"Out of an abundance of caution" is one of the catch phrases for the beginning of this COVID-19 experience. The other one is "social distancing".
I haven't counted the number of letters and eMail's I have received that have a paragraph that begins with "Out of an abundance of caution..." then explains how they are going to manage to continue or will have to discontinue their business based upon guidelines from the CDC (Center for Disease Control). They would fill volumes. They come from airlines, hotels, dentists, banks, etc. Anyone we have done business with, including the online businesses.
The term "social distancing" seems like an oxymoron to me. It simply means stay 6 feet away from whomever you are interacting. Our governor does a news update every evening at 5pm. Even the people that are there with him to speak to us are standing 6 feet apart. This is a good and needful thing.
So, my focus for the past 11 days has been to accomplish two goals. I wanted to use this 'gift of time' to get some things done that I have wanted to do that I knew would take time and so I have put off getting them done. Instead of blogging every day, I have worked on getting my quotes from my laptop to my Notes section on my Gospel Library app from Church. This has been very rewarding, if not daunting. The other is to write in a book our granddaughter, Katelyn, gave to us about our lives. It is one of the books that asked you questions and you write the answers ending with a biography about you. Katelyn gave one to Claude and one to me. So, instead of blogging regularly with all this time, I have been working on these two items. Lots of hours to do them. It is good to have 'time' to accomplish something like this.
Now, I finished the quotes goal. So I spent time this morning getting things in order to catch up on the Blog. Here we go. After going through my calendar, pictures, text, eMail's and Facebook posts, I have constructed things that have happened during the past 11 days.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
On of the items in huge demand and rationed out as it hits the shelves is toilet paper. It has become quite the point of humor when one looks at social media. People are making jewelry out of little rolls of toilet paper for others. Here is are a few of the toilet paper memes that I enjoyed. A friend took the middle one when in the grocery store and said she had a very hard time not laughing out loud. It appears the Corona virus is juxtaposed by the much needed toilet paper.
Through this day Claude and I marveled at the number of times our phones dinged that some important notification had just arrived. You must understand, I have turned off most of those notifications. So my cellphone dinging was really a big deal. It seemed like a constant stream of notifications. One of great importance for us came from the Church offices in Salt Lake City through to our Stake President. It stated: "At the direction of Salt Lake and the Governor of Kentucky, please spread the word about the following: The Louisville Temple is closed for the rest of the week. The Preparedness air is postponed. Institute is cancelled until further notice. Seminary will be held as long as school is open. Sunday Services are cancelled for Sunday. Hold other meetings only as needed and utilize technology where possible. This is a very fluid situation. Please stay tuned and we will pass on direction as we receive it." As of today, the Louisville Temple is closed with the exception of live ordinances and then only the immediate family may attend. As of today, Institute and Seminary are being held via Zoom. As of today, Church services are cancelled until further notice. We are to hold sacrament meeting in our homes with our families. If we have a worthy priesthood holder in the home, he may pass the sacrament on Sunday only. Special arrangements may be made to take the sacrament to those without a Priesthood holder in their homes on a monthly basis. No one is to use the building for any purpose.
This day the Social Worker at Signature Health Care called to talk to me about Papa and answer any concerns I had. I learned that they were only using the front door of the nursing home. Everyone entering had to have their temperature taken before entering. This meant every employee every time they entered. She said they were keeping the same routine with the residents so their life was pretty much normal with the exception of visitors. We could bring things and leave them at the front desk by the front door for our family members. Grateful for this contact.
Thursday evening we were to go to LaGrange to attend the pre-KMEA Band Concert for Hayden and Bailey. The Oldham County Middle School and the Oldham County High School have a concert the week prior to the KMEA Competition so that the kids get a run through of their pieces in front of a live audience. They sell tickets and the money goes to fund both bands. This would have been Bailey's first concert and Hayden's third. That evening we were also expecting horrible storms. We had asked Andie if we could bring an overnight bag and stay at their home if the weather was too bad. She said that would be fine. We packed our bag and headed out in the afternoon with the intention of getting dinner for everyone along the way. First I got a message from Andie that the middle school was cancelling because of the weather. Claude and I were on I-75 at that point. We decided to get off the Interstate and head back into Georgetown and wait until further notice before going all the way to LaGrange (about 1 1/2 hours away). We stopped at Burger King and got Papa a chocolate shake. We dropped it off at the front door of the nursing home (so happy they will take these things to him for us) and the went to the Church parking lot to await any other notice. Not long after Andie sent the message the concert was canceled. At this point they were suggesting we stay in as much as possible. This would be the turning point where everyone was asked to stay in their homes. We pointed the Jeep back to Sadieville to ride out the storm. Now we would spend the bulk of our days in our home.
