THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 96 DECEMBER 2014

Dear Readers ,

In early November I flew to Orlando to visit Leslee-Ann, and Craig: as a bonus or booby prize, depending on your viewpoint , I also got to see my Sean who seems to be shuffling himself between them and family friends Skylar and Jaimie in Sarasota, Florida while he waits for his British passport to arrive. The later couple have a home in need of a lot of updating so Sean is currently helping them out with plans for Josh to do so in the future: maybe.

An unexpected travel perk was revealed to me at the Kansas City airport. After successfully parking my car in the economy parking lot and boarding a shuttle bus to the Southwest terminal, I was surprised to see long lines at the security check in (a first for me at this airport) on a Thursday afternoon. I congratulated myself on having the foresight to arrive at least an hour ahead of the time my children would have done. Clutching my boarding pass, driver's license and luggage I was approached by a security guard who took a quick peak at my boarding pass and hustled me over to a much shorter line – I asked why and he explained that three little letters on my boarding pass decreed that I was cleared to pass through security with no need to remove any piece of clothing or my shoes. I almost felt guilty as I passed by yards of my fellow travelers who seemed as puzzled by the rationale for this selective process as myself. I felt very important of course, convinced that my British blue blood must have put me in this elite class. Only a few months ago on my trip to New York, I was selected to have my hands tested for bomb residue with Ava Claire in my arms – both ways. Coryn even asked the security guard the second time why I was selected but he assured her that it was a strictly random procedure, nothing suspicious about my persona. I thought that perhaps the airlines were trying to rectify pulling Grandma over by giving me the all clear this time. Turns out Southwest was randomly assigning passengers this status in hopes that we would be willing to pay up to a hundred dollars for the privilege on future flights .I was selected for the same security waiver on my return flight but I would not pay for this myself!

I was picked up by all three of my children and whisked off to dinner in downtown Winter Garden before heading to their home. I was most impressed with all the renovations that had taken place since my last visit. Leslee and Craig had replaced their honey oak kitchen cabinets with custom dark maple ones , new granite counter counter-tops and stainless steel appliances. Josh had ripped up their ceramic tile floor and installed beautiful bamboo flooring, added a new tile back splash and five inch baseboards. He also replaced other flooring in the house with bamboo. Mother would be thrilled to have some bamboo flooring installed in her house, any volunteers?

Leslee and Craig informed me that since they had made all these upgrades to the inside of their home they felt their front yard needed work too – my work of course. So on Friday morning after rushing out to pick up coffee and and a muffin for my breakfast Leslee-Ann explained that she wanted full color perennials for her sunny front yard. I was so excited to think that one of my children might be inheriting my green thumb that I could hardly wait to start digging in the dirt. Leslee quelled my enthusiasm by reminding me that in her domain Craig digs the holes under her supervision. We shopped for plants at Lowes, loaded up Craig' s cargo space in his new van and ate lunch before heading back to tackle the yard. I had suggested that we buy an edging tool to dig out defined beds, so I got the project started then handed the tool to Craig who was a tad too enthusiastic in his trenching around the borders, making them deep and wide enough for infantrymen to take refuge in. Leslee-Ann was not pleased. I assured her that a little back filling and a few trailing plants would rectify all the faults she was finding. I was actually far more concerned about the non- appearance of the sun. It was shaded when I looked the project over at breakfast time , still in shade when we returned from lunch and after edging out the border, moving some existing plants around , and placing our new ones I again questioned how this could be a full sun situation with only three more hours of daylight left? Craig ran around the house using his camera man skills to assess the lighting issue concluding that there was a minimal chance that the sun might shine on the garden bed in late light of day - if it wasn't blocked by their neighbors towering homes. I asked how they could possibly believe this garden bed was in full sun when every day they work from their desks in their home office overlooking the very spot we were working in? They were as baffled as I. We decided to have Craig and Sean plant all the sun perennials in the back yard where I placed them whilst Leslee-Ann and I made another trip to a nursery. Finding shade perennials in Florida was not easy and we ended up driving to three garden centers before we had enough plants to fill the space.

That evening we ate at a Greek restaurant, Opa, which was filled with belly dancers, fire eaters and waiters who periodically threw hundreds of paper napkins in the air. I was glad your dad was not there as he would have been stuffing handfuls of the napkins in all his pockets complaining about the waste and probably trying to stuff them into my purse too! The patrons ranged from young children (some of whom gyrated right alongside the belly dancer which I found rather disturbing , especially considering all the people capturing the scene with their cell phones) to the very aged who were hoisted onto table tops to dance. As their enthusiastic relatives raised their glasses to them in encouragement, I wondered if an ambulance was permanently parked out back in case of nasty falls with all those senior's osteoporosis riddled bones and doubtless highly medicated bodies precariously attempting to relive their glory years back in the old country. I dread to think what the liability insurance must be on that place. The food and service was very good though but I have to say I much preferred the BB King Jazz Club that we moved onto later for a drink, they had an outstanding young singer and guitar player performing for an enthusiastic crowd. We moved to a third venue for the night before finally heading for home. I was definitely getting my party on with the kids.

The next day Craig had to work so Leslee-Ann, Sean and I headed to the Magic Animal Kingdom which is only a short distance from their house. Through her connections Leslee had hooked us up with some free tickets which was great because otherwise it's about a hundred dollars a ticket. The park is enormous of course and beautifully kept with enchanting scenes everywhere you look and we were able to see many of the animals at close quarters especially on the Safari ride through the park. W e ate lunch there finding it a challenge to find a place to sit. The Kingdom was jam packed as soon as it opened for the day. We also managed to squeeze into a performance paying homage to the Lion King which was very entertaining. Once done with the park we made another stop for mulch and a hose nozzle and headed home. Leslee was attending a toddler's birthday party across the street – I elected to work on the front yard in peace for awhile while Sean spread the mulch in the back yard around the new plantings there. Then he joined Leslee while I toiled on.

.At some point while I was hauling dirt, moving rocks and lugging plants around the yard Leslee -Ann happened to remark that that when Craig's parents visit they love to relax in their screened in porch, basking in the sun with a cocktail in hand - maybe watching a movie on their outdoor big scree TV. I wiped the sweat from my brow, and muttered something about how I always seem to be toiling rather than lolling when I visit my children and was informed that I loved to help with their projects being more of a doer than a sitter.

Sean and Leslee returned home laden with food from their party hosts so we ate supper at home with Craig joining us and spent the evening playing games with plans for me to head back home the next day.

I returned home and decided to start work on refinishing my kitchen cabinets: doubtless I was motivated by Leslee and Craig's renovation. I decided to remove all the hardware and give it a good cleaning and discovered that my almost oil rubbed bronzed handles were actually shiny brass under all the tarnish and dirt. I think brass is going to make a comeback soon so I am going to forge ahead even though it takes an hour to clean each door's hardware. I have painted some of my cupboards several shades lighter than before to better contrast with my new gray tile floor. All work on this project came to a halt on November 21^st when Marc and Bryn arrived to spend just over a week with their mother .Josh arrived the following day. I have hopes of getting back to this task next week.

I picked Marc and Bryn up at the airport – having to circle five times while they were retrieving their enormous amounts of luggage from baggage claim. I reminded them that I had flown to this country with less luggage for my life time stay. Once home, Marc immediately took the bedroom closest to the bathroom of course, with his bladder issues, while Bryn nabbed my Florida room with the television, so Josh was left with my English Country Garden room. I made pork chops for dinner with pumpkin cake for dessert and was later talked into making a few batches of cookies.I was overwhelmed by all the cooking and cleaning after so many months of being a household of one tidy person content to eat a cheese sandwich and a frozen dinner.Josh and Bryn actually spent time visiting their old haunts in Kansas City while Marc kept me company with tales of life with his many brothers in his compact condo.

He was very happy when he learned that Bryn had accepted a job in downtown LA working for a commercial real estate company specializing in high end hotel developments: and would probably be moving into the Beverly Hills area to be closer to work as it would be quite a commute from Marc's condo in Torrance. Since Bryn's transfer to LA , Marc has been spending a lot of time in close quarters with brothers Sean and Josh - who both spent several weeks mooching off their big brother's largesse. It is a sad reflection on Marc's desperately in need of a makeover condo that his brothers were all compelled to shower in flip flops to avoid contaminating their feet during their stay and they even offered to help him redo the place making it into a two bedroom, two bath condo but Marc wasn't keen on having more disruption in his world.

