THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 153                                 NOVEMBER 2023 

Dear Readers,  

The highlight of October was our virtual walk in memory of Ming Lee   organized by Lori. Our entire Kansas City family participated on a chilly, damp, overcast October Sunday. We fueled ourselves for our late morning walk by enjoying brunch at the Logues before heading over to nearby Unity Village in Lees Summit to explore the scenic trails.

 Kay and Richard had arrived with Alex but forgotten to bring his stroller - I knew I should have thrown one in my trunk beforehand but … Coryn called her neighbors who seem to have everything in life you could ever have a need for stored in their home and fortunately they had a stroller and a wagon available despite their youngest child being seven years old! That crisis was solved so we headed out in three cars to our destination.Once we pulled into the parking lot and had all the kids out of their car seats. bundled up to withstand the weather, and with the three youngest in strollers we headed out: only to discover that a flight of steps had to be climbed  to get out of the parking lot. The guys tried carrying the strollers with the kids up the steps but ultimately took the kids out and carried them up separately. I wondered how Coryn had failed to anticipate this problem since she was familiar with the place but of course realized that being some years away from negotiating life with a stroller she had probably not realized that this venue was not stroller friendly!   Despite this slight annoyance for some we all enjoyed the amazing Versailles-like rose garden with an expanse of water fountains. This is  where we managed to get our group together for the photo needed for Lori’s facebook page showing all the friends and family from  around the world walking in memory of Ming that day! I think he would have been amazed to see how many people participated - his life touched so many others  

From Left: Jeremy, Coryn, Josh, Me, Sean wih Lochlan, Richard with Alex. Sarah with Cillan
In front: Owen with Liam, Ava Claire with Emmy Lou and Kay

Jermey was like the Pied Piper of Hamelin on this outing as all the kids flocked to him and followed his lead as they excitedly discussed whether they would see a gruffalo in the caves he promised to show them! Lochlan and Alex were soon out of their strollers and keeping up with the bigger kids! Cillian needed frequent breaks from his stroller too and seemed to prefer being carried for the most part! By this time it seemed that the strollers were more of a nuisance as they were very difficult to push over the rocky pathways! Once Jeremy had led us to the cave I decided to stay on higher ground as it looked like a muddy stream bed was rolling through it - but of course the kids were very enthused on their monster hunt though the cave! It started drizzling at this point but quickly stopped and the decision to have Jeremy lead us to the Echo Bridge was made! The children loved shouting loud enough to hear their voice echo - how often do we encourage them to make noise! I think we may have to make this an annual event! 

Coryn and Jeremy leading our line of straglers

Emerging from the cave

Some of my Grandchildren!

When the Remsbergs and Bryn were visiting earlier this year they suggested that I might want to do something about the wood paneling in my family room - declaring it very dated and dark. I myself couldn't disagree with this observation - having thought about painting it many times myself but never quite finding the  motivation to gather my paint and rollers and start the transformation. But the state of my carpet was the impetus I needed to start painting. After having seven small children spitting up, spilling drinks and dropping food on  my carpet for many years it is in desperate need of replacing. I have shampooed it as frequently as some people wash their hair! I have decided that a hard surface floor would be much easier to clean so am considering vinyl plank or laminate - wood not being in my budget .However I felt that so much wood in one room would feel very coffin like and thus Leslee-Ann and Bryn’s suggestion to paint the walls the same cream as the cabinets finally came to fruition. They even suggested painting the brick cream too but I thought it might give the impression that one was living in a milk bottle.

I discussed my thoughts on the project with Josh who concurred that painting the fireplace might be too much and suggested that I might want to consider the turquoise /teal shade of my pillows as an accent color - maybe for the bookshelves, doors and trim. I thought that might be too much excitement and decided to paint everything cream and then decide if an accent color was necessary. Sean became involved and told me I would need a five gallon paint pail to cover all my wood and offered to pick it up for me from Home Depot as I wouldn’t be able to carry it. He also insisted on paying for it too! It took three coats of paint for me to cover the wood - Josh showed up to help one afternoon and was able to cover his sections of wall in one coat!  A couple of days later as I was just about done with the room and was painting the wood paneling on the staircase Josh showed up with two paint cans in hand and stated that we might try them out as an accent color - mother was panic stricken thinking that he might come up with some very artsy usage of the colors. My fears increased when I realized that  his $7:00 bargain priced paint cans  contained other peoples rejects!  However I knew that if I did not embrace his ideas wholeheartedly I would never have Joshua’s help with another project again. Fortunately one of the colors was a very close match with several of my accent pieces - I  watched with bated breath as Josh applied it to one window’s trim. We both agreed it was perfect  and with that he completed two windows and promptly left, leaving me hanging as to what else would be “accented”. It was a couple of days before he returned to complete his transformation of several doorways, room openings and my stairs. I had already painted the stair spindles up to the second floor and am now determined to paint all the dark woodwork in the upstairs bedrooms too! I will be very busy this winter!

