Sugar Bush

The annual Sugar Bush Pancake Dinner was on St. Patrick's Day this year. We got to James and Sheryl's around 11 a.m., and there were already many caching teams there. The final count at the end of the day was 42 teams in attendance - kind of hard to do an actual head count.

Dick grabbed some green food coloring at the last minute from the grocery store on the way over because he thought it would be fun to make a couple of green pancakes in honor of the day. The green pancakes turned out to be a big hit - who would have thought?

Things were very well organized and everything went smoothly. The only real glitch all day was that the circuits in the Township Hall couldn't handle all of the pancake griddles - but with the help of a generator it was accomplished.

Sheryl is a super event organizer - she had the cooking all figured out down to the last stick of butter. It was a beautiful day weather-wise - cold but with blue skies and warm sun - it was perfect.

The CacheHound and Mrs. Bend, Susie and Me, Dick and Dino

Rootedy-Toot

We left South Haven fairly early, picked up a couple of caches, and then made a bee line for home. I was thinking that after all of our travels over the past week that driving home might be old hat, since we've done it so many times. Not so! First of all, Michigan is scenic! We have forests, lakes, hills, trees, and snow - each beautiful in its own way. Secondly, it's comforting to see familiar signs and familiar places and it was very far from dull.

We stopped in Big Rapids for lunch at our favorite spot - Bennigans. You must try their mix and match appetizers!

I was born in Big Rapids in a nurse's home in 1936. We moved to T.C. when I was 5 years old. Then FSU was known as Ferris Institute (Rootedy-toot, rootedy-toot, We're the girls from the Institute!) It's surprising how much I remember about Big Rapids since I was so young. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime!

Got home, started the laundry, opened the mail, wrote thank you notes, paid bills - now THAT'S what is old hat!

Reflections:

1. The riverboat cruise on the Mississippi was the highlight for me.

2. I feel I could actually live in Arnold, Missouri - it's beautiful, rocky and hilly, clean, and complete with everything you might need. It's a suburb of St. Louis, and while St. Louis may not be a very choice city, it has great suburbs.

3. Tracking down your forefathers is fun, absorbing, educational, and rewarding.

Sunday

Today we drove through flat, boring Illinois, and then through flat, boring Indiana. We took a little side trip to see the Purdue campus in West LaFayette. I know it was Sunday morning, but we didn't see a single soul on the whole huge campus. I don't think that there's a time of day or night that you could drive through the Michigan campus and not see one person. It was a little bit spooky.

In northern Indiana they have lots of sandhill cranes - we don't know if they were migrating or if they live there all the time. A lot of the small towns have a crane as part of their logo.

We had lunch in Niles, glad to be back in Michigan, where we have hills, trees, forests, and scenery! Found 3 caches in that area.

The last time we stayed in South Haven, Clementine's was too busy and we didn't want to wait in line. Tonight, we only waited for 10 minutes, and we had a great dinner and a fun waitress. Left the restaurant feeling very very mellow.

We want to do a few caches in the morning and then head for home - we are both ready.

Dad's Birthplace

Crossed the Mississippi for the last time this morning and said goodby to Missouri. Hello Illinois! Illinois is a very bland State - flat and agricultural like so much of the land that we have seen. We're thinking this must all have been prairie before the western expansion - how boring for the Indians!


At Vandalia we saw the Madonna of the Prairie statue - very nice indeed - a Mom and small children facing the West with courage. Vandalia is the western terminus of The National Road established in 1806 by Thomas Jefferson. Vandalia also boasts the one-time capital building - It was the capital of Illinois from 1836 to 1839. Abe Lincoln got his law license here and also served in the legislature.



But the best adventure of the day was getting off the highway to find Arthur, Illinois where Dad was born. I expected a wide place in the road with an old broken down gas station and that's about it. What we found was a vibrant, colorful small town full of activity. The most interesting thing is that Arthur is the center of the Amish culture in Illinois. The Amish farms are everywhere, and buggies are going up and down the roads, and into town regularly. The town has special "parking places" for the horses and buggies - plenty of space for the horses to be under cover while they wait. There is a disadvantage to having so many horses around - think Mackinac Island. I can't help but wonder how they manage to clean it all up every day.

We knew that not all Kanitzes had moved to Michigan from here, so on the off chance that we might find a gravestone, we went to the Arthur cemetery. Dick spotted the first gravestone from the car - it turned out to be my great-grandparents, William (Wilhelm) and Caroline.

Altogether we found and photographed 6 or 7 Kanitz memorials - it was quite satisfying and exciting. I googled this:

ARTHUR.
This village was laid out in September, 1872, by M. H. Warren and William Kanitz. These gentlemen laid out twenty acres each, and donated half to the Paris and Decatur, now the Illinois Midland Railroad. The line dividing Moultrie and Douglas counties, ru ns north and south through the centre of the plat, and the railroad through from east to west. It was re-surveyed and platted September 1, 1873, by Abraham Jones, county surveyor, and filed in the office of county recorder September 2, 1873.

We found 2 Illinois caches today. Later on, we plan to go take a look at the campus of the University of Illinois - we're spending the night in Champaign.

Some You Find, Some You Don't

The Mastodon State Historical Site is located in Imperial, Missouri, which is just a hop, skip and a jump from our motel. We were there this morning before it opened - saw the slide show, felt the mastodon teeth, were amazed by the size of the sloth and admired the mastodon skeleton. Didn't find the cache, though.

Drove to downtown St. Louis to do some people watching along the riverfront. We parked in the Cathedral parking lot for visitors only and walked over to the Gateway Arch, and went in and found a good spot for people-watching.


Busloads of school children were there, and tourists from everywhere in the US and beyond. The lines for the north and south trams were jammed - we decided against going up. Besides, been there done that (in 1975!)


Stopped at Dylan's Sports Bar and Grille in Arnold, MO on the way back - because, well you can figure it out! The man there actually has relatives in T.C. (David Andrews III, whose wife is a schoolteacher and whose daughter Laura is a world class skater). His grandson is named Dylan - such a coinkydink.

Daniel Dunklin started the public schools in Missouri, and was the 5th governor. We found his gravesite in Herculaneum, and enjoyed the view of the Mississippi. We found that cache :)

At another little park we watched a gigantic coal barge making its way down Old Man River - a unique sight.

When I did the Kanitz family tree I learned that my great-grandparents arrived in this country in New Orleans, rode a boat up to St. Louis, and moved to Illinois. I checked in the phone book, and while there are 27 Steigers in this area, there's not one single Kanitz.

We're in Missouri, We're in Missouri

Drove today from Memphis to St. Louis through Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Eastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri are the same....flat and agricultural, with huge, huge pieces of farm equipment kicking up dust across the fields. As we got closer to St. Louis, the terrain changed gradually from rolling hills to really significant outcroppings of rock, and big hills. It was nice to have some real scenery again - with trees and vegetation.

After driving all day, Dick still had the energy to go find 8 caches in the area of our motel. We saw some nice places and some very sad places - vandalized and littered.

Here are his cache logs for today:

Found it 3/8/2007 You found Geocache (Traditional Cache)
We left Michigan a week ago seeking signs of spring and an escape from snow and single digit temperatures. this is our first Missouri cache after finds in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. A nice walk on a great sunny spring day. Signed the log, dropped a TB that wishes to visit old caches, in and out and left a stuffed toy.
Thanks for preserving an historical cache.

Found it 3/8/2007 You found Creek Bend (Traditional Cache)
On a caching/vacation trip and looking for old caches. Then this one is just a few hundred feet further, "Go for it". Signed the log, and left a geode.

Found it 3/8/2007 You found Pond Scum (Traditional Cache)
This was the third find in the Strawberry Creek area today. No deer or turkeys but did see a hawk scooping up a deer mouse appetizer. Yummy! Really enjoyed the walk on a perfect sunny spring day.
Signed the log and left a glass lady bug. Thanks for the hunt.

Found it 3/8/2007 You found Old Blue Eye (Traditional Cache)
I generally avoid micros in the woods but we were right across the street so ---
Signed the log about 4:00 and drove on to the next cache.

Found it 3/8/2007 You found Fishing for Cache (Traditional Cache)
We came back to this area planning on seeking a different cache nearby but we didn't like the looks of the place. Then we saw that this one was only 400 feet away. There is an apparently stolen bike just down the hill.
Signed the log and left a glass lady bug. TFTC

Found it 3/8/2007 You found Father's Day Cache (Traditional Cache)
This is a very picturesque area. We enjoyed our visit. Signed the log, left a lady bug.