Claude determined we would eat the left over soup we had as our meal since our dinner plans with the Marx family did not pan out. It was a little earlier than we usually eat and Claude said, "If we eat sooner we can eat more often!"
Friday, March 13, 2020
Claude found a graph that shows the gravity of the corona virus. Italy was hit a week or so ahead of us. They are in dire straits with this virus. The graph compares where the United States is with where Italy was at that same time. Eerily similar. This one shows me the importance of that social distancing.
Saturday, March 14, 2020
This was our Aubrey's birthday. I posted these pictures from Aubrey's past. Such a cutie. I sewed the pink princess dress she wanted so badly. It had little sequins glued to the fabric. I will NEVER sew that kind of fabric again. The glue catches in the sewing machine needle and it takes forever to sew because you have to keep stopping to clean the needle. But it sure made our little one happy and was worth all that effort. Happy Birthday Aubrey Anne (Now known as Bre).
This Saturday we had scheduled a Wooden Spoon Carving class in Lexington. It ended up being canceled and our fee will eventually be refunded. This would have been a very fun thing for us to try our hand at together. We were absolutely sure our spoons would have been VERY primitive!!
In the evening Claude realized it was also Pie Day. We were so wrapped up in keeping up with COVID-19 we didn't even think about Pie Day. What to do, what to do?? Then I remembered my mother making fried pies out of canned biscuits for us as children. We had one can of biscuits and we had jams in strawberry and peach. I cleared the use of the canned biscuits with Claude. Then I determined to make them ever so little a bit more nutritious by baking them instead of frying them. I think they looked great and they tasted amazing. The can had 8 biscuits in it. I made 4 strawberry and 4 peach. We had dessert for the next 4 days!
Sunday, March 15, 2020
We started this day with church held in our own home with just Claude and me. It was a most tender experience. We used our study time to read the 4 versions of the First Vision in preparation for General Conference in a few weeks. Claude blessed and passed the sacrament to us. This touched my heart in a very tender way as it did Claude's. The sacrament is so very important. To be given permission to hold this ordinance in our home each Sunday until we can get back to the meetinghouse is a blessing beyond compare. I have had many profound experiences in my 69 years with the sacrament. This is one of them and will be a treasured memory and spiritual uplift for the rest of my life.
I baked some cookies and we took cookies for Papa along with a new Church News to the nursing home and left them. Then we went to the park by Elkhorn Creek and took a walk. It was good to be out in the fresh air. It was colder than we expected. No one else was on the trail so we did practice good social distancing. Our governor is encouraging people to find ways to get out and get fresh air. To not feel trapped in our homes. This will be harder for others who live in densely populated areas. We have another place to walk that will also afford us the needed social distancing. We will do this every now and then.
The meme for this day was this. My dear friend, Laura, responded after I shared this with her that our age group would now no longer be known as the 'boomers' and would now be known as the 'sneezers, wheezers, and geezers'!!
Monday, March 16, 2020
On this day Claude contacted our children via eMail and sent them a recipe for hand sanitizer and a new recipe he was trying for us. It was for Taco Spaghetti. Really yummy. I post the hand sanitizer recipe we found on Facebook and used. The hand sanitizer turned our really good. As a side note, due to a huge need for more hand sanitizer, the distilleries are making it. Seems they have an abundance of a much needed ingredient that the rest of us are having a hard time finding...alcohol. This is a good recipe to keep on hand for future emergency needs.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
This was our Andie's birthday. I posted pictures of her at 13 and 15. These are the ages of her children. Since they are not on Facebook, I sent them each an eMail with the picture of their mother at their age and reminded them to tell her Happy Birthday.
