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.

blueberry lil

Yesterday Lily had the traditional Saturday morning blueberry pancake breakfast, minus the pancakes. She fixed it herself.

This week at the local "Farmer Jack's" there were fresh blueberries. Six ounce packages from Chile for $1.00. Not a bad price for fresh berries this time of year. I saw the same packages at the local grocery store for $3.00. After sampling the first few boxes that I brought home for quality control my husband and I made a second trip and stocked up on the little blue guys.


Saturday for breakfast, instead of our typical green smoothie, I made fruit salad with blueberries, red grapes, bananas and blackberries (only 50 cents a box for those gems!)


In order to attain the right fruit to fruit ratio I left a layer of blueberries in the bottom of the box and left the box on the kitchen counter. After enjoying my yummy breakfast salad I returned to the kitchen to find Lily with an empty blueberry box and a tail wagging grin on her face.

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 #5

My niece Betsy's high school graduation party with the Tarus my dad purchased as her gift displayed out front.

The 5th good thing about my dad was that he took such good care of his family. My dad was always a good provider. One of the ways he enjoyed providing for family members is by purchasing cars. I have owned multiple cars over the years and only one of them did I purchase from a dealer myself. The first car my dad gave me was a little tan Chevette. The car he was most pleased to give me was a pearl blue Tarus. He purchased it for me over a weekend that I had gone to Indiana. When I returned home I pushed the garage door opener and found the new car parked in my spot with a big red bow on it. The last car I received from my dad was a sporty blue Beretta. He bought it when we went to a car auction together. It was an impulse buy as people were not bidding on it. It came in handy when the transmission in my Stratus (also purchased at an car auction) died.

My dad and Arlene eating at Betsy's graduation party.

Journal Entry 1/4/08
I was so tired I called Amy first thing in the morning to come help. After the social worker and nurse visited I slept and then felt better. Wendy and Leon spent the night so I could sleep. At 7:30 AM dad beeped the intercom and when I went in he said "nothing is stirring" (it was too quiet).

The tenth good thing about my dad #4

One of the shelves in my dad's garage displaying an abundance of tools.

The 4th good thing about my dad was that he could fix things. My dad was a carpenter and used his skills to help many people over the years. Some of the projects he did for me when I owned a house in Indiana: dog fence complete with doggy door into the garage, wooden flower box around a new tree I planted, and remodeling of the bathroom.

Journal Entry 1/1/08
Quiet New Year's Day. Dad stated he felt he had "turned a corner" and was doing better. Slept through the night-the night before we were up five times.