2/8/75 Fooled with mandolin all day. I even put tape recorder to work and had a ball. Even played 2 part harmony with “Smile the While”. What a damned pity that I can’t sing tenor like Layna. Opal called to say that Wayne had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. What next?
2/9/75 Called Opal in a.m. and she said Wayne was fully recovered and due to come home at 1 p.m. I called him about 3:00 and he was over in shop working on boat!
2/10/75 In desperate need for exercise so took off for island at 10:00 a.m. Got a chill when I saw fresh snowmobile tracks heading for Amidons. A false alarm. No one had been near our place either. Stopped for coffee with Phillips. Easy people to talk to. They said summer business looks good.
2/11/75 Read my entire 1965 diary today and it was not only fun, it was interesting. I know that I could make a full winter’s project out of it by reading all of them and taking notes. Some things unimportant (most of it), some just as well forgotten (very little) but for the most part interesting enough. Letter from Vivian Sutch. She is engaged! Much about her “novice”. They have decided to wait a year so she can make a Christian out of that Lutheran. Hope she doesn’t overdo it and scare him off.
2/12/75 Started on 1964 diary. This could be a habit. Tuned TV on new “Cher” show which turned me off. Buck is busy at island but making progress. I think Union Oil must know what a good man they have.
2/13/75 Read a lot from 1964 diary, even took notes. On many occasions I had written “This should afford good reading when I retire.” Never spoke truer words. I know now that I should take them right from the 1945 beginning and make some sort of an index. To Civil Service examination at 6:30. The usual routine oral examination to the usual unusual men applicants. Many of them college graduates. Some of them with 11 years’ experience in mill. Most out of work - a sad situation.
2/14/75 Letters today from both George Williams and the Osbergs. Both said they never had better guests than the Johnsons. Had an hour’s visit with Myrl Brooks in his office. Voyageurs National Park, as an operating concern, very far in the future!
2/15/75 Clara Finstad called to ask me if I would come get our motor which was repaired. I went. What a mess, altho she is making a valiant effort to wade thru it. Went upstairs for coffee and I stayed to get a blow by blow (over a two day period) of George’s death. “If, if, if . . . he would still be with us!” A damned sad story.
2/16/75 Stopped in to inspect Lynch’s Crystal Beach Bar. Looked good. To pick up Layna. Layna and I stopped at Gene Monahan’s so Layna could give report on mutual grandson, illustrated by Polaroid pictures. Ted Hall stopped for coffee. He is still bugging me to write Life of Don Johnson by Don Johnson. I’ll never make it. Layna and I talked far into the night. Glad she is home.
2/17/75 A real thrill today. I saw a rabbit - right out of our back window! I shot my first one at age 8 at Buck lake. They were an important part of our diet all the years there and even after we lived in Hibbing. They were plentiful at Dahlbergs and Camp Koochiching and we ate them regularly up until about 10 years ago. They became scarcer than deer and no one, including Kimball seems to know what happened. I sincerely hope that today’s little beastie finds a mate.
2/18/75 We are having a real problem with ice building up on eaves. I chopped a few gullies in the 8” accumulation in hopes that it will run off rather than under shingles.
2/19/75 George Armstrong called to say that it was OK to go see houseboat. Myrl Brooks and I left Falls at 1:30 and 3 interesting hours followed. Rather sad to see my old pride and joy sitting on the beach, waiting for derelict status. It is not too bad yet but a few more years will do it. Myrl full of ideas as to how it could be utilized in National Park. We shall see. If this proceeding moves as slowly as the rest, it will be too late.
2/20/75 To Supervisors meeting with Shuppen and Phillips. The usual noisy crowd. They have taken the women folk and about 20 of them did their share to add to the confusion. Myrl Brooks fielded a bunch of questions concerning park. Not many satisfied listeners, I fear.
2/21/75 Wayne Judy and I left Falls at 8:30. On to lake, no problem getting on ice with Scorpion. We had 4 holes cut and were fishing by 10:30. Wayne caught 4 small jackfish. I got skunked. Said Wayne, “You had no time to fish. You spent all of it taking care of this blind old man.” All in all a good day.
2/23/75 Put finishing touches on Karen’s end table. It looks right smart. Irene MacKellar and Signe Green here for supper. A couple of super women - with much in common - mostly a lot of money.
2/24/75 I finally did it. I bought my table saw in 1952 and to date it never drew a drop of my blood. I was alone in basement today and somehow, and I am not sure what happened, I let my right thumb get in the path of the saw. I called Lou Moe who took me to clinic. Layna there paying a bill. A young trainee, Dr. Orwich, put 9 stitches in the gash. It looks like a good clean job. I am not feeling sorry for myself, feeling that I received a cheap lesson in safety. Called Harry to wish him luck at MNA meeting. Told him to not try to out talk HHH.
2/25/75 My thumb a bit sore (pretty darn) but not bad enough to take any kind of a pill. I alternated from basement, where I worked on end table, to upstairs where I read from Watership Down. A fascinating book. I finished it. We need more of that kind of fantasy in this mixed up world.
2/27/75 Wayne Judy called to say that he woke up practically blind. He can tell light from dark - and that is all. What a damned pity. Letter from Etta. It took a little searching but both Layna and I, independently, noted an undercurrent of discontent.
2/28/75 Marie Carlson and Lois Beyers picked up Bernice first than got us and off for Fort Frances for dinner. A good meal with good friends. I didn’t have much to say, being somewhat outnumbered. Daily Journal carried a front page story, with picture that showed Jean Manley presenting a PLAGUE(!) to Shelly LaJambe. It doesn’t take much to brighten my day.
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3/1/75 To see Wayne and Opal are off for Madison tomorrow to seek help. Not optimistic. I told them “It is just like when the ducks are scarce and we leave Happy Shack on a hunt. We go on and on hoping for a break and by gosh, every now and then we get one.” Karen and Robin home at 5:00. My first look at grandchild #13. What a honey! Like Ben Haskell said about his sled dog pups, “He has everything ahead of him!” How will he cope with this mixed up world? No doubt but he will be better equipped than most.
3/2/75 The normal Sunday activity of reading paper and Chronicle with some good talk with Karen thrown in. At 3:30 Robin and I took off on foot from R.L. Lodge. Walking perfect on Buck’s well packed snowmobile track. Robin a good listener and I talked much of Koochiching days - mostly about the two airplanes that crashed in 1932. Buck making good progress on his kitchen project. He is happy on his job, a rarity from what we hear and see. Gene out for supper. She is a good addition to our family.
3/3/75 Karen, Robin, Grandma & Grandpa out to Bernice’s to show off Christopher Robin. Dale joined us. He put on quite a show. No doubt but what he is a keeper. It was a very satisfying visit for the old folks, and I think the feeling was shared by all. Jimmy Banks here for supper. We haven’t seen him in well over a year. He looks good. We had a good visit. This has been a good relationship of long standing and we are pleased that he wants to keep it.
3/4/75 To see Dr. Orwich in a.m. He looked at my thumb and called in Dr. Walter who said, “It is healing like a teenager’s!” He took out half of the stitches. “Come back in a week.” To Virgil Anderson’s birthday party. At least 50 people there, all from his congregation. We were the only heathens present. I agreed to talk to group next Wednesday.
