Missing Joanne

       The Easter Service at Grace University Lutheran today was superb. The brass choir was a great addition, the choir sang well, the hymns were inspiring and Justin's sermon was excellent. Joanne would have loved it. She loved singing in the choir.

    Tomorrow is her birthday, Joanne Elizabeth Hanson Negstad April 1, 1936-April 12, 2018. On 2018 her birthday and Easter were the same day. At home on hospice care the congregation sang happy birthday to her during the Easter Service. When she was shown the video of the congregation singing to her she remarked "I didn't know dying could be so glorious."

   The postlude today was Widor's Toccata. That was the postlude she chose for her funeral...she planned the service as she planned our wedding service. Naturally that was a very emotional experience for me. Her memory is a huge blessing to me for which I'm grateful. Blessed be her memory

Takk for alt,

Al

 I love this picture of her taken when she was President/CEO of Lutheran Services in America.

 

Memory

 

This brought back memories of a long march in the rain during cold weather training in Japan and our destination was a pup tent.

Affirmation

       Attending an 80th birthday party in the OFH this afternoon I was seated at a table with Peg, a voracious reader. When she said she'd quit The Color Of Water, Abraham Vorees, I said "YES!" For, I too, had given up reading it, Many erudite readers have affirmed it. His previous book, Cutting For Stone, I found a page turner. That's the book Joanne was reading in The Little House until the birds announced sunrise. It's always satisfying to fine a person in agreement with my opinion. 

   Decades ago when I was playing basketball it was a non-contact sport. Now it's extremely physical with significant contact. A problem arises in that referees must decide which contact constitutes a foul. If nor all contact is a foul, which contact is?  Watching the end of the LSU vs UCLA game, which was tied at about 1 minute, UCLA was called for several fouls while, to this observer, it appeared LSU was not. LSU won. I'm not suggesting anything deliberate on the referee's part. But their subjective decisions seemed to decide the game. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Taxes

      The tax preparer finished figuring my taxes. The pension program did not withhold taxes for the first time this year. Consequently I'll need to remit a bit to the IRS. It's not a large amount, something I can easily manage.

    The catastrophe in Baltimore Harbor where the ship took down an important bridge can serve as a reminder. Of what? you ask. The role of taxes in community life. All the bridges crossed, roads travelled, and other uses of infra-structure that are taken for granted until one fails. Taxes are the fees we pay for living in an ordered society which provides endless benefits. 

   The Little House on the Prairie is protected by a volunteer fire department. Those volunteers not only protect life and property. They also hold fund raisers to pay for the insurance, vehicles, supplies, etc. they use for their protective work. In fact on April 7, they are hosting a pancake breakfast as a fund raiser. Yes, I will attend. Why are they not supported by tax dollars?

Takk for alt,

Al

       My garage, shop, storage building is directly across the street from the Sinai firehall.

Consistancy

   Regularly we meet for lunch Thursdays, usually at the same venue. So consistently that the server brings two iced teas easy on the ice and two bowls of soup before we've spoken to him. 😀 Were we to change our meal preference we'd need to hail him quickly. It's nice to be recognized!

   Friends and family bring me blessings and I'm so grateful that I'm in position to spend time with them!

Takk for alt,

Al

                            The instrument maker's shop, Crete, Greece.

No comment

 

Ya then...

      This is one of those days without an original thought. This is just to let you know that I'm alive and well and about to cook some parsnips. Joanne used to cook them becasue we both liked them but this is my first attempt. 

    I'll post a random picture to give something to think about.

Takk for alt,

Al

       An antique olive press in Greece. It was powered by a donkey.

Winter Wonderland this spring.

     The snowfall the last few days has probably almost doubled the paltry 14" received previously. Dawn, who works in the Sinai bank said, "The snow should come in March, because it melts quickly." She got her wish and the moisture is very welcome.

   The OFH is a great place to be in inclement weather.

