July 30, 1982!

       July 30, 1982 was a very hot and humid night in Sinai.  Nancy and Tim were married that night in an "open house" wedding so the church was full. Body heat added to the outside temperature and high humidity. Air conditioning was still in the far future for Sinai Lutheran Church. Nancy's and Tim's three children are all married now and they have one grandchild. Dinner with the family last night gave us a chance to celebrate with them.

    In 1965, for our first anniversary, my mother gave Joanne a birthday book. Joanne kept it current until she died and then I claimed it. Paging through it is a trip down memory lane. She was diligent about recording birthdays, anniversaries and other important event.  It is now my guide to remembering those important dates.  When Tim and Nancy arrived at dinner last night I was surprised to learn that it was their anniversary. "I'm sorry," I said, wondering how I'd missed it. Checking the birthday book on my return home I discovered that Joanne had not recorded it. How unlike her.  Now the omission has been corrected.

Takk for alt,

Al

Written wisdom.

        There were several effects on me of Joanne's illness and death, now 3+ years ago. Obviously grief was a powerful effect that continues in it's own way now as I reside in its land. That is no surprise. What If found more surprising is the presence and power of gratitude. The ending of her life and my shift to a more solitary life has been accompanied with attendant gratitude for gifts received. Her departure has brought into sharp focus the amazing gift she was and how fortunate I was to accompany her for 50+ years. Many other blessings shone in brighter light. 

     These feelings of gratitude have sharpened my awareness of gratitude expressed by others. In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes:  "Even now, after more than fifty Strawberry Moons, finding a patch of wild strawberries still touches me with a sensation of surprise, a feeling of unworthiness and gratitude for the generosity and kindness that comes with an unexpected gift all wrapped in red and green. 'Really? For me? Oh, you shouldn't have?' After fifty years they still raise the question of how to respond to their generosity. Sometimes if feels like a silly question with a very simple answer: eat them....Strawberries first shaped my view of a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet. A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved forward toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it, or call it to you, or even deserve it. And yet it appears. Your only role is to open eyed and present. Gifts exist in a realm of humility and mystery...." PP 23-24. 

     In the Lutheran church we like to call that "grace."

Takk for alt,

Al

PS .2" rain in town and .4" at the field. 😀

Smoke gets in your eyes!

       The drive from Minneapolis to The Little House was accompanied by thick smoke. In the early part of the dive I wondered how I'd describe the smoke to Sinaites. Arriving in Sinai the smoke was the heaviest yet. The house next over is about 100 feet away and smoke is visible in that distance! If it's this heavy 1000s of miles from the fire how is it in proximity to the blaze?  Uffda! The temperatures have cooled down but The Little House will remain closed tonight. The last winter I was in Thailand, Bangkok closed schools some days because of smog. It was never this thick there.  It seems apocalyptic!

       Making my customary stop at Schmitt's Meat Market in Nicollet, MN, I noted their lawns were green. They'd received over an inch of rain lately. Good for them! 

Takk for alt,

Al

               The view from the steps of The Little House.

Audiology Report.

     The VA audiologist verified that, indeed, my right hearing aid was non-functioning. Likely a problem with the microphone. He sent it to the factory for repair. My new aids are yet to arrive so I was not able to get them. He guessed they'd be ready mid-August.?  The repaired one should reach The Little House in less than two weeks.

     Tonight is a family pizza party at my house after swimming in the condo pool. Because I've recently been at a super-spreader event I'll mask and stay distant from 9 year old Sella. 

   So here is the second post of that day to compensate for none yesterday.

Takk for alt,

Al

Showers here in Mpls this morning. 

Yesterday!

     As I drifted off to sleep last night in my condo I though "I didn't post today, both of my readers will be disappointed." Sorry about that. 😔 My relocation from The Little House to the Mpls condo must have confused me. It doesn't take much. Today I go to the audiologist as the VA and I hope to get my new hearing aids. Perhaps they'll also send in the one that's not working so I'll have good back ups. Such is life in the fast lane.

    Pearls Before Swine's Rat, catches the essence of the human condition.

Takk for alt,

Al

Bertha Mostue 12/16/1828-4/13/1928

        Bertha is almost lost to history. We know that she was born in Norway and came to South Dakota to help her niece, Mrs. Olai, (Minnie) Bergh, take care of her children. She's buried next to the Bergh grave section in the Bergh Cemetery. There are eight grandchildren surviving of Grandpa Olai and Grandma Minnie Bergh. It was our parents that Bertha helped to raise. In spite of her involvement in the family none of these grandchildren have any memory of  their parents ever mentioning Bertha. Grandpa Bergh wrote a brief biography during his retirement and he makes no mention of Bertha.

