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Round Robin – Diane October 12, 2008

Posted by Diane Bird in : All Posts , 1 comment so far

Hello, Family… September 15, 2008

Some of you know what’s going on in my life from emails, or from the Magnuson blog, or from snail mail, or from actually visiting with me, so I don’t really know where to start. So many ways to communicate!

I started the year by announcing to Mike and Eric that I didn’t want to work in the golf course clubhouse this summer, but would be happy to continue to do the books at home. They’ve adapted well, though they spend an inordinate amount of time working the clubhouse. Fortunately, they can access the internet from there and have installed an HDTV, so boredom is minimal. Business at the golf course has been affected by the economy, just as everywhere else, as people try to minimize their spending. In the meantime, I am delighted with my freedom to do what I want when I want, and don’t feel the pressure of trying to get everything done in the house and in the yard and garden in addition to the golf course work. Playing in three golf leagues gave me enough of the golf course this summer. Yea for freedom!

Throughout the year I have been putting together a reunion of some of the women I went to school with, and we are meeting in Bryson City, NC, (southeast side of the Smoky Mountains) the end of September. We hope to have some peace & quiet, rest & relaxation, and walk, talk, eat and laugh a lot. We’re staying in a relatively primitive lodge in the mountains, avoiding the casinos and tourist-type entertainments. Unfortunately, our numbers have dwindled from an original 16 who wanted to come down to 6. Seems there are old parents to take care of, grandchildren to babysit, children getting divorces or being married, grandchildren graduating or getting married, and illness of all kinds in our age group. Those of us who were able to put those responsibilities aside for a week are going to be there.

Most of you know I love to travel. In June I visited Vicki at her home in Aptos, CA. We celebrated our birthdays and played a lot of golf. Vicki had the week nicely planned and it was a good visit. In July, I drove up to South Bend, IN, to help one of Mike’s sisters celebrate her 60th birthday. It ended up being a huge Bird family reunion with four generations represented (and a good time was had by all)!

Here at home, Mike and I keep up with our friends, often with impromptu breakfasts at the local “Cabin” where they serve plate-sized “cabin cakes” and huge servings of biscuits and gravy. Other times we just visit and talk, and sometimes take walks through town. I try to go to as many of Eric’s boys’ sports events as I can: baseball in the summer and football right now. Occasionally I take them out for a meal or “babysit” them at their house or ours. Lucas is 13 and Ian is 8. They’re fabulous!! Naturally!

Danielle sends us pictures of her two girls on a regular basis (Naomi is 4 and Leah’s 3). They are growing up so fast. Both are in pre-school this year (Naomi tells me all about it on the phone), so Danielle finally has a little time to herself. Heaven.  She and Phil are having their kitchen completely re-done and hope to be done by Christmas.  What a chore!

Marty works hard for a company that sets up online ordering for restaurants, loves his cars and works on his “TT” endlessly, goes on trips with his Audi club, and keeps us up to date fairly regularly. Now and then he motors down for the weekend, and we try really hard not to have computer problems for him to solve. He’s our guru.

Miki and Kevin met us for brunch recently in Bloomington. They are happy together and good for one another, I think. Both work stressful jobs, Miki as managing editor of Indiana University Press and Kevin as a teacher in the IU Law School, so they plan trips away on a regular basis, where they manage to relax and recuperate.

What can I say about Eric? When he’s not doing a perfect job on the golf course he is with his boys, coaching their ball teams or being a volunteer assistant for something in which they are involved. He gets rave reviews on how he takes care of the greens and fairways, and makes us proud.

I’ll think of more stuff to say as soon as I sign this, but one must stop somewhere!! Maybe next time I’ll have pictures to send around.

Love to all of you, Diane

P.S. Let’s put our email addresses on the Round Robin 2008 list. That will make it easier to send this out to everyone over the internet, and if anyone changes their email address in the meantime, they can change it on the list as it comes around.

P.P.S. Hope to see you all in Omaha, summer of 2010… Magnuson reunion!

