Christmas Party Time

Rusty and I love hosting small dinner parties and cooking for our friends.  Friday evening we entertained our close friends from the dinner group.  Unfortunately, Kathie and Wayne were unable to make it, but we kept them with us in thought (and prayer).

I enjoy setting a pretty table with seasonal dishes. Christmas napkins are a handmade gift from my Mom.

I even decorated the chairs.

All is ready in the kitchen.

We had spiked hot cider and snacks before dinner.

Conversation flows easily before dinner with this group.

Lorvey tries out the Go-Pro.

Nearly all of our guests want to make a trip to the shop to see what's happening.  Shown here is the strongback and the center form for our cedar strip canoe.

Rusty poached the salmon in white wine and then finished it off in a blackened skillet.

Mixed wild rice and fresh green beans accented by slivered almonds and dried cranberries accompanied the herb-crusted salmon.  Yummy!

Dessert was very simple: fresh berries on shortbread with a squirt of Creme fraiche, topped with Grand Marnier.

How much Grand Marnier should we pour over this?

After coffee was served and the table cleared, we had some Christmas fun decorating gingerbread cookies.

Greg squeezes the frosting onto the cookie.

Lorvey contemplates color choices.

Peggy forces the frosting into the bag.

Such concentration!

Oh no!  It's Mr. Bill!

(from Greg's computer) Di and Rusty join in the fun.

We missed you, Papes!  Hope you'll be able to join us next time.

On Saturday morning I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher.  Then I made a strong cup of coffee and  sat down to relax and revel in the good fun from the previous evening.  I stared at my recently decorated gingerbread cookie.  I decided to eat just the feet.  I dipped one foot into the hot coffee and it was warm and spicy.  Then the next foot; it took me back to my childhood.  I stared at the gingerbread cookie and decided I could just eat the hands, but no more.  First one hand into the hot coffee, releasing the soft cookie into my mouth.  Then the other hand, even more delicious.  Before long, even the body was gone, leaving only the head.  Who can leave a head all by itself?  Not me.  I ATE THE WHOLE THING!!!!

My Beautiful Mother...and the various persona of Rusty

Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us.  Most recently my beautiful 88 year-old mother experienced a small stroke.  As my sister, Dar, was driving to Salt Lake City, UT to board a plane for Japan, and Rusty and I were driving on wintry, hazardous roads across Wyoming towards Twin Falls,  ID, Mom was admitted to St. Luke's Hospital in Twin Falls.

After many tests and 3 days of careful monitoring, Mom was released from the hospital, and admitted to the Inpatient Rehab Unit (IRU) in the St.Luke's Hospital Complex.  The IRU requires Mom to do occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy throughout the day.

Many of Mom's friends, including Father Mike, came to visit.

My brother, Larry, sent a gorgeous bouquet.

Rusty and I visited Mom several times a day and tried to facilitate her needs.  She said her fingernails needed trimming and polishing.  My wrist splints limit my fine motor skills, so Rusty volunteered for the job.  It doesn't show well in the picture, but Rusty drew a thin mustache on his upper lip and introduced himself to Mom as Sergio.

Trimming and filing the nails.

Sergio adds a coat of clear polish.

Mom belongs to a group of gals called The Corkers, who drink wine and go on interesting adventures.  Many of them came to visit and gave Mom a book of short stories written by Truman Capote.  Mom's vision was still too blurry to read on her own, so each evening I read a little of The Thanksgiving Visitor to her.

On Sunday morning we visited Mom and had a short prayer service with her.

Reverend Rusty read from the Bible and gave a short sermon. (His Dad and Grandpa would have been proud!)

There were some down times which made me very sad, but for the most part, Mom worked hard at therapy and continued to get stronger each day.

Ivan's daughter, Cathy, spent a couple of days with us and also brought food!

Following a yummy chicken dinner, Cathy whipped cream for the gingerbread.

Licking the beater.

Rusty and I are both people who need to stay busy.  When we were not with Mom, I took care of various paperwork that needed attention: getting doctor's reports and signatures, retrieving test results, exploring independent living situations, ordering a life-line alert, too many steps to get a Handicap placard,  answering phone calls, writing checks, etc.  Rusty packed up fifty pounds of tools in his toolbox, just in case something needed to be fixed.  He noticed that the stool in the main bathroom was leaking, so he tackled the job.

Plumber Pete goes to work.

This toilet is broken!

Never leave home without proper tools.

The right tool for the job.

Making final adjustments.

We made a few trips to Java, a local coffeehouse, so that I could satisfy my latte desires and get wifi.

Di with Jackie O. at Java.

Elvis looking over Rusty's shoulder at Java.

Bridgeview Estates is near the edge of the Snake River Canyon.

