Happy Birthday Melanie

Feb. 14, 1965

The night before:
Okay, I am ready...more than ready.  I have been pregnant for 9 months, it seems like I have been pregnant for longer than that!  My back hurts, my feet have disappeared....I am basically miserable.  I am sitting in my mom's brand new chair when all of a sudden, swoosh...my water breaks.  Oops...

Don is in the USMC stationed at El Toro, about a 90 minute drive from where we were living.  We had planned for me to call his Sgt and say I was going to the hospital and then Don would get the night off and we would go to the movies....after all it was Valentines Day ..  and yes, we were young and we were cheating the USMC system.  HOWEVER, this is for real.  I call the Sgt and tell him that I am in labor and heading for the hospital and that Don should go straight to the hospital.  Don, on the other hand, thinks it is our "plan" and he moseys home.  Once he finds out it is for real he is at the hospital! 

I had a bet with my doctor that I would have a red head little girl on Valentine's Day.  The doc just says, no way...you aren't due until March 8.  Wantta' bet...I am not waiting around that long.  In to delivery I go... I keep asking what time it is... I want to win that darn bet!  Can't even remember what was at stake.  At 3:42 A. M., my red headed little girl was born...on Valentine's day; weighing in at 7 lbs, 14 ozs.  Good thing I didn't wait around until Mar 8!!!  My beautiful baby girl was here.  We named her Melanie Joan.

Melanie 9 mos

Fast forward 46  years.... they have had their ups and downs as all years do.  Melanie and I have been best friends and enemies over the years, but we have always been Mother and Daughter, and I have always loved her with all my heart.  (get the theme here?  heart, valentine's day, etc.)  When she was little she always had a heart shaped cake until she finally told me she didn't want one any more.  I used to bake her red velvet cakes, but some how that changed to just chocolate cakes.  She was growing up.  One of the "heart" cakes

When she was born she was the first grandchild and great grandchild on both sides of the family. 



Four generatation picture.  L-R, my mom Louise Emery Spaid; my grandma Bertha Vassuer Emery, holding Melanie and me.

EVERYONE spoiled her.  My mom and Aunt used to take her to a restaurant called Coffee Dan's once a week for lunch just to show her off!!  Don's mother was always ready to baby sit, sometimes when I didn't even need for her to.  She had aunts and uncles that worshiped her.  Even with all the attention, she was a good baby, toddler and child.  My dad and Melanie had a special relationship...she followed him everywhere and he adored her.  Once when she was about 2 years old (by the way, this child was so smart...walked at 9 months, talked full sentences at 18 months old!) I was living with my parents while Don was in Viet Nam, my dad was outside working in the yard and I was in the house cleaning.  I went out to see what Melanie was up to with Dad; he looked at me and said, "I don't have her, she is in the house with you"...uh, no!  We both started looking for  her and I finally (panicked) went across the street to the fire station to see if they had seen her.  Yup, there she was having a great time with the firemen.  One of the firemen was a class mate of mine and knew where she belonged and he said they were having such a good time with her they weren't ready to bring her home!!!  Dennis Ford was his name and I will never forget that or him.  Melanie 2 yrs old

She charmed her way into so many hearts...once again the theme.

Melanie 8th grade and her 21st birthday

 Then all of a sudden she was married with children...where did the time go????  She has four children and she is a grandmother of 3 adorable little girls, Sophie, Ada and Molly...how did that happen?  What happened to that wonderful little baby I held in my arms and loved so fiercely?  Wooo...time flies. 

So today, in preparation for her birthday tomorrow I baked a red velvet cake.  Didn't do the heart thing, but it just felt like the right thing to do.  Al and I will enjoy her birthday cake and wish her a very happy birthday and love her as fiercely now as I did then.

Happy Birthday Melanie...I love you.

Down again

One More Time....
This morning we were getting ready to leave to meet good friends Gary and Jeannette.  Al was heading out the sliding glass door; I was in the kitchen when I heard a THUD.  Al took another fall!  So, once again I called 911 and the wonderful Golder Ranch Fire Department came up and helped get him up.  Fortunately, this time we didn't have to go to ER.  WHEW!  Needless to say I was a basket case.  Why, I don't know, I should be used to this.  At least I got my fireman fix!! :-)  And we did get to meet Gary and Jeannette at Tohono Chul Tea Room for lunch.  Good friend and good lunch and great weather...great combination.

Our weather has sure been mixed up.  Freezing; warm, windy, calm, hot, etc.  It's February in Tucson, you never know what to expect.

We have had a house guest for a few days.  A friend of daughter Melanie has been staying here while he attends the Gem Show.  A very nice person, Jeff Polk, and we enjoyed getting to know him. 

Other than doctor appointments, physical therapy and nurse visits, not much new from here.

Here is wishing you all a Happy Valentines Day and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MELANIE.

Here and gone again

Tucson, still

Jenn was here last weekend and it went by so fast I am not sure she was really here or I dreamt (is that really a word?) it.  She arrived in Phoenix on Friday afternoon and after the required stop at In n Out (what??  She is my daughter-- all my daughters have this affliction) we headed to Tucson.  Friday just went by in a blur.

Saturday she woke up saying she wasn't feeling up to par. The days plans were to go see the shooting memorials at Safeway and at University Hospital. We headed off around 10:00, going to the hospital first. Very moving and impressive memorial to the victims of the shooting. Incidentally, this was the day after Gabby Giffords was moved to Houston.


Memorials at University Hospital, Tucson

Saturday evening we had the usual suspects here for BBQ ribs and to visit with Jenn...18 in all.  Niece Claudia and husband Larry drove over from Casa Grande; friends Jack and Suzi from Rio Rico and the local Tucson family was here.  And I must say my ribs turned out very good.  First time I had done them by baking them first and then BBQing them. 

Sunday we were up and on our way to Tubac.  Jeannette went with us and we met Suzi there.  I could tell Jenn wasn't feeling up to par....she wasn't taking a gabillion pictures like she usually does.  We wandered around the town and finally had to leave as it was stinkin' cold and windy.  That evening Jenn was really feeling lousy, running a low grade temp as well.  She went to be early.  About 9:00 p.m. Al got up to go to bed and promptly fell.  He got dizzy and down he went.  Another call to the local fire department, which I might add is great and I have them on speed dial now!  Off to the ER we go to make sure he was okay, which he was, thank goodness.

