Lazy Sunday

Since it doesn't get dark until well after 9 p.m., I stay up later here.  The sun doesn't come up until a little before 6 so the sun doesn't wake me up as early in the morning. Combine the two and I'm not getting up as early. In Tucson I was awake well before 6 but usually didn't get up until around 6:30. Here, I don't even wake up until 6:30 or after unless Morris decides to get up early. We both slept in this morning and didn't get up until about 7:45 which is almost noon for me...  Then I had to drag him out of bed - he just didn't want to get up. I know it rained about 1/2" during the night but I didn't hear it.  The blowing wind did almost wake me but went right back to sleep. After finally getting up and done with the shower, one side of my brain said "go for a walk" and the other side said "take the day off"  But, it was nice and cool out plus everything was so fresh after that rain that I went for a 1.5 mile walk.  Then it was breakfast and dishes which took until around 9:30.  By now, I am feeling REALLY lazy so decided to just continue the lazy day and read the paper for an hour.  I can't remember the last time I was that lazy....

I did manage to get the sheets washed today but remaking the bed was another matter as you can see in this picture of my helper. When he doesn't want to move, you just have to pick up the 12 lb wet noodle and put him off the bed or whereever he is that you don't want him.  He loves the bed here which is interesting. When we were in Little Rock, he hated the comforter and never slept on it. Morris and I had a little communication problem yesterday on what he wanted to eat.  He made it clear that he wanted something. I tried tuna - Nope that wasn't it.  Then I tried turkey, which he loved the day before and that wasn't it.  Ham didn't work. I cut me 4 pieces of cheese for lunch and guess what furry creature ate 2 of them. Then he ate 2 more pieces last night and 3 pieces this morning but left the last piece. So I don't know if that meant he was tired of it or full. Oh well....
I'm going to try the zoo again tomorrow and hopefully will make it this time.

Loose Park

I stopped by Loose Park yesterday on my way home from the Liberty Memorial. I spent a lot of time in the park with my camera when we lived here back in the early 70's. I've only been back a couple of times since we left Kansas City in 1972.  Yesterday, much to my surprise, the park was the same except the trees have grown.  I expected the park and the magnificant old home that surround it to be run down but they were all just the same and lovingly cared for.

Loose Park is the third largest park in Kansas City and is a little south of the Country Club Plaza. The park is home to a lake, shelter house, Civil War markers, tennis courts, water park, picnic areas and a Rose Garden. The park was once a pasture. During the Civil War's Battle of Westport, Confederate General Price is said to have commanded his forces from gun emplacements on the south end of the park. In 1897 the land was leased to the Kansas City Country Club for its first golf course. In 1925 the golf club moved to Mission Hills, KA and the land became a city park.

Kansas City's municipal rose garden is located in Loose Park. The garden began in 1931 and the first garden contained 120 rose plants. Today, there are about 3,000 rose plants of nearly 150 varieties in the 1.5 acre garden. I took around 45 pictures at the garden and below are a few of them.

Out and about today

Since I couldn't go to the zoo today, I decided to go down to Penn Valley Park which is a little south of downtown Kansas City. Within the park, I visited The Scout statue, The Firefighters Fountain and the Liberty Memorial.

THE FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL was built in 1991 and commemorates the City's firefighters and those who have lost their life in duty.

I drove around sometime trying to find THE SCOUT statue which is probably why I never saw it when I lived in KC back in the late 60's-early 70's. I drove down the street that the map said it was on but all I could find was a skate park and a dog park. Then I saw it from another road but couldn't find  a street to get up to it so hiked up a hill to it. The street I was originally on..if I had parked and walked down to the end I would have seen it but there were no signs.

If you look at postcards from Kansas City you will see a card with a picture similar to the one at right with the Scout looking at downtown. The Scout was sculpted by Cyrus e. Dallin of Boston and Paris for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco where it won a Gold Medal.  On it's way back to Dallin's Boston studio by train, The Scout was placed on temporary exhibit in Penn Valley Park.  The statue was so popular that Kansas City residents raised $15,000 to buy it and keep it at it's location.

The LIBERTY MEMORIAL houses the official World War I museum of the United States. The Museum tells the story of the Great Way and related global events from their origins before 1914 through 1918 Armistice and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. The Memorial included a 217 foot "Memorial Tower" that has a base of 36 feet. The Memorial site  was dedicated in 1921 when more than 100,000 people gathered to see the supreme Allied Commanders dedicate the site of the Liberty Memorial.  This was the first time in history that these five leaders were together in one place. It was then dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on Armistice Day, 1926.

Visitors enter the 32,000 Museum across a glass bridge above a field of 1,000 red poppies (below), each one representing 9,000 World War I combatant deaths.

Odds and Ends

I stayed around home today since I owed Morris some time. I caught up with a lot of emails on the computer.  Ran a couple of errands and while out, looked at some apartments in other complexes. Found one that has a sun room off the living room which is kinda interesting. Forgot to ask them if the windows opened.... Going from 1950 sq ft in my house to a 1200-1300 sq ft apt will be interesting. I'm starting to feel like those people on House Hunters...

A couple of days ago I criticized the Kansas City Star newspaper.  I'm sure it was a coincidence but today it was a decent newspaper. I do like the local talk radio station and the TV stations.  One thing I have noticed with the TV stations is that when they do the news, they aren't all doing exactly the same stories.  It always irritated me in Tucson that  no matter which channel you were watching, you could switch to another station and see the exact same story - only the reporter had changed.  Many times the same story was on 2 channels at the same time. I have also noticed that here, the local news is "local news" it isn't just a repeat of what is on the national news broadcast. Interesting to compare such things in different towns/cities.

I was all set to go to the zoo tomorrow since it is supposed to be 75 and sunny.  Then I hear on the news tonight that most of the zoo is closed tomorrow so they can get ready for a big fund raiser tomorrow night. So...I will go through my stack of brochures and find something else to do since I can't let the weather go to waste.  Another rain is due Sat night and Sun morning....

More rain.... Enough!

