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!

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 90 FEBRUARY 2014

Dear Children and Friends,

On Monday February 3^rd I spent a delightful day with Miss Ava Claire blissfully unaware that it would be two weeks before I would be able to do so again. I noticed that my throat was a little sore around bed time and a few hours later it was on on fire. I doused it with a glass of water and was able to get back to sleep. I awoke on Tuesday morning with not even a smoldering ember in my throat but I did seem to be coughing a lot. That day over ten inches of snow and freezing temperatures kept Josh and I trapped in the house. Josh noticed that I seemed to have come down with something and was extremely concerned that whatever virus I was hosting might want to visit him at any moment. I was not allowed within twenty feet of him. He said he would definitely be leaving for Texas the next day and began packing. The roads were treacherous and drivers were being asked to stay off them so the snow plows could do their job. There were so many accidents that the police said not to call them unless there were injuries. I mentioned to Joshua that it might be more prudent to wait a day or two before leaving for Texas. Josh replied that being in the same house with me was a greater danger to his life than the snow covered and icy interstates.

Wednesday morning Josh was out in the driveway clearing all the snow and ice off his car. One of our three kind neighbors,who love to use their snow-blowers, had already cleaned our sidewalks and driveway but the city crew had not sent any snow plows through our snow packed cul-de-sac. This did not deter Josh. The next time I took a peak outside to see how far along he was in cleaning off his car I was amazed to see him standing in the street, snow shovel in hand frantically scooping snow. When he came inside to warm up I suggested that it might be easier to wait for the snow plow to come – maybe it would be by this afternoon. Josh informed me that he had a plan. He was going to dig his way over to my neighbors who had a four wheel drive pick up truck and hopefully drive in their tire tracts to the main road. I dared to point out that he didn't have a four wheel drive vehicle himself and would probably get stuck in a rut any way but Josh was not to be deterred. He was a tunneled visioned man on a mission: to escape from his germ ridden mother braving frostbite and dangerous road conditions to do so.

I would like to think that my other children would have felt more concern for their mother than themselves and would have insisted on staying until they were sure I was not going to die alone in my bed. I don't think Josh even considered my plight in light of his flight. His focus was on saving himself from his mother's ills which have lasted for over two weeks! I thought I was coming down with a cold the first few days but Saturday, February 8^th found me hugging my toilet bowl all day as between chills and fevers and an aching body I realized I had the flu. I spent the day in bed. Sunday I asked Kay to pick up some cat food and to leave it on the porch as I didn't want her to catch it from me.

During this time did my Josh call to see how I was feeling? No, I called him to ask how he was and learned he was helping a friend build a greenhouse, while his fragile mother was withering on the vine and in dire need of a little hot house care herself.

Week two found me with the worst cold I have ever had and the more tenderhearted family members called to suggest that I might want to visit my doctor. Mother was quick to inform them that there was nothing to be done for either disease, they just had to run their course. I am now in week three of my misery but have been able to do much more this past week thanks to my arsenal of cold medications: night and daytime capsules, a nasal spray, vapor rub, cough drops and my best combat of all, nasal strips which have allowed me to keep breathing at night.

On February 17^th Coryn emailed her family a short video of her dad blowing out his birthday candles last year . That caused a few tears for me as it would have been his 86^th birthday and our 39^th wedding anniversary. But I pulled myself together and got ready to drive over to Coryn's for the day. We were going to meet Kay for lunch on the Plaza as there was no school since it was Presidents Day. Ava Claire wore her new white fur coat and matching hat that I recently made her as she definitely needed something a little dressier for our upcoming New York trip. Coryn had picked the restaurant and it was just like her movie picks. That girl has a positive talent for picking lemons. The restaurant was very empty – not a good sign I thought to myself as we were seated. I made the mistake of admitting to the waiter that it was my first time dinning there so I was treated to an overly long diatribe about the Chef 's philosophy: locally grown organically raised food in small quantities served up at great cost to the patron. Coryn ordered a chicken dish, Kay a turkey burger and I tried the Mahi Mahi. Fortunately the waiter bought out a fruit cup for Ava Claire which she demolished before our entrees were served. I had a bag of teddy grahams in my purse in case of a long wait so slipped a couple of them to Ava Claire until our food arrived. I think my cold has definitely affected my taste buds but my healthy meal was very bland and could certainly have benefited from a zesty sauce – fortunately Ava Claire was happy with my fish, Kay's burger and her mother's chicken. Frankly my light and healthy lunch seemed to have made no impact on my growling stomach and I suggested dessert. Coryn made lemonade out of her lemon by deciding that we should go to the Cheesecake Factory after a stroll to the fabric store. I was delirious with joy just thinking about all the creamy cheese, rich crust, whipped cream and chocolate that would soon be sating my empty tummy. No one was happier than me when we got to the fabric store's going out of business sale and realized that there was nothing there to turn into an outfit for Ava Claire. We were soon perched on stools at the cheesecake factory reading the mouthwatering dessert menu. Coryn announced that we would be splitting two desserts between the four of us. I suggested that we might want to pick three since I knew that Ava Claire could probably eat one all by herself and since I was starving I was sure I could eat a whole one too but Coryn and Kay were appalled at the thought of anyone eating a whole dessert so we picked two and fortunately there was plenty even though Ava Claire was the first to start and the last to finish eating.

Our friends Becky and Fred have been fighting off various ills this winter too and unfortunately earlier this week Becky had to be hospitalized with kidney stones – in her eight month of pregnancy. Fred felt so sick himself that he couldn't care for Elena so she came to my house for her first over night stay and did very well. She only woke up once in the night and quickly went back to sleep cuddled up to me and unfortunately my germs but hopefully I am no longer contagious!

Sean facetimed me from Cambodia in the last few days and described eating fried tarantula to me in nauseating detail – maybe he should try out for Survivor. I miss my boy and his dimples so much but know it will be months before he comes home.

Love your mucus ridden mother who can't wait for some warmth and sunshine to dry it all up.      