       Why is Bertha's history a blank?  All we have is conjecture. My guess is that she was ignored because she was a single woman who lived her life quietly helping her niece. She was the kind of woman that was often overlooked. 

      It's now over a hundred years since she died. Her name stone, that was sinking into the sod, now rests on a granite foundation, as do the stones of her niece and four of the children for whom she cared. Her foundation has space for a plague which will read "Aunt of Minnie Bergh." No one who visits her grave will need to wonder about her place in the Bergh Cemetery. She will be anonymous no more. May she rest in peace. 

     Ordering the plaque for Bertha's foundation was an interesting slice of South Dakota life. There's an engraving shop on Brookings, S.D's., main street. To last in perpetuity they recommended an aluminum engraved sign. After agreeing on the dimensions and wording all they asked of me was my name and phone number, which is a Minneapolis number. The plaque will cost $250.00, yet they didn't even ask for a down payment!

Takk for alt,

Al

Bertha's marker on the foundation with space on side for the plaque. 

The gift of family!

        The wedding was of my  brother's granddaughter, would that be my great-niece or grand-niece? Either title would fit her becasue she's both great and grand. 😀 Planned well in advance and postponed a year because of COVID it brought together much of my family. Some family members I hadn't seen for well before the onset of the pandemic. Being together was wonderful and a powerful reminder of the gift of family made even sweeter becasue we all like each other. Ah, yes, life is good! I am grateful, very grateful!

Takk for alt,

Al     

Thunderstorm!

         There was a wedding rehearsal  followed by dinner which was followed by a thunderstorm. Previous rains have been the slow, gentle, kind over a period of hours. Though, there have not been many of those. Last night's thunderstorm brought a welcome .7" of rain and the wind was not damaging. The moisture is certainly welcome. The sight of water puddles is a balm for sore eyes. 

          The wedding is at 4:00 today and air conditioning in both the church and reception venue is very welcome. Memories of clothes sticking to pews at sweltering weddings can well be left behind.

Takk for alt,

Al

Wildlife

        Why did the pheasant cross the street in front of The Little House? To prove it wasn't chicken! 😂 Or, perhaps it wanted a drink from the pond across  the road. Kaia didn't see it or she'd have been in hot pursuit. The flock of chickens across the alley from The Little House stay close to their yard. The rooster is just far enough away so his crowing doesn't bother me. Kaia is convinced that they are pheasants and it may be the dogs that convince the chickens not to stray far.

        Farmers are reporting seeing many pheasant broods this summer. The winter was mild so hen survival should have been good and the nesting season was ideal. Some years torrential rains or long wet periods impact nesting success. Chicks are vulnerable to hypothermia in cold wet weather and heavy rains can flood nests. This year there has been hardly any rain. 

        At dusk bats swoop around the house eating insects. This dry summer means that I have not had a single mosquito bite. Purple martins often swarm around the yard in late afternoon.

Takk for alt,

Al

Book Report.

           The advent of summer and the reality of receiving vaccine for COVID, has meant that I read less than before. You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, Elizabeth Becker is well worth reading for more reasons than one. The context is the War in Vietnam and Cambodia.

"The Vietnam press corps was a male bastion that women entered only at the risk of being humiliated and patronized; the prevailing view was that the war was being fought by men against men and women had no place there." PETER ARNETT,  This quote from the book's forward is painfully illustrated by the treatment the three women suffered as they covered the war. Catherine Leroy was a photographer, and if you remember anything of the war likely you'd recognize some of her photos. France FitzGerald and Kate Webb were journalists whose reporting and writing changed the world's perception of the war. 

    The book also serves as a history of the conflict. It was appalling to confront again the realities. Nixon's and Kissinger's treasonous undermining of the peace initiative was begun toward the end of the Johnson Administration under the pretense that North Vietnam would get better terms if they didn't settle with Johnson. The result was that Humphrey lost the election, Nixon won, and then prolonged the war for another seven years with no better settlement in the end. 

     The author, Elizabeth Becker, was herself, a journalist toward the end of the conflict. She's perhaps the only western journalist to have a two hour interview with Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge. This occured before the Khmer Rouge defeated the Cambodian Army and launched the Killing Fields after forcing everyone out of Phnom Penh. 

     Yes, I recommend it.

Takk for alt,

Al

Mission Accomplished!

