A slower, albeit not less busy week

Sunday, 15 July 2018

This was a week of transition.  Miranda and children stayed until Wednesday morning so life around the house was not dull.  While Dan was still here on Monday the whole family, and Sandy (yes!), went to Cranfield Beach to play in the water.  That was a refreshing break for them since the temperatures have been in the 90s most of the week. While they were having fun in the sun, I was busy at the rent house. Dan invited the sister missionaries in the afternoon for some preparation day activities. 

 

 And Rachel is too cute not to add this photo of her:

Tuesday I installed vinyl planking in the kitchen.  At least I was inside with air conditioning.  Because I rented a floor roller (100 pound roller), I needed to complete this job in one day so as not to incur additional rental charges.  And this house is 15 miles away, so once I leave town, I don't come home until the job is done.

Then on Wednesday, when Miranda and children drove off to visit Kera and family, I was busy sanding the hard wood floors of two bedrooms, hall and living room, approximately 700 square feet.  Another long day.  These floors had previously been sanded by someone less adapt at this procedure than I, as attested to by the number of 'divots' in the floor.  Because it is a drum roller (about an 8 inch diameter), if you hesitate or bounce the drum, it will leave roller marks in the floor which require more sanding to remove. And the sander weights more than 100 pounds!  And yes, I do add a few divots of my own.  I managed to get the two bedrooms and hall mostly done in one day, but the living room has proven to be a real challenge.

Sanding floors is a multi step process, starting with 20 grit sand paper to remove the layers of whatever the floor was coated with. Then switch to 40, and 60, then 80, and finally 100 grit.  That is a lot of walking slowly back and forth.  And if you didn't get it cleaned off with the 20 grit, chances are good it will still be there at the end of the day; so it is important to do a thorough job first. The living room had an amazing number of divots, which may be why they stained that floor, which is why it has been difficult to sand. The wood absorbed the stain differently, so as I sanded it the first couple of times, there were these color variations across the floor that were hideous and unacceptable; more so since it is the first room one sees walking into the house. So I came home.

This is the before picture of the living room.



This is what it looked like after day one of sanding.


I was back on Thursday and finished the last sanding in the the bedrooms.  I also rented an 'edger' to do the edges since the drum sander gets to about 6 inches of the edges.  The edger is a 6 inch orbital sander that takes off if you don't have both hands on it.  But it does a great job along the baseboard. I had stalled doing the living room until last, so by late afternoon I attacked it again with 20 grit paper and had some success.  Another late evening, but one more day should make this a nice looking floor.

This is one of the bedroom floors, mostly finished.

Friday, Sandy and I drove to St Louis to attend the temple.  A young man from our ward received his mission call (to the same mission his cousin was called to a year ago) and was going to the temple for his first time on Saturday.  We thought it too much for Sandy to drive up and back all on the same day, so we made a two day event of it.  She even drove 45 minutes so I could catch a cat nap.  We did a session and then went to Five Guys for dinner.  I know, a rather romantic play to eat while in St Louis.  But, Sandy ate an entire hamburger and her share of their great fries. One of the workers in the temple has a large home near the temple and has offered their guest room for out of towners needing a place to stay.  So we connected with him and stayed in their home.  He is an eye doctor (retinal surgery and such) who I believe attended Harvard Medical School and is in the  process of retiring since President Eyring called him to serve as the next temple president starting in November.

The next morning I observed that there were four generations of the Maple family in attendance as Jordan (Rhymer) received his endowment. Following the session, we visited briefly and then headed home. 

Add to the list of things I did not know:  there is a Costco only a few miles from the temple, and on our way home.  So we left them a small inheritance as we traveled homeward.  We had planned an Aldi stop in West Plains and they got what Costco didn't.  But we should be stocked up for the return of Deborah's family on Monday, and Rebecca's on Wednesday. This is especially important since Rebecca has at least a dozen pies to make by Saturday afternoon.  We are hosting the second annual birthday pie-day celebration at our house then.

At the end of this week, Sandy is better than at the beginning; that doesn't mean she didn't have some dips in the middle though.  She has been walking daily, went to the beach on Monday, attended the temple and today the scale indicated a higher weight than she has seen in weeks. Your prayers, calls, notes are appreciated. 

