As Erica's wedding approaches, I am finding it harder to get to sleep at night. I think some of it is actually stress by proxy. I worry about everything she is dealing with at once: the last few weeks of her first year as a med student; she and Craig buying a house in Madison and all the details and expense involved with that; the wedding itself with the many last-minute preparations and glitches. I feel like I should be there helping, but I don't know exactly what form that help would take.
I helped her with the wedding invitations at the end of March and co-hosted a bridal shower for her a few days later. I dragged Fred to the menswear store in Madison to get his suit for the big day and assured her that he would have a fresh haircut and ear-hair-trim for the wedding. I listen to her vent on the phone when one thing or another goes wrong and offer advice that may or may not help. But hey--I also have my own problems.
Shopping for a mother-of-the-bride (MOB) dress has been a nightmare all its own. Designers apparently think that middle-aged mothers want to look like Queen Elizabeth or the mayor of Cougar Town. I looked in stores in which I normally have good luck, and was thoroughly disappointed with the selection--or moreso the lack thereof. Sure, if I'd made good on all the weight loss promises I made to myself and my readers over the past year, trying on dresses would be more fun and productive. But since I'm pretty much the "total me" I was a year ago, I have to look for both style and camouflage.
With only a little over 6 weeks to go, I did something I haven't done before: ordered dresses online. I'm very leery about sending for something that I can't try on first, but at least I found styles on websites that I'd actually want to wear. One dress is back-ordered until mid-May, but the other is on its way. I have my fingers crossed that I will both like and look decent in one of them so I don't have to keep searching.
Then there's the nagging worry that it will be unseasonably warm that day, and between the heat and my out-of-control hormones I will be a puddle of sweat just in time for the picture-taking. I am fervently hoping that the photograher is a master of the touch-up.
Ultimately, though, it is Craig and Erica's day, and as long as everything goes the way they hope it does, I am going to try to chill about everything else. If there is any freaking-out to be done, I won't be in the center of it. Looking forward to the 5:00 cocktail hour will definitely help.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ireland--the Final Chapter
I have been lazy about writing an account of my last two days in Ireland, so I'd better do it before my sieve-like memory forgets all the details!
Saturday morning, March 20th: Bonnie, Katie, and I left the hotel and grabbed a cup of coffee before catching a bus to the University of Limerick. Katie wanted to show us the campus and where she is living for the semester. The River Shannon flows through the grounds of the university, just like the Chippewa River is a centerpiece of UW-Eau Claire. We walked across "The Living Bridge," which feels as if it's moving, and took pictures in the Stables--Katie's favorite hang-out when she's not diligently working in the library. Her house in Plassey Village, where she lives with 7 roommates, was obviously a college kids' abode--but nice. We met Val, one of her roomies, and I asked him to say something to me in Gaelic. I love the sound of the language, but couldn't understand a word of it.
After seeing campus, we hopped on a bus to go back downtown. There we had lunch at Chocolat, a restaurant Katie had been dying to try. We each had a delicious meal followed by a dessert of 3 different cheesecakes/cake. (Don't tell Richard Simmons on me.)
Another bus ride later, we were at Bunratty Castle just outside Limerick. Katie was a little disappointed that Bonnie and I didn't want to go inside; we were temporarily "castled out" and more interested in checking out the shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills there. We did do some walking down the road to the Bunratty Winery, but unfortunately it is closed on Saturdays. To soothe our disappointment over getting no free samples of mead or wine, we stopped in at Durty Nelly's, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, for a drink. Sitting on the outdoor balcony, we enjoyed the sun and the breeze over glasses over Bulmers and Bailey's Irish Cream.
We returned to Limerick and had a late supper of pizza and garlic bread--that traditional Irish meal!--at Luigi Malone's. From there we walked to Dolan's Pub to hear some Irish music. It wasn't an actual band that played--just local people who come in and play their insturuments together for fun. I'm sure Katie was quite relieved that I didn't dance any jigs, though it really was toe-tapping music! We only listened for a short while since we had another early morning the next day.
Sunday we got up and walked down to the Travel Center to catch a tour bus for Blarney and Cork. We searched in vain for an open coffee shop or restaurant, discovering in a hurry that nothing is open on Sunday mornings when everyone is supposed to be in church! Fortunately our bus driver stopped partway to Blarney so we could grab something to eat at a gas station.
Blarney Castle was quite spectacular. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with flowers, trees, and a stream with waterfalls. We climbed the narrow, winding stone steps to the top of the castle in order to reach the infamous Blarney Stone. Many people were waiting in line to kiss it--including Katie and Bonnie--but I only observed. You have to lie down on your back and hang your head backwards while a man holds onto you in order to kiss the stone, which is the fourth one down from the top--and actually part of the wall. I don't like heights, especially being upside down while looking five stories below. Bonnie and Katie had their pictures taken by the on-site photographer and bought them, along with the certificate proclaiming that they had kissed the stone. After leaving the castle we walked through the Druid's Settlement and saw some interesting rock formations. The rest of our time in Blarney was spent shopping!
From Blarney we drove to the City of Cork, which has 250,000 people and is the second largest city in Ireland after Dublin. We spent our time there just exploring the city and having lunch. We ate at O'Brien's Sandwiches, where we had a shamrock-shaped chicken pesto sandwich. Excellent!
We got back to Limerick around 6, retrieved our luggage from the hotel, and said goodbye to Katie at the bus station. She had been a super tour guide, and the time with her in Limerick was by far the best part of the trip for me. Bonnie and I took a short bus ride to a hotel in Shannon which was just across the parking lot from the airport. We had to get up at 5 AM Monday to be at the airport by 6. Bonnie discovered the fickleness of Irish electrical current when her curling iron overheated and burned off a chunk of her hair!
The Shannon Airport has duty-free shopping, but by then our bags were already full of souvenirs and gifts. We had the amazing experience of seeing a whole waiting-room full or American soldiers returning to Iraq from R and R. I talked to a couple of them and thanked them for their service--wished afterwards that I had taken a picture.
Our flight back to the U.S. was uneventful, other than the fact that Continental served us a chicken dinner at 7 AM! When we got to Newark, we discovered that our flight to Minneapolis was delayed--what a surprise. We finally got back to the Cities at 6:30 PM, 2 and 1/2 hours late. Ironically, we deplaned at the same gate where we had spent so many hours waiting to fly out the week before--just in time to hear the announcement that the next flight to Newark was also delayed! I won't fly Continental again!
We caught a shuttle to the hotel where we'd left my car and took off on the 4-hour drive to Rhinelander. I came straggling into the house at 11:15 P.M., not knowing then that it would take me four days to stop feeling exhausted! But it was an incredible trip, and I would like to go back to Ireland again someday. If you get the chance, you should too!!
Saturday morning, March 20th: Bonnie, Katie, and I left the hotel and grabbed a cup of coffee before catching a bus to the University of Limerick. Katie wanted to show us the campus and where she is living for the semester. The River Shannon flows through the grounds of the university, just like the Chippewa River is a centerpiece of UW-Eau Claire. We walked across "The Living Bridge," which feels as if it's moving, and took pictures in the Stables--Katie's favorite hang-out when she's not diligently working in the library. Her house in Plassey Village, where she lives with 7 roommates, was obviously a college kids' abode--but nice. We met Val, one of her roomies, and I asked him to say something to me in Gaelic. I love the sound of the language, but couldn't understand a word of it.
After seeing campus, we hopped on a bus to go back downtown. There we had lunch at Chocolat, a restaurant Katie had been dying to try. We each had a delicious meal followed by a dessert of 3 different cheesecakes/cake. (Don't tell Richard Simmons on me.)
Another bus ride later, we were at Bunratty Castle just outside Limerick. Katie was a little disappointed that Bonnie and I didn't want to go inside; we were temporarily "castled out" and more interested in checking out the shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills there. We did do some walking down the road to the Bunratty Winery, but unfortunately it is closed on Saturdays. To soothe our disappointment over getting no free samples of mead or wine, we stopped in at Durty Nelly's, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, for a drink. Sitting on the outdoor balcony, we enjoyed the sun and the breeze over glasses over Bulmers and Bailey's Irish Cream.
We returned to Limerick and had a late supper of pizza and garlic bread--that traditional Irish meal!--at Luigi Malone's. From there we walked to Dolan's Pub to hear some Irish music. It wasn't an actual band that played--just local people who come in and play their insturuments together for fun. I'm sure Katie was quite relieved that I didn't dance any jigs, though it really was toe-tapping music! We only listened for a short while since we had another early morning the next day.
Sunday we got up and walked down to the Travel Center to catch a tour bus for Blarney and Cork. We searched in vain for an open coffee shop or restaurant, discovering in a hurry that nothing is open on Sunday mornings when everyone is supposed to be in church! Fortunately our bus driver stopped partway to Blarney so we could grab something to eat at a gas station.
Blarney Castle was quite spectacular. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with flowers, trees, and a stream with waterfalls. We climbed the narrow, winding stone steps to the top of the castle in order to reach the infamous Blarney Stone. Many people were waiting in line to kiss it--including Katie and Bonnie--but I only observed. You have to lie down on your back and hang your head backwards while a man holds onto you in order to kiss the stone, which is the fourth one down from the top--and actually part of the wall. I don't like heights, especially being upside down while looking five stories below. Bonnie and Katie had their pictures taken by the on-site photographer and bought them, along with the certificate proclaiming that they had kissed the stone. After leaving the castle we walked through the Druid's Settlement and saw some interesting rock formations. The rest of our time in Blarney was spent shopping!
From Blarney we drove to the City of Cork, which has 250,000 people and is the second largest city in Ireland after Dublin. We spent our time there just exploring the city and having lunch. We ate at O'Brien's Sandwiches, where we had a shamrock-shaped chicken pesto sandwich. Excellent!
We got back to Limerick around 6, retrieved our luggage from the hotel, and said goodbye to Katie at the bus station. She had been a super tour guide, and the time with her in Limerick was by far the best part of the trip for me. Bonnie and I took a short bus ride to a hotel in Shannon which was just across the parking lot from the airport. We had to get up at 5 AM Monday to be at the airport by 6. Bonnie discovered the fickleness of Irish electrical current when her curling iron overheated and burned off a chunk of her hair!
The Shannon Airport has duty-free shopping, but by then our bags were already full of souvenirs and gifts. We had the amazing experience of seeing a whole waiting-room full or American soldiers returning to Iraq from R and R. I talked to a couple of them and thanked them for their service--wished afterwards that I had taken a picture.
Our flight back to the U.S. was uneventful, other than the fact that Continental served us a chicken dinner at 7 AM! When we got to Newark, we discovered that our flight to Minneapolis was delayed--what a surprise. We finally got back to the Cities at 6:30 PM, 2 and 1/2 hours late. Ironically, we deplaned at the same gate where we had spent so many hours waiting to fly out the week before--just in time to hear the announcement that the next flight to Newark was also delayed! I won't fly Continental again!
We caught a shuttle to the hotel where we'd left my car and took off on the 4-hour drive to Rhinelander. I came straggling into the house at 11:15 P.M., not knowing then that it would take me four days to stop feeling exhausted! But it was an incredible trip, and I would like to go back to Ireland again someday. If you get the chance, you should too!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wisconsin Cheryl and the Castles of Ireland
(March 18th, Limerick, Ireland. When we last left our heroine, she was suffering from insomnia due to a potent late-night Irish coffee...)
Bonnie and I got up fairly early in spite of not sleeping well because we didn't want to miss our last pre-paid meal with the tour group! We avoided talking to any of them and spent an hour yakking over breakfast. Katie came over mid-morning, and we took some time on the computer to make plans for the rest of our visit--booking a tour, a hotel, and seeing what the local bus schedule was for the next couple days. Then we set off to see some sites of Limerick. St. Mary's Cathedral was the first, and I was absolutely awestruck by this 800+-year-old church. As with some of the other buildings I had yet to see, it just amazed me that people were able to build such magnificent structures hundreds of years ago without modern equipment. After checking out the cemetery, we went inside and paid two Euro each to the church maintenance fund so we could look around. The huge stone arches, tall stained glass windows, and towering ceiling are just spectacular! I would love to have seen an actual church service taking place there.
