A working weekend



Me and my great nephew. It’s fun to have a little one around again to spoil – but it’s even more fun to hand that little one back to their parents when they get fussy or smelly!

By Allan Olson
It’s not too often during the course of the year that I find myself working on a Saturday, and even then typically not the whole day, but occasionally it does happen, and I make the best of it. Last Saturday was one of those days. I was on the road and out of the house by 8 a.m., with my destination the big city of Onigum, east of Walker.
I made it in plenty of time for the grand opening of the new community center. From there it was back to Cass Lake. I headed to the office to put more winter gear on to prepare for the next three hours of walking around on the ice, taking photos and visiting with people fishing the tournament. Thankfully the temperatures weren’t so bad that I had to bundle up too much. In fact at one point, I almost tossed my heavy coat back in the vehicle, but then the winds picked up and I decided I’d better keep my layers on. 
In my travels around the tourney I was able to visit with many people I know and some that I didn’t. It was a great way to spend one’s time in the cold, fresh air – except I’ve come to the conclusion that my boots are starting to get a little worn out on the inside. They don’t seem quite as comfortable for long winter walks as they once were. Once the fishing tournament was done, I followed the rest of the crowd over to the Palace Casino for the supper and awards banquet before finally making my way home.
  While at the casino I decided to try my hand at the machines with the free $5 slot play I received. Over the years I’ve gotten many of those and they usually just end up in the garbage, but this time I decided, why not? I got my card, won another $5 promo on the first time user machine, and then I tried at least six different machines before I gave up figuring out how to use the dumb thing. At the dinner I found someone who offered to help and after the prizes were all done, I found that individual again and with her help, I used the $10 promotional and cashed out a little over $7 in winnings. That was good enough for me for five minutes of work; I had no desire to stick around and try to lose it or win more.
Back at home, I turned the Olympics on the TV and started working on all the photos from the weekend and days prior. I finally gave up and headed to bed at about 10, and fell asleep still watching the Winter Games.
Sunday was another busy day. I took care of some work stuff in the morning and then again in the evening, and I spent the afternoon getting some groceries, and briefly visited with my nieces and kids before heading home. My wife and I tackled the spare room, as it tends to be a catchall or a sick room for kids. I also spent time cleaning out accumulated household papers. I mean really, who needs property tax papers or other such nonsense for the last seven years! At least I’m pretty sure I don’t need them. So I disposed of most of them.
Any spare time in between was spent assigning various chores to kids and helping Abigail get her homework done. I seriously think that doing homework with my eldest daughter could very well cause even the most patient person to run away in frustration.
Highlights of the weekend were taking photos of the mighty Mississippi and catching the steam rolling off the river. I’ve wanted to get some shots all week, but with a loaner car from the body shop (one of our vehicles is getting some deer repair work done) I didn’t have my camera bag always accessible, so I just cruised by hoping I would get an opportunity later in the week. The other highlight was seeing my one-month-old great nephew.
Coming up is a vacation for my wife and I. It will be strange leaving the kids and having someone else make sure they get to school, etc., but it will also be nice for the two of us to take a trip to somewhere we’ve never been.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that will be carrying our most precious cargo. Also, snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.

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