:

• John, Travis and Aaron all winning state high school championships
• I still can see Travis as he played in the summer of 1979.  At the age of almost 8 he had the skill and speed to pretty much run around anybody on the field.  Given, it was a mixed league,of girls and boys, and my guess many were there because Mom/Dad signed them up but between Travis and one other boy they probably could have won all by themselves.
• Cynthia getting oh so close to the high school playoffs but having great success in HS.
• Aaron, in college, going to national playoffs
• Aaron, in the summer going to Washington and winning a national championship
• Pre HS Highland/Groveland summer soccer was always fun
• I will not mention the yellow flags that we experienced!
• Aaron coaching Trinity to a win over Burnsville in HS
• John coaching the Trinity girls to the state tournament and having them play so well.
• I think all 4 received all state recognition in HS.
• There are more too numerous to count but all in all soccer was a family event that took MUCH time but offered much fun.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all as today is the BIG turkey day.  Terry and I will entertain Terry and Barb this afternoon.  The turkey is almost ready to stuff!

I could go into Thanksgivings of the past but will pass on that today.  Maybe it is OK to just mention one.  Around 1975 we planned to go to Cayuga and Geneseo to celebrate the holiday with parents.  We got as far as 20 miles or so and it started to sleet.  I slowed down and thought this too should pass.  Well after almost sliding into the ditch more than once on ice we stopped, turned around and headed back home.  Can't remember what we had for dinner that year.  

Enough as there is much to do for the day and my spirits are HIGH as the FP was excellent!

Working today and enjoying tomorrow

Day 42, "Every picture has a story"

I thought this WOOD be a good picture for today!  The light colored wood is a 2X4 of today and the dark wood is a 2X4 from our bath/bedroom remodel of 2016!  It seems that 2X4s have changed a bit. As we tore out pipes, wood, plaster and more the old material was interesting to say the least.  The house was built in 1906 so much of what we dealt with was OLD to say the least.  I had to keep one of the 2X4s just for "old times".  Today the bathroom is modern, nice and "for sure" makes the house more of a "home" in this day and age.  One more thing to do, I need to hang the bathroom door which will be a barn door kind of thing.  Next summer "for sure"!

It is clean up, orderly and get ready day for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  Company will arrive about 1:00 and at 1:30 we will sit down to turkey, dressing and all the other goodies.  It should be a fun day.  BUT for now it is get the den clean and perhaps clean up a bit of the messes I tend to make in normal living.  I say normal but there may not be too much "normal" about what I do or how I do things!  Just saying, not complaining.  

FP went the way of DELICIOUS a few hours ago so now it is on to work for the day.

Day 41, "Every picture has a story"

Barb and Terry enjoying the day

Cheryl, captain Jack and Terry relaxing on the way to Fort Myers

Time out for lunch

How about that family of dolphins, maybe they think they can out race us!

OK so it is more than one picture but today is an exception.  Jack and Cheryl, who belong to a boat club, invited Terry and I along with Terry and Barb for an afternoon of boating in the Florida back waters.  It was a gorgeous day in every way.  The slight wind was not a factor, the skies were sunny and the temp was in the low 80s.  We saw jumping fish, manatees, dolphins and much more.  I would say the picture of the dolphins is a winner!  Looks like Mom is in the lead, little charlie is blowing off steam and dad is bringing up the rear in case the family gets in trouble!!!  We docked around Fort Myers Beach and had lunch.  That was about an hour from our starting point and then we headed home but took some great little detours on the way.  All in all it could not have been a more pleasant day out in nature with friends.

Have to add this blue heron(I think) to the mix.  

Here we are only 2 days away from Thanksgiving 2018.  Terry and I have exhausted our list of guest invites and will settle for a table of 4.  Either we are a day late and a dollar short with our invites or people just do not like us.  I highly think the first.  Many people are leaving or have left for up north and many will not return until January.  Thursday we will clean, cook and then enjoy the day with Barb and Terry.  I say the less people we have the more turkey sandwiches I can have into the weekend!  Well not such a good idea BUT.....

Had tennis at 7:30 yesterday and today at 9:00.  Yesterday was one of those days when pretty much every ball went where I wanted it to which makes the game FUN.  AND as I always say, "I like to win"!  

I continue to do some of the same things each day.  That is swim twice a day, tennis once a day, eat too much, get up too early and go to bed too early.  I can't think of anything else right now!  

I am drinking my FP out of my "end of the Alaska Highway" cup, which I do each day, and it is down to the rear legs of the bison so will sign off and see what I can do in terms of work before I head to the tennis courts. 

 Day 40, "Every picture has a story"

I admit it, the picture is not relevant for today!  I just wanted to feel good.  This is a picture that was of our championship season of winter 2016.  It is good to have memories, right?  Terry and I are about to leave for an afternoon of back water boating with friends.  We will be on the water most of the afternoon with a stop for lunch in Fort Myers.  That is usually a fun time.  Several friends are members of boating club where you pay a monthly fee and can use a boat or pontoon for the price of the gas you use.

