"Reading Genesis"

       While staying with Barb and Ken on my annual Iowa trip Reading Genesis, by Marilyn Robinson, was on an end table by my chair. They are both avid readers so it is always instructive to see what they are reading. Marilyn Robinson is know to me from her books which I've deeply appreciated; Jack, Lila, Home, Gilead and Housekeeping. Reading a few pages of Reading Genesis, while I was their guest, convinced me that I wanted my own copy, which Lars gave me.

     This is not a book to sit and read cover to cover. Filled with deep thought it's best read a few pages at a time and then ponder. Now, thirty two pages into the book, it struck me that my knowledge of Genesis could use refreshing. Therefore, I re-read the book of Genesis at one sitting. That, in itself is a worthy endeavor, which I'm glad I did. With the book fresh in mind reading Robinson will be more fruitful. 

     Robinson may or may not have a degree in theology. Obviously she's done her research on comparative religious narratives and brings her literary insights to that research. While I've only scratched the surface of the book it's already brought fascinating insights. Just the motivation to re-read Genesis at a sitting seems praise enough for her writing.

Takk for alt,

al

Wimpy!

         Every week I talk to my former golf partner, he's 101 now. Often we reminisce about how fanatic we were about playing golf. About the only weather that stopped us was heavy rain. There were mornings we'd wait in the club house until the morning sun had melted the frost on the greens so we could tee off.

      For many years I was equally fanatic about hunting. Many was the time that I ventured out in blizzard conditions. Today it struck me how wimpy I've become.  With a chill north wind blowing and temperatures in the lower 50s I was tempted to stay inside. Why didn't I?  Kaia needs daily exercise, so for her sake we headed out. Admittedly it wasn't a long hunt but it was enough for both of us to get some exercise. 

    It was a good reminder of good gifts. Norwegians have a saying "No bad weather, only bad clothing." Warm clothing is a gift as is a warm house. Best we be grateful being many are not so blessed.

Talk for alt.

Al

Unexpected, unprepared!

        Assuming that one of my two readers has never been pheasant hunting a bit of explanation about the process may be in order. It is largely peripatetic as the hunter walks through habitat, called cover, where the birds live. In this warm season they are often found in tall grasses as they do not need to avoid cold winds. This cover provides both food and security. They can hide from airborne predators like hawks and eagles. Mammalian threats like fox and coyotes find it difficult to catch them because they are very wary and fly from such threats.

      As the hunter walks through the grass hoping to flush a pheasant he/she must be prepared to distinguish between a hen or a rooster. Only the boys are fair game and girls may not be shot. Shotguns are used in pheasant hunting (upland bird hunting). The maximum effective range of a shotgun is about 40 yards. Birds flying beyond that range should not be fired upon.

     Pheasants are often found in the most dense cover and consequently the hunter would typically be on high alert. All this is of preamble to today's hunting experience. Walking in good cover a bird flushed. By the time I determined it was a rooster it was too far to shoot. Leaving the good cover I was walking in minimal forage for awhile. Totally unsuspecting it would hold a bird a rooster flushed nearby. Unexpected by the flush I was unprepared and the bird flew safely away.  One more addition to many of memory that escaped in similar circumstances. Long gone are the days when success was measured by birds in the bag. This one who got away is perhaps a better memory.

Takk for alt,

Al

                                     Pheasant rooster (boy).

                                            Pheasant hen (girl).

Adventures of adulthood!

        Youngsters long to grow up so people won't always be telling them what to do. Arriving at adulthood comes with the surprise of the myriad responsibilities it entails. It can a rude shock to realize all for which an adult is responsible. Being an adult is not all it's cracked up to be.

     Yet, there are many times adults have the freedom to vote with their bodies. Don't like the movie, get up and leave. Not happy with a restaurant, don't go back. Daily choices face us about which we can make decisions. That was my experience today. Planning to hunt,, when confronted by the wind when I left the truck, I voted with body and re-entered the truck. "I don't have to walk in this wind" I thought.

