Happy Birthday Leo

Happy birthday Leo.  You are a special guy.  We hope you have a great day!  Love, Grandpa Lee and Terry

A look back, decade by decade

Some of what I write today is "what could have been" but much is what happened!

Thanksgiving Day November 24, 1949

Of course I would not remember this as I was 2.  I am sure there were 5 kids home.  Dave was 5, Joan was 7, Janet had just turned 11 and Ronald was 13.  Helen was just a nice dress, a hair do that Bertie had done and oh a year away!

Thanksgiving Day November 26, 1959

I am now 11.  It is a festive day.  Everyone is home.  Ronald and Janet/John are home and there is a the first of many grandchildren, Esther.  Mom is so excited.  She made Ronald's favorite cookies, filled ones.  For me to have Ronald home is the best.  Mom made a double batch of lefsa and by the end of the day it is no more!

Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 1969

This is a split holiday.  We spend part of the day in Cayuga with Gail's parents and part with Mom and Dad on the farm.  The first LEE grandson is a little more than a week away but at the time we do not know if it will be a boy or girl.  Mom shed tears as we blessed the meal.  Of course she is thinking of Janet and Ronald.  NO filled cookies any more as Mom never made them after Ronald died.  The cookie part, I am not sad as I did not like them BUT on holidays there is always an empty feeling.

Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1979

It is the third Thanksgiving we have spent in St. Paul.  It is just too hectic to drive up to North Dakota as the boys are now 10, 8 and 6.  Cynthia is yet to arrive next year and as of today we have NO idea that will happen.  We made lefsa in the morning to the delight of the kids.  The fire has been on since early morning but I need to split more wood for the evening.  We make calls to Mom and Dad and Chic and Marian.  They both say they wish we could be there.

Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1989

It is the first Thanksgiving not all of us have been home as John is off to college in California.  I have this feeling in my spirit that this is kind of the beginning of changes in our family.  The kids are now getting into adulthood and I am not sure I have appreciated the togetherness in the past.  I vow to be better at living in the moment.

Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1999

Gail's dad and my parents are no longer with us.  Thanksgiving has changed a lot.  It seems like the kids are all grown but we are so happy to have all of them home.  I maybe should not say that as the lefsa goes way too fast!  We have some neighbors over for the afternoon and the house is busy with the fire place glowing, the card table has a puzzle half put together and the dining room table is covered with cards and games.  Gail and I are exhausted as the paper this morning was just so big and we have too many customers.  We have been up since 3:30 and bedtime comes way before the kids are tired.

Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving is a pretty solemn affair as Gail's death is fresh in every one's mind.  The kids are home and we do have the big meal but NO lefsa as the kids are not ready to take it on and I certainly can not do it.  The highlight of the day is the grandchildren.  Henry, Liam, Leo, Faustina, Audrey and Jude, 3 months old are now part of the clan.  The kids do not stay late and after kind of cleaning up the downstairs I go to bed early.

Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 2019

Terry and I spend a quiet day.  The turkey came out of the grill about 3:00 and we had a nice meal with a LOT of leftover turkey!  It was a peaceful day and we enjoyed each other's company.  In reflecting on it I see twilight!  Of course I am not saying I will not enjoy many more Thanksgiving Days but as I reflect back there is more to reflect on then to look forward to and I do not say that in any kind of sad way.  It just is what it is.  I have found that one of the most important things in life is to take today for what it is and make the most of it.  The past is past and who knows what will happen tomorrow so make the most of today.

It seems that each year there are people who do not return to Naples because of age and often people we know pass on.  When we arrived here I mentioned that a gal who played and was the captain of a team died this fall.  Today I asked if anyone knew if Michael Guglielmo was gong to be able to play tennis as I heard he was sick this summer.  I had him signed up for my team this winter.  One of the guys I was playing with said he died October 31.  I had played with him in May and he was playing well.  It certainly gets one to thinking.  

One could be sure there is NO FP now as it is after 10:00 PM.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I don't know what has happened to the last few days.  I see where I blogged on Monday the last time and here it is Thursday.
I had league play in tennis yesterday.  We dropped all three matches and actually there was not even a close match BUT there were a lot of close games.  For me, on court #1, we played againist an opponent that I would bet money my team could beat 4 of 5 times but NOT yesterday.  We have 2 fall matches left and then there is a month break before winter.  I will be VERY short handed for the next 2 matches so we may take our lumps.  The up side is several players are getting to play at a level they are not used to so that is good experience for them.
Here we are on Thanksgiving Day.  Terry and I will have a quiet day at home.  Neighbors on both sides are gone so it is VERY quiet.  A far cry from Thanksgivings of the way back past "for sure".

THANKSGIVING DAY--NOVEMBER 24TH 1988

It is a "FIRST" for the Lee clan.  We always have celebrated, as an entire family, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter together.  Today is the first time we are not whole, we are missing John.  He is off to college in California and he will be missed.  If I am right he said he would be with the family of Phil for Thanksgiving.  We will have our usual eats and treats.  I had driven to downtown St. Paul on Wednesday to pick up the turkey at the farmers market.  We have purchased a turkey from a farmer in Wisconsin for a few years.  Last year we were not able to do that as the farmer said his wife was battleing cancer and they were not able to raise turkeys that year.  Is a fresh turkey from the farm any better than a frozen one from the grocery store?  I am not sure but it makes me feel good that we can buy from a small farmer who works so hard for a living.  There will be lefsa making in the morning with, I am sure, many pieces being eaten before we are finished making them.  It seems that the kids LOVE to get one hot off the lefsa grill and then use too much butter.  As they eat it the melted butter is caught in their left hand as they hold the lefsa in their right hand.  It is almost a full time job limiting them to two pieces each but it is a great way to spend Thanksgiving morning.  We all miss John but it seems Cynthia, age  8, misses him the most.  Several times during the day she mentions she wishes John were home.  I assured her that come Christmas he will be here.  In my heart I know and I understand that while this may not be the norm this is perhaps the beginning of what family could call "growing up".  I know there will be many holidays ahead where one or more of us will be missing.  Deep down I wonder HOW, as a dad, I can limit that as much as possible.  Perhaps that is part of being a parent, you raise your children and then you say good-bye to them with a heavy heart.  We sit down to eat about 1:30.  There is delicious turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn, home make buns (who really eats buns when there is lefsa) and then later in the day we will make homemade ice cream.  Of course I made sure there was plenty of split wood so when the kids got out of bed there was a fire and when they go to bed there will still be a fire.  The afternoon is spent sitting around the fire playing games and eating too much.  Before Gail and I go to bed I  just have to have one more turkey sandwich on that homemade bun.  I know I do NOT need it but then who really cares?  I may when I step on the scale the next morning!  So today, 31 years later, Thanksgiving is different yet the same.  I give thanks for what God has given us.  Health, family, homes, friends and so so much more.  It will be a day filled with good food and good thoughts AND FP "for sure"!

A big job finished and a start to the new year which will be here soon

A few years ago I got tired of trying to find appointment books for Terry and I that we liked so I decided to make them.  I put a picture for anniversaries and birthdays for everyone.  This year there turned out to be 41 pictures.  The appointment book ended up with 50 double sided papers for a total of 100 pages.  I am guessing I put in about 12-14 hours of finding pictures, typing out the entire year in weeks and then putting it all in order.  I took the papers to Staples yesterday and got the finished product in the afternoon.  It is a job that I am happy is finished.  Some would understand that old people need the dates and the pictures to remember!!!  That way we know how old people are too and it gives me an idea if anybody is catching me!