I played tennis this AM and was at my best.  Like I say on the court and pretty much everyone knows, "I like to win"!!!  I say it in fun but of course it is true.

We went out to Target yesterday to get in on their early black Friday TV specials.  We purchased a new 65" TV for $500.  Oh my how TVs have come down in price.  I remember the TV we have in St. Paul.  I researched for a long time and finally found a great deal for a 35" at the bargain price of $500 but I admit that was 10 years ago but still.....

Enough as we are about ready to leave.  Happy boating to us!

A busy season has begun

Day 39, "Every picture has a story"

This, as one can see, is the Naples paper but I am pretending it is the St. Paul Pioneer Press!  AND the season has begun for HUGE papers.  Much of the paper today is adds for Black Friday and soon, if not already, each day will be filled with adds for Christmas.  The Sunday paper in St. Paul for the 6-8 weeks leading up to Christmas was HUGE to say the least.  There was a man who delivered papers who did some strange things.  We called him Scubby-Do and he was interesting to say the least.  We delivered about 200 papers much of the time and he delivered maybe 125 papers.  There were times that he would be bringing some papers to his vehicle as we drove up.  As we left after inserting 200 papers and bringing them to the car he would still be working.  Granted we were 2 and he was alone BUT he was a different kind of guy!  There was at least one Sunday that he brought a scale and weighted every 5 papers to be sure all the ads were there!  He could be leaving when we arrived and then about the time we were finished delivering papers we may see him with his wagon going down the street with papers.  He always brought 2 16 oz bottles of 7-up frozen and then he had to have his fan with the long cord as he inserted papers.  He would put the papers into the back of his SUV and when all the papers were in they were stacked like a work of art.  Scubby-DO was a different kind of guy and perhaps one of those characters that make the world interesting.  Lord help the world if there were many of ME.

Terry and I took in our first book lecture by Elene Newton from Canada.  The book, "Asymmetry" was NOT a book that I enjoyed and actually it did not make much sense.  However after Ms. Newton finished an hour and a half I now want to read it again!  We are signed up for the 6 book series and she just does a super super job.  The next book, The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, is in mid December.  As I listen to Ms. Newton I have come to the conclusion that I am NOT a very savvy reader.  AND it may be a bit too late for me to become one!

We have a blow up kayak that we put up for sale (sail-no) and someone is coming this morning to look at it.  It is for 2 people but it rides so high in the water you have to really work to make any speed at all.  The one time we took it out to the gulf we went with neighbor John who has a 1 person kayak.  He leisurely paddled way ahead of us as we both worked hard.  It was the kayak but it could have been the paddlers too I guess!   It has 5 compartments to blow up and over a couple of weeks one went flat.  We put it in the pool and could find NO leak so perhaps I just did not have the valve closed tight enough.  We will see if the people are interested.  We do want it to find a new home as we are not using it and it takes up some space.

Terry and I had lunch out after the book review yesterday.  We went to "THE DOCK" as it is enjoyable to sit water side BUT it was just too chilly to do that.  We ended up moving inside to a table and then I also went to the car and got a hooded jacket for Terry.  The temp was still a bit cool but the food was great.

Enough for a Sunday morning.

Cool weather has arrived, finally!

Day 38, "Every picture has a story"

Well the story behind this table is a long one.  If you are reading the blog and have things to do you may want to read it another time!  Well maybe that is not so true actually.  I reach way way back to the farm and then to our shop where we kept the Ford tractor.  The shop was where we had a huge vise, a huge drill press, a great forge and then tucked away in the 3 corners were boards, shovels, odd equipment for the Ford and the list is endless.  It was there that I often kept a can of worms for fishing but I am now off my subject.  With an old piece of wood, a saw, maybe a hack saw, and the vise to hold things Dave and I would cut out guns for cowboys and Indians.  We would use the drill press to make the trigger hole.  That was the beginning of my woodworking!  Well I could mention setting up a 4 foot board that was about 12" wide and then standing back 15 feet and throwing my pocket knife to stick it in the wood.  I think I could have defended myself pretty darn good if the need had arose.  Back to woodworking as throwing a knife is not in that vein.  Other than making guns my woodworking skills were not activated on the farm but the real start was as a freshman in high school.    Mr. Hanson, the shop teacher, got John C. and I into making picnic tables for the teachers.  They would buy the wood and then actually pay us a little for making the table.  I am sure the idea came from the fact that I, maybe John too, did not have the money to buy wood for a project.  Then on to my first job as a teacher.  I got into making things in the wood shop at the school for the deaf in Devils Lake.  Willie, the deaf instructor, ended up giving me the key to the wood shop so that I could come in at night and work.  I ordered 200 bd ft of oak in the spring of 1977.  A short time later we decided to move to St. Paul and Willie bought the wood from me as it was rough and I knew I would have no way to use it after we moved.  So at that point my projects were things like a HUGE toy box, night stands for the boys, tool boxes for the boys and several wood picture albums.  I also made a cross for Ann and Otto's 50th anniversary cake.  As we settled in ST. Paul work, christian community and family sports kind of took over my life in a way that was, as I look back, over whelming and "for sure" over the top so to speak.  Then in the summer of 2003 Gail and I found out that our first grandchild was on the way.  I offered to build a crib but to do that I needed a NEW table saw and from that point on wood working became a "central" part of my life.  The table above is used as a computer table and it was made of a 2" slab of maple that son John had in his garage but could not take it with him when he and Mary moved to South Bend.  As one can see my work is often not the "fine" kind of work that perhaps brother Dave does but I so enjoy making things and the list has been quite long.  It includes 3 cribs, beds, night stands, treasure boxes, tool boxes etc.  Like I said this story is long.  

