New Apartment, New Friends, and . . . Covid????

 This seems as good a time as any to write about my move into my new assisted living apartment just down the street from Michelle in Talent Oregon. No pictures yet. I will wait for those until I can show you an organized, mostly neat apartment. For now, let it suffice that I am pleased. I have a large bedroom, a small sitting room, a tiny kitchen area with microwave, fridge and freezer, and bathroom. There is a lot more storage than you might imagine. The food is good - three meals a day ordered off a  is menu and cooked by two really good cooks. I'm making friends of the several other ladies and learning to listen with patience to those whose ability to remember words is less than mine. I am almost moved in.

Yesterday afternoon Marc and Akira were coming to put together a bookcase and as I walked out of my room to meet them at the front door, a nurse was standing in the hall doing something and she asked if I had heard. No. Covid!! So she tested me - I'm fine - handed me a mask and sent me on my way. I called Michelle to warn the guys to wear masks. They came, put the shelves together and left. I wanted to hug them especially as Akira heads back to Eugene today but I didn't because I just didn't know. 

Wow - it is Never dull!!! 

Dean is back in Southern California, living with his son Rob and searching for an Air-Stream to buy. He will travel in it, fish along the way, and come to see me as often as he can. We are already talking about a trip to the beach. Meanwhile, although I continue to be sore and slow moving, I think I am healing some because I do a lot of resting and then my movement is walking a lot, unloading boxes, and lifting my little weights. 

I'll send pictures when things are just a little more organized. Meanwhile, please hold a good thought for this new adventure we are on. 

This is the Way We Move Our Stuff

 I can finally say, I am ready! Later this afternoon we will go to the storage units and do one more check and pick up a rocking chair to go in the car we are driving to Oregon. Coming back to the house, we will put two chairs in the back of the car, stuff some soft things in between the arms and legs of the chairs, and in the morning put the suitcases in the very last thing so they will come out first. The pallets have already arrived in Oregon. Ninety-nine percent of my stuff is in Oregon awaiting my arrival.

Not all of this is mine. Several boxes have things for the daughters and grands. A lot of mine hang on the walls so won't take up that much floor space. The time has finally come. The next blog will come from Oregon announcing my final arrival! Blessings on the journey - both yours and mine.

Another Hot and Hard Working Day - uh, Hour.

 Have you ever seen a Pod commercial? They show a family loading or unloading a Pod. The parents are probably in their late 30s, early 40s. The two teenagers are strong, healthy and helpful. Everyone is smiling as they pick up boxes or small pieces of furniture and move them in or out of the Pod. HA! (You do hear the sarcasm in that expletive, I hope.)

Dean and I are in our 80s, moving from 4500 square feet into 406 square feet (me) and however big an AirStream is (Dean). Not your ideal commercial family. We have needed help. 

Fortunately we have had the help of two families ~ both of which brought along a teenager. One came to translate to make sure his mom understood what I wanted. He pitched in and worked over and beyond that though. I didn't realize that was his function until the end of our time. I knew granddaughter Emily had come to work. She is quite the organizer. We'd open a box, I would take a look and sigh, and she would say, "we'll just take it one item at a time" and we'd go to work and rather quickly the box would be sorted and we'd be moving on.

We were supposed to work again this afternoon and the heat is just too much. Dean tells me he needs a rest. He has been doing more than I expected. All I do is sit and supervise into which pile things go.

Emily helps set up a covering to give us some shade. After about 15 minutes the wind began to blow so the tarp came down before it was blown away, Fifteen minutes after that there was no more wind.

Boxes on top of boxes on top of boxes, each one going somewhere to either come to Oregon with me, come later with Dean, go back into storage for Dean to go through later or into a car to be taken to another friend, Monica, who will put the contents on eBay. Slowly and surely with a lot of help from our friends.

And this, my friends, is Old Ted. Ted came to me on my first birthday which means he will soon be 80. When he arrived he was white and fluffy with shiny black tack eyes. The tacks were almost an inch long and very sharp. A wise grandmother said, no. She removed the tacks and replaced them with shiny black button eyes which is all I remember. As you can tell, Ted is real, having been loved long and hard for years and years. He spent the last 21 years on a shelf in our library with several other old and treasured animals. Soon he will return to another shelf in my little apartment with the same friends. It was good for a moment to see him, hold him, and assure him (and me) we are still on this journey together. 

