As 2024 nears its end, I am surprised to realize that Brenda and I have commenced our fifth year residing in Utah since moving here in September 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. Where does the time go? And why does time pass more quickly than ever?
Each year brings its blessings and challenges, and that has been as true this year as with any other year. There have been some significant and memorable happenings in 2024.
My memory is not what it once was. This was brought home to me painfully when earlier this year my laptop computer died. Try as I might, I could not get it to turn on and allow me to access my files, including my journal. Getting a replacement computer was not all that difficult or expensive. But finding my documents and accessing files the way I am accustomed to doing highlights the defects in my memory. Now things are stored in the "cloud" (whatever that is) rather than in a file on my desktop. Sometimes I am lucky and find what I am looking for. Other times I am reminded of a Moody Blues song from my younger days, "I Know You're Out There Somewhere." The lesson I learned is to back up my files frequently to a known location ... and to keep my head out of the clouds.
Brenda and I are definitely showing our age. As a concession to that fact, early this year we added a stair lift, a chair on a rail that carries a person up and down the basement stairs. Stair lifts are usually found in the homes of old folks, which I guess proves the point that we are aging. But this device is a blessing that provides Brenda more mobility. I don't need it yet ... but I never know how soon I will.
In addition to planting flowers in raised beds that I built for her, Brenda also loves to have flowers growing in planter pots. But flowers are not the only things that proliferate in our yard. This fall when I put away and covered the planters, I counted and found that we have 21 planter pots in addition to our raised beds! No wonder it takes me so long to weed and water our flowers. I think I got Brenda to agree that next year we will reduce our planters by half or more.
I got a bit of a scare late last year when the city informed me that our water usage had increased significantly. I was advised that I needed to check for leaks in the house and, if I found no leaks inside, to check for an outside leak in the water line between our meter and the house. I checked inside and found nothing leaking. I called a repair person to check to make sure the refrigerator ice maker was working properly and not leaking. When it thawed in the spring, I had a handyman come check the outside line and main water meter. Everything seemed to be in order. After all the checking, I went to the city to tell them I was unable to find a leak anywhere and to ask what else I could do. Upon further investigation, it turned out that the person who reads the water meter twice each year made a mistake and entered a wrong number! I was told that "this happens sometimes." But upon seeing all that I had done and how unhappy I was, the city replaced the meter with a newer version that allows me to track water usage monthly. A few weeks later I got another call from the city informing me that my electrical usage had doubled. I told them this wasn't possible because nothing had changed in our house. That is when they discovered that they were looking at someone else's account, not mine!
My grandchildren are growing and leaving their nests. Last year my oldest granddaughter moved away from home (but still lives in Utah). This year my next oldest granddaughter graduated from high school and started attending a local university. My oldest grandson graduated from high school and enlisted in the National Guard. Currently he is in basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. We are proud of all our grandchildren and look forward to seeing them at Christmas.
Earlier this year Brenda and I began feeling that we should visit her remaining siblings in Arkansas. Some of her family members struggle with poor health and we wanted to see them now rather than wait any longer. I was concerned about how well Brenda would tolerate a trip halfway across the country. We can't fly because of the amount of medical equipment Brenda needs. We can take her equipment in our van, but that is a very long drive. Our travel this year was more relaxed. We visited my aunt who lives in Cheyenne and spent a down day (no driving) with her. Then instead of driving ten hours from Cheyenne to Des Moines in a single day, we drove two shorter days with a stop midway. We had another down day in Iowa, where we saw some friends. Then we picked up Brenda's sister on our way to Arkansas and enjoyed a wonderful visit with her siblings.
Our trip was not without incident. Brenda fell twice, once in Iowa and once in Arkansas. The first fall necessitated calling 9-1-1 for help. Four young, good looking, muscular emergency responders came to help Brenda get back up on her feet. I was grateful for the help and jokingly remarked that Brenda would probably fall again just for this kind of assistance. I should have knocked on wood because in Arkansas Brenda did fall again. This time, however, there was help available and no 9-1-1 call was necessary. Brenda was unhappy that she fell a second time. And she may have been just a wee bit disappointed that hunky firemen were not needed again!
