Following convention July should follow June where I come from. So here we go with the second half at my attempt to bore you readers to tears. I had to rebuild the clutch slave cylinder on my 94 Ducati, probably spending entirely too much time in the garage doesn't help with age problems even for motorcycles. Jan and I headed down to Lanesboro with the trailer and a bike after spending that morning early, running to New Ulm Menards for sump pump parts. Our time down there is usually fun with one of the best fireworks shows we have seen, and I get a little riding in, heading over to Wisconsin for their back roads. Jan had a cousin pass away shortly after we got home so we had a funeral to attend in Jackson. At our age it seems like funerals are getting more common and are the only time we see a lot of people. I suppose that if we can hang on a while longer grand children will be getting married and start having families, so the cycle continues. I managed to get to some more PGR missions in the area, and Jan and I putzed around on some projects out at the farm. Even though it seems like yesterday, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing this year. Looking back now with what I have learned over the years, that was a incredible achievement that we would be hard pressed to duplicate today. I did my annual Big Horn mountain loop over to Wyoming later on with the new Triumph Tiger.
August finds me catching up on some homestead projects, doing some maintenance on our deck and hitting a few PGR missions. Jan had a go around with that medical procedure that everybody hates, it turned out okay. We got caught in the heaviest rainfall I have ever attempted to drive in, while the radio warned us of a tornado near Bingham Lake which happened to be the town we were driving by. We wanted to do some shopping in Windom but all the stores were shut down due to the tornado in the area. We live such an exciting life I can hardly stand it. Jan and I drove up to the Cities to make our reservations at the hotel that we are going to celebrate Christmas at with the whole family in just a few days from now- December 19-. I actually got the bicycle out of the garage and put on some miles before we headed for Ridgway, Colorado for a few days. Jan gets to hang around the motel, which has just gone through a big remodel in the lobby, cruise the thrift shops and I go riding in the San Juan mountains. We got home in time for Labor Day, but that's another month.
September, now we are getting to Vikings football and Leah playing volleyball with the St. Pauls team. Thunderstorms are making several appearances along with a tornado in Sioux Falls. Also Gus and Sam are busy with Fall soccer games at many different locations. Jan and I traded our Escape for a new Edge, mainly because we wanted a better riding vehicle with heated seats and steering wheel. One thing that I have noticed is that we can have a conversation while driving down the road without raising our voices much. The end of the month I tried heading down to New Mexico to try and find some sites that were used in the series "Longmire". The weather was kind of chilly and regardless of how warmly you dress, after a while you get cold, discouraged I headed home from near Cheyenne, maybe next year. I am working on putting a new wiring harness in Elis' 64 Falcon a bit at a time, so far the testing has been coming out good, so wish me luck.
October starts with more heavy rain, it's been a wet year so far. After an online course at the University of U-tube I replaced the rear brakes and rotors on Jan's car. Next up is the fronts, maybe next Spring. A couple days later I hit another deer, that makes four, and I hope that it's the last. Jan and I flew out to Washington to visit with the DeFor family for a few days. Rachel's job with a local contractor has her running all over the area moving supplies etc. around and I rode along a couple of days, I had a good time flying around northern Virginia- I think, most of the time I had no idea where we were. One of the stops in Arlington had us close to the Air Force Memorial so I kind of know where that is. Jan and I flew home on the 16th and we had a 70th birthday get together at the Schells Brewery on the 19th for the tour, imagine our surprise when Rachel and Gen showed up! They had orchestrated the whole thing, our three children Rachel, Genevieve and Steve and their two boys Sam and Gus and Eli and Lindsey and Leah and Aaron, Jan's sister Paula, my brothers Phil and Paul and their wives Laura and Marcy. I don't think that I missed anybody, but it was quite a day for Jan and I.
We had supper in New Ulm and cocktails later. The next day was Vikings football here and it was nice enough to put the tv out on the deck which has always been a great way to enjoy a Fall afternoon. Routine things kind of filled the rest of the month, but it had been a great one getting to celebrate the 70th birthday of the woman I love.
November where Fall goes to die and Winter really begins. Jan went up to Wadena to spend some time with her sister Paula and a couple days later I went there too and we came home together to find four inches of new snow on the ground at home, and so it begins. Leah and Aaron's school had a nice veterans day program that I attended. Got the Mustang's oil changed and put it away for the winter in a corner of the garage, now Jan's car gets to be indoors till Spring. We had an assortment of doctors appointments, one a pre-op for me for that unmentionable procedure and one at Mayo with my guy. As long as we keep getting good reports from him it's always a pleasant visit with doctor Eli and nurse Dawn, even if it's not good check up we still chit chat about things like the sky dive in May and how the riding is going among other things. We put snow stoppers on the roof the day before we got another 8 to 10 inches of wet snow, so the timing worked out that time for me. Thanksgiving was at the Theobalds in Rochester again this year. During the pre dinner festivities I had the thought that occurred to me before in of all places the Target in Burke "I'm really going to miss this when it's over". Life I'm pretty sure what I meant. I was also making some progress on the Falcon wiring project, so there is that.
So December begins with the ugly the bad and the good. Colonoscopy prep, actual procedure and the news that a small polyp was okay, and now for the good part, at my advanced age I don't need another one-ever! Then a weekend of basketball with Leah and Aaron at Redwood Falls and Sam and Gus at Northfield. A lot of driving but I have never complained about driving unless the weather is totally impossible. Jan says I'm like a black lab, just mention going somewhere and I'm out in the car waiting. About this time the temperatures took a turn for the basement with daytime highs at or below zero with snow and high winds. We had three National Guardsmen killed in a helicopter crash near St. Cloud, one of whom was a St. James graduate. I did make one of their funerals at St. Johns abbey. This funeral was almost like the Killed in Action funerals that I have attended in the past. Lots of military, tears, ceremonies, flag presentations to his family ending with a dual helicopter flyover. I shook a lot of hands after that including our governor Walz. And that about brings us up to date. I have been putzing around with the bikes but I have to save myself for the depths of Winter when I will really need something to do besides read. Jan and I will be heading up to the Cities to spend a few days with our family in a hotel near Southdale. Sometimes a person has to take some time and sit back and consider what the root cause of all of the hustling and bustling, depression, fear of not having everything exactly right, need I go on? Remember Christ is the reason for the season. That sounds a little trite, or still minimizing the real part of that slogan...Christ. I'll leave you all, or the couple that actually read this, with that.
