We are still in Albuquerque.   Our thanks to everyones’ thoughts and prayers.  Overall Marie is doing very well.   She did not want John to go on the way he was so there is some relief that he is in a better place.   The funeral home  viewing was very nice,  and good friend, make that family, Tom did a wonderful job with the rosary.   And the funeral home surprised Marie by having an accordian player come in to do a couple of songs after the rosary.

And the mass on Monday went very well also.  John would have liked the music and Father’s upbeat tone.   Marie has lot’s of good friends that were there, and we had a lunch in the church hall afterward.

Mary Jane moved her flight back from today to Thursday.  And I am thinking that should work fine for her.  I fly out tomorrow morning also.   Work has allowed me to work from here on Tuesday and Wednesday, which has been helpful.   I had already scheduled vacation for Thursday, Friday and Monday to be in Florida for the installation of our dining room cabinets.  And I don’t anticipate any problems getting in and out of Atlanta and into West Palm Beach.

And did I mention south Florida is around 80 degrees?  John I am sure is happy he left this life before New Mexico started experiencing the coldest weather in decades.    It is staying below 20 degrees today and will be below zero tonight.  Marie and John have never had weather like this here.   And I got to shovel a few times.    But the weather is worse south of Albuquerque, believe it or not.  The good news is it should be near 50 here this weekend.   Even today at 15 degrees, the sun was melting the roads.  Last night we were out and it was very icy.  The one snow plow for Rio Rancho could not cover the whole town.  Usually the snow melts a few hours after they get it,  but not if it can’t get to 32 degrees!

But we are doing better than a lot of the country,  so I hope you are getting through this weather safely.   Work was a little easier today since most of my contacts have closed offices today!  And trucks with my orders are not moving – we will pay for that later!  Sounds like Appleton did not get hit hard, although they said Oshkosh got it worse.   I can look forward to that when I get home Monday night.

take care

Well Sunday was good with the Packer game, even though it was a nail biter,   it was better that we had the lead and they needed to catch up.  Go Pack.

A tough week for Marie and Chris.  Although Marie has been getting stronger, she still has a ways to go and has some issues to work through.  John was going down hill quickly and it became apparent his time here on earth would come to an end soon.    It sounds like his body started shutting down a couple of days ago,  and he passed away this evening.    So no more pain,  no more confusion.

Marie had done a wonderful job of taking care of him for a number of years now.  It seems that John went quickly,  but only because Marie’s hard work with him for so long as his symptoms became worse.  And having seen what dementia did to Marie and Chris’s Mom,  I know it is a blessing that John can go home to the Lord and not linger on in a nursing home.

So please say a prayer for John, and for Marie to keep gaining her strength as she has to think of her life adjusting to John not being there.

Made it through another week.  Some good things this week.  I actually was caught up on most issues at work.    Chris’s flights to Albuquerque were smooth and she landed early.   Even though we lost Aunt Lottie the service and mass were very nice and it was a celebration of 95 years.  Up here in Green Bay area we heard very little bad news,  because every news cast begins and ends with the Packers.   We all have high hopes for the game!  Our ordered cabinets for the condo were delivered this week and are in the condo!  And we adjusted what we were looking for options on our next car, and in the midst of everything else going on Turn Key Auto called and said he had some options at the auction that might work for us.  And now we have another car!  2009 Malibu, I like the looks and the interior, and like the gas mileage compared to the truck I have been driving every day!

And best news is that Marie is home.  Chris and Marie are ‘bonding’ as Marie continues to get stronger.   So we hope there are no more hic ups in her recovery.   She has March to look forward to changing the colostomy and we will keep the prayers  going so that happens on schedule. Dealing with the bag is the biggest issue right now.  And we keep up the prayers for John whose Parkinsons and demetia have taken turns for the worse under nursing home care.  I could go on for awhile on what I think of most of the health systems and how they are managed, but I will spare you for now.  But sit down with me for a beer and look out…

And the Wisconsin weather, there’s a subject you don’t want to hear from me on either.   Thursday morning when I woke up it was -11, then -12,   and -15 when I left for work.    Yes it is the January’s as I remember them.   At 17 I was pumping gas, clean your windshield , check the oil for 50 cents worth of gas, at -20 but I was a lot younger then.  Now I know we don’t have to live like this!    When I woke up this morning it was snowing,  but now some sun is sneaking through and it is up to 5 degrees.   So I suppose I could put on a few layers and go clean the driveway and stock up some more firewood.  With the extreme cold and no Chris to accompany me I stayed in last night on my birthday,  and I love to go out on my birthday!

So I will likely update after the Packer Game,  but have yourself a great weekend leading up to it.  My tribute to Aunt Lottie and Muriel-mushrooms and all!  Both always loved to have some fun.

