21 years of Scott

It's hard to believe it was 21 years ago when Scott Willis arrived at the MedCenter One Hospital in Bismarck. Seems like yesterday I was holding a little baby in my arms.

It was a hot Monday, high 91, back on July 16, 1990. I drove Belinda to MedCenter One in the middle of the night. Belinda's sister Darcy was at our house attending a basketball camp with her friend Cheri so we left our 23-month-old toddler Derek with the girls. At 9:15 a.m. we had a precious baby boy. He weighed 9 pounds and one ounce and was 22 inches long.

Somehow, I thought our second child would be a girl so we had picked out Shelby for a girl's name (after the town in Montana on the Highline), but instead we were blessed with a bouncing baby boy. Among the visitors the first day were Darcy, Cheri, Derek and Belinda's brother Miles and his wife Bernie. Scott's Godparents would be Bernie Doll and his uncle Steve Scheitlin.

Scott had light blond hair 

One of the things about being born in July -- as his mom and dad can attest -- is it's often hot. On his first birthday, the temperature reached the triple digits. I videoed Scott when he woke up and he wasn't a happy camper. Miles and Bernie came over in the evening for cake and ice cream and to watch Derek open Scott's presents.

It was cool on his second birthday. High 68. His Aunt Julie and Aunt Amy were in Mandan. We celebrated his birthday at noon when Miles came for lunch. We had homemade spaghetti and breadsticks. Scott got to open his own presents this year, which included a Tonka truck from his parents.

His third birthday was on a Friday -- a hot and muggy day. I made breakfast and then took both boys to get a hair cut. Uncle Miles was preoccupied today as he had water in his basement. Scott got a guitar, train and helicopter toy from us. Other presents included a Cootie game, a gun and other trucks.

July 16, 1994, was Scott's fourth birthday. He got a sizzling, smoking BBQ grill from his parents and he was grilling all day. He also got a camera that he took pictures with all day. Power Rangers was the fad so he got a Power Rangers shirt and video. He had a "Cookie Monster" cake that we took up to Great-grandma Frohlich's.

In 1995, we stopped in Glendive for Scott's birthday party on a toasty Sunday with Grandma and Grandpa Doll before leaving later in the day for Roundup. We were heading to the cabins by Martinsdale on Monday. This was the year at the cabins that Scott and I turned over in the inner tube, which was caught on video by Uncle Rich. As for presents, this was another "Power Ranger" year. Aunt Amy made him a Power Ranger birthday cake.

On his sixth birthday, Scott was in Mandan playing tee-ball in the morning and went to the amusement park at Sertoma Park in the afternoon. We ate at McDonald's for dinner, then we had his birthday party outside with Miles and Bernie along with Allison and Shirley Haider. The "Toy Story" movie had now taken over from the "Power Rangers" and Scott got a Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday.

On his seventh birthday, Scott and Derek were at Grandma and Grandpa Doll's because we had just returned from Hawaii. We got up early and drove to Glendive. Aunt Amy made Scott a "Rugrat" cake. He had lots of cousins visiting him for his birthday party.

In 1998, Scott was back in Mandan playing baseball. Matthew Markel, Kyle Jefferson and Allison Haider came for his birthday. They went to the amusement park and then came home to eat birthday cake and ice cream. We gave him a Michael Jordan basketball and a big bag of Skittles.

When he turned nine, Scott and his friends went to Snooper's, an indoor amusement complex in Bismarck. That year his presents revolved around baseball and the New York Mets. On his 10th birthday, he repeated the trip to Snooper's. His sports enthusiasm had now turned to golf as he got a golf glove for his birthday, among other presents.

On his 11th birthday, he got a pull cart for golf from us and baseball batting gloves. We grilled filet mignon for Scott's birthday.

Scott and his turtle cake

When he turned 13, the temperature was 115...but we were also in Phoenix visiting the Stegmeiers. Needless to say, we all went swimming in the pool behind their house. While visiting in Arizona, we toured the Grand Canyon. The major memory of Phoenix was the heat and how the candles melted without being lit. We also heard that a number of windshields popped and broke from the intense heat.

On his 14th birthday, the high was 90. The boys got up early and left for Williston on a bus with their Babe Ruth baseball team. We drove up later in the day. Scott got to pitch during the tournament. He didn't want a cake back at the hotel. The next day -- which was my birthday -- we celebrated both of our birthdays with fried chicken and cake at a park with my nephew David and his wife Cathy from Plentywood.

High 107 on his 15th birthday. Belinda was in the Black Hills so we were on our own in Mandan. Scott and I ate at Red Lobster. Derek was at play practice. Lindsay Feigitsch, a friend from school and church, took Scott to the Bewitched movie. Cheryl Horner brought a Treatsa-Pizza from Dairy Queen.

