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.