Notebook
February 7th, 2020 by Gary Osberg

I celebrated my tenth birthday on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. My mother along and with her four children were returning from a stint as US Army dependents stationed in Vienna, Austria. My Dad was held over in Vienna and when he arrived in Upsala a few weeks later, Ma along with my brother Brian age 2, were in New Ulm visiting her cousin Helen. Dad borrowed a brand new 1954 Chevy from Uncle Duke who owned Hagstrom Chevrolet in Upsala and my brother Bill and I rode with him to New Ulm.

I was napping in the back seat and I woke up when our car was broadsided by a dump truck. I had a broken leg. I still can remember the pain when they were putting me on the X-Ray table at the hospital in Cokato. The cast was from my toes to my crotch. I was in the hospital for a few weeks and when it came time to transport me back to Upsala, Dad took me to Uncle Elmer’s. Uncle Elmer and his wife Ethyl owned the Dokken Funeral Home in Cokato. I had to spend the night on a cot on the main floor of the funeral home. There were coffins in the next room.

The next day they hauled me to Upsala in a black Studebaker hearse. That explains a lot, huh!  I was placed on a cot in the dining room.  I gained 30 pounds due to Gram’s over feeding and no activity.

Live from Here this week is a live show from the Town Hall in New York City.  Guests include Andrew Bird, Bedouine, Sarah Jarosz, Jia Tolentino and Tom Papa.  Enjoy the show on your radio, smartphone or computer.

Tomorrow night there is a very special event at the St. Cloud Country Club.  The St. Cloud Symphony is hosting their fundraiser, Duets!   There are still tickets available.  Simply go to www.stcloudsymphony.com

“Any idiot can face a crisis; it is the day-to-day living that wears you out”.  Chekov

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