The pings on our phones this day were to let us know that the Proms were cancelled for the High Schools, the Chamber of Commerce was closed and the Georgetown Police were now picking up prescriptions for those 60 and over.
My intention had been to take Andie's birthday gift to her the previous Thursday when we went to the Mini's band concert. Alas, that did not happen. Claude and I determined this would be a good day for a car ride. We bundled up a treat for Papa and the gift for Andie. The intent was to do a drive thru and get lunch in LaGrange to drop off at the Marx home with her gift. Andie was calling us the 'senior Door Dash'!! Then Andie had to go to school. She still has to work as a 1st grade teacher. They had things for her to pick up and do. So, we did our drive with instructions for Bailey to take the food and gifts. Claude took the items to the door and he and Bailey had window hugs. How sweetly pathetic is that?! Andie sent me this picture of our window hugs.
Then Claude and I drove thru a few other neighborhoods to look at homes and areas before heading back to Georgetown. We would have Panera for our dinner that night. Last dining in the restaurant experience for a long time. From this point restaurant seating would be closed and it will be drive-thru dining or pick up only.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
This was an eventful day. I opened Facebook to check it and found there had been a 5.7 earthquake in Magna, Utah. Some serious shaking going on there. I send a text to my sister-in-law, Julie, asking if they felt in in northern Utah. She called me back and said she and Cordell (Claude's brother) felt it but Bonnie (Claude's mother) slept right through it. The sad thing was the Salt Lake Temple which has a huge statue of the Angel Moroni on top blowing a trumpet. The temple is under major renovations. The trumpet broke off of the statue during the earthquake. Amazing.
I found my favorite meme so far this day on Facebook. So funny.
This day the Social Worker at the nursing home called with the Nurse Practitioner that checks on Papa. The Nurse Practitioner had visited Papa in the morning and reported he was doing well. I was asked if I had questions or concerns and I only expressed my concern that he have a more powerful medication for his back pain on hand when it flares. Not that he should take it all the time. But when we have bouts of rain or cold he has tremendous pain. That is when he needs something stronger than Tylenol. They will follow up with the nurse and doctor.
I then laid down for a nap. I don't nap very often as it usually causes me to not be sleepy at night. This day I was falling asleep at my laptop. So after the call with the nursing home I headed to bed for a quick nap. Wouldn't you know it, Glen Redmon called from the nursing home to say he visited with Papa and Papa was tolable. I know that is spelled wrong but it is this thing that Papa has about pronouncing it without an R. Glen has known Papa the whole time Papa has lived in Kentucky and I found it cute that he would be sure in the message he left to let me know Papa was tolable.
Updates this day were that the utility companies would suspend non-payment and late fees. People are being laid off left and right and just don't have funds right now as they live paycheck to paycheck. Also the Georgetown City Offices are now closed.
I got a recipe for Navajo Flat Bread and shared it with the family. Bread is an item some of our family was needing and this is an inexpensive quick way to have bread that can be used for multiple things.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
The memes for this day were:
I have a cousin in Louisiana who posted a joke that I thought my Mini's would enjoy.
Q: What happens when a frog's car dies?
A: 1) He needs a jump. 2) If that doesn't work he has it toad. 3) It croaks!
The Ping on our phones for this day was that Toyota was closing for 3 days. They were going to do extensive cleaning. Before long that was extended to a week or two. Ford in Detroit also closed for two weeks.
Claude had a conversation with me. He had an impression he wanted to act on and wanted my input before he did anything. We both covered his approach and I shared my thoughts about it. Then he sent an eMail to our kids and grandmonsters titled "How are we doing?" His counsel to them was that during this time particularly we needed to stay closer together and find ways to communicate with each other. He has other ideas he is going to follow up on but this was good instruction from the patriarch of our family.
Friday, March 20, 2020
This day I was slower getting my two projects I was trying to accomplish done. Slower than I thought they would be. I shared that with Laura and she sent me a picture of a sloth. I really did feel like that. Like my limbs were heavy and I was just moving really slow.
I shared a quote I found in my project on Facebook. "No snowflake in an avalanche ever felt responsible." Cool.