Almost Done Again!

Well, here we are almost 6 months later and our house in Tahoe has not sold and it is time to make another decision. After long hours of conversation with Rob, Dean's son, we  have come to a decision: I am going to move into an assisted living apartment just 5 minutes from Michelle. Dean is buying an Airstream to travel, go fishing, and come see me. 

Our "stuff" is finally out of pods and into storage where I will sort and mark for moving to Oregon, staying here, or being donated or tossed. We only thought we had down-sized before. Now we are doing it for real. My little one bedroom apartment has plenty of wall space for shelves to hold some precious items and to hang family pictures and art. Family members are getting pictures of items to help them decide if they want the items or not. We are fortunate to know someone whose business is putting items on eBay. 

Storage area where I will start sorting sometime within the week. 

We still have Lots of stuff. I am both dreading and looking forward to sorting. It is amazing to me how easy it is to make a decision when push comes to shove. In the previous blog I said how I was done and ready to move on. Well, here I am doing it again and this time I am ready to sort and get ready to be in Oregon in my new little apartment no later than November 15th. I have also learned not to live in expectation of a certain date and for now, I am holding out for the 15th. 

I guess I should say that it is not unusual for couples in their 80s to move into assisted living. We just happen to be doing it separately. This is best for both of us right now. Dean will absolutely Not move into assisted living. I am looking forward to being fed three meals a day without having to lift a finger except to point to the desired item on the menu. (yes, I will have a choice)

This saga continues and I will post more pictures and let you know how this journey plays out. It is rather fun to be looking forward in hope at age 80. Life moves on in interesting ways. 

Almost Done!

 There comes a time in every human project when the person or people involved are ready to stop! It may be a business deal to conclusion, pregnancy to birth, rehearsals to opening night, or moving to settling in. Right now, in my life’s journey it is moving (again) to settling in.

Our house in Tahoe has not sold so we can’t buy another house at a lower elevation in Oregon. Our plan is to sell, buy, and move in. Right now our plan is to store some things, move some things by shipping, and move some things in the car with us. This process is taking forever. I am so ready to be done!

Our present landlord has generously offered to let us rent his out building for storage until we return to this house in November when they move back to Florida. What we are all hoping is that our house in Tahoe sells, we buy this house, and when we move again in November, it is to come to “our” house with our stuff and he and his wife are moving to Arizona. 

Right now though - this minute on the 27th of April 2023 - I am over it. I am done. I want to wave my magic wand (or twitch my nose if you are old enough to remember Samantha) and have all the packing, storing, and decision making behind me and be in Southern California. 

The truth is - in spite of this rant - we are doing and have done well. All but a few little items are in the out building; UPS has picked up 8 of our 9 boxes to ship; the car top carrier is proving its worth; and we have Amazing helpers: Michelle, Marc and Trinity, and our cleaning company women. A thanks and shout out to all of them. Our 80-year-old legs and arms are grateful for all the help. Two and a half days, and we will be on our way. 

Advent Intent

Packed away in a pod somewhere is my Advent wreathe. Years and years old, it is a wreathe into which I have put the four candles of Advent. In the center is the Baby who I switch out on Christmas day for a large white candle to celebrate the coming of the Light into the world. All of it tucked away in a pod somewhere awaiting our first Christmas in our new home which hasn't happened yet. This year we are out of our Tahoe home and in a lovely little leased house in Jacksonville, Oregon, using someone else's furniture and dishes. So what to do about an Advent wreathe?

Well, I do believe that intention tops ritual and so I improvised. I wanted to do something for Christmas decorations so I bought a garland like one I had bought last year. We stretched it out across a cadenza in the living room. I borrowed 6 lovely red balls from the folks who own the house. I had brought some battery powered tea lights so I put 4 of them close together in front of the garland. When we find the AA batteries we brought with us, we will be able to light the garland's lights. 

Meanwhile, the tea lights will be lit every Sunday between now and Christmas in anticipation of the coming of the Light into the world.

What happens in my heart and mind during this time has very little if anything to do with the accompanying decorations. And yet, it is nice to have some decoration to focus my attention on the important things of the season. Advent blessings, dear friends.

We're Moving!

