Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour of Washington, D. C.

I booked passes for Hans, William and me to ride the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus to see some of the sights of Washington after touring the Pentagon. We had to walk a little ways to the first bus stop. After boarding the double decker vehicle, we stayed on the bus until we had passed the Washington Monument and then got off so we could visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

This is a very impressive sight! There are 19 stainless steel statues that are a little larger than life-size. They are dressed in full combat gear. It was interesting to hear Hans point out the various weapons the men were carrying. Apparently there had a been a ceremony of sorts prior to our arrival as workers were carting away white folding chairs. Wreaths from various countries remained around the perimeter of the statues. There is also a wall of black granite, on which there is a mural of the land, sea and air troops. The names of those killed are on this wall. I thought this memorial was excellent!

Next we walked past the Lincoln Memorial (on our left) and the Reflecting Pool (on our right). This entire historical part of Washington, D. C., is so well plotted out. There were some ducks swimming in the pond. One tourist overheard me tell Hans the pool reminded me of "Forrest Gump," and started yelling, "Jenny, Jenny!"

Just ahead we came to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I told Hans that one of his dad's high school classmates had died in that war and looked up his name in the directory they provided. The names of the deceased are listed in the order of when they were killed. I was able to find Scott Richardson's name. You'll see it here:

This statue is at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The National World War II Memorial was up ahead, but by the time we had seen the Vietnam memorial, I was running out of steam and needed to rest. I decided I could see it another time. So we made our way to our next bus stop and boarded it to go into the city center to see the Ford Theater. This ride took us past The White House, The Bureau of Engraving, The National Archives Building, and other Federal Buildings. We got off at the bus stop nearest the Ford Theater.

After crossing the street and walking to the next block, Hans noticed the long line outside the Ford Theater. And then we saw the sign "Must have tickets to enter theater," so I put that on my list for "next time," too. Rather than waiting for 20 to 30 minutes for the next bus, Hans decided to use Uber. This was a new and fun experience for me. He stepped away from me and William for a minute, and when he returned he said, "There will be a black Cadillac, license number ***, coming for us in about six minutes. He is here right now." Sure enough, his location appeared on Hans' phone. Well, he was a welcome sight! We piled into the big, back seat of his air-conditioned car and it felt heavenly. What a relief from the heat! He drove us to the closest spot to Arlington National Cemetery.

Tourists on the steps watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

At the Information building of the cemetery, we bought tickets to the tram which gives a guided tour of the cemetery—pointing out graves of famous people. We got off at the stop for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There were many people already assembled on the steps that face the tomb, but it wasn't crowded by any means. I felt so sorry for the soldier who was walking back and forth, in full dress wool uniform, but I learned more about them and their desire to perform,

Here is what I learned about the guards' walks:

There is a meticulous routine that the guard follows when watching over the graves.

The Tomb Guard:

1. Marches 21 steps south down the black mat laid across the Tomb.
2. Turns and faces east, toward the Tomb, for 21 seconds.
3. Turns and faces north, changes weapon to outside shoulder, and waits 21 seconds.
4. Marches 21 steps down the mat.
5. Turns and faces east for 21 seconds.
6. Turns and faces south, changes weapon to outside shoulder, and waits 21 seconds.
7. Repeats the routine until the soldier is relieved of duty at the Changing of the Guard.

After each turn, the Guard executes a sharp "shoulder-arms" movement to place the weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors to signify that the Guard stands between the Tomb and any possible threat.

Twenty-one was chosen because it symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed—the 21-gun salute.

The mat is usually replaced twice per year: before Memorial Day and before Veterans Day. This is required because of the wear on the rubber mat by the special shoes worn by Tomb Guards. The sentinels have metal plates built into the soles and inner parts of their shoes to allow for a more rugged sole and to give the signature click of the heel during maneuvers. The sentinels wear sunglasses because of the bright reflection from the marble surrounding the Tomb and the Memorial Amphitheater.

On the ground not covered by the mat, a wear pattern in the tile can be seen that corresponds to the precise steps taken during the changing of the guard. On the mat itself, footprints worn in by standing guard are also visible.

At the completion of the tram ride, we opted to call Uber again for a ride back to our car. It was a full, exhilarating day. I loved all of it!

Friday - a very special day!

Hans took a day of leave so that he could spend the day with me and William. On the schedule was a tour of the Pentagon and sights around Washington, D. C. We took their car into the city since there were the three of us – the requirement to drive in the HOV lane.

