Family

In scanning our old pictures, I find that we saved the pictured Christmas greetings along with our regular ones. Here is Gina Jo Vercellino. Next comes the Goodwin family with Thomas, Emily and Phillip. While these 4 pictures do not include all of the Florence and Tony, Great-Grandchildren in 1995, these are the ones for which we have Holiday pictures. The nest picture is of Ethan and Anthony McWilliams.  And, the final picture is of Kristine and Mathew Deseck. It helps us to realize how time flies when we think of all the great things these Children are doing today. I didn't check the group picture of our family reunion at Mahoney in

1995, but I would hope that this generation would be able to keep some family connections. Though families are located further apart, we have technology to help span that distance. I follow some of my Grand Nieces and Nephews and enjoy the many things they are doing. These pictures will be included along with our regular December 1995 ones that I will put on a flash drive for the use of future generations.

Siblings in Las Vegas, NV

This was one of the more amusing pictures that I came across while scanning 1995 pictures. This was taken during the summer when Vivian and Ed, Don and Gladys, Elaine and I, flew to Las Vegas and met Janice and Larry to spend a few days together. Among the many things we did was visit the Antique Auto Show at Cesar's Palace. Souceks were in the front seat with Sorges in the back. I was elected to crank it and Elaine took the picture. Don and Gladys may have been in the Casino where he had a streak of luck. Each of us couples gave him $5. to "invest" for us. While we played on our own, we never had the luck that Don did. He returned $100. to each of us for our $5. Eddy did well at the Black Jack table and walked out with $60. as we were checking out to go home. Jerry and Sondra were not able to join us on this "sibling" get-to-gather" but we certainly had a great time. It was well that we did so many things when we were able. While we enjoyed them at the time, we can now enjoy the happy memories.

Family Ties

Bob and DeEtta Vrana were out from Lincoln to visit this afternoon and we had a great time. Bob is shown here looking at an "Ancestry" book that Elaine has put together. When DeEtta and Elaine were looking at it they even found pictures of Bob with brown hair. She missed getting to see Tiffany who was here at the time DeEtta was the head of this facility back in the mid 1980's. She did have a great reunion with Jackie who was also here at that time. Bob retired a few years ago as a Lt. Colonel in the Nebraska National Guard with previous service in the U.S. Air Force. He is still kept busy with volunteer activities. DeEtta was in Kiwanis during the time she worked here in Seward and works part-time now in a mortuary. Bob's Grandfather Joseph and my Dad Anton were brothers and first generation Czechs. Bob spent some service time in the Czech Republic where he was able to find some family history. While the family had Reunions every summer for many years, it has dwindled down to a quarterly newsletter. While we enjoyed our family history discussion today, we also covered current events and concerns about the future of the many changes that are taking place in this country today.

Accomplishments

This was one of our coldest days so far this winter. It was in single digits this morning and never got out of the 20's. I wasn't anxious about taking Elaine to a 2:00pm  appointment at SHEAR Reflections so she got a ride down with Ken in the Brookdale vehicle. It's a great service since he was right there to also bring her home. She got it cut as well as the "wash and set". We will probably utilize the service more often in the future.

Elaine also helped me this morning in working with the Lincoln Journal Star in renewing our subscription for 1 year. We were able to get it for the same price that we paid a year ago. It is a somewhat lower price than normally quoted. We didn't get the paper today which made me realize how much it is part of our daily routine. We do a pretty good job of sharing here in Brookdale with passing on our Omaha World Herald to Marv and he brought us his Lincoln paper. He also brings us the Wall Street Journal which is passed to him. It is really a great paper. While it goes into great detail on financial matters, it also has very broad coverage. Much more detail than most of us ever take the time to read. The future of Daily Newspapers has been discussed, but to those of us who grew up with one, it would be very difficult to do without. How else would I have learned that Duke is going to host Indiana tonight at 8:30 CST on ESPN. Having finished my reading for the day, I'm planning to watch it.

