We had great weather for Kaitlin and Torben’s visit both last year and this one. Last year they came at Thanksgiving and it was sunny and warm while they were here.
But as soon as they left it snowed:
And this year even though there was snow on the ground, it was sunny and reasonably warm during their visit.
Cutting down our little tree.
Then this morning, as soon as they headed back, it was overcast and gloomy here. I wrote to Kaitlin telling here that and she responded that the sun was following them back. She sent this picture to prove it.
I love Torben’s iPhone. 🙂 It blows me away that it takes such high quality pictures and that they can keep in touch as they travel. Coming here “Sammy” sent me the message, “I’m on my way!” with this picture.
Because they live so far away we don’t spend much time together physically, but we sure do keep in touch. I’m grateful.
What about you? Do you have any holiday weather stories? Communication stories?
This one is certainly a modern communication story with twists that include modern phones and blogging.
First off, before I spin this new holiday tale — we’re at home and OK.
Day after Christmas (yesterday) — in the emergency room trying to get hold of daughters.
Tried oldest daughter at work. No answer. Tried her husband’s cell phone. No answer. Tried back at her work. No answer. Realized there was an incoming call. It was my son-in-law. I started telling him what had happened and he asked, “Do you want to talk to Mel?” She was apparently home sick, having caught whatever it was her hubby had — and she visited us on Christmas, so we’re likely to get it. Found out later that son-in-law was apparently was pretty upset when he saw the call was from me, because I NEVER call his phone. He just knew something bad had happened… and we live just 2 miles down the road from his mom.
Other daughter, in Wisconsin — no answer. Other son-in-law — no answer. Tried daughter again — no answer. Son-in-law — no answer. Sent an email.
Awhile later, I was looking through contacts on my phone and came up with a different plan.
I sent a text to my 10 year old grandson, “Utah, tell your mom to call Grandpa.”
Less than 90 seconds later my phone was ringing.
I tried to reassure both girls that their mom was OK, but it really didn’t work until I gave the phone to Karen.
This will be a holiday story for future years — that’s for sure — with a number of interesting facets.
Short version of what happened — car pulled out in front of us. I hit the brakes but couldn’t keep from hitting the other car. Karen was hurt by shoulder belt. She knew one of the EMTs who showed up with the ambulance, sort of (hubby of a fellow quilting blogging buddy). ER doctor — who had given me several annual physicals at work — diagnosed the injury as a contusion and told us that x-rays and EKG didn’t show anything else. Karen is on pain medication and is resting a lot. She is moving around better already, but we expect she may be hurting more tomorrow and maybe the next day before it gets better.
Long version — see blog post, and I’m pretty sure I’ll have more to post.
Mike,
What a great communication story. It illustrates the difference between the generations.
I’m sorry about the accident, but I’m glad the injuries weren’t more serious. Thanks for the link to your post. Please keep us informed on your blog.
Like the dogs; am dangerously in market for a pet or two. To be avoided at all self control. Miss Fleury rotten; dog in a cat’s fur. Followed me around, always interested in what I was doing. Running comment with all her different miaus. We had such conversations. Nine years.
As to human communication: Sore point with me at the moment. As I said to son the other day: Money rules the world Not mine. I give it, freely, when I have it. More fool me. Had to resort to ask my youngest sister for a loan two years ago. She and her husband are wealthy. Won’t have made a dent in their purse. She has promised to speak to me again once I have repaid her. Can I seriously believe that the child, eleven years my younger, the one (apart from the others) I helped our mother to mother makes me an outcast on account of 900 Pound Sterling? For over TWO years?
U
great shots from their iPhone, Jean
sorry to hear about your accident Mike.Hope everyone is healing well and so forth.
my xmas day friend doesn’t have a cellphone as such…he an old one he takes fishing because he might need help sometime and he can punch in the 111# if necessary. so when I got the 1st text he was bemused…and then when a 2nd text (from a diff person) came in he was even more amused. Amused that friends that I wouldn’t be seeing that day could just send me Seasons Greetings :-).
I don’t have an iPhone or anything fancy but I enjoy being able to make short messages with friends relatively easy when I am not near a landline…but I am not reliant on it at all as such!
Ursula,
The consensus here seems to be people like dogs but don’t want the commitment it takes to care for one. That certainly is true of me.
About attitudes toward money…I suppose your sister doesn’t think you’re entitled to her money just because she has more than you do?
Cathy,
Andy has a cell phone for emergencies. I phoned our provider this afternoon to see if we can use it if we go on a trip, i.e., out of our local area. Apparently we can. I got two different stories about how much a call would cost, but either story would be fine for our purposes. We used to rely on pay phones in an emergency, but I’m assuming they’re hard to find now. So after all these years I’m learning to use the cell phone.
I don’t particularly like using a cell phone for calls — but I’ve never been much for talking on the phone, anyhow. One thing that is helpful in some instances is to use the speaker phone feature. It makes it easier to hear the other person when there is background noise where I’m at.
Karen is doing much better today, moving around a lot better. She’s needing my help less and less.
There’s iPhone1, iPhone2, 3 & 4– iPod, iPad, the list goes on. I got lost before the Blackberry. We don’t even have a cell phone, but we get the latest in computers, some software.
Nice pics. We like pictures.
U, your sister might have got wealthy from saving & not giving. That happens. Sisters are hard friends. There’s that sibling rivalry that doesn’t interfere with friends. Anyway plague be to your very young sister.
For every man on the street that you give money to, which he’ll probably spend on … 🙁 — Put that money in a pot for your sister. If you give her s o m e, she’ll know you are trying. (I’m kind of like your sister–sorry.)
Mike,
I’m glad Karen is feeling better.
Because Kaitlin and Torben are so far away we do use the phone, as well as e-mail, to keep in touch. We talk for about an hour and a half once a week…on Sunday evening unless she has to do homework for her MBA class the next evening. In that case we talk on Tuesdays.
When they got back from our visit this past Tuesday evening she told me exactly the route they had taken and I followed it on our road atlas. I love maps so that was fun. We’ll be going there sometime next year and I’m starting to figure out what route we’ll be taking. Little details like that aren’t important in one sense, but they’re special when they’re shared.
bikehikebabe,
I love pictures too. Apparently the 4th generation iPod has a lot of the features of the iPhone but without the phone connection. I might try that someday just to see what some of these modern gidgets are all about.
I agree with you about Ursula’s sister. I could be wrong but it might help if Ursula tried to repay part of the debt.