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 89 JANUARY 2014

Dear Readers,

In 2013 we experienced the highs and lows of the life cycle, with the birth of Ava Claire and the death of Norm. Christmas was a challenge this year, I truly missed Norm's predictable, frequently asked questions through-out the season: the usual - “Who is going to be here?” “Are you sure you have enough food?” “Did you get a present for everybody?” And the dire warnings that I was going to wear myself out if I didn't take it easy! That meant it was time for me to sit down with him, enjoy a cup of tea and either look through an old photo album or read a newsletter from years ago. As soon as I finished one he would say “ next”and I'd still be reading an hour later. Knowing that he had so hoped to see Ava Claire's first Christmas made the holidays difficult this year. Next year will be much easier I hope.

I did do some decorating but didn't bother with the tree. Christmas was very quiet this year with just Josh, Coryn, Jeremy, Ava Claire and myself. Ming, Lori, Blake and Claudia spent the week with Leslee-Ann and Craig in Orlando, Kay went back to Washington DC to be with her parents, Marc and Bryn got together in San Francisco and Sean celebrated somewhere on the other side of the world. I did get Facetime with all the kids so that was great.

I received a very special present from my children this year. On Christmas morning Coryn handed me a gift box box from all my children. Inside was a packet of tea, a Broadway CD, and two packages of peanuts. I was bewildered but gushed enthusiastically about the contents. Coryn told me to think about each item and what it could mean. I put it together and realized the peanuts stood for an airplane ride, the CD for a Broadway show and the tea for afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria. My children were taking me to New York to live out their father's dream. For many years he had hoped to be able to take me to New York , specifically to enjoy afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria and a Broadway show or two - which he had greatly enjoyed doing in his younger years when he lived there. He always hoped that he would be up to traveling again and kept a folder with all his plans for our trip but of course his health never allowed it. The loveliest part of all is that Coryn told him, shortly before he died, but when he was still able to understand, that his children would fulfill his dream for him: a special secret she shared with her beloved father. We were both in tears. So far Ming Lee, Lori, Blake and Claudia ; Leslee and Craig; Coryn, Jeremy and Ava Claire will be there for sure with Marc and Bryn possibly too. Josh and Sean will be out of the country.

Marc Andrew sent me the most entertaining gift I think I have ever received: a solar powered rainbow maker which showers my upstairs family room in gaudy dancing rainbows for a couple of hours on sunny days. It adheres to my window with a suction cup: it's solar panel, brightly colored plastic gears and dangling prism do nothing for my rustic country décor. I just hope that it will serve some purpose as a deterrent for would be burglars who will hopefully think it a new fangled alarm system. The cats and Ava Claire lost interest in trying to catch the dancing rainbows fairly soon. I mentioned to Coryn that it was a good thing that Marc hadn't sent it when your dad was here as I was sure he would be seizing constantly but she said he'd probably just remark on the beautiful colors and exclaim that Marc had sent such a thoughtful gift! I can only wish that there is a pot of gold for me at the end of the rainbow, maybe in the hills of LA with Marc? I'm sure the suction cup will lose it's grip on my window soon.

I dropped Josh and his friend off at the airport on New Years Eve for their planned trip to Thailand where they would meet up with Sean and volunteer at an Elephant park. Three weeks later I picked him up. He moved himself and a lot of stuff in shortly before Christmas announcing that it was pointless to continue to pay rent as he was going to be traveling again for a few months. Thus he arrived in the middle of December with a lot of stuff that it is now stored all over my house along with some of Bryn and Sean's things too. I still have the girls wedding dresses hanging in one of my closets!

I have had a great deal of trouble getting on my laptop computer to put this letter together as Josh commandeers it for hours – why I have no idea as he has his own but he obviously prefers mine for some reason and I know better than to ask Josh anything when he is still sleep deprived from his trip. I don't have writing programs on my Ipad or Notebook so there is no alternative but to patiently wait for Josh to either leave the house for the gym or to use my kitchen - leaving it in such a state that you'd think the Cat in the Hat had been in it. My “roomie” as I like to call him – a term he doesn't find endearing - is very messy! Norm use to watch Fox News all day while Josh sits in front of ESPN and I try in vain as always to drown out the television with my classical music.

Josh has put his handyman skills to work for me though, he installed a new faucet in the downstairs bathroom for me as I couldn't get the old one to stop leaking. It took him less than an hour and cost thirty dollars. Marc recently informed me that he had payed a plumber to replace his for seven hundred dollars! Of course he only got one bid and didn't think to watch a free DIY video on how he might tackle it himself. Too bad he didn't have the guy completely gut his bathroom first because his old blue sink does not merit a pricey faucet!Marc has been ripped of again, that's why he needs his mother to live with him: protection from his gullibility!

Ava Claire loves the nursery song about the little short and stout teapot, not because she resembles one I'm sure but because she loves a cup of English style tea with milk and sugar. She drained my tea cup the other day and Coryn said the tea seemed to have given her a real lift as she was in a great mood all afternoon. Of course the lasagna, yogurt and cookies probably helped too! I have never seen a baby so young eat so much, and she will eat almost anything with gusto! When we eat out we order her an adult sized portion of mashed potatoes, cheesy grits or soup as she likes to start eating as soon as possible and she will eat every last bite and then expect us to share whatever we ordered. She will eat any kind of meat,( including venison) and enjoys fish too. She always has room for dessert ! She ate an entire piece of red velvet cake with strawberries and cream and would probably have eaten more if allowed. She is certainly a full figured gal! Grandma took some new measurements after discovering that her Christmas jacket was too tight and short last month.

I have been working my way through the mountain of paperwork that your dad's death has caused and the endless phone calls which all seem to use an automated system. The funniest was the guy who listened to my explanation as to why an asset needed to be switched to my name only and then told me that my husband would have to sign off on the change. He was mortified when I replied that since he was permanently signed off he couldn't sign anything anymore! He apologized profusely for not having paid closer attention to my request. I have to confess that when I find myself on hold for prolonged amounts of time I mutter that if Norm wasn't already dead I'd probably kill him as he seems to have never filled out the appropriate paperwork! But so far I have managed to work things out without paying a lawyer – despite Marc's advice!

