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Minnesota…to Vietnam Minnesota is fading quickly into the background as I immerse myself in preparing for Asia. Oh yeah and then there’s also work—long hours because of evenings managing the theatre for renters; preparing my apartment for a stay by the bro and Marsha while they search for their Albuquerque winter apartment, and the minutia of daily life such as putting gas in the car and doing the laundry and watering the… Read More
Fall, leaves, fall Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; Lengthen night and shorten day; Every leaf speaks bliss to me Fluttering from the autumn tree. I shall smile when wreaths of snow Blossom where the rose should grow; I shall sing when night’s decay Ushers in a drearier day. (Emily Bronte) I come home almost every summer, stay at Robert and Marsha’s in Grand Rapids, and walk in the woods along the… Read More
I’m going to be cremated. Partially so I don’t have to be stuck in one place. First of all…a handful or so of my ashes (mixed with Max, my last border collie’s) must go out on the Old Place, some more in the Bosque down by Tingley Beach and at Neset Camping in Byglandsfiord, and…finally the rest should be here at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Northome, Minnesota. Burrowed in right between… Read More
Oh oh…woke up this morning thinking about work and New Mexico and real life…In a good way. I’ve breathed in my Minnesota air, eaten sour cream raisin bars and walleye, hung out at ‘the old place,’ seen family and friends, driven lots of miles, and, did I mention all of my new shoes (Bender’s, Grand Rapids, great shoes). Refreshed and well-shod I can go home. Here’s a big fat album of the… Read More
In northern Minnesota, the leaves continue gilding; the air is pure and predictive of cold to come; and I have just returned from a sleepover in the north of the north. When I pay attention to my world there are always discoveries. For example. Bliss is possible. On the way back from Roseau yesterday, a drive of about 220 miles, I parked at a rest stop overlooking the Rainy River and the… Read More
Ah yes, time for another round of sentimental musings about my old home. And many photos. For this round of visits, instead of waxing lyrical over mom’s apple pies and the cries of loons on the lakeshore, and rehashing which of my introverted traits can be attributed to north woods isolation, I’ll talk about our land. My grandfather, Torgus Neset, purchased 160 acres of timber, swamp and small meadows sometime between 1910… Read More
Feeling sentimental this evening. Two afternoons spent with my high school classmates from the Class of 57. There are ten of us left from the original 21; eight of whom were present off and on at Judy and Ray Grundmeier’s woodsy haven just south of Northome. The weather’s was northern-fall perfection, the “hot dishes” and venison and rolls and salads and pies were delicious, and the talk was low key and affectionate… Read More
Chapter Three My Mom’s South Dakota Granny Furiosa struggles to return to her [Minnesota—by way of South Dakota] homeland and escape the clutches of a ruthless [New Mexican] desert gang leader… With the harsh desert sands [of Farmington] in front of them and marauders behind, only the maddest will prevail the storm. (IMDb/Mad Max: Fury Road) That was Saturday morning. By Monday, our fearless heroine and her loyal steed, Ghost, were leaving… Read More
Chapter Two Scars are Cowboy Tattoos with Better Stories It’s Friday, September 1st now. Minnesota. Leaves one more degree golden this morning. Heavy rain this evening. Am I happy? Well YES. I drove through Wyoming last Sunday. Not sure I’ll do that again since I still have so many other places to see…maybe I will though because I cannot bear to say ‘never again’ to some places. I’ve already written about my… Read More