Pete Kuehl 20 December 2019
Friday, December 20, 2019
Friday, December 13, 2019
The 2019 Letter at Christmas Time part 1
I find myself less interested in putting out this letter every year, call it what you will but from my point of view it's really only interesting to us. So there, I have that out in the open. Maybe it is the weather system that just literally just blew in this morning. Jan and I were heading up to New Ulm at 6am for a doctors appointment and the visibility in blowing snow and falling temperatures forced us back to town for breakfast at the Home Town. Wait, this is supposed to be the Christmas letter so I better get back on subject.
January like most Januarys in this part of the world was cold and mostly nasty, snow, cleaning out after, more snow, digging out ad infinitum. Jan and I did manage to get to follow the Theobald boys basketball season. I spent a lot of time re reading a couple series of books in order and we watched a lot of tv series on dvds. I also had a few projects to keep me busy in the garage and doing some finishing work in the basement. Really bitter cold by the end of the month, -26 at night and high temperature of -16 oof da.
February starts out with me and a cold that got worse as time went by, eventually Jan got it too. Jan and I were down to Ormsby to the bank to finish up some paperwork to get my Mom's bank accounts closed out finally. She had her ducks in a row financially thank goodness, not like my sister who had not until my brother Paul and wife Marcy got a lot of it in line a few years ago. Jan and I celebrated our 48th anniversary at Bailey's in Ormsby when they had a special for Valentine's Day, our anniversary date. In checking my notes I see that we got 5-6 inches of snow about every few days with a blizzard with 50 mph winds thrown in, somehow we did manage to make a couple of routine doctor appointments.
March started with what else but more snow and wind and below zero temperatures. Jan, Leah, Aaron and I did manage to get to Rochester to watch Sam and Gus play basketball in a tournament on a day between storms. We did spend some time in Menards finally getting a gun safe and a really nice electric fireplace that Jan, showing some of her Jewish dna, got it for about half the regular price. Actually toward the end of the month I managed to get a couple bikes out for a run, so things are starting to moderate some. Also the Mustang came out of cold storage for the Summer and I did manage to get to some PGR missions in locations in southern Minnesota.
April, I have got to think of a better start to a month than using a variation of the word start. Anyhow, I managed to get the BMW in for it's Spring checkup at the dealer in Sioux City before the next round of nasty weather hit. Jan and I did trade in the Triumph Bonneville in for another Triumph Tiger, the 2012 Tiger was purchased by Eli. Jan and I were to the Theobalds in Rochester for Easter and it was 85 degrees that day, and 45 the next with rain, wow only in Minnesota. We did keep an eye on Leah and Aaron while Eli and Lindsey made a run to The Hills.
May. I had a PGR mission down to the new state veteran cemetery at Preston and mowed the lawn at the beginning of the month. Jan and I were up to Sleepy Eye to watch Leah and Aaron participate in the track meet for all of the Lutheran schools in the area. It's really fun to see all of those young people, Lutherans all, by the hundreds I think pretty much having a good time. I replaced the stool in one bathroom with a new Kohler super dooper model recommended by a close expert. And the soccer season starts with trips to assorted fields in southern Minnesota and a check up with my doctor at Rochester Mayo. Got a clean bill of health again PTL. Made a bread run to Sioux City and one to MSP to pick up Rachel who had come home for my 75th birthday-Memorial Day festivities. May 25th was an extremely big day for me and our family, We had our usual get together at a park in Owatonna and Eli and my first ever parachute jump. The weather was great, we had brothers Paul and Phil with their wives Marcy and Laura, children Rachel, Gen and Eli with their spouses Steve, boys Sam and Gus, Lindsey children Leah and Aaron. Rachel was here by herself as the rest of the family was home in the D.C. area. One at a time to 10,000 feet a little free fall with at least 10 minutes under the canopy. For me I guess it was more of a check off on my bucket list but Eli loved it. I got to thank my wife Jan for coming up with it, lining it up and for the kiddos for chipping in. Quite a day all in all. I looked out the kitchen window one day after a heavy rain and saw a buzzard sitting on the back of a chair on the deck right outside. It was there all afternoon and eventually flew off. I think it got caught in that heavy rain and got too soaked to fly. Weird looking up close but unique.
June. I finally made it all the way to Elko, Nevada after a couple of aborted trips in past years. Last year it was smoke so thick it was hard to see more than a mile or two. This year the weather was nice, a little warm around Salt Lake and the salt flats and breezy out there. Elko was kind of surprising in that it is a busy growing place in what looks like the high plains. I spent some time touring around the Ruby mountains. Got stopped by snow banks going up the Lamoille Canyon and then made a long circuit to Ely. The run from Ely to Beaver, Utah was a pleasant surprise, green- this time of year- rolling valleys between mountain ranges when I expected dry desert type terrain judging by the maps I had been studying. From there it was a run through northern Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and home. So I have that one checked off the bucket list. Having no desire to head east on a bike I do have some other destinations to look to in the future. In the middle of June the DeFor clan stopped by on their way home, so to speak. They had had a good trip west as far as Craters of the Moon in Idaho. We had Rachel home over my birthday the last of May and now she and Hans, Joe, Annie and Will spent a couple more days here. Jan and I were making some soccer games for our grand kids, out to the farm on projects and doctor appointments. The 20th there was a tornado east of town that hit the airport and the turkey barns along hiway 60, it was quite a mess. The turkey barn still is missing most of its roof and the hanger destroyed has not been replaced. I managed to attend several PGR missions during June, so it's been a pretty busy month. I will post this half and finish the rest a little later.
