Silly!

       An older woman was talking to her pastor.  She said, "I've had a lot of troubles in my life and most of them never happened."  How true!  Last fall when my son-in-law was visiting we took one of the brakes off my tractor and brought it to a shop to be rebuilt. By the time the shop returned it son-in-law was gone. Replacing the brake on the tractor fell to me.

    When the brake was returned from the shop it was in a bucket. It's very heavy and the work space was very narrow between transmission casing and the large real wheel.  With about four hours of labor the brake was remounted.  The big question?  were the parts assembled properly?

   Unlike cars, tractor brakes have a dual function. Two wheel drive tractors have two brake pedals, one for the right rear wheel and the other for the left. Brakes stop the tractor as do car brakes.  But they are also important for steering. A farmer making a sharp left turn at the end of the field uses the left brake to assist with turning. Therefore, having a functioning brake is very important.

   When the repaired brake was put back on the tractor, the tractor was in storage for the winter. The battery had been removed and a trailer was parked behind the tractor in the shop. This prevented testing the brake. All winter I rehearsed scenarios to use if the brake wasn't functioning. Today it was time to use the tractor and.................the brake worked fine!😀 To celebrate I chopped the corn stalks to prepare for replanting. The wildlife consumed most of the corn over winter. One field had no leftover corn and the other field a moderate amount. 

    Like the older woman I have had a lot of trouble most of which have not happened.

Takk for alt,

Al

A First!

      It's a half-mile drive across a field to reach one of my cornfields. The drive is made bumpy by pocket gopher mounds. Driving out this morning to grease the stalk-chopper I witnessed a first. A bald eagle flew up from the grass in front of me. With some frequency I see eagles circling above, usually in pairs. This eagle was alone and it's the first time one has flown up from a field in front of me. A very majestic sight. Their recovery is a conservation success.

Takk for alt,

Al

It's been twenty-six years since we climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. I was in much better shape then.

Revelation!

      Every spring it comes as a revelation. All  winter I try to stay active, thinking I'm in decent physical shape. Then comes spring and the activities related to life on the prairie,  which reveal that my condition is not as good as I imagined. Today it was spending the morning working in the shop, which was the annual revelation. 

   Shop work was indicated because a small thunderstorm brought rain in the early morning.  The weather app claims .9" of rain which is very beneficial. Conditions are still very dry so I best contain my impatience about rain delaying my plans.

   The house across the street has a flock of free range chickens. So far Kaia has resisted the urge to chase them. To her they must look like some sort of prey.

Takk for alt,

Al

In the library of Europe's oldest university, Coimbra, Portugal.   

 

The Little House

  Kaia and I motored to The Little House this afternoon. We'll be resident here for awhile so I'm home! 😀Farmers have been busy. There's been significant planting. Though, close to the Cities it's too wet for fieldwork. It feels as if I'm getting a late start but it really doesn't matter. The season is in evidence by the number of farm implements dodged on the road. Most of there were so large that it was a squeeze to get by. Knowing the dimensions of the one's vehicle is important. We're project to get .55" of rain overnight so perhaps my work tomorrow will be inside the shop.

Takk for alt,

Al

A fifty-four row planter (mine is a four row) even folded for road travel they take two thirds of the road,

One farmer...

    At David Halvorson's funeral yesterday I engaged a Sinai farmer in conversation. He reported that he had finished planting soybeans and was ready to plant corn. The soil, don't call it dirt, was so dry that he did no tillage before planting. The soil was powder dry he said. He's a big time operator (BTO) and often at the forefront in accomplishing field work. When asked if he thought there would be a market for his beans he demurred. 

Takk for alt,

Al

This steel bridge in Porto, Portugal, was built by Gustave Eiffel who built the tower in Paris that bears his name.

David Halvorson, 2/6/1935-4/18/2025

     David's funeral was today.  David, was three years older than I, and we grew up on farms about five miles apart, rural Sinai. In 1957 four Sinai boys shared a room in the basement of a Sinai couple who's house in Brookings was a block from South Dakota State. The four were Rolf and Lloyd Hope, David and I. David was recently discharged from the Army and I was a sophomore. 