November 25th, 1988

It was the day after Thanksgiving and I had big plans.  I had been putting Christmas lights up for several years but this year I wanted to do something different.  I had been putting lights around the porch, around Cynthia's window but this year I wanted to string lights all the way to the peak of the front gable and then down the other side.  I had purchased more lights and had figured out how many I needed.  I forgot to think about the fact that we had 60 amp service into the house and still had the old old fuses that you screwed in and out.  The weather was perfect and I got out the old wooden ladder that was the tallest I had.  I could string the lights part way up and then lift the "little giant" ladder on the porch roof and get all the way to the peak.  I knew this was not a job for the faint of heart but I was up to it.  By mid afternoon I had the lights up and they were perfect.  I had made sure the cord was tight so the lights would not sage but be in a perfect line.  Before dark I had the extension cord hooked up and it was set to be plugged in at dark.  It seemed like it did not get dark fast enough but finally we decided it was dark enough to look at the job I had done!  Everyone gathered outside in the front yard and I was at the outlet.  With the "OK" word I plugged the cord in and presto, the entire house went dark!!!  I dare not go into details for fear that someone might read this and ask why I was not committed to the "big" house!  I will admit that I am thankful the house did not burn down.  I did unscrew the 15 amp fuse and screw in a 20 amp (could I blame Dad for not teaching me about electricity--no I have NO excuse) and that helped BUT of course that was about as stupid as one can get.  The story kind of went like this.  When we wanted the outside lights on pretty much all electric things in the house were turned off and it worked then!  I must say we received many compliments from the neighbors.  It took many years before I felt I could afford to up grade the electric box in the house but it is now new and safe. As for the lights I sit by our pool here in Naples and remember only!

A bit cool today at 57 when I got out of bed.  Tennis at 9:00 and I may wear a light jacket as I bike over.  Terry has an afternoon appointment and then we will stop by Costco for gas and some things after that.  A swim in the pool after tennis and then maybe some more progress on my book after we return home in the afternoon.

We have the turkey (it is dead) in the fridge defrosting so it should be good by Thursday morning.  I had a light breakfast and now am enjoying my second cup of FP.  Now on to the day.

Uncle Travis with Maximilian before he went home.

Homeward bound

Here is Maximilian Octavius Adkins bundled up ready to head home to his siblings.  Little does he know what he is in for!  He will be smothered with hugs, kisses and all kind of love.  Maximilian you are one lucky guy!

Terry and I watched a movie tonight.  It stared Amy Adams who is one of my favorite actors.  The movie was "Leap Year".  I enjoyed it a great deal but it did bring some tears to my eyes.  OK I tend to be a little over the top when it comes to emotions.  It brought to mind some of my major faults that I wish I did not have.  Regrets, well I try hard not to go there but really some of my short comings are almost inexcusable.  Can't change it now and I will not have the chance to do things like I am thinking about again BUT life goes on.

I played tennis today but stopped a tad early as my right forearm was tender.  I have iced it 3 times today and I will not play until Monday now so hopefully it will be fine.  

We will take in Terry's grand daughter's college graduation December 14th in north Georgia.  We have her blanket made of pictures.  This is Terry's third grandchild who has finished college and the blanket is THE gift.  There was one picture Terry wanted on it and I could not find it but I do think it turned out very nice.

I finished my 2020 calendar that I have made for the past few years.  Each year I make it I say this may be the last one.  I will run out of pictures soon or I have to come up with different ideas.  I put the order in a couple days ago.

I thought I would take a little shut eye this afternoon but it turned into MORE than that.  So I may be up for a while tonight.  

November 22, 1962 (59 years ago today)

It was a gray cloudy day.  We had gotten several inches of snow and I had noticed there was frost on the nails in the ceiling of my bedroom.  I was not all that excited about the coming winter as my bedroom just never warmed up.  For the 1,000,000+ I asked myself "why could Dad not get some heat upstairs.  All it would take is a hole in the ceiling but NO."  I was excited about the day as I rolled out of bed.  It was Thanksgiving.  It was going to be a quiet holiday as nobody was coming home but I knew the food would be great.  I mean if only we had lefsa I would be happy.  Mom had slaved over the lefsa maker on Saturday and made a double batch and as usual the last half of the second batch the rolling pin started to get very sticky.  For me no problem as I knew then that Mom would get out the corn meal and make hard lefsa which she would then stack and keep at the head of the stairs.  That meant I could break off a small piece each time I went up stairs.  I might have gone up stairs more than necessary!  Anyway today the food would be great.  Dad had actually won a turkey in a shoot near Fairmont so we would be having boiled potatoes, lefsa, turkey, dressing and Mom would make her ground carrots with a mustard dressing on top.  There would be jell-o for dessert "for sure".  Ronald had brought a TV home early in the fall so we may be able to watch a football game after we ate.  No games as Dave was now "out in the world" so I would have to find a way to keep busy.  Maybe we would drive to Cayuga after our meal to visit Grandma.  I thought about basketball which had started.  I could not shot outside as there was snow on the ground but I could go in the hay barn and shoot there.  We did not have a basket but Dave and I had nailed up  5 gallon pail on the wall and measured so that it was 10 feet tall.  Of course we cut out the bottom. Maybe I would do that before we ate. BUT first I had to find out if Mom would allow me to have a piece of lefsa for breakfast!  She said yes!  By the time the sun went down I was kind of done for the day.  Too much turkey, too much dressing and too many pieces of lefsa.  BUT really not enough people to make it a perfect day!!!

Enough for now.  Of course the FP is long long gone as it is now late into the evening.  As I lie down to sleep I will be thinking of the Adkins and all the excitement in their home as the new baby arrives. I can see and hear those kinds and how they ALL want to hold him!

A week untill Thanksgiving

I started writing with the headlines of the last blog and then changed gears and posted about Cynthia's new baby.  I forgot to change the title so "Terry and I have been kind of busy"  of course has nothing to do with Cynthia's baby!
On to what I started to write about.  Some times the tennis Gods are good and sometimes they are not so much.  Yesterday they were GREAT.  Court #3 had 3 tie breakers.  They won the first set tie breaker, lost the second set tie breaker, got behind in the 10 point match tie breaker and then pulled it out 12-10.  A fun match.  My partner and I played court #1.  We won the first 6-0 and then promptly fell behind in the second 0-3, yikes.  We rallied to tie at 3-3 and the the score went 4-4, and 5-5.  In the next game they were serving and I am guessing we had 7 or 8 deuces.  We finally pulled it out and then served for the winning margin 7-5.  A fun day as we all know it is fun to play and more fun to win.  Actually to be on the court is a winning deal.  We have 3 fall matches left.  I will be down 2 good players next week, one of my best players is going north until after Christmas and another player is gone December 3 so it will be a challenge and also a chance for others to shine!
I play at 9:00 today but will stop 20 minutes early as Terry has a Dr. appt. at 10:45.  I would not be surprised if my play today is not up to yesterday.  Tennis has a way of doing that.  SO I will continue, for the next 50 minutes to believe that I am a very good player!!!
It is exciting to see a new healthy baby in the family.  Cynthia and Mike are at #8 now and "for sure" they will have their hands full.  I know they were kind of hoping for a girl to make it 4-4 but there is NO disappointment as baby Adkins is here and well.  No name yet so will fill that in when they decide.
That is about all for today.  Tennis at 9:00, Terry's appt will be over by 11:30 or so and then home by 12:00.  It may be book time after that.  I do need to start on our calendar books for 2020.  I do a page for each week and then put pictures in for all the 40+ birthdays so it usually takes a lot of time.  I then print each page off and take it to Staples to bind so I do have work ahead "for sure".
I went over to the courts this morning for a short time and then finished my FP when I came back so it is time to put some things away and then to the courts for 9:00.

Can you believe it, Terry and I have been busy! Kind of!

Baby Adkins born yesterday, November 20--Cynthia says all is good!

Cynthia did not say anything about sharing this so I think I am OK.  I happened to send a text at about 1:00 yesterday and the reply was not yet!  Baby Adkins was born around 5:45.  That makes the granddaughters and grandsons about even--Boys 8 to Girls 6.  That's even, right?

Burr!!!