1.45 inch of rain today and I can't believe that I'm saying "I'm ready for a short break from the rain". I love the rain but it's hard to be a tourist in the rain. For instance, today I had planned on going down to the Plaza which is where the visitor center for KC is. I wanted some maps and brochures on what to see and do here in the area.  I have postponed the trip for 4 days due to rain. So this morning I waited until the pouring down rain subsided to just a light, steady rain and headed out anyway. I had the windshield wipers changed on the car before I left Tucson since I was expecting rain back here.  However, the car has seen more rain in the last 2 weeks than it has in the 3 years we have had it. So after a nice drive in the rain, I made it to the Plaza.

The Country Club Plaza, simply known as the Plaza here in KC, was the first shopping center in the world designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile. The Plaza is comprised of shopping and apartment buildings. Is covers about 55 acres and is 4 miles south of downtown KC. The basic design of the Country Club Plaza reflects classic European influences, especially that of Seville, Spain. There are more than thirty statues, murals, and tile mosaics on display in the area plus many fountains. In 1925, a tradition began with a single strand of 16 colored lights placed above a doorway in the Country Club Plaza to celebrate Christmas. Today, more than 80 miles of Christmas lights accentuate every dome, tower and window of the Plaza. The lights are turned on Thanksgiving night every year and stay on until after Jan 1st. I can still remember going down to the Plaza back in the early 70's and seeing the lights be turned on. When the Christmas lights are lit, the Plaza is an amazing sight.

I have driven through the Plaza a few since since moving from here in 1972 but haven't walked the streets or done any shopping until today. I was really happy to see that while the shops have changed, the architecture is still the same. Because it was still lightly raining, I opened the umbrella and set out for the visitors center where I got a stack of brochures. Then was a stop at Starbucks to get out of the rain and enjoy a hot mocha. I'm setting there enjoying my mocha and people watching when I look out the window and across the street is a Vera Bradley store. Now I LOVE Vera Bradley products and have several of them including this purse. The purse is washable and has 8 pockets on the inside plus one on the outside. The products range from purses to computer covers, cell phone covers, bracelets and luggage.

The store was between me and the car so when walking by it, an invisible force pulled me into it. I have never seen a Vera Bradley store before - the products are always in department stores. There was probably 75% more product in this store than I am used to seeing in one place. On top of that, there was a 25% off sale on selected products.  Do you have to even ask whether or not I bought anything?  But it was on sale.... 8-).  Their shopping bag (below) was almost as exciting as the merchandise.

Quiet Day

Yep, it rained today just as promised although it was more showers than downpour - definitely not the 3" that was forecast. However, I LOVE having to close the windows to keep the rain out. Then I open then as soon as I can for the  after it rains so I can enjoy that "fresh rain smell".  It was so much fun today when I stopped by Walmart to pick up ordinary cat food (yes he does eat regular cat food) to use the wet umbrella bag they have right by the front door. You do not appreciate rain until you have lived in the desert for awhile! It was a pretty quiet day since I couldn't be "tourist for a day" but got a lot of misc stuff done on the computer and phone calls made. His MMajesty slept most of the day. Hopefully I can be a tourist tomorrow... 8-)

This N That

Newspaper:  I am an avid newspaper reader and cannot imagine not reading a newspaper every day - the paper kind, not reading it on the computer. Larry and I subscribed to the Little Rock newspaper when we were there and I did the same thing here.  Much to my surprise, it was in front of the door the exact day it was supposed to be after we got here. The newspaper here is in the plastic sleeve EVERY day - not just when they think it might rain. They must put the sleeve on at the printing plant because the plastic sleeve fits the newspaper very snug and it's hard to get the plastic off without tearing the bag because of it being so snug.  Now as for content.....the Kansas City Daily Star is sadly lacking. I am really surprised how small the paper is for a town of 2 million people.

Sunrise & Sunset: I'm surprised at how long it is light here in the evenings. I looked in the paper and sunrise for today is 5:53 a.m. and sunset is 8:40 p.m. so it is still light after 9 o'clock. Seems kinda strange...

Rain:  More rain is forecast for tomorrow - up to 3". I was planing on tomorrow being a "tourist day" but I don't think it will happen. Guess I'll stay home and work on genealogy.  I gotta admit - I love having to stay home due to rain!

Morris: When packing for the trip, I put the cushion that is Morris's rocking chair at home in the bottom of his "play pen" and he slept/set on it during the trip. Yesterday I put the cushion on the sofa and he was up on it within a minute. This picture was last night while we were watching TV.
His "purring" continues to improve and I definitely don't hear him now when he comes into a room.
I tried taking him out for a walk last night and he would have nothing to do with that. I set him down just outside the door and he immediately turned around and came back inside.

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

Today I finally started my sightseeing excursions since it wasn't raining. However it was overcast and cool - about 60 degrees when I set out this morning. The Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is on 300 acres and currently houses 30 acres of gardens and turf, 70 acres of prairie and 200 acres of wooded natural area. The area contains 5 miles of paved and wood chip hiking trails plus two 75 foot bridges spanning Wolf Creek. Needless to say, I didn't cover it all today but did cover the Monet Garden area and the International Sculpture Gardens. Nice place to go for a walk while enjoying nature. Most of the flowers currently in bloom were roses, iris and peonies plus some other misc flowers.

Along the .5 mile trail in the International Sculpture Garden are 11 sculptures by Chinese artists.  Interesting!

Above: "The East and The West" - One side is an image of a famous Chinese Terra cotta soldier, the other side is a Roman centurion.  They are historic warriors united by the olive leaves of the peace on the chest connecting the Eastern and Western warrior halves to become the same peaceful man.

Below: Confucius

Lazy Saturday

Wow - no rain today!  However it looks like some more rain may be coming our way next Tuesday..  You can almost watch the grass growing.  They have officially declared the drought in Kansas City is over based on the snow and rain they have had this year.

There is a department store nearby that I have never heard of before and I have certainly been in a lot of different ones.  This one is Von Maur.  They started in 1827 (yes, 1827), is privately owned by the same family, is based in Davenport, Iowa which is where it started and they have 27 stores in eleven states. Most of the stores are in the Midwest. Anyway, I walked in and the my first thought was "this is exactly like Nordstroms". The store is laid out the same, displays look the same and they even have a person playing the baby grand piano by the elevator. Weird....

