Good morning Ilene (and all),

It's a beautiful frosty morning here at the Center of the Universe
(north central Ohio) too. It's cold enough you can see the dog barking
and the cats have each commandeered their own patch of sunshine. Not a
cloud to be seen.

I can really appreciate the vision of you and your dad enjoying your
high speed connection together (wish we had one). It's a wonderful
juxtaposition of the past and the near past (the present is always gone
when you think about it) coming together to preserve (histo presto
content) family connections. Laura (Mrs. Rudy) and I realized over 25
years ago that the path we as two families were all on would be
divergent at best. Her parents and extended family were pretty stable
and mostly lived where they were planted, but mine were gypsies.

Dad's side of the family were dyed in the wool Michiganders but mom's
parents had left the German depression for the American one and settled
first in Toledo and then in Oscoda. When the El Mirador hotel grandpa
had built got to be too much to take care of he built a retirement home
closer to East Tawas and moved again. Actually he still had a drapery
shop in it, but that's what he called retiring. Eventually they did the
Florida thing which worked until they became too fragile and it was
decision time.

Luckily Laura and I were ready to do something about the fact that my
mom & dad, the worst gypsies of the lot, had already moved five times
since I was born. We were looking for a chunk of land that was big
enough to not see our neighbors and found a piece of land that was big
enough to build a family estate. It was more than we could afford, but
it obviously didn't take much to talk mom & dad into moving again and we
were off.

Curiously Laura's parents soon moved into a retirement community and
over the years the family discovered that Homer (her dad) knew he had
something wrong with him and made sure Erma would be taken care of when
he couldn't. We lost him a couple years back to Alzheimer's. It wasn't
pretty.

My mom and dad are still gypsies, but dad's eyes are too bad to drive so
they have downgraded to a van sized motor home. They're spending this
winter in California with my sister and brothers, but in the spring they
will come home. We will be here to help with whatever they need. Mom has
tried to sell out a couple times, but we have stood our ground. So far I
think we're winning. Every day we build a little more for us (we had too
build for them and Grandma & Grandpa first) and every day it looks a
little more like paradise.

It's more and more obvious why our (conservationteers) cause is such an
uphill fight. We shed our old buildings like we shed our old cloths as
we move about our asphalt ant farm. Maybe even easier. Why would a young
person aspire to build when they see us cast aside what was built before
us like a worn out pair of shoes? It's pretty clear why some architects
aspire to create something unique (no matter how out of place it is).
Maybe they hope it will be too hard to throw away.

The frost is melting and turning to beautiful puffs of smoke rising from
the roof we have yet to cover with metal. Gotta get the chimney done
first. Luckily, we have the rest of our life, and today is the best day
yet.

Enjoy yours,

Rudy

-----Original Message-----
From: Pre-patinated plastic gumby block w/ coin slot
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ilene R.
Tyler
Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 8:07 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [BP] BULLAMANKA-PINHEADS Digest - 13 Nov 2004 to 14 Nov
2004 (#2004-282)

Hi, Ruth,

We lost my mom in July.  Dad had been her primary caregiver until the
last two weeks of hospice, which my sister-in-law and I did together at
home.  He appreciated the support, and could not have done that final
stint alone.  Meanwhile, he ignored his own signs of fatigue and
discomfort, and after only a month we learned that his cancer had
returned.  Since then it has meant his being in-and-out of the hospital
to diagnose the lymphoma precisely and undergo aggressive chemotherapy
treatments.  Inbetween treatments, he recovers at home, hence my taking
a turn with him now.  His mind is good, and he is a good patient, and we
have lots of reminiscent talks about family.  Yesterday's highlight was
watching Michigan beat Northwestern, followed by watching Michigan State
beat Wisconsin.  That means Michigan might go to the Rose Bow, a big
deal for us Wolverine fans.  Dad is a wonderful companion, and has a
strong mind and heart.

I've brought some work up here and stay connected with my fancy wireless
connection to broadband internet, which my brother hooked up for us to
be able to feel less of a sacrifice.  Dad uses Web TV and loves getting
email, so often we're both checking for messages.

It's a beautiful day, here in Michigan, cold enough to see a dusty white
frost on the ground early, but sunny enough to know it will melt away
soon.  We'll go for a ride later, and I'll make a tasty spinach omlet
for breakfast.

Love to you all,

Ilene

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>