Proof Positive & Happy New Year!

    It's not that any proof was lacking. Living in a building where 84 was average age, three years ago, is proof enough that this is an Old Folks Home. However, if proof were lacking, then comes tonight's New Year's Eve party. Though it is only scheduled until 9:30 😂 I may leave early. Why would I do that? you ask. The party is scheduled to begin at 5:00 and before 9:30 my people bladder will be full, thus a possible early exit. 

    So there you have proof positive that this is an OFH. Where else would a New Year's Party be scheduled from 5:00 until 9:30?😎  I'm even posting this blog early becasue of the party.

Takk for alt,

Al

    After climbing Kilimanjaro we did a safari on the Serengeti. It reminded me of the prairie though the fauna were different.

Ya then

 

Well then, the New Year's Eve party at the OFH ends when?  9:30, yup😂

Bus Stop

     Across the street from the OFH is a sheltered bus stop. It's visible from my recliner. These days persons waiting for the bus seldom sit on the bench. While waiting for the bus they pace back and forth. There's never a crowd there but several bus lines run down this busy highway 5, and W.7th street so frequently riders board or dismount. 

    There's a story that a facility for persons with memory loss but a fake bus bench in front of their building. The hope was that if a person with memory loss wandered out of the building they might sit on the bench and wait for a buss. This would give the caretakers time to retrieve the lost citizen. Come to think of it, there are benches in front of the OFH!

   Takk for alt,

    Al

    PS.  Perhaps I should have said "barn clothes" not "chore clothes", see comment.

One of the fascinating features of Kilimanjaro is the adaption of flora on its slopes. The upper slopes reach tropical daytime high temperatures. At night the temperatures are artic. Consequently flora have adapted to these extremes.

Old Habits!

      Exercising an old habit today caused a pause to reflect of the roots of that habit. In my family of origin we always went to church and, of course, it always was at 11:00. Arriving home from church mom would prepare dinner, the noon meal in a rural setting. While she was doing that boys would do chores, which at noon mostly required feeding the calves in the barn. There may have been something to do for the chickens.

    Here's where the habit comes in. Dad would never let us leave the house for the barn until we'd changed out of our Sunday church clothes. Arriving home from church today the first thing I did was change out of my Sunday church clothes. 😀 Yup, old habits die hard. 

Takk for alt,

Al

                    I was 60 when Lisa and I climbed Kilimanjaro.

Interesting History!

      Though I had history courses in elementary school, high school and was a history major in college I was never taught this. What? The Ku Klux Klan in South Dakota, ala the title of Arley Kenneth Fadness' book,.published this year. The book extensively documented with newspaper articles tells the story of the spread and influence of the Klan in South Dakota during the 1920s. A major rallying point of the Klan was anti-Catholicism. It lead to the 1921 murder of popular Catholic priest, Bartholomew Belknap in Lead, SD.

    Fadness documents the spread of the Klan throughout S.D., often in cooperation with Protestant clergy. The book is a helpful addition to Timothy Egan's A Fever In The Heartland, focused on Indiana and the Klan's effort to take over America. Read them both.

Takk for alt,

Al

Another Winner

    Minnesota Author and owner of Birchbark Bookstore, Louise Erdrich, has written another fine novel. Perhaps the setting is logical because she grew up in Wahpeton, ND, on the banks of The Mighty Red,  the name of this book copyrighted in 2024. The river is a major player in this story.  All of her books are suffused with subtle humor but this was the funniest to me. Perhaps the more indigenous works are as funny but it's lost on me. Some of the funniest scenes are set in meetings of a book club. One character owns a bookstore, about which Erdrich is very familiar. 

   Sugar beet culture is a major part of the book and Erdrich challenges the use of toxins in their culture, In a way it harks back to her second book Beet Queen. All this set in the context of a story about beet farmers and towns and people dependent of sugar beets. The book is peopled with quirky characters which is the norm for Erdrich's books. The characters are engaging.  It's both a fun read but also with existential issues with which to wrestle.  

   Yes I recommend it.

Takk for alt,

Al

         Evy's Kransekake picture that I couldn't download yesterday.

Busted!

       During my years as pastor of various congregations I noted the usual places where parishioners sat. Occasionally someone would relocate and I'd quip "I hardly recognized you sitting there." When congregants move their regular seating place forward it often meant they were more connected to the life of the congregation. Likewise, when someone suddenly moved to the back it often meant that they were on their way out of the church.

     Typically I sit far forward, in about the 4th row. At the conclusion of the service I exit by the front door, near the organ. Exiting out that door and down the steps brings me to the coat rack and the coffee hour in the fellowship hall. Recently this sign.

was posted by that exit. Yup, busted!😀

   Three days of family gatherings in three days, how blessed I am. Today me son's family hosted fourteen of Joanne's family as well as our own. In preparation for the event Evy, my fifteen year old granddaughter made kransekake, see picture below.  Picture's not downloading...see tomorrow.

Takk for alt,

Al

Polygamist Christmas Card!

    In yesterday's blog article about the first White House Christmas Tree it mentioned President Coolidge giving his wife a used Christmas Card. It still had the name of the man who had given it to Coolidge. That brought back a memory of a card I once gave Joanne.

   Both of you know that Joanne was a card lady. She mailed about thirty cards a month. birthday, anniversary, etc. She also valued that cards which she received. Cards were very important to her in our relationship. Cards were exchanged for birthdays, anniversaries and all major holidays. 

