Life Without a Cellphone Camera...

This last week we had company. What a joy to have someone actually travel to stay with you and spend some time with you after a year without that kind of visit. Our visitors would be Claude's brother, Cordell, and his dear friends, Lanny and Arlene Lewis. They flew out on Monday and arrived in Sadieville Monday, March 22nd, in the evening. Claude had a smoked pork roast he pulled and we enjoyed sandwiches and salads as we settled in for a nice visit. I tried to take a picture and my cellphone tries but then says, "Camera Failed". It would do this all week long. I love to take picture, lots and lots of pictures. Not having that camera really limited that experience. I would wait until a picture I really wanted and then borrow Claude's camera to take a picture. Then text that picture to my phone so I could post on our families Facebook page for the rest of our family to see. Cumbersome. Limited number of pictures.

Tuesday, March 23rd, was our first day out and about. Cordell's wife, Julie, passed away last year from pancreatic cancer. On her bucket list was seeing the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. Lanny and Arlene would have come with Julie and Cordell to do this but Julie just couldn't make that trip. Arlene promised her she would go for her. Seeing the Ark Encounter was a must do for this trip. Tuesday was the day we would get that done. We would spend this day and all others in two cars. I would ride with Lanny and Arlene and Cordell would ride with Claude. It was good to visit the Ark again. Everyone enjoyed their visit. I was amazed that Cordell walked the entire visit. He has Parkinson's and his legs and feet are giving him fits. But he made it through. Claude, Cordell and I left after we ate lunch at Emzara's Cafe. As we were on the bus headed back to the parking lot, Claude realized he left the bag with the fudge and jelly he bought to share with everyone. Cordell sent a quick message to Arlene and they went back to Emzara's and were able to retrieve the bag. Lanny and Arlene did a new Virtual Reality experience and took a few more pictures inside the Ark. Then they came back to Sadieville.

The first picture is Claude and Cordell. The second picture is Lanny, Cordell and Arlene. The third picture is Claude and Cordell at the base of a support for the end of the Ark. 

Wednesday, March 24th, we drove to Louisville to visit Mega Caverns. This tram ride was lots of fun and a different kind of experience. Arlene took this picture of us on the tram before the driver took off through the caverns. Left to right is Cordell, Lanny Arlene and Sandi. Claude is in the red cap making horns behind Lanny. We were a very mature group of people!! 

After the caverns we found our way to Joe's Crab Shack on the Ohio River in downtown Louisville. Lunch was very much enjoyed by all of us. Our plan was to then go to the Louisville Slugger Museum. I happened to check their website as we were driving there and learned they closed at 3pm and it was now 3:30pm. We called Claude, who was the lead car, and made a new plan to go to Frankfort.

In Frankfort we stopped first at the Viet Nam Memorial. In this picture are Claude, Lanny and Arlene. You can see the Kentucky State Capitol in the background. 

From the Memorial we drove down and around the Capitol stopping at the season clock. We determined a ride through the Kentucky horse farms would be a good way to get us back toward Sadieville. Claude led us down Hwy 60 toward Versailles and then picked up 62 through Midway and over to Payne's Depot Road back to Georgetown. There are some gorgeous horse farms along this road and everyone enjoyed seeing this part of Kentucky.

Thursday, March 25th, was a potentially rainy day. There were to be two waves of rain. One in the morning and one later in the day. We wanted to drive through the Kentucky countryside so we tried to time it between these two waves of storms. We left with only a drop of rain here or there. By the time we got on I-75, it was a deluge. The truckers were spraying buckets of rain and we thought about calling Claude and Cordell to tell them to turn around and head for Sadieville. Claude got off I-75 at Exit 129 where the Pilot stations are located. I knew he and Cordell had decided to turn around or they were going to drive around Toyota so everyone could see the outside of the plant. They were driving around Toyota. The rain let up a bit and the truckers were not on this road so all felt a lot better. We kept to our plan. 

Our drive took us from Georgetown to Paris and then to Mt. Sterling on Hwy 460. This stretch of highway is designated a Scenic Byway. In Mt. Sterling we picked up Hwy 60 and took it to Winchester and then into Lexington. In Lexington we ate at BD Mongolian Grill. Then we drove I-75 to Hwy 922. Hwy 922 to Iron Works Pike. Then onto I-75 and back to Sadieville. The ride was just what they needed to see several different types of land in Kentucky. We went from horse farms to the cattle farms and back to horse farms. 

In the evening, Arlene pulled out a puzzle she bought at the Ark Encounter of the Ark and we all worked on putting it together. 

We ended this day by watching Seabiscuit. A true story about a race horse. 

Friday, March 26, 2021, was Nissa's birthday. Nissa is our firstborn. I posted this on Facebook with this picture. "Our firstborn celebrates a milestone birthday today. Nissa Tyler enters what was my favorite decade. She was our test monkey as parents and she still turned out great! Happy Birthday, Nissa!! We love ya bunches!!"

