Who knew

Life can throw you some really unexpected curve balls. Who knew I would be invited to share a family vacation with my daughter? Who knew that one of my son-in-laws would suffer a massive stroke? Who knew that the summer would shape up to be so very busy? Certainly not me.

In May, our kids decided that I needed a break. How would I like to go to Italy for a couple weeks down time, all expenses paid?  OK, if someone would stay with Richard. So Dianna agreed to do so. Then just before I was due to leave, her husband Paul suffered a stroke, his third and worst. It landed him in the hospital and then in a recovery center. But since Dianna was not needed to care for him at home, she still wanted to stay with her dad. Then Paul had a brain bleed, which meant that he could no longer take the medication (blood thinner) that helped prevent additional strokes. He was readmitted to the hospital.

At this point I went ahead and found someone else to stay with Richard, a student that attends our church. She was thrilled at the opportunity to earn a little bit of money to go see her own dad. So I was off to our daughter Amy's house in Germany. I drove up to our son Rick's and left my car at his place. He drove me to the airport and Amy picked me up in Frankfurt. From her home, we drove down though Switzerland to Levane, Italy, about an hour south of Florence.

They had rented an apartment in an old villa from where we took many day trips and long scenic drives. We went to Rome, Piza, Florence, Luca, a large lake in Palusia Province, a formal garden, and one of the ancient hill cities. But while I was away, our son-in-law died.

Dianna had Paul's remains cremated and will have a memorial service for him on July 4, it would have been their 9th anniversary. Because of financial loss, Dianna will need to move, as well. So I, and others, have been helping her sort, get rid of, and pack. It is all a process, one we will get through. But it is hard.

We are expecting a lot of company too. It is always great to have company, but I was not expecting so many, in such a short time. I will deal with it and enjoy each one as they come. But I reserve the right to get tired. I do that a lot these days. It just kind of goes with the territory of getting older.  

Wild Spring

It has been a wild spring. Tradition goes that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This year has clung to that saying in many ways, not all related to the weather. Yes it has been stormy and sunny. Today is just gorgeous. But March also brought a long string of visitors, family for the most part.

Having company is both wonderful and stressful. On one hand, you cherish the time together. On the other hand, it is exhausting. Our granddaughter from Germany arrived on March 17. We had not seen her for two years. She had not been to Oregon since she was a child. She is all grown up and doing her own thing these days. So it was great to have her here. Of course none of the local relatives had seen her in almost ten years, so that meant they came over several times, as well. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing all of them, but it was wave after wave in a short span of time.

One full day was spent driving a seven hour loop through the Cascades. There were areas that had only just opened from having been covered with snow and unfortunately, some of the sights were not yet accessible. Too bad, because they are beautiful.

During the second week of our granddaughter's visit one of our ex-son-in-laws died and so his children (both grown) flew out from Florida. They came down and spent the night, along with their mother. The house was full. It is always nice to see these two, it doesn't happen often. The circumstances could have been better, but they had not seen their cousin from Germany since she was three years old.

On March 27 our daughter and a grandson from Germany joined the group. She rented a vacation house at the beach as a birthday venue for me. So we all drove to the coast for three days stay. Unfortunately the house was not wheelchair friendly, but it was in a great spot, right on the beach. Our son and his family spent the entire time with us and all the local family joined us on my birthday. In all, there were fifteen of us. A friend also came down for one evening, bringing three children she cares for. We had a fireplace, lots of food, flowers brought direct from Amsterdam, all sorts of activities, live music, and a great view. We also stopped at several view points along the coast to take pictures. It was a birthday to remember.

Back home, the grandkids and their mom planted my garden, pruned the two largest apple trees, and mowed the lawn. That was a big help. We made a trip to see another granddaughter's new home and did a bit of shopping. During this time we also met a man who shares our last name and whose family originates from the same area of Sonora as ours. He runs a local restaurant. So we had a couple long visits with him, including a meal at his establishment. All our German family left on April 6.

