As you can tell by the date, much time has passed since I last posted on this blog. During the almost three years, much has happened, much has changed, and some things remain the same.
I could easily start a new blog, but I keep getting drawn back to this old one. Let me tell you that it is very difficult for me to find and sign in to actually be able to write a post on here, but I am hopeful that it will become easier, the more I do it. I can remember my childhood phone number and the birthday of gradeshool friends but I can't for the life of me remember passwords, even though I generally use the same couple over and over again. I can never understand how on TV shows, a person can figure out a stranger's password in five tries and I cannot even figure out my own, but enough of that.
I decided to go back to March 2020, my last post and catch everyone up to date on the good, the bad, the crazy, the lovely and the ugly, so here goes:
April 2020- School continued to be taught virtually which I absolutely hated. I was not made to teach a bunch of preschoolers through a computer. I sang, danced, and just generally made a fool of myself while I counted down the days until the end of this crazy school year and the end of the covid virus which suddenly appeared to be never ending. For the first time in forever, churches were closed (Right there this whole thing took on a very sinister feel) and people were requested (just short of ordered) to stay at home where you would be safe from covid. We actually attended a protest in Madison with Terri and Mark. It was an eye opening experience. We celebrated Easter as best we could. It was a gloomy day to begin with but we pressed on. I hid the plastic eggs outside at Tiz and Soli's house in Oshkosh, I had Courtney set out the clues and the baskets for them in their house, and I gave them the dozens of eggs to dye. We waved to them and watched them from the car as they found their eggs. Looking back it was a crazy thing to do but the fear that was instilled in us was too much to chance anything.
May 2020 - Online school continues. I miss my classroom and my kids, I miss their hugs. I press on with my crazy computer teaching skills, never actually knowing who is even watching me. The Van Aukens and John and I decide to meet at a few outside areas so we can at least see the girls because it is still not safe to go inside another one's home. We meet at Lion's Den in Grafton and Maribel Caves near Manitowoc. We take a bike ride to Lake Michigan. Those outings are so wonderful and help with the mental state of all of us. We even eat picnics together at the parks! I am counting the days until the end of this school year. It is finally almost here. We have been allowed back into our clssrooms as long as we have not been anywhere two weeks before entering. I may or may not have obeyed that rule. One thing I did learn about myself during this whole covid fiasco is that I do have a mind of my own and it is not easy to change it when I cannot see the common sense in any of it. We also spent Memorial day in a cabin together with the Van Aukens in Eagle River. What a breath of fresh air that was for us! We even found some restaurants open for sit down service. Was an end in site after all?
June 2020 - We continued to do things together with the Van Aukens, spending some fun times at our house with Gigi joining in the fun. Covid had taken its toll on her (not because she caught it or anything) because she didn't understand all of it. John and I had been working at home which was so strange to her. She already had trouble processing things and now things in her world were turned completely upside down. We spent Sunday mornings in front of our laptop watching our church service, How odd that must have seemed to her. We did have a wonderful caregiver named Rita who came a few times a week and helped her do the simplest of things. I think I knew her time living with us in her home was coming to an end. I am so thankful to Kev and Vikki for supporting us every step of the way. They could see it better than I could but gave me the time I needed to come to terms with this life changing decision.
July 2020 - We spent a lovely week on St. George Island with Courtney, Paul, and the girls. It was so normal and so nice. Florida was a very open state and did not follow the covid protocol as closely as most states, so it was a breath of fresh air in more than one way! We celebrated Soliana's ninth birthday on the Island. It was hard to come back to all the rules and regulations up here in Wisconsin.
