My Title of Liberty

JANUARY 2007

New Year's Fish

New Year's Day 2007, I took my Christmas tree down and moved some furniture around. Winda spent most of the day taking down the home's tree (much more complicated than mine). She and Dan bought us four goldfish, each named after one of us. Unfortunately, one died overnight (we don't know whose). We put the fish in a large decorative candleholder (you'd have to see it to believe it).

On January 3, 2007 I took the bus to Evergreen. It was raining. I visited with Albert, and then when the rain let up, we took the bus to Denny's for lunch. We both had a breakfast combination. Then we went to Office Max where I bought ink for my printer, then to Dollar Tree where I got some miscellaneous items. We returned to Evergreen, then I returned home.

On the 4th, I was fitted for orthopedic shoes, then visited Elderplace.

On the 6th, my son Ernie came up from Salem to see me. He brought gifts from himself and from my youngest brother's family. He gave me books on PHP:Hypertext Preprocessor and CSS:Cascading Style Sheets and a Dr. WHO DVD. Jim's family sent me a set of Campbell's bowls, tomato soup, pasta, and smoked cheese, perfect for my microwave. We visited. Ed Owen arrived and the three of us went to McDonalds for supper. Ed took me to Evergreen where we visited with Albert while Ernie went to visit with his mother. Then Ed took me home.

On January 7th, I was taken to church where we got a new bishop, Bishop Kent R. Ipson. His counselors are Brian C. McCann (former 2nd Counselor) and Mark R. Jensen (who was a new High Priest). We also got a new Ward Clerk, James A. Lyle. The new schedule (1 pm to 4 pm) is good. I don't have to carry my lunch with me and try to eat between meetings.

On January 9th, I phoned Dad to wish him a happy 78th birthday. I talked to Mom, too.

On January 10th, it snowed a little but the snow that stuck melted away quickly as the air was still too warm. I finished converting all of my web pages to my new CSS format and uploaded it to the Internet site. I think it looks crisp and clean, easier to read and hopefully easier to navigate.

On January 11th, Much colder air moved in overnight and left a new layer of snow frozen on the ground. Elderplace cancelled my appointments for the day due to their being closed (due to icy conditions?). I made some fixes to my website and installed the Apache and PHP software. I am not having a lot of success in figuring out the PHP yet, though.

On January 13th, the temperature dropped to 20^oF. A little of the snow remained in the grass and on roofs from two days earler. We had a new resident move in. Her name is Lois and she is in her eighties.

Me - Snowman - Winda

On January 16th, 2007, From 5 am to about noon, it snowed and left about 3 inches of snow on everything. Winda's husband Dan made a large snowman on the deck. I supplied blue glass stones for the eyes and mouth, and a long scarf. They added a carrot for the nose. I also began rearranging the furniture in my room.

On January 17th, 2007, Dan built a second smaller snowman on the front porch. I continued rearranging my room. I was left with three or four boxes of things to go through.

On January 18th, 2007, The snow remains everywhere, though it has melted somewhat, except for where it has been scraped away. I was up and taken to Elderplace for my regular visit. I had lunch and received a "hand massage" accompanied by Elvis music. I got my new glasses, which had been sent to Elderplace instead of my home.

On January 19th, 2007, Ed and I went to visit Albert at Evergreen. He was recouperating from an operation and was still not able to communicate well. Though he seemed confused, he let us know that he recognized us. After that, Ed treated me to lunch at Shari's Restaurant.

On January 20th, 2007, Maria, Winda's daughter, cooked us a porridge, which we had for supper. It was a blend of thoroughly cooked rice with chicken, and topped with green onions and a large slice of boiled egg. The first time I had porridge and it only took me 58½ years to get around to it.

Me at the Sleep Lab

On January 27th, 2007, I was driven to Providence Hospital and admitted to the Sleep Lab. They played a video to tell me what to expect, then the technician hooked me up to several dozen wires. I had been through this before in 1998. Again, I didn't sleep very well, maybe 3 to 4 hours. They sent me home the next morning after a big cup of cocoa. I slept most of the day.

