Once Upon a Time in the Far Nort'land

Once upon a time in the far nort'land there was a little country church that had been around since the late 1800s. It had a membership of around 350 folks whose generations had attended since the beginning of time. Now over the last years membership had fallen off, so as a result so had involvement. And also as a result so had the giving (income).

In any organization there is always a certain nucleus of ladies who get all the lady things done that need to be done in a church. They're the ones that have the time and the desire and like doing those kinds of things. Usually it's the "older" ladies of the church because in this day and age the younger ones are still busy with their families and most of them hold down a second job. They're just not available during the day to do a lot of things.

Now also in this church there is Francine - who calls herself the office manager - and has been involved with this church in various capacities all of her life. Francine is a person who likes to be in control of everything, even if it doesn't or shouldn't concern her. She will do anything she has to in order to get the results that she wants including lying about facts and people. She's very skilled at manipulation and twisting things to make people believe what she has to say and to make herself look good and someone else look bad.

We have an organization at our church called "Ladies Aid" (LWML for the rest of you Lutherans.) Francine has been the president several times for several years per term. This last time she was in that position for 6 years. The bylaws tell us that you can only hold an office for a maximum of two terms but nobody had bothered to investigate that.

I was asked to finish out the treasurer's position for the term of a lady (Gene) who moved away, and then unfortunately (I say that now) I was elected to the position for another term. I knew that Francine and Gene were very good friends, but I didn't know just how good. Gene was Francine's "toadie" and would help Francine bull through anything that Francine wanted. Francine would have things all lined up and done, then tell Gene and another friend (Fern) that she had to have that particular issue voted through without any controversy, and it would happen. After I took over the position of treasurer Francine found out she couldn't run me like she had run Gene. That set the stage for trouble and she began "setting me up" to look bad, which she was very successful at.

I won't go into all the details, as there are just too many of them and I could write a book about what's happened over the last two years. But here's the story of the straw that broke the camel's back:

The Ladies Aid does various fund raisers throughout the year so that we have money to do different things for the church. One of the things we do is pay for the photocopy machine that Francine has in her office. It's got bells and whistles on that you wouldn't believe - far more copy machine than what our little church office needs. That was something that Francine bulled through with Gene and Fern. Anyway, the monthly bills come to the church office and onto Francine's desk where she proceeds to keep them until about the 12th of the month. Payment is due by the 15th, so by the time I get the bill there's no way I can write a check and it will get there in time. This has gone on for the last 10 months. When we were gone this summer that added even more chaos to the situation because we didn't come back until the bill was two weeks overdue. Even though the president of our Ladies Aid had the checkbook and has signature power, Francine didn't bother to ask her to pay the bill. She just stuck it in my mailbox and waited for me to come back. By that time the collection agency called me and got on my case and that's about the time I started investigating the leasing contract for this machine and came across a whole additional bunch of SHIT (there's no other word to describe it) that Francine has pulled for her own benefit and definitely not for the church's.

This all resulted in a meeting that consisted of TWO sales reps from this company, Francine, the president of the church council and myself. When I came home and told Ole about it he was aghast (he's a trustee of the church and on the budget committee.) He said I was double-teamed by the sales reps. At one point in time I shook my finger at the sales reps and said, "I know what you're doing. I'm married to a man that was a sales rep for 30+ years. He knows all those tricks but had too much integrity to use them. That's why he was successful and was able to retired at age 55. Nobody likes to be tricked!" Then they backed off a bit. I won't go into all the details of the contract that Francine signed two years ago, but anybody who would written a contract like that is a real crook.

Anyway, Francine had what's called buyer's remorse. She had purchased something (the contract) and was going to do everything in her power to make herself look good and not admit that she had made a huge mistake. The end result was that she questioned MY integrity in front of all these people and if I had responded we could have gotten into quite a verbal fist-a-cuffs. I wouldn't stoop that low. I was called a liar, irresponsible, etc., etc.

By the time I got home that day I was in tears and a wreck. This is the type of thing that everyone who tries to do something has to deal with - not to this degree, but maybe a different level. She will twist the words that people say to make herself look good and that person look bad. The end result is that I have resigned from my position as treasurer of "Ladies Aid," and also from being the webmaster of the church web site. I won't even go into all the wrong information that she has given me to post on the web page and then when it gets up there she'll tell me it's wrong, as will other folks who look at the web page.

There's been a lot of other stuff too, but I won't bore you with the details. The end result of all of this is that I wasn't feeling well and ended up in my doctor's office where he told me my blood pressure was 170/106. I have NEVER in all my life had BP problems, in fact the nurse has usually had to take it a couple of times because it runs so low normally. So the doc put me on medication, which makes me feel even worse than before I started taking it. My BP is lower, but I can't function otherwise - so this morning I didn't take it to see how I would feel throughout the day. Tomorrow I'm going to call him and tell him he needs to find something different for me. When I'm on this stuff (I think it's spelled liciniprol - I'm too lazy to look it up) I am so profoundly fatigued I can hardly lift my feet off the floor to walk. I feel like a zombie. I can't live like that.