By this time we were exhausted. The next two days found us going to bed early and sleeping in. The days were spent doing as little as possible. But life goes on, dishes and laundry need to be done. Medical appointments need to be kept. Friends come by to visit. Others visitors come as well.

This morning I found a doe and her fawn grazing in the back yard. These creatures have become way too at home around here. They are beautiful, but grass is not the only thing they eat. My peas and other tender plants are at risk. So, I may have to put up some sort of fencing to keep the deer out. So it goes.

Time Flies

2014 - Two months already gone. I know where they went, snow storms, hospitals, long recovery (still in it), and so on. I expect this year will vanish right before my eyes. But I need to focus on something else; good "things" that are happening or anticipated.

1. Spring is coming - I got sugar pod peas in the ground and put in an additional three rassberry plants.
2. We are expecting company - the kids and some of the grandkids will soon be converging to celebrate my birthday.
3. Richard is getting stronger - he made it to Sunday School yesterday.
4. There are no current crisis in the family - Thank you Jesus. 

The Old is Nearly Gone, Hail To 2014

We all need new beginnings. It is another opportunity to "start anew". Happy New Year everyone. It is my sincere wish that each and every one of you has something, no matter how insignificant, to look forward to.

We here in Corvallis have had a stressful 2013. Loved ones have gone on to be with the Lord, great for them but hard for us. But there are signs that life continues with new jobs, new homes, & visits from far away family to look forward to.

One grandson has completed specialized training and is starting to find work in his field of choice. One granddaughter and her young family are moving into a new home. Several other grandchildren are hard at work at universities around the globe and a couple of others have landed their dream jobs.

While we no longer travel, we can look forward to visits in 2014 from loved ones who live both across the county and across the globe. The Lord is good. He provides for ALL our needs. As we close out the current year, let us not forget that we are but a grain of sand upon the beach. It is only God's grace and love that holds us together. He makes us each important, don't forget to give Him praise for we are nothing without Him.

Happy New Year.

Cristmas 2013

Christmas 2013

Another year has come and nearly gone. Seems that as you get older, the years pass with increasing speed.

This year has brought joy in that everyone in the house has been relatively well. There have been no trips to the ER. No hospital stays. No debilitating illnesses. But there has been sadness, as well. This year several friends and members of our extended family have passed away. The latest was Richard's brother Benny. His wife Christine died in late September, a first cousin and a dear friend both died about the same time. There have been others as well. Our generation is rapidly coming to a close. We need to prepare to meet our Lord Jesus. He alone provides hope of life, life without fear, pain, or strife. Hope of being united with our loved ones who are in Him.

Richard and I have stuck pretty close to home this year. Just leaving the house has become a challenge for Richard. His power wheel chair allows him to get around the neighborhood and to a local pond where he enjoys feeding the wildlife. But if he needs to go anywhere else, he must use his manual wheelchair. It is very heavy to lift in and out of the car trunk. I was able to travel to Washington to celebrate our oldest grandson's graduation from training as a deep sea diver. But other than that, we have not left Corvallis more than a couple times all year. However, we have not been isolated.

In the summer, we hosted the family of a dear friend from Taiwan and our daughter Amy, along with one of her sons came for a visit over Thanksgiving. Then too, there have been many visits by other friends and family spread throughout the year. They brighten the day and give a sense of connectivity.

Last summer also brought a flurry of activity as we had both a plumber and carpenter busily working on a remodel for our back addition. Both bathrooms had their floors replaced. The plumbing was relocated for the toilet in the master bath and the sink in the main addition. The entry stairs for what we call “Harry's Room” needed to be torn down and a new set of stairs and porch built. It all turned out great. Then there was the garden. We had a fairly good vegetable garden this year. It provided many a great salad, summer squash, and other seasonal produce. The flower beds got a nice layer of compost and were weeded by kids from our church. That was a chore I am glad I didn't have to do. Rick gave me an electric mower so I no longer have to struggle with the heavy gas powered version. It really helps a lot.