From the church we walked to St. John's Castle. Poor Katie had already been there twice, but she persevered so Bonnie and I could enjoy the tour. The castle's history and the recreation of many of the features that existed when it was actually in use were really interesting, and we took lots of fun pictures. After we'd seen everything, we spent plenty of time in the gift shop! We had a late lunch at Arabica, the coffee shop across from the hotel, and spent a quiet evening resting up for the next day's adventure.
On Friday Katie came to the hotel right from her 9:00 class, and we went to the bus station to catch our ride to Cashel. The bus ride took us through some quaint towns, including Tipperary! The streets in these small towns are SO narrow that the bus could almost touch the cars and other vehicles it met. All of the storefronts are connected, and it seems to be the popular thing for merchants to make their buildings as colorful as possible! We stopped in the town of Cahir and had to wait an hour for the connecting bus to Cashel. We passed the time walking along the river, taking pictures of the outside of Cahir Castle, and also did more shopping!
Katie had been to Cashel before on an overnight trip, so she was again an experienced guide for us. We walked to the outside of town and first visited the Hore Abbey. It is abandoned and there is no official "tour", but we were there for more than an hour just taking in the essence of a place so old and mysterious. Again I was amazed by the enormity of the task undertaken by the builders of that period. How could they create such architecture from stone with their bare hands?? The other thing that struck me over and over during my trip was the history of the place. The U.S. is a mere infant historically when compared to the countries of Europe.
We investigated the graveyard at the Abbey and took more pictures, gazing up at the Rock of Cashel on the hill opposite. Then we made our way up the hill via the "Path of the Dead," stopping to take pictures of the amazing view below us. The "Rock" is actually a castle, and we explored both inside and out, also viewing a brief video about its history. There was another cemetery to check out, this one including a gravestone with my mom's name on it!
We were hungry by this time, so we made our way back to town and found Feehan's Pub. With a Bulmer's cider in hand and an excellent meal, we toasted our great fortune at being in this beautiful country!
We caught the bus back to Cahir, and it was raining as we waited around for our connection back to Limerick. Lucky for us, the bus we would have otherwise missed was running late, so we were able to catch that one and not have to wait long. I ran into a bakery next to the bus stop and bought us each a cupcake before it closed. We were back at the hotel by 8 PM after picking up a few groceries, and Katie spent the night so we could set out together the next morning. Tomorrow: the University of Limerick campus and Bunratty!
Bonnie and I got up fairly early in spite of not sleeping well because we didn't want to miss our last pre-paid meal with the tour group! We avoided talking to any of them and spent an hour yakking over breakfast. Katie came over mid-morning, and we took some time on the computer to make plans for the rest of our visit--booking a tour, a hotel, and seeing what the local bus schedule was for the next couple days. Then we set off to see some sites of Limerick. St. Mary's Cathedral was the first, and I was absolutely awestruck by this 800+-year-old church. As with some of the other buildings I had yet to see, it just amazed me that people were able to build such magnificent structures hundreds of years ago without modern equipment. After checking out the cemetery, we went inside and paid two Euro each to the church maintenance fund so we could look around. The huge stone arches, tall stained glass windows, and towering ceiling are just spectacular! I would love to have seen an actual church service taking place there.
From the church we walked to St. John's Castle. Poor Katie had already been there twice, but she persevered so Bonnie and I could enjoy the tour. The castle's history and the recreation of many of the features that existed when it was actually in use were really interesting, and we took lots of fun pictures. After we'd seen everything, we spent plenty of time in the gift shop! We had a late lunch at Arabica, the coffee shop across from the hotel, and spent a quiet evening resting up for the next day's adventure.
On Friday Katie came to the hotel right from her 9:00 class, and we went to the bus station to catch our ride to Cashel. The bus ride took us through some quaint towns, including Tipperary! The streets in these small towns are SO narrow that the bus could almost touch the cars and other vehicles it met. All of the storefronts are connected, and it seems to be the popular thing for merchants to make their buildings as colorful as possible! We stopped in the town of Cahir and had to wait an hour for the connecting bus to Cashel. We passed the time walking along the river, taking pictures of the outside of Cahir Castle, and also did more shopping!
Katie had been to Cashel before on an overnight trip, so she was again an experienced guide for us. We walked to the outside of town and first visited the Hore Abbey. It is abandoned and there is no official "tour", but we were there for more than an hour just taking in the essence of a place so old and mysterious. Again I was amazed by the enormity of the task undertaken by the builders of that period. How could they create such architecture from stone with their bare hands?? The other thing that struck me over and over during my trip was the history of the place. The U.S. is a mere infant historically when compared to the countries of Europe.
We investigated the graveyard at the Abbey and took more pictures, gazing up at the Rock of Cashel on the hill opposite. Then we made our way up the hill via the "Path of the Dead," stopping to take pictures of the amazing view below us. The "Rock" is actually a castle, and we explored both inside and out, also viewing a brief video about its history. There was another cemetery to check out, this one including a gravestone with my mom's name on it!
We were hungry by this time, so we made our way back to town and found Feehan's Pub. With a Bulmer's cider in hand and an excellent meal, we toasted our great fortune at being in this beautiful country!
We caught the bus back to Cahir, and it was raining as we waited around for our connection back to Limerick. Lucky for us, the bus we would have otherwise missed was running late, so we were able to catch that one and not have to wait long. I ran into a bakery next to the bus stop and bought us each a cupcake before it closed. We were back at the hotel by 8 PM after picking up a few groceries, and Katie spent the night so we could set out together the next morning. Tomorrow: the University of Limerick campus and Bunratty!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Obviously-A-Tourist
I wonder if the natives of Ireland--and other countries--look at people like me and Bonnie and see a large blazing "T" on our foreheads. I'm sure the bewildered facial expressions, neck-craning for the correct bus, and taking pictures of said bus are dead giveaways. (Ya think?!)
When we arrived in Dublin on the morning of March 16th, we bought tickets for the "Hop-on, Hop-off" Dublin bus tour. Since we only had about 5 hours, we wanted to see as much as we could of the city's famous landmarks and attractions. First we rode the bus for the entire tour, then did it again so we could get off and look at things we wanted to see more of--and shop! Our driver was very informative and funny, singing and reciting limericks for us. Among the stops on the tour are Trinity College, which houses the Book of Kells; Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, the Guinness Storehouse, the Old Jameson Distillery, Grafton Street, and the colorful Georgian Doors. We took several pictures, but missed getting one of Molly Malone--"the tart with the cart." The bus driver did sing her song for us though: "In Dublin's fair city where girls are so pretty, 'twas there I first met my sweet Molly Malone..."
Many young people in Dublin dress just like kids in the U.S. with neon hair colors, multiple facial piercings, and some of the shortest skirts I've seen since I wore them myself in high school! Occasionally I'd see an older white-haired man with ruddy cheeks chatting animatedly with a friend in that lyrical brogue and think, "Now he is Irish!" There were plenty of redheads, too!
We arrived in Killarney that evening, starving and relieved to be caught up to our tour group after all the delays. The Killarney Avenue Hotel was an old building with beautiful woodwork and decor. We had a delicious dinner and met our tour director, Martin Guilfoyle. More about him later...
Wednesday morning, St. Patrick's Day! In Ireland!! Bonnie and I went down for breakfast-wearing green, of course--and met a few people in the tour group. We got on the bus and headed to the ferry across the River Shannon, making our way to the Cliffs of Moher. We sat near the back of the bus with the people who had already been designated the "rowdies" by the rest of the group. Three of them were women in their 30s-40s who had red hair of questionable authenticity. They had each gotten tattoos in Killarney the day before! There was also a college kid from Wauwatosa, WI who was on the tour with his grandma!
The Cliffs of Moher were amazing. It was extremely windy, and the waves were crashing at the base of the rocks. We took a bunch of pictures, and Bonnie walked up the far side of the rocks to take some from the opposite view while I checked out the shops that are built right into the hillside. I got myself a Celtic knot brooch made of Connemara marble. It is a green stone mined in Ireland, estimated to be 500 million years old!
After a quick lunch, we piled back into the bus and took off for Rathbun Farm. It is a working sheep farm, and we were able to see several varieties of sheep and other farm critters. We were given a glass of hot whiskey with sugar upon arrival, and later had coffee and scones before departing for Limerick.
We arrived at the George Boutique Hotel in Limerick around 5:30. I had texted Katie on the way, and she showed up shortly after. Hooray! I was able to give her a hug for the first time in two months. She gave me a claddagh necklace as a belated Christmas present, and we talked about what we wanted to do during our visit. First on the agenda was dinner....but we had a problem to solve first. Bonnie's carry-on hadn't been with our other luggage when we got to our room. After phone calls to the front desk and then Martin, the tour director, we learned that he had her bag--and had basically held it "hostage". Unbeknownst to us, (since we missed the first 3 days of the tour) carry-ons were supposed to be kept with each passenger on the bus, NOT put with the luggage to be stowed beneath it. He basically blamed Bonnie for not following his protocol and seemed to think she deserved the several panicked moments when she thought the bag was gone! We no longer thought he was a charming Irishman.
After this upset, we went to Bailey's for dinner. Bonnie and I had fish and chips and some Bulmer's cider--on Katie's recommendation. The waiter/bartender was a cute redhaired Irish lad named Gary. I told him that name didn't sound very Irish, and he said his real name was Gearoid (pronounced Guh-ROAD) Now that sounds Irish! I told him that maybe he was my long-lost son, and I could kick myself for not getting my picture taken with him.
After dinner we went back to the hotel, dodging puddles of puke left over from that afternoon's parade! We were mad at Martin, the tour guide, but still attended his "Farewell Irish Coffee" just to get our free drink. The coffee was delicious, but not a good idea at 10 P.M. Katie went back to campus, and Bonnie and I went to our room. We really needed a good night's sleep, but the caffeine kept us up till after 1 AM. Another big day coming up! Thursday: sightseeing in Limerick.
P.S. We don't recommend taking a trip with Brendan Tours!
When we arrived in Dublin on the morning of March 16th, we bought tickets for the "Hop-on, Hop-off" Dublin bus tour. Since we only had about 5 hours, we wanted to see as much as we could of the city's famous landmarks and attractions. First we rode the bus for the entire tour, then did it again so we could get off and look at things we wanted to see more of--and shop! Our driver was very informative and funny, singing and reciting limericks for us. Among the stops on the tour are Trinity College, which houses the Book of Kells; Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, the Guinness Storehouse, the Old Jameson Distillery, Grafton Street, and the colorful Georgian Doors. We took several pictures, but missed getting one of Molly Malone--"the tart with the cart." The bus driver did sing her song for us though: "In Dublin's fair city where girls are so pretty, 'twas there I first met my sweet Molly Malone..."
Many young people in Dublin dress just like kids in the U.S. with neon hair colors, multiple facial piercings, and some of the shortest skirts I've seen since I wore them myself in high school! Occasionally I'd see an older white-haired man with ruddy cheeks chatting animatedly with a friend in that lyrical brogue and think, "Now he is Irish!" There were plenty of redheads, too!
We arrived in Killarney that evening, starving and relieved to be caught up to our tour group after all the delays. The Killarney Avenue Hotel was an old building with beautiful woodwork and decor. We had a delicious dinner and met our tour director, Martin Guilfoyle. More about him later...
Wednesday morning, St. Patrick's Day! In Ireland!! Bonnie and I went down for breakfast-wearing green, of course--and met a few people in the tour group. We got on the bus and headed to the ferry across the River Shannon, making our way to the Cliffs of Moher. We sat near the back of the bus with the people who had already been designated the "rowdies" by the rest of the group. Three of them were women in their 30s-40s who had red hair of questionable authenticity. They had each gotten tattoos in Killarney the day before! There was also a college kid from Wauwatosa, WI who was on the tour with his grandma!
The Cliffs of Moher were amazing. It was extremely windy, and the waves were crashing at the base of the rocks. We took a bunch of pictures, and Bonnie walked up the far side of the rocks to take some from the opposite view while I checked out the shops that are built right into the hillside. I got myself a Celtic knot brooch made of Connemara marble. It is a green stone mined in Ireland, estimated to be 500 million years old!
After a quick lunch, we piled back into the bus and took off for Rathbun Farm. It is a working sheep farm, and we were able to see several varieties of sheep and other farm critters. We were given a glass of hot whiskey with sugar upon arrival, and later had coffee and scones before departing for Limerick.
