Eleanor's Neeley relatives are coming Monday for a visit. All told the number stands at 10, so we have been busy with planning for a luncheon. They should all arrive about noon, and we will head for my house for lunch and visiting. I will take the great- nieces and nephews out side or to the basement, so everyone can visit. Eleanor's hearing aids work best with one or two people talking, so a big crowd will only confuse her.
She had a good visit at Dr. Donovan's office and her next appointment is in January, so the shots have been having the desired effect on her back and hip. Next week will be a busy one as she has visitors on Monday, a perm on Tuesday, and plans to go to the movie matinee of "The Help" on Wednesday.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Fish Camp
Earlier this year Dave bought a camper at Calamus Lodge, a camp ground near Calamus Reservoir. We have been there a few times, he more than me. I call it Fish Camp. Dave thinks we should call it our Lake Home. Last weekend we were in charge of our grandsons, Sam and Austin, since their parents went to Cancun for a long weekend. We took them to Fish Camp/Lake Home for two nights and had a wonderful time. Fishing was not good, but we gave it a try. We will try again another time. We toured Fort Hartsuff and had a great time there. I cannot say enough good things about this State Park. YOU SHOULD GO THERE. We spent time at 3 different beaches at Calamus Reservoir and all three were great. Actually the whole place is a beach since it is a reservoir in the sand hills. Also toured Happy Jack Chalk Mine, which the boys really enjoyed. All in all it was a great weekend.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The Doctor will see you now
Several weeks ago Eleanor's leg/hip pain got to the point where she admitted she needed something more than Aleve or Excedrin. Dave scheduled an appointment with Dr. Donovan at the specialty clinic in Seward. He thought he was lucky that he didn't have to go to Lincoln. Eleanor has been there several times for shots, which are not pleasant and have very serious side effects for her. She was lucky enough to get an appointment in Seward, but it was at 8:10 a.m., a difficult time for her. Dave called her at 6:30 a.m. and was over at her apartment by 7:15 to help her get dressed. (Have you ever thought about helping your mother put on her underpants and brassiere?)
They made it to the clinic in time for the appointment and when they made it to the exam room the nurse said "You are here for a shot? Well, I don't know why they scheduled the appointment because Dr. Donovan is out of town and you can't have a shot."
An appointment was made for this week in Lincoln. The pain clinic called yesterday to remind us that Eleanor has an appointment in Lincoln on Thursday. Please be there a few minutes early and bring your insurance cards because we verify them at each visit. They called again today to remind us that Eleanor has an appointment on Thursday. I really really want to call them tomorrow and say, "Eleanor has an appointment with Dr. D on today at 2:00 p.m. Please make sure she will be available to see Eleanor."
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Who will replace the monarch?
Dave and I got hooked on a BBC television series, Monarch of the Glen. We have watched 57 episodes, seasons one through six on Netflix, on the "Play Instantly" feature. We love this series! But, we have watched every single one that is available to us. Apparently Netflix has not acquired season 7, the all important end of the series where all the loose ends are tied up! How dare they!
Sure, we could read the TV show home page for a description of each episode, but it is not quite same. So, off to Amazon.com to purchase the DVD of season 7. Will it ever get here? And, what will we watch next?
Sure, we could read the TV show home page for a description of each episode, but it is not quite same. So, off to Amazon.com to purchase the DVD of season 7. Will it ever get here? And, what will we watch next?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Washington Week in Review
We had another great vacation! This time we went to Virginia and Washington DC. The main reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of my cousin (on my Mom's side) Katie Sloper to Matt Johnson. They chose Algonkian Regional Park as the location of their wedding, and it is a lovely place. Many of the guests stayed at cottages in the park. We chose to stay at the Hyatt Place in Sterling, VA. We did not drive or rent a car, so the hotel's van service was greatly appreciated, especially on the day of the wedding when 3 loads of wedding guests were transported to the park for the wedding and then home again late that night after the reception.
