12 3 1 23 Now the other half

 "123, 123 that's how elementary it's gonna be, it's so easy, like taking candy from a baby" June 5-8 we were in Valpo for the boys VBS show and time with Silas and Paul. On the 21st Luke got his Trailblazer from Feldmans and the end of June we had hazy days of 200+ air quality due to the wild fires in Canada. July 4th we watched the fireworks from AF's riverfront patio with Luke. On the 9th I went to the viewing of I-496 movie at the Armory on South Washington. It was about the neighborhoods between St. Joseph and Main where I spent my early 12 years that were torn down for the highway. The Alvarado reunion was Saturday the 15th and the following Saturday Luke ran the Ele's Place Race at Jackson National Life and finished 41st. I went to 2 concerts at Sharp Park in July the only ones this summer. August began with Jane going to Dr. Mesko about her arthritic hip and he decided not to do surgery yet and gave her pills for inflammation. Late Friday night Jane started throwing up so we thought she had the flu but it continued until we took her to the doctor Tuesday and she told us to take her to emergency. So we went to Sparrow Okemos ER which was closest to their office and only had to wait 15 minutes and an hour later they did a cat scan. No flu but a gallstone the size of an ess blocking her intestine. They nasogastric intubated her to get the fluids from her stomach and got her a room at Sparrow Hospital. She had to go by ambulance and was in her room after 8 at night. I went to see her the next morning the 9th as they had to fit her in for emergency surgery and thought it would be in the early afternoon, at 12 they said they were ready to come get her and her surgery was from 1 to 3 with Dr. Hagen. On Friday Phil was coming to town as our vacation at Grand Haven began Saturday at 3 and we told the boys to go and we would join them when the doctor released mom from the hospital. Jane was in for 7 days so on Wednesday morning we headed to The Blue Yonder and stayed until Saturday morning with Phil doing the cooking and mom taking it easy. On Thursday night the 24th strong winds from a storm front split the electric pole by the church and we ended up losing power from 8:30 pm until Sunday the 27th at 7:30 pm. So we had a lot of Culver's, Eastside Fish Fry, and Acapulco for food. September didn't get any better as on Saturday the 9th Addie's called to inform Jane her mother had passed. We had been with her on Friday with Andersen and I knew she was closer to her time but we had a very good visit and she was more aware than she'd been the last month. The music lady from Sparrow Hospice was there and played her harp and we sang with her some special songs. On Monday to Petra's surprise we were at Tiffany's to plan Herminia's funeral at 9:15 as she set it up without telling us. Unfortunately Andrew and her acted very disrespectfully to the reason we were there and  embarrassed the family. There was no showing  at Petra's desire to make it quick and simple and Jane had to make her change her plans to not have Simon and Luke as pallbearers and we added Anthony to replace 3 cousins Petra had contacted but who hadn't replied. Thursday the 14th was the service at Cristo Rey and we by Petra's planning sat on opposite sides of the aisle and she would not be using the limousine provided. We found out she had also asked for no eulogies as she knew Andersen and Andrew would want to at the end of the mass. We went to St. Joseph Cemetary for the burial and I asked Fr. Vincent after the internment why and if those who had prepared eulogies could have an opportunity to do theirs and he said yes at the luncheon. With a smaller amount of people at he church basement Father announced those who had something to share about Herminia could but before he could finish Petra interrupted him and said the food was ready to serve. Finally after dinner Andrew got up and started sharing his off the top of his head words and then Andersen was next and all the time either of them were honoring Herminia, Petra was talking out loud to people and pretending to clean up the tables. On Friday we had dinner with our boys before they left to go back home. We had Crack Chicken and had Art's Pizza Thursday night. On the 25th I went to Regency West to visit Don Negus who had been there since January and sick since last December in hospitals and is still at Regency to this day but hopefully he will be out in January. October 1st new back porch by Tom Mullins of Clarity Home Solutions and on the 4th to 20th he replaced the stairs. We went to Valpo the 13 to15th and went to the Power Rangers movie with the boys. On the 22nd Jane had Sue over for her birthday dinner and also invited Andersen over as she has had her and her boys over 3 times during the summer. On the 30th we sold the 06 Malibu to Padnos for $380 for recycling. November 2 we went see Peg at Sparrow as they moved her surgery on her spine up because of her pain, we also saw her 3 more times. On the 18th Lukas ran in the Silver Bells 5K and I had more precancer on my face treatment from Dr. Messenger on the 20th. We left Thanksgiving morning for Phil's and got to Newark about noon and had turkey dinner and they are going to have a baby girl in June. On Friday we went downtown for the lighting of the courthouse and left Sunday morning. December 2nd we got our new 60" TV installed in the backroom. We ordered a fireplace insert from Lowes but twice they sent the wrong one so we finally bought a floor model that was a fireplace for the same price on the 15th. On the 6th Jane and I had Signify Health evaluation at home and got $75 Target gift cards. On the 11th Jane got her covid, flu and rsv shots and I got the covid only.  We went to see Peg at Dobie Road rehab as she was transferred there and went again on the19th. She got out before Christmas and is staying with Lori but still is not able to walk or stand on her own. Christmas Eve we went to Valpo and stayed until Wednesday. Jane literally had bags of presents for the boys and we had a great time. Lukas went to Pete's wedding in Detroit today New Years Eve and will be staying the night there. I hope never to wait so long to do my blog as Trump is still the front runner for the Republican presidential race and Biden will be too old to do a good job. The Ukraine, Russia war is still going on and Israel and Hamas war is showing only signs of escalating into a global conflict. Looking to 2024 with optimism will be hard so I pray people will come to their senses and stop all this divisiveness and really try to unite for peace on Earth!