We arrived at the George Boutique Hotel in Limerick around 5:30. I had texted Katie on the way, and she showed up shortly after. Hooray! I was able to give her a hug for the first time in two months. She gave me a claddagh necklace as a belated Christmas present, and we talked about what we wanted to do during our visit. First on the agenda was dinner....but we had a problem to solve first. Bonnie's carry-on hadn't been with our other luggage when we got to our room. After phone calls to the front desk and then Martin, the tour director, we learned that he had her bag--and had basically held it "hostage". Unbeknownst to us, (since we missed the first 3 days of the tour) carry-ons were supposed to be kept with each passenger on the bus, NOT put with the luggage to be stowed beneath it. He basically blamed Bonnie for not following his protocol and seemed to think she deserved the several panicked moments when she thought the bag was gone! We no longer thought he was a charming Irishman.
After this upset, we went to Bailey's for dinner. Bonnie and I had fish and chips and some Bulmer's cider--on Katie's recommendation. The waiter/bartender was a cute redhaired Irish lad named Gary. I told him that name didn't sound very Irish, and he said his real name was Gearoid (pronounced Guh-ROAD) Now that sounds Irish! I told him that maybe he was my long-lost son, and I could kick myself for not getting my picture taken with him.
After dinner we went back to the hotel, dodging puddles of puke left over from that afternoon's parade! We were mad at Martin, the tour guide, but still attended his "Farewell Irish Coffee" just to get our free drink. The coffee was delicious, but not a good idea at 10 P.M. Katie went back to campus, and Bonnie and I went to our room. We really needed a good night's sleep, but the caffeine kept us up till after 1 AM. Another big day coming up! Thursday: sightseeing in Limerick.
P.S. We don't recommend taking a trip with Brendan Tours!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Planes, Trains, Automobiles...Trams, Shuttles, Buses, and Cabs
It took all of the above modes of transportation to get me where I was supposed to be in Ireland after 3 days of unexpected delays and traveling...but I am getting ahead of myself. First let me apologize for taking so long to update here. I got home from the trip at 11:15 Monday night after being up for 24 hours. Tuesday and Wednesday I caught up around here with the dogs, laundry, housework, etc. Then yesterday I basically crashed from the jet lag. I slept 11+ hours for the past two nights, and finally feel normal--or what passes for that with me, anyway.
On Saturday the 13th, (I now see why my dad feared that number) my friends Judy, Lauri, Bonnie, and I boarded the Chippewa Valley Airport Service shuttle at 9:15 AM and headed to the airport in Minneapolis. (I coincidentally was sitting in front of a guy who heard me mention that my daughter was a social work major--it turns out that he was one of her professors and advisor in the SW department at UW-Eau Claire!)
After a smooth check-in at the airport and getting through security, we checked the flight board and saw that our 2:30 plane to Newark was not on schedule. To make a long, all-day story short: due to storms and high winds--up to 75 mph--out east, planes were delayed, stacked up, and unable to take off or land. By 5:30 PM, ours had been delayed and then cancelled. So what do we do now?? As an infrequent flyer, I was blown away by the fact that best-laid plans can be destroyed by the whims of Mother Nature and the airlines. I have seen on TV the mobs of travelers stranded at airports during the holidays, dealing with blizzards and over-booked flights. "Poor saps," I'd think. Now I was one of them.
We worked with a determined young man from Continental named Said, and he found two seats on a flight to Newark on Monday the 15th. TWO DAYS away!! The four of us looked at each other; at that point Lauri and Judy decided to cancel their trip. We would be missing much of the tour we had booked, and two of us would still have to find a different flight to get there. Bonnie and I took the seats on Monday's flight and added two days to our stay in Limerick with Katie. With long faces, we got on the 6:00 shuttle that we had boarded with such excitement that morning, back to Eau Claire to figure out what to do next.
After pizza and 2 pitchers of beer at Sammy's with Lauri and her husband Paul, Bonnie and I went back to their house for the night. Between e-mails and phone calls to our travel agent and the tour company, we learned several things: neither business would do anything for us as far as reimbursement or travel vouchers regarding the days we would be missing with the tour. When we arrived in Dublin, the tour would do nothing to help us catch up with the group, who by then would be all the way across Ireland in Killarney. They had their money, so why help, right?
Continental had given us a voucher for a cheap rate at a hotel near the airport, so Sunday afternoon Bonnie and I drove to the Cities again in my car and spent the night there. We headed to the airport early Monday, just in case we could catch an earlier flight. No--instead, our 2:30 plane was delayed another two hours--causing us to miss our connection from Newark to Dublin. :( This is crazy!! The gate agent managed to get us seats on the 9:50 flight to Dublin, and we took off for Newark around 5 or so. It had taken us 2 1/2 days from first setting foot in the airport to actually get on a plane!!
It was raining when we arrived in Newark, and we hustled to get on an airport shuttle that would take us to the terminal we were flying from. We soon discovered that the flight to Dublin was also delayed--we were waiting for 69 kids from the North Carolina State marching band to arrive on another flight; they were going to be marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. At 11:50 PM we finally took off for Ireland!!!
I dozed off and on during the night, but was pretty groggy when we landed a little after 10 AM, Emerald Isle time. Bonnie and I got our luggage and headed to the information desk. We bought a bus ticket that would take us into the city, about 20 minutes away. After getting off that bus, we went to the tourist center and a nice girl named Sinead told us about an internet cafe that stores luggage. We bought tickets for a sightseeing bus that goes around the city and lets you get on/off at various places. (More on that later) We also had to plan how to get to Killarney by that night. Katie had offered to come to Dublin to get us, but I assured her that we were big girls and would figure it out. Through various conversations, we learned we'd have to take the tram--like an above-ground subway--to the train station, and we could take a train to Killarney.
We spent about 5 hours touring Dublin, then located the tram pick-up spot. We stood there not knowing what to do! Where do you get a ticket? A girl in her early 20s heard us wondering aloud, and she told us how much it cost, then took our Euro coins and led us to the ticketing machine. She got the tickets for us--a sweet and helpful girl, contradicting the signs all around us that said "Beware of Pickpockets." We jumped on the tram, and no one even asked us for our tickets; we stood up all the way to the train station. By this time we were running late, and we ran in to get our tickets. We raced to the turnstile and didn't know what to do there either; a man took our tickets and put them in the slot for us. We hurried to get seats and flopped tiredly into them, just minutes before the train departed. Whew!!!
The trip to Killarney was 3 1/2 hours long, and until it got dark we were able to see some of the countryside. This was the Ireland I had come to see! Most of the houses in the country seemed to be painted a yellow/gold color. The hills and pastures were green, but not the deep color that later spring will surely bring. At each small town that the train stopped in, a voice announced the name of the place in both Gaelic and English, then said "Thank you for traveling Neither Here Nor There." After a few of these announcements, we decided that "Neither Here Nor There" was either the name of the train or the route. How quaint!!
At 8:30 we finally arrived in Killarney! It was raining, and we quickly grabbed a cab. It drove about a block and a half to get us to our hotel, 5 Euros worth!! The driver was very nice, and I tipped him a handful of change--not knowing yet that tipping isn't customary there.
The Killarney Avenue Hotel, where our tour group waited. We had missed 3 days with them--but we made it!! To be continued...
On Saturday the 13th, (I now see why my dad feared that number) my friends Judy, Lauri, Bonnie, and I boarded the Chippewa Valley Airport Service shuttle at 9:15 AM and headed to the airport in Minneapolis. (I coincidentally was sitting in front of a guy who heard me mention that my daughter was a social work major--it turns out that he was one of her professors and advisor in the SW department at UW-Eau Claire!)
After a smooth check-in at the airport and getting through security, we checked the flight board and saw that our 2:30 plane to Newark was not on schedule. To make a long, all-day story short: due to storms and high winds--up to 75 mph--out east, planes were delayed, stacked up, and unable to take off or land. By 5:30 PM, ours had been delayed and then cancelled. So what do we do now?? As an infrequent flyer, I was blown away by the fact that best-laid plans can be destroyed by the whims of Mother Nature and the airlines. I have seen on TV the mobs of travelers stranded at airports during the holidays, dealing with blizzards and over-booked flights. "Poor saps," I'd think. Now I was one of them.
We worked with a determined young man from Continental named Said, and he found two seats on a flight to Newark on Monday the 15th. TWO DAYS away!! The four of us looked at each other; at that point Lauri and Judy decided to cancel their trip. We would be missing much of the tour we had booked, and two of us would still have to find a different flight to get there. Bonnie and I took the seats on Monday's flight and added two days to our stay in Limerick with Katie. With long faces, we got on the 6:00 shuttle that we had boarded with such excitement that morning, back to Eau Claire to figure out what to do next.
After pizza and 2 pitchers of beer at Sammy's with Lauri and her husband Paul, Bonnie and I went back to their house for the night. Between e-mails and phone calls to our travel agent and the tour company, we learned several things: neither business would do anything for us as far as reimbursement or travel vouchers regarding the days we would be missing with the tour. When we arrived in Dublin, the tour would do nothing to help us catch up with the group, who by then would be all the way across Ireland in Killarney. They had their money, so why help, right?
Continental had given us a voucher for a cheap rate at a hotel near the airport, so Sunday afternoon Bonnie and I drove to the Cities again in my car and spent the night there. We headed to the airport early Monday, just in case we could catch an earlier flight. No--instead, our 2:30 plane was delayed another two hours--causing us to miss our connection from Newark to Dublin. :( This is crazy!! The gate agent managed to get us seats on the 9:50 flight to Dublin, and we took off for Newark around 5 or so. It had taken us 2 1/2 days from first setting foot in the airport to actually get on a plane!!
It was raining when we arrived in Newark, and we hustled to get on an airport shuttle that would take us to the terminal we were flying from. We soon discovered that the flight to Dublin was also delayed--we were waiting for 69 kids from the North Carolina State marching band to arrive on another flight; they were going to be marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin. At 11:50 PM we finally took off for Ireland!!!
I dozed off and on during the night, but was pretty groggy when we landed a little after 10 AM, Emerald Isle time. Bonnie and I got our luggage and headed to the information desk. We bought a bus ticket that would take us into the city, about 20 minutes away. After getting off that bus, we went to the tourist center and a nice girl named Sinead told us about an internet cafe that stores luggage. We bought tickets for a sightseeing bus that goes around the city and lets you get on/off at various places. (More on that later) We also had to plan how to get to Killarney by that night. Katie had offered to come to Dublin to get us, but I assured her that we were big girls and would figure it out. Through various conversations, we learned we'd have to take the tram--like an above-ground subway--to the train station, and we could take a train to Killarney.
We spent about 5 hours touring Dublin, then located the tram pick-up spot. We stood there not knowing what to do! Where do you get a ticket? A girl in her early 20s heard us wondering aloud, and she told us how much it cost, then took our Euro coins and led us to the ticketing machine. She got the tickets for us--a sweet and helpful girl, contradicting the signs all around us that said "Beware of Pickpockets." We jumped on the tram, and no one even asked us for our tickets; we stood up all the way to the train station. By this time we were running late, and we ran in to get our tickets. We raced to the turnstile and didn't know what to do there either; a man took our tickets and put them in the slot for us. We hurried to get seats and flopped tiredly into them, just minutes before the train departed. Whew!!!
The trip to Killarney was 3 1/2 hours long, and until it got dark we were able to see some of the countryside. This was the Ireland I had come to see! Most of the houses in the country seemed to be painted a yellow/gold color. The hills and pastures were green, but not the deep color that later spring will surely bring. At each small town that the train stopped in, a voice announced the name of the place in both Gaelic and English, then said "Thank you for traveling Neither Here Nor There." After a few of these announcements, we decided that "Neither Here Nor There" was either the name of the train or the route. How quaint!!
At 8:30 we finally arrived in Killarney! It was raining, and we quickly grabbed a cab. It drove about a block and a half to get us to our hotel, 5 Euros worth!! The driver was very nice, and I tipped him a handful of change--not knowing yet that tipping isn't customary there.
