Cottage Grove 1981-1985

The Search I	Apr 29 1981: Looked at a house on Hadley in Cottage Grove. Interesting. "H" houses, reminded me of Richfield, are on the other side of the highway/tracks and looks like an older area compared to the more modern "I"s.
The Search II	Jul 12 1981. Began going with Connie Jones, a friend of Cathy Reiss - looked at houses in Stillwater.
The Search III	Jul 14, 1981. Connie brought me and kids to look at houses in Cottage Grove. Nice one on Greenway that I liked very much, 3 others and then one on Iden that was THE ONE.
The Search IV	Jul 15, 1981. Called dad about financing a mortgage. Connie brought us to show Gail the house on Iden and since it was assumable I told her to make an offer. Called Joyce and she said she would loan us $3000 we need for the down payment.
The Search V	Jul 19, 1981. Called Connie to find out that we didn't get the Iden house. Left kids at Lundholm's and went out with Connie looked at many houses including a nice small one 3 doors down from Cathy R, a nice one on Ivywood and interesting brick place on the river.
The Search VI	Jul 22, 1981. Elaine Johnson brought us to houses in Oakdale and White Bear Lake.
The Search VII	Jul 24, 1981. Elaine showed us 6 more houses in White Bear Lake. Nice one on Cranbrook.
The Search VIII	Jul 26, 1981. Spent afternoon with Elaine looking at houses. Liked one on Elm and one on Margaret near 3M that we liked.
The Search IX	Jul 27, 1981. Went out with Elaine. Place on Battle Creek park wasn't worth $70,000 but we did like one on Barclay with a great yard. Looked at a house in Afton. Elaine was with us until 10:30PM making up papers for an offer of $71,400 for the Barclay place. They countered wanting another $600 so we dropped out.
The Search X	Jul 31, 1981. Lundholm watched the kids and we went out with Elaine. Found a nice place in Oakdale on Grosspoint and two in Cottage Grove including Ironwood place.
The Search XI	Aug 1, 1981. Elaine showed us a nice place by a K-Mart and a real nice rambler with an add-on fireplace room. Had a second look at Ironwood house and made an offer.
The Mortgage	Aug 3, 1981. Met with Greg from Banco at Century 21 and an hour later we had our mortgage application completed.
The House	The house we bought was really run down by pot smoking teenage boys and alcoholic mother. No father. So it went cheap. About $12,000 below what other places were going for. It was the only one that we could afford and even then we were paying $920/month.
The State	Before we moved in we vacuumed underlay upstairs and washed bedroom walls. Put cornmeal and baking soda onto basement rug. Plumbing leaks everywhere. Stove is hot to touch. Place is so filthy. We removed the basement carpet which was soaked with cat urine. The garage had a full size natural gas furnace which I never used. The driveway was stained with rust and oil from the derelict vehicles stored on it.
The Yard	The back yard was humungous. Sometimes I couldn't mow the whole thing in one go. Large weeping willow on back boundary. Two large and high martin houses. Deck out the dining room. A veggie garden.
The Description	Document.
The Purchase	Sept 4, 1981. I met with Connie and Mr Aamot showed me everything I needed to know about the place. Armstrong to get David's registration papers. Got Gail and we signed mortgage papers downtown. Had lunch with Connie. Filed homestead papers. Home for coffee and supper. Connie's to borrow a carpet shampoo machine. Met her uncle, Kenny. Jackie Menne from next door welcomed us. Gail shampooed basement carpet while I tore out the livingroom. Townhouse at 9PM.
The Move	Sept 6, 1981. Mom and Chris joined us at the townhouse and we brought a load over. On our second trip the Towns and kids were waiting. Rollie Schwitters introduced himself and his daughter Jennifer. Third and final load after a KFC supper. Brought Chris home at 9:30PM and then final stop at townhouse to bring last of our stuff to Cotttage Grove at midnight. We all slept in the basement.
The Jan	Sept 8, 1981. Set up our bedroom in the basement. Set up the washing machine. Brought a UPS package across street and met Jan Schwitters.
The School	Sept 8, 1981. Renee and I walked David to Armstrong, where a 1st grade boy was crying in the office for his mommy. Mr Luoma brought us to Miss Freeman's room and then showed Ne the kindy room. It was just a block away, so kids walked it. Principal had been to NZ so he engaged us on that topic when we registered the kids. Gail was PPTA treasurer one year. And she also taught there.
The Priest	Sept 10, 1981. Father Rowan from St Rita's came and filled out a survey form. He had been to NZ on a tour. He blessed the house.
The Line	Sept 11, 1981. Built a make-shift clothesline using picnic table. A lot of emptying boxes and moving things about. Dad came at 2:30PM. We played Memory (front and back) game with kids. Made hamburgers for supper. Moved dryer to basement.
The Stroms	Sept 14, 1981. Went to Strom's for hamburgers. Nice time - Jeff, 10 years, likes to talk and we heard all about his Legos.
The Mass	Sept 20, 1981. Went to St Rita's for the first time. Mass in auditorium with Father Rowan rambled through his homily beginning with "Prince and the Pauper" and went nowhere with it. There was a renewal of vows for 25th anniversary. Met him in his office afterwards and he redid the same census that he did at our house! We went again and I didn't like the service or the place. It was like a theater with aisles going up. Young priest was in jeans and played a guitar. Went a third time and this time just as bad with so much noise from the kids that I couldn't hear and a constant flow of kids going to get a drink or use the lavatory walking right across in front of the priest.
The Twins	Sept 25, 1981. Roy Menne took me to the one of last Twins game at the Met. Had great seats right on top of third base dugout. Fan appreciation night so we got free yearbooks. I also bought "20 Years at the Met". About ten guys behind us were loaded and and funny with their yelling and screaming. Fellow next to me caught a ball an on errant throw by first baseman that bounced over the dugout.
The Carpet I	Oct 3, 1981. Over to Denny Volz's to pick out a carpet. Showed us stuff at $900. Told him we only had $300. He and Dick had a chat and he said maybe there was an offcut or return in the warehouse. Found one and then he started talking about underlay and laying costs. I said we had $300 and that was what we paid.
The Halloweens	1981. David was a robot with a flashing light in his forehead and Ne a skeleton. Did a block with Mennes then another with Stroms. Introduced myself to all the neighbors. The Haul. Snickers bar maked me hot and ill - informed police. David brought a note home from school saying to watch out for needles in candy bars. 1982. Turned down Roy's offer to go together. Rain kept us to only 10 houses. Asked the lady next to Libby if she were a teacher. Turned out it is her daughter who also plays basketball. Joked around with a few other neighbors. 1983. I brought the kids around as far as Chrissy Bankers'. We were out for an hour and got a big load. David was a robot (photo), Ne a dancer and Amy a witch. Dressed Sugar up, too. Rainy but took kids around anyway - David was a cowboy and Ne a clown. Went a block with Rhoda and Nicole. Kids had fun.
The Heat	Oct 25, 1981. Put furnace on for first time and set it to lowest temp, 58°F, and it was so "hot" that I couldn't sleep.
The Dishes	Nov 4, 1981. Gail's first night at Woody's (bussed dishes) and made $7.30 in tips.
The Waitress	Nov 6, 1981. Gail's first night at Woody's as a waitress.
The Carpet II	Nov 7, 1981. Mike Gracie took 3 hours to lay carpet (sculptured "Tumbleweed" golden sand solor with blotches of darker shades) in living room. He has a couple of ugly knees from his job.
