John and Trick or Treaters..

Every year on Halloween -- I remember this incident -- which has passed into Farro Family Lore...

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When our boys were growing up, I took them to a nearby small town -- McCausland -- for Halloween. For several reasons. For one thing, there are too few homes in our country addition to make trick or treating worthwhile.

Also, my Aunt Glad lived in McCausland. She was in her 80's at that time, and she couldn't get up and down to answer her door -- but she loved seeing the kids in their costumes.

So, to kill two birds with one stone -- I took the boys to McCausland, and they went Trick or Treating in the safe little town where I knew everybody, and I stayed at Aunt Glad's house to help her hand out candy.

John worked second shift, so he was never involved in this evening activity. NEVER....

Until one year, when three things happened....

1. Trick or Treat was on a Sunday night....(John was home)
2. He left the porch light on (because he didn't know better)
3. Several carloads of kids came to our housing addition Trick Or Treating (more houses had been built, so it seemed worth their time?)

So -- I am at Aunt Glad's house, and her phone rang. (before cell phones).  It was John. This was the first and last time he ever called her house...She handed me the phone...

John: (sounding agitated) Trick or Treaters are coming here...WHAT DID YOU DO WITH ALL THOSE CANDY BARS??

(I had purchased six bags of Snickers and Almond Joy, and the candy was in a bag on the counter for a week...)

Me: I brought them with me -- to give away here, at Aunt Glad's house. (she normally bought one small bag of suckers)

I told John he had two choices. He could make the 5-minute trip to Casey's convenience store to buy some candy.  OR -- he could simply turn the porch light OFF.

I hung up and went back to the business of keeping track of my own two boys, and dealing with the scores of Trick or Treaters coming to Aunt Glad's door...

So -- what did John do??

Of course, HE DID NOT LISTEN TO ME.

Instead -- feeling the pressure of the ringing doorbell -- he decided to GIVE THE CHILDREN QUARTERS. Hey, at that time, you could buy a huge candy bar for 25 cents...

However, John realized eight quarters was $2.00...and this was going to get expensive.  So, he started to give each child a nickel....

When the nickels were gone...he looked around, and saw the decorative bowl of nuts which was the centerpiece of our fall table.

EUREKA!! He started dropping English Walnuts and Hazelnuts in their bags.

Here is a defining moment of John's life...

As one group of Trick or Treaters is walking down our steps, another group is approaching...

Kid in Group #1 hollers out this glum warning,

"DON'T BOTHER -- THE ASSHOLE IS GIVING OUT ACORNS."

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Full disclosure....writing this, I laughed so hard I peed....

John never could get over having a 9-year old calling him an asshole.

Pills, pills, pills...

I married the smartest man I ever met.  So, of course, John was always in charge of his own medications.  He's diabetic, so as time rolled on, there were more and more pills.  Morning pills, evening pills...vitamins, a daily aspirin...not to mention a nightly injection of insulin.  Well -- you get my drift.

PILLS ARE A BIG JOB.  But I never gave it a thought when John was doing it himself.  Of course, mistakes with his medication started to happen...and he became obsessed with his daily "journal".  He was trying so hard to get everything right...he spent hours each day on this job.  

By the time I took over the pill job, John was relieved.

And I did it the same way he did it for a long time.....I had a shoebox full of his prescriptions, and every week, I would fill his Morning, Supper ad Bedtime pill minders.

THEN, I realized my pharmacy (Amicare, in Bettendorf, Iowa) would do "pill packs".  OMG...this is such a wonderful service.  For no extra charge, they put all John's medications in daily pill packs...which are clearly marked.  They'll also pack OTC pills for you...also, for no extra charge

Nobody takes more pills than my friend Valerie. Because of her rheumatoid arthritis, managing all those pill bottles and little minders was a real challenge.  And it would take her HOURS to set up her meds for the week.  Not to mention having to remember when a prescription was running out, then making the call to the pharmacy, picking it up, etc.

Val had a stroke and spent 20 days in a skilled care facility.  When she came home, she had Visiting Nurses -- and they took one look at her pill regimen and recommended Divvy Dose.

I CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT A TIME-SAVER THIS IS, PEOPLE.  This post is for you, Charlotte!  It takes the pain and worry out of that job.  I was at Val's house when her first Divvy Dose box arrived, and I thought she would cry because it will be so much easier for her now

There is no extra cost -- your co-pays will remain the same. 

51st Anniversary

As it happened, the Beaver Dam weekend was also our 51st wedding anniversary. And we have always loved our Fall drives to Wisconsin.

Although John didn't know it was our anniversary (and he didn't care) -- and he had NO idea where we were going or why -- he was happy enough to get in the car with me.

