Good bye September 2020

 TERRY

We leave at 9:00 this morning for Terry's 9:45 doctor appointment for her left foot.  I am guessing they will take an X ray again to see if it is healing.  Our in  home  help is coming at 11:00 today and will stay until 3:00.  

Kim and her husband Dave stopped over yesterday as they are driving back today.  Kim's left leg is injured so she could not drive.  It was nice to see Dave as we had not seen him for some time.

FARM ICONS

Well here is the bridge that was just below the him as you drove out of our yard and drove north.  Yes, it is not really part of our farm BUT it qualifies as a farm icon as we spent so so much time around the bridge.  In the early spring when the snow melted in the hills to the south the water would be almost up to the under side of the bridge.  To the right the creek was just a bit wider and deeper than most of the creek bottom which meant late in the summer when the creek stopped running there was a pond of water that was there.  It was a place to try and find tiny fish and just play around.  To the left was our pasture as the creek flowed through the entire half mile of our pasture.  The bridge was kind of a place place where we would find things, throw stones, walk under the bridge and just spend time keeping busy doing nothing.  There was a wire that went from one side to the other and sparrows would often sit on the wire.  One game we played was to throw a stick in on the left side and then as it flowed under the bridge and appeared on the other side we would throw stones to see if we could hit it and yes, pretend it was a big ship etc!  As one can see the bridge is dilapidated now but way way back in the 50s and 60s it was not that way.  I would say Dave and I spent 100s of hours playing around it.  Today one has to say a prayer before you drive across it!!  As I look at the picture my memory is flooded with good times!

No it is time to get dressed and then get things ready for the doctor visit.

Kind of a busy week

 Terry

Not much to write about today for Terry.  She did get a phone call from the dermatologist and the appointment yesterday showed pre-cancel in the sample so she needs to go back in and get something taken off.  She has an appointment tomorrow for her foot, PT on Thursday and an appointment with her primary care doctor Friday.  Then going into next week she sees Dr. Cohen who will determine when the feeding tube comes out.  I know it may not soung like a lot BUT every time we go someplace it is added time to the trip with getting in and out of the car from the wheelchair.  So with three dr appointments in the next week and the PT which takes place at home it is kind of busy!  The PT therapist is very high on the fact that she feels Terry can progress and walk again and not too far into the future--we will see.

I played tennis this morning and will play again Thursday so I am getting some exercise.  

We now have Destiny, our new in home care person coming Monday-Friday.  She is a breathe of fresh air from the past experiences.  She seems kind, thoughtful, energetic and she wants to be of help.  A FAR CRY FROM PAST EXPERIENCES!

Three days until October 2020

 Terry

There is nothing new on Terry.  I have high hopes that PT and OT will again start up and that would be a big help.  I do feel that this last week I saw some of the Terry that I am used to seeing so for me that is good.  We will see how the week unfolds as there will be NEW in home care starting today and two doctor appointments AND we will see if we make any headway towards getting the feeding tube out so all in all I hope/expect to have a good week.

Here it is 6:00 AM and I feel like it could be the middle of the day.  Not sure that is a good thing but I am ready for the day to begin.  I am about 5 minutes away from my FP and that is a good thing.  I have several calls to make today and will do that probably this afternoon.  Our new "in home care" person comes this morning so the time will be taken up this AM with that.  It will be interesting to see WHO comes.  After having 4 different people come from our last agency I have to admit I am somewhat nervous.  It almost makes Terry and I look like we are difficult people to get along with.

I do not have much to say this morning.  I may spend some time reading about Amy Coney Barret or as some news put it ACB!  

Terry just called so will sign off.

Sunday, September 27--lasts Sunday of the month.

 TERRY

There is no news about Terry today.  We have a new "in home care giver" coming tomorrow so we wll seen what happens.  Terry has two doctor appointments this week.  One on her foot Wednesday and one with her primary care doctor Friday.  We are hoping she can get the feeding tube out soon.  She has not had night feeding for the last 3 nights and there certainly in an up tick in her appetite and I think that is good.  As always I have high hopes for the week!

Sunday, July 15th, 1962

The summer is half over and it has not been all that great so far.  Dave graduated in May and just a couple days after graduation he put his belongings in his car and headed out to see the world.  That left Helen and I home with Mom and Dad.  There was plenty of farm work to do BUT I managed to figure out how to make a one hole golf course that would be from the house to the ditch by the mail box.  ALL I needed was sand from the lake shore, a shovel to remove the top soil, a broken broom handle for a flag stick and then a small empty coffee can for the cup.  Oh, I also needed much of the old oil that Dad kept in a 5 gallon pail in the small shed.  When I asked to use it he asked what I wanted it for and how much.  He did say he used that to oil the chains on the combine during harvest.  I promised him I would not use all of it but I did need maybe 2 or 3 gallons to cover the soil before I put the sand down.  With all the material I needed I begin to plot how and when I could get the putting surface done.  I knew I would probably need to put the scoop on the Ford tractor and then get one or maybe two scoops full of sand from the lake.  I did not think I wanted to get caught doing that so here I was early on Sunday morning on the week we did NOT have church.  I had the putting surface ready as I had taken the soil off a circle of about 8 feet across.  All I needed to do was fill in with sand where the sod had been taken off and then mix the oil in so that no weeds would grow.  I had told Mom and Dad on Saturday what I was going to do so they would not think I was crazy when I started up the Ford tractor at 7 AM on Sunday.  It was a piece of cake as the scoop worked great and I was able to get a full scoop without making a dent in the shore line.  

So by the afternoon I was playing golf on my new golf course and also keeping an eye on the road to see who was driving up to the lake for a swim.  I was sure there would not be anybody coming to the lake that I knew but IF there were a lot of people I would bike up to the lake and bike around.

It had been a difficult summer without Dave.  Even though he had been working near Kulm for the last two summers it just seemed so so different that this summer was kind of final, he would not be coming back for school in the fall.  

AND I had another distraction as during my freshman year of high school I had found a girl friend.  Well that is not really correct as I was not looking for a girl friend but Jo happened into my life and yes I was too young BUT!  I was pretty sure she had kind of left me in the wake as the end of the school year approached and could I blame her?  Here she was in Forman with many friends both male and female and here I was 25 miles away keeping busy by stacking hay, picking rocks and pretty much isolated from school friends.  Anyway that is perhaps fodder for another time!  

The bottom line was I pretty much felt alone.  Somehow the rock picking was not ANY fun without Dave and all the activities we used to do together now fell on me.  Not that there was all that much work but to do it alone was so different and not much fun.  It renewed my desire to finish school and leave the farm behind!  Today my view is somewhat different but back 58 years ago things were different!!!

So the summer went by.  Anytime I could I grabbed my 9 iron and played MY golf course.  AND it was Jack N, Gary P and Arnie P who played and Arnie always won!  It made the last several weeks of summer go fast and that was good.  

Here we are the last Saturday of September 2020

 TERRY

Not much happening here in Naples.  I played tennis this AM as Terry was at home.  We expected Kim to be here through Monday but she fell and hurt herself and she will be going back to PeachTree City tomorrow so once again Terry and I are on our own.  Monday we will have new help and we have hope for that as we think it will be good.  More later but yes it is one day at a time!

I do not have a lot to say today.  Here it is 7 PM and most of the day is in the past.  Terry and I did watch much of the TV coverage of our new supreme court person who Trump nominated.  It is especially interesting for me as the gal Amy is part of our Christian Community People of Praise.  It will be interesting to see how things play out.

