Saturday--Sept. 5, 2015

Chris showed up at 10:00 and we were off on our adventure.

A day filled with memories, and people she hadn't seen in 30+ years, and laughing so hard we about peed our pants.  There was some bad words and Chris yelling and it was such a great day!
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I drove this day so Chris could look around.  She cannot look and drive.  She cannot talk and drive.  She is severely directionally challenged, so...all around, it was better if I drove.

We had to brake for Sand Hill Cranes on the way out of the park--

 A stop at Michaels, because I pooped out before we could go Friday.

More yarn and some she bought to give to Pammie

I had an idea, kind of scared, but...we stopped at Jen's.  She was home and really glad to see Chris.  Jen hasn't seen her in 30+ years and I was surprised she recognized Chris.

Then, they got to yakking about the Pasties Chris made and Jen had just returned from the UP, and had bought some Pasties and they weren't very good and she had told her friends about the ones Chris used to make and could she (Chris) e-mail her recipe to Jen?

My goodness!  Jennifer remembered the Pasties she had been scolded for eating, when she was 14!

I didn't think we were ever going to get outta there and we had places to go and things to do!!

Drove north for 15-20 miles and stopped at the only REAL Coney Island Hot Dog place in the area.

Everyone in the Brighton/Howell goes to Leos Coney Island for what they call Coney Dogs.
Look at this--it is no more than a greasy, glorified Chili Dog!!

Chrissy and I wanted a REAL FLINT style Coney Dog.

Like this one.  The dog has to be a Koegels (made in Flint) and the sauce is drier.  Ground Beef with hot dog also ground up real fine in the sauce and has to be topped with mustard and onions.  They are not a bit greasy!

SUCCESS!!

We left and headed west--toward Byron.  We stopped at the campground, so I could see Chris' travel trailer.  Chris' husband made reservations for her here--a favorite lake for all the Byron kids to come on weekends.  Long before it was sold to the Byron Methodist Church and became a campground.  Her hubs knew it was one of her favorite places when she was a teen, so---all the way from Italy--he went on-line and made her reservation.  Oh--I love the Internet!!!

This little camper has everything in it.  A/C, heater, electricity.  It comes with nothing inside.  She made the bed frame, a table, different storage cubbies.  Even has room for the dog to sleep.

Here is the blanket I made from one of Chris' patterns.  It fits her XL camper bed perfectly!
The funny thing--as I made this blanket, I made a mistake when I joined the strips.

Come to find out, the mistake I made actually made the blanket hold its form better.

And that is why, Chrissy has me test her patterns!  ;-0

Out of the park, turn left and a few miles up to my Home Town and hers since 1971.

West out of Byron to visit my ancestor's and show Chris my grave marker.

She tends to some fallen tree branches.

Then south from the cemetery to Beard Road--where we both used to live.

Here is the house she spent her high school years (and after) in.

As I turned onto Beard Road, I stopped so she could see how they have added a breeze way to connect house to  garage.

Chris let out a scream!!!

"WHERE IS MY ROCK?  THEY GOT RID OF MY ROCK!  THERE WAS A BIG  ROCK IN THE FRONT YARD.  I USED TO SIT ON THAT ROCK, IN THE SUN, AND DRY MY HAIR!  WHAT DID THEY DO WITH MY ROCK?!!!"

She was quite traumatized!   "Things change, Honey.  I am so sorry."

All the way up the road to Pam's (1/4 mile), Chris kept yelling about, "How could they even move that rock?  It was one big assed rock!"

We got to Pammies, and she was gone!!!   But we walked around anyway and peeked in the windows, so that Chris could see the changes Pam has made inside.  I really wanted Pam to be home so they could talk and Chris could go upstairs and just sit in the bedroom where she lived.

I showed her the Heart Rock in the foundation, that I didn't even know was there until 1992, after Pam pulled out the bushes that hid it.

and the garden by the side entry door.
"Gah Nomes," Chris said.  "Pammie has Gah Nomes in her garden.  I love Gah Nomes!"
She knows how to pronounce Gnomes, but she likes to call them Gah Nomes, so I just humor her.  LOL

Chris left the bags of yarn for Pammie, by the back door and off we went.

Back on Beard Road, west 1/2 mile to the corner of Beard and Vernon and south 1/8th mile to Susan's  house.

