Tag Archives: Albert Lea Tribune

My Tribute To A Good Man!

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Something About Nothing by Julie Seedorf from The Albert Lea Tribune and Courier Sentinel week of May 5

“What will you give me to not take my foot off of this bat that just crawled out from under your desk?”bruce

I looked at my boss and said, “Yah, right.”

He glinted at me and laughed and said, “Yes, really.”

I walked around to the front of my desk and looked down at his foot. I screamed and jumped back. There was indeed a bat being held down by his foot.

Every person we meet throughout our life touches us in some way. That touch or influence may be so slight that we do not notice as they pass us by. Others that we meet have a longer and lasting effect on our journey through this life. This week I dedicate this column to someone whose influence changed the direction of my life.

The year was 1998. My daughter had graduated from high school, and I was an empty-nester. I was looking for a job but not knowing what kind of a job I was qualified for. I had been out of the job market for a few years and didn’t quite know where to start looking or what type of employment I should be looking for. I was adrift in a sea of doubt about my abilities.

One day my phone rang. It was a person offering me a job out of the blue. He was offering me an office job, and I would be doing secretarial work.

I remember the conversation: “You want me to work for you in your business? I haven’t worked in an office in 20 years.”

This person assured me I could do it, and because I like to play around with graphic programs on my computer and he knew this. He also assured me that I could do some troubleshooting with graphic programs with his computer business. He said to me, “You are an artist.”

Of course I didn’t believe him, and I didn’t understand how out of character a compliment was for him to give, but I decided to take the job and take a chance.

I started working part time, and it was a tough road learning all the new things I had to learn about business and keeping books on the computer. I started doing the advertising for the business. IT wasn’t always rosy and sometimes it was darn right rocky because I made many mistakes.

After about five or six years, the longest I had ever worked anywhere because I usually got bored, this person encouraged me to move up and become a computer technician. He mentored me, paid for my classes and believed I could do it when I didn’t believe I could. There were many up and down moments. I was moody; my boss was moody. I would ask for help, and he would tell me to figure it out myself. You can imagine how well I took those words. Fuming, I would press on and lo and behold I would get it done and learn something along the way.

A few years after working as a technician with his business he encouraged me to start my own business.

Of course, I balked. I didn’t think I could do it. Finally, after going back and forth debating with my boss for about a year, he told me it was time because he was closing his office. He sent out a letter to his clients encouraging them to back my business, and they did.

I moved my business to my home, and he downsized to a small office that he let me use for parts. He still mentored me; I still fixed some computers for him and still answered the phone for him.

A few months ago I had lunch with him to tell him I was closing my computer business to write full time. My first book was out, and it was time to get serious about writing. He had always encouraged my creative endeavors even when I doubted myself. He encouraged me to keep trying, and now he did the same, wishing me luck.

I would not have had my secretarial career, my computer career and my writing career without this man, my employer’s encouragement. He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.

I am one person whose life this man touched. Mine is one story in the midst of many more. His influence was felt the most by his family, his wife, his three children and his 14 grandchildren. He was like the pied piper because wherever he was with his grandchildren you would see them following him.

This man was a quiet man. He did what he needed to do and got things done. He didn’t like a lot of attention, and he would hate it that I am writing about him. Did I just see a bolt of lightning coming down near me from the heavens?

In my writing I always remind people to keep the child inside no matter how old they become, and this man certainly did that. He seemed to know what each and every grandchild wanted for Christmas and would grant their wishes. Those of us in the office always suspected he loved the toys as much as his grandchildren. This man worked hard but also knew how to play with the spirit of the child inside of him.

His influence was felt throughout the community and over many parts of the country. His computer knowledge was respected and valued by many people. Throughout his personal life and his business he made many friends, and I suspect he would have been surprised at all those who will miss his presence.

Living in a small community, everyone knows one another. We know where they always park their car. He always parked his truck in and about the same place. Those who knew him would know where to look when they came downtown except perhaps for the day when he was looking for his vehicle.

“Have you by chance seen my truck?”

“No, why?” I asked suspiciously.

“No reason.” He hedged, as I suspect he already knew the answer and didn’t want to admit it to us.

It turns out the truck had been stolen, never to be seen again, but the stories that came out of conversations about his truck are memorable, too. Every friend, customer and business colleagues he knew would probably have a story of some sort about their connection with him.

This man’s name is Bruce Lorenz. He owned MS Computer Services in Wells. He died peacefully on April 19, 2014, at the age of 68.

His family, his friends and his colleagues will still out of habit look for his gait as he walks down the street, check the parking stall where his truck was usually parked, have a question we want to ask him and smile when we remember the stories.

His memory will live on in all those he touched. His memory will live on in the faces of his children and grandchildren. He will be missed by more people than he ever would have guessed.

Rest in peace, Bruce, your legacy lives on.

Granny (Granny Skewers A Scoundrel) is Visiting the Boneyard.

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I heard from Granny today from the Fuchsia, Minnesota fame. She is going to be answering questions from her readers on May 1 at Boneyard Coffee and Tea. https://www.facebook.com/events/657668800968470

She says she is excgranny always saysited but there seem to be a lot of questions about her past. Readers are asking questions about  her former high school romances. I asked her how she was going to answer those difficult questions.