Aug 2020 - The decision has been made! A very brave St. John's has decided to meet in person for the coming school year. We are one of only a few to do so. There are some ridiculous rules concerning social distancing and masks but at least we are going back. In looking back, I am proud to say that my Preschoolers never wore masks and they never social distanced. The negative of masks and distancing far outweighed the risks of covid to a preschool child. I loved getting my classroom ready that year, knowing that I could never take that for granted again
Sept 2020 - While I do not want this whole post to center on covid and its effects on our world, it is hard not to go in that direction because it really did change so much of the way we looked at our lives. It took a toll on everyone, the worst being the old who were left to visit through windows and die alone and the children who lost all their social skills and became a generation of depressed individuals, some would bounce back while some never would. It put strains on families and friendships that would never heal. We lost a few friends over our views on the whole situation simply because it differed from theirs. At any rate, school went smoothly, at least in my classroom where we kept it as normal as a preschool room can be. Covid did not invade my walls. Luckily my co teacher and I were on the same page as far as all of this went which made is a bit easier to just close our door and carry on. And not surprising to me, none one of my teachers or students caught covid that whole year.
Oct 2020 - No pumpkin patch field trip this year due to covid so we brought the pumpkins in to the school's front yard and let the kids hunt there. It was different but still exciting to a preschooler. I had already decided that this was my last year teaching, retirement was ahead, so not being able to do the annual activities was hard.
Nov. 2020 - We were all together to celebrate Mom's 92nd Birthday. She was happy to see all of us and for the moment, she was doing well. Since we had permanently done away with Thanksgiving in our family a few years ago, John and I spent a few days in a charming Air BnB in Sturgeon Bay. All restaurants and bars were closed due to Covid but you can't close the outdoors, so even though it was cold, we enjoyed some beautiful hikes. Door County is always good for the soul.
Dec. 2020 - Christmas was different this year, partly due to covid, partly due to Mom's physical and mental failing. We celebrated at our house to make things easier for mom but it wasn't the same as being at Kev and Vikki's. . It was short and sweet. The important thing was that Mom had a good time and she had no clue of what lay ahead in the next month. Our Christmas service had to be videotaped since church is still closed. How sad that my last service had to be done In this way but I have to remember that the Christmas story will always bring peace and joy no matter how it is presented.
.Jan. 2021 - A brand new year but unfortunately Covid is still rearing its ugly head and it seems there is more fear now than ever. Courtney, Paul, and the girls came over and we celebrated NYE with Mom. We all knew this would be the last time we would all gather with her in her house. Mom watched quietly as Richard and Kev moved her favorite chair and few other pieces of furniture out of the house. I wonder what she was thinking at that point. She went to Park Terrace with a smile on her face as we fought back tears. Because of Covid we could not even go back to her room with her and help her settle, we had to pray that the caregivers would make her feel comfortable in this new place called home. We had to stand at her window in deep snow to see her smile. She would motion us to come in and that always broke my heart. Mom did adjust well as we knew she would, because she was always that way but the window visits were hard and she couldn't get her hair done which bothered me a lot more that it did her.
Feb. 2021 - We were finally able to visit with our friends, Mark and Terri. They have been on the same page as we are from day one on so many things so it is always fun to visit with them. Window visits continued with mom. School was running smoothly.
March 2021 - John and I took another trip to St. George Island. Again, it was so nice to escape to a place where masks and distancing do not exist. My last spring break. We met a couple on the sunset bench and have stayed in contact with Jo and Rick. We are also on the same page with them on almost everything except they don't care for any sports.
April 2021 - Finally the window visits changed into visits behind plexiglass, no touching, masks, etc. I broke all those rules and no one said a word. We touched and no masks were worn. It was better than a window visit but I had still not seen her room and her hair could still not be done. The only good thing was that she always had a big smile and her caregivers genuinely loved her My kids were finally allowed to sing in church up in the front on Palm Sunday. Those palms meant so much that day Hosanna!
May 2021 - Retirement for both of us! When I walked out of my classroom at the end of May, I would not ever return as a teacher, bittersweet indeed. We put the house, the home that I had lived in for the first 22 years of my life and then again for the last 20 years., on the market and it sold in a weekend for much more than we expected. We scrambled to find an apartment in Oshkosh. We had chosen Oshkosh as our retirement destination so we could be closer to the grandkids. So many changes in such a short time. I couldn't imagine living in that house without my mom. Things fell into place and we moved into our new apartment, Riverplace, in Oshkosh.
