Caught Up In a Whirlwind...

Monday, May 24th, the decision to make an offer on the home in Georgetown was firm for Claude and me. We had the morning to work on cleaning and clearing out our home to show. Claude cut the grass on the top of the hill. The hill and the flat would have to wait for Tuesday. 

In the afternoon we headed to Georgetown. Our first stop was Central Bank to meet with Kim Marshall. Wendell, our realtor, set up this meeting with Kim. Once we sell our home we will have most of the money to pay for a new home. We will also have enough in savings to cover the difference. To get to closing though, we need a guarantee of a loan amount to qualify for buying the home. Kim would get that ball rolling for us. She is someone we know and trust ourselves. She suggested the best move for us in this regard and gave us the name of the girl who will handle processing the loan. The process to get us to closing will take about four weeks. The end result will be us in a new home and the mortgage on it paid off within that next month. Kim sent a letter of prequalification on Monday evening so that Wendell can confidently make the offer on the home in Georgetown on Wednesday. The realtor/owner of the Georgetown home will not look at any offers or make any decision on any offer until Wednesday. This gives us a couple more days to get the house in Sadieville set-to-show. 

After our Central Bank visit, we dropped a treat for Papa and filled the birdfeeder. We didn't walk this day because of my still very bad knee. We left things at the Goodwill again and some other errands. Got us some dinner and then back to Sadieville to work on cleaning and clearing our home.

Tuesday, May 25th, Wendell was out to Sadieville to meet with us at 9am. We would sign some papers needed to make an offer on the house in Georgetown and also to sell our home in Sadieville. 

After Wendell left, Claude went to work cutting grass on the hill and on the flat. He came in with a red welt on his lip. A branch hit him cutting the hill. This will soon be over for him. 

I took Papa for his Tuesday afternoon drive. I stopped first with a load for Goodwill, then on to the nursing home for Papa. We drove Ironworks Pike east to Hwy 57. We followed 57 across to Hwy 36 where we turned back west through Carlisle and picked up Hwy 68. At Paris we took Hwy 460 back to Georgetown. Took almost exactly two hours. So good to get Papa out and about a little bit. 

The evening was spent cleaning and clearing. 

Wednesday, May 26th, was a day of many blessings. Our Nissa had a concerning mammogram. They did further testing and determined she should have a biopsy. That was done on Wednesday. It went well and she was told she would probably have the results by Friday. 

We received a call from Wendell, our offer was accepted on the Georgetown home. Claude and I were over-the-moon happy. We really feel like we can make this home what we need for this next phase of our lives. We celebrated with a trip to Georgetown for dinner at Zaxby's, a Dairy Queen run for dessert and a drive back to our soon-to-be new home. I took these pictures of the front of the home and then a view of the Church from our front yard. Very close to the Church.

Back to Sadieville so I could spend my evening baking lots and lots of brownies. I volunteered to provide dessert for the Gathering Place, a men's shelter in Georgetown, that our congregation provides lunch for the last Friday of every month. Finished all the brownies by midnight. As I could, I returned to the basement to finish cleaning up for our house in Sadieville to hit the market.

Thursday, May 27th, we did a late breakfast drive to Hardee's. We sat on the front porch with our biscuits and sodas waiting for the arrival of our realtor. I enjoyed my first siting of cicadas this go round. We are to have a big cicada event across the country this year. So far, I have seen one but I think one hit the windshield of Claude's car later in the week. 

Wendell and his sweet wife, Vicky, came at about 11am to put the For Sale sign in the yard and take pictures of the inside and outside of our home for the listing. 

After they left, I went to the post office to mail two packages. I was amazed to find that a neighbor down the street just put their home on the market as well. They own the original farm house for the area that is now Eagle Bend. The neighbor across the street also has her home for sell. She is moving for a new job in another state. It gave me some concern. I also saw a neighbor outside and stopped to let her know our home just went on the market. She shared that the neighbors next to her were now separated and would put their home up for sell later in the summer. Goodness. What would this mean for Claude and I trying to sell our home? The farmhouse is priced a little higher than ours. I spoke with Wendell later who called to say we had a showing of our home at 5pm. He told me that it was a good thing as to have multiple homes for sale. It will bring more buyers to the neighborhood and that is a good thing. I assured Wendell we would be gone before 5pm and out for the rest of the evening.

Thursday evening, Oldham County High School's Spring Band Concert would be held in the gym. We were invited to watch Hayden perform. It was a welcome change of pace. We drove to Frankfort and got a burger. Then on the LaGrange. The concert was long but for very good reasons. The band program at OCMS and OCHS is superb. The kids learn to play high school level music in middle school in their first year or two. They always have top scores at the KMEA competition each year. This year, because of the pandemic, they did not hold the KMEA competition as usual. The kids in each of the types of bands and orchestras had no public performances all year. Add to that, Mr. Rogers, the high school band teacher for the past 35 years, retires this year. So, there was a lot of pent up need to perform by the students and a tender need by a loving band teacher to enjoy his last concert with the kids. This made the evening longer than our normal concerts. But it was fun to hear all the kids had to offer. Some unique things and some old favorites. 

Hayden first performed with the Tuba & Euphonium Ensemble. Because of social distancing, they did some very creative band things. The kids that play tuba and euphonium (Hayden plays euphonium) taped a performance with this small group sitting far apart and submitted it to KMEA. Thursday night, the Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble played three numbers. After their performance, a representative from KMEA gave them a plaque for first place in their submission. Way cool. Hayden was the best one on his row. Hayden is the young man with the orange shirt on.

There were a number of different groups that played from the jazz band to percussion groups. The end of the concert was all numbers with the Symphonic Bands. The music is top quality and very enjoyable to listen to. Again Hayden is in the orange shirt.

The band students and band supporters gave Mr. Rogers some gifts of appreciation for all his had done for the students and music at Oldham County High School over the past 35 years. They also gave Pat, Brad Rogers wife, a bouquet of flowers.