The Ping we got on our phones let us know that Scott County Schools would now be closed until April 20th. That means another month of NTI (Non-traditional Instruction) for the kids. Also that there was now a curfew in place for all kids 18 years of age and under. They have to be inside their homes by 9pm each evening and cannot be out before 6am in the morning unless they are with a parent.
Jake sent us a message that it was confirmed that he would begin to work from home starting Monday the 23rd.
Our family took Claude seriously. The Marx family got the Roper's on a Google Hangouts video call. They included us in that. Learned something new and had a good time seeing family.
Claude and I had a few errands that needed to happen. The grass is growing and will need to be cut. The battery on Claude's tractor was worn out at the end of the last mowing season. Claude determined not to replace it until he needed one. Now he would need one. Claude called Meade Tractor and verified they had the items he needed and that they would be open to get them. We drove first to the nursing home and dropped off a Church News and a root beer. Then on to Meade Tractor. They had their cashier's counter blocked so you couldn't get to it. Claude brought in the old battery and explained what he was getting. They had him move away and the parts department took the old battery and put the items Claude wanted to buy. The cashier rang him up and dropped off his receipt. Then Claude got his items and left. They were really doing a great job of social distancing and still keeping an important business open. We need our farmers and they need Meade Tractor in our area.
We drove to Jimmy John's drive thru and picked up dinner. Then drove to the park and ate in the Jeep. After eating, we did our walk along the creek. No one there so we didn't have a problem with social distancing.
The joke this day for Hayden and Bailey was:
Q: What's a pickle's favorite game show?
A: Dill or do Dill! Hosted by Howie Mandill!
Bailey popped me back a text really quickly. She said, "This helped me today cus when I was doing work I was in a pickle. *Enter laugh track here* The girl has her mother's quick wit.
My favorite memes for this day were:
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Claude decided we needed to have a nice breakfast this morning. He brought me my pancakes with lots and lots of butter, just like I like. I don't do the syrup but I do have extra butter. My guy knows me.
The joke for the Mini's Saturday was:
Q: What do you call 52 pieces of bread?
A: A deck of carbs!
Jake sent me a text. He took his laundry and his neighbors laundry to the laundromat. His neighbor is a single lady that has serious health issues. So proud of my son for reaching out to care for others. He did say he remembered to take the change he has collected to get treats out of the laundromat vending machines. That is thinking ahead my friends.
I am also happy to report that at 9:52pm Saturday evening I completed one project with my quotes. Felt so good to get that done. Yeah me!!
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Today we had our at home Church service. Again, a very tender experience. This really makes one appreciate the freedom and ability to meet in a building with others each Sunday.
Joke for the Mini's:
Q: What do baby corns call their daddy?
A: Popcorn
This afternoon Hayden suggested our family have another Google Hangout's call. We enjoyed that time with our family. I am getting better at that.
Governor Beshear is giving his daily update as I finish this Blog. Right now the count is 103 cases of the corona virus in Kentucky. Yesterday he had the lights on the Governor's Mansion set to green. Green is the color of empathy, compassion and renewal. He also asked yesterday that the church's with bells ring them Sunday morning. Many church did this. He also announced that all non-essential retail businesses are to close by 8pm Monday. If they can do curbside service they may do that.
I think this Blog posts gives some of the feel of our living with this COVID-19. The world is a different place. There is hope for when this is over. I do hope we learn lessons as we go through this and that we are all nice to each other as we try to get our feet back under us. It is truly a learning experience. Daily I thank my Heavenly Father for the good place that Claude and I are in with regard to living through this.
The world is facing a bit of crisis. The name of the crisis is COVID-19. At first we were hearing of the Corona Virus. They are the same thing.
The first hint of this was a news report about the corona virus in Wuhan, China. This was the epicenter of this virus. It seemed to be spreading quickly and it was deadly. This was at the time of the Chinese New Year and people were told to stay in their homes. The news showed awful pictures of people in Wuhan being arrested and their homes sealed with them in the home if they violated this restriction. The pictures of the streets of Wuhan ready for a New Year's celebration were empty. Awful.
Then the virus started to spread to surrounding countries. Since it was a new strain of virus, little was known about how it was spread. But spread it did.
