It's 2013 and I'm Going on 93!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I haven't made any updates to my blog for a while, but now you're really gonna get it!

Kris, my granddaughters, and I moved into winter without any trouble.  I don't like the cold, and Kris insists that I don't make trips to the mailbox when there's any possibility of ice on the sidewalk and driveway -- it slopes down to the road -- but otherwise we are getting along just great.

I was very happy when the NFL season got underway, and here we are -- ready for the playoffs.  I really was disappointed that Tim Tebow didn't get to play much at all for NY Jets, but I'm sure I'm not the only one saying that.  I just hope he gets traded to another team that can use him.  I still think he will make a pretty good NFL quarterback.  He made magic in Denver.  If I could have had my wish on that, he would have stayed in Denver and played under Peyton Manning and learned all he could from him for 2-3 years.  Then when Peyton retires, Tim could have had the team.  That sure worked out in Green Bay, with Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers.  Oh well!

Of course, here in the Hoosier state, we were happy for the Colts this season.  Going from a "luckless," awful year in 2011, to a 11-5 record with Andrew Luck and a few other rookies, has been fun to watch.  Now the playoffs will get our juices flowing...rooting for the Colts and the Broncos...and Kris is also rooting for RGIII and the Redskins.

Kris is also delighted that IU Basketball is BACK!!!  She had no idea they were the pre-season #1 team, but she was right about that being a hard thing to maintain.  Not that she doesn't think they are talented -- far from it!!! -- but #1?  We have been able to see several of the IU games, and when IU finally got beat for the first time of the season in mid-December, she said that she was glad it was by Butler.  Kris's favorite IU player is a junior named Victor Oladipo.  She calls him "my boy"!  He sure is something to watch!  We're looking forward to the start of the Big 10 season and then March Madness.

Late summer and fall is the busiest time for Kris at the dance studio -- getting over 350 students' dance schedules finalized, registering new students, getting tuition notices sent out to everyone, and just dealing with the "back to school" chaos.  The girls had the opportunity in mid-October to dance in a local competition featuring the Abby Lee Dance Studio team, and that was a BIG DEAL for them.  The show "Dance Moms," on the LifeTime network, is based on the ALDS.  The competition was filmed for Season 3, which gets started tonight.  The episode filmed in Fort Wayne will be shown on January 8th.  There's not much of a chance you will see Adrian or Katie, because the show is just about the Abby Lee girls, but they might show up in a quick shot here or there or something backstage.  If they do show up on TV, don't blink or you will miss it.

An Indiana fall is always beautiful.  You don't get much of that change of color in Florida.  But in early November, on a cold, gray day, Kris drove me to a wind farm area about 20 minutes from her house, just inside the Ohio state border.  That morning, it was very windy.  Indiana was experiencing the last hurrah of Hurricane Sandy, and Kris -- just out of the blue -- said "Let's go for a ride!"  I had no idea where we were going!  But for months, she had been telling me about how taken she was by the sight of acres and acres of the huge wind turbines.

Hard to see me here, but...

Here's a little bit closer...

Yep...it's me!

I have to admit I was amazed at how big the turbine blades were.  But I was even more amazed at Kris driving down a gravel road marked "ABSOLUTELY NO TRESPASSING" to get close to the turbines so she could take good pictures.  I was sure we were going to get arrested.  Kris was not the least bit worried about it.  She asked me if I had even seen one car after we turned off the state road heading into Ohio and driving on the farm roads.  We both knew the answer was "No."  I guess she was right not to worry.  Nobody had to come and post bail for us!

Later that month, we enjoyed Thanksgiving together. Kris tried out the self-timer on her new camera, and I think the picture turned out great!

Turkey and all the fixin's. We had much to be thankful for.

That evening the girls were ready to put up the Christmas tree and start decorating the living room.  Because they had come to Florida for Winter Break for the past several years, this was a long-awaited treat for them.  I pitched in to help "fluff" the tree branches, then went to bed.  The girls stayed up to put the tree together and put the lights and ornaments on.  When I got up the next morning, the tree was certainly a beautiful thing to behold.  Here is a picture of the tree on Christmas morning.

