Needs More Help

My mother's Sunday aide quit. I went to the house after work so that my dad could run some errands and go to church. He had roasted some beef and potatoes, and cut up some cauliflower. I served my mother her dinner (she likes to eat at the same time every day) and set the oven on low to keep my dad's meal hot. He did not have any beef gravy, so my husband drove to the rescue. Fortunately, I had purchased several cans to take with us on our camping trip. My mother and I watched golf and 22 year old Jordan Spieth win the FedEx tournament. My dad told me he needs more help. I am waiting for him to analyze and determine what he needs. My sister and niece offered to help out, but I dont' know if it will be enough. My former sister in law is coming to visit tonight. She is bringing chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. I haven't see her in ages so it will be fun to catch up!

Let the Birthday Celebration Begin!

Certainly 2 weeks out is not too soon to start my husband's 70th birthday celebration. It began yesterday with a trip to the car dealership to lease a new car. As my dad said, "What is a 70 year old doing running around in a 14 year old car?" So off to the car dealer to lease a 2016 Ford Escape. The car is sunset, the interior black and grey. It has features--a rear sensor, heated front seats, voice activation, eco boost. He can't wait to pick the car up today and surprise the guys at work. He still doesn't know that our eldest daughter is flying in on Oct 8th. I suggested that he get the afternoon of Oct 9 and the day of his birthday, Oct 10 off. I accidently let slip that we were going on a trip because he tricked me! He said, "I hope we are not going on a trip to Alaska." I did okay for half a minute and then thoughtlessly told him. "No, our trip..." Stopped, but now he knows that there is a trip in the works, but is mulling over what the trip could be.

13 Generations

My niece spent many hours researching the full names and birth dates of relatives on my dad's side of the family to make a family tree for the reunion on Sunday. I received an email requesting the birth years of 20 or so relatives. It was an all-day project. I spoke with my cousin to find out birthdates of her siblings, children and grand children. Spoke to my Dad's cousin to fill in her husband's, children's and grandchildren's names and birthdates. My dad's brother's family was not available, so used the internet as much as possible. I am sure that some of the inormation is incorrect and that my cousin has a grandchild that I don't know about. However, we can correct and add information at the family reunion tomorrow. My dad's cousin's daughter traced back their family to the Mayflower. The family has been in the US for 13 generations. This is not true of my family. My paternal great great grandparents emmigrated from England in the mid 1800s, my paternal great grandmother came to this country from Sweden and my maternal great grandfather came to the US from Poland. Once here he took his middle name as his last name. Working with my family tree has clarified the information that I have English, Polish and Swedish ancestry, possible German too, although I have not found German ancestors. However, my husband's family is German, so my children have German, Polish, English and Swedish ancestors. My husband's ancestors changed the spelling of the last name several times, making it a challenge to work on geneology.

Harvest Moon Lunar Eclipse

I received an email from the Department of Natural Resources with details about the lunar eclipse on Sept 27/28. The message mentioned three state parks with optimum darkness to view the eclipse. The best time to see it is 10:10pm Eastern Standard Time. The parks are located far away. Been working on my father's family tree. I talked to my cousin and she gave me information about her family. Still have a call in to my dad's cousin and a cousin in Florida. Chipping away at the missing information bit by bit.

Husband's 70th birthday

My husband will be 70 years old in early October. He has aches and pains and life is difficult. He is irritable more often than pleasant. He wakes me up grumbling at CNN. So, I mulled over the past way to mark this tremendous occasion. A big party with friends and family? No, he is not a party animal! Dinner with just the family? Yes, an Amish thresher's meal. Special things to do along with dinner? Such as a wagon ride around a pretty farm, a live musical, shops to browse in, one night away from home? Yes! We are meeting in Nappanee Indiana at Amish Acres and Resort. It is a 2 to 3 hour drive depending where my children live. Well, and a flight in from Washington, DC. As I write, my husband does not know of our birthday plans. It is a surprise. My children and I will have to figure out a creative way to tell him. Also, on Sunday, I will be a spectator at a horse show. Excited to see what my horse and rider can do. And then Sunday afternoon, we are having a family reunion. My dad's brother and sister will be coming in from Florida along with some of my cousins and their family. We have never had a reunion before, so it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity!

14 Years Ago

I was teaching first graders when the school secretary quietly told me about the terrorist attacks. Quietly, because the principal chose to have the parents inform the children. I came home and my 5 year old daughter drew chalk pictures of jets crashing into the World Trade Center on our driveway. Innocence gone in one day. Now, 14 years later, I still cannot think of that day without tears. I remember the Budweiser commercial of the Clydsedale horses paying tribute to New York City. I remember the long list of names read in honor of those who lost their lives. I see photos and the words "We will always remember," on facebook. It's painful to remember the innocent lives lost that day and the suffering of their friends and family. So many lives affected by terrible acts of terrorism.

A Perfect Vacation

I returned home last night after spending several days with family and friends "up north." A bit of an adventure with my 87 year old mother, 89 year old father and 70 in a few days husband. When you think of it, there were 22 of us on this adventure, and there were no problems. Amazing! On Saturday morning, I was astonished when my son, his partner and their very good friend arrived from the Windy City to surprise me for my birthday! I truly had no idea they were coming, because I had had a long pleasant birthday chat! 11 of us went to the Mackinac Grille in St Ignace. I chose whitefish, steamed with fresh vegetables and it hit the spot. We then meandered down the walkway overlooking Lake Huron. Walking back we saw a most beautiful sunset. On Labor Day, we headed by bus across the Mackinac Bridge so that we could walk back to the south side. My husband and I walked across the finish line to receive our certificates. Pouring down rain for the first hour of the drive home, but then clear skies. A most memorable vacation!