January like most Januarys in this part of the world was cold and mostly nasty, snow, cleaning out after, more snow, digging out ad infinitum. Jan and I did manage to get to follow the Theobald boys basketball season. I spent a lot of time re reading a couple series of books in order and we watched a lot of tv series on dvds. I also had a few projects to keep me busy in the garage and doing some finishing work in the basement. Really bitter cold by the end of the month, -26 at night and high temperature of -16 oof da.
February starts out with me and a cold that got worse as time went by, eventually Jan got it too. Jan and I were down to Ormsby to the bank to finish up some paperwork to get my Mom's bank accounts closed out finally. She had her ducks in a row financially thank goodness, not like my sister who had not until my brother Paul and wife Marcy got a lot of it in line a few years ago. Jan and I celebrated our 48th anniversary at Bailey's in Ormsby when they had a special for Valentine's Day, our anniversary date. In checking my notes I see that we got 5-6 inches of snow about every few days with a blizzard with 50 mph winds thrown in, somehow we did manage to make a couple of routine doctor appointments.
March started with what else but more snow and wind and below zero temperatures. Jan, Leah, Aaron and I did manage to get to Rochester to watch Sam and Gus play basketball in a tournament on a day between storms. We did spend some time in Menards finally getting a gun safe and a really nice electric fireplace that Jan, showing some of her Jewish dna, got it for about half the regular price. Actually toward the end of the month I managed to get a couple bikes out for a run, so things are starting to moderate some. Also the Mustang came out of cold storage for the Summer and I did manage to get to some PGR missions in locations in southern Minnesota.
April, I have got to think of a better start to a month than using a variation of the word start. Anyhow, I managed to get the BMW in for it's Spring checkup at the dealer in Sioux City before the next round of nasty weather hit. Jan and I did trade in the Triumph Bonneville in for another Triumph Tiger, the 2012 Tiger was purchased by Eli. Jan and I were to the Theobalds in Rochester for Easter and it was 85 degrees that day, and 45 the next with rain, wow only in Minnesota. We did keep an eye on Leah and Aaron while Eli and Lindsey made a run to The Hills.
May. I had a PGR mission down to the new state veteran cemetery at Preston and mowed the lawn at the beginning of the month. Jan and I were up to Sleepy Eye to watch Leah and Aaron participate in the track meet for all of the Lutheran schools in the area. It's really fun to see all of those young people, Lutherans all, by the hundreds I think pretty much having a good time. I replaced the stool in one bathroom with a new Kohler super dooper model recommended by a close expert. And the soccer season starts with trips to assorted fields in southern Minnesota and a check up with my doctor at Rochester Mayo. Got a clean bill of health again PTL. Made a bread run to Sioux City and one to MSP to pick up Rachel who had come home for my 75th birthday-Memorial Day festivities. May 25th was an extremely big day for me and our family, We had our usual get together at a park in Owatonna and Eli and my first ever parachute jump. The weather was great, we had brothers Paul and Phil with their wives Marcy and Laura, children Rachel, Gen and Eli with their spouses Steve, boys Sam and Gus, Lindsey children Leah and Aaron. Rachel was here by herself as the rest of the family was home in the D.C. area. One at a time to 10,000 feet a little free fall with at least 10 minutes under the canopy. For me I guess it was more of a check off on my bucket list but Eli loved it. I got to thank my wife Jan for coming up with it, lining it up and for the kiddos for chipping in. Quite a day all in all. I looked out the kitchen window one day after a heavy rain and saw a buzzard sitting on the back of a chair on the deck right outside. It was there all afternoon and eventually flew off. I think it got caught in that heavy rain and got too soaked to fly. Weird looking up close but unique.
June. I finally made it all the way to Elko, Nevada after a couple of aborted trips in past years. Last year it was smoke so thick it was hard to see more than a mile or two. This year the weather was nice, a little warm around Salt Lake and the salt flats and breezy out there. Elko was kind of surprising in that it is a busy growing place in what looks like the high plains. I spent some time touring around the Ruby mountains. Got stopped by snow banks going up the Lamoille Canyon and then made a long circuit to Ely. The run from Ely to Beaver, Utah was a pleasant surprise, green- this time of year- rolling valleys between mountain ranges when I expected dry desert type terrain judging by the maps I had been studying. From there it was a run through northern Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and home. So I have that one checked off the bucket list. Having no desire to head east on a bike I do have some other destinations to look to in the future. In the middle of June the DeFor clan stopped by on their way home, so to speak. They had had a good trip west as far as Craters of the Moon in Idaho. We had Rachel home over my birthday the last of May and now she and Hans, Joe, Annie and Will spent a couple more days here. Jan and I were making some soccer games for our grand kids, out to the farm on projects and doctor appointments. The 20th there was a tornado east of town that hit the airport and the turkey barns along hiway 60, it was quite a mess. The turkey barn still is missing most of its roof and the hanger destroyed has not been replaced. I managed to attend several PGR missions during June, so it's been a pretty busy month. I will post this half and finish the rest a little later.
