Farewell January


Farewell January
By Allan Olson

With the departure of January over the weekend, we are now one month closer to warmer weather. Of course, that also means we are one month closer to school being out for the summer, and the kids eating us out of house and home for three months, demanding to be fed 16 times a day.
Like most Minnesotans, I am thankful to see January pass. It has been an interesting month this year. I started it out by burying my van in the snow and ended it with my truck biting the dust. It has been threatening to give up the ghost for several months, but each time I used it, I was always able to somehow reach my destination and then get back home. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case last Thursday, when I made it to one destination but couldn’t make the next; it just refused to go any further. RIP.
Other things happened in January that made the month a little more stressful than usual, including my daughter’s broken retainer. Now, however, I’m looking to forward to February, and a new, yet-to-be-decided vehicle, and warmer, sunny and longer days. Additionally, on Saturday we will celebrate the birth of my first born son, who will be turning the ripe old age of 12 (where do the years go?) and my wife’s birthday follows a couple weeks later.
As the oldest child, Nikolai probably gets the most flack about getting things done. He is expected to help with laundry, pets and other chores. At the same time, rank has its privileges – he is allowed a few perks the others don’t get in exchange for that extra work.
It is amazing how fast time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that he was my little boy, and he has already turned into a young man, participating in speech and doing well academically in school. We are so thankful for having him in our life.
This weekend was another busy one, yet low-key all the same. I didn’t venture out on another eight-mile geocaching hike, but I still did go out on the ice. This time it was to observe the ice rescue training exercise and the divers in action at Cass Lake. That evening a friend showed up to spend the evening with the kids while my wife and I ventured out on a rare date. We did a little shopping, took in a show on the big screen, and enjoyed a late dinner – it was a nice evening with my wife of 15.5 years. I need to get better at finding (and funding) more nights like that this year.
My wife made breakfast on Sunday and we all devoured it. Then she watched a movie with our friend while I took a mid-morning nap on the couch – it felt wonderful to do as little as possible during the morning. Later, I helped to make sure the laundry got washed and dried, and Nikolai made another batch of his awesome chocolate chip cookies, while I worked on some stories for this week’s paper.
This Saturday we’ll be taking some photos of the anglers all looking to catch a big fish at the Cass Lake Chamber’s annual fishing tournament, and then we’ll be celebrating Nikolai’s birthday with family. With all of that action planned for Saturday, we’ll need Sunday for rest.
Thanks to everyone for reading, and as always, please be safe while enjoying your favorite outdoor recreational activity and on the lakes, and remember to take pictures to preserve a lifetime of memories. Remember to drive safely, and watch out for those buses carrying our children. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com.



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