We had the biggest crowd around my Thanksgiving table in sometime. Coryn , Jeremy, and Ava Claire along with Marc, Josh and Bryn made for quite a festive crowd and I was to learn later that we had an unexpected guest at the table. Ava Claire was debuting a dressy outfit that I had made her but shortly before we sat down to lunch Coryn removed her dress and matching jacket set and pulled a tee shirt over her head saying she didn't want Ava Claire to spill food all over her new outfit. I put a bib on her and said I could have just thrown it in the washing machine as she always insists on feeding herself and gets as much food on her clothes as she does into her mouth. I was busy stirring my gravy, checking my ham and turkey which my sons were fretting about being dry instead of juicy and moist: I was on the verge of drowning it in my bath tub to ensure it was moist. Coryn had baked a deliciously rich chocolate pie for dessert, and also contributed a sweet potato casserole and cranberry pepper relish. Bryn whipped up a batch of mashed potatoes and I made the stuffing. After gobbling everything down, including our very moist turkey, thanks to the aluminum foil I wrapped it in for the first hour of roasting (despite my sons misgivings )and cleaning up the kitchen we settled in the family room. Coryn asked me if I had noticed Ava Claire's shirt. “Sure it's purple, very girly”I replied. Then she asked if I had read what it said, well - I had seen the first word “cutest” and not paid any attention to the rest so to appease Coryn I read it and went ballistic. Ava Claire was going to be the cutest big sister! Our newest family member will arrive next May. Once again Coryn and Jeremy kept this pregnancy a secret until they were into the fourth month. I could not believe that I had not noticed it when I put her bib on! My mind was fixated on what was cooking in my oven not Coryn's tummy!

Ming-Lee has successfully finished his months of training in a new plane and will now be officially based in Indianapolis instead of Memphis. Blake and Claudia are very involved in the Indianapolis Children's Choir and keep their parents very busy with all the practices and performances. They will be spending Christmas with Lori's mom and husband.

Ming-Jon has been able to find some temporary legal work and will hopefully be able to find something permanent soon.

Kay and Jeff are spending Christmas in Mexico, Sean will be in Florida, and Bryn and Marc will be in LA. Coryn , Jeremy and Ava Claire will spend some time with me and maybe Josh – he may return to Florida or he may accept a temporary position with a legal firm here and still do his other job. Leslee-Ann and Craig will be at home with his parents spending the holiday with them.

My next newsletter will detail my time with Ava Claire while her parents took a few days break in Arizona in early December, my less than HO HO Christmas lighting this year and my holiday crafting project with Kay's first graders.

I have a new cell phone and plan with Republic which only costs ten dollars a month! It even has a person I can talk to like Suri! I have different sounds for calling, texting and emailing and have even figured out how to take photos – I'll admit finding them later is a bit tricky but I'm sure I will be able to use all the many features by next year. I was able to keep the same number so feel free to text me anytime children. You all know how much I love to stay in touch with you!

I wish all of my family and friends the happiest of holidays, I will probably still be tweaking my lights, trying to light a fire under Josh to clean up after himself, and doing my sugar plum fairy dance around the Christmas tree to entertain Ava Claire for the next couple of weeks. With visions of sugar plums dancing in your heads I'm sure I wish you all the best of Holiday Cheer! Love Mother

Ava Claire was not as excited to meet Santa in person as one would have hoped!
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volume 95

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 95 OCTOBER 2014

Dear Readers,

On Tuesday September 2^nd I flew to Savannah and was met at the airport by Becky and her adorable grandson, Lysander. It was a such a relief to finally be able to hug Becky after so many difficult weeks and to see with my own eyes how well she was coping with such great loss. David's mother, April,was also flying into Savannah that afternoon: arriving an hour or so after me. As we awaited her arrival, I quickly made friends with Lysander. Within about half an hour he felt comfortable enough to make a visit to the gift shop with me while Becky enjoyed a few minutes to herself.

Once April arrived we headed to the historical downtown of Savannah where I was staying at a hotel suggested to me by my sons Josh and Sean. It had a most unusual name, 17hundred 90 Inn and concept. One can actually choose a room based on it's décor! On checking in I was amazed to find I not only had a bedroom but a separate sitting room and an enormous bathroom with a whirlpool tub! Breakfast was also included so it was a great deal. However I was not expecting to have to walk a block or so from the check in desk to my room! They did not mention that the hotel was actually housed in three separate buildings on the web site! Once Becky and I had finished admiring all the period details we drove to David's and I met tiny Merovy Juniper. After supper Becky returned me to my hotel and planned to pick me up en route for Macon, Georgia in the morning. David's work boss and some coworkers had suggested meeting there for lunch. We were driving two cars back to Fort Madison, each equipped with two car seats so that Lysander and Merovy could travel in either vehicle. The trunks were packed with clothes, toys and baby paraphernalia with all the spare seat and floor space stuffed with the overflow. David would drive one vehicle and I the other.

As soon as I sat in the driver's seat of Becky's new Ford Focus I realized that it was definitely more sophisticated than my 2005 model. Computerized screens streaming information lit up the dashboard. I wondered if perhaps I should reconsider my plan to drive my old Focus until it needed repairs – perhaps I should upgrade now while I still have hopes of learning to use a new set of controls? I must say that I do prefer my gear stick to hers which seemed to be in the wrong slot every time I touched it – Becky said she had found it to be an issue too.

Once we arrived in Macon- sometime after David and April because we had both children in the back seat and had to stop for potty and feeding breaks- we met up with David's boss and coworkers who were all very welcoming .One very sweet Georgia peach of a grandmother asked how I came to be involved in this tragedy so I explained my long friendship with Becky who is like a sister to me, despite the fact that she is the Singing Nun to my Lady Gaga.

It was almost three in the afternoon when we got back into our cars. Lunch lasted so long that we were driving through downtown Atlanta in rush hour traffic when a torrential thunderstorm made driving virtually impossible, I could barely see the tail lights of the car in front of me as we inched along. Unfortunately during this time Merovy decided to have a fussy spell and despite Becky's numerous attempts to quiet her with a pacifier which involved unbuckling herself and leaning over the back of her seat to reach the baby while I searched for an exit sign but quickly realized that I was not going to be able to change lanes anyway as we were completely hemmed in by several lanes of traffic on either side of us. As Merovy's wails became more insistent Becky managed to contort herself to maneuver into the back seat, wiggling past me and wedging herself between the two car seats. We found the whole episode more amusing than frightening: thankfully no-one could see what was going on in the torrential rain so we didn't have to worry about being ticketed for reckless movement inside the car! I was just glad that Merovy stopped crying, that Becky didn't put her back out or bump into me causing a pile up on the interstate.

As we all know Mother is not a leisurely driver. I like to get from my starting point to my destination the shortest and fastest way possible. I do not enjoy rest stops, potty stops, or fuel stops for myself or the car. I invariably do it all in one (and only one )stop. I realized when I volunteered that I was going to have to pull of the interstate at least every three hours so that Merovy could be fed and diapered. Becky has a tendency to enjoy frequent excursions off the interstate at all times, thus we ended up taking Merovy on her first of what I am sure will be many trips to a fabric store. We pulled off to shop at an enormous barn of a fabric store : Hancock's of Paducah in Kentucky where Becky and I both found fabric for our grandchildren. We fortuitously combined this stop with feeding and diapering Merovy and using the restroom ourselves. Once back in the car I successfully headed out of the parking lot towards the ramp that would hopefully have us back on the interstate but Becky dared to ask me to go through a McDonald's drive thru so she could get a milk shake! I of course got nothing as I keep my liquid intake to a minimum on the road. I expected that we'd be pulling off again a couple of exits later for another potty break but she did manage to make it to the next scheduled stop! I hope she wasn't too uncomfortable.

We did go through a lot of tissues enroute, especially at a dinner stop where a woman came over to take a peak at Merovy whom she recognized as a preemie. She identified herself as a nurse working with high risk pregnancies and I think she was intrigued to see two Grandma's but no mother with such a tiny baby. Becky told her the sad story and soon she was in need of a tissue. Becky often found herself in the strange position of comforting those who learned of her awful loss! Becky and I did wonder if some of the people who came over to peak at the baby during our numerous stops wondered if we had abducted the baby or perhaps thought we were lesbians with a sperm donor baby!

By far the hardest and most emotional day was Friday , when we arrived at Becky's mother's house and I witnessed their first heart wrenching hug since Gretchen's death. Two lovely, kind women who have both suffered too many tough times but as Becky's mother reassured her - they would get through this together. I joined in their hugs and tears thinking how much they were going to need their families and friends to hold them up during the difficult times yet to come.

David and his mother arrived later with the children. They had taken them both the night before in hopes that freed of Merovy's night times feedings, Becky would be able to sleep better: to help her cope with what they knew would be a very emotional day We checked out of the hotel quite some time before them and once Becky had managed to guide me out of the hotel parking lot (she witnessed many times how challenging I find exiting sprawling parking lots as I have no sense of direction) we headed to Hannibal. We stopped at her her sister's Cindy 's house for lunch and to pick up a toddler bed for Lysander before heading to her mothers.

After three days on the road we arrived at Becky's house and thanks to Sherry we had milk for “ a nice cup of tea”. Later that evening I dashed to HyVee for some groceries. Once everything was under control at Becky's house I left for Mike and Mary Brockman's where I was going to sleep for a couple of nights before returning home by train Sunday evening.

Coryn and I returned the following Saturday for Gretchen's memorial service. Coryn spent the previous night at my house as we had planned to take the train up and back the same day as she wanted to minimize her time away from Ava Claire. Unfortunately when I checked my messages shortly after six in the morning I saw that our train was delayed by nearly three hours meaning that we would not arrive in time for the service so we had to drive. Coryn wasn't thrilled about the prospect of making the round trip driving but I volunteered to drive until it grew dark on the way home, plus I pointed out that we would actually be home a couple of hours ahead of the the scheduled train time.