Takk for alt,

Al

Fond memories of my cute little truck carrying my dozer.

"DISCARD"

      

   Discard is stamped several places in the book. Printed in 1934, even older than I, likely it was a discarded library book that I found in a used book store in the '90s. Now I've just read it for the first time. In the early '90s I was on a kick of reading Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) the Norwegian author. Thinking I'd read all of Hamsun when I looked at this old copy of The Road Leads On I realized I hadn't. So I did. 

   At 536 pages it's not a quick read but I'm glad I read it. Hamsun spins a good tale. It's also fascinating to glimpse Norwegian life in the late twenties. The theme of his writings, that nature is better than culture, is less pronounced in this book than in some of his others, Pan. for instance. Neither is the stream of consciousness the primary composition technique. His books are peopled with interesting characters and this is certainly true in Road. 

  Reading Jon Fosse, the Noble Prize winner in 2023, also Norwegian, is what brought me back to reading Hamsun again. As the pioneer of introspective novels Hamsun should not be forgotten. 

Takk for alt,

Al

"Autumn leaves drift past my window..."

     No, not autumn leaves, it's snow that drifting by my window. Until last week the official snowfall in the Metro area was 14"...wimpy winter. Last winter we were over 90"! The temperature is 32 degrees and predicted to rise overnight so it's heavy wet snow but not piling up much. The local weather-man predicted that we are moving into a wetter cycle. Let's hope he is correct as we're on the verge of drought. 

   Snow observed from my 4th floor OFH window is quite attractive. 

Takk for alt,

Al

ISAIAH

     Wednesday's blog told of the two million dollar gift to ISAIAH.  The link below is to the application video for the award. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJgG-oZFGNI

Takk for alt,

Al

OFH

      Kaia and I are back at the OFH now through Easter. A bit of snow mid-drive and it sounds as if more may be coming. Moisture will certainly be welcome though it always seems to interrupt some plans. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Gift

       When I was at Zion Lutheran, Davenport, IA, an organizer from the Gamaliel Foundation was working to organize congregations in the Quad Cities for social change. The basic concept is community organizing applied to congregations. Zion, and I, got involved.

     Then I relocated to Minnesota and St. James Lutheran, Crystal, a suburb of Minneapolis. Jay Schmidt, a Gamaliel organizer hired by the St. Paul Catholic Diocese, called on me. His charge was to organize congregations in the first ring suburbs of Minneapolis. Both Minneapolis and St. Paul had Gamaliel organizations. When Schmidt learned that I was familiar with congregation based organizing I was quickly recruited into leadership in the effort to organize suburban congregations. 

    A suburban organization was formed and I served as president. Eventually the three groups, suburban, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, merged to form ISAIAH. Again I served as president of the newly formed consortium for several years. My involvement continued until my retirement in 2007. Lars now works for ISAIAH.

     Today's issue of the Minneapolis Paper announced that Mackenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' ex., had made a number of awards to Minnesota non-profits. Included among the recipients was ISAIAH, which was awarded two million dollars!  These gifts are given with no strings attached. It's Scott's intention to give away most of her wealth. 

    ISAIAH's growth and effectiveness has been a source of deep satisfaction for me. It has grown far beyond anything that I imagined in those early years of organizing. It's recognition by Scott, and the awarding of this major gift, affirms what a significant player it has become. Now it can do even more good for the citizens of Minnesota.

     Of course I'm delighted!

Takk for alt,

Al

Migration

     Wondering about bluebird and tree swallow migration I went to the Cornell Lab website, which is a wonderful resource for birders. They report that both species migrate in April. That's logical because much of their diet is insects. This morning, passing a number of nesting boxes from previous years, there were no birds to observe. So, the boxes posted yesterday are in time for the migration and will have time to lose human scent before nesters arrive.

