"Sea Lawyers"

        "Sea lawyers" is what they were called in the Marines. Every outfit had one or more. They were the "know it alls" who always had the latest scoop on every pending maneuver or operation. The one thing that they all had in common was that they were consistently wrong, thus the lawyer moniker.

      Kaia's bringing me a live snake this morning prompted the memory which led to the previous paragraph. The process went like this. The snake delivered was a harmless garter snake who was much relieved to be released unharmed. But, what if there were poisonous snakes here? which there are not. Would Kaia instinctually know to avoid them or would she be in serious danger?

    So, back to the Marines and a memory. While out in the hills of Camp Pendleton, CA., the company's 'sea lawyer' encountered a rattlesnake when a six inch long one fell into his foxhole. His response had consequences. Seeing the snake he withdrew his bayonet and used it to pin down the snake's head. Then he released the snake's head while lifting it by the tail. The snake quickly whipped around and struck him on the hand.

    Medical help was immediately available via the company Navy medical corpsman. (Because all Marines are protentional combatants non-combatant services, including medicine and chaplaincy, are provided by the Navy.) The 'sea lawyer' was transported quickly to the Navy Hospital on the Base. He was hospitalized for two weeks.

Takk for alt,

Al

Ed and I posing in our dress uniforms after we were promoted to corporal, Okinawa, 1961 or 1962. 

Look What The Dog Dragged In (retrieved).

       There's that old sarcastic saying to another person "Look what the cat dragged in."  There's no cat in The Little House but there is a retrieving dog.  She's brought a variety of dead things; possums, rabbits, squirrels, and even a mud hen. 

     Her retrieving is not limited to dead things she also brings live beings. Often it's garter snakes which are much relieved to be released unharmed. In the cemetery today it was a painted turtle, about the size of medium salad plate. There are sloughs on two sides of the cemetery so perhaps the turtle wandered in to lay eggs. After the presentation of the turtle it was placed firmly on its feet to go about his/her business.

   There was a gentle thundershower last evening. It left only a disappointing .2" of rain. The center pivot irrigation sprinklers were running this morning. It is nowhere near desperate but rain would be helpful. Radar showed heavier rain on all sides.

Takk for alt,

Al

This whoopie pie was the dessert at the recent gourmet dinner at the OFH.

For those of you who don't read Crankshaft

 

Muscle Memory!

      Shoveling was much a part of my growing up.  There was shoveling grain, dirt and snow. Ear corn was particularly a challenge. For some time I worked for a farmer who had a custom corn shelling business so that led to much shoveling.  All married life, until we moved into a downtown high rise, there was snow to shovel at the houses we occupied. 

   So, why all this remembrance of shoveling? At The Little House parking is beside the street on a patch of gravel. This summer the county seal coated the highway which is also the main street of town. They pour hot oil on the road that is immediately covered with gravel.  That makes a good wear surface for the road. That process left a pile of  surplus gravel in town. With the permission of the the town maintenance man, Jim, I used my loader to take a bucketful for my parking area. Of course the loader left it in a pile so shoveling gravel became a thing. The technique of shoveling is imprinted but the condition of the muscles is another issue. A mantra now applies; 'It's better than a gym membership!'   

Takk for alt,

Al

One of the twenty five nesting boxes referenced in a previous blog with Kaia posing behind. This was painted by a granddaughter. 

What passes for excitement!

       Excitement does not exactly define life here. There was excitement and adventure in my past. Enlistment in the Marines was an adventure, especially boot camp. Travels also provided adventures which are now remembered fondly.

     Life emanating out of The Little House is more a matter of small pleasures. Venturing out to do some hand spraying of thistles near the corn put me in proximity to the pasture. Cattle are very observant which comes instinctually to them because, despite their size, they are prey species. They also learn to recognize that humans often mean good things, like feed. So, while distant in the pasture, they immediately noted my presence. Much of the herd meandered over to visit me as I sprayed along the pasture fence. While  some of the herd dallied in the water others were curious about me so they came and watched. They made Kaia nervous so she stayed close. Encounter with these gentle bovines always makes me glad. I'm also glad that I'm long past milking cows by hand.   

