Internet issues, Chappell Hill, work

With the internet down at the house, it is at least good to be able to through emails at work; although, there is little time during the typical workday to really go through emails with any attention to detail. I hope to get the situation at home resolved this week and if not to get out of the service we now have and explore other options. To date there have been precious few good options available to us. I consider the internet like cell phones. We used to do quite well without either but it seems almost impossible to do without either now. I am not sure how that happened, but it is the reality of our current state. I wonder what life would be like without the conveniences of being connected by the World Wide Web, but it is difficult to imagine going back to that. I just wish it was not such a struggle to stay connected – or so costly. For now, being disconnected is problematic - for me, at least; not so much for Mama or Victoria. They do most of their internet work by cell phone. I will spend a few minutes after church tonight to catch up on the items I need to take care of – hopefully. If not, we will have to come up with more creative solutions to get my internet work done; maybe Wendy’s – Mama does not like McDonalds.

Martha will be closing on the house in Chappell Hill Thursday. It will be a tremendous relief to her to have that responsibility placed on someone else. She has had the full responsibility of keeping up with the maintenance, lawncare and bill paying for a couple years now and I know she is worn out. It is certain that Dad will not be returning to the house and it is also certain that none of the siblings have any desire to purchase the house, so getting it into the hands of some other interested party is the best outcome for all parties. I do not know the buyers, nor do I care to. However, I do hope they appreciate the care and work that was put into the house. It was a labor of love for Mom and Dad and it has been a destination for all the kids and grandkids for many years. It will be missed, but it is no longer the home it was without it’s principle residents. It is a sad chapter in the life of my parents; necessary, but sad. Like the parents we have lost or are in the process of losing, we will no longer have access to the house that was their home for many years. It has been a long, emotional goodbye. 

I was told this morning that my move to the Education Department will happen January 2^nd. I knew there was something happening in the background but I did not know the move was that eminent. I am pleased – and a bit overwhelmed. There are some projects that will overlap from my current role into my new role but I am looking forward to the change. I do have the expectation that there will not be as steep a learning curve for me in the new role, but I am not setting that as an expectation. We will take it as it comes. There is, according to my new boss, some paperwork to get finished to establish my new role but that too will come in proper time. Also, per my new boss, my plate is already full. 

So, I had better prepared to hit the ground running.

Visiting Dad - a long day, frustrations

Cori, Mama and I drove to Brenham yesterday to see my Dad. It was an emotional trip for Cori and Mama. We left about 8 am and drove pretty much straight through. We did have to stop at Shipley’s in Waco for us to get some kolaches and doughnuts. It had been a very long time since Cori had their kolaches - which do not compare with any others I have had. We got to the nursing home just as Dad was eating lunch. It was almost more than the two women could take to see Dad struggling to chew and swallow the small bites of pureed food he was being fed. I took over for the nurse and finished feeding him until he signaled he had had enough. He could still get the cup of juice up to is mouth to drink by himself but he had to use his left hand to hold the cup and his right hand - drawn tightly into a fist - to tip the cup forward enough to drink. Both Cori and Mama tried their best not to cry but did not make it. I was glad it was just three of us. It was not a memory I would have wanted my grandchildren to have of their great-grandfather. The nurse explained that the food is now being pureed because Dad is having a lot of trouble swallowing. He was getting choked on solid food and some of the things he was eating were making him sick. Hence the change. From where he was only a month ago to where he is now, the change is overwhelming - for the worse. We prayed with him and headed out after about an hour.

When we left Dad in the care of the home we headed to meet Martha in Chappell Hill. She needed us to pick up a grandfather clock from the house that is up for sale. It is among the last of any items yet remaining in the house. So just for nostalgia sake, I walked thought the house. When I got to the front room where Mama and I usually stayed I was surprised to have a squirrel run past me. It continued to the back of the house where Mama screamed so loudly that the squirrel decided he was better off taking his chances with me. I have never heard a squirrel scream before but I was pretty sure that was what I heard after Mama’s bellowing scream. Martha tried to get it out of the house but finally settled on trapping the squirrel in the fireplace behind the glass doors. Mama felt bad for the poor dear thing because it was sort of crying behind the glass. Martha, on the other hand, would be happy if it did not survive.

We headed out from Chappell Hill after we had loaded the grandfather clock. It is not mine to keep. Mama and I are keeping it for our nephew who is in the army right now and may be for the next four to eight years. If and when he gets out the clock will be with us for him to collect. We are not planning to move but only the Lord knows how set we are for that timeframe. At any rate, we may be more stable than our nephew. We made several stops on the way home and finally got to the farm about 8 pm. It was a long, emotionally taxing day.