     The project began in May and today it was completed. The Bergh Cemetery is where  Grandpa Bergh's church once stood, rural Volga, S.D. It is where Grandpa and Grandma Bergh, several uncles and aunts and my brother, Richard, are buried. The big stone, BERGH, has a slight tilt. My intitial concern was to stand it up true vertically. Because it was placed on wet concrete poured into a deep hole straightening it was not feasible. Six Bergh name markers, sometimes called 'footstones' had settled into the ground. Granite foundations for these stones were ordered to improve their position but when the foundations were placed it was discovered that the footsone had jagged bottoms. This made them unsuitable for placing on the foundations. The footstones were shipped off to have their bottoms sawed flat. Today the modified footstones were mounted on the granite platforms.

     There are eight surviving grandchildren of Grandpa Olai and Grandma Minnie Bergh. When they were notified of the work being done, and the attendant cost, they and their children generously responded with the money to pay for the work. 

     Two of the Grandparent's children died about 100 years ago. Their son, Martin, died in a airplane crash in 1920, and their daughter, Ella, died on the Spanish Flu in 1922. Now their footstones rest on granite foundations that should last in perpetuity. 

Takk for alt,

Al

                                     Placing Ella's marker.

Preventive Maintenance

          One of the tires on the corn planter was losing its tread. The temptation was strong to let it go. Likely it would be fine in the small fields that I plant. The fields are about ten miles apart so the risk  is that the trek between fields might doom the tire. So the preventive maintenance task today was replacing the tire. The task was complicated because it was the wheel that drives the planting mechanism via a chain and a sprocket attached to the wheel. The spindle bolt on which the wheel rides was inserted backwards making it almost impossible to remove the wheel. Nevertheless I persisted and the job was completed in about three times as long as it would have taken a real mechanic. Proximity to the shop certainly beats working on it in the field. Next May, when it is time to plant, I'll be very glad that I did it today. 

Takk for alt,

Al

                                  No comment.😁

Summer '64.

       Joanne and I, newly married, attended the Sioux Falls Community Band concert in June of 1964. Dr. Lee Lillehaug, band director at Augustana College directed the Community Band.  That memory came back last night as I attended the Brookings Community Band concert.  After posting my blog last night about quiet Sundays I noticed a friend's comment on Facebook that they were attending the Brookings Concert. "I can do that" I thought and I did. It was a delightful evening sitting in the park for the final concert of the season. The burgers and brats meal even came with a dish of SDSU's famous ice cream.

       This morning I sprayed one of my corn fields for the third time. The stand of corn is small and scattered allowing weed re-growth. With the drought conditions the corn needs every bit of moisture with no competition from weeds. After spraying I put the sprayer away until next year.  

Takk for alt,

Al

                           Children's march at the band concert.

                                Sun setting over a corn field.

Sundays

        Grace University Lutheran, Minneapolis,  my congregation, had their first in-person worship, since March 2020, today. It was held outdoors on the lawn north of the church building. Attendance for me was via live-streaming. It was an hour earlier than usual to beat the heat.

        An experience in my first year of ministry made me an arch conservative about changing times of worship. When I arrived at Zion Lutheran, Mohall, ND., their services was at 9:30 and Sunday School was at 11:00. The first full summer I was there I persuaded the church council to change the time of the service. Because there was no Sunday School I reasoned we could move the service to 9:00 for the summer until Sunday School resumed in the fall. The first four Sundays of the time change Milton & Bertina walked in at 9:30. Each Sunday as they left they asked "Doesn't church start at 9:30?"  We are creatures of habit and planners need to take that seriously. 😀

       College is in the far distant past for me. Yet, memories of student life remain. One of those memories has to to do with Sunday evenings. They were a "down" time for me. Sunday's now are not such a time as that but the day is quiet. It would behove me to think ahead and have plans for the day. My hearing aid issue makes telephoning more difficult increasing my isolation.  There's a family wedding later this week so there will be good opportunity to connect with relatives. Much better than funerals!

Takk for alt,

Al

       

Hearing Aid Follies!

       A few weeks ago at the VA Audiology test my left hearing aid was not working. My right ear had lost 20 decibels of hearing since the previous test. The left aid was sent for repair and was waiting for me in Sinai after the road trip and is working well. The right one was tuned for my loss of hearing. Now the right one isn't working. Miraculously I was able to secure a VA appointment in two weeks, it can often take six months. Hopefully then I'll get my new aids that are on order. 

