A Beef!

     Exciting a noon meal with a friend recently we observed a semi-truck which had the American flag embossed on its grill. "Isn't that nice, the American Flag as a bug catcher." Most likely the truck owner intended to honor the flag but ended up totally disrespecting it. While in the Marines we were drilled on flag etiquette. The Marines had three flag sizes: the ordinary daily flag, a smaller one used in inclement weather and a large one for holidays. Supposedly, a person in the flag raising honor guard was to shoot the person who let the flag touch the ground, though, I think that that was apocryphal.

   We were guests in a Norwegian home when the phone rang. It was a neighbor who called to say "The sun set five minutes ago and your flag is still up." Contrast that with all the ways the American flag is desecrated. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Notice the last line of these instructions.

Displaying the Flag: 

• Sunrise to Sunset:

  Generally, the flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset, but it can be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during darkness. 
Illumination:
If displayed at night, ensure the flag is adequately illuminated according to the National Flag Foundation. 
Half-Staff:
The flag may be flown at half-staff to honor deceased government officials or during designated mourning periods. 
Positioning:
When displayed with other flags, the American flag should be on the right (flag's own right) or above. 
When displayed from crossed staffs, the American flag should be on the right and its staff in front of the other. 
When displayed over a street, the union (stars) should face north or east, depending on the street's orientation according to the VA.gov. 
When displayed on a vehicle, the staff should be firmly attached to the chassis. 
Carrying:
The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free. 
Not for Decoration:
The flag should not be used for decoration, such as draping a ceiling. 

Respectful Handling:

No Touching: The flag should never touch anything beneath it, including the ground, floor, or water. 
No Marking: The flag should never be marked with any insignia, letters, or designs. 
Proper Disposal: When a flag is no longer fit for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning. 
No Advertising: The flag should not be used for advertising purposes. 

Be careful what you wish for!

      Visiting with the other reader of this blog this morning who said she reads it everyday; which elicited this response from me "You must have a very quiet life if you have nothing better to do." There you have it.😀

   The neighbor to The Little House texted me today to say the house's rain gauge showed 1.9"! WOW! This was a thunderstorm of some ferocity with winds to 65 mph and hail. Unlike the previous 5", this came as a deluge. During the previous prolonged dry spell all were wishing for rain...be careful...now the wishing is for the rain to take a break. Is this an anomaly for does it presage a wetter summer?  Follow this blog, if you have nothing better to do, to find out. Personally I'd vote for too much rain over too little. 

   It does cheer that the frogs across the street were able to leave their hibernation in the mud and resume their singing. Hearing their singing makes me happy.

  So here I am fat and happy in the OFH, also known as HWR, still writing about rain. 😄

Takk for alt,

PS The other reader said she liked the random pictures, so.....

Wat Chai Wattanaram, (wat = temple) in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Travel to and from my house to school took me past it twice daily. It's the best preserved wat in Ayutthaya the others having been damaged or destroyed when the Burmese invaded in 1775-67. Following that invasion the Thai capital was moved south from Ayutthaya, farther from Burma, to Bangkok. Ayutthaya, with it's temples and ruins is a World Heritage Site.

A little bit of Thai lore; The full ceremonial name of Bangkok is Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonpimanawatansathit 

Here's a breakdown of the name:

• Krungthep Maha Nakhon: The official Thai name, meaning "City of Angels, Great City".
• Amon Rattanakosin: "Eternal land of gems".
• Mahinthara Ayutthaya: "The impregnable city of Ayutthaya".
Mahadilok Phop: "The great land".
Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom: "The royal capital and pleasant place".
Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan: "The grand residence of the divine".
Amon Piman Awatan Sathit: "Abode of reincarnated spirits".

Procrastination!

        In conversation with friends today they were sharing their dilemma regarding their living situation. The issue for them is staying put versus moving, and if moving where? They are totally ambivalent about this weighty decision. Then he quoted a concept from recovery "If you can't make a decision, that's God's way of telling you to wait." That was a new concept for me but it rings true.