June 2021 -I was presented with a gift from St. John's at the church picnic and with that my time at St. John's came to an end. We found a new church, Martin Luther, here in Oshkosh, but St. John's will always be my home. We explored our new home, visited state parks, and spent time with the girls as we began to navigate this new thing called retirement.
July 2021 - We made it our goal to visit all the state parks in Wisconsin so we bought a guide book and about once a week we would set out with our lunch and explore. We took bike rides and during one of these rides in Green Bay, I blew a tire! We took the girls on adventures to Bay Beach, the Mall, Door County, and trampoline places. They are getting older and it is harder to find things that they enjoy, the days of zoos and museums are over. They both enjoyed many overnights at our apartment, just watching TV and eating, so I will take that for now.
Aug. 2021 - Our big highlight of August was a trip to Torch Lake in Michigan. Tizita picked this destination because a lot of influencers would talk about it on social media. We had a wonderful week just full of memories but that will take a post all its own, so stay tuned for that. John and I continued our quest to visit all the state parks and discovered so many beautiful spots along the way.
Sept. 2021 - School started for many, but not for me and I went through some withdrawal, but it was short lived. We walked across the Mackinac Bridge which was a fun experience. I haven't mentioned Covid lately, but it is still around, sadly. The whole vaccination debate has widened the gap between friends and families yet again. We have chosen not to vaccinate, and we are feeling alienated because of that choice. especially among friends. We will try and be patient because we do feel things will come out in the future which will support our decision.
Oct. 2021 - Visits and church with mom continue weekly. I also try and fit in visits with Pam and Lynne, the two friends that I miss so much. I also enjoy seeing Kev at these visits. Sometimes I do exercises with the mom and her friends. We play a lot of dominoes, too. We have settled into our life here in Oshkosh and retirement is treating us well.
Nov. 2021 - We celebrated Mom's 93rd birthday with her at Park Terrace.. She enjoyed having all of us with her. Both Alissa and Nathan were able to join us. We haven't seen them a lot since Covid. Little did we know that this would be mom's last birthday with us here on earth. Our Thanksgiving trip took us to Key West and Sanibel Island. What a glorious trip we had! I will post about that another time but suffice it to say, it was the best! Sanibel Island as much as blew away during a hurricane this past fall, so I am glad we got to see it. We were gone for over two weeks and returned in time to watch Soliana play basketball.
Dec. 2021 - We had a wonderful Christmas celebration with mom at Park Terrace. We brought her favorite foods and took lots of photos. She was happy and never mentions going home which is so nice for us. After that, we were back at Kev and Vikki's for Christmas Eve, gathered around his bar talking about old memories. Christmas Day was at Courtney's. Alissa joined us while Nathan spent time with his dad who was not feeling well at the time. It was a good Christmas.
Wow, thank you if you are still reading this. It is getting longer than I expected but we are going into 2022 so hopefully it will not be too much longer.
Jan. 2022 - Covid update: It is still in our midst, but less masks, less social distancing, and almost all businesses are back open. I guess because enough people got vaccinated, we don't need to follow rules anymore. Our friends have loosened up a bit, I guess we didn't lose them for life.We spent John's birthday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and mine at Dave and Buster's followed by Door County.
Feb. 2022 - We spent February watching Basketball games and Cheer.competitions. We explored a few more State Parks which are even pretty in the winter.
.March 2022 - I started dabbling in acrylic painting. I like it but soon found that I don't know what to do with all my paintings. I have already given them as gifts to everyone I know! Pam Wilke came and spent a weekend with us which was filled with good conversation. Terri Hubbard also came and spent a night with us and again, there was a lot of chatting going on. We continued to visit mom at least once a week. We met up with Tim and Louisa Budreau at Biggs, I have to say that I have not found my Biggs up here in Oshkosh yet. We continue to enjoy our very special friendship with the Budreau family. They are, indeed, a wonderful part of our lives.