Monday, December 31, 2018
2018 The Final Chapter
Since this is the last day of 2018 I guess that it would be appropriate to end this string of renditions of our lives. I believe that I ended with November so December it is. What else? The 1st we got 8-10 inches of snow that needed moving and it was not powder. It is winter and I can't ride so I have to think of something else. The last couple of years it was models. This year I have started to read all of my John Sanford novels, in order mind you. Over the years I have read them randomly as I picked them up, so I got the bright idea to arrange them in order and start over. They do run in order so that now I can see different characters develop. Anyhow that 's how I am staying busy so far. I do have a project going in the garage starting with new lighting and a coat of fresh paint in my shop. Next up is a rewire of the north garage that I really did not do robustly enough. I think that earlier I mentioned that Laura's Dad had passed away, so Jan and I were up to Morris for his visitation and funeral in Hancock the next day. This was in a long string of above average weather luckily enough, so there were no travel problems, which could have been a problem in these parts this time of the year. Speaking of funerals, I don't think that I mentioned it earlier, but in January Jan and I were to Austin for Steve Defor, Han's Dad's visitation and funeral. The weather at that time was also unusually nice for January, funny thing our wedding day in February 1971 was beautiful after a spell of nasty winter weather. Must be the good Lord looking after us. Me, I have no idea why I'm so lucky, but other people deserve it. Jan and I have hosted a couple of Viking football games, some terrific, some pathetic. I have spent some time dealing with the sale, finally, of Mom's home, which believe it or not was closed today and I have my third in the bank already. Christmas was celebrated at Eli and Lindsey's farm near St. James with the whole gang minus sadly, the Defors who thought that a weekend near their home in Virginia was preferable to a slog home 1300 miles one way. Christmas eve Jan and I drove up to Sleepy Eye for their light show at a park on the north side of the lake. It was fantastic! Trees all covered with different colored lights that dance in time with music and change colors according to the tunes. I think that it rivals the display at Sibley Park in Mankato that gets all of the publicity. So 2018 stagers to the end of a string of days with too many funerals, family members and veterans too. I am hoping that the promise of Christ's birth will see us through the coming year and see us all in reasonably good health next year at this time. Signing off at 2135 on 31 December, 2018.
An addendum here. Thinking back to Han's Dad Steve, he would have been so proud to see his son Hans promoted to Captain at the National Archives in Washington D.C.. Hans' Mom Donna and Rachel, Josiah, Annika and William did get to see him get his Eagles. They have worked very hard and sacrificed to reach this point. For you non Navy types that's a full Colonel rank. I'm sure that I have missed other things, but as you can see it has run to 5 parts this year. I always swear that I am not going to do this anymore, because as near as I can tell only two people read these tales of blood sweat and tears, not counting Jan who kind of proof reads.
An addendum here. Thinking back to Han's Dad Steve, he would have been so proud to see his son Hans promoted to Captain at the National Archives in Washington D.C.. Hans' Mom Donna and Rachel, Josiah, Annika and William did get to see him get his Eagles. They have worked very hard and sacrificed to reach this point. For you non Navy types that's a full Colonel rank. I'm sure that I have missed other things, but as you can see it has run to 5 parts this year. I always swear that I am not going to do this anymore, because as near as I can tell only two people read these tales of blood sweat and tears, not counting Jan who kind of proof reads.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Pre Christmas Post part 4
Our July started with the traditional trip to Lanesboro for the 4th. The day that we got there we had heavy rain and wind but it was nice the rest of the time we were there. I had a bike along and did manage to get over into Wisconsin and explore west of LaCrescent. As usual the fireworks were unbelievable, again. It was hot and humid for days on end, while we did the mundane things around the house and yard. I was getting paperwork organized to start finishing up Mom's paperwork by getting signatures from all of us involved. I did some bike maintenance like oil changes and a tire on the 650 among other things. I made a short run out to Wyoming again with the idea of going farther west but lost interest by the time I got to Mule Creek Junction, so I circled around and went home, one of these days I will make it to Nevada. We spent time at the farm, Jan mowing grass and chasing the goats around, me I must have been putzing with other projects out there. Jan and I did spend a beautiful evening in North Mankato at the Blues on Belgrade event. There were several bands, lots of people, cold beer, the usual. I did manage to get to a PGR mission in Jackson along with doctor appointments for Jan.
August dawned with a visit from our east coast branch flying in from Burke, Virginia.They spent a couple days here, and then we all went up to St. Paul to spend some time together at the Hyatt for the weekend. We spent a fun couple of days together then everybody split up and went home. Jan and I brought home a ton of wood pellets, and stain for the house painting project which started a few days later. Jan and I met Donna DeFor at Jordan to bring Annika to our home for a weeks stay. The painting project was completed in just two days by two guys spraying and brushing groves in the siding. About that time our cement guy did the lip for the trailer slab, which should have been done when it was built in the first place. I took another 3 day trip on the bike to the SAC museum at Ashland, Nebraska, up across Nebraska to the Badlands and home. I holed up in Murdo for a bad squall the last night and cruised home the following morning. This has been a summer when any rain less than a couple inches is just a shower. We broke down and got an electric start mower for Jan's farm mowing hobby, but after trying it, found it was not too good to use, so we took it back.
September. My cell phone crapped out for me and needed to be replaced. I ended up with a new I phone which I am still trying to get used to, the phone that failed me was an Android and worked a lot differently. Oh well, technology marched on and it has left me in the dust. Jan and I loaded my dirt bike up and headed back out to Ridgway, Colorado for some riding for me and some down time for her. We went out through Hot Springs and Craig, Colorado, pretty much a nice drive all the way. I got part of the way up Imogene Pass and dropped the bike again, I've got to admit it was wet and I was not in shape for that pass. So I went over Corkscrew and down to Silverton and back to Ridgway. The next day we just went for a drive down to Delores and Durango, more beautiful scenery to take in. Our return route home took us across eastern Colorado and Nebraska, so not so scenic. Jan and I are getting to soccer games for all of our local grandkiddos in this area, and I'm spending some time on vehicle care. I was on my way down to Sioux City to get some work done on the GS and ran into another couple with a GS from Argentina that were on their way back from Alaska!! It just goes to show that you never know what you can run across when you are riding a bike. On the 22nd our daughter Genevieve was inducted into the St. James High School Hall of Fame for her exploits in 3 sports at a function at the VFW. It was nice to see her get some recognition for a lot of hard work. Jan and I started getting our affairs in order by meeting with a lawyer to get as many bases covered as we can, so to make it easier for survivors. We have been getting an education on the importance of getting things taken care of as early as possible, because the last few years have been eye opening about the subject.