I am kind of on low energy tonight so not much to say.  I may write more tomorrow.  AND yes my FP is long gone.

September 25th, last Friday of this month!

 TERRY

There really is not much new to say about Terry.  We continue to have talks about getting the feeding tube out and about doing more home work on PT.  AS I often say it is one day at a time and progress is often seen in hindsight rather than in the present.  Onward to better health we are hoping.

I have been having trouble with my computer so this is all I have for today.  Maybe more later.

Kind of a busy day

 TERRY

Terry has two things going today.  First at 10:45 she has a nerve test at Dr. Vickers office and then sometime in the afternoon a person will come in to evaluate Terry for OT and PT as we are changing companies.  We will see how things play out but I have new hope as we get ready to start OT and PT with a different company.  They seem to be good but time will tell.  Terry has decided that she is ready to have the feeding tube removed and I am hoping that can happen in the next week or so.  Well maybe in the next two weeks.  I have not used the feeding tube the last two nights so we will see how things go.  Really one should go without the feeding for some time before the tube is removed as we need to be certain that she can eat enough to not lose weight.  Just call me Dr. Lee for the time bringing😐😐.  Actually we did have a PA in several weeks ago and she said we certainly could do some of the decision making on our own BUT of course getting the tube removed is actually a surgery and we will have to schedule that.

Kim came down for a week and came over twice yesterday.  She brought lunch and then made dinner which was very good.  She will come over for lunch today as we will probably be back from the doctor about 11:30.

I will bike over to the courts and play tennis at 8 this morning.  I had scheduled a 30 minute lesson for 9:45 but will cancel that as I will need to get back here and get ready to take Terry to the doctor.

FARM ICONS

Putting the house aside there was nothing and no place that was more deep in my soul than the barn.  There was just so so much work and fun that revolved around the barn.  As you look at this picture the barn of our youth was NOT like this.  After I left home Dad put the gas tank where we used to pull the hay rack up and throw hay into the barn.  Then he decided he wanted a garage for the car so he cut part of the wall out for that.  Given this was many years AFTER the barn had been used for much of the livelihood of the Lee family.  So I guess I should not be too upset.  Dave said that when the farm burned he had stored several things in it as they had moved to Iowa.  He said he had a brand new radial arm saw that had never been out of the box and it all went up in smoke.  Anyway the barn prehaps helped create more memories than anything else on the farm.  Some of them:

• Lying flat on my back on the far side of the roof and dreaming of the future was a favorite pasttime of mine
• Shoting sparrows at night as they lined the roof boards was a fun activity.  I am guessing many went past the sparrows and through the roof!
• If one wants to get sentimental one can remember milking the cows in the warmth of the barn in the winter with the lantern hanging on the nail behind the cows and squirting milk into the mouth of the cats was an art.
• throwin the rubber baseball against the south wall and fielding it like a major league player was so so much fun.
• Playing in the hay barn that was stacked high with bails OR just loose hay.
• playing tag with Dave on the beams above the calf pens.
• Cleaning out the SE pen after Dave or I forgot to turn off the water and we had to scoop out water!
• Playing with the young calves that were penned up after we took them away from their mother so we could milk them.
• Just climbing the light pole that one can see in the picture.  NO ladder was necessary.
• Playing with the MANY cats that we always had and for sure when the babies were born.
• AND AND AND

It goes on and on as the memories are forever years and years after fire destroyed the entire farm.  Enough for this morning as I need to get to tennis.

 TERRY

Terry is currently watching the Supreme Court on TV.  Not much new today.  I am waiting to hear from a phone call I made yesterday to see if we can again get therapy in as that has been lacking for some time now.  It is a matter of wait and see!  A PT is coming this afternoon to evaluate how Terry is doing.

Daughter Kim will come over this afternoon.  She drove down from Atlanta yesterday.  I THINK she may make dinner for tonight!  IF she does I promise it will be several steps above the tuna sandwichs that I make!  I am hoping she can come over tomorrow morning as I have tennis at 8:00 and then I NEED to get a haircut!

ICONS OF THE FARM

Yes, this shows the outhouse WAY past it's prime BUT it certainly was an icon on the farm and IMPORTANT part of the farm when all of us were growing up.  I am guessing that it fell into disrepair after Mom and Dad had an indoor bathroom installed which of course was AFTER I left home.  You can not see this but on the left side of the outhouse was a board that a person would put down when there was business to take care of.  The sign said, "BUSY".  There, of course, was a door that one would not really have to close as the sign said it all.  It had three holes and then there was plenty of space on the bench for the catalogs that were used for paper!  No, it was not used in the winter as we had a 5 gallon pail upstairs! But in the summer it was busy a lot!  Often Dave and I would do our thing at the same time and that was always a time to talk about life and yes it often went to "what will life be like after the farm?"  I will not get into the catalog pictures to share which pictures we would look at but just remember we were boys!  I can remember one time that Dad changed locations but just a short ways from the original one.  It sat near the fence to the pasture and just down the hill from it was our rock dam that caught fish in the spring when the water was up!  I would say that this picture kind of tells a lot about our farm.  Not ordinary, not modern, but it was a place that fostered a lot of love!  

And we have new hope!

TERRY

Alison from Preferred Home Care came this afternoon.  Her company provides home care, no medical services.  I knew, when I opened the door, that we had someone who was on the ball.  She came with flowers for Terry and we had never met!  She knows her stuff!!!  We entered into a contract with her starting next Monday.  She will show up with her employee at 8:00.  We will have someone come in 8-12 Monday-Friday.  Both Terry and I are expecting good help.  Terry's daughter Kim will be here starting tomorrow and as in the past she most likely will be here in the late afternoon and make the evening meal. Alison also gave me the name of a person who provides in home therapy.  I called him and he said he would get back to me this afternoon or tomorrow AM.  We may be on a roll!  Of course time will tell.

I did get out and played tennis this morning.  It felt good to actually play a 90 minutes match.  My partner and I fell behind 0-3 but came back to win 7-5.  Just for the fun of it we then played a 7 point tie breaker and we won that 7-4.  At our level winning and losing is not all that important but for sure it is always a bit more fun to win!  I am far from being in tennis shape but every time on the court brings it a bit closer.

Terry has a doctor appointment tomorrow for a nerve test.  Not sure why we are doing that but Dr. Vickers ordered it so it must be important.  It will be interesting as Terry does have numbness in her hands and feet.  

We did not get out for a walk again today.  I think it has been several days since we had a walk, not a good thing.  Maybe tomorrow.  

This is short but is all for today.  The FP is but a distant memory of the AM and now as the day winds down not much is happening.  

A Farm Icon

OK so one can say "how can something that looks so run down be an icon?  Well the granary was very important on the farm.  Some things that it was part of:

• That was where the kerosene was stored in 55 gallon barrels from which we pumped out 5 gallons at a time to carry to the house!
• The room on the south west was where we had a tent like device with a bulb in and that was where the 100 chicks were put when the Fritz, the mail man, delivered them in the spring!
• As you walked into the front door the bin straight ahead was where the coal was put that we burned in the cookstove in the kitchen.  That went out the window when Dad took the cookstove out and put in the propane stove and then made his darkroom.
• It was under the floor where one could see the joist that we would spot a feral Tom Cat and Dad would use his 30-06 to put a stop to Tom Cats killing our tiny babies!
• It was a haven for exploring and shooting sparrows at night.
• It was where we stored the barrels of grease that made the machinery go.
• Before the small building was there it was a great building to play anti over at night with the rubber ball.
• YES THE FARM HAD MANY MANY ICONS AND THE GRANARY WAS CERTAINLY ONE OF THEM.

