This is it---last day of 2020 and I THINK everyone is ready for 2021

 TERRY

We are looking kind of good!  Terry is back to using the walker for more things and she even suggested that today when she goes to WT she use the walker!!  That is huge.  We will see if that is still true this morning as her appt is at 9:00.  IF she does use the walker to get into the car and then into the WT building I still will put the wheelchair in the car in case she is tired after therapy and wants to us the wheelchair.  Time will tell as it is now 7:30 and we will leave at around 8;35.  

Nothing planned for today in terms of a celebration to welcome 2021.  We have enough left over food to have a feast and then some so probably no cooking for me.  I thought about going out and purchasing a 1000 piece puzzle for old times sake but then said NO.  What is putting a puzzle together without siblings, without fried potatoes on the stove and no ping pong on the kitchen table???  I decided it is best to live in the present and just remember the past without trying to relive it.

OK so I just may quietly resolve in my own mind to change some things in my life.  I need not go into details here but it certainly would be a good thing if I changed in some ways.  

I do wish I had some pictures of some of the things we did on the farm during Christmas.  Things like what we built with the electric set and Lincoln Logs, some of the puzzles we put together etc.  Of course I am not sure IF Dad ever took pictures of those things but even if he did they would have gone up in flames when the farm burned.  Oh my I do not think of it very often but so so so much was destroyed when the fire swept over the farm.  As I look back over that time and the years following I know I would do some things differently but that was then but life is NOW so best to not go there too often in one's mind.

I had a tough time going to sleep last night.  Way too much going through my mind as I lay in bed with eyes closed trying to get my mind at rest!  Part of it may have been because I was exhausted yesterday I decided to just lie down for a short time and opened my eyes THREE hours later.  The nap was heavenly but I paid for it last night.   

I was excited when Aaron sent me this picture of his deer that he shot yesterday.  I called last night and it sounded like he had a fun hunt and he claims that my Weatherby shots to the mark.  He will have it processed and then am hoping they enjoy some good venison.  Of course it is always better when you have gotten the deer yourself.  Aaron is thinking that next year Leo will go with him as he has gone through gun safety and only needs to do the field shoot.  As I talked to him I relived many many memories in my mind of hunting in the North Dakota Badlands with Dave, Dad and John Mouw.  

No here it is 7:45 and I do need to do some things before we head to WT so will sign off.  I will finish my FP in the car as we go.

HERE IS WISHING EVERYONE A MOST WELCOME 2021 AND MAY GOOD HEALTH FOLLOW EVERYONE

In case people who read this forgot WT stands for water therapy!

Countdown to 2021 at 2 and counting!

 TERRY

As I write at 8:15 in the morning Terry is at least half finished with the paper.  There was a bit of work to do at 4:00 AM this morning as I had fallen asleep maybe at 9:00 and she did not wake me for any of her needs.  So there was changing of some bedding but it did not take long.  I tried to sleep after that and maybe I did for a short time but was up by 5:00 for the day.  Terry has nothing today and then WT tomorrow at 9:00 AM.  I tried to get it changed to the PM but they are closing at noon for New Years Eve. So I will get a rest from tennis for the day as I was scheduled to play at 9:00.  

Sonia, the in home care person, is here from 8:00-10:00 today which is different from her usual 10:00-12:00.  I was a bit lazy as I just left the soiled bedding for her to wash rather than do it myself when I got out of bed.  It is working well in my opinion with having her only for 2 hours a day.  She is kept pretty busy during that time and of course it reduces the expense to some degree as well.  

I feel like I am not keeping up with all that needs to be done around here.  In the middle of doctor appointments, fixing meals, keeping up with bills etc and the list goes on and on I often find myself trying to catch up rather than keep up!  It does not seem like it should be a big deal but almost on a daily bases it is.  Maybe I need to change something but at this time I am not sure what!

I do know one thing for sure.  January 2nd the cards need to be put away.  The HUGE tree needs to be put away and lastly the wreaths on the garage need to be stored.  I really enjoy the Advent season but for sure it needs to come to a close as we embark on January and the new year.  

I have not thought about a meal for New Years Eve or New Years Day.  Maybe it will need to be leftovers which is not a bad idea.  No cook stove to fry potatoes but that is not even important as there is no big table to play table tennis on or no Dave to play with!!!  Having said all that I expect Terry to get well in 2021 and for life to some degree become normal again.  Of course I always have high hopes and sometimes that is good and sometimes not so much!

No, here it is 25 minutes to tennis time so time to sign off and get dressed.  I sipped the last of the FP so the day should go well!

The 2021 countdown is now at 3

TERRY

Not much new for Terry BUT there was some progress yesterday.  For the first time in several weeks she used the walker to go into the bathroom.  The last time she did that was when she fell so we were careful.  She has a late water therapy today at 4:20 and that will be good.  After that we will stop at Lenscrafter which is close to the therapy place as one of the nose pieces of her glasses needs to be worked on and I am afraid if I try it I may break it. She has water therapy (WT) again on Thursday which will be the last day of 2020

I have 9:00 tennis today and that is about it.  Sonia comes at 10:00 today but we may only see her through Wednesday.  As I received the billing from last week I see where they added a holiday charge for her coming on the 24th!!!  IF that is true for the 31st we will go it alone that day.  It is what it is but I fail to see that both the 24th and the 25th are holidays.  Sonia has nothing to do with that as her boss Alison is the gal who owns and runs the company.  I would like to say I am not complaining but I guess I am to some degree!

Here is farmer Liam with his chicken house that he built over a weeks time.  It looks pretty impressive to me.  Also you can see half of his fenced in chicken yard in the background.  I am thinking the next time we visit we may be served "farm fresh eggs"!  I do not know if he designed it or had building plans but it looks like he did a great job.  By the way IF his dad were standing by him Liam would just be a tad taller I think!  As I look at the picture I can see that he has a ways to go before he is a farmer as those shoes would not work well in the chicken house or barn!  I think when he would happen to step in something sticky his foot covering would come off and the next step would not be good!

I will add a play station that they added in their yard.

The claim is that it is 3 feet into the ground and then anchored in cement so no need to worry about it falling over.  I am wondering if Audrey uses that stool to reach the bar?  If you were to watch Audrey on something like this you may think she is part monkey!!!  I am not sure WHO it is made for but maybe for the three Henry, Liam and Audrey.  I am guessing it is maybe a bit much for Elspeth!

Terry is awake and reading the newspaper.  I think that is a good thing.  I think she slept well last night in spite of sleeping much of the afternoon.  She may end up being tired after WT this afternoon.

I guess that is it for now.  IF I think of something to write about I may later but with my FP in one hand and the other on the keyboard I will sign off for now.

Here we go as we head towards 2021 in just a few days AND with high hopes of CHANGE

 TERRY

It is 8:20 and Terry is on the couch.  We both have decided that we just have to be more aggressive in terms of her walking.  For Terry it is a big effort BUT a person has to do what is necessary.  We put the belt around her waist and she has no problem walking the 25 or so feet from the bedroom to the couch in the living room.  Nothing today but it will be water therapy tomorrow and then again on Thursday.  My goal is to have her walk to and from the living room at least 3 times during the day.  More would be better and less is not an option!  Lately she has had a better appetite and that is a good thing.

So here we are in the last week of this year.  Terry and I have no plans for the week other than for her water therapy and my tennis.  We will have Sonia here for two hours each day.  Don't know if she will come on Friday or not.  A good guess is no.  

Our weather is somewhat warmer now.  As I write it is 55 and a couple of days ago at this time it would have been about 45.  It does make a big difference on the tennis court!

Not a whole lot to say today.  I will post a couple of pictures below.  In the fall of 2017 I went to Staples to purchase Terry and I calendar books for the following year.  I was not happy with anything I found so decided to make my own.  Our 2021 book will be the fourth one that I have made.  It is nice as in our books now we have all the birthdays etc and that is a good thing for us who are somewhat older!!!  Below are the books that we have used.

It has been nice to open the page for that week and see if there are any birthdays or important personal dates that week.  Making the calendar books kind of goes along with the hanging calendars that I have been making.  