Josh helping me out!

I got a lot of steps in on this job!

I mentioned to Josh when we were talking about the family room redo that I wanted to remove the very dated track lights and replace them with some more updated pendant fixtures. Josh surprised me  with two such lights and even installed them for me as an early Christmas gift! Our family is so lucky to have Josh! He also helped Sara and Sean out with their latest remodeling venture - turning an open loft area into a sixth bedroom! Now Cillian is out of the master bedroom and in his own room! Josh could make a fortune house flipping but he prefers his technical writing and nomad lifestyle. I took him to the airport earlier this month as he is spending a month in Orlando with the Remsburgs until he heads to another country again.

We have two graduates this month Kay and Blake! They have both made us so very proud! Kay has found her new role as Vice Principal at a Montessori school in Brookside to be much less stressful than her previous position which is such a blessing. Blake will of course be moving to Redmond, near Seattle for his job next month after a trip to New Zealand with Lori. The Indy Lowes will also be visiting us between Christmas and New Years! Wll be great to have some family gatherings with them! Let the roads  be snow and ice  free!

Back in October all the children were able to go Trick or Treating this year -  Marc actually flew to Orlando and went trick or treating with Callie and Ray And we also enjoyed a sick free Thanksgiving ! Craig was working in Washington DC for that week so when Ray and Callie were off from school Lesle-Ann flew with them to join Craig. They met up with Ming Jon briefly as he was leaving town and then did a lot of sightseeing and had a really great time. Craig joined them when he could. 

Liam, Lochlan, Emmy Lou with Cillian!

Richard and Kay with Alex

The Remsurgs with Uncle Marc for Halloween

Bryn visited this past weekend.Jeremy had invited him to watch the Chiefs game this past Sunday and had a spare ticket so Bryn invited his friend, James, who lives in Mexico City to join them. They arrived on Saturday afternoon and I had a brief visit with Bryn on Saturday afternoon at the Logues house where he and his friend were staying. Coryn and Jeremy had already signed up for a charity pub crawl that day so I had driven over to their house to pick Owen and Ava Claire up for an overnighter at my house.Since the cousins love being together I invited Sarah and Sean to drop their four off at my house too so that they could enjoy a quiet restaurant dinner date - knowing full well how much help Ava Claire would be for me in entertaining them! We sent all four kids home with their parents in clean diapers and pajamas so the two youngest were ready for bed when they got home!

Parents night out! Grandkids party at Grandma's

The next morning we treated ourselves to donuts for breakfast and then I  drove the children back  home as Owen was attending the Chiefs game too that day and the guys were planning on tailgating ahead of the kick off time of three- thirty that afternoon. Unfortunately my Chiefs lost!  Their season has definitely not been as promising this year - I will be amazed if we make it to the superbowl again!

 My house is finally decorated for the season - using a new color theme inspired by my  newly painted trim color! No red Christmas balls this year! With my Christmas shopping finished - just the wrapping to do - I can concentrate on preparations for my Christmas Eve feast and gift exchange. I can guarantee that I will greet you with wine in one hand and pigs in blankets in the other! You know that I will be playing Christmas music, bringing forth all kinds of holiday delights out of  the freezer and into the oven and making chicken noodle soup for all the kids who refuse to eat anything else at Grandma's House !

Merry Christmas to all of you, love your mother who will probably feel like she has been run over by a reindeer by the time Christmas is over!

New wreath to match new decor

Another new wreath with grandchildrens Xmas toys

Aqua , Gold and White tree this year!

 THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 152                                  SEPTEMBER 2023

Dear Reader, 

Josh returned to Kansas City just in time for Labour Day after spending a year traveling  the world. He is so fortunate to have a job that allows him to set his own schedule and work anywhere with an internet connection. Ava Claire and Owen insisted on picking up their beloved Uncle Josh at the airport so he could spend his first night back with them. The next day he arrived  at my house where Sarah, Sean and their four children along with Kay ,Richard and Alex gave him a very warm welcome!  He had nieces and nephews competing for his attention most of the day!

