Here we are at halloween of 2021

 TERRY

Nothing new about Terry.  As I write it is 6:20 AM and she is sleeping.  As I left the room I made sure her covers were on again so I am hoping she keeps them on until she wakes up.

There is nothing planned at the Lee house today.  Well if you call making cinnamon bread a project I guess there is something happening.  For some reason Terry came up with the idea that she would like cinnamon bread.  She thought the recipe was in a stack of file cards we have but no luck.  I then took out a cookbook made by her family and there was the recipe.  I am not sure I am capable of making it.  The recipe states that towards the end of making you run a knife through to marble it.  To me it sounds a bit difficult to run with a knife as that is dangerous and then marble it!!!  I am not sure how making bread then turns into marble???  I will give it a try later today after I get my "running" shoes on!

I woke up and got out of bed at 5:30 this morning.  I have read the huge Sunday paper already and now after the blog not sure what to do.  I feel like I am running on empty and it is only an hour into the day.  Not sure what I am going to do as the day goes on.  After the bread is made I will take my running shoes off and maybe, just maybe, take a forenoon nap.  Some of it depends on what Terry does.  She has been sleeping in the last few days so will see what happens today.  

I guess the season is back in full swing as we now have neighbors on both sides again.  I guess I will have to revert back to wearing my swim suit that I purchased last year and ditch, for the time being, the one that is 70+ years old!!!

We have one week left of daylight savings time and then next Sunday we turn the clock back.  This week the people who play tennis at 7:30 will be hitting that little yellow ball in semi-darkness for a few minutes.  I am not sure what times I play but maybe I should get my headlamp ready in case it is 7:30!!!  

Aaron comes down to visit this coming Friday.  I am looking forward to that.

I am pretty finished with gifts for the year.  There are a couple left that I need to take care of.  There are two gifts that I am giving that I am pretty excited about.  I can not say who they are for or what they are as sometimes people read what I write here but I promise it will be so so much fun to give them.  I am not sure why but I just find giving gifts to people is really fun especially when I can come up with good ones.  I assure you the two I am talking about will be very fun!!!

November 2, 1961

It was a Thursday and one of the few times I took the regular bus home after school.  Football was over and basketball would start the next Monday but both were far away from my mind this day.  As Dave and I got off the bus and hurried into the house we saw that Dad had most things ready to go.  Deer season in North Dakota opened at noon the next day and we were planning to be there.  We would stay at Dad's friends place.  Sam had a ranch in western ND and our family had hunted there a few times.  This was the first year I was old enough to go along and hunt and I was excited.  I could not decide what I was most excited about.  Was it the prospect of shooting a deer?  Was it the prospect of being with my heroes (Ronald & John) along with Dad?  Or was it just being with the guys and getting out of school for a day?  Regardless of what the reason was by 5:00 we were ready to go.  Dad had the guns in the trunk of the car. We had our red clothes also.  AND then there were the bag of food that Mom had packed for us.  I could almost taste the candy bars, the fresh baked buns, the sausage and apples.  Dad, Dave and I were leaving from the farm and Ronald, John and their friend Dick were leaving from Kulm.  We arrived at Sam's ranch late at night on Thursday as deer season opened at noon on Friday.  From stories Dad had told we could expect deer meat for supper on Friday and then eggs and deer liver for breakfast on Saturday.  Dave sat in the front seat with Dad as we left and I sat in the back seat.  I thought to myself, "There is NO other place that I would rather be now than with Dad, brothers and heading out for a hunt.  I thought  to myself, I wonder if life will always be this good?"  As anybody would know life would NOT always be that good but to soak up life at that moment was the best!

The hunt turned out to be super successful.  By Sunday noon we had our limit of deer and were ready to head back home.  Of course we had NO idea that we had just experienced the last hunt with Sam.  In the future we would go in John' red truck pulling his camper and set up camp in the badlands for a few days.  Those were fun times as well.  But back to my first hunt.  It was a time of "first experiences" that made a permanent impression on me.  It cemented that idea that guys getting together for a common cause and spending time together is something that everyone should be able to experience.

Fun times, good times and times that are forever remembered as "life is good". Notice one HAD to put the deer on the car so the racks could be seen!!!  Not to brag, just to show that we knew now to hunt!!!

Another picture

A picture  of the grade school cheerleaders in Cayuga taken in 1960.  From left to right is Gail who died at the age of 62 of breast cancer, Collen who died at the age of 61 in a car accident, Peggy who is still living and Pat who died in her 30s of breast cancer.  I would say quit unusual for sure.  I am thinking Chic Saunders took the picture but maybe Dad, not sure.  

End of story and end of my FP so I will sign off for the day.  As I do that it is 7:10 and still dark outside.

TERRY

I got up at 6:20, covered Terry as she always kicks her covers off and now sit at the computer at 7:50 and Terry is sound asleep yet.  I do not know if she sleeps well at night but often, as time goes on, she sleeps a bit later in the morning.  She always kicks her covers off so I usually cover her in the middle of the night as well.  Last night it was 1:00 AM.  We have nothing planned for the day.

Thirty years ago Aaron's high school soccer team was getting ready for the state final on the 31st.  Many of us remember October 31, 1991 as we had what is now called the Halloween Blizzard which dumped feet of snow, not inches, overnight.  I will recall more of this time 30 years ago tomorrow!

Here we are with only today and tomorrow left of this month.  It seems to me that this year, 2021, is just fading way too fast into history.  Terry and I have been in Naples now for well over a year with no trips or visits back to MN.  It just does not seem possible that tomorrow will be Halloween, then in a short time Thanksgiving and before we know it Santa Claus will be here.  I know it is way more important to say the birth of Jesus will be here!  We kind of start with Halloween as we head into the last days of a year.  For sure we usually have candy left over from Treaters and then it is time to buy turkeys and then into Christmas.  Now with tennis 5 or 6 days a week the time just flies by.

I am undecided if I will go over to the courts this morning.  Rusty has set up two courts for Saturdays and people just show up and play.  Usually we play four games and then switch partners.  I have played tennis a lot this week and I just may skip today but some of that may depend on what Terry does.  I would like to get my flu shot but I am not certain that Terry should get one.  Her doctor was not suggesting either way so it will be up to Terry.  One of the problems now is her strength is so low getting in and out of the car may be an issue.  As I say that I remember Terry telling the story of her and Norma when Terry was a Minnesota Senator.  Norma was her office gal and right hand helper for sure.  Terry tells of the time in either January or February during the winter carnival on the spur of the moment I think both she and Norma put on their coats and headed outside as there was a sliding hill on the capital grounds.  Now I may have some facts mixed up but I do know that dress coats, nylons, dress shoes and all went down the hill!  Actually sounds kind of fun I would say and something Terry would come up with back then.  AND you can bet that Norma would go along with whatever Terry wanted to do!!!

I took a trip into the kitchen to get more FP and as I peaked into Terry she is sleeping yet.