Here is what she said, “Those were the days when we weren’t supposed to kiss and tell. Now everyone kisses and tells everyone, they even take selfies while they are telling everyone. So why not. I kissed and didn’t tell for all of those years. It’s exciting that now I can tell about those kisses, of course my parents are dead and in those days the only people who talked about sex was the teenagers. Parents didn’t seem to know anything about sex. Maybe that’s why we had the no kiss and tell rule. We didn’t want to shock our parents when they didn’t know what kissing was. And……..I kissed some blurpers and some slurpers and some charmers in my time. But I didn’t tell, especially about the slurpers and the blurpers out of the kindness of my heart. I wonder if those slurpers and blurpers are still around. Wait until they find out I might tell on them now. But if you know them, don’t tell them, I want it to be a surprise when their name is now in the paper for the slurping and blurping. Perhaps they will look me up to and I can find out if they are still slurping and blurping with their kisses.

Whoops, I can’t do that. What would Franklin say? Stop by and visit with me on May 1. Check out the website for Boneyard Coffee and Tea or Latte’ Da in Champagne, Illinois. And I must tell you, Franklin is not a blurper or a slurper when it comes to kisses.”

See you soon,
Granny

It is always so interesting to have a conversation with Granny. Her conversations are all over the place. I guess I will have to join the conversation on May 1 to see what she has to say.

What is Written on That Bathroom Door?

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Something About Nothing by Julie Seedorf – published April 21, 2014 Albert Lea TribuneToilet Master

What happens when you take a country granny and put her in the middle of a big city? I don’t know about other grannies, but I know this granny had many laughs on a recent weekend visit to the Twin Cities.

I mention occasionally that those of us older folks who live in rural communities need to look for ways to expand our world. I feel if we don’t take the time to look beyond what we are comfortable with and familiar with, we might miss out on wonderful experiences.

However, I never thought of the tiny way the world is changing as being in the definition of those experiences. I feel I must highlight some of the changes that are taking place in larger communities. If we don’t take the time to learn those changes, we older folks might not be able to navigate society easily. They always say changes come to bigger communities before they appear in the rural area.

One of the things I have noticed happening even in some of our smaller communities, are changes taking place in the bathrooms of retail stores, gas stations, restaurants and schools. I would imagine the bathrooms in the new school that will be opening in the fall of 2014 in my community might have some of these features.

Many of us are used to flushing toilets. We push the lever, the toilet flushes. Imagine how scary it must be for some when the toilet ghost appears and flushes the toilet automatically as they are standing up, scaring them so much that the cellphone that people are always holding, even in the bathroom,  drops out of their hand, falls into the toilet and follows the toilet ghost down the drain. Make sure when you visit the big city and use the restroom always check to see if there is a lever or an eye. Secure your cellphone tightly.

Another confusing place for this old grandma is finding how to dry your hands after washing them. It takes a clever eye to decide if you should swipe, roll, pull or tap the paper dispenser. It is fun to watch the number of people who have this problem. It would make a great “Funniest Home Video” and definitely it would be worth the $10,000 prize.

While visiting the Cities I attended a dance competition in a city high school. Another Grandma and I visited the restroom at the same time. We were the same age, and we couldn’t help but reminisce about our high school days as we saw the ad on the back of a door in the high school bathroom.

When we were in school, teachers weren’t allowed to talk about sex; parents didn’t talk about sex. Sex was a subject only high-schoolers talked about to each other, since parents and teachers didn’t seem to know much about it.

It was shocking for us oldies to find an ad giving five tips to avoid STDs. If you other older folks don’t know what that is, look it up. The high school set evidently knows. It used to be an abbreviation for standard in the olden days. Five tips to be standard? We have come a long way in society or not.

My next dilemma happened at a restaurant. They had a new pop machine. Usually you put your cup under the right flavor of drink and push your cup in on the lever and your drink is dispensed.

This time there were icons such as you have on your tablet computer. I looked at it and didn’t see any icon for water. I asked my granddaughter and with a swipe of her hand she moved to the next menu and the water icon was there. So if you are looking for a drink, remember you might have to swipe instead of push.

My daughter-in-law had to go through the drive-thru of her bank. I am used to a drive through with one lane. There were six lanes at the drive-thru. I couldn’t see anywhere that was enclosed to hold a cashier that could push out the drawer.

We pulled up next to a small screen with a tube that went into the sky. It reminded me of “The Jetsons” cartoon. The money went in, someone talked, it flew up the shoot, flew back down the shoot and had a grape sucker in the tube. I thought that was a great exchange. They say there is a sucker born every minute.

The real reason I was in the Cities was for a grandmother/mother/daughter tea. It is always a fun time.

I donned my extra conservative dress, my only dress that fit, I might add.  Every year I am reminded there is a difference between how big-city grannies dress and rural grannies dress.

The big-city grannies had spiky high heels, and, yes, they were my age, short skirts, some tight-fitting skirts, some of the colors were flamboyant and most were today’s style. Many had long, flowing hair cut in a smart style, and they looked pretty darn good for someone who was my age. I might add that I love the way big-city grannies dress.

I always expect to experience something new when I go on a fun adventure to the Cities. I never thought the things that would make me smile would be toilets and how they flush, towel holders that need a quick eye to be able to wipe your hands, getting a drink becoming a learning experience, laughing because “The Jetsons” has come true and admiring the different fashions that are worn in different settings and communities.

I learned something from every experience. It might have been small but imagine what is out there for us, if we take the time to open our eyes and look beyond our back yard. It might be a world of wonder and joy.