Ming- Jon  and Marc came out earlier in August  and we had a family supper of crab legs and shrimp tacos to celebrate their visit - of course I had to make chicken noodle soup for the kids! I didn’t see much of either one of these boys as Marc worked every day of his week's stay - only being able to fly here on a moment's notice when one of his cases settled out of court. I thought one of the attractions of  Los Angeles was the laid back lifestyle but Marc and Bryn seem to be working extremely long hours seven days a week. Ming-Jon arrived on a Thursday evening and departed around lunchtime Saturday so was barely here at all! But he got to spend time with his adorable grandson!

Ming-Jon with Alex  in KC

We have had some exciting news from the Indy Lowes in recent months. In July Lori was notified of the following:

“We are pleased to inform you that Republic Airways, in partnership with Purdue University, has established a scholarship to support students of Asian descent pursuing studies in Aviation technology and Transportation at the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. In an effort to advance diversity in the aviation field Republic Airways wanted to name the scholarship after a notable alum who exemplifies the purpose of this scholarship.

After careful review and consideration, Purdue University has identified Captain Ming-Lee as the ideal honoree for this scholarship due to his extraordinary impact on the aviation community and his enduring legacy with the program. His dedication to aviation and unwavering commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on the industry making him an inspiration for aspiring aviation professionals.

In recognition of Captain Lowe’s remarkable achievements, Republic Airways will be administering a scholarship of $2,500 annually for the next five years. This scholarship aims to support and encourage deserving students who share Captain Lowe’s passion for aviation and as well as advancing diversity in the field. 

We believe that this scholarship is a meaningful way to celebrate Captain Lowe’s legacy and to support the education of talented and deserving students. It is with great honor and respect that we extend this information to you and your family. We understand that Captain Lowe’s legacy is deeply cherished by his loved ones, and we are committed to preserving and honoring his memory through this scholarship program”.

It means a lot to all of us that Ming-Lee’s impactful life is still being acknowledged.

Lori, Blake and Claudia have initiated a Virtual Memorial Walk in memory for Ming-Lee on October 15th. She states  that she came up with the idea “ because we all know that he would not want us just sitting around talking about how much we miss him! Ming made friends far and wide and his circle extends around the world.With everyone who might wish to participate we decided that this was the most practical way to get the most people involved. His favorite time of the year was the fall, and we are hoping for pleasant temperatures!”

The Kansas City Lowes will be walking in Unity village, Lees Summit, enjoying the beauty of the trails, water features and play areas for the children. Coryn and Jeremy are hosting us all for breakfast beforehand so we will be fueled for our walk with Mng -Lee in our hearts and  minds! Ming of course loved all outdoor pastimes from running, biking and swimming in triathlons to backyard games - which he could create out of nothing  -to building fires to toast marshmallows for S’mores. His energy was boundless and whenever he was around sitting and doing nothing was never tolerated. We were always busy when we visited with Ming - at his home or ours!

Lori has also set up a personal  donation page at :https://acgtfoundation.org/ming-lowe-walk/

This will enable you to make a donation in Ming’s memory, if you would like, to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, an innovative organization that is focusing on using the immune system to treat cancer. They have several teams working in brain cancer research. A hundred percent of their donations go to fighting cancer.

As we all know Mother does not usually brag about her children, being more inclined to find humor in a situation that has befallen them but Blake has achieved something so impressive that I must share it with you all! He will graduate from Purdue in December and in January will start working for SpaceX in Redmond ,Washington!  Apparently being hired by SpaceX is harder than being accepted to Harvard, Princeton. or Stanford as according to the web it only accepts 0.2%of applicants! Blake is guaranteed a high flying career!

Claudia is also doing very well in her chosen field of forensic criminology having completed her first summer internship and earning an offer to return next summer! And then there is Kay: not only has she battled breast cancer this year, but she has also continued to pursue her second Master’s degree without missing a class, working full time, raising Alex and managing to land her first job as a Vice Principal at one of Kansas City, Missouri’s Montessori grade schools. I am one very proud grandma and most importantly they- like all my children and extended family - are  great people!

While the Remsburgs headed to Maine to vacation this summer, the Logues headed to Orlando and stayed in the Remsburgs house which is so conveniently close to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s great that Ava Claire and Owen enjoy the Harry Potter books as much as Sean and I did many years ago. Corym made a family project out of it by reading the books aloud with her children and not allowing them to watch the movie until they had read the books!