Monday, September 21

 TERRY

I waited to write today as Greg, a PA, came to the house this afternoon.  He was here for an hour and I am hoping somethings will happen this week.  Terry is about the same but still we have hopes that she will improve soon.  Tomorrow a gal will come at noon to talk about a new service agency.  I have high hopes that will happen.  More later.

Terry's daughter Kim could not get on a flight today so she will drive tomorrow and that is pretty much a days drive at 9 hours or so.  As I said Allison from Preferred Home Services is coming tomorrow and I have hopes that visit will put us on a better program.  As I write now Terry is napping on the couch.

On to Farm Icons

Of all the equipment we had on the farm our Ford tractor was the BEST.  It had a foot clutch which meant that it was so easy to shift so I think all of us kids learned to drive in at a very young age.  I remember driving it some when I was 6.  The Ford had a plow, a scoop, and a mower that all attached to the drawbar.  It was also used to pull the drag, the seeder, the manure spreader, the rock wagon, the grain wagon and more.  Some of the great memories with the Ford are:

• attaching the scoop and getting sand up at the lake for my golf putting service!
• plowing with the two bottom plow and stopping in our tracks as I hit a rock below the surface.
• driving around the hay field cleaning up the loose hay with the rack behind.
• pulling the rock wagon as Dave and I did our best to play games which made rock picking half way enjoyable.
• pulling the drag on the summer fallow land to kill the weeds
• the Ford with the mower was used a little less after Dad came home with a lawn mower in the back of the car which meant we did not have to mow the lawn with the tractor.
• mowing the grass along the road side with the mower that attached to the draw bar
• putting the scoop on and dumping loads of old manure on Mom's garden
• using the scoop with the scoop at a 90 degree angle to smooth out the barnyard on the south side of the barn so I could play ball against the south wall.  

I think every farm needed a Ford or such a tractor as the memories it created are priceless.

Here it is 4:30 and time to sign off for the day.  Of course my FP is only a distance memory at this time of the day!

Here we are only one more Sunday after today before we get into October!

 TERRY

Really not much to say this morning.  I would say Terry is the same.  Yesterday was a "non' day as we did pretty much nothing.  Terry stayed in bed most of the day and I spent some time watching TV with her.  I so hope that some things change this week.  Kim is coming into town tomorrow and that may cheer Terry up some.  She will be here for three days I think.

I really am kind of out of words and thoughts this morning.  There is nothing planned for the day.  I do have to do some laundry and catch up on some paper work but other than that I really don't know.  

As I write Terry is watching national news as the supreme court vacancy is of course the big big topic of conversation.  A change of direction!!!  I needed to wash Terry's bedding and also we were 2 days late with her shower so here I am a hour and a half later with bedding in the washing machine and Terry is on the couch feeling like she is clean!

AUGUST 11TH, 1957

It is Sunday and for Dave and I a day to play.  Harvest has been busy and we are maybe only three days from the finish IF the weather holds.  We have the wheat left on Jim's land down south and then just a small field of late barley to the west.  BUT today is FREE.  Unlike all of our neighbors we never harvest on Sunday.  At the time I felt this really pointed Dad towards sainthood as the commandment "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy" was something Dad took seriously BUT as the years passed I found my view as not accurate.  Anyway we have gone to church and arrived home to a promise from Mom that dinner would be ready shortly and it would kind of be our normal Sunday dinner of fried egg sandwiches with a side of dill pickles and a cold glass of fresh milk.  While Dave and I waited to eat we made plans for the day.  One of my all time favorite things was when Dad would hit fly balls to us.  He would stand by the house and hit the balls out towards the mailbox which was on the side of the road.  The grassy area from the road to the house and with the garden on one side and the driveway on the other was a perfect play to catch fly balls.  We debated how we could get Dad to hit the ball today as most Sundays after dinner he would take a nap.  As we sat down to eat I, in my  most convincing voice, asked Dad if he would hit fly balls to Dave and I for 15 minutes after we ate.  I figured the "15 minute" time frame may convince him to do it and of course knowing that IF he would do that we could prolong it up to a half hour.  Too our surprise he said he would and at that time I figured this would be a good day.

We were able to prolong our fly balls for 20 minutes but then Dad said that was enough.  So Dave and I had most of the afternoon to play.  We decided we would take the lawn mower and cut paths east of the corncrib for baseball and that would take most of the afternoon.  Dave suggested we ride up to the lake later as it was always interesting to see who was there.  At the age of 10 I was still too young to think about girls in bathing suits!!!  We did play by the corncrib and we did ride up to the lake.  On our ride we had a contest as to who could ride the farthest not holding on to the handlebars.  Of course we knew it was a no brainer as both of us would be able to hop on the bikes in the yard, turn out of our driveway to the north and then arrive at the lake shore a half mile away and NEVER touch the handlbars so really it was no contest.  It was going to be a fun Sunday.  I kind of thought the only thing that would make it a better day is if Ronald or Janet would come for a visit but I knew that was not going to happen this weekend.  Ronald has been home two weeks ago and Janet had also been home a short time ago.  

So ended the Sunday.  On Monday it was going to again be wheat and then barley hopefully on Wednesday.  After that it would be school in a short time.

A farm icon, the Jayhawk stacker

This is NOT ours but it certainly could be except for the wheels on the Jayhawk stacker.  Ours had rubber wheels.  We were the only farm for many many miles that still stacked hay.  Everyone else at this time was baleing hay.  For years before baling came into practice we had the highest and the larges hay stacks anyplace.  With Dad driving the stacker, Dave, Joan or Janet on the stack and me driving the Ford with the hay rack behind cleaning up loose hay we could take a hay field which was covered with small bunches of hay in the morning and by night fall have a clean field with one or two neat hay stacks sitting in the field.AND they would be the tallest and neatest stacks ever!   Later it would be hauling the hay home during the winter in the hay rack but in later years Dad was able to pay someone to move the entire stack which saved a lot of winter work.  To this day I wonder what happened to the Jayhawk as one time several years when we went past where the farm had been all the machinery was gone.  Times change and of course we always call it progress!

Saturday, September 19th

 TERRY

Some progress, maybe.  Terry did not have a good day yesterday.  For the first time she did not get out of bed.  I asked her if she wanted to get up, wash up a bit and go for a walk at about 8:30 and she said at that time she would like to stay in bed for a while.  I do NOT think it says anything other than she just had a day where her thoughts were about health and her inability to get up and walk.  I am hoping and expecting her to be up for a walk this morning, maybe later in the AM.  I did have a conversation with a in home care agency and I was impressed with our talk.  The lady is coming over Tuesday to talk and then we will make a decision if her agency is a good fit for us.  She did say that there are MANY things an agency can do that help in a situation like ours.  She said a person can get excellent meals brought in, meds can come in labeled by the day etc etc.  I am not saying we need those things at this time BUT it is nice to know they are available.  I did tell her we are fine with meals as at this time as I make a mean tuna sandwich with pickles and mayo that Terry loves!!!  Really I can do more than that but she thought I was pretty funny and it made for a "light" moment in the day.  I do feel that Terry's spirits have been down and of course one can not blame her for that.  I think getting outside will help today.

