Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled

Santa and the mailman were very good to Grandpa Jean this year. More gifts came today.

He said, 'We need to do this again, really soon!" He's happy.

Merry Christmas

We are thankful for the health care helpers who come in and help care for Jean. He enjoys the visits also. April came today. She is competent, cheerful and caring, and we appreciate her very much. She brought a Christmas card for Jean. Here they are reading it together.
Merry Christmas to all of you!

Anniversary

Delpha Pruhs was nineteen when she met Jean Charles at a church dance. Delpha and her friend Maurine were impressed with his good looks and nice manners. After the dance, he asked if he could take the two girls home.  Delpha said his car "was really something. Pretty old, and he had rebuilt the roof with chicken wire to reinforce it. It was a rainy night, and the roof leaked in a few places, but we didn't care. We went for a drive before going home, and got stuck in the mud, and we all had to get out and push."

Soon they were dating. Jean was baptized on April 1, 1939.

They were married on December 7, 1939 in the Alhambra ward chapel. Delpha made her wedding dress and the dresses of all her bridesmaids. She and her dad decorated the church. Her mom made the wedding cake.

After the beautiful reception, they embarked on a short honeymoon to Mexico.

The second person to the right of Delpha is June Charles. Next to Jean is Jean's very good friend Joe Tomlinson, who introduced Jean to the church. Next to Joe is Delpha's brother Parley.  I don't know the names of the other members of the wedding party.

P.S. Chocolate

A 'P.S.' to what I wrote earlier about Jean loving chocolate, and mail of any kind.

He likes only milk chocolate (not dark), and it needs to be soft (no nuts).

Just thought I should add that!  Thanks.

Physical Therapy

Jean's physical therapy after his stroke ended in the summer when he reached a certain level and was making no more progress.

Then, several weeks ago, he had a TIA (mini stroke). There were no lasting effects except that he was much weaker.  

John spoke to the nurse from MD2U and asked if they could recommend therapy for him again. The therapist came and checked his condition. He said that yes, Jean is certainly weaker now than he was in the summer. Also, since he is lying down and sleeping about 20 hours a day (up only 3-5 hours daily), his muscles have contracted. The therapist will come twice weekly and do stretching and strengthening exercises with him.  In addition, she left instructions for a few simple exercises for him to do daily.

 He pedals on this machine like on a bicycle. There is resistance to it, so it strengthens the muscles in the legs.  Jean joked that this is "a waste of time. I'm not going anywhere."

Thankful

This is from our family reunion about five years ago at Lake Lure in North Carolina. All the family members at that time were present, plus Grandpa Jean. Happy days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

                                                 Thanksgiving 1978 in southern California!

       Delpha and Jean with Nanette and Natalie Pinkelman, Julee, Jim, Aunt June, Paul, Uncle Lee,    and Jean and June's mother, Grandma Charles.
       Probably at Grandma Charles' house.
       We love this photo!
       

   

Mail!

A sincere THANK YOU to all those who have sent something to Jean in the mail this past year. It means a great deal to him.  He loves to receive mail, and saves it all. Except for the chocolate. That disappears very quickly! He is a self-confessed "chocoholic", and I hear this trait runs in the family!

His address here is: 108 Woodhill Rd,  Bardstown, KY 40004

If you have a moment to send a note or card or photo or anything at all, he will be very happy.
Emails are welcome also.  He does not use the computer anymore, but if you send an email for him to my email address, I will print it out and give it to him as soon as he gets up each day.

My email address is:   angelikacharles@gmail.com

He would love to read copies of some of the family missionary emails as well.

Thank you!

Yesterday

     Yesterday was a blustery day.  Leaning into the wind, their hair hair was flying. We were coming back into the house after a drive. The first thing Jean said was, "Home, sweet home."

Today

         We have had beautiful, sunny and crisp autumn days.

 Jean has been more tired and sleepy lately, but he still enjoys reading the newspaper and his magazines.

