Thursday, December 26, 2024

Thursday, December 26, 2024, MN

 What a lovely Christmas I had with the family. I headed to their house late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve and they had just gotten home from church. Camille had her room all setup to share with me, complete with Christmas tree and cuddly stuffies to sleep with and I got her bed while she took the air bed.  

The girls wanted to get right into having dinner so we could start the gift opening and game playing. We had the Quinn family traditional Mulligan stew (beef vegetable soup) and blueberry muffins that was tasty as usual.  The girls were so excited to give the gifts that they got for everyone and parents and grandparents got to open gifts first - dang, they are growing up! Giant cheers came up when they opened gifts of LuLu Lemon, Athleta, Ugg, and other brands that I have no clue about but I know they are expensive. They also got big girl bathrobes and were excited about them.  

I was the game organizer and we played a drawing game and A to Z Christmas word game and there was lots of laughter and discussion about what was allowed and what wasn’t. Lots of fun! 

Christmas Day started with a yummy breakfast and then the girls all went to the dog park with the dogs and it was the first time that I had let Joey run free in one of the large dog parks.  He was having such a great time, keeping up with all of the big dogs and marking every tree along the path.  I was afraid that he would venture too far from me but he didn’t, he kept coming to check on me. It was lots of fun!




When we got back home we had Bloody Mary’s and veggie snacks and played some games that the family got for Christmas.  And then it was time for dinner and Chefs Ben and Jill pulled it off again - we had beef tenderloin with horseradish sauce, baked potato, salad with homemade creamy buttermilk dressing, and all was topped off with my traditional cranberry cake with hot butter sauce.  And then it was time to go home.  It felt food to get back to my quiet little apartment again. 




It was a very Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Tuesday, December 24, 2024, MN

 Happy 80th Birthday to my dear sister Rita. Her family is all in Cancun this week to celebrate the holidays. 

My recovery continues with lingering symptoms but I have been back to normal activities since last Friday. A snowstorm came through last Thursday and we got about 6”. Since I wasn’t feeling 100% yet, I begged off my cleaning job until Friday. That turned out to be a good thing because I had plenty of energy and was able to get the job done.  

I picked up barbecue for dinner and headed to Ben’s house late afternoon on Saturday.  We played charades for a while before dinner and then Ben and I made a batch of the Bridge family peanut brittle recipe.  I didn’t stick around for it to cool and taste but Ben said it was a big success. I’ll get to have some over the next two days.

Cathy and I went to Brasa on Sunday afternoon and met Heidi and Karen to celebrate Cathy’s birthday.  After dinner we went to Heidi’s house for cake and a glass of Bailey’s. Susie joined us there and we had a little gift exchange. It was a fun afternoon.

I cleaned for my newest client, Cassie yesterday and got to meet their new puppy, Goose. He is a 12 week old Bernadoodle and is just as cute as can be.  She gave me a $50 Christmas bonus and wants me to clean every two weeks now instead of monthly. It’s and easy house to clean and I get my reward when I look around as I walk out the door. 

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Tuesday, December 17, 2024, MN

 The recovery roller coaster continues. I felt pretty darned good on Saturday, even venturing out to run a few errands. I went to Costco with the intention of filling up on gas and picking up a couple of items, but the gas station and parking lots were jam packed that I turned around and left, getting gas at Holiday instead. It wasn’t long and I was feeling exhausted and headed back home again to rest.

I did not feel good on Sunday morning and it wasn’t the Covid symptoms but now I felt like a UTI was coming on.  I went back to bed after walking Joey and did a virtual doctor visit when I woke up and started an antibiotic regimen for the next five days. Grrrrr!

I had a lovely conversation with Julie yesterday, as I wanted to wish her a happy birthday. Randy gave her one of the little felted snowmen that I made and she loves it. 

I have been keeping busy with paper crafts whenever I feel like doing something, making all of my gift bags. Thanks to You Tube and Stampin Up, I have found clever ways to wrap my gifts this year.  



Friday, December 13, 2024

Friday, December 13, 2024, MN

 What a week! An afternoon of fun with the Stampin Up group on Monday was a great gathering with a gift & card exchange and lots of good food and company at Pat’s  beautiful community room at Amira.  

It all turned sour on Tuesday morning when I woke up feeling miserable and it got worse throughout the day; chills, fever, aches, fatigue, sneezing, coughing, and a positive Covid test in the late afternoon.  Wednesday was a ditto day and I was in and out of bed all day.  I felt much better on Thursday, at least the chills and fever were gone but I had gained a headache symptom.  And then this morning I was feeling lousy again. I was supposed to have a phone call with Tom but I’ll do that tomorrow instead. After a nap in the morning and another in the afternoon, I woke up feeling much better and actually took a shower, stripped my bed, and did the laundry and cleaned the bathroom. It will feel good to sleep in clean sheets tonight. 

Here I thought that my fully vaccinated, overall healthy body was going to be able to avoid the scourge but I guess that wasn’t going to happen.  I’m really concerned that I may have spread it to my granddaughters and Genevieve on Saturday or the ladies that I was with on Sunday and Monday.  That would really suck. 

Poor Joey has had a rough time with missing walks - it has been a frigid few days with temps in the teens. He is only able to be out long enough to pee a couple of times, warm up indoors, and back out so he can take care of the big potty.  We’ve had a few play sessions but it’s not the kind of exercise he normally gets.  I’m missing our daily walks too.  Looks like an afternoon walk tomorrow might work as the temps are getting back up near 30°. 


