Fall Fun Day

Dick spent most of the day at the MiGo Fall Fun Day out at the Boy Scout Camp. I guess it was well attended in spite of the lousy weather, and it sounds like a good time was had. I know Dick and Tim&Susie had a good time.

Michigan beat Penn State tonight but it was close. It was an exciting game to watch, and a little scary too. This from mgoblue.com.

Football Sacks Penn State Behind Swarming Defense

The fourth-ranked Michigan football team sacked Penn State's quarterback seven times en route to a 17-10 victory Saturday, Oct. 14, in State College, Pa. U-M scored on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter to lead 10-3 at halftime, with Chad Henne throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Arrington and Garrett Rivas booting a 23-yard field goal. Mike Hart, who rushed for 112 yards, added a third-quarter TD run, while Rondell Biggs and LaMarr Woodley led the strong defensive effort with two sacks each.

I Can Cut Back !

Jana went home today - her IV therapy is finished and she feels better already. She's been told to stay home from work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm hoping she will rest and heal and recover completely.

It's a nasty day - the worst possible weather - 40 degrees, cold rain, and high winds. Our power was out for a couple of hours this morning.

Saw Dr. Burke this afternoon and he agreed that I can cut back on my blood pressure medication. Hooray hooray!

He was surprised that the spinal injections worked for me (so far), I'm not sure why he was so surprised. It's a little sobering to me because I'm sure he knows more about it than I do. A visit to the lab for blood tests, and that was it.

Tim and Susie were over here geocaching today, and came here for burgers afterwards. Susie made a delicious pasta salad. We watched the Tigers beat Oakland, and had a great time.

Sort of a Snowy Medical Day

First of all, Jana is having some health problems. She was feeling discomfort when she was here in September, and it's just been getting worse and worse.

It turns out that she has an internal abscess in the pelvic area. She's in George Washington University Hospital receiving antibiotic IV therapy for 24-48 hours.

I just hung up from talking to her (4:40 p.m.) and they had just come in to start the IV. She has a lot of pain, but she seems to be in a really good mood. She's just glad that it's being taken care of. And so are we !

We woke up to a snow-covered landscape. It's been cold and snowy all day. A lot of it has melted already, but more is forecast for tomorrow. It seems really out of place for the middle of October.

Meanwhile, we went to see the neurosurgeon and got a really good report. He was pleased with my progress (!). He says no physical therapy or pool for 2 more weeks. He just recommends normal common sense activity and walking around. He said, "Every step you take will make it better." So now Every Step You Take is my new theme song. He wants me to practice walking without the cane right away, even if I am wobbly. I guess it's possible to get addicted to the cane.

Reception

I have no pain since the spinal injections, but the leg is very weak, and I'm walking slowly with a cane - which is far better than sitting all day! My leg is really trying to get stronger, and I'm trying to do a bit more each day. I still am slow and wobbly though.

The only position that gives me trouble now is sitting upright. I've just been using the recliner. However I can ride in the car for short periods - the car seats give you more ease or something.

Today I'm doing my laundry and changing my bed, and that's the most activity I've done yet. Yesterday I was able to visit Mother, and I actually went up there twice, so I was very proud of myself. She's having trouble with her TV reception. We think it's the cable because we went out and bought a new TV and that reception was just as bad. By the end of the day today, the cable people (or somebody) had it repaired and she was back in business.

Dick has to drive because I'm not supposed to try that yet. I'm trying to be very careful because the last thing I want to do is to re-injure anything.

We see the neurosurgeon tomorrow at 2, and Dr. Burke Friday at 2:30.

Solo Sunday

Jan left here around 9 a.m. Dick left Canton about the same time, and Tom boarded his plane then too.

I spent the day reading, dozing, and watching TV - still no appetite - still drinking the Pepto. I should buy some stock.

Jan stopped by in Houghton Lake to pick up Diann - they shared the drive back down to Belleville.

Dick geocached his way up north - he called five or six times to check in and to announce his finds. He found 3 before he even got on the expressway. He arrived home around 5 or 5:30. It was fun to hear his stories of the tailgate and the game.

Game Day

Still no appetite - weight keeps dropping, which is not a bad thing, but it's happening very fast. I'm just hoping it's not all muscle. Still drinking the Pepto.
I think my leg is getting stronger.

Jan and I had a very restful day reading and chatting and looking at magazines. We watched a Broadway musical DVD.

Neighbor Shirley came by with a treat and a card, and we had a good visit with her. Her husband is off duck hunting in upper New York State until Wed.