Who's guarding the Christmas gifts?
Look closely on the left side!

I nearly cried because of all the gifts I got for Christmas.  I said I never had so many Christmas gifts at one time -- two flannel shirts, new tennis shoes, a winter cap (Kris calls it my Elmer Fudd cap), a box of chocolates, and some IU gear (a long-sleeved t-shirt, coffee mug, and blanket). 

A perfect Christmas picture!

Adrian decided she didn't want turkey again for Christmas dinner.  She has that Laughlin stubborness about her.  She insisted on ham, so that's what Kris made.

Next came my birthday on December 30th.  92!!!  After my illness and hospitalization back in May, I had serious doubts that I would even make it to 92.  Now, after moving to Indiana, surrounded by my girls and guard dogs -- and all the love they all give me -- I feel great and am looking forward to many more birthdays! 

Adrian made my cake and Kris made my meal-of-choice: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.  Here are some pictures:

92 years young!

What's wrong with this picture?

You're as young as you feel!

BeiBei and Butch party down.

Then last night, we had fun bringing in the New Year.  Adrian wanted to have a hot-wing challenge, so she and Kris went to a place called Buffalo Wild Wings, and got several variety of wings, including their hottest one called BLAZIN'.  I was a little worried about what I was getting into, but decided to go for it! The blazin' wings boxes said "Experience the THRILL and AGONY of the HEAT!"

All smiles before the blazin' wings challenge.

Katie was the first one out.  Kris was a close second.

Not certain what Adrian was saying here,
but those wings SHHUURRE were hot!

Whew! 
They were hot, but I think I won the challenge.
Adrian would be the first to argue about that,
but I genuinely liked the blazin' wings better
than all the other flavors that we had.

Next, it was time for Poker.  That was something we did every day when Kris and the girls came to Florida each winter.  But for whatever reason -- maybe there's just so much other stuff going on here -- we hadn't played until my birthday.

That's my Poker Change bowl that Kris made for me a few years ago.

Katie wins an early round.

Butch helps me strategize...

...and IT WORKED!!! 
He's hauling in the pot,
and has he got a POKER FACE or what?!

Determined to win the next round,
Adrian gets some betting tips from BeiBei.

As we waited for the ball to come down in Times Square, Adrian and Katie made celebration hats -- something they've done for several years on New Year's Eve -- and we opened the sparkling grape juice.  It definitely was a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Getting ready for 2013.

It's midnight!

It's great being their Granddad!

So now it's 2013, and I'm going on 93!  I'll make a New Year's Resolution to make more frequent blog posts, but always check FaceBook, too, if you go there.  Kris seems to post things there more often. 

Please be sure to keep in touch!  I enjoy hearing from you!

Bonsai!!!

When Kris and my granddaughters visited Lomie and me over Christmas break in December, 2010, Kris and I tried to make a bonsai tree.  We looked around several places trying to find a shrub to trim up, but didn't have any luck.  Must be a Florida thing.  Kris ended up buying a very small Norfolk Pine at Walgreen's that was (poorly) decorated as a Christmas tree, and she said we'd try that.

We pruned and fussed on it, but it didn't look too much like a traditional bonsai.  Kris said they generally have three primary branches.  That Norfolk Pine just had it's main trunk and radiating branches...no forks.

I kept it in my bedroom and it grew, but just into a normal little Norfolk Pine.  I loved it though, and it moved up here to Indiana with me.  It got a bit sunburned in the back seat of the Cadillac during our drive, so I had to carve a little more off of it...and Kris and I think it looks more like a bonsai now than before!

But Kris was determined that I have a "real" bonsai, so she found a Bird's Nest Spruce shrub last weekend at Lowe's.

Before.

She began whacking and whacking at it -- admitting that it hurt her to cut off so much of the living plant, but such is the bonsai way.  As she trimmed, she quickly saw its primary trunk and two other strong branches.  I held the pot and cleaned up all the clippings.

After.

This was what it looked like when Kris got done trimming.  The next day, we took it outside and Kris and I pulled off almost all the soil and she cut off most of the roots, so we could plant it in a very shallow, clay bonsai pot.  First she ran a wire around the base of the trunk to secure it through the bottom of the pot, then we poured in some bonsai base gravel -- it almost looks like sand, but it is much coarser.  On top we added small bonsai pebbles.  And it was done!