On January 29th, 2007, I bought a 5-½ gallon fish tank with accessories and two fish picked out for me by the salesman. At home, after supper, I rinsed out the tank and the gravel and set up the aquarium. I added the fish with three gallons of water supplied by the pet store. I added two more gallons of tepid tap water with the two drops of dechlorinizing solution. Winda promply added her two fish that hadn't died to the tank. One of my fish is orange with a black back, dorsal fins, and tail. The other is gold with a white face and belly. They seem to be happy (can any one tell if a fish is happy?)

On January 31st, 2007, I was picked up for an appointment I had been told was at Providence, but turned out to be for my new diabetic/orthopedic shoes. I was expecting to be picked up at 9 am but was picked up about 10:20. I was not returned home until 1:10 pm, where Winda fixed me a late lunch. The new shoes feel comfortable and time will show whether they will help my feet more than the shoes I have been wearing.

FEBRUARY 2007

On February 1st, 2007, I went on my regular outing to Elderplace. My leg is healed over, but they are still concerned about the ulcer on my toe not closing up. I asked the nurse to think about getting me a walker now that I have the orthopedic shoes so I can start walking more.

On February 2nd, 2007, I rearranged part of my room.

On February 3rd, 2007, I watched a movie, "Though None Go With Me". It was the story of a woman who gets engaged to a young minister who then goes to Korea. He gives her a Bible to keep while he is away with the inscription:

Though none go with me
Still I will follow.
No turning back.
No turning back.

This is from a hymn I learned as a youth. While he is gone, her father dies (her mother had died when she was young) and she loses the home she had lived in with her father. She is taken into the home of a friend who has room to spare. Then she is told that her fiance had died overseas. She finally marries her friend, then finds out that her fiance had not been killed after all, and was coming home. As difficult as it was, her fiance understands the situation and is at least happy that she is happy with her husband. She and her husband have one son who dies with his wife after giving her a granddaughter. At this point, she feels like giving up, but her former fiance reminds her that there are other people who need her as much as she needs them. She continues to help others. Her husband develops Alzheimers and finally dies. She has been telling her story to her granddaughter, now wanting to leave home and "see the world". Her friends throw her a surprise dinner and some of those she has helped testify of the ways she has helped them. She hadn't realized until then how many people she had helped while she was dealing with her own problems. Then her granddaughter returns at the dinner saying she thought she needed to stay at home a bit longer. For me, it was a tear-jerker. I tend to cry at losses and at reunions. I'd say I'm blessed. I have been married four times. I have two children, who seem to be doing well. Though my grandparents are all dead, I have both my parents still, and all my siblings. I have friends in Salem, Portland, at my current and former residences, and in three Wards here. I am generally happy, and I know that God loves me.

My New Aquarium

On February 5th, 2007, I went down to Fred Meyer in my wheelchair, hoping to find a lamp hood for my fish tank. They didn't have one. I was told there is a PetCo a couple more lights down Burnside. I made my way there and bought a lamp hood, a folding glass cover to separate the lamp from the water, and a "Combo Pack" of water plants that included a nice fern. I made my way home again, stopping several times to rest, including a stop at the Dairy Queen for a cherry-dipped cone. I added the plants to the tank and installed the cover and light.

On February 7th, 2007, I worked on my Movies List page for my web, checked my email, and sent a letter to Christina via email.

On February 8th, 2007, My regular appointment with ElderPlace was cancelled due to understaffing due to a flu. I was picked up for my Podiatrist appointment. The doctor said there was no improvement in my toe. I was returned home almost 2 hours late for lunch. Winda made me a sandwich and potato salad. I finished pulling a broken tooth with my fingers that had been loose since morning. I counted 21 whole teeth left. I edited my calendars and began a page for my web with a list of books I have read.

On February 9th, 2007, Winda asked each of us if we would mind having prayer, a blessing on the food, before meals. We all agreed we would like it, and so we began. I was asked to pray at breakfast. I continued working on my read books list. Ed came to visit. We watched "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "I, Robot" on DVD.

On February 13th, 2007, I was taken to a follow-up appointment with the people who fitted me for my orthopedic shoes. Everything was fine.

On February 14th, 2007, I wrote a poem before breakfast, Finding My Way, a poem after breakfast, To Valentine, and a poem after supper, Love That Lasts Forever.

On February 15th, 2007, I went to ElderPlace for my regular visit. I was seen at the clinic and introduced to Debby, who will be my nurse for subsequent visits. The results of my Sleep Study were "ambiguous": They may have me return for another study with the aid of a sleeping pill.

