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.

Still Around

 Three months again of waiting or avoiding starts with a new loveseat, ottoman and cuddle chair from Becker's in Fowler purchased the end of July and delivered Friday August 6th the same day Granger brought the dumpster to begin the big clean out. The garage attic was cleared and everywhere else 45 years of saving that had accumulated for one week of dumping and filling the bin. I mounted the TV on the bedroom wall had a new kitchen faucet put in with a new board under the sink over the next week before we dropped Gramma at Addie's as we went to Valpo for the weekend with the grandchildren. But we had to have Covid tests as we found out Jim and Betty had Covid and we had seen them the week before and Jim was hospitalized.  The end of August I went to TCI at Sparrow as heart palpitations were detected at my Wellness exam and would need a 24 hour monitor and an echocardiogram in September. The doctor upped one of my blood pressure meds but overall everything turned out good. Mark has been seeing Gramma about every other weekend and it has been good for her to see her baby boy. She has also begun PT with Melissa and OT with Monique since September 21st which we asked for from her doctor and was much needed and will go on for a few more visits. Gloria was here for a few weeks and her and Petra got to visit with Gramma twice with Mark taking her to the park and to Petra's. On September 29th my oldest nephew Jamie died of cancer after going through chemo less than a year after being diagnosed at stage 4. He was buried in Zeeland on his birth date October 4. Linda has moved back to Lansing and is living with Jim and Betty and working at a dental office right on Coolidge Rd. Lukas began working at Accidental Fund in the mail room August the 30th so Jane and I take turns going to the YMCA with her going Tuesdays and Thursdays and I go Fridays. The grandchildren were up last weekend, October 15 and 16, as the Autumn has been very mild with cold weather just starting this weekend. The Covid stats due to the Delta variant are 243 million cases and 4.94 million deaths worldwide, 45.4 million cases and 736,000 deaths in the U S with 1,24 million cases in Michigan and 23,300 deaths. 90% of the new cases are unvaccinated people who in general have refused to get vaccinated in the name of freedom who also are anti-maskers. Where we are headed as a country is very tenuous and the leadership in this country caught up in extremist politics is leaving a void we all will pay for economically and socially. MSU football is 7-0 playing U of M next weekend what a surprise. Thank you, GOD!

Complacent

    Life goes on and time flies so recording takes a very back seat. With Biden as president life is less urgent with politics and calm makes my life easier so I've become complacent. Jane returned to the Y the end of April with me and we go twice a week now. Gramma had her birthday with Mark taking her to lunch and Andrew and Robin stopping by but nothing from the rest other than Petra taking her to a Seniors Picnic at Cristo Rey June 16th. Mark also took Gramma to dinner on his birthday the 26th of June while we were getting 5" of rain that weekend ending our drought. We had our family vacation in Grand Haven May 20-27 at Antony's Place again with Gramma staying at Addie's Acres her cousin's nursing home. On the 21st we picked Phil and Stef up at GR Airport and Jon and family came at 7 that night.  We were all at the beach Saturday and it warmed up enough for the boys to swim. Jon left on Sunday at 6 and the week went fast and on Wednesday we were able to swim again at the beach as Phil and Stef flew out at 6. On Friday the 28th Dan's Fence replaced the broken fence in the back and the gate. In June I had the garage door fixed so it would move up and down even though we hoped to replace the doors but found out they were too low and not up to code to replace.  I took care of my brother a couple of times in June while Betty had dental work done as he needs to be with someone at all times. Dementia is sad as we see with my brother and mother-in-law but life goes on with God's help. On June 13th we went to Londa's daughter Jada's open house and at the family reunion on July 10th they gave Gramma a super nice blanket with pictures of family.  The reunion had fewer people but went well as Petra did not show up even though she had messaged us during the week she would help with mother, for show, her excuse she told Elidia was she was having a colonoscopy on Monday and we also did not answer her back if we were going. We had problems with our internet after the rains and spent 2 weeks trying to get Xfinity to get up it and our new HD tv service up and running, very poor customer service overall. I got my teeth cleaned this week, eye appointment and visiting nurse exam to cover health for me. I've been to 3 concerts at Sharp Park this summer by myself but it is good to get back out for some fun. Gramma had dental and foot appointments and Lukas had to replace all the brakes, hubs and calipers on the Malibu this week for $2000. A long update due to complacency on my part as a negligent fool. Lord forgive me my many mistakes and I am sorry to all I've hurt in the process.

Earth Day Planned Obsolecence

   Jane and I have gotten both covid-19 shots at Meijer's in March and Lukas and Simon have got their first shots in April. I am going to the Y twice a week and Jane will be going in May. On March the 18th it was very windy and the tree behind the garage blew down taking out the fence and fort. On Saturday the 27th some guys who knew Luke's friend cut up and took most of the tree for free. Jon, Sharon and the boys got here on Friday for Silas' birthday so they got to see the tree disappear. Sunday was Jon's birthday and we had dinner before they left around 2:30 and he fixed the hallway bathroom's toilet for my birthday present. I had to replace a tire on the Equinox and Roto-Router had to clean roots from the outside drain that week. The insurance company cut us a $2,400 check for damages. We went to visit the boys in Valpo the weekend of April 16th as Elidia and Jim watched Gramma for us and all went well. Other than 2 falls Gramma has been doing well and had 2 doctor appointments that showed her to be in good health. The country overall is doing better with over 2 million getting their vaccine shots and Derek Chauvin behind bars being found guilty on all 3 counts in the George Floyd murder. Worldwide there are 145 million cases, 3.1 million deaths, U.S. 32.6 million cases and 584,000 deaths, 810,000 cases with 17,140 deaths so we will continue with our masks in public and social distancing and pray for God's protection. 70 years are now on my calendar and life is what each day brings as I willing accept my role on Earth. The weather has been mild all spring and the end of winter with above average temperatures and only 2 days with an inch of precipitation and everything is green.