At home, I always have the radio playing during the day when I'm home. Here, I have relied on the TV's Music Channel. I always ask Morris what he wants to listen to while I'm gone during the day and give him a choice of Easy Listening, Solid Gold Classics or Country Classics. If he can't decide, then I decide for him... 8-) And speaking of His Majesty, we barely avoided a crisis today!  Last week I got some Herb Roasted Turkey in the deli at the grocery store.  He wanted a bite, I gave it to him some and he ate every bite.  I have my dinner in the evening and he has his turkey.  Today I was going to get some more at the store and they were out of it.  Now I'm standing there, feeling pretty silly while thinking "which turkey would my cat like?" I settled on Oven Roast Turkey and he loves it so crisis avoided...."Spoiled" doesn't describe him but I don't know what the word would be...

"Did you see what that bird did?

And then it rained some more......

The rain, lightening and thunder woke Morris and I up about 4:20 this morning.  It was pouring rain. The lightening was more sheet lightening instead of the up & down bolts like we get in Tucson during the monsoons. The thunder was a rolling thunder not the one big booms we get in Tucson. Morris didn't mind this lightening and thunder so much but it kept us awake so he decided he might as well have breakfast.  I gave up after about 10 minutes listening to him and we got up since neither could go back to sleep. I fed him and laid back down on the sofa to watch the weather on TV. It was just too early for me to have breakfast....  However, since he was up so early  he was curled up for his morning nap by 8 o'clock instead of the usual 11 o'clock. According to a weather reporting station about a mile for me, we got 3" in 1 1/2 hours. The golf course I walk along was on the TV news due to flooding. I went for a walk this afternoon and here are some of the pics:

This is from the golf course's web page and is the 10th tee box. You can see a little of the bridge top before it washed away.

This is the steel arched bridge that is barely visible in the first picture.  The bridge has been ripped from it's anchors, washed downstream and turned upside down.

This is along the trail with the golf course on the right.  The fence is about 4.5 feet tall.  You can see how high the water was based on the leaves stuck at the top of the fence.

The bench along the trail that I sometimes rest a few minutes on.

My apartment is up on a hill so I'm not worried about flooding.  However, a couple of windows did leak a bit this morning.  Morris couldn't figure out what the little puddle of water was on his window sill. His staff promptly wiped it up!  And after living in Tucson for 8 years....I know not to drive into a flooded street... 8-)

Rain, rain and more rain

I woke up this morning, checked the radar map on the cell phone and stayed in bed...  I'm not one to take an umbrella when I go for a walk and sure enough, it was raining within the hour. It didn't stop until around 3 p.m. - sometimes really hard and sometimes just a light rain with a little thunder and lightening mixed in to keep it interesting. It's supposed to rain again tonight which will add to the 6.06" that Kansas City has received so far this month.  The weather warning now is for flooding but no worry there since I'm up on a hill. The rain is interfering with my being a tourist... At least the weekend is supposed to be sunny and cool so I can be a tourist on Sunday.

Misc of May 29th

Another morning of getting up early to walk but had a 12 lb problem today... Morris sleeps on the bed - sometimes on the empty side, sometimes at the head of the bed where we share a pillow, sometimes on my lets and sometimes between me and the edge of the bed which is where he was the morning when I work up. He had NO interest in getting up at 6 a.m.  I tried to move him but it was like moving a 12 lb wet noodle. Once I am finally able to get out of bed, he finds a new spot on the bed and goes back to sleep. I have to admit that my knees are feeling better since I've been walking more.  I hate it when the doctor is right....  I'm taking a slightly different route every morning so I don't get toooooooo bored.

I got the car back today and that was really nice.  I think the leather seats in my car are molded to by bottom after driving for so many miles. Besides the trunk door now closing, I also had them do a mini detail on it.  There were several layers of bugs on the front after the drive up here.  Plus evidence of some birds using the trees for a visit while I was parked under the trees. They did a great job of getting all the bugs and everything else off!

More storms forecast for tonight starting at 10:30.  We'll see how accurate the weather man is..

Tornado Watch

As I write this, the area is under a tornado watch until 10 p.m. tonight. It doesn't really worry me but my awareness is a little higher that usual. I went on line today to try to get the difference between a "watch" and a "warning" in my head so I know which they are talking about. Watch = conditions are suitable for a storm to develop. Warning = a tornado has been spotted in the area. I don't usually take my cell phone to the bedroom at night but do here so I can get the weather alert warnings.  Last night I got a severe thunderstorm warning about 11:30 - looked to see what it was and went back to sleep. I have thought out my plan just in case the sirens go off and hope I never have to implement it....  Personally, I still deal with the remote possibility of a tornado easier than an earthquake.

I woke up early this morning at 5:45, wide awake and checked the radar on the phone to see if it was o.k. to go for a walk.  No bad weather in the area so I struggled out of bed and went for about a 1 mile walk. It was 73 degrees and 73% humidity...  Yesterday I downloaded a pedometer app so at least I know how far I have walked.

Morris seems to have settled into his routine.  He impatiently waits while I shower and then gets his breakfast.  After breakfast he settles in the windows and watches the activity of the birds, dog walkers and cars going by. About 11  he curls up on the sofa for his nap which can last until around 3-4 p.m. When I sit down around 7 he gets up on my lap until bedtime.  Tough life!  His new favorite food, that almost replaces tuna, is herb roasted turkey that I got at the grocery store.  He loves it!

I finally get my car back in the morning and that will be nice.  Even though I have the same model/style as a loaner, it's not the same as driving my own car.  

Sweet smell of rain

We had a nice summer rain this morning and it was wonderful!  It probably rained for a couple of hours with some wind and a little thunder thrown in the mix.  Wind was nothing to be alarmed about and the weather man kept saying "this is not a severe thunderstorm".  I have to congratulate the weather people back here on their forecasting. They showed the radar and then the times the storm will hit the various suburbs, not just a general statement of "rain today", and how long it will last.  They were  pretty accurate on the burb I'm in. Morris isn't crazy about the thunder.... 8-) 

I woke up at 6 this morning so decided to get up and go for a walk before the rains started. Of course I had to feed Morris his breakfast before I left the house for the walk and then he was ready for 2nds when I got back.  The walk was really enjoyable - about 65 degrees, overcast and a light breeze. I did a loop on the trail this morning and according to the map it was about 2 miles. My feet agreed..... 