August was a very busy month for me as Sean, Kay and Coryn returned to work  and Emmy Lou and Liam were no longer in daily summer camp so Grandma had all seven grandchildren here at times! My pools, splash pad,  and slip and  slide saw a lot of usage as it has been so hot and humid this summer! Ava Claie and Owen are a huge help with the little ones - makes it easier to run in and change a diaper with one rather than having to haul five kids four and under into the house and then back out again! I especially enjoy listening to Ava Claire trying to explain to one of her younger cousins why their behavior is less than desirable! They listen to her with rapt attention and nod their little heads in agreement with whatever she is telling them whereas they pay as much attention to me as my children did. Remember how Coryn kept you all in line when you were little children and complained about my lax discipline? Ava Claire is just like her mother in that regard!

Cillian finger painting with ice-cream! 

From left Lochlan, Cillian and Alex!

Alex pushing Lochlan!

Lochlan and Alex playing with Emmy Lou's Fairy Garden

Alex and Lochlan are now binky free except for sleeping and having those plugs out of their mouths has definitely helped their speechI Alex is stringing words together and Lochlan who has long relied on signing and pointing to get his needs met is now emulating his cousin by repeating whatever Alex says! But we do have to hope that Alex’s pronunciation of truck is not copied by Lochlan - he drops the tr and uses the f word instead!

Cillian is now ten months old and still an adorable, strawberry blond, blue eyed energetic crawler who is already pulling himself up on everything and is obviously very anxious to run with his siblings and cousins.He has to be the easiest baby ever.

Alex, and Lochlan with Cillian having a picnic lunch on my deck

In late August,Emmy Lou and Liam  started   pre-kindergarten and pre-school respectively four days a week and love it. Lochlan goes two days a week and is slowly adjusting ! I still watch the three youngest boys on Tuesdays and Thursdays and  have Cillian and Lochlan  on Fridays with Emmy Lou and Liam in the afternoon  so that they get some Grandma time! 

I am so glad that we are heading into fall and hopefully cooler weather.This summer has been brutally hot and humid and my plants have wilted every day under the searing sun despite daily watering. Sadly I have lost several plants this year due to the adverse growing conditions. I still love the English country cottage garden style and can muster no enthusiasm for desert landscaping which may be the only option in the years to come if climate change rages on unabated.

Time for me to rummage in the basement for  Halloween decorations to put on my porch as l my grandchildren love this holiday and this Grandma always wants to bewitch them! 

Love Mother

           

 

-

 

 THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 151, JUNE 2023

Dear Readers,

Memorial Day weekend was very memorable this year as Craig, Ray, and Calle visited us for the first time since Kay and Richard’s wedding in 2019!  Leslee-Ann had made a  solo trip to see Ming-Lee for our last family reunion with him in  Kansa City in June 2021. Covid and Southwest Airlines flight cancellations  conspired to keep many of us apart. It was so fun to see all the cousins together - Liam. Lochlan, Cillian and Alex were not even born until after the Flaig’s wedding! Lori and Blake drove over from Indianapolis and Bryn flew from LA! It was great to have so much family here.

On Saturday  May 29th at seven thirty  in the morning I was filling two  pools with water and hooking a hose up to a splash pad - I had  inflated these items  the night before because I wanted to be organized by nine-thirty that morning when Sarah would be arriving with her four children whilst Sean drove to the airport to pick up the Remsbergs.  I scurried to and from my house with arm loads of pool toys, towels, sunscreens, bug sprays and a dozen new fangled water guns that look like short pool noodles! I even hauled the water- table down from the deck. I felt that I had created a water park to rival Worlds of Fun!

Unfortunately two hours of full sun failed to warm the water very much so when the children arrived it was still freezing cold but it did not deter them at all!  Kay arrived with Alex who was more than happy to climb into the pool with Emmy Lou. LIam, and Lochlan! At least they didn’t turn blue but they were all shivering with chattering teeth! As soon as we got them wrapped in  towels and warmed  up a bit they  ran straight back into the pools: they didn’t care about the cold at all!  Fortunately by mid afternoon the pools were much warmer although my splash pad sprung a leak and Sean had to finagle the hose connection to keep water flowing into the spray spouts instead of creating muddy puddles in my lawn.

The Remsbergs arrived and Callie and Ray suited up and joined in the fun! Just before my sumptuous luncheon sandwich buffet Coryn arrived with Ava Clare but without Owen and Jeremy. Unfortunately Owen had been diagnosed with Strep Throat the day before and was advised to isolate from others until he had been on antibiotics for twenty four hours. That was a bummer - especially since we were having a joint birthday party that night for Ava Claire and Owen to celebrate their tenth and eighth birthdays  respectively which are very close date wise.After lunch Coryn drove to the airport to pick up Bryn and Lori called from the road to let me know they would be arriving in plenty of time for the planned pizza  and ice-cream cake birthday party.

