This One Put Me Down and Out

Gabriel is six months old.

This latest migraine, that is.  But we'll get to that after all the good stuff.

First, we set out on a road trip to western Ohio for a long weekend to visit our youngest grandson, who just turned six months old on the day we arrived.  The last time we saw him was almost two months ago, and we badly needed a baby fix.

We arrived after a 7 1/2 hour drive at about 9 PM, and that rude little stinker didn't even stay up and wait for us!  I suppose in his little brain the debate between sleep vs. grandparents wasn't much of a debate at all, really.  Little guy needs his sleep!

A very relaxing weekend was spent just catching up on the lives of daughter Sarah, SIL Lance, and happy Gabriel.  We stayed mostly close to home, and I certainly accomplished my goal of overdosing on plenty of snuggles and huggles.  Gabriel was all too accommodating and loves to be held and fussed over.

He has such a ready and pleasant smile, all throughout the day.

We learned that he doesn't have much interest in the rolling over process, but he'd much rather sit up like a big guy and play that way.

When he got a little sleepy, somehow there were always some soft chests and waiting arms to help the nap happen.  No doubt there was quite a bit of grandparental spoilage going on, too.

Gabriel proved to be an easy traveler, as we made a long outing the one afternoon to explore in a nearby Bass Pro Shop.  We shopped, ate lunch in the cafe there, and then shopped some more.  He just sat in his stroller very contentedly taking it all in, always ready with that smile that melts.

I was on duty for the evening dinner feedings.  This little guy is quite the chow hound.  He loves solid foods, and opens his mouth like a little birdie when he sees it coming.  It's always good to follow up the cereal with a little giraffe for dessert, too.

He is growing and changing so nicely, and it was such a pleasure to watch his parents enjoying every new part of parenting him.  We won't see them again until Christmas, but I'm sure in these next two months he will have changed a lot.  He will certainly make the holidays fun.

We no sooner made the trip home, when the phone rang.  Daughter #2, Lindsay, was needing me to make the trip to her place and babysit sick little Ellie.  Being free to come and go to help out the kids and grandchildren in these situations is one of the best perks of being retired.

Ellie and Lindsay

So I repacked my bag and headed towards Amish country.  It's not everywhere you see this kind of a sign in a parking area.

When I arrived, Ellie was obviously not feeling tip top.  She wasn't interested in eating or drinking much of anything, and wasn't her happy self.

Ellie on a good day

However, the next day while she was in my care, she seemed to bounce back to her normal happy self.  She easily amused herself wearing her princess dress up outfits throughout the day, and taking care of her baby dolls.  We played with play dough, and painted some pictures. Ellie loves seeing what's in Grammal's bag, and this time she found some make up.

Unfortunately, all day while Ellie was getting better, I was coming down with a killer migraine headache.  Not even my migraine prescription seemed to give any relief, and after struggling with the pain for about 12 hours, that evening when she returned home from work, Lindsay hauled me off to the local emergency room.

After a heavy shot of pain medication gave some relief, I was discharged and gratefully crawled into bed to get some rest.  

Darn it if that migraine didn't come back early the next morning, waking me to another miserable pain filled day.  And again, no medications were helping, so after another 12 hours of suffering, we headed back again to the emergency room.  Not surprisingly, the emergency staff personnel that had cared for me the night before were surprised to see me there again.

After experimenting with numerous intravenous pain medications, the migraine finally receded.  

As I write this, it has been four days since that night in the hospital.  My body is still rebounding from all the medications I had that night.  Like I said at the beginning of this post, this migraine really took me down and out.  It was the first time a migraine headache didn't respond to the pills I carry with me at all times, and that concerns me.  I'll be seeing my family doctor for some follow up care in a few days. 

In other news, grandtwins Tori and Brianna got a new black kitten at their house.  After quite a bit of debate, the kitten was named VADA, sort of like a female version of Darth Vader.  Those kiddos are highly creative, I'll give them that.  

Brianna, VADA, and Tori

Coming:  the remainder of the photos and blog posts from our recent Washington, D.C. trip.  

Ohio to Pennsylvania to Colorado - Huh?

"Really, Germall?"

Yes, I know that's a bit of zig zagging, but that's the way it went.

We spent five lovely days out in western Ohio, hanging out with this little guy.  At one month old, grandson Gabriel is growing well, and keeping his parents on their toes.  And, par for the course, he's got his days and nights mixed up.