Jenn to the airport early on Monday .. I was running on 3 hours of sleep.  Not good.  I got home and crashed.  Jenn called me on Tuesday from the back of an ambulance...she had driven herself to urgent care having difficulty breathing and they threw he in the ambulance and promptly took her to the hospital for tests.  Thankfully no blood clots or pulmonary embolism; so they sent her home to rest.  Still don't know the reason for shortness of breath-- they think she might have burst a blood vessel in her lung.  That scared me more.  She is following up with her doc.  I talked to her tonight and she is feeling much better.

Congratulations are in order for Ron and Melanie-- they are first time home owners.  They (well the bank) are the proud owners of a house and acreage in Canby, OR.  Now the horses and family can all be in the same place!!  Very happy for them.

This week has been a blur as well.  I keep wondering why I don't get more done during the day, then I realized I spend 80% of it caring for AL.   With his arm in a sling he really can't do much.  He saw the surgeon this week and the sling has to remain for at least 3 more weeks.

I also saw the neurosurgeon for my back this week and got some good news.  He doesn't feel surgery is in order for now; so I am on the Physical Therapy program and I am to walk 3 times a week and build up to a mile a walk.  However, I already have been doing a mile plus, so I am just continuing to do that.  Finding the time is the problem, see above. 

Weather has been great here...in the low 70's during the day and in the 30's at night.  Just absolutely perfect.  However, rain is forecast for early next week, which will be welcomed.  So glad not to have to battle the cold and all the snow! 

That's all the news for now...so until next time, keep smiling.

It's been a little over a week

It's been a little over a week since the shootings in Tucson.  Unless you are living under a rock, you know what I mean.  We have had every news agency in the world here.  For a while I couldn't drive down Oracle without seeing more than I wanted to see of the news vans.  But alas, it has started to die down and now we are left with moving on.  I say we as in TUCSON.  As I said in my previous blog, when it happens elsewhere you mourn for that city and the people in it; however, when it happens in YOUR town it can really affect you.  I didn't expect it to be as bad as it is for me.  I mean, I didn't personally know any of the victims.  However, THAT IS MY SAFEWAY STORE that I shop in.  Kinda' hit me in the gut! 

Oh, there is a Safeway closer to home.  However, I LIKE the Safeway at Ina and Oracle.  I LIKE that shopping center.  Of all my "go to" if I can't find it, I go to that store.  It has almond paste, which I can't find at any of the stores up here, I like their meat department better, and produce.  Okay, it might be all in my head, but it is in MY head and I listen a lot to my head!  (Sometimes the voices get a little confusing, but that is another blog all together!!)  So why can't I go back to my Safeway????  It opened on Sunday.  And for some unknown reason, I can't go back there.  I have been to Beyond Bread, which is in the same shopping center, so why can't I go to my favorite store?  I am planning on making a try for it this weekend...Jenn will be here to help (drag) me.

AND, that Safeway paid all of it's workers for the time they would have worked while the store was closed.  I thought that was very commendable.  Safeway as a company donated $100,000 to the victims fund.  WAY TO GO SAFEWAY!  We as people of Tucson have been donating as well and to other charities.  Our food bank is over flowing; Red Cross has more volunteers than they ever have had.  We  as a city/town are trying to start down the long road to recovery.  Our prayers are with the victims, and we watch an pray for Gabby's recovery.  She is a very strong woman and we all pray she will recover completely.  But we also pray for peace for the shooters parents.  They didn't ask for this; they didn't know their adult son was this disturbed.  They are victims as well and we need to have compassion for them.

On other non TUCSON TRAGEDY notes, Al had another surgery on his shoulder on 1/11.  A piece of bone had dislodged and the doc went in to repair that.  Poor Al has had his share of hospitals in the last few months.  He was in the hospital for 2 days, then transferred to Oro Valley Hospital Rehab, which is only 5.4 miles from home.   Yes, I measured the mileage.  After driving the 17.7 miles to Health South for 3+ weeks this is a breeze for me.  He is doing very well and the plan is to release him to come home tomorrow.  In a few minutes I have to go to "training" on how to care for him....as if I haven't been doing this for the last few years?  Oh well, anything to please the rehab staff. 

Jenn is coming down for the weekend.  I can hardly wait.............

Senseless Violence

The events that have happened today with the shooting of our Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords  here in Tucson shakes me to my core.  So many questions come to mind, but namely why?  Why would anyone resort to such a cowardice way of handling things by shooting 19 innocent people; 6 died, the rest are fighting for their lives.  WHY?  What purpose did this serve?  What has our country came to?  Outlawing guns isn't the answer.  Outlawing people's demented minds perhaps?  I wasn't a true supporter of Giffords, however, I wasn't against her either. She has her good and bad points as all politicians do.  But to shoot her?  I go back to WHY?  This type of random violence makes absolutely no sense to me.  I can't seem to wrap my mind around this.  And you never expect it to happen here...where you live.  A larger city, perhaps, but Tucson???  Still has me reeling.

Yes, I know this shopping center well.  Matter-of-fact, I frequent the Safeway Store where it happened.  I go to the other stores in the shopping center as well.  One of my favorite places to eat is in this shopping center.  I could have been there this morning...I had planned on going to get my favorite bread at Beyond Bread, but decided I didn't feel like driving this morning...it's about a 15 minute drive from our house.  Holly was heading there as well....she had called Beyond Bread to give them a "go" order, only to find out they were closed, she asked why and was told there had been a shooting at the Safeway.  She knows me so well that she called me to make sure I was okay and NOT at the Safeway.  It is one of my regular haunts.  Scary to think about what could have been.   Now I am not sure I want to leave my house anytime soon.  I could get real paranoid over this.  I need some milk, will someone go to the store for me?

Back to my original question...WHY?  I just don't understand what motivates a person do such a horrendous act of violence.  What are they thinking?  Is this what our country has come to?  Is this going to become the "norm" for us?  I certainly hope not.  We all know that violence is on the increase everywhere...but there again I have to ask WHY?  Have we, as adults, raised these individuals to become violent?  Is it because of all the violence on TV and the movies that has warped these minds into thinking this is the normal?  Are these types of people living in this type of make believe fog that makes it okay?  And most importantly, what can we do as citizens to stop it?  Why did an innocent 9 year old girl have to die?  What was the purpose of that?  Why did Judge Roll have to die?  Why did four others have to die and 13 others be fighting for their lives?  Just what purpose did this serve?  WHY???????

42 years ago

42 years ago I was ready...more than ready.  At 3.43 a.m. my baby girl was born.  Jennifer Joy.  She came  to join my older baby girl Melanie.  I, all of a sudden, (okay, 9 months of sudden) was the mother of two beautiful girls.  How lucky can one person be?

