Now there are three!

     Friday I placed a dozen roses on Joanne's grave. Each day since I have checked to be sure the wind hasn't blown the vase over. And today? The vase stands upright with thee rose blossoms. The other nine? Eaten by deer! Why nine and not twelve? Who knows?  Joanne's not the only one to like roses. 😊

     It reminds me of when I tried to grow roses at our house in the Minneapolis suburb of Golden Valley. Something kept nipping the rose plants off at ground level. Puzzled by the culprits for awhile, eventually I learned that deer were grazing on the roses. 

    May departs on a beautiful day.

Takk for alt,

Al

                               Today's view.

May winds down!

 "AND what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days; Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune, And over it softly her warm ear lays; Whether we look, or whether we listen, We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;.”

— James Russell Lowell

    May has been a cool month and, given the lack of moisture, that has been a gift to the crops and pastures. Personally I hope June will warm up. The Little House's furnace has kicked on several times over the last several days. It's time to turn off the furnace and open the windows. Day time highs are looking up with only two nights predicted in the 40s next week.  It's 72 degrees as I write. I, for one, am ready for some heat.

    Ed, who is a real farmer, advises me to spray my corn soon, herbicide no pesticides for me, so that's this week's project. Both the corn and the weeds are germinating. Thanks to Rollie and David the sprayer that I bought on a farm sale last fall is mounted on my tractor and ready to go. 

    Of particular concern are a couple of patches of sandburs, one in each field. Sandburs are not common in this area but have painful stickers. Hunting in another area some years ago my dog ran into a field filled with sandburs. He froze in his tracks as the burs fastened on his feet. I carried him out and carefully pulled the stickers from his paws.  

Takk for alt,

Al

      

Reflecting on Memorial Day!

        Suddenly there is activity at the cemetery. Other than Memorial Day weekend, in three hundred visits to the cemetery I encounter other visitors less than six times.  Now the grounds are busy with annual visitors. The American Legion has placed flags by the stones of veterans who have died.  There will be no flag by my grave becasue I never joined the Legion nor will I. It's particularly fitting to remember those who died in America's wars.  It's good that people take at least one day to visit their loved one.

       For some of us living in the land of grief every day is Memorial Day. The reluctance of others to bring up the deceased for fear of  upsetting the bereaved is miss-placed. More problematic to the bereaved is the silence as we wonder "Is the loved one forgotten?"  It's not that every moment is consumed with one's loss. Yet, a day does not go by but which the presence of absence is noted.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                A very typical pose of Joanne.

        

Support!

       This morning I brought flowers to Joanne. She loved flowers, especially roses, and, of roses her favorite color was yellow. That's why I brought yellow roses to her today. (See the picture below.) Even though I've lived alone these three plus years since she died seldom have I been lonely.

     Lisa and Lars have been particularly helpful and supportive in helping me recover from the recent online trauma. My computer systems are in the their best shape ever. Negotiating with the financial institutions has been greatly enable with their skills and presence.  Their love and support combined with other family members and friends have buoyed me up. Ten months after Joanne died I began to feel like myself again. Now, two weeks after my systems crash, I feel like myself again.

Mya Angelou says it well. 

Maya Angelou 

Alone

"Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone."

Takk for alt,

Al

PS The rain gauge in my field recorded 1.25" of rain from yesterday's rain. 👍

Walking in the rain!

       It rained last night but wasn't raining when I got up. Deciding to walk then when it wasn't raining, given the long dry spell, I wasn't about to complain when it began raining as we walked. Rain energizes Kaia because it keeps her cool. It turned into a day-long, gentle rain that was pooling in low spots in the fields. My app reported .5" but the fields said "more." Over dinner my brother said that his gauge recorded an inch which verifies the pooling in the fields. 

      Combined with the .5" a couple of days ago, it's been a good week. All the crops, grasses and trees got a good drink but that total is about what is needed every week during the growing season. There is little reserve moisture in the sub-soil. It doesn't end the drought but is certainly a blessing. The Saturday forecast projects 60% chance or rain on Saturday. Bring it on!

Takk for alt,

Al

At The Little House!

