The REST of the story...

 Apparently, John left the house at 2:00 to go see his friend Gerald.  But nobody was home.

We'll never know how or why John got on Interstate 80 -- headed West. The thing is, once he took that wrong turn, the die was cast...

He simply drove...and drove...and drove...until he ran out of gas 169 miles away from home.  (THANK GOD he didn't have a hybrid vehicle, or he would have ended up in Denver.)

John's truck coasted to a stop at the foot of a rise in the road...he was smack dab in the middle of a very busy 4-lane interstate highway...ugh...

He was at the Newton exit -- in Jasper County, Iowa.  The 911 operator received a dozen calls about a Red Toyota truck driving erratically. 

Officer Wright arrived on the scene at 6:45.  There are hundreds of semi trucks traveling I-80..it was dark, they're going 70 mph, and as all those trucks came up over a little hill -- they had no time to stop when they saw John's red truck.  Consequently, the semis were forced to drive on either side of him...careening onto the shoulder.  One truck clipped John on the right rear bumper...another truck nearly tipped over as his right wheels bounced off the road...

John had been driving for hours and he was exhausted. He was disoriented and very cold.  He couldn't remember how to turn on the heater.  When he ran out of gas, the trucks started whizzing by on both sides...all those lights and honking horns...I can only imagine how terrified he was that night.

***********

Ross and I left at 8:00 to drive to Newton.  Office Wright had taken John to the hospital to be checked out.  We arrived after 11:00.  John was not injured, but they hooked him up to an IV for fluids (he was dehydrated). 

The three of us got home at 4:30 AM.  

So -- that's our BEFORE and AFTER moment.  

I have to accept the fact that John has Alzheimer's.  And John has to accept the fact that he can NEVER drive again. We're both struggling with these new realities.

Our head-in-the-sand days are over. 

On New Year's, many people make Resolutions...I've never been a fan.  But, every year, I do like to pick a word.  I like the simplicity of a one word mantra...

One year, my word was NEXT...(actually, it was such a great word, I used it for three years)

Last year my word was PATIENCE...

This year -- obviously -- my word is ACCEPTANCE. 

 

John's Terrible, Horrible, most Terrifying DAY...

First of all -- thanks for your kind comments and thoughts. I've tried to respond to every email -- but I know I didn't quite manage that...so I apologize if you wrote to me and I didn't write back. Just please know I read your letter, and I appreciated your concern...(and, Carol -- I loved being called Sweet Rita...I'm thinking of doing a legal name change.)

Here's the rest of the story... On Tuesday, I went over to my sister Ronda's house to do some laundry (John had overloaded the washer and it quit working).  When I got home at 3:00, John's red Toyota truck was gone.  I was not alarmed...at first...

John driving has been a big point of contention....but, the State of Iowa happily renewed his Driver's License in August WITH NO TESTS WHATSOEVER -- and he was ADAMANT about his capability and HIS RIGHT TO DRIVE (like it's an Amendment to the Constitution)...ugh...

The truth is, John was no longer comfortable driving into "town"...and since last spring, if we went somewhere together, I always drive.  

But because he NEEDS to socialize now and then (and was desperate to have a conversation with a fellow Republican), I told myself it was safe enough for John to drive to two places.  The Corner Market to get a bite to eat (6 miles away)...or his friend Gerald's house (6 miles in the opposite direction). 

It gets dark at 4:30...and John wasn't answering his cellphone.  I called the Corner Market -- they hadn't seen John.  I tried to call his friend Gerald -- but he wasn't answering either.

 At 5:00, I called in my cavalry.  My brother Cal and I went looking for John, while his wife Jeanne stayed at the house (in case John came home).

We went to Gerald's house (they had not seen John).  We drove every route home where John might have had an accident or ran out of gas.

By 7:00,  I called 911, and reported John as a missing "vulnerable" adult.  The Scott County Sheriff's Office said they would get the word out, in both Iowa and Illinois. (we live right on the border)

Then, I called Ross to tell him his father was missing. (Elliott was in Florida).

While I was on my cell phone talking to Ross (Jeanne did most of the talking on these phone calls, as I was blubbering too much)...the house phone rang.  

It was Deputy Wright from the Jasper County, Iowa Sheriff's department -- telling me HE HAD John.  John had not been injured.  But he was taking him to the hospital in Newton, Iowa to be checked out.

Wow.  That phone call came just 15 minutes after we reported John missing...

 Newton, Iowa is about 160 miles away...

***********

I promise to write the rest of the story...but right now, I'm gonna eat a few glazed donuts...

 

My Blogging Break...

I know this blogging break has become ridiculous. Yes, originally, it was because I had Covid...but the happy truth is, I came through that pretty quickly...and I was out of quarantine the day before Thanksgiving.

OF COURSE getting the 'Rona sucks. I was sick for about a week. But, really -- the worst part is you feel like a leper. NOBODY WANTS anything to do with you if you have the VIRUS...so John and I ended up eating turkey dinners from Kwik-Star. Yes...pitiful...