Jennifer, Melanie and I have been through a lot these 42 years.  But this is about Jennifer.  In February will be Melanie's turn down memory lane. 

Jennifer was a puny little thing.  She never wanted to sleep at night, making for some l-o-n-g, sleepless nights for me.  When she was just 5 months old she got very sick with a virus and spent a week in the hospital...with me right beside her the entire time.  We finally discovered she had an allergy to milk...all kinds.  Oh I hate the soy milk formula we had to feed her, but she flourished.  As a toddler she was into everything....loved to see how much mischief she could get into.  At the same time she was an even tempered, happy-go-lucky baby.

Jennifer, 2 years old

 5th Birthday, Minot AFB, ND

Lancaster CA10th Birthday

 Fast forward to teen age years. She really never did rebel like most teenagers...and if she did, she didn't do it very well. She was so busy with church and school activities while we were in Lancaster she really didn't get into much trouble. And if she did get into trouble you can bet that Billie, Christy, Tammy, Vickie, Laura or another of her good friends would be right there beside her. However, Jenn (as she is now called) always has had a huge circle of friends. Jenn was Rifle Captain inQuartz Hill High School Marching Band. I can still see and hear her practing, and her pain when she missed. She loved to twirl that Rifle and was very good at it. And her first car....a 1974 Ford Station Wagon...huge monster. A friend of ours told her Dad if he could get it started Jennifer could HAVE it. What a beast! Her first love came at about the same time; as did the first broken heart. I think I cried as much as she did!

17th birthday, Stoneridge, WA

    

 Rifle Captain, Quartz Hill HS, Lancaster CA

Dancing with Dad, 1985, Lancaster CA

19th Birthday, Irby WA

Then life threw us a curve and Jennifer wound up in a boarding school in Switzerland while here Dad and I were in Saudi Arabia.  It just about broke my heart to let her go at age 17 to a boarding school and oh, how I missed her.  She spent school breaks with us in Saudi or what ever country we were visiting.  However, boarding school gave her a great advantage I think in life...she learned to be independent, make her own choices and pay the consequences for the bad choices and reap the benefits of the good choices.  And gave her a great head start on college years.  She was so much more mature than most college freshmen, and yes, she probably taught them a few tricks from boarding school days.  She definitely was no saint!!!  :-)

New Ski gear, getting ready to leave for Boarding School, The American School in Switzerland, (TASIS) Dec, 1985

TASIS, we surprised Jenn at her graduation by bringing her cousins Sherrie and Denise along with us.  Check out the hair!!!

Over the years our relationship has grown from mother and daughter into mother, daughter and best friends.  She has turned out to be a wonderful person, caring, giving, loving and her circle of friends knows no boundaries.  She is still friends with kids from her grade school days!! 

As a daughter, Jenn has always been thoughtful...well most of the time.  There were times...but we won't go into that.  I am very fortunate to have her in my life, and so, here is to you Jennifer Joy....Happy 42nd Birthday.  Love you my baby girl.

Chowchilla, California

Chowchilla....someone mentioned this little town last night  and it got me to thinking.  This town is never far from my thoughts.  No, I am not from Chowchilla, (Azusa will always have that spot in my heart) nor have I ever really lived there, but I did spend a lot of time there.  However, it is a big part of my life and my girls lives as well.

Chowchilla is a small, sleepy town (or at least it was) in Central California.  I had never heard of it until the mid 70's when my sister and her husband moved there from Oregon.  I had to get the map out to see where it was!  There wasn't a lot there when she moved there...surrounded mostly by agriculture and right on Highway 99.  Back then the only reason you would have heard about this town was the Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping in 1976.  There was no prison in this town then, which has boosted the size and economy of this town tremendously.  It was, a sleepy, little town.  One I loved.  After my sister moved there my aunt and uncle also moved to Chowchilla...this town was really starting to become a part of my life. 

Then in 1980 my parents moved there...a perfect place to retire.  So, this small town became an intrigal part of my life as well.  All things centered on this town.  Al, Jenn and I would leave Lancaster, CA (where we were currently living) on a Friday after work to make the 250 mile trek to Chowchilla for the weekend with my parents and my family.  Melanie would migrate there from where ever she was living to see Grandma and Grandpa.  It had a hold on all of us! 

In 1984 my Dad died and was buried in Chowchilla.  I knew right then this town would always be in my thoughts and heart and that it would always be a big part of me. Mom lived there for a few years after Dad died, then she moved to Alta Loma, CA in January of 1988 and died in April of that year.  And yes, she went right back to Chowchilla to be buried next to my dad.  So, as you can see, Chowchilla has become a very big part of my life.  I will always be drawn to this not-so sleepy anymore little town.  It is part of the fabric of my life. 

Melanie lived there for a while as well and met and married her husband in Merced, which is 15 miles north of Chowchilla.  And two of my grandchildren were born in Merced, so I made a lot of trips to see them as well.  Unfortunately, this was after my parents died, but again, it was almost like I HAD to be a part of this town.

My niece still lives in Chowchilla, and we make a big effort to go through Chowchilla on our travels, even it it does take us a little longer to get where we are going.  I have so many fond memories of this town and what it represents to me.  The little white house on 13th street that mom and dad lived in; the little grocery store on the corner; the little bakery on main street; the little taco stand, etc.  So many memories........

The town has grown so much from what it was in the 80's.  There is a huge Women's Prison there now, which bought in more people and boosted the town's economy.  It has a lot of fast food places now, where there were NONE when my parents lived there...it even has a Starbucks now!!!  And it has one thing still near and dear to my heart...my parents.

So here is to you Chowchilla....a great little town with a big string attached to my heart.

Update on Al and other stuff

Well, here it is 18 days after "the fall" and Al is still in rehab.  Instead of going to a Skilled Nursing Facility as originally planned, it was decided that he could handle going straight to a rehab facility.  I was doubtful at first, and when he originally arrived at rehab I think they were doubtful as well.  He HAS to do at least 3 hours of rehab a day for Medicare to pay for it and to remain in rehab.  That is why we were doubtful.  He was very weak and not very cooperative.  Here we are almost 2 weeks later and he is doing wonderful in rehab.  It took him about a week to get with the program, but he was weak and tired from the surgery and he doesn't bounce back quickly.  Yesterday when I went in to see him he was sitting in his wheel chair (the only chair tall enough for him to get out of) and was in good spirits.  He can walk to the bathroom and back and can get in and out of bed and chair by himself.  He has also lost some weight, which is good.  His blood sugar and blood pressure is running right where it should be as well.  And his color is good; there for a while he looked pretty "gray" or "yellow".   His projected discharge date is Dec. 24, which I am so thankful for. 