I did not think Chris and Susan had ever met.  Susan lived in Maryland, while Chris lived with me, but they had met, at a family reunion in 1984, and they sat in the living room and chattered away about knitting and crocheting and...I don't know what else.  I was out in the kitchen, searching Susan's refrigerator for a cold Diet Pepsi.

All of a sudden, I realized it was 6:00 and we had to get back to Brighton.

It was such a fun day!  Lots of memories for both of us.

I was really tired, but not as much as the day before.  I think I might live through the weekend.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Chrissy arrived at the camp ground (up by Byron), Thursday and spent the night there.

She arrived at my house 10:30 Friday morning.  She stopped and boarded Maisey the dog, on her way here.

We hugged and kissed and cried and repeated that for awhile.  Then we sat and talked as fast as we could--which is pretty fast.

She brought me a lovely gift(s).  Two plates, and you know how I love anything to do with the ocean!

Then we ran up the road to:

 To get a foot long Spicy Italian sub to share and came back to the house to eat our lunch in the cool.

It was a terrifically humid day, in the mid '80's.

Then, I watched my Soap, while she worked on the computer and  we hopped in her car again, at 2:00 and went here.

and we went to this department and she loaded up a cart (I am not kidding--loaded) with all sorts of yarns.

We came back home, she spread all the yarn out, took pictures of groups of it for the patterns she is going to design and I am going to test and make the product.

I will never finish all her projects in the rest of my lifetime!!!

I was exhausted. 

I mean--eyes going crossed and mind totally shut-down. 

Chris can't drive very well after dark, so she took off at 7:00, back up to the camp ground.

Chrissy and Me-Part Two

I put Chrissy in the largest bedroom upstairs.  

She stayed with us for nine months.

Jennifer was 13-14 at the time and a bit jealous of the wonderful relationship Chris and I formed.  We stayed up late, talking to each other.  About our childhoods.  About relationships.  Chris was 21 and me 44--more like sisters than Mother and Daughter, but I felt very motherly toward her.  She so needed an older woman to build her up, believe in her...love her, no matter what.

She had no car, so I dropped her off at her work on my way to my job.  Picked her up on the way home, but at times, she had to wait for me.

She got on Welfare and food assistance.  Back then, they did house inspections and Chris was required to keep her food separate from ours--in a separate cupboard and shelf in the refrigerator.

Once, Jennifer helped herself to a pasty that Chris had made and put in the freezer.  I chastised her, telling her that we were not allowed to eat Chris' food! That made Jen even madder--at both Chris and me.  

Once a week, Chris and I would go over to Owosso, to the Mental Health Center and get separate counseling.  Then when we got home, at night, we'd sit up and talk about it.  We were each other's therapist.  Both of us so emotionally damaged.

We  had a house fire and couldn't stay in the house while repairs were being made.  Jen and I stayed with Pam and Al, up the road at their house, but there was no room for Chris.  She had to go back and stay with her parents--for 5 weeks.

After we got moved back in, she had decided to move to Idaho, to be nearer her older sister who lived in Washington State.  I remember so well, taking her to the bus station in Flint.  Putting her on that bus for the many days ride to Idaho, and crying all the way home.

We kept in touch through letters.  She started college in Moscow, Idaho.  I got remarried and moved.  She met a really nice young man and got married.  I got divorced and moved to Saginaw.  Then the Internet was invented and it became easier to keep in touch.

She was finally reunited with her daughter. She had been forced to give custody to the child's father because she couldn't support the girl.  The girls' Dad called one day and said, "I'm getting married again and my new wife doesn't like the girl.  You come get her or I'm going to put her up for adoption."  The girl was 10 at the time.
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Her new husband was in the Army and they moved all over the country.  For a time, they lived in their motor home.  

In 2010, when Fred and I finally got to travel to the Outer Banks in NC., Chris and her husband were stationed in Richmond, VA.  We set up a time to meet and had supper together.  The first time we had seen each other in 26 years.  That Mother-Daughter feeling was still there!  As Fred and I drove away, I was crying.

Fred said, "What's the matter, Sweetheart?"

"I'm just so happy for Chrissy.  She is so happy and so loved by D.  But....it will be the last time I ever see her in this life."

I truly believed that.
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Fast forward a couple of years, Chris and her hubs living in Texas.  He is transferred overseas.  They lived in Germany for awhile, then Italy.  Chris has Lupus and for some reason, the climate, the water, everything about Italy made her sicker and sicker.

