Wednesday Update

It is already Wednesday, I wish every work week started with Tuesday. Not much happened yesterday. I went to work, worked until about 5:10, came home, fed Mao, ate supper, washed dishes, went to Walmart and bought 2 box fans, watched After the Catch, went to bed. Yah, that's my exciting life.

Tuesday Update

It was a busy weekend. Saturday I spent at my Dad's until about 5:00. Sunday I slept in until almost 10:00. Then we had to grocery shop and get ready for our barbeque. The pork chops and chicken were excellent. Wanda's beans and pumpkin bars were also excellent. I loved the watermelon ice cream cake that Diedre brought from Dairy Queen. Sunday night we had a fire it was very relaxing. While we were sitting around the fire, two owls flew into the tree on the other side of the garage. They started hooting like crazy and then another owl from the distance started hooting. It was wild. Monday, Thomas and I went to my Dad's for about two hours. I cleaned out the linen closet and drawers, while Thomas ate an egg and hotdog concoction that Ilse cooked up. Then Thomas showed them some of his Oregon pictures until my Dad's eyes got tired. Before we left, we brought in some boxes from the garage that contain linens. Ilse has more linens and clothes than any 77 year old woman should have. I hope she decides to either store or get rid of most of it. Monday evening we had Mark and Wanda over for another barbeque. This time we had brats, hotdogs and hamburgers. Doug made his famous pasta salad. Wanda brought broccoli-cauliflower salad and cole slaw. Diedre wasn't able to come because she was on her Dad's boat and eating with them. Chloe was able to join us after work. And Matt brought his girl friend. Thomas went to Diedre's after supper and Chloe left to have fried ice cream at Carlos O'Kellys with some friends. At 7:00 we watched Star Wars specials. There were 2 different specials, the first was about the technology and the second was about all the different episodes.

Saturday Update

Well, we got Thomas all moved back. It wasn't a bad move and Bjorn helped with the heavy stuff. I didn't do too much else the rest of the day. Of course, I did do some laundry because Thomas never washes his bedding when at school...Yuck!!

Now I just have to finish getting my Dad and Ilse unpacked. What a long drawn out process. They got the washer and dryer hooked up, but they have not used them yet. They are probably waiting for me to do it. They also bought a new stove yesterday. Sears is loving them! Oh well, now we get a washing machine and a stove from the deal. I'm holding out for a new refrigerator! My Dad says he has some paperwork he wants me to help him with and then I have to help move Ilse's 'Black Panther' from the family room to the living room and an entertainment center from the living room to the family room. This should be loads of fun. Not to mention the china and trinkets still left to unpack.

That's all for now. I hope I survive the day with the old people.

Friday Update

Thomas got home yesterday. He took over 1,000 pictures while on his trip to Oregon. Most of them are amazing. He says now he would like to take a photography class some time. Diedre came over last night and brought Tommy a lemon cake for his birthday. We went to the Metro Buffet for supper. Unfortunately, Chloe was too busy to come along. As usual, I ate too much and did not have dessert. I think the dessert at Metro Buffet is flavorless.

This morning we are going to Waverly to bring back the rest of Tommy's stuff. He already brought back his clothes and some smaller items. So, it shouldn't be a bad move. I can't believe next year he will be a senior.

Wednesday Update

Things have been crazy at work. We are getting more phone calls than ever. It is also the end of the school year, so all of the schools are trying to use up thier funds. That means lots and lots of orders to enter. I worked late yesterday. After work I stopped by my Dad's for a quick visit, he gave me a key to his house in case I ever needed to go in when he wasn't there or if they had an emergency. He also had to show me a new chaise lounge and cabinet that they bought at one of the consignment stores in town. The chaise lounge is similar to the one in the picture below, only a different color and it has a pattern on it.


Chloe started her summer classes at Kirkwood this week. She has two classes, Social Problems and Lit. Thomas is on his way back to Waverly. He had a most excellent time in Oregon. I can't wait to see all of his pictures. He said yesterday they went on a 9 mile hike and saw a lot of waterfalls. Friday I have the day off to help him move back home. That means I get a 4 day weekend from work. Yeah!!!

Happy Birthday Tommy!!

Saturday Update

I have been rather preoccupied lately. Sorry about the few updates.

Today I am going to post some pictures of Cape Arago where Thomas is in Oregon. These are not pictures that Thomas took. To see his pictures go to his blog.