Of course, the BIG change is that since John lost his Driver's License (thank you, State of Iowa)...I must do ALL THE DRIVING. But -- hey -- after our trip to Pennsylvania last month -- this little jaunt to Wisconsin was a piece of cake...

Wisconsin had to carve out a LOT OF ROCK to build their roads.  Every time we came up to one of these areas, John would say, "there's no way a machine did that."...and I try to NEVER ARGUE with him...(the #1 rule of caring for someone with Alzheimer's is CAR...never criticize, argue or reason.  Yes.  It is hard...)

This was my attempt to get an anniversary picture...

I invited Carrie and Steve to join us for supper, and 20 minutes later -- she took this picture.

We went to a great old fashioned Italian restaurant -- Rastrelli's -- in Clinton, Iowa. And the four of us had a really nice time.

The Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio Grand Opening

Sorry for all the blank pages. But, no worries -- things are fine here. As good as they can be, considering.

I'm trying not to let Alzheimer's control every aspect of my life..but sometimes that's easier said than done.

For example -- going to Beaver Dam for the unveiling of the Nancy Zieman mural and the Grand Opening of the new Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio.

Mary, Deanna, Rhonda and me...

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin has a special place in my heart. Mary introduced me to her good friend Nancy, and I can show you the exact spot where Nancy drove up in her mini-van, with Tom in a carseat, to pick me up for one of my first seminars -- How To Dress With Style When You Feel Like Cher But Look Like Roseanne.  (Tom is married now, with three children.)

I've made that trip many times. It's about a 3 hour drive -- and Mary and I often did our Ya Ya show at Nancy's Sewing Weekend.

As much as I wanted to go -- traveling with somebody who has Alzheimer's is NOT easy. If I tell John in advance, he can get very obsessed and negative about it. But waiting until the last minute makes it hard for anybody else to make plans.

And a lot depends on whether or not John is having a "good day". ugh...

So, I just had to wait to see what kind of a day it was gonna be...When John got up, I made his oatmeal, we fed Frankie, and I told him we were taking a little road trip to Wisconsin. Although I tried to explain why this weekend was special, John had no idea what was going And, I might add -- no interest. That's one of the hard things about Alzheimer's...he has no interest in anything anymore.

Here's the thing. The ribbon cutting ceremony was scheduled for Friday, October 15th at Noon...and we arrived at 11:57.

WOW.

It just doesn't get any better than this, people. I am SO GLAD we went. People were very patient and kind with John. He sat with Deanna's father for over an hour (he was wearing a green John Deere hat).

It was raining...I got under the umbrella with Mary and Rhonda (John sat in the car.)

Mary's husband Doug took this picture.

Nancy's mural is in the parking lot right behind the NEW Nancy Zieman Sewing Studio

Rhonda, Mary, me and Deanna. The two guys are Deanna's husband, Dennis, and Nancy's husband, Richard (who hosted the dinner and COOKED all the food).

This fall has been full of lessons for me...and what I learned that weekend is that I sometimes must do what I want to do...even if it doesn't suit John. Sure, he's going to pout and be pissy...

But, the truth is, even if I'm sitting in the living room with him, watching endless reruns of the Lone Ranger, he will pout and be pissy...

And just think what I would have missed...

October 2021

Sorry for the blank days...hey -- it happens. I've been trying to get a VIDEO of my new swivel Frankenchair loaded up on this blog -- because you really can't appreciate it until you SEE THE VIDEO...but I've had NO LUCK. But I'm gonna try one more time...

try ONE MORE TIME...

Rita vs. the Fringe: Round #1

So -- back to my fringe saga...

I cannot tell you how much work this was.  Mostly due to an over-abundance of OPERATOR ERROR.  Ugh...

After I spent all that time making the fringe, I realized it was going to be too sparse. Hummm?  What to do?

The solution to that problem would be to add a liner which would end up behind the fringe. So that's a good idea, don't you think?  And it gives me another chance to add more red...

This red LuLaRoe knit skirt cost $1 --and it will have the perfect swing...

I cut the skirt into 12" strips, then -- using my borrowed staple gun, I attached it to the bottom of the chair...making pleats all around.  Yes.  THIS WILL BE PERFECT.

Mistake #1: Do you see where I went wrong??

 

Our Wisconsin Anniversary Weekend!!

Hey -- TIME FLIES when you're having fun, eh??

I have SO MUCH to report on...and  I hope to do a full update this week.

But, here are the highlights...

Our 51st wedding anniversary is October 17th.  We usually take a drive up to Wisconsin.

This year, there was something VERY SPECIAL happening in Beaver Dam.  Here's the link: 

 

So -- OH YES, I have so much to tell you!!