Floor Plan of My Room

On February 17th, 2007, I spent the day rearranging my room, moving most of my furniture, getting rid of two big pieces, and gathering two bags of trash. I was still sore the next day when I went to church. See floor plan on right -->

On February 21st, 2007, I wrote a poem, Valley of the Shadow of Death.

On February 22nd, 2007, I went for my regular visit to ElderPlace, expecting to be taken to a podiatrist appointment after lunch, but found out that the appointment had been cancelled and rescheduled for the morning of the 27th. I had a Reuben sandwich for lunch. Larry, the Physical Therapy Assistant, talked to me about my wheelchair and what I would need in a walker. It sounds like he will look into providing me with a walker, a "Mighty Max", and also have someone see if they can fix my wheelchair (as a backup). I wrote three poems, What I Love About the Gospel, GENESIS, and EXODUS.

MARCH 2007

The first week in March, I spent a lot of time with Winda's Karaoke system. It is basically a microphone connected to a TV with the words and music to 721 songs contained within it. It apparently had more, but some had quit working. I was still waiting for a walker to allow me to get out on my own using the Tri-Met bus system. I made a spreadsheet of the Karaoke songs: ID number, name, and performer. I am also recording the "score" I get from each "performance".

On March 8th, 2007, I wrote a poem, Third Eye, based on an experience I had while waiting for my clinic appointment at ElderPlace.

On March 9th, 2007, I made a temporary fix on the front wheel of my wheelchair. I used a plastic lid from a shampoo bottle to replace the missing washer. Saturday morning, I added a roll of indoor/outdoor carpet material around the vertical axle to keep it from wobbling. I wrote a poem, It's Not Spring.

On March 10th, 2007, in the afternoon, I took my wheelchair down to PetCo on Burnside and bought a plecostamus (a sucker fish) for my fish tank to try to control the algae that has grown up all over my tank. Then I went across the street to Dollar Tree and bought a number of things: snack crackers, p-nut butter, 4 AA batteries (for Willy), a pack of 7 scrubbing sponges, a pack of four lighters (for candles), a bag of mixed nuts, a pack of pens (3 4-color), a CD with religious texts on it, a green "I'm Irish" freezer mug, a pair of butter knives (to go with the two forks and two spoons I already had), and a bottle of baby shampoo. Part of the plastic lid I used to fix the wheelchair wheel broke, but even if it goes completely, I don't think the wheel will fall off because of the piece of carpet I wrapped around the axle under the nut. From there, I went to Dairy Queen (DQ) and had a cherry-dipped vanilla cone. I bought 6 assorted Dilly Bars and brought them home. I had to stop several times on the way up the hill to rest (and let my heart slow down). For supper, each resident had a Dilly Bar for dessert. Winda and her daughter Maria (who helped with preparing the dinner) had one too.

On March 11th, 2007, I woke up at 5:30 am. I checked my cell phone and it had already been adjusted to Daylight Savings Time. None of my other clocks had, which means that most of those will have to be reset when the first Sunday in April comes when their programmed changes occur. In my room, I reset nine clocks: my wall clock, two alarm clocks, the microwave, DVD/VCR, my laptop, two Pocket Pcs, and my camera. I didn't know where my wristwatch was as I don't wear it much. When I finally got back to bed, it was almost seven. I couldn't get back to sleep before it was time to get up at 7:45. At breakfast, I set three clocks in the dining room and living room. After breakfast, I felt cheated and went back to bed until 10:30. Br. Hall picked me up for church. The sacrament talks were about the 3rd Article of Faith. Sunday School was about Seeking the Kingdom of God, and Priesthood was about Prayer. It all fit together well. I need to improve my prayer life. The weather (what I saw of it) was pretty nice. I found my legs were really aching from the workout I gave them Saturday (mostly the muscles just above the knees).

