11/21/72 A routine day for the most part. Layna making steady progress, I am taking care of her the best I can with my blundering. Harry Davey, Les Cleveland and Cliff (at different times) stopped and visited. All this changed at 5:00 p.m. when Jayme and Timmy arrived. Dale had sent a pan of chicken and the makings for dumplings. Jayme assembled the feast and we all dug in, including Layna. We washed dishes and then inaugurated my new ping pong table. I beat both boys but had feeling they weren’t extending themselves. Upstairs again and they stayed to visit until 8:30. What a great pair of young men. Cliff reported that Lou overdid at health club and can scarcely walk. We are laughing (just a little) behind her back.
11/22/72 A quiet day as I stand by to watch Layna gaining back here health. Broke the monotony by going to Ranier to shop. Even bought rum & wine for tomorrow. All four of Buck & Dale’s kids here to see Grandma after school. Good. Daveys out for few minutes in evening. Much fun when I showed them the opals we bought in Mexico and told them they were Layna’s gall stones!
11/23/72 Thanksgiving. Karen and Robin arrived about 10 a.m. with Connie in tow. They had the turkey with them. We had invited the Judys for dinner but they begged off because of Opal’s bum foot. Called the Moes who accepted. Lou practically a cripple (see Nov. 21) but the smell of turkey brought her. That made three female cripples when Gene arrived using a cane. We sure didn’t need Opal! Karen, following in Layna’s footsteps, prepared a real gut buster. Gene produced a couple of pies that almost finished us off. Watch out, scale, here I come.
11/24/72 Robin and I took off for a hike at 10 a.m. Seemed strange to be heading into the woods without a gun. Drove to Sha–Sha and walked across Black Bay to logging road. Robin dropped one foot thru ice off point. A very pleasant couple of hours followed. He loves the woods and so do I. Too bad he can’t find more time to be in them. Stopped at Seegerts at Spring Lodge on way home. They are still digging. What they have done so far defies the imagination, at least mine. Norman has aged the last couple of years and no wonder, he is living at least three normal lives at one time.
11/25/72 Vi Skrief out for afternoon visit and we kept her for supper. She was really wound up, mostly about her kids of whom she is justly proud. She just left when Vivian Sutch drove in. She stayed until 10:45! She, too, wound up. Much about her teaching, much about Mexico. Good girl, we wish her luck. Layna still making progress.
11/26/72 Harry & Bern came out at 3:30, intending to take us for dinner at Spot. We went for ride to Island View in their new Hornet station wagon. It looked good. Back to #265 where we talked them into staying for drinks and soup. Layna feeling stronger and well able to hold up her end of repartee. Bern and I washed dishes with much heckling from living room. Daveys left early. Those people sure bring out the best in us.
11/27/72 Harry had left his camera here last night so stopped in for it. We had coffee and a good discussion concerning Byrne, his family and the EI. He thinks like we do which isn’t necessarily good in trying to evaluate any situation. He is absolutely objective, which has shown up many times in his newspaper. Wrote to Brad and Byrne. Sent $10.00 to Brad in response to his letter of a week ago. Was it too much, too little, or should we have ignored him?
11/28/72 Layna made first trip to Ranier. Did some shopping, a short visit with Gene, and home not too pooped.
11/28/72 Buck brought Dale here about 10 a.m. She had volunteered to clean up a bit and did. Scrubbed, vacuumed, swept. She stayed right at it until 4:00. Good girl. She and Layna talked much of the time. I think they have a lot in common. I felt so good after my hike with Robin last week that I decided to do it again. Took off at 2:00 and walked steady for 1 1⁄2 hours. Felt about as tired as when I walked to town and back from Camp Koochiching. Getting old.
11/30/72 The bill from hospital came. $990.00! Now we can begin worrying as to how much our insurance covers. Didn’t get Dr. Walter’s bill yet. Big snowmobile Derby set for Falls this weekend. Every morning a few flakes of snow kid the sponsors that their prayers are being answered. There is about an inch of fluffy, light stuff on track now - and nowhere to haul it from. Lou Moe out to check on Layna. I wonder if that hospital bill changed my thinking! Layna doing fine, so whatever it cost, it was worth it.
