I was taking it easy this morning - recuperating from the weekend. We were having an ice storm and schools were closed (Belleville would have had school today - they use salt on the roads). Dick decided to brave the ice and go in to work at the Agency.
I was just getting started on my "getting up" routine when I got a call from the Commission on Aging, asking me if I was the emergency contact for mother. It seems that the Commission cleaning lady was alarmed by Mother's condition and was worried about her. I rushed right in to check things out. Mother seemed about the same as she has been for the past couple of weeks. I think the cleaning lady hadn't seen Mother since her pneumonia and reaction to the anti-biotic.
I came prepared to call 911 and take her to the hospital, but what I did was prepare lunch and a cup of tea, and she seemed fine. We discussed assisted living again, and she wants to go there. She has no zest for living, no energy, and no desire to do anything. She does enjoy watching TV. We called Concord Place and the Director is going to call me tomorrow with an update concerning when a room will be available. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be soon.
The ice storm has ended, we had some melting - the roads were fine. But now it has frozen again and it's snowing quite hard. Snow is predicted for every day this week.
On a lighter note, I loved this paragraph sent to Dick by Dick Dokas:
A Succinct Summary of the Election
The Democrats' mistake was in thinking that a disastrous war, national
bankruptcy, erosion of liberties, corporate takeover of government,
environmental destruction, squandering our economic and moral leadership in the world, and systematic Administration lying would be of concern to the electorate.
The Republicans correctly saw that the chief concern of the electorate was to keep gay couples from having an abortion.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Northern Michigan Geocachers Meet and Greet
Wow. Up at 6 a.m. To the lobby for the excellent continental breakfast. Out geocaching until 1 p.m. when the event began. We found 10 caches before noon. The event was well attended - I'd say close to 40 people were there. We thought we came from far away, but there were several from Ann Arbor, Ypsi, Westland, etc. Left Oscoda around 4 o'clock and we were home before 7 p.m. I'm boo-zausted.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Oscoda Get-Away
This has been such a fun day - I guess I should begin at the beginning. Cleaned house until a little after ten, then we packed up the car for our trip to Oscoda for the Northern Michigan Geocachers Cache Lovers February Meet and Greet.
First we went shopping for a baby gift for a surprise baby shower at the Meet and Greet. Then out to Big Boy for lunch, and to order two take-out meals for Mother - one for today and one for tomorrow. At Mom's we did all of the usual things - took out the trash, balanced the check book, and sat with her while she ate her seafood platter - and she ate the whole thing! Took her one of our small saucepans to replace the one she burned, and a cheat sheet with phone numbers of every one she could call if she needed anything while we're out of town.
Beautiful day for a drive - I missed part of it during my great nap! We did 4 caches in the afternoon as we neared Oscoda. We haven't ever spent much time on this side of the State, so there are lots of caches to discover.
Oscoda seems like a very lucky town - not only is it on the AuSable River, but it also sits right on the shore of Lake Huron. Totally beautiful. It's a really small town, though, and it doesn't have a nice downtown area such as T.C. has. The AmericInn is very nice, and it was fun because when we checked in there was a child's birthday party going on in the pool - sounded like a great time!
The desk clerk recommended Tait's Bill of Fare as a good place to go for dinner - and we loved it! They had a great menu, and although the restaurant was very busy on this Saturday night, we had our own little private three-sided room- no kidding - just like on the set of Hello Dolly.
The motel has high speed internet access, so I am writing this on my new LAPTOP in the motel room. We are so cool we can't stand ourselves!
First we went shopping for a baby gift for a surprise baby shower at the Meet and Greet. Then out to Big Boy for lunch, and to order two take-out meals for Mother - one for today and one for tomorrow. At Mom's we did all of the usual things - took out the trash, balanced the check book, and sat with her while she ate her seafood platter - and she ate the whole thing! Took her one of our small saucepans to replace the one she burned, and a cheat sheet with phone numbers of every one she could call if she needed anything while we're out of town.
