Author: althea

Feb. 6: We just got home after a wonderful visit in Texas with Bryan’s family.  Even though it was a quick visit, we had a lot of fun together.  And we’re basking in our memories of warm weather now that we are back in the Frozen North.  The snow here is beautiful, and our street is decked out in its perfect winter scene.  So I look out on it and remember warm sunshine, birds singing, pansies and dandelions, and the promise of spring.
Bryan’s mom headed up to Wichita today to stay with her mom while Grandpa Harvey undergoes knee replacement surgery.  Dandy, Bryan’s dad’s father is back home after breaking his elbow and being in rehab for a while.  And on my side, Mum is now in assisted living and Grandpa is in a nursing home.  It’s a tough time to be one of our grandparents.  I’m so glad that our parents are all strong and able to care for their moms and dads during this time in their lives.

I put loads of pictures from our trip to Texas up on our website.  There’s also a sub-album of a trip we took to the park.  And looking back at January, I have a little album of Andrew eating spagetti and some pictures of our wintery yard.  Enjoy!

Feb. 5: Andrew is enjoying a story from his Granny Lu, so I thought I would take a moment to post an update and to say “Yay!  A little vacation in Texas!”  I spoke to our neighbor Nancy yesterday, and she said there was a wind chill advisory until Tuesday.  I do love winter, but it sure is nice to be out in the sun and the warmth for a few days.  We played frisbee and ball in the yard yesterday, and I watched people jog or bike by in t-shirts and shorts.  It seems strange to see people’s legs again after months of hiding:)
Good news about Heather’s dog Pippin.  As of Friday, he home and doing really well.  Sounds like he has beat a lot of odds, and while he’s not out of the woods yet, Heather and Michael are really enjoying having him home.
I’m also really very relieved because Andrew’s little friend, Eli, was in the hospital much of last week with pneumonia.  He was such a sick little boy, and we were all very worried.  But last I heard, he came home on Saturday, and is on the road to recovery.
At my work we have some new happenings as well.  Our new executive director starts at Gathering Waters today, so I have now completed my tenure as interim executive director.  It was a great experience.  Now I return to outreach and policy coordination just in time for the state budget.  Should be an exciting six months policy-wise.
We hope to take a walk down to the park once the sun heats things up a bit.  It’s in the 40s now, but I’m hoping for warmer temps in an hour or so.  That’s the update from College Station!
~Althea

Jan. 28: I have been thinking a lot of my friends Heather and Michael and of their new puppy, Pippin these last few weeks.  Heather and Michael got Pippin for Christmas as a gift from Heather’s father.  After losing their son, Allan in September, Heather and Michael have had to find ways to make it through the last five months.  Pippin was bringing some fun and puppy love into the mix.  To my disbelief, Pippin came down with the Canine Parvovirus five days after he got home.  Parvo is a sometimes deadly virus that can strike puppies before they are old enough to be vaccinated.  After almost a week in veterinary ICU, Pippin came home.  Since then, however, he has had complications including  an auto-immune allergic reaction which affected his blood vessels, and  last night Heather called to tell me that Pippin’s kidneys are failing.  He has been at the emergency clinic where they are working hard to save him.  But it is just so sad for a little puppy to be so sick and it is so unfair for Heather and Michael to have to navigate this after all that they have recently been through.
I wanted to post this because it has been very heavy on my mind and because I thought that it wouldn’t hurt to encourage others to send loving thoughts their way.

Jan. 27: Now if that isn’t an inspiring title for a post, I don’t know what is!  But as I think back over the last week, my take-home sense is one of ordinary regular-ness.  It’s nice to hit a stride every once in a while where things at work and things at home are all chugging along at a steady pace.
On Friday, Andrew and I took a little trip over to Olbrich Gardens where Andrew always has a blast looking at the koi and walking up and down the stairs.  Today, Mom and Andrew and I went to Oconomowoc to attend my Aunt Julie’s husband Kevin’s father’s memorial service.  Bryan has been pretty swamped at work recently, but he’s pretty committed to seeing projects work well even if it means putting extra evenings in.
We got several household projects fixed this week.  Our garbage disposal is now working for the first time in over a year.  We got components of our garage door replaced, so now the garage door opener works again, and Igor (the white car) got a major set of repairs made.  After all these fixes, I’m feeling a relieved sense that everything we own isn’t falling apart.
Pictures of the last week are in the gallery including some photos of a housewarming party we attended for my co-worker, Sara and her husband, Sean.  What a lovely place they have!

Jan. 21: I’m watching snowflakes drift lazily through the air outside our house.  The pine trees look like they belong in a gingerbread scene, and the maples are etched in a pure line of white.  I just love snow!
Andrew is better from his fever last week, and we are having a fun-filled weekend together.  Uncle Joe (or as Andrew calls him “Doe!”) left to go back to college this morning.  We sure have had a fun time with him over the last month.  Then around noon today we “played” outdoors in the snow while Dada shoveled.  It’s pretty hard to walk in snow with all these puffy clothes on!  I put pictures in the gallery from our weekend.

Jan. 7: We just returned back from Jack’s house this afternoon.  What a laughter-filled couple of days we have had!  Terry couldn’t attend this trip, but Maretta and Kyle drove down from St. Paul.  Mom, Joe, and Michael joined the Dotzours, and we caravaned to Jack’s together in our van.  The weather was very-nearly balmy, and we enjoyed several fun hikes including a long hike on Jack’s land and a trip over to Pike’s Peak in Iowa.  We ate yummy food, played lots of games (poker with Bryan’s new chips and Trivial Pursuit), and all had fun entertaining Andrew.  Plus we got to see loads of Bald Eagles (at least six including one sitting and bathing for a long time on a log in the river in front of Jack’s house).
Thanks to Jack for hosting a lovely, restorative weekend for our family!  Many photos of our revelery are in the gallery.