MIssing Beer and," Where are we going? Why?"

There is no doubt that Esther's short-term memory is going. The other day we returned all her alcohol to her--she didn't forget that it was gone. She even figured out that she had been done taking the medicine that would prohibit her having alcohol. Every day for a few days she would call insisting it was time to bring it back. We had to make sure the medication was out of her system, the recommended two days. Then I brought her over 4 cans of beer. When Jerry stopped by less than an hour later, there were 1 1/2 beers left in the fridge. The next day he brought her two more. Then the next day she called us up and said we were lying to her, because she did not have any beer there, and we did not bring her as many as we said we had. Yesterday, I took her back all of the rest of her stuff (case of beer, jugs of wine, etc.). I also gave her my firm vow that we were not liars or trying to trick her, that we are straight-forward with her. I told her that if she was missing beer, she must have drank it. I then showed her the 6 empty cans under her sink. SILENCE Later, after our errand, she commented that I hadn't brought her any beers at all, that right after I left she went and looked in the fridge and it was empty. Oh well. I left all her alcohol that I returned out, for her to put away, that way she might remember what she has. She did not agree that she could be forgetting anything. I am glad she's so feisty.

Autumn brings Thanksgiving

The leaves are turning colors on the trees, and that makes me think of Thanksgiving time. I have so many things to be thankful for. Especially for Jerry and all of my family, my kids and their spouses, and the beautiful grandchildren.

I'm thankful for good friends, and our sweet "best" friend, Rosie. She's snoozing away right now and it's only 9 a.m., but hey, she's been up a few hours.

I'm thankful to live here in this great country where we are so blessed.

Still Gardening and Door Remodel

It's almost Halloween and we are still gardening. We have tomatoes, but they ripen much more slowly. We have bell peppers, they grow more slowly, but taste great. We planted 3 boxes with winter stuff and the spinach is doing great, as well as the chinese greens, and winter lettuce, but they do grow more slowly than in summer when there is so much sunshine. Since sunshine equals flavor in vegetables, it will be interesting to see how these do. I have been told lettuce only gets so flavorful and it doesn't make much difference. I figure by next week we will be eating the spinach and the greens. The zinnias are still putting on a show, and I haven't cleaned up the heads because I think they might drop more seeds into the ground for next year.

We put in a new back door and had a roof built to keep the rain off of the door. Jon Lopez, a friend in our ward is a talented builder. He did the work quickly. It's too rainy to paint right now, though. You can see the old tongue and groove siding that is on the house. I like it. Jerry has purchased new siding to put over it and will do that as he feels like it. Maybe next summer we can paint and he will be done. We told the Girl's Camp director that we aren't coming to camp next year, since our two year calling was finished. That will be at least one week where we could get something done. This past summer was very full with scout camp, girl's camp, day camp, and I can't remember what else, but it left very little time to do our big chores.

It'll get done eventually.

Vineyard Place Revisited

Well, Esther was in good spirits today as we got some labwork done for her upcoming surgery. We took some pictures of her place, but she wasn't happy about the way she made her bed, so next time we can take pictures of the inside of the apartment. Here is a picture of Leona Jakobsen her friend, with Esther. The other is of Esther with her bag, holding her treasure--Nabisco Ginger Snaps. In her pocket are the bandaids she bummed off of the fellow that drew her blood today. She loves getting free stuff. When I got there she had an advertisement from the newspaper and she said, "What does it say, all I can read is "free". She was disappointed that is was for a free analysis of your car if the engine light has come on. She was probably thinking more like a free muffin.

The Last of the Summer Harvest

Today is the first day of Autumn and we have a record-breaking 96 degrees for our temperature. I watered the strawberries, and all the potted herbs and flowers. We have harvested the rest of the carrots, and the cucumbers. We had so many cucumbers that I took yet another bushel, literally, down to the corner and put them in a box marked "Free Lemon Cukes" and within hours they disappeared. That's twice I've done that now. I put them next to the corn stand down there. If I liked pickled cucumbers I'd do that, but I have enough and to spare here. We still have many tomatoes on our 3 plants-- the one we brought from Esther's house, that is in a pot, is not doing as much. It's probably because we used fertilizer and she used her coffee ground water. Yuck. We had about two big bucket loads get ripe all at once so I made salsa yesterday.

