Wednesday, July 29, 2026

 The week of  July 13 was full of activities and appointments.  I helped with Food Shelf, had a haircut, did some shopping, and got my new crown. I am amazed at the technology today - they no longer take impressions with that funky, pasty, pink stuff that always set off my gag reflex.  Instead they use a camera that takes digital images and measurements of the tooth and then the new crown is made right in-house. No more temporary crown. I was out of there in 1.5 hours with a new crown and I don't have to go back until my next hygiene appointment.

My brother-in-law Denny ended up in the hospital with a bladder/UTI infection that led to him having Sepsis. He was there for 4 days and then sent home to recover.  I talked with him last Sunday and he said he was feeling better little by little and looking forward to seeing the Doctor next week for some answers regarding his current condition and recovery prognosis.

I took Joey to Ben's on Wednesday night, the 22nd, as he will be staying with them while I go to Stoughton for my class reunion and to connect with family and friends that I haven't seen since last September.  I drove to Stoughton on Thursday, landed at Dawn's, chatted for a few hours then went and had dinner with Pat and Tracey. I had really been missing them and it felt so good to see them again. Both are doing well.

On Friday morning, Pat took me to my appointment at UW Hospital for a consultation with a Neurologist. We were both very impressed with how informed they were about my experience (the technician had it all memorized and went through the series of events verbatim as if it had just taken place. She went and reviewed our discussion with the Neurologist and then they both came back in the room to talk with us. My brain has healed a lot since the initial seizures but there is still a small vulnerable area.  Because of the LGI-1 auto immune issue, I will need to continue having the Rituxan infusions for now and take the Keppra seizure medication.  She also set me up for future appointments with her and an epileptologist and a referral to a general practitioner in Stoughton when I eventually move here.

Pat and I stopped and shopped at Costco, took a tour of the west side of Madison where he had worked on several historic homes, and then we hung out until 3:00 when I left to meet Patty at the hotel for the next 2 nights of reunion activities (our annual girl's weekend).

The Friday night meetup at Deak's Tavern was lots of fun with about 22 classmates showing up.  There were lots of hugs, stories, memories, and laughter.  The place was pretty much cleared out by 9pm. 

On Saturday, after a morning walk and breakfast, we went to Patty's sister Sandy's 80th and her brother-in-law Denny's 85th birthday party in Wyocena. It was a great opportunity to see her extended family again, including her son AJ.  We couldn't stay too long as we had to get back and fit in a short nap before going to the reunion.

Me & AJ

The reunion was such a fun time and the organizers did a great job. We got there early, so we helped with putting up a banner and decorating the tables.  The turnout was about 35 classmates and some spouses and I talked to all but one or two.  Again - we were all ready to head out before 9pm, except for a few stragglers.

Front row left to right: Doug Olson, Jon Dahle, Richard Benson, Milt Sperle, Harvey Skaar, and ?

Back row: Art Mertz, Dennis Malinowski, ?, Monte Ortman, Jody Norem, Jim Cowee, Greg Jensen, Dennis Olbrecht, George Jorgensen, and Vern Bronson

Front: Alice Winters,, Mary Jo Jerdee, Pam Lynch, Anita Ellis, Pat Quale, Mary Monson

Middle:  Me, Donna Hawkinson, Nancy Gloyd

Back row: Margie Lund, Susan Brown, Nancy Stiklested, Mary Jo Norgaren, Linda Aslakson, 

Brenda Lunde, Mary Williams

Sunday was pretty low key - hanging out with Dawn, taking a nap, and having dinner with Pat and Tracey.

Dawn and I met up with cousins Jonnie, Mary, and Erin for breakfast at Sonny's in Oregon.  It was sad to see that Jonnie is not doing well - she has osteoporosis with tiny fissures in her spine - said to be caused by a lifetime of smoking cigarettes - paybacks are hell, right. She is on lots of meds and either sleeps or hurts most of the time.  Dang - I did not get a picture.  Dinner with Pat & Tracey.

