4/26/72 Today I received a formal letter from Harry in which he offered me $520 to write a weekly column for one year. We shall see. Also, George Amidon called to say that a Mr. Winegarten, a representative of Appraisers, Inc. wanted to see me. His company is about to bid in on the job of appraising the Boise land on the peninsula. He is looking for the “best talent available” to help on the job. I told him I would think it over. Very flattering.
4/27/72 Buck, Dale, Timmy to awards banquet. Timmy honored. Good boy. While they were gone the girls stayed with us. Good kids!
4/28/72 Another full day on house siding job. A couple of bloopers held me up. A few years ago I would have thrown hammer thru the window. Took it all rather philosophically. Maybe it is because I know myself better so don’t expect too much anymore. After supper, we drove out to landing. A late spring for sure. Darn little open water. I am now predicting May 13 for ice out date.
4/29/72 Harry picked me up at 9:00 a.m. Off for Gun Lake - all in holiday mood. We must have caught it from Bern. She was headed home. Everything working by time Kimballs came at 5:00. A grand reunion. We made a firm date for them to come back to Rainy lake in June.
4/30/72 A light rain when I sneaked out of house at 6:30 so as not to disturb anyone. Put on my slicker. Much activity around Gun Lake. Ice almost gone. Many ducks, grebes, loons on lake. Many species of birds. Many in courtship. They put on quite a show.
5/1/72 My most productive day on siding job so far. Finished up south wall and on to east end. Tore off all the old stuff and well on way toward finishing new when I quit at 8 p.m. Layna helped when needed and worked around yard when not. A bitter experience when I cut hole for electric outlet in wrong place. Goddamn - I will never learn. Frankie Johnson stopped in at 9 p.m. We have not talked to him in more than a year. Much to discuss. Learned that all not well at pulp yard. Many changes in procedure, not all necessarily good. Frankie has always been one of my favorites. I think he is a bit lonesome.
5/2/72 John Lynch and his man Ed stopped in about 3:00 p.m. They visited about an hour. A great pair, as opposite as two men can be but obviously fond of one another. Well, they have had a great experience working together in the frozen north - and more to come. To Buck’s where we shared Jayme’s 18th birthday cake. He is now a man - and a damned good one.
5/3/72 Karen called to ask us to come to Duluth Friday and give them a hand on their house. I hate to leave my job but it can wait. It will be here when I get back.
5/4/72 About 3:00 p.m. Carol called to say that Beryl had died last night. What to do? Decided to go tomorrow. Bern & Harry here at 5:30 and off for Thunderbird for dinner. Opening day. They have done a lot of work. To bed to think of my relationship with Beryl. All good. She took good care of me when I was a kid and we saw eye to eye on most things. What a damned shame that my folks took it so hard when she turned Catholic.
5/5/72 Round trip on North Central to Mpls for two is $120. We decided to make a hundred and drive. Left here at 9:30 and at Sally’s by 3:00. Left Mpls. at 6:05 and in LA at 7:30, their time. 3 hours and 20 minutes in air. Dwayne met us. None of us very cheerful On to mortuary where Beryl way lying, Carol at her side. Ted in anteroom. God - how my heart went out to that poor kid. None of us will ever be able to grasp the significance of all this to her. Surely no mother & daughter had a closer relationship.
5/6/72 Service at 9:30. Ted and I pall bearers along with 4 others whom I did not know, or know of. The usual mumble jumble Catholic service given by an old priest who was obviously very bored by it all. Why shouldn’t he be? It was old stuff to him. Not with Carol & Ray - or me either, for that matter. A short grave side ceremony and back to house where neighbors had gone all out in preparing food for mourners. All but family gone by 4:00. We sat and talked until almost midnight.
5/7/72 Ray, Carol, Ted, Layna and I to Long Beach to see “Queen Mary”. A memorable occasion. What a feat of human construction - and you are worried about putting siding on your house, Johnson!
5/8/72 At 4:00 Ray picked us up. Off to airport. Had short talk over a drink with Ray & Carol. Good people for sure. At 6:05 we were airborne in a 747 giant. Room for 365 passengers, about 150 aboard. Another miracle of man’s ingenuity. 3 hours later we landed in Mpls. Sally & Jim to meet us. Good to be back.
5/9/72 Sally mildly put pressure on for us to say over but we were homeward bound. However, had long talk concerning island. The upshot was that we agreed they should come for a full month - probably all of July. We shall see. I left Jernbergs in the bluest of moods. A combination of many things - Beryl, mostly. Not very communicative with Layna and she assumed I was put out with her. Almost an argument, the nearest in several years. We were squared around by time we got to Duluth. Took Karen & Robin to Pickwick for dinner and off for home by 6:30. Clear sailing. A long letter from Byrne. They are all deep in the E.I.
5/11/72 It took all day, with several interruptions, to finish siding. It is done, and I am glad. A big job for an old man. Still much to do. Paint & shed.
5/12/72 Lower Lake opened. We launched our Cadillac boat from Buck’s landing about 10:30 and off for island. Les Cleveland had moved up yesterday so we stopped in for coffee. He seemed glad to see us. Cleo, too. She hasn’t changed during the winter. A yapping mutt for sure. On to our place where we found everything undisturbed. I did myself proud by crawling under building and starting furnace. We toured island, made plans for summer and home by 2:30.
5/13/72 Robin had offered to help with painting under eaves but had to cultivate Gene’s garden patch first. He was finished at noon, but the rains came. Damn. It gave me the opportunity to read Byrne’s E.I. pamphlet. Read I did, but understood but little. Karen and I got into what developed into a rather heated discussion. She accused me of being facetious. I had to agree with Robin who said he was inclined to distrust anything he didn’t understand!
5/14/72 Dinner (noon) at Gene’s. Carl Ray, her Indian artist friend, there. Before we arrived Karen asked “Is he really as nice as your mother says he is?” Robin answered “Nobody is that nice!” Well, he came close. An interesting visit, joined by Arden, until they took off for Duluth about 3:00 p.m.
5/16/72 Rev. Virgil Anderson picked us up at 6:00 a.m. On to Willard Lake by 9:00 - full of plans. He took us to campsite where he takes his church group of kids every year. a man full of pride in his work. He took us fishing below a falls where he caught 6 good WE while I was getting a 6# jack and 1 small WE. Layna skunked - so goes it. Saw a merganser swimming under water! A steak feed, and we fell into bed, pooped. Didn’t even wash dishes.
5/18/72 90o Cliff Blais and I to Buck’s island by 7:30. On buoy job soon after. We ran right to Kettle River, put everything in there by noon, and worked back west. No major troubles. On and on, one buoy after another. I just ran boat, didn’t lift a pound. Why should I with such muscle in the boat? It was getting dark as we approached Olson’s reef and I was in favor of letting it go until tomorrow. Not Buck. He had a good range on it and we ran right to it. Cliff amazed when Buck let pike pole down and hit reef on first try! On home by 9:45. Pretty well pooped.
