What a week!

Saturday, January 12, I flew to Phoenix to help Lisa move from the home she is losing through bankruptcy. I landed around 1:45, rented a car and drove to Carefree where our friend, Trudy Gray, had lived. Trudy passed away a few weeks before at the age of 92 from pneumonia. I had a nice visit with her son, Tom, and his wife. They let me go into Trudy's sewing room for one last time. I had been in there many times as Trudy proudly showed me her latest sewing or quilting project. She was a special lady and inspired me to begin piano lessons at age 69. She got a Steinway for her 80th birthday and began piano lessons.

My home base while in Phoenix was with my sister, Marla, and brother-in-law, Mark. They live 45 minutes from Lisa and as the week wore on, I was very glad to have a retreat to which I could return after an emotionally draining day. I was overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" Lisa had accumulated and with which she was reluctant to part. After five days of packing boxes, I felt that I had not made even a dent.

During the week, Lisa made mention of infections in her mouth over the past three years. While I knew of an abscessed tooth removed in July 2009, she had never mentioned these occasional infections. I was contributing her failing health strictly to nutritional deficiencies. Upon hearing this, I started thinking dental problems. I set her up with a dental appointment. After 18 x-rays, the dentist told us his recommendation was three root canals, one extraction and eleven fillings. This week she had the three root canals, is on antibiotic for infection and has another appointment on Monday.

 Sunday night, son Aaron broke his leg slipping on an icy patch on a hill near his home. The break required a rod to be surgically inserted in his lower right leg. Mark, Marla and I drove up to Cottonwood Tuesday afternoon to visit with him. He has physical therapists coming to his house three times a week while a nurse comes twice a week to change his dressing. He is not in a cast but cannot bear weight on his leg for several months and will need therapy for months, possibly twelve months. He told me today that he bought "state of the art" crutches. At 6'7" and close to 300 pounds, he needs state of the art crutches. He's hoping to perform this week-end. Hopefully, nobody tells him to "break a leg."

On Saturday, January 19th, Marla and I went hiking with eight of my Terravita friends. We hiked in Spur Cross Conservation Area, north of Phoenix. We were having a great time and were almost at the end of the trailhead, when I lost my balance and fell. I landed on my back on a bush about three feet below the trail. While the bush cushioned my fall and kept me from landing on rocks, its thorns (every native plant in Arizona has thorns) scratched my bare arms and legs. Since the girls were not able to help me, I got myself out, first pushing down the bush with my hiking boots. I had a walking pole which I could use for leverage to push myself up onto a rock and off the bush. When I finally got back on the trail, my friends were digging for any first aid supplies they had brought. They cleaned my injuries and offered me Bacitracin and bandages. I looked like I'd been in a cat fight but we still went to lunch. Back at Marla's, I soaked in the tub for ten minutes and then wiped all the scratches with Hydrogen Peroxide. It's been five days and so far no infection. I was flying home the next day so didn't tell Arne about the fall. I wanted him to see that I was "OK". I did wear long sleeves and pants so when I told Arne, he laughed and said he didn't want to hear about it. Needless to say, I didn't tell him at that time. Monday, he grew more curious and even took pictures of my scratches. Glad my "Miss America" days are behind me.



Saturday night, Marla made a delicious spaghetti casserole and Iowa sweet corn. Lisa, Taylor, grandson Aaron and his girlfriend joined us.

17-year-old Taylor with Grandma

Taylor, Lisa and Aaron2

Marla, Mark, Sharon, Lisa

Jeffrey's First Haircut

My scratches seem to be healing and I'm back to my usual activities here in The Villages, mainly pickleball. Yesterday, our village had our annual Guys v Gals tourney. I was on the committee which set the rules to favor the women. :-) And the gals finally got the trophy while the guys got the toilet bowl. I'm sure the rules will be adjusted next year to give the gals less of an advantage. After golf, over 100 of us had dinner at Palmer Legends Country Club. That's Palmer as in Arnie. :-)

It's been a month since I played basketball in Utah but I just got pictures taken by a friend's husband. BTW, that friend also played basketball in Iowa.

Impressive stretch for a 70-year-old, if I do say so myself. :-)

This hook shot went in....others didn't.

Happy gals with their gold medals.

Marching across field in Opening Ceremonies

Flags representing countries of participants in these games.

Flag dropped from the sky. Beautiful sight!

Erik sent this picture yesterday. Said it was 37 degrees in Los Alamos. No long pants for Kadin.

Trip to Southwest

My trip started with my basketball team and the Huntsville World Senior Games. We flew to Las Vegas from Tampa on Oct. 7. An Iowa teammate and her husband had a van so picked up my roomie, Cindy, and I for the trip to St. George, Utah, about two hours away. After checking into our hotel, we went to the Dixie Center for registration and tee shirt buying. Dinner at Texas Road House was walking distance from our hotel. Delicious steak, tasting even better due to $10 credit from the tournament.