We drove back to Sadieville under an enormous blood moon arriving home about midnight. 

As we drove, Claude made this comment, "Our tiredness indicates the importance of making this move now." We really are at a point where simplifying our lives is a very good thing.

Friday, May 28th, Claude called for me to get my camera. I think it is really cute when he finds something he knows I would like to take a picture of and yells for me to get my camera. I did get my camera and we found a gaggle of geese on the lot next door.

Wendell was at our front door at 9am. He had contacted a handyman to fix the front door. It sticks. Always has. We have blamed it on the fact is faces west and gets the hottest afternoon sun. The handyman fixed the door so it won't stick. Claude paid him and got his information to help us after we have our home inspection for the buyers of our Sadieville home. 

Then we beat it like a bat out of hades for Lexington for a meeting with Strategic Wealth Design. It went well and pointed us in the direction of our next step in turning on the IRA's as we reach that age. 

We stopped at the Recycling Center in Georgetown. Then the Gathering Place to leave brownies for their lunch as well as some shirts and toiletries. Then to the nursing home to give Papa is treat and fill that birdfeeder. We noticed that Frank's donuts was open so we treated ourselves to donuts. 

During all of this driving, we heard from Nissa. Another great blessing. Her biopsy showed the concern with her breast was benign. Nissa does not have breast cancer. Hallelujah!!

We went back to Sadieville until time to meet the home inspector in Georgetown. As we entered Eagle Bend, the geese were out on the street again. However, I wanted to stop anyway to get a picture of the next phase on the new home being built in Eagle Bend. This is the main level they are putting on the home. It's looking good. 

Back to the Georgetown home at 4pm to meet with the home inspector. Wendell was there with him. The home inspector shared only a few items he suggested we ask be taken care of as well as a few we should watch when we are home owners. We stayed after he left to take measurements of some things in the house to allow us to plan where to place furniture, what furniture we can't bring, what size blinds we need to purchase, etc. It was good to see the inside of the house again.

While we were in Georgetown, there were two more showings of our Sadieville home. One at 5pm and one at 7pm. Wendell also got a call from a potential buyer leaving Arizona or New Mexico, can't remember which. This couple had a grandson that lives with them. They have seen pictures of our home, know what the market it like, believe they could make an apartment for their son in the basement and them live upstairs. They made a full price offer with a need to know by 8pm Friday before they left for Lexington. Wendell called us and explained the situation. We were sitting in the Lowe's parking lot about to go in to check on blinds for the Georgetown home. We agreed to sell to them. So, we had a buyer for our home that should go through easily. They will drive to Lexington and be here on Tuesday. We'll need to let them have the opportunity that day to go through the house. They want to close as early as possible. We may actually get to move from this home directly to the new home without having to store our belongings or rent some place for a while. 

Saturday, May 29th, we actually had a day at home all day long. It was a bit colder than normal. We stayed inside all day and tackled cleaning and clearing some more. 

Sunday, May 30th, has been a good day so far. We enjoyed Zoom Church, did our reading and studying. It was good to focus on something other than buying and selling homes for a bit. Claude is taking his nap. I am getting my Blog caught up and sending a few eMails. I am trying to clear out one more file drawer full of Papa's genealogy items. So much that can be cleared so we don't take things we can't use in the new home. Claude plans to make us pizza for dinner. Yum.

Yep, this has been one whirlwind week. Lots of emotions this week. It will be nice to get this process complete. We feel the hand of the Lord in helping us along through this adventure. We feel his blessings in so many ways. That keeps us going. 

Weekly Emotions...

This week I noted the emotions that run through the things you do in a week. 

Sunday, May 16th, was embarrassing! 

We thought we had a dinner appointment with friends. My eMails indicate this was true. I agreed we would provide dessert. I baked a lemon pudding cake on Saturday to take to dinner on Sunday. We had a 4pm Family History Coordinating Committee meeting via Zoom. Claude got us through that and we were on the road to Georgetown. 

When we arrived at the Manwaring home, clearly they were surprised to see us. You see, Ali thought she was communicating the next Sunday. I thought when she said 'next' in the eMails she was talking about this last Sunday. It worked out fine. The Manwaring's had just finished eating. They made a plate for Claude and me. Then we discussed how our respective families were doing. And we enjoyed the lemon cake. Turns out lemon is a favorite flavoring of the Manwaring family. 

The purpose for the meeting was really to tour Brad and Ali's home. Claude and I anticipate a move in our future. When the pandemic started in 2020 and things shut down, Brad and Ali just moved into their new home. They wanted to take a trip to Africa. We put all our Africa pictures on a thumb drive and dropped them off with a little photo album I did for them to view. Brad suggested we come into their new home then to see it. We declined due to all the restrictions. The reason Brad and Ali's home is so attractive is the size and the location and the fact you are in an HOA (Home Owners Association) and all the exterior yardwork and home maintenance is covered with your Home Owner's Fees. Claude and I want to look at all the possibilities for moving. We thought we should check out how Brad and Ali were feeling after living in their condo for a year. They have previously always had a single family home. Now their condo is the center unit of a three unit building. They have a master bedroom on the first floor and two other bedrooms upstairs. We walked through the entire home with Ali and Brad telling us what they liked and how they have pared down the things they own to make a smaller home work for them. It was excellent to see it in person and to talk with people who have now experienced this for a year. We also walked to look into homes under construction and then drove their neighborhood to see how it all lays out. It was an excellent evening and the Manwaring's helped us really see and understand the change for them. 

I gave Ali the four coasters I had crocheted to say thank you for their help.

Monday, May 17th, was thrilling!

We had new life on our front door. The robins made a nest in the top of the front door wreath. They laid four pretty little blue eggs. This day, the first baby robin hatched. What an ugly little spud! But, it was thrilling to find new life on our front door. 