In other news, well, there isn't any!  My life has pretty much revolved around going to the rehab facility or coming home from.  I can take the dogs into rehab and they love to go and the people there love to see them.  I have signed the dogs and I up for Therapy Dog classes and we start next month.  I think they will do very well.  Me?  Well I hope I can keep up with them!!!

Al's shoulder

On Dec. 1 Al fell and broke his left humerus at the shoulder.  He was walking down the handicap ramp we had built and his walker got away from him and down he went.  He had surgery on it on Dec. 4, they put in a plate, rod and pin. He really smashed it.  He is being discharged from the hospital today and will be moved to a Skilled Nursing Facility.  I have no idea how long he will be there, it could be up to 3 months, but I am hoping is will be shorter.  I hate to see all of this happening to him.  I try to take care of him, I really do, but I am learning there are just some things I can not prevent. 

I am trying to take care of myself.  Everyone tells me to "Take care of you" but I really don't know what that is or how to do it some days.  I have a friend whose husband recently went through a long illness and died and she said she really didn't know how to "take care of you" either.  What does that look like?  My daily life is wrapped up around Al and his needs.  Right now that is why I am here.  That is my main job.  I try to do things for myself as time permits, but sometimes it just isn't possible.  However, after saying that, I literally collapsed yesterday.  I took the poodles in for grooming yesterday morning; then went to the hospital.  I was at the hospital about 2 hours and then I started shaking, I was so cold, and weak.  I came home and was running a 101 temp and was cold, but hot.  I took a nap, knowing I would have to go pick up the dogs later in the day.  I finally realized that I was going no where, I was afraid to drive I was so weak and shaky.  Bruce and Holly to the rescue.  I called them and they went and picked up the very handsome, groomed, cleaned, fluffy poodles.  Whew!  And all I wanted to eat was Chicken Noodle soup and hot tea.  My sick food.  I didn't have any soup tho.  Denise to the rescue this time.  I am so very thankful for all the good friends we have around us.  Saturday while Al was in surgery Jude and Holly sat with me in a freezing, cold  waiting room. Apparently on Saturday they don't turn on the heat in the surgery waiting room because there is usually no one there!  Well, Jude found the thermostat...just as we were getting warm the doc came out and said surgery went fine.  Other friends, Jack and Sue have driven from Rio Rico, 80 miles south, to come see Al.  Gordon goes to see him every day, some times twice a day.  Gary and Jeannette have been so supportive to me, even tho Gary won't hang my outdoor Christmas lights!!!  Of course, he won't hang his own either!!!  :-)  Barb, our neighbor has been wonderful as well.  She is a hospice nurse, and she really helped when he fell.  And I can't forget to thank the Golder Ranch Fire Dept.  They sent 9 big, burly, fit, firemen up here to help get Al up when he fell.  I seem to be calling them way to often...but at least I get my firemen fix that way instead of stalking them in the grocery store!!!

So I am off to the hospital now.  Al will be moved right after lunch today.  But first, before the hospital, I am going to the chirocracker to get my back worked on.  YEA!!! 

Until the next up date, I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful day.

Groan...I am still full!

I am still stuffed from Thanksgiving!  And we are still eating leftovers...the best part of Thanksgiving dinner!!!  Hope you are yours had a wonderful turkey day.

Now it is time to start thinking about Christmas.  Oh, it's not like I don't think about it ALL YEAR, but now I have to DO something about it.  I have a few choices:  A) ignore it and go directly to January    B) Start shopping   C)  See A.  Personally, this year I favor A.  Of course, I can't do that, but from where I am sitting right now, that looks like the best option.  Then, I have to question why I don't enjoy the Holiday's like I used to?  That brings up a whole new scenario.  I think that for me, growing older and not having any of the kids around us dulls the holidays a whole lot.  AND, we have no babies near us either.  My mom used to say Christmas was for kids, and boy, the older I get more she was right, darn it all.

 Another reason is that you start seeing ads for Christmas around Halloween time and by the time December rolls around I am already tired of it all.  The commercialism of Christmas reallys gets to me.  I wonder if I just didn't buy any gifts this year for any one if any one would notice?  I just may try that and see what happens?  OH, I know no one would probably have the guts to say to me "HEY, where is my gift?"; well, maybe a few would, but for the most part, probably no one would notice.  I might just try that!  Sounds better to me all of the time.  Instead of buying gifts for everyone I would just donate the money to a charity.  Beginning to sound better and better to me.  None of our children really need/want anything that I can afford; and for the most part, our grandchildren are grown and none of them need/want anything that I can afford; our great grandchildren get so much from so many people, it almost seems foolish to try and buy them something they don't have, because as far as I can see they have everything they need/want.  See A above.

AND I don't want to decorate either.  Just see no point in pulling out all of those boxes, put up the tree, then in late December (like the 26th) take it all down and haul it back to the shed for 11 months and 2 weeks of storage.  Makes no sense to me. 

I want to go back to the real reason for the season...the birth of Jesus.  FORGET the hussle and bussle of trying to buy the perfect gift for everyone.  If it truly is the season of giving, then lets give to the poor, unfortunate people that NEED it; I think this year I am going to do just that.  Donate to the less fortunate through our church.  DONE DEAL. 

This rant was brought to you by the Christmas Scrooge.

It's almost over

It's almost over...all the election campaign ads.  I AM SICK OF ALL OF THEM!  Why can't someone run for office and not sling mud at his/her opponent?  Why can't they tell us what they would do if elected instead of telling us what their opponents have done/will do?  Why can't there be a law that they can only run campaign ads for 30 days before election?  Nuff said. My mute button on the TV remote is about dead.

I had the opportunity to get away for a long weekend a couple of weeks ago...rest I did not get, but fun I had.  I flew to Seattle, daughter-in-law Janet picked me up and took me to Jenn's house.  The next day, Friday, Janet, Jenn and good friend Kathy and I took the train (Amtrak) to Leavenworth for a couple of days.  Leavenworth is a little Bavarian town in the mountains.  In the 70's the logging industry was drying up in this town and the townspeople were trying to keep their little town alive.  Someone thought of doing the town over into a Bavarian town ... kind of like if we build it they will come; and come they have!  Lots of little shops to browse; great German food. I had schnitzel and spaetzle for lunch and it was wonderful.  The weather forecast wasn't too great, however, we started off Saturday morning with bright sunny skies. Around noon it started to get cloudy and by mid-afternoon the sun had disappeared and it was starting to get down right cool (well, cool for me).  All four of us walked, walked and walked on Saturday and surprisingly  by back held up fairly well.  Usually after a couple of hours on my feet like that my back will put me out for the day.