I'm hoping to paint a lot of the damaged woodwork inside the house this spring as Norm's wheelchair definitely took a toll on the paint and stain. This house was not designed for wheelchair accessibility. I was happy to have Ming-Lee put my bathroom door back on after years of an open door policy when pooping and peeing.

I am still adjusting to my new found freedom, catching my self dashing around a store anxious to be home for Norm, then realizing that I can spend all day out of the house if I wish. I enjoyed being able to help Kay with her first grade class and their Christmas party, they all called me Grandma Lowe. One bright little boy asked me when I was born so I told him 1952 and a few minutes later he came back with a big grin and told me he knew how old I was- sixty-one! I was amazed that he had the math skills to count so high, I was hoping he'd take a guess and subtract a few years but at least he didn't shout it out to all his classmates!I am going back to help with Valentines Day as I love coming up with craft ideas. Takes me back to my teaching years.

Lori and her mother sent me a very generous gift card which I used along with another gift card from Leslee, Bryn and Sean to purchase some new bedding for my room. I was able to find something I really liked in a much lighter color, that matched my headboard and wall paint. So many thanks to you all for your thoughtfulness and kindness.

Now that I am free to travel, well as long as I can find someone to take care of the cats, who knows when I may decide to pay one of my lucky children an extended visit? I do like to give you all something to look forward to, love from your only for the moment aging in place Mother.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 88 DECEMBER 2013

IN LOVING MEMORY OF NORM WHO LIVES IN OUR HEARTS AND LAUGHTER FOREVER

Hi Bubby,

I loved you for thirty eight years despite the differences in our ages, races, and culture. None of these things are of any importance – of course it helped that you were completely oblivious of the social norms! Remember sitting at the kitchen table in the Black Hawk Heights house and taking four hours to propose to me? I figured out pretty early on in the conversation where you were going with your analogy of a plane circling the airport and finding it's destination but I let you do it your way, just hoping that I wouldn't fall asleep before you proposed! Then the next day you ran through it all again to make sure I hadn't changed my mind! You laughed when I said I'd been to the library to check out divorce laws in what to me at the time was a foreign country.

Since 2005 you struggled with prostate cancer and Multiple System Atrophy – a rare neurological disease. Despite numerous hospitalizations, surgeries, being home bound, wheelchair dependent, with total dependance on others to help you with dressing, personal hygiene, and medications you never once had a pity party for yourself. The grace with which you accepted life in a body that barely functioned was awe inspiring to everyone who knew you. You only ever expressed gratitude that your dreadful illness had not befallen you in your younger years when you were working so hard to support our beautiful family. Putting eight children through college was a big motivator - plus you lived to work whereas most people work to live!

Thursday, November 7^th was not a good day. Shortly before midnight I called hospice because despite the morphine, your pain seemed to be intensifying. They told me to give you another half dose and call back if there was no improvement in the next fifteen minutes. There wasn't so about 2:00 am a nurse arrived to try and move you into a more comfortable position and finally we slept for a few hours.

On Friday you woke early in the morning still complaining of pain. I called our wonderful hospice nurse, Toni, who spent most of the day with us. She berated me for not calling her out the night before! She called the hospice doctor and the pharmacist to ask about pain killers that could be given in liquid form in addition to morphine. She asked about one in particular that she remembered giving to another patient but the pharmacist insisted it wasn't available. Later that night she called for help to clean you up and move you as I had put my back out earlier in the day just emptying your catheter – something I had done hundreds of times with no problem. The other nurse, Jennifer arrived to help us and Toni expressed her frustration over the pain medicine situation. Jennifer said she was certain it was available and called the pharmacy and told them to check a certain kit and sure enough there was a bottle of it there. At almost midnight this nurse who had no history with you drove over to Olathe and back to get it for you. Our experience with hospice care was stellar.

The next day, Saturday, Coryn, Jeremy and Ava Claire arrived unaware of your rapidly deteriorating status. I hadn't told Coryn the day before because she was working and I didn't want her to be upset while driving especially with the baby. You know she is the ultimate “daddy's girl” who had you twisted around her finger from the moment she was born. Pals for life you would both say as you stuck out your matching chicken legs.

Once Coryn realized what was happening she texted all her siblings. Josh came over right away and volunteered to spend the night and stayed with us from then on. Sunday Coryn and Ava Claire moved in until you left. Unfortunately Delilah smelled the dogs on Coryn's suitcase and peed all over the contents marking her territory. Just what we needed, a load of washing. We sent the smelly suitcase home with Jeremy.

The three of us took it in turns to give you your medications , all in liquid form as you were no longer able to swallow pills. We had to give you two different medications every hour night and day in hopes of keeping you pain free. Josh applied his analytical brain to figure out how to move you every few hours, without too much discomfort, to avoid pressure sores after we found one on your heel. We stuffed pillows around you, and under you to support you as best we could.

Coryn shared the harrowing experience on Facebook finding it almost impossible to sleep. I was worried that her lack of sleep and the stress of the situation was going to make it difficult for her to produce enough milk for Ava Claire but thankfully that wasn't an issue. At night when I was snuggled up in bed next to you I would hear her tiptoe into our room and whisper in your ear ( you two loved your little secrets) even though it wasn't her turn to give you medications. She swabbed your mouth out when it filled with fluid and when she put lip balm on your lips she'd tell you it was hot pink lipstick! She was amazing, she really held it together. You must have been so proud of her!

Ming Lee reading Coryn's texts decided with Lori, that we needed more help so he flew in on Tuesday November 12^th ( after working all night himself) so that he could take on part of the night shift in hopes that we could all get a few hours of sleep as by then we had been on this regime for three nights.

Jeremy pitched in by picking up lunch and dinner for us all that day - a huge help as none of us had the energy to do anything – we forced Toni to eat too as she spent so much time with us only leaving if she had to see another patient.

Shortly before 5:30 am on Wednesday morning Coryn felt compelled to check on you yet again: almost immediately we noticed your breathing change. She ran to get her brothers so we were all with you when you finally found that perfect peace and quiet you craved all your life.