P.P.P.S. Anyone need hints for getting onto the Magnuson blog? Email me at dbird62741@yahoo.com

Round Robin – Nancy October 12, 2008

Posted by Diane Bird in : All Posts , add a comment
September 4, 2008
Hi everyone,
I think this is a great idea. Once I get the hang of it I’ll think it’s an even better idea! We are in Nebraska as I write this, to visit our mom’s and take a little break from the Texas heat. I am quite weary of it as we’ve had 29 days of 100 and above degree temps. The summer started early and doesn’t show any signs of getting better anytime soon.  However, hurricane Gustaf just hit a few days ago and I am very delighted we don’t still live in New Orleans, and very sad for all the again displaced population.
We keep very busy with the grandkids and love every moment of it. We’ll get a good dose of them in Oct. when Kris and Dave travel to the Virgin Isle to celebrate their anniversary and will need a vacation ourselves afterwards.
John is working for EDS which was just sold to Hewlett Packard so we are waiting to hear if he’ll be retained. We think so, but you never know anymore. He travels about 80% of the time, which is’nt anything new to us, but air travel is more complicated all the time, and out of Dallas, the weather is always a factor, almost always delayed coming and going! I really feel for the road warriors out there.
I haven’t seen mom yet, but she sounds good and is still on the go if only to go to the mall to people watch! She is dreading winter, so I am trying to talk her into a visit, and she is thinking about it. We found her a nice cat after her old one died last summer and it keeps her company and has a great personality for a cat.
We’ve been watching the conventions with great excitement. What a historical election this will be. No matter what party one may “belong to” , having a black man and a woman on the ticket at the same time is quite remarkable. Talk about shaking things up! I hope Sarah Palin is really as good as she looks right now.  I am very tired of the same old promises and nothing ever really getting done, and I know I’m not alone.
Pam, your horse is just beautiful. Love it.

