Through One Dad's Eye

Thursday: Beautiful Day with Road Work

2008-05-22T22:02:00.001-07:00

The Ash Street Project is coming from both ends now. North of here, the street is a broad trench a couple of yards deep, as near as I could see. To the south, they've dug a strip on the east side of the street for the new sidewalk.

I was out, enjoying another 'typical' Minnesota day, getting in the day's exercise, and picking up a fan for the attic window. I was up there earlier in the day, looking for software boxes and disks. Even with today's mild temps, it was overly warm up there.

I've got plans for the Memorial Day weekend that include getting some serious reading done, and the attic would be a good spot for that. We'll see what happens.

My wife, our son, and #3 daughter went to Soo Bahk Do again tonight.

I'm sure that more happened today, but it isn't coming to mind right now.

2008-05-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

The top event of the day was my wife and #3 daughter's recital this evening. We set off in plenty of time to get to Camphill Village, about 12 miles north of town, with time left over for the ladies to get their instruments tuned.

As we were driving up Highway 71, #3 daughter asked me if a particular road was the one we were supposed to turn off on. I replied, 'no,' and drove on. A few miles later, my wife observed that we'd gone too far.

They were both right. We'd gone too far, and I should have turned at the road #3 daughter asked about.

We got there in time, though.

And, the recital went well. It was nice, listening to the music, and one of the babies near me decided that I was someone to smile at.

The other major event of the day was my main computer developing some sort of trouble - most likely with its hard drive. The earliest I can bring it in to be fixed is Tuesday, next week. Frustrating, but I'm hopeful that I haven't lost the data.

Meanwhile, my webcam that looks at Ash Street is out of service.

When I told our son that I planned to use my old laptop to stand in for the main computer on the Ash Street webcam, he said he'd thought of the same thing - which I believe - and added, "great minds think alike, hmm?" That's my boy.

Tuesday: Getting Back to Routines

2008-05-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Our son is looking forward to a birthday party later this week: Friday, I think. My wife and #3 daughter went out to get groceries, and the van is unpacked from the weekend's trip.

I went out this afternoon, to exercise at Fitness Guru, and to take photos of the Ash Street Project's progress. Also, to enjoy a beautiful spring/early summer day. The trees in the back yard are leafing out, with a sort of mist of pale yellow-green surrounding the branches.

Apart from that, I've been getting caught up with the weekend's messages, and setting myself up for the rest of the week's work.

This would be a good place to review what happened over the weekend.

Saturday, May 17, 2008.

After bucking a stiff headwind from Sauk Centre to the Red River Valley of the North, I picked up #2 daughter in Moorhead. To save gas, she rode with me the rest of the way. That was not only efficient, it gave me an extra hour to talk with her.

When we got to the farm, I unpacked my case and discovered that I'd brought my laptop, as planned, so that I could get some work done over the weekend. I'd also remembered the laptop's base, with the fans that help cool it.

Just one problem: I'd left the power source back in Sauk Centre. Since the batteries don't work, that left me with a laptop that made a pretty good paperweight - and not much more.

I was peeved. Quite thoroughly peeved.

Then I took a nap. While I was settling in for a few Zs, I heard a rhythmic knocking. When I woke up, #2 daughter told me that she'd cut down some small trees that had started growing near the foundation.

Sunday, May 18, 2008.

#2 daughter and I went to church at St. Rose of Lima. (I checked, and found that St. Rose of Lima is the patron saint of America.)

Later in the morning, I saw my father, and presented #2 daughter's tatting work - a butterfly - and put it on the bulletin board. #2 daughter decided to spend the time picking up groceries, since she's got a cough and sneeze that might not be allergies.

My father and I talked about #2 daughter, her job, and other family stuff: and also how he gets help in organizing his papers there.

I picked up #2 daughter after that, we ate lunch, and I was back to talk with my father. A nurse at the desk mentioned that I'm very much like my father. I've heard that quite a bit over the decades - and still enjoy the experience.

Back at the farm, #2 daughter and I talked about a fan fic of hers - based on "Men in Black" this time - before supper. After the meal, I snorted, an external sign of a thought that had popped into my mind. #2 daughter asked what that was about, so I explained that I'd have to find out when the balloons went up tomorrow: there was to be a sort of memorial service the next day. I thought I'd have to call my wife to get the information. #2 daughter gave me a look and said, "with me around? Please!" She knew what time it was, of course.

After supper, #2 daughter and I watched a "Babylon 5" movie, talked, and #2 daughter packed stuff. I played as much as I could remember of Bach's Prelude in C Major on the piano. #2 daughter finished the piece for me.

Mom had tried to teach me how to play piano on that instrument, back when I was a pre-teen. A surprising amount of her efforts found a home somewhere in my mind, and have stayed with me. Playing on that piano was a very sentimental experience.