I know this probably sound kind of crazy to family and friends who are in the midwest or west BUT as I walked outside in my leisure wear to pick up the morning paper I said to myself, "It is kind of cold!"  After looking at my phone and seeing it was 57 I kind of thought I must have become a wimp "for sure".  It looks like it may reach 70 today which, for Naples, is very cool for this time of the year.

I stayed up until 11:00 last night engaged in my book.  I woke up at 5:45, had a quick breakfast and again sat down to finish it.  I have not been reading as much as I could or maybe should.  In the 6 weeks we have been here 6 books are on the "read" list.  I will start #7 today.

If my eyes are correct there is 1 candle on the cake.  The cake is on the piano stool that I am sure Mom carried in from the living room.  I am standing by the pantry door.  Through that door was the cellar door that opened to the dirt walled basement where Mom's canned goods were and the water pump for our well was.  I am not sure what was behind this door in 1948 but I know later it housed the hot water heater and a sink where I had my first shave as a seventh grader!  I would say my hair was a bit (a lot) fuller at one than it is at 72!  It looks like I have on warm PJs.  I do not know where the crib was but IF it were upstairs I certainly would have needed them!  There was NO room in Mom and Dad's bedroom for a crib so I have no idea where it was when it was needed for us kids.  It must have been in the living room but I do not know.  Mom always had a birthday cake made and often Aunt Bertie and even cousin Arleen would make one too!

July 4, 1957

It is Wednesday and a very hot one at that.  Dave and I had the window open all night in our bedroom but it seemed like there was almost more hot air coming in than going out.  When I woke up I thought maybe Dad had installed a shower as the sheets were wet.  Oh, only sweat from the night.  I am happy today.  Dad has kept us busy over the last few day picking those darn rocks that, I am sure, grow in our fields.  Even though Dave and I have come to make picking those darn things a game I am a bit tired as it seems the more we pick the more there are.  BUT today Dad said we did not have to go out in the field as it is July 4th!  Dad drove to town yesterday (he often did that) and actually came home with two small packs of Black Cat firecrackers, one for Dave and one for me.  It only took us about 15 minutes to use them all but it was fun while it lasted.  

Dave said he was going to jump on the big bike and go up to the lake.  I did not feel like following him so I went to the shop, found an old Folgers coffee can and headed towards the bend in the creek on the NW corner of the barn yard.  It was now mid summer so the creek was not running but there were still several spots that had pools of water.  As I ducked under Mom's clothes line and headed west I suddenly had a great idea.  I backtracked to the shop and found a big hammer.  Once again I ducked under Mom's clothes line and headed west towards the creek.  I wondered why Mom's clothes lines were so close to the ground but then I thought maybe I was just getting tall!  Just beyond the NW corner of the barn yard the pasture sloped down towards the creek and there was a wide pool of water.  I walked around till I found  a fresh gopher hole on the side of the bank and fairly close to the water.  I felt my plan would be great.  I placed the hammer near the gopher hole and then sprang into action.  Trip after trip I made to the water, filled the Folger coffee can with water and then carried it up the slope and dumped it in the hole.  I don't know how many times I did this but I was about ready to admit defeat and quit when the last few drops of water hit the hole up straggled a half drown gopher.  With the reflexes of a cat (well maybe more like an excited 10 year old) I grabbed the hammer and the gopher was history.  With a broad smile of satisfaction on my face I marched back under the clothes line, walked up to the west window of the kitchen and held up my prize for Mom to see.  Her face kind of said, "Why did you do that"?  I turned away and headed to the barn with my cat food thinking that moms simply do not understand what real fun is.  

Start of a great weather day in Naples

The next few years seem to fly by.  About the fall of 1971 we made a big decision.  It seemed that I was into Deaf Education for the duration of my working years.  It also seemed that I may have ideas, a work ethic and enough new ideas that my classrooms would be successful.  It was decided that I should engage in grad school and my goal was to have a Master Degree by the time John started school.  It started with a class at Devils Lake Community College in the winter of 1971.  Then in the spring of 72 I received a bulletin about a workshop for teachers of the deaf that would be a 6 week session at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  I applied and was accepted.  In June of that year we stopped at the Saunders farm and changed out of our 70 Chevy Impala into Grandpa's Chevy truck with a small camper on the back.  We had decided to forgo the dorm experience as we had John, 2 1/2 and Travis, 1/2 and felt that was a recipe for disaster.  I had contacted a camp grounds just outside of Lincoln and we had reservations there for the 6 weeks.  On the way we went kind of round about so that we could visit sister Helen who was working (I think!) at the Air Force Academy.  The 6 weeks were full of adventure for all.  When we arrived at our camp grounds it was pretty clear that sleeping 4 bodies in the tiny box like camper was not going to work but we were lucky as at the last minute we had taken our tent.  So the camper came off the pickup and became our kitchen and our bedroom was our tent.  Among the adventures were:

• two trips to the ER as twice we woke up with one of the boys sleeping in a bit of rain water.
• Gail took the boys to swim lessons at the Y for a couple of weeks.
• We had visitors from my school out for dinner a few times.
• Gail's cousin came for dinner once
• AND THE GYPSIES WHO INVADED THE CAMP GROUND THE LAST WEEK OF OUR STAY.  THEY HAD CAGES WITH SNAKES, THEY TOOK OVER THE LAUNDRY ROOM AND FLOODED THE BATHROOMS.  AFTER A FEW DAYS THEY WERE KICKED OUT OF THE GROUNDS AND MOVED WEST OF TOWN.  TWO DAYS LATER THERE WAS A NOTE IN THE PAPER THAT SOMEONE HAD BEEN ARRESTED AS A MAN GOT HIS EAR CUT OFF!!!

On our way home after my summer school we stopped to visit Allen Saunders and then my friend Larry F.  I should add that we rented out house in Devils Lake to get a little money that we so badly needed.  We never met the lady who rented.  Not sure what we were thinking BUT it turned out OK.  I now had several credits towards my masters and it was time to get serious.  In the summer of 1973 I did a Title 1 project at school which paid a bit more than my cement truck driving!  Lila and I duplicated about 4000 pages of puzzles and work and then put them in packets in the teachers lounge.  They lined 4 shelves which ran the length of the room.  These would be available to all teachers but mostly they were for grades 3-8.  It was a summer long project.  I had submitted an idea for my master thesis.  I wanted to do a dorm study project of a control group and then compare their national test scores with students who were not in the program.  I was able to pay Susan, who worked at the school, for doing the evening dorm educational project.  At the end of the 1974 school year the program was finished and I spent the next many months comparing the national test scores of the control group with the students who did not do the program.  The results were clear: a dorm project was "for sure' a benefit as the control group scored much higher than the non participating group.  I spent much time over the next many months writing up my thesis.  As time flew by I spent the summers of 74, 75 and 76 going to school at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND.  The first summer I lived with Gail's aunt and uncle who lived in Grand Forks.  Gail loaded a cooler with mostly food from the garden early Monday morning and I ate out of the cooler in the trunk of the car most of the time.  There were a few times I ate where I stayed.  The summer of 75 I stayed with community members in Grand Forks.  Again the cooler was my cafe.  That was the beginning of our Christian commitment to a community who loved the Lord and wanted to be Christ to others.  I was looking to finish all my classes during the summer of 76.  I had gotten the OK for my final thesis during the winter.  I rented an apartment in Grand Forks and the plan was for Gail and the boys to spend the week days with me and then we would drive back to Devils Lake on the weekends.  We had this basement apartment and it was spartan but kind of OK.  The boys were 6, 4 and 2.  Aaron was having some difficulty with his speech and the first week we were in Grand Forks he just could not adjust and the only way he would communicate was to whisper in his Mothers ear.  It was a no brainier, this was not gong to work so I was with family for a week and then the rest of the summer it was family in Devils Lake and I in Grand Forks.  The end of July came and I was home free.  My thesis had been accepted and all my classes were finished.  I was set to graduate with a major in special education and a minor in administration.  My interest was in administration as I had accepted the job of DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION at the school and I was ALL set to embark on a new adventure in my professional life.  I want to add that Mom and Dad came to my graduation in Grand Forks.  It was perhaps the very first time that I felt Dad acknowledged me as a successful son.  I am not sure that was true but that is what I felt.
So the journey of my masters came to an end.  I was happy that I was able to finish before John started first grade as that had been my goal.  It was a journey of ups and downs, successes and some set backs, and perhaps most of all a journey that gave me the confidence that I could be what I set out to be.  It also, in my mind, kind of showed me that I could prove to my Dad that I was capable of doing something that he may be proud of.  

