Of puppies and late autumn flowers and eating acid-free

Sorry about not blogging last week.  Steve and I both had speaking assignments in the Mexico Ward last Sunday.  The drive there and back plus the three-hour block just took more time than I thought it would....Oh, and we had to bump family dinner time up in order to attend a special fireside that evening with J'den Cox, Columbia's own Olympic bronze medal winner!  He is a wrestler and the manager of the MU wrestling team is a member of our ward who also served a mission to Brazil so he got to travel down to Rio with J'den and his family for the Olympics in August.  J'den, a devout Christian but not Mormon, has other LDS connections.  His great-grandmother was Virginia Mutrux, a charming and one-of-a-kind lady in our ward when we first moved to Columbia in 1981.  So, many of his extended relations are members of the church.   It was a great evening.

The past two weeks have been fairly average.  Lots of walks and bike rides.  One day, the local Canada goose population was grazing on the Albert-Oakland park trail so I took a picture.
 
 Steve and I traveled to Fulton on Wednesday, the 12th to attend a funeral for a dear woman who died of early Alzheimers.  She was a year older than me!

I have been enjoying Season 1 of Poldark.  Imagine my dismay when I learned that Season 2 is currently being aired on PBS but it is already half-way through.  And, if I want to watch the first 3 episodes, I will have to pay for it.  So be it!

Health-wise, I am taking part in a breathing study to lower blood pressure through the medical school at MU.  I hope it works because it would be nice to reduce my medications.  I HAVE stopped taking my statin drug for cholesterol.  I hope changing my diet and ramping up my exercise can keep my numbers low.  And, I sure hope the side effects of the statin leave (joint pain, fuzzy brain).  Breaking news:  I have yet another dietary restriction added to my life, as if having to eat gluten-free was not enough.  I have interstitial cystitis - an inflammation of the bladder lining.  I believe I have had it for several years but it never really flared up until July when I started taking 1 tablespoon of vinegar in water every day for cholesterol reducing.  That increase of acidity  REALLY aggravated my bladder.  Lots of pain.  Like a bladder infection only I didn't think it could be that because I had no chills/fever which have accompanied my bladder infections in the past.  I looked up how to treat IC (interstitial cystitis) and diet is the first way to treat it - and it is even more restrictive than gluten-free.  NOTHING acidic at all.  The only fruits I can eat are blueberries, pears, and certain kinds of apples.  No chocolate!  Good grief.  But, I started to follow the diet and it seemed to help a bit.   And, I finally got a urinalysis about two weeks ago.  And, it WAS an infection!  I started medicine and I started to eat regularly again because - wahoo - it was NOT IC.  Well, by the end of my antibiotics, I was still having lots of pain.  And, to make things more complicated, my primary care physician is on leave - I suspect medical because she has had cancer in the past - and our e-mail communications about this condition were very irregular.  Darn.  I LIKED my doctor and I didn't really want to go to someone new.  But, last Monday, at the end of my antibiotics and still in pain, I finally just called the clinic and made an appointment for the next day with another doctor on the team.  And, I am DELIGHTED with this new doctor!  She really answered my questions and provided support and I have a consult with the urology clinic on November 2nd.  Yes, it really was an infection.  IC can make it easier for infections to occur.  Yes, I need to go back on the acid-free diet to allow my bladder to heal.  And, I have discovered an inexpensive, over-the-counter medicine called Prelief that eliminates 98% of the acid in whatever I eat.  So, if I know I will be eating acidic foods, I can take two of these pills and viola!  No pain.  Oh, how wonderful to not have this constant pain anymore.  

Yesterday, the 22nd, Steve and I spent the day enjoying autumn in Missouri.  We began with some grocery shopping at the Amish.  Baking supplies AND a bushel of apples (the less-acid kind that I can eat) so I can make some applesauce.  Then, we drove westward for some pecans from King Hill Farms in Brunswick.  (pecans are NOT on the good list - only almonds and cashews - but hopefully, once my bladder heals, I can resume eating some of the stuff I used to eat).  Then, we drove up to Brookfield where the Marceline Branch has a new meetinghouse (actually, it is an old Baptist church that has been remodeled) because Steve had a couple of interviews.  And, then, on our way home, we visited an older couple from the Marceline Branch who raise and breed Yorkies!  They live with a woman who also raises and breeds Yorkies.  It was Yorkie heaven!  I must have held two dozen puppies or full grown dogs.  So cute and so friendly. 

They also had these two miniature horses!

