We say good-bye to the month of March today and welcome April with the hope that it is very different than March!

A little like our shifter on our big Red truck on the farm
double clutch when you shifted

Three on the tree was popular in the 50s and 60s

shifters became better with newer cars

Ok here is shifter on our new car.
A bit different than the first picture.  You just push what you want
In addition you press the brake and then push the button--almost too new for me!

I think for the average Joe like myself cars are not too easy, and maybe not so much fun!  Stepping on the clutch of the Ford tractor was easy and fun.  Double clutching the Big Red was fun.  Now what fun is there is just pushing a button?  

Perhaps I mentioned this before but if I did not here it is again.  Two years ago Terry and I were in Toronto and rented a car.  I had NO idea how to start the car by pushing the button!  I finally had to to forget about any pride and go in and ask, "How in the world does one start this thing?"

So here I am today reading manuels and trying to figure out how this new thing works.  I THINK I will get it in the end but it may take a while.  I have read the manuel and followed the direction as to how to get the button to open the garage door but so far NO luck.  I am 99% sure I did it right!!!

Enough for now.

Here we are in April of 2020.  I dare not guess what this month may bring as we look back on March.  We have a bunch of special days this month.  We start with birthdays tomorrow with Lisa and Liam.  From there we look at Leo, Steve, Hannah, Mike and Coleen.  We also remember Helen/Mike's wedding and then we add, lastly, tax day, which is moved to July this year so forget that and last but most important is April 12, Easter.  I just read my calendar and there may be other important days in families as well.

As I walked out to get the mail this morning leaves were all moved into the road by a couple of feet.  That only means we got rain last night.  Reminded me of what I would do after a rain on the farm.  I would take off my shoes and then go out to the low spot in our driveway.  It was then FUN making ditches to drain the water off to the south.  Wait, maybe I am thinking too much of the past!

The summer that Ronald/Glorine lived with us while Ronald worked for the wildlife

I am not sure of the year--56-57-58???

I have many memories of that summer and most of them are really fun to recall, I said most.  Ronald had Dave and I help him fix up an outdoor shower, that was super.  I actually think Glorine was happy with it too as long as Dave and I stayed in the house while she was showering!  I think that is the summer I learned to water ski behind Ronald's boat.  It just was so much fun and special to have him around.  At eleven years older than I it seemed he went off to college before I was old enough to be around him much.  I have already talked to Glorine about that darn ketchup that she insisted making and it really did not taste like the real stuff!   However one of the memories that sticks in my mind that was terrible at the time but actually kind of funny now.  Ronald made a trailer.  I don't know where he got the wheels etc but he used plywood for the sides.  He asked Dave and I to paint it.  New wood and all it was a breeze to paint and FUN.  I have no idea what kind of paint we used but way back then I am sure it was oil.  We finished painting it in late afternoon and it looked really nice.  The next day we walked around to the north side of the house to admire our work and ugh!  Nates had invaded the wood and it looked like a kind of white trailer with black mixed into it!!!  I do not remember how we fixed it but I can still see thousands of nates sticking to our nice white paint.

I know we do not need any reminders as to how serious things are but I find this in the WSJ interesting.  Hopefully it will show things slowing down in the near future.

I decided to forgo breakfast this morning so just the delicious FP this morning.  I figure if I skip breakfast and go on a bike ride it may be good for my weight.