We would go to Georgetown and drop off a treat bag for Papa and I would fill his birdfeeder. He gave me a big grin through the window, we waved and blew kisses. Always good when this happens. Claude dropped me off at Dr. Fine's office for my podiatrist appointment. We have done all we can for my poor feet. Dr. Fine cheerfully released me to my own devices with a charge to call him if I need anything at all. Claude ran errands while I had my doctor's appointment. Then we walked at Moss Park. The geese are all out now but we saw a kind I don't ever remember seeing. At first I thought it was a Canada goose. The coloring on the feathers was off for that. Still don't know what kind it was but they were pretty. And they were friendly. Clearly they were used to people feeding them for they followed us until they were sure we were not going to feed them.

We ended our Georgetown trip with a Walmart run and a Lowe's run.

When we entered Eagle Bend, they had added framing to the new home construction. It is fun to see what they do each time.

In the evening I would crochet another coaster with a new pattern. The last row on this coaster I believe is unnecessary. I cut that part out and will make the next three without that last row.

Tuesday, May 18th, was sobering!

I walked on the treadmill in the morning. My knees were killing me when I finished. I am not sure what is happening with these knees but they are giving me fits. 

In the afternoon I took Papa for his weekly car ride. This time we drove in a northerly direction. We took Hwy 229 through Stamping Ground and on north to Owenton. Then we turned on Hwy 22 and used it and Hwy 36 to go east to Williamstown. At Williamstown we picked up Hwy 25 south. Hwy 25 took us through Sadieville and on to Georgetown. The nursing home is on the corner of Hwy 25 and Pocahontas Trail. Papa enjoyed the ride. 

I have notice a couple of things. On this ride and the one last week, I handed him a snack bag with a few hard candies in it. I usually do this about 30 minutes into the drive. Usually he eats one and then later on may have one more. This ride and the one the week before he ate until the had eaten all of the hard candies. Not an issue. Just very out of character for Papa. The other thing really concerned me. As we were driving south on Hwy 25, Papa started to talk a bit. He has been unusually quiet the past two weeks. I have attributed this to his inability to hear. Unless I really yell, he is not understanding the words I say. I felt like it was just easier for him to enjoy being out and resigning himself to less conversation. So, he had been very quiet all this two hours of driving. Then, when he tried to talk, it was like he had a mouthful of something. The words rolled around and it was hard to understand him. Frankly, I wondered if he had a mini-stroke and it was affecting his speech. Getting old yourself and helping your aging father is very sobering.

Wednesday, May 19th, was exhausting!

Claude and I were home all day long. I started the laundry. I cleaned all four bathrooms in our home. Claude and I cleaned out some more in the guest bedroom closet and a few of the cabinets in our home. Lightening the load is what it feels like. At the end of the day, we had a trunk load of things in the back of the Jeep for Claude to take to Goodwill the next day. 

Thursday, May 20th, was also exhausting and a little sad!

Claude had a dentist appointment and errands to run in Georgetown. I had a day to myself at home. I got the ironing done. Then I set to cleaning out my side of our bedroom closet. I was able to have four bags of clothes to give to Goodwill. Yes!! Claude had a good dentist visit. Was able to get his hearing aids sent for maintenance. The right one is not holding a charge.

I went to take pictures of our little baby robins after taking Papa's letter to the mailbox. I think we have lost one of the babies. I could only find two babies and one egg in the nest. I stand on a step stool and hold my camera over them to take the pictures. They lift their heads and those heads look disproportionally large for their bodies. Their heads just flop around. We still have one egg to hatch. What I read is they will take about two weeks in the nest before they are ready to fly. The stage while they are in the nest till ready to fly is called fledgling. It is fascinating to watch them grow. 

Friday, May 21st, was unnerving!

We did our Georgetown run. A walk in Moss Park was first. My knee was killing me by the time we got back to the Jeep. We stopped at the nursing home and I left a treat for Papa and filled his birdfeeder. I was limping the entire walk around to the back to fill that birdfeeder. Papa was reading a letter I mailed to him. He was happy. I got back in the Jeep and Claude and I did a couple of other errands. I sat in the car the entire time. When we got back to Sadieville, I slid out of the Jeep and my left knee couldn't hardly hold any weight on it. Sharp paint. I held onto the cars to get myself and my things out the Jeep and into the house. Not good. 

My check of our baby robins revealed only two robins in the nest. All eggs hatched and cleared out. Not sure what happened to our third baby. I could not see it in the nest on Thursday. Now we seem to clearly only have two babies left. They are so cute. When I open the door, they think someone is coming to feed them. Their heads flop around like a bobble-head doll. Then their beaks open wide waiting for food. 

Friday afternoon, we met with a realtor. He came to our home with his wife. We talked about our hopes for our next home. It is time to make a move. We have talked about this for a couple of years. We have both felt it was time to downsize and get into something smaller with less yard to care for. We visited with Brad and Ali and it confirmed our impression that we would like a home where we don't have yard work. Wendell Drakeford was the realtor for Brad and Ali on three of their home purchases. He comes highly recommended. We are off on the grand adventure. We took Wendell on a tour of our home. He was impressed with the setup we have here in Sadieville. Wendell will help us sell our home and help us purchase our next home. Yep, I sat with Claude on the front porch and reminded him that in 2004 we were sitting here saying, "Isn't it nice we will never have to do this moving thing again!" Oops! We are sure and agree on the things we want this time and will be firm about getting something as close to that as we can. 

The caveat in today's world is the market. With the pandemic last year and people not going into homes and building slowing to a crawl, things are just weird out there. It is truly a sellers market right now. It is the time to sell as there are not many homes on the market. The difficulty for us in selling is not the home itself. It is the distance we are from the city and people wanting a home in the country. That, in itself, decreases our buying pool. Wendell, explained that, with the cost of building materials skyrocketing, builders have slowed to almost a halt building new homes. They want a secure buyer committed before they begin the build. So, the market is whacky, but we could get a good price for our home. Our preference would be to sell our home, buy a new home and move from one directly to another. Reality in today's market is we probably should sell and rent until we find the right home. We are going to stay in this area. So, off we go on another grand unnerving adventure. We are both confident we are moving in the right direction. 

Saturday, May 22, 2021, was exhausting!

We did some clearing out steps for our home. We invited friends over to take some of the items Claude has in the workshop in our basement. They took a car load of things. We took a trunk load of things to Goodwill on Thursday and Friday. Our garbage can went out full on Wednesday and it is nearly full again. I finished cleaning out the legal size file drawer full of Papa's genealogy research paperwork. Now I am emptying and sharing my two recipe boxes with my family. In between, I have taken up and thrown out things. So much to do so we don't take items we don't need. We'll get there and every item we clear out makes our home feel lighter. 

My knee was painful again. I started my day with a Meloxicam my doctor gave me to take when I plan to crochet for the arthritic pain in my right hand. It is helping a bit. That is a good thing. Too much to do to be hampered with a bum knee. Claude did say my knee was definitely a wake-up call about the need to move. 

Sunday, May 23, 2021, was mind-boggling!

Saturday night I went to bed do tired. Then I laid there wide away for two hours! Ugh! I finally got up and hobbled to the living room. I went into the pantry and took all the magnets off the fridge. Then I went to the living room and picked up a magazine I wanted to read. I took that to the guest bedroom and read for another hour. Then I tried to rest again. I did get some sleep but not enough. 

This morning we had the Sunday session of Stake Conference. We watched it via Zoom. It was a good meeting. One of my favorite quotes was "Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur."

After the meeting, we drove to Georgetown to meet our realtor. He set up a meeting with Haddix who built the home that Brad and Ali live in. The object was to see floor plans, find out what they are building, find out cost and time need to build, etc. We found some floor plans we thought we might like. They are just not building until they are really sure they have a buyer because of building costs for them. They will quote a price but not until you commit to a home and what upgrades you would want. Then they have the right to increase the price as building costs skyrocket. This is just awful. But we were shown what they are doing in Brad and Ali's neighborhood and a few homes in Frankfort, Kentucky. This is not far away and Claude and I would be happy living in Frankfort. The cost of the home there is less. However, none of them have HOA's that do the yards. They are new homes so plants and landscaping would need to be put in. Claude has suggested and I agreed, that, if there is no HOA to do yardwork, we hire it done for the same effect as having an HOA. Wendell also had two homes in Georgetown that are single-family homes that were having open houses. We went to each of these homes. The second one Claude and I both felt very good about. The owner is also a realtor and is selling the home. He was original owner and has lived there since 2010. We left our realtor after visiting this house with an agreement to meet with him Monday and talk about writing an offer on this second home. Then Claude and I drove to Frankfort and walked through two of the homes being built. Things could move very fast or someone else could out bid us and we still need to find a home. This is going to be an emotional roller coaster. We can handle it!

We came home and did a conference all with our children. Not sure how they all feel about the choice. Think they are happy for us making a decision. 

So our week has been full of emotions. Good ones, happy ones, ones that make you restless, an entire range of emotions. But, even with all that, it has been a good week.

Weeding and Playing...

This week, Claude and I spent a good deal of time in our back yard. The proof of this is Claude's jeans!! I suggested he was just being stylish as many women pay top dollar for jeans with tears made by the manufacturer today. 

On Wednesday, May 12th, I weeded flower beds. I tried to remember to take a before and after picture of the flower beds. The pictures are before and then after of each bed. I did one other bed but forgot to take pictures of it. This day Claude trimmed the burning bushes along the south side of the house and the lilac bushes in the front flower bed. Sure is nice to look out my bedroom window and see clean beds. No one really sees the back of our home. I guess all of this is really for us.

On Friday, May 14th, we again began our day by working on the beds in the middle of our hill. A little explanation about this portion of our yard. We have an altar here. That is what Claude has named it. It started because of an enormous rock on the lot we used to own next to our home. Claude pulled that huge rock out with lots of effort and his Jeep. Then he drug it to this spot on our property and used it as the base of this altar made of rocks from all over our property. After building the 'altar', Claude then used more rocks to make steps down the hill to this altar and purchased stone to make two flower beds, one on either side of the steps. Over the years we have planted monkey grass, that we got from our daughter Andie, as well as other things. The only thing that has really taken hold and stayed was the monkey grass. I didn't weed these beds at all last year. So, this year we are going to get these beds into shape. I took these pictures of the beds before we started to work. Sadly, the full  of the view of the altar is not in these pictures. Part of it is on the left side of the first picture. 

I spent my time pulling weeds. I was able to clear the steps and the right flower bed and start on the left flower bed. Claude brought the edger and worked around all the edges of everything. Then he spent time measuring and figuring the number of bricks we would need to create four beds out of the two beds by building a little wall across the middle of each bed. Then Claude got the weed spray and went to work on some areas we really don't want anything growing in. When we decided to call it a day, I took these two pictures of the progress. You can clearly see the altar in the second picture. There is still lots to do but it will wait until this coming week before we make the next bit of progress on this big project.

We were entertained while we did this with the Canada geese that come each spring to nest along Eagle Creek. There seem to be more of them this year than in years past. They flew over in groups of three or four and landed in Eagle Creek. All the while they were honking away. They floated on the creek for a good while. Then they all got on the flat land along the creek. They walked in a group eating bugs in the grass from one end of our property to the other end of our property. While they did this they again made lots of noises at each other. They would also rush each other with wings vigorously flapping and loud honking. It was quite the display. Add to this the two roosters across the creek and an owl that was not happy being awakened during the day and you can tell we had quite a bit of entertainment while we worked.

Thursday, May 13th, we began our day by heading into Georgetown to get a biscuit at ChickfilA. This is Claude's favorite place for a biscuit. We followed this by a walk in Moss Park. The Canada geese that nest there have babies. We had this little family cross our path while we walked. Clearly, they are used to us humans as they felt no need to hurry out of our way. They didn't even honk at us.

We took Papa his treat with new reading material and I filled the birdfeeder. He was sitting up on the side of his bed so I got a great grin and wave and we blew kisses. We did a bit of grocery shopping at Walmart and Claude picked up a few things at Lowe's.

Then home we drove where I altered a curtain Katelyn wanted to use as a valance in her kitchen. Then I boxed the valance up and got it in the mail to the Roper's. As of this writing, the Ropers received their valance and have it in the window. They are happy.

We were finally going to be able to attend a band concert for Bailey. Our last band concert we attended in person was December 2019. We were fortunate that Hayden had a recorded one of the Euphonium section of his band that we were able to view. With everything shut down, we missed two KMEA contests for the kids. Oldham County Middle School held an 8th grade only band concert and each student was allowed to invite up to 6 guests. Joyce flew in from Maryland. Joyce is Michael's stepmother. Claude and I drove over. Andie, Michael and Hayden also attended. It was great to hear them play five pieces of music. Excellent evening. Well worth the three hours it takes to drive over and then return home. 

Friday, May 14th, after our weeding, we drug our tired, worn-out bodies to the Jeep and headed to Hardee's for a burger, fries and a soda. They even gave us a free soda. As we were leaving the drive-thru, we spotted a tractor wheel into the fueling bay and get out to fill up his tractor. We don't usually see this action. There are lots of farmers and lots of tractors. I honestly haven't seen any of them pulling into the gas station for a fill-up. The cute thing about this arrangement was the farmer's best friend, his dog, sitting in the cab of the tractor. It looked for all it was worth like that dog would drive off at any moment. These are the kinds of things that amuse Claude and me.

And, before Friday was done, I got my step ladder and climbed up to get a quick picture of our resident robin eggs. I haven't been able to catch this mother sitting on her nest. I shall keep trying at that. It is getting close to time for these eggs to hatch. They are pretty though.

I enjoyed listening to three more of the presentations from the BYU Women's Conference. Love being able to get these and watch them when I have the time. 

Saturday, May 15th, Claude and I declared a play day for us. We had been diligent in getting lots of real work done at home. So, Saturday morning we got up and out of the house for a day to do as we pleased. 

We started with a biscuit from Bojangles in Georgetown. Then we drove back roads through Kentucky horse farms to Versailles. 

We have been looking at retirement communities for our next move. I saw some in Versailles on my drive with Papa. Claude wanted to see what they looked like. We found them and drove through that neighborhood. The plus side of living in one of these is there is no yard work. This would leave us free to travel at will and not worry about keeping up the yard. It is an option we want to check out. We liked this neighborhood. I checked out some of the homes with a Google search and got a feel for price and layout. 

Our next stop was The Arboretum in Lexington so we could take a nice walk. Claude opted to get on the Parkway from Versailles to Lexington. As you get to Lexington, the Parkway ends and puts you on Hwy 60. Just before that intersection, we came on a traffic jam. We could hear an ambulance coming up behind us. When we stopped this is what we saw.

The first thing we noticed was a flight-for-life helicopter in the middle of the road. The next thing we noticed as a truck pulling a huge travel trailer astraddle of the railing on the side of the road. There were plenty of police and ambulances on hand. Claude rolled down the windows in the Jeep and turned it off. We could see this being a bit of a wait. They put a body in the helicopter and it took off. Two ambulances pulled onto the highway and headed for hospitals in Lexington. Then they let our side of the highway drive on. The opposite side was behind the wreckage and would have to sit tight for a while longer. As we passed the truck with the trailer, you could see lots of mangled railing behind it. We also saw something so mangled it was hard to identify. It was a trike motorcycle. We are sure the person taken away in the helicopter was the driver of the motorcycle. I honestly don't know how they would have survived that crash. Sobering moment in our day.

We made it to the Arboretum and Claude even scored a parking spot in the shade. We made the two mile walk on the paths in the Arboretum. I only took two pictures. Claude found a cleverly made seat while I was trying to unsuccessfully get a picture of a cardinal on a tree branch. I saw a couple of bushes like the one in the bottom picture. They looked like they were full of fuzz. Not sure what they were. The bush looked like a lilac but the blossoms just looked like fuzz. 

We were planning on going to Hall's on the River for our meal-of-the-day. I told Claude not to leave until I did a Google search to be sure we could eat there. Good thing I did. We learned they were temporarily closed. On to Plan B. We would dine at City Barbeque. Yum!

We drove back to Sadieville and spent the rest of our afternoon sitting on our deck reading Church magazines. This was a very pleasant day filled with things we wanted to do. 

Sunday, May 16, 2021, has been a good Sunday. Church, a couple of Zoom meetings and a Sunday School group on Zoom. We are going to friends for dinner tonight. So, it has been a good Sabbath Day.

This week the CDC said masks were not necessary for those who are fully vaccinated unless they are in a tight space with a lot of people. The world is trying to find its new normal as the pandemic lessens. It will be interesting to see if we go back to business as usual or if we have learned things during this time of quarantine and masks that will make our lives different, maybe even a little better. I don't want my world to get so full of having to do 'things' that I lose this lesson learned of having more time to accomplish the things I want to get done. I don't mean this in a selfish way. But sometimes we fill our lives with things we think have to be done. Then we are overscheduled and we wear out emotionally. I have appreciated the time to recharge emotionally and want that lesson to stay with me. 

Michigan Bound...

Monday, May 3, 2021, was Papa's birthday. He turned 93 years old. I started my morning by making this post to Facebook with these pictures of Papa.

"I shall start my day by wishing this man a Very, Very Happy 93rd Birthday!! Happy Birthday, Papa!! You are one of a kind and I look forward to sharing Happy Birthday with you in person this afternoon!"

I picked Papa up at 1pm from the nursing home and we drove to my home. Claude left his car out of the garage so I could pull into the middle of the garage and get Papa out of the car in the garage. We were experiencing bursts of heavy rain. It all worked fine. Claude helped me get Papa up the two steps into the kitchen. I brought up his family history book he created. He worries about that and I wanted him to be sure he felt it again and knew I had it. I called Junie and she called back and talked to Papa for a long time. This was such a good thing for both of them. She hasn't heard her father's voice for well over a year. It was good for him to hear from another daughter. After Junie's call, I fixed us all ice cream and cake. Then I brought out the presents I had for Papa. Then he just wanted to talk family history. This is the thing that really bothers him as he forgets things. In his words, "I don't want to forget my family." So I opened his big binder of family history and we read names and talked about them. Papa is sure people don't have a book like his. I pulled out my cellphone and opened my Family Tree app. I showed him how all that information we just read in the big paper notebook is also right on my phone. He was amazed. I have tried to explain this to him but it is out of his comprehension zone and not something he will remember for any length of time. That is not really the point. The point is, he enjoyed trying to remember and to get it all straight one more time in his brain. He was happy family can get that information.

At 3:30 we loaded Papa back in my car and I took him back to the nursing home. He had a good birthday. So much more than we thought would happen with this virus. He enjoyed being in the car watching the rain. Think of it. We take that for granted. Papa isn't even aware it happens when he is inside the nursing home. Junie asked him if he could hear the rain when he was in my car. He couldn't. He could only see it. Lots to be aware of in that moment. Grateful we had this time to celebrate Papa turning 93 years old.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021, we drove to Michigan. Our daughter, Nissa, was having surgery this day. We were going to spend a week and support her through the recovery. Todd, her hubby, shared this picture of our first-born waiting for her surgery. She is cute and I told him I loved the hat!!

We entered I-75 northbound in the pouring rain. This is not fun to drive in. We were hoping this would not last the entire 8+ hours we had to drive. 

As we neared Cincinnati, the traffic was heavier. The rains still beat on the car and road. We knew the Brett Spence Bridge over the Ohio River at Cincinnati would be slow. The rain did not help that at all. The construction to repair after last year's fire on the bridge did not help at all. Patience was the order of the day.

Once through that bridge, we were in Ohio. Yeah!!

In Ohio, we found a sign that said "Variable Speed Limit". What does this mean? This is one of those times you can see the difference in how Claude and my mind work. Claude thinks the sign means you can go any speed you like. I think the sign means that, because of the construction, the speed limit will change frequently so be aware as you drive. This is why we say that, between the two of us, we have one really good brain!

I took pictures of landmarks to text to kids so they knew where we were in our journey for instance, Butter Jesus. Look it up. It is an interesting story.

Not long before we stopped in Bowling Green, Ohio for lunch at a Burger King, the rain stopped.

Then we continued north past the mosque where I again sent a landmark picture to update the kids.

We made it into Michigan on Hwy 23.

Claude had determined he would stay with Hwy 23 until he reached I-96. Then he would turn west and take I-96 to Muskegon. This sounded like a great plan until we were caught up in this traffic madness.

As we slowly inched forward, I got Google Maps on my cellphone. I told Claude to make his way to the right lane and take the next exit. Little did I know they were having everyone do that same thing. We got off I-96 and found back roads that eventually took us to I-96 further north.

Now we were moving again. We made it across Michigan and determined we would stop in Grand Rapids for a Krispy Kreme donut. We were happy to find their red light on and got very fresh donuts. Yummy!!

In another half hour we were at Muskegon. We went directly to the Shoreline Inn and checked into our room. We would occupy Room 1001 for next five nights. Room 1001 is the top floor in the center.

Room 1001 would afford us a wonderful view of Muskegon Lake. There is a marina at the base of the Shoreline Inn. Very relaxing location. 

We left for a bit to find a Subway to get a sandwich for dinner. Then back to the hotel to enjoy the sunset from our window. Lovely. Simply Lovely!!

Wednesday, May 5, 2021, we were up at 9:30am. We wanted Nissa to be able to sleep in after Todd left so there was no hurry to get up. We got our act together and headed to Holton, Michigan where the Tyler's reside. Nissa was awake when we got there. She was moving very gingerly. But she was up and moving. Took her a gift of a new pair of pajamas to relax in as she recuperated. We visited with her about 2 hours. She took her next dose of meds and they started to kick in. We left so she would go to bed and sleep the afternoon away. 

After a nice lunch from the Firehouse Subs window, we drove to the Roper's home. We would spend our afternoon there. We had tried to get the other two grandmonsters there but that didn't work out. So we visited with the Ropers until time for Raelyn to go to her soccer practice. 

I took two gifts I made for Joel. Katelyn is pregnant with our fourth great grandmonster. A little boy who will be named Joel. We opened these gifts. First a quilt. I have made the girls each a rag quilt and some of the squares in Joel's quilt have the same fabric blocks as the girls quilts. Raelyn and Katelyn were finding fabrics they knew in the quilt blocks.

I crocheted a lion afghan for Joel. Each of the girls have an animal afghan. I have a lot of pain in my right thumb and hand when I crochet. This was a labor of love. It was also a surprise to Katelyn. She knew I wasn't crocheting a lot and would not ask me to make one for Joel. She was happy to get this afghan and liked the lions on it for her little boy. 

Claude took the Roper's end tables home with him after our March visit. He refinished these tables and we brought them back to the Ropers. These end tables turned out great. Raelyn is sure he brought them back for her. 

Katelyn received a package from Amazon. She opened it and the box went to Emelia. Give a kid a box and they will play for hours. Emelia was proof off that. 

Claude and Raelyn had a fun moment-in-time while Emelia was busy with her box. Raelyn loves great Grampa Christensen and he feels the same way about her. The third picture is Claude trying to fold Raelyn up. Oh My!!

As the afternoon wore on, Raelyn got her clothes on for her soccer practice. Yep, she was ready!

I don't know how Claude and Emelia came up with this game. Bottom line...Emelia was asking for more!

Then we all drove to the soccer field to watch Raelyn practice. In the first picture, Raelyn is practicing before practice starts. She is kicking the soccer ball and Emelia and Katelyn are to the right of her. The second and third pictures are Raelyn warming up. The fourth, fifth and sixth pictures are Raelyn running the cones then kicking a goal. The seventh and eighth pictures are playing a game called Stop/Go. The coach says 'Go' and the players run while kicking their soccer balls. The coach then yells 'Stop' and the players are to stop and put one foot on their soccer ball. The last picture is the end of their practice. The players and coaches all put their hands on top of each other's hands and they cheer as they lift all their hands. Building a little team spirit.

We promised to take the Roper family for a burger after practice. Raelyn immediately said she wanted McDonald's. Off to McDonald's our car went to pick up burgers for everyone. We would eat them at the Roper home.

After dinner, Claude and I made our way back to our room in the sky and enjoyed our view again. I started reading a book on the drive across I-96. It was "Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Mccomber. I spent this evening finishing this book. It was a light read and a good read.

Thursday, May 6, 2021, was a rainy or potentially rainy day in the Muskegon area. Enjoyed watching the fishing boat on Muskegon Lake.

At some point we missed a phone call on Claude's cell phone. On April 28th Claude had an appointment with Dr. Wilson, our dermatologist. When he came home he had easily 20 burn marks on his arms where Dr. Wilson burned off skin cancers. In addition, Dr. Wilson biopsied a place on Claude's left cheek and on his neck behind his right ear. Dr. Wilson told Claude to expect to have surgery on these two places on his head. Ugh. This call was to give Claude the results of his biopsy. We neither heard Claude's phone ring. Claude would try three times during this day to get these results to no avail. Ugh!!

We went back to Nissa's in the middle of the day. We found her baking cookies. She was moving very gingerly still but a bit more mobile. Her doctors told her to sleep a lot but to walk and move when she was awake. She was sure doing that. Nissa and Todd use the Keto diet and she was making Keto friendly chocolate chip cookies. I gave Nissa my "Twenty Wishes" book to help pass some time with reading. We again stayed until her next meds made her sleepy. We left then so she could rest till Todd came home from work. 

We had set an appointment to go to Aubrey's apartment to visit with her and Nelson. As we drove Muskegon streets, we had to wait for traffic. Bwah-ha-ha!!

Katelyn, Drew and the girls came over after we arrived so the cousins could play together a bit. Aubrey had a male and female cat and the female had six kittens about six weeks before. This was a delight for all our little ones. I love watching the cousins playing together.

Claude and I drove to The Pita Place after visiting with Aubrey. Then it was back to the hotel for the rest of the evening. 

This was a fun evening to watch Muskegon Lake from our window. The weather had turned colder that day. In the early evening, the sun finally came out. I am guessing that the hot sun on the cold water caused interesting weather patterns to develop. Little wisps of clouds would form on the top of the water and dance like they were getting ready to turn into little twisters. As night came on it turned to fog. By the time we closed our curtain, it was a full fog and we couldn't see the other side of the lake. Usually we could see the lights on the other shore. Not this night. It was an eerie event to watch but also very fascinating from our 10th floor view. 

Friday, May 7, 2021, we woke up to the fishing boat leaving again. 

Claude was able to get with Dr. Wilson's office and get his results. The diagnosis was basal cell carcinoma and Claude will have Moh's surgery to remove the place on his cheek and on his neck. This is the type of surgery I had on my nose about two years ago. This time the surgery will be done in Dr. Wilson's office. Ugh!! (I seem to be typing Ugh a lot this time.)

Claude also got a call from his mother, Bonnie. We mailed her Mother's Day present before we left Kentucky. Claude made her a plastic canvas picture of two cardinals. He got a frame and framed it. He filled out one of the greeting cards he colored. I boxed it all up and wrote on the inside of his card that Claude made the needlework and the card for her. Bonnie was amazed and giddy happy with her gift from her boy. I can see it hanging on her fridge when we visit her next time! 

We drove out to spend the middle of the day with Nissa. I gave her a haircut. Claude gave her a priesthood blessing. When she was getting tired, we left so she could sleep. She was moving a bit better. 

We had an appointment with Paul to have dinner at Bob Evans. He was having Rachel, his girlfriend, bring him as his truck was not working. We had a couple of hours before time for dinner. We called Katelyn and asked if it was okay to visit with her again for a bit. She was happy for us to come again.

The girls each scored a popsicle. I took this series of pictures. Love that in the first one I caught Katelyn giving them firm instructions. By the last one Emelia is very comfortable with Raelyn and they are both very happy with their popsicle time.

We left the Ropers and drove to Bob Evans. When we got there, Claude backed into a spot. I told him I was not sure what kind of car we were looking for. We settled in to wait and watch. Imagine my surprise when Paul opened the door of the car next to us!! He and Rachel arrived before us and were parked right next to us. We had a wonderful dinner with good conversation. As we went back to our cars, Paul had me come and look at a sticker on Rachel's car window. He is very happy to have Rachel for a girlfriend. 

Claude and I drove to the soccer field. Friday night was Raelyn's soccer game. It was sooooo cold. I did get a few pictures. Raelyn's team is in the black t-shirts. Raelyn is #7. 

We had a most beautiful sunset this night. The colors were amazing.

Saturday, May 8, 2021, would be our last full day in the Muskegon area. We were going to spend it with Nissa and Todd. 

Before we left the hotel, I took these pictures of the marina at the base of the hotel and posted this on our family's Facebook page.

"My pictures today are from the marina at the hotel. It has several really beautiful boats in several price ranges in their slips. The one that has captured my heart and drawn my fascination though is the little fishing boat in a corner slip. I believe we find lots of life lessons in all that is around us. I look at that little boat and think of that phrase "Bloom where you are planted." I also think of how often we feel we don't fit. This little boat could be considered 'out of place'. Yet it really isn't. It belongs in its slip as much as the others. It is cared for as much as the others by its owner. It serves its specific purpose as well as the others. It does belong in that marina. Each of us has our own purpose in this life. Each of us is cared for by our other family members. Each of us belongs in our family and community. I want each of you to know you have a special place in my heart and life. You are important to me. Love ya bunches!!"

As we left the hotel, a little poem popped into my head from my childhood. I know I must be not remembering the beginning, but this is what I remember: "Kissing spreads germs it is so stated, So kiss me Baby, I'm vaccinated." It seemed to fit this time in which we are living. 

We stopped at Whispering Pines, the Amish store, to get cheese, bread and cookies to take home. 

We enjoyed our afternoon at the Tyler home. Our concern was Nissa had a little complication during Friday evening. She had been given instructions and ways to gauge this particular problem to determine if she needed to head to the ER. She opted to stay home and was doing a bit better Saturday morning. I am happy to report that as of Monday evening, that problem was pretty well under control. Todd grilled steaks for us. Nissa made a cucumber and tomato salad and made mashed rutabagas. This was my first time having mashed rutabagas. They were delicious. Just like mashed potatoes. She mashed them with sour cream and butter. Then has butter for you to add if your want. Truly delicious.

While at the Tyler's, I started a crochet project. I made two coasters. I would make another one Monday night. 

I received a text from Jacob, our son, while at the Tyler's. He was wondering how Nissa was doing. I sent him this picture of our girl.

Sunday, May 9, 2021, was Mother's Day. This year I decided to start a tradition which I believe was well received. I usually give a Mother's day gift to Nissa and Andie, our daughters, and to Katelyn and Aubrey, our grandmonsters and mothers of our great grandmonsters. This year I used cards Claude had colored. Inside I wrote an explanation that my mother, Mimi, had always carried a bit of hidden money in her wallet. This was there in case she had an emergency, or a place would not take a check, or if she wanted a treat for herself. I called it Mimi's Mad Money. I folded a $20 bill and put one in each card. I told the girls this would be a tradition from now on. They would each get Mimi Mad Money for their own use. They could tuck it away for when it was needed or use it as they wanted. I know for a fact, Nissa was going to use hers when she got her nails done on Monday. 

I also sent this quote to each of our girls and grandmonsters: "Expand your knowledge, both intellectual and spiritual, to the full stature of your divine potential. There is no limit to your influence for good. Share your talents, for that which we willingly share, we keep, but that which we selfishly keep, we lose. (Thomas S. Monson)"

I posted this on Facebook about my mother. "I have a sweet Mother. As Uncle Bob said many years ago, "She graduated to the next level" in 2012. I have had the tender mercy of feeling her close to me four specific times since 2012. She taught me well. She loved her family. Everyone of us would love having a breakfast of Mimi biscuits. Let's remember all the Grand Ladies who have loved, served, encouraged, and uplifted us during our lives, related biologically or by the heart. Happy Mother's Day Mimi today and everyday!!"

After checking out of our hotel, we drove to the Ropers. Katelyn wanted a priesthood blessing from her Grampa. Claude gave her a blessing. I took her kitchen curtain to alter. Then we were off to Chelsea for the night. We would encounter rain again. But the drive went well. We were able to check in. Then we drove to Wendy's and picked up dinner for Jake, our son. We would drop this off on his front porch with some other things we brought for him. He got his second vaccine on Saturday and was keeping it low key and resting till he had to go to work on Monday. We went back to Wendy's and picked up dinner for us. Then to the hotel to eat. After that we talked with Jake on the phone for a while. I crocheted the third coaster that evening. 

Monday, May 10, 2021, we would make our way back to Sadieville. We stopped in West Chester, Ohio to see what was in the Duluth Trading Company store. Claude had ordered a pair of jeans from them online and really liked them. We wanted to see what was in their store. We found several items and purchased them. We would stop at this store again.

It was nice to cross the Brett Spence Bridge again and enter Kentucky.

When we got home, we check the bird's nest we left on our wreath on the front porch. It seems our mother robin had indeed laid her eggs while we were gone. We now have four robin eggs hatching. I sent this picture to Andie, our daughter. She is teaching a series of lessons on birds. I sent her my pictures from the first time a robin built a nest, laid and hatched eggs on our front porch and the little video of the baby learning to fly. She is going to share our experience this time with her little friends.

I bought me a purple cap at Duluth Trading Company. Took this picture of me in my purple cap and glasses and sent it to Raelyn. She also loves purple.

Monday evening I did the laundry. We were ready to get back in the groove of being home.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021, I got the ironing done in the morning. In the afternoon I took Papa for a car ride. This time we went south and he loved it. This is where the beautiful horse farms are located and the scenery is excellent. 

Claude spent his day cutting the grass while I was out and about. When I got home he was just finishing. He invited me to sit on the front porch with him for a while. 

While he was out there before I came outside, our little robin went back to her nest and sat on it while he was sitting on the porch. I ruined this by forgetting and coming out to the front porch through the front door. Oops! She didn't come back to the nest while we were both sitting there. We did observe five big turkey buzzards flying in and over to circle over our neighbors home across our street. When the fifth turkey buzzard came into our sight, there were two little birds flying after that big bird giving it fits. This was the mother and father robin protecting their eggs. All of this is great for Andie's class. 

And that brings me to this evening trying to catch up on my Blog. Whew. A lot happened in the last week. Now, let's see what we can finish this week with!!