This has been a very dry summer with periods of very little rain. It was so dry I saw the neighbors rose bush grab a little dog with a full bladder.
The weather has also been very hot. We’ve had many summers of only three or four days of temperatures above 90. The summer of 2021 has been three, four, even eight days in a row of above 90 degrees. Some of the cities in Minnesota have even seen temps in the three digits. Whoever said 100 is perfect was having a hot flash! The weatherman has added “Uffda” to the top of the heat scale!
How is this for a classic example of a true “Sons of Norway” Norwegian? Paul Anderson scheduled his surgery on that great Norwegian holiday the 17th of May. “You go, Paul, go.” (I know what day we Norwegians call the 17th of May, but I don’t know how to spell it, so I just say, “Uffda.”)
On her way driving back from Arkansas, Genie saw on the back of an Amish buggy in Missouri a handwritten sign reading, “Energy efficient vehicle: runs on oats and grass. Caution: do not step in exhaust.”
Some Covid-related items:
A.) The Covid was diagnosed in four of the houses on the three-block street where we live in Albert Lea.
B.) Having horizontal grooves in your fingernails is in some cases a result of Covid.
C.) I can tell that the wearing of masks has diminished. How so? Because on my morning walks I am picking up two to three every walk and putting them in a garbage can.
D.) Some people testing positive have a loss of taste and/or smell.
E.) We need more people to get vaccinated. Especially in the younger ages (12-30).
I think the Twins have dug themselves too deep a hole to make the playoffs this year. The Danish mermaid in Fountain Lake agrees with me. (She is no longer wearing a Twins cap.)
Fish houses are no longer used for just ice fishing. The railroad guys used an “Ice Castle” fish house for their quarters while cleaning up the derailed cars by Goose Lake in Albert Lea. They told me it was too hard to cut a hole through the pavement where they parked the fish house, so they didn’t fish!
Wildlife happenings:
A.) We put out bread every day for a pair of mallard ducks. We’re certain they are nesting.
B.) We have two sets of wrens nesting in birdhouses with babies.
C.) We have a pair of bluebirds with babies in a hole in a tree stump.
D.) With all the heat come June bugs and mosquitos, of which both are in great supply.
E.) There are currently three different sizes of bunny rabbits eating the clover in our yard. Do you know how to get them to eat dandelions?
F.) To get squirrels to stay away, fill a teakettle with water, set it on a stove burner turned on high. Leave it until you can no longer stand the whistle. After the whistle stops, the squirrels will be long gone.
Yes, there is a tooth fairy. John, Maria and daughter, Tahinda, were on their way by car home to Dansville, New York, when Maria lost a temporary filling. The pain became unbearable, so they pulled into Albert Lea looking for a dentist. They found a friendly dentist with a very friendly staff. The dentist fixed the tooth, relieved the pain and sent them on their way.
Why does the family regard the friendly dentist and the very friendly staff a tooth fairy? Because a tooth fairy gives, not takes, and that is exactly what Dr. George Lundstrom and his staff did. They gave the great pain-relieving service free of charge.
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in New York. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.