We were up early the next morning, had to catch the train back to Seattle at 6:00 a.m., which meant the shuttle was picking us up at 5:00 am...  It was pouring down rain and of course the train was late, but only by 30 minutes.  There were about 30 people waiting for the train and we all managed to squeeze into two small shelters.   Back to Jenn's, we were home by 9:00 a.m.  Both Jenn and I were exhausted!  I managed a nap that afternoon!  Sherrie (niece) came over to Jenn's that evening and had a good visit.  Monday morning I was back on the airplane on my way home.  Thanks to Gordon and Denise for staying with Al while I was gone getting some "rest".

Things have been fairly normal here.  Al is doing about the same; however, he has developed a new problem in the last few days, he is having a hard time breathing.  Doc said for him to get up out of the chair and walk more so his lungs will be able to clear.  That hasn't happened and no matter how much I ask him (read: nag) he refuses to do it.  He says it hurts to walk, and it probably does, but if he would at least start walking just 50 feet a day he could build up to a good distance, but he refuses.  Stubborn bohunk! 

I have started my own walking routine.  Every other day the dogs and I drive over to the new mall and walk the nice walking trail there.  This trail runs for miles and miles and today we walked over 2 1/2 miles.  Taking both dogs present a challenge and today I decided I would only take one dog at a time from now on.  While walking today they saw a coyote and both wanted to go after it and it was all I could do to hold them back.  On the days I don't do the trail I am doing our private road, which, if you have ever been here, you know is a good work out.  It is .4 miles down to the road and .4 miles (feels like 40 miles) back UP the road...including the fairly steep hill.  It is a good workout!

The weather has been absolutely wonderful.  Cool nights, warm days, and some hot days thrown in just to remind us where we are.  Friday we broke all kinds of records, it was 94 here. 

I got to visit the oscopy brothers last Thursday, you know, colon and endoscopy.  I don't mind the actual procedure, heck I am asleep and it is some of the best sleep I get anymore.  BUT I HATE THE PREP DAYS!  However, that is over for another few years...haven't gotten the results back, but the doc said it looked okay and even gave me the pictures he took.  Something for my scrapbook?

Well, here it is November already.  I have no idea where this year went.  Christmas ads are already on TV and stores are already decorated....kinda' takes the fun out of the holidays for me!

Until next time..........

Where has the time gone?

Really?  It's been how long since I posted a blog?  5 weeks!  Let's see...what has happened in the past 5 weeks?  Apparently not much. 

It is still warm in the old pueblo; however, it isn't scorching hot!  We have actually had the windows and doors open for a while.  It is so nice to get some fresh air into the house!

Al has been doing fairly well.  He still has so many issues it is hard to keep up with them.  Between the diabetes, kidneys failing, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, congestive heart failure, etc......  Every week there is at least 1 if not more doctor appointments and at least 2 physical therapy appointments, so needless to say, it keeps me busy.

We had planned a trip to Missouri to see grand and great grand kids, however two days before we were to leave, Al got sick and we had to postpone.  I was amazed how accommodating SW airlines was!  We are hoping to go next month.

I will be taking a weekend off this coming weekend.for my rest weekend.  I am going to Seattle for the weekend.  A very needed break.

Well, since nothing much is happening around here, I will post this blog and hope that the coming weeks will be as uneventful as the past have been.

What is this? Do I feel Fall in the air?

Tucson
Ahhhh, it feels a bit like Fall around here!  Finally!!!  Yes, Fall is in the air, albeit, it is still in the 90's during the day; it is cooling down into the 60's at night.  AHHHH.  Cool nights are returning.  The air feels "crisp" in the morning and evening.  The sun's position in the sky is different, casting different shadows on our mountains in the evening.  The air just feels different, it just feels better.  Gone is the humidity of the monsoons and the strange bugs that comes with the monsoons.  Don't get me wrong, I prefer heat over cold, but I wasn't bargaining for the HOTTEST summer on record!!!!  But we have survived it....and  even enjoyed parts of it.  The storms were amazing.  Even the heat was bearable; until the humidity set in.   Now, we can sit out on our deck in the morning and evening and enjoy our mountains.  Yes, summer is over, no more triple digit temperature days...I hope.

The Santa  Catalina Mountains

Al is doing much better.  At least for now.  He will see the Nephrologist next Tuesday and we will see where we go from there.  Sure hope it isn't to dialysis; but if it is, we will deal with it.

We celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary this week.  We both agreed it didn't seem like 29 years...each year has brought us the ups and downs that a marriage brings; but for the most part they have been good years.  Looking at 30 next year. 

Now that the heat has cooled off, I am starting my walking plan back up.  It was just to darn hot to walk in the heat and unless I wanted to get up at 4:00 a.m. (NOT) to walk, I wasn't walking.  Denise and I are going to try and walk at least 3 times a week at the school track.  Since she is recovering from hip replacement surgery and I am just, plain, out of shape, we will take it slow and build up our stamina (I am not sure that word is in my vocabulary!)  

So until next time.....we are getting comfortable in Tucson again.

A month later

Well, here it is a month after my last post.  I can't seem to keep caught up these days, with anything!

After I returned home from LA Al wasn't feeling well so into the doctor we go.  While in the doctor's office Al took a turn for the worse and the EMT's were called and carted him off to the ER (next door to the doc's office.)  After a LONG time in ER, Al was admitted for observation.  He did have a minor stroke while in the doctors office.  However, the neurologist that saw him in the hospital discovered that he also had Parkinson's disease!  That's a new medical problem to add to the rest of his problems.  However, it is being controlled by yet another pill (he only takes 28 pills a day!)  After a few days in the hospital the doc's let him come home. 

We had a peaceful, albeit, hot couple of weeks at home.  Had some good monsoon storms to keep us occupied. 

