My daughter-in-law and I trekked to Chico, about three hours north of us, to visit friends and family. Laurie has a 91-year-old aunt in nearby Hamilton, and my 80-year-old sister is staying with her daughter in nearby Durham. We gassed up in Valley Springs before leaving and I took a picture of this “only in America” truck. How high can you go? The kid driving it told me he drives out in the hills with it and likes high clearance.
Our first stop was Durham, 25 minutes from Chico, where my sister, who is recuperating from lung cancer surgery, was doing very well. She was fixing her own breakfast and pain-free. It’s just a matter of gaining strength, she says.
Her daughter, Debbie, convinced her to move into one of those assisted living places in Chico.
It’s called The Terraces and we spent about two hours inspecting the place, walking around, getting oriented to her room and the many activity centers. We met newcomers like she will soon be, checked out the pool and a small lake. It’s like a fancy hotel. She’ll have a sunny corner unit with two bedrooms and she wont have to cook if she doesn’t want to.
Debbie, her husband Bob, Dawn and I enjoyed dinner at Michael Christians, a popular Chico Restaurant. My daughter-in-law went to a concert with friends she stayed with.
The next morning, I took a walk before breakfast, with my camera, of course. These cute cottontails are everywhere.
The neighbor has a handsome bull that Bob says is just a pet. They don’t raise cattle, or butcher their meat.
Debbie and Bob have two Paint horses and at one time raised and bred Angus Cattle as a side-line. Their kids are now bringing home the grand-kids to ride, so they keep the horses. Bob is hoping to retire from teaching in a couple of years. Debbie has taught special needs students, and worked in counseling and school administration over the years. With the recent cut-backs in education funding, she is back in the class room teaching mentally disturbed children.
An avid quilter, she made a wall hanging for her mother to hang in her new digs at the Terraces. I was impressed with the place and am happy to see that my sister is looking forward to downsizing and embracing a new role. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer she asked the surgeon if she should make out her will. “He said, yeah, but not because you have lung cancer.” She is doing remarkably well, and she already had a will. Her surgery was July 2nd.
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