     While we were living in Sioux Falls one late December 24, afternoon I realized I had failed to buy Joanne's Christmas Card. Her present was wrapped and under the tree but there was no card for her. The realization hit me just before the first Christmas Eve service was to begin.  Lewis Drug and Our Saviour's Lutheran, where I was on the staff,  were a few blocks apart. As I dashed into Lewis Drug to get a card I heard the first church bell signaling that the first service was about to begin. Rushing to the card rack I chose a card on which the cover proclaimed "To My Wife At Christmas." Quickly paying for it I rushed to church, robed and made to my chair in time. After the service I quickly signed it and, at home, placed it under the tree. Whew!

    While we were opening gifts Joanne found the card, opened it and burst into laughter. I was wondering what was so funny she passed the card to me. This card which said on the cover "To My Wife at Christmas" in large print on the inside said "From Both Of Us." Busted! Naturally I had to confess the circumstances of the purchase. Per usual Joanne was a paragon of grace, fully appreciating the humor of the situation.

Takk for alt,

Al

One of the amazing monasteries at Metora, Greece. A step meter worn by one of our group showed 5000+ steps, largely stairs. 2023

Merry Christmas!

  In a future post I'll tell about the polygamists' Christmas Card I gave Joanne (see Cal Coolidge' faux pas at the end of this article.

Merry Christmas,

Al  

 "At 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve in 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first national Christmas tree outside the White House in the area known as the Ellipse. The tree was a 48-foot balsam fir, a gift from the president of Middlebury College in Coolidge's home state of Vermont. Unfortunately, the bottom 10-foot section of the tree was damaged during shipping, so branches from another tree were tied on in place of those that had been broken. The tree was lit with more than 2,500 electric lights in red, white, and green, which Coolidge lit by pressing a button at the base of the tree. The use of electric lights on Christmas trees was still a new phenomenon, as was electricity in general — Coolidge's hometown of Plymouth Notch, Vermont, still didn't have electricity. A partner of Thomas Edison had first put electric lights on his home Christmas tree in 1882, but it took a long time for the public to trust the idea, especially since the lights themselves were expensive and you had to hire an electrician to rig them up.

On Christmas Eve, about 6,000 people gathered to watch the tree-lighting ceremony. There were musical performances by the U.S. Marine Band and the Epiphany Church choir. After the ceremony, the First Congregational Church choir was scheduled to sing Christmas carols, and first lady Grace Coolidge had invited the public to come sing along on the White House grounds. Music and lyrics for the carols had been published in The Evening Star so that people could clip them out and take them along, and they were encouraged to carry a flashlight as well. At midnight, after the official festivities had wound down, the city's African-American community was allowed to view the tree, and they held a 40-minute ceremony.

The media — excited about the national tree — had been following the Coolidge family's every move for several weeks, reporting in-depth on their shopping trips. For Christmas, Coolidge gave his wife 25 one-dollar gold pieces. But he forgot to buy a card, so he reused one that he had received from a friend a few days earlier, which unfortunately still had the original guy's name on it."  The Writer's Almanac

Perk II

      Quarterly a podiatrist visits the OFH. Usually I'm in SDAK when that happens. Today was podiatrist day and, as you both know, I'm now an inmate. So, I signed up and received a pedicure, compliments of my medical insurance company. 😀   

   Likely it's a feature of my age that many things bring back memories as did today's pedicure. Some years ago I was staying in a hotel in downtown Saigon, which has been renamed Ho Che Min, City. (I once saw Ho but that's a story for another day.) Needing a haircut I entered a Vietnamese barber shop. (Which reminds me of the sign in Bangkok advertising a barber shop, "BAR  BER". which could be another story.) Back to Saigon; when I entered the shop there was a bit of a flurry and a middle aged woman entered the shop from a backroom. Apparently a foreigner as customer required the proprietor, perhaps she hoped for a generous tip.

   As soon as she began cutting my hair a woman knelt in front of me. She unbuckled my sandals and while the barber was cutting my hair she gave me a pedicure. Can't say that's ever happened in America. Today's podiatrist pedicure brought back that memory.

Takk for alt,

Al

               The Continental Hotel, Saigon where Joanne, L, and I stayed on one visit to Vietnam.

OFH Perk

      Included in our monthly rental at the OFH is cable TV. While I'm not much of a TV watcher,. I do enjoy some sports, especially basketball. Today the Division I Volleyball championship was broadcast. It featured, Louisville, and it was played in Louisville to a record crowd. Representing the Big 10, was Penn State. A record crowd was in attendance.

    Perhaps you both know that volleyball is played the best of five sets. Sets 1-4, are played to 25, but a team must win by 2 points. The 5th set is to 15. One set today, that Louisville won, went into the 30s, (34-32) the highest scoring set in tournament history. Penn State won 3 of the first four sets so there was no 5th.

   History making was that both teams are coached by women. So, today's winner Katie Schumacher-Cawley is not only the first national Division I, volleyball champion, she's the first female coach to win a Division I national title. 

   A hearing device attaches to my TV that transmits the sound directly to my hearing aids. Why don't I use it? That device does not allow me to mute the TV. Then, too, sports announcers annoy me, judging, talking about uninteresting things and seldom reporting what I want to know. So, the solution is simple, I just watch with the sound muted.

Takk for alt,

Al

- It's been nearly half a century since Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu decided to build the House of the Republic in the heart of Bucharest. It was to be Europe's largest building at that time. Over 10,000 houses were razed, transforming a project initially conceived by Romanian King Carol II into a North Korean-style megalomaniacal endeavor.