     Procrastination is not an issue for me. To the contrary, being too impulsive is more problematic.  That statement from recovery reminded me of all the times I do procrastinate, being troubled by that inaction, only to discover with time it was good to wait. In the end it becomes clear why the procrastination. Procrastinators unite!!!!!!!!! 

Takk for alt,

Al

The staircase in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Frogs Arise!

     With the previous dry spell the pond across from The Little House dried up. The recent rains have put some water back in it. With the  return of the water the frogs resumed their singing. Where were they when the water was gone?  Underground hibernating is one guess. Two egrets appeared looking for a meal of frogs legs.

     Where are we?  If you guessed the OFH you'd be correct. The 4th of July in Sinai is difficult for Kaia. She takes fireworks, and there are many late into the night, for shooting. Her agitation is because she thinks she's missing a hunt.. Much  quieter among the inmates of the OFH.

Takk for alt,

Al

 In Patagonia, Argentina, Lars stands with the peak, Fitz Roy, in the background. Fitz Roy is on the border with Chile.

Happy Farmers!

    It's seems sort of trite to obsess about rain. Though if you're a farmer and your livelihood depends on it it's understandable. So, here we go! Another inch this morning brought the total here to nearly five inches! After a prolonged dry spell, which included some extremely high temperatures, this moisture is very significant. There's even a bit of water in the pond across from The Little House. Two egrets were hunting it this afternoon.

   I'll post a random picture and call it good.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Acropolis, Athens, Greece in 2016. 

A tale of two....

       Where was I when I learned the concept of delayed gratification.?  The reality of it was very much a part of my childhood but somewhere in my academic career it was named as such. This comes to mind because of interaction with wildlife who would benefit by its knowledge.

    The two wildlife food plots are twelve miles apart and are like night and day. The one which is nearest the house, about 3.5 miles away, is flourishing. There is little weed growth yet. Pheasants, who dig out the kernel of corn when they see a sprout, have taken some. Deer graze on the new shoots of corn but only on some. Hopefully the growth spear is still intact so the corn will recover. Because it's quite accessible from the house I monitor it regularly.

   Yesterday I finally went to the more distant plot.  Oh my!  There pheasants have taken much of the planting. Deer have had a field day grazing off the tops. This field lies adjacent to Lake Joanne which harbors flocks of Canada geese. The geese have discovered the corn and have denuded a large section grazing the corn, leaving only black soil. To add insult to injury the field is green with weeds...water hemp!  UFFDA. 

   If only the deer and pheasants understood delayed gratification! The food plots are intended as food for them this winter. The geese are excused becasue they don't use the plot for winter food.

   Some good news to report: We received 2.4" of rain in gentle showers today!😀 This follows the .9" of a couple of days ago. Yippee! Crops, grass and trees are rejoicing as are the farmers!

Takk for alt,

Al

With a 'long neck" villager in Mae Hong Song, Thailand. I'm holding a weaving I purchased from her.

Good Book!

        After reading the book review in the Minneapolis Paper suggested it as a Father's Day gift. Lo and behold the suggestion paid off and it was a good read. The Ellesmere Wolves: Behavior and Ecology in the High Arctic, L. David Mech, Morgan Anderson and H. Dean Cluff, is the book in question.

    Ellesmere Island, about which I knew little, is that huge island in the high arctic of north east Canada. It's very close to Greenland and far from Alaska. Mech, sometimes accompanied by the other authors, spent 24 summers on the island studying the wolves. The wolves are almost tame because they have never been hunted. This gave Mech, and others, the opportunity to observe the wolves at close range. The only human habitations on the island are a small Canadian military base, a Canadian weather station and a small Inuit village. The weather station served the authors as their base. The weather station personnel provided much helpful information about the wolves when the authors were not on the island.

   The book mixes between the reports of the authors, and others, interactions with the wolves and the scientific data gathered. Naturally the human wolf interactions were of most interest to me. 

Takk for alt,

Al

The Ellesmere Island wolves  are white.

Good New X 2!

     This  little village of Sinai has a town council to manage its care. The council does a good job of management.  A case in point is street care. Unlike the next village west of us which has gravel streets, Sinai's streets are paved. Last year a gravel street on the fringe of town was blacktopped. Today a crew is seal-coating all the streets. This is good news.