The Armstrong	Nov 12, 1981. Gail given a three week job at Armstrong for the class she has relieved in the past two days. Think the teacher had a breakdown. It turned out to be until end of school year in June.
The Storm	Nov 20, 1981. 20" of snow over the past two days. Worst storm since 1940 and 105,000 houses without power.
The T'Day 81	Nov 26, 1981. Watched Macy's Thanksgiving parade (TV has taken it over). Went to Towns with David K and Billy Krohn, Mom and Chris joining us there. Watched football games - tried a Steinhaus beer and had my first Tom and Jerry. Had a big, lovely meal with an excellent dry Sebastiani Pinot Noir (Joyce thought it tasted sour). Went out with kids to have a snowball fight and build a snowman. Boys got into Joyce's stuffed and got all dolled up. On the way home we went to Lesser's sister's (Carrie Bassett) and bought two old rugs for $10.
The Banks 81	Nov 27, 1981. Zipped out to Banks annual sale - line even longer than last year. Got an electric trucking set ($27), mop and gifts.
The Hansens	Dec 2, 1981. Hansens stayed over night and we visited Bill and Shirley. Home for a pizza. Then Bob and I listened to the Gophers 90 - Dayton 84 (Randy Breuer scored 31).
The Meal	Dec 5, 1981. Tom and Kathy over for a curry meal (excellent Inglenook '77 Zinfandel) and then we looked at his slides of Africa (PCV). Earl Grey tea and baba cake.
The Skates	Dec 20, 1981. Kids went ice skating for the first time and they loved it. Ne has double-blades.
The Xmas '81	Dec 24, 1981. Work it was eat goodies all day. I gave out my Macho card (interestingly it was the females who told me it was great). I also gave Chris and Paul "Baby's First Christmas" bibs for Billy and Katie. Chris gave me knitted iceskates. Curt, Paul and I got in four games in the A-V room. Talked to Joyce for a long time and coffee over perked. Each day in December the kids put a picture onto a Christmas poster. Steve M called. Shrimp newburg for supper. Played UNO until 8PM when we opened gifts.
The Xmas '81 II	Dec 25, 1981. Went to Mom's. She gave us 2 lounge chairs, ouji board, wine, a lamp, Star Wars model, Star Trek model, thermos, photo album with a pictures from this year, Strawberry Shortcake record/book, Emergency game, Know Your America game, Perfection game and 30 other things. Towns came there (gave us a wall clock and auto-coffee maker, David train things including grass and clothes for Ne) Chris (gave David a train set, two games to Ne and a wine rack and wine for us) and Fishers (Marshall's family, Gloria, Jesse, Don and Dolly). We gave Dick a "Crooked" card deck and gag cigarette. Left at 7PM to go to Dad and Lavonne's (they gave me desk organizer that I am still using in 2023). David got a $2 note and a billfold to put it into and a cowboy shirt. Ne got a dress and Strawberry Shortcake pajamas. Chris came home with us at 9:15PM and stayed overnight. Steve M called.
The Rellies	Dec 26, 1981. Chris helped set up the train and truck sets. I added a second panel to increase the surface. Steve, Roxane, Jerry and Opal stopped in for an hour on the way to the airport. Blizzard, but we had to bring Chris home.
The Xmas '81 III	Dec 27, 1981. Gail and kids went with Towns to New Ulm for a Krohn meal at the Kaiserhoff. Billy K came back with Gail and will spend the next few days with us.
The Xmas '81 IV	Dec 30, 1981. David K picked up Billy at 4PM. Stroms over at 5:30PM. Kids played with the train set. Tom called to say there was a blowup, but I refused to go in. After a meal we chatted until 9PM and surprized them when we gave them gifts.
The NYE '81	Dec 31, 1981. Ne chose Go Fish, David Emergency, Gail Skunk and I chose the Mad Card game. We shot balloons with rubberband guns. Had a lively game of table tennis using a balloon. Kids in bed at 10:30PM.
The New Year '82	Jan 1, 1982. Mom came over for a night of games while enjoying an excellent 1970 Magni Chianti. Balloon table tennis, "Scooby Do" card game, "MAD" card game and Facts in 5.
The Party	Jan 3, 1982. Reitans, Sue and her one-year old boy, Aaron, Bill and Shirley and Gail's folks over for a big meal for Joyce's birthday. Gave her an apron and a pink glass pitcher. Bill told us where to pick strawberries. Found out that Warren is a big time gardner. Looked at slides.
The Snow	Jan 20, 1982. New record: 17.1"/43cm of snow (WCCO weather). Hit an icy patch on Tower and Arlyn did 180° ending up over the median on the road heading south. We were let out of work early. Couldn't see Jamaica, only a solid white everywhere. Dorothy kept yelling: "Hail Mary" to our many close calls. We all went out to shovel and Jerry Polesh, who had done Rollie's driveway with his snowblower came over to help.
The Dog	Feb 8, 1982. Gail bought a poodle-spitz pup ($25). I offered "Pitz", "Minnie" and "Frito"; Ne suggested "Tootsie". We decided on David's choice: "Sugar".
The Jo's	Feb 21, 1982. Josephsons and Broichs with kids over for a reunion of the women. Had an okay St Gabriel '80 Liebfraulich. Cheryl's brother lives in NZ!!
The Carnie	Mar 5, 1982. We went to Armstrong Carnival. Very loud. Tried the cake walk twice and failed so we bought a cake at a stall. Long talk with Larry Strom. Kids waited half an hour to go on the Jumper. Played every stall game. Kids each got a yo-yo at the"Fish Pond" Long wait for cotton candy. Back at home we looked at slides while sipping an excellent Sebastini Cab Sav. Mom stayed overnight.
The Barbecues	May 30, 1981. Josephson's over at 4PM with an excellent '77 Weber Zeller Schwarze Katz to go with our barbecue meal. May 29, 1982. Dad gave us his old barbecue. Aug 14, 1982. Washington County Park with Tom and Kathy. Played hitball while waiting for coals to heat up. Walked around (and through) the pond. Saw a dead deer, marijuana and poison ivy. May 10, 1983. Lesser over and we traded our portable barbecue grill for his Weber. We walked to Armstrong and hit baseballs. We had hot dogs and hamburgers on Weber. Jul 19, 1983. Almost with Swansons. A storm stopped that and electricity was out until 7PM. Aug 3, 1983. Stroms and Schwitters. I burnt the hamburgers on the Weber and David was busy trying to keep the flames down with a squirt gun. Aug 27, 1983. Dieffenbachs. Paul and I took shots while cooking. Had German chocolate ice cream.	Andrea.Katie
The Worry	Apr 2, 1982. David and Ne went bike riding after super. Ne came in at 7PM but no sign of David. Since he never missed "Dukes of Hazard" we knew something was wrong. So I was in the car and drove around for 20 minutes. He got lost trying to ride his bike around the block (very complicated in Cottage Grove). A couple found him standing at 80th and Jamaica and brought him to their place. So I drove over and got him.
The Meal	Apr 9, 1982. We went to Anchor Inn where for $7.95 you could have anything on the menus as many times as you wish. I had shrimp, then frogs legs and fish. Gail had two orders of shrimp. We could have probably eaten more.
The Pie	Apr 23, 1982. Tom and Kathy over at 6PM with a pumpkin pie that Tom had made and a Mondavi red. Women took Sugar for a walk while we played catch with kids. Showed Tom the train set up only find that the engine doesn't work. David told me that Eric crashed it off the table and broke it. We made it through the meal but then Art called saying JUA blew up. So we went in. We figured out that a counter blew when it reached 1000, so while I increased it Tom restored the database. Bob McMonigal was in with his wife and I waved "hi" to them. Got back to our place at 11PM and they left straight away.