Found it 3/8/2007 You found The Girl from Ipanema (Traditional Cache)
On a caching vacation down to Mississippi and back, we checked in to our motel room and saw this was 400 feet away. Quick grab, TFTC

Found it 3/8/2007 You found The Next Level (Traditional Cache)
We left Michigan a week ago in a blowing near blizzard storm with wind chills below zero. Our goal was to find spring, to drive south until we could see daffodils and could comfortably drive with our arms out the windows. We found caches in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. We found flowers in bloom and temperatures in the 70's. On our way home, we wished to add Missouri to our state list and this cache jumped out at us as being an interesting one. Wow! What an understatement!
It was a little confusing trying to determine what to do but the hint saved the day. Some what timidly, the cache was opened. Signed the log, took a TB and left a stuffed toy.
Thanks for this most memorable cache

Flat, Flat, Flat

Found 5 caches in Arkansas today. They seem to like the wet cache in the light pole the best. Oh well.

Poor Eastern Arkansas is not the most lovely region I've ever seen. It's flat, flat, flat. It's really just a flood plain for the Mississippi for miles and miles. They grow rice, cotton, and soy beans that we know of. It's 90% junky looking with only 10% nice looking homes. Sorry, Arkansas.

We drove on a loose gravel road on the top of a levee for several miles in search of a cache that we could not find. When we turned off the levee, we went across a stone bridge - we thought it had a dead animal along one side, but it turned out to be two dogs curled up together and sleeping on the warm stone.

The temp. got up to 73 and it felt like summer -nice breezes all day.

We met a man whose house had been destroyed a year ago by a tornado - he owns 4,000 acres and grows mostly rice. He owns all kinds of huge farm equipment. We were parked at the farm cache of his son when he pulled up in his pickup and said "Didja find it?" He loves to travel and loves to talk. This man lost his home, his workshop, and many pieces of equipment, but he was very cheerful. He said his brother was just elected to the Arkansas legislature as a representative. He invited us to have a ham sandwich, but we said we had more caches to find. His name was Charlie Brown, I kid you not.

We did like the city of Marion - it seemed more like a real place - a county seat with a nice residential area - but even Marion has a major highway through the town - such bad planning. We ate lunch at Big John's and talked to the waitress - she has family in Greenville.

A Full Day

This is the home of Team Sprout just across the State line from Memphis, in Mississippi.


Here is 3 year old Danger Ranger, a part of Team Sprout.

It began in Mississippi at 8:30 in the morning, where we had located a promising cache which was close-by the State line and which would be our Mississippi cache. It was in the front yard of the cache owner, in a beautiful new subdivision. We met the owner, Team Sprout, who came out to take his son Bony Maloney to school along with his 3 year old, the Danger Ranger. It turns out that Sprout had lived in Ann Arbor for 10 years and I think he was kind of happy to see Dick's M hat. We left a travel bug there - one which wanted to reach Mississippi - and we were glad to help it reach its goal. This is a log by Team Sprout that I found online this evening:

Cache Logs
March 6 by Team Sprout (511 found)
This morning Danger Ranger and I were inspired to hit the caching trail after running into a caching couple from our home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Team Sprout was in our usual rush out the door to get to work and school when I noticed a small SUV parked in front of our house. I didn't think much of it at first - but then I noticed it had all the tell-tale signs of being owned by a geocacher. It had out of state plates, a "GEO" country code sticker on back, and a Magellan Explorist plainly visible on the dash.
Of course I had to stop and introduce myself. I immediately noticed they were wearing U of M wear (That's University of MICHIGAN - not Memphis or Mississippi) and after a brief conversation to say hello found out that the couple was from from my old stomping grounds up North. They were hunting my Chateau Shinault cache so they could cross Mississippi off of their "states cached" list. Anyway, to make a long story short, they got me motivated go after some of the puzzle caches I've solved but not yet found.

Altogether today in Mississippi and Tennessee Dick and I found a grand total of 9 caches - mostly urban micros, but still unique.

Back in Memphis, we had lunch at Perkins. This is where I finally learned how to order the kind of iced tea I want - you don't say sugar-free, or no sugar please, or unsweetened tea. You ask for unsweet tea.

Then we set out to explore Memphis and check out where the riverboat tour was, etc. Stopped at McDonald's for Dick's decaf and had to wait for them to brew it. When the coffee was brought out to the car, we were given a free apple pie for having to wait. That has never happened before!

We drove through some of the less tasty sections of Memphis but found downtown with no trouble. Arrived at the riverboat place at 1 p.m. and since the tour started at 2:30 we decided to do it today. While we waited, we went over to the Memphis Welcome Center - big and beautiful. It's actually called the Elvis Presley and B.B. King Welcome Center and it boasts large statues of both men. We wanted to find the Welcome to Memphis cache, but two workers (who were definitely non-working the whole time we were there) were lounging around right where the cache would be. We tried to out-wait them, but we failed. So off we went to the riverboat ride.


It was the shortest hour and a half on record. I loved every second of it. The narrator was terrific. His explanations were clear, interesting, and understandable. His most dramatic story was the tragic sinking of the Sultana at the end of the Civil War. The name of our boat was the Memphis Queen and it was a little down-at-heel but it was comfortable and had easy access and a nice bathroom. The older I get the more important these things are!

When I was in junior high I used to enter competitions where we would recite poetry. One of the poems I learned and recited back then was Jim Bludso. I couldn't help remembering bits of it as we toured the Mighty Mississippi.

Tonight we had ribs at the Pig'n'Whistle in Bartlett. We had our choice of dry, wet, or muddy. Muddy turns out to be a combination of both wet and dry, which is the way Dick does them at home.

Things that are blooming here:
daffodils
pansies
forsythia
magnolias
some blossoming trees
dandelions

Observations

Travelled today from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Memphis, Tennessee. It was a beautiful, sunshiny, clear day - a perfect day for a road trip.

Things we don't have in T.C.:
1. Piggly Wiggly

2. Jack-in-the-Box (There used to be one on Washtenaw in Ypsilanti during the 60s)

3. Rock extrusions

4. Kudzu

5. Tractor-trailers by the dozens on every stretch of highway in both directions.

6. Civil War Battlefields (Shiloh, Fort Pillow, Parker's Crossroads)and:

7. Kroger's with Kroger Gas Station out in front. (When we were kids, there was a Kroger's in T.C., but we've never even heard of a gas station out in front of a Kroger store like they have at Meijer or Sam's Club)

8. Things named Hatchie. Today in Tennessee we went by the Hatchie River and the Loosahatchie River. In Florida we've seen the Loxahatchie Wildlife Refuge. Texas and California each have a city named Waxahachie, but we don't have hatchies or hachies in Michigan.

9. A cache hidden in Civil War earthworks. (Fort Webb, Bowling Green) Dick's log for Deserted Webb:

We were excited at the prospect of touring some Civil War sites, we hoped that we would be able to find a map or directions for a motor tour but were disappointed. It was interesting however walking the small site and reading the signs. Thanks for helping us find it. We picked up a TB and left a stuffed toy.

10. At 12:30 p.m. on March 5 it was 60 degrees F, and there were daffodils alongside the highway. We actually have found SPRING!!!!!

11. Sam at the Comfort Inn in Bowling Green (home of Western Kentucky University) calls daffodils "March flags".

12. Favorite bumper sticker of the day: Wag More, Bark Less

Vette Ville

Leaving Michigan today. we were impressed with the Indiana Toll Road. Several times we saw signs that said "Animal present when flashing":. OK, we figured out that the mini-towers had solar powered motion detectors on them so that if deer were about to cross the highway, you would get a warning. It was a very elaborate, extensive set-up, so they must have a significant deer problem.. We did see one deer browsing in a field.

We picked up an Indiana cache in a cemetery south of Anderson. Along I-65 we saw signs that said "Alert when flashing". What about when it's not flashing? Is that when it's OK to daydream? And alert for what, exactly.... When we entered Kentucky the snow disappeared. They claim to have had some, but there's no evidence.