    After lubricating the stalk chopper I went on a cedar hunt. There were many even though I was in an area that I'd cleared last year. Now that the grass has been laid down they are easier to spot. It bemuses me that the cedars I planted for wildlife habitat keep on giving, threatening the adjoining grassland. Cutting cedars is good exercise for a geezer.

Takk for alt,

Al

                          These pictures were taken yesterday of two of my neighbors. 

Bluebird houses and....

      Joanne loved those catalogs that offered off-beat stuff. That's how the Sinai Garage has a sign  "Al's Farm Toys."  It's also why I have a tee shirt emblazoned "Still Plays With Tractors" and another "A Man And His Tractor Is A Beautiful Thing."  Too bad she didn't find one about a man and his truck. That thought occurred to me as I reunited with my truck today. Now, almost six years since her death, the catalog companies have finally given up on me and no long fill my mailbox.

    It's a bit late to catch the migration but today I mounted the three bluebird houses I was given for Christmas. It'll be interesting to see if they will be occupied. If not they will be ready for next year.

  Kaia had her spring grooming by the "world's fastest groomer."  It takes her about 20 minutes for a complete haircut. Kaia will be more comfortable now and there'll be less hair on the carpet. Kaia also got four vaccines...when will Lyme vaccine be available for humans? She was tickled to have a good run in the field while I put up the bluebird houses. Riding in the truck she can hardly contain her excitement.

Takk for alt,

Al

                         The truck mentioned in the blog.

Little House

       Kaia and I made the trek to The Little House this afternoon. She's overdue for grooming, needs her rabies vaccine and other spring shots. Some years ago Trygve, Kaia's predecessor, needed her teeth cleaned. Inquiring of a vet in Mpls the report was "tooth cleaning begins at $400 and goes up from there." The vet in Brookings did it for $90. That's why we come to South Dakota for vet care.

    This will be a brief stay returning soon to the OFH. Given some bluebird nesting boxes for Christmas it's time to get them mounter before migration is over. There are a number of other projects to work at as well. If everything else gets done there are always rocks to pick.

Takk for alt,

Al

               Rocks I've picked in the past.

Awakened!

      "Why is my alarm clock going off? It hasn't been set for years! Why doesn't the snooze quiet it? Why is it still sounding off, and with music? What? What?  Oh it's the phone, not the alarm. Who's calling in the night. What's App? Thailand?  O now I get it."

    That's how my day began with a video call with a friend in Thailand. Certainly is nice to know that I'm remembered. Travel to Thailand? Not likely. It was delightful to have an international catch-up.

Takk for alt,

Al

                  Teaching in Thailand, 2020.

So much truth in the 'funnies'!

 

Friday.

      It's Friday and my mind is empty....that's nothing new you think.😀  I watched a class 4A girls basketball games last night on TV. Hopkins beat Maple Grove by a few points. The level of play by these high school girls left me almost speechless. Ball handling, defense, shooting are so far beyond anything we could imagine in high school.  Three point shots successful from several feet beyond the college three point line made me wonder how they got to that level. The addition of a shot clock in high school has been a great boon, 35 seconds.

   Now to watch some more basketball.

Takk for alt,

Al

Number Five!

      When I wondered with a primary care doctor why I've avoided COVID she replied "You may have had it asymptomatically." In conversation with a physician friend he didn't think all the vaccines I'd had for foreign travel helped me avoid COVID. "More likely your childhood on the farm may be responsible" he said. The farm on which I played in the pail of powdered DDT because it was so fine sifted through my fingers.

 Today I received the fifth COVID vaccine. When the CDC recommended that persons over 65 get a booster that was all I needed. It's a blessing to have avoided the virus though I've not been overly careful...not careful at all some would say. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Joanne, her siblings and the three Norwegian men who came for our 50th wedding anniversary in 2014.

Culinary exploration

      The menu on the farm of my childhood was very limited. Pizza hadn't even made to the prairie. When Dean Martin sang about "a moon like a big pizza pie" in That's Amore I had no clue about the comparison. Having travelled in Peru and Argentina I've had some exposure to South American Cuisine. Venezuelan and Columbian was new tonight.