There are things down the road that will help.  Daughter Kim is coming back into town and said she will be here for dinner on Monday.  Now back on the farm dinner would mean the noon meal as supper was in the evening but that is not the case today as we city folks have different labels!  I have no idea how long she will be in town but any amount of time here is a help.  I also have high hopes that after Tuesday we can have a different agency on board and I feel that would help a lot also.

I have not been on the tennis courts at all this week but will go over at 9:00 this morning as there is that group that gathers every Saturday.  For the last two weeks the only time I played was a week ago and then we were cut short by the rain.  Will see who shows up this morning and what the weather is like.  I do not think it is supposed to rain.

No other plans for the weekend.  I do need to go to the store this afternoon but that will be a short trip. 

ONE OF THE FARM ICONS (it is not our truck but close to it)

First this is not our "big red" but very similar.  Big Red had a grain box on the back and we had a hoist that would tip the box up for unloading.  Some memories of Big Red:

• Big Red had a hoist behind the cab that would tilt the box for unloading.  To my memory there were no other farmers who had that yet our farm was pretty antique like.
• Big Red had a front windshield that opened on the bottom and one could crank it out for fresh air--pretty cool I would say.
• You had to double clutch it when changing gears.  That meant you pushed the clutch in to get it out of gear and then let it up.  Then you pushed it in again to put it in another gear.  Of course you did all that in one motion.
• The 100's of conversations Dave and I had were priceless.  They ranged from having a home with an indoor toilet (one of our goals), to moving away from an antique farm, to making money and having some nice things, to school and friends and of course it seemed that GIRLS often entered into our talk.  Well why would we be any different than any other guys?
• Driving to the Farmers Union meeting with no water in the system--not good!
• Driving to Halvors farm and getting hit by a neighbor who thought they owned the road.  I know if I I were to go over to Phillip's farm where Big Red is rusting in the trees I could show you the dent in the iron.
• I still can see our dog Tiny jumping our of my arms through the open window as we drove north on the road home.  She just jumped up and got into the cab again!
• When Dad took a load of grain to Geneseo to the elevator we always guessed how many bushels there would be.  I don't know who got the closed the most but I can say that the box held 4 combine hoppers which meant 200 bushels BUT because oats usually weighed more than 32 pounds per bushel there were times the count went as high as 225 bushels!
• I am sure there were MANY stains on the seat from eating chokecherries as we sat and talked.

As one can tell Big Red was an icon of the farm and was part of many good memories.  After the farm burned Dad towed it over to Phillip's farm and to this day it sits in the trees with things growing out of it.  Not really a fitting end to such a trusted icon.  Big Red, you served us well!

Here it is only 6:45 and I am pretty much done writing for the morning.  I am debating if I should eat before I go over to the tennis courts and have decided not to.  BUT the FP is still in my cup and making the start to the day a good one.

 

June 29th, 1957

 

Somewhat like our haying but not really

Somewhat like our Jayhawk but not really

You can get the idea BUT this was not like ours!

These pictures come about because of the title of this blog.  I will explain later.  Our Jayhawk stacker had a front end kind of like the middle picture but it was attached to the front end of our "M" tractor.  The top picture kind of gives one an idea what our stacks looked like.  The bottom picture is not at all like our farm but what it does is tells the story of putting hay into the hay barn.  Our barn was one story and we had a door on the north side.  With the Ford tractor pulling the hay wagon we would drive up to the door and pitch the hay into the hay barn as we called it.  

But what does this have to do with my title today?  Well June 29th, 1957 was brother Dave's 13th birthday and he had his mind on having a fun day.  So what did he find out when he got out of bed?  Dad said the hay was dry and we would be stacking today.  Dave was not happy.  He did not see WHY he had to stack hay on his birthday!!!  He and Joan were in the stack and I was on the Ford tractor pulling the rack behind cleaning up hay that got missed.  We were in the alfalfa field north of Rollof's ALL day but we did finish putting up the hay which meant it got up before any rain.  Rain on the hay would diminish the quality of hay for the cows.  I do not remember how Dave got to celebrate his birthday, if he did, but into adulthood even when he was so sick he would tall about the time he HAD to stack hay on his birthday and he was so mad!

Somewhere I have a fairly good picture of what our Jayhawk looked like as it was attached to the front end of the "M".  As one could perhaps guess pretty much all the pictures of the Jayhawk stacker are ones that were pulled by horses!  Why does that not surprise the Lee kids???  It is another way of saying that our farming methods were somewhat behind.  As we stacked hay everyone else was baling hay.  I could go on but will end here.

As I sit back this morning and remember the farm it is easy to see what and how the fire affected our entire family.  It was after the fire that burned EVERYTHING to the ground that Mom/Dad moved to town and then sold most of the farm.  What if we still had the farm land---an interesting thought.

Friday, September 18th

 TERRY

Finally Terry had PT yesterday after two weeks of nothing.  I think the therapist Mei tried to make up for lost time as Terry said it was a very good session.  Other than that I would say we are kind of in the same mode.  For sure we will get in a walk this morning after missing one pretty much all week.  I have a call in to a in home care business and am hoping to get a call back today.  If we could start Monday that would be great.

No real plans for the day.  It sounds like we are to have very warm and humid weather today.  I actually did some work a couple days ago.  There is a screen over the pool that is about 18"X48".  It can be taken off so one can clean the gutters.  I took it off to clean and also to repair as when we get rain it leaks big time.  I left the screen off so I can see the next time we get rain if it needs more work or if I stopped the leak.  Maybe this afternoon I will find out.

I am finding fun in some stocks I purchased.  I had a little money so I chose a couple of stocks that I think have an UP side to them but then what do I know---0!  Well one of the stocks is Tesla and I promise if I needed that stock for income I would be worried!!!  One day it went up $20 and the next day it went down $18.  Well I was $2 to the good but then yesterday it went down again so!!!  It will be fun to see what happens today.  Tesla is supposed to come out with some great news next Tuesday about batteries and then maybe I will regain my couple of $$s.  I am NOT an investor as most of my money goes to buying things I need!  But this has been fun just to keep track of it and watch it change from day to day.  Maybe, just maybe I use it as a distraction from our every day activity.  

I am now on my last cup of FP and here it is 8:50.  Just 40 minutes away from seeing if Tesla goes up or down😀.  I think Terry may be almost ready to get up and out for a walk.  Enough

Today would have been Marlys/Dave's 55th anniversary

 Marlys and Dave at different stages of their marriage.  The question is "Did Dave look better with a beard or without one?"  I do not know what years these pictures were taken except for the wedding which was in 1965.  By the looks of picture 3 I am guessing that was taken in the 70s by the looks of the clothes.

No doctor appointments for several days

👍That is related to the title today!!!

TERRY

Terry will get PT for the first time in 2 weeks!  She says that her right shoulder is feeling somewhat better after the cortisone shot.  She is not wearing the boot on her left foot much as she is usually in bed or on the couch.  Her foot does ache from time to time but not bad.  For sure it will change what she will do in PT this afternoon as there will be no walking with the walker.  So, as for some time now, it is one day at a time.

I made some calls about in home care yesterday because I know as the days go on my energy level is on low!   

