Pick’n’Citrus

JWise Photo of the Day

Jutta Engelhardt picking oranges in Phoenix, Arizona

Visited my mother and aunt Eleanor today. Caroline and her mom spent part of the afternoon picking fresh tangerines, tangelos, and grapefruit in the backyard. Afterward, we sat down for dinner featuring the leg of lamb Caroline and I had brought back from Brown’s Orchard in Wilcox, Arizona. My mom prepared the lamb along with half a dozen of the artichokes she had received as a gift from a friend in Monterey, California. At home, Jutta and Caroline made juice. All in all, a pleasantly nice slow day, the way Sunday should be.

Jutta Kommt An

JWise Photo of the Day

Caroline Wise and her mother Jutta Engelhardt as her mom lands in Arizona from Frankfurt, Germany

And here she is, Jutta Engelhardt, my mother-in-law on her 5th visit to America. Jutta flew from Frankfurt, Germany to Chicago, Illinois, earlier in the day, only to be overwhelmed by our draconian immigration processes to such an extent that she missed her connecting flight to Arizona. So, after 15 hours in transit, this 71-year-old potential threat to the security of the United States was fingerprinted, photographed, had her bags taken apart on the lookout for god-knows-what, to be finally sent on her way 5 hours later. She arrived in Phoenix by evening instead of the early afternoon – at least America is safe tonight.

Pain

JWise Photo of the Day

Morphine pump closeup

My uncle Woody in Santa Barbara opted for surgery to alleviate back pain. Leaving the operating table, this morphine pump was waiting for him in his room. I guess it was anticipated he would be in severe pain; the morphine was soon dripping into my uncle’s vein, no questions asked. As the anesthesia began to wear off, the pain started to wear on my uncle and by the next morning, this rather large bottle of industrial-strength pain killer called Morphine was nearly empty. Vicodin did nothing, Percocet in pairs came to the rescue, putting my uncle in a strangely bemused state. The pain remained so strong that I left Santa Barbara on Sunday with him still in the hospital.

60 Years of Marriage

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Family get together celebrating 60th wedding anniversary.

Sixty years ago today, my Uncle Woody (left front) married my Aunt Ann (second from the right) at the All Saints Church in Buffalo, New York, on 205 Esser Avenue. To celebrate this special day their friend Boyd joined my Aunt Jean, cousin Nancy, and Nancy’s children Theresa and Daniel, Caroline, and me to wish them the very best.

Ann Burns in Santa Barbara, California

We started out with me making breakfast for everyone, and later on, we grilled Ted’s hotdogs for lunch. Daniel brought a pinata, and for the first time in their combined 150-or-so years, my aunt and uncle tried to break open the candy-stuffed pinata. All of us took a whack and had a great laugh.

Woody Burns and Caroline Wise in Santa Barbara, California

For dinner, we warmed homemade chicken corn chowder – a summertime favorite in Buffalo. On Sunday morning at Saint Raphael’s Church, the pastor offered a blessing and acknowledged the reaffirmation of their vows, a suggestion by Nancy – we were touched.