Beautiful day for a drive - I missed part of it during my great nap! We did 4 caches in the afternoon as we neared Oscoda. We haven't ever spent much time on this side of the State, so there are lots of caches to discover.
Oscoda seems like a very lucky town - not only is it on the AuSable River, but it also sits right on the shore of Lake Huron. Totally beautiful. It's a really small town, though, and it doesn't have a nice downtown area such as T.C. has. The AmericInn is very nice, and it was fun because when we checked in there was a child's birthday party going on in the pool - sounded like a great time!
The desk clerk recommended Tait's Bill of Fare as a good place to go for dinner - and we loved it! They had a great menu, and although the restaurant was very busy on this Saturday night, we had our own little private three-sided room- no kidding - just like on the set of Hello Dolly.
The motel has high speed internet access, so I am writing this on my new LAPTOP in the motel room. We are so cool we can't stand ourselves!
Friday, February 11, 2005
Swiffer Plus
Things I love in the category of house cleaning supplies:
1. Roomba the robot vacuum
2. Anything Swiffer, especially the Swiffer duster
3. Windex wipes for mirrors and kitchen appliances as well as windows
4. Bounce, the world's best dryer sheet
5. Barkeeper's Friend, the world's best scouring powder - depps the stainless steel
sink shiny and beautiful
6. Cottenelle wipes for the original purpose but also great for wiping down the
Roomba when it's dusty from vacuuming, and for wiping the salty snow marks
from my winter boots
Where were these things back when I had a family of five, three kids, a dog, 2 cats and a full-time job?!?
1. Roomba the robot vacuum
2. Anything Swiffer, especially the Swiffer duster
3. Windex wipes for mirrors and kitchen appliances as well as windows
4. Bounce, the world's best dryer sheet
5. Barkeeper's Friend, the world's best scouring powder - depps the stainless steel
sink shiny and beautiful
6. Cottenelle wipes for the original purpose but also great for wiping down the
Roomba when it's dusty from vacuuming, and for wiping the salty snow marks
from my winter boots
Where were these things back when I had a family of five, three kids, a dog, 2 cats and a full-time job?!?
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Caching in CattleTrack
Two out of the three times we've had breakfast at Frosty Cup in Cadillac during the last 2 weeks, it's been with DinoDuo. We met them at 10 a.m. and after fortifying ourselves with the famous #5, we were once again off to do some serious caching. It was a gorgeous day - bright blue sky, tons of sun, beautiful fluffy snow on the evergreens - it couldn't have been nicer. We found 3 caches with the Duo - I sat out the longest hike, but the other two were Nan-accessible.
Click on the title to see the geocache page that goes with the picture. Scroll down to see the Basswood Bend entry.
After finding 3 caches, DinoDuo went cross-country skiing, and we went looking for more. We found one at the Caberfae Overlook, and a really interesting virtual cache over by Bear Lake. It was the childhood home of Harriet Quimby, the first woman in the U.S. to get a pilot's license. Never heard of her before, but it was an interesting story on a historical marker.
It was 5 o'clock and we were hungry, so on the way home we stopped at the Roadhouse Mexican Bar and Grill on top of the hill in Benzonia. It's a very nice place and the food was good - I would go there again. I have to say that they do overcharge for beverages. I paid $3.00 for two cups of tea. Most places give you a free refill. But I would still go back.
We got home around 6:30 - what a great day! Life is good.
Click on the title to see the geocache page that goes with the picture. Scroll down to see the Basswood Bend entry.
After finding 3 caches, DinoDuo went cross-country skiing, and we went looking for more. We found one at the Caberfae Overlook, and a really interesting virtual cache over by Bear Lake. It was the childhood home of Harriet Quimby, the first woman in the U.S. to get a pilot's license. Never heard of her before, but it was an interesting story on a historical marker.
It was 5 o'clock and we were hungry, so on the way home we stopped at the Roadhouse Mexican Bar and Grill on top of the hill in Benzonia. It's a very nice place and the food was good - I would go there again. I have to say that they do overcharge for beverages. I paid $3.00 for two cups of tea. Most places give you a free refill. But I would still go back.