BONSAI!!!

And just like I did before, with my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, also known as the Norfolk Pine bonsai, I am tending to it like a new baby -- making sure it has plenty of water every day and feeding it plant food.  Such radical surgery is very rough on a wee shrub, so careful attention for the next few weeks is critical.

I keep it on the railing of the back deck on the north side of Kris's house.  It is shady, and I like to go out and sit in the swing several times a day.  I have no doubt that can pamper it.  I've been saving rain water and Kris had some evergreen plant food, so it is seems to taking the transformation very well.

I'll keep you posted when we get a new project started!

Home Alone

Kris, Adrian, and Katie got back yesterday afternoon a little after 5:00 from their week at the Hall of Fame National Dance Competition, which was held at the Pheasant Run Resort, just outside of Chicago.  It's nice to have them home again!

Katie and Adrian in front of the media screen.

Katie and Adrian in front of the stage-right graphic.

I am glad I decided to stay here.  Kris and I had talked a week before they left, and we both agreed I was strong enough to stay here by myself if that's what I preferred.  And I did.  Kris had made several meals and froze them for my dinner each day, and I made my own breakfasts and mocha's. 

I enjoyed the peace and quiet, but I admit I missed having the girls here.  My guard dogs were great company, though, and kept me safe. 

Kris said the studio did really well at Nationals...collecting a good number of high awards and placing 4 dances in the final day's "World Series Showdown."  But Kris came back with a stiff back from sitting on banquet chairs for the better part of five days and said it was good I didn't try to go...that I would have been uncomfortable sitting there, even for a short time, plus going back and forth to the competition site and the hotel several times each day.

Katie got a High Gold award for her Lyrical solo, and one of her group dances (Jazz) made it to the showdown on Friday night. Adrian didn't do a solo, but her group dances did very well, too, getting recognized as the best Tap group of the senior (15-17 y.o.) dancers. 

Kris bought a CD with photos of Katie's solo, so I'll put a few on here.  She sure is a natural performer.  Kris said she completed (and nailed!) one move that nobody else at the competition even attempted.  It is a needle (see photo below), followed by a somersault with no hands.  Maybe a dozen girls did the somersault with their hands on the floor to support them as they fall into the somersault, but Katie was the ONLY one there to do it without hand support!  Kris said she got wild applause from the audience.  The best part was that she had always practiced the move WITH hands, but it had been her goal to do it without.  And when she came out to the auditorium after performing, Kris asked her when she decided to try it, and she said "Right then!  I just decided to go for it."  And she did it perfectly!

Katie's final move...a needle, followed by a somersault with no hand support.

As much as I enjoyed my week here last week, I missed Kris making breakfast for me.  She asked me yesterday what I wanted today for breakfast, and I said sausage gravy and biscuits.  Oh boy...it was mmmmmm mmmmmm good!

Stormy Weather

It's been suggested that I make a blog post once a week, so here's this week's update.

Fort Wayne got a BIG storm (but little rain!!!) on Friday afternoon.  Kris and I decided to wait for the storm outside on the back deck swing because Kris said, "I forgot what rain looks like.  You want to go out with me and see the rain when it comes down?"

So we sat and talked for about 5-10 minutes, and Kris kept checking the NOAA Radar on her iPhone to see how close the storm was getting.  We could see it was getting dark to the west, but didn't think too much about it.  Adrian and Katie were kind of worried because a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for Allen County, but we were not the least bit concerned.  Kris said she almost felt like the weather people were just "crying wolf," because of the severe drought that Indiana has been under all month.

Well, the wolf came charging at us.  One second it was dark and eerily quiet, then -- quick as you could blink -- high winds hit and nearly bent the young trees flat.  Kris has mostly mature oaks and walnut trees in her back yard, and we could see branches starting to fly.  I said, "Let's get the hell back in the house!"  So I got up off the swing, and the wind about carried me away.  Kris got up after me, and she said my eyes were as big as golf balls!  I think hers were, too.  We were both pretty scared and agreed it was the strongest wind either of us had experienced.  All those years in Florida and the threat of hurricanes, and I never saw anything like this!