Frankenchair Fringe

So, the truth is -- adding fringe to the bottom of the chair has been almost as much work as making the new chair cover...But it had to be done...When Ross put the swivel attachment onto the chair, he added two extra layers of wood to make the chair sit taller...

It is a LOT more comfortable this way...but kinda ugly...

Because, if you are looking at the chair from a distance -- the wooden platform is exposed.

 

I started off by cutting some 12" long pieces out of the black and white knit dress (that I also used to make the piping for the chair).

Then, I sewed those pieces (most of them 10" wide) onto a 4" strip of white cotton.

At that point, I laid it out on a cutting board, and used the rotary cutter to make 1/2" fringes...I folded the white cotton, but realized I needed something firm to make a sharp edge...

I cut 1" strips from some beige file folders -- then sewed them in place.  It made the perfect header -- for me to staple around the chair.

YES...this is a ridiculous amount of work.  But -- hey -- I've got the time!!

The Frankenchair Progress...

For two days, I have been able to immerse myself into my FRANKENCHAIR project...and I am very pleased with my progress.... Even though I had absolutely no idea what I was doing...it's coming along.

Because I wanted to make it look more complicated than it actually was, I did a bit of strip quilting -- slicing then turning...I know it's going good when I see the mess I'm making...

It's finally time to get out my borrowed stapler...

I turned the chair upside down, and stretched things the best I could...the slipcover I'd basically made was very snug...which was good...I hope...

I LOVE IT..!!  But -- the ugly swivel base platform shows...so the chair is screaming for some FRINGE around the bottom.

I used 4" of white cotton -- and then sewed some 12" panels of a knit fabric (used to be a dress -- it's also what I used to make the piping for the chair)...

At some point, I sewed in a 1 inch piece of cardboard (actually, I cut strips from old file folders)...

As I'm looking at the fringe piece this morning -- it resembles a Hawaiian grass skirt. But it may not be dense enough for the affect I'm going for. I might have to add a second background layer...

Hummm.....

 

Back to my Franken-Chair

The auction is OVER..!! And i cannot tell you what a good feeling it is to get rid of SO MUCH STUFF..!! And I feel like I did the best I could do with all those treasures...

I am absolutely delighted that so many things will be finding new homes, where they'll be appreciated and loved...THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING...and bidding...and congratulations if you were the WINNING bidder.

The next big job in my ongoing effort to downsize is to clear out the garage. Ugh. But I really don't want to bore you with that...

Not yet, anyway...ugh...

Instead -- it must be time for a FRANKENCHAIR UPDATE!!

To review -- I was pretty happy with this part...

I decided to use this IKEA fabric for the back...

Things were coming along pretty good...when I remembered my THREE GREAT RED LIGHT FIXTURES....so, maybe I should incorporate a bit of red into this chair. Hummm...

I went to the fabric store to buy a yard of red...altho I had NO IDEA what I would do with it...

well, I could just add a circle...??

Yeah -- that's a good start. 

I was well on my way to making the SEAT of the chair -- using my original fabrics...

But then -- when I laid the new seat on the chair -- with the new back -- it all looked too busy...

I decided to add a big piece of red to tone it down...

But the question is -- where should the red triangle go?

This looks like a winner...

Maybe the red is better on the front of the seat..?

TODAY IS THE DAY..!!

Yes -- today is the day the Art of Homemaking Auction will end.

https://doslandauctionservice.hibid.com/

This great flowered rug has a matching shower curtain!  Lot #400...the current bid is $1.00...

Ashley did a wonderful job of getting my vintage linen collection OUT of their tubs, photographed -- and then numbered and hung...

 

It's been nerve-wracking!! And some things may be a shocking bargain...like, there is a KING size white wool Hudson Bay Blanket...in excellent condition -- that may go for a song. (you can buy a new one for $642.00...made in England). The BLUE Hudson Bay blanket could actually sell for $5. Heart-breaking, right?  But I'm over it.

Part of the problem is that pictures just can't do these treasures justice....And these blankets are all in pristine condition -- but they had to spend the hot summer stuffed into a freezer. So their photographs are very wrinkled. And -- don't you think you should have seen them on an ACTUAL BED?

But -- I've decided somebody is getting a wonderful bargain. And I know how exciting that was for me!!

There has been very little interest in my Cross stitch Sampler Collection. THESE MAKE SUCH WONDERFUL GIFTS...THIS IS YOUR CHANCE, PEOPLE...

They are all about family and friendship and you cannot give a better gift!!  Right now, many of them are at ZERO bids. Ugh.

https://doslandauctionservice.hibid.com/