Craig and Leslee had decided to come the day before and were literally flying in as you were flying out and they were as relieved as the rest of us that you had been freed from your pain and the limitations of your body. They said their goodbyes when they arrived. Ming-Lee was a rock, staying with you while I worked with Toni and Leslee on the arrangements to have you cremated. Now here comes the funny part Bubs. For months I had been showing you the two Chinese Ginger Vases that your mom gave us years ago and explaining that your remains would be in one and mine in the other. I thought you would like to have your ashes scattered on your uncle's farm where you used to love to spend your boyhood summers but you didn't like the idea at all and decided the simplest thing to do would be to combine our ashes and let the kids throw them around their gardens or something – literally pushing up the daisies maybe! Well to get back to the vases Ming took one look at them and asked if they were going to be big enough. For some reason I was thinking that there would only be a couple of cups worth of ashes. Craig and Leslee were clueless too so someone looked it up on the net: the vases were not going to hold the estimated ten to eleven cups as determined by your weight and height. I immediately thought of the large vase that I use as a centerpiece on the dinning room table - also given to us by your mom. Leslee grabbed it and began filling it with cups of water. It was big enough to accommodate us both ! While Leslee cleaned it's dusty insides Ming and Craig dashed to the hardware store to find something to use as a lid and found a cork circle that was the exact size needed. I was planning on having you as the centerpiece of the dinning room too but some of the kids found the idea unappetizing so I put you up on the mantle in the upstairs family room.

Since you so enjoy bathroom humor I will mention that while Ming was keeping you company in the bedroom and Coryn was either napping or showering I was holding a fussy Ave Claire. Just be glad you couldn't smell it because I developed rampant diarrhea and dashed madly pass Ming throwing the baby at him as I made it to the toilet – too late. This happened not once but thrice! Ming was stoic – he even managed to get Ava Claire to sleep. You know my bowels always get in an uproar when I'm stressed bubby. Toni advised me to double up on Lomotil.

Becky (Coryn's friend) insisted on bringing lunch over for us and said her goodbyes to you before you left the house. What a great friend she is to all of us!

Shortly afterwards the hearse arrived to transport you to Heartland Crematory. We all bid you another tearful goodbye in the family room hugging each other in our grief.

Kay was a great support, spending time with you, grocery shopping, helping out with meals and airport runs. Lori, Claudia and Blake called to say goodbye while Ming held the phone to your ear, Sean Facetimed you from Australia a few times. Marc and Bryn called from California. Sean posted a blog shortly after your death. He really captured the essence of you. It made me cry and laugh. Marc also posted a great tribute to you.

I thank Ming-Lee and Leslee who each flew in three times in a short period of time to be with us. Without doubt their visits helped boost your spirits and probably gave you at least another week or so with us. On Leslee's second visit she again took over the kitchen and had you eating for the first time in days. Scrambled eggs and pancakes in bed! Your spirits were so lifted by her presence that you announced that you might be up for a walk later in the day – something you had not been able to do in years! When I left the house to run an errand you coerced Leslee or should I say your Pippy or Little Pip Squeak- into getting you in the wheelchair and taking you out to the front porch. She told me she thought it was too cool but you insisted so she piled blankets on you and gave you a cup of hot tea . You loved it but she was glad when you agreed to come back in after awhile.

During this time you were suffering from hallucinations and confusion (greater than normal) which Toni assured us was not due to your medicines. One day you were dozing in bed sandwiched between your two daughters when you opened your eyes, looked at your girls, and asked if you were in heaven! Your girls are not that angelic! But it was a beautiful memory for them.

Only the week before this Coryn and I thought you were on your deathbed saying our tearful goodbyes as you asked us if we saw the red light. I called hospice and the team quickly appeared in our bedroom. One of the chaplains quipped that you might not want to go on the red light: might be better to wait for the amber or green light! You rallied and were able to enjoy another couple of weeks with us.

I learned a lot about our children during this time. I knew Ming-Lee could shop for groceries and make a meal but I had no idea that Josh could too. Even Marc( who flew in after Leslee's visit) amazed me by going to the grocery store and making one of your favorite meals, beef stew. Marc had me stewing over the electric bill as he had the crock pot running for ten hours! However you were so enthused about the stew that you ate too much, too fast, and had a terrible esophageal spasm which lasted about an hour despite my dropping medications under your tongue. The next day I offered to puree Marc's stew for lunch for you. You looked terrified.'' Not the beef stew” you cried.

Ming-Jon came out for a short visit the week before Thanksgiving and enjoyed meeting Ava Claire and spending time with Kay. Bryn came for a week but spent most of his time flat on his back as usual! Nothing like Ming-Lee and Craig who hauled at least two carloads of books to the half price book store so that I could start re-organizing things with space to work in.Craig and Leslee also cleaned the house from top to bottom for me!

I decided not to put the Christmas tree up this year: it just wouldn't be the same without you constantly warning me not to go a step higher on the ladder to reach the top of our nine foot tree; then getting agitated when I leaned too far over threatening to topple myself, the tree and ladder in your opinion. Of course the more you fretted the more I climbed and leaned! When the tree was about half decorated you would tell me what a beautiful job I had done and be most disappointed when I said I still had boxes of decorations to add. Then when I decorated the mantle and staircase you would warn me that so many Christmas lights were going to throw a circuit breaker. I'd just smile and say I still had the outside to do!

For years our outside Christmas lighting at the old YMCA consisted of one green and one red light bulb. Stringing lights was not your thing. When we moved to Arlamen Drive the boys and I strung icicle lights the length of the house and wrapped the four porch pillars in greenery, bows and lights. Guess who was running up and down the street taking pictures in the dark of the house fully decorated ? I think you grew to enjoy all the holiday decorating.

You have always been a central character in my newsletters because frankly you provided me with endless stories to recount – unintentionally of course. Someone else in the family is going to have to fill the void – I wonder who the lucky one will be?

