On family,cousins and such

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call I was not prepared for. "Jack, this is Susan, Louie and Verna's daughter. My brother Joe died this afternoon from complications of pneumonia". Uncle Louie was my mom's younger brother. To hear that my cousin Joe had died, at the age of 54, which is 5 years younger than me was a shock. I passed the word along to my 4 sisters, and some other cousins from that side of the family. We were very close on that side, most of the holidays were spent with them. I had lost a cousin (Carol) to cancer about 20 years ago, but this...........
As I said the cousins on my mom's side were close. Marge, my oldest sister, then Shirley, then Charlotte, my next two older sisters, then Carol, her brother John, myself, Paul, (Carol and John's brother), Dick (my brother who died in an accident at the age of 12), Joe, his sister Susan, his brother Jim, and sister Peggy. We were like stepping stones in ages. My mom had and older brother, but he moved to Australia, and we never really knew his kids until we got older and they moved to Minnesota. I really couldn't tell you all their names. But the Meyman, Powell, Fitzgerald bunch...........close. We saw each other regularly. Then of course we all grew up, went to college or the service, got married and moved to parts across the US. But we are working on getting the closeness back. Joe's death was a wake up call for all of us. I call John about once a month, I think I'll call Paul more often too. Marge, my oldest sister is not only the matriarch, but the family historian. Now we don't always remember the things the same way.........Dad did not drive school bus.........but there are memories to cherish, to share. I hope to do this. My New Year's resolution this year is to maintain better contact with my cousins. In fact there are some on Dad's side I got to get hold of too. Gotta go, there is a list of people for me to call, I better get busy.

Woodshop fun

For the last month or so, Chuck and I have been busy in the wood shop. This project kind of started in the summer, when Chuck got an outdoor nativity scene from a friend. It is a simple scene, made of plywood, painted white and it comes together rather easily. It consists of a manger with a star, the silhouettes of Mary and Joseph and the crib, a couple of lambs and two fences that act as the support. At night a spotlight is shone on it. Very simple. Well, Chuck wanted to make one for himself, and I wanted to make on also. Then Chuck's wife decided that they would make great Christmas gifts for their 3 married children. Then she decided that two of her sisters, and Chuck's younger brother Tom would like them too. So Chuck and I started out making 8 of these. I can tell you it takes quite a bit of cutting with sabre saws and band saw to cut these out. Then, one has to paint all of them. Thankfully, Chuck is retired so he was able to spend many hours in his shop during the week to get them done. I took some pictures, and when I find them I'll edit this to show the end result.

Fishing trip

I know I haven't posted in weeks, but there has been very little that was worth sharing. I have recently returned from a fishing trip with my friend Chuck, two of his brothers, one of his sons, and two of his nephews. Seven men, six with the same last name. I'm going to post some pics and I'll tell you about my "adopted family".

Chuck--- What can I say about Chuck. He's taught me everything I know about woodworking. He's a very close friend. Woodworking, fishing, and sports are his hobbies. He is very good at organizing the fishing trip. In fact, he organizes two a year, spring and fall. Chuck recently retired from work. Makes me long for the day that I can do the same.



Tom--Chuck's younger brother. He is also retired, lives with his wife and son in the Twin Cities. Tom and Chuck provided the boats. Tom also enjoys woodworking, and is an avid Minnesota sports fan.

Roger--Roger is Tom and Chuck's older brother. He lives with his wife and son Robert (see below) in Sheboygan WI. Roger is a retired school principal, loves his family, fishing, reading, sports, and playing solitaire.

Robert--Robert is special and I mean that in the most respectful way. Robert is Roger's youngest son,works at McDonald's in Sheboygan. He loves fishing, Wisconsin with a passion, and WWE 'rasslin. He is a delight, willing to help out where he can, and always has a smile.

Todd--The right reverend, High Holy Father, His excellency. Todd lives in North Carolina where he pastors a church. He is Roger's oldest son. He has made the trek to Minnesota 3 times now for the fall trip. His humor is terrific, and when he is around his sibling the banter is continuous.

Tad--Chuck's oldest son, lives in a town nearby. He works for a company that makes cans. He enjoys sports, is a hockey referee, was the cook for the outfit, and one of the boat drivers.

There you have it. My fishing companions. The week was relaxing and enjoyable. On Thursday we did two firsts: 1--we rented the resorts pontoon for half a day and all seven of us went out together, and 2--Tom caught the first walleye we ever saw out of this lake.

Family Reunion

This afternoon Quilter and I hosted a family reunion for my sisters and all their kids. I worked all during the day for the past week getting the garage in order. We had all kinds of yard games planned. The grill was all set. We should have known..................