October. It seems early but we are spending time getting ready for the winter that is waiting in the wings, putting bikes away, cleaning garages and paying Mom's property taxes again. Jan's sister Paula came down from Wadena to spend some time here. We were back to Rochester for a checkup for me for a change and things are doing fine. I go back every 6 months now just to keep an eye on things, hopefully 3 times is the charm, but I won't bet on it. Around the middle of the month we loaded up and started out for Virginia. After driving by the AMA museum in Ohio several times we did manage to stop and spend some time and purchase the obligatory t shirt for proof that I had been there. Han's defense department job requires him to fly out to the Islands occasionally and Rachel could go along if we could watch the gang, which is the reason, well one of the reasons we went out. Jan and I had not seen their new home which was not too far from the previous home in Burke. It is very nice in a good neighborhood where home prices make a rural Minnesota guy like me, choke a little. Anyhow we ran Joe, Annie and Will to and from parochial school every day. Here we are just outside Washington, DC and we usually get to the local Target for entertainment. Did get locked out one morning returning from school, which entailed a trip to Home Depot for a new lockset, it was needed anyhow. After an uneventful trip home the calendar changes to-
November where the weather started to go into the dumper, high temps in the teens and snow and rain etc, etc.. Activities are slowing down some, a trip to Rochester for Sam and Gus' VIP day at Holy Spirit and cleaning up leaves. Jan did get some landscaping done around the house so that does cut down on the amount of lawn to take care of and it looks nice too. Jan spotted a special at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge so we drove out for a couple of days to take advantage of that. It was so beautiful and quiet in the Hills that time of year, and the canyon in the morning, wow. I got the news when we returned that Mom's house, which had been on the market for over a year, had finally sold for a lot less than was originally asked. Frankly we were glad to get that part behind us, and I won't miss making sure that it is okay and insured among other things. A return trip to Rochester for basketball games, home for a couple days with a return for Thanksgiving at the Theobalds. I can't wait until they finish, or even put it in the plans, to finish highway 14 from Owatonna to Dodge Center. I did manage to get the Mustang tucked away in the garage for the winter before the month ran out. I will do December in a week or so just so it will be more accurate.
August dawned with a visit from our east coast branch flying in from Burke, Virginia.They spent a couple days here, and then we all went up to St. Paul to spend some time together at the Hyatt for the weekend. We spent a fun couple of days together then everybody split up and went home. Jan and I brought home a ton of wood pellets, and stain for the house painting project which started a few days later. Jan and I met Donna DeFor at Jordan to bring Annika to our home for a weeks stay. The painting project was completed in just two days by two guys spraying and brushing groves in the siding. About that time our cement guy did the lip for the trailer slab, which should have been done when it was built in the first place. I took another 3 day trip on the bike to the SAC museum at Ashland, Nebraska, up across Nebraska to the Badlands and home. I holed up in Murdo for a bad squall the last night and cruised home the following morning. This has been a summer when any rain less than a couple inches is just a shower. We broke down and got an electric start mower for Jan's farm mowing hobby, but after trying it, found it was not too good to use, so we took it back.
September. My cell phone crapped out for me and needed to be replaced. I ended up with a new I phone which I am still trying to get used to, the phone that failed me was an Android and worked a lot differently. Oh well, technology marched on and it has left me in the dust. Jan and I loaded my dirt bike up and headed back out to Ridgway, Colorado for some riding for me and some down time for her. We went out through Hot Springs and Craig, Colorado, pretty much a nice drive all the way. I got part of the way up Imogene Pass and dropped the bike again, I've got to admit it was wet and I was not in shape for that pass. So I went over Corkscrew and down to Silverton and back to Ridgway. The next day we just went for a drive down to Delores and Durango, more beautiful scenery to take in. Our return route home took us across eastern Colorado and Nebraska, so not so scenic. Jan and I are getting to soccer games for all of our local grandkiddos in this area, and I'm spending some time on vehicle care. I was on my way down to Sioux City to get some work done on the GS and ran into another couple with a GS from Argentina that were on their way back from Alaska!! It just goes to show that you never know what you can run across when you are riding a bike. On the 22nd our daughter Genevieve was inducted into the St. James High School Hall of Fame for her exploits in 3 sports at a function at the VFW. It was nice to see her get some recognition for a lot of hard work. Jan and I started getting our affairs in order by meeting with a lawyer to get as many bases covered as we can, so to make it easier for survivors. We have been getting an education on the importance of getting things taken care of as early as possible, because the last few years have been eye opening about the subject.