    While cogitating on the freedom of adults to vote with their bodies my niece called. Chatting on this subject she reminded me that my retired perspective is quite different from hers as a working woman. She has a major report due tomorrow. 

    Clearly I'm blessed; with the freedom of good health, adequate finances, positive relationships and so much more. Yes, I'm grateful!

Takk for alt,

Al

The Little House

      Kaia and I motored back to The Little House this afternoon. Leaving the OFH about noon there were more than the usual number fleeing the Cities, heading west. Once I get past Glencoe there is little traffic. Making the crosstown trek on Sunday is best when the Vikings are playing.  They didn't cooperate today, getting their loss in Thursday. Driving west is preferable because then the heavy traffic is done first. 

    It was a very nice weekend in Mpls/St Paul. Not least of the 'niceness' was returning to Sinai with more books. Four are gifts and one I bought used.  One cute one was even presented to me at church. So out of the loop I am that I totally spaced that this is Reformation Sunday. Told to wear red to church many obeyed. Even if I'd remembered my only red item of clothing is a Singha Been shirt from Thailand.

     One of the gift books is a loan. That reminds me of the stingy couple who go to the card rack together. They'd each pick out a card, show the other and then place them back on the rack. Why spend all that money for a card? 😃

Takk for alt,

Al

OFH

    At dinner last night with the Friday group the question was asked how the dinner guests came to live in this OFH. Dick, who is 100, said "I had a home in Naples, FL. I came to St. Paul to visit family when I was 97. They took me to Lexington Landing (the name of this OFH) and  I stayed. I never went back to FL." That was similar to the stories other's told of love at first visit.

    Lisa, Lars and I came to visit. I'd registered at another facility which had a ten year waiting list. Lisa reminded me of my age. 😀 We visited Lexington which was new and had two apartments available. The first was not attractive. The second was very attractive. Lisa said "Dad, take it." Lars concurred and, after finding the  new building under construction would not have dining facilities, I took it. They were right and I'm very glad I took it. It will be three years January 7, since I moved in.

    This building has assisted living, memory care and independent living, which is what I have. The newer building is all independent apartments. Now the permits are in place for installing a second floor sky walk between the buildings. The building are separated by Lexington Avenue.  That will be a boon to the other facility, which has been slow to fill.

   Living the good life in the OFH, occasionally. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Little Mystery

      The trip between The Little House and the OFH takes about four hours. Once about 90 miles west of The Cities most of the remainder of the drive is on county roads. There are few towns and little traffic. Going to the OFH I drive through Echo and Belview (which has three Lutheran Churches on Main Street). East of Belview I turn north at Delhi. This soon brings me to the deep valley of the Minnesota River. The hills surrounding the river are covered with boreal forest.

     Toward the south end of this defile, on the east side, a large section was cleared of the coniferous trees. A few hardwoods remain. It's very rocky ground with huge rock out croppings. The clearing happened a year or two ago.  Since then nothing has been done with the cleared section. Why was it cleared?  It's a little mystery.

    When I was searching out this route GPS was not available. On a trip from Mpls to Sinai, on a cloudy day, I was relying on my instincts for direction. Not paying particular attention to road numbers I drove on thinking I was headed to S.D. Passing a farm I realized I'd passed that same farm about a half hour earlier! So much for my instincts under cloud cover. 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

Old Folks Home

    One of my less desirable characteristics is a tendency to be judgmental.  Uffda, sorry but it's true. There is a circumstance in which I give free rein to judging. It happens as I make the drive from The Little House to the OFH. This time of year, post harvest, farmers are busy with fall tillage.

   There are a couple of reasons for tilling fields in the fall. Tillage blackens the field as crop residue is turned under the soil. Black fields warm more quickly in the spring. This allows earlier planting which is an advantage.  The fall tillage also reduces the need for work in the spring. 