Today I tried to do a diagnostic on the internet service at the house but I was met with one frustration after another. I bought a USB to Ethernet adapter so I could hook the computer directly to the modem. It did not work immediately but it did come with a program CD. So to use the CD, I plugged in an external DVD/CD player I had recently bought so I could run the program to install the Ethernet connection but the computer did recognize the DVD player and the disk is still stuck in the player because I cannot find any controls to tell it to spit it out. I will have to take it to work to see if one of the IT guys can get the player to eject the disk. When I get it back I can return the ethernet adapter and get my money back. So in summary, the internet is still broken, my computer will not even recognize the DVD player I bought to use with it, the DVD player still will not eject the disk, and I want to return the ethernet adapter but cannot do that until I have the disk back.

And it only took me about four to get that far behind.

Day off activities

After a leisurely morning and an equally leisurely breakfast we headed to the FortWorth Stockyards.; that is, after a brief stop at Walmart to cash a check and another stop at Starbucks to fortify those in the entourage who were having a hard time staying awake. The weather was nearly perfect. It was cool enough to need a jacket but not so much so that it was uncomfortable. For having the grandchildren out on a winter day in north Texas it was about as perfect as it gets. For my first day off, it was great.

We got to the Stockyards just before the morning cattle drive. We would not have known we were about to miss the event if we had not been in one of the curio shops and a couple men in character dress told us that they were rounding up the cattle at that very minute. We hurried out and found a crowd ready for the photo op. The kids enjoyed being that close to the longhorns as the very tame, very large, very  elderly herd slowly ambled past. One of the rovers with the parade of longhorns stopped near me as I was holding Savanna so she could feel the horses soft nose. The horse must have known his part in the encounter because he stretched out his neck to nuzzle my arm as I held Savanna. The baby loved it. The horse loved it. The cowboy loved it. It was a special moment.

After the cattle drive we frequented a few stores and made our way down to the virtual shooting range in the very back of the plaza. We have not tried the virtual shooting but we have talked about it. I thought Nate and Chase would be interested and I was right. After Nate talked at length with the guy at the register he and Chase had heard enough to get us on the schedule. We had Chase, Makaila, Nate, Cori, Grant, Blake and me. We did not want to do anything too graphic for the boys so I took them and we did a Balloon Safari Hunt for several rounds and then the Bottle Shooting for several rounds. We only paid for ten minutes but I know we were in there for over twenty minutes. It was a slow day for the guy at the counter. The boys and I had a lot of fun. The other four shooters had a ball even though they complained about the sights being off on the Ar’s they were using.  Mostly Chase and Nate were a little put out because Makaila won ever competition round; their lasers were off, you know. 

After eating lunch we headed back home by way of a nearby mall so we could go to Build a Bear to get a gift for Victoria. Of course, when you have Mama in charge of the buying you cannot leave the store with only one item. So, in light of that truth, we ended up buying each of the grandkids a stuffed animal as well as the one we bought for Victoria. It was quite a production stuffing, bathing, naming and adopting the four new additions to our collection as though we needed any more stuffed animals. Everyone was very happy with the purchases.

When we got home, we let the kids open the presents from Chase and Makaila because they are not going to be able to stay through Christmas and Chase really wanted to see the kids reaction to the gifts. For each Mykenzie, Grand and Blake, Chase and Makaila had bought a Kindle Fire tablet. Each tablet had been loaded with games, movies and books for the kids to play, to watch and to read as they travel. For the sanity of the parents each child was also supplied with a very nice pair of earphones. With mommy and daddy’s permission, they went right into the tablets to explore what was there. For the baby, they bought a four foot stuffed bear. Savanna loved it. We could tell because she spent the next half hour flopping the huge bear around as she collapsed into it.

By the way, Brittany had us call her last night so we could video chat while Mama and I opened her gift to us. It was  small ornament that was inscribed with the words, “Baby Kim will be arriving soon.” A fun way to announce her pregnancy. Now that’s a Christmas present.

Full house, little mishaps, time off

Chase and Makaila came in last night. They got to the house before Mama and I got home. She had to make a trip to Decatur to take our little Chinese children to the church for a play practice for the Master’s Club Program tonight. Since Mama does not like to drive at night and since we have not gotten to spend a lot of time together, I drove her to and from. The girls were very excited about the play. The older one is going to be the angel Gabriel, the little one is going to be a shepherdess. Both were very clear about the fact that that they could not talk during the play. It made me wonder how much that had been reinforced during the practice. However many times it was communicated, they were both adamant about their silence being a part of the performance; they jabbered about it non-stop all the way home. I cannot wait to see how it turns out tonight. By the way, we have invited the parents to the performance. Hopefully they can make arrangements to come. We have been praying for them and any little open door is a gift. 