In Ann Arbor, Dick, Tom, Peter G. and Bill went to Steve's tailgate - they had 100 people there (not all at the same time) and grilled ribs for everyone, along with salads, potatoes, cakes, etc. It's quite a do. The guys really enjoyed the game, and it was fun to watch here, too. This from mgoblue.com


Henne on the Mark Again as Football Defeats Spartans

Chad Henne threw three touchdown passes for the third time in the last four games to lead the No. 6-ranked Michigan football team to a sound 31-13 defeat of Michigan State on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Michigan Stadium. Henne tossed scoring passes of 13 yards to Adrian Arrington and 41 yards to Mario Manningham to help U-M to a 17-0 halftime lead, and Henne hit Manningham again in the third quarter for a 27-yard TD play to make it 24-0. Mike Hart rushed 22 times for 122 yards, and Brandon Minor added a 40-yard touchdown run.

Then we watched Walk the Line on HBO and went to bed.

Dick Leaves, Jan Arrives

Still feeling ill this morning. Hoping it goes away soon.

Dick is off on a great weekend of geocaching, football, male bonding, tailgating, and being with Tom. He has arrived safely in Canton and should be picking up Tom at the airport right about now.

Jan got here around 3, and we've been talking ever since! She's my combination friend, caretaker, and companion. She's really here so that Dick can have a worry-free weekend.

I"m feeling better today.

Lousy

Not so hot today. Somehow I've picked up some kind of a bug which I hope is the 24 hour variety. A crummy day.

"Funny" Mistakes

We've been laughing about the dumb things I've done during the past couple of months because of the pain medications. I've forgotten whole days, whole conversations, whole events. Dick tells me that I have an appointment with the neurosurgeon surgeon on Oct. 12 - you could have fooled me! I suppose it's just to see how the injections are working out. Those strong drugs really do impair your thinking skills - always take somebody in with you!

Today we remedied the worst mistake - at the bank. While I was still "druggy", I was so proud of myself for paying the bills online and keeping up with everything. Ha!
I paid our bills all right, but I also paid Mom's rent and Mom's medical coverage out of our account, resulting in an overdrawal! Now that will put a dent in your budget. Luckily we have some kind of overdraft protection so nothing bounced, but there is a fee of some kind which I have to figure out how to pay.

So I'm not quite as proud of myself as I was before, but at least our bills got paid and Mother was kept covered and that's the important thing.

Strong storms last night - we got about 3 inches of rain. There was a tornado south of us in Missaukee County and high winds causing quite a bit of damage around the countryside. We just got the rain and the thunder.

A Very Sad Monday

Two very sad funerals today. The first one is Tim and Susie's Mother Shirley Swedine. We've never met her, but our hearts go out to her whole family and especially to Tim and Susie. Susie's Mom died in February, and it just seems like too much to deal with for one year.



Shirley E. Swedine
(September 12, 1930 - September 29, 2006)

Shirley E. Swedine - Age 76, of Owosso, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, September 29, 2006. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Monday, October 2, 2006 from Grace Bible Church, 201 Michigan Avenue, Owosso, with Pastor Roger Rose officiating. Final rest will be at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be 6 to 8 PM Saturday; 2-4 & 6-8 PM Sunday at Mowen Funeral Home. Mrs. Swedine will lay in state at the church on Monday from 9 AM until service time.

Mrs. Swedine was born September 12, 1930, in South Branch, Michigan, the daughter of James and Florence (Burr) Humphrey. She married Carl J. Swedine in South Branch on June 19, 1948. Mrs. Swedine was a homemaker and lived all her married life in Owosso. She was a graduate of Mio High School, Class of 1948. She was a member of Grace Bible Church of Owosso. She loved music and playing the piano. For a while, she also worked and played the piano in the youth groups and Sunday school. She liked to read and was a good golfer, bowler, loved to sew and do needle point. Mrs. Swedine loved tending her flower gardens, family get together's and making photo albums for all her children and grandchildren.

Survivors include: husband, Carl; children, Tim (Susan) Swedine, Kevin (Marion) Swedine, Melody Livingston, Eric Swedine, and Nancy (Jeff) Bateman; six grndchildren, Quincy, T.J., Erica, Ryan, Nicole and Nathan; four great grandchildren and two on the way; also, sisters, Marjorie DeVoe of Durand, Doris (Don) Mainprize of Higgins Lake and brother, James (Mae) Humphrey of Alabama; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by six brothers and one sister.

Memorials are suggested to the Grace Bible Church of Owosso.
********************

The second is Pauline Brigham Lather, who was a classmate of mine since elementary school. We went to Union Street School and were together all the way through graduation from Central High. Pauline was an amazing woman with a strong will to
live. Suffering from leukemia, she underwent a bone marrow transplant provided by her son, who was a perfect match. She went through a lengthy recovery, and even got back on the bike path and became quite active again. Evidently leukemia is even tougher than we are. She was a wonderful person, and her husband Dave was also in our junior high and high school class - he was always so pleasant and kind. I know it's been a struggle for him for many months now. At least Pauline's struggle is over.