The next 15 minutes, the wind was fierce.  We could hear branches hitting the roof, and rain was blowing straight west-to-east as it was coming down.  When the storm passed, Kris went outside to inspect things from the front yard, and there were branches and leaves all over, but no damage.

Throughout the greater Fort Wayne area, though, there was lots of damage.  Kris and I took the girls to Crazy Pinz to meet some friends and bowl around 5:00, and we saw some tree damage on our drive there. We dropped them off and drove back home, and we heard on the 6:00 news that a 91 mph wind gust was measured at Fort Wayne International Airport, and that over 118,000 people in the county were without power.  

Downed trees in Fort Wayne

Estimates are that power won't be fully restored until at least Wednesday...as I write this, there are still over 66,000 people without power, and that it will be months before the damage is all cleaned up.

So we sure were lucky not to be hit hard here.  Adrian and Katie have lots of branches to pick up, but it's good for them to have chores.

The girls have their "nationals" dance competition starting next Monday, the 9th, in Chicago.  It goes all week, through Friday, the 13th.  Kris had planned on taking me with her, since when I first got here I was too weak to look after myself, but she came into my room this morning and said, "I have something to ask you, and I want you to think about it for a few days before you give me your answer.  Do you want to go with us to Chicago next week, or do you want to stay here?"  I said, "I don't need to think about it for a few days. I want to stay here!" 

She wouldn't have given me the option if I was the least bit uncertain or lacking strength, but I told her I felt better than I have in 4 months, and she certainly agreed that she thought I was capable of being alone for 6 days.  She's going to prepare some more ready-to-go meals like she did for me over Christmas when they visited me in Florida, so all I'll have to do is pop them in the microwave for my dinner.  I want to make my own breakfasts though.  And there will be plenty of Ensure for the evening.

Another reason Kris thought I'd be OK here alone is that she bought me a cell phone on Monday.  It's one of those Consumer Cellular "simple" phones with big buttons.  There's no contract, and it's just $10/month.  It's made just for nonagenarians like me who don't want internet or text messaging or all that other mess on a phone.  Best of all, it has Kris' phone number programmed as my "emergency number," so all I have to do is click a button fast 3 times on the back of the phone if I want to call her for anything, and there's a lanyard, so I can wear it around my neck.  I have strict orders to wear the phone when I'm out on my daily walks and when Kris is gone on errands or working.

Kris is going to call me around 8:00 every night, and I will e-mail her every day.  And Kerry Ohlwine, Kris's friend who drove to pick us up when our tire blew on the way back from Florida, is staying in town while the dance competition is going on because he's the head groundskeeper at a local golf course and has to work.  His wife, Staci, and his mom are taking their daughter, Katelyn, to Chicago for the dance competition.  Kerry has my phone number, and his number is on my "names" list on my phone now, so he'll be checking in with me and vice versa, too.

If you would like my new cell phone number, just let me know and I will send it to you.

That's about all the exciting news for this week.  Oh, I've gained another pound, so that's 23 so far. And in case you think I'll be lonely while Kris and the girls are in Chicago, think again!  I'll have my two puppy dog best buddies to keep me entertained and watch out for me.

They are 1/2-Chihuahua, 1/2-Pekingese -- Butch and BeiBei.  They are brother and sister and look just alike, but they're from different litters.  BeiBei is 4 and Butch is 3.  It is hard to tell them apart, and sometimes -- I swear -- I think they have ESP, because their behavior is nearly identical, too. 

Guard Dogs -- Butch (left) and BeiBei (right)

Butch (left) and BeiBei (right)

I didn't think I'd like having dogs and cats around when I came here, but these 2 dogs are about the best-natured dogs I've ever seen.  But...ha!!! They get upset when Adrian tries to take them off my lap.  I get a kick out of that!