Christmas Decorations

Carolyn, Julie, Sadie and Jack were up this afternoon to put up decorations and "trim" the Christmas Tree. Carolyn had kept our small nativity scene, NOEL, tree ornaments, etc. in a big "tub" at her house since cleaning out ours for the sale. The tree looks real nice this evening as we got it moved in front of the Patio Door drapes. It wasn't all done without a certain amount of folly. Jack seems to have a knack of seeing an opportunity for having some fun in everything that he does. He put up the NOEL angles as his Mother directed him. It will take another year or two for him to move them around to spell "LEON" as was always secretly done when our kids were growing up.

The stocking cap must have come from a Santa Claus at sometime, but it was in the tub and Jack was able to keep it on his head long enough to get his picture taken. It didn't take long for Jack to get in the tub once all the decorations were out. Sadie was tempted to put the lid on it but was warned that could be dangerous. They had a great time doing the decorations and we will think about them as we further strengthen our "Spirit of Christmas". This we will do each time we glance at them between now and the day of Jesus' Birthday. There has never been a time within my memory, when the love of fellow man and goodwill to all was needed any more than it is today.

Under the Arch

We were on the NW edge of the storm that hit last night which brought rain turning to snow and high winds. We received a covering of snow but with the high winds, little accumulated. Many of the Churches in the area cancelled services. One of our friends who has been unable to rent a garage, was dressed planning to go to Church but while cleaning the snow and a layer of ice off his windshield, gave up and stayed in. We listened to Rev. Jim Keck this morning and a lot of PBS music during the day. I continued to work my way through our 1994 pictures. This one was taken on a Seward Grange overnight trip in July of '94. It is of Elaine and I at the BlueBird Nursery in Clarkson, NE. By using the "search" capability, I was able to confirm my feeling that it had been used previously. It was on August 25, 2013 that it was on a Blog page called "1994 Revisited". It can be pulled up with more information on our trip and the many places we visited that weekend.

Interesting afternoon

A lot was happening in Seward today with the lighted parade to get started soon. When Dad used to come get us from country school once in a while, with a team of horses and farm wagon, we never thought people would stand in line for such a ride. Nor would have Chris Turner ever thought that this little house that he built on N.2nd St. back in the 1890's be so well remodeled and decorated for the Holiday's, as it is today. It's been well maintained.

Things were also happening on North Columbia Ave. where Carolyn was putting up wallpaper in the guest bedroom of their new house. She had already done the guest bathroom. I visited with Verlon this morning and he tells me of enjoying the house pictures as it comes along. The tile floor, wainscoating and colorful wallpaper make for a very attractive bathroom. We admire Carolyn's ability to do the quality job in putting up the wallpaper, just like every thing else that she undertakes. I'm sure the contractors will be impressed when they see it.

1994 Picture & Our Huskers

 Brother Don holding Kristine is the feature attraction of this picture and I wonder how many people viewing it could name everyone on it. I can alert you to Elaine standing to the left of Don but would appreciate someone commenting on the others. Yes, I know Gladys and most of the others but there is a couple I'm not sure of. 

I tried to work on the 1994 pictures today while watching the Nebraska-Iowa football game. The TV was right next to where I was working and didn't miss any plays. I had conceded defeat a couple times before that 4th quarter. While it would have been great to win, I don't thing the Team or Coaches need to apologize to anyone for the loss. They showed enough improvement as the season went on to be very optimistic for next year and the future.

Thanksgiving Day

We continued one of our Thanksgiving Day traditions today by watching the Macy Parade until Santa Clause arrived at Herald Square. The temperature there was the lowest in over 90 years of the Parade in New York City. The 24mph winds were a problem and the big balloons were kept at a lower than normal level. Carolyn and Ben took us along out to Julie and John's where we joined Jerry and Bev as well as Sadie and Jack. A great dinner of Turkey with all the trimmings, Carolyn's "Pink Stuff" and A Pumpkin Cheese Cake for Dessert.  The kids enjoyed the 60 degree temperature by playing on the driveway. Jack is becoming an expert on identifying and collecting insects. 

Sadie brought out a water "gun" that shot out bubbles. Some of us sat on the porch and watched all the activity. On our way home we visited the new Hughes house under construction. We had driven by it but hadn't been inside for a couple weeks where a lot of progress has been made. We got a call from son Jon when we got home. Today is his birthday which falls occasionally on Thanksgiving Day. I have a record of some 73 such days that we reviewed this evening.

