THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER :VOLUME 141 JUNE 2021

THE LOWE FAMILY REUNION EDITION AND THE ANNOUCEMENT OF

THE BIRTH OF OUR NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER.

MY FIRST GREAT GRANDCHILD

ALEXANDER MICHAEL FLAIG

Dear Readers.

June has been an exciting month the Lowes. Ming Lee, Lori and Claudia decided to visit Kansas City for a change of scene and most importantly in-person time with our ever growing Kansas City family! Lori sent out a group text to the family announcing their intention of making the drive - if Ming-Lee felt able to do it. Bryn was the first to announce that he would joining us, followed by Leslee-Ann, Ming-Jon, and eventually Marc - once he felt confident that Blake was acclimated to living in Torrance and commuting to Santa Monica for his internship. This meant that all eight siblings would have an opportunity to spend time with Ming Lee, Lori, and Claudia.

Fortunately my house is perfectly organized for someone who cannot climb stairs or move around easily! After a year of having no house guests I decided to upgrade my beds with fluffy new mattress toppers and sheet sets. They were actually peddling these sheets on one of the television network morning shows as being a fantastic quality, and so luxurious to sandwich yourself between that you would never want to get up and bargain priced! Mother immediately tapped into Amazon , found the brand and placed her order for four sheet sets and mattress toppers. I was certain that these additions to my bedrooms would put me into the top tier of the local Bed and Breakfast Business (continental style breakfast only of course since I am not a morning person.) Ming-Lee was so impressed with these sheets that Lori bookmarked the site.

                                            Bryn, Ming-Lee, and Josh

Claudia, Bryn, Ming-Lee and Coryn after our Taco supper

Bryn was the first to arrive in Kansas City on May 28^th as he had to return to Los Angeles on June 4^th : he was expecting out of town house guests for a long planned visit but he got to spend Thursday evening and a good part of Friday with us before flying home. Once again he drove the Ford Focus up to the airport and left it in the parking garage with the keys hidden in a magnetic box under the car as Leslee-Ann and Marc were both flying in later that evening. Apparently they had quite the time searching for the car! My kids will go to any lengths to save a buck! Ming Jon arrived Thursday night and stayed with Kay and Richard. Leslee-Ann slept at the Logues and Marc at Sean and Sarah's . I had elected to only have the Indy Lowes stay with me as I knew Ming-Lee would need some peace and quiet between family visits.

On Thursday, June 6^th the Indy Lowes pulled into my driveway around five in the evening! Bryn and Josh joined me in giving them welcome hugs as we worked out the logistics of getting Ming out of the car and into the house – fortunately I have kept the ramp in the garage which I had built to get Norm in and out of the house once he was wheelchair bound. Coryn, Ava Claire and Owen were also there to welcome our guests of honor and to enjoy my taco supper – Ava Claire and Owen had fish sticks instead!

Lori and Ming were installed in my bedroom which has a walk in shower – further upgraded by Josh with a hand held spray and safety bar! Claudia and I slept upstairs and were perfectly comfortable. However Bryn had elected to sleep at my house since his week long arrival and I had to listen to his endless complaints about how hot my upstairs was compared to the cool air he enjoyed in California every day! Every bedroom has a ceiling fan, and the air conditioning was running – out of his bedroom window unfortunately as he insisted that the hot and humid air-flowing in was cooler that the air circulating in my house. Complete nonsense of course. I suggested on numerous occasions that he might be more comfortable at Coryn's house because her guest bedroom is in the basement and always a little on the chilly side for my liking. However he seemed to prefer complaining to me! He also claimed to be terribly congested so I pushed as many medications into him as I could – hoping he would take down enough Benadryl to alleviate my misery and his with hours of extra sleep.

We did have to remove the bathroom door for Ming-Lee to get through with his rollator – should have thought of that before he arrived because I had no bathroom door for years when Norm was confined to his wheelchair. But he was able to get into the living room and dinning room to socialize with the family and enjoy the culinary delights of Kansas City barbecue and dim sum from the unlikely named

ABC cafe! Ming Lee's appetite is literally on steroids so he is able to enjoy plenty of food unlike most cancer patients! Lori is doing a stellar job of making him highly nutritious foods and protein shakes and keeping the sugars and carbohydrates to a minimum.

Claudia supervising her younger cousins

Ava Claire helping Liam enjoy the splash pad

Since Kay and Richard had to work on Friday, Ming Jon was dropped off at my house earlier in the day so was able to see Bryn before he left us and have some time with Ming-Lee before all the siblings arrived. Claudia helped me inflate and fill my new pool complete with rainbow sprinkler, one deep pool and a less deep pool with a connecting slide which I hoped would be entertaining enough for the little kids to keep them and their fun filled noise outside for part of the day. We also set up my splash pad and Grandma's backyard became a fun filled water park! I had purchased new swimsuits for all the kids and a change of clothes so that we didn't have to rely on parents remembering to bring them! Plenty of sunscreen, towels and snacks too! It worked out great!

Ava Claire left to go shopping for vintage clothing with Coryn and Claudia after lunch. Claudia loves fashion from the 1940's era and they found a couple of pieces and a pattern to sew. I stayed with the other kids and it was almost relaxing! Owen and Emmy Lou played together for about two hours in the pool while Liam napped in my arms! Owen is so good with younger kids – he wrapped her up in towels when she got out of the pool; fetched her snacks and put up with her need for his undivided attention. Occasionally some one would wander down from the deck to see if I needed anything but by spreading ourselves out it allowed everyone to have their special time visiting with Ming-Lee who would often hold court in my comfortable bed with a couple of siblings when all nineteen of us became exhausting!

