Here I am

Last night I had dinner at the R Club with a friend. Every time we eat there we have nasty windy weather. I got home, lay on the couch watching TV, and the storm reports started showing on TV. Yikes. Tornados and high winds, two separate batches passing over us.

I dozed off, and woke about 11, not feeling well. Oh great. The next two-and-a-half hours were spent in and out of the bathroom. The tornado warnings were still sounding, but if one were to hit during that period, I guess the toilet and I would have blown away. Yuck.

So I didn't go to work today. But I'm up now. I've had some diet rootbeer as I'm out of Vernors. (If you're from Michigan, you probably know someone who believes in Vernors Ginger Ale as the cure-all for all tummy problems.) I've had some stale potato chips, as I'm out of crackers. And I think I'll survive.

I had one big branch down in the backyard, with more broken but stuck in the tree. I think I need to get the tree-cutters here. Sierra has been on the back porch for an hour-and-a-half, watching the leaves be tossed about by the remnants of the wind. Snuzzles says that is too boring for him, but my little warrior girl cat would love to be stalking today.

And the tornado did touch down on the other side of Lansing. I am so sorry. A couple were killed when their modular home was tossed into a man-made pond. It was their first night in their new home. How terrible.

And so, the seasons change

Julie's phone is having more fun that I am!

Happy Labor Day

It's Labor Day here in the states, and so, I labored! Saturday I went to Lake Michigan . . . perfect day. Yesterday family picnic . . . perfect day. This morning I painted the two back porch steps I hadn't painted, finished painting the south garage door, and painted the north garage door . . . perfect day.

Now I'm reporting in, and then I'll get left-overs from yesterday's picnic. This afternoon I'll visit Aunt N, who lives at the senior center about six miles up the road. She's progressing quite well. Most of the time she knows me. Then I'll visit Mom. She couldn't come to the picnic yesterday. She's recovering from pneumonia, and she doesn't have a lot of gumption yet. Plus, she has allergies, and while I've removed most of the ragweed from the near backyard, I've got way too much of it out here for her to be comfortable.

And how is your day going?

It Grew!

My nasturtium grew. It blossomed! Unbelievable. Actually, now that I'm reading about them here, I guess it is quite an easy plant to raise. It's also wholly edible, which I think is really cool.

Going Home

Friday I got one of those calls you really don't like to get. It was from my cousin: our Aunt N, his dad's and my dad's sister, had been taken to emergency and the outlook wasn't good. Various folks were being notified, and we were going to meet at the hospital later that night.

Aunt N is in her 80's, and a woman of great faith. In her later years, things have troubled her a lot and frustrated her, but when we got to the hospital her spirit was amazing! It was as if she had let go of the trials of earth, and she was so cheerful. She asked after each of us. She told me to enjoy farm life and driving my red car. When she spoke to my youngest brother Boo, she said: I'm going to be seeing your Dad pretty soon. (Our father passed away in 1982.) There was no panic, no fear. It was an amazing experience.

As medical things often go, there is a twist to this story. The original prognosis has been modified, and it may be awhile before Aunt N. sees Dad after all. But whenever the time comes, she's happy to be going home.