Shelly
Friday, December 30, 2005
I just found an e-mail from Joe that we failed to post before:
"Our Mom was very fond her of Aunt Molly, who lived in Springfield, out north in the vicinity of Doling Park. Among other things, she had lots of flowers & they raised raspberries & sold some of the berries. When we lived on the farm, they gave us several plants, which we set out in the small field just east of our house on the farm. The soil was mostly clay & the raspberries did not do very good & very few survived.
She & Grandma Madden must have been sisters? After Grandma Madden died, I think? we all met at her house sometime after the funeral?
Does anyone recall if her married name was Miller? Seems like it may have been?
bro Joe
Happy New Year"
Rose and I once went to see Aunt Molly and Uncle ?. Uncle ? had had his gallstones removed and had them in a jar. Without telling me what they were, he placed them in my hand. When he then told me they were his stones, it didn't take me long "to look at that horsehoe." [For those who don't the old joke, it is about a city slicker who visits a blacksmith in the country. The cityslicker knows everything. At some point he picks up a hot horseshoe and immediately drops it. The blacksmith says, "So, hot is it?" To which the cityslicker responds, "No. It just doesn't take me long to look at a horseshoe."]
We have a house full of company now. Shirley's friends, Dena and two children, are here. Dena leaves for Chicago and the children, Layla and Jamil, will stay with us until Monday. We also have Brayden and Jalen who stayed when their Dad and Sherry had to return to Louisville yesterday. The four children play well together, and three Old Ladies are worn out, resting at every opportunity. Mark and Karen are going with us this afternoon to the City Museum which is a gigantic playground to children AND adults. We will report in later, if able.
"Our Mom was very fond her of Aunt Molly, who lived in Springfield, out north in the vicinity of Doling Park. Among other things, she had lots of flowers & they raised raspberries & sold some of the berries. When we lived on the farm, they gave us several plants, which we set out in the small field just east of our house on the farm. The soil was mostly clay & the raspberries did not do very good & very few survived.
She & Grandma Madden must have been sisters? After Grandma Madden died, I think? we all met at her house sometime after the funeral?
Does anyone recall if her married name was Miller? Seems like it may have been?
bro Joe
Happy New Year"
Rose and I once went to see Aunt Molly and Uncle ?. Uncle ? had had his gallstones removed and had them in a jar. Without telling me what they were, he placed them in my hand. When he then told me they were his stones, it didn't take me long "to look at that horsehoe." [For those who don't the old joke, it is about a city slicker who visits a blacksmith in the country. The cityslicker knows everything. At some point he picks up a hot horseshoe and immediately drops it. The blacksmith says, "So, hot is it?" To which the cityslicker responds, "No. It just doesn't take me long to look at a horseshoe."]
We have a house full of company now. Shirley's friends, Dena and two children, are here. Dena leaves for Chicago and the children, Layla and Jamil, will stay with us until Monday. We also have Brayden and Jalen who stayed when their Dad and Sherry had to return to Louisville yesterday. The four children play well together, and three Old Ladies are worn out, resting at every opportunity. Mark and Karen are going with us this afternoon to the City Museum which is a gigantic playground to children AND adults. We will report in later, if able.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
We had a perfect Christmas celebration last night at Chris and Shelly's. The two of them served a dinner fit for Kings and Queens. Chris said Shelly's goal in decorating for the holidays was that no matter where anyone cast an eye, he/she would see a reminder of Christmas. The two of them achieved the result. Their house is beautiful. We have many photos to post as time permits.
Joe sent us an interesting e-mail about family history:
Thanks to your most appreciated efforts some of the family tree is gradually coming into focus.
Grandma Madden's brother Ezra aka Unk, Ez & Uncle Ezra spent some time with them. He was crippled during a tornado when he was a little boy. Seems like a chimney fell on top of him? He may have alternated staying with our Grandparents & one or more of his siblings. I am almost sure he spent a lot of time with Mom's Aunt Molly (his sister?)
I can remember when Uncle Ezra passed away. I think he is buried in Robberson Prairie Cemetery, just North of the Springfield-Branson National Airport & west of hwy 13. Mom's Granddad Stone, (the one who she was watching when he was delirous & raised up in bed & said something like "Shoot dem rebels, shoot dem rebels" must be the same Granddad Stone, shown in the blog picture. He is also buried in Robberson Prairie Cemetery. David & I looked up his grave several years back & it has a Civil War Veteran tombstone.
Mentioned some time in past emails were Kate & Gib Stone, the ones that brought a lot of garden vegetables to Mom, when she had the store in Marshfield. He has been dead less than 5 yrs. They are both buried near Granddad, Grandma & Aunt Mit's graves in the Fordland Cemetery along with some other relatives. Previously I also mentioned Sean
Madden had contacted the caretaker at Fordland Cemetery re one of Mom's siblings, who died in infancy & is buried in an unmarked grave in the old part of the cemetery.