We arrived in plenty of time to have lunch, and entertain Lysander before heading over to the Barr Memorial Chapel. Later we we met up with several friends at the luncheon served at Roling Hall. I hope that Becky and David felt all the love and support that surrounded them that day.

Josh was staying at my house while I was helping Becky, whilst Sean was at Coryn and Jeremy's where they dubbed him their Manny as he was helping care for Ava Claire, cooking dinner on the nights Coryn worked and running the dogs. I had hopes that by the time of my return all my painting projects would be done for me but alas the boys had only been able to get to the kitchen and one bathroom- that Josh told me needed a second coat- as he headed out of the door bound for Texas. I did manage to persuade Sean to help me paint my bedroom and bathroom one weekend but he baled on me before all the new fixtures and closet system were installed so I had to tackle that myself. Lining up five toggle bolts, whilst holding a drill and balancing on a step stool was not easy but I finally managed to do so and so far the poles and shelves are still attached to the wall supports. During this time Sean was at my house with a virus that included a sore throat and a need to sleep nineteen hours a day. He did manage to find the energy to cut a metal shelf in half for me with bolt cutters which saved me from an hour of hack sawing.

Coryn, Ava Claire and I had lunch together earlier this week and we did some shopping, I finally found two matching mirrors for my new double vanity after having no luck at numerous other stores. We also shopped for Ava Claire as she will need more clothes for the fall. I have made her a new coat and matching hat and am working on a three piece ensemble at the moment with plans for others in my head but there is so much to do around the house and garden still.

Yesterday I attended Elena's third birthday party, with all the girls in tutu's and the lone male in top hat and bow-tie. Ava Claire out ate the others easily – she was the only one to eat her entire cupcake! Then today I took Kay and Jeff to lunch to celebrate his passing his clinical sociology licensing exam.

Becky and David, along with the children, will be headed to Atlanta for a week soon and then on to Savannah where I hope they will be able to move forward as a family without their beloved Gretchen. I know that Lysander and Merovy will be their light.

Time for me to make a nice cup of tea and settle in to watch the Royals win another game in the playoffs which will take us to the World Series. I don't enjoy baseball at all but am swept up in the euphoria of Kansas City. Love to you all, Mother.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 94 AUGUST 2014

Dear Children, Family, and Friends,

This has been the most difficult month. My close friend of many decades, Becky Clay, lost her daughter, Gretchen, to a massive stroke: she was thirty four weeks pregnant at the time of this tragedy. Thanks to Becky's timely arrival in Savannah she was able to summon help so that the baby could be saved. As you may recall Becky had put her Fort Madison home on the market in the spring, retired from work and decided that she would possibly move to Savannah to be closer to Gretchen and her husband David and grandchildren.

Becky had driven down to stay with Gretchen and Lysander because David was working in Atlanta that week and having a high risk pregnancy it was deemed wise to have someone with Gretchen just in case of a problem. Gretchen had not had an easy first pregnancy and had been confined to bed rest for the last couple of months of it but this time the doctors were trying to manage her situation without keeping her in bed. Becky was able to spend part of a day with Gretchen before she was lost to her. How precious that time will be in Becky's memories.

Merovy Juniper was born prematurely but after a few weeks in the hospital she is now now home with her father, big brother and Grammy. I am flying to Savannah on Tuesday to be with them as we drive back to Fort Madison for Gretchen's Memorial Service which is set for Saturday, September 13^th .It may take a few days as we are driving two vehicles back with David's mother's help too and our young passengers will need potty stops, diaper changes and feeding – it will be a challenge but I am so glad that I can be of some help in this very difficult, painful and stressful time.

Here at home things have been stressful too but not on the same devastating scale. The morning I learned of Becky's loss contractors were in my house tearing out my kitchen floor. I felt as though I should be flying to Savannah but quickly realized that Becky and David's family members were on their way and that this should be a private family time. I spent the day at various home improvement stores trying to concentrate on picking out new bathroom vanities, counter-tops, tile and accessories. I had never expected my project to start so soon but the contractor had called the night before and said he had a delay in the start of another job so he could squeeze me in sooner. I found it difficult to think of anything but the awful news as I shopped in a daze.

I must say that on my recent visit to Ming-Lee and Lori's home I was very impressed with their latest bathroom remodels. I loved the new higher vanities and all the tile work which Ming did himself. The only feature I wasn't anxious to incorporate into my new master bathroom was the timer on Claudia's shower which is also used by guests. Lori warned me that I had eight minutes to beat the clock otherwise I would be showering in cold water. Apparently Ming-Lee had added the timer device after he noted that Claudia was spending more time showering than he thought necessary. I had assured Lori that this was not going to be an issue as I am not into long showers - only hours soaking in the tub. However I felt I wasted at least a precious minute of my time just waiting for a trickle of hot water so I could get under the shower. Once my hair was wet I reached for the shampoo bottle but without my glasses I couldn't figure out which of the many bottles was what so I had to dash out, grab my glasses from the vanity and try to read the labels through my steamed up glasses. I didn't dare to turn off the water in case I had to waste another minute waiting for hot water again. I finally found the shampoo and decided to just wash everything with it to save time reading labels in hopes of finding bodywash. I scrambled out of the shower feeling as though I had run a four minute mile. Later I wondered if turning off the shower would actually reset the timer but I guess Claudia will have to figure that one out!

The last four weeks of construction have been long, noisy, dusty and dirty. I have to say that I will no longer believe in HGTV and their month long whole house remodels. I had a porcelain tile floor laid in my kitchen, laundry room, guest bathroom off the kitchen and my master bathroom. I had a large vanity with a make up area outside of the bathroom removed and had a closet built in the space so that now I have two closets in my bedroom. The existing single vanity in the main bathroom area was removed along with a linen closet which made room for a double vanity in the bathroom. Two other bathrooms got new vanities too. Now there is a lot of painting to do but as luck would have it Sean and Josh are both home and may be able to help with this project whilst I am away. Of course now the kitchen cabinets look worse than ever so they will have to be redone, maybe I can refinish them over the winter. Once you spruce up one area of the house you suddenly seem aware of all the projects needed through out the rest of the house. I escape to my garden so I don't rashly commit myself to more projects. Unfortunately while painting trim to try and hurry the contractors crew I started slapping paint on doors and thus am committed to giving them a second coat plus repainting all the others to match.

Unfortunately my kitchen floor proved quite a challenge as they had to tear out two layers of sub-floor before they could install the concrete board to lay the tile down. The lead tiler was Hispanic and unfortunately had very little English language ability so I resorted to playing charades in order to communicate with him. I was very concerned when I realized it had taken him hours to set a dozen tiles and I had chosen large 12x24 ones! The boss showed up and assured me that the worker had lots of experience. He urged him to move things along but unfortunately increasing his output led to a decline in the quality of the work. I was not pleased when the boss showed up the next day and started ripping tile out that was poorly laid. Glad that the problem was rectified but not happy that the kitchen floor alone was turning into a full weeks project I suggested that more workers were needed. Another crew showed up to complete the job. Everything looks great but unfortunately I had water running over the pipes instead of into them the first time I used my master bath sinks. The contractor had a plumber there within ten minutes of my late night phone call - doubtless terrified that the water damage to the inside of my cabinet was going to cost him a replacement double vanity. Since the project had run twice as long as expected and involved a lot of overtime, even Sundays the contractor probably (as he claims) lost money on this job.

I slept upstairs for weeks as my bedroom and bathroom were filled with dry wall dust , saw dust and of course all the dust I had done nothing about in the days before my remodel seeing no point in cleaning what would be a demolition site. It will certainly be awhile before I have the energy to cope with all the mess and disruption of another home improvement project but I do love the end result.

This is Labor Day Weekend and once again my children are scattered. Coryn, Jeremy and Ava Claire are in Florida with Leslee (who has a birthday on Monday) and Craig, Kay is in Boston visiting friends, Josh is in Omaha with plans to visit friends in Des Moines. Sean is dog sitting in Lee's Summit. I expect that Bryn and Marc are on a beach near LA, Ming-Jon is probably spending the holiday in DC and Ming-Lee and family are at their lake house.

Ava Claire was not bothered by all the noise and mess of my renovation at all, she seemed very pleased with all the male attention as she toddled about swinging her sippy cup in one hand and a snack in the other.I did manage to sew another outfit or two for her and kept up with my watering of the garden but found the construction quite wearing. As we all know I love quiet days filled with classical music, a good book , my garden and and a few hunks of cheese and chocolate with a glass of wine. Hasn't happened in months!

I was able to spend a couple of afternoons helping Kay set up her classroom – the principal asked if I was a teacher because she said I looked like one! I confessed that I had taught high school in England and been a preschool teacher here. I do enjoy spending time with Kay's class and look forward to meeting the new one.

I'm off to dust my suitcase for my long trip to Savannah and back to Fort Madison. I know that Gretchen will be with us on this journey in spirit and I promise not to rock the heavens with my language when Lysander wails every thirty minutes that he wants to get out of the car seat, Merovy develops colic as we drive through a major city or Becky reminds me of the speed limit which I always exceed.