Friday was the day we opted to see what was available at the Kentucky Horse Park. Things don't open up fully there until April. But we were able to see some things and enjoyed being there. 

We opted for Applebee's for dinner. After dinner we watched Hidalgo, another true story about a horse that raced in the great Arabian horse race. 

Saturday, March 27th, was Paul's birthday. I posted this on Facebook with this picture. "Our grandson, Paul Thompson has a birthday today. So happy he is part of our family. Happy Birthday, Paul! Love ya bunches!!"

Saturday was the day for our company to return home. They left around 10am to drive to the Creation Museum before boarding a 5pm flight to Salt Lake City. 

We had such a good visit with Cordell, Lanny and Arlene. What fun to host someone for several days and to share this beautiful place we live in with them.

I made a pudding cake before they came. It was made with lemon cake mix and lemon instant pudding. Lanny loved it. When we finished it, I made another with chocolate cake mix and banana pudding. I am sharing the recipe with you in case it is something someone else would enjoy making. 

I bake this cake in a bundt pan and do not ice it. I also now use a large box of instant pudding or two small boxes of instant pudding. This makes a truly great cake and will take a little longer to bake. My families favorite flavors over the years are the two I made for this visit.

Another fun family thing that happened this week was with our Hayden. He applied for and received an invitation to interview at Gatton Academy in Bowling Green Kentucky. This is a school that specialized in science, math, technology and something that beings with a 'E'. Andie tells us they started with over 300 applicants. They interviewed 144 of these. 95 will be admitted and all the other interviewees are automatically wait-listed. I'm not sure when they will know if Hayden was accepted. If he is accepted he will live and go to school in Bowling Green his Junior and Senior years of high school. He will graduate at his Oldham County High School graduation with lots of college credits to start his college experience. Andie sent two pictures. The first is Michael helping Hayden early in the week with what he would need to dress like. The second is him walking away to interview at the school. Oh My!! 

Jacob, our son, posted this picture on Facebook. It was his first picture taken with his new phone. It seems, as he has worked from home, he kept these shoes to slip on when we walked around his apartment. Clearly he didn't put them all the way on and the heel is quite worn down.

I commented that he is genetically his mother's son with this picture of the pair of shoes that sits by my front door for me to walk my daily letter to Papa to the mailbox each evening.

So I made it through this week and still got a few pictures. Monday Claude and I will go to the AT&T store and see if my camera can be fixed on my cellphone. If not, we may be purchasing two new cellphones. Ugh!! Technology!!

A Treasured Visit...

Thursday, March 18, 2021, was a day a year in the making. I had my first appointment for an in-person visit with Papa. It was to be at 3pm. I was to come a few minutes early to do paperwork. Claude drove me in so we could get dinner together in Georgetown.

When I entered the lobby of the nursing home, Glen was there to meet me. He is the chaplain for the nursing home as well as overseeing their quality of life services. He had been given the responsibility of scheduling visits and being sure we all received instructions as to what was okay and not okay to do during the visit. Glen took me to a keyboard on a stand that was level with my hands as I stood. It had a little monitor and I was to take a little survey as I entered. Glen walked me through what it was all about. The second step with this contraption was to take my temperature. I pressed the second button and adjusted this little monitor that pointed at my forehead. From a distance it took my temperature. I passed! Then Glen had me sign some waivers about entering the nursing home and not pressing charges if I got some illness. We are a litigious society! 

My understanding was I would be in full PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Papa would wear his mask. We would sit 6 feet apart and not be allowed to touch. I was allowed to bring things for Papa but no food for us to eat together. That would mean removing our masks and that was not allowed. What actually happened was all I had to wear was a mask provided by the nursing home. I put that on and it was so tight. Then Glen told me that, since Papa has had his vaccine and I have had mine, if Papa hugged me that would be okay. I almost wept. I had a real concern that Papa would not understand the guidelines and rules for this visit. I had explained them many times in my daily letters to him. But his memory is such that he only knows what is on his mind at that moment. Having no physical contact or hugs for over a year would definitely mean he would want a hug. I would too, but I understood and knew the rules. Glen telling me not to worry was such a wonderful relief. 

Glen took me back to the dining room where I would wait for them to bring Papa to me. I positioned myself at the table so I was looking down the hall where he would enter the dining room.

Glen said he had to wake Papa up when he entered Papa's room. As soon as Glen told Papa I was in the dining room to visit with him, Papa fairly bounded out of bed. Not bad for a 92 year old infirmed fella!!

As Papa came toward the dining room, I raised my hand and waved at him from a distance. He had such a big grin on his face. He came right up to me and reached over that walker and gave me a hug that went on and on. All I could do was tell him to hug as long as he wanted to hug. 