The start of another week.   Last week went pretty well,even with the snow that we got.  Mostly light and fluffy.  We had snow Thursday, and more on Friday night.  Saturday morning I cleaned up the driveway and then we took some time for ourselves.   We went to take a look at some cars, and we went up to Green Bay  to have a late lunch at Titletown Brewpub.  It is a great place.  In an old railroad depot at the start of the Nitchke bridge.  I had a good Scotch Ale and a Belgian Tripple.  Along with the jalepeno turkey melt.  It was relaxing.   Then we headed over to Onieda casino.  We decided to use one of the nights I bought on the channel 10 auction and stay at the Raddison.   I have always thought they did a nice job with the hotel and casino and I think so even more now.  The room was great and we were treated very well.

Oh and it might have been a better weekend because we also watched the Packer game in the sports bar there.  Wow,  what a game.   Did anyone guess it could be that good of a game against the top seed?   I kept waiting for things to tighten up.   Should I worry that I worried about that game but am not so worried about the Bears?   I think we can roll through Chicago.

So we enjoyed the weekend.   We won’t have that chance for a little while now.  Marie has improved and will get to go home on Wednesday.  So Chris flies out tomorrow morning from Green Bay to be with her when she comes home, finally.   And we will play it by ear on how long she stays.  But she is getting out just in time, after todays heavy snow (weather man said 3″ in Oshkosh,  bull) the temperature is supposed to start dropping tomorrow.  And we will get to the old fashioned Wisconsin below zero January.  Lot’s of accidents, and I left work a little early to miss the worst of traffic.    But the snow is stopping now so we should be fine in the morning.  And it will be great to get Marie home and recuperating.

More sad news yesterday.  Mom’s older sister, Aunt Lottie passed away.  Always sad,  but she had 95 great years, and is comfortable now.  Mom is the last left of her siblings now.

So have yourself a great week!

Another week underway. We were supposed to have some light snow today.   When I went downstairs this morning they said we had maybe an inch and we would have 1-3.  So I went out to quick clean off the driveway;  I like to get it clean before a bunch of cars drive on it during the day.   Well I took out the big scoop and was going to get some exercise,  and I walked a few feet and the scoop was full.   Quickly change of plans to the plow.  The weather man needs to get outside more.   and it snowed all day.   So I plowed again tonight.   It has stopped now.  so hopefully it is still clean in the morning.   We have gotten a reprieve from the extreme cold, for a few days.  Sounds like the weekend will be bringing it back.    But we are near the middle of January, so the end is in sight,  right?

Last week went quickly, as did the weekend.  I am still way behind at work,  despite extra hours,   but if I can get past the rest of the start of the year stuff maybe I can change that.   Friday we headed to Milwaukee early, for Muriel’s funeral.   And then Friday night there was Chris’s Holiday work party.  They had a casino night and great food and drink, so we had fun.   Saturday we spent time with Mom, ran a few errands, and took a tour of the Potawatomi Casino – I had promised Chris to finally take her there.   It is very nice, and is large.   And Chris won,  which made it even more fun!   And Saturday evening we had a nice dinner with John and Mary Koss on John’s birthday.   Sunday was brunch with Mom, and then to see Fran and Bob’s work at their house in Franksville.   And we need to stop eating for a few days!

Chris’s sister Marie is doing much better.   She has had some bumps,  but they figured our the antibiotic they were giving her was making her nauseous,  and once that was stopped things got better.  She is out of the hospital and in a nursing home for rehab.  After laying for a couple of weeks and two major surgeries she has some strength to regain.  Tomorrow we should find out more about the plan for how long she will be there, and will then book Chris a flight to New Mexico.  Right now it looks like early next week.

Received a new CD from my son-in-law.   Crystal Bowersox,  I have not heard of her but guess I missed a few seasons of American Idol.  At the start of the album I thought it was country, then blues, then not sure at all – or all of the above.  I really like it.  I will have to learn more.

Jan 11th,  would have been Dad’s birthday.  6 years next week that he is gone.    Mom continues to do well though, she will be 90 next month.

So Wednesday night is SOB exec board meeting night,  we will slave over the details of the upcoming meetings, and possibly try a few beers.   Hope your week goes smoothly!

Oh by the way,  we have 2 new refrigerators!

Wednesday night,  our first full day home.   Boy Florida was nice!    Time flew by and the weather was great.  The first 2 cold nights then things just kept getting better.   We left for the airport around 5 am Tuesday,  Al and Viv got up to drive us.  Al said it was above 70 degrees already.  And this morning it was -2 here!  Keep the fire going.     The trips home were good.  This time through Atlanta, and weather was good all the way through.  We had a couple of hours in Atlanta,  which I feel comfortable with.  I can cover the whole Atlanta airport in 15 minutes,  but there are so many delays these days you need enough time to easily make your connection.   And the 2nd flight had a little delay while they did some maintenance,  but they made good time in the air.