Speaking of dogs, Trissy has been battling something in her paw.  It didn't really respond to the antibiotic we got for it.   Being on the top of her foot, it hasn't made her lame.  But, it is sure ugly and she has really been worrying it with her tongue.  The current medicine the vet gave her does seem to keep her from licking it as much as she did.  

 

 Finally, some shots of my zinnias and of my morning glories.  The latter I had given up hope that they would ever bloom.  LOTS of green growth all summer long but no flowers until about a week and a half ago.

Beautiful October

I do not have much to write about last week.  The highlight was yesterday and attending Naomi LaFond's wedding on a farm on Lizard Lane in Grubville, Missouri!  She married her many-years best friend, Jon, on his family farm.  It was a beautiful setting - the weather was absolutely perfect - and Steve and I enjoyed ourselves. 

 Several church members from Columbia made the drive to attend (it was located south and west of St. Louis - it took over 2 /12 hours to get there) and it was fun to see Erin's brother and his wife who we knew as teenagers.  Their youngest is 18!  Here is Mary Ellen Davis Naylor with Naomi


You can see the popcorn in Naomi's hands.  That, along with hot coco, peanuts, and M&M's were the pre-wedding snack.  She had an old fashioned bathtub full of ice and soft drinks, too.  They served a yummy dinner and we had to leave before the bonfire, hayride, and dancing got started. 

Here we are with Sarah, who also attended, in front of the doors that Naomi walked through before walking down the grassy aisle. Before the wedding, Steve and I attended the temple and I gave Noah a piano lesson.  It was a full day!  But fun.

Things are still pretty green around here and, up until Thursday night, it felt like summer!  Ugh.  Had to run the AC.  Thankfully, we are back on track with "normal" October weather again. 

I have started watching a new series via Netflix - Poldark.  I zipped through the first three episodes of season 1 and I am anxiously awaiting disc 2.   I sewed, I went to pottery, I went to Civic Orchestra rehearsal, I taught five people from Democratic Republic of Congo how to ride the bus on Tuesday, I worked on quilts at Laura's on Thursday, I taught lots of cello lessons.  An average week.....

goodbye September

September quietly came to a close on Parker Street.  We had open-window weather all week.  I finished going through each room and color-dotting all the important items.  Probably a good thing I had just completed this task when we happened upon the Columbia Senior Center garage sale yesterday because all I could see was table after table of dust collectors and I was able to easily say "no thank you".  I did find a vintage ironing board that I bought for $2.50.  They don't make ironing boards like they used to.  This wasn't one of the actual wooden board types like my mother had but it was clearly from the 60's and it is really sturdy and stable.  I also found a Swingline stapler for 50 cents.  The only reason Steve and I were even there was to help our two-doors-down neighbor, Jan, haul a desk to her home. 

As we all know, fall is open enrollment time for health insurance and Steve and I decided to see if Obamacare was really a cheaper way to go.  NOPE!  Boy, I am SO grateful for Steve's retirement package and for the affordable healthcare we have until we go on Medicaid. 

Speaking of health, Sadie had her teeth cleaned Tuesday.  Dogs have to be anesthetized so their mouths will stay open during the procedure so it is kind of a big deal - no food/water after midnight, leave them at the vet all day....  Well, when we picked her up that afternoon, we learned that she had three teeth pulled because they were loose.  Gum disease?  Not sure.  But, they also had NOT given her any pain medicine so, after she got home, she was NUTS with pain.  Frantic panting and burrowing her head and inability to stay still.  I've never seen poor Sadie so agitated!  So, back to the vet for pain medicine and for the dosage for the tranquilizer we used to give Trissy for thunderstorms.  And, finally, after about 2 hours, she was able to calm down.  In fact, she was pretty loopy that night....could hardly walk.  Thankfully, she woke up the next day all perky and normal.   Ugh, I already try to regularly brush her teeth but I will be more assertive so hopefully, she won't have to go through something like that ever again.

We served dinner to the missionaries Friday night and they are always asking if they can do anything for us.  Well, this time, we said "Sure - how about helping us move the grand piano?"  It really wasn't that big of a deal.  We just relocated it away from the east window to the south part of the living room where is has been before.  This is to make room for the pink couches that have been out in the garage.  They needed to come in to make room for Elise's storage items.  She sorted everything into piles last week and yesterday morning, Steve and I filled the north part of the garage with her not-going-to-use-in-this-apartment things.   Elise's stuff-to-integrate-into-the-apartment items still in the garage, as well as the few remaining items in the Noah's Ark room where she stayed, should be gone by mid-October and then we can park the truck inside again.  Have you noticed as you drive down a street and look into people's garages that very few are actually used for car parking?