On Aug. 23 Al had a doctor appointment for his regular follow up.  The doc ran some routine blood tests while we were there.  That evening the doc called me and told me to take AL back to the hospital, that he was in kidney failure.  His kidneys were basically shutting down!  So back to the ER we went for admission back into the hospital.  The Nephrologist on call just happened to be the one we see, so we felt fortunate we didn't have to see another new doctor.  He felt that Al was dehydrated...I was amazed.  Al drinks tons of water a day; however, he is also on a pill for water retention and it was working overtime and dehydrated him.  So for 3 days he was in the hospital with and IV drip to hydrate him.  Kidneys finally kicked back in to 20%, which for Al is normal.  We still arent' sure if he will have to go on dialysis yet, but at least he didn't have to have emergency dialysis.  What a fun month this has been!  I DON'T NEED ANOTHER ONE LIKE THIS!   Al is home and feeling pretty good now, but I am watching him like a hawk, of course, sometimes that doesn't do any good either.  :-)

In other news, ummm,  life is pretty quiet here.  The weather is beginning to cool off to the low 90's and it isn't so darn humid.  We are still suppose to get a couple more monsoon rains, which are very welcoming.  The desert is a beautiful green right now...so pretty to see.  Of course, with the heat we have it won't take it long to turn back to brown.  We even have some cactus in bloom right now; pretty orange blooms on some of the barrel cactus. 

I am deep into my genealogy research again.  It is something I can do from home and I really enjoy it.  Of course at times I get so confused I don't know who I am!  As Jennifer says, we don't have a family tree, it's more like a hedge!  So true.

Until next time.......hope everyone is happy and healthy.  Live each day like it is your last!

You can't go Home again!

It's been a while since I posted a blog.  I know I have been busy, but didn't realize that I hadn't blogged in over a month!!!!

Let's see....where did July go?  The first part of July, good friend Denise had hip replacement surgery.  Let me tell you, NOTHING slows this woman down.  I called her super woman!  She was walking the halls in the hospital the day of surgery and was walking up our road (nice, BIG hill) a week after surgery!  And I am so proud of her.  After smoking for most of her life, she quit 3 months ago.  YEAH...another convert!

Melanie came down from Portland for a two week visit.  We managed to cover a lot of ground while she was here, including Sedona, Grand Canyon and most of Tucson.  We really had a good visit and hated to see her go back home.  It's been way too long since I have had my oldest daughter here and especially for a long time.  It was good for both of us. 

I took her to the Phoenix airport on July 29 for her flight to Portland and I hopped a flight to Southern California.  Not by choice, mind you.  One of my cousins who has so bravely been fighting breast cancer for 8 years lost her fight on July 23.  Her funeral was July 31 and I decided I should go.  I haven't been "home" for a long time to see all the Emery cousins and I did want to pay my respects to Nancy.  So I flew into Burbank, Dan picked me up and took me up to their house in Acton.  Big fire going on in Palmdale; but then it seems like there is always a fire somewhere in So. Cal. this time of year.   I borrowed his car and drove to my brother John's house in Glendora on Saturday....on the freeway, just before I got off to go to his house, a huge puff of smoke in the mountains above his house.  Fire in Glendora Canyon!   UGH!  The LA County Fire Dept got that one out ASAP!  Good thing as everything is tinder dry. 

Emery Cousins: Patty, John, JoEllen, Linda, Cindy, Bob, Beverly

The Emery cousin reunion was after the funeral, held at  Pat and Jack's in Alta Loma.  Perfect weather that day and we were all there minus two.  That is pretty good for us; however, most of the cousins still live in the So. Cal area.  Then there are the rebels like myself who want no part of that area. 

As I said in the title, you can't go home again. I have been back to Azusa/Glendora many times since I left years ago and I can't imagine myself living there again.  A lot has changed ( who built houses way up in San Gabriel Canyon???  Don't they know it WILL burn?) and a lot hasn't.  After leaving my brothers on Sunday afternoon I decided to just drive around and look .. something I haven't been able to do by myself in years.  I know it bores Al to death when I do this, so this was my chance.  Glendora has really remained a lot the same.  Oh, different shops in what is now called the "Village" of Glendora (we always called it downtown!!) but basically the same.  Azusa has changed  a lot.  Downtown (I think it is still downtown and not "Village"...) has been updated, which it really needed.  My favorite restaurant, El Patio, which was the best Mexican restaurant ever, is gone.  It is now a BBQ place!! Oh Mary, where are you???  You made the best enchiladas in the world.  BUT, my second favorite, La Tolteca is still there, different location, but still the same.  And they still make the BEST taquito's in the world.  I stopped and bought a dozen and took them back to Billie and Dan's, however, only 10 made them back.  I drove up San Gabriel Canyon to Morris Dam...and with the exception of the houses previously mentioned, that is pretty much the same.  Of course, I drove by all the houses I lived in while growing up...and they all pretty much look the same, smaller than I remember, but the same. 

 I enjoyed  my day of "going home", but for me home is where Al is and that is Tucson.  I got home yesterday and glad to be home.  It is still hot, but that is fine with me.

Seattle back to Tucson

Tucson, AZ  currently 102 degrees

Yep, it's warm in the old pueblo.  Summer has definitely set in.  However, the heat doesn't seem to bother us, we are enjoying our air conditioner.  Usually in the early evening, after 5:00 p.m. we go out on the deck where it is shade by that time and sit out and watch the sunset and enjoy the wonderful evening.  After all, we have lived in Lancaster, CA and Saudi Arabia, so heat shouldn't be a problem for us.

My last blog left us in Seattle, so I will continue from there.  We spent Memorial Day in Odessa.  Al's family always has a reunion over memorial day and there were 109 relatives that attended this one.  We had a good visit, but Al was worn out after it was over.  The services at the cemetery were wonderful as well...however, the weather was threatening rain the entire time, it held off until the next day.  One thing that did happen that amazed me was while we were at the cemetery during the services we were all singing "Amazing Grace" and the sun peeked through the heavy black clouds and sent rays on the cemetery.  Kinda' spooky.

Our granddaughter Cammie spent the weekend with us as well.  Sure enjoyed seeing her.  She is going to school in Moses Lake, in the nursing program.  She will make an excellent nurse.

Wednesday we headed to Portland to visit daughter Melanie and family.  The weather continued to be ugly, but we enjoyed our visit with Melanie.  Her dog, Guy, is more ball crazy than Beau....I didn't think it was possible!

After Portland we headed south to Central Point to visit with my sister Jean and family.  We got to see my nieces Sue, Pam and Kay and Kay's family while we were there.  FUN.  On our way to POrtland we stopped in Salem and had lunch with old friends Arley and Betty...tried to get caught up in two hours...impossible!