Looks like a rainy day--no tennis??

This is what you do if:

• you are old
• you live in Naples
• you have a lot of money (that is about a $250,000 Bentley)

It looks like a slow, rainy and stay at home day here in Naples.  On my daily bike ride I got to within a quarter mile of home before the clouds opened up and dumped!  It looked like the early tennis got in about a half hour of play before the rain.  I am supposed to play at 10:30 but that is a big IF.  

What a day.  It looks like a good chance of rain AM and PM, a high of 77, NO appt or things to do!  Sounds almost like a perfect day.  I may just brew myself a second pot of FP and open up a new book.

April 25, 1969

It was a Friday afternoon and Gail and I were nearing the end of our student teaching at the School for the Deaf in Devils Lake.  It had been a LONG and DIFFICULT quarter in many ways.  Student teaching had been perhaps 200-300% more work than we had figured.  We had moved in the fall, moved back to Minot in the winter and then moved back to Devils Lake in the spring!  In addition to teaching pretty much full time there were lesson plans due each Thursday for the next week and those plans often covered 15 to 20 pages.  In our plans we were expected to write down EVERYTHING we would say in each 55 minute lesson!  We were looking at only 4 weeks left of student teaching and then there was the big question.  There were 6 in our class and we knew of 3 openings at the school for the next year.  The 6 of us would sit around on weekends talking about when/who would be offered a job for the coming year.  It was getting down to crunch time as we needed to look towards the following fall and what we would be doing and where we might be.  We had found out a short time ago that Gail was pregnant and the baby would be coming in December.  We had not told Superindent Hayek.  On this Friday I glanced out the window about 2:45 and noticed Mr. Hayek walking towards the school building.  He seldom came over from his office so I wondered what he was up to.  A few minutes later he stepped into my room where I was teaching and asked if I could stop by his office around 4:00.  He gave No indication what it was about but I suspected it may be about the next year.  The school bell rang at 3:30 and I hurriedly packed my things and headed over to Old Main where Gail and I lived.  Shortly after I got there Gail came in the door and said Mr. Hayek asked to see her at 4:30.  This was interesting.  Shortly thereafter I knocked on his office door and entered.  With a smile on his face he said he was offering me a teaching position for the fall.  He said he would like to offer me a salary of $6000 for the year and in order to do that I would need to help Mr. Brenner with football and basketball!  I said I would think about it and let him know on Monday.  As I left I knew the decision would be to stay and teach but I did not want to say so on the spot.  On my way back to Old Main I walked through the school building just to get a sense of "this would be my place next school year"  Gail left our apartment in Old Main and walked over a bit later.  We had already talked and decided that with the baby coming in December teaching was not in the cards.  Later she related that Mr. Hayek made some attempt to convince her she could have the baby and still teach but of course he was not going to make his case, "for sure".  So by the middle of the following week we were set for the upcoming school year.  I would be teaching fourth grade, a group of students that had been difficult, at best, this year.  We would live in Old Main, on campus, and our rent would be $95 a month.  That may sound like a good deal and it was except our apartment in Old Main had NO kitchen.  We would be walking down two flights of stairs into the basement and then walking through the underground tunnel into the main building where there was a kitchen we could use!  So begin our journey into family life and the world of work.

The end of the school year came and went and I needed to earn money.  There just were not many places one could look for a job in Devils Lake.  Finally, after sitting around for a week or so, I decided to drive out to Lake Ready Mix to see if they needed a driver.  An hour later I walked out not knowing what I had gotten myself into.  They had offered me a job driving cement truck and my salary would be a whopping $1.90 an hour with maybe some over time!  I knew nothing about cement, I did not know the area around Devils Lake and I certainly did not know anything about how to keep up a truck that was just a bit larger than "Big Red" on the farm!  However we needed the summer income and my line was "I grew up on a farm with trucks and tractors so I can do this job!"  It turned out to be a good gig for me over the next three summers.

The 69/70 school year came and went.  I helped coach football and I coached the grade school basketball team.  I also kept the clock, kept the score box and called in all the scores for the varsity team.  In my classroom I had enough challenges to keep me more than busy.  I had Loren C who challenged me to a fight with the point of a compass, I had Loren L who was too smart for his own good and then there was Jim who was challenged in ways you could not imagine.  I should not forget Diana who peed on the carpet one morning and Cheryl who had a hard time in any endever she took on including her school work!  I am not sure what Mr. Hayek saw but in the spring of the year he offered to renew my contract and said he wanted me to move up to 5th grade with the SAME KIDS!!! Perhaps all the other teachers refused to have them!  

The next year we were forced to move off campus and find our own home.  That turned out to be one of the best moves ever but in getting it done we had more than our share of "interesting events".  At the end of my second year of teaching Mr. Hayek approached me and said he would like me to be employed under Title 1 for the next year.  I was apprehensive as I could see that not working out and then I could be out of a job.  He assured me that would not be the case.  He said there would be money to purchase extra things for the classroom and also for a teacher aide.  That sealed the deal and I accepted  the offer.

this is getting too long, to be continued tomorrow

Oh my!!!!!!!

I know, this picture was taken a few years ago BUT my story today is about tennis and this is the best I could do.  My team took ONE court of the three yesterday.  It was the first court we had won from Country Creek since we moved up to 3.0.  BUT the winning court was NOT mine.  However I think I had the most fun ever on the court.  To give some idea of what happened.  Court #3 lost and came over to near our court while we were still in the first set! We play 2 sets and if the score is 1-1 we then go into a 10 point match tie breaker.  Court #2 went into a match tie breaker and won.  After their match they came over to watch and we were early into our second set.  Most matches are over in less than one and a half hours.  We hit our first ball a couple of minutes before 1:30 and it ended a bit after 4:00!  So we lost but I was excited about our play and it was FUN.  We took the first set 7-5.  The second set ended 6-6 so it went to a 7 point tie breaker which we lost.  We then went into a 10 point match tie breaker which we ended up on the short end 8-10.  This was against a first court team that had pretty much walked over us twice in each of the last 2 years so I felt in the end we won!  A loss is a loss but then there are times that a loss is kind of a win as well.  My play---I made my share of unforced errors but I felt I also made some great put aways and was very pleased with how I played.  I would say that IF I could play at that level every match we would have mostly wins.  Of course Ron, my partner, played great and that always helps "for sure".  End of tennis for this morning!

I do play this morning at 7:30.  I THINK my achy body will be OK.  I was up at 4:40 this morning so my body may tell me to take a 45 minute nap this afternoon.  Terry and I have NOTHING going in terms of appt or meetings so maybe I can finish the book I started a couple of days ago.  OH, we do have to do some work with our medical coverage as it may be a good idea to switch groups.  We have until early December to do that but better early than late.

I had the next to last of the frozen breakfast sandwiches this morning.  I have become so darn lazy with breakfast.  The frozen is not nearly as good as fresh but it is so so easy!  FP you started my day on an UP note.

