Still moving on...

The travelers made it to Omaha today and will stay there with Steve and Peggy until Sunday. They hope to be home in Northfield in time for the weekly family dinner at 5:30pm Sunday. All reports are positive (except that Dad can't understand why a hotel would cost more than $40 a night. He says he just wants to rent a room, not buy the hotel!) Anyway, aside from Mr. Tightwad the trip has been good. He must be feeling ok if he can still complain about spending money. Like mom says, You can always tell a German, but you can't tell him much.

On the Road Again..

The travelers are on the road to Minnesota and last report indicated all was going well. I have not talked to them today, but I guess they had a good day yesterday and stopped and had a steak dinner and found a hotel. I believe they hope to hit Omaha by tomorrow and spend 2 days with Steve and Peggy. More details as they arrive will be posted. Thanks

Fun in the Sun

Dad, mom and Bonnie are all in Mesa enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. They have been very busy seeing friends and eating all of the food everyone has been bringing over. So far dad has felt pretty good and is working on his tan. They will head out for Minnesota this coming Wednesday and plan to be back in the cold and snow by Sunday. Dad will then have his LAST chemo treatment and hopefully be done with that treatment. I don't think he is a candidate for radiation. Anyway, dad says "thanks" to all the people who are visiting, calling and sending cards. It cheers him up. It seems like he is his old self while in Mesa. He's very happy to have made the trip.

Friends are Golden

Dad reports that he is feeling pretty good and thrilled with all of the visitors. Mom is gratefull for all the visitors and food and friendship. It has been great for Dad's spirit to have so many people stop by and visit with him. It's good medicine for his recovery. Thanks to everyone for your kindness.

They made it to Phoenix

Mom and dad made it to Phoenix. Their flight was delayed, but things went well for dad. He had wheelchair assistance on the way out and had a wheelchair waiting for him in Phoenix. Mom was very happy with the way the people at Sun Country treated them. The Poole's picked them up from the airport and made supper for them too!! Mom is relieved to be there and have the plane ride behind them. Dad is tired but did not need oxygen. I'm sure they will be very happy to see the sun and get away from the large piles of snow here in Minnesota.

Phoenix, here I come...

Dad finished his 5th chemo treatment on Wednesday. Only one more treatment to go. Current score is Dad 5, Chemo 0. His plan to fly to Phoenix on Saturday is still on. He is very excited to make the trip. They've had 20 inches (YES, 20 inches) of snow in Minnesota this week, so you can imagine how much they want to get away from that. He's feeling pretty good and trying to eat and rest as much as he can.

The Energizer Bunny

Marland continues to take a licking and keep on ticking -- no, wait, that's Timex.
Despite the pneumonia, his counts looked good enough to start round 5 of chemo today. So all looks good for finishing this round on schedule, a few days rest, and the trip to Phoenix.

Meanwhile, the Born to Be Wild branch of the family continues their Harley tour of Florida, having a great time.
Julie, posting for Sue

Home from the Hospital

Dad came home from the hosptial late yesterday afternoon. He is required to have an oxygen tank and stay on the oxygen 24 hours a day. You can imagine how pleased he is to have a 50 foot tube attached to the tank and try to wander around the house. Let's just say he is anxious to get better so he can get rid of the oxygen.

Hospital Stay

Dad saw the Dr. this morning and they decided to keep him another day. His oxygen levels are not where they should be so they want to keep him there until he is breathing better on his own. He has pneumonia in his right lung. His platelets were quite low at 45,000. His heart is fine.

In the hosptial

Dad had a rough night(Saturday) with heart problems and ended up taking nitroglycerin pill (which he hasn't done in years). Then he felt tough all day Sunday and finally agreed to go to the ER Sunday night. He has pnenomia again and was admitted to the hospital. He was dehydrated and had trouble breathing. He is resting now (10pm) and mom is going home to get some sleep. Hopefully they will be able to get him the right drugs and saline to get him up and going again. He's in the right place and is being taken care of. Judy (chemo nurse) will check in on him Monday morning and I'll post more then.

Grandma Edna's Birthday Party

We meet every year for lunch to celebrate around the time of Grandma Mieska's birthday. This is the 6th year we have gathered. Today we were joined by Marci, LaVerne, Sue, Rynda, Darlene, Marland, Bonnie and Annie. In honor of Grandma I will list in detail what we had for lunch.
Darlene: Quiche and a salad and coffee.
Marci: Mac/Cheese and a salad. We all agreed that Grandma would never have paid $8.50 for this, but that's what it cost at the mall.
Sue: Wild rice soup and a ceasar salad.
Bonnie: French Onion soup and a salad.
Annie: French Onion soup and a salad
Rynda: Pot pie
Marland: French Onion Soup
LaVerne: French Onion Soup.
We all had popovers before our lunch was served. It is a specialty of this restaurant. Grandma would have been 106 years old on March 6.




Alexander, Beth and Josh.