The SD	May 3, 1982. Timberlake, S.D. school superintendent, Carl Remmers, called at 9:30PM and said I could have the maths job if it is not filled by August, but I would need to be working toward a teaching certificate. Pay only $11,700. He told me about the area and it was a positive talk.
The SD	May 29, 1982. Kids dug up worms from garden. Went fishing with Dad on upper shore of Coon Creek and then on the dam. Sat through a rain shower. No fish for the barbecue. Back to the river, this time on lower shore, but again no nibbles. Stayed until dark and mosquitos. Kids enjoyed it immensely and didn't have a single fight.
The In-Laws	May 31, 1982. Went to Towns. Helen (from Worthington), Darryl and Delores from New Jersey were there. Had lunch with a good dry Taylor bubbly. Many compliments on how well behaved the kids were.
The BDay	Jun 6, 1982. Stopped at LaBelle's and got a frypan for mom's 57th. Dick, Estelle, Chris and Adelle R joined us for a boring birthday party at Mom's. I decorated the garage and we ate in there. Chris had a broken finger - got drunk and broke it in a fight (or so he said). We made $38 from mom's garage sale.
The Towns	Jun 13, 1982. Gail's folks visit with Darryl and Delores. Showed them around the yard and gave them rhubarb plants to bring back to New Jersey. Had a late lunch (very good Kabinet '79 Mosel-Saar-Ruwer and okay Colony Burgundy) with them. Played a game of croquette with kids.
The Streasicks	Jun 15, 1982. Showed Chuck and Inez the yard and had a meal. Then we watched the end of David's baseball game and supplied the team with its post-game pop. They lost 29 - 8 which is an improvement over previous encounter (27 - 1).Home for dessert and tales of Chuck's women problems on fishing trips.
The Paint	Jun 1982. I painted the blue trim a dark brown and the white front panels a light brown.
The Afton I	Jun 27, 1982. After supper we hiked around Afton State Park.
The Dome	Jul 1, 1982. Had bad luck with parking and ended up with a 3-block walk to the Dome. Ended up down left-field side (section 138). Twins won 9 - 2 (boxscore). Ward had a triple and homer. No vendors came to our area so Gail and kids spent a long time buying hotdogs at a stand. Took 75 minutes to get home as game ended at rush hour time.
The Stroms	Jul 4, 1982. Sections of freeway buckling in the heat. Stroms over at 8:30PM. Played croquette and jarts. Then we went to Crestview with them for fireworks. We were counting Eric's "oohs" and "aahs". Finale was on the ground and grass caught fire. Back to our place for ice cream and baba cake. Kids lit their snakes, glowworms and sparklers. Flashlight tag until midnight.
The BDay	Jul 9, 1982. I had made a Pac-Man card to go with his Pac Man cake. Gifts: water pistol, flashlight, compass, life jacket, Spiderman game, Scooby Doo night light (broke straight away) and folding scissors. Scott and Amy played games until 10PM and slept over.
The Streasicks	Jul 15, 1982. Went to Streasick's. Kids made friends with their neighbor's dog, Corky. Sat outside while Chuck tried to cook chicken on his new Webber. Meal inside and dessert outdoors while listening to them talk about each others spending habits.
The Wedding	Jul 17, 1982. Drove to Luverne, with Joyce, where we had lunch at Country Kitchen. Drove to Steen for Barb and Mike's wedding (officially pronounced wed at 2:22:35PM) in the Reformed Church. David and Billy were gift carriers (he was given a car model kit). Gail and I poured punch at the reception. A few words, two songs and then food. Talked to Hansen's son Jason and then to Hansen's father about Morgan. Over to Hills and Hansen's new house. Opened gifts outdoors under a huge elm tree. Jeff showed me photo taken at the week-long basketball camp with Jim Ducher. Bob gave me a bottle of wine (Christmas gift). Spoke with John Jones who had been in Fiji and New Zealand. Some of us then had a meal in a small room at the Magnolia Steak House. I had scallops and finished Joyce's ham. Got to Worthington at 10PM and spend the night at Helen Towne's. Chatted until midnight while sipping a sweet Masson Rhine Castle.	JohnLouise Kay
The Worthington	Jul 18, 1982. Helen gave us a tour around Worthington and Lake Okabena. Rich, Dutch farmers with many lovely properties and big churches. Stopped in Albert Lea for lunch at Burger King. Passed many old-time cars (kids counted 198) - apparently over 6,000 at Fair grounds this weekend.
The Activities	Jul 19, 1982. Kids began swimming lessons at high school. Tony [???] helped me and Gail put the backboard up on back of garage. After supper we had our first family bike ride. Went to Woodridge park and let the kids play. David scared to death of vertical ladder there, but Ne was up and down.
The Afton II	Jul 24, 1982. Camped out in Afton State Park ($3/night) at site #17 in the trees. Long walk from parking lot going uphill with many stops for rest and water. David and I got firewood. Almost impossible to get water from hand pump. Park is new, so toilets are nice and clean with no smell. A trip to car to get rest of gear. Sugar got heaps of ticks and Ne spent a lot of time removing them. Cooked hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire. Checked Scout book and sure enough we are surrounded by poison ivy (Ne calls it "poisonous ivy"). Ne found a daddy longlegs. Played Crazy 8 under Coleman light. We all layed on a sleeping bag. I covered with a sheet, but others didn't as the temp was in the 70's.
The Afton III	Jul 25, 1982. Had oatmeal and toast for breakfast. Brought a load to car and got caught in a downpour. We have the beach (river) to ourselves in the rain. David went out in his boat. Rain stopped. Found wild blackberries and they were delicious. After lunch we decamped. Raced rain home.
The Car I	Jul 31, 1982. Drove over to Southview Chevrolet where we found
The Car II	Aug 4, 1982. Doug S. looked over cars at Merit Chevrolet (test drove 80 LeMans and a 78 Malibu station wagon). Then he came over for a meal.
The Car III	Aug 5, 1982. Gail and I looked at Suburban Chrysler then over to Merit Chevrolet where we test drove a '78 Malibu station wagon, then a Pontiac. When we got back the Malibu was being looked at by another family - we offered $3700 but were turned down. So we tried a '80 Malibu wagon and another '78 Malibu.
The Car IV	Aug 7, 1982. Gail and I went to Bob Carter, Trail Dodge, Southview and a VW place. Drove a lot of cars. After lunch at White Castle we made a $4700 offer on a 1980 Ford Fairmont Squire wagon, which was rejected.
The BDay	Aug 8, 1982. To Dad's with Chris. Gave him cuff links and erasable typing paper. I typed up three deed papers for him. Went to Crooked Lake. Too windy for swimming so we fished. David had the only catch - a sunny. Back to Dad's for a barbecue. David made "Happy Birthday" in the Lite-Brite set. Dropped Chris off at Seven Corners.
The Car V	Aug 9, 1982. Brought the 1980 Ford Fairmont wagon from Carter Ford to Dick to check. Bought it for $4850+tax.
The Park	Aug 14, 1982. Barbecue at Washington County Park with Tom and Kathy. Played hitball while waiting for coals to heat up. Walked around (and through) the pond. Saw a dead deer, marijuana and poison ivy. Gail went to work at 3PM. Tom and I took shots while Kathy rested.
