Advanced Physiology 494

Joesixpack says--I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

Maybe this was just serendipity, I don't know but I was riding my bike through a residual area toward the bike trail in Cedar Falls. There was a garage sale so I stopped. As I was looking around I could see and hear a mother and daughter talking with some Hispanic gals. The mother and daughter were running the garage sale. The Hispanic gals could not understand real well. They were treated so nice I thought (i.e. I said to myself, I bet that mother-daughter team are Christians—I can just tell usually). I looked around more and was at the book section. They had a large selection of books with a large number of Christian books. On top was the book Old Man River and Me by Mark Knudsen. I have a special spot in my heart for the Mississippi River as my Uncle Jim Mellema lived in Alma, WI and we went to visit him many times. Uncle Jim’s house was about 50 feet west of the towering bluff. It was the bluff, his house, about 12 feet of sidewalk, four lanes of highway, down about 30 feet to two railway tracks and then the lock and dam on the river. What a place to go as a boy. I watched many towboats and barges go through the lock. I would just dream about being a pilot of one of those barges. Uncle Jim would take me fishing by the wing dams and taught me about the river. He even was a commercial fisherman as a hobby so we would go out in the evening in his johnboat and set the lines and then return in the morning to retrieve the catfish. What fun for a boy. My parents would take my kid sister Doris and I to the ‘train in Willmar, MN and we would take it to St. Paul where we would transfer and get off in Alma about 200 yards from Uncle Jim’s house. I think we did this when I was maybe 12 or 13 and Doris was maybe 8 or 9 (i.e. parents wouldn’t do that today folks—our parents let us do a lot of stuff—gave us a lot of responsibility at a young age). Doris tells the story that in St. Paul RR Station she had to go to the bathroom and it cost a nickel. I told her to crawl under the door—she did! ANYWAY I went to pay the dollar for the book and said to the mother—you must be Christians. She said—we sure are, are you? I said yes and she said—that’s the only way to go. I said—I agree, that’s my opinion.

So I took the book home and put it next to my chair in the sun porch. Sunday night I picked it up and started reading it. I really liked it and finished it Monday night. It was a great read for me. It was about Mark Knudsen’s trip in his homemade open 18-foot johnboat made out of wood (i.e. painted yellow) using a 25 hp outboard from Minneapolis to the Delta by Pilotown, LA (i.e. 1,800 miles getting 3 miles per gallon). I enjoyed it immensely. Soooooooo Tuesday morning I looked up Mark’s # in white pages and called him as he lived in Des Moines. I asked if I could have lunch with him—sure so we met at Noah’s Ark in Des Moines at 12:30. What an experience I had. I immediately liked Mark (i.e. others do too as he said he could repeat his trip and never pay for any food or gas—his new friends would pay for it). He was very transparent and knew everything about everything. In his book he indicated that his knowledge served him well. He said—I find that I can talk myself into places, getting past barriers and breaking through red tape. And it’s not a con job. It’s just that I am honest, friendly, and sincerely curious and can talk to anybody because I’ve done just about everything they have done…In short, what I do is just what I happen to be doing when I wake up that morning. Mark is a brilliant person and very talented (i.e. he seems to be able to remember anything and everything and can do anything and everything). He says in his book—By trade, I’m a wood turner (i.e. he told me he is one of 5 who can do certain type of wood turning in the U.S.)…Woodturning is a thin shaving of who I am. I’ve been a golf course superintendent, a bus driver, an amateur radio builder and operator. I played banjo in dance bands, I built my own house, including wiring and plumbing; I built and managed a mobile home park; I feed cattle and pulled newborns out of calving cows; I’ve been a draftsman and an architectural photographer; I’ve studied ballet; I sewed dresses for my first wife; I made costumes for dance recitals I was in; I sketch; I paint and I’ve been told that I’m a pretty good cook. But I used to be a straight-edged businessman, a real mover and shaker, including serving as president and board member of the South Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. Folks this guy can do anything and everything. After his river adventure, he became a river towboat pilot at the age of 61 (i.e. that is very hard to do).

