The Weekend--

Friday--the leaves in my driveway were ankle deep.  My car was covered, so I drove uptown, to blow the leaves off and parked on the other side of the drive.

 Soon, the spot I had left, was covered.

Saturday--Pammie picked me up and we drove down to Karen's.  Helene and the Baby were there.

I got the quilt done Thursday night.

I have never seen an 11 day old baby so alert.  Maybe because she was delivered C-section and didn't have to go through all that trauma?

Great Aunt Pammie, Baby Della and Grandma Karen

4 Generations!!

Sunday--the kids and I enjoying a nice quiet evening.

This morning, my Lawn Guy came to take care of the leaves.  Even while he was blowing them into piles and filling bags for pick-up tomorrow, the Maple trees were shedding more leaves.  I guess I better buy more yard waste bags because this chore isn't completed.  :-)

I don't ever remember having 69 degrees and sunny on November 7th.  What glorious weather we are having--unusual for Michigan this time of year.

Tomorrow is the big day.  Thankfully, after 18 torturous months of campaigning.  Suddenly, today, Michigan, who has been a Blue State for a generation is tilting toward the Republican side and becoming a Battle-Ground State.    

I will be glad when this is all over.  It has made many of us depressed, angry, confused and tired--just plain tired.  No matter which of the Devious Duo wins, Wednesday will still arrive and life will go on.

Floating room divider........

Quirky, to say the least, but...........

when my sister walked in and saw it, she actually squealed.

"How did you ever come up with that!"

"I don't know.  It appeared in my head one morning when I woke up."

"I had a bet with myself that you would hang a sheer, blue curtain there."

"No!  Ugh!"

"That looks like something Mother would do."

"Kinda.  Doesn't it."

"I think you are channeling Mother."

"I doubt that.  Mother and you have the decorating gene, me not so much.  I can change a car tire or milk a cow, but I sure don't know how to decorate."

"Well, this is very cool.  It does stop my eye from looking directly down the hall.  That is so unique.  I am really proud of you!"

Sister Susan called me 2 hours later and said, "You know what?  An arrangement like that would look great in the corner of a room.  I've been thinking about it all afternoon!"

Thoughts..........

When I first met Dar, six years ago, she reminded me of someone I had known.  I couldn't quite place it, but in her looks and her temperament, she reminded me of that long ago someone.

As Chris and I were talking Sunday, it suddenly came to me.  Chris' mother Donna and Dar not only look alike enough to be sisters, they were both emotionally nutzy cuckoo and prone to hysterics!!

Chris' folks lived just down the road from us.  Her mother and I used to ride to church choir practice together.  She too, like Dar, always talked about what a wonderful Christian she was and how Jesus guided her every move.

Chris rode the same school bus as my kids--a year older than my oldest, Mark.  The kids picked on her unmercifully, her name at that time being Gay Christine, and at one time, my Pammie, ever the champion of the underdog, took on a kid who was bullying Chris.

Chris later moved away to Flint.  I didn't see her again for 12 years.  She knocked at my door--two large black trash bags dragging along behind her and asked if she could come in and call her sister to come and get her.  She had had a child, given to her husband's family and had come home to live with her parents and straighten out her life.

Her mother, just arriving home from time spent in the mental ward in a hospital in Flint, refused to go into the house unless Chris left.  Her Dad made her leave so that her Mother would go in the house.

Chris called her older sister, who refused to come and get her.

I went down to the parent's house the next day.  Told them Chris was staying with me, so they wouldn't worry, and boxed up the rest of Chris' stuff and went back home.

In the year she stayed with me, her Dad visited her once--her parents living about 1/4 mile away.

This so reminded me of Dar--inviting her homeless son and grandchildren to come live with her for six months and then insisting they get out after four months.

Now I remember.  Why the two women resemble each other.

Chris' mother is long gone, but the scars still remain--a little bit.

Now, Chris is taking care of me.  I love her like she was my own!!!
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Life is good...........

I love this photo of Della.  Only 5 days old and it looks like she is cooing and smiling at her dog.  Last I knew, 5 day old babies were not capable of cooing or smiling.

Happy Family 

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Friday night, John carried Maisey over for one last good-bye.  She hasn't eaten very much in the last two weeks and would only eat from my hand.  I was sad to see them leave and ever sadder when I saw John and Maisey drive by at 10:00 on Saturday morning.  Heading to the vets office and Maisey's journey to the Rainbow Bridge.

My Spartans lost against our instate rivals, University of Michigan, but...the game was a lot better than I had thought.  Our team is really down this year.  A lot of guys hurt and unable to play and a lot of true Freshmen taking their place,  I feared something like a 40-0 score.  It was 32 to 23.  So I didn't feel too bad.

I did get to watch my 2nd favorite team, the Florida State Seminoles beat Clemson--which was not predicted to happen.

John stopped in around 9:30.  He hadn't been home all day.  Couldn't stand to go back into his now empty home.  He was so very upset.  He and Maisey had been together for 15 years.  He has been spending nearly $400.00 a month the last two years to keep her alive.  She was born with Cushing's Syndrome and the last two years as liver disease, pancreatitis, kidney failure and prone to seizures.  Every time the vet thought it might be Maisey's last visit, that pooch always came out of it and was happy and well for a couple of months.

Needless to say, John gave Maisey the very best life she could have had.

There comes a time when our pets are in such a tired, sad state that we know---------------

I am sure going to miss her.

