No need for gym membership!

      In reference to picking rocks I've often remarked that 'it's better than a gym membership.' Well, so is cutting invasive Russian Olive trees. Like invasive cedars, their berries are consumed by birds and where they defecate the seeds, Olive trees take root. These trees have sharp spines on their branches. Unlike coniferous, such as cedars, they are deciduous and as such quickly regrow when they are cut. This necessitates the application of a herbicide, such as Tordon, to the stump to prevent regrowth.

    Their are many advantages to being a senior adult. Today I experienced one of those advantages. After cutting about a dozen trees my back was tired. There are still more to cut. But, they aren't going any place, so exercising my senior privilege I quit.

Takk for alt,

Al

Russian Olive tree.

" Elaeagnus angustifolia, commonly called Russian olive,^[2] silver berry,^[3] oleaster,^[3] or wild olive,^[3] is a species of Elaeagnus, native to Asia and limited areas of eastern Europe. It is widely established in North America as an introduced species.^{[4][5]" Wikipedia} 

Sixty-six years ago!

         Sixty-six years ago, Ed and I were into two weeks of Marine Corps Boot Camp, San Diego, CA. We were wondering what we'd gotten into. Two weeks down and ten more to go of Boot Camp, and then what? Both of us were housed in the same quonset hut barracks. (They have now been replaced by two story, concrete buildings.) Some memories remain even after all this time.

     Before our enlistment there had been fatalities in a night march at the Boot Camp in Paris Island, S.C. Following that incident the rules were changed so that Marine recruits could not be disturbed by drill instructors between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am. Reveille was at 6:00 am via a recorded bugle call.

     That doesn't mean that we slept until 6:00. Awakening in the dark we dressed without lights, made our bunks to specs and fell out for roll call, fully dressed, promptly at 6:00. Our first morning we made the mistake of staying in bed until reveille. A drill instructor burst into the hut and found a recruit still lying on his top bunk. He grabbed the recruit's mattress and threw the mattress and recruit to the floor. We quickly learned not to dawdle. 

   Ah, yes, that was the life!

Takk for alt,

Al

One of the things we learned was how to leave the ship the hard way!

Medora North Dakota

      Last Night's houseguest was returning to IA from a hunting trip in North Dakota. He camped in Medora and hunted west of there near Beach, about 10 miles from Montana. His quarry was sharp-tailed grouse. Medora is a tourist destination in the North Dakota Badlands by the Little Missouri River. It's in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  His stay brought back a memory. 

    Some years ago Joanne and I motored from Minneapolis to Medora for a wedding. It was summertime and hot. The wedding was held in the courtyard of the Cowboy Hall of Fame. That courtyard is surrounded by a solid fence about six feet high so thee wasn't a breath of wind. Guests were seated at picnic tables in the shade of umbrellas. The bride and groom, Kimberley and Daniel, and their attendants, were in full sun with the temperature in the 90's. As the presider I thought the best thing for me to do in this circumstance would be to keep it brief, and I did.

Takk for alt,

Al

Medora, North Dakota.

The courtyard of the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Company!

       Kaia and I don't entertain very often. But tonight we have a house guest. Ray is on his way back to Calmar IA., near Decorah. He's been grouse hunting west of Williston, N.D. So The Little House is a convenient stopping place. Kaia thinks the extra petting is just fine. However, she was not very welcoming to Baily, Ray's German Shorthair. Given Kaia's experience of living in a kennel her first six years I'd expect her to be more tolerant of other dogs. It's always nice to have house guests.

Takk for alt,

Al

"The presence of absence"

        Edna St. Vincent Millay's phrase "the presence of absence" came up in conversation today. In writing about my grief over Joanne's death seven years and five months ago, I often referenced it. In conversation with a widow, whose husband died two weeks ago, she mentioned it. During his working years he travelled much. She said now it seems he's just travelling and then the reality of his death hits. She has powerful experiences of the presence of absence.

      Joanne's death continues to grieve me. But the grief is of a different intensity as time passes. There are fewer grief 'triggers' that throw me into sadness. Likely that's a factor of having experienced them so many times that their power wanes. It saddens me when I think of all that she is missing. Shortly after her death on April 12, I noticed buds on a hedge and it struck me that she's now going to miss the re-birth of spring. At some point being single and living alone became 'normal'.

   Grief abounds in this life it's our opportunity to be there for those who suffer.

Takk for alt, MI

Al

Joanne, Lars and Mai-Evy.

Harvest!