Sarah came to check out Grandma's water park!

Missing Bryn but other seven pictured!

We tried to get a family picture on Saturday which was not the best – unfortunately we were missing Bryn by then and Craig, Ray and Callie who had stayed home with their new puppy. But the good news is that the Remsbergs and Logues are having a mini vacation in downtown Indianapolis in a couple of weeks and so will be able to visit with the Ming-Lee, Lori and Claudia then! The Remsburgs actually met up with Claudia in St. Augustine the previous weekend when Claudia was in Florida with her martial arts group.

Later in the day the kids were playing in the basement and I was fascinated to watch Owen playing with Emmy Lou on the game system Josh had hooked up to my downstairs television. They were both frantically pushing the controls on their hand sets and somehow Emmy Lou managed to win three games and amazingly enough Owen was as surprised as I was at this result and showed not one shred of his usually highly competitive nature that results in a meltdown if he loses!

Since my dinning room only comfortably sits eight a number of us enjoyed our meals out on the deck overlooking my blooming garden that was swarming with bumble bees , the drone of which was drowned out by the traffic on Quivera unfortunately – although many of my guests were reluctant to walk too closely around my garden beds for fear of being stung by a bee! I have gardened among them for years and only been stung once and it was entirely my fault as I squeezed one in my hand inside of a hibiscus flower thinking it was a Japanese beetle! Of course the very day Ming-Lee arrived our unseasonably cool weather was replaced by uncomfortable heat and humidity! But at least I can easily fit twelve diners on my deck so all nineteen of us could sit at a table to eat! I did notice that my deck never seemed to reach capacity seating though so I suspect that some of my children were probably opting to dine on a sofa inside of my house. Thank goodness Bryn had left us by this point! He would probably have paid for a seat in my air conditioned dinning room!

There was so much laughter, love and tears between us as we all pulled together to affirm our appreciation for all that Ming Lee has done to help our family stay connected - and to assure him that whatever happens he will always be with us and that we will all be there for Lori, Blake and Claudia too!

My declining reclining sofa's were heavily criticized by my children during our family reunion: I always sit in the same spot and have adapted to the footrest being permanently elevated and know that if one does manage to close it -it will open as soon as you sit down again. Kay in her ninth month of pregnancy had the misfortune to sit in my chair and have the chair fly back on her and the foot rest lift her legs from under her. Poor Kay was quite startled – most of us laughed of course! She was in the perfect position to deliver the baby! Another time Sean picked that seat and banged his elbow on the armrest – in places the wooden frame is no longer covered in padding – I know how to manipulate it back into place of course having dealt with the issue for years. I must admit that the fabric looks very thin and shiny where I sit and overall my grandchildren's spills, spit ups, and diaper leaks have taken their toll over the last few years but I was reluctant to replace them as I have many more years of grandchildren to enjoy and I really don't want to ban all eating and drinking outside of the kitchen. How can you cuddle with Grandma on a kitchen chair while drinking hot milk and licking a teaspoon of peanut butter? That's a snuggle on the sofa situation especially when you have multiple kids!

The decision to replace them came when the other sofa developed footrests that refused to close too! Coryn and I have always enjoyed shopping together so we decided to venture out to Nebraska Furniture Mall as they have the best selection supposedly. Coryn and I drove there arriving just after ten o'clock- amazed to drive into a very empty car-park. As we left the car and started walking towards the entrance an elderly couple informed us that the store would not open until 11:00. Neither of us had thought to check the store hours assuming they would open at the same time as most mall stores. We shopped elsewhere in the vicinity until we could return to shop.

My goal was to find some configuration of seating that would work in my space. Unfortunately the layout of my room does not make sectional seating a practical choice so that probably eliminated half my choices. Then we were down to the creams which I love but are of course totally impractical. There were plenty of gray choices and rich browns but I really wanted something that would blend with my existing décor and perhaps be a bit lighter in color than my present set. We walked for what seemed like miles up and down the aisles, even stopping in the clearance section but nothing that appealed to me was to be found there either – apart from the prices of course. We decided to drive back to Overland

Park and visit a store on Metcalf where I found a leather unit with a chaise in a color which would look good with my brick fireplace. We talked to the salesman and of course the price went up as delivery was not free and the availability was questionable as Covid has impacted the furniture industry greatly. But I was ready to hand over my credit card when Coryn suggested that we have lunch and run home to make sure it would fit my space. She snapped a photo of the furniture tag with her phone as I was fumbling in my purse for pen and paper. I am constantly reverting to pre- cell phone habits!

Thank goodness Coryn didn't let me commit to the sofa because once we got home. and grabbed a tape measure we discovered that it would stretch so far along the back wall that it might stick out in front of the window and would definitely not allow for side tables. We were both shocked that it was so much bigger than my existing big three seated sofa! We decided to put off further shopping for another day.

