Monday, December 28

Happy Birthday, Sara!! You should be glad that you and Matt got out of Columbus before the snow and cold weather moved in today. Aunt Judy, my sister from Atlanta is not so sure that she is liking the snow any better. I, on the other hand, really like the snow. Maybe it is that I always enjoyed snow days but it just doesn't seem like winter with out snow. Saturday evening we all went to Montgomery Inn for ribs. It was the last on a list of Cincy favorite restaurants that Matt wanted to visit before heading back to Hawaii.

Today also marks one year after the "accident". I guess it holds a lot more emotion for me as Mr. Bichler has no memory of the accident, a week before and 6 to 8 weeks following the fall. Looking back, the recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. I pray the new year brings even more cognitive improvements and an increase in his confidence.

Friday, December 25

Merry Christmas to everyone. We are so very thankful to have everyone back home for Christmas this year. Sara and Matt aren't real thrilled with the snow and cold but they are getting used to it. We had a house full and it is so exciting to have little ones running around once again! Make the holiday so much more fun!!

Monday, Dec. 21

This morning we were accompanied to practice with a new assistant. Luke came to practice with us and we really enjoyed his company. He played at being shy for the first 30 minutes before he decided to take over practice. What a joy having everyone here for the holidays.

Sunday, December 20

We have had a great ending to the week starting with the basketball team's win against Licking Heights on Thursday. That puts the team at 5-0 at the break. On Friday we picked up the girls and Luke from the airport. Luke and Trish came in at 3 pm and we waited to greet Aunt Sara and Uncle Matt who came in from Honolulu via Phoenix at 4:40. It was just great to see everyone again. The snow was our gift to Sara and Matt but Luke and I enjoyed playing in it while Sara and Matt just admired it from the warmth inside the house. Saturday we went to the zoo for a behind the scenes tour where we saw the bears and the bull moose up close. We had a great time and we also saw the light show before leaving. I was surprised at how many visitors were there despite the snow and rainy conditions. This week the girls will be visiting their husband's families before returning for Christmas. Hopefully Chad can dig himself out of the eastern blizzard and make his flight tomorrow. Delaware got 16 inches of snow, totally uncharacteristic considering their proximity to the ocean which usually turns snow into rain. I would like to wish everyone a most blessed Christmas.

Friday, December 11

Last night was the home opener for the girls basketball teams. We played Liberty Union which is the team that defeated these girls last year in the tournament championship. Call it paybacks, and our girls played the best game so far this season as we won 45-17. Not sure if she was sick or being disciplined but the best player for LU didn't play much so it may be a much closer game when we play at their place but we are enjoying the win none the less. Mr. B says it is because of his coaching but I'm thinking that most of the credit goes to the girls and the fact that we had a super point guard move in this year. She is just what the team needed. Our post player had 19 and many of those points came from our point guards great passes. The team is now 3-0 with 2 more games before Christmas break. It would be nice if we could still be undefeated by then.
We are looking forward to all of our house guests coming in at the end of next week. I am so excited. I talked on the phone with Luke several nights ago. This was a first as he usually only looks at the phone as people are talking to him. He was quite talkative as a matter of fact and rattled off his Christmas list. He wants a Batman Cave, tools, books, guys (action figures, he calls them his "guys") and candy canes. When I asked if he was coming for Christmas he said "presents!" So much for the sermons in church about buying less. I think Grandmas should be given an exemption! Hope to get some good pics up over the holidays! Be safe and stay warm!!

Thursday, December 3

First game back since the accident. The girls really stepped up their game and came out ready to play. Unlike our last scrimmage, we actually made most of our lay ups and didn't make too many bad passes. I don't remember the exact score but I know it was a lot to not many. (something like 37-12) Our "Mad Dog" was working to get us steals and turnovers and it helps when you can finish by making those lay ups. We are away again on Monday at Harvest Prep and then our first home game of the season on Thursday. It sure was good to see Mr. B back doing what he loves to do. Even though the score was lopsided, he never stopped coaching and working on things they need to improve on, such as holding the ball and shot selection. I'd say things are looking good!

Friday, November 27

Having a wonderful time in Dover, Delaware. We had a pretty uneventful drive out on Wednesday other that sitting for about an hour south of Baltimore waiting to cross the Bay Bridge. 8 toll booth lanes that merge into 2 lanes to cross the bridge and then throw in some thick fog and you get a pretty long delay. This trip took about 10 hours and it normally takes 8 1/2 or 9. But it has been worth it. Luke is growing up so fast, talking a lot more and has quite a strong personality. He helped me make the stuffing and we baked a Toll House cookie pie for Thanksgiving dinner. He ate lots of turkey or "chickie", as he called it and Pop Pop loved the turkey dressing. The meal was great and we ate until we couldn't eat another bite.