Monday, December 9, 2024

Sunday, December 8, 2024, MN

 What a fun afternoon with Cathy and her group of friends.  Cathy lives two doors from me and we have become very good friends, she has invited me several times to join in on gatherings with her friends and I’m getting to know them pretty well.  Cathy and Heidi provided the materials to make these beautiful paper stars to hang and decorate our homes. We gathered in the library to work on the projects and took a break in between for lunch. Cathy made a delicious wild rice hot dish (Minnesota’s do not use the term casserole, that is a Wisconsin thing), Jody brought a Caesar salad, and we had breads, cheeses, and other goodies.  And we got back to making stars after lunch. What a fun afternoon.  

Heidi, Jody, Sandy, Lisa, Karen, Me, and Susie


Jody, Lisa, Sandy, Me, Karen, Cathy, and Susie


They all wanted to see my apartment and the needle felted whirligigs that I make and I sold 3 of them today.


Saturday, December 7, 2024

Saturday, December 7, 2024, MN

 Today, I wish my dear friend Connie a Happy Birthday and my parents were married on this day in 1946. Also, my youngest brother Russell turned 60 on the 4th. 

It has been a busy week with something going on every day. My friends Carol and Richard came for a visit on Tuesday and I made chicken pot pie for dinner. It’s always nice to see them and catch up on what’s happening with them and their family. The big news was Richard’s retirement on his 55th birthday in September. He worked for the engineers union for 30 years and has a very sweet financial setup for the rest of his life.  

On Wednesday morning I helped with the food shelf for an hour and then left to meet Carol and Richard at their hotel and we went to TGI Friday’s to have lunch with their friend Jim. He’s a fun guy and it was a nice time.  After that, we walked the mall - 3.5 miles worth of walking.  I stopped for a pizza on the way home and we had pizza and watched “Peanut Butter Falcon” - I know, I’ve seen it several times now but still enjoy it every time. That is a funny thing for me, as I usually have no interest in seeing a movie that I have seen before, the same goes for books.

I cleaned for Ben and Jill on Thursday and didn’t start until 10 am this time, as Jill was having a video job interview earlier in the morning.  Thanks to Deb walking Joey, I got to rest when I got back home and was in bed by 8:30.

Yesterday was nonstop, starting with a dog walk and then doing laundry when I got back home.  I wanted to have that out of the way before Tom called at 10.  We had a nice long chat, as usual.  

I had learned from Carol that she left her phone charger at the hotel, so I drove over there and got it, had the box all ready and waiting, and stopped at the post office and got it mailed.   The small, locally owned Bloomington Pharmacy nearby is staffed with several friendly little old ladies, and it has a postal service that is so convenient for me.  

I helped Judy and two other gals to assemble 150 cards for hospice when I got back home. She does such a great job and her cards are cute as can be.  They are lucky to have her - she does this for every season of the year.

When I got back home, I took a short nap before getting ready to go see Charlotte sing with the Minnetonka Honors Choir at the Mall of America rotunda, a small group of honor students from her school district. Lois and Dennis picked me up at 4:00 and when we got to the mall, we realized that the reserved viewing areas were blocked off but we found a spot on 3rd floor looking over the stage and waited there for the program to begin at 5:30. When Ben and Jill arrived, we learned that they had reserved spaces for us but it was too crowded there, so they joined us.  The program was the Clouds Choir, a fund raiser for cancer, based on the song ‘Clouds’ by Zach Sobiech who died from osteosarcoma. It was a very emotional event for the family as that is the cancer that started Casey’s journey through treatment for five different cancers before he died at the age of 29.  

We had dinner and a margarita at a Mexican restaurant in the mall after the show.

Today was the day to give the girls one of their Christmas gifts from me, an afternoon session at Genevieve’s art studio. They each made a mug and I didn’t put a handle on mine, so it will be a plant pot. She taught them several ways to design and decorate their pots and they really got into it, all coming up with very original ideas. We took a break in the middle of the session and had brownies and hot chocolate,then proceeded to paint them.  Genevieve will fire them and get them back to us before Christmas.  I had planned on about two hours but we were there for 3.5 hours as they really made an effort to do a nice job. I can’t wait to see the outcome.





Thursday, November 28, 2024

Thursday, November 28, 2024, MN

 Thanksgiving Day!  I have so much to be thankful for in my life! First - that I had my mother in my life for 16 years - I have wished for more but am thankful for the mark that she left on me that made me who I am. Second - that I found a great partner to share my life with in Mike. He was my best friend ever and a wonderful husband and father to my sons. Third - for my sons and their families - they have given me purpose in life and I’m so thankful that they want to include me in theirs. Fourth - for my siblings who have stuck together through the years despite the separations and tragedy of our younger years. Last but not least - for all of the wonderful cousins and friends that I have in my life, so many I’ve known since childhood.  I appreciate most the people in my life!

The turkey is in the oven - I offered the turkey because I got a free one and had planned to partially cook it and take it to Lois and Dennis house. First thing this morning, I googled cooking a Turkey and learned that is a big NO NO.  I guess I knew that but my old brain doesn’t always work like it should.  So I’m cooking it through, carving it, and then taking it for dinner.  

Our thanksgiving was just lovely. I took along an advent calendar kit for the girls to assemble and it was a fun activity that we all got involved in and will give them a daily candy treat until Christmas. 




Dinner was excellent and right after cleanup, we scambled outside to get photos before the daylight was gone.  It was only 20° out, so it had to be done quickly.

A fun game of Farkel topped off the day and Camille beat us all.  

Monday was Tracey’s birthday and when I called to wish her a Happy Birthday, I learned that her mother was to expected to make it through the day. She has been on hospice care for a couple of months but was unable to get out of bed since last Thursday.  They have been with her every day.  Pat called me about a half hour later to let me know that she had passed away and he was on his way home to get her.  

