The Johnson Journals, Chapter 210

• Don hosts basement dance

• Don celebrates Easter, his birthday

• Don notes high waters of the Littlefork and Bigfork rivers

3/29/69  On to Daveys for their 25th anniversary. Kellners, Eisnachs, Burrocks, Daveys, Johnsons, Jumesville , Don Chase, Earl Belanger, Nancy and Father Upson. A few drinks at Daveys and out to Island View for a good feed. Back to Daveys for more drinks and good fun. A great bunch and we were proud to be included. Home at 12:00

3/30/69 Up at 6:15 so I could meet Wayne at NW Bay at 8:00. He was there with snowmobile. Cold! The temperature came up during day, but so did wind. We fished behind windbreak but it sure felt good to get into cabin at noon. Wayne broiled venison chops on outdoor grill. I made rest of meal inside. I would have eaten the chops raw rather than stand out in that wind to cook them. Trip across lake in moonlight. A bit wind burned but a good day.

3/31/69  I know damned well that I have put off the income tax as long as I possibly can. Today I hit it face to face and “I got that old feeling.” Christ, but it is hard to see how a government can nick their citizens like this - and that goes for government on all levels from county, city, state and on up to Uncle Sam. Maybe I should be happy that we have that much to pay (and have the money) but it sure hurts.

4/1/69 Last month, when we visited with Faith, she got me concerned about the family’s true name. She said it was not Böcker (Becker) as I had believed but was Johnson .Today I got a letter from Beryl in which she enclosed a copy of a letter from Aunt Elna (Faith’s mother) to my mother saying her father’s name was JÔns Svensson. Elna was my father’s sister so that must have been his name too! I suppose it does not matter much after all these years, but it is interesting, nevertheless.

4/2/69 Irene MacKellar and Mrs. Newman here at 3:30. A good visit followed. I would not call them “Merry Widows” because I know they must have their miserable hours. However, out in public they put on a good front.

4/3/69 Hardly a day goes by that I don’t either get a call from the Coast Guard or a letter (sometimes two). Today the supply truck came up from Duluth and forgot to bring some necessary things. This does not sit too well when I consider that I am helping to pay for this damned inefficiency. It can be multiplied thousands of times all over the country.  God, what paper work involved! I must be more conscious of it today after struggling with my tax. Well, the Coast Guard help pay it. As I write this, I realize that much more than all I get from the Coast Guard goes to pay just our income tax. Damn!

4/4/69 Seegerts and Burrocks unable to come to our basement dance but Sops, Moes, Speed Christianson here. Robin & Karen did right well and we had a ball - all of us! Much gossip about split in Ranier square dance club. Damn. Gene Monahan for supper. She has her troubles with Art group.

4/5/69 Snow still thawing so decided to dig out my old Chevy. It was almost completely buried when we came home from Mexico but I could see there was some hope of freeing it today. Robin came and gave me a hand, and by noon, I was ready to try it. Battery dead. I got another from George (stayed ? hour to hear about Bahamas) and had no trouble getting car going.

4/6/69 Easter Sunday. I made another year, and another great birthday. Layna prepared dinner for 17 people. Buck’s family, 4 Monahans, Bernice and Johnny and the Moes. A busy morning. Drinks all around and buffet on table by 2:30. It was truly a belly buster. Despite the full bellies, we had some interesting conversation - taxes, bounty, high water, airplanes, etc. No major arguments.

4/7/69 I pulled myself together and made final draft of income tax. Kee rist, ain’t it awful. Today’s paper carried a picture of a taxpayer standing stark naked as he dropped his envelope to the Internal Revenue in the mail box. It ain’t funny.

4/9/69 Harry and Grace left for California today but not before asking me to write his Rainy River Reflections column. I agreed. Worked on it until 7:30 when it was time to watch our new Minnesota Twins play their second game of the season on TV. I went to bed at 12:00 - the score tied 3 - 3 in middle of 17th inning.

4/10/69 Stopped in at Totem Pole. Gene Rasmussen had 9 good WE on display that he had caught down river. He said they were caught on plastic black worms and was selling them like mad. How gullible can fishermen get? I almost bought a couple myself!

4/11/69 Up to the island early on the Cat. Traveling good on the frozen slush and snow. Left the Cat at Wagnesses garage, thinking I would do one of two things, either call Layna from Bernice’s or hitchhike. I did neither. A beautiful morning and I walked right home. I needed the exercise badly. Norman Seegert very, very unhappy with Boise Cascade.

4/12/69 Stopped for a few moments at Wagness to hear their laments. Said Olive, “We handled $22,000 last year and had to borrow $1000 anyway.” I wonder where the flaw is in that statement. To Falls Marine Boat Show. I can’t imagine a better way to become aware of our affluent society. Boats up to $6900 - for pleasure. Ronnie Jonson a real wheel and dealer. The Budrises picked us up at 8:15 and on to Ranier’s square dance. A packed house, 37 couples, which must have been very gratifying to the Shannon clique. What a day! (We danced every set!)

4/13/69  Sunday  72o Slept in but off for island on Cat by 10 p.m. Much slush on ice, in places a foot deep, but we chugged on thru. A beautiful day. We did all sorts of odd jobs. Much open water east of us but much ice, too.

4/14/69 Mallards, blue herons, robins, juncos, flickers all acting like they were glad to be back. So are we. My back bothering me and my right leg tingling and almost numb at times. It scares hell out of me. It would not be so bad if I could keep it to myself but I blab to Layna, which doesn’t cheer her up.

4/15/69 Income tax deadline and papers full of this hot news item. Much talk concerning the injustices of our system, especially loopholes for millionaires, but no one believes there will be any substantial reform - yet. A revolution will have to threaten before that happens - and we are a complacent people. If the heavy tax paying element squawked as loud as the student protesters, we might get something done.

4/16/69 My relationship with the Coast Guard over a period of years (since 1941) gives me a good insight on how the government operates. It is not a pretty picture. How in hell do we fight a war? Maybe we can’t, and that’s what is wrong in Vietnam. Buck and I picked up Wayne and on to Sportsman’s banquet. A full house to hear David Mech, biologist, tell about wolves. A great experience. I am sure that even the most rabid bounty advocate was duly impressed. I was happy to be able to ask him a couple of intelligent questions.

4/18/69 We have tried for a couple of years to get our houseboat gang over for an evening and tonight we did. Armstrongs, Martins and Kirks. We had a drink or two, much good chatter and then we showed our Mexican slides. Layna had prepared a feast after the show. More good talk which lasted until almost 1:00 a.m. I look at Gerry and Bill and get the warmest kind of a feeling. We worked together for years - and it was all good. It has lasted despite the houseboat blowup and I am proud. What I have said about Gerry and Bill goes for Kirk, too. What a lot of headaches he saved me from!

4/19/69 Karen, Robin, Layna and I packed picnic lunch and drove down to see high water along Rainy River. Both the Littlefork and Bigfork way over their banks.

4/20/69 Layna and I picked up Fred and Lil Williams and to Fort for dinner with Irene MacKellar. She is making a desperate effort to make a go of her single life. She has lots of guts and I am sure she can do it. It is not easy. She lost one helluva great man.

4/21/69 Layna to Fort Frances in p.m. to teach retarded children how to make artificial flowers. I drove out to Tilson Creek and followed old trail thru woods. Full of memories of days in 30’s when I carried packsack to Camp Koochiching. Once my feet were burning from wearing rubber boots on gravel road from town. Ice still on lake. When I crossed the creek on way home on Pop Lyons rickety bridge, I took off my boots and walked barefoot in the mud - how refreshing!