Both Indiana and Kentucky have a preponderence of museums, flea markets, and scrapbooking stores. Especially museums. Several of the museums are Corvette museums - along the way down I-65 I think we saw five Corvette museums. The grand-daddy of them all is here in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This one claims to be the National Corvette Museum The others must be just lame wannabes. GM must be proud.

Our AAA trip-tik has a special notification on the map near Bowling Green - it says that State Police surveillance is increased in this area because of several recent fatal accidents. Are they implying that we should be worried about the surveillance, or about the fatal accidents.....hmmm.. There are so many 18 wheelers on the road here that it's easy to see why there may be many accidents. They are sometimes quite intimidating - to me at least.

In Bowling Green Subie got a much needed car wash, and we found a cache at (where else?) the National Corvette museum. In the parking lot we ran into a young local cacher. We forgot to get his name. He hadn't been able to find the cache, but after he left Dick found it in about 10 minutes. Hooray.
There's a road sign near our motel that points the way to Louisville, Nashville, and Scottsville. Many, many 'Villes and not one Burg.

Dinner was at Toot's, which turned out to be a sports bar. .. a loud sports bar. The people weren't loud, but the TV volume sure was. They had a sign on the door that said " The quiet place is across the street." The waitresses were cute, friendly, and Southern. Another sign on the door said "Members and non-Members only."

Off to See the Wizard

Our trip south has been in the planning stages for 10 days now. We've
been packed and ready for 3 days! At first we were delayed because Dick
caught a horrendous cold, and felt too sick to hit the road. When he
was feeling better, Mother Nature put in her two cents, and sent some
really nasty weather our way - not really good driving conditions! When
the weather improved, then I came down with Dick's cold, so we were delayed another day.

Finally today, we're off and running! Our plan is to go to Memphis for two or
three days, and then head up to St. Louis for another couple of days,
and then take back roads home. Our real aim is to do caching in
Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi,
Arkansas, and Missouri. The REAL aim is to eventually find a cache in
every State of the Union. In Memphis we also want to have ribs at the
Rendezvous (if we can find it again), and maybe do a steamboat ride on
the Mississippi.

When we left today the roads were snow covered. The highway was like a two track in the snow. The snow fell steadily and created a kind of "snog" - a snowy condition that resembled fog. It was like that all the way down to Three Rivers, where we stopped for the night. We did some caching in the area -Sturgis, Nottawa, Centreville, etc. At one point the highway sign said Underground Railroad Memorial Highway We had no idea it was there.

It's Amish country around Three Rivers. We passed three or four buggies during the afternoon. We couldn't positively identify Amish homes, but we could tell there was heavy horse and buggy traffic by the number of road apples decorating the shoulders of the road. The stereotype of the Amish is that they are good people and wonderful neighbors, but they do make things more difficult for joggers and dog walkers along the road!

Here is Dick's log for the covered bridge cache we did today:

Found it 3/3/2007 You found Covered Bridge Cache (Traditional Cache)
We are on a trip south to find spring and we found heavy snow
warnings with blowing and drifting. We wanted a cache that was not a Micro in a parking lot and this was just the ticket. Found it today a little after 3, just after checking in to the motel. Nice area, with the snow and wind we had the park to ourselves.
Took a winter candle, it seemed appropriate, and left a stuffed toy, a couple of match box cars, a pencil sharpener and a glue stick. We loved the bridge and we did honk but with the heater cranked up we could barely hear it. Thanks for the adventure.

Dinner tonight at The Oasis was another adventure. First of all, we waited with others to be seated, and we felt right at home (!) with the Nascar and Harley jackets, the 48 hat and the cap from The Anderson's of Maumee. After we were seated, the booth behind Dick filled up with two couples, one Mennonite couple with the wife wearing her crisply starched cap and the husband with a full Amish-type beard. The other couple was a typical farm couple - not Mennonite. I thought that maybe the two couples were neighbors.

It snowed relentlessly the whole time we were there - I think we got at least an inch during dinner.

The Basswood Eagle

Today we were sitting in the computer room, when suddenly, out of the
window Dick saw a huge eagle land in one of our basswood trees. The eagle was
busy fishing the river - watching the fishing hole very carefully. He
took off and went up the river, but then he turned around and landed in
the same tree.

He was big and beautiful - an awesome sight - up close
and personal :)

Kraut Babies

Tim and Susie's cabin on the Manistee was our destination today. We learned how to make kraut babies - no kidding!

You take thawed out bread dough and roll it out and cut it into
triangles or rectangles - it really doesn't matter. Then you load the
cut-outs with cooked hamburger meat, sauerkraut, cheese, and
seasonings, pull the dough over all and bake for approx. 20 - 25
minutes. Yum! Serve withmustards and a big salad.

Tim did all of the rolling and cutting, Susie was in charge of the meat and the
terrific salad, and Dick and I filled 'em up and stuck in the
toothpicks.

We stayed for about 4 hours, assembling, baking, eating, and drinking cherry wine. It was a delightful afternoon. Thanks Tim and Susie.

Obituary For Mom - 1908-2007

Mother's nurse at Bortz called at 10:30 p.m. last night to report that Mother had passed away peacefully. We had been with her all afternoon, and then I called to check on her at 9:30 p.m. and at that time the report was that she was breathing shallowly.
This is the obituary that will appear in the Record-Eagle:

Marian Geib Kanitz passed away on February 17 at Bortz Health Care at the age of 98. She lived to an advanced age with grace, dignity, intelligence and independence.

She was born September 8, 1908 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of Fred Peter and Mary Blanche Rice Geib. Marian graduated from Grand Rapids South High School in 1926 and the University of Michigan in 1930. She was recently honored for the 75th anniversary of her membership in Alpha Xi Delta sorority. For one year after graduation she taught physical education in Grand Rapids.

On June 27, 1931 she married Tharel T. (Dutch) Kanitz, and they were wed for 68 years when he passed away in 1999. Dutch and Marian lived in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and Big Rapids, Michigan before moving to Traverse City in 1941.

In the 1940s and 1950s, she was an active volunteer for the American Red Cross. She also administered Civil Service tests, and substituted in the First Congregational Church office. Marian was a salesclerk for over 25 years at the J.W. Milliken department store in downtown Traverse City until her retirement in 1970.

For four decades, she and Dutch went to University of Michigan home football games in Ann Arbor, and she maintained her interest in sports into her nineties. She was a member of the First Congregational Church, Munson Medical Center Auxiliary, the Ahgosa Dance Club, and many bridge clubs. After retirement, she became an active volunteer in the First Congregational Church Thrift Shop, and the Munson Medical Center Gift Shop. She enjoyed walking to her volunteer positions from her home in the Central neighborhood, where she lived in the same house for 53 years.

Marian was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Tharel (Dutch) Kanitz, three siblings in infancy, and two sisters, Katherine Geib Block and Dorothy Geib Marvin.

She is survived by her brother Frederick (Ruth) Geib of Traverse City, and sister Eleanor Geib Ross of San Diego, her son James (Emilie) Kanitz of Saginaw, her daughter Nancy (Richard) Steiger of Traverse City, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff at both Concord Place and Bortz Health Care for their compassionate and thoughtful care of Mother over the past two years.

Marian has requested that no memorial services be held. Cremation has taken place, and interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery with graveside services at a later date. Memorial donations may be directed to the First Congregational Church, 6105 Center Road, Traverse City.

Irony

We enjoyed our workout at Vital Step this morning. There are so many nice folks there working out alongside you - sharing stories and talking about the weather. Most of them are there because of some kind of past injury or heart problem, and most of them are in their sixties and seventies. They come to stay flexible and strong, and to get their hearts beating.

In the afternoon, we went to the hospital where my Aunt Ruth (age 89) is on oxygen and morphine, and appears to be at the end of her life. She is totally unaware and unresponsive.

After that visit, we went to Bortz where Mother (age 98) is on oxygen and appears to be at the end of her life. Mom is weaker and less responsive than I have seen her for the past two weeks.

These two lovely ladies are both in such a sad condition that one can only hope that they don't linger long. Neither one of them during their lives would have wanted things to end this way - to be totally dependent upon others for everything.

Is this what lies ahead for all of the kind folks at Vital Step, including us? Are we all strengthening our bodies and hearts so that we can lie longer in a nursing home bed unaware of our surroundings? How ironic.

Winter Social

We had a wonderful trip - we enjoyed every minute. The weather was bitterly cold, but we had so much fun it didn't matter. The Event was in Eureka, but we all stayed in DeWitt because Eureka is kind of a non-place, although the Hall was perfect.