 Some of you know this so forgive the repetition. For others it is the first time you are hearing this. After I had my 'episode' back in  December and all anyone could say is, "Why is your oxygen so low?", we decided we needed to get off the mountain and down to an oxygen rich level. And so began the journey. 

Dean said we should move to the Rogue River Valley close to Grants Pass Oregon so we headed to Zillow in search of some houses to buy. We found 6 we were willing to look at. Our realtor here found us a realtor there and we headed to Oregon during Michelle's spring break. There was a house I really loved right on the river and we made an offer, they accepted, we got the first part of a loan, ~~ and the market crashed, interest rates soared, we couldn't get the bridge loan and new decisions had to be made. 

After nothing happening for months, we decided to let go of the house in Oregon, ski-lease our house here and rent a place on the Applegate River. One of the things that had kept us from ski-leasing before was my thought of everything we had to clear out, move, store and put behind lock and key. All of that had been done. A large portion of our stuff was tossed, donated, or stored in pods in Reno awaiting moving to OR.

With that decision made, we found a little furnished house in Jacksonville OR and will be moving there on November 1st. A friend here is leasing this house for us. Another friend will be the property manager. Still a lot to do to get ready to go but mainly we just have to pack our clothes and go. We are taking the grill - Dean can't be that close to a fishing river and not have his grill. Just a wee bit more complicated than just the clothes and not much. Only have one closet to lock. 

Plans at this time are to move in on November 1st, throw away the oxygen tank, and breathe! 

What happens next? Who knows? For the first time in my life, the future is wide open. Stay tuned for the next chapter in "You're Never Too Old to Do Something Different". 

The Year of the Granddaughters

 Dean and I have six granddaughters and this year they all have special "promotions" that take them one step further along their life journeys. We are so proud of all of them.

Lettie just turned 9, celebrated at Disneyland, wins awards at school, plays piano and is as lovely on the inside as she is on the out.

Emily has just graduated from elementary to Middle School, makes good grades, is an outstanding soccer player, and as lovely on the inside as she is on the out. 

Megan has just graduated from middle to High School, won the silver principal’s award, outstanding achievement in AVID and 4.0. She is an outstanding soccer player, a certified referee, and as lovely on the inside as she is on the out.

Trinity takes that final high school step and will be a senior with really good grades, becoming an amazing cook, and as lovely on the inside as she is on the out. 

Carly takes that final college step and will be a senior and working on her certification as a teacher of learning challenged students and is as lovely on the inside as on the out. 

Kaitlyn is living and working in Germany and will marry her long time love on July 15th. She also is as lovely on the inside as on the out.

Grandpa and Mama Susan are very, very proud of all these young women and their accomplishments and who they are and are becoming. We love them all deeply and dearly and although we don't get to see them often, they are always in our hearts.

Respect and Hope

 We spent spring break week with Michelle's family in Oregon. On our way up, we had lunch at our favorite little restaurant. We were able to eat outside on their patio. My body has been very achy and just to be careful on unfamiliar ground, I used my cane all week. As we were leaving, I was heading inside to the restroom and was walking behind a server with her arms full of dirty dishes. As she leaned her back into the door of the restaurant, she saw me coming. She stopped until I reached the door and pushed it open for me. I thanked her profusely for noticing and waiting. 

As I was leaving, a young couple left just ahead of me. For some reason the young man turned back, saw me and opened and held the door for me. Again I offered profuse thanks for his noticing and waiting. 

There is not a thing that said those two people (a busy server and a young person at play) should stop and wait to hold a door for an old lady, but they did. I was So Grateful. 

Having fallen trying to go through a heavy door on my own with my oxygen in my hand, I am really anxious about doors. Several times over the course of the week, I requested someone open the door for me with a bit of an explanation beyond age for my request. The cane helped, I'm sure. Every time, the answer was of course, a smile, and gracious door holding. 

Not only was respect shown on their part but hope was raised on mine. We read so much negative news about how people treat each other these days, it was really nice to be a part of respect and civility and good old fashioned kindness.