It was a Sunday when Scott turned 16. We put money toward his car stereo system. I made him a chocolate birthday cake and we ate at Paradiso. After supper we moved the computer from downstairs to upstairs as Grandpa would soon be moving from Roundup to Mandan to live with us.

A true-blue Red Sox Rooter

On his 17th birthday, Scott got a Red Sox T-shirt from us and another from Derek. He got a Turtle Cake for his birthday cake and ate at Paradiso with his friends. We ate at Red Lobster for dinner. Scott ate two pounds of crab for supper.

A warm, humid day for his 18th birthday. Scott got all kinds of after shave, cologne and deodorant from us...along with golf balls. Derek, Scott, Uncle Todd and I went golfing.

On his 19th birthday, Scott got pants and a gift certificate to Scheels from us. He was working as a baseball coach during the summer. He went to Paradiso with his friends for lunch. We were getting ready to head to Montana for a family reunion in the afternoon. We left for Medora and met Grandma and Grandpa Doll. We ate at the pitchfork fondue and attended the musical.

Last year when Scott turned 20, he was in Guatemala. So we wished him "happy birthday" on Facebook and told him we would eat at Red Lobster when he got back.

So that brings us up to his 21st birthday. We already know that it will be hot and humid. On July 15th, his family will be taking him to Red Lobster for dinner and then birthday cake with family and friends afterwards. Then on the 16th, he's eating at Paradiso with friends before leaving for Medora to eat at the pitchfork fondue and see the musical in the evening.

Here's to a great first 21 years.

Love,
Dad

Random thoughts

I've been walking a lot lately, which gives me time to think about the most capricious things. Here's a sampling.

• In the olden days, vehicles were named for fast animals such as the Impala and the Mustang. So what's up with pickups like the Dakota and Tundra. Especially, Tundra. That's the frozen ground up in Alaska...sort of a wasteland of frozen ground. Why would you name a pickup after a wasteland of frozen ground? I'm not inspired by Tundra. 
• We used to see a lot more people walking at 6 a.m. Where are these people? Did they die from too much exercise? Did they move? We didn't see anybody today. Yesterday, we saw a guy in a pickup who stopped to chat with us.
• I was thinking about the guy who owned the newspaper in Baker back in the early 1980s when I was walking today. I was wondering if he was still alive. He sold his paper more than 20 years ago and bought another one in the Black Hills, but he didn't own it very long. One of the wisest things he ever said to me was this: "You lie to your friends, and I'll lie to mine...but let's not lie to each other." 
• There are a lot of sump pumps working 24-hours a day in the homes on the east side of Mandan. The water can't be put in a drain because it would overload the sewer system so it has to be released outside. Some of the homes have water that seems to stretch from the curbside back to the river...about a mile away. The only people making any profit on this are those selling the pumps and the utilities selling the electricity. Also, what would happen to the homes if the electricity went out?
• Why is it calm early in the morning, but as soon as the sun gets above the horizon the wind starts to blow?  Some would think it is the sun's heat that creates the wind...but I have a different theory. I think the wind is a big chicken and only likes to come out when the sun is shining. 
• Sometimes we see special needs children when we're walking. I can't help but thank God that my children are normal. But I also think about the children and the parents of these children. What would it be like to be them? Is there something I can do to make their lives better? I'm so thankful for people who have devoted their lives and careers to helping others. 
• Every once in a while, I get a song in my head and can't get it out. This makes me wonder why some songs are so memorable. Last night I heard the song, "Putting on the Ritz." I love that song. The composer was Irving Berlin, who wrote a lot of American classics. Wouldn't the world be a duller place if Irving Berlin and other song writers had been born a thousand years ago and there music had never been written down? And what was music like a thousand years ago? Have we missed some of the earlier songs because they weren't recorded?
• We walk along the Interstate Highway, which is across from a cemetery. I'm always curious about the people buried in the cemetery. Both sets of Belinda's grandparents are buried there. I only knew her maternal grandmother. I wonder what the other three were like? Both of her grandpas were farmers and all of her grandparents were German. I'm sure they liked polkas and waltzes. What else would they like? Maybe German potato salad and bratwursts. 
• I think about my children and wonder if they will have the same economic opportunities that I had. The economy and the national debt worry me. I'm thankful that my parents enjoyed Social Security and Medicare in their golden years, but I wonder if it will be around for me or my children when they retire. Seems to me the country is over-extended and anything that is paid for by borrowing from the Chinese should come to an end...even entitlements. Maybe we need the slogan "Cash is King" to be our country's mantra. 

With that, the walk has come to an end. Our house looms in front of us again. Yes, Belinda, it's been a pretty good walk. Let's do it again tomorrow.