Wolverine Idahoans Glenn and Linda: MISSING MOM

Thursday, June 11, 2009

MISSING MOM

One of my mom's favorite visitors to Meadowbrook Manor where she lived for the past three years was Buddy (the Wonderdog of the clan Hillesland). Buddy loved seeing everyone at the Manor. . . especially mom, because she surreptiously fed him french fries or anything else from her plate. (This photo was taken at Christmas time, 2008).

Sadly, all of us will miss Mae. . . as she passed away today, Thursday, June 11 at 7:10 a.m. ET. She left us pretty much in her sleep after turning the corner (or so we thought) on a recent upper respiratory infection. I spoke with her nurse on Tuesday as well as her, and was pretty much convinced she'd dodged yet another bullet. This time, not to be. But considering that when she was born March 16, 1920, Mae weighed less than three pounds, her survival to the ripe old age of 89 was just short of miraculous.

Right now, my emotions are raw, my mind is spent and my body tired. I leave for Chicago tomorrow on a 6:30 a.m. flight . . . so my night will be short and undoubtedly restless. I miss her already.

1 comment:

Lana Faye said...: Oh the wonder of it all!!! So glad to know you two are enjoying life.; July 2, 2009 at 5:13 PM

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CAMPING COMPANIONS

(07/25/09) Miles-Guy experienced his first campout this last weekend. Glenn and I secured a campsite at the Joe T. Fallini Campground on the Mackay Reservoir. Due to her plant's recognition of "Pioneer Day", Meghan didn't work Friday. However, Joshua spent the entire weekend at Agrium during their turnaround period. Meg and Miles joined us Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. In the end Miles declared (in his own way) "Camping is fun!" Here, he and grandpa relax in front of the morning campfire; a bit of the reservoir and surrounding mountains can be seen in the background.

Wishing Well or Well Wishing?

Well, (pun intended), our well is drilled! Mountain West drilling spent four days on our lot (some time due to equipment breakdown) drilling for water. We "wished for a well" at 300 feet or shallower, as this depth was what our builder predicted. They found water at 340 feet, which is not that bad. Two of our neighbors are at 400' and 450' respectively. Nonetheless, at $31 per foot, those extra 40 feet sort of added up quickly! The pump and septic go in this week. According to the well driller, they were pumping right around 30 gallons per minute, which is more than the average house can handle at one time anyway. Oh, well, what's another $1200?

Casting Creepiness

Casting, as in fly fishing, took on a creepy bent for me during our recent trip to Yellowstone. I cast my fly into an off-the-beaten-path section of the Lamar River. At first, I thought I'd tangled it on some brush sticking out of the water. Closer inspection revealed that the "branch" was actually the horn of a bison who'd drowned in the river. We speculated that in crossing, it got a hoof caught in rocks and couldn't get out. As I stood on a nearby rock, the water's ebb and flow brought its face to near-surface. Ick.

Bonus Room Bonanza.

Due to the construction of the trusses, we will end up with a fairly large bonus room. An open staircase from the foyer was giving us reason to pause; how to finish off the top of the stairs so the unfinished bonus area was not visible from the foyer? Glenn came up with a relatively inexpensive solution. This photo is taken from the framed doorway looking north (he's standing in the darkened corner). We are finishing off about 1/3 of the bonus room with sheetrock and carpeting. It will be the perfect retreat for Glenn and his many antlers and turkey fans (which I decreed would NOT be hung in the great room!).