The F&B	Aug 28, 1982. Bette and Frank Thomas arrived at 4:30PM with a bottle of maple syrup. Went to Washington County Park and walked around the pond. Two hours of slides and stories from Fiji. Next day we went to Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 560 acres beyond Chanhassen (map). Wandered around the Minneapolis Men's Garden Club display and a few of the trails. Stopped at flower displays for photos. Drove over to Pike Island under Mendota bridge in Fort Snelling Park and walked to the Nature Center. Then Minnehaha Falls.
The Family	Aug 30, 1982. Hung around to farewell Bette and Frank. Mom, Chris, Jody, Angi and the Jim Fishers over at 5PM. Had a sweet Masson '80 Colombard and Andre bubbly with meal. Brenda did her gymnastic tricks for us. Stayed until 11:30PM.
The BDay	Sept 4, 1982. Bob and Mom over for Ne's birthday. They gave us 3 steel yard chairs and gave Ne a Strawberry Shortcake wading pool (had to tape 3 gashes). Sat outside and the neighborhood kids came round to watch Ne open her gifts: couple Snoopy toys, two dolls, a plant and $10. Mom left after an hour or so. Then Dad and Lavonne came at 2PM with a doll stroller (that we had to assemble). Ne arrived back from Swansons with a fudgecicle. Dad said when she finished it he would give her the gift. She handed it to me. I brought Dad and Lavonne to Western Life and showed them what I do there.
The Park	Sept 11, 1982. Went to Lake Alice in William O'Brien State Park. Played a little football and went for a walk along the river. Had hot dogs kids went swimming. Hot humid day. Pizza for supper and then we looked at slides of our Northern trip.
The Dentist	Sept 20, 1982. Brought kids to McCarthy (dentist) and Dan Sherer's (he was in Lesser's training class) wife, Lyn, took care of David (3 cavities) and Ne (4 cavities).
The Stroms	Sept 23, 1982. Visited Stroms at their new place in West St Paul. Beautiful house and yard. Had a meal and then Jeff showed off his juggling skills. He has some great Lego trucks.
The Leak	Sept 27, 1982. Had furnace cleaned ($82.50). Gail discovered washing machine is sending water out the back, hence the water in my den. It was a pinched hose.
The Chix	Sept 28, 1982. Had chicken McNuggets for the first time Commercial.
The Smorg	Nov 7, 1982. Had lunch at Jolly Troll ($15.86 for the four of us) smorgasboard in Golden Valley. Ne couldn't finish first helping, I had two servings and no room for dessert and David whipped up a fancy dessert. The place has mechanical trolls around the perimeter.
The Bridge	Nov 11, 1982. Shusterichs over for first bridge lesson. Then again on 18th.
The T'Day 82	Nov 25, 1982. Over to Towns for Thanksgiving meal with two cheap wines that Joyce picked up for $1 each (harsh '76 Paducci Chablis and a bad Meirs La Brusca Rubio). Went to Chris', who is now living in MaryAnn's apartment - two cats, Bob and Bill. Mom showed up. We visited over a good '80 B&G Beaujoulais. MA gave David a large model ship to put together.
The Banks 82	Nov 26, 1982. Got to Banks at 8:20AM for day-after-Thanksgiving sale. Met Gloria and Jess in line. We were in the first batch and made a mad dash with everyone to the toys, upstairs. Picked up Star Wars and Strawberry Shortcake characters. A sewing machine for Ne. Waited in line for an hour to pay.
The Reitans	Dec 12, 1982. Reitan's with Towns for a meal with their daughter, Sue and her son Aaron. Real nice house, garden and workshop. Watched Vikings beat winless Baltimore 13 - 10. Warren served us an excellent Gallo Burgundy, homemade wine and a Lerouix blackberry brandy. After Towns left I had a long chat with Warren. Kids had fun with 2 yr-old and on the go Aaron.
The Saudis I	Dec 14, 1982. Steve and Roxane (with Julie) stayed over night. We looked at their slides of Saudi Arabia (not allowed to take photos). They put on typical dress of the people and regaled us with many stories of the restrictions imposed on foreigners. Had an excellent '80 Sebastiani Gamay Beuajolais. Steve and I talked shop until late.
The Saudis II	Dec 15, 1982. Had day off. Went to Jerry's for brunch. Steak and eggs for $2.99 - fantastic value. Back home to show our Minnesota vacation slides to Steve and Roxane. They left for Fairmont at 2PM.
The Xmas '82	Dec 24, 1982. Dad and Lavonne came at 2PM. He bought a Blue and White cab yesterday. Dad asked if we had any photos of our fishing trip. When I came up with the slides, there was my new 40"x40" screen. Dick and Joyce came at 3PM with fruit, coffee, cheese, wine, ham and turkey. Dad gave us $200 and I gave one of the bills to Dick. Had strawberry daquiris while looking at slides. Gave dad a brandy and since he always filled to the top I explained why he should leave room for a bouquet. Had a buffet meal and then opened gifts. Joyce gave Ne the sewing machine we picked up at Banks (it doesn't work) and Smurf gloves. Pacman sweatshirt for David. He got a fishing pole from Dad. Lavonne gave me a coffee pump. We gave Towns an air cleaner and poster of Dick holding Tiger. Gave Dad and Lavonne a carton of Hauenstein beer and a Christmas album. Played Smurf game.
The Xmas '82 II	Dec 25, 1982. Towns turned back from going to New Ulm, many cars in ditch. We drove very carefully to Mom's for a meal with Chris. Opened gifts. Bottle of whiskey, wine, travel bag, porcelain bottles and almond bark. Chris gave us a basket and a green candle holder shaped like a lamp. David a crane and a tanker car for the train set and PACMAN game from Chris. He gave Ne Little Orphan Annie doll, clothes, necklace and makeup. Mom gave David a Lego Star Wars fleet, Careers and Big Deal, and a western town set. Fishers joined us so we had 9 kids running around. Jesse alert and with it. Don and Dolly good fun. Dale and Sheryl. Ate at 8PM and left at 9PM.
The ET	Jan 1, 1983. Met Dad and Lavonne at Roseville where we treated them to a viewing of E.T., then pizza at Shakey's where the kids played Ms. PAC-MAN and watched cartoons.
The Woody	Jan 6, 1983. Ice storm - I spun out on Jamaica and went across the median. Turned into a blizzard. I left work at 2PM and got Woody from airport. Been 7 years since we were last together. He came to the States to buy a computer for his Finance Dept in Fiji Govt. He gave me a bottle of whisky and banana cake that his mother had made. Found out that Whites have a boy, Matthew, and a VCR. Pete Johnston now Director of Energy. After getting his PHd he was in Raratonga for UN for a stretch.
The BDays	Jan 30, 1983. Took Dick and Joyce out to Red Lobster for their birthday treats. Gave Dick "Iowan's money": shredded bills.
The BB	Feb 4, 1983. Drove to Hills, Minnesota to Gail's aunt Kay's (5 hour drive). Meal and at 5PM the adults went to Lake Wilson (50 miles). Watched a basketball game against the Chandler-Lake Wilson Mustangs. Jeff (guard for Hills Patriots) shot twice and missed both. They won 84 -57. Bob is stat keeper. Good team but not much variety in plays.
The BB II	Feb 5, 1983. Two hour basketball workout in Hills, Minnesota high school gym with Bob Hansen, Mike Elbers and Jeff DeWanz. I impressed them by putting in 25 footers and was even making lefties. Bob's daughter, Dianah, and Steve came by to pick up a dog. Men watched Indiana (No 1) anihilate Minnesota (No 2) while women went to check out Barb's new apartment.