Prior to going into the Pentagon, we walked to the 9/11 Memorial. On that awful day, September 11, 2001, 184 people perished when flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. There is a bench for each victim with their name engraved on the edge of it. It was very moving being in this hallowed space.

(This is not my photo.)

After looking around the memorial, we made our way around two sides of the Pentagon where I had to go through a security check to get a visitor's badge. Hans and William entered a different door and waited for me in another room.

Once inside the building, Hans began showing me the stores and shops that are on the first floor. There were gift shops, barber shops, dry cleaners, tailors, shoe shine shops, jewelers, shops for each branch of the military, and so on. I bought a hooded sweatshirt in the Pentagon gift shop.

Next we walked out into the center courtyard (that's not what they call it). There was an Expo of sorts going on out there. Here I am standing next to a robot that the Navy will be using at some point.

After looking around the Expo, we re-entered the building and went to the floor where all of the top brass in the five branches of the military have their offices. It looks like this:

(This is not my photo. No cameras were allowed.)

All of the other hallways are very, very plain—white walls, no photos.

When we were close to Hans' office, he took us into a small room that had a bank of mailboxes. Each box had a key. Hans asked me to give him my I Phone. He placed his and mine in the box and locked it. That was the first step in security to enter his offices. We crossed the hallway and entered his place of work. Once inside, he introduced me to his Administrative Assistant - a very nice woman. Then we walked down a hallway to meet some of his staff. Again—very nice people. Finally we went to his office. He is in a nice space, has a big print of the U.S.S. Curtis Wilbur over the desk. He told me he has to insert his ID badge into a device before he can log into his computer. Once into the initial program, he has to insert his badge into the device a second time, to give him clearance. Talk about security!! While we were talking, his Captain came to his door to meet me and William. He was really great! He spent quite a bit of time talking to us and told me I should be very proud of Hans and all of his accomplishments. He went on to say Hans has a rich military history.

There are at least two food courts in the large structure. We ate lunch in one of them.There are 25,000 people working inside the Pentagon. The five sided building is made up of five rings: A, B, C, D, and E, the outer ring being E. The building is five stories high. If one walked around all rings of all floors, they would have walked seventeen miles.

I loved my tour with Hans and William. It was really special!

Josiah's 6th Grade Graduation

On Thursday, Josiah graduated from the sixth grade. I was fortunate to be in town during this time so I got to go to the ceremony. There were about 90 to 100 sixth grade students. The students were seated in chairs that faced the audience; the teachers were on the stage. The program started with the students singing the school song. It was interesting to see some singing full heartedly – others barely opened their mouths.

There were awards and certificates given to students who excelled in music, sports, civic participation, and so on. Following the awards, each student came forward to receive their "diploma."

Following the ceremony, there was a reception in the gymnasium. We spent a little bit of time there and then left so that Hans and Rachel could go to work.

Hans, Josiah, Rachel

My Trip to Washington, D. C.

Last week I flew to Washington, D. C., to visit Hans and his family. I arrived at Reagan National Airport on Wednesday afternoon and Hans was there to pick me up. Driving from the airport to his home, he pointed out the Pentagon to me. I also noticed the Washington Monument and the U. S. Capitol. Since I hadn't been there since 1967, this was very interesting to me. Of course, back then, there weren't so many cars or lanes for them.

There was no one home when we arrived at Hans' home. The kids were in school and Rachel was at work. Hans gave me a tour of their house, and that was fun. Rachel is really great at decorating. Here are a couple of photos I took.

These are wooden Japanese dolls on display

Japanese cabinet in Rachel's kitchen with Japanese plates, etc.

mani/pedi

I know. I'm behind the times with many things today. One such thing is treating myself to a pedicure and a manicure. Today I got up the nerve and walked into a salon and had the full treatment. What a pleasant experience this was!

The man who greeted me spoke some English. I asked if I could get a pedicure and a manicure and he said, "Yes, pick out your nail color." Wow! They must have had 300 bottles of various colors on the wall. I chose a medium rose color.

I was so excited to have my toe nails clipped and cleaned up. The woman who was doing this for me was so sweet. She spoke little English, but told me she was from Vietnam. She and her husband own the shop and they work 7 days a week! She soaked my feet—all the while the massage rollers inside the chair were going up and down my back. It felt so good! She clipped, trimmed, filed, and buffed my nails, and massaged my feet. Next she applied a very nice cream on my legs and began massaging them. Over and over again she rubbed the nice cream in. I didn't think it could get any better, but she followed this by wrapping hot, moist towels around my feet. [Some of this could be out of order, but it is close.] Eventually she began with the polish—first clear, followed by 5 coats of nail polish—putting each foot under a heat lamp for 60 seconds between each coat. The final coat was a clear gel coat.

