Inhairtance

My dad used to get so frustrated when he came home from the store, unpacked the grocery bags, and discovered that once again the pop he had so diligently searched for had become "diet" pop during the ride home. 

I thought about him yesterday after I rinsed the coloring out of my hair and reread the box. When I was at the store it said Dark Blonde but now that the color was attached to my head it read Terracotta Blonde AKA Super Woman Red. 

Supplies!*

*69**

**a joke about a joke that my dad used to tell. 

cosmos

I wanted to post a picture of the

Cosmos

flowers that I planted.

They had been growing

so nicely 

in my greenhouse.

And then the cold weather hit.
Maybe this is more appropriate after all.

who's on first?

Friday I got a call from my cousin Stanley in Utah. He said his sister, Bertha Robison, a first cousin, and her husband were visiting her daughter, Brenda Farris (who would be my second cousin) not far from me in Gilbert. I called to see if we could meet and we planned a rendez-vous point at a mall near the airport on Monday a couple hours before their departure. 

I have four cousins in the valley from another one of my dad's other siblings so I sent messages inviting them to join us. 

On Monday my cousin Aldo Schritter came with his wife so that our mini family reunion (although I don't know that it can be a "re" union if you never had a first union) had three first cousins and two second cousins meeting for the first time. 

Bertha had some pictures, most I had seen before however there were a couple new pictures including a wedding portrait of my grandparents. I made copies of the three CDs we recorded of my dad telling stories from his childhood and gave a set to Bertha and Aldo. They were pleased with the gift (thanks Betsy for transferring the recordings from cassette tape to CDs). I listened to one of the story CD's as I drove to the mall. So fun to hear my dad's voice interacting with the little ones and telling his favorite stories.

two tense

On Friday Jay hitched up the flatbed trailer and picked up the first teepee.

On Saturday he picked up the second teepee and delivered it to the grassy knoll in front of Phoenix First Assembly where the pow wow will take place this week during pastor's school.

Sunday afternoon, while I spent 3 hours practicing our dances with the women, Jay and several other men put together the two large stick puzzles.

echos of laughter

Large Ranch

A Texan is in a Wisconsin bar and is telling a dairy farmer how large his ranch in Texas is. He tells the farmer his ranch is so large that if he gets into his pick-up truck and drives all day, he would not reach the other border of his ranch.

The Wisconsin dairy farmer thinks for a minute and then responds," I used to have a truck like that."

only two

"There are only two kinds of pie I like" was the oft repeated phrase my dad would tell guests before desert was served, "hot and cold".

In honor of my father's birthdays (December 8th according to his mother and December 9th, the date listed on his birth certificate) I ate hot (pear) pie yesterday and cold pie today.

Happy Birthday Dad. I sure miss sharing pie and jokes with you. <3

for my dad

This month marks three years since I laughed with my dad.
I miss having his humor as a part of my life.

Recently I ran across this video clip that he would have loved.
Then he would have enjoyed it
over and over again
as he shared it with others.

Today's post is in celebration of my dad the funny stuff of life.

dancing with laughter

In memory of my father who loved to make people laugh...

Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherit the family ranch. Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble. In order to keep the bank from repossessing the ranch, they need to purchase a bull so that they can breed their own stock.

Upon leaving, the brunette tells her sister, "When I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I'll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home."

blue

Thesaurus

Blue:

depressed

down

sad

low

dejected

melancholy

unhappy

desolate

wretched

downcast

The tenth good thing about my dad #10

The tenth good thing about my dad was that he loved me.