With three of the garden boxes empty now, I have fertilized and am going to plant our winter garden tomorrow. I don't think the seeds will sprout if it's too hot, so I guess I'll watch the weather first.

Now, how to get Jerry to build two more boxes for next year. At least he has all winter to work up to it, we won't need them until spring.

What I Used to Remember

Today I had a nice breakfast with Esther at her place. She had called early to ask me to come and eat with her. The day is so beautiful today. We visited for a couple of hours and when it was time to leave, I did what she asked me to do: loaded her in the car and drove her 1/2 block past the driveway to Vineyard Place and left her to walk back. She has been wanting so much to venture out, since she used to walk all over the area there, riding the bus to Roundtable Pizza and walking up to Goodwill and other favorite spots. Now she is so close to them, she won't need to ride the bus to get to them. As she waved goodby to me, I pulled away from the curb and she headed the opposite direction back to her place. I had the feeling that I should stop and watch her to see if she would turn into the driveway towards home. It was 1/2 block from her. She headed off and I watched her walk right past it and on up the street. I turned my car around to face the direction she was headed and watched. As soon as she had completely passed the beautifully kept grounds of Vineyard Place she stopped and turned to the left and stared, then she went on. I started driving slowly to follow her, I was thinking she wanted to venture up a little farther and then she'd turn around and come back down. She was slowing down, because it is slightly uphill and I'm sure that quad muscle was pulling on that fractured pelvis. When she reached the end of the full block and came to the cross street and stopsign I could see she was confused. There was a man walking there and as I drove more quickly now to reach her, she was agitated and gesturing to him. I heard her say that her daughter-in-law had dropped her off and she thought she could walk back, etc. and I politely interrupted them. He was a nice middle-aged man , who kindly smiled at me and reassured her. He went off to finish his walk. I felt for her because the expression on her face when she was talking to the man showed her frustration and fear. Her eyes were crazed, her face red, her arms waving. She was so relieved to see me. "How did you know?" She decided to not walk back to her place, because "I'll probably miss it". So she got in with me. I told her that just after I pulled away, I got the feeling I should stop and watch to make sure she did allright. Well, she was amazed. All of this occured in less than 4 minutes, but to her it was a long time and a long way to walk. Her time concepts are not good, worse than they used to be even. So, I drove the block back down and stopped at the end of the sidewalk that led straight up to Vineyard Place. She talked about the experience for awhile, all the details. She kept saying that she had seen a TV show last night where they talked about a person getting a feeling about something. She seemed very taken by the idea. She did want to walk, though. She said, "I'm going straight up this sidewalk and then I'm going to walk around the building--I can't get lost there." I thought, "Wanna bet?". When she got out she took off like a rocket towards the building and I pulled away and she waved, but I did stop just down the road and watched the driveway for awhile to make sure she didn't turn around and come out on the road again. She didn't.

It's got to be hard when you want to do the normal things you like to do, that you used to be able to do and now you can't. Your brain is letting you down, maybe your body is letting you down and you are all too aware of it.

Still, she is having a pretty good life there, with lots of friends and good meals. Today she is going with Leona to the activity room to see a movie with everyone. She's hoping it's a good one.

Peace Again

Now it's peaceful again at Vineyard Place and here at our house. She enjoyed Dale's visit. He left on Sunday and it seems that the boys were just the shot in the arm that Esther needed. Today is Tuesday, and she was glad to see me-- happy, smiling and talking about the fun she and Leona had yesterday. The telephone got turned on today, we just needed the right guy from Qwest who knew what he was doing. The new manager, Ray Short, got right on the problem and one day later it is solved. So that made this day a diamond for Esther.

I will take my camera over tomorrow and take pictures of her and her place. I was going to do that last week, but didn't think I'd get anything other than complete sourpuss pictures.

Friday is the ultrasound and then who knows what great adventure we will embark upon.