Steve and I watched an old and rather obscure musical Wednesday night - Flower Drum Song.   It is a Rogers and Hammerstein and I remember playing some of the pieces in Scotscapades in high school.  It focuses upon Chinese Americans and would not be exactly politically correct today which is why I think it is not done any more. 

Finally, we are loving this General Conference weekend.  Yesterday, we watched the morning session here at home and the afternoon session at Carroll and Sheila Wile's home with Steven and Tamara.  Today we will be here at home again. 

Happy October, everyone!

Two big events from this past week

 First of all, I met a long-lost cousin via Family Search.  Her name is Linda Dale.  She was posting Fraedrich (my mother' maiden name) information so I e-mailed her and, come to find out, our grandfathers were brothers!   She and her husband live in Des Moines, Iowa.  We had e-mailed a couple of times and she sent me a packet of Fraedrich information.  Last Friday, they were traveling home from a vacation in Branson and I invited them to stop for lunch.  We had a lovely visit.    Here we are....

The second big event was Saturday afternoon - the funeral for Marty Hook - choir director at Hickman High School for many years.  He was one of the most influential teachers for Emily, Elise, and Sarah who all sang in his ensemble.  This photo was taken at Sarah's last concert with him, her senior year. 


Below is a Facebook tribute Sarah wrote yesterday.  Emily also wrote a beautiful tribute on her blog which I cannot cut and past but here is the link.  http://emilys-little-world.blogspot.com/


11 years ago, I sang my last official Choir performance with Hickman High School's A Capella Choir directed by Marty Hook. At the end of the performance, the choir sang That Lonesome Road and as always, Mr. Hook invited Hickman Alumni to come up and sing. A tradition held for years. I was lucky enough to get to sing with my two older sisters that night. As a farewell to High School, to Hickman, to A Capella, Mr. Hook, and all the amazing memories. The tears flowed freely that night. And we three snapped a picture with the Choir director who had shaped us during some of the most formative years of our young lives.
Today, I had another opportunity to sing That Lonesome Road in a choir of Hickman Alumni including those two same sisters (as well as some dear friends). This time in memory of the life of a man who had touched so many.
The emotion was almost too much to take, and I could barely get the notes out.
To me, Mr. Hook was one of the most influential individuals in my life through high school. He awakened in me a passion for music the likes of which I had never felt. He opened my eyes to beauty I had never known or imagined, as well as the joy and magic that can only be felt when bringing music to the hearts of an audience. Introducing me to music and shaping me as a musician. Inspiring confidence. Encouraging leadership. Driving growth as he has done to young hearts and minds for years.
And today I know his heart swelled as he heard the voices of generations of his students, friends, and colleagues come together as mostly strangers, with little to no rehearsal, and make such a beautiful sound together. His heart swelled because I know, while he is no longer with us in this mortal sphere, he was there.
What a beautiful service it was with touching words of comfort and inspiration, and beautiful music abounding!
While my heart is raw and my eyes wet, I am thankful to know that he truly lives on and is honored by so many. I have no doubt his voice is raised in chorus with heavenly concourses.
Mr. Hook, you will be missed. But never forgotten.

After reading this and Emily's tribute, you can see how important he was in their lives.  So important that Emily braved four children alone and drove to Columbia to sing in the choir with Elise and Sarah.  I got to attend the funeral, both to pay tribute to this good man and to hold Larkin, who slept through it all.  It was full of musical tributes - so beautiful and so emotional.  It was full of so many musical people.  I am so glad I went.

After supper, as Emily and the kids left for St. Louis (Joe was at a business conference), I took a priceless photo on our front porch....

 

Not much to report for this week.

 Elise has completely emptied her storage unit and is about 75% moved into her apartment.

Steve and I ate out two nights in a row.  On Friday it was a J.Reuben Clark Law Society gathering.  Smokin' Chicks BBQ was the feature. Yum!  On Saturday, we attended the wedding of Aaron Anderson (Steve and Terri's youngest) and had dinner at the reception.  Thankfully, the pork loin was gluten-free.  While at the reception, we had a great visit with Matt and Joanne Durkovich.  Can you believe we have known them for 33 years?!?  Lots of memories.

For the last several months (at least 6) the project at Laura Jost's house on Thursday morning humanitarian work-days as been to glue pictures from magazines and calendars onto cardstock.  Saturday morning, we finally put all those thousands of pages into booklets (comprised of 10 page protector sheets bound together with yarn). 