Happy 48th TRAVIS

Here is hoping that your special day turns out to be truely special Travis.  Make this coming year one to be proud of and remember AND keep being the special person that you are.  Love, Dad and Terry

A day that will never go away

Janet was born on this day in 1938

February 12, 1966

I felt like I could not really get out of bed.  I had just taken a phone call.  Chet, who dormed down the hall, had knocked on the door as I was trying to study for that darn chemistry test coming up.  Of course in those days there were NO cell phones so our 3rd floor dorm had one phone which hung on the wall in the middle of the floor.  Really there were seldom phone calls as the phone was used mostly to make out going calls.  I would guess even in those calls it would be mostly to try and connect with a girl friend.  But Chet came into my room and said there was a call for me.  I slowly got up from the desk but really I did not want to get the call.  You see Janet had taken sick on Friday and by Saturday night the prognosis was not good.  In fact it seemed that it was only a matter of time.    I stumbled to the phone, heard the voice on the other end saying that Janet had died and John had not gotten there in time (I think that is correct).  I don't even remember hanging up the phone, I just got back to my room and fell onto the bed.  There I remained the rest of the day with so so many thoughts going through my head.  

How could this be happening?  Ronald had died only months earlier and now Janet was gone too.  I loved all of my siblings but Janet and Ronald were different and special in many ways.  First was the fact that they went to high school in Lidgerwood and boarded in town.  My other older siblings, Joan and Dave, stayed at home and went to school with Helen and I.  That fact alone made them seem bigger, smarter and special in a way.  They were the ones that went away to college.  They were the ones who would come home from college and be the BIG sister or brother.  Lying in bed I thought of Joan, Dave and Helen.  Now we were the "ones' who were family.  It just seemed that everything changed over night.  

My thoughts went back to that Friday morning.  Joan had called and asked if I could baby sit Esther and Bob as Janet had the flu.  It was cold and there was snow on the ground but I let some air out of my bike tires and hoped on for the trek to south Fargo from campus.  When I arrived I found Esther and Bob were hungry so we had something to eat.  I could not find the dog.  Esther said it was under Janet's bed and would not come out.  

The next few days are a blur as Janet got worse, John was called, Glorine and Charlie came, Mom and Dad stayed at the hospital and there was Dave and Marlys who lived in Fargo too.  Bob and Esther were staying with Joan/Ron.  I still wonder why Ron and I carried Janet out of the house into Ron's car instead of calling an ambulance.  I am sure it made NO difference but really were we so naive or was that just the norm for the day?

With my head on the pillow and tears in my eyes I felt today, Sunday the 13, I did not care if I was in college or on the farm.  Maybe I should quit school and just go home.  I was having trouble in chemistry, my grade in advanced algebra was scary and the only "A" I was getting was in Air Force ROTC BUT I had no intention of going into the service.  Then I thought about Helen.  She was the only sibling at home now.  I remembered how home had been after Ronald died and now--I was not sure how or if Helen would survive being at home.  Of course she would have the same situation as we had after Ronald died.  Alone and no place to go and nobody to talk to.  I mean HOW would you, back in 1964/66, talk to your classmates about losing a sibling or for sure losing two!    

Of course everyone survived.  I do not think Mom every was the same.  Dad, I can not say.  I and my siblings, we each had our own life to live and that we did but I am sure there were two holes that were never filled again.  

So here I am today.  Now, at an advanced age, I understand how death can change life but I also understand that God desires us to move on with life.  In our weakest days he gives us strength to move on, to live and to be a representative to others in His name.  To that end it makes life worth living.  Life is interesting.  Today I sit back and remember how death in our family changed so many things and tomorrow I will sit back and remember how new life, (Travis' birthday) came into being and that too changed so much but for the better!

My FP is gone and maybe it is time to think about today's tennis match.  I have put myself on court #1 with Ron.  Ron is a great partner but Country Creek will bring at least two courts that have 3.5 players.  Should be fun.  IF we were to win it would be GREAT.  If we lose a close match it will still be fun.  If we bet BLOWN off the court it will be a learning experience!  Regardless of what happens here we come!

No plans for the day except for some tennis

It was known as "the shop".  Much of farm life began, ended or happened in "the shop".  Many families have a place where much of life happens.  Some families have "the den".  It is there that one sits and reads.  It is there that Mom or Dad reads the daily paper.  It is there that company often settles into an easy chair before visiting.  It is there that the family television is ALWAYS turned on for soap operas or news or sports.  It is there that Mom and Dad go with a drink in their hand after coming home from a hard days work.  We had "the shop".  Many families make the kitchen the hub of family activity.  It is there that Mom fixes meals for all.  Usually the kids sit at the kitchen table with homework in front of them.  It is there that holidays memories are made with festive meals and great conversation.  We had "the shop".  Many families make the living room the place to be.  There on the wall is a huge 65" television and all around there are comfy chairs and soft couches.  It is there that decisions are made.  It is there that everyone gathers around the television with popcorn in hand and the remote near by.  It is there that the card table is set up for a puzzle or a game.  We had "the shop".  

What was the shop like?  It had NO door, only a doorway that one could drive a car or the Ford tractor in.  There were two windows on the west wall.  The window near the NW corner had two broken panes that were never fixed.  It had two windows on the east.  Again the window on the NE was OUT.  As you came into the shop there was a dilapidated work bench with a huge vise on it.  It was there that wooden guns were cut.  It was there that angle iron was bent for bale hooks.  It was there where the rope making devise was attached as we made lengths of rope.  It was a valuable item "for sure"  On the west wall in the middle of the garage was the drill press.  It was so huge that it looked like it could have come out of a commercial building.  Did it have a stand?  Well I think a barrel would do!  That was the culprit when I slammed the drill head up onto my thumb and had to tie my thumb up above my head on the bed post the first night!  In the back, the north, sat several pieces of equipment that attached to the Ford tractor.  Some pieces like the mower, the scoop and the plow were used often.  Some were never used including the dis plow which I never saw on the tractor.  Actually the BEST was on the middle of the east wall.  There sat a forge that was so so fun to use.  Dad would put coal in the center and light it on fire.  There was a huge wheel that we could turn which would blow air into the fire.  That was where bale hooks were heated before they were formed and much else was done there as well.  In the SE corner sat ALL the garden tools and any tool that was used to work the soil.  It was there we would go to get a hoe, a shovel, a rake or ANY tool like that.  They were not neatly hung on the wall but rather stacked in the corner as if they were meant to be an Egyptian Pyramid or some other earthly structure.  It was also the place I often stored my coffee can of worms.  I usually kept some handy in case I wanted to walk to the lake and fish. Whenever the Ford tractor was not in use it was parked in the shop but on days Dave and I could get out of work the Ford sat out of the shop so we could use "the shop" for whatever we wanted.  On any given day we may cut out more wooden guns, we may make a length of rope, we may set up an old board and do our knife throwing (I would say I got really good), or we may just hang out with visions of what may be in the many years ahead. If we really got into serious talk about the future we may both use the "outhouse' with the busy sign down and just dream.  I am not sure any of those dreams came true BUT it was fun.  The "shop", the place on our farm where life happened.

I play tennis at 10:30 today and here it is about 8:30.  I may get dressed and bike on over to just see who is playing now.  I have 3 things to mail today but will only put one in the mailbox.  That way I can mail things on Wednesday and Thursday as well.  Sometimes I think my mind is still on the farm as getting the mail is still a big deal!  BUT "for sure" there will be no delivery of 100 chicks here in Naples!   I should mention that I am mailing the paper work for a new drivers license which will last me through January of 2028.  At that point I will need to have my picture taken again.  But until then I will have my picture on my license that was taken in 2012!  I am guessing IF I were to be pulled over in November of 2027 and the patrol looked at my picture on my license he may think I have someone elses license!!!  Crazy I think but I will not complain.  Here in Florida a driver license is good for 8 years and you need a new picture every 16 years.  

No, the FP is finished and so am I.

