June is almost over

Another good weekend. Weather was mostly good (sunshine and rain), and we had visitors. Charlie and Angie came to help with entertaining Miles while Annie and Tanner went to a wedding and the accompanying festivities with Dave and Doreen. When we planned this several weeks ago, I didn't know the after-surgery restrictions I'd be given, so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to lift Miley. As it turns out, that wasn't a problem, but it was a good way to get Charlie and Angie to come to St. Peter and spend some snuggle-time with Miley.

This is the most uncomfortable Eye Day so far. No pain or crustiness, which is great, but my vision is changing as my left eye heals after the cataract removal and a lens implant. That means I never know which eye to count on. My balance is iffy at times, and my left eye gets tired. This may seem like a lot of griping after a successful surgery, but that's not my intent. It's just a report.

Picture time.

"Auntie Aunchie and I caught up. She told me about
Gustie Camp, and I filled her in about my new tooth."

"My dad found a monkey in the linden tree."

"So THAT'S how birdies take a bath!"

"Sometimes a guy just wants his dooza."

"Now that I've hit 7 months, I've got super-human strength."

"Grampa Larry taught me how to row, row, row the boat."

"Charlie and I are looking for Hannah--she scoots away fast!

I hope she'll give me lessons in August."

Neighbors

I didn't want to get rid of this little tidbit, which I'd used elsewhere on this blog, so I moved it here rather than dumping it. Annie couldn't resist this shot of our neighbors Mary, Darrell, and their other brother Darrell (he's hiding in the bushes).
Notice Miles' bottle in the lower left corner. If you double click on the photo to enlarge it, it may remind you of a paint-by-number oil painting kit you had as a child. The photo is taken through a screen, giving it that Old Masters look.

The eyes have it

Just another ho-hum Thursday. Larry and I started our day at 5:15, early for us but normal for those of you "morning people." My check-in time for outpatient cataract surgery was 6:00, for 7:30 surgery. Before I continue, I need to say that on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), my anxiety over this event was 8.7549, although to be completely honest, Mary Jo's reassurance knocked it down a couple of points, or I'd have been nearly a 10. Hindsight (haha--don't waste your time making a joke about that word) tells me it should have been no higher than 1.001. The proof of will be tomorrow at my follow-up appointment, and then again when I order new glasses to replace my current prescription, which became obsolete in a flash today.

The over-all experience was positive, other than the anxiety part and having to wait a few weeks until my eyes correct for new glasses. The best part was a gadget that ISJ uses for patient comfort. The paper hospital gown I wore not only didn't leave my backside exposed to the world, it had special powers. This particular gown (Bear Paw brand, should you be interested) has a liner made of slightly softer paper than the outside later. There are several flaps on the gown for sticking various tubes and lines through, and one special flap that holds the end of flexible tubing that resembles the tubing on mid-century hair dryers. If you're as old as I am, you'll remember those things. If not, here's one for you to admire. Notice that a woman could knit while drying herr hair.

The hose that connects to the hospital gown is also connected to a gizmo that blows air through it and into the gown itself. It comes with a controller so the patient (me) can adjust the temperature for cool air or warm air, and lots of in-between settings. What a great concept! I want one for home use.

The one disappointment I'm dealing with is that the promised eye-patch turned out to be white, with openings for ventilation. I was led to believe, probably in my own mind, that I'd get a black pirate eye-patch, and maybe even a hook and a pegleg, if I stayed absolutely still during the surgery. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Now it's time for a nap.

Two weddings and an ordination

Sunday evening. A near-perfect weather weekend slowly comes to a close. Congrats to the lucky folks who had weddings, outdoor parties, and/or ordinations scheduled over the past few days; only fluffy white clouds dotted the sky, and none hid the sunshine.

Speaking of weddings, outdoor parties, and ordinations...I attended one of each over the weekend. On Saturday Brittany Krusemark and Chris Ward-- 2008 graduates of the GAC Education Department who, incidentally, have signed contracts for fall teaching positions (HOORAY!) were married in Mankato. Lovely wedding, lovely music, sweet and giddy bride and groom. Mary O. and I attended together, then hurried back to St. Peter for Erik and Rose Larson's celebration in Minnesota Square Park. They were married in November, and were finally talked into having a reception/party. Great food, festive atmosphere, happy mom-of-the-groom (Kris, you and Steve throw a terrific party!).

Today Larry and I went to Bill Nelsen's ordination at Trinity Lutheran Church. Bill has held college administrative positions and was the CEO of Scholarship America before his retirement a few years ago. Now, this energetic and committed retiree has completed his seminary studies, interned as a pastor, and today was officially ordained.

Tanner played in a golf tournament in Le Sueur on Saturday and today, so Annie and Miles visited us and also the Grimmius grandparents. Miles is a popular guy, no doubt due to his increasing talents. He's very good at scooching backwards while on the floor on his tummy, and also at sticking out his tongue in imitation of whichever adult is playing with him at the moment. Miles is a good fake cougher, too, but he's had that skill for quite some time.