Living with Kristina

I have told you that I am now living with my daughter, Lola Kristina, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She and her two daughters, Adrian (who will be 15 on July 3rd) and Kate (who is 13 1/2), are taking very good care of me.  Since I got here on May 27th, I have let 2 notches out on my belt and rest with the snap on my shorts undone.  As I mentioned in my first post after arriving in Indiana, when I was admitted to the hospital, I only weighed 115 pounds.  I weighed today for the time since I've been here, and I can't believe it -- I weigh 137 pounds!!!  Every morning with breakfast, I have two cups of hot mocha, and with dinner I have a cup of hot chai.  Heck, I didn't even know what either one of those drinks were before I moved here!  Now I can't imagine having meals without them!

1021 Perry Woods Cove, Fort Wayne, Indiana -- My new home!

I wanted Kris to tell you a little bit about our day-to-day life here and how I'm fitting in, so she agreed to help me with this blog post.

Kris moved to Fort Wayne in September, 2002, to accept a VP/Marketing position at a bank that was relocating its corporate offices here.  Her housing addition is on the far northwest side of Fort Wayne, in an area that is the city's fastest growing area.  A new hospital was just completed in March about 3 miles from her house...Parkview Regional Medical Center.  It is right off I-69, and when being built, was the United States' largest hospital construction at the time.  It has 9 stories and over 450 beds.  I never want to see one of those beds, but thought it was a good indication that the area where we live is thriving.

After 2 1/2 years at the bank, Kris lost her job, and the timing was just awful...two year's into George W. Bush's second (disastrous) term.  She said it was a very shocking, stressful, and humbling experience -- always being recruited to take a new position -- 12 years at her first bank in Bloomington, 12 years at her next bank in Muncie, then getting sweet-talked into coming to this job in Fort Wayne, only to have the rug pulled out after just getting settled in.

But as the old saying goes, "When one door closes another door will open."  Kris's two daughters had started dancing at a nearby studio -- Steppin' Out Studio of Dance, which is about 2 minutes from her house -- in the fall of 2004 when it first opened. A year after losing her job, she contacted the owner, Beth Berry, and told her she needed to cut back on the number of dance classes the girls were taking for the 2006-07 dance year.  Beth's husband called Kris back and said, "You are not going to pull those girls out of any classes.  We'll work something out."
 

Steppin' Out Studio of Dance

Kris started helping out the office manager, Ashlie, on some registration work.  She immediately noticed how nearly everything was done by hand.  So she began computerizing things.  With the exception of the accounts payable (monthly dance tuition) information, everything else was done with a pencil, paper, and a calculator.  Putting together class schedules, figuring up monthly tuition, sending information about the dance schedules, costume invoices, and all other correspondence...it took tons of paper and endless rolls of stamps.  Kris bartered the girls' tuition that dance season by putting all relevant information on Microsoft Excel for quick invoicing and reports, plus set up e-mail contacts for all the parents and other tasks Beth needed help with.

Within a year, Kris became a paid employee, taking over the office manager position full-time, so Ashlie could begin teaching dance classes at the studio.  Earlier that summer, owner Beth Berry decided to move to Los Angeles with her youngest daughter, Adrienne.  Beth's older daughter, Rachel, was in her senior year there at Chapman University.  She was majoring in film production and broadcast journalism, and during a visit to see Rachel, Adrienne was encouraged by one of Rachel's professors to talk with some talent agents to see about becoming an actor!  She was signed within weeks and, among other shows, has been on Disney (Hannah Montana), Nickelodeon (Victorious), and Fox (Glee). She's also done commercials, music videos, and magazine and catalog modeling.  Before they left for California, Beth told Kris she wouldn't be able to go if she couldn't leave the studio in Kris's good hands.  Beth and Adrienne still live in L.A., but Beth comes back to Fort Wayne 3-4 times each year to make sure everything is going smoothly and to supervise the June recital.

Kris has enjoyed getting to know the other dance parents and seeing the students grow in their love of dance and all that comes with it...poise, confidence, and building friendships.  Her business and marketing background comes in very handy.  Recognizing that an important business development strategy is ongoing information-sharing with the dance parents, she started a monthly newsletter, redesigned and expanded the studio's website, and set up a facebook page.