   Seal-coating is an interesting process. A machine spreads a coating of heavy oil from the front while at the back is spread a layer of gravel. So the oil is immediately covered by a layer of rocks slightly larger than a pea. Heavy roller machines then press those rocks into the oil. A day or two later a sweeping machine sweeps the excess rocks into piles which then are trucked away. The result is cracks are sealed and a wear coat of rocks covers the street surface.  Thus, the basic street surface is preserved.  Thanks, city council!

   Last night it rained .9", and that's the second good news. That's the most substantial rain in weeks! It's very good news!

Takk for alt,

Al

A brief mention of Laos in last night's blog brought to mind this picture, which might be my all time favorite. It's taken from Thakhek, Laos, over the Mekong River to Phnom Phenom, Thailand, where a temple is visible. The telephoto lens makes Thailand seem closer than in reality. A lone, later afternoon, fisherman, is in the foreground.

Untold Stories!

     Author Elizabeth Stroud makes the point, in at least one of her books, that every person is the receptacle of myriad untold stories.  "When the elderly die, a library is lost and volumes of wisdom and knowledge are lost."  Who said that?  Why is there so little interest in the stories persons carry?  Numerous times I've dropped into conversation things like "when I was in Laos" or "I was saved by lightening" with the person to whom I'm speaking who does nothing to follow up the story.

   What would happen if, in conversation with a new acquaintance, we'd ask "What's your story?" Of course, after positing the question we need to listen with follow-up questions. Perhaps we'd help the other by giving an opportunity for that person to share something of significance. What's the anxiety the blocks us from being listeners to another's story?

   Spending significant time, as I do, in Joanne's cemetery as I look at the grave markers I wonder "what is their story?"  Often I pass three children, of the same last same names', graves. No adults buried with them and I'm not aware of anyone by that name still in this community. Yet, on Memorial Day, someone remembered them by placing flowers by each marker. Who did that? The deaths were many years ago, so are they remembered by surviving siblings?  So many lost stories.

   When we listen with intent to another, we complement them by taking them seriously.

Takk for alt,

Al

Hot enough for you?

         After spending much of the year cold, "I'm not cold now!"😁  There was much lightening during the night but it must have been some distance because I heard no thunder...of course I wasn't wearing my hearing aids.  Unfortunately the lightening brought no rain here. The forecast predicts chance of rain Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.  Here's hoping!

         There was a reason that Joanne only accompanied me to Tropical SE Asia once. While I always tend to be cold she always trended hot. On cold winter days she'd leave the house with a light wind breaker. Her comfort zone ended at 75 where mine begins. There's nothing in my memory bank of her ever being cold.

Takk for alt,

Al

 On this hot day a random picture of  The Little House with snow may help us think cool. 😄

Sad Day!

       So why is this a sad day you might ask?  Perhaps only for I and I know it's psychological. Summer Solstice makes me sad because it marks the turning as daylight recedes! Of course it isn't obvious for weeks but it's the knowledge that for the next six months daylight gradually recedes. For the same reason I'm glad at Winter Solstice because gradually daylight will increase.

   Ah, such problems! But, at least, for once I'm not cold.

Takk for alt,

Al

Sunset in South Dakota.

Birds again...

     While basking in the 94 degree heat on the front steps of The Little House I turned on the Merlin Bird app recording for fifteen minutes. It recorded fifteen species of birds and absent was a Grackle. 

    This is what I heard: Starling, Warbling Vireo, Goldfinch, Blue Jay, House Wren, Robin, Eurasian Collard-dove, Chipping Sparrow, Pheasant, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, and House Sparrow.  It is a wonderful chorus. The most vociferous were the House Sparrow and the Robin. The Chimney Swift is rare.

    It finally feels like summer has arrived. It's now only a few days until Summer Solstice. Now the corn will grow rapidly. Rain is predicted next week, let's hope.