The next shocking thing was the spread to a cruise ship. By then it was in Japan and the Diamond Princess cruise ship was docked and people were not being let off the ship. They had passengers who tested positive for the corona virus and they quarantined the ship and its passengers and crew. This made a petri dish out of the cruise ship. Cases of the virus increased on that ship.
Another ship, the Westerdam, was not allowed to dock and set to sea until they could find a port to dock in. 11 days later no one would let them dock. They had no cases of corona virus on board but no one wanted to take a chance of letting them dock as the entire cruise had been in the Asian countries affected by the spread of the virus. Eventually Cambodia allowed them to dock at a small port. It was not near a major airport and they were needing to move 1000+ people off the ship and to an airport. They did this by bus load over a period of time. The people were disembarked in groups and put up in a hotel till taken to the larger airport a good distance away. The first group they let off the ship made it to the major city to their flight home only to find that one of those passengers now had the corona virus. The operation was halted, people were told to isolate in their hotel rooms or still on the ship until they were sure they wouldn't spread the virus and that others on the ship didn't have the disease. Eventually governments from around the world were sending special flights to get their people from this country to their home countries.
Eventually cases started appearing in the United States as well. Washington State has been especially hit hard as a care facility had a spread of the virus in it and several of the residents there died.
We started to see shelves in stores clearing of items like toilet paper and bleach. Claude and I had looked for face masks but there were absolutely none to be found. This seemed to be the first item that was totally off any store shelves anywhere. We have always maintained a supply of goods in case we had to stay home or couldn't get to the store. Claude had early on made sure we had the toilet paper and cleaning products we needed in our home. Now people are posting pictures of their stores with empty shelves in cities all over the United States.
On Saturday, May 6th, I got a recipe for hand sanitizer from my sister, Junie, and purchased the ingredients to make this. You could not find it on any shelves to purchase. I only found alcohol in a Dollar General Store and I did find aloe vera gel at CVS Pharmacy. This is an item we only keep a couple of tiny bottles of as we use soap and water for cleaning our hands.
As I visited Papa each day there was a sign on the front door telling us to not enter if we felt sick in the least degree. It also stated we needed to clean our hands with sanitizer before we entered and again when we left. I had been doing that anyway and then washing my hands again when I got home.
As this all happened, I would tell Papa about it when I visited him. He can't remember and he doesn't hear so he wasn't getting this information except through me. I visited Papa on Saturday and again updated him on the virus. It was in Kentucky by then. It was in Harrison County which is the county next to Scott County where we live. I told Papa they were restricting things and some things were not happening due to this virus. I told him if I didn't show up at some point, it would be because of restrictions to visitors at the nursing home. Then I promised him that Sunday would be a good day and I would take him for a car ride.
Sunday after Church, I went to the nursing home with my car ready for Papa and I to go on a nice drive. I got to the front door and there was a new sign on the door. This one said no visitors would be allowed for an unspecified period of time. Ronnie was working and saw me reading the sign and getting ready to write down the name and phone number for the administrator for the nursing home. She came to the door and we talked. I told her I understood what they were doing and agreed with it 100%. I asked her if the residents were being talked to. She said they had made one pass through the residents and only those who were sleeping at the time had not been told. They would go back and tell these residents after they woke up. She said she would go back and talk to Papa for me so he understood there would be no drive that Sunday. Ronnie said they were sending a letter home to the resident's families to alert them to what was going on. I left and headed home as Ronnie went to talk with Papa.
As I drove home I determined I would send a letter to Papa every day so he at least gets mail from me each day. I sent the first letter Monday and included a picture in it.
The television news reports on WKYT in Lexington said that all older people should stay inside. Claude and I both looked at each other and said, "Are we 'older people'?" The news later informed us that anyone 60 and older should stay inside. Well, that was our answer, we are older people. I'm 69 and Claude is 70. Yep, we are older people. Even though we are fairly healthy, this virus seems to be especially hard on people in that age range or older.
Today I wanted to mail Papa a Church News. It would give him something fresh to read. However, the envelope would require extra postage and I went to the Sadieville post office to be sure it had the correct postage on it. The light was on. I walked into the little lobby where the post office boxes are. When I tried to open the glass door to get to the counter, it was locked. They open at 8:15am and this was 9:30am. I searched for a notice on any door or surface about them closing. Nothing. I knocked on the glass door and got no response. I couldn't hear any noise from worker in the back. I got in my car and called on my cell phone and received no answer. Not sure if they are closed or not. But when I got home there was mail in my mail box.
