MARCH 8 2008

ELEVEN BELOW THIS MORNING... THE SNOW IS CRUNCHING WHEN YOU WALK. HAD TO LEAVE BY 7 AM TO GET TO A CONFERENCE AT UW RIVER FALLS. ONE OF THE BUILDINGS ON CAMPUS HAS A TITLE STONE "STATE NORMAL SCHOOL" IN THE 1890'S. DAD AND HIS SIBLINGS WENT TO A NORMAL SCHOOL IN NORTH DAKOTA I BELIEVE. I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT A NORMAL SCHOOL WAS. DID THEY HAVE ABNORMAL SCHOOLS?? MOTHER WAS IN A SKILLED CARE FACILITY FOR A WHILE. DOES THAT MEAN THAT THERE ARE UNSKILLED CARE FACILITIES?? OR ARE THEY JUST BRAGGING?

THE CONFERENCE WENT VERY WELL. CHRIS, OUR OLD FORESTER, WAS THERE TO GIVE A TALK. SAW PEOPLE I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT. ONE SUCH GENTLEMAN, JIM, GAVE A PRESENTATION ON WETLANDS. AFTER THE CONFERENCE I STOPPED TO TALK TO HIM, ASKED IF HE WORKED IN PEPIN COUNTY, HE SAID YES. WE TALKED A SHORT WHILE, AND EXCHANGED CARDS. HE STUDIED MY CARD FOR A MINUTE AND SAID I KNOW THAT NAME. OH OH! HE SAID I HAVE A THICK FILE ON YOU. HOLY COW WHAT COULD THIS BE? HE SAID YOU HAD A GET TOGETHER ON YOUR FARM LAST YEAR THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF, AND I COULDN'T MAKE IT. DAN HAD SENT ME ALL KINDS OF DATA AND INFORMATION WHICH I STILL HAVE ON FILE. LORD WHAT A SMALL WORLD. HE'LL BE OUT LATER THIS SPRING.

WENT SHOPPING AND CAME HOME