I post what the kitchen looked like when I got up this morning.  One can see that it is a total mess so my energy level must be VERY low.  I am getting enough sleep but still feel tired most of the time.  It is way past the time that we need help to come in so I will work on that again this morning as we have no place to go for the next two days.

I need to register for mail voting.  We do want to vote and of course Terry will most likely still be in a wheelchair so it will be best to do it from home.  I am guessing this is a scary election no matter who you want to win.  

For some reason blogger changed the format for writing and it is driving me crazy as I am not used to it and often it goes where I don't want it to go.  

Enough for this morning.  Terry is awake so it is probably time to get her up for the day.  The morning can't be all bad as I have my FP coffee and for some reason it seems to give me new hope today!

I am thinking about Veblen this morning.  Mom and Dad lived there for the last 15 years or so of their life.  The old school building is not there any more but that is where Mom went to school through her sophomore year of school and that was all.  She sometimes would mention that she so wished she could have finished high school.  Dad went to Wood Lake country school through 8th grade.  The top picture is of the dairy farm just east of town where they milk 20,000+ cows 24/7.  The middle picture is of the gas station which is still there and open.  The last time Terry and I stopped in Veblen I talked to the guy working there and he mentioned Dad had taken their wedding pictures.

Other than memories of visiting Mom and Dad in Veblen my favorite memories are of Mr. Lein's business.  He had a building where he served burgers etc that he made and then there was a pool table there and several tables where people could sit.  IF you were there mid morning or mid afternoon you would see town men sitting at the tables shaking dice to see who would pay for coffee!  When we would visit Dad often wanted to go and play a game of pool and then order a burger.  I was and am a terrible pool player so Dad know who would win and maybe that was the fun of it for him.  I do know that Dave probably would beat Dad so maybe they only had a burger!!!

Veblen holds many memories.  Grandma Lee was in the hospital for about a month before she died.  Helen, myself, Dave, Joan and I think Janet was born in Veblen.  Starting my sophomore year of high school that is where we went to church as Bergen closed.  Grandpa Sampson and Jim lived there and Mom loved to visit them and would take Dave and I along.  Today the pillow factory, which was big, is closed and the cheese factory is also closed.  The lumber yard which was big is no more.  The Senior Citizen center that Mom and Dad loved to go to is no more and in it's place is a bar!  There has not been a grocery store for many years.  About the only thing that is keeping Veblen alive are the dairy farms to the east and to the west.  Between the two of them they milk about 45,000 cows a day!  I promise you those cows do NOT get ANY exercise.  I think those kind of farms should not be allowed but then what do I know about making money???

Late

TERRY

I waited to post as Terry had a Dr. appt this morning.  Her right shoulder has been hurting and she went in to get an X Ray.  It did not show any problem except maybe some normal wear and tear.  She did get a cortisone shot and some exercises to do.  If it does not improve there will be an MRI in 6 weeks but the Dr. was pretty sure it will get better with the shot and exercise.  So here we have Terry with GBS, a fractured left foot and a sore right shoulder!  I called again as no therapy and NOW they say some one will come Thursday.  We will see.  Mei, who has been coming has a baby who has been sick so I guess that is the reason BUT there should have been someone else to come.  Things like that do not make a person happy.

Not much else to say.  It does look like the rain has now stopped, at least for now.  4+" will make up for the shortage of rain they say.

No tennis planned this week.  I just have not gotten out or made any calls to make it happen.  Will see if the last part of the week is any better.  I have been tired the last couple of days as I think getting up one, two or three times a night is catching up.  I did get a little sleep this afternoon.  

I am out of words for today BUT I did enjoy FP this morning!

TERRY

With NO therapy last week I would say Terry is holding her own but improvement is hard to find.  Actually I would say that we certainly are better at getting in and out of the car and moving around but it is difficult to know if that is due to improved health or we are just learning how to do things.  She has a doctor appointment tomorrow to have an X ray on her right shoulder which has been bothering her for several weeks.  There just has to be something wrong with it as we try to be careful but still when she sits up or gets out of the wheelchair it is very bothersome.  We should know more after tomorrow.  I have to get on the phone this morning and see WHY there was no therapy last week after I was told they would be here Saturday AND that was after a call!  Another day and more challenges!

Eleven years ago today Gail died.  In some ways it seems so so long ago and in some ways it seems like yesterday almost.  As her life came to a close here on earth and she entered heaven many lives were changes forever.  Oh my how she would have loved ALL 14 grandchildren!

When I look back at the weekend I realize that I did not get out of the house for the two days!  That may be a first in my life!  Well we did have 4+ inches of rain so that may be some of the reason.  Yesterday there was rain most of the time.  I should bike over to the tennis courts this morning and see if they are fit for play.  I am not scheduled to play but it is amazing how fast they dry out for play. I just said I did not get out of the house for the two days BUT as I mention tennis I did get onto the courts for a short time Saturday BUT I did not go any place other than to bike over for a short time and play before the rain came.

So Terry should have some things on her plate this week.  Tomorrow the doctor's look at her shoulder.  Then she sees Dr. Vickers on Wednesday as he is her neurologist and yes there needs to be therapy in there too!  As for me I have nothing planned at this time.  

Cheryl who lives just around the corner and spent her professional life in Minnesota came over yesterday for a visit with Terry.  She brought over a huge piece of delicious cake also.  

I think I am out of words this morning.  I thought about writing more but I think this is enough for this morning.  I am half finished with my FP so I will sit and finish that.  It is only 6:05 and I think that is kind of early to get any work done!!!  Terry needed some attention at 5 this morning and I am hoping she was able to go back to sleep.  I do not hear anything so maybe she can get some more sleep. 

Oh my we are close to mid September!!!

TERRY

I am NOT a  happy camper so to speak.  NO therapy for Terry last week.  After I called Friday they said we would have PT Saturday but no show.  Sometimes one wonders about health care.  I would say Terry is holding her own.  Yesterday was Saturday and we just stayed home.  Today will be the same but am hoping for more therapy this week.  I will be on the phone tomorrow AM.  As I write Terry is either sleeping or just resting as I hear nothing.  She often does not sleep well at night so sometimes she lingers in bed in the morning.

It almost appears as if we are in the middle of a monsoon.  I emptied the rain gauge last night.  Here it is 9:20 AM and I just emptied the gauge again as it had 3 3/4" in it.  Weather says we are to have rain ALL morning.  I think it may be the result of hurricane season close to us but not sure.  As I look out it is almost dark and of course wet.

Sundays are often "think back days" so here is Cayuga Grade School I think in the year 1960/61.  Mrs. Fox, on the right, taught 5th and 6th while Mrs. Odenbret on the left taught 7th and 8th.  I wonder how many of these young people are not with us today.  Of course I have not kept up with most but I do know that at least 7 are not living today.  These kids today would be ages 69-73.

