Here I am at April 2nd and I skipped April fools on purpose!!!

 We start with Mr. Liam who turns 17 today-----HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Of perhaps the 200s+ pictures that I have taken of the grandkids this is one of my all time favorites.  AND I say that about the picture but also about Liam, a special guy for sure!  Happy birthday Liam and have not only a special day but a special year.  AND keep being the great guy that you are!!  Love Grandpa and Terry

It was a late morning as I tried to sleep in until almost 8:00.  I have not felt well for the last two days and it is strange to put it mildly.  If I get up and about after about 10 minutes or so I get dizzy.  No jokes as there may be people who say that is always the case BUT for real it is not good.  I stayed in bed most of the day yesterday and today have been careful to not be up much.  I wanted to go to the store but did not trust driving like this.  Tomorrow, hopefully better.

No tennis yesterday or today or tomorrow and am hoping by Monday I feel ok again.

I have spent some time on the computer today as for some strange reason the North Dakota School for the Deaf came up and I just got into it.  I worked there from the fall of 1969-the fall of 1977.  The first 7 years as a middle school and title 1 teacher and the last as the Director of Education.  It "for sure" was the very best working days of my career.  In the summer of 1977 Gail and I decided to move to St. Paul and join People of Praise.  Yes, that was a good move and the right move but in terms of work it was a downer BUT I made it through 30 years of teaching in St. Paul so no complaints.  Anyway as NDSD, North Dakota School for the Deaf, came up I spent time today reminiscing and recalling those days.  They included much from teaching a group of 4th graders to spending time in grad school to being in charge of the entire educational program at the school.  It is interesting as the year I left there were 130 students and today there are about a dozen but the school has become a center and resource for Deaf Education in all of North Dakota.  

I found several things that were pretty interesting.

As one can see this is payroll at the school from July 1 of 70-June 30 of 71.  AND by the way there were 70 people on the payroll.  In that year my salary was something like $6800 which included helping to coach football and basketball!!!  How times change, right!  As I looked at NDSD website of today there are at least 3 people listed on it that were there when I left in 1977.  Lilia, who was hired as my full time aide in 1971 I believe, is still there and has done many many different jobs.  I think the job in my classroom was her very first which means maybe she is 70.  As I read about what she has done I do think the school may have fallen apart if she were not there.  I still can remember many details of Lilia, Marci and I working on an automated slide show to sell to the legislature for more funds.  We finished it on a Saturday by working ALL day.  Gail never did say what she thought of me working with the two gals all day!!!  By the way it was very well received and got us the needed money.

This is more like the bus we had when I was driving at the school for the deaf.  We had a wired small fan to keep the windshield clear in the middle of winter!!!

One of my many jobs was bus driver for basketball games.  I KNOW this is a more modern bus than the one they had when I drove!  It was bus driver, calling in scores when Steve B was the highest scoring basketball player in ND with a game average of 35 points per game being the scorekeeper during the games etc tec.  Steve took us within one game of the state tournament.  In terms of NDSD the stories could go on and on and on but will stop for now.

This is pretty much what my letterman's jacket was like except for the color.  I wore it until a neighbor boy in Devils Lake dropped it into my oil pan which at the time had old oil in it!  To this day I still feel that the pins and bars on it were well earned and deserved!!!  Of course why would I feel differently?  But IF it were in good shape look what it may be worth?????  I think back then we had to pay something like $30 for it and I got mine my freshman year as I lettered in football.

Well it is PM and I got a late start but will sign off for the day.  Actually I am just sipping the last of the FP that I heated up.