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Psalm 90:10, "The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong.... |
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Three Score and Ten the Introduction, Well here we go, After 50 years I am going to take another attempt at writing. The first time was the Palmer writers correspondence school in 1969. The writing will be not a book that will be written with the idea of being published, But will be a writing of thoughts unencumbered by possible publishing and monetary gain. This writing will be a hybrid of Journal and Reminisce. It is important to me that the writings are my true thoughts at the time, not influenced by any factor. The writing will try to explain how a 70 year old white, male USA citizen now relates to today's world. Is every oldest generation lost in their own world, that they aged into? What do I see, and feel as I age farther. I know I am not normal as in what this world today would consider normal. But I hope I am in the ball park writing the thoughts of a 70 year old. I hope for you to learn to know who I am, As I search for Who I am at 70+ This work will carry on until I am no longer able to think or write. This will be done on a nearly daily writing interwoven with a life's reminiscing. This writing has been in the planning for 10 plus years. and I have now made it to this starting point. This writing is dedicated to My Wife The Kitten, My family, My grand children, Lukas, Levi, Luis, Lydia and Sonora Pearl. I thank you God that you have allowed me to have your Three Score and Ten Time. |
| It is morning and I slept good. Now if I can write as I go along today. I am working old 1930' and 40's Colliers and Saturday Evening Post magazines at this time. Most are decent shape, but I am finding some have been clipped. I hate that. It is so easy to miss the clippings when I do a listing. Some back covers are missing that was not shown in the auction. So I sort them out. It is 5:00 and I am just getting back to the Blog Post. Isn't it strange how you start a project and it snowballs on you. One thing leads to an other and the afternoon is shot. I started out cleaning out our Trunk Room. The trunk Room is what it sounds like, a room like an attic room used for storing trunks and what ever. Ours is the size of a small bedroom and it is full of Vintage Antique Paper Ephemera and Vintage Antique Christmas decorations. It is a organized full. The problem is we have a large old Queen Ann home that the bats love. So every year I need to vacuum Bat droppings from below the peak area. This sounds worse then it is, But needs to be done. But doing so I look at this and that as I move boxes out of the way. So it takes longer then it should. It is not heated so I do it before it gets real cold. The I went out to the garage and decided to readjust the shelves and supports on two shelving units to give them more strength. It is project I had hoped to get to before winter. That was a can of worms. I thought it would be simple, NOT. I needed to remove everything. When as I started to move a component, I had to move two others. But the good news is one unit is done and reloaded. and it is much better to load. I started the second Unit to finish tomorrow. It looks to be painting weather tomorrow. And it looks good for next week. I am getting a handle on the Fall To Do List. I hope you are also getting a handle on your Fall To Do List. Just watch out for those cans of worms. |
| It getting late again. I seem to wait until late evening to write a blog entry. That is not the way I want it to be. but it seems once I get rolling in the morning, I do not find the time to write. That may change in a few weeks. After doing some Internet listings I did manage to paint a couple hours yesterday. I sure cooled down with the sun going down. Today was too cool and windy to paint so we raked leaves and weed a perennial flower bed. I hope to have a jump on spring work. Working to have a jump on spring makes for a optimistic outlook. Spring will happen, The robins will return, the daffodils will bloom and the snow will go. I count on it. I know there will be some dark, down mental days for me before spring happens. At those times I look at what fall work I have done and the expectations of spring, That does help. I can close my eyes and expect spring as it has happened every year since creation. You can be sure of the seasons changing in Wisconsin. I am having trouble thinking of something to write. A new word for me is Muse and my muse is not working at this time. Tomorrow I will try to start a blog post early and write as I see the day. Have a blessed Evening |
| The weather outside has been to cold or wet to paint the last two days so I have been catching up inside. I have been logging and putting in their storage place auction items I have won over the last couple of months. I do paper repairs on some items using library supply grade materials. I have learned how over the last 20 years. At this time it has been late 1800's and early 1900's House and Garden magazines that needed help. I then listed them on the Internet sales platform I use. I do not use that Bay or that river site. The whole process is very time consuming, talk about work for peanuts as a hourly wage. Why do I do it I ask myself? There are a lot of other enjoyable things I could be doing. But do have a desire to preserve items from our past, Our heritage and cultures. It is remarkable how the major issues have not changed. What has changed is the date, and the people reading and technology to do so. An old magazine or children's book is like a time machine. I will post on this endeavor more in the future. 27. Write a post inspired by the word: Dark I look at dark differently, We have never seen absolute 100% dark. Darkness is a degree of light. We have never seen 100% light either. So darkness is the total absence of light. I think of God as 100% light and satin as 100% darkness. A total lack of light must be very dark indeed, more then we can imagine. I do not want any part of that type of darkness. I would call sleeping darkness, low light It looks like a may be able to paint a couple hours tomorrow. I will let you know. |
| Today is cooler and there is a bit of white stuff on the ground. It is not fun for me to see, the coming of winter. The young people can play in the snow. I do not want any more to do with then I need to. Our oldest Grand Daughter Sonora Pearl phoned us very recently all excited, She had gotten her first pay check. She will be seventeen at Thanksgiving. She recently started a job at Wendy's at get this Eleven Dollars an hour. I nearly fell of my chair. That is a lot of money for an inexperience sixteen year old. My daughter and Son in Law bought her a nice car so she has gas to buy and I hope pay toward insurance. but what was gratifying was the fact she has to put half in a savings account and she is good with that. When my daughters were that age they had to save half of there earnings. I was NOT all ways popular but they did it, and went to college with a small nest egg. It is nice to see that, that concept carried forward. Now onto a prompt, No. 25. What has been your favorite job? I must have started my working life as a Stock boy at a McCrory Mclellan Dime Store at get this .85 cents an hour. I must have been 15-16 years old. I learned retail displaying which came in handy at the Antique Malls much later in life. I have spent most of my adult life self employed dairy farming and a retail nursery and floral. Then later buying and selling and appraising antiques and collectibles. There was a few short part time gigs combined with my Self employment. It was all very stressful being self employed with a family. I all ways as a youngster wanted to farm, Big. It took me years getting over leaving the dairy farm. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I still dream of it at times. The dreams are that I am always behind, Corn not planted, Cows not feed, Not enough feed, Barn flooded. It is always a crisis dream. I then went into the nursery retail floral a distance away from the farm. That was more stressful. We bought it as a closed up business of about 3 years and reopened it. with the dairy we knew that the milk truck would pick every day. With the store there was no guarantee that some one would come in the door and purchase, and some days no one did. But onto answering the prompt. 25. What has been your favorite job? When I was in High school and shortly afterwards, I managed by persistence to get a job at the local radio station as a D.J. and announcer on the weekends. I remember I did not do a lot of announcing because they did not think my voice was right. So I did mostly music. I loved playing the music and announcing some. The days were long 10-12 hours and tiring. I was very foolish and gave up the job under bad circumstances. I remember the pay was terrible. I have gone on to do a radio show as the Plant Doctor, and later did Cable Television program as a Antique Appraiser. I have had a very full life and Thank God for it |
| It has been a slower, easy day. It is drying off outside from a rainy Thursday, Friday. And it is colder, 30's today. We had the furnace get a check up on Thursday, the serviceman says all is good. We have it checked over about every four years. It does look like I will still be able to paint early in November. I will go as long as it gets close to 50 degrees. We watched our church service on You Tube. This situation with our church is depressing. I wonder where the end of this virus calamity will find us, Only God knows. I am sitting here listening to Nat King Cole, What A smooth talent, What a shame he died so young, 46. It makes me sad that so many of the greatest music artists are now gone. At one time my Wife and I did a music show at Nursing homes and such. I would like to sing Nat Cole. Everything had to change with my wife's job change a number of years ago. We share a love of music and dancing. We did studied ballroom dancing a number of years. But all has changed, No place to go if we could. And the wife has had back trouble, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, so we have to be careful. After we have a couple hard frosts I will need to cut the raspberry canes in the garden. Then roto till if not to wet. There will be leaves to rake and store for compost. Then at freeze up straw cover the strawberries and garlic. It will be Thanksgiving by then, and it is rest time for the garden. I hope you have a Blessed Restful Evening. |
| It is late on day 66. but I want to finish my thoughts regarding day 64 after thinking about it for two days. I have come to a important realization that I want to reveal to you. Does this thought make sense? I spent twenty five plus years with near round the clock stress, seven days a week. I did not fish or have any toys. I was married too Dairy farming then a retail horticulture business. There was no time for fun and games. I was an self employed at 22 then later with employees. It was my job to count pennies, to pay the bills. But I was young with a lot of ambition and drive. I was able to leave the horticulture business in 1995. Now to today, I have a brother up north that lives two miles from our compound there. We are close, less ten months apart in age. We are like twins and I think the world of him, may I say I love him. But we are direct opposites in our personalities. He is much more extroverted then I, Every bodies buddy, a real people person. So much so I feel that neighbors take advantage of him. I see him when ever we go to the North Woods, We fish and visit. He is not married, No dog or cat. He has a lot of good qualities, but he is very loose with money and purchases of large things that I could not, would not touch. He is able to laugh off any bad purchase or circumstance. And sometimes that bothers me, not that I an coveting anything he has, but I wonder why it it so hard for me to go ahead and spend or converse with others. What is wrong with me? I was very troubled last time I returned from the north After giving this question a lot of thought it came to me in the dark of night. The problem is Stress. I lived under stress so long that it is like touching a Hot Stove. I have subconsciously learned not to touch the stress, I automatically pull away. I subconsciously since 1995 make decisions based on how stressful I think they will be in the future. If you put stress on a 1-100 scale, my Desires, and Needs need to rate higher on the 1-100 scale then the stress is rated. Lets say I rated stress at 60 the rating of a desirable want is 40. Then subconsciously the desire will be a no go. Subconsciously I have learned to avoid negative unrewarded stress. It is not just things but people and events also, If I feel they are too stressful I try to avoid the circumstance or person. It is a automatic reaction, not a thinking individual thought. A good example is a Four wheeler with a trailer, Nice to have. I would use it for Ice fishing and at the farm I still have part of. On the scale of desirability let's say it is 50, As I would use it here for ice fishing a few times a year, take it to the farm a couple times as year. The down stressful side is, Maintenance, A place to store it, The cost of the Four wheeler and trailer, Legal requirements, Floats for Ice Fishing needed at this location, The stress of shopping and buying. My stress rating will be much higher then 50. The purchase will not be rewarding enough for me to endure the stress of owning it. In the short I do not want to deal with the stress. There is not enough reward. Is this a good way to look at things, shying away from stress, giving everything a stress rating. My brother obviously does not do this, he rolls with the stress. I get stressed easily with Shopping, Driving, Dealing with people I know and do not know well, Making major purchases, Television and telephone. I try too keep things organized, on time and running smoothly to avoid stress. I am not complaining avoiding stress has been rewarding, But can it go too far? I still live in a stressful world and it is not getting any better. |
| We got back here Mid afternoon today from the north woods. We left early to beat a winter storm, 3-5 inches of slushy snow starting in mid afternoon in North Central Wisconsin. We did have some light snow yesterday and lows of around 20 degrees. Yes Old Man Winter has made his entrance. We lite the wood burner, which is a free Standing Fireplace type. if you have never done it, Back up to a hot fire on a cold day is great, till it gets too hot. We have a propane furnace also so we let the fire burn out at night. The biggest problem is not letting the house get to warm when the wood burner is lite. The strawberries look great for next year. They got covered with straw, I hope not to early. So the compound got tucked in for the winter. We will go, weather permitting back up there the week after the election. I hate to drive in bad weather, showing my age. I can not see well, cataracts will need to be taken care of one day. I checked my auction bids when I returned, it was a disappointment. I won only three small lots, a 1935 hand tool catalog, Some older mechanical pencils and a lot of other early 1900's magazines. It is hard to win bids if you are not present. And also I bid to win what I think is a good bid price for resale or maybe keeping. I have something on my mind I do not know how I want to write. so I will write and maybe the words will come out right. I do not want to give a wrong impression. If not I will delete this part of todays Blog and You will be none the wiser. God has blessed the wife and myself beyond what we deserve. We live very simply. We keep No cell phone, No Television and we miss neither. This computer is our window to the world. We eat simply, At home. Growing about 90% of our yearly vegetable produce. We are savers but not wealthy. Our personnel needs are minimal. The question is at 70+ should I desire something else. There is nothing realistic that makes sense to have, that I desire. In short my dreams of doing more things is fading away. My options in life are becoming fewer. Maybe a life of buying needs only has become a habit. I feel as If I have hit a wall, My needs are met. Now What? What will motivate me in the future? We do like to travel, but that has become stressful and difficult. I have always been very pragmatic everything needing a reason to have, except travel. Do I go out and buy some toy just to have it? I think I may have answered my question. I am a simple man with few wants, I need to be content with that. I did not delete this paragraph so I will give it more thought as I paint tomorrow. Have a Blessed Rest. |
| Wow, What a windy day with a bit of rain early. I quit painting, I was afraid the paint can would blow over since it is only quarter filled. That would not be good for my composure. But painting will be over with for now as it gets colder with rain for a few days. I have made some good progress. It looks like later I will be able to paint into November. I have a choice to make this evening, Do I go to the Northwoods to button things up for winter as needed. I would leave tomorrow and be gone during the time I can Not paint. OR do I stay here to bid on the line auctions. Good sense tells me to leave some bids and head north. There was snow today up there and it is expected to get down to 21 degrees this coming week. The strawberries will need to be covered, boat and motor made ready for winter, Tractor drained and parked. I still need to cut the neighbors tree down. We always drain the house for winter, shutting down the hot Water heater and draining it. We use a electric tea pot and teapots on our wood stove for hot water during winter. We drain the cold water system completely, and fill it as needed when we go up during winter. I feel like old man winter is breathing down my neck. It happens every year about this time. Everything needs to get ready for winter and I have to kick it into high gear. I am starting to think about Ice Fishing. When normally I go ice fishing I come back with at least 3 pounds of ice, That's a Joke Son, as Foghorn Leghorn used to say. I will write of Ice fishing at a later time. I just went through the auctions and made some bids. When I bid and I am not able to protect my bids, It is most common to loose the bid by 1.00. Most of the time if I am real serious about a item lot I need to get down into the pits and slug it out. I always seems that everyone wants the same items I want. It does make for some serious anxiety excitement. The Little Dog gives my therapy afterwards. I am starting to run at the mouth, so I will say Good night, and God Bless. |
| The weather has cooperated, windy but know rain. I have painted the last two days and have made progress. I have not heard from our painter hired. I told the Wife Also known as the Kitten, that I hope she is keeping track of my hours. I paint for 20.00 an hour. I think it will be hard squeezing money out of that turnip. Maybe this is a good time to talk about every bodies favorite commodity, Money. What is it? Some place I once read it is a way to store the value of your labor. It is also said Money is the root of all evil. I say no, The love of money, the priority you place on money can be one attribute of evil. Having an amount of surplus money for stored for a rainy day is not bad, but is the proper thing to do if possible. As I may have mentioned earlier I am of Swiss heritage and proud of it. Let me tell you a story, I was taking my very elderly friend into his barbershop a number of years ago. He was a mentor and like a father to me. He has now passed on at age 97. Any way I got into the chair for my haircut and I started talking to the also elderly barber. I do not remember what brought up Swiss people and money. But he stated the Swiss people he knew always paid there bills, but you could not get them to buy anything. And I thought is not that the truth. Which brings me to the difference between frugalness and being Cheap or a Tight wad. Being frugal in my mind is a positive. It means buying only what is needed, Using purchases wisely, Using purchases to completion, Repurpose items when possible, Searching for the best purchase and purchase price, Then recycling when that is all the value left. And I might add being self reliant, Saving for that rainy day, Being a good Steward of what God has provided to you. Then sharing Money and materials when truly needed and you are able to do so. In a nut shell using the money and all you have wisely. On the other hand Cheap or being a Tight Wad is not wanting to pay your way when you are able to do so. Looking for ways to milk the system when you could do otherwise. When you put the love of money and acquiring it ahead of God and Family. That is a sad situation. At some time I will write about Balance in Life. But right know the Little Dog lying here waiting to go upstairs. |
| I am now close to putting to bed day 57. It is always a bit sad then I have to say good bye to a day. I know it will never return and I can not change anything about Three Score and Ten + 57. It is a done deal. Maybe that is why I hate to go to bed, I do not want to say the last farewell to the day. The wife just went up to bed so it is easier to write. My thought train gets broken easily when she is in the library as I write. Today I did get the garlic planted for next year. From start to finish it is about a 5 hour job. I most likely make the job longer then it needs to be. I have the idea that a garden needs to produce, But it also needs to look Planed and Executed, and Looking Good. The weather started out damp but came around with some sun. The weather has been worse for planting Garlic. Tomorrow I will concentrate on porch painting. I think the painter has deserted me for now. I was hoping to fish one more time in the boat, but my Work ethic tells me to paint. Good painting days will now be few in number. I will need to break away and mow the grass one more time. There is a down side to mowing the grass the last time. It means I will need to get the snow blower out soon. Thank You for reading, and God Bless You. |
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