I put Coryn and Ava Claire in charge of ordering pizzas that evening , and we all sang’ Happy Birthday’ to a beaming Ava Claire. Thankfully the weather allowed us to eat on the deck rather than inside my home. I was happy to let the wildlife do the cleanup for me, feasting on all the many morsels of food that landed on the deck rather than in my grandchildren's mouths!.

On Sunday I was woken up by the happy sounds of  Ray and Callie who with their parents and Uncle Bryn were staying at my house. Sean and Sarah were going to be dropping their four children off for us to babysit while they were having lunch and attending a Cirque du Soleil  performance: Sarah’s birthday gift to Sean!  Craig was very into helping baby Cillian master his rolling skills when he wasn’t being used like the monkey bars at a playground by the other children! Later that afternoon we all headed over to Coryn and Jeremy’s house where Lori and Blake were staying : they helped the Logues prepare to host our family later that afternoon.

As I pulled into  the Logue’s driveway I noticed a nice size kiddy pool sitting on their front lawn but it didn’t come close to rivaling  my setup of the previous day! That was until I followed the noise into the backyard and was stunned to see an enormous inflatable water  pool with slides three times the size of mine - probably reaching to a height of eight feet. My ego was deflated - I was prepared to see a slip and slide but this was a monstrous sized aquatic delight. I plonked myself into a chair and asked Coryn where she had got it - turned out it was her neighbors! She also had shade canopies spread around her gardens  and a lot of chairs that had also come from her neighbors! This  only served to put my efforts of yesterday into the shade. Poor Blake had spent most of his time at my house using his aeronautical  engineering skills to place my patio umbrellas in the best position to keep us all from broiling in the baking sun. Everytime the sun moved, so did my umbrellas. I  made a mental note to myself to check on the prices of these canopies on Amazon. Mother obviously needs to up her game plan.

I asked Coryn where she had set the slip and slide up and she told me it was behind the massive inflatable! This too was much more impressive than I had expected!: It  must have been over thirty feet long and even came with boogie boards!

Emmy Lou announced that she was spending the night at Grandma’s so she could have some extra time to play with Ray and Callie the morning of Memorial Day  before we headed over to Sean and Sarah’s for an afternoon cookout. Monday morning Bryn, the Remsburgs and Emmy-Lou went to Deanna Rose- the children’s petting zoo - while I stayed home to water my desperately dry garden and to straighten up the house a bit.

Unfortunately Lori and Blake missed our get together at Sean’s as they had to head home as Blake ws taking flight instruction classes the next day but it was so heartwarming to have them with us for the days we did : we all know how much fun Ming Lee would have had playing with all the nieces and nephews. He would also have greatly enjoyed frazzling my nerves with his brothers shooting basketballs on my driveway which bounced off into my flower beds flattening my blooms and causing me to screech like a banshee.

In recent weeks various family members have experienced flying in and out of our new airport and reviews are mixed. Bryn and the Remsbergs were very impressed with the new facility: loving all the restaurants, shops and amenities that the previous airport did not have the space for. So now we have a massive airport that requires one to take 3,943 steps from the shuttle bus drop off point to one’s gate. Granted there are moving pavements but I am sure that many seniors could find using them difficult with their knee, hip and balance issues! Thankfully Mother is in amazing shape for her age and frequently hits 10,000 steps a day on her fitbit tracker! 

Bryn amazed me by announcing that he was not going to be driving to the airport  with the Remsbergs as he was ubering ahead of them to try out one of the barbecue joints at the airport. None of my other frugal sons would have paid for an uber and a meal when they could get there for free in my car and eat from my kitchen! Frankly I have no desire to eat a meal at an airport   and I restrict my liquids to avoid  having to use the restroom aboard a plane. Plus of course my bowels tend to be unsettled until I am seated at my gate with at least an hour to compose myself after the stresses of driving to the airport, parking, boarding a shuttle bus, clearing security and finding the gate in the right concourse.

