Geez.... Just when we learned how to sing a fast song acapella, the choir was handed some African piece entirely in a language I've never seen before. We took about 10 minutes per 3 bars to figure half of it out. The song before that was pretty cool, though. It was apparently written for a New Mexico church's 1992 confirmation class. I think it's written by David Poole if you've heard of him, Dad. It has really nice 4-part harmony and is in a "Cantor" style or something like that. About halfway through, though, I was swayed over to the tenor part and enjoyed it actually much better than the bass line. Of course then Steve, the guy from the Ford dealership, felt "sandwiched between tenors" that way. Maybe I should offer to sing either/or depending on which the director needs more of because we often seem short of tenors and a bit bass heavy. I just can't wait to see the look on Ormand's face when he sees the African song..... :o) I think he forgot about practice tonight, lucky for him.
Dinner at Danny's Pizza was nice. It's a pretty nice little place by Subway and across from the city park by the high school. It has a juke box and a video game room in the back. We had a family sized half supreme/half chicken alfredo pizza and managed to get to choir on time. When I was at Danny's though, I spotted a really nice looking leather Gophers jacket and was admiring it. I asked the lady wearing it where she got it, "because my dad is a Gopher and he'd look good in one of those..." She responded by saying, yeah, I know your dad... I must've looked like a deer in headlights then trying to figure out how she could possibly know my dad without knowing me. Then she clarified that she had seen me in church and she used to have you for a teacher a long time ago. I didn't catch her name before she left, but she did tell me that she was the original owner of Charlie, our little old terrier on the farm....
We picked up some Shark Tale cupcakes at Hugo's after choir tonight (Daniel's choice, of course) and got caught up on our grocery shopping. We took Andrew's little 1990 Honda Civic. You may think I look cramped in a Chevette, but you should see me find my way behind the wheel of a Civic... Not a pretty picture, I can say that much. I asked Andrew if I could just rip the front seat out and sit in the back, like Bubba Smith did in the Police Academy movie.
I'm thinking I could use some gardening expertise this summer when you get here, Mom. There's a patch on the side of my front walk that's pure black mud, the greasy kind. I'm thinking perhaps I could plant a little bush there or something so the neighbor boys don't end up tracking the mud in, not to mention the dog. One last thing... It's a good thing we're living here in backwoods TRF. Aaron's been leaving his nice new bike out front on the sidewalk for hours on end and tonight, just after we got back and stocked the frig, I walked around back to find Daniel had left the back door WIDE OPEN.... Ordinarily in Seattle I would have freaked, checking every dark corner of the apartment before allowing anyone inside. Here, it was more of a "ho hum" response. We do the best we can to keep things secure, but....
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Six Short Years and Counting...
Well, at long last, Daniel's birthday has arrived. Hard as usual to believe six short years ago he was sleeping in his little bouncer seat at my side of the bed so I could stick a foot out at 3:00 am and rock him back to sleep. I'm reminded of that time every time I see another baby with a binky in their mouth as Daniel was permanently attached to his for so long. First Aaron is halfway to his driver's license, now Daniel is 1/3 of the way to emancipation. If he could only stay as cute and contankerous the remaining 12 years....
This past week has been pretty fun for the boys. On Sunday, we had our dinner at the Grochow's and then Dusty spent the night that night since they didn't have school on Monday. During the day on Monday, there must have been about 80 entrances and departures of multiple boys at the house. They spent most of the day outside riding their bikes (or learning to at least) and over at their house on the corner.
Andrew took the boys to the Jose Cole Circus in town here last night and a good time was had by all. I guess the humor of the clowns was somewhat ribald from what Andrew was saying, but they had fun nonetheless. It was a nice warm day for the circus, almost seeming to get into the 50s. I didn't get a peek at the thermometer that day. The snow has almost completely melted from at least half of my lawn, clearing what I didn't realize had been a path underneath the snow that leads from the back steps to the gate by the garage. I had been thinking all winter of what to do about a path because I was envisioning having to ruin the lawn. The one there looks like it was made of bricks, though many of the bricks have sunk too low, I think, to be of much utility. The sandbox is now completely cleared of snow and the whole front yard is now down to grass. I can't wait now for the green in the grass to return, not to mention the leaves on all the trees around here. Andrew and I are mulling the idea of possibly getting some paintball practice at the old farm this summer, time and weather permitting. Neither of us have tried it and the paintball course back there looked like fun. Unfortunately I'll be about three times as big a target as Andrew, though... :o(
Daniel came home today with a birthday crown on his head and a birthday certificate from his teacher. We're heading to "Danny's Pizza" as previously mentioned at about 6:30. We have choir practice at 7:30, so will have to eat faster than usual. He's out playing with the neighbor boys before we have to get ready. That's pretty much all that's happening around here other than the recent car problems and the need to do a little housecleaning after all the boys... Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and enjoy your collective weeks wherever you are!
Jim
This past week has been pretty fun for the boys. On Sunday, we had our dinner at the Grochow's and then Dusty spent the night that night since they didn't have school on Monday. During the day on Monday, there must have been about 80 entrances and departures of multiple boys at the house. They spent most of the day outside riding their bikes (or learning to at least) and over at their house on the corner.
Andrew took the boys to the Jose Cole Circus in town here last night and a good time was had by all. I guess the humor of the clowns was somewhat ribald from what Andrew was saying, but they had fun nonetheless. It was a nice warm day for the circus, almost seeming to get into the 50s. I didn't get a peek at the thermometer that day. The snow has almost completely melted from at least half of my lawn, clearing what I didn't realize had been a path underneath the snow that leads from the back steps to the gate by the garage. I had been thinking all winter of what to do about a path because I was envisioning having to ruin the lawn. The one there looks like it was made of bricks, though many of the bricks have sunk too low, I think, to be of much utility. The sandbox is now completely cleared of snow and the whole front yard is now down to grass. I can't wait now for the green in the grass to return, not to mention the leaves on all the trees around here. Andrew and I are mulling the idea of possibly getting some paintball practice at the old farm this summer, time and weather permitting. Neither of us have tried it and the paintball course back there looked like fun. Unfortunately I'll be about three times as big a target as Andrew, though... :o(
Daniel came home today with a birthday crown on his head and a birthday certificate from his teacher. We're heading to "Danny's Pizza" as previously mentioned at about 6:30. We have choir practice at 7:30, so will have to eat faster than usual. He's out playing with the neighbor boys before we have to get ready. That's pretty much all that's happening around here other than the recent car problems and the need to do a little housecleaning after all the boys... Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and enjoy your collective weeks wherever you are!
Jim
Sunday, March 27, 2005
God Rolled The Stone Away...
We're back home now after Easter services at Trinity. We sang "He is risen" and a personal favorite, "God Rolled The Stone Away." It was the first time since moving here that we received applause. We sang up in the balcony and it sounded great. Mike did a trumpet accompaniment with Dee Wollenzine at the organ for a couple of the hims. Special music at the 8:30 service was Joe Drevlow's boy, Brett, on the piano up front. He was pretty cute. We had an Easter breakfast of scrambled eggs, fruit, and sweet rolls down in the fellowship hall between services where I met Ward Sinn. They are celebrating their 48th(?) anniversary this Sunday. Ward's brother unfortunately passed on this past week. There was no Sunday School today. The boys are getting some video game time in now while I get some reports typed before we head to the Grochow's. We'll head over about 2 0'clock, I figure. Even more snow has melted out here, so Easter has somewhat of a spring feel to it. Aaron just commented that he spotted the sandbox in our back yard. That should be fun keeping him out of it until things dry out in April or May.