The Killarney Avenue Hotel, where our tour group waited. We had missed 3 days with them--but we made it!! To be continued...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Two Exciting Things
Usually I lead a typical average life like everyone else, but the next couple days will be exciting for me. Tomorrow I will go over to Menomonie to sign the closing papers for our house in Elk Mound. Yes! Someone finally came along who apparently sees in it what we did. After almost 3 years on the market, dozens of showings, several offers, one other near-sale, and numerous trips back and forth, we will be down to owning three properties instead of four! I have been nervous for the past few weeks since accepting the offer, afraid that something would happen to mess up the deal. We were there last month to pick up the rest of Katie's stuff that was still there, and I knew when I left that it would probably be for the last time. This time there were no tears, no sentimental dwelling on the good memories of the twelve years we spent there. It is time, and it's a relief. I will sign at 3 PM tomorrow, and Fred will go over for the official closing on the 16th. Which brings me to my other cause for excitement: I have to sign early because on Saturday I leave for Ireland!!! My friends Judy, Lauri, and Bonnie will head to the Emerald Isle with me for a week of sightseeing, shopping, and carousing! We leave Eau Claire at 9:15 Saturday morning for the Cities; fly to Newark that afternoon, and on to Dublin that evening, arriving at 7 AM Sunday, Ireland time. After reading Katie's blogs and seeing the pictures she has taken, I can't wait to experience all of it myself. I'm eager to see if the redheads outnumber the blondes and brunettes, and after a few ciders, maybe I'll be possessed by the brogue of my ancestors! I could cross "Cheryl" off my tour name tag and change it to "Fiona." It will be a blast to participate in an actual Irish St. Patrick's Day, and I have three different green shirts packed for the week!
I already gave Fred his present from Ireland. I wanted to get him a Harley shirt from the Dublin Harley-Davidson, but they aren't open on Sundays, and our tour leaves there Monday morning. So after exchanging several e-mails with a nice lady named Louise McMahon at the Dublin H-D, I had a shirt shipped here. It arrived last week, as you can see in the pictures. Now I'll have even more room in my suitcase for the stuff I buy myself!
Well, I still have to make a list of instructions for Fred and take care of other last-minute details. I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about when I return, so I'll leave you with this:
A trans-ocean ticket she bought her
To the country of green hills and water.
Of Irish descent,
To Limerick she went
To visit her lovely wee daughter!
The trip will be worth all the hassle,
To see Burren, the Cliffs, and a castle;
After Guinness so big
She might dance a jig
And maybe a leprechaun rassle.
She'll take in the scenes of Killarney
And the infamous Stone of Blarney--
But a kiss there won't be
For on it guys pee;
('Twas nice of someone to warn me!)
A lifetime adventure for sure,
With friends on a fabulous tour.
Two days with Katie,
That little Patatie,
Can't wait to spend time with her!!
I already gave Fred his present from Ireland. I wanted to get him a Harley shirt from the Dublin Harley-Davidson, but they aren't open on Sundays, and our tour leaves there Monday morning. So after exchanging several e-mails with a nice lady named Louise McMahon at the Dublin H-D, I had a shirt shipped here. It arrived last week, as you can see in the pictures. Now I'll have even more room in my suitcase for the stuff I buy myself!
Well, I still have to make a list of instructions for Fred and take care of other last-minute details. I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about when I return, so I'll leave you with this:
A trans-ocean ticket she bought her
To the country of green hills and water.
Of Irish descent,
To Limerick she went
To visit her lovely wee daughter!
The trip will be worth all the hassle,
To see Burren, the Cliffs, and a castle;
After Guinness so big
She might dance a jig
And maybe a leprechaun rassle.
She'll take in the scenes of Killarney
And the infamous Stone of Blarney--
But a kiss there won't be
For on it guys pee;
('Twas nice of someone to warn me!)
A lifetime adventure for sure,
With friends on a fabulous tour.
Two days with Katie,
That little Patatie,
Can't wait to spend time with her!!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Taxes Shmaxes
They say that only two things in life are inevitable: death and taxes. After my experience this morning, I believe that death must be the much simpler of the two.
Fred does our taxes using Turbotax, so I really have very little to do with the complicated issues involved with deductions, owning three houses, etc. All I have to do is the girls' taxes, using the 1040EZ. Yes, they could do their own, but since their W2s have always come to our address and I need their taxes done before filling out financial aid forms online, it's just simpler (ha!) for me to do them. Sometimes I wish the EZ form was EZ-er for government-document-challenged people like me, but generally I have managed without getting a visit from an auditor.
Last year Erica's W2 went to her address in Madison, so I told her she should do her own taxes. She grumbled and procrastinated, but did get them done online by the April 15th deadline, happily receiving a $162 refund for her trouble.
Then in November, Fred and I received a letter from the IRS stating: "We received a tax return from a taxpayer using the same Social Security number as a dependent you listed." Uh-oh. Erica had mistakenly claimed herself as an exemption, and obviously this error would cost us a lot more if we didn't claim her (which we rightfully can) than it would cost her to amend her return. So, I called the IRS and after gritting my teeth through numerous menu selections, actually got connected to a real guy named Bartholomew. Bart told me that Erica needed to file an amended 1040X to correct the situation. Ok, no problem--except she hadn't made a copy of her taxes when she filed online. Another uh-oh. She requested a tax return transcript, because an actual copy of the return costs $57!!! Amazing how her putting down a "1" instead of a "0" was becoming increasingly more complicated and expensive.
This morning I sat down with all the forms, worksheets, and instructions to straighten things out myself, just to make sure we didn't end up getting audited or something. Maybe it's just me (probably), but what would have likely taken most educated adults five minutes to correct left me, after 45 minutes, in a lather of frustration and profanity. The form referred to instructions I couldn't find, line numbers that didn't match, and this doozy: "enter method used to figure tax." Huh?! Is that like showing your work with a story problem?
After going as far as I could without smashing the calculator, I deduced that instead of a $162 refund, Erica owes $122 plus interest. Fred is going to have to look at the whole thing and may come up with something completely different. All I know is that next year when tax time rolls around, she will be married and her tax status won't be my problem. Then I can just go back to messing up our checkbook.
Fred does our taxes using Turbotax, so I really have very little to do with the complicated issues involved with deductions, owning three houses, etc. All I have to do is the girls' taxes, using the 1040EZ. Yes, they could do their own, but since their W2s have always come to our address and I need their taxes done before filling out financial aid forms online, it's just simpler (ha!) for me to do them. Sometimes I wish the EZ form was EZ-er for government-document-challenged people like me, but generally I have managed without getting a visit from an auditor.
Last year Erica's W2 went to her address in Madison, so I told her she should do her own taxes. She grumbled and procrastinated, but did get them done online by the April 15th deadline, happily receiving a $162 refund for her trouble.
Then in November, Fred and I received a letter from the IRS stating: "We received a tax return from a taxpayer using the same Social Security number as a dependent you listed." Uh-oh. Erica had mistakenly claimed herself as an exemption, and obviously this error would cost us a lot more if we didn't claim her (which we rightfully can) than it would cost her to amend her return. So, I called the IRS and after gritting my teeth through numerous menu selections, actually got connected to a real guy named Bartholomew. Bart told me that Erica needed to file an amended 1040X to correct the situation. Ok, no problem--except she hadn't made a copy of her taxes when she filed online. Another uh-oh. She requested a tax return transcript, because an actual copy of the return costs $57!!! Amazing how her putting down a "1" instead of a "0" was becoming increasingly more complicated and expensive.
This morning I sat down with all the forms, worksheets, and instructions to straighten things out myself, just to make sure we didn't end up getting audited or something. Maybe it's just me (probably), but what would have likely taken most educated adults five minutes to correct left me, after 45 minutes, in a lather of frustration and profanity. The form referred to instructions I couldn't find, line numbers that didn't match, and this doozy: "enter method used to figure tax." Huh?! Is that like showing your work with a story problem?
After going as far as I could without smashing the calculator, I deduced that instead of a $162 refund, Erica owes $122 plus interest. Fred is going to have to look at the whole thing and may come up with something completely different. All I know is that next year when tax time rolls around, she will be married and her tax status won't be my problem. Then I can just go back to messing up our checkbook.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Trying to Be a Loser
I am pathetic at sticking to things I try to do. My formerly-daily blog has become once a week. I started cleaning the basement, but found a bunch of other things I'd rather do. I haven't exercised with Richard Simmons for 2 weeks!! I was mentally flogging myself for that this morning, and to really add to the masochism, I got on the scale. I almost fell off it when I saw that I am down 10 pounds since I was weighed before my colonoscopy on January 14th! How did that happen??!
I guess I was focusing so much on the things I haven't been doing that I didn't give myself credit for what I have done. I walk the dogs almost every day, and with the weather warming up that is much easier to get motivated for. I've been eating more fruits and vegetables and have rediscovered the goodness of an apple. (Usually I'm a banana girl.) We have a spinach salad with every dinner and have hardly gone out to eat in the past month. I've only baked something once since Katie left for Ireland, and I know that anything sweet is my Achilles heel. Maybe cheating once in awhile keeps me from completely blowing it. I'm trying to eat when I'm actually hungry instead of when I'm bored, lonesome, or craving something during PMS week. I also discovered that I can eat walnuts--which I love--and they will reduce my bad cholesterol; dark chocolate is also good for the heart and the sweet tooth.
My sisters, Mom, and I usually take our picture at every family get-together and call ourselves "The Lardettes." My sister Kelley is now doing a medically supervised diet and has lost 9 pounds since Monday! My mom is doing the Mayo Clinic Diet and is down 3 1/2 lbs. this week. My sister Tracey, like me, is trying to eat healthier and exercise more. With each other's encouragement, maybe we can take a picture at Erica's wedding in four months and change our name to the Sexy Mamas!
Last Friday I did some shopping for my trip to Ireland, and I had my usual foot-stomping, hair-tearing time in the Kohl's fitting room. But at bowling last night, my jeans kept sliding down, and I was afraid I might need to borrow Fred's suspenders! So something good is happening. I just have to stick to it.
I guess I was focusing so much on the things I haven't been doing that I didn't give myself credit for what I have done. I walk the dogs almost every day, and with the weather warming up that is much easier to get motivated for. I've been eating more fruits and vegetables and have rediscovered the goodness of an apple. (Usually I'm a banana girl.) We have a spinach salad with every dinner and have hardly gone out to eat in the past month. I've only baked something once since Katie left for Ireland, and I know that anything sweet is my Achilles heel. Maybe cheating once in awhile keeps me from completely blowing it. I'm trying to eat when I'm actually hungry instead of when I'm bored, lonesome, or craving something during PMS week. I also discovered that I can eat walnuts--which I love--and they will reduce my bad cholesterol; dark chocolate is also good for the heart and the sweet tooth.
My sisters, Mom, and I usually take our picture at every family get-together and call ourselves "The Lardettes." My sister Kelley is now doing a medically supervised diet and has lost 9 pounds since Monday! My mom is doing the Mayo Clinic Diet and is down 3 1/2 lbs. this week. My sister Tracey, like me, is trying to eat healthier and exercise more. With each other's encouragement, maybe we can take a picture at Erica's wedding in four months and change our name to the Sexy Mamas!
Last Friday I did some shopping for my trip to Ireland, and I had my usual foot-stomping, hair-tearing time in the Kohl's fitting room. But at bowling last night, my jeans kept sliding down, and I was afraid I might need to borrow Fred's suspenders! So something good is happening. I just have to stick to it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Abra-Cadaver!
Over the weekend at my mom's house for her birthday celebration, I was able to visit with Erica and my niece, Molly. Both girls are first year medical students, and they were enthusiastically sharing stories with us about their experiences with their cadavers. Yes--formerly alive, now dead people who gave their bodies for the education of future doctors and researchers. Both girls have elderly female cadavers that they share with 3-5 other students during weekly dissection and study sessions. Erica's group calls theirs "CC" and Molly's is "Pearl."
I was glad we hadn't eaten dinner yet as they discussed various things they'd already discovered in their exploration of the bodies. Sawing through the spine and getting bits of bone in the face, an abdomen filled with congealed blood, ostomy bags, probable causes of death, and "the gall bladder is really green!!" Eww!!! I could never handle what they are doing myself; doing it on a frog or fetal pig in high school biology was bad enough. However, it was obvious how much they were learning, and clear that there is a respectful, almost protective attitude toward these bodies that once were living people with families and careers, hopes and dreams.