I flew out of the new airport to Orlando in late April to visit the Remsburgs for a few days. I arrived Friday evening and  learned that I would need to be up early the next morning to attend Ray’s basketball game at eight in the morning! This immediately sent me into a tailspin as this meant getting up at six for me with the time difference! But of course anything for my grandchildren so Grandma had her butt on the bench watching Ray play at an hour I would normally be sleeping! Craig’s dad, Roger, joined us for the game and I have to say that he and Craig were very enthusiastically coaching from the sidelines - despite observing beforehand that some parents are way too involved with their young children’s games! I think Ray was the top scorer on his team and also won a medal for good sportsmanship! However Craig and Roger thought this was not a game that best showcased his talents! I can only imagine how intensely involved these two are going to be in Ray’s teenage sports!

That night I babysat Ray and Calie as Leslee-Ann and Craig had tickets to see Steve Martin and Martin Sheen perform their comedy act. Who knew old people were so cool? I told the children that they would have to babysit me really as I had no idea what the house rules were and amazingly they did not take advantage of my ignorance at all! In fact they were both angels - sharing a bag of sour gummy worms with me while we watched the children’s movie Luca and thank goodness Ray knew how to work the television controls! I would have been trying all their remotes in various combinations for hours trying to find the show that they wanted to watch! They both got ready for bed without a fuss and Ray stayed up for some alone time with Grandma as he explained that it was okay since he was much older than Callie!

Miles, the dog, has supposedly been to obedience training since my last visit but he seemed as rambunctious as ever to me. Leslee-Ann insisted that he was jumping all over me because I made eye contact with him and patted his head. Apparently you have to completely ignore him - hard to do when he jumps all over you! Whilst there I also developed streaming eyes and a runny nose that required wads of tissues to soak it all up - tissues that the dog grabbed and tore to pieces all over the house - including in my bed. I decided that I was either allergic to the dog or fruit tree pollen from our berry picking earlier in the day.

On Sunday morning we went for a walk along a nearby lake and experienced hurricane strength winds  - far more scary than the alligators sunning themselves along the shore! Ray and Callie were challenged just to stand!

I flew back on Monday and missed the setup of the old airport yet again- it only used to take a few steps from departing the plane to being curbside for the shuttle bus . Once again I had to walk thousands of steps and use an escalator to reach the shuttle bus parked across four lanes of traffic! We definitely have a big city airport now!

We have all been following Joshua’s posts on facebook and his texts keep us informed of all his adventures as he travels around the world , - he has recently  visited Australia to attend a friend’s wedding and then moved on to South East Asia.In Bali he meetup with our family friends from Fort Madison Roger and Lori Griwold, who just happened to be there on a diving trip so they were able to spend time together! Recently he landed in Borneo and has been volunteering with a rainforest  rehab project and enjoying wild Orangutans! Hopefullyhe will be headed back home soon as it has been ten months since he left on his latest  travels!

Ming Jon has recently moved to Arlington, West Virginia after spending thirty-four years in Washington DC. Hope all goes well - he may be here for a visit shortly. Marc is working so many legal cases in Los Angeles that he hasn’t been able to get away for a visit yet but hopes things. will slow down soon. 

Climate change is reflected yet again in my garden as our dry and unusually hot Spring has resulted in the grass needing to be watered daily in order to have any hopes of avoiding scorched earth. I will have to expand my flower beds yet again: having a lawn is soon going to be impractical due to the cost of water needed to combat the drought and heat. And you will be pleased to know that I have reduced my trips to the Hen House by ordering bulk household staples like detergent,  paper plates, kitchen towels etc from Amazon. Minimizing my carbon footprint as I certainly do not drive on a daily basis anymore!

Love from your at the moment always hot Mother. Triple digit temperatures are forecast for the last days of June!

 THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER       VOLUME 150                                 MARCH 2023

Dear Readers, 

The highlight of February was the Chief’s win against the Philadelphia Eagles - when despite having a sprained ankle, Patrick Mahomes led his team against the odds to win the Superbowl for the second time in four years! Even I, an avid fan, was very anxious about our ability to pull this off as we had lost a couple of games in the season that we should have easily won - think Indiana Colts - and had usually eked out a one score win - a lot of tense games for me! And of course I was transfixed to my television all day when Kansas City threw a huge Victory Parade to celebrate! How fitting that the NFL draft will be in Kansas City this April! .