We got home around 6:30 - what a great day! Life is good.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Brunch with Billy
Bill and Jan spent the night last night, and we had a great time. After everybody was up, Dick made breakfast (Chef Ricardo) and we had more great story swapping this morning. They left around 12:30 - it had snowed about 3 inches during the morning and Jan had to drive because of Bill's knee surgery.
Talked to Laurie about a date for GenFest - yes I guess it's time to start thinking about it. It will be in July sometime after the Cherry Festival.
Dick plowed out the entire driveway and access road - the snow was light and fluffy, but he got his tractor stuck anyway. You can do it if you really try!
Dick proposes meeting DinoDuo for breakfast in the morning and doing some more new caches put out by Frank&Peggy. Sounds like a good idea to me!
Talked to Laurie about a date for GenFest - yes I guess it's time to start thinking about it. It will be in July sometime after the Cherry Festival.
Dick plowed out the entire driveway and access road - the snow was light and fluffy, but he got his tractor stuck anyway. You can do it if you really try!
Dick proposes meeting DinoDuo for breakfast in the morning and doing some more new caches put out by Frank&Peggy. Sounds like a good idea to me!
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Pleasant Surprise
This morning Dick announced in a very disappointed tone that we have absolutely nothing on our calendar this week!
I said that I thought going to the movies would be a fun idea - especially since it's cheap popcorn day. Dick does not like movies, and never voluntarily goes unless it's Michael Moore or anything with Dylan. He asked me if I would feel "homeless" if he didn't go with me. I said Yeah, but I would go anyway. He said I'll go with you. You sit in the woods while I'm geocaching, so I can go to the movies with you...it's called teamwork! What a sweet thing to say! So we planned to go to the movies at 1:30.
Soon after we got a call from Bill and Jan who wondered if we would be home this afternoon. Dick was saved from his horrible fate of movie attendance by Sniders! And he still gets credit for being willing, and for being so sweet. He really made out!
They arrived around 1:15, we sat around spitting and chewing...(old family joke from a John Denver song - Grandma's Feather Bed - "After supper we'd sit around the fire, the old folks would spit and chew." You really had to grow up in our family to get it !)
To view the lyrics to Grandma's Feather Bed, use the link above. (Click on the title.)
Anyway, as it turned out, Jan and I went to the movies at 3:30. We saw "Wedding Date", which was a bit on the fluff side, but very enjoyable, cute, and funny. We really liked the 2 main characters - Debra Messing was really quite good, and Dermot Mulroney was dishy. It won't win any awards, but it was a fun afternoon. We met Bill and Dick at the Outback Steakhouse for dinner, and it was scrumptious. We watched Gilmore Girls and the Amazing Race before bedtime.
An unexpected, fun, pleasant day!
Today is Laurie's birthday - Happy Birthday Laurie!
I said that I thought going to the movies would be a fun idea - especially since it's cheap popcorn day. Dick does not like movies, and never voluntarily goes unless it's Michael Moore or anything with Dylan. He asked me if I would feel "homeless" if he didn't go with me. I said Yeah, but I would go anyway. He said I'll go with you. You sit in the woods while I'm geocaching, so I can go to the movies with you...it's called teamwork! What a sweet thing to say! So we planned to go to the movies at 1:30.
Soon after we got a call from Bill and Jan who wondered if we would be home this afternoon. Dick was saved from his horrible fate of movie attendance by Sniders! And he still gets credit for being willing, and for being so sweet. He really made out!
They arrived around 1:15, we sat around spitting and chewing...(old family joke from a John Denver song - Grandma's Feather Bed - "After supper we'd sit around the fire, the old folks would spit and chew." You really had to grow up in our family to get it !)
To view the lyrics to Grandma's Feather Bed, use the link above. (Click on the title.)