Also within the last couple of years, a Civil War Veteran named Stone & buried in the Cass
Chapel Cemetery just North of Fordland had his tombstone replaced with a Union tombstone,
or at least switched the side he was on. He apparently had the wrong tombstone. It made
the local media.
My to do list calls for me to take pictures of these various tombstones & forward, preferably
via email.
Bro Joe
================
We appreciate all input to family history. Joe reminds us that we want anyone connected with ANY ancestor to come to our family get-together in June. Chris and Shelly have volunteered to be primary hosts, but we will need tons of help from many to pull off this event. A feature that will make it really fine for all attending will be details, such as Joe provides, about our family history. We may simply end up printing off relevant posts from this Blog as our family history document. Perhaps one volunteer will step forth to do all gathering and editing of information?
Rose and I believe Aunt Virginia (Madden) has an old, old family Bible that has a lot of family history recorded in it.
More as we get clearer about details of the family celebration.
Joe sent us an interesting e-mail about family history:
Thanks to your most appreciated efforts some of the family tree is gradually coming into focus.
Grandma Madden's brother Ezra aka Unk, Ez & Uncle Ezra spent some time with them. He was crippled during a tornado when he was a little boy. Seems like a chimney fell on top of him? He may have alternated staying with our Grandparents & one or more of his siblings. I am almost sure he spent a lot of time with Mom's Aunt Molly (his sister?)
I can remember when Uncle Ezra passed away. I think he is buried in Robberson Prairie Cemetery, just North of the Springfield-Branson National Airport & west of hwy 13. Mom's Granddad Stone, (the one who she was watching when he was delirous & raised up in bed & said something like "Shoot dem rebels, shoot dem rebels" must be the same Granddad Stone, shown in the blog picture. He is also buried in Robberson Prairie Cemetery. David & I looked up his grave several years back & it has a Civil War Veteran tombstone.
Mentioned some time in past emails were Kate & Gib Stone, the ones that brought a lot of garden vegetables to Mom, when she had the store in Marshfield. He has been dead less than 5 yrs. They are both buried near Granddad, Grandma & Aunt Mit's graves in the Fordland Cemetery along with some other relatives. Previously I also mentioned Sean
Madden had contacted the caretaker at Fordland Cemetery re one of Mom's siblings, who died in infancy & is buried in an unmarked grave in the old part of the cemetery.
Also within the last couple of years, a Civil War Veteran named Stone & buried in the Cass
Chapel Cemetery just North of Fordland had his tombstone replaced with a Union tombstone,
or at least switched the side he was on. He apparently had the wrong tombstone. It made
the local media.
My to do list calls for me to take pictures of these various tombstones & forward, preferably
via email.
Bro Joe
================
We appreciate all input to family history. Joe reminds us that we want anyone connected with ANY ancestor to come to our family get-together in June. Chris and Shelly have volunteered to be primary hosts, but we will need tons of help from many to pull off this event. A feature that will make it really fine for all attending will be details, such as Joe provides, about our family history. We may simply end up printing off relevant posts from this Blog as our family history document. Perhaps one volunteer will step forth to do all gathering and editing of information?
Rose and I believe Aunt Virginia (Madden) has an old, old family Bible that has a lot of family history recorded in it.
More as we get clearer about details of the family celebration.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Another photo from the Spreitler-Boaz Archives. We think this is mother's mother's, Grandma Madden's (nee Stone) father. But who is Clarence Miller? From the age of Grandpa Stone, probably Clarence is his grandchild. Some of you siblings may know a lot more about these two people than either Rose or I. Fill us in, please.
We have more photos, but they take a while to upload, and we are still learning the technology.
Any information you Readers can add to this spattering of family history will make our 100th Birthday Celebration of Mother's birth all the richer.
Rose, Shirley, and I are fixin' to have a traditional Christmas Eve dinner with Margaret's lemon mirangue pie for dessert. Later Rose and Shirley are going off to church (Anglican, no less!) for midnight mass. I'm opting out because of the lateness of the hour.
Tomorrow Margaret and Norm are coming for brunch. In the evening Rose, Shirley, and I will go to Chris and Shelly's for dinner. All the Abbott Clan are gathering at the Abbotts' this evening, their traditional Christmas 'do.'
Our big family gathering will be Wednesday, again at Chris and Shelly's. Scott and Family will drive from Louisville that day. We will keep Jalen and Brayden for a few days.
