June 1, 2021

Dear Family and Friends, 

    It is now time to recall all the “adventures” that occurred during the past two months. First of all, luckily, there have been no falls and no COVID virus among any of us. After having church services at home for a year, I was finally able to attend services at our Redwood Ward meetinghouse once again, wheelchair and all. We had been told to wear masks, sit with family members, and space out by occupying every other row. Just this last Sunday, we were informed by Governor Brown that those who were vaccinated, no longer needed to wear a mask, which was welcome news. 

    Since Grants Pass had had such a mild winter, True,was anxious to get outside and start working in the soil. Due to lack of attention, my yard was now a patch of weeds, but she “dug” right in, pulled them all out, worked in many large heavy bags of potting soil, tended to the roses, and planted new flowers, veggies and herbs. So the outside not only looks great now, it smells great too. 

    I think I might smell a little better too, since I no longer have bed sponge baths, but now give myself regular showers. I also completely dress myself. Those are two other goals I had planned for myself to do. True says that I will soon be “Goal-Reaching” her right out of a job. In fact, True has been away for ten days now and Linda has sorta taken over until she gets back. True is such a conscientious caregiver, but this trip with several girlfriends to Sedona, Arizona was planned long ago, and a good chance for her to get away and have some time with friends again. Because she is now more confident in my ability to do things for myself, she felt okay about leaving me for a time. I seem to be able to do much more on my own, such as balance on just the one leg, while holding on to something sturdy with one hand and using my free hand for whatever needs to be done. Sometimes putting pants on can be a little tricky, and I am slow, but I manage it. 

    Everyone has been asking when I was going to get a prosthesis. So, Linda and I contacted a firm here in Grants Pass tor an evaluation / consultation. I was concerned it might be too heavy. But, evidently they now have lighter-weight material that is just as strong, so that should be okay. I was told it is the thigh muscle that supports the bulk of the weight instead of the stump (bone) itself. I know it will take months of physical therapy to learn how to use the new leg, but once I do master it, things should be a lot better for me and everyone around me. We are waiting to get approval from Medicare and HeathNet to see if they will cover all the costs involved. 

    I have mentioned before about my sister, Carol (who had her 84th birthday on May 16th, and has always been such a great support for me), was given an opportunity to fly with my niece, Sandy, from Salt Lake to Medford, by using her accumulated flight miles. She was delighted at the chance, and so were we! They were here for six days and we had a grand time. Sandy, who seems to have been everyplace, showed us pictures of so many interesting and scenic places, as well as some of her ‘long ago’ family pictures, which intrigued us immensely. Neither of them had seen the remodeling that was done to my home to accommodate me and True (living together now), and were very impressed by how two girls designed and brought such a projectinto being. Luckily, they had volunteer help from Church people, for most of the really hard stuff, like removing all the carpeting and replacing it with vinyl flooring, and, of course, the electrical. But just the two of them did all walls, painting, cabinets, countertops, hanging doors, decorating and everything else! Perhaps my next letter will be able to include a picture of the front-room / bedroom area, which is so unique and beautiful! 

    Because all our furniture was removed when carpet was replaced, and the  time was very limited, many things were stored someplace else, yet to be discovered. A little clock from my roll-top desk that was made by Claud, and intricately painted by Carol, was not available, and I had told her how badly I felt about that. When she and Sandy arrived, she immediately handed me a box that contained a duplicate of that sweet little clock. I was flabbergasted, and couldn’t believe she had actually made a brand new one for me. She said to consider it a late Mother’s Day gift. She was equally glad when she received that same box back again, now with her birthday present inside. Since their flight home was for early the 16th, we celebrated her birthday with a scrumptious Bar-B-Q and cake at Linda’s home on the 15th. 

     During the few days they were here, we busied ourselves with playing our favorite family game called Tile Rummy, ate a picnic lunch by the side of the Rogue River (just 200 feet from my mobile) and waved to people in the jet boats as they went zooming by. That’s a big tourist attraction here, and Carol and Sandy and Linda all went, while True and I were at the river’s edge, hollering and waving as they went by. They saw us and waved back, and True took their picture. We had thought of going to the ocean which is only 100 or so miles west of us, but we decided it would be too late getting back. Or at least that was the reason given. I later found out it was for another… 

    Because, while sitting with my swollen good leg propped up, and the others were somewhere else in the house, I had a fellow approach me from the front door and ask if I would direct him to the nearest McDonalds? Being an accommodating soul, I began rattling off the streets he would need to take. I looked straight into his face and asked “Are you new to the Park?” Then I heard some giggles and Carol leaned forward and said “Marie, Don’t you know your own nephew, Terry? (Sandy’s brother, also from Utah). Somehow, it still didn’t register with me until his wife, Kristol, came into my view. I felt so embarrassed, but they all had a great laugh because he had succeeded in keeping me in the dark about their coming, even though all the others knew it. Their visit was, indeed, a welcome surprise. 

    Just before True left on her long-awaited trip, I had another surprise. A lady from our local newspaper appeared, asking out about the two girls who had transformed this 55 year old mobile into a beautiful masterpiece, practically single-handed. She saw for herself the fresh flowers inside and out, heard every detail about the work involved. She took many pictures and said her article would appear in the Daily Courier around mid-June. Wow! Great, kuh? But I guess that’s about enough surprises for this time. We’ll see what the next couple of months will bring. In the meantime, if you feel so inspired, I’d love to hear from you, and know something of you and your life. And please be sure to write, or call 541-471-6365, if you have a change of address. You are very important to me.