Below are Judy Myers and Betty McKinley.  I pick them up every Thursday and it is usually just us three working at Laura's.  On Saturday, we were at the "quality control" table making sure all the pictures were put in right-side-up and that there were not too many pictures of the same animal.  I only found one book that had about four penguin pictures.  And another book where every photo was a landscape.  Otherwise, everyone followed the instructions fairly well.  We had a decent sized crowd show up and we got it all done in a little under three hours.

Below are Laura (right) and her daughter NoNo (yellow) and Lois Graham, another regular (when she is in town)



We put together over 300 books with at least 100 more ready to be inserted in to page protector books!  They will go to daycares and refugees and alzeheimer units.  It has been really fun.  The pictures were so beautiful.  But, I am ready to move on and to get back to quilt making.

I watched "My Life" and "Charlie St. Cloud" this week.  I liked both even though both didn't have great reviews.  They both helped you realize what is most important in life.

I added a new cello student which brings my studio up to 18. 

I started to identify items throughout the house regarding where they came from / their importance, etc.  I have done three rooms so far.  So, kids, when I die, look for the colored dots underneath to know if a piece has any significance.  If it is a fabric item, look for the safety-pinned ribbon. 

A lovely week

Wow, a relatively quiet week.... but there was something to look forward to each day.  Monday, Labor Day, was Steve's Chronicles of Narnia marathon.  We watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in the morning, Prince Caspian in the afternoon, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the evening.    We had a cookout for dinner with Steven, Tamara, Melanie, and Lizzy Crippen. Both Elise and Sarah had to work, poor things. 

Tuesday night, Columbia Civic Orchestra resumed rehearsals.  So great to be back.

I got a haircut Wednesday - I always love the results that I shouldn't wait so long between cuts. 

Thursday I went to Laura Josts in the morning.  It had been three weeks since I had been able to go.  We are almost to the end of the picture book project.  A little more glue-ing (I brought home a pile to glue) and then we assemble them next Saturday.   Laura has a lady in Jefferson City who machine quilts some of the tops that Laura and I make for humanitarian giving.  Here are two of the tops I made that she finished.  They turned out lovely.



 
 Thursday afternoon was POTTERY!!!!!  Yay!!!!!

Friday, Steve and I had a fun date - all day.  First, we dropped the truck at Walmart for an oil change and then we walked down to Culver's for lunch.  I am SO happy about Culver's gluten-free buns - they are delicious.  I eat fast-food hamburgers again :).  We continued our date that night by watching Magnificent Seven (the 60's version) while I glued pictures.  I believe it was my first time to see this film and I was struck by the Bug's Life and Three Amigos parallels. 

Saturday we drove to attend the Kansas City temple.  On the way, the truck rolled over to 200,000 miles! 


 
 
And, I finished my picture glue-ing in the evening while watching "I Robot". 

 Thursday and Friday we got almost five inches of rain.  We sure needed it!

Welcome Baby Larkin!

I forgot to post some photos from a mid-August visit to the Southerlands:

Noah got a piano lesson that morning.....
 

a cute photo of Quinn and Lucy  - the iPad kids
 

 adorable baby socks for Larkin
 
 And, one of Fiona's favorite things - to watch birds from the couch

And, we now have a fourth Southerland grandchild as of Tuesday, August 30th.  Larkin Clementine arrived at 8:52 pm.  She weighed in at  7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. 

  Steve and I drove to St. Louis Wednesday morning to help with the kids that day and night since Joe was spending his time at the hospital. 


 
We fed the kids dinner and then took them all up to visit at the hospital that night.





The next morning, we got Noah and Lucy off to school


 and then took Quinn with us to pick up Grandma Vicki from the airport.  We brought her right to the hospital


We took some group photos...



 

 

Emily and Larkin were discharged Thursday noon and here is Larkin all ready to go...
 

Steve and I returned to Columbia shortly after their arrival home. 

Other events of the week:  Elise has started to move into her new place.  Steve and I helped with a few truck-loads Monday and Tuesday night.  I watched After Earth on Thursday evening.  Sometimes I will watch a movie preview and then add it to my Netflix queue where it will stay at the bottom of the list for several months.  When it finally comes to the top, I often can't remember much of why I added it.  This was the case with After Earth.  I was quite surprised with how much I liked it.  It was an M. Night Shymalan film!  James Newton Howard did the beautiful score.  Will Smith got to perform with his son in a primarily two-person movie.