So here it is 8:40 and I am finished for the morning.  I do still have some FP left so will enjoy that before I kind of clean up the kitchen as Sonia arrives at 10:00.

At 4 AM I do not like computers!!!

Here I am at the computer board wanting to still be sleeping but it is elusive at best this morning!  Nothing good happens in one's mind at 3 AM I am certain!  I tried to get more sleep but it just would not happen so here I am with really nothing but frustration happening!  This darn Apple desk top for some reason is on guest check in which means I can not access anything of importance.  When I go the the main check in it asks for an administrator's name and password.  I spent much of yesterday trying to get that or go around that or whatever and failed at each juncture.  So I am tied to the 10 year old laptop and anyone can guess what that is like.  I was able to find out that I have NOT overdrawn our bank accounts so that is good!  Anyway I am drinking FP at 4 in the morning to calm myself down.  Not sure that is a good idea.  I have come to the conclusion that not a whole lot of good things go through my mind at 4 AM.  No details here as it could get kind of "not good".  I resolve to wait until the sun comes up and then revisit some of those 4 AM thoughts.  I THINK I may have a better perspective when sun is shining through the window.

I have plans and hopes for the new year BUT decided to try and implement some of them starting today.  I am guessing that I may fall in the bottom 5% of people in the world in terms of being disciplined in my personal life.  So I have made NO New Year's resolutions but still 2021 just has to be better for me personally than 2020.  It is one thing to know what one needs to do but a totally different thing to actually do it.  I wish I had someone to blame for my failures but whenever I try to do that it seems I am in front of a mirror so go figure.

In looking back on 2020 all was not bad but of course there was that:

• Of course the front and center of most of the year was Terry.  In fact she started feeling not herself in late December of 2019.  So it goes without question that "TERRY" was my world for 2020.  I have high hopes that her health will return in 2021 and life can again be kind of normal.  BUT above all, for Terry, I desire and want her to be able to walk, to get around and to do the things that she did for all her life.
• One of the downers of this year has been my wood shop as it did not get used.  Maybe next year.
• A fun thing for the year was actually learning some things in the kitchen by making jam out of the produce in the yard.  That was fun and it was so fun to share it with others.
• I have been so thankful to be able to get on the tennis courts and enjoy that.  I will knock on wood but for some time now no injuries to set my game back.
• I would be remiss if I did not say I am so thankful that Terry was able to sell her property in Minnesota.  Actually that took place in September of 2019 but it spilled over into 2020 so I count it as this year.  That had been on Terry's mind for several years so what a relief.
• I look at my kids and am so proud of who they are and what they do.  I will take no credit for where they are today but I do think they had a pretty good start in life.  When I see the talent, the successes and the work that they do I just say, "Lord you are so good give me great kids."
• The kids lost their Grandma Saunders in February and the gathering around her funeral was so nice. It is always sad to lose family but really Grandma lived a very long life.
• Of course, for me, losing brother Dave was difficult so put it mildly.  Now, six+ months later I still miss him everyday.  What helps me some is I know that in the last months, or even more, he suffered so now he is well again.
• It was fun to spend time with family in June even though it was for a sad event.  To see and visit with John, Judi, Joan, Marlys and Helen was special.  We missed Glorine and Terry who could not be there.  The drive from Jamestown to Bergen cemetery reminded me of our drive from Kulm to the same place in October of 1964 as brother Ronald was buried in Bergen as well.

Of course 2020 was filled with much more too.  As we look back on it I know that for the most part we will remember and talk about the pandemic.  Stay at home, wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, wash your hands and the list goes on and on.  Terry and I have stayed away from it all and I hope that continues.  

Here I am it is now almost 5:00 AM and maybe I feel tired now!  

So I will sign off and then decide if sleep is possible or if there is something else I can do.  

Christmas in the past and now on to 2021 in 6 days!

 TERRY

I have nothing new to report about Terry.  For some reason she kind of has her days and nights mixed up a bit.  As I turned over to sleep last night she was wide awake.  Now, at 8:10 AM she is sleeping and I have been up for 2+ hours!  She did wake up about 11:00 last night and needed some help so I am not sure when she turned the TV off and slept.  I am getting pretty darn good at helping her during the night as I walk around in a half sleepy daze!  

Karl, a tennis friend who often makes court times, sent a text last night and said, "It is supposed to be 45 tomorrow so I am cancelling tennis".  Well I sent back a picture of a sad face!   As I  opened the garage door to get the paper this morning I thought MAYBE he was right!!!  Well I turned my phone on to look at the weather and it was 43 with a HIGH of 57 today.  He MAY have made the right decision!  So I will stay inside this morning and maybe get some things done.  

The temp in the house as I got out of bed was 72 so I turned it up as Terry likes it somewhat warmer than that.  

We did have a nice quiet dinner last night.  I made a garlic sauce to go with the standing rib roast and then sides of truffle infused mashed potatoes and of course the green bean casserole that everyone makes for holidays.  With the prep, the cooking time and the clean up it seemed like I lived in the kitchen all day.  Well if a person is a klutz in cooking like me it takes a LONG time.  Then I just decided that I had to get things cleaned up and it was nice this morning when I walked into the kitchen and all was clean with the "clean" light on the dishwasher.  I then thought back and was thankful for my efforts yesterday.  We now have way way too much food in the fridge.  Coming from a home of long ago where NOTHING went to waste I just hate to throw food away but I have my doubts that we can eat everything as the days pass.  Yesterday I threw away 1/3 of a meat loaf as it was 10 days old.  Terry is not comfortable eating food that has been in the fridge that long.   I am not saying she is wrong I just cringe anytime I throw away.

I am going to do my annual ritual this morning.  That is filling a large coffee cup 2/3 with FP and 1/3 with Irish cream and then sit back to reflect.  I reflect on blessing, on lost loved ones, on events, family and much more.  It is a mixed experience as over a short hour I know there will be smiles, tears and then some of those "what if" things as well.  OH, and then I will finish up with "Lord what should I do to become a better follower of you and how can I love and serve family and friends better?"  Somehow that always seems to get me off on the right foot as I approach a new year.  However I admit that I don't always stay on the right foot if you know what I mean.  

Before I pour that cup I will end with a short Christmas story that took place perhaps 65 years ago:

I think it was about 1955 or so.  Dad had been gone for several days as he had some health problems and had driven to a place in South Dakota for treatment.  Much of the preparation for Christmas had fallen on Mom and I can add that was not uncommon as Mom was the "go to" person in our family so often.  Being who Mom was she was excited that Dad would be coming home that day and then 3 days later we would have Christmas.  Mom was sure Dad would have some presents for all AND perhaps lutefisk as a bonus!  Sure enough on a cold cloudy afternoon Dad drove into the yard.  Actually I was the one to let people know as I had climbed on top of the barn to look.  I knew I would not be staying there long as my ears may freeze.  No covered ears for me so that meant maybe 15 minutes of looking and watching for Dad.  About the time I was ready to give up I spotted our car coming from the east and I just knew it was him.  SO with speed, only an 8 year old excited boy would have, I spread the news before the car came into the driveway.  Well we were pretty sure that Dad had gifts in the trunk BUT as he came into the house he had a brown paper bag and he announced that he had a surprise.  Well of course all of us kids were sure we were in for a special treat but when he opened the bag our faces fell.  There in his hands were some odd looking cone shaped things of different colors on the outside and shiny silver on the inside.  There were many of them and we looked at each other as if there had been some mistake.  Dad proudly announced that he had purchased reflectors for the lights on the tree and they were really beautiful.  One can imagine how excited us kids were!!!  Well it ended well as Mom was thrilled and as we put each one on the lights and turned the tree on I have to admit they were pretty.  Mom made a big deal of them and I know she was pleased.  Dad did make up for it on Christmas Eve with gifts that came out of the car trunk!!!  

Here I am pretty much finished blogging for the day.  I will now pour that special blend of FP and Irish cream and head to the living room to "remember".

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

 TERRY

Nothing new about Terry.  We have done some walking with the walker in the last couple of days and that is good.  As I write she is reading the paper and I am guessing the same as yesterday, meaning she may take a nap this afternoon BUT she did not sleep much yesterday.  We started out Christmas Day with a refreshing shower so I am hoping she can relax in bed, finish the paper and then get some more shut-eye.  

