Honor, respect, remembrance

Veteran's Day is a time for us to reflect on all who have served in the armed forces over the years. How proud I was on Sunday when the minister at church asked for all who had served to please stand! There Dennis was, among so very many other men who had been in the service of their country at some point in their lives. Following "All Saints" Sunday, it really was very easy to remember our Fathers, who both served during World War II. Even Grandma Marion Howe talked with me as a child about Great, Great (I honestly do not remember how many GREATS), Grandfather James L. Farnham and his service during the Civil War. I was writing a paper for a talk at my graduation from 8th grade at Tunbridge Central School. That was a big year of commemoration for the country, as the Civil War had begun 100 years ago. Well, Grandma was a member of the DAR ( Daughter of the American Revolution), and I remember that they met at what was the post office now... an old building there on that spot. Always wondered how I could join! Just to keep the bloodline of membership in order! Fox Channel is showing "tv gold" right now...kids singing Americana... how beautiful a tribute to our Veterans. Have you ever been to a parade, and watch the flag pass by, being carried by former service men? Well, look at the by-standers... they are all standing, and applauding these people (men and women), or have their hands over their heart. My Mother has a patriotic birthday (4th of July)... so I felt like we all were immersed in the proper respect of Veterans from an early age. So, I say a great big THANK YOU to anyone who has served, or is serving, in any capacity to protect America and all for which it stands ! (The photo is Dennis proudly standing in front of the Viet Nam Veteran's Memorial in Sharon, Vermont. September 2008)

Peacocks in my garden

Today, the three peacocks who roam the neighborhood returned to our garden area. I immediately noticed that the males are certainly maturing! Then all of a sudden, there the tail was fanned out, such a pretty sight to see. The thing that I noticed is that the head and neck is a vibrant hue of blues, but the tail feathers have not changed color. They are still a dull grey-brown, but oh so eye-catching when they were fanned. The part that I do not like is when the three-some comes to the front door...see picture! They drink from the water feature, then tend to poop whenever they feel like it. My, they certainly do leave nasty poop piles on the porch areas! Why there? Do they not know that we like clean feet when we come into the house? So, now I must weigh the situation out... beauty in the garden vs. poop on the porch. Time will tell!

I know God promises not to give me more than I can handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much. Mother Teresa

We all need to remember the saying above. Sometimes it seems as though there is too much on our plate, but we need to keep the faith, trust in god, and move on!

Today as I once again worked in my garden, watering and weeding, I marveled at the wonders and beauties all around us. The blossoms on my plants are what caught my eye today: the red climbing rose, having a final burst; the white Trumpet Lily; the purple Verbena; the salamander Impatiens; the blue Plumbago; the red Firecracker plant; the red Turk's Hat the purple and pink Mexican Petunias; the red Salvias; the orange/red Milkweed blossoms; and the orange Marigolds which I set out a couple of weeks ago. And this is early November! I do love having the time and energy to enjoy my garden space... and the beautiful blue skies and clear air that November brings in Florida!

Football season

Tonight, we went to the Wildwood High School football game (Go...Wildcats!). Now, if you live in this area, going to the game is the social highlight of the week, especially if the home team wins! Not having been raised on football, I seem to fail to get much enjoyment from watching those young men throw the ball around, then pounce on each other.... like patty-pile, when we were kids. And how do they figure out when it is ok? and when there is a penalty? The only thing I know about are goals. Addie was tickled when she heard the word "play" used, after everyone on the field had fallen down! She thought that a funny word to use! Now, my enjoyment at a football started at the gate, when I spied a former teacher-friend. Then two more.... the hugs were great and small talk blossomed. It seemed to take a long time to get to our seats, since along the way many students and adults came with wide open arms to greet me! How wonderful to see so many smiles and receive so many hugs and friendly words. This was the first time that I had returned to the school since graduation last spring... and before that, my January 31 retirement. So all in all, it has been a while since I had seen so many of those individuals. It certainly was wonderful to be greeted so wonderfully by so many! One stop along the way to our seat was made to purchase boiled peanuts, sold by the FFA members and alumni. Now, a boiled peanut is a strange piece of edible delight. I was quite surprised when I first tried a boiled peanut: many years ago, when a neighbor cooked some for us. These peanuts are soft, no longer crunchy, when one opens the shell. The ones we had were salted just right, and not too soggy. The fun is in the eating! Crack the shell, suck the peanut goodness out, and drop the shell on the ground (or wherever you are sitting). My hands became a sticky mess, and of course we had no napkins, so I wiped my hands on my jeans... but oh, those sure were a yummy treat! Now, that was a real southern experience! I am pleased to report that the hometown boys won their game, and now are proclaimed District Champs! Way to go Wildcats!!! That means we will attend at least one more game this season...sure hope the peanuts are still fresh!!! Fortunately, I am assured that the fans will be there with more hugs and great conversation!