RIP, Archbishop

 Archbishop Desmond Tutu has died at age 90 after a life of fighting apartheid and offering moral leadership to the world. I was incredibly fortunate to meet him once. I was stage managing a large church assembly at which he was the preacher at the opening worship. The processional was designed around the energy of African tradition with dancers holding a golden cloth over the heads of the participants as they walked down the aisle. In the Archbishop's case, he danced down the aisle. His red robes flowing around him as he kept the rhythms of the music. Bless their very America ministerial hearts, the preachers in the line behind him tried their best and were obviously so up tight about moving with that energy in church. My dancer's heart could but grin. 

In the huge convention center auditorium, my crew and I were stationed on the floor stage left of the raised platform. Even though we were in plain sight, we were also invisible as lights and worship participants kept congregational attention focused on the stage. As we moved into the celebration of the Eucharist, the worship leader invited us to pass the Peace to each other. I looked up to see the Archbishop leaning down to take my hand and offer me the Peace of God. He looked me in the eye and blessed me and moved on down the line of "invisible" crew. 

The Archbishop did in that setting what he had done all his life: he saw the invisible ones and blessed them ~ in our case with the Peace of God, in his homeland with a fight for justice and equality. No one from that stage (and I stage managed a number of those assemblies) had ever reached down and acknowledged our presence just off stage left in plain sight but invisible. 

The world was made better by your presence in it, sir. May your heavenly dance continue. 

ER

I had a rather nasty episode last week and went to the doctor to get an antibiotic. He couldn't find anything and, although he admitted he might be overreacting, sent me to the ER for a cat scan of my brain. Whoa! I admit to being scared. Well, they ran a battery of tests and everything was negative. You can be very busy in the ER as they take you here, there and everywhere, move you through this machine and that machine and poke you in this arm and then that arm. 

They found nothing except a rather low oxygen level. They ordered the oxygen too late in the day for delivery and so they sent me upstairs to an observation room for the night. Interesting situation when you left home at 11:30 am expecting to be home in an hour. I did discover the toothpaste and toothbrush they provide so that helped. 

I came home with several oxygen tanks and a permanent oxygen machine was delivered about an hour after I got home. So - for now I am on oxygen 24/7; I have home health care to work on balance because there is still some vertigo symptoms present; and I miss my workouts with my trainer. It is my goal to get back to those as soon as possible. 

ER observations: everyone is friendly, helpful and tries to figure out what may be wrong with you. They will feed you anything you want whenever you want it. If you are allowed food, you may have it. They don't want you to be hungry. However. when you don't get to order breakfast, you get the absolute worst omelet in the world. I found out it is prepackaged and tastes like sand. My egg salad sandwich for lunch was made with real eggs and the salad was crisp and tasty. 

A big sign on the wall of the room said "Call nurse before getting out of bed!" I kept Jorge, my night nurse, hopping. He was great though and stopped once to sit and visit which was really nice. I was very glad to get home. I'm getting better although still struggling with some vertigo and staying on oxygen for a while. Staying inside is easy right now as we are in the middle of an atmospheric river of snow. If I had to visit the ER, I'm glad I made it in and out before the river arrived!

 

Ta-dah! Just Like That ~

 ~ I have a treadmill!! 

Friday night I thought the exercise equipment we had talked about but had no where to go just might go on the front deck. Saturday morning I mentioned it to Dean. By Saturday afternoon, he had gone to Craig's List, found a treadmill for $100 in Tahoe City about 5 minutes from our house, made contact and plans to pick it up Sunday morning. By late Sunday morning, I had a treadmill ~ with some effort on Dean's part of course. 

It's located in the most protected corner of the front deck, covered in a never-before-used grill cover which is perfect in case the snow does blow. Last night it snowed, coming straight down but I was still glad the treadmill was covered. I'll just bundle up to take my morning walk. I'm so pleased we found it, bought it, and set it up before the snow came. Dean's timing around snow arrival has been great this year so we are ready for winter and I am ready to enjoy my morning walks on my front deck. 

Age Adjustment

 As I grow older, and I have to admit I am growing older, I am learning it is wise to make some adjustments to compensate for that fact. This week it came in the form of making apple sauce. 

Traditionally I would put the crate of apples on the counter and cut and chop and cook and blend until the whole crate was gone and apple sauce was in the freezer. 

This year I found lovely Apple Hill apples at our Farmers' Market and chose a lovely selection to mix into the blend for apple sauce. Then my body aches started - my personal trainer even sent me home from our session when he saw the way I was walking into the gym. I ached. And I had apple sauce to make. What to do? 