October. It seems early but we are spending time getting ready for the winter that is waiting in the wings, putting bikes away, cleaning garages and paying Mom's property taxes again. Jan's sister Paula came down from Wadena to spend some time here. We were back to Rochester for a checkup for me for a change and things are doing fine. I go back every 6 months now just to keep an eye on things, hopefully 3 times is the charm, but I won't bet on it. Around the middle of the month we loaded up and started out for Virginia. After driving by the AMA museum in Ohio several times we did manage to stop and spend some time and purchase the obligatory t shirt for proof that I had been there. Han's defense department job requires him to fly out to the Islands occasionally and Rachel could go along if we could watch the gang, which is the reason, well one of the reasons we went out. Jan and I had not seen their new home which was not too far from the previous home in Burke. It is very nice in a good neighborhood where home prices make a rural Minnesota guy like me, choke a little. Anyhow we ran Joe, Annie and Will to and from parochial school every day. Here we are just outside Washington, DC and we usually get to the local Target for entertainment. Did get locked out one morning returning from school, which entailed a trip to Home Depot for a new lockset, it was needed anyhow. After an uneventful trip home the calendar changes to-
November where the weather started to go into the dumper, high temps in the teens and snow and rain etc, etc.. Activities are slowing down some, a trip to Rochester for Sam and Gus' VIP day at Holy Spirit and cleaning up leaves. Jan did get some landscaping done around the house so that does cut down on the amount of lawn to take care of and it looks nice too. Jan spotted a special at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge so we drove out for a couple of days to take advantage of that. It was so beautiful and quiet in the Hills that time of year, and the canyon in the morning, wow. I got the news when we returned that Mom's house, which had been on the market for over a year, had finally sold for a lot less than was originally asked. Frankly we were glad to get that part behind us, and I won't miss making sure that it is okay and insured among other things. A return trip to Rochester for basketball games, home for a couple days with a return for Thanksgiving at the Theobalds. I can't wait until they finish, or even put it in the plans, to finish highway 14 from Owatonna to Dodge Center. I did manage to get the Mustang tucked away in the garage for the winter before the month ran out. I will do December in a week or so just so it will be more accurate.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Pre Christmas part 3
May started with warm temperatures for a change, so things got moving around our house and out at the farm. A couple years back I spent some time restoring a 1979 Honda that really had not been running very well. I got a cheap carb for it and it started first kick, so that project is done as far as I can go. Jan and I are running around southern Minnesota following our grand kids track and soccer events. We got the news that Mom had been selected to be the queen at Pleasant View this year, we were all surprised to say the least. It was a short lived reign as she passed away on the 20th barely a week later. You can refer back to my first post this Christmas for more details. Prior to that time, Jan and I drove to Dayton, Ohio to visit the Air Force Museum. The Memphis Belle, a WWII B-17 had been totally restored and was being unveiled to the public at the time I was there. I am sure that she did not look that good the day she rolled off of the assembly line. After the 20th we were spending a lot of time getting ready for Mom's funeral by making arrangements with the funeral director, checking with the bank in Ormsby and cleaning out her room at the rest home. The day of the funeral it managed to get above 90 degrees, so there was not a lot of lingering at the cemetery. The next day I was over to Preston State Cemetery on a PGR mission and it was over 100 so that was pretty brutal too. The hot weather brought in bad storms, so Jan and I helped at the farm picking up debris.
June, I am almost half way through. I took a run out to Wyoming that was haunted by extreme hail storms that I, for the most part avoided. I spent some time sitting east of New Underwood waiting for a storm that had baseball sized hail to pass off to the north-east, but I did hit heavy rain and some hail passing through Sturgis. The next morning I rode west into Wyoming, one of my favorite rides, early morning west from Spearfish to Buffalo, clear and fresh. West of Gillette seeing the snow in the Big Horns come into view. I did the loop up to Dayton, over the mountains, back to Ten Sleep, and Buffalo for the night. Another morning ride to Kaycee and Wright, to Newcastle and Rapid City for the night, and sweat out another bad storm. While I was gone they had almost 5 inches of rain around home. I did make the airshow at Granite Falls again. What a boost for a WWII aircraft enthusiast, several P-51 Mustangs, P-38, P-40s, etc., all flying. We had lots of rain and warm temps, and trips to assorted locations to see the Theobald boys soccer games. I had another PGR mission to Preston again, and a check of Mom's empty house revealed a bad sump pump, so I ended up replacing that and had Phil bring a de-humidifier along when he came down. It was so damp in the basement that the doors wouldn't close. By the end of the month we rolled the trailer out and towed it down to Lanesboro for the 4th weekend. That pretty much sums up that month.
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June, I am almost half way through. I took a run out to Wyoming that was haunted by extreme hail storms that I, for the most part avoided. I spent some time sitting east of New Underwood waiting for a storm that had baseball sized hail to pass off to the north-east, but I did hit heavy rain and some hail passing through Sturgis. The next morning I rode west into Wyoming, one of my favorite rides, early morning west from Spearfish to Buffalo, clear and fresh. West of Gillette seeing the snow in the Big Horns come into view. I did the loop up to Dayton, over the mountains, back to Ten Sleep, and Buffalo for the night. Another morning ride to Kaycee and Wright, to Newcastle and Rapid City for the night, and sweat out another bad storm. While I was gone they had almost 5 inches of rain around home. I did make the airshow at Granite Falls again. What a boost for a WWII aircraft enthusiast, several P-51 Mustangs, P-38, P-40s, etc., all flying. We had lots of rain and warm temps, and trips to assorted locations to see the Theobald boys soccer games. I had another PGR mission to Preston again, and a check of Mom's empty house revealed a bad sump pump, so I ended up replacing that and had Phil bring a de-humidifier along when he came down. It was so damp in the basement that the doors wouldn't close. By the end of the month we rolled the trailer out and towed it down to Lanesboro for the 4th weekend. That pretty much sums up that month.
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Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Pre Christmas Post part 2
I have been busy out in my shop the last week or so, getting about four coats of paint on the ceiling and changing out all of the lighting. The fixtures that I took down were salvaged from the central office at the phone company when we went to a digital switch back in 1990. Anyhow it has been a project, all of the things that a person accumulates over the past 30 years plus the bikes had to come out of there plus covering the carpet with plastic, lets us just say, I'm glad it's almost done. Anyhow, now I can get back to putting the rest of the year down on paper, so to speak.
March was next. Things were pretty quiet until the 5th, when we had rain, snow, hail and lightning in the same storm. one of those wet snows that are like trying to move wet cement with a scoop shovel. I was working on the carbs on 94 Ducati and helping Eli with his 64 Falcon project. Jan and I were attending basketball games for Sam and Gus at assorted locations in southern Minnesota, and Leah's 12th birthday party. It looks as if the temperatures hung just above freezing most of the month, so on the 24th we got another dump of 8 to 10 inches of the wet stuff again. I may have waited for warmer weather on that one. On almost the last day of the month it got up to 48 degrees, the warmest day of 2018 so far. Only a few years ago I rode to the Black Hills in the middle of March. Just to show how much it can vary around here.
