Happy Oklahoma Fall!

A lot has happened since my last update.  Thank you for continuing to be interested in my experiences through this life’s adventure.

I am so sorry to tell you that on his 9^th birthday, October 13^th, my beloved cat Deacon finally succumbed to renal failure.  It was such a sad time watching him deteriorate.  Both Leonard and I - and my caregivers - miss him very much.  He was such a friendly cat with a great personality.  We think of him every time we open the door returning home from an outing.  We expect him to come running to greet us.

My sister Chris returned from her summer trip in September to find Mother in critical condition at the nursing home.  Mother was taken to the hospital and spent several days there getting re-hydrated, during which time Chris decided to buy property in Tahlequah and move Mother in with her.  Before this happened and while Mother was still in the nursing home, she was again sent to the emergency room for falling out of bed twice within 16 hours.  So following the second trip there, we permanently removed her from the nursing home.  She stayed here with me for 9 days while Chris closed on her house and was able to get Mother moved in.  I really enjoyed having Mother here and was glad that Janie was here to help out during that time.  Because of Chris’s diligence and her loving care, Mother’s recovery is simply amazing.  Every day we see improvements and see that our wonderful, funny, witty Mother is still with us.  Chris, we all are so indebted to you and don’t know how we can ever repay you for what you are doing for Mother.

A few days before all of this happened, I spent 3 wonderful days with my dear friends from Fremont, CA Kathi and Sue at “the cabin on the lake”.  This is the accessible cabin at Greenleaf State Park, less than an hour from Tahlequah where I stayed last Christmas with Ken and his family.  Janie was also here to help with my care.  The weather was beautiful and we spent hours eating, laughing, playing our favorite card game and Mexican Train.  We liked it so much we made reservations for “same time next year”.

The sidewalk in front of my house looks different!  I enjoy driving my power wheelchair to downtown Tahlequah to watch parades and events.  However, the intersections are not wheelchair accessible and I had to cross a very busy street from driveway to driveway and on a hill where cars couldn’t see me crossing.  In August Janie visited the Tahlequah Mayor, Jason Nichols, and discussed the problem with him.  Well, as he promised, the intersections between my house and downtown are now accessible and I can safely travel to events!  Janie and I went to the mayor’s office bearing cookies to personally thank him for his efforts.  Hope the weather is nice for the Christmas parade so I can try them all out!

Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are fast approaching and I continually give thanks for my life, my family and my friends.