I did some genealogy work today while it was raining.  I couldn't believe I had not touched my genealogy files in Family Tree Maker since May 2010. I haven't entered the info on my family that I got in 2010 while in Arkansas let alone some stuff from last year. I have a long Genealogy To Do List that I want to work on this summer while I am in Missouri including visiting some courthouses where my grandparents lived when they were young. Maybe if I'm really lucky, I will find some information on my maternal grandfather when he was a boy and find out the name of his parents. 8-)

Sights along the trail

I've been going for a walk on the trail after the sun goes down and beside it being the exercise I need, the sights are quite entertaining. This part of the trail goes along between the golf course and the backyards of homes.  There is a 5' iron "picket fence" along the course so you can't go out on the course.  The fence also keeps golfers from going into people's yards to get their golf balls. Some of the homes are REALLY big and very nice. Last night I was wandering along listing to music on the iPhone and about 10 feet in front of me a skunk walks across the trail.  At first, I couldn't believe it....  It went into a flower bed behind a house and was wondering around among the plants when I passed it.  I looked on the way back but didn't see it. A little further down there were 3 birds setting on the fence - about 1 foot apart.  There was a robin, cardinal and blue jay. 

 It is obvious that some home owners decorate their back yards with the trail walkers in mind.  This clay pot lady is my favorite - I think it is just adorable.

Morris has always been inquisitive and likes to open cabinet doors or the folding doors where the washer/dryer is at home. He stands up on his back legs and pulls the top corner of the doors open with his paws.  He gets it open enough and then sticks his paw in it and pulls it open. Sometimes it takes several attempts to accomplish the mission.  More than once, Larry and I would be watching TV in the evening and hear a cabinet door slam shut where the door closed on him before he could get it all the way open. Well anyway....yesterday I went into the Master Bath and all 3 vanity doors were wide open.  I closed them and this morning 2 of them were open again. I also found a kitchen cabinet door open this morning that I didn't even know was a working door.

Food.....

By the way, I drove 1311 miles to get here - lot of miles to drive by yourself while listening to a cat protesting the injustice of having to ride in a vehicle...
One of the interesting things when you get to a new place is finding and establishing your new "favorites".  Yesterday was my new favorite supermarket. Besides all the usual stuff that a good supermarket has, they  have some things I haven't seen in many years plus some I have never seen. The supermarket I shopped at in Sacramento had a wonderful salad bar and you could make a big salad and pay by the lb. Well the one here is even better than the one in Sacramento. This one has everything you can imagine for a salad.  In the fruit section of the salad bar I got some sliced grapefruit which was different.  Then I wondered over to the deli and there with the things already cooked for breakfast, including sausage gravy, was cooked bacon - that I have never seen in a supermarket before. So this moring I had grapefruit, bacon and toast - I have to make the toast.... 8-) The salad I got at the store and the left-over BBQ was made a pretty good dinner last night.
This morning I went to the Overland Park Farmer's Market.  While it isn't as big as the one in Little Rock, it is a good size market. It opens at 6:30 a.m. and I got there around 10 to find it absolutely packed. One thing I really like is that each booth has a sign stating the produce is "locally grown" or "warehouse product"  which would be what you get in a store. I would say that 75% were locally grown. I got new little red potatoes, tomatoes (may be hothouse), new green onions, new radishes and my find of the day - vine ripened strawberries. I was walking along and had stopped to look at some tomatoes when I got a whiff of vine-ripened strawberries.  

I turned around and there was a whole table full of strawberries in little boxes, a truck backed up and stacks of them being unloaded with people buying them as soon as they were set out. They were expensive but I'll pay it any day for strawberries that smell like they did when I was a kid and picked them for 5 cents/quart.  Of course after fillinghundreds of boxes as a kid, there is no way I will go to a "pick-yourself-place" and pick my own berries. But I do love them! I'm sure I will be back there several more times while I am here.
The one thing I didn't expect was that in Kansas, you can't buy alcohol in a grocery store. But today when I was out I stopped at "spirits" store and stocked up on some wine.  It was interesting to find wine here that I couldn't find in Calif or Tucson.  Some friends and I went to a restaurant in Tucson last year and split a bottle of A to Z Pinot Gris from Oregon.  Then they quit distributing it in AZ so couldn't get it any more. That is what I'm having tonight with my chicken, new potatoes and strawberries.  Yummmmmmmmmy!

Odds and Ends

After I finished unloading the car in Oklahoma City and closed the truck door, I noticed that it would not close all the way nor would the remote lock it plus the auto door lift wouldn't work. The next morning I loaded the car up hoping the suitcases and litter box wouldn't fall out onto the freeway someplace.  The door is pretty heavy and stayed down.  I called the local Lexus dealer when I got here and took it in for service this morning. Fortunately I was able to get a loaner so came on back to the apt. They called me around 3:30 p.m. and said the door lock was broke, they had to order a new one, warranty would cover it but it wouldn't be done until Tuesday afternoon.  Sure glad I have the loaner. That is the first time we have had a problem with the Lexus in the 3 years we have had it.
Now for humidity....  Yes, it is more humid here but I really haven't noticed it much because it has been so cool.  However, my hair is aware of it and the natural curl loves it. Morris is breathing much better and can sneak up on me now since I can't hear him breathing across the room. Yesterday he was trying to purr and it almost sounded like a purr instead of the sound he usually makes when purring. He has really bad sinus problems and the vet wants him to sleep with which helps both of us.  About the only benefit of having a really low humidity like we do in AZ is that the glasses of cold drinks don't "sweat" like they do here with higher humidity.
The apartment here is on the ground floor which my knees love.  However, I wasn't sure about having someone above me and hearing noise from them.  So far it has been really quiet and I rarely hear any sounds at all. Sometimes Morris will hear a noise that I don't and will see him suddenly looking up at the ceiling.
After dinner tonight I went for about a 1.5 mile walk on the trail that goes through the apt complex. The

trail (at right) connects with the Tomahawk Trail that is 15+ miles through the area. It is all paved and a lot of it runs along a creek with a lot of shade.  Most of it is fairly flat but there are a few very low hills along the way. I think it is a wonderful thing for a town to build. Of course you have to have trees so that let's Tucson out.... 8-) Looking forward to many more walks on it while I'm here.
In the morning I am off to visit the local farmers market and see what they have to offer. I'm not letting myself get my hopes up that it will be as good as the one in Little Rock was but am expecting it to be much better than the ones in Tucson.

