WE ARE IN WICHITA KS AND NO SNOW

We are at a lovely "Best Western", had a good nights sleeps and what a crazy start to our trip. We went to bed on Friday night by 9pm. I was so exhausted from the packing up the camper. I don't know where Jim gets all his energy but by 11pm he woke me and said "lets go". Two house later we were on the road. I think of the things I forgot and have to la ff. I mean there are homemade croutons in the oven.
Jim drove 16 hours to get here with stops for gas and eats and ice cream bars. Hagendas' - really good. We finally drove out of the snow in Kansas about 1 to 2 hours before Wichita.
Whichita was a cattle destination the the old west so they could ship the cattle back east via train for the Eastern market. It's on The Chisholm Train and Little Arkansas River and also know as The Air Capital of the World because of the mfg. of small aircraft like Beech and Cesna.
We plan on being on the road this morning by 8am. You should see the fog out now. Should be gone by 9am they say.

GRANDMA WAS 99 YEARS - 48 DAYS OLD WHEN SHE DIED

I just am having a difficult time reporting about Lillian's demise. She had a very strong turn for the worse almost 3 weeks before she died. I regret the pain she had to endure, the two hospital stays, the move to a new nursing home. All of that when you are almost blind is so very disrupting even when the nurses are kind and patient.
Lillian was very used to "The Manor House". We moved her to "Homestead Rehab and Nursing Center" where she could get more care, her Doctor, Dr. Ottosen was part of that decision, it also is connected to the "Deer River Hospital" so we didn't ever have to take her outside again. Her second hospital stay all the had to do to run some tests was wheel her over to the hospital.
I guess it was just her time to go because her system started shutting down starting with no eating and hardly any drinking.
The thing I feel so good about is her body was telling us it was time to let her go, I said my goodbye to her the Thursday before she died, someone was always with her those last 3 weeks and in all honesty, the suffering was minimal. I really didn't think she would be gone this soon. I had just purchased her some new slacks and jackets for the nursing home. she wore them once I think. I sat with her on that Thursday, I had hung the "Amazing Grace" poster photo above her bed and sang to her rubbing her arm and holding her hand. The music, the words seemed to calm her, that was when my tears came. Them came because of the pain she was going through. There were quite a few days she just yelled out in what seemed like pain every other minute or so. That afternoon we wen to hospice and signed her up and they took over managing her pain and end of life. It happened the following Monday at 8:50 am. We had the funeral on Wednesday at 2pm with Bonnie her niece officiating. Jane sung beautifully 2 songs, "Amazing Grace and In the Garden or was it Have Thine Own Way". She is at peace, Jim said goodbye to her on the Sunday before she died.

IT IS FEB - CAN GOING SOUTH BE A REALITY

Well here we are in Feb. - On Jan. 31st I finally met with Dr. Oxenhadler in Duluth and he said we need to wear the neck brace another 10-12 weeks so I may as well wear it until I get back to Minnesota. Should be hot by then. It is either that or surgery and I am in no hurry to hear I need my neck fused whatever that entails. Yuck.
We finally had a thaw - last two days have been beautiful, over freezing. So nice to see some of the ice melt off my little three trees I have on the deck.
Some sad news - we had Lillian put into hospital on Friday night because of some health issues. Been up to see her every day but she sleeps most of the time and doesn't communicate at all. She is now 99. My goodness to live to be so old. I think she will recover, her heart and blood pressure are excellent so it's just a matter of time until she is back to her normal.