We have nothing planned for the day.  Well I maybe should not say that as I have standing rib roast that goes in the oven later this afternoon.  That along with mashed potatoes with truffle butter in should be a good Christmas meal.  OH, I am going to put in the oven a green bean casserole as I am guessing half of America will have that on the table so I do not want us to be left out!

Last night we had pan seared tenderloin with a side of roasted garlic potatoes and the meat was just wonderful as it melted in the mouth.  I tried something different with it and it was great.  I put a cast iron pan on high and waited until the butter started to smoke.  I then seared each side for two minutes and then put the pan in the 400 degree oven for 4 minutes!  A great way for tenderloin.

No tennis today but a fun match coming tomorrow as I opted out of the round robin Saturday and instead will play in a foursome which will be more fun.  

Of course today is a day to look back on Christmas Days of the past:

• Terry and I have had some fun Christmas Days together.  One year we drove to PeachTree City in GA to be with her family.  
• One year I gave her a one hour fly fishing lesson so we did that which was very fun.
• One year she gave me a full size inflatable kayak which was fun BUT we found out that it was so high above the water it was difficult to paddle if there was any wind.  We did use it several times.
• We had decided to have no gifts between us this year and in the past as well.  We just do not need anything and one wants to keep things pretty simple as we travel back and forth between MN and FL.
• I find, as I get a little older, that it is fun to recall Christmas Days of long ago.  I did dig up some pictures which date back as far as 1969:
• 
  

This is John at the age of 2 weeks.  We lived in Old Main at the School for the Deaf and our place had 12 foot ceilings so we had the biggest tree ever!

I am guessing this is perhaps 1981.  I do not know where Travis is but there are Saunders and Bindes there.

This must be 1981 with Cynthia sitting by our tree in St. Paul.

So pictures help one remember celebrations of the past.  Here I sit and have many thoughts going through my mind:

• I think Christmas is the one time of the year that a person misses the most those who are not with us any more.  AND yes here again I am thinking of brother Dave.  It is a long long time ago that we spent our last Christmas together but I still miss him today.  I am guessing the last December celebration we were with Dave is when we had ALL family in St. Paul in 1977.
• I think about the cold Christmas mornings I would hurry out of bed and run down the stairs on the farm where it was warm!  There I would stay either by the old cook stove or the kerosene stove in the living room.  We always opened any presents there were on Christmas Eve but of course on Christmas Day there was fun and games with new things.
• I think back on those days and then think about getting the paper this morning when I thought it was cold at 50 degrees here!  I looked at the weather in St. Paul this morning and it is -2 so I will stay warm here.  I see where in Mesa it is only 45 so am guessing Judi and John are staying close to the warmth as well.

So here we or I am on December 25th, 2020.  In a week it will be January 1st of 2021 and a new year to see what we are in for in terms of many things.  I do know one thing that will stay the same, that FP will be here every day.  AND I have saved some of it that is Kona coffee from Hawaii that Terry's daughter sent.  I have been saving it for the new year.  

I am hoping that everyone and for sure family and friends stay healthy and have a wonderful new year starting in a week.

Thursday and a week from now we will all stay up and say good-bye to 2020 and may 2021 not be so exciting!

 TERRY

Terry had a restless night but she has read the paper and is awake watching TV.  I do not know BUT if I were a betting person I would say she may nap this afternoon.  She did use the walker yesterday to get to the living room and back to her bed so there is progress I would say.  Six weeks ago I felt she would be walking with a cane by now but that darn fall did not help matters so now my goal is for her to be walking with a cane by the time I turn 74 in late January!

Here was my breakfast this morning.  I woke about 7:00.  I got the paper and took the sports section out to read and placed the rest on the bed for Terry.  I then made myself this sandwich and put the hot water on for my FP.  I had checked the tennis schedule and saw that I played at 9:00.  As I finished my sandwich it was 7:45 and the phone rang.  John said they were waiting for me!!!  Well I got to the courts at about 7:55 (I drove the car) and informed the guys that we were scheduled for 9!  Why they all showed up at 7:30 I have no idea!  Being we were really scheduled for 9:00 we were able to play into that time slot so we did get a full 90 minutes of tennis in.  Julius and I ended up winning 6-1 and 6-1.  It was one of those days when our shot landed just inside the line and theirs ended up just outside the line.  It did take me a while to get over a full stomach!!!

December 24, 1954

Dave and I scrambled out of bed in the dark as it was Christmas Eve Day and we were excited.  We had helped Mom make lefse yesterday so we knew we were in for treats.  Mom said, as we dressed and started for the farm that she would have pancakes with chokecherry jam on when we finished milking.  It was a quick milking time this morning.  Most of the time we would kind of dilly dally with the cats etc but this morning we were in a hurry.  It seemed just a short time that we were finished and into the entry way where the separator was.  Mom assured us that we did have cream from the day before so we would not have to use warm cream on the pancakes.  As we finished eating we kind of eyed the top of the cupboards as that was where the presents were.  We knew there was no use in asking if we could open then early as that had been tried in years past and it just did not work.  So Dave and I sat in the living room and planned out the day.  There could be sleding down the hill behind the out house as the snow was well packed and the ride down to the dam was FAST.  There was also the card games, board games and more to do.  Dad had said that we could open presents kind of late afternoon as we were going to Grandma and Grandpa Lee's for Christmas dinner.  We kept ourselves busy all morning and into the afternoon but we kept going back into the kitchen looking at the presents above the cupboards.  Finally about 4:00 Mom said the presents could come down and we could open them one by one.  As we opened them there were more puzzles, more games and some socks as well.  We were excited as the games were always fun.  After opening the gifts we piled into the car and headed to Grandma and Grandpas as Halvors were be there as well.  There we would have lutefisk, lefse and there would be one present for each of the kids.  AND we could count on several different kinds of cookies that Grandma made and it seemed like at Christmas there was NO limit as to the number we could eat.  After we ate and opened the one gift it was games outside.  There would be hide and seek in the buildings and even into the pasture to the south.  There was also a hill that we could slide down.  After an hour or two outside it was inside again where Mom, Elta and Grandma would have hot coco for all.  THEN, as the evening got long we would often get tired and want to go home but as one could guess Dad, Halvor, Grandpa and Elta were well into a card game so it was play more games until they were finished or curl up on Grandpa and Grandma big bed and fall asleep until the adults were finished.  As we gathered in the cold car to head home Christmas seemed like kind of the best time of the year!

Here it is 11:00 and time to sign off but I do have that FP that was left on the counter when I hurried to tennis and that will be heated up and enjoyed for the rest of the morning.

Christmas Eve Day 2020

 

Benedict is 9 today as he, along with Jesus, celebrate birthdays!  We have a store here in Naples that ends their advertising by say, "My name is ------ have we met?"  Well to know Benedict you have to meet him. He is pretty darn smart, special, friendly and much more.  If you have never met him just wait for several years and read about him in the newspaper as he will go far!!!  Happy birthday Benedict from Grandpa Lee and Grandma Terry.

Countdown to Christmas is now at 2 and counting!!!

 TERRY

Terry did well at water therapy yesterday.  The therapist encouraged Terry to walk with the walker at home.  Much of the time was spent with the therapist working on Terry's legs and feet under water.  The next session is next Tuesday which is the 29th.  As I write it is 7:45 and Terry was awake an hour ago but now is sleeping again.  I will encourage her to walk, with the walker, to and from the living room today.

Ginny and Tom who have been bringing a weekly meal to us for several weeks came yesterday.  Again it was a meal that was very good and as a side there was a plate falloff homemade cookies that should last a long time IF I can keep my hands away!  With their meals and then the 3 that we get in the mail each week we have MUCH food in the fridge.  Those meals that come each week are from "Hello Fresh" and I have to say they are just outstanding.  We get 3 a week and they all come at once.  In the box there are 3 paper bags with most of the ingredients and then underneath covered with frozen material are the meats if there is a ground beef or pork or something other.  Each time Terry and I eat we both say to ourselves that they are just very delicious.  We get the meals for 2 but we easily make them go though two meals.

