10/28/80 The long awaited debate between Carter and Reagan came off without a hitch. After 90 minutes of answering questions from a panel of reporters, the post-debate experts seemed to feel unanimously that it was a tie game. Layna and I agreed! What a pair of articulate people. I am a pushover for anyone who expresses himself well, no matter what the subject.
10/29/80 Dr. Milroy and Florence Zeipen came to Rainy Lake the same year as we did - 1929. They have been “going together” for the greater part of those 51 years. No wedding bells in the near future. Today we invited them for a brunch and they accepted. Much talking about old friends - mostly gone. Carl Harrison got most of the copy. A very, very satisfying episode in our lives.
10/30/80 K & R took the kids to a Halloween party. Chris decked out in space suit that Layna had made. Also Sarah’s Little Red Riding Hood cape. Layna and I to see Private Benjamin with Goldie Hawn. A dirty picture! Senior citizens get a deal. We pay $3.00 apiece for 3 shows then get 4th one free. I seriously doubt if we will go to two more in order to get that free one.
10/30/80 Three more days before election and the pot is really bubbling. Carter is making an all-out effort to get the Senior Citizen’s vote. He says that Reagan is against Medicare and Social Security - he is for war!
11/1/80 Robin and I, along with Sarah and Chris brought the Monahan boat to Finstads to be put up for the winter. We stopped at Ted Hall’s boat where I had a long talk with him while Robin was picking up his mother’s things. Ted announced that he was taking a year’s rest from Chronicle and suggested I write his Drumbeat column. What a compliment but I’m not interested.
11/3/80 Cliff leaves for Florida next Thursday. We talked about weather and he said, “Maybe I’ll be unpopular to say this, but I really don’t give a damn what the weather is up here!”
11/4/80 Election Day and a record turnout of voters gave Reagan a record majority of votes. He carried every state except Georgia (Carter’s home state), Minnesota (Mondale’s home state) and Rhode Island - (smallest of all). The various networks carried “projected results” 15 minutes after the polls closed at 8 and the winner was announced long before all the results were in.
11/6/80 I had to leave for CS exam. About 20 candidates face 4 examiners. Tony treated at Barney’s after exam. Some fair conversation between outbursts by Tony.
11/7/80 Robin came and left kids. He and Karen taking debate team to Brainerd at 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. We are glad that he is going along. They brought the kids out to Grandma’s, who is willing and able to take care of them. Grandpa gets along fairly well. He growls a lot and punctuates it with a swat where it will do most good. All in all it works out well enough.
11/8/80 Little Bobby an unusual kid. Stubborn is the old fashioned word for it but there must be a modern term to describe him. Karen called from Crosby to say roads bad and they would be late. They got to Falls at 10:30. Opening day of deer season and my thoughts with Erle and Harriet Thompson on Big Fork. I spent the last four years with them and altho the hunting not so great, I got 2 bucks but Erle skunked, the company was good, so were accommodations. I froze a lot more than I wanted which made me decide to skip it this year.
11/9/80 5” total snow fall. K and R came after kids about 10:00 a.m. Layna invited kids to come back and they said that they would like that. Sarah’s birthday and Grandma went to party.
11/10/80 Layna took car to Sheridan’s to get block heater put on. Much waiting around before job was finished. We were compelled to comment on poor service. We paid several hundred dollars extra for car because of past good service. Now what?
11/11/80 Layna had 6 members of RLWC to make Christmas trinkets. I spent day in basement where I looked over old negatives. Very relaxing. We carried the Hvoslef table from basement. Not only bulky but heavy! It was worth all the work done on it to hear the comments from the RLWC ladies.
11/12/80 Jim came with plow at 9:30, about 4” of new snow. He came in for coffee when finished. Layna told him that we would like to buy gas and he countered by saying, “I make more money than you do,” then went on to say that a recent raise brought his salary up to $2000 a month. He was right!
11/14/80 Finished letter to Harry Davey. It takes me longer and longer to put my thoughts on paper. It would be easy to give it up completely. To Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology at Junior College. An excellent local talent performance.
11/15/80 To Fort Frances where we picked up Bill and Gladys Martin and on to Bruce Caldwell. Sid and Sherry Assline there. A beautiful home - most of it done by themselves. Good food, good talk - home at 2:00. We really enjoy our “Canadian connections”.
11/18/80 Erle and Harriet Thompson spent last week at hunting shack on Big Fork, without me. My thoughts with them much of time. They came in today and I talked to Harriet on phone. Erle skunked again. I doubt if it would have been more productive if I had been there.
11/20/80 About 10 inches of wet snow on roof. I climbed up and cleaned off a strip about 5 feet wide along the eaves. Every time I’ve done this in the past 5 years I have asked myself if it is my last splurge - and keep right on doing it. Today the same question. I bought a doctor book today. It had several pages on Parkinsons in it. Dr. Walter, step aside. To Salary Club meeting with Norm Seegert. He was guest of honor because of retirement. We talked over our health problems over a glass of wine. I think I cheered him up.
11/21/80 I re-read article on Parkinsons and decided that I should quote my mother, “I am 75 (74) years old. Surely I should have something wrong with me.”
11/22/80 Les Cleveland here at 2:30. As always he gave a good graphic report on his last trip to Europe. Told some real horror stories concerning prices along the way. I am glad we went when we did.
11/23/80 The deer season is over and now I can stop being sorry for myself. The success ratio hasn’t been published yet but papers say it is down. Same thing the past few years. Well, I shot my share of all local game - deer, ducks, partridge, rabbits - and even moose. Memories, memories, few people can match mine.
11/24/80 To Mall at 9:20 to have eyes checked. A young doctor examined both of us and sent us home without recommending a change. Then to Chet and Gladys Lindvall’s house where we met Harold Moxness & bride. Much Mexican talk but we branched over onto other subjects. Home for supper and then to Historical Society meeting. About 50 old-timers listened to a Prof. Lund give history of area, all the way back to ice age. Most of it was known to us but it did no harm to have it reviewed. Arnold Kerr, after meeting, told me about his trip down Colorado River. More interesting than Lund.
11/25/80 The Johnsons, Seegerts and LaValleys to Fort Frances where we had a ball. Near 100 dancer assembled at high school. Bill Wilde MC. The program geared for the old timers and to our amazement, we were able to dance every tip. We met many old friends who seemed genuinely happy to see us. A big lunch, home by midnight. What an experience.
11/26 80 It is 14 years since Dr. Johnson told Layna to quit dancing. When I look back on my 74 years I realize that my only regret is that we had to stop that activity that meant so much to us for so long. Few people get off so lucky - BUT - I’m not thru yet.
11/27/80 Thanksgiving day, and altho we have much to be thankful for, the news media tells us of many that don’t. 1) Hotel fire in Las Vegas killed 84 people, 2) earthquake in Italy claimed 2500 dead and many, many more injured, 3) the 54 hostages in Iran are starting second year of captivity with no release in sight, 4) brush fires in California have burned over more than 50,000 acres of land destroying 400 homes, 5) inflation and unemployment out of control - that’s a fair sampling. Despite all that, we had K and R and Gene here for a full scale dinner. A real belly stretcher. Bernice stopped in for one drink. Everyone gone by 8:30. A big day. Byrne and Carole called in evening. A long talk. Our cup runneth over.