Takk for alt,

Al

Here are the friendly cattle checking me out. Some are loafing in the water in the background. Note the fence wire at the bottom of the picture.

Cattle Again!

      Over the last few years I've been putting up bluebird nesting boxes. There are about 25 of these boxes but nary a bluebird. They are mostly occupied by tree swallows with a few home to wrens. Bluebirds would be nice but swallows and wrens also need homes so they are not begrudged.

    Two boxes are on electricity poles in a pasture. These boxes are placed six feet above the ground so that cattle will not rub them off the pole. Last year one of these boxes was knocked from the pole and the only possible culprit was bovine. Every fall I clean the boxes so they are prepared for spring nesting. The broken box was repaired and replaced.

   This summer it has been destroyed again. Why this box and not the other. There's also a box on a fence post less than four feet off the ground that's never been damaged.  What critter has it in for this box?  A trail camera in proximity could identify the culprit but all the cows look alike. It remains to be seen if it is repairable, and if so, should it be place in a different place?

Takk for alt,

Al

Tame Cattle!

        With a good wind it was time to venture out to the grassland. Pheasant chicks should now be large enough to evade Kaia. The gate to the grassland is next to the pasture where Scottie has 30 cow calf pairs, plus one bull. These cattle are exceptionally tame. Seeing me opening the gate to the grassland they walked over to talk to me. They are unusually tame. Cattle herds are normally skittish around strangers but these are so tame I can walk among them. Then, too, cattle are typically leery of dogs but this herd accepts Kaia without a problem.  

     The wind was strong enough to defeat the mosquitos and I went about my work with nary a bite. The wind also served to ameliorate the heat, not that it bothers me much. Fickle me, wanting wind only when I want it.

Takk for alt,

al

Not Scottie's cattle.

Rev. Selmer "Sam" Hatlestad, 10/5/1933-7/19/2025

     Sam's funeral was this afternoon at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Watertown, S.D.  Sam and I first met in a young adult's group at First Lutheran, Sioux Falls, S.D, in 1962.  Just discharged from the Marines I was back at Augustana to finish my degree. The last year I was at Augie, '63-64, I lived at First Lutheran and served as night watchman and assistant custodian. Sam's fiancée, Mary Quam, was the church secretary. So, Sam and Mary, Joanne and I, were longtime friends.

   We never lived in geographic proximity but always stayed in touch over the years. When Joanne died Sam was very helpful to me as I grieved.  When Mary died the next year I tried to return the favor. Most of our communication was online, seeing each other on occasion. Sam was the master of short email's. Often the entire message was contained in the subject line.

    When his daughter, Susan, informed me that he was in hospice she suggested a time for me to call him. Sam and I had a special conversation via phone on Wednesday and he died on Saturday. These last years since Joanne died we had a deep bond and I'll certainly miss him. Rest in peace good and faithful servant.

Takk for alt,

Al

It was Sam's idea that we visit our wives' graves together. Here Sam sits in the cemetery at Toronto, SD, by Mary's grave. 

The Little House

       The Twin Cities are beset with construction. The three most logical exits for me to leave it for The Little House all are restricted by construction. Therefore, I hatched a plan...leave early to beat the traffic. Shortly after 5am Kaia and I were in the park where she runs. At 5:45 we exited the park heading to Sinai. By 6:00 we were in the construction zone in Eden Prairie where three lanes have been narrowed to one. The one lane was full but moving at posted speeds. Success! The plan worked. 😀

    So, once again we're resident in The Little House for an indeterminate time. When I'm in the OFH I tell the inmates that I'm there on vacation. Thus, this must be the work home.

Takk for alt,

Al

Our dinner group at last night's OFH gourmet dinner.

 

OFH Proof!

     The gourmet dinner tonight is scheduled to begin at 4:30. If any was needed, there's proof this is an OFH. 😀 When I asked the food services director "why 4:30?" He replied "If was scheduled any later inmates would still arrive at 4:30." 😁 The theme is "La Dolce Vita", which translates "Think In Italian."