 

Half a Year has Passed

 November 2022,  Luke ran the Silver Bells 5K in the freezing cold. Jon and Phil and family were here for Thanksgiving and Jane and I went to Valpo the next week for 4 days to watch the boys as Sharon had a conference out of state. My cousin Jim Pratt died and I visited with his family at the funereal home in Grand Ledge. December, we got a new dishwasher and had the floors fixed where they were separating. We had snow just before Christmas and Jon came the 30-31 for our holiday celebration. January 2023, I had my new bridge put in by Dr. Rashid and all is fitting well to the tune of $4,500. On the 16th I took care of my brother Jim as they moved into their new place a block and street away form the old one and the next day Premier tore down the back porch overhang that we feared would fall on it's own to the tune of $3,800 but they finished in less than 2 hours.Jane ended up with another sinus infection which dragged her down for a week. February, Jane and I spent 6 days in Newark as Phil and Stef were in New Zealand. It was cold but Winston got 3 walks a day and we went to Granville one day and the Heath Earthworks Mounds on another. March, was just boring going to Addie's Mondays and Fridays and the Y 3 or 4 times a week. April, we went to Valpo to celebrate birthdays and see the boys in an Easter play at the La Crosse church. On the 21st Jane and I went to the Wharton Center to see Tina courtesy of Jon's early birthday present. Gramma had her 99th birthday and Jane made her a cake and shared it at Addie's then all the drama of Petra taking her to Cristo Rey on Senior's Wednesday for her glorification. Also Gloria was here and Mark and Petra had taken Gramma to the LO-EYE Care for her glasses to be adjusted when they were not supposed to. May, Simon bought a 2018 Buick Enclave from Lansing Motor Cars and finally after 3 weeks got his license and breathalyzer installed so he could start driving on the 30th. We got the washer raised up on a platform so it will drain without back flushing the 7th. All 4 of us went to Newark to see Phil the 2nd weekend and it was a long drive. Jane had a virus that slowed her down for a few days and went for x-rays on her hip and saw a specialist who put her on steroids for the pain in her leg. We celebrated Jane's 70th birthday with German chocolate cupcakes and dinner at Sindhu's Indian restaurant on Sunday. Six months of avoiding writing makes for a dull entry but that is my life now. Gramma is down to 87 pounds and confined to her wheelchair though she still tries to get up once in a while. Petra controls her Tuesdays, Thursdays and Mark has Wednesdays, Saturdays with Andrew on Sundays. She is less aware with some days better than others. It has been 3 weeks since we've had rain and it has been in the upper 80's and 90 today with that lasting through the weekend.