Next came my hands. I moved from the massage chair to a desk-type setting. First she soaked my hands in a nice bowl of warm water. It made me think of the old dishwashing detergent TV ad where women soaked their hands in the sudsy solution. Next she pushed back the cuticle and then trimmed the cuticle. She filed and buffed, then soaked my hands once again. Next she led me to to a sink and gave me a nail brush to scrub my hands and nails. After drying my hands on a nice, warm towel, I returned to the desk and she began the polishing – first the clear coat, followed by 5 coats of the rose color (one minute under the heat lamp following each coat), and finally, the coat of the clear gel.

All in all, this was so much fun! I was pampered and felt wonderful. I'll be returning.

Planning Trips

I have had fun looking for things to do for this summer. I have two trips planned. First off, I'll be flying in to Washington, D. C. in a couple of weeks to visit Hans and his family. I have been to our nation's capital only once - back in 1967. Steve and I had bought our first new VW Beetle and first movie camera for this trip.

We drove east to Gettysburg and then to Washington, D. C. We toured the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, took the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument and walked down the stairs. Boy, did our knees hurt the following day! Did you know that inside the memorial are commemorative stones from individuals, civic groups, cities, states and countries that wanted to honor the memory of George Washington?  There are a total of 898 steps. An earthquake hit the Virginia area in 2011 and caused damage to the memorial. Since that time, no one is permitted to use the stairs.

We went to the Lincoln Memorial and also to John F. Kennedy's grave site. At that time, it was very simple and surrounded by a white picket fence.

(I took this photo off the Internet)

We toured one portion of the Smithsonian Institute – the building that houses the Hope Diamond and the First Ladies' dresses. We also drove to Mount Vernon and then took in a baseball game at D. C. Stadium. Vice President Hubert Humphrey was also at the game. I tried to go over to greet him, but the Secret Service would not allow me into that section, even though I was from Minnesota.

During this upcoming trip, Hans is going to take me on a tour of the Pentagon. I hope to see his office and possibly take a photo of him sitting at his desk!

In July I'm going to go to Ely, Minnesota, for a couple of days with my sister. At the same time, Peder and his family, plus our cousin Linda, and Peder's in-laws have rented cabins at a resort there. We'll be able to go to their resort during the day and then spend our nights at a hotel in the town. I have never been to this part of our state, so am looking forward to that.

Contentedness in Seattle

I returned Wednesday night from a very nice vacation at Heidi's in Seattle. I was last there in July and so there had been some changes: Brian had passed away, and so that was sad not having him greet me and lie by my feet while watching TV. Corinne was now carrying on conversations and was very fun to play with in the toy room as well as other parts of the house and the back yard, and there was new furniture in the living room and a flowering cherry tree in the front yard. Oh, and there is a new puppy – Lucy. She is a beautiful red Golden Retriever and is nearly six months old. She is learning some commands such as "sit," and "park it." But being a puppy, she still likes to chew, bark, and run around. Corinne is in love with her and visa versa.

 Marshall making a pizza.

 Corinne bringing me the tray of Christmas cookies.

Corinne (wearing her purple tutu over her slacks), waiting for the microwave to complete cooking my egg. She was so cute with all of these appliances —mixer, toaster, coffee maker, and oven. She and Marshall have wooden donuts with various icings; wooden pizza wedges with pepperoni, mushrooms, and peppers that can be added or removed; a wooden waffle iron with waffle sections and strawberries, chocolate chips, butter, and syrup that can be added. They have a half dozen wooden eggs—3 white, 3 brown. It was so much fun for me to play house with them.

Here you see some of the waffles, eggs, toast with butter, donut with sprinkles, a plate with a fork and knife, and a glass of juice. Corinne did a great job bringing these food items to Grandma and then sitting with me to pretend eating them. With each bite we would say, "Mmm. This is yummy!"

This is Lucy, a sweet red Golden Retriever. We were at the bus stop waiting for Marshall when this photo was taken.

I loved meeting Marshall at the bus drop off after school and walking around their beautiful neighborhood where the flowers were abundant. I also loved going to his soccer game on Saturday. He played several positions.