   Contrast that with civilian dinner when we dined at St. Paul's Downtowner meeting at 7:00. A good time was had by all, as I reconnected with two of my seminary students. Amy teaches in Melbourne, Australia. Lindeen is a pastor in Bozeman, MT. I've seen Amy most years, in fact she lived with Joanne and I her first year after seminary. This was the first time with Lindeen since she finished seminary 20+ years ago.

Takk for alt,

Al

Amy is seated, Lindeen is behind her, and Pastor Nancy Bence, my former associate is the other.

Sunset over the North Sea from Negstad, Norway taken today by Lars.

Early Appointment

      When I was at the OFH several days over the 4th of July I had a long standing, scheduled appointment with my primary care physician. The day prior to my appointment the clinic called and said the doctor will not be in tomorrow but you can see 'so and so'. I don't want to see 'so and so' I want to see my doctor. "The next available appointment she has is 6:45 July 22"...so I took it.

   That meant walking Kaia early and a half hour drive to the clinic...haven't switched clinics since we left the Golden Valley house. Success, I got to see her. While I haven't looked at the lab results yet, blood pressure was good and pulse 69. She predicted that survival was imminent. She was also surprised that I've never had COVID. So I had a COVID immunization and headed off to the lab.

   That early appointment meant I was back at the OFH by 8:15 and in time for the continental breakfast included in our rent. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Amy and Al in Australia, dinner with Amy and her husband, Trevor, tonight.

The Eighth Deadly Sin

     Speaking yesterday at St. James I referenced the seven deadly sins. Originally they were enumerated by early church fathers and there were more than seven. Thomas Aquinas combined them into the seven that we have today: greed, envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony which includes drunkenness, lust and pride. These were seen to be roots of all other sins. Given the situation in which we find ourselves today I proposed we add an eighth sin. It's the one referred to by the anonymous commenter, hatred. Often I've thought that the essence of them all is selfishness. Facetiously I suggested that we separate into focus groups, as in "pride over there, envy in the back, etc. 😁

    Your word for the day "sin"!

Takk for alt,

Al

Toward sunset over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, 2020.

Memory Lane!

      St. James Lutheran, Crystal, MN., celebrated it's 70th anniversary today. It was special to be invited back. St. James was my call from 1988 until 2007, when I retired. All was forgiven, my foibles forgotten, or at least overlooked, and it was wonderful to connect with so many saints. Fortunately, the names came back and it's always nice to be appreciated.

Takk for alt,

Al

This file photo of St. James was likely taken during Advent, given the blue banner behind the cross.

Filling My Calendar

       Though we lived together for 53 years there was one aspect of my character that Joanne never fully understood. The old saying "differents attract, marry and frustrate each other" was partially true in our case. Joanne was such an extrovert that on personality tests she'd have zero in the introvert column. On the other hand, I'm clearly an introvert.  Years our difference regarding social events convinced Joanne that I'd be in danger of becoming a social isolate without her.

    This is clearly not the case. People are necessary for me. Also alone time is important where I can regain my energy. The OFH is helpful. There are many here whom I enjoy. But, when my people bladder is full, I repair to my apartment to recharge alone. Being alone is not synonymous with loneliness.  From The Little House I regularly "reach out and touch someone" as the old phone adds had it. Most days I call someone just to chat. One of the sad realities of my age is that many of the persons with whom I'd often talk on the phone have died. These connections with others mainly require me to eschew passivity and actively reach out.

Takk for alt,

Al

One hundred and two year old, MonaMae blowing out her birthday candles.

All's Well!

     These trips to the vacation home are opportunity to connect with family and friends. However, with several of them in Norway connecting is via texts. While I'm here I do book several social events, Joanne would be pleased and surprised. Retreating to the apartment is always an option. Now, dinner beckons.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Tokyo Tower, guess where?  1961

At the OFH!

     Did a little farming and left for the OFH at 3:00 to avoid the heaviest traffic, especially on Highway 62. It's a good thing I wasn't earlier because Highway 212 through Eden Prairie was down to one lane, usually three, and stop and go. 