     It was takeout from Hola Arepa on Nicollet Ave. Shredded beef & Sweet Plantain Arepa was very tasty. "Made fresh daily cornmeal griddle cake sandwich with shredded beef, sweet plantains, black beans, cotija cheese, pickled onions and Hola sauce served with yuca fries" says the menu. This has yet to be served at the OFH.

Takk for alt,

Al

  This 1950 M Farmall now serves as my mower tractor with a semi-mounted sickle mower.

Flattering..

      Recently I read this line in a book I'm reading; "A man to amount to anything must be old."  Perhaps the author didn't mean to imply that all old men amount to anything. 😃 So just becasue I'm old..... The context in the book was a young man who was working but not as effectively as the boss hoped. Being an old man that hangs out with many old men, that line amused me. In fact I had breakfast this morning with a hundred year old man, he turns 101 on March 23, who drove to the restaurant a number of miles on the freeway. He definitely has amounted to something but he did that long before he was old. The biggest surprise of old age is how fast it came.

Takk for alt,

Al

                      My loader tractor.

Enough?

    Perhaps the grammar lesson posted earlier today is enough. Know that I am alive and well in the OFH.

Takk for alt,

Al

               One of the three tractors I now own.

Of course

 

Augustana University Choir

      The Augie Choir sang at Gloria Dei, which is very close to the OFH, this afternoon. Joanne was missed because I relied on her music knowledge for analysis. As a non-musician I'm in the category of "I liked it" which I did. Fortunately a friend, Judy Jensen, was present. In conversation with her after the concert she was able to explain why I might have liked it, as she did.  The three female soloists were in the "shattering crystal" category. One was particularly petite and unassuming appearing but had a huge, clear voice.  I'm happy I was able to attend. 

Takk for alt,

Al

 

                      A file photo of the choir.

Saving Daylight!

    Doesn't anyone ask what is it that we're saving daylight from?  From night? From darkness? Nor does anyone ask "for what are we saving it?" Can it be banked like money? or binned like corn?  Is daylight a commodity that can be hoarded?  Who can add daylight at the end of day without borrowing it from the morning? 

   Like it or not tonight we best adjust our clocks tonight or risk being late for church tomorrow.. Many have been heard to complain about daylight savings time and few defend it. Still it remains. Some economists have weighed in on the subject but who listens to economists? Will we all be tired until it ends and we get back an hour of sleep?  Kaia will not like it because the squirrels, on God's time, will be sleeping when we walk the park. 

Takk for alt,

Al

             Women in traditional dress in Vilnius, Lithuania.

                                         Lithuanian Flag

Well........

 

"When Britt delivered the Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union from a kitchen, wearing a cross and using a submissive speaking style, she represented the outcome of the longstanding opposition to women’s equal rights in the United States."

Heather Cox-Richardson

Missed a day!

 Sorry!

Takk for alt,

Al

"Teaching White Supremacy"

     The full title of the book is Teaching White Supremacy: America's Democratic Ordeal and the Forging of Our National Identity, Donald Yacovone. No I haven't read the book, yet, but the author spoke at the OFH this afternoon, and tomorrow there will be roundtable discussion with him over lunch. He is an associate at Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African and African American research. 

     Yacovone, in preparation for writing his book, read the history text books archived in Harvard's Library. This was no small task as he began with 1830 and read into the 1980s. What he discovered was the blatant white superiority taught in these text books accompanied with denigration of African Americans. The brochure announcing his lecture states "Donald Yacovone shows us the clear and damning evidence of white supremacy's deep-seated roots in our nation's  educational system through a fascinating, in-depth examination of America's wide assortment of texts, from primary readers to college textbooks, from popular histories to the most influential academic scholarship." 

Takk for alt,

Al

Ya then

 

                          Snow in Norway.