Veteran's Day 2019

This is my senior picture out of our 1965 year book.  There is a reason I post it this morning!  As I sipped my FP and ate a heated up prepackaged breakfast sandwich this morning I thumbed through the WSJ.  A full page story on A11 caught my eye.  The reason, it was about 1969 which was the year I graduated from college.  This story was about the 50th reunion of grads from the Naval Academy.  Now those guys are my age.  It was a great story about the ups and downs of the guys in the class.  It was about what they did, how they lived their lives, how several died at a young age etc.  It did talk about reunions that took place every 5 years starting with year 20.  Each year a few more came to the reunions until this year every living grad came.  BUT what really got my attention was a paragraph near the bottom of column one. I quote, "I was 17.  I came off a farm.  My social skills were terrible.  I had no leadership skills.  I was trying to survive, says Mr. Schram."  Now of course I did not graduate from an academy nor did I go on to do great things but "for sure" I graduated from HS, from college and then way beyond that still my social skills were so bad and so lacking.  I could write about saying the wrong things in a situation.  I could write about behavior that was childish and after the fact embarrassing and the list goes on.  I do not blame anyone but it just was the truth.  I think the combination of "who I was as a person (in many ways I took after Mom)" and farm life just stunted my social skills for much of my life.  I could write about situations well into my 40s and 50s and perhaps beyond that where I just did the wrong things socially.  I am not claiming that I have good social today but they are light years ahead of where they were much of my life.  I am not saying that if I could go back and change my up bringing I would.  No, but what I am saying is sometimes there is a combination of factors that seal the deal so to speak and for me that stunted my social skills big time.  I should add that it was all on me, not on anybody else.  

Not sure what Terry and I should do today.  I can jump in the pool because the heater is fixed.  We can turn on the AC because that is fixed.  We can enjoy cold water because we have a working fridge.   What else is there to do?  Oh there is tennis for me Monday-Friday and Terry has a couple of appt so I guess we can keep busy.  I do need to read up on the Traeger website so I know how to do a turkey in the smoke/grill mode.  For some reason it is not in the Traeger cook book that came with the grill.  

Terry and I did make some great purchases at Target yesterday.  They had Butterball frozen turkeys for $.89 pd and frozen turkey breasts for the same price.  We purchased 2 of each and that should carry us over the holidays.  

New fridge coming today--the dry ice did the trick for the last 36 hours

I came to the conclusion that I am just too smart!  And if one believes that I have a good deal for you!!!  Anyway we put a block of dry ice in the fridge Thursday afternoon to try and keep it cool so things would not spoil.  What happen?  This morning as I took out the heavy cream for my FP it was frozen!  From too warm to too cold.  So as I look at the situation I guess I am not too smart but then anyone who knows me at all knew that a long time ago!

I looked at my phone this morning and saw that Lowe's called last night to inform us that they will deliver the new fridge sometime between 2:30 and 6:30.  I was hoping that it would come AM but I guess not.  

We have a light drizzle this morning so I do not know if the tennis courts will be open.  I am not scheduled to play so it makes no difference to me but I know many plan on Saturday play.  I don't think Terry and I have any plans for the day.  I may go to the library.  So far I am having a difficult time getting into the WWII book so I may get other books to read.

I think I had a brilliant idea this morning.  I am getting kind of old and am looking for ways to cut down on work around the house.  I remembered growing up we had a great thing on the outhouse.  On the side there was a sign that could be put up or down and on the sign it just said BUSY.  So that is what I am going to do with the upstairs bathroom in St. Paul.  We redid the bath upstairs and I have been too lazy to put a door on.  With this great idea I will not have to do that, I will just paint a BUSY sign on a piece of scrap wood and attach it to the wall.  That will save me a lot of work!  Way to go Carmen.

March 15th, 1964

I slept as late as I could but finally I heard the downstairs door open and Mom's voice filtered up the stairs, "Time to get up Carmen and get ready for church".  Really, I was not ready to get out of bed.  It was unusually chilly for the 15th of March, in fact I had the electric blanket on.  So I turned over knowing if I skipped breakfast I could stay in bed for another thirty minutes.  As soon as my body rolled over to the "out" side of the bed my mind wandered to the last few weeks.

In the final class B poll of basketball teams Sargent Central had been ranked #3.  We had been #1 or #2 most of the season but with a late season loss to Britton we fell to #3.  Fort Yates was solid as the #1 in the polls.  Of course I did not know anything about Fort Yates but the word was many of their players were not 18 but 19 or even 20.  Of course they were all Indians and they were very good.  Our district tournament had been held in Wahpeton and the first 2 games had been cake walks.  In game #3, the championship,  it was kind of a contest but in the end we won by 12.  I had been the #6 guy on the team all season but our coach did not believe in having anyone except the starters play much so I had been disappointed with my playing time.  Game one was a bummer.  I started as Jack was sick and in a full blown blow out the starters only played the first quarter and a half!  My one day of glory was short lived!.  From the district it was on to the region which was held in Valley City.  We went into the tournament the favorite and came out on top.  The championship game against Lidgerwood  was a cliff hanger but we came out with a 54-51 win.  Again my playing time was very limited.  So during the week of March 8-14 it was State Tournament time and it was exciting.  The entire school was in a buzz about NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as many would be traveling to Minot.  Tuesday afternoon there was a big pep rally with superintendent Thunem  speaking, principal Klubben (we called him wild Bill) speaking and the coaches. Then an introduction of all the players and one by one we came out of the locker room when our name was announced.  I know there was one gal who cheered really loudly when I was introduced but I will not get into that.   Deep inside I was excited to be going but I knew my playing time would be little or none.   HOWEVER we would be staying in a hotel and for me that was almost a first.  We had stayed in a  hotel in Valley City for the region tournament but that hotel looked and felt like it would have been a stretch for the homeless!  (I do not remember ever staying in a hotel with Mom and Dad). We traveled to Minot in a caravan of 3 school buses and several cars.  I have no idea how they paired up teams but in the first round but we were to play the #1 team Fort Yates in our first game.  People were saying that the winner would be the favorite to win it all.   Of course I had no expectations that I would get into the game unless someone got into foul trouble.  The game was not a cakewalk for Fort Yates but they were clearly the better team and the score board reflected that in the end.  As for me, I got into the game with about 3 minutes left when the outcome was not in doubt.  In the first 30 seconds we had a jump ball.  Bob Z and I made eye contact and I knew what was coming.  He tipped the ball towards our basket and I caught it in full stride.  With 3 dribbles and a leap the ball curled around the rim and fell through for 2 points.  Even though the game was lost I had scored in the state tournament and it was a thrill.  I was able to put up another 2 pointer from the right side before time expired and we were looking at the short side of a 65-52 score.  A really funny things happened 5 years later.  As I studied and taught at the North Dakota School for the Deaf the main secretary  Ms. Bye told me she remembered me from the 1964 state tournament as she and her husband always went.  Fort Yates went on to become state champions and we were able to capture the consolation trophy.  It was a fun time but all that was now in the past as I opened my eyes when Mom called a second time in kind of a stern voice that the pancakes were cold but there was no time to eat before we had to leave for church.  I dressed and hurried downstairs just in time as Mom and Dad were already in the car.  I sat in my usual place, behind Dad and Helen sat behind Mom.

Church was OK but it had not been the same since Bergen closed and we went to Veblen each Sunday.  Not only was it EVERY Sunday now but there were just too many people each Sunday.  I know for Mom it was good but for me--not so much.  I am sure that in my mind images of basketballs clouded out any words in the sermon that Sunday.

No, the FP was empty a long time ago and it is now on to Saturday things. 

And the count goes on!!!

