Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Wow! Stephen is joining the "bloggers"

Wow, if Stephen and Cari are joining the blogger fun, it's time for the Mounts to get 'back in the game',and I'm sure everyone is anxious to know my side of every story that they might share.
Anyway, it seems only fair when so much enjoyment is derived from reading everyone elses blogs.
For those of you that may not know, the Mounts Family Home has been sold and with the help of the Zollinger family and a few ward members they have finally removed 27 years of "stuff" from every nook and cranny in the house. It was a monumental task, even for Mary Ann who definitely knows how to throw things away. Just ask anyone that currently lives with her or ever has. Just this last month she managed to throw away a hospitol check for Cassie, and a brand new, never been worn, $60 shirt that she purchased for herself. (Glenn found the check stuck in the bottom of Grandma's garbage can, but the shirt is somewhere at the Rexburg landfill)
The young couple that purchased the house has moved in and are anxiously awaiting the day when Glenn will have the belongings moved out of the garage as well. Glenn is not really wanting Mary Ann to help much with this project as he places a higher value on "his stuff" than he fears she would.
Most of their belongings are in storage and the rest are in their new apt in grandpa and grandma's basement or in their garage waiting to be sorted through. Yes, they have had some frustrating moments wondering where things are, but they are "muddling through". Amazing how grateful one can be in this modern day to just have ones own washer and dryer when you've gone all summer carrying the laundry up and down the street from one house to another. Grandpa was pretty upset when Glenn started cutting the hole for the dryer vent - he yelled at him from the bathroom window, "Don't you cut one more hole in this house or I'll call the police!" Glenn stopped what he was doing and explained WHAT he was up to and grandpa let him finish. Mary Ann is refusing to leave the ironing board that grandpa built-in for her at their house, so that was actually written into the purchase agreement. Glenn is a little stressed about how to remove it, but Mary Ann is insisting.
Yesterday was grandpa's 91st birthday, for any of you that are keeping track. When we went up to wish him a Happy Birthday yesterday morning, he asked us how old he was. Glenn asked him how old he thought he was to which he replied, I'm 80. " When Glenn told him that grandma just turned 81, he decided he must be 83. Remember when grandpa Zollinger(Mary Ann's Grandpa) told Aunt Raya to alert the newsapaper that he had turned 95? When she asked him why he replied with, "Well, you know I just want it run up the flag pole to see if anyone salutes!" When the current Grandpa Z found out he was 91, his reply was, "Oh my achin back, I better go back to bed."
Every morning as Mary Ann leaves for work now, she stops to make sure the "ole folks" have the fireplace turned on(grandpa loves it more than he loves "mama" and is mad when it goes off) If they are awake mom always asks , "now, how did you do that?" Like there is some sort of magic to flipping the switch form 'off' to 'heat'. The other day Mary Ann came home and the house was so hot you couldn't breathe. They had the temperature set at 91!(which should be impossible to do, I agree) Grandma was hot, frustrated, and contemplating opening the windows, but grandpa was contentedly sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around him.
The most important function the basement tenants perform is picking grandma up when she falls, especially in the middle of the night. It is nothing short of miraculous that she has not broken any bones! She just "knocks 3 times" on the ceiling and one of them goes running - they take turns. Glenn is very good natured about it all!!!!!
Grandma has finally given up driving and grandpa has finally consented to letting the Mounts park their car in the garage. That was quite a battle! Grandpa told Mary Ann, "don't you know that the cruelest thing a woman can ever do to a man is to take away their car?" "It doesn't matter if it's being driven or not."
Anyway, life is anything but dull and everyday is a new adventure. more often.