Monday March 30, 09

Good Afternoon,

Yes it is Monday. This is the first time I have'nt updated our blog on Sunday. 

We had a quiet week end. Doris was a bit under the weather so it was a R & R week end. Today, Monday, she is back on her feet, doing the things she is famous for, washing clothes and a couple batches from the famous Cookie Baker.

Spring must be here. 

 Number 1. Snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Yes its basketball Tournament time.

 Number 2. The construction on the streets on each side of our building has begun in earnest this moring. It has been shut down since last October. This is good news for us. Living beside two streets makes it hard to get into our building.  Ah Yes !  Progress.

Jim is busy at his wood shop at Eide Saw Service. Daughter Jane is kind enough to let him keep busy. He returns the favor by running errands and some same repairs that are always needed in a place of business.

Doris is happy to be back at Kenwood School, coaching the kids that need that extra boost to get them through the elementary grades. She loves it, even brings work home for the next day's challenge. 

Tuesdays are her favorite of course, playing Bingo at Mystic Lake Casino. She has not been a big winner as of late, only small amounts of the dollars she spends. She loves it so who cares!

Fishing is over until "ice out" I am in no rush to get out there as it can be really cold on Lake Mille lacs in early spring. You must wear long johns if you want to tough it out for a day on the lake in Minnesota in the spring. 

Our neighbors in North Dakota as well as the Minnesotans across from them on the Red River are having their usual flooding problems again this spring. It's a bit worse this year as the snow cover was especially deep in 2008 and 2009.  I am happy that Doris and  I chose to be away from any chance of flood water during our life together. We did have our garage flood, from a gully washer that the sewer system could not handle one early summer day in a home we owned. It wasn't serious but I realized that it is impossible to stop water when its rushing at you at break neck speed. 

It's tax time (a chore I hate with a passion and I am sure I am not alone) and as usual I am one of those late guys. I dont know why I do it, but each year the chore seems greater than it was last year. I have an appointment with the accountant and tax preparer tomorrow. It's not cause I have to pay tax, I am happy to do that. I only think there must be a better way to get it done simply and fairly for all of us. 

President Obama has his problems trying to get everything back on track. Seems to me an impossible task. I am not smart enough and  admit I dont know what should be done. I do know that as dumb as the auto manufactures are we need to save them. I remember well, WWll and the tremendous effort put forth by all those people to save us from defeat early in the war by converting from automobiles and parts, to producing all of the machines it took to defeat the European war mongers. 

I believe we still need a autombile industry in this country.

Definitions: 

ADULT:        a person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

CHICKENS: a bird you eat before it is born and after it is dead.

Also, be reminded that the handle on your recliner does not qualify as an excersize machine.

Jim and Doris

Sunday Evening 

March 29, 06

Hi to All,

A great weather week end in Minneapolis.

Saturday was warm and sunny followed by Sunday which was a bit cooler and with less sun and a bit more chili wind. 

It was warm most of last week. I had the large overhead door raised in my shop. Ocassionally it was a bit chilli if you were not keeping busy. All in all it feels like early spring and we are enjoying it.

I went ice fishing last Tuesday while Doris went to the casino to try her luck at the bingo tables. 

A large smile on her face when arriving home told me that she had won. 

$250.00 was the payout for her hard work in checking those bingo numbers.

 

My ice fishing trip to Lake Mille Lacs, was the last for this season. 

The ice is still 4 feet thick and safe, however the snow on top was melting and the ice was covered with melted snow. You are able to drive anywhere on the lake as there is no snow cover, just lots of slush and water. 

I will wait until ice out and the pontoon is in the water before going fishing again. 

Doris is still waiting for a date for her blader surgery. She is feeling great except for the ocasional dicomfort of the out of place bladder. We are looking forward to getting this behind us before summer. 

Business at Eide saw  is slower than normal as more small business's suffer from this terrible enconomy. The company however has enough diversified customers to keep the crew going. 

It is everyones hope that businees's of all kinds will begin to adjust upward and become stonger because of this economy. It always has and it will again. 