       It's perfect weather for soybean harvest which has begun in earnest. The only weather event which would help would be a killing frost to decimate the green weeds. It's dry and warm with no heavy rains to cause the danger of getting stuck. The one yield report that I have heard was in the mid-sixties, which is excellent. Combines with 40 foot headers make quick work of fields.

    The big dairies have been chopping corn for silage. Corn is still too wet to combine. Perhaps much of the soybeans will be harvested before farmers turn to corn harvest. It's a stretch of exceptionally fine weather. Locally harvested beans go to the soybean crush plant in Volga. That plant elevates the price farmers receive for their crop. It's a short haul to Volga which saves farmers on transportation costs.

Takk for alt,

Al

This is a picture of a semi-mounted mower, the subject of a previous blog.

Tractor Follies!

      This post follows on yesterday's where the failure of the tractor's hydraulic system was reported. Disconnecting a semi-mounted mower, the mower bolts to the drawbar of the tractor and has one trailing wheel, is a bit of work. Attaching it to another tractor is also labor intensive. Contemplating this process I decided to give the original tractor hydraulic system a try. When I did it showed signs of life! Adding a quart and a half of hydraulic fluid to the system made it work as designed 😀. No need to switch the mower to another tractor.

   What follows is an essay about tractor stuff so if that's not of interest you're excused from reading further. Some years ago I went to Alton's auction. On his sale was a 1950 M Farmall tractor.  With no intention of buying it I raised my hand as the bidding stopped below and I it's value, and I was the successful bidder. I already owned in a1941 M, I had bought on his brother, Laverne's, sale. You may remember a picture of Joanne driving it.

    This 1950 M had some after-market improvements. Oversized pistons increased its horsepower. These M's came with a five speed transmission. An after-market addition manufactured by M & W Co., made it a nine speed. The nine speed wasn't operative at purchase but Tim & Derrick helped me fix that. Another after market addition was a live hydraulic system, live because it works even when the clutch is depressed, which has now failed.  The tractor came with a narrow front end, front tires close together, which I replaced with an after-market Schwartz wide front. With four new tires it's my pride and joy. It starts and runs beautifully.  Other than mowing I have no use for it so I'm happy that it still has purpose. 

   So there is way more that you need to know about a 75 year old tractor!

Takk for alt,

Al

PS The Sinai Bank had a customer appreciation lunch this noon. At the lunch was Marvin, the local old tractor mechanic expert. Sitting with him at lunch I asked him about the failed hydraulic pump. After lunch we went to look at it and the tractor's radiator was leaking. Uffda! The good news is that the can of Stop Leak I had on the shelf worked and the leaking stopped.

I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  The 1941 model on which Joanne was pictured had a better paint job.

A man went out to mow...

      The Biblical text is "...a man went out to sow..." But in this case a man went out to mow...some weeds but trouble ensued. The hydraulic system on the tractor failed. Without it the sickle bar cannot be raised. How disappointing. Imagine equipment failure on a tractor that's only seventy-five years old? The tractor was dedicated to mowing and the semi-mounted mower lived on it permanently. It start and runs perfectly but now what will its use be?

   So they mower needs to be transferred to another tractor with an operative hydraulic system. It's a bit of work but what else do I have to do? Picture perfect weather is ideal for tractor work on an open staion tractor.

Takk for alt,

Al

  

Back in The Little House!

 What I see in the mirror! 😁

Takk for alt,

Al

Sorry!

   My apologies to you both for not posting yesterday. Much of the day was taken with Stan Olson's funeral...could that be the reason it slipped my mind?

   The OFH is quieter. Well, the halls, gathering spaces have always been quiet. My side of the OFH fronts on St. Paul's busy west 7th street. The street was in notoriously bad shape. In some of the potholes the old street car tracks that had been buried were showing though. In addition to potholes there were bumps galore, many of them next to the OFH. Trucks and especially trailers would resound as they bounced over the holes and bumps.

  Well, guess what? The St. Paul Street department resurfaced the street. Consequently silence abounds, even when I'm wearing my hearing aids. Some OFH inmates complained that the work was done at night to some noise. As busy as is the street it made sense to do it when traffic volume was down. Of course I was in The Little House so what do I know?

Takk for alt,

Al

I know the feeling!

 

At the OFH

      My plan to avoid traffic by leaving SD about 3:00 was foiled by  thunderstorm just as I reached the Metro area, Delayed the planned egg drops until a later time. Now Kaia and I are resting in the OFH.

     Our trip here is occasioned by Stan Olson's funeral with will be Saturday. Just wanted you both to know that we are alive and well.

Takk for alt,

Al

Good Book!