Following the devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake on March 4, 1977, that claimed the lives of 1,500 people, Ceausescu decided to transform Bucharest's ruins into a monumental socialist triumph. He believed rebuilding the city with grand architecture would symbolize the victory of socialism.  

   He was executed December 25, 1989.

Joanne were staying in hotel in downtown Bucharest not far from this building. We toured it.

Happy Day!

       Winter solstice always makes me happy as summer solstice always makes me sad. Even though the increased daylight will not be noticeable for some days knowing that light returns makes me glad. The old saying often holds true "when the light begins to lengthen the cold begins to strengthen." The OFH is a great place to ride out the cold with the perk of a heated garage. Locally those wishing for a White Christmas got their wish. Will the OFH home inmate with a snow shovel in his/her locker break it out and do some shoveling? 😀

"In the Northern Hemisphere, today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the longest night. It's officially the first day of winter and one of the oldest-known holidays in human history. Anthropologists believe that solstice celebrations go back at least 30,000 years, before humans even began farming on a large scale. Many of the most ancient stone structures made by human beings were designed to pinpoint the precise date of the solstice. The stone circles of Stonehenge were arranged to receive the first rays of midwinter sun. Some ancient peoples believed that because daylight was waning, it might go away forever, so they lit huge bonfires to tempt the sun to come back. The tradition of decorating our houses and our trees with lights at this time of year is passed down from those ancient bonfires. In ancient Egypt and Syria, people celebrated the winter solstice as the sun's birthday. In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated with the festival of Saturnalia, during which all business transactions and even wars were suspended, and slaves were waited upon by their masters. Henry David Thoreau said: "In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends."' The Writer's Almanac

Coals to Newcastle!

     Today was coffeetime with two friends, both of whom are published authors and they're still writing. Currently I try not to keep books after I've read them. Twice downsizing there were boxes and bags of books of which to dispose. After recently reading Still Writing, Shapiro, it was clearly a book not meant for keeping. So, I brought it to my author friends, thinking it's like bringing Coals to Newcastle.

    They seemed genuinely pleased with it. So, perhaps, it found a place to be appreciated. The only condition imposed was "do not return it to me."

   So this about contains the significance of my day!

Takk for alt,

Al

Transylvania, Romania, has these lovely medieval cities we visited on our driving tour. This is the central square of Sibiu. 

Two Surprises!

      The first surprise happened in late October. Meeting N.O. in church she handed me a wrapped package. Opening it I found a book she was gifting me. By way of disclaimer she said she'd found it in a Little Free Library. The book's cover showed that it was about a Marine and his dog. Though I have more than a passing interest in things Marine and dog I thought "how cute".

     Now for the second surprise. It was beyond cute and very engaging. Craig and Fred: A Marine, A stray Dog, and How They Rescued Each Other, tells the story of Craig and his dog Fred. Craig found a stray dog when he was in a combat situation in Afghanistan. "Fred" immediately bonded with Craig. Pets were totally forbidden to military personnel in Afghanistan by the highest command. In spite of that Craig found a way to send Fred to America. 

    In alternating chapters Craig tells of his Marine experience and his life in the United States. He's a good story teller and is honest about his struggles with PST. Almost killed by a rocket, while deployed, he suffered a traumatic brain injury. His struggles toward recovery and healing are inspiring. 

    Thanks, N.O., for a great read!

Takk for alt,

Al

Old Folks Home

      Here we are, once again inmates of the OFH. The planned return tomorrow was moved up a day to avoid the predicted snow. This early arrival had the bonus of allowing us to attend the Annual Christmas Dinner. The food services directory goes all out with fine spread of food artistically presented. Acquaintances asked "How long are you here for this time?" They were surprised when I replied "April." So, here we are relocated to wait out winter, or as I say "I've come north for the winter." A heated garage is a nice plus, going out from The Little House to a cold vehicle has lost some appeal. Kaia makes the transition easily though she'd love to do more pheasant hunting.

Takk for alt,

Al

Memories, II

      While Joanne and I were staying in Bucharest Ascension Sunday, on the Orthodox calendar, happened.  Walking around central Budapest that Sunday we happened on an Orthodox church holding an Ascension Day service. Following others we entered the worship center as the service was in progress. We stayed for awhile to see the pageantry but mostly to listen to the choir. They sang constantly, from the balcony, a carpella in twelve parts. Worshippers would come, stay awhile and then depart. Priests were doing something around the altar which involved much incenses. We found it very inspiring.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                            Dracula's Castle.   In  Sighișoara, mentioned in yesterday blog, there was a pizza shop called 'Dracula's Pizza.

Memories

        Joanne and I had some good international travel together. Recently something reminded me of my trip to Romania. Perhaps it was stumbling on a young band from Romania doing 'covers' on You Tube. We flew to Bucharest and spent several days in a boutique hotel in the center city. Then we rented a car and drove around Transylvania. Yes, we visited Dracula's Castle where we had a great tour, with one other tourist, and a tour guide who spoke excellent English learned from American TV. He knew all the secret stairways to avoid the groups of tourists.

     One of our favorite stops in Transylvania was the city of Sighisoara. The ancient city was a citadel built on a high hill with a fortified wall for protection. Now a modern city surrounded the walled city. Steps, hundreds of them, led up to the top of the hill. At the top was church, cemetery and the city high school. A road now offered access to the top. The steps were very interesting. There were six steps and a landing, six steps and a landing, and so on until the top was reached.  Why? Because on the seventh day God rested! 

