Basswood Bend
Monday, January 31, 2005
China Cabinet
Dick worked at the Agency this morning and had 5 contacts. Then he went to various city parks and to Meijer, from which he brought home steaks for dinner!
So today I cleaned out and rearranged the china cabinet to accommodate the dishes I brought from Mother's. I put my four favorite plates up above, and the rest are stored below in the cabinet. I found some things that I had forgotten I had! There are some beautiful glass dessert plates with an etched butterfly in the center - I'm sure they came from Mother Gen. Some of the items previously stored in the cabinet have been demoted to the guest room closet. Now I'll probably forget those things too!
The lady from Integrity convinced me to let the 18 year old girl try being a caretaker for Mother. The lady seemed to think that Ashley is more than qualified to handle any situation, and that we will come to really rely on her. So we haven't cut the cord yet. I also arranged for Lisa Zimmerman from the COA to go to Mom's tomorrow to give her a haircut.
Sharon and John have a teen-ager living with them again, after 10 years alone. John's niece Joyce is being deployed to Iraq with her National Guard Unit from Grayling. Joyce has 2 daughters, one of whom is in college, and the other is a senior in high school and needs a place to stay. I really admire Sharon and John for taking her into their home, and I'm hoping that all goes smoothly for everyone. I'm thinking that Patty will need a lot of emotional support.
So today I cleaned out and rearranged the china cabinet to accommodate the dishes I brought from Mother's. I put my four favorite plates up above, and the rest are stored below in the cabinet. I found some things that I had forgotten I had! There are some beautiful glass dessert plates with an etched butterfly in the center - I'm sure they came from Mother Gen. Some of the items previously stored in the cabinet have been demoted to the guest room closet. Now I'll probably forget those things too!
The lady from Integrity convinced me to let the 18 year old girl try being a caretaker for Mother. The lady seemed to think that Ashley is more than qualified to handle any situation, and that we will come to really rely on her. So we haven't cut the cord yet. I also arranged for Lisa Zimmerman from the COA to go to Mom's tomorrow to give her a haircut.
Sharon and John have a teen-ager living with them again, after 10 years alone. John's niece Joyce is being deployed to Iraq with her National Guard Unit from Grayling. Joyce has 2 daughters, one of whom is in college, and the other is a senior in high school and needs a place to stay. I really admire Sharon and John for taking her into their home, and I'm hoping that all goes smoothly for everyone. I'm thinking that Patty will need a lot of emotional support.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
U of M Historic Dinner Plates
Today when we visited Mother, I took along the new dish protector set and my jug of Drano Gel. The kitchen sink on Union St. has always been annoyingly slow to drain, and I really wanted to try my new favorite clog treatment. I did, and it worked great. When I washed her dishes, I think the sink drained much faster.
For years and years Mother has been telling me that she wants me to have the U of M dishes, service for 12. So when we got there, Dick did the trash and loaded up the recycling, and then he got all of the blue dishes out of the china cabinet and we packed them up. The U of M plates are really quite interesting. They were made in 1928, and each plate has a picture of a different campus building. Some of the buildings are still there, and still look much the same. But some have been torn down and replaced. The buildings which still exist are the President's House, the Michigan League, the Union, Angell Hall, the Engineering Arch, Alumni Hall (which is now the Art Museum), U of M Hospital, and the old gates to Ferry Field. My grandmother Geib supplemented the plates with serving pieces and other place setting items of similar color but different pattern. It really makes quite a nice service. The only things missing are soup bowls.
We had just sat down to visit when Uncle Fritz and Aunt Ruth dropped in. It was good to see them. They are looking well. Uncle Fritz was full of stories as usual.
By the way, my grandmother, Mary Blanche Rice Geib, always went by the name Blanche, but she signed personal letters and notes with her initials, MBRG, which is why I use NJKS for the signature on the blog. Her intials rhymed better than mine though.
While I'm typing this, Dick is reading to me out of his book, Deadly Dance, by M.C. Beaton. It's an Agatha Raisin mystery. Try typing and listening to a story at the same time. It's a challenge. But it's a very funny book, despite the title.
For years and years Mother has been telling me that she wants me to have the U of M dishes, service for 12. So when we got there, Dick did the trash and loaded up the recycling, and then he got all of the blue dishes out of the china cabinet and we packed them up. The U of M plates are really quite interesting. They were made in 1928, and each plate has a picture of a different campus building. Some of the buildings are still there, and still look much the same. But some have been torn down and replaced. The buildings which still exist are the President's House, the Michigan League, the Union, Angell Hall, the Engineering Arch, Alumni Hall (which is now the Art Museum), U of M Hospital, and the old gates to Ferry Field. My grandmother Geib supplemented the plates with serving pieces and other place setting items of similar color but different pattern. It really makes quite a nice service. The only things missing are soup bowls.
We had just sat down to visit when Uncle Fritz and Aunt Ruth dropped in. It was good to see them. They are looking well. Uncle Fritz was full of stories as usual.
By the way, my grandmother, Mary Blanche Rice Geib, always went by the name Blanche, but she signed personal letters and notes with her initials, MBRG, which is why I use NJKS for the signature on the blog. Her intials rhymed better than mine though.
While I'm typing this, Dick is reading to me out of his book, Deadly Dance, by M.C. Beaton. It's an Agatha Raisin mystery. Try typing and listening to a story at the same time. It's a challenge. But it's a very funny book, despite the title.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Veggie Soup
One of the joys of winter is having Dick make veggie-beef soup. Wow, is it good. This is not your mother's veggie soup. We put in lots of good beef, carrots, onions, lima beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato soup, red wine, beef broth, tomato juice, chili powder, seasonings, celery, and garlic. Yum yum yum.
With a big pot of soup bubbling on the stove, he went cross country skiing combined with some geocaching research for future caches.
Things were very quiet here at home - I did laundry, ran the Roomba (I love that thing), stirred the soup, read my book (Memorial Hall by Jane Langton), and played pogo.com. Life is good.
I took some soup in for Mother - she loves our soup, or at least she tells us that she does!
With a big pot of soup bubbling on the stove, he went cross country skiing combined with some geocaching research for future caches.
Things were very quiet here at home - I did laundry, ran the Roomba (I love that thing), stirred the soup, read my book (Memorial Hall by Jane Langton), and played pogo.com. Life is good.
I took some soup in for Mother - she loves our soup, or at least she tells us that she does!
Friday, January 28, 2005
Paging Dr. Auer
This morning Dick worked at the Visitor Center, and had a long conversation with Kathee. The two of them get along so well - it's great. She tells her kids about his geocaching experiences, and so now they want Dick to take them out geocaching sometime. That would be a lot of fun.
Mother paged Dr. Auer this morning - he asked her about humidity in the house, and mentioned that maybe she should spend a couple of days in the hospital. She definitely doesn't want to do that, but I pointed out to her that after all, he is the doctor.
Integrity sent a Feb. calendar indicating that Stacy will only be coming for one more week, and then another person will be coming. Mother asked Stacy about it and she said that the new girl is 18 years old! We agree that this is not good - Mother needs somebody who has housekeeping and cooking skills. If they can't give us someone with more experience, we'll change homecare companies.
Mother paged Dr. Auer this morning - he asked her about humidity in the house, and mentioned that maybe she should spend a couple of days in the hospital. She definitely doesn't want to do that, but I pointed out to her that after all, he is the doctor.