That weekend Coryn and Ava Claire face-timed me from Big Lots in Lee Summit and showed me all the sofa's available there. At first I was not very excited about purchasing from a low priced box store – I am afraid that a little of than inbred British snobbery still shows up occasionally but I consented to drive over the next day to take a look. Ava Claire opened the door to me with a big grin on her face – she was supposed to be in Summer Camp but apparently the night before she had explosive diarrhea and thought she should have a quiet day at home – but shopping and lunching with Grandma were fine activities. Unfortunately we have been living with monsoon conditions here in Kansas City for over a week and we became thoroughly drenched running from the car into the store. I was amazed to see well known brand name furniture – like the Broyhill sofa and love seat I decided to purchase. It was the right color and although not a reclining set I decided I could find an ottoman to put my legs up on at the end of a long day! Decision made we approached an assistant for help. Unfortunately they only had the floor model which was not for sale but had a couple available in Independence – which is about twenty minuets away from Coryn's. We asked if we could pay for it at the store we were in but that was not allowed – nor could we make a credit card payment over the phone. But they would put a hold on the set for twenty four hours. We asked about delivery and quickly realized it outweighed the benefit of my $1000.00 sofa set. Coryn volunteered Jeremy and his truck for the job. Ava Claire had grown bored while these discussions were taking place and had wondered off to the toy section where she found some squeezy gizmo that exploded in her hand sending tiny liquid filled balls everywhere. Tears formed in her eyes as we assured her it was no big deal as we cleaned up the mess and asked for a trash can at the checkout and were told there would be no charge for the mess!

We headed off to lunch and found a prime parking spot right by the door where we made a mad dash into the restaurant only to be in a sea of drenched would-be patrons who were patiently waiting for tables to open up. We opted to dash back to the car and try another venue. This place was dead in comparison to our first choice with a skeleton staff to cope with a a few senior citizens perched at the bar – probably a daily occurrence. But despite the rather worn appearance of the place we seated ourselves and patiently awaited for the one and only waitress. There must have been only one cook too as it was quite some time before our orders appeared. We consoled ourselves with the thought that we were dry and Coryn used the wait time to call the Big Lots in Independence to see if they really needed someone to be there in person to pay for the set to have it remain on hold until we could arrange to get it picked up. In fact she called with questions so many times that she was soon on first name terms with Jeff, their furniture department manager. After a mediocre lunch we went back to Coryn's where I left her my credit card as she thought she and Jeremy could probably pay for it and pick it up the following day. I saw her carelessly toss my card on her coffee table – I would have immediately put in my purse but for once I managed to keep my mouth shut and what a mistake that turned out to be!

The next morning Coryn calls to say that she has been to Independence to pay for the sofas but she had to use her card instead of mine because she couldn't find mine anywhere. She and Jeremy had spent three frantic hours looking for it that morning. We offered rewards to the kids later in the day if they could find it but no luck. I spent forty minutes on an automated phone system to get a new card authorized.

The next day she and Jeremy rented a U-Haul and set off in the pouring rain to pick up my new sofa's. We were going to move my old ones out into the garage until I could get some one to haul them off but I checked it out on the web and saw that 1-800-GOT-JUNK could frequently come within the hour and give an estimate and if agreeable take care of it at that time. I called and twenty five minuets later my well worn sofa's were gone – for twice what I expected to pay but it saved me from having to move them into my garage and park outside in our weather! The timing worked out brilliantly as they pulled out of my street just as Coryn and Jeremy arrived. And best of all we got a break in the rain as we carried my new furniture in. No sooner had we unpacked it and attached the legs then Kay, Richard and baby Alex arrived! I reimbursed Coryn but she refused to take the whole amount as several of the kids had offered to pay for lawn service for me this summer which I don't really need so the money was used for my new sofas instead so thanks very much! I am so blessed to have kids that are so generous!

Just two days after most of the family returned to their homes I got a call from Kay to discuss the possibility of her being in labor – she had told me a couple of days earlier that she thought she had lost her mucus plug so I predicated that delivery day was probably imminent. Ming-Jon missed being in Kansas City for the birth by one day as he returned on the 7^th ! Congratulations to Ming-Jon on becoming a Grandpa!

ALEXANDER MICHAEL FLAIG

BORN JUNE 8TH 2021 AT 10:01PM

WEIGHT 8LBS 4OZ

For those of you who read this newsletter on your devices you will be able to enjoy some lovely photo's of our newest family addition! Coincidentally Owen was also born on June 8^th, six years earlier! Some of us might think that Kay should have held off pushing for a couple of hours to avoid the possibility of having a child with some of Owen's characteristics! After a rocky start with treatments for high bilirubin levels and a return to hospital care for a couple of days all is going very well now. Alex is nursing well – unfortunately especially during the night! Hopefully he will soon sleep for at least a four hour stretch! I was lucky enough to spend part of Kay's 30^th birthday with her and Richard's first Father's Day on June 20^th! Of course I mostly held Alex!

Proud parents of Alexander Michael Flaig!

Just born!

Meeting his Great Grandma!

We celebrated Ava Claire's 8th birthday with a family event at my house which included two ice cream cakes! I also attended her dance recital where she appeared in about five numbers – all requiring a different costume of course - which was held at Center High School which coincidentally is the school district that Coryn has contracted with for the next school year. I also attended a dance competition that she was participating in at the Overland Park Convention Center the previous week and her group did very well. Ava Claire loves to perform and it shows! She is a great little dancer!

ce

celebrating Ava Claire's 8th birthday at Grandma's!

In mid June I took Josh to the airport where he has flown the coop to Mexico – Bryn is planning on joining him there sometime this month! We all miss his handyman skills! His nephews and nieces who adore their fun uncle hope for his imminent return too which is most unlikely because Josh has been feeling very cooped for the last year due to Covid 19!