Today we drove up to see Grammie Bichler. She lives in New Jersey about 2 1/2 hours from Dover. She was so happy to see everyone. We took her out to her favorite place, the Key City Diner for lunch. Luke was pretty good for a 2 year old in a home that wasn't very child proofed. Grammie did cover up her jig saw puzzle so he couldn't get at it but there was a multitude of other trinkets for him to get into. He spent most of his time gathering many of her cat collectibles and carrying them to the middle of the living room. He did enjoy playing with the new "Hess" collectible car that Grammie gave him for Christmas but he really liked the old (and I mean old!) toys he found in a cabinet in the front room. Luke even gave his Grammie B a big kiss and hug when it was time to leave.

Tuesday, November 24

Zoo day today. Had the best job ever. I had lion cub watch from 12-2. Today was the first day the public could view the 3 new lion cubs. Docents were asked to be on hand to give information and I guess for some crowd control. The cubs were absolutely precious, romping around and playing in the outside enclosure. Mom was still pretty protective but tolerant of the many people that lined the fence to get their first peek at the new little cubs. They are certainly a "must see" if you can get up to the zoo. And do it quick as they are growing fast!!

Our scrimmage went really good and we thought the girls did a pretty good job of running the offenses and defenses. Now all we have to work on are all those missed lay ups and free throws.

Monday, November 23

Well, I know for a fact that 37 years ago, today was Thanksgiving. As I like to say, I married the turkey on that day. It certainly seems like a long time ago and I guess 37 years is a long time. We didn't do too much. I had to run some errands and we had a nice dinner at York Steak House, one of our favorites. Of course we had practice and a Parents meeting for the perfect ending to a perfect day. I know one thing, it better be another 37 years before we have another year like this one!! Scrimmage tomorrow night, excited to see how we match up with another 8th grade team!

Sunday, November 22

Well I think we have it completely finished. The train table is ready to go to Dover for Christmas! I wanted to get it finished as we are going to be busy for the next two months with basketball and getting ready for the Christmas season. We have a scrimmage at home on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and an away scrimmage on the Monday after Thanksgiving. The season officially opens on Thursday, Dec. 3 at Grandview. Our first home game is Thursday, Dec. 10 against a very good Liberty Union team. We have the potential to be pretty good but we are going to have to learn how to work together as a team. It should be exciting to watch their progress.

Saturday, November 21

It's been a busy week. Mr. B had a doctors appointment with his rehab doctor from Dodd Hall. After telling him that his recovery was nothing short of miraculous we went upstairs to the 3rd floor to visit with a few of his therapists. It was so good to see everyone that helped to make this recovery happen. It was a really good afternoon. We have also been busily trying to finish the train table we are building to give to Luke for Christmas. It is just about finished. Got it's 2nd coat of paint today and tomorrow I will finish with a border of planes, trains, sail boats and cars.

We also got great news that Sara and Matt will be coming home for Christmas. Matt has 10 days of leave so we will have the entire family home for the holidays. So exciting. Looking forward to Thanksgiving. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for, not the least being our family and friends that have been our source of support and encouragement this year. Thank you for everything you did to help to get us where we are today!

Saturday, October 7

Basketball is moving along pretty smoothly. The girls are picking up the offenses quickly and next week we will start putting in defenses and the full court press, "mad dog". Mr B had "Louie and Rachel" in on the very first day. I guess there are some things even a brain injury can't erase!! I think we are going to have a really fun season with this group of girls. Practices seem to go by so quickly, as they say, "time flies when you're having a good time"! We won't really know how good we are until our first scrimmage. (*photo: 1995-outside the old gym office.)

When Mr. B isn't at school or practice he has been very busy raking and blowing the leaves in our yard. His energy level seems to be much improved the busier he becomes. I'm thinking we should put up the Christmas lights while the weather is so nice.

My buzzard's (turkey vultures) have headed south for warmer climates. When I walked Friday, they were gone. The sycamore tree seems empty without them. I will miss watching them each morning with their wings outstretched to dry in the sun, but they will be back next March. Bambi commented that she saw buzzards at her house Thursday. They were probably staging. They will gather in large groups as they prepare to begin their migration. There were about 60 here last week before they moved on. I like to think that our vultures love it here so much that they wait until the very last possible day before leaving.