Catch y'all later...
Catch y'all later...
AND ON THE THIRD DAY...
Just a quick note to wish you and yours a most happy Easter today. Spring is definitely upon us here in TRF, with most of the front yard cleared of snow now and the streets bare and dry for more than two days in a row. I thought it would never come. I've even managed to clean out Funny Bunny's cage in honor of Easter. She's definitely content laying on her cracked corn bedding taking a nap tonight. We'll be heading over the Scott and Kristi Grochow's place for Easter festivities/dinner tonight followed by a relaxing remainder of the evening at home, hopefully. Sorry we can't be there with you, Jen and Mom/Dad, this year as we experience our first Minnesota Easter since 1982... Thanks again for the flowers, Jen.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Palm Sunday...A Musical Day...
Palm Sunday has just about come and gone and Easter will soon be upon us. Yes, the backyard is still piled high with snow, though a nice slushy path has melted through the lawn to the back gate. Pretty soon we'll have to lay some stones or tiles down to get to the car without hip waders. Today was a fantastic day for music at church. We attended both early and mid-morning services as it was the choir's turn to sing again. This time we wore robes for the first time, though they were emerald green and had stoles of gold with ivory trim this time, not the old blue ones. Andrew looked mighty dapper in his, I must say. By the way, Mom.... The choir is in dire need of some new stoles....How's that sewing machine of yours workin' in retirement??? :o)
It was a pretty cool service (both, actually) in that we started it out with the choir up at the entrance to the sanctuary and the congregation lined the ramp all the way down to the lobby/narthex with everyone holding palm branches. We heard opening words from Pastor Hermodson and then proceeded, choir first, down the center of the church singing the opening hymn. I dropped Aaron off in the very last pew at the back before heading up front. We (the choir) stood up in front of the altar looking out at the congregation where we sang our two anthems at the start of the service. For Dad's edification, we sang "Ain't No Rock" and "Sing to the Lord." The first piece was pretty up tempo, kinda like something you might hear in Sister Act with some real nice chord progressions and four-part harmony for the men. The second piece was a little more traditional, though Pastor Hermodson would point out not quite "Lutheran," but enjoyable to all nonetheless. Mike Lehrer had a nice solo while we hummed in the middle of the piece. It almost sounded, though, like something the Vienna Boys' Choir would sing with a high soprano solo.
After the first service, we had our congregational meeting in the fellowship hall downstairs where we all brainstormed on what we would like and need in a new senior pastor. The call committee has only begun their work and Pastor Hermodson worked with us to identify those things we have as strengths and those we need work on and how we think a new pastor will help us achieve our goals. There are a couple of different staffing models on the table, the first being a "couple" team where one would be senior pastor full-time and the other (wife?) would be part-time and focus more on youth whereas the second would be a senior pastor and then a youth pastor from the seminary who would give at least one sermon a month. Both options would run around $90,000 to 105,000 a year total package. We just need to figure out what we want. Some interesting ideas we had were beefing up the acolyte program so kids get a better idea of what it is and why it's a privelege to serve in that capacity, etc. Also, making Trinity a place you can go to any day of the week just to "hang out," not just on Sunday's and Wednesdays. In other words, a more "open" church model where the great facility assets we have are put to good use.
After the second service, we were all downstairs putting our robes away when the guy that runs the Ford dealership in town, a bass, mentioned he had complimented me to Ormand and some of the other guys in that he has grown to like standing next to me because I "nail all the notes DEAD ON..." The choir director also complimented the choir as a whole that we "really sound good." Not to downplay previous choirs, but we really did sound every bit as good as we did back in Trinity's glory days.
In other "non-church" news, the boys had one of the most recreational weekends if not thee most hours spent the entire winter with the Widerski boys down the street. Yesterday alone they spent a good 10 hours or possibly more playing nonstop with them. Much of the time was spent over there and outside so Andrew had some peace and quiet to watch a "grown-up" movie. To give you an idea of how much fun they have, when I woke up, Aaron was already gone to his buddy's house, having woken up early. Daniel wasn't far behind either. Today was somewhat of a repeat, but they played from around noon until after dark at 7:00 p.m. I told the mother of the Widerski boys that it was "too bad our kids don't get along with one another" and on Friday when Aaron was begging inside their house to stay and play Playstation a little longer, I jokingly commented, "It's not like you're never over here," which Mrs. Widerski had a good chuckle over.
That's all for tonight's blog installment. Good night everyone! :o)
It was a pretty cool service (both, actually) in that we started it out with the choir up at the entrance to the sanctuary and the congregation lined the ramp all the way down to the lobby/narthex with everyone holding palm branches. We heard opening words from Pastor Hermodson and then proceeded, choir first, down the center of the church singing the opening hymn. I dropped Aaron off in the very last pew at the back before heading up front. We (the choir) stood up in front of the altar looking out at the congregation where we sang our two anthems at the start of the service. For Dad's edification, we sang "Ain't No Rock" and "Sing to the Lord." The first piece was pretty up tempo, kinda like something you might hear in Sister Act with some real nice chord progressions and four-part harmony for the men. The second piece was a little more traditional, though Pastor Hermodson would point out not quite "Lutheran," but enjoyable to all nonetheless. Mike Lehrer had a nice solo while we hummed in the middle of the piece. It almost sounded, though, like something the Vienna Boys' Choir would sing with a high soprano solo.
After the first service, we had our congregational meeting in the fellowship hall downstairs where we all brainstormed on what we would like and need in a new senior pastor. The call committee has only begun their work and Pastor Hermodson worked with us to identify those things we have as strengths and those we need work on and how we think a new pastor will help us achieve our goals. There are a couple of different staffing models on the table, the first being a "couple" team where one would be senior pastor full-time and the other (wife?) would be part-time and focus more on youth whereas the second would be a senior pastor and then a youth pastor from the seminary who would give at least one sermon a month. Both options would run around $90,000 to 105,000 a year total package. We just need to figure out what we want. Some interesting ideas we had were beefing up the acolyte program so kids get a better idea of what it is and why it's a privelege to serve in that capacity, etc. Also, making Trinity a place you can go to any day of the week just to "hang out," not just on Sunday's and Wednesdays. In other words, a more "open" church model where the great facility assets we have are put to good use.
After the second service, we were all downstairs putting our robes away when the guy that runs the Ford dealership in town, a bass, mentioned he had complimented me to Ormand and some of the other guys in that he has grown to like standing next to me because I "nail all the notes DEAD ON..." The choir director also complimented the choir as a whole that we "really sound good." Not to downplay previous choirs, but we really did sound every bit as good as we did back in Trinity's glory days.