Terry and I did a whirlwind day yesterday.  About 9:30 I came to the conclusion that there was something VERY wrong with our fridge.  Our Naples home belongs to Terry (in the same light our St. Paul home belongs to me) so I asked Terry to look at the fridge and see if she felt like I did.  Over the last few days the temp had slowly risen inside the fridge until yesterday it showed 60.  At that temp I could ship things to MN and leave them outside--wait that would not then be a fridge but rather a freezer!  Terry made a call and a repair man would be coming between 2:30-4:00.  That would work out great as we had a lunch date with a friend of Terry's.  Wow, Terry got a call at noon saying the repair man would be here in 20 minutes.  Terry called to cancel our luncheon date.  Then as the guy came around noon she called again to say we were still on.  Before the guy came we talked about what kind of money would we put into repair as it is 12 years old.  We tossed around the figure of maybe several hundred dollars and maybe even a thousand but what fridge repair would be that much??  Well we found out. The diagnosis was a leak of freon in the system AND a repair bill of $1200-1500.  The repair man said if it was his he would not repair it but buy a new one.  So it was off to Lowes where Terry purchased a new one to be delivered tomorrow.  In the mean time there is a block of dry ice which now has it at a temp of 34!  Dry ice, which will last a couple of days, shocked the register at $10+ so that is NOT a long term solution "for sure".  So sometime tomorrow the old goes out and the new comes in--I hope the dry ice lasts that long.

So the list of repairs/new goes on and on.  At this point it stands at:

• late summer a new pump on the pool for $800+
• this fall a fix of the AC for $800+
• this fall a fix of the pool heater under warranty 
• now new fridge for $2100+
• We may need to start asking relatives for loans well not really but what the heck is happening

Funny (not really) I thought 3 strikes and you were out!  Actually there is a question if there has been some electrical things in the area that have caused some or all of this.  That is something we will not know but we did have a surge about a week ago which blew out a pin in the pool timer.  That was pretty strange.

I did not play tennis yesterday but am on for 7:30 this morning.  We have 4 pretty good guys (😊that actually includes me!) so it should be fun.  Karl and I have a bit of a dilemma in that we want to include everyone in our playing time yet it is really good to play against players better than us.  I would like to say that is hard to find but I dare not lie!  There are a couple of players who often want to schedule courts with us and they play at a different level, lower.  It is always a balancing act to get better yet have everyone play.

Not sure if Terry has any plans for today.  She may need to get some more library books as she finished her book a few days ago.  I am currently reading a WWII book.

No it was a quick frozen breakfast sandwich this morning and now, after the FP is finished, it is on the bike to get to the court by 7:30.

What can I take away from this!!!

My tennis team went down to defeat on all 3 courts yesterday.  I need not write the scores as we did not come close to any wins BUT I do feel my players had fun, as much fun as one can have in defeat!  I put out an e-mail to the team this morning and put a positive spin on it.  It took some time!!!  Well I have been saying that this fall is spring training so with that in mind we will take our licks and keep on playing. The winter season, I am hoping it is a bit different.  Next week we play a team that defeated Breckenridge 3-0 (Breckenridge defeated us 3-0 yesterday) so I plan to put my best 6 players on the courts next week and hope for a fun time!  We play at the 3.0 level and next week we will be playing against some 3.5 players so bring them on and see what happens.  I THINK I read some place where tennis is a fun sport and I still agree!

We are in to the second to last day of record heat for a while.  Our next tennis match is Wednesday of next week and the temp is supposed to be 75, that is very different from the 90 yesterday.  No tennis today as it is good to have a day off.  It will be into the exercise room this morning and then tennis again tomorrow.

I have yet to start reading my next book.  Maybe today is the day.  I have been enjoying the warmer water in our pool now that the heater is working.  Not sure why but this old body really needs the water warmer than 80.  Back in the 50s things were different in MANY ways.

November 7th, 1964 (55 years ago)

I wake up, look at the clock which shows 7:30 and then bury my head in the lumpy pillow.  It is a Saturday and therefore no school and I believe no work as well.  As I lie in bed I feel my heart pounding a bit faster and louder than usual.  It has been a month now since Ronald died and life is still like living in a gray cloud.  It would be more usual to see Mom with tears than with a smile.  I have been hoping I would hear Dad laugh again but not yet.  Football, my favorite activity, is now part of my high school history and the end was not fun.  Basketball practice started and I know I will be a starter and perhaps one of the better players as I am co-captain.  I think back about being captain of the football team and look towards being co-captain of basketball and I just HOPE that the future will be better than the past.  Finally at about 8:00 I roll out of bed and get up the energy to see what is happening downstairs.  As I open the door to the kitchen Mom turns and with a neutral face asks if I would like pancakes for breakfast.  She said that Dad had stopped at the neighbors yesterday and purchased a quart of heavy cream so pancakes were on the menu for the day.  I reply with chokecherry syrup, yes.  I asked if Dad was up and she said he was sleeping in.  I noted in my mind that seemed to be the usual lately since Ronald died.  For a brief moment I allowed the thought to go through my mind that maybe in Dad's grief he had forgotten that there was Dave, John M and I still in his life.  I quickly dismissed that as I knew how much we ALL loved Ronald.  In fact I thought he would go on in life to be famous in some way but that was not to be.  I forced myself to refocus on Mom and breakfast.  I asked her if she knew if Dad was going any place today and she said Dad had mentioned he may drive to Lidgerwood and he had remembered that I had asked for the car tonight.  I had set up a date but I was not sure I wanted to go.  BUT perhaps it would erase, for a time, the gloom on the farm.  Then I made the mistake of the week.  I asked Mom if anybody would be coming home for Thanksgiving.  I wanted to know if Janet/John, Joan/Ron or Dave would be home and the reply was a flood of tears to the point I questioned if Mom's tears were diluting the pancake mix.  No, they did not.  After breakfast I wandered out to the shop just to pass the time.  From there I walked to the barn which had been empty for several years.  I thought about how I felt Dad should make use of the barn but really his interest was in hunting and photography and not in what he could do to make the farm more profitable.  I opened the barn door on the southwest corner of the barn and for a brief moment thought about Mom hanging a white towel on the barn door to let me know that it was time for lunch.  When I arrived home from the field I would go to the barn and bring the towel in.  I never did ask her if she then wiped the dishes!  Sometime later I heard the car start up and Dad drove out of the yard.  I just hoped he would be back by late afternoon.  Life does indeed change in the span of 55 years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VERONICA----5

This is Veronica and she is a cutie.  Full of vim and vinegar she will hug you, kiss you and then steal your heart all within a short time!  Happy birthday Veronica and we wish you a FUN day.  Love Grandpa Lee and Terry

match #3 of the fall season is today

I am not sure which of the guys I am!

We travel to Breckenridge community today for our match.  Their captain, Steve, called yesterday to confirm the time.  He mentioned that he would not be there as he returned to his home up north for a couple of weeks.  As I hung up I thought about phones, travel etc.  It brought to mind that for the entire time I lived at home Mom and Dad did not have a phone.  They finally got a phone sometime after I left.  Still, Mom could not call her sister Bertie who lived less than a mile and a half away.  Why--it was long distance and Mom would not have wanted to pay for the call.  I don't even know if long distance exists any more.  Now days a person picks up the cell phone and calls any place in the United States without a second thought.  I know land lines still are used (brother Dave!) but really long distance is actually a long distance from most of us!

I looked at the weather on my phone this morning as I wanted to see what it would be when we start play at 12:30 today.  It should be 88/89 and then I looked at the weather in St. Paul and saw where it is very chilly, in fact next Tuesday it is supposed to get down to 7, yikes.  That is too cold for mid November.  I am wondering if Judi and John have left for Arizona.

Not sure what Terry and I should do going forward as all the broken things here are now fixed!  Maybe we should think about any work that needs to be done around here.  Really Terry has her home in wonderful shape but still there is always things one can do.