Takk for alt,

Al

"A bird best identified by silhouette, the smudge-gray Chimney Swift nimbly maneuvers over rooftops, fields, and rivers to catch insects. Its tiny body, curving wings, and stiff, shallow wingbeats give it a flight style as distinctive as its fluid, chattering call. This enigmatic little bird spends almost its entire life airborne. When it lands, it can’t perch—it clings to vertical walls inside chimneys or in hollow trees or caves. This species has suffered sharp declines as chimneys fall into disuse across the continent."  Cornell Lab

First Sighting!

      A few days ago I saw a hen pheasant with a brood of chicks on the road. There were many chicks. Hens will nest up to three times if nests are disturbed. Each subsequent nest will have fewer chicks. Given the date and number of chicks this clearly was her first attempt.

   The chicks were very small, so newly hatched. Their food for the first weeks is insects which gives them the protein they need. Hatched this early they will be well developed before winter. That increases their chances of winter survival.

   There were many pheasants last fall. The winter was mild with no blizzards so most should have survived. The mild winter also means that hens go into nesting season in good condition. Nesting consumes much energy.  First attempt nest may hold up to fifteen eggs.

Takk for alt,

Al

Pheasant chicks can fly by the time they are two weeks old. This helps them avoid predators. 

One of those days!

       Today is one of those days without an original thought.  Just not much that seems worth blogging about. Living my routine in The Little House. Kaia and I have our daily routines that include walking for me and running for her.  All's well here.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Mt Fuji picture was taken at sunrise. Looking carefully by the lights in the lower left corner of  the picture you can see the outlines of our tent camp by the lights, 1961.

Honor Flights

      While waiting for a business to open I happened upon my cousin's husband. We had a good chat. During the conversation I noticed an Honor Flight decal on the window of his truck. He said they flew from Sioux Falls to Washington DC., at 5:00 am and returned at 9:00 pm. In DC they were escorted to see the war memorials. It was the first time he had seen them.

    Military Honor Flights are funded by private donations. They are appreciated by the veterans who take them. Each  participating veteran has a family member, or friend, who accompanies them. Though I'm eligible I'm not interested in participating.

   There are two reasons for my lack of interest. First, I've visited the memorials on several occasions.  Second, is my phobia of airports and airplanes. It's as if I've developed an airport/airplane allergy late in life. Driving a reasonable distance is fine but I'm very fortunate that I do not need to fly to see my family.

Takk for alt,

Al

 

One of my last flights was on this plane from Athens to Chania, Crete, Greece. Knees were firmly wedged into the seat in front of me.

Report

      The book on which I'm about to report is listed as a novel and that's perhaps correct. It's also a history, ecological report, fable, fantasy and psychological study. The author is a professor of psychiatry, so, perhaps it's not surprising that a significant character is schizophrenic. The book spans time from the Revolutionary War until modern times so naturally there are many characters related by their connection to a particular place. The setting is the north woods of Massachusetts, thus the title of Daniel Mason's book, North Woods. It's won many awards.

 Perhaps it would be fair to categorize it as experimental. It was oddly engaging, oddly because of the experimental nature. It's construction drew me in and I found myself drawn back to it so finished it rather quickly. Typically, I'm not fond of books with ghosts and other supernatural elements. Yet. this one was compelling even as I dismissed some features. Certainly it will be food for thought and reflection over a lengthy time. Yes, I'm very glad to have read it.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS In response to the query, if I know the persons buried around Joanne.  If I don't know each person I know the family.  I'll be buried quite close to the two classmates with whom I attended school for 12 years.

The marker for Joanne and I next to Grandma Sigrid Negstad.

Cemetery Serenade!

      Joanne's cemetery is ringed with mature fir trees. These trees provide an ideal habitat for nesting birds. Visiting Joanne's grave this morning I was serenaded by multi-vociferous bird song. It made the visit a sound treat.  

   This is what I heard: Killdeer,  House Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Pheasant, Mourning Dove, Song Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Brown-headed Cowbird, Eurasian Collard Dove, Red-winged Blackbird, Robin, Chipping Sparrow and House Finch.  It makes me glad that Joanne's grave is in a place filled with song.

Takk for alt,

Al

Joanne is buried next to the large Negstad stone in the background. Note the fir trees that ring the cemetery. 

Plans Change!

