Oregon 2004 June Diane's visit

June 7, 2004

I couldn’t sleep in anticipation of my trip to Oregon and beyond. So I did my shoulder exercises at 2AM, ate some cantaloupe, finished packing and was on the road at 3 AM. It was grand watching the sun come up around Sutter Buttes area. I had a restful one-hour nap at a California rest stop.

Mom & Dad sure were surprised to see me SO early! At least they were out of bed! Dad, as usual, gallantly helped me unpack the car while making comments about my packing books and bricks in my suitcase. We spread out the garden crop of asparagus, snow peas, banana squash, zucchini, three kinds of peppers, tomatoes and cherries on the dining room table. Mom and Dad ‘shopped’ on the table. The balance went to my dear siblings in Rogue River.

Mom and I were settling in to sew plastic rings to curtains I purchased for our extra bedroom. Dad was going to the YMCA to swim. His car wouldn’t start so he called AAA. I was tired and took a nap. There was no water in the house because of construction down the block. AAA started Dad’s car. He let it sit and charge and then drove it to a repair shop and walked home. Greg and Joel came for a nice visit to help me with a scooter. Mom’s car had a tire that was almost flat. I drove it SLOWLY to their enthusiastic gung ho tire shop and waited while it was repaired. What a busy afternoon!

June 8, 2004 - Tuesday morning I was fixing bacon and eggs for Mom & I. Dad’s dry sense of humor took advantage of the situation and seriously tells me “Mom likes her eggs cracked on the LEFT side”. After we chuckled he remembered telling Brian that ‘his left sock was on his right foot’. Dad continued with “There would be no hot water today per the construction workers” (I was going to take a shower). Often I believe what Dad says and get the joke later. Today I recognized that he was pulling my leg even about the hot water. Nice to ‘get’ it instead of being so gullible often!

Chair aerobics with Mom – was very refreshing.

The Glennon kitchen is well used. For example: Mom ate bacon and eggs. Then I ate eggs and toast. Then Mom ate oatmeal that Dad cooked. Dad blended his oatmeal and breakfast conglomeration and ate. I took Dad to get his car. Mom & I ate roast beef sandwiches. We made potato leek soup. The busy kitchen was finally cleaned and not being used at 2PM.

The afternoon was filled with a nice visit from Lori and LOTS of phone calls: Uncle Gene, Mathew (an hour or so with Dad), Mary, Susan, Kathy, and phone calls about the rest of this trip and my next trip (Crescent City, Annette in Willits, and Navy Lodges in San Diego). I attempted to cut Mom’s toenails but put lotion on her feet instead.

Supper was another multi-layered meal. Mom ate cold leftover soup. Dad ate potato leek soup after swimming at the YMCA. Then I stir fried (without soy sauce since they didn’t have any!) snow peas, zucchini, onions and chicken. Now we have leftovers for tomorrow!

Evening: Mom finished crocheting the blue & pink blanket. I finished crocheting rings on my white curtains. We all attempted to watch the movie Sea Biscuit with many interruptions of “what happened while I was napping, eating, talking, etc.” They remember Sea Biscuit stories when they were younger.

Wednesday June 9, 2004 was an energetic day for Mom. We went to Black Forest for breakfast. She stepped up the curb but walked the sidewalk to go down the ramp instead of stepping down the curb.

Dad requested my secretarial skills to call United Airlines and verify Tom’s flight arrival time from Chicago. Mom & Dad’s phone books are rather unique. I asked where United Airlines might be. Dad told me either “U’ for United Airlines, “A” for airlines, or “F” for flying. I actually found it under “U”. Recent numbers are now added to the end of the book since most pages are already full!!

Tom’s flight arrived early. Luckily Sean was also early. Mom, Dad, Tom, Sean and I had a lovely lunch at Home Town Buffet. Sean shared his experience of his home being robbed while he, and eighteen friends, where at Lake Shasta. The wheel chair was very handy at the restaurant.

While driving I was told to ‘get off at 33’. So I was looking for Highway 33 – a California interpretation. To an Oregonian it means exit 33 – the thirty third exit in Oregon. After that conversation, I received further instructions that in Oregon red means stop and green means go and yellow means slow down! Some Californian’s don’t agree!