We even managed to find 4 caches despite the cold. The Event on Saturday was super special. Here is Dick's log:

2/10/2007 You attended MiGO Winter Social 2007 "5th anniversary" (Event Cache)

Since this was our first trip in more than six months, we knew we'd enjoy ourselves, but this event surpassed our expectations. Our event started the night before when we were warmly greeted by Sandrich and CoyChev as we pulled into the motel parking lot. The last time I saw something as large as the new CoyChev-mobile wiggle its ears was in a Walt Disney movie. They were on their way to Eureka to join the other volunteers in setting up the hall. You can get a feel for cachers through their profile, their finds and hides, their "age" and forum posts, but as we have matured in "the game" we recognize that most of what keeps us going and growing happens behind the scenes with little public awareness. We are deeply grateful to all of you who hustle and bustle around out of our sight keeping the rest of us happy.
Arriving at the hall on Saturday, we were signed in by the LightPeople and then directed to Aardvark and Soggy Boots to check in our auction items. All this time, S&B and the other busy beavers were putting the finishing touches on the hall. We are deeply grateful for all of you and your efforts.
Thanks also to Banjo Jim, Slewfoot, Fiddlefingers and Retro J for their contributions to the excellence of the event. You certainly do play our kind of music.
We don't want to leave the regional VP's off out kudos list. Thanks to Sleepy, Victory and 333 for your efforts and reports. We'd like to thank also, those who contributed to the auctions and those who bid. We know that the money will empower the BoD to continue building a vibrant organization. A special thanks to those who bid on our items, we are looking forward to the excursions as much as you are.
Congratulations to the coin recipients, Trashcan, Cache Hound, Max B, Radman, Cyclops and S&B. We're glad that we had a chance to chat with all of you. Your honor is well deserved. Finds are nice but more important is the honor and respect of your peers.
Finally, to those friends new and old that we had a chance to chat and laugh with, thanks for being there. The day would not have been the same without you. To those who attended and we missed greeting, we look forward to the next time. We know that cachers that we haven't met are friends we haven't made yet. To the long list of folks that we had hoped to see but who were unable to attend, we missed you and hope to see you at an event in the future.

Susie is helping me decide what to bid for. I won the scrapbooking basket!


Here we are - enjoying every minute!

On the Road Again!

Spent an hour and a half with Mother first before we left for the Winter Social. Mother is pretty much the same. Four aides came in while I was there. One of them said to Mother, "How are you doing?" Her response was "Not".

This geocaching event is giving us the chance for our first road trip since my injury in July. The therapist told me that I shouldn't sit longer than 2 hours without walking around a bit. That turned out to be no problem at all. We had lunch at "real mashed potatoes" in Cadillac, and dinner at The Wheel Inn in St. Louis. Real American Food (read bland) at both places.

We found one cache this afternoon, and then decided that it's just way too cold to go caching. We're leaving it to the younger set.

Hooray for Brothers and Fudgsicles!

Took Subie the Subaru to Jerry (Trashcan) for refurbishing so we'll be ready for our trip to the Winter Social this weekend. I stopped off first to visit Mother.

She's officially on palliative care (comfort care) which means no trips to the hospital and no heroic treatments or equipment. They've taken her off most of her meds, which has resulted in a limited return of appetite - the meds were making her sick!

Today while I was there she ate 3 fudgsicles - the perfect food - she can eat it herself, it doesn't have to be cut up, and it's tasty.

My brother came up from Saginaw on Tuesday, and he's coming up again on Saturday so that we can go to the Winter Social with a clear conscience. Hooray for Brothers!

The Son from Saginaw

First we had Vital Step, and then we went to Bortz to meet Jim, who drove up from Saginaw today.

It was splendid timing, because while we were all there, the nurse practitioner came in and officially explained how Bortz handles "comfort care". She talked to Mother, and to all of us and it was very helpful and educational for everyone. She's taking Mother off of most of her meds, but leaving the oxygen on because that helps to make her more comfortable. Mother is now officially on palliative care only.

Jim and I went over some financial details - I handed over the tax documents to him - yaaaaaay!

The three of us went out to lunch, which was most enjoyable. We went to South City Limits - and Jim and I had meat loaf - it's genetic! We were so glad he came.

Sad Super Sunday

Today Mother was very weak - unable to eat or drink anything, and barely able to talk. She lays very still and quiet in her bed - there's no complaining or moaning and groaning or anything like that - just silence. She spoke less than 2 dozen words the whole time I was there today. Her longest sentence was "Why do I have to be so sick?"

We take comfort in the fact that the Bortz staff is very upbeat, thoughtful, and considerate. They are taking very good care of Mom. I think that basically Mother is living her worst nightmare - being totally dependent on others. It's a very helpless feeling for me - all I can really do is just be there for her - and she keeps telling me to go home!

Dick made great chili - in fact it was Super Bowl Chili. We're rooting for Chicago.
P.S. Our support didn't help the Bears - it was probably a jinx!

Queen of the Snow

First you take bushels and bushels of light, fluffy snow. Then add gusty winds for lots of blowing and drifting. Temperatures in the single digits add to the general ambiance. This is definitely our week of winter. It's quite beautiful really. I feel a little like the Snow Queen of Narnia.

Visited Mom at Bortz while Dick went shopping at Sam's Club and Meijer. He bought lots of groceries plus 10 fifty pound bags of salt for the water softener. He got the ingredients for our Super Bowl chili tomorrow. When Dick got back to Bortz, we went out to lunch at La Senorita and had yummy quesadillas.

Mother seems about the same today as yesterday. By late afternoon though, her voice was a mere whisper - very weak indeed. She's still not eating or drinking.

When Dick came to pick me up around 4, we went for a little ride around town and then headed home through the whiteness of the bushels and bushels of snow.

Very Still, Very Pale

The day began with successful questing on WoW. At 6 a.m. I started working on the Sea Lion quest which involves joining the Pendant of Aquatic Endurance from the ocean near Silverpine Forest with the Pendant of Aquatic Agility from Sludge Fen. (You can google it if you're confused.) Ta Da !

We planned the day - at 10 a.m. a haircut for me at BoTangles while Dick went to Jiffy Lube. Then we planned to stop in at Bortz to say hi before running a couple of errands, and then have lunch at La Senorita.

When we entered Mom's room we were shocked to see her in bed lying very still, looking very pale, and on oxygen. She wasn't able to tell us what was wrong - when asked "How are you?" she just said, "Not very good". It was especially shocking to me because since I've known Mother, she has never spent a day in bed outside of a hospital.

Dick went off to run the errands and I sat down by Mother and tried to figure out what was wrong. Right away the head nurse for Mom's unit, Denise, came in to update me. They think that Mother experienced a myocardial infarction sometime around 9 or 9:30. She had chest pains and was having trouble breathing. Dr. Jackson was called in, and he gave her nitro under the tongue, and ordered the oxygen.

Since we were not home when they tried to contact us, Denise called Jim. She said she felt she had to notify someone in the family. I called Saginaw and Emilie said that Jim was on the road on his way to T.C. Since we were having a very snowy day with 8 inches predicted, I told her it was a good idea for her to call Jim and have him turn around since Mother seemed stable and was comfortable and was not alone and also because it was a bad travel day weatherwise. Jim called from Freeland and I explained the situation. He had a chance to talk to Mom and she told him there was nothing he could do - so he turned around and went back home.

Dick brought me iced tea and lunch, and I elected to stay by Mother, so he went home.
While I was with her she would rouse about once or twice an hour, say a few words and then go back to sleep. I think there were about 9 or 10 different people who came in to see how she was doing, and if there was anything she needed. She didn't eat all day, and took about 4 sips of water the whole time I was there.

The Stool Scoot

Day 2 of Vital Step went really well. Dick and I both have trouble with the elliptical trainer - we'll see how much progress we can make! One of Dick's hardest assignments is the stool scoot. (Explanations available upon request!) My hardest is still the leg lifts - my left leg is still noticeably weak, but it has to be improving, right? I've been in therapy since Nov. 1 .... so it has to be better than before!

This morning we got my bowl of oatmeal at the Hard Luck Cafe. It was perfect! Really really hot and yummy.