Well, I wish you all the happiest of Autumn’s. Til next time, Nancy

Round Robin – Barbara October 12, 2008

Posted by Diane Bird in : All Posts , add a comment
August 19,2008
Greetings Family:
This will be fun to try the RR online  — thank Pam P. as she is the one to get this started again!  You know, I’m a little dense and and it takes a little while to get it all clear in my mind.  The way I understand it is that I write this E-Mail and send it to everyone and then also send a copy plus Pam’s letter by U.S. Mail to the next person on the list.  That person will send their letter by E-Mail to everyone on the list plus they will make a copy and include it with Pam’s and my letters and send it to the next person on the list etc., etc.  I would suggest, however, that if you don’t have time to write a letter to just put a note in the envelope and send it on.  That way, we should all get more timely news.
This has been a strange year weatherwise  –  alot of rain, about 3 days of 100 degree weather and already summer is winding down with mornings that seem real fallish.  We have a different water problem than Teresa though.  She has had water coming in from the top, I think, and ours came up from the bottom!  After 7 years of drouth, we have had water in the basement again.  In the year 2000, we put in the Beaver system and this is the first year to put it to the test.  It did just what it was supposed to the first couple months and then we had this 6″ rain and first thing you know the water started coming up through the floor cracks.  In the beginning, we had 2 pumps running and we ended up with 4.  But that’s what you get when you live in the Platte River Valley – no one should have basements!
I think you all probably know by now that Loren has been in Tiffany Square nursing home in G.I. since the last of April.  He suffers from Dementia and I never know how I will find him when I go to visit as he has his good days and bad days.  However, the Dr. has adjusted his medication — taken away some of the pills and added another and so far things seem to be going better.  The home has to call me everytime certain things happen, so he’s fallen out of bed 3 times and even out of his wheel chair.  It used to bother me terribly to get all this bad news until I realized the girls have to let me know everything that happens.  Probably, it is to cover them in case I might want to sue?  I don’t know for sure.
They have a beauty shop where he could get his hair cut, but he would rather have me do it as I always have.  The beauty shop is closed Saturdays and Sundays, so we could use it then.  Rich & Pam went with me and then Lora and her family came too, so it was a nice big place to have us altogether.   It worked out fine except that whenever anybody spoke, he turned his head, and he’s lucky I didn’t take a big nick out of his hair each time!  Pam was afraid it was too much for him, but I think he enjoyed seeing everyone altogether.  Of course, he loved the 3 little girls to hug and kiss him goodbye!
I hadn’t been to the Merrick County Fair for years, but this year, Pam had to spend some time in the Merrick Foundation booth as she is a member, so it was a good opportunity for me to go too.  Rich, Lora and the girls went too.  It used to be when the County had 12 or more Extension Clubs that we were urged to support the Fair and enter in the competition but there are no more clubs so there isn’t the competitive spirit.  As a result the “open class” building was a quarter of what it used to be and the 4 H part of it is way down too.  There was a Junior Rodeo the night we went so we sat on the bleachers and watched the kids ride the sheep.  Lora’s eldest, Ellie, wanted to ride the sheep too in the competition so Lora took her down but found out they had to sign up ahead of time.  But I bet Ellie won’t let her Mom forget it next year!
I read Steph and Teresa’s contributions to the Blog and they were good ones — and I want to say, Teresa, that I am so happy you are feeling so much better.  Now, I hope you can get a little more padding on your bones so you’ll look like the old Teresa.  Steph mentioned that Kevin and Riley were checking out colleges — I suppose for the next year.  Do you think he wants to go to the same one in California where  his cousin,Jay, will be going this fall?
Merrick County is celebrating their Sesquicentennial (150 years) this summer.  Rich, Pam and I went to the one at Worms earlier in the summer – -  Clarks had theirs a month ago — Archers was last week-end –  Central Citys will be in September and Chapmans in October.  They are all different but lots of fun with Cemetery Tours, Outhouse Races, old time Outdoor Movies, old car shows, Quilt shows, Gun show, — you name it., and I’m sure they had it.  Our church women put out a county-wide Cook Book and we’ve sold around 400 so far.
You all should stop by and see Pam’s flower garden before frost.  It has done so well and is just gorgeous!  She and Rich are in the process now of putting up an Arbor.  When I was over there the other morning, Pam was manning the post hole digger and Rich was mixing cement to put around the posts to anchor the thing down so it won’t sail out over Chapman with the first big breeze that comes along!
We had an unexpected visit a week ago, when our cousin (and yours), Tim Caruthers and his son, Brandon, stopped by on their way to South Bend, Indiana.  Brandon will be studying for his Masters in Business at Notre Dame.  He was to move into married student housing the next day and start classes on Monday.  So they were in a hurry and didn’t stay overnite as they wanted to get to Omaha that night.  We had a good visit over supper though, and even had time to make a fast trip out to the old Magnuson farm.   Brandon is 28, married to a Japanese girl he met in Idaho. and they have  2 children.  They had lived the last 4 years in Japan and she wasn’t able to travel with him home because their new baby was just 2 weeks old.  Her Mother from Japan, will accompany her home to help with the children.  Tim was to fly back to his home in Seattle area, Auburn, I think.
Matt & Emily were married in May — I wrote about it for the Blog but for some reason, it didn’t log on — then I wrote another and that didn’t work either.  Then I figured out you had to have a password, which they sent me by E-Mail and 3 days later, a corrected one and neither one work.  Someday we’ll get it figured out and we’ll get it on with some wedding pictures too, I hope.
Pam, Jackie and I are getting together in another week or so to talk about planning the next Magnuson Family Reunion to be held in Omaha, the summer of 2010.  We would appreciate comments  and input from you all so don’t be bashful.  Sorry this letter got so long, and I promise the next time, I won’t have so much to say.  By the way, Pam P., your carousel horse is just beautiful!  Love to you all,
Barbara

The Round Robin returns via Pam October 12, 2008

Posted by Diane Bird in : All Posts , add a comment

August 6, 2008

Updated August 10, 2008

Dear Family,


I’m in Danville this week, 8/3-8, staying with King while Patty is on a business trip in DC area. This gives me a break, and I can do things I don’t do at home — like writing letters! And it eases Patty’s mind while she is away. I think King does not mind me being here, though he never feels it is necessary! He has had a few episodes this year of stroke/seizure like attacks that leave him exhausted. They have occurred at night, so that is another reason to be here, just in case. Otherwise, King looks a little more tired than a year ago but seems to be holding his own in the other departments, and still working too.

