Oral Surgery, Prescriptions, Line Dancing, Music, Helping Others...

Wednesday, October 21st, we started getting back to a 'normal' routine by taking Claude to Lexington for Oral Surgery. He had a tooth chip at the end of our trip. When we got home, the entire crown fell off at the gum. Dr. Hollen saw him and suggested removal of the tooth base and root followed by an implant. When Claude saw Dr. Morrow this morning, Dr. Morrow was thinking he was doing and evaluation and plan for how to deal with the situation. He asked Claude when he wanted to schedule his surgery to remove what remained of the tooth. Claude simply told him 'today'. Dr. Morrow was a bit taken aback but he said he thought he could do that. He checked the room that needed to be used for this procedure and found it was available. So, Dr. Morrow removed the remaining tooth and did some bone grafting. Claude will go back the end of January to have the post put in for the implant. It is a process.

We headed home with the understanding a prescription for pain was called in and could be picked up at CVS. Well, after two hours of no call from CVS, I called to be sure they called in the prescription. The person answering the phone said it was called in to Kroger Pharmacy. I needed to get some soft foods for Claude so I hurried off to Kroger. Claude's mouth was starting to wake up a bit.

I got a cart and picked up a few items and headed to the pharmacy. I waited in line for my turn. Then was told they had NO prescriptions at all for Claude Christensen. I exited the line and asked Claude to check his CVS app to see if it showed any prescriptions being filled for him. It did not. I called Dr. Morrow's office and explained that I was in Kroger and they had no prescription for him. I asked if they had sent it to CVS where we usually have prescriptions filled. She got off the phone with me and checked their computer. It appeared no prescription had been submitted. She submitted it to Kroger. 

I went back to the Kroger Pharmacy counter and explained my situation. I asked them to be sure they had a prescription request from Dr. Morrow for Claude Christensen. It came in while we were talking. I then made sure they know my hubby had oral surgery and his mouth was waking up. This was pain medication for that and I would like it sooner rather than later. She assured me it would be ready in 20 minutes. Than I confirmed with her that I would wait right there and would appreciate them calling my name when the prescription was ready so I could quickly get it home to my hubby. All of this was done very politely but firmly. 

In 20 minutes, I got the filled prescription. I picked up the sherbet that Claude wanted and some cottage cheese he requested. Then I checked out and got these things home to my hubby. Whew. Ain't life grand?!

We spent the remainder of our day with him resting in his recliner. I gave up my to do list and sat in my chair near him to get whatever he might want. 

Thursday, October 22nd, Claude slept through the night. Yippee!! That is great for healing.

I spent my day doing laundry, blogging and labeling pictures. 

I did go outside on this day and take pictures of our front yard tree to note that fall is coming for sure.

In the evening, I attended the October Relief Society Activity which was Line Dancing. We were few in numbers but mighty in spirit. I couldn't dance because something is wrong with my ankle. One other sister in her 80's could not participate. It turns out we dressed like twins without even knowing it. It was a fun evening.

Friday, October 23rd, we went for a biscuit breakfast. Then to CVS to pick up my prescription refills. One day Claude looked at me and asked, "What time do we go to CVS today?" We both laughed hysterically. We do seem to spend a lot of time at that drive-thru window. 

I had feelings of getting a cold. I spent time at my laptop getting an Amazon order and a Walmart order ready to get most of my Christmas shopping done. 

After Claude's nap, I gave him a haircut. 

Bailey called in the afternoon. She wanted us to know she had a concert that evening. I told her we bought tickets long ago for a musical performance in Louisville and would not be able to make it. She understood. We will see her on November 7th for their homecoming game. Bailey sent me a link to watch the performance. The link was a Facebook link. I listened to the entire performance but could only hear the speaking between numbers, one march and one other piece. I wondered if the music was not copyrighted so it was blocked after the liver performance.

Katelyn called while we were headed to Louisville. She wanted to give my an update on Emelia who had an abscessed tooth. 

We stopped in Frankfort for dinner at Chick-filA. Then we were on to the Brown Theater in Louisville to was The Carpenter's Songbook: A Live Celebration. The final encore was "Top of the World". Claude sang those bass notes I love while I belted the melody. Great end to a truly fun evening! They did a wonderful job. The men sitting behind us came back after the intermission and I overheard their conversation. A woman was greatly upset because to woman singing didn't sound exactly like Karen Carpenter. She left very upset. I'm thinking it was the couple seated next to Claude and me as they never returned after the intermission. I mean, really, it is a tribute. You come to enjoy the music you loved. The performances were excellent. The vocalist didn't sound exactly like Karen Carpenter but I know of no one who ever has or will. They told the story of the Carpenters career and did a fine job. It was worthy of the standing ovation they received at the end. 

Saturday, October 24th, we had a lovely day at home. I received another eMail about a John Cleese performance in March. I shared it with Claude and we thought it would be worth our time. I was able to purchase the tickets with my cellphone. Amazing little devices. I usually like to do this on my laptop. But it worked quite well. 

Katelyn gave me some of Denise's clothes. I laundered them in preparation for making pillows out of each item. Katelyn wants them as keepsakes for her children. 

I was able to get the November Relief Society birthday cards ready. While at it, I assessed the needs for number of card and stamps as well as finding the best deal on cards. I sent Jenessa Dymock, our Relief Society president, a eMail explaining what we needed and the costs with a link for the cards on Amazon. 

The rest of my time I spent with clearing out picture files. I am currently working on the Sadieville pictures. 

We opted for a Taco Bell run for dinner followed by an evening of Psych.

Sunday, October 25th, was a good Sabbath Day. 

The Wenzel's sit in front of us in Sacrament Meeting. Well, Sarah and her three children sit there. Bro. Wenzel is 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric so he sits on the stand. This is such a sweet family. The two older children are getting left a bit as the mother takes the baby out when he starts to cry. I have assured her I will watch the older two. As she left the second time, she turned to the daughter, gave her a book, as asked her to quietly read it to her brother. They snuggled beside each other and dutifully did what their mom asked. The little boy was getting sleeping. His older sister touched her shoulder and told him he could put his head on her shoulder. This was the two of them. It melted my heart. 

After Sacrament Meeting, I was walking around the halls being sure I had all the sisters recorded for attending that day. As I was doing this, Karen Raulston asked me if I was doing something for Relief Society or could I help her. She had Kitty Lloyd by the arm trying to walk her down the hall. Karen needed someone to support Kitty on her right side. Then I saw that Kitty was having a very difficult time walking and was very disoriented. As we slowly walked down the hallway, I said to Kitty that we should be her home. She really wanted to stay for Sunday School. It was obvious she was in a bad way. After walking a couple of feet, Kitty agreed she should probably go home. By this time Debra Hatchett was aware there was a problem and came to help. Debra got Kitty a chair to sit on as we got Kitty to the back door. Debra has nursing background. She did a few checks to see if it might be a stroke. Karen went to get her car to drive Kitty home. I got Kitty's phone can called her daughter and explained how her mom was behaving and our plan to get her home. She said she would be ready. Kitty's daughter is a nurse. Debra Hatchett got Kitty's car keys. Kitty couldn't remember where she parked her car. I knew it was a white car. Debra went out with the key fob trying to get the car to respond to the fob so she could find it. Bishop Barber and Bro. David Bennett came out of the church to be sure we were okay. After all, it was three older sisters helping a very old sister. I suggested Kitty might want a blessing. Bishop and Bro. Bennett stood in the open doorway of Karen's car and gave Kitty a blessing. Then Debra drove Kitty's car and followed Karen and Kitty in Karen's car to Kitty's home. Kitty's daughter and son were there to get her out of the car and into their home. What an experience. Grateful to be there to help. Grateful Debra showed up to check Kitty. Grateful Bishop was there to give her a priesthood blessing. 

We got lunch from Burger King and headed home. I would clear the DVR while Claude napped. When he woke up, we watched all the Music and the Spoken Word we had DVR'd. Then we made a quick trip to Dairy Queen for a treat. 

After that we tried once again to connect with the people behind us to get their contact information for Jon Zimmerman. He wants to talk with them before he cuts down the trees in our back yard. They were not home. But I think I found a phone number to help me try again.

Our Michigan Adventure...

Thursday, October 15th, found us "On The Road Again!" This time, we were off to Michigan to support Drew and Katelyn as they went through Drew's mother's Celebration of Life. 

I usually go to the back door and check the back yard in the morning. This morning I found an huge bird perched on the fence. I couldn't tell what kind of bird it was but I was sure it was not a crow. The beak was all wrong. Interesting the wildlife we get in the backyard living in the city.

In the front yard, I noted a few bright red leaves on the tree. I wanted to remember to see how many more there were when we returned. 

We went to Bojangles first, of course, to get our biscuit and soda breakfast. As we left Bojangles and Claude took his first swig of Diet Coke, he broke into song "Sweet Diet Coke" to the tun of "Sweet Caroline".  I did that Bah-bah-bah's. We are cool that way.

It was quite a foggy morning. Fortunately, it lifted fast once we got on I-75 North. Not fun to drive in fog. There was also a closing of the bridge from Kentucky into Ohio at Cincinnati. It would be closed Friday through Monday. When we originally heard of this early in the month, we agreed not to do anything in Cincinnati that weekend. Claude would take the I-275 around Cincinnati and avoid the bridge completely as we drove to Michigan. 

Claude and I were wondering about a fall color drive this year. Turns out, this drive to Michigan was that fall color drive. So very pretty in Indiana and then all of Michigan.

We would drive to Rochester, Indiana for our pit stop. This is about halfway. Claude found a Snickers bar with pecans in it. We had not tried one of these yet. We purchased one that had two pieces in the wrapper. We both really liked it. However, even with me being the sugar-loving one of us, we found this candy bar very sweet. Delicious but a little too sweet for us. As we left Rochester, the rain started a little bit.

Our tradition has been to purchase Lee's chicken for dinner with Nissa and Todd the night we arrive. Another glitch in our plans this time. Apple Avenue is the road on which Lee's and Port City Automotive are located. It is under major construction and closed off. You have to use alleys to get to Nissa and Todd's work or to get to Lee's. Hmmmm... There is a Popeye's chicken on the opposite side of Apple and that road was not closed. We would have Popeye's this trip. Maybe next time we can have Lee's. 

We arrived at the Tyler's home right after they got home from work. As we went into their home, Baby didn't even bark at us. She was very happy to see us and immediately took her play with Claude. 

It would rain through the night.

Friday, October 16th, was a day with grandmonsters and great grandmonsters. Claude had a bee in his bonnet that the Roper's need donuts. Claude really wanted a donut. We stopped at Walmart to pick up some donuts. I realized I left my little rain jacket on the sofa at Nissa and Todd's. Ugh. Claude had his sweatshirt in the back seat that we purchased for him in Seaside, Oregon. It says Oregon Coast down the sleep. I happened to be wearing my sweatshirt from Ocean City, Maryland. I realized I was "bi-coastal". I asked Claude to take a picture of me being bi-coastal.

We found donuts and Halloween treats for all the great grandmonsters. Then we drove to the Ropers to visit till time to get Paul. The three older kids were in school. Kennedi was the only child home during the morning. She is really, really, really into Toy Story where the character Jessie is a cowgirl. Her Halloween costume this year will be Jessie. She has a little Jessie doll she carries around. Her favorite thing to show us was her saying, "Yee Haw Cowgirl". Oh my it was cute.

Paul wanted to go to Red Wok. He loves sushi. Claude and I haven't developed a taste for sushi yet. But they also have a huge buffet so we picked Paul up and headed to Red Wok. I was amazed to learn the terra cotta warriors wore glasses! We have visit the terra cotta warriors and I truly do not remember one of them wearing glasses. Now you know!

We enjoyed a good meal. Paul had two plates with sushi and other things. Then we opened our fortune cookies. Michael taught us years ago to read you fortune and add 'in bed' at the end. My fortune was "You'll experience a love that knows no limits...in bed." Oh my! Claude fortune was "Be a life-long learner and stay curious...in bed." Oh my, again!!

We got Paul back to his apartment and got a good hug. 

Then went back to the Ropers for a few hours till time to meet up with Aubrey and Nelson. The three older Roper kids came home from school. Claude gave Drew and Katelyn each a blessing. Blessings are very important when dealing with difficult times. 

We met Aubrey and Nelson at Firehouse Subs for dinner. Nelson happily showed me where they removed the abscess from his right shoulder. No scar at all. Yeah!! I also learned our boy loved dill pickles. After dinner, I would give him the blanket that Mimi made for Jake when he was little with an eagle embroidered on it. It was a good quick visit.

Back to Holton we drove for a quiet evening with the Tyler's. How we do enjoy this quiet time with them.

Saturday, October 17th, was the Celebration of Life for Denise Beaune, Drew's mother. A little over 50 people came. There was a buffet set out. A table was set with pictures of Denise and family. Claude was asked to start this time together with the reading of Denise's obituary and then giving a blessing on the food. He did a very nice job. Drew patted him on the back when he was finished. 

After all was done, we paused to get a few family pictures. 

The first picture has Denise's sister, Barb, and her brother, Mark, on the left. The back row has her daughter, Becca by her husband, then her son Brian by his daughter, then Katelyn and Drew, Denise's youngest child. Seated by Barb is Megan, Brian's wife. Their youngest daughters are in her lap and seated on the floor in a pink sweater. I do not know their names. Standing behind Megan's left shoulder is Phoebe, Becca's daughter. On the floor left to right are Emelia, Raelyn, Megan and Brian's daughter, Kennedi and Joel, the Roper kids. 

Next we got a picture of Denise's siblings and her kids. Left to right Mark, Barb, Becca, Brian and Drew.

This Denise's children in birth order: Becca, Brian and Drew.

This is Brian and his wife Megan and their three daughters. I turned and missed the picture of Becca, Brad and Phoebe. Oops.

The Ropers: Joel, Katelyn and Drew. Raelyn, Kennedi and Emelia. 

We all pitched in to help with clean-up. It was a nice celebration. Family mingled and visited. The Relief Society Compassionate Service ladies did and outstanding job in the kitchen. The Bennett's held a nursery for little ones who were restless. There is still a lot for the kids to deal with after the funeral. But this was a nice time for family to be together.

Sunday, October 18th, we attended the Muskegon North Ward with the Ropers. Drew taught his first Sunday School class. It was the adults and he was teaching the final chapters of Isaiah. He did a wonderful job. So proud of him. Then I went to Young Women with Katelyn who is the Young Women president now. 

After church, we did our traditional lunch at McDonald's with the Roper kids. We gave them their animal crackers from the Bad Lands. Then we had hugs and headed to Holton.

Nissa was sick during the night so we stayed very low key. She and Todd put an roast in a crock pot with some potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Very, very good. By the end of the day, Nissa was slowly improving. 

Monday, October 19th, we were on the road by 8:45am. We stopped at the Amish Market to get some bread, cookies and cheese for Jake. We got us a load of bread also. 

We picked up Jake and had a very nice lunch at The Valiant. I enjoyed a tuna salad sandwich with sweet potato fries. They had a dipping sauce for the fries that was scrumptious. We took Jake to the bank and the grocery store. He is without wheels at the moment so this little bit helps some. 

Then we drove to Dayton, Ohio for the night. They upgraded our room to a King Suite. It was very nice but we really didn't use that extra room except to open our luggage. 

Tuesday, October 20th, we left the hotel at 9:30am. Found a McDonald's for Claude to get a little breakfast to have with his morning pill. Then off to Georgetown we drove. The bridge over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Kentucky was open and we had timed it so there was less traffic. It felt really good to be on Kentucky soil again. 

Claude had a prescription filled while we were traveling. We stopped at CVS and picked it up before driving home. 

Once home, we unpacked. Then Claude got a nap while I cleared the DVR. We would go to McAllister's for dinner. Then enjoy a quiet evening with Psych. Yes. it was good to be home. We love to travel but it only helps make home sweeter when you return. 

Katelyn shared these pictures of her littles. The first in a clocklike rotation is Emelia (Princess Rosalina), Raelyn (Wednesday Addams), Joel (Mikey the Ninja Turtle) and Kennedi (Jessie from Toy Story) all dressed in their Halloween costumes. 

These are their school pictures. Well the first three are actual school pictures. The last is an AI version of a school picture for Kennedi. In order we have Raelyn, Emelia, Joel and then Kennedi.

Rain & Fog, No Sleep, Trip Planning, Starting a Picture Project...

Saturday, October 10th, we planned a day inside. Hurricane Isaias was coming ashore from the Gulf into the southern states. We were to get remnants of it. There were to be strong winds first (possibly 50mph gusts) followed by rain. Well, we had a few sprinkles during the days but only enough to tease our poor, dry ground. It did rain during the night while we were asleep. 

In the morning I caught up with my Blog and labeling pictures. Then, while Claude napped, I cleared the DVR in the afternoon. 

In the evening, I pulled our Claude's cards to color. He only has Christmas cards at present. I colored one of these. I enjoyed doing it. 

Claude made a delicious beef stew for dinner. We enjoyed Stanley Tucci and Psych.

Sunday, October 11th, well, I had a night with NO sleep. I could not believe how wide awake I was. I tried several times to lay down and it never worked. I wondered how the day would go. 

I enjoyed wearing my purple knit dress with my purple pashmina and my purple earrings Nissa gave me and my purple bracelet Claude bought me to church. How is that for a run-on sentence!!??  I do love purple. 

We had a good morning at church. Rick Snow was one of the speakers. He commented about being born near 1975 but later. I leaned over to Claude and said, "We could be his parents!" Our Jake was born in 1975. Feeling our antiquity.

For lunch we tried our newly opened Jimmy John's. It is closer to our home that the one we have frequented. Very happy there are open. And...they have a Baskin-Robbins right in the store with them. I tried a triple mango flavored ice cream. Oh my, it was delicious.

Claude got his Sunday nap. The best sleep of his week. I turned on the television. I had pretty much cleared all my documentaries. I checked the regular channels and found Lord of the Rings on one. I chose that because, if I feel asleep, I wouldn't be missing something I don't already know pretty much by heart. I did close my eyes a bit and get a little rest. 

We had a Relief Society presidency meeting via Google Meets in the evening. This was to select talks from the October General Conference for the next six months of Relief Society. It was a good meeting. We also covered concerns about some sisters in the ward and working with the ladies and prepare our activities. 

Monday, October 12th, we woke up to a foggy morning. I got dress, picked up my cellphone, and headed out to see if I could get a picture of this event. We don't often get covered in fog. The first picture should show our church. The second picture is looking down Anne Jennings Way the opposite direction. I felt like the weather was preparing itself for Halloween!

This was to be another good day at home. I would spend it in Sandiland. I took the Relief Society lessons we selected a nd updated our spreadsheet with who conducts, teaches, the lesson given and who gave the talk at conference with a link to the talk on the Church website. Then I made a copy of the spreadsheet and deleted the column for who should conduct and made the spreadsheet fit to one page. Then I sent that file to Jenessa. She will print it and give it to our teachers so they know what and when the will teach over the next six months. Next, I entered all the lessons into the Gospel Library app. I updated the conducting for on the Google Drive for the next six months. I posted the lesson for this coming Sunday and all the announcements on Facebook and vis eMail. Whew! It was good to stay focused and get this done. 

I was able to make a hotel reservation for our trip home from Michigan. I also messaged with Paul and Aubrey to set a time to see them while in Michigan. Katelyn would call in the evening and we shared timing and she vented some. The process of getting through this funeral is very hard on Drew and Katelyn. Lots of tender feelings. Drew's mother had two children by a first husband and Drew by the second husband. There has always been friction and it is heightened with preparing for Denise's funeral and cleaning out her home. Drew is very happy we are coming to support him. 

Then I started working on a backup of my laptop. This entails clearing out pictures. As I am doing this, I am setting some aside to make a Blog post about. Then I will delete a lot of pictures. 

Tuesday, October 13th, up at 7:30am. 

This day my goal was laundry and laptop work. I got all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away. This is a running joke with Claude and me. I had been doing my four loads of laundry each week. The last load is always my whites. It usually comes dry as we shut down for the evening. I get absorbed in the shows we are watching and forget to pay attention to hearing the dryer go off. I don't use that buzzer. It is very obnoxious. But I can hear when nothing is going around inside the dryer. It seemed I always had to fold that load of whites the next day because of not paying attention. For the last five times I have done laundry, I had gotten that last load folded and put away. Yeah me!! 

My laptop work was getting the Blog done through Monday with the intent to finish up a post through Wednesday. That is what I am doing now. Then I will do a post about our trip. Then I set to work going through my pictures. I am deleting a lot of them and moving some from my laptop to the thumb drives. I have two sets of backup files on thumb drives I am working on. This first set has pictures from our kids and their families as well as groups we have participated in. I made a list of a all the GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders Association) pictures and only kept a few of them. I will eventually make a Blog post with those pictures about my experience with GWRRA. I found a PowerPoint I made in 2010 of all the pictures of taken of our five grandmonsters that year. It was so much fun to go through that. I made and eMail and sent it to our kids and the five grandmonsters. I am now working on pictures taken with Friends of Sadieville and things done in Sadieville while we lived there and Claude was Mayor. Lots to go through. Fun journey of remembering what filled those years. 

Wednesday, October 14th, we were home during the day. 

I worked with my picture project. Then I packed for the trip. 

I cleared the DVR while Claude took his nap. I saved a NOVA documentary about Space and the things we have floating around out there. I knew Claude would be interested in it. When he woke up, we watched it together. 

I gathered the things I have saved to take to the grand and great grandmonsters. 

Claude had to go to the audiologist. His little plastic piece that helps his hearing aid stay in place around his ear came off one of his hearing aids. I went with him to that appointment. Then he took me to Chick-filA for dinner. 

We had a good rain this afternoon. The ground is very happy. It was extremely thirsty. 

Joel had a field trip. Drew took time from the passing of his mother and all the work entailed in setting up a funeral and cleaning out her home to go with Joel. These are Joel and Drew on the field trip.

We are home now. I'm finishing this Blog. Then I will shut my laptop down until we return on Tuesday. I plan on putting all our clothes in the suitcase and then spending a quiet evening in my recliner watching Psych with Claude. The calm before the storm. This is a funeral we are traveling for and we need to be rested and patient as we go into this weekend. 

Claude's Birthday, General Conference, Yard Work...

Friday, October 2nd, we started this day with a Frank's Donuts run for breakfast. Yum!!

I did a Blog entry to catch up with things that happened with the family while we were gone on The Drive.

Claude napped and I cleared the DVR. 

We decided to have Claude's birthday dinner early. We would be watching General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. Claude wanted steak. Cattleman's Roadhouse always makes him a good steak and it is located here in Georgetown. I enjoyed my salmon and Claude enjoyed his steak. Our server was a young mother named Bri. I asked her about her name to see if it was a shorted version of the name her parents gave her at birth. Her given name is Briana but no one pronounced it as intended. This was frustrating to her so she shortened it to Bri. Since our Aubrey Anne has also shortened her name to Bre, it was a fun conversation. She just kept on talking about her 18-month old son and whatever else came to her mind. It was a cute moment. 

We returned home and finished our evening watching Psych.

Saturday, October 3rd, I got up early and set to weeding the front side flower bed. Then I changed the exterior decorations to fall things. 

At noon we were planted in front of our television to watch the first session of General Conference. Some tidbits that caught my attention were:

• Elder Garret W. Gong: Why did the temple workers cross the road? To help the people on the other side. 
• Sis. Tamara Runia: The Gospel isn't an umbrella. It the solid rock we stand on.
  Refining experiences, Sanctifying experiences, Divine Mending.
• Elder Gerald Causse: Your testimony can change lives, your own and others.
• Elder Patrick Kearon: Jesus specializes in the seemingly impossible.

Claude would take his nap and I adjourned to Sandiland to watch two Northern Disclosures.

At 4pm we were again planted in front of our television for the afternoon session of General Conference. Some tidbits that caught my attention were:

• Elder Dale G. Renlund: Our redemption comes through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
• Elder Timothy L. Farnes: When someone encounters us, they should experience something of Jesus Christ.
• Elder Patricio M. Giuffa: The Law of Tithing is a Law of Faith.
• Elder Jeremiah J. Morgan: Covenants stretch over all time and all space.
• Elder Patrick Kearon: Our Savior loves to lift.
• Elder Matthey J. Eyring: The Savior saves us from two things that could permanently separate us from the Father: 1) the separation of our spirits and bodies (resurrection) and 2) the separation of us by our sins (repentance). 

Claude fixes a new chili recipe for dinner. It was a Cajun Chicken Chili. It was quite good. It also had shrimp in it. 

The remainder of our evening was watching Psych.

Sunday, October 4th, was Claude's 77th birthday. He has decided to count backward from this point forward. So, instead of being 77, he is now 75. Good luck with that!

I posted this on the Facebook for his birthday: "Once a year, we pause to celebrate a life. It should be more often than that! Today it is Claude Christensen that we celebrate. Please join me in saying "Happy Birthday" to my good hubby. Here are a few pictures of Claude from our recent Drive. Can't wait to make more memories this next year! Love him bunches!"

We opted for a biscuit run for his birthday breakfast. 

At noon we were planted in front of our television for the Sunday Morning session of General Conference. A few tidbits that I particularly enjoyed:

• Sis. Rosemary K. Chibota: Our labels should be Child of God, Child of the Covenant, Disciple of Jesus Christ.
• Elder Neil L. Andersen: Discipleship always requires courage. 
  Faith lifts our courage, then courage lifts our faith.
• Elder Edward Dube: We come to Christ to be perfected.
• Elder Quentin L. Cook: The ultimate reward of integrity and virtue is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
• Pres. Dallin H. Oaks: Wait upon the Lord, trust His timing, trust His promises.
  Never let your secular learning limit your spiritual learning.

While Claude napped, I watched two more Northern Disclosures. Being gone for a month put me way behind on this much enjoyed podcast.

When Claude woke, we decided to go to Fat Katz for pizza for his birthday dinner. Jessie was our server again. He is a hoot. We enjoyed what was basically a Cowboy Pizza (BBQ'd chicken). It won best pizza in 2006. 

Home we headed to was the Sunday Afternoon session of General Conference: Some tidbits that impressed me:

• Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf: Christ-centered unity.
• Sis. Andrea Menuz Spanneus: Make a list of the righteous desires of your heart. 
• Elder Paul H. Sinclair: A true disciple is quick to help and slow to judge.
  Seek to be Holy.
  
• Elder Gabriel W. Reid: We should leave a lesson not thinking about the teacher. We should leave a lesson thinking about the Savior.
• Elder Clark G. Gilbert: Avoid contentious settings.

Andie called to wish her dad a happy birthday. Katelyn called and had her four children, our great-grandmonsters, sing Happy Birthday to their great-grampa. They finished the first time and Claude said, "Sing it again". They did and a bit louder with cha-cha-cha's in there. When finished, Claude said, "Sing it again." They did and were much louder this time. It was for fun and Claude was really grinning.

Claude received his birthday present in the mail at two time earlier in the week. He had been reading and studying about the coatings on cookware sloughing off into your system. He had a skillet he knew he wanted to replace. He suggested he order some new pants for the kitchen. In addition, he learned about wooden spoons for cooking made out of a single piece of acacia wood. He ordered a set of those as well. You know you are well into your married years when I plan my own birthday trip for us to Nashville to see Vince Gill and Claude buys his own birthday gift. We are both very happy with our birthdays this year. Look at that grin on my hubby's face.

Someone put another duck on Claude's Jeep. This is a thing with Jeep owners. This clown duck was a bit disturbing. 

We finished our day with a big more Psych.

Monday, October 5th, Claude had so much fun with his birthday he decided to extend it two more day. We had 10am appointments at CVS Pharmacy to get our flu shots. Claude also had a prescription that was ready for pick-up. We did that and headed to Bojangles for a biscuit treat. 

Claude would take his nap and I would finished my final two Northern Disclosure podcasts. I also get a good start on the laundry. 

Then I secured our airline reservations to Los Angeles to meet up with our tour group next year to go to India and Nepal. LAX is not a favorite airport for us. The flights from her to there are not ever at a time to easily connect with the group or when returning home. This time, we will fly in a day ahead and stay at a hotel with a shuttle to the airport. For the return trip will hang out at the airport for 10 hours till our flight home. Ugh. But at least all of that is secure and I used points + cash to get the hotel room. Yeah!!

Claude fixed us tomatoes stuffed with tuna salad for dinner. He also boil some corn-on-the-cob. Yum!

Jake called Claude for his birthday. Jake was out-of-pocket all day Sunday and had to work Sunday evening. We had a delightful call. Jake would then share a link with me of the sermon he delivered Community of Christ on-line service from Toronto, Canada. Their text was the Book of Thomas. Jake does a masterful job. I got the link but waited until Tuesday to watch it. Jake tells me they now have him on a quarterly rotation to give a sermon. I have requested a copy of all of them as he gives them.

Tuesday, October 6th, I woke up feeling weird. I can't even find a word to describe the feeling. After a bit, I went to our bedroom and climbed back in bed for a few more minutes. This surprised Claude as I am not a napper usually and especially after just getting up. Fortunately, being retired allows me that privilege. 

We had errands to do. Claude got the tags for both cars, did a little banking, stopped at Lowe's for dirt for me to repot my Peace Lily and for the bourbon barrel planter and two more filters for the refrigerator water dispenser, then to Walmart for fabric, a mouse for my laptop and a charging cable to replace the one in my car. We finished our outing with an early meal-of-the-day at 5 Guys. 

Claude napped. I cleared some more of the DVR. 

Cordell, Claude brother, and his wife, Kris, called to wish Claude a happy birthday. 

Bailey also called to check in. She wanted to tell us she was baptized while we were on our trip. The pastor at her college baptized her in the river near the school. Her parents were there. We would have loved to have been there for her. 

Katelyn messaged us that she and Drew that the Hospice facility where his mother was told them they did not expect Denise to live more than two weeks. This is very hard for Drew.

Wednesday, October 7th, more yard work to begin my day. I cut back my irises, peonies and Lucifer plant. Then I repotted that huge Peace Lily. The old soil in the pot I put on top of the irises. Claude and I filled the bourbon barrel planter with new soil. The remaining bit of soil I put on the azalea bushes on the front corner flower bed. Claude also put the new tags on the cars. 

Claude napped. I worked on clearing the DVR. 

We had BLT's for dinner. I suggested to Claude that some night, instead of sandwiches, we simply cook up a pound of bacon and eat that by itself. We got through a bit more of Psych.

Thursday, October 8th, I spent time in Sandiland. It seems things get out of whack when you leave for a month! It was a good morning to print some receipts, clear things off the cutting table and work on the November and December Relief Society newsletters. 

Claude and I did a grocery run. I saw these and picked them up for us. I loved a little pumpkin flavored treat in the fall. So very good. I don't think I have ever seen pumpkin flavored snickerdoodles.

Then he napped and I watched two really good documentaries. One was about finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis and the other was about Angor Wat. 

Katelyn and Drew went to visit his mother. I suggested to her that they get a picture of Drew with is mother's hand in his. 

We watched Stanly Tucci in Italy and Psych.

Friday, October 9th, was my last yard work for this week. I weeded the front flower bed. While I did this, Claude trimmed the bushes in the front of the house. Slowly we are getting things ready for winter.

I have been posting a Trivial Pursuit question for the family on our family Facebook page almost every day since 2020. This week I quit doing that. No one has seemed to notice. Hmmm. Time to change it up. I will now watch for something that amuses me and share it with the family. Here is my first entry:

    By Jove, I got this!

    That's what I said after a bit of success playing a game. Then I thought, where did that phrase "by Jove" come from?

    Ready to learn with me?

    Jove is another name for the Roman god Jupiter (Greek = Zeus). Originally the phrase was a way of swearing as "My God". Chaucer and Shakespeare used it. Over time, the English version became a milder substitute for swearing. It is considered old-fashioned today. 

    Would you imagine I would say something old-fashioned?

Katelyn and Drew were both filled with anxiety. This is normal as they wait for Denise to pass. I sent them a message with a scripture that helps me. Then I sent an eMail with a talk by Elder David A. Bednar that helps with dealing with accepting the Lord's will over our own. 

Claude and I got a brief phone call from Katelyn in the afternoon. Denise had passed. There plate is now very full of all the things that must happen after. I told her she could go and take care of these things and we would talk when she had time to do that. I thanked her so much for keeping us in the loop. We are not sure what the kids will do for a funeral. If they have one, we will make a quick trip to Michigan to support Drew. 

Claude and I left for Lexington. He had planned an afternoon to take care of things we can only do in Lexington. I wanted to check for quilted fabric for a project. My only fabric store options are Hobby Lobby and Michael's. this is so sad to me. My mother was a seamstress and taught us girls how to walk through a fabric store with your hands out and touch the fabric. You might find something that feels just right. Then a fabric store was huge with tables and tables of fabrics. I appreciate that I can get some things an Hobby Lobby (more so than Michael's) but the pickings are very slim. There was not one bold of quilted fabric. Not one! Ugh. I did find a fall flower bed decoration. I saw some in Lowe's earlier in the week. Lowe's wanted $35 for a simple arrangement of pumpkins. I didn't want to pay $35. When in Hobby Lobby with no fabric success, I went to the holiday decorations and found these wonderful sunflowers for $17. When I got to check-out, they were on sale and I got them for $10. I was a win-win to me. A fall decoration that will last a long time and $25 less that getting something at Lowe's. Yeah me!!

Claude next place for us to shop was Cabela's. I lot a favorite shirt to travel in with the ballpoint ink pen explosion in our dryer. Claude wanted to see if we could find me a replacement. He was also looking to replace two golf shirts lost in that experience. There was not one shirt like mine. They usually always have some. they did have short-sleeved ones for me. They had no golf shirts that Claude was interested in. 

We left Cabela's completely amazed we went all the way to Lexington and didn't purchase anything thing we went there for. Thank heavens for the fall decoration for our flowerbed! We would go to City BBQ for dinner and that made everything just right. It was a fun outing even if we didn't achieve our goals. 

Home we drove as the clouds began to fill the sky. There was a hurricane, Isaias, coming up the Gulf of Mexico and will send bands of rain with strong winds in front of it all the way to Kentucky. The sky seemed to be confirming this possibility. 

Our evening was watching more of Stanley Tucci in Italy and Psych.