Welcome!

A familiar looking vehicle pulled into our driveway yesterday!

Peter and Betty are on a trip in the eastern US, and came to visit.   

(above)  The photo in Jean's photo book is of him at age two in a toy car.  Betty asked if that was his first car.  (the first of 300+)     Jean: "Yup."

     Jean was, of course, delighted to see them, and we all had a wonderful visit.  We are so glad they came.

Now they are heading westward. Safe travels!

Last October

A year ago this month, Jean was still strong enough to fly to Utah with us and attend the wedding of his grandson Adam, which made Adam and KayAnna very happy, and Jean of course, too.

Visit to the Eye-Doctor

Jean has had itchy eye-lids for the last few days.  He and John went to see an ophthamologist in Louisville yesterday.
The doctor said he has an inflammation of his eye-lids, and prescribed an ointment and daily compresses with a washcloth and hot water. This should clear it up soon.                            

One More Photo, or Two.

Julee recently sent this wonderful photo, and I would like to include it here. Julee said it's one of her favorites, and I can see why.
It is from the last time she and her mom saw Jean, which was a little less than two years ago. Jean was on his long trip to the west - Utah, Oregon, California - and he visited many family members at that time.

And here's one more wonderful photo -  from 1918, when Jean was three and June was one.  It was during WW I,  and Jean was wearing a miniature army uniform.

News from Julee

Jean's niece Julee sent some wonderful photos of her mom June and herself and her brother Greg and his wife, Kathy.  They were taken this past summer when Greg and Kathy were visiting.

Greg and Julee with their mom June, in June's home at the assisted living center

Kathy, Greg, June and Julee

June is now 97 years old, and Julee says her mom gets around quite well with her walker. Her memory is fading a bit, though.

Aunt June is always cheerful, upbeat, sweet, and very appreciative of everything that anyone does for her.  Jean also is practically always cheerful and upbeat. He says "every day is a good day."

This trait is truly a gift!

Jean, June and Laverne

One more picture! The one above is also from Julee, and was taken seven years ago, at June's lovely, surprise birthday party (90th) given by Julee. It shows Jean, June, and their good friend since childhood, Laverne. 

Jean was still working in Michigan at the time. He flew to the Bay area where Laverne was living, rented a red sports car, picked up Laverne, and together they drove down Hwy 101 to the party. Great story!

Grandma Charles

Today I asked Jean some questions about his other grandmother, Amelia Ann Flinn Charles.

"In later years, Grandma and Grandpa Charles lived on a farm in Malta, in southern Idaho. Their cash crop was clover, and especially clover seed. That was their source of income, besides milk and butter from their two cows."

"I spent my summers up there with my grandparents in Idaho when I was in high school. Four summers. That was a wonderful time, out in the country, away from the big city. It was the best thing for me, a good experience.  I helped them with the haying and other chores."

"They lived in a one-room house with no electricity or running water. The one room was for cooking, eating, sleeping, working - everything. I slept in the corn crib which was a separate building about 50 feet from the house, next to the hen yard."

"Grandma Charles made wonderful meals on the wood stove. She even baked cakes in that stove, with sage brush as the fuel. It's hard to believe how she did everything. She took things as they came."

"As a girl, she lived in a mansion. It belonged to her uncle, who raised her. He was wealthy. She had a dowry of $30,000  when she married Grandpa. That was a fortune in those days. Grandpa went through the money."

"The Flinn mansion where Grandma lived as a girl is still there, on the outskirts of Debuque, Iowa. It is remarkable. I went there a few years ago and saw it.  How I found it?  There was a newspaper clipping."

They're back

Jean and John returned home safely this evening. They had a good trip. Jean enjoyed himself and was very appreciative.  He set the pace and the agenda. John was there to make it possible. Most days, Jean would sleep till about noon, and they would go out in the afternoon. A couple of days, he was too tired to go out, and stayed in the whole day. On those days, John brought food in for him.