Payback

We left town for 2 1/2 days to go to Ashland to see some of the Shakespeare Festival. That was great!! We saw 3 of the 4 Shakespeare plays in two days. Ashland is a beautiful place, too. We got back late yesterday afternoon and I went over to Esther's about 6:30 p.m. to see her. Her good friend Leona had moved into her place on the third floor and Esther had gotten several boxes from her and had packed up quite a bit of her stuff. In our short absence she had gotten agitated and wanted her old place back. She was upset that we had not taken her on a trip, and that her phone is still not working. We called her on the cell phone, but she couldn't remember to hold it up to her ear for some reason. She'd open it and hold it like a walkie-talkie and say, "What am I supposed to do?" Then Jerry would yell over and over, "Hold it up to your ear!" Then she'd close the phone. Anyway, she was mad, basically. Dale arrived last evening and he and Jerry are having breakfast with her today. They stopped by on the way home from the airport last night and talked to her a bit. Hopefully the new manager who took over at Vineyard Place will get busy on the telephone problem. Esther said, "I want to go to 135 East Exeter St.", the only problem is that that is not her old address She is not fully functional at all, mentally, and so her two boys are going to help her make this adjustment this weekend. She couldn't stop saying how nice the place is, how good the food it, but she said she "couldn't go anywhere". Well, she still can't walk well because of her pelvic fracture, so she can't go very far anyway. Jerry said to her, "Why didn't you go ride on the shuttle bus?" She has our sympathy, but she has been very naughty--exactly what we expected.

Vineyard Place is Peaceful

We moved Esther last weekend and it has been a whirlwind, feels like much more than a week. We have spent almost every minute with her, helping her to adjust and find her things. The fact that she is legally blind doesn't help. We set her new place up just like her old one, with everything right where she would have kept it, the problem is, she stopped being able to find things at home about 4 weeks ago, maybe more. I am not sure just when she started to have complete lapses in her short-term memory. She used to have a bad day now and then, but now it's most of the day. If she has a few days to think about things, she might remember. Anything that is routine, like mealtimes, is good. It's just the things she asks you and then you tell her. She also has become quite lazy about looking for things. If it's not within reach it's too much trouble. She can't seem to remember her second closet, though she had two at her last place. She didn't remember all her pants were hanging in there. She did remember her dresser drawer full of sweat pants. She had been just stacking things all over the house so if she stumbled upon it she could use it. She loves where she lives though and has already made some friends. In a few weeks when she is more mobile again, she will be in business. For now, she has given up the walker and is using her cane. She still moves rather slowly, but she is much faster than a month ago. The doctor said three more weeks and she should be feeling much better. I feel for her that she has to undergo some tests for her tumor while dealing with a fractured pelvis. She's a sport. Feisty, that's the word. She did not enjoy the scope, and her next test will be next Friday for a Endo-Rectal Ultrasound. I assume that's from the outside, but how they do it, I don't know.

She loves the peacefulness of her place, and the people there. She loves being able to not worry about managing food or cooking it or using it up. She just goes up and gets fed and helps herself to anything they set out for snacks. She went to her first social a couple of nights ago. It was a wine-tasting. She wouldn't have missed that--and a very nice woman who works for Signature Services, which helps those who need extra assistance, knocked on her door to make sure she didn't forget. She had a great time. I have noticed she has become more peaceful and less worried. There is only one glitch in the whole thing. Her telephone is not hooked up yet because for some reason the jack is dead. We have been going back and forth with Qwest. The managers left town until Sunday and he is the only one that can help us now. She is missing her phone. We left her a cell phone so we can at least call her, but it's newfangled. She doesn't like it.

She had to take a shower instead of a bath. She waited until I got there yesterday. I think she didn't know how to turn it on. It was simple. I showed her how turn it on and after her complaining about it-- how she was old-fashioned and was used to a bathtub--once the water hit her she just kept saying, "Oh, it feels so good." She used to take showers when she was younger, she just forgot about it. She has said she is happy that she doesn't have to worry about using too much electricity or water. It's nice to see her relaxing more, and we went to the library and she has 5 audiobooks to listen to, which she loves to do.