         The news had reached me yesterday, so it was not a surprise. Still it was good to see the evidence in person. When I was here last week I turned the rain gauge in the field over to measure precipitation, now that frost danger is likely passed. What did I find? A half inch of water, which is the most we have received at one time in several weeks. All of both Dakotas are officially considered in drought conditions. One forecast is for 80% chance of rain tomorrow. Without a predicted amount that doesn't tell much. It might rain a tenth of an inch and then it would fall in that 80% range. Well, here's hoping. There were a few corn plants peeking through in my field. That half inch should be enough to facilitate germination.

     The spirea  bushes in town are in full bloom.  See below.

Takk for alt

Al

World turtle day is past but I moved a turtle sunning on a busy road to the water that was adjoining the road.😁

A date to remember!

        It was in a conversation with The Veterans Administration when a verification question came up, over which I did not hesitate. The question "What was the date of your discharge from active duty?"  The answer "******,*****" 

      It also explains how I missed my brother's wedding. David was stationed in Colorado with the National Guard who'd been activated. He took leave to go home and plant corn, and, by the way, get married.  So David and Jonetta were married on this day in 1962...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. I was aboard the USS Princeton making my way back to the U.S. from Asia as they wee married.

    My summer was spent holding down the farm until David got home in August. Then I was off to Augustana College to finish my degree. And, the rest is history, as they say.

Takk for alt

Al

Pleasant Surprise!

     An older woman was speaking to her pastor and she said "You know pastor, most of the bad things in my life never happened."  This quote came to mind today when I called the Social Security Administration about my recent cyber-security issue. For days I'd been dreading that call. This morning I made the call at the announced time for the Minneapolis Office opening. What happened? My call was answered immediately by a very courteous and helpful person. He assisted in the establishment of a new bank account for the direct deposits of my monthly social security checks. Then he answered further questions with great advice providing the phone numbers and contacts I needed.  It was a very pleasant and efficient experience and I came away grateful for this faceless Social Service Administration employee who helped me. Yes, another 'bad thing that never happened.'. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Happy International Turtle Day!

        How did they get there? It seems that every body of water in the vicinity of The Little House has a population of painted turtles. As a boy one of my summer delights was spending a week at my cousin, Ronnie's, house. He, too lived on a farm but unlike our farm 'a river ran through it.' The Big Sioux River, which wasn't very big but was bigger than the Little Sioux in Iowa, actually ran through their pasture. That was a huge delight for boys becasue we could go fishing and swimming. Never mind the fact that cattle were pastured adjacent to the river. 

      Dwelling in the river were both painted and snapping turtles. Once we caught a huge snapping turtle on our fishing line. During those days in the 1950s there were no turtles near our farm nor near the little house. Now they're everywhere. So, how did they get there?  Walking?, ever watched a turtle walk, was probably not the method of their dispersal. Do birds spread turtle eggs as they do fish eggs? It's a mystery to me.  It all came to mind with International Turtle Day.

Takk for alt,

Al 

Good News!

       Those of you who have read my blog for awhile may remember the writing about planned  improvements on the markers in the Bergh Cemetery. A message from the monument company today reported that the work will be done next week. It will be done either Monday or Wednesday. If I were in South Dakota I would go supervise but I'll just trust that they do it right. It makes me happy that it will be done before Memorial Day when many persons will be visiting the cemetery. The Bergh plot in the Bergh Cemetery should be ready for company.

     With the recent warm spell finally there is weather to which I can relate!

Takk for alt,

Al

This is the lilac in the yard of The Little House. Those 25 lilacs planted earlier probably will not survive the lack of rain.

Life returns!

      "Build back better!"  Where that slogan came from escapes me. With the help of Lisa and Lars climbing out of the cyber hole into which I fell much will be better. My "hit and miss" record keeping., my amateur computer usage, my reliance on leaving things only on the computer with no paper trail, inadequate passwords....you get the idea. 

    The financial hit could have been much worse and the actual damage will not be known for some time yet. The bank's internal safeguards kicked in and gave me significant protection.  Unlike some unlucky persons I'm not teetering on the brink of bankruptcy nor did I have to pay a five million dollar ransom fee. I'm the proud owner of a new bank account. Physically I am safe and well. While it is a lot of work I have much for which to be grateful. As you can see by this post I am back online and expect to resume posting regularly.

   Worried about the state of my planted corn I made a quick trip from Minneapolis, where I've been since last Wednesday, to SDak. Thinking that the weeds may have taken over my cornfields I though I might need to spray. Before loading the sprayer I went to check the field.  It is sooo dry that neither the corn nor the weeds have germinated! WE NEED RAIN! When I was driving back to Mpls, and was about an hour away, there was water standing in the fields. Mpls has gotten a couple of inches of rain in the last few days. GO WEST, RAIN!  