#2 daughter told me about technical changes in the harpsichord which had made Bach's work possible to play - the new sort of harpsichord was "well-tempered clavier." That's what I get for having a music major for a daughter. Now I know that a clavier was a particular type of keyboard instrument, but that the name became a generic word for any musical instrument with a keyboard: something like what happened to Kleenex.

Monday, May 19, 2008. I went to town, talked with Dad again, returned to the farm, then went back to town. Talked again, and then went to that memorial: as a sort of representative of the family. It was a nice ceremony. I particularly appreciated the "I come to the garden alone" song.

Then, everyone went outside (about two dozen people attended). A poem was read, then we released the balloons. The release of balloons hadn't taken the day's wind into account. Those white balloons whipped off to the west at a very respectable clip.

Then, it was time to finish packing and return. #2 daughter gave me supper at her place in Moorhead. I picked up coffee at Debbie's Home Style Kitchen in Fergus Falls (a sort of tradition), and arrived back in Sauk Centre around 9:00.

Then, #3 daughter's birthday being nearby, my wife and I, and our son, sang "Happy Birthday to You," and presented her with a cake and presents.

That didn't leave me with much more to do, except read Garfield to our son, and sing what we call "Bee Bye Boh."

Which brings me up to date.

Tears, Balloons, and Unexpected Outcomes

2008-05-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend up in the Red River Valley of the North, spending time with #2 daughter, getting some family business taken care of, and visiting my dad. Also, this afternoon, attending a sort of memorial ceremony at the nursing. It was a remembrance of the people - some two dozen - who had been residents there, and had died since last year at this time.

I was there, because my mother died there February 23 of this year. I'll be feeling that for a long time.

Today's ceremony involved a white balloon for each of the deceased people. The idea was that, after a little music and talk inside, one would take a balloon representing the deceased loved one, we'd all walk outside, listen to a touching poem, and release the balloon.

The process went rather well. There wasn't much of a drizzle outside, and the wind wasn't what it had been earlier.

In fact, to my surprise, the balloons all cleared the metal trim at the top of the building.

Then, they encountered the trees, a little farther downwind.

With sounds reminiscent of a warming tray of popcorn, the balloons started popping.

I think one or two made it through the arboreal mine field.

My guess is that this isn't quite what the event organizers had in mind.

Still: it was a touching and well-intentioned ceremony.

The music, which included "In the Garden," was a treat. That one song, "In the Garden," was particularly important, since it's associated with my grandmother - and mother. That's the old song that starts:
"I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses...."

That brought a few tears to my eyes.

Friday: Week Done, Weekend Starts

2008-05-16T23:12:00.001-07:00

I see I missed the two highlights, if that's the right word, of yesterday.

Earlier this week, backing the van out of the back yard, we'd heard a loud 'bang!' from around the right rear wheel. I got the van into the garage yesterday, and it's a good thing that I did. One of two brake cables in the right rear wheel was broken, and so was the wheel bearing.

The guys at the garage got everything fixed by 5:30, which was quite satisfactory. The van doesn't make those funny sounds now, and I don't miss them a bit.

My wife, our son, and #3 daughter went to Soo Bahk Do class last night, and #3 daughter came back with something extra: a dislocated toe. She assured me that it hurt. #3 daughter used my 'other' cane for the rest of the evening, and this morning.

Tonight, she cheerfully informed me that the pain was gone. I believe her: she's walking without the cane now.

After yesterday's excitement, today was pretty routine. I did more to have my online work wrapped up for the weekend and Monday. It's going to be a busy weekend.

My wife and #3 daughter were out, twice, for music lessons, to talk with her dad, and go to rummage sales. #3 daughter came home with a prom dress from - 1956, I think. It looks pretty good. I'm no expert, but some of those styles either never go out of fashion, or recycle. What she's going to use it for, I have no idea.

My wife told me that I should go over to her dad's place. One of my brothers-in-law was there, with about a half-dozen fainting goats. So, I went.

My wife told me not to touch the fence, since it was electrified. My father-in-law told me not to touch the fence. My brother-in-law told me not to touch the fence.

I didn't touch the fence: a temporary affair my brother-in-law had rigged across part of the Sauk Centre Grandpa's back yard.

The goats were having a fine time, grazing and socializing. I asked my brother-in-law why he had the things. Turns out, they're valuable right now, and since he got them, he hasn't had to mow his back yard. Unlike sheep, these goat crop the grass down to an appropriate level, and leave it at that.

They're also, I'm told, more entertaining that television. From what I saw of them, I believe it. A trio of them came to eat some grain he put out, and were (I'm told) remarkably well-behaved about sharing the treasure.