The Great Fox Adventure continues

The beat goes on in the Fox household.  With her family reunited for a couple of days, Rebecca continued to cook yummy meals and prepare for the family drive to Utah, with a stopover in Tulsa to visit with Miranda's family.  They left on Tuesday and the house was empty, ...and very quiet, for two days.  Thursday Adam flew into Springfield and Kristy picked him up and they drove here.  Andy, Kera and three of their children, along with Miriam, David and Emily (MO Foxes) - they had been staying there for a few days - drove over in time for dinner.  Then on Friday Miranda and her family joined us.  Is this a gathering of Mormon Mommies  or family coming to visit?

We had 18 sleeping and eating at the house; no one complained about sleeping on the floor and there was plenty of food (thank you to all the great cooks!). The children kept busy reading, playing games, chasing chickens, doing chores for Grandpa and having fun.

The adults enjoyed, well, they enjoyed just being together and talking. Of course there was the usual game playing and food preparing.  You can't play 5 Crowns without 7 layer dip!  And under an expert's direction, Emily made two batches of tasty brownies.  With this family, there is never a lack of good food to eat.

I was able to spend the beginning part of the week working at the rent house; got the tub surround tiled. Now ready to install bead board and a new vanity.  The end is in sight.

Meanwhile, Adam's tenant moved out and there was a two to three day window to get it turned around for a new renter.  Since Adam was here, I had him help me do a couple of hours of work.  Some of the shingles had blown off, and we spent an hour on a 6/12 pitch roof replacing them; that is a little out of my comfort zone.

Too soon the fun ended, as Andy's family left for home after Saturday sothing about preferring to drive a two lane windy, steep and crooked road in the daylight. Kristy and her three left right after sacrament meeting to get Adam to Springfield to catch his flight home. 

Miranda and family will leave on Tuesday and we will be alone for a week.  Hope we can survive.

More photos of our time together.

Mom continues to gradually improve. She has actually shown a small weight gain, but that is better than the daily lose she was experiencing.  Her energy level has increased - it had to in order to keep up with all the children. 

Fox revolving door continues

Sunday 1 July 2018

We began another month with a beautiful Sunday in the lovely Ozarks.  As usual, we had an exciting week.

Miranda, with her 4 young ones, drove over on Monday to join Rebecca and her 3 youngest for the week.  Miranda left on Friday and Andy with Matthew and Katie plus Jonathan's David drove up late that night.  Then about noon on Saturday, Dan White with Joshua and Marian arrived from Okinawa.  And Andy and crew left after dinner.  So for now we only have Rebecca's family staying with us.  It is a little confusing knowing who is coming next and what bedroom they are staying in. Some of this week's visitors with Sandy.

While Miranda was here, there was a lot of fun, games, giggling and activities during the week.  The children went to the library and came home with a pile of books; they got to the beach at Cranfield and had a great time playing in the water and staying cool.  We have had 90+ degree weather all week, and the humidity has been high too.

I have been busy working at the rent house, spending 4-5 hours a day there and coming home to take care of chores.  I was able to get part of the tub surround tiled on Friday, so there is progress being made.  Miranda and Rebecca showed up on Friday with all the children, so I put them to work.  There were a bunch of odds and ends in the basement that needed to be brought up stairs; their many helpful hands got that task done in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to make many trips up and down stairs.

Rebecca and I broke away one day this week to watch the new Jurassic World movie.  I enjoyed it, although the animals did reek  a lot of vengeance on the humans (the ones that were not treating them very nicely).

Saturday morning was the annual Red, White and Blue Festival at the local college; this was their 19th year.  The local police department sponsors a 5k run as part of the activities.  This was my 4th year to participate in the run.  Rebecca ran as well as did Katie and Matthew (which is why they drove up the night before). Matthew took off to run with the faster runners and came in 10th overall; Katie had a great sprinting finish and was 2nd in her age group; Rebecca was 2nd in her age group.  They lumped all the over age 60 into one group; as I ran by the lead police office, I shouted that I had worked hard for those extra 10 years and should not be relegated to the over 60 crowd. When awards were handed out, he did acknowledge my request.; and since I was the only over 70 male, I got the first place award. It was extremely humid and I was wringing sweat out of my running shirt.

Sandy and I attended the fireworks display at the college last night.  We left at 7pm to get good seats and read books until it was dark enough at 930 for the 17 minute fireworks display.

About 10 years ago when Rebecca's family was here, Johsua wanted a tree house.  That is how the tree house and zip line came to life in the side yard.  This year Riley wanted a pirate ship.  Rebecca researched on line and found free plans for what appears to be a cute ship.  So this past week we have been busy in the Fox shipyard constructing a pirate ship.  It should be completed this week, but I see it growing with yearly modifications as the family continues to visit over the years. Here were some of our 'helpers':

About the time that Rebecca's family arrived, we had 5 chicks hatch; they are still alive and growing. But the mom has become an attack hen if you get too close to them. Like violent!

