Wait. The two facts are not related.
I'm not feeling entirely healthy. Maybe lack of sleep. Maybe too much running around lately. Maybe the sudden return of normal winter weather. Maybe things on my mind. But I'm feeling weary. Tired. A bit stressed. More than a bit.
And after living nearly all my life without sinus headaches, I've battled several recently. One was earlier today. All that pressure under my eyes and behind my nose. My eyes watering. I went home early from work, just to lie down and try to rest. I covered wrestling tonight, and that seemed to go OK. I'm feeling better now, but I'll be taking something before going to bed.
The trip to my aunt's funeral went well. I finished off the paper Sunday morning, and we left for Minnesota about 1:30. Around 4:30, as my wife dozed next to me, I saw a sight I love and only see very rarely where I live. A train. Hey, I like trains, and there are very few trains where I live--most of the tracks here were torn out years ago and turned into recreation trails.
This train was running parallel to the highway. I eventually outdistanced it, and my wife woke up a little later. The track was still nearby, and I suggested we pull over so she could see it. She said OK. The driver was due for a break, anyway.
We pulled off onto a side road about a hundred yards and waited. And waited. The train had to be coming here. I looked at the map. This was where the tracks go.
About 15 minutes later, as I was getting impatient, I heard a horn. Grabbed my camera and went out to document the big occasion. By now, it was about 10 minutes after sunset and getting dark quickly. So here we are ...
That's a CN locomotive pulling a long string of Wisconsin Central hopper cars. Wisconsin Central is owned by Canadian National.
On we went. Through Ladysmith, towards Minnesota, listening to the NFL playoff games. We knew snow was in the forecast, and just as we neared the bridge into Minnesota, we ran into light snow. About 15 miles further, we found a motel for the night. Very small room. Maybe I should have gotten a picture, but I didn't. Anyway, we were tired and soon were asleep.
About two or three inches of snow fell during the night. The guy at the motel brushed the snow off the car, which was nice of him, and we made our way south into the suburbs north of St. Paul. For breakfast, we stopped at a retro-looking McDonald's ...
Once upon a time, all McDonald's looked something like this. (I even worked at one while I was in high school.) This one, alas, had an ATM and DVD rental machine inside. Didn't see those while in high school. Also, napkins could only be found in one place, by the soda dispenser.
When we're on the road, we like to get a Sausage McMuffin for breakfast. For the rest of the day, we avoid McDonald's. The night before, we found an Arby's for supper just after crossing into Minnesota. We both love their roast beef.
Anyway, this McDonald's was near a shopping center, and they had a bubble-wrapped building under construction nearby ...
Of course, the bubbles keep the workers somewhat warm during winter, so they can do interior work. It was about 10F at the time.
From there, off to the funeral. No trouble finding the place--Irene had pointed it out to us before, so I knew where I had to go. From there, we visited the cemetery, located walking distance from Irene's house. And after that, we visited the house. So did some of the other cousins and their families.
Irene had sold the house some years earlier to the local school district, with the provision that she could spend the rest of her days there. It turned out to be over 10 years' worth of days. We all wanted a last look at it. It's a given that the place will be gone in six to nine months.
Here is the house ...
See that window on the upper floor? My mom and dad took my future wife and I on a trip to visit relatives during the winter before we got married. I slept on a cot in the attic, and she slept on a sofabed in the living room. But during the night, she climbed up the stairs to be with me.
They also had an odd-eyed cat, and we got a photo of her holding the cat. Sure wish I could get my hands on it now. Beautiful photo--shows the different color eyes perfectly. Ah, memories!
So I and the cousins walked around the house and saw ... cat prints in the snow. Of course, Irene's wild kitties. They tell me she had cut back to six cats towards the end. They were there but hid when the humans arrived. This looks towards the back door, where Irene would feed them every day. A sad picture ...
Worry not, however. A nephew of hers who lives nearby is feeding the cats now, so they aren't going hungry.
Both before and after the service we renewed acquaintances with my cousins, my mom's younger brother (who is now 86) and his wife. Three of the six cousins attended--two live far out of town, and one (living in Wisconsin) couldn't get off work on short notice. It was nice to see them all again.
We were also advised that Irene had left "some dimes and nickels" and that it would be split up 11 ways. Since Irene never had any children, each of the nieces and nephews (including me) gets a share. It's more than dimes and nickels, folks.
About 2 p.m., it was time to start the long drive home. One final stop for a photo. Of course: that bison ranch. This time, all the bison were in a pen ...
It was their ... (pause for dramatic effect) ... bisonpennial.
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