Finally on the 16th we decided it was time to head towards Tucson.  We left Central Point and headed towards Klamath Falls and Lakeview...it has been over 50 years since I was in that area.  Enjoyed the drive, but my friend the wind was back.  Matter of fact, I fought wind the entire trip back to Tucson.  We spent the first night in Reno; didn't even drop a nickle in a slot machine!!!  From Reno our next stop was Las Vegas and by the time we got there we were to tired to do any gambling!  The next day we drove over Hoover Dam, probably for the last time as the new bridge will open in the future and the dam will be closed off for cars.

 From there, I decided our next stop would be home.  I was like an old horse going to the barn.....I wanted to be home.  We arrived home around 6:30 pm and I can't tell you how good it was to be home.  Dogs, cats and friends were sure all a welcomed sight!

This past week has been spent catching up on laundry, mail, etc.  Next week will start the doctor routines again.  Al did fairly well on this trip, however, his legs and ankles were pretty swollen by the time we got home.  I put compression hose on him ( it took both of us to stuff his legs into them!) and the swelling has gone down. 

One sad note, Marilyn (Al's ex-wife) husband died while we were gone. He was 93 years old and in pretty good health, but got a nasty infection and just couldn't beat it. He was a nice man and we enjoyed knowing him.

It is getting a little on the warm side here as I said before, but hopefully the monsoons will start soon and cool us off, or just make it humid, who knows!

 
On another note, I just love the Saguaro Cactus - here is a picture of one after bloom with crown of thorns.

Until next time, we are unWroamin' again.

BRRR--Seattle

Greetings from the cold, wet Pacific Northwest! 

I am such a dork!  I KNOW better, but somehow when I am packing for a trip to anywhere, I pack clothes for where I am instead of where I am going!  My mind will NOT let me realize that it may be cold where I am going...such as in Seattle!  Needless to say, I am cold.  Oh well, I pay for my stupidity.

We have had a busy month, full of company in Tucson.  Mike and Bev were the first to arrive and Bev stayed an extra week so we could play and play we did.  I had a great time with her there.  Then Jerry arrived to pick up our truck and 5th wheel trailer.  He took it back to Odessa and he will be using it for a while.  While he was still in Tucson Ric and Janet arrived.  It was so much fun having them there together.  Jerry and Ric worked in the yard, or should I just say the outside, trimming trees and disposing of pack rat nests around the house.  The little critters are becoming a real pest.  Janet was sure a big help around the house as well...she seemed to be busy all of the time!

Jerry left with the truck and trailer on May 16; heading towards Odessa.  We dropped Ric and Janet off at the Phoenix airport on the 18th and we kept going north.  Made it to Kanab, Utah the first night.  I was so tired by the time we got there I couldn't have driven another mile.  But, surprise to us, most of the hotel/motels were full!  Apparently Tuesday is the day that all the tourist buses arrive!  We finally found a room in an older, but very clean motel.  Had a wonderful dinner of Navajo Taco's that night.  YUM

Next morning up early and off again.  We stopped in Mt. Carmel Jct. for breakfast and ordered the senior breakfast.  Holy smokes...if that was the size of the senior meal I am glad we didn't order the regular meal..it was huge!  After trying to plow our way through it, we decided to take Hwy 9 through Zion national park.  We have driven this route once before in the pickup, but decided we would be able to enjoy it much more in the van.  It was a great drive, beautiful scenery and we both enjoyed it.  We hit I-15 and I was in a driving mood, so we drove to Twin Falls, ID that night.  I was tired by the time we arrived, had to fight a cross wind all day.

Up early on Thursday and off again...by this time I am settling in to the "driving" mode.  Still fighting wind, but now rain has been added to the mix.  We stopped in Baker City, Oregon (pretty little city) for lunch then headed up Blue Mtn pass.  It was raining pretty hard and then that turned to SNOW at the top of the pass.  Fortunately it wasn't sticking to the road, but it was snow!  In MAY!  Late MAY!  Come on, give me a break.  Finally ran out of the snow on the Pendleton side of the pass.  And for the first time I didn't dread going down the Pendleton hill...no trailer behind me pushing me!!

We stayed in Yakima on Thursday night...wind still blowing hard.  Yakima is in the middle of the Washington wine area and I was wishing we had more time to stop at a few of the vineyards.  After a good nights rest we drove on into Jennifer's in the Seattle area on Friday, arriving about noon.  Glad the drive was over, but I did enjoy it and so did Al.

Saturday was the reason we were here...the wedding of Jesse Brasch to Jessica Bos.  Jesse is the son of good friends Rowland and Kathy and we were determined not to miss this wedding.  The wedding was perfect as far as I was concerned.  Very short ceremony and a long reception!  We enjoyed seeing friends and family. 

Yesterday  we had Gary, Jeannette, Kali, Scott and little Josh over for lunch.  Josh is 2 1/2 years old and we haven't seen him in over a year!  Boy has he grown.  Sure a cute little guy!  Last night Sherrie and Margo were here for dinner...so we are getting some family and friend time in.  Tonight and tomorrow we will see friends for dinner as well...always a busy, fun time while in Seattle.

We left the dogs and cats in the capable care of Gordon and Denise...but we sure do miss them.  Very odd not to have them with us. 

We are off to Odessa on Saturday for Memorial Day family reunion.  Then on the 1st we will head to Portland to see Melanie and family, then on to Medford area to visit with my sister before we head down the California coast. 

More later as we wroam!

Snake Training -- recheck

Tucson

First and foremost, we are proud to announce the arrival of great granddaughter #5---Molly Faye on April 21, weighting in at 7 lbs 14 oz (just the same as her grandmother weighted).  Proud parents are David and Tiffany. 

Tiffany with Sophie Denise (2), Ada JoEllen (1) and Molly Faye (new)

Okay, so exactly one year from the day I initially took the dogs to snake avoidance training (still boggles my mind that I really did this to begin with) I took them back for their yearly re=check.  Yup, the snakes are still "leashed" and alive and rattling like crazy.  Up first was Schuster, who bounded out of the car to go play with the other dogs, took about 3 steps, stopped and sniffed, and RACED back to the car...hell no, I won't go!!!  GOOD BOY!  Then I leash Beau and he takes off for the other dogs and thinking there might be a ball around, all of a sudden he stops, sniffs and runs back (dragging me behind him ) to the car.  Yes, both of the dogs are still afraid of snakes....YES!  My Mom and I did a good job!  :-)  For those of you who don't remember, my mom made my little brother and I so afraid of snakes when we were kids in Oregon and we still carry that fear!