We have another busy and exciting week ahead.  Rebecca's family will drive west, Adam will fly out, Kristy will drive him here, Andy's family will be here, and possibly Miranda's family as well.  We almost need a full time maid to keep the bed sheets clean!  But it has been wonderful having so many family members visit us the past couple of months.  We have a great family! Sandy continues to show positive signs of improvement, although she does have an off day with less energy.

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Independence Day!

Monday 25 June 2018 edition

Monday 25 June 2018

Dear Family,

This is your Monday letter because everyone else sends out their letters on Sunday…and since Tom is doing this, it gets done when he can get to it.

We started out last week in Laguna Woods.  I got in a Monday morning run in the cool SoCal air and enjoyed the weather and the beautiful surroundings of the Village; they do a marvelous job of landscaping the area so beautifully. 

Then we went over to GGs to spend time. Sally was able to drive down and spend time with us during the afternoon.  I enjoy Sandy’s family; even though I am mostly on the fringes, they always have interesting conversations and fun things to do.  We packed that evening.

Tuesday morning Cynthia and Jim drove us to John Wayne airport to start our journey home.  Sandy had requested wheelchair assistance just in case she needed it and asked for a companion to sit with her, Delta originally had us sitting apart.  The counter and gate personnel were more than helpful in getting us sitting together and boarded early.  I felt pampered.  Flights and connections went smoothly and Deborah was waiting for us at Northwest Regional Airport.  We spent the night in a motel and then visited with Deborah and family before heading home.  Since Deborah was picking up Rebecca and her three youngest daughters in Springfield and driving them to our house, we took Christopher and Samantha with us so there would be room in her car to accommodate Rebecca’s family. Deborah arrive shortly after we did and stayed for a short visit before taking her children home.

Sandy did amazing well on the entire trip.  Leg swelling reduced, physical stamina improved.  How could it not, being around her family! Each day she showed some small sign of improvement.

I spent time working on the rent house on Thursday and Friday.  Rebecca resumed her normal duties preparing wonderful meals for us.  She has researched foods that would be beneficial for Sandy’s health and we have had some tasty meals.

Saturday morning was the scout fundraiser 5k run.  Both Rebecca and I ran.  There were only about 25 participants (because this is a scout fund raiser, the scouts are involved with setting up and conducting the event and are not able to run with the rest of us.  So, they run after the event is over).  I was surprised with my time of under 31 minutes.  And I did not hurt tooooo much afterwards!

Sunday we had some great talks in church about staying close to the Spirit, ministering and procrastination.  In the evening I gave the eulogy at a memorial service for a man from our ward.

Sandy has continued to improve, mostly. Her feet and legs are back to normal, no swelling, Stomach has reduced size. The only downside is she is still gradually losing weight.  Hopefully with Rebecca here, she will reverse that trend.

Love,

Sandy and Tom

Life after a 'weak' in the hospital

Happy Birthday to Callie (8th)  and Rebecca  (9th) and a Happy Anniversary to Jonathan and Kristy (9th).

This has been a great week of improvement for Sandy.  She is eating more 'real' food; even had a slice of a chocolate pie Rebecca had previously made and put in the freezer; she is up and moving around more, to include walking outside; she is sleeping better in bed each night; there is more light in her eyes.  Our friend the massage therapist has been coming regularly to massage Sandy's feet; on her Friday visit, she exclaimed:  'you have knees!".  The swelling had decrease significantly over the week so that the legs were not nearly so swollen. (another tender mercy).

Hospice sent a physical therapist on Wednesday and taught Sandy some strengthening and balancing exercises to practice.  They seem to be helping as well.

Today, Sandy went to an early morning Tia Chia class at Lake Norfolk where she was on her feet for 40 minutes and then came home and attended all three hours of church.

We continue to be optimistic that she is recovering.  This week we fly out to CA to visit her Mom and Siblings.  Should be a great time with family!

I was grateful for the assistance of Andy and family, especially on the rent house. Kera helped select tile and grout colors for the bath and kitchen.  Andy helped get all the cabinets installed.

 Cabinet installation with countertops and sink; a work still in progress.

Katie was helpful painting the living room.

Aaron was a little timid taking the sledge hammer to the bathtub, but he quickly got over that fear when he saw how determined the 325 pound cast iron tub was.