The Garden is Still Changing

It's not as exciting to you as it is to us, but I only planted two seeds for Lemon Cucumbers and my, oh, my we can't even count the blossoms and cukes on there--at least 100, more I'm sure. I saw for myself that I had two little sprouts when it began.

I've been busy packing up Esther for her move tomorrow. It's all ready. She's ready. Tomorrow should be a simple move and we can spend time unpacking and putting things in place for her.

Garden in July

With water, we survived some very hot days, over 105 degrees for 3 days, and several days at 95 degrees plus. Here's how the garden looked this morning.

I'm riding the train to Joy's today, and riding back down here with her tomorrow. Good times.

Summertime is Fun Time Not Blog Time

With the exception of Josie's beautiful slideshow, it's obvious that there hasn't been much to read on any of my family's blogs lately--mine either. We are all too busy living life and enjoying the nice weather. I did go with Nichole to Joy's on the 14th, which was Joy's birthday. We spent two days there. We drove up to the Olympic Peninsula--one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We went to Forks and enjoyed the people of the town the most, because they have embraced the many people who come there because of the "Twilight" Series books by Stephenie Meyer. Even the people on the reservation in La Push were waving at us as we visited the many sites from the books. We also saw Dr. Carlise Cullen's parking space at the hospital--they were nice enough to put a sign up for him (us). It was a heartwarming experience for me, to see them embrace the people, it seemed, more than the trend. I think it was more than the money available to be made, it was in answer to the many, many people who started flocking there. I'm sure they are enjoying the money, too.

We drove South and West then to the Hoh Rainforest, which is also so beautiful. It was only my second visit to the peninsula, but it is still, by far my favorite spot to go.

I could easily spend a lot of my years now just seeing beautiful places like this.

Mosiac Maker

I finally had a little fun using Flickr's mosiac maker. Only, the last picture didn't get on there somehow. It was a dolphin with a smile.

Disneyland Memories

Disneyland is only a memory now, but it sure was fun in its own grueling way. It beguiles you away from your sane thoughts of breaking up your visits with relaxing afternoons at the motel and the pool and heading back for a nice, cool evening of rides and fireworks. You just can't leave, there are too many fun things to do. All were troopers as we made the most of our 3-day park hopper passes. We did find time to enjoy the pool, though. We learned a few things, like you don't have to use your 3-day pass consecutively-- you can take up to 13 days to use it from the time you make your first visit. So, next time, we will maybe rest a day in between the first two days and go back on another day. Kelli had wanted to see some California beaches and we did not have time--so next time, a day relaxing at the beach in between some of the Disneyland visits.

For now we will just savour the memory of our special time together.

Growing Garden

The garden has been doing very well this year, thanks to perfect weather. We've had a nice mixture of sun and rain. We have already been eating the lettuce and the radishes. It's a start for us--the garden boxes have been so great. I weed a little each morning--it takes less than 5 minutes. Now the ground and the weeding, that is another story--that takes a long time with a hoe, but I planted pumpkins on the ground. Our one watermelon sprout got beat down in a rainstorm and never survived. The next one has sprouted, so we will see. I like getting out in the early morning and taking care of it. Rosie likes to go out, too. A big bird flew low over us yesterday and she ran after it a long time.

Last Day of Seminary

This has been the best year of seminary teaching yet. I haved loved each person in each class I have taught and this year the class was extra fun with 13 girls and 13 boys. They each brought their own spirit into the class. They got up early, and were steadfast. Amazing people!

We ended with an auction and light breakfast. It was great and the kids were so sweet and appreciative to me. The only thing bad: I was exhausted, because I went with Nancy downtown and to a concert the night before. I got home at midnight. We went to Powell's bookstore, to Whole Foods for limeade (my favorite thing) , and to dinner at Rose's deli near Lloyd Center. Then we went to see Il Divo. Once again, they were unbelievably good. Their show is so well produced. The stage design, and the blocking (where they were to be physically each moment on the stage) made it so that everyone got to see each of them sing up close. The attention to detail was outtanding. It made it that much easier to enjoy the fantastic singing. I hear they are referring to their sound, which is unique, as "Ropera". A combination of rock and opera. You have to be there, as at the opera, to fully appreciate it.