The next morning, I got a text from Patty letting me know that their sweet dog, Louie had passed.  He was 14 and had slowed way down the last year and had been treated and had surgery for several tumors.  She said it was like Frisco, his legs couldn’t hold him up, he struggled through the night and passed away on the couch between them.  They gave him lots of love and got it back from him in return.  What a dog!


Last night was the girls’ all Minnetonka Swim Club meet and they each swam in 5 events.  Norah swam the only 200 yard mixed event and that was after three back to back swims in her previous 4 events.   That had to be hard but she pushed through it.  They all worked hard to improve their times and did well.  


Sunday, November 24, 2024

Sunday, November 24, 2024, MN

 We are still having a very mild start to winter, with temps that are still in the 40s - making for brisk but comfortable morning walks.  We did have some windy days and one rainy day and that all made most of the remaining leaves on the trees drop.

I helped out with the food truck delivery on Wednesday and it always gives me a good feeling - it’s nice to greet the residents as they come through - for many, it is the only time I see them out and about. 

I gave my apartment a good cleaning and attempted to reorganize my craft supplies. I took everything out of the closet and rearranged - then put it all back the way it was when I started, as nothing really worked well.  I spent a lot of time working on Christmas cards - I still needed a few so I have enough for my mailing list. I would come up with a design and then realize that I didn’t have the right tools or supplies, so would attempt another.  I finally came up with a plan that worked and got six more cards made.  I still enjoy mailing a few cards over the holidays - it might be the only time of the year that I contact some people. 

That last sentence made me think of traditions - boy, they have changed through the years. A large part of that is the loss of Mike and his family connections, but a big part of it is geographic because I have lived away from my roots for a such a long time. That led to giving up some old traditions, keeping a few, and making lots of new ones.  For the last thirteen years, my Christmas traditions have centered around my grandkids, as it should be. 



Sunday, November 17, 2024

Sunday, November 17, 2024, MN

 It was a really windy morning yesterday, so I didn’t take the long walk that I usually take, but it was enough to get some fresh air and move around a bit.  I was feeling a little lonely and reached out to Ben and Jill to see if any of the girls were available for a sleepover.  It turned out that it would work for Norah if I could pick her up at Ridgedale Mall after a birthday party at 6:30 pm.  I was glad to hear that she was happy to join me, as it’s been quite a while since I have had one on one time with her. I don’t remember when I was last at a mall (probably 20+ years ago when I lived and worked in Madison) after dark and I was surprised how busy that place was.  I drove around a bit before finding a parking spot.  You can’t tell me the economy is doing poorly - at least for those middle class people who are paying half a million for their homes, driving expensive cars and able to take 10 kids to the mall with $20 each in their pockets to spend on top of whatever other birthday treats they get.  

She is really into bath and skin care products these days, so I learned all about her morning and evening skin care routine on the way home from the mall.  We watched Despicable Me 4 and went to bed a little after 10.  Actually, I didn’t make it that late, went to bed and woke up when she came to bed.  The times sure are changing as they get older and more independent.  

I’m sitting here, looking out the window at a naked tree that was still full of yellow leaves until yesterday.  It was so pretty, as there are three that I can see from this angle - first is a crabapple that still has lots of red berries and it sits in front of an evergreen that is in front of the one that was full of yellow leaves, the red, green, and yellow color variation was so pretty.  It all just glowed when the sun hits them in the morning. I took a few pictures but they just don’t show it the way my eyes see it.



Friday, November 15, 2024

Friday, November 15, 2024, MN

 Our mild November days continued although we had a couple of typical gray days. I started the week with very few things on the calendar but, of course, the days have been full.  I gave my apartment a good cleaning on Tuesday morning. I had art class with Genevieve in the afternoon and we did miniature watercolor paintings that could be mounted on greeting cards.  I had my first painting ready and was selecting a backing when it went missing.  No matter how much I looked and a couple of the other gals looked, it wasn’t found. So I started a new one and got one card made. As we were cleaning up and putting things away, Judy found my first one. Class was over by then, so I’ll have to put it together at home.

Genevieve and I had talked about going to the StevenBe fiber art store at some point so it worked out to go on Wednesday.  She invited me to meet her at Brasa in NE Minneapolis for lunch and it was very nice to hang out with her.  We went to StevenBe when we finished lunch and I replenished some of my wool roving colors that were getting kind of low.  I was able to meet and chat with Steven - a very colorful, flamboyant character who has a good thing going in the art world.  His shop Carrie’s gorgeous brands of yarn and blends and they have the best assortment of wool roving colors around - and any accessory you would ever need or want. It’s a really cool store.

I spent the entire day on Wednesday working on crafts. I finished a stocking cap that I had started a while back and then got busy felting a snowman that Randy asked me to make for him.  It turned out really cute.


This morning, I worked on some unfinished felt projects that have been sitting around for a long time - gotta make room for some new things.  

I ran some errands, one was to the meat market to get some marrow bones for Joey. I like to get the smoked ones, as there is no residue left behind and they keep him busy for a couple of hours. We then stopped at the park so he could run around for a bit.  The city recently installed fence and gate across one of the hockey rinks about a half mile from my house.  It is a lot closer than driving to the one in Burnsville that is about 5.5 miles away and it’s great to let him run and chase the ball - he chases it but won’t bring it back to me like he does when we are in the apartment.  What’s with that?

I went to Willy McCoys for dinner tonight with Elaine. It used to be her, Joann and I that went together but now that Joann has moved to Nebraska, we really of miss her.  I talked with her earlier in the week and learned that she is doing ok but she said she really misses her friends here in Bloomington. I miss her too!

I sold my handheld vacuum cleaner on marketplace and the gal came to pick it up shortly after I got home from having dinner.  It was such a nice, calm night and I had heard on the news that the International Space Center was expected to be visible this evening, so Joey and I walked to the park but we didn’t see it.