     One of the ancient Lutheran churches in the city had a pulpit outside. It was accessed from a short stair inside, elevated a few feet about the ground with a roof. Why an exterior pulpit. It was from this vantage point the pastor would preach to the lepers gathered in the yard, but excluded from entrance because of their disease.

Takk for alt,

al

                      Inside the walled city.

Well recommended!

       When L finished the book she loaned it to me recommending that I read it. Thanks, L, it is was a fine read. Elizabeth Strout received the Pulitzer for her Olive Kitteridge. Now Tell Me Everything is up to her usual standards. Many characters from her previous books appear in Tell, so it's helpful, but not mandatory, to read her books in the sequence in which they were published.

     A reoccurring theme in Tell is the obscurity and anonymity of many person's lives. This is particularly true of those who die young. As an antidote to this anonymity Lucy Barton, a main character in many of Strout's books, and elderly Olive Kitteridge, the character in the book for which Strout received the Pulitzer, meet to share stories of otherwise forgotten people. Thus, the book's title, Tell Me Everything.

     The book is charged with wit and wisdom about life and the meaning of life. Strout's weaving of themes, characters and circumstances sustain attention. This is a book in which good things sometimes  happen to the characters to whom the reader is attached. Strout obviously likes the characters with which she peoples her writings. Illustrations of grace abound.

Takk for alt,

Al

On this day, December 15, Ed and I graduated from Marine Corps Bootcamp, sixty-five years ago. Graduation is a big deal in the Corps. We'd shared life in a Quonset Hut and membership in the same platoon. Given mandatory leave by the Marines, Ed and I headed home. In 1959 airplane travel was not ubiquitous so we shared a twenty four hour bus ride from San Diego to Omaha, where Ed headed east and I north.  Our farm backgrounds gave us much to share. After we finished our leave we were assigned to the same unit so we were together until I finished my enlistment. 

                            Ed and I in a hotel in Tokyo, 1961.

So today...

     Taking what Kaia taught me yesterday, today I hunted the grass. There were birds in it all of which I witnessed from a distance. Usually by December there would be enough snow in the grass that the pheasants would have left for the warmer cover of cattails. With the light snow cover there is protection from the wind in the bluestem grass. Cattails are prime winter habitat because even with significant snowfall there large pockets near the ground in which birds can escape the wind and move about. Normally that's where they'd be in December.

   It was nice walk, good exercise rewarded by the sight of several roosters. It's all good and I'm grateful for the opportunity. 

Takk for alt,

Al

      The big bluestem which is providing habitat for pheasants, deer and other critters. 

Trust your dog!

         On today's hunt I was walking between heavy cattails on my left and tall big bluestem grass on my right. Kaia was most interested in the grass. Thinking the pheasants would be in the cattails I kept sending her there. She'd dutifully make a foray into the cattails but soon run into the grass again. That's where she flushed a number of pheasants. With my attention focused on the cattails I was slow in seeing the roosters. By the time I saw them they were speeding with the wind and consequently none came home with us. 

    Long time hunters who use dogs are schooled to always pay attention to the dog. With their fantastic sense of smell, one estimate is 6 million times better than humans, they are to be trusted. Paying attention to her is a lesson which I relearned today.😀

Takk for alt,

Al

 This picture of Thessalonica was taken from our dinner table, and it is one of my favorite Greek cities. 

One!

    One of you two readers missed my blog last night and responded. Too much to hope for that you'd both check in. 😉  My bad and I'll try not to let it happen again.

    Wow! Windless, what a concept here on the prairie where the wind seems always to blow. Dressed properly single digit temperatures were no impediment to hunting minus wind. A rule of thumb is that if a hunter isn't cold when leaving the truck with the walking said hunter will soon be a ball of sweat. 

      No pheasants were injured in the outing due to the ineptness of the hunter. One might think he was a neophyte. But, never mind, they were viewed and hunter and dog had a nice bit of exercise. This was followed by lunch of comfort food in Nunda. Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable, dinner roll and desert now cost $9.50!

Takk for alt,

Al

Many of the random pictures have been from Asia so here's one from Europe, sunset from the Greek Island of Santorini.

Apologies

      My apologies to you both for not posting yesterday. Last night I live streamed a basketball game planning to post afterwards but it slipped my mind. Imagine that! A skiff of snow and bright sun dogs were fodder for writing, too.  Sorry!

Takk for alt,

Al

There's always that!

          A long time friend heard through the grapevine that I was "at the farm."  Via email she wondered what there was to do at the farm in December. "Pheasant hunting" was my reply. After a brief hunt today, during which no pheasants were threatened, a cluster of cedar trees were observed growing in the grassland. 

        Both of my regular readers know that I have a long time struggle to protect the purity of the grass. Volunteer cedar trees colonizing grass fields soon corrupt the land so that it is neither grass nor woods. Putting the gun away I took the brush clippers from the truck and spent more time cutting cedars than I had hunting. So there's always that!

       In the area of the cedars there are also some rocks showing their tops above the ground. Making a mental note of their location, someday I'll return and remove them. If the ground freezes before I get to them they'll be there in the spring as they have been for 10,000 years since the glacier retreated. So there's always that, too. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's random picture is of the Seattle Space Needle, of which I took a picture in 1962, while Ed and I were World's Fair.

Weather wimp!