In other "non-church" news, the boys had one of the most recreational weekends if not thee most hours spent the entire winter with the Widerski boys down the street. Yesterday alone they spent a good 10 hours or possibly more playing nonstop with them. Much of the time was spent over there and outside so Andrew had some peace and quiet to watch a "grown-up" movie. To give you an idea of how much fun they have, when I woke up, Aaron was already gone to his buddy's house, having woken up early. Daniel wasn't far behind either. Today was somewhat of a repeat, but they played from around noon until after dark at 7:00 p.m. I told the mother of the Widerski boys that it was "too bad our kids don't get along with one another" and on Friday when Aaron was begging inside their house to stay and play Playstation a little longer, I jokingly commented, "It's not like you're never over here," which Mrs. Widerski had a good chuckle over.
That's all for tonight's blog installment. Good night everyone! :o)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The Many Faces of Minnesota Hotdishes...
Wow. That's about the only way to sum up last night's lenten dinner at Trinity. I'm quite certain I've never seen so many variations on a goulash theme in one place since I left TRF almost a quarter century ago. For Norwegians/Swedes, they have the Hungarian food business down pat. I had no idea lasagne could be made in so many different ways either. I'm thinking they used just about every species of macaroni imaginable on the store shelf... It was all good, though, especially the garlic Texas toast on the side.
I was sitting at a table with the boys by ourselves over by the stairs leading up to the sanctuary/narthex, actually with just Aaron as Daniel had already gone exploring after eating about two macaroni pieces and two brownies he snuck by me. A guy I thought had looked familiar in the food line came over and introduced himself, saying he didn't think he knew me, but shook my hand and said his name was...Terry Soine! I responded, well... I sure do know you! He and his wife are apparently members at Trinity and Terry is actually in the choir too. He hasn't been at choir lately, so was pleasantly surprised to hear I would be at practice. He's gone a bit grey/white with a goatee and appears about Dad's age. He was happy to hear the update on the family and that Mom and Dad will be visiting again this summer. He said they didn't really tell people where they needed to be at the all school reunion last year, so he and some other old teachers/administrators showed up late.
I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but Andrew got a third call for a job yesterday at Pamida. He says he's plenty occupied now, though, with his full-time job at St. Hilaire Seed (which incidentally is just outside of St. Hilaire on your way down to Red Lake Falls) and working at Pizza Hut. He worked around 8-5 at the seed company, then came home and changed and left for work at Pizza Hut until 9 pm last night. Apparently they're talking about giving him some overtime coming up soon at the seed company and perhaps through the summer, so he's looking at a princely sum per month, it would appear. It's great to see him busy and enjoying himself at his new jobs. It beats pounding the pavement with applications at least. He seems to be making new friends too and mentioned last night he doesn't miss the Seattle rain (not Reign).
I guess Keith called Shirley recently and said he'd be coming out again this summer for the marathon he's been running the past few years with Steve Dalager. They've made a bit of a ritual out of it, I guess. I guess he was surprised to hear from Shirley that I was out here. Dusty is still sick, but may return to school by tomorrow.
In other news, I think I actually found a record-breaking icicle on the building across from Trinity's backside last night, maybe even two. My eyes had trouble comprehending it's size at first and it must've weighted about 5 pounds when I pulled it off the eave. It was approximately 4 1/2 feet long!!! I used it as a walking stick to church. The boys had eyes like silver dollars too, taking in its grand appearance. I'm looking forward to the next melt/freeze cycle so I can maybe take a picture for you all to prove it... :o) Well, back to work for now. Catch you later....
I was sitting at a table with the boys by ourselves over by the stairs leading up to the sanctuary/narthex, actually with just Aaron as Daniel had already gone exploring after eating about two macaroni pieces and two brownies he snuck by me. A guy I thought had looked familiar in the food line came over and introduced himself, saying he didn't think he knew me, but shook my hand and said his name was...Terry Soine! I responded, well... I sure do know you! He and his wife are apparently members at Trinity and Terry is actually in the choir too. He hasn't been at choir lately, so was pleasantly surprised to hear I would be at practice. He's gone a bit grey/white with a goatee and appears about Dad's age. He was happy to hear the update on the family and that Mom and Dad will be visiting again this summer. He said they didn't really tell people where they needed to be at the all school reunion last year, so he and some other old teachers/administrators showed up late.
I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but Andrew got a third call for a job yesterday at Pamida. He says he's plenty occupied now, though, with his full-time job at St. Hilaire Seed (which incidentally is just outside of St. Hilaire on your way down to Red Lake Falls) and working at Pizza Hut. He worked around 8-5 at the seed company, then came home and changed and left for work at Pizza Hut until 9 pm last night. Apparently they're talking about giving him some overtime coming up soon at the seed company and perhaps through the summer, so he's looking at a princely sum per month, it would appear. It's great to see him busy and enjoying himself at his new jobs. It beats pounding the pavement with applications at least. He seems to be making new friends too and mentioned last night he doesn't miss the Seattle rain (not Reign).
I guess Keith called Shirley recently and said he'd be coming out again this summer for the marathon he's been running the past few years with Steve Dalager. They've made a bit of a ritual out of it, I guess. I guess he was surprised to hear from Shirley that I was out here. Dusty is still sick, but may return to school by tomorrow.
In other news, I think I actually found a record-breaking icicle on the building across from Trinity's backside last night, maybe even two. My eyes had trouble comprehending it's size at first and it must've weighted about 5 pounds when I pulled it off the eave. It was approximately 4 1/2 feet long!!! I used it as a walking stick to church. The boys had eyes like silver dollars too, taking in its grand appearance. I'm looking forward to the next melt/freeze cycle so I can maybe take a picture for you all to prove it... :o) Well, back to work for now. Catch you later....
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Better late than never, right?
Oh boy... TEN WHOLE DAYS without an update. Sorry for the siesta. Things are busy as always around here. There really hasn't been much newsworthy stuff to report, though. We have been enjoying more winter weather, large snowflakes lazily drifting down from the sky tonight. I'm wondering when Spring will come, but I'm happy with the weather we have. The big drumroll news to announce is regarding Andrew.... He's been working at Pizza Hut since last week, but at about 8:15 or so this morning, I got a call from a gal at St. Hilaire Seed Co. down in St. Hilaire. She wanted Andrew to come to work for them TODAY. She wasn't impressed when I told her he was sleeping, but I managed to dig him out of that hole I had dug by clarifying he was working another job, hence the different hours of sleep, but assured her I would have him call her. Since she said she was just "going down the list" until she found someone, I rattled Andrew's cage and in about 3 minutes flat, he was hired at about three bucks more an hour than Pizza Hut was paying him. The funny part is the job is even easier for more pay. He spent the day sweeping today, though, as their machine was broken. Apparently he's supposed to be bagging up some kind of beans or something, so she wasn't kidding when she said it was one of their "more simple jobs." Andrew's happy, though, as it's the equivalent of $10 an hour in Seattle since the dollar stretches a little farther over here.
I continue to greet the boys every afternoon at 3:00 with Duchess taking me for the walk. Today was surprising, though. When the bus stopped, out popped about 6 boys and half of them gathered around Duchess and planted a kiss on her snout while giving her a vigorous pet. She has quite the fan club here. Last week, a couple middle school-aged girls slid their window down on the back of the bus to yell, "What's the dog's name??"