As I mentioned earlier the Halloween blizzard dumped MUCH snow in St. Paul.  I remember we did have the paper route at the time and it took us 3 times the normal time to deliver as much of the time we were rocking the pickup to get out of a snow drift!  Then the work had just begun when we got home.  Back then in addition to mowing lawns we did snow removal for maybe 15 people.  I know on more than one house the snow was so deep that our tiny snow blower was no match so many of the sidewalks were shovel and shovel and shovel!!!  I think now that way back then IF we had charged a going rate we may have gotten rich!  BUT then who wants to be rich?

Chapter 14 of my book is titled, "Big Bike, Little Bike".  I owe ALL of my travels up until the age of 14 to the little bike.  Dave always got the big bike and I had the little one!  Together we would ride up to the lake pretty much every evening for a swim or should I say bath!  There was a couple of times I rode to Uncle Halvor and Aunt Alta which was 3 miles away on gravel roads.  Going there was a treat because they had a riding lawn mower and there were times I could mow their lawn!  How about that for a treat!  I thought it was better than candy but to top it off Alta often had those peanut bars that were the best!  Sometimes I would walk to the lake for fishing but there were times I gathered my worm can, my rod/reel and rode to Bert's place where I would park the bike near their hog barn and climb down the steep bank to my favorite fishing spot.  I think the absolute biggest fish I ever caught on those trips was perhaps 4 or 5 inches long.  Well it made NO difference as when it was time to go home I just opened up my little corral made of rocks and off they would swim.  As I think about those times I find it interesting that Mom never said we could not be by the water.  We had the creek flowing through the pasture and I spent hours and hours playing in and around it.  I spent many a afternoon fishing on the banks of Lake Tewaukon and I do not think Mom ever gave it a second thought that maybe that was dangerous.  Now I would say she was a wonderful Mom or maybe I will choose to think I was a responsible son!!  I am not so sure of the latter comment but for sure Mom was wonderful.   The creek that menandered through our pasture eventually flowed into the east end of the lake.  Often we would go to where the bridge was over the creek and jump off into the water.  Again Mom and Dad did not ever tell us to be careful but then of course Dave and I were so responsible they did not need to say anything, right???

When I was young on the farm my favorite baseball team was the Milwaukee Braves as they often battled the terrible New York Yankees!  I think of the three World Series they played against each other the Braves came out on top once!  Anyway I got off the subject.  The Braves moved to Atlanta and this year are in the World Series.  I noticed in the outfield they have painted on the grass #44.  That was my hero Hank Aaron's number.  There was a great article in the paper today about Hank Aaron.  A good read.  Growing up when I would have the dime to buy baseball cards when in Cayuga I would hope and hope for some players from the Braves.  I had many cards and some of them may have been worth something BUT the farm fire took care of that AND I still ask myself today WHY did I leave them in the attic of the farm house years after I left home???

Enough for today.  I just checked in on Terry and she seems to still be sleeping and yes, of course her covers were on the floor so I covered her up again!  I am thinking she will be awake soon but not sure.  In the mean time I will finish my FP and see if I can come up with some work to do around here.  Oh, that should not be too hard!  A decision  was made so my body will be able to recover today and tomorrow from tennis as I will not play today.

Here we are at the last Friday of October 2021

 TERRY

Terry has been OK today.  As I write it is 5:00 and she has her eyes closed but for most of the day she has been awake and watching TV.  So I would say no news is good news.  

It has been a vanilla day so too speak.  I started the day off with a 9:00 tennis match.  It was with better guys than I often play with and was fun.  Dan, all 6' 10' of him, and I played Charlie and Karl.  I would say it was a very close match as the first set was 9-7 in our favor and we ended being ahead 2-1 as time ran out.  It is so so good to be back in the groove of some of the players who are not here in the summer.  I do not think my game is much better if any but it is not worse so I am happy with that.  I know, at the age of almost 75, there will be a time when the slope is pointed down but at this time NOT YET!

I made a trip to Whole Foods as they have an ointment that Terry likes and she has some sores that need attention.  It is almost impossible to get out of that store with a small bill and today was no exception BUT I would say their products are very good.  

I have had a lot of fun watching the stock market this week as the stocks that I am interested in did VERY well for the week.  My only problem is I should have had MORE!  No, it just is fun keeping track of it and seeing if I can pick the right ones.  I would say over the last couple of years my grade would be "A" for picking but "D" for investing!!!

Dad would have been 110 today.  I post this picture of him as hunting was maybe his first or second choice of things to do.  Photography would be in the top two.  He was a man of exceptional talent in many things and I often wonder what would have happened If farming had been one of those talents!!!  He had perhaps the talent for farming BUT his interest in farming was not at the level of his interest in hunting and photography. I think his take on life was farming was only for making photography and hunting possible.   I hope my words did not come across as negative as I would say our family life and my life growing up was not perfect but I am so so thankful for it.  I still can picture the many wonderful things in my life on the farm.  AND yes I can also picture some of the not so wonderful things but that is life, right?

I slept kind of late this morning and again had a nap this afternoon.  I admit I am becoming a bit worn out with all that is going on.  I try to keep everything in perspective but as I do that I often get this down feeling that I do not like.  Of course the sun comes up everyday and I know that and I also know that the Lord is in everything so that keeps me going.  As I lie down for the night I try to remember to give thanks for the day and ask for guidance for the next.  At present is seems to be working!!!

Unbelievable as I slept kind of late and then by the time my FP was ready it was time to leave for tennis this morning.  So my FP was on the back burner until late AM.  But I do credit it for getting me through the day!!!

Tomorrow is another day, thank you Lord.

Here we are at October 28th and the count down to years end is on.

 TERRY

It is 7:20 as I write and Terry is sleeping.  I have been up for an hour and trying to stay quiet so as not to wake her.  She did stay up kind of late (late for old people) last night as I noticed her eyes were still open as I turned over to sleep and I believe it was 9:30 at the time.  Oh for the days of long ago when we begged to stay up that late!!!  We did not get a call about someone coming to take blood from Terry so I am hoping it happens today.  I just hope it was not one of those calls that the phone turns off without letting it ring.

The car stayed in the garage yesterday but I do think a trip to the store will happen today.  Yesterday we spent much of the morning waiting for the call from the Dr.  I cancelled my tennis which was supposed to be at 9:00 and guess what?  We finally talked to the Dr. at 11:30!!!  Such is our medical visits now days!  I have tennis today at 9:00 and it would not surprise me IF a call comes in while I am playing.  Wouldn't you think they would know I am on the courts???  Ok, just joking as you should know!  Our tennis was rained out on Monday and again yesterday I missed it so I may play like a rust bucket today.  

I did make more progress on our Christmas things yesterday so guess what!  By the end of the week I will be ready for Christmas which will only be 2 months away!!!  Maybe it will be time to start thinking about my 2023 calendar!!!  Oh, I almost forgot.  I have a den, a dining room table and a pass through that have papers all over so maybe I should not get ahead of myself in terms of projects.  I was thinking this morning how nice it would be to have all the papers taken care of and be able to look around at a nice, orderly clean house!