Picture Greetings from Yesterday

In completing the drawer of 1993 picture envelopes today, I found a plain one with these Christmas picture Greetings. This one of Emily and Thomas Goodwin was from Jim & Julie. This predates Phillip arrival on the scene. The next one is of Ethan McWilliams and it came from Dave and MaryBeth McWilliams. This too was ahead of Tony. The next one is of our own Grandaughter Anna. It was not on a Greeting card but among the 1993 pictures. This was at the time Jon, Mary and Heather were living here in Seward. The last one is of Gina Jo Vercellino and came from Sandy and Mick. They are all too cute to have just been left in the file.  I regret not having one of Jerry & Sondra's family but will see what I can find. 

These youngsters all seem to grow up so fast. Carolyn stopped by this afternoon with Sadie and Jack. We have seen Jack more frequently but we're surprised at how tall Sadie has grown. We plan to be out at their house tomorrow for Thanksgiving. We are very fortunate in having a nice day for the Holiday. And, want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who reads this as well as to all friends and relatives that don't.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Brookdale hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner this noon with all the tables forming a long one that extended the entire length of the Dining Room. Rosellen gave the invocation and non alcoholic juice was served. It was followed with a Cranberry salad, Turkey, Stuffing, Creamed Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy with a choice of pie. We had Pecan. It was a great meal with the staff joining us at the table. It was suggested that everyone "dress up" for the special event which brought a variety of compliance. The Ladies typically dress better than most of us Men so they all looked real nice. But, I didn't see any high heels, thank goodness.

I put on a necktie, dark trousers, sport coat and dress shoes but few men took the suggestion very seriously. Many of us had been watching the Class C2 State Championship game and as  Dinner wound down, the TVs were turned up to see Utica Centennial vs Norfolk Catholic. The game ended with a 21-21 tie in regulation. Norfolk scored a TD on their second down in overtime and made the extra point. Utica was then given their chance. They had some difficulty moving the ball but got the TD with a 4th down pass. Then they made the decision to go for 2. A great pass and fantastic catch into the end zone was completed giving Centennial a 29-28 Victory. 

Having a Seward County School win a State Football Championship was a fitting way to top-off a Great Thanksgiving Dinner.

Family Pictures of '93

I'm working in 1993 pictures and this was at Mahoney in late July. This Florence and Tony family reunion followed one  with Cousins, Aunts and Uncles earlier in the month at Seward. Julie always found ways to amuse herself and others. The picture doesn't show it very well, but she has snap-on clothespins on her socks that make her feet look like Duck paddles. She could probably tell us more about it.

This picture was taken at every family reunion since Uncle Joe held Don and cousin Dolores on his knees when they were babies. I'm not sure if that original even exists but I believe this is the final copy. This next one is of Julie holding Maggie and Heather with Anna. Though '93 was the year that Tim and I did our Baseball trip and that Vivian and Eddy; Don and Gladys; and, Elaine and I went to the Czech Republic, these family pictures may be of more interest to future generations.

Past and Present

It is pictures like this one that makes scanning our old pictures enjoyable. This was among the 1993 collection that I worked on today. Ben  and "the girls" did a lot of Rendezvous camping back in those days. I'm sure it was pretty educational for Julie. She and Elaine enjoyed making their dresses. Ben was an old hand at it. He had some "real life" experience as a young man. I have no idea of the number Rendezvous they participated in but know that some of them were even "out of state". I think Sadie and Jack would be interested in hearing some of their Mother's stories.

This was also the year that Tim and I went on our Baseball Trip where we saw 9 major league games as well as Cooperstown in 10 days. Tim and I shared the expense and had a great time. He had the route and room reservations all worked out ahead of our leaving. Elaine stayed with Laura, Tony & Maggie while we were gone. We met them at Davenport, IA when we got back..

It is only to be expected that some meals here at Brookdale are better than others. Sunday Dinners are usually among the best and today's was no exception. We had a "Frog's eye" salad, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, mixed green and yellow Beans and Pork Roast. Then for dessert, we had this Blueberry Cheese Cake. We usually get a hot cup of coffee soon after entering the Dining Room and a 2nd cup to have with our Dessert. We are looking forward to this coming Tuesday dinner where it is suggested that we "dress-up". I expect there will be quite a variety of how seriously this suggestion is taken. I have already decided to put on a tie, wear a jacket and put on my Sunday shoes.