Two receptionists now work the front office, and Kris has moved to an office on the far-end of the building, so she has the privacy to focus on the business-end of things, handling all the financial operations and pretty-much everything else that's part of the dance studio business that isn't teaching dance.  There are currently 9 teachers, the 2 receptionists, and Kris.

Kris's Office (pictures of her girls each year they have danced,
a small flat-screen TV, and refrigerator for cold drinks)

Kris's Office (desk)

Kris's Office (credenza and Chinese scroll)

Beth, of course, is very much involved from California -- with ongoing phone/e-mail/texting with staff and parents, assigning students to classes, ordering costumes, and overseeing the recital responsibilities.  The studio has almost 400 students, and in only 8 years of operation, is Fort Wayne's largest dance studio.

Before I got here, Kris said it wasn't unusual for her to go to the office around 7:30 in the morning if the girls wanted to be driven to school instead of riding the bus, breaking around 2:00 for lunch, then working until dance classes were finished around 9:30 at night. Working weekends was part of the mix, too, especially when the girls were off doing things with their friends.  As a result, though, Kris's house showed the lack of attention.  When we were driving to Indiana, she told me that she knew I would be disappointed that the house was a mess, but that I would be her inspiration and motivation to get things back in order.  I told her that my military background was helpful to instill the discipline to keep things neat and tidy, and that she just needed to "have a system."  So we've been making progress, day-by-day.  Although Kris doesn't want me to, I've been helping straighten things up, too.  I told her that cleaning is just as good for me as taking a walk, so she quit fussing about it.

As luck would have it, I got here just when school was over for the year, and summer dance activities are somewhat more limited, so Kris has had time to stay with me most of the day, then take the girls to dance Tuesday-Thursday from 5:00-9:00. The studio's recital was the weekend after we got to Indiana.  Kris and the girls had hoped I could go, but I was still much too weak.  If it was held now, I feel sure I would be strong enough to go.

Adrian's Tap (class of 5)

Katie's Lyrical Solo

Adrian had been making breakfast for me most days, but she has had P.E. summer school the past two weeks from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.  She has one more week of that.  So Kris has made breakfast for me, and our main meal is at about 3:00 p.m.  We watch some cable news, alternating between Fox and MSNBC, sitting on the back deck porch swing and talking, doing household chores, picking up Adrian from Carroll High School after P.E., and running other errands. Kris is keeping me busy, I'm continuing to walk every day, and I am very happy to be resuming my blog and re-connecting with friends and family through e-mail. 

This is the living room of Kris's house.  Before she lost her job at the bank, she began collecting antique Chinese furniture, and now each room has 2-3 pieces. Each room also has Chinese paintings or antique scrolls.

And here I am at my computer which is on top of Katie's Chinese desk.  The antique oak bed that Kris had stored in the garage is very comfortable, and with flannel sheets and a comforter, I'm plenty warm, even though the girls like having the AC on.  I just keep the vent off in my room and keep the door closed most of the time.

When Kris and the girls are gone, I usually am in here.  I have a large flat-screen TV to watch and my computer to tinker on, so I'm pretty-well set!

Best Father's Day EVER!

 Father's Day 2012

After all I've been through the past month, I have to say that this would definitely have to be the Best Father's Day EVER!  I know for sure that the decision to move back to Indiana with Kris was the right one.

Fort Wayne is really starting to feel like home now, and I'm feeling stronger every day.  Today "my girls" got me a wonderful Father's Day card and made dinner.  Kris asked me what I wanted, and I said meatloaf.  The rest was a surprise.  They made mashed potatoes and gravy, stir-fried green beans, and a fruit salad with 8 different fruits -- pineapple, peaches, oranges, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, red raspberries, and bananas.  Now I'm stuffed.

Here's what my Father's Day card said:

A good man leaves everyone he meets feeling
a little better than they did before.
He's a pleasure to be around,

an inspiration in good times and bad,

a gift for all seasons.

The things you've done

and the truly good man you are

make you someone very special.

Have a Happy Father's Day!

I did!  Here are some more pictures from today, taken by Kris's friend, Staci Ohlwine.  She and her husband, Kerry, stopped by after church.  They are the friends who rescued us from I-69 south of Fort Wayne after we had our 2nd flat tire of the day.