    A possible problem with fall tillage is it can lead to erosion by water and wind. Soil conservationists measure the weight of crop residue needed for avoiding erosion. This is where my judgmental side kicks in. As I pass fields that have been tilled I judge the results from a conservation perspective. 

   This effort began with the simple categories of 'good', 'mediocre' and 'poor'. Then I passed a field that was 'excellent' and soon one that was 'fairly good' and another that was 'bad'. My standard was that a good field would be half crop residue and half black soil. Worst are the sugar been fields which have zero residue. Beet harvest is so late that nothing will germinate and beet tops simply disintegrate. Could beet farmers plant strips of other vegetation that could be left at harvest?

   It would be interesting to be accompanied by a soil conservationist to evaluate my evaluations. Toady I observed a farmer tilling a field for the second time. The first tillage I judged 'good'. The second tillage seemed to me to leave the field in poor shape for the winter.

   At least it provides diversion for me as I motor across the state.

Takk for alt,

Al

Beautiful day!

       It was a perfect morning for a walk in the field with Kaia.  Sunny, low fifties and NO WIND! Who ever heard of such a thing?  Every year it surprises me that walking in the fields is much different than walking on smooth ground. Duh!  Certifiably slow learner. We even saw two pheasants in the distance. That meets my definition of success. 

    The local elevator can't keep up with corn deliveries. Neither can the soybean processing plant in Volga keep up with soybean deliveries. There where about ten semi-trucks waiting to unload soybeans. That was surprising because soybeans harvest seems to be complete. The local soybean processing plant is a boon to local farmers raising the price of beans significantly and saving the the need for long hauls.

    All seems well in Sinai!

Takk for alt,

Al

                                              Corn in Sinai.

                Soybeans in Volga and there are three piles like this.

UFFDA!

       What a  deal, get so deep into a book that I neglect both of my readers!😉 Awakened in the night thinking "I didn't post!"  Note the hour of that blog. I guess it's a good book. Looked up and saw it was bedtime and.....

    The good news is that there are many pheasants this year. I've seen more than for several years. It doesn't mean that I get more but it makes me glad to see them.

    Harvest is winding down. Bean yields were in the 60 bushel an acre range and corn yields 200-250. The corn is dry enough for storage which saves money on drying fuel while prices are low. The local elevator is at capacity so there is a large pile on the ground.  Six weeks with out rain!

Takk for alt,

Al

Oops!

      Got too far into my book and neglected to post.  Sorry to you both.  Seeing many pheasants!  I'm fine.

Takk for alt,

Al

Boot Camp Memories

       Arranged according to height, which put me at the end, we stood in the sand, with poles normally used for holding electrical wire, at our feet.  These were not for wires but were instruments of torture. Of all the physical challenges or recruit training this was the worst. Marines lined up shoulder to shoulder, lifted the poles and did calisthenics with them. "Raise them over your head." "Hold them in front and do arm curls." "Lie on your backs and do sit ups with the poles on your chest."   Etc. There was no way to know if all were pulling their weight but no excuses were accepted for not doing as told. 

       In maudling old age being 65 years from boot camp memories come back. Occasionally I dream of being back in the Marines.  In the dream it's like "here I go again."  They wouldn't be considered nightmares, just interesting dreams.  While Lisa and I were climbing Kilimanjaro I wondered if I'd rather be back in Boot Camp?  Nope that was too long!

Takk for alt,

Al

            Ed by the barracks at Camp Sukiran, Okinawa, in 1961.

Quiet

        Two days for happy chaos and much visiting and activity, now the house is quiet again. It feels empty after they leave but it was a special time. It's one of the points where I'm reminded of Joanne's loss. She took such delight in her granddaughters and it saddens me that she misses their growth. Then too, their loss in not having grandma in their life is sad. I'm a poor grandma substitute.  Being single seems normal to me now, but that doesn't mean I don't miss Joanne

Takk for alt,

Al

                                        Joanne with the girls.

