Love, As Always, Pete

The Weekly Letters, by A. Pedersen Wood

January 6, 2005

Dear Everyone:

Happy New Year to one and all.

Back at the beginning of December, we had a little health scare about Mother.  So I flew up to Oregon to give her a helping hand for a few days.  While I was there, I became aware that she gets cold in the Mary’s Woods dining rooms.

This gave me an idea for the perfect Christmas gift for her (I got Mother’s name last year).  I proceeded to buy some yarn and a crochet hook to make her a handmade triangular shawl that she could wear to lunch and dinner whenever she wanted.  It took a few tries before I could remember the pattern which I had used many times in the past.  Luckily, I had purchased far more yarn than was needed.  So each time it wasn’t coming out the way it should, I’d just scrap that skein of yarn and start over with another.  Eventually, I remembered the trick of how to add one cluster to each row, thus causing the shawl to form a triangle.

At first we thought that Mother’s health scare would preclude our original plans to fly her down here to California to spend Christmas.  But the scare turned out not to be as scary as we thought and a visit to California just might do her a world of good.

So the Tuesday before Christmas, I flew up to Oregon, checked out a rental car and drove to Mother’s place.  On Wednesday, I loaded the walker, and the luggage into the rental and we drove back to the airport.  This worked out well because the car rental center is just across the street from the terminal and this was an easy walk for Mother to make.

As soon as we checked in, and checked the walker through with the luggage, I requested a wheelchair (“passenger assistance”).  The toughest part for me was trying to keep up with the skycap who whisked Mother to the gate.  Depositing her in a seat next to the gate, he whisked the wheelchair away.  I later learned that you need to keep the wheelchair until the passenger being assisted is on the plane.

Our flight was late, naturally, and they moved it to a different gate, naturally, and made the announcement at the new gate where those of us at the old gate couldn’t hear (naturally).  Nevertheless, we got on the plane OK and I called “Jeannie” on my cell phone to let her know the most likely time to pick us up.

Another thing I learned is that “passenger assistance” means you are the first to board the plane, and the last to leave the plane.  There was a shortage of wheelchairs in Oakland, so we were about a half-hour later than all the other passengers when we finally got out to the terminal.

Not that we were in any tearing hurry.  But the Oakland Airport recently began a new practice for people meeting people at the airport.  It’s called, “Park and Call”.  The idea is that you can park your car for 30 minutes for free.  You stay with the car and use your cell phones to connect with your arriving party.  When the party arrives, you can drive around to the pickup point and get them.

However, if you stay more than 30 minutes, they make you leave the area.  That’s what happened to “Jeannie”, because we didn’t realized that getting off the plane itself would take 30 minutes.  So she had to leave the parking area and was on her way around when we were able to contact her.  Even so, it went more smoothly (and less expensively) than parking in the hourly lot and waiting in baggage claim.

Christmas itself was very nice.  “Marshall” joined us from Fresno.  There were lots of presents for everyone.  The stockings were overflowing with goodies.  “Jeannie” arranged for a sumptuous feast.  We watched a lot of TV.

The day after Christmas (Boxing Day), we loaded into “Marshall’s” car and drove down to Monterey.  “Jeannie” had arranged to rent a folding wheelchair which “Marshall” used to bring luggage into the hotel from the garage.  Mother only sat in the wheelchair once while we were there.

Unfortunately, the Monday after Christmas was the day that Mother Nature decided to dump about an inch of rain on Monterey and the rest of the central California coast.  So we didn’t do as much sightseeing as we had originally planned.  (This was why “Jeannie” had rented the wheelchair, so we could push Mother along the pier and such.)

As it was, we mostly stayed indoors and watch TV and did a lot of reading.  At least I did.  I finished two books and bought two more while we were there.  On Wednesday, we drove back up to the Bay Area.

Christmas had gone so well that I was beginning to think that we might escape the usual “Christmas disaster”.  I was careful not to say this out loud; but I must have thought it too soon.  Thursday morning, when “Marshall” was getting ready to return to Fresno (wanting to get back before New Year’s Eve), his car suddenly died.

It turned out to be the starter that had broken.  All I could think was, thank goodness it waited until we got back from Monterey!  “Jeannie” called a friend who recommended a mechanic who had gone to high school with the friend’s husband.  At first it looked like it would be at least Friday before the mechanic could fix “Marshall’s” car.  But friend of an old high school buddy’s wife apparently warranted extra effort; and the mechanic found someone in the Bay Area who had the necessary part.  “Marshall’s” car was ready to be picked up later that afternoon.

So “Marshall” was able to leave early enough on Friday to be home safe and sound before all the amateur drunks got out on the road for New Year’s Eve.

On Sunday I drove “Jeannie” and Mother to the airport for the return trip up to Oregon.  “Jeannie” stayed through Tuesday to take Mother to two doctor’s appointments, then flew back yesterday.  Her flight did arrive on time, just about the moment I pulled into “Park and Call”.  We had agreed to meet there and 15 minutes later we were on our way to “Jeannie’s” place.

So, minor “disaster” notwithstanding, I would say Christmas was a success.  And for that I give thanks.

Love, as always,

 

Pete

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