      These hearing aids are connected to my phone so when conversing on the phone the sound is transmitted electronically to my aids. That is very helpful. Now phone conversations transmit to only one ear because my back-up aid isn't synced with the phone. This will limit phone conversations until I get to the VA. 😞 But, perhaps I shouldn't complain with the VA providing the aids.

    Life on the prairie: dinner at a restaurant that seats 207, in a town of 54 population. It wasn't full but there weren't many tables empty.

Takk for alt,

Al

Time passes...

        "Time passes on quick feet" is not original with me but it is certainly true. We've passed the mid-point of July and it's 2021 already. Remember all the doomsday speculation about turning to the year 2000?  That is ancient history. There is a logical reason that time seems to pass more quickly as we age. At age 5, it seems Christmas will never come again. At age 50, it seems it was just Christmas. One year is 20% of  life experience when you are 5. At age 50, one year is only one fiftieth of one's experience. 20% is so much more so a year seems longer.

      Such profound thoughts. 😀 But that is all for today!

Takk for alt,

Al

                                       Kaia, the wonder dog.

Two geezers sitting in the shade.

        Lloyd was born in April and I in October of the same year. Living on neighboring farms we met as three year olds in Sunday School. For eight years we were in the same class in country school and for four years we were high school classmates graduating together. We played basketball and football on the same teams. In my second year of college we were roommates though Lloyd was working and not in college. Lloyd soon married and our lives diverged, though with roots in Sinai we stayed in touch. When our golf group needed a fourth Lloyd joined us and we played together every week for several years. Now Lloyd is in a care facility in Volga, ten miles from Sinai. Today we sat out in the shade and remembered old times. 

     In our elementary school days we'd do overnights at each other's places. It was always fun to be at Lloyd's because he had several siblings. Tragically two of his siblings died in farm accidents. Ervin was 8, when he died in 1947, and Freda 6, when she died in 1948. Their graves are near Joanne's and I often pause at them to contemplate what their lives might have been had they not died so young. 

    Family and friends are the sustenance of  life. All friends are a unique gift in their own way and there is something particularly stratifying to connect with one who share such a long history. Yes, I am blessed.

Takk for alt,

Al

                     This was Joanne's experience living with Al.

Some is better than none!

       4. Emily Dickinson, ‘Summer Shower‘.

A Drop fell on the Apple Tree –
Another – on the Roof –
A Half a Dozen kissed the Eaves –
And made the Gables laugh –

A few went out to help the Brook,
That went to help the Sea –
Myself Conjectured were they Pearls –
What Necklaces could be …

   In the midst of a drought rain coming twice in five days is something to celebrate. Neither were hard driving rains, rather, gentle showers over several hours. That's perfect for parched land and the corn fields are glad as they welcome critical moisture as they begin pollination. 

    The town rain gauge, behind The Little House, held .58" and the gauge at the field .4".  That is not a lot but it adds to the .9" received Saturday and is very welcome. So the second time in five days I settled in an caught up on some reading. Returning from grocery shopping I took the pictures below.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                        Here's looking at you.

Corn report.

  My corn  is a tale of two fields. One is on the south side of a tree shelter belt plant in the 1940s. It has a gentle slope away from the trees toward Lake Joanne. The soil in this field is moderately heavy and for many years was covered by grass. Both fields were plowed the same day early this spring. The corn on the field by the trees germinated well, looks normal and will soon be tasseling. 

    The other field is on a hill and the soil is lighter. This lighter soil was very dry when the corn was planted, so dry that many of the seeds did not germinate. In addition to a spotty stand the corn doesn't look very healthy. Deer have not mastered the concept of delayed gratification and have eaten the tops off many of the corn plants.  This field does not look normal so it will be interesting to see how it responds to the .9" of rain it received Saturday. 

     Much of the commercial corn in the area is tasseling now so the rain that came Saturday will be a big help to it. The cooler weather recently also is better for corn in this stage than the extreme heat we had a few weeks ago. 

Takk for alt,

Al

          A friend asked "How old were we when we began groaning when we sat down?"

Back to the field.

       Ducks and pheasants begin nesting in May continuing through June and into July. Some birds that loose their first or second nest, predators or other problems, will re-nest with hatches as late as early August.  By now most have hatched their chicks, the ducks moving to water and the pheasants at home in tall grass. Kaia hasn't been allowed in the fields to avoid disturbing nesting birds.