HAPPY ACTIVITY

        South Dakota State University, Brookings, has a dairy bar. In it one can watch the ice cream being made. Some twenty choices of ice cream are on sale. For those of us who hang out around the Twin Cities the SDSU ice cream is cheap! Six persons made their selections and most chose double dip. The cost for all this?  $27.00!! Yup, so why not go more regularly? 

     State now has something like 12,000 students. When I was a student there in the late 50s the enrollment was 3,200. Word has it that the last two freshmen classes were recorded breakers. It's a Land Grant School heavy on agriculture and engineering. Many of the servers at my favorite eating place, which is near campus, are students. One of those servers is an aviation major, and another is majoring in hospitality. 

     One of my memories from my time there was that you could always tell the engineering students by the slide rule that hung from their belt. Another memory is of the night that the dairy bar burned to the ground. Scobey Hall, the dormitory of my freshman year was recently razed.  50+ years ago it seemed quite modern.

Takk for alt,

Al

Coughlin Campanile, the face of South Dakota State University, is a chimes tower that stands 165 feet tall.

Building Description

Completed in 1929 at a cost of $75,000, the Campanile took 320,000 bricks to build. The campanile rings out the time on the hour and plays music during the 10-minute period in-between classes as students are walking on campus.

The Campanile was a gift from 1909 electrical engineering graduate Charles Coughlin, who was the president of the Briggs and Stratton Company from 1935 to 1972. Coughlin was born in Carthage, SD on Nov. 10, 1885. The tower of Indiana white limestone, red brick and concrete received a $600,000 full restoration during the 2001 construction season. A speaker replaced the chimes in July 1995. The Campanile was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. A keyboard is located in Lincoln Hall to play the chimes located at the top of the structure.

To visit the campanile and climb its 180 steps, check out a key at the Alumni Center. 

  

What is so rare as....

          The old saying is "What is so rare as a day in June?"  It's June like weather but that's nor the rare of the title. "What is so rare as company in The Little House?"  Yes, two days of fun and activity where it's normally just Kaia and I.  Lars family is here for a rare visit!😀  Eleven family members will gather for dinner tonight. Lars and Lisa always want to see uncles, aunts and cousins when they come. Gathering most of them for dinner tonight gives that opportunity. A good  time will be held by all and Al, too.

Takk for alt,

Al

                A girl mesmerized by a street performer in Amsterdam.

Modern Convenience

         It's hard to over imagine the gap between my elementary education with eight years in a one room schoolhouse and today's technology at my fingertips. The book I'm currently reading was written a hundred years ago. The period the novel describes is in the fourteenth century. Consequently, there is much archaic vocabulary. With my handy smart phone by my side I Google the words I don't know. For example the book never uses the word 'believe' using in its place the antique 'trow'. Obviously elementary school offered no computer classes.

      We did get The Weekly Reader every week at school bringing us news of the wider world. One article from the Reader sticks in my mind. The gist of that article was that there was a new substance which was so significant it would transform our lives. Any guesses about what was being described? Plastic! Truly plastic has transformed our lives for good and ill.

Takk for alt,

Al

              This school picture was taken when I was in third grade.                              These thirteen came from five families.

Half Done!

 

       In 1959 Ed and I were about half through Marine Boot Camp in mid-October.  During my enlistment I wrote home to my parents every week. My Mother kept all my letters and eventually gave them to me. When I back at the OFH this winter I'll see if I can find them.  It would be interesting to see what I wrote about Boot Camp. Given that I was writing to my parents I likely didn't hype the challenges. I've never looked at them since mailing in airmail envelopes. Remember them?

Takk for alt,

Al

  

It's late!

      Last night there was a very light frost in low lying areas. Predictions are for lower temperatures tonight, though not likely a killing frost. Farmers worry about frost in September before crops mature. This mid-October first frost is very late.