Well, think about it, Susan. The whole crate doesn't have to be used all at once. Solution: yesterday I made two pots of apples. Today I made two pots of apples. Tomorrow I will finish the crate. Once the apples were cooked, I let them cool while I ate lunch and took a nap. Then I blended them and put them containers to freeze. Done in a way that gives me my terrific (if I do say so myself) apple sauce and at the same time didn't wear me out and made me hurt even more. 

Folks, I don't like to admit to hurting and feeling bad and not being as active as I once was ~ and the fact is, that's the way it is. So, I adjust. I'm learning and every adjustment keeps me moving forward and staying in good shape for 78. I'm grateful for life and all it's flavorful adjustments! 

Country Ham

 

A North Carolina friend sent country ham. Or as my cousins used to say, "coun'ry" ham. We served it up with grits, red eye gravy and fresh squeezed orange juice. Delicious!! The only thing missing was biscuits but Dean had his usual pecan sticky bun and, as you can tell, I had my usual English muffin. So yummy!

So here's a Southern breakfast story for you. We were in North Carolina a few years ago and this friend and his wife took us for breakfast at a restaurant for a real Southern breakfast. I mentioned I was going to have the ham with poached egg. His wife said that North Carolinians may not know what a poached egg is. I tried to order it anyway and our server didn't blink an eye and my egg came perfectly poached and all was well. 

A little over a week later we took cousins to a diner for breakfast. Again I ordered country ham with a poached egg. The server looked at me like I was nuts. "Poached?" she said with a wrinkle in her brow. Quickly I remembered my friend's previous comment and said, "over easy, please". The eggs came perfectly done over easy and all was well. 

My childhood summers were spent in North Carolina where my uncle would also have a Smithfield county ham that he parceled out over the summer both for breakfasts and dinners. I miss having it readily available and am grateful for a friend who knows me well enough to send a care package occasionally. So good regardless of how my eggs are done. 

Shopping Basket Art

 For years I have admired the woven shopping baskets for sale at the Farmers' Market and watched women carrying them as they gather their purchases. I always wanted one but thought that my tote bags and lately my grocery bags were sufficient and I didn't need to add to my collection. This week I decided I really did want one and they didn't cost that much and so I bought one. It is lovely

It is light weight and big enough to hold tomatoes, potatoes, grapes and spinach, strawberries and peaches and one very special cookie that I indulge in at the market. 

Now, here's the fun thing I didn't know. The company that makes them was started by a young Kenyan woman who came to this country to go to school bringing with her a suitcase of souvenirs to give to new friends. She soon realized that she just might be able to  sell such products, made by the women of her village, and help support the work of the women from home. And so she could. You can find these lovely baskets and other woven goods at https://www.gitzellimports.com/

Air Quality Index

 I have become fascinated with the Air Quality Index

Early this morning it read 282 (Very Unhealthy). Now it is 315 (Hazardous). Without reading it, I know that my eyes are dry and itch, my sinuses are stopped up, and I have a smoky headache. And at the same time it is rather interesting to know what weather science says about all that. 

Yesterday was gorgeous! The sky was blue. I could breathe outside without a mask. At the Farmers' Market, strangers talked about the blue sky and the view across the lake. Dean and I ate lunch on the deck for the first time in a week. Before we did, I wiped the table which was black with soot from smoke. It was lovely. And then things began to change. 

We say the smoke will come or go depending on the wind shift. Well, yesterday afternoon there was no wind. The sky was blue ~ and then it was sort of grey-ish. And then a bit darker grey. The West Shore disappeared from view and the forest had pockets of grey between the trees. No wind blew. There was no creeping in like fog. It just ~ changed. The full moon rose like a blood orange with nothing else visible in the sky. And the Air Quality Index crept slowly upward. 

Even as I write this, I am so grateful that all we have is smoke. Blessings to all those who are in the fire's path. Please, hold thoughts of safety for all our fire fighters both in the air and on the ground. 

"For what we are about to receive . . ."