We got Papa seated and, what was to have been a 20 minutes visit, was much longer. We visited for at least 45 minutes. Papa couldn't understand me with that mask on my face. I was trying not to get right in his face to talk. I tried to steer him so he would talk to me. He got on the topic of us girls and what our kids names were. I took a little tablet out of my purse and wrote each of our names on little pieces of paper, then listed our children in birth order underneath. Papa kept saying, "Thank you for this. I can't keep it straight. This is so helpful." He asked if he could keep those pieces of paper. I assured him that was fine. I also took in all the Facebook, text and eMail's I had received from family and friends when I told them we were going to get an in-person visit. When I left he had lots of reading material. 

Glen and I made my next appointment for March 30th at 1pm. I will be there will bells on again. By that time my second Covid-19 vaccine will be over two weeks old so I should be good on not getting or giving the virus. Neil, the director for the nursing home, came in while I visited with Papa and told me they felt that after the two week time on my second vaccine, I could look forward to taking Papa out of the nursing home. What a joy that will be for him. I have often thought, as I have been out and about during the quarantine time this last year, how hard it must be for Papa to have the walls of the nursing home limiting his view of things. How grateful for that window and the birdfeeder in it. He loves that. He told me he counted 12 little birds up there one day. 

I am grateful that Papa did not get Covid-19. His lungs could not have endured that. I am grateful for the staff at the nursing home taking such good care of him. I will continue to write him a letter each day and take in his treat bags until we get to where I can visit whenever I want. May this virus continue to decline and be brought under control. 

Claude and I went to Cattleman's Roadhouse for dinner. Claude had been talking about wanting a steak for a few days. I suggested we go to Cattleman's Roadhouse. He liked the idea so away we went. This cute deer was on their wall as you enter. Please note, he is wearing his mask! Sign of these times. It is still funny to see all the statues and other things with masks on them. 

Friday, March 19, 2021 & Saturday, March 20, 2021, was a time to do a little spring cleaning as we prepare for our family to visit on Monday. Each day I was able to read a bit in my book about the Templars and get a little bit more done on my crochet project. 

Sunday, March 20, 2021, I was sustained as a Family History Consultant at Church. Everyone in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is given a calling. I am the organist but haven't done that for a year because of Covid-19 restrictions. This Family History Consultant calling is something I have no skills at whatsoever. I will be doing some reading, studying, watching training videos, and practicing to be able to help others. I have thought for some time that I need to do actual family history (genealogy) research. I keep putting it off and taking on other projects. I actually told Heavenly Father in my prayer last night 'thank you'. He knows the desires of my heart. I told him I felt like this calling, that I am totally unqualified for, is a gift from Him to me so that I will act on those promptings I have felt. So, I am off on a new adventure for me.

An interesting thing happened in the past few days. Katelyn sent me this picture.

This my friends is a post card Claude and I mailed to the Ropers from Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2019. It just arrived at their home. Andie sent me one that was mailed to Hayden and he received it about a month ago. Takes a long time for mail to get from South Africa to Michigan or Kentucky!!

Covid-19...

Friday, March 12, 2021, we received our second Covid-19 vaccination. One month previous on February 12th we received the first vaccination. We received the Moderna vaccine. We were very aware that the second vaccine is the one that seems to cause people the most trouble with difficult symptoms. Because of this understanding, after getting the vaccination, we drove through a place and got dinner. Then we went home and shut down for the next two days. Friday we only had sore arms.

Saturday, March 13, 2021, was the hardest day. That said, it was not as bad as some people describe it. Claude gave us each Tylenol in the morning and again at night. That helped some with the soreness. We were both wiped out and tired, we felt feverish or cold, sort of like getting the flu would feel. We sat in our living room all day and watched television, crocheted, colored, etc. We both took a nap in the middle of the day. I am not a napper so that is a good indication of how I felt. Then we went to bed easily at night. We ate light foods as we weren't really hungry.

Sunday, March 14, 2021, we slept until we wanted to get out of bed. I believe Claude woke up feeling perkier than I felt. I was still feeling like I was getting the flu. Claude set up the Zoom meeting on his laptop and we attended Church that way and then did our reading. Claude laid down for his Sunday afternoon nap that he really enjoys. I went to the guest room and curled up with my book. I didn't sleep but enjoyed the quiet time to read. In the afternoon, I wrote Papa a letter. We really stayed resting the remainder of Sunday but I could physically feel that I was feeling more perky and ready to assume normal activity levels again.

Sunday was also Aubrey Anne's birthday. She wants to be called Bre. I really loved the name she was given and still call her Aubrey. We took her birthday gifts to her on our Michigan trip. I posted this on Facebook for her birthday.

Today we wish our middlest grandmonster a very Happy Birthday!! Love ya bunches, Bre Thompson!!