Love from your running on empty but gassed up for the trip Mother.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 94 AUGUST 2014

Dear Children, Family, and Friends,

This has been the most difficult month. My close friend of many decades, Becky Clay, lost her daughter, Gretchen, to a massive stroke: she was thirty four weeks pregnant at the time of this tragedy. Thanks to Becky's timely arrival in Savannah she was able to summon help so that the baby could be saved. As you may recall Becky had put her Fort Madison home on the market in the spring, retired from work and decided that she would possibly move to Savannah to be closer to Gretchen and her husband David and grandchildren.

Becky had driven down to stay with Gretchen and Lysander because David was working in Atlanta that week and having a high risk pregnancy it was deemed wise to have someone with Gretchen just in case of a problem. Gretchen had not had an easy first pregnancy and had been confined to bed rest for the last couple of months of it but this time the doctors were trying to manage her situation without keeping her in bed. Becky was able to spend part of a day with Gretchen before she was lost to her. How precious that time will be in Becky's memories.

Merovy Juniper was born prematurely but after a few weeks in the hospital she is now now home with her father, big brother and Grammy. I am flying to Savannah on Tuesday to be with them as we drive back to Fort Madison for Gretchen's Memorial Service which is set for Saturday, September 13^th .It may take a few days as we are driving two vehicles back with David's mother's help too and our young passengers will need potty stops, diaper changes and feeding – it will be a challenge but I am so glad that I can be of some help in this very difficult, painful and stressful time.

Here at home things have been stressful too but not on the same devastating scale. The morning I learned of Becky's loss contractors were in my house tearing out my kitchen floor. I felt as though I should be flying to Savannah but quickly realized that Becky and David's family members were on their way and that this should be a private family time. I spent the day at various home improvement stores trying to concentrate on picking out new bathroom vanities, counter-tops, tile and accessories. I had never expected my project to start so soon but the contractor had called the night before and said he had a delay in the start of another job so he could squeeze me in sooner. I found it difficult to think of anything but the awful news as I shopped in a daze.

I must say that on my recent visit to Ming-Lee and Lori's home I was very impressed with their latest bathroom remodels. I loved the new higher vanities and all the tile work which Ming did himself. The only feature I wasn't anxious to incorporate into my new master bathroom was the timer on Claudia's shower which is also used by guests. Lori warned me that I had eight minutes to beat the clock otherwise I would be showering in cold water. Apparently Ming-Lee had added the timer device after he noted that Claudia was spending more time showering than he thought necessary. I had assured Lori that this was not going to be an issue as I am not into long showers - only hours soaking in the tub. However I felt I wasted at least a precious minute of my time just waiting for a trickle of hot water so I could get under the shower. Once my hair was wet I reached for the shampoo bottle but without my glasses I couldn't figure out which of the many bottles was what so I had to dash out, grab my glasses from the vanity and try to read the labels through my steamed up glasses. I didn't dare to turn off the water in case I had to waste another minute waiting for hot water again. I finally found the shampoo and decided to just wash everything with it to save time reading labels in hopes of finding bodywash. I scrambled out of the shower feeling as though I had run a four minute mile. Later I wondered if turning off the shower would actually reset the timer but I guess Claudia will have to figure that one out!

The last four weeks of construction have been long, noisy, dusty and dirty. I have to say that I will no longer believe in HGTV and their month long whole house remodels. I had a porcelain tile floor laid in my kitchen, laundry room, guest bathroom off the kitchen and my master bathroom. I had a large vanity with a make up area outside of the bathroom removed and had a closet built in the space so that now I have two closets in my bedroom. The existing single vanity in the main bathroom area was removed along with a linen closet which made room for a double vanity in the bathroom. Two other bathrooms got new vanities too. Now there is a lot of painting to do but as luck would have it Sean and Josh are both home and may be able to help with this project whilst I am away. Of course now the kitchen cabinets look worse than ever so they will have to be redone, maybe I can refinish them over the winter. Once you spruce up one area of the house you suddenly seem aware of all the projects needed through out the rest of the house. I escape to my garden so I don't rashly commit myself to more

projects. Unfortunately while painting trim to try and hurry the contractors crew I started slapping paint on doors and thus am committed to giving them a second coat plus repainting all the others to match.

Unfortunately my kitchen floor proved quite a challenge as they had to tear out two layers of sub-floor before they could install the concrete board to lay the tile down. The lead tiler was Hispanic and unfortunately had very little English language ability so I resorted to playing charades in order to communicate with him. I was very concerned when I realized it had taken him hours to set a dozen tiles and I had chosen large 12x24 ones! The boss showed up and assured me that the worker had lots of experience. He urged him to move things along but unfortunately increasing his output led to a decline in the quality of the work. I was not pleased when the boss showed up the next day and started ripping tile out that was poorly laid. Glad that the problem was rectified but not happy that the kitchen floor alone was turning into a full weeks project I suggested that more workers were needed. Another crew showed up to complete the job. Everything looks great but unfortunately I had water running over the pipes instead of into them the first time I used my master bath sinks. The contractor had a plumber there within ten minutes of my late night phone call - doubtless terrified that the water damage to the inside of my cabinet was going to cost him a replacement double vanity. Since the project had run twice as long as expected and involved a lot of overtime, even Sundays the contractor probably (as he claims) lost money on this job.

I slept upstairs for weeks as my bedroom and bathroom were filled with dry wall dust , saw dust and of course all the dust I had done nothing about in the days before my remodel seeing no point in cleaning what would be a demolition site. It will certainly be awhile before I have the energy to cope with all the mess and disruption of another home improvement project but I do love the end result.

This is Labor Day Weekend and once again my children are scattered. Coryn, Jeremy and Ava Claire are in Florida with Leslee (who has a birthday on Monday) and Craig, Kay is in Boston visiting friends, Josh is in Omaha with plans to visit friends in Des Moines. Sean is dog sitting in Lee's Summit. I expect that Bryn and Marc are on a beach near LA, Ming-Jon is probably spending the holiday in DC and Ming-Lee and family are at their lake house.

Ava Claire was not bothered by all the noise and mess of my renovation at all, she seemed very pleased with all the male attention as she toddled about swinging her sippy cup in one hand and a snack in the other.I did manage to sew another outfit or two for her and kept up with my watering of the garden but found the construction quite wearing. As we all know I love quiet days filled with classical music, a good book , my garden and and a few hunks of cheese and chocolate with a glass of wine. Hasn't happened in months!

I was able to spend a couple of afternoons helping Kay set up her classroom – the principal asked if I was a teacher because she said I looked like one! I confessed that I had taught high school in England and been a preschool teacher here. I do enjoy spending time with Kay's class and look forward to meeting the new one.

I'm off to dust my suitcase for my long trip to Savannah and back to Fort Madison. I know that Gretchen will be with us on this journey in spirit and I promise not to rock the heavens with my language when Lysander wails every thirty minutes that he wants to get out of the car seat, Merovy develops colic as we drive through a major city or Becky reminds me of the speed limit which I always exceed.

Love from your running on empty but gassed up for the trip Mother.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 93 JULY 4TH 2014

Dear Children, Extended Family and Friends,

On June 10^th I planned to drive to Indianapolis but had to delay my plans for a day: torrential downpours - for several days previously - had caused water leakage into my basement. I was holding back the flood with my carpet shampooer and masses of towels until one in the morning: when I was too tired to do anymore. After a too short night's sleep I started baling my basement out again in the morning.

Since Kay and Jeff were planning on house, garden, and cat sitting for me whilst I was gone, I called to let them know I was going to stay until the following day in hopes of leaving them with a dry basement but asked them to come over as planned so I could show them what to do in case it happened while I was gone - which unfortunately it did.

On Wednesday June 11^th my fully loaded Ford Focus – not just all the upgrades but the trunk and back seat as well- finally headed East on I70 to Ming and Lori's home. It was a long seven and a half hour drive, I only made two stops, one to pee and another for gas. I had a bottle of water and granola bars to fuel me as I drove. I was looking forward to using cruise control on the trip but it was almost impossible as the two lane interstate, for the most part, was bumper to bumper with huge trucks and semi trailers. For some inexplicable reason one big rig always tries to pass another on a steep incline slowing all the traffic in both lanes to a frustrating crawl behind them. I think all interstates should have a mandatory three lanes and that the right hand lane should be the only lane available to truckers. To add to my angst as soon as I exited the bypass around Saint Louis I ran into miles of construction work, with slow speeds and no speed in several sections where only one lane was open. Thank goodness I never let my gas tank get below a quarter full before I pull into a gas station. I would have been a nervous wreck sitting in traffic for who knows how long without a full tank.

Finally I was on the bypass that would take me to the exit I needed to begin the series of twists and turns that leads to Ming and Lori's house. Unfortunately my Garmin told me to stay left when I should have stayed right: therefore I made numerous turns as it kept recalculating and I eventually realized that I was not in a neighborhood that looked at all familiar, in fact I doubted that it would be safe to even glance at the people on the street leave alone ask for directions. I decided to keep faith with my Garmin even though it seemed to be leading me astray. After quite a detour I was safely delivered to my destination and met with a warm welcome.

