Thursday Ritual of Entertainment

Whenever I get home, I try to help out doing any job I can that is just getting to be too difficult for either Dad or Beverly. So on this trip, I went outdoors to offer some assistance.

Dad has been getting the majority of the grass cut in the yard with his riding mower but trimming is just too much for his legs to handle. So he helped me get set up with a weed eater. I started out around the house and knocked down the tall grass and Canadian Thistle . They are very thick stocked weeds with little prickly leaves. If your not wearing leather gloves, you don't want to handle them! Nasty little weed! I continued around to the front yard around the big evergreens and all the bird feeders and shepherds hooks for flowers.

Then I walked down to the Quonset (see below) and cleaned that up as well. I could have done much more but Dad said,"No, you've done enough." But at least when you drive into the yard, the majority of what catches the eye is now gone. I like neatening things up like this. You can actually see what you've accomplished when the job is completed!

These photos of the house are from last November. I trimmed the weeds all around the house and trees in front. Then I went down to the Quonset (silver building on the left primarily used to store farm equipment) and trimmed all those weeds. There were several years of dead grass and weeds that had grown over each other year after year.

You can kind of see under the fuel tanks the growth of weeds that is now no longer there!

I also cut many thick weeds and grass from around the red propane tank near the corner of the house. It looks much better.

Because it was Thursday, it meant that Dad would be making his weekly drive to Tioga to the Long Term Care. Each week many volunteers gather with their instruments and entertain the residents with singing and playing. Dad plays his accordion. Others play guitar, piano or keyboard or just come to sing along. We took Bandy (Dad's dog) with us and some of the residents enjoyed her kisses and greetings!

Dad and Don Anderson

There were several people there that aren't residents that came just to hear them play. This week was special too. I have a second cousin getting married the 11TH so relatives were in town for the big day. Rose and Elton Gudvangen and 4 of their grand kids, my uncle Curtis Roloff, aunt Verena Roloff and my god parents Carl and Gisela Wold. I tried to get pics of some of them but due to lighting, they didn't turn out. I forgot to re-do them later. Grr!

The music was great and as always, some of the employees made popcorn and served this with coffee and water to those that wanted to partake. A few people danced and the residents even clapped their hands and tapped their toes to the beat. It's amazing how music affects even those that are physically unable to thoroughly enjoy it! It gets to the very core of anyone that hears it!

After two+ hours of fun, we drove down town to a cafe and met the Gudvangens' and Wolds' there where some either ate and others just had something to sip on. Soon it was time to say our goodbye's and go home.
Tomorrow I would be leaving ND to go home to Omaha.