      Last weekend when I was staying at the OFH I received two books as early Father's Day gifts. The plan was to read chapters in the books alternatively. This was to avoid the challenge of having to choose which to read first. Both are good reading but one's a report and the other a novel.

    Reading into them both the novel engaged to make the reader wonder how certain things turn out. That reality ended the alternative approach. Now the novel is three fourths complete and the end is in sight. No matter, I'll happily return to the other which is fascinating in it's own right. 

   In a station in life where I need little and if I do need something I just buy it, books are welcomed gifts. Both givers acknowledged a desire to read their gift when I was finished. These are gifts that keep on giving. Once I was given a book for Christmas that was checked out of a library to which I returned it when done reading. 😀 Like the married couple who would meet at a Hallmark Store. There they'd each pick out a birthday card for the other, after showing it to the other it was placed back on the shelf.

Takk for alt,

Al

For twelve years I volunteered at Noble Academy, a Hmong Charter School. The last several years there I read books with groups of the advanced students.   Now I live too far away and my hearing loss makes it not feasible,

Smidgen!

      Reports from the Minnesota Twin Cities are of significant rainfall. Not so much in Sinai. We do get a smidgen with more in the forecast. Last night the rain amounted to another  .2".  Better than nothing. Hopefully the forecast will be accurate and more will come.

    That's pretty much what passes for excitement here. Perhaps a random picture will serve to complete  this blog.

Takk for alt,

Al

Breakfast at the farm on Crete, 2023.

This and that!

        Interesting temperature change yesterday. Monday night the temperature dropped to 49 degrees, corn doesn't grow much at that temperature. By mid-afternoon the temperature was 87! and it warmed up fast. At noon today we had a light shower of .2", not much but every little bit helps. Weather forecasts suggest some possible rain in the next few days, which is needed badly.

     There are always cedars to pursue in the grass. However finding them becomes more difficult as the grass grows. Maybe I should switch to rock picking. 

    Tomorrow the town's streets will be tarred and rock poured over the tar. That's about as exciting as it gets in Sinai.  There was a time when all the streets were gravel. Five miles west of Sinai, U.S. Highway 81 runs from Arlington to Madison (actually from Winnipeg to Mexico City). The section north of Madison is being resurfaced so many semi-trucks now detour through Sinai. 

Takk for alt,

Al

A little poetry, I particularly like the last line.

Things to Think

Robert Bly (born 1926)

Think in ways you’ve never thought before.
If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message
Larger than anything you’ve ever heard,
Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats.

Think that someone may bring a bear to your door,
Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose
Has risen out of the lake, and he’s carrying on his antlers
A child of your own whom you’ve never seen.

When someone knocks on the door, think that he’s about
To give you something large: tell you you’re forgiven,
Or that it’s not necessary to work all the time, or that it’s
Been decided that if you lie down no one will die.

Annual Meeting!

       While I'm not allowed to attend congregational meetings, so far I have not been barred from attending the Sinai Cooperative Elevator's annual meeting. It was held last night. It wasn't a particularly good year for the Coop as it posted a loss of 141K. The current turbulence in the world of agriculture has farmers on edge, consequently the Coop's business was down.  

     A representative of CHS, that provides feed and fertilizer to the Coop, spoke. The essence of his speech was that the situation is in turmoil because of tariffs. Without mentioning the current occupant he said prices and availabilities of  products could not be predicted. When he said "Every things unpredictable" I was the only one who laughed.

    Most grain elevators have joined larger consortiums. Sinai's remains independent. Likely two factors are responsible for its independent status. The Coop has been well managed. The other factor in its continued success has been the loyalty of local farmers. By their continued patronage they keep it viable. It has the necessary assets to handle the current deficit. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Sinai Cooperative Elevator, Sinai, SD, 57061.

Slow Read!

     It's a long book, 581 pages of relatively small print, in my version. That's one reason it took me a long time to read it. But there are, at least, two other reasons for the expanse of time.  With my subscription to the WNBA League Pass, I watch a lot of basketball when I could be reading. Case in point; yesterday "my" team, the Minnesota Lynx, were playing as I drove to S.D. Les  kept me informed of the games progress via text. Then, after the fact, I watched the replay.  Parenthetically, the team is 9 and 0 this year. Watching them is time I could be reading.

