Nature Songs ~~~~
MAY, 2002 ~
May 4, 2002 ~ Anticipation ~ This time around I happened to be on the other side of the picture. I was the one having to perch on the edge of a chair, contemplate with anxiety, and await the conclusion. This time another member of the family was having surgery and I had to endure the waiting game there in the waiting room overflowing with others full of anticipation. The game actually began much earlier, but now we were alone in a sea of unknown people and knew little of the things taking place in the sterile room upstairs.
Originally, he was to present himself to the Surgery Check-in Desk at nine o’clock, but a phone call late in the afternoon the day earlier informed him to come at 10:45. Precisely at the appointed time he submitted himself and was escorted to a tiny cubbyhole to change into that most popular of all attires, the infamous hospital gown. There he remained in the mini-room to await his duration in surgery. There was only room for one chair squeezed between his gurney and the wall, so his wife and I took turns sitting and standing in anticipation of when his turn would take place. His IV was started without any of the problems I had experienced only weeks ago. The three of us talked quietly and watched the activity of the beehive around the nurse’s station wondering when Allan would be wheeled down the corridor.
One of the nurses informed us that our doctor was working on schedule and it would not be very long until Allan would be taken to the pre-op area and then on to the surgery room to begin repairing his injured back. As noon approached, the hallway and nurse’s station became empty. All but one or two had gone to the cafeteria for lunch. As they returned to work, we were still watching and waiting. One of the Anesthetists came by to introduce himself and report that soon the work would begin. And shortly after one o’clock, another Anesthetist assigned to him introduced herself and said that all was ready for him. We said our good-byes and wished Allan well before he was wheeled through the door headed for surgery. We returned to the elevator which took us to the waiting room downstairs.
Before beginning our wait there, we proceeded to the cafeteria for some food and drink. Luckily, we made it before closing time which was 1:30 and got some hot food instead of snacks. We sat in a booth together relaxing as we talked ate. There was no rush since we knew the surgery would last at least two hours. However, after returning to the waiting room, the phone rang and the receptionist informed us that surgery had begun and all was well. It was 1:45 pm.
We had a nice discussion with the receptionist as she worked on some papers for the next day’s scheduled surgeries and took the phone calls. She used to be a nurse until she was no longer able to do the work. She didn’t tell us her problem, but she had to use a walker with wheels to get around. About the same time I had to leave to pick up NascarKid and take him to his guitar lesson, she was getting ready to leave and go home to take care of her new puppy. Only a few families were remaining to await the call from upstairs that surgery was completed and successful. When the receptionist left it was up to us to answer the phone and find out what was happening.
I meandered back through the maze of halls with their crooks and turns to the opposite side of the hospital where I had to park for easiest walking access. Even so, once outside, there were either steps or hills to conquer in order to reach the roadway. The parking deck happens to be across the road. All the walking has been a challenge, but once safely clicked in my car seat, I was off to Middle School to pick up the grandson and bring him back to Hickory for his lesson.
While he had his lesson, I drove to the mall across the road and parked near the back entrance to Penny’s Department Store. There was a three day sale in progress and they had something on sell that I’ve always wanted. A $120 tiffany lamp happened to be on sale for $59.99. There were several on sale for the same price, but cost more originally. I didn’t like their design as much as the wildflower design. Since Christmas I’ve carried around a Penny’s gift certificate from Cotton. This afternoon I used it along with a $10 off coupon out of the newspaper to purchase the wildflower design tiffany lamp. My out of pocket cost was less than $4!
A quick cellular call to the hospital and I learn that Allan has just finished his surgery and is in recovery. I’m back to the music store to pick up NascarKid before stopping at the cellular phone company to pick up a pager Allan had left with them this morning on his way to the hospital. It has been repaired and ready for use again. About five o’clock I’m parked and back in the hospital with NascarKid. This time Allan’s assigned room is on the same side of the hospital as the parking deck so there isn’t quite as much walking to do.
He has just been brought to his room as I return and is very alert. Pain? Some, but he is ready to go home and he is hungry. The nurse orders him a tray for supper and I stay while he eats. All appears to be going well for him. It has been over seven hours since first coming to the hospital and his surgery was a little over two hours. That’s a lot of waiting and wondering for one day. Hopefully he will be home tomorrow. He has to have complete bed rest the first week at home. This I’ll have to see for myself!
May 9, 2002 ~ Coming Out Again ~ Living in seclusion is not the life for me. It’s time to get away from home more and join some of the activities of the normal world. Monday morning was the first time for taking part in the water classes at Quest in about three months. How could I have missed so many classes? It seems only days instead of months since the last time I was in the water with the other girls. They made me feel welcomed back and missed when I joined the class. Ah, how good it felt to be in the water.