Monday, we were able to practice for two hours in the same facility in which we would play. We had two gals from Connecticut and one from Tennessee whom I had never met before so we were very happy to have the practice time. We had two teams from The Villages, a 55-59 team and our 65-69 team. While you can play down in age, you can't play up.

Tuesday began the competition. We played NOVA, northern Virginia, first. We won by 8 points. Next up was a 70+ team from Colorado. We beat them by 15 points while trying to take it easy on these "senior" ladies. The ref gave them some breaks also which was OK with us. So...we ended the day 2-0. That night was the Opening Ceremonies, a junior version of the Olympics opening. All athletes marched into the stadium before taking a seat in the bleachers. After the flag was brought in by skydivers from a helicopter, there were several brief speeches and then the show began, consisting of dozens of children from ages 5-20, dancing and singing. They did a marvelous job with the show ending in a spectacular fireworks display. These games have been going on for over 25 years. I was very impressed.

Wednesday we played two more games, which we won, resulting in us being the #1 seed for the championship game. We won all three games, ending up 5-0 and winning the "gold" medal. I really had a great time during this whole event and am really pleased with how well I played. Basketball is a much rougher sport than when I played 50 years ago but thanks to my nephew Matt's training regime, I was able to stand up to the tough players and...never fell down! Bruises and scratches, yes, but I stayed on my feet, which was my goal. I even got in a couple hook shots, one in the championship game and the ref yelled "great shot." Our younger team lost all of their games. They played a team from Latvia and one from Canada. They also played a team with two ex-pros. Such it is after Title IX.

Wednesday evening, Cindy and I took the shuttle back to Las Vegas. We got there around 7 PM. After checking in to The Mirage and eating at their buffet, which was $32.99 and not $3.99, we spent several hours walking the Strip. We got back to the room shortly after midnight and I didn't drop a single coin in the slots. Cindy, being younger, spent a few dollars while waiting me return from the bathroom. :-)

Thursday morning, I flew to Albuquerque. A high school friend, Gary Nelson, whom I hadn't seen in 50 years, picked me up and took me to lunch. I had three hours before the train left for Santa Fe where Erik would meet me. We had a great time reminiscing.

I spent the next three days at Erik's. Jeffrey had his second birthday on Oct. 5 so we had a little celebration on Sunday, Oct. 14. I gave him a Lil Wheel which he called "bike." He says lots more words than when I saw him in April and he did remember Grandma. The weather was very nice on Sunday so we spent some time at the park.

Kadin having fun with her brother.

Oh Oh...

We went shopping in Santa Fe on Saturday and I bought the girls some clothes. Kadin found some pants and a dress at Target while Gracie found nothing. We then went to Apostale outlet where Kadin found this leather jacket which she just had to have. It's a large so should fit her for many years.

Erik pulled out his 20 year old leather jacket

Kadin ready for school on Monday

Gracie ready for school

Erik drove me to Albuquerque for my 3 PM flight. I had to change planes in Houston. Both flights were on time. However, my shuttle from Orlando to home took almost two and a half hours, longer than my flight from Houston! I got home at 12:30 AM and seem to still be on MDT. I awoke this morning at 8 AM after not getting to sleep until Midnight. Thank goodness, it's cooled down and I could play pickleball until 10 AM rather than 9...

Now I work on being physically ready for the National Senior Games in Cleveland next summer. First I have to deal with a problem in my right leg which a doctor today diagnosed as lateral cutaneous femoral nerve syndrome. (That's a mouthful!) She's referring me to an orthopedic doctor and physical therapy. Meanwhile, no pickleball, basketball or fitness center. :-( I've decided I'll work on my golf game. :-)

Cruise to Canada

Thursday, Sept. 20, Arne and I flew to Newark, with an unintended trip to LaGuardia and bus through the heart of New York City, back to Newark Airport. The next day, we embarked on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas for a 10-night cruise. Our ports were Portland, Maine, Bar Harbour, Maine, St. John's, New Brunswick, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Gaspé, Quebec. Our final destination was Quebec City. The first and last days of our cruise were sea days. The ship had a very nice sport court so I was able to practice BB shooting several days. The last day was cold, rainy and foggy so we spent the whole day indoors.

We had planned the trip in hopes of seeing Fall Colors. Unfortunately, the Atlantic seaboard had a very warm, dry summer and had yet to experience many, if any, cold nights. Not until Gaspé did we start to see color. Our days up to then had been mostly mild and sunny. After debarking, we took a morning tour of Quebec City and Montmorency Falls. After spending the night in QC, we flew home on Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Arne bought me this sweatshirt in St. Johns. I wore it everyday until we saw some Fall color.

Cliffs in Forillion National Park, Gaspé, Quebec

Jacinta was traveling with her grandparents. They live in Australia and had gotten on the ship in Copenhagen, Denmark. With the Transatlantic cruise, this was their third cruise on this ship. They were flying from New York back to Australia, with a 2-day stop in Dubai.

Arne captured this seal resting on a rock.

Arne in white hat & blue sweatshirt looking at Montmorency Falls.