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My Extra-Daughter Chris, the one who visited me last fall in her tiny camper, sold that tiny camper.  Her back and legs ached after her long camping trip around the States, because at no time was she ever able to sit or stand upright in that little thing.  So, she sold it.

She started the hunt for a "regular" camper trailer this summer.  Then, her career Army hubs was being transferred from Italy back to the States for his last 3 years until retirement.

She trekked over to Italy for a couple of weeks to help get him moved to his new base.  Hawaii.  She got to spend a couple of weeks there too, getting him settled.

When she got back to Texas, she found a trailer exactly like she wanted at a dealership a couple of hours away.  She drove up to make the deal.  After a couple of hours back and forth, they settled on a price.  There was a catch.  She could only get it for that price IF she financed it through their dealership.  She had cash in hand, but if she paid cash, it would cost $2K more.

Wait.  What?

She looked around on the Internet and found one--here on the west side of the State, that was $2K cheaper than the one in Texas.  She figured it was worth $2K to drive up from Texas, stop in to see her "Mom" (me) and spend the day.

We had a wonderful time yesterday.  We went out to lunch and then I drove her up to the cider mill.  We sat down by the river, listening to the water burbble and bubble over the rocks and ate our Cinnamon sugared doughnuts and drank our little pints of cider.

I just got a message from her, that she arrived in Grand Rapids.  The trailer is 2 feet longer than the one in Texas, even has a slide out where the couch sits and they did accept cash.  The dealership wants her to spend the night in the trailer to make sure everything is comfortable for her and that all the appliances, heater, A/C, shower, toilet works correctly.

She will start back to Texas tomorrow.
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I will have the long awaited photos of my room divider on Wednesday or Thursday.  I promise.  My little sister was impressed, so it must look all right.

Not much---

I got my hair cut today.

I got a genealogy book, bound and coiled.  I will mail it tomorrow.

I went to the Rich People's store and got 3 salads, a packet of Tuna and 3 Diet Pepsi.

I cross-stitched on the baby quilt--almost done.

I watched the World Series.  I probably should be rooting for the Indians, but I'd like to see the Cubs break the 108 year old curse.

That's it.

October 24, 1961

It was a 70 degree day.  Sunny and bright.  The window in the hospital labor room was open and I could see the construction guys working on the hospital's new addition.  I was having back labor.  The nurse came in at 3:00 and said I was a "nester" and it would be hours before the baby was born.

My husband decided he'd go down to the cafeteria, get something to eat and have a smoke.

He left the room, I rolled over onto my back and all of a sudden--my water broke, I felt the need to push, I scooted down a bit on the bed and out came the baby.  I was yelling "Nurse. Nurse!" and pressing on the call button.

The nurse came in, flipped back the top sheet and said, "Oh my gosh!  You had the baby!"

Nearly a month overdue, when the doctor arrived, he checked my little baby girl with his penlight and said, "She has brown eyes and two tiny teeth!  I've never believed in ten month babies, but I might have to believe it now!"

My husband came back and the nurse stopped him out in the hall.  "You can't go in there.  Your wife just had the baby."

He stammered, "In the labor room!?"

"Yes," the nurse said.  "You can't go in there!"

Cutest little girl you ever saw.  Those big, round dark brown eyes.  Sweetest disposition.  We named her Karen Helene.  My grandmother's first name was Helene.

Thirty-one years and ten months ago, Karen Helene gave birth to her first child.  A girl she named Helene Mary--my grandmother's full name.  She was born in Minnesota so I didn't get to see her, my first grandchild, until she was 3 months old.

Today is Karen's 55th birthday.  While I was posting a birthday greeting on Face Book for her, she called.  9:10

"Oh Mom.", she was crying.  I got scared.  "Helene has had the baby.  She was in labor all Saturday night and all day yesterday.  They gave her an  Epidural at three this morning, but the baby wasn't moving.  Then the baby's heart dropped.  About ten medical people ran into the room.  Flipped Helene over on her stomach and rushed her off for an emergency C-section.  They just came and told us they are both fine, but........I haven't even see her yet!"

"Thank you, God!" I shouted.  Then tried to calm my daughter.  "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart."

"Oh...yeah.  I forgot!"

"Happy Birthday, Grandma!  Tell Helene I love her, and post photos when you can.  Everything is all right now."
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Today, on her grandmother's birthday, my first great grand child was born.  Her name?  Della Helene.  Della, after my mother's middle name and Helene, after momma's name, grandma's middle name and her 3rd great grandma's name.  Our family is big on naming our kids their first or middle name after an ancestor.

 Happy Birth Day, Della Helene

Happy Birthday, Grandma Karen Helene

Isn't she the prettiest grandma ever?  Still has the sweetest disposition!

It's Friday--already?

I was so tired when I got home last night, I could barely sit in my recliner without falling asleep, let alone write a blog post.

Lunch with the Old School Gal Pals.  I took my camera with me, thinking that I could get some nice pictures of fall color along the way.

The minute I drove out of the park, it started raining!!

When I got to the restaurant, 37.1 miles, it was still raining.










When I left the restaurant, 2 hours later, it was still raining.

 When I got to the farm, it was still raining and....................when I left the farm 90 mins. later, it was still raining.

When I stopped at Walmart, it was still raining and..........

When I had to stop at the Middletown Market to get the milk, I had forgotten to get at Walmart, it was still raining.

...and when I pulled into my driveway, 1.5 miles from the market,

it had stopped raining.

82.7 round trip.