The snow cover is gone completely and some of the road work is begining. There is construction on both sides of our building that began last August and lasted till freeze up. We will be happy when it is finished in 2010. 

Work on the Minnesota Twins baseball stadium in Downtown Minneapolis is moving along and baseball, as it should be, will once again be played outside in real grass in the 2010 season. Baseball fans are excited about this new facility. 

I am looking forward to revamping our Blog when my instructor grandson is available. He and his wife Gigi have two lively boys and they keep Mom and Dad on the hop continually. I can relate as I remember well when our children were young and exciting kids. 

Jim's Humor!

"People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church".

"anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new"

 Albert Einstein

Have a great week and enjoy the spring.

JIM and DORIS

P.S. Tomato plants are 3 inches high. Are developing the second set of leaves.

Sunday March 22, 09

Good Morning and Hi to All,

Another week has passed and there were no startling events in our lives.

We have become used to daylight savings and what a day brightner it is for Doris and I. Each morning the sun is shines in our window instead of the dark winter and the cold we faced during the winter months. 

Spring cannot be far behind. 

The weather in Minneapolis has been a breeze this past week with only a light jacket necesary to avoid a shiver or two in the early morning chill

Doris paid a visit to Dr. Anderson concerning her bladder. ( it seems that there is always an MD in her weekly life thesee days). I only discuss this because our lives have changed with our age. Seems there is always something that needs attention from our freinds in the medical field. Yes, lately, as we see them so often, they have indeede become friends. 

I may be repeating some of this senario, and if I do please forgive and just skip ahead. 

When Doris was being discharged from U of M hospital she was unable to urinate. The rule is, no discharge if you cannot perform this simple exercise! 

They finally let me take her home, (with a catheter). This of course signaled another problem, her bladder. 

She now needs some sort of surgery to keep the bladder from dropping and keeping her from urinating normaly. 

Surgery for this (we have been told) is not difficult and only a short recovery is expected. 

As of this time ther is no schedule to correct the problem.  Will let you know when we find out.

I have a hard time understanding all of her health problems. 

This is the same lady who never took a drink in her lifetime. 

My tomato seeds that I carefully selected and plante with a tweezer,  have developed into small two leafed stems growing out of the peat pots. They are enjoying life in the only window we have that traps some welcome sunlight. I  watch over them like a mother hen and am waiting patiently for the day when I can transfer them to my garden plot at Eide Saw, compliments of Daughter Jane. I will keep you posted on the progress of these young plants as the mature and produce those wonderful Love Apples.

The jig saw puzzles Doris and I  (visitors and passer's by who drop in a piece or two) have been working on in short periods have been solved. They are then displayed for all to see. then taken apart with all pieces transfered to plastic bags, sealed and placed in their original boxes and for another time. Some new chalenge's are on order but as yet have not arrived. I assume with the spring weather soon to poke it's head northward, the puzzles will play second fiddle to long awaited warm weather outside activities.

I do not comment on bad news. 

There is a lot of good news around if you just look.  

My good news for the day is, Eide Saw is  busy. Not quite as busy as they have been in the past of course,  but busy enough. No layoffs or short hours have occured or are anticipated. Business is a bit slower than Jane would like it but she is thankful for all the loyal customers that have been developed over all these years. Remember, Gearge Eide the founder, began in 1927 during the dark days of the big depresson, was succesful and passed it on to his family who were kind enough to gamble on me.  I have passed in on to Daughter Jane and she is doing great. 

This Tuesday it is supposed to be 60 degrees. The ice on Lake Mille Lacs is still about 4 feet thick. When we lived in Wisconsin we fished without the benefit of gas powered ice augers. We chiseled holes thru the ice with ice chisels about 5 or 6 ft long that we had to carry out on the ice with all the rest of our gear.   The fish holes started out about 10 to 12 inches wide at the top. By the time we were through the ice you could just about get a fish the small opening at the bottom. The holes were always funnel shaped.  the thicker the ice the more work it took. I cant imagine doing that through 4 feet of ice. I guess I'm getting soft.

