Can it really, once again, be so long since I last updated
my blog? In part (other than pure
procrastination and laziness) I think it’s because I was so busy the week and a
half after I visited my church. The
reason my dad and I went on our road trip in the first place was because we
were going to help my aunt and uncles pack up my grandparents’ house in eastern
Oregon before the house closed around October 22nd. So the next 8 days I helped my aunt and
uncles (and Dad!) go around the house, decide what each family wanted to keep,
and what to do with the rest of the furniture and belongings around the house
and the sheds outside. We basically had
a week or two to clean out the house of everything before the buyers of the
house moved in – quite a feat! Family
heirlooms, furniture, kitchen goods, books, scrap metal, tires; things to go on
Craigslist, things to go to Habitat for Humanity. In the middle of it all, one of my uncles
went to Portland to see a doctor about some heart problems, and ended up having
quadruple bypass heart surgery the next day!
(the surgery was successful, and he is now on the road to
recovery). So we ended up packing up his
room and belongings too, and storing them at different friend’s places. My aunt and uncle from Alaska had just moved
back to Oregon, and they brought their three dogs with them – two pom-poms and
a bigger fuzzy dog (forgive me Aunt Dona, I don’t remember what breed Rowdy
is!). It was so much fun helping my aunt
take care of those dogs, and I think everyone enjoyed having them around.
What a week – at long last, at noon on the 8th
day, we had the house clean, valuable possessions packed, and we said goodbyes
to eachother. It was the first time I
had seen these aunts and uncles for 3-4 years, and it was delightful to hang
out with them, and work alongside them.
Nice, fun, sarcastic Ratzlaffs!
At the same time, it was sad to know that it would be the last time I
would visit my grandparents’ house as I remembered it (the new owners will
probably make a lot of changes) – so many happy memories associated with that
beautiful place! A particularly good
moment during this week was when Dad and I walked around downtown LaGrande
while his car was getting tuned up – used bookstores, old buildings, good
company – moments like that just don’t happen very often
After we left my grandparents’ home, Dad and I drove to
Boise, where my grandparents now live with my aunt and uncle there. My grandmother has dementia and can no longer
move around without help, so my aunt graciously decided to care for her. When my grandfather realized that his wife
required full time care, and would never be able to move back home to Oregon,
he too moved in with my aunt and uncle
to be with his wife. It was so lovely to
see everyone in Boise too. My
grandmother never did remember who I was, but she is a happy, cheerful person
with dementia. My grandfather, at 90, is
(to me) still going strong except for his hearing, and I think he is happy to
just be able to spend time with my grandmother.
After taking five days to get to my grandparents’ house (road
tripping along the way), it took my dad and me two days to get back home,
driving straight through Nevada and Arizona.
It was an amazing trip and my dad and I got along fabulously. We both hope that maybe someday we could do a
road trip together again.
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