The Johnson Journals Chapter 195

•  Layna attends Rainy Lake Women’s Club

•  Don rereads his diary from 1944

•  Don attends George Erickson’s funeral

3/8/68 My article on Mexico in tonight’s paper and got a few calls. Very gratifying. To Seegerts at 8 p.m. and found a couple of good listeners. They are playing with the idea of buying Carlson’s Bald Rock place and I can imagine what is running thru their minds.

3/9/68 Terry, Timmy, Jill and Lisa here all p.m. Terry sorted his slides of Mexico and showed them. He must have had a ball, doing many things that his age allowed him to do, and we couldn’t. He even got in a ring with a small bull! It was a great afternoon for us. Jill and Lisa stayed.

3/10/68 Met Karen at 3:15. My emotions so mixed I hardly know what to say. She talked to us for more than an hour describing the situation in NH and right now I don’t know if I agree that it was intolerable. Much depends on what happens in the next few months. I definitely could go either way.

3/11/68 A good chance to visit with Karen all day and can only say I hope she keeps her present mood until school time next fall. She enrolled in junior college here which should help pass the time while working for her B.A. To Spanish class at 6:30. Mrs. Turrene thanked me profusely for the plug I gave her in Daily Journal. Listened (and watched) U.S. senators cross examine Dean Rusk on conduct of Vietnam war. A stupid thing for our government to air its troubles before the world.

3/12/68A Very pleasant day spent with Wayne Judy. We even talked park! After today, I can see why he has been one of my best friends for more than 20 years despite the fact that he has a few characteristics that pee hell out of me. I wonder how badly I irritate him at times. He has never indicated it to me - maybe that is part of his charm! At any rate, I have developed a great admiration and respect for him over the years, and never felt it more than today.

3/13/68 I finally got at it. The ceiling in the kitchen, that is. Norman Seegert gave me the tile in August so it is about time. I approached the job, as always with fear and trembling. However, I soon warmed up to it and by 6 p.m. had four rows done. What is much more important, I have gained enough confidence to know I can do the living room - and it will all look mighty smart.

3/15/68 By noon I had finished putting tile in kitchen and what is more, had moldings back up, not easy, but made it with Layna’s help. To town, bought more strips and went to work on living room. Made good progress, did not even stop when Irene Case came over at Layna’s invitation. It was her birthday and Layna made a cake. I had a hard time keeping my eyes off my ceiling. Irene told about Internal Revenue checking her last year’s return. I wonder what my reaction will be when they check ours.

3/16/68 The Wagnesses asked us out for a visit and we went. Much talk over a couple of drinks and coffee. The DeSoto chemical people are interested in getting a place to use on Rainy Lake and Layna gave them first choice. Gerald thinks they could handle it but Olive, thinking of the work involved, not very excited. She is fed up on hard work, worry, and not enough compensation at Atsokan Island. Maybe we can’t blame her.

3/17/68 The Daveys out from 4 - 6 but I worked a couple of hours after they left to make up. With any kind of luck, I should finish the ceiling tomorrow. Harry had a headache and I think he explained why. He told us what his mortgage was and mine would ache, too, under the circumstances. Layna not feeling 100% and we, too, are worried.

3/18/68 I finished the ceiling - and I am glad. It looks good. I mean beautiful! Gerald Wagness here for a full hour and rattled off some mighty big numbers. Said BCC [Boise Cascade, Corporation] was going to get $30,000,000 for land on park and by that token, the $125,000 that he is holding his island for is peanuts. Layna feeling better. She sure has put in a couple of big days cleaning while I worked on ceiling. I was fat when we left for Mexico and was fatter when we got back. Decided today to go on the old Look magazine diet that has worked so well for us in the past. We shall see how our will power is.

3/21/68 To the Supervisor’s meeting. Sure fun to walk in and be greeted so royally by many old friends. After the meal, the hospital board put on a strong plea for a new building, and I am sure there was little opposition in the crowd. Lloyd Walls got up as usual and spouted off but his lament was that South International had not been consulted before any steps made. There is no way to get that many people together without at least one like that present.

3/22/68 Layna & Karen returned from town to say that 3 buildings on Third Street had burned to the ground. After lunch Layna and I in to look at disaster, which it was. Our town could not afford a loss such as this. Maybe something better will come out of it. To Pearson’s Bakery for coffee and got mixed up in a lively crowd. To Davey’s for more coffee. Much talk about many things. Harry greatly pleased, and proud of job done by his staff in covering fire. He should be.

3/23/68 As near as any of us knew when we awoke this morning we had Karen’s future fairly well planned for the next 12 months. She was enrolled in one course at the Junior College, she would work at island this summer and then go back to UMD in the fall. What a dream. By noon all was changed. There was much soul searching and the airing of dirty linen. No one came out of it unscathed, but neither was anyone hurt too badly. The general outcome was the decision that she goes back to school in Duluth Monday and takes a full course during the spring quarter.

3/24/68 When I walked to Martin’s store for paper, I met Buck who invited us to his island for a wiener roast. We went. Picked up Dale and girls at noon. A real treat for all of us. A beautiful day. Karen’s bus due to leave at 4:30 so we were home by 2:30. I am not sure even now just what brought it on, we did not get too riled up, we talked money and it seemed that we were all rather objective, altho maybe too frank. At any rate, when the time came for Karen to leave, I broke up completely. Trying to analyze my feelings, I am a little confused. I think now it must be a strong combination of love and pity.

3/25/68 Layna hated the living room windows at the island even when Hvoslef were there. She has said so repeatedly. Now we are doing something about it. To Northern Lumber Yard to pick up four windows. Three of them were in warehouse and fourth across the street. We had a hard time squeezing the last one in the station wagon. When we got to island, we discovered it was 8 inches longer than the rest! Christ - it could have been disastrous as I had almost finished cutting the opening when mistake discovered. Made excellent progress. To town before closing and got the right window. Hope for an early start tomorrow.

3/26/68 Layna to Rainy Lake Women’s Club meeting and I decided to look up something in 1944 diary. I ended up by reading almost the whole thing. Good God, how we worked that fall and winter! Walk, walk, walk from Dahlbergs to NWI and back, day after day. We must have been tough. I tell myself that whatever we have in this world, we have earned, and I am not kidding myself.

3/27/68 A rainy, cold, miserable day. To George Erickson’s funeral. I sat and reminisced during whole service. A good man who worked hard and long despite the worst kind of physical handicap. Reverend Wold said the George had become a true believer before he died, and as all Christians knew, it was only thru Christ that one attained heaven, there was no doubt about where he was now. I would like to believe it. I have been telling myself for years that there are other routes to the same place, even believing at times that I was on one of them. The good preacher shut the door on me today when he said, “Only in Jesus Christ”.