12/1/72 Yesterday I wrote that we got a bill for $990 from hospital. “Now we can worry about how much our insurance covers.” Today’s mail had a note for me from hospital “John Hancock notifies us that your policy does not cover your wife.” Christ, what a chill that gave us. I hurried down to Boise Insurance where they assured me that if I sent bill to Boise office in Idaho, it would be taken care of. Harry and Bern out to take us to Island View for Layna’s “recovery dinner”.
12/3/72 I got a big return on my ping pong table today. Buck, Jayme, Tim, Lisa and Jill came at 1:00 p.m. We watched football game and were joined by Dick and Todd. A real ping pong session followed. Much fun during doubles. Layna made snacks for whole tribe. She is getting better.
12/5/72 Due to our flat tire, Jayme came and took me to see Dr. Milroy. Quite an experience. He had me in the chair for 40 minutes and looked in my mouth for three. The other 37 were used in talking about famous athletes of the Iron Range back in the 20’s. It was remarkable how many we could name. Jayme brought me home and stayed for lunch. Good to have him. To town in p.m. and stopped for coffee at Judys’. Much talk about doctors and hospitals. Well, they have had a great deal more experience than we have - and can still laugh.
12/6/72 Standard Lumber delivered a sheet of plywood to be used on Karen’s Kart. Damnation, but it was warped. We pay more and more for goods and services and both get poorer and poorer. I sometimes think that is our #1 problem, over pollution, taxes, integration, etc. The “last manned shot to moon of this century” took off at midnight after several short delays. A 27 billion (some say 50) dollar project and it is hard for a layman to evaluate the results. The experts disagree, too, which is par for the course.
12/7/72 Worked (?) on Karen’s Kart part of day. Did enough to know it will be OK. Bernice came to give Layna a hand. From my prejudiced view, she didn’t accomplish much. Layna needs female companionship, however, so it was worthwhile. Layna made her first full sized meal since surgery. Cooked a mess of ducks. Cliff, Harry Oveson and Bernice here to help eat them. A feast, and I am sure they all agreed. Cliff stayed on for about an hour after others left. Much talk about wills and estates. None of us know much about it. I am certain of one thing. We at least have heirs we are happy to leave our money to. He faces the gloomy prospect of Margaret getting his!
12/8/72 It stays cold - and no relief in sight. To see Milroy at 10:45. I was there longer, he talked more, but looked in my mouth more. He made big plans for next Tuesday. We shall see. No football talk today. It was mostly about Carl Harrison. We both have reason to choke up when we think of our old friend. Worked on Karen’s Kart. It is taking shape.
12/9/72 Our annual visit with my former guides, Bill Martin and Gerry Armstrong. A little hesitant about going considering Layna’s condition - and it was cold! No need for concern on either count. There were 13 Canadian couples gathered at Martin’s house. We knew most of them from previous affairs. Good food, drink, music, conversation. I sat next to Gerry and reminisced for about an hour - great. Gladys full of hell but managed to put on a rare feed between laughs. Layna, too, enjoyed herself. She must have. We didn’t leave until almost 3:00 a.m. No protest. The high spot of the winter so far. I love my boys!
12/10/72 To bed at 3:30 - up at 9:30 - a short night. I was almost as nervous as the players before the Viking- Packer game. Well, that is over for this year. We lost 23 - 7 and it was no fluke. How in hell can a grown man get so worked up over something so unimportant? To see the Buck Johnsons in p.m. Buck has finished a dish cabinet for Dale. It is a beauty.
12/11/72 Karen called this a.m. to say she was going into the hospital for further checkup. A suspected growth, possible a tubular pregnancy. It scared hell out of us. Neither Layna nor I mentioned it to the other but the possibility of cancer foremost in our minds. Robin did not call until 11:00 p.m. - giving us plenty of chance to think and worry. He reported that she had had surgery - one tube removed, and all proceeding normally. This is serious enough but not anywhere near as bad as our minds let us fear.
12/12/72 For some time, years in fact, we have been concerned about our wills. Were they outmoded and inadequate? Would Layna be provided for when I go? Today we went to lawyer Pete Hemstad who assured us that our 1950 documents were OK. He suggested we come back after Christmas and work out something comprehensive for the kids in the event we both die together. Sheila called at 10:00 from Billings. Seemed happy enough but wanted to talk to Grandma & Grandpa. Good!