Sometimes I think I am as blind as a bat when searching for my glasses -which I am already wearing - but I found myself going batty today trying to discern if a dark shape twenty feet up in the air on my vaulted family room ceiling was a bat or a fungus of some kind from all the recent rains. I closed every door in the house so that I would not go bat shit if it flew off whilst I was gathering my supplies to tackle the problem. I got an oven mitten, bucket and towel to cover the bat once I got it in the bucket. I got a step ladder and the longest handled garden tool I could find but it was unreachable. So I duct taped two six foot garden stakes together to form a nearly twelve foot pole and was easily able to prod the blob on the wall with it. The sleepy bat obligingly climbed onto the pole hanging on for dear life as I carried him outdoors – stopping to take a couple of pictures before I hung him over my garden fence. Hopefully he will fly away tonight.

The bat high on the wall!

The bat safely outside clinging to my improvised garden stake pole remover!

Love from your batty Mother – driven that way by my children who out bat each other with their endless jokes at my expense.

Claudia with Liam

Claudia  with Emmy Lou and Liam

Claudia with Liam, Coryn in background

Blake enjoying his internship in Santa Monica!

Lori with Emmy Lou!

 

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 140 MAY 2021

Dear Readers,

On April 1^st I flew out of Kansas City to Orlando to celebrate Ray's 5^th birthday and Easter. Josh very kindly offered to drop me off and pick me up at the airport so I could avoid the hassle of economy parking and shuttle busing into and out of the terminal. We drove to the airport with plenty of time to spare – we all know how anxious I get about unexpected happenstances that lead to the possibility of missing my flight- so I was relieved that Josh was at the wheel, not me, when we were preparing to leave I635 for the ramp onto I29 which takes us to the airport. The ramp was barricaded and a detour sign posted. If I had been driving I would probably have lost control of my bowels immediately. Josh stayed calm and followed the signs – which seemed to be few and a great distance from one another – why they do not post signs every hundred yards to let you know that you are on the right detour road to the airport as a public service is a mystery to me! After what seemed a very long time and a considerable distance out of our way( to me – not Josh) we finally connected to I29 and I was very relieved to be on a familiar road!

Once in the airport I dashed in to the restroom and prepared myself for a long security line which turned out to be totally unnecessary as I was second in line and through the security check in record time. I was pleased to see that everyone was masked but social distancing was not possible as all the gate areas were full. I found a seat and plopped down. Pulled out my phone and let the Remsbergs know that my plane was on time. I was contemplating the best time to make a potty run before boarding when I heard that our gate number was changing so along with a lot of other travelers I picked up my stuff and moved. Once again I was settled in when it was announced that we were changing gates yet again. Since it was quite a walk to our next gate I decided to use the bathroom enroute and barely made it to the gate before boarding began! I always try to avoid using the bathroom on board the plane. It was a crowded flight out – once again no social distancing but I only pulled up my mask enough to slip a peanut in!

Leslee-Ann and Ray picked me up at the Orlando airport and soon we arrived in Oakland to see Craig and Callie! Seeing your grandchildren on Zoom and Facetime is just not the same as being physically there with them. Covid 19 had kept me away from them for over a year and I definitely missed out on Callie's baby hood. She is such a happy, easy going toddler and loves to be with Ray! I was amazed by her ability to swim under water, and come up for air and dive down again. Craig and Leslee-Ann are teaching her to swim to the sides of the pool or steps so she can be as safe as possible in the water.

On Friday it was decided to celebrate Ray's fifth birthday a couple of days early since it actually fell on Easter Sunday and Leslee-Ann and Craig thought two celebrations in one day involving a lot of sweet treats might be better with a break in between. Craig's dad, Roger, came over that afternoon to join in the party, unfortunately Judy is having memory issues that require her to live in an assisted living facility but she did get to host a birthday celebration there for Ray. The Logues had sent some Star Wars light lasers which Ray and Callie both enjoyed – especially when attacking Roger and me with them! Pretty easy to play dead at our age!

On Saturday morning we headed out bright and early (especially for me) to a nearby farm to pick blueberries and I was very pleased to see almost everyone wearing a mask! The kids were very into picking blueberries and of course eating them! Callie seems to need something in her mouth most of the time! I also noticed that she is a real daddy's girl – poor Craig has to pick her up and carry her when ever her arms go up and she grabs her shoes when she wants him to take her on a walk -which seems to happen several times a day! I almost dropped her the first time I picked her up as I was unprepared for her heft – you definitely need to bend your knees and take a deep breath to hoist her up!

Sunday morning the children were running around the house excitedly searching for their Easter Baskets ! After breakfast, finding their gift baskets and getting dressed we headed outside to hunt for Easter Eggs that Leslee had hidden all over the front yard! There must have been a hundred of them. A little girl who lives a couple of doors down came over to join in the fun and another set of neighbors who have grown very close to the Remsburgs came out to watch the kids running around and filling their baskets!

Roger came over for our Easter Feast and we had fun sorting through the contents of the kids eggs and baskets. The next day I headed back to Kansas City to take on my garden chores and the piecing together of the baby quilt I was making for Kay and Richard's June baby.

Fortunately I finished my rag quilt in time for Kay's baby shower on April 17^th, which was hosted by her friend Misty who is wonderfully organized and a lovely person. It was a virtual and in person event. Friends from afar and those who were not vaccinated zoomed in whilst those of us two weeks out from our last Covid 19 shots were allowed to attend in person and how wonderful it was to finally be able to mingle in public again! Kay had so many cute and practical gifts that I think she and Richard would be very challenged to find anything to buy for the baby themselves!