Lather, Pauline Yvonne
TRAVERSE CITY — Pauline Yvonne Lather, 71, died on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006, in the arms of her husband and surrounded by her family, after a courageous battle with Leukemia.

She was born to Harvey Vernon and Eva Mae (Brighty) Brigham on April 25, 1935, in Grant Township, Grand Traverse County.

Pauline attended Union Street Grade School, graduated from Traverse City Central High School and Michigan State University.

She met the love of her life, David, in their junior year of high school; They were married by the Rev. Donn Doten at Central United Methodist Church on July 6, 1957.

She valued good health and an active life style. She enjoyed most outdoor sports, including sailing, skiing, cycling, roller blading, snowshoeing and hiking.

Pauline's greatest love was her family and many friends. She always saw the best in people. Pauline's faith was very strong, a faith she passed on to her children.

She was an active member of Central United Methodist Church, her Yokefellow Group, and was a Stephen Minister. She was office manager of Central United Methodist Church and retired as their bookkeeper-treasurer.

Pauline is survived by her husband, David; son, Brantley (Michelle) Lather of Midland; daughter, Lori (Jan) Hesprich of Traverse City; sister, Susan (Wallace) Tuttle of Traverse City; three grandchildren, Henry, Conrad and Sarah Lather of Midland; and mother-in-law, Leona Lather of Traverse City.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Vernon and Eva Mae Brigham.

In accordance with Pauline's wish, cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held on Monday, Oct. 2, 2006, 11 a.m., at Central United Methodist Church in Traverse City. Visitation will begin one hour before the service. The Reverends John Ellinger, Tamara Williams and Dean Bailey will officiate. Inurnment of her cremains will be in the church columbarium.

Memorials may be directed to Central United Methodist Church or to the West 4 Oncology Unit at Munson Medical Center, Traverse City.

The family is being served by Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home; www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.
Published in the Record-Eagle on 10/1/2006.

Hello Mother

After Dick got home from the Agency, we got into the car, did a couple of small errends, and went to visit Mother.

I was very nervous about walking up and down the ramp, but we did it - we did it and it wasn't that bad. I haven't taken any pain pills all day and there is no pain. I'm still walking very slowly with Dad's cane, but we did it. We visited with her for an hour and everything went well. She seems fine and we had a good talk. Then I came home and slept for two hours!

It was a beautiful drive around town. The trees and the hills are all in their fall colors and really quite imppressive. It's a warm wonderful, beautiful day.

Sunny Sunday

It feels like fall today. I think it's around 45 outside, and some of our leaves are turning.
I am continuing to improve - haven't taken any pain meds since yesterday afternoon. I still have a slight ache in my left calf, but hardly enough to mention. My left leg is considerable weakened, but my new hobby can be strengthening it.

Dick has gone off geocaching south of Kingsley. It looks like a nice series along the Manistee.

Next weekend Dick will be going down to the Mich-Mich. State game and staying at Sniders. Tom is flying in from San Diego to go also, and Peter is driving up from Cleveland. I think that Bill will probably go to the game with them, so they should have a great time. They plan to go to Steve Koss' famous tailgate party pre and post game. Jan is driving up here to stay with me for the weekend, so I won't be lonely and "overdo". It should be a great time for all of us.

Post Injection(s)

What a great morning. So far it's 10 a.m. and I've had no pain. At all...just a little achiness once in a while. I even took a shower and washed my hair with no pain. Are you listening? Whoop, whoop, whoop! Not since July 17th could I say that. So I'm clean and shiny and happy. And I'm planning to follow Dr. In-Jecto's advice and do nothing today and tomorrow. Monday should be a lot of fun.

Sharon sent great pictures of Kevin's wedding - everybody looked so happy. I can't do the picture part of my blog yet - my upstairs computer chair is bad for my back, and I can't upload the pictures on my laptop down here in the recliner - but next week I'll be able to put the pictures on the blog, and I'm excited.

On the more serious side of life, we heard yesterday that Tim and Susie have lost Tim's Mother, Shirley Swedine of Owosso. She has suffered ill health for quite a while - but it's always heartbreaking to lose your Mom, as a lot of you already know. Our sincere condolences to the whole family.

On the lighter side of life, Michigan held on long enough to beat Minnesota tonight. Minnesota made several serious but fruitless threats, and Michigan went home with the Little Brown Jug. This from mgoblue.com:

Henne Tosses Three TD Passes as Football Claims Jug
Chad Henne made sure the Little Brown Jug's stay in Minnesota lasted just one year as he threw three touchdown passes in the first half to help the No. 6-ranked Michigan football team to a 28-14 win Saturday night, Sept. 30, in Minneapolis. Henne connected with Adrian Arrington on scoring passes of 16 and 37 yards for a 14-0 Wolverines lead and later found Mario Manningham for a 41-yard hookup and a 21-7 halftime edge. Mike Hart rushed 31 times for 195 yards, and Kevin Grady added a short TD run.