Since we were going to be in such a great tourist area we decided to add days to our trip and do some sight seeing. We arrived at Dulles Airport on Thursday, May 5, kind of late in the afternoon, so spent the rest of that day getting settled in our hotel and eating supper at a great restaurant just across the street, The Sweetwater Tavern. Evidently this is a chain--wish there was one in Nebraska! We ended up there on Sunday night as well.
Friday was spent touring the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles. Everything from kites and gliders to the space shuttle Enterprise is displayed there. Mike and Mary picked us up on Friday evening for the rehearsal dinner which was held in nearby Reston at the M & S Grill. Another great place to eat! It was nice getting a chance to connect with my younger cousins, and re-connect with those closer to my age.
Saturday was the main event, the wedding, so we decided to be shoppers instead of tourists, and we stayed pretty close to the hotel. We walked to Dulles Town Center, a good sized shopping mall about a mile from our hotel. Every building we saw in Sterling looked new, and there is a lot of vacant office space.
The wedding was lovely. Pictures are on the right. We enjoyed meeting Mary's good friend Jane and her husband, as well as George, my cousin Thene's husband. We had a great time at the reception--a fabulous meal and a fun time dancing.
Sunday and Monday were our days to tour DC. To get there we took the van from the hotel to the airport where we caught the 5A bus which dropped us at L'Enfant Plaza. We were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. We spent a lot of time at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Sunday and at the National Museum of the American Indian on Monday. We also did a walk through at the US Botanical Garden outdoor area. We only saw 3 museums while we were on our trip, but we spent quite a bit of time at each one. We both enjoy that a lot more than racing through so you can get to another destination.
My cousin Mary and her husband Mike (parents of the bride!) were back to their normal routine on Monday, so we took the metro to the King Street station Alexandria where they met us and gave us a driving tour of Old Town Alexandria and treated us to supper at their favorite Mexican restaurant. While we were waiting at the metro station for them to pick us up we noticed an Embassy Suites right across the street. Embassy Suites is our favorite hotel and we often talk about our plan to live out our declining years at one instead of going to a rest home. It would be cheaper, there is happy hour, they clean your room every day, etc. etc. We also have a plan where we live for a year at Embassy Suites around the country. This looks like a good one to put on our list!
Since we were going to be in such a great tourist area we decided to add days to our trip and do some sight seeing. We arrived at Dulles Airport on Thursday, May 5, kind of late in the afternoon, so spent the rest of that day getting settled in our hotel and eating supper at a great restaurant just across the street, The Sweetwater Tavern. Evidently this is a chain--wish there was one in Nebraska! We ended up there on Sunday night as well.
Friday was spent touring the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles. Everything from kites and gliders to the space shuttle Enterprise is displayed there. Mike and Mary picked us up on Friday evening for the rehearsal dinner which was held in nearby Reston at the M & S Grill. Another great place to eat! It was nice getting a chance to connect with my younger cousins, and re-connect with those closer to my age.
Saturday was the main event, the wedding, so we decided to be shoppers instead of tourists, and we stayed pretty close to the hotel. We walked to Dulles Town Center, a good sized shopping mall about a mile from our hotel. Every building we saw in Sterling looked new, and there is a lot of vacant office space.
The wedding was lovely. Pictures are on the right. We enjoyed meeting Mary's good friend Jane and her husband, as well as George, my cousin Thene's husband. We had a great time at the reception--a fabulous meal and a fun time dancing.
Sunday and Monday were our days to tour DC. To get there we took the van from the hotel to the airport where we caught the 5A bus which dropped us at L'Enfant Plaza. We were within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. We spent a lot of time at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Sunday and at the National Museum of the American Indian on Monday. We also did a walk through at the US Botanical Garden outdoor area. We only saw 3 museums while we were on our trip, but we spent quite a bit of time at each one. We both enjoy that a lot more than racing through so you can get to another destination.