I had a wonderful conversation with Pete and Janet this morning. Their holidays are full of family and travel. On Monday they will go to Boise to see Kelly and sons. They return to Quartzsite in early January.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR DEAR READERS. OR, IF YOU PREFER, HAPPY HOLIDAYS. [We think worrying about what to call Christmas is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.]
Friday, December 23, 2005
Joe retrieved an April '05 e-mail from Margaret ["Mag"] about Grandad Madden's sisters and forwarded it with his comments today:
[Mag entitled her email "the more I fish the bigger the fish"
"A portion of the message lists Denzil Sanford Madden, b. 1-22-1872 in Olney, IL d. 2-6-1942 in Hardy, AR. Denzil's brothers & sisters were Harve Madden, Springfield, MO. Neil Madden, Illinois, Christy (Madden) Woolridge, Thayer, MO., Lily (Madden) Angelos, Mattie (Madden) Sedalia, MO., Carrie (Madden) Springfield, MO., Goldie (Madden), Denver, Co., and Springfield, MO., Bell (Madden) no info given, Josephine, who died young."
"Sue found this photo of Irene Browning, 1837 Grant Street, Denver, CO." From a recent Blog.
Remember the old saying. "The waitresses must get their food free, they are all fat? I believe it must have been Lily Madden Angelos or her husband Nick? who said that when we took them to the bus station in Marshfield to catch the bus back home, after attending Granddad's funeral services?
The Irene Browning, l827 Grant Street, Denver, CO is not mentioned in the long email but it could be a daughter of Goldie (Madden)?
I will make a hard copy of this & keep it in my family tree folder.
Bro Joe]
--------------------------------------------
Rose and I were sorting through photos and kept finding ones of Nick Angelo, an intriguing name and an interesting face. Now we know, from Margaret and Joe, that he must have been our grandfather's brother-in-law. That would make him our great uncle. We'll post more of these old photos when we have time.
Rose remembers that when Grandad Madden was ill, shortly before he died, some unknown relatives visited. They prayed over him, and some prayed in an 'unknown tongue.' This was the explanation later to the awe-struck Catholic Rose who was astonished at the display. These relatives were probably some of Grandad's siblings or their offspring?
All this family history will add a great deal to our 100th birthday gathering next year. Someone more knowledgeable than we are will have to sort out this who's who of Madden/Felin/Lafoe/Stone lineage.
In other news, Donald called yesterday. He and Vita plan to spend the Christmas Holiday with their daughters and their families.
Shirley has been in her Christmas baking mode. She makes delicious goodies that are supposed to be fruit cakes. However, she makes them without the fruit and with lots of nuts and whiskey. We are left not knowing what to call them (everything we come up with sounds pretty awful) but enjoying it anyway.
I spent a good part of yesterday with my son Christopher. We shopped, ran errands, oversaw some work we are having done on the Oakland House, and ate. He is one pleasant young man to spend time with. Rose and I made a rash deal with him that we would pay $10/pound for any weight loss. (This was back when losing weight was just a plan.) The deal has cost both of us dearly. And he is still losing!
Mark and Karen dropped in last night. They and their young adult offspring are headed to Vail, CO, for a week of skiing on January 1.
[Mag entitled her email "the more I fish the bigger the fish"
"A portion of the message lists Denzil Sanford Madden, b. 1-22-1872 in Olney, IL d. 2-6-1942 in Hardy, AR. Denzil's brothers & sisters were Harve Madden, Springfield, MO. Neil Madden, Illinois, Christy (Madden) Woolridge, Thayer, MO., Lily (Madden) Angelos, Mattie (Madden) Sedalia, MO., Carrie (Madden) Springfield, MO., Goldie (Madden), Denver, Co., and Springfield, MO., Bell (Madden) no info given, Josephine, who died young."
"Sue found this photo of Irene Browning, 1837 Grant Street, Denver, CO." From a recent Blog.
Remember the old saying. "The waitresses must get their food free, they are all fat? I believe it must have been Lily Madden Angelos or her husband Nick? who said that when we took them to the bus station in Marshfield to catch the bus back home, after attending Granddad's funeral services?
The Irene Browning, l827 Grant Street, Denver, CO is not mentioned in the long email but it could be a daughter of Goldie (Madden)?
I will make a hard copy of this & keep it in my family tree folder.
Bro Joe]
--------------------------------------------
Rose and I were sorting through photos and kept finding ones of Nick Angelo, an intriguing name and an interesting face. Now we know, from Margaret and Joe, that he must have been our grandfather's brother-in-law. That would make him our great uncle. We'll post more of these old photos when we have time.
Rose remembers that when Grandad Madden was ill, shortly before he died, some unknown relatives visited. They prayed over him, and some prayed in an 'unknown tongue.' This was the explanation later to the awe-struck Catholic Rose who was astonished at the display. These relatives were probably some of Grandad's siblings or their offspring?
