Here it is Sunday evening already. The weekend was spent with family members celebrating a retirement. Several thoughts came out of our time together. Our discussion touched on having a loved one in a nursing home.

Since the one retiring was a care giver in this type of setting, her suggestions are as follows. We have also included some additional thoughts and ideas gathered from our own life's experience.

1) Always attend the "Patient Care Meetings". These are regular scheduled meetings to go over with a staff person on how the loved one is doing. This can include discussions of, but is not limited to, medication changes and the expected results of these changes, as well as eating, sleeping, activities, physical changes such as weight gain or loss etc. Be sure to express any and all concerns you may have about the care your loved one is receiving. Document the questions and answers.

2) Make notes at these meetings to see later on if the staff follows through on decisions reached and agreed upon.

3) Be a "squeaky wheel" so to speak. As sad as this is, the truth of the matter is that sometimes to get the care you feel is the best, you need to be letting the staff know in a nice way that your loved one should be getting a higher level of attention.

4) Document! Document! Document! Write down observations of neglect including date and time, take pictures if necessary. Do surprise visits at odd times. Use your nose as an aid to help detect if your loved one's hygiene is being neglected. The facility itself should also have a non-offensive smell.

5) Don't neglect your responsibilities too. Visit as often as you can, bringing cheer and a smile. Bring snacks and treats for the staff. Be sure to celebrate mile stones your loved one reaches such as birthdays and celebrating holidays together whenever possible. You don't need to have a reason to bring a gift. Gifts can be fun anytime.

It is always difficult when circumstances make it impossible to care for those we love and a nursing facility is necessary. These thoughts and tips are shared with you to make that difficult time for you a little easier. Hope this helps.

Today we took a walk in a nearby state nature preserve. When our state was first settled about 90% of the land was forested. The woods we hiked in today is one of the largest and least-disturbed old-growth forest known to remain in our state. A 1.5 mile recycled-plastic lumber boardwalk allows visitors to enjoy the preserve without destroying the integrity of the old-growth forest.

We observed some wildlife today, like squirrels, chipmunks and even some deer. The weather was just perfect. A comfortable 75 degrees in the shade. A softly blowing breeze made our trek incredible. The deer siting made it very special. Fortunately, not many people took advantage of the lovely day, so the trails were mostly left to us. The stillness and the natural element had a calming effect.

The above photo is not from today's adventure. It is from a woods adjacent to a public garden not far from us. But it sends the same message of stillness and quietude that we experienced on our walk today.

To share or not to share

As promised, we want to give you a report on our first transitional meeting held last evening by our congregation. The meeting lasted the full 2 hours set aside for it, with no conclusion or decision as of yet.

The time was mostly spent airing opinions and brainstorming for solutions. Some strong feelings were expressed on both sides of the issue. Some new ideas emerged, as well. So, since our time was up, we tabled this until November's meeting.

Our next transitional meeting, held in October, will be a summary of our transitional pastor's report on the issues within our congregation. He has conducted interviews to comprise this report. He is calling this meeting a "watershed" event for our congregation. We are looking forward to this meeting.

We were amazed at how much fun our first meeting actually was for us. It is good to sit down together and discuss church with other members. Perhaps because the issue for this meeting was not a hot topic, the meeting was more enjoyable. We are sure that as this process moves forward into more sticky situations the meetings may be of a more serious nature.

Photos from our place

CORNFIELD AT DAWN

Trying new things

Today we tried out a brand new recipe.

It has brown rice, cashews, dried cranberriess, onions, garlic and spices.

We thought at first that we would not like it.

So, as a back up plan, we decided that if it was awful we would go out to eat.

It was scrumptious!

Now it is one of our favorites.

If we had been too afraid to try something new to us, we would have missed out on this wonderful new experience.

What a shame that would have been.

Numbers rule

We are aware lately of how important numbers seem to be in our lives.

One of us struggles with numbers derived from blood drawn periodically, with doctors adjusting medicines accordingly.

The other must contend with the numbers of blood pressure readings, keeping to a strict diet in order to not elevate these readings.

Each of us when driving observe the numbers along the side of the road that indicate a maximum speed.

Some numbers we count down, looking forward to retirement.

Some numbers we add up to celebrate, such as birthdays or anniversaries.

Then there are the numbers that appear on the face of a clock, keeping us moving through our lives at a fast clip.

A visit to the gas station puts us into shock when we observe those numbers comprising the total bill!

The thermometer numbers regulate our dress as we prepare to walk each morning.

How important numbers are in all our lives.

A touch of fall is in the air. The days are warm but the night times are cool and the mornings crisp.

As promised the answer to last Sunday's quiz will be revealed in today's blog. But you will have to read to the end to find the answer.

Tomorrow is the national "Labor Day" holiday. We do plan on laboring a bit around the house but may do some fun things too. There are beautiful fall flowers to enjoy now.

Thankfully the Japaneses beetle plague we had this summer is just about over. It lasted about two full months. The farmer who farms that field next door planted soy beans this year which must be a favorite of the beetles.

In the next five weeks we will be attending two family reunions, as well as visiting some out of state family.

Ready for the quiz answer? You may have guessed it by now but here it is anyway. "Glass"