My cousin Mary and her husband Mike (parents of the bride!) were back to their normal routine on Monday, so we took the metro to the King Street station Alexandria where they met us and gave us a driving tour of Old Town Alexandria and treated us to supper at their favorite Mexican restaurant. While we were waiting at the metro station for them to pick us up we noticed an Embassy Suites right across the street. Embassy Suites is our favorite hotel and we often talk about our plan to live out our declining years at one instead of going to a rest home. It would be cheaper, there is happy hour, they clean your room every day, etc. etc. We also have a plan where we live for a year at Embassy Suites around the country. This looks like a good one to put on our list!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Minnesota Book Awards 2011
Last weekend I spent some time with my cousins on my Dad's side of my family, my 'McLellan' cousins. My cousin, Carol Connolly, was the recipient of the 2011 Kay Sexton award for contributions to Minnesota's book community. She was honored at a gala sponsored by the St. Paul Friends of the Library. It was so much fun to be there! The event started with cocktails in the lobby area of the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the river in downtown St. Paul. Then we moved into the ballroom for dessert and champaign. All 700 of us! It was a sellout event.
Carol knew that she would receive the award and had her remarks ready. She was introduced by Mayor Coleman and gave a lovely and somewhat humorous speech. But not too long of a speech because last year's recipient went on for 45 minutes after a 30 minute introduction, so Carol had been warned to keep her remarks brief. Actually, Mayor Coleman spoke longer than Carol did.
The Minnesota Book Awards honor authors with Minnesota connections and I believe there were nine categories of awards. The books are nominated during the year and voted on and then the award (which this year was a lovely glass sculpture) is presented at the Gala. It played like the Oscars. Big screens around the room featured the book covers as the nominees were announced. Suspense built, and then an envelope was brought to the podium and the winner announced. A three-piece jazz group provided music. It was a BIG DEAL.
The next day, Carol's daughter Katie had a brunch in honor of her mom. Here are some pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Joanne.Neeley/20110420#
Carol knew that she would receive the award and had her remarks ready. She was introduced by Mayor Coleman and gave a lovely and somewhat humorous speech. But not too long of a speech because last year's recipient went on for 45 minutes after a 30 minute introduction, so Carol had been warned to keep her remarks brief. Actually, Mayor Coleman spoke longer than Carol did.
The Minnesota Book Awards honor authors with Minnesota connections and I believe there were nine categories of awards. The books are nominated during the year and voted on and then the award (which this year was a lovely glass sculpture) is presented at the Gala. It played like the Oscars. Big screens around the room featured the book covers as the nominees were announced. Suspense built, and then an envelope was brought to the podium and the winner announced. A three-piece jazz group provided music. It was a BIG DEAL.
The next day, Carol's daughter Katie had a brunch in honor of her mom. Here are some pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/Joanne.Neeley/20110420#
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Basket Case
March was the month I made baskets. (I know April is half over, but I just got around to taking some pictures.)
I took a basket weaving class at the Hand Weavers Guild in Lincoln and was pretty happy with the results:
Kitty Meow was checking it out just as I snapped the picture.
Last fall I watched a demonstration of basket making at "Threads Across Nebraska" where the nice lady from Vogies Quilts & Treasures was making a basket using strips of fabric and cotton clothesline.
The book she was using was called It's a Wrap and she was just zipping along making a beautiful basket. I stood and watched and talked to her and was hooked. I made one basket right away when I got home, but I gave it away with some Mary Kay products in the basket silent auction at the Seward Memorial Library in November. I kept thinking about all the baskets I wanted to make and all the scraps and strips of fabric that I have, so when I went to Minglewood Lodge that is what I took with me to work on.
I took a basket weaving class at the Hand Weavers Guild in Lincoln and was pretty happy with the results:
Kitty Meow was checking it out just as I snapped the picture.
Last fall I watched a demonstration of basket making at "Threads Across Nebraska" where the nice lady from Vogies Quilts & Treasures was making a basket using strips of fabric and cotton clothesline.
The book she was using was called It's a Wrap and she was just zipping along making a beautiful basket. I stood and watched and talked to her and was hooked. I made one basket right away when I got home, but I gave it away with some Mary Kay products in the basket silent auction at the Seward Memorial Library in November. I kept thinking about all the baskets I wanted to make and all the scraps and strips of fabric that I have, so when I went to Minglewood Lodge that is what I took with me to work on.
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| Bread Basket |
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| Easter Basket |
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