Monday, November 2

Happy Birthday to my sister in Atlanta! Pretty soon you'll be as old as me!! Pretty day today so I finally took time to walk through our woods. The turkey vultures are still here, I counted no less than 25 in the sycamore tree. I also saw two red-tail hawks and the Cooper's hawk. The hawks and the vultures were riding the thermals and looked so graceful. In my next life I want to come back as a vulture or hawk. Maybe a hawk. Sticking my head in a dead carcass doesn't sound very appetizing, not that eating mice, rabbits and snakes would be a lot better. But the flying and gliding thing would be awesome.

Mr. Bichler got called this morning at 6:15 to substitute. He decided not to go in and then all day long he kept saying he should have gone in and made some money. He feels better now because they called this evening and he is going in tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the first day of basketball tryouts so he will be quite busy.

Pics: 1. My sister the birthday girl 2. Luke & his best friend Logan on Beggars Night 3.Luke, a pretty cute skeleton

Good luck to all the schools and libraries that have levies on the ballot! I can't think there is any thing more important than our children's education.

Friday, October 30

TGIF! What a week. Seems as though all of a sudden our weekly schedule has become a lot busier! Mr. B was subbing on Tuesday and Thursday and open gyms have begun. We've been pretty busy trying to keep up with the leaves, too. Any way it feels good to be busy with ordinary things. Amazingly, Mr. Bichler seems to be doing much better the busier he becomes.

Congratulations to the West Jeff football team for their big win against Liberty Union and the volleyball girls for defeating Newark Catholic. We hope to make it to the volleyball district finals tomorrow against Heath.

The pic is Fluffy, my adopted outdoor cat that showed up on my doorstep last January. If you are looking for a cat, she is a sweetie, and available.

Wednesday, October 28

I just love fall mornings. They are beautifully quiet and serene. Mr. Bichler and I talked a lot this morning about the results of the accident. He really feels that he is getting back to his old self. He confided that the most difficult part of recovery is regaining his confidence. I'm pretty sure that his day working the stream table on the field trip and his first day substituting have gone a long way in reinforcing how well he really is doing. We did get some pretty disappointing news today from OSU College of Optometry. Mr. B had to take a Goldman visual field test and the results showed that with his visual field cut he will most likely never be able to drive. It's pretty hard news to hear but as Mr. Bichler said, "there isn't too much that we can do to change the situation". When considering all that has transpired this year this certainly is not the end of the world. We will continue to count our many blessings as we begin a new chapter in our lives. We are very fortunate that we can still do all of the things we enjoy, together.

Tuesday, October 27

Thumbs up! Mr. Bichler went to work today for the first time since his accident last December. He was substituting for Mrs. Kitchen in 8th grade science. When he got home he talked non-stop about his day. He said it was a little boring but he enjoyed seeing all of his students from last year and the staff stopped in all day long to see if the rookie sub needed any help. He was glad to hear that Tuesday is still pizza day and he enjoyed seeing the friendly lunch ladies again. He felt the day went really good for his first time back. I was amazed that when he got home after subbing and staying after school for open gym he still had the energy to head out to blow leaves. Thankfully it started raining before he got the blower started. I think he will sleep very good tonight! Very important vision test tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed!

Monday, October 26

Our busy day began with a visit to my friendly dentist. We had to cancel Mr. Bichler's appointment so we could get to his driving rehabilitation program at OSU by 11:30. When we arrived, they began testing his memory, cognitive abilities and visual scanning. He did really good on all of those tests. Then came the vision test, not so good. We found out that the optometrist didn't give him the correct field of vision test so we have to go to the OSU College of Optometry to take the Goldman visual field test. When I called to make the appointment they explained that they were booked through December but they would do all they could to get him in as soon as possible.
A friend of ours picked Mr. B up from the rehab center to take him home so I could go on to the zoo to do a Talk. We took animals to a community center on Sunbury Rd. near Easton and talked to about 15 adults and about that many children ranging in age from 3-10. They really enjoyed the program. The talks program visits pre-schools, assisted living, classrooms and community groups to promote the zoo and teach about animals that they might not have the opportunity to see. Today we took an African pygmy hedgehog, a three-banded armadillo, a screech owl, a skink and a Savanah water monitor.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, is Mr. Bichler's first day as a substitute. I know he is pretty excited and I hope everything goes well for him. He also has open gym after school so I imagine he will be a pretty tired puppy when he gets home.
PS Later this afternoon, I got a phone call from OSU and they had a cancellation in the vision clinic so we now have an appointment for the vision test on Wednesday. God answered that prayer faster than I return most phone calls!! Hallelujah!!!