Anyway, as it turned out, Jan and I went to the movies at 3:30. We saw "Wedding Date", which was a bit on the fluff side, but very enjoyable, cute, and funny. We really liked the 2 main characters - Debra Messing was really quite good, and Dermot Mulroney was dishy. It won't win any awards, but it was a fun afternoon. We met Bill and Dick at the Outback Steakhouse for dinner, and it was scrumptious. We watched Gilmore Girls and the Amazing Race before bedtime.
An unexpected, fun, pleasant day!
Today is Laurie's birthday - Happy Birthday Laurie!
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Babies Galore!
Wow! We have 3 babies on the way - well not us exactly, but it's still exciting. Dan and Pam are expecting a son in May, they want to name him either Rylan or Luke. Eric and Tammy are expecting a son next month - could be named Ethan Eric. Reiko and Bob are expecting a baby in October, sex to be determined. She wants to name the baby Hunter, male or female.
Put in some time at the Library today - it was a pleasant day to be reading in our beautiful library. On Sunday afternoons, they have live piano music from the baby grand. It's most relaxing.
Visited Jim and Mother - all is well on that front today. I kind of feel like it's my day off!
Super Bowl is tonight - go Patriots! Go Tom!
Put in some time at the Library today - it was a pleasant day to be reading in our beautiful library. On Sunday afternoons, they have live piano music from the baby grand. It's most relaxing.
Visited Jim and Mother - all is well on that front today. I kind of feel like it's my day off!
Super Bowl is tonight - go Patriots! Go Tom!
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Scott's Harbor Grill
We did some scouting around the city parks again to do some more figuring on Dick's new caches - these things don't just happen, you know...it takes a lot of planning, experimenting, figuring, and computer time. He's hoping to have it all finished by March 1. Or maybe even April 1...whichever. Along the way we had lunch at Scott's -they just happen to have the world's best grilled raspberry chicken and cashew salad. That's what I order every time. Dick had quesadilla, and that looked spectacular too.
At Mother's, we turned on the heat upstairs for Jim's visit, took out the trash, installed an armrest thingy on the john, watered the plants, did the dishes, and did various other small things for her in preparation for Jim's visit tomorrow. She is definitely accepting more help these days, which I interpret as that she's feeling more helpless herself.
At Mother's, we turned on the heat upstairs for Jim's visit, took out the trash, installed an armrest thingy on the john, watered the plants, did the dishes, and did various other small things for her in preparation for Jim's visit tomorrow. She is definitely accepting more help these days, which I interpret as that she's feeling more helpless herself.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Dylan's Activities
Dylan calls us every morning on his way to school, so we keep fairly current with what's up with him. Today we talked about his tennis lesson last night. He liked it, and he said it was fun. He has the same coach that he had last year, and that's a good thing. His weekly activities are: Monday, tae kwan do; Tuesday, Kids' Crew (church) and tennis; Friday, tae kwan do again. It's so much fun to talk with him - he is quite the story-teller - I have to keep telling him he's full of baloney. That's my job. When Laurie dropped him off, she said he was skipping into the school - he's a happy boy. Chip is away at training, so Laurie and Dylan are keeping busy.
Today was an ordinary day - laundry and Roomba. Dick was busy working on the new city park caches he's planning. He has a ton of coordinates to record and double check.
Outside, it was not ordinary. Our temperature got up to 50F! Most unusual for February. Dick and I went into town - went to the new Lowe's - I liked it much better than Home Depot. I thought that things were easier to find, well labeled and good signage throughout the store. I checked out their closet organizing section.
We cruised through town - the bay was beautiful - and had a nice ride. When we got home, Dick measured my closet so that when I go to Lowe's again, I'll know what size of closet organizer I need. Hooray!
Odette is scheduled for back surgery at Beaumont Hospital on Monday, Feb. 21. We're hoping that this surgery will make her feel like new again.
Today was an ordinary day - laundry and Roomba. Dick was busy working on the new city park caches he's planning. He has a ton of coordinates to record and double check.