We are starting a cooling down spell here in Naples weather wise.  Today and tomorrow we will be in the mid 70s but then Friday and Saturday we are looking at a high of 57 and a low as low as 41.  For Naples that is cold but I have no complaints.  

I need to go through the recipes for Friday's meal.  I do NOT want to be caught in the crowds out and about shopping before Christmas.  I think I have everything as the meal will be minimal at best BUT I hope it will be good.  As for Christmas Eve I have no idea what we should have.  Maybe same old, same old leftovers from the fridge!  I should go up north a few miles as there is a store that pretty much has everything but IF they were to have lefse of course it would be potato lefse and I would leave that in the store.  I say that and actually one can hardly if at all taste the difference but I need to be true to Mom.

December 23, 1962 (58 years ago)

As I get up in the morning I have a smile on my face.  I am looking at TWO weeks of no school.  I turn over to dial down the electric blanket and then lie on my back staring up at the frost covered ceiling where I can see the roof rafters.  I kind of wonder WHY Dave and I agreed to trade rooms with Joan and Helen years ago.  The east bedroom has dry wall on the ceiling and walls where the west bedroom has NOTHING.  I am sure Helen is much warmer than I even though she has no heat either.

I quickly get out of bed, dash to the toilet in the hallway and then sprint back under the electric blanket.  We have church at 10:00 in Veblen so there is no hurry to get out of bed.  My clock radio shows it is 7:45 which means I can linger in bed for a long time if I wish.

My mind goes back to Friday night.  We are well into basketball season and so far it has been good.  I have not gotten to play much as we have a very good team and I, as a sophomore, am kind of low on the list so to speak.  Still the thrill of being on the varsity team and being part of that is fun.  There are 3 sophomores in the team John, Dan and I.  I miss my friend Larry but I am sure he will be on the team next year.

Then still as I toss and turn without falling back to sleep I think about Christmas.  This will be the first Christmas with just Helen and I home.  Sure, siblings will come and go at some time during the two weeks of Christmas vacation but that is a far cry from playing ping pong, cards games and more with Dave.  At this point in time Dad has his dark room built so the kitchen is a totally different place than in years past.  I even say to myself that I will kind of miss our Bergen Christmas Program as this is the first year we have been in Veblen for church during Christmas.  I think about how much Mom enjoyed putting on the program and I feel kind of badly for her as she has seemed kind of lost the last few weeks.  Especially on Saturdays when we used to practice way way too long!!!

AND I still can not fall to sleep as I think about where I will be next year at this time.  I have decided to enroll at NDSU in the fall.  Coach Newman encouraged me to talk to the football coach at Jamestown College as that was where he had graduated from and he felt I could play there BUT it was a teacher's college and certainly I would never be a teacher!!!!!!   

In my sleeplessness I then do one last memory of what Christmas used to be with siblings home, presents on top of the kitchen cupboards etc etc.  Then I drift off to more sleep before Mom calls up as it is time to get ready for church!

I did finish my FP this morning!

December 22nd, 2020

 TERRY

Terry has water therapy this afternoon.  I would say she is doing about the same.  Her spirits seem to stay good which is a blessing.  Her water therapy is only once this week so her next one after today is in a week.  I am waiting for the results of her MRI but guessing we will not get it for a few days.  Her knee is still bothering her but it does seem better.

I had tennis at 7:30 this morning and it was a strange strange match.  My partner and I went ahead 4-0 and then lost the first set 4-6 which of course means we lost 6 games in a row.  BUT then we came back in the second set and won 6-1.  Go figure!  I guess that is tennis.

No real plans today.  I do need to get some financial things taken care of but that is it.  Around late December is the time that a few things need to be paid at the club.  AND guess what--things go Up each year!  Sometimes it makes a person wonder if it is worth the money one puts into things.  

I am out of ideas as to what to write so will sign off.  As I finish writing it seems to me this may be a day that a nap is in order!!!  Then that FP may keep me going for some time!

Monday of Christmas Week

 TERRY

I am somewhat late with this blog.  Terry had an 8:45 appointment for her left knee MRI.  We arrived home about 9:40 and then our in home care person came at 10:00 today.  We are trying for 2 hours now so will see how that works.  It will be interesting to see what the MRI shows, if anything.  Terry does have water therapy tomorrow afternoon.

I cancelled my 9:00 tennis so that I could take Terry to her MRI and then we had rain so there was no tennis at this time.  Karl then scheduled a 3:00 match so I did get to play.  That sun at 3:00 was difficult but the match was fun.

Here we are only a couple days from Christmas Eve.  Hard to believe that we are that close to 2021.  

Not much to say today.  I do need to jump in the pool and then the shower before I make dinner.  Our in home care person made the meal that comes in the mail and we are having it a second time for dinner tonight.  

I would like to write some kind of true story but am just not up to it tonight so will sign off for the day.  AND yes the FP this morning was very good and it kept me going most of the day.  I am out of words, out of energy and out of time!

We are now into the week of Christmas which happens on Thursday night and Friday

 TERRY

Nothing new on Terry.  She did wake up at 7:45 and is now reading the paper.  She seems to be at a good place today.  She just asked for some chips and a ham sandwich which is unusual as she often does not want to eat until noon or so.  Not sure why but to me that is a good sign.  I suspect she will nap today as I know she was awake late into the night.  At 12:30 AM she needed the commode and as I tried to go back to sleep she had the TV on and seemed wide awake.  We will see as the day goes on.

I have nothing planned for the day.  I may not even go out today and give the car a day off.  It is good to have a day without tennis as this body tells me.  I have been playing six days a week and perhaps that is too much BUT really I am pretty confident that I have upped my game to some degree.  Yes, I have days that are better than others but overall I am happy with my play.  Now I say that and it sounds like tennis is REALLY important in my life and it is to some degree BUT to just get out and exercise is a fun thing--well winning makes it more fun I have to confess.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 20, 1964

As a small beam of sunlight peeks through the frost covered window I open my eyes and glance at the clock radio sitting on the chair beside my bed.  As I glance at it I also think, "kind of a funny night stand" It is 7:45 and I realize there is NO hurry to get out of bed.  We are now going to Veblen for church and it is at 10:00 AM today.  I turn the face of my clock radio so that I can see the thermometer on the chair and see that it reads 15.  Yikes, I am glad for my electric blanket that keeps me toasty warm.  After a few minutes I open my eyes again and staring up at the ceiling I see that all the nails that keep the shingles on the roof have about a half inch of tip showing and ALL are frost covered as they make a pattern on the ceiling that would be very nice IF it was not so darn cold.  I see the clump of clothes on the floor and I judge that when I get out of bed it may take me a minute to get dressed and down stairs.  That is IF I do not need to use the 5 gallon pail in the cube that serves as an indoor toilet.  I know I can get a piece of hard lefse as I hurry downstairs so I am good with that.  But as I think about what is next I decide to try to fall asleep again.  After all I did get home late last night.  We played Ashley in basketball there which from our farm is well over 100 miles.  We had arrived in Cayuga at 12:15 AM and Dad was not there waiting which I figured so I had walked to Grandma's house and she had given me the keys to her car.  By the time I arrived home it was past 12:30 and the house was quiet and as I entered I realized that Dad had turned down the kerosene stove in the living room for the night.  The house was not cold but it certainly was not very warm.  Helen had not gone to the game as the "B" squad had played and not the freshman team so she was in bed in the east bedroom.  So here I was still tired and reluctant to get up in the cold so I turned to the wall, closed my eyes and tried to get more sleep but really only THOUGHTS came to mind instead of sleep.

• My mind went to the basketball game.  Up to now it had been our best game as we went into it thinking it was going to be a challenging game but it turned out to be an easy win.  After posting a 15-5 lead at the end of the first quarter the only question was what was the final score going to be.  I felt I made amends for the game on Tuesday when our entire team was cold and I perhaps was the coldest.  We had beaten Lidgerwood but only scored 35 points.  Today we scored 47 and I led the way with 19 on a 7 for 10 shooting night with 5 of 5 free throws.  Assistant coach Newman even complimented me on a good game.  I was a bit upset as I sat the 4th quarter as we had a big lead.  Of course I should have been happy that others got to play but really it is no fun sitting on the bench as I had done a lot of as a sophomore and junior!
• 
  

My senior year

My thoughts then went back to my junior year.  We had a very good team and went to state and placed 5th.  I was the first guy off the bench but really coach Wohler did not believe in using subs a lot.  It was a fun year but it was not filled with a lot of personal highlights.  The class ahead of us was filled with good athletes and that made it difficult to break into the lineup but it was a fun season with an ending trip to Minot for the state.  I did not get to play much in the state tournament but did play some and scored some points which was fun.