In early February I received a very early morning call from Ava Claire to inform me that Jeremy had called  911 to summon an ambulance to the house. Coryn  had collapsed on the floor, unable to move and having difficulty speaking. With my vast medical experience to draw upon I diagnosed a stroke and waited anxiously for a follow up call from the hospital to confirm my diagnosis  but they ruled this out as the cause and thought it was more likely a heart condition. Of course my heart flipped thinking of my baby girl having her chest split in two so they could perform a quadruple bypass or even a heart transplant. My own heart was beating like a jackhammer in my chest as I contemplated the possibilities.She was released later in the day with no explanation of her illness but her symptoms continued. Coryn was feeling faint frequently, unable to focus on a screen , read or follow a conversation. After a few days of this she was admitted to KUMed and for four days she underwent numerous tests, including a CAT scan and MRI. Fortunately she did not have a brain tumor or multiple system atrophy which of course has taken the lives of two of our family members. But she does have a neurological disease known as Functional  Neurological Disorder which she has been battling hard to overcome and thankfully she is now well on her way to a full recovery. 

The day Coryn was admitted to KUMed Sheryl insisted on driving from Oklahoma City - where she had been visiting family - to stay with Coryn overnight in the hospital  - Coryn was considered a fall risk at this point and was confined to bed - plus she was also tethered to a machine that was monitoring her brain activity through the many electrodes glued to her scalp!

Jeremy  dropped Ava and Owen at my house the following morning on his way to visit Coryn at the hospital. Sarah and Sean suggested I bring the kids up to their house later in the day to enjoy some cousin time and hopefully keep them from worrying about their Mom too much! Ava Claire was thrilled to hold baby Cillian for the first time! That evening Jeremy asked that I bring the children back over to the hospital so that he could take them and Sheryl  to dinner while I  stayed with Coryn!  Driving to KUmed certainly reminded me of the years I spent  ferrying Norm to various medical appointments there. It took me a minute to  orient myself to the closest parking garage because of all the new additions which somehow evolve despite the limited space!

Fortunately we found an open parking spot on the first level and were quickly in the hospital and taking an elevator to the fifth floor where Coryn was an inpatient. I have to say that I was amazed that Ava Claire and Owen were so confident about finding their way to their mom’s room after  being there only once before! On exiting the elevator they immediately turned left and headed down a corridor, opening a door to the Cardiac Unit and leading me straight to their mother's room! That evening after Jeremy had taken the children home for the night and Sheryl was preparing to sleep on the sofa bed in Coryn’s room I left for my home but  I made several wrong turns before I found the elevators. Thank goodness my grandchildren did not witness my confusion!

Coryn with a headful of electrodes - just like Norm on so may of his hospital stays!

 The next day I headed to the hospital with flowers and candy and found myself circling the parking garage looking for an open space - which of course was on the very top level, exposed to the elements with a wind force threatening to blow my bouquet to smithereens! My visit was very fortuitously timed as a neurologist with a posse of medical students quickly arrived at Coryn’s bedside to evaluate my daughter. Fortunately the doctor had assimilated the fact that Coryn was a psychologist and I made it clear that I was very familiar with all things neurological since my husband had been a patient of theirs for many years.The doctor had a tentative diagnosis but ordered more tests to confirm his conclusion. That night Jeremy stayed with Coryn while Sheryl stayed with the kids so she could have dinner with them and see  them off to school the next day. I planned to spend the night with Coryn the following day but was spared the ordeal of a night in the hospital when she was discharged later that afternoon.

Her work was very supportive during her absence, and once she felt well enough to return, another teacher in her district - who also lives in Lee Summit - volunteered to drive her every day until she could drive again. I am so happy to report that Coryn is now able to drive herself and is functioning well again with just occasional episodes of brain fog. In fact she, Jeremy and the children recently flew to Los Angeles to visit Marc and Bryn, flying out of the old Kansas City airport and into the new airport as its opening coincided with their return! An interesting piece of history in the making!

Jeremy took this photo of Bryn, Coryn, Ava and Owen in front of my 2005

Ford Focus outside Marc's condo in LA

Owen with Gabby's dog

Ava Claire and Jeremy toasting LA

A few weeks ago Kay invited me to Sunday lunch at Plate in Leawood while Richard stayed home with Alex who had suffered stomach flu in previous days. Within a couple of hours of our lunch Kay texted me that she was now puking! Of course I felt sorry for Kay but was terrified that I would be the next victim but most fervently of all I hoped that this had not been in my system and passed onto Sarah and Sean’s family. I knew I would bear the brunt of Sean’s wrath if this transpired.

