Saying farewell

Last Tuesday morning Ray and I drove to Cincinnati for the funeral of a dear friend, Gloria Meyer. Gloria was three months younger than me. Our parents, together with several other families, would get together several times a year for a "potluck" meal followed by card games. During our childhood there were always lots of children to play when it was a potluck Sunday. I can truthfully say we've known each other since we were babies.

Gloria and I didn't go to the same grade school but we both enrolled at Concordia Lutheran High School, Fort Wayne. On the day before we were scheduled to start 9th grade, Gloria came down with polio. She was athletic and was good at a number of sports, but after the disease hit, she couldn't even walk. Gloria had a visiting teacher for 9th grade but, by the time we we were Sophomores, she was able to attend school in person, although she was on crutches. Eventually, through hard work and lots of physical therapy Gloria was able to walk without crutches. We graduated together and she began working as I did using the secretarial skills we had learned at school. Without a doubt, she was a faster typist that me.

A few years later Gloria married Larry and moved to Cincinnati where Larry was employed by Procter & Gamble. I was honored to serve as her maid of honor on January 23, 1960. When Ray and I married two years later, Gloria was pregnant and wasn't able to serve as a bridesmaid for me. The next few years she was busy with her young family and Ray and I were living in Oklahoma.

In 1968 we moved to Greenwood and sometime after that we re-connected with our two families getting together occasionally. Several times we met at a motel that had an indoor pool/play area where the children could play while the adults chatted and played Bridge. I started working part-time at Concordia after both my children were in school full time and a few years later Gloria returned to the work force also working in a church office. When we got together we both compared notes and both adapted to the new computer world.

Eventually we both were empty nesters. We again planned as many get togethers as possible meeting at each other's homes or at a motel. Sometimes we would hike if there was a nearby trail, but always ended the day playing cards.

About a year and a half ago Larry phoned to let us know that Gloria had been diagnosed with cancer. When I spoke to Gloria on the phone some months later, she was in good spirits just hoping she could get her strength back. We talked about getting together sometime after the heat of the summer but that never happened. Larry called to cancel that date when Gloria was hospitalized and mentioning that he thought we might have an opportunity to visit in early December. Again, that never materialized. Just a few weeks ago, Gloria's daughter Sandy phoned to inform us that her Mom was in hospice care. She invited us to plan a visit as soon as possible. Due to several small snowfalls, we hadn't set up a date but thought we might make the visit last week, but then we heard that Gloria's earthly life was over and she was now beginning her eternal heavenly life. This is how Gloria expressed her belief to her pastor during one of the last visits she had.

Cover of Funeral Service Bulletin

Interior of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd 

Marcia, Bill and Karen
Gloria's Younger Siblings

Following the funeral service a luncheon was served at the church. We had an opportunity to visit with Gloria's siblings. Marcia recalled many interesting narratives about her sister. I didn't know Bill very well as he was about 15 years younger than his big sister so this was an opportunity to know a bit about him. 

Thanks for reading and letting me share my reminiscences of Gloria.

Plenty of action today

This has been an afternoon of watching sporting events. First, Purdue failed miserably at Iowa. We had hoped they would do better. I listened to the game as I worked around the house and can't tell you how many presidential commercials were aired. Then I saw a tweet that explained the reason. Purdue was playing in Iowa and the Iowa caucuses are imminent so all the candidates aired commercials during the game. It's something we don't or won't see in Indiana since our Primary isn't until May.

The next game was the Patriots at Broncos. A really close game that wasn't decided until the very end. I'm happy for Peyton and the Broncos. This game might have been the last meeting between Brady and Manning. They are both getting close to the end of their playing days.

Can't say for sure who I'd like to see play against the Broncos in the Super Bowl. They might have a better chance against the Arizona Cardinals. Playing Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers would be a real test. It's still a long time before the big game on February 7 with plenty of time to decide on a favorite.

While listening to these games, I made some Poppy Seed Bread from an old recipe. Can't wait to try it tomorrow. Also made some black bean soup for tomorrow. It's really easy and tasty.

Recently I mentioned that I was having trouble accessing a very familiar website. Now, two weeks later the problem is solved. The ISP didn't keep me informed or contact me in any way. This past week I decided to call them every day to ask if there was anything new to report. On Friday I called them for the last time (I hope) to let them know everything was now working fine. They were very non-communicative compared to the website owner who emailed me numerous times and even called me via telephone. The owner has gained my respect but I can't say the same for the ISP even though they eventually solved the problem. I did give them some feedback and maybe that helped them but I'll never know how they did it.

We've only had a couple of snowfalls but have learned that salt melt is easily tracked into the house. We didn't use salt melt during the time we lived in Morgan County. We're trying to be careful and leave our shoes by the front door to save from tracking throughout the house. This morning when leaving for church we went out to find our windshield frosted over. That's something that we didn't encounter before as we always kept our car in the garage. The windshield isn't frosted every day so we never know if we'll be scraping or not. With possible rain tomorrow maybe some of the dirt will wash off the car and we won't be scraping for sure.

49 Years Ago

On this day in 1967 I was the proud mother of a brand new baby boy! Bart was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma a day after the very first Super Bowl. We anticipated the arrival of our first born sometime in late December but had to wait patiently for nearly three additional weeks. Ray was studying for mid-term exams at the University of Tulsa but managed not to miss any tests. So this is a shoutout and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Bart who lives in New Orleans. For many years I baked a special themed birthday cake but because of the distance that's no longer possible. That said, I'm not sure I have the talent to do that anymore.

When I logged in to write this post, my first intention was to rant, but I changed my mind. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm having technology problems and now I find it hard to be civil to our Internet Service Provider. I'll let it go at that.

