Some Florida Pictures

The view from John and Alicia's in Naples


Pancakes on the Beach on Anna Maria Island

With Mom and Dad


It is always nice to get home when you have been away, even with the chores of unpacking and getting back into the home routine. Fortunately the weather has been great here. I spent the day today working in the yard picking up the winter debris and leaves. The John Deere is in the shop getting it's spring tuneup and the snow blade is off again. I even thought of putting the snow shovel up in the summer attic storage but something stopped me on that. We will be getting the lawn furniture out either this weekend or next so that will be when the shovel gets put away.

The grass is green. The golfers are out and with temperatures in the 70's it is hard not to think we are into golf season. I know it seems a little early but we are overdue for a warm spring. We have not had one in several years. The last few years we have gone from winter right into summer with little warm weather before it gets hot.

I have been reading my "Dummies" camera book and will be trying out some new shots. Since the camera is almost a year old already it is time to put to use all of the features. I have been guilty of using it as a point and shoot camera and it has so much more available it is a shame.

Had a great visit with Mom and Dad before we came back and I am trying to set up a flight back to Florida to help Dad with the driving back to Kalamazoo. It all depends on how much time I can get away again. I have a couple of irons in the fire that may prevent me from taking more than a couple of days off.

When the kids were in school I eventually got to the point I would say NO to people wanting anything and everything in the spring because it was always so busy. While my schedule has lots fewer activities I still worry about overextending myself at this time of year. So I was somewhat surprised when I responded yes to a request to serve on the Wood Lane Board of Directors for the next 2 years. We have gotten so much from Wood Lane though the years that it would have been difficult to say no. My only question was if it involved fund raising. If it had I probably would have at least thought about it a little more. Been there done that too many times and it is not my thing anymore.

Mike did well while we were in Florida. He is looking forward to Jessica coming home for a visit next week. It will be nice to have the family together for a few days. I will practice working the self timer button on the camera and take some group shots to share.

Ahh...Florida

They don't call it the sunshine state for no reason. We arrived Monday afternoon and although the temperatures have been cool for southern Florida it is much nicer than Ohio. The locals are all complaining about how the winter has been the worst anyone can remember. They have had cold temperatures and more rain than average but that is not relevant to me. I am enjoying the sunshine and high 70 degree temperatures.

Steve is working but I had the pleasure of playing golf with Our Belmont friend Betsy and her sister and brother in law. Her husband Paul, unfortunately is still recovering from shoulder surgery and can not golf but he had margaritas waiting for us when we finished. Steve and I hope to get together with Paul and Betsy for lunch before we head back to Ohio too.

Work finishes for Steve tonight and tomorrow we head to Naples to play golf with the Wagners. Then back up the coast to Bradenton for a visit with my mom and dad. A busy week but fun to see friends and family.

Spring ???

What a great week of warmer temperatures. Steve and I actually got out one night this week and walked the 5 hole loop at Belmont. It was a little soggy but we have certainly played in wetter conditions. We are looking forward to playing while we are in Florida next week and then will be hopeful the golf season is ready to start in Ohio. If the weather pattern continues it promises to be an early spring this year. The trees and lilacs are already in full bud and the grass is greening up quickly. It is a wonderful time of year.

Last night we had a wonderful evening with Jim and Lois. Jim was celebrating his 89th birthday. There is an interesting history between Jim and I of our paths crossing. Jim worked for O-I in the Television Products Division when I started working in Columbus TV Products plant, in 1973. Of course at that time he was an important Sales Manager while I was a lowly Industrial Engineer. We never really were more than acquaintances or maybe it is that I knew who he was but he didn't know me, but I do find it ironic that now some 37 years later we are great friends. Lois meanwhile has become my student. She has taken up the computer and has allowed me to share my knowledge with her. For anyone that says computing isn't for seniors I beg to differ. Lois has quickly picked up emailing and surfing the web. She has become so proficient she has many of her friends calling to see if I can make them computer literate now too. She is also a faithful reader of this blog so I know she will enjoy my compliments to her skills. Thanks Jim and Lois for a great friendship.

Rainbows

The last day in Hawaii we were treated to many rainbows. These pictures were taken from the balcony of our condo. It is good to remind us of the beauty after the rain.

We have had a preview of spring this past week with temperatures in the high 50's and low 60's. The grass has a tinge of green, and the snow is mostly gone but for the huge banks in the parking lots. The weekend though is reminding us that winter is not over. Today it is blowing and raining and cold again. The poor robins have returned and are now wondering why.

The exciting news last week is that AJ has his insulin pump. It is all very new at this point and Jesi has indicated that the start up in getting used to using it is high. This past week AJ still was getting his regular insulin injections plus having the pump running with just a saline solution. Next week Jesi starts using the pump with insulin. At that point she has to check AJ's sugar levels every 3 hours all day and night. Getting the pump adjusted may take several weeks/months. However when it does get adjusted correctly the hope is that it will deliver a more steady dose of insulin to AJ. When AJ showed it to me this week he told me it is like a video game with lots of numbers and buttons. He wears it on the waistband of his pants and it is the size of a cell phone or pager. A small tube is attached to the pump and his body. The insulin is delivered under the skin by an infusion set that needs to be changed every few days. That is what Jesi says AJ is not happy about now, but hopefully, that will change as he becomes used to it. My reading on insulin pumps has also shown me that it is possible in the near future that an implanted pump may be available. Of course it would be great if a cure were found before the implantable pump but we'll just have to settle for each advancement as it comes.

And as we set our clocks ahead today for Day Light Savings Time I quote:

"Time is the wisest counsellor of all."
Pericles

Memories

Sharing has been the whole point of this blog from its inception. Quickly sharing information when John was sick. Sharing feelings through hard times and lately sharing great memories of vacations.

Today it is back to sharing feelings. It is of course, the approach of the second anniversary of John's death that has me reeling with the sadness of John not being here. Both Steve and I have remembered the weather on the night we took John to the hospital for the last time. It was a blizzardy night so it has been nice to see the sunshine this week. The feelings are still so very raw. I hope getting them out on paper will help. I have somewhat ignored the date. Hawaii made it easy because it is hard to even remember what day it is let alone what the date is. But this week at home I did reflect on some of the posts to this blog from 2 years ago.

I went to the posts from March 2008 and read the first few which start from the end of the month. I knew enough to stay away from the early March posting but I was curious to see how I got through those first days after. This is the post from March 31st. I am amazed at how well written and wise it is. I am happy that I have been able to make good choices. But for just a few days in March I think I will commit the crime of grief and be sad. I am just looking for the end of this week.


Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday Monday

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on. " Robert Frost


The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


Life and choices are the focus today. Life will go on but it will be the choices we make that will affect the quality of the future. Putting myself back into life. Living...not just letting life go on. That would be the crime of grief. It is so easy to feel sad about everything that should have been. I enjoyed watching John as a father and husband, instead of just a son. He loved both of these new roles. He should have had more time to enjoy them. But he didn't.

So how is that going to affect my life. I have the choices to be sad about what he missed or to celebrate the life he had. My choices will reflect on John's life. My choices will affect everyone around me. Everyone I care about and everyone that cares about me. I have always said "I love my life". I do have a wonderful life. My choice today is to still love my life. This time is not ever going to be remembered in any way but as a sad time. But I plan on many, many, more happy times with family and friends. I will be able to enjoy life and living and John will be there smiling with us because we made good choices.