Last of Summer

We enjoyed the last Summer Trace Cookout for this year. The outdoor cookouts have really been fun this year. Great food and great weather. We look forward to the monthly buffet dinners starting up again this fall.

Phil entertained the girls at our table with stories.

Pictured below with Mom is Liz, a private duty nursing assistant we've hired to spend personal time with Mom since I went back to work. Liz is very experienced, works for several residents at Summer Trace and has a very good working relationship with the Summer Trace staff.

She is an answer to prayer! And she loves Mom.

Lastly, we also caught the last Seminary Park summer concert in Noblesville. There was a bit of a chill in the air so I was glad I had extra blankets in my car for the Summer Trace residents who came up on the bus.

Summer Concert - Noblesville Square - Aug. 2009

Mom loves small free outdoor concerts! Last night Mom and I drove up to hear Cathy Morris at "Jazz on the Square" on the lawn of the historic Noblesville courthouse. We found front row seating. (see FAR right)

A group from Summer Trace (where Mom lives) came on the bus. So we gathered them near where we were sitting.

Cathy Morris was fantastic with her amplified violin.
See www.cathymorris.com

Here's Mom enjoying the night out. There were dogs to meet and greet and children dancing on the lawn to the music. A great night that ended abruptly when a summer storm blew in and we all scattered to our vehicles just before the rain hit! It was an adventure!!!

Here's another Mary (who we play cards with) eyes closed, thoroughly enjoying singing along to the song, "I Remember You." Alzheimers steals her recent memory - she doesn't remember ever playing cards with us before, but always eagerly enjoys our invitation to play each week. However she still has amazing long term memories of a very full and exciting life. She was a pilot. She is precious and a lot of fun. (See video in the post previous to this where she is shaking Phil by the shoulders!)

Here's a video of that part of the concert.

Gram and David and Peggy at cards

We went out on August 18th to celebrate my birthday at Bazbeaux Pizza in Carmel on the Monon Trail.

After dinner I got some pics of David and Mom walking together that I really like.

Mom lights up when her grandchildren (and great grandchildren) are around. David has moved back to the Indianapolis area so we are looking forward to having him around.

Later in the week we were thrilled to have a friend, Peggy, join us for cards! Peggy's loss of speech (aphasia) from her stroke is worse than Mom's and she has been reluctant to join in, but we finally won her over! Here she won a hand! This is a video so click the arrow below the image.

We have another Mary also enjoys cards. Here she is giving Phil the hard time he was asking for as Charlie was regaling us with stories. This is also a video so click the arrow below the image.

Mom was in a great humor that night and was also kidding around with Phil later but I was gathering laundry and didn't get a video of that!

Some goodbyes and some good news!

Today was my last day to be able to go to the Summer Trace Bible Study with Mom as I start my new job next week with Campus Crusade for Christ at the Great Lakes Region office.

Also leaving is our serviceman, Evan, and his dog, Pete. Evan's last day is next week, as he is heading to Indiana University in Bloomington to resume his college career after serving in Iraq.

Joan, who lives next door to Evan's parents, is going to try to bring Pete on occasion. Mom always sits with Pete.

And after the Bible Study everyone enjoys saying goodbye to Pete!

Today's study was about joy. Great scriptures. Joan reminded us of Thelma's (in blue) husband and the total joy he had in the Lord.

After the Bible Study Mom and I went for our last visit with the hand doctor. No more splint! (For that hand anyway.) The break in her left lower thumb is healed with new bone in "only" six weeks! Hooray!