The holiday season is a busy time of year for most of us. But, here, at our house, we decided in the midst of all the holiday chaos to make some small repairs in the front area of our building (the coatroom of our old schoolhouse turned into a township zoning office and an upholstery shop). Or course, that area is where we have stored things over the years - lots of things. So, guess what - we have to clear the items in order to make repairs. Easy enough - right? Not so.

As we clean, we are discovering many long lost treasures. One of those is a box of photos and slides, once belonging to my parents. Curious, we tried looking at them by holding the slides up to the light. It works … but only minimally so. What to do? I quickly ordered a slide converter and two days later we were viewing slides. Many of the slides are in poor condition but one of those slides brought back one of my...

Today was another day of saying goodbye … the memorial for my brother-in-law Bob Braun.

Today could have been a really hard, really sad day. But it wasn’t. Yes, there was sadness … from those who knew Bob as Husband, Dad, Brother, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, cousin, friend, etc.

But there was also joy … most particularly as people talked and laughed, remembering Bob. You see, Bob was a tease, a trickster … and he was so good at it, he could have been classified as a professional. It was easy to get mad at him for the tricks he played, but very hard to stay mad at him. He would just give you that ‘Bob grin’ and your anger would melt away.

At the memorial, there were pieces of paper and pens at each table; those attending were asked to write down a memory of Bob and put it in the ‘memory boxes’ in the center of the table. The written ‘memories’ were collected and presented to the family.

It’s that time of year - time to find a gift for all of those on your Christmas list. And it seems that it gets harder every year - to find that perfect gift for each and everyone. How do you find something for those who already have too much stuff? What about those that you really don’t know that well? What about those you want to show your appreciation for all that they have done through the year - but you don’t much about their personal life?

Well, it’s okay. I have an idea for you … one you can adapt to just about anything … custom made and limited only by your imagination.

I start with pre-made greeting cards - in this case, glitter coated for that holiday feel - and add pre-made gift tags. Just a little glue is all you need to glue one of the gift tags to the front cover.

Inside add a business card made into a ‘gift card’ with the gift of your choice. Simple and quick.

I...

Last week we attended the memorial for my husband’s Aunt Eleanor. Usually such occasions are not all that enjoyable. But this time was different. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day. Let me tell you why.

The memorial was held in Deer River, Minnesota - a two and a half hour (or so) drive - mostly on two lane roads. Despite the winter weather, the trip went well. The scenery was beautiful - including the vistas of Mille Lacs Lake - the second largest lake in Minnesota.

After reaching Deer River, we quickly found Comstock Court, the senior apartment building where Eleanor lived. The memorial was being held in the attached Comstock Center. We arrived a little early, had a pleasant discussion with Pastor Dwight Rudquist, and looked at the carefully laid out display of momentos and photos of Eleanor. We sat at a table, reminiscing about Eleanor - how she and Jim’s mother, Edna, often talked...

*This poem was written by my father, Galen Olene, to my mother, Shirley Olene, when he was overseas serving in WWII - somewhere in Europe. He was one of many soldiers in Normandy.

He refers to my brothers, Steve and Dave, who were little tykes when he wrote this - see the photo at the bottom. Most people who knew him would be surprised that he wrote this poem - but we all new better. He just pretended to be tough. All of them - Mom, Dad, Steve and Dave - are now gone.*

To My Wife and Children – by Galen Olene

Every night before I go to bed,

I say a prayer with low bowed head,

Praying to God for him to keep,

A watch over my family while they are asleep.

Every night it seems, as I wake from my dreams,

In heaven there is a star,

Reminding me of your love, dear,

And how beautiful you are.

There’s Stevie and Davie and I bet they’re both yelling

To be held in your arms all...

Having a garage sale is a lot of work. A lot more work than I am willing to do. I just take my unwanted goods to the local thrift store and donate them. But, for those who are willing to go to all of the trouble of having a sale, here are some tips to make that sale successful and to attract people like me - who won’t have a sale but are quite willing to go to garages sales - and in many cases - buy stuff we don’t really need.

Getting us there.
One of the most important things in having a successful garage sale is getting people to the sale. Good signage is everything! Please, no cardboard signs with thin, illegible scribbling. Make your signs all the same color - it makes it easy to follow. Print in big, bold letters - include the address, day and time of sale, and an arrow pointing in the correct direction. If there is room to put more, that’s great - but don’t print in small...

Lately I have found myself forgetting things on a regular basis – forgetting to take my daily medications; intending to take something into the house from my office area and then arriving in the house without it - sometimes remembering I was going to bring it, sometimes not; forgetting someone’s name or forgetting the details of an event that I should know well; and forgetting to buy things at the store - things that were the reason I went to the store, Given this, I started to wonder if I am getting dementia. I have friends and family members who are currently suffering with dementia/Alzheimer’s. Could I be next??

So, of course, I do what I do – research. Keep in mind my research is not all inclusive - it is a quick review of various publications. I’m sure there are many more - but I found enough information to make me feel better. Here’s what I found about the various types of...

Folks who know me often hear me saying: “What? Or, "Can you say that again?” You see, I have a significant hearing loss and I wear hearing aids.

But did you know that hearing loss is not considered a disability? Rather, treatment for hearing loss is considered elective, much like plastic surgery or liposuction! You choose to have plastic surgery or liposuction - but you don’t choose to have hearing loss. And, unlike cosmetic procedures, hearing loss can have devastating life effects. Adding further insult, treatment of hearing loss - specifically hearing aids – is not covered by medical insurance. Let me tell you more.

The Center for Disease Control estimates there are approximately 37 plus million people in the United States who suffer from hearing loss. If hearing loss was considered a disability, this invisible disability would be the largest disability. Those numbers will only...

At one time in my life, going to garage sales was a necessity. As a family with young kids, it seemed like they were always growing out of their clothes and garage sales were a cost effective way to provide them. It was also a great way to provide ‘new’ toys to replace the worn and broken ones.

Now, however, going to garage sales has become much more: It’s the mystery of the hunt - not knowing what you will find; it’s getting exercise – parking and walking down long driveways; it’s hanging out with your garage sale partner - in most cases my brother – telling family stories, talking about whatever comes to mind and laughing - a lot; it’s stimulating the local economy; it’s saving money when you find something you need - or at least you think you need; it’s finding bargains – which justifies buying something you really don’t need; it’s the fine art of negotiating a lower price; it’s a...

Since I started writing this blog, I’ve heard several comments questioning my sanity. Why would I do such a thing with such a busy life? Why add the extra stress? Why? Why? Why? My initial response - that writing the blog is fun - didn’t seem to be an adequate response. So I starting thinking … why AM I doing this? The answer is simple: It’s in my blood. Why on earth would I think that? Well, there are many hints - some too big to ignore.

For many years, my mother, Shirley Olene, wrote a column in the Princeton Union Eagle titled Shirley’s Sampler. Once she retired, that column became Shirley’s Second Sampler which she wrote for the Senior Federation. She wrote on what ever came to mind - family history, the grandchildren, past times. She included stories and poems written by other relatives (another hint). Her writing was also evidenced during WWII, when she wrote a letter every day...