After the soccer game, we went to their area market where the grocery store was having a "Grand Opening" celebration. There was a big jump house for kids, and inside the store they were spray painting "tattoos" on kid's arms and/or cheeks, cupcakes to decorate, and employees helping children plant a blooming petunia in a small pot. Marshall got two tattoos (they wash off).

The day before Mother's Day, Heidi treated me to the movie, "Mother's Day." It was being shown in a very nice theater where the seats were reserved and were actually recliners! How comfortable. This was new for me. The show was cute and we enjoyed it.

Sunday, Mother's Day, I heard from Hans and his kids, and got a nice card from Heidi and one from Marshall and Corinne. In the morning, we went to the Top Pot Doughnuts shop, and had the big decision of which ones to buy. Later in the day the family went to dinner at a Greek restaurant where the food was delicious. Such a nice time.

Corinne and I had plenty of time to play "house," while Marshall was in school. She and Marshall have a very nice toy room and their kitchen set-up is amazing. Marshall has a cash register there, too, so one night we played grocery store. Corinne and I did the shopping - putting play food in the grocery cart, and Marshall was the cashier - sliding our items over the barcode reader or placing the items on a scale to be weighed. His pretend money looked real. I thought this was a lot of fun!

Corinne reading Elmo book while Lucy watches

Corinne sporting Grandma's shoes.

Marshall and Corinne posing with Target's Bullseye

Marshall enjoying a chocolate shake at Red Robin

Off and on during my time there, Heidi and I watched some cooking shows on TV. Chad did some cooking out on the grill, and all of us watched the movie, "Annie."  The time spent at their house went by so fast, and now I am missing them - especially playing house with Corinne and store with her and Marshall. Oh, and hearing Marshall read to me. It was a special time.

The sun setting on Puget Sound

Saturday I had the most enjoyable time with my three grandkids: Aurelia, Felix and Leo. Peder had asked me to come to stay with them for a couple of hours while he went to an appointment.

After chatting with them for awhile, I gave them 15 minutes to complete what they were doing on their screens (iPad plus two other devices). When time was up, I had no push back and then asked them to get their jackets on so we could go for a walk. This was an idea that popped into my head as I drove up to their home – trees abloom in many yards and on the boulevards.

We started out by stopping at each house to look at what was blooming and to point out any interesting aspects of the house. (A rule I made was that they had to stay on the sidewalk.) It wasn't long before one of them would stop us to point out the tiny wild violets in the grass.

After turning the first corner, Felix and Leo ran up to the house at the next corner. They were excited to show me the large rock that was sitting on the stone wall. "Look, Grandma D – it has sparkles in it!" Sure enough, it was a large piece of granite. That particular house had many lovely and unusual features. We spent a bunch of time there.

Onward we went, spotting tulips, daffodils, lilacs, flowering plum trees, porches with swings, little ponds—one with gargoyles around the edge.

On the next block, I spotted a gorgeous cat – about the size of Nels – who was paying no attention to us. It was behind a beautiful black wrought iron fence and eating grass. Its house (my assumption) was a lovely Victorian, painted in tan, purple and blue. I should have brought along my phone so I could have taken a photo—not only of this house and cat, but of my three darling grandkids who were enjoying this so much!

When we came upon a brick house that is just inches from the sidewalk, there we saw a large patch of lily of the valley. The ones nearer the foundation were already open. The kids enjoyed seeing their little bell-shaped flowers.

One particular flower really impressed Felix and Aurelia. It was the bleeding heart. I pointed out the heart-shape and then showed them the little drop of "blood" dripping from it. Felix gently pinched one of the petals and then released it to see it return to its original state.

Yesterday I returned to Peder and Sarah's for Felix's birthday party. Aurelia was the greeter at the front steps. She told me she had drawn a picture that morning of a bleeding heart. Sarah later told me Aurelia had been drawing flowers all morning long. I loved hearing that.

Today Is the Anniversary of My Mother's Death

My mother and me

Today is the anniversary of my mother's death - April 6. There is not a year that goes by that I don't recall the events of that day. For many years, this was really hard on me. But as years have gone by and I have had kids of my own, and now grandkids, the difficulty has left me.