My junior year

My sophomore year

Finally my basketball thoughts went back to my freshman year and sophomore year.  John C and I had led the freshman team to an undefeated season as freshmen and it was a highlight for me when for the last two games of the season coach Wohler asked both of us to dress for the varsity that year.  Then it was kind of a forgone conclusion that we would be able to make the varsity the next year.  It turned out that we did and also Dan J made it.  

So sleep did not come but still the idea of getting out from under the electric blanket and dressing in the cold cold room did not seem like a good idea so more thoughts came to mind.

• I thought long a hard about my social life.  Living 25 miles from school does not lend itself to much of a social life but then there was always the possibility of a girl friend!!!  I should add that more than once the 25 miles trip ended up to be a long trip with a family car that was 14 years old!!! My mind went all the way back to the homecoming dance as a freshman.  Then to my sophomore year where my social life was a -0 to put it mildly!  Then to the last half of my junior year when I started dating Gail.  Then to my senior year when I got back with the love of my freshman year as basketball started.  I say "love of my freshman year but that is of course not accurate.  At that point in my life I just wanted someone to pay attention to me.  I know it sounds weak but it is what it is.  Anyway I did engage in a social life the last half of my senior year!
• As I put basketball aside my mind turned to football which was the sport I loved.  As I have said in the past my senior year it was a bust but really running, tackling and downing a player put me in my most beloved element.  
• Of course I could NOT go to sleep without thinking and missing Ronald who had suddenly died in October.  That put a cloud of grief over our family and house for a long long time.
• From that my mind went to what I would be doing next year at this time.  It came to pass that the next year at Christmas I was home with 15 extra pounds on from the cafeteria at NDSU.  What is one to do when you are used to homemade bread, eggs, venison etc and then you go to a place where day after day there are maybe hundreds of things to eat?  AND there is no sport to run it off. I am happy and kind of proud to say by the end of my freshman year I was down to my normal weight again!
• As I came within seconds of a late sleep I did think about Christmas vacation.  Coach had put us in a holiday tournament in Fargo.  I am guessing we got invited based on our state tournament appearance the spring before.  We were scheduled to play Wahpeton in the first game.  They were a class "A" school.  Then in the round robin tournament Shanley was next.  We played perhaps our best game of the season against Wahpeton but lost a close one 59-62.  The next night I think we were tired and got blown out by Shanley of Fargo.  I would say this was an important game in some ways.  My best friend Larry came into his own and became one of the most important guys on the team and I upped my game and became kind of the go to person for the rest of the season.  
• As I finally drafted off to another hour of sleep my mind went back to what would life be like after high school graduation.  I loved sports and had no desire to go to college.  BUT I knew staying at home and living on the farm was NOT an option in any sense of the word.  So I was confused, upset and in a state of "what now".  

In ending this morning I want to say I think high schools today do a wonderful job of helping young people decide on a life route.  Way back in the 1960s there was nothing to help students.  Students and parents were on their own and in my case there was NO help from Mom and Dad and so I was on a solo trip that actually turned out fine but the journey was often rocky.  I would say that If I had my life to do over of course there would be some changes but I would also say I have NO regrets and am happy with my past.  Well I guess I could say that I was a little bit over the top in needing friends while in high school but all is well that ends well!!!  I kind of latched onto people who befriended me as I always thought, as a country hick farm boy,  who would be interested in me.  I do think some of that came down to not being all that proud of our farm.  It did seem that as a farmer Dad was kind of stuck in days gone by!  BUT I have to add, as I have said in the past, Dad was an exceptional  person and very talented in many many ways.  

My FP is long gone as it is now almost 11:30.

December 19, Saturday and second to last Saturday in 2020

 TERRY

In my mind yesterday was a "good Terry" day.  Early in the evening she decided she wanted to start using the walker again.  I said something like maybe tomorrow and she replied now.  So I retrieved the walker and she walked from the bedroom to the living room and then turned around and walked back.  She said her legs felt tired.  I had the belt around her and followed her with the wheelchair but today we will leave the wheelchair out of it.  I will be right beside her with my hand on the belt and we will try to do it AM and PM.  I would say that is a VERY good thing.

As I sit down to write I have retrieved the paper and read the car and sports section, I have my FP in hand and have enjoyed a slice of french toast with a side of two sausages and a glass of milk.  I think I am ready for the day as there is tennis at 9:00 and for the rest of the day I may just pick up here and pick up there as I tend to leave the house in carnage much of the time!!!  I might also tune in the TV at noon to watch football and then again at 4:00 when Minnesota vs Wisconsin game is on.  I have a feeling the teams I would cheer for will end up on the short end of the score so my TV watching may be short lived.  

Well I are looking at a week from now and at that time Christmas will be history and we will be looking towards the new year.  It does not seem possible that we are going to be in 2021.  It seems just a short time ago that many people were gearing up for what they thought may happen as they counted down the minutes to when we would enter into the 21st century.  Well I think none of the suspicions can into play but my goodness here we are 21 years later.  

I had a moment of reflection back in time this morning as I read the car section of the Saturday paper.  There is a long article about the new electric hatchback Ford mustang.  Without even blinking an eye I planned to get a scissor and cut it out to send to Dave.  Then I came to my senses and remembered he may even be driving one!!!  Well to make things clear I do not think that is true BUT.

I MAY get into the pool later today.  I checked the temp yesterday in the morning and then again in the late afternoon and it went from 72-79.  IF it gets up to the high 80s MAYBE I will jump in.  I know I have turned into a wimp as I am sure Lake Tewaukon never got  into the upper 80s in the summer and to us at that time it was really nice.  Does an old man really need warmer water?

Christmas Break in the late 70s-mid 80s

We really did not do any special things during the Christmas breaks when the kids were young but we did have a wonderful time.  The center of everything was around the fireplace where the kids would often sit and play games or eat.  The fireplace would be started early in the morning actually before the kids got out of bed and it would burn embers late into the night.  There were times when all I had to do to start it in the morning was get some paper and small wood scraps from the wood shop and put them in the still hot embers.  Then by the time the kids came down stairs we had a fire that not only was fun to watch but warm to be by as well.  AND of course many meals were roasted hot dogs, smores and much more.  Mom and Dad may even stay up later than the kids and indulge in a drink of peppermint ??? for a midnight drink!  Of course every year we would cover the dining room table with at least one puzzle and then after many hours it was a race to see who could put in the LAST piece!  Don't even think that anybody ever hide one piece until the last second!!!  Of course pretty much all of those Christmas breaks had that darn paper route in place.  AND around Christmas the papers were usually very big.  Of course the biggest paper was the Thanksgiving one that had MANY adds for the next shopping day.  I should add that there were also trips up to St. Kates campus which was only a block away.  There was a great hill to sled down towards the ice covered pond.  As the years went by things tended to change.  The older the kids got into more activities during Christmas.  There were SPA basketball games during that time as well as interests that older teenagers have If you get my drift!  BUT those days of course live on in the recesses of one's mind and provide many fun thoughts and often put a smile on one's face with just the memory.

Here it is almost 8:30 so time to get some tennis clothes on and think about biking over to the courts.  My phone shows the temp at 52 so a bit cool but warmer than yesterday.  It will be interesting to see who shows up and how things go this morning given what happened last Saturday.  I have half a cup of FP left so will savor that as I get dressed.  Terry is awake and reading the paper.  When I return from tennis we will do our first trip to and from the living room.

One week away from Christmas Day

 TERRY

Really no news since I blogged yesterday after her water therapy.  As I write she is in a restless sleep.  I do think she is almost mixed up in her days and nights as often during the AM and first few hours of PM she is sleepy yet as we finish our two regular TV nightly shows at 8:00 she is wide-awake.  So as we head towards 2021, and is seems to be at high speed ,we take one day at a time as I have perhaps said a 1000 times or more.  