   That's my story and I'm sticking with it. 

Takk for alt,

Al

I am alive and well.

       A massive computer breach beginning Saturday has knocked me offline.  I'm slowly emerging but will not be full operative for some time yet. So, thanks for all the expressions of concern. Watch this space for future developments. The computer issue has also temporarily compromised my contact list so I may have missed your call/contact. 

        Stay tuned!

Takk for alt,

Al

Odd Farewell!

     Mary Halvorson and Dan Garness (married) have been co-pastors of Grace University Lutheran Church for twenty-eight years. Tomorrow is their last Sunday and they retire officially at the end of May. Tonight is their farewell but it will be via Zoom because of COVID. After so many years it's hard to say goodbye. Goodbye is even more complicated because we've not been in-person with them for over a year. In addition, there is the complication  of needing to resort to a Zoom farewell. 

    Certainly this will complicate their grief. It will certainly complicate the congregation's grief, too. I have been advocating for a long period of interim to allow for adequate grief work. There's not much sign that my concern has gained any traction. Calling rapidly before the grief work has done risks making the newly called pastor an un-intentional interim.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Last night I appended a brief poem from Emily Dickinson, whose birthday is today. A commenter asked why I posted it. I posted it because I think the great work of all persons is "inner work" and that's a reminder of how important is the inner life. 

 A great Hope fell

You heard no noise
The Ruin was within

        – Emily Dickinson

Wedding

    Amber and Chad are married. 64 degrees at an outdoor wedding is a bit chilly but the rain held off.

    This Dagwood strip is mindful of my go around with Comcast. When I paid up $138.00 my cable was restored.

           I'll not be recommending Comcast or Xfinity anytime soon!

Takk for alt,

Al

 A great Hope fell

You heard no noise
The Ruin was within

        – Emily Dickinson

The two longest years of my life!

      Nothing in Sinai High School had prepared me me for college chemistry class. Having a distinct liability with numbers, and a weak high school experience, when I entered a three hour chemistry lab in my freshman year of college, I though my life was over. That lab was one of the longest years of my life.

     Last night I arrived at the condo in the sky to discover both my computer and TV access were shut off by Comcast. A friend said "Talking to Comcast isn't that bad." Yes. it is! Ever since February I've been trying to cancel some additional TV services we'd contracted for, beyond the basic package included in our condominium fee. Arriving at the condo last night I discovered that my cable access, both computer and TV, were suspended until I paid $150. for the services I didn't want. 

    Therin ensued the 2nd longest year of my life. Now, in the condo, I had the correct telephone number for Comcast. After listening to an interminable recording of all possible Comcast issues and making a variety of selections I reached a person. After repeating all my identifying info. I was asked the problem. After a complete explanation of the problem the person referred to me another, which meant I had to repeat everything beginning with my identity. This re-prompted a third referral repeating all of the above to a very nice man in Mexico. Between his accent and my hearing impairment I understood about every 3rd or 4th word he said. 

    Eventually the problem was resolved, my service restored and I did not have to pay the $150. Thus ended the 2nd longest day of my life.  And, both of the followers of this blog now understand why there was no post yesterday.

    Today is the rehearsal for Amber's and Chad's wedding, which will be tomorrow. Therefore, this is likely the only blog post today.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS In a follow-up evaluation Comcast "How likely am I to recommend Comcast to a friend or relative?" 😂

Memories!

       Long time friends met today for pie and coffee. Three of us were members of the Class of '56, and one spouse joined us. A 4th classmate wasn't up to making the gathering. Somethings have been forgotten in 65 years, imagine that? But, much was remembered and as time passes remembering with others is even more special. Often I've remarked that much of grief is the loss of shared memories. When the opportunity arises to join others, with whom you've been friends, for over 70 years it's a great gift. 

      The Dinah Shore car, that's rested in my shop all winter went home today. She's about to be transferred to the daughter of  the current owner. This makes it unlikely that she will be back again. She's the actual 1955 Chevy convertible that Dinah Shore rode on. Beginning the Dinah Shore show she'd ride in on the convertible singing "See the USA, in your Chevrolet, America's Inviting You to Call."  Many of you are too young to remember that, but you can google the re-runs. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Birds

        A half a mile west of The Little House someone has put up a bluebird house. It's on a fencepost by some wildlife land. Driving by it yesterday I saw two bluebirds perched on the house. Today I saw one perched there. This is testimony to the value of providing houses for the birds. On water nearby were a pair of bufflehead ducks so, perhaps, they're staying for nesting.  The ruddy duck hasn't shown itself lately.

