Friday, December 18, 2015 3:38 p.m.
Provo Utah
My Dear Noah;
I have enclosed a photo I took of my mother’s second, and last, house, on 18th Avenue S.E. in Minneapolis.
When she sold her house on 19th Avenue S.E. she moved into a Seniors apartment in Saint Anthony, a suburb of Saint Paul. But she missed tending her flowers and vegetables and feeling house-proud, so she bought this one in the photo.
She lived in it for about 2 years before her legs started to fail her and she had to move back into an apartment.
And here’s a strange thing about this house –
It was originally owned by the family of my arch enemy from high school, Scott Lovell. Scott was in the same grade as me but towered over me by about a foot. At a school picnic in 7th grade he said something to me, I no longer remember what, but it made me mad so I threw a cup of Kool aid into his face. He got up and started to choke me until I kneed him in the groin. After that we were deadly enemies for the rest of our time at Marshall-University High School. Whenever he would catch me alone in the hallway he’d punch me in the stomach, and whenever I would pass his house, and no one was looking, I’d have an egg handy to throw at the front door.
I have no idea whatever became of him.
This is also the house where I recuperated from an attack of Bell’s Palsy when I was the ringmaster with Carson & Barnes Circus back in 2004.
Bell’s Palsy is an infection of the nerves in the face; it causes the face to collapse and freeze into a grotesque leer. It also affects the vocal chords. I came down with it when the show was playing in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and after I went into the emergency room and the doctor told me what it was I went to see my mom and asked if I could stay with her until I recuperated. My voice had turned into a hoarse, raspy whisper, and my face was twisted into an ugly grimace. The doctor said it might take several months for me to get better.
This prognosis caused me a lot of worry, because I could no longer work as ringmaster with such a condition, and so didn’t have any money coming in.
But one night as I was saying my prayers, it came to me very clearly that I should seek out my old friend and former Bishop, Larry Gray, and ask him for a priesthood blessing. Your dad may remember Larry – he was our family’s Bishop in Minneapolis for a long, long time. He works as a math professor at the University of Minnesota.
Well, at the time of my prayer he was the Stake President, and I wasn’t sure he’d have time to see me. But I called him to ask for a blessing and he said sure thing. So I drove over to his house and he gave me a blessing that promised I would be fully recovered within a week and could go back to work.
And that’s exactly what happened!
A week later I drove onto the circus lot, went over to the owner’s trailer, knocked on the door, and told him I was ready to go back to work. In the mean time they had used a guy named Armando, a horse handler, to be ringmaster. He could have kicked up a ruckus and said he wouldn’t give up the job – but he was a kind-hearted guy and didn’t make any fuss when I asked for my old job back. God bless him!
While I stayed with my mom at this house (my dad had already passed away some years back) I set up a little workshop in the basement, with cardstock and paints, and created about a dozen surreal paintings, using all sorts of techniques I had learned when I was an art student at the University of Minnesota.
I sent these paintings to all of your aunts and uncles, and some to your dad who was on his mission at the time, but I doubt if any of them bothered to keep my paintings.
Maybe they weren’t any good – or maybe kids never save anything from their parents. I dunno.
Anyway – once I move into my apartment this coming Monday I plan on painting a lot more bright and crazy pictures to hang on my walls. And if you ever see one you like, all you have to do is ask for it and I’ll give it to you!
Yer pal,
tt
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