While Annie and Miles were at our house, we Skyped with Elisabeth and Hannah. Evan was at the hospital performing a procedure on a patient in an area of the body that we all have but don't normally blog about. Hannah showed us how quickly she can find Ira (her toy monkey). She smooches Ira with abandon, says his name sweetly, and ignores her parents' polite requests for kisses. Hannah is the proud owner of a new Fisher-Price farm, which Evan wanted her to have. I guess having been raised on a farm himself...no...wait: Evan was raised in a large city. Maybe he wants Hannah to discover her Midwestern roots. I'm not sure he knows that my dad's garden at the house on Hillcrest Drive used to be a cow pasture. Bovine beauties and an occasional bull grazed behind an electric fence most of the time I lived there. Because of that cow pasture, my brother's cat, Linus, was renamed "Tripod" after a brush with a hay mower. Oops, I wandered off. That's for another day. Sorry. Back to the Fisher-Price farm. While we were on Skype, Elisabeth opened the door to the little silo that comes with the farm, and Hannah nearly jumped out of her clothes with fright. What could possibly be lurking behind that door?? The silo isn't any larger than a cylindrical Quaker oatmeal box.

I'm going to go look for the cord I need to download the weekend's photos from my camera to my computer. This entry isn't compelling enough to publish it without pictures. You gotta have something that will make it worth your time.

Heeeeeeeere's Miley!

"Mommy took 100 pictures of me this weekend."

"This Santa Bear is cute, but he's no Ira!"

"I've got a lot of secrets to tell you, Mr. Bear."

"I took a few naps this weekend. I need to conserve energy
so I can push a tooth through pretty soon. I'm almost out of drool!"

Ramblings

There is some country western songfest going on somewhere in town tonight. Fairgrounds, maybe. When the wind blows in our direction, we get a few lines of twangy CW love songs or loved-once-but-recently-rejected tunes. Gives me the urge to watch the Johnny Cash movie again.

Chuck and Aunchie are here, spending their anniversary with the old folks. Charlie came over after work, had supper with us, then Angie got here. They're watching the Celtics right now, and smooching, I'm sure, so Dad and I are reading in the sun room so they can smooch without being self-conscious. It is beautiful tonight. I watered some wilting potted plants an hour ago, and nary a mosquito buzzed in my ear. I've neglected the patio area for too long, so I vow to neaten it up tomorrow morning. Not too early, though.

I need to give some thought to the reading workshop I did today. It went well enough, and I'm glad I did it, but as usual I am second-guessing myself. The morning was devoted to guided reading strategies and supporting struggling readers. Most of the attendees were special education teachers, and it all made sense to them. The topic for the afternoon was writing, as it relates to reading. and of course I could fill up several afternoons on that subject. When Teresa and I did our Traveling Dog and Pony Show about teaching writing to K-12 students, it never failed that the mention of the word "grammar" raised the temperature in the room by at least 20 degrees. Some teachers are ready to fight to the death over semi-colons and adverbial clauses. In the eyes of those particular teachers, perfection in spelling and punctuation ranks right up there with cleanliness and godliness. Sometimes we had to get out the fire hose to cool off some folks, didn't we Teresa? It wasn't quite like that today, except for one rather huffy individual who needed to take a chill pill. I'll bet she's fun to work with, too.

When Teresa and I did writing workshops together for school districts that required all their staff to attend, our goal was to get out of town without boot prints on our asses. Nothing like an angry mob of teachers who are at a mandatory workshop on an unseasonably warm November day (temperature in the mid-80's) confined to the hot, humid, windowless lunchroom, sitting on those little round seats with no backs that attach to the lunch tables (Teresa was in the library up on the second floor, with an even crankier bunch of high school teachers, but at least she had air conditioning to keep her from hyperventilating.). Ah, those were the days!

Dad's Day Weekend

Blue skies, temp in the mid-70's, gentle breeze. That was today, and it's still going on. This is what summer should feel like every day. Maybe that's the real reason Paul Douglas got fired; he was ready for pleasant days so he wouldn't have to broadcast the ridiculous weather hype we became so fond of over the years. I had given some thought to writing a daily retirement report to share Larry/Dad/Paco's exploits into the world of unwork, but it really isn't fair to do that so soon. Maybe later in the summer. Today, being a Saturday, wasn't much different than any other Saturday for the him anyway. A trip to the grocery store and mowing the lawn are typical Saturday activities for him.

I spent much of the day in my office, prepping for a workshop I'm doing on Tuesday about Four Blocks literacy. Dave Koppenhaver, the real expert, did a one day workshop in February, and I'm the follow-up guy. I've spent several days getting ready, and still have a few hours to go to be able to feel confident that it won't be a complete bust. Jane Schuck is the facilitator, and she'll tell some of her always-good jokes when it's her turn to share information. At least people will go away feeling they've been entertained.

Happy Father's Day to any dad-types who may be reading along. Be nice to your kids; they love you and have something nice planned for you on your special day.

Some dads we know and love...

Say hello to the newest dad.

