Hi Everyone 😃 Delighted to let you know that l will be on the Lorraine program on ITV starting on Friday 11 December. She will be on the program on the 11th, 16th, 21st, and 23rd.
The series is called ‘Patti’s Taste of Christmas’ and l will be showing you some of my favourite dishes to cook up for Christmas.
Do share with your friends and don’t forget to tune in XX
Dave, do you remember the winter snow when some of the U-High kids (I think) carved out “Big Nurse” in giant letters on the side of the hill behind the parking lot? It was the day of a fresh snow.
I’m watching “One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and made me think of it. Hope all in your world are safe and healthy. We’re good here.
We lost our first church member to Covid last Saturday – he was 60, young family, married late in life. Had other health issues, but was stable and fine one day, and two days later was gone. Another church family lost their 21 year old son – they don’t if it was an accident or suicide – they are leaning suicide because he wasn’t a risk taker at all. So sad.
We had our Thanksgiving last weekend with my family safely – just my youngest son and his wife and daughter – little Kairi – she’s 16 months old now. I had food coma for two days. LOL
Mom and I will be alone tomorrow and that’s just fine by us. We’ll pick up a Papa Murphy’s pizza after dinner to keep refrigerated for tomorrow noon. Work on a puzzle I started yesterday and watch some TV – laid back day. After having my stem cell injection in my right shoulder for a shredded rotator cuff, about 2/3 of the way into physical therapy, I started going downhill. It was quite frustrating and no one knew what was going on and eventually after 12 sessions, they simply dismissed me. So, I took the bull by the horns and went to my long standing PT guy, Dan, and sure enough, he knew just what I needed, and after just one visit, I felt so much better. They had never manually manipulated my shoulder joint – after only 6 sessions with Dan, I’m cut loose to work on things from home now – just some strengthening exercises to continue and beef up each 2-3 weeks. My range of motion improved 50-62 degrees since seeing him – my shoulder was nearly frozen. I’m so glad I went to him for his evaluation and care.
I’m now sleeping my 8 hours uninterrupted again, which is huge for me, and I no longer hurt when I’m NOT doing anything. Those were the only times I was in pain – sitting and watching TV and sleeping. Didn’t make sense to me at all. So, this year, I’m very grateful for Dan, my physical therapist, and I got choked up today telling him what he means to me in his profession. I sanitized my hands right in front of him, took his hands in mine, and told him what a blessing he is to me. He said I made his day, but had already made his day seeing what great improvement I’ve made and how much better I feel.
Wayne A. Roberts, 103, of rural Iowa City, died Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at the home where he was born. He was cremated, and a private family graveside service was held Friday, November 13, 2020 at 10:30 AM at the Welsh Cemetery. A memorial fund has been established for the Welsh Cemetery.
Wayne Austin Roberts was born December 22, 1916, the son of Robert E. and Elizabeth (Jones) Roberts. He graduated Valedictorian of his class from Sharon High School in 1934. In 1943 he joined the United States Army and served until 1945. Wayne was united in marriage to Emily Yoder on September 11, 1948, at the Sharon Center Evangelical United Brethren Church. Wayne was a lifelong member of the Sharon community and loved to tell stories of his days as a basketball player for Sharon High and a fastball pitcher for the Bayertown softball team. He was a member of the Welsh Congregational Church, Farm Bureau and was a Past Master of Masonic Fellowship Lodge #549. Wayne was proud to maintain the Octagon barn on his family’s Heritage Farm. At the age of 61 he earned his pilots license and enjoyed flying. After having his leg amputated at the age of 90, Wayne took up walking the gravel road past his house & ended up logging enough miles to walk across the country coast to coast. He was a Cardinals and Hawkeyes fan, enjoyed listening to blue grass music and horseback riding.
Survivors include three children: Nora Jane (Albert) Noellsch of Oregon, MO, Paul Owen (Julie) Roberts of Iowa City, Mary Elizabeth (Steve) Rathje of Cedar Rapids, two grandsons: Peter and Timothy Wayne Noellsch, four step grandchildren: Jennifer Newhard, Gwen, Josh and Kori Rathje, two great-grandchildren: Vera and Noah Noellsch a sister-in-law Kay Roberts of Columbia, MO, and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding Wayne in death were his parents, his wife Emily, two brothers: Donald and John and three sisters: Hilda, Joyce and Gleanna.
Sharon Center – Marjorie L. Miller, 100, of Sharon Center, died Monday, November 2, 2020. In September she celebrated a very full life of 100 years with family and friends on her lawn. She recommended everyone live to 100! A private family graveside service will be held at the Sharon Center United Methodist Cemetery. A memorial fund has been established for Sharon Center United Methodist Church, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (J.D.R.F), or Alzheimer’s Research.