 Years ago I went to a women's meeting in Japan. I was the only American there due to being national President of Church Women United. Our lunch the first day was a box lunch. I opened mine to look on raw fish, something I didn't recognize, rice and a sort of cabbage slaw. Oh dear. And then I realized this was food that had kept these people healthy and well for centuries and yes, there were a few things in the box I could eat. Then we were asked to bow our heads for the grace before the meal. The woman praying prayed in Japanese of course which I did not understand. Into my head came an ancient Anglican/ Episcopal prayer that has become practically by osmosis a part of Christian tradition no matter what our denomination. "Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us well and truly thankful." And I prayed that even over raw fish because I was being fed. 

Today an article in the NYT California section told about folks living in one of the richest counties in the state who have had to apply for food stamps and go to food banks because of the pandemic. I know this happens. I know people are suffering. And the article made me very aware that Dean and I are so blessed. We have continued to have an income and food on the table. At every meal we talk about how blessed we are and how grateful we are for food. "Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us well and truly thankful."

With Liberty and Justice

 When I was in elementary school in the 50s, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. Even back then something sounded a bit off to me although I couldn't have told you what. When my daughter was in the 8th grade (I think) they were going to say the Pledge and she came to me and said, "Mama, I can't do it. What do I do?" Giving it very little thought I realized she was having the sane questions I had had years before. I suggested she say the Pledge to the country as envisioned by so many good people: people, like her father, who marched for Civil Rights; people, like her grandfather, who fought in WWII; people, like her other grandfather, who defended a black man in the white courts of the South in the 30s; people of all times and races who knew that there wasn't liberty and justice for all yet ~ and there could be! 

We aren't there yet. In many ways we are slipping back from where we were even when she struggled with  what to say. Racism is rampant. LBGTQ folks struggle with acceptance of their identity. Immigration policy is chaotic with no sense of it being about human beings. We still have a problem with seeing the other as the same as we are. The right to vote is just now being restricted in such a way as to block people of color and economic diversity when every citizen should have access to a ballot and a way to make their voice heard. 

I may be disappointed and I am hopeful. White police who murder black citizens are finally being brought to account in the courts. Same sex couples are finally allowed to marry and adopt children. Women are finally being heard when they speak out about consent. 

I continue to be optimistic that one day, in this amazing country where the struggle continues,  there will indeed be liberty and justice for all. So - on that note, I wish you all a happy 4th of July! 

Family Time - Finally!!

After more than a year of COVID lock down, we all were vaccinated and Michelle's family came to Tahoe. It was a Delightful week ~ and here we are!!

Activities included shopping at Savers in Reno for wonderful vintage clothes and cooking. Cooking included: 

Michelle and Marc made kabobs and Marc made Chicken Adobo.

Trinity made crepes.

Akira made pudding.

Trinity made designer French bread.

And we all feasted well for five days. 

To prepare for more feasting later in the summer, Trinity helped Dean plant tomatoes, rosemary and basil.

Just for fun, the kids went kayaking and one night even battled a bat. 

Woke to this note on a paper towel. Orkin will arrive tomorrow if we haven't gotten it out yet. 

Grandson Carter from the McKay side of the clan 

came to dinner and a really good visit one night. 

Neighbors also came to dinner and to visit.

It was a wonderful week of lots of visiting and activities and just

being together as a family. Michelle took one last selfie as she and I 

prepared to say good-bye. This time, however, we have a date for

our next visit. Family love is very special and we have had the 

good fortune to have most of ours come this summer - three down,

one to go. Much love. 

I'm Spoiled

 We have a large portion of the McKay side of the clan visiting us this week. Due to a dietary issue in the family, they had hired a nanny who cooks for them. They brought her with them to Tahoe where she has not only continued to cook for all of us but also clean up after the meals. Wow!!

Son Rob has actually banished me from the kitchen for the duration of their trip and after deciding against all my Southern upbringing, I could do that, I have left it to Coco. Oh we are eating well. 

Even for meals that are not technically Chinese, her vegetables are brilliant with a flavor that is different to what I would prepare. For lunch today, she cooked veggies that we mixed for ourselves into a stir-fry: carrots, cabbage, onions, rice and left over pork shoulder. Yummy!! Like I said, I am spoiled. 

Dean said to his son, "What will you do when she leaves?" I said, "What will we do when she leaves and we've only had her around for a week!!" 

We will miss her when they leave and in the meantime, I will enjoy being spoiled and relish the delicious food laid before me and be grateful for Coco's arrival in our lives for a week.