We are settling in and now have groceries in the frig and pantry... Morris spends a good part of the day in the windows while bird watching.  He sat looking this way for awhile and then would turn and set looking the other direction.  Sometimes he just set on the desk in front of the window and his head kept going back and forth then up and down trying to take it all in.  Besides robins, I saw blue jays plus some other birds that I don't know what they are. Occasionally someone walks along the street with a dog and Morris just watches them go by and then goes back to birdwatching. If he wasn't in the window, he was curled up in a big armchair sound asleep.
I am really impressed with everything that is so close to the apartment! The apt is at 129th and there is a shopping center at 135th.  Then if I go the other direction to 119th, there is everything from upscale restaurants to Walmart with anything you can want in between. Sooooooo convenient!

My brother and sister-in-law came over this afternoon and brought me a bouquet of peonies out of their backyard.  The flowers are beautiful and bring back so many memories of the town I grew up in.  There was a nursery there who had acres and acres of peonies and iris plants.  They would ship the bulbs all over the country.  The sight of an acre of peonies in bloom is really a beautiful sight. My niece was also here and we went out to my favorite BBQ place for dinner tonight. What is really neat this time is that I got to bring the leftovers home and will have them tomorrow. 8-)
It was 44 degrees this morning and I forgot to bring anything long sleeves...  My niece brought me a sweater and I'll pick up a long sleeve shirt, windbreaker and sweater in the next day or so. I can't believe I didn't bring anything with long sleeves but I focused on the daily highs and didn't even pay much attention to the nightly lows.
I haven't gotten used to the idea yet that I won't be going back home after a few more days....

Day 3 - We made it!

The drive today was only 5 hours so after 21 hours of driving time, we made it to our destination - Overland Park, Kansas. I'm not sure which one of us was the the most anxious to get out of the car when we got here. The apartment is really nice but soooooo small compared to what I am used to living in. At home, my kitchen is not much smaller than the living and dining room combined here. Everything is unpacked and counting the time until we can go to bed... 8-) The apartment is on the ground floor and has lots of windows.  It was great to open them but I'm going to have to remember to close and lock them.... Morris has spent a LOT of time setting in the windows watching the birds outside on the grass including some robins. I'm looking forward tomorrow to getting out a bit and start finding my way around. A supermarket is first stop. I"m going to stay home a lot for a few days until I feel His Majesty is settled in.
My co-pilot was very noisy today - not as bad as day 1 but more than day 2. He was protesting at full volume this morning when we got on the freeway.  Traffic was heavy and I had about a mile to get across 3 lanes of rush hour traffic for my exit. Usually I can tune him out pretty good but between him yelling and traffic - stress for the driver...  But....we both made it.....
And for you in Tucson, here is the freeway today in Kansas and you gotta admit it is a much better view than the drive up to Tucson... 8-)

Day 2 Moriarity, NM to Oklahoma City

I didn't spend any more hours driving today than I did yesterday but am more tired tonight. I didn't sleep good last night because Morris didn't sleep good plus tired from the 2nd straight day of driving.  But....only about 5.5 more hours to drive tomorrow and then we can settle in for a couple of months. Don't want to think about the drive home yet...
My co-pilot was better this morning when we got into the car and left the hotel.  He only cried about 15-20 minutes before there were some quite times. Plus it wasn't the ranting and raving like there was yesterday.  Today it was meow or meooooooooooooooow but mid volume. It took me 4 trips to get everything into the motel room here and THEN I brought him in. He still checked every inch out and picked the top shelf in the closet area as his favorite spot. During the drive today I tried to interest him in looking at the cows out in pastures but he just wasn't interested....
I about froze this morning when I went outside to load the car.  It was 48 degrees and I was in shorts and t-shirt. I did not expect that!
I can't imagine traveling anymore without my iPhone. Besides the usual things I use it for, I love being able to look at radar wherever I am or where I'm driving to and see what the weather is. I was about 3 hours behind the storm front today that was ahead of me - no severe weather but heavy rain. Also, I send a text to a friend at every stop so she knows where I am just in case.  Friends also have a map with my route marked and where I have hotel reservations. Makes me feel safer.. 8-)
Thank goodness for cruise control! I have a heavy foot anyway and the wide open 4-lane roads through Texas and OK are just too tempting without me even being aware of it. In New Mexico I set the control at 5 miles over the speed limit.  However, in Texas and OK it was set at exactly the speed limit.  About 3 years ago when Larry and I were driving through Texas, a cocky young State Trooper stopped me for going 5 miles over the limit.  He informed me that "in Texas, the Limit in Speed Limit means exactly that". At least I have satellite radio in the car so I have something to listen to while creeping along at 65 mph.

Day 1 - Tucson to Moriarity, New Mexico

Moriarity is about 40 miles east of Albuquerque.  Anyway, after 7.5 hrs driving we got here.  He screamed. He yelled. He cried. It went on for 1.5 hours before there was more than 5 minutes quiet at a time. It was every 2 seconds in the beginning - I was counting. At the top of his lungs he protested being forced to ride in a car.Then when that didn't work, he would whimper his "poor me" sound. After that, he would look out the window and sleep but waking at every little sound.  We had some great conversations at times in between his naps - don't know what he said but we chatted for awhile. I took a two lane road between Deming and Hatch New Mexico. Not long after I turned off we ran into a Border Patrol check-point.  As I am slowing the car down, I'm thinking "please just wave me on through".  I had images of being stopped and having to talk to the agent while Morris was screaming in the back seat. Fortunately I was waved through - guess I didn't look like a smuggler.

The carrier worked great - at least in my opinion. The best thing was not having to worry about where he was when I would open the car door.
I only made 2 - 15 min stops after I hit the freeway - once for a McDonald's bathroom break and then for gas and bathroom. I would normally have stopped at least 1-2 more times but didn't want to leave him in the hot car. When we got to the hotel, I left him in the car and brought everything in before bringing him in. He drank some water, used the litter box and ate food in that order.  Then he proceeded to check out every square inch in the room. Currently he is on top the microwave  which is on top of the frig and that is as high as he can get.  Poor guy - he is laying up there asleep - totally wore out.
After 5 hours of listening to CNBC I turned the radio to CNN and they had live coverage of the Moore, OK tornado.  When I tuned in, it was just coming into town so listened to that until I got to the hotel and could then turn the TV on.  The radio coverage was pretty amazing with storm chasers on the ground and a helicopter pilot in the air plus the local TV people. I just cannot imagine what it would be like to go through one of those but then I can't imagine being in a bad earthquake either.  As I said earlier, at least there are warning before tornado hits.Today they had about 30 minutes warning before the tornado hit.
So far, the only thing I forgot at home this morning was my pearl earrings that I wear most days.  Not bad.....
Tomorrow we drive onto Oklahoma City and according to the weather map, the storms will have moved on although we might run into some rain.