I've been busy with the transcription work, burning both candles at both ends most days. I have Fridays and Sunday's "technically" off, but end up usually filling them at least a little with contract work out of Texas. I get a break in the evenings too when the pastor's boys come over and play with Aaron and Daniel.
Oh, I should mention that Daniel's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm considering taking him to "Danny's Pizza..." Nice name for a restaurant at least. Hard to believe he's gonna be 6, although sometimes Andrew and I quietly muse to ourselves whether he has an extra two 6's hidden after that, given his penchant for mischief...
Sorry the update is so short. I'll try to update sooner than 10 days next time. I hope not too many people are having problems viewing the blog. I've heard some errors have been happening out there. Only thing I can suggest if it happens again is to "refresh" your explorer window to reload the page. That has worked for me a few times. Take care all...
The Minnesota Hustads (I thought that sounded better than Minnesota Fats...)
I continue to greet the boys every afternoon at 3:00 with Duchess taking me for the walk. Today was surprising, though. When the bus stopped, out popped about 6 boys and half of them gathered around Duchess and planted a kiss on her snout while giving her a vigorous pet. She has quite the fan club here. Last week, a couple middle school-aged girls slid their window down on the back of the bus to yell, "What's the dog's name??"
I've been busy with the transcription work, burning both candles at both ends most days. I have Fridays and Sunday's "technically" off, but end up usually filling them at least a little with contract work out of Texas. I get a break in the evenings too when the pastor's boys come over and play with Aaron and Daniel.
Oh, I should mention that Daniel's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm considering taking him to "Danny's Pizza..." Nice name for a restaurant at least. Hard to believe he's gonna be 6, although sometimes Andrew and I quietly muse to ourselves whether he has an extra two 6's hidden after that, given his penchant for mischief...
Sorry the update is so short. I'll try to update sooner than 10 days next time. I hope not too many people are having problems viewing the blog. I've heard some errors have been happening out there. Only thing I can suggest if it happens again is to "refresh" your explorer window to reload the page. That has worked for me a few times. Take care all...
The Minnesota Hustads (I thought that sounded better than Minnesota Fats...)
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Danny's night out...
Well, we had a nice relaxing afternoon with Kristi, Scott, and their kids here at our place. Pretty much just sat around and chatted over Domino's pizza while the kids played all around us. It's amazing how loud the noise can get in a short time. Funny thing was they kept playing with our walkabout radios and their daughter and Dusty kept screaming back and forth as if they couldn't hear each other and they were only 20 feet away. I'm thinking those can telephones may have been a better idea. They all left a few minutes ago and took Daniel with them. Yep, it's Daniel's first "non-family" sleepover, I think. He was all excited to go with Dusty and Casey. One less boy to get ready for church now! And Andrew can breath a sigh of relief now that he finally has some peace and quiet to watch All in the Family and Three's Company while I sit and work here at the computer.
I got your request for pics, Jen, but I need to track down the cable to upload them to my computer first before sending. I'm thinking you're one of the ones with more updated pics than others, though, as I usually CC you on my e-mails to dad. I'll send a couple along, though, including one of the Grochow's 5 yo daughter, Kaylyn (sp?) wearing santa christmas stockings on her feet and a Santa hat on her head. By the way, Mom and Dad and Jen: Go to http://www.google.com. Above the search field you'll see tabs with hyperlinks for "Web, Images," etc. Click on the "Images" hyperlink first, then type Keith Grochow in the search field below. You'll see his picture at the University of Washington Computer Science Department. I surprised both Scott and myself with that one... :o) Well, back to work now. Got church bright and early in the morning too. It got well past 40 degrees today, melting almost the whole path from our back door through the back yard to the back alley. It was actually TOO warm inside today...
I got your request for pics, Jen, but I need to track down the cable to upload them to my computer first before sending. I'm thinking you're one of the ones with more updated pics than others, though, as I usually CC you on my e-mails to dad. I'll send a couple along, though, including one of the Grochow's 5 yo daughter, Kaylyn (sp?) wearing santa christmas stockings on her feet and a Santa hat on her head. By the way, Mom and Dad and Jen: Go to http://www.google.com. Above the search field you'll see tabs with hyperlinks for "Web, Images," etc. Click on the "Images" hyperlink first, then type Keith Grochow in the search field below. You'll see his picture at the University of Washington Computer Science Department. I surprised both Scott and myself with that one... :o) Well, back to work now. Got church bright and early in the morning too. It got well past 40 degrees today, melting almost the whole path from our back door through the back yard to the back alley. It was actually TOO warm inside today...
Saturday, March 05, 2005
A quick update...
Last night the Grochow boys, Casey (11) and Dusty (9) came over for a playdate with the boys. They all played Playstation well into the night amongst other games and Dusty spent the night with us. They both came back today, me picking Casey up at his home this morning. Scott stopped by after work and chatted with us. When his wife, Kristi, came over last night, we made plans for a party of sorts at our house Saturday night. Since the boys had a couple days off of school, it seemed like a fun thing to do, though I'll have to work through a good portion of the evening. The boys have become fast friends with the Grochow kids and both eagerly look forward to each chance they get to play together.
In other news, Lisa was offered a part-time position with an assisted living type facility that serves clients who work in the ODC for the disabled. Now for the other shoe to drop... Her direct supervisor will be...Jodi Dallman........ Jodi said she commutes from around Grand Forks every day to TRF and every time she goes by, she says she looks at our old farm on the cutacross. It will be less than 30 hours a week, but will give Lisa an opportunity to get out and about during the week. It's time to hit the sack for now, though. Will update as I'm able over the weekend/early next week. If anyone reading this blog would like more updated pictures of the family/town, feel free to e-mail a request to cougalum1@hotmail.com. Take care everyone.
In other news, Lisa was offered a part-time position with an assisted living type facility that serves clients who work in the ODC for the disabled. Now for the other shoe to drop... Her direct supervisor will be...Jodi Dallman........ Jodi said she commutes from around Grand Forks every day to TRF and every time she goes by, she says she looks at our old farm on the cutacross. It will be less than 30 hours a week, but will give Lisa an opportunity to get out and about during the week. It's time to hit the sack for now, though. Will update as I'm able over the weekend/early next week. If anyone reading this blog would like more updated pictures of the family/town, feel free to e-mail a request to cougalum1@hotmail.com. Take care everyone.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Allstate Selma should get a kick out of this...
Hi all. The week started out with a bang (and a whimper) on Monday. I took Duchess out to the bus stop yesterday to pick up the boys. As I stood there with Duchess sniffing the neighborhood, I realized how beautiful the day really was. I was under the most pristine azure blue sky with not a whisper of a cloud present and a most bright sun directly overhead. It sparkled off the snow on the lawns and eaves like a picturesque Leavenworth (WA) in winter. I'm beginning to pay closer attention to the architecture around here, noticing striking similarities between houses that sit right across the street from one another. It's like they were built by the same person with very little variation around the turn of the century. As for Selma, we had a visitor yesterday to inspect the furnace and wiring of our house for the insurance company. Wouldn't ya know it...It was Dale Langevin, Jenny's husband... I got his number before he left so you can look them up when you come to visit this summer. They went someplace else during the All School Reunion, so they missed you then.
