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FeaturesJanuary 1, 2022

Well, we made it another year despite all the sickness and disease here in America. Most of us have lost a friend or someone we know who caught COVID-19 and didn't make it, or someone who survived COVID but will carry scars forever. Many of us have had COVID or were a "probable." We've worn the masks and sanitized our hands. ...

Well, we made it another year despite all the sickness and disease here in America. Most of us have lost a friend or someone we know who caught COVID-19 and didn't make it, or someone who survived COVID but will carry scars forever. Many of us have had COVID or were a "probable." We've worn the masks and sanitized our hands. Some have tolerated the masks, and others have rebelled against them. Some got the shots, and some swore they never would. I don't have a clue what 2022 or the future holds. If I did, I'd buy lottery tickets.

We're going into the time of the year when we traditionally make resolutions to do or to not do whatever. We may want to turn over a new leaf. For many it's to lose weight and get in shape. Probably for some it's to quit a bad habit and replace it with a good one. For some it's to simply go on living in spite of COVID. I think for some it's to go back to church and to worship. The fear of COVID has in many instances kept us from church.

I wonder what the settlers did in the early 1900s when the New Year rolled around? I'm pretty sure they didn't look for a gym to work out. Folks back then were getting all the exercise they wanted between milking the cows and gardening and haying and gathering cow chips or cutting fire wood and daily tasks. Walking was about the only way to get around. Grandpa Piihl homesteaded on a section of ground north of Arthur, Nebraska, and the house was at the foot of a huge hill. I'll bet that hill was 400 feet tall or more. The only way to check the cows on the other side of the hill was to climb it. When night rolled around, they probably ate supper and went to bed.

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Growing up, I can't remember really celebrating the first of the year. We probably watched TV until the news and weather was over, and then it was to bed. One thing Marge and I did in Nebraska was go ice fishing. By the first of January, there was usually 8 to 10 inches of ice. This doesn't sound like much to those in Michigan, but when you are cutting holes, it's plenty. We used to drive right out on the ice. I remember going ice fishing with Marge and Mick on Jan. 1, 1974. At that time, we had a Maverick Grabber, and Marge was due the first part of March with Vic. We had a blast. There was probably 5 or 6 inches of snow. We never got stuck which was a wonder.

Since moving to Missouri, we have spent some firsts hunting deer over close to Bolivar, Missouri. One of my passions is to hunt with a muzzleloader. As a family we'd pack up and stay in an old abandoned farm house over there. There was a wood stove, which put off a little heat. I'd also take along a couple kerosene heaters, which helped. There was one winter we went hunting, and I can remember seeing my breath inside the old house with all the heaters running. I remember one morning going hunting with 5 or 6 inches of snow and a 4- or 5-below-zero temp. I usually ended up with a deer or two.

As we have gotten older we don't whoop and holler and celebrate like we used to. It's been several years since I made the trek to Bolivar to hunt. Marge and I usually talk about staying up until after midnight, but when 9 or 10 p.m. rolls around, I'm napping or darn close. So normally we just go to bed and maybe we'll wake up around midnight to make a restroom run.

I have thought about poking my head out our front door and cutting loose with some blackpowder fireworks. I've thought about it but haven't done it. I could almost guarantee some of my kinfolk back in the day sent some buckshot heavenward or maybe a .30-.30 or a .45 or whatever they had.

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