Monday, November 11, 2024

Monday, November 11, 2024, MN

 Veterans Day - utmost appreciation to all who have sacrificed and served - where would our country be without them? 

The girls were all swimming at a meet at the U of M Aquatic Center yesterday and although I wasn’t too excited about spending the whole day there, I am glad that I went.  Each granddaughter swam in 4 events and all performed respectably, improving on previous times and doing an event that they hadn’t done before. Camille and Norah both swam their first 200 yard freestyle event. 

It was a good thing that I had Deb walk Joey as it was almost 5:00 when I got home. Needless to say, it was a lazy and early to bed night for me.

This morning, Joey and I met Ben and Yoshi and Lois at Staring Lake and took the hike around the lake and then stopped at Smith for a coffee and pastry. I’m always honored when my sons want to hang out with me.

I had an appointment to have my tires rotated at Costco this afternoon and was happy to hear that they still have plenty of tread on them. I do need to have an alignment, as they said the tires are wearing unevenly - added to the ‘to do’ list.

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Saturday, November 9, 2024, MN

 The race was on right away on Wednesday, I had a follow-up appointment with the cardiologist and the meds that I am taking for the pumping function of my heart are working - the percentage has increased from 49% to 55% - 51% was the goal. I left there feeling pretty good and don’t have to return for a year.

I got back just in time to help out with the food truck. We got all of the fixings for thanksgiving dinner and then some.   

I cleaned for Ben on Thursday and Deb walked Joey for me.  That is such a nice service as I am tired when I get back home and can have a short rest. A hot bath in Epsom Salts feels so good.

Yesterday was time to have my teeth cleaned and it always feels so good when I leave and I have learned, once again, that my teeth are in great shape and I do a good job of keeping them that way.

Ben and Jill needed a little help with jockeying kids around yesterday, as there was no school and they all had different things going on today.  Dennis and Ben got them to events.  I went to the high school and picked up Camille for her play practice (she will be in “Cats” in the spring) and then we headed to the middle school to get Charlotte after swim practice.  We drove through Wendy’s and got Frostys for them before going back to their house.

Camille wanted some help in hanging some fancy string lights in her room, so we got that done and then she and I played a few rounds of bingo - Norah was into reading a book, so she didn’t join in and Charlotte had gone to be with a friend.  When we were done with bingo, she wanted to do my makeup or nails and we opted for gel nails as I have never had them before.  She was such a great nail technician, complete with prepping the nails and cleaning up the cuticles, applying a base coat, polish, and top coat - and then topping it off with a nice lotion treatment.  She is such a sweetheart!



Monday, November 4, 2024

Tuesday, November 5, 2024, WI, MN

 I headed over to Pat’s house for coffee Saturday morning and shortly after we got there, Tracey’s son Rhys showed up.  I haven’t seen him for about four years and it was nice to chat again.  They worked on cleaning out tubs of stuff in the basement and Pat, Joey, and I headed to Tom and Karen’s house in Monona.  They were happy to meet Joey and he brought some cheer into their home, as they lost their 14 year old Airedale Tilly just a couple of months ago. We had a really nice visit, it was great to see them again.  Pat dropped me off at Dawn’s and I helped her take down the screens on her porch and we also took all of the cushions off the porch furniture, stacked them up so she could cover them up for the winter.  We also cleaned up some brush from the gardens and hauled it to the city’s compost collection site.

I went back to Pat’s house and we had leftover chili for dinner. Jonnie called later in the afternoon and let me know that my cousin, Jim Ganshert passed away Friday night. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a week earlier, but he died of a heart attack.  Most in the family agree that is probably a good thing, as both his Dad and his brother Larry died for the same type of cancer. Jim was 64 years old.

Yesterday, Pat, Tracey, and I had our pre-Thanksgiving dinner because we don’t get to have holidays together.  Dinner was yummy and it was fun to put it all together, hang out and cook.



Dawn and I walked to the Kozy Nuk on Monday morning to have breakfast with Mary (Jim’s sister) and Jonnie, they were both sitting in an empty parking lot because the restaurant was closed, so we moved to the Coffee Cup.   We had a tasty breakfast, and then Erin joined us and we stayed there and chatted for a while.



I had just got to the car when my phone rang and it was Karen to see if I could meet them for lunch at Waypoint at 1:00. I took Joey for a short walk and then headed to Monona. We shared lots of laughs and memories and had a really nice visit and lunch - I was a cheap date and just had a taste of the items they ordered.

Joey and I walked over to Pat and Tracey’s and just hung out for a couple of hours, then said our goodbyes and headed back to Dawn’s.   She and I watched the movie, “Love Again” and then talked about our experiences with grief when we lost our husbands. 

I left Stoughton at 8:45 and had a long and drizzly drive back home. Shortly after crossing into MN, the tire fault light came on my dash. I pulled over but didn’t see any issues, so drove on to Winona to a tire shop and had them check. No issues found, the guy said it could be the battery that controls the alarm. I need to get it into Costco for a rotation next week and will have it checked. 

It feels great to be home!

Friday, November 1, 2024

Friday, November 1, 2024, MN, WI

 Monday was a busy day, starting with dropping my car off at Eric’s to have the brakes checked. Joey and I walked home from there. When we got home, I did the final touches of Joey’s haircut, cleaning up some areas that I had missed on Sunday.  The grooming table that I bought has really worked out well, as it restrains him from front and back and he can’t swing around in circles.  I think I did a good job this time.

When I was done with that task, and had the floors vacuumed,  I threw my hairy clothes in the basket and headed for the laundry.  Later in the day when the car was ready, Leslie took me to pick it up - brakes are all in good shape and I only had to pay $69 for the inspection.  I then headed to Costco to pick up the glasses that I had ordered a couple of weeks ago. 