    David and I were in the same botany class at State. When the first major test approached he suggested we study for it together. The effect of this cooperation was that he taught me how to study. In four years of Sinai High School I never studied, which was more of an indictment of the school than a measure of my brilliance. David's tutoring served me well, as I studied through three academic degrees. He was one of my groomsmen at my wedding. 

  After my discharge from the Marines and enrolled at Augustana College, barracks life in the Marines steered me away from dormitory residence. David's parents were then living in Sioux Falls. They had an apartment house, where they lived, so I rented a basement apartment from them. 

  David graduated from State with a degree in civil engineering. He was hired by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Specializing in roadway hydraulics he worked at MNDOT for thirty years retiring in 1995.  

  May God bless the memory of David Halvorson.

Takk for alt,

Al

 This picture was taken at our 50th wedding anniversary party. These two David's were wedding attendants, The tall David is my brother, the best man, and the other is David Halvorson.

Only persons of an age will get this! Signal if you do.

 

April Showers!

 “April showers bring May flowers.” This common saying goes all the way back to a poem written in 1157 by Thomas Tusser. In “A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry” he wrote, “Sweet April showers Do spring May flowers.” It's definitely true! Perhaps you didn't know that and neither did I until the magic of the internet revealed it.

So there's a bit or rain at the OFH and the handy dandy weather app reveals rain in Sinai, too. That's a good thing because S.D. has been very dry. Rain will not dampen the spirits at tonight's 16th birthday party.

Staying mostly dry at the OFH.

Takk for alt,

Al

For the first ten years of my life on the farm we has a path instead of a bath. Here's Portugal's modern take on a public outhouse.

Anyone you know?

 

The Inmates Are Meeting!

     About every six weeks there is a meeting of  all the inmates of Lexington Landing, the OFH. Today was the day. Much of the information is routine. It includes such things as fire and storm safety and other housekeeping details that come as reminders. Touting the progress of the skyway that will connect the two buildings over Lexington Ave is always popular. The steel superstructure is now in place.

   The original building, of which I'm and inmate, is known as Lexington Landing I, the other L. L. II. The II building consists of 91 independent living apartments. 74 of  91 of those are occupied with 109 inmates. That building has a pickleball court, golf simulator and rooftop patio but no dining facilities.

    L.L. I, has both a dining room and a bistro. It also has a fitness room with multiple machines and a workout room. There are 284 inmates in the building with one vacancy in independent living, five vacancies in assisted living, and memory care is full. Both buildings have underground parking.

   There is minimal staff turnover in the facility. They are well trained, helpful and cheerful. Servers in the dining room are the most difficult to secure. Many are students and being on an active bus line helps in recruiting staff.

   It's a good place, well run, and I'm a happy and grateful inmate. If you want to learn more go to lexingtonlanding.com

Takk for alt,

Al

Combria University, Portugal, the oldest university in Europe, founded in 1290.

Semper Fidelis!

     Checking in at the auto dealer for an oil change the service writer saw my Marine cap and said "Semper Fi" the traditional greeting between Marines. The Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis" is Latin for 'always faithful.' 

    The service writer and I began comparing notes. Stationed at Camp Pendleton? Check! Cold weather training at Bridgeport, CA? Check!  We both learned to ski on snowshoes. Transferred to Okinawa? Check. Stationed at Camp Hansen? Check. He was quite impressed that our battalion was the first to occupy Hansen, that in 1962. There wasn't much near the camp in 1962 and now there's much development. Cold weather training in Japan by Mt. Fuji? Check? At sea for an extended period as mobile strike force? Check. We were on different ships. The USS Princeton was my ship and he mentioned his but I don't remember it. His discharge was about ten years ago. mine 63 years in June 😀

   Could it be that this Marine connection facilitated the completion of the service work on the car an hour earlier than predicted?

Takk for alt,

Al

     Marines in cold weather training, near Bridgeport, CA. Do you wish you were there?

All's well with Al

    There's not much to report today but one of you gets anxious when there's no post. So here's a post.

Takk for alt,

Al

Probably more tomorrow.

Grateful!