Outside, it was not ordinary. Our temperature got up to 50F! Most unusual for February. Dick and I went into town - went to the new Lowe's - I liked it much better than Home Depot. I thought that things were easier to find, well labeled and good signage throughout the store. I checked out their closet organizing section.
We cruised through town - the bay was beautiful - and had a nice ride. When we got home, Dick measured my closet so that when I go to Lowe's again, I'll know what size of closet organizer I need. Hooray!
Odette is scheduled for back surgery at Beaumont Hospital on Monday, Feb. 21. We're hoping that this surgery will make her feel like new again.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Concord Place (?)
Today I spent most of my time and energy with Mother issues. She has been getting weaker and more unstable daily. Shannon was with her in the morning, and fixed dinner in the crockpot and made her a sandwich for lunch. I got there right after Shannon left, and we sat and talked for a long time.
Mother's not feeling at all steady, and uses the walker everywhere in the house. She had eaten lunch in her chair, and asked me to take care of her dishes - this doesn't sound like much unless you know Mother. She doesn't want me to do anything for her ordinarily - so it's unusual that she asks a favor. We discussed that maybe soon she will no longer be able to stay in her own home - she may need assisted living. She mentioned Bortz - and I know they have an assisted living facility connected to their nursing home.
I was heading for the grocery store anyway, so she told me a few things she would like me to pick up for her. While I was out and about, I went over to Bortz, and asked for a tour of the assisted living section. I think it's really well-suited for Mother. The room is small, but furnished. It reminds me of a hotel room. It has a private bathroom, cable TV, phone, etc. I could picture Mother being comfortable there. It's called Concord Place. I put our names on the list so we will be notified when a vacancy occurs.
Off to the new Oleson's - for variety in shopping. Back to Mother's to deliver groceries and discuss Concord Place. It surprised me how receptive she was to the idea of moving there. I think that's an indicator of how lousy she feels. We talked about it for quite a while, and she got most of the facts straight - we discussed the price, and she actually said, "Well, that's not too bad." I was really stunned. It was SSA day, so I took her check to the bank and brought her back some cash - she is very frugal.
We decided to wait and see how she feels for the next week, now that she's off her anti-biotics and should be shaking the side-effects soon. (Dizziness) So right now I have to say that she is not doing well - she is becoming weaker and less mobile right before our eyes. It's really noticeable. I can't predict the future, but if she is this incapacitated permanently, I can't see leaving town, even though we have plans for 2 outings coming up this month - one for a weekend and one for an entire day. Sometimes it's hard to know what is the best thing to do. I get really conflicted. I think I'm secretly hoping that a vacancy will open up at Concord Place, and that she will be willing to move in. It would be a tremendous relief to us to have her in a place with 24 hour care. It's hard to admit that.
Jim called this evening and said he's coming up Sunday, staying Sunday night, and leaving on Monday. He'll do Mom's taxes. Hooray for Jim.
Mother's not feeling at all steady, and uses the walker everywhere in the house. She had eaten lunch in her chair, and asked me to take care of her dishes - this doesn't sound like much unless you know Mother. She doesn't want me to do anything for her ordinarily - so it's unusual that she asks a favor. We discussed that maybe soon she will no longer be able to stay in her own home - she may need assisted living. She mentioned Bortz - and I know they have an assisted living facility connected to their nursing home.
I was heading for the grocery store anyway, so she told me a few things she would like me to pick up for her. While I was out and about, I went over to Bortz, and asked for a tour of the assisted living section. I think it's really well-suited for Mother. The room is small, but furnished. It reminds me of a hotel room. It has a private bathroom, cable TV, phone, etc. I could picture Mother being comfortable there. It's called Concord Place. I put our names on the list so we will be notified when a vacancy occurs.
Off to the new Oleson's - for variety in shopping. Back to Mother's to deliver groceries and discuss Concord Place. It surprised me how receptive she was to the idea of moving there. I think that's an indicator of how lousy she feels. We talked about it for quite a while, and she got most of the facts straight - we discussed the price, and she actually said, "Well, that's not too bad." I was really stunned. It was SSA day, so I took her check to the bank and brought her back some cash - she is very frugal.
