Category Archives: Aunts and Uncles

A New Hip & Sweet Family

Modern medicine is amazing. Truly, how is it possible that doctors are able to completely replace a person’s knee or hip? I am scared to look online, but I’m sure there are videos that show exactly how the procedure is done. I’ll just be grateful and ignorant of the actual details.

Needless to say, Sarah and I are so honored and privileged to have the opportunity to come to Michigan to care for my mom (or Mamie as we call her) as she recovers from her total hip replacement.

Walker & tray

This walker was a godsend the first week.

Our first few days here were spent enjoying Aunt Kate, Mamie’s IDENTICAL twin sister. I have to emphasize the word identical because, for their growing up years the sisters thought they were fraternal twins. The rest of us were convinced they had to be identical. It only takes a few minutes spent with them, a glance at their picture, or the chance to overhear them talk and giggle, to be CERTAIN they have to be identical twins. It wasn’t until this last year that they finally did a DNA test (courtesy of Aunt Stephanie, their big sister), that they discovered they were identical. Nothing has changed, they love each other as dearly and fiercely as before, but there was much rejoicing in finding out they were IDTs (our new term for the twins).

Twins with their babies

Twins with their babies

My brother Thom and my cousin Alex (born in the same year) called each other Twin Cousins when they were younger. I’m still a wee bit upset that I never had twins.

Years ago - sweet twins!

Years ago – sweet twins!

The first week here in Michigan was especially precious as my family adores Aunt Kate and loves having time with her. We were sorry for Mamie’s pain and the reason for our visit, but delighted to get some days together with the IDTs. Sadly we missed being with Aunt Stephanie, she left the day before we arrived.

My mom’s beautiful relationship with her family – her parents and siblings – has been a true blessing to me over the years. I have observed how they love each other from afar (we grew up in Michigan, my mom’s sisters are in Minnesota and my grandmother retired to a home in Texas), how they support and encourage one another, and come alongside during the good and bad times, the easy days and the difficult ones.

Mom quickly became a pro at the walker.

Mom quickly became a pro at the walker.

It has been a richness of family and history that I have surely taken for granted. When my grandmother was living, we would travel with my parents to see her every year (bringing along a passel of noisy, exuberant great-grandchildren). We have been incredibly spoiled over the years by my aunts and uncles. My children have been blessed with trips overseas and college assistance by my Aunt Stephanie. We have been loved and prayed over with an abundance of grace.

Rachel and Tahlia with Aunt Stephanie

Rachel and Tahlia with Aunt Stephanie

Love being with family here in Michigan. Sarah is a sweet companion.

Love you, pretty girl!

Love you, pretty girl!

We do school, bring Mamie ice packs and chocolate (depending on the needs of the moment), watch Hallmark movies and cooking shows, go online for TPS classes, join Mamie in her hip exercises, and relax. It’s been a unique and special time.

Project 365 – October 12th and October 14th
Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

Michigan Family Time

Sarah and I are in Michigan to enjoy some time with my mom as she recovers from her hip replacement. The surgery “just happened” to coincide with a dear friend’s wedding. I was already planning on coming to Michigan in October to attend the wedding, spend time with my mom, and see Joshua and Kelsie. Joshua was the best man in the wedding – he and Kelsie drove up from Tennessee to be here over fall break.

A few minutes of relaxing before rushing to the next thing.

A few minutes of relaxing before rushing to the next thing.

When Mom’s surgery was scheduled for the end of September, it worked out beautifully for my aunt to come for the first week of recovery time, and then Sarah and I to come for the next two weeks. So many sweet things came together – we got to see my mom’s twin sister, we had time with Joshua and Kelsie, we got some relaxed, intentional time with Kelsie (my beautiful future daughter in law), we were able to attend David and Christianne’s wedding, we shopped for wedding outfits, we pampered Mamie, and then we had time with my brother and his youngest daughter.

Sarah gets some loving from Aunt Kate!

Sarah gets some loving from Aunt Kate!

Wow!

Not sure why I haven’t been blogging all of this. Just know there has been joy. There have been some tears. There has been a lot of reminiscing and talk of my beloved (and SORELY missed) dad. There have been even more giggles. Quite a bit of ice cream and other delicious food. Sweet discussions on faith and life. Quiet moments of Bible study. Painful stretching and hip exercises (we ALL do them with Mamie). Other silly video workouts. Good chocolate. Visits with Mamie’s INCREDIBLE friends. And more.