     It's very dry, it's been weeks since the last rain. It's so dry that some farmers are eschewing fall tillage because the dry soil is hard on equipment. A local electrician reports finding no moisture when digging for electrical work. I've given both my evergreen tree and lilac bush a good drink.

   Weather talk is the resort when the writer lacks original thought.😀

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's random photo is in the Opera House in Budapest. Hungary. 

Who needs periods?

      Who needs periods? Not  Norwegian Jon Fosse who wrote 670 page Septology without one. Fosse, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize for literature apparently has been writing in that style for years. It matters little reading his stream of consciousness books. Michele lent my his Aliss At The Fire, first published in 2004, and also written without a period... it doesn't matter.

    Unlike Septology, which now may be my favorite book ever, replacing Suskao Endo's Silence, is brief, at only 107 pages. One sitting was enough to complete it. Should one want to tackle reading Fosse before attempting Septology, which I read twice for benefit, either Aliss or The Shining are brief books. Perhaps The Shining is the better of the two.

    In 2002 Aliss still waits for her husband to return from boating on the fjord in 1979. While she waits family history is played out in her imagination. It was an eerie read because a friend in Norway, Knut's, brother was lost in similar circumstances. It's a very thought provoking book which will ruminate in my mind for a ling time.

    I recommend it and reading Jon Fosse.

Takk for alt,

Al 

Finally....

        By nature I'm a very linear person. Typically I read one book at a time, unlike others who have several books going simultaneously.  However, I started a lengthy book but was moved also to read Sigrid Unset's Kristen Lavransdatter I: The Bridal Wreath. Naively thinking it was a single book, and not a trilogy, I first bought the second book. When I discovered my mistake it made me even more keen to read book One.  Unset received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, and this book passes the test of time.

     The books tell the story of a rich woman's life in thirteenth century Norway. While many of the customs are unfamiliar the human emotions and personal foibles are not. The book has been in continuous print since its first publication testifying to its enduring appeal. 

    Kristin is raised in a Norwegian manor house. It was personally intriguing to me becasue in our travels in Norway Joanne and I stayed in a manor house near Opdal, Norway. Our hosts were her second cousin and wife. Many of the place names in the book were also familiar from our travels in the country. 

      Reading Kristen engaged me from the outset and became even more compelling.  Fortunately I have volume two so I can read on. These are books I'm finally reading that should have been read long ago.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS In the time in which the book is set daughters were clearly the property of their fathers until they were married. Even in our day there was vestige of this is in the wedding ceremonies when thee question was asked "Who gives this woman to this man?" 

Time for reinforcements!

        More digging has revealed the scope of the rock. (see yesterday's blog) It's dome shaped and digging has revealed that it's more than a rock, it's a boulder! With a surface of about four feet across it is clear I'm not going to get it out of the ground. The next step is conversation with the farmer who hays the land to see if he has an excavator. 

      Recovering the boulder is a possibility. Apparently its been farmer over as long as that land has been under the plow. So just leaving it is an option.  Yet, now that it's uncovered it doesn't seem proper to just leave it. 10,000 years it has rested there, time to move?

Takk for alt,

Al

Iceberg analogy

      On the surface it was about the size of two dinner plates. Probing around it with the rod I use to pry out rocks revealed a much larger rock. Returning with a shovel and a crow bar I went to work. After clearing the dirt off the edges and top I found a place where the crow bar could get purchase for a pry. Pry I did without even being able to make the rock wiggle. The tip of the iceberg analogy fits for obviously this is much larger than revealed by its surface. . How did farm tillage implements avoid this stone?  Because the top is rounded perhaps they slid over it. 10,000 years ago a glacier deposited it on this hillside and there it has been ever since. Now it is something for me to play with. Working until I tire I leave it assured that it will remain until I return.

