Here we are at mid week and pretty much mid month as well!

 TERRY

As I write it is about 5:30 AM.  Terry is watching TV and here I am at the computer.  Terry had some needs at 4:30 and after that I knew I would take a long time to go back to sleep.  With tennis at 7:30 this morning I decided it was good to just get up.  I would say Terry is doing about the same.

As I walked down the driveway to get the papers I felt a COLD chill attack my T shirt top.  Later while unwrapping the papers I looked at my phone to see a temp of 48!  I know for those in MN, ND and many other places you would welcome a temp of 48 but for Naples FL that is down right chilly.  With tennis on the schedule at 7:30 it may be a "long sleeve day" on the court or even a light jacket day.

Terry's daughter Kim will be here this afternoon for a time.  We have not seen her for some time.  She must be in FL for training some of her people.  She said she would be here today and tomorrow for short visits.

I am going to have to purchase a new tennis bag.  The pocket where the racquets go has a long zipper and it completely broke.  So it is the tennis shop today or Amazon.  I did look on Amazon yesterday and was not all that impressed with what I saw.  Nothing fancy but I do want one that a person can carry like a backpack as I ride the bike over for play.  AND I would say If that is my biggest concern today I guess I have a pretty easy life!!!  Yesterday I had one of those days on the court that one just wants to forget!

I was not all that happy this morning at 4:15 when Terry needed some help.  Of course one needs to take care of things when nature calls BUT that does not mean a person has to be happy about it.  I mean for sure you need to be pleasant but happy---no!  Then as I got into bed again it was 4:30 and my alarm was set for 6:30 as tennis is on the docket for 7:30.  As I lie in bed wide awake it becomes pretty easy to see that getting up is the best choice.  So here I am at 5:30+ and I have had breakfast, read two papers and now am at the computer.  Something tells me that I may fade this afternoon.  

Terry has had this cough several times a day and it has me concerned.  This morning at about 4 AM she had it and now, at almost 6, again she has it.  She says she is not concerned but to me it does not sound good.  I am almost hoping she has it when daughter Kim is here so I could get another opinion.  

I have this birthday coming up next week.  AND for some reason I have in my mind that I am not happy about it.  Well how goofy is that as birthdays come and go and one has NO say over them but for some odd reason I do not mind thinking or saying I am 74. BUT it seems a whole lot more to say I am 75.  It seems that does not make any sense BUT it is what it is.  I am wondering if it would work to just blot out the 27th on the calendar and then maybe I would still be 74!!!  Some people may think that is crazy but I have read someplace that old men can dream dreams!

As I was looking through pictures yesterday I came across a picture of our barn.  Now our barn on the farm was unique in many ways.  I could look in any direction from our farm and not see a barn like ours.  I could look at Rollofs, Georges, Berts, Uncle Oberts and others that we could see from our place and NOBODY had a one story barn.  Every farm had a two story barn where cattle were on the lower level and the top level was to store hay.  We had the cattle in 2/3 of the barn with the hay in the other 1/3.  For the cattle we had 4 pens with one having the water tank in it.  In the other half of that part we could have as many as 15 cows in milking stands.  We never milked more than 5 or so.

This picture was taken long after the barn was used for cattle.  But my story today is about the area inside where the row of windows is.  That was our pens for calves and about those pens were big wooden boards that were the length of the pens.  Well Dave and I liked to climb above the pens and play tag as we hopped from board to board.  One could say, in hind sight, that was not a good idea and actually after one summer day I would agree.  It was early summer and the pens, which had calves in, were not cleaned so there was a layer of manure in each pen.  Well that probably saved me.  As I jumped from one board to another to get away from Dave I fell head first down into a pen and landed on my head.  I knocked the wind out of myself and lie grasping for breath.  Finally I was able to get up and get into the house where I could lie down and I stayed there the rest of the day.  Come to think of it maybe, just maybe, I never did recover fully!!!  I wish I could bring up a picture of the barn as it was when we were growing up.  Dad cut a hole in the wall as he then used it for a garage.  The tank is there where we used to pull a hayrack up and toss hay into the north part of the barn.  Above the tank there is a door that we could open.  The pole by the door is where I could grab hold and shimmy up onto the roof.  That was my getaway as I would lie on the far side of the barn roof and dream of the future.  Funny, I never did dream of living in Florida!  One can see how the farm was kept up or should I say NOT kept up.  I do remember helping to paint the house one time but really ALL buildings were in need of repair and more.  On the far side of the barn was where we would milk the cows.  There was a row of windows there too.  IF a window pane would break we would fix it but on this side I am sure some broken windows never got fixed.  As I say that I would repeat what I have said in the past.  Dad was among the elite in terms of what he could do.  He could load shells for you.  He could take your wedding pictures.  He would wire your home for electrical.  He could develop pictures with the skill of a professional.  If you needed a car fix he could rebuild the engine.  He was a crack shot with firearms AND yes he could farm but just to the point of making ends meet, not in anyway did he work to make a modern farm out of our farmstead.  Having said all that I know there were gaps in our growing up where things could have been different BUT still I would not trade my growing up years for any.  WELL maybe I would if I could have had a horse!!!

No here I am at 6:45 and only 45 minutes away from the chilly tennis courts.  I need to finish my FP, look at the Dow Jones to see if my $1.98 investment will go up or down and then get ready for tennis.  By the way with the dow down 500+ yesterday my $1.98 did not do so well!  BUT here I am with half a cup of FP to enjoy before the day really starts.