Monday, March 15,2021, I had another phone call with AT&T. We are still having issues with our router showing all green lights indicating all is well with the Internet. However, my laptop will drop off the Internet, my Kindle will drop off the Internet, the Ring doorbell will drop off the Internet. All the green lights show we should have Wifi on all the devices, yet we do not. I called AT&T in October, in January and now again in March. I spoke with a nice young man who could tell by their records that we were getting intermittent signal. He went though the same things that the other two people helped me with. Then he said he would send a technician out on Tuesday afternoon. He would check all the wires and equipment for DSL that is outside of our home first. Then, for $99, we could have him come in if he finds nothing outside. 

On Saturday, we received a letter in the mail from Signature HealthCare of Georgetown telling me they were going to start letting people make appointments for visiting in person with the residents at the nursing home. Monday morning I made a call to Glen Redmon to request an appointment to visit with Papa. I left a message on Glen's personal line. While I didn't talk with Glen on Monday, I knew that I was in the queue as Glen is very reliable and cares deeply about the residents and their families. 

Monday afternoon Claude and I drove to Georgetown in a blinding rain. A friend had a book to give away that I wanted so we stopped first there to get that book. Then on to the nursing home to leave a treat bag for Papa. I was prepared to fill the birdfeeder but didn't want to do that in the pouring rain so I left that for Tuesday. Then Claude and I drove through Burger King for a bite of dinner. 

Tuesday, March 16, 2021, I thought (operative word here is 'thought') I had an ophthalmologist appointment with Dr. Richardson at 10:45am. I put a bag of birdseed in my car Monday afternoon and I also loaded a small box of items to go to Goodwill. I drove in to Georgetown in a dense fog. Literally, the sky was full of fog. I opted to drive Hwy 25 this time instead of I-75. About halfway to Georgetown, I realized I never got the text message or phone call from the doctor's office reminding me of this visit. I was supposed to go in February and called to move that date. We canceled my appointment and made the new one for Tuesday, March 16th. When I got to Dr. Richardson's office, I called in to be sure of their current protocol about entering with Covid-19. The receptionist looked and assured me I didn't have an appointment. I explained it was a reschedule of a February appointment and asked if she had the ability to search to see when they had me rescheduled thinking maybe I entered the wrong date. She said she had no appointments for me through the end of the year. Hmmmm...I am guessing they canceled the February and didn't get the new one saved correctly in their computer. Not a problem. We rescheduled me for May.

I did fill Papa's birdfeeder while in Georgetown. When I peeked in his window, he was asleep under the blanket I gave him for Christmas. He always looks so frail when I see him like that. Then I dropped off the Goodwill items and treated myself to a biscuit from Bojangles. I called Claude and told him my situation and asked if there were any other errands he needed done in Georgetown before I came home. Nope. None at all. So I enjoyed a leisurely drive back to Sadieville. The best part about this outing for me was that I actually felt like it was before Covid-19. It felt like life was back to the old normal again. That was a very good feeling!

When I got home, Glen returned my call. We set up an appointment for me to see Papa Thursday at 3pm. We went through the particulars. Papa and I will wear masks. We'll sit 6 feet apart. We can't touch. I can't bring him food but I could bring him other things. We'll have about 20 minutes to visit. I explained to Glen that Claude and I had received our second vaccination. I knew that it would be effective after a two week time period. Glen said that after that two weeks, he is hoping they will let me take Papa out for a drive. He will work on that. Can you imagine? Papa has been inside for an entire year and that will be his first time out of that building. The joy that will give him is over-the-top.  Then I notified family so they could send me any messages they would like to get to Papa and I could print and take them to him. This news made my heart light!!

The AT&T Technician came in the afternoon. He first checked everything from the DSL box in Sadieville to our home. He only found a problem on Railroad Street across Eagle Creek from us. No exterior issues with lines for us. Then he came into our home with a new router. He tested and worked with the old router. It seems that, even though we had a signal, it is not getting to the places it is sending the signal. Then he replaced the old router with a new router that is exactly like the old router. We had a nice long conversation about DSL and the fact it is on the way out of existence. By the time he left we had Wifi on our phones, laptops and Kindles. We were to wait about four days and then call if the Internet was not working. After he left, we held that signal for several hours. Then it was back to no signal, then signal, then no signal. Technology is maddening!!

Wednesday, March 17, 2021, is our Andie's birthday. We took her birthday presents to her when we had lunch with Andie and the Mini's before our Michigan trip. I posted this on Facebook.

This amazing mother is our middle child. She celebrates her birthday today. We want to wish Andie Christensen Marx a very Happy Birthday!! Love ya bunches!!

Claude and I enjoyed a run to Hardee's for a biscuit for breakfast. Such a fun treat for ourselves. 

I sit this afternoon fighting my laptop and the Internet. It has dropped twice while trying to do this Blog entry. Goodness. 

I can feel the Covid-19 virus lessening its grip on us. That is a good feeling. Things will not be like they were before we experienced this pandemic. But we are beginning to have a bit more freedom of movement in a guarded kind of way. I will take that. 

Okay, I'm going to end this entry with some cute pictures of my great grandmonsters. First, Raelyn. She had taken on the challenge of reading 100 books. When she finished that, the reward was a free book. This sequence of pictures is Raelyn getting her free book. How precious is that? Our little girl is growing up in a good way.

Then we end with Raelyn's little sister, Emelia. Please note she is wearing her socks. Just not on her feet. Socks must have been made for hands!! Go ahead. Chuckle. I still am!

Now, while I am still enjoying Wifi on my laptop, I must quickly get today's letter typed and printed for Papa. You see, if I have no Internet, I have no printer!! Technology!! I'm getting way to old for these games.

Family Time...

Saturday, March 6, 2021, we sent a text to our Andie asking if it was a day we could visit. One of the things I appreciated most about my parents when we were first married was their respect for Claude and my time together. We actually lived on the same street as them for a while our first year of marriage, only about 5 blocks down. I had one little sister living at home, Neffie. Mimi and Papa did not come to visit us unless they called first and Neffie was not allowed to just pop in. She loved Claude like a brother and this was a big deal. To me, that was very respectful of my parents to give us space. So, even though Michael and Andie have been married a long time, we still are sure we call before going over to be sure it is okay. Andie assured us that it would be a good day to visit. Claude and I got ready and drove over to the Marx home. We stopped along the way and picked up KFC meals for each of us. We enjoyed a good lunch with Andie and the Mini's. Michael had gone to help one of his co-workers with something. We watched a bit of television with Hayden. He enjoys a show about Film Theory. There was one on the Lord of the Rings which is a shared interest between the three of us. I cut Andie's hair. Bailey practiced putting on make-up. She starts high school this fall. She is becoming a full-blown teenager. It was a quiet bit of time with this part of our family. We very much enjoyed it and talked on the way home about how nice it is the grandmonsters love us. 

Sunday, March 7, 2021, marks the anniversary of the last in-person visit I had with Papa. I posted this to Facebook about this anniversary.

Saturday, March 7, 2020, I visited Papa at the nursing home. At the end of my visit, we talked about Sunday's visit. We planned a nice car ride. I got my car all ready and plotted a route for us to drive. 

Sunday, March 8th, I drove to the nursing home after Church. On the front door was a sign stating "No Visitors Allowed". I spoke to someone in the lobby and they explained this was due to Covid-19. 

It has been one year since I gave my 92 year old father a hug. I know many others have experienced this same situation. I am so very grateful for the staff at Signature HealthCare. There have been minimal cases of the virus. I am grateful my father has stayed healthy through all of this. There are many blessings through this that I fully acknowledge.

I know plans are in the works to open to limited visits again with certain restrictions in place. It will be good to visit with Papa in person again even with restrictions. 

I have learned through this experience that we need to make the most of each bit of our time with family. So happy I had a good visit with Papa that Saturday a year ago. So happy I can wave at him through a window and blow kisses, even if he can't hear my voice. He reads my letters written daily. He enjoys the birds at his birdfeeder. He loves the bags delivered with a treat and something new to read. It is not the visits we had before the virus but the connections are still in place.

My experience is one of gratitude not complaint.

In the evening, Claude called his mother, Bonnie. They had a good chat. 

Monday, March 8, 2021, I went into Georgetown to see my podiatrist. First I stopped at the nursing home and left a bag of treats for Papa. Then I filled his birdfeeder. He was sitting in his bed and we waved and blew kisses. Such a lift for my heart and his. Such a simple gesture that can mean so very much.

Dr. Fine determined he needed to take another x-ray of my feet. He took one a year ago and this would compare and help explain the strange feeling I had on my heel. It turns out my bone spurs are coming back! Yuck. That is all I can say about that. Yuck. They do not do surgery to remove them anymore. They do release the tendon and that gives relief to the person with the heel spurs. 

I hurried home, later than I thought I would be, and we hopped in the Buick and headed for Michigan. We had a nice drive with no traffic slow downs at all. This is a miracle in and of itself. We arrived in Chelsea at 6:30pm. We contacted Jake and ate our Wendy's chili until Jake arrive at our hotel. We had a nice visit in our room. It was so good to see Jake. We have not seen him since a visit last year at a park in Chelsea. Jake is being very careful and we respect his care. But it was wonderful to be in the same room with him again.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021, we left the Comfort Inn for Muskegon. We arrived just before 1pm when Katelyn would have her one hour lunch break. We scooped her up and headed to Firehouse Subs drive-thru to pick up sandwiches for lunch. Then we drove back to a parking lot by the bank where Katelyn works to eat and visit for a bit. 

After we left Katelyn back at work, we drove back up Apple Avenue to Port City Automotive to say hi to Nissa and Todd. Nissa came around that counter and gave us each a big hug. Boy did that feel good. We wanted to take them to dinner or bring dinner home for them but Nissa had planned to make spaghetti. 

Claude and I drove to Holton stopping at Whispering Pines (the Amish store) to pick up a few much loved foods. I got my Molasses Crinkle cookies. Claude found cheeses and breads. Then we settled into the Tyler home until Nissa and Todd got home from work. 

We had a nice evening visiting and enjoying that spaghetti. In bed by 10pm. Early for us. But ready for a good night's rest.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021, is when the miracle occurred. I contacted each of Nissa's three kids when we decided to make this quick trip to see if anyone was home on Wednesday. Turns out that was Katelyn's day off work and Aubrey's and Aubrey had Nelson with her. Paul confirmed he would come after work. We would enjoy a nice meal together after Drew and Paul got there after work. 

We stopped at McDonald's on our way to Katelyn's home and got a few burgers and fries for a light lunch. Emelia was happy to see us. She is not quite two years old and you never know if she will remember us. The last time we saw her was in August. She had no trouble warming up to us and was very happy to get the French fries and burger.

Aubrey and Nelson arrived. He and Emelia enjoyed going up and down the stairs and playing together. It was fun for us to watch the interaction between these cousins. 

Katelyn left to get Raelyn from school. Raelyn did not know we were coming. Oh for a picture of her face when she came in through the laundry room and found me standing in the kitchen door. She was so happy to see me. Then I assured her someone else was in the living room. She has a special place in her heart for Claude and rushed to be with him. 

I purchased a coloring book the Christmas the Ropers came to visit. I forgot to pull it out that Christmas. So I took it to Michigan for the kids to enjoy. With all three kids in the house, we spread out coloring pages for each of the great grandmonsters. I made a Ziploc bag of crayons for each child and I purchased each of them a book of stickers. They enjoyed all of that for a bit. Aubrey purchased each child a little container of M&M's. Fun to the kids.

The kids would play in the yard and in the house. Paul and Drew arrived from work. Paul brought Rachel Slade, his girl friend. She is quiet but very sweet. We were happy we got to meet her. We ordered Pita Place for everyone. Claude and I went to pick it up. After we all ate, it was time for some family pictures. First, we took Claude and me with our great grandmonsters. Claude started us off gathering these bundles of energy by holding the oldest two. Nelson & Raelyn. Then I gathered Emelia and we tried to get a good picture of us all. These are always fun times to me. Getting three little ones to all watch the camera at the same time is nigh unto impossible. At times they felt like they should wave at the camera. Lots of shots of fuzzy hands over faces as they waved. I will always treasure the pictures we took trying to get the best shot before the kids were done with sitting. I also loved watching Drew as we were getting ready to take pictures. He pulled Emelia aside and tried to wash that dirty little face. Sweet.

I really wanted a picture of our three oldest grandmonsters with Claude and me. Here we are: Katelyn, Claude, Sandi, Paul and Aubrey. 

Then we tried to get family groupings. Started with the firstborn, Katelyn and her family. (Emelia, Katelyn, Raelyn and Drew.) Katelyn is due to have great grandmonster number four in June. 

Then we took pictures of Rachel and Paul. They are sweet together.

Next we took the youngest of Nissa's kids, Aubrey, with her little man, Nelson. Aubrey had been in a wreck and was very sore. 

We enjoyed Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert. We purchased these in Grand Rapids on our way to Muskegon. We purchased a couple with pink icing and sprinkles. Sure enough, that is the first one Raelyn went for and gave one to Emelia. Before we knew it, Emelia also picked out a glazed one and a glazed with chocolate icing. That girl!!

All too soon it was time for everyone to head for their respective homes. Grateful for time with these grands and great grands.

Nissa sent me a text stating she and Todd agreed to take a break from Keto this one night and let us pick up Lee's fried chicken and fries. Nissa and Todd have done very well with the Keto diet and are really good about sticking to it. Nissa is turning 50 years old this month and we really wanted to treat them to dinner for her birthday but were not sure what they could do with their Keto. This was a good treat for them and us. They had a cheat day just so we could have a birthday dinner. The chicken was delicious. We enjoyed our evening together. 

Thursday, May 11, 2021, we loaded up the Buick and headed back to Sadieville. We left Holton about 9am and arrived in Sadieville at about 5pm. We stopped twice on the way. Once for lunch and once for gasoline. We had a major slowdown to get over the Ohio River bridge from Cincinnati into Kentucky. It was sure good to see the Kentucky sign letting us know we had less than a hour to drive until we were home.

It didn't take long to unpack and settle in for the evening. It is always amazing to me how tired one can get just sitting in a car all day long. Really, I was not doing anything but when I got home I was exhausted. 

We had a wonderful trip. By the time we got to Thursday evening, we had seen all of our family with the exception of one son-in-law and we had talked to Claude's mom within six days. This is amazingly wonderful during this pandemic. We love our family. 

Friday, May 12, 2021, Claude had to get his Jeep serviced at 9am. My back was again very sore. I curled up on the loveseat in the living room and watch my DVR'd episode of Oprah's interview with Meghan and Harry. Interesting to me. Not so much to Claude. 

This afternoon we will drive into Georgetown. We'll drop a treat off for Papa. Then on to the Scott County Library to get our second Covid-19 vaccination. Then we have planned nothing for Saturday and Sunday just in case we have a reaction. Most people have the hardest time after the second vaccine. Claude even stopped at the grocery store and got us ice cream and chocolate in case we need some morale boosting!! 

Family is so very important. But relationships don't usually just happen. You have to make time and situations for them to build memory into those relationships. We had a strong impression we should make this quick trip and finish visiting all our family before they open up the nursing home and I start visiting Papa regularly. We are very grateful we acted on this prompting. We had a really good time this past week connecting with family. We are grateful to each of them for making place in their lives for us. We have a good family...warts and all!!

So Go the Days of Our Lives...

Tuesday, March 2, 2021, was spent doing things in our home. I did manage to get all the March birthday packages wrapped and packaged so I can just put them in the mail when the time comes. 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021, Claude was itching to get out of the house and just be a human. We got in the Jeep and drove the back roads to Paris and then to Winchester. One has to be careful where one drives now as they are still clearing broken trees on back roads and the water is still flooding in lots of areas. When we got to Winchester, we ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant we learned about a few years ago. The food is good and very reasonably priced. 

After lunch, Claude drove back roads again to get to Lexington. We went to Cabela's to find a new air mattress. We have two. We have loaned one out. We have company coming in a couple of weeks and our other air mattress has a seam that had popped. It works great but the person sleeping on the side where the seam has popped loose rolls downhill to the person where all the seams are in tact. We needed to replace this air mattress. We found a nice one. Then we shopped the end of season sales and I bought my first Christmas present for 2021. Then Claude took me to Cold Stone Creamery for an ice cream dessert. 

Now to Georgetown to pick up a prescription at CVS and then walk at Moss Park. This was a tricky deal. They have water along the walking path nearest Elkhorn Creek. Claude picked us a place to walk on the grass thinking that would be best at that point. We slid all over the place but didn't fall. However, our shoes were caked with mud when we got back to the Jeep. 

We enjoyed a quiet evening at home. I tried to read by couldn't get my book to come up on my Kindle. It is a book Claude purchased and I get to read because we are in the family program with Kindle. The problem was it never really downloaded to my Kindle. The Wifi keeps dropping on my Kindle. I couldn't keep Wifi long enough to open the book this time. I went down to my laptop and opened up Amazon. I found a place to report, through chatting, what my problem was. A nice agent chatted with me and determined I had done all the steps on his list to verify how to fix the problem. I was sitting by the router and it had all green lights. I had Wifi on my laptop and on my cellphone. Not on the Kindle. He eventually said he would send me a new Kindle and see if that helped. I will have to return my old Kindle. Ugh. Here we go again! Electronics are a necessity in today's world but they bring their own share of headaches.

Katelyn received the package with Emelia and Raelyn's ponchos. She sent a cute video of Emelia twirling in hers and these two pictures. The girls were very happy with their ponchos. That is Raelyn in Frozen on the left and Emelia in Paw Patrol on the right. 

Thursday, March 4, 2021, Claude decided he wanted to do the grocery shopping and get dinner in Georgetown. I was able to get the plants watered and the spring decorations placed on the front porch.

Then I tried to tackle the television in our bedroom. It has not worked and I wanted to get it going again. I turned it on. That part works. But it kept giving this message on screen 'No Video Signal'. I tried all the input settings for the television. Same message. Claude came in and unplugged everything and then we plugged everything back in. Same message. We tried resetting the receiver by pressing that little red button. It tried to get the television to work with DirecTV but it failed again. I found a web address and got it on my cellphone. There was an option to chat with a service person. I chose that. After only a half hour, we determined the problem was the receiver. After being sure they had the right product numbers, they have placed an order for a new receiver and we'll get to install that when it arrives and mail the bad one back. 

We went to Georgetown and did our walk. We tried the grass on the other side of the sidewalk where it was really muddy. Worked better than the day before but was still fairly muddy. Then I took a treat bag to Papa and filled his birdfeeder. Claude treated me to my favorite meal at Applebee's, Chicken Wonton Tacos. Oh how I love these things. They are really an appetizer. You get four with your order. I just order it for my meal. Claude did his grocery shopping while I waited in the Jeep. Then it was home for a quiet evening watching some more Psyche.

Friday, March 5, 2021, was amazing! No electronics to get help with fixing. Yippee!!

We received an eMail request from our local church leaders Thursday evening. We have had major, severe flooding in Kentucky with the ice and snow melting and then rain after that. The towns in southeastern Kentucky have been particularly hard it. You have lots of forests and mountain areas and the ice broke many trees over narrow roads. Then the creeks and rivers flooded and washed many things away. It is truly a mess. The most amazing video was shown yesterday on the news of a dock from up the Kentucky river which broke free and floated down the Kentucky River. When it got to Frankfort, it hit a bridge and that is where it began to break in pieces. Anyway, the eMail request stated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was sending a big truck full of relief supplies for these people. In addition, they were asking members of our Lexington North Stake (group of congregations) to help with additional cleaning supplies. Particularly the 18 gallon plastic totes, heavy duty trash bags, rubber gloves, and cleaning agents. We had two of these totes we could give them. We found cleaning supplies we purchased for the pandemic which we could donate. Then today, we drove into Georgetown again to shop at Lowe's for more cleaning supplies. Claude just went down the aisle and picked up two of everything. I have put out a request to neighbors and friends who might want to help and this is a way they could do so. 

While in Georgetown, we took another walk at Moss Park. That muddy spot is still there but you can walk down the highest part of the path and be okay today. Yeah!! We ate lunch at Jimmy John's. Now we'll have another quiet evening at home. I have picked out a crochet project that I may start on tonight. Or, I may read my book.

While in Lowe's, I sent Claude a text from the Jeep and asked him to see if they had any pansies. He bought me a package with 12 little plants in it. When we got home, I put them in the planter on the front porch. Hope they make it. We are supposed to have some days of warmer weather for them to get used to the planter. Then, I am thinking and hoping pansies will be fairly hearty if it turns cold again.

Just an ordinary week at the Christensen home.

A Friend...

I received a text from the daughter of a friend last night. She asked if she could as a favor of me. I assured her that was fine. It seems her mother, Bevy, my friend, has a birthday this Saturday. Tonya, the daughter, wanted to surprise her mother with notes about her mother from friends of her mother. My task would be to write up some memories of Bevy in my life. I asked Tonya if I could do that today and send it to her. She assured me that would be okay. This morning I went through my picture files trying to find a few pictures of Bevy in my life. I came up with some and wrote the following and sent it to Tonya.

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints on your heart.” ~~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Bevy Myers has left footprints on my heart.

We met when Bevy started dating Fred Myers. This was a match made in heaven. I was privileged to participate in their wedding by playing the piano. I will never forget the minister saying the words of the commitment Bevy was making to Fred. The minister stopped and assured Bevy he was not going to ask her to ‘obey’. We all had a good chuckle.

Motorcycles were our common interest. We started out enjoying time together in our Chapter functions. (Sandi, Claude, Fred, Bevy at the Maryland State Picnic). We would travel many miles together. One of my favorite memories is a design Bevy drew for something. Bevy drew a rabbit with a helmet on its head. She titled it ‘Helmet Hare’. Loved it.

I am blessed to have little memories of Bevy particularly at Christmas. My Christmas tree skirt was made by her as well as two decorations that go on our dining room table each Christmas. Anyone who gives of their time and talents to make you something is a true friend.

When Claude and I had our 25th anniversary, we wanted to take our first cruise. Fred and Bevy joined us and we all went on a four day cruise to the Bahamas. Bevy and I bought hats. We saw a funny thing with a lady in an elastic waist skirt that we still laugh about to this day. (Sandi, Fred & Bevy)

Bevy has always cared about and accepted me as I am. I love her very much and am most grateful she was placed in my life path. She is caring and fun, well organized yet flexible. She loves her family and has respect for everyone. Happy Birthday Bevy!! Hope you have a great birthday. 

Sandi Christensen

I was grateful Tonya included me in this very thoughtful gesture for her mother's birthday. It gave me a chance to say how I felt about Bevy. It also gave a moment to pause and think about friendships. I have had many during my life. Many really sweet friends. There are a handful that have been like sisters to me. Bevy is one of these. How grateful I am that the good Lord has placed these ladies in my path as they were needed in my life. Any one of them I could see again and pick up right were we left off the last time we saw each other. Any one of them I could call and tell I needed a shoulder or a listening ear and they would pause and be there. Friendships can bring us fun times, they carry us through the hard times, they listen and don't judge when we need to vent, they lift us up when we are down, and they are always good for a hug when we really need one. I am richly blessed by having these good friends in my life. Bevy is truly one of those friends.