Chiwawa River Summer Party

Betty and I decided we didn’t know most of the people there but really we sort of did. It was fun figuring out names. One thing I finally know for certain is that no one is as organized as Dorena. She has been scheduling her time to work on family photographs each day and has them labeled, copied, and packaged for individuals. Of course they are all in perfectly sequential order. She is also instructing and monitoring caregivers in the preparation of all her favorite recipes so the meals can be frozen for future use. She wouldn’t want to just purchase prepared meals from Costco. There is nothing ordinary about her.

The crowd was huge with only a few missing. It was interesting to meet all the Crosby clan and then try to remember how they were related to one another. Several came from Alaska and California. There were tents set up in the yard, the loft was full, and several families stayed at the 59er Diner where the rooms were themed from fish to bears with Jeff proudly displaying his Sheriff’s badge key for his Cowboy room. There’s more to his story of course but I will let your imagination fill in the customary details.

Dorena also organized the Tube Float down the Wenatchee River for 15 of us. The water was getting low this time of year but we had a great time with plenty of floating and no walking. When we returned the day attendees had arrived and the cabin area was swarming. Good choice of words because there were a few yellow jackets in the crowd also.

Today is Lucas’ last day of summer vacation as he’ll be starting First Grade on Thursday. Grandma is very sad that he is grown up and on his way to the regimented life of a full school day. He is excited to be moving along with other kids his age and I’m sure he’s eager to be independent and away from doting adults. He needs to be reading and writing so his time has come.

Plans are moving along for the ALS Walk for Dorena on September 19th in the Tri-Cities at 9:00 a.m. We have been raising much money to assist in finding a cure for this crummy disease. Diana is planning a picnic at her house after the walk. T-shirt designs are in the works. Thanks for your contribution in case I didn’t mention it previously. You were the one who started the walking to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease

Selflessness

Well I took a stab at it but it didn’t amount to much. I have to strive harder. I laughed so hard when I got your comment to the posting as it sounded so typical of the Judy I’ve known all my life. I was really pleased to get the comment from Shizuo as he is Buddhist and constantly put others first in his life. I liked Leslie and Sara’s comments too as they have young, fresh viewpoints though Leslie wasn’t up on the fact that Sedona has many vortexes.

Steve had a full regime of chemo and blood plasma and was ready for a transplant when his doctors discovered he had a bleeding ulcer so everything for him has been put on hold until the ulcer is healed. He has been in the UW Hospital for 7 days so my caretaker job dwindled to practically nothing. I did visit him once or twice daily and then I set out to see downtown Seattle. I walked everywhere as my car was fitted tightly into an underground parking garage and I was happy not to move it. One day I walked to the hospital then took a trolley downtown to see Andrew Wyeth’s work at the SAM, and finally rode the monorail to Experience Music Project and walked through Jimi Hendrix land and the Muppets on display. Seattle is a beautiful city with its flowers, modern architecture and nearby Puget Sound.

Jeff and Kathryn were at my house when I got home and stayed a couple of days while they went to Riverfront Park and Silverwood Amusement Park which is the closest thing we have to a Disneyland. They spent time with Brett’s family as Lucas and Kathryn get along famously. Kathryn is such a nice girl and Jeff is a good dad. He even knows how to pick up after himself and make a bed perfectly. He brought hostess gifts of fresh corn on the cob and Glenna’s cookies. They are welcome here anytime though it has been 30 years since he was here last.

It is still plenty warm here and we are making plans for the weekend at the Chiwawa River. So far there are a bunch of us signed up for the float down the Wenatchee River. I’ve heard that there will be 50 Johanson and Crosby family members. Jeff was certain you’d be flying in for it.

Decisions

I finally might have something to write about today as I’m realizing that perhaps I’m making a rash of poor decisions lately.