Cape Arago Lighthouse, Oregon








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Good morning Thomas. Have a fantastic day!!

Thursday Update

I like grapes.

Wednesday Update

I'm tired. Drinking emergen-c. Yesterday morning I scrubbed out Dad's shower and bathtub. They were both very dirty and Ilse and my Dad were not able to get down on thier knees to do the scrubbing that needed done. After the cleaning I took Ilse to Walmart to pick up some cleaning supplies, a trash can and a dish drainer. Ilse said she likes Walmart, she didn't think she would because it is bigger than the one she went to in California. When we got back to thier house we ate lunch and then I spent the rest of the afternoon clean kitchen cupboards and putting down contact paper. They have a lot of cupboards. I am happy, today Thomas comes home until Friday.

Tuesday Update

I decided to take vacation Monday and Tuesday of this week to help my Dad and Ilse get settled. I don't think I could have kept my mind on work yesterday if I hadn't. When I got there yesterday my Dad said "Thank god you're here." I helped him make phone calls to Kaiser insurance and his eye Dr about getting a new pair of glasses since his pair was very damaged. The Dr office was a bit stubborn and tried to tell me that they could not fax a prescription anywhere it would have to be mailed. I said you can and you will. If you won't I want to talk to someone above you. They said they would talk to one of the optometrists when they got in. They never called back when they said they would, so I called them. They said the Dr was with a patient and they would talk to him when he was finished. I had to make one more phone call before I got someone who know Dad and Ilse and actually helped. We found out later at Lenscrafters that when they faxed over the prescription they never even sent a note with it. We got to Lenscrafter at around 3 and his glasses were finished at around 4:45. It would have been sooner, but my Dad is very talkative and so was the woman who helped him. After we left Westdale he wanted me to stop at Walmart and get him two resin chairs for his deck and a little patio table.

Anyway after we made the first call to Kaiser, I thought it would be a good idea to call the moving company to see where the truck with the furniture was. They were glad that I had called because they said they never got a phone number to call anyone. My Dad says he thought they gave them my phone number. They gave me the truck drivers cell number just in case. I called him and left a message on his voicemail. Later he called and said that he was sorry no one had contacted us to say his truck had broken down and he would not be here until Wednesday morning around 8 AM.

In between all of this I convinced Ilse to get up out of bed, get dressed and come to my house. She was just lying around looking very colorless and acting like she was on her death bed. I told her she needed to get up and move around and get out. My Dad had me take his station wagon to get gas in it at the Sinclair station. Ilse was looking so much better when she got to our house. She said she loved our house. Mao was a very good boy and let her pet him (rather roughly for him to normally allow). I think he knows better than to bite old people. She sat in the living room and talked with Doug while I put some of their laundry in and got a few things they needed for the next few days together. A frying pan, spatula, bowls, plates, silverware, blankets and our folding table. Doug helped me put the table in the car. My Dad wanted Maid Rites, so I left Ilse with Doug while I got the food. Dad told me to get whatever Doug and I wanted too. I ended up buying 7 maid-rites and an order of onion rings. Doug had 2 maid-rites and onion rings, I had 1 maid-rite. The other four were for my Dad and Ilse. While she was at our house Ilse ate some ratatouille. She said it was very nurishing. Later my Dad had some and he said, "Wow, tell Doug this is like a gourmet meal!"

While we were at our house my Dad decided be wanted to move a small heavy dresser that was in his garage to the kitchen to get his mail and medication organized. He joked that he carried it in on his back. He actually says that he tumbled it all of the way through the garage, up the deck steps, acroos the deck into the house until he got it to the kitchen. It's know wonder he was pretty exhouseted the rest of the day. When I left them Ilse looked much better than he did.

While my Dad and I were at the mall getting his glasses, Isle was at home resting and getting to know one of the neighbors behind them. She said she took the dogs out and a neighbor dog was out. The dogs owner was in her yard and started talking to Ilse. I think Ilse was proud of herself for talking to a neighbor with no one else there. My Dad always says she is very shy. When we got back from Westdale, I took Ilse to Hy Vee to get some thing they needed. She seemed to like the store, but she thought the groceries were a little higher than in California.