So that's why I've been absent. My mind has been in a fog with church politics and ugly medication. Thanks to all of you who sent me an email wondering about me.

Love you all,

Lena

The Combine Harvester

Sorry I've been so absent lately - I haven't written and I haven't read much. Things have been a bit on the busy side and I've had a couple of rather negative issues to deal with lately. I'll leave it at that as there are those who read my blog that would love to get their little meathooks into anything negative that's going on in my life and splatter it and enhance it. Aren't people like that just lovely?

Anyway, a few things on a more positive note: Big Brother is coming to visit - arriving tomorrow to attend his 50th high school class reunion this coming weekend. He wasn't going to come because he didn't think he could manage driving that distance (he lives in New Mexico) due to the accident he had a couple of months ago. Just by chance one of his best HS friends called here actually to talk to Ole about some car stuff. Ole wasn't here, so I was busy taking down the information. He wanted/needed to have some work done on his classic car so that it would be ready for his upcoming 50th HS class reunion. Then he gave me his name and phone number and I recognized it immediately. I asked him if he remembered a guy by the name of Big Brother - silence on his end of the line. Then he said, "We've been looking for him. Nobody knows where he is living now. How do you know him?" Then I informed him that I was Big Brother's little sister and he even remembered me!! So we visited some more and when he hung up he tasked me with lighting a firecracker under Big Brother and get him to come for the reunion.

Well - I did just that. First I called the airlines and managed to find a REALLY good deal on airfare with a senior citizen discount. I didn't know the airlines gave those things. Then I called Big Brother and informed him that I had been tasked with getting him up here for his reunion, repeated a variety of things that his friend had said and then informed him who I had talked to. Silence on the other end of the line - then an outburst - "We were best friends!!" So we booked the ticket, there were emails flying back and forth between the two old buddies, and as a result Big Brother arrives Tuesday night for a week.

I know I won't see too much of him because he'll be busy with his reunion, but I'm so glad he's coming. I think it's so important - in another 10 years he may not be able to come due to health reasons. Who knows what the future will bring. So my philosophy is "Do it now while you still can." My joy will just be seeing him having fun.

It's been a busy, busy weekend. Ole and I thought/planned a low key weekend, not wanting to go anywhere or do anything. BUT - - things don't always go according to plan. Friday night we happened to run into some folks down at the Local Watering Hole where we had gone for their rib special (mmm, melt in your mouth.) So that night lasted a bit later than what we intended. Saturday was involved with a number of things in town and bringing home a new porch swing which Ole immediately started to put together. By evening we were swinging on the deck and this afternoon Ole took a nap in it with Daisy and Lucy right beside him.

Late on Saturday afternoon I got to ride in a combine that was harvesting grain. You'll see the video later on. That was pretty exciting - and it was being driven by a WOMAN!! Farmer Neighbor Dave's wife, Cindy, was manning that huge machine all by herself - loading all those big grain trucks and just in charge of that whole operation. Farmer Neighbor Dave also plays in a 50s and 60s band, so he had a gig that afternoon and left Wife in charge. And a darn good job she did too. So Ole and I both went over and kept her company for awhile as going round and round and back and forth in a grain field all day can get pretty boring.

Sunday was spent out at the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion. We know a number of people who are involved there, and ran into many that we hadn't seen for years. So you know how that goes. Yak, yak, yak. And Ole has such a gift of gab from being in sales for so many years that I don't think he ever stopped talking all day.

And today was spent on the Harley - it was such a beautiful day here, although a bit on the windy side. There was a strong enough cross wind that it blew one of my nostrils shut so I could only breath out of one, and when I started to talk to Ole, directly into his ear, the wind caught my mouth/cheek, blew it out so I looked like a one-sided pocket gopher and ripped the saliva right out of my mouth. Poor Ole thought I was trying to get sexy with him by licking his ear, but that just wasn't the case!! Oh, the things I go through to ride on the back of that bike!!

I have to do it now, even though it's causing me pain because in November I have a total hip replacement scheduled. I really should be doing it sooner, but Ole and I have one more trip we want to make this fall - to the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Smokey National Park. Ever heard of the Tail of the Dragon? Look it up - there are 318 curves in an 11 mile stretch of highway. And the fall colors should be gorgeous when we go. I'll just live on my 3 Advil 4 times a day and get through it. We've tried to take this trip for the last 3 years and every year something has come up. So even my hip isn't going to stop it this time if I have anything to say about it.

So we're pretty whipped puppies tonight - after spending that low-key weekend (chuckle.)

Here's the video about the combine harvester that I promised you!! Enjoy.

Love Lena

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