We took a nice walk on Sunday morning, up to the grounds of Greenspire - the apartment complex that I will move to eventually. I was unable to get a tour, as they didn't have any vacant apartments to show. I then went to meet up with Mike's family - brother Tom & his wife Karen, sister-in-law Sharon, and cousin Louie at Off Broadway in Monona. Again, it was great to see them and catch up on the latest news.

I hung out with Pat and Tracey for a couple of hours Tuesday night, said my goodbyes, and then went and had Mexican dinner at Dawn's house with her friends Scott and Kim.  I settled in early as the next day was to be the drive back home.  

I was on the road by 8:40 and made it to Ben's house by 2:00 - only two backups due to construction and they weren't long. My car did great, as did I. Joey was happy to see me and also happy to get back home

July 12, 2026

 Most of my days have been hunkered down and getting walks in the neighborhood. I am now on day 11 of my 250 mg dose of Depakote and will drop to 0 mg on Wednesday. Yea!

This week I did do a small bit of driving. Deb and I went to visit a neighbor who fell and broke her pelvis and is in rehab at the Masonic Home nearby.  The buildings are gorgeous, as are the grounds and she lit up when we walked into her room.  Her family and the social services have determined that she is not able to live independently any more, as she is also having signs of dementia.  She did get pretty emotional when telling us about this decision - her son will be moving her to be near him in Arkansas this week.  This is one of the drawbacks to living in senior housing - you see this quite often.

My cupboards were bare, so we stopped and did some grocery shopping and made a stop at the local thrift store. It felt good to get out for a few hours.

My friend Elaine has also moved in with her daughter, as she had become very weak and I don't think she was eating right.  I talked with her briefly as she was leaving the building and she told me "I will be back".  We shall see.

Tom and Sue invited me and Judy to join them for burgers on the grill last Sunday, as Tom was trying out his new grill. They are such good neighbors! We enjoyed sitting on the deck and watching all of the birds that come to her feeders and birdbaths and also enjoying all of her beautiful gardens.  She is a plant lover like me and we can always talk about that subject. 

Last night, Ben and Jill took Lois and I out for belated birthday celebrations and we went to downtown Minneapolis to a very nice high end restaurant called Spoon and Stable.  I had my first Old Fashioned in a long time and chose Alaskan Halibut for my entree - it was deliciously seasoned and served on sticky rice and a piece of Bok Choy.  We shared some scallops and a beet salad. Everything was so delicious and seasoned very tastefully. They also brought the birthday girls a scoop of ice cream topped with cotton candy for dessert.

From there, we headed to the Guthrie Theater to see the play, "Come From Away", a story about September 11, 2001, 38 planes are diverted to the small town of Gander in Newfoundland that has a huge airport that had served as a staging area for allied troops heading to Europe during WWII. 7,000 people from all over the world ended up in this small town of about 6,000 and the townspeople came up with ways to feed, house, and care for them. It celebrated kindness, generosity, and diversity and was based on true events.  It was sad, but also lively and humorous.  After six days, the planes are finally cleared to take off and head for their original destinations - some back to New York where they saw the destruction for the first time.  What a lovely night out on the town!

Of course, this reminded me and Ben of that day, as he was traveling home from Japan and his flight was diverted from Los Angeles to San Francisco (his home).  Mike spent hours calling on the phone trying to get information about his flight and all that we learned was that he was on the plane when it took off from Tokyo.  He said they got off the plane and the airport was completely empty of people other than FBI and police. Jill was unable to even pick him up at the airport - the passengers had to be taken outside the airport by bus and they met up there.  I still have the article from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Saturday, July 3, 2026

 Ben and his family headed to Wisconsin for their annual 4th of July camping trip last Saturday, so I haven't had a chance to see him this last week.  

My neighbor Leslie invited me to go with her to the farmer's market that day and that was a nice getaway. I splurged and treated myself to some wild Alaskan salmon for dinner that night and bought a ham slice from my favorite pork vendor for later.

Some days when I walk Joey and the neighbors, Tom and Sue are out in their yard, we stand and chat for a while.  On Tuesday, they invited me and another neighbor, Judy, to go with them to the 9-Mile Creek Brewery for pizza and a beer that night.  The place is huge, with a nice area that has a huge selection of games too play, lots of tables and booths, an outdoor patio and delicious pizza. I did have a local NA beer but not the IPA that they make. We sat and talked for three hours - what a nice time! They are such nice people and we have become good friends.

I had a nice, long phone conversation with Tom on Wednesday and we talked about how we have been together now, off and on and from a distance for almost nine years.  I think we have a good thing going on but it would be nice to see him more often.

I also had a nice, long phone conversation with my friend Sue and we caught up on the latest news with our families and reminisced about some of the good times we had in the past.  

Lois came by yesterday morning and we walked to the Perk Up Cafe that is just down the street from me and had a very nice breakfast. She has Charlotte this week because she was supposed to work (teaching swimming to young children) and then her work was canceled, so she missed out on being with her family on vacation.  Lois had just dropped her off for swim practice and then headed my way.  I would have liked to help out but because of possible withdrawal effects from the reduction of my medication, I am not supposed to drive.

I did risk driving to my dentist appointment and to run a few errands all right close to home on Tuesday. That was Day 14 in that reduction cycle and I am now down to just 250 mg/day for the next 2 weeks and then will be completely off that drug.  I will continue taking Keppra, probably forever because it appears that is keeping me from having any seizures - maybe the dose will be reduced. Speaking of withdrawal - could that be why I was able to sleep from 9pm last night until 8am this morning? That is crazy!

Rene sent me a video of a big picnic we had at our house in Stoughton, back in around 2000.  It showed Mike, my brother Rocco, and Rene's Mike, Mike's parents, our old schoolhouse and the beautiful yard with many of my gardens and the playground equipment.  It made me feel happy to see Mike talking and laughing and playing Frisbee with a dog. We sure did have a lot of good times there and lots of good parties too.  

June 25, 2026

  Since I started the reduction of Depakote (seizure medication) by 250 mg/day for the next two weeks, I have been laying low and staying close to my apartment.  I haven't felt very good and all of my symptoms are on the list of possible withdrawal side effects like fatigue, headache, unsteady on my feel, and tremors.  I have slept quite a bit, but now at day eight I am feeling much better.

The exception to staying at home was when Ben came to pick me up and we went to the Lobby Cafe for a coffee and pastry on Father's Day.  I also had a nice conversation with Pat that day.

I walked to the dentist for a cleaning on Monday and ended up with an exam first and not enough time for the cleaning.  The exam found that I need a new crown on the upper right next to the last molar.  I cringed when I saw the cost, but after giving it some thought and looking at my savings, I decided that I will go ahead and do it - just haven't scheduled it yet.  The next morning, I got a notice on my door that told me an audit had been done and I had overpaid my rent and was due a credit of $844.  This will come pretty close to covering the cost of my crown.  I think the stars were aligned for me.

Joey and I have gotten some nice walks in the last few days, the temps have been in the 70s with low humidities and very nice blue skies with the exception of a much needed rainy day on Tuesday. 

Friday, June 19, 2026

 I spent Saturday and Sunday at Ben and Jill's house with Yoshi while they went to Iowa for a family reunion on Jill's side of the family.  I got packed up and ready for my road trip to Des Moines on Monday, June 15.  On my way out of town, I stopped by Eric's garage to have the oil checked in my car (I forgot to have Ben do it before I left his house) and then I headed south on I-35 for about 220 miles.  After four stops along the way, three at rest areas and one at a gas station, I arrived at our destination of the Stoney Creek Resort in Johnston.

Bob, Penny, and Randy (I shared a room with him) were all checked in and Rita and Denny followed shortly after.  We mostly hung out in a nice patio area, catching up on the last two years before heading out to dinner.  We all packed into Bob's car so we didn't have to take 2 cars and went to Zeke's Rooftop Grill for some casual American food.  It was a bit breezy but nice to sit on the outdoor deck.  Back at the resort, we hung out in the bar for a while before retiring for the night.  I was all settled in for the night when Rita came knocking on our door and just wanted to hug me, snuggle and tell me how much she missed and loved me.  We reminisced about having to share a bed the whole time we were growing up at the house on Hamilton St in Stoughton and then Randy escorted her back to her room.

On Tuesday morning, Randy and I had breakfast at the hotel, Bob & Penny went to a park to walk, and Rita and Denny took their time getting ready for the day.  We met up at the same gazebo/lounge area as the previous day and visited for a while.

We had a late lunch/early dinner at the Soggy Frog Marina on Saylorville Lake and enjoyed some great conversation next to the water. It was a beautiful day! When we got back to the resort,  we gathered in the lounge and watched some videos that Rene shared of past family reunions that were held at Rita and Denny's lake house in 1992 and 1996.  We then looked at photos (I have kept an album of pics of all of my siblings, going back to school days, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. through the years. We also told lots of stories, shared memories, and had lots of laughs.  Bob and Randy cracked me up with their boyish antics - stick teasing each other and giving noogies and Dutch rubs. The guys all did some card tricks.  A gal from Pisces Beach, CA who was at the table next to us joined us at our table and we all had a nice time. Unlike our gatherings in years past, we were all ready to retire for the night by 9pm.  That might be age related - ya think?

After breakfast on Tuesday morning, we all loaded up and headed back to our respective homes.  I am so glad that we had this gathering and that we planned to keep it going every year on the 2nd week of June - next year the week of June 24, 2027 .  We aren't getting any younger and have all had health issues over the last two years. 

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

 I finally got the results from my most recent EEG and learned that things are stable, although there are some underlying seizure activity that is mild enough that it isn't a concern.  I am able to gradually decrease the anti-seizure medication, Depakote by 250 mg a day for 2 weeks, then drop another 250 mg/day for the next 2 weeks.  He did advise that the reduction in the medication could cause seizures, so not to drive while going through the reduction.  That will be a pain. 

Monday, June 8, 2026

 Today was a full day, starting with a good walk and a phone conversation with Pat while I was walking and I had also put a load of laundry in the washer before I left.  Just as the laundry finished, I had a conversation with Tom that we had arranged (the 2-hour time difference is crazy to work around).  As usual, we spent an hour or so chatting - mostly about upcoming trips - him coming back here for a visit in August and then a possible California cruise later in October.  Time to do some research.

Deb's friend Mike, a drummer with several local bands, was playing at the VFW with the Jim Strait Blues Jam and we met her friends Joanie and her husband Phil there.  Deb's daughter Chelsea also joined us for a beer too.  Phil has Alzheimer's so I was warned that he may repeat the same question over and over and that did happen but since he is a former drummer, he was just so happy to hear the music.  He did keep asking the name of the band and saying they were really good.  He got in a conversation with a guy at the table next to us ( also a drummer) and since it was a jam session, they got his name on the board and he was able to get up there and play a 3-song session.  He was in his element! Us girls all got up to dance when he played and I looked over and saw Joanie crying because she could just see how happy he was - and boy, did he do great.  Just before we left, the head of the band came over and invited him to sit in again. It was fun and I learned I can still dance - got a little winded though.  

We had art class on Wednesday and made clay pieces for another garden totem.  Genevieve had made the pieces ahead of time and each of us just chose the shape we wanted and decorated and painted it. She will take them home to fire in her kiln and then return so we can add them to the garden.

I met up with Ben at Girard Park yesterday and we did the walk around the lake and then went to Rustica for a pastry and coffee before he had to get to the swim meet that Charlotte and Camille were swimming in.  I was hoping to see the livestream but they weren't doing that this time.

My cousin Judy passed away on Monday, June 1. She was the oldest of my Aunt Virginia's three children. I don't remember when I last saw her as she lived in Missouri and our paths never crossed.  I did hear from her now and then when I would see her brother Ken occasionally and his family still comes to the reunions and I keep in touch on Facebook