I received the letter from the nursing home mailed on Monday today. I also found a new letter on the Signature Health Care Facebook page.
Governor Beshear has had a press conference every day to update us on what they are learning and what is happening in Kentucky. Today he said they were implementing restrictions on visitors at prisons. He said they are asking health care facilities like the nursing home to also restrict visitors. He even suggested that churches hold no services this weekend. Berea College in Berea, Kentucky has asked all professors to finish their classes by Saturday, the 14th, and all students to vacate their dorms by that date. Governor Beshear said they haven't recommended that to colleges in Kentucky yet but they understand schools doing this based on what they have learned from the Center for Disease Control.
Today I also received communication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which Claude and I attend. This came from Salt Lake City. We have our Semi-Annual General Conference in April. This is attended by people from around the world. Instruction has been given that no one will be permitted into the General Conference this April. All sessions will be broadcast and we can view them via television or streaming on our devices from our homes. Other places in the world are having restrictions placed on their meetings and activities. The missionaries entering the Provo, Utah and Preston, England Missionary Training Centers are going to be trained remotely by video conference. We are waiting now to hear from our Bishop, Rex Holt, about Church services this weekend.
After carefully pondering this situation Sunday while driving home from the nursing home, I determined the blessing for me in all this is 'time'. I now have an opportunity to fill my time with things I have wanted to get done in my home that have been slowed down or not done because of my schedule to visit Papa. I will try to use this time to clear out things I want to accomplish.
To that end, Claude and I spent Monday in our car driving around looking at homes in areas of the state where we might like to move. We are feeling that when Papa passes we may make a move to another area. Not right away but in the future. We want to make a well informed decision. Having time where we are to stay off to ourselves allowed us a full day to drive in some of the areas we thought we might like to live and see from our car view what we both like and what we both feel we do not want. This gave us time to talk about the things we were seeing and opened our eyes and minds to other possibilities and questions we might want to address if we moved. The only reason for a move is the yard over time will be too much for us to take care of. If it were flat ground, that would not be the case. But the hill on which our home is located is daunting to mow and lots of weeding to be done. We love our home and this ground so very much. Really don't want to leave it. But we are watching family and friends as they age and trying to see what happens with them and learn from them. We are trying to picture our lives 5, 10 and 15 years down the road and determined what housing should be like for us at those points in our lives. What if one of us predeceases the other, what type of home would we want to have for just one of us to live in. Those kinds of things. We just want to learn and gather information now for when the time comes to make a decision. Monday was a lovely day with just the two of us in the Jeep looking at places of interest and learning.
Tuesday morning I spent taking care of my house plants. They all needed fresh soil and trimming or tossing. This process always takes longer than I think it will. It felt good to get that long-term item off the 'to do list'. We were going to the temple in the evening. There are no restrictions there yet. We got ready and left the house at 3:30pm to head to Louisville. When we got there and were walking across the parking lot to the temple, Claude checked his wallet for his recommend. He did not have his temple recommend. One can't get in without it. Back to the Jeep and checked through his wallet and his clothing bag. No recommend. I simply smiled at my hubby and said, "All is well if you get me ice cream!" Off to Dairy Queen we headed for an ice cream treat. On the way home I get a text from a neighbor asking if we have water. She didn't have running water in her home. I got another text back from my friend and she said there was a broken water line and it would take about 4 hours to fix. I sent a text to two other friends on our street and eventually they responded that we did have water. Char is much further out and it was just going to take a bit for the pressure to get the water to her. Life is interesting.
So we press forward. Doing what we can to protect ourselves and others from this virus. We keep a prayer in our hearts for those who have the virus. I am grateful that our Prophet Russell M. Nelson set us on a path a year ago for us to study as families in our homes and that be the first center of learning the Gospel. Meeting on Sunday's would support that effort. If they cancel Church, it should be no problem as we are already in a position to learn and study and build a faith-filled life. Grateful for a Prophet!!
Let's just catch up with the past week plus of activity...