In fact, the water felt so good, I found myself going through the motions of all the activities along with everyone. I didn’t put out any extra energy with the movements and felt it was not too much for the first time. How wrong I was! It was too much and muscles throughout my body yelled loudly in protest. Some of them are even yet screaming out with disapproval. I rested Tuesday and missed yesterday since one of my neighbors said she would come here to get some of the monkey grass we are moving out of the new fenced in area for Charlie and Oreo. She didn’t show, but Ms. Jay came out pushing her wheelbarrow and took it back home loaded with the plants for making some borders in her front yard.
Today will be a day for taking off for the mountains with Ms. Jay and her grandbaby. We went to Blowing Rock for her birthday lunch in April and drove on to Boone so she could choose her present from me. We got to the mall, but didn’t see the store that sells bamboo. Turns out that I was looking for the wrong name. It was the right mall, so now we will return and Ms. Jay will get to choose which type of bamboo plant we would like to own. I’ll probably come home with another type of plant. Getting my sticker to show that my car tag is renewed the other day, I noticed that some bamboo plants were displayed on the end of the counter of the License Tag Bureau.
Perhaps I’ll attempt returning to Q4L in the morning and slow down with how much I do. A little goes a long way when one has been on a hiatus.
May 13, 2002 ~ Mother’s Day, 2002 ~ Mother’s Day celebrations are recorded way back to ancient Greece spring celebrations. Honor was then for Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. Moving on into the 1600s, England celebrated “Mothering Sunday”, which occurred on the fourth Sunday of Lent - the 40 day period before Easter. Mothering Sunday honored all the mums of England.
This was a time that England’s poor worked as servants for the wealthy. Most of the servants worked far away from their homes and lived at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home to spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, often was bought home to provide a festive touch to the visit.
This celebration changed to honoring the “Mother Church” as Christianity spread throughout Europe. Through the years, the church festival blended with the Mothering Sunday celebration. People honored their mothers and the church.
In 1872, Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words to the Battle hymn of the Republic, suggested that the United States observe Mother’s Day as a day dedicated to peace. Every year, she would hold an organized Mother’s Day assembly in Boston, Mass.
Ana Jarvis, in 1907, began a campaign in Philadelphia, Pa., to designate a national Mother’s Day. She persuaded her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother’s Day on the second anniversary of her mother’s death, the second Sunday of May. The following year Mother’s Day was celebrated in Philadelphia at the same time.
Under the leadership of Jarvis, advocates of Mother’s day began to write to ministers, businessmen and politicians throughout America to establish a national Mother’s Day. It was a successful and by 1911, Mother’s Day was being commemorated in almost every state. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the official announcement proclaiming Mother’s Day as a national holiday held on the second Sunday of May each year.
Mother’s Day is celebrated in many countries throughout the world at different times of the year. Then there are also some of the countries choosing to celebrate Mother’s Day at the same time we celebrate here in the United States.
Mother’s Day here at home was a bit different this year. I opted to spend Sunday morning with Mother instead of going to church. Her roomie of two years died this week at the age of 100 and Mother has been nervous and upset. The night before she died, her bed was rolled down the hall to an empty room so Mother could rest better. The bed and nightstand are still out of the room which gives more room for us to move around. In fact, the CNAs are using the other side of the bed to help Mother in and out of bed because there is more room to move and handle the wheelchair.
Wes and his family stopped by to visit with Mother after church, bringing her a pretty flower with huge red blossoms. BusyKid took a bad fall leaving church. He was on BingoKid’s shoulders and fell backward on the steps. A registered nurse was directly behind them and offered first aid and advice. BusyKid lucked out because BingoKid tried his best to cushion the fall. (BingoKid torn the knee of his pants during this time.) As the nurse said, if they chose to take him to the Emergency Room they would be told the same thing she offered - ice on the huge bump on the back of the head, watch closely for signs of drowsiness, upset stomach, increased swelling, or changes in the pupils of his eyes. BingoKid was extremely upset and felt responsible for the accident. As his Dad told him. “BingoKid, things like this are called accidents because they happen unexpectedly. They are not planned and no one is totally responsible. Accidents will happen. That’s why we always tell you to be careful.”
I came home to find Alan waiting and resting. He should get his staples out this week, but is already attempting to walk some each day. So far, the pain in his hip is preventing him from walking the half mile suggested by the surgeon. There is much going on in his life right now and I marvel how well he is handling everything. I found a book about Jack Russell Terriers in Pet Smart last Friday when I went in to buy a new bed for my own dogs. He spent time leafing through the pages exploring the many offerings he may use for Po’Jo, the JRT given to Buddy Boy.