All this family history will add a great deal to our 100th birthday gathering next year. Someone more knowledgeable than we are will have to sort out this who's who of Madden/Felin/Lafoe/Stone lineage.
In other news, Donald called yesterday. He and Vita plan to spend the Christmas Holiday with their daughters and their families.
Shirley has been in her Christmas baking mode. She makes delicious goodies that are supposed to be fruit cakes. However, she makes them without the fruit and with lots of nuts and whiskey. We are left not knowing what to call them (everything we come up with sounds pretty awful) but enjoying it anyway.
I spent a good part of yesterday with my son Christopher. We shopped, ran errands, oversaw some work we are having done on the Oakland House, and ate. He is one pleasant young man to spend time with. Rose and I made a rash deal with him that we would pay $10/pound for any weight loss. (This was back when losing weight was just a plan.) The deal has cost both of us dearly. And he is still losing!
Mark and Karen dropped in last night. They and their young adult offspring are headed to Vail, CO, for a week of skiing on January 1.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Joe sent additional information about the Madden photo we posted yesterday:
{It looks like the picture was taken on the Stinger Farm, northwest of Fair Grove, where Grandma, Granddad & family lived for several years.
Aunt "Mit" [Mother's sister, Mildred, Wanda Jeanne's mother] probably took the picture. 1945 sounds pretty close however Uncle Curt looks a little too young for l945? Wanda & Bernie may be sources of additional information?
Granddad & Grandma took a train trip to/from Denver, CO about this time frame. One of them had family in Denver.
Mag earlier this year forwarded an email concerning some of Granddad's relative. It mentioned some relatives are buried in the Pocahontas & Bono, AR cemeteries. I may have printed the email & filed it somewhere?
Bro Joe}
{It looks like the picture was taken on the Stinger Farm, northwest of Fair Grove, where Grandma, Granddad & family lived for several years.
Aunt "Mit" [Mother's sister, Mildred, Wanda Jeanne's mother] probably took the picture. 1945 sounds pretty close however Uncle Curt looks a little too young for l945? Wanda & Bernie may be sources of additional information?
Granddad & Grandma took a train trip to/from Denver, CO about this time frame. One of them had family in Denver.
Mag earlier this year forwarded an email concerning some of Granddad's relative. It mentioned some relatives are buried in the Pocahontas & Bono, AR cemeteries. I may have printed the email & filed it somewhere?
Bro Joe}
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Thursday, December 15, 2005
If you are working on developing more 'attitude of gratitude' this season, here is a link that will help: http://www.joe-ks.com/archives_dec2004/MerryChristmas.pps
It may take a minute or two to watch, but is well worth it. Sabrina sent it to us, and with help from her, we post it here for anyone interested.
It may take a minute or two to watch, but is well worth it. Sabrina sent it to us, and with help from her, we post it here for anyone interested.
Sue, Shirley, and I (Rose) spent the weekend in Chicago. On Monday, Sue saw Dr. Chris Costas, the physician we so respect and the one who was so helpful when Sue was hospitalized twice last fall while in Chicago. Dr. Costas was extremely pleased to see Sue and to see how well she is doing. He recommends another round of the immuno-globulin intravenous treatment and stressed the importance of lots and lots of physical therapy. In his usual thorough manner, he also gave all three of us flu shots.
Costas reiterated his opinion that Sue had some kind of virus (West Nile?) that has run its course. Last year he told us the odds that one person would have two extremely rare illnesses were astronomical. The Law of Parsimony would say likely there was one illness, one cause for the symptoms Sue experienced.
Costas reiterated his opinion that Sue had some kind of virus (West Nile?) that has run its course. Last year he told us the odds that one person would have two extremely rare illnesses were astronomical. The Law of Parsimony would say likely there was one illness, one cause for the symptoms Sue experienced.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Margaret sent us a link to a beautiful Christmas message: http://www.andiesisle.com/Mary.html Clicking on this link should open it for you. Thanks, Margaret!
Monday, December 05, 2005
We received this interesting news bulletin about Joe's daughter Lisa and thought our Dear Readers would like to see it, too:
"Glendale High School Spanish teacher Lisa Lilley was recently awarded "Best of Missouri" at the Foreign Language Association of Missouri's (FLAM) annual conference for her presentation, "Resources That Make a World of Difference for Teachers."
Lilley's presentation shared resources to help educators plan and reflect on their teaching.
The Glendale teacher will give an encore of her winning presentation at next year's FLAM fall conference. Lilley will also represent Missouri at the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in St. Louis in March 2007. "
"Glendale High School Spanish teacher Lisa Lilley was recently awarded "Best of Missouri" at the Foreign Language Association of Missouri's (FLAM) annual conference for her presentation, "Resources That Make a World of Difference for Teachers."
