Directives

I suppose we are elderly now.  The Doctor has suggested that we fill out health care directives. ( Hint hint, you are getting older and might croak soon and our job would be easier if you would just do this mountain of paperwork)  Mine was easy CPR NO, feeding tubes NO, Intubation and Ventilator 3 days and then the plug is pulled, no waiting around either 70 hours is time enough…pain medications..YES!~ BRING ON THE GOOD STUFF! 

The three days gives them time to treat you with antibiotics to see if you can recover to be sort of normal/return to home again.

Talk about paperwork…somebody that speaks legal ease must have come up with all that crap.  Four pages of instructions and then a hot pink envelope…I suppose the envelope should go on the fridge?  I didn’t read that far in the instructions.  The three pages of paperwork has to be witnessed by two people and then notarized.  The government must be involved to make things so freaking complicated.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a Medical ID Bracelet with the info? Or maybe something in your wallet?  Maybe it could be put on your drivers license? I know a implanted chip that they can scan!!

I am certain that if the ambulance hauls Far Guy to the hospital I will make sure they have his hot pink envelope.

I was an Emergency Medical Technician for many years, CPR is not an easy thing…I saw two cases where it worked…one lady lived for two days enough to let her family say goodbye and the other fellow lived awhile in the ER and was then pronounced.  Time of death?  Everyone looks at the clock and then sighs when the ER Doc states the time.  In my opinion CPR should be saved for the young and for drownings.

Death Directives:  Cremation…I would like the bulk of my ashes to go to the Pacific Ocean at Cannon Beach.  Just the sound of those waves crashing to shore relaxes me.  A small amount of ashes can go to the cemetery nearby in a smashing ruby red container so mourning relatives have some place to go.  We are torn as to which cemetery we should be buried at…I think Linnell is winning over Riverside…because Linnell gets mowed more often…Riverside looks weedy part of the summer. At any case we have not bought a plot YET.  Linnell is the cemetery I go to star gaze at night…it is just down the road from where we live.

Our wills have been recorded for a number of years.  I don’t know about other States but in Minnesota the will must be recorded at the Recorders Office …in order for it to be a legal last will and testament. I bought a certificate at a local fundraiser that allowed us to have our wills made out by a local lawyer.  Again lots of paperwork.

Somewhere on a different computer that has since been junked I had a obituary and an order of service.  I will have to work on that again some day.  Children should not be left to write the obituary, they have enough to contend with and will often guess at dates and years…so if you want it done right …do it yourself.  As I recall it was a rather humorous obituary too.  I will have to look and see if I kept a hard copy someplace.

I found this old photo when I was organizing some “stuff” It was taken at Cannon Beach Oregon on October 30 2003.

Chokecherry Blooms

The Pin Cherries have already bloomed.  They were late this year.  When the Pin Cherries are in bloom I always smile and think about an old neighbor Naomi.  The Power Crews were coming along to clear out the brush and trees underneath the power lines, Naomi tied all kinds of ribbons on her Pin Cherry and then proceeded to tell them that they better leave it alone…and they did.

The Chokecherries are blooming now along with the Lilacs.

Our driveway has a number of Chokecherry bushes.  Some people make jelly if it is a really good year…others like us just leave the berries for the birds.

Prunus virginiana or Chokecherry

A long time ago…I used to make juice and can it and then make jelly in the winter when I had more time. 

The blooms are highly fragrant.  If you wait for the berries and pop one in your mouth you will understand why they are called Chokecherries.  They are bitter and require a fair amount of sugar to be palatable.

Much needed rain

It started raining late Friday night.  The rain was oh so welcome.  The pollen is settled!

I heard it…thundering and gushing down.  Far Guy says we got over an inch of rain.   Since then it has been raining off and on.  We may get another five inches of rain into early Sunday…when it rains it pours.

The entire patio and walkway are covered in twigs and other parts of Oak Trees…a spring cleaning of sorts.

My sorts were out yesterday, I slept most of the day…I had a tickly/sore throat with a massive headache.  I started some Claritin Allergy Tablets …and used Zicam so hopefully I am over the worst of it! 

There was free recycling of electronic “stuff” at the County Landfill yesterday.  Far Guy took in all the dead electronics…old computer, printer, power supply ...etc. Usually they charge $5.00 per item.  So it was bargain day at the dump.

My May List and Wildflowers

Ack my May list of things to accomplish is a tad lacking.

My May List:

Clean garage  In process another day or two and I will be done.

Vacuum cars and wash windows.   I got Far Guys vehicle all done.

Sleigh Bells…nope

Spring clean some kitchen cupboards…probably not all of them. Yes some are cleaned!

Trim some grass around some old grave markers. Yes the markers look better.

Visit some graves that I have not been to in a few years. Maybe someday in June when Far Guy is feeling better.

My June list.

Garage sale

Road trip to Buhl Minnesota.  It seems Far Guy was bored in the middle of the night and bought a whole tote of train “stuff” and it has to be picked up. I have no idea where Buhl is..up north someplace in the boonies.