Tuesday was travel to Stoughton day and I got off to a late start and didn’t leave until 10 am. I had to stop at a tire shop in Faribault to have the lug nuts tightened, that added a good 15 minutes to the drive. And then, rather than take the route through Rochester, I stayed on I35 all of the way to Albert Lea and then headed east on I90. That added a good 40 minutes to the drive.   So the drive was six hours and I was tired when I got there. I checked in with Dawn and then went to Pat’s house and had pizza with them.  

I met with Susan and Judy for breakfast Wednesday morning and it was nice to see them. Susan shared pictures from her family trip to Norway and it was nice to see that Judy was feeling good (she has discontinued her dialysis treatments). We had a nice visit.

I then went to see Tracey and took her to Walmart for some groceries. That experience was so much nicer than the last time, as she her mobility has improved so much - she no longer needs a walker and just uses a cane for support.  I had an appointment for a showing at Rosewood Apartments and got to see a couple of the options that would be available to me. Their one bedroom apartment is the same square footage as mine, but some added features are storage options, dishwasher, and patio or balcony, and garage.  We drove by Greenspire Apartments, another that I would consider and because they are remodeling all of their units, I was unable to have a tour.

Tracey and I had an appointment for a bra fitting (she is struggling with an option that works for her with her disability) and that was quite the experience - she was given several suggestions that would make it easier for her.  I tried on several and bought one, but shortly after leaving I decided that it wasn’t that comfortable and then when I got home and looked in the mirror, I decided that I should return it. That’s me - I’m good at changing my mind.

Dawn and I passed out Halloween candy but there were so few kids coming by that we shut off the lights and headed out to walk to see the Haunted Monroe Street decorations (it was even featured on the morning news program).  That’s where all of the people were and there was a full block of very cool decorated homes.We stopped at El Rio Grande and had chips and salsa and a margarita that was yummy and warmed us up from our cold walk.  




 It was a cold and extremely windy day - a shock after our summer-like month of October. Ben sent pictures of it snowing back at home. 


Sunday, October 27, 2024

Sunday, October 27, 2024, MN

I actually have something worth writing about this morning.  Yesterday was a very full day for me, starting with a swim meet with Norah and Charlotte competing.  All of their events were before noon, they did well with overall improvements in their times. Camille didn’t swim because she wasn’t feeling well after getting vaccinations and blood draws on Friday. Norah’s arms were hurting but she wasn’t feeling ill.  So here is an example of the ‘twin’ connection and how real it is for identicals:  Ben coached them before their blood draw, suggesting that they look in another direction and not watch it happen, Norah was having her blood drawn and Camille was watching - she fainted and then threw up when she got home. The anxiety of seeing what Norah was experiencing had a physical effect on her.  Also, Norah was sad and withdrawn at the last two swim meets when Camille wasn’t there - the emotional aspect of it.  They have such a tight connection to each other and their parents are working to help them disconnect and be more independent of each other.

I just walked in the door to my apartment and was getting ready to take Joey out when Patty called to say that they were heading west on I-90 and would stop for the night in Rochester if I could come and meet them and hang out for a bit.  I suggested that they continue west to Albert Lea and I would meet them there (a little closer for me and not out of their way).  So we got in the car and headed south and met them at the Walmart parking lot.  We headed to the Skol Woodfire Grill, had a cocktail, and chatted for an hour and a half.  They checked into the Comfort Inn for the night and I headed back home.  I’m so happy that she called, as it is always great to see my good friends.



Friday, October 25, 2024

Friday, October 25, 2024, MN

 RAIN! We finally got some rain last night, it came down pretty steady for about an hour.  It even felt good to walk in it a bit - I did get soaked though.

It’s been a busy week, starting with a meetup with Ben and Yoshi for a morning walk around Staring Lake on Monday.  It was so good to be with him again - it’s been a couple of weeks as he has been doing a bit of traveling. We stopped for a coffee at Smith in Eden Prairie after our walk.

I was hostess for our Stampin Up group in the afternoon and I made a tasty pumpkin pecan loaf to share. We finished our cards in no time and talked, ate, and planned our Christmas party.

Elaine and I had dinner at Willy McCoy’s.  Joey spent quite a bit of time alone that day.

I had both of my cleaning jobs this week, so today will be low key.  I told Ben yesterday that I must be doing something right, as I haven’t been hurting from these jobs lately with the exception of my hips - that comes from the vacuuming. Cassie has 3 rooms with a longer shag-like carpet and it is really hard to push the vacuum on it.


Sunday, October 20, 2024

Sunday, October 20, 2024, M

I’ve got a lot of catching up to do today, as I haven’t written in a week.  Starting last Saturday, I met up with some of the Stampin Up ladies and we made Christmas cards.  Carrie sends all of the materials to make 15 cards, 3 each of 5 designs.  We furnish the supplies and assemble the cards.  Now, I am 15 cards ahead of the game for this Christmas.

The weather has been summer-like beautiful again this week after a brief cold spell. Still no rain though.  There is some bright color scattered here and there, but the lack of moisture has made things dry up mostly.  A couple of the trees that I see outside my window have lost most of their leaves already.

Norah and Charlotte competed in a swim meet last Sunday (Camille wasn’t feeling well) but there just wasn’t enough room at the pool for spectators, so I watched from the comfort of home.  They both swam in three events and took a first in one and placed in the others.  

Deb and I took our bedding to the laundromat on Monday and used the giant machines to get that chore out of the way - not my favorite thing to do, but at least we had each other to talk to.  When I got back home, I switched out my bedding and I think I jumped the gun - the nights haven’t been cooling off as much and I was a bit too warm and had to turn the ceiling fan on.  I also switched out the clothes in the closet from summer to winter.