I write this last letter to you through my tears but take great comfort in knowing that you are watching down on us all from the best seat in the heavens. We'll put a great show on for you for the rest of our lives. I love you more today than I did yesterday and I hear you saying those words right back to me. Thank you so much for our beautiful family who lift me up every day.

The Lowe Family Newsletter Volume 87

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 87 SEPTEMBER 2013

Dear Readers,

August started off with gloriously cool summer days and ended with horrible heat and humidity. As usual my weeds have thrived, while I and my plants have wilted.

My children are spreading their wings and flying off in different directions leaving behind this broody old hen. Sean is currently in New Zealand and reading his blog is very enlightening – I had no idea that his ego was so big, his effect on women so amazing or that he had some interesting body parts that I failed to notice during diaper changes. The photo's are amazing and I am so glad that I get to read about his exploits – white water rafting, flying a stunt plane, bungee jumping etc- after he has survived the experience. I read your dad a somewhat edited version. But I highly recommend the blog to those of my readers who have a broad mind, a sense of humor and an appreciation of good writing.

I received an amazing email a couple of weeks ago from Kay – she asked if she could cook Sunday lunch for the family ! Furthermore she undertook to shop for all the necessary ingredients to make this meal! This was an unbelievable offer so I was thrilled to accept it : what a glorious sight to see her coming through our front door with bags of groceries for a three course meal! She even made her own salad dressing from scratch. After our delicious salad and pasta lunch with cookies for dessert she insisted on helping clean everything up! Quite a contrast to some other family members who only ever ask what I'm planning on making them and when it might be ready for them to eat- then they dash off to the gym leaving me to clean up the kitchen and dishes. Only today Coryn put in an order for three home baked desserts for a back yard get together that she and Jeremy are throwing for some other young couples this weekend. I pointed out that it was a bit much to expect me to bake in this heat for a party I wasn't even invited to but she promptly said I was welcome to come if I wanted to play beer pong and besides by Friday ( her pick-up of my baked goods day) it would be cooler so I should be fine in the kitchen with my double ovens going all day! I declined her invitation to play beer pong but agreed to make her desserts. At least I'll get to see Ava Claire that day!

Bryn announced a couple of weeks ago that Black and Veatch had offered him a promotion and transfer to San Ramos in the bay area close to Oakland and San Francisco. Last week he flew out to check it out and found an apartment in Walnut Creek, close to shopping, night life, jogging trails and the Bart system. He has sold most of his household items but unfortunately not his house. He is going to hand it over to a property management company in hopes that they can rent it out for him. He plans to drive his car, loaded with his clothes, some electronics and an air mattress to his new home which will probably take two to three days. He plans on leaving the day after Leslee-Ann arrives for her visit on the nineteenth of this month.

When Sean left on his extended trip, Josh moved from the “Seando” to Bryn's but his brother's unexpected job move left him homeless so I thought he might move in with us or Coryn and Jeremy but he chose to move into the basement of a friend. He will finish his current job in December and then plans to meet Sean in Thailand, possibly to be joined by Leslee-Ann, Craig and Bryn if their work schedules permit.

Ming-Lee has been in flight school all summer learning to fly a new plane for Fed-Ex. Hopefully he will soon be finished and able to spend more time with his family. Lori and the kids have had a great summer despite Ming's absence, although he did manage to make it home for a couple of days here and there. He will now be flying internationally so will have a chance to explore more of the world on his down time. This should be an exciting experience for Ming who loves to try new things and now that Blake and Claudia are older it will be easier to cope with his frequent absences.

Ava Claire is a happy, healthy baby but unfortunately something her milk supplier is eating is causing her to have gassy and explosive poop – during one diaper change I was showered in poop and had to completely change my clothes, scrub myself and my carpet. She is even passing a little blood in her poop so the pediatrician suggested that Coryn eliminate all diary from her diet and put Ava Claire on a milk free formula for a week or so before returning to nursing. I thought this a ridiculous suggestion but tried to be supportive. I was very pleased that my grand daughter refused to take a sip of the chemical junk (my terminology for baby formula) so instead of pumping her milk Coryn is still nursing but eating a very restricted diet. It does not seem to have helped much yet so she is now thinking that melons may be the cause as a couple of family members have allergies to one or another of these fruits. Sometimes I wonder if any one in the medical profession has any hands on experience. Nursing babies often will not drink from a bottle and if one does succeed in getting them to do so after a few days they will not be interested in breastfeeding anymore. I say keep the boobies flowing and Ava Claire growing. I am sure she will grow out of the problem as her system matures. She has already doubled her birth weight and is definitely a full figured girl!

Last Saturday I was able to enjoy a carefree shopping outing thanks to a hospice volunteer, Mike, who has signed on to stay with Norm for an hour or two every other Saturday. This is such a blessing as we are going to be losing all three boys help very soon. I usually only run errands when I am fairly certain that your dad will sleep the whole time or be engrossed in an NCIS episode.

Norm continues to have his esophageal spasms while eating so we have a couple of other medicines

added to our arsenal to combat this problem – they are in liquid form and can be placed anywhere in the mouth to help with the secretions and panic sensations. He continues to have daily bleeding due to his prostate cancer but fortunately it has not worsened over the last few months. But despite all his health issues he remains in good spirits especially when Coryn, Kay and Ava Claire visit.

Kay was a little concerned during her first few weeks of teaching that her very small class size might result in her class being split between the two other first grade teachers and her being transferred to another school. Since she liked the staff and was comfortable with first graders she was not looking forward to having to start afresh in another school but fortunately everything worked out. A fifth grade teacher volunteered to transfer and one of the other first grade teachers was assigned to the fifth grade class leaving Kay with her original class plus a few more kids. Kay seems to be adjusting well to life in Kansas City although she elected to skip out on watching the Chiefs defeat the Jaguars on Sunday after lunch. I of course am thrilled that we are back to Football Sundays and will be coaching the team to the playoffs this year!

Ming-Jon has moved to North Bethesda to cut his expenses while he continues to look for another job. Hopefully something will happen for him soon. Don't forget to send out your new address Ming-Jon! You never know when Marc might want to mail you something!