    A cormorant often swims with pelicans. It appears that they share a cooperative fishing arrangement. It would be interesting to know more about that. Pelicans continue to frequent my little pond. Now that pheasants are nesting I do not let Kaia run in the fields so that she doesn't disturb them. There are noticeably more pheasants around this spring than last. An egret made an appearance on my pond but hasn't come back. Grackles and robins search my yard.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                       Cedars in the grass.

                      Does this mean that I'm not a cook?  😕

Happy Mother's Day!

        The gift of family...my niece invited me join their family for lunch today. It was a pleasure to be with family again! In addition, my sister-in-law has invited me to dinner. So my mother's day has been filled with family time. Yes, I'm blessed and grateful!  I did check in with Joanne's grave this morning. She always appreciated mother's day.

Takk for alt,

Al

Pelicans on patrol.

      All day there has been a pad of pelicans swimming back and forth on the near side of my little pond. They were joined briefly by a cormorant. This is evidence that there are fish in the pond. It could be bullheads but more likely minnows. The pelicans frequently dip their heads under the water but I'm not able to see if they immerge with a fish. This would have tickled my mother whose house across the street backs up to the pond. Dad built a screen porch behind the house and mother spent hours there enjoying the wildlife. But there weren't any pelicans during her time.

      There was a meager attempt at rain today but it didn't amount to much. Moisture would certainly be welcome. The meteorologist who writes in the Minneapolis paper says that it's been too cold for thunderstorms. In that case, bring on the hot weather!

      I've been reading David McCullough's biography of Harry Truman. It's very interesting but at approx. 1600 pages it is taking me awhile. I've renewed the library loan once and may need to do that again.  

Takk for alt,

Al

Sanctuary

        In a previous blog I'd written about the difference between a 'graveyard' and a 'cemetery'. Then I promptly forgot about it until, in a conversation with Ed, he mentioned it. This is what Google says...

"A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. ... The term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, but a graveyard primarily refers to a burial ground within a churchyard."

       So, what I call "the cemetery" began as a graveyard beside the church. The old church that stood there was cold and drafty in the winter. Consequently Sunday School was held in the summer. On nice Summer Sunday's our teacher would take us outside to the "graveyard" for class. In 1950 a new church was built in town, a half male from the previous site. So, did the graveyard then become a cemetery? 

       These reflections were occasioned by a question from my spiritual director "Where do you meditate?"  My answer "The cemetery." Originally it was ringed by ponderosa pine. When they died of old age they were replaced by spruce trees. Those trees are now 30 or 40 feet tall entirely enclosing the graveyard turned cemetery. A road runs the inside perimeter and it is a quarter mile long. When I've made 4 loops I've gone a mile. This has become my sanctuary and the place for my meditation. 

        Joanne's decision to be buried there has always pleased me. Little did I know that the pandemic would place me in such constant proximity to it. Naturally my walks always start and end at her grave.

Takk for alt,

Al

    

Day by day...

     Now that I've been resident in The Little House for over a year it's interesting to look back at my early months here. People would ask "You're going to spend winter there?" with a note of disbelief in their voice. I, too, wondered how it would be to spend winter here. It reminds me of a nervous bride who turned to her husband at the conclusion of the ceremony and said "Piece of cake!" Spending the winter here was a "piece of cake." 

     One of the losses I suffered by moving here, and the pandemic, was teaching at Noble Academy. At first I taught 5 days a week, then 4 and, finally, 3. That commitment rooted me in a schedule keeping the calendar in my mind. For over a year I have not taught.  In The Little House I've tried to phone a business  to be surprised that they were not open only to discover it was a Saturday.

    An email, from Sam, a fellow denizen in the land of grief, brought me up short when he reported his plans for Mother's Day on Sunday. "Mother's day, I didn't know it was Mother's Day!" was my reaction. This morning I visited the mother of my children as I do several times a week.  Now, thanks to my niece, I have a plan for Mother's Day.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                     This is my chick, Doris.

 

Beautiful Rain!

