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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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!

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, 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.