We have had a very rainy and windy April but also enjoyed some very warm and sunny days – in fact it was actually warmer here in Kansas City then it was in Orlando during my visit! I have already had to mow three times!

Sarah and Sean decided to combine my birthday celebration with Liam's this year as mine is on the 11^th and his is the 13^th. Many of my children seem to have colluded on their garden gifts to me this year as I received a very large gray snail ornament with an oversized evil looking mouth which I have strategically placed in a bed of similar colored Lamb's Ears where hopefully it will not be too noticeable when my neighbors invite themselves over for a garden tour. My still desperately needing to be power washed and repainted deck is now adorned with a solar lit color changing cat with a head that continually bobs up and down and an owl, bird, and frog that sport car headlights for eyes. My grandchildren adore them all of course!

On April 30^th I was driving across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and part of Indiana to be able to hug Lori, Ming-Lee and Claudia for the first time in over a year! Thank goodness for the Covid 19 vaccinations that made it possible to for us all to be together. Ming-Lee's spirit is as bright as ever despite the physical limitations that his illness and treatments are causing his mind and body. He is having problems with short term memory loss, loss of vision and a marked weakness on his left side making his arm and leg difficult to move. Lori is a master of organizational skills as she keeps track of all his daily medications, doctor and treatment appointments, and does her utmost to keep his calorie intake up with healthy meals and protein shakes with every healthful ingredient she can pack into them. Fortunately Claudia loves to cook and helps out as much as she can.

On Saturday I spent some time with Ming-Lee while Lori went with Claudia who was getting her very long hair cut off to donate to a charity that will use it to make wigs for children with hair loss. Ming and I decided to take a short walk around the neighborhood with Ming-Lee using a walking stick to help balance himself. Because of his vision issues he has a very limited ability to see – even large cars if they are in a blind spot for him and I had to shuttle him out of the way of cars a few times and we had one one rather scary instance when an older lady was reversing down her steep driveway , backing way out into the street without even seeing us - within touching distance of her car at one point. I waved my hand and Ming his walking stick but even that failed to get her attention. Getting home proved a bit of a challenge as I am not familiar with their neighborhood and Ming-Lee became a bit confused about which way we needed to turn to go back but was able to figure it out after a couple of wrong moves. I was getting ready to pull up google maps on my phone when we finally found the street!

Ming-Lee and I enjoying time together after more than  a year apart due to Covid

It was such a beautiful, sunny day that we decided to eat lunch out on the patio and enjoy the hawks circling overhead. I was grateful to share some special moments with Ming as we waited for Lori and Claudia to return home for the big reveal of the new hair cut! As soon as Claudia stepped out onto the patio to join us we loved her new look! The new bob cut frames her face beautifully!

On Sunday I drove home making a couple of quick stops for gas. I have spent the bulk of my time since my return out in the garden, pulling endless weeds, digging out border edges, planting Canna bulbs and putting together container plants.

This past weekend we celebrated Mother's Day. Kay and Richard invited me over for a delicious lunch – salmon on the grill- on Saturday and on Sunday Coryn hosted brunch with a wonderful selection of cheeses, quiche, muffins, a variety of waffles, sausages and bacon all washed down with Mojito's decorated with mint leaves and raspberries! She also had beautiful table settings and a gorgeous table- scape that she had created. I wish that I had thought of taking a picture but with four grand-babies there I was much too distracted! Josh spent the weekend in Indy stopping by my house that Sunday evening to deliver a card from Ming and Lori – he must have left his card for me somewhere !

The Indy Lowes – minus Blake - are planning to drive over to Kansas City for a few days in early June to see more family member's. They are staying in my house as I have a bedroom and walk in shower on the main floor to make things easier for Ming-Lee but we do have three other homes with spare bedrooms to offer the rest of you! Bryn is planning to come home for a few days around the same time so we can have something of a family reunion. Blake has been offered a summer internship in Santa Monica and so will be out in LA with Uncle Marc! I hope Blake enjoys cleaning! Marc's condo looks more like a student's pad than Blake's college dorm room probably does! In all seriousness though it is so wonderful to have such a big family willing to work together to take care of each other!

Love from your green thumbed, withering on the vine but always in bloom Mother - when in the presence of family and friends!

Liam and Emmy Lou all dressed up for Easter! I made her dress and headband and made same dress in different fabric for Callie

        

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 139                                                     MARCH2021

Dear Children, Family, and Friends,

We have more EGGCITING news in our family! Another CHICK will be hatching this summer! Sarah and Sean are breeding like rabbits as their third child will probably join us in early August if Sarah follows her previous incubation pattern of delivering one month and two days early! And this time they have elected not to find out the sex until the baby's birth! Of course Grandma is thrilled to have another chick in her clutch to cluck about! With Kay and Richard's baby boy due in June, I can guarantee that I will be running about like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to help out where needed! Fortunately I have Ava Claire to help out this summer as she has become immersed in the Babysitter's Club book series that her mother loved reading too and she loves helping me out with Emmy Lou and Liam! She is even willing to haul Emmy Lou up on the toilet – unlike many of the uncles in this family who refuse to do diaper changes or potty training!

Emmy Lou and Liam eating breakfast at Grandma's ready for a fun filled day!

Marc spent about six weeks with us in Kansas City and of course I was hoping that his enjoyment of his nieces and nephews would persuade him that moving his law practice here would be a good move. Unfortunately between our sub zero temperatures and the frosty reception given to him by Emmy Lou this option never became even a lukewarm possibility. Liam took to Marc Andrew immediately which was most unexpected as Liam has severe stranger danger syndrome at the moment and usually starts crying when he see's a strange face. Emmy Lou did not approve of Liam's enjoyment of Uncle Marc and would would impose all twenty three pounds of her dominating personality to order him very loudly to put Bubba down! “Bubba” is now her pet name for her brother, a decided improvement over her first choice of “That”.

She was happy to have Marc read her endless books , to play games of her choice with his role being very clearly defined – any deviation would result in a burst of tears as she wailed that Uncle Marc was mean. Marc - being generally clueless about human interactions - usually had no idea what he had done to upset her. One of the funniest times was when the Kansas City family members were at my house for a meal. Emmy Lou  left some food on her plate as she announced that she was done and left the table. Marc plunged his fork into her food and witnessing this she immediately told him that he could not eat her food. Marc tried to convince her that it was better he eat it than she waste it but she was adamant that it was her food and he was not to touch it and thereafter she spent the rest of the meal checking up to make sure her plate was untouched! If any of us had grabbed food off her plate I doubt she would have even noticed or cared but she had ice in her veins when it came to Uncle Marc!

Several members of our family have received the Covid vaccine! Coryn and Kay got theirs through their respective school districts, I got mine at my family doctor's office, Richard got his shots at a pharmacy a couple of hours drive away, Bryn got his one shot only dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and Ming and Lori drove across the state line to get their shots in Illinois! I had the Pfizer vaccine and had no side effects but those who had the Moderna shots had some unpleasant side effects after the second dose. But so worth it as it will allow us to visit other family members outside of our bubbles! I am flying to Orlando in a few days to celebrate Ray's 5^th birthday and Easter. I have not seen the Remsburgs in person since November 2019! Then at the end of April I will be driving over to Indy to see Lori, Ming-Lee, Claudia and hopefully Blake – all of whom I have not seen since January of 2020!

In my last newsletter we were celebrating Ming-Lee's positive MRI results but unfortunately since that time he has undergone another scan which revealed some regrowth of his original tumor plus the appearance of a new one. Ming-Lee is presently undergoing targeted radiation treatment and we all hold positive expectations for success! The Indy Lowes have been up and down on a roller-coaster of good news versus not such good news for over two years now: they ride with the high's and lows knowing they have family, faith, and friends with them all the way.

Kay and I had fun on a recent weekend, shopping for nursery accessories. We found a cute plush elephant chair for a reading nook in the nursery, an elephant print for the wall and some cute elephant themed baby bath towels to match our gray, blue and white color palette. I also found some large elephant hooks on Amazon to hang the storage pockets I am making to match the rag quilt I am currently piecing together. Richard painted the nursery to match the blue in one of our fabric choices and he did a great job, especially considering how much he hates painting!

Joshua recently added a lot more shelving to my coat closet turned toy closet so that I could sort the toys into more age appropriate bins and hopefully make the clean up process faster and more efficient. Keeping toys with lots of parts together is a challenge without lots of storage bins. He also fixed my pantry door which was literally hanging off it's hinges! Josh removed three old hinges and replaced them with four new ones to better handle the weight of the door when filled with groceries. For the first time since I moved into this house the pantry door finally closes!

 I am seriously thinking about installing a composite material on my deck as the wood is an awful lot of maintenance. After only about three years it needs to be power washed, sanded, and stained again! I will do it myself of course as I am very reluctant to pay for anything I can do but it is very labor intensive and time consuming. The thought of a deck that requires no painting or staining is becoming more attractive ever year to me .Of course as I wander around my home I can see several other projects that need to be tackled and can only hope the my capable Josh is motivated to take one of them on!

Bryn's new rental home.

Bryn has moved into a storybook rental house in Silver Lake Hills. I loved his condo in Korea town but Bryn seems to feel the need to move every year or two! Will have to check it out on my next trip to LA! Of course nothing will persuade Marc to move out of his in desperate need of a major redo Condo.

Ming Jon moved into a new apartment earlier this year and is enjoying having his own space. He is still planning on visiting Kansas City over Labor Day weekend. By then we should all be vaccinated and hopefully life will be less restrictive.

Callie about 18 months

Ray almost 5

I am looking forward to being in the pool with my two water babies later this week, and springing back into action in my garden upon my return. The daffodils are in bloom, and green shoots are pushing through the mud trying to compete with the all the weeds! Too much rain lately! But Ava Claire and Owen will be here on Monday and Tuesday as they are on Spring break and Coryn is not! I have bribed them to help me clean up the front garden with dollars and chocolate! Soon I will have a crew of six grandchildren here to help me weed as long as I feed them all the junk their parents don't allow them and forget to watch the time when they are on line!

Love Mother.

 

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 138 JANUARY 2021

Dear Readers,

We had some wonderful news recently from Ming-Lee and Lori after a recent MRI showed some shrinkage in his brain tumor! This was such amazing and uplifting news as he is currently foregoing any aggressive treatment. Perhaps this a perfect example of having a Positive Mental Attitude when seeking to overcome seemingly impossible adversities. With this in mind I would like to share with you something that Ming-Lee expressed back in his high school years.

On January 8^th 1988 Ming-Lee became the General Douglas MacArthur cadet of the year and in his acceptance speech at Missouri Military Academy he stated:

“General MacArthur lived by three words: Duty, Honor, Country. There is a lesson in this motto. No matter what besets you, if you set your mind to it, you can overcome your problems. If you believe in yourself you can take advantage of your problems rather than fail to them. I challenge you to take advantage of your trying situations and to work them to your benefit.”

I think that we can all agree that Ming-Lee has faced life head on and with the support his strong faith, family and friends forged ahead no matter how big the mountain of obstacles! We are all so proud of him – he truly does seem possessed of super human powers as captured in this very special family portrait commissioned by a good family friend.

We were unable to celebrate the holidays with any of our family outside of the Kansas City Metro area this year due to the ongoing Covid pandemic which makes travel hazardous to your health!. But all twelve of us here had Christmas Eve dinner at my house and we did a lot of Christmas present opening that night as we decided the kids would better appreciate their gifts if we split the gift giving over two days! And this meant that I didn't have to load up my car and drive them to Sean's house the next day!

The next morning I headed to Sean and Sarah's house around noon with lots of dessert items remaining from the previous evening's feast plus all my Christmas dinnerware that we had also used the night before! I definitely still need twelve of everything and I think that number is going to keep increasing! As I came through Sean and Sarah's door with one of many containers, Emmy Lou was running towards me when she slipped and fell on the hard wood floor: cracking her chin open and obviously needing stitches. She and her parents were covered in blood as they tried to comfort her as they headed out the door. I took over caring for Liam and Josh watched over the smoker and grill as the Logues arrived. Kay and Richard missed the drama as they were celebrating the day with his parents and brother. We were all concerned about Emmy Lou and hoping they would find an urgent care open nearby. Unfortunately Sarah had left without her cell phone and Sean was not allowed into the clinic with them due to Covid restrictions so he had to wait out in the car with no idea about what was happening. Emmy Lou required four stitches in her chin !

After about ninety minutes they arrived back home and the food was about ready to eat! Emmy Lou refused to change out of her bloody Christmas dress and seemed to have recovered well from all the trauma! As we were tucking into our delicious Christmas dinner, featuring steaks, ribs, and chicken, Owen began rubbing his eyes and soon his face was covered in hives. Realizing that he was having an allergic reaction I asked Sarah if she had any Benadryl which thankfully she did. Coryn was worried that he would go into anaphylactic shock but I assured her that he would have done so already if he was going to. Everyone had an opinion on the cause – everything from playing with the kittens to getting barbecue sauce into his eye!

Sarah and Sean spent most of the afternoon trying to get Emmy Lou to nap as they were worried that she would go tearing around the house with Ava Claire and Owen otherwise. Understandably they didn't want her to have any more accidents that day! By late afternoon after all this drama I was ready for a quiet evening in my home with a glass or two of wine.

January 20^th 2021 was a day of great relief for all of us anxious to put the madness of the last four years behind us as we face another year of living with the ever present threat of catching Covid 19 and being one of the hundreds of thousands who die from it. Thankfully the vaccine is now being administered to a small percentage of the population. Coryn is the first member of our family to have been vaccinated - being a school psychologist is deemed to be a high risk factor. Kay was scheduled for this month but has had her appointment canceled due to a vaccine shortage. As a sixty-eight year old I am in the next group but doubtful it will happen for some time as Kansas as a whole and Johnson County in which I reside is especially low on vaccine supply. However I am registered and ready to roll up my sleeve at a moments notice!

Marc Andrew flew in from LA last week when it was revealed that one in three people there are testing positive and that the hospitals and medical staffs are totally overwhelmed and out of beds and resources to take care of sick people . So if you are a hypochondriac like Marc - who thinks he is constantly on the verge of being diagnosed with a dire illness - not being able to see a doctor , leave alone occupy a hospital bed if needed was too stressful! So he has fled to Kansas City and is now seeking refuge at Sean and Sarah's house, along with Emmy Lou, Liam, Joshua and two kittens. What a wonderful wife Sarah is to put up with three Lowe boys for an indefinite time especially considering how moody two of them can be! I did try to lure Marc Andrew to stay with me but I am afraid no gaming system, no gourmet meals and one decrepit cat could not compete with all that Sean and Sarah can provide for their guests!

I think I have figured out why the United States Postal Service may be failing and I have to take responsibility for my part in it's problems. This week I realized that my home has become a drop-box for my children's packages! Kay and Richard dropped off presents for Coryn, mailed by Ming-Jon. Coryn dropped off big boxes of toys for Sarah and Kay, Sarah dropped off a package for Kay and a container for Coryn. Then my car was turned into a mail truck when Coryn put out a plea to her neighborhood for toddler furniture, toys and clothing for a work colleague who suddenly found herself charged with raising her 18 month old grandson after her daughter who lives in Texas decided that mothering was not her thing. Within hours Coryn had everything from a crib to toys and clothes donated by generous neighbors! But days later stuff was still trickling in: so on a visit to her house she asked me if I would bring it to my house so that the Grandma could pick it up from me as I live much closer to the poor woman.