Integrity sent a Feb. calendar indicating that Stacy will only be coming for one more week, and then another person will be coming. Mother asked Stacy about it and she said that the new girl is 18 years old! We agree that this is not good - Mother needs somebody who has housekeeping and cooking skills. If they can't give us someone with more experience, we'll change homecare companies.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Blue Skies
This morning the weather report cracked me up. It was 24 below in Gaylord, and they said that Traverse City had some cloud cover, and so we were "considerably warmer". Our temperature was 1. (!!!) We lost our cloud cover, because by the time we took Mother to the doctor, the skies were a beautiful blue, and cloudless. Or as Willie Nelson would say, "unclouded".
(If you want to hear Willie sing The Unclouded Day in person, go to the following link, and he's the background music. If you scroll down past the memorial, you get all of the lyrics. Willie sings the *whole* thing!)
http://www.minibite.com/serious/nicky.htm
This was the first time going to the Clinic that we used a wheelchair for Mother. She always says "I'm not that desparate." But this time I told her that the doctor said it had to be that way because he didn't want her to get dizzy and pass out. Using the wheelchair was so much easier than having her struggle along hanging on to my arm and going so-o-o-o slowly. We both enjoyed it. Dick was in charge of the chair, and I really appreciated it!
We had a good doctor visit. First came a chest x-ray, which revealed that Mom has a "touch" of pneumonia. The doctor prescribed a 7-day course of antibiotics. He said to apply ointment to her side to relieve the pain she has left over from the shingles. They did an O2 test, which turned out OK, and a blood test which we'll find out about later.
I feel much better about her condition than I did yesterday. I think that Shannon may be a bit of an alarmist.
Mother is supposed to call Dr. Auer at the hospital on Friday and Monday between 8-9 a.m. and have him paged. He wants to talk to her to see how she's doing, if she's eating properly, and to give her the test results.
Right now I'm watching the Michigan basketball team be slaughtered by MSU. It's quite painful. Right now it's 61 - 47. Is that enough of a drubbing? Yes it is. Oh well.
(If you want to hear Willie sing The Unclouded Day in person, go to the following link, and he's the background music. If you scroll down past the memorial, you get all of the lyrics. Willie sings the *whole* thing!)
http://www.minibite.com/serious/nicky.htm
This was the first time going to the Clinic that we used a wheelchair for Mother. She always says "I'm not that desparate." But this time I told her that the doctor said it had to be that way because he didn't want her to get dizzy and pass out. Using the wheelchair was so much easier than having her struggle along hanging on to my arm and going so-o-o-o slowly. We both enjoyed it. Dick was in charge of the chair, and I really appreciated it!
We had a good doctor visit. First came a chest x-ray, which revealed that Mom has a "touch" of pneumonia. The doctor prescribed a 7-day course of antibiotics. He said to apply ointment to her side to relieve the pain she has left over from the shingles. They did an O2 test, which turned out OK, and a blood test which we'll find out about later.
I feel much better about her condition than I did yesterday. I think that Shannon may be a bit of an alarmist.
Mother is supposed to call Dr. Auer at the hospital on Friday and Monday between 8-9 a.m. and have him paged. He wants to talk to her to see how she's doing, if she's eating properly, and to give her the test results.
Right now I'm watching the Michigan basketball team be slaughtered by MSU. It's quite painful. Right now it's 61 - 47. Is that enough of a drubbing? Yes it is. Oh well.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
The Lost is Found!!!
Dick is now an official hero, especially to Tim and Susie. He couldn't stand not knowing what happened to that GPS, so this morning he rented a metal detector, and went back over to the Vasa Trail. He located the GPS right in the middle of the path (snow-covered) and fairly close to the parking lot. Dick spoke to Tim and Susie (they're in Jackson), and they were surprised and pleased. They had already purchased a new one, but they'll be very glad to have this one back, with five years' worth of data! Congratulations Dick!
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Jet Katana
Bill and Jan got here around 10 a.m. We had a bit of brunch, and then we went to the airport to pick up Bob, Reiko, and Jet. He is such a sweet baby, you just wouldn't believe it. He's 11 months old, has 8 teeth, and weighs 14,000 pounds. Well, maybe not. But he's a big boy. They're off to Manistee to visit until Friday.
Mother is having a health crisis - she's still really sick with a bad cold, and Shannon is afraid that the cold will develop into pneumonia, or that it's a contagious virus of some kind. Shannon doesn't want to pass on any viral conditions to her other clients. Mother refuses to see a doctor.
I called Thirlby Clinic and talked to Dr. Auer's nurse, who said that she would set up a home visit tomorrow so a nurse will come and evaluate Mom's health, listen to her chest, etc. I really wish she would come here and stay with us until she feels better, but right now she won't hear of it. Shannon says that if Mother's not better by Thursday, she's not coming to the house.
Dr. Auer was nice enough to call Mom, but according to Mother, nothing came of the phone call. We'll wait and see what the visiting nurse says tomorrow. Right now I'm feeling that if Mom's not better by Thursday, she'll have to come out here whether she wants to or not. I'm certainly not going to spend days and nights at her house. Maybe if we made her come out here, it would give her incentive to get better so she could go back home! I have a problem though trying to figure out how to make her do anything that she doesn't want to do. I don't know the fireman's carry!
Meanwhile, Stacy from Integrity is scheduled to be at Mother's in the morning. I haven't heard from the visiting nurse yet.
I lost the desire to go to the movies. Maybe next week.
Dr. Auer called me and insisted that Mother come in for an appointment. I told him that she didn't want to, and he said that there comes a time when we don't give people choices. I mentioned that she has trouble getting around, and he said they have wheelchairs for that. I made an appointment for Thursday. I told mother, and she really didn't object that much, which surprised me. She said, "I guess I don't have any choice."
The doctor visit takes the place of the visiting nurse. Dr. Auer said that listening to the lungs is about 20% as effective as having an x-ray. He said that she really needs a health assessment at this point in case we want to have hospice care or special medications. He can determine how bad (or good) it is and what we need to do next.
Mother is having a health crisis - she's still really sick with a bad cold, and Shannon is afraid that the cold will develop into pneumonia, or that it's a contagious virus of some kind. Shannon doesn't want to pass on any viral conditions to her other clients. Mother refuses to see a doctor.
I called Thirlby Clinic and talked to Dr. Auer's nurse, who said that she would set up a home visit tomorrow so a nurse will come and evaluate Mom's health, listen to her chest, etc. I really wish she would come here and stay with us until she feels better, but right now she won't hear of it. Shannon says that if Mother's not better by Thursday, she's not coming to the house.
Dr. Auer was nice enough to call Mom, but according to Mother, nothing came of the phone call. We'll wait and see what the visiting nurse says tomorrow. Right now I'm feeling that if Mom's not better by Thursday, she'll have to come out here whether she wants to or not. I'm certainly not going to spend days and nights at her house. Maybe if we made her come out here, it would give her incentive to get better so she could go back home! I have a problem though trying to figure out how to make her do anything that she doesn't want to do. I don't know the fireman's carry!
Meanwhile, Stacy from Integrity is scheduled to be at Mother's in the morning. I haven't heard from the visiting nurse yet.
I lost the desire to go to the movies. Maybe next week.
Dr. Auer called me and insisted that Mother come in for an appointment. I told him that she didn't want to, and he said that there comes a time when we don't give people choices. I mentioned that she has trouble getting around, and he said they have wheelchairs for that. I made an appointment for Thursday. I told mother, and she really didn't object that much, which surprised me. She said, "I guess I don't have any choice."