They went to 'Little Switzerland' and then to Frank L Wright's 'Taliesin' close by, which Jean has interest in. There was a lot to see in the visitors' center, and Jean bought a book to take home.
Then they spent a couple of days in Galena, Ill.  Lots of history and charm there. They ate at 'Fritz and Frites' - yes you guessed it, German and French food.

Then on to Nauvoo, where they spent the last couple of days.  Jean was especially interested in the Browning house, with all the historical displays about guns. The photos below are from Nauvoo and Carthage.

Now we are happy they made it back safely, and it went well.

On The Road Again

Jean has been anxious to go away, to travel somewhere.
As we know, driving and traveling is his very favorite activity.

So John and Jean are taking a trip. To Wisconsin, a state that John learned to appreciate on bicycle tours this summer.  It is known as The Dairy State, and also there is a lot of German and Swiss heritage through immigrants from past and current generations.

John and Jean are driving to New Glarus, Wisconsin, today.
New Glarus is nicknamed Little Switzerland, and is actually an authentically Swiss / American town!


Jean loves cheese, and all things Swiss, so this will be great.

"Grandma"

Jean talked about his maternal grandmother today (Nancy Matilda Hoenshell, always called Tillie,)

"Grandma raised me. I couldn't talk with Mom, but I could talk with her."

"She was born in 1861, the year the civil war began, and she was four when it ended. Her older brother fought in the war and was wounded, but lived. She grew up on a farm in Indiana.  She was a tomboy.  She was able to harness a team of four horses and  wagon.  Her father said she was 'the best hired hand he ever had'."

His grandmother lived with them in southern California when he was growing up.

"It was amazing what she would do with a chicken. She would go out into the yard, pick the chicken up by its two legs, lay it on a stump of wood, and off came its head.  Then she went into the house, came out with a pot of hot water, dunked the chicken in briefly, and plucked it.
Ten minutes later, the cleaned chicken would by lying on the kitchen sink, all neatly separated and in pieces.
Another ten minutes later, hot dumplings would come off the stove.

"I loved watching her work in the kitchen.  We sure ate good."

"She also made pies, and baked bread.  It was salt-rising bread. It was firm-textured, and sure good."

  "Grandma (Tillie) was a very capable person. She was a midwife, and delivered me and June at her home in Holton, Kansas.  Mom traveled there for the births. She also knew how to sew, and she made my first suit for me, when I was about seven or eight. She sewed it by hand."             

Medical Visit

Today a nurse practitioner came to see Jean.  They come once a month.  It is a program for the elderly called MD2U.
The goal of MD2U is to keep the elderly healthy, and out of the hospital and nursing home.

The nurse was pleased with his condition.  His heart is strong, his lungs are clear, and his blood pressure today was 131 / 68.  He is not taking any medications.

Lunch!

Today, another first since the winter.
Lunch at Whole Foods!

Jean is telling John what he he would like on his plate.

Today

I thought that Jean's family would like to see some pictures of his daily life, so I am starting this little blog.

I will try to update it every few weeks.

Today I took him to the library, and he had a good time. He used to go there a lot, but this is the first time he has been back since he had the strokes last winter.

He was very weak as a result of the strokes.  He basically could not leave his room for months, and we brought his food up to him. I try to make healthy, nourishing and calorie-rich food for him every day.

Very gradually, he has regained a little bit of strength.  The physical therapy helped immensely. After a while, the therapist encouraged him to come down the stairs, at first secured with a belt. It was hard, but he (and the therapist) persevered. It is the best exercise for him.

Now, he has a little bit of strength and independence back.

In the last few weeks, he has wanted to venture out more.  We took him to get his hair cut.  After that, he wanted to go and see a movie. He saw "The Giver".  He said he could not hear anything of the movie, but he still enjoyed the outing.