We told Tom about the Sea Biscuit movie and Dad told stories of his youth. He remembered horses while growing up in Rego Park. There was a junk man who came by horse and wagon to buy and/or sell junk – like newspapers. The milk man and fruit carts from country farms also used horses and wagons. Dad saw a car maybe every third day or so. During the day, the Father’s were at work (six policemen and three firemen on Dad’s block) so the street and alley were always available for playing stickball. Dad, and his neighborhood friends, also played ‘association’ (touch football). He remembers sitting in front of garage doors in the alley eating ice cream. The alley was ‘our hangout and play area’. Basketball was not available, nor popular, until high school years when they played at Juniper Valley Park.

We stopped at Black Forest and picked up the pies we ordered during breakfast to celebrate Tom’s visit later tonight. Mom held them on her lap as we drove home. Dad kept encouraging me to ‘step on it’ (the gas) and see what happens to the pies. Five minutes after we were home, Mom was concerned that we forgot to pick up the pies. She remembered we already did after we reminded her. It’s great that Mom isn’t frustrated by her lack of recent memory most of the time now.

Mom and I did chair aerobics. Dad and Tom went for a walk. Tom planted some flowers I had brought the day before. We teased Dad about his one foot high California poppies scattered among the TALL grass and the tree stump available to play ‘how old was that tree?’

Open house 4 – 7 PM available relatives stopped by to say hi and eat pie. It was a very yakky, and pleasant, visit as usual. Story of the hour: LOST KEYS. Dad and I moved cars around in the driveway so they were in the correct position for tomorrow’s plans. I gave Tom the keys to Mom’s car since he would be driving it. I assumed the keys were Mom’s keys since they were to her car. Tom allowed Shelby (eight years young) to use the keys to ‘open’ her Lego castle. Shelby said she put the keys on the dining room table when she was finished. No one could find the keys. We searched for over an hour. The garbage was even dumped out and checked. Mom found her keys in her jacket pocket. Tom said those weren’t the keys that were lost! The mystery unraveled as Dad revealed that he saw his set of keys to Mom’s car on the dining room table (where Shelby put them) and he put them back in his dresser where they belonged. This doesn’t sound so funny now. Maybe you needed to be there. We found it hilarious – a comedy of errors and assumptions!

Thursday – July 10, 2004

Chair aerobics and Tai Chai massage with Mom. Dad was at the dining room table making encouraging comments during the massage.

Tom stayed in Rogue River last night. Tom & Sue were late, of course since I’m on a California timetable and Sue is a laid back Oregonian. We soaked Mom’s feet and Sue cut Mom’s thick toenails as Mom squeezed my hand. Sue has a great touch and soothing way with Mom. They made plans for a toe routine in the future.

It was difficult to leave Mom and Dad but the anticipation of a few days on the beach soon lifted my spirits again. Tom, Sue & I were on our way to Hampton Inn in Crescent City, CA to relax and celebrate Tom’s 25th anniversary of being a priest. The hotel was excellent. In our rooms, the ocean view and sounds of waves crashing on the rocks were soothing to the soul. The ocean view from the lobby was impressive. In other words, the hotel was beyond our expectations. We walked and talked …and talked and walked. I surrounded Tom & Sue with Irish stacks of rocks as they huddled near fallen logs to block the wind while talking shop. (art of affirmation vs ‘fluff’) We toured the lighthouse that’s only accessible during low tide. We ate lunch at some organic restaurant. I had a yummy veggie Rueben – sauerkraut, zucchini, red onions and Swiss cheese on rye bread. We had an invigorating and informative conversation with the owner of the hotel – a Chinese British citizen – for hours. Our time went too quickly. Tom and Sue went back to Oregon and I headed home by going south on highway 1 and 101. I enjoyed the tour of Mystery Trees, the Sky Trail and a few tourist stops along the way to Annette’s home in Willits. We hiked the next morning in her neighbor’s ‘yard’ – 250 acres of a Boy Scout camp!

My rental car showed that I traveled 1200 miles. A long, but very worthwhile, trip!