    But another reason it took awhile to read was the book itself. It was so enjoyable that I simply wanted to savor and live with it. It was almost disappointing to finish it. Oh, you want to know the book?  Of course, why didn't I think of that? Willa Cather's Song Of The Lark  was published in 1915.  It's a masterpiece. A wonderful story it's full of insight about the struggles of truly gifted artists. It makes plain the costs they pay on the way to great accomplishment. The book perhaps even more enjoyable in my elderhood.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Little House

     After a rich morning which included a family confirmand, and new members in an inspiring Pentecost Service.  Being not able to find my Singha Beer tee shirt I wasn't clad in red as was encouraged.  Nevertheless, it was a fine morning. The choir was in rare form with solos in Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, German and Chinese.

    At a family  brunch later, a good time was had by all and that includes Al, who is now at The Little House for a spell. Having never been able to decide which abode is "home" now the OFH is named the 'vacation home.'

Takk for alt,

Al

Rare Opportunity!

      Six of us gather regularly for dinner Friday nights at the OFH, that is if I'm not at The Little House, when they meet without me.  Last night we gathered for a special occasion, a birthday party. One of our regulars has a birthday very soon and we got to have the first party for her. MonaMae will be 102 on June 9! So, naturally we needed to celebrate. It's a rare opportunity to celebrate a person's 102nd birthday. 

    MonaMae is blessed with a good memory and a large and attentive family. The family is planning a series of events to honor her. It was fun to be a part of the first one. She lives two apartments from me so we often meet in the hallway. In the card we all signed I wrote, "I want to be like you when I grow up." It happened once that it was only the two of us at dinner. It was a fascinating conversation as we discussed politics in complete harmony. 

Takk for alt,

Al

MonaMae, blowing out her birthday candles.

What day it this?

     Jim, the food service director for the OFH is a real gem. He retired from a successful career in commercial food service. Hanging around home too much his wife said "Go find a job!" So the OFH is the beneficiary of his talent. About four times a year he puts on a gourmet dinner. It's a themed multi-course meal with many extras. 

   So, what day is this?  It's National Donut Day!  It's also an illustration of Jim's creativity. Tables were set up by the continental breakast and inmates were invited to select a free donut. There was a wide variety but I quickly selected an apple fritter. It want will with coffee as I read the morning paper. This is one of the ways that Jim and the OFH spice up life for the inmates!

  So what day is this?  It's June 6, 2025 and 61 years to the day since Joanne and I were married. The service was at First Lutheran, Sioux Falls, SD. Pastor Marcus Gravdal Presided and Joanne's father, Pastor Oscar C. Hanson did the homily. The Augustana College Choir sang. Joanne's maid of honor was her sister Mary, and attendants were Jenine Peterson nee Jordahl and Maxine Kellany nee Amundson. My brother David was my best man, and the only survivor of the attendants. Attending me was my brother, Richard, and David Halvorson.

   Two very different days each special in their own way.

Takk for alt,

Al

Yes, we were young then.

Twice!

     Tom joined me for lunch at the OFH. Every meal there's a special in addition to fourteen menu items. Today's special was spaghetti and meatballs with mixed vegetables.  Portions are modest size suitable for old folks. The meal includes a starter of soup, salad, cold slaw, or fruit, beverage and dessert, which today was peach pie.

   After lunch Tom continued cribbage lessons. For the second time ever ever ever I won a game of cribbage...twice now! In all honesty I do occasionally ask for a bit of coaching. Tom also ascertains that my point counting is accurate. Too often I miss some points and counting them is one of the most complicated aspects of the game.

   It's a good game, accompanied by good food and good conversation.

Takk for alt,

Al

Meteora's (Greece) unique rock pillars and monasteries were built over centuries, with the rocky spires themselves being the result of geological processes over millions of years. The monasteries were constructed by monks who faced considerable challenges in building on these high, inaccessible rocks, utilizing methods like nets, buckets, and ropes to haul materials.       How would you like to be the bricklayer?