It got me thinking about my own post-death "plans." I have always wanted to be an organ donor, though as I age, my parts may be less usable. I don't plan to have my body buried; to me, that is the creepiest thing that could be done with it. I intended to be cremated, but wasn't sure what to do with the ashes. Unlike Fred--who already has a spot at the cabin picked out for his ashes to be buried, complete with a big granite headstone--I figured I might just be split between the girls and kept in urns in their closets. But wouldn't donating my body to science be a much more productive way to use it? It won't matter one way or another to me by that point. And who knows, maybe it could be used in research that would eventually cure a disease, or give students like Erica and Molly the opportunity to learn as they become physicians. The students who inherit me might name me Lucy or Carrottop. They'll see my various scars, broken ankle, and larger-than-normal brain and speculate about how all these things came to be. I think it sounds pretty cool! What woman doesn't want to be a mystery??!
I'll have to discuss this with my family and see what they think, but I'm liking the idea better and better.
And of course, I'll have to get skinny first.
I was glad we hadn't eaten dinner yet as they discussed various things they'd already discovered in their exploration of the bodies. Sawing through the spine and getting bits of bone in the face, an abdomen filled with congealed blood, ostomy bags, probable causes of death, and "the gall bladder is really green!!" Eww!!! I could never handle what they are doing myself; doing it on a frog or fetal pig in high school biology was bad enough. However, it was obvious how much they were learning, and clear that there is a respectful, almost protective attitude toward these bodies that once were living people with families and careers, hopes and dreams.
It got me thinking about my own post-death "plans." I have always wanted to be an organ donor, though as I age, my parts may be less usable. I don't plan to have my body buried; to me, that is the creepiest thing that could be done with it. I intended to be cremated, but wasn't sure what to do with the ashes. Unlike Fred--who already has a spot at the cabin picked out for his ashes to be buried, complete with a big granite headstone--I figured I might just be split between the girls and kept in urns in their closets. But wouldn't donating my body to science be a much more productive way to use it? It won't matter one way or another to me by that point. And who knows, maybe it could be used in research that would eventually cure a disease, or give students like Erica and Molly the opportunity to learn as they become physicians. The students who inherit me might name me Lucy or Carrottop. They'll see my various scars, broken ankle, and larger-than-normal brain and speculate about how all these things came to be. I think it sounds pretty cool! What woman doesn't want to be a mystery??!
I'll have to discuss this with my family and see what they think, but I'm liking the idea better and better.
And of course, I'll have to get skinny first.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Trash and Treasures
When our kids go off to college, we cry, we breathe a sigh of relief--and then we realize that 18 years' worth of their accumulated stuff is still in our house. (I know I left my belongings with my parents back in 1977 and never saw my Glen Campbell albums again.)
The "left-as-they-were" bedrooms weren't really a problem for me until we moved from Elk Mound and I had to pack up the lifetime "valuables" of two teenage girls. Sure, some things were obviously junk, but how was I to know which bauble or letter held sentimental value for them? So, I pretty much boxed it all up and hauled it to Rhinelander.
Yesterday I decided to start going through all their belongings that are currently taking up space in the guest bedroom, the walk-in closet that you can't walk into, and the garage. With Katie in Ireland, everything she owns except for a large suitcase-full is here. Erica hasn't lived at home, even during school breaks, for at least four years--and in four months will be getting married. Isn't it time that her sock monkey and the remnants of her "blankie" move in with her?!
I started with her dresser. The top drawer was crammed with 37 pairs of Victoria's Secret undies (a phase she went through in high school) and an equal number of socks with no mates. I also found a piece of lined paper from grade school dated Nov. 30th, 1993 when she was seven. It said "What I did over Thanksgiving vacation. I played with my cousin Molly. I helped bake dinner. I painted and went sleding."
The next drawer held more than a dozen T-shirts in various stages of ragginess, many from Elk Mound sports, homecomings, and music groups she belonged to, along with a copy of Webster's Pocket Medical and First Aid Dictionary. I continued from drawer to drawer, sometimes smiling, sometimes scratching my head, at the things I found. An oboe reed (she played the oboe for one semester, back in 6th grade I think) an asthma inhaler; a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses. The "diaper" --underwear with hip-pads--that she wore when she played volleyball. A door hanger that says "The World's Greatest Kid." More than a dozen unopened bank statements. A notebook from a marriage/family class her senior year in high school with a list of songs among her notes: "Download 'Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner.'"
I ended up with a big bag of stuff that I'll be taking along when I see her at my mom's this weekend. She can sort through it, keep what she wants, and get rid of the rest. The boxes in the closet and garage will be next, just to give her fair warning. And who knows--maybe someday an original high school painting from the future Dr. Erica Andrist will be worth something!!
I'll cut Katie a little more slack since she is three years behind Erica and we've been storing her possessions for less time. In the meantime, I'll keep sorting through their stuff--and simultaneously, the memories of their childhoods.
The "left-as-they-were" bedrooms weren't really a problem for me until we moved from Elk Mound and I had to pack up the lifetime "valuables" of two teenage girls. Sure, some things were obviously junk, but how was I to know which bauble or letter held sentimental value for them? So, I pretty much boxed it all up and hauled it to Rhinelander.
Yesterday I decided to start going through all their belongings that are currently taking up space in the guest bedroom, the walk-in closet that you can't walk into, and the garage. With Katie in Ireland, everything she owns except for a large suitcase-full is here. Erica hasn't lived at home, even during school breaks, for at least four years--and in four months will be getting married. Isn't it time that her sock monkey and the remnants of her "blankie" move in with her?!
I started with her dresser. The top drawer was crammed with 37 pairs of Victoria's Secret undies (a phase she went through in high school) and an equal number of socks with no mates. I also found a piece of lined paper from grade school dated Nov. 30th, 1993 when she was seven. It said "What I did over Thanksgiving vacation. I played with my cousin Molly. I helped bake dinner. I painted and went sleding."
The next drawer held more than a dozen T-shirts in various stages of ragginess, many from Elk Mound sports, homecomings, and music groups she belonged to, along with a copy of Webster's Pocket Medical and First Aid Dictionary. I continued from drawer to drawer, sometimes smiling, sometimes scratching my head, at the things I found. An oboe reed (she played the oboe for one semester, back in 6th grade I think) an asthma inhaler; a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses. The "diaper" --underwear with hip-pads--that she wore when she played volleyball. A door hanger that says "The World's Greatest Kid." More than a dozen unopened bank statements. A notebook from a marriage/family class her senior year in high school with a list of songs among her notes: "Download 'Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner.'"
I ended up with a big bag of stuff that I'll be taking along when I see her at my mom's this weekend. She can sort through it, keep what she wants, and get rid of the rest. The boxes in the closet and garage will be next, just to give her fair warning. And who knows--maybe someday an original high school painting from the future Dr. Erica Andrist will be worth something!!
I'll cut Katie a little more slack since she is three years behind Erica and we've been storing her possessions for less time. In the meantime, I'll keep sorting through their stuff--and simultaneously, the memories of their childhoods.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
A Year of Living the Life List, Part 2
I know, I said I would continue this last Friday--unfortunately, "Stop procrastinating" isn't on my life list! Here goes the second half of my to-dos.
56. Communicate better. Working on it...
57. Get a massage. Anybody know a guy named Sven?
58. See the Eagles in concert.
59. Wear a wig of a different color/style for a week. I don't know what inspired me to put this on here, but I doubt I will ever do it.
60. Take more classes. I haven't found any more I want to take yet.
61. Donate blood.
62. Eat sushi. Eww.
63. Try every drink on a restaurant menu. (not all at once!) Unbelievably, this isn't the first one I achieved! I'll have to try harder.
64. Visit the Peshtigo Fire Museum. We did this the day after my birthday. Very solemn experience.
65. Get all 11 grandkids/5 daughters together again. Erica's wedding???
66. Give more meaningful gifts to people. I try--don't know how I'm doing!
67. Save more money. Maybe after Ireland, the wedding, selling the house....
68. Return e-mails in a more timely manner. Doing better on this.
69. Send 50th birthday cards to as many classmates as possible. DONE. Now we're all going on 51!
70. Get a passport. Did it! Very scary photo!
71. Enter a contest. Miss America was last Saturday night--I missed it!
72. Be in the audience on a TV show. I wouldn't mind meeting Drew Carey on The Price is
Right!
73. Start riding a bike again. I rode Katie's down to the mailbox one day and it was hard! I think I need a bike of my own.
74. Visit an Amish community. Still to do--though I do drive through one every time I'm on Highway 29.
75. Drive a convertible.
76. Get a crossword puzzle book and finish them all. Maybe using my brain in this way will make me less forgetful!
77. Take Fred on a mystery weekend. Technically I haven't done this, though it's always a mystery every weekend what kind of mood I'll be in!
78. Go to Washington, D.C. I'd like to see the monuments, not the politics.
79. Send a card or letter to someone every day. I haven't achieved "daily" status yet, but it's close!
80. Go to Ground Zero. The last time I was in New York was only 8 months after 9/11. We drove past the site, but didn't stop there.
81. Visit the cemeteries where relatives are buried.
82. Walk the dogs 5 times a week. YES! Though yesterday I fell down--maybe I'd be healthier if I didn't!
83. Tear something out of a waiting room magazine. Too chicken.
84. Eat a grape in the produce section. Guilty.
85. Take a CPR refresher course.
86. Drink a shot of Jack Daniels. Done. More than once.
87. Get better at golf. Not gonna happen.
88. Ride the Pacific Coast Highway on the Harley. Still looking forward to this, especially after being in San Diego.
89. Find someone who will dogsit. Anybody out there??
90. Sell something on E-bay. The girls have left a lot of stuff here...
91. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. I do this unles it's more than 4 floors.
92. Go to an auction. Without a paddle, of course!
93. Explore antique stores. I've explored--and purchased!
94. Take more pictures. One thing at which I've been highly successful!
95. Visit a winery. I went to the Cedar Creek Winery in Cedarburg, and I will continue this as often as possible!
96. Send someone flowers for no reason. Who knows, it might be you!
97. Get a new bread machine. Fred has been bugging me to do this. Just what we both need--more bread.
98. Be more optimistic. Right now my OJ glass is empty, but I'm imagining it half full...
99. Wear a low-cut dress. Umm...maybe Erica's wedding?!! :)
100. Have a date with Fred once a week. We're usually lucky if we even eat dinner together once a week, but we did spend the whole past weekend together.
101. Survive menopause without committing a felony. Fred is still alive.
102. Take Babe out for dinner. Babe is a retired teacher we worked with in Rib Lake. Fred visited her a few months ago, but no dinner yet.
103. Worry less. I really am trying. I want my hair to stay red as long as possible.
104. Slow down. I always seem to be in a hurry...
105. Do something cool for my 50th/our 25th anniversary. Well, Fred threw me a surprise party for my birthday. I told him my trip to Ireland can be for our anniversary--he just won't be along. :p
106. Hold a chickadee in my hand. I've come close, but not yet!
107. Enjoy talking on the phone more. I do!
108. Call friends and family more often instead of writing/e-mailing. I need to do this more.
109. Remember to use my canvas bags every time I shop. I am MUCH better at this!
110. Be more spontaneous. Ok, I think I'll go out and make some naked snow angels now.
Happy 70th birthday to my mother!!! I love you!!
56. Communicate better. Working on it...
57. Get a massage. Anybody know a guy named Sven?
58. See the Eagles in concert.
59. Wear a wig of a different color/style for a week. I don't know what inspired me to put this on here, but I doubt I will ever do it.
60. Take more classes. I haven't found any more I want to take yet.
61. Donate blood.
62. Eat sushi. Eww.
63. Try every drink on a restaurant menu. (not all at once!) Unbelievably, this isn't the first one I achieved! I'll have to try harder.
64. Visit the Peshtigo Fire Museum. We did this the day after my birthday. Very solemn experience.
65. Get all 11 grandkids/5 daughters together again. Erica's wedding???
66. Give more meaningful gifts to people. I try--don't know how I'm doing!
67. Save more money. Maybe after Ireland, the wedding, selling the house....
68. Return e-mails in a more timely manner. Doing better on this.
69. Send 50th birthday cards to as many classmates as possible. DONE. Now we're all going on 51!
70. Get a passport. Did it! Very scary photo!
71. Enter a contest. Miss America was last Saturday night--I missed it!
72. Be in the audience on a TV show. I wouldn't mind meeting Drew Carey on The Price is
Right!