Lilley's presentation shared resources to help educators plan and reflect on their teaching.
The Glendale teacher will give an encore of her winning presentation at next year's FLAM fall conference. Lilley will also represent Missouri at the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in St. Louis in March 2007. "
Sunday, December 04, 2005
We had a very busy November. I flew to Louisville on Saturday, November 12th, to spend eight days with Scott and family. It was one enjoyable visit! Seeing the boys in their own habitat, "Daddee's House," was fun. Jalen is a model student and a great reader. Scott, Brayden, and I went to his classroom because he was chosen to read one of his stories for the other children and other parents. He did a great job. Scott told me today he is writing a new story, entitled, "My So-Called Life with Granny." That one I can hardly wait to read. He is a very sensitive, caring young man so my expectation is that his new story will reflect those qualities.
Brayden and I flew home from Louisville on Sunday, November 20. He was all excited over his first airplane ride, so excited he didn't mind leaving Daddy and Jalen at the security checkpoint. Turned out the golf cart we rode to the gate was a more exciting event for him than the actual airplane ride. Once on the plane, having been given bags and bags of peanuts, he promptly fell asleep slumped on the shoulder of the stranger next to us. The man was extremely nice and didn't move at all for fear of disturbing the little guy. He was cranky when awakened to deplane in St. Louis, but his mood lightened when he saw Aunt Rose and Aunt Shirley at the gate. We had him with us then until Scott, Sherry, and Jalen came for Thanksgiving and left the morning after.
Today is Janet's birthday. Happy Birthday, E! [E is short of Esteemed Sister-in-Law, which is Joe's nickname for Janet.] Pete called this morning to say they were headed to Phoenix for an overnight trip as part of the birthday celebration. They will leave Arizona next week to return to Idaho for the holidays.
Bernie called yesterday afternoon. He sounded really good. He and Maudie are planning a trip to Arizona later on this winter. Already they had snow in Spokane, and Bernie said Idaho Falls was getting snow, too. I repeated to Bernie my message to his daughters: If they want Mother's china, the set Bernie sent her from Occupied Japan, they will have to come here to get it. We would love to see any of the Fellin Clan, and perhaps this ruse will bring them here.
The Abbott Family is doing well. They had their big Thanksgiving dinner at Sabrina's this year. We had ours here with all the Spreitler Boys and their families. Hard to believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone. It is our very favorite holiday. And we have plenty to give thanks over.
A note about my health situation. My hands are still not much improved, but I am walking as well as ever. I do my exercises religiously and haven't had an IVIG (intravenous immuno-globulin) treatment since last May. This coming weekend, I will travel to Chicago with Rose and Shirley to consult with that wonderful physician there, Chris Costas, about further treatments. Of all the people whom I 've seen, Dr. Costas has been the most helpful and the most encouraging. Most lately, Dr. Dooley, my St. Louis neurologist, has turned optimistic but not before putting me through the seven shades of hell.
In another bit of health news. my stepson Mark had a follow-up colonoscopy this past week. All is well, and he won't have to have another for three years. You may recall Mark had a scary bout with appendicitis followed by colon cancer last Spring. Today you would never know he had been ill.
We are deep into Christmas now. Shirley loves it as much as I do, but Rose is a bit of Scrooge. We just ignore her. She has been busy of late with a teaching gig in Chicago in early November and with an ongoing class here in St. Louis. She and Shirley continue to see clients both here and in Chicago. All of you know how Rose can concentrate her attentions. What she didn't know was that she often fluffs her hair while hard at work. Brayden one day fluffed up my hair and exclaimed, "Aunt Rose!" Now she's trying to break a habit that Brayden clued her in on.
Brayden and I flew home from Louisville on Sunday, November 20. He was all excited over his first airplane ride, so excited he didn't mind leaving Daddy and Jalen at the security checkpoint. Turned out the golf cart we rode to the gate was a more exciting event for him than the actual airplane ride. Once on the plane, having been given bags and bags of peanuts, he promptly fell asleep slumped on the shoulder of the stranger next to us. The man was extremely nice and didn't move at all for fear of disturbing the little guy. He was cranky when awakened to deplane in St. Louis, but his mood lightened when he saw Aunt Rose and Aunt Shirley at the gate. We had him with us then until Scott, Sherry, and Jalen came for Thanksgiving and left the morning after.
Today is Janet's birthday. Happy Birthday, E! [E is short of Esteemed Sister-in-Law, which is Joe's nickname for Janet.] Pete called this morning to say they were headed to Phoenix for an overnight trip as part of the birthday celebration. They will leave Arizona next week to return to Idaho for the holidays.