Besides the frustrations with our ISP, I also was deferred from giving blood last Wednesday. Usually I plan to drink extra water the two or three days before my appointment at the center, but completely forgot to do it this time. My blood wasn't flowing fast enough so I timed out and can't give for another 56 days. I think I'll remember next time! (Can I say my frustration with the ISP interrupted my intention to hydrate?)

I also received news that a friend I've known since we were babies together is now in hospice care. I keep thinking about her and wonder what I can say; Ray and I hope to visit as soon as the weather moderates.

Ray has had to take it easy this week due to back pain. He continued to play Pickleball last Monday when he should have stopped to prevent further injury. It's been quite a few months since his last bout with back pain.

On a more optimistic note, I made a huge pot of Broccoli Cheese Soup last Thursday; knotted two quilts all by myself at church on Saturday morning; made progress on this year's Lenten banner; ran twice on the indoor track; two yoga classes; attended Trivia Night at church last evening coming in 4th out of 4 teams (!) and, finally, made a loaf of quick bread this afternoon. Also, I started a year-long photography class earlier this month. We do one assignment a day which gives me time to understand the concept and learn more about my DSLR camera.

Glad to see the Broncos win this evening; should be interesting game next weekend: Manning & the Broncos vs. Brady and the Patriots. Can Cam Newton and the Panthers continue their path to a Super Bowl game? Stay tuned!

Winter Weather Has Arrived!

We've had weeks of above average temperatures, some rainy days but no snow. That came to an end last evening when the rain turned to snow sometime during the middle of the night. Officially we have about 3 inches on the ground. Because of all the rain, the snow was heavy, wet and mushy and now the temps are falling so we'll have ice underfoot for a few days until the weather moderates. At some point during the night we had a short power failure and our alarm didn't work this morning. The alarm has a backup 9-volt battery but I guess it was older than we realized because when we finally woke up it was too late to make the 8 a.m. church service. As you might guess, we're planning to install a new battery ASAP.

Our car was covered with frozen snow as were all the cars in the parking lot. Fortunately, we didn't have frozen doors. When we drove to church we passed through an area with lots of undergrowth of small trees, shrubs and big trees and were treated to a winter wonderland. Snow was clinging to every branch and it was a veritable fairyland!

On another note, I had to call our Internet Service Provider to help with a problem. After two days of not being able to access a website that I usually visit every day, I emailed them and they indicated that all was well at their end. They gave me several suggestions and then I called the ISP who also had several suggestions to solve the problem. We were gone most of Friday so I didn't get any resolution. On Saturday morning I took the laptop to our public library and immediately was able to log into the site that I'm unable to at home. The curious thing is that I'm unable to log into this site using any of the devices we have: three different computers and an iPad but I could do it at the library! When I got home I called the ISP again and this time I spent about an hour with them but we weren't able to find a solution. The techie said she would have to refer me to their Tier 2 technical team. So I'm still waiting to get an answer and assume they weren't on call over the weekend. In the meantime, everything else works fine except for one website. Really strange!

Ray's sister and brother-in-law celebrated their 65th anniversary on Wednesday. They planned celebrations for their 50th and 60th anniversaries which we attended but not for their 65. Instead we phoned and congratulated them and wished them well. Other than that we had a pretty ordinary week. We played Pickle Ball several times and also used the indoor track at the gym and went to several fitness classes. I'm hoping we can get out this week, but it is going to be very cold and the roads may be treacherous. We'll probably decide each day whether to stay home or venture out.

Who would have thought?

When the NFL season opened last September, who would have thought that Andrew Luck would miss the second half of the season? Who would have thought there would be two unknown quarterbacks playing today in the final game of the season? Who would have thought that Matt Hasselbeck, the regular backup QB would be on the injured list and couldn't play today? Who would have thought that Charlie Whitehurst, another substitute QB would also be injured and unable to play?

The last two weeks are a bit of a blur. We've celebrated both Christmas and New Year's and have begun 2016, a presidential election year and Leap Year too!

Here's a quick look at the past two weeks.

Breakfast Kolche (Texas style) with sausage, cheese and a hint of jalapeno 

On Christmas morning I finished baking a breakfast casserole and some Kolaches that we carried to Joe & Nancy's house for our breakfast/brunch. The Kidwelly arrived shortly afterward and we opened gifts. Lot of Star Wars for Jayden!

One of many Star Wars gifts

Played a few games.

Mousetrap earlier - then Hi Ho Cheery-O

After our main meal, it was warm enough that we opened the garage door to enjoy the beautiful day.

Jayden practicing with his new football

On Wednesday, the 30th, we were again at the Martin's house. This time Christy, her mother Susie, and Persephone spent the afternoon with us.

Playing Yahtzee

Persephone opens a gift from Nancy

Ray, Boo & Joe
(Joe just finished repairing a water break--a long, tiring day for him)

On December 31, we spent the afternoon and evening with the Rodgers playing bridge and enjoying a delicious meal they prepared. At the end of the evening I was declared champion only because Ray played the cards well and I had several excellent partners through the evening. We were home well before midnight and watched the recorded Oklahoma/Clemson game -- a big disappointment to Sooner fans.

Our bridge buddies, Jan & Mike
(There was a big Christmas tree behind us, but
unfortunately, it didn't get in the picture.)

No more Colt football this season but there'll be plenty written and talked about in the next several weeks. However, I'm looking forward to Downton Abbey tonight as the final season of this series begins! I really don't want to see it end but I suppose I'll find something else to watch in 2016. What about you, dear reader, are you a Downton fan?