He rolled onto his side then reached his feet out from the covers as he pushed himself into a sitting position.
His temporary walker was in reach. He pulled it close. Placing one hand on either side of the walker, he slowly slid off the bed and stood up. Ken Records was thankful the bathroom was only a few steps away.
After his visit, he felt relieved that it wasn’t as difficult as he feared. He expected Rachel to arrive in 20 minutes, so he pointed the walker toward the kitchen.
A short time later, he heard a car stop. A minute later there was a knock on the door.
“Come in, Rachel. It’s open.”
“So it is. Good morning, Ken. How are you doing today?”
“I’m doing fine, thanks. I slept well and didn’t have trouble getting out of bed.”
“Good work. You’re going to put me out of work within a week. Are you ready for something to eat?”
“Yes, I would. But I’d like to make breakfast. Since you’re here, you can help if I need something and you can coach me through it. I’d like to get dressed first, how does that sound?”
“It sounds like you are feeling good and ambitious. I like it.”
---
Kathy Jones and Vicki James sat in the station break room with masks on trying to figure out what the station could do this fall.
The Committee on Inter-Scholastic Sports (CISS) decided earlier this week that there would be no high school sports this fall. That meant no volleyball or football games to broadcast. It also meant the station would miss a big chunk of revenue from ads it would get from the games and the pre and post-game shows at Gus & Tom’s.
“I thought the e-sports baseball tournament went really well, Kathy.” Vicki said, “Do you think we can get that going again when the Brewer season is over?”
“That’s an idea, Vicki. That was a success, but I have my doubts how sustainable it is. Our timing was perfect with that and the fact the Roseville team reached the championship really helped. Are you thinking about something like video football?”
“Well, no. I don’t think we can re-do the same thing. But what if we do something else? Maybe we can find an online game that could fit into a tournament format and run it through our website until there is semi-final and championship game?”
“It’s worth looking into; what do you know about online games?”
“Not much, Kathy. But what if I ask Dane Blaney to give us a hand. If he’s willing to help us find a game and come up with a format, I think we could put him in for a percentage of the revenue.”
“I like that, Vicki. I have a meeting coming up, could you call Dane and talk to him?”
“I’ll try to reach him today, Kath. See you later.”
----
Jean and Pete were sitting in Pete’s living room. At dinner they talked about where they wanted to live after the wedding but couldn’t come to an agreement.
“Pete, I understand what you’re saying, but I want to move into town. I’ve lived on the farm my entire adult life and I’m looking to downsize. You have a nice place and you have it the way you like it, so I figured you’d want me to move in here.”
Pete laughed softly, “OK, Jean. I get that. I’m happy here, but this place was where my wife and I lived for years and I didn’t think it's fair to make you move here. Strange as it sounds, I like the idea of getting out of town. Your place is so much bigger, I thought it would be less disruptive for me to move in with you.”
The two silently looked at each other.
“That makes sense, Pete. I was thinking it might be nice to sell or give the house to Jake and Emjay. They have a family now and I think they want to stay in Roseville. That’s a century farm and I want it to stay in the family at least one more generation. As far as your place, it’s nice that you want us to start fresh, but you don’t have to worry about me feeling weird about moving in here. We both loved our spouses and always will. I didn’t think I would find someone I loved as much, but I did. I don’t care where we live.”
Pete smiled as he leaned forward to kiss his fiancé. “I love you, too. We can figure this out. What do you want in our home?”
Jean looked at the ceiling. “Well, I want to be together but have space for ourselves. You need a place for your projects and that huge collection of pins and photos. I want a place I can read or do crossword puzzles when you are watching a third day of the college basketball tournament. I want a place where we can entertain guests. I don’t want a place that requires a lot of maintenance – I've raked enough leaves and cut enough grass. If it worked out, I’d be happy with a place where we could just lock the door and take a trip without having to worry about getting someone to watch the place while we’re gone.”
“I like those ideas. I really hadn’t thought about this too much, but it seems you read my mind. I’d like a den or something where I can put some of my things. It’s important for you to have that, too. It would be nice to be near the water. I don’t need to fish, but it’s nice reading on the deck when the sun is going down.
“Hmm, what if we both move out and move into our place?”
Jean smiled. “That sounds fun and a lot of work. Where do we start?”
“You said earlier you’d like to give or sell to Jake and Emjay, right?”
“I do, but there’s a lot of land with the farmhouse. I don’t know if they can afford it.”
“Sure, but you have the title free and clear, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can help them afford it. You’ll want to get some advice from your accountant and attorney, but I think you can gift a portion of it to them; set up a land contract; and set up a trust that erases their debt when you pass. You won’t get a chunk of money up front, but it creates a check for you every month. In the meantime, I can sell this place and we’ll figure out what else we need to buy something. There are some nice condo-style homes out on the river, could we start there?”
Pete didn’t hear the answer but figured Jean’s reaction indicated agreement.
---
Diane Jackson, her son Jack, and Tom Daniels were the last three still at the table after a marathon planning session for their Ironwood radio station.
The larger group worked their way through several ideas for the station and its online potential. There were 12 items on the list including an all-request FM station and dedicated streaming services for Iron County high schools.
After the trio talked over the ideas, they divided the list into three categories. Three ideas that jumped to the top of the list: fish and game daily podcast and on-air segment; all-request music on their FM station; and developing streaming services with the four Iron County high schools.
-----
“Ken, that was a wonderful breakfast. Well, maybe brunch is a better description since it’s after 10, but that was very nice. Crisp bacon, chocolate chip pancakes, juice, and coffee plus you managed to set the table, serve the food, then clean the table too. That’s great and a real-world therapy session. How are you feeling?”
“I feel good, but tired. But this afternoon I’ll need a nap.”
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