I didn't know my mother very well. She died when I was 14. Times were different then, or at least it seems so to me. My parents didn't read to us. They didn't take us to museums. Both my mother and dad worked outside the house, and then when they were home, they were busy with the garden, canning, washing, ironing, sewing, woodworking, etc. I don't recall ever seeing my parents go for a walk, or dance, or go to a movie. Our social life was going to church and having church friends or neighbors over. Vacations were primarily to see relatives—which I enjoyed a lot.

Feeling Good!

As of this week, my health has turned the corner and I'm happy to say I am feeling good! I have not used my walker or cane, and am taking the stairs in my office multiple times during the day. I am praising God for healing my body and for bringing so many angels to my aid during the process.

I just looked back and realized I have really been "under the weather" since the beginning of July—first with the severe kidney infection that sent me to the hospital for a 5 day period, and then a couple of weeks later, while still recovering from that, getting the strong leg pain and foot tingling that warned me of a herniated disc. I don't feel like elaborating on that, but the entire ordeal lasted 7 months!

What have I learned during this long event? First of all, I have learned to be patient, to know to help others in need, what it's like to be handicapped, I don't like being alone for days on end, there is not much to watch on daytime TV, and much more.

And now that I'm mobile again, I hope to do more in exercising. The timing for this is great because our snow is gone and spring is in the air. Here's to new beginnings!

Early Spring

Snowdrops

We've been having unusually nice weather in Minnesota and looks like we're having an early Spring! One day last week the temperature hit 70 degrees, and today it is supposed to reach 65! We have snow only where plows piled it up high. Green grass is beginning to show through the brown stuff. Oh, and the birds are singing their hearts out! There have been pictures of Snowdrops blooming at the Minnesota Arboretum.

Nels has been loving spending time out in the screened porch. One evening this week he was out there for over an hour. When I let him out when it's dark outside, I think he watches for mice and other creatures.

With this nicer weather, I have looked in my closet and I think I need to get some new spring/summer clothes. Mine are looking rather tired. I don't know how much looking around I can do, due to my foot problems (still having some nerve pain, but is much, much better), but I think I may give it a try tomorrow.

In choir we are rehearsing beautiful music for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter. We have a new choir director (new last June), and just love him. It's a joy to go to rehearsal and to the worship services on Sunday morning.

Communion

It meant so much to be present at the Lord's table at our church today. What a blessing this was for me! Our church only commemorates communion on the first Sunday of the month, and I have not been present for it since November.

Communion is very important to me. It is a time to confess my sins and to thank God for sending His son to die on the cross, raise from the dead, and save me and all who come to Him. Growing up, the church my family attended, offered communion every Lord's Day. They offered it Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings. It was that important. This was a big change for me since moving to the twin cities. Today I was blessed.

I'm getting better!

I'm happy to say I am getting better! Since having the cortisone shot and taking the cortisone pill pack almost to weeks ago, I am seeing more improvement. I'm getting out more and doing normal things. The most exciting was returning to choir rehearsal Thursday night and then singing in the choir in the worship service this morning. I had been away from choir for 10-1/2 weeks! I really love being back.

Another nice part of my getting better is that the temperatures here in Minnesota have been unseasonably warm this past week (highs of mid 40). It has melted a lot of of the snow and ice and made my sidewalk outside my home much safer. Also, my permanent handicap hanger for my car arrived in the mail this week. My doctor wrote it for five years. I certainly hope I don't need it for anywhere near that!

I'm not taking feeling good for granted. I have had a couple of down days, but for the most part, I am seeing progress. It feels wonderful!

Health Update

I am feeling better just this week. Monday night my physical therapist determined I have bursitis in my left hip. He suggested I go to either my spine surgeon or my primary physician to get a shot of cortisone in my hip and also to ask for the cortisone pill pack (6 day program of low dose prednisone) to attack any inflammation in my body—but specifically the nerve pain in my ankle and on the top of my foot. I was lucky to get an appointment the very next day (Tuesday) with my primary doctor. He gave me the cortisone shot and called in the Rx for the pill pack, which I started taking Wednesday morning. Yesterday I saw a lot of improvement, but had a little foot pain during last night and again a little this morning. I may have overdone it by going grocery shopping last night after working all day, but I was running out of some things at home. Bottom line is I'm praying for good results.

I hope I don't have to post very many more entries on my ongoing health issues, but it has been a big part of my life of late. 

Storm Sisters

I have learned much in the past two months—I have learned about Storm Sisters.