Your dad and I have enjoyed watching the US Open Tennis matches this past week and every time they showed the spectators I looked for Lainee who was there a couple of days during her recent trip to New York. Time for me to rally and serve your dad's noodle lunch, love your always on the ball Mother.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 86 JULY 2013

Dear Readers,

July 4^th my great friends of many decades, Becky, Evelyn and Sherry drove here from Fort Madison , making a slight detour to Hannibal to drop off Becky's dog at her mom's house. They arrived to find the flag flying, a traditional picnic of hamburgers and brats on the grill with chicken salad and corn on the cob for those of us (me) that are not into red meat – and trust me any meat that my boys cook is blood red when they deem it cooked. I had made my traditional flag cake as well as a chocolate cream pie for dessert demonstrating how this Brit can be a good sport about the American holiday that celebrates my country's defeat - albeit of centuries ago.

Evelyn, Sherry, Becky and Norm

As usual we all toured my garden and I was anxious to have Evelyn and Becky's opinions on some of my 'volunteer' seedlings as they are much more knowledgeable than myself. I was mortified to learn that one of my prize specimens - that I have been nurturing for two years - was a dreaded thorny locust: it would need to be ripped out if I didn't want visitors to my house impaling themselves on its long needle like thorns on their way to the front porch. I loved it's gorgeous fern like leaf structure that was a lovely contrast to my other plantings. I had not noticed any thorns until Evelyn pointed them out warning me that they would get enormous as the sapling grew. I was convinced to dig it up after taking a walk through our nearby woods with the girls and having a huge decaying thorny locust tree pointed out to me as an example of what the future held. It was scary enough for a Harry Potter book – I could hardly wait to get rid of my ' fern 'tree.

I thought another seedling that I had dug up and lovingly transplanted was a burning bush that had self seeded but I was assured that I was nurturing another weed. In fact almost everything I wasn't sure about was deemed a weed. Thank goodness the girls were able to enlighten me before any of my neighbors - who constantly wonder into my yard for advice or for some free plants - realized that I was tending a garden full of weeds! I even had a small poison ivy plant. I was green to the gills when I realized how close I might have come to losing my status as the green thumb of the cul de sac. I was glad that the girls were enthused about a visit to a garden center on Saturday before they left so I could replace my weeds with real plants. Of course any weed that I do inadvertently keep I will label as a native plant much needed to attract helpful insects to the garden.

We heard the fireworks exploding once it was dark and the girls thought they sounded close enough to see. I explained that although the display is very close to our house the view is obscured by our neighborhood's tall trees. But wandering down the driveway I noticed that at a certain point some of the fireworks were visible peeking between the trees. Then I remembered that one of my neighbors had had some huge diseased trees removed that now left a vantage point for us to enjoy the fireworks so the four of us stood out in the driveway to enjoy the show.

Unfortunately Josh and Bryn had to work on Friday and Sean had a previous commitment so my friends and I were limited in the time we could be away from Norm. But on Friday afternoon while Norm was napping we went to the Carter's Outlet Store which is so conveniently located just a few blocks up Quivera. They are all grandma's to boys so they were feeling a little blue as they shopped the boys side of the store while I - apologizing profusely for having to abandon them to the much cuter girls side - was secretly tickled pink to be able to flaunt my frilly and frothy finds while they did their best to enthuse over their much less flamboyant boys selections. We all noticed that the girls section was much larger and cuter! I assured them that I had fully expected to be on their side of the store, but for once I was wrong about something!

Friday night, after dinner, Norm enjoyed a long chat with Becky and Sherry recalling their years together at FMCH and hearing about the current happenings there. While they were chatting Evelyn and I dragged the hoses around my yard giving the parched plants their much needed daily drink. Evelyn spotted a fledgling thrasher on the ground, with its mother nearby. I was immediately concerned that the bird would become one of my cat's late night snacks so I decided to try and catch it and place it somewhere where the mother could see it but the cats wouldn't be able to nab it. Evelyn enjoyed watching me chase the fledgling down, grab it and place it in a hanging basket only to have it immediately tumble out back to the ground. It's mother was venting her fury very loudly so I decided to leave Mother Nature alone. Evelyn later assured me that the mother had led the baby to a neighbor's yard and I know it survived the night as I spotted it the next day and hoped it was now fully fledged. Our watering finished we joined Becky and Sherry and decided to take a stroll through my hilly neighborhood , to check out every one's landscaping and enjoy the great variety of architectural styles of the homes and the walking trail through the nearby Valleybrooke Park. I constantly reminded Becky of the need to step up the pace in preparation for our trip to England. She assured me that she was doing her very best but I said greater effort was going to be needed to chase down those London cabs!

Exhausted from our walk we retired to the deck with a botttle of wine and talked very late into the night with me occasionally leaving to check on Norm.

The only disappointment of the trip for my friends was that they didn't see Coryn, Jeremy, Ava Claire and their new home: they were spending the 4^th at Jeremy's aunt and uncle's vacation home at the Lake of the Ozarks – a family tradition. A great reason for another visit – I hope! At least the nursery will be totally finished as I have supposedly completed the last task but Coryn always seems to think of something else I need to do! I have actually rediscovered the joy of sewing and have been making little outfits – I made matching dresses, panties , headbands and even a purse for Elena and Ava Claire. I announced that I might make this an annual project as the girls are probably destined to be friends because their mothers and fathers are best friends and spend some time together. I made a little sun hat for Ava Claire and Coryn declared it made her baby look Amish and hoped I could come up with a more fashion forward design. I thought it looked adorable and will stick it on her head every time I take her out for a stroller ride.

Our friends returned on Saturday afternoon, once again having to cram all their shopping and nursery selections into Becky's car. It reminded me of one of their previous trips where the car looked a mobile rain forest with no rear visibility for the driver. Norm and I are so grateful to them for making the trip which truly uplifted our spirits and of course allowed me to remain the garden guru of our neighborhood!