Welcome to the wonderful world of parenting, Sarah and Lance!

We did what we could to help out with his care while we were there, offering lots of holding and snuggling.  But there is a limit - nursing babies are somewhat fixated on their mommas.  Ha ha, pun intended.  Yeah, I crack myself up sometimes.

After making the 7+ hour drive back home to Pennsylvania, we had merely one day to unpack and repack.

"I'm leaving, on a jet plane...." (sing it)

Kevin, a very old friend of ours, and his wife Jaimie, had asked us to come out to Denver, Colorado for his parents' 40th anniversary.  They wanted us to surprise our very dear friends Patti and Rick and simply hang out with them for the weekend.

So, we did.  We are just crazy enough to do stuff like that.

Although I have flown many times in my life, this time I had an interesting new experience.  There was a guy seated next to me traveling with his puppy, a therapy dog in training.  This little dog sat (mostly) calmly throughout the 3 1/2 hour flight on her master's lap.  Twice during the flight I was asked to be the dog sitter while the guy went to the restroom.

Oreo, the therapy dog

Our early Friday morning flight arrived in Denver right around lunchtime, where Patti and Rick were waiting at a restaurant to dine with Kevin on his lunch break, or so they thought.  We walked in along with him, and their surprised reaction at seeing us there was priceless.

Our good friends, Patti and Rick

We have been friends for at least 35 years, and although we have lived on opposite sides of the country for the last 20 or so, whenever we get together it's as if no time has passed.

The rest of the weekend was just spent hanging out in Denver with them, visiting and catching up on life.

Although we've been to Colorado several times in the past, compared to the little town we come from, the size and scope of the Denver area always amazes us.

And these little prairie dogs were all over the area.  We learned about how destructive they can be, but driving by their little mounds, it was hard to see them as anything other than cute.

We did some walking in a local park-like shopping center where I noticed a small pavilion where  I could get my eyebrows threaded.  This is pretty fancy stuff for us Easterners.  Back where I come from, we just pluck them.  

Right next to that, there were public fountains that lots of kiddies were enjoying.

We walked and talked, and then talked and walked some more.  We visited a sporting goods super center, a guitar shop where the guys sat for a while and played some music, a winery, and a candy and ice cream parlor.

Eventually we landed at a local coffee shop, Einstein's and Co.  There we sat and talked some more.  Quite a lot of coffee was consumed, and along with that, I'd say that we might have even solved a few of the world's problems.  

Lots of coffee was consumed

Trouble is, every time we solved one world problem, another ten were excavated.  We'll need another visit and lots more coffee to get at them all.  No doubt about that.

Saturday night we put together some home made pizzas, and along with some wine and snacks, we sat and enjoyed each other the rest of the evening.  We reminisced about old times, caught up on all things to do with our kids and grandkids, and dreamed about the future and retirement.  We celebrated the fact that they've been married 40 years.  That's certainly a VERY BIG DEAL. 

Sunday morning we attended church with them and Kevin and his family, and from there, we headed back to the airport and home again.

It was a great weekend spent with wonderful friends, and we are so glad we went.

Now.

I think I'm gonna stay home a while.

At least for a few days.  

I'll be on doggie duty while son Caleb heads to Las Vegas for a convention,

and she's more than a handful.  I can hardly wait.

Returning the Garage

Grandson Gabriel at one week

I started my trek back toward home yesterday morning, leaving this precious little guy in the very capable hands of daughter Sarah and her husband Lance.

I know he will miss me and the abundance of snuggles I have for him.  In fact, from all reports so far, he has been looking all around trying to find me again, but I'm sure he will find a way to survive without me until I get back for my next visit in several weeks.  Babies grow and change so fast. It will be how different he is after just a few weeks away.

The drive back east through Ohio and Pennsylvania wasn't near as interesting as it was one week ago, on the day my daughter went into labor and I was racing to get there before the delivery.  That day I made the trip in merely 6 1/2 hours, having only one 5 minute pee break.

Yesterday, however, it took me nearly 7 1/2 hours to make the same trip.  Out of boredom (and a bit of sleepiness) I made three different stops.  By the last hour of the trip, it seemed that each rest stop I passed wanted to suck me in like an invisible vortex, and keep me from getting home.