There were many days in December and January when I could not go to work, to the grocery store, or to church. But a beautiful thing happened to me: friends called me on the phone, sent cards and emails, took me to doctor appointments, loaned me a walker, cleaned my house, brought meals and ate with me, helped me get some Christmas decorations out, and—this one blows me away—drove to my doctor's office to pick up the hand written prescription for a narcotic drug and then took it to the drug store, only to have to wait (or be told to come back in an hour and a half) while the druggist phoned a federal office and a state office. They had to supply their driver's license for identification, and when picking up the drug, had to give my age and address. This was all news for me!

One particular day, Nancy and Julie, two of my co-workers, who are also my friends, brought lunch from Culver's and together we shared our meals and caught up on all the news. Julie gave me a gift bag and said it was my surprise. After eating, I opened it and found a card with a scripture verse in Julie's handwriting (I have left this on my dining room table where I can read it during breakfast and lunch.), a chocolate bar, an apple and a clementine, a package of microwave popcorn, and a book, Storm Sisters: Friends Through All Seasons, by Afton Rorvik. This book was dear to Julie since the author is an editor Julie once worked with and this was her first book. Inside the front cover was a note from Afton to Julie. It was very personal. Underneath it, Julie wrote a note to me, letting me know I had many Storm Sisters who wanted to come to my aid. It's a wonderful book relating the struggles and challenges she (the author) went through when her mother was dying.

I never expected my handicap to last so long. It surprises me that my Storm Sisters are still coming to my aid. If and when I ever get back to good health, I know what I have to do. I have to be a Storm Sister to others.

Health Update

It's been  nearly two months since my back surgery (November  25). In this space of time, I have had some struggles. On Christmas Day, I was so spaced out from narcotics that Peder drove me to the ER and I wound up in the hospital again. It was that day when they did an ultra sound on my left leg, an MRI of my brain, and finally, a chest x-ray. The ER doctor then told Peder he should go on home because he was going to admit me for observation. Once in a room, the doctor came in to tell me I had no blood clots, had not had a stroke, but that I had pneumonia. The next morning I had an MRI on my left foot because it was very painful on the top and on the outside part of the ankle. I was released the next day and went home with an antibiotic. From that day on, I didn't take the heavy duty narcotics.

My problems weren't over, however. What was going on with my foot? I had an appointment with my primary physician who went over the results of the foot MRI. He said it showed tendinitis of the top portion of my foot and referred me to a podiatrist. Since then, I have been walking with a walker or a cane and have been resting when possible, and elevating and icing my foot. This past week my podiatrist has been in communication with my spine surgeon. I'm hoping some physical therapy and a cortisone patch will be ordered for me this next week. In the meantime, I continue to rest when possible, but did return to work last week (40 hours). It was very tiring, but so good to be with my co-workers, and to be out of the house.

My Great Grandmother's Blouse

Some years ago I was redecorating my bedroom, doing it in "red work," which is an embroidery style from the 1880's - 1920's. Only red thread is used for the embroidery. For my accent color, I chose a light green. It was during this time I had made a visit to my Aunt Liz's house. While there, I spotted a light green blouse hanging decoratively on a cabinet. I asked her to tell me about it and she said that it was her grandmother's blouse, and then she offered it to me. Of course, I accepted it! And then she went on to find the memorial card that was distributed at her funeral. My great grandmother was born in the mid 1800's, so to still have this handmade article of clothing she made was an honor for me.

Elizabeth Jane Austin

Born March 1, 1847

Died November 16, 1914

Notice how tiny the waist is. Due to this, Aunt Liz and I determined she must have made it in her late teens or early 20's. This means the blouse has withstood since the Civil War!

The fabric is a cotton, and she lined the front and the back with a fabric of white/gold print. She threaded orange string into the cuffs to form the ruffles. All of it is hand-sewn – button holes and all. Oh, and the buttons don't match. There are little, age holes in the back of the blouse, but none in the front or on the sleeves.

To the right of her blouse (stuffed with paper) is a photo of her and her memorial card. I really treasure these items. Not long after I got the blouse, I found this unique hanger at an antique store.

Happy New Year 2016!

Happy New Year, 2016! Where does the time go? And why does it pass so quickly?

Yesterday two of my dear friends, Nancy and Laurey, came to my home in the mid-afternoon, to clean out my shoe closet to find the professionally made shoe inserts and their molds. I need to take these to my podiatrist appointment this coming Monday. What troopers these gals are: taking the unwanted shoes to a charity and organizing my summer/winter shoes. Also, they found the inserts and molds!