The doctor visit takes the place of the visiting nurse. Dr. Auer said that listening to the lungs is about 20% as effective as having an x-ray. He said that she really needs a health assessment at this point in case we want to have hospice care or special medications. He can determine how bad (or good) it is and what we need to do next.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Ho Hum
Somebody in England at the Royal College of General Practitioners has come forth with the statement that today, Monday January 24, is the worst day of the year. People are bored with winter, have given up on their New Year's resolutions, are in debt from Christmas, etc., etc., etc. You can read the whole article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4187183.stm
This morning when I heard about this, I wasn't worried, because Jan was scheduled to come and visit, and that would brighten any day. But as it turned out, Reiko and Bob can't fly here today because of the storm-disrupted airline situation. So Jan isn't coming until tomorrow.
So while it actually wasn't the worst day I ever heard of, it was disappointing and lack-luster. I made bean soup. Whoop whoop.
Dick worked at the Agency, and went shopping at Meijer, so he had that sort of excitement. (?)
Since I didn't do anything interesting today, I am planning to go to the movies tomorrow. (Free popcorn day) I'm in the mood for something scary, so I'm thinking of seeing White Noise.
Jan is planning on coming early in the morning to pick up the California branch of their family at the airport. We'll have a chance to visit, and we're planning to go to the airport to see baby Jet. Yes, that's right, Jet. And then they will all go to Kim's house in Manistee.
By next November, Jan and Bill will have 5 grandchildren. Five! FIVE! How much fun would that be?!?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4187183.stm
This morning when I heard about this, I wasn't worried, because Jan was scheduled to come and visit, and that would brighten any day. But as it turned out, Reiko and Bob can't fly here today because of the storm-disrupted airline situation. So Jan isn't coming until tomorrow.
So while it actually wasn't the worst day I ever heard of, it was disappointing and lack-luster. I made bean soup. Whoop whoop.
Dick worked at the Agency, and went shopping at Meijer, so he had that sort of excitement. (?)
Since I didn't do anything interesting today, I am planning to go to the movies tomorrow. (Free popcorn day) I'm in the mood for something scary, so I'm thinking of seeing White Noise.
Jan is planning on coming early in the morning to pick up the California branch of their family at the airport. We'll have a chance to visit, and we're planning to go to the airport to see baby Jet. Yes, that's right, Jet. And then they will all go to Kim's house in Manistee.
By next November, Jan and Bill will have 5 grandchildren. Five! FIVE! How much fun would that be?!?
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Br-r-r-r-r
This morning it was 9 degrees below zero! That's too cold for me!
I sat by the fire and folded clothes and ran the Roomba. (I love that thing.)
We went grocery shopping for play-off snacks and for lunch things in case Jan Snider comes tomorrow. (More later.)
Visiting Mother was a little discouraging because she is feeling so listless. She has no energy to do much of anything. I can sympathize with that feeling, but I'm sure that her lack of stamina far exceeds anything I experienced. Dick took out the trash and shoveled the walks and the driveway. Mom said she was hungry for a "hamburg" with a big slice of onion. So Dick went to J&S and got her a burger. She ate it right in her chair - she didn't feel like walking to the dining room. She still has a bad cold and the post-shingles type pain in her side.
We watched the Eagles win their play-off game, and now we're watching Tom Brady beat the Steelers. Sorry, Chip!
Depending on the weather, Reiko may be flying into T.C. tomorrow. If she does, Jan will drive over to pick her up, and will stop here to wait and to get directions to the new terminal. I hope everything works out - it would be fun. Unfortunately, the recent storms have disrupted the airline schedules, so we'll just have to wait until the morning to see if she can come.
Johnny Carson died today. He was always a big favorite of ours when we were young and able to stay up late! If he were on now, we would TiVo him! He was a very funny and popular man - "The King of Late Night".
I sat by the fire and folded clothes and ran the Roomba. (I love that thing.)
We went grocery shopping for play-off snacks and for lunch things in case Jan Snider comes tomorrow. (More later.)
Visiting Mother was a little discouraging because she is feeling so listless. She has no energy to do much of anything. I can sympathize with that feeling, but I'm sure that her lack of stamina far exceeds anything I experienced. Dick took out the trash and shoveled the walks and the driveway. Mom said she was hungry for a "hamburg" with a big slice of onion. So Dick went to J&S and got her a burger. She ate it right in her chair - she didn't feel like walking to the dining room. She still has a bad cold and the post-shingles type pain in her side.
We watched the Eagles win their play-off game, and now we're watching Tom Brady beat the Steelers. Sorry, Chip!
Depending on the weather, Reiko may be flying into T.C. tomorrow. If she does, Jan will drive over to pick her up, and will stop here to wait and to get directions to the new terminal. I hope everything works out - it would be fun. Unfortunately, the recent storms have disrupted the airline schedules, so we'll just have to wait until the morning to see if she can come.
Johnny Carson died today. He was always a big favorite of ours when we were young and able to stay up late! If he were on now, we would TiVo him! He was a very funny and popular man - "The King of Late Night".
Saturday, January 22, 2005
The Search
We were back over at the Vasa Trail at 9:45 a.m. armed with broom rakes to search for Tim's GPS. Tim and Susie came around 10:30. We all raked the snow along the path, but we came up empty. We stopped looking at noon and came home to get warm and have some lunch. I still don't understand how a bright yellow object can totally disappear in the snow.
Michigan lost their basketball game today to Wisconsin. Next week we play Michigan State, and they will eat us alive. They are ranked in the top 20. Michigan is not ranked. I wonder how a coach prepares a team to go to East Lansing and take a beating. The Big Ten season is getting interesting. It's so enjoyable to watch basketball by a warm fire on a snowy January day.
Dick plowed out the whole road and driveway - it took a long time.
Michigan lost their basketball game today to Wisconsin. Next week we play Michigan State, and they will eat us alive. They are ranked in the top 20. Michigan is not ranked. I wonder how a coach prepares a team to go to East Lansing and take a beating. The Big Ten season is getting interesting. It's so enjoyable to watch basketball by a warm fire on a snowy January day.
Dick plowed out the whole road and driveway - it took a long time.
Friday, January 21, 2005
The Lost GPS
Today we took both cars into town - I visited Mother, Dick went to the dentist. We met Tim and Susie for lunch at the Green House Cafe, and had a great geo-lunch!
Then all four of us went to find a cache that we had been unable to locate before, and this time Dick found it! We were all very excited, because it was so cold outside, it was a relief to get back into the car! It had been 12 below zero F in the early morning, but by the time we were geo-caching, it had zoomed up to 10.
Then the 3 intrepid cachers (DinoDuo and Basswood Bend) went off into the woods for more geocaching.
I stayed in town to do all the mundane things - grocery shopping, library, post office, gas station. And I went back to Mother's to deliver this humungous muffin that I got at the Cafe. I think it's enough for a whole meal!
When Dick got home, he told me the bad news... while they were tromping around in the snow, somehow Tim dropped his GPS. They searched everywhere they could think of - pockets, snow drifts, etc., but they couldn't come up with it. After searching for more than an hour, they gave up. DinoDuo returned to the area and searched some more, but it's nowhere to be seen. We just can't imagine what happened to it - and it's bright yellow, so you would think that it would be easy to spot in the snow. It's a big loss for any geocacher, and I'm almost positive that we will go back over there tomorrow for another look.