I had a chance to see a bit of the individual personalities he talked about, too. The little billy was, ah, assertive, and one of the others had attitude. She was pushing the big billy around at one point. The latter was named "Stinky" by the former owner.

Naturally, I couldn't leave without taking a few photos:

And, a photo of one of my favorite places on Earth.

Still Catching Up: Mother's Day Weekend and After

2008-05-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

I'd remembered to get something for my wife this Mother's Day: recordings of the third season of "Hawaii 5-O." She's quite a fan of that series, and Jack Lord.

Our son brought a plant home from school on Friday. It made it all the way to the front stoop. Then, he told me, it jumped out of his hand and spilled about a third of its dirt. The flower is okay, but will need a refill of soil.

Our son was quite peeved about the situation.

Catherine was under the weather over the Mother's Day weekend, which put a crimp in a family tradition. Happily, #2 daughter and our son were able to get a ride with the Sauk Centre grandpa to the annual family get-together at one of my wife's brothers' place.

I stayed with her, along with #3 daughter, who also wasn't feeling too well. For that matter, neither was I. I've made the joke before, about families doing things together: I didn't intend to follow that principle with the bug, but that's how it happened.

We're all better today. It's been an interesting week, though.

I think it was Tuesday morning, when I woke up at about 3:15. around 5:00, I decided that I might as well get some work done, since I obviously wasn't going to sleep.

Our son was on the main computer. He says that he hadn't noticed what time it was, so didn't realize that he was breaking the rule about his not using the computer until after 6:00 at the earliest.

More happened during the week, but that's what comes to mind right now. I've been a bit preoccupied, getting ready for another special weekend. More about that later.

We got a call from #2 daughter this evening. Or, rather, I got the call. She was surprised to hear that my wife had gone to Soo Bahk Do practice: considering how my wife had been feeling a few days ago. I also think there may have been some wishful thinking involved. #2 daughter enjoys talking with my wife.

Catching up: May, 2008

2008-05-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Finally, I'm getting caught up. It's been quite a week.

Friday, May 2, 2008. After our son came home from school, he and I set off for The Red River Valley of the North, to visit grandpa, and get some moving done. Also, for me to spend time with our son and #2 daughter.

There was a stiff wind, so our son and I caught up on several semis on the way. One of them Looked like it had a cab on both ends.

Our son and I talked most of the way from Sauk Centre to Moorhead. I don't remember about what, but it was a good time.

We picked up #2 daughter in Moorhead. Also all the stuff that was in her dorm room. It took a while to load it in the van. It took a while for her and our son to get everything transferred and for her to get the paperwork done, but she made it out with several minutes to spare.

While helping, mostly by staying out of the way, I noticed a sign on the dorm hall wall. Apparently, about $5,000 worth of tableware has been stolen from the food service this way. The sign pointed out that there were options: return the stuff, or have tuition increases next year.

I don't know how many knives, forks, and plates it takes to add up to $5,000 these days, but my guess is that it's not a trivial number. A few light-fingered people in a community are par for the course, but this seemed a bit special. Particularly since the students involved were stealing from an institution that would be passing the costs back to them. Not smart. As I said to #2 daughter: "This bunch of klepto nincompoops are tomorrow's leaders?!"

#2 daughter followed us in her car up to the farm. We unpacked, then talked. Mostly about music. Sara remembered the lyrics to several country songs. Country music certainly has changed in the half-century I've been aware of it.

Saturday, May 3, 2008. I woke up, talked with our son and #2 daughter. Our son had found old PC World Magazines, and was skimming them to find the ones that he'd bring back. He has limited storage space, and has to be selective.

Our son and #2 daughter had the farmstead's computer, keyboard, mouse and external hard drive out and packed by the time I got downstairs.

#2 daughter packed her 'new' car, then the three of us went for a walk in the woods. A couple of access paths have been cut through the old timber claim, making it easier to clear fallen trees and brush out. They also make excellent walking paths.

There are a lot of memories in that house. It was good to be there again.

Our son and I went to church at what we call the "Lima bean church" (St. Rose of Lima) in Hillsboro. Meanwhile, #2 daughter fixed supper. The three of us ate supper and started watching "Kindergarten Cop" - a good show. While we were watching, a moderately nonchalant mouse trotted unobtrusively out from behind the couch, behind the television, then across the kitchen to the hallway.

Trotting, not running.

Later in the evening, #2 daughter and I talked over details of a sort of 'fan fic' she's doing. (fan fic - story written by a fan of a television series or movie, using characters and settings from the original in new plots)

#2 daughter's fan fic is set in "Babylon 5," a series we're both familiar with. When we were done, she told me that I helped, bless her.