Terry and I got our flu shots yesterday so that is done.  Amazing as I do not think I felt mine at all but today my arm is a tad sore.  Interesting as the flu shot is free and the store gives you a $10 gift card to boot.  I offered to get a shot in each arm if they would give me 2 gift cards but they declined!  Of course that was after I found out it did not hurt as I am not a big fan of pain.  Regardless the $20 helped our grocery bill as we checked out.  

We had rain all morning yesterday so NO tennis.  I drove over to the courts and then when I came home I left the car out in the rain.  When it stopped I wiped off the car and it looks like a fine car wash. 

We do have a cool front, the first of the fall season.  It started to cool down yesterday afternoon.  I got out of our pool after a dip about 5:00 and it was actually chilly.  I see this AM that it is 58.  I think we have usually had lows in the low 70s up to now.  I welcome the temps as I play tennis.  Those 90 degree days with humidity are a bit much.

About all for now as I rambled on and on about the picture and my FP cup is empty!!!

A day of rest

Day 37, "Every picture has a story"

This is the Letterman's club VIPs(👏) at Sargent Central in the school year of 1964/65.  Mr. Hanson had been our football coach our first 3 years and was a GREAT coach.  He left Sargent Central and Mr. Murry came on to be the football coach.  He knew NOTHING and the year was a disaster..  I, as the captain,  felt a lot of responsibility for the team BUT our coach was awful to say it in a good way. We went on to a 1-6 record and it certainly could have been 0-7.  Here John C, Larry F and myself are officers for the Letterman's club.  At the time of the picture John had a broken arm and that meant he missed most of the football season.  Mr. Murray put in a freshman quarterback and that did not go very well.  However it did NOT diminish the good times of my HS days.

Well tennis went KIND of good but kind of not so good yesterday.  Court #3 lost in a 10 point match tie breaker.  Court #2 lost in 2 straight sets but the second, 4-6 was close.  Karl and I on court #1 played the best we could in the heat.  With temps at 88 I am guessing the court temp was well into the 90s. Karl played at an A- level and I played at a B.  We fell behind in set 1 and then rallied to no avail as we lost a 7 point set tie breaker.  Now we were looking at a match tie breaker if we were to win and we thought we could.  We got off to a strong start in set 2 and led 3-0 before winning 6-3.  From there it was a 10 point match tie breaker.  It almost seems like those match tie breakers are a flip of the coin BUT Karl and I did have a strategy and it worked.  We forged ahead 3-0, allowed them to tie 7-7 but won 10-8.  A good win for sure.  At this point I have maybe 4 players for next week and maybe only 3.  IF I only have 3 I will forfeit the entire match and encourage the players to have a good Holiday on Thursday.  Our matches are on Wednesday.

The rain came early and stayed late.  We had several downpours shortly after 8 last night and as I write it is still raining.  I drove over to the courts in the rain and they look like they are down for the count today.  It will be good for the clay and I am guessing it will also be good for people who play 5-7 days a week.

So it is decision time, what do I do with my time today?  Well there is plenty to do so will sit back and decide soon.  Could mean cleaning up some paper messes, could mean going some places, could mean an afternoon nap(😁), could mean some work on a new calendar book for Terry and I etc.  One can catch the idea, there is plenty to do IF I choose to get myself in gear.  Maybe on a rainy day it should be a refreshing drink and a good book.  Decisions, decisions!!!

My FP seemed to just invite me into a special pleasure this morning, can't ask for more that that!

Day 36, "Every picture has a story"

WAY back to the early 60s is this picture!  I am guessing the school year 1963/64 as that is the year Rutland came in and the next year Margaret moved .  I know Mr Wohler left Sargent Central a short time after we graduated in 1965.  He moved to Bird Island MN and recently was inducted into the Minnesota basketball hall of fame as he had a very successful coaching career.  He took us to the ND state HS BB tournament in the winter of 1964 which was held in Minot.  I was not in the starting lineup but I remember I did score in one of the games!  Here Margaret, Pat, Larry and I are acting like we are important class officers!  Margaret moved after our junior year, Larry was successful in business as well as HUNTING and I THINK Pat married and is living in MT.  Mr. Wohler was born in Cayuga but went to Lidgerwood HS.  Larry and I were from Cayuga, Pat from Rutland and Margaret from Cogswell.  Actually I should say I was from Geneseo but went to Cayuga school!  I would say we all look pretty innocent and that was probably true at that time.  While in HS I did go to things like homecoming dances and the prom but not once did I go to a student party at someone's house.  Not sure if anyone did back in those days.  As for my kids and grandkids, it may be a different story "for sure"!  I like to use the term "for sure" as that is one of Elspeth's favorite saying.