I can finish up “stuff” from previous months.

Wildflower photos!!

 

Large flowered Trillium or Trillium grandiflorum

You can see how dusty the foliage is along the roads.

Large Flowered Bellwort or Uvularia grandiflora  one of two Bellworts found in Minnesota.

I think the prednisone that Far Guy has been on leaves him sleepless at night.  He discovered how to sinc his Roku to his computer so he can watch his favorites on You Tube on his TV.   I told him I didn’t want to be involved…my tech skills are already at their max. 

It hasn’t rained yet, we are still waiting for a good rain.

The Yard Report

We went from late spring coolness to August like hot weather just like that.   It is dry, I hope it rains soon.  In August our yard is heavily shaded.  No so much in May.

The Oaks which we curse each fall with their millions of leaves are finally starting to show some green. In the next photo you can see how I rake the leaves to the edge of the woods every fall, soon grass will grow up through those piles of leaves.  In the spring those leaves are wet from snowmelt and provide an extra barrier of protection should there be a forest fire…wet leaves do not burn.  Oak forests usually do not burn either..but just incase my leaves will stop a ground fire.

Andy and Jen carried the lawn swing out of the garage.  I am giving the garage a good cleaning before the garage sale…that happens a week from today.  I sure do have lots of crap highly collectable items.  I have not had a garage sale in about four years…it is time.

I had Far Guy dig out that worthless Forsythia last fall and added another bird bath in it’s place.   I mowed part of the lawn, I insisted Far Guy stay indoors.  We went to town and bought a battery operated weed trimmer that should be easy on my shoulders…compared to the gas one that you have to pull your shoulder practically out of joint to start.

I love the green grass.  Our lawn is not perfect, it has dandy lions all over, I find them pleasant, like little bits of cheerful sunshine amongst the green.

  The Purple Leaf Sandcherry had a tough winter.

Looks like a bunch of dead sticks with a little growth along the bottom.  I will trim it after it rains.  The jury remains out on the climbing roses…they don’t look good. I must be patient.

A Few Rough Days

Last Saturday was very warm, and the pine trees started to weigh down the air with their pollen.  As you know Far Guy has battled Acute Bronchitis for over a month.  The pollen proved to be too much for him.  His oxygen sats plummeted.  I took him into the ER and they kept him in the hospital for four days.   His Doctor called his breathing problem a  “perfect storm.” They gave him IV antibiotics and steroids.

He is much improved and is listening to everything most things I say.

Chance, Miney and Little Elvis were in a real funk.  They couldn’t figure out what I had done with Far Guy…all they knew is that I took him someplace and I didn’t bring him back, that I would come and go many times a day and smell different. They were good company for me when I was at home to do a few things and play ball with them.

Little Elvis was delegated to lick my fingers or my toes every morning until I awakened.  He took his new job seriously!

Yesterday afternoon after Miney and Little Elvis went home ( their people returned from a vacation in Colorado) and Far Guy was settled I crashed on the couch and slept for three hours.  I didn’t answer the phone, I don’t know if it rang or not.

Far Guy enjoyed Room Service in the hospital, they cooked him whatever he wanted to eat, and his nursing care was excellent. I am cautiously optimistic that he is over the hump now…he says he feels about 75 % normal.  He sees his regular Doctor again next week, in the meantime he is still on antibiotics, steroids and an allergy pill.  We have the AC on since everything in our area is spitting yellow pollen, I will open the windows after it rains.

Wistful Wednesday: Bill and Gertie

Just on the other side of the section of land where I grew up was a big old white house surrounded by farmland.  There used to be some falling down out buildings…I recall a chicken coop and maybe an old garage or small shed. 

Bill and Gertie lived in the big white house…two story…probably what is called a foursquare house. 

This photo was taken on their 50th wedding anniversary on October 23, 1957.   I wondered why I remembered them this way and not any older?  I looked up their gravesites.  Gertie 1885 to 1958, and Bill  or W.T. 1877 to 1969.  They were already in their 70’s and 80’s when I met them.  Gertie died about six months after this photo was taken.

I remember visiting their house and having cookies…cookies were always a big hit with me!

We drive by their old place sometimes on our evening drives.

The house has been enlarged, someone else lives there now and it is for sale. 

My parents owned this property at one time…I think they bought it from the Estate after Bills’ death in 1969.  They farmed the land for a number of years.

Bill and Gertie were good neighbors, no one ever spoke badly of them that I can recall.  Salt of the earth kind of people.

Savannah’s Graduation Party

The Graduation ceremony was held in the Sanford Center in Bemidji Minnesota at 10 AM.  310 students graduated, the ceremony took about 2 hours.

There were two too many speakers who just liked to hear the sound of their own voices.  The student speakers were the best!  The old farts should have just stayed silent.