This creepy snake showed up at our house earlier this month.  The Fire department came and captured it so they could release it in the "wild".  I found out the  "wild" was right across the street in the wash!  Next snake we find won't be so lucky!!!

In other un-news; we are still playing "how many doctor appointments can we squeeze into one week?"  The answer is more than I care to think about.  And we added a new doctor to our list, and not an "olgist" this time but and orthopedist!  Al's shoulder is giving him a hard time so we went to see what that was all about.  Worn rotator cuff is the culprit; doc gave him a shot in the shoulder (I didn't watch) and then sent him off to see a physical therapist.  That starts next week...in the midst of all this I am still going to hand therapy.  I don't know if there will be enough hours in the day to fit in all of this "therapy" AND doctor appointments.  AND we are both sneezing ---  hmmm, it's spring and the dreaded mesquite trees are in full bloom and so are our sinuses.  ACHOOOO

Billie and Dan were here for a very short visit earlier this month.  They brought all 4 of our grand dogs with them...Kiki, yellow lab, very old; Cleo, heinz 47 mix; Mocha, poodle mix and young and the newest, Bailey, poodle mix as well.  Our dogs were very happy to see them...they all played.  The cats on the other hand weren't so very happy!

Mike and Bev arrived next, and Mike spent last Wed to Sun here, then he had to go back to work (work???) in St. Louis.  Bev is staying for an additional week and I tell you Tucson will never be the same.  We have shopped and hit every quilt shop in town...I may be able to start quilting again soon.  We had Al's birthday party here last Friday night and had a house full.  I had planned to have it out on the deck, however, weather didn't cooperate and we wound up in the house.  Speaking of weather, last week we had some very cold, January type days...then over the weekend it warmed up and today it was 94.  Tomorrow (weekend coming) it is suppose to cool down and be cold again!!!!  Not normal for Tucson for this time of the year.

Well, that's about all the news from this end for now. I will post a new blog when we finish the doctor rounds next week so I can tell you about what the plan is for dialysis for Al.  I am sure none of this is going to be fun!

Really? A Month???

Tucson
Has it really been a month since I posted a blog?  What's wrong with me?  Where have I been? 

The what's wrong with me answer is "Too much on my plate and not enough time!"  The Where have I been answer would be, doctors office. physical therapy, doctors office, physical therapy, repeat over and over.  It seems as if I haven't had a doctors appointment, Al has; and I have been spending time at the physical therapist office trying to get my right hand to work again!

Progress has been slow with my hand it seems, or, knowing me, I am just impatient!  I want my hand to work NOW!!  I do have most of the use back most of the time, however, having said that I am still typing with only one finger on the right hand most of the time -- sure has slowed my typing speed WAY down.  My thumb and pinky have most of the feeling back, the other three fingers are still numb most of the time, but I am working hard on getting the feeling back in them.  I get so frustrated with the lack of strength in my hand and that doesn't help my disposition any either!

The news on Al isn't the best.  He has seen so many doctors in the last month I have lost count, and can only say I am so glad I have a calendar that I  keep up to date or we would be lost!  His kidney function is way down, we are talking only 20% function.  So now we are probably looking at dialysis, or so the Nephrologist says.  A couple more tests are in the works for Al before we start the dialysis; and I can only say this won't be fun at all.  Al isn't eating very much (which isn't AL) and really doesn't have the energy to do anything.  Between the kidneys, diabetes and alzheimers, life just isn't fun for him.  Plus I watch him like a hawk; sometimes too much, but I am scared not to.  Plus he has  trouble walking; so I am always aware of where he is, sure don't want him to fall.

A bright spot in our life is that we have had company; good friends Kathy and Rowland Brasch were here for a week.  We really enjoyed them; even got out to go to Tombstone and Bisbee one day and Al enjoyed the ride.  He couldn't walk very far; but enjoyed being out. 

Now we are waiting for daughter Bille and son in law Dan to arrive on Monday for a short visit; then later this month son Mike and wife Bev will be here -- can't wait!  Next month son Ric and wife Janet will be here, which we are looking forward to as well.

Weather here has been fairly good, had some cold, cloudy days, but I think those are over for a long while as we are now starting to heat up for the summer months.  Speaking of which, we won't be going north this summer unless Al improves dramatically.  So we will spend our very first FULL summer here in Tucson -- which I don't mind in the least.  I keep telling myself it can't be as hot as it was when we were in Riyadh! 

Friends Denise and Gordon are still here as well; and I can't say how glad we are that they are here.  They are living in their 5th wheel and it is parked on our lower lot, which we had an RV pad built last year.  They are really a huge help for us and do a lot to help my well being.  What great friends they are!

Until next time, we hope all is well with all of you!

Visits from our Australian Cousins

Tucson    
Last weekend we have the pleasure of being visited by Al's cousin Christine and her husband Denys from Australia.  They are such a fun couple and we were sorry they could only stay for two days, but we were happy to be included on their visit to the U.S.  Christine is originally from Quincy, WA; but has been in Australia since she married Denys some 38 years ago.  We had agreat visit; loved hearing about their family and friends.

On Saturday we drove them around Tucson; stopping to treat them to a Sonoran Hotdog; driving up to "A" mountain where they climbed up to the top of the "A"'; took them to San Xavier Mission and then out to dinner for Mexican food.

Sunday was ugly -- it rained and blew all day.  We stayed home so they could get their internal clocks reset.  Sunday afternoon we had Gary, Jeannette, Bruce, Holly, Gordon, Denise and Bob grabow over for dinner and to visit with the Aussies.  Gary is Christines cousin and Holly is her 2nd cousin.  We all enjoyed the day.

Monday bright and early (3:00a.m.) we took them to the airport where they were headed for Kansas City to visit her aunt and then on to Seattle.  They have a busy 3 weeks ahead of them.

My hand is doing better -- I am doing physical therapy twice a week now.  It is stilla bit numb and typing with it is hard as 3 of my 4 fingers are still numb, basically only my thumb and pinkie are of any use.  PT is suppose to help this.

Weather has been beautiful the rest of this week.  However, it is suppose to rain again this weekend -- we sure have had a wet winter this year, but the desert is sure green and pretty!

Our great granddaughter Natasha will have her last round of radiation tomorrow.  Then she will wait a month and then go back in for more tests.  She sure is a trooper -- and so is her mom and grandparents.  Bev has been taking her for most of her treatments so Sarah can continue to work,  Natasha goes in early and is at school only a few minutes late each day.  She has gone to school throughout all of this -- amazing 10 year old.