The following weekend Marc arrived and was totally smitten with Ava Claire: just as he was with her mother so many decades ago. He did admit that if he was ever a father( highly unlikely) he would probably spend most of his days at the local ER as every tiny noise from Ava Claire was taken as a sign of some possible dire medical condition. He was convinced that her stomach was going to be permanently contorted by the hiccups, that her neck would be broken if not supported at all times and that her slightly spotty cheeks needed a dermatologist's care. The only thing he was not worried about was keeping her bottom clean – he refused to change her diapers! His concern for the baby saved us from his usual hypochondria.

Marc loves fried smelts and coincidentally Sherry remembering (what a memory!) how Norm and I also enjoy them saw some at a fishmongers and made a gift of them to us. I had some in my freezer too so the three of us had a feast.

Jeremy has been spending a lot of time working in Oklahoma City this summer, usually staying with his mother so the weekend of Marc's visit he returned with her so that she could spend some time with Ava Claire. Coryn called her dad on Saturday night to invite him for lunch on Sunday, assuring him that the whole Kansas City family would be there to carry him into the house so he wouldn't have to stand at all. Last time getting him in and out of the house was a challenge and provoked a seizure so your dad was reluctant to try again. Fortunately he will do almost anything for his girls so Marc and I got him in the car and drove him over to Coryn and Jeremy's where the boys carried him in his wheelchair into the house – even carrying him up the stairs so he could see the bedrooms and nursery. I was thrilled to see Kay - the boys had all helped her move into her apartment the day before – even Marc! Thanks to the kids recent moves she inherited a bedroom and living room set, general household goods and even a car. She was happy to be back in Kansas City and spending time with us – especially Ava Claire whom she met for the first time!

Jeremy had a grill laden with Kabobs, and baked potatoes with cabbage and bacon . Jeremy's mom was churning homemade banana pecan ice-cream. Coryn was looking very domesticated – I think she pulled out some plates and tableware. It was such a treat for me to enjoy a family meal at someone elses house!

Recently our family doctor needed to get in touch with me and thanks to the medical technology provided by Sean's former employer, Cerner, my health was severely challenged. Instead of a phone call I received an E-mail which directed me to their web site where I could log on and read my message. I confidently clicked on the link and was immediately asked for my user name and password. I typed in the pin they had given me at the time I was coerced into signing up for their green paperless medical program. It did nothing. I checked my list of user names and passwords but could find nothing for my doctor's office. I thought it likely that I might have used an existing log on combo so I tried them all and was told that I had reached the maximum number of times that I could try to log on for that day. I was so tense and frustrated that I could feel the blood pounding in my head, was I on the verge of a stroke, a heart attack or a panic attack?I tried to calm myself down by assuring myself that if it was dire news that they would surely telephone me if I didn't respond to the email. I tried logging in on different computers – to no avail. I was now convinced that my frustration was going to lead me to do something rash – I thought about self medicating with your dad's meds before I found myself enrolled in anger management therapy. That evening I decided to go through all the medical papers on my desk and if that didn't help me I would call the doctors office the next morning to explain my inability to connect on the web and ask if they could prescribe Valium over the phone .Going through the papers I finally came across the brochure they had sent home with us on our last visit and right on the front was my user name and password. Obviously I thought it was a smart place to record the information at the time but it seems that on top of everything else I am now suffering from early on set dementia. I think the old fashioned way of communicating with my doctor was much better for my health!

Sean is off to explore the world this coming weekend and I hope he has some great experiences to blog about so that we can join him on his journey in spirit. One thing we can count on is a lot of photographs as he is traveling with enough camera equipment to suggest that he is a wannabe Craig! I'm worried that he is going to be scoped out by a mugger. I have been told that he is expecting his last supper at our house for awhile on Thursday night.

Love your mother who holds you close to her heart as she seems to be losing her head.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME85                                                        JUNE 2013

SPECIAL DELIVERY THIS EDITION: Miss Ava Claire Logue

                                 May 25^th 2013

                                 6lbs 11 oz, 19 inches
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Dear Readers,

I was awoken by the phone ringing at about 8:00am on Saturday, May 25th. I staggered out of bed and ran around to your dad's side to grab the phone. It took a few seconds for my slumbering brain to compute that it was Jeremy, asking what time I was planning to be at their house to plant flowers. I wondered why on earth he had called me at this strictly tabu hour to babble on about landscaping, but then he delivered the real reason for his call by saying that I might want to swing by the hospital on my way. I was stunned, the baby was not due for almost three weeks and frankly I didn't think Coryn was anywhere near the usual end of pregnancy desperation - if I go one more day in this condition I am going to jump up and down until something happens mode. I said I would be there asap. Fortunately Sean answered his phone and was able to come up to stay with a still sleeping Norm while I pulled on one of my suitable for the hospital outfits and flew down I 435 to St. Josephs hospital. I was there about 9:00 am and charged up to the birthing floor where I was soon shown into Coryn and Jeremy's labor room. My daughter was on all fours panting like a rabid dog. I knew immediately that she was in hard labor and asked how far she was dilated. Jeremy said she was at two when they were admitted. Having a little birthing experience myself I knew she was further along. The nurse came in just as I was thinking about looking for her. I immediately let her know that my daughter was in hard labor, should be checked for progress and would probably be in need of a midwife before lunch. I knew I had made the nurse's day: having spent years advocating for your dad's healthcare in various hospitals I know the staff feel such relief when I make all the decisions for them. As soon as the nurse left the room she probably called the midwife and warned her that the mother from hell was with her patient.

We had never discussed my being there for the birth so it was an unexpected privilege to share in this amazing experience with Coryn and Jeremy. She coped so well with a fast and furious labor , only delivering some blood curdling screams towards the end - any other mother there laboring over the decision of whether to have a natural or medicated birth probably opted for an epidural thanks to Coryn. Jeremy and I cooled her down with wet washcloths and talked her through her contractions, assuring her that each one was bringing us closer to seeing whether they had a son or daughter. Finally at about noon a head covered in dark hair was peeking out between Coryn's legs. I gushed about the baby's hair as I knew Coryn's biggest fear was a bald baby. I hoped the head of hair would be incentive to really push and push she did. I was very surprised when Ava Claire appeared as I had expected a boy! She looked just like her mother at birth, minus the big wide awake eyes.