Bernie called yesterday afternoon. He sounded really good. He and Maudie are planning a trip to Arizona later on this winter. Already they had snow in Spokane, and Bernie said Idaho Falls was getting snow, too. I repeated to Bernie my message to his daughters: If they want Mother's china, the set Bernie sent her from Occupied Japan, they will have to come here to get it. We would love to see any of the Fellin Clan, and perhaps this ruse will bring them here.
The Abbott Family is doing well. They had their big Thanksgiving dinner at Sabrina's this year. We had ours here with all the Spreitler Boys and their families. Hard to believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone. It is our very favorite holiday. And we have plenty to give thanks over.
A note about my health situation. My hands are still not much improved, but I am walking as well as ever. I do my exercises religiously and haven't had an IVIG (intravenous immuno-globulin) treatment since last May. This coming weekend, I will travel to Chicago with Rose and Shirley to consult with that wonderful physician there, Chris Costas, about further treatments. Of all the people whom I 've seen, Dr. Costas has been the most helpful and the most encouraging. Most lately, Dr. Dooley, my St. Louis neurologist, has turned optimistic but not before putting me through the seven shades of hell.
In another bit of health news. my stepson Mark had a follow-up colonoscopy this past week. All is well, and he won't have to have another for three years. You may recall Mark had a scary bout with appendicitis followed by colon cancer last Spring. Today you would never know he had been ill.
We are deep into Christmas now. Shirley loves it as much as I do, but Rose is a bit of Scrooge. We just ignore her. She has been busy of late with a teaching gig in Chicago in early November and with an ongoing class here in St. Louis. She and Shirley continue to see clients both here and in Chicago. All of you know how Rose can concentrate her attentions. What she didn't know was that she often fluffs her hair while hard at work. Brayden one day fluffed up my hair and exclaimed, "Aunt Rose!" Now she's trying to break a habit that Brayden clued her in on.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
After Joe Felin received the "Man of the Year" Award from the St. Louis Railway Club last month, we've heard laments from many who could not be there. Just recently Brother Pete told that had he known what a big deal the award was, he and Janet would certainly have come here for it.
That evening I took along my little digital Olympus recorder and captured much of the audio--the introduction of Joe and Joe's speech. I am only sorry that I failed to capture the invocation in which a man who had known Joe a long time perfectly captured Joe's essence in his prayer.
After many phone calls to Chris today, FINALLY I have managed to create a podcast where any of our Dear Readers who wish to may listen to the audio recording of that evening. All you need do is click on the link on the right "Joe's Award Dinner Audio." That link will take you to the podcast. Once there, all you need to is click on the right-arrow button, and the audio should start playing.
Thanks again, Chris!
That evening I took along my little digital Olympus recorder and captured much of the audio--the introduction of Joe and Joe's speech. I am only sorry that I failed to capture the invocation in which a man who had known Joe a long time perfectly captured Joe's essence in his prayer.
After many phone calls to Chris today, FINALLY I have managed to create a podcast where any of our Dear Readers who wish to may listen to the audio recording of that evening. All you need do is click on the link on the right "Joe's Award Dinner Audio." That link will take you to the podcast. Once there, all you need to is click on the right-arrow button, and the audio should start playing.
Thanks again, Chris!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Other news to report: We had a visit on November 6 from Trish and her friend Matt and Trish's sister Jana and her husband John. Trish and Jana are daughters of our nephew Bobby who died some years ago. Trish works in St. Louis, John just over the river in Illinois. Trish is a college student and will be a physical therapist when she is finished.
The wonderful news? Jana is pregnant. The baby is due April 1. Of course, we old St. Louis ladies are very much looking forward to this new baby and have already offered loads of help with childcare.
Other, not as good, news is that Trish and Jana's mother, Cindy, is suffering from cancer. The treatments she has been getting from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester have, so far, not been effective at checking the progress of the disease. We urge all our readers to keep Cindy in their prayers as she struggles to overcome this illness.
We have many other photos to post and will add them as time permits. We wanted to have before and after lake pictures, but technology has--once again--defeated us.
Grandniece Trish and her friend Matt
The new siding at Sue's Lake House
New Siding
New Soffits
The wonderful news? Jana is pregnant. The baby is due April 1. Of course, we old St. Louis ladies are very much looking forward to this new baby and have already offered loads of help with childcare.
Other, not as good, news is that Trish and Jana's mother, Cindy, is suffering from cancer. The treatments she has been getting from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester have, so far, not been effective at checking the progress of the disease. We urge all our readers to keep Cindy in their prayers as she struggles to overcome this illness.
We have many other photos to post and will add them as time permits. We wanted to have before and after lake pictures, but technology has--once again--defeated us.