The only good news to come out of that expedition was that they did actually find the cache!
Then all four of us went to find a cache that we had been unable to locate before, and this time Dick found it! We were all very excited, because it was so cold outside, it was a relief to get back into the car! It had been 12 below zero F in the early morning, but by the time we were geo-caching, it had zoomed up to 10.
Then the 3 intrepid cachers (DinoDuo and Basswood Bend) went off into the woods for more geocaching.
I stayed in town to do all the mundane things - grocery shopping, library, post office, gas station. And I went back to Mother's to deliver this humungous muffin that I got at the Cafe. I think it's enough for a whole meal!
When Dick got home, he told me the bad news... while they were tromping around in the snow, somehow Tim dropped his GPS. They searched everywhere they could think of - pockets, snow drifts, etc., but they couldn't come up with it. After searching for more than an hour, they gave up. DinoDuo returned to the area and searched some more, but it's nowhere to be seen. We just can't imagine what happened to it - and it's bright yellow, so you would think that it would be easy to spot in the snow. It's a big loss for any geocacher, and I'm almost positive that we will go back over there tomorrow for another look.
The only good news to come out of that expedition was that they did actually find the cache!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Inauguration Day
I really enjoyed watching the pomp and circumstance of the whole Inauguration proceeding. Dick refused to look at any of it - he busied himself outside bringing wood to the house and moving snow. Or else he sat in a different room reading a book. I'm just hooked on seeing all of the bigwigs and seeing how the women are dressed.
It was fun to see the first families and ex-Presidents and first ladies entering the podium for the oath of office. It's unusual to see a gathering of so many people and recognize all of the faces. The people accompanying and escorting the bigwigs were interesting too. For instance, the announcer actually said, "Ladies and gentlemen, accompanying Mrs. Lynn Cheney are Mrs. Tom DeLay and Mr. Paul Pelosi." Now there's an odd couple!
It was heroic of Chief Justice Rehnquist to make it to the podium for the swearing in. He's so ill - I know it was a real struggle for him to do that. And he was escorted out immediately after "So help me God." He must have had a strong desire to be there.
During the speech, I just listened on the computer while I cleaned out our files in the computer room. I tossed out a bunch of old financial statements and filed away all of the new stuff. Made a new folder for our Subaru and just generally organized papers all afternoon. Finally have all of the year-end tax documents in one place - so that's a good job done.
Made some chili for supper, and it smells so good it's making me hungry! The coverage of the Inaugural Balls begins at 8 p.m. I would really like to watch some of it - it's fun to see how the other half lives. Dick will not be at all interested.
We do have this problem of such an extravagant Inaugural celebration at a time of such widespread human suffering in Iraq and also in South East Asia. It would have been such an excellent plan to tone things down a bit, and send some of that money to the other side of the world. But it didn't happen that way - it's the biggest, splashiest celebration ever. I had the thought when I saw all the flags around the Capitol building that those flags should have been at half mast in honor of dead soldiers. We have felt ever since George was sort of elected the first time that the country has been totally out of our hands. The feeling continues.
It was fun to see the first families and ex-Presidents and first ladies entering the podium for the oath of office. It's unusual to see a gathering of so many people and recognize all of the faces. The people accompanying and escorting the bigwigs were interesting too. For instance, the announcer actually said, "Ladies and gentlemen, accompanying Mrs. Lynn Cheney are Mrs. Tom DeLay and Mr. Paul Pelosi." Now there's an odd couple!
It was heroic of Chief Justice Rehnquist to make it to the podium for the swearing in. He's so ill - I know it was a real struggle for him to do that. And he was escorted out immediately after "So help me God." He must have had a strong desire to be there.
During the speech, I just listened on the computer while I cleaned out our files in the computer room. I tossed out a bunch of old financial statements and filed away all of the new stuff. Made a new folder for our Subaru and just generally organized papers all afternoon. Finally have all of the year-end tax documents in one place - so that's a good job done.
Made some chili for supper, and it smells so good it's making me hungry! The coverage of the Inaugural Balls begins at 8 p.m. I would really like to watch some of it - it's fun to see how the other half lives. Dick will not be at all interested.
We do have this problem of such an extravagant Inaugural celebration at a time of such widespread human suffering in Iraq and also in South East Asia. It would have been such an excellent plan to tone things down a bit, and send some of that money to the other side of the world. But it didn't happen that way - it's the biggest, splashiest celebration ever. I had the thought when I saw all the flags around the Capitol building that those flags should have been at half mast in honor of dead soldiers. We have felt ever since George was sort of elected the first time that the country has been totally out of our hands. The feeling continues.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Roomba
Dick bought me a Roomba yesterday, and I mentioned it in my journal. Well, my friend Mitch in England didn't understand what it is, so she posted a comment. I think it's possible that other people may not know what it is either, because we are so cutting edge (!). And also some people may not read the comments, so this is what I posted for Mitch:
A Roomba is (what else) a robot vacuum cleaner! It does your floors whether carpet or wood or linoleum. I used it this morning for the first time, and it was great! I followed it all around the house just giggling. It's round and red and flat, and when it bumps into things, it very wisely turns itself around and goes in a different direction. It runs for 2 hours on one charge, and then it needs to be plugged in again. I'm telling you what - it's the most fun you can have cleaning house!! I am a happy camper!
We gave Jana a Roomba for Christmas, because it's supposed to be very good at picking up cat hair. I waited for a report from her before I asked for one. She really liked it and recommended it - so hooray! Her cats didn't mind it either. Dick thought that maybe the cats would take turns riding it like a skateboard.
Today was very snowy and blowy - more than 30 school districts cancelled school today. I haven't left the fireside all day. I'm reading the latest Kinsey Milhone, R is for Ricochet. McLenithan came along with his snow blower, and Dick shoveled off the porch, but I was a couch potato.
I watched quite a bit of Condoleezza's confirmation hearing. I love Senator Barbara Boxer. Dr. Rice is a piece of work.
A Roomba is (what else) a robot vacuum cleaner! It does your floors whether carpet or wood or linoleum. I used it this morning for the first time, and it was great! I followed it all around the house just giggling. It's round and red and flat, and when it bumps into things, it very wisely turns itself around and goes in a different direction. It runs for 2 hours on one charge, and then it needs to be plugged in again. I'm telling you what - it's the most fun you can have cleaning house!! I am a happy camper!
We gave Jana a Roomba for Christmas, because it's supposed to be very good at picking up cat hair. I waited for a report from her before I asked for one. She really liked it and recommended it - so hooray! Her cats didn't mind it either. Dick thought that maybe the cats would take turns riding it like a skateboard.
Today was very snowy and blowy - more than 30 school districts cancelled school today. I haven't left the fireside all day. I'm reading the latest Kinsey Milhone, R is for Ricochet. McLenithan came along with his snow blower, and Dick shoveled off the porch, but I was a couch potato.
I watched quite a bit of Condoleezza's confirmation hearing. I love Senator Barbara Boxer. Dr. Rice is a piece of work.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Chianti's and BoTangles
Originally, we were going to meet DinoDuo for lunch, and Dick was going geocaching with them afterwards, while I went to get a perm and a haircut. The weather changed our plans. We all decided that it wouldn't be a good day for them to drive over from Kalkaska, so they didn't come. Dick and I went to Chianti's anyway, since their buffet special was 2/$10. Nobody told us about the $2 for parking, however.