Truck and Tractor Pulls

Did I mention that we went to a benefit Truck Pull in Republic, Missouri near Alice's? We had a great time. It was a benefit for a farmer who has cancer. It started at 6 p.m. and ended about 10 p.m.. Alice was waiting up for us and asked us if we had a good time. She was cute.

Since they were playing the song about ticks that I'd never heard before over the loudspeakers, and since Jerry spent the entire trip picking ticks off of himself, you get to enjoy the song, racy as it is. It reminds me of the now extinct human flea of which people used to write about when they wanted to be racy or intimate--"A flea between thee and me". I read all about it in Smithsonian magazine.

Missouri in the Spring

We just returned from Marionville, Missouri. It was quiet, things haven't changed there much in the past 100 years. We enjoyed it, except for the storm that blew down a huge walnut tree and the ticks. We love seeing Alice and love the history of the Swertfeger Family that is there. We feel their spirits in the home that they built, which hasn't changed much since they passed on. Alice is 89 this year.

Perfectly Studying

It's windy and rainy outside and it has been the right day to be inside reading. I am getting ahead in my seminary studying. In two weeks I will be teaching the book of the Revelation of John. It has so much detail and is very cool.

Jerry is sleeping on the sofa, having spent the morning phoning about boy scout donations and going around to collect a few more. This has not been a good year for getting the needed donations. It has taken him 3 times longer that last years, and it took a long time those years. The economy is catching up with the scouts.

We will be visiting Alice in Missouri soon. She has a long list of chores for Jerry. Hope we can do them all. Going there is a step back in time, for sure. I love the quiet there. The house hasn't changed since the early 1960s and some things not since earlier than that. There is not one LED light in the place. Well, maybe on the newer TV she had to get when you turn it on. Most of Missouri hasn't changed much over the years, I guess.

Today I've been thinking about Grant, Mindy and Josie who will be moving to Washington D.C. next week. They have their hands full, I'm sure.

Our Garden Revisited

This year Jerry finished the garden boxes. Yesterday we finished planting them. You can't really see down the hillside in these pictures, but we planted 4 blueberry bushes there. I am going to plant watermelons and pumpkins on the ground there, too. I want to plant a few rows of corn, I just need to decide where is the best place. To the left of the boxes we have two rhubarb plants from last year's planting. The miracle rhubarb. Two of four survived after the dump truck driver accidentally dumped an entire load of dirt on them. It took us a few days to dig them out. My favorite thing is that in front of the fence we planted 4 lavender bushes, which will get to be nice and big. I love lavender and all it's uses. I like to weave lavender wands, too. Maybe next year we will have enough to do some of that.

Track Meets

Today I went to Veronica's second track meet. Last week I went to her first one, but had to leave before her event started. Today she did the long jump and ran the 100 meter. She was giving it her all, and was adorable out there with the other 8th graders. Heidi and I tried not to freeze since the wind was blowing directly into the stands. In Oregon, all the sports events are over by the time school is out, when it is just finally getting warmer and the rain is stopping (hopefully). I guess this is so that people can have their whole summer free. In Illinois, where I grew up and where my sister raised her children, when school ends the baseball season is just getting started and they enjoy ballgames well into August. I miss that. Here even the little league baseball is over by the time school is out in June. So that leaves kids open to summer camp, I guess. Well, since it is the way it is, Heidi and I will just have to wear our winter coats and bring blankets, as many others did.

Seminary Thoughts

It's 4:45 a.m. and I am finished with my morning routine which ends by checking the email and looking at the news on the internet. I still have 15 or 20 minutes before I need to leave. Yesterday we had our monthly inservice meeting and, once again, I was teased about coming 5 minutes earlier each year I teach. I guess this is a sign that I've completely adjusted to this early schedule. I love these morning hours of just sitting in the quiet and contemplating. I like the feeling of being ready to stand before my 26 students and hopefully lift them a bit and teach them something new. Teaching seminary is a great calling. I think of all I've had I like it the best. The love I feel for the students is deep, and the concern when they seem to be struggling in life is also deep. They are all so great and have no idea that they are. Today is Friday, and we will do some easier, fun stuff. I am going to show them a video of Gene Kelly dancing on roller skates. It always makes me happy and amazed at his ability. We all have talents, I guess we need to find them.