I have wondered whether to post these pictures but it was such a sweet moment that I am going to post away. My sister-in-law, married to Claude's brother, has pancreatic cancer. After one round of chemo she was too ill to continue till they built her up a bit. During this she lost all of her hair. While in the hospital, Claude's brother sent him a picture of his sweet wife with no hair. I believe she is beautiful! I love his Lady. She is an amazing woman.
I looked at Claude and said, "We should give them a chuckle. They could use a chuckle. How about we send them a picture of me without my teeth?" Claude agreed that would be fun. I assured him I needed to be in my straw hat. We took the picture and sent it to Julie and Cordell. You may now enjoy it. And you may have a chuckle!
Wednesday morning Claude and I drove to Frankfort to get our new driver's license. It is called a 'real ID' and will be needed to fly internationally. Claude collected all the proof of life that is needed for one of these things. We made it through in about 45 minutes total. That is really good. Then they told Claude he has to come back in November as he is more than 6 months from his birthday. Ugh!!
Thursday the 27th we had a hot date in the evening. We went to Eastern Kentucky University to see a Beach Boy concert. It was excellent. As soon as they started to perform, someone started a beach ball bouncing around the audience. It is so much fun to sing along with songs you love from your younger years. They sang, "In My Room" which is my all-time favorite song of the Beach Boys. My evening was a complete success.
Friday, while visiting Papa at the nursing home, I heard a voice at the door asking if someone in the room liked dogs. I answered that my father loves dogs. In the lady came with this beautiful dog. Papa loved having a dog to pet. I loved that the lady took time to come to share this animal with the residents. She actually lives in Lexington so coming to Georgetown to a small nursing home is a really big effort. Very much appreciated.
As I drove home, I pulled into Love's Travel Plaza and saw this strange sight. This reminded me of the movie "National Lampoon's Vacation". It just looked weird to me.
Friday evening we spent waiting for Jake, our son, to arrive. There was a bit of snow. Earlier in the week when we had snow it really left a sheet of ice on the roads. So there was a bit of concern about Jake driving on icy roads. However, he made it just fine and arrived a little after midnight.
Saturday morning I awoke early and showered and headed into Georgetown to visit Papa. Then I got home in time for Jake, Claude and me to head to LaGrange.
Hayden participates in the Oldham County High School's Script Club. They write scripts, then they direct and act in these scripts for the public. Hayden directed two of the scripts.
We enjoyed a nice dinner with the Marx family. They Claude, Jake and I left for Louisville. We had tickets to the Louisville Orchestra performing Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back. We purchased these tickets for Hayden, Claude and me. Then the play was added to his schedule and Hayden couldn't attend. We contacted Jake and asked if he might like to attend. So our very good son, drove all the way from Chelsea, Michigan to go to see this with us. Jake did theater in High School and it was fun to him to watch Hayden enjoy theater things as part of his High School experience as well.
Jake would leave Sunday morning. I would then go spend the afternoon with Papa. We would go to the park by the creek and watch many geese playing in and along the creek. Then I hurried home and made a dessert. Brad and Alicent Manwaring came for Claude to orient them as they take over the Stake Welfare/Self-Reliance Directors. We had such a nice evening visiting with these two good people.
Monday, March 2nd, when I visited Papa he was so very bad. His back was killing him. He couldn't hardly walk. When I went to leave, I got in his face to talk so I didn't have to yell as much. I assured him I was talking with the nurses to get him pain meds and I would be back the next day to visit him. As I spoke looking into his eyes, they reminded me of Mimi's eyes with Alzheimer's ravaging her mind. Papa's eyes were vacant.
Monday I was also able to frame the 50th Anniversary gift from Nissa and Todd and we hung it on the entry wall. It is just beautiful.
Today I was very happy when I got to the nursing home to find Papa in the dining room with other residents. Kayla is giving him restorative care. She is soooooo good. She was playing corn hole with the other residents and made sure Papa came down and enjoyed the others. His back is still very bad but it was so good to see him be out of his room and doing and activity.
And here I am this evening catching up with this Blog about my life journey. Life is full. But it is full of good things. As long as I can go to bed each night knowing I filled my day with good things, I am okay with that.
