21 December 2013: Saturday ... the 9th of Beethoven is concluding as I type this, John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique ... amazing performances of the Beethoven symphonies ...

Explanation: Today the Solstice occurs at 0608 Universal Time, the Sun reaching its southernmost declination in planet Earth's sky. Of course, the December Solstice marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the south. When viewed from northern latitudes, the Sun will make its lowest arc through the sky along the southern horizon. So in the north, the Solstice day has the shortest length of time between sunrise and sunset and fewest hours of daylight. This striking composite image follows the Sun's path through the December Solstice day of 2005 in a beautiful blue sky, looking down the Tyrrhenian Sea coast from Santa Severa toward Fiumicino, Italy. The view covers about 115 degrees in 43 separate, well-planned exposures from sunrise to sunset.http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071222.html

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I still find it difficult to understand the Solstice. I need to take the time and just figure it out. Learn me some astronomy. I'll be the better for it, gain a better perspective on my place on this Earth and how it is configured with our Sun and our solar system. When this knowledge will be gained I have no idea, probably never. I'll just continue to wallow in my ignorance and get by not knowing why today, the start of winter (which I just learned does not need capitalization unless it refers to a name like Winter's chill) and is the shortest day and thus, longest night of the year; whereas, in the Southern hemisphere, it is the start of summer. One day.

Why is this an effort to write ... I consider it a punishment that I must write and record everything of import during this mild, springlike day, the start of winter, where the temperature approached 70 and I walked Dancer, after trying to find a Post Office where I could get my letters to Susan, Nick, and Lindsay, today, so they might arrive by Christmas. But NOOO ... the post offices are closed and the mail is picked up early in the afternoon on Saturdays, so my mail is stuck in the mailbox and won't go out till Monday and arrive after Christmas. I'd put $100.00 dollar checks in each of the kids' cards and am now down to about $60.00 in my old checking account, which I should close out soon.

Called the dad's health insurance company today to learn that their hours are only during the week. Will call on Monday to cancel his policy. Received SS notices about increases in payment to dad and mom's accounts. Of course, dad's will end with notification (which I believe Mealey may have already done) and mom's will continue, slightly increased, but I am getting the material together for the visit to the accountant, whose name I will never learn to spell, Sczeczyck (that's close). Regardless, I'm moving closer to closing the financial and governmental concerns regarding dad's death.
I have to get use to getting the mail from the mailbox, like my father did for years, no decades, in the late afternoon for today I had more notes of condolence, a trio sent by Mealey Funeral Home, which I think came from their web site, sponsored by legacy.com for people to write something about the deceased. One of the surprising notes came from "Raggsy" (Lisa Paulson Leach), a camp friend of Susan's, who commented on the obituary and who I then e-mailed and who responded posthaste. She told me that her sister died from breast cancer and I shared the message of Dusty's death with her, who I know she knew well, and how it devastated Susan. It is wonderful when old friends, even of your ex-wife let you know that they care and are connected to your sorrow.

Girls prepare a meal around a fire circle
during overnight tent camping at Grove Point in the 1980s. http://thismorningishistory.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/the-girl-scouts-are-coming/

Starting using our vast store of art and musical books today when I took down the biography of Beethoven, a lavishly illustrated book with numerous portraits of friends and patrons of the composer. Just an amazing compilation by the noted musicologist and biographer, H. C. Robbins Landon (link to his obituary). I was listening to an extraordinary set of recordings by the remarkable conductor, John Eliot Gardiner, who has created ensembles that use period instruments but more importantly, symphonic size to create a sound much like what Beethoven would have heard. His Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, a recording that dad bought, is just incredible. The gif below is of the recording, a total of 6 CDs, five of which are the nine symphonies, the sixth is a spoken dialogue by the conductor of his approach to the works. Just outstanding.

18 December 2013: Wednesday ... writing Thank Yous and listening to Beethoven by the Orford on CD (the first 5 of them) ...

It beats changing the record each time, even though they do sound sonically better, but putting in five CDs of the Orford String Quartet, who I just found out are Canadian, a favorite of my father and being able to listen for hours is a delight, especially when I am composing thank yous to the cards and then to the visitors (?) to the visitation.
 

Have moved on and am playing at this time (11:22 a.m.) the Brahms' Symphonies, the First is sounding right now, after the British National Anthem and the Tragic Overture, I was a little confused and thought this first movement of Beethoven's so-called "10th", also an overture. Go figure. These recordings were made in 1952 by Toscanini with the 6-year-old Philharmonia Orchestra. 

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/HallofFame/Toscanini/Review/Brahms

Just solved a minor dilemma about the initials of a name, D. A. Ramsey, on a address label for a condolence card. It is David A., who is the husband of Kaye, a nurse who worked for years with dad in the Employee Health Clinic at the Memorial Hospital and then the Christiana Hospital. They live fairly close by at 5426 Pinehurst Drive; Wilmington; 19808-2619. I will have to write them a Xmas card because she also came to the visitation. 