After we got back with the groceries I was getting ready to put my Dad's car in the garage, the neighbor on the other side of the driveway asked if I was her new neighbor. I told her my Dad and Stepmother were. She asked if she could meet here. I had to convince Ilse to come out, but she did. I think the neighbor is older than them because she said she had been married to her late husband just short of 60 years. She also has lived in her house since it was brand new. She told us her name is Geraldine and everyone calls her Jerry. I think she is going to make sure they meet all the old people in the neighborhood.

All in all it was a very tiring day. I got there at 7 AM and got home about 7:20 PM. I think I helped them accomplish a lot. Today I am going back to help Ilse clean out her cupboards and put down need contact paper. She is worried about butting her dishes in dirty cupboards. The cupboards are actually very clean compared to what ours looked like when we moved into our house. I also need to help clean the shower and bathtub in the bathrooms. I am going to try to break away earlier today. It can be very tiring trying to get old people to stay on track.

Monday Update

The furniture didn't arrive to my Dad's house on Sunday after all. They were having a hard time sleeping on the air mattresses and refuse to come sleep here. My Dad and I went over to Gander Mountain and Diedre's Dad helped us find cots that they could sleep on until the furniture arrives. At least they are able to get a little sleep now. My Dad wants to try and do everything himself, even though he is still too tired and his glasses are bothering him. Yesterday I drove him on his errands in his station wagon and today Doug is going to convince him to let him help if he needs anything. We have to discourage him from driving around trying to find things while he is too tired, he just gets lost. He got lost finding our house yesterday. Luckily I was outside watching for him and I saw him turn around between 11th and 12th streets and pull over to the side of the street. He even got out of the car and started walking to the house on the corner of 11th while I was getting in the van to go get him. I hope things will go better today.

Sunday Update

My Dad and Ilse finally arrived yesterday. When they left Kansas City my Dad told Dave to drive ahead and let him go at his own pace. Dave and Ilse got to town around 5:30. Ilse was very upset that my Dad wasn't here when she first saw the house. She cried and said it was supposed to be a happy time. All she could think of was if he was safe. She said he had been acting so strang, she thought he might be getting alzheimers and she was afraid he would get lost. He never activated his cell phone, she said he tried but they didn't think it worked and he refused to try to learn how to use it. When he got close, he stopped at a Maid Rite to eat and rest. He had a woman who worked there make a call to Dave and Sue to let them know he was okay. I'm not sure what time he got into town, but it wasn't dark yet. He found his way to the house without calling to ask for directions. They both seem to really like the house.The dogs were't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. They all liked me right away. The dogs do need a good bath and brushing though. My Dad said when he gets rested up he wants to send his church a message on the www that they got here okay. He has a lot to learn. Doug says we can set him up with an extra mchsi account that we have, or gmail or hotmail.

A newborn golden coin box turtle at the Chester Zoo in Chester, England.

A tiny infant veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, climbs the finger of a keeper in the zoo of Debrecen, Hungary.

Check out more zoo baby pictures here. http://www.boston.com/travel/gallery/zoo_babies/

Thursday Update

I am tired. I went to work at 7 yesterday and our Oracle system was down until 10:30 AM. That means that I wasn't able to enter the orders that I came in to enter. All I could do was prep the orders by checking the SKU numbers, account numbers and prices, so they were ready. I ended up stay at work until 5 PM. When I got home I went out to the garden and started to turn the soil to get it ready for planting. It is a lot of work and I got tired before I was finished with the whole thing. I hope it doesn't rain today so I can finish. Both Chris and Phil wer voted off Idol last night. The four that are left all would make a good American Idol winner. Although Lakesha had better keep up her good singing, she was slipping for awhile, but she came back strong this week.

Wednesday Update

I worked OT yesterday until 5:50 PM and I am going in early today for more OT. My Dad, Ilse, Dave and the dogs set out for Iowa last night. It was actually still afternoon in Iowa when they left. They need to get here by Sunday because that is when the movers are expected to arrive.

Tuesday Update

It is now official, my Dad and Ilse are moving to Iowa. I picked up the house keys from the realtor yesterday after work. Doug and I went over to check on the house and to see if there was any mail. There was actually mail for my Dad already. I accidently bumped one of the garage remotes when I was getting the house key out of the envelope and we found out there is a slight problem with the garage door closing. I also had a hard time unlocking the house. Doug figured out which key it was and didn't seem to have a problem. I hope my Dad doesn't have a problem with the key. The place looks a little different now that it is empty. It needs walls wiped down and a new coat of paint in a few rooms. But it is still a very nice little place.