Ready to go!

Car is packed!  Cat is Mad!  Car is full!  Cat is Pouting!
I can't believe how much stuff I ended up taking.  I know I won't need 8 pair of shoes but....... Then there was 5 notebooks of genealogy stuff. It wouldn't be quite so bad in the car if the crate for Morris didn't take up so much space. At least I didn't fill boxes/bags too full so they aren't so heavy I can't lift them.
Yesterday, while listening to weather, it dawned on me that I'm heading into tornado country - don't know why I never thought of that before. So I downloaded an app on my iPhone for tornado warnings and today I got several about the storms in Kansas. In looking at the 3 day severe weather map, it looks like I will be about 1 day behind the storms in Oklahoma and Kansas.  I'm just so used to it never raining here that I just never thought about possibly having to drive in midwest storms. I grew up with tornados so while I'm not scared of them, I do have a very healthy respect for them.  I'll have to freshen up on what to do in the severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings....   Larry did not like the idea of them one bit when we were in Little Rock but yet he though nothing of living in earthquake land while in California. At least you have some warnings when tornados are in the area...

5 Years Ago Tomorrow

It was five years ago tomorrow that I donated my left kidney to Larry. It doesn't seem possible that it has been that long ago. I remember it like it was last week. At about this time, 5 years ago,  I was leaving the hospital to come home and start drinking that wonderful stuff to get ready for surgery the next morning. Larry had been in the hospital for a few days since he went in for an angiogram to rule out heart problems after some other tests had come back that said he had heart problems.  His insurance wouldn't cover the transplant without the angiogram. Then about the same day we found out that we were not a perfect match so they were going to do plasmapharises on him to minimize the risk of him rejecting my kidney. They just kept him in the hospital to get everything done.  And during those few days in the hospital his blood pressure tanked so it was really rocky even before we got to the actual transplant surgery. Needless to say I did not sleep much that night and was back at the hospital the next morning at 5:30. I wanted to see him in his room and had to check in at surgery by 6 a.m. Surgery is started on the donor first and then they open up the recipient a bit later. I was in the hospital bed in pre-op when they rolled Larry's bed in next to mine - close enough that we could hold hands while they prepped us. They took me off to surgery and the next thing I knew was waking up in my room about 9 hours later in the worst pain I have ever had in my life. I'm laying there thinking I am dying and can hear the nurse bringing Larry back from a walk out in the hall. He felt better that quick with a functioning kidney.  Actually, my kidney started working in him before they even got him sewn up. Yes it was a lot to go through but I would do it again in a heartbeat. The transplant got us 3 good healthy years in which we made some really great memories that sustain me now. My kidney worked for him until that last breath.  Not everyone can say they "scattered some of their own ashes.... "

Packing...Finally

I've put off starting to pack this week for 2 reasons.... (1) I didn't want to get all packed and then be setting around the house for a few days waiting to leave and (2) Morris knows what suitcases look like, what they are used for and he gets left behind. I've been quietly "staging" a few things the last few days and he hasn't caught onto that yet so it was safe to do. This morning I got the suitcases down from the top shelf in the garage and left them out in the garage - not wanting to push my luck. But then he goes out in the garage and spots them - not good. Since then I have been clung to, ignored, cussed out - you name it. Morris has a very large vocabulary and I'm so glad I can't understand it..... I told him he was going along on this trip and even showed him his very own suitcase but the message got lost somewhere in the translation. Included in the staged items for his suitcase are cans of  TUNA, other boring cat food, Kitty Valium, baby syringe to give him the Valium, hair brush to cut down on furballs, hair roller to get fur off my clothes, a gallon baggy of fresh litter so I don't have to carry the big box into the hotels, a box of sandwich size baggies for cleaning out the litter box, his medical list from the vet, flea drops, nail clippers - just a few things needed by a cat who doesn't know he is a cat. Then there will be the leash, pet carrier, pet crate, scratching post, litter box, food dishes, food place mat, and his favorite pillow to nap on. My things will go in the leftover car space.....
The whole packing process is just bringing back so many memories of the great trip to Little Rock that Larry and I had 2 years ago. I read something recently that was written by a woman who lost her husband 13 years ago that is so true.  She said "I find myself overwhelmed by the presence of his absence."  That is exactly the way I am feeling!  We learn to carry on and we start the process of creating a new life for ourselves but that "ever present absence" still permeates our life. This week that absence has been especially strong.

Kansas City vs Tucson

Today you get a geography lesson....  Several people have asked me "how big is Kansas City" so I did a little checking to compare KC to Tucson. Population of Tucson is 526,000 and Kansas City is 463,000.  That number comparison surprised me.  However when it comes to the population of the metropolitan area is is Tucson 990,000 and KC is 2,035,000. KC is the 29th largest city in the US. Tucson really only has one "suburb" where KC has many of them. I would have guessed that KC metro had a population of closer to 3,000,000 people based on what I have seen. KC is really spread out. The thing that really amazed Larry on his first trip to KC was how much undeveloped land there was within city limits. You drive along and think you are in the country since there are no houses or business to be seen and then they appear again. I'm not a fan of the KC airport since it is about 15 miles from the city center area.  You have a good long drive if you are out in the burbs...
The Kansas Missouri state line runs north/south through Kansas City with businesses on one side of the street in Missouri and businesses on the other side in Kansas. In 2010, Money Magazine listed Overland Park, KS (where my apt is for the summer) as the "7th best city to live in the US".