And just a dusting of snow when we landed in Milwaukee.   We then stopped by Mom,  we had left everything there the morning after Christmas when we left.   And she had some of her decorations to go down into storage.   But it was not long and we were on our way.  A nice drive up with some sunshine,  even though it was 20 degrees.    When we arrived home there was more snow here.   I planned to clean the drive as soon as we unloaded,  but we noticed a smell in the house, and soon found it.   The refrigerator upstairs stopped cooling and was generating warm air.  And probably had started to shortly after we left for Milwaukee before Christmas.   Everything was thawed, partially cooked, molding.   The bread dough in the freezer rose and burst.   So everything went in to bags and out to the garbage.  Once we sopped up the liquids we took the refrigerator outside.   Not going to repair an 8 year old refrigerator thats full of those smells.

So we got to go refrigerator shopping Tuesday night.   Funny thing,  we have had some problems with the refrigerator downstairs,  and ordered a new one from Lowes before Christmas.   And turned that one off so nothing would happen while we were gone.   So that one comes tomorrow.   We knew from previous shopping Lowes prices are pretty good, and I like their free delivery and take the old one.   So back we went.   We tried to get a 2 for one deal but no luck.   And they don’t have much in stock in white,  go figure.  Stainless steel and black would have been easier.    But the new one should come on Monday.    That was fun.

And we had a little snow today,  just enough to get the plow out and clean the driveway.   That should be it for awhile,  although it won’t warm up anytime soon.    So we will have to wait awhile to feel warm again,  other than standing in front of the fireplace.    Our cabinets for the dining room will come this month and are planned to install Feb 4,  and we will be there for that.

Chris’s sister is still recovering, although tonight she sounded the best she has in weeks.   So the last couple of days have improved and they are reducing the drugs they are giving her.  So hopefully out of the hospital early next week if things continue, and then a stay in a rehab facility to get stronger and be able to deal with her colostomy bag.  Chris will plan to head there when a date gets set to go home.

So that is the update.   Another full day of work to prepare for.  Friday a funeral in Milwaukee and Chris’s work holiday party in Milwaukee.  So another weekend away.

Take care, enjoy life.

Happy New Year all!   2011 has arrived.   We are having an enjoyable time in Florida.  10 pm and I am sitting on the porch,  about 75 degrees.   We saw part of the Packer game,  it looked cooler there.

We brought in the New Year in Fort Meyers with Enders.  And we had our usual fun time.   I danced my shoes off, at least the sole and heal of one shoe.  Noel and I also  got some pool time in.   Unfortunately the Badgers did not start the New Year with a win,   but a close game.     We left after church and brunch today, and have caught up with a number of friends back here in Boynton Beach this afternoon and evening.   Monday we both need to log into work for awhile and will be getting ready to close up the condo for a month.   We leave early Tuesday morning for balmy Milwaukee.

Aunt Muriel passed away before the New Year.  We consider it a blessing.  Sister in law Marie is not doing great.   She had a leakage from the first surgery and the second surgery sounds worst than the first,  trying to clean out the infection and repair the damage the infection caused.   So Marie has a longer road ahead of her.  So please keep her and John in your prayers.

So that is it for tonight,    we will work on bottling up some more warm weather tomorrow to fly back to you Wisconsinites.

I have been meaning to do an update for a few days,  but somehow we have seemed to keep very busy!  We are in Florida,  and enjoy our time here A LOT.

We flew down the morning after Christmas,  and luckily had a direct flight from Milwaukee to Fort Lauderdale.  Often we come through Atlanta and that would not have been good!  The East coast is still struggling to recover from the storms.  But our flight was good and arrived on time.   The first 2 nights were cold, close to record setting.  But the days were nice and the sun here still feels warm,  unlike home!   And each day has gotten better.  Today it was in the upper 60’s when we awoke.  I took a long walk along the beach, the wind is now out of the Southeast.  The bahama breezes are coming in.   The Boynton Beach park has been redone, and is still being finished.  Nothing moves quickly here in Florida!   They had it under construction when we were down in May.   But they have done a nice job and I walked there and had some juice.   Then a nice walk home.  We took the neighbors Al and Viv to lunch today,  and Al and I had our oysters.  And I had the oil changed on the Focus today, tomorrow we drive over to Fort Meyers to bring in the New Year with the Enders.

MJ had gone up to Orlando to meet a friend from the St Sebs neighborhood who lives there with his family now.  Chris and I emptied china cabinets and desk and some of Clyde’s boxes,  and found room for everything.  Yesterday we had a Ministry pick up the cabinets and dining room table.  And I have been running some outlets to where they need to be when we get a wall of cabinets installed in February.  So that is about set.   The room looks big right now!

