Beginning to wrap things up

As I am sitting here in Mom’s house, nice and warm (though I wouldn’t mind being warmer) while the world outside the doors it is bitter cold. By bitter I mean around 14 below zero with the wind making it feel that much colder. Fortunately I do not have to venture out anywhere, got my visiting done when it was (cough, choke, choke) warmer out…Jill had to go to work this a.m., leaving here around 5:30. Mom heard her start the car and said it popped right off. Jill kept her son home from work today as well. Lynn didn’t have to go to Sheboygan today to watch the boys even though they don’t have school in this area due to the cold. Their other grandmother is taking care of them while Lisa and Noah are working.

As I mentioned, the area schools and some businesses are closed today, and there are flight cancellations at some airports. Even those not directly affected by the snow and cold, because their crews come from other airports and are stuck elsewhere. I hope I can leave tomorrow morning, I am excited to get home!  Justin is off from work today (Monday) but does have to work Tuesday and Wednesday, both of which will be below freezing at the start of the day. I am leaving here and going into more cold. Trust that the space heater will be waiting for me, sure to be pressed into service.

I have to retrace some of my steps a bit: in the past few days I had the opportunity to visit my ‘old’ friends at Shady Lane Home, including the young yet, Teresa. When she introduced me to her assistant, she said we grew up together at SLH. Teresa has worked there since she was 16 years old and has moved up the ranks in administration, even having an assistant now!  I went upstairs to see my friends, Harvey and Clara, finding only Clara in her room. It seems her husband was being taken to the ear doctor by my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. I just missed them! I had a very nice visit with Clara, though.

My mom and I went to see my auntie Thursday, after she and I had had lunch at The Charcoal Grille. I just love their rib eye steak sandwich and onion strings. Mom had the beer cheese soup. My sister, Jill, was also dining in this place with many of her co-workers, after a work meeting. What a coincidence! Anyway, Mom and I had been shopping at Wal*Mart, picking up her scrips and some other items. We did eventually get to my aunt’s house, with me dropping off my mom at the driveway before pulling further in. I instructed her to wait there for me, but she proceeded to the front of the house and up the stairs. That rascal! She said it was easier for her to walk than to stand, even for those two minutes it took me to get out of the car.

Once we got inside, my aunt was struggling with her phone, trying to answer but not getting it just right. She IS 92, after all. The phone rang again so I answered it and heard my cousin on the extension line (yes, still have those!) speaking with someone, reporting ‘an old lady on the front steps’. It was my mom! One of the neighbors spotted her heading up there and called to report someone coming to the door. Small town charm! We had a good chuckle over that.

While we visited with Auntie Marie, my cousin, Cheryl Lynn, came with a lovely floral arrangement for her grandma. I loved getting to visit with both auntie and Cheryl Lynn in one stop like that. My other cousin, who lives upstairs from his mother, had to move our car so that he could leave to run errands. The place was a bee hive! It was great to see these folks again.

My cousin’s wife, Sandy, I saw at church after Christmas. Her husband, my Auntie Marie’s oldest son, passed away in the fall rather suddenly. As you might imagine, all the ‘firsts’ after losing someone are the hardest but Sandy seemed to be doing okay. Yvonne, while whom I had lunch at Perkins last week, is Sandy’s daughter-in-law. It turned out that Yvonne’s lunch didn’t sit well with her but a day or so later, she was fine again. I was sorry to hear that happened to her.

On Saturday, I went to visit my sister-in-law, Sharon, who lives in a group home. When I walked in, I signed in at the table near the door, and then heard someone yell, “Kim! You just missed our Open House!” It was Annette, the director of the Home, with whom I have become quite friendly over the years. Annette filled a plate for me of meatballs, ham, and a roll, telling me that I was the only one from the family to come, even though I was late. I didn’t even know it was happening or I’d have come sooner. Sharon was in her room trying on a top that ‘Santa’ got for her, so I went to see her, carrying my plate of goodies with me. I read Sharon’s Christmas cards to her as she is blind. The staff is supposed to read to her and likely did, but she has some short-term memory loss to deal with besides being blind, and doesn’t always remember. She did recall going to her brother’s house after Christmas one evening which is good.

Cheryl Lynn’s mom, Rochelle, used to work here and was Sharon’s caregiver designee. Rochelle died rather quickly from a brain tumor not long after my father-in-law passed away. Sharon lost two people in less than three months and really misses having Rochelle as her advocate. There is nothing I can do about that and just hope that her siblings will fill in the empty spots for her.

I guess that’s about it, until I can get back home to my own Internet and get the photos downloaded, etc. This won’t be posted until some time on Wednesday I expect so will be old news. It’s already old, so what’s the difference, right?