The tennis courts have been pretty busy as many many people have come down for the season but we still do not have neighbors on either side of us.  That is good for me as it means I can wear my OLD swim suit if you get the drift!

I kind of flooded my blog with pictures yesterday so will take a break from pictures today.  That means I am finished for now.  I still have some FP left so will remain at the computer for a time.  Actually I may stay here for a long time as I do not want to be up and about which may wake Terry up.  So I will sign off with the idea that we are looking at the end of the work week tomorrow.  Oh my goodness, I forgot I do not have to work any more!!!

Here we are at Wednesday, not sure what happened to Tuesday!!!

 TERRY

As I sit down to blog at 8:40 Terry is sleeping and the entire day is ahead.  Terry has a zoom Dr. visit at 9:45 this morning.  I do wish it was an "in office" kind of visit but I also know getting Terry into the car and then into the office would have been challenge for sure.  I have never been part of a zoom Dr. visit so we will see how it goes.  At this time Terry continues to hold her own but she is not getting better.  It is difficult to know because she just does not have any strength now.  So how is one to know that being unable to get out of bed translates into other medial problems?  I do need to start a track sheet of everything that Terry does so I can get an accurate picture of where she is.  I do not like to admit it but just having things in my memory is not working for me.  I know, I am 74 but I like to think I am a young 74.  I mean I can hang on to that, right!!!!!!!

I cancelled my 9:00 tennis as I need to be home for the zoom visit.  I do not know what to expect and am thinking that I really need that office visit but I am hoping we can get some answers this way.  

I would say Terry had a pretty good day yesterday.  Yes, she does not eat enough but she does eat and being in bed all the time does not take much energy.  I purchased some egg rolls and she ate about 75% of one.  Yes, you are right I ate the last of it and did NOT need it.

Terry did have a short episode of throwing up at 1:00 AM this morning.  After about 10 minutes she was OK and went back to sleep but there will be another load of clothes to wash this morning!  I am hoping she wakes up in the next 30 minutes as her zoom is in 45 minutes and I think she would be better if she goes into that having been awake for some time.  

I am out of words for the day but picture time from way way back!

Bath time for Travis at the camp grounds 

Mary Mary quit contrary how does your garden grow!  Pretty well I would say!!!

My first woodworking project in the year 1970!  Would you believe a toy box!!!

We thought John deserved a special stroller so Radio Wagon it was!

We moved to 2094 Niles in the fall of 1977.  The OLD picket fence and the bushes had to go and it was a breeze when you had great labor!

Home sweet home in Lincoln Nebraska for 6 weeks as Carmen went to school in the summer of 1972.  It may not look like much but I promise you the people who stayed in the dorm were jealous.

Grandpa Lee was famous for his  black licorice that he loved to give to the kids, here is John

The beginning of the Lee Lawn business.  This was in 1980.  By the mid 80s we were doing 20+ lawns a week.  BUT guess what, at times with the 3 boys away on soccer trips guess who did the work???

Enough for the day.  We did finally have a call with Terry's Dr. and she is sending a nurse out to take some blood from Terry.  It is just too difficult for Terry to get into and out of the car now.  Should happen today or tomorrow.  We were supposed to have a zoom with the Dr. but my ineptness ruled the day and it did not happen.  So it was just a voice call instead.  

Time to get some things done after a very frustrating AM.  Hard to believe but even the FP did not help today!

Here are starting the last Monday of October

 TERRY

As I write it is 10 past 8 and Terry is sound asleep.  I do not know how long she will sleep but I hope she wakes up refreshed to some degree.  She had an OK day yesterday.

Terry has an 11:30 doctor appointment this morning.  I am not sure what will come out of it as she will NOT see the doctor that we like so much.  I did call ahead to let them know some things about how Terry is doing.  I am hoping it is a good visit but I admit I am a bit nervous.

Well NO tennis today.  I drove over to the courts at 7:00 and they were covered with water.  Karl, one of the guys I was to play with, said he would try for a 10:30 court time but with Terry's appointment that is out for me.  I am a bit concerned about getting her into the car as she has lost strength since she was in the car about a month ago.  I am sure we will get it done but it could be interesting.  

I did get some work done over the weekend.  I got our 50+ Christmas cards addressed, stamped and ready to go.  I know it is early but what is a person to do when you are home most of the time, twiddle your thumbs???  So I figured out AGAIN how to take our address book from the computer and print the entire thing out on labels!  The envelope you see is not stamped because John is here in Naples BUT all of the rest are stamped and ready to go.  It will be just a matter of making copies of the Christmas letter and stuffing the envelopes.  Terry read the letter and actually said it was prefect so we are good to go.  I most likely will not stuff them for some time yet and then put them in the mail.  Advent this year begins on November 28th so the cards will go into the mail on Saturday the 27th!

Not sure how I am going to use my time during the next two months as I now have the cards taken care of the family gifts taken care of as well!!!  I promise you this is a FIRST for me!

I have said this before but will say it again.  Maybe, just maybe, it is time to start a second book.  I love to write but have not settled on a format IF I do write again.  

Well here it is 8:40 and time to sign off.  I have not heard anything from Terry yet so I assume she is sleeping and that is a good thing.  

I only had half a pot of FP this morning as when I went to make it I only had enough coffee grounds for half a pot and I did not want to grind more as it may have woke Terry so half will have to do today.  Maybe that means I will have half a good day!!!

I will end by saying that the weekend was emotional to some degree.  When I get into the letter writing mode many many memories come up and so many put a tear in my eye.  I sometimes have to tell myself that I am still here for a reason and God has his ways so trying to find that reason and making good of it is a life long thing.  I did enjoy the last sip of FP so it is on to the rest of the day.

Oh my goodness here it is Sunday and it seems I missed a couple of days.

 TERRY

As I write Terry is reading the paper.  She woke up about 8:15 and needed a washcloth to get the sleep out of her eyes!  Then, for the first time in a long time, she asked if I could go to Panera and get one of their goodies for breakfast.  So off I went and came back but guess what?  Terry only could eat a third so you know who ate the rest and that was after I had breakfast!!!

It is a cloudy rainy day here in SW Florida.  It does not look like a lot of rain but enough to have the wipers on when you drive.

It is going to be a "stay at home' day for all.  I was awake and out of bed at 3:30 this morning so I may. not even need to say what I will be doing early afternoon!!!  Terry woke me up and needed some attention and by the time I got back to bed I was wide awake.  So it was up for the day.  I had an early breakfast and then worked some more on our Christmas letter which Terry just read and proclaimed it was perfect!!!  So my job in that area is done.  Now it is just a matter of making copies, running off addresses and waiting for Advent to arrive so we can mail them.  What am I going to do as I am also finished with my Christmas shopping, way to go Carmen!

Well I solved one mystery yesterday.  A few days ago I smelled a strange oder in the fridge.  I could not figure out what or why something would smell that was in the fridge. Well I guess a polite way to put it is the oder was NOT going away.  So yesterday I decided it was time to find out what it was.  Well it did not take long.  One of the first things I did was take a quart of cream out that I THOUGHT I had purchased just a short time ago and I was shocked to pick up the carton and it felt kind of FULL and then I noticed the date on it was 08/13/2021.  Well that is WELL over the date where it is good AND the fact that it looked kind of ready to explode was a dead giveaway so problem solved.  I have NO idea how I had it in the fridge that long without using it.  Anyway the fridge now is oder free once again.