I ordered new glasses at Costco this week - yes, I just got new ones this spring,  but they are not the most comfortable and I wanted a pair that transitioned outdoors.  My health choice card covers the expense, so nothing out of my pocket.  Just as I was leaving the store, Shirley called to see if I could get in for a haircut as she had an opening.  She had to cancel my appointment for last week due to health reasons, and I learned that she has Stage 3 endometrial cancer.  Dang - she already had the necessary surgery but has to follow up with chemotherapy and radiation.  This has to be difficult for her, as she is on an all natural plant based diet and is pretty anti-chemical in her lifestyle.  I wish her well in this challenge.

Tillie send a bunch of wool sweater scrap to me with Cathy and I tried some out on making hats for my felted gnomes.  They turned out pretty cute and I will try to incorporate in other ways.  The guy in the middle has the sweater hat.


Ben and Jill took Charlotte to NYC this week (her 13th birthday trip) and I haven’t heard a word from them.  I’m guessing that they have been busy sightseeing and have put their phones away for a few days.  They are due back home today and I’m looking forward to hearing about their adventure.

It was such a beautiful day that I decided to take a drive down country roads and see if I could find an apple orchard and maybe a nice trail to walk with Joey. I found the  Montgomery Orchard outside of Montgomery MN 40 miles or so south of here and bought some apples for myself and for Ben and family.  I didn’t find a place to hike, so we stopped at a dog park on the way back home so Joey could run and romp.  I followed this pretty 1953 (?) Chevy 
for a long time - he was just out there enjoying a country drive too.  I love it.



Friday, October 11, 2024

Friday, October 11, 2024, MN


 October has been full of activities most days and although there was nothing on the calendar on Monday, I managed to fill it up with a trip to the dog park - not another dog there for Joey to run and play with, and a trip to the grocery store.  Later on, as I was trying to decide if I would go watch the girls at swim practice, I got a call from Jill asking if I could help out. Charlotte was not aware that it was picture day for swim team and took the bus home instead of staying at school for pictures. So I picked her up at the bus, stopped at the house so she could put her swimsuit on and brush her hair, took her to school. Jill and Norah were already there and Camille was in the pool (Norah does gymnastics on Mondays so she doesn’t swim). Just after I got there, the swim coach came up to Norah and invited her to take a birthday lap in the pool and since she had her suit on, she did. It was so cute - her team members gathered in the lanes facing her lane and while she swam the length of the pool and back - they all splashed her with their paddle boards. When she got back from her lap, they all sang Happy Birthday. She told Jill that when she came up to breathe, she had a smile on her face - that just gives me chills. They went back home and I stayed to watch Camille practice. At the end of practice, she did a birthday lap.  I am posting only one video, just replace the name in the song.

 

I had art class with Genevieve on Tuesday and we did paper quilling - a craft that I haven’t done since the 70s.  As with most projects, there are so many new tools that make it easier and give the ability to do more detail, but it is basically the same. 

Me, Genevieve, Kathy, Ann, and Judy


Judy and I took down our garden totem from art class on Wednesday morning and packed them away for the winter and I cleaned out the garden shed. Joann had been storing a lot of hummingbird feeders and artsy things that haven’t been used in the three years that I have been here, so I got rid of them and made some room in there.

I had a follow up echocardiogram in the afternoon to check if all is going well with my heart function. The results were in My Chart before the end of the day and it actually looks like there might have been some improvement.  I see the cardiologist again next week.

And yesterday was cleaning day at the Bridge household - so nothing to write about except the eleven flights of stairs and 14,000 steps (6.4 miles) that I did.  Deb walked Joey, so I didn’t have to be concerned with that when I got home. I did get ambitious and baked a batch of his liver treats for him in the evening.

I took this picture of the pretty trees in the woods behind their house - just as the sun was getting to the treetops and I was starting my job.


My car was due for an oil change, so I dropped it off this morning and Joey and I walked to the 9-mile Creek Trail and stopped at the parking lot of a church and got an egg sandwich from a food truck. It was a beautiful morning to walk the trail - there is not nearly as much water flowing in the creek now because we have had no rain the whole month of September and into October.  The morning had a real feeling in the air.  I spotted this cute woodland creature trying to blend into the tree.





I joined Judy, Cheri, and Kathy this afternoon to assemble 150 fall greeting cards for hospice this afternoon.  Judy does such a great job of designing and preparing them, all we have to do is glue on the inside greeting and add a little bling to them, and leave with a good feeling that I have contributed to a good cause.

Cathy invited me to join her and her group of friends at Tilly’s house (a beautiful home in S Minneapolis that is full of antiques) for dinner and to hang out tonight. Originally, I told her that I wasn’t planning to go - just being lazy and wanting to stay home, but she called this afternoon and said that Tilly was disappointed and hoping that I would come, so I changed my mind and went.  I’m glad, because it is so much fun to just hang around with a bunch of fun women, eating, drinking wine and telling stories.  We spent most of the time around the dining room table - we had pasta primavera that Sandy made, Cathy brought calico beans, I brought green beans with almonds, Susie brought a salad with tomatoes and cucumbers from her garden and home made baklava, and Heidi brought apple pie from Kowalki’s. All was tasty.

After dinner, we headed to the living room where Susie had a bin full of her hand made wool lined mittens for us to buy. She charges $20 for friends, $30 online and they are beautiful - all made from wool sweater that she gets at thrift stores.  I bought a couple of Christmas gifts.  Also, Sandy had brought a huge box of antique tea and shaving mugs that she got from a relative’s collection after they passed away.  I took only one just because it was from her - I just don’t have a lot of room for displaying pretty items any more.

