Oregon 2004 May Mary's visit
arrived Thursday at Medford airport...saw mom sitting in a wheelchair looking quite small with longer hair than usual and I heard dad's voice as he was discussing something with someone and standing a bit back from mom....both were in cheery moods...
mom commented several times on how pretty the drive is to and from the airport......dad went shopping, mom and I chatted, I went walking, I joined dad for part of his adoration time.....need to know the combo to get inside the locked chapel, then I went back and sat and chatted with mom while she crocheted...trying to finish up the leftovers of her yarn
Friday - mary and mom slept in, dad up and dressed before mom and I, I took mom to Elmer's for a Mother's Day breakfast, mom had a waffle with whip cream and real strawberries....really enjoyed it....I had blintzes....they were giant sized, 3 of them....I ate them for breakfast for the following 3 days.......mom and I enjoyed the blooming flowers on our drive home....raining...nice!!....walked with dad in the rain (I carried an umbrella..he wore his hat).....stories told while walking to, in and from the cemetery.....Dad's neighborhood area called Olden Terrace.....there were 3 bars in town....Sullivan, O'Reilly's, and McTeague's....dad's dad was not a drinker...dad played stick ball and box ball in the alleyway, U.Nick on OT football team.....
Fort Bra????,....Virginia....dad in Navy.... amphibious training...lived in tents, potbelly stove in the middle, went to sleep with lots of clothes on and peat jacket on and hat on .....very cold....then went to Boston to wait for his ship.....1 week there and slept in the Harper Bldg.....relaxing and nice....there was a monument in dad's hometown with his name on it
mailman in neighborhood for 25 years.....Christmas Eve Day everyone would give him a drink...one year he had one too many and ....slept it off on someone's couch while Grandma Julie and her 2 friends finished delivering the mail
Christmas...farms in the area...one farm loaned a wagon or so and Santa would go from house to house in the neighborhood...everyone would give him a drink...which he drank under his beard...by the end of the night..he was quite tipsy..
walking home from the cemetery...down street...dad goes around and around in small circles and then up and down the curb and then backwards....for balance and coordination skills.....
dad has a thin hip bone... he told me that sometimes he feels like 150 years old and sometimes he feels like 60 years old, he walks once or twice a week, swims once a week and does a little weight lifting exercise
when he goes out he leaves mom with the phone and her juicy juice drink
Friday afternoon - Margaret, Lori and dog come to visit, dad and I go shopping....dad bought mom and Lori flowers and bought Margaret a gigantic sized bone for the dog...lots of laughter at the gigantic bone....took pictures while dad gave the dog the bone....later ....how to get the dog away from the bone and into the car....dad and Margaret worked that out
Saturday am...mom woke up with lots of pain in her knees...gave her 3 pills...put arnica on her knees and ankles....she had tears in her eyes because of the pain...our beach plans were cancelled...after a while she was able to get up and using the walker went to the bathroom and came to eat breakfast...then later I left to go shopping and to buy ingredients to do some cooking....first though I had unpacked all the stuff which I had packed up the night before for our trip.....came back from store....Margaret in the kitchen...dad looks at me and says...it's time to pack up again....what.???? laughter....mom feeling better (2 hour rule...wait 2 hours and then she feels better)....Margaret said we are going to the beach.....pack..pack..pack...2 hour drive to Brookings...mom not 100% happy with the long drive but most of the time the conversation and scenery distract her from the drive....sang all the family songs for all the kids names. and You are my Sunshine....fun.....at beach.....took turns walking or being with mom....went in gift shop mom found two gifts for dad's birthday....ate subway sandwiches....spent from 11:00 am to almost 7 pm away from Grants Pass today.....the drive back to Grants Pass passed quickly...stopped on the way home for Dairy Queen ice cream....
Sunday...Mother's Day and Dad's birthday.....lots and lots of phone calls went to 11:00 am Mass....visitors in and out today
Monday...made custard, did chair aerobics with mom, spent afternoon with Susan exercising and chatting, tried to learn to play cribbage with Sean, Crystal, Dave and Sue.....
evening....big family gathering at pizza place in Rogue River...Isabel Peterson also visiting
Tuesday....went to Toastmasters with dad....dad and I helped to carry the meeting...talked naturally a bit about leprechauns, lunch Ashland...yummy fish, walk in the beautiful park with running water...dad and I would close our eyes while standing on the bridge and just listen to the running water.....walked over to Japanese garden....man sweeping the grounds....became engaged in conversation with him....he use to be a clinical psychologist....dad mentioned a few prominent names in that field....guy surprised...and said how do you know about them....dad said cause I'm a prolific reader and they chatted and discussed and discussed and chatted about all these various people and dad will send him some more info, got home around 6 pm, Margaret and Susan had taken turns keeping mom company while dad and I were away most of the day.....
Wednesday...did chair aerobics with mom...packed for my trip home...
overall.....mom and dad were in wonderful, kind loving moods the whole time I was there....mom talked often about the beautiful area...mountains, greenery, flowers etc....seems more content there in Oregon than she was before....mom's mobility is extremely limited......dad seems to be pushing forward but age is slowing him down a little also.....mom looked over her family album several times while I was there....be nice to get all that pertinent info typed....also had wonderful memories watching the anniversary video with mom and sometimes dad......great trip....hope you enjoy this email
love, mary