Last night while we were setting up, we were unloading these big banquet tables. There are six all total with two being over sized. These tables are almost a foot wider, and about 60 lbs heavier than the average banquet table. We had them in a friend's pickup truck and Quilter was on the floor and I was in the back of the truck sliding them off. The first table was one of the monster tables. Quilter grabbed a hold and I let go................Crash...................Quilter didn't have her foot out of the way and the table landed on her big toe. She went in and iced it down and checked it out while I finished unloading. When she came out of the house, she said "Take me to the emergency room, I need stitches." We took the pickup back to our friend's house and got our own car. When we got to the ER we noticed that Urgent Care was still open at the clinic right next door. We went to Urgent Care because it is 20 dollars cheaper and a whole lot quicker. All said and done, Quilter has 3 stitches and a fractured big toe.
This morning on my paper route, which I decided to sleep in and do later in the morning, it started to rain. It started at 5:15 am and rained all day until after 5 this evening. 2 1/2 inches of rain. Now when you are hosting a group of 40, you really don't need rain. We grilled right in front of the garage, ate in the garage, and played cards and board games instead of yard games. We had a good time in spite of the rain. However we are not going to the fair tonight. We are bushed, and I don't think Quilter wants to walk around a whole lot. So with the exception of not being able to go to the fair, we had a good day in spite of the weather..............Right now, it's nap time. Bye for now.

On Deep Fried Coca Cola

Fair Week is wrapping up here, only today and tomorrow left. One of the big reasons to go to the Fair so often is the variety of food. From fried Alligator to Pronto Pups to Cheese Curds to Onion Rings to Strawberry Short Cake to Deep Fried CocaCola. Yes, I said Deep Fried CocaCola. It seems that someone came up with the idea of mixing Coke in a batter and deep frying it. It actually tastes pretty good. I mean let's face it. Somewhere out there someone can think of a way to make almost anything tasty to somebody. Quilter even makes Pork and Bean bars every so often. Yep, pork and beans made into a pan of bars. We are serving them today at the family reunion. They are really moist and taste a lot like Pumpkin Bars. Don't be surprised if sometime someone will go to a Fair and there will be someone selling alfalfa on a stick. That's all for now..................will post more later.

It's been awhile

I realize that it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything. Not much has been happening, but this week, it's FAIR WEEK. I must explain. Today, the 15th of August, Quilter and I have been married 37 years. We have lived in this town all that time. We sort of met at the crossroads, as I grew up about 15 miles west of here, and when we met, she lived about 15 miles north. We met in December, got engaged in March, and married in August. Out of this union we have two daughters as I have previously reported. Now what does this fact have to do with Fair Week? Sue and I are fair nuts. Not just any fair will do.............but the local fair and every so often the Minnesota State Fair. But, every year we go to our local fair. It's the biggest free fair in the state, and some say the biggest county fair in the state. Every year we go. When I started working nights, I started taking this week off. Now it's an expected ritual from the guys at work. It's August, John is taking the week off................must be the fair. To give you an idea of how we like the fair, Quilter and I came home early from our honeymoon so we could attend at least the last couple of days at the fair. Now most years, our wedding anniversary falls during the fair. That's how we celebrate..............we go to the fair. When Priscilla and Beezie were younger, we got a baby sitter and that night we went to the fair by ourselves. If you want to see us at night during fair week, go to the fair. Chances are you will see us there. The fair is where you see people you don't usually see during the year. Family and High School reunions abound during this time. People come back to this town for the fair. It's a big party. If anybody comes and visits us during the week, they will go to the fair. So, see ya at the fair.

Oh my

I'm sitting here watching-listening to the TV. I don't have a sports show on, nor a game show, nor a home improvement show. I have the news on. Here in MN it is continuous coverage of a bridge that collapsed on a major freeway in Minneapolis. When my daughters were in college we drove across that bridge a lot. This is once again a reminder that life is short, we know neither the day nor the hour. My family is fine, everyone is okay, even the people who live in the Twin Cities area. In this day of rushing and busy, busy, take the time to think about friends and family. Maybe even call a few of them.

Is there a difference?

This morning I got home from work and as usual I had to read a bit before bed and I was hungry. Actually because I was going to read, I needed something to munch on as I stated in an earlier post. Some readers have seen a picture of me in a nice recliner with my grandson. For those of you who have asked Quilter, yes that is my reading, nesting, chair. I went downstairs to the basement where my chip stash is to get a new bag. I grabbed a bag of Wavy Chips. Now, I also notice that the same company sells Ripple Chips. Is there a difference? I couldn't tell. Wavy, Ripple, they both looked the same. The same ridges, the same thickness, the same taste. So if both are the same, most likely from the same batch, why market two types? Are there people who think there is a difference? Wavy or Ripple...........I really don't care...........I'll eat them either way.