    This experience made me think of my grandfather, Lars Negstad. He began homesteading in 1885. On the land were many large rocks, much too large to be moved with horses. With my Dad when I was a boy I saw a flat rock with hole through it in a rock pile on the farm. When I asked Dad about that hole he explained. His father would chisel a hole deep into the rock, fill it with black powder, ignite the powder and fracture the rock. The pieces could then be removed. This was before dynamite. Even as a boy I recognized the labor it would take to chisel a rock so I asked Dad how long it would take. He said he probably could do it in a day.  It boggles my mind to think of the labor and tedium to accomplish this, pounding for a day on a chisel. It also explains the sledgehammer we had on the farm with the working surface rounded into a mushroom shape.

Takk for alt,

Al

                  The field that holds the stone.

Then, maybe my neighbor

 

The Little House

       Kaia and I drove to The Little House today. Assessing the harvest it appears that all the soybeans are harvested and perhaps 20% of the corn. Maybe  the corn needs some drying. Many combines working in the corn fields. With this dry spell the little pond across the street is now a mudflat. It's 80 degrees as this is written and fortunately no hurricanes in sight.

Takk for alt,

Al

              There are six camels in the pasture, two yaks, and many cattle and horses.

Ignored

 Leviticus 19:33-34, "When a foreigner lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The foreigner living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God". 

  In an exceptionally fine sermon at Grace University Lutheran Church, Sunday, Barbara Lundblad, asked in effect why this Biblical text is not a part of the current political debate. Yes, one might well ask. Beware of those who only take the parts of the Bible with which they agree.

Takk for alt,

Al

      Posed by the iconic temple head wrapped in the roots of a banyan tree, Ayutthaya, Thailand. 

Repair Job

      Ever since I became an inmate of the OFH there has been an HVAC issue with my apartment. In the spring, when the building system changes from heat to A/C, my A/C blows hot air. In the fall when the boiler is started, setting my thermostat to heat results in cold air blowing from the vent. A call to maintenance brings Bill, who does something in the ceiling of my closet and then the system works, that is, until the next change of season.

    Last night my heat vent blew cold all night. Today's call to maintenance and an email to the chain of command got results. A repair person came and announced that a valve was installed backwards and that he would return Wednesday with the needed parts.😀 

   So there are two wins. Finally the system will be fixed and I don't have to pay for it! 

Takk for alt

Al

    The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany is today's random photo.

Company Came!

     This OFH consists of two buildings Lexington Landing I, and Lexington Landing II. II is newer and all independent living apartments. I was built first and has independent living, assisted living and  memory care. I is my home. Both buildings have guest apartments.

    When I called for a guest apartment reservation both guest rooms in my building were booked. Fortunately, room was available next door so that is where Paul and Roseanne are staying. Roseanne has Sinai connections. Both of her parents, one a Halvorson and the other a Mathison, grew near Sinai. However, that is not how I first knew them. They were students at Augustana a year behind me, Paul was a year behind me in seminary, so we were acquaintances. Bonding came later.

   In 1968 I was called to Mohall, ND., and a year later was called to Berthold, ND. We were separated by about 50 miles most of which was a gravel road. In spite of that we were together a lot, became good friends and never again lived in proximity. We've visited but mostly we've connected by phone. Paul's sister lives a few blocks from the OFH and they will move there tomorrow. 

   Recently they moved into an OFH in Tacoma, WA. It will be fun to compare notes on our living situations. Entertaining is so easy here, put them in the guest suite and bring them to the dining room.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS Paul is the other reader of this blog.

                                 My OFH.

Nothing original

     This is another one of those days with no original thoughts.  A very pleasant day and perhaps that's the problem, no challenge to solve and therefore no deep thoughts. My neighbor is reading a book How The Rules Of Physics Lie, he probably has deep thoughts. He very likely does, because he's a retired university philosophy professor. There are many big minds in the OFH. 

Takk for alt,

Al

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia, is today's random picture.