Vital Step

Hooray - this is the first morning of our gym time at MCHC with Ron. Everything went really well - we both got a good workout, and we enjoyed the staff and the other participants. I think this program is going to work out (pun intended) well for us. Afterwards we went out to breakfast at the Omelette Shoppe.

Stopped in at Bortz on the way home to say hi to Mom.

Moving Out

Today we moved Mother's personal items out of her room at Concord Place. We packed clothes in her suitcase and in a plastic bin, borrowed a cart and wheeled her clothes on hangers over to Bortz. We left some seasonal items in the closet so that Concord can use them in the future. The chairside table that was hers, we brought home to replace the one that Phil Neupert made for us back in the sixties.

After we arrived in Mom's room with all of her clothing, a really officious nurse showed up. The first thing she said that bothered me was "Oh I'm so glad to see someone here - I was beginning to think she didn't have anybody." Then she told us Mom couldn't have the Tylenol in her room because the facility doesn't allow self-medication. (OK, I can see why that's necessary.) Next she went on a long discourse about the patients not being allowed to have sharp objects or weapons or anything that could be used to attack somebody, such as scissors (and, I assume, nail clippers!). That part of the speech seemed especially unnecessary to me. Finally she informed us that Mom's name had to be in all of the clothing, even the socks so that the laundry wouldn't get the things mixed up. Originally we were told that the laundry staff would mark all of the clothing. Nevertheless, I put Mom's name on everything right there on the spot - and it wasn't so bad - it only took me 25 minutes.

Goodbye Concord Place.

Overnight

Anyone who turns on their radio in the middle of the night and hears part of the Coast to Coast AM Radio Program will appreciate the humor of the following song by UFO Phil:

click here

I think it's a hoot!

We're All Done With Therapy

When I say all, I mean both Mother and I are finished with therapy.

Dick and I went at 8:15 for my last session, and then went out to breakfast at Bob Evans. I had some yummy piping hot, nutritious oatmeal (that's what the menu called it). Then we went home - Dick's goal was to make soup, my goal was to finish the laundry.

Neighbor Shirley called to say that the church lady had visited Mother and reported that Mother couldn't eat or drink anything and that maybe I should check into that. It's true that I hadn't visited Mom when Sniders were here. I was glad that Shirley called to alert me.

I went to Bortz to "check into" things. I spoke to the nurse's aide, the head nurse, the nurse practitioner, the social worker, the therapist, the lunch lady, and the lady who cleans up. They all spoke to Mother, and we all concluded that she does not want to continue therapy, and she does not want to return to Concord Place in her current condition. She can be very outspoken at times, and doesn't hesitate to state her desires.

I discharged Mother from physical therapy, which is required by Medicare. This means that Medicare will no longer help pay for the nursing home charges, and she will be a private-pay patient.

She's been sick for the past week - and she can't keep anything down, food nor water, except for a 1/2 cup of chicken broth Wednesday. She feels ill and very weak. Believe it or not, the therapy staff was still taking her downstairs to do what exercises she can - in my opinion, she really can't benefit that much for all of the stress and discomfort it causes her.

Besides the inability to eat and drink much, she has a "pleural effusion", which means fluid around the heart. Her blood tests show that she has had a minor heart attack at some time recently because there are heart enzymes in her blood stream and the tests show evidence of the beginning of congenital heart failure. She has no memory of anything that she would have regarded as a heart attack, though. She remains mentally alert and able to express her preferences and opinions, sometimes vehemently. She wants to stay at Bortz and to stop going to therapy.

The nursing staff has adjusted some of her meds, and they all think that she'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Next week Dick and I will start Vital Step at the MCHC gym - we're really looking forward to it.

Movies! Popcorn!

I had therapy at 7:30 a.m. and Dick had a meeting at the Agency at 9:00 a.m. We were all back together for lunch here, and we read, watched TV and gossiped!

Jan and I went to see Night in the Museum, and we really enjoyed it. It's a great movie for kids (for everyone, really) - excitement, adventure, history, humor, and villainy. Jan and I wondered who cleaned up all of the mess in the museum before opening every day - except the last day, it didn't seem to be cleaned up. I guess if you go along with the fantasy (T. Rex fetching a bone, etc) then you can go along with magical clean-up. Ben Stiller is fun to watch, and Dick vanDyke still has it. Mickey Rooney was enjoyable too.

We met Dick and Bill at the Mongolian Barbecue for dinner and it was all very mellow.

Sniders are Coming!

Bill and Jan got here around 11:30 a.m., and it was great to see them. We were very laid back and just enjoyed reminiscing and gossiping for hours. For dinner, Dick grilled steaks and baked potatoes outside even though the weather is bone-chilling.

They are expecting one new grandbaby in March (Eric and Tammy). Her name will be Emily Grace. Another new grandbaby will arrive sometime in July (Reiko and Bob). That will give them a grandbaby total of SIX !!

We watched Heroes, but we missed Ugly Betty :)

Convergence

Dick went over to the Convergence site around 10 or 11 a.m. - I stayed home by the fire! When the chili was hot, and the food was set out, he came home to get me (it's only 5 miles away). There must have been 50 people there when I came - there was a long line for French fries! Dick roasted hot dogs for us, and it was a hoot. We were dressed so warmly that the day didn't even seem cold (especially near the roaring fire!)

It was great seeing everybody and catching up on their latest adventures. Watching Heather and Kimberly roast marshmallows was the best part, though. Those girls are experts!

In Good Hands

It snowed and snowed and snowed - about 6 new inches of snow on the ground this morning. Dick got outside really early and used the snowblower on the driveway so that we could get an early start because I was due at therapy at 7:30 a.m.

After therapy we were off to Bortz to "supervise" mother's trip to the dentist. I wanted to be there to calm her down a bit because she was a little agitated about leaving the building and traveling around in the snow. While we were waiting to go, Betsy from Concord dropped in to see how Mom is doing.

Bortz provides a driver and a van; the driver, Kathy, is also in charge of transferring Mother from van to wheelchair, pushing the wheelchair, etc. Wanda, one of the aides, went over to Concord and brought back Mom's boots and some more clothes from her closet over there. Wanda is very thoughtful, cheerful, willing, helpful, and respectful. Mother likes her a lot and appreciates her help.

The trip went well - it was uneventful, really, and effortless on our part. The dentist made 5 or 6 adjustments to Mom's partial - I felt vindicated - no wonder I couldn't get it to fit in her mouth! We stopped on the way home to get some batteries for her remote control.

When she was back in her room, 3 different staff members stopped by to see how she was doing. That is very reassuring to me. The remote worked fine with new batteries, so now she's back in business.

I realized afterwards that the Bortz staff really is capable of transporting her to where ever she might need to go in the future. It's a wonderful feeling to know that she's in such good hands should we happen to be out of town in an emergency.

We ran a couple of errands and then had a delightful lunch at Amical. We sat right by the fireplace - so warm and cozy.

Talked to Laurie this afternoon - they're coming for the weekend to talk to their builder, Sean McCardel, whose project is called Verndale of East Bay. Could this mean that they're really, really going to move here? Stay tuned!

Bragging

Dick went to the Agency this morning, and did an exhausting amount of work. The major part of it was helping a lady with a medicaid application - it took them 2 hours!

I had a 9:30 appointment with Dr. Burke - just a routine 3 month checkup. Holy cow! Dr. Burke said he was thrilled with my progress! Now, that's a first. My blood test numbers were so good that he cut my medication again. It's a very good feeling, and it's a novelty to feel optimistic about the future.

After the appointment I went to Tom's 14th, walked around the entire store, and was not exhausted at the end of it. Pardon me for bragging.

Dick began downloading World of Warcraft on his computer so that he can join us in the family fun.

Very Relaxing

NFL playoff games, reading the Sunday paper, playing computer games, visiting Mother, KFC for dinner - an ordinary day.

WoW

The family had a date for noontime to play together on our new computer game that Tom got us all for Christmas (World of Warcraft). It was a ton of fun. We teamed up, and it enabled me to complete several quests that I would never have been able to complete by myself. Jana was very solicitous, staying by my side the whole time and looking out for me.

I'm not sure how long they played - I lasted for 2 1/2 hours, and they were still going strong. It's wonderful to have TeamSpeak - it's much more efficient to be able to just talk to each other rather than typing back and forth.