Sunday, October 25

This week may be a mile stone in our journey this year. We received a call on Friday from the driving program at Martha Morehouse and they had an opening for Monday. So at 11:30 Mr. Bichler will begin getting re-certified to drive. He also has been called to substitute on Tuesday and Thursday at the middle school. And if that isn't enough, he has basketball open gyms on Tuesday and Friday. Guess we will find out how much stamina he really has. Keep us in your prayers throughout the week. It should be exciting!!

Wednesday, October 21

What a beautiful day and a very special day at that. Today, Mr. Bichler worked a full day as a presenter at an outdoor education field trip for the West Jeff 6th graders. He taught six 40 minute sessions at the stream table explaining erosion. The field trip was held at Converse Park. I think the last time we were there was for Sara's softball games nearly 20 years ago. What a fabulous resource this is for the community. The wetland area and surrounding trails are awesome as well as all the new athletic fields. When I went back to get Mr. B at 2:00 he was absolutely beat.....but extremely satisfied with how the day went. Like I said, it was a beautiful day!

Monday, October 19

The cooler weather has Mr. Bichler working as hard as the many squirrels we have in our yard. Friday he spent the day mowing in an effort to push the leaves together. Saturday and Sunday he was pushing the blower to blow the leaves into the creek. Not an easy task and I am so proud of all his hard work. He is looking forward to working the stream table on the 6th grade field trip Wednesday. This should be a good gauge of his stamina on his first school day schedule since last December. I can honestly say that there were many times this year that I doubted if Mr. B would ever be able to get back into the class room or to coach. Definitely a testament to all the hard work and long hours of therapy. The next goal is to get back to driving.

Thursday, October 15

Brrrrr, it is really cold here today. We drained some of the outdoor hoses today and moved some things into the garage getting ready for winter. Yesterday, Mr. Bichler mowed a little to try and get the leaves off the grass. Last night we met with friends at Buca de Bepo downtown and had a great time. We reminisced about the "good ole days" when teaching seemed to be a lot more fun and we listened to all the pranks that Mr. B has pulled on people through the years. Mr. B really seemed to enjoy sharing these crazy pranks with everyone and had us laughing all through dinner. We ended the night with a dessert platter that should be illegal, it was that sinfully delicious. Mr. Bichler found out today that he was approved as the 8th grade girls basketball coach for the upcoming season. Girls, if you are trying out, you better start running!

Tuesday, October 13

I must say that the weather in Dover, Delaware was much warmer and dryer than the weather in Ohio. When we arrived in Philadelphia it was extremely windy, which actually delayed our flight, but it was about 75 degrees all week until yesterday. We had a wonderful visit and especially enjoyed listening to Luke talk. He calls me Gammaw and Mr. Bichler is Gam'pop. He is so cute and becoming very independent, trying to do everything all by himself. We visited the Philadelphia Zoo, went to the farm to feed the horses carrots and spent some time at Chuck E. Cheese. We sure did hate to leave, but look forward to our next visit. Besides, Mr. Bichler has to start getting ready for his basketball season. I told him he needs to start getting into shape before practice starts.

Monday, October 12

Well, today our grandson Luke is 2 years old. I must say, a lot has happened in those two years, but he certainly is the best. He celebrated his birthday on Saturday with a party, complete with a backyard "moon walk" and lots of presents. I think he is still recovering from all of the non-stop activity! ( and Grandma has learned that she may be a little too old to be jumping around in the moon walk, but we still had a great time!!) I will post more pictures when I get home. The weather has been really nice until today when it got quite a bit cooler. But Saturday it was in the 70's and very pleasant.

Friday, October 2

Other than the torrential rains this morning, today was a great day. Lee Woodruff is a phenomenal speaker. She addressed a room full of 300+ brain injury survivors, care givers and health professionals with humor, energy and compassion. She shared a few excerpts from her newest book, Perfectly Imperfect, A Life in Progress and advocated support for the military troops affected by traumatic brain injuries. The conference was all about raising awareness to the "silent epidemic" of brain injury. Often called the invisible injury, people of all ages are affected through athletic injuries, the military, automobile accidents, falls and stroke. Every individual injury unique to the survivor and many times not visually obvious to the outside world. Now it is up to us to educate those around us to recognize this epidemic and effectively help those affected by it. Lee left us with much to think about and this advice. "Be in the moment" she urged. Take time each day to simply reflect on your life at that moment without all the external white noise. And a favorite quote that sums up what many of us have come to learn on our most difficult journey, "there's almost no pain that can't be erased by humor". And with that I will wish everyone a wonderful week end. Go Bucks!