Some memories

I grew up just north of a small town in Southern MN. My folks only had an acre of land, so we didn't farm. My dad's occupation was a can milk hauler. For those of you who grew up in the big city, I'll explain. Unlike today's modern dairy farms where anywhere from 100 or more cows are milked 24 hrs a day, farmers usually milked between 10-30 cows. It wasn't until the mid-sixties or so when the milking parlors became popular. Cows were kept in the barn in stanchions, let out to pasture in the summer, and kept in the barn all winter, being let out while the farmer cleaned the barn. Milking was done by hand with the small herds, or for the bigger herds with milking machines. The milk was poured through a strainer, with a filter, into cans which held about 10 gallons. It was my dad's job to drive around to the farms in a truck and pick up these cans and deliver them to the creamery. As we were growing up, my sisters and I had to take our turns in the milk truck. Since I was the 4th child, and the first son, my older sisters couldn't wait until dad decided I was old enough to go along all the time and relieve them of the duty. I think that time came when I was about 12. Every weekend during the school year, and everyday during summer vacation, I knew how I was going to spend my mornings. In fact, I went with my dad at the early age of five. I started out doing small simple things, graduated up to carrying the empty cans, to carrying the lighter ones, then the full ones, to finally being able to throw a full can of milk into the truck. I can vouch that a full 10 gallon can of milk is not the lightest thing in the world. The bed of the truck was about 4 ft off the ground, more or less, depending on time of year, angle of box, and if a step was available. We would pick up the milk from the night before, and that morning. (Cows were milked twice a day, on a set schedule.) Some farmers had as few as 1 or 2 cans of milk as others had as many as twenty five. There were even "basement barns" which mean the cans had to be hauled up a flight of 15 or more steps before we could even throw them in the truck. Dad and I usually alternated on these barns, carrying the empty cans down and bringing the full ones up, with one exception. In my "wilder" youth, I ummmm.........ummmm.........well I enjoyed the fruit of the vine, actually the barley and the rye. On such mornings after, my dad never said a word, never hollered at me or gave me a lecture on the evils of alcohol. After all dad did enjoy a few brews himself. However, as my punishment for breaking the law of the land, dad would stand at the top of the steps of these basement barns and let me carry ALL the empties down and ALL the full ones up. I wouldn't have been so bad except these were the farms with the 20+ cans. Until next time. Bye

With the Grandkids

Sunday morning Quilter and I got up rather early (at least for us) and made a northern trek to see Priscilla and family. It was a real nice morning.........sun shining, not too hot..........and so Tech, Priscilla, Princess2, Mimic, and Smiles treated Quilter and I to the MN Zoo. It was a great day, watching the kids looking at all the animals. The girls were very well behaved, which was no great surprise to me. One of the highlights was Princess2 and I went out in a paddle boat together. We went across the pond and got a closer look at a Blue Heron. Then while we were out, a muskrat swam right by us carrying a small branch. Princess2 got to help paddle and steer. She thought that was a cool thing. Watching Smiles at the dolphin show was fun too. The little one was completely raptured by them. I'm sure they have seen the show quite a few times as Priscilla and family have a membership. We took a picnic lunch and ate when we got to the farm. The girls really like that place..........cows, horses, goats, chickens, pigs.........they love them all. I felt quite at home.........had a nice talk with one of the volunteers about milking............I helped cousins, uncles, friends, and brother in law milk at one time or another when I was younger. Now chickens...............I like them fried. For some reason a live chicken and I never got along too well. More on that in a later blog. I got to say...........Thanks Priscilla for a wonderful Sunday.

What Chuck and I have made.........

I thought some might be interested in some of the things Chuck and I have made so far........

In addition to the hutch, side table, and deck on our house ( Quilter's brother also helped with the deck project), we've made a couple of doll cradles, and a hall bench for Priscilla. The hall bench was built to her specifications..........two butts wide.

Birthday today

Today is my birthday. I took the night off from work and my friend and woodworking mentor Chuck went up to Burnsville ( a southern subburb of Minneapolis) to the Home Depot and Rockler ( a woodworkers store). Chuck recently retired from work and had some gift cards to use.

(At left is a picture of Chuck and I with a small cabinet we made for our house. Near left is the hutch we made for Quilter before we put the finish on.)

We met Chuck's brother Tom and Tom's son Jacob there. We had a lot of fun spending Chuck's money for him.

Sunday, Quilter and I are going to Priscilla's and we are going to the zoo. I'm looking forward to spending time with Princess2, Mimic, and Smiles. It's always fun to be with them. Of course I'm looking forward to seeing Priscilla and Tech also.