They brought the makings of an early New Year's Eve supper (tater-tot hotdish—my request—and a delicious jello/fruit salad). They even brought apple pie for dessert and a sparkling drink for toasting after watching a movie.

After supper, we moved into the cottage and I suggested we watch Calendar Girls. Laurey thinks she may have seen it a long while ago (movie came out in 2002), but Nancy had not. All three of us enjoyed it so much. And it was a pleasure to be in my neatly organized cottage (Thank you very much, Rachel!).

We donned hats and/or beads for the finale of the evening (early evening  – about 8:30 pm). I sure enjoyed saying "Good-bye" to 2015 in this way.

L to R: Laurey and Nancy

Nancy, modeling the golf umbrella she got in Europe years ago

Yours truly and Nancy with our celebration hats

Yours truly and Laurey (she didn't want a hat to mess up her hair)

Nancy and Laurey joining in the toast

More Health Challenges

After having the back surgery the day before Thanksgiving, things were healing pretty well, except for my left ankle and top of my left foot. I even went back to work (mornings only), but I was feeling some discomfort. An MRI of my back on the 18th of December showed the surgery went well, but medication was given to relax my leg nerves and to keep away any moderate to severe pain (narcotics). As the days went by, the narcotics were building up in my system and by Christmas Eve, I was not myself. After going to bed that evening, I started having some acid reflux, so got up to take some Tums. Such a simple thing: sitting on the little bench in my bathroom and reaching to the back of the medicine drawer for the bottle. But I had trouble finding it and pulled harder on the drawer, which fell out and knocked me onto the floor, hitting my arm on the shower rail and bruising my right foot. I struggled to get up and turn on the light, and then struggled some more to get the rails of the drawer to line up with those inside the opening of the cabinet. I returned to bed for a somewhat fitful night.

Sometime the next morning I heard my I Phone receive a text message and picked it up, but couldn't recognize anything on it - which button to touch, how to read the letters, etc. So I set it back down and went back to sleep. Later I heard the sound of another text, but decided to ignore it. At 1:30 pm (I was still sleeping from the night) my phone rang and I answered it. Heidi was on the other end and I told her I was so confused that I couldn't make sense of anything. I was crying and telling her I was afraid I would never see her again. "Mom, you're not dying!" she emphatically said to me. But what I meant was that I wouldn't recognize her again. I really thought I was losing my mind. It wasn't long after that that my phone rang again. It was Rachel on the other end. She said they were on their drive back to Virginia and had texted me a couple of times but got worried when I didn't answer. I repeated my situation to her.

I don't know which of them called Peder, but it wasn't long after that he arrived at my house. I was awake then and he and I sat down to eat something and talk a bit. During that time my friend Nancy Carlson called and suggested we call my clinic to talk to whomever was on duty, which we did. The nurse recommended we go directly to the ER at my local hospital.

Once there, they took me and Peder to a room to do an ultrasound on my left leg to rule out any blood clots. Then they took me to a room for an MRI of my brain. Following that, I had a couple of chest x-rays. By then, it was about 9 pm so they told Peder he should go home as they were going to keep me overnight for observation.. Once in my room, a doctor came in to say I had no blood clots; the brain MRI looked good; and I had pneumonia. Also, I would be keeping my previously scheduled MRI of my ankle and foot the next morning.

The ankle MRI showed tendinitis on the top of my foot and plantar fasciitis. The latter I have have battled before.

I saw my primary doctor earlier this week and the pneumonia is nearly cleared. I have an appointment with a podiatrist Monday. Yesterday two of my dear friends helped me find my professionally made shoe inserts at the back of my shoe closet. I'm wearing them this morning, and so far—so good!

Christmas at Wooddale

Again this year I was blessed to be part of the Christmas concerts at my church. The theme for this year's concert was "The Heart Is Waiting." With a new choir director as of last this summer, we weren't sure what to expect, but Wow! We were pleasantly surprised!

The choice of music chosen was lovely - and mostly arranged by the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Here is the program:

A Christmas Festival: orchestra only
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Christmas Bells: piano and orchestra only
Organ Solo: Woody Johnson
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
The First Noel
  Hymns for the audience: Angels From the Realms of Glory; Angels We Have Heard on High; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Piano solo: Soojung Hong—a Ph.D. in piano at the University of Minnesota (she was awesome!)
Away in a Manger
Mary, Did You Know
All Is Well (sung while the choir held candles)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Due to my recent back surgery, I had to sing the entire concert while seated, it worked out just fine and I'm so happy I could be part of this wonderful tradition.