I will be keeping an eye on Terry today.  Yesterday she actually slept much of the day so I suspect she will be awake most of the day today.  It seems that one day good and one day not so good.  I just hope that those EARY morning needs like this morning do not become a regular thing.  I am not so good at waking up at 3:00 or so in the morning.  

I enjoyed these

I had planned to write a story of growing up but will skip it today and I just may take an early nap today.  I had my FP already and breakfast is finished as well so will sign off.

Here we are on October 21st, 2021

 TERRY

Terry was awake early this morning.  She was tired as I left for tennis at 8:55 and I do believe she slept some before I returned at 10:30. Terry had an appointment with her Dr. today BUT they scheduled here with someone else so we cancelled and she will go in on Monday.  I think it is just a follow up from a few months ago.  As I write she is still reading the paper.

Not much to say today.  I did make a Costco run and picked up a couple of things that we wanted.  We have a perfect day with temps in the high 80s and full sun.

I did play tennis this morning from 9:00-10:30.  I felt I played pretty well for an old guy.  BUT two of the other three players were older!!!

Those quads, John/Ron's great grandchildren are getting bigger and they provide a lot of entertainment for everyone.  Here great aunt Helen is with them.  According to Helen the 60th party for Joan/Ron was a great success and a lot of fun for all involved.  I forget but I think the quads are coming up onto their 8th birthday or so.

Helen had a great time in Salt Lake Utah but I think she is now back into reality.

Enough for today.  I am going to try to get some work done even though the day is already half gone.  If anyone is wondering about my FP well it was gone a long time ago!

Here we are at mid week.

 Terry

I am not sure what to think.  Here it is 12:40 and Terry is still sleeping!!!  I check in on here often and she seems OK so I am not bothering her but really it is now afternoon.  As I left for tennis at 8:50 this morning she was half awake and said good-bye but as far as I know she has been sleeping this whole time.  

Today is a big day.  It is #15 for Cynthia and Mike.  My computer is giving me fits so I have no pictures at my disposal now but of course a  HAPPY 15th ANNIVERSARY.  They have those special 8 to help them have a grand day.  I remember walking Cynthia down the aisle at the cathedral and then the BIG celebration at the U of Minnesota arboretum with 700+ there to wish them a special marriage.  I do think they have had a special marriage so far.  Cynthia has proved that she is a super stay at home Mom while Mike works hard at school AND on their home as well.  Again, Cynthia and Mike I hope your day is special as well as the coming year.  May you AND family enjoy exciting times, good health and God's presence Always.

I had a special short visit with a friend who stopped and talked a bit as he was on a bike ride.  He said I should let him know IF there was anything he could do to help.  Later when I opened my computer he had sent his land line # and his cell #.  Very nice.

I was kind of let down this morning as I played tennis at 9:00.  I looked out over at the courts and there were 4 courts taken up with guys.  AND there was NO doubt that our court was lowest on the skill level of the four.  AND I mean THE lowest.  I glanced over at the others from time to time and I would say of the 16 guys playing my skill level would be at least at the 50% meaning half of the players would be below me and half above.  One day that is not so bad but I know that often when a person gets into a place it is hard to get out and I DO want to play against guys better than myself as that is the only way to improve.  OK so I am 74 BUT there still should be time to improve, right???

No it is now almost 1:00 and I think I may need to wake Terry to see if she is OK.  At the very least sleeping so late is going to make it more difficult to sleep tonight.  Myself, I may take a nap as Terry has been waking me up 2 or 3 times a night as she kicks the covers off and then gets cold.  I have to find a way to change that.  The FP is now gone so will go get myself a glass of juice and get to work on something!

Darn darn double darn!!!

 TERRY

I left things in place for Terry as I left for tennis at 8:55 as she was sleeping.  BUT when I returned at 10:35 she was still sleeping.  Now, at 12:00 she is awake with the TV on and reading the paper.

It is not my day.  

• I had the last of my FP in a cup waiting for me as I left.  It was still on the counter when I returned!
• My partner and I lost the first set 4-6 but played even in the second.
• I rebooted the computer and NOW it is ALL mixed up.  What is one to do???
• Now I can not get to my current e-mails and not sure if or when that can be fixed.
• I wanted some pictures to post and they are gone but not forgotten.

Such is life some days so I will try to reboot myself and enjoy the rest of the day.

I read in the paper this morning that iguanas are popping out of toilets in south Florida!  IF there are over hanging trees they jump from the trees to the roof and then down the pipe into the bathroom.  Not sure what a person does if you lift the lid and stare at that thing?  Well I do know for sure you would not be smart to sit down!  AND if one leaves the lid open can they climb out of the stool and make themselves at home in your house?  Not sure.

We have beautiful weather today.  We are looking at a high of 86 with sunny skies and no rain.

I am going to go to the store after while.  I am in the middle of making something for a family at Christmas and I think I have a FUN plan but I need a couple of things so will head to Home Depot later.

I actually got a tiny bit of work done yesterday in terms of papers on the dining room table.  

Not much else to write today.  I thought I was going to go down memory lane today for a while but will save that until another day.  I did finish my FP when I came home from tennis so my day should go fine the rest of the time.

Here we are heading into week three of October

 TERRY

As I write it is 7:45 and Terry is still sleeping. Yesterday was an OK day so will see how she feels when she wakes up.  Yesterday she received a call from her daughter Kim and that always makes her happy.

Some pictures today.

Ron enters into a new decade today and we need not say which one!!!  Of my siblings and spouses he is the third to get to the 80s.  As we know Ronald, Janet and Dave did not make it but Glorine, John and now Ron  made it and all three are still going strong.  

Sorry as I started this on Monday and then did not finish it so I am finishing it now.

Happy SUNDAY, October 17th!

 TERRY

As I start my blog Terry is still sleeping, I think.  It is 8:15 and I have heard her cough a couple of times but that is it.  Oh my I do hope she had a good sleep and better than mine.  For some reason I was awake most of the time from 2 AM-5 AM.  Anyway here we are beginning the second to last full week of October.  

We have nothing planned today.  I will take in church on TV as there is no way Terry can go.  Other then that I will see if there is an interesting game on TV.  No tennis on Sundays so will have to wait until tomorrow as we have a match at 9:00.

I saw this picture on my phone when I woke up this morning.

Not sure what the theme was but the cake is pretty darn fancy looking.  I can not believe how much Joan now looks like our first cousin Arlene.  I would say Joan and Ron are a pretty good looking couple for their 60th and the gal in the center is not bad either!!!  Am hoping there may be more pictures coming.  I want to see how those quads were dressed for GREAT G&G 60th.  I am pretty sure Joan was 19 and Ron was 20 when they were married.  Actually it seems just a short time ago but it was 10 years ago that we celebrated their 50th in the Black Hills where we all go together at Glorine's place.