         When this book was given to me the giver said "It's a good story."  Indeed it is and it's a good story well told. Set in a rural, out of the way, almost forgotten village on the coast of Ireland at the time of significant change. That change is the coming of electricity to the village. It's told in the form of reminiscences of an old man who was a young man when electricity came. This Is Happiness, by Niall Williams is a very Irish book.

       Well it should be, Williams is an Irish author. Filled with sympathetic characters with whom it is easy to connect the readers is carried along by the lilt of the old man's, Noe for Noel,  recollections. The genteel beginning is pleasant but the story picks up intensity as it progresses. As any good novel it brims with insights about the human condition. "A breathtaking tale...(Williams) is a master of Irish storytelling, crafting sentences that tempt the reader to double back and read again--and characters that get under your skin." (Associate Press on the book cover.) Yes, in fact I often re-read sentences.  

   Yes, read it!

Takk for alt,

Al

Seven!

      

        I call it the Elbert Place, because that's from whom I bought it. Hougs were the first residents of it that I remember, George Tate once lived there as did the Cunninghams. Locally it's referred to as a "quarter". That comes from the early surveying of the land. The relatively flat upper mid-west was divided in to mile square "sections" of 640 acres.  Often roads skirt the perimeter of these sections.  So a quarter is one fourth of a section, thus 160 acres. All of this land is either in grass, or wetlands formed by five damns. 

     The Elbert Place had a farmstead with a house, barn and other minor buildings adjoining the road on the north.. These buildings were eventually buried to remove what attorneys call an attractive nuisance. In the south east corner of the quarter lies the pasture of native grass about which I've blogged. To allow cattle access to it from the farm yard a lane was fenced to allow this movement.

    When I purchased this property in the '90s I planted two rows of cedar trees in the lane as wildlife cover. These cedar trees, now about thirty feet tall, return the favor by providing cedar berries for the birds. The birds eat the berries and excrete the seeds in the surrounding grassland. Thus, there are invasive cedar seedlings in the grass.

   There were seven cedar seedlings where I parked the truck near these lane cedars this morning. Mission accomplished!

Takk for alt,

Al

Can you tell I have a thing about grass?

+

One!

       Last month my neighbor, Tim, hayed some of the grassland per our agreement. This gives access to look for rocks and invasive cedar trees. For several days I picked rocks, courtesy of the glacier 10,000 years ago. That timeline fascinates me.

    Today I went in search of cedar trees. Walking an area where last year they were rife, what did I find? One tiny cedar! Evidence of last year's success! It was a nice walk and Kaia enjoyed running. Pheasant hatchlings are now large enough to avoid her.  While I was in the area I cleaned out two nesting boxes. One had an abandoned nest and the other was full of twigs compliments of a wren blocking nesting competition. 

   This wet summer has been good for the late season native grasses like big bluestem.

Takk for alt,

Al

I think this is beautiful!

Experience!

 

While teaching in Thailand I tried an experiment with cursive writing. With 6th grade students who'd only been exposed to printed English I wrote an English sentence on the board in cursive. That sentence used every English letter. It was a sentence from my typing class days: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy brown dog". Likely these students had never seen cursive before. Working together the class quickly deciphered the letters in cursive.

  Now, my question is: Who, where, when and why were two spaces eliminated after a period? 

Takk for alt,

Al

This is the 6th grade class, with their teacher, on whom I tried the cursive reading experiment. 2020

  

Very sad e-mail!

     The congregation of my membership, Grace University Lutheran Church, sent this very sad email to members this morning.

"Dear members of the Grace community and partners in the gospel: 
 
We share the sad news that Stan Olson died suddenly yesterday, September 12, at the age of 79. Stan was a retired ELCA pastor, a former bishop, a leader with a servant’s heart, and a beloved child of God. Please keep Stan's loved ones in your prayers as they mourn his passing, including his wife Nancy, children Maren and Christa, grandchildren Finn, Ian, Freya, and Sila, and their families.

A service for Stan is being planned for a future date. Information about that will be announced when it is available.
 
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Let us hold firm to this promise for Stan and for us all.  
 
In resurrection hope,
Pastors Amber and Justin in communion with the entire Grace staff
 
Holy One, support us all the day long of this troubled life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last, through Jesus Christ, our eternal Home. Amen.   
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 284, adapted)"

    Stan and Nancy are dear friends.  My heart broke when my brother-in-law, Mark, called me with the news of Stan's death yesterday. Joanne and I knew them before, we and they, joined Grace Lutheran but that proximity fostered a deep relationship. Stan was congregational president and ably led us through COVID quarantine and a change of pastoral leadership. Nancy, an avid reader, often shares books and book suggestions with me. Even as my heart aches for my loss even more it aches for Nancy's, and her family's, loss. They now reside in the land of grief with the ongoing presence of absence. They frequently confided to me that they were daily readers of this blog. Nancy, bless her heart, even called me to be certain I knew of Stan's death! 

