The Giving Tree

Apparently the mountains got a little more snow than I suspected. This was our pleasant surprise when we went down to the highway to check the mail. Also, one of our apple trees produced one lone apple. . . I think. I found a nice (but not "store nice") apple laying along side the driveway next to the apple tree. However, there is no other evidence that any other fruit came off the tree or any of the apple trees on the property. Hmmmmmm.

WATER!

In all exciting news, we had a full ditch of water, we got 3/10th of an inch of rain over the course of the day AND it SNOWED in Lander. I wish I had gotten a picture. I'm sure it's gone by now, but the mountains are nice and snowcapped. Hurray!

Tractoring . . .

Here are some great pictures of James and our farming experience. Dad has been teaching us more about how to take care of the property and today we dug furrows in the field. Dad tooled a Rube-Goldberg-esque device to attach to the back of the tractor and dig. However, it needs some additional heft to dig into the ground. I think I got the better end of this whole deal.

Here's a video with my father's narration of what's going on:

Job Success! - Part Ducks :)

After an emotional, tumultuous few weeks, things have become more . . . interesting. I was offered the position of Museum Director for the Lander Museum. This job on its own would be incredibly fascinating and amazing, but here's what makes it even better. . . the museum has just been built and I will be responsible for designing ALL of the exhibits, education programs etc. It is truly an amazing opportunity that I will most likely accept.
At the same time, I found out that my previous position at the school is available again. Mostly, I'm very overwhelmed at this point. We moved here to be with grandma and now that she's gone, it's going to be very tough to stay in her house, but we still have lots of other family here to reconnect with and a wonderful grandmother in Lander. I have two very interesting possible career opportunities and a void in my time and energy to fill.

Celebration of Life

Yesterday we held a Celebration of Life ceremony for my grandmother. It was incredibly touching to see so many people come to pay tribute to Grandma. We held the ceremony at the Hudson Town Hall, where everything in the community is held :) 75-100 friends and family joined us. Sharon, Jennie's only daughter gave a very touching eulogy which we followed with a slideshow tribute. James made peanut brittle and coffee cookies, two of grandma's favorite recipes, to share with everyone. As Sharon said, it's amazing how many people have starts and plants that came from her garden. There are many "Jennie gardens" that will live on. You can view an "evaluation copy" of the slideshow below until I find a reasonably priced program to convert the monstrous powerpoint file to a movie.

Additionally, here is the information from the Memorial Cards, including her delicious recipes.

In memory of

JENNIE M. POZUN

April 11, 1919

Hudson, WY

September 9, 2007

Hudson, WY

Service

2pm, September 13, 2007

Hudson Town Hall

Jennie’s Favorite recipes

Peanut Brittle

1c. White corn syrup 2c. Sugar ½ c. water 1 Tsp. Vanilla

½ lb. raw peanuts 2Tbsp. Butter 2 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. Salt

Combine syrup, sugar & water in sauce pan. Bring slowly to 230o F. Add ½ lb. raw peanuts and continue to cook to 290o F (300o F at sea level). Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, soda & salt. Stir until blended. Pour into well-buttered pan. Cool – break into pieces.

Coffee Cookies

1 c. shortening 2 c. brown sugar 3 eggs 1 c. cold coffee 3 ½ c. Flour 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. cloves 1 tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. salt 1 c. raisins 1 tsp. vanilla ½ c. nut meat

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and coffee. Add rest of dry ingredients . Stir in nut meat, raisins and vanilla. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350o F.

Memorial Donations can be made to:

Hudson Homecrafters – Funeral Fund

Box 93

Hudson, WY 82515

Or

Little Wind Hospice

190 Custer street

Lander, WY 82520

Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears,

but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you there.

~ Isla Paschal Richardson

AND or DNR

On Wednesday afternoon, we came home and I knew something was wrong. Grandma was shaky and chilled, but according to her, she was "just fine". Grandma was one of the toughest women I know, and was always "just fine". She went to bed early and we made an appointment the next morning at the clinic. They diagnosed her with an infection and sent us home with antibiotics. That night, grandma helped prepare dinner and entertained us and James' parents with the story of the drunken pig and many others. We helped her to bed as she was pretty tired. The next morning as she slept in (VERY late for a farm gal) we knew something was wrong. James and I helped her into the car and we went to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a myriad of issues and admitted to the hospital. We later found out it was a very serious staph infection combined with a small heart attack and her children from AK and VA rushed in. By Sunday grandma had slipped into a coma-like state and we decided to bring her home. The nurses at the hospital were absolutely wonderful and the hospice care was just as supportive.
As hospice put it, we didn't "Do Not Resuscitate" we "Allowed Natural Death" as grandma had wanted. Grandma made it very clear to all of us that she wanted to go in her sleep, and her advanced directives were very clear. The hospice service allowed her to go in her home, in a dignified fashion, the way she wished. More importantly, the hospice service was an asset to the family, letting us know what to expect and how things might happen. At 6:30am on Sunday, grandma passed as I was cuddled up next to her, forehead to forehead. She went peacefully and in her sleep, surrounded by family and friends in her final hours. I can't think of a better way to pass than with a loving family around. Though grandma would have preferred to have gone while taking a nap like Uncle Bud, we hope that this was second best. Her obituary can be found here: Casper Star Tribune