The best news of all is that Mom has progressed so well that she will be released from the IRU next Wednesday.  She will be living in her own apartment at Bridgeview Estates, at least for a while.  If you wish to send her a card or note, her address is:

BridgeView Estates

Pearl Skinner

Room 305

1828 Bridgeview Boulevard

Twin Falls, ID 83301

On Thanksgiving Day we had breakfast with Mom and then started the long drive home. We chose the northern route on Hwy 30, which I love.

The roads were clear and the scenery was beautiful!

Even Wyoming has beautiful spots.

We had some great beef sandwiches that we brought with us for lunch, but I couldn't help teasing Rusty about our other turkey dinner option.

Who wouldn't want roll-around-weinies for Thanksgiving dinner?

This Thanksgiving was far from traditional, but Rusty and I are thankful for MANY, MANY things. Not the least of which is that Mom is getting better every day and we can look forward to more years of her happiness and well-being!

Caviezel Visit

This cute Little Red Riding Hood (Celeste) showed up on our doorstep on Halloween!

The following day I flew to Cavizel-land in Philadelphia.

Sam, Ruby and Felicia

I was honored and elated to be able to attend the Philadelphia Orchestra's performance of Mahler 2.  What and incredible piece! I thought it was fantastic to sit front-and-center in row 4.  I could almost read the notes!  More importantly, it felt very up close and personal with the performers.  Awesome night!!

This is The Kimmel Center's current art exhibit.

It was so delightful to spend quality time with my family.  We went to the Aquarium where Ruby was excited to see mermaids.

...and she sat in the mouth of the shark!

The weather was unbelievably lovely for November.  We visited the park several times.

Cheesy smile.

Ruby rode her bike.

We had a lovely walk on the Schuylkill River boardwalk, with Ruby leading on the bike.

We made several coffee shop stops so GiGi could have a latte and Ruby could have steamed milk.

Sam and Ruby play rock, paper, scissors.

This downtown coffee shop is my favorite one in Philly.

We enjoyed lots of book-reading and snuggle time.  Even Frannie enjoys this.

During the morning of Nov 10th, I straw-bossed (wrists are still pretty weak) and Rusty planted my flower bulbs.  Just in time.  By noon, winter arrived.  We've now had 4 days of single-digit temps.  ...and snow!

Time to ramp up the fireplace.  Hey, winter, bring it on!

Family Pictures

Me and Uncle Mike, circa mid 80's

My Uncle Mike, Mom's last living sibling, passed away recently.  He lovingly shared his place on Captain Morgan Drive with extended family many, many times.  We all have great memories of being there with him.  He will be missed!

Since other family members were not able to attend the funeral, I took photos of my extended family and shared them with the Wilczynskis.  I also took some photos and am using this blog to share them with you.

Uncle Mike and Aunt LeAnn had three daughters, Terri, Sally, and Christie.

Terri is married to Jim Huston and they have two sons Michael and Thomas.

Sally's husband, Dave, is deceased.  They have daughter Tracey and twins Kevin and Kristin.  Both daughters also have children.

Kristie has one daughter.

LeAnne, relaxing after the funeral.

I have an Uncle Frank (brother of Pearl) and Aunt Lucille who are both deceased.  I met their two sons, Raymond and Richard, a few times when they were small children.  I was delighted to connect with them at Uncle Mike's funeral.

Cousins Ray and Rich

The only other two living cousins I have on this side of the family are Uncle Jerry's two daughters, Teresa and Barb.  (Son, Ted, is deceased.)  They were not at the funeral, but I saw them a year ago at Christopher Tourek's wedding.

Teresa (red vest) with son, David, and husband, Chuck Zimmerman.

me with cousin Barb, mother of the groom.  Father of the groom is Bill Tourek.

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Tourek

My cousin Jerry Williams (paternal side of my family) lived in the same neighborhood as Uncle Mike, and they became friends.

Peggy and Jerry were both at the funeral.

Just this week Jerry posted a few family pics on Facebook.  Missy Showalter was on work assignment in Omaha, so she asked folks to join her for dinner.  This side of the family is all from my Dad's brother's kids.  The cousins are Jack Williams, Jerry Williams, Danny Williams, Jeff Williams and Missy Showalter.

back row: Missy and Brad and Dana.  Seated: Cody, Jack, Peggy, Jerry, Matt and girlfriend?

Brad and Dana's wedding

Danny's kids:Megan, Cody, Casey, Scott, Amanda and Tim Williams.  To the best of my knowledge, all of this family is in, or near, Fritch, Texas.

As time passes, the family tree gets harder to follow.  This blog should help any of you who are interested in genealogy, or perhaps just keeping track of the relatives.