This dad is on Father's Day #2 already

This dad will do anything for attention.

This dad looks good in a hat.

Fiesta de Retirement

It's been almost a week since E, E, & h arrived from NC for a weekend of retirement celebration for Larry/Dad/Paco/Grandpa. I've barely caught my breath since everyone cleared out, not because it was overwhelming, but because I wish they all were still here. At this moment I'm looking at the highchair used alternately by the baby cousins, Miley's Wild Man Excersaucer, and the familiar plastic toddler grocery cart that was filled with chromotography books so Hannah wouldn't go flying forward when she pushed it around the sun room. Every now and then I find a tiny piece of bread or a bit of dried baby food somewhere, and think about the fun of feeding babies over the weekend.

Seems as though everyone who came to the retirement party had a good time, and if not, the food more than made up for it. Bless the Gustavus food service--not your late 1960's campus meal plan cardboard and paste flavor varieties, that's for sure.

What follows is a potpourri of pictures from the weekend--a veritable plethora of photos-- with some explanatory commentary. Or explanatary commentory. Your choice.

Toddler visitor from Chapel Hill, NC, Hannah Rachael Dellon, age 1

Baby visitor from Owatonna, MN, Miles Jay Grimmius,
age 6 months (or 1/2 of 1)

Oh,oh--monkey down! Ira Dellon, also from NC, age unknown.

Hannah assists while Evan does a little uncle-ing.

The babies play with the beautiful stool
Great Uncle Don & Great Aunt Janet made for Hannah.
Tanner, Grandpappy, and Miles playing gamesHannah shares Ira with Miles. Don't you just LOVE Ira? hahaOh, it wasn't all fun and games this weekend. Larry took out the thermostat with a bang from his elbow while going down the hallway, and it took two old, blind, and shaky Potts brothers at least four times as long to repair it together than either of them would have taken alone.Let's get this party started!The calm before the storm
How long have YOU known Old Lar?
Auntie Aunchie and Hannahbelle have the same taste in party clothes.

Team's in a huddle; Paco's at the head. They all got together and this is what he said: "DON'T TALK ABOUT ANYTHING THAT WILL EMBARRASS ME!!"But they did anyway...

Yes, Uncle Don was there.
What's this about shooting the paper boy in the butt with a bb gun??

The youngest family members hold a conversation
out of earshot of their parents. The first of many, no doubt.And here's Teresa Harland, from the Gustavus Development Office,
announcing the endowed scholarship being created on behalf of
Larry, thanks to the efforts of a former student,
Tom Ansley. What a great surprise!Larry says thanks and denies any part in the bb gun fiasco.

There are at least 150 more pictures from the weekend, but I'll stop here. Thank you, kiddies, kiddies-in-law, and babies for a happy and memorable retirement fiesta for Paco.

On his rocker (for a change)

Retirement for tenured Gustavus faculty brings with it a lovely parting gift: a rocking chair. Seems a bit stereotyped to put a retired guy in a rocker and say "So long!", but on the other hand, it's a very nice gift. Larry and the other retirees could choose between a captain's chair and a rocker. Since Larry only made 1st Lieutenant, a captain's chair just didn't seem right (haha). The rocker arrived today, partially assembled (to give the retiree something to do). Larry put it together, and here it is, reading to rock...

The chairChecking chair against ass-width for compatibility

Rockin' out

Retirement Weekend pictures will be posted soon. Hang on.

Anticipating the weekend

I'm sitting in the living room on this gray evening, watching the grass grow. Literally. It's growing as I peer out the window at the front yard. That's what rain, rain, rain, and more rain tends to do...stimulate plant growth. Teresa, you are the offical weather reporter for BlogWorld, so I apologize for inserting weather-related comments into this entry, but I just couldn't help it. The change in the height of the grass since this morning must be a direct result of all the rain. Or of global warming. I'll check with Al Gore.

Tomorrow is The Big Day. Elisabeth, Evan, Hannah, Charlie, Angie, Annie, Tanner, and Miles will all be here, in our house. I can hardly wait. I want to see Miles clap (his new trick), see Hannah's almost-walking skills, and give her the phone so she can dial 911 again. Little stinker.

Don and Janet, and Mike and his girlfriend Amber-who-hasn't-met-the-family-yet will be here on Saturday. So will Grandpa Charlie, Mark, Kathy, Karla, Paul, and we hope Mike and Margot. Mary Jo and Mike won't be coming from Florida, but we wish they could.

Nothing like a Paco Retirement to gather the troops.

I hear the rain starting up again. Time to watch the grass grow some more.

Happy Birthday Hannah Banannah!

Hannah has crossed the bridge from baby to toddler. Here she is with her mommy on June 2, 2007. Teeny-tiny, drowsy, and moving in slow motion.
And here she is, one short year later. Bigger, wide-awake, and in perpetual motion. Happy Birthday, little girl. We love you! Thank you, Granmarge, for the photo of the frosting-faced chiquita. I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't resist putting it on my blog in honor of our shared granddaughter's birthday!