Back to work!

This morning I went back to work and it felt so good to see my co-workers again. I had missed them so much! I'm going to work mornings only this week since I'm not really 100% yet. In fact, I'm still taking narcotics when needed for the nerve pain in my leg (this was unexpected).

While home, I was very lonely. There were days when I saw no one but my cat. Oh, he loved having me around and he spent a lot of time in bed with me. But I realized—actually I already knew it—I need to be around people. A little bit of time in seclusion is fine, but not an excessive amount.

I'm on the mend, but have a ways to go.

Back Surgery

Last week, on the 25th, I had surgery on my lower back—specifically between L-5 and S-1. I had been diagnosed with two herniated discs and a severely pinched nerve. During the surgery, bone was cut away and a broken piece of disc was removed to give more room for the nerve. This nerve controls the left leg and foot. My symptoms have been a strong ache and tingling on the outside edge of my leg and top of my left foot (picture along the outside seam of your jeans). I have been bothered by this since around the middle of August, and it hasn't been fun.

After being diagnosed, I had an epidural shot of cortisone in the nerve area, but it didn't take. I also did six weeks of physical therapy, and that brought no relief.

The surgery was billed as outpatient, with a possible stay overnight for observation. I think it was the word "outpatient" that made me think this was going to be a "piece of cake." Wow! Was I wrong. It has now been 9 days and I am still having some struggles. The nerve pain returned about 5 or 6 days ago and it has been very uncomfortable. You've seen the pain charts of 10 faces—10 being the worst. I have had a couple of those. Since the Dr. wants me to wean myself from the narcotics, I have tried to suffer through it, but have given in twice. This morning a second prescription was called into the pharmacy that is for a medication that is supposed to address the nerve problem. I'm praying it helps.

In the meantime, Nels is loving having me home and I have been enjoying visits from friends—those who have stopped by with meals, flowers, offers to vacuum, take out my garbage, pick up my mail—all of those things that I have not been able to do. Two individuals from work even donated 7 precious days of PTO to me (anonymously) because I had run out as of Monday this week.

That's about it right now. I have been playing Christmas carols on my stereo, but am not really in the Christmas spirit yet. Just hoping to feel better soon.

Farewell, Brian

Yesterday was a very sad day in our family. Due to cancer, Heidi and Chad made the difficult decision to put Brian, their almost 12 year old Golden Retriever, down. They did not want him to suffer.

Brian came into their family shortly after they bought their first house. It didn't take him long to start writing a blog, Brian Puppy. He loved his family, and they loved him. They took him on family vacations, and took him swimming in lakes, Puget Sound, and the Pacific Ocean.

He loved tennis balls, and would play tug of war with me (tennis ball held tightly in his teeth) whenever I came for a visit. On the occasion I did pull it from his mouth, I would toss it and he would tear after it and bring it back for more. I took him for walks every time I came, and I was so happy that he never pooped on my walks with him, because I shuddered at the thought of picking it up. He would try to pull me a bit, but then I would say, "No, no, Brian. Grandma can't go that fast." He would then slow down to my pace.

Once while Heidi and Chad were here and in Wisconsin for a visit, Brian came to stay with me. I took him for a nice walk around Normandale Lake and also in my neighborhood.

He hated lightning and fireworks. One July 4th when my sister and I were out to visit, Heidi and Chad had to work so we stayed home with Brian. He stayed by my side the whole time, and even climbed up into bed with me.

He went everywhere with Chad—including Lowe's hardware store. All of the clerks seemed to know Brian. His passing will be particularly hard on Chad. But it will be hard on Heidi, too. Today she'll come home from work, and Brian won't be barking "Welcome Home," to her when she comes in the door.

Happy 6th Birthday to Nels!

Thursday, October 29, Nels turned six. I worked all day and went to an evening event, so we celebrated Saturday afternoon by giving him a big serving of catnip. Wow! Did he dig into it! He ate some and then rolled his face in it. At one time when I checked on him, he looked totally exhausted – his chin and cheek lying flat on the base of his cat tree - right in the middle of this aromatic herb.

In 2010 when my granddaughter, Annika, and I chose Nels from a local humane society, we were told he was three years old. However, at the first veterinarian appointment for him, the doctor said he was likely thirteen or fourteen months old. They told me to pick a date within those two months and celebrate his birthday then. I chose October 29.

Happy Birthday, Nels!