     We're back at the OFH for some events, not least of which is the OFH quarterly gourmet dinner next week. Our food service directory had successful career in food service, restaurants and hotels, and retired early.  A bit of retirement and his wife said "Don't have to go someplace?" So he landed here and we are blessed. His multi-course gourmet dinners are not to be missed.

   The other reality is that there is the possibility of rain everyday next week.

Takk for alt,

Al

House Sale!

      A nice, modern house, with 40 acres and a couple of out buildings near Sinai just sold for $792,000. The Little House is much older and smaller is it worth half of that. 😀 The Little House is in town and across from a pond. Oh, yes, the other house in on Lake Sinai.  Now Lake Sinai has grown to a lake of size and often has good  fishing,  There is no sand so the lake's bottom is all  mud, not great for swimming.

    What would the old timers say about that price for a house on Lake Sinai? Wait a minute, I'm an old timer. 

Takk for alt,

Al

$350,000. anyone?

Welcome wind!

       The two readers of this blog might remember the author whining about wind this spring. Not today! With the high temperatures and clouds of mosquitos wind is welcome. Taking my favorite tractor, which is 75 years old and open station, out to annoy thistles the wind protected me. Mission accomplished!

   It was also a test of tractor repair. The tractor was misfiring when the engine was laboring. Guessing it was faulty spark plugs I replaced them. In a 75 year old tractor, which I've owned about 15 years, it is no telling how hold the plugs.  Lucky guess, there was no misfiring today.

Takk for alt,

Al

Perhaps beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

....passes for excitement in Sinai!

      Likely both readers are aware that I have the old town garage in which to store tractors etc. The service door has been deteriorating both aesthetically and mechanically. So, today, a new door was installed. Sinai is so placid that this passes for excitement. The door looks great, operates better than the old one and is generally a nice improvement. The only downside is it makes the rest of the 118 year old building look kind of shabby. (See pictures below.)

    Every Wednesday I share a noon meal, dinner to them lunch to me, with the bankers and butchers. The bank is locally owned, the owner lives in Arlington, where the main bank is located. There is another branch in Castlewood, so, three locations. Quite often the owner joins us for dinner so we've become acquainted.  He's interested in Sinai history and guess who is the oldest person to act as historian?

    So, one day I pitched this bank promotion idea to him. Have the bank keep a supply of $2.00 bills. When a customer gets cash the teller asks "Would you like some $2.bills?"  Perhaps, over time the bank will be known as the source of $2.00 bills and may increase business. There's no cost to the bank. An un-named family member thought that it was very corny idea.

    Today I was in the bank and the teller asked "Do you want a 2.00 bill?" 😁 Yup, the owner decided to give it a try. So, now I hope it catches on.

Takk for alt,

Al

Funny Dream

      Frequently Joanne appears in my dreams. Typically it isn't anything dramatic, we're just doing normal things. Last night was one of those doing ordinary things dreams. However, it had a funny twist. We were outside of a hotel in which we had a room. Joanne had the key to the room so we decided I should go to the room. But when I got there it dawned on me that because she had the key I couldn't enter. 😁 Ya, then!

   During our marriage we often joked that if each had only one oar hopefully they were on opposite sides of the boat. Last night's dream was a time when both oars were on the same side.

   Joanne's cemetery is full of living things besides birds and rabbits...mosquitos! Walking there early this morning necessitated wearing a jacket as mosquito protection. Yes, it was warm!  

Takk for alt,

Al

There is standing room only in the landing craft. The boat would run at a high speed at the beach. When it could go no further the ramp at the top of the picture dropped down so we could run off. Once, when I was the first one off, the water was over my head becasue the boat was stuck on a sandbar a distance from the beach. It was a salt water bath. Marines are pulling the rope net away from the ship so Marines don't get caught between the two crafts.

Time to check in!

      When the most exiting thing done in the day is replacing spark plugs in a tractor and lubing a mower is this something you want to read about?  Don't either of you have a life? 😉 It's also evidence that I don't also have a life. 

    Sitting on the front steps enjoying a mild summer day guess what Kaia brought me? Did you guess a live snake? If you did you get the prize. The snake, unharmed, was happy to be on its way. The snakes by the house are protection against mice. Perhaps that's why there's never been a mouse problem in the house.