Standing on suspension bridge 270 feet above the Falls.

A little color near the Falls.

Montmorency Falls, Quebec City

Something From the Past

While researching my family lineage, I came in contact with a cousin I haven't seen since high school. He told me of a pencil he found while cleaning out his mother's house after her death. He sent me the pencil. It was an advertising tool for my Uncle Cliff's business, truck hauling. It says "You Do The Calling And We'll Do The Hauling. Cliff Kalkwarf  Dayton, Iowa  Phone 547-2321" I plan to pass it on to my cousin Joyce in memory of her father.

Where Are My Eyeglasses??

 I have at least a couple dozen pair of "Granny glasses." I try to keep one or two pair in every room in our house, plus the car and golf cart. For some reason, they never seem to be where I need them and tend to collect in various spots around the house. Oh well, thank you, Mr. Franklin, for inventing eye glasses and allowing me to read so many books these past 30 years.

Granddaughters Part 2

The second half of the girls' visit began with Camp Villages Meet the Dogs, followed by Archery.

The girls marching with Lollie during Meet the Dogs

Gracie had her face painted for Meet the Dogs

Kadin aiming her bow at the target

 On Friday, August 3, the four of us went to SeaWorld in Orlando. We saw several shows...dolphins, whales, sea lions, turtles. Kadin and Gracie wanted to ride the coasters but they were closed all afternoon due to lightning in the area. We were heading out of the park at 5 and Gracie noticed that Mante was open with no wait so they ran to get in line while I stayed with Arne. They came off that ride beaming and ready to go on the other coaster, Kraken. I decided to go on that one with them. While Mante is the touted ride for SeaWorld, the girls thought Kraken was better.

On the way home, we stopped at a restaurant in Wildwood for dinner to celebrate Arne's birthday. Kadin was halfway through her dinner when she felt sick and started shaking. I took her to the car and the shaking stopped. When we got home she went right to bed and slept ten hours. It dawned on me the next morning that she could have been suffering from dehydration. We were in the heat all day and she wouldn't drink as much water as I wanted her to drink. She said she woke up around 2 (AM) and her tongue was dry so she drank water. After that incident, it was easier for me to get her to drink water in place of soda.

Dolphin Show

Trainer "skiing" on backs of two dolphins

"One Ocean" starring Orcas

This whale did belly landing. Trainers cannot go into water with whales since trainer was killed last year.

On Saturday, the girls went to art class with Arne. Sunday, we went to contemporary church service and then girls went to basketball practice with me. Kadin had a melt-down and went off to sit in the corner of the gym. She wouldn't mind me and I was very glad Erik was flying in that night.

Monday, Gracie went to art with Arne. Kadin stayed home with her Dad. Tuesday afternoon, we headed for Tampa. We checked into our hotel around 3. The girls swam while Arne took a nap. At 4 PM, we headed over to Clearwater Beach on the gulf. Erik and the girls swam for a couple hours while Arne and I watched from the beach.

Clearwater Beach

Erik, Kadin and Gracie (cartwheel) in the surf

Keeping cool

Kadin doing a flip on bungee trampoline. She almost got three flips on one jump.

Gracie's flip.

Wednesday we went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. The girls, Erik and I rode several coasters and cooled off in the Congo River Rapids. I got totally soaked and didn't mind one bit as I stayed cool for the rest of the day. Arne took care of our belongings while we were on the rides.

Erik and Gracie with the "Tall People." They laughed that Erik was almost as tall as they.

Erik and Gracie thrown out of their jeep.

"Plunge from the sky on SheiKra, our ferocious, floorless dive coaster... Climb 200 feet to the edge of a pure 90-degree drop that inches you mercilessly over the edge—and stops..." Look above the greenery and you can see the car just hanging over the edge. We were in the front row. I didn't think I was going to like that part but it wasn't so bad. I would have gone again, if the line hadn't been so long. Because I was sitting away from the track, I felt like I was flying.

 Thursday morning, the girls went with me to drop Erik at the airport, ten mins. from our hotel, for his flight back to New Mexico. It was a short visit but we packed a lot into those three days. We checked out around 10:30 and were home early afternoon. I took the girls swimming around 4. This turned out to be there last swim as we had a thunderstorm Friday. We took them back to Sweet Tomatoes on Friday for our last dinner together.

Saturday morning, we (Gracie and I) got all their stuff together and packed. Kadin's not much help as she's not happy unless she has her hands on some technology, whether it's iPod, iPad or computer.

Their 4:30 flight didn't take off until 4:55. We are required to stay in the terminal until the flight takes off. Arne and I had a very nice, quiet ride back to The Villages. While we have lots of happy memories, three weeks was definitely too long for Kadin. Gracie, whom I was most worried about, did great. She and Grandpa had some special bonding as Gracie took home a beautiful watercolor of a turtle which Grandpa helped her paint.

Today we were back to our regular routine. For me that meant fitness center, church and basketball practice, followed by a trip to Walmart to pick up a roast chicken for dinner...