There's not much else on the docket to report thus far this week, so I guess no news is good news. Andrew has his interview today and Lisa has one tomorrow for some part-time work. I'll be making my first ever mortgage payment later this afternoon and will stop by Kezar Music afterwards to pick up my Harry Potter book for the cello. Perhaps I'll actually get a chance to practice a little bit? Tomorrow is our next lent service and choir practice, so I probably won't get back to the blog until Thursday unless I hear another interesting story to impart.
There's not much else on the docket to report thus far this week, so I guess no news is good news. Andrew has his interview today and Lisa has one tomorrow for some part-time work. I'll be making my first ever mortgage payment later this afternoon and will stop by Kezar Music afterwards to pick up my Harry Potter book for the cello. Perhaps I'll actually get a chance to practice a little bit? Tomorrow is our next lent service and choir practice, so I probably won't get back to the blog until Thursday unless I hear another interesting story to impart.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Remember me?
Just kiddin'. That was the second song we sang at church today. We had to sing at both services and sit through both sermons as the song referenced above was to be sung during communion. We sounded great from the balcony, if I don't say so myself. We did without robes, but we get to wear robes on Easter, the green ones. Aaron had a great day at Sunday School today. He was straggling behind in his classroom when the second service was going to start, so I went up to get him. His teacher was up there and just beaming about Aaron's performance in class. Apparently she was going to give a lesson today about Moses, the water, and a rock and she said Aaron already knew the story, trying to blurt it out before she could tell the class. She was quite impressed at his retention of that story from our old church in Mountlake Terrace. She got him to zip his lip, though, before ruining it for the rest of his class. He was quite proud of himself, I must say.
Fellowship was nice between services with tons of banana bread and other bread I couldn't identify, but not zucchini, I don't think. Mike Lehrer was regaling us with stories of flying his plane into the Crystal airport near Minneapolis. He says he's going to have to take me up with him sometimes... I had never heard of an airport in Crystal, but he said it's tucked into a residential area nice and tight. He was commenting on that airport as Jerry Wigness was saying when the airport board met here in TRF, they voted to prohibit any and all air traffic within like 4 miles of a residential neighborhood. He thought that was funny they'd allow the airport there in Crystal, but nothing near the houses in TRF. Go figure.
Scott Grochow came down during fellowship and firmed up today's plans. We're heading over to his house so the boys can play with their kids this afternoon. Their PS2 is on the fritz, so we'll bring ours along with the Eye Toy so everyone can dance, but I imagine they'll get plenty of outdoors play too. It was lightly snowing during church, but I think it's stopped for now. It's still pretty balmy, I would guess in the 20's somewhere. Hope all our friends and family are having a great Sunday and hopefully as relaxing and enjoyable as ours.
Love,
Jim, Lisa, Andrew, and boys
Fellowship was nice between services with tons of banana bread and other bread I couldn't identify, but not zucchini, I don't think. Mike Lehrer was regaling us with stories of flying his plane into the Crystal airport near Minneapolis. He says he's going to have to take me up with him sometimes... I had never heard of an airport in Crystal, but he said it's tucked into a residential area nice and tight. He was commenting on that airport as Jerry Wigness was saying when the airport board met here in TRF, they voted to prohibit any and all air traffic within like 4 miles of a residential neighborhood. He thought that was funny they'd allow the airport there in Crystal, but nothing near the houses in TRF. Go figure.
Scott Grochow came down during fellowship and firmed up today's plans. We're heading over to his house so the boys can play with their kids this afternoon. Their PS2 is on the fritz, so we'll bring ours along with the Eye Toy so everyone can dance, but I imagine they'll get plenty of outdoors play too. It was lightly snowing during church, but I think it's stopped for now. It's still pretty balmy, I would guess in the 20's somewhere. Hope all our friends and family are having a great Sunday and hopefully as relaxing and enjoyable as ours.
Love,
Jim, Lisa, Andrew, and boys
Friday, February 25, 2005
The cable guy...
Hey, Dad. Remember a former student of yours named Nate Stroh? He would have been in Bill's grade at Franklin. He came over to work on our broadband connection today and recognized the last name. He had a good laugh as he asked a much younger technician at Sjoberg's (a 23-year-old) if he knew whether the Mr. Hustad at 716 Duluth was an older or younger type and the other tech said I looked "older." I guess in relative terms I would be "older." As is usual around here, he said you were probably his favorite teacher. He got a kick out of recounting how proud you were of the new stereo system at Franklin that was like four-channel with an 8-track and you would play the sound from one speaker to the next to demonstrate, etc.
We had a good time at Trinity last night for lent. They had a chicken noodle soup and homemade bread dinner before the service. No communion, so it ended a bit faster than usual. We had a great choir practice singing my new favorite piece, "I'm Going Home." We're apparently singing this Sunday in the balcony. We also found out they apparently still have the robes we all wore in the 70s and 80s. We had a good laugh as there was an argument on whether they were really blue. Everyone thought they were purple, I think, except Marilyn Wigness. The boys had a great time during the practice too like I used to a long time ago with Jennifer. Daniel pretty much explored every possible nook and cranny in the sanctuary and up in the balcony area. At one point we were all singing in the front four pews on the right side with Cathy Hagen at the grand piano off to the front right side. Daniel walked right up to the piano off to Cathy's left in the middle of the song with his hands in his pockets much like an old farmer might pose when inspecting a tractor engine and stuck his nose right in the open top of the piano to see the parts moving inside. Cathy was obviously amused, but I was just hoping he wouldn't break her concentration as I was laughing to hard to keep singing myself. He then headed up to the balcony to do some accompaniment of his own on the piano up there.
I asked Ormand how he liked the CD and he told me it's apparently "on it's way to California with another daughter." Speaking of Ormand, I noticed for the first time last night that our nice black choir music folders are stamped in gold with the words, "In memory of Iola Johnson" who passed away in 2003. Shirley Grochow was feeling much better and returned to the fold whereas Donny is still laid up a bit at home. Scott Grochow's wife, Kristi, invited the boys over for a playdate on Sunday and from what Shirley was saying last night, they want to get together with us to head to the Seven Clans Casino so the boys can go swimming, etc.
In more mundane news, I finally got the Blazer parked in the garage the other night. A couple days later, though, the garage door opener conked out and even after changing batteries in the controller it still wouldn't work. I may have mentioned it earlier, but when we first moved in, I was unable to get the stupid door open and waited several days to get a hold of the remote, thinking it wouldn't work without it. Last weekend, though, I reached up and pulled on the rope to disengage the drive on the opener and sure enough, it slid right open... Go figure.
I've been keeping busy with transcription this week, training by day and working by night. Tomorrow is the last day of training it looks like and I'll be thrown to the wolves. My personal coach, though, teaches transcription at a local community college and has been a very valuable resource and mentor thus far. She said the quality of my work indicates I'll go as far as I want in the field.