      Geraldine Brooks, memoir, Memorial Days, a fascinating read, left me feeling very grateful. Comparing our situations of the loss of our spouse was a helpful reminder of how fortunate I was. First was the age difference, Joanne dying at 82 vs. her husband Tony's death at 60. There were twenty two additional years living with Joanne. Then too the circumstances of death were very different. Tony collapsed and died on a sidewalk. Joanne was on home hospice for 21 days. Those 21 days were filled with outpourings of love via mail, phone, visits and email. Twice Grace Lutheran's comfort choir came to sing to her. The pastor made repeat visits and so did the hospice chaplain bringing her harp and singing. Her gradual demise allowed the family to surround her as she died. It was a good death.

    The estate planning we'd done with living trusts made the financial aftermath easy to navigate. Unlike Brooks, I'd managed finances so no transition was necessary. Brooks had to start from zero. Her death made no interruption in either my health care or credit cards, unlike Brooks experience. Fully retired I had the liberty to plunge fully into my grief. 

    Brooks makes three helpful suggestions. Have an estate plan! Yea and verily! because if you don't the State does. Likely that plan should include a trust.  Second: Write about your grief. Yes! Writing this blog did two valuable things for me. First. it forced me to conceive and articulate my feelings, not the easiest thing for a Scandinavian male, but there was healing in doing it.  Second, it brought a host of others with me in the grieving process. (If someone new happens to see this, scroll back to the postings in April 2018, to read what I wrote.) Third, she says to keep the deceased in your conversations. Definitely do this and don't succumb to the conspiracy of silence that surrounds the bereaved. It was helpful for me to ask others to tell Joanne stories. It taught me, and kept her memory alive. 

    This book was a good gift from MJV. It was an opportunity for gratitude, reminding me of how well Joanne's death happened and all the love and support we encountered.  Grateful, grateful, grateful!

Takk for alt,

Al

Joanne always put up all the pictures we received at Christmas, as you can see on the glass door behind her. This is a typical thoughtful pose.

A Memoir

      A memoir by a best selling author, Horse, People of the Book, Year of Wonders, and Pulitzer Prize winning March, is likely to be good, and it is. Geraldine Brooks', husband and best selling author, Tony Horwitz,  died instantly of heart failure on a Washington, D.C., sidewalk, at age 60. Her memoir recounts the brutal way she learns of it in the callousness of big city medical response.

     She lists all the ways she was unprepared for his sudden death. Then, too, were the many ways society was unhelpful: e.g., cancelling the family's health insurance, cancelling the credit cards, needing to go to court to prevent a guarding being appointed for their minor child, etc. She knew nothing about the family finances  including the necessity of making a estimated tax payments as self-employed. 

    A significant theme emerges of the societal pressures that do not allow time to grieve. Her comparisons of traditions of other cultures' around grieving are illustrative. Modern America has no helpful pattern. Once I was asked, "How long should I expect my mother to grieve dad's death?" When I replied "Give her a year." The questioner was taken aback. She said "I was thinking two weeks." Brooks, an Australian native, who now lives on Martha's Vineyard, goes for an extended stay on a remote Australian island. Three years after Tony's death she finds the time and space to do the serious grieving that is necessary.  

   Here are a couple of items from the book. '"Grief is praise," writes Martin Pretchtel in his book The Smell Of Rain On Dust, "because it is the natural way loves honors what it misses.'" P. 8. This is new to me and is 'right on'!  "'We print like baby goslings, on a type of horizon. On a type of sky," Barbara Kingsolver told a reporter who asked her what she loved about Appalachia."' P. 18 Brooks relates this to her comfort in Australia. . Yes, and my imprint was prairie sky.  

   In a subsequent blog I'll compare her experience with mine with the death of Joanne. But, one more thing! Do your estate planning. In Minnesota the law is that upon death, any estate valued at $75,000.00 or more must go to probate court, unless there is a trust in place. Joanne and I had a trust which made things simple when she died. The exception is if the assets are covered by designated beneficiaries.

Takk for alt,

Al

Lamps

     Lamps, I have two of them. Oh, actually several more than two between the two domiciles. But, there are two of the ones in question. They are identical because one was found to be so helpful another was purchased for the other home. (Discursus: where is 'home'? The OFH? Or The Little House? Perhaps, both.) Reading appears to be a feature of my life, thus the two lamps.