It was hard being gone for Tim’s birthday, but we managed to celebrate him here in Michigan.

We missed being with Tim on his birthday.

We missed being with Tim on his birthday.

We love you, Tim!!  Happy Birthday.

We love you, Tim!! Happy Birthday.

And he was obviously thoroughly spoiled on his birthday back in Washington. We are a blessed and loved family! A huge thankful to all of our friends for stepping in and partying with Tim in my absence.

Tim and David have been surviving just fine without us (somehow). Hopefully they haven’t been spoiled so much by my sweet friends that they don’t regret us returning home on Tuesday.

Kathy – more to follow
Project 365 – October 7th & October 8th

Share or follow

Related posts:

Brother’s Druthers

One of my favorite hobbies is to tease and exploit my brother. In the past, I’ve had to exercise a certain amount of restraint, but now that Mark is a civilian, all bets are off. Mark was originally an armored cavalry officer (before he got all tech-y, or possibly tetchy) and went into simulations. Whenever I was tempted to push the limits in harassing or taking advantage of him, I would remember that only his sense of restraint preserved my home (and my town of residence) from being turned into rubble by a squadron of M-1 Abrams tanks.

Not my brother's actual tank.

Not my brother’s actual tank.

You can imagine my relief, when he decided to retire as a full Colonel. Now, as a lowly civilian, I seriously doubt that he can whistle up a tank squadron, so I can tease him mercilessly, and fully exploit his gullibility and earnest, dutiful, hard-working temperament.

Some people really shouldn't be let out without a keeper.

Some people really shouldn’t be let out without a keeper.

On Sunday, Mark came out to Washington for a job interview, and he and Liz and Tim and Sunny and little John, all came for dinner Monday evening. It was lovely to spend some time with them all, and we persuaded Mark and Liz to linger when Tim and Sunny took baby John home to bed.

The whole MGE clan.

Challenge: See if you can pick out which one is my brother.

One of my other favorite hobbies is to get people to do repairs and maintenance on my home, or even (when I’m especially ‘in the zone’) to get them to make major renovations. When we lived in the Duckabush, I used my Tom Sawyer wiles on my brother and my Dad (and a few unwary neighbors), persuading them to build a significant portion of the deck that wraps around that house. The only reason we have a playground structure out at that house is because my brother couldn’t stand the way I dumped the playground pieces on my yard for several weeks (in the original Costco packaging).

"Yes, that is a board, Mark.  Very astute of you to recognize it -- well done!"

“Yes, that is a board, Mark. Very astute of you to recognize it — well done!”

So when Mark was here for dinner, I began to fantasize about what it would be like for him to live here. I’ve been thinking that this house needs his special touch, and that I might be willing (if he asked nicely) to let him build me a deck here, as well.

Now we wait to see if my brother gets a job offer, here in Washington. There is some talk of another interview elsewhere, but I am setting my face like tapioca against that idea. How would my brother build me a new deck, if he didn’t live here? The airfare would be prohibitively expensive, for one thing.

If I have my druthers, he will get the job here, and I can get him and my nephew over here to build me a deck and fix my back fence, while I play my game on the computer and shout helpful instructions.

Standing on the site of the future Mark G. Edgren commemorative deck.

Standing on the site of the future Mark G. Edgren commemorative deck.

Some might worry that by writing this, I’m tipping my hand a bit, but happily, my brother is not only dutiful and hard-working, but the transition to civilian life may have left him a few rounds short of a full magazine. (He probably can’t read, either). I’ll keep you apprised of my progress in this worthy endeavor.

Project 365, Day 215
Tim

Share or follow

Related posts:

Wonder Tub

When we first chose this house, one of its selling points was that it had a hot tub. We moved our furniture in multiple truckloads ourselves, and it was very nice to steep my weary body in hot water after a day of hauling stuff. Kathy, in particular, took a lot of pleasure from it, and the kids all greatly enjoyed it as a miniature pool.

This picture was taken soon after we moved in to this house, back in 2004.

This picture was taken soon after we moved in to this house, back in 2004.

As it turns out, hot tubs (especially older ones, I guess) cost quite a bit to maintain and operate. We estimated it used about $30/month in electricity, not to mention the array of chemicals needed to keep it clean and pH-balanced and the water it needed to stay full (it seemed to have a slow leak).