Commodity Prices

      Prices for corn and soybeans are low. Perhaps slightly above a farmer's break even point. Inputs now are so expensive farmers need both good yields and prices for profit. Part of the reason for the current low prices is Trump's China trade war which he said are "easy to win." Trump imagines that tariffs are paid by the exporting company but in fact they are paid by consumers. With Trump's China trade war China shifted to buy more agriculture products from South America costing American farmers loss of market. Those losses continue today.

   Now North Dakota State University has released a report showing that future additional American tariffs will be costly to American farmers. Trump continues to advocate for more tariffs.  This is a quote from that NDSU report.

"If the next president slaps new tariffs on imports from other countries, those trading partners will likely retaliate with their own tariffs that could cost the U.S. billions in lost agriculture exports.

That’s according to a recent analysis from North Dakota State University (NDSU) researchers who looked ahead at the possibility of a trade war to come based largely on former President Donald Trump’s tariff proposals. In a “worst-case scenario” that targets China with the highest tariffs, soybean exports could drop 67% — or more than $15 billion — since China is the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans."  Minneapolis StarTribune October 4, 2024

   To read the report click on the blue print.

Takk for alt,

Al

              Today's random photo is with the kangaroos in Australia. 

Offerings

       Don't think "offerings" as in church. Previous blogs have mentioned that there are many events offered at the OFH. Weekdays are filled while Saturdays and Sundays there is much less scheduled. The monthly newsletter that was published with articles and schedules has been replaced with an online app called Wellzesta Life. That works well for me becasue I can also access it while I'm at The Little House. In addition to the postings on Wellzesta, print-outs are posted in the mail room. If this is not sufficient each day the daily schedule is posted in the elevators. (See below.)

     My Sinai neighbor must have been been checking Google Maps, Street View of Sinai. He was amused to see that I'm pictured in the Street View. (See link.) That means from almost anyplace in the world I can be viewed. So my question is "How can I monetize this?" 😀 

Takk for alt,

Al

https://maps.app.goo.gl/21dkF5Xv6LbU6QN67?g_st=im

Ya then

 

Trying!

     The Old Folks really tries to make life interesting for the inmates. In addition to the full line-up of exercise, craft and other classes there are lectures and concerts. About once a quarter there is a fancy dinner of multiple courses. A modest $45.00 fee is charged. Un fortunately I'll miss the next one.

   Today there was a food truck in the parking lot from 11:00 until 2:00. It offered hot food. My $11,00 smash burger was very good. There were other items on the menu like a brisket sandwich, french fries and smoked mac and cheese.. Tables were set up for dining convenience. Unfortunately it was windy and a construction crew was using a noisy generator. I do appreciate the OFH making such things possible. Out with friends for a happy hour, I missed the evening concert in the building. Often I've said "this is the easiest living I've ever had."  It's even easier than the Marines. 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

    The company standing in formation, Okinawa, 1961 or 1962. I'm in the back row, second from the viewer's left. 

Blessed!

      Today's mail brought me an invitation to a Fall Conference, Alleviating Isolation in Older Adults. Perhaps I should go...to see what I can do for others. This invite served to remind me of how blessed I am.  Surrounded by family and friends, both here at the OFH, and in The Little House On The Prairie, isolation is not an issue. Much appreciating my solitude it is adequate, but, a myriad of relationships keep me connected.

     Everyday posted in the elevator of the OFH is a list of daily activities. Today there were exercise classes, a movie and about a dozen activities. One caught my eye. 11:00 Staff Food Eating Contest, MPR (Multi-purpose room.) Thinking, 'this I've got to see' I joined a sizeable group of inmates curious to see what this was about. There were two events. In the first nine staff members volunteered to see who could eat two cobs of corn fastest. One woman clearly outdistanced the rest. The M.C. said "Perhaps she was fast becasue she's from South Dakota." 😋 The second contest challenged the volunteers to quickly eat a plate of chicken wings. The chicken lost 😉.

    Such is the demanding life of this inmate of the OFH.

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's random photo is of student assembly at my Thai school.