Heavily favored MSU was beaten by hapless Illinois with a last second field goal in the rain on homecoming day. We are well acquainted with that feeling.

Dr. In-Jecto

Double your pleasure. Not one, but two lovely spinal injections. Dr. In-Jecto found the sciatic nerve all right - 3 times. What a thrill that was -3 times. It felt like being struck by lightning. OK, mild lightning, but still not at all pleasant. The second injection was not bad at all, except that I couldn't relax waiting for a repeat of injection #1. Oh well, it's over. The Doc says that by Monday I could try out for the Lions. I'm shopping for a uniform. I think I could be on special teams and keep the ball out of the end zone. How hard could that be?

Dick brought me roses yesterday -gorgeous yellow and pink roses. Best ever. Right now he's out geo-caching.

Sorry for the Blog-Lag

A couple of our wedding outfits if we had gone to the wedding. On the left you see our glorious evening casual ensembles. On the right is obviously the daytime casual. Can you tell that Jana is holding me up?
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The poor blog has gone to pieces It doesn't react well to my pain meds. Maybe later, I'll fix it up. Maybe not.

Bye Bye Jay Bird

Jana's flight took off around noon. I'm so glad she came - we had a good time and she helped Dick take care of the crip (me).

Jan and Eileen stopped in shortly after. Jan brought the cutest plant in the cutest pot and I'm really enjoying it. It was great to see her and catch up on all of the news from California. It was fun to see Eileen - I always forget what a dynamo she is. She keeps things hoppin'.

Dick is still the world's best caretaker. Mother and I are trying to help him slow down a bit and just enjoy life. I'm as comfy as anybody could be, and so well taken care of and loved like Marmee in Little Women - remember?

Kevin's Wedding Day

Laurie, Dylan and Tom called from San Diego this morning. They were eating eggs for breakfast and getting ready to go to the San Diego Zoo. Kevin and Amy's wedding is later on this afternoon (see link above). More Later.

Meanwhile, back in Michigan:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan football team claimed a 27-13 victory in its Big Ten Conference opener against the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday (Sept. 23) in front of 111,058 fans at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines defense held the Badgers to six straight three-and-outs to begin the second half, and Michigan tallied four sacks and held the Big Ten's leading rusher, P.J. Hill, to 54 yards rushing on 20 carries.



Meanwhile, MSU looked terrific for most of their game. State had it won by the time I went to bed. I could have fainted the next morning when I saw that the final score was Notre Dame 40, MSU 37. Unbelievable.

I Know What Day It Is!

It's Wednesday! Aha! I'm on top of things now!

When I taught school every classroom was responsible for putting on a program each semester about something we were studying. One year it just so happened that we had the names of the days of the week for spelling words so off we went to do some pretty heavy duty second grade research on Freya, Woden, Thor,etc.

We divided into groups, made costumes, wrote poems and music, made signs
and came up with a pretty good show.

The point of all this is that the other day in some office I saw the secretaty write out an appt. for Wen., Sept. 21. Any one of those 2nd graders would have bopped her with Thor's hammer.

Dick and Galadriel pulled in around 9 p.m. complete with a big celebratory presentation box of champagne (checked, of course). Dick fixed some supper while I dozed in my chair. Wonderful to see her. She traveled in her morning brunch outfit (daytime casual), so she's one up on me and we haven't even started yet.

We both loved her business plan....sh..white collar spies are everywhere.

Dick is for Real

Monday - at least I know what day this is. Have to be proud of something. I'm proud of Dick, anyway. He went to the Agency first thing and helped people all morning, and then came home and helped me all afternoon.

What Day is This?

Dick went out to do errands this morning and accomplished a lot.

I'm feeling like somebody else today - can't seem to keep things straight in my head. Mom says I never called her yesterday. Some daughter she wound up with! I just feel like sleeping all the time.

Talked to Laurie this morning. They're excited about going to LegoLand with Tom on Friday. (see link above).

We're all wishing we could be together this weekend. I'm wishing I could visit Mom. Maybe roller skating to California would work. I'm wishing I could remember what day this is.
A couple of Dick's errands this morning involved office supplies for the upstairs computer room. When I finally get strong enough to visit Mother, I want to take her pictures from the terrific half of our summer. I was preparing the digital photo printer and picking out the pictures, ding ding ding ding - the picture printer ran out of paper. No paper in this drawer, that drawer, or the other drawer either. So I might as well begin working on a different project - Jana's birthday present. Computer is all warmed up, Epson is up and running. I finish a page and press Print. Holy moly, that's a strange noise. It appears that all of the inks have run out.