       Sometime in the past harsh weather would never stop me from hunting. Blizzards, blowing snow, gale force winds, "who cares?" and I'd be out hunting. Things have changed. One factor of course is the plentitude of leisure time now. There's always tomorrow, which was not true in the past. 

     Today's 20+ m.p.h. wind with gusts to 39, and I decided "there's always tomorrow". In a recent conversation with my long time golfing partner we were reminiscing about sitting in the clubhouse waiting for the frost to melt from the greens. We were compulsive golfers and, I was a compulsive hunter. But, no more, staying  cozy in the house with a good book is just fine.  

Takk for alt,

Al

This random picture is for MW whose late husband lived in Baguio as a child.  Picture from 1962.

Engaged

      The book that I'd left behind at The Little House immediately engaged me. It's fun to have one like that so that the pages keep turning. When I wasn't able to live stream the game, Gopher Women's BB, this afternoon, it's nice to have a good book.

    A bit of OFH humor. Socializing with friends in the OFH Friday, one friend reported what he saw in the storage area. Inmates have storage closets in a room off the basement garage. The closets are enclosed with woven wire so it's easy to see what others have stored. He reported seeing that someone had a long handled snow shovel in their locker, the kind for pushing snow. Just couldn't part with it? 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Do either of you like my random pictures?

                                       Pretty much every day!

The Little House

      Today Kai and I repaired to The Little House for awhile. It must have been about three weeks we were in the OFH. It was a good stay and now for some last weeks here as the year winds down. Leaving St. Paul at 8:00 on a Saturday worked well with hardly a slowdown. Then I hit Brookings an hour before a SDSU football game and encountered minor gridlock. Kaia seems happy to be back at The Little House. She's a very good OFH dog, not reacting to other dogs and only goes to persons who invite her.

Takk for alt,

Al

             The road to Baguio, a resort city in the Philippine Islands 

WOW! WOW! WOW!

     Minneapolis Sanford Middle School staged Into The Woods Jr., in cooperation with Project Success The cast of 85 did a marvelous job. It looked flawless from where I sat. My attendance was prompted by my granddaughter's participation. Sandford's huge auditorium, maximum seating 920, was almost full. Participants have been getting home from rehearsals at 7:00.An evening well spent.

Takk for alt,

Al

Shelf Mystery?

      Finishing the Lavansdatter trilogy it was time for another book. The one I'd like to have started is in The Little House. There's only a small bookcase in the apartment in the OFH. That's deliberate to facilitate finding new homes for books I've read. Pursuing that small bookcase one caught my eye. "Where did that come from?" The only clue in the book was a scrap of paper used as a bookmark, with one word on it "hours" in Joanne's handwriting. It's not the type of book I'd associate with her.

    Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life, Dani Shapiro, is a guide for authors. Shapiro has published numerous books; novels and memoirs. She has taught creative writing in many different places. The book is full of wisdom for serious writers. When she writes about her personal life I found it most interesting. Though she's published much this is my first exposure to her work.

   Have either of you read any of books or articles?

Takk for alt,

Al

The tanker in the middle is refueling both the aircraft carrier from which the picture is taken and the ship on the left. The fueling hose to the aircraft carrier is visible.

Connecting The Dots, IV

       After my discharge in  June,1962 I re-enrolled at Augustana College in the fall. That was also the time that Joanne began her work as Director Of Student Activities, Instructor In Psychology and Head Resident of East Hall. Though we were on campus together for a school year we did not meet. Mutual friends wanted to introduce us but never accomplished the meeting. Naturally I knew who she was becasue of her roles on campus.

     During the summer of 1963 I was enrolled in a course in Greek in preparation for seminary. Entering the cafeteria for lunch one day, Joanne, accompanied by two of my aunts and uncles, was just ahead of me in the line. Joanne grew up near my aunt Agnes and Uncle Herald in the St. Anthony Falls area of St. Paul, MN. Consequently they were friends and Agnes introduced Joanne to me. That day I joined them for lunch.

   A few days later Joanne and I were in the cafeteria line together and shared a table for lunch, The College and Career Club at First Lutheran, of which I was a part, was planning a trip to Holden Village, the retreat center in the Cascade Mountains. This was the first summer Holden was open to the public and almost no one had heard of it, but Joanne knew all about it. Carroll Hinderlie, the director of Holden, was a friend of Joanne's family. This gave us a significant connection.

   Shortly after that lunch, Doris, withdrew from the trip to Holden to prepare for her wedding. When I called Joanne and asked if she wanted to go in Doris place, she ditched her vacation plans with Jenine and Maren and came with us. It was on that trip to Holden in September that our 'relationship' began. 

   Connect all those dots if you will! 😀 

Takk for alt,

Al 

                   The College and Career Club that travelled to Holden Village; September 1963.

Connecting The Dots, III

      Last night over dinner there was opportunity to tell friends that they are part of the gift that came from my early college failure, It's an illustration of author Jon Fosse's light shining out of darkness, It's fascinating to reflect, i.e., connect the dots, from the perspective of  age. 

    When one begins to look for the light in darkness it can be found in many places. Sometimes it's expressed in different language. An example is in the book I'm reading where it's said like this "the blessing is next to the wound." The author suggests it's a familiar saying but it is new to me. Light out of darkness, blessings out of failure, the blessing is next to the wound...and connecting these dots is done in retrospect.

Takk for alt,

Al

                       We're pictured with my parents on the day I graduated from college.