I think they have aged kind of like a fine wine, right?

In case you don't know that is Bryan on the left and Quinn on the right.  It may be the last picture ever taken where they look innocent!!!!

I admit that I tend to get emotional when I think of the past.  Today, with J&R 60th, it brings back MANY memories of family that are wonderful.  I would add that of course not all memories are wonderful but given who I am I tend to remember only those!!!  So here are a few:

• Visiting Joan/Ron when they were in Fargo and I was still in high school.  Every time we visited them their living room was changed!!!  I still owe Joan for the top coat that I wore in high school that impressed my girl friend!  I will not go into the story but I promise you it was typical Joan.
• The times Bryan, Quinn and sometimes Bob were down to visit on the farm and Grandpa delighted in entertaining them.
• The times Ronald and Glorine came and Ronald always had something for Dave and I to do like paint his trailer.  The next day the paint was FULL of tiny black bugs!  I think we had to scrape them off and repaint and then do it in the morning and in the sun so it was dry by night time.
• Helen, Dave, Joan and I lived for the times Janet/John and Glorine/Ronald would come to visit from Ellendale.  
• In the fall of 1961 our band went to Ellendale to march in their homecoming parade.  John M had this fancy tiny sports car and he let us drive it.  My new friend, JoEllen, was impressed!
• I could not talk about fun times and leave out deer hunting in the badlands of ND.  John had this camper that he pulled with his red Ford pickup.  We would camp in the middle of nowhere and IF I remember we always filled out deer tags.  I still can smell Dad frying deer liver on Saturday as hunting opened Friday at noon.  One of my favorite pictures in my mind is going out of the camper early in the morning to do my business and seeing the camper in the rising sun of the badlands with smoke coming out of the chimney as Dad made breakfast.  
• When in grade school and maybe high school too Ronald or John would come down with their boats and we would swim and waterski on Lake Tewaukon.  For many years now there has been NO boats on the lake so that the wildlife can be there.  Progress???
• I still can see Ronald one time were were pheasant hunting.  We saw one out in the weeds and Ronal jumped out of the car and ran down through the ditch but hidden in the tall grass was a fence line which one could not see.  Almost like the movies Ronald was launched backward onto his behind as the pheasant flew away.  Nobody was hurt but the show was worth a lot!  When I think of those days I still have a ting of anger as Dad could hunt until the world came to an end but there was NO money to buy Dave or I a gun so in the fall during pheasant hunting we were the bird dogs so to speak.  Ronald gave Dave and I our first guns.  A gun I still have.  Ronald modified it just for me.
• I still remember visiting Ronald and Glorine in Kulm and going to the school for something.  Ronald needed something at the school and I got to shoot baskets in the gym.  Going into my senior year I was anticipating playing Kulm in basketball as I knew I would be in the starting lineup and big brother Ronald would be there to watch.  Ronald died that fall and in many ways much of my wonderful world came crashing down.  I still can hear my physics teacher when I returned to school after his funeral.  There had been a test when I was gone and the day I got back Mr. Henderson asked me why I had been absent.  I replied, "My brother died and I was at the funeral."  He never made me take the test.
• This last note will not get into any detail but.  I did have a girl friend about half the time in high school.  In my freshman year JoEllen seemed to like me and I was all flattered as I had never ever thought about that kind of thing in grade school.  In fact as 7th and 8th graders there was a lot of back and forth chatter about boys and girls but NEVER any dating etc.  In fact I thought girls were not for me.  BUT then at the homecoming dance as a freshman things changed.  That is enough for now but as I think back that was not such a good thing.  However my marriage to Gail came out of that so it turned out Great.  Anyway for my grandchildren I would say "please do not date in high school but for sure have good friends!

Enough!  It is now 9:30 and Terry is still sound asleep.  We have not gotten much rain so our pool was low on water.  I put the hose in the pool and put my timer on for 45 minutes.  It just went off in the kitchen near the bedroom and it did not wake Terry up.  I am finished with my FP and am ready for whatever the day brings.  Maybe a bike ride today would do me good.  

Here we are at Saturday, October 16th

 TERRY

Terry has been sleeping much today.  As I write it is 5:00 and she is awake and watching TV.  I would say she is doing OK.  

It has been an uneventful day.  I played tennis at 9:00 this morning.  On Saturdays we reserve two courts and whoever shows up plays.  We play 4 games and then the losers stay and switch partners and the winners go to the other court and switch partners. I actually played well today as I had 4 different playing partners and we won each time.  Monday it will be back to the normal kind of tennis that goes on Monday-Friday.

I have Joan/Ron on my mind today.  They have their big 60th party 7:00 eastern time.  Sister Helen is there so she will have to be the "Lee" there.  I am sure she will do a good job.  Terry actually asked me if I wanted to get on a plane this morning and get out there.  In the worst way I wanted to do that but I just did not think it was the right thing to do so here I am in Naples.  

Joan, in my mind, perhaps the had the best mix of Mom and Dad in her DNA!  

• She was strong in what she believed and what she did
• She and Ron had lived all their married life in Fargo.  When a son needed help in Utah they gathered things and moved and at that time they were Not spring chickens but they did it for family.
• I think perhaps her grandmothering skills and great grandmothering skills are beyond any other, even our Mom
• Joan is a gal who gets things done, always
• Joan is a gal who in spite of good and bad she is there for family
• She is one to make changes when they need to be made
• and more and more and more

So I am sad that I am missing their BIG 60th but they will have a grand time with many family, friends AND sister Helen.  

Here is Henry in his last high school match.  They lost 3-1 in the state tournament but I got a big laugh out of his hair!  Kind of takes after his Dad I think as I am talking about a long long time ago.  In many ways Henry reminds me of my brother Ronald.  Not only his size but much about him.

That is it for today.  As I write Terry is awake and watching TV.  I am going to make some food now and then settle in for the evening.  Of course my FP was finished a long time ago.  I actually got it made kind of late today so a large cup of FP went to the tennis courts.  Maybe that is why I played kind of OK!!!

Here we are on the third Friday of the month.

 TERRY

Terry was awake at 6:30 and as I write she is watching TV, not reading the paper yet.  She said she was awake most of the night but then she slept yesterday until early afternoon.  She said IF she falls asleep today she wants me to to wake her after a couple of hours.  She is good this morning.  She still has this angry looking spot on her neck that is very red and itchy.  I usually put something on it twice a day but so far over the last 3 or 4 days it has not gotten better.

Well today would have been Mom's 110 birthday.

I am thinking IF they used terms back then like now people would say she was a "looker".  Mom and Dad were both 24 when they married.  Both were very good looking so why so late???  I regret that I never asked either of them.  

Well as far as I know I will be playing tennis at 9:00 this morning!  I say that based on yesterday when I went home.

Not much planned for the day or for the weekend either.  