We have match #4 today and it is away.  I have 6 players but it looks like next week I will be a court short.  I am thinking about asking the other team if they have the same problem.  

I played too much tennis yesterday.  Practiced my serve for a while, then a guy asked if I wanted to hit cross court and then I played a 90 minute match.  For good measure Karl and I hit for about 40 minutes in the afternoon.  Today, only the match.  It is supposed to be 88 today so I told the guys that if they wanted to NOT wear the dark blue shirt that was fine.  This fall tennis is fun but pretty relaxed while the winter is a bit more serious.

My FP went down to the bottom of the cup a couple of hours ago so time to stop. 

happy birthday TRAVIS

Happy 47th birthday Travis, looks like you are on the road to GLORY!!!

Love, Dad and Terry

Day 35, "Every picture has a story"

For sure this picture could have enough stories for a book and a half.  It would start with a decision in August of 1977 to move from Devils Lake to St. Paul.  We hurried to do some things with the house to sell and then drove to St. Paul to look.  2094 Niles was down the street from where we stayed with a family.  The short story is all about how God guided us to this house and then intervened in the loan process so we could purchase it.  We moved into the house in October of 1977.  The next spring we begin to take out the hedge by the picket fence and the the fence itself.  We hardly had a choice as the boys were breaking the pickets to the east and west as they used the fence pickets for soccer goals.  Here Aaron, Travis and John are all involved in the process!  Well I think Aaron is the supervisor on the steps looking at what needs to be done next!  Well, a few of the highlights moving into are:

• Midwest Federal giving us a loan inspite of us still owning our Devils Lake home.
• The owners, Tom and Thelma Ruth, allowing us 2 extra days to get the down payment!
• The owners putting the house on the market after our first request for a loan was denied.  Then, after a new buyer agreed to pay 20% more they turned down that offer to sell it to us.  They said they really liked our family!  I heard later that was VERY uncharacteristic of Tom "for sure"!
• Moving into the house before it was closed but having to put our HEAVY upright piano in the garage until we closed!
• In the spring of 1978 we were about ready to drive to ND for Mary/Mark's wedding.  Two days before we were to leave Travis came down with the Chicken Pox.  We gathered in the living room and I said that friends told us if we wrote a check with a desire to God and cashed it God would honor our request.  John asked that Grandpa Lee, who had a broken leg, would not suffer.  Later Grandpa told us that it was wonderful that he had NO pain after his surgery.  Travis wanted the Chicken Pox to go away so he could go to the wedding.  The next day there was NO POX.  Aaron wanted a friend and the next week Caroline knocked on the door.  She lived across the street.  Gail and I wanted our house to sell.  We came back from the wedding on Sunday evening and there was a voice message on our phone.  The reality company had called and a young couple put in an offer on our house and wanted to close in 2 weeks with a cash payment!  All we could say is "God is good"!!!

I played tennis yesterday and played my best yet this season.  I will have to see if that carries through to our match Wednesday.  I am putting Karl and me on court #1 so it will not be easy.

Terry has been getting in her daily walks and is doing so so much better.  It appears that her feet are pretty much back to normal which is GREAT.

Yesterday we went to Walmart to shop for a few things.  We purchased 4 frozen turkeys  but when we got to the check out 2 of them did not have tags on them.  I walked back to get 2 with prices on them.  We checked out and Terry, which she is always so good at, looked at the receipt and we had been over charged.  We purchased several boxes of one item and were charged for one too many.  Then we were charged the normal price, not the sale price on 2 of the turkeys.  We went to the service counter and after about 10 minutes got served and noted that we had been over charged by about $30.  AFTER another 20 minutes or so we were finished but not before we had some thoughts and maybe some words about Walmart!  As we left there must have been 10 people in line.  No way.  Maybe Target next time!

My court time is 9:00 today but I may go over early.  I am still in the mode of hanging around to see if I can pick up some court time with better players.  It will happen but when?  

I finished my breakfast of pork sausage and eggs and then washed it down with FP so I am good to go.

Happy Veteran's Day to all, especially sister Helen who was the only family member to serve.

Day 34, "Every picture has a story"

It was September 7th, 2014.  Terry and I were at the end of our 5 weeks in Alaska.  We had seen much, done much and were headed to California to visit several more national parks.  We had just returned from a quick trip from Haines AK to Minnesota and then back to Haines.  Terry's mother became very ill and the trip had the intent of saying good-bye.  Her mother died shortly after we arrived in Bemidji to see her.  I sat in the rain in Haines, a few days earlier, to make plane reservations to fly back and now, back in Haines, we were headed to the port of Haines to drive onto the ship that was part of the Alaskan Highway.  I had to capture the moon as it peeked through the trees along the road.  The camp site in Haines was good enough to allow us to back our trailer and car into a spot and leave it there during the time we were gone.  The Alaskan trip was one to remember.  Fifteen thousand miles, twelve weeks and a million memories.  Our trip took us as far north as Coldfoot AK and as far SW as Venture CA.  The scenery was from roadside waterfalls in AK to parched landscape in CA.  We actually drove past a town in CA when most of the town was on fire.  We also drove through New Mexico and on into Colorado and South Dakota before arriving home.  It was a few days before we arrived home that brother Dave sent a message saying my guitar was ready!!!  The culmination of our trip was taking in our last Minnesota State Park, #72, and getting the goodies that go with it.  The ranger at the park said he had never been present when anyone attained that goal.  Terry and I did a little dance to celebrate!