Sunday, May 4, 2008. Our son and #2 daughter packed the van, then we went to see Dad / Grandpa Gill. He was asleep, so I took photos of birds. He was still sleeping after that, which gave us an opportunity to get lunch back at the farmstead.

The three of us named three of the birds while I took photos. The professor and the truck driver would have looked more like their namesakes in a video. The professor was chewing on something too small to see, so that bird seemed to be continually talking. The truck driver was chewing, too, on a longer bit of stuff - it looked like a toothpick in the bird's beak. I see it didn't show up in the photo, though.

Back at the farm, we collected papers to take back to Sauk Centre 'for analysis,' and went into town again. This time Dad/Grandpa Gill was awake. We had a good talk.

Later, headed for Sauk Centre on the Interstate, our son said that he liked talking to Grandpa Gill, because 'Grandpa Gill has such a library in knowledge in his head.' I remember Dad telling me that he'd pick a book from the shelves when he took a turn at the reference desk, to have something to read when students weren't asking questions. That sort of thing adds up after a while.

I spotted a different sort of vanity license plate, between Moorhead and Fergus Falls. It said, "NEENER."

Monday, May 5, 2008. Back in Sauk Centre, it was daily routines for me: plus catching up on Web-related stuff that didn't get done over the weekend; and getting that bulletin that I edit ready for printing.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008. More of the same, more or less.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008. I got the bulletin to the printers this morning, which was a relief. The rest of the week is a bit fuzzy.

For that matter, the next week was a bit fuzzy, too. I know I was getting tasks done - I've been keeping running notes of business-related activities. I do remember feeling a little frazzled. I felt good, but frazzled.

My Wife Washed My Coffee Cup!

2008-05-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

When I got back from the weekend trip that I wrote about earlier, I discovered that my coffee cup was no longer in its usual position. After several minutes of searching, a thought hit me.

Moments later, I was checking the dishwasher. There, near the front of a clean load, was my coffee cup.

Clean. Outside and inside.

Holding the now-white cup in my hand, I showed my wife the now characterless container.

She acknowledged that my coffee would taste different now, but observed that it should be back to normal in a few weeks.

Stiff Upper Lip? Imperturbable? Ha!

2008-05-08T08:02:00.001-07:00

I got my eight hours sleep last night, but night before last I may have gotten in an hour: around midnight. Other than that, insomnia city.

Looking at my task checkoff list, I see that I've got a lot of catching up to do for the first part of this week. And, more to the point, I haven't updated this blog.

There's a reasonable explanation, I think. Over the weekend, I went up to the Red River Valley of the North, to see my father, and get some family work done. It was also a 'birthday' trip for our son: delayed. This was the first time that schedules and bugs made room.

#2 daughter joined us in Moorhead, and went up to the farm in her car.

It was a good trip.

Our son and I had a great time, talking all the way up to the farm, and most of the way back. We had a good time with #2 daughter, too, although the talking with her happened at the farm.

While there, we talked with my dad a couple times. I'm glad we did. His lungs are failing, and each time we go I think that this may be the last chance I'll have to talk with him face-to-face.

He's doing okay, all things considered. His arms are thinner than I've ever seen, and a conversation with him has to end in less than half an hour: Interstitial lung disease is stiffening the parts of his lungs that exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen.

As he (inaccurately) said during our first talk this weekend, "there's not much left of me." Not true: he's still there, all of him. What's changed is that he now is having severe problems with part of his body.

As our son said, 'I like talking with grandpa: he has a library of knowledge in his head.' True enough. I got what I call my sticky mind from him: facts go in, and stick to the walls. And, while he was at the library reference desk, he'd be reading something from the shelves between questions. And he spent quite a few of his evenings reading from his own shelves.

Quite a guy.

And, now he's rather close to the end of his life.

I'll be back, maybe later today, or tomorrow, or whenever.

My Father's Words

2008-05-02T11:56:00.001-07:00

We received an audio copy of a 1-hour interview with my father this week. The purpose of the interview was to collect WWII experiences.

Monaural recording of Mr. Gill's Interview

It's a delight to hear his voice. And, have a little more family history available.

The recording is part of an MSU Moorhead oral history project. I looked the project up (Veterans' Oral History). My dad's interview isn't listed there. My first thought was, "well, we are Irish." A little later, I found the official website: veteranstory.com ("MSU Moorhead's Collection of Veterans' Stories"), a MSUM project. His interview, and a great many others, are there.

Thursday: Getting Ready for Family Business

2008-05-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Our son learned that a highly-favored teacher is retiring. He's okay with the news, although disappointed. #3 daughter managed to annoy me with the music she was playing today. I'm pretty sure the problem was at my end: I'm trying to get three day's work done by tomorrow noon, so that I'll have a free schedule for dealing with some family business over the weekend.