Hope everyone's doing well out there. I don't know if you're on the internet at all in Japan, Mom and Dad, but figured I'll keep updating the blog as much as possible just in case you check in now and then.
We had a good time at Trinity last night for lent. They had a chicken noodle soup and homemade bread dinner before the service. No communion, so it ended a bit faster than usual. We had a great choir practice singing my new favorite piece, "I'm Going Home." We're apparently singing this Sunday in the balcony. We also found out they apparently still have the robes we all wore in the 70s and 80s. We had a good laugh as there was an argument on whether they were really blue. Everyone thought they were purple, I think, except Marilyn Wigness. The boys had a great time during the practice too like I used to a long time ago with Jennifer. Daniel pretty much explored every possible nook and cranny in the sanctuary and up in the balcony area. At one point we were all singing in the front four pews on the right side with Cathy Hagen at the grand piano off to the front right side. Daniel walked right up to the piano off to Cathy's left in the middle of the song with his hands in his pockets much like an old farmer might pose when inspecting a tractor engine and stuck his nose right in the open top of the piano to see the parts moving inside. Cathy was obviously amused, but I was just hoping he wouldn't break her concentration as I was laughing to hard to keep singing myself. He then headed up to the balcony to do some accompaniment of his own on the piano up there.
I asked Ormand how he liked the CD and he told me it's apparently "on it's way to California with another daughter." Speaking of Ormand, I noticed for the first time last night that our nice black choir music folders are stamped in gold with the words, "In memory of Iola Johnson" who passed away in 2003. Shirley Grochow was feeling much better and returned to the fold whereas Donny is still laid up a bit at home. Scott Grochow's wife, Kristi, invited the boys over for a playdate on Sunday and from what Shirley was saying last night, they want to get together with us to head to the Seven Clans Casino so the boys can go swimming, etc.
In more mundane news, I finally got the Blazer parked in the garage the other night. A couple days later, though, the garage door opener conked out and even after changing batteries in the controller it still wouldn't work. I may have mentioned it earlier, but when we first moved in, I was unable to get the stupid door open and waited several days to get a hold of the remote, thinking it wouldn't work without it. Last weekend, though, I reached up and pulled on the rope to disengage the drive on the opener and sure enough, it slid right open... Go figure.
I've been keeping busy with transcription this week, training by day and working by night. Tomorrow is the last day of training it looks like and I'll be thrown to the wolves. My personal coach, though, teaches transcription at a local community college and has been a very valuable resource and mentor thus far. She said the quality of my work indicates I'll go as far as I want in the field.
Hope everyone's doing well out there. I don't know if you're on the internet at all in Japan, Mom and Dad, but figured I'll keep updating the blog as much as possible just in case you check in now and then.
Monday, February 21, 2005
New Horizons in Transcription...
Today was a momentous occasion. The equipment arrived in two large boxes from Transolutions, the new medical transcription company I'll be employed by based out of Lake Bluff, Illinois. They sent me a computer, keyboard, modem, 5 thick binders of information including a whole mess of information on medical terminology, pharmacology, directories of local medical facilities, etc. so I'll be able to understand what's being dictated. They have assigned a group named Connecticut Physicians for me to start on and training begins tomorrow morning at 9:00 am. I'm updating the blog here now as I may not be able to give a regular update during the week what with training and all. I'll be maintaining my evening transcription schedule from 8 to midnight as well with e-Transcription.net out of Texas, so I'll be rather busy, I figure. We got Andrew busy too it looks like. I picked up an Eye Toy game on clearance from K-mart yesterday named Eye Toy Groove. It's a webcam type camera that sits on your TV and projects your image on the TV for the PS2 (Playstation) game system and you are essentially "inside" the game. This particular game is dancing, so Andrew's been groovin' to Kool and the Gang, Jackson 5, and a few others. It can really burn the calories when it's too cold to head outside and it looks kinda funny when you get to see a replay of your dance moves on the screen.
Well, that's pretty much all to tell. The boys are in bed and I'm about to head back up there a third time to open up a can of whoop #!@ on them again to get them to go to sleep. Hope all of you out there have a great week in the great State of Washington or wherever you happen to be... :o)
Well, that's pretty much all to tell. The boys are in bed and I'm about to head back up there a third time to open up a can of whoop #!@ on them again to get them to go to sleep. Hope all of you out there have a great week in the great State of Washington or wherever you happen to be... :o)
A Nice Day at Church
We had a nice respite this Sunday from choir duty as they didn't sing today. The boys did great throughout the service and Aaron was kinda cute up front when it was time for the Children's Sermon. Gerry Eggers had the kids come up for the message and was asking them about butterflies and how they are "born again." Aaron piped up with a little statement about caterpillars and what he did with them in kindergarten or something like that. He was pretty cute up there... I gave Ormand Johnson the CD of his daughter, Dad. He was pretty darn happy if I don't say so myself. He made a point of thanking me/you twice for it in short succession. I could tell he's really going to enjoy listening too it and he said he would be letting his daughter know he has it. Mike Lehrer sang a nice solo, actually I think two different solos, both accompanied by Marilyn Wigness. I forgot how nice of a tenor voice he has from when he sang that solo, Oh Rest In The Lord when we did The Elijah. The one he did during the offering begin with a variation of Jesus Loves Me This I Know. He had admonished me to be sure and hum during the song. Other news you might be interested in, Mom and Dad, is Jerry Wigness' birthday is tomorrow/Presidents' Day and it's going to be the 20th anniversary of his 49th birthday...
We got some more of the main living area cleared away of some items and managed to get some more pictures mounted in the living room. I noticed, though, Jen, that I don't have any decent sized picture of your family I can frame and mount. I only have a 3x5, I think. If I could put a special request in for the next photo shoot, that would be great! I have a nice portrait of mom and dad and grandpa at this point. I also cleared the garage a bit tonight, actually it's about 1:30 am Monday. I wanted to finally get the Blazer under cover so it may start a little easier and hopefully I don't have to scrape the windshield as much. It was kinda funny last week as I was sitting in the Blazer waiting for it to warm up and noticing how the windshield appeared frozen on the outside. I even got out to scrape it, but when I started scraping, I noticed there was no ice whatsoever on the outside, this time it was all on the inside... I don't seem to remember that happening when I was growing up over here. Since Presidents' Day is today, the boys don't have any school. For those interested in the weather, the boys have more than enough snow to play in now. It's been snowing the past day and a half so there's a fresh blanket on just about everything except the roof of our house. The snowmobilers should be happy...
We got some more of the main living area cleared away of some items and managed to get some more pictures mounted in the living room. I noticed, though, Jen, that I don't have any decent sized picture of your family I can frame and mount. I only have a 3x5, I think. If I could put a special request in for the next photo shoot, that would be great! I have a nice portrait of mom and dad and grandpa at this point. I also cleared the garage a bit tonight, actually it's about 1:30 am Monday. I wanted to finally get the Blazer under cover so it may start a little easier and hopefully I don't have to scrape the windshield as much. It was kinda funny last week as I was sitting in the Blazer waiting for it to warm up and noticing how the windshield appeared frozen on the outside. I even got out to scrape it, but when I started scraping, I noticed there was no ice whatsoever on the outside, this time it was all on the inside... I don't seem to remember that happening when I was growing up over here. Since Presidents' Day is today, the boys don't have any school. For those interested in the weather, the boys have more than enough snow to play in now. It's been snowing the past day and a half so there's a fresh blanket on just about everything except the roof of our house. The snowmobilers should be happy...