As Sonia left at noon today she confirmed that starting Monday she will be here 10:00-12:00.  We will see how that works.  I think it will be OK and for sure our bank account will like it!

I played tennis at 9:00 this morning.  It can be a funny game.  My partner and I won 6-3 and then were ahead 3-0 in the second and before we could wonder WHY we lost 3-6.  

I have the TV on channel 940 which is holiday music.  It brings to mind many many Christmas seasons of the past.  Christmas certainly changes as one gets older.  When the family is young there is the excitement of presents, of Christmas Programs, of activities during Christmas break and the list goes on and on.  AND of course in going WAY back to the farm the memories are so vivid and all are good.  

• Of course near the top of the memories are the Santa Claus Days in Lidgerwood with the free movies and bags of candy and then shopping
• The Christmas Eves at Grandma and Grandpa Lees are fun memories.  Perhaps as I look back on those days now I appreciate Grandma and Grandpa more now then at the time.  I wish every little kid could have wonderful grandparents.
• I think of the Christmas programs at school, at Sunday school and even at the school for the Deaf as we would put on a Christmas program.
• I can still remember Mom and Dad going to the camera club Christmas party.  We knew they would be gone a long time so we could spend all the time we wanted shaking packages from on top of the cupboards!  AND yes after we were finished guessing what we were getting it often was time for Dave and I to get a pint of canned peaches from the cellar and share huge helpings of peaches!
• I still can see Uncle Halvor peaking through the window and then coming in the front door with his Santa Claus suit on.  AND it was the same suit that later in the evening Dad would wear as he went to Halvors place!
• Some of the best memories are of Dave and I playing ping pong on the kitchen table and frying sliced potatoes on the cook stove at the same time.  I think those potatoes dipped in melted butter were about as good as Mom's warm lefse as it came off the griddle.
• It was not really connected to Christmas but it happened around Christmas that memories of milking the cows in the cold winter nights.  The aroma of alfalfa hay, the glistening eyes of the cats wanting squirts of milk and the moonlight on the snow as one walked to and from the barn.

So here it is a week from Christmas and about 65+ years away from those Christmas memories and life is VERY different.  I am at a good place and happy but memories of loved ones no longer with us at times weigh heavily on the heart.  I am so thankful for the memories and so thankful for the goodness of them BUT yet the pain of lost loved ones lingers and somehow reminds one that life is precious and one should hold on to memories and life cause memories can fade and life can be fleeting.

So what am I to do as the day goes into the afternoon?  I may do some cleaning up, some picking up, some putting away and also make sure Terry is as comfortable as possible. 

Yes, the FP is of course long gone.

Here we are a week away from Christmas Eve

 TERRY

I returned from tennis about 9:10 and Terry was sleeping.  Now at 11:10 she is still sleeping.  I do not know if she was awake much of last night or not.  She does have water therapy this afternoon.  She actually does not like it that much but does say it helps a lot.  One day at a time, did I say that before?  I have talked to Sonia and her boss and we are now set for her to come in next week for only 2 hours a day. That will not only help with the $$ but really that is about all the time we can keep her busy.  I am happy about the change.

So here we are a week from Christmas Eve.  It is hard to believe that 2021 is so close.  We have settled on a low key Christmas meal.  Standing rib roast is on sale at half price so I will pick one up early next week for Christmas Day.  Of course everything will be low key.  I have printed out about a half dozen recipes for the side dishes but have yet to decide which ones to use.  Well it will only be Terry and I so I better not go overboard with food.  I do miss lefsa BUT I need to say sister Joan sent some but I admit I ate it too fast!  When ever I think of eating lefsa I can picture how Dad ate it.  Us kids would open the lefsa and spread butter on the entire thing and then roll it up and eat it.  Dad would roll it up and then before each bit would put a chunk of butter on the top and take a bite.  As I talk about lefsa I can taste and smell it as it comes off the lefsa grill and then with melted butter one takes a bite and inhales the feeling of Christmas.  IF I had remembered I would have taken things down here to make some.  Well I say that but I have NEVER made it and remembering how Mom struggled at times with it sticking on the rolling pin maybe I will never try it myself.  As I write about Christmas I am wondering if Dave, in heaven, has the ingredients to make sweet soup!!!  In my opinion it was awful but he and many others liked it!

I do not want to brag or anything BUT I do feel that given an ordinary day of tennis now my game is UP.  Tennis, like other things always has it's day of DOWN but over all I am pretty happy with my game at this point.  Can and should it get better---YES but at least it is still on an upward trajectory for NOW.  I know, in January I will turn 74 and I have read that one can improve in tennis until you turn 80!!  Well I did stretch the truth just a bit there.  It actually helps that I am playing 5 or 6 days a week.  NOW after I lose 10-15 pounds I will be unbeatable on the court.  Well if one believes that I have some land for sale in the Everglades!!!!   

As I write they have the pool fixed.  It has been broken for about 3 weeks.  I looked at the temp of the water and it is at 72.  I think I will not swim today!

Monday December 16, 1955

I am in a HAPPY mood today.  It is the first day of Christmas vacation and I have two full weeks of fun and games ahead.  We had our Wood Lake School Christmas Program last Friday night.  For some reason the teacher picked me to tell the story of the birth of Jesus.  Some of the 1st and 2nd grader gathered round me as I sat on the chair and without notes told the story of Jesus.  On the way home Mom, I think with a note of pride in her voice, told me she thought I was going to go on forever telling the story.  As she shared that on the way home I sat in the car behind Dad and could not cover up a slight smile as I felt I had done a good job.  But here it is Monday and that is all history.  Dave and I have a whole agenda planned out for the next two weeks.  Among the things to do are sledding behind the outhouse, playing basketball in the hay barn, playing card games in the living room, playing ping pong in the kitchen, drawing pictures and then covering the chalk lines with corn and of course there will be some chores to do as well.  Those darn eggs need to be picked twice a day and of course there is milking morning and night.  In addition to that it is up to Dave and I to keep the kerosene stove in the living room full of fuel.  That means at least a 5 gallon can of kerosene daily.  AND I can not forget there is FUN as Dad always takes us to Santa Claus Day in Lidgerwood where there is a free movie and a sack of candy when you leave.  That is the only movie we ever go to as it is free!  I do appreciate the sack of candy but they make it look better than it really is as much of the sack is filled with an apple!  BUT I know Dad will give each of us a few dollars to spend.  Then will be cruising Dallman's Dime Store for presents for everyone in the family.  So here it is Monday and we have an entire two weeks of fun and games mostly.  AND I should not forget that Ronald and Janet will be home for part of that time.  It is always special when they are home and for me especially Ronald.  When I grow up I want to be like Ronald.  He is smart, he does so many things and he is so good to Dave and I.  When I get big I want to be just like him.  I am sad about Wood lake School tho.  This is the last year and next year we have to go to Cayuga where there will be many many kids.  I hope they are nice and I hope I can do well in that school.  I admit Wood Lake School has been kind of easy as this year, third grade, I have the same books as last year.  What the heck, I can actually remember what I did last year and I always finish early.  AND then what happens, I talk and get into trouble!  Dave and I spend many nights taking before we fall asleep.  Dave thinks Cayuga will be a better school for us and I am nervous as I think there will be many kids and I am kind of shy.  

But life goes on.  The two weeks went way too fast and then it was onto the last 5 months of country school.  Over that time we walk to school for the last times as next year it will be the big yellow bus.  It is a time to enjoy, for the last times, throwing stones as fence posts, jumping in the ditches filled with snow, and kicking stones all the way to school.  Time changes things and we hope for the better.

I made changes in our our home care.  Starting next week we will have in home care from 10-12.  That will work well for us as we should be able to keep Sonia busy for a couple of hours.  My FP is history.

As we count down to Christmas-9 days to Christmas Eve

 TERRY

As I blogged after Terry had therapy yesterday there is no new news as of 8:00 AM today.  She woke about 7:45 and is with the paper.  She did say that she was a bit tired after therapy but it did not last long.  She was up LATE last night so I am guessing she may nap this morning.

