Johnson Journals part 380

4/8/80 We struck a small blow against inflation today. By consolidating some funds, we were able to buy a “Money Market” bond for $10,000. It pays 15% interest. We came home to review our financial situation and unless the whole financial structure goes belly up, we will get along nicely.

4/9/80 Picked up the Glennies at 6:45 and off for Holiday Inn as dinner guests of McCormick Enterprises. It was a sales pitch to see vacation property in Arizona. We didn’t go for it. Had a drink at the bar, a good talk, mostly about square dancing. Home at 11:00.

4/10/80 Buck dropped in, stayed for lunch and a good visit. He told us about Charlie Kocinski’s cabin going thru ice near Cranberry Bay. Layna to RLWC meeting. I read and watched news. What a Goddamn mess this world is in.

4/11/80 We went at the bathroom like we knew what we were doing. A job that at one time would have been done in a couple of hours lasted until 3:00 p.m. We have slowed down. So far we both accept it as normal so no bitching.

4/12/80 Karen called to say that she and Sally were trying to get Byrne & Carole to join them on a work party for NWI on Memorial Day weekend. I wonder how we will make out.

4/13/80 Went for a drive out to Sha-Sha. Came home via Gold Shores. Stopped at Seegerts. Norman worried about Insulite partial shutdown - and well he might be. Many new homes in area - and many concerned people living in them.

4/14/80 I went in the basement to put a switch on the grinder. Layna followed me down and the end result was we got into a mess of old pictures - mostly Mando days. There were literally hundreds of them. We decided to stay home next winter and really sort them out! Harriet and Erle Thompson stopped in for a short but good visit. She says she feels fine- and looks it.

4/15/80 Alice Dieter, an editor of the Boise Cascade Quarterly, came out at 2:00 p.m. to interview me. She said that she was writing an article on what the natives of the area think of the Company. It will be interesting to see how she will misquote me.

4/16/80 Buck came by and chewed the rag. He is concerned about his job - and well he might be. We are living in perilous times.

4/18/80 Cleaned up and burned last of poplar tops. My back mighty sore. One Goddamn thing after another. I have a feeling that it will be like that from now to the very end. A year ago I was recovering from hernia surgery. Two of them!

4/20/80 To Island View for dinner. Sat with Mary Lou and Marvin Pearson - also Jim Einarson. Interesting. Brought a “corset” out of retirement. It helped my aching back.

4/21/80 90o The trim paint on house badly peeling in places. I got up on ladder and scraped same and gave them a coat of paint. I worry about myself up on a damned ladder. John Erickson was never the same after falling off one and banging his head on a rock.

4/22/80 Buck called at noon to say that he and John Lynch had come all the way to Curtice dock by boat. Yesterday’s 90o plus 30 mph wind opened up a channel along Jackfish and Stop Islands.

4/23/80 Wind calm in a.m. and I finished raking. A big job, done once more without outside help. Buck and John Lynch stopped for coffee. John began to tell about unusual ice conditions and the problems it caused. Said Layna, “Before you go any further, remember, you are talking to people who have seen everything on the lake.” How true.

4/25/80 Carter on air at 7:00 p.m. to tell nation that a carefully planned operation to free hostages in Iran had failed. Nine American soldiers dead. The Iranians threatening to take lives of hostages. The international situation very shaky. To Curtice dock where we launched Cadillac. Layna and I off for island. Clear sailing to within 100 yards of our dock. Too much ice so came back to #265.

4/26/80 Jim Froehlich, Layna and I to try trip to island. A huge floe of ice blocked channel between Dahlbergs and Keyes islands. We went back and tried route around Thumb and by breaking way thru soft ice, were able to get to NWI. A close inspection and we found nothing disturbed. Always a relief. Water low and a problem to get in and out of boat.

4/27/80 The bodies of the nine American service men left on the ground last Friday were on display in Teheran today. What a bunch of barbarians bastards we are dealing with.

4/28/80 Oh, my aching back! To see Dr. Walter. He pushed and pulled me around and told me to come back for X-rays tomorrow. he seemed to be satisfied with my “shakes”. After supper, we walked down to Birch Point. Very little ice floating on Sand Bay.

4/29/80 76o All set to see Dr. Walter at 8:30 when call came from clinic. No X-ray technician until tomorrow. My back damned sore all day. I try to tell myself that it is just one of those things but it hurts, anyway.

4/30/80 80o We were at clinic shortly after 8:00 a.m. They pulled blood out of my arm, then gave me a shot in the butt. Then X-rayed my back, gave me some pills and sent me home. I was there from 8:15 till 11:15. Whatever they did, it was for the good because I felt well enough to go out to dinner at Grandma’s Pantry.

5/1/80 83o We raked and cleaned up around #265 in a.m. then off for island after lunch. Another beautiful day. We have had 2 weeks of absolutely finest weather imaginable and no change in sight.

5/2/80 I tested my back with no ill effects. Layna and I piled the wood that Jim F. brought.

5/3/80 Out to mall where Layna did grocery shopping. I broke down and bought $6.00 worth of jigs. I am loaded. Home for lunch and on to island.

5/4/80 Layna heard Reverend Schumacher’s sermon in which he talked about how sad it was to watch an old man grow older. She is sure he meant me - and I can well believe it.

5/5/80 70o I answered Bern Davey’s letter of last Friday. It wasn’t fun because there is a possibility we won’t see those good people this summer. It is a friendship we value highly and therefore hate to lose it. Buck called at 9:00 p.m. to say that he and Jayme had had a rough day working on buoys. I understood him perfectly, having done it myself all these years. Sure glad that the job is still in our family.

5/6/80 Sheila hitch hiked from Duluth. She is having trouble finding a job. She will go back to Duluth with us on Friday. Dr. Walter finally called. He seemed pleased with my progress. I felt better after talking with him. The Christian Scientists have something going for them.

5/7/80 I steamed up the power saw and, with Sheila’s help, cut up a big poplar in south forty. Lisa came in p.m. A good talk with the kids. Interesting to get their viewpoint on drugs and other problems. Sheila took the 4 of us to Pickle Barrel for supper.

5/9/80 Layna, Sheila and I left home about 11:30, bound for Duluth. We had shore lunch at Orr. Dropped Sheila off at Park Point and on to Karen and Robin’s by 4:30. Much squealing by little Monahans. What a tribe!

5/10/80 We finally got to see the Depot Museum. It was well worth waiting for. Karen and the 3 kids made the tour with us. Robin picked us up when done.