   Stan and Nancy, two persons without guile!  God bless Stan's memory and Nancy's life without him.

Takk for alt,

Al

Former Bishop, Stanley N. Olson.

Corn and Soybeans!

      Corn and soybeans are the primary crops here. They ripen very differently. Through the genius of hybridizing, seed corn is sold with a specific period from sprout to maturity. Years ago corn planted in this area was typically 96 to 110 days to maturity.  Likely that's different now, I'll ask a farmer.

    Soybeans ripen based on the decline of sunlight. As the length of sunlight per day lessens beans ripen. Consequently, fields which may have been planted at different dates now ripen simultaneously. The ripening is noticeable over a day or two.

    The Minneapolis paper had an article about soybeans, and specifically, soybean markets, today. China, previously the major purchaser of American soybeans, isn't buying in response to the administration's trade war. Soybean markets have never recovered since the trade was 4 years ago. China turned to South America for soybeans. Locally the soybean price is propped up because there is a soybean crush plant in Volga, turning beans into oil.

   Some areas of agriculture are dependent on immigrant labor; dairy and vegetable farming. In a few years industrialized countries will be competing for immigrants because of declining birth rates. America's response? demonize and deport.

Takk for alt

Al

"Puritanism...the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." H. L. Mencken  

In a previous blog I wrote about restoring big bluestem grass in a pasture. Since the 90's livestock have been grazed in this pasture until July 4. They graze down the invasive bromegrass allowing the late season bluestem to emerge. This picture shows the growth of that bluestem.

You've experienced it!

     There was a spell of sunny weather in April on the Irish Coast. For once the rain had stopped. "To some, blessedness is a curse coming." Niall Williams. You know the drill, "You just wait, we'll pay for this nice weather,"  "This is such a beautiful day!" "But, did you hear the forecast for tomorrow?"  Good fortune? Lookout something bad will happen!

   What's the dynamic here? Do the crepe hangers attempt to ameliorate the bad experience by anticipating it? Doesn't wisdom suggest basking in the good weather/fortune without denying it because it may not last. What's the psychology of pessimism?  It was my good fortune to be raised without much attending pessimism. 

    Google has this to say. In psychology, pessimism is a mindset and a form of explanatory style characterized by a negative outlook and the tendency to expect negative outcomes, interpret events negatively, and focus on potential faults and failures. It develops from a mix of genetics, environmental factors, and past experiences, leading to behaviors like negative self-talk, avoidance of goals due to anticipated failure, and a tendency to see the negative aspects of situations. While often linked to stress and anxiety, a specific form called defensive pessimism can actually promote better performance by encouraging preparation for potential challenges."

Takk for alt,

Al

Musical ensemble welcoming us to Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Random Thoughts!:

    "Some people will leave a mark on this world, and other people will leave a stain."  Eleanor Roosevelt. 

    "I used to think it was possible for  artists to alter the inner life of culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory."  Don DeLillo. 

    "You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty." Jessica Mitford.

    "Life is slow suicide, unless you read." Herman Wouk

    "Thank God for books, as an alternative to conversation." W. H. Auden

    Without the gift of daily brilliance other's wisdom comes to the rescue. Life is placid, routine and blessed for which I am grateful.

Takk for alt,

Al

 Al and Ken on the Acropolis with Athens in the background, 2016.

Too Bad!

     It's too bad a new computer doesn't automatically confer brilliance on its operator. The new machine reveals the limits of the old one. But, unfortunately, the operator is still limited by lack of an original thought. Best to just admit that rather than drone on confirming everyone's suspicions. Perhaps redemption may come in the form of a random photo.

Takk for alt,

Al

Isn't this a good picture of Joanne?

A boy and his toy!

      Appearing at the computer store as it opened at 8:00 this morning gave the technicians enough time to do the data transfer from old to new computer by 3:00 pm.  So this is being typed on the new one! How exciting is that?😀 Windows Eleven is installed. Only one call back to the computer store with two questions:  "How do I turn it on?" "Where do I plug in the power cord?" Helpfully the store stays open until 6:00! It's already apparent that this is a significant upgrade. Both of you will be pleased to know that blogging should now continue without interruption. Too bad a new computer doesn't make the blogger more profound.