On March 13th, 2007, I went to the Oregon Zoo for the first time in six months. I took a bus to the Gresham Transit Center (less than two miles) and the MAX train from there to the Zoo (more than 13 miles further). According to a thermometer at the Zoo, the temperature was about 48 degrees. I took more than 200 pictures with my camera, starting with one of the mountain goat on top of the fake mountain. After passing through the ticket gate, it was suggested that I take the trail to the left. On that trail, I saw the bobcats (new), a spotted owl, a black bear (new), a bald eagle, two mountain lions (new). That brought me down to the lower level at the Trillium Family Farm which (if I had gone straight after the ticket gates) would have taken me down a long path until I got to the leopard. At the farm, I saw Shetland sheep, goats, chickens, a bunny, and a peacock in full splendor. I checked out the Elk Meadow where I discovered that the bull elk was antlerless. From there, I went through the Polar Bear and Sun Bear exhibits. After having lunch, I went through the Primate and Amazon Flooded Forest exhibits. I got better pictures of the Ocelot and Chimpanzee (which I saw outside for the first time). Then, I went to see the Tigers and Leopard. I was almost out of space for photos on my SD memory card and my battery was failing. I sat on a bench at Tiger Plaza and waited for the Zoomer. The Zoomer drove me and my wheelchair up to the entrance and I bought some gifts for the other residents before heading home. I arrived home in just under two hours and just in time for supper.

On March 14th, 2007, I was taken to my podiatrist's office. I got my nails trimmed and the doctor said the opening on my toe was down to two millimeters. Miraculously, it seems, I got home in time for supper (I had a SlimFast shake with me just in case).

On March 15th, 2007, I went to ElderPlace for my regular visit. After lunch, I helped Peggy at the front desk learn how to use the camera bought for her husband (but he hasn't used). Larry said I might get my walker "pretty soon".

On March 17th, 2007, We got a new resident. His name is Alan and he has Alzheimer's. He arrived about 7 pm from California with two men.

On March 19th, 2007, I woke up early feeling nauseous. Winda made me a mix of powdered ginger in hot water at my suggestion. That, and laying down helped it go away. In the afternoon, someone came from ElderPlace to pick up my wheelchair for repair. The man said that he was going to load a walker into my truck but found it was not rated for my weight. They said they would return the wheelchair before Thursday.

On March 21st, 2007, before lunch, I wrote an acrostic poem, FREDISWINDA, thanking Winda for all she does for us. Later, someone brought my wheelchair back, and a new walker, a "Mack". It is blue (my favorite color). I transferred my "bicycle bell" from the wheelchair to the walker and hung an ID tag under the seat. Winda washed my bag from my wheelchair and I attached it to the backrest bar on my walker.

On March 22nd, 2007, I took my new walker to ElderPlace on my regular visit. After lunch, I went for a walk east to 181st (about 3-½ blocks) then north (about 2 blocks) to where there was a neighborhood carnival set up. It was deserted, but I took photos of the equipment. It would have been more interesting with people. I returned to ElderPlace having walked at least half a mile. I was ready to rest, but someone wanted to get my weight. It was 333.8 lbs. After to talking to Peggy at the front desk about how she is coming with her camera (she doesn't have the software that should have come with it), I went upstairs for my clinic appointment. Debby checked my blood pressure (130/80) and the ulcer on my toe (still improving). I got reimbursed for the money I spent on Epsom salt and bought a Coca Cola Zero (sign said Diet Coke). I learned it may be possible to plug in at ElderPlace to go on the Internet if I bring my Ethernet cable.

On March 23rd, 2007, After breakfast, I took my walker on the bus to Gresham Transit Center, and the MAX from there to ElderPlace. At ElderPlace, I was able to talk to my case worker who said that even if I plugged my laptop into the wall there I could still not get onto the Internet (but could wirelessly at Providence Hospital, which was my back-up plan). I took the MAX to Gateway and the Glisan bus to Providence Portland Hospital. There, I successfully logged on as a guest and was able to get minutes added to my Pre-Paid phone account, which I had feared would be closed to me by then, and to check and send e-mail. I deleted nearly four hundred e-mails that had stacked up over the month, and kept a mere handful. I got one from my sister, who is now on a trip to Mexico, and one from my daughter, who is interested in theater if she doesn't have to take it too seriously. I was disappointed to find out that the Providence system is not set up to give me full access so that I could edit the files on the web. I will have to find another means of access. I took the Hospital Shuttle from the hospital to the Hollywood Transit Center and from there I took the Halsey bus to Troutdale (about 11 miles). I walked around "Historic Downtown Troutdale" taking photos, then decided to have lunch at Café Bono's (casual Italian dining). I was thinking "spaghetti" but had cream of broccoli soup, a meatball sandwich (could only eat half), and a small milk. With tip, it came to only eleven dollars. I found a bus stop and waited forty minutes, taking pictures all the while, and took the bus the last three miles to home. My total walking distance was a little more than a mile, but felt I was done walking for the day.