I started the drive out in western Ohio under sunny, pleasant skies.  The closer I got to Pennsylvania, the cloudier and darker it got.  Finally, about ten minutes from home, it started to rain.  Why is Pennsylvania so sad?  It's always crying.  I think Pennsylvania needs some counseling or something.  This state is always so rainy and gloomy.

Welcome home to me.

I wasn't even home an hour when we received an invitation to have dinner with daughter Rachel and her family.  Grandtwins Tori and Brianna, now EIGHT YEARS OLD as of several days ago, were all bubbly with conversation, trying to fill me in on all the exciting happenings of their lives for the last two weeks.  Tori's big news is that she is no longer a pierced woman.  After fighting constant infections for several months, she is letting the holes in her ears grow shut and heal.  She is a beautiful girl, with or without earrings.  I would always want her to know that.

Tori and Brianna

Brianna was telling me all about her recent adventures in the hospital.  She had us all scared when she got extremely sick with a concerning illness that wouldn't seem to pass, with or without medication.  A viral pneumonia kept her down for about two weeks and ended in her needing intravenous antibiotic and hydration therapy and breathing treatments with a nebulizer.  She seems to be back to herself again and has returned to school.

Pretty serious stuff for two eight year olds.

Then, they both reminded me of my promise to take them to horseback riding lessons this summer.  Of course.  Let's keep our priorities straight.

Anyway, today, as I sort through the mountains of mail and laundry following my week away, the husband/lover/carpenter is repairing the garage that he tried to drag along with us on our first camping adventure of the season last month.

If you missed it, here is a look at the damage done when our fifth wheel got too close, and tore up the neighbor's garage down at the end of the alley behind our homes.

That husband of mine, he's quite the handyman.  There he is in his manly truck, doing the manly thing, and fixin' it all.

That guy, he's just so smart.  Although we live just two doors up from this neighbor, the hubby loaded up all his tools and supplies in the back of his truck, drove it down there, and it became his ladder, too!  Plus, the large size of that MANLY truck kept other cars from turning into the alley and knocking him off a ladder.  Brilliant!

I walked down to check on him a bit ago and make sure he's doing it right, and he's doing just fine without my help.  It's an old garage, but at least we will return it to a state a bit better than it was before it tried to come along with us camping.  I'm thinking it's looking better already.

In a few days I'll get to see this little mermaid, granddaughter Ellie.  We'll be spending some time together up in the mountains at our new lodge.

Grandchildren are awesome, aren't they?

Way more exciting than an old garage, any day.

Yes, I'm One of Those People...

.....and the vacation is nearly over.

Are you one of those people?  I'm one of those people who brings along home those neat little bathroom accessories on the counters in hotel bathrooms.

Last May the husband/lover/best friend and I traveled to Jamaica and had a lovely week there at a fancy Sandals resort.  In our suite, there on the vanity counter was a collection of Red Lane Spa bottles - shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, etc. contained in a little Red Lane purse type bag.  I noticed that many of the ladies would use those bags to carry along with them their cameras, hankies, lipstick, etc. on the resort.

Now I don't bring home just any bathroom things - I only bring home the fancier ones from any nicer-than-usual hotels we stay in.  So the Red Lane items came home with me.  It's just not every day I go to Jamaica.

Every weekend I use them, reminding me of the sights and smells of the tropical paradise we stayed in. And now, sadly, the vacation is almost over, as you can see here:

And yes, I did have my very first real massage at the Red Lane Spa there in the Sandals resort of Negril, Jamaica.  It.  Was.  Heavenly.

Lobby of the Negril Red Lane Spa

Here's another set I brought home with me last year from a brief stay in the Landoll's Mohican Castle in Ohio.  

Our unique castle suite was a lovely place to stay for a night or two, and I'd highly recommend it if you are looking for a romantic kind of place to take your sweetheart.  The bathrooms at this castle were ultra luxurious, even having heated Italian marble floors.

I have no excuse why I collect these little souvenirs.  I wasn't raised in the depression era, and I have enough money to buy perfectly good shampoo and other necessities here at home.  I just feel as if I am extending my vacation a tiny bit by bringing these little things home with me.

Are you one of those people?  I'm sure there's a support group for this type of behavior.  

I just hope it's located somewhere in Jamaica.