But I'm over all that. I am one of the lucky ones, because I didn't have any lingering bad effects. Although, I did lose 9 pounds after my bout with the virus...I've been doing so much emotional eating -- I've already gained 11 pounds...

SO WHAT'S THE EMOTIONAL EATING ABOUT?

John's dementia is back -- he probably has Alzheimer's. Accepting THIS particular "New Normal" has been kind of a nightmare.

Alzheimer's is one of those moments...you know the ones I'm talking about. Your life BEFORE and your life AFTER.

After being married for 50 years -- John thinks I'm trying to steal his money. This is an issue he's obsessed with every single day....and then, I cry myself to sleep every single night...

Many other things get tangled in his brain, too. One day, he found an old love letter IN HIS OWN HANDWRITING (from 1994) -- and he was furious because he believed it was from my lover. Or -- on another day -- he accuses me of having a lesbian affair.

Obviously, John driving his truck has been an issue. But, the State of Iowa renewed his driver's license in August...and he was sooo proud of that. It was like THEY knew more than I did. Ugh. We argued about it all the time...

I told myself he only drove during the day, and he only went two places...the Corner Market (five miles East)...or his friend Gerald's house (five miles west).

But, that was just me kidding myself...

I promise to tell you the REST of the story....just not right now. It took me three days to write this much...I've gotta go find some glazed doughnuts...

Thanksgiving 2020

About this most recent blogging break. 

I have Covid. 

Altho -- I am on the other side of it now.  But it's been a full time job trying to KEEP John from getting it.  Which means I've been sleeping in the guest room, and using the guest bathroom...

My sister Ronda also has it, and her husband Dean.  He's been in the hospital for five days -- but (knock on wood) seems to be doing better.  

My cleaning lady, Carrie, had it -- as well as her husband and their children.

My nephew, Toby, and his wife and two boys had it...well -- you get the idea.  

I'm officially out of quarantine today -- but John has to quarantine until Saturday...so, that's actually what's going to happen.  

I've been cooking every day -- and there has been a bit of sewing, too. 

But -- mostly -- THERE IS JUST A LOT OF NAPPING.

Sterling and Wahl Clippers

I learn a lot from my little road trips -- and sometimes -- I have to look things up to understand what I learned. When Rhonda and I visited Sterling, Illinois -- we walked through a little "historical society" building. In the display cases, they featured some Wahl Clippers.

I was vaguely aware of that brand...but, when I came home, I looked them up. YOUZA...

Wahl's international headquarters in Sterling, Illinois.

 I hope you can watch this video. IT IS SO INTERESTING TO ME...I'm sorry we missed the Wahl Clippers headquarters! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kHEqxtZYaU

Dillon House Mansion

Rhonda had a few days off -- so last Friday -- we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and have one of our "in-between" lunches. (we choose a town halfway between her Illinois home, and my Iowa location).

Rhonda did some research and came up with the Dillon House Mansion in Sterling, Iowa.

The Dillon family made their fortune manufacturing barbed wire.

And the house is completely furnished with all their stuff...

Mrs Crete Dillon was very VERY fond of wallpaper.

In every room, the light switches were papered.

In this room, the lucite doorknobs matched the rose wallpaper.

The wallpaper in the dining room was handpainted.

This is the back of the mansion. Which pretty much sits a block away from the Rock River.

 

Hey -- WHAT A GREAT DAY. Nobody enjoys a good mansion tour as much as I do!! And you learn so many interesting things about the people who used to live in the house. 

And, most of the time -- if you can tour a home of the richest guy in town (circa 1900) -- you can pretty much figure out what that town was all about.

The Dillon family owned the mansion since 1882...They made their fortune via Northwestern Steel and Wire Company.  The Wikipedia entry about the company is very interesting.  At one time, they provided jobs for over 2000 people. 

P.K. Dillon lived in the house until he was 96 years old...and when he died (1980) the family set up a Foundation to pay for the upkeep of the property.  The home, its furnishings and all of its artifacts would be turned over to the Sterling Park District for future generations to enjoy.

Times change...and in 2001, Northwestern Steel declared bankruptcy.  But their Foundation still pays for the upkeep of the mansion.  The family foundation also does many good works throughout the region...

The bankruptcy couldn't have hurt them much...as the Foundation still looks over a tidy sum of $63 million...

Yikes.

My First Every Plate Dinner!!

So, this is my initial report on my first box of EveryPlate. IT WAS AWESOME..!!

The box arrived (Fed Ex) -- and the frozen icy in the bottom of the insulated bag was still hard as a rock.

The recipe cards were easy to understand -- and they were RIGHT ON THE MARK about how long it was going to take (35 minutes for Creamy Chicken Dijon).

The produce was beautiful.

There were a dozen little bags and, bottles and packages of seasonings, mustard, sour cream, little white wine vinegar

I was too busy EATING THE FOOD to take pictures of it!!

My first Every Plate dinner was a huge success.  Even though I have never, in my life, voluntarily bought a zucchini -- I was quite happy to eat every single bite of my entire portion.

So far, so good...