On March 24th, 2007, I added a new page to my Web, My Mountain Photos. I started with fourteen photos of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens.

APRIL 2007

On April 6th, 2007, I wrote a poem, ELDERPLACE.

MAY 2007

JUNE 2007

On June 14th, 2007, I wrote a poem, I LOVE THE FLAG.

JULY 2007

On July 1st, 2007, for the first time in three months, I tried my laptop. The battery was dead. I plugged it in and turned it on. It is still reporting "Imminent Hard Drive Failure" and warning me to back up my data, but it stayed on for over six hours. I managed to copy all of my personal photos, my "Sam and the Sea" story, my most current web pages, my Journals, spreadsheets, and many more things. I used every last blank CD I had. I will be satisfied if that is all I can save. I have to consider it some sort of miracle, as three months ago, I couldn't get it to stay booted for more than five minutes.

AUGUST 2007

On August 1st, 2007, I had nothing solid to eat in preparation for a colonoscopy. A nurse came in the morning and drew blood from my arm. In the evening I took two kinds of liquid laxatives, with predictable results.

On August 2nd, 2007, In the morning, I was taken to the hospital. A nurse prepared me, then I was taken to an operating room where I talked to the doctor before being put to sleep. I woke a few minutes before they finished. There was some discomfort, but altogether, it was more pleasant than what I had gone through the day before. They took three biopsies, but found nothing to be concerned about (the biopsies were all OK).

On August 5th, 2007, I wrote a poem, A Childhood Prayer.

On August 24th, 2007, I woke up with a sore throat. I participated in a Garage Sale at the house where I live and sold a few items for cash. We repeated the Sale the next day with less success. By Sunday, the sore throat was turning into a cold.

On August 27th, 2007, I visited Elderplace for a Foot Care appointment. I took my tissue with me for blowing my nose.

On August 29th, 2007, I visited Elderplace for my cold and cancelled my regular appointment for the next day.

On August 31st, 2007, I was taken to a skin doctor and a biopsy was taken from a mole on my back (turns out it was "just a mole".

SEPTEMBER 2007

On Labor Day, September 3rd, 2007, my friend, Ed Owen, arrived about breakfast time. We looked at the newspaper to see if there were any movies we'd be interested in seeing, but there weren't. Then I said I would like to go somewhere to take pictures. Ed suggested we go to Timberline Lodge, so I got myself together and we took off down Hwy 26. My first picture was of the building where my Ward meets, which sets just off the highway at 312th Ave. I took photos of Mt. Hood as we would sometimes get good views of it coming around the bends in the highway. I got one picture of two deer we passed, a doe and her fawn.

We reached Timberline about 10 am. I took pictures from the parking lot, then scooted my wheelchair backward toward the lodge. There was another building in the way, and Ed suggested we take its elevator up to the lodge (that's what the sign said). We went through a couple of Gift Shops in the first building, looking for souvenirs, but didn't buy anything. When the elevator opened at the upper level, We found the lodge was still a parking lot away and uphill to boot. When I finally reached the lodge, Ed was a way ahead of me. Someone told me about an elevator nearby, so I yelled to Ed that I would meet him on the 2nd floor (actually, it was the 1st floor), and he did. We roamed around the public areas (a lot of it is private rooms for the hotel guests) and took pictures. We found another gift shop in the Lodge itself. I bought souvenirs for the people at home. I got pictures of Mt. Jefferson (46 miles to the South). We went out on the patio facing Mt. Hood's summit. I saw my first chipmunk in over 50 years (and got 3 photographs of it too!). I got Ed to take my photo in front of the mountain as proof that I was there (OK, I know I could have faked it). I learned that Bruno, the resident St. Bernard, is retired and will be replaced with another (probably with the same name, unless it is a female). At noon, we found our way (with difficulty, as the elevators seem to lead to different worlds) to the Ram's Head Pub, which we were told was the medium-priced place to eat there. I treated Ed to lunch; we both had the meatloaf sandwich and a diet Coke; Ed had soup, too. They don't have a big selection, but the food is good. After lunch, we decided to head back. I rolled my wheelchair down to the parking lot using my feet and hands for braking – that was fun! On the way down, someone asked me if I could actually stop it, so I did, just to prove it.