There are MANY stories of years gone past both long ago and some not so much.  Some are things that just affected me while others I was not involved in at all.  Some are:

• One boy, as an adult, was involved in a very serious accident as he tried to be a good samaritan.  The last I heard he was in a nursing home and bed ridden.
• One of the gals who was popular and outgoing had a terrible thing happen in her family and she became almost a shut-in as a result.
• One gal was the unfortunate player in a serious child/adult situation.
• AND one can guess that there are ones who are liberal+++ and others who are conservative+++
• Some went on to become very successful in their work while others struggled always.  I know that there were those who spent some time locked up.
• Some still live close to home while others ventured far away.  I would say the majority have stayed in North Dakota or close.
• I would say that IF one looked back at the grade school days and high school days and THEN looked at the same people today you would not recognize many.  By that I say they grew up shy or kind of loners but today are outgoing.
• I was going to count the kids in our room, the 7th and 8th grade room BUT I admit I cannot really remember many of the kids who were one grade behind us.  I just cheated and looked up in the high school year books.  That year we had 8 in our grade, 8th, and 6 in the 7th grade which means we had 15 in our classroom.
• Let's say this picture was taken in the spring of 1961 which would mean the students would range in age from 14-11.  Well I am guessing here the age range was maybe 11-16 IF you get my mind set!
• I would say that for myself these days of my life were good.  I do know that was not true for many of the kids.  On the farm we were money poor but rich in family while many in the picture were money poor and also very poor in family.  As I look at the group I doubt that any of the kids were rich in money but of course some had more than others.

Enough for this rainy dark Sunday.  I have finished my FP, which by the way did not exist in my life way back in 1961, and I am ready to clean a bit and get the kitchen ordered!

I took a deep breath and realized September is more than a third over!

 TERRY

Terry will finish the week with a doctor appointment this morning.  I am expecting it to be not long so I am hoping we will be home by noon.  I am also hoping that she may have PT this afternoon.  IF she does I am not sure what they will do as she has that left foot with a fracture on the outside.  I just feel that she needs the activity and I also think it helps lift her spirits when a therapist comes in to work with her.  We will see how the day plays out.

I had expected to play tennis this morning but Lee called to say he could not find a fourth player so that is out.  That means I will not get on the courts this week at all.  Disappointing but then life can be that way from time to time.  

I had a NOT fun time at the Honda Dealership yesterday.  I do not like to be away from Terry for long periods of time and that is especially true if I am away from Tarpon Cove,  Well it was time for an oil change and the dealership is about 20 minutes away.  I left home at 9:30 for a 10:00 appointment.  I arrived and there were two lines.  One sign was "service lane" and the other sign was "express" lane.  I did not know which one I should go into so I stopped about 25 feet from both.  I sat there for close to 15 minutes and nobody came to help.  So I went inside and the guy said it made no difference.  Well I asked him how long an oil change and tire rotation would take and he said an hour and fifteen minutes.  I asked if it could be somewhat shorter as my wife was home in bed and she could not walk so I needed to be home as soon as possible.  He said he would put a rush on the service.  After an hour and twenty minutes I finally asked when it would be finished.  The guy went back into the bay and said it would be 10 minutes.  Finally as my phone timer showed 1:46 I got into the car.  As I got on the road Terry called to see when I would be home.  I will make sure I do something different next time.  Terry was OK at home but still that was way too long.

Not much else to write about.  

This Bird of Paradise flower is one of 4 next to our pool screen.  They are very pretty.

Lake Tewauken at sunset

Lake Tewauken of the PAST

Lake Tewauken

Lake Tewauken today--no boat ramp when I was growing up!

For the sake of writing we will call Lake Tewauken a classic example of what many people may call PROGRESS!!!  These pictures are not ones that I took but they are of the lake.  In the 50s and 60s Lake Tewauken was a a gathering place for summer and winter fun.  There was ice fishing in the winter and in the summer there was fishing, boating and swimming.  Today, after the US government bought up the farms surrounding the lake  by using eminent domain, it is a wildlife refuge.  I do not think you can swim in it any more.  There is fishing and the surrounding area is for wildlife.

A FAR cry from the Sunday afternoons of swimming, water skiing and just having fun.  As I have driven around the lake shore on the east side ,which is where we used to go, there is very little signs of picnics etc.  I am sure that the ducks, geese, deer etc have a great place but for a lake to be the ONLY lake for miles and miles in North Dakota it seems kind of sad.  However I am so grateful that it was used for recreation when I was growing up just a half mile south of the lake.

A day of rest for Terry---no appointments

 TERRY

Terry was very tired last night.  Being in the car or in the doctor's office for much of 6 hours was just too much.  As I write she has gone back to sleep this morning.  I will need to wake her IF she is still sleeping at 9:15 as I need to get an oil change on the car and have the tires rotated.  I have waited perhaps 1000 miles too much so it needs to be done.  Terry does not mind me being 5 minutes away if I am over at the club or even to the grocery store but the Honda dealership is about 20 minutes away and IF something would happen and the car is not ready it is a worry of hers.  She does have another appointment tomorrow but I am hoping that is a short one.  

Not much else to say.  We are still going it alone in terms of Terry's care and so far so good.  I think we will need to get some help in as time goes on but for now I feel we are OK.  Again NO calls from therapy this week and it is more than disappointing.  When I get back from the car care I will have to call as here we are at Thursday.  Dr. Costello said she had ordered more OT but we have heard nothing.  It gets old as it seems a person has to continually call and keep on top of things.  It is as if the health care does not want to keep up services and maybe it goes back to insurance!!!

No it is time to sign off and get things going for the day.  I am sure Terry is going to want to wake up and then move to the couch before I leave.

Time to sip the last of the FP and get on with the day.

A rainy afternoon

We have had clouds all day and with those an inch of rain has fallen.  It has been a busy day.  Terry and I left the house at 8:45 for her 9:30 appointment.  After that we hurried home and 20 minutes later we headed out for her second appointment.  Finally we arrived home at 3:00.  Her first appointment gave us good news as there is NO need for surgery.  The doctor showed us where the fracture is and If it had been back on the bone maybe half an inch she would have needed surgery but as it is she has a follow up appointment in 3 weeks but we are expecting healing to take place in 6 to 8 weeks.  The afternoon appointment was not all that great and I will not get into what it was but I am thinking Terry is fine.  We did get a call later that said she needs to go in on Friday for a follow up but I really do not think it is anything to worry about.
So here we are at 4:45 and friends are bringing dinner at 5!  Terry said she is hungry and it is chicken so it should be good!
That is all for this afternoon.  I need to do some cleanup in the kitchen and also some bedding needed to be washed so that needs to come out of the drier and onto the bed.  I actually got about a 45 minute nap this afternoon.  Terry said I was kind of loud!!!  ANOTHER DAY AND IT IS STILL "ONE DAY AT A TIME"!

A busy day for Terry

TERRY

Terry has two doctor appointments today.  The first is for her fractured foot and that is at 9:30.  Then at 11:30 she will be at PineRidge Hospital for a test in which she is asked to drink a quart of water a half hour ahead of the test!  That in itself will be a test!  I have not heard from OT or PT this week and I was told that each would come twice so i suppose I will be on the phone this afternoon when we get back from the appointments.

We got 2" of rain yesterday as it poured for some time.  They say we have been dry but from what I have seen that is hard to believe.  Yes, I have never been here in the summer, or should I say early fall now, but really it seems like it rains almost everyday to some degree.

I have yet to get onto the tennis courts this week.  I was scheduled to play yesterday but with Terry's fractured foot I stayed home.  

I guess this is about it for now.  I may add some this afternoon after we find out what will happen with Terry's foot.