   Life is good!

Takk for alt,

Al

Today's random photo is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Mini-reunion!

      It's nice to have a mini-family reunion when the event is not a funeral. Orville will turn 90, on 9/11, so his birthday was celebrated. Interesting how much of my time is spent with older persons. Why might that be?😀 The gathering necessitated a short drive into western MN on a beautiful day.

    Tomorrow is the day I gather my new computer. If all goes well the data from this one will be transferred to it in time to blog. Stay tuned...

Takk for alt,

Al

Claribel Alegría (1924–2018)

From the Bridge

I never found the order
I searched for
but always a sinister
and well-planned disorder
that increases in the hands
of those who hold power
while the others
who clamor for
a more kindly world
a world with less hunger
and more hopefulness
die of torture
in the prisons.
Don't come any closer
there's a stench of carrion
surrounding me.

Company!

       Frequently Kaia and I do loops in the cemetery. Usually it's just Kaia and I, and the deceased. Today a loop was interrupted by longtime friends, two local and two from out of state. The ensuing conversation made the walk more enjoyable. One of the gifts of old age is longtime friends. Even as one of the downsides of old age is the death of other longtime friends. Several with whom I maintained connection via the phone have died. 

     Other than the agreeable conversation the cemetery is now a quiet place. The myriad birds that enjoy the mature evergreen trees spring and summer have departed for warmer climes. Mourning doves seem to be all that remain. It's a good place to walk, four loops equal a mile, and Kaia spends most of her time looking for rabbits in the trees. She sure loves to run! 

Takk for alt,

Al

Arrived!

          The Brookings computer store called to say that the computer that I ordered has arrived. Plans are to go to the store first thing Monday. That way I'll have use of the old one over the weekend. Transferring the data from the old to new takes several hours. Hopefully the new one will be ready for use late Monday.

        The computer classes in Brookings County, Rural District 21 school, in the 1940s....ya, then. That school was pretty primitive. It was wired for electricity so there were lights. Water was from a cistern filled with rain water running off the roof. The pump was outside. Through my 4th grade year heat was from a coal stove. The next year that stove was replaced by an oil burner which was turned low overnight. There was no telephone.  One teacher taught eight grades, and during my years there there were about tweleve students. During 6th, 7th and 8th grades the teacher lived with us.😞

Takk for alt,

Al

There are four Negstads in this picture when I was in second grade.

Two Weeks?

       Crops have never looked better.  As time moves toward autumn the chances of severe weather, always a threat to crops, decreases. A totally un-scientific guess is that, in two weeks, the chance of early frost damaging the crops will pass. Some soybean fields are beginning to show the early signs of ripening.  The ears on some corn crops are beginning point down which is also a ripening sign. Commodity prices are low but a bumper yield will help toward profitability. For the first time since June the grass in the yard, though still green, grows more slowly.

Takk for alt,

Al

Melbourne, Australia seen from the 60th floor of the Eureka Skydeck.

Chain gang work!

      Chain gangs are not a feature of the upper mid-west.  While struggling with rocks this morning it struck me that this might be chain gang work. It's what it felt like when I was a boy, picking rocks with my Dad. He chose the time and the length of work. Now I have the adult privilege of voting with my body. It doesn't matter how short the time in the field, quitting is totally my choice. But, thanks to a glacier 10,000 years ago there rocks to pick. 

Takk for alt,

Al

This is one rock I didn't attempt to lift.

Of Course, Part 2.

       When I tried to type that previous blog, error messages abounded. Now, a few hours later, I decided to try again. So, now no error messages!

      "Of course" the title, refers to the fact that at the computer shop said computer booted as soon as the technician turned it on! Why didn't it for me?  Don't mechanical/electrical things that have failed always work when in the repair shop? His opinion was that turning it off and on more than once had reset whatever needed resetting.

   Whatever! The techie did confirm my knowledge that the battery in my laptop was kaput. It's also inadequate for Windows 11, the new generation. Knowing that I fully intended to buy a new computer this month. So, a new computer matching my specs is on order and should arrive in about a week.

   Here's another example of South Dakota business. Ordering the computer Mr. technician took my name and phone number. He said "We'll call you when it's in."  Then he refused my offer of a down payment.😁

    With a little luck I may be able to blog until the new computer arrives. Likely you both will be relived.

Takk for alt,

Al

How about this for today's random photo?  The Reichstag in Berlin. 

Of course!

         Back in South Dakota a trip to my favorite computer shop in Brookings was the first order of business. Posting will have to wait until my new compute arives in  abouta week.

a