Friday, February 18, 2005
Update on TRF education...
We had a meeting with Aaron's teacher and some of Challenger Elementary's support staff, including the staff psychologist and a couple of therapists yesterday. It's been a couple years since Aaron had a formal evaluation at Chase Lake. They're going to go ahead with another eval and see where he's at now as they think the results from a couple years ago are probably inaccurate. It should take up to a month to complete the testing and then we'll meet again to go over the results and formulate a game plan. They do it a little different here in Minnesota in terms of intensive learning/education support. They have Aaron in his regular classroom instead of separated in one for intensive learning with a home room for only part of the day. They appear to use a few more screening tools as well for identifying learning disabilities. Who's to know if it's "better" than what's been done thus far, but one thing's for sure, how committed they are to kids here.
I caught up with Howard Thorson, my old principal from the country school I went to, St. Hilaire. He ushers quite a bit for Trinity Lutheran and I also see him out at Challenger now. I think I now have an update on all of our teachers, Jen. There should have been 6 teachers total, K - 5. I think I already mentioned my fifth grade teacher, Tom Schaefer, is still teaching in the school district, still teaching fifth grade at Challenger. Sue or "Mrs. Froiland" who taught fourth grade at St. Hilaire now teaches at Challenger, though it may be third now. Our old third grade teacher, Mrs. Poole, is retired and apparently living in the St. Hilaire area. She's getting up in years now and Mr. Thorson mentioned she's been in failing health and perhaps some memory problems. The second grade teacher, Mrs. Cerkowniak (sp?) who taught me how to sing "Do your ears hang low," and "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" was killed approximately 13 years ago before her 40th birthday in Arizona, the result of a head-on collision with a drunk driver. She unfortunately had children of her own left to grow up without their mom. As for the first grade teacher in St. Hilaire, Mrs. Miller, she's Aaron's second grade teacher at Challenger now. I didn't recognize her, but she remembers me and all the times Mrs. Froiland would drag me up to her classroom by the ear and force me to do my homework with the first graders. She was good friends with my second grade teacher. Sharon Iverson, the kindergarten teacher, is now still teaching at Challenger.
It's been snowing today, though the temperature is back above zero at 15.8 degrees. Aaron has a half day at school today and I'll be meeting his bus at 1:15 instead of 3:15 whereas Daniel had no school today, so he's home with us and playing racecar games on the PS2 with Andrew. Other than church continuing to be a fun activity with Lent services and choir practice, there's not much else to update on at this point. Just counting the days til spring is all.
I caught up with Howard Thorson, my old principal from the country school I went to, St. Hilaire. He ushers quite a bit for Trinity Lutheran and I also see him out at Challenger now. I think I now have an update on all of our teachers, Jen. There should have been 6 teachers total, K - 5. I think I already mentioned my fifth grade teacher, Tom Schaefer, is still teaching in the school district, still teaching fifth grade at Challenger. Sue or "Mrs. Froiland" who taught fourth grade at St. Hilaire now teaches at Challenger, though it may be third now. Our old third grade teacher, Mrs. Poole, is retired and apparently living in the St. Hilaire area. She's getting up in years now and Mr. Thorson mentioned she's been in failing health and perhaps some memory problems. The second grade teacher, Mrs. Cerkowniak (sp?) who taught me how to sing "Do your ears hang low," and "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" was killed approximately 13 years ago before her 40th birthday in Arizona, the result of a head-on collision with a drunk driver. She unfortunately had children of her own left to grow up without their mom. As for the first grade teacher in St. Hilaire, Mrs. Miller, she's Aaron's second grade teacher at Challenger now. I didn't recognize her, but she remembers me and all the times Mrs. Froiland would drag me up to her classroom by the ear and force me to do my homework with the first graders. She was good friends with my second grade teacher. Sharon Iverson, the kindergarten teacher, is now still teaching at Challenger.
It's been snowing today, though the temperature is back above zero at 15.8 degrees. Aaron has a half day at school today and I'll be meeting his bus at 1:15 instead of 3:15 whereas Daniel had no school today, so he's home with us and playing racecar games on the PS2 with Andrew. Other than church continuing to be a fun activity with Lent services and choir practice, there's not much else to update on at this point. Just counting the days til spring is all.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Ye Olde Farm House...
Andrew, the boys, and I went up to the old homestead about 3 miles out of St. Hilaire, MN and 47 miles east of Grand Forks, ND. The place looked a bit different than in 1984, the last time I visited, but in many ways it was still the same. I took Andrew and the boys on a mini tour of sorts after talking to the current owners for a bit. The current owner is a lieutenant in the Minnesota Highway Patrol and his wife coincidentally (for me at least) is the head of the RN nursing program at the local college, Northland Community. She told me I could finish an LPN program there in only 3 quarters… (Don’t get any ideas, Wil) Something to think about in the future perhaps... Their son was team captain, I think, on the high school swim team in town. The whole family is just the nicest (like just about everyone else around here) and one of the first sentences out of her mouth was "No, you can't have the house!"
We went through the old path in the woods to the back 40-acre field and checked that area out. The old farm equipment was gone, but I think I made out the handle that I used to engage the plow sticking out of the snow. It may be the same plow I used on the field at 11 or 12 years old. The current owners have built a huge fort out back with a tree house and dozens of barriers to hide behind for paintball including some discarded car hoods and plywood sheets. The trees I planted with sister Jennifer way back when at 2 feet tall are now well over 20 feet and a good 8 inches around at the base. The current owners expressed great appreciation for us having planted those there. We also made it out to the 80 acres further back and met the owner of a new cabin that's been built right next to it. Last name was Hansen, but I didn't remember his first name. He apparently has been living in Nancy Mosbeck's and Tony Ricci's old house a couple farms over. He had plowed the access road with his tractor so we didn’t have problems driving on the snow.
He’s been clearing out a lot of trees on the land out there and the current owners of our old farm wished it wasn't happening. They said he's a retiree, so he probably makes money that way, though they wished he wouldn't destroy so many trees out there. As for the rest of the place, the old barn/shed we used to have at one edge of the front yard is gone, replaced by a newer building and the garden is gone as well. I think I also found the exact same birch tree, though, that Jen and I used to eat lunch in way back when on a lazy afternoon. Pet cemetery is pretty much gone too, or covered by the new building. I'll have to bring Lisa out there later, once the snow's gone perhaps and we can see more. I was thinkin’ for an adventure with the boys this summer we could head to the ditch on the opposite side of the highway from the farm with a metal detector and see if we can find the wrench or vice grip dad threw over there when he got injured putting the dual tires on the old tractor a quarter century ago… J
We had a good time at church this Sunday and this time Daniel walked straight into his Sunday school classroom and let the teacher take off his coat, etc. with not so much as a whimper or whine. We socialized downstairs with some of the senior choir members and older members of the congregation. We sat with Don and Shirley Grochow and Ormond Johnson. The choir did great singing from the balcony and I can’t get over how good the acoustics are in that old church. They have a new soundboard and color TV system there to in order to televise services on Sundays. They have communion there every Sunday now too.