Our canine count increased by two when Chase and Makaila arrived. They have two of the puppies from Kira’s first litter – and Prince, one of the two, is huge. The two dogs seemed to know where they were as soon as they were loosed in the back yard. The real surprise is that Kobe did not have the slightest problem with them arriving, in fact she seemed overjoyed to have the company. The four larger dogs played with each other like they were all old friends; which was a surprise to Mama. A good surprise, but a surprise none-the-less. She had anticipated a stronger, more protective reaction from Kobe, who is our least socialized dog. The whole Amarillo Kline clan will be staying until Friday afternoon or evening; maybe Saturday. Kobe should be worn out by then.

Last time Cori and Nate stayed with us Blake was the recipient of a couple little mishaps – a cut to his face and something else minor that I cannot remember. This time the mishaps seem to be focused on Savana. Last week she fell while she was out in the yard with Victoria – helping her attend to the chickens. Victoria saw her get up and begin dusting her hands off and thought nothing of it. When she began crying like she was hurt Victoria went to attend to her and discovered she had fallen into a little bed of fire ants – her hands were covered with ants. Now we are doctoring the bites they left behind. Well, last night, while Nate was feeding her the tray on the booster seat we are using as a highchair broke loose and she slipped between the chair and the table ending up with a large bruise on her right cheek. She was unhurt otherwise. It was just alarming to see her fall and not be able to do anything to help until it was over. Since they will be here for another week we will need to be extremely vigilant. The challenge is that she is so busy it takes all the adults in the house to direct her away from the dangers we can see. We all laugh about it as we race to catch her moment by moment.

When I get off this afternoon, I will be off for the next six days. I am looking forward to it.

Cori and Nate, life changes

I forgot to mention that Cori and Nate jumped in to help us on the cantata. The choir was very encouraged by that. Cori and Nate have been in a church for several years that has a great choir, a choir director that is a very accomplished director and a great choir program. It is one of the things they miss most as they travel for deputation. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to have dedicated choir members; so few churches do. We are small and there is little musical training within the group but there is a heart for that ministry and there is a willingness to learn anything I can teach them; which is precious little, but I am learning as I go. I remember when Mama and I left New Jersey and the choir we had there, I missed that more than anything else. The church we attended in Amarillo had a choir but it was a challenge to sing with that choir – made more disheartening by the memories of the choir in New Jersey. They too had heart, but it was nothing like what we had left behind. But they loved the Lord and they loved to sing. We adapted then and we are have adapted now, but still feel the loss. Isn’t Heaven going to be great – especially when it comes to being in a choir. Until then God has promised to bless every effort we make to praise Him.

With the cantata done there is a little lighter load as far as church duties are concerned but with Christmas now upon us Mama and I still have a lot on our plate. Chase and Makaila are supposed to be here tonight so they can spend some holiday time with us before that make their requisite Christmas appearance at Makaila’s parents’ house. It troubles Mama a little (a mothering issue) but it is really a small matter. Things have a way of changing over the years as we all navigate the issues of life and sooner or later life will take Chase and Makaila away from Amarillo as they both grow. My larger issue is their casual faith, but that too is a matter that life will bring to bear as God continues to work in their hearts. It may be that they will have to be away from Amarillo for that to happen, but only the Lord knows. I am glad they find some time for us. They, too, have busy lives. 

I remember years ago, when Mama and I lived in Texas it was hard to get to West Virginia. When we lived in West Virginia it was hard to get to Texas. But through it all both sets of grandparents helped us work things out the best we could and we all found ways to make the best of it. Life has changed since those early years; a lot – and it will change for our children also. Cori and Nate and the kids will be in Honduras. Maggie and Aaron could be anywhere in the US. Brittany and Andrew could be stationed anywhere in the world. No telling where Becky, Joshua or Victoria will end up. That will largely depend on who they marry; when they marry. I intend to make the best of every change so we can enjoy it with them.

Nate and Cori have continued to take care of a lot of little things around the house; hanging coat racks, moving and consolidating stored items, clearing my tropical plants out of the house and garage into the heated well house, changing the seating at the bar in our kitchen, etc. Mama has been very pleased with all the updates. They have been timely and tasteful – and they have taken care of a lot of little honey dos for me. I will still have to make a few changes when they are on the road again, but I am enjoying the help – and the company. Some of the items were things Mama had suggested but until we rearranged the furniture and eliminated several pieces there was no need for the updates. 

Now that they are done – and extra items removed from the home – I am ready to do even more…someday.

