Life in General

I just thought of this as a title for a blog which "could" have been written by any student at Minneapolis General Hospital before its name was changed to Hennepin County Medical Center. When the LSW and I were student nurses there in the very early '60's there were no computers or blogs or cel phones or much in the way of two way communication except Mr. Bell's wired telephone and the US Postal Service now known as "snail mail". We seemed to have gotten along fine without constant contact and it seemed relaxing to be able to get away from it all.
Now-a-days you can't go ANYWHERE without having the quiet interrupted by someone on the darn phone. I was in the men's room at a local theater recently and some guy was using the urinal with one hand on his thingee and the other on his cel phone. I wondered if the person at the other end could hear the splashing and blowing air hand-dryers? Nutty!!!
Where is it going to end? Will these goofs next be describing the quality, quantity and odors? If I live long enough to see that, I hope the Alzheimers will help me forget quickly.

Reno rocks while Minnesota gets snow

Just got a return email from my brother in Reno. He and family are OK and the house didn't fall into the gully adjacent to his fine home during the 4.7 earthquake. That is a VERY GOOD THING!
Here in MN we got from 1/2 inch to 18 inches of SNOW on April 26 making us very glad we live in the half inch area. Even the highway to North Dakota was closed overnight due to blowing and drifting. Fun! I recall a trip I was allowed to go on as a junior high student. A male teacher had to drive from our small East-central town in South Dakota to Rapid City in the Blackhills. Normally this would be about a 5-6 hour trip, but we got into a BAD blizzard and couldn't see past the hood ornament. He knew we had to keep moving or else. I had to lean out the open window and try to see the edge of the road and give directions as he drove about 10-15 miles per hour.
"Right. Left. Right a little bit---More---Left! Left--- right" and so on. Finally we came to a little town and a motel. He called my folks, got us two rooms and I found a rack of paperback books. I started my lifelong love of science fiction by reading THE CAVES OF STEEL by Isaac Asimov. It was and is one of the greatest stories ever.
My left ear, nose and side of my face looked sunburned for a week and hurt like crazy from thawing out from the frostbite, but we made it to Rapid City the next afternoon!! Not much of an adventure like Krakauer, Byrd, or Heyerdahl, but good enough for a 13 year old boy.

Spring has sprung!!

As dau, Anne told her Mom yeaterday, "I know it is REALLY Spring when the streetsweeper comes along." Well, it came today. A real harbinger, like the robin and the disappearance of the last of our snow piled up by the plow. We live on a cul-de-sac and it seems the easiest place for the plow to put it is mainly on our lot.. Not a major problem, but irritating anyhoo.
The LSW is wandering in the yard picking up sticks and I am seeing tiny sprouts poking up from the rhubarb (mentioned in an earlier post) and other plants I can't name yet--too small. We also have innumerable tiny holes in the baby grass from the squirrels digging for nuts they think they may have burried there last Fall. It looks like their success rate is about forty per cent.
We live in a heavily wooded area--just yesterday I saw these colors of squirrel: RED, GREY, BLACK, and WHITE. It is amazing the variety of colore in these little devils. Fun to watch!! More signs of Spring. HOORAY!

Maybe it DOES grow on trees!!!

My LSW and I felt there was something strangely off about the amount of money in our checkbook register. We NEVER reconcile it like the bank says is a "VERY GOOD IDEA", but even a banker told me that she never does it. In 44 years of marriage, we only were overdrawn twice and had to go to the bank once to have them help with a money error. We were smug as two bugs---as "they" say.
We were sure that there was more money there than we showed but couldn't prove it, so I got the last 9 months of statements, and we did the unthinkable---we reconciled (added up all the deposits, checked off all the checks and transfers in and out and did MATH!!!).
I had had a spell of illness with surgery and the LSW had to totally be in charge of everything. Due to all that stress, she somehow didn't write in a cash deposit and a check---The bank noted these inclusions, but we missed them and so...................there was a bit over $2000 extra. YEAH!!!
We actually found these moneys and did it all without shouting or any axe murders, which, I understand is the current state of affairs with money stress. Good for us and thank GOD it was an error to our good rather than the other way.

Hey!! Where were you?

I was right here but not in the writing mood. I don't want to let this Blogging take over and become a daily log or journal (French). I plan to only add to it when I FEEL like it and not before, so please stop BUGGING me. Actually no one is doing so. I just had to try ventilating on the keyboard a bit. I am not generally an angry person, and it felt very funny-peculiar funny not the Ha-Ha type.
I find I do have things to say, but am wondering if anyone is reading my stuff or if anyone cares. I hear one can get very famous and even win an Oscar if the 'RIGHT PEOPLE" read a Blog and make it into a movie. Look at me, "RIGHT PEOPLE"!!! I am ready to be discovered. How does one get noticed in all the traffic online?? Let me know. Thanks.

SPRING SNOW

Just when we thought it was safe to"ENTER THE WATER AGAIN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN." we get bitten in the posterior by the great white shark and his icy teeth! Wet, cold SNOW! Our rhubarb had barely poked it's first tender test shoots out of the dirt. Poor planning on someone's part, I'd say, but most of it is still sheltered in the depths and will survive. I LOVE rhubarb---pie, sauce on ice cream, rhubarb delight with whipped cream on top, and in pie with strawberries! Heaven on earth-heaven FROM the earth.
And now I shall eruditely compare the reprise of heavenly delights each year with the story of Easter and Resurrection-- What? Youve heard it. OK, someother time.

ANOTHER ESCAPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I did it again---got away with life and limb from operation #34. All went well due to great surgeon, internist, nurses and my wife who always shows her love by coming everyday and doing those million helpful things that others never even think of.
If it comes down to surgery or being attacked by a pack of ravenous Wolverines, choose the surgery-- Doctor's waiting rooms have better magazines. A minor point, but pain is pain and there has to be something.
In two or three weeks the incision will be totally healed. HOOO--RAY!
Then comes the workup for the worn-out knee replacement. I need to get back into "fighting form" so I can do some of the things I used to do>>>and I will!!