As we drove down the mountain, I assumed we were headed home, but when Ed reached Hwy 26, he turned east instead. Within the next hour, I asked Ed if he had a plan in mind. He said he wanted to see a ghost town. The landscape was startlingly different from the mountains. At first, there seemed to have been a forest fire where what trees there were stood stripped and burnt. There was mostly dry brush everywhere. Our first stop, at 2 pm, was at a place where a steel span crosses Mill Creek (it's on the road map). Mill Creek may be about the same size as the one in Salem, but it is buried so deep in a canyon that I only glimpsed the water once and didn't get any pictures of it, though I took several of the canyon walls. From there, I took photos of Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Hood (twice as far from Mt. Hood as from Mt. Jefferson now). We were soon in a land surrounded by flat-topped mesas with steep cliffs at the tops and sloping sides reaching down to the valley bottom. We stopped again at Warm Springs where I bought a medium-sized bottle of diet Mountain Dew and a road map. A little farther on, we stopped at the Deschutes River, where a man was wading with his dog. We were in a land surrounded by flat-topped mesas with steep cliffs at the tops and sloping sides reaching down to the valley bottom. We continued driving south until we got to Madras, then turned northward. Here there was a more rolling land with large hunks of earth punched up through the ground. One had particularly red soil showing where the rip had formed. We finally turned east again and found the little town of Shaniko, reputed to be a ghost town. I only got out of the car to go into the Rock Shop. I bought half of a thunder egg for three dollars as a souvenir (it is now in my fish tank where it shows the insides best). I got back in the car while Ed was wandering around to different shops, etc. I looked over the road map and found what I thought would be the fastest way home. When Ed got back to the car, he gave me a “wooden nickel” he got at the Candy Shop. I had told Winda I would be back for supper (5 pm); it was already after 4 pm. Ed was thinking of heading north to the Columbia and following the river back home, but the way I had found was at least shorter on the map, and he went along with it. The battery of my camera finally quit, and I got no more pictures after Shaniko.

We doubled back for a mile, and headed north on a road called Bakeoven. It led to Maupin, where we headed west to meet Hwy 26 about twenty miles southeast of Government Camp. I tried several times getting a signal for my phone so I could let Winda know we were OK, but it was only at Government Camp at 5:20 pm that I was finally able to do so. At Ed's suggestion, we stopped at the next Dairy Queen and got something to eat. I had a fish sandwich. Ed got fifty dollars worth of gas (14 gallons to fill up), and we finished the drive home. I got home just after 7 pm.

On September 6th, 2007, I wrote a poem, Labor Day Road Trip.

On September 10th, 2007, I phoned my parents and visited with them on occasion of their 60th Wedding Anniversary.

On September 11th, 2007, Patriot's Day, I went to a podiatrist appointment. Dr. Yoon found an abcess on my middle right toe. It was harmless. It was also my first anniversary being at the Home.

On September 16th, 2007, I was set apart in the High Priest Group as a Quorum Instructor and led my first lesson, "Honorable, Happy, Successful Marriage". It went well, especially since I was probably the only one present who is not currently married.

On September 20th, 2007, I went to my regular visit to Elderplace, and between lunch and my clinic visit, I wheeled to the Rockwood Library (8/10 mile, round trip) to check my emails and add time to my pre-pay phone account.

On September 22nd, 2007, I wrote a poem, Above the Fray.

OCTOBER 2007

On October 1st and 2nd, 2007, I rearranged my room, ending up with a futon instead of a hospital bed.

On October 3rd, 2007, Ed Owen and I visit a friend at a nursing home. They had moved him to a room at the other end of the facility. He was sleeping, though Ed called his name a few times. Ed and I sat and visited, hoping that at least some of it would drift into his awareness. Then Ed took me shopping. After stopping by Ed's house, we headed out to Corbett, where I bought a banana. We continued to Vista House on Crown Point and on to Multnomah Falls. In the gift shop there I bought a souvenir traffic cone (about 4” tall). On it was written, “OH NO -- NOT ANOTHER LEARNING EXPERIENCE”. Then we headed home on highway I-84 through Wood Village and Troutdale.