Connecting The Dots, Part II

     Both readers of this blog are aware that I've posted several times about Norwegian author, Jon Fosse. Last year he received the Nobel for his work, not least of which was Septology. This work I've red twice. The Shining is one of his most recent works and Trilogy was given to me for my birthday, and I've read both.

   The theme that appears, and re-appears, in his work is that the light comes out of darkness. Asle, the main character in Septology is a picture painter. He repeatedly reflects on the need for black in the paintings because it's out of darkness that the light shines. 

   Jon Fosse would likely appreciate yesterday's blog where it was pointed out that my early college failures led to 'the light of meeting Joanne. Life can only be understood in the rearview mirror, i.e., only in retrospect can we connect the dots. What felt to me as darkness, as I thrashed about in those early years post high school, placed me in proximity to Joanne. Then, success was achieved in establishing a relationship with her...true light!

Takk for alt,

Al

My family gathered for my graduation from Augustana. It was a busy week, graduation on Sunday and wedding on Saturday.

Connecting The Dots!

     The book I'm currently reading is partially a memoir. Thinking about her past the author says "one can only connect the dots in retrospect." Isn't that so true? What seemed at the time as random confusion in early life for me led to beautiful outcomes. Let me explain.

   As mentioned in previous blogs, my first attempt at college was not very successful. Pre-college education for me was not adequate. At age seventeen, when I entered collage, I was not very mature. No solid vocational idea propelled me. So, for five quarters I floundered. In the sixth quarter I took a leave to help my father on the farm after his heart attack.

   The first five quarters were at South Dakota State College (now University) Brookings. Following that stint at farming I was admitted to Augustan College (now University), Sioux Falls. Admission was possible becasue the Admissions Directory was from Sinai and he went to bat for me. In one semester at Agustana I did well academically, now with greater maturity. Yet, I lacked vocational direction so, to bide time, I enlisted for three years in the Marines.

   When my enlistment was complete it was simple to re-enroll at Agustana based on my previous semester's success. Vocationally, I was headed toward ordained ministry and, after 39 years of ministry I retired. But, what of the beautiful outcomes?

   Joanne was the first Director Of Student Activities at Augustan beginning at the same time I re-enrolled after discharge. Though we were on campus together for a year we did not meet until I was introduced to her, by my aunt, at the beginning of our second year. The rest is history!😁 Had my first attempt at college been successful we'd never have met. Praise God for failure! Now, isn't that a 'beautiful outcome?'

   There were many other gifts that came from the poor college start. Enlisting in the Marines brought me to Boot Camp simultaneous with Ed. We were assigned to the same platoon. Riding the bus together after Boot Camp to Omaha we discovered how much these two farm boys, one from Iowa the other South Dakota, had in common. For three years we shared an office, which Ed arranged, bunked together and travelled Asia. Accepting a call to Davenport, IA, in 1980 put us within 25 miles of Ed's farm. That proximity furthered our relationship and allowed Joanne and Ed's wife, MaryJane, to become fast friends.  

   Living through those early years was filled with frustration and feelings of failure. Now, when I connect the dots, I see beautiful outcomes, even others, too, besides those I named.

Takk for alt,

Al

Joanne and I on the day I graduated from Agustana. She's in her academic robe because she was on the faculty.

Quiet

    There is nothing wrong with quiet and may day has been quiet. Not much to report, exercised the Norwegian opinion that clothes defeat bad weather. Kaia loves the chill, energizes her. Can't say it energizes me, but, having lived most of life in the north it is something I tolerate. There was a reason that I made multiple trips to tropical SE Asia during the coldest part of winter. Would still like to be there but don't want to go there, if you get my drift. I'll just post a couple random pictures.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS The book of my father-in-law's that my questioner is reading is At Your Best, not Live to Win as I reported.

Employees lined before their workday begins, Kunming, China.

Remembering my father-in-law, the late Rev. Dr. Oscar C. Hanson

       I knew of him long before I met him. Inga, my uncle Henry's wife, was a distant relative and was very proud of that fact. Oscar was hugely popular among Lutheran's in the mid-west. When, at my brother's wedding, I introduced my girlfriend, Joanne, to Ole, a patriarch of the church in Sinai, as Oskar's daughter, Ole almost had a stroke. He was a gifted speaker and preacher with significant leadership abilities. In the fifties he was head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church's youth department. From there he became president of Lutheran Bible Institute. Later he was a traveling evangelist for the Lutheran Church. While in that position he, with his family, founded the American Lutheran Church , Oslo, Norway...So why blog about him now?

       During our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday it was revealed that my intraocular had been reading one of his several books, Live To Win. Inscribed in the book was  a thank your to my parents for hosting him in their home in 1963. The question was, what was he like?  Part of the answer was about his refusal to allow any conversation in his presence, where a person who wasn't present, to be spoken of negatively. He was famous for his "thank yous." After speaking at a church he'd send 'thank yous' to the pastor, organist, choir director, custodian, women in the kitchen and more. Affirmation was his style, which Joanne learned consequently her children nick-named her "affirmo mom,"

     Oscar was kind, compassionate and unfailingly positive. Unfortunately Parkinson's shortened both his ministry and life. May God bless the memory of Rev. Dr. Oscar C. Hanson, who I am proud to call my father-in-law. 

Takk for alt,

Al

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

       Happy Thanksgiving to you both!  It was a wonderful meal, sweet family time and a fascinating guest. Perhaps I'm wising up in my old age.  Yes, I ate a lot, but I didn't overeat as badly as in the past. Savored every bite and enjoyed the conversation and the camaraderie. A good time was had by all and that includes Al.

