Happy Father's Day and Summer Solstice!

       I've long argued that you don't have to be a father to have a happy Father's Day! For some, the logic of that assertion escapes them. But, what ever, hope your Father's Day is happy as mine has been. It's a blessing to have two children who dote on me.

    However, I do have to confess to a bit of depression. It has to do with summer solstice. The long daylight hours of this time of year, in this latitude, agree with me. The lengthy twilight is delightful. Though the retreat of the sun will not be observable for some time it's the  knowledge of it that makes me sad.

    In conversation with L today we were remembering the lack of twilight in SE Asia. Suddenly the sun rises and suddenly the sun sets. Close to the Equator day and night are almost the same length. It's very near 6:00 am and 6:00 pm.

  The rooster crowing across the street from The Little House harkens to my time in Thailand. There was no clock in my Thai bedroom. There were two signals to me that it was time to arise. Roosters crowing was one signal. The other clue was the Muslim call to prayer at 6:00 am from the neighboring mosque. It's been many years since I used an alarm clock but it's helpful to have some signal of the time.

  Speaking of an alarm clock there's a funny story. L was staying with me. At breakfast he said, "Dad your alarm clock went off last night."  News to me 😀, checked and it was set to ring at 2:00 am. Without my hearing aids I didn't hear it. How many weeks had it sounded unheard?

Takk for alt,

Al

It must have been almost 6:00 pm when I took this picture over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.

Gov. Waltz commenting on the reflecting pool fiasco;

 Minnesota governor Tim Walz commented: “Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell.”

Rare June Day!

         One of the realities of South Dakota geography is that it features frequent wind. Most days the wind blows and it is a rare day when the wind is calm. Thought nights are more often relatively windless. For at least a week the weather forecast has predicted that there would be little wind today. Needing to spray weeds in my corn a windless day is helpful. The forecast was accurate as I drove by the lake the surface was almost unbroken by wind and it reflected the opposite shoreline. Indeed, a rare June day.

     The necessary spraying was quickly accomplished. In the one field the corn is growing normally. In the other the corn is stunted. It should have been fertilized and illustrates the effect of growing corn year after year on the same ground, at least twenty years, maybe thirty. Fertilizer is on the agenda for next year. 

    A week ago the consignment auction sponsored by the fire department was the usual success. Gross sales were approximately $150,000. I did my part consigning a disc, buying a disc and a stalk chopper.

Takk for alt,

Al

This was this mornings view of Lake Joanne.

In Retrospect...

     The current book I'm reading is about travel adventures, or misadventures. This causes me to reflect on my travel experiences. Though I travelled quite a bit I experienced very little mis-adventure. Never was a flight cancelled on me and most of the time flights were on time. Only once was my luggage delayed.  That was on a trip to Argentina. My suitcase caught up with me after a few days.

   On a visit to New York City for continuing education, my flight was out of LaGuardia Airport. While waiting at the gate to return to Minneapolis the airline personnel announced that vouchers were being offered if a flier would relinquish a seat. When the offered amount reached $1200. I offered my seat. Apparently the airplane sent was smaller than the booked plane. The man at the counter said he'd take my name but the amount offered would go higher. It did! The voucher I received was for $2400.00 with no time limit on it's use. How long was I delayed? Two hours. 

   That was the only time I surrendered a seat. Never was I bumped from a flight. Yet, airports are a huge hassle and the thought of encountering it fills me with dread. Blessed with family within driving distance there is no need to fly to see them. 

Takk for alt,

Al

This is one of the last planes on which I flew. It was from Athens to Crete in 2023, and my knees were jammed against the seat in front of me. Fortunately it was only about a 45 minute flight.

Excellent Book!

      This novel has an exceptionally appropriate epigraph. "Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which other people find inadmissible." Carl Jung.  It accurately summarizes Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say. This New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner is out with this 2026 book.

    Artie, husband, father, high school teacher, sailor, friend...finds little opportunity to speak what's really on his mind. A tragic event has frozen the relationship with his wife so that their communication loses emotional depth. Their life is further complicated  by a significant secret which he only discovers very late.

    Strout is one of those writers that engage from the first page. Her understanding of the human condition suffuses the pages as the characters live out their lives in relationship. Typical of Strout books, Artie is a loveable character who lives with the silent frustration of few understanding him. 

   I'm very glad it read it!

Takk for alt,

Al

And to think I have an apartment in an Old Folks Home

 

Impulse buy!

      At Saturday's consignment auction I attended intending to bid on the disc that followed me home. Aware that there was also a stalk chopper for sale, after buying the disc, I wandered over to the chopper curious how it would sell. I bought it on impulse when no one else cared enough to make a couple of bids. 

   It's a John Deere, Model 27, and, judging how much of the road it covered, a 16'. After pulling it to my shop I lubricated it and attached the PTO and hydraulic hoses. Much to my pleasure it worked. Both it and the disc came with the requisite hydraulic cylinder which increases their value. The chopper attaches to the 1000rpm power take off shaft.  After replacing a couple of tires I towed it to the field where it can rest until next spring when it will find use.

   So that's how I spent my work day. What did you do?

Takk for alt,

Al