Henry Tustlosh: In Memorium

Tuesday we had a 2 hour practice. On pipes. No wimpy PC's for us. And I didn't have to ice my lip, and it didn't swell up!

I don't know why this should happen, as Practicing and I haven't been too chummy lately. I'm beginning to suspect I have one (or more) leaks in my bag and I'm afraid to look.

I can't access my email any more at work. It tells me I'm not authorized to view this page. Ever since I got that stupid email from the mystery callers people at work, this has happened. So I don't have access to any work emails right now. Plus, now I can't even pull up new Internet Explorer thingys, so I hope I don't need anything new until IT opens at 7am. Three hours! Ugh! What is wrong with this computer?!

My friend Jean finally came home from the hospital. I don't know what condition she's in as I haven't been over there. But at least she's back in the neighborhood.

I started the work for the Egg Man last night.

I will explain.

When we lived in Glencoe, there was an old gentleman who came around and asked for empty egg cartons. These he would take away to some local farm, fill with farm-fresh eggs and return them to you and only charge 50 cents. They were good eggs. He was a good egg. I don't know how he survived on that. Anyway, our family got to know him. His name was Henry. He and his wife lived vaguely over there [gestures in a south-westerly direction], a couple of blocks away (anybody in town lived a couple of blocks away, it was that small of a town). They had no children, and were retired from farming. Henry the Egg Man came around every week, rain or snow. I always invited him in to have a sample of whatever I was baking, and take some home to his wife, Emma, too. Then suddenly in Feburary 1999 he stopped coming. I didn't know exactly which house was his, nor did I know his last name, so I couldn't go hunt him down.

After a couple of months he came back, but completely changed. He had lost weight. His clothes were shabby and worn. There was pain written all over his face. I invited him in, as usual, but when I offered him some muffins to take to his wife, he started to cry. She had passed away in February. He had no one else, no children or parents or siblings. Every corner of his apartment reminded Henry of her, so he tried to stay away from it as much as he could. But this was winter in Minnesota, going and staying well below zero for weeks at a time, so that wasn't a valid option sometimes. I gave him rides whenever I saw him around town, but if you don't want to go home, getting a ride home is not something you really appreciate.

After a family council, we decided to offer Henry our back room to live in. He accepted, and moved in, but he still wandered around town a lot. After staying with us for a few months, he got an offer from some distant cousins to visit them. So he packed a small bag and went to visit. While there, he was helping to repair a roof, fell off it and broke his back. He was in the hopsital in Glencoe, and I went to see him several times and brought him chocolate (his favorite), but in less than a week, he died. I think he just gave up on life.

So, with no sibs or children, there was nobody to do his work, seal him to his dear wife, etc, etc. I know how he longed to be with her again. I was waiting for Daughter #2 to get the info collected, cuz she said she wanted to. But it didn't happen. So last night, after 9 years, I finally went and got his info into a file. Soon, Henry. I'm sorry it took so long.
In Memorium
Henry F. "The Egg Man" Tlustosh
born 19 November 1914
Glencoe, McLeod County, Minnesota
died 12 September 1999
Glencoe, McLeod County, Minnesota