David took us to Lake Stevens the day after Thanksgiving so that I could visit my sister, Elsie. I had not seen her for a long time. We were both so happy to see each other. Elsie is my only sister. She is 80. Our mother and dad only had us two girls. Elsie has 5 children and I have 7. Elsie did have a baby boy that only lived a few minutes. Elsie lives in a very nice Assisted Living Center in Lake Stevens called Ashley Pointe. She seems very happy there. Elsie has a studio apt. but it is roomy enough for one person. She has her meals in the dining room.
Elsie's room has a microwave, refrigerator and sink.
On the right is her bed and racks of yarn.
Elsie has a brand new laptop but has never used it. Elsie has never used any computer. Karl, my nephew, is trying to explain to her how to use it.
Ashley Pointe does not give computer lessons.
On the right is her bed and racks of yarn.Elsie has a brand new laptop but has never used it. Elsie has never used any computer. Karl, my nephew, is trying to explain to her how to use it.
Ashley Pointe does not give computer lessons.
Above are the finger puppets. Elsie has been making them by the hundreds for years. Elsie said that she sold enough puppets this year to pay two months rent. Her rent is $2500. a month so that is very good. She mainly sells them at craft shows and her kids help her set up.
I hope Elsie will work with her computer and at least e-mail. Karl helped her set up her e-mail account. She does have internet--Net Zero, which is dial up. Karl explained how she can use the Wi-Fi at the library.
Another picture of her room. She has more animals on her bed than I do. Should I be jealous?
Elsie in her easy chair. Behind her easy chair is her bathroom. Elsie uses her cane for getting around in her room. The rest of the time she has to use her walker. Elsie has Osteoporosis. She is bent over much more than the last time I saw her. Elsie has a drawer with a lot of medicines. She has a chart that she keeps track of everything. Elsie was a registered nurse when she was younger. She was a nurse when the nurses wore the white caps and uniforms. Elsie says she takes 5 different kinds of medicine for her high blood pressure.
When I was pregnant with Diane, my dad and mom bought a shoe repair shop with living quarters in Stanwood. I went up there a couple of times to visit. My dad not only repaired shoes, he actually made shoes and boots. My mother said he made all our baby shoes. When they lived in Helena, Montana he made boots for the Governor and others in the Capitol. He even made boots for the Cooper family who had a large ranch there. He knew Gary Cooper when he was a boy. My parents only lived in Stanwood a couple of years. The last year the shop flooded. Not so bad they couldn't live in but there was a lot of water damage. The story I didn't know was the one Elsie told me when we saw her after Thanksgiving. My dad had made a pet of a field mouse and every day he fed the mouse cheese and raisins. The mouse got so friendly that my dad was able to teach him to beg for the food. The year it flooded the mouse disappeared. Also my mother was storing some books for my sister and they were water damaged. After they sold the shop, they moved back to Everett and built the house that you older kids remember with the steep front yard that you used to roll down.
This is a picture of my neice, Susan, and another picture of Karl.
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