As we left the house, we were asked to take apples from Sandy’s tree and house plants to reduce the number to be tended while Tilly is gone to Florida for the winter.  It sure is nice to have a group of girls to hang out with and I’m glad that I changed my mind and went.

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Sunday, October 6, 2024, MN

 I have felt very sad and heavy hearted this week as it gets closer to the time that Joann was leaving and I was helping her with last minute preps and packing.  Her son got here on Friday and she left for Nebraska yesterday afternoon.

On Thursday morning when I left the building to go for a walk with Joey, I noticed two cop cars in the parking lot and a cop walking to his unmarked car.  I learned that my friend Sheila had passed away during the night.  She was always a ray of sunshine in this place and greeted everyone with a big smile and a hug, in spite of her health challenges of kidney failure (dialysis several times a week) and physical challenges (scooted around in an electric wheelchair).

And then it’s sad when we see the family come and empty out their apartments and they are gone.  Another resident was moved to assisted living a couple of weeks ago and we watched his family empty his apartment.  It is truly the downside of senior apartment living.

Yesterday when I was on my way home from watching Norah at swim practice, I got a phone call from my sister-in-law Sharon.  She and her daughter Rachael were on their way to visit Reanna who is going to college in River Falls and they invited me to meet up with them for dinner.  We met at the Tamarack Bar and Grill in Woodbury and had a lovely visit and good dinner.  It turns out that Reanna has a long weekend to go back home on the 24th, just when I am planning to head to Stoughton again, so she can ride with me and save Rachael a 4-hour trip to pick her up.


We celebrated Camille and Norah’s birthday at Lois and Dennis’ house this afternoon.  They baked and decorated their own cakes and Ben and Dennis fried Walleye from their fishing trip for dinner.  It was so tasty and I’m happy that they shared.



Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Tuesday, October 1, 2024, MN, IA, MN

 I was loaded up and out the door by 9:30 Sunday morning, heading for Amana Colonies, IA to meet up with Bob and Penny coming from Kansas City and my cousins Jonnie and Mary who came from Stoughton.  The reason for the meetup was that Jonnie made these great Chiefs yard signs for Bob and since they were really heavy, she didn’t want to ship them.  She called a few weeks ago to see if I wanted to go on a road trip to KC with her and we came up with the plan to meet in the middle instead.

Our timing was good and we all arrived within a half hour of each other, checked into the historic Hotel Millwright, walked across the street to the Brewery and heard the local polka band doing a practice run for next week’s Octoberfest.  It was fun catching up. We then walked over to the Brau Haus restaurant for dinner.  

Once our cars were parked, that’s where they stayed until it was time to go back home.  Bob, Penny, and I headed out for a walk on the nearby trail - Bob did an out and back and Penny and I continued on for the 3.2 mile loop.  After showering, we met Mary and Jonnie for breakfast at the Hotel.  And then we walked the streets of the little historic woolen mill town and went into most of the little shops: woolens, bakery, toys, ice cream, florals, local made arts, furniture, etc.

After our shopping, my brother Ray’s foster sister Joanie who lives in Cedar Rapids came to meet up with us, have a drink, and talk for a couple of hours.  She and Mary and gone to elementary school together for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades and then Ray’s family moved out of town. It was great to see her again, it had been since 2015 when Ray died that I had seen her.


The colonies are a group of seven villages that were settled by German immigrants that were escaping religious persecution.  It was a self sufficient community, growing the own foods, building homes and manufacturing everything they needed to live. It became a historic landmark in 1965 and is a big tourist attraction.  It is very pretty with lots of flowers, pumpkins, and antiques.



Saturday, September 28, 2024

Saturday, September 28, 2024, MN

 What a week this has been!  Since Ben was out of town and Jill had surgery on Tuesday, Lois and I have been helping out with the girls.  I was there after school on Monday and Jill took Camille to swim practice (4:45), Lois took Norah to gymnastics (4:30) and I took Charlotte to swim practice (7:15-8:45).  Tuesday morning, I was out of the house by 5:30 to get them off to school.  They have their routines down and got ready, tidied up their rooms, came down and packed their own lunches, ate breakfast (I made pancakes), and got their backpacks ready and headed out to the bus stop. Same with Charlotte.  My job was easy, just keeping track of time.

Jill’s surgery went well and she is in recovery mode for a couple of weeks.

I helped Joann pack up her  canned goods in the afternoon - six boxes full of cans and packaged foods, probably dating way back in time.  What a shame! I know canned goods last a long time but I sure wouldn’t want to eat any of it.

I started my new cleaning job on Wednesday, for a very nice couple who have a very nice home not too far from me.  All went well and I finished in three hours, got paid promptly, and got some very nice feedback when Cassie got back home.

Thursday was another helping out day. I made enchiladas and Mexican green rice for dinner, got there after school and took Camille and Norah to their swim practice - Lois did the late shift with Charlotte. Dinner was liked and much appreciated.

Friday was Joey’s haircut day and I hung him from the shower curtain to do his legs and face and that all went well.  We took a break after that and I had a 2.5-hour phone chat with Tom.  Several times we were cutting off the conversation, ready to sign off and one of us would come up with another topic - I guess that’s what happens when we don’t talk that often and we have a lot of catching up to do. 

After the phone chat, I got ready to finish cutting Joey’s back and sides, secured the clamp-on brace that restricts his movement to the table and realized that it was broken - the nut kept coming out of place when I tightened the bolt that holds the post and it would not stay in place. I managed to finish the job without it but he still needs a few tweaks where I missed a spot here and there.

Today was a swim meet for the girls and they each competed in three events.  It was Camille and Norah’s first meet and they were pretty anxious but ended up doing really well. They left the meet with first, seconds, thirds, and a fifth.  Now that they have a meet behind them, they will be more confident and keep working toward improving their times. I didn’t get many pictures.  This is Norah and Camille cheering Charlotte on in the 200 yard backstroke - she took first!