On the way home from Arkansas, we drove through Colorado and visited some towns where Brenda lived as a child. After fifty years everything has changed so much, and we were not able to find one of the places Brenda really wanted to see again. But we did see familiar places where she lived. I'm glad we made the effort even if we were not entirely successful. I enjoy hearing Brenda's memories from her youth. We were gone for two weeks and drove 3,150 miles through eight states. It became clear to both Brenda and me that we won't make this trip again. We are glad we were able to do so this year.
We had not been home long when Brenda experienced some medical issues. Brenda uses oxygen 24/7, which dries out her nasal passages. And she takes blood thinner medication to prevent blood clots, which Brenda has had in the past. This is a recipe for nosebleeds, which Brenda started to have. We were able to stop the first nosebleed. But another, more severe, nosebleed resulted in Brenda being transported by ambulance to the emergency room for treatment. In October, Brenda had repeated nosebleeds and was in the hospital ER five times for treatment. Eventually, the hospital in Payson referred Brenda to an emergency trauma center in a larger nearby town. Brenda had to undergo several different treatments before the problem was solved. Fortunately, she avoided the aggressive surgical option that was the last resort.
During one of the ER visits our house flooded. I had rushed to the house to get Brenda's portable oxygen concentrator that she needed to return home. In my hurry, I left water running in a bathroom sink and came home with Brenda to find flooding upstairs and in a basement room. We cleaned up the mess but are still doing the restoration work to prepare the damage. I was being pretty hard on myself for doing something so stupid and for causing a problem that was entirely avoidable. Finally, Brenda asked me if I would be saying those things about her if she had been the one who left the water running. Thankfully, Brenda helped me get my head back on straight and concentrate on doing the repair work.
Not long after being treated for nosebleeds, Brenda was once again transported by ambulance to the hospital where she was admitted to the intensive care unit to be treated for elevated carbon dioxide levels in her blood. This was even scarier than the nosebleeds. Brenda was put on a powerful breathing machine to reduce the CO2 and, because she had lost so much blood, also received a blood transfusion.
About this same time, the battery that powers a nerve stimulator implanted in Brenda's back died. Having reached the end of its expected life of five years, the battery needs to be replaced. This requires surgery, which is scheduled before the end of the year. On a positive note, the new battery is supposed to last for ten years so we may not face this issue again.
I have been blessed with good health and, so far, am able to provide the care Brenda needs. I hope this will continue for many more years. I remain active by playing pickleball most mornings and by walking or riding my bicycle. And I keep busy with church service, coordinating cleaning efforts to clean the church building periodically throughout the year, serving as instructor to the men's group, and volunteering weekly in the temple near our house. Despite the many challenges Brenda and I face, we are blessed. We live near most of our children and grandchildren, enjoying monthly family gatherings. We also live close to the beautiful mountains and travel through nearby canyons several times each year. We can no longer camp as we once did, but Brenda can practice her photography hobby, taking spectacular pictures in every season. Finally, we live very close to a temple where we serve and worship weekly. I repeat, we are blessed.
As we close the year, we are enjoying an additional blessing. For years I have been adamant that I am done having pets. (Each time Brenda has hinted at perhaps getting another dog, I have told her that she and her next husband can have any kind of dog they want!) However, recently I had a change of heart and Brenda found the latest addition to our family. This is Emma, a puppy six months old. I assured Brenda that this is her Christmas present! I am including pictures of Emma showing her before and after her first grooming appointment. I'm not sure what caused me to buckle. But I'm enjoying having another pet as much as Brenda does.
We wish all those we care about and love a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year! If you are ever out our way, feel free to stop in to visit. And if your travel does not bring you to Utah, we hope you will call or send an email or text message to stay in touch.
Dee Oviatt Brenda Oviatt
515-480-6331, Dee.Oviatt@gmail.com 515-306-9514, BrendaLOviattt@msn.com
