I often mention my wife, Claudia, in blog posts much to her chagrin. She ordered me years ago not to mention her. Long time readers will know immediately that I have failed to heed this command. Her standard reply to the question about whether she is related to Harry Welty is: “We’re not related by blood!”
I, of course, consider my singular existance only part of who I am and since this often chatty blog is intended to give a picture of the complete me there is really no way to do that by complying with Claudia’s wishes. Frankly what I write about Claudia I consider innocent or laudatory. However, she caught on quickly to the fact that the blog is read by a variety of people including those she worked with at Minnesota Power/Allete. She was unnerved when some of them came up and mentioned things I had written about her on the blog. For the last three years of her work she stopped telling me anything about the company lest I spill beans which could get everyone in trouble. To this day I’m still not sure whether the company can even be found in the City.
On the other hand I can see why she might be concerned. I have continued quite giddily to blast Johnson Controls for raping the Duluth Schools despite an agreement I signed saying I’d keep my mouth shut to put an end to a miserable lawsuit I brought against the monster. I guess I must be a little cavalier about such threats. After all if I shoot my mouth off too much I could make my wife’s retirement income a target for the greedy giant. God knows they have deep pockets, scads of lawyers and have already threatened the doughty little Timberjay Newspaper with a slap suit for pursuing what should be public records on their remarkable screw ups in the St. Louis County Schools.
Instead JCI got slapped by the Minnesota State Supreme Court. That was sweet!
So, to raise my dear wife’s ire yet again I would like to comment on something I once wrote frequently about her in her last years of work. I kept announcing that she was going to go to seminary after her retirement………..only she didn’t. Grandmotherhood stepped in and there was no time to pursue such ethereal pursuits. Ah, but there now seems to be a chance for her to catch her breath.
Today, for all her old co-workers who wondered at my claim, I would like to announce that Claudia has driven down to the Twin Cities to attempt to enroll in a course at a seminary which might lead her to a chaplaincy. It will mostly be on-line so she will still be able to attend to her grandmotherly responsibilities as well as roll her eyes at her motor-fingered husband.
If there is any doubt about her acceptance it comes from the leisurely way the UMD registrar handles requests to send out college transcripts. There must be something about college bureaucracy that fosters a leisurely pace even when speeding things up could help its alumnae get a crack at a good job. I remember my one Superintendent Search back in 1998 and how lots of applicants were left hanging while their college registrars took their sweet time mailing us their transcripts.
So I just spilled some beans. Its a good thing my wife is a Christian and not a lion otherwise my home could be a bloody little arena.