Thursday, October 1

Today, I attended my first brain injury conference. It is sponsored by the Brain Injury Association of Ohio and was held at the Double Tree Hotel in Worthington. The keynote speaker today was Mr. B's rehabilitation doctor, Dr. Mysiw from Ohio State Medical Center. He spoke about new imaging techniques used to better diagnose brain function and in a break away session he addressed the prevalence of depression after traumatic brain injury. I also attended a session on concussion and post concussion syndrome that I found fascinating and would be a great inservice for coaches or parents of athletes or even the athletes themselves. At the end of the day, tomorrow's keynote speaker, Lee Woodruff was signing autographs. I have been reading her book In An Instant, co-authored with her husband Bob. Bob Woodruff is the ABC correspondent that sustained a serious brain injury from an exploding IED while on assignment in Iraq in 2006. The book is written from both the view point of Lee the spouse and caregiver and that of Bob after the brain injury. Did you know that the quilters club from West Jeff provided the quilt that Bob got when he left the military hospital in Germany? I am really looking forward to Lee's talk tomorrow morning. She was so warm and engaging at the book signing and I have heard she is a wonderful public speaker.

Tuesday, September 29

Brrrr....it's cold outside. I went to the zoo today and had planned to work an inside region after I finished with the aviary diet. But the keepers asked if I would keep an eye on the newly introduced wolverine. Our new male, Rocky has been introduced to the 2 females, Kiwi and Buffy for about a week now. Rocky is doing fine but the females have a few "tiffs" now and then. Other than the cold, it was fascinating to watch the behaviors. The visitors that braved the cold today had a great opportunity to see these rare weasels actively interacting with each other. What fun! Sara called today and said they are waiting to see if a tidal wave reaches the island from an earthquake in Samoa. I told her she should pack up the dog and cat and head for high land. Matt is on his ship the Port Royal this week and I certainly hope it doesn't end up getting grounded again. It just got out of dry dock last week.

Friday, September 25

This week has been a pretty productive week. Mr. Bichler had his last appointment with his psychologist and has been released to go back to work part-time. He has all of his paper work mailed in to get put on the substitute teacher list. We learned this week that we are to be grandparents again, totally awesome news! We also have nearly everything moved into the new garage and with the exception of some heavy boxes of tools, everything is put away. Now if it just stops raining long enough for us to mow the grass and rake the leaves we will be well on our way to getting ready for winter. Hope everyone has a great week end. Go Bucks!!

Tuesday, September 22

Luke this summer!

Luke 2 years ago!

Well I have waited as long as I possibly could before writing the good news in today's post. Mr. Bichler had his last visit with his favorite psychologist. Good news, yes, but not the best of the day. While we were in for the appointment Trish called to tell us that we were going to be grandparents again. We are both jumping with joy as we thought we may have to wait for Sara and Matt before we had more grandchildren. New baby Foulk will be due around Mr. B's birthday, late April early May. Luke will be celebrating his 2nd birthday in Oct. Guess he better enjoy his single status.

Saturday, September 19

Ms. Haworth drawing a heart around the initials J.H. + R.H.


Class dismissed. They are now Mr. and Mrs. Hoy

What a beautifully simple ceremony!

The Arctic Room at the Toledo Zoo

a Hoy and his matey!

I think he smells the salmon on the buffet!

Mr. and Mrs. Hoy

After a wonderful visit with our friend Collene we headed east to Toledo. We checked in at our hotel, put on our "wedding duds", and left again to find De Vilbiss High School where Ms. Haworth was getting married. She was marrying someone that she had been in physiology class with when she was a junior and he was a senior in high school. They had not seen each other since that class until they found each other online several years ago. The wedding was so cute. It began with the sound of the tardy bell and as the wedding party entered the room they signed in on the chalk board. They were married by Ms. Haworth's nephew. When they were pronounced husband and wife the bell rang again and they went to the hallway and greeted their guests in front of the lockers. It was one of the most unique, romantic and original weddings that I have ever been to. It was so "perfect"!

The reception was held at the Toledo Zoo in the Arctic Room. As we were eating we could watch the polar bears as they moved about in their enclosure. It was casual and fun. You may not have known this but the 19th was talk like a pirate day. Ms. Haworth's new last name is now Hoy so they incorporated that into the table favors with small treasure chests full of treats printed with polar bears and sayings such as "aHoy matey". We had such a great time sharing in this very special occasion. You could tell just by watching the two of them how very happy they were. What a blessing to have found each other after 40 years! We wish them only the very best for the next 40+ years!!