   Sorry it doesn't get more exciting than this. Maybe a random picture will help.

Takk for alt,

Al

This is the hard was to leave a ship. Notice the the third Marine to the right is carrying a mortar. The gear, including rifle, each Marine carried weighed about 100lbs.

ya then

 

Job Security!

        One view might be that sin is job security for pastors, though that's very narrow. In that vein, thistles are job security for me. When mowing thistles in grassland I've thought that at least I'm annoying them. Thistles being perennials are very persistent. But, I have evidence that mowing them sometimes eliminates them. Perhaps that's most likely when there is a good stand of grass with which they have to compete. 

    So it's time to lube the mower and mow thistles. Hopefully it will kill them but at least it keeps them from going to seed. Best to stay ahead of the county weed board.

Takk for alt,

Al

The Canada Thistle has a flower that's attractive to pollinators. 

A farmer went out to...

       Guess what the recent rains have brought; yes, green grass, healthy crops, lush pastures, smiling trees, happy farmers, yes, yes, but also something else. A fence line was removed on my property. It was a boundary line with neighbor's property. Next to it was a field road giving access to other property. With the removal of the fence grass was planted this spring as cover for the road. Naturally along with the new grass came a bumper crop of weeds. It's necessary to clip, mow high, this menagerie for the sake of the new grass. Thus a farmer went out to mow.

    That action revealed what else the recent rains have brought; mosquitos. My nephew and I cooperate with a mower. It's my mower which he keeps and uses so I borrowed his tractor, already attached to the mower, to do today's mowing. It's much more modern than mine and has a cab. That cab was essential protection from the clouds of mosquitos that emerged from weeds as I mowed. Had they been higher in the sky they would have darkened the sun!😎 So the mowing is done with nary a mosquito bite.

Takk for alt,

Al

 

Helicopters parked onboard the aircraft carrier, somewhere in the South China Sea, 1962.

....and another thing....

       A correction is needed, not that either of you would likely know the difference. The correct name of the remote mic paired with my hearing aids is 'Roger On'. It's not 'Rover' as reported yesterday though I think Rover is a better name.

    It came with a very helpful user's guide in print. That guide revealed another very nice capability. In addition to transmitting the sound from a TV it also does that from a computer. Plug it in to the computer and live streamed events can be heard in the hearing aids.

   There are 30 cows, each with a calf, and one bull in the pasture. Yesterday afternoon the lead cow led them to a dugout for a drink. Before they drank, or as they drank, they all went for a swim. Cattle are strong swimmers. Swimming would cool them off and also wash off pesky flies.

Takk for alt,

Al

                Cleaning out a dugout that had silted in.                                 

Little House

      On the trip to The Little House there was an important stop. It was at the VA to get my new hearing aids. A feature of new aids is that they make my voice sound different to me. The audiologist said in a couple of days I'll adjust.  To speed up the process I talked to myself  for much of the trip. 😂 It wasn't very profound, mostly describing what I was seeing, but I think it helped. These state of art aids are supposed to be better in noisy restaurants.  Aids are Phonaks, which is the same brand as I had before.

   The aids came with a remote mic, called 'Rover', 😀 It's pretty fancy with directional mics that can be pointed at the source of sound one wants to hear. It's equipped with AI, so if it's dropped the AI turns the mics off before it hits the floor, sparing the user a loud noise. Plugged into a TV it sends the TV's sound directly to the hearing aids.

     If I have to have a disability, hearing loss is less troublesome than most. The VA has been very responsive and helpful to me. Yes, I'm grateful!

Takk for alt,

Al

This is a picture of our ship, the USS Princeton, LPH-5, I took from a helicopter in 1962.  Very smooth sailing in the East China Sea.

Solar Panels!

      The Wedum Foundation, owner of this OFH, is placing solar panels on the rooves of the two building It's a good idea even if we don't see the effect on our rent. So far, in the four years I've lived here, the rent increase have been modest, in the 3-4% range. In today's environment that seems very reasonable. The foundation's, a northern Minnesota entity, mission is senior housing . They built this facility and turned over to Presbyterian Homes to manage. Presbyterian Homes has over 50 facilities in the Metro area. Their reputation is excellent and that matches my experience. 

