It took me a while to figure out how to post a new blog after being out of practice since February. I think that they change the format just to prove that they can. This should be a rather abbreviated version of our year and as usual a lot of it is from my perspective since I'm writing it. So suffer along with me as I account for 2021.
January. I started on one of my Winter projects to keep me busy during the non riding months. This one involves wood paneling and fresh paint in the upstairs garret room. Luckily years back I purchased a power miter saw and a trim nailing gun which greatly simplified the project. Jan and I made the usual shopping trips to stores in the area and I made a preliminary visit to doctor Birkholtz about my upcoming cataract surgery. And it was probably cold and snowy.
February. I had several doctor appointments for check-ups and actual surgeries for both of my cataracts. I had both done for distance vision and the improvement was amazing but it leaves me still wearing glasses for reading etc., so sometimes I wonder if I made the correct choice, but that's just me. I see that we had a long string of below zero nights in February too. Oh yes, Jan and I celebrated our 50th on Valentines day. If you reference my previous blog you can see a more elaborate accounting of events so to speak. Several birthdays are also celebrated this month also, Annika on the 15th, Eli and Scuba on the 23rd and Gus on the 27th.
March. March dawned with some nice temperatures so I got some riding in along with bike maintenance. I did manage to get my first covid vaccination at the VA in Shakopee with a follow up later on. Jan and I made a drive to the Theobalds to see their new addition Maya, what a sweetheart. Also more birthdays this month, Leah on the 9th, Lindsey on the 16th and Genevieve on the 30th. Unusual they all fell on Tuesdays this year.
April. This time of the year we see the weather bouncing all over the place with teens one day and 80s a couple days later, so I got some riding in. I had a good check up with my EMT group at Mayo and Jan made a trip to the ER in New Ulm one night complaining about her heart, which led to a stress test later on in April that was okay. I see that one day we had some snow and I mowed the lawn, not sure in which order that occurred. Along here my brother Paul is looking at a townhome in St. James. He plans to move here from Duluth in the future so brother Phil and I have looked it over. After discovering a lot of water damage in our trailer that long term project got started out at Eli and Lindsey's farm. A section of the roof needed to be replaced and the whole front end sheet metal had to come off to get at the rotted wood underneath.
May. Pretty much working on the trailer, assorted maintenance of vehicles etc.. Jan had started quite a lot of plants for the expanded garden that was being planned and we got a lot of them in the ground at the farm, believe me the tomatoes were enjoyed much later this year. May is also a busy month for birthdays with Paul on the 4th, Phil and Joe on the 19th and mine on the 25th.
June. I am still working on the trailer water problem with an assist from Eli of course. We are making progress on the rot and leaking roof, luckily it has been indoors in one of the sheds at the farm, so it is staying dry in the meantime. June looks like Jan's medical month with a trip to the emergency room in New Ulm and a trip to Abbot in the Twin Cities to check on a growth in her lung. We stayed overnight at a hotel in Edina and used Uber to get back and forth from Abbot for the first time, it works pretty slick. Abbot is located in a rather sketchy part on Minneapolis and this was during the "mostly peaceful" riots just up the street from there. I had been getting in as much riding as possible and getting to a few Patriot Guard missions too.
July. July was pretty much Jan's month for medical visits, with a trip to the emergency room in New Ulm and a return visit to Abbot in the Cities. This time it was to remove the growth from her lung. The doctor, who looked about 19, said about the growth "you will probably die with it not from it" which is a good thing. Other than that I was getting some riding in and attending Patriot Guard missions in the area. Also Aaron's birthday on the 10th.
August. The usual assorted doctor visits for Jan and I. We did have both our son-in-law Hans home for a couple days and then Rachel for a few more. I did ride down into Iowa to look at how they have recovered from The Derecho storm that hit there in 2020. Still a mess in some places but making progress on a major storm that was practically unreported outside of the upper midwest. After I discovered that one of the B-52's that I had been on over Viet Nam in 1966 was a gate guard at Whiteman AFB in Missouri I made a visit on a warm day. I took the GT this time though. Jan and I drove to the Black Hills for a few days at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge, always a nice place to stay and dine right across the road at the Latchstring. The stay at the lodge and a gift certificate at the Common Grounds, a restaurant in Spearfish were 50th anniversary gifts from Rachel, Gen and Eli. So, thanks again you three. Rachel celebrated her birthday here on the 18th.
September. I must not have made any note of it but sometime this Summer I got rid of a couple of bikes and turned around and bought another BMW, so I'm down one. I had another good check-up with the ENT department at Mayo and headed out on a long bike ride that was going to Utah but ended up in southern Colorado. This was to be kind of an experiment on getting fed with no teeth while on the road. Actually it did not go too bad allowing for my toothless handicap. The ride went good compared with the ride last September when I got caught in cold temperatures and snow in the Hills while making my escape from Wyoming. Our son-in-law's Han's birthday was the 5th.
October. Jan and I did get to some soccer games this Fall and trips to the dermatologist more than once to various parts removed and repaired. Other than that it was a pretty quiet month with the two of us spending some time with Jan's sister at Wadena the end of October. Not that quiet though with birthdays for William on the 14th, Jan on the 22nd and Sam on the 23rd.
November. Started with Jan and I and the Theobalds to the State Soccer Tournament at the Viking's stadium in the Cities. Sam's team played under the lights. I rode to Sioux Falls one Saturday and the next it was cold and snowy so it's that time of year again. We had Thanksgiving at Gen and Steve's house again this year with a house full of people. It' good to be getting back to some semblance of normal. I put the Mustang away for the winter and did manage to get a bike out one last time, maybe.
December. What a month! 10 to 12 inches of snow on the 10th and rain and tornados on the 15th! These were the first recorded tornados in history in Minnesota in December. We are living in interesting times to be sure. Jan and I are getting to some basketball games now so that's fun. We will be attending a gathering in Edina for Christmas this year again after a break last year of course. Other than that I have been doing a couple projects around the house for Jan, just some shelves and adding some lighting in the basement. It looks like I may make it through this year without another cancer surgery after two last year, a record I do not want to repeat. So we finish out this year trying to remember what we are really celebrating amid all of the hustle and bustle, anxiety and depression is Christ's Birthday. Try and relax, count your blessings and love each other as easy or hard as that might be. With any luck we'll see you next year.
Pete Kuehl 19 December 2021