The cantata, hurting, Dad

Cantata practice on Saturday afternoon went well enough for us to understand and practice how we were to be positioned for each song during the play. It was pretty rough on the singing side of the practice because we had a fill-in pianist who was pretty much sight reading the music. It was a generous act on her part to do the best she could and it was deeply appreciated but it left everyone with a bit of apprehension. We made it through the entire dress rehearsal and it did give us an additional chance to sing the songs so it worked out well enough. It was the practice on Sunday afternoon that pulled it all together. The pianist who was to play for the performance, who is not from our church and a last-minute option, is very an accomplished musician. She is the daughter of a one of the members of the church who happened to be coming to her parents’ home for Christmas. The family has been in contact with her for several days prepping her to play for us; however, Sunday afternoon was the first time she had actually played through the music. With her help, we went through the songs several times, practiced getting to and from our positions on the stage and nailed down all the passages that had given us trouble. It was an enormous relief to me – and to the choir members. The performance that night was perhaps the best our choir has ever done. It was a great encouragement to all of them and it was fun to pull something off so well considering the setbacks we had ploughed through leading up to the performance.

Very few knew I was hurting so badly that it was difficult for me to focus. My diverticulitis had kicked in Friday night and by Sunday morning I was in a lot of pain. I hoped it did not show too much through the morning service but by the time we dismissed I was ready to lay down. So, when we got home I went straight to bed. Mama asked me to help her start dinner but I begged off and went to bed. With that she knew how badly I was hurting. The rest helped enough to get me through the afternoon and evening. That afternoon and into the evening I struggled through both the practice and the performance – then through a late-night snack at Wendy’s. By the time we got home again, I was ready for bed. I have found that if I get enough Ibuprofen, Aleve or Bayer Back and Body in me I can deal with the residual pain but it can still be intense. It seems to be abating, but I still will not eat anything solid for the next several days to give my aching colon a proper rest. Hopefully, this will pass without a doctor’s visit. I had warning that this was coming because I told Mama several weeks ago, I felt like my body was telling me to quit eating but I failed to follow through on that insight. Maybe I will be more prone to follow that unction next time. 

Martha called Sunday morning to tell me that the Nursing Home called her to ask permission to take Dad to the hospital because his blood sugar was high. She had discussed it with Danny earlier and the three of us agreed that that was not a good choice based on his medical directives. Later, on Sunday, she texted the siblings to let us all know that Dad was being moved to Hospice care. That should be happening today. For those who do not know, Hospice is called in to serve patients who will soon die. In the several times I have seen Hospice in action I have been thoroughly impressed with both the level of care they provide and the tremendous respect they give to their patients – none of whom survive. That field of service must be a calling rather than a vocation. Dad will soon be home.

It was an emotional weekend.

Calls, play practice, gift exchange

When someone told me yesterday that the fifty phone calls I would be making today was not too bad a load of calls, I did not believe them. However, having made the majority of those calls this morning, I found out that they were right. I did realize they were speaking from experience but I did not know if theirs was a jaundiced view based on the fact that they were not making any of the calls themselves. I will have to give them more credit next time they speak from experience. But I will still reserve judgement on a case by case basis. Ronald Reagan said to trust but verify. That is a good approach to life in general as we share it with those who we do not necessarily know well. After all, the majority of those calls went to voicemail; typical. The good part was that someone had taken the time to write a script for us to use for those calls, going to the trouble to write a separate script for a voicemail or a conversation should a real, live person answer the call. I will have to find out who to thank for that.

Choir and play practice went very well last night. We managed to nail down a couple passages in a song that were troubling us and we learned how we are being positioned during the portions of the play. It was the first time we have been through all the songs we are going to sing in the same practice, so we needed the time together with a pianist accomplished enough to help us through. The only unfortunate part of the whole process is that the lady that played the piano for the practice will not be available for practice on Saturday or to play for the performance on Sunday evening. Our far-out expectation is that the women we are hoping to play for the actual performance will be arriving by plane Sunday afternoon, hurrying from the airport to the church and sitting down for the first time that afternoon to run through the program with us. I am confident that it will all work out, but I am just a teeny bit concerned. When the Lord is involved, things seem to work out, just maybe a little differently than planned. 

Tonight is our Sunday School party at church. It is one of the church functions that I do not get excited about because we always do a “Chinese Christmas” gift exchange. At work, they called it a “Grinch Christmas”. I feel like that is a bit more appropriately named. It is too much of a competition at times – even at church. After all, we are only people; save people, but still just people. Fortunately, I have only seen hurt feelings expressed one time and considering the source, I did not weight it too heavily. We do have some participants that are brought in from a nursing home who are regulars at church and their presents are very simple, very inexpensive. But they are the best they can afford. Those gifts do not get traded out in the “exchange” of gifts. Last year the person in question got stuck with the six pack of grape soda one of our nursing home participants had brought. The gift they brought had been much better and they were somewhat offended but we kept it between us – I think. Cori, Nate and Mama are all looking forward to it; along with the Mexican themed potluck dinner that goes along with the gathering. Mama is always more interested in the dessert table than the food table; but what’s new.

The weather is expected to turn very cold on Saturday night – temperatures in the mid-teens. The cold snap is expected to last through Tuesday. That should be fun.