3-21-11. Well, I guess spring is here and I welcome it with open arms. It’s a huge relief. Now we’re going into the stormy weather. Daughter, Anita said she would meet us on Wednesday the 16th which was my birthday and buy my lunch. I was happy to see her again. Then when we got in the restaurant she was sitting in the booth. We usually sit in where Lisa is the server on Wednesday and across from that booth was grandson, Jared, his wife, Carrie, their daughter, Zoie and Lis’as son, Jacob. What a nice surprise! I thought all of them would be working, but they managed to be off for my birthday. Lisa gave me presents and Anita had a big square piece of birthday cake for me. I got to see all of my family on my birthday except for son-in-law, Carl. I guess he was at work. We had a good visit and lunch then we went on and did the rest of our shopping and came on home. I had a message on my answering machine from my brother, Claud and his wife, Marlene. They were getting ready to go to Wisconsin to see her Mom for a few days and wanted us to meet them in Muscatine on their way home. They’ll come right through there. Maybe this coming Friday. I sent Anita a text last night telling her and she said she is off work Friday so if they do come then she can see them. Lisa won’t be working that day, but maybe she can come anyway and bring Jacob. I don’t think they’ve ever seen him and he’s now 18. I just loved all my family so much and I’m always happy to see them.
We’ve been getting nice weather, but its been cloudy and rainy the last couple of days. At least it’s not so cold now. It was 69 degrees out here at sometime yesterday when I looked at the thermometer.
I finally got cousin, Edna’s birthday package in the mail. It’s just about three months late. I guess its better late than never.
I heard of a rumor going around that Frank Allison had been stripping and he was doing it in his bedroom and kitchen. I thought, “goodness sakes, he’s been around his pal, Harley Cox, too much and now he’s doing it too.” Remember Harley was doing it in the church in wintertime and got a bad cold from it. Well, I thought I better call Frank and see what’s going on up there in his house in Silvis, IL. I called and asked him and turns out his daughter, Cheryl, and her husabnd, Bill, had been doing it too. I thought, “Uh-O, what’s going on in this family?” Then Frank cleared it all up for me and said they’ve been busy stripping wallpaper off the bedroom and kitchen walls so they can paint them. What a relief! I was afraid Harley had got something started when he was stripping (the floors) in church. So whom ever started that rumor better read the Douglas County Herald and get their story right. Frank said we won’t know his place when they get finished with it. I told him we’d come see it when it’s done. He said his daughter, Cheryl, grandkids, Jennifer and Trent and their three boys were there to visit him one day. Jennifer, Trent and three boys are from Waterloo, Iowa. It was the first day Naobi Zoo opened for the season in Coal Valley, Illinois, so they went there with the little boys. He said the dad, granpa and great-grandpa were all there, but it was just him because he’s Cheryl’s dad, Jennifer’s grandad, and the little boys great-grandad. He had many shoes to fill that day. He wanted me to be sure and tell everyone it was the wall he was stripping so I said, “I will try to remember” and he said, “You better remember!” He said he and Harley were looking for my column in the Douglas County Herald and they decided if I didn’t put one in there pretty soon they were going to write it and sign my name to it. I bet it would have been a “doozy”. He said Harley Cox and Jeff Heatherly are still about the same and that Betty is doing much better. I was so glad to hear that. Way to go Betty! I’m praying for all of you. I told Frank we were back in the Cities, March 11 and I was in Wal-Mart again, but didn’t see him and he said I should have called and he would of come over there. He said he was so tired from working on the house that I might have had to push him around in a cart and I told him my toe was sore so maybe he would have had to push me around. My toe is much better.
After I talked to Frank I called my longtime school pal, Kay Day-Applegate in Van Couver to see how she’s doing and her son answered and that scared me because I thought she might be in the hospital again. She was there and we had a nice visit as well. She said she’s okay except whatever that is that’s making her shake. She said she was shaking hard while we were talking. I don’t know why the doctors can’t find out what’s causing it. I told her I would look in my medical book and see if I can find anything it could be.
We’re going to Tipton this afternoon and I will mail this while we’re there. Oh yes, Rob texted me that their grandkids cousin helped win the Championship for Rocky High in Rock Island, Illinois. They were at Peoria, Illinois and he hit the free throw that won the game with only 12 seconds left. His name is Royce Muskeyvalley. He’s a senior and hit 7 of 8 down the stretch and helped win them the state title. So that’s a bit of good news.
So bye, bye for now.
