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In October of 1956, Ma was 36 years old. Two months earlier she had given birth to her sixth child, a boy.  Our family of eight lived in a small house at 1620 Colorado Avenue in St. Louis Park.  Dad had just smashed up his third car in as many years.  Ma’s mother, Grandma Ramlo, drove her 1952 Chevy to St. Louis Park from Upsala, placed Dad in the backseat and drove him to the Chemical Dependency department at the VA Hospital in Minneapolis.  She said, “He is a veteran, he is a drunk and he is your problem now.” Then she packed us all up and moved us into the apartment above the Ramlo Grocery in Upsala, Minnesota. 

The one bright spot for me was that I would not have to serve the 20 hours of detention that I had racked up in eighth grade at St. Louis Park Junior High.  I had two paper routes in St. Louis Park, so I was able to buy a brand new Schwinn complete with a tank, a horn and mud flaps.  The first day of school I rode my shiny red and white bike to school.  When I got out, the tires were flat.  That evening I stripped the fenders and all other fancy stuff off of the bike.  The kids left my bike alone after that.  

Next Friday is Homecoming at Upsala High. I plan to be there in my shiny red and white lettermen’s jacket. 

Also next Friday, October 14th , Great River Arts, in Little Falls, will host the annual Charles Gilbert Kapsner Salon, Collaborations V, with an opening reception from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. This year marks the 12th year of the Salon, given the pandemic prevented in-person Salons for the past two years. The opening reception and gala will feature a wine sampling by Coborn’s Liquor and lively music by the Pierz Jazz Band, under the direction of Joel Pohland. This event is free and open to the public.  

On Saturday night, October 15^th,  you can enjoy Tonic Sol-Fa at the Paramount Center for the Arts.  I have a couple of tickets that I can mail to the first person to respond to this email.

 “If you are going to expect, you have to inspect”  Grandma Ramlo