From Caregiver to Daughter 11/11/22

 Back on July 30th all the family attended the Pratt Christmas at Greg's and had a splendid day with the extended Pratt family. Phil's car needed to be fixed unfortunately so he drove Stephanie back to Ohio with the Equinox and had his car fixed at Feldman's. He drove back and and Tuesday we went to a Lugnuts game before he headed back home Wednesday. Gramma got her 2 wheeled walker from Sparrow and had her last PT. On Friday August 5th Gramma went to Addie's Acres for a week as we were leaving Saturday for a week of vacation in Grand Haven. We stayed at the Blue Yonder just down the hill from Penny's behind the State Park. On August 23rd we had a zoom meeting with Michelle over and Eaton Co. to renew her guardianship. On the 26th we placed Gramma in the Sparrow transition Palliative Care program. Starting in September Gramma had nurse Bill come twice a month and Mary the social worker once a month. Gramma stayed at Addie's the weekend of the 3rd as we went to Jake's wedding at Cherry Barc Farm in Vermontville and got a hairline fracture of her wrist. Vanessa was coming twice a week for Gramma's showers as we asked Michelle if that could be done as it was too much for Jane. This also made it so Jane would have to take Gramma to the bathroom when ever she got up at night to make sure she didn't fall. Mark started taking Gramma to Seniors on Wednesdays in September and she stayed at Addie's again the weekend of the 23rd as we went to Valpo to visit the boys.Chip redone the hallway bathroom with a new vanity, mirror, grab bar and cabinet. On October 7th Luke took me to the Wharton Center for a LSO concert that he got tickets to free from work. Jane and I went to Addie's for a tour on Sunday the 9th and Theresa said Gramma could come stay there starting the 12th. We called Michelle to get her approval and switched Gramma to Sparrow Hospice Care the 10th and she is living there now where she can get the care she needs. We visit her on Mondays and Fridays and she is adjusting to being there. On the 22nd Jane and I went to Lori's 60th birthday at Sanctuary Spirits in Grand Ledge. On the 26th I attended Nancy Fineis' funeral at St Gerard's and talked to Mary. Sue Hauser came over on the 26th for her 75th birthday and Jane made her scrimp tostadas and a coconut cake. Simon has been spending the last 4 weekends at April's as Holt's football team finished their season and Adrianna is in the band. The election turned out great for Michigan as the Democrats won against the Trump backed election deniers and gained control of the State House and Senate. Jane and I are able to go to the Y and though we love her mother it is freeing to not have her 24 hours a day.

Dragging on still Moving on

 Gramma has been our focus and we keep trying our best. Senior's ended in May so no more breaks on Wednesdays. Gramma had her second booster shot and we had Nora Hallenbeck over for a lunch visit. In June Gramma fell and hit her head so we took her in for a cat-scan which showed no bleeding so she was able to go to Addie's Acre for the weekend as Jon and Sharon were coming up for a weekend visit with the grandchildren. In late June Gramma fell in the bathroom and was a little sore so we waited over the weekend to see how she was doing and she was still in pain so we took her in for X-rays and found she had fractured her right pelvis. The orthopedic doctor said she would have nerve pain but there was no danger in letting her walk. They gave her ultram for pain but after a week we put her back on tylenol because of her behavior. She had Sparrow come out to evaluate her and she is having OT and PT again along with some help with her showers. She went for her physical this week and her weight is down to 113 pounds and is not eating like she should and her doctor noticed how much she has declined. She was able to go to the Alvarado Reunion for 3 hours and Petra enjoyed staying in her face while there. I had the mole removed from my head and it has healed. I have been to 2 concerts at Sharp Park this summer and Jane and I are still taking our days at the YMCA. Phil and Stef were here for Mother's Day weekend and Lukas and I went to Debbie's 60th birthday at ConfluxCity Brewing in Portland in June. I went to a small gathering at Green Dot Stables for a 53 class reunion for 3 hours and had a good time talking with Steve Schultz there. On the June 24 Jane and I went to Mike Medrano's funeral at Cristo-Rey and St Joseph Cemetery while Mark sat with Gramma. Phil and Stef were finally able to move in their new house last week and are busy getting everything settled.  Jane is with her cousins at Flap Jack for a well earned brunch break today. The world is a mess with war, inflation, excessive heat, fires and unstableness  but we don't have time to worry about all that is falling apart as we try to hold what we can together.