The Offer	Feb 23, 1983. Kevin Kelly flew in to Twin Cities and offered me a job in Wellington after talking to him for 3 hours at Holiday Inn Airport #2. I turned him down, saying I didn't want to live there. He came to me instead of me going to Chicago because he wanted to meet "the ogre" who wrote him those letters.
The Pledge	Feb 24, 1983. Cub Scout Blue and Gold meeting. David carried the American Flag in. We sat with Mennes, Mrs Vertanen and Father Rowan (heard for the third time about his NZ trip and he would ask everyone: "Did you know that John lived in NZ?" and off he would go telling his story...). Dog obedience show with two champion German Sheperds (Chance and Robyn). David loved it and when we got home he got to work with Sugar trying to teach her some of those tricks we saw. I pledged $40 since that is what it costs for a boy for a year. The other 31 families came up with $255 (avg=$8.22). Pack leader drove over and gave me a Scout mug for my generosity.
The Art	Mar 5, 1983. Went to Minneapolis Art Institute's kids' day. Ne did a full-size tracing of herself while David drew a Pacman on a computer. Went to Ground Round and hit 'Happy Hour" so kids' drinks were free.
The Mount	Mar 16, 1983. 6" of snow. David and I finished papier mache mountain on train table. A policeman came at 9:30PM to say that a neighbor has complained about Gail letting Sugar do her business on the street.
The Cars	Mar 27, 1983. $237 for a new steering pump on wagon [ed. - later in the year Fords were called in for a free repair for this problem]. Meanwhile the frame on the Ford LTD finally broke.
The M Day	Apr 3, 1983. Easter. Laid a trail of candy to the kids baskets. Kids were up at 6AM to discover it. Over to mom's - she gave Ne a lamb, David a Matchbox truck and birthday gifts (can opener, candy thermometer, serving spoons...) to Gail. We gave mom a fancy glassware. We brought her to Pannekoeken Huis (popovers) in St Louis Park for brunch - drinks came in Kerr canning jars. Then we went to NW Sports Show in the Auditorium where we loaded up on info for South Dakota and Montana. David bought sunfish lures. Took in the show - fellow in front of us kept insulting the diver and was finally dragged into the act and did comic dives. There were Polish acrobats, The Seven Staniks; two guys, Volantes, on unicycles; Sensational Leighs in a Giant Space Wheel and retriever dogs. Checked out taxidermy display and birds of prey show with an excellent talk about owls.
The Purple	Apr 19, 1983. Chuck and Inez over for a meal. They gave Gail a flamenco dancer doll, pens for the kids and a coupon organizer (pwrfect gift, eh?) for me. Chuck related many stories about their neighbors. How Howard complains about the drunken hillbillies. Gail put too much wine in the chicken and it came out purple.
The Hike	Apr 23, 1983. Hiked around So. Washington County Park so David and I could test our new hiking boots and his compass. Followed deer tracks and found a ground nest with 4 eggs. Down through a dried up gully and saw brown creepers, nuthatches.
The Twins	Jun 4, 1983. Got to High School parking lot at 9:15AM. At 9:30 the boys and 9 other parents got onto the bus which then sat there until 10:40AM. So we didn't get to the dome until way after the 11AM start of the baseball clinic. Seated at top in left field. Saw Stroms and Mennes. Clinic was waste of time and then we had to sit with these squirrely boys for an hour before the game began. Let David buy a batting glove. Twins lost 8 - 6 to Red Sox. Ne slept on bus on way home. Jim Thommes gave us a ride from school as Gail was working.
The BDay	Jun 9, 1983. We went to Bonaventure with Mom to have lunch at Good Earth (I had a wok omelette - David didn't like his Sloppy José - too spicy and hot). Saw "Return of the Jedi" at Ridge Square. Very funny. Over to Mom's for coffee. Stopped at Wards and Target so Ne could buy David a Jedi figure. He got $39 ($15 from mom, $5 from Joyce, $9 from me and $10 from dad) and plans to buy a race car set. Kids swam and ate over at Swanson's. Then Amy and Scott came over for cake and gifts: Compass,fools gold, rock collection, magic tricks book, Indian sticker book, pipe unloader for train set and a Monopoly game. He didn't want to go to bed, wanting to play with the gifts.
The Golf	Jul 10, 1983. Checked out the mini-golf course in Cottage Grove (behind the raquetball club in the middle of a farm field). Nothing fancy, just plain holes but large and long fairways.
The Swansons	Jul 19, 1983. Swansons over for a barbecue, but storm stopped that and electricity was out until 7PM. But it was a nice visit and little 2 year-old Andrew is a real cutie.
The New House	Jul 28, 1983. Drove to Frank and Libby's new house and played bridge with a very nice Keller-Getter white. Julie Thommes babysat.
The In-Laws	Aug 5, 1983. Wandersees visited with Bill & Shirley.
The Golf	Aug 6, 1983. Had lunch at Dad's and gave him a lawn spreader for his birthday. Went to Spring Lake Park miniature golf. Had good fun - Lavonne got a hole-in-one and Dad won a free game on final hole by doing the same.
The Lundholms I	Aug 8, 1983. Lundholm's arrived around 6PM. Their van has big dents in roof from large hail stones.
The Lundholms II	Aug 9, 1983. Wandersees brought us their aquarium and gear. Bob gave David a haircut. Chatted with Lundholms until late - they spent day shopping and visiting church friends.
The Lundholms III	Aug 10, 1983. Took day off to go to Fort Snelling "live" day with the Lundholms. Went into the Commandant's house, blacksmith's and a shop where we bought jew's harps. Watched the soldiers being drilled - very realistic and informative. Had lunch at MacDonalds. Parked in StPaulCos lot downtown and walked over to St Paul Museum of Science, but didn't go in when Dave found out there was a $3 entry charge. Went to Co-Ops and a Goodwill where I bought 17 paperbacks. Supper at Jerry's. Our waitress was Armstrong school nurse and knew Ne.
The Lundholms IV	Aug 11, 1983. Call came for a blowup. So I brought Lundholm in and he met Steiner (his first time in). Another truncated policy. Got home at 9:15PM. They gave me a clone set and Gail a bottle of champagne.
The Prize	Sept 9, 1983. I am the Getty Twins "Fan of the Game" and I get a $25 voucher for fuel/products. They beat KC 7 - 6 in 10 innings on Hrbek's second homer.
The Shade	Sept 10, 1983. Bought a 6'x4.5' window shade for $30 at K-Mart which we used as a screen for slides until 2010.
The Cuz	Sept 19, 1983. Took vacation day. We met Steve and family at Perkins in Bloomington for lunch. He gave me some Perth newspapers and WA brochures. Julie was a cute well-behaved 1-year old. Gave her a Mickey Mouse towel. Just an hour with them.
The Reception	Sept 24, 1983. Tom and Kathy's apartment. Tom and I went to CUB to get the wedding cake while Gail and kids had a swim in indoor pool and soak in jacuzzi. Kids played kick ball with John Bassett and his girls until guests arrived. Changed into our fancy duds. Couldn't stand Tom's mother, so when I had to make a speech I only did a toast to them. Chatted with Kathy's friends Onus (80) and Lea (73). Stayed until 7PM.
The Neighbor	Oct 7, 1983. Rollie's surprize (he was) 40th party. Met Ursula and Jerry Palesh, Mary and Phil Bentz, Arlan and Elaine Schwitters and Greg and Becky Sailer. Gave him a certificate for Staining his basement woodwork. Many great stories. Our kids came over and were in basement playing ping pong. David and I were the last to leave at midnight.
The Neighbor	Oct 30, 1983. Car died on Gail in front of Doug's house and he came out to help us start it. Two years and we finally met our neighbor.
The Cans	We kept up the can collecting from roadside that had begun in Maplewood. In 1984 the kids made $7.29
The Stroms	They lived down the block and I worked with Larry. Met the family when they had us over for hamburgers on 14 Sept, 1981. Barb seemed like a hippy in nature. THree boys who were all rambuncious. Jeff, 10 years, likes to talk and we heard all about his Legos. They moved to West St Paul and on 23 Sept 1982 we visited. Beautiful house and yard. Had a meal and then Jeff showed off his juggling skills. He has some great Lego trucks.They got divorced after me moved to NZ.
The Tongue	Nov 4, 1983. First dose of black tongue - dry, salty, cracked lips. Called a doctor and he said to brush it with toothbrush.
The Doctor	Nov 11, 1983. Saw Dr Otremba for the first time. Since he just opened and has no patients he gave me a few tests in order to try out his new equipment: so I have sed rate, blood count and TB tests. Gave me Beconase.
The Fausts	Nov 12, 1983. "Boring" Fausts over for home movies. Had a curry meal with a good '77 Weber Zeller Schwarze Katz, an excellent HMR '80 CabSav and an okay B+G '81 Beaujolais.
The Fausts	Nov 28, 1983. 11" of snow so no school and no work. New record for November with 26.4" (Radio report). Gail fed up with Minnesota winters.
The Cyst	Nov 29, 1983. Saw Dr Cumming who wanted a second opinion so I saw Dr Love who said epididymal cyst. Could take 3 years to heal - but can operate if pain gets more severe.
The Party	Dec 10, 1983. Julie Thommes babysat and we went to Lesser's with a bottle of champagne. Tom gave me shrimp chips for my birthday. Interesting talk with Jon (DP manager) and Ester (teacher). Met Steve (counselor) and Pam (teacher). Talked to Tom's sister Carrie.
The Freeze	Dec 19, 1983. Even colder: -29°F with a high of -11°F. Garage door opener wouldn't work - metal has constricted. So after getting car out I had to go back and close it manually. Then Fran showed up wanting to drive so I had to make two more trips out in the cold to get the car into the garage. I was frozen when we got to work at 8AM.
The Freeze II	Dec 23, 1983. Record low of -25°F and a record low-high of -17°F with a windchill of -60°F. So cold that I used full-service to fill car at Standard and paid the extra $4 so I wouldn't have to get out of the car. Lessers over for a curry meal (an excellent Villa Banfi Chianti) and Fiji slides. They gave us Dutch butter cookies and Minchener's Centennial. I gave Tom a baseball.
The Freeze III	Dec 24, 1983. Went to Chris' at 6PM. -27°F so Dad and I left our cars running for the 3 hours we were there. Chris gave David "Alien Chase" and Battleships games. Ne was given Pigmania and weird slippers. Wine for me and Gail. Gave Chris an apron "29 and holding" and a mouse bank. Gave Dad a wresting magazine and a brandy. He told a great story of how he ended up with 5 cartons of booze in his taxi trunk without knowing it (read about it). We had eats with a very good Sutter Home '80 Zinfadel.
The Xmas '83	Dec 25, 1983. To Towns at noon and had a couple Tom and Jerrys and lunch. Joyce gave us sleeping bags and Timex watches for the kids. We gave her two lead cyrstal pieces and a sweater. Gave Dick a shirt. Brought Chris and Mary Ann to Mom's. David got a backpack, Renee running shoes, Gail dishes and a shirt for me. We gave her the carved squirrel. Bob (gave him an "Evacaring" certificate), Fishers, Gloria and Jesse joined us.
The Accident	Dec 26, 1983. Began to sleet and as soon as we got onto I94 we had to go around a four car accident, then off the Interstate altogether by an accident at Mound Blvd. Then as we were exiting onto 35th St I slid into the back of a taxi and dented the trunk. We made the trip to return Mary Ann's purse. On way home we passed a a 7 car pile up and then two cars in front of me crashed and spun out. I spun into the median area where the snow slowed me down and I was able to get control and from then on drove very slowly on the icy roads. Pushed bent up license plate into place and notice oil leakage. Called cab owner and offered $300 to avoid insurance claim.
The Farewell	Jan 21, 1984. Went to Schwitters to farewell Jerry and Ursula. Met their sons and wives: Keith and Chris, Joel and Colleen who have moved into the house. Met Larry and Pat Chopski (Billy's folks), Jason's parents Don Sterling and wife and Dwayne Minchner and wife.
The Krohns	Jan 29, 1984. Brought a dessert to Bill & Shirley's and chatted with Towns, Gutzkes, Wandersees, David and Billy until Gail had to leave for work at 3PM.
The BB	Feb 3, 1984. Drove to Hills so we could watch Gail's cousin, Jeff, play against S.W. Christian. They lost 69-63, blowing a 15 point lead. Jeff had 10 points. Renee wandered around with Gwen the whole time. David sat on the stage by himself and a couple local boys made friends with him.
The Storm	Feb 4, 1984. Barb and Mike came over with their new puppy, Tigger. Jeff, Mike, the kids and I went to highschool gym to take some shots. Met the coach, Hugo Goehl. I went to Souix Falls with Bob to get supplies for building a doghouse. 3rd worst blizzard blew in (75mph) stranding Kay, Barb and Jeff overnight at the Magnolia Steak House. Mike E got caught in it on way home from Souix Falls and ended up staying in a stranger's house with 11 other stranded drivers.
The Long Drive	Feb 5, 1984. Kay and kids got home about noon and we left shortly after. We were pulled off the interstate at Adrian for 30 minutes and then we made a caravan behind snow plows. Westbound lanes were completely snowed over in 12 foot drifts. We counted over 100 abandoned vehicles between Luverne and Jackson. The snow was whipping across and vision was very limited. Took us six hours to get to Bloomington. News report.
The Yuck	Mar 17, 1984. Gail worked the Jaycee's Fashion Show at Woody's. Cathy Reis was a model. Left kids and Sugar at Town's and brought Gail to Sri Lanka Curry House on Hennipen. I didn't like most of the stuff I was served which tasted like it had been marinated in kerosene/vinegar. Atmosphere was great with live music.
The Ice	Mar 21, 1984. We went to Met Center (now demolished for parking) to watch Walt Disney's "Magic Kingdom on Ice" featuring World Champion Linda Fratianne. We had good seats. I bought a stuffed Goofy on skates and a Goofy pin. The show was funny and exciting - everyone enjoyed it. We followed a cab from Mendota Bridge right to the house - turned out to be Rollie coming from the airport.
The B'Day	Mar 31, 1984. Went to Lesser's for Kathy's birthday party. Ray from General Services, Doug Siems, Pham, African couple with son Quasi, Frank the cripple, Jim and Cindy (went to CDC with Tom). A quiet group though Kathy tried to liven things up by wearing beely boppers.
The Sliver	Apr 3, 1984. Gail stepped on a sliver of glass (from a vitamin bottle that Ne broke a couple days ago) and bled profusely from the heel [ed. - it stayed in for several years and then worked its way out on its own].
The Mounds I	Apr 8, 1984. Drove out to Mounds Park and found actual "mounds" deemed to be Indian burial sites in origin. PHOTOS Panaramic view of the Mississippi valley and downtown St. Paul.
The Non-Op	Apr 12, 1984. Gail drove herself into Mounds View Hospital. Called me at 6:10AM in tears saying that she will need a ride home after the operation. Kids got a lift to school from Schwitter (it was raining hard). Gail snuck out and drove herself home at 10:30AM. Never had the op.