Taxes

       As the years pass I gradually do better organizing of the documents related to taxes. My tax returns are made more complicated by the hobby farm. When it was being built I made a small investment in the soybean processing plant at Brewster MN., between Worthington and Windom. Sometime after construction this LLC added a facility to convert soyoil (auto correct wanted to make this soymilk) to diesel fuel. This corporation is a very complicated tax entity. Rather than a simple 1099 reporting dividends there is a large packet of material which I don't begin to understand. Fortunately the CPA does. 

    Today I brought the tax information to the CPA. There'll be no refund this year. I don't complain about taxes, it's the price of living in community. On the other hand I might complain about how complicated it is...but I won't. Gratitude is more appropriated for my situation, so, yes, I'm grateful.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                Here is one view of the hobby farm.

Joanne's Example!

      During her working years Joanne did not read much. That all changed with retirement. With leisure time on her hands she read many books. One of her rules was to give a book one chapter and if that didn't engage her she'd put it aside and moved on to another.

   The last book I received from the Parnassus First Edition Book Club, before I withdrew membership, was Come And Get It. After reading the first chapter and finding myself un-engaged I sought the wisdom of MJV. She was reluctant to weigh in my reading choice but helpfully sent me her notes from the book. That was what I needed to leave Come And Get It, and pick up another book which immediately engaged me.

   There are so many books that I'm keen to read that it seems unnecessary to read one that doesn't captivate. Should I lack books in the apartment many await in the OFH library.

Takk for alt,

Al

               I'll soon be back on the prairie.

Veteran's Coffee

    Every first and third Mondays there is a Veteran's Coffee hour in the OFH. Most of the 8-10 participants are Army Vets. Navy, Air Force and Marines represented by one each. It turns out that I'm not the only Marine in the building. There were rumors of another Marine resident in the OFH.

   The rumor was substantiated as the other Marine came to coffee today. Theresa is about my age and was discharged the same year as I. She married a Marine career officer. Neither of her sons joined the Marines, both were Navy men. But, she has a granddaughter is now a Marine private.

  Two of the veterans are on full disability because of their exposure to Agent Orange.

Takk for alt,

Al

             Two Marine Corporals on Okinawa.

Ya then...

     Having recently finished a flurry of reading I'm slow choosing my next book. There are several choices near my reading chair. The OFH also has a good library so all I'd need to do is go there and pick one out. When I was living in the downtown condo in the Crossings Building, it too had nice library but unstaffed. A friend took it on herself to arrange the books alphabetically by author. It was quite a task and took her some time. Later when she returned to the library she discovered that someone had rearranged all the books by size. 😠

Takk for alt,

Al

               The Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin.

Someone explain this to me?

 

Basketball

     Of all sports basketball is my favorite. Joanne's large screen TV made the move from the Mpls condo to the OFH. Cable TV package is included in the rental for the OFH apartment. While I haven't really learned to watch TV, I do watch some athletic events. 

    The University of Minnesota basketball teams are ones that I follow. Today the men played Penn State. The first half gave Minnesota fans little to cheer. The Gophers fell behind by 23 points. The second half was different story and they won by 5 points.

    The team was predicted to be last in the Big Ten Conference before the season began. Yet, they are now mid-pack, having won many more games than predicted. Ben Johnson, the coach, is in his second year and has recruited effectively in state.

  Yes, I watched, more attentively in the second half.

Takk for alt,

Al

               In the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia,

Turkeys....

    This morning a large flock of turkeys was leisurely making their way on the other side of the street from the OFH. This prompted one wag, who shall remain anonymous, to comment "Look at that, not all the turkeys are in the OFH!" 😀 

   Coyotes and deer are common in the area. Now, as day lengthens, the ubiquitous squirrels are awake when Kaia and I are in the park. This provides good exercise for her as she dashes around the park chasing the squirrels up trees. These are the gray squirrel variety though there is one white one.

Takk for alt,

Al

                     My childhood home.