Grandniece Trish and her friend Matt
The new siding at Sue's Lake House
New Siding
New Soffits
Sunday, November 13, 2005
You can reach Sue at (314) 452-3685 or (314) 726-2032. You can write to her c/o Rose Holt, 905 Barnard College Lane, St. Louis, MO 63130
It's Rose again with a quick update. I am in Chicago for my normal four-day stay, having come here yesterday. Sue is in Louisville with Scott and family. Mark Goldman (a young man always available when we have something really, really heavy to move) took both of us to the airport yesterday. From reports out of Louisville, all is going well there. Brayden and Jalen are delighted to have Granny visit. And Granny is delighted to visit.
Sue and I went to the Lake on Wednesday to inspect the new siding. Joe drove up and met us for dinner. We had a lovely evening, dining (on Joe) and catching up with all the family news. Turns out, Joe had a great tip for us. He said from now on forget about Pete's credit card. There is something much, much better, something Joe called "Pete's milk check." Seems when we lived on the farm and kept dairy cows, our family got a 'milk check' every two weeks. Lucky Pete and Janet. They still have a cash cow or two.
I talked with Pete and Janet a couple of times yesterday. They had just arrived in "Q" Arizona and were getting settled into their house there for a nice winter away from Idaho weather. Pete said he had talked to Bernie and learned the big fall butchering day came off fine though Bernie wasn't able to help very much.
After our great dinner, Sue, Joe, and I visited late and spent the night at Sue's lake house. The place is looking good, and the new siding makes it very classy. It is a light grey with white trim. We have before and after pictures to post, but all that has to be done on the St. Louis computer.
Chris and Shelly were at the Lake over the weekend so that Shelly could attend a state teachers' meeting. Margaret and Norman are hosting some of Norman's family from North Carolina. All the Abbott Clan was gathering at Stephanie and Dan's house over the weekend.
As some of you may know, Randy and some friends from the church have been taking truckloads of items to people who lost so much in the hurricanes. Stephanie told me there is to be one more Big Trip. Randy has been deeply moved and is distraught about the plight of the people he has met. Now, many of the children are facing a bleak Christmas unless people are galvanized to act. Once Stephanie heard that, she was galvanized. She is organizing a 'giving tree,' details yet unknown, to raise money for gifts for these displaced and unfortunate victims. I'll post more information as it becomes available. Meanwhile, if any Dear Readers are moved to do so, send your checks to: Stephanie Schmitt, 80 Michael Court, Troy, MO, 63379. She is working with Randy and members of the church to coordinate more relief effort.
It's Rose again with a quick update. I am in Chicago for my normal four-day stay, having come here yesterday. Sue is in Louisville with Scott and family. Mark Goldman (a young man always available when we have something really, really heavy to move) took both of us to the airport yesterday. From reports out of Louisville, all is going well there. Brayden and Jalen are delighted to have Granny visit. And Granny is delighted to visit.
Sue and I went to the Lake on Wednesday to inspect the new siding. Joe drove up and met us for dinner. We had a lovely evening, dining (on Joe) and catching up with all the family news. Turns out, Joe had a great tip for us. He said from now on forget about Pete's credit card. There is something much, much better, something Joe called "Pete's milk check." Seems when we lived on the farm and kept dairy cows, our family got a 'milk check' every two weeks. Lucky Pete and Janet. They still have a cash cow or two.
I talked with Pete and Janet a couple of times yesterday. They had just arrived in "Q" Arizona and were getting settled into their house there for a nice winter away from Idaho weather. Pete said he had talked to Bernie and learned the big fall butchering day came off fine though Bernie wasn't able to help very much.
After our great dinner, Sue, Joe, and I visited late and spent the night at Sue's lake house. The place is looking good, and the new siding makes it very classy. It is a light grey with white trim. We have before and after pictures to post, but all that has to be done on the St. Louis computer.
Chris and Shelly were at the Lake over the weekend so that Shelly could attend a state teachers' meeting. Margaret and Norman are hosting some of Norman's family from North Carolina. All the Abbott Clan was gathering at Stephanie and Dan's house over the weekend.
As some of you may know, Randy and some friends from the church have been taking truckloads of items to people who lost so much in the hurricanes. Stephanie told me there is to be one more Big Trip. Randy has been deeply moved and is distraught about the plight of the people he has met. Now, many of the children are facing a bleak Christmas unless people are galvanized to act. Once Stephanie heard that, she was galvanized. She is organizing a 'giving tree,' details yet unknown, to raise money for gifts for these displaced and unfortunate victims. I'll post more information as it becomes available. Meanwhile, if any Dear Readers are moved to do so, send your checks to: Stephanie Schmitt, 80 Michael Court, Troy, MO, 63379. She is working with Randy and members of the church to coordinate more relief effort.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
You can reach Sue at (314) 452-3685 or (314) 726-2032. You can write to her c/o Rose Holt, 905 Barnard College Lane, St. Louis, MO 63130
Hello, it's Rose here with a quick update. Just today, we've had four people tell us in one way or another that it has been so long since we 'blogged' that they were getting worried.