So I went to BoTangles, and Dick ran some errands. It was fun talking to Colleen - her life is better than my soap opera! Dick bought me a Roomba! I can hardly wait to try it. It has to charge up overnight and so we'll see how it works tomorrow.
So I went to BoTangles, and Dick ran some errands. It was fun talking to Colleen - her life is better than my soap opera! Dick bought me a Roomba! I can hardly wait to try it. It has to charge up overnight and so we'll see how it works tomorrow.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
NMG January Meet and Greet
This morning the intrepid geo-cachers met for breakfast at Mabel's. What a good time!
People came from all over. We saw, met, and talked to all sorts of cachers: The Light People from Farmington Hills, CoyChev from Reed City, Team Sandrich from Onekama, Smokey Bear from Manistee, Trashcan and Cachehound from T.C., Jethro and Peaches from Alpena, eb_ii from Gaylord, ABX Guy and Wife from T.C., Clay People from Suttons Bay, Victory Mike from Ann Arbor, 5vons from Oscoda, dajayhawk from Saginaw, M'Lynn from T.C., and Craig333 from Sault Ste. Marie among others.
After breakfast we drove around to various city parks and Dick scouted out good places to hide caches. It was 11 degrees F, snowy and blowy. Occasionally the sun would peek through the clouds and the lighting was really eerie - a mist of snow, a sunlit stone wall, a menacing black cloud, and a patch of blue sky.
We went to visit Mother - took out the trash, balanced the checkbook, removed the last vestiges of Christmas greenery, and had a nice visit. She's much more like herself - her cold is better and she's not as achy. It was a very positive visit. It's amazing how much my mood improves when I'm not worried about her.
Now we're watching the Patriots play the Colts. We just naturally have to cheer for Tom Brady, but it's a little harder today because Josh Williams and Cato June play for the Colts. I love Cato June especially. But I'm cheering for Tom anyway.
People came from all over. We saw, met, and talked to all sorts of cachers: The Light People from Farmington Hills, CoyChev from Reed City, Team Sandrich from Onekama, Smokey Bear from Manistee, Trashcan and Cachehound from T.C., Jethro and Peaches from Alpena, eb_ii from Gaylord, ABX Guy and Wife from T.C., Clay People from Suttons Bay, Victory Mike from Ann Arbor, 5vons from Oscoda, dajayhawk from Saginaw, M'Lynn from T.C., and Craig333 from Sault Ste. Marie among others.
After breakfast we drove around to various city parks and Dick scouted out good places to hide caches. It was 11 degrees F, snowy and blowy. Occasionally the sun would peek through the clouds and the lighting was really eerie - a mist of snow, a sunlit stone wall, a menacing black cloud, and a patch of blue sky.
We went to visit Mother - took out the trash, balanced the checkbook, removed the last vestiges of Christmas greenery, and had a nice visit. She's much more like herself - her cold is better and she's not as achy. It was a very positive visit. It's amazing how much my mood improves when I'm not worried about her.
Now we're watching the Patriots play the Colts. We just naturally have to cheer for Tom Brady, but it's a little harder today because Josh Williams and Cato June play for the Colts. I love Cato June especially. But I'm cheering for Tom anyway.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Winter Convergence
Believe it or not, with temps in single digits, the Northern Michigan Geocachers had a picnic today at Muncie Lakes.
Last year, Laurie and Dylan were here and we all went to the picnic. This year, I stayed home by the fire and Dick went to the picnic and crystallized his toenails. Actually, in spite of the cold weather, there were 79 people who attended. As I said, believe it or not! There was chili, hot dogs, french fries, and cake to eat - I guess it was hard to keep the hot food hot! Afterwards, Tim and Susie (DinoDuo) came over for hot chocolate, and we talked geocaching for an hour and a half.
It was Mancino's pizza for dinner. You just have to love Mancino's!
Laurie and Chip were having a Steelers party with some new friends who are also from Pittsburgh. The Steelers had a hard time winning, but the Jets' kicker gave them the game wrapped up in gold ribbon. Steelers won in overtime.
At the time of the failed field goal, we were on iSight with Tom. Very much fun. We're so high tech we can't stand ourselves!
Last year, Laurie and Dylan were here and we all went to the picnic. This year, I stayed home by the fire and Dick went to the picnic and crystallized his toenails. Actually, in spite of the cold weather, there were 79 people who attended. As I said, believe it or not! There was chili, hot dogs, french fries, and cake to eat - I guess it was hard to keep the hot food hot! Afterwards, Tim and Susie (DinoDuo) came over for hot chocolate, and we talked geocaching for an hour and a half.
It was Mancino's pizza for dinner. You just have to love Mancino's!
Laurie and Chip were having a Steelers party with some new friends who are also from Pittsburgh. The Steelers had a hard time winning, but the Jets' kicker gave them the game wrapped up in gold ribbon. Steelers won in overtime.
At the time of the failed field goal, we were on iSight with Tom. Very much fun. We're so high tech we can't stand ourselves!
Friday, January 14, 2005
Who Belongs in the Hospital??
Today was the momentous day when Dick replaced the faucet in the kitchen sink. It wasn't easy, and Dick isn't a plumber, but he did it and it works great! There was one little glitch - the water filter wouldn't fit on the new faucet. More later.
Hooray for Dick!
After the faucet was installed we went big grocery shopping at Glen's and bought tons and tons of healthy food. Honest.
Mother called with some news - she was quite amused by this.... Integrity called and said that Stacy wouldn't be coming today because she's in the hospital with a kidney infection. Last week it was Shannon who was in the hospital. Mother gets a kick out of having both of these young whipper-snappers hospitalized while she goes blithely on through life in relatively good health. Shannon is in her forties, and Stacy is 23. Mom is 96. Who do you think probably really belongs in the hospital??
After Guiding Light we went for a ride to the hardware store to get an adapter so Dick could attach the water filter to the new faucet. We drove through town and looked at the gray, grim bay. It's a very cold day - temps in single digits - totally overcast, snowy and blowy.
Hooray for Dick!
After the faucet was installed we went big grocery shopping at Glen's and bought tons and tons of healthy food. Honest.
Mother called with some news - she was quite amused by this.... Integrity called and said that Stacy wouldn't be coming today because she's in the hospital with a kidney infection. Last week it was Shannon who was in the hospital. Mother gets a kick out of having both of these young whipper-snappers hospitalized while she goes blithely on through life in relatively good health. Shannon is in her forties, and Stacy is 23. Mom is 96. Who do you think probably really belongs in the hospital??
After Guiding Light we went for a ride to the hardware store to get an adapter so Dick could attach the water filter to the new faucet. We drove through town and looked at the gray, grim bay. It's a very cold day - temps in single digits - totally overcast, snowy and blowy.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Phantom of the Opera
Mother still seems fine - Shannon was there this morning. All is well.
The weather was lousy this morning, so it seemed to me like a good day to go to the movies. I picked Phantom because I do love musicals! It was beautiful and exciting and most of the music was spectacular.
Dick took me and picked me up, and despite a bit of a screw up on the timing, it was a great afternoon.
The weather was lousy this morning, so it seemed to me like a good day to go to the movies. I picked Phantom because I do love musicals! It was beautiful and exciting and most of the music was spectacular.
Dick took me and picked me up, and despite a bit of a screw up on the timing, it was a great afternoon.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Things Seem Better
Today Mother seems fine. She still has a bad cold, and she's a little sore, but she seems in good spirits. Stacy was there this morning, and that gives me a lot of peace of mind. Mother still doesn't want to see a doctor.
