International Falls Journal - A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Dying - Comments

(Susie) Anton, I hope life

Susie Lehto — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:52:07 -0500

(Susie)

Anton, I hope life is treating you well. I updated a Veterans of War site with some information about your friend Bill DeBoer. It has a link to this blog of yours also. I hope it helps for it to get found.

Well, I see Bob found you through a link, and that's great.

Veterans of War: http://www.squidoo.com/veterans-of-war

Thank you Anton!

Susie

Tony it's been a long time.

Bob 47 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:47:21 -0500

Tony it's been a long time. I don't even know if you remember me.
My name is Bob Cook and I lived at Ray. I was good friends with Bill Deboer. I would have graduated with our class but I quit after 10th grade.
I read several of your articles in the paper over the past several years. You write better now than you did when we were in school. I'm glad your still up there and keeping things straight.
I saw your post with tipi gal and saw her site, very good. She wants to do a tribute, to a friend of our. She may need some help getting a couple of article from the paper. Help her if she needs it please.
I was back up there last summer and plan on getting up there again this summer, will look you up if I do.
Thanks
Bob

Anton65: Thanks for your

klloyd — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:31:59 -0500

Anton65: Thanks for your service to our great country! Vets don't get enough recognition for the sacrifices they made for America.
I like the bumper sticker that read "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a Veteran".

Hand Salute!

One nation under God

Thanks very much for

Anton1965 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:36:14 -0500

Thanks very much for directing me to your site. I thought it was very, very well done and I will visit it more often now that I know it is there. I remember "your" rock hill well as I often visited it for blueberries and still do, although it has grown somewhat since we were younger. I hope you and your family do come back to the area someday. I have returned, although not on a permanent basis yet. I am in the area about every month and spend most of the summer up there. Again thanks for your efforts, as I am sure your site is being very benificial to the home we both love. Happy St. Patricks day but most of all "Happy St. Urho's Day". Anton

Anton, my sister Shelly and

Susie Lehto — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:44:23 -0500

Anton, my sister Shelly and I have read and enjoyed your blog. A link to it is posted on my Kabetogama Lake a Wilderness lens. I thought that was really funny about your Mom biting your pet, I've imagined it and just smile and shake my head.

You are a few years older than me, so I really never got to know you as you left the area. I honor our Troops and Veterans and am working on some web pages to do just that. You will have a link on them too.

Thank you for writing this personal, entertaining, and informative article. Please, feel free to visit http://www.squidoo.com/kabetogama You can email me anytime.

My best regards to you and the family!
Susie

It is the circle of life

Doorsman 54 — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:32:07 -0600

It is the circle of life baby. When we eat, then we eat what they ate and someday something will benifit from us, by eating us or at the very least, becoming top soil. Eating that burbot would remind me too much of Solent Green(not sure if that is the right spelling, it could be the movie or the Isle of Wright channel).I use to be an ok fisherperson, too much golf, but I plan on working on my fishing game this year. And my wife is using me for cribbage fodder a couple times a week. By the way, you can get about $300 if you donate your physical existence to the UofM medical school. I'll stop before it gets too late. Good story 65, one day we all should give a brief snyopsis of ourselves, it makes great reading. Chopper

I asked the University if

Anton1965 — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:20:29 -0600

I asked the University if they wanted my body, they said my grade was to low. Am not sure if that meant 4.0 was to low or my grade did not meet USDA approval as I thought I was grade A with some marbling. Most of the marbling is occuring in the abdominal area and I did not think that should be a problem. In any case, I have had an interesting life and rarther unique one at that, I think. One of my dear friends has suggested, in a response above, that she just tie one of my wurlitzers to my leg and drop me into the middle of the lake. That would be fine for me except some day a burbot would come by and eat what was left and then poor old Doorsmen54 would catch the fool thing and eat me up and who knows what might happen then. He would start playing cribbage better and finally start learning how to catch fish in Rainy! LOL! Figured you would like the last of the last sentence and did have thoughts for a response but we would both be on the same side of the coin I am sure. Thanks and have a good week.

Liked your story, made me

concernedperson — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:12:11 -0600

Liked your story, made me nostalgic and jealous all at the same time! Thank you for your service in Nam' and welcome back. My plan to beat the high cost of the mortuary is to give my body to a university. Hope they'll accept it. LOL.

Sure you can come back rog.

Anton1965 — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:29:04 -0600

Sure you can come back rog. whomever told you you can't was wrong. Especially now that your also kinda retired. Nothing much changed, except now we have our own private park in the back yard. Housing and cost to live is cheaper then the deep south "red" state you now live in and folks up here are still kinda "tight" to support you. Outsiders don't understand the caustic comments made to each other but everybody here understands the "lingo. Besides, dieing in a bed of "Kudzo" doesn't appeal to me. I might increase my private tutoring I do, as I like teaching.

Anton65, Good article!!!!

roj2000 — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:00:08 -0600

Anton65,

Good article!!!! Maybe since you have been given the "pink slip", you should contact Garrison Keillor. Maybe he needs an assistant on the Prairie Home Companion Show. I sure liked your subtle reference to the "JOKE" called VNP. You also are "spot on" regarding the demarcation line in life, when a person is no longer "younger" than the President. As for the "very possible" loss of your teaching job, have you thought of getting out of the "Government/Public" School systems, and trying the Private School sector?? Most of our Government schools don't give a hoot about teaching our Children today. It's just 12 years of "day care". I've always believed in Private schooling and will continue to do so until the "Guvment" learns how to educate and discipline, ONCE AGAIN!!!! Someone with your intelligence and unique style of making learning "fun" is exactly what the "private" schools look for. You are very lucky to have so many fond memories of "back home". Some of us left at 18 yrs old, and left only 18 years of memories behind. But, all my life, I have always been told, "that you can't go back", and maybe that's true. Expecially, when then town we still have a yearning for, is slowing dying and the "folks in charge" DON"T GET IT!!!! The Italians would describe the City and County Councils like this, PIANO, PIANO!!!! Anton, try to have a GREAT DAY, because people like you, are "survivors"!! It's in their blood.

Anton, Thank you for your

let it snow — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:35:05 -0600

Anton,
Thank you for your time in Viet Nam, and thanks to all the unappreciated veterans and all those who gave their lives for that cause. If no one else appreciates it, I want you to know everyone in my household does.

As far as dying....I realized one day, about 10 years ago, when I was 40, that this was all there was. Not that my life was/is bad but hey, "it is what it is", as my accountant so eloquently puts things! But I have learned to be happy with that. I have a super husband, a great family and a bunch of good friends...I don't know what more to ask for except for more time to fish and snowmobile!

Life is what YOU make it - and where you choose to make it. We chose Kabetogama after 20 + years of the cities and driving up here on weekends. Why don't we live at the lake??? So we stuck our neck out, hubby quit a REAL job and we bought a business - so we could be where we wanted to be since '77. What an awesome place to be.

It's not the fear of dying but the thought of being dead.....true?

LET IT SNOW

Anton, we will just take you

gardennut — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:48:48 -0600

Anton, we will just take you out on Kab (after you are dead, let me clarify that) and tie you to one of your whirlitzers and let you sink to the bottom and rest where you were the happiest. Then you won't have to pay the Funeral Home.

hehehehe - Just kidding.

You have lots of friends who would love to have you around until you are 90. Thank you for the blog - life is one complicated, but wild, ride.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Dying

Anton1965 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:53:39 -0600

A funny thing happened on the way to dying. At first, I thought life was going to be simple and easy. Then I thought, life was just differant for me then for you.