April started out with more snow and cold temps. I have been getting out to the rest home to visit with Mom and look at her mail. I needed to pay bills and things for her and with brother Phil's help get her to doctor appointments. Not to change the subject, but we just received news that Phil's father-in-law and Laura's father just passed away. This must be a bad time of the year for deaths to occur for more than one reason, it's the Christmas season for starters and in the back of your mind you knew this would happen sooner or later, it's just that it wasn't supposed to happen now. About a year ago now our brother-in-law Steve Johnson passed away after fighting health problems for some time. I covered that last year December I believe. Anyhow back to April. I actually got a couple bikes out of the garage on the 12th,it was 50 degrees!! Almost the next day we had a two day snow that dumped 18 inches of the wet stuff again. Between snowstorms Jan and I managed to get out to the farm, me helping with the Falcon, and Jan with the goats, and doctor appointments for the both of us. We ran to Rochester for the boys basketball, got the Mustang out of the garage, and took the GS to Sioux City for servicing. Eli and I went to a parts expo at Sherburn hoping to find some new old parts for his Falcon, but no luck on that front. At that time I headed south for my first bike trip and ended up in Osceola Iowa with the idea that I was going farther south and then east. One look at the weather channel the next day threw cold water on that idea, so I went over to Council Bluffs and home again. It seems that trips to the south early in the year will usually run into bad weather of some kind. Last year I did manage to get as far as Louisiana and back up through Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The weather turned on me from that point until I reached home in 35 degree temps. Oh did I mention by this time we did have a 70 degree day?
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March was next. Things were pretty quiet until the 5th, when we had rain, snow, hail and lightning in the same storm. one of those wet snows that are like trying to move wet cement with a scoop shovel. I was working on the carbs on 94 Ducati and helping Eli with his 64 Falcon project. Jan and I were attending basketball games for Sam and Gus at assorted locations in southern Minnesota, and Leah's 12th birthday party. It looks as if the temperatures hung just above freezing most of the month, so on the 24th we got another dump of 8 to 10 inches of the wet stuff again. I may have waited for warmer weather on that one. On almost the last day of the month it got up to 48 degrees, the warmest day of 2018 so far. Only a few years ago I rode to the Black Hills in the middle of March. Just to show how much it can vary around here.
April started out with more snow and cold temps. I have been getting out to the rest home to visit with Mom and look at her mail. I needed to pay bills and things for her and with brother Phil's help get her to doctor appointments. Not to change the subject, but we just received news that Phil's father-in-law and Laura's father just passed away. This must be a bad time of the year for deaths to occur for more than one reason, it's the Christmas season for starters and in the back of your mind you knew this would happen sooner or later, it's just that it wasn't supposed to happen now. About a year ago now our brother-in-law Steve Johnson passed away after fighting health problems for some time. I covered that last year December I believe. Anyhow back to April. I actually got a couple bikes out of the garage on the 12th,it was 50 degrees!! Almost the next day we had a two day snow that dumped 18 inches of the wet stuff again. Between snowstorms Jan and I managed to get out to the farm, me helping with the Falcon, and Jan with the goats, and doctor appointments for the both of us. We ran to Rochester for the boys basketball, got the Mustang out of the garage, and took the GS to Sioux City for servicing. Eli and I went to a parts expo at Sherburn hoping to find some new old parts for his Falcon, but no luck on that front. At that time I headed south for my first bike trip and ended up in Osceola Iowa with the idea that I was going farther south and then east. One look at the weather channel the next day threw cold water on that idea, so I went over to Council Bluffs and home again. It seems that trips to the south early in the year will usually run into bad weather of some kind. Last year I did manage to get as far as Louisiana and back up through Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The weather turned on me from that point until I reached home in 35 degree temps. Oh did I mention by this time we did have a 70 degree day?
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018
2018 Pre-Christmas post
I have really been slow on getting out any kind of posts this year. I think that being on Facebook has kind of taken away some of the fun in putting things out there for "fans" to read, plus the fact I actually have to sit down and peck out the words on the keyboard. So anyhow, I have been on a few bike trips this year, not as long as I have gone on and not as many Patriot Guard missions to ride to either, which is not a bad thing come to think of it. As far as photos go, I have found over the last few years that I am not Ansel Adams when it comes to landscape photography, so I just don't shoot many any more.
The last few years have seen the departure of three women in our family. My sister Kathy in 2015, my Mother-in-law Bernice in 2017 and my Mom this May 20th. I have long been thinking about a blog about my Mom's passing and have not gotten around to it till now. I got a call from the rest home here in town in the evening, that Mom was unresponsive with no blood pressure or pulse. She had returned to her room after having supper. They asked if I wanted her taken to the ER or not. I was a little taken aback by the casualness, but I guess they handle these situations a lot out there. I said I suppose she should be taken out to the ER, so I drove out to see what was going on. By the time she got to the ER she was back with us, talking to the doctor etc.. Next the helicopter dropped in. I never did find out why that was called for as she has a do not resuscitate directive, but we never got a bill for it. I called Jan to come out to keep me company while they were running some more tests, but it looked as if she was doing better all of the time. After a while it looked as if they would be keeping her overnight for observation, so Jan headed home, but before Jan got out of the parking lot the doctor was back saying that suddenly she was fading fast, so Jan came back and we moved Mom into a different room to keep her company while she was making the transition from this life to the next stage. Death is not so hard to witness when you know that they are ready and have been for some time, and Mom made the jump to the next stage late in the evening of May 20th at the age of 97. Jan and I were both touching her at the time, I put my hand on her forehead and said the Benediction. The Lord bless you and keep you, that one. So I have been with both of my parents when they are passing on, and actually I recommend the experience as it really brings home the reality of death. Jan has been with both of her parents too, so we are aware of it and are trying to get all of our ducks in a row so to speak for our kids. Our Moms both had things pretty well taken care of years ago, and with my sister Kathy's death a couple years ago we wanted to leave little legal work undone. Mom was as sharp as a tack right up until the end and we would talk politics or whatever was on her mind. I have been somewhat surprised by how much I think about her now that she is gone. I guess it is the idea that someone that has always been there, isn't anymore. Anyone that had known her might not be surprised at one of her last words, "whatever". So those were the last few hours of Bernita C. Kuehl, the first woman that I ever loved. The funeral was at the Trimont Covenant church on a date that saw farmers rushing to get crops into the ground after a cold damp spring, so attendance was a little low. She was interred next to my Dad and sister Kathy at Cedar Hill cemetery west of Trimont.