Once the car was unloaded we enjoyed a delicious supper together. I felt badly for Lori as a lot of old and frankly musty smelling boxes of Norm's “ treasures” were strewn about their usually very tidy living room. We live in hopes of finding something of value. Blake, Ming and Lori did a phenomenal job of organizing everything in a couple of days, something I had failed to do for months.

While they were going through the boxes, I was sewing a top and skirt for Claudia – she had what she wanted drawn out so I tried to make it as close as possible to her rendering. Ming-Lee took us to the fabric store where she chose the prints – an Asian themed one which became the skirt and a black and white sheet music for the top. Far more sophisticated that I had expected but she is a preteen now! Standing in line at the check out I noticed the bags of candy and grabbed a couple – Claudia looked at me in amazement. I explained that I was having a sugar deprivation attack as the previous night there was a lot of conversation about not overloading on carbs, portion control and getting enough protein. For breakfast I was offered an assortment of low fat, no-fat, high fiber and low calorie breakfast cereals. Thank goodness they had some real milk instead of just the soy milk I was initially offered to drown my cereal in. I was worried that my digestive track was going to be running on empty after a few fruitful runs to the loo – too much raw fruit runs right through me – so I decided I needed a healthy dose of candy in my system to cushion all the “healthy” food that was filling my gut and of course to prevent hypoglycemia.

Claudia wearing outfit we made, me and Blake who is now taller than me!

Once home I emptied my sour gummy worms and gummy bears into bowls and offered them to the family, fully expecting them to eschew the sugar but to my amazement they had no problem in helping themselves to my candy – even Ming Lee was chewing them up. When he and Lori made a run to Trader's Joe's they came back with dark chocolate treats! I think I had a positive impact on balancing out their dietary intake. I suggested that the kids should come and spend a week at Grandma's sometime so that they could eat like real Americans - as of course I live so conveniently close to every kind of fast food restaurant imaginable. In all fairness to this health conscious family, I must admit that they served me some wonderful fish dishes and platters of gourmet cheeses. I would have been delighted to join them for a family run if it had not been for my foot - which was still recovering from the fall detailed in last month's letter.

Blake was battling a high fever and cough during my visit but was feeling fine – he had to sit an exam to decide which high school he would be attending whilst this was happening but he came out in the top group and won a great academic scholarship. I really think the extra sugar helped fuel his brain!

All too soon it was time for me to entrust my life once again to my Garmin as I headed home. Since it was a Sunday there was far less traffic and very few road crews working so it was a much pleasanter drive. Unfortunately Kay called my cell with more bad news about my home. Not only had they had to deal with more water in the basement but also a strong thunderstorm with straight line winds had blown through my neighborhood causing tree limbs to fall – one across my deck, the other through the center of my largest flower bed onto to my five foot high rose bush. Kay said that she and Jeff were clearing up all the debris they could lift but I was going to need a tree removal crew to clean up the big stuff.I put my foot down a little harder on the gas pedal, anxious to see how much damage there was.

As soon as I pulled into my neighborhood I could see tree limbs strewn on everyone's lawns. I tried calling numerous tree services, only one returned my call regretfully explaining that he would not be able to fit me on his schedule until July. My neighbor, Steve, wandered over to see my damage and heard my frustrating experiences in trying to find someone to clean it all up. He pulled out his cell phone, called a couple of guys – one of whom committed to doing the job two days later. It's great to have neighbors who are always so willing to help out! Several offered to try and help me lift the huge limb off my flower bed but I was worried that they might get hurt doing so as we are all in our retirement years. I ended up having four trees removed, my ash tree – the trunk had split in two, three trees on Quivera, one of which was completely uprooted and my oak and maple trees were pruned of all damaged limbs. I am happy to say that my flower bed has bounced back accept for a few crushed bee balms and some broken branches on my rose bush. Now of course my garden has gone overnight from being mostly shady to sunny as neighbors on either side of me had to have trees removed too. I dug up a lot of plants and crammed them into my all too few shady areas but it does give me the opportunity to get a lot more sun loving colorful flowers into my garden!

This year just Kay, Jeff and I braved the crowds to watch the fireworks exploding over Corporate Woods. I did suggest that we could just sit in my driveway to watch as with so few trees left to obscure the view it should be awesome but Kay was bound and determined to relive the 4^th of July of a few summers ago when she, Leslee-Ann, Coryn and Ethan were here plus the boys of course. I provided some unintended amusement when I almost got in the wrong car on the way home – one dark car looks just like another to me in the dark - I was about to load my chair into the wrong open trunk when I heard Kay calling “Grandma, that's not our car” and I looked up to see an older couple hovering by the trunk! I apologized profusely for my mistake and put my chair in the right trunk while Kay and Jeff found the incident hysterically funny. However a few minutes later the chance came to redeem myself . Just as Jeff was about to try to pull into the moving lane of traffic a pickup truck pulled right in front of us partial angled into a driveway. There was a lot of shouting and cursing. Cars began to honk. We were jammed in with only oncoming traffic barely squeezing by. Jeff decided he was going to ask the guys in the truck what they were doing. I volunteered for the job stating emphatically that it would be much better for a red hot mama to approach them. Once I got closer to the young men I could see that there was a vehicle in front of them that had caused them to swerve in front of us. A couple of the young men were actually trying to stop the oncoming traffic so that the car in front of them could move out of the way. Eventually we slowly made our way home, having to take a detour of several miles due to road closures enforced by the local police to try to deal with the huge volume of traffic.

Despite having been on the losing side of the fight for independence, as always I threw myself into the festivities by making patriotic skirts for the three little girls in my life plus a red frilly romper for Miss Ava Claire who spent the long holiday weekend with Jeremy's family at their lake house.

Ava  Claire, Lola Rose and Elena ready for the 4th!

I found the fabric for the red romper in a Lee's Summit fabric store that Coryn found on the web. She said they seemed to have a great selection , including knits which are hard to find in prints suitable for a toddler. So one rainy day we set out to find the place with Coryn's iphone giving directions. We ended up in a very nice residential cul-de-sac. I rolled my eyes and immediately pointed out that there was obviously no store front wondering if the person was advertising fabric parties like tupperware perhaps. Coryn said she had seen pictures of the store posted on line,- good staging I thought - sure this was going to be another of Coryn's lemons. She noticed some ladies getting into a car with a bag and then her eyes lit on a partially open garage door and a vanity license plate with the store name. Since it was pouring with rain she elected for me to stay in the car with the baby while she went to the front door. She then dashed around the side of the garage and re-emerged to say that the store was actually located in the walk out basement. Much to my amazement there was a legitimate store there with a lot of fabrics, notions and patterns. The fabrics were expensive but I splurged on several pieces for Ava Claire's 'couture' wardrobe!I commented to the owner, an elderly but very spray great grandma that it was a rather unorthodox setting but she said they had been operating out of their beautiful home for over 20 years. I could not help but wonder if it was legal – in my neighborhood they get upset about people parking on the street for prolonged periods of time!

Ava Claire took her first steps at Grandma's house on July 1^st, Coryn was able to catch the action on video. I thought she would be walking constantly to perfect this new skill but she is very cautious and still prefers to hold onto something when she walks. She is also cutting more teeth, she now has two upper and lowers.

Bryn is moving to LA this weekend. Marc is driving up in his SUV to help get Bryn's stuff to his place. Bryn confided to me that he would definitely be staying with his brother until he finds a job to replace his current one as he is tired of dealing with his company. It could take some time and Sean will be there next month too! Maybe a couple of hammocks on the patio?

Josh is still in Orlando where he has been helping Leslee-Ann and Craig with new flooring through out the house. They hired a professional to redo their kitchen with new cabinets, granite counter-tops, tile and stainless steel appliances. I will be inviting myself for a visit to see all the changes soon. Maybe in September. I was thinking of going to LA then but I don't think there will be any room at the inn!Apparently Josh is planning to wend his way up the East coast soon with orders from Leslee to make sure he has access to the internet as they are going to be very busy at work. Wonder how Josh is going to like working for his baby sister? At least he is working! And more good news on the job front, Ming Jon has been hired for a temporary position. I know we all hope it will turn into something more permanent for him.

At the beginning of the month Kay and Jeff moved into a new apartment and I have greatly enjoyed helping them to make it look like a grown up home instead of a student's place. We have been shopping every weekend but it is really coming together. It has a a lot of exposed brick walls, a fireplace, wainscoting, hardwood floors and a balcony overlooking the pool. Our last chance to do so for awhile tomorrow as Kay is leaving for a visit to see her other Grandma in Singapore. I just hope Jeff doesn't decide to put his stamp on the place while she is gone! Hardly any of his possessions made it into the apartment, vetoed by Kay, and I must admit I did agree with her!

Next month Sean should be returning and I will be so happy when he and Josh finally arrive on my doorstep again – for a few hours anyway until the endless “Mother, what are you fixing me to eat?”

is uttered a few times.

Time for me to head out into the hundred degree heat and humidity to water my plants before Ava Claire arrives. I am going to enjoy her company while her parents have a dinner date. I hope I fare better with her than I did when she was here overnight earlier in the week: she pooped during the night giving her diaper rash and banged her face on the railing upstairs that overlooks the family room which left a small red mark. Coryn assured me that she was completely recovered the next day.