Mary and the Peppi's House Memorial Wall

Part of the services offered by Peppi's House, the hospice facility Larry was in, is that they provide bereavement counseling to family members for one year after the patient dies. My year was up last January.  However, Mary  informed me then that she would stretch the rules and keep me on - I think she is interested in knowing how I rebuild my life. My life the last 18 months would have been very different if I had not had her support and weekly counseling. Now I see her once a month.  Anyway, today she wanted to make an appt for when I get back in July and said she wanted to follow me until I move from Tucson next year.  I am really fortunate in getting this much quality support free of charge... I'll make a donation since they won't take money for the counseling.
Today after meeting with her, I visited the room that Larry was in when he was a patient there - it was the first time it had been empty when I was there to see her.  Needless to say, it was very emotional for me and brought back a lot of memories. I was standing there looking at the bed and among the thoughts that came to mind was that "he was in no pain while in that bed" unlike in the hospital. There was a certain sense of closure when I left the room.
After I see her, I always go outside to the Memorial wall, look at the animals I had done in his memory and remember the good times. I so love the wall and the peace it brings. Larry's are the two sets of animals above the blue swirls (representing a river) in the above picture.  The part of the poem under him says "we now remember our time in the river with them. Their lives now lay at rest." 

Odds and Ends

First of all....thanks to you who have welcomed the blog back.  It was nice to know it was missed. There wasn't much going on the last 5 months so it would have been the same old thing - school, HOA Stuff, school, etc..... 
Upcoming trip:   I feel like I am spending a lot of the day just filling time waiting on the time to get serious about packing, etc which will be on Sat and Sun.  By Sunday noon I will be twiddling my thumbs raring to go. One of the reasons for picking Monday as the day to leave was that I like to listen to talk radio when driving on trips. There isn't much on Satellite radio on the weekends for talk radio. CNBC is my top show to listen to when on trips and then we go to CNN for a change. You may remember how knowledgeable Morris was on the stock market when we came back from Little Rock after listening to CNBC for 4.5 days since that was all Larry would listen to.  Once in a while we would go to music for a short break. I can still remember hearing all about "QE2" on our drive to California in June 2011. About half way there I finally figured out that CNBC wasn't talking about the cruise ship but don't ask me what it means now......  Then I learned about how the financial crisis in Greece impacted the US market during the drive to Little Rock.  Wonder what I will learn this time?  My broker thinks it's wonderful that I listen to CNBC and always wants to know what I learned.
Daily temperature:  I am so hoping to get out of here before it hits 100 degrees but it is going to be really close. Tomorrow is supposed to hit 99 with 100, 101, etc next week. I know it will probably be hot in the Midwest and there is the humidity factor.  However, at least there are real trees where you can get some shade. Palm trees don't do much if you are wanting shade and grass is a lot cooler than rocks in the sun.....  People here seem to forget how humid it gets during the summer monsoons when it is 105 with 75% humidity. It is not a "dry heat" then....
Tucson Jazz Institute: The Radisson Hotel, next door to the community I live in, has music on the patio on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I have been over there several time the last few weeks and that is where I won my mini iPad last week in the raffle.  Anyway, the jazz band plays on Tuesday and a blues band plays on Thursday - some friends and I usually go on Tuesdays.  The Tucson Jazz Institute is a school for mostly high school students and they specialize in the jazz music that is of the big band era. Some weeks the entire Ellington Band, their top 16 or so players,  plays and sometimes they just have a jam session of students - both present and past. A couple of weeks ago it was a jam session playing New Orleans Dixieland music which was great.  Over the past weekend they traveled to New York City and played the 18th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz competition. They had to be invited to audition before being accepted to play. Last Tuesday night at the hotel was their practice before they left for NYC and played the songs they would be playing in the competition.  Imagine my surprise yesterday to see on the front page of the newspaper that they had taken 1st Place in the competition. I knew they were good but didn't realize they were THAT good. The youngest member of the Institue is a 10 year old kid who plays the sax.  He isn't part of the big band but we have heard him play in the jam sessions. It's been fun to go over there this spring and have some wine, dinner, enjoy the company of friends and listen to some really good music.

Larry's Memorial Tree

You may remember that last year I planted a Memorial Tree for Larry here in the community we live in. There is a park-like area that contains 4 Memorial Trees and 1 Memorial Bench. "Larry" is keeping company with "Mary Ann", Vern and Harvey" and they are near "Peggy's Bench" - all were residents of Dorado. Vern and Harvey lived on the same block Larry did and I still do. Their wives are the ones I have dinner with every Thursday night. Anyway...here is Larry's tree when it was first planted about a year ago and what it looks like today.  The tree is a Desert Museum Palo Verde.

 

 

 

I'm Back....

I decided to reopen the blog after it having been dark for several months for two reason.... (1) There are/have been some interesting items, or at least I think they are,  that have arisen on my grief journey and (2) to chronicle the journey of Morris and I back to spend 2 months in Kansas City.
Morris and I leave next Monday, May 20th and will be driving for 2 1/2 days before getting to our "apartment" in Overland Park, Kansas where we will spend 2 months. Needless to say, this trip reminds me so much of the trip that Larry, Morris and I took back to Little Rock 2 years ago. I don't mind the driving but a bigger concern is my passenger. It wasn't very hard when Larry was with us because the passenger was in charge of Morris. We had our routine down pat - 1 of us would go to the rest room and the other one stayed in the car with Morris and had a hand on his collar when the other one came back to the car so Morris couldn't sneak out and head off for parts unknown. Before, we just let him run around in the back of the SUV. I just didn't feel safe doing that with just me in the car and I would have no control when I came back from getting gas, etc and opening the door. So....below is his home in the car.





I know his pet carrier was too small as he can't even stand up in it.  I came up with a soft-sided crate after weeks of searching.  The front, end and top zips open.  It is about 24" long and about 19" high so he has plenty of room. He has been sleeping on top and periodically will walk into it for a few minutes at a time. This way I can leave him in it while getting in and out of the car, unloading the car at a hotel and loading the car back up in the morning. His Kitty Valium is ready but I won't use it unless I really have to.  On the last trip, he yowled for about 1 1/2 hours and then settled down for the rest of the trip. He screams all the way to and from the vets so I'm kinda used to it but we were just about ready to administer the Valium when he began to quieten down.
We have rented a furnished apartment (corporate housing) in an apartment complex in Overland Park, Kansas while we are there. All we have to take are clothes, etc but I have learned to also take my favorite kitchen knives, skillet, etc. I don't know about Morris but I'm looking forward to a fun summer and no lizards for 2 months....

What a difference a year makes.....