The funniest event was Laurie saying "OK, I'm going for a walk around the neighborhood, so you guys are babysitting Dylan." It was fun being the babysitter, even from 2,000 miles away!

J & E

I had to make a quick visit to the Clinic to get a blood test, so we made an outing of it. Afterwards, we went to the Omelette Shoppe for breakfast. Then we did some minor cache maintenance, and went home.

Jim and Emilie drove up from Saginaw today to visit Mother in her new location. They came out to the river afterwards for debriefing, coffee, and cookies. They were pleased with her situation, and reported that they had a good visit.

Outsurgents

It appears that W plans to send 20,000+ more soldiers to Iraq. He's not calling it an escalation though - he's calling it a surge. Anbar Province and Baghdad are the most dangerous places in the whole country, so that's where the surging new troops will most likely be going. Those places are teeming with insurgents, and so I'm calling the new troops the outsurgents.

Here's an excerpt from an interesting article by Nicholas von Hoffman in The Nation, entitled Tax the Rich, End the War:

The Democrats can tax our way out of the war. This would be a Victory Over Terror tax to be levied on incomes of $5 million a year or more. It should be a surcharge of 20 percent over and above what people in that rarified income bracket are already paying. It should be levied on all income, regardless of what form it takes, so it would include stock options, jet plane rides, company-paid-for health and life insurance, retirement programs, golden parachutes, the use of apartments in Paris, cars and drivers.

The people in this stratospheric income category have enjoyed the big tax cuts that have gone into effect while the nation has been attacked and been at war. Individuals making $1.25 million a year have gotten tax cuts of almost 20 percent, but many of these would be spared paying the Victory Over Terror tax, which only cuts in at the $5 million level.

Needless to say, those paying this tax do not represent the Democrats' voter base. As these things go, this is politically pain-free. The tax is aimed at war profiteers, overpaid CEOs and grossly fat cats in general, most of whom carry a lot of weight at the White House. If there is any group of people in the world whom George Bush listens to, it is this bunch of billionaires. Call this a backdoor use of the power of the purse. And since the surcharge expires when the war on terror is won or declared over, those taxed will have a powerful incentive to tell the President it is time to get a move on.

Therapy was at 7:30 this morning - there were lots of people there - I was surprised. Kari says that next week we'll be adding weights. Oh dear.

Today I became durable power of attorney for Mother. We waited and waited for the lawyer to turn up - she was half an hour late. All was forgiven when she arrived though because she's very young and fresh-faced and due in April. The procedure was short and sweet and Mother was able to sign the document with no problem. So now I keep doing what I've been doing for years, except now it's legal.

Dick went to the VC to help Kathee fold 750 pizza boxes for the chili cook-off. Each box contains a napkin, a spoon, and 8 cups for chili samples. If we want to go, we get in free. Except that Dick reminded me that I have an appointment to help Dylan storm the castle with Tom and Jana at noon, so we might not be able to make the chili cook-off.

More Historic Photos!

Here is my mother, Marian Geib Kanitz - taken in Grand Rapids.

Mother and friends at Lincoln Lake - Mother is on the far right. She was always tall for her generation - around 5'8" - now at age 98 she's 5'3".

Valentine and Ellen Bowman Geib, Christmas, 1905
Jennifer called this picture "two bundles of uncontainable joy"! I love the picture - it's so ... I dunno .... historic looking!

Rick sent me a link to a blog (http://jenny.standland.org/) that contained these great pictures of Mom, plus pictures of Valentine and Ellen Geib, my great grandparents. The blog belongs to Jennifer Ruth Geib, my first cousin once removed - daughter of Rick and Mary (and Fritzie).

It's really a thrill for me to get these pictures. Mother never liked having her picture taken, so we don't have many good photos of her. In the ones we have she's either making a face or waving her hands as if to push away the camera! So this is a real treat for me. It will be interesting to see her reaction when I show them to her!

Historic Photo

Rick sent me this great picure of our great grandfather and great grandmother, Valentine and Ellen Geib (the couple on the right). They are the parents of our grandfather, Fred Peter Geib. The notations on the margins are so valuable in identifying everyone. I'm thrilled to have the picture to add to my collection. Rick promises to send more! Hooray!

Therapy was scheduled for 8:15 this morning, but when I got outside to the car it was completely snow and ice covered and I couldn't even get the door open. Eventually things got warmed up and cleared off, but I was 15 minutes late for my appointment. Kari is very understanding and she wasn't the least bit upset - we did everything we usually do, just faster than usual. Thursday I'm scheduled for 7:30 a.m., so I promised her that I would go out and warm up the car before breakfast. Therapy went well - I can tell my leg is getting stronger even though it's still very weak.

I dropped some books off at the Library, drove through downtown, and then went shopping at Tom's 14th St. I haven't been there for ages - we've been shopping at the new Oleson's mostly. Got a pot roast for dinner.

Walked into the nursing home, but Mom was not in her room - they said she was in therapy. So I dropped in on her downstairs just to say hi. Her therapist is very nice - her name is Pam. She had Mom bundled in microwave heated pads on her right shoulder and her hands. I was glad to see that Mother is very cooperative with Pam.

Yesterday Dick went to Dr. Tim to have a troublesome spot removed from his nose. He didn't spend much time at the Agency - just came home and rested a bit. I know he was feeling better later though, because he went out to find some new geocaches that have appeared in our area. I took the day off yesterday.

More geocaching for Dick today. He went down to the Manton area and found 3, and he placed a special coin in one of Koda's caches. It was cold, windy and snowy - so he came home to stoke up the fire.

A Benzie Day

This was a good day for a drive to Benzie County. Dick had a list of caching fun, repair, and coin placement - so off we went.

The first stop was a nature preserve, with a trail that was mucky underfoot. The area was so swampy/waterlogged that the roots of the trees were above ground level, with big spaces between the bottom of the trees and ground level. It was otherworldly looking - it reminded me of a fairy tale setting - Little Red Riding Hood maybe, or Hansel and Gretel. It was a spooky place.

Dick found everything he was looking for, and finished the tasks he had set for himself. At the Art Park near Crystal Mt., he walked up a huge hill - it was quite an effort, but he was successful. I walked part way up the hill just to see if I could! It was interesting driving around Crystal - they've made snow, and one slope was open and very crowded! We were surprised because we're not skiers and we had no idea that slopes could be kept open when we've had high temperatures and no snow for weeks.

On the way home we stopped at Hofbrau in Interlochen for lunch, and walked into a very nice brunch totally unaware. We went on towards Traverse and went to visit Mother. She's not feeling well. She's not very happy with Bortz - in fact she said she was happier in the hospital. Jana has said several times that Mother may be depressed - I'll mention that to the Bortz Doctor - who knows?

This evening, Tom (Oxbow), Jana (Moonlytte), Dylan (Zoroan) and I (Nanzia) played World of Warcraft (the internet sensation - inside joke) together. It was very much fun. Dylan enjoyed escorting me around and clearing the area of monsters for me. We didn't find the right harpies, though. At the same time, Dick was trying to download his new maps and it was overwhelmingly frustrating. I heard phrases that I haven't heard for a while.

One time this evening I went downstairs for something and I found myself walking like an actual human! It felt very natural, with no limping. It was a ray of sunshine and hope for the future! It only lasted a few seconds, but it's been such a long time and it felt so good! I've had weeks of therapy, and I've been doing the exercises at home, and it seems to be working.

Torcher

We met Tim and Susie for breakfast at the Wild Onion in Alden. (That's the place where one of the omelets is named The Torcher - cracks us up every time). We had fun chatting - comparing caching experiences and Holiday stories. They told us they logged the Fountain of Youth cache on the way 5 minutes after we did! We compared notes and tried to figure out the damage that has been done to the little park where the Fountain of Youth cache is located. Someone drove onto the grassy area and churned up a lot of loose, wet, black soil. There are deep tire tracks all around. The picnic table has been torn apart - we think whoever drove in there backed into it and smashed it. Probably somebody imbibed a bit much and used poor judgement.

After breakfast, they wanted to do the Alden Historical multi-cache, and we were interested because we never were able to locate stage 2 of that cache, even though we did find the final stage. We decided to stick around and see if they could find it. Susie has naturally built in cache radar! They struck out too on stage 2, and Dick and I felt gratified that we aren't the only ones who couldn't find it!