Marjorie Lenora (Schwimley) Miller was born September 8, 1920, in Sharon Center, Iowa, the daughter of Lee and Nora (Williams) Schwimley. She graduated from Sharon Center High School and received her degree in Home Economics from Parsons College. On May 18, 1944, she was united in marriage to Glenn H. Miller at her parent’s home near Sharon Center. Marge was a dedicated farm wife and mother, and helped create Cookies & More and Cookies, etc. businesses owned and operated by her daughters. She was a member of Sharon Center United Methodist Church, Questers, Sharon Center Women’s Club, and the Coin Laundry Association. Marge, former Sharon High basketball star, was an avid sports fan, outstanding baker, loved her family, farming and her church.
Survivors include her children: Linda (Russ) Kennel of Rock Island, IL, Mary Jo (Jon) Banwart of Ames, IA, Kim Keilin of Aspen, CO, son-in-law Ed O’Brien of Iowa City, five grandchildren: Jack and Alex O’Brien, Andrew Kennel, Miles Keilin, Lauren Banwart and seven great-grandchildren: Mack and Grant Williams, Harper, Cal, Lily, Audrey and Katie O’Brien.
Preceding Marge in death was her husband Glenn, daughter Jane O’Brien, two granddaughters: Sara O’Brien Sherman, Betsy Kennel Williams and her brother Gerald (Jeanne) Schwimley.
William Park Gerlits arrived on planet Earth on Thursday, October 8th, 2020 at 6:56 pm. He was 21 inches, exactly 9 lbs, William, Minah Gerlits (Dave Gerlits’ daughter-in-law), and Henry Gerlits are home now, enjoying life with their son Tayne Seo Gerlits as a family of four.
My neighbor two doors down and her tree that came down and just missed her house by about a footMy shed scattered all over the neighbor’s back yard and his arbivida trees all down facing east
Our house was safe, not even a window screen torn or damaged. I will lose one tree, my birch in the front yard. Linden tree out back will need professional trimming, but will be OK to save.
A house up on Boyson Rd. that had bad roof damageNeighbor’s easement to the southNeighbor’s easement to the westMy rock garden with neighbor to the north’s two trees in it
Neighbors all around me got hit so hard. Two neighbors down the street will take down my birch this week before contractors come to clear all the debris – every street in CR looks like mine or worse even. My neighbor next door also had 3 feet of water in their newly refinished basement. He forgot to have the battery back up plugged in. He’s kicking himself pretty heavily!
We were in the car when this hit. I was taking mom to an appointment for her hernia surgery to be scheduled. We were in it about 5 minutes before I could find a safe place to be, which ended up being the Mercy Hosp. parking ramp. It was by the grace of God that I was led down that street to it. We had power lines dropping all over the place as we drove, trees uprooting and snapping off. At one point, I was on 5th Ave. I think, and looking in my rear view mirror, saw a whole tree coming up the street in the wind. I quickly turned south again to avoid being hit in the rear end by it. Reminded me of the movie Twister for sure, and much too close for comfort.
Once in the parking ramp, we sat there and the car shook back and forth for 27 minutes. We couldn’t even get out of the car to get inside the hospital 20 feet away from the doors to get to the basement. It was simply unbelievable. Just glad we are OK.
Mom getting beat at Cribbage by kerosene lantern
I stood in line at Lowe’s at 5 in the morning on Wednesday to get a generator. Got the bigger of the two they had available – I figured for $150 more, I’d go all out. Got it all set up with the help of neighbors and 20 minutes after firing it up, we got power back. Sad thing is, it’s such a brute, I can’t loan it as it takes 3 guys to lift it. They’ll put the wheels on it this week sometime so I can get it moved back to the garage better and get it covered. I’ll be ready for the next time. What an experience. Mom and I both remarked that it’s by far, the worst storm either of us have ever been in – me in 65 years, and mom in 86!
A very damaging windstorm, called a derecho ripped through the midwest on Monday, August 10th 2020, causing unprecedented damage across a wide swath of Iowa and other midwestern states.
In addition to the extreme damage and power outages experienced by Cedar Rapids, DesMoines, Iowa was also hard hit.
Classmate Laura (Walters) Anspach and her husband Glenn were safe after the storm blasted through their Des Moines neighborhood. Laura has shared some photos of the aftermath of the storm so that we can appreciate the raw power that nature unleashed on the Midwest.
Laura narrates the damage:
“We lost lots of branches. We had several trees toppled and one broke off at the ground.”
Derecho damage
“We lost the pool fence at the east and west ends.”
Pool Damage
“One large branch landed on the barn. Fortunately the barn was the only building damage that we know of.”
Barn Damage
“Moving the downed branches and trees to the edge of the road took out a lot of the grass on the east side.”
“I so wish we had a way to get the good wood to the native Americans at the mission in South Dakota as that is how they heat their homes.”
“The weather man was freaking out the night of the storm because the wind shear was showing white on the weather radar screen and he’d never seen that level.”
Just wanted to say hi and update our lives in retirement . Julie and I retired about 2.5 years ago and it has gone by so quickly.
