Day 68

I am sorry about the Packers' game for those who are ardent Packer fans! (My granddaughter, especially.) So now I will be able to root for the Patriots and support my friends who are Patriots' fans. But I am sorry the Packers lost today. I have to confess, I left town while the game was being played...and "played" a little myself. Kathy asked Cheri and me to drive to Portage Glacier with her. (she was sure that Stan would have a room full of company watching the game with him, and that I wouldn't be missed.) So I did and I don't think I was (missed....heehee).

The drive was beautiful and exciting in a horrific sort of way.....that excited feeling one gets in a storm. It was raining and the wind tried to blow us off the road. Turnagain Arm was choppier than either Kathy or I had ever seen before. There were multitudes of large frozen water falls all along the road. Even in this weather (it had warmed up to 30 and very messy and potentially slick) there were people climbing (or attempting to!) the ice wate falls.

Our mission for this trip was to check out Portage Lake to see how the snow was for cross country skiing to the glacier. The visitor center isn't open during the winter and the parking lot is NOT kept cleared. We could not view the lake from the car, so Kathy and I braved the elements to climb up a snow berm to look at the lake. We could barely get up it due to the snow depth and the blinding pelting rain and wind. The rain was like needles of ice cutting into our faces.....I was too quick to get back into the car....Kathy told me she had wanted to take my picture. I offered to get back out!!

From there we planned to go to the Wild Animal Reserve, but first made a wrong turn and checked out Whittier...or at least the road that goes there. From that side of the lake we could see much better IN the car! The snow is gone from the lake, so it wouldn't be any good for skiing. Maybe next month!

We did go to the "safari land" and
1. saw buffalo, owls, elk, and musk ox
2. checked out the really neat gift shop
3. spent more than I should ...but it was fun!

Kathy's little car has over 180,000 miles on it and has NEVER gotten stuck. Today was no exception!!!

Back at the hospital in Anchorage, the game was still being decided. We got there in time to watch the overtime...and see the Packers lose...but it was an exciting game!!

Stan sat up and watched the game, ate his dinner (Andy did the honors), and visited.

Cheri and Katie massaged Stan's feet later, and Dave gave him communion...his FIRST in over two months!!

He seems to be feeling pretty good today. We went by on our way to church and found him sleeping and didn't want to wake him. We asked a nurse to let him know we had been there. Tonight, we left him asleep again.

Stan really is holding his head up very well during meals. This just gets better every day!!

Oh....I had at least two people question me about if Stan could walk...after yesterday's update. I was quoting his "one liners" when I said he says, "I even walk with a shuffle." That phrase is in response to "you are a card!" But NO, he cannot walk at all.......YET!

Please do pray for Deryl (our minister). He has an infection that needs to be cleared up. God does hear us....so thank you ahead of time for your petitions on his behalf.

We don't meet too many of the other "inmates" here, but Pete has made acquaintance with the gal next door's family. And we have both met a man name Dave who has been going around in a wheel chair, and now a walker....he may get to go home on Tuesday. He is diabetic and stepped on some glass and when the infection was finally discovered and the glass taken out, he had to lose a toe, too. They used the skin from the toe to cover the large wound on the bottom of his foot. He is now putting some weight on his foot, and should be released soon. I told him what Stan said, "This place is easy to get into, but hard to get out of."

Love, M