Back Again, Interupted

  Last night I began this blog after a long hiatus. The internet connection went down as we had an ice storm on the 21st that had knocked out cable for two days. Last night they finally got electricity back in Mar Mor and Thomas L as well as the traffic lights on Waverly from Willow to Saginaw, which were four way stops for five days. I was not able to save all I wrote so I begin again today with an assurance from Comcast service is restored. Back to August, I got a call to be building sub at Winans. Until Thursday I worked there every day subbing for teachers or following Isacc, an autistic student in third grade. Friday school was cancelled due to the first ice storm that made the roads and sidewalks slippery, I had been told Monday that I would not report everyday after the first of the year. It was a good gig knowing where I'd be and not have to depend on the computer to pick up assignments where they were available, especially after my recovering with my leg. We went to Hebron to visit Jon and Sharon on September 14th and spent the night at their repainted house. We went to an apple orchard and craft show before heading home. They've been here for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve for our family dinners. In October we went to Remus for Jim and Betty's 55th and earlier to spend the night for the first time there. Greg was in a play, MASH, at the Riverwalk Theater and his daughter Becca was married in Grand Ledge November 14th. We took Aunt Peg there at the Opera House and had a good time celebrating with family. At home we painted our bedroom and tore out the carpet as well as having the porch redone with stone brick. Over 50,000 homes were without electricity for many days in Lansing and I thank God we and the Ybarras didn't lose it. It was very surreal driving down the Saginaw strip with no lights and then through Thomas L like a ghost town. The paper has the number down to 15,000 now and Jane's brothers have their power back. MSU won the Big Ten championship and are playing in the Rose Bowl. Phillip went to Indianapolis for the game and has been busy working at the Lear Center on campus. He did many interviews for summer internships in the fall and accepted Marathon's offer to work in Canton Ohio. Lukas is a supervisor at MSU and is hoping to finish up his schooling by getting into a one year education program. Simon hurt his ankle at the Crown Plaza and is waiting to find out how that is going to work out. Jane is still tortured by her jaw pains. It is a lot of work rehashing four months of life, hopefully I will be more diligent. But about fifty limbs wait outside to be cut up and discarded.

Getting Back to Life

     I wore my leg brace until July 30th when Dr. Morrison released me to challenge my quadriceps. I will have 11 half hour physical therapy sessions, as that is all the insurance approved. My leg is getting stronger everyday but still gives me a limp and climbing stairs is a thinking process. I just worked 6 days proctoring at Cooley, and read 3 books. Demian by Hesse, Me the Mob and the Music by Tommy James, and The Buffalo Creek Disaster by Gerald Stern. Gloria was here for 10 days in July which included the family reunion and The Ybarra's 67th wedding anniversary. Controversy also caused some bad feelings when the Ybarras sold her their truck after first being the Buick she was going to take. Jane is keeping her distance from her parents as her jaw has been very painful due to the conniving. We spent an afternoon with John and Sharon at Jim and Betty's on the 27th. Phillip finished his internship with Chrysler last week and I moved him home filling the car up with all his stuff.  Summer has been rainy and not too hot which was fine for me. Lukas worked at MSU all summer and they are finished with all the road work around there finally. The summer surprisingly went quickly despite all the set backs with my leg. Nothing profound but enduring on will see us through the waiting.
  Waiting prolongs    Lingering wanting   Leaving restlessness   Standing alone   Flinging blanks.

Historic Rulings

   The Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act invalid thus making gay marriage legal in the 13 states that have approved it.  29 states still have constitutional amendments that limit marriage to heterosexual couples.  I fully support civil unions and full rights for homosexual couples but don't call it marriage.  Jane and I went for our yearly health evaluations and my labs were all good and Jane now knows she needs her vitamin D everyday.  I switched to Xarelto from the warfarin and if all goes well will not have to go for monthly readings for my pro-time.  We had 2 open houses for graduations. We were at Maggie Pratt's in Dewitt and Greg and Denise's new home driving Peg there.  Today we went to Ben Alvarado's at the Valley Farms Community Center and met his girlfriend who did hers also.  Otherwise I've been taking it easy with my leg and listening to a lot of Frank Zappa.  I finished Janis Ian's autobiography as we had 5 days of 85+ temperatures this week. Simon came over today and trimmed up the yard and cut the grass on the hill that was neglected since my injury.  History and equal rights will be an issue that will face challenges that will expand or define the future of marriage in America. Meadow wind blowing by again altering everything in a quiet moment.