 Fortunately my immune system staved off the disease for almost a week - I  passed on babysitting Alex on Tuesday but finally had him over on Thursday - when Lochlan and Cillian came over for a while too and then on Friday, while his four young cousins were here,  as Richard’s dad- who usually watches him- was feeling unwell. At about four O'clock that afternoon, while Sarah was holding  Lochlan, he suddenly vomited his lunch and a bottle of milk all over her, my carpet in the family room and my kitchen floor. Sarah dashed into the nearest bathroom to remove her clothes  and Lochans while I found clean clothes for them and grabbed my steam mop and carpet shampooer as we adults all pitched in to clean up the mess!  Sarah decided to take Lochlan  and Cillian home while  Sean , Emmy Lou, Liam and I ate my homemade Lasagna  supper around my kitchen table. Sean immediately began to vocalize his fears that all four of the children would be puking simultaneously throughout the night and that he and Sraah would be trying to deal with them while probably puking themselves. Sean always envisions the worst case scenario but gets little sympathy from me as I always recall the time that we had eight family members simultaneously vomiting and had to share buckets! Norm never threw an ice cream bucket away after that experience and had them strewn through-out the house and in towering stacks in one of his junk rooms!

After I had gone to bed that Friday night I noticed that my stomach was feeling a bit queasy and realized that I had not had my usual robust appetite that day, having skipped lunch and eating only one small piece of my Lasagna for dinner. This was a blessing as within the hour I was sitting on the toilet with diarrhea running out of my bottom and vomit spewing from my mouth into the near at hand plastic bin I keep the children’s bath toys in! I lost count of the times I raced from my bed to the bathroom but my biggest concern was running out of toilet paper as earlier in  the day Sean had removed all five rolls of toilet paper from my linen closet to the bathroom upstairs! He claimed  that he was always running out up there while he was working! After each messy bout that required numerous sheets of toilet paper I would assess the chances of making the trip upstairs and back down to ensure I had enough toilet paper  but feared both ends would explode all over my stairs on the way up or down ( that really would be a pain in the arse to clean up) and decided to stand in the shower with the detachable hand held sprayer aimed at my buttocks if my one roll ran out.

In the morning I updated Sean about my sickness and learned that Lochlan seemed to be doing better after several episodes but the next day Emmy Lou and Sean had both succumbed and late in the day Liam was sick too. Fortunately Sarah and Cillian were spared! Thank goodness it was basically a twenty-four hour virus but I am most thankful that Lochlan had puked before eating my Lasagna otherwise Sean would have accused me of giving everyone food poisoning!

Sarah and Sean recently lost their nanny and hope to make it through the next few months using a combination of maternity leave until mid April; then paternity leave for fourteen weeks;summer camps and my help !

My bed is a changing table for three!

Lochlan getting diapers ready for me!

 In the fall Emmy-Lou and Liam will be attending a nearby preschool for five hours a day, four days a week, Lochlan will be attending two days a week and Cillian and Lochlan will probably be spending time with Grandma on the days I have Lochlan helpingAlex! This works out well because the two older boys play so well together that I can give Cillian plenty of attention.I have diapering three boys assembly line fashion down pat - except when I try to put the wrong size diaper on one of them! I am looking forward to having Ava Clare and Owen’s help during the school holidays this summer with Grandma’s fun in the sun camp! Just hope I can keep up with my gardening as well as the children!

3 containers for 3 different sizes of diapers!

Kay is scheduled to have her reconstructive surgery on April 7th and we all hope that it goes well and that she makes a speedy recovery. She has done very well with the recovery from her mastectomy and is fully focused on enjoying a cancer free life..

 Our weather has been fluctuating between pleasantly warm and freezing cold. It seems that my grandchildren tend to be at my house more often on the snowy, rainy, cold and windy days when we are stuck indoors rather than the sunny, dry and warm days when we can play outside and run off some pent up energy. For those of you who read my letter online I have included some recent photos of the children interacting with each other. I take great enjoyment in being with them - except of course when one  or more of them are throwing temper tantrums, having potty accidents or dumping water out of the tub during the many baths their messy eating necessitates!

Emmy Lou sampling the frosting we used to glue the marshmallows to gether to form snowmen

Liam using candies to decorate his snowman!

My next newsletter will detail my upcoming trip to Orlando to visit the Remsburgs! I am hoping for warmer weather there this year in April so that I can play in  their swimming pool with Ray and Callie - on my last  two visits it was too cold to do so!

This mother hen wishes a Happy Easter to all my chicks - I look forward to having an Easter Egg hunt in my garden again this year so I can cluck over my  more recently hatched  chicks as they gobble up  sugary Easter treats and go home to hopefully roost in their parents nests- while this old bird recover from all the activity with a glass of wine and a long night’s sleep! 

Love from your tough old bird of a Mother who still struts her stuff and rules the roost - except when my grandchicks invade my nest, ruffle my feathers and place me at the bottom of the pecking order!