A Death In the Family

Monday, November 10, 2008

I'm in Chicago...what a surprise! Last Tuesday, daughter-in-law Kelly telephoned to say her Mom had called to tell her she had a doctor's appointment...something about her heart. Kelly was concerned. (Diane has diabetes and many other related problems, plus a stroke that just about did her in some 18 years ago, but she is a "tough old bird" as she says.) Anyway, a little while later Kelly called to say that the doctor decided it was necessary to immediately insert some stints to help blood get to her weakening heart, and Kelly would be flying into Atlanta on emergency leave.

Kelly is very uncomfortable with her Mom's husband, Wally...he's really intimidates her. (Wally is like that. He and Greg never get along because Greg, like me, stands up to that sort and refuses to "take that kind of bull." Being raised as an only child doesn’t always prepare you for such as Wally.) She did not want to be at the mercy of her mother's brothers (another story) or Wally, so I told her I would meet her at the Airport. I booked us reservations at a Red Roof Inn we're familiar with, out near our son Jeff’s apartment, packed for 4 days, and headed for Hartsfield in Atlanta.

Kelly arrived about 9:45 am Wednesday and by then her Mom had a massive heart attach after the two stints were attached, moved to ICCU (next step up from ICU) at Emory Hospital, and been placed on life support. Over the next two days we saw Diane slowly but surely rally and recover…so much so, that by Friday evening Diane was off all life support and doing very well. Kelly was able to visit with her, tell her about the grandsons, do her fingernails, etc, in short spurts of time till her Mom tired.

Friday night when we left the hospital at 9:30 pm or so, Kelly told her Mom good-bye because she had to fly back to Chicago the next morning. I think we all felt very good about Diane making another of the recoveries she is so well known for doing.

Saturday morning Kelly’s flight was at 9:05 am; she was in line to load when she received the call from the hospital that her Mom had died about 7:15 am. She called me; I turned around and headed back to the airport where I picked her up and we drove back to Emory.

Greg, all this time, had stayed in Chicago to take care of 4-month old Ash and 2-year old Max. Now, all Kelly wanted, was to get to Greg. With their savings depleted, he was about ready to float a loan or rob a bank (a joke) to get a ticket. I told him to hang on. He was not certain about trying to bring the babies, what to pack, what he’d do once he arrived, etc. He knew the trip would be extremely difficult when there were two adults handling two babies, but he would try it by himself if he needed to do that. He didn’t want to do it unless nothing else could be worked out.

I decided something else could be done. If Greg brought the children, it would cost 3 round trip tickets; if I flew up there and he down to Atlanta, that would demand only 2 round trip tickets…money saved! Everyone involved thought that was a good plan if we could pull it together.

Soooooo, I called Fred to bring some clothes, including a coat. While he gathered my stuff and made the 2 hour drive, I went to Jeff’s apartment so I could get on line to find a reasonable ticket to Chicago and back later on and wait for Fred. He arrived, I switched my dirty clothes (they were my warmest garments) into the larger suitcase, along with the clean stuff Fred brought, call Greg to give him the time of my arrival, and give Kelly a call to fill her in on the details and send her my love (she was at the funeral home).

I printed my boarding pass and checked in my luggage on line (you can do that with Delta). Fred took me to the airport for my 4:05 pm flight on his way home, and I was up here by 6 pm Chicago time. Greg and I purchased him a ticket for Sunday morning to Atlanta so he would arrive by noon, and we switched places. He gave me a briefing on basic schedules as he finished his packing. His buddy picked him up at 4 am Sunday morning to take him to O’Hare, and I have been busy since I arrived.

I did manage today (Monday) to get my clothes washed and dried. The washroom is on the 3rd floor, and I have to work the going up and down on the elevator while the boys are asleep, or at least while Ash is asleep. Last night (Sunday) by the time I had both boys in bed and had time to do laundry and straighten up a little, FORGET IT! I did manage to get things set up for Monday: make a jug of formula, empty the dishwasher, clean up the kitchen and put away the groceries that had been delivered about 9:15 pm (Greg ordered them Saturday night). After that, all I could do was crawl into bed. I had not recovered from the long Saturday and at my age, I am working to keep up with my two precious Little Ones solo.

This has been my first chance to get to my computer; Ash is taking a nap and Max is playing with some of his toys. I wanted to record what was up with me. I will be in Chicago until after Thanksgiving. That'll gave Kelly enough time to take care of the legal matters with her Mom’s estate. I do hope Wally does not make it difficult; I hope Diane made her will simple and uncomplicated. We shall see. I know Kelly will need a little time and support to work with her Mom’s brothers to clear up any legal matters; Greg and I can relieve her of any worry about the boys during that time.

Opps…Ash is stirring. Bye for now.

Emails, Letter, and Telephones

Sunday, November 1, 2008

I enjoy sending and receiving email. It is as good as receiving a letter in the mail, a skill that is quickly being lost in America, I fear. I keep a letter-writing correspondence with my cousin Marillyn from New Orleans because I cherish her style of written news. Her notes are always looked forward to with relish, then read over and over again. I have most of the ones she has ever written me.

I prefer her letters to a phone call from her. I'd rather write her a letter than telephone her, any day! I have a phone-phobia. Now I really enjoy talking on the phone, but initiating the phone call is very difficult for me. I get knots in my stomach; my hands get sweaty; I make all sorts of excuses to avoid making the call. Now that does not make any sense to me (or anyone else, probably)...it never has; but, it is the truth. I had twinges of it as a teenager, but as I have aged, it has become worse. As a teacher, I had to make many calls to parents from time to time; I loved busy signals or no answers. Answering machines were a blessing; somehow I could talke to one of those much more easily. Well, now you know a deep dark truth about me...and Fred insists I own a cell phone, as if I care that I am constantly connected to the world!

But now email...that's a whole different thing...I enjoy writing letters, notes, quips, epistles, etc. Email fits right into that genre. That is a type of expression that is close to my heart...written expression. Perhaps it's why I finally accepted Kelly's, Amanda's, and Shelley's challenge to start a blog: it allows me to express myself in the media I enjoy most...writing. I am verbose! I love finding the right word for the correct content. Adjectives are a delight...those chuncky soup sentences I used to teach my students to create...or at least try to teach them to create.

Photography is also a boon to writing. What I cannot express in verbage can spill out into pictures. A good camera is so important to me, and even now I am looking to learn how to use a SLR digital. When I have my mind made up that I really can do it, I'll work on my budget enough to squirrel away the $800 or so for a good one to learn the skills. Right now I am using a Fuji FinePix 5700...it's good but not as good as it predecessor, a FinePix 5000. I wore it out with over 36,000 pictures and several disasterous drops. Fred has a lovely SLR digital that he is learning to use, but that is HIS and I generally do not feel welcomed to use his cameras. Considering the dropsy factor of my 5000, I understand.

Today is bulb digging day. Augie ben Dawgie, my miniature schnauzer, will be leashed out front as I begin to dig the amaryllis bulbs in the front bed. They are long overdue digging, as they have begun to crowed each other out and grow on top of the ground. They've gone from 90-100 stalks to maybe 40 stalks of blooms this year. They must be dug and set back into the ground or we will lose them. The weather is perfect; I have my new shovel and small gardening tools; now I must get my ample derrière in gear and busy. So, have a good day.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
October 31, 2008

Fred had been doing the graveyard shift last weekend and this one...actually he is doing a role in the skits out at the mausoleum in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon for the Halloween season. It is a part of the Trolley Tours of Macon and they've been quite successful with their gimmick. Each of the players portrays someone who is actually laid to rest in the mausoleum, most of whom were placed there between 1790 and 1919. Like the character from Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthologies, each of these folks has a story to tell. Their stories have been gathered and the players take great pride in bringing themselves back to life for the public. The reviews have been very good.

I've spent the last couple of days searching the Internet for some appropriately priced tickets for Greg, Kelly, Max & Ash to come to the Hardin Christmas Reunion in Spindale, NC. We are all gathering at Fred's brother, Eugene & Carolyn's house for the days of Christmas. Greg and Jeff, Amanda and Shelley, "The Nieces & Nephews." have not been together like this since Family Funerals back in 1996; that's just too long! Amanda has married Cory. and they have Parker. Greg has married Kelly, and they have Max and Ash. Jeff hopes his girl Deanna will come up with him. Shelley just wants to be there for all to enjoy her wonderful self, which is a wonderful thought! The little Guys have not met each other...YIPEE, kids for Christmas! We are planning lots of fun...we just can't wait! OH, and I think I found some tickets at a great price!

Our sister-in-law, Carolyn, had a pacemaker attached (is that the right way to say it) yesterday. She was kept in the hospital over night. I have not heard yet whether she has been released today to go home. She was having a lot of irregulary heart-beating; the pacemaker will help her straighter that out. Hopefully that will give her back some of her energy and strength that an irregular heartbeat will sap from you. Keep her in your prayers!

I am heading back to my chores. I just wanted to update my blog. I have not had a chance to do a puzzle in almost a week. Maybe tonight I can sit down and do some. If you are reading this and want something to challenge and stimulate your brain, try Shockwave's Daily Jigsaw Puzzle. It is my favorite game.

A WICKED Tuesday

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Tuesday afternoon I had it all together. Augie and I took our walk along the Wellston Greenway at D.L. Fountain Park down the hill from our house, during the afternoon instead of the morning. Dishes were done; fish, fed; heating system, reprogrammed; me, bathed and coiffed. Fred arrived home just before 4 PM and we were OFF to Atlanta. Our night at the Fox Theatre to see WICKED had finally arrived and we were on our way!

Stopping at Shanes in Locust Grove for ribs seemed the perfect place for supper...just about halfway to Atlanta. Good bar-be-que is hard to resist, and Shanes does have good food for such a small shop!

Traffic was easy going, so we made the Big A in good time. We parked the Phantom just around the corner from The Fabulous Fox and headed for the theatre. The weather was brisk and cold, but that didn't deter us or any of the others who crowded the theatre this Tuesday evening for the 8:00 PM show.

We had enough time to study the proscenium arch with it wonderful Clockwork Dragon, wheels and cogs, and map of Oz. Then the house lights dimmed, the monkeys chittered out on the stage, the curtains rose, and the magic of WICKED took hold. And, magic it was!

It is memorable and it is most entertaining!

If you are a fan of Gregory Maguire's book, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, you must leave his story behind for a while. For though this play is based on his novel, it is NOT his novel...the story has been changed to work on stage and to meet the needs of all audiences. Everyone of all ages can enjoy the play, and it even has a happy ending, something Maguire's books are not known to always have...satisfying conclusions, yes; but happy endings, no.

Costumes and sets are great...our two leads, Elphaba (Carmen Cusack) and Glinda (Katie Rose Clarke) are just about perfect. I can't think that Broadway could have had anything better than these two. The surrounding, supporting cast has no weak links.

All too soon it was intermission. I called Jeff to see how he had liked it when he saw it. Surprise! Surprise! He doesn't see it until tonight. I can't wait to hear what he has to say about it. I then called Greg...no response; he's working an all-nighter. Kelly does answer and is having a tough Mommy night (check out her blog). We had a good laugh, a great conversation about the terrible two's, a quick comment about Wicked; then intermission was done. I turned my phone off once again and was ready to finish the show.

I was expecting one ending, but was given a different one. I liked the happy one very much. I wonder how Gregory Maguire liked it, since it is sooooo different from his own?

It was easy to give this group a standing ovation for a wonderful presentation; they truly earned it...everyone of them. Fred and I both enjoyed our night out very much. We headed for home at 11:05 PM, with at least 90 minutes of traveling home. Once again traffic was not terrible and we made pretty good time. We were in bed by 1:10 AM. Next morning he slept a little later than usual, but made it to work okay. I slept till 9 o'clock.

I stayed busy all day yesterday with all sorts of projects...cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc., and didn't get to enter my blog until today...Thursday. Even now, I am finishing up with the computer and heading for the sewing room.

Pictures of the GRANDS Grandsons

Monday, Oct. 27th...continued

I didn't have room to put these 4 pictures of my grandsons in my first BLOG posting. So, I am putting them in now.

The first ones is Max in the laundry basket just before his 2nd birthday and his haircut. He looks like such a little youngster, so full of fun and mischief. He and his little puppy play a lot together.








Ash is propped up on his Boppy in the second one. Greg & Kelly sent that one to us showing how much he had grown at 2 months. The little guy was all smiles and so big compared to what he was when I left a couple of weeks before. We were so surprised at his growth. They said he was about 25 inches long at this point, I think.




Ash is now about 3 months old in this shot. He has on the Halloween onesie we sent him. There's a hat that goes with it, but keeping it on that head is another trick. He would rather not have it on. Note, the pumpkin shoes are in place...for the moment.








Max is stretched out on the floor enjoying one of his favorite past times, reading his books. You can see he has had a haircut...he has a much more grown-up look. Those big blue eyes are still with him, though. He also has on a GrannyNanny shirt we found at the Getting Store...just right for Grandsons!





We think the boys look very much alike...both of them have the big blue eyes and the sweet smiles. We wish we had them close by so we could love up on them and get Granny and Grandpa hugs and kisses more often.

In the Beginning...

Monday, October 27, 2008

Kelly, Greg, Jeff, Fred, Amanda, Cory, Shelley, Gene, Carolyn...I have begun a blog! I can't figure out exactly how it happened that I began one, except that I was reading Kelly's blog and I wanted to make a comment. I couldn't find the place to make a comment, so I signed in. Next thing I knew, I had my own Blog Spot!

I guess I will use this to share what I do with my time and what I am up to these wonderful days of retirement. I am enjoying my retirement. I DO miss being with Max & Ash, Greg & Kelly and Jeff. How I wish they all lived closer so that Fred and I could be with them more often. But I learned a long time ago that you can't always have your own way just because you want it...so you make lemonade when you're handed lemons.

My Granny always told me, "Never be disappointed in anything...everything happens for the best." So I just figure everyone is in their spot in the world for a very good reason, and I will go to visit just as often as I can get the gas money or a plane ticket to go!

We've have 3 wonderful trips to North Carolina since the beginning of September...1st over Labor Day weekend; 2nd over Sept. 12-14th; and 3rd over Oct. 16-19th.

During the Labor Day weekend we had the immense pleasure of meeting our grandnephew, Parker Hall, and visiting with his Mom, Amanda and Aunt Shelley up at Grandma Carolyn and Grandpa Gene's house. Now that was loads of fun, especially since I love babies anyway! Parker was shy of me, but he didn't know me from Adam, and his beloved Aunt Shelley was there, so he really did not need anyone else. But being with all of them was such a delight, especially as we made plans for Christmas.

As an extra highlight of this weekend, Fred kept a promise he has been making since we were married over 39 years ago: He took me up Chimney Rock. We had a wonderful morning in the State Park, driving up the lovely curving road, shopping in the gift shops, and walking out on the Chimney Top itself. I am sorry it has taken so long to get him to go; I wish the Boys had been with us so we could have walked the trails together (when I was more able) as we walked so many trails on our travels all over the place. Guys, you will love it; we are going to have to do this one together one of these days. The view is magnificent!

Aunt Frances Barnhill celebrated her 83rd birthday on Sept. 8, but her birthday party was held Saturday, Sept. 13. Fred and I drove up to Charlotte (actually Matthews) to spend the weekend with cousin Harvey Morrow. Then we all went together out to cousin Laura & Stephen Wilkinson's home to help Aunt Frances celebrate. Gene & Carolyn had driven down from Spindale, as had a bunch of the cousins. We had such a nice time. Fred had a good time visiting with cousins he does not get to see very often.

Fred's 45th Class Reunion was over the weekend of Oct. 17-19. Quite a few of his fellow classmates from the Class of '63 gathered for a tailgate party out at Central High Friday night, breakfast at Denny's Saturday morning, then for a really nice shindig at Isothermal College Saturday night. After 45 years, they all look really GREAT! Not an OLD one in the bunch.:-) And, after all these years, they treat me like I was one who graduated with them...makes me feel special!

That's enough for a beginning BLOG! I am going out to work in a flower bed. I have begun!