After a while, we decided we weren’t using it enough to merit the continued cost and maintenance, so we drained and decommissioned the hot tub. Soon, a family of raccoon moved into the base of it, and we began avoiding that corner of the house. Over time, the deck that surrounds the tub began to rot, and our neglect was made complete.

David mightily heaves on a rotten deck board ... while Sarah provides moral support.

David mightily heaves on a rotten deck board … while Sarah provides moral support.

This weekend we decided to remove the deck around the hot tub, hoping to remove the tub and perhaps rebuild the deck into something more useful. As it turns out, we’re pretty good at removing and disassembling things. Now if we can only improve our abilities in the tidying-up and rebuilding categories.

Cleaning up from a demolition project is not our strong suit.

Cleaning up from a demolition project is not our strong suit.

Each Christmas, Kathy’s Aunt Stephanie gives me a new tool, perhaps in the hope that I will one day become more versatile as a handy-man. Kathy’s grandfather was quite handy; he had a huge workshop, stocked with every imaginable piece of hardware and tool — perhaps Aunt Stephanie hopes I will become more like her Dad, if only in terms of my possessions.

Truly a wonder of a bar!

Truly a wonder of a bar!

A few Christmases ago, she gave me a Wonder Bar, and it really came in handy on this project. The deck boards were nailed down, and this tool helped to neatly pull up the deck boards with minimal effort. Thank you, Aunt Stephanie, for your generosity each year, and for believing that I could actually put these tools to use!

Our deck in the Duckabush is large enough to pitch a two-room tent with lots of space to spare.

Our deck in the Duckabush is large enough to pitch a two-room tent with lots of space to spare.

As it happens, decks are the one thing that I can build, at least with proper help and supervision. The wrap-around deck at the Duckabush House is truly stupendous, and I built a good half of that myself. Time will tell if we can ever get the hot tub out and a new deck constructed.

The deck is gone, but the hot tub remains ...

The deck is gone, but the hot tub remains …

Project 365, Day 113
Tim

Share or follow

Related posts:

Transparency in Blogging

OK, I admit it.

Much of the text of the last two days of my blog posts have been a tissue of lies.

The Devil's Punch Bowl, on the Oregon Coast.

The Devil’s Punch Bowl, on the Oregon Coast.

I realized I had crossed the line, when I got home.

“Uncle Mark is going to become an Interior Decorator?” Sarah was incredulous.

Three of my favorites.

Three of my favorites.

Maybe the lesson I should take away from this is that I need to make my tall tales even more outlandish? Or maybe my brother is such a Renaissance Man, that nothing is outside his reach?

So here’s the truth.

Pastor Dee Duke would want me to tell the truth, I think.

Pastor Dee Duke would want me to tell the truth, I think.

My brother really was in the Army for almost 30 years. He retired as a full Colonel, and really did go back to school, first receiving an Executive MBA, and now he is finishing his MAcc (Masters in Accounting). As far as I know, he really plans to go to work for one of the big four consulting firms when he finishes his Accounting degree. Reports of other career choices, including Interior Decorating and Short Order Chef-hood, were grossly exaggerated or (in most cases) entirely fabricated.

Mark and Liz and Kathy, enjoying Agate Beach and an unseasonably-warm March day.

Mark and Liz and Kathy, enjoying Agate Beach and an unseasonably-warm March day.

He and my sister-in-law were celebrating their 30th anniversary (a few weeks early) and they graciously invited Kathy and me to join them for a few days near Portland. We went to Powell’s Book Store, explored Pioneer Square, went to church at Dee Duke’s church, spent most of a day exploring the Oregon coast, shopped, and generally had a lovely time watching movies and playing games.

Hard to believe these two have been married almost 30 years!

Hard to believe these two have been married almost 30 years!

It was a delightful visit, and so I naturally repaid their generosity by poking fun at my brother.

You have to admit, he makes it very easy for me to make fun of him.

You have to admit, he makes it very easy for me to make fun of him.

Phew. I’m glad to have that off my chest. I hope this clears things up, Sarah.

Project 365, Day 68
Tim (yet again)

P.S. Mark — and here you thought that I wouldn’t write about you again.

Share or follow

Related posts: