Just yesterday?

Was that just "yesterday"?

How old were you "yesterday"?

Today with the fascination of the country on youth, 

I wondered about the benefits of age.  

In a recent conversation… 

without getting specific… 

my friend was in her 70’s… 

and she added, “But yesterday I was 17.”

We chuckled... and agreed... that was true.

Just nuts?

Now you could say that it sounds like the inmates are running the asylum here and that’s why they thought this concept sounded right.

But the group of women considering the idea of aging consisted of various ages.

And we hadn’t been declared incompetent yet… 

legally at least.

And we knew what was meant by the observation.

Make sure you change now!

Many years ago, the head nurse of a retirement/nursing home facility told me to “take control of your habits when you’re young... because when you’re old you won’t have the determination to do so.”  
In other words, sweet little old ladies were probably sweet to begin with.  And my crabbiness probably wouldn’t get better just because I got older.   

Don’t know if I’ve tackled this idea very well.   Guess part of me likes the idea of having an excuse for being crochety.  

Past years appear…

But it’s fascinating to picture this idea... and I think my friend was right.  

At whatever age I might be... all the previous years seem to be on one photo sheet of paper instead of watching them on a rolling film.

And folks I know all agree that we don’t want the “mind set” we had as teenagers.

Because of all the insights we have learned throughout the years... all the treasured values we have gained... all the wisdom that comes through surviving and knowledge.

Your present age…

Yes, the years may be adding up… 

but really, just yesterday I was young… 

and I remember… 

and can become better because of the understanding and love I have received… 

and that I hope to give.

How “cool” is this?

So when you wonder how old someone is…

 remember that "just yesterday”...

they were your age.

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A better way to foil “car hijackers”!

A better way to foil “car hijackers”!

It only took me two weeks to come up with a better crime scene scenario than I had dealt with in real life.

It came when I was waking up one morning.  (Now how much of our creative work is really done while sleeping?  And how do you convince your boss that you were really working and not just ‘resting your eyes” when sitting at your desk?)

Anyway...  in a recent column I told about the concern I had when my husband Paul and a relative met a stranger in a distant town who was selling a car they had advertised on the internet.  Cash was required.

We’ve heard about the dangerous results that can occur.

But Paul had grinned when we discussed this plan and he figured out that I was considering all sorts of possible criminal behavior.  He asked if I would take a gun along?  I said I’m only comfortable carrying a camera.

But I was too tired to go along anyway and he took off by himself.

Later that night Paul called me from the mall where they were meeting the man with the car.  Paul was sitting in our car with the cash while the others took a test drive.

But he didn’t call back again.

And after another hour or so I was worried and checked the “app” on our iPhone to find out where he - or his phone - was located.

To my surprise, our car was headed south to the Iowa border - not north to Cannon Falls.

Well, I ran the possibilities over in my mind:  if I call and the phone rings, then the kidnappers will know about it and they’ll throw it away and I won’t be able to track him.

If Paul left the phone in the car, the person stealing it will know it’s there and throw it away and I won’t be able to track the car.

Because I couldn’t think of anything else to do... I called Paul.  This could have had bad results. But he answered and explained he had just turned the wrong way on the freeway and couldn’t find the next turn to get home.  And he had stopped to get a bite to eat!

Now it’s a couple of weeks later.   When I woke up I thought of another plan that I think would have been better!

Instead of alerting the criminal stealing the car (or worse) by the ringing on Paul’s cell phone, I could have hit 911 and called the State Patrol.  I could have explained the scenario and asked them to look for Paul’s car on the highway.

Because I was tracking our car on my cell phone “app”, I could have told them right where to look for him.

Then perhaps they could have turned on their flashing lights and pulled Paul’s car over and checked it out!

I guess it’s a reminder to me that it’s better that I don’t try to do everything myself.

And besides... they carry a gun.

Your own TV crime show!

Your own TV crime show!

I don’t need to turn on the TV for a crime show.

I can make up my own way too easy!

The other night my husband Paul was going along with a relative to meet a guy who had advertised his car for sale on the internet.

Because it was going to be at night - in a distant town - they planned to meet at a parking lot at a mall.

Lot of lights there and people.

For safety.

When you are buying a car from a stranger and dealing in cash you had better be careful.  Or if you’re selling one too.

I was too tired to go along but since I was worried I showed Paul how to use his cell phone camera and told him that while he waited in the car as the transaction unfolded he could take lots of pictures through the windshield.

(I didn’t tell him that if I were there I would then hide the camera under the seat if they started shooting.  So they wouldn’t find it in the excitement.  Haven’t seen that on a TV show anyway.)

Also, I didn’t want pictures of the car being sold as much as I wanted pictures of the person or persons selling the car.

You see I had read about people getting killed when they met up with guys who had advertised a car for sale.

Paul grinned as he knew I was thinking about the crime angle and wondered if I would I bring a gun?  But I told him the only weapon I could use would be a camera.

Anyway, it was with some concern that I stayed home and waited to hear what went on.

Over an hour later I was jolted to alert status when my cell phone rang.

It was Paul.  He was sitting in our car safeguarding the cash while the seller and buyer took a test drive.

Just had to wait now.

That’s when it got interesting.

After another hour or so I still hadn’t heard anything back.  Because we have the ability on our iPhones to track them, I clicked on the “app” to find Paul’s phone.

It was heading south toward the Iowa border!

What?

He was supposed to go north to get back home!

Now I had to decide if Paul’s car had been stolen and he was knocked out or worse... or if he had been kidnapped in it!  

So should I call his phone and see if he answers?

If I call and it rings then the kidnappers will know about it and they’ll throw it away and I won’t be able to track him.

If he left it in the car, the person stealing it will know it’s there and throw it away and I won’t be able to track the car.

But while I was still thinking through this scenario I hit the call button and heard it ringing... 

Finally Paul answered and explained that after the car had been bought and the buyer and seller exchanged papers, etc., he had left them.  But he made the wrong turn onto the freeway and had gone south instead of north.  And couldn’t change his route for quite a distance.  Then he had stopped and gotten some food at a Quik Trip.   

The next time I checked his progress on the phone "app" - going on towards midnight - he had stopped at Econo Foods a couple miles from home.  (It was a Wednesday - special discount for seniors!)

The ending to this “crime story” was a lot better than some of the TV crime shows.

Government snoops… or just weird?

Government “snoops” or just weird?

We’ve heard about the government possibly tracking citizens by collecting data on their cell phones.   

But when I was having trouble with my new smart phone, the tech guy I called explained he couldn’t “look in” or “take over” my phone.

I informed him that the internet server guys do this when I’m having a problem with my computer.  Having them take remote control is a wonderful option for me because then they can get my computer back up and running.

And I wondered out loud... “Where are the government snoops when you need them?”

You can see that I’m trying to figure out how to use my first smartphone.  Actually I was quite happy with my old cell phone but my husband needed a new one and he likes techie things.

The problem is he expects me to know how to use them.  And the whole family can tell you that I have a special “touch” when it comes to goofing things up electronically. 

Like cameras and computers.

I was told that my son who is an experienced salesman for National Camera &Video in the twin cities tells customers about his mother’s frustrating experiences with cameras!  So if one works for her it must be good.

And while the Genius Bar tech guy at the Apple store was trying to figure out my problem with my "Mac" he suggested that Apple should run their ideas by me first to see if there are any problems popping up!

So to prevent these frustrating experiences with my new phone, I ordered several books from the library. I hoped to find one that I could understand.

Actually, maybe the local elementary school could have a class where their students help some of the rest of us figure this all out!

Anyway, one Sunday I packed up my latest “Dummies” book and headed to the phone store to have the salesman figure out what I needed to do.  (Actually, it’s comforting to see a real person get confused by the antics of my equipment!)

And quite a while later I headed back home with notes, an updated cell phone and a warning: be sure you turn off your phone so you don’t accidentally press a button and make a phone call.  

OK!

But you realize that this isn’t the end.

Because later that day I got a call from my daughter in Ohio.  She asked, “Did you call Mom?”  Well, I hadn’t called her but my phone had.   

Thinking it was just a glitch, I cleared out all my recent calls.  

The next day I noticed I had only made three calls as I was heading outside with my cross country skis to check the fence lines.   I had seen that some of the electric fencing had been pulled out on the horse pasture.  Probably from the deer not jumping high enough to get over.  

But then my phone rang.  I dug it out and it was from my son in the twin cities.  He asked, “Hi Mom, did you call?” 

I said, No, I’m heading outside right now.  

Well he had just received a call from me.  I thought, “This is really weird.”  

He explained that like my daughter the day before, he had received a call but when he answered there was no one there.

I checked my calls and was grateful that my phone hadn’t called any one else.

I have no clue as to what is going on.

But I think my phone is pretty cool if it gets my kids to call me!

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The music that didn't die...

Along the way... by Rosie

The music that didn’t die...

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  They were leaving Clear Lake, Iowa and heading for Moorhead, MN for their next gig.  It was February 2, 1959.

Instead of riding in a cold bus, Buddy Holly hired a private plane to get some of the band members there early.  

According to reports, Holly kidded a band member who had given up his seat on the plane by saying, “I hope your ol’ bus freezes up!”  And the band member shot back in fun, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes!”  This joke haunted him thereafter because just after midnight, on Februrary 3, the airplane carrying Holly, the “Big Bopper” - J. P. Richardson and Ritche Valens crashed.

All on board died.  Buddy Holly was only 22 years old.

Holly was one of the first inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.  Rolling Stone ranked him number 13 among the 100 Greatest Artists of All time.

  Holly was one of the first in his style of music to write, produce, and perform his own songs.  Because of his poor vision, he had to wear glasses.  Soon they would become part of his image.

Recently, the Shepherd’s Center of Cannon Falls held a fund raiser inviting John Mueller, whose band does an impression of the famous musicians recreating memories of “The Day the Music Died”.  

The Cannon Falls high school auditorium was sold out.  Over 600 people bought tickets.  I couldn’t wangle a press pass either.

I got there 45 minutes early and was told that 200 people had been lined up earlier!

I found a place in the front row - not taken because you couldn’t see the whole stage!  Plus, the loud speakers for the sound system were about 6 feet away!

I thought - so what?  When I was a teenager I would turn up the stereo as loud as I could - so I could feel the floor vibrate... when my folks weren’t home of course!

I hadn’t been a Buddy Holly fan back then.  In fact, I really only knew one of his songs, “Peggy Sue”.  

But I thought I would learn something by going to the concert.

And the “beat” got to me!  It was the same as others I remembered.  And when the band invited folks to dance, I couldn’t resist!  

I wouldn’t have though if I had been in another town. But I had just passed the police chief, my friend, who was on duty watching the crowd to make sure things were safe... and my editor had taken my seat because I wasn’t using it... and so I threw my purse and camera to the gal in the next seat (it’s a small town and I knew her!)... and because the lights were focused on the stage and nobody would see me (yeah right!), Paul and I danced.  Later on, other folks would do so.

Like “Buddy Holly” said, it was music where you could understand the words!

But there were some other gals in the audience who were fans.  They call themselves, The Katfish Kittens.  They are 25 year olds from St. Paul dressed in ’50’s vintage outfits.  (Actually, I’ve probably got some of those still in my closet.)  

    Drea Warda will soon take her bar exams to be an attorney for international business negotiations, Andrea Geiger is a materials manager for a small medical device company and Crystal Doffing is a teller at a bank.

    But I wondered... did we really wear these clothes?  I remember having pony tails... and “saddle shoes”... but Buddy Holly glasses?

    And then I remembered this cute guy in history class at the University of Minnesota.  And those glasses he wore  were really “cool”!  

John Mueller as Buddy Holly.                                          

Paul Schluter as “cool” college student
 in 1960! 
                                                                                                                                And now it’s over 50 years later and I smile because I also took his last name for mine!

And as I recall those times I think that as long as there are people who enjoy these songs, their music will never die.

John Mueller as Buddy Holly, Linwood Sasser as the Big Bopper and Ray Anthony as Ritchie Valens 

along with Paul and me - 2014.

  

 

A "Good" mistake!

 A mistake... that turned out good!

Although she’d had a horrendous headache the night before, Natalie Thomas was feeling good enough to join her family as they settled down to watch a movie recently.

Former Cannon Falls residents now living in Hudson, WI,  Natalie, novelist and oil painter and her husband Brent, a photographer at Midwest-CBK were planning to watch one of Natalie’s late father's favorites, “Young Frankenstein”.  Along with their children Cassie, Nicholas, and Savannah they settled in for a relaxing family gathering.   

 

But a short time later, an unusual event took place.  

Natalie explained, “It was at the part of the film where the lightning flashes and Gene Wilder, playing Dr. Frankenstein, talks about mortality, being alive, etc. - and that’s when the beeping started.

Yes, that’s when the Thomas’ carbon monoxide detector gave off its annoying sound.   

Information from Wikipedia explains that since carbon monoxide is colorless, tasteless and odorless... detection in a home environment is impossible without such a warning device. 

But this style of detector didn’t give any information on its dial.   Brent searched their garage for a second device that displayed numbers.  When it was plugged in they were horrified to see that it registered nearly 100 ppm.  

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission website: 

As CO levels increase and remain above 70 ppm, symptoms become more noticeable and can include headache, fatigue and nausea. At sustained CO concentrations above 150 to 200 ppm, disorientation, unconsciousness, and death are possible.

Unknown to the Thomases, the exhaust stack of their furnace had been blocked by an ice build-up from the vapor freezing, which caused carbon monoxide to build up in their house.

With this warning news, Brent climbed up onto the roof, unclogged the vent and they watched the numbers go back down to zero.  

No more headache for Natalie.

They figured the ice might have been building up for a couple of days.

And they wondered what one more night would have brought them in their sleep.  

Natalie wrote on her Facebook page about another curious angle on this experience.  Remember the original CO detector that had warned them of the danger?   They found out the beeping hadn't been coming from that unit!  It was actually from the smoke alarm on the ceiling.  It was the low battery warning. 

Natalie concluded: “... if we had not made the mistake of thinking that the beeping was coming from the CO detector, we'd have never checked it with the second detector. Ummm... Divine intervention?... Happy to be alive, and that our family is safe.”

And with that comforting thought - that sometimes 

a mistake can turn out to be a good thing - we wish you a Happy New Year 2014!   

Holidays with the Thomas family - feeling good!  Savannah, Nicholas, Brent, Cassie and Natalie.  

Come see who we met this year!