Left Leg Quadricep

   On May 22 at 4:44 I was heading downstairs to shut off the fan circuit for the electrician when my school year came to an early end due to a partial tear of my quadriceps muscle.   After the electrician finished about 6:00 the pain in my leg required a stop at St Lawrence Emergency to confirm with ultrasound a tear of the muscle and check for any blood clots.  The next morning I had an appointment with Dr. Morrison and MRI at MSU to evaluate the damage. Confirming a tear and the need to immobilize the leg with a brace for 6 weeks so it could heal without the need of surgery.  The leg is still swollen and had some bruising but seems to be feeling and looking better. This prevented me from teaching and a trip Jane and I were going on to Black Lake for the UAW retirees. Phillip is settled in at Oakland University for his job at Chrysler since May 20th and has 2 roommates who are also interning there. Jane has devoted herself to helping with my recovery and I hate being a burden but I really can only drive short distances, like to church twice now. Simon began working at The Lexington and is hoping when it becomes a Crown Plaza Hotel they make some changes as to how they pay as he is making less than he did at the Radisson. Luke is working daily at MSU but that requires Jane to take him before 7:00 each morning. We went to the Mothers Day dinner at Cristo Rey with the Ybarras' and the Senior picnic and mass at Francis Park. Life goes on and we do what we must to make the best of living it!
 We've had plenty of rain to make everything green and growing as the temperatures remain mild with just a few days in the 80's so far.

Graduation Day

   Phillip graduated from MSU at the Breslin Center this morning with a Psychology degree. Spring has finally sprung after last week being rainy, it has been sunny and in the 70's.  It reminded me of when I graduated at Spartan stadium in  June of 1979 on a sunny afternoon with Jane and my mom, today would have been her 103rd birthday. Jane has been spending lots of time with her mom and dad and Andrew as he is going through a divorce with Sandy.  The bombing at the Boston Marathon on April 15th and the drama afterward is still surreal. Without faith in God it would be hard to go out in this world of chance encounters and trust the goodness of humankind. Lukas should be busy working at MSU this summer and Phillip has accepted an internship with Chrysler in Auburn Hills. Simple belief in God, yourself and family is all we can really hold onto to bring security and a sense of peace in a world that can be empty of truth and meaningfulness. Even my Discover Card was hacked and with multiple Internet charges made they inquired about the activity and after confirming the fraudulent charges, it was cancelled. Now I have to reset all auto pays on my convenience billings. You try to make life easier but end up opening doors to the criminals who could care less about the damage they do to good people. Sonny died last week in 4 days after being weakened by cancer. Michigan lost the NCAA Final to Louisville.

Social Security

   I turned 62 this week and will get my first Social Security check in May. My GM pension is no longer supplemented so I now need the two checks to be retired and survive.  We are getting our first 50+ temperatures this spring and will have a snow deficit in this cold dry year.  Jon and Sharon were here for an early Easter last weekend and birthday recognition. We had dinners Friday and Saturday for those events and all went well with the boys, Simon and the Ybarras at both meals. The Ybarras left for Florida yesterday and Jane is taking care of Sonny. I was on break from school this week and Jane and I went to Frankenmuth Wednesday as I purchased a Groupon for a case of beer and $15 toward food. The house is still clean and somewhat orderly as we redid the floors in the backroom.  It has been a busy week and never enough time to do everything you want to do. Iowa lost in the NIT and Michigan plays in the NCAA Final 4 tomorrow as MSU lost to Duke in the Sweet 16. I had dinner with Gabor and John Kelley March 20th at Suzanne's place in Okemos. Gabor made pizza and we shared a lot of memories. On the 16th Fr. Maurice was at the old Holy Cross for a mass and we got to see the changes the Vietnamese have made to what is now their church. It was a little strange seeing all the faces you used to worship with but now after a 3+ year hiatus of aging. That SS check must officially make me a senior citizen but being old is only in your mind until it and your body fails you.

Society's Child

   Janis Ian is in town tonight playing in East Lansing and after 46 years of performing now white haired. Her writing and music have had an influence on me and I still relate to her songs and admire her abilities to be timeless with her lyrics. Her For All The Seasons Of Your Mind is in my 10 best albums, Janis Eddy Fink is 6 days younger than me.  Andy Ybarra turned 50 last week and we got together at Old Chicago and had some good cake. The sequester has not been felt yet but change is coming and this is the beginning of the end of entitlements hopefully for all rich or poor.  I wanted to go see Janis Ian but seeing her old probably would have disappointed my expectations and memories. The past is safer and cheaper than the present and reaching out takes courage and risk is costly, so I run from it.   Phillip was accepted into MSU's grad school for the fall and is very excited about the possibilities it presents. The future awaits ready or not it will come whether if we approach eyes wide open or closed. You choose to lose and that don't give you the right to sing the blues.

