Thursday, October 28, 2004
WINTER....1982
January started out our New Year with the usual weather swings. One day it was 53* in the morning and dropped to 28* by 2:30 in the afternoon. We never take nice weather for granted in the first month of the year. We do, however, enjoy the nice days that come along, knowing they won’t last.
Our normal thing for January is to enjoy lots of inside things. For me, it’s quilting, knitting and crochet…..for Warren it was lots of TV. He took up latch-hooking for a while but it became too expensive. He was always driven to finish it. He’d get up at 5:30am and latch hook all day. In short order, the piece was done and he was needing more. We gave away all of the pieces because we didn’t want to walk on them and we didn’t have wall space to hang them. The perfect solution was to make them and give them away.
John was usually home in January between Fall and Spring terms and he always spent a lot of time with friends in West Plains……I continued working my three days a week and the weather became bitterly cold later in the month. Some of the offices were not heated well and it was miserable on those days. Warren and John played lots of table games on the days I worked.
Mid-month, Warren and I made a fast trip to Nebraska to see mom and aunt Mary. We drove in a blizzard from St. Joseph on into Blair….we saw a lot of cars in the median and shoulder where they spun out on the icy road. The front-wheel drive on our Citation never faltered and we made it to aunt Mary’s without mishap. It was so good to get in out of the cold. The house was toasty warm and aunt Mary had supper ready for us. Mom was doing well with her therapy and both were in good spirits. We slept in warm, flannel sheets that night in an upstairs room where we could hear the wind howling around the corner bedroom.
I was up early to give mom her morning meds. After breakfast, Warren and I went to the hospital and to the doctor’s office to take care of mom’s billings. I wrote checks on her bank account to pay for her medical costs up to that time. It’s times like that when Social Security is a blessing. Mom was much relieved to have it taken care of. We were glad to get back to aunt Mary’s…..the temps had dropped to -15* with a cutting wind. It was miserable to be outdoors. We spent the rest of the week-end by the fire and left for home the next day.
The following week Warren and John just about wore out a Perquacky game and I worked my three days. It was so cold we only had a few applicants each day so I worked on an afghan for Louis and Gail. On the 23rd of the month, we got up before 4:00am to take John to St. Louis to catch a plane to New Orleans. Soon he would be in a warmer climate and the winter winds of Missouri would just be a memory.
February was cruel, weather wise. We had snow on the ground most of the month along with ice at times and cold winds. Some days we couldn’t get to the offices to work. Our crew traveled to 13-different locations over a 9-county area. Road crews had their hands full keeping the roads open but they were still icy and hazardous. Several times it started snowing heavy during the day and we had to load up our equipment and go home.
By Valentine’s Day we needed to go back to Blair to take care of mom’s medical charges for her. We were hoping to be able to bring her home soon but not until the therapy sessions were over and her doctor released her. She was improving with each visit and we were encouraged with the progress. Aunt Mary and I helped her with some needlepoint and she was doing an excellent job. Her tiny fingers and concentration were working together very well.
By the 19th of the month, George came through on his way to visit John in New Orleans. He stayed over night and left early the next morning to break the trip up for him. He came back through on his return and had enjoyed the Mardi Gras with John………he was full of descriptions of the whole affair. A “first” for him to participate in Mardi Gras.
We ended the month with a birthday supper for Hank. It was quite festive with Becky and the children contributing to the occasion which made it very special. With March coming up we had Spring flowers to look forward to and the hope that mom would soon be coming home to her own little house. I know she was beginning to think of “going home” but mom had a wonderful talent of being content wherever she was or for whatever reason. She was truly amazing. With the worst of winter behind, now, Spring would soon be here………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Our normal thing for January is to enjoy lots of inside things. For me, it’s quilting, knitting and crochet…..for Warren it was lots of TV. He took up latch-hooking for a while but it became too expensive. He was always driven to finish it. He’d get up at 5:30am and latch hook all day. In short order, the piece was done and he was needing more. We gave away all of the pieces because we didn’t want to walk on them and we didn’t have wall space to hang them. The perfect solution was to make them and give them away.
John was usually home in January between Fall and Spring terms and he always spent a lot of time with friends in West Plains……I continued working my three days a week and the weather became bitterly cold later in the month. Some of the offices were not heated well and it was miserable on those days. Warren and John played lots of table games on the days I worked.
Mid-month, Warren and I made a fast trip to Nebraska to see mom and aunt Mary. We drove in a blizzard from St. Joseph on into Blair….we saw a lot of cars in the median and shoulder where they spun out on the icy road. The front-wheel drive on our Citation never faltered and we made it to aunt Mary’s without mishap. It was so good to get in out of the cold. The house was toasty warm and aunt Mary had supper ready for us. Mom was doing well with her therapy and both were in good spirits. We slept in warm, flannel sheets that night in an upstairs room where we could hear the wind howling around the corner bedroom.
I was up early to give mom her morning meds. After breakfast, Warren and I went to the hospital and to the doctor’s office to take care of mom’s billings. I wrote checks on her bank account to pay for her medical costs up to that time. It’s times like that when Social Security is a blessing. Mom was much relieved to have it taken care of. We were glad to get back to aunt Mary’s…..the temps had dropped to -15* with a cutting wind. It was miserable to be outdoors. We spent the rest of the week-end by the fire and left for home the next day.
The following week Warren and John just about wore out a Perquacky game and I worked my three days. It was so cold we only had a few applicants each day so I worked on an afghan for Louis and Gail. On the 23rd of the month, we got up before 4:00am to take John to St. Louis to catch a plane to New Orleans. Soon he would be in a warmer climate and the winter winds of Missouri would just be a memory.
February was cruel, weather wise. We had snow on the ground most of the month along with ice at times and cold winds. Some days we couldn’t get to the offices to work. Our crew traveled to 13-different locations over a 9-county area. Road crews had their hands full keeping the roads open but they were still icy and hazardous. Several times it started snowing heavy during the day and we had to load up our equipment and go home.
By Valentine’s Day we needed to go back to Blair to take care of mom’s medical charges for her. We were hoping to be able to bring her home soon but not until the therapy sessions were over and her doctor released her. She was improving with each visit and we were encouraged with the progress. Aunt Mary and I helped her with some needlepoint and she was doing an excellent job. Her tiny fingers and concentration were working together very well.
By the 19th of the month, George came through on his way to visit John in New Orleans. He stayed over night and left early the next morning to break the trip up for him. He came back through on his return and had enjoyed the Mardi Gras with John………he was full of descriptions of the whole affair. A “first” for him to participate in Mardi Gras.
We ended the month with a birthday supper for Hank. It was quite festive with Becky and the children contributing to the occasion which made it very special. With March coming up we had Spring flowers to look forward to and the hope that mom would soon be coming home to her own little house. I know she was beginning to think of “going home” but mom had a wonderful talent of being content wherever she was or for whatever reason. She was truly amazing. With the worst of winter behind, now, Spring would soon be here………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