The Curse of Boredom

Today I drove.   A lot.  Well, a lot for me, anyway.  Seven hours of driving to get to daughter Sarah's home in northwestern Ohio.  I'll be here for roughly two weeks if all goes well, helping Sarah and her husband Lance while she recovers from surgery.  The surgery will happen early Tuesday morning.

I'm one of those people who get bored very easily.  I don't know what that says about my brain, but there it is.  I just tend to get bored quickly.  And facing a seven hour drive allbymyself, boredom is a very real and likely possibility.

The first hour went by fairly quickly, without my looking at the clock very often.  I was listening to my local radio station airing a talk show in which listeners called and reported on the worst Christmas presents they had ever received.  Some of them were just beyond belief.  I may have to do a future blog post so you can all have the laughs I had during that first hour of driving.

I traveled the majority of the trip westward through Pennsylvania on route 80, then continued most of the way through Ohio also staying on the same road.  Because much of the road has trees along both sides of the roads, boredom plagued me.

Sometimes I wonder what other travelers do to keep themselves from suffering from boredom.  Feel free to write and give me some suggestions.  I will have to make the trip home in several weeks, you know.

Oh yes, I had prepared for this drive.  I had snacks and drinks right there next to me on the seat.  Including candy.  The first CD of a book on tape was in the player.  And it was even a Christmas story.  And furthermore, I had my coffee in the cup holder, my cell phone in my pocket, and my camera out of the case,  just in case there was something picture-worthy.

However, here's the reality.  This is mostly what I looked at for the seven hours:

I devised little rituals to amuse myself, to look forward to.  Every hour on the hour I fed myself a peppermint candy.  Then on each half hour I ate three swedish fish.  I figured that would cause the time to fly, but in reality, the peppermint took about 1 1/2 minutes, and the swedish fish took maybe 12 seconds each = 36 seconds.  So I still had about 58 other minutes in every hour to fill.

For one of the hours things got relatively "exciting."  I passed by each of three jumbo jet wings.  Then I stopped at a rest stop.  When I returned to the road, I had the amusement of catching up to them and driving by each of the three wings again.  Not what you generally see on the road.

I decided to count how many deer hunters in orange hunting clothing I drove by.  I don't know about Ohio's hunting seasons, but Pennsylvania deer hunters are at the tail end of the first of two weeks of deer season.  I saw a total of 17 orange guys.  Not as many as I would have thought for a sunny Saturday morning in an area heavily laden with male hunting testosterone.

Those triple unit tractor trailer trucks amaze me.  I decided to count them, too.  I logged 5 Fed-Ex triples, 2 UPS triples, and 1 of another line that I hadn't seen before.  I know, I'm lame, but I was trying to keep my mind engaged and my driving safe.

And finally, I found myself looking forward to rest stops, whether I needed them or not.  They were mileposts to me, more so than the passing hours.  I tried even to find amusement at the stops, and here's a weird thing I saw at my last stop.  I suppose it's not bad enough when birds poop all over your car naturally.  Now people pay good money to purchase a vehicle decal that resembles poop from some gargantuan bird.

Well anyway, the hours crawled by and would you believe, merely 20 minutes from my destination I was held up by a long cargo train.  I listened to three entire Christmas songs before the railroad barricades lifted after the long train.

 The good news is that in spite of my BATTLE WITH BOREDOM,  seven hours and 400 miles later, I arrived at my daughter's home safe and sound.  For that I am thankful.

My Up Close and In-Depth Interview With An Amish Lady.....

.....that hasn't happened yet.  But I hope it will, sometime in my lifetime.  Because, you see, I have questions.  And I have a feeling the answers to my questions are not to be found in any of the Amish novels and booklets found in most bookstores and newsstands.

We recently returned home from our good old fashioned road trip loop through Ohio.  A good part of our journey took us through the heart of the Amish settlements of Ohio, specifically those along route 39.  The last day of our trip involved a seven hour drive to get home, leaving me with plenty of time for my mind to roam and think of stuff.  That can be dangerous.  I have a vivid imagination.

I thought of the wonderful accommodations we had throughout our trip - excellent hotels, a luxury cabin, and even a night in a castle.  I recalled some of the many good restaurants we ate at, and the scrumptious meals at some of them.  I felt grateful for the chance to visit numerous museums and sites of interest, and to see and learn new things.