We spent the first six months doing a complete remodel of the house we bought We moved into a 55 community and the house we purchased was built by the the original owners. They had planned to live the lives out in the house but alzheimers sent them down a different path. The house was ok but had never been updated. I think we got a good buy but spent plenty redoing it to our liking. We now live in a very nice house and will stay here until some major change forces us out.
Our community was very active until the COVID hit. We had plenty todo and kept active in a number of groups and social events but currently all are on hiatus. We are still in a relatively low risk area but we only venture out for needed supplies and an occasional meal. Our golf course remained open so we spend a lot a days doing that. With Florida another hot spot they are considering closing or restricting our pools and gym, we will nave to see.
Before all this hit we went on a cruise to the southern Caribbean and Belize. The cruise was a great time, Belize left a lot to be desired. Except for the Mayan ruins, I would probably never return. We went with Julie’s brother Jim and his wife. They were great fun and we both sort of knew that each couple needed time alone which worked out well for all of us. We then spent several days in Biloxi and New Orleans. A mutual friend had his 60th BD in New Orleans. Exploring the area was very interesting. There is plenty to see and if you like to drink and gamble plenty of that available. The food there is amazing. We made sure sure we went to a good restaurant each evening to try out the local flavors.
Julie and I went to Vegas in mid February. The day we returned was the first day that southern California enacted some their first restrictions. We were pretty clueless at that point. Fortunately there was no problems for us but is was somewhat unnerving to find out this was an issue when we got home.
The only unfortunate thing to happen to us was our 14yo golden retriever had to be put down. He was my bud and I still miss him a year later. At 14 he was past his time and we just could not stand seeing him decline any further. For those of you that had a long time furry family member know what I mean. As of this time we have not replaced him.
Julie’s dad turned 90 in March. We were supposed have had a gathering to the adult members of the family but that was canceled until sometime in the future. He lives in the same community as us, which is mostly the reason we moved here. Julie wanted to be closer to him for all the reasons you can think of. He usually comes over of Sunday dinner and calls when there is some sort of a problem. We help out as best we can and so far has not been too bad.
We were supposed to take a long driving vacation this year but that has been put on the back burner. The last niece graduated high school this year and we were supposed to go to her graduation party, then a long trip to the Rockies and back to Iowa for my family Christmas in June. Unfortunately none of that is taking place,maybe next summer.
Both our boys are doing great. Ben is still in DC working for the USDof Transportation as an engineer. He as been working from home since March with no date on return to normal office hours. He has a significant other for some time now. He recently adopted two cats and she has a dog. I guess all 5 of them are getting along nicely. Based upon current conditions, it may be some time before we get to see him.
Quin is still in Orlando working IT for Hilton Hotels. He and his significant other bought a house and have been fixing it up. They have also become backyard vegetable gardeners growing a large variety of fresh fruits and veggies. We do get to see them on occasion but tend to keep our distance for safety purposes.
Well that concludes my life in a page.
I attached two files, one is the top music from the summer of 73 and the second is a collage of Julie and I through the years. Our most recent photo is middle bottom .Isolation gives us time todo things that maybe we would never think of
Stay safe all and hopefully we will all be able to get together in a few years for our 50th
love from Florida
Arnie and Julie
1973: Songs of the SummerArnie and Julie through the Years…
Leroy (Roy) Duane Schrock died peacefully on June 27, 2020 while hospitalized in Phoenix, AZ for COVID-19 and complications from Leukemia.
Roy was born on March 18, 1933 in Wood River, NE. His family relocated to Kalona, Iowa while he was a young boy and he graduated from Iowa Mennonite High School He married Marlene (Moore) Schrock in 1954, a marriage that lasted for 66 years. Roy and Marlene raised their family in Iowa City and Coralville where Roy was a professional carpenter and co-founded S & E Custom Cabinets. In 1976 he started a career in real estate and owned and operated LaMar Trucking.
In 1990 Roy and Marlene moved to Arizona and eventually started a cleaning service. They settled in the Phoenix area when they were ready to fully retire and became dedicated volunteers in every community they resided. As a couple, they were surprised with the 2013 Volunteer of the Year Award from the LeadingAge Arizona organization. Even at 87, Roy was maintaining and watering the plants in their larger senior living organization. Roy is described as a quiet hard working man, who preferred to listen more than talk and was happiest when busy.
Roy is survived by his wife, Marlene and three adult children: Brenda (Jim) Bradley, Doug (Lori) Schrock and David (Alana) Schrock; seven grandchildren: Tyler (Krissy) Schrock, Megan (Brian) Hill, Jessica (Matt) May, Adam (Nicole) Bradley, Patrick Collins, Maile Schrock, Kannanni Schrock, Ian Pinckney, Arielle Cobian, Alliya Pinckney and seven great-grandchildren. He is also survived by three sisters: Wilma Cannon, Lila Gould and Thelma Schrock, He was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Ada Schrock (Mitchell) and brother Dellis Schrock.