While Joe Brennan was talking to mom. He stopped by to wish his condolences as he'd learned of dad's passing from a search on the Web that brought him to his obituary. He spend some of his military service at Fort Gordon, head of the Army's signal corps, but he was in security, I think. Served 3 years. Showed him some photos of dad from years gone by and which were on display at the visitation. One that was not had dad as a baby in the arms of his mother. I iPhoned it and sent it to Facebook as Joe spoke with mom, who enjoyed his visit.

 
I am so amazed at the quality of reproduction for a tiny photo
in a weather-beaten frame from years past. The caption read:Rudolph Nijhoff held in the arms of his mother Hendrika circa 1928, Holland.

Dr. Maged called and the INR is whopping 5.9. He said to stop the Coumadin for three days and renew it at 2.5 mg per day, so that will be simpler. We also discussed her lethargy and her declining physical state. He said that she needs to move more and in the future, he mentioned tapering her off the high level of the opiates. I was honest with mom and told her the situation and I think she agrees that she needs to move more but is hesitant, make that resistant, to decreasing the level of her pain meds. "I need them," she says. And yes, she does but maybe not at the level she is currently at. I told her it was all in her head and she could have some measure of control over what she thought. We shall see.

Finally figured out how to post an album of photos on Facebook and now have 8 photos from the visitation up at this url, I think:

https://www.facebook.com/rnnyhoff/media_set?set=a.10152438069992656.1073741827.500927655&type=1&notif_t=like

   

        

   

Just sent link to the visitation album to Art Steele and he responded posthaste with a thank you. I could not post the album on his Timeline because he does not allow it in his preferences, but I just requested his cell and snail mail address and have not heard back from him in the last two minutes.

I got an e-mail from Susan about the Merry Christmas card, sent to me by Gerrit Stam, which I forwarded to her, and she mentioned the flights for the kids that Doug promised to pay for and whether I'd mentioned it to him and the book that she sent about the prodigal son and of course, the Time Share, and how we were doing in "the aftermath" and that she would be praying daily for us. I responded with a wry return and wrote short, pithy sentences. I don't know how to respond to her these days. (I need to message her with the link to the Visitation Album, which I will do, posthaste.)

17 December 2013: Tuesday ...

The bridge from Sherwood Park to St.John the Beloved School grounds on a chilly and icy
night where one had to watch where one walked and not hit black ice.

I'm killing myself over not writing in this blog because I don't have the discipline or the will or the courage to write down what I've done or more importantly, what I am feeling during the day.

Shortly after the walk across over this bridge to a surprisingly busy school building where teachers and students were busy in classrooms and the parking lot was fairly full at around 7 p.m. in the evening, I pulled out dad's handkerchief for the first time from the pocket of my new denim jeans (ordered from L. L. Bean by my well-dressed brother, who loves the site and where you can return an item at any time) and wiped my nose. It was nostalgic and oddly, felt good as I turned down Milltown and then onto Owen for a walk through Maplecrest and then back into Limestone Gardens for a total walk of 2.74 miles at its conclusion ... "YOU DID IT!!!" over the digifit app. Yes, I did do it. Made this experience appear in words and perhaps indelible. I want to keep that handkerchief as long as it holds out as it was in the pocket of the pajama top he wore at his death, now 10 days ago. Soon it will be 10 years and I will be, who knows where. 

4 October 2013: Friday, Foggy walk clears to brilliant sun shining through drawn curtain ...

The fog was intense this morning as I took Dancer up Pickwick and into Sherwood and then an early arrival on the campus sidewalks of St. John the Beloved Catholic School, its classrooms quiet, the posters bright and descriptive -- READ -- the carved inscription over the entrance to be honest is the best action, then walking past the Vianney House where the nuns and priests (?) reside and then out onto Milltown and into the development of Maplecrest and then around to Milltown and then back onto Pickwick, the fog still think and I notice one car without its lights on and I think, damn, that's dangerous and what it might have meant in my accident over 30 years ago at nightfall, perhaps that's the reason I pulled in front of that car, never saw it.

St. John the Beloved Catholic School

But today I had an appt. with Jim Nacchia, Jr., Director of Human Relations of /Homewatch Caregivers of Delaware,a patient care biz, run by his family -- father is head and brother, sister, and mother also work for the biz -- and I filled out the background check and took home the application for the details of places where I worked and people who know my work history. Learned of the Certified Nurse Assistant program for free and called, later, and left messages about details of the program from the two teachers.

Newark Free Library in the University of Delaware town.

Drove to the Newark Free Library and got on the computer to register web sites for the patient care biz and the Delaware program to train CNAs or Certified Nurse Assistants. (Just got through messaging John "de Gooser" Webers -- HIS FIRST TIME doing this type of interaction on FB -- who is driving down tomorrow and will call me when he gets into Delaware. Parents are looking forward to his trip, especially mom.)

Organic, mostly, tomato at Farmer's Market at Carousel Farm.