And we have some not so good news.   Aunt Muriel had a major stroke just before Christmas.  They have moved her back to the nursing home from the hospital into their comfort care,  it sounds like she is not responding at this point and they will monitor her.   And Chris’s sister Marie had surgery again today.   Sounds like about as major as the first one.  She developed some infections around the mesh they put in for her hernia’s, and they had to take the mesh out and replace and take out some infected intestine.   She was unhappy with her rate of recovery before and has to start over,  with a longer recovery.   She will be in the hospital for the next week and Chris will make plans to go to New Mexico.  John is doing as well as expected, and will move nursing homes soon.   So we keep them all in our prayers.  Including Mom’s sister Lottie who was in St Francis hospital last we have heard.

But we did have a nice Christmas.  Mom did come to Skip and Claire’s on Christmas day and had an enjoyable time.  And Andria and Craig were up from Texas.  We had a great meal including smoked Texas turkey, which was excellent.

So I am on the porch doing updates, after spending some time with Al having a cocktail and listening to stories.  Chris has been working, on a work project they gave her a few hours ago and want in for year end.    I think I will have a glass of Zinfindel and a small cigar, and enjoy the breeze through the palms.   And we wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2011,  enjoy family friends and live life to the fullest.

Santa is close to arriving.  Actually MJ arrived today.   She flew into Chicago and rented a car because that was so cheap compared to flying into Appleton or Milwaukee.    Luckily she had an early flight, because O’Hare was already a mess this morning.  She was delayed because of O’Hare problems, and ended up circling for 45 more minutes waiting for a runway but she made it.  And the drive up was good.  She spent part of the day in Milwaukee visiting with someone she taught with there.

And thank you for your prayers.  Marie sounded much better today and has progressed a lot.  Still some hurdles to get through but a big improvement.  John on the other hand is struggling.   He ended up falling and breaking an arm.  Good friend Tom got him from the nursing home and took him to the hospital, where he is now.   His confusion is pretty bad.  The good news is after 3 days in the hospital Medicare will pick up the cost of him going back to the nursing home for awhile,  And Marie won’t be able to handle him for awhile.  So a few more prayers for them both would not hurt!

And our snow is back.  We probably had 4 inches this morning.   I got up at 4:30 am to clean the driveway, and spent more time than I had hoped.  Of course I had to fix the cable for the plow also,  I will have to try Al’s recommendation for a tennis ball before the hook.  Anyway there was good news here also,  we warmed up into the 20’s today which is very welcome.   And it looks like we will have a number of 20 degree highs at least.  I am going back out tonight for a little exercise and clean up the inch or two that is on the driveway.   From all the turkey tracks it looks like they were here looking for gravel!  How about turkey for Christmas dinner?

So be prepared for the coming of the Lord.  Be prepared for anything life brings next.   Well off to play in the snow,  enjoy!

Sunday night,  the Packers are playing without Aaron Rogers,  no one is giving them a chance, and so far they are making a good show of it.  Well OK,  some terrible tackling,  but still playing well overall.    Hope springs eternal, even after losing to Detroit.

The good news is that we have not had any more snow since we got home.  And we are getting closer to Christmas, and then to Florida.  We are consistently below normal temperatures.  And I love cold weather,  but things could be worse.   Chris’s sister Marie had her surgery,  Besides taking out part of the colon the doctor found a number of hernias and the surgery was much more extensive than planned.   And so far so is the recovery.  We have talked to her briefly but she is on a lot of medication.  And her husband John who has had a lot of confusion from his years of Parkinson’s medication, is staying in a nursing home and without Marie there 24/7 has had more confusion.  His Parkinson medication is probably not being given the same as he is used to and he has been falling a lot and difficult to handle.   So we are praying for both of them.  And for Tom and Barb Madrid who are there with them night and day.  They are more than good friends.   And we have heard one of our neighbors fell in the house and broke her leg, had some pins inserted in it, and is now on a long recovery.  And another neighbor Rick (who tries to teach me how to fish) had ankle surgery and has months more of recovery to look forward to.

So we can take some cold for now.  And pray everyone is doing better come Christmas.   We were home this weekend.  I spent a number of hours working, as there is a lot I need to have done by year end.   And no way to get it done during the work day.  I do have off Thursday and Friday, and will probably put some hours in on Thursday.  But we do get to wear jeans this week!

MJ is scheduled to come in on Tuesday, and we hope the weather does not get in her way.   Sounds like it will be mostly Monday night for a storm system coming in.    We hope to be hearing some better news by then and get some relaxing time in with MJ.

So we hope your week is a good one, and that you have some time to make this an enjoyable Christmas season.  Count your blessings