Savannah’s parents held an open house in her honor in the afternoon, we had several hours to make the final preparations.  The day before the party I made potato salad for 100 people.  Uncle Andy smoked pork for sandwiches.  We mixed up cole slaw, baked beans and made the frosting for the cupcakes before all the guests arrived.
It was a warm sun shiny day.  Shade was welcome…we went from cool spring weather to sunny and hot.  People came and went all afternoon. 
During one of more quiet times I asked Savannah to open her gifts.
This is the gift from Savannah’s Great Grandparents ( my parents) they were unable to attend but my Mother made Savannah a quilt in her favorite color …green.

I made her a scrapbook page with her newspaper clipping and her graduation photo, then I scanned it and found a frame that is a shadowbox…so she can put some keepsakes in the frame.

Savannah’s Aunt Jen made her a book…all through the years.  It made her cry…which in turn made just a few of us cry.

Then another gift from Aunt Jen, Uncle Andy and the boys made her smile.

“Bananas in pajamas are coming down the stairs, Bananas in pajamas are coming down in pairs”  It was a cartoon or a show on TV when she was just a little girl…we changed the lyrics to Savannah in Pajamas!

It was a lovely afternoon.  We were so happy we could be there.

Memorial Day

We visited two cemeteries on Friday.  I have a box in the garage that says “Cemetery Flowers”  it contains silk flowers…pink and red.  We visited the two local cemeteries where we have people planted.

This year I wanted to remove some of the grass overgrowth on a few older graves that no one visits…Veterans…Great Grandma Abbott’s brothers.  We took a few butcher knives and a bucket to cut the overgrowth next to the slab.  Mission accomplished…the markers will look better after a rain.

I wandered around.

Found some beautiful Iris on a grave…and a lone bullet on the foot marker.  I knew the gentleman years ago.

I was tired after working on one marker…so I sat in the grass and took a photograph.

The sun was shining on my husbands maternal grandparents headstone…

Of course the photo didn’t turn out as good as I would have liked. 

There were several what I call Striped Gofers running around…I also noticed several holes.

Far Guys Uncle Willard’s headstone is in place.  Often times we would meet Uncle Willard at the cemetery when he was bringing flowers to his parents and grandparents graves…now we are leaving flowers for him…and taking over his flower duties.

My cousin Mark’s grave had no flowers so we left some.  He seems to have a very lonely spot in the cemetery.  Some times I wonder why he chose to be buried at that cemetery…his parents are buried elsewhere…but he made all of his own arrangements.

Far Guy did great helping me with my mission.  Flowers were placed near headstones for the weekend and on Tuesday or Wednesday I will pick them up again and put them back in the box until next year.  It is easier for the people that mow.

I have several other cemeteries that I should have visited, but for a number of reasons it was not possible this Memorial Day Weekend.

I am not certain who will bring flowers after we are dead and gone…no one most likely.

Grand Line Up

I always make the Grands line up for pictures.   I have done it for years. They indulge me.

This year we add a new photo.

When I call for birth order Savannah is always happy…since she is the oldest.

Then I call for tallest to shortest…Savannah says “Well I know my place.”

Since she is the oldest but the shortest she makes sure that her sisters are in the proper order…can you see her eyeballing the height?

Finally they have it right! What a handsome/beautiful group of Grands…and they are all mine..oh and Far Guys too!

Bee Happy Bargains

Finally I  got a chance to change from my winter very warm wool felted just in case I get caught in a storm purse that I could use as a hat….to the summer one…I have not seen a bee yet but I need to carry my epi pens during the summer.  I am not much of a purse person and would rather have my pocket book in my pocket…but the size of  those epi pens makes that impossible.

There are not as many bees around anymore.

I have had this wreath next to the front door for years.  I decorate it with the seasons. I found these bee decorations at a garage sale…for $1.25 I have a whole new look.  I may have to look for a few more bees…

Last year I scored a new loon flag for a dollar.

Bargains always make me happy.

We finally heard the Loons down on the lake this week.  They are very late this year.

Indigo Bunting

I stalked the Indigo Bunting for quite some time.   I am not sure if there is one or two.  We usually get one passing through every May, I wish one would stay we are in his/her breeding range.

Here it is in the woods.

At the edge of the woods.

Success!  Isn’t he a beauty? Well worth waiting for!

We have been sitting outside for a short time everyday soaking up some Vitamin D on the days with sunshine. I have been working on a few projects intermittently, mainly I just keep the household running and take care of Far Guy and Chance.  Far Guy is still recovering from acute bronchitis…it is a sloooow recovery.

Birds and a Birthday

The Baltimore Orioles are still here!  There are eight maybe ten that are hanging in the trees.  Yesterday we had a new to us bird.

Orchard Oriole…we are just on the edge of his range.  He is much darker than the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore Oriole and an Orchard Oriole

Then we had this unknown to me bird.

It has a black throat and a beak like an Immature Orchard Oriole…but I am uncertain.

 

Grandson Noah is fifteen years old today.

He loves his longer hair and so do I.  Happy Birthday!

I think he will get his Driver’s Permit soon…part of growing up and making Grandma feel older.