I have not heard from the South Bend soccer guys as they played their first state tournament game yesterday BUT I do know the bad news.  I went on the Indiana State High School Athletic website and found the score.  It was 3-1 with Trinity on the short end.  So Henry's  high school soccer career came to an end and I am guessing today he is still disappointed BUT in a short time he will be able to look back at the happy memories.  I have no idea what kind of game it was as I said I have not heard from anyone.  Liam still has two years left.  I am not sure but I think this years seniors were a huge part of the team so it will be interesting to see what happens next year.  I think they went into the state tournament with a record of 8-4 and a section championship so they have nothing to hang their heads about except it is always fun to end on a winning note.

It is cloudy out and the phone shows 40% chance of rain at 9:00 which is when we are supposed to play.  Hope it holds off as I need the exercise and I need the time on the court.

I am guessing that family in the Salt Lake City area are in for a busy day with Joan/Ron's big day set for tomorrow.  I am wondering if those quads (all 4!) have anything special in mind for Great Grandma and Grandpa???  Of course they are a bit young to understand fully that 60 years of marriage is very special.

Well I am about finished for now.  For some reason I feel like I should write more today but it is not coming so will continue with my delicious FP.  NO, wait a minute.  I do have something else.

Now that is what I call a unique hair cut for anyone but for sure for a gal!  From the Naples paper

I am trying to hone my cooking skills and it is a challenge for sure BUT the results this morning were good.  I made pancakes from scratch!  No store bought mix but I found a recipe on the computer and presto I had hotcakes for breakfast this morning and they were good.  The recipe actually made too much so will have some left for tomorrow.  I did make it yesterday and then made them in my cast iron fry pan which I use most of the time and they stuck so today used a different pan and they came out very good.  I do think the cast iron pan is now upset with me as it thinks it should be used everyday!  I will have to check to see if there is a way to not have them stick in the cast iron.  

Now, time to wrap it up, take a last sip of FP and sign off.

I am upset!!!

 Terry

She has been kind of awake for a short time today but as of now, 10:25, she is sleeping and has NOT read the paper yet.  I think she is doing OK and as of yesterday we had planned to have a big day today with a shower and then a trip to get our flu shots BUT we will see.

I am upset about tennis today.  We had a foursome scheduled for 9:00 this morning.  I try to stay home as long as I can and Terry needed some things just before I left so I rode out of the garage at 8:55 which put me at the courts about 8:58.  There were already 4 guys on the courts as one guy who was not on the schedule showed up and got on the courts as I was not there yet at 8:50.  What should have happened?  Well the guy who just showed up should have welcomed me on the court and he should have sat down and then we would rotate in after 4 games.  BUT that did not happen.  As I started walking up to the court they started to play thinking that I could rotate in I suppose.  Well I was scheduled to play so that is not what should have happened.  So I did something very uncharacteristic of me.  I turned around and walked away.  One guy asked me what I was doing and I glanced back and said I see you have replaced me so I will head home.  I have never done that before but for me NO tennis today.  It will be interesting to see IF anybody brings it up as time goes on.  I just was so so frustrated as I rely on those court times to get away from things at home.  It gives me time to just put our circumstances out of my mind for a short time and this morning I could not handle it.  Enough!

Henry and Liam have their first soccer match in the STATE tournament today.  I am sure they are both so so excited.  I THINK they were randomly seeded against the #1 team in the state on their level.  I hope they do well.  Of course the hope is they win but for sure I hope they play their best and may the results be what they are.

I have Joan and Ron on my mind as their special day draws closer.  Sixty years is a long time.  As I look at the years I think Joan must have been 19 when they were married as I think Ron is a year older than her but they graduated in the same year, 1960 I think.

No pictures today so will sign off with my usual words.  the FP was super today!

Well here we are at hump day!

 TERRY

Terry is doing about the same today.  As I write it is 8:00 AM and she is quiet in the bedroom but I think she may be half awake.  As I got up at 6:45 I did put the sheet and blanket back on as she always ends up kicking it onto the floor.  Well it happens usually once or twice during the night as well.  

I have tennis at 9:00 today and that is about all I have planned.  Will see if my game is "on" today as yesterday I probably should have stayed in bed!!!  Five or six days of tennis this week should help me stay busy and out of trouble.  

Here is a picture that is abut as cute as one can find

That is Esther smelling the wedding flowers that Joan has.  Darn I do not have their wedding date on my calendar but it was 60 years ago as they will have their big celebration this Saturday.  I guess that means Esther is 60 or 61!  I do think Mom and Dad did a great job of taking pictures as over the years they did somewhere around 300 weddings.  Of course Dad did the photography but I do think Mom had a lot to do with their success.  If my math is correct it was 1961.

Somehow I can not get soccer out of my mind as I think of Henry and Liam and their big game tomorrow. I must be getting old but I think of Liam, Henry and Mom and Dad and I can feel how excited they are for the game tomorrow.  Actually some of the butterflies that I experienced with the big game when the kids were in HS almost are with me now!

No here it is 8:30 and time to get ready for tennis.  I have some FP left but will wait to heat it up after the match at 10:30.  

HERE IT IS 9:00 PM AND I FORGOT TO POST THIS.

Another teenager in the family!

 

Audrey Lee of South Bend IN is our newest teenager!  AND let me tell you she fit the bill in many ways.  Talented in many things, a big kind heart and looks that may put her in a movie she is one great gal.  Happy 13th Audrey.  May this coming year be another year of great things for a great gal!!!

??????

TERRY

Terry is in one of her "tired" days as I arrived home from tennis at 10:30 and found her asleep.  As I write it is almost noon and she is still asleep.  

I will go to Costco today but not before Terry wakes up.  Darn it that gal has me worried as she often kicks off her covers at night and then at times almost hangs half off the bed.  I think I need to talk to her about a railing on the bed but for some reason that sounds like it makes her more ill than she is!!!  BUT I do not want to be woken up at night with her lying on the floor as I think that has not good outcomes.  We will see as we talk later today.  BUT for now she needs to wake up!!!

I had one of those VERY off days on the tennis court today.  Of course one could say, "There are a lot of things much much more important than tennis".  AND they would be right BUT still it was a lame day!  My partner and I did end up with a tie at 6-6 but still!

I think I am going to work some at getting things around here cleaned up a bit.  I just have not had a lot of "get up and go" and I am not sure when it "got up and left".  It seems that I am home much of the time and there is not a lot of things that have to be done but still not much gets done.  

I will sign off today with a picture that brings back many memories of the wildly successful high school days the 4 kids had.  It brings me back to my junior year of high school when we were co-champions in football and went to the state basketball tournament and came out with one loss and two wins.  I prefer to say that and no mention we got 5th place!  Football was another story and will talk about that another day.

Here is the Trinity boys team with their section soccer trophy.  Henry is the one holding the ball.  He is a senior and perhaps the key player on the team.  Liam, as a sophomore is on the team and gets some playing time in.  That picture brings back memories of the kids high school days.  All four of them had wonderful memories of hoisting the trophy in soccer and in basketball.  I would say the Lee clan, Cynthia, Aaron, Travis and John did well in their high school days.  As one can see Henry looks to be the tallest on the team with his 6' + frame.  You can not see Liam in the picture but he is also 6' + but comparing the two boys I am guessing Henry is maybe much heavier.  It sounds like they have a hard match Thursday against the #1 seed in the tournament.  Hopefully it will be a fun match win or lose.