Visited Mother on the way home - she claims that nobody is paying any attention to her. She wanted a specific pair of shoes, so Dick went over to Concord to get them, and brought back the shoes and the white pointsettia from church. She is not happy. Somehow her golden years have been tarnished.

Mother at Bortz Health Care

After a week in the hospital, it was determined that she was ready to be discharged yesterday (Wed.) to the nursing home. We decided to make the transfer by ambulance for the general ease of everybody involved. The transfer was made in a timely manner, and she was ensconced in her new room by 1:45 p.m.

It should be explained that Bortz Health Care is not the silk stocking nursing home of Traverse City. It is definitely down-at-heel, and could use some redecorating. But it has a good reputation, and many prominent Traverse Citizens have made it their home. It is well staffed with well trained personnel. They all seem to be very friendly, smiling and helpful. Everybody has been very nice to Mother, and I think that is the most important thing - even better than a new paint job!

I was relieved to see that Mother is in a private room with all the amenities. It has a sliding door to the outdoor courtyard, a private bathroom, a closet, nice chair, and a comfortable bed. She seemed glad to be out of the hospital at last and into a homier environment. If you visit, though, don't expect the Taj Mahal !

We spent the afternoon going through stacks of paper with the head nurse - signing the contract and several other things, and then initialing another couple of reams of paper. She is most definitely and certifiably registered!

Today when I visited, I watched her eat lunch - and her appetite seems to have returned - she ate almost everything. So it's evident that she is feeling better. She reported that this morning they took her downstairs to physical therapy, and that it was no fun. They had her doing some strengthening exercises which she tolerated well, but she said that she was very short of breath. While I was there, she was practicing some of her leg exercises - could have knocked me over with a feather.

So the report for today is very optimistic, and I'm confident that while she is still very weak and frail, she is improving by leaps and bounds over last week at this time.

We have no idea how long she will be in the nursing home. It could be for two weeks or two months. We are keeping her room at Concord Place so that she will be able to return to familiar territory.

New Year's Day in the Morning

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
As you know, Mother has been in the hospital since Thursday. She's showing some slight improvement. For instance her voice on the phone seems stronger compared to the very weak voice we were hearing before.

She still doesn't feel like herself, and she's not eating much, but she is showing an interest in what to order for breakfast, supper, etc. However, when the food arrives she's really not very hungry. She's sitting in a chair for much of the day now, and she's cold most of the time. The nurses wrap her in blankets, including those wonderful warm blankets that are heated.

Mother is continuing to miscall words - they just don't come out right. She is also beginning to be very repetitive in her thoughts and comments.

She is mentioning more and more how sore her shoulder is, and she's taking Tylenol for that.

Most of the time Mother is examined by a team of Hospitalist doctors. There are two who take turns checking her every day, although any member of the team can substitute. Yesterday while I was there, Dr. Auer, her personal physician, stopped by to check things out. He's ordering an X-ray of her shoulder - he feels it may be dislocated. The shoulder needs to be stronger for her to be able to use a walker.

Dr. Auer noticed her repetitive comments and he said something about a "memory pill" - I'm not sure if he's intending to prescribe something or not.

He recommends that when Mother is discharged that she go to the nursing home side of Bortz Health Care. He feels that she is so weakened by her "near death experience" that she will need more skilled nursing attention in the future. We still don't know when that transfer will happen - we're playing it by ear and complying with all medical advice.

Mom is not at all happy. She feels unlike herself, sick, and bored. "The days are so long here." She refuses all suggestions for relief of boredom, such as TV, magazines, newspapers, etc. She needs some diversion, but I can't figure out anything that appeals to her.

She also feels slightly neglected because she has it in her head that the woman in the next bed is getting more attention than she is. Along those lines, she was really thrilled by Dr. Auer's visit!

We're naturally hoping for the best, and we're wishing that Mom will soon be more comfortable and contented.

Happy New Year!

A Geocaching Eve

Last week we planned a geocaching outing for today, and we followed through on it despite the weather. It was a foggy, dreary, drippy, windy, chilly day - just the opposite of what you want for an enjoyable geocaching experience!

We did manage to have some fun in spite of conditions - Dick found five caches, and logged one DNF (Did Not Find). He found all of them; I seem to be losing my touch! One of them I could have found - I noticed the hole - but I didn't want to kneel down to investigate - I regret it now because I was skunked!

I visited Mother in the hospital while Dick made pea soup with our Christmas ham. The soup turned out to be delicious. We tried to stay awake to welcome in the New Year, but it was a lost cause. We went to bed around 10:30.

Happy New Year !

Best Laid Plans

This day was all planned out. First, I was going to P.T. at 10:45. Dick and I were going to drop Jana at the airport at 12:30 and wave bye bye. Then Dick and I were going to go out to lunch.

Well, remember what Burns said about best laid plans? ("The best laid plans o'mice and men gang aft agley." [To a Mouse by Robert Burns, on ploughing up her nest, November, 1785])

Around 9:30 a.m. I got a panicky phone call from Betsy at Concord. She felt that Mother was worse and needed to see her doctor. I cancelled out of the P.T and headed for Concord Place. After various phone calls to Thirlby Clinic, it was decided to take Mother to Munson Emergency. Ann and Betsy helped me load Mom into the car, and the greeter at the Hospital put her in a wheelchair while I parked. Dick and Jana were left on their own to go to the airport.

We arrived at the E.R. around ll a.m., and it turned out to be a long, long afternoon. There were blood tests, X-rays, and various other tests. The final diagnosis is dehydration caused by flu-like symptoms. We talked to two doctors (an E.R. Doc and a Hospitalist), two nurses, two cleaning ladies, and one very accomodating volunteer.

In a prime example of polar opposites, the woman in the next bed was in the E.R. because of a drug overdose - actually drugs plus a mere pint of whiskey. And I was really glad that Mom is hard of hearing, because the language from the other side of the curtain was not exactly pristine.

Mom was finally put into her room at 5 p.m. The nurses on West 4 were just delightful and charming. Mom felt like Queen Victoria with all of the attention they lavished on her. It was paradise after the long, dull, uncomfortable hours in the E.R.

In the meantime, as more evidence of well laid plans ganging agley, as of 4 p.m., Jana was still in T.C. Her 1:30 takeoff never happened, and we still haven't heard the end of that story.

The moral of this day's story is Stay Flexible.

Descending Pool Table

Catherine's was having a post Christmas sale, so Jana and I dropped Dick off at the mall and went on a mad shopping spree for an hour and a half. Such fun!

Then we all took a drive out to the Leelanau in search of the perfect spot to place Jana's new cache. She's doing one centered on the early 20th century murder of a nun at the Holy Rosary Church in Isadore.

We were hungry, so we went to Art's Tavern first for lunch. Art's was jammed packed full of people - it was more crowded than it is in the summertime. There was a line waiting to get in. The party in front of us was a huge family group of at least 14 people. While we were standing there in the cold entrance, shivering and cramped, we were trying to figure out where they were going to put everyone.

There was a pool table in the center of the eating area, and right there, before our very eyes, a couple of employees began pulling up sections of floorboards from under the pool table and putting them on top of it. It took them quite a while, and while we were watching I was thinking "I wonder if they're somehow going to lower that pool table and put tables on top of it." And lo and behold - the pool table began to slowly move downwards until the floorboards on top were flush with the floor of the restaurant! And then they set up tables and chairs and seated the whole family group in one swell foop! It was worth the wait - just think - a pool table elevator! How many of those have you seen!?! As usual, the food was delicious and plentiful, the service was friendly and prompt, but the hit of the day was the descending pool table. I don't expect I'll ever see anything like that again.

Christmas Day 2006

Some Christmases are unforgettable:

When I was a sophomore in high school I got a beautiful wool dress with a turtle neck, and a new pair of ice skates;

The Christmas that I was expecting, Mother Gen gave us an entire layette for the new baby Laurie;

When Laurie was two, she asked Santa for a book, a truck and a talking doll, and that was all she wanted.

This Christmas was the most unforgettable of all the unforgettables:

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This is the Christmas that our children gave us a Caribbean cruise for our 50th wedding anniversary.

And the best part is that WE'RE ALL GOING !!!

Tom, Jana, Laurie&Chip and Dylan will be there too !!