Takk for alt,

Al

Consignment Shopping

      L. introduced me to consignment shopping at a huge store I drive by frequently and never knew what was in it.   After walking by 12? rows of women's clothes we found a small men's section by the back wall. 😀 However, in spite of the meagre selection, we found two shirts and a down jacket that came home with us. Buying clothes is a very infrequent enterprise. Much of my wardrobe comes from Sierra Trading Post which sells surplus merchandise. Well dressed I am not, but comfortable I am! That should complete my clothes shopping for another year!

Takk for alt,

Al

Ya then

 

Finished!

        It took a month but I finished Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross,  Sigrid Undset, for which she received the Noble in 1928. This trilogy is fascinating because it follows Kristin's life. In book one she is a young women, in book two middle aged and an old women in the final book. It's interesting to see Undset's take on the effects of the decisions young Kristin makes on Kristin's life as it unfolds.

    Undset's descriptions of nature are exquisite. She also gives detailed descriptions of character's appearance. Set in 14th century Norway among the upper classes. The translation by Charles Archer has much archaic vocabulary and sentence structure. Karl says there is a more modern translation much easier to read. Already well into volume III, I decided to persevere. This translation does help set the books in that ancient time period.

   Commonweal on the book jacket comments "Sigrid Undset's trilogy embodies more of life, seen and understandingly seriously...than any novel since Dostoievsky's Brothers Karamazov." Kristin's relationship to her numerous sons from their birth to adulthood would certainly resonate with all mothers as she discovers the limits of her influence. 

   All three volumes sustained my interest throughout. Perhaps I'll wait awhile and read the books again, this time in the later translation. It's understandable that these books have never been out of print. Choose your translation and settle in for a profound experience.

Takk for alt,

Al

Marilyn Robinson quote

  Marilyn Robinson said: "I grew up with the confidence that the greatest privilege was to be alone and have all the time you wanted. That was the cream of existence. I owe everything that I have done to the fact that I am very much at ease being alone. It's a good predisposition in a writer. And books are good company. Nothing is more human than a book."

Ya then...

al

West Coast Trip

      One June 4, 1962 I was discharged from the Maines, honorably thank you, in San Diego. After discharge I bought a red Austin-Healey sports car in Long Beach. Driving north to San Francisco I picked up Ed at Treasure Island where he was stationed after we returned from Asia.

    We drove north on the Coastal Highway, see picture below, to the Seattle's World Fair. From there we went to Port Angeles, on the northwest tip of Washington.  We stayed with my cousin at the motel he owned. He took us salmon fishing on the Straits of Juan De Fuca. As we puttered along in our little boat ocean ships passed by. Les caught an 18 lb. salmon and I caught a five pounder. Esther cooked the smaller one for us.

   Ed returned to his base. Paul, 16, son of Les and Esther, accompanied me to South Dakota and spent the summer there. It was a happy homecoming for me after a two years absence.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                Parked in the redwood forest.

                                 The two salmon we caught.

Thanksgiving ala USMC

      The Marine Corps did its best to make holiday's special. For Thanksgiving there would be turkey with the trimmings. It wasn't bad but not what one could call "home cooked."  The Marine Corps' birthday on November 10, was also a holiday. It featured a special meal with a birthday cake. The oldest marine present received the first piece of cake. Our first sergeant, who was 48, might have gotten that first piece but he was home with his wife.

    When I was waiting in the car shop the other day I got them to turn off the radio blaring Christmas music. About fifteen minutes later another staff member came in and turned on the TV.  I said to her "You're not going to leave that on, are you?" She said "Yes, my manager said it's to quiet in here." I looked at the the couple who were also waiting in the room and asked "do you need sound." They shook their head 'no'. The woman left it off saying "I'll have to talk to my manager." She never returned. There's nothing wrong with quiet!😀

Takk for alt,

Al

                Mt. Fuji from our tent camp.

Nothing Original

    This is one of those days with no original thoughts. So that neither of you will worry about me I'll put up a random picture or two so that you know I'm yet upright.

Takk for alt,

Al

   Kai likes to look out the glass door. A bread baked for a wedding on Island of  Crete.

OFH Entertaining

      Entertaining is easy at the OFH. There are few in the dining room at breakfast. It's quiet so easy for hearing impaired to visit. The breakfast menu is complete and allows eaters to choose from a variety of offerings which are then prepared by the kitchen. Prices are moderate and added to the residents monthly statement.

    The situation is similar at lunch though residents are asked to notify the kitchen if there will be more than two persons. There is a menu listing lengthy list of options plus a daily soup and a daily special. Service is from 11:30-1:30.

   There are three seatings for dinner; 4:30 (it is an OFH 😀), 5:15 and 6:00. Reservations made before 2:00 pm are necessary. Again, there is a full menu plus daily soup and daily entrée special.  There is no minimum eating requirements for residents, it's pay as you eat.  

  Takk for alt,

  Al

 

 

                         In the dining room.

"Longest year...."

     Over the years I've often described "three hours in chemistry lab was the longest year of my life."  With ill preparation and little facility for math and memorization, chemistry was a "buzz saw" experience. Today I found a match for chemistry lab, three plus hours in a cold auto repair shop waiting room. There was nothing seriously wrong with the car. It was time for some maintenance items that were added to the intitial plan. What began as an anticipated hour's wait stretched on. The passage of this time was not made easier by the huge sign flashing time and temperature. However, the temperature went up two degrees while I waited.