Unfortunately I think it is too hot for Ava Claire to even play in her pool outside tonight,so we may just have to run through the sprinkler together! I leave you with that pretty picture, love always, Mother

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 92 JUNE 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

I am most disappointed that none of my children called after my last blog posted to ask what was sporty, red, low to the ground and parked in the garage! Lainee was the only one who asked if I had a new car! At least I piqued some one's interest with my cliff hanger ending!

The purchase of my beautiful new machine attracted the attention of five salesman! I was determined to have instant ignition, power steering and easy maneuvering! The first salesman couldn't answer my questions about the model I was considering so he asked for an associate to help me out, who enlisted the help of a third person to check on their inventory. The floor model was the only one left so I decided to take it. The three of them managed to get it ready to go but became concerned about whether or not the engine had oil. Two more salesmen joined the throng checking the dip stick with some thinking yes and some no. They used their cell phones to further shed light on the matter and eventually determined that the correct amount of oil was indeed in my engine. I was ready to go! It has been years since I garnered such attention from so many males!

Getting my new machine home became another problem as they doubted I could fit it in my car but of course my new Toro, electric start, self propelled lawn mower easily fit into my Ford Focus. They wondered how I was going to lift it out when I got home, great neighbors I said! As soon as I pulled into my drive way one of my them popped over, asked what I had in my trunk and helped me get it out! I read the manual, filled it with gas, charged the electric start battery and was ready to mow.

Unfortunately when I turned the key in the ignition nothing happened! I tried pulling the manual cord to no avail. Once again a kind neighbor came to the rescue explaining that I needed to hold onto two bars to start the engine and mow and that it helped to have a full gas tank to start. I had only filled the tank about halfway as I didn't want to risk overfilling it - so I added more gas and voila the engine was roaring! My boys could mow my yard in ten minutes on the riding mower but it always seemed to have problems starting up so I gave it to Becky and Fred and now spend an hour mowing but will have far less maintenance issues – I hope.

Josh had another harrowing time leaving Bolivia – as you may recall he had a horrendous departure from Columbia awhile ago which suggests to me that he might want to stay in the USA but he claims it's an indication that he is not meant to leave South America. This time he was detained by Interpol along with about another one hundred and fifty travelers suspected of being in the country illegally. The round up made Bolivian TV and I am sure many of you have seen the clip on Facebook where you can see my boy being held without food or water for five hours! Thankfully he was released as all his paperwork was in order. He is now safely back in Orlando where he is staying with Leslee and Craig. Josh recently became a certified technical writer so that he can freelance for Leslee - in essence his baby sister is now his boss! I rather think that Coryn has been displaced as the favored sister! Remember how on any family outing the only sibling allowed to sit next to Josh was Coryn?

Josh is planning on staying in Orlando for awhile as he is installing bamboo flooring through out the Remsburg's home for them – I was hoping that Josh would be available to help me install new floors in my kitchen and master bathroom but this may not be a possibility as he is also mulling over helping his friends in Texas to build another greenhouse! I guess I'll have to get some estimates! Jeremy is my only handy son left here and he spent most of Sunday afternoon fixing my roof for me and changing out the oil in my new mower!

Marc called me a couple of days ago to inform me that Bryn had been staying with him for a week as he had been sent by Black and Veatch, from his usual office in the bay area, to one in LA and during this period he was asked to consider transferring there permanently. Since Bryn has been in Walnut Creek for less than a year he has made it clear that for him to accept another transfer the company will have to make it very attractive to do so. Apparently they have agreed to buy out his apartment lease so it may be that Marc will have a room mate! Marc is concerned about Bryn being in his one and only bathroom when he has urgent and frequent needs to pee. I told him to get a bucket. Of course I took the opportunity to mention that all his neighbors would probably be showing up at his door with congratulatory gifts thinking that Bryn is his life partner! You can imagine how homophobic Marc reacted! I also mentioned that he could become a menage a trois when Sean returns! I think the climate and having his brothers there might be very appealing to Sean. I advised Marc to start looking for a larger home, plus of course I'll be in moving in all too soon probably!

On Sunday May 25^th we celebrated Ava Claire's first birthday at her home with Kay and Jeff, Jeremy's mom and her fiancee and some of their neighbors. A few days before Coryn called and asked me to make the cake as she just couldn't muster any enthusiasm for the project. I suggested that she might want to order one from the bakery but she thought it would be more special if I put something together. Since Ava Claire loves cats I decided a kitty cake would be purrfect. I baked three strawberry flavored cakes, two round ones for the head and body with slivers removed to make a neck and the third cake I used for the tail and ears. I think it was one of my more successful baking attempts, even my boys would have to agree that from the picture it does look like a cat!

I am not sure that Coryn thought it was the cat's meow but she said I would be making next year's cake too as I always come up with something “ interesting”. She told her guests about the lady bird cake I made her one time that she referred to as the “ butt cake” because of the pink and brown color scheme. No appreciation for her mother's creativity!

A few weeks ago, on my way to the mailbox, I fell straight forwards sending my letters and glasses flying. Fortunately I saved my head by using my hands to break the impact. My first thought was not do I need an ambulance but did any one witness this embarrassing fall! My neighbor was hosting his bible study group that evening so the cul de sac was full of cars but fortunately they were all safely settled in his basement. I was up in a painful flash and continued onto the mailbox as if nothing had happened. Once safely back in the house I checked my injuries : I had cut one hand and knee , badly bruised both knees and probably sprained my left ankle. I decided an ice pack and a couple of band aids would suffice. I was not going to the ER virtually across the street for an examination and Xray as it was the finale of American Idol and I was not going to miss Caleb rocking out. I knew the ER doctor would recommend ice packs, aspirin and an ace bandage and expect me to return for at least one follow up visit and I just don't have time to sit in a waiting room for hours just to be told what anyone with any common sense would already know. Of course several of my children didn't seem to have the same faith in my medical acumen as I do but as always I convinced myself that Mother knows best. A month later it is still a tad swollen but .....

Despite my swollen and throbbing foot I was summoned by Coryn to baby sit Ava Claire while she was up on scaffolding painting, tissue papering, and adding a metallic finish and glaze to create a feature wall in her soaring two story entry way. It seemed to me that I actually spent more time on the scaffolding handing a sponge or paint loaded brush to Coryn than I did with Ava Claire who was not happy to see us towering over her - she loudly protested being ignored. I tried to balance on my one good foot as I helped Coryn maneuver the ladder around on the scaffolding so that she could reach up to the ceiling. I knew if I lost my balance and plummeted to the floor I would probably be crippled for life but as we all know I will do anything for my children! Now that the wall is finished and the enormous light fixture that Coryn and Jeremy purchased in New York is hung the entry way looks fantastic.

The same week Kay enlisted me to help with her class field trip to the Deanna Rose Farmstead as only two parents had volunteered. She too had expressed concern about the state of my foot but said I seemed to be getting around just fine so if I could just be there for a few hours – of course I said I would be there! Fortunately I was able to squeeze my foot into my tennies on the day of the trip ! I met them at the place as it is much closer to my home than their school and I decided just keeping all those rambunctious little bodies seated would be exhausting enough- I imagined half of them would be trying to hang out of the bus windows along interstate 435.

I had visited the farmstead before with Coryn and Ava Claire. Noticing how excited she was about the rat in Central park we imagined she would be very enthused to pet baby animals but she sat in her stroller with an impassive face as if to say a cooked chicken on my plate is exciting but this bird making noise and walking around is boring. Of course she became very animated when we stopped for a treat and she had a bowl of chocolate ice cream to inhale.

The first graders were totally enthralled by all the animals, enjoying the opportunities to feed them, bottle feed baby goats and to fish. Thankfully one of the volunteer parents, Mr. Henderson, was happy to put the live worms on the fishing lines for the kids, - Kay and I were both dreading the task. I hate to hurt a worm, I appreciate them in my garden so much. I thought the kids would be bored after five minutes of holding a pole over the water but to my amazement even the trouble makers were patience personified, some of them caught several fish! One first grader did decide to just plop his line on the bank after casting it thinking he would take a break and explore for something more exciting but Grandma Lowe- as the kids call me- made it quite clear that she was not wading into the water to get his pole if it drifted away, nor was she was paying for the loss so he threw himself down and held onto it for dear life.

Lunch time worked out well as some kids were absent so there were extra lunches to share:most of them had breakfast at school before they boarded the bus but several of the boys ate two lunches!After lunch we devoted a lot of our time to wearing them out. Despite the large number of school districts also present that day we managed to find an empty play area for them to burn up some energy and they had a great time racing miniature pedal tractors around a track. Both times Kay and I took advantage of the chance to sit on a bench and supervise but they were really very good for the most part.

By the end of the day my foot was a throbbing, swollen and nasty looking mess but once home I applied an ice pack and the next day it was much improved! I think all that walking and standing actually helped!