Labor Day 2020

TERRY

Terry continues to take life one day at a time.  IF there is progress it is very slow but she is a trooper.  She keeps her head high and tries her best to make progress.  There are some tiny things that she is doing that make life a bit more normal but I need not write about them!  I am hoping that we can start, this week, getting her off the feeding tube but that is MY desire and am not sure it will happen.  I do think that IF we could disconnect the tube and start the healing process after it is removed that would be a big step forward but of course we do not want to do it TOO soon as she needs nourishment to recover.  To remove the tube a doctor has to do that and it is a surgery as it needs to be sewed up.  As of this Thursday it will be 10 weeks.  So far we have been able to keep it clean and there has been NO infection but the doctor said that it would be great to get it out whenever possible as that is a situation waiting to start trouble.  Anyway we will see.  Terry has gotten some of her appetite back so that is very good.

Here we are at Labor Day 2020.  This is supposed to be the end of summer and I have heard that after Labor Day one is not to wear white pants!  I am not sure that makes any sense but I THINK I have heard that!  For 38 Labor Days I spent some of the day thinking about the new students I would meet for the first time tomorrow.  Now, for the last 14 Labor Days, I have thought about the fall work that needs to be done!  Not a word about students have I had.  For many years I thought about when to get the wooden screens off and the wooden storm windows on.  I have thought about what to do for the lawn before the first snow falls.  Etc Etc.  Now I have no thoughts like that either.  Putting storms and screens on is a thing of the past and as for the lawn--I am about 2000 miles away.  For today my only thoughts are how/when will Terry get better.  It is an all consuming mind set.  

Labor Day 1969

My mind was not on the day at all.  Here Gail and I were settled into our spartan like apartment on the second floor of Old Main at the North Dakota School for the Deaf.  We had NO kitchen but could use the one in the basement of the new building.  There was old furniture and for a bed we tied two singles together with rope!  We were a step above my farm life as we did have a toilet.  Anyway my mind was far from any of that.  Tomorrow, September 2nd, I would walk into my very first classroom of deaf students, a fourth grade class.  I knew all of them as I had spent 6 of the 9 months of my senior year of college at the school.  The class I was getting was a class no other teachers wanted.  There was Loren a red head with a temper to go with it.  There was another Loren who as a fourth grader already had the reputation of being one of the more ornery kids at school.  He later ended up in prison for a while.  There was Diana who had poor eye sight, NO ears and a deformed face.  There was Jim who at the age of 11 probably could not add 10 + 10.  There was Cheryl who was pretty much in Jim's corner and then there was Mary Ann who already was the flirt of the school!  There also was Roger who was my favorite student.  He came from a farm north of Devils Lake and  and he did not have the best memory but he just was a fun kid to have in class.  All year long I tried to get him to use the correct tense of verbs but for the most part I failed.  Then towards the end of the school year his dad came to pick him up early on a Friday so he came to the classroom.  He talked just like Roger!!!  End of case.   Remember I was supposed to teach these kids each day and after a year have them on their way to learning!!!  I had my ideas for discipline and I also had my ideas about how to control and teach these kids.  I am not sure how successful I was but much to my dismay the superintendent decided I should teach 5th grade the next year with the SAME kids!!!  

So one can see that Labor Day actually has it's name correctly as I pretty much labored all day for the opening of school the next day.  I made it through that first year with sweat, actually some blood, and many long long days and nights.  I always made it a point of getting home kind of early on Friday to be with family and this first year I lived for Fridays.  That is Friday at 3:30!  I did not follow all the kids over the years but I do know that the Loren with red hair actually went to college.

So here I am on Labor Day with few thoughts on my mind.  I want to take a walk with Terry and I want to see her feel better and have as good a day as possible when one can not walk.  Yes, it is one day at a time.

My FP is gone and the day has begun.

First Sunday in September of 2020--the 6th

TERRY

Wow, I missed posting yesterday but then not a whole lot has been happening.  Actually Terry missed her walk as well.  I played tennis at 9:00 and I guess that messed up out walk.  Terry did sleep again in the early morning so that also came into play.  WE will be sure to get out today.  One needs to get out kind of early as the temps have been in the mid 90s lately.  I would say Terry is about the same.  No therapy for the last few days and that does not help.  We will see what a new week brings.  I do know Terry has at least one doctor appt which is on Wednesday.  

Kim drove back to Peachtree City GA yesterday so Terry and I are again are on our own for a while.  We have not visited the topic of in home care for some time.  We will see how the next few days go.  Kim left enough food in the fridge for a few days and then we have had friends bring over food the last two Wednesdays so we are not starving!  Actually this may be because we are kind of old but what has become one of our favorite meals is a tuna sandwich with chopped up dill pickles and a tablespoon of Mayo with olive oil.  It is kind of funny but the tuna says "wild caught with pole and line and NO oil or water added!  It says "do not drain the liquid off"  Opps I have been doing that so maybe I will try it without draining next time.  I am so used to draining the oil or water off I did not even read it before just now!  If anyone is into Tuna it is called "Wild Planet" and we get it at Costco.  So one can see what my culinary skills consist of!  I am best at stirring things together and then serving them!!!  A FAR cry from the wonderful meals Kim would fix.

Oh my gosh it is just too too early.  Terry needed some attention at 3:00 AM and again at 4:30.  After that I just could not get to sleep so I got up.  I rushed to the computer to read about another Twins victory!

Not sure what we will do today.  Most likely will stay home and keep busy here.  I actually did get some work done yesterday.  The garage looked like someone went through it and ransacked it.  I torn up boxes that needed to be recycled and there were about 7 or 8.  Then I just straightened up some things and now it looks like normal people live here.  I also took the ramp for the wheelchair, which I had built for getting Terry in the car, and I took it apart.  Then I modified it and will use it for going in and out of the house.  There is only about a 3" step up but having a ram will make it easier.  Well I did need to get my woodworking skills into play just a tiny bit!!!

I have resolved to lose some weight.  I am about 15 pounds more than I would like and it shows up on the tennis courts.  Yes I am still dealing with playing in the heat but those extra pounds come into play in a way that I do not like.  I have a goal to meet by next Sunday, we will see how it goes.  

Monday, January 27th, 1958

It is my 11th birthday and Dad said I could invite my best friend for an overnight this Monday.  Larry and I are in the 5th grade and have become great friends.  (to this day I do not have a friend as special as Larry)  Mom often would say that she would make the meal of our choice on our birthday.  I had asked for fried spring chicken which we had in the freezer.  I am kind of surprised that I did not ask for venison burgers but actually spring chicken was about the best.  Mom always was super about making a birthday cake for us.  As one can see Dad was being silly but I promise that look on his face was actually real and that was maybe the thank you that Mom needed.  I did not get to invite Larry for an over night very often so I was one happy guy.  Mom had her homemade buns as well.  After we ate Larry and I played Monopoly and a game of Touring with the cards.  I had told Larry to be sure and bring something warm to sleep in as my room was COLD in the winter.  Larry was special in many ways.  The 5th grade was my second year in Cayuga school and I am being totally honest when I say that there were not many scholars in our class.  I am talking about boys now.  AND I would say that was true of the class ahead of us as well.  In Cayuga there were two grades in a room so as 5th graders we were with the 6th grade.  Larry and I went to bed kind of late and as the nails in the ceiling frosted over we talked and talked ourselves to sleep.  I promise you at that age it was NOT about girls but instead about school, baseball, friends and also about what we wanted to do when we were old enough to leave home.  I perceived my home life as not ideal and I think Larry may have had some of the same thoughts about his.  If I am wrong about Larry I am sorry.  In the morning we are up bright and early as the bus comes about 7:05 or so.  As usual Mom is ahead of us and she wanted to make the morning kind of special so she has pancakes with chokecherry syrup.  