The first weekend in February was one I will never forget! On Saturday Coryn came by to drop Ava Claire off for a sleep- over at my house and invited Marc to visit with us too for a couple of hours! Ava Claire was not overly thrilled with this arrangement as she was anxious to practice sewing straight lines on my sewing machine! However she soon threw herself into showing Uncle Marc all her dance routines and great flexibility. Marc Andrew was persuaded to try a couple of moves but after failing miserably – the poor boy can not even touch his toes without bending his knees - Coryn diagnosed him with frozen hips and suggested he try Yoga and Pilates! Once they left Ava Claire and I hustled downstairs and sewed for awhile before making ourselves a healthy diner of chicken strips in the air fryer and corn and peas on the stove which she watched over. Of course we played school, had coloring competitions and watched T he Babysitter's Club on TV- which is Ava Claire's favorite thing. She is reading all the books too and very anxious to be old enough to babysit and start her own club. At seven that might be a few years away but she was very excited that Emmy Lou and Liam were going to be with us the next day while their parents ran errands and cleaned house. Ava Claire had an alarm ringing to wake me up in the morning so that we could be finished with breakfast and dressed by the time the kids were dropped off early that morning. Ava Claire presented Liam with a cloth book that she had made the night before using sewing and drawing skills and he was very taken with it as was Emmy Lou who loves books!

Ava Claire is so good at entertaining her young cousins so I was able to start preparing a simple soup lunch for us and Kay who often lunches with me on Sundays.! The children were getting hungry before she arrived so I made them a can of chicken noodle soup knowing that my huge pot of Minestrone soup would not be acceptable to the girls although Liam would probably have downed a bowl as he loves any kind of food! Shortly after the kids lunch Coryn , Jeremy and Owen appeared so I mentioned that Kay was coming for lunch and asked if they would like to join us as I added more water to the soup. Then Josh texted that he and Marc were on their way with lunch- probably enough for four adults at most- but I decided that whatever they were contributing would be stretched between us all too as I added more water to the soup and gave thanks that my cheese bread could be very thinly sliced. Kay walked into a full house – expecting to see only three children but was met with six unexpected family members!

The boys had picked up some burnt ends and pulled pork and bread rolls for sandwiches so we stretched the food between all ten of us! A couple of hours later everyone but Kay, Emmy Lou and Liam had left my house so I made a cup of tea for Kay and I to enjoy with hopes that the babies might take a nap. Then I got burned – literally. I set my tea cup down on my side table and just as I was sitting down I somehow managed to knock my right arm into the tea cup which somehow flew up and poured hot tea all over my right arm. It took a second for me to comprehend what had happened but the pain was immediate so I ran into my bathroom stripped off my sweater and began laying wet washcloths over my arm. Emmy Lou had run in after me and watched in fascination as I tried to cool my burning arm. Kay was simultaneously keeping Liam happy and cleaning up the spilled tea.. I used cold packs and aloe to help with the pain and finally swallowed a couple of Advils which worked. The next day my arm was a red swollen mess covered in huge blisters but fortunately I was pain free! However in the last couple of days since the blisters have burst the raw skin underneath is extremely sensitive and uncomfortable but bearable! For those of you who read this newsletter online you will be seeing photos of my burned arm and I am sure you are wondering which of my children rushed to my aid? With the exception of Kay the rest of them had a wonderful time texting puns at Mother's expense.

Ming-Lee: not sure how quickly pasty UK skin heals from burns compared to our Asian epidermis.

Josh: Mother is setting a blistering pace for the new year!

Ming-Lee Aloe the puns begin.....

Marc: I am just glad it was not Sheba who was hurt!

Josh: things seem to be boiling over

Ming-Lee: that sounds apeeling

Bryn: Mother has not been showing up for game nights, I guess she has been a bit flaky

Ming-Lee: well now she has a new bubble!

Sean :Sick burns guys

Coryn: At least their burns are of the third degree

Josh :This must be the bubbly personality shes always touting

Leslee-Ann: Right! Would hate to burst her bubble on that.

Only Ming-Jon, Kay, Sarah and Lori showed any real concern for my well boiled arm! Good thing I can take a roasting!

Sarah and Sean gave me a real Fitbit for Christmas to replace my knock off version and this has really motivated me to get outside to walk every day that I can. I am fortunate to have my good friend and neighbor Charlene with whom to walk and we try to get in at least three miles every time. We have been fortunate with the weather most of this winter, just a few days of snow and ice.

I think I mentioned in a recent newsletter that Coryn had set me up with Roku to give me more television stations and viewing options other than the limited channels captured by my antennae. However, for a long time I had a black line running vertically up and down my television screen which would disappear after the television was on for awhile but recently more lines appeared, fading but not disappearing. Thus I decided it might be time to get a new smart television and Sean picked one out for me that would fit the space and offer even more options. It arrived the next day and Josh came to install it and now I can watch Amazon Prime and Netflix (thanks Bryn). This has opened up binge watching to me ! I spent hours watching Bridgerton! Josh took my old television in hopes of figuring out the problem and fixing it! They enjoy watching multiple sports games on multiple screens at Sean's house! Mother likes to fully immerse herself in one game on one screen!

Right now I am watching the Super Bowl halftime show and feeling burned by the awful play of the Kansas City Chiefs. Someone needs to light a fire under their butts and put some heat on the players who keep giving the game away with penalty calls. I hope we are not going up in flames in the second half! Tom Brady has definitely deflated my hopes of a victory! Love Mother

P.S. Unfortunately my loudest bellows did nothing to spark a flame in my boys last night, there was never even a flicker of hope.

Pictures of the Kansas City family celebrating Sean's birthday with Marc in town!

The Kansas City cousins spending a day with Grandma!