I have spent the last few weeks sewing five summer outfits for Ava Claire and working in the garden. Last weekend Ava Claire's first year was marked by a photographer using my garden as the back ground. I had as much fun as I use to when creating my store windows as I set up little scenes with an old Wagon that Ming Jon made me when he was just a kid, my tree stumps and collection of frogs. A couple of trips to the nursery were also very necessary despite Coryn insisting that the star of the pictures was Ava Claire not my garden which would just be background – fading background at best.

Bonnie and Gary Niehaus spent a night here last week as they flew out of Kansas City airport to Denver to visit daughter Kari and family. Bonnie has been dieting,very successfully, and seems determined to keep on the plan to better health. I am so happy for her.

Next week I will be taking a road trip to Indianapolis to spend some time with Ming-Lee, Lori, Blake and Claudia. I am taking too much stuff to fly with as I refuse to pay to check a bag, so I decided to load up the Ford Focus and enjoy my own company for about eight hours on I70! I just hope I don't get lost as we all know I have no sense of direction! Hopefully my Garmin will deliver me safely to their front door: if not I guess Josh can always enlist help from his friends at Interpol to track me down.

Kay and Jeff have been volunteered to cat sit and water my garden for a few days again. Kay is teaching summer school part time and Jeff starts his new job next week after graduating from KU with a master's degree in social psychology.

Now that my garden is cleaned up it's time to turn to house projects. I have an old side table of Coryn's that I am going to redo for my upstairs family room plus an old door of Bryn's that still needs to become a headboard. So I am going to spend an afternoon painting furniture in the garage – I just hope it isn't going to be as much work as filling all the cracks in my face and painting over then every morning! I should learn to love the crackle finish on my face as much as I do on furniture!

Love Mother

Volume 91

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 91 APRIL 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

Apologies to all my readers who have been awaiting my long overdue newsletter – I know that doesn't include any of my children. Even Ming-Jon - my most faithful follower- confessed that he might have fallen behind on my blog!

March was a cold, blustery month but my heart was warmed by an unexpected visit from three of my oldest and dearest friends, Becky, Evelyn and Sherry. It was a lovely surprise when Becky called to say that she had run ( well maybe strolled ) into Evelyn and Sherry while they were walking the indoor track at Fort Madison Community Hospital and the girls had pitched the idea of escaping the misery of an Iowan winter by driving south to visit me. I was delighted that Becky was willing to make the trip as I knew she was dealing with several major life events; retiring from her job this summer; suffering with constant back pain;trying to sell her house; and debating moving to Savannah, Georgia to be closer to Gretchen and her growing family: baby number two is on the way. In fact among the four of us grandma's I am the only one who is not expecting a new grandchild this year. I guess there is a possibility that Sean might be sowing his seed through out Asia if his blog is to be believed but …...

Things became even more complicated for Becky when her car needed costly repairs that would have been senseless given it's mileage. I suggested she buy the best car on the market for the money which is of course – yes, you guessed it children – a brand new Ford Focus! After asking her brothers they agreed that it would probably be the best buy for her so she picked up her new gorgeous bright blue Focus just in time to drive down in style.

The girls arrived a little later in the afternoon on Friday, March 21st than I had anticipated - they later confessed to shopping at a quilt store somewhere along the way in Missouri! Once again I reminded them the trip only takes a little over four hours if they would limit their too frequent potty and refueling stops ( themselves as well as the car) to just one.

The girls pulled into my driveway which was piled with unwanted treasures as the following day was a free clear out your junk pick up day. Evelyn and Sherry even helped me haul out a very heavy sink that was sitting under the deck and a small dorm size fridge to add to the ever dwindling pile as throngs of people drove through the neighborhood taking almost everything so that by the time the garbage crews arrived there was little if anything left. The girls greatly enjoyed seeing people tying more and more stuff on pick up trucks towering with junk that threatened to topple as soon as they drove at any speed.

Coryn and Ava Claire were at the house when they arrived so they got to enjoy Ava's lip smacking tea guzzling as I always welcome my guests with a cup of tea, preferably English style! I'm sure they were somewhat dubious about the health benefits of tea drinking for babies but I assured them it was very European for children to do so.

Knowing that my friends observed Lent I suggested Barleys for dinner because they serve delicious fish n'chips which actually do bear some resemblance to the English version. We also felt that we were honoring Norm with each bite as he would nearly always order it even after intently studying the menu for half an hour or so as if contemplating ordering something else.

We spent the rest of the night drinking tea and catching up on family news. It was decided that the following day we would shop at the Carter's outlet store, so conveniently close and then check out the very impressive and enormous newly built HyVee store.

Saturday morning found me waking a lot earlier than usual to find the girls already had coffee made, breakfast underway and some were even showered and dressed. I pointed out that the Carters store didn't open for a few more hours as I eased my way into the day. I decided to spend it in heels as I was preparing to strut the streets of New York in style the following weekend. The girls seemed dubious about the wisdom of someone my age trying to pull this feat off! I must admit my feet were killing me by the end of the day but as my mother always said one must suffer a little to look their best!

Once again I veered to the girls section while my friends were in the boys and neutral gender section. Evelyn is now shopping for five grandsons! She has half the number of children I have and yet she has more grandchildren! My five eligible bachelor sons are going to be wizened old men before they marry if they don't start dating soon.

Purchases completed we drove to HyVee to admire the huge produce section, coffee shop, cheese store, the Italian store, complete with take and bake pizzas, a Chinese take out, a deli store, and my favorite the bakery. We bought fresh bread, cheese, pineapple ham, with a carrot cake for lunch and picked up some vegetables and dip. The butcher's section is enormous, as is the whole foods area where you can buy in bulk.. The frozen food aisles might cover as much square footage as the entire Fort Madison HyVee. The thing the girls loved the most was the two story restaurant complete with full service bar, big screen TV's and a Maitre d'! I mentioned that I was sure Steve Stigall would love to hear about it!

 We hurried home to fix lunch before our next adventure, afternoon tea at Coryn's with more shopping to follow! Soon we were whizzing on underpasses and overpasses to Lees Summit, slowing to a crawl as we arrived on the two lane road that leads to Raintree Lake. The girls were thrilled to finally see Coryn and Jeremy's new house which they had missed along with Ava Claire on their last visit as the Logues were away that weekend. Coryn made us tea and I was most impressed to see a sugar bowl and milk jug along with a plate of cookies. I didn't know she owned such things! Once again Ava Claire drank tea and ate a cookie with a lot of lip smacking and appreciative sounds!

The four Grandmas with Ava Claire, Sherry, Becky, me and Evelyn

After tea, we headed home on a different route that would take us to Tuesday Morning, a discount store with everything from furniture to clothes. I think we all found something we needed in there! Shopped out we headed home and decided that something light would be good for dinner as we all seemed to be trying to lose a few pounds! I chose Spin as they have a great selection of salads,. We pulled into the parking lot but there was not a spot to be had so we had to park like Marc out in Siberia and hoof it in. I was concerned that we might have to wait for a table but fortunately we were able to nab one.

Whilst enjoying our salads the girls decided we needed an after dinner walk. I suggested an evening by the fire with wineglasses in hand but the girls were determined to exercise so we headed to the mall as it was too cold to walk outside. I kept Becky company as she slowly walked hoping it would help her back. I was still in my heels so slow tottering was fine! Evelyn and Sherry took off but I think they spent as much time shopping as they did exercising!

By the time we arrived home it was too late to build a fire so we settled in with our tea cups again until the girls gave into sleep well before my bedtime.

Sunday morning we were hoping to shop at Steinmarts before lunch but unfortunately the store didn't open until noon so we went to the adjacent Gordmans and spent an hour or so finding more stuff to stuff Becky's trunk – I had already waxed at great length on the amazing capacity of my Ford Focus – admittedly the trunk is at it's roomiest when the back seat is folded down but that wasn't going to be possible with the three of them.

After lunch my friends headed back to Fort Madison and as always I was so grateful to them for taking time out out of their busy lives to spend time with me. I feel so lucky to have people I have known for over thirty years stay so close to me. Next month Gary and Bonnie Niehaus will be here, they are spending a night with me before flying out to Colorado to visit Kari and family. I am also hoping that my Josh might show up at the end of May as I haven't heard from him in the wilds of South America for weeks..

On Friday, March 28^th I drove over to the Logues to spend the night as our flight to New York was leaving at 8:30 am so we would need to be on the road by 6:30 am. Mother literally rose to the occasion when my kind and thoughtful daughter opened my bedroom door and let the dogs in ! Thankfully I had time for a cup of coffee and a granola bar before we headed to the airport. En route I realized that it probably would have made more sense for us all to have slept at my house as I live much closer to it than the Logues but ….

Ava Claire was an excellent passenger, she spent a lot of time with Grandma reading some new books

and playing with toys. Of course she enjoyed the package of cookies that were handed out . Jeremy and Coryn were seated a couple of rows ahead of me and since Ava was being good they didn't need to worry about her. She even napped for awhile.

Once we arrived in New York we seemingly landed in the next borough as the Captain explained that no gate was available so we would be transferring to a bus and having to climb stairs into the airport. I immediately wondered how on earth any handicapped person would be able to do this. Your dad would have been stuck on the plane until they could get it to a gate. Not that he would have been capable of traveling in any mode of transport for the last several years despite his hope that one day he would be able to take me to New York City and afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria! It must have been a great comfort to him in the last few weeks of his life to know that our children were making his dream trip a reality for me.