Rough Weather

Our Schefflera plant set out on our Patio all summer with our bringing it inside ahead of our first killing frost. It didn't seem to do much a first but recently, it just amazed us with new growth. The very top leaf is one of the new ones that "popped out" within the past month. With the weather like it was in our area today, it's comforting to see something this green with new life showing every day. Our day got underway with Carolyn and Ben coming up to visit. Their visits also brighten the day as we hear new stories of Sadie and Jack, progress reports on their house and some just talk. Ben has such a creative mind that he always comes with some clever comments. We even discussed "The Wall Street Journal". 

The Weather was a major factor in the Nebraska-Michigan State game today in Lincoln. It was played in 23 degree temperatures with winds 25mph out of the north and snow flurries during the second half. While Nebraska won 9-6, they trailed for much of the game. This was the Huskers first win since the 1930's without scoring a touchdown. They called it another "sell-out" crowd with a small number of empty seats that had obviously been paid for. There were still over 85,000 people in attendance. "Nebraska", it's not for everybody. 

Elaine at the Keyboard

For many years, Elaine has typed up her notes  taken from my comments as I picked up what we considered "highlights", recorded in my Daily Diary. We attempted to get under way with it today as I dictated the dates of activity for the month of January 2018. I got the HP set up for her to type up her notes with the "Word" program. I have done very little with word on this computer and she has done even less. We ran into problems from the beginning, even in trying to do such simple things as setting single spacing. The computer seemed to think for itself in adding things and not letting me do the things with the cursor that is just taken for granted. I'm looking forward to having some company that can get me and the computer back on track. (I do these blog pages  and most of my other computer stuff on my MacBook but am unable to print anything from it. ) Elaine's shorthand is still good.

Highlights of 1992

I completed the scanning of 255 selected, 1992 pictures today that will be placed on a Flash Drive for future use. We called it a year of transition from working to retirement. However, we continued to be involved in many activities. Our first trip was on Amtrak back home after taking a car to son Verlon in Richmond, VA. We continued the train trip to the west coast to visit family, on up to Washington state to visit friends and Mt. St. Helen's, then came back across the northern states. 

After a couple weeks at home, I joined a group of USDA etc. people to meet in Budapest, Romania with representatives from several of the countries that had gained freedom from the Soviet empire.  My prostate operation was done soon after getting home. With a few weeks of recovery, we took the girls to Yellowstone NP with the Motorhome & VW. Elaine and I drove the Motorhome to Baltimore for a SWCS meeting and visiting along the way. Our final trip of the year was a packaged tour to China which we took along with sister Vivian and Eddy. We still found a way for a lot of family time during the year.

Brandy's Balloons

Brandy demonstrated her creativity and technical ability of working with balloons to a good-sized crowd of Brookdale residents here this afternoon. She also did a great job of talking about the art of balloon art as she took requests. She made a variety of objects to fill the requests and then  passed them out. While having participated in numerous workshops to learn the techniques, she indicated that it was practice and experience that enables her to do what she does today. While my big hands helped me compete in various sports, I don't think they ever had the dexterity to make the intricate moves that this activity requires. 

 I happened to be given one of her creations to take to a great grandchild only to find that Jack and Julie were here visiting with Elaine. Jack just took it over, was amused at it's various parts, and took it along as they left to pick up Sadie from school. I have no idea of the cost of having treats and decorations made for Children's Birthday Parties, etc. but can not think of anything that would create more excitement than balloon objects. I would admit that there was probably even more excitement among the senior citizens at the show this afternoon than we see for most entertainment here. She brought up this big item and put it in the hall for us to enjoy for a few days and to get our pictures taken.

Entertainment at Brookdale.

