Home Sweet Home

Home never looked as good as it did after this trip.  Gary insisted on pushing himself to get home by last night, so he is extra tired today.  But we did make it to church and our usual after church breakfast outing with our wonderful friends.

I wasn't able to blog our last night on the road near Medford. Their wifi was down.  So here are the last two days, nutshell version.

After driving through every kind of weather except thunder and lightning, we arrived in N. Salem at Gary's favorite RV Park, Hee Hee Ilahee.  The next morning we met for a late breakfast with college friends Paul and Doreen.

I don't remember if we mentioned we also met with college friends Norm and Barb on the way up to Mom's.  Both visits were wonderful--got caught up on lots of news.

When we got to S. Salem we saw the Silver Thaw that Doreen and Paul had warned us about.  It is beautiful, but deadly for the trees and those who live under them.  It happens when ice quickly builds up on twigs and branches and the weight of the ice causes the limbs to break off and come crashing down.

We always have our last gas fillup in Medford at the Costco.  These interesting plants were blooming when we were there. Do any of you know what they are?

The Fall colors were in full display as we drove thru the Siskyous and past Yreka.  The dark green evergreens were the perfect background for the vivid colored leaves.

We saw snow on Mt. Shasta, which made us feel better about the drought until we saw Lake Shasta.  It was the lowest we've ever seen.  Very sad.

Thanks to great neighbors, our pool looked good and our yard was still alive, as were the houseplants.  We are very happy to be back.

On Our Way

Gary decided he felt good enough to drive the RV, so we left Mom's this morning about 11 a.m. and ended up in Salem, OR tonight.

It was really cold as we left Mom's--note the ice on the puddle.  Her pond/fountain was frozen solid.

As we drove thru Seattle, the sun was shining, the Cascades were showing, but no snow was visible.  I noticed that Rosie made it into my Seattle skyline photo attempt--check out the mirror.

The Space Needle brings back memories of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle.  We always need to say goodbye as we pass by.

As we headed south, it got colder and colder.  By Olympia it was overcast. By Vancouver it was an ice storm--sleet instead of snow.  By Portland we saw snow on cars and on the roadside.  Elsie was so cold, she required a blanket. I forgot her red sweater.  She hugged the heater whenever it came on.

We got to Salem where it is cold--about 32 degrees. It was raining when I took the dogs for their walk, but it has stopped raining and is just plain cold.  We're loving it!

So far Gary says he feels fine--unless he coughs or sneezes.

Brrrrr!

It was 38 degrees when I came home from Costco just before 5 p.m. tonight.  It is supposed to be down to 28 degrees in the morning.  Brrrr.

Fun day today--Arissa and Nick brought their kids and Gary's brother Alan and his wife, Karen, to Mom's to visit.

First order of business was a visit to the goats.  The dogs are getting more and more curious about them. This is the closest they've ever been to the goats.

Then little Alan and Abby serenaded us--Alan pretended to play the organ while Abby sang "Let It Go" like she did with Britta last Monday.

Karen and Mom had a good visit.

Alan enjoyed a very cozy dog time with Rosie snuggled up to him and Elsie leaning on his leg.  It reminded us of their Dad with our first dog, Daisy.  He loved to pet her and talk to her.

Alan and Abby are hoping to get their own dog soon, so they enjoyed special Rosie and Elsie time.

After they left I had a problem with yarn barf.









It took me over an hour, but I got it fixed!

Another Day at Grandma's

Mom had a skin dr. appt today.  Had to have a biopsy on her face.  Hopefully it will be nothing, but at 100, you never know. She is lucky she has made it this far without any skin cancers.  

Her friend Grace came to visit.  Kim also dropped by.  

Gary is getting a cold, but otherwise feels better.  Time will tell when we will be leaving.

Good dog, Bad dog

Rosie has been pretty good until tonight.  An old friend called and I was in "no dog territory", the living room, talking on the phone. Elsie came running in and stood right in front of me acting frantic.

Elsie NEVER ventures into "no dog territory",  unlike Rosie, who has been testing the limits since we got here.  I got up to check and there was Rosie, on top of the kitchen table with her face in the salad bowl, scarfing down the leftovers.  She had already eaten all the butter in the butter dish.  Thank goodness we had finished dinner.  All the chairs were pushed in, but she was able to squeeze past the armchair at the end.  Sheesh!

My nephew, Stephen, came over after the SeaHawks game for a visit.  He doesn't eat desserts, but loves shortbread so I made him a batch.  That is what he ate for dinner.  ; )








Gary sneezed really hard two days ago and had a rough time after that.  He is feeling better today.  He tried sleeping in a bed one night and is back to the recliner--much more comfortable for him.  He plans to leave here on Thursday--we'll see how that goes.  I won't let him try driving anything until Wednesday, the two week date.  Time will tell. I'll keep you posted.

What? No Rain?

Disappointed that we didn't see rain today.  Just some boring sun like we get at home.

Gary feels better every day.  Today he was bored enough that he wanted to go for a ride with me while I did errands.  He was able to test going over manhole covers (caused lots of pain last time he rode with me on the way home from the hospital) and speedbumps.  He passed those tests comfortably.  His biggest problem now is coughing and sneezing.

As we zigzagged around Edmonds, we found the train blocking our way. Gary suggested we head down to the waterfront where we saw the Edmonds/Kingston ferry on its way to Kingston.  It was a very long train with coal as well as other items loaded on it.

The dogs were doing the "goat watch" from inside today.  They figure Mom put in those low windows just for them.

Bill and Joann came over for dinner tonight. They are so much fun!  We had Chinese food, so I only had to make salad and dessert--and Gary peeled the apples for Apple Crisp.  Linda Z. gave Mom 100 apples for her birthday, so apple desserts are in order for a while.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

And I am loving every minute of this gorgeous rain and the soothing dark days.  I wish I could take it home with us. We sure need it.

Elsie is not a fan of the rain.  She stays under cover, even when she is doing the "goat watch" she thinks is required of her. This is our short haired, fast-to-dry dog.

Rosie LOVES the rain. As soon as she sees it raining she wants to be out in it.  Her ears stayed so wet for so long from running thru the grass and bushes that we got them trimmed. She still looks cute, but dries off much sooner.  She is very good--when I say "you are wet" she stops and lets me drape a rag towel over her and dry her feet.  Good dog.

Gary is doing better every day.  It has now been one week since his hard landing.  One week to go before he is supposed to do anything.  He is totally off pain pills, not even Tylenol the last two days.  He hasn't needed my help to get up all day (knock on wood) and was able to get dressed on his own except for his socks.  Very good progress. We may get home before Mom comes for Thanksgiving.

Britta left today.  The house is slowly getting back to normal, except that WE are still here.  Mom is going thru party and company withdrawal.  Britta put all the photos on a DVD and Costco developed them today.  Now the fun of seeing everybody again begins.

Update on Gary

Gary is doing better everyday. Coughing is still painful and when he had his first sneeze today he thought he was going to die.  But he hasn't had any pain meds for two days. Not even Tylenol today.  He looks better, too.  Since he went off the pain meds his balance is a lot better. He still uses Mom's adjustable cane whenever he gets up, but he is able to get up by himself a lot of the time.  Progress is being made.  He enjoyed getting out of the house for dinner tonight for Mom's actual birthday.

Mom and Britta always enjoy being together.

We all had a great time.

And I actually enjoyed putting gas in Mom's van when I saw the prices today.  Only $2.72 a gallon!
Whoo hoo!

A Hundred Years of Helen

What an amazing weekend.  Mom's 100th celebration ended up being 3 parties, two at her house with the distant relatives and one at the Nile Country Club.  It was so much fun.  By the end, Britta and I were exhausted and Mom was so energized she was happy to keep going and going just like the Energizer Bunny.

This first photo shows that Gary really did make it to the party.  He discovered wearing clothes other than warmups are quite uncomfortable, but he was able to enjoy a bit of visiting with various friends and relatives.  When I saw this photo, it shocked me how short I am in my family.

My brother, sister and I with Mom -- singing the birthday song before she blew out the candles.

Britta created a 10 minute slide show of Mom's life.  This photo shows part of the crowd.  We ended up with 101 people there to help Mom celebrate.

Andy, the accordion player is really, really good.  Mom wanted Britta to sing, so the two of them worked out a few songs.  It was so cute to watch Andy watching Britta sing--looked like a proud grandpa--he told her "you'd have thought we'd rehearsed".  He was pleasantly surprised and you could tell the whole room loved it, especially Grandma.

We weren't done when the party was over.  We had invited the out of town relatives over for dinner at 6 p.m. Sunday.  We rushed home, got Mom and Gary resting after changing into comfortable clothes, and got dinner ready.  This time Britta showed the 2 hour history of Grandma's life as people ate.  There's a lot of history in 100 years and Mom's life was quite varied and interesting.  Britta did a really good job on it.

I almost forgot to mention that we also had a pre-party party Sat. night. It was just a pizza party so those who had to leave early to get over the mountains could visit. Did I mention by Sunday night my feet were not just done, they were over-done?

But the fun didn't end there--on Monday two of the Peterson cousins came to Mom's with one pre-schooler and Grandma (our sister-in-law).  Britta and Abby had a ball singing while Britta played Mom's organ.

Then we had the mandatory visit to the goats.  Abby had apple slices in her bag and they sure look interested.

It has been a super celebration.  Tomorrow, Nov. 4 is Mom's actual birthday. We intend to be up early to watch the Today Show.  My brother sent Mom's photo in to Willard Scott--we'll see if she makes the cut.

Finally!

About 5:30 tonight it was decided that Gary could go home to Mom's.  We finally got here about 7:30. Just as he was slowly walking in, my brother and nephew, Alex, showed up.  Alex helped me get Gary's things out of the RV and then went with me to get Gary's pain meds.  Mom (age less than a week from 100) made Gary dinner.  I am so blessed!

Today was a rougher day.  He really has problems getting up--easier from a chair, impossible from a bed.  Tonight he is sleeping in the recliner and I'll be on the davenport (sofa--Gary keeps correcting me) in case he needs me.  The dogs are happy he is home--both have hovered near him all evening.  He is still in a lot of pain,but slowly making progress.  He is determined to go to the party, but it will be a challenge for everyone who is helping him.  Time will tell.  We will be staying at least two weeks instead of leaving on Tuesday, as originally planned.

One more night of bedtime at midnight or later.  Dinner for me has been between 10:30 and 11:30.  I'm pooped!

A Day of Nice Surprises

We have such great friends.  So far multiple offers of RV driving help have come by email.  We may need to accept some help, but will be waiting until at least two weeks pass to make any decisions.  This afternoon Gary told me his pain level had decreased by half. He went on three walks all the way around his floor today.  He looks good.  It just is really painful when he needs to get out of the bed. And he won't be sleeping lying down for a few weeks.  He has a really nice roommate, so that makes it almost fun, if not for the pain.

His sense of humor is still intact.  It was his idea to take this photo of him in his mini-nightshirt and post it.

As I was shopping for Mom's party at the Dollar Store I was talking with my sister on the phone.  A young woman came up to me and wanted to talk with me.  As I hung up my call, she asked if I was the one who needed the paramedics yesterday.  At that point I realized I did recognize her face--no uniform today made it a little hard to place her.   I said, "You were the one on the roof with my husband yesterday!"  She nodded and smiled and I held up 5 fingers and said "5 broken ribs".  She cringed and said she'd been thinking about him and wondering how extensive his injuries were and was so pleased to see me so she could ask.  It made me feel so good to see what a caring person she was. Her mother was there, beaming and listening to every word.  She was amazed at how tough Gary was to have her probing his ribs without hollering and to be able to climb down the ladder on his own steam with 5 broken ribs.  She was pretty sure he had one, but was shocked at 5.

They kept him in the hospital one more night for observation.  They are concerned about that one nasty broken rib that is sticking out in several angles. The don't want it poking his lung or the sac surrounding the lungs. He might get to go home Friday if all goes well.

I left him to watch football with his roommate this evening so I could work on the favors for Mom's party.  They are mugs that say "A Hundred Years of Helen" filled with caramel corn made by her helper, Kim the Wonder Woman.  Mom calls Kim "her assistant and her accomplice".  We put the bags in the mugs, filled them with caramel corn, then tied bows on 132 of them.  We finished up at 11:30 p.m..

 I felt bad that Mom had to help with her own party favors, but she loves them and enjoyed seeing our progress and I needed the help.  We had a little scare when the lights went out as we began the bow tying.  Luckily, they came back on by the time I found the flashlights and candles.  Phew!

The dogs gave up waiting for me to go to bed in the motor home.  Elsie squeezed herself into Rosie's tiny bed because she "needs" a bed, can't sleep on the bare floor or rug.  Now I'll hit the sack and get some good sleep.  Hopefully, Gary will get to come home to Mom's Friday.

The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall

What a day.  Gary decided to help Mom out by checking where her flat roof was leaking.  As soon as he got on the roof I heard a loud "THUD" followed by a lot of mumbling I couldn't understand.  I climbed up the ladder to see what had happened.  The roof was covered with moss and about an inch of water.  His feet went out from under him and he landed on a 6" pipe that was almost level with the roof, but not quite.  He could not get up.  I called 911 and we had police, a fire truck and an ambulance here in no time.

They got up on the roof and checked him out, got him up and he was able to get down the ladder on his own.

They gave him the choice of them transporting him or allowing him to get out of the wet clothes (from lying in the water on the roof for about 15 minutes) and into dry things and me driving him.  He elected to take a shower then have me take him to the emergency room.  Several hours later he has been admitted to Swedish Hospital (appropriate place for the big Swede) in Edmonds with 5 broken ribs.  We were lucky--his lungs were not punctured, but they want to watch him overnight to help out with pain meds and do another x-ray tomorrow.  4 of the ribs are fairly clean fractures. Only one is a jagged, messy looking break.

It looks like we won't be heading home quite as soon as originally planned.

A Day of Catching Up

After a rousing game of cribbage last night (Gary won), we endured lots of wind--felt like we were rocking and rolling.  This was followed by lots of rain. Then when I opened the door to take the dogs for a walk, the thunder and lightning started.  Poor Elsie just doesn't like noise, but she endured it.

On our way from Salem north, we stopped in Vancouver, WA for gas.  Check out the wonderful gas price here!  Add that to rain and we are very happy here.

Today we met our old friends Norm and Barb for lunch at IKEA in Renton.  Had to get meatballs for Mom's party after the party.  We had a wonderful  time catching up.  Forgot to take a photo.

Elsie got so excited as we approached Mom's property, she made Rosie excited.  Rosie has never been here, so she didn't know why she was supposed to be excited, but she decided if Elsie was excited, she should be, too.  She loved meeting the goats.

Tomorrow we go to Mom's apt building and start party readiness.  Busy time. Not sure if the blog will happen tomorrow night or not.

Rosie's First Long Trip

I guess I should preface this post with the sad news that we lost our dear yellow lab, Tule, to a stroke this summer. Rosie is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who has come to live with us and enliven our days.

The first day out, Rosie was really antsy--couldn't quit moving--up in my lap, down to the bedroom, back to the kitchen, again on my lap.  She was so excited.  And the smells!  Both dogs have a ball sniffing the world every time I walk them.

As we drove along, Elsie was in her usual spot mostly under my legs.  Rosie was everywhere, but this photo shows how much she was enjoying the trip.

Mt. Shasta had SNOW!  We were so happy to see that after the empty Lake Shasta.  I missed the lake photo time.  The mountain blended in with the clouds so no photo of that, either.

We made it to Medford the first night, where we discovered our tiny old electric heater (purchased at a yard sale for $2.50 7 years ago) finally gave up the ghost. I guess we got our money's worth out of it.  It was so small, it fit perfectly in here and gave off LOTS of heat.  Elsie will really miss it.

As we drove along we spotted a rainbow!  It was so nice having a bit of rain now and then.  Oregon is so beautifully green.  And yes, those are bug splats in the photo. Sigh.

Note the yarn on the hoof.  There are lots of sheep along I-5 going up the freeway.  And note the nice green grass in the photo.  Sure wish we had some of that in California.

The fall colors are gorgeous along the freeway.

This morning was quite cold, so the dogs decided beds were necessary.  Rosie rushed in to get the big bed, so Elsie was stuck trying to squeeze into Rosie's little bed.  What a hoot!

We spotted this wonderful old Ford truck zooming along the freeway.  Old vehicles are such fun.

Gary remembered we were going right past a Cabela's store, so a stop was in order.  He found a bargain set of ear muffs to muffle the shotgun sounds so he was happy.  I've gotten some knitting done now that Rosie has decided it is nice to sleep in a bed on the floor as we drive.

I'm not sure when I'll get to blog again.  Life will get very busy when we get to Mom's.  Her 100th birthday party is Sunday.  I'll make sure some photos of that get up eventually.