April 2022 - We celebrated Easter with Mom. She enjoyed her Miller Lites, Kraemer's cheese, and funeral cake. The Van Aukens came to church with us and then we did our Easter hunts with them after. On the day after Easter we left for another adventure. This time we took Route 66 to St. Louis where we enjoyed the arch. More Route 66 stops on our way to Oklahoma City. The Fred J. Murray building memorial was so moving. Then it was on to South Padre Island which we thoroughly enjoyed, just the right mixture of nightlife and beach, From there we spent some time in San Antonio enjoying the River Walk. I will need to do a post about all the fun we had on this trip. We no sooner got home than we turned around and went to New Smyrna Beach to see Soli perform at Nationals.
May 2022 -'So continuing from last month, we got home on a Friday. Kev, Vikki, Mal, Alissa, Nathan, all came up for the weekend. It was great fun to all be together and then on Monday we hit the road again for New Smyrna beach. We were hoping to see Soliana and her cheer team, but they did not make it to finals despite doing an outstanding job. The Van Aukens came and spent a few days with us in our beach house. The weather was cooler down there than it was back in Wisconsin so we weren't able to use our pool or go in the water, but it was still fun making memories. We went to Bare Bones to see Pat McCurdy, we had not seen him since before Covid and we soon remembered why we liked him so much. We met some new friends, Jill and Mike who shared out table. They were fun and easy to talk to. Too bad they live in Madison and not right here in Oshkosh.
June 2022 - We spent a weekend at the Kegel Inn in West Allis. We took a van tour of Milwaukee, a boat trip on Lake Michigan, and tried out a few breweries with our Hop Craft Pass. We saw Pat McCurdy two more times,, one in Fish Creek and one here at Bare Bones where we were able to enjoy Jill and Mike's company yet again. John danced on stage and acquired the nickname, Moustache John. Spent time with the girls, lots of over nights at our apartment. Speaking of apartments, our rent went up $200. month which seemed way too much for this place, so we began our search for a new place to live. More on that to come.
July 2022 - Soliana turned 11 and we gave her a basketball hoop for her driveway. We took mom to a band concert which she really enjoyed. I am so glad we were able to spend this special night with her and I am glad I didn't know she would only.be with us for a few more weeks. We did some more hiking at state parks and met up with our friend Sherri Browning for lunch.We used our Hop Craft Beer pass with the girls and enjoyed brews at Devil's Lake, Baraboo, the Hinder in Waupaca and Rio Lobo in Weyewega. I love spending times with just the four of us, reminds me of the old days. This time I danced on stage with Pat in Fremont. We are becoming quite the groupies. We visited with Jill and Mike again and ended up having dinner at Gwen and Mike's house. That was a one time meet and greet. We never heard from them again!
Aug. 2022 - Our world changed forever on August 11 when my mom went to sleep on earth and woke up in heaven. More about that on the next post. Pastor Mueller was so wonderful as we prepared her final service. She would have loved it, her favorite hymns, a perfect Bible passage and sermon for her and her seven grandkids carrying her to her final resting place. If a funeral could be perfect, she had it and she deserved nothing less. We spent a long weekend in La Crosse with the Van Aukens at a very fun Air BnB. The highlight was when we took the girls through a drive through zoo and the camels darn near ate me up!
Sept. 2022 - Courtney and Alissa came on another Brewery tour with us, this time hitting five breweries in Green Bay. As John always tells the bartender, my pallet has moved on from Miller Lite to better craft beers. We had so many toasts to Marge and shared so many memories. Volleyball started for Soliana and she once again was the best player out on the court and she is only in 6th grade! We introduced Kev and Vikki to Pat McCurdy at Crawfish Junction. Jill and Mike were also there and we had the best time. Kev was the subject of most of Pat's songs which always makes the show more fun.
Oct. 2022 - John and I continued to enjoy using our Hop Craft pass. Seems this beer thing has taken over our adventures in the State Parks. Our trips to Watertown to visit mom were no longer necessary and I missed the visits as well as seeing my friends and my brother on a regular basis.