Happily, #3 daughter and her music were in one room, and I could get my work done in another.

I created a sort of mini-poster, advertising one of my webcams, before going to that exercise place. I put one of them on the bulletin board there. We'll see what, if anything, comes of that.

My wife, #3 daughter, our son went to Soo Bahk Do class this evening, so our son missed a call from one of his friends. By the time I get involved in that again, my wife will be so far ahead, that I'll never catch up. Which is okay, of course.

And,of course, our son and I read Garfield - and talked - before his bedtime.

The School, the Woodpile, the Skunk, and the Dynamite: A Small-Town Memory

2008-05-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Times have changed, here in 'small town America,' just like everywhere else. About 4,000 people live in Sauk Centre today. About 90 are meth users live here, and gang graffiti has shown up in town ("Small town, big city problems" (Sauk Centre Herald (April 29, 2008)).

The 'good old days' had problems, too. A case in point:

Back around the period when my in-laws were growing up, kids brought firearms to school on a pretty regular basis. Hunting rifles. This is still a rural area, and back then quite a few kids liked to get a little hunting in on their way home.

It was during that time that some kids noticed a skunk in the school playground. They didn't want it around, for obvious reasons. Worse, it had gone to earth in a woodpile leaning against the school. It wouldn't budge, and the kids wouldn't rest until the the skunk was gone.

One of them ran home and returned with dynamite, fuse, and a detonator that the family used routinely to shift recalcitrant stumps and boulders.

The kid knew how to set a charge, and within minutes the skunk was gone. Along with the woodpile and most of the paint on that side of the school.

These days, Sauk Centre would have been in the national news, some of the kids in therapy, and legal wrangling in the courts for years afterward.

Back then, the kids weren't off the hook until they re-painted the wall. After that, life went on.

Wednesday: Another Beautiful Day; and I Got Something Done

2008-04-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

There's some family business coming up this weekend, so I'm trying to get a little ahead on my online ventures. That kept me busy for most of the day, but I took time out in the evening to relax with my wife, our son, and #3 daughter in the living room.

#2 daughter called, and talked with my wife for a while. #1 daughter called, too, but my wife asked her to call back, about 9:00. There must have been some sort of communication breakdown. She called back around 10:30, and wanted to know why I hadn't called. We had a good talk after that: short, but good.

Around Monday of this week, I noticed that the van was singing to me. A sort of birdsong, coming from somewhere in the back. Rather pleasant, when regarded as music: but not the sort of thing you want to ignore.

I took the van down to Flowers garage on the north side this morning, and had to wait a while for the loaner car to come back. That gave me a chance to look around more than I usually do.

It's amazing, what you notice when you take time and look: shapes, textures, colors. I've said this before, but for me it's hard to understand how anyone can get bored. We're surrounded by wonders!

Tuesday: Catching up, again

2008-04-29T22:51:00.001-07:00

Tuesdays seem to be a challenging day for me. I'm getting caught up, again.

Actually, after this post, I will be caught up.

The day was beautiful, again. I didn't take a walk, though. I'm stiff and a bit sore around the lumbar region: probably because of that long, long walk I took yesterday. I don't regret the walk: But the next one I take will be a little shorter, I think.

I did, however, go to Fitness Guru, that exercise place. And, got some writing done.

Our son came back from school at the usual time today. He told me that his classmates have been talking about the Ash Street project - which gave him an opportunity to say that he lives on Ash Street. That seems to give him some notoriety, for the moment.

#2 daughter had her talk with #3 daughter and my wife again today. And, as a sort of treat, I got to talk to #1 daughter when she called. We had quite a log conversation before she noted that I sounded like I needed sleep. She's right, I think.

So, with that in mind: Goodnight.

Monday: Field Trip for Our Son, a Walk for Me

2008-04-28T20:15:00.001-07:00

Our son went on a field trip to the Minnesota Science Museum today, getting home about 5:00. He had a good time, and was impressed by the Omnitheater. They had something on the Alps, I gather.

My wife and #3 daughter went to Alex this afternoon, to get information about laptops, among other things.

There were the usual telephone conversations between #2 daughter and my wife, and #3 daughter.

As for me, I got the household chores done, put in about 10 hours of work, and took a walk. That walk was unplanned. Around 2:45 in the afternoon, I noticed quite a bit of fog collecting in my mind, and decided to see if an extended walk would help. Besides, walking is a bit of a treat for me, now that I got the original equipment swapped out and replaced with two new hip sockets.

The evening proceeded quietly, and I'm going to cut this a bit short: It's time I start getting more sleep.

Sunday: A Day of Rest - and Grilling

2008-04-27T23:58:00.000-07:00

Some green grass is showing through yesterday's snow. We'll see what tomorrow is like.