      Beginning at 7:00 a.m. today it rained for five hours. It was a nice, gentle rain, never very hard. How much?  I haven't heard but it was very welcome. Both Dakotas have been very dry though not as dry here as farther west and north. The soil was so dry when I planted corn I wondered if it would all germinate. This rain will be enough to ensure germination. 

     There appears to be an exceptionally large number of pelicans this year. Pads appear on many if not most sloughs. They congregate for nesting but I don't know where they do that. 

    Agriculture commodities continue to rise in price. Both wheat and corn reached $7.54 and soy beans $15.82 on the CBT today. Where will they top out? Corn did reach $7.00 a few years ago. Reduced stocks, China purchases and poor crop conditions in South America contribute to the rising prices. Are these prices helpful or do they create an unhelpful balance?

Takk for alt,

Al

Stoop labor!

 "In ancient times, cedar wood was especially desirable for its aromatic qualities as well as its resistance to decay and bugs. Lebanon was known for its magnificent cedars and was once heavily forested with them. Cedar was a major export and source of wealth, although, in more recent years, Lebanon has faced deforestation. Even today, the image of a cedar tree is found on the Lebanese national flag."

    The Cedars of Brookings County occupy a place of ambivalence for me. I've planted thousands as winter protection for wildlife. Pheasants will roost in their branches at night protected from wind and ground based predators such as coyotes and fox. Deer bask in the sun on the southside of cedars protected from the north wind. Birds thrive on eating cedar berries and defecate the seeds far and wide. 

     Thousands of small cedars have invaded the grassland sown to native prairie grasses. Those trees left undisturbed would soon transform the grassland into conditions unsuitable for ground nesting birds such as pheasants, field-sparrows and bobolinks. This is why I spent the morning doing stoop labor, snipping off the cedars at ground level. Coniferous trees, cut off below the bottom branch, do not re-sprout unlike deciduous trees. If there were bison available, and adequate fencing, they'd root out the cedars, but lacking them, it fell to me to do the labor. A morning of that was quite enough.  

Takk for alt

Al

White caps!

       Today's north wind is so strong that there are whitecaps on my little pond. Had the wind been this strong on the day of the grassfire who knows what might have happened. As it was, with the 14 mph wind, the fire reached within a few yards of the northmost house in town. 

      The soil (don't call it dirt) into which I was planting my corn was so dry I wondered if there would be enough moisture to germinate the seed. Last evening we got enough drizzly rain to register .2" on my weather app. Perhaps that will be enough to promote germination. All of North Dakota and much of South Dakota are in drought conditions. If you pray for rain remember to carry your umbrella.

      In answer to last night's moral dilemma about whether or not to replace that suspect tire on the planter: I did get a used tire mounted on a spare wheel today. That still doesn't put it on the planter but makes it a possibility. Replace? or, leave well enough alone?  Ah, the agony of decision.😜 

Takk for alt,

Al

"You picked a fine time to leave me,...."

      My two cornfields are about ten miles apart. Friday the helpful people at the Volga COOP put a new innertube in the flat tire on my planter. Yesterday morning with the planter and it's newly repaired tire I set out to pull the planter to the west field. About two miles down the road the other planter tire blew out. Being only a mile from town I drug the planter to my shop to do the repairs. Because this was the drive wheel for planter the repair was considerably more complicated. There was a spare tire mounted on a compatible rim in the shop. This tire was questionable becasue it shows some tread separation from the tire cords, but any tire in an emergency. Finishing the repair project about noon I stopped for a quick lunch.

    After lunch I headed for the west field. About 4 miles from town the wheel holding the tire that was repaired Friday came off the planter. That's when I remembered the Balgaard Brothers' "You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel" parody of Kenny Roger's "You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille." I'd tightened the lug nuts with an impact wrench but must have had the wrench set too low. Leaving the planter in a field I drove back to town for new lug nuts. 

     Even after the delays I finished planting. After the fact it occurred to me I could have borrowed two lug nuts from the other wheel leaving each wheel with two. The planter's not very heavy and two fully tightened nuts on each wheel would have been adequate. 

    Now I'm faced with a huge moral dilemma: what to do about that tire with tread separation mounted on the planter? Should it be replaced now? Should it be replaced next year if it fails?  Decisions never cease!

Takk for alt,

Al

Planting is done!

         It was a day full of adventure but I'm too tired to write so I'll tell them tomorrow.

Takk for alt,

Al

                              My next planter.