Monday, September 23, 2024

Monday, September 23, 2024, MN

 I picked Norah and Camille up around noon on Saturday, as they are having a sleepover with me while Charlotte is having her birthday sleepover with friends. It is giving me the opportunity to celebrate twins’ birthday a bit early.  We went to the Mall of America where they spent some time on the climbing wall and I gave them each $30 to spend. Norah made it to the top of the most difficult wall and the attendant told her that she was now part of the 1% club.  They bought goofy fluffy Nike-like slippers with the money and the last gift was a stop at Grandpa’s Candy Store where they could pack as much candy in a small box for $5 - they loved it.  We watched Despicable Me 4 that evening.  I slept on the couch and they took the bed - settling in after about 30 minutes of goofing off.







Jill arranged for them to have a private swim lesson Sunday morning, as they needed some extra practice on diving in order to be ready for next Saturday’s swim meet - their first.  


I’ll be helping Jill out this week, as Ben is out of town on a fishing trip with her Dad and she is having a hernia surgery on Tuesday.  I will help with getting dinner ready and take Charlotte to swim practice today and be there bright and early tomorrow morning to make sure they get to the bus on time. It’s been a while since Lois and I have had Granny Nanny duty, although we both help out whenever we can.

Friday, September 20, 2024

Friday, September 20, 2024, MN, WI

 I just got back from spending two days with Patty and Susan at the Pineview Campground at the Fort McCoy Army Recreation Facility in Wisconsin.  It’s always so nice to hang out with these long-time friends and we have so much fun just talking, a little sightseeing, eating and just plain being together.  We stayed in one of their destination trailers and it was very nice accommodations.  Susan got the bedroom and Patty and I slept in the loft the first night, but it wasn’t very comfortable, you could barely sit up, and the AC got way too cold during the night.  We opened up the king sized foldout couch the second night and slept much better.



On Thursday, after a leisurely start to the day, we drove to Neillsville and visited the Highgrounds Veterans Memorial.  Pat and I had both been there on a Miata drive years ago and Mike and I attended the dedication ceremony for the Vietnam Veteran Memorial way back in 1985 but Susan had never been.  It is a very impressive place and worth the visit.

We had a bite to eat at a nice little diner in Neillsville and then went to Black River Falls and walked the Main Street and did some browsing in a couple of shops.  Our next stop was at the Wegner Grotto in Sparta - a collection of unique concrete, glass, and porcelain sculptures that were constructed at the home of Paul and Matilda Wegner between 1929 and 1936.  They were tastefully done and I’m glad that we stopped to see this collection of unusual folk sculptures.









 


Sunday, September 15, 2024

Sunday, September 15, 2024, MN

 Backtracking the events of the past week, starting last Sunday.  I spent most of the day at home and had a nice, long chat with Tom after breakfast.  He is about one week away from getting back ‘home’ to Apache Junction and the news of the last few days was about wildfires in the Superstition Mountains, not too far from there.  The Lost Dutchman State Park is evacuated and that is less than 5 miles from him.  He checked with Shiprock RV park and they said there were no issues there.  Fingers crossed that all in the area stay safe and the fires get under control.

There have been more than three cases of Covid reported in my community so the staff has canceled all group activities for the week, including Genevieve’s Art Class that was supposed to be held on Tuesday and locked the doors to the community room and library. Dang - I find the locked doors to be ridiculous, as we are adults and hopefully responsible to protect ourselves and others by quarantine, masking, and distancing. What ticked me off the most was having the library locked, preventing access to books and the puzzle that I have been working on and is mostly used on an individual basis.

I have spent several days helping Joann pack up her apartment, as she has recently gotten a diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and plans to go live with her son in Lincoln, NE.  She also ended up in the hospital on Monday, so her friend Jayne and I have been packing and taking loads of boxes to the thrift store to donate.  I also took a carful of stuff to the consignment shop for her.  One thing I’ve learned from this - whatever you do, stop being a packrat and take care of your own excess stuff. I must have put 300 pens and pencils in boxes and tossed over the counter pill bottles and prescriptions (taken to pharmacy for disposal) dating back as far as 2014.  It is so hard to be trying to make these decisions regarding stuff that does not belong to me and she is lost - has enough to worry about just getting through the days and preparing for her end of life.  It sucks!

I picked up another house cleaning job that I will do once a month.  It is for a young  professional couple who are getting married in February.  They have just bought their first home and are in the process of having it all painted and new flooring installed, then getting settled.  I will start on the 25th.  It is a beautiful home, nestled in a nice wooded neighborhood of west Bloomington - I feel it will be another easy and rewarding job for good money.  

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris had a presidential debate on Tuesday and I felt that she held her own and got him doing his usual ranting of lies and attacks.  The news reports the next day agreed with me.  It sounds like that will be the only debate they have leading up to the November 5 election. Heaven help us if that PIG gets elected.

I met Mavis, Mary, and three of their friends for a birthday lunch for Mavis on Thursday at Olive Garden in Eagan.  We spent two hours talking and eating - it’s always nice to see them every now and then.  Deb and I went to Champps in Eden Prairie that night, sat out on the patio and had a beer.  It was a very active day socially.

As I was watering the flowers Friday night, I spotted this adorable Hummingbird Moth (yes, there is such a thing) flitting around sucking nectar from them.


Deb and I just got back from a walk at the Cedar Avenue Bridge trail and it was exciting to see lots of avian wildlife.  As we walked across the bridge, we saw Egrets, Herons, Pelicans, Anhingas, Geese and lots of ducks in the marshy area near the Minnesota River. It was a great way to wrap up the week.