Dawn came out from the Humane Society and gave Duchess her latest shot and transferred ownership officially to us today. We also will be picking up a new bunny from her this week named Funny Bunny. It’s a mini rex. We’ll be putting her out on the covered porch in a spacious cage so the neighbor boys and Aaron and Daniel should enjoy that. So once the fish tank is up and running we’ll look like a pet store… That’s pretty much all that’s happened this weekend that’s worth printing. I hope I don’t repeat myself too much on this blog as I don’t go back and read my old posts. Feel free to add a comment, though, if I do. Take care, all, and I hope everything is well with all of you as it is here.
Jim, Lisa, Aaron, Daniel, Andrew, and Duchess
We went through the old path in the woods to the back 40-acre field and checked that area out. The old farm equipment was gone, but I think I made out the handle that I used to engage the plow sticking out of the snow. It may be the same plow I used on the field at 11 or 12 years old. The current owners have built a huge fort out back with a tree house and dozens of barriers to hide behind for paintball including some discarded car hoods and plywood sheets. The trees I planted with sister Jennifer way back when at 2 feet tall are now well over 20 feet and a good 8 inches around at the base. The current owners expressed great appreciation for us having planted those there. We also made it out to the 80 acres further back and met the owner of a new cabin that's been built right next to it. Last name was Hansen, but I didn't remember his first name. He apparently has been living in Nancy Mosbeck's and Tony Ricci's old house a couple farms over. He had plowed the access road with his tractor so we didn’t have problems driving on the snow.
He’s been clearing out a lot of trees on the land out there and the current owners of our old farm wished it wasn't happening. They said he's a retiree, so he probably makes money that way, though they wished he wouldn't destroy so many trees out there. As for the rest of the place, the old barn/shed we used to have at one edge of the front yard is gone, replaced by a newer building and the garden is gone as well. I think I also found the exact same birch tree, though, that Jen and I used to eat lunch in way back when on a lazy afternoon. Pet cemetery is pretty much gone too, or covered by the new building. I'll have to bring Lisa out there later, once the snow's gone perhaps and we can see more. I was thinkin’ for an adventure with the boys this summer we could head to the ditch on the opposite side of the highway from the farm with a metal detector and see if we can find the wrench or vice grip dad threw over there when he got injured putting the dual tires on the old tractor a quarter century ago… J
We had a good time at church this Sunday and this time Daniel walked straight into his Sunday school classroom and let the teacher take off his coat, etc. with not so much as a whimper or whine. We socialized downstairs with some of the senior choir members and older members of the congregation. We sat with Don and Shirley Grochow and Ormond Johnson. The choir did great singing from the balcony and I can’t get over how good the acoustics are in that old church. They have a new soundboard and color TV system there to in order to televise services on Sundays. They have communion there every Sunday now too.
Dawn came out from the Humane Society and gave Duchess her latest shot and transferred ownership officially to us today. We also will be picking up a new bunny from her this week named Funny Bunny. It’s a mini rex. We’ll be putting her out on the covered porch in a spacious cage so the neighbor boys and Aaron and Daniel should enjoy that. So once the fish tank is up and running we’ll look like a pet store… That’s pretty much all that’s happened this weekend that’s worth printing. I hope I don’t repeat myself too much on this blog as I don’t go back and read my old posts. Feel free to add a comment, though, if I do. Take care, all, and I hope everything is well with all of you as it is here.
Jim, Lisa, Aaron, Daniel, Andrew, and Duchess
Thursday, February 10, 2005
We're dreaming of a white Easter...
Time to catch up a little more here... We attended Ash Wednesday services at Trinity last night and were officially inducted in the senior choir. Many of the other members were there the last time I sang around 1981/1982, i.e. Ormand Johnson, Shirley Grochow, Marilyn and Jerry Wigness, etc. We made some new friends and didn't do too bad considering we only had 30 minutes to practice prior to performing. We ended up staying after the service to practice for Sunday too. We'll be singing from the balcony that day.
As for today, it was another eventful one. I am no longer self-employed... I pretty much secured a position with an online transcription company that will pay me an hourly wage plus a bonus for every line over 175 an hour I type (piece of cake). I'll also get benefits that are extremely affordable for a family including medical and dental for well under $300 a month. They should cover the Dakota Clinic here in town too. I will set my own hours and they'll provide a computer, phone line, and software as well as medical references. They're based in Lake Bluff, Illinois. They also pay holidays too. Finally...a job where I have a boss, but I get to set my own hours and don't have to worry about paying self-employment taxes, finding my own insurance plan, etc. Hooray!!
It snowed a good inch to an inch and a half today, so the boys were out with the neighbors playing after school today. Makes for good after school recreation. That's all for now...
As for today, it was another eventful one. I am no longer self-employed... I pretty much secured a position with an online transcription company that will pay me an hourly wage plus a bonus for every line over 175 an hour I type (piece of cake). I'll also get benefits that are extremely affordable for a family including medical and dental for well under $300 a month. They should cover the Dakota Clinic here in town too. I will set my own hours and they'll provide a computer, phone line, and software as well as medical references. They're based in Lake Bluff, Illinois. They also pay holidays too. Finally...a job where I have a boss, but I get to set my own hours and don't have to worry about paying self-employment taxes, finding my own insurance plan, etc. Hooray!!
It snowed a good inch to an inch and a half today, so the boys were out with the neighbors playing after school today. Makes for good after school recreation. That's all for now...
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Back above zero (for now)...
We had a relatively productive day today. I tested for an online transcription company based in Illinois and think I did pretty good. It will take up to 7 days for the results though. The nice thing is if I'm hired I'll get vacation and sick leave even as a home-based typist and perhaps even a health plan of some kind. A guy could do a lot worse, right? We made it out to Fleet Farm and Home Supply today out by the old Huck Olson arena this afternoon and spent our gift certificate (thanks Mom and Dad!) and got some good stuff for the house. We also picked up a whole house console humidifier as the dog's fur was beginning to look like a porcupine's quills after petting it. I think we could have hooked her up as an extra electricity source if we waited much longer. The eyes and skin already feel much better... We made it over to Wells Fargo today and I noticed the high school boys' swim team's last home meet was tonight against Moorhead, but wasn't able to make it over there, unfortunately. Always next year, I guess. Tomorrow we'll be heading to church for choir practice it looks like, so hopefully Daniel will do okay without us for a little bit. As for Aaron, he's all cheeky smiles as usual as we bought him a rabbit fur lined camouflage Elmer Fudd hat with the ear flaps and all. He looks a lot better than his dad in it, I must say. Couldn't talk Daniel into modeling it for more than 10 seconds though. He'd have nothing to do with it... That's about all to add other than the neighbor boys at the end of the street came over tonight after dinner and played with the boys for a while. Their dad is the pastor at First Baptist here in town. Take care everyone!
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