We had a fun time with former neighbor John yesterday as he treated us to brunch at Audubon Club where he belongs.  For sure, we ate too much delicious food but had a great time.  John and Diane had purchased a VERY nice home on the shore of Lake Ontario in the summer of 2016.  It was in foreclosure with none of the interior done.  They did a wonderful job of having it finished.  Diane died in January of 2017 so John had this beautiful home that was way too LARGE for one person.  He sold it this past summer and what did the new owners do?  They pretty much redid the entire home except for the kitchen!  That was after paying well into seven figures for the home!  Do you think there is a lot of money some places in the world?

I had to sweat things out BUT I do have 6 players for our Wednesday match.  Ron, captain of the other team, is short on players too so he gave me one of his which means I have a full team but he is a court short.  That is better than both of us forfeiting a court.  Now it is a matter of deciding the pairings.  I am beginning to think this team tennis is kind of a lot of work!  I am going to be scrambling for players next week also as Rusty is flying to New York to spend Thanksgiving with family. 

Our above average temps will continue until about mid week and then we will be in the high 70s to low 80s.  The temps and the humidity have been difficult to deal with on the court the last week.  Well to be honest one HAS to find some excuse if you lose so it can be the weather or the healing muscle or something else.  Anything over admitting one is not playing all that great!

The eggs, potatoes and sausage are eaten and the FP is empty so time to get some things done.

Day 33, "Every picture has a story"

There could be a book written about what this picture is.  In April of 1978 I called in a complaint to the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper because our paper was being delivered any where from a mud puddle to on the roof.  A couple of days later Craig, the paper supervisor, knocked on the door.  His story was he just could not find good delivery people.  Did we know of anyone who might want to deliver papers?  There were about 45 morning papers and about 20 evening papers on Niles and Juno ave.  We started delivering papers shortly after that and had 1, 2 or 3 routes continual until June of 2006.  Our morning paper count ranged from 45-300 and several years after we started the route the evening paper was discontinued.  It was a family affair for all those years but I would say in the end Gail and I ended up doing more work than the kids.  The stories that came out of delivery are many and long.  Some are funny, some are sad and some, to this day, make me angry!  One elderly man who had a route once said, "I think we are delivering paper for almost nothing!"  He may have been right but I do think the money that came in helped our family in many ways.  In 1985 I asked the boys if they wanted us to buy a conversation van.  IF they would take on another paper route we would buy a new van.  Done deal!!!  Do I think it was a good thing to do for so long?  Perhaps we over did it a bit.  The picture is of jackets that we got while doing the paper but there were other prizes as well.  Rings, trophies, a computer were among the many things.  As one can see we made good use of the jackets!!!

Yesterday was a "frustrating tennis" day.  I spent time over at the courts but no play.  A guy I had put in to play Monday told me he could not and a guy I had asked to play on the team Wednesday said he would not.  So it was a "NOT" day as far as tennis!  The bottom line is I am short one player for Wednesday and I have not a clue what I will do.  I just do not want to give up a court but I may have to do that.

Sundays are often a time to sip coffee and reflect on Sundays of the past so here goes:

• Many November Sundays were spent on the west side of the barn roof looking for dust from Dad's car coming home from deer hunting.  Of course that was before I could hunt.
• Summer Sundays were some of the loneliest Sundays.  I wanted to do something but usually Dad was taking a nap and Mom was busy with something.  So it was hitting golf balls or riding my bike up to the lake.  I wanted Dad to hit baseballs to me but that seldom happened.  We NEVER did field work or harvested on Sunday.  
• Before Dave left for summer work in the kulm area it may have been a day when we put a piece of wood in the vise to make another hand gun.  Then it could have been cops and robbers or the Lone Ranger and Indians fighting all over the farm!
• When Ronald or John were home it was up to the lake to water ski.  Some of the best Sundays of the summer.
• Until I was a sophomore in high school we attended Bergen church and it was church and Sunday School every other Sunday.  The pastor had 3 Churches so it was town and Bergen one Sunday and town and Palestine the next Sunday.  Bergen and Palestine were in the country about 3 miles apart.  One was Norwegian and one was Swedish!  I am thinking they did not get along.  If it was our Sunday for church and Sunday School I made sure I had memorized the verses we were asked as the boys HAD to beat the girls!
• Sunday dinner (noon) often consisted of fried egg sandwiches with Mom's homemade dill pickles!
• In the winter Sunday meant that maybe we could take the sled and go down the hill behind the 3-holer!
• Sundays in the spring meant maybe spending most of the day in the driveway.  There was a dip in the driveway and water would always stand there.  If the snow was melting I could spend the day digging tiny trails for the water to drain!  There was a small ditch from the garden to the driveway so I could also get the garden drained as well!
• Some Sundays in the summer were spent with brother Dave and neighbor Ricky playing ball with the corn crib as the back stop.
• Sundays in the summer, it was a day to dig some worms, take my fishing tackle and walk across the creek and through Bert's pasture to the lake.  It was there that, I think, I invented catch and release with the perch I would catch!
• Chuckie J. and I always sat together in church, that was after Dad thought I was old enough to not have to sit by him, so Sundays were a time to catch up on things as he went to Lidgerwood high school and I to Sargent Central.  I am sure he and I also were the champs in Sunday School when the bible verses quiz came.  Mom would say the verse like Romans 5:4 and usually Chuckie and I would get the answer first!  We usually had about a dozen verses that we were asked to memorize.
• Summer of 1966 was an interesting one.  That was the summer I was home and had my Harley Sprint cycle.  I was GONE pretty much every Sunday.  The exception was Father's Day when I gave the key to Dad as a present and we did not see him all day!  Cycling Sundays were to the lakes or with Larry F., or to Cayuga and many other places.  If we had church it would be after church but if it was a Sunday of no church it would be from mid morning to evening.  
• Enough for now but I promise I could go on and on!

John, who lived next to us for several years, is picking us up at 10:40 today for brunch at his club.  Their brunch is VERY good.  So I am not eating breakfast this morning.  I know it will be omelets, bagels with lox, fruit and the list goes on.  We may have to start with a bloody Mary.  We are looking forward to it.

However I had to have my FP this morning and am almost finished with it so will sign off.

some work done yesterday

Day 32, "Every picture has a story"

Three men in a tub!!!  The story behind this picture, or should I say behind this tub!  As a growing kid on the farm and then as teenager going to high school I had NO NO experience in electrical, carpentry or plumbing, none.  Well we get our first home and there needs to be a new faucet installed in our bathroom.  I talk to Harold, a worker at the school for the deaf, and from that conversation I feel I am good to go with copper sweating etc.  I got everything ready and shout down to Gail to turn the water pressure on.  Oh my we have an "Old Faithful" kind of experience in the house!  I shout again, this time REALLY loud, turn the water off.  I find out that I had used the wrong material to sweat the copper pipes.  Of course I had to sand, clean the pipes and reuse them again as money was so tight I could not buy new material.  As one can see Aaron, John and Travis enjoyed Dad's work when it was finally finished. 

Not a whole lot to talk about this morning.

I did go to the courts yesterday and watched some tennis.  I am trying to make myself available to some of the better players if someone gets hurt or does not show up.  Do not fear, I did not "hope" someone would get hurt!  No play yesterday.  

I did get my second haircut of the season yesterday afternoon.  Terry say it is looks great so I guess I am good to go.  Go where, not sure!  In between games yesterday one of the guys did invite me to the "Burn" which is where some guys go from time to time for a scotch and cigar.  I said "no thank you."

The club had an open house yesterday as they are trying to get more people to sign up for the club.  If you pay for a club membership you can eat there, play tennis, use the fitness center, use the shuttle out to the gulf beach and more.  We belong but do not use it for much more than the tennis.

Saw on Facebook where Roger Lee got a nice buck.  He lives in Detroit Lakes MN.  Roger grew up on a farm a half mile from us and I believe he was in the last graduating class of Cayuga High School which would have been in the spring of 1959.  After Roger left home for college I would often help his dad, Rollof, with his hay bales.  Rollof had a twin brother Tollof.  Not sure I spelled that correctly but I know the names sounded kind of alike.

Actually I did get some work done yesterday.

We had purchased new ceiling lights and I got them installed yesterday.  It was a bit easier putting them in than our new fans in MN which went in an OLD house!

Enough for now.  It is now late afternoon as I just could not get that picture sent from my phone to the computer.  Terry, some how, got my e-mail to work on my phone.  She said she was not sure HOW she did it but presto, I have e-mail after not having it for at least 24 hours.

No FP as that was drank a LONG time ago.

Day 31, "Every picture has a story"

Bergen Church was THE spiritual hub of our childhood.  Was it perfect, of course not.  Rev M. was an interesting guy and I think he loved the Lord but was he in the spirit, I will not make a judgment! But "for sure" the church was the beginning of my spiritual journey.  There are so many many things that I could write about.  Among them are:

• My talk about the power of prayer when I was in HS.
• The fall celebrations where we could purchase ice cream etc for 5 cents!
• The every other Sunday School classes that took place in the basement.  Our teacher was often Mom.
• The confirmation classes where we were required to answer questions in front of the adults.  Without missing a beat I could recite the books of the Bible forward and backwards!
• Ringing the bell by pulling the rope in the bell tower.
• Christmas program practice EVERY Saturday in December.
• Sitting in church with our hands folded just as Dad did!
• Challenging  Chuckie J. to see who could open the song book up closest to the right page!
• Exchanging gifts after our Christmas program.
• Listening to Dad as the church elders came around to collect the yearly church dues!
• Playing tag in the cemetery.
• Going to Luther League meetings once a month.
• Etc. Etc.