But he an adverturist! He took a motorcycle trip from Key West, Florida, to the Northwest Territories in Canada, to the Arctic Ocean at the mouth of the Mackenzie River. His next tip was a wide swing through the southwest and central sector of Australia. Mark told me he was born into an affluent family and his father wanted him to be like him—he did not. He wanted to file his head, not his bank account. He says—I fill my head with anything and everything. And that seems much more valuable to me. When his parents died he inherited much money and traveled it all away. He told me he has no money today and lives from hand to mouth. We have now talked about an hour and a half. His old fashion hot beef sandwich was half eaten and cold. He kept talking. He wanted to have wisdom and share that wisdom…he thinks he has spent about $300,000 learning that wisdom…people stereotype too many folks and really stereotype river rats; there are really some great folks on the river who really care for each other…So Mark what is the most interesting thing you learned in life—Never think you know it all and just listen to other folks…Mark who are you really?—I don’t know and I really don’t care anymore; I’m just me…I said to him—Mark you are abnormal and unique (i.e. not just a common ordinary person)…Mark, what’s your biggest challenge in life—Growing old gracefully. He said several times to me—Individual people are fine; it’s when you join them into a society is when you have problems with them…What I learn I want to pass it on to others….Communication is not what you say but how you say it…I like adventure both physical and mental; I like to discover new things and learn…Money means nothing to me—experience is what it’s all about and then share the experiences. It’s now been over 2 hours and he is taking his last bit of his old fashion hot beef sandwich which of course has been cold for about a hour and a half. He says, lets go to my house and talks some more.

When we get to his house he tells me—I’m a pack rat and I’m sloppy! I have more half done projects than anyone. Mark is very creative—I said, Mark I think you can do anything and you know everything (i.e. he admits that he can’t spell); What’s your IQ anyway—I have no idea and I really don’t care but creativity is something that can’t be taught. We walked over to the old yellow johnboat parked in the weeds much like it was when he pulled in out of the Mississippi just rotting away. We talked about it—it was very well built (i.e. even the Coast Guard said that he said)…He wanted to use a johnboat so he could feel things; he thinks that feeling things is very important in life. We go into the house and he introduces me to his third wife Waneta (i.e. her third marriage too). Waneta was as transparent as Mark with a big good heart—very easy to see. Mark said to me that Waneta was the first person who taught him to love as he was around much dysfunction life styles (i.e. they were married 7 years ago). Waneta said to Mark—That was a very nice compliment Mark. I asked Mark if he was a Christian—no, I’m a spiritualist. What’s a spiritualist? A Christian is scared about going to hell and a spiritualist has gone to hell and has returned. He said he studied religion in college, studied with priests, ministers, rabbis and has a Koran in the house—I know about religion; I use to go to church but got soooo frustrated that I'll never go back (i.e. maybe been around too many grumpy Christians--I really wonder if they are Christians if they are constantly grumpy--what do you think?).. Waneta went and got a poem she wrote for their wedding that was about God and Jesus (i.e. very Christian) and when I left she said some powerful Christian stuff). So when I was leaving at 5:15 I asked Mark for some wisdom—He said—Share, always share what you know; don’t have hooks in your love; be a living sermon; remember anything that is normal is not normal. I told Mark that he was a good man, a very talented man—I don’t think he even knows it folks. My Daddy, Chester, always told me, erv, be around folks who are great and don’t know it instead of being around folks who think they are great but really aren’t. Such is life.

Mark is very unique—he’s the only man that I know that has a slide rule in his shirt pocket! He is very opinionated and open with his opinion (i.e. the publisher said he had to remove some stuff as it was not politically correct). He wants to fix the world and probably has the knowledge to do it. But he can’t ‘cause it just ain’t going to happen. I told him that—we just have to do what we can as being good folks (i.e. where is the Roman Empire—where is Babylon). This idealism makes it very frustrating for Mark, others and myself. Yes it does. It can be very depressing when you really want to fix something and can’t. Mark told me that women seem to like his book better than men—why I asked—men like to hear about drunken scenes with wild parties are happening and there is a lot of sex in it. Women don’t care for that as much—you think so Mark? WellSuckamucka!

I mentioned this story to a few folks and the few folks I told said—now that is what a day of a retired guy should be. I was one lucky guy folks to have this opportunity. It just fell in my lap! Such is life.

Oh those stories!  When we took the Southern route through NE on our way to CO last spring, I picked up a paper in McCook, NE.  They were having a story telling festival.  One of the tellers was Tim Tingle form OK or TX.  I Goggled him and got his email and we communicated a little as to what this is all about.  He asked where I lived and told me about a story telling festival in Story City, IA which is this week end.  I went last night and heard professional tellers Tim Tingle, Pippa White from Lincoln, NE, Charlotte Blake Alston from Philadelphia, and Antonio Sacre from Los Angeles tell a story of about 20 minutes each.  I really enjoyed this opportunity and also of visiting with them.  They are very good.  Another opportunity that just feel in my lap.  Maybe this was just more screndipity, I don't know.  Such is life.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans.  (-:

erv

KR's thought of the day--Self-forgiving service is what opens the hearts of people.