We decided to wait and see how she feels for the next week, now that she's off her anti-biotics and should be shaking the side-effects soon. (Dizziness) So right now I have to say that she is not doing well - she is becoming weaker and less mobile right before our eyes. It's really noticeable. I can't predict the future, but if she is this incapacitated permanently, I can't see leaving town, even though we have plans for 2 outings coming up this month - one for a weekend and one for an entire day. Sometimes it's hard to know what is the best thing to do. I get really conflicted. I think I'm secretly hoping that a vacancy will open up at Concord Place, and that she will be willing to move in. It would be a tremendous relief to us to have her in a place with 24 hour care. It's hard to admit that.
Jim called this evening and said he's coming up Sunday, staying Sunday night, and leaving on Monday. He'll do Mom's taxes. Hooray for Jim.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Sounds Good to Me
Well, wouldn't you just know it. We spent the day geocaching in Cadillac yesterday, and this morning we noticed there's a new cache right where we were yesterday! So, naturally, we had to go check it out, and we were the first finders! We ate breakfast at Frosty Cup again - 2 days in a row.
We used to like Frosty Cup better than anyplace, but the waitresses have changed, and the atmosphere has changed, and now we're thinking it's not really our favorite anymore. Stay tuned to find out the new favorite!
Back to T.C., we went to Sam's Club so Dick could stock up on olives. We also got water, and I got 2 new pillows and a paperback. We mailed Laurie's birthday card.
We used to like Frosty Cup better than anyplace, but the waitresses have changed, and the atmosphere has changed, and now we're thinking it's not really our favorite anymore. Stay tuned to find out the new favorite!
Back to T.C., we went to Sam's Club so Dick could stock up on olives. We also got water, and I got 2 new pillows and a paperback. We mailed Laurie's birthday card.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
DinoDuo
We wanted to return the lost GPS to DinoDuo (Tim and Susie), so we arranged to meet them at our favorite breakfast spot, Frosty Cup in Cadillac. We had a long, leisurely breakfast. We have so much to talk about - geocaches we have found and experiences teaching - a never ending supply of great stories! As soon as someone tells a story it reminds someone else of another one. We could have sat there for a long time - well, OK, we did sit there for a long time!
After breakfast we all went out looking for the four new caches in the Cadillac area, all of them put out by Frank&Peggy. We found some new sig items, and got a good idea for how to store them (baseball card holders). It was a successful day - we found them all - 2 by Lake Mitchell, one by Lake Cadillac, and one by the cross country skiing paths. I got a great idea for a winter cache - a fake ice fishing shanty! Well, maybe not. We finished our mission around 2:30, and parted ways, with a promise to get together again in a couple of weeks.
Dick and I went into Traverse City to run a couple of errands. We went to the Camera Shop and Dick asked them what they do with the empty film containers after they develop film. It turns out that they save them for beggars like us! We know what we want them for, but we're not sure what other people want them for!
We wound up going out for an early dinner at La Senorita! Perfect end to a perfect day.
After breakfast we all went out looking for the four new caches in the Cadillac area, all of them put out by Frank&Peggy. We found some new sig items, and got a good idea for how to store them (baseball card holders). It was a successful day - we found them all - 2 by Lake Mitchell, one by Lake Cadillac, and one by the cross country skiing paths. I got a great idea for a winter cache - a fake ice fishing shanty! Well, maybe not. We finished our mission around 2:30, and parted ways, with a promise to get together again in a couple of weeks.
Dick and I went into Traverse City to run a couple of errands. We went to the Camera Shop and Dick asked them what they do with the empty film containers after they develop film. It turns out that they save them for beggars like us! We know what we want them for, but we're not sure what other people want them for!
We wound up going out for an early dinner at La Senorita! Perfect end to a perfect day.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)