Sadly today there is no church there, only the bell remains and of course the graves.  Of the people that were important to me buried there are Mom, Dad, Ronald, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Halvor, Aunt Elta and perhaps more.  Sister Janet is buried in Kulm and I have never visited her grave.  I wold like to some day.

I wandered over to the courts today but did not play.  Perhaps a day of rest is good.  Not much happening this week.  As I look at the calendar I see that next week it is time to remember Janet and to get Travis's birthday card in the mail.

It is now PM and I am totally finished with my FP.

Happy birthday Veronica

I blew it as Veronica's birthday was yesterday, November 7 but a HAPPY BIRTHDAY 4 YEAR OLD VERONICA just a day late.  As you can see she is a cutie and quite the little gal.  Love Grandpa Lee and Terry

Day 30, "Every picture has a story"

I spent about an hour watching this flock of wild turkeys as I also watched for deer.  As I sat and observed from my deer stand one turkey came out of the woods to the left.  Then another and another and another until 20 or more were enjoying the warm afternoon weather as they gobbled up their PM snack!  Of course I would rather have been watching deer but one takes what is given to them!  It would have been tempting to bag one from 400 yards and save it for November 22nd but of course no dice as a person needs a license to do that I think!  AND did I actually think I could hit a turkey from that distance?  I will never know.

Yesterday was memorable for the wrong reason.  My partner and I lost 3-6 and 0-6 but NEVER have I played almost even up and lost so big.  I think at one time when I was serving we had at least 6 deuce scores and I know from that we had "ad in" several times but NO the points just would not add up on the score board.  I guess that happens sometimes but I am hoping not too often.  It is on to next week when we play away and it is at 11:30.  

Yesterday I just got so so tired.  I think the humidity must have been high.  I had only played once since our last match but still the weather just wore me down.  Perhaps some weight loss and more playing will help.  If I could lose 20 pounds that would be great but if I could lose 10 pounds that would actually be realistic!

Up at 5 this morning so breakfast and FP is history.  As I opened the shade I thought am I late for 7:30 tennis and then it came to me, we are on daylight savings time so it is light sooner now.  Time to get some things done before going off to see if I can play OK tennis.

Match 3 of the fall tennis season is here today

Day 29, "Every picture has a story"

Here are most of the staples of deer hunting!  I left the rifle out of the picture as some may not want/like to see that.  The candy, well you just have to have that and the tiny bars are the best as you can unwrap them and have only 2 bits at a time.  The sausage, well you can not cut that until you are ready to eat lunch at noon BUT watch for roaming deer as you cut the sausage and bun.  The apple one can eat it two different ways.  I prefer to cut it with the hunting knife and eat it in slices.  It is also OK to just eat it whole but I don't know why anyone would do that because it is so much fun to cut with the sharp knife as long as you are careful not to cut your finger.  The thermos of coffee is kind of a new thing as way way back in the 60s when we went out to the ND badlands there was no way you could lug a heavy thermos but now that I walk a bit and climb a stand coffee is a MUST.  Of course you need ammunition and it would be good if only TWO.  The knife needs to be sharpened the night before opening season and then it is best if used with a bit of dry blood on it!!!  This year, no dried blood.

We have our third tennis match today.  I, again, have put myself on court 2 but with a better partner this week.  We played together yesterday against a couple of ladies.  Before you wonder why(?) Karl has company and the lady is every bit as good as any player on my team.  Karl and I used the time to decide how to play together and communicate on the court.  Well we did win the matches as you always want to do that!  I think we used up ALL our bad shots yesterday and saved most of our good shots for today "for sure".  It looks to be 85 at court time and a 50% chance of rain.  Ugh, as rain outs are always hard to fit in so maybe it will not rain or hold off until our match is finished.  We start at 1:30 and usually are finished by 2:30/2:45.

I have decided to say NOTHING about the elections of yesterday.  I will say that I am most disappointed in one of the races in MN but will leave it at that.

Enough as I am going to bike over to the courts for a short time and then come back to do dishes.  I do need to finish my FP before I leave.

Day 28, "Every picture has a story"

From sitting 14 feet high in windy 40 degree weather on Sunday morning to

Swimming in 90 degree water and 85 degree temps on Monday afternoon!