   They weren't particularly expensive ordered online from Target. They are a boon to extensive reading. Designed as floor lamps with a gooseneck they stand by identical recliners, also known as reading chairs. Two features make them great reading lamps. The, almost round, head contains a round magnifying glass. This magnifier is surrounded by small, bright LED lights. This conspires to give both great light and magnified print on the book of the moment.

    Since cataract surgery the lamps are less necessary but still helpful. This discussion of lamps was prompted by the latest gift of books from MJV. (Thanks MJV!) One of those books came in a large print edition which I could read quite well without the lamp yet the lamp still is useful. Likely the book came in large print because MJV checked the wrong box, not that she thinks I'm that age disabled. 

   Now I've read about two thirds of the large print one, so likely that will be the subject of tomorrows blog.

Takk for alt,

Al

With it's long seacoast Portugal was a land of explorers. This monument to Mariners stands in Lisbon.

Non-reactive

    A late afternoon thunderstorm is in progress. Kaia is totally non-reactive lying by the sliding glass doors watching the rain. The question I ponder: would I be as disciplined about exercise without her? Every morning at 6:00 we climb the hill to the disc golf course where she can run freely. At least three more time daily I take her outside with last one being a bit of a walk. Often I say about her "she keeps me from being a slug." In her absence would I have the resolve?

   That's about as deep as my mind delves today.

Takk for alt,

Al

Inside the palace in Lisbon, Portugal.

Aging

      Rollie came to the OFH for breakfast this morning, a low stress way to entertain. We've been friends since 1964, so we are growing old together. It was natural that aging was part of our conversation. Rollie wrote a book about aging and we commented that now we're living out that about which he wrote;

    One of the observations of the morning was about how differently persons age. Yes, that's remarking the obvious. An interesting aspects of old age is the perspective to see how persons, we knew as youth, lives turned out. Some early bloomers flamed out quickly while other quiet youth had remarkable lives.

    Sometimes I just sit, that's right, just sit. My mind wanders over the past and memories are a gift. Family, friends and acquaintances have been blessings for which I'm grateful. My work was meaningful. Significant travel has offered expanded perspectives and adventure. An example; for ten years I lived with same Thai family while I taught school in Thailand. That gave insight to life in Thailand that's not available to a tourist. Electronics allows me to remain in contact with them.

   The memories are suffused with gratitude.

Takk for alt,

Al

Every child in Thailand is given a nickname at birth. Poe nicknamed her son 'Nice', as she said, "I want him to be nice. He's sitting on the floor of "my" house.  Incidentally, Poe means 'crab'! 😀 It was a three generation house. The grandmother's nickname pronounced 'Met' spelled 'Max', means stapler. The women who helped the teachers the first year I taught was nicknamed 'Gai', chicken.

Skyway connecting the buildings

 

Architectural rendition of the skyway which is being constructed between OFH buildings. 

Little Mystery

    You both know that I spent some time on an aircraft carrier converted to carry helicopters. It also had some Piper Cubs. There were two kinds of helicopters. One was the common Skorskys that ferried us around. Called the H-34 Choctaw, it carried 18 passengers. We'd often be weighed before boarding to ensure it wasn't overloaded. My boarding weight was ca. 300lbs., 195 was my weight, plus 100lbs, of gear. There is no mystery about that helicopter.

   The mystery is about the other type of helicopter aboard ship. It was a small two-seater the Marines used for reconnaissance. It had twin rotors projecting from the roof which turned in opposite directions. This negated the centrifugal force, consequently a tail rotor wasn't needed. Online searches for this craft have come empty. So did my search for one at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. Having seen them both in the air and on the flight deck I'm curious to know more about them.

   Well that's about as exciting it gets at the OFH. Many new faces in the building as there is significant turnover. The secret of this place is that it's full of old people. But the exciting news is that the superstructure for the skyway between buildings will be hoisted into place tomorrow morning.

Takk for alt,

Al

This picture is taken out of the door of H-34, in which I'm riding toward another H-34. The crew chief's arm in orange is visible. A strap serves as the "door".

    

Four of the mystery helicopters in front with H-34s in back with their rotors folded back.