Takk for alt,

Al

    

Helicopter to helicopter, this picture out the door in flight, shows another one flying nearby.. The right arm of the crew chief shows as does the strap across the door opening.  The pacific lies below. 1962

Blank!

     My mind is blank!😄  Perhaps that comes as no surprise.  The surprise is on the other's face when I say "I like hot!" For a short time each year I'm not cold and that's enjoyable. The remainder of the year I shiver through. It's why teaching and traveling in tropical South-East Asia suited me. It allowed me to escape the most frigid part of Mid-Western Winter.

   So, greetings to you both and know that I am fine!

Takk for alt,

Al

It would be fun to have an Austin Healy again, like mine here parked in the California redwoods. When I found the same model and color for sale online the price was $60,000......

When The Heavens Open!

      Three weeks ago I thought we were headed to a summer of drought. We still may be, but it is certainly delayed if that's the case. The neighbor in Sinai reported yesterday. He said there was an inch of rain in about an hour. That would give about an eight inch total in the last couple of weeks. Now a couple week hiatus would be helpful. It's fascinating how the patterns change. There was a time in May when two rains of .4" each were celebrated.

Genesis 7:11   "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened." NRSV No, I'm not contemplating building an ark anytime soon. 😀

Takk for alt,

Al

Perhaps one like this in Sinai?

Perfect setting!

      Accompanied by two family members we went to one of my favorite venues for lunch today. Sitting outside in the shade, 90 degrees with a slight breeze was perfect. There was only one couple seated outside where I thought we might have to compete for space. While we were eating a number of persons opted to eat inside giving us the satisfaction of no loud conversations annoying our peace. For once I could eat in comfort without the chill of air conditioning nor cold breezes outside and now loud conversations at the next table.

   After eating in restaurants around the world I've concluded that American diners are the loudest. Typically they bring their outside voices inside. Suffering my hearing impairment, dining in that situation is not pleasant. Many establishments exacerbate the issue by blasting loud music. Tuesday I get new hearing aids from the VA. The VA audiologist says that their new technology makes the aids more helpful in noisy situations. The remote mic that accompanies them should also be helpful. Stay tuned for a report of their function.

Takk for alt,

Al

The lunch bunch.

Good Vacation!

    The OFH is a good venue for vacation. It's a great opportunity to catch up with family and friends. Dinner tonight is with a niece who has just returned from a trip to Korea where her daughter is studying. It will give me a chance to ask the questions I'd like to have been asked when I returned from trips. 😀 She went to Cambodia with Lisa in January and I think was bitten by the travel bug. I fondly remember those days with no grief that they are over. Of course, I could still travel, I just don't want to.

   Several times I changed planes in Seoul Korea, but never visited outside of the airport. On my final connection through Seoul, in 2020, from Thailand, my temperature was taken as I deplaned. Persons with normal temperatures went right those with elevated temperatures went left. I always wondered what happened to the lefties. Fortunately I'd recovered from bronchitis before flying. (That's the last sickness I've experienced.)

Takk for alt,

Al

This one of the Greek cliff monasteries at Meteora, (2023). Think about the work of the bricklayers. 

Big Game Tonight

     The WNBA Lynx, my team, have a big game tonight in Minneapolis. They play the Indian Fever for the Commissioner's Cup championship, a tournament in the regular season. The Lynx at 14-2 have the best record in the league, the Fever are 7-7. Caitlin Clark, who plays for the Fever, is questionable becasue of an injury. There's much interest in the game. Target Center lower seats sold out as soon as they went on sale so tickets to the upper section became available. Much of the interest is to see Clark play. Last year the Lynx won the championship defeating New York. No team has won two years in a row. Lynx star, Napheesa Collier, is playing again after missing a couple of games with a back injury. Clark and Collier were the top vote getters for the all-star game thus they will be team captains for that game. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Napheesa Collier, Lynx star.