The family went to church as usual. My wife had to leave early, taking the van with her. That left me and our son to walk home. He observed that it was a good thing that I've got two new hips now.

I grilled lunch: and did a pretty good job with the burgers, if I do say so myself.

The rest of the day has blurred together by now. #2 daughter and #3 daughter talked on the phone for quite a bit of the afternoon, and my wife and #2 daughter got some time in, too. #2 daughter has a job over the summer, which is good news. We may get a chance to see her on weekends.

And, #2 daughter is going to be able to wrap up her studies a semester early. She's happy about that. And, I'm impressed. She's done well, I think.

#1 daughter, sensibly, decided to stay in Alex. I-94 may be open to traffic again, but that doesn't mean that the driving is easy.

It's late, and I need sleep. Goodnight.

Saturday: Springtime in Minnesota, the Sequel

2008-04-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

There was almost a half-foot of snow on the ground this morning.

I had to shovel a spot in front of the grill, before fixing lunch today. While moving the snow around, I discovered that it was almost perfect for snowballs and snowmen.

I made a small snowman, about nine inches tall, while grilling lunch: setting it on one of the grill's shelves. It didn't last through grilling the burgers, but it was fun to make.

My wife and #3 daughter were at my father-in-law's shop this morning, while he was out of town. He made it back safely, for which I'm grateful. Interstate 94 was closed, from Osakis to Fargo, for part of the afternoon today.

Our son had instructions for starting the French fries. He went through the whole process without prompting: and they came out pretty well.

I grilled the burgers without scorching them: demonstrating that it can be done. It'll be more impressive, if I manage to do the same tomorrow, too.

At #3 daughter's urging, we watched a movie called "Game Plan" today. Pretty good: about a football star adjusting to a pre-teen daughter he didn't know he had. It's a familiar-enough plot, but the show was well done.

Supper, evening routines, and reading Garfield with our son wrapped up the day.

Something we've got to look forward to, starting next week, is the Ash Street Project. There's a lot of work to be done. Street crews started putting signs up Thursday of this week.

A crew from public utilities came around, checking our sewer, about 10 days ago.

Happily, there wasn't snow on the ground then.

Friday: Weekend Coming. Also Snow

2008-04-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

I see I missed Thurday's entry. The highlight of that day was my session at Fitness Guru, the exercise place. I added two machines to the set that I've learned to use. They're #1 and #2, designed to work the front and back abdominal muscles. Happily, I didn't strain anything then: or today.

Day-to-day, the exercises don't seem to have much effect. I've noticed, though, that I'm a great deal more active now, than I was a few months ago. Little by little, bit by bit, is, I suppose, the trick.

Yesterday was gray, today was grayer: with rain. The rain was turning to pellets when I got back from Fitness Guru today. It's been snowing and blowing this evening. I'm glad I don't have to travel now.

I see that the Sauk Centre school levy passed, 1,362 Yes to 905, yesterday. There were some passionate letters to the editor about that. I suspect that what we were told would happen to school bus service may have been what tipped the scales.

Also yesterday, I set a hummingbird feeder by the north side of the house. It's early. I looked up arrivals and departures for hummingbirds bound for Minnesota, and found this: "Minnesota -- Ruby-throats arrive in May and leave in September."

I'll want to make sure that I keep the feeder clean and primed.

I've been a bit distracted by some work and organizing, and trust that things will be a bit more normal tomorrow.

Wednesday: Summer, Finally

2008-04-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

Our son told me that it was nearly eighty this afternoon. I believe him: it was more than comfortably warm when I went to Fitness Guru this afternoon. I found out how to use two more of the machines. If this keeps up, I'll actually be getting into reasonable shape.

That's the idea, of course.

Being Wednesday, my wife and #3 daughter had music lessons: one in the morning, one in the afternoon. I forget whose is which.

I see I forgot to mention the tick yesterday. #3 daughter asked me for some help yesterday evening. She had a tick on a sheet of paper, and was standing by the stove. My wife had told her to burn the thing on one of the burners. #3 daughter had the back-right-hand burner on, and red hot.

She'd realized that, if she put the paper anywhere near the burner, it would burst into flame. And, that a sheet of flaming paper wouldn't be a good thing to have in the kitchen. I asked her for a tongs, which she provided. I grasped the tick, and had almost gotten it to the surface of one of the coils, when I dropped it: through a gap between two of the coils, into the pan below. I was wondering how to get the thing out before it crawled into the innards of the stove, when I heard a sharp "POP!" and saw something fly out of the burner pan and onto the stove top. It was the tick, now deceased.

#3 daughter must have been really concerned about that tick. Instead of reacting to the unpleasantness of the situation, she thanked me.