I would say that for every time Larry came for an overnight I probably asked at least a dozen so this "for sure" was one of my best birthdays.  

One can notice how fancy our house is as one can see our light in the living room in the background! I perhaps should add that even tho, in our upbringing, we did not have a lot of money or fancy things I am so so thankful for what we had.  It was a wonderful life.  Also behind Mom's arm is a door that opened to the basement steps but behind that door was a hot water heater and a sink.  That was our indoor plumbing.  The bathtub--oh that was a galvanize tub that we brought in on Saturday night and put water in as it was placed in the living room.  Each person took turns with a bath and then when everyone was finished we carried it outside and dumped the water out!  One can probably note that for the most part I do not talk about "the good old days"

My FP is almost finished so will end my writing for the day.

The first Friday in September 2020

 TERRY

Terry has a doctor appt today at 10:30.  We have seen nothing new over the last few days.  We are still expecting and hopeful that this month will bring new health into her body and that she will be able to begin to walk again.  We will do all we can to make it happen.  

Not much new today.  Here we are looking at the beginning of Labor Day weekend and we do not have anything planned.  There were many many years when this weekend was the last of summer.  AND for many years it was the last of the "free" days as school would get into full swing on Tuesday.

In the middle of my blog Terry woke up and we decided to go for a walk before her doctor appt.  So here I am back and it is about 2:30.  

Temp is 95 today and I think they said it would be a record high.  We got back from the doctor and it was time for lunch so I made tune/dill pickle/salad dressing sandwich which we really like.  We by the wild caught tune packed not in oil and it is very good.  Of course that is almost the limit of my culinary skills!  I went to the grocery store to get some things and am home again.  I rubbed Terry's legs and am now ready to finish this and post.

I think Kim is coming this afternoon and will make a tator tot hot dish for dinner.  I told her that was a good idea but I already had my "hot dish".  

Once again this is a bit short.  Not a lot to say.  As I write Terry is taking a short nap.  I am hoping PT comes this afternoon but have not heard so that may not happen.  Anyway there is a lot one can do so will sign off for now.  I finished my FP a long time ago so!

SCHOOL OPENING OF 2006--September  5th

The morning sun was barely above the tree line as I drove the short distance to High Park Junior High.  I had in my mind that this would be the last year of teaching for me.  I had been in Deaf Education for 37 years and really I knew I could teach for another two years at least.  BUT that was not going to happen.  Gail had been sick and I just had this feeling that I needed/wanted to spend time with her.  With teaching, coaching etc that just was hard to do.  I had checked into retirement and knew that by retiring at the end of the year I would qualify for full benefits.  There was also the issue of my colleague whom I shared a room with.  She had been more than a pain in the side since she came to Highland Park two years ago.  It seemed that she had decided that she would not like me and it came across in many ways.  I was not willing to continue my career in education working in the same room as she was in.  Gail and I had decided that we could manage our finances if I retired but only if we or I did some things to supplement our income.  For the fall of 2007 and 2008 we worked the State Fair and had a great time and earned some needed money as well.  Gail went on to then work the 2009 census as well.  So I arrive at Highland Park on the 5th and had in front of me a book with the count down to the end of school which would be June 15th 2007.  The year proved to me that we had made the correct decision as relations during the school year were less than great.  My colleague even managed to get one of the students to go to the administrators and tell them that I was a poor teacher.  I will not get into that!  Anyway I remember that day as if it were yesterday.  It truly was the beginning of the end of a mostly fun career.  Sometimes when I sit back and think about our family leaving Devils Lake and the School for the Deaf I almost get regrets mixed into my mind but then I look at the over all picture and am very happy with our decisions and how things worked out.  So here I am today.  Thirteen years away from the fall of 2007 which is the first fall of my retirement.  Now my life is very different.  I am one blessed man.  I have a great life at the age of 73.  I have a wife who is wonderful and there is little to worry about for the time.  I am hopeful that Terry will get well and that all the kids and grandkids will be OK in this time of Covid-19.  I am so thankful for a full and long life.  I so so miss brother Dave and yes I also miss Ronald and Janet who left this earth a long time ago.  I am blessed and thankful  for Glorine, John, Judi, Ron, Joan, Marlys and Helen.  Even tho I miss those who have left us I am so thankful for those of use who are still living a full life and giving glory to our Lord.  I am hopeful for many more years and I look forward to more reunions with family.

AND we have tennis

TERRY

Terry had PT yesterday with Mei.  Terry is now at the point where she can stand, hold onto the walker with both hands and shuffle her feet forward as she moves.  Yesterday with Mei holding onto her back and me with the wheelchair behind her she moved about 10 feet, stopped to rest and then went another 5 feet before her legs just could not take any more.  I think Mei is coming again Friday and I am hoping we can do it again and maybe just a bit longer.  I emphatically say that she is a LONG way from walking but it certainly is a start towards that goal.  Again, I am hoping that by the end of September she can do that distance by herself.  If that can happen I will be happy.  Also I am hopeful that OT can continue coming now that it looks like PT can be twice a week that is very good.

For the first time this summer I have a 90 minute tennis match scheduled.  Not sure we will make it for 90 minutes as Ken will be playing for the first time since May and I am a long way from tennis fitness but we will give it a try and see how long we last.  At 9 the temp will be 82 with humidity at close to 100% so it will be drink and do not over do it.

Here is Terry as we fished in Alaska.  We ended up bringing home 33 pounds of salmon and halibut which gave us a lot of wonderful meals.  This was on our 15,000 mile camping trip to Alaska and western United States in 2015.  The fishing was great fun and the entire trip was wonderful.

Dave and I as we stopped on our way home on that trip to pickup the guitar that Dave made for me.  I admit it is NOT the best picture but as I scanned my thousands of pictures on the computer it brought back memories.

• Memories of shooting sparrows in the barn at night with our 22s.  I wonder how many holes in the roof we made?
• Memories of bike rides to Lake Tewaukon for an evening bath after working in the harvest field all day.
• Memories of picking chokecherries with Mom and then bringing them home so Mom could make jam and jelly.
• Late nights when Mom and Dad were gone and Joan, Dave, Helen and I were home to play games and get into mischief at times!
• Long days on the "M" and Ford tractors as we plowed the harvest fields in the fall before school started.
• Making wooden guns in the shop and then making sure we were the good guys as we ran around the farm playing cops and robbers while shooting rubber bands at the bad guys.
• Driving round and round the alfalfa field raking the hay into rows so we could bundle them and get things ready for stacking hay.
• Playing ball against the corn crib.
• Shooting hoops in the hay barn.
• Milking cows by lantern light in the winter time.  I still can see those cats waiting for a squirt of fresh warm milk.
• Playing with the new born kittens that were in the hay barn.
• Helping Dad shot feral cats that hid under the grainery.
• Working in the field by Rollof's and looking for the dish towel on the barn door which meant Mom had lunch for us.  I am sure Mom did not wash the towel afterwards!
• Lying in bed as teenagers talking about life, the farm, school, family, the future AND girls!
• Plotting to stay out of Dad's eyesight when he was in one of his silent moods.  IF he saw us he may have work for us to do.

The list could go on and on and on.  I miss Dave.

Here it is 8:00 and almost time to get ready for tennis.  I do need to take care of the feeding tube and get Terry's AM meds ready before 8:40.  I am down to the bottm of my second cup of FP which means one more to go!