Today we did our errands left over from yesterday - Apple store (we bought a mouse for my new LAPTOP), shirts, visitor Center, Record Eagle, and Gill-Roys to pick up the new faucet we ordered.
We came home to pot roast in the crockpot. I think that the new crockpot has a tendency to overcook things. It has a keep warm feature, but it seems to be too warm or something.
Today we did our errands left over from yesterday - Apple store (we bought a mouse for my new LAPTOP), shirts, visitor Center, Record Eagle, and Gill-Roys to pick up the new faucet we ordered.
We came home to pot roast in the crockpot. I think that the new crockpot has a tendency to overcook things. It has a keep warm feature, but it seems to be too warm or something.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
It's Not Funny
Spoke to Shannon this morning, and she reported that there was water on the floor in Mom's basement, and that the washer wasn't working properly. She also reported that Mom seemed to have a bad cold with lots of congestion, and Shannon was worried about pneumonia setting in if we didn't do anything. Mother said "I'm not making any appointment with any doctor." She thinks it will go away soon. I called Max's and they said that a service man would call soon to come and examine the washer.
Dick and I had our day so organized, you would have been proud. We had a list of things to accomplish in town before our 4 p.m. meeting with M'Lynn at Cuppa Joe at the old State Hospital. We had everything all set to go, and then the phone rang.
Remember the commercial - "I've fallen and I can't get up!" ? Everybody made jokes about it - Leno and Letterman did it in their monologues. Even school children imitated the old lady and laughed. It's not funny. I got that phone call today around 1:30 p.m. Mother had fallen under the dining room table and couldn't get up.
We rushed in as we were - Dick had to hop off his tractor to join me. When we got there, it was a really pitiful sight. Mom was on the floor - the phone was still off the hook - she had knocked over the lamp and the radio, and her pill bottles had spilled. She had multiple bruises on her face - but nothing was broken. She's sore on the left side, and her neck hurts on the right side. We don't know what happened, and neither does she. Dick and I think that she probably passed out or blacked out or whatever you want to call it. We lifted her up and she walked leaning on Dick very gingerly back to her chair in the living room. We made sure that she had water to drink - and I made her a cup of tea to have with her donut hole left over from lunch. We sat with her for quite a while. The man from Max's called and came right over - so it was a good coincidence that we were there. There's no way that Mother should be attempting the basement stairs. She seemed shaken, which is certainly understandable. She also seemed weak and feeble, but still very mentally sharp. After the repairman left we sat with her for a while longer. I tried to talk her into coming home with us, but she wasn't having any. She's fiercely independent still, and insists on staying in her home no matter what.
We left around 3:30, promising to bring back dinner for her so she wouldn't have to do any kitchen preparation. We met M'Lynn at Cuppa Joe and it was a very interesting introduction to a very unique individual. She knows everyone, and has been everywhere and done everything. Totally amazing. The time went fast, and at 5:30 we went to South City Limits to pick up Mom's supper. She was thrilled with it (whitefish and mashed potatoes, salad and rolls). I tried to assure myself that she really would be all right at home by herself after this bad experience, but I'm still very nervous about leaving her there alone.
On the way home we picked up Chinese take-away at Ming's. After dinner I called Jim to give him the update, so he's aware of what's been going on. I asked him if he could do me a favor and come to Mom's the weekend of Feb. 26 so we could go to a geocaching event in Alma for a couple of nights. Ordinarily, we would just go and call Mother every day. But after this fall, I'm leery of being out of touch for that long. But he and Emilie will be in Florida that weekend, and the reservations have been made for a year. He feels badly that he can't help us out, but I told him not to give it a second thought. I take the responsibility for Mom because I just happen to be here. If he were here, he would do the same. You play the cards you're dealt.
Now I'm typing this all up as a kind of therapy. It's making me feel better. It's "Blog as Stress-Reducer".
It's been an eventful day, and we're both a little uptight, and I'm very sure that Mother will be sore in the morning. Stacy is scheduled to be at Mom's at 10 a.m. and I'm planning to call and talk to her to explain what happened and what to do if it happens again. And on the bright side, we have our errands that we had planned to do today all organized and listed and set out for tomorrow.
Dick and I had our day so organized, you would have been proud. We had a list of things to accomplish in town before our 4 p.m. meeting with M'Lynn at Cuppa Joe at the old State Hospital. We had everything all set to go, and then the phone rang.
Remember the commercial - "I've fallen and I can't get up!" ? Everybody made jokes about it - Leno and Letterman did it in their monologues. Even school children imitated the old lady and laughed. It's not funny. I got that phone call today around 1:30 p.m. Mother had fallen under the dining room table and couldn't get up.
We rushed in as we were - Dick had to hop off his tractor to join me. When we got there, it was a really pitiful sight. Mom was on the floor - the phone was still off the hook - she had knocked over the lamp and the radio, and her pill bottles had spilled. She had multiple bruises on her face - but nothing was broken. She's sore on the left side, and her neck hurts on the right side. We don't know what happened, and neither does she. Dick and I think that she probably passed out or blacked out or whatever you want to call it. We lifted her up and she walked leaning on Dick very gingerly back to her chair in the living room. We made sure that she had water to drink - and I made her a cup of tea to have with her donut hole left over from lunch. We sat with her for quite a while. The man from Max's called and came right over - so it was a good coincidence that we were there. There's no way that Mother should be attempting the basement stairs. She seemed shaken, which is certainly understandable. She also seemed weak and feeble, but still very mentally sharp. After the repairman left we sat with her for a while longer. I tried to talk her into coming home with us, but she wasn't having any. She's fiercely independent still, and insists on staying in her home no matter what.
We left around 3:30, promising to bring back dinner for her so she wouldn't have to do any kitchen preparation. We met M'Lynn at Cuppa Joe and it was a very interesting introduction to a very unique individual. She knows everyone, and has been everywhere and done everything. Totally amazing. The time went fast, and at 5:30 we went to South City Limits to pick up Mom's supper. She was thrilled with it (whitefish and mashed potatoes, salad and rolls). I tried to assure myself that she really would be all right at home by herself after this bad experience, but I'm still very nervous about leaving her there alone.
On the way home we picked up Chinese take-away at Ming's. After dinner I called Jim to give him the update, so he's aware of what's been going on. I asked him if he could do me a favor and come to Mom's the weekend of Feb. 26 so we could go to a geocaching event in Alma for a couple of nights. Ordinarily, we would just go and call Mother every day. But after this fall, I'm leery of being out of touch for that long. But he and Emilie will be in Florida that weekend, and the reservations have been made for a year. He feels badly that he can't help us out, but I told him not to give it a second thought. I take the responsibility for Mom because I just happen to be here. If he were here, he would do the same. You play the cards you're dealt.
Now I'm typing this all up as a kind of therapy. It's making me feel better. It's "Blog as Stress-Reducer".
It's been an eventful day, and we're both a little uptight, and I'm very sure that Mother will be sore in the morning. Stacy is scheduled to be at Mom's at 10 a.m. and I'm planning to call and talk to her to explain what happened and what to do if it happens again. And on the bright side, we have our errands that we had planned to do today all organized and listed and set out for tomorrow.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Coffee Klatch
Dick worked at the Agency this morning and then had a meeting scheduled for 2 p.m., so he wasn't coming home for lunch. Perfect time for coffee with the neighbors. Shirley McLenithan came over at about 10:30 and we had coffee and banana nut bread and talked for about an hour and a half. It was very enjoyable, and we are getting to know each other a little bit better. She lived in Ann Arbor for many years, so we have quite a bit in common besides living on River Road.