Cotton called from New Jersey to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. She also gave me a gift certificate for shopping online at Barnes & Noble. Since I am now taking a course on Cubism and Picasso, I took advantage of the gift and ordered the text for the course, another book on Cubism and an Art Dictionary. This is an area of art which I had studied and loved for a long time. It is so interesting for me that I’ve spent more time surfing the net for more information and pictures than on any other course I have studied. This is an area which I would love to experiment on paper with and see how I can do expressing my interpretation of things instead of trying to copy exactly what may be before me. There is the challenge of also taking the negative area around the main topic to enhance the total outcome.
All the children and their families were here for cooking out for supper. Charlie and Oreo were herded into my bedroom secured by the gate at the door. Charlie has lost his privilege for running loose since Ms. Jay spotted him walking in the road last week. It seems he gets up more nerve to venture out and progress a wee bit further each time. The Boulevard is too close home with all its big trucks and fast vehicles to take a chance on Charlie venturing from home.
Deer steaks and burgers were placed on the gas grill outdoors to cook. The Grandkids all came running in excited and jabbering all at once. The grill had taken a toll from being outdoors in the weather (in the carport) and the gas sprung a leak around the control on the front of the grill. Flames were shooting up in the air. Thank goodness the top was down over the meat and it was not damaged by the flames. Allan turned off the valve at the top of the gas canister and the fire died out. We were left having to go to an alternate plan. I have a fairly new charcoal grill stored in a plastic container and it was brought out. However, there was no charcoal, so a trip had to be made to the store to buy a bag of charcoal. The deer meat was moved indoors and finished cooking under the broiler in the oven. Once the charcoal was burned down to hot coals, the chicken which had been parboiled, was cooked outdoors by Wes. Supper was later than planned, but well worth the wait. Steak for the adults and kids that liked it, burgers for some, and chicken were the meat choices; baked beans from Tbird’s house; French fries; cold slaw, and hot rolls rounded out the meal. No one wanted any dessert.
This was a busy and unusual Mother’s Day, but by the day’s end all were happy.
May 18, 2002 ~ What a Week! It Has Left Me Weak ... ~ Mother’s Day and all the family frolicking together was only an exercise or trial run for the week that followed. Monday was a day with some time for rest and time to spend with Mother. Come evening and the phone rings. Tbird is on the other end announcing that she needed my help on Tuesday. Both boys were to have an eye examine, but she changed NascarKid’s appointment to a time when she could be there to talk with the doctor since his eyes have the same problems that she and Maw-maw have in common. However, I took DynoKid since he needed his changed and a new pair of frames before his trip to Australia. Brother, try as he may only managed to bend the frames he now has into all sorts of weird shapes - so much so that the right side was way lower than the left when they were precariously perched across the bridge of his nose.
Low and behold, she needed me again on Wednesday. She barely got in touch with me in time for me to come to her aid. This is “supposed” to be the last Wednesday I’ll need to offer my free services. I met her at church to get the boys and this time she came to the house to pick them up instead of me bringing them back for their classes at church. I spent about two hours with Mother this afternoon and she was lucky I didn’t listen to Mother and spend more time with her at the nursing center.
Thursday ... should it be any different? Guess not! I had to call the church office to get my own appointment changed for getting my picture taken for the new church directory. DynoKid got his braces off and a permanent retainer placed on his lower teeth. His teeth look great and there is plenty of room now for his permanent teeth to grow as they should. One proud boy came out to the waiting room. Not only did he have a broad smile and happy gait to his walk, but he also had a blue balloon and a plastic cup filled with all sorts of candy. (I was surprised that an Orthodontist would hand out candy, but then again - this was a special occasion.) Before leaving the office, I had to make an appointment on Monday for his upper retainer to be fitted. It will only be worn during the night. (Next week is already filling up.)
Since Tbird is short on time - or overloaded with activities - plans were made for me to meet her at Burger King so she could take DynoKid to get his new frames and order his lenses and I could go on to Hickory for my portrait (?) sitting. NascarKid decided he wanted to ride with me so we exchanged boys and went our separate ways. I arrived early and got ahead of a couple and entered the darkened room to pose. My hair had been tossed asunder by the wind all afternoon and having put on makeup before leaving home at noontime I was none too sure how thing would turn out. Out of four proofs, there was only one I even remotely thought would pass. The photographer was determined that moi should not only smile, but have my teeth peeking out as well. The end result shows how much the right side of my face is different because of the result of the stroke and how tossed my hair really was. Oh well, I decided to buy prints for my four children less they forget someday how beautiful their mother really looks.
Okay! Four days of running places and doing things have passed. Friday should be a clinch one would think. Not so .. it turns out to be the busiest of all. Wes calls Thursday evening needing my help with BusyKid. He missed work because BusyKid was running a high fever and needed to go to the doctor. