The temperatures have been above average and other than a little bit of snow last week, it hasn’t been bad. That is with the exception of not seeing the sun shine for several days. Just a little bit each day makes it so much more tolerable.
My sweet cousin, godmother, and namesake, Francis Rose Ganshert, passed away last Friday, December 11 at 95 years of age, She was the eldest first cousin on my Mom’s side of the family. I have so many fond memories of her - so much of my childhood was spent at their large 2-story house on Franklin Street in Stoughton, as it was always the gathering place for kids and the attitude was that there is always room at the table for one more - or two or three. Our cousins were our best friends and we were together a lot, the schoolyard across the street was the place to play. Fran and her husband, Fran always had time for others, be it their Children, Grandchildren, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Neighbors, Friends - it didn’t matter, they were there.
Fran spent her last years in a small apartment in an assisted living facility and she was in fair physical shape and excellent mental shape until a couple of weeks before she passed. My last conversation with her was about a month ago and she was cheerful and sharp, aware of life around her. Again, COVID has taken a toll, as her family was no longer able to have in-person visits, nor could they take her for outings. The last time I visited was in July and I could only talk to her on a phone from outside a window. She will be missed by many.
First Cousins, Carole, Jonnie, Me, and Fran at her 94th Birthday Party
I have always loved this picture of Fran and my Mom (playing dress-up).
They were nieces and best of friends.
Another great photo, two old ladies laughing about how they got to be 90 years old.
I was hungry for chili on Monday, so I made a big pot and set aside some to take to Ben’s family on
Tuesday when I pick up an Amazon order that I had sent to their home. I had also planned to make a pot of Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup to take to them on Tuesday, so that was my activity for that day. We had a short visit in the back yard and let the dogs play for a bit. That soup was so delicious - I will definitely make it again!
So I decided to hang some pictures on the walls and that led to learning about some moving damage. The first was done by me when I dropped and broke a plaster garden girl figurine that I bought when I was going to Master Gardener classes in Madison back in 1995. She fell out of my hand as I was unwrapping her. I’m sad.
Then, as I was unpacking some smaller items, I pulled out a small decorative plate and found it broken. The one next to it was also broken, but the third of the set was unscathed. This explained the tear on the side of the box under the handle - it must have slipped out of someone’s hand a fell. The sad thing is that these were personalized gifts from our friend and life insurance agent, Doug Klagos, commemorating our marriage and the birth of each of our children. Ben’s plate survived and I will do my best to glue the other two back together.
The recent news is encouraging with the release of vaccinations for COVID-19 and the beginning of distribution to those at highest risk first and then trickling down to the general public. It’s going to take months, but I’m feeling good that it is now available.