As I am writing this her home has finally been sold after being on sale for over a year. The fact that the street has been torn up since last Spring with a major construction project did not help. So pretty soon we will be able to wrap this up and move on with things more pleasant.
I suppose that I should get back to the usual Christmas letter format, so I'll start with January first. The weather ranged from a -24 to a +45 during the month and some of the time within days of each other. Jan and I did managed to get out between snow storms and cold snaps to Rochester for doctor appointments, family get togethers and assorted locations for basketball games for the Sam and Gus. Other than that nothing out of the ordinary.
February pretty much more of the same, although paging through my notebook I notice a trend that has been growing over the years- a lot more doctors appointments to be met and traveled to. Jan and I helping Eli and Lindsey while he has been recovering from a torn shoulder among our visits. The weather, always a subject in this part of the world, was somewhat more cooperative, so that we could make a couple basketball tournaments. Later that month Jan had back surgery in Maple Grove to help with back pain that had bothered for some time. That turned into a three day stay at the hospital. I did spent the nights curled up on a kind of couch in her room. Funny thing , I slept better there than I usually do at home in our king size bed. Maybe it 's the humanitarian in me, keeping her company in a strange room. We eased on home and she went right back to bed for a while. That was a lot more painful than she and I expected. I've also been running out to the rest home to see Mom once in a while, plus a care conference here and there. Jan and I did pick out a love seat for her at Hanska furniture for her room that was a hit at the home, the aids all wanted to try it out. I also have been fooling around with bike maintenance and Eli's 64 Falcon project car.
I'm going to stop here and pick it up with March in the near future before this blog gets too long, so stay tuned.
The last few years have seen the departure of three women in our family. My sister Kathy in 2015, my Mother-in-law Bernice in 2017 and my Mom this May 20th. I have long been thinking about a blog about my Mom's passing and have not gotten around to it till now. I got a call from the rest home here in town in the evening, that Mom was unresponsive with no blood pressure or pulse. She had returned to her room after having supper. They asked if I wanted her taken to the ER or not. I was a little taken aback by the casualness, but I guess they handle these situations a lot out there. I said I suppose she should be taken out to the ER, so I drove out to see what was going on. By the time she got to the ER she was back with us, talking to the doctor etc.. Next the helicopter dropped in. I never did find out why that was called for as she has a do not resuscitate directive, but we never got a bill for it. I called Jan to come out to keep me company while they were running some more tests, but it looked as if she was doing better all of the time. After a while it looked as if they would be keeping her overnight for observation, so Jan headed home, but before Jan got out of the parking lot the doctor was back saying that suddenly she was fading fast, so Jan came back and we moved Mom into a different room to keep her company while she was making the transition from this life to the next stage. Death is not so hard to witness when you know that they are ready and have been for some time, and Mom made the jump to the next stage late in the evening of May 20th at the age of 97. Jan and I were both touching her at the time, I put my hand on her forehead and said the Benediction. The Lord bless you and keep you, that one. So I have been with both of my parents when they are passing on, and actually I recommend the experience as it really brings home the reality of death. Jan has been with both of her parents too, so we are aware of it and are trying to get all of our ducks in a row so to speak for our kids. Our Moms both had things pretty well taken care of years ago, and with my sister Kathy's death a couple years ago we wanted to leave little legal work undone. Mom was as sharp as a tack right up until the end and we would talk politics or whatever was on her mind. I have been somewhat surprised by how much I think about her now that she is gone. I guess it is the idea that someone that has always been there, isn't anymore. Anyone that had known her might not be surprised at one of her last words, "whatever". So those were the last few hours of Bernita C. Kuehl, the first woman that I ever loved. The funeral was at the Trimont Covenant church on a date that saw farmers rushing to get crops into the ground after a cold damp spring, so attendance was a little low. She was interred next to my Dad and sister Kathy at Cedar Hill cemetery west of Trimont.
As I am writing this her home has finally been sold after being on sale for over a year. The fact that the street has been torn up since last Spring with a major construction project did not help. So pretty soon we will be able to wrap this up and move on with things more pleasant.
I suppose that I should get back to the usual Christmas letter format, so I'll start with January first. The weather ranged from a -24 to a +45 during the month and some of the time within days of each other. Jan and I did managed to get out between snow storms and cold snaps to Rochester for doctor appointments, family get togethers and assorted locations for basketball games for the Sam and Gus. Other than that nothing out of the ordinary.
February pretty much more of the same, although paging through my notebook I notice a trend that has been growing over the years- a lot more doctors appointments to be met and traveled to. Jan and I helping Eli and Lindsey while he has been recovering from a torn shoulder among our visits. The weather, always a subject in this part of the world, was somewhat more cooperative, so that we could make a couple basketball tournaments. Later that month Jan had back surgery in Maple Grove to help with back pain that had bothered for some time. That turned into a three day stay at the hospital. I did spent the nights curled up on a kind of couch in her room. Funny thing , I slept better there than I usually do at home in our king size bed. Maybe it 's the humanitarian in me, keeping her company in a strange room. We eased on home and she went right back to bed for a while. That was a lot more painful than she and I expected. I've also been running out to the rest home to see Mom once in a while, plus a care conference here and there. Jan and I did pick out a love seat for her at Hanska furniture for her room that was a hit at the home, the aids all wanted to try it out. I also have been fooling around with bike maintenance and Eli's 64 Falcon project car.
I'm going to stop here and pick it up with March in the near future before this blog gets too long, so stay tuned.
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