Here we are at the REAL May 18th!

 TERRY

As I begin to write it is 8:45 and Terry is into the paper.  She woke maybe 20 minutes ago and is now well into the paper.  I noticed I did not post yesterday but on Monday, the 16th, I posted that is was the 18th.  Don't know how that happened but then I am getting old and coming off of some time in the hospital so that is my excuse.  Well anyway it is NOW the 18th and I will try to stay on task on the right day from now on!  Anyway I would say Terry is the same so all it OK.

It is quiet around here now for the summer.  The people on the left AND on the right have left for the summer.  We also do not have people two doors to the left and two door to the right so it is quiet, quiet and more quiet.  Yesterday I took a bike ride around our circle here.  I would say that it is maybe a third of a mile around with 46 units in the circle.  Most of the units are twin, meaning they are two units with a common wall.  I do not know for sure but my guess is that of the 46 units maybe 15 are occupied meaning 31 people have left for the summer.  I would say by the end of the month there may be 10 of us left to stay over the summer months.  People tend to start coming back in October.  By mid November most if not all are back for the winter months.  We do get some from the midwest but I would say 90% are from the east coast from Washington DC up to Maine.

I will be playing tennis for the hour and a half beginning on Friday so will see how that goes.  

I do need to start thinking about the trip to Tori's wedding, Terry's granddaughter.  The wedding is north of Atlanta about 90 miles.  I am thinking it will be a two day trip up, a two day stay and then a two day trip back again.  That means leaving about on the 26th of May and coming back on the 30th.  That may change by a day here or there but it is close.  

Travis is coming down before the wedding so that will be nice.  I think he will stay two or three days.  I have not seen family for some time so that will be welcome.  I still would like to fly up to South Bend IN for Henry's HS graduation but that, at this time, is only MAYBE.  IF I did that Terry would be alone here for some time and there would have to be help come in each day.  We will see.

THE SUMMER OF 1965

The summer of 1965 was the end of my being home with Mom and Dad.  Well I did come back for the summer of 1966 but that was it.  

I had applied to NDSU and was admitted to start college in the fall.  I got a letter in the summer saying I needed to come in August to take an entrance examine.  School would start in September.  My friend Larry and I had asked to room together so that was taken care of.  Dad took me up to Fargo in July for the entrance tests.  They said the results of those would determine what classes I could get into.  Well in Mid August I received a letter that stated I had done well in the tests (I have no idea how that happened) and therefore I would start in the fall with 10 credits to my name.  I started in the second level of math and second level of science.  So in early September I arrived at Reed Hall on the north side of campus.  Larry and I were put on the third floor.  I was assigned level two in science and math along with an English course and two other classes including ROTC.  Let me say that I did not deserve level two in either of the science or math classes BUT I did pass them but WITOUT flying colors.  I needed to work in order to pay for things so I was assigned to be a janitor as a dorm.  The regular janitor said I needed to work on weekends as those were his days off.  So I jumped into classes, got my schedule for being a janitor and I was good to good so to speak.  My first bump in the road was two or three weeks into classes I needed to take some days off to go to Dave/Marlys wedding in Jamestown.  That got me into trouble with my English teacher!  I got through that but there was another problem.  We had the food plan which meant we could eat any time and as much as we wanted.  When I left in the fall I was at 180 pounds and by Christmas I was 195!  The year ended up not too bad.  I lost the weight, I maintained a C average and I was covering all my costs with my loan, my summer money and my weekly job where I was putting in 20 hours a week.

That was my first year of college and I know that it was so so different than the first year of college for my kids and now my grandson Henry.  Things are so different now.  Before I leave this morning I will say that my summer and the following year were better.  Larry and I had a tiny apartment off campus but very near the school that second year.  Also I put my janitor job behind me and started working in the barley department at NDSU which was a very very fun job.  AND my grades improved a little bit!!!  I did go home after my freshman year to help on the farm as at that time both Ronald and Janet had died and Dad needed help at home.  I got my motorcycle before the summer so I had wheels and that was good.  So at that time my college was on the upswing but still I had NO idea what I wanted to major in.  I did take an interest test to see what I might do and it came back that I would be a good undertaker!!!  That did not fly so I shelved that idea.  That is for a later blog.  

This was my LIFE during the summer of 1966.  Most Sundays I was gone for the day.  Sometimes I would  drive up into he hills south of our place where there were lakes and many summer cabins.  I got together with Gail again that summer and that lead to marriage down the road.  This picture was taken by Gail as I visited Uncle Hugo's cabin one weekend when Gail was there.  My Harley was my life for the summer!!!