Early in the summer I decided I wanted to get rid of the narrow front driveway that allowed an automobile in if only it were 1932 and the cars were still extremely narrow. So far every day since I have gazed at the bare spot under the driveway and wondered how to make it into a new landscape. It all started when a neighbor’s sister stopped by and sketched new landscaping for my front yard. It was beautiful planning but I also wanted a second opinion so I invited a local landscaper to stop by and give me his ideas. He sprayed orange paint exactly where changes should be made and I was delighted. Of course all these plans required changing the existing sprinklers and digging out more planting areas. I actually enjoy digging out sod and plants so it has given me a daily project for focus a tiny step at a time. Meanwhile the yard gives everyone pause to stop by to ask what I was planning to do.

I was pleased to have a new neighbor who was skilled in removing concrete driveways and making a new sidewalk. He was courteous and a hard worker. They had just moved in across the street last fall and I had met his nice wife and his two daughters. After two months I got a little inquisitive about why their family was living in his mother’s home. I googled his name and up pops a Spokesman Review article about his participating in a compromising situation with a 16 year old in a fire station just two years prior. I remember the headlines well but I couldn’t believe it was a former fireman who had now been helping me. I’m trying to tell myself that plenty of politicians have had the same experiences and are still in office or running for office,, just like that nice John Edwards for instance. Somehow the friendly neighborliness doesn’t seem as real anymore even though he can really redesign sprinkler systems. There goes the neighborhood.

Today I am sitting in Seattle in an apartment with a nauseating Vanilla scented plugin permeating the place. It all started with a simple email from Steve Smith explaining that his cancer had reoccurred and he needed a stem cell transplant. Since he is a single man with no family he was asking for volunteers to be caregivers for one week at a time for 100 days including before, during and after the transplant. Steve was a librarian in Warden and a good friend to my mom and dad. Since I am always ready for a change of scenery I said, “Put me on your schedule.” As the time came nearer, Steve needed to get his transplant sooner than expected so here I am in this apartment for cancer care patients waiting for Steve to finish his last chemo today. Monday he gets radiation and Tuesday a Cord Blood Transplant to help get his blood 100% cancer free. Right now 75% of his blood cells contain cancer.

I think my job is accompanying him to treatments, keeping this apartment clean and scrubbed down with diluted bleach solution and preparing meals when and if he decides food sounds appealing. There is a handout here stating the caregivers duties-
1. Making Arrangements.
2. Giving Emotional Support
3. Providing Physical Care (obtaining medical care if needed, recording medications).
4. Maintaining the Home Environment.
5. Being a Patient Advocate.
6. Providing Assistance/Support to Others.

So far the main task has been waiting and I’m good at that. I carried my cell phone and walked all over the Lake Union section of Seattle this afternoon. This evening will be another night at the U of Washington Hospital.

Linda and I are going hiking in October with Elderhostel. Yes, the old, old peoples’ travel group. And you wouldn’t like where we are hiking. You and I took a Jeep ride there in search of a mystical vortex in 1993. We hope to get more people to join us.

A Little Bit of Africa

That is if you count a visit from a native Tanzanian as Julius and Sara were here with Esther, their one year old daughter named after Grandma Esther Olson of course.

Julius is very kind and thoughtful. He offered to help around the house and said he wanted to visit my mom which no one offers to do. He also was astonished that the children here were given food to eat which they then rejected. It sounds like this-
Miles, here’s your hamburger.
I don’t want a hamburger.
How about a hotdog?
No, I want honey-nut Cheerios.
In other words, African children are pleased to get any food at all.

The Olson family had a reunion in Montana so another family group also stopped by on their way through the State. It was nice having an overnight visit with them though Linda flew both ways so I missed her.

The yard is still being dug up. Now it is for larger flower beds and a sprinkler system repair. It has been so hot here that everything is turning brown. I love the hot weather however and the pool is very warm and in use almost daily. I’m glad when friends come by to visit and swim.

Brett turned 43 on Sunday and there was a tiny party. My gift was keeping the boys overnight and the evening went well. I think I had lots of bribes for them. I mean I used Positive Reinforcement and the parents rescued me early in the a.m.

So you can see it is quiet around here. I’m heading to Seattle Thursday so I may have more to write about then. Tell me about the concerts and picnics in Chicago.