The FP today was extra good!

Here we are at October 11th and headed into the second full week of the month

 TERRY

Well it is 7:30 and breakfast in behind me as I look ahead to the rest of the day.  I thought I would stay in bed a bit longer today and try to get just a little bit more sleep but at 6:15 I heard Terry and the lower half of her body was off the bed!  I lifted her back onto the bed and got the covers on again.  BUT here it is an hour later and she has not fallen back to sleep.  She is not ready for the paper yet.  Another day and another adventure for SURE!

Well I am guessing fall is here as this is the first week that I have had tennis scheduled everyday which means more and more people are arriving back for the season.  As I look at the court sheet for the day it is not full but getting close to it.  All courts are in use at 9:00.  Matches are at 7:30, 9:00 and 10:30.

I had fun yesterday.  Terry had mentioned some time ago that a cupcake would be good.  So I went on line and printed recipes for cupcakes and frosting.  NO box mix but from scratch and it was fun except for the kitchen full of dirty dishes after!!!  I am NOT a cook so I could not believe the frosting recipe.  It had something like two sticks of unsalted butter, 4.5 cups of powdered sugar, a T of vanilla and then 4-5 T of heavy cream.  That is all it was and it actually tasted good.  Wow at the rate I am going I thought I may want to become a follower of a famous chef.  I thought about Julia Child but she is too old so I think I may become a follower of Rachael Ray!!!  Being I want to be a modern man I think she is the one!!!!!!!

Wow Terry has been putting some scares into me with her bed situation.  She tends to sleep way way too near the edge of the bed and I am concerned, after this morning, that she may just fall out of bed one of these days.  I do NOT want to get into bed railings as that seems just tooooo much towards what ever but I will have to keep a close watch on her at night.

I have no plans for the day.  I may go to the Dow Jones web site from time to time just to check to see if my $1.98 investments are going up or down but I do not think I will venture out today.  

I am wondering when our neighbors will return.  I am thinking I need to keep an eye on when they come back as when they do I will have to start wearing my new swimsuit.  It is easy now to just use the one that I have had for many many years now but that will need to change!!!

No I am out of things to say today.  I did cancel the meals that we often get on Monday so I will have chances to be creative this week.  I still am having problems with recipes as they usually are too much food and then some ends up going to waste.

I just poured myself the last of the FP so will close out the blog and do some others things on the computer until it is time for tennis.

October 10th, second Sunday of October 2021

 TERRY

Terry was awake about 7:00 this morning but is now lying in bed with the paper by her side and she is sleeping again.  She said she slept well last night.  I have to get to the bottom of this ugly rash on her neck as it looks very red and very angry.

Well here it is Sunday and as usual it is Church on the computer, live, and not much else.  I will go on a bike ride after Terry is awake but nothing else is planned.

No tennis on Sundays for me but it looks like the schedule has me playing the next 5 days.  That is a good thing as I need to get out and I need the exercise.

I went to the Trinity School web site and they have pictures of the seniors on the fall teams.  Henry is on the far left and I would say a mighty good looking young man.  Liam is also on the team and he is a sophomore.  This is the first year Trinity could be part of the state wide playoffs and they have won their first 3 games to advance to the final 16.  I would say that is wonderful.  I have not been able to see any of the games so I do not know how much they will miss the seniors but my guess is they will miss them big time. IF there is anyone reading who is not familiar with soccer the guy in yellow is the goalie so that is the reason for the different uniform.  I do not know when they play next but just reading about it certainly brings me back to high school fall soccer in the 80s and 90s with Cynthia, Aaron, Travis and John.  They all were wildly successful as we celebrated 3 state championships and my Dad even came down to watch one of the championship games.  Do you think he was proud???  Pretty much anyone who talked to him found out that he had TWO on the championship team!

OCTOBER 31ST, 1991

I left school as early as I could on this Thursday.  Aaron's SPA soccer team was scheduled to play for the state championship in the doom.  As I arrived home Gail said she had been listening to the radio and there was snow in the forecast but the game should be over before the storm hit.  Aaron did not come home after school.  He and his teammates were to stay at school with their coach Buzz and go over the game plan and then eat together before they left for the game.  There was a certain kind of BUZZ in the air as soccer, school and snow were all in the forecast.  The game was to start at 8:00 but we left home at 6:30.  We were concerned about a parking space and then also we wanted a quick get away after the game in case the snow storm came early.  We arrived in the dome at 7:15 and settled back to watch the warm ups and also to get good seats.  There were not be many in the doom in terms of how many it could seat but we wanted to sit as close to the team bench as possible.  This was NOT new for us. Travis and John had won two state titles while playing in the doom in 86 and 87.  But we were excited for Aaron because this was his last chance at a state title as he was a senior.  As we arrived there was no snow in the air and we though "good" we will most likely get home before the snow comes.  Well the game was not as exciting as some in the past as SPA scored two goal in the first half and with that lead I felt they were pretty safe.  It turned out that was true as they finished  the game with a 3-0 win and earned the third title for SPA in the last 5 years.  Wow, were we in for a surprise as we exited the dome.  There was heavy snow in the air and already at least 6" on the ground.  We had parked fairly close to the dome so in quick order we got to the car and headed home with no trouble.  

We woke up the next morning with a surprise.  It looked like God had opened the skies and just let a blanket of heavy heavy snow down on the Twin Cities.  We had the paper route to do and as I saw the 28" of snow in our driveway I thought NO WAY.  But of course we were always wanting to be "right' so I started the truck and Gail and I headed for the warehouse at 4:00 AM.  Our route was kind of on hilly streets and I quickly found out that on the up hill I could not start once I stopped so we had to drive around and deliver the papers on the down hill all the time. The morning was an adventure If one wants to put it that way.  There would be no school with that amount of snow so we had ALL morning to take care of the papers and it did take an extra 2 hours to deliver them.  At one point I was walking in almost waist deep snow and as I came around the corner of a house the guy had opened the door and I heard him mutter, "well there will be no paper today."  As I threw the paper on his top step he stepped back as if there was an alien nearby!!!  We did get all the papers delivered and were home by 9:00 AM.  A memorable day in that we had a huge snow storm, we celebrated a state championship AND I got a day off of school!

It is well past early morning as I look at the time showing 11:00 AM.  I actually had to heat up the last cup of FP but it is now history and time to sign off for the day.

Well I was late yesterday but today am early!

 TERRY

I was up at 6 this morning and now at 8 Terry is awake.  She did not want the paper right away but did want the covers on again!   We will see what today brings.

I have tennis at 9 as there are two courts open for play that we reserve and one never knows who will show up.  

I did have some plans today but have put them aside for another time.  I may make a trip to Costco but not sure.  

I am having trouble with tiny tiny bugs in the house and still have not found a cure yet.  As they buzz around your face they drive a person crazy.  I have cleaned the area around the computer and desk top and still they are here.  