A Child is born

Since I was on a roll about my starting labor to have Andrew, I thought that perhaps I should continue from there today. So, back to 11 December1972... We had a VW bug, a brand new forest green vehicle, which Dennis and I both loved. With the anticipation of a child arriving, we purchased a brand new VW station wagon, dark blue! So, that evening when we started our ride to Heidelberg, Dennis was driving the bug, and making me very worried, as he was going about 35 mph, on the Autobahn! For those of you who have been in Europe, you know that there generally is no speed limit, and everyone was whizzing by! His comment to me was that he was just being careful. Well, I know it was about 6:30 when we arrived at the hospital, they prepped me for delivery, and Andrew popped out about 9:30. Yes, I guess that was labor all day! There are things from the delivery that I remember: the nurse showed me the blood clot that had been getting the nourishment that should have been going to the baby! She said it was good thing I had delivered him so that he could get what he needed for food. I had planned to nurse my baby... I was all prepared, had a couple of training bras and had read a brochure! Well, they whisked the baby away as soon as they could, and told me that he was very small! he would probably be in the hospital as a premie for several weeks, and did I want to have the shot to stop production of milk. Of course, I said yes, as I understood that it meant several weeks of expressing milk to be fed from a bottle to him. That was a disappointment, as many Moms know. Well, the first thing the next day that I remember was walking down to the window to look at the babies. I had learned the lay of the place when I was in the hospital those days in November. When I arrived at the window to the nursery, there was the Rogers' box... a tiny baby inside with his eyes bandaged, his arms and legs secured with gauze bandages to keep him quiet. Someone discovered me, and took me back to the floor. Apparently, I was not supposed to be there to view him, as he was prepared for a time session in under the light for jaundice. I also found out that the box was called an "isolette", and since he weighed in at 4 pounds 4 1/2 ounces, he was getting some extra help breathing and living! WOW... no one had prepared me for all of this. This boy baby was our firstborn: Andrew Clay Rogers. He looked like a little old man, with the most beautiful blond hair, not only on his head, but all over his body... the "down" which I learned usually has disappeared from full-term babies. He had gorgeous blue eyes, and the nurses all took excellent care of him. They called him "Beach Boy" for he seemed ready to kick a beach ball or go out in the surf! He was an active baby, and became a favorite of those in the nursery. After a couple of days, I was sent home... 45 minutes driving time. There was no option for staying...this was an Army hospital... that was not an easy thing to do! We made the trip at least once a day, and you can be sure that we were tickled pink to be able to hold and rock him at 10 days! We had been able to touch him, but that day, we took the first pictures holding him, and started to really feel like he was truly ours. It became a daily ritual, to be there to feed him some meal, and when Andrew was 3 weeks old, weighing all of 5 pounds, we were allowed to take our baby home. One interesting thing: before we could leave the hospital, Dennis had to go to the stadthaus (city hall) to record Andrew's birth, our German baby had been born! Before we came home to the USA, Dennis traveled to Stuttgart and declared him a US citizen. As we made our visits to the doctors back at the hospital for our scheduled appintments, we were cautioned that "premature" babies often did not develop on schedule. They wanted us to be prepared for delayed behaviors... a scary thing to think about, when you are in a foreign country with no family around, and your best friends scattered around Germany or back stateside by this time. Andrew and I took many walks using our German carriage, and I loved that everyone living around us wanted to see the new American baby! He was ooogled over in German daily! Just to let you know, Andrew was never delayed developmentally, and has always been hyperactive, I thought! always looking for more to do and never sidestepping a challenge.When Andrew is around, I look up to him not only in height (not sure how tall he is, but he is taller than I am), but in awe and in wonder at the precious miracle that Dennis and I begot! I love you Andrew, and am so proud of you. Here we are on Maui, off jeeping, just the two of us! Andrew works as Hotel Manager for the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, and lives with wife, Sarah and daughters, Britt (9) and Anna (7) in Lahaina.