WNBA Draft

     As this is being written the WNBA Draft of college players is happening. As was predicted Paige Bueckers of UConn was selected first by Dallas. Paige is a Minnesota player. Her high school years were at Hopkins, a Minneapolis suburb. She had a stellar career at UConn marred by injuries. She led UConn to the NCAA National Championship this year. Paige is mischievous, very generous and a wonderful role model. Interviewed at the end of the championship game she only wanted to talk about her teammates and coaches. She should do well in the WNBA.

Takk for alt,

Al

Paige Bueckers

Guess who?

 

Reread...

     English is an odd language which I realized tutoring the principle at 'my' school in Thailand. So, how do you understand the title of this blog?  Correct pronunciation depends on the tense which can only be determined by context. Reread (rereed) is present tense while reread (rered) is past tense.

   So, understand the title as past tense because that's what I did to Willa Cather's O Pioneers! It was a long time coming because I first read it in 1992. Somehow the book escaped two downsizings, and was still on my book shelf. In the intervening thirty-three years most of it was forgotten so it was as delightful as the first time. Perhaps the trick is to wait thirty-three years and then reread good books. Maybe I'll reread it in thirty-three years.

  No need to do a synopsis becasue you've all read it.😀 Suffice it to say the passive aggressive Scandinavians don't come off very well in it. That reminds of an old story. Two politicians running for office were at the county fair. The Irishman, Paddy, spoke first. When he finished all the Irish present gave him thunderous applause and cheering. Then Ole, the Norwegian, spoke. When he finished all the Scandinavians scoffed "Who does he think he is?"

Takk for alt.

Al

For eleven years I volunteered at a Hmong Charter School. I really miss it.

  

Joanne Elizabeth (Hanson) Negstad, 4/1/1936-4/12/2018

     Seven years ago today, after relieving the night nurse at 6:00 am., I asked Joanne "What's special about April 12?" She shrugged her shoulders. Three and a half hours later she died.  Fortunately there was time to gather the family around her as breathed her last breaths.  

   Today a friend asked what that absence is like. "Initially it was like a knife in the ribs. Gradually that morphed into the dull ache it is today" I replied. Of course I miss her. Ironically that absence is often most acute at family times. That's because those times with the family are illustrative of what she's missing with them. Family was terribly significant to her and now she's missed seven years of growth in our granddaughters and so many family moments. That reality is what brings my grief to the fore more than anything else.

   Losing her illustrates the great gift she was in my life. In the midst of the grief there is also profound gratitude for having 53+ years with her. As friend remarked today "She was an extraordinary woman." Amazingly she loved me!

Takk for alt,

Al

Joanne with the granddaughters while she was in home hospice care.

One of my favorite pictures of Joanne, that, in a larger size, graces my desk.

Serendipity

      While I was in the OFH library looking for reading material, Janet, another denizen of the OFH came in. In my hand was The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michelle Richardson. Janet said she'd read it and recommended reading it. So I did and was glad.

   A New Your Times bestseller it could be called an historical novel. It is set in the later 1930s during the economic depression. The WPA hired Pack Horse Librarians to deliver books to remote, mountainous areas of Kentucky.  It gave income to needy people, mostly women, and books and reading material to hill folk who had little or none.

   The protagonist is Pack Horse Librarian delivering books with her mule, which is also her protector. Her name is Cussy, but she called Bluet, because she's one of Kentucky's blue people. These people, originally from France, had a recessive gene that, coupled with another person with that gene, had children whose skin was blue. In the 60s medical science determined that this blue color was caused by methemoglobinemia, a lack of an enzyme in the blood.  These blue skinned people suffered discrimination akin to that of African Americans. Troublesome Creek is an actual place in Kentucky

   Richardson writes a captivating tale while elucidating the role of Pack Horse Librarians and the plight of the 'Kentucky Blues'.

Takk for alt,

al

PS My new VA glasses arrived today.😁

A Pack Horse Librarian making a delivery.

Jim Tonneson, March 30, 1944-March 26, 2025

    Jim, and his wife, Carolyn, were scheduled to move into the OFH 2+ years ago. Before they arrived Carolyn died and eventually Jim came alone. He was living here at the time of his death. 

    Joanne and Carolyn worked together at Lutheran Social Service, Minnesota, many years ago. Work colleagues became friends and we've remained in touch with Jim, and Carolyn until the time of her death. Jim was head chaplain at the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center from 1979-2002, when it closed.

    Jim grew up on a farm at Newburg, ND., about 30 miles from Mohall, where I lived from 1968-1975. With that proximity we had mutual acquaintances. He made me jealous when twice he won the tractor that was given away at a threshing show.

   The halls of the OFH will be more lonesome with out Jim and I will also miss our  occasional dinners out. His funeral was today at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul, MN., where he served as visitation pastor. 

   Rest in peace, good and faithful servant.

Takk for alt,

Al

The late Jim and Carolyn Tonneson with their family.

Back at the OFH

     Kaia, and I, are back at the OFH for a bit of time. Kaia's more comfortable now that's she's groomed. She shouldn't need to go the vet until next year. Traffic was light in the city and we zipped right in. Now back to the life of leisure. The big decision of the day "What to fix for dinner?"  

   That's about as profound as it gets here. 😃

Takk for alt,

Al

This olive tree is between 3000-5000 years old, the man somewhat younger. The tree is on the island of Crete.

This and that....

     Kaia got a haircut this morning from the world's fastest groomer. She takes about 20 minutes for a complete grooming, which Kaia enjoys. Next stop was the USDA office to sign some paperwork for my renters. Then it was off to the veterinarian for Kaia's checkup and annual vaccinations.  Kaia likes the groomer better than the vet.  Once, when checking the cost of tooth cleaning in Minneapolis for a previous dog, Trygve, the vet said the cost begins at $400. and can go up from there. The vet in Brookings did it for $90. 

     The wind was so strong and cold that I didn't venture out to pick rocks. Those rocks have been there for 10,000 years and they will wait a few more days for me. Such is life in The Little House.

Takk for alt,

al

Breakfast at the farm stay on the Island of Crete, 2023. The fare would have pleased a threshing crew.

Donald Evenson, Part II

       There is much more about Don's academic and scientific exploits but let's change focus. Our family connections go back to the 70s, no, not the 1970s, the 1870s. In the 1870s Don's great-grandfather, Gulbrand Evenson, and my grandfather, Olai Bergh, were neighboring farmers near Kasson, MN. Both had emigrated from the same area of Norway. Later they entered the seminary and remained friends as they studied to be pastors. Gulbrand is buried in the Bergh Cemetery near Volga, S.D., where Grandpa's church stood. He may have been pastor of the church from which Grandpa retired.

      Very much later my cousin, Leslie Negstad, married Don's aunt, Esther Evenson. Though Don and I grew up on farms about four miles apart we attended different country schools. In the early 50s we both needed orthodontia and got braces from the only orthodontist in South Dakota, who officed in Sioux Falls. Every three weeks we were scheduled to visit the orthodontist so our parents took turns driving us. In high school Don was two years behind me. After high school he attended Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis and, with my stint in the Marines, we became classmates at Augustana graduating together in 1964. 

    Don, and his wife Carol, tired of life in New York so he joined the faculty at South Dakota State University, Brookings, in 1983. He was a professor of biochemistry. For many years they lived on his home farm near Sinai eventually moving to Brookings. This relocation to South Dakota allowed us to reconnect and since my retirement eighteen years ago we've had the opportunity to spend time together.

    Honored to lead his memorial service I will certainly miss him.

Takk for alt,

Al

Donald Evenson, October 30, 1940 - March 20, 2025

     Sinai boy succeeds!  Don graduated from Sinai High in 1958 and Augustana College in 1964, where we were classmates. He received a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology in 1968, from the University of Colorado. This was followed by a two-year post doctoral study of mammalian DNA structure at the Institute of  Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, then two years at the Union Carbide Research Institute, Tarrytown, NY, studying the DNA structure of the cancer virus. He then served a dual faculty appointment for eleven years at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell Graduate Center of Medical Sciences in New York City. During this time he studied the effects of chemotherapy on sperm quality. His invention of the Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay is now used around the world in numerous infertility clinics and for which he received a patent. 