Sign on a porta-potty truck;  

"We're # 1 in the # 2 business"

It's nice to hear from those of you who take your time and let us hear from you.  

Thanks.

Have a great week!

JIM AND DORIS 

 

Sunday, March 8

 Last week after 60 years of marriage, was a good time to reflect back on our lives together. 

A time to remember when we met, where we met, the fun times, fishing together, movies walking to Conklin Park, sitting on the benches, looking out over the lake and planning our lives together. We had no money, I, a poor army veteran with no money (I recieved $ about 7.40  a month from the Veterans administration) and Doris working for the U of W in the Memorial Union Rathskellar for $75.00 a month. 

I lived with Aunt and Uncle on Lake Mendota and Doris on East Johnson Street with her folks. A long bus ride. I always caught the last bus from her house where we always ended up after a date. Her Dad's house was just Kitty corner from the bus stop across East Johnson Street and I could see that little bus coming from a couple blocks away.  It was that last hug and kiss that made the run across the corner fast and desperate.  Most times I  ran hard  to catch it or face the alternative of walking 8 to 10 miles to my room at the Mackens on Lake Mendota.  I cant ever remember taking a cab in Madison, (never had any money) always the nickel bus ride. The bus driver got to know me and would laugh.  I never wanted to leave Doris. That was painful for a young fellow just out of the army, with the girl he loved, left sitting on the porch steps or just inside the door watching him run like crazy to catch that bus. I never missed it. In that time, after the war ended, the bus  fare in Madison was 5 cents to go anywhere in town. 

Awwww Yessss, sweet memories.

That was then, this is now!

Doris only made one day at school, Thursday, as the kids had a bus trip for some school activity. Doris does not get on a bus with all those wild kids. She has learned!

Tuesday is bingo day at Mystic Lake, Wednesday and Thursday are Kenwood School volunteer days and Fridays are spent at Eide Saw Company fileing copies of invoices. This is important. Daughter Jane just went through a state sales tax audit and it was'nt pleasant. She got through it, won some, lost some.

This morning was the day to reset your clocks if you live in the Midwest time zone. We always FALL back and SPRING ahead this time of the year. 

Speaking of spring I did get my pack of tomato seeds planted in the little plastic kit you buy at the hardware. They are already poking their noses out of the little seed pocket. I expect a better and healthier crop this year from last years experience. 

I have been busy catching up on some woodworking projects that were put on hold before, during and after Doris' recuping from her health problem. We are both happy to report that both of use are back to normal and loving it. 

Sign in restaurant window,  

"Don't just stand there, come in and get fed up!"

Jim and Doris

Remembering

Sunday March 1st 2008

This is a specialweek for us. 

On March 5th we will celebrate 60 wonderful short years of married life together. 

At both of our age, 22 years and 3 months, we stood in front of a Reverand Borgwart at Trinity Luthreran Church in Madison, Wisconsin and were married. 

Our reception was held at the University of Wisconsin, Memorial Union where Doris was a long time employee in the Rathskeller. I needed a job and found one there as a bus boy, where I laid my eyes on this neet waitress. The rest is history.

We dated for two years before we were married. When asked how long we have been together I always answer that Doris does never counts the two years we fooled around before we were married. She is always embarassed. 

I wink and smile. 

Many of those who signed our wedding day guest register are gone. We miss them all.

It was a fairly large wedding and the first wedding  her father was asked to give away the last of his 8 daughters.

It was two years before our first born, a son joined us.  This gave us time to get used to married life and its responsibilities. When asked how we lasted this long our answer is always, a great love of each other and hard work. We have had disapointments, but they pale to all of the love and wonders of our life together.

We have raised 8 wonderful succesful children, and are able to be near them. 

We have tons of freinds all over the country and keep in touch with all them we can. 

Advice?

We have very little.

Love one another through thick and thin.

Be Honest with each other. No secretes.

Never go to bed while upset.

Always have a joint checking account.

Never cheat. 

All you own in both names.

Workhard to make it work.

Jim and Doris