73. Start riding a bike again. I rode Katie's down to the mailbox one day and it was hard! I think I need a bike of my own.
74. Visit an Amish community. Still to do--though I do drive through one every time I'm on Highway 29.
75. Drive a convertible.
76. Get a crossword puzzle book and finish them all. Maybe using my brain in this way will make me less forgetful!
77. Take Fred on a mystery weekend. Technically I haven't done this, though it's always a mystery every weekend what kind of mood I'll be in!
78. Go to Washington, D.C. I'd like to see the monuments, not the politics.
79. Send a card or letter to someone every day. I haven't achieved "daily" status yet, but it's close!
80. Go to Ground Zero. The last time I was in New York was only 8 months after 9/11. We drove past the site, but didn't stop there.
81. Visit the cemeteries where relatives are buried.
82. Walk the dogs 5 times a week. YES! Though yesterday I fell down--maybe I'd be healthier if I didn't!
83. Tear something out of a waiting room magazine. Too chicken.
84. Eat a grape in the produce section. Guilty.
85. Take a CPR refresher course.
86. Drink a shot of Jack Daniels. Done. More than once.
87. Get better at golf. Not gonna happen.
88. Ride the Pacific Coast Highway on the Harley. Still looking forward to this, especially after being in San Diego.
89. Find someone who will dogsit. Anybody out there??
90. Sell something on E-bay. The girls have left a lot of stuff here...
91. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. I do this unles it's more than 4 floors.
92. Go to an auction. Without a paddle, of course!
93. Explore antique stores. I've explored--and purchased!
94. Take more pictures. One thing at which I've been highly successful!
95. Visit a winery. I went to the Cedar Creek Winery in Cedarburg, and I will continue this as often as possible!
96. Send someone flowers for no reason. Who knows, it might be you!
97. Get a new bread machine. Fred has been bugging me to do this. Just what we both need--more bread.
98. Be more optimistic. Right now my OJ glass is empty, but I'm imagining it half full...
99. Wear a low-cut dress. Umm...maybe Erica's wedding?!! :)
100. Have a date with Fred once a week. We're usually lucky if we even eat dinner together once a week, but we did spend the whole past weekend together.
101. Survive menopause without committing a felony. Fred is still alive.
102. Take Babe out for dinner. Babe is a retired teacher we worked with in Rib Lake. Fred visited her a few months ago, but no dinner yet.
103. Worry less. I really am trying. I want my hair to stay red as long as possible.
104. Slow down. I always seem to be in a hurry...
105. Do something cool for my 50th/our 25th anniversary. Well, Fred threw me a surprise party for my birthday. I told him my trip to Ireland can be for our anniversary--he just won't be along. :p
106. Hold a chickadee in my hand. I've come close, but not yet!
107. Enjoy talking on the phone more. I do!
108. Call friends and family more often instead of writing/e-mailing. I need to do this more.
109. Remember to use my canvas bags every time I shop. I am MUCH better at this!
110. Be more spontaneous. Ok, I think I'll go out and make some naked snow angels now.
Happy 70th birthday to my mother!!! I love you!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
A Year of Living the Life List, Part 1
At the end of last January, I took a two-session class in making a "Life List"--things I wanted to do, see, accomplish in my life. I thought that now would be a good time to reevaluate the list to see what I managed to do in 2009, and also add anything new. I'll cover half today and half tomorrow so as not to bore you completely.
1. Read 75 books in 2009. I only read 24. Hey! I had 109 other things on my list to do!!
2. Sell some more greeting card ideas. Nope, I didn't do this yet. I did spend enough money for three people at Hallmark stores, though.
3. Make money doing something I like. Still figuring out what that is.
4. Take a week-long Harley trip. We are planning to go to North Carolina this summer.
5. Visit friends/family I haven't seen in a long time. I got together with my college roommate Amy twice, saw Mary before she moved to China, and we'll see the North Carolina daughter and grandkids this summer.
6. Take my mother on a trip. She has to tell me where she wants to go!
7. Write letters to the troops every week. I haven't done it weekly, but still managed quite a few throughout the year.
8. Meet new friends in Rhinelander. I got to know my bowling team better, and also Cindy, my walking and coffee-drinking partner.
9. Bowl a 200+ game. This is still eluding me--181 has been my high.
10. Sell the Elk Mound house. Sigh. Many lookers, a few crummy offers, but still no sale.
11. Go to a Packer game. Maybe I'll wait till they retire Favre's jersey and take some rotten eggs and tomatoes.
12. Get new curtains. I keep procrastinating on this.
13. Try new recipes. I've done too much of this, which has caused failure of a couple other goals
below.
14. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen. After watching "Citizen Kane" and "Rear Window", I was bored and in no mood to see any more oldies.
15. Get headstones for Beatle and Kimo. Done.
16. Join a community organization. Still looking.
17. Eat 5 fruits/vegetables a day. I'm at more like 3 a day--must do better.
18. Go fishing. I only did this once so far and didn't catch anything.
19. Learn to use my digital camera. I took a class for this and feel totally comfortable with it now. Next I need a better camera!
20. Learn more about using the internet. I'm on Facebook, does that count?!
21. Go to a play or musical. I've been to a musical, a play, and a concert at Nicolet College--all excellent.
22. Start keeping a journal again. I did try this, but couldn't get into it. I may give it another shot since I can't seem to remember anything these days.
23. Get in decent enough shape to do a 5K. I talked about this, wrote about it, and then didn't do it. Maybe this year.
24. Listen to more music. The radio is still my main source--while my CDs gather dust.
25. Go with Fred on more out-of-town work trips. This hasn't happened--I need a dogsitter.
26. Get to know our neighbors. We had dinner and watched a football game with one couple and plan to have them here soon.
27. Drink more water. It would be easier if the Pepsi Co. would stop making Diet Mountain Dew.
28. Eat fewer sweets. FAIL.
29. Visit all 50 states. Last year I added California to those I've been in, so my list includes CA, WI, IA, IL, MN, MI, IN, PA, NJ, OH, KY, TN, NY, NC, WV, VA, and HI. I have a ways to go!
30. Grow sunflowers. I had the seeds but forgot to plant them.
31. Get more birdfeeders. I got one from my mom for Christmas. The squirrels are enjoying it.
32. Do some genealogy research. I should really find a class to take for this.
33. Lower my cholesterol. See blog for Jan. 25th. I'm working on it!
34. Get an exercise tape and use it. Richard and I are getting sweaty together.
35. Pay for someone's meal anonymously. If I ever see someone in uniform in a restaurant, this will happen.
36. Watch a thunderstorm. We didn't really have any big ones last summer.
37. Visit veterans in the hospital. I didn't do this, but I did send 100 valentines to the Wisconsin V.A. hospitals last year.
38. See the fall colors in New England. Maybe a trip to Maine to visit my nephew Michael and his wife Anne.
39. Beat Fred in more gin games than I lose. Fred gave Katie the $50 that was in his gin jar before she left for Ireland. That was all money I had lost to him playing gin in 2009. We just got a new dining room table, and since then I have won over $10!!! The table obviously doesn't like him.
40. Get some plants and not kill them. I'm keeping two geraniums alive through the winter--so far.
41. Crash a wedding. I think I'll be invited to Erica's.
42. Go back to the Outer Banks. Someday...
43. Yell in the mountains and hear the echo.
44. Ride in the next Harley-Davidson anniversary parade. Have to wait till 2013.
45. See the midnight sun. Maybe Sarah Palin will have me over.
46. Take a cruise. I'd rather go to Ireland.
47. See another show on Broadway. The State Theater is on Broadway in Menomonie...
48. Go to State Street in Madison for Halloween. Who wants to do this with me??
49. Help repeal the Wisconsin marriage amendment. More people need to be educated about fairness.
50. Serve meals to the homeless on a holiday. Our friends Paul and Lauri did this on Thanksgiving--good for them!
51. Write letters to my Congressmen. I have sent e-mails in the past, but not in the last year.
52. Revise my will. You'd better be good, girls!
53. Learn to drive a standard transmission. I don't know who would teach me this--Fred tried before we got married, and I almost called off the wedding.
54. Volunteer at a nursing home. Another thing to look into...
55. Spend at least 20 days/nights at the cabin in '09. I spent 17 nights there--will try to do better this year. We are going over this weekend!
To be continued....
1. Read 75 books in 2009. I only read 24. Hey! I had 109 other things on my list to do!!
2. Sell some more greeting card ideas. Nope, I didn't do this yet. I did spend enough money for three people at Hallmark stores, though.
3. Make money doing something I like. Still figuring out what that is.
4. Take a week-long Harley trip. We are planning to go to North Carolina this summer.
5. Visit friends/family I haven't seen in a long time. I got together with my college roommate Amy twice, saw Mary before she moved to China, and we'll see the North Carolina daughter and grandkids this summer.
6. Take my mother on a trip. She has to tell me where she wants to go!
7. Write letters to the troops every week. I haven't done it weekly, but still managed quite a few throughout the year.
8. Meet new friends in Rhinelander. I got to know my bowling team better, and also Cindy, my walking and coffee-drinking partner.
9. Bowl a 200+ game. This is still eluding me--181 has been my high.
10. Sell the Elk Mound house. Sigh. Many lookers, a few crummy offers, but still no sale.
11. Go to a Packer game. Maybe I'll wait till they retire Favre's jersey and take some rotten eggs and tomatoes.
12. Get new curtains. I keep procrastinating on this.
13. Try new recipes. I've done too much of this, which has caused failure of a couple other goals
below.
14. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen. After watching "Citizen Kane" and "Rear Window", I was bored and in no mood to see any more oldies.
15. Get headstones for Beatle and Kimo. Done.
16. Join a community organization. Still looking.
17. Eat 5 fruits/vegetables a day. I'm at more like 3 a day--must do better.
18. Go fishing. I only did this once so far and didn't catch anything.
19. Learn to use my digital camera. I took a class for this and feel totally comfortable with it now. Next I need a better camera!
20. Learn more about using the internet. I'm on Facebook, does that count?!
21. Go to a play or musical. I've been to a musical, a play, and a concert at Nicolet College--all excellent.
22. Start keeping a journal again. I did try this, but couldn't get into it. I may give it another shot since I can't seem to remember anything these days.
23. Get in decent enough shape to do a 5K. I talked about this, wrote about it, and then didn't do it. Maybe this year.
24. Listen to more music. The radio is still my main source--while my CDs gather dust.
25. Go with Fred on more out-of-town work trips. This hasn't happened--I need a dogsitter.
26. Get to know our neighbors. We had dinner and watched a football game with one couple and plan to have them here soon.
27. Drink more water. It would be easier if the Pepsi Co. would stop making Diet Mountain Dew.
28. Eat fewer sweets. FAIL.
29. Visit all 50 states. Last year I added California to those I've been in, so my list includes CA, WI, IA, IL, MN, MI, IN, PA, NJ, OH, KY, TN, NY, NC, WV, VA, and HI. I have a ways to go!
30. Grow sunflowers. I had the seeds but forgot to plant them.
31. Get more birdfeeders. I got one from my mom for Christmas. The squirrels are enjoying it.
32. Do some genealogy research. I should really find a class to take for this.
33. Lower my cholesterol. See blog for Jan. 25th. I'm working on it!
34. Get an exercise tape and use it. Richard and I are getting sweaty together.
35. Pay for someone's meal anonymously. If I ever see someone in uniform in a restaurant, this will happen.
36. Watch a thunderstorm. We didn't really have any big ones last summer.
37. Visit veterans in the hospital. I didn't do this, but I did send 100 valentines to the Wisconsin V.A. hospitals last year.
38. See the fall colors in New England. Maybe a trip to Maine to visit my nephew Michael and his wife Anne.
39. Beat Fred in more gin games than I lose. Fred gave Katie the $50 that was in his gin jar before she left for Ireland. That was all money I had lost to him playing gin in 2009. We just got a new dining room table, and since then I have won over $10!!! The table obviously doesn't like him.