P.S. While I was in Danville , I was able to visit two of his doctors with him and I feel much reassured. The neurologist and oncologist are both fine and capable doctors and told me he is the poster child for surviving this disease. The seizure episodes are not caused by a tumor but rather an after-effect of the radiation he had early on. The neurologist prescribed some medicine for him to try so hopefully that will stop them.
Frank and I have had a lovely summer so far in terms of guests and trips. Jason and Erin spent a week in late May/early June to celebrate her first year at UBC and her birthday. Erin ’s folks joined us for a few days of that time too. Then in June we went to Portland for a League of Women Voters national convention that I attended. We both enjoyed the city a lot, great transit to do sight seeing around town, and we had wonderful weather while we visited. In July, Frank’s young Pecarich cousin, Pluma (10) visited us from New Mexico , so we got to do Knott’s Berry Farm, the beach, movie, etc etc with her. A nice change of pace for us! Next time we will have to recruit someone to go along on the rides with her – Frank and I turned out to be big chickens! Of course it doesn’t help that they publish a 6 foot long warning list of conditions!!

In mid August we will visit Jason and Erin in Vancouver — they still love it there, and we wanted to visit before Erin ’s classes start in late August. Then, in late August we expect a short visit by a friend from Virginia and her daughter who will stay with us, explore Hearst castle one day and other local attractions, giving us a chance to catch up on news of our old neighborhood.
We like having guests as it breaks our routine and we have the opportunity to explore new things and do things we might not otherwise. During Jason and Erin ’s visit we saw ‘Wicked’ in LA — it is a really fun play and very impressive special effects. During Pluma’s visit we took a boat trip to the Anacapa Islands , off the coast of Ventura . They are one of the few sets of “natural” islands left in the US  (no development to speak of — still some remnants of early sheep ranching and non native species that were introduced at various times over history but now a national park). Some call it the North American Galapagos so you get the picture. We saw dolphins, sea lions, lots of birds but no whales which are sometime sighted on the trip at this time of year — and a nice boat ride to boot.
I also experienced a rare treat this summer — brunch with Vicki and Diane. Believe it or not, we were able to connect in Salinas on a Sunday during Diane’s visit with Vicki in June when I was returning home from a visit with King and Patty. It was so fun and special to see them both (first time since our reunion) and to see them together. We all decided we look the same and not one year older!

Frank instigated a project this spring that culminated in late May – having our Illions carousel horse restored and repainted. We first purchased and restored this horse when we were living in Virginia . It moved to California with us of course and in the years in Bakersfield , it was an elegant addition to our living room there. Unfortunately, the heat and perhaps indirect sunlight yellowed the finish so we had kept it downstairs here in Ventura . But we did miss it so Frank recruited one of the notable carousel figure painters and restorers in the West for the redo. The result is illustrated below. It was finished just in time for Jason and Erin ’s visit so this was taken in late May during their visit. The paint style is called “ Coney Island ” and if you can believe it, this is the way they came out of the factory in the early 1900’s, so it is historically accurate as well as beautiful. Amazing! It almost glows in the dark.

This summer has brought many happy memories of our reunion last year and I hope the year has been kind to you and yours. There have been new memories created in many of your families, weddings for sure. We will have a lot to share when we get together again in a few more years. Keep in touch! Send photos!

Love,
Pam

P.S. I’m sending this snail mail to Barbara on the RR route and to all via email. Write when you have a minute and send it then by email; whoever has the snail mail can print and add your letter to the envelope. Let’s try it??!!