Today we are sitting in a deep freeze. It has not been above freezing for several days. The news says that it is breaking records and was actually down to as low as -10 a couple nights ago. It looks like Christmas out there. I measured an accumulation of 8 ½ inches of snow on the table outside our living room and it isn't melting. Not to worry, we have plenty of food, heat (gas fireplace) and so far the electricity is on. I am taking precautions to prevent water pipes from freezing and so far so good. It is supposed to get up to 33 on Wednesday, followed by another storm. Hopefully it will not be another Arctic blast. Cloud cover actually acts like a warm blanket and holds in the heat.  

We are grateful this year for all of our family and dear friends. We are blessed for our being in our own home. We thank the Lord for our relatively good health and we look forward to 2014 with all the promises that it holds.

Our best to you and yours,

Richard & Nancy Moreno

How frustrating!!

My daughter goofed up her blog and had to create a new one. I was able to log on to it yesterday and print off a photo and specks for our granddaughter's new home. Nice place, Liss. But this morning, Google will not honor my log in to access my daughter's blog account. Really strange, since there was no problem using the same log in to get onto this account. I hate computers!!

Just an Update

Life here at Moreno Manor has been a scramble all summer long. Sure does make time fly by.

Starting in early July, we had a plumber and a carpenter working on the room used by my Uncle Harry when he retired in the 70s. This room has its own bathroom and a private entry and was rented out several times in the late 80s and 90s. But over the past 10+ years the "room" was relegated to storage. So, I cleared it out and had it renovated. What a chore, sorting through box after box of old video tapes, paperwork, photos, and "stuff". There are now no less than 5 big boxes of photos waiting closer scrutiny sitting in the guest room. About a dozen boxes await further sorting in the family room, and a ton of "stuff" was either tossed or given away.

The bathroom floor and entry stairs had to be rebuilt due to water damage. While we were at it, we had the plumber move sink. It was installed in a new counter in the room itself, freeing up badly needed space in the bathroom. I repaired and painted walls, did a ton of cleaning, moved in furnishings to essentially create a studio apartment again. Now that the room is complete, we are advertising it on Craig's List. 

The floor in the master bathroom also had to be replaced because of a failed water heater. The plumber moved the plumbing from a wall-hung toilet to accommodate a floor-mounted one and the carpenter removed the cabinetry so that he could rebuild that floor. Rick and Chris re-hung a sink in that bath so that it is functional. A complete remodel of the master bath will have to wait on funding. The old cabinetry now resides in the basement laundry room.

But life does not stop just because you have a big project to work on. My garden has done well this year. There a lots of vegies that have needed watering, weeding, etc. all summer. These have been so very yummy. We even have melons this year.

Now that fall is here, I am wrapping everything up for the winter. Outdoor furniture needs to be put under cover, hedges need a fall pruning, the grass needs to be mowed a couple more times, you get the idea. We were also blessed with a few yards of great compost that Shelley and Eric delivered as a birthday gift for Richard. I don't have any notion of spreading it all at once. It will slowly go to the planting beds as I get them ready for winter. First will be the small beds where I plant garlic. It needs to be in the ground really soon. Then compost will be added to those areas in the front yard that didn't get any last spring. By Thanksgiving, It should either be on the beds or covered, such that it will be available for early spring planting.

Then there is the anticipated "family meeting" that is scheduled for when Amy is here in November. Years ago, Richard and I created a Living Trust. I have now made a copy for each of the kids. It includes a power of attorney, pour over will, and instructions on health issues, should we no longer be able to make choices for ourselves, and other instructions for burial and distribution of assets. No one looks forward to this kind of meeting, but we do look forward to everyone being on the same page when the time comes. I have previously put together much of the detail outside the Trust that will be needed for the meeting. But now I need to make sure it is all together, copied, and is complete. Never a dull moment around here.

Just to be clear, while I have some health issues, I am relatively healthy. But I don't want to put our kids in the position of trying to locate the information they would need should I fall ill. Hopefully, this meeting will be a way of taking some of the stress off them when and if that day does come.