The trip home was fairly uneventful. Word to the wise: always plan a cross country trip so that you travel on the weekend. We left on Friday so that we would be home in Wisconsin by Sunday night. That worked well. We missed weekday rush-hours in the morning, semi-truck traffic during the week, and most of the construction. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing a sign that says, "Road construction for next 32 miles-- expect delays" followed by 32 miles of no one working and all of the orange constructions barrels pulled over to the side of the road. Yahoo!
We only had one real delay. A dead-stop, turn-off-the-motor-in-the-middle-of-the-Interstate just south of Nashville. (Why do we always have some type of hang-up with Nashville?) This delay was due to an accident where someone literally came to a dead-stop on the highway. May God be merciful to his or her soul.
Other than that, we had good weather and clear sailing all of the way home. The days were still agonizingly long, but we made it back to Wisconsin ahead of schedule. One funny sight we encountered was in Tennessee. Lamer's Bus Lines have been the only bus company to provide school busses for the Green Bay school children since my own children were in grade school. As we drove along the highways of Tennessee, we came upon a caravan of three school busses, all proudly painted with "Lamer's Bus Lines, Green Bay, Wisconsin" across their backs. The last bus in line was towing a small car, so I think the busses were brand new and were being delivered to Wisconsin. The return trip for the drivers must have been the reason for the tow car. How strange to find a familiar name and sight in a very unfamiliar stretch of the road!
Our lives back here in the north have been incredibly busy. We celebrated Mom's 91st birthday on May 28, have made a trip for a week to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for a health check up, and have had eye doctors, dentists, and rheumatologist appointments, haircuts, and other appointments almost every day since we have returned.
We enjoyed spending time with Stephanie in Rochester. We helped her get her guest room in shape, and she saved us a ton of money by putting us up while we were at Mayo. My health report came out positive: blood work was improved although not perfect, my breathing has improved greatly, and my muscles are stronger than they were six months ago. Since I was half-dead when I went to Mayo six months ago, I certainly am GLAD that everything shows improvement. Will I ever be 100% normal? No. Have I ever BEEN 100% normal? Ha! Is anyone?
This past weekend was a real joy as we celebrated (a couple of days early) our grandson Owen's first birthday. He continues to be the star in our skies, and we love him dearly. Even Mom was able to make the trip north to celebrate with him.
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| Owen had his own cake and frosting. Now where did he put that fork? |
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| Hopefully, our little beach boy can come to see Grandma and Grandpa in Florida this next year. |
We have had some health scares with Mom, so my sister, brother-in-law, Rick, and I are in the process of moving her from Oshkosh so she can be closer to my sister in Wisconsin Rapids. This is a difficult time for her since she has lived only in Oshkosh for the last 91 years, but the move will make her life and Sue and Tom's life so much easier. We will have to drive a little longer to see her, but Sue and Tom have had to do that for the last couple of decades, so I think that it's only fair that the drive falls to us now. Mom will be safer under the watchful eye of my sister, and Sue and Tom will be safer not having to drive all that distance on slippery, snowy roads this winter.
Finally, we are delighted that my nephew Jon, who just graduated from college, will be teaching this fall at a school just 12 miles away from us in Florida. We wish him all the luck and best, and we hope that he knows he can always come to us for help, for respite, for companionship, for a few homemade meals, and for the use of our truck when needed. We suspect that he will soon understand why we choose to spend the winters in Florida, and we pray that the winter will be much more gentle to all of our friends and relatives who remain in the north.
Our only complaint right now is that this has been an unusually cold spring, and we are freezing! However, storms this week are supposed to usher in warmer weather, so perhaps the reason we came north for the summer will soon be upon us.
We return to Gladys in the fall. Until then, she is under the watchful eyes of at least four of our neighbors, so I hope the weather is treating her well as she awaits our return.
Have a great summer, everyone!
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