There is a nice color hardwood floor under the carpet; unfortunately, there are paint splatters around the edges which I am hoping will wash off.  Otherwise, the floor will need to be sanded and polyurethaned.😖

And here are the stay at home helpers that weeded and kept Grandma happy.

The revolving families have been a great  blessing this week.  Kera left on Tuesday and Deborah arrived later in the day, after sending Ian off to Utah and Sarah to girl's camp.  She had to leave Saturday morning to collect Sarah.  But Kristy, with Isabelle and David arrived in the evening and will stay until Tuesday.  It has been a fun adventure having different grandchildren in the home for a longer period of time.  Gives us an opportunity to enjoy their individual and unique personalities and discover just how amazing all of them are!

Gassville in the Park Festival

Last Saturday was the Gassville in the Park Festival; this a community of just over 2000 that hosts this annual event which includes a 5K, crafts and vendors, old car display, live music and food.  I have participated in the 5K since 2013 and this year invited some of Andy's children to join me. There were approximately 25 participants and when the awards were presented, Aaron (15) was the the first to cross the finish line at just under 21 minutes.  Matthew (11) tied for 3rd and was first in his age group.  Katie, who ran most of the race with me, finished in 29 minutes and was first in her age group.  And the beauty of age, I was first in the male over 59, because I was the only one in that bracket!  I had a very respectable time (I thought) of 30:13.  So a good time was had by all.

Next family run (I hope):  The Red, White, and Blue Festival hosted by the local college on 30 June with a run sponsored  by the local police department.  Rebecca, if you are here...

The Phoenix Rises

It has been noted that not much communications have emanated from this part of the country lately; so I am attempting to mitigate those circumstances.

First, some interesting highlights of the past two weeks:

Interesting writing on the tree house after family visited over Mother's Day weekend: 

I found this critter in the chicken coop one afternoon.  He was difficult to extract from the coop.  We still have all 10 chickens and he has not returned (that I know of).

I caught Zane harassing a small chipmunk in the backyard and distracted the cat long enough for the little critter to escape to this peach tree.  Zane went looking for the small guy, but was unsuccessful.  

And then he almost fell out of the tree.

We spent Memorial Day weekend with Jonathan's family in MO.  It was a quiet and peaceful time of relaxing.  One highlight was helping Isabelle practice parallel parking (she did pass her driving test and now has her license to drive!).  

On the way home from their house on Memorial Day, Sandy said she thought she needed to go to the ER in Mountain Home.  So, we came home long enough to empty the car, grab a go back for her and head to the hospital.  Amazingly enough, there was no waiting and she was assigned a room on what we later learned is the 'Wild West Wing'.  

When Sandy said she needed to go to the hospital, my first thought was to call Miranda with a distress signal.  Bless her heart, her whole family arrived less than 10 hours later and stayed for several days.  She even made almost a month's worth of freezer meals.

Many of her vital levels were low; she did not feel like eating a lot for various reasons and so was not receiving the nourishment she needed to sustain life.  IVs were connected to her port and she improved daily.  She also had fluid in the abdomen which they did not remove until Thursday.  Then, because it was very viscus, they wanted to culture it to learn what bacteria was lurching in the dark recesses of her abdomen.  The doctor did not want to release her without the proper medications to combat the bacteria. They did not get the results until Sunday morning.

On Friday noon, Andy's family arrived.  They were here to help me with the rental house I have been working on this month and to assist with Sandy's care.  It is marvelous to have such a loving family!!  Then Stef and Vic arrived in the evening.  Vic had a bowling tournament in Jonesboro and they stayed until Sunday evening.  It was great to enjoy their company!

I arrived early on Sunday to visit prior to church only to be met with:  I am being released and I am going to church!  A quick call home and Katie delivered a dress she could wear and we were off to church.  Because she was still weak, I used the wheelchair at church to assist in getting into the chapel; and we sat in the back in case she needed to use the bath room facilities (which she did).

She only stayed for sacrament meeting.  In the evening, the hospice house representative visited to indoctrinate us in the services they provide.

A church friend, former massage therapist turned RN, visited Sandy in the hospital and gave her a massage on Saturday.  She has stopped by the last two evenings after work to massage her feet and legs (due to edema). Today hospice delivered a wheelchair so she can get out and shop.

She rebooked her flight to SoCal to visit family and I will be joining her for that trip.

The children have been so supportive, organizing support visits for the next couple of weeks.  While Andy left this evening, Kera will stay until Tuesday afternoon when Deborah will arrive.  Kristy will relieve her on Saturday. We feel so loved and blessed!!

Thank you all for your prayers, calls and thoughts in our behalf.