My Brother Walt Lingren

I had not seen my older brother, Walt for more than 13 years. So imagine how happy I was to get a call from him a few weeks ago. He said he and his wife Janice were coming to LA to go on a cruise and wanted to know if they could visit us for a couple of days. I was ecstatic and of course told them yes. So on the appointed day I picked them up at LAX and brought them to our home. They were so pleased to come to our home, and we were so glad to have them. You see, in all my adult lifetime Walt has NEVER been to my home. I was glad to have him see how we live and what our lives are like. He found out we are VERY busy, all the time.

I took them to a concert at USC the night they flew in. The concert was really special because Lauren (our granddaughter) was playing in the symphony orchestra. Lauren is currently second chair cellist and this is only her sophomore year at USC, which tells you what kind of skills she has.

The concert was fabulous and we went to Gladstones for ice cream afterward and Lauren got to know them better, and they got to talk quite a bit with her.

The next day I took them sight-seeing. We went to The Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax and we got to go to the shop where Percia (another of our granddaughters) works.

We stayed for lunch and then I took them to Rodeo Drive so they could see the 'beautiful' people.

Then in the afternoon I took them to visit our church and I played the organ for them. Neither one of them ever knew I play the piano and the organ, so they were extremely surprised. That tickled me so much. I was very proud to play our lovely pipe organ we have at the Wilshire Building for them.

The next morning (Saturday - sailing day) I made a huge breakfast for us all, we devoured everything and really enjoyed ourselves. We left the house a 11 AM and got to the Port of Los Angeles at noon.

We stayed until they got their luggage taken and then we left. I wish we could have gone on the cruise with them, because Tony and I adore cruising. So we made a promise we will take one together the next time.

I was able to re-connect Walt with his former high school sweetheart, Janice a few months ago and they have been inseparable ever since. Janice has always been my dear friend and although we had not seen one another in 49 years we picked up our friendship right where we left it off. This was truly such a fantastic reunion and I'm so happy they made us part of it. I can't wait to see them again.

The Saga of the Vengeance of the Flu - 2009

On March 23rd we picked up Elias, Katie and Justin (three of our grandchildren) and brought them home for the week while their parents and sister travelled across Europe as part of a Junior High School group from Lancaster, CA. That evening while watching TV poor Justin (only 5)hurled clear across the room - and the games began. He vomited all night and into the night as well. He wore a path from his bed to the bathroom several times, never quite making it each time. Poor kid. By the morning he was exhausted and slept off and on most of the following day.

By late afternoon the next day Elias began the same ritual. So Tony was hauling clothes and bedding back and forth from the laundry room - several times. He ended up washing all the boys clothes from their dresser drawers. Then Katie got it and on it went.

The next day I went down and spend more than 22 hours in bed, trying to keep from hurling and unable to move more than a finger. Tony was chief cook and bottle washer trying to keep us together body and soul. I barely made it out of the bed the next day and it was time to take Justin and Katie back to Lancaster to take them home so their mother could pick them up for the weekend.

Tony held on until we got home from dropping them off and then hit the toilet with his head in a vengeance! I was not good for anything, barely walking around like a zombie. Elias was recovering but still not able to eat well. None of us could eat a meal for about three days because of the constant nausea.

So - comes Monday morning and we had to take Elias to the airport to fly to Arizona to visit for the next week with his other grandparents. We saw him off and headed to Miguel and Greg's and had a delicious lunch of breaded filet of sole with refried beans and Greg's especially delicious rice. It tasted sooooo good. We hadn't been able to eat a complete meal for the whole week, so what a treat! Thank goodness for Miguel and Greg.

Then Ramona, Dan and Ewa returned from Europe. Two days later Dan promptly hit the bed with a bucket beside him and Ramona and Ewa are awaiting their turn. I pray they will be alright, especially Ramona because she's entering the 8th month of her pregnancy and I'm not certain what effect the flu would have on her and her unborn son. Such a terrible present for Ramona and her crew upon returning home from a whirlwind tour of Europe. They all have severe jet lag as it is, they don't need this as well. God bless them all.