The Feud	Apr 14, 1984. Schwitters came over and we played "Family Feud". Jenny slept over.
The Easter	Apr 22, 1984. Hid eggs and setup Easter baskets before Towns brought kids home. Dad and Lavonne arrived same time. We had a nice visit and meal. David did some magic tricks. When Towns left we played Pigmania. Joyce gave us $300 to buy a color TV.
The Embassy	May 5, 1984. NZ Embassy says that we have to fly New York or Wasgington, DC for an interview.
The Twins	May 15, 1984. Brought Tom, Doug and Frank to Twins game. Had front row seats just beyond 1st base. Hrbek scored in 1st and it was 1-0 until 9th when he dropped the ball allowing a run in. Floodgates opened in 10th and we lost 5-2 to Boston.
The Recital	May 31, 1984. Towns over for supper and then to Woodbury to show them where I work. As we were signing in, Eric Ze was signing out - turns out that he worked at Foo Choo's about 14 years ago with Joyce, Gail and Chris. Then onto Ne's recital which seemed boring compared to last year's. One little girl was a real ham and put on a SHOW. Ne was in three numbers. She did well on "We Got the Beat", but got muddled in the Strawberry Shortcake routine where she was the leader. In "Grease Lightning" she was in the line and performed better. See photos.
The Mounds II	May 3, 1984. Went to Mounds Park (for scenic shots of St. Paul). Had lunch among the Indian burial mounds. Went to base of High Bridge. David wouldn't dare to climb the open stairs, but I had to stop Ne at the 5th flight or she would have gone all the way up. We also checked out the coal barges on the river. Check out the photos.
The Cuzzies	Jun 8, 1984. Steve, Roxane and Julie stop in to stay the night and we look at their slides of Africa.
The Festival	Jun 9, 1984. Dad over to go to the Cottage Grove Strawberry Festival. Big crowd checking out break dancing. Turned out that the owner of the rides, Bill Nagel, was a friend of Dad's so the kids got free rides. David only went on one and Ne went on all of them. Home for supper and we gave Dad a personalized toothpick holder for Father's Day.
The Project	June 1984. I was given time off for every hour overtime I did on the Ag project. I was allowed to bring a computer and printer home and I set up in the train room. Gail and kids went up to Pelican Lake with the Krohn family for the week. So I stayed home to avoid being distracted with problems at work. Despite this it still took me until March 1985 to finish as users kept wanting more added to the program.
The BDay	Jul 9, 1984. Gave David his gifts: Flintlock rifle, chemistry set, Connect 4 game, Star Wars Jedi figurine, Risk (from Joyce). Program and the card it produced. Went to David's Little League game. David was reserve and just as he came to bat for the first time, the game was called because a storm blew in. So it was home for some of his fish-shaped birthday cake and a game of Risk.
The Deiff's	Aug 11, 1984. We went to Dieffenbach's place - beautiful yard with gigantic veggie garden. See the horse across the road. Played croquet while barbecuing pork chops which we enjoyed with a good Inglenook Grenache. We bought Paul's 24" Schwinn 10-speed bike for $65.
The Putt	Aug 12, 1984. To Dad's for a barbecue lunch then putt-putt in Blaine photo 1. Lavonne got 4 hole-in-ones photo 2 and won. photo 3. Back to Dad's for watermelon. Lavonne gave us flowers with granny-faces. Kids brought home Dad's Lite-Brite set.
The 40th	Oct 7, 1984. Rollie's surprize (he was) 40th party. Met Ursula and Jerry Palesh, Mary and Phil Bentz, Arlan and Elaine Schwitters and Greg and Becky Sailer. Gave him a certificate for Staining his basement woodwork.
The Parade	Jul 21, 1984. Watched the Minneapolis Aquatennial Parade photos. We got to a spot at the end of the route at 2:30PM and the parade got to us at 3:15PM. I repaired a camp stool only to have the other one rip when I sat on it. It started to rain toward the end so we moved into an entryway and stuck it out. Got home in time to have burgers and play croquet at Schwitters.
The Parade	Jul 22, 1984. Went to Lake Nokomis to watch Milk Carton Boat races. Boats were pretty plain this year (photo). We got a spot near the finish line and were entertained as the officials had to try to keep people out of the area. Kids and Gail went for a swim. Stopped to see a Poodle Show (photo) at Lake Hiawatha.
The Tubal	Aug 2, 1984. Gail got a bad pain at 2:30AM but didn't tell me until 5AM. We rushed over to Mounds Park hospital where they were suspcious of a kidney infection. Dr Johnson came at 7AM and his guess was a tubal infection, so the operation was cancelled and she was admitted so they could give her I.V. antibiotics. Once she was in room 562 and given a painkiller I went home to the kids (9AM). Kids stayed at Schwitters while I visited Gail.
The Allergies	Sep 14, 1984. I had done 60 allergy tests on my back and as a result I got allergy shots (mold, dust, pollen) - one in each arm.
The Twins	Sep 17, 1984. Drove Kathy home. Had barbecue hamburgers before Tom and I went to the Twins game. Our seats were right behind home plate. Dean Spratt, blind traffic reporter for WCCO sang the "The Star Spangled Banner" acapella. Twins lost 7-3 to Chicago. Harold Baines hit 3 homers, while Hrbek smashed one 452'.
The Twins II	Sep 23, 1984. Went to the Twins game. David bought sweat bands and Ne got a sundae with a baseball cap. We had great seats between home and third on the second deck. We were able to locate the Hansens on first base side using binoculars. Bush hit a homer and a Tarzan cartoon yells on the video screen. Kirby stole a home run with a catch over the fence. Gaetti made a fantastic foul ball catch way down the line. Hrbek ended the final home game with a fantastic play. Crowd went wild and cheered for 5 minutes, forcing the team out for a bow.
The 40th	Oct 7, 1984. Rollie's surprize (he was) 40th party. Met Ursula and Jerry Palesh, Mary and Phil Bentz, Arlan and Elaine Schwitters and Greg and Becky Sailer. Gave him a certificate for Staining his basement woodwork.
The Lessers	Oct 13, 1984. Tom and Kathy over for a curry meal with a dry Zonin 1980 Mountepulciano then slides of NZ. And finally it wasn't interupted by a blowup.
The Parade	Oct 27, 1984. David was a cowboy and we made up Ne as a clown with bits and pieces from around the house. She and David (cowboy) went in the five city parade and Ne won 1st place. Most people thought she was a professional clown there to entertain the kids. Ne was given a big trophy.
The T-Day 84	Nov 22, 1984. Dick (in basement watching football), Chris(card), Mary Ann, Joyce, Lavonne and Dad over for a big meal. Kids went back with Towns. Dad said he would take Sugar when we leave for NZ. Gave him back his air conditioner.
The Newsy	Nov 24, 1984. Steve N (with a beard flecked with grey) arrived at 11:30AM and we spent the day visiting, looking at photos and catching up on family. Karen living with a guy and a bigshot at Honeywell. Julie divorced and with a kid.
The Lesser	Dec 22, 1984. Tom gave us candy and grapefruit. After a meal we played Dukes of Hazzard card game with kids and then Music Trivia cards.
The Millers	Dec 23, 1984. Gail and kids picked up her uncle David and cousin Billy in Canon Falls and they all went to the family do in New Ulm. Doug and Janet Miller brought over a basket of fruit in appreciation for the veggie garden that Gail put in for them - they stayed for a visit.
