Being busy in Big Bend 4/26-09

Greetings to each and ALL---

First order of business: New email address joconnell18@wi.rr.com as we now have high speed internet!

First bonus: Being able to see the Middle Fork Easter Egg Hunt without
the long loading time. Glad to see the searchers in their Easter best and the improvements which were evident in your garden SPOT! Freya you are a great egg locator!

Pleased with the phone visits we've had with Kevin, David, Michele, Matt, Susan, Mark and Maura in recent days and since our Easter Sunday meal and visit. Admit we've not sent too much email in the
busy outdoor days we've had such good weather.

Biggest chore in the last week was getting fallen branches from winter winds and a couple of days of trimming and sawing low branches around the yard to get a pile out to the street which the village workers put thru the chipper on Friday. That was preceded by a lots of raking of leaves which we carted to the village compost pile in 4 big plastic fabric
tubs which contain about 4 bushels. A record should have been kept of the trips--but was not. Regardless, it is better than burning.

Mom saw her new ophthalmologist last week and will be getting a time for her first cataract operation soon and the second one should follow within 2 or 3 weeks. She is pleased that I had a thorough audiology test at Great Lakes Hospital ENT clinic and have ordered hearing aids.

Glad to have had first hand and blog reports on the O'CLong Colorado visit from both the hosts and the guests. It surely was a good time.

Grateful for Domino's report and do hope that she has been able to keep abreast of all her obligations and opportunities. Really sorry that Mark was unable to get to her play.

We've been in touch with Ed and he is still busy with a lot of follow-up thing. Told Mom in a call this week that he has planned a trip to Minnesota to see some friends and will be in California for Erin's graduation and Julie hopes that he will be able to stay there and have his birthday celebration.

Charleen and Bob are coming up to be with us for the day on Thursday of this week. We still have some Grandma and Grandpa O'Connell
stuff that we should go over again to determine how to deal with it.

Mom hope to go to Dubuque soon to have the same kind of meeting with Pat and Ed to go over some Doll material that she still has.

Mom had her 3rd visit with Susan's friend, Dr. Barbara Murray, who is exploring whether some new medicine might be helpful for memory improvement. At this time the dosage is provided by using a patch which is changed daily. For the first month she took a daily pill. The doctor is positive and encouraging as the trial continues. The the next appointment is after a 2 month period--the earlier ones followed for shorter periods.

We will be in Elkhart Lake, WI (Sheboygan County) at a resort hotel for our 2009 Retired Educators' convention. May try to connect with the Sheboygan folks if it won't conflict with David's homework schedule!

Last week we went to an afternoon showing of "Slumdog Millionaire" at an Oak Creek miniplex. No review here.

Susan came to show us their new Ford Free mini-SUV and Grandma really likes it especially the green color! A very impressive set of wheels!

Have had a very rainy weekend. I worked outside on getting soil ready for an exchange in the raised beds yesterday morning, but the rain came just before noon. There was 2.5" in the gauge when we set out for mass this morning. It has continued to rain most of the day--over an inch when I checked late this afternoon. I did get some weed&feed spred yesterday morning before breakfast, so hope it wasn't spoiled by the rain--but things really looked very green by today's last overcast light.

Best wishes to all you scholars as the end of your school year nears!

Good luck to all the job seekers, too!!

Love and prayers, Grandma and Grandpa