No wonder he's still alive

I was walking to church this morning and thinking about things that my dad taught me...especially his sayings. Here's a few:

• "What you eat in private shows up in public."
• "What a wicked web we weave when first we practice to conceive." (Apologies to Sir Walter Scott)
• "Once begun, half done."

But another had to do with fishing. "Your time spent fishing isn't taken away from your time on Earth."

That last saying has to be true...because dad is still here. He certainly spent years fishing...if you count them all up. Going fishing with dad was almost one big fishing story after another. He told about taking mom's brothers Wayne and Harold fishing. Another time he took his brother Edgar fishing and they caught so many fish they hid them in side panels of the door so they wouldn't get stopped by the game warden on the way home. 

Uncle Rich and Grandpa getting ready for fishing in Roundup

Another time he went fishing up by Checkerboard -- about 100 miles west of Roundup -- and he had to soak the wooden spokes on the wheels in linseed oil to keep them from cracking. 

One thing I knew about dad and fishing...the fish didn't stand a chance. When you are as lucky at fishing as him, it's probably not luck. He seemed to have a sense of where the fish were - whether it was a lake, a reservoir, a creek or the muddy Musselshell River. It also didn't seem to matter if he was ice fishing. He always was catching fish. 

But he just wasn't good at fishing. He was also an expert gardener, hunter and rock collector. If dad set his mind to it, he was good at it. He was pretty good at plumbing and fixing cars. 

I hated when he wanted me to be his helper. I lack the skills of being handy. I also wasn't very good at catching fish. I couldn't see well enough to be a hunter. I do like to garden...but that's about as close to learning some of dad's skills as I ever got. 

My brothers are pretty good fishermen, too. I'm not sure why I stunk at it. Maybe because I have no patience. I expect the fish to almost jump out of the water and into my creel. 

However, I do have a lot of fond memories of going fishing with mom and dad. When I was growing up, mom and dad both worked and both had Mondays and Tuesdays off. It seems to me that they would go to Billings one day and the other day they would go fishing. One of their favorite spots was a reservoir near Winnett. I wasn't much for fishing, but I liked to read books while my fishing hook was in the water. And I especially liked cooking hotdogs over a hot fire and eating pork and beans and potato chips. 

I remember that my oldest nephew and niece -- Dave and Karen -- used to come along. Karen would need a nap in the afternoon and Dave would be running up and down the bank throwing stuff into the water. However, he soon took to fishing and became pretty good at it. 

Mom was a pretty good fisherman, too. But again, she was a patient woman. I liked to cast and reel. But staring at a red and white bobber or waiting for my pole to bend over from a fish biting wasn't something that interested me much. Instead, I liked to read adventure novels. 

Still, these are all fond memories. They remind me of something dad wrote in an autograph book that has long been lost...."When the summer sun is setting and from cares your mind is free...and of others you are thinking, won't you sometimes think of me." 

Oh the way Glenn Miller played....

Do you remember the theme song to the TV comedy "All in the family?" Edith and Archie sat at a piano while she played some chords and their voices rang out with..."Oh, the way Glenn Miller played. Songs that made the Hit Parade. Geez, our old LaSalle ran great. Those were the days."

Well, I thought for something different, I would return to Belinda's diaries and see what the Van Dyke family was up to 25, 20, 15, 10 and five years ago...since those were the "Good Old Days." I've never been one to be superstitious, so the 13th is always just another day. The daily entries in Belinda's diaries are like a snapshot of our family life at different periods. For instance, 25 years ago, our boys weren't born. Twenty years ago, Derek was a toddler and Scott was a baby. 15 years ago, they were both in grade school. 10 years ago Scott was in 6th grade and Derek was in 8th grade. Five years ago, Scott was a high school junior and Derek was a freshmen in college. Also, another point of reference is that dad moved in with us in July of 2006.

These are taken straight from the diaries so I'll put any notes from me in parenthesis. Also, it appears that through the years, Belinda washed clothes on the 13th. When I got home today, she told me that she had washed two loads of clothes, washed windows and cleaned the bathroom.

March 13, 1987 (This is before kids as Derek was born in 1988 and Scott in 1990) - Friday the 13th. "After supper, we went to Grandma Frohlich's to play cards. Steve won most of the money. We got home about 10 p.m. and watched TV. Steve played guitar for a while. I washed three loads of clothes."

March 13, 1992 - Friday the 13th. "Steve worked until 6 p.m. We had lasagna for supper. Darcy (Belinda's youngest sister who was attending the University of Mary) was here for supper. Steve's mom called and said Willis had a lump removed from his neck and is doing fine. Scott went to bed at 8 p.m. After supper, Herbie and Darlene (Belinda's aunt and uncle) came to visit until about 9:30 p.m. Derek went to bed at 10 p.m. Then Darcy and I went to buy groceries for $81. Darcy left at 11:45 p.m."

March 13, 1997 - Thursday - "A windy and snowy day. High was 15 degrees with a minus 30 windchill in the afternoon. We woke up to about four inches of fluffy snow. It snowed a few more inches in the morning so I had to snowblow before I could drive up the driveway after working at the church in the morning. Steve ate lunch with Floyd and Sharron Waddingham. After lunch Allison (a little girl Belinda babysat) napped from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. I washed four loads of clothes. Steve blew the driveway when he got home from work. We had fish sticks and Rice-a-Roni for supper. After supper we played cards. The boys went to bed about 9 p.m. Steve and I proofread The Resource (the employee magazine at MDU). He also practiced his speech for the MDU Management Conference."

March 13, 2002 - Wednesday - "Steve made breakfast before he went to work. I took the kids to school. Steve and Scott were home for lunch. After lunch, I made spaghetti sauce for supper at church. I picked the kids up from school and we went to Wonderful Wednesday (an after school program at our church). We had three different kinds of spaghetti sauces and homemade Italian bread and gilletto with our spaghetti. Steve and the boys attended the youth group. I went to a freshmen registration meeting. When we got home, I studied with Derek for his history test. We went to bed at 10:30 p.m."

March 13, 2007 - Tuesday - "High 52. Steve and I walked this morning. Scott went to school at 7 a.m. Steve went to work at 7:30. I made sausage omelettes for breakfast. Julie, Jessica (Julie is Belinda's younger sister and Jessica is her oldest daughter) and I went shopping until 11:30. Derek was home and so was Willis. They met us at Paradiso for lunch. I did some work on the church bulletin and washed three loads of clothes in the afternoon. Willis napped. After Scott got home from school, we went to see an oral surgeon. It will cost $1,475 to have his wisdom teeth cut out. We will have pay about half as we have dental insurance. We had leftover roast, potatoes and carrots for supper. Steve went to Men's Club at the church. Steve, Willis and I played two games of Scrabble. Willis went to bed at 9 p.m. Steve at 10 p.m. and Scott and I at 11 p.m."