Here it is 6:21 and I have been awake for 2 and a half hours and up for one and a half.

 TERRY

Terry is awake and in bed watching TV.  She woke about 6:00.  I would say she is doing fine and is about the same as yesterday.  There may be a shower on her schedule as that has not happened for some time.

Here I am starting day 2 from the hospital.  IF I improve today as I did yesterday I could be back close to "my normal".  I have yet to put out the banquet of pills that are now required!!!  OK I am not a fan of pills but am thankful for the benefit they are to ones health.  

Yesterday was busy for a sick old guy!  I did some work in the morning like washing dishes (remember broken dishwasher), straightening some things etc.  We then had a gal over talking about home care.  After that the washer machine guy came and gave us the news that a blade in the drainer of the washer is broken and he will be back with the part MONDAY.  We needed him to say Friday but that was not the case.  AND we are waiting to hear from the guy who ordered the part for the dishwasher.  So things are happening even if I am not so happy with some!

That is just part of the clothes that are waiting to be washed.  Come Monday I suspect it will be a bit taller!

I would say that the first 2 hours of today are an improvement over yesterday so progress continues and I am happy about that.  Yesterday was the first full day Terry and I have been solo since my stroke and I would give the day an A- so am happy with that.

What about today.  Well an e-mail said UPS will deliver our completed taxes so we can send them in either today or tomorrow.  That will be beating the deadline by maybe two days.  I have not seen them yet but am expecting and hoping that there will be some sort of refund coming and NOT any payment expected.  I sent ALL the papers in maybe three weeks ago and they finished them with NO phone calls to me so I must have been GREAT in my work!!!  I hope it is OK to occasional give ones self a pat on the back.  That is usually the case but then one never knows.  

I received an e-mail from John Mouw yesterday and he said they will be selling their beautiful lake home and making the A frame house their summer home.  The A frame is on the back part of their lake lot.  Their home is very very nice but they have decided to make AR their new residence with the lake A frame their summer home for a few months.  Oh my life and family changes as the years go by.  As the years go by time has a way of forcing us to make changes and I guess that is not always bad.  

With the move that John/Judi are bring to my to mind family and how things change.  I had to sit back with I admit, some tears.  Recalling days long long ago was kind of fun but then thinking about how many many changes have taken place the memories were not always so good BUT yes I am thankful for the memories of childhood.

• It brought  to mind the many days of fun on Lake Tewaukon which often seemed like our personal playground.  During the weekdays it was Dave's and my bathtub and on Sundays it was a place where many came to recreate including some pretty girls with nice swim suits!  It was the place we learned to water ski behind either Ronald's or John's boat. Today it is a NWL where the birds and fish get to be and fishing, swimming etc are forbidden.  Life brings changes, indeed.
• I remember back when all 6 of us kids were home.  Ronald and Janet were going to HS in Lidgerwood with the rest of us in grade school at Wood Lake rural school.  Now where is family?  Well Mom, Dad, Ronald, Janet and Dave are no longer with us.  In laws live in South Dakota, North Dakota and Arizona while siblings enjoy life in Utah, Arkansas and I am in Florida!  I guess time also has a way of creating space between family!!!  As I sit at the computer this morning I think back at my days on the farm when I would shimmy up the light pole by the barn and lay on the west roof side of the barn roof wonder/dream about "where might that jet in the sky be going.  Well I knew it was going some place I had never been BUT what happened.  Now family is in places far away and I have visited all 50 states so no more wondering!
• I sometimes bring out the old HS annuals and reminisce about the glory days and sad days of that time.  The football games won and lost.  The basketball days of tournaments and even to state.  AND I would be remiss if I did not say yes the girl friends as well.  Going to the homecoming dance as a freshman and taking a girl home when I had NO idea what or how to do that.  I should add that my lack of knowledge in that served me well as I was a pretty good boy!!!
• Going off to college with NO idea what I should study.  AND as I have said in the past the aptitude test said I would be a good undertaker, yikes!
• Buying our first house for the HUGE sum of $17,500 and Gail's folks thought we were crazy to spend that kind of money on a house.  But they said nothing when 7 years later we sold it for $34,000.
• I could go on and on about kids and their activities.  Perhaps one of the biggest surprises when at parent conferences another parent informed us our son John had broken their son's arm.  Well I guess maybe he learned that you just do not call others names.  The story was this boy went off on the name "Lee" and called John "pee lee"!  I think it only happened once!!!

OK as one might guess I could go on and on and on but perhaps another day.  I might add that there were so many many highlights in HS sports.  Of course one can not get a highlight better than being state champions and all three boys experienced that but as good as those times were Cynthia provided one of the best.  In the district BB tournament the game came down to the last couple of minutes and as Cynthia launched a shot you could hear the coach say something like, "Cynthia no--way to go Cynthia". Coming down the floor half a minute later again, "Cynthia no--way to go Cynthia".  They went to the state tournament on the wings of those two shots but lost their first game.  

Yes nice memories to live with and fun times to remember but be assured that there were not nearly as many sad moments but for sure there were some!

Enough for this AM so will close with a sip of FP and a heartfelt thanks to our Lord for good health.