There were NO bucks to be seen so I had to be satisfied in watching about 10 doe from time to time and then also watching a flock of about 20 wild turkeys on Saturday.  Now one could ask what is the sense in enjoying both of the pictures?  Well there just is nothing like sitting in the dark and then slowly, oh so slowly, God brings into view his creation 360 degrees around you.  Where there was nothing there is now prairie grass.  Where there was nothing there is now trees.  Where there was only a dark expanse there is now a tilled field and it goes on and on.  So I climbed the 14 feet up to the stand, settled in with a hot cup of coffee from my thermos and waiting for the show!  Saturday I saw deer in the morning and then again in the late afternoon.  Sunday I saw one deer and that was it.  I headed home after late morning as I wanted to beat the Sunday afternoon deer traffic.  I boarded the plane for Naples Monday at 8 and was in our swimming pool by late afternoon.  Flying, it is NOT my favorite thing to do.  Too many people, too much waiting and way too little space in the airplane seat!  But a 3 hour flight vs a 30 hour drive and a $107 plane ticket vs $200 for gas I guess the flying is a winning ticket!

I have not played tennis in several days and I do not know about today.  I am in transition as far as players go and at this time I have little play time scheduled.  The guy who did all the scheduling is putting me in, at my request, maybe once a week as I feel the need to play with players at a higher skill level.  However, this morning with a sore back I do not feel very skilled at anything.

A plus for my trip was I got to see Cynthia and family as well as Travis.  However my body had already acclimated to warm weather so it felt cold in MN even though it was in the 30s.

No this is enough for this morning.  I had not had FP for 4 days so will sign off and savor the last of it before I head to the courts to see if there is anyone looking for a player.

Sunday night

Day 27, "Every picture has a story"

Hunting Saturday and Sunday AM and this is the best shot I had!!!  I did not shoot my rifle but I did see deer 10 times.  I do not know if I saw 10 different deer.  I do know that all but one of the times they were doe.  I had an buck only license.  The weather as an A- as the temp reached into the low 40s both days.  The wind was slight but as one sits 14 feet in the air that does become chilly!  I would say there was a moderate amount of shooting.  I could have shot at a doe last night at about 200 yards but of course that was a no brainier as my license stated BUCK.  All in all it was a fun time.  There is something special about being in the outdoors and for sure it is fantastic to sit in the dark and as the sun begins to come up the world becomes real around you.  Was it worth the time and money?  I would say that a question like that is totally out.  IF one hunts to make it worth while you may as well hang up the gun.  A fun weekend BUT it would have been nice to bring home the venison.

I am tired tonight.  Sitting in the cool air for a couple of days will do one in and I am "in".  A good nights sleep will cure that and then a non-stop plane trip tomorrow will be nice.  It will be fun to get home, see Terry and get not he court again.

Not much else to say tonight.  Of course I missed my FP but will enjoy it all the more on Tuesday.  I am scheduled to get into FL at about 12:15 tomorrow.

Hello November 1st, 2018

Day 26, "Every picture has a story"

We welcome November with open arms as we are beyond Halloween and are looking forward to Thanksgiving on the 22nd.  One has to really concentrate when you go out and about as Christmas things have been prominent for a LONG time already and it is difficult to focus on the NOW.  I do feel that there is certainly time enough to focus on Christmas AFTER Thanksgiving!  

Our story for the picture today centers around Wood Lake School, Gail's quilt and Ronald/Helen.  Ronald was 14 years older than Helen.  The quilt, it was lovingly made for Ruby and Lawrence's 50th anniversary in 1985.   Wood Lake School, the stories could be MANY.  Joan, Dave and I attended the last year it was open which was 1955/56.  I finished 3rd grade, Dave finished 6th grade and Joan 8th. Our teacher, who lived in Geneseo, invited us to her house for an end of the school year party.  The playground, the noon lunches, the 12 students in 8 grades and the list goes on and on.  Happy days as I recall.  There really is nothing that can compare to walking a mile and a half to and from school each day.  Stones, ditches, water puddles, pasture fence posts, sun rises, they all become your friends and make memories that last until the cows come home so to speak!

Well last week my team was 3-0 and yesterday we were 0-3.  That means we are at the 500 mark and looking forward next week with a home match.  Yesterday was not great tennis (is it ever?) but court #1 (not me) brought the match to a 10 point tie breaker only to lose but it was fun to watch.  Not sure about my pairings for next week as I am still waiting for one of my best players to arrive and he will not be here next week.

Terry had another injection in her left knee yesterday as it has been giving her problems.  She said it did not hurt but oh my the black/blue mark is huge.  The doc said it was for her hamstring.

I will not be at the computer for a few days.  I am headed north to MN today to try my luck at deer hunting.  I have a buck only license so IF I only see does I will try to capture a deer with my camera.  IF I see nothing I will try to capture sunrises, sunsets and landscapes with my camera.  I wonder if deer can hear the click of a camera from 200 years?

My FP perfectly complimented my sausage/potatoes/eggs this morning.  AND as I sign off I still have about 3 delicious sips left! 

Happy 38th Cynthia

November 1, 1980 was one of the happest days in Gails life.  After putting up with me and 3 boys for so long her daughter arrived with fanfare and joy.  With Gail's water breaking 5 miles before we arrived at Bethesda Hospital little Cynthia arrived before Dad parked the car and got into the hospital AND before the Dr. arrived.  Gail's dream, desire and want became real!  Cynthia we hope you have a grand birthday and thanks for bringing so much joy into our family.