       With hatching at this stage I took Kaia into the grasslands for the first time in weeks. Both of us enjoyed it. She runs and runs but always staying within eyesight and hearing of my voice. As she rides in the truck she's settling into being a better passenger. She associates a ride in the truck with some adventure so she leaps in as soon as I open the door. The next lesson for her will be learning to relax in the truck when I am away from it. Currently she's so agitated when I leave her that she ends up back in the house. In her previous life all her truck travel was in a crate in the cargo space. Does she know that she's a lucky dog?

Takk for alt,

Al

        In this picture taken today notice the smoke from the western fires in the distance.

Boat Ride

         The timing was fortuitous. Thinking that Sunday evening would be very quiet I called Don and Carol to see if they'd like to go to dinner. Don said, "We're on our way to the lake. Why don't you join us there?" So, naturally I did. Their lake place is on Lake Poinsett, once South Dakota's largest natural lake. That place has now been taken by Lake Thompson since the wet years have filled it. Neither are nearly as large as the lakes behind dams on the Missouri River.

       There were eight in our party and we enjoyed a 4:00-5:00 p.m. pontoon ride. The shore was deserted, apparently almost every one had left for home. Dinner was at the ABR Resort, which was a new venue for me and only a short distance from their lake home.

       Don's great-grandfather and my grandfather were friends in seminary. Don's father and my father were friends. Our farms were only 4 miles apart. When we were adolescents we car pooled to Sioux Falls, an hour plus away, to an orthodontist.  Appointments were three weeks apart and for two years our parents alternated making the drive. Don was two years behind me in high school but we graduated from college together. Yes, we share deep roots!

Takk for alt,

Al

Book Titles

        Since reading My Life Wit Bob,  Pamela Paul, about her "Bob", i.e., her list of books (Book Of Books) she's read, I too, have been keeping a list of what I've read. Occasionally someone will reference a book I've read by the title. Sometimes I struggle to remember the book. There are other times when a book title comes to mind because of an event. Today was one of those days. The title The Gift Of Rain came to mind today as .9" of rain fell.

"The Gift of Rain is the first novel by Malaysian novelist Tan Twan Eng. It was published in 2007 by Myrmidon Books in the United Kingdom and the following year by Weinstein Books in the United States, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize that year." Wikipedia 

    Thinking it was a good book I chose it for our neighborhood book club which meant that I read it twice. Some of the interest for me was the setting in a part of Malaysia that I had travelled. As the rain fell today I thought how rain is a gift.

   The rain began about 8:00 a.m. and continued until 1:00 p.m. Rain falling this slowly on parched ground soaks in with no run off. That is more valuable than a burst that comes quickly so much runs off. It was a delight to stand at the window and watch it fall. Corn fields in the area are just beginning to tassel and that is a critical time for moisture.  The rainy morning was a good time to catch up reading of the three Economists that came while I was travelling. It seems there is less time for reading in the summer.

Takk for alt,

Al

Quiet Days

      These are quiet days on the prairie. Perhaps the young pheasants are old enough now to avoid Kaia if I take her out to the grasslands. The chicks I saw yesterday were about half grown. Still, hens will re-nest if their nests are disturbed for a couple of more weeks yet. There are always projects I could do in the grass, look for errant cedar trees if nothing else. Kaia has yet to learn to wait patiently in the truck while I am out. Time we start working on that behavior. 

     Quiet days have enough people activity that causes less reading and phoning. Now it is possible to go places and do things. Tonight 8 family members will gather at a local restraint (Brookings) for dinner.  When we are together it is as if 2020 didn't happen. On the way to dinner I'll visit a boarding kennel for future Kaia' stays.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Lightening at 3:00 a.m., brought no rain. 😟  

Corn report.

         It was time to check the corn. My expectation? That, with the corn's slow growth meaning that the rows would not be shaded, weeds would sprout. Wrong! There is almost no weed growth? Is that a factor of the drought? Is it too dry for the weeds to germinate? That's a guess. The corn is pathetic! The stand is poor because of dry soil and the corn is not growing normally.  

       The commercial corn fields still like normal, though a bit stunted where the soil is sandy. Soybeans seem very short. The corn is not tasseling yet and that's a critical stage for development.  Lake Sinai is down, perhaps a foot since spring and more than that from its high water mark. Still there are those who deny climate change. It's sad that climate change became politized.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Little House

        After Kaia spent two weeks in the kennel she was overjoyed to see me and I her! We arrived back in Sinai a little while ago. It's surprising how many little things there are to do upon arrival. My repaired hearing aid was in my mail box. 😁 It is also surprising how much mail accumulates in two plus weeks. There was a friendly cat on the counter at the kennel. After checking carefully I did pet it. Now I'm much more cautious around cats...funny thing? No!

