Eighty-seven reasons!!!   And 87 years.     Yes.  There is a relationship.  Sometime ago, when I would ask my son "Why?  ...Something."   He would tell me there were "85 reasons."   I finally realized it was his way of reminding me that "I was 85 years old, relatively old!"  We progressed, jokingly, to 86 reasons.  My birthday was last week.   So,  when I was searching for a name for this BLOG, Eighty-Seven Reasons seemed such a good fit!!!  Whatever I write in this BLOG, my eighty-seven years is certainly the "why" for opinions and thoughts.

Information:

I am spending my 87th year in a combination Assisted Living -- Retirement Community.

   This is 2024.  In November 2018, my husband and I left Louisiana for Denver, Colorado, for medical assisted living for my husband and for us to be close to our son.     My husband passed away March 2019.  I remained in the same assisted living complex until September, 2023, when I moved to my current location to be closer to my son.     

This is a picture of the deck on our house that we had in Northwest Wisconsin.  I remember putting the three wreaths on the railing!   The lake we were on --- note the snow covered lake  --- is named Bonner Lake.   We spent Summers and a month at Christmas at the Lake.   I would like to have other pictures from the Lake --- and from Louisiana --- on this BLOG, but I do not know how I got the picture of the deck on the BLOG.   Trial and error has its faults

Week 46 2024

I am adding some text to this previous body of text ... I think.  That is what the words mean to me.   I will see what I have.   I have to get dressed.   Have a "Reunion Dinner" tonight.   With three dearly loved friends from the assisted living place where I was before this one.  

I will try typing here.  What if I check BOLD?   The "key" is BLOG!   Duh.   It is late.  I managed to get a picture from my files into this file ---  the picture on rhe right.   I have to go to the picture itself in my files; pull it out; and drop it in my BLOG.   By the way, it is a picture of flowers at the lake.  This is a snpwball that was very happy with its care and placement in my front garden.  I have learned quite a bit tonight --- about the program i am using for this BLOG!!!

I met Jack  about 6 years ago.   My husband had passed away, and I stayed in the same Assisted Living facility where we had been (The Village).  I was having lunch with another resident, Gregory.  Gregory introduced me to Jack.  Gregory had done volunteer work for the Boulder Police Department.  Gloria was Gregory's "boss"  for the volunteer work ... AND Gloria had ridden motorcycles with Jack and his friends for years!!!  Also, Jack and Gregory had gone to the same Denver high school -- two years apart and many years ago!  For the next two or three years, Jack and his wife, Delores --- or Dee, and Gregory and I ate lunch and dinner together.  We discussed histories, families, likes, dislikes, politics (yes!!! Politics), and football.  Jack and I loved football and followed the pro games and general sports' news.  Jack had built a thriving business from start during his life.  And, his family included four generations:  Jack I, Jack I"""I, Jack III, and Jack IV.   Jack was a very active member of the Shriners, and he became their "High Potentate" during his leadership.   Dee passed away.  Gregory passed away.   Jack and I and a couple other residents started joining the  group attending "Happy Hour" at The Village.   Happy Hour included a local musician and drinks. Jack and I always had a Gin and Tonic, each!!    After a couple or so years, I moved to "The Gardens to be closer to my son.  The Gardens hade "Happy Hour" friday, 3:00 with music and drinks.  I always had a Gin and Tonic and thought of the great memories with Jack.  After my move to "The Gardens"  Jack and I and a couple dear friends from The Village met almost monthly for dinner, drinks, and talk.  It is November 21, 2024.   Jack passed away this past weekend.

I want to write about Thanksgiving Day  I had this written once, but I did not write it inside my BLOG --- it was as if I had just written it on a separate piece of paper!!!  Yes, I am having trouble with this program!!!  

Thanksgiving Day!.  It was lovely.  I went to Craig's.  Just Craig and me.  He picked me up, and, with it's being such a slow traffic day, I really saw how close his house is to mine.    There are only two steps two enter Craig's house; and I freeze every time I have to climb them.  I have no idea why; I really think   I could climb them without any trouble. 

Craig has our extra metal walker at his house so I can switch to that one when I am there.  The metal walker is smaller than the one I usually use.  Went to my usual chair:  a wonderful recliner that fits me perfectly.  Chose coffee over a drink , and settled in to watch football :  the detroit lions and the Chicago Bears.  On this day, both are really poor teams.  Sometime later, I chose a Gin and tonic.  So, football, and gin, and tonic, and Craig has dinner ready.

He is really a good cook.  I think I had the most tender turkey I can remember.  I am not a great fan of turkey.  Sometime it is a little dry.  This was excellent.         Craig and I  ... and Stephanie have developed a cornbread that has become a standard at our turkey dinners.      Craig saw the recipe several years ago in a JIFFY cornbread ad.  You add broccoli and onion to a box of JIFFY.  Some sour cream, an egg or two, and some seasonings are added.  I had two large pieces for dinner --- and asked for one more! 

 Took a short nap and was ready to go home.  It was such a nice day.  Craig and I had so many neat conversations ... and I just felt so fortunate that I could spend such an afternoon with our son.   

 

This is a redo.  I just could not get the program to include an entry I had wrotten.  So, I analyzed previous work, erased the entry, and have now started over.  . The date was Dec. 3, 202 when this was first written.