Leslee-Ann had given me strict instructions that we were to only use 'real' taxi cabs not to cave into the patter of town car driver's who would charge far more for the ride from La Guardia to the Midtown Hilton. We were accosted by one such chap almost immediately and despite my misgivings Jeremy decided we should trust our souls to him and I have to say he was the best driver we experienced in New York. He was big on personality and was soon talking food with Jeremy and telling him to make a note of this and that restaurant and even told him what to order! Coryn and I just rolled our eyes in the back seat with Ava Claire.

We arrived at our hotel, the midtown Hilton around lunchtime, the reception area was very busy and since we were early bird check ins we doubted that our rooms would be ready but much to our delight one of them was and they were even offering an upgrade to a corner room with expansive views. Unfortunately Jeremy was under the misconception that this room would be for him and Coryn but when we opened the door and saw two beds we knew it was the mother- in- laws!

Ava Claire was ready for lunch so we decided to eat at the hotel where they offered a take- out or eat -in restaurant. This was to become one of my favorite places for picking up a snack or a cup of coffee!

Fortunately they had a lot of things to which Ava Claire is partial, everything from Tiramisu, macaroni and cheese to bananas.

Ava  Claire rocking out with Craig

We really took a bite out of the Big Apple as we seemed to be constantly eating. On Saturday afternoon we got together with Marc, Bryn, Leslee-Ann and Craig who met us at out hotel and then invited us to theirs so we could plan out what we would do together. Craig and Leslee had turned their room into party central with flashing lights, music and afternoon cocktails. Ava Claire was the belle of the ball until she finally conked out on the floor.

Despite the chilly temperature and rain we grabbed our umbrellas and ventured out to explore the city. As it turned out Craig was very familiar with it as he usual makes a few work related trips there every year, even Marc had visited before with friends – a surprise to me as I didn't know he had any!

Leslee-Ann was determined for us to see the New York City Library because of its architecture and it was a magnificent building. We also had to visit a couple of shops where Coryn found the perfect vest for Leslee-Ann – I couldn't quite grasp why someone living in Florida would need such a thing but I guess she does travel to colder climes. Coryn and I checked out the children's department and on looking at the price tags I knew I could do a knock off for next to nothing.

Me, Leslee-Ann, Coryn, Bryn, and Marc with Craig and Jeremy and Ava Claire at Rockerfeller Center

That evening we met up with Alisha Sanchez – one of my favorites from Bryn's Aquinas class- who actually lives in New York now. We all had dinner at Johns which is a pizzeria in a church building complete with stained glass windows, domes and arches. As every one seemed to be ordering drinks I decided to have a martini – something I haven't done in the last few decades. The next morning I seemed to have completely lost my memory of the latter half of the previous night. I knew I had insisted on paying the tab as Norm would have done if he was there but I couldn't remember calculating a tip. Fortunately Craig who was seated next to me said he had helped me figure it out since my brain was a little slow so I had definitely done so. I guess Mother can't even drink a martini anymore!

Lunch at the Cock and Bull

Sunday was very chilly, rainy and gray but we headed for breakfast at Rue 57- the portions were so generous that I could have existed on breakfast all day! We met up with the others and after doing a little sight seeing we opted to have lunch at the aptly named British pub, The Cock and Bull. Unfortunately the food lived up to the expectations of most Americans about my native lands cuisine but it was great that they had the table space to accommodate our large group. Bryn and Marc headed to the airport after lunch. Craig and Leslee ended up spending the afternoon with us instead of leaving for the airport with the boys as planned once their flight was canceled. They managed to book a much later flight. Since the weather was so inclement we decided to take a bus tour of New York. Leslee immediately took on the task of haggling over prices with the tour operator- for our size party she wanted a group discount and as always she succeeded.

Once on board the bus and hooked up to my headset it soon became apparent that even if you could figure out which side of the bus you were supposed to be looking out of, you couldn't see anything for the most part except passing cars, throngs of pedestrians and only the first floor of the buildings. Ava Claire soon ended up on Grandma's lap and promptly took over my headset, not that I was paying any attention anyway. Jeremy braved the rain to check out the view from the upper, open deck of the bus but it was too cold to endure for long.

Eventually Leslee and Craig departed for the airport and we returned to the hotel. I had no appetite for another meal so I suggested that Coryn and Jeremy have a night out and leave Ava Claire with me. I found soup, fruit and dessert for her in the hotel's herb kitchen. After dinner I decided to give her a bath and set her on a towel to help keep her from being in direct contact with the tub, but it didn't work too well as she crawled up and down, and splished and splashed. Once I took her out, dried her,rubbed some lotion on her and diapered her she was asleep! Exhausted as Grandma!

Monday we explored some of the iconic hotel lobbies, including the Waldorf Astoria where we had originally planned to have afternoon tea but unfortunately they no longer offered this service so we went to the Pembrooke Room in the Lowell Hotel. We picked a perfect day as only two other sets of ladies were enjoying the experience thus Ava Claire's eating and drinking habits would not cause a roomful of pinky fingers to be bent out of shape! The waiter was most accommodating, finding her a high chair and presenting her with nutella and banana; ham and cheese finger sandwiches which she

thoroughly enjoyed along with petite fours and meringues. The pace of tea time was definitely more Victorian than new millennium. Fortunately Ava Claire was free to admire herself in the mirrored walls that desperately needed re-silvering, to touch the dangling crystals on the wall sconces and to walk around the room holding onto me or Coryn. Ava Claire was perfectly dressed for the occasion in my opinion because to my surprise and delight Coryn managed to squeeze her into the very Victorian, shabby chic ruffled floral print dress with matching beaded headband with my handmade fabric roses.. It was very touching and meant a great deal to me because this was the dress that I was working on in the last weeks of Norm's life and his hands had touched the fabric many times as he inspected every detail. I really felt that his spirit was with us.

Monday night we ate at the Carnegie Deli which is famous for it's pastrami sandwiches. Not being much of a meat eater I ordered something else but Jeremy and the baby sure enjoyed the pastrami. Then we all shared their strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

Claudia and Ava Claire

Ming, Lori, Blake and Claudia arrived that night so we met up with them the next morning for breakfast at the Dominique Ansel Bakery the only place in the world that you can find an authentic cronut, a sort of crossbreed of a croissant-doughnut . Unfortunately we arrived a few hours too late to sample one as they are sold out every morning by seven!

From there we explored Soho, Little Italy, and China town. Somewhere en route Coryn spotted a light fixture in a store window and dragged Jeremy in to check it out. The rest of us waited outside with Ming making a run back down the street to China town to pick up something to snack on – Lori and I promptly turned our noses up when he returned!

Checking out our surroundings we noticed that every store on both sides of the street offered light fixtures. A light bulb went off in Mother's head – surely Coryn and Jeremy wouldn't want to check them all out to make sure they were getting the best buy? I decided not to enlighten them on this realization fearing it would dim our progress on seeing more of New York. I think it was Ming who eventually wondered in after them to see what was happening – apparently the over-the-top enormous chandelier- despite it's attractive price- was being passed over for something less flamboyant but equally huge. Being nosy I decided to take a look myself and was flummoxed to see so many beautiful fixtures. The one they picked to have shipped to their home was more my style than the crystal chandelier.

Ming- Lee, Lori, Blake, me, Claudia and Coryn

Lights out on that project we enjoyed a pasta lunch in Little Italy before we headed to Central Park, a must see on my list. I enjoyed the many beautiful vista's and the chance to have some one on one time with Blake and Claudia. We had purchased a football earlier in the day so that the guys and Claudia could toss a ball around while we other girls sunned ourselves on a park bench – our first and only nice day of the trip weather-wise.

Jeremy, Coryn, Ming-Lee, Lori and Claudia at Central Park

I am not sure if Ava Claire was more excited to see Big Bird or a rummaging rat at the park. I can see why the city is so attractive to vermin because every street is filled with garbage bags every evening into the next day. It's too bad they can't come up with a way to hide all this garbage from view in planters or something as it really looks awful.

After our trek in the park with me holding up very well with my children (I thought) we headed back to our hotels to get ready for dinner at Thalia's, a beautiful restaurant but unfortunately Ava Claire was worn out from the day's activity and not into eating as usual so after dinner we bade Ming Lee and family goodbye and went back to our hotel thinking that Ava Claire would fall asleep immediately. We were all sleeping in my room for the final night since we had to leave early again for the flight home on Wednesday. Coryn and Jeremy took one bed while I slept with the baby in the other – but she suddenly came alive and insisted on play time for another hour! Eventually we all slept.

This trip was such a meaningful and thoughtful gift children for which I shall always be grateful. I am so blessed to have such a beautiful family and I love you all so very much. Your dad must be so proud of you all!

Special thanks go to Kay and Jeff for cat sitting for me, I know Delilah was very demanding and a pain to medicate! It was lovely to come home to a nice clean house too!

Now I am going to steal Sean's literary style and leave you with a cliff hanger: mother has something low to the ground, red and sporty parked in the garage but to learn more you'll have to read my next blog!