Nov. 2022 - Another Thanksgiving adventure, this one to Savannah, St. Augustine, and Pass A Grille. We had such a great time exploring all these places and I will cover that trip in its own post. Wow, I have so many things to catch up on in more depth. We also finally found a cheaper, better apartment and moved in right before our trip. We have our own garage and front door. We also have a much bigger kitchen. All in all we like it and feel at home here.
Dec. 2022 - Our first Christmas without mom and it was a surprisingly good one because she was with us the entire time in spirit. I gave everyone pillows made from her sweatshirts and an ornament in her memory.
Finally made it through the three years! Thanks for sticking with me on this. Just a few more general things that I want to remember about this time.
Friends - All of our friendships eventually survived Covid. We are back doing things with Karrie, Brent, Mary, Mark, Connie and Paul on a regular basis even though all of them were vaccinated! Terri and Mark were always on the same page as us and we got to see them quite often over the past three years. We stayed in close contact with the Budreau family who will always remain a big part of our lives. Pam Wilke who was also onboard with us in our views became an even closer friend if that is even possible. Lynne Uttech and I remained as close as ever just careful not to discuss anything Covid/ Patti and Tom, who are also on the other side of the spectrum remained friends. I think we had lost each other once for years and we were not going to let that happen again under any circumstances. As far as new friends go, we met Jo and Rick in Florida two times now and plan on future meetings and there are Jill and Mike, our Pat McCurdy friends who we hope to see often at more shows. Other than that, we haven/t met any friends here in Oshkosh. Making new friends at 70 is very hard.
Family - Alissa and Nathan stayed away for awhile due to Covid, but eventually Alissa returned to visit and Nathan followed her lead. It was good to have them back. They both still work from home and they are loving that and hope it continues forever! Mallory has a very nice boyfriend, Nate and they both seem very happy living life. Kev and Vikki are doing well and we meet up at Biggs every once in awhile. I am thankful for both of them. Kev was on top of caring for Mom, he did the financial, I did the emotional and we made a great team. The grandkids continue to grow and we are so happy to be here to watch it all happen. We all miss Mom but when I imagine her in heaven with her family and my dad, it all seems right.
Covid - Still around with yet another strain predicted to be even worse than all the other strains. I can't even remember how many strains there have been. John and I proudly say that we must be the only people left in the world who have never tested for Covid, a title we wear with honor. I think I had Covid when I couldn't smell for two days but life went on for me. Everyone we know has had it at least one or two times even with vaccinations. Young people are mysteriously falling over dead but no one will admit that the jab is causing this. I will just keep that here until the truth comes out.
New Home - We actually considered purchasing a condo as we were searching for a new place to live. It lasted one day, the day we looked at three condos with a realtor. After seeing what our money couldn't buy, we decided to continue our search for rentals that would be cheaper but still as nice. Believe it or not, we make too much money from our Social Security to qualify for some very nice senior apartments (not just one place but at least ten scattered throughout Oshkosh) Finally we found a place, cost less with a condo feel. We have our own front door and attached garage! We are settled and feel at home here
New Church - There are six WELS churches right here in Oshkosh. Maybe we fully intended to shop for the right fit, but we attended Martin Luther once and it seemed fine to us. We had connections to the Pastor through a friend at St. John's. That was enough for us. We became members. I miss St. John's eveyday, well at least on Sundays and I fully intend to return there someday when we move back to Watertown. The new church has not turned out to be all I hoped, we have yet to meet anyone except one lady who returned my phone when I left it on the pew, but I do like the Pastor and the services are short and sweet, so we press on.
Duffy - FYI in case anyone does not know, Duffy was my High School boyfriend, we shared a lot of firsts back in the day until college did us in. I hadn't heard from Duffy for 50 years. I saw that his dad had died and I decided to reach out and send him a card. He called, we chatted, it felt good and right. In the past year, he has called me about ten times. I can text him on his flip phone but he can't text back and I refuse to call, his wife might answer, so I just wait to see if he calls me. He may not call again but it's ok because I got some closure from those calls and I learned things that I did not know back in the day. It's good to know Duffy remembered just as many of the fun times as I did.
And with that I am ready to close this post!
On to 2023
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