I feel ancient, not just old!

Today proved to me that I am old! Ancient is probably a better word! I went with Hannah for her 25 week sonogram to measure the growth of her babies. My reaction was embarrassing to her, I guess. I just could not believe that what I was seeing was real. My 90 year old grandfather in the late 60's could not believe that what he viewed on tv was real, and that is just the way that I felt today. To explain, let me tell you how it was for me when I was expecting Andrew. First of all, we had no clue as to the sex, until he was born. Fortunately we had a boy's name selected, but had he been a girl, Dennis was not too pleased with any of my suggestions. As you know, we did not have to go there! Well, in November, we finally went to see a movie, Love Story. It had finally been released to the European theaters... oh, by the way, we were living in Hofheim, Germany, as Dennis was assigned to TASCOM there in neighboring Worms. Well, a few days after seeing that wonderful love story, I started to hemorrhage. Remember: first pregnancy, 1971, living in Germany, just moved to a new city a few months before. Well, Dennis rushed me to the infirmary, where I had been seen on a regular basis since our move in April/May. Well, the doctor there checked me out, tried to find a heart beat, and had me loaded me into an ambulance. I was transported to the nearest hospital, in Heidelberg. Unbeknownst to me, Dennis had to drive himself, so it was me... traveling alone in that ambulance (a first), not knowing what in the world was happening. All I really remember is that I kept thinking about Love Story, and was sure that I was going to die. Did Army doctors know what they were doing? Well, they put me in a ward with other "problem" pregnant ladies, and I became a spectacle. They drew lines on my stomach in preparation for a C-section. The biggest event was when they brought in a dop-tone machine and FOUND a heart beat! wow... I finally knew all was going to be all right. But wait, multiples of doctors continued to come to look me over, guess they were trying to decide what to do! I remember being in the hospital through my birthday. Dennis was very good at coming to visit me. I had him bring me books to read and my needlepoint. Of course, at that point in time, there were no tv's to entertain us... all we were able to get at home were German speaking stations. So, I was released finally, and told to go home, take it easy, and to have two drinks a day to keep me relaxed...wine, bourbon and ginger, a couple of beers. Did not matter to me! It seems that I had experienced a Placenta Previa, and they really wanted me to extend my pregnancy as long as possible. My due date was then about 15 January... but since I did not have a regular cycle, no one knew for sure! So, home I went. Hanni, our hausfrau and the little old lady next door (with the wonderful cherry tree) were so worried about me, but they only spoke German. However, they kept good check on me, as of course, Dennis had to go to work! I must admit that I remember there being some very LONG days, phone calls were nearly non-existent, and I wondered how I was ever going to get through all of the remaining weeks. One day, a box came from the Rogers side of the family. It was a "shower in a box", filled with so very many wonderful items for our expected little one. What a thoughtful gesture by all of those families. It was truly wonderful. Well, I was able to get through 3 more weeks, but then Dennis and I decided to go to a party at his CO's home! I needed to go, as they were giving us their German baby carriage... a treasure that I used for both of our kids. It was the neatest European pram, and it is still up in the attic at my mother's home in Vermont. I just could never bear to junk it! Well, I had my toddies, but then after dinner, dessert was served. That was my downfall:Rumtopf on vanilla ice cream, It was composed of dried fruit (apricots, prunes, raisins, etc) and I guess I overindulged. The discomfort began that night, and the next day, I was running to the pot all day. I had some funny feelings, but well, your stomach aches when you have it all upset! Well, guess what??? about 5PM, I began to realize that maybe this was labor, as perhaps that was my water that broke! hmmmmmmmmmm how does one know? we were encouraged to get ourselves on the road to Heidelberg.... so another adventure began..... for Dennis and I. We had made it this far, we intended to get through it, even though we felt like the only two people on earth. No one came to visit, to help or to just be with me. (to be continued, someday) All this was to say how much a woman knows now as she goes through her pregnancy. I really was a very naive person in a world with little technology.... just 37 years ago... guess that is a lifetime! Knowing that everything is progressing well is so reassuring to an expectant mom, or even the grandmother! That little hand waving...wow! I know the next 10 weeks will fly by !

Nancy's Notes