ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JOEL KLAASSEN
Our family took a trip to the East Coast in the early ’60s to drop my sister off at
the National Institute of Health. She had
volunteered to be a guinea pig there for the summer.
Part of the deal was that we had to camp out along the way to make it more affordable. I’ll never forget the first night when we stopped at a mosquito-infested camp near St. Louis. The pesky things were so bad I left the tent for the shelter of the car, but that was a mistake.
It was a hot night. With the windows rolled up it was steaming inside, so I cracked the window a bit and then the little critters came in. Never was I so glad to see daylight because I spent the night swatting and listening to the little bombers buzzing my head.
I think that is why when I’m asked to go camping I’m busy.
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We stopped to see my Aunt Sadie-actually my dad’s aunt-in New York City. She was from Minnesota, but through the years had become a New Yorker on steroids.
She marched us around the city for a day or two with her big black purse clamped under her arm. We could barely keep up.
One day we went into a supermarket and got to see her holler all over the store for someone to split a ham with her since the butcher wouldn’t sell her a half.
She also had about five or six locks on her apartment door, plus a board that went across the whole door. She said you couldn’t trust anybody and that was 40 years ago!
* * *
Last week I needed a haircut but almost got one sooner than I expected. Shelly at Friesen’s Furniture asked me to come over and take a photo for their ad this week.
We decided to get a ladder so I could get up higher to get a better view. As I climbed the ladder I failed to notice that we set it up right below a ceiling fan.
If the blades had been sharper I would be sporting a new flat top.
* * *
This week Brenda Conyers will be leaving us for an opportunity in the medical field. Never have I known a person who is more honest, caring and thoughtful. She even tried to keep me on the straight and narrow. We’ll miss her and wish her the very best.
* * *
Nancy and I just realized we have never owned the equipment to make homemade ice cream.