Last year, she finally had to leave her hubs and come back to the States.  She purchased a home in Texas.

She and her hubs had traveled so much around the States, but were always in a rush to get to their next post.  They'd drive by National Parks or Monuments, but never had time to stop.  Kind of like, "Look quick.  There's Mount Rushmore out the side window.  Oops, missed it."

She decided to buy her little trailer and take this summer to travel to all the places she had wanted to see.  

She left Texas July 5th.  Because of her Lupus, she tires very easily...so she'd drive one day, stop at a campground, spend the next day resting, and then leave the next.  She visited friends along the way.  Stopped in Idaho with her in-laws...hubs had a leave and they met up and took a few days to vacation in the Canadian Rockies.

He back to Italy, she traveling onward.

Just before she arrived here, her hubs called to say he had been promoted to a full bird Colonel!!!!  Just under a one-star General.  He is going to be sent back to the States, but they don't know to what post or what State.

Chris has done very well for herself, as has her husband.  A really, REALLY nice salary comes along with being a Colonel.  Chris has written and had books published.  She also designs knit and crochet patterns and sells them on Ravelry and Esty.  Apparently, these patterns go for a real good price.  Her designs are unusual, clever and quite exquisite.  
She gives me the patterns, I make the product and make corrections in her pattern wording.

WIN-WIN!!!
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At one time in my life, I had a comfortable financial situation and taking this young woman into my home was no big deal.  I so enjoyed her company and helped her as best I could.

Now, she has a very comfortable financial situation and she has adopted me. :-)  

God put us together for a reason--I didn't think of that at the time, but now...I know for sure.  Here we are, 30+ years later and when we meet, it is like we just saw each other last week.

One lady at the campground told Chris, after I had visited there, that she knew we were Mother and Daughter because, Chris looks just like me.  Wait.  What?  We don't have any resemblance to each other in the least.  I suppose it is the way we act with each other?

Our loving relationship toward each other is like a REAL Mother and Daughter relationship SHOULD be!!

Chrissy and Me--Part One

None of you know Chris, so I think I can tell her story here, without embarrassing her.

Chris, her two sisters, Mom and Dad, moved from Flint out to Byron--just down the road from me, around  1971--thereabouts.  Chris was going into her Freshman year at Byron High School.

Her Mom was kind of like Dar--really, as I look back, she was like Dar!  All nicey, nicey on the outside, but an emotional mess--probably because of her childhood.

Her Mom and I sang in the church choir, so we rode together to choir practice.

One time she wanted Chris to go out and play and Chris was reading a book.  Her Mom put her outside, and (a bit fuzzy here) made Chris go up and sit on the shed roof, than took away the ladder so she couldn't get down.

After many hours, Chris jumped down, broke her ankle, struggled to get to the house and...the door was locked and Mom would not let her in.
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Chris' name was Gay Christina, at the time.  A beautiful name, but in that time period, something to be laughed at.  She was teased, bullied and rejected by most at the school.  She and my kids rode the same bus, and Pam saw her being picked on one day, and  stood up for her and backed the bully down--as Pam was prone to do.

I first time I met Chris, she and her younger sister, Linda, were walking home from school.  Instead of riding the bus around the entire route, they got off at the corner and walked home.  I heard giggling and looked up to see the two girls picking bunches of Lilacs off my Lilac bush, outside my west windows.  They were so happy.  Perhaps, they had no clue that sort of thing wasn't done.  You do not walk on other people's property and you don't pick their flowers.

They were city kids--now in the country with lots of open spaces and my wide yard, was just another open space to them.  If the Lilac bush had of been in a field, they would have picked the flowers.  My yard was right next to a big field.  They were taken with the beautiful flowers and never even realized it was on my yard.

I stood at the big picture window and watched.  They looked up.  Fear came over their faces.  They dropped the Lilac bouquets.  Linda ran home.  Chris came to my back door to apologize.  I told her, "If you had come to the door and asked, I would have cut the flowers for you."
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Chris was not allowed to attend any after school functions.  No football/basketball games.  Nothing like that.  Chris was/is exceptionally smart.  In her Senior year, her Economics teacher told the class that all of her graduating students had to give her a Senior picture or they would not pass her class.  She had all the previous year kids, who had passed her class and graduated, pictures up on her wall.  