   To be continued later because the blogger is tired. It was my privilege to preside at his funeral service today.  I'll preside tomorrow at the burial in Joanne's cemetery.

Takk for alt,

Al       

The Little House On The Prairie

      One of the realities of a certain age is the death of peers. Though Frode probably wasn't technically a peer, he certainly was a friend.  With him included I've lost four peers recently, two of whom died in their sleep. It's the funeral of one of those friends who has brought me to The Little House. His funeral is tomorrow with burial in Joanne's cemetery Monday. Wednesday I'll return to the OFH to attend the funeral Thursday of the other friend who died in his sleep. I'll write more about them in subsequent blogs. 

     This is the first visit to The Little House since I left before Christmas. All is well in the house and my neighbor even shoveled the little snowbank on the sidewalk. It's clear that Kaia remembers the routine here. After returning to the OFH I'll stay there through Easter and a bit beyond to celebrate a family birthday. There was a stretch about 100 miles to the east of the house where the ground was white with snow..

Takk for alt,

Al

The Little House with the green grass of summer.

Little to say today, too...

    With no original thought again this day perhaps a trip into the picture files for something that will trigger some reflections. There are two funerals next week which I'll write about after the fact. Peers are dying which the reality of a person of a certain age.

Takk for alt,

Al

This is the egg store near "my" house in Thailand. The store was about the size of a one stall garage and all they sold were eggs. The eggs were priced according to size, the larger the more expensive. Because they were not washed they didn't need refrigeration even in the tropical heat. When purchased they were put in a plastic bag. Sitting on the back of a motorcycle it was my job to hold them until we arrived at home and none were ever broken. At home Met would refrigerate them. Thai omelets are exceptionally good, perhaps becasue they were done in a wok?  Naturally, the omelet was served on a bed of rice.

Living in the past...

     With the quiet life in the OFH often there is not much to report. That's probably a good thing. With international travel a thing of the past travel stories are in my memory as are experiences in the Marines. If either of you get tired of the recall of memories tell me and perhaps I'll stop sharing. Then again, maybe I'll continue. 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

Have you ever seen Mt Fuji without snow? When we first arrived at this tent camp for cold weather training on the base of Mt. Fuji, it was snowless. This was about the first of November 1961. As the days passed snow arrived gradually giving the mountain its characteristic snow cap. The frequent changes to its visage accounts for me accumulating multitude pictures of it. I regret not attempting to climb it though it was officially closed for the season. It's 12,388 feet above sea level.

Choices

      Today was the follow-up appointment following cataract surgery. All's well and testing of my vision provided me with a prescription for new lenses. Since the surgery I see distance well but need glasses to read or use the computer. Surgery and follow-up were at Park Nicollet. With prescription in hand I went to the Park Nicollet vision center to order glasses.

    Under the impression that my health insurance would provide one set of glasses it was a surprise to learn, "No, they pay 20%." Uffda, I wasn't prepared for that. Retrieving my prescription I headed for the VA Medical Center which was even on my home. At the VA Eyeglass Store no one was waiting to be seen. Within 15 minutes glasses and frames were ordered to my specifications and the prescription from Park Nicollet. The new glasses will magically appear in my mailbox in two weeks. I'm blessed with choices!

Takk for alt,

Al

Guess what?

Joanne Elizabeth (Hanson) Negstad 4/1/1936-4/12/2018

     There's an interesting story about naming Joanne. Her parents intended to name her Martha Louise. Then Knut Lokken, her maternal grandfather, came to visit her in the hospital and the name changed. Upon meeting the baby grandpa said "How's my little Joanne Elizabeth?" So, that's how she acquired her name.

    The last birthday she celebrated, April 1, 2018, was also Easter Sunday. At home on hospice care she was unable to attend Easter Services. Our congregation, Grace University Lutheran, sang happy birthday to her during the Easter Service. Shown a recording of the congregation singing to her, her response was "I never knew dying could be so glorious!"  She died like she lived, full of gratitude.

   May God bless her memory, good and faithful servant! Rest in peace!

Takk for alt,

Al

Easter Dinner, April 1, 2018, the last time she was at the table with the family.