Takk for alt,

Al

"The rain falls on the just and the unjust."

    Matthew 5:45 "...sends rain on the just and on the unjust."  Rain certainly seems random. On our little road trip to Illinois and Ohio we experienced several bouts of rain. Sam, in Watertown, SD., reports 1.38" today. The neighbor to The Little House reports "hardly any."  It is hard for me to wait for rain but what is it like for those whose lively-hood depends on it? Rain in Minneapolis? .4" maybe. Pray for rain and carry your umbrella.

    Plans to relocate to South Dakota are on hold as some banking issues are negotiated. Stay tuned.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS  My had and arm are recovering nicely, yet I recommend ignoring strange cats. 😏

Minneapolis

     Driving on the 4th of July has its advantages. Not all trucks were off the road for the holiday but the majority were. Other than the passage around Madison, WI., traffic was reasonable. In one area of southern Illinois low lying farm fields were flooded. Evidence of drought seems to begin at the west border of Wisconsin.  The drive from Dayton to Minneapolis was completed by 7:00 p.m. 

    Mileage for the trip was 1807 miles. Fortunately there were no driving mishaps. My hand is recovering nicely from the cat attack. Rumors that I drove over the cat later, are denied. The good medical care of the emergency room personnel in Dayton has prevented infection. A friend once said "It's the unexpected that happens when you travel that makes the stories."  So the cat attack is an opportunity for 'story'. It has also triggered stories of those who delayed medical treatment after cat bites and regretted it...one required a 4-5 day hospital stay. 

     In a day or two Kaia and I will return to The Little House On The Prairie.

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

Takk for alt,

Al

10% er!

       In the Marines there were always some who 'didn't get the word.'  "What? No one told me." "Where did you hear that?" "Are your sure?"  They were called 'ten percenters.' The ten percent that were always out of the information loop.

     Today I was a ten percenters and it sent me to the emergency room. However, if you need an emergency room the Miami Valley Medical Center,  Dayton, OH., comes highly recommended. Prompt service, excellent care, friendly staff,...left me grateful for access to medical care and insurance to cover the costs. Not only that, it is just across the road from Gerry's.

    Tomorrow I'll report the reason for visiting the emergency room. Oh? OK, I'll nor make you wait. 😏 The lovely Air B&B, in which we're staying, has a "yard cat."  Somehow I missed the message that it is an attack cat. Standing outside this morning, waiting for Lisa, the cat walked up to me and rubbed on my ankle. It sniffed my hand, and laid down next to my foot. When I reached down to pet it, it went in to full attack mode. Eight puncture wounds in the heel of my hand and lacerated wrist from clawing were the result. Leaving a trail of blood, I returned to the house to get first aid from Lisa.

    Considering the danger of cat bites we went to the emergency room. Any fears that I had, that we were being overly cautious, were quickly dispelled by the response of the medical staff. They ordered x-rays to be sure there no tooth fragments in my hand. An intravenous antibiotic was administered.  The wounds were irrigated and flushed before bandaging and wrapping. An antibiotic prescription was sent to a local pharmacy.   Walk in to walk out was only about two hours. 

     So that was today's little adventure!  Oh, yes, total out of pocket cost for me?  Eight dollars and 64 cents for the prescription!  You see why I say I'm blessed?

Takk for alt,

Al

PS  Planning to drive from Dayton to Minneapolis tomorrow may prelude a post. 

Bird watching in Dayton.

        The Blue Heron Air B&B, to which we returned after a two year absence, is in a park like setting, under tall trees, perhaps 50 yards from the Stillwater River. The river is obscured from view by a thick canopy of trees. This is an ideal habitat for a large variety of birds.  The proprietors of the Air B&B have several bird feeders next to our house, and they the keep the feeders filled.

       Coming to the feeders we've seen cardinals, house and yellow finch, red bellied and downy woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, english sparrows, red-wing blackbirds, starlings, hummingbirds, scarlet tanagers, tufted tit-mouse and catbirds.  It's endlessly fascinating to watch their comings and goings.

      After the hot, humid, rainy weather a refreshing cool front has moved in.  Makes one thing of The Little House on the Prairie.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                Our home in Dayton.

Chilling in Dayton!

       The social schedule is the reason I'm late posting tonight. The priority is to maximize our time with Gerry. Hard rain again last night while dry conditions continue over so much of the country. Once again I saw myself in Pickles. 😄  I did find time to read the paper.

Takk for alt,

Al