June 18, 2007
To Cowden: Family visit
Monday June 18th
We wake early, Patrick goes to MacDonald's for coffee. At 7, Marty and Sarah are up, we have a light breakfast. Thomas & Matthew get up and we say goodbye. We stop 2 hours later for a bigger "first American" breakfast at Cracker Barrel.
It's noon when we arrive in Cowden. Rachel's mom is looking good at almost age 94. Her lunch is delivered about 12:30, that doesn't look so good. Later in the afternoon, Patrick runs to Effingham to grocery shop and brings back Tacos from Taco Bell!! Oh so good, mom even ate one!! Amazing how fast food suddenly tastes good. Or is it just the familiar?
She goes to bed early these days about 7-7:30pm. She undresses and Rachel gives her a backrub. We go downstairs and watch TV for awhile and Rachel touches base with Cheryl Stigers, friends since High School. We go to bed early.
Tuesday June 19th
Up real early about 5:30am. We fix a small breakfast then walk to town to get "real" coffee at the gas station. Mom's up at 8 with Nancy coming in to help her still even though we are here. Nancy checks on mom daily, picks up her mail, helps with laundry and baths.
Most of the day we sit on the couch and watch CNN with mom. The afternoon, Patrick goes to Shelbyville and picks up a Monical's Pizza, an Italian with hamburger, green olives and peppers. Mom eats a couple of pieces too. After mom goes to bed, we walk over to Jim & Cheryl's. Cheryl fixes popcorn in a kettle from Rural King. We don't stay late, we still fall asleep early and get up early. Time change adjustments.
Wednesday June 20th
Up early, Patrick works on sorting gear, Rachel works with the tomato plants mom has planted. We send the first box of unneeded gear home, 30# and 25USD.
We watch TV with mom, Patrick is going through books he ordered from Holland and delivered here: Alaska Milepost, map of British Columbia, cycling Alaska; Rachel accepts St Luke's work offer to return to same job as OR Educator.
After mom goes to bed with another backrub, we walk to Jim & Cheryl's to visit and use their internet to check email.
Thursday June 21st
Same same in the morning. We have breakfast at the Cafe, and Rachel is told by Sherri, that Lorene and Carl Roadarmel wants to see Rachel to give her some Christmas bells. The bells are in an old box, 14 bells with one missing. She said that is the bell Rachel wanted as a little girl and she had given it to me, Lorene wanted me to have the others.
After mom eats her lunch we go to Jim & Cheryl's. Jim drives us to Shelbyville, they go to Macarie for a refrigerator, then we all go for ice cream at the Dairy Queen. Shocking how much a price increase!!. We shop at Walmart, Rachel gets a belt for her blue jeans and another shirt. On the way back to their house, we stop to check on mom, she is tired from getting her hair done this morning.
We have dinner with Jim & Cheryl, BBQ Brats and fried onions and potatoes, corn on the cob. We all then piled into the front seat of Jim's truck and took a ride to the Lorton family farm. Jim farms the land for us. We see deer as it disappeared into the corn with only glimpses as the deer barely leaps above the corn. We drop by the old grade school that now has an archery range in the old study hall.
We still get tired early and don't visit long.
Friday June 22nd
Patrick gets coffee from downtown. We watch TV with mom. Patrick continues research for the next week. We've heard from the warmshowers host in Anchorage and will have a ride from the airport and place to stay.
Last night there is a good mid-west summer thunderstorm that rattles the windows. The farmers needed the rain. There is lots of rolling thunder and crack of lightening. At 6pm we pick up Jim & Cheryl to go eat at the Ponderosa in Effingham....good old American mid-west buffet. We then wander through Menard's before going back to Cowden. Tomorrow we go over for one last dinner with them.
Saturday June 23rd
Another thunderstorm through the night. Last day here in Cowden. Each time a visit ends, Rachel wonders if this will be the last one to see mom. We don't talk much, it's difficult with mom's hearing loss, it's just nice to sit with her.
At lunchtime, we drive to Shelbyville to pick up another Monical's pizza and from Country Market a chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Mom written in purple. Mom will be 95 on June 30th. We share the pizza with mom, and Patrick brings the cake with one lit tall skinny candle and we sing Happy Birthday. The cake is tasty.
The afternoon, more rain. Mom goes to bed about 7pm, We have on more visit with Jim & Cheryl and have dinner of BBQ hamburgers. Cheryl shows Rachel a pearl necklace Clarissa had given her. Rachel had offered a piece of jewelry of mom's to Cheryl and will drop it off tomorrow.
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