Today brought out many positives in  my life.   As my readers know, I am in a part retirement community and part assisted living community.  I went to a meetimg of the Residential Council.  I went to one such meeting when I first came here and experienced the usual "trivial" (in my estimation) gripes.  The one today was delightful, informative, organized responsive, and communicating with those in attendance.  Immediately following the Council meeting, in the same room, we had cake and ice cream to celebrate all November birthdays.  (I had not even thought of attending the birthday celebration for October.)  One of the residents celebrating a November birthday is a bridge player with me.  She is 104 years old.  She made a hole-in-one when she was 88 years old.   I sat and talked with others and was surprised at those in attendance.  I finished the day with a comfortable dinner with three friends I have met here.  Of course, some people see the negatives in several parts of "dorm" living.  But, it is your choice to find the positives --- or the negatives.

One more positive of the day: friends; my friends from a previous community.  In the Nov. 21st entry, I noted that Jack had passed.  The remaining friends, including myself, do not want to lose each other.  Hurrah!  We  are meeting Dec. 3rd, at the Bar Louie, for drinks, food, conversation, and hugs.  And, Terry, Jack's daughter,    will join us.    We are so "blessed" , to use a Southern phrase/word.        

I can write on this space!!!   How do I remove Mount Rushmore in the faded background???

January, 2025

It is January 1, 2025.  The last time I wrote in this BLOG was December 10, 2024.   So many things happened that I wanted to remember by describing in this BLOG \; and every time I thought of going to my BLOG I remembered that I would usually fight the software and not enjoy the writing.   Why am I writing now?   I think the happenings today on Bourbon Street have filled me with so much emotion I have to write.   Pete and I walked that street,  that exact area, tens -- hundreds --- of times,  And at 3:15 in the morning.   It was Mardi Gras,  It was just a week-end.  It was the Quarter.  Pete Fountain was playing.  The other famous soloist -- I can't remember his name!!!  This murderer -- this   terrorist -- violated our space ---our Country.  

I have reached this stage in this entry by doing:

1.  Section (empty Section)

2.  Column ( I deleted one

column to get the

two column pattern.)

3. Text (inside column)

 

I  will type something here and then use the "image" line to insert a picture from my computer into the right half of this entry.  (Note:  I have not inserted an image into such before. 

 I had trouble finding an image to insert.  I found images at the bottom right of my computer screen ``` the last symbol to the right.   I inserted the "image" blank from the left hand list, and then I inserted my image into the right hand column.  The right hand column immediately accepted my image.  I do not think I needed the image blank from the rleft hand side,   Now I will try to work with the dimensions of the picture.

 The picture in this entry is of our South African Weaving hanging in our apartment in the "Village At Belmar" Assisted Living Complex.  

 

         Today is January 14, 2025.   Somehow, I want to introduce this entry by noting the fact that I wrote down the two topics I want to cover.   I want to be sure to write about Jimmy Carter and about the terrible fires in the California hillsides.  

     Almost by accident, I watched the funeral of President Jimmy Carter.   Five speakers (all men, by the way) gave euligies.  The men were grandson of Gerald Ford; two grandsons of President Carter; a grandson of Walter Mondale (President Carter's Vice President)  ; and Stu Iseman (Have no idea on the spelling, but he was President Carter's Chief of Staff).  Both Mr, Mondale and Mr. Ford wrote their Eulogies' before they passed away -- eulogies for President Carter.  

    The eulogies gave me one of the most beautiful history lesson I could have had.  I did not know Pres. Carter was the first U. S. President to mention "Human Rights."  He was the first u. S, President to mention "climate Change."  Mr. Iseman  gave a speech that presented the works that Pres. Carter accomplished during his 4 years  in the White House.  He mentioned that there is so much emphasis on Carter's years after the presidency that attention is not given to his 4 years as President.  

  Pres.  Carter's grandson's spoke about Jimmy Carter as a grandfather.  He loved to fly-fish.  He saved so much of our land for open purposes.  He loved his work with "Habitat for Humanity."  I did find out Pres. Carter worked one week a year building houses.   The Euligy by Mondale's grandson emphasized how comfortable it was to work with Pres. Carter.  The emphasis was  on communication and sharing.   Mondale indicated how easy it was to work when he did not worry about who was credited with something!!!  As a final, sixth eulogy, President Biden spoke of meeting Pres, Carter when Biden was a senator.  I would dare Pres, Biden's son or grandson to compare the monetary wealth of the Biden Family and the Carter family after leaving the presidency.  

 

ADDITIONAL TEXT:   We also have at this time the Los Angeles Fires.  At approximately Jan 3 and 4 th, 3 yyears ago, Colorado had the Marshall, a tragedy caused by wind and fire.       I watched the Marshall Fire going left to right on my television screen,, burning each house it came to, to the ground.  It was awful == fritening.  That is what the Los Angelws fire was doing .. but hundred=times   bigger!!!  I know that seeing our Marshall Fire gave me just a slight vision of what a tragedy the Los Angeles fire is creating.   

I just had to write something about the overlap of the funeral for Jimmy Carter and the Los Angeles Fire.   Really, both overwhelming as they occurred that Tuesday morning. and one so soothing and one so tragic.  Both of these events seemed to be implanted in my mind forcefully!!!

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