40. Get some plants and not kill them. I'm keeping two geraniums alive through the winter--so far.
41. Crash a wedding. I think I'll be invited to Erica's.
42. Go back to the Outer Banks. Someday...
43. Yell in the mountains and hear the echo.
44. Ride in the next Harley-Davidson anniversary parade. Have to wait till 2013.
45. See the midnight sun. Maybe Sarah Palin will have me over.
46. Take a cruise. I'd rather go to Ireland.
47. See another show on Broadway. The State Theater is on Broadway in Menomonie...
48. Go to State Street in Madison for Halloween. Who wants to do this with me??
49. Help repeal the Wisconsin marriage amendment. More people need to be educated about fairness.
50. Serve meals to the homeless on a holiday. Our friends Paul and Lauri did this on Thanksgiving--good for them!
51. Write letters to my Congressmen. I have sent e-mails in the past, but not in the last year.
52. Revise my will. You'd better be good, girls!
53. Learn to drive a standard transmission. I don't know who would teach me this--Fred tried before we got married, and I almost called off the wedding.
54. Volunteer at a nursing home. Another thing to look into...
55. Spend at least 20 days/nights at the cabin in '09. I spent 17 nights there--will try to do better this year. We are going over this weekend!
To be continued....
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Art(ery) of Healthy Eating
Sorry if I'm boring you with several recent blogs about health, but once you reach 50 it sort of becomes more important to you. I realized that my mind and spirit are still young, but the old carcass could have me knocking on heaven's door sooner than I want if I don't take better care of it. In the past year I have set my sights on fitting into a stylish dress for Erica's wedding and adding some Victoria's Secret thongs to my underwear drawer. (Haha, just kidding) But now I realize it's time to get serious for better reasons than those.
I inherited my dad's curly hair, his sense of humor, and also, apparently, his genes for high cholesterol. When he died in 1986 he was on blood pressure medication, but cholesterol hadn't yet become the focus of heart health like it has today. The doctors told us that his arteries were so clogged that even with bypass surgery, he would probably have only lived six more months. In 2008 at my annual check-up, my cholesterol was 234. The doctor said we'd give it a year of trying diet and exercise, then check it again. Uh-huh. She obviously gave me more credit than I deserved. At my annual check-up in December, I had lost two whopping pounds, but my blood pressure was borderline high for the first time in my life. I had blood drawn last week, and she called me Saturday to say my cholesterol was at 270 and she wants to start me on medication right away.
Wow. That was the shock I needed to really give this some thought. I know millions of people take something for cholesterol, but it's scary to know that it's programmed into your genetic code. Thin people, others who exercise all the time, people who never touch a piece of cake or a Friday night Wisconsin fish fry--they can all keel over from arteries that are blocked by plaque just because the tendency has been passed down through their families. So if people who are consciously trying to overcome the cholesterol curse still die young, where does that leave me?!
Here's my public proclamation: I'm going to continue walking the dogs 5-6 times a week; I'll "do Richard" at least 3 times/week; no more baking goodies whenever the urge strikes; lots of fruits, vegetables...and isn't red wine in mass quantities allowed, too??!
I'll report back in three months when my numbers get checked again and let you know how I'm doing with the medication. And in the meantime, if you suspect you might have heart attack potential yourself--find out and do something!! The good may die young, but I don't want to be one of them.
I inherited my dad's curly hair, his sense of humor, and also, apparently, his genes for high cholesterol. When he died in 1986 he was on blood pressure medication, but cholesterol hadn't yet become the focus of heart health like it has today. The doctors told us that his arteries were so clogged that even with bypass surgery, he would probably have only lived six more months. In 2008 at my annual check-up, my cholesterol was 234. The doctor said we'd give it a year of trying diet and exercise, then check it again. Uh-huh. She obviously gave me more credit than I deserved. At my annual check-up in December, I had lost two whopping pounds, but my blood pressure was borderline high for the first time in my life. I had blood drawn last week, and she called me Saturday to say my cholesterol was at 270 and she wants to start me on medication right away.
Wow. That was the shock I needed to really give this some thought. I know millions of people take something for cholesterol, but it's scary to know that it's programmed into your genetic code. Thin people, others who exercise all the time, people who never touch a piece of cake or a Friday night Wisconsin fish fry--they can all keel over from arteries that are blocked by plaque just because the tendency has been passed down through their families. So if people who are consciously trying to overcome the cholesterol curse still die young, where does that leave me?!
Here's my public proclamation: I'm going to continue walking the dogs 5-6 times a week; I'll "do Richard" at least 3 times/week; no more baking goodies whenever the urge strikes; lots of fruits, vegetables...and isn't red wine in mass quantities allowed, too??!
I'll report back in three months when my numbers get checked again and let you know how I'm doing with the medication. And in the meantime, if you suspect you might have heart attack potential yourself--find out and do something!! The good may die young, but I don't want to be one of them.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Fly Away, Little Bird
This morning I saw Katie off on the first leg of her journey to Ireland. As I write this, she is winging her way to Newark, NJ where she will have a five-hour layover before taking off for Shannon and then Limerick.
We have known she was going to study abroad for 9 months now, so there has been a lot of time to get used to the idea. However, it didn't start seeming real until the past few days--days that were stressful, "crisis"-filled, and loaded with last-minute travel advice for Katie from the parental units. She did more than her share of eye-rolling, I'm sure.
We happened to see the movie "Taken" on HBO, which was a second viewing for all 3 of us. It stars Liam Neeson as a CIA agent whose daughter talks her parents into letting her take a trip to Paris with her best friend--when she's really planning to follow the band U2 around Europe on their concert tour. She ends up being kidnapped, drugged, and sold into the sex trade. Neeson, of course, heads to France and does some major butt-kicking until finally rescuing her before anything really bad happens. At the end, Fred and I looked pointedly at Katie, hoping she'd absorbed the life lessons in the film: don't lie to your parents, don't trust strangers, use good judgment. She looked back at us and said, "If that happens to me, I'm screwed."
Fred left early Thursday morning for Florida, so he said his goodbyes Wednesday night, again giving her a list of dos and don'ts as she sighed heavily and nodded. That night the WORST (to her) happened: her laptop came down with a bad virus. "What are we going to do?" she wailed. "I leave on Monday!!" Trying my best to be the voice of reason, I told her we'd get it fixed on Friday, and if worse came to worst she could take my computer with her; getting so bent out of shape over problems that are "fixable" isn't the best reaction. She should save her meltdowns for bigger things. (Like losing her passport!)
On Friday we took the computer in and had several hours of shopping and errands to run. The pharmacy gave us trouble over dispensing multiple months' worth of medications, even though the insurance company okayed it, so we had another hassle to deal with. Katie was getting fed up with my shopping suggestions, and I was getting fed up with her attitude. Both of us were grappling with the suddenly imminent idea that we wouldn't see each other for 4 months and would be 4000 miles apart.
The computer got fixed. The pharmacist reversed course and gave us all the prescriptions she needed. We had a nice dinner together after getting through a difficult day.
Last night after we got into our beds at our friends Paul and Lauri's in Eau Claire, I gave in to the emotion and the tears came. It didn't take much and Katie was crying, too. With that out of our systems, I figured we'd be good to go this morning at the shuttle. As I hugged her one last time, the driver asked, "So where are you going, young lady?" "Ireland," she croaked out as she struggled not to cry. And then she was off to begin her adventure.
We raise our kids with the intention of them becoming independent and leaving the nest, but that doesn't make it easier when it actually happens. However, I will be visiting Katie in Limerick, probably around her 21st birthday in April. (Flights for St. Patrick's Day are already booked!) And I'm sure she will be happy to know that I'll have 3 months' worth of motherly wisdom stored up for her when I get there.
Have a wonderful time, sweetie! We love you!!
We have known she was going to study abroad for 9 months now, so there has been a lot of time to get used to the idea. However, it didn't start seeming real until the past few days--days that were stressful, "crisis"-filled, and loaded with last-minute travel advice for Katie from the parental units. She did more than her share of eye-rolling, I'm sure.
We happened to see the movie "Taken" on HBO, which was a second viewing for all 3 of us. It stars Liam Neeson as a CIA agent whose daughter talks her parents into letting her take a trip to Paris with her best friend--when she's really planning to follow the band U2 around Europe on their concert tour. She ends up being kidnapped, drugged, and sold into the sex trade. Neeson, of course, heads to France and does some major butt-kicking until finally rescuing her before anything really bad happens. At the end, Fred and I looked pointedly at Katie, hoping she'd absorbed the life lessons in the film: don't lie to your parents, don't trust strangers, use good judgment. She looked back at us and said, "If that happens to me, I'm screwed."
Fred left early Thursday morning for Florida, so he said his goodbyes Wednesday night, again giving her a list of dos and don'ts as she sighed heavily and nodded. That night the WORST (to her) happened: her laptop came down with a bad virus. "What are we going to do?" she wailed. "I leave on Monday!!" Trying my best to be the voice of reason, I told her we'd get it fixed on Friday, and if worse came to worst she could take my computer with her; getting so bent out of shape over problems that are "fixable" isn't the best reaction. She should save her meltdowns for bigger things. (Like losing her passport!)
On Friday we took the computer in and had several hours of shopping and errands to run. The pharmacy gave us trouble over dispensing multiple months' worth of medications, even though the insurance company okayed it, so we had another hassle to deal with. Katie was getting fed up with my shopping suggestions, and I was getting fed up with her attitude. Both of us were grappling with the suddenly imminent idea that we wouldn't see each other for 4 months and would be 4000 miles apart.
The computer got fixed. The pharmacist reversed course and gave us all the prescriptions she needed. We had a nice dinner together after getting through a difficult day.
Last night after we got into our beds at our friends Paul and Lauri's in Eau Claire, I gave in to the emotion and the tears came. It didn't take much and Katie was crying, too. With that out of our systems, I figured we'd be good to go this morning at the shuttle. As I hugged her one last time, the driver asked, "So where are you going, young lady?" "Ireland," she croaked out as she struggled not to cry. And then she was off to begin her adventure.
We raise our kids with the intention of them becoming independent and leaving the nest, but that doesn't make it easier when it actually happens. However, I will be visiting Katie in Limerick, probably around her 21st birthday in April. (Flights for St. Patrick's Day are already booked!) And I'm sure she will be happy to know that I'll have 3 months' worth of motherly wisdom stored up for her when I get there.
Have a wonderful time, sweetie! We love you!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Colonoscopy, the Final Chapter
I'm now a certified member of the Colonoscopy Club, and I can't believe what a breeze it was! Getting up early to be there by 6:45 this morning was the hardest part. Upon arrival at the hospital, I was taken to a room to change and have an IV started. Then I met the multiple people involved in the procedure: a nurse, the anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, somebody controlling an instrument panel, and the doctor. By 8:00 I was in the surgical suite being told to roll on my side and bend my knees. Seconds later I was skiing through my colon, what looked like a big pink tunnel with wind noises swooshing around me. As I slalomed happily along, I became aware of someone calling my name. I opened my eyes and found myself back in the room where I'd started. Wow, what a dream! I felt normal except for a little grogginess, and was thrilled when they brought me a blueberry muffin and some orange juice. Katie brought me home and I had some pancakes; now it's time for a nap.
Anybody out there who is due for a colonoscopy, GET ONE!! It's so easy a cave man could do it!
Anybody out there who is due for a colonoscopy, GET ONE!! It's so easy a cave man could do it!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Colonoscopy, Number Two
I just read Dave Barry's 2008 column about his first colonoscopy. I had read it before, but today it is more timely for me. I figured that laughing out loud about it would be better than dreading it. Today is "prep day." I already screwed up the process by forgetting to drink 8 oz. of water at 9 and 10 AM--I was out walking the dogs then. At 11:00 I mixed up a tasty 8 oz. glass of "LO-SO Prep." It's a supposedly low sodium combination of magnesium carbonate, citric acid, and potassium citrate. After it stopped fizzing, it looked like a glass of milk. That's not what it tasted like though. Actually, it was the smell that gagged me--like salt mixed with something burning. I tried holding my nose to drink it, but discovered then I couldn't breathe. So I took a deep breath and chugged it down, Katie watching and encouraging "Go, Mom!" I burped a couple times and prayed I wouldn't throw it all up. A few deep breaths later, it seemed to be settling ok--and here I am. It's supposed to produce results in 30 minutes to 6 hours. I can have all the clear liquids, jello, and broth that I want today. At 1:00 I have to take 4 horse-size pills, and early tomorrow morning use a torpedo-shaped suppository. Katie didn't know what that was, so I explained and said "I hope you can get it in there far enough." The horrified look on her face was priceless.