#1 daughter came over this morning, bringing her rabbit Giol with her. She set up an area of the living room where he could walk (hop?) around. The reason for her visit was to sort out something with her bank account: which she did. She also got in some good talking with me, #3 daughter, and our son.

After #1 daughter returned to Alexandria, we went through the usual routines, ending with reading Garfield with our son.

Tuesday: Catching up.

2008-04-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

I got up in reasonable time, and feel better than I did yesterday. Our son went to school and returned, I got some work done - mostly catching up on what I didn't get done yesterday - and enjoyed being outside for a few minutes. That was when I went to Fitness Guru, that exercise place, did some errands, and then spent some time on the north side of the house, putting what the store called a "shepherd's crook" in the ground.

I intend to have a hummingbird feeder set up tomorrow.

#2 daughter got a job for the summer: to our delight. It means that we won't be seeing as much of her, but it also means that she'll be solvent - and that's important, too.

#1 daughter has a job interview tomorrow morning. We'll see how that goes.

And, I got a very nice letter saying that I didn't get a job that I had applied for. Well, that's how it goes. I'm still trying: and my online business is still growing. Slowly, but it's growing.

The day for our son ended with some talk and Garfield with me.

Life is good.

Monday: Unusually So

2008-04-21T22:47:00.001-07:00

Toward the end of this morning, I felt a little tired, and decided to lie down for a few minutes. My wife woke me just before supper.

Then we had a rumble of thunder. Just one. It was, I think, the first this season: and enough to send us around the house, unplugging computers. It's part of our 'better safe than sorry' policy.

Supper followed, and some time spent quietly with the family. #3 daughter spent a great deal of time talking with #2 daughter on the phone. Our son and I read Garfield before bedtime, and I tried to catch up with on what I'd intended to do during the day.

Maybe I'll be caught up, sometime tomorrow.

Goodnight.

Sunday: Getting Back to Normal

2008-04-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of weekends is that Saturday and Sunday is when my wife lets me grill burgers. I hadn't expected to have that experience today, but since my wife got home about 24 hours early, I was out around noon, grilling up a storm.

Or, more precisely, grilling up smoke. Also three burgers, nowhere near as scorched as I sometimes get them.

I learn, I learn.

It was a beautiful day: our son was outside, enjoying it, for a fair percentage of the afternoon. I spent most of the day relaxing and enjoying being with family.

My arms and back have been aching: no doubt due to my working them harder than usual on Friday. I had to get the exercising done in less than the usual time, to get the van back for my wife to use, and had chosen a rower that I can run through (I'm not going to try to fix that metaphor) very quickly.

After starting, I noticed that I had a little more time than I thought, and rowed for a bit longer than I usually do.

I'll be doing some other sort of exercise tomorrow. No sense overdoing things.

We didn't see #1 daughter today: she's got a cough, and prudently stayed in Alexandria. She called in the evening, though, so I had a good talk with her. She told me that she's discovered something new about her rabbit: three raisins make him 'hyper' for hours. Today, he seems to be resting up from his Saturday jitters.

Toward the end of the day, our son and I talked, read Garfield, and so to bed for him. He thanked me - again - for walking to Wal-Mart with him yesterday. We had a good time on our own, us two guys.

Saturday: Age of the Bachelors, Second and Final Day

2008-04-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our son and I have had a fine time together, while the ladies went off a-visiting.

We've fixed meals (more or less on time), using the detailed instructions left by my wife - and the prepared food she left behind. And, we maintained the household maintenance schedule, for the most part.

The two of us walked to Wal-Mart this morning. It's about a half mile south of where we live. Our son explained that he'd found am MP3 player in his price range there, and had earned enough money to buy it.

Fair enough. We got a good walk, and a good talk, out of it, and stopped by Coborn's on the way back to pick up some groceries that we needed.

It was a beautiful day for that sort of an outing, too.

Our son fixed the French fries this noon, and did a pretty good job of it. They were a little less than fully done, but quite edible.

I got a little writing and other work done in the afternoon, as well as a sort of nap.

Our son spent some time on the other computer, and quite a bit of time outside. With his new MP3 player, of course.

I joined him for a while, after supper, and we had a pretty good talk while playing catch - topics ranging from mosquitoes and gnats to space aliens and why other planets exist. That was fun.

The two of us were inside, when my wife and #3 daughter returned home. They arrived about 24 hours before I expected them back. The ladies had decided that it would be better to come straight back, instead of leaving a van full of interesting-looking, if not particularly valuable, stuff out on display overnight. And, they were getting a bit pooped, I gather.

It's good to have more of the family under this roof again, although our son and I enjoyed our time with the place to ourselves.