After she left I went grocery shopping - and that was about as exciting as the day got.
I love my new laptop.
After she left I went grocery shopping - and that was about as exciting as the day got.
I love my new laptop.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Football Playoffs
Don't you find that you root for the strangest teams when the playoffs start? We admittedly root for the team that has the most ex-Michigan players on it. Today we were rooting for Cato June and Steve Hutchison. (doesn't even matter what team they're on!)
We went to town to find 2 new caches put out by M'lynn. We hit .500 for the day. The one we found was down by the Senior Center. The one we did not find was in the choo choo train behind Oryana. Several people have logged that they could not find that one. We'll give it another try later.
We stopped by the U&I on the off chance that the Greek Pirate travel bug was left there inadvertantly, and it was! We recovered the travel bug! Even more exciting than that is that one of the waitresses is going to Greece in 2 weeks and wants to take it there for us! So Dick will try to find a cacher in Greece who can pick it up from her and take it to the cache on top of the mountain where it's supposed to go. What are the odds that someone in TC would be going to Greece, and that the travel bug would find her??
We went to see Mother to do the trash and recycling. We took her some delicious pea soup. We didn't have a lot of news to share - but at least we touched base. She's trying hard to understand the iSight gizmo and being able to see Tom live on our computer - but for Mother it just doesn't compute. I can undertand that, because I'm boggled by it myself!
We went to town to find 2 new caches put out by M'lynn. We hit .500 for the day. The one we found was down by the Senior Center. The one we did not find was in the choo choo train behind Oryana. Several people have logged that they could not find that one. We'll give it another try later.
We stopped by the U&I on the off chance that the Greek Pirate travel bug was left there inadvertantly, and it was! We recovered the travel bug! Even more exciting than that is that one of the waitresses is going to Greece in 2 weeks and wants to take it there for us! So Dick will try to find a cacher in Greece who can pick it up from her and take it to the cache on top of the mountain where it's supposed to go. What are the odds that someone in TC would be going to Greece, and that the travel bug would find her??
We went to see Mother to do the trash and recycling. We took her some delicious pea soup. We didn't have a lot of news to share - but at least we touched base. She's trying hard to understand the iSight gizmo and being able to see Tom live on our computer - but for Mother it just doesn't compute. I can undertand that, because I'm boggled by it myself!
Saturday, January 08, 2005
The Lost Greek Pirate
We made pea soup with ham in our new crock pot. Cross your fingers.
We searched and searched, but we couldn't find the travel bug that wants to go to Greece. Dick was sure he had it after we left the U&I yesterday, but it wasn't in any pockets, in the car, or anywhere in the house. I guess in the total scheme of things, this is not a tragedy of any importance, but it's a little embarrassing to lose someone else's travel bug. (blush)
We did find two new caches - one at Clinch Park and one along the river behind the Post Office.
We came home to pea soup, which turned out to be the best pea soup we ever made. Hooray! The new crock pot is really nice.
We searched and searched, but we couldn't find the travel bug that wants to go to Greece. Dick was sure he had it after we left the U&I yesterday, but it wasn't in any pockets, in the car, or anywhere in the house. I guess in the total scheme of things, this is not a tragedy of any importance, but it's a little embarrassing to lose someone else's travel bug. (blush)
We did find two new caches - one at Clinch Park and one along the river behind the Post Office.
We came home to pea soup, which turned out to be the best pea soup we ever made. Hooray! The new crock pot is really nice.
Friday, January 07, 2005
Shopping Spree
We had quite a long list of things that need to be replaced, so we set out for Meijer - thinking that we could do one-stop shopping. I knew what kind of a crock pot I wanted, so we went there first - and they didn't have it. They had lots of crock pots, but not that particular one (5 qt. Rival Smart Pot). They didn't have the electric can opener we wanted either. We did get a steam iron and a clock radio and some groceries, and then we headed for the Post Office to mail bills.
Dick had picked up a Greek Pirate travel bug Tuesday in Gaylord at the Rainbow Trophy store. He wanted to take a picture of the travel bug with something Greek - so we went to the U&I for lunch, and Dick ordered a gyro. He propped the travel bug up next to the gyro and took its picture (geocachers are a little screwy).
After lunch we went to the Kitchen Collection at the Horizon Outlet Mall and were able to get the right crockpot and the right can opener. So now we are fully outfitted. Well...except for the new phone we want...but I think we're going to order that on the internet.
Mother seems comfortable with her new caretaker. She says Stacy is a good shopper, and that's very important to Mom.
Dick had picked up a Greek Pirate travel bug Tuesday in Gaylord at the Rainbow Trophy store. He wanted to take a picture of the travel bug with something Greek - so we went to the U&I for lunch, and Dick ordered a gyro. He propped the travel bug up next to the gyro and took its picture (geocachers are a little screwy).
After lunch we went to the Kitchen Collection at the Horizon Outlet Mall and were able to get the right crockpot and the right can opener. So now we are fully outfitted. Well...except for the new phone we want...but I think we're going to order that on the internet.
Mother seems comfortable with her new caretaker. She says Stacy is a good shopper, and that's very important to Mom.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
iSight
For Christmas, Tom gave us an iSight camera so we can communicate on the computer free. This is an amazing gizmo - I plugged it into the NEW LAPTOP and pushed a couple of keys, and there was Tom, sitting in his home in San Diego! It's like watching him on TV - you can see him clearly, hear him perfectly, and he can see and hear us. I don't know how often we will have a "tele-conference" like this, but the technology is great, and it was very exciting.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Integrity Individual Care
It turns out that Mother's new caregiver is only 23 years old, and yesterday was her first day on the job. I have mixed feelings about that...in a way I wish she were more experienced, but then she's young and flexible and not set in her ways, so Mom should be able to get her to do almost anything around the house. She made a couple of minor mistakes today (leaving lights on in the basement) but nothing that isn't correctable. She says she doesn't know how to do Mother's hair in rollers - so maybe we can keep Shannon on just to do the hair once a week!
After going to Mother's, I went shopping, put beef and carrot stew in the crock pot, and noticed that the lid was broken. So now I need a new crock pot. And a new iron. I see more shopping in my future.
Dick took down the outside lights except for the multi-colored ones on the tree we can see from the living room. Because they're too pretty to put away right now.
We've both logged a lot of computer time today - me at pogo.com, and Dick at geocaching.com. It's a good life.
After going to Mother's, I went shopping, put beef and carrot stew in the crock pot, and noticed that the lid was broken. So now I need a new crock pot. And a new iron. I see more shopping in my future.
Dick took down the outside lights except for the multi-colored ones on the tree we can see from the living room. Because they're too pretty to put away right now.
We've both logged a lot of computer time today - me at pogo.com, and Dick at geocaching.com. It's a good life.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Return of the GeoCaching King (RBS)
First of all, today we decided to update Mother's home care so that she would have reliable coverage. The way it is now, if the caregiver can't come, nobody comes and Mother is left alone and abandoned. (That may be a tad dramatic.) So tomorrow, we're going to try a new caregiver from a new company (Integrity Individual Care) and see how Mom likes it. Cross your fingers. This organization employs 22 caregivers, so that if one caregiver can't come, another will substitute. That would give us all a lot more peace of mind.