The family

I guess I should tell you a little more about my family.
First is my wife, hereafter to be referred as Mrs, or Quilter.
Next is my oldest daughter to be named Priscilla. She is married to Tech, a wonderful young man who is in a ministry and who we call for all our computer and tech problems. They have 3 daughters: Princess2, who is 5; Mimic, who is almost 3; and Smiles, who is 1and a half.

Then there is my younger daughter, Beezie. She is married to Medic, who is an ER nurse at a hospital in the Twin Cities. They have 2 children: Princess1 who is getting close to six and Buddy who is 1 and a half. Medic is also a great guy and I have to say that I am thankful for these two men.

In the future, I will tell you stories about my grandchildren, and also about their parents.
I remember that while the girls were growing up, I figured that I had them right under my thumb like a good dad should. But, after watching my sons in law with their children, I realized that my girls had me wrapped around their little fingers. I guess I should have realized this when I knew that when the girls called to ask if their curfew could be extended or to inform us about something we wouldn't quite approve of, they always prayed that Dad would answer the phone.

Well, enough rambling..........time to go to work......uhhhh work...........that's another post sometime.

Reading........it's making me fat

Reading is making me fat. Reading is most likely gonna cause my veins to clog which will result in a stroke. I love to read. I can sit and read a good book for hours. Now I realize that I do have other interests also. I like to work with wood, fish, watch sports and car races. So I do get myself out of the chair to do some active things. I also have a small paper route which gives me my twenty minute walk six mornings a week. But reading is a passion. I'll read almost any kind of book. My favorite authors are Stephen Bly, Al Lacy, Clive Cussler, Diane Mott Davidson, and Janet Evanovich. Stephen Bly and Al Lacy also write with their wives. I'll read most any book except the "classics". My English teacher in High School ruined the classics for me by making me read "The Scarlet Letter". BORING. But I'm getting off the subject. Reading is making me fat and a candidate for a stroke because of one extra problem. When I read, I munch. When I munch, it's usually potato chips. Ask my family. Right now there are about 12-15 bags of potato chips in the house to feed my habit. Truely, I cannot read without munching. Read and munch...........Potato chips, Potato chips. Look at my easy chair. Wife calls it my nest. Book, bag of chips, and glass for my drink, cup for my coffee. I can sit their for a long, long, time.

When Johnny Comes Marching Home

I served three years in the Army and seventeen plus years in the National Guard. I retired from the Guards in 1991-92, somewhere around there. My former Guard unit has served in Kosovo and Iraq. In fact, to date, this unit has served longer in Iraq than any other military unit. On Saturday, the boys are coming home. They are in Fort McCoy WI right now getting their debriefing. But Saturday, they are coming home. There is a push for the people of this community to be out on the route to welcome them. I plan on being there. It's been over a decade since I've been one of them, and almost 40 years since I came home from Viet Nam, but there is a kinship there. We've been in it. We've seen it. Now I most likely haven't seen as much as they did as my Viet Nam tour was spent on an Army Airfield, and I spent 3 months in a hospital and recovery company in Japan, but I saw enough.

This unit was an infantry unit. I know the training was tough. When I first joined the Guards, summer camp was almost too easy. We would have each night off, and middle weekend was free. By the time I retired, it was different. We would get to Camp Ripley on Saturday and leave for the field on Sunday. We did not see the barracks again until the second Thursday. Training got serious. Now I know that it paid off for these guys. The unit will return with all personnel alive. There were a few wounded. Their job was convoy escort. They will have to take it slow now to readjust. We are going to have to take is slow to allow them to readjust. I know from experience that you don't just go from hard soldier to easy civilian overnight. So God Bless our boys. Do me a favor. If you read this...............say a prayer for the guys and their families that there will be few times of stress during this important transition.

Hard Butter

I don't know about you folks, but I hate hard butter. There is nothing worse than trying to spread the butter on your toast or bread, and it just sits in a clump because it's too hard to spread. So, because of that, I'm the official butter monitor around here. I'm the one who takes the next quarter pound out of the refrigerator. when the butter in the dish gets low. Now the butter dish had better stay out on the counter. It does not go back into the refrigerator. So if ya want to keep me happy, keep the butter soft.

Get to know me

I'm a mature male, okay, I'm 59, living in MN, with some views on this world. I'm married with two grown daughters, two sons in law, and five grandchildren. Sometime I'll post a photo, but not yet. I don't have a lot of close friends, just a bunch of people I know. Somethings here will be funny, some sad. As you read this, remember one thing: Of the seventeen adjectives I use to describe myself, nice has never been one of them.