I have tennis at 9:00 this morning.  The last two days it has been 7:30 so 9:00 is welcome.  Karl schedules Mon-Wed-Fri and those are the days with better players so it is fun as the better the tennis is the more one ups his game IF that is really happening with me!!!

I will go to the post office this morning as I want to mail the last of the Christmas things.  Then it will be just sit back and enjoy the Advent season.  

Of course it will be an Advent Season and a Christmas like no other.  

OK so now it is 2:00 PM as things came up and I could not finish this morning.  I did have tennis at 9:00 AM and I would say that over the last 3 days I have played the best tennis I have ever played.  I say that now and one can be sure that tomorrow the ball will land outside the line or my opponent will hit the ball at my feet with no chance for me to return!!  That is called the game of tennis where you can feel one day that you are a great player and the next day you go down to defeat big time!  Actually as I write I do remember yesterday and my game was not so good!!!  BUT I still hold to my comment that my game is on the UP.

I did go to the post office this morning with 4 small boxes and a letter to mail.  AND it was hard to believe but as I shut the car off it was 8:14 and when I got in the car again after mailing things it was 8:23!  As I left there was a line of 4 people so I guess I got in at the right time.  So for Christmas all is finished!!!

I did talk to our care giver this morning and told her that as of next Monday we will be going it alone at least for a time.  She was very nice and said if we are in need again at some time we can call her.  

Our pool is still out of commission.  For the third time I called our pool guy and he promised that he talked to the people and they are expecting the part to come in today and they will be out tomorrow.  That would be nice but as I look at the weather I am not sure we want to use the pool much with the temps in the 70s.  Yes, the heater would heat it up to a nice temp but of course that comes at a cost.  I am not sure but I THINK heating the pool for a month with the temps usually in the high 70s or low 80s may come at a cost of $100 or so.  Is it worth $3+ a day to swim for maybe 20 minutes a day???  Oh my I guess I do not have any problems if I am talking about that!

December is a great time for memories.  At this time I do not have a story on my mind but it may come later today!  

I did enjoy my FP this morning and I was able to finish it as tennis was at 9:00.  Enough for now.

A good day!

 TERRY

Terry had water therapy for the first time in a few weeks and she did a nice job.  The therapist said she did a good job.  When I asked if we could do water therapy at home she said we should wait for some time.  It was nice for Terry to get into the water again.  She has another session Thursday.

Well here we are about half through with December.  There are only 16 days left of 2020 and many many many people would say they can hardly wait for 2021!  I read somewhere today that a person said they were going to stay up all night on December 31 just to make sure 2020 goes away!!!

Not a whole lot from me today.  I would say I am tired.  I said that to Terry and she said "You say that a lot".  Well that may be true BUT for some reason I feel tired today more so than most times!!  Big deal, right!

I had an interesting experience yesterday that could only happen with these new cars!  I parked at the clinic yesterday as Terry had an appointment.  I knew I took the fob (key for the car) when I got out of the car.  When it came time to lock the car after I had Terry in the wheelchair the key was nowhere to be found.  I looked everywhere and nothing.  Well Terry had an appointment so in we went with the car not locked.  After about 20 minutes Terry was ready for her X Ray so I went out to the car to find the fob.  Well I knew it had to be in the car as I could start it etc but I could not find it.  Finally with the back door up and looking in the back of the car I found it in the handle that one uses to put the third row seats up!  How it got there I have no idea and that could only happen with these none keys but fobs!!!

I had one of my not so good tennis times today.  Tennis is a funny game.  Some days one can play as if you are the best and then the next day is not so much!  Today my partner and I lost both matches and they actually were not very close.  I would say if we played them 10 times we would win more often than lose BUT today it was down to defeat.  

It is after 5:00 PM and I just do not have much to say so I will say the FP has been gone for many hours!

Here we are on the third Sunday of Advent--December 13th, 2020

 TERRY

I would say Terry is the same.  It was very nice yesterday as friends Del and Jeanne came over for a short visit.  They have a condo in Tarpon Cove and they have a home north of Duluth MN as well.  I am sure it was nice for Terry to have someone to talk to other than me.  It is 5:30 AM as I write and Terry is quiet so I am hoping she is asleep for some time yet.

DECEMBER 11, 1955

As I lie in bed wide awake I want to make sure I do not wake up Dave.  I look towards the window on the east side of our bedroom and even in the dark I can see that the entire single pane of glass is itched in fancy figures of frost almost making the window look like an expensive stained glass window.  A fleeting thought goes through my mind, "What would it be like to have a nice new big house and a lot of money to buy Christmas presents?'  I heard Mom in the kitchen last night and it sounded like she was wrapping some presents.  The top of the kitchen cupboards have been pretty empty but maybe, just maybe, when I get up and go downstairs there will be some surprises there.  Mom had said last week that we should NOT expect much for Christmas but then she added, "Your Dad and I will make sure we have enough to eat!"  That sounded like my Mom.  I turn towards the wall and shut my eyes to think about the day, my life and this antique farm we lived on!

• I thought about yesterday.  We had spent TWO hours at church practicing for the Christmas Program which was only a week away.  Mom said on the way home that we only had one more practice left (I silently said to myself GOOD) and we still had much practice ahead next Saturday as she was not happy with a couple of the songs that we would sing.  Only much later in life did I come to appreciate how much work and love Mom put into the Christmas Program AND how much fun it was for her.  So only one more practice and then the program on the 18th.  I wondered why Mom made me be one of those shepherds again for the third year in a row.  The goofy looking robes we had to wear were beginning to look and smell old!
• After I decided "poor me" and the program my thoughts went to other places.  I wondered WHY Ronald and Janet could not spend more time at home.  They were both away from home.  Janet was a senior in high school and Ronald was in Ellendale going to college.  I though I do not want to go to college BUT I do not want to stay on the farm either!  Janet was in Lidgerwood staying with the Pop family and it just seemed that she should come home more often.  Then I thought if I were her maybe I would not come home too much either.  BUT the thing about them coming home was ALWAYS a visit from them would make Dad smile and be happy.  Even if he was in one of his "silent" moods it would always end if Janet or Ronald came home.  Then I thought for sure they would be home for Christmas. 
• More thoughts came to mind as I failed to fall asleep again.  Dave and I had stayed awake for a long time last night talking about many things.  As this stage of life "girls" were not a topic!  BUT the BIG thing was Wood Lake School.  Dad had gone to a meeting about the school last month and he said it looked like maybe the school would be closed.  My heart sank when I heard that.  We often went to Cayuga for groceries or repair from Kiefer Brothers and I knew what Cayuga School looked like.  It was a big brick building and I had decided I did not want to go to school there.  I knew that when I finished 8th grade maybe I would have to go but then Ronald and Janet went to Lidgerwood so maybe I would go there.  I thought about ALL the kids going to school there and I had NO interest in being part of that.  I was good at Wood Lake as I had a classmate in Dauyane and that was enough!  Then I thought IF we had to go to Cayuga maybe I would have to have a 4th grade spelling book and I had all the spelling words memorized from the book that I had for the last two years!  I put the thought of going to town school out of my mind as I shut my eyes tighter and tried to sleep.
• Then I heard Mom in the kitchen and thought maybe I could get out of bed without waking Dave and head downstair.  One reasons for that thought was the hard lefsa in the stairway that I could always break off a piece as I walked by.  Also IF nobody else was up maybe I could sit and talk to Mom for a while.  She was a lot easier to talk to than Dad.  Maybe she would understand why I did not want to go to school in Cayuga.
• As I opened the door to the kitchen with some hard lefsa in my month Mom gave me "that" look and said I had better not eat all of it as we needed some left for supper on Christmas Eve.  Mom reminded me that there was no church today and if I wanted I could get dressed and get the milking done.  I thought that is not much of a reward for getting up early!  