And Dick and I will be in a grand suite!
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This is the whole reason that we had to have a webcam in place in time for Christmas, because the family in Florida wanted to see us open the box with all of the clues! I was in shock for at least an hour afterwards, and I was tingling all over. Dick and I were both very emotional about this gift. Getting ready to go is going to be such a treat - we are so looking forward to this trip!

We had already had a wonderful Christmas. We love the treasure hunter book, and especially the tote with the original artwork by Mr. Dylan. There were so many wonderful gifts, we were already very mellow and satisfied after opening everything. Then Jana said it was time to call Florida, and she brought up the box from downstairs and turned on the webcam. WOW!

Dick, Jana and I visited Mother for about 2 hours this afternoon. We took her some food and three small gifts. She had a chance to call Fritz and wish him a Merry Christmas, and Jim called her earlier in the day, so she touched base with everyone this holiday.

But the big news of the day is our Anniversary Cruise on April 22, 2007! Stay tuned!

Dick thinks that this picture looks too much like deer in the headlights, so

This is the Official We'll Be Cruising Soon picture!

Where Would YOU Go?

"Hopefully this holiday finds you well and that the New Year dawns with bright new promise. May prosperity and light fill your life with joy." A quote found on another blog, and it's really my wish for everybody.

Next summer the Annual National Governor's Conference will be held here in Traverse City - well actually, at the Resort.

Our friend Kathee from the Visitor Center is heavily involved in preparation for the big event, and she'll be going to D.C sometime in February with a committee to attend a prep meeting for next year's Conference. They'll be taking 50 cherry pies, one for each delegation. She knows that Jana lives in D.C., so she asked if Jana had suggestions of things that Kathee and the committee could do for breakfast and dinner. Where would I go? Definitely back to Mei-wah and Mimi's! Don't know if I'm ready for the drag queen brunch...hmm...let me think that over...
Here is Jana's reply:

Hi Kathee -- I'm Dick's daughter Jana, and he asked me to pull together some recommendations for your upcoming visit to DC. Hope you find these useful, please let me know if you have any more questions or need a tourguide on your stay!

Old Ebbitt Grill is a wonderfully atmospheric & historic restaurant with a great bar, too. It's very near your hotel -- on 15th St between F and G (your hotel is on 14th St between H and I): Old Ebbitt Grill

Two options right on H St. -- for dinner, Cosi is a chain coffee/sandwich shop with wonderful salads -- I recommend the Cobb. They also have smores at your table, but my Dad says there's a bar in TC that does that too, so maybe it's not that special: Cosi

For dinner and/or a drink -- Cafe Mozart is a german expat experience, with $2.50 draft beers Mon-Fri 4-7, and all the brats you can eat: Cafe Mozart

Other highly recommended dinner & Drink spots a quick cab ride away:

Mei-wah -- best Chinese experience in DC! Mei Wah

Mimi's -- featuring live showtunes sung by the waitstaff, and a great bar too!
Mimi's

The Brickskellar -- a wonderful grubby cellar of a beer joint featuring more than a thousand beers, and mighty fine pierogies:
The Brickskellar

DC experiences further from your hotel -- You may or may not have time for these, but they sure are fun.

Dine at the Longworth House Office Building Cafeteria!
The press corps agrees this is the best cafeteria on Capitol Hill. The House buildings are open to everyone -- you do need to go through security and show ID. In the cafeteria, it's fun to eavesdrop on movers and shakers (or just pretend they are). Then for fun you can explore, go from one building to the next via the underground tunnels, enjoy the lovely courtyard in the Rayburn building, and visit your congressman if you want to at 137 Cannon: Capitol Hill Map

Ben's Chili Bowl!
My personal favorite comfort food, and a bona-fide DC experience. It's on U St, between 12th & 13th, across the street from the U St. Cardozo metro stop.
Ben's Chili Bowl

Johnny Rockets!
This was my mom & dad's favorite, it's a 50's style hamburger chain, the one I took them to was on M St in Georgetown. There's no metro in Georgetown so you would have to hop in a cab: Johnny Rockets

Drag Queen Brunch at Perry's!
Sunday Brunch is a DC obsession that has spilled over into Saturday. The article below lists lots of options, but my personal recommendation is the drag queen brunch at Perry's, on Columbia Road near 18th St (which is the Adams Morgan strip ... as an aside, if you want the Adams Morgan experience, go to 18th between California and Columbia any night of the week, it's hoppin' with bars, international restaurants and general nightlife). During the week, Perry's is a sushi place with a rooftop deck, but on Sunday, it is the liveliest brunch in town, with live drag queen entertainment: Washington Post Brunch Review

Another lunch or brunch option is the Mansion on O St -- there are just no words to describe this, you will have to read the review below. Call to make reservations because they don't serve unless people are coming. Just being in the mansion is a jaw-dropping experience that overwhelms the senses and can inspire giggle-fits: Mansion on O St.

It Works!

Hey hey hey! The LogiTech webcam works great with Skype on the Dell. This morning we talked with Laurie, Tom and Dylan, and it was great. I don't know where Chip was, but he is home now through Christmas, thank goodness. We were afraid that he would get held up by all of the delays caused by the big storm in Denver.

Spoke to Mother this morning - she is not well at all. She even agreed to see the doctor after the holidays. This is monumental, because she always pooh-poohs going to the doctor.

We took a drive this afternoon - it's another dreary, rainy day. We went to the store to get oysters for the Christmas Eve oyster stew. Then we did the TC cruise: the bay was very gray, but calm. The shoppers were dodging raindrops on Front Street. We visited both cemeteries, and drove past some condos that Jana is considering for some date in the future.

This evening we're planning to go to Mongolian Barbecue for dinner, and then cruise town to see the Christmas lights.

Outing With Jana +Skype +LogiTech

Dick headed out early this morning to do some more work for his new cache, and to put in some time at the Agency. He also stopped in at the Visitor Center to get details of Kathee's committee trip to D.C. so that Jana can recommend some restaurants.

It rained cats and dogs all day today. Good day for movies, shopping, and visiting Mother. So Jana and I did all of that. We went to see Eragon so that we can communicate with Dylan. It's a very nice movie if you're nine years old. Jana and I were in stitches many times when scenes in the movie were so cliched and reminiscent of so many earlier adventure movies. We saw some Star Wars, some Lord of the Rings, even a little Wizard of Oz.

After the movie we stopped at Best Buy. Jana went shopping for a LogiTech camera for my upstairs computer so we can do the Skype thing with Laurie. Kind of an end-around around the iSight/Mac combo that didn't work. She also bought a beautiful gift of truffles wrapped in a golden box/bag for Mother.

Mother is very weak and feeble today, and not feeling well. We did have a good visit - we opened her Christmas cards, read them, and looked at the pictures. We watered the evergreen tree that Laurie sent, and cleaned up some of the needles. We talked to Julius and Abby. We shared memories of Dad and the good old days. I think that Mother could hear most of it.

Back at home Dick cooked burgers on the grill and we had a great supper. Now Jana and I are watching the rest of Spanglish and Dick is on the phone with Doug.

Pick Up Something +Skype +iSight

Nice workout today at physical therapy. Kari started me on the elliptical trainer, and it's a real challenge. She's very patient with me, and she's a really effective therapist.

Went to new Oleson's to pick up something for dinner - it feels so good to be doing things by myself now.

I told Dick I was going to do that, and a lightbulb went off in his head. He said he thinks he'll call his new cache Pick Up Something For Dinner. He's "borrowing" the idea from the Bellaire cache that starts in a grocery store. He enjoyed that cache so much that he wants one of his own. He and Jana are out right now setting it up.

Later the same day...

Jana and I were watching Spanglish (really fun movie) when Laurie calls attempting to set up Skype with her video camera. The bottom line is that we now have Skype on our laptop, and she has it on her new computer. We could hear each other just fine. Jana and I could see Laurie, but we couldn't connect the iSight to the Skype for some reason. I'm thinking it was just too late for me and my brain was in neutral.

I need to find out how to use iSight with Skype on my iBook G4. Anybody? Anybody??....

JayBird Flies In

Feeling better. Went to therapy and things went well - glad I didn't cancel.

Jana's plane was right on time - just before 9 p.m. She's glad to be here (of course!) but she's disappointed that we have no snow. Right now it looks like we'll have a green Christmas.

Speaking of G-I Issues....

Oh wow - I'm so sick. Picked up a totally unfriendly bug somewhere. Was up all night - most unpleasant. Feeling very much like a dishrag today.