For some crazy reason my mind was way way back to Devils Lake ND as I got out of bed this morning.  During the summer when I drove ready mix cement truck.  Then it even got worse as I starting thinking about the Saturday that I wanted to pour our cement driveway as I had it ready for some time.  I am guessing it was maybe 20 feet long and a bit wider than the garage door opening.  Well I had a couple of guys lined up to come and help me finish it.  I planned to ask to take the last Saturday load out and then when I came back get cement for my place.  That way it did not cost so much!!!  Well by mid morning ALL three guys had backed out and so I decided I needed to get it done so it would be a solo job.  Well if one ever poured about 4 yards of concrete by yourself you would know that there may be trouble ahead.  So for a couple of hours I was running the truck and leveling and finishing all at the same time!!!  You get the picture and by the way we were expecting a baby anytime so Gail was not in the picture.  Well I got it done with just a tad of rough finishing near the alley!  Then I had to drive back to the plant and wash out the drum hoping to get out ALL the leftover cement.  I think I did a decent job but that darn last little bit of the driveway often looked at me when I drove up and reminded me that it was a job done but with it's memories that were not all that great.  That was the summer that I took the 2 foot wall out in the front yard and landscaped it down in a slope.  Also did a new sidewalk in front and up to the front door.  I thought I may as well make hay while the sun shined so to speak as I often used left over cement to do the job.  As I think back on that summer I know that only the young should do those things!

I have no regrets as I know we made the right decision BUT there are times I think back and ask myself what would our life been like IF we had stayed in Devils Lake?  It would have been so so different.

Well the time is passing and it is closer to getting ready for tennis.  Terry still is not wanting the paper but will be sure to get it to her before I leave in 25 minutes or so. 

I think it is time to sign off and get on with the day.  Thinking about Joan/Ron as THEIR day is only a week away now.  Sixty years, wow, they are number 1 in our family BUT Judi/John are not far behind.

I am very late today!

 TERRY

Terry had one of her days where she was tired much of the day BUT as I write it is 9:00 PM and she is awake and watching TV and has been for some time.  We usually watch TV together in the evening from 6:00-8:00 but she had some program on that was different than what we watch most of the time so I spent my time in the den.  When I finish this note I will return to the bedroom as she said she was tired by being by herself.  

Just a note that all is OK here.  I over did it in tennis today.  I took a half-hour lesson and then went right into a 90 minute match.  I was exhausted by 10:30.  AND I paid for it in the afternoon as I thought I would just shut my eyes for a short time and Terry woke me 2 hours later!

I did get in a couple of bike rides today but of course they are always pretty short.  

I was happy with the market today as my $1.98 investment went up a bit.  IF ONLY I HAD A LOT OF MONEY!!!  On second thought I am fine and more money would not make me any happier or any better so forget THAT!

I do have tennis tomorrow and then I think there are some things I need to do.  That is unusual that I NEED to do something but that is the case for tomorrow.  

Am thinking of Joan/Ron as they will celebrate #60 a week from today.  I think Jude/John Mouw plan to be there but am not sure.  IF that is the case I assume that will be on their way to AZ for the winter.  

It was one of those days where I had Dave on my mind a lot.  I am thankful for the many great memories we had together but of course it would always have been good to have more!!!

I am hoping I can get to sleep after my long nap today.  Oh my gosh, I think I am getting kind of old.  Hard for me to think about it but after January 27 of next year I will be closer to 80 than 70!  Not sure I am happy about that BUT it is better than the other thing!!!

I have had my share of FP today and Terry and I enjoyed pre packaged shrimp for dinner so I did eat enough for the day.  Actually a neighbor brought over some potato  salad yesterday and I did finish that so I am guessing I may not want to step on the scale tomorrow morning.  I know what!  I will NOT eat breakfast and then step on the scale AFTER tennis and I should be good to go.

Enough for now.  Time to try to close the eyes and then dream about FP in the morning!

Thursday, October 7th

 TERRY

Terry is doing OK today.  She was awake by 8:15 and has been awake the rest of the day.  She has a very nasty rash on her neck so we need to keep an eye on that.  Very red and ugly looking and I have no idea what could have caused it.  IF it does not clear up in the next couple of days we will have to go to Urgent Care to get it looked at.

Not really much today.  I did play tennis at 9:00 and actually played kind of good.  Perhaps the best I have played for some time.  I do have a 30 minute lesson tomorrow and then a match right after that.

I went to Costco today for a short trip.  I wanted to get a couple of things for Terry to eat.  I brought home a roasted chicken and she ate some.  She wanted some celery mixed with mayo with it and she said it was good.

Here it is almost 5:00 PM and the day seems to have just zipped by.  

THE GLOVE

Dave and I liked to play catch, hit the ball around and at times when we could get Dad to hit fly balls we were in heaven.  Well I had this old small tatted glove and wanted a new one in the worst way.  I felt I would be a much better player IF I could get a new glove, one that was modern!  It was mid summer and Rollof came into the yard on a Monday and asked if Dave and I could help him bale hay.  He liked to pull a wagon behind the baler and then bring the bales right up to the yard and into the barn.  Dad kind of begrudgingly said we could help him that afternoon.  I saw my chance!!!  Dave and I helped Rollof for several hours and the next day we each had $10. in our pocket and I knew for sure where it was going.  Ronald had told us that he would be coming home to visit that weekend and I had a plan.  Ronald did come on Friday night and I did not waste any time.  I pulled out the $10 bill and showed it to Ronald and asked if he could buy me a baseball glove with it when he got back to Ellendale.  I did not think they would have a good one in Lidgerwood and for sure not in Cayuga.  Ronald said he would look and he was thinking that he may be back in a couple of weeks.  That was the longest 2 weeks I had ever experienced!  But he did come back on a Saturday and sure enough he brought a brand-new baseball glove and I thought it was beautiful.  Over the next many years I used it whenever Dave and I played catch and even when I played on the baseball team as a freshman in high school.  It was a GOOD glove.  But I am sure If I were to put it beside a modern glove today it would look like an antique and perhaps it is as it is tucked away in a box in the attic off of the east bedroom on Niles Ave.  It is funny because if one of the grandkids would to look at it they would think it was old old old just in the same way as Dave and I compared it in the 50s to a glove we had from the 20s!  That kind of reminds me that I am perhaps an antique as well!  The glove gave me hours and hours and hours of enjoyment on the farm as we played ball against the corncrib, on the lawn from the house to the mailbox and yes also against the south side of the barn!  

LeeAnn brought some potatoes salad over and darn it so very good.  I was trying to NOT eat some much today as the scale has not been kind to me but of course it was impossible to not eat a generous helping after she left.  Maybe today as well!

Of course I had my FP this morning and maybe that was the reason for the good tennis.  Wait, I have it everyday and some days I play awful!

Enough and the stock market was good to me today.  I gained the $1.98 that I lost yesterday! 

I paid $10 at least I gave Ronald that and I just assumed that is what it cost but maybe not!

This glove is priced at $229----I think I will pass!