Needless to say, I am thrilled to put 2012 behind me and move into the New Year. I think I said that a year ago.... I learned a lot about myself this year and hope it makes me a stronger, better person. A year ago, I was just trying to survive each day.  Now I'm making plans for the future and able to enjoy the days.  The tears are not a daily occurrence but they do still happen. I've been reading the blog from the time Larry went into the hospital until Christmas 2011.  I'm amazed at how much either I forgot or just blocked out. I found out that the mind can only deal with so much at one time. I have no memory of Christmas 2011. Christmas this year was nice and quiet with some friends coming over for dinner. It was the first time I had really cooked a mean in over a year. I enjoyed having the house decorated for Christmas but took everything down the day after Christmas.  I'm looking forward to class starting Jan 15th and going back to Missouri for 2 months in the summer. The trip should really be an adventure for Morris and me - especially the drive there and back by ourselves. I'm thinking about sneaking away for a few days during Spring Break but don't know where I'll go yet.
Morris is fine.  Since the weather has finally gotten colder here, he is constantly on my lap.  I think he likes the body heat he gets from me.  He certainly isn't interested in going outside for any walks.
I realize I'm not doing a very good job writing on the blog every day but just not much new to write about.  No news is good news.... 8-)

Larry

This was in the Tucson newspaper today.  After an appointment with my Grief Counselor this morning, I went out to Saguaro Park which was a favorite place of Larry's here in Tucson. Like so many times before, I stopped on the way and got a large Hot Mocha at Starbucks.  When I got to the park, I went to our favorite picnic table, spread sunflower seeds out for the ground squirrels and sipped the Hot Mocha - all in his memory.  There were a lot of birds who came around for brunch - most of them Gila Woodpeckers which build nests in the Saguaro cactus. It's the first time that I have seen so many birds while at the park and they have never come by for seeds before.   I had given up hope on any ground squirrels coming around until just before I was ready to leave when a little guy came up and was soon eating like crazy. Larry LOVED watching the ground squirrels out there.  I missed him but he was there..  One Day At A Time...

This n' That

I know, I haven't written in awhile.  I was thinking this morning, awake but not ready to get up yet, that at times I use the blog as a journal and at other times I use it more as though I was writing letters to friends. I guess I'm in the letter writing phase right now....
Trip to Eugene: I went up to Eugene, OR on Dec 6th and came back on the 11th. The primary purpose was to visit with some friends who have been like family to me for about 30 years.  While there, I was also able to visit with some friends that I used to work with.  On Sunday, I drove down to Roseburg, OR to visit with friends who used to live here in Tucson and moved up there about 2 years ago. It was a good trip but I was glad to get back home. 
Morris: Needless to say, Morris was not happy with me going on the trip and leaving him home. He sure knows the meaning of a suitcase! It doesn't matter that someone visits him twice a day and sometimes a neighbor also drops in - it's that he was left behind. When I got home, I couldn't get more than 2 feet from him for the first 2 days. It was 5 years ago today that Larry and I walked into the cat shelter and Morris knew "his ship had come in". For someone who had never had a cat, it took Larry and Morris about 2 minutes to connect. Morris has sure made the past year much more bearable for me. Below is a picture of them the day we brought Morris home.

Weather:  I'm in 7th Heaven!  The last 2 days have been in the mid 50's and rain off and on.  I love it....  No 70's are forecast for a week. I realize that many people would love being in 70+ degree weather and sunny during mid-December.  However, I like being able to wear winter clothes at times and a change from sunshine every day. It's starting to rain again so time to go into the living room, turn on the Christmas tree and curl up with a good book.... 8-)

Text Book for School

I expected going back to college would be a learning experience and I don't mean from books. I'm thinking about policies, practices, students, teachers, exams, etc. and I'm getting my first taste of it. The local community college accepted all of my accounting classes from 1976-77 even though they are so outdated but hey...  Some of them I am going to retake to learn what has changed. Now they require "Practical Accounting Procedures" which is basically an introduction to accounting and is the first class in the accounting series.  Back then it was not a class but I have to take it so that is what I signed up for to start with next month. I went out to school last week to get my text book and was that an experience!  Because class is still about 6 weeks away, they don't have all the books in yet but did had 1 copy of the book I needed even though it was a used book. The clerk kept telling me I could rent the book.  I can't imagine "renting" a text book or getting a digital copy on the computer.  How am I going to mark it up with highlighters and make notes in a rented or digital book?  I kept telling her I wanted the book to KEEP after the class was done.  We looked through the used book and I don't think it had every been used but I still had to pay $98.00 for it - a new one is $160.00. The first thing I noticed when thumbing though it was that it was in color and my old accounting book, which I still have and have referenced many times since the class, was in black and white. I was hoping to take "Ethics in Business" but it was only offered on TV or via the computer and that isn't for me. I want a class room where I can ask questions and hear discussion. Should be an interesting experience!

New Holiday Tradition

I love looking at Christmas decorations but don't like how commercialized the holiday has become. I can't remember the last time I had a tree for Christmas or decorated the house. Christmas was not a big thing for us when I was growing up at home, nor with the ex and certainly not when I was single. It wasn't a big thing with Larry and I either. We didn't exchange gifts after the first year so we did a minimal amount at Christmas and usually went to Laughlin, NV over Christmas.  About the only thing we decorated was Morris's tree house... My counselor has been talking to me about the need to "establish my own traditions". So for the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm decorating the house for Christmas.

A friend, who LOVES to decorate for Christmas is helping me. I've always admired her tree and all the presents under it.  Little did I know that they were just empty boxes.... Since I didn't have many decorations, I've spent a fortune on decorations. I used what few we had and then it was decisions, decisions, decisions. I have shopped every place for artificial trees and now know all about the number of tips and lights. This is the corner of the living room where the tree is beside the fireplace. I'm still not happy with the coffee table and dining room table so we are going to work on those tomorrow.  The one tree that we did have was a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree that Larry loved!  It's in the kitchen next to his picture on a bookshelf for Christmas. I'm really lucky that Morris is not interested in the ornaments.  He looks every new box over and sniffs it before walking off and leaving them alone. The bottom picture is of Morris on the entry table. I was in the office and when I came out, there he sat looking like a statue. He sat there for awhile and then hopped off as "no big deal". I'm enjoying sitting in the recliner at night with him on my lap while watching TV or reading and looking at the lights and decorations. So a tradition begins....One Day At A Time.