The Larson Family

In my previous blog, Justice Delayed I explained how my Uncle Jim ended up in prison after a drunken fight in a hotel room, and how he was left incarcerated for about fifteen years longer than he should have been. But the story of how he was released is a story in and of itself.

When the state of Michigan passed a “Life Means Life” law in 1992, they decided to apply the law retroactively to all currently incarcerated lifers, whether they had been given a parolable life sentence or not. That meant my Uncle Jim, who could have expected to be released somewhere around 1992, suddenly found himself the recipient of a very long sentence extension.

A group of law students from a nearby university took exception with the idea that a prisoner’s sentence could be extended with the stroke of pen, disregarding the recommendation of the judge and jury who originally tried the case. So, legal challenges were filed, and after many years, the courts finally ruled in favor of the inmates. You can pass a “Life Means Life” law, but you cannot apply it retroactively to prisoners who have already been convicted by a jury and sentenced by a judge.

It was that ruling which finally sprang my uncle from prison just two days ago.

My Uncle’s plan upon his release was to come back to North Dakota and live with his Mom, my Grandmother, in Minot. So my Mom and her other brother John met up in New Haven, Michigan, picked up my Uncle Jim as he was let out of prison after thirty-two years, and began the long drive back to North Dakota. This roadtrip was the first time these three siblings have been together since they were just little kids.

On the way to Minot, they were gracious enough to stop here in Fargo, and I got to meet my Uncle Jim for the first time since I was in diapers. The picture above, left to right, is Uncle John, my Mom, me, and Uncle Jim. I made a big, home-cooked meal of Dakota Baby-Back ribs with homemade baked beans and we had a great time with the family. Jim and John got to know my wife and son, and I got so see my Mom for the first time in two years (she lives in Texas). We stayed up talking ’til late in the night.

Unfortunately, the visit was far too short. We went out for breakfast this morning, and then they had to get back on the road to Minot. They left a few minutes ago and they’ll arrive in Minot this afternoon. Jim will get to reunite with his Mom, and then it’s down to business. He’ll have to check in with his parole officer (he has forty-eight hours from the time he enters North Dakota to check in) and then get to work on settling in at my Grandma’s house and finding work. He has a potential employment opportunity already set up, and things seem to be going good on that front. He has been a physically active man while in prison, so his health is good for a man of sixty-seven, and that’s a blessing considering most men his age would be retiring.

We hope to travel to Minot in the next month or so for a visit.

The geese migrating over our house in the fall of 2009. A little honking musical tribute as they go over is always welcome.

Tim Mahoney onstage at the House of Rock in Fargo. Call me shallow and mainstream, but my favorite Tim Mahoney song is still “Theme Song.” Photo taken a couple years ago on God knows what kind of camera.

Here’s a photo I took back in 2003. I took a trip to South Dakota with my daughters and we saw this adolescent buffalo standing right on the side of the highway near Crazy Horse monument. I pulled to the side of the road and snapped a picture right out the window of the car. Photo was taken with a Kodak disposable camera.

This photo was taken on the corner of 14th Avenue North and 10th St in Fargo. It’s a time lapse with a Kodak Easyshare ten megapixel camera, the moon rising over our neighbor’s house, the taillights of passing cars creating streaks of orange and amber.

Enjoy.

We went to Island Park to take our Christmas Card photo today. November 14th, and no snow on the ground. Maybe my memory is deceiving me, but I don’t recall many winters as a kid where we didn’t have snow on the ground halfway through November. Not that I’m complaining… it is a beautiful day.

For any family members who might want a printable copy of this photo (this means you, Mom), just right-click it and save it. It’s hi-res and printable quality, sized to 4 X 6. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. — Troy

Yesterday was zero day for Gizmo. Neutering time. The vet I spoke of in my previous blog–This Kitty’s Gone Nuts–works out of his home, and I was pretty suspicious to be honest. He lives here in North Fargo, and offered to come by the house and pick Gizmo up for a ten dollar fee. Things being tight and all, I thought I’d drop him off and save the ten bucks. But no matter what I said, this vet insisted on coming to pick him up. He even knocked off the ten bucks, and still came to pick him up. Makes me wonder if this guy didn’t want me to see where he lives for some reason.

Yesterday afternoon the vet shows up, writes me a receipt and proof of vaccination slip, and leaves with Gizmo. As he was leaving, he said he might bring Gizmo back in a few hours, depending on how he’s recovering. Well, he called me last night to tell me a few things. First, Gizmo peed all over inside his kennel after his ‘procedure’ and then rolled around in it. So he was kinda stinky. At about ten o’clock, he called again to say Gizmo was still pretty groggy from the sedative and could barely walk, so the Vet was gonna keep him overnight. He said he’d bring him back at eight-thirty in the morning.

So, seven-thirty rolls around and the doorbell rings. I vaulted out of bed, threw some clothes on and answered the door to find the Vet standing there with Gizmo in his pet carrier. He looked terrible. The Vet said he had a hard time giving Gizmo the antibiotic tablets, so he just gave him a shot instead. He then requested I return the handful of antibiotic pills he gave me yesterday since the shot would supposedly handle the chance of infection. We shook hands and he left.

I crouched down and opened the pet carrier and Gizmo wouldn’t even come out. Poor kitty was so groggy he could barely walk. I picked him up lifted him out, and that was when I realized it looked my kitty had gone through Vietnam. He must have been rubbing his face on the cage all night, trying to get out, because he rubbed a bare spot on his nose. I set him down on the floor and he wobbled his way into the dining room, hid under a futon for a bit, and then staggered his way downstairs, all the while walking with his hind legs a foot apart. He looked like a cowboy that just got off a horse after a three month cattle drive.

I haven’t even gotten a chance to check out his stitches yet, because he’s so fragile, I don’t dare mess with him. Hope everything is OK with him… he’s spent most of the day hiding in the basement. — Troy

Last year on December 1st, I looked out the window and didn’t see any snow on the ground. I remember telling my wife I was going to make a video… a time lapse of sorts, highlighting the fact that we didn’t have any snow in Fargo in December. A theory on climate change if you will.

Well the next day, it started snowing. And it didn’t stop snowing. In fact, we had the snowiest December on record last year. Ever. It didn’t change my mind about climate change, since climate change causes all kinds of weird weather, cold, warm, wet, and dry. But it did teach me a thing or two about making assumptions.

So I won’t be making any predictions about winter this year. But I do want to mention, yesterday was November 1st and there was no snow on the ground in Fargo. Here’s a picture I took near the greenhouse at NDSU.