Vignettes from the last week

Mother's Day 2007
We went to Barbourville on Saturday and arrived for a lunch which Mother had cooked - her wonderful meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, carrots, Watergate salad, cornbread and chocolate pie. It is amazing what she can do at age 90. She wanted us to look at the quilt that she had just finished - she did all the quilting on that one. She has pieced six quilts since Christmas and had the other five ones quilted by machine. It is really incredible all the things she does for others, like baking cakes and other food for her neighbors and for family.
On Sunday we took her to church which she enjoyed tremendously. She had not gone to church for a long time due to Daddy's condition. She was greeted by many friends. The pastor mentioned her during his sermon which thrilled her to no end. After church we took her to the funeral home. One woman who had worked with Daddy for more than 25 years died a couple of days before. After that visit we went to the KFC buffet. Mother said that she enjoyed the whole day.l
We drove from Barbourville to Hodgenville to visit Clayton's mother at the nursing home. She was the same but carried on her end of the conversation pretty well. She didn't remember that David had been there but that would have been unusual if she had.

Another Culture "shock"
While driving on the interstate to southeastern KY I saw a billboard that advertised a "pet resort and spa"! I can not for the life of me understand why a "pet" would have need of a resort nor a spa. I realize that some people love their pets and want them to be taken care of but that seems to be an extreme. When I think of children who are suffering from malnutrition and other things due to lack of available resources I put a pet spa in a frivolous category.

Nursing
As I look toward retirement from the IMB I have begun looking at possibilities for a job in nursing. There are lots of different opportunities out there but I'm not sure what direction I want to take. Yesterday I attended a workshop at the KNB office related to nursing and the law. It was very interesting.

Mark Xavier
His parents took him to the doctor on Tuesday and received a good report. MX is walking better and has better control of his leg. They are to continue taking him to physical therapy and do the exercises every day. He doesn't have to go back to the doctor for three months. There is a possibility that he will have to have another Botox treatment after that.

Derby has come and gone!

This was the first time that we had been in Louisville during Derby Week since 1993. I had forgotten how much the Derby means to those who live here and even in other parts of the state. It was fun to watch television during the week and see how much the women dressed up in hats and party type dresses to go to a racetrack. It seemed a little ironic that women get more dressed up to go to a racetrack than to church nowadays. It seems sometimes that I am in a time warp because so many things have changed in the 25 years that we lived elsewhere!

I digress.... I must admit that even in Buenos Aires that on the first Saturday in May we searched the channels to see if the ESPN international or CNN international would show the race. In the last couple of years due to the broadband connections we could listen to the race. We didn't forget out heritage being so far away.

The Queen came this year which added to the excitement of the day. Kimberly and Craig were here for the weekend so we enjoyed watching the race with them in the comfort of our own living room. The favored did win and I wished that I had put some money on Street Sense even though I never gamble or think about it except on Derby Day!

I talked to many after the day and heard about the parties and the fun times that many had. There were several highway accidents attributed to too much imbibing.

Life does go on after the Derby but we are all pleased that once a year many eyes are on Louisville simply because of a two-minute race that has been a tradition for 133 years.

Now we need to make plans to go out to the Churchill Downs to see it up front and personal.

Mark Xavier's treatment

Today was the day that Mark Xavier had the Botox injections for treatment of the spasticity of his lower leg muscles. They had to get up around four to get to the hospital in time to be there by 7 a.m. The procedure, done under general anesthetic, went well for everyone. Laura and Javier were with MX all day so all are very tired. They were pleased with everything and were encouraged that the procedure would show results in two to three days. That alone with the braces MX should be walking better in the near future. Needless to say we were so glad to get the news after praying all day. They couldn't make an international call from the hospital so we had to wait until they got home. It would have been great if we could have been there in person with them.

A Rainy Thursday in Louisville

We awoke early this morning to the sound of gently falling rain - maybe it wasn't all that gentle since we could hear it! The grass looks greener and the green leaves on our sycamore tree are replacing the browned ones frozen by an April frost. I opened the door to check on the petunias that I can planted in the window box and they look pretty. Not possessing a "green thumb", I always wonder if any plant that I have "helped" along the way will survive until the next day!

I'm enjoying a cup of my Argentine coffee that I brought back with me from Buenos Aires. It reminds me of days spent there when I shared coffee with colleagues and dear friends. I miss that, especially since our trip there reminded me of the steps we have taken to retire from our service there and pursue other things. When we went back for our visit with Laura and her family, we realized that it was really final - our decision to leave there. We loved the visit but the no "home" there, no vehicle and no job reminded us in a tangible way of our path in the future. Now that we are back at home here, the realization that now is our future here, it is a little scary! I know the Lord will provide for all things but yet at times I do long for the certainty that we had before.

"Routine" has not overtaken me yet! It seems that each new day brings on its own routine so I am trying to go with the flow and not obsess about anything. I would like to have some sort of routine though because that is the way I am!

We really enjoy our new home and the neighborhood. Our closest neighbors have welcomed us with phone calls, a cake and other nice things. We have been invited to church by some and always receive a friendly wave as we walk in the neighborhood and meet people in their cars. It is quiet here except for the occasional train whistle, which I love. It is also close to shopping which makes it a desireable location. We are so blessed!