On October 5th, 2007, I had the opportunity to go to the Portland Temple. It was my first time to serve there in over three years, and it was a wonderful experience.

On October 6th and 7th, 2007, I watched our Semi-annual General Conference on TV, recording it on VHS. Our Prophet, the President of the Church, though he is 97 years plus, is still healthy. He has a new 2nd Counselor due to the passing of James E. Faust, Henry B. Eyring.

On October 21st, 2007, I rejoined the choir. In Sacrament meeting, we sang, "Oh, It Is Wonderful".

On the 23rd, I taught Winda to play Chinese Checkers, and on the 24th, she taught me to play Mancala/Sunka.

On October 27th, Ed and I took a drive to Lake Oswego, then north and west across the bridge to Aloha, and then back home. I took 180 pictures.

On October 29th, I wheeled to Fred Meyer and bought make-up for my Halloween costume, and printing supplies.

On Halloween night, I made up my face like a Jack O' Lantern and sat in my wheelchair on the porch to hand out candy to the Trick-or-Treaters. Some thought that I was a "dummy" set out as a decoration, until I moved.

NOVEMBER 2007

On November 1st, 2007, I got my flu shot while at Ederplace for my regular visit.

On November 3rd, 2007, The house got a wireless hub and I was able to get onto the Internet for the first time in 8 months. I updated my personal web site with the web page changes I had made over that time.

On November 5th, 2007, I downloaded and installed OpenOffice 2.3. This was an upgrade to the version I used before the Vista OS.

On November 10th, 2007, I uploaded all of my web pages again, as I had spent a week editing almost all of them to change the look and consistency of my site.

On November 13th, 2007, I took the bus and MAX to the Oregon Zoo and took photos and videos of the animals. The Bobcats, Black Bears, and Mountain Lions were moving around and I got some good shots of them.

On November 15th, 2007, I took the bus and MAX to the Greyhound Bus station and bought a round-trip ticket to Salem for the Thanksgiving holiday.

On November 19, 2007, I decided to back Mitt Romney for President. His official website is www.mittromney.com. I created a web page at this site in support of his candidacy [go there].
Also, Martha, a new resident arrived and got settled into the home. The house is now full for the first time in months.

On November 21, 2007, I took a Greyhound to Salem for Thanksgiving. I slept comfortably two nights on my sister's futon. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Denny's on Market Street (I'm the only one who had a fairly traditional meal - the Turkey and dressing with sides of mashed potatoes and corn). One other had a turkey sandwich. We all went to my sister's house (where my parents also live) and played games. We also had pumpkin and apple pie, ice cream, and deviled eggs. We played "The Great Dalmuti", "Dead Money", "Once Upon a Time", and two variations of a Dr. Lucky game where we were either trying to kill him or save him to kill him later. I got back on Friday afternoon (the 23rd). I wrote a poem called The Squirrel.

DECEMBER 2007

On December 1, 2007, I signed up for a Gmail account, elmosawyer@gmail.com. I am having both Google and Yahoo! share my IE Home page for now.

On December 5, 2007, I uploaded my latest changes, including the new "bright" red, white, and blue look, and my newest poem, The Squirrel.

On December 8, 2007, I went with my friend Ed to see "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium". The title wasn't that exciting and I didn't know what to expect. But I really liked it. In fact, I shed a few tears. It is a 'G' movie that is worth seeing. It stars Dustin Hoffman as the 243 year old owner of a magical toy store (Shh! Don't tell the children) and Natalie Portman as his protege, who doesn't feel so magical.

On December 16, 2007, I began a poem, The Nativity. I added the last two paragraphs on the following day.

On December 20, 2007, We learned at supper that Evelyn (87), one of our residents who had been in the hospital a few days, had passed away the day before. We will miss her, but know that she is not suffering anymore.

For Christmas, 2007, I took a Greyhound bus to Salem, Oregon on Christmas Eve. Most of the family gathered at my sister's home. We ate good food and played games. I was up with my sister's family until 3:30 am on Christmas Day. I slept until 10:30 am. I visited with my parents and played more games with the family. I took the bus home again the day after Christmas, bringing a cold with me.