The Gospel Choir was very special to Mom. They went to Atria El Camino Gardens every 2-3 months to sing for everyone in the Life Guidance unit.
The women’s group at the church did an amazing job providing food for the reception afterwards. As we all know, funerals are also a great time for catching up with family and friends. Most of the people in this picture I considered my cousins as I grew up. L-R Back row: Chuck, Phyl, Carol (siblings), me, John, Jim.
Around the table: Rebecca, Judy, Aunt Rosebud, Cynthia, Christine, Tom, Eva Lee, and friend Mary Lee.
Vi, Jason, Stacey, Justin, Jennifer.
Author Archives: arletelouise
Sunset Lawn
Auburn Elementary Bike Club
There was some misty rain, but I set up a simple course anyway to practice riding in hazardous conditions and using the stop and right turn hand signals. It had been a minimum day with parent conferences – a challenge for good attendance. Hurray for the four girls who showed up! There were only two bicycles and were generously shared.
Lindsey zooms by.
Mr Brownell is the staff advisor.
(Honestly I needed to go to work this afternoon, the past two weeks have been difficult. Coaching this bicycle club is so rewarding, such a happy place with eager learners. After the club meeting, I went to my friend Maria’s and that’s when I got the phone call, Mom had passed away. Her suffering was over.)
More news
Mom rallied for a few days, but then turned for the worse and we just couldn’t meet her needs at Atria El Camino Gardens so we said goodbye to a most loving group of people. Art is the guy in the back and a resident, he was thrilled to be included in the photo.
Mom moved to College Oak Nursing and Rehab Center.
Update on Mom
Mom was released from the hospital yesterday. Tomorrow she will go into hospice care. Meanwhile, Justin and I are taking turns spending the night at Atria El Camino Gardens because 24/7 care/supervision is needed. Despite her pain, she still smiles and makes jokes. 
The staff at Atria ECG has been excellent.
Ashleigh, Angelina, Carlos
Mom to the hospital
Yesterday, Mom was taken by ambulance to Mercy San Juan. The official diagnosis is colitis, but it seems there is more going on. Unfortunately, Mom can no longer tolerate invasive exams to find out exactly what it is.
Pomegranate jelly
Phyl and I have been pom jelly-making machines. After Project Ride Smart on Oct 27, 28, 29, I went to Phyl’s. We made 4 batches of 6 jars each. But there was still juice left, so I made 2 batches with Thais, and one more batch on my own:
The grand total was 406 ounces from 92 poms which made 72 8-ounce jars of jelly. Thais and I used the juice from Tom and Julie and got 18 jars. With the final two cups of pom juice, I made pomegranate molasses.
Soccer players
Sophia is at the far right.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines.
Cheering from the sidelines.
Halloween
Kellen and Odin were nerds.
Sophia was Elsa. I made the dress.
Avery the giraffe.
Project Ride Smart
For three weeks, I’ve been teaching bicycle skills to 5 graders at H Allen Hight School. My teaching partner was Doug (below in red shirt).
Rechalking lines AFTER a small rainstorm. Darnit: back-breaking work.
There are 45 bicycles in the fleet in four different sizes. Each day, we roll them all out.
At the end of the day, they had to be packed tightly into a small storage location – Doug was great at this.
Blacktop drills:
Mr West’s class. There were two after-school coaching sessions and about 10 kids either learned to ride a bike or relearned basic riding skills.
A letter from Udham:
Dear North Natomas TMA Staff, Thanks for teaching me how to ride a bike. Mr Meyers, you’re a very good teacher. I also want to thank Mr Doug. You motivated me to not give up. When I got hurt, I kept going thanks to you. Now I want to thank Ms Arlete for not giving up on me. I was one of the worst riders, now I’m one of the best in my group. You had confidence in me.
The third week, if students had good basic riding skills, we left campus for a ride in the community in groups of 8 students plus one LCI and one more person, usually a parent, teacher or community volunteer. L-R: Pollyanna, Doug, Brad, Mellissa.
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