The Takeover

  After the takeover Jane needed to send Jon a letter expressing her feelings about the wedding.  Jon replied but still did not fully understand how Joe Gerst had compromised any future relationship with his backwardness and our family.  After an e-mail from me Jon admitted to the ignorance of elder Gerst and how he damaged a meaningful or close relationship with the Pratts from Lansing.  Mr. Phillipich died at 90 and we visited with his family. Jim was the best man at our wedding and I always talked to Tony at church or at Meijers. Two members of the O'R class of 69 also died recently. They were Barb Spedoske and Janet Deibolt.  I have been subbing everyday but 2 snow days and holidays have made for short work weeks now for 5 straight weeks.  On Saturday our furnace quit and we braved house temperatures of  52-56 degrees until they came to fix it at 11;00 am today.  It was the gas valve and cost $600 but that's better than having to replace the 23 year old furnace.  Jane is still waiting for her extension pay and found out that she probably will not get any money due to the pending sequesterian budget cuts. Last Friday we went to the Foster Community Center and saw a play about Urbandale.  It brought back memories of her old neighborhood on Howard Street, and she got to talk to a cousin of the VanDousers there. Basil is still going for more testing on his lungs as the doctors are trying to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong. Life is a gift and we must cherish it and make good of our short time we are given on Earth.

Long Trip to IOWA

  On Saturday we left at 6:10 for Iowa and arrived there at 1 EST. We went to the Coral Ridge Mall for an hour as it is CST in Iowa and we couldn't get into our room at the Country Suite yet. We headed for Solon where the recital dinner and pictures after getting into our rooms and arrived after 2:30. It was a sunny day with the temperature near 50. The family took pictures as well as the wedding party and I inquired about my cost for the dinner which we agreed to pay for. The cost came to $737, much more than I had anticipated but the meal was good and the 3 boys were served 2 meals as we paid for 25 adult dinners and a couple of guests were not present. We declined to go to their church for hymn singing as we were tired and Simon had to find an AA meeting. Simon did his PBT the next 2 mornings at the Coralville Police Station and we had very good continental breakfasts at the Inn. At 12:30 Sunday we went to the church in North Liberty for the service which began early with hymn singing droning on continuously until the service started at 1:15, as snow flurries began to fall with the temperatures outside. The wedding was a service and preaching dragged on by the deacon from Valparaiso and then Sharon's dad. It was mostly a reiteration of their church's beliefs, I would guess for the benefit of us visitors. The actual wedding was only about 5 minutes, involving exchanging of vows while they held hands. There was no rings or kiss and then they started another hymn and they exited after the first verses were completed. Did I describe her gold dress with the black veil that looked like mule ears? The 3 bridesmaids wore red dresses and my 3 boys had black suits, very funereal. Most of us were disturbed by the service so much that we headed back to the Inn with the possibility of not attending the reception. We got to Solon about 3:00 and they were waiting for us to begin the receiving line. Jane and I spent the next hour greeting at the end of the line all of the attendees and then ate and after another song bid farewell to Jon and Sharon and by 5:30 we ready to leave. Did I mention the boys were expected to serve drinks at the reception as part of the discount they got for their buffet style food. We left Iowa at 9:20 EST with the temperature near zero and made great time with our second stop at the Michigan welcome rest stop at 1:30. But the lake effect took over as we headed up the shoreline and met whiteouts from St. Joseph to Kalamazoo and then an hour crawl to Battle Creek to get us home at 4:55 safe but exhausted. The 3 days away felt like a month and culturally years as Iowa is on our list of do not return to places. What more can I say, "Toto there's no place like home".  2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S. according to the National Climatic Data Center surpassing 1998 with an average of 55.3 degrees. Every state had a warmer than average year with 362 all-time highs and zero all time low temperatures across the nation. Today is the 35th anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978 when we were dumped on with 19" of snow and I was working midnights. I was stranded at the Olds parking lot taking up residence with some guys from the block floor in a motor home. Finally at 9:00 in the morning we walked to that guy's house by Ingham Medical until after 3 and then dug out his motor home and headed down Main St. taking one guy home over by Gier Park and then about 6 they dropped me off at Willow and Waverly.

Seasons Greetings

     I was able to read 2 Jim Harrison books during proctoring at Cooley this term. I read Farmer and A Good Day To Die and enjoyed both with their similarity to Hemingway. I worked every day until break and now am taking advantage of the 2 weeks off. We had Christmas Eve dinner here with Jane making tostadas and plenty of deserts. We got 2 inches of snow slowing Jon and Sharon's drive from Indiana but they were present along with the Ybarras and Mark for a peaceful evening. We stayed home for New Years and MSU won their bowl game over TCU 17-16. Lukas worked 3 days a week at MSU and Phillip studied for and took his GRE exam. We didn't go over the fiscal cliff because of the last minute deal by our congress of the rich and for the tax less union posturing. Who knows what the new year holds for us but paying more for our health care and taxes certainly are a reality we'll have to adjust to.  Christmas can be everyday if only in the hearts and good deeds of people who love like Christ taught us to.