Chris didn't think that was right.  She passed the class with flying colors, but her parents either hadn't been able to afford her Senior pictures or she just wasn't going to give the teacher one.  So the teacher failed her!  Can you believe this?  It was in 1975!  (The next year, my son also had trouble with this teacher and quit in the middle of his Senior year and left for CA.)

  Chris took Adult Ed., got her diploma and sent a copy of it to this teacher.  But--she had missed out on graduation ceremonies and all that goes with it.

Over the years, her Mom and I were still singing together in the church choir.  Her Mom had a beautiful Soprano voice.  I was in and out of their home, so I saw Chris from time to time, when she was living with them.
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Fast forward to 1983.

Chris' Mom had a nervous break-down and when her Dad brought Mom home from the hospital, she would not go into the house if Chris was there.  Dad went in and told Chris, she had to leave.  NOW!

A few hours later, my doorbell rang.  

There she stood, looking like a lost, bedraggled, emaciated puppy.  Tear stained face.  She had a couple of black plastic garbage bags and nothing else.

"Mrs. Miller...my parents kicked me out.  Can I stay with you for a couple of days until I can figure out where to go?"

HEY

I'm fine.

My adopted daughter finally got here and we are trying to do it all and wear each other out.

BTW--she is winning the wear me out contest.

Well--Let's See...................

Where did I leave off in my life?

Monday, I had to drive up to Howell for a doctor's appointment.  At the time i checked my checking account balance on-line, (Sunday night), I had .36 cents.   I had 4 dollars in my wallet.

The FILL UP NOW OR YOU WILL BE WALKING, gas light in my car had been glowing since Friday when I had to drive up to Howell for the emergency dental visit.

What to do!  What to do?

My friend Chris, who I test crochet/knit patterns for, had dropped 50 bucks into my Pay Pal account on Saturday.

The middle of August, I had finished up all the projects for her, so I wouldn't be getting any more pay.  When I noticed that on Saturday, I immediately clicked on the button to have that money transferred to my checking account.

HOWEVER--it always takes 3-5 business days before the money gets to my checking account.  

I could call and cancel the appointment, it wasn't really all that important anyway.  Before I did anything, I got on-line and went to my checking account and there--LO AND BEHOLD, was the Pay Pal transfer!  How can that be?  It ALWAYS takes at least 3 business days and this time it was there in half a business day?

Also, in the mail, (which I did not get until after the appointment) I received notice that my bad insurance would be cancelled September 1st--and my new insurance wouldn't be effective until September 15th.  Good thing I could go to the doc's on the last day of August, or unknowingly, I would have had to pay for the entire office call!!!

So--once again. although I let myself get filled with doubt, when I know better--GOD, came through and saved my bacon--as has always happened for the last 30 years of living alone.

Now you all can say it was just a coincidence, but I won't ever believe that.  It should not have happened, but it did!!!
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The heat and humidity have returned full force!  The humidity makes me physically ill---literally!  I have had a headache and nausea for the last 4 days.  So---I don't go outside.  I am stuck in this place with all the windows shut tightly just as I will be in the dead of winter and  I HATE IT!!!  No walkies for me!
  
The very best news is that my Dear Daughter from another mother, will arrive any day now for a visit!!!!!  

Chris lives in Texas.  She bought one of those little trailers, left Texas the first week of July and has been traveling on the road, all alone except for her dog, since then.  She drove up to Idaho to meet her hubby, who was home on leave from the Army.  They took a few days trip up into the Canadian Rockies, then she left Idaho mid-August and is coming here, then on down to KY and TN and AR and then, home by third week of September.  

How brave would any of us be to travel all summer long--alone??

I have all her completed projects here, ready for her.  Plus, we are going shopping together for the yarn I will need for her next few projects.

I am so excited to see her that I am a nervous wreck!!!!!  
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I got this quilt, on sale, in January and I just got it done.  My 6th one, with only 3 more to go.

Angels Among Us

Melissa Geiger

Wife Goes On

These lyrics are for you.

Thank you and I pray, God continues to bless you and your family.

When life held troubled times, and had me down on my knees.

There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me.

A kind word from a stranger, to lend a helping hand.

A phone call from a friend, just to say I understand.

And ain't it kind of funny that at the dark end of the road.

Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope.

Oh I believe there are angels among us.

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me in our darkest hours.

To show us how to live, to teach us how to give.

To guide us with the light of love.

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