AND so the day went on.  The milking was done.  The hay rack was pulled out into the barnyard for the cows.  But most of the winter day was spent around the kerosene stove in the living room playing games with Dave.  By early afternoon Mom said she was finished in the kitchen so Dave and I quickly put extra leafs in the kitchen table and played ping pong.  Dad had to interrupt us by telling us the stove needed more kerosene or else it would go out during the night.  I had an awful thought.  I thought that may not be a bad thing as our room upstairs had NO heat and it often was in the single digits temp wise and maybe, just maybe, if we had no heat for a while downstairs Dad would cut a hole in the ceiling and let some warm air up!  As I think about those days it may have been a good thing that I often did NOT voice my opinion!  As Dave and I got older Dave DID often gave Dad his opinion and that sometimes led to the two of them not really getting along all the time.  BUT I add I think Dave did the right thing!

So the winter of 1955 came and went.  The powers to be decided that it was time to close Wood Lake School and so the doors were closed on the last Friday of May in 1956.  The big yellow bus started that fall and continued to come for years and years to come.  I have probably said this before with a different figure but I am guessing over the last 9 years of school and with sports I sat in that big yellow bus somewhere between 55,000 and 60,000 miles.  Now I will add that coming back from football or basketball was not always bad but will not get into details.  To this day I do not want to ride a bus.  Here in Tarpon Cove the tennis pros put together a trip to a professional tennis tournament each year.  It is on the east coast which is about 100 miles.  I will not go on it!

Here I am finished for this Sunday.  It is about 6:30 and the bedroom is quiet so I hope Terry is still sleeping.  It is Sunday and no tennis so I treated myself to a little Bailey in my FP.  I will now sign off but I may extent my writing by sitting and reflecting on life for a while more.

I admit my sugar cookies that I made yesterday are NOT perfect but Terry said they tasted very good!  Not sure If I will decorate them as Terry said she likes them best without frosting.

As we count down to the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 it is December 12th

 TERRY

There is nothing new with Terry.  It is 7:45 as I write and she is in bed reading the paper.  We are looking to next week as she has TWO water therapy sessions and then a doctor appointment for her finger on Monday.  That means she will be out on three different days.  I have hope that 2021 will bring her back to good health.  My goodness she was taken to the hospital April 2nd which is a long long time ago.  Please keep her in your prayers that 2021 will be a good time for her.

I am going to venture over to the tennis courts for 9:00 play.  IF there are enough guys I would just as soon come home as two days off would be good but we will see.

These masks could make life interesting for sure.  We are supposed to wear masks when not playing tennis.  Well I had forgotten and left mine on the bike handle.  Someone, in a nice voice, asked where my mask was as I walked away from the courts.  I politely said I had left it on the bike.  Another player was walking by and said, "Just wear the @*@X mask and shut up!!!  Nice, right?  I would not defend his actions BUT I think he had just lost his match so!!!!

I think I am going to make sugar cookies today.  I do NOT have a rolling pin but I think I can find a bottle that will roll the dough out to 1/4".  I just think I have to do something that is Christmas.  Well I do have a tiny tree up with an Advent candle ring and use it but is just does not seem much like Christmas around here.  Well the bad thing is after I make them who will eat them?  I think I know.

JANUARY 20, 1955

It is Thursday and it has been a FUN week for us kids.  Snow starting falling Saturday night and by Monday morning there was NO way we would get to school.  The roads were totally blocked in all directions as far as one can see.  After Dave and I finished milking this morning I put on my boots and coat and went out to the barn.  I was pretty sneaky as I got out the door without Mom making me put on my cap with those darn ear flappers!  The snow was piled by the barn at least 3 feet so it was easy to climb the pole and get to the roof.  I made a path on the roof to the top and over to the west side and the sight was amazing!  All one could see was snow snow and more snow.  Dave and I have had a great time as it is now Thursday and we have been out of school all week.  It has been sledding down the hill north of the outhouse, shooting sparrows in the barn, shoveling snow off the basketball court by the barn, playing Touring Card game and much much more in the house.  Dad actually had the Ford tractor out as we needed to move the hay rack into the yard for the cows.  We were lucky as the storm had been forecast and we had the hayrack full of hay from the field by Rollofs.  Finally on Thursday we heard someone coming up the road from the south.  It was the county truck with the snow plow on the front.  It came up from the main road south and then at the lake it turned around and came back.  Here it is coming back for a second run that will make the road passable.  However there still is the driveway that Dad said has to be worked on before we can get the car out to the road.  Dad said we needed to shovel some but he would drive the Ford tractor back and forth to make a path.  Dave and I did not really get his logic as WHY did anyone need to go anyplace???  We had enough food to keep us for a long time.  If nothing else we could live on eggs!  At this time we are getting about 20 eggs a day.  Well it does help when we get a crate full and can take them into Benny Flash to sell but it would not be the end of the world if we could not do that.  Mom kind of scolded us yesterday and that did not happen often but I think Dave and I can get a bit loud at times as we play ping pong on the kitchen table or marbles with the empty shells on the floor.  As for Dad he seems content to sit in the rocking chair by the kerosene stove in the living room and read his photo magazines or his gun magazines.  As Dave and I hurry out to the road when the plow comes by for the second time we kind of realize that our FUN days may be numbered now with the roads open.  AND of course we do know that the hay rack is almost empty and we will need to get that Ford out and drive to the hay field to get another load.  Dad will do the driving as he thinks we are not responsible enough BUT I would disagree with him on that.  Anyway Thursday is here, the road is open and life may kind of get back to normal today or tomorrow.  AND I am sure there will be school next week.  I am thinking it will be fun to walk to school with all the snow!

Here it is 8:22 and I need to get dressed for tennis and out the door in a few minutes.  My FP has me awake and ready to meet the day.

End of week 2 in December 2020

 TERRY

I posted last evening about 5:00 so there is nothing new about Terry.  As I write it is about 7:15 AM and I think Terry is sleeping.  The next big thing for her will be next Tuesday when she has water therapy for the first time in maybe 3 weeks or so.  Well I have mentioned she does get her hand looked at Monday and I think that will be important.

So here I am having gotten up at 5:15.  Terry needed some help about 4:30 and by the time I got in bed again I was wide awake.  I tried my best to sleep but it did not come so up it was.  No breakfast this morning before tennis which is at 9:00.  I somehow have to get much much better at passing the fridge without opening it.  This staying home much of the time and not much of importance to do lends itself to stopping at that darn fridge way way too often.  

We will have Sonia here again today as she did not come yesterday.  With us leaving at 9:55 for Terry's evaluation at water therapy there really was no reason for her to come.  

Those darn pictures that John M sent and then I put them on the blog yesterday got me into the "times of the past" mode.  I do not mind those times most of the time but for some reason yesterday it was not a good thing.  I have many many memories of our Christmas times on the farm so I probably better brace myself for some rocky days ahead as those memories come and I promise they are good BUT with them of course there is much sadness too with Dave not with us this year.  I do not have a lot of memories of Ronald and Janet being home for Christmas.  Some but not many.  When Ronald went off to college I was only 7 and when Janet left I was 9.  IF I remember right I am sure Janet spent time at home around Christmas but really she was in Lidgerwood much of the time as she boarded with the Pop family.  

We still do not have the pool fixed but when it does get fixed I am not sure how much I will use it.  With temps in the 50s/60s at night and mostly 70s but some 60s during the day heating it becomes an issue.  Regardless it does need to get fixed and soon.

NO this picture is not about me.  It is about MOM.  When her brother Jim died Mom got a small amount of money from his estate.  Well Mom NEVER had money so what does she do with the money that she got?  She gave each of her kids a sheep skin throw!  As one can see ours was pink!  This picture was taken in our very first place we lived.  It was Old Main at the School for the Deaf.  The building had been the girls dorm but when a new administration building was built Old Main was vacant for many years.  It had 12 foot ceilings and the electricity in the building was pretty iffy!  When one went to turn on the light in the bathroom it was 50/50 if it would go on or not!  We paid $90 a month and that included everything like heat and lights.  In the winter I could go down the stairs into the basement and there was a tunnel that connected to the school building.  It also led to a kitchen in the basement of the administration building which was the ONLY place we had to cook as the place we lived in was large but NO kitchen!  So during my first year of teaching we had MANY dinners prepared on a one burner hot plate!  The pink throw is no longer with us but it lasted many many years as most of the time it had it's home on the piano stool.

So here it is 7:45 and time to stop.  Terry just asked for the paper so she is awake and ready for the day.  I have another hour+ before tennis.  My FP is gone and I am ready for the day.