Friday: All in All, a Good Day

2008-04-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

My wife and #3 daughter set off to visit #2 daughter and the Red River Valley grandpa, my father. They've arrived safely in Moorhead, where #2 daughter lives.

That leaves me and our son here, on our own. My wife left detailed instructions for how to make French fries. That was for me. She also left a set of instructions for our son, covering the care and feeding of dad.

I have to hand it to my wife: She's showing great courage, leaving us two guys in charge of the house. So far, almost 12 hours after the ladies left, the entire house and its contents are intact. The only gaffe was a relatively minor one. It was forty minutes after the usual meal time, when I realized that there was a reason for my feeling so hungry.

Happily, the meal was a microwave-and-eat matter, involving food stored by my wife before she left.

My wife's anniversary present came, dropped off this afternoon by someone in town. Thankfully, I'll be able to surprise her on her return: probably Sunday.

Our son and I read Garfield, of course, at the usual time.

He asked me to leave him a note, telling him when to wake me up.

On a more serious note, my father's status is worrying me.

It's silly, of course: He's in his mid-eighties, and some early lung diseases, plus about a decade of smoking, caught up with him; and now his lungs are failing. We all die, sooner or later, and he appears to be going through that process.

I said "worry," not "concern." There's a difference. "Concern" is having rational misgivings, or realizing that something needs to be done. "Worry" is the emotional uneasiness that can come, even when there is nothing to be concerned about.

Being Catholic, and having been Christian for as long as I can remember, I have a fairly clear idea of what death involves, why it is inevitable, and how to view it. My father was born in a nominally Catholic family, 'wasn't anything in particular,' as he put it, when he married my mother: and had been active in the Methodist church after that. I know his beliefs, and how he lives them. I have little concern about his relationship with God.

Still, it's a worry. All my life, I've been able to kick problems upstairs to Dad. Even when I didn't talk to him about something, knowing that he's around helped.

I suspect that, sooner than I like, I'll have insights into how my wife felt, when her mother died.

There. That's enough brooding for now.

Goodnight.

Thursday: Good News, Not-So-Good News

2008-04-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

A crew from Sauk Centre Public Utilities, and a specialist, came this morning. They tracked where the sewer went, once it left the house. The 'specialist' used to work for SCPU. Now, SCPU likes to go to him for this sort of work, I think mostly because he knows so much about how they work, and what's under the streets in Sauk Centre.

The process sounds simple enough: uncap the sewer pipe, run a tape that's attached to a transmitter down the pipe, outside, turn on the transmitter, and then track the signal outside.

I knew they were having a hard time with the sewer pipe cap, by how loud the banging was. I was outside at the time, and could hear it clearly. They had to break the cap to get it off, but no worries: They replaced the old cap with a new one.

Then outside, about four guys were going around the yard and intersection with gadgets that look a little like giant, mutated dustbusters.

Happily, although the sewer pipe is in an odd place, it could be a great deal worse. The thing turns north after it leaves the house, then after a few yards turns northwest, joining the sewer main around the far side of the street intersection, I gather.

The SCPU guy thinks that sewer service was added as soon as the sewer line got to Ash and 9th. Which makes sense: As far as we can tell, we're in an old farmhouse that the town grew around.

Also, I found out that the SCPU thinks that there's bedrock near the surface, at the south end of this block. There seems to be ridge, running roughly east-west, down there, although the surface is flat.

The best news, from a practical point of view, is that the sewer and water work is going to cost a great deal less than it might have. Still, this project is going to be a hard hit to the family finances.

As the last of the SCPU guys was leaving, he said, "thanks for being so cooperative." Nice of him to say that, but I wonder: was I really that different? I just let the guys in, showed them were things were, asked a few questions, and stayed out of their way.

I called my father today: he was sounding a lot better than he did yesterday, when I tried talking to him. Turns out, they'd been trying to treat one of his breathing problems with scopolamine - I think that's it - and it didn't agree with him: no wonder he sounded so incoherent.

Today, he was better, and we had as much of a conversation as his shortness of breath allowed.

Then, this evening, while my wife, #3 daughter, and our son, were at Soo Bahk Do, I got a call from the hospital. We've got a caller-ID service, so I knew where it was from before taking the call.

It was good news, sort of. My father had managed to get himself out of bed - something of an accomplishment these days - and then had fallen. They're keeping track of him and his vital signs now, and he's got no more than a bump and scrape or two, so it could have been worse.

Oh, right: one more thing. Today is our anniversary. My wife and me were married on this day, long ago.

I forgot all about it! That's funny in a sitcom: not so much in real life. Worse, I hadn't gotten her gift. Happily, a backup arrived in the mail today.

She's taking it rather well, all things considered. She's had a great deal of practice, dealing with my foibles.

Gotta go now, goodnight.