The Kramer Sisters provided the entertainment for the November Birthday Party at Brookdale this afternoon. While they sing a variety of songs and play several different instruments, it was playing Praha on the Accordion with LeRoy singing the Czech words that was a highlight. He has contributed to the singing to a variety of songs in the past but this was the first time we saw him up front and with a microphone. The performance had just begun when Elaine spotted Jack coming to join us. Carolyn had picked him up from preschool and came by with some things for us. It had been a while since Jack had set on my lap. He continues to grow both physically and mentally. As he looked around at the crowd he told us that there was a man from their Church there. Terry and Carla were both impressed and got pictures of Jack.

Now that Jack is 4, it seems like he has really matured. His going to preschool, story time and other activities make a difference. He also has several grandparents tutoring him in addition to his parents and big sister.  Kids of all ages are really a big hit here among us senior citizens. The group of Jr. Hi boys that came up to sing with the Kitones last evening added so much to their Veterans Day program. Rosellen even has some College kids lined up to provide computer help to us. I could have used some of it this pm and was about to call Jon, but  got it figured out.

Ear Treatment

This picture was "lifted" from my blog page of 12/29/11 entitled Affectionate Treatment. That page tells of the nurse softening up the collection of wax in my ears and Dr. Vahle finishing it off with special light and tools. I don't remember having that procedure done since then until today. I met with Dr. Summa primarily for respiratory problems and mentioned recent difficulty hearing. He used his special light to confirm the problem and had the nurse come back and do the "irrigation". She worked alone with me holding the "cup" to catch the excess water but did only a minimum amount of probing to extract wax. When we got back to our apartment, I took a nap and the left ear opened up. While we were having supper the other one did. I'm now hearing pretty well again. While I appreciate the nurses minimum invasion process it was a change from what I was accustomed. It reminded me of a Victor Frankl quote in "The Week" magazine I'd read earlier "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves".

Veterans Day

Kay Schroeder, is shown here pinning a poppy on WWII Veteran Marvin Schulz as part of the Brookdale activity of Honoring Veterans. Kay is a longtime resident and along with a few others, designated an Ambassador. They help the staff at the frequent activities and provide feed-back to management. Marvin is one of 23 Veterans here in Brookdale. Rosellen recognized them before Dinner in her "Words for Today". She and Eli also led a program of Readings, singing, handing out Certificates, etc. to show appreciation for their having served in the military. It even included some Kolaches like Grandmother used to make. There was a good turnout for the Program and it was announced that the Kiwanis Kitones will be up tomorrow evening to present their Veterans Day Program that will be part of the special Kiwanis program tomorrow.

Nebraska vs Ilinois

Rosellen took this picture as we finished our Dinner this noon. We have two TVs of this size in the Dining room. I have one of the best views. Elaine and I change off in our places at the table. Marv Taylor is a table mate to my left. Marvin Schulz is the 4th member at our table but he doesn't like football so  had his Dinner delivered to his room. Only in Nebraska could you have a sell-out, 90,000+ crowd in 23 degree temperature with a strong south wind. Nebraska again scored on their first possession and led 21-14 at the end of the first quarter. And, won the game 54-35. Nebraska got a couple turnover breaks and both offenses seemed to cope with the weather conditions better than the defenses. Martinez continues to pile up yardage running as well as passing. They continue to reduce their number of penalties each game but got one today when a player ran onto the playing field after an exciting play without his helmet on . GO BIG RED

Nebraska Football

Ken Siemek tells us that it will get up to 35 degrees in Lincoln late tomorrow afternoon. He also says it will be down to 10 at 7:00am with a south wind of 8-16mph making the wind chill around zero. The Nebraska-Illinois football game will start at 11:00am under low wind chill conditions. Nebraska is favored to win and with Frost as our head Coach, how could we not win. Tickets have been made available through social media and the price may be pretty low down near the stadium at 10:30 in the morning.

"Just Us" at Brookdale

"Just Us", this 3 man group from Lincoln came out through the light snow to entertain us here at Brookdale this afternoon. We have heard  this group before but continue to be impressed. The lead singer (in the middle) sang with very little break for some 45 minutes. They were asked at the end of their performance to tell us a bit more about themselves. We did learn that the fellow setting down had worked at a variety of jobs. The lead singer had taught school and the fellow to the right is a architect. While we enjoy their continuous singing, the presentation might be improved with some discussion about the songs they are singing and the artist that made them popular.