CARMEN LEE--LIFE IS NOT A VACATION, IT IS A JOURNEY

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.