Dinner at Sherwoods

Dinner at Sherwoods
October 4, 2010

Cable television carries conference we discovered Saturday night.

I drove Kelvin to Sherwoods who are only 3 blocks away, so he could watch the proceedings at their house. On picking Kelvin up at 4 pm, Jim invited me to stay and eat with the rest of their big family, all who come over after conference, each coming in the door with food gifts: salads, apple crisp to feed 30, banana cream pies and Erva having prepared a ham and a roast.

When every appetite was satiated, I heard someone say, “Now what are we doing for Thanksgiving?”

“You are on your own,” said Erva. “Jim and I are going to Seattle.”

She explained more. “Grandpa Rufus is 102. He needs private day care, private family day care, 24-hous a day. It is our turn.”

Jim said private health care has been coming for a long time for grandpa.

Ten years ago, instead of having family reunions where a whole mass of people overwhelmed the aging grandparents, the families decided to go one by one to visit them through the year. That has worked until lately when Rufus needed care 24-7.

Now they take turns staying for a long time. Since Jim is 75, I am guessing the rest of his sbilings are within 10 years of his age, on either side.

“That is an incredible investment of time,” I shaking my head in wonder.

“We do less than others,” replied Erva. “Jim’s health care will only let him stay 10 days in the U.S. and I still work 3 days a week. We go for 10 days at a time when we can – next month Jim goes twice. All of it is carefully scheduled. If we arrive at night, the family who has been doing the caregiving leaves the next morning. We are leaving this week and going to stop at Adams Lake and see the salmon run on our way.”

The whole conversation had come up, because I had been telling Erva about Bonnie, when she asked about her. The news that Bonnie, Joaquim and David live in B.C. and that they had taken her son to Yard Creek where he could see the salmon is what had prompted Erva's story about why they would be passing the Adams Lake.

Please tell me the salmon run will still be going on when Erva and Jim stop to see that magnificent spectacle.

They deserve to see the cycle played out by the salmon.

Arta