She gave me a life

"She gave me a life. I didn't have a life before I married her. I was just living day to day. She gave me this nice family. We were married 52 years. Yes, she was a good wife."
-----Max at his wife's memorial service 1-24-2009.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY A

A day late but I couldn't get on the internet yesterday. While we are at the farm we have to go down to the local coffee shop (not Starbucks) to get online. the coffee is good and Kent is happy with his drink which is amazing as I don't think he has ever been happy with non-SBs ever.

Twentyone years ago on the 8th of January, Kent, Mom and I went to the hospital on base to find out that I WASN'T in labor. The Doctor told Kent not to let me drag him there again anytime soon as it would be days if not a week or so. We stopped at the Builder's Square where Kent drug us around showing Mom the air compressor he would have someday. (Still doesn't have one as big as that one was.) We ate dinner (I wasn't interested.) and then went off to bed. I got up, took a long shower and then started counting my contractions while I watched a movie. After an hour or so I got Mom up and when they were 5 minutes apart we got Kent up. He protested, quoting the Doctor. Mom told him that "if he didn't want to deliver the baby on the bridge he better get in the van." What normally took 45 minutes to drive passed in what seems like was 20 minutes or so. We walked back into the hospital to find the same Doctor on duty. He took one look at us and sighed. BUT when I got up on the table, he spazzed out: "9 centimeters, fully effaced; get her in the delivery room." And at 4:07am, a beautiful baby girl (9lbs,1oz, 21.5 inches long) made us a real family.

When I look at her today I can't believe that such a beautiful and talented person was ever a part of me. Love you Munchie!

A Sad Time

Nano called about a week ago to tell us that Brother Paul was in the hospital. Bad news as he is our contact for Granpa. Well, Paul got sprung yesterday from the hospital with the stipulation that he can't drive for the next 6 months. He lives 30 miles north of where Max (Granpa, or FGP) is living now. So now there is no one to drop in on Max and make sure he is being treated well and that all is okay.

We just happen to be up here now as Kent had business to take care of. We've been here since Wednesday night and plan on leaving tomorrow. Granpa is pretty frail. He gets no mental stimulation,no radio playing, no tv, nothing. (He is almost blind.)

While we've been here I've been scanning pictures that I known there will be no copies of, ie: polaroids, old black and whites, etc. I've got some real treasures locked up in this machine. A few things have made the tears well up; like yesterday (Aix's 21st birthday) I found in a drawer that I have been in before a newspaper that had Ellen's handwriting on the top: "Today Alix was born." Just for reference the order of birth:Paul, David, Nano, Kent and Wayne.