Journal Entry 1/16/08
Wendy stayed until 1 AM. We were giving meds as often as possible trying to keep him comfortable. She went home and I lay down in Lazyboy intending to get up at 2 AM to give next dose of meds. At 2 AM I heard dad exhaled/moan and the bird clock chirp. I got up and started to give meds. After the second dropper full, dad took a large gulp of air-paused-then a couple more and he was gone. Wayne said, "He finished." Wayne was holding dad's hand while I rubbed his head-something I had been doing a lot. Wayne and I sat and hugged and cried a while and then he called Wendy, Keith, and Gera. Time of death 2:15 AM. Wendy and Leon came. Wendy had a victory song she wanted us to dance to. She sang and the two of us dance. Amy and Julie came. We called Arlene and invited her to come out. The rest of the Cooks came-we prayed and Logan read a couple of dad's stories. We ate breakfast and discussed some funeral plans and then headed our seperate ways until the meeting with the funeral home at 11. I slept. When I talked with Keith he said he had awaken in the middle of the night and was overcome with shadows. He knew before we called. Later in the day he said he had this feeling like he needed to call dad and tell him the news-as that is typically his first call when something big happens-then he would realized dad already knew he was dead. Met at funeal home and then had coffee with Grace. Spent PM at Cooks looking for pictures for slide show. I had prayed that dad would pass on 16th as 17th is Brian's B-day and the 18th Keith's B-day and Saturday seemed too far away.

(Photo credits: Amy Cook)

The tenth good thing about my dad #9

(Keith opening funny talking monkey dad gave him as a gift)

The ninth good thing about my dad was that he made me laugh. He had a quick witted humor that was so sneaky you could miss it if you weren't careful. It was an unusual day when he didn't have me chuckling about something. He liked to tell jokes and told them well. I always enjoyed when he thought the joke was so funny that he would start chuckling before he got the punchline out. Although he was a good joke teller the funniest things he said were the little puns and plays on words that he would do off the cuff. Although not nearly as talented at this as my dad I also like to play with words. It was a red letter day when I could say something unexpected enough to make him chuckle.




Journal Entry 1/15/08
I called Wendy in the morning when I woke and found Dad's breathing was getting more labored. Hospice nurse Sue had planned to come but was dealing with another crisis. When I realized we didn't have enough Morphine to make it through the night I called Sue after hours and she made a special trip to bring the prescription. The best part of the day was early afternoon when Arlene came to visit. When she arrived we told dad she was here. He was doing very little interacting both with words and his eyes at that point. He fell asleep with her holding his hand, then woke himself up with a snore. His eyes popped open-focused on Arlene and He said "Surprise!" How sweet. He was delighted to open his eyes and find her there.

the tenth good thing about my dad #8

The eighth good thing about my dad was he was a faithful husband. The last few years of my mom's life were increasingly difficult as she struggled with dementia as part of Parkinson's Disease. Many times he would sit and rub her legs when they were painful. He would buy her treats of he favorite foods like Crunch & Munch or ice cream sandwiches. Through it all my dad cared for her with tender patience.



Journal entry 1/13/08
Aaron and Leon got dad into the hospital bed in the morning and Wendy stayed with me during the day. Hospice Nurse Sue came and got us started on pain meds. Arlene came to visit in the afternoon. Cooks were over in the evening so I went to service at my church. I thought I would be OK by myself at night as the drugs seemed to be helping but shortly after Cooks left Dad started getting restless. He wanted me to "twist" him in an effort to get comfortable. I increased pain meds but finally called Wendy at 2 AM after another hour of him asking me to "pull on me somewhere". We called hospice and upped the meds. A Long Hard Night.

the tenth good thing about my dad #7

The seventh good thing about my dad was that he enjoyed life. My dad enjoyed the simple things, the little things that are easy to overlook.

(Photo credits for this blog entry go to Amy Cook)

He liked shiny and colorful things. He collected colored glass that he would display in places where the sunlight would shine through them.


He liked eating. The food didn't need to be fancy, just decent. He knew how to savor the meal to make the most out of each bite. It was typical for my dad to be the last one finished with his meal although he didn't eat more than other people.

He like looking at the coins in his pocket at the end of the day, examining them closely to find old or unusual coins and collecting the newest state quarters when they were issued.

He like number patterns and would often comment on the odometer in the car when it reached an interesting number.


He enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels that would gather at the numerous bird feeders he kept outside the picture window.


My dad's fascination for the simple things in life caused me to pause and look at my life more closely.

Journal entry 1/12/08
I went to spiritual empheses services in the evening. When I came home Leon and Amy were here-said they could hardly get him to the bathroom with two of them. I should have asked for someone to stay with me but didn't. Awful night! Dad wasn't helping anymore-dead weight. Made it to the bath with wheelchair but had to do the lifting and he was grabbing things and holding on tight instead of holding on to me and then I had to struggle with him to move. Tried the camode next time but couldn't get him back into chair all the way. He kept asking for help and I couldn't move him any-kept repositiing the chair and telling him I was sorry. Finally called Cooks in the AM to move him to the hospital bed.

the tenth good thing about my dad #6

Me with my dad's long time Midland Reformed Church friend Dalt Decker.

The sixth good thing about my dad was that he was a humble man. He only had an eighth grade education but had understanding of how to make people feel comfortable and appreciated. I was reminded of this again as I listened to a recording of tributes that people shared at his funeral and reread cards that were sent. There were numerious people who shared what a valuable friend my dad was because he was so easy to relate with.

Wayne with another MRC friend Laura Moollenaar.

Journal entry 1/10/08
Wendy stayed with Dad in the PM while I went to town. She called because his speech was slurred and he was agitated and not able to move his legs/feet. It was a long night-dad didn't settle until 4 AM.

The tenth good thing about my dad #3

Hunting squirrel that were eating food from the bird feeders out the back door.

The third good thing about my dad is that he told wonderful stories. He had when I was a boy in Utah stories and when I was in the army stories and when you were little stories. One of my favorite stories from his childhood was when he would tell about the summer he had a bear cub as a pet.

Journal Entry 12/23/07
Another good day. Feet are looking better. He ate little bites all day. Fourth Sunday I missed church. Finding I miss worship and missing God's presence although I know he lives in me. Miss worship music but I can't play the radio and hear the intercom when dad beeps.

the tenth good thing about my dad #2

Christmas morning: Amy tests a cash register Grandpa gave her knowing she always wanted one.

The second good thing about my dad was he loved Christmas. After his retirement my dad's participation in Christmas increased dramatically. He would do Christmas shopping all year long at the actions he attended on Saturdays. He would start wrapping in early November and by Christmas there were presents mounded up and over flowing under the Christmas tree as he anticipated Christmas morning when all his grandchildren would come to unwrap gifts.

Journal entry 12/19/07
Harried day-nurse visited in AM. I made a quick trip to town-home health aide came-family meeting with Pastor Tom to make initial funeral plans-then Wendy came over to talk. All the while trying to keep dad's leaking feet dry and wash towels as they got wet. So glad Tom can do the funeral as we are all comfortable with him. Wayne spent the night-I slept soundly.

the tenth good thing about my dad #1

A tribute to my father
Armond Dale Nelson
12/9/22-1/16/08

Photo of my dad with his son, Keith and two grandsons, Joel and Logan. The five of us met for lunch at a truck stop.

The first good thing about my dad is he would hum or sing when he was feeling especially content. I have always loved hearing him do this. When I was little he used to sing to me but when I grew up he became more self conscious of his singing. Sometimes I would hear him singing in the next room and try to sneak closer so I could enjoy the soothing sound of his voice.

Journal entry Tuesday 12/18/07
We had a family meeting with the social worker-it went well. We will meet with Pastor Tom concerning funeral prep on Wednesday. Will have Christmas on Saturday. When I told Dad he first asked if Wayne was going to be there and when I said Yes he said, "that sounds good." He talked about the button again and said something to Wayne about not wanting to be this way. I was in tears after helping him to the bathroom in PM-can't decide what would hurt more-having him die or continue in this state. When I checked on him at 3:30 AM He said, "I guess we done made it through another night". His feet are leaking.