But then I got thinking about the Amish folks we saw along the way, and I admitted to myself that there is still so much about the people themselves that I do not know, and without actually sitting and interviewing an Amish lady, I may never know.

Here then are some of the get-to-the-heart-of-the-matter questions that if given a chance, I would be dying to ask:

1.  I know it is because of your religion, but are you comfortable when wearing those dark, fully-covering outfits, even in very hot temperatures?  I sweat just imagining wearing stuff like that in the summer.

2.  Do you ever get stuck by the pins you use to keep your clothing fastened around you?

3.  Do you sew special dresses that allow you to easily nurse your babies?

4.  Why do so many of your kind have such terrible body odor?  Do you not believe in using deodorant?  Here's a formula I have considered:
   
                 polyester + no deodorant = much stink ----------> grosses people out

5.  Or, do you not believe in taking daily baths or showers?  How often do you take a bath or shower?

6.  Are those white net hat thingies itchy around your ears and neck?  And why do some of them have ties hanging down when you have no intention of tying them together?  Maybe they are decorative.  No, wait, decorating oneself is against your beliefs, right?

7.  I notice that many Amish women develop balding along their center hair part.  Why don't you part your hair on the side for a while and try to fix that?

8.  Some of the ladies' hands look pretty rough from all the hard work.  Do you ever wish you could get a manicure?

9.  If you had a bad back, would you be interested in or allowed to go to a spa and get a massage?

10.  Why do you keep all your hair hidden up in your cap?

11.  Does your husband become a wild animal at night when you let your hair down?

12.  And what's under all those skirts anyway?  Would an Amish woman wear lacy, racy undergarments?  Or maybe even a thong?  To please her husband, of course.

13.  If you were honest with yourself, do you ever just wish for a day when you could sleep as late as you wanted, then eat bon-bons and watch stupid television if you had it all day till it's time to go bed again?

14.  Are you turned on by that old man look of your husband's grown out scraggly beard?

15.  Do your children get worms from running around in the gardens and fields barefoot?

Let me just say for the record and for my faithful blog readers that I am not trying to be disrespectful or find fault with the Amish people, I just really wonder about many of these things, and I have wondered for most of my life about some of the questions I've raised.

Whether or not I ever get enlightenment on these issues, let me conclude here by saying it was a great trip!

Postcards From Ohio - Modern "Technology" at an Amish Bakery

Route 39 is in the dead center of the many Amish settlements in Ohio.  Driving through this area one sees lush, rolling farms, overflowing flower gardens, and colorful Amish clothing strung out on wash lines to dry.  A driver must be patient and cautious, as a horse and buggy may be ahead, and a horse pulling a wagon full of children may be behind.  Things just seem to go at a much slower pace, and that's not a bad thing.  Lots of serenity all around.

On this day we were taking a scenic drive out into the country, with the goal of stopping at Miller's Bakery, an Amish bakery.  We found the little shop, did some nosing around, and selected a few goodies for purchase.

However, what intrigued me more than all the bulk foods, canned chow chows, and homemade pies and cookies, were the various bits of "modern" technology and simple inventions I found throughout this small shop.

The Amish folks do not use power from the public electric grid, because they believe that too much reliance on public power ties them too closely to worldly things and worldly thinking.  They generate their power in various other ways.  Many Amish light and heat their homes and businesses with gas.  This little shop was using gas to light as needed.

Notice also the "sunlight" in the ceiling.

These Amish folks were also making use of solar power.  They had several Solatube daylighting systems installed in the shop's ceiling.  At a glance it looks like a light, but there is no electricity involved.  Here's a look at this form of lighting from the outside:

Many Amish just use ingenuity to create what they need.  Here is a doorbell, which was quite loud.  Nobody was gonna sneak into that shop without being detected, and in fact, if you weren't careful, you'd get knocked out by the contraption.

The bar that is fastened on the door slams into the hanging bell and scares the bejesus out of you.

Some Amish still use wind power for uses like pumping water out of a well.  We saw many windmills scattered throughout the area.

And a few surprises on the way back into town at this farm:

Is this a horse or a zebra?

A goat on the roof?  Why not!

I try to imagine what it must be like to be an Amish person and to do things and live the way they do.

One of these days I hope to interview an Amish woman and ask her the questions that are REALLY on my mind.  Will it ever happen?  Not on this trip....