If you are hesitant about having a colonoscopy, just suck it up and get past the embarrassment. Everybody has a colon, and doctors get paid big bucks to do these distasteful things! And lucky me will get $50 from our insurance company to have it done--money I can use for my soldiers. So read Dave Barry's column; I posted it on Facebook, or just Google "Dave Barry colonoscopy" and it will take you right to it at the Miami Herald. No one should die of a preventable cancer because the screening process for it is disgusting. There are a lot worse--oops, gotta go!
If you are hesitant about having a colonoscopy, just suck it up and get past the embarrassment. Everybody has a colon, and doctors get paid big bucks to do these distasteful things! And lucky me will get $50 from our insurance company to have it done--money I can use for my soldiers. So read Dave Barry's column; I posted it on Facebook, or just Google "Dave Barry colonoscopy" and it will take you right to it at the Miami Herald. No one should die of a preventable cancer because the screening process for it is disgusting. There are a lot worse--oops, gotta go!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Father of Kingsport soldier killed in Afghanistan: 'There's no better way of dying than dying for your country, for your people' - Kingsport Times-News Online
Below is a link to an article about the death of SFC Jason Hickman from his hometown newspaper in Tennessee. I still don't have information about the funeral or a memorial, but will update when I do.
Father of Kingsport soldier killed in Afghanistan: 'There's no better way of dying than dying for your country, for your people' - Kingsport Times-News Online
Posted using ShareThis
Father of Kingsport soldier killed in Afghanistan: 'There's no better way of dying than dying for your country, for your people' - Kingsport Times-News Online
Posted using ShareThis
Monday, January 11, 2010
Honoring a Lost Hero
Today I learned that one of my soldier contacts in Afghanistan was killed by an IED last Thursday. I am in shock from this news. He is the first person I've lost in five and a half years of sending packages to the troops, and I always wondered how I would react. I feel like I've lost someone dear to me, even though we had never met.
Jay was a Sergeant First Class in the Army, married with 3 little boys ages 6, 5, and 2. He was born in Alaska, raised in Kingsport, TN, and currently living/stationed back in Alaska before deploying to Khost, Afghanistan--right on the Pakistan border, one of the worst places in the country. He was a combat engineer, a member of a "Sapper" group whose job was to clear roads of IEDs, build towers and bridges, and "destroy anything in our way," he wrote in one e-mail. He was also a paratrooper. He wrote, "Being paratroopers, we have to rely on each other a lot and be ready to parachute into any hostile area in the world and kick butt."
The packages and letters he and his guys received from home meant so much to him. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and may God bless everyone a thousand times over. We are truly grateful for everything you have done for us. It is really hard to imagine what it is like here for us, and when we receive care packages from people such as yourselves, it means the world to us." He showed what he was made of when he later said, "My dad was a Vietnam veteran, and the things he told me about his return trip home almost kept me from joining the military. But I wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve my country, and be part of something bigger than myself."
The last package I sent to Jay was before Christmas. He was home on leave in early December, and I'm not sure how long he was back in Afghanistan before he died. Last summer he e-mailed: "I can't wait to get back to Alaska to take my boys camping and fishing. I plan on taking them to Disneyland next spring." He would have been home for good in March.
If I find out more information about a memorial for him and his family, I will post it here. The main message I want to convey besides honoring this brave young man is that we ALL can make our troops' time away from their homes and families more bearable by showing them that they aren't forgotten and that we care. E-mail me if you want to know how you can get started. The one thing consoling me right now is that Jay knew there was a family in Wisconsin who appreciated his service and cared for him until the end. I hope it helped.
Jay was a Sergeant First Class in the Army, married with 3 little boys ages 6, 5, and 2. He was born in Alaska, raised in Kingsport, TN, and currently living/stationed back in Alaska before deploying to Khost, Afghanistan--right on the Pakistan border, one of the worst places in the country. He was a combat engineer, a member of a "Sapper" group whose job was to clear roads of IEDs, build towers and bridges, and "destroy anything in our way," he wrote in one e-mail. He was also a paratrooper. He wrote, "Being paratroopers, we have to rely on each other a lot and be ready to parachute into any hostile area in the world and kick butt."
The packages and letters he and his guys received from home meant so much to him. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and may God bless everyone a thousand times over. We are truly grateful for everything you have done for us. It is really hard to imagine what it is like here for us, and when we receive care packages from people such as yourselves, it means the world to us." He showed what he was made of when he later said, "My dad was a Vietnam veteran, and the things he told me about his return trip home almost kept me from joining the military. But I wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve my country, and be part of something bigger than myself."
The last package I sent to Jay was before Christmas. He was home on leave in early December, and I'm not sure how long he was back in Afghanistan before he died. Last summer he e-mailed: "I can't wait to get back to Alaska to take my boys camping and fishing. I plan on taking them to Disneyland next spring." He would have been home for good in March.
If I find out more information about a memorial for him and his family, I will post it here. The main message I want to convey besides honoring this brave young man is that we ALL can make our troops' time away from their homes and families more bearable by showing them that they aren't forgotten and that we care. E-mail me if you want to know how you can get started. The one thing consoling me right now is that Jay knew there was a family in Wisconsin who appreciated his service and cared for him until the end. I hope it helped.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Sweatin' to the Oldies
Last week I ordered the 20th anniversary collection of Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies from Amazon. The 5-DVD set arrived on Tuesday, but this morning was the first chance I had to give them a try. Fred had told me he wanted to reinforce the living room floor boards before I started, but too bad; I decided to risk ending up in the basement for the sake of fitness.
Anyone familiar with Richard Simmons knows that he wears a tank top and way-too-short shorts to lead his merry band of chubby people, dressed in various attire, through aerobics accompanied by music from the '50s and '60s. I was wearing shorts, a Brewers T-shirt, and my glasses, accompanied only by cats with assorted looks of puzzlement on their furry faces. Thankfully Katie was still in bed and missed the spectacle.
The first song was "Dancing in the Street." Not too fast, just a good warm-up--but I heard body parts popping and cracking almost immediately. Richard's moves are easy to learn and follow, and in the more up-tempo songs like "Peggy Sue" and "Great Balls of Fire," the sweatin' he promised was definitely delivered. I looked like I do after an 8-minute performance of "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights." I noticed that the really overweight people in Richard's back-up group seemed to sit out every other song to catch their breath. The only short breaks I took were to get some water, turn down the thermostat, and answer a call from Fred. I was huffing and puffing into the phone in the middle of "Wipeout"--a song I'd last performed solo at a teacher's union Christmas party in 1983.
I completed the first DVD in about a half hour, feeling like I'd really gotten a good workout. The living room floor is intact, and I hope it doesn't start to smell like a gym in here. I'll probably have sore muscles tomorrow--the cool-down stretching gave me a charlie horse. Fred says he's going to join me doing this on weekends. I hope I won't be laughing too hard to do the routines.
If you're interested in a fun way to exercise at home, I recommend these DVDs--the complete set was $35.99 on Amazon with free shipping. It's also a trip down memory lane, reminding me of the bad dancing we used to do in high school. Tomorrow I'll try DVD #2, which includes "Jailhouse Rock". I'll try to do it justice on Elvis' 75th birthday--maybe I'll wear a jumpsuit.
Anyone familiar with Richard Simmons knows that he wears a tank top and way-too-short shorts to lead his merry band of chubby people, dressed in various attire, through aerobics accompanied by music from the '50s and '60s. I was wearing shorts, a Brewers T-shirt, and my glasses, accompanied only by cats with assorted looks of puzzlement on their furry faces. Thankfully Katie was still in bed and missed the spectacle.
The first song was "Dancing in the Street." Not too fast, just a good warm-up--but I heard body parts popping and cracking almost immediately. Richard's moves are easy to learn and follow, and in the more up-tempo songs like "Peggy Sue" and "Great Balls of Fire," the sweatin' he promised was definitely delivered. I looked like I do after an 8-minute performance of "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights." I noticed that the really overweight people in Richard's back-up group seemed to sit out every other song to catch their breath. The only short breaks I took were to get some water, turn down the thermostat, and answer a call from Fred. I was huffing and puffing into the phone in the middle of "Wipeout"--a song I'd last performed solo at a teacher's union Christmas party in 1983.
I completed the first DVD in about a half hour, feeling like I'd really gotten a good workout. The living room floor is intact, and I hope it doesn't start to smell like a gym in here. I'll probably have sore muscles tomorrow--the cool-down stretching gave me a charlie horse. Fred says he's going to join me doing this on weekends. I hope I won't be laughing too hard to do the routines.
If you're interested in a fun way to exercise at home, I recommend these DVDs--the complete set was $35.99 on Amazon with free shipping. It's also a trip down memory lane, reminding me of the bad dancing we used to do in high school. Tomorrow I'll try DVD #2, which includes "Jailhouse Rock". I'll try to do it justice on Elvis' 75th birthday--maybe I'll wear a jumpsuit.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Colonoscopy, Part One
Right before I turned 50 in September, I received a card from our insurance company that said: "You're 50! Celebrate with a colonoscopy today!!" Yeah, right. Just how I wanted to "celebrate" an already traumatic birthday. But I read through the material and discovered that they offered a $50 incentive for having the procedure done within a year of turning 50. I knew it was inevitable, just another one of the sucky aspects of getting older--so at my yearly check-up last month, I scheduled a "consult," a pre-appointment for the actual ordeal itself.
That appointment was this morning. My doctor is a woman, and I liked her right away. She asked if I had come in because of a specific concern, and I explained that I was really there to earn the $50 (which I'll use on my soldiers!) "Wow, that's a great incentive," she said. "I suppose now you want a cut?!" I asked her. She laughed and seemed like a normal person--so I didn't ask her what would inspire a doctor to specialize in this particular field. She assured me, "I look at butts all the time, so you don't need to worry about that." I assured her that after a woman has gone through pregnancy, all embarrassment and modesty fly out the window anyway. I was already thinking about what I could write on my butt the day of the procedure to make her laugh. "Be gentle"? "Born to Ride"? "Go Packers!!" ??
After she left the office, the nurse came back in to go through paperwork and schedule it with me. I was thinking it would probably be a couple months before I could get in for one, so when she said, "How about next Thursday, the 14th?" I gulped, Oh crap!! (Haha) At least if everything goes ok, I won't be subjected to this again for another 10 years.
She gave me the "prep kit" and explained it, my disgust level rising rapidly with each thing she said. Then she put it in a little brown bag so I could walk back through the waiting room without people pointing and laughing.
So now I can be dreading this for the next 10 days. I will write Part Two on Wednesday as I endure the prep phase of the process. Fred leaves for Sarasota, Florida on the 14th, so Katie is going to have to be my chauffeur and nursemaid for this. Now if I can just talk her into writing the message on my butt!
To be continued...
That appointment was this morning. My doctor is a woman, and I liked her right away. She asked if I had come in because of a specific concern, and I explained that I was really there to earn the $50 (which I'll use on my soldiers!) "Wow, that's a great incentive," she said. "I suppose now you want a cut?!" I asked her. She laughed and seemed like a normal person--so I didn't ask her what would inspire a doctor to specialize in this particular field. She assured me, "I look at butts all the time, so you don't need to worry about that." I assured her that after a woman has gone through pregnancy, all embarrassment and modesty fly out the window anyway. I was already thinking about what I could write on my butt the day of the procedure to make her laugh. "Be gentle"? "Born to Ride"? "Go Packers!!" ??
After she left the office, the nurse came back in to go through paperwork and schedule it with me. I was thinking it would probably be a couple months before I could get in for one, so when she said, "How about next Thursday, the 14th?" I gulped, Oh crap!! (Haha) At least if everything goes ok, I won't be subjected to this again for another 10 years.
She gave me the "prep kit" and explained it, my disgust level rising rapidly with each thing she said. Then she put it in a little brown bag so I could walk back through the waiting room without people pointing and laughing.
So now I can be dreading this for the next 10 days. I will write Part Two on Wednesday as I endure the prep phase of the process. Fred leaves for Sarasota, Florida on the 14th, so Katie is going to have to be my chauffeur and nursemaid for this. Now if I can just talk her into writing the message on my butt!
To be continued...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