Still Getting Things Done

    February went by quickly with Mark taking Gramma to Senior's on Wednesdays and everyday life following normal patterns. Phillip came up the last weekend from Ohio and then again 3 weeks later in March and got the new vanity for the bathroom that Chip put in later that week. The 25th through the 27th we went to Valpo for our birthdays and Gramma to Addie's.I had a filling replaced at Rashid's and had a biopsy done at Dr. Messenger's. On the 30th we switched our home base service to Consumer's Cellular and it is much better and clearer. Gramma got a new wig at Elegante and that will help Jane with taking care of her hair and her OT ended but now she has PT twice a week. April made me 71 and I put all new tires on the Equinox. Jane had a tooth extracted by Dr. Hagen Friday and did well as Phil and Stef came up Saturday and Easter Sunday and dinner and the weekend all turned out successfully. Stef has just moved back to Ohio 2 weeks ago and started her new job last week as they keep looking for a new home near Columbus. Lukas started his full time job for Accident Fund Monday after being a temp to hire since last September. Simon put new shelving in the basement to try to organize our closets better and is still doing more. As far as the pandemic a new BA.2 variant has caused numbers to rise again with 6.197 million deaths and 504 million cases worldwide, 988,600 deaths and 80.625 million cases in the U.S., while Michigan has 35,900 deaths and 2.401 million cases. The Russian war against the Ukraine continues as Putin is raging his authoritarian hate in Europe to the point of a possible WW 3. When will they ever learn? God help us all please!

2/4/22 13.3 " Snow

   On 2/2/22 we had 13.3 " of snow the most ever for a day in February and 6th most for a winter day in Lansing. January was cold with only 3 days above 32 degrees and only 9 days of sunshine though we missed the major snowstorms that went way south of Michigan.  We also went over 2M Covid cases in Michigan today with 32,600 deaths, the U.S. is at 77M and 900,000 deaths and worldwide 391 M with 5.7M deaths. On 1/15/22 I went digital for the LSJ newspaper as they are trying to get out of the print version by making it very expensive to be delivered. Gramma is having OT again and had podiatry and dental appointments in January and she went to Cristo Rey Seniors with Mark one Wednesday to calm the storm of Petra. I had my dental cleaning at Rashid's with the warning of creeping gingivitis looming if I don't do better with brushing. Lisa and Simon' came over Saturday the 29th to visit Gramma and Elidia came on the 31st for much needed time with her. Bill Parker passed away suddenly on January 24 and we attended his visitation on Sunday the 30th. Jane made almost 50 bacon and black bean tortillas and we took them over to Karen and family that night. Today Chip put in a new vanity and mirrors in our bedroom bathroom and after we paint it a new light fixture. The new year is moving on quickly as we await stabilization in our lives and world.

2022 A New Start

 WOW, last year I was so caught up in busyness that only 4 quarterly posts were made. This new year I will work at timeliness by being a watchman who is not bitter, hesitant and/or suspicious of the past and living in the present with a heart of wisdom. In early November over 4 days we had new flooring put in the house transforming them to a constant look and feel of a new home. Gramma and Jane got their Covid booster shots the middle of November and I in December. Gramma had her doctors checkup before Christmas and is doing well and though her PT and OT ended in early November they are going to get her more in this new year. I had my follow up with Dr. Hansen and he said my heart looked good in the tests and upped my Carvedilol to 18Mg for my blood pressure. Jon and family were here for Thanksgiving and we went there for Christmas. Unfortunately Jon came down sick on Christmas and found out he had Covid which resulted in positive tests for Lukas and Simon with mild symptoms for both of them and quaranting upstairs for 5 days and us wearing masks in the house.Gramma had stayed at Addie's while we were in Valpo and we needed to protect her as Jane and I tested negative as we all went to MSU stadium for tests with no wait to get them but still needing to be cautious. Jane and I have been going to the Y but she has been wary about going with the Omicron variant spiking numbers of infections. Worldwide there are 288 M cases and 5.44 M deaths, the U.S. 54.7 M cases and 824,000 deaths, Michigan 1.71 M cases and 29,000 deaths as the Omicron variant spreads Covid more quickly but has been less severe but is dangerous to those unvaccinated free willers. Mark has been visiting Gramma at least biweekly since October and Petra has taken her to the Seniors on Wednesday at Cristo Rey twice. The end of November I bought our leased Equinox as there are no deals on new leases and we only had 32,300 miles on it and  it is still worth close to what I paid because of the chip shortage. DeLuca's closed the first weekend of November and Phil wanted us to freeze him some pizzas so we waited in line to order and then go back to get them but it was a sunny day and about a half hour wait. Phillip was here the weekend before Christmas driving up from Ohio. We had a good visit as we had not seen him since May's vacation and he stayed at Andy Wegener's. Jim and Betty did get to go to Florida and we had dinner with them and Linda before they left. MSU won the Peach Bowl 31-21 over Pitt ending their season 11-2 with loses to Purdue and Ohio State.  2022 a new year with new adventures awaiting us ready or not but God will see us through faithfully.