Well, nothing to worry about. In fact, I was just thinking that when we began this Blog we called it "Sue's Journey to Health." And it has been quite a journey these past two years or so. Things are looking up. Sue saw her St. Louis Neurologist, Joe Dooley, in late October. [He is the one who sent Sue to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona a year ago in June.] This last appointment with Dooley was the most upbeat Sue has had in a long, long time. I think we can now breath a huge sigh of relief and say that, indeed, Sue IS journeying back to health. Because Sue has shown so much improvement in the past 8-10 months, Dooley now concludes that she does NOT have a motor neuron disease (MND),namely ALS, as the Mayo Clinic Docs and the Chicago neurologist thought. Her condition has improved far too much for such a dire diagnosis.
No one quite knows just what Sue has had and still suffers effects from. As she herself says, "Whatever you might call it, it is some awful thing." And with that I can certainly concur. Her hands are no better, but she is walking as well as ever and is enjoying a new-found hope and optimism. She drives quite a lot and even 'solo's' on occasion. On our recent rip to the Lake, she did all the driving just so she could know that she can do the trip on her own should a reason to do so arise.
Next Saturday, Sue is flying to Louisville for eight days with Scott and Family. She and Brayden will return on Sunday night, November 20 (by Southwest Airlines). This will be Brayden's first airline trip, which should be an interesting experience for both him and for Sue. Scott, Sherry, and Jalen will drive in for Thanksgiving, then all four will return to Louisville. Sue is looking forward to her trip to Louisville, or, as Brayden calls it, "Daddy's House." Scott, through his former mother-in-law, a nurse, has arranged for someone to come in each morning to help Sue since there are still things she can't handle on her own. One of the highlights of the visit will be going to Grandparent's day at Jalen's school with Jalen's other grandmother. Shirley and I are green with envy.
We had a great week at Sue's Lake House while Shirley's sister Loretta was here. Late October is a wonderful time to be at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we took full advantage of it. We also had Brayden for eight days in October. When he went home, we were absolutely lost for a few days. The little guy is such a love, and we enjoy him AND his brother immensely.
Hello, it's Rose here with a quick update. Just today, we've had four people tell us in one way or another that it has been so long since we 'blogged' that they were getting worried.
Well, nothing to worry about. In fact, I was just thinking that when we began this Blog we called it "Sue's Journey to Health." And it has been quite a journey these past two years or so. Things are looking up. Sue saw her St. Louis Neurologist, Joe Dooley, in late October. [He is the one who sent Sue to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona a year ago in June.] This last appointment with Dooley was the most upbeat Sue has had in a long, long time. I think we can now breath a huge sigh of relief and say that, indeed, Sue IS journeying back to health. Because Sue has shown so much improvement in the past 8-10 months, Dooley now concludes that she does NOT have a motor neuron disease (MND),namely ALS, as the Mayo Clinic Docs and the Chicago neurologist thought. Her condition has improved far too much for such a dire diagnosis.
No one quite knows just what Sue has had and still suffers effects from. As she herself says, "Whatever you might call it, it is some awful thing." And with that I can certainly concur. Her hands are no better, but she is walking as well as ever and is enjoying a new-found hope and optimism. She drives quite a lot and even 'solo's' on occasion. On our recent rip to the Lake, she did all the driving just so she could know that she can do the trip on her own should a reason to do so arise.
Next Saturday, Sue is flying to Louisville for eight days with Scott and Family. She and Brayden will return on Sunday night, November 20 (by Southwest Airlines). This will be Brayden's first airline trip, which should be an interesting experience for both him and for Sue. Scott, Sherry, and Jalen will drive in for Thanksgiving, then all four will return to Louisville. Sue is looking forward to her trip to Louisville, or, as Brayden calls it, "Daddy's House." Scott, through his former mother-in-law, a nurse, has arranged for someone to come in each morning to help Sue since there are still things she can't handle on her own. One of the highlights of the visit will be going to Grandparent's day at Jalen's school with Jalen's other grandmother. Shirley and I are green with envy.
We had a great week at Sue's Lake House while Shirley's sister Loretta was here. Late October is a wonderful time to be at the Lake of the Ozarks, and we took full advantage of it. We also had Brayden for eight days in October. When he went home, we were absolutely lost for a few days. The little guy is such a love, and we enjoy him AND his brother immensely.
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