Quite a number of regular blog readers have reminded us that
“it’s been awhile” since our last posting.
Yup, over 2 months! At the time
it seemed like we were doing very little, but looking back now I guess we
really were busy. Here are the
highlights (in no special order):
The previous post mentioned we had volunteered at a Habitat
for Humanity project in Virginia MN (about 30 miles away). We put in 4 days there over 6 weeks:
painting, finishing woodwork trim, installing doors, and forming a curved
sidewalk. There is going to be an open
house this weekend to celebrate the completion of the house we worked on.
The prior posting also mentioned visitors and we had quite a
few. Paige’s mother came to visit here a
couple of time (both alone and with friends) usually for a single afternoon but
at least one over-night when the electricity was out in a great part of Duluth
and impacted her apartment building for 4 days.
Paige’s sister and niece came from Arizona. They hadn’t been here in a long time. Paige’s cousin Tim and his son, Nick, were
here for another weekend. Bob’s brother
and his wife got into camping this year and stopped by for a weekend as part of
their loop through northern Minnesota (It was their first visit here). We also got together with 3 of our Nomad
friends: the Hilmo’s and Easley’s came to the cabin for visits, and we met the
Norton’s for dinner in Virginia, MN.
Sophia, Ann, and Olivia spent a few days with us in August which we thoroughly
enjoyed!
There were not many projects at the cabin this summer but we
did replace and renew doors on the sauna.
They’re looking good. We bought a
new door for the outhouse but installation will need to wait until next year.
Bob’s doctors said that cataracts are a common result of
last year’s retinal reattachment; they were right. Early in August a lens was replaced but the
follow up inspection in Sept showed the work is not yet complete. We are still dealing with multiple drops until
next week when we will learn more.
We have had 2 trips to the Minneapolis area to assist sons
and grand-daughters, plus get some routine medical exams out of the way. David and LeJoy’s wedding was a big part of
the most recent trip.
We have spent a bit of time on the water: in our own boat,
cousin Steve’s pontoon, a Vista Queen Sunday brunch cruise with friends and
attending Duluth’s Tall Ships festival to ride on one of those ships.
Much of our time, recently, has been with assisting Paige’s
mother. Between doctors’ visits, X-ray
appointments, hospitals, and multiple rehab facilities there has been a lot
going on. She has been battling severe
back pain with no real plan for relief yet.
The doctors are as frustrated as she is.
Yesterday we moved her from one rehab center to another where she is
more comfortable.
The next couple of
weeks will involve lots of rehab, then a move to an assisted living place nearby.
Pam and Paula will be coming next week to help with this move. The move is to a smaller 2 bedroom apartment
which is very cute and in a building just across the parking lot from her
independent living apartment. Because of
these activities, we have delayed our departure and canceled our
participation in a Nomads project in Missouri for late October.