New York Was Fun

We really enjoyed going to New York to see Grant, Mindy and Josie. It snowed while we were there and it was cold, but since we just hung out in the apartment with occasional outings for groceries and such, we didn't care. We just enjoyed staring at Josie, holding her, talking with Grant and Mindy and just relaxing for a change. See Jerry is relaxing right there at the table.

The apartment building is Grant's and the second garage door from the left is his. His front door is what you see on the left face of the building. We went for a drive up to West Point on the other side of the Hudson. It was cold and windy, but fun.

I'm sitting here right now at home watching it snow like crazy. It's very beautiful and will probably all melt before lunchtime. It's been a funny year for our weather.

Now to decide which of the many things needed to be done that I will do today.

Lame At Blogging

I realize that I am lame when it comes to blogging. Maybe if I try harder I can do better. But it won't be today, will it? Today will be more of me stating what we are doing. We are going to have a good time driving Joy home today. It's sunny out there and should be for part of the trip.
We love Katie so much for taking care of Rose when we go places. Rose is in love with her and especially with Paul. I hear they even let her on their bed, which is something because they sleep on a full size bed and have another dog or two on the bed already.

We had a nice evening last night at Sunshine Pizza with Carrie Benson and Nichole Trone. Oliver checked out the game room, and sat on my lap playing with the steering wheel for the big Atari game, "California Speed". He found it fascinating. There was a lever to pull and buttons to push, too, but the steering wheel was extra cool. He grasped it an 10 and 2 like I showed him and then he'd rock it back and forth. He had a system: rock the steering wheel back and forth a few times, then reach for the lever, then lean over to the left as far as possible and push the 3 buttons; Repeat the system. He did that for a long time. I could hear the girls laughing at the table as they caught up on things in their lives. It made a nice memory for me.

Visitors

I am so happy that Joy, Nate and Oliver have come for a visit. This Sunday Mary Jo and her family will be in Portland for about a week, too, and Mary Jo and I already have plans to get together on Tuesday. So it's good time with family this whole week.

Cute Grandchildren

I feel spoiled by having so many cute, sweet grandchildren. Last Monday I got to take the 4 girls (Veronica, Zoe, Elizabeth and Kelli) to the movies and to lunch. They chose Hometown Buffet so they could eat anything they wanted. So many choices--especially sugar for Zoe. Elizabeth showed me how healthily she was eating and Veronica kept Zoe away from the dessert buffet and towards the mac-n-cheese and mashed potatoes. It was just after Kelli's birthday, so she got to choose the movie. She wanted to see "Twilight" for the second time, so the others were glad to see it for the first time. They seemed very satisfied with all the handsome, vampire goodness. They liked Bella a lot.

We got to see Oliver along with his nice parents this past weekend. It was good to relax up in Des Moines and just spend time watching him play and practice walking.

We are especially grateful for Katie who takes good care of Rose when we are gone. We'd be lost without her and Paul.

Josie Jeanne Swertfeger

It's been a great week since Josie was born. I decided that I, too, could post a picture of her, even though it's mostly family that looks at this and Grant has done a fine job of letting us all know about her.

She's a beautiful little girl and we can't wait to see her. Hopefully we can do that in March.

It really touches my heart to see Grant and Mindy so happy and enjoying Josie so much. It is also touching that Grant, "just can't stop looking at her" and is sad because, "in 4 weeks I'm going to have to go back to work and leave her". She is loved.

Happy New Year 2009

We had a fun time at Ron and Anne Leptich's house tonight. We joined many of the people our age from the ward. They are so great to host us every year. We heard a funny story about how Anne drove her deceased father, Charles, in his casket to where he wanted to be buried in Idaho. In between her mother insisted on having a funeral in the few towns they had lived in. Anne dubbed it "The traveling Chuck show".