November 6, 1957

It is a beautiful day here in North Dakota.  Dad finished up harvesting the millet yesterday and it is always a challenge to get it in the bin before the snow flies.  I was disappointed that he finished on a weekday when I was in school.  Harvesting millet was always a FUN time as opposed to that itchy oats or barley.  But of course it is always a "high" time when most or all of the fall work is finished without snow on the ground.  I am thinking that Dad is probably winterizing the truck and combine today as the radiator has to be drained of water.  I know he has antifreeze in the "M" and the Ford as he may need them for winter work.  Actually he has the loader on the "M" for cutting up deer which will happen in a week or so.  I am adjusting to being in the 5th grade.  Last year, my first year in Cayuga, was fun as us fourth graders were the oldest in the room.  This year, as a 5th grader, we are the youngest as the 5th and 6th grades are together.  Even though I am one of the youngest in the room I am the tallest and strongest boy.  It seems like the CITY does not grow them the same as the country!  I already had scrimmages with Walter and Chuck so we all know where we stand and I am sure they will not bother me in a mean way again.  Jack, he is interested in sports like I am so we are on good terms.  At this time in the fall I have no idea what is ahead of me as I later I go along with Walter and Chuck when they have to apologize to the teacher when I was not part of it BUT I so wanted to be one of the guys.  As I look back that was not very smart!

November 6, 2019 (62 years later)

I have everything in place for the tennis match.  I put out the pairings yesterday, I got one of the guys to drive as we need two drivers and I have made phone contact with the other captain.  Now it is a matter of seeing if we can win the match by taking at least 2 of the three courts.  I do have some concerns about my health.  It just seems like I have too many aches and pains in my right leg.  At times I stretch the leg and some of my toes freeze up and my calf tighten up so that I have to massage it for a time.  When that happens I think back to the back issue and wonder if I will need another epidural sometime this winter.  Not yet "for sure" but maybe as time goes on.  Way back when I  had issues with it for the first time the doctor said he felt that it was 50/50 that I would need back surgery at some time.  My opinion is now it is 0/100 that I will not need that but then what do I know--0.  As I remember "way back then" I am thankful for God's protection and grace in these many years.  

My FP is now at ground zero and I am ready to get into my 4th book of the season.  This one is true accounts of President Roosevelt and Churchhill during and after WWII.

It is only November 5th and St. Paul temp is 21 this morning--burr

A picture taken in 2010.  I constructed a deer stand at home and then set it up on the Binde farm that  late summer.  I put it near a slough north of their buildings.  I arrived to hunt that November only to find that I had put it up too close to the soft soil and it had fallen down!  Dale got his tractor out and we put it up again.  In this picture Dale is standing in the stand after we put it up a second time.  As of last year it still was up.  I have seen a lot of deer from the stand but have not shot one from it.  This coming weekend is the opening of deer season in Minnesota and I will not be there.  I was up there last year and there were few deer to be seen on the farm.  I certainly have memories of sunrises, turkey flocks in the distance and deer also but no shots!

Terry and I are hopeful that the "fix it up" is over for the winter.  Yesterday the pool heater was fixed and today it should be warm again.  The pool pump was fixed last summer and the AC unit was fixed last week so MAYBE things are a go for the rest of the season.

As I got up this morning I had to wonder what in the world did I do yesterday!  I walked into the kitchen and half of my FP was still in the coffee pot.  Then I looked around and there were dirty dishes all over the counter.  I opened the dishwasher and it was full of clean dishes.  I thought to myself that I must not have done anything Monday.  Oh, then I realized that I had my head buried in a 750 page book much of the day.  Well I did play tennis at 7:30 but I came home from that not all that exhausted.  Regardless I need to up the work level and down the reading level today so that the place does not look like a mess tomorrow morning.  

We have an away tennis match tomorrow and I am hopeful of winning 2 of the courts.  MAYBE  I should say again that the "win" column this fall is not that important.  I am putting perhaps my best player on #1, he is only here for 3 matches this fall, but I am pairing him with a player that I feel is only a good #2 court player. BUT I do want players to play on all the courts and with different partners so we will see what happens tomorrow.  One of my better players is on jury duty this week so will not be playing tomorrow.

No, my court time today is 10:30 at a time that the temp should be 88!  That means drink a lot of water before I play.  However that gives me time to clean up some messes from yesterday and perhaps also get in a few more pages of my book as I have only 150 pages left.

My FP is no more.

First Sunday in November of 2019

That is the last of the daylight savings jokes for me.  It is pretty much like the Indian said, "Only the government would believe that you can cut a foot off the top of the blanket, sew it on the bottom and have a longer blanket!"

I hope everyone remembers to change their clocks as I KNOW there are some funny stories about changing clocks back.  I have one but I know I have shared it before.

May 17th, 2007

It is 2:35 PM and as I sit at my desk my thoughts float towards the next many days.  I have been working in Deaf Education for 38 years.  I have taught 4th grade, 5th grade, did a title 1 school year project, been in charge of the entire educational program at the North Dakota School for the Deaf and now am winding down after 30 years in the St. Paul Deaf Program.  I have to admit it is a tiny bit sad but mostly a very happy thought.  As of June 15th I will be finished teaching and coaching.  A side note is our family will also stop delivering papers after 29 years of delivering the St. Paul Pioneer Press to our neighbors.  My mind is filled with thoughts of how I should/want to fill my time after finishing my professional life.  Gail's cancer seems to be in remission BUT there is this dangerous spark of thoughts in the back of my mind.  Even though it has been 4 years since the startling diagnosis my mind is NOT settled into the thought that Gail will have a long life.  It is because of that  situation that I decided to take kind of an early retirement.  I had looked at the numbers and knew that to retire at the age of 60 would mean far less money than retiring a year or two later.  BUT the nagging thought that Gail's cancer may raise it's ugly head again has prompted me to retire now.  

As I sit at my desk I glance out the window and see the tan colored mini-van that Amanda is in leave the parking lot.  Amanda is in the back seat with her head down.  Amanda lives out of the St. Paul school district and has about a 45 minute ride each morning and evening.  As I glance I do not make contact with Amanda's eyes as the second she gets in the van for the ride home she takes out a book and buries her head in it for the next 45 minutes.  The thought crosses my mind that Amanda is one of the reasons teaching has been fun for so long.  She is cheerful, studies hard and just is a delight to have in class.  I turn back to my desk and realize that I need to stay at school for some time this afternoon.  I always like to leave my classroom kind of early on Friday to get home and start the weekend so I had better get things down this Thursday.  No special plans for the weekend but it is nice to get home early on Friday to kind of unwind.  So today I need to get those lesson plans finished for the next week and then only about 14 days more of plans until retirement.  As I write and decide how I want the end of the school year to end up for my students I find my mind wandering and wandering and as that happens the school room clock just keeps ticking away.  Finally, at 3:30, I settle down and decide I need to finish soon and get home.  About that time Mrs. Condon, the principle,  hurriedly comes into my room with tears streaming down her cheeks.  She informs me that there has been a terrible accident near Stillwater.  Amanda's van crashed into the back of a stopped school bus on a rural road and she and the driver were killed.  Mrs. Condon is beside herself as she does not know how to contact anybody in our program.  After I give her a hug I assure her I will contact our social worker, who is deaf and my collegiate who is also deaf.  I spend the next hour calling and letting my co-workers know that happened.  The next day is a dark day indeed as kids come to school and find out what happened.  The next few days are kind of a blur.  The funeral is scheduled for Thursday, May 24th.  Some of the kids want to go to the funeral and some do not.  It is almost a circus getting permission slips for everyone, arranging rides etc.  I ask the principal what I should do as do teach a sign language class to hearing kids but also feel I need to go to the funeral with the kids.  I did not know how I should take the day away from school as I would be with my students that day and therefore working as a teacher.  The principal said she really could use the sub so I should take a personal day! TERRIBLE ADVICE "FOR SURE".

The end of this story is kind of crazy.  I took the day off to be with my students at the funeral.  When I received my last paycheck I was docked a days pay because I had taken a personal day and I had none left for that year!!!  Needless to say I was not a happy person.  I tried to contact the principal but she was out of the country at that time.  Finally I was able to talk to the payroll people and they agreed that I should not have been docked a days pay for being with my kids.  About a week later I received a separate check for the days pay.

So ended my teaching career.  Not the best way to say good-bye after 38 years.

I should add that we have Terry's leftover potato salad from Friday so for breakfast I fried a hamburger and enjoyed salad and burger.  What a way to start the day!

My FP is all gone.