The Xmas '84	Dec 24, 1984. Dad, Lavonne, Chris and MaryAnn came by at 7PM for a shrimp creole meal. Gave Chris his "mid-life" crisis kit for his 30th. Kids put on a "jingle bells" concert. Gifts: From Chris/Maryann (David a walkie-talkie set, Ne a Flower Kid (cheap version of a Cabbage Patch) doll, and a Trivial Pursuit game for me and Gail - "made me happy because I have wanted to play it for a year and I wouldn't spend $25 for it myself". From Dad (David: 3 Gobots (Loco, Crain Brain and Pumper), Ne wand, harmonica and slinky. From Lavonne (David space link vehicle, Ne koala with baby). Gave Dad the TV for his cab. We brought the 4' pool table into the rec room and everyone played until they left at 11PM.	meal gifts 8 ball
The Xmas '84 II	Dec 25, 1984. Drove over to Town's in the afternoon. Joyce gave Gail and me each a nice quilted lumberjack shirt. Ne got rollerskates and David got a Lego space station. Dick liked the dice cup a lot and we played - Ne was crying because she thought she had lost $50. Picked up Chris and Mary Ann and went to Mom's. Ne got an Ewok doll an David got two Transformers. We were given a big suitcase with wheels. Bob liked the lutefisk book I gave him. Gloria and Jesse told us the story of their near affixiation - great story tellers. Jim and Pat showed up with a big metal container filled with sour cream and chives flavored popcorn. Judy also came with her 17 year old son, Ren.
The Dieffs	Dec 28, 1984. Deiffenbachs over with 2 month-old Ben (making Gail all clucky) for a meal and then we played Trivial Pursuit with their Baby Boomer version. Was fun - I love the game.
The Nolz	Dec 31, 1984. Tom Nolz back from down-under; they looked up Murphys. Paul whomped me in canasta. We played pool for M&M's. Sugar, in defending a treat in a sock, bit Ne. Taught kids 500 rummy and Ne won.	Tom Nolz
The Girl	Jan 1, 1985. Saw "SuperGirl", which we all liked - very entertaining. (trailer). It had been rubbished by the critics. It wasn't up to the Superman movies but we only paid $1 each to see it.
The Strob	Jan 2, 1985. Saw Dr. Foreman, neurologist, in afternoon. He listened, looked me over, said no nerve problem, but he would give me something for migraine. Then I had an EEG - 20 electrodes glued to my head, then saline solution drilled in. Sat in a chair for 45 minutes - the strobe tests were interesting. Got home at 5:30PM with a migraine that kept getting worse.
The Tardy	Jan 4, 1985. Libby and Frank late as usual. Had a meal and then looked at their slides from Paris and Venice.
The First	Jan 10, 1985. Bought my very first computer, an Apple IIc, computer at downtown St Paul Dayton's.
The C&I	Jan 22, 1985. Chuck and Inez over to exchange gifts, have a meal and then pool. Had a birthday cake for Inez with the no-blow-out candles. Chuck told me many stories about a wasted neighbor, Elroy Jenkins.	C and I
The F&L	Jan 25, 1985. Cindy Chopski babysat as we went to Shusterich's for stroganoff, a good wine and then our Fiji slides until the bulb went. Then we looked at their Yugoslavian slides.
The Byron	Jan 26, 1985. We drove down to Byron, Mn about a 2 hour drive. Went to Steve and Becky's. They had friends' kids, Brandy and Anne, to play with David and Ne. Made shishkabobs that Steve cooked on an outdoor grill (in the bloody cold and snow). Becky has a pig collection - pigs everywhere. After the meal we played 500 until 11:30PM.
The Ice	Feb 3, 1985. Drove downtown to take a look at the remains of the Winter Carnival ice carvings at Rice Park. The -25°F windchill made sure we didn't stay long.	Ice is Nice
The Day Out	Feb 17, 1985. We went to Bandana Square for the grand opening of the Minnesota Children's Museum, but crowds had closed entry down. So we went to the Square where I got a pair of teeth tongs for Doug and Grandma's and Grandpa's Story books. Gail got a pottery piece with a loon painted on the cover (photo). Ran into Foudini, got a balloon animal from a dwarf clown. Ate at Polly's - poor service and bum rap on the "children eat for free". Back to Museum but decided that it wasn't worth $7 for the remaining half hour it would be open.	Museum
The Curry	Feb 22, 1985. Frank and Libby over for their first taste of curry. They REALLY didn't know what it was. Thought it was a dip. Let Libby try her hand at the Apple IIc. Then we finished our Fiji slides and showed them our NZ slides.
The Deiff	Mar 9, 1985. Dieffenbach's for an enjoyable evening, meal and Trivial Pursuit. Their 1984 Portuguese Lancer rosé was fizzy, while the rosé I brought, a 1982 French Cabernet D'anjou, was heavy like a sherry. See The Piano Man.	S.N.A.G.
The Meal	Mar 16, 1985. Dad's for lunch. Stayed until 6:30PM - left the kids there overnight and left Sugar permanently. Had some trouble finding Tom's place where after an hour of chat we went out to a Japanese restuarant on University for a grand meal. I had shrimp, seaweed and pickles; Gail had chicken teriyaki and we all shared bean curd and sushi with chopsticks. Back to Tom's for a dry Spanish Codorniu bubbly while watching "Strange Brew". They gave us $40 for a going away gift.	Strange 2
The Tables	Mar 18, 1985. Chuck and Inez's and gave them the glass end-tables. Had a great Mexican meal. They gave me a Mexican bar of soap.	great meal
The Farewell	Mar 22, 1985. To Schwitter's for a meal with them and Stroms. Little (big) Glen was very active - always moving his hands. We played "Black Magic" and I was the first to figure it out. Stroms gave us a travel diary and a game for the kids.
The Faust	Mar 24, 1985. Fausts' (proud to be the most boring couple in the world) for the evening. Checked out his wine cellar and wood panelled attic room. Meal and then ping pong with kids and cat, Apollo. Looked at family photos and heard how boring their wedding was (celery instead of a cake). Had some mighty fine wine - very dry Preston '83 Cabernet Blanc.	Fausts
The Last Day	Mar 28, 1985. Movers, Terry and Jerry, arrived about 9:30AM and we desparately tried to keep ahead of them. Sue Kainz dropped in with a gift and from PTO. Filled 2/3rd of container in 6 hours. David was given 2 books by Mrs. Mayer and the class. She will really miss him. I had the kids give out NZ pennies to their classmates. Todd and Cory G gave David a Lego set. Gail brought kids and a load of stuff to Mom's. I finished packing and cleaning before going over.
The Closing	Mar 29, 1985. Rosedale where we closed on the house. We ended up with $892.97. Calculated that had we stayed renting we would have saved $US24,000. Mary and David (our realtors) gave a photo album with pictures of the house. We gave them NZ key chains. They took us to lunch at Red Lobster. Could not find a table to hold the five of us (with closer - Bev Beran) so we split into two groups.
The MSM	Apr 3, 1985. Met Doug S and sold him my bi-centennial quarters. He joined us at Burger King. Went to Minnesota Science Museum. A lot of kid activity things. Maya exhibition. Saw a computer art show and "Grand Canyon" in the Omni Theater. Kind of a strain to watch - so large and around the sides and loud. Checked out the dinosaur section. Facebox - put your face into the hole and you will see it in a mirror with Maori moku.	thin lizzie dealers
The Farewell I	Apr 6, 1985. To dad's and Mohamed came over to check out our station wagon. We went to Old Country Buffet and were treated to a big meal by Dad. We played charades with him and Lavonne.
Back to Memories