Shortly after her birth I left the new family to bond and drove home to deliver the details to the boys who were all over at the house with Norm. Almost as soon as I stepped into the house they raced out to buy some flowers for their sister and went to the hospital to see their new niece. Later that night I took Norm over to the hospital to see Ava Claire as he had set being here for her birth as his goal. He cutely referred to Coryn's pregnancy as the' impending obstetrical delivery' for which he would like to be present. We have now set Ava Claire's first Christmas as our new goal.

While we we were there Fred and Becky showed up with Elena who did not approve of anyone holding the baby. Her lower lip trembled, her eyes grew moist and she demanded that her parents pick her up and pay attention to her! Then the Lowe boys showed up for their second visit of the day. Earlier in the afternoon Grant and Sheryl had driven up from their vacation home in the Lake of the Ozarks and Gaylene, Jeremy's mother had come up from Oklahoma City. A lot of visitors for Ava Claire's first day!

Coryn and Jeremy were ready to go home the next day but the pediatrician stated that she was uncomfortable discharging Ava Claire, declaring her a preemie at 6lbs 11oz and asking the parents to stay another night. By the time they were discharged the baby had jaundice but thankfully was sent home with some contraption that attached special lights to the baby for a few days. Thankfully Sheryl was able to stay with them for the first few days, driving Coryn and Ava to the doctor's office daily to have her blood tested for bilirubin levels. Fortunately she was much better in a few days so that Coryn could concentrate on nursing : nursing her nipples I should say as unfortunately they became very cracked and inflamed. Fortunately a month later she is finally healed. She did ask me yesterday which part of nursing was enjoyable. I know she will think it all worthwhile the first time Ava breaks off nursing and gives her mom a milky grin!

Ava's early arrival turned my dinning room into a sweat shop as I sewed crib bumpers; a crib skirt; another flock of birds; basket liners; big bows; and tufted a chair cushion; I have gone through about twenty yards of fabrics! Before the baby was born Coryn said she was having custom drapes made for the babies room (I gave silent thanks) so I asked who she was ordering them from and she looked at me as if I had just asked the dumbest question ever and replied that I was making them of course. I muttered something about hardly calling my sewing skills custom but Coryn declared that I was creating her custom nursery. The price is right.

Ming Lee, Lori, Blake and Claudia were able to visit for a few days, staying with Coryn and Jeremy. Claudia was ecstatic to hold Ava Claire and had a great time shopping with Lori for baby clothes. Lori even passed on a couple of dresses that we had given to Claudia when she was a baby. Coryn was thrilled as she had asked Lori years ago if she could keep one of them for her in case she had a girl! Only took ten years!

We celebrated Father's Day with 3 dad's in the house this year, Norm, Ming and Jeremy. It was the first time in weeks that we used my dinning room as the chairs and tables were covered in fabrics, batting, foam, and threads - with a pin cushion carpet. I have never been able to break myself of the habit of pulling pins out of fabric as I sew and tossing them to the ground. It took me so long to clean it all up that I had to press Bryn into running the vacuum around to suck up all the pins before someone got one stuck in their foot. The boys worked together to prepare a special Father's Day lunch, steaks on the grill, corn on the cob, baked beans, garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. Dessert was four large boxes of ice cream treats which your dad is enthusiastically eating his way through in an effort to clear some space in the freezer- right. It's strange how he doesn't have an appetite for fresh fruit desserts but show him an ice cream sandwich and his appetite immediately returns.

Ming and family cooked some meals for the Logues, helped clean their already pristine home and took Ava Claire on her first stroller ride around Raintree Lake. Lori said the baby screamed as soon as she pushed her down the driveway so she took her back into the house, changed her dirty diaper and set out again: this time successfully. Ava Claire likes to have her diaper changed immediately when it becomes soiled. The boys spent Sunday night hanging out with them at Coryn's while I got back to my sewing and gardening.

Tuesday everyone except Sean showed up for dinner which Ming Lee ordered from Bolings, the best Chinese food around I think. I certainly enjoyed the break from cooking. After supper Ming and family drove to the airport and arrived home exhausted at about one in the morning. We greatly appreciated their visit as Ming will be away from his family for much of the summer training for a new FedEx plane.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter your dad is now being cared for by a hospice team in our home. This gives us access to medical care twenty-four /seven so I no longer have to try to make contact with an on call resident at Ku-Med. We have a nurse, bath aide, chaplain and a social worker. Our beloved Tina who use to take care of him has stopped by to visit a couple of times and always brings sunshine with her. We try to make each day as pleasant as possible and your dad remains in good spirits.

Marc will be here in mid July. I'm preparing myself for his hypochondria and sure to be complaints about the heat and humidity, especially in our house as your dad freezes if the thermostat is set below eighty degrees! It's much worse upstairs so hopefully he won't be spending hours in my bathroom damaging it's plumbing with his sub standard plumbing equipment. Josh always has to adjust the toilet after Marc's usage.

Kay should be back from Tulsa later in July, ready to start teaching at the Pitcher School in Kansas City. She and another girl in the Teach America program are sharing an apartment in the Plaza area and with all the furniture Coryn and the boys have for her, her biggest challenge will probably be deciding where to put it all! Sean has sold his condo, Josh is moving in with Bryn who also has his house on the market. My concern is where are the boys going to move if Bryn sells his place - my upstairs? Can you imagine my shame if I have to confess that not only am I the mother of five eligible bachelor sons (Bryn and his girlfriend split) but worse - two of them have moved home?

The July 4^th weekend will certainly be cause for celebration as my great friends of many decades, Becky, Evelyn and Sherry will be spending the weekend with us. I will fly the flag – (a very special one that Ming-Jon sent your dad this year for Father's Day as it has flown over the Nation's Capital Building), make a flag cake and completely ignore that it's the day we Brit's lost the war. They are very anxious to meet our newest family member who unfortunately is going to be away that weekend but we hope for an early return! Love your firecracker of a mother who will make sure the weekend doesn't fizzle.