   Oh well. as my station in life what do I have to do but wait?

Takk for alt,

Al

              Opium poppies are very pretty. 

More Memories

 

"The way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No no they can't take that away from me"   Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

    Fitzgerald and Armstrong, in their famous song, celebrate the value of memories. At this age there are many memories on which to reflect.  Among those memories are many from my time in the Marines. For a South Dakota farm boy who'd hardly been away from home the time in the Marines exposed me to a much wider world. While the Marines provided significant challenges it was also a fascinating slice of life and a great learning experience.

    Marines are an amphibious force designed to be deployed from sea to land. Getting from ship to shore is a logistic challenge. Obviously in a battle situation a ship cannot dock, lower the gang plank and allow Marines to walk off. Two methods of disembarking were taught. Situated on an aircraft carrier with helicopters on some occasions we were flown to land. At other times we went over the side of the ship and down rope nets to waiting landing craft. This was physically challenging because we carried a hundred pounds of gear. Additionally the ships rolling and the landing craft's bouncing in the waves added to the difficulty. Immediately dropping the rope when a foot touched the landing craft's deck was imperative. Waiting to drop might mean a drop of several feet as the ship rolled and the landing craft dropped down from a wave.

     There was the time, off the coast of California, fog rolled in just as we entered the landing craft which had no navigational equipment. For eight hours we circled waiting for the fog to lift to the coxswain could see lights on the shore. When we reached shore we were twenty miles from our designated landing site.

      Memories remain!

Takk for alt,

Al

Going down the nets and a fully loaded landing craft, this is a larger one than the one on which we circled 8 hours. It is designed to run to the beach and drop the front ramp as an exit. I once was the first one off and stepped into water over my head becasue we were on a sand bar out from shore...a salt water bath to begin two weeks of field exercises.

Old Folks Home

     The traffic was unusually light as Kaia and I motored to the OFH today. Even crossing Minneapolis I hardly needed to slow below the posted speed limits. A strong west wind gave us excellent gas mileage. With nearly an inch and a half of rain yesterday and unfavorable weather predicted for the week we came early for Thanksgiving.  With unfrozen ground and nice rainfall it will all soak in. It's a great boost for soil moisture, grass and trees. Evaporation is minimal this time of the year.

     There are new neighbors near The Little House. When the occupant fenced his yard I assumed it was for his two dogs. As I drove by it yesterday I saw to other four footed critters both of whom had horns. The previous owner had chickens and now there are mammals!  Any guesses about their make?  When I return I'll get some pictures.

Takk for alt,

Al

         I'm burning the trash with a flame thrower, Okinawa 1962.

Memory

        During our Asian stay in the Marines, 1961-62,  we were ashore a while in Subic Bay, Philippine Islands.  Offered a visit to Corregidor Island I accepted. This island in the mouth of Manila Bay was to protect Manila from invasion. Given modern warfare it didn't work.  It was from Corregidor that General McArthur fled saying "I shall return." 

      Transportation for us was provided on a small navy ship, an oil tanker.  !962 was not all that long after World War II and there was still much battle debris.   There was no electricity in the Malinta Tunnel so we couldn't go much beyond the entrance. Trees showed sixteen years of growth since the end of the battle. Very interesting to visit this battle site.

Takk for alt,

Al

  

                           The entrance to the Malinta Tunnel.

                     Bombed out barracks on Corregidor Island.

Congenial

         It was a delightful weekend with a congenial threesome. All three are peripatetic and were un-phased by days of walking. They reveled in the delight of fields of grass in which to walk and the flight of many pheasants. There was no possibility that I could keep pace with them so I was happy to play chauffer, guide and host.  Josh, from next door, got in the act by brining his world class hamburgers for our dinner last night. Kaia delighted in hunting with them and now she has a well deserved rest.

     A good time was had by all!

Takk for alt,

Al

                                    Sign in an Australian toilet!

Walkers!

        The Minnesota hunters are great walkers which is a boon for pheasant hunting one of who is a marathoner.  Every where they go they have been seeing multiple birds. They love the terrain with it's views.  Isaac, for whom this is his first pheasant hunt, bagged two today. He's likely addicted now.  To top it off Josh, next door, is brining cheeseburgers for us tonight. Life is good!

Talk for alt,

Al

    Since you asked, this is a gun placed on Corregidor Island Manila Harbor designed to protect Manila. 

Opportunities

      Birds there were and none came home with us.  50 degrees, light wind, almost full sun and scattered pheasants. Cold weather would bunch them up. The good news is that there were birds in each field. None are upset about none coming back with us. Kaia is pooped but she had a great time. Imagine running through tall grass that you part with your nose!

    So that's my story and I'm sticking with it!

Takk for alt,

Al

                   No this is not pheasant hunting, I'm trying out my .22 caliber pistol on Okinawa...and no, I couldn't hit anything.

Quiet

        When company leaves the house is very quiet.  Kaia only speaks when someone is at the door, or she thinks someone is there. More company arrives tomorrow so then there will be activity because three guests are coming.

      Looking for the python and tiger pictures yesterday I went past more USMC pictures. Without much original thought today I'll post a couple of them randomly.

Takk for alt

Al

             Riding in a Sikorsky Helicopter like this I took the picture, below, of our ship.

             The USS Princeton, LPH-5, which was converted to a helicopter carrier.

                                             Helicopters parked on the ship's deck.