With that all arranged, we decided to go to Gaylord to find the caches that we had to forego when we were there on Dec. 2 because of the big storm. We hadn't been geocaching since our Florida weekend. We ate a late lunch (1:30) at the Sugar Bowl in downtown Gaylord, and then proceeded to find 5 caches right in Gaylord.
It was a memorable caching day because we were equipped with our new Basswood Bend pins for trading that Dick got for Christmas, our new Basswood Bend pencils, and our new Basswood Bend signature cards that Tom whipped up for us and put on a CD so we can have a never-ending supply.
The parking lot by the football field was a skating rink, but the main roads were clear and dry. My favorite find was at the Call of the Wild. What a clever cache! We almost gave up before finding it.
At Rainbow Trophy, Dick arranged for eb_ii to make us some metal signature items. He'll bring them to the Winter Convergence. Their parking lot was a sheet of ice, and Dick took a tumble. He only had a couple of minor abrasions on his hands, but I think he'll be feeling the after effects tomorrow!
Came home and made chili to eat while watching the National Championship Game between USC (ugh) and Oklahoma (ugher). While making the chili, I realized that it had been a long day, starting with a stressful morning making arrangements for Mother, some physical activity during the geo-caching, and a lot of hours logged in the car - but I didn't feel sick and I didn't feel tired. I'll tell you a secret. It really feels good to feel good. Hooray!
With that all arranged, we decided to go to Gaylord to find the caches that we had to forego when we were there on Dec. 2 because of the big storm. We hadn't been geocaching since our Florida weekend. We ate a late lunch (1:30) at the Sugar Bowl in downtown Gaylord, and then proceeded to find 5 caches right in Gaylord.
It was a memorable caching day because we were equipped with our new Basswood Bend pins for trading that Dick got for Christmas, our new Basswood Bend pencils, and our new Basswood Bend signature cards that Tom whipped up for us and put on a CD so we can have a never-ending supply.
The parking lot by the football field was a skating rink, but the main roads were clear and dry. My favorite find was at the Call of the Wild. What a clever cache! We almost gave up before finding it.
At Rainbow Trophy, Dick arranged for eb_ii to make us some metal signature items. He'll bring them to the Winter Convergence. Their parking lot was a sheet of ice, and Dick took a tumble. He only had a couple of minor abrasions on his hands, but I think he'll be feeling the after effects tomorrow!
Came home and made chili to eat while watching the National Championship Game between USC (ugh) and Oklahoma (ugher). While making the chili, I realized that it had been a long day, starting with a stressful morning making arrangements for Mother, some physical activity during the geo-caching, and a lot of hours logged in the car - but I didn't feel sick and I didn't feel tired. I'll tell you a secret. It really feels good to feel good. Hooray!
Monday, January 03, 2005
Oopsie
Dick worked at the Agency this morning, and before he left he asked me to fill out the forms for the $100 rebate for the Epson. In doing so, I discovered that we needed to include the proof of purchase from the boxes of both the Epson and the iBook - which we recycled yesterday. I spoke to Dick, and he stopped at the recycling center to check for the boxes, but the receptacle had been emptied. (Heavy sigh) We were just too darned efficient this time. The Computer Haus said they would try to help us get the rebate anyway - another item on our to-do list.
Sad news from Margo Reynolds Janke that Sherm passed away on December 22. ALS is such a horrible affliction - at the end he just couldn't breathe. We had such a great visit overnight visit from him when he was taking his "last road trip" about 18 months ago. He was a real kindred spirit regarding politics, education, the environment, and life in general. Sherm was the 3rd SLG husband to pass away - Mary's first husband Digger and Sandy N's husband Gene were the other two.
Today I packed up Christmas - ornaments (in the new ornament holder) and wrappings - and Dick took down the new faux tree. So everything is put away for next year. The outside lights are still glowing - I like them - they really brighten up our dark nights.
Sad news from Margo Reynolds Janke that Sherm passed away on December 22. ALS is such a horrible affliction - at the end he just couldn't breathe. We had such a great visit overnight visit from him when he was taking his "last road trip" about 18 months ago. He was a real kindred spirit regarding politics, education, the environment, and life in general. Sherm was the 3rd SLG husband to pass away - Mary's first husband Digger and Sandy N's husband Gene were the other two.
Today I packed up Christmas - ornaments (in the new ornament holder) and wrappings - and Dick took down the new faux tree. So everything is put away for next year. The outside lights are still glowing - I like them - they really brighten up our dark nights.
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Bye Bye Jana
Off to the airport (and the beautiful new terminal) at 6:45 a.m. We had an overnight ice storm, but it wasn't that bad - the roads were just a little crusty, not glazed.
We had a quiet and restful day (I napped for an hour and a half in the recliner while the Lions were losing).
We visited recycling with all of the cardboard from Christmas shipping and gift-giving.
Then we visited Mother to do the trash. She's fine.
We had a quiet and restful day (I napped for an hour and a half in the recliner while the Lions were losing).
We visited recycling with all of the cardboard from Christmas shipping and gift-giving.
Then we visited Mother to do the trash. She's fine.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
New Year's Day
I wanted to have a New Year's buffet instead of a dinner. So this morning I made meatballs, zucchini strips, and roasted carrots to have with ham. And I could also work on the laundry at long last because our dryer is now fixed! After our buffet, Jana and I went in to visit Mother; we took her some fabulous New Year's buffet leftovers. She is at the top of her form today. We had a really nice visit.
Tom called us from the Rose Bowl! He's there with Todd and Steve. He said that about 60% of the stadium is filled with Michigan fans. The game is ready to start now - Michigan vs. Texas. More later.
Well it was a spectacular football game - very exciting - lots of beautiful plays. We lost by one point on a field goal by Texas with 2 seconds on the clock. This from mgoblue.com:
Dusty Mangum's 37-yard field goal as time expired was the difference as No. 6 Texas edged the No. 13 Michigan football team 38-37 in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 1, in Pasadena, Calif. Several Wolverines had huge individual performances, as Chad Henne set a Rose Bowl record with four touchdown passes, including three to Braylon Edwards, who became the Big Ten's career leader in TD receptions. Steve Breaston added a 50-yard scoring grab among his 315 all-purpose yards for Michigan, which finishes with a 9-3 record.
Dick just told me that we have an ice storm predicted for tonight. Oh dear - Jana is supposed to fly home in the morning. Those forecasters are always wrong - I'm not really worried - yet.
Anyway, HAPPY 2005 !
Tom called us from the Rose Bowl! He's there with Todd and Steve. He said that about 60% of the stadium is filled with Michigan fans. The game is ready to start now - Michigan vs. Texas. More later.
Well it was a spectacular football game - very exciting - lots of beautiful plays. We lost by one point on a field goal by Texas with 2 seconds on the clock. This from mgoblue.com:
Dusty Mangum's 37-yard field goal as time expired was the difference as No. 6 Texas edged the No. 13 Michigan football team 38-37 in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 1, in Pasadena, Calif. Several Wolverines had huge individual performances, as Chad Henne set a Rose Bowl record with four touchdown passes, including three to Braylon Edwards, who became the Big Ten's career leader in TD receptions. Steve Breaston added a 50-yard scoring grab among his 315 all-purpose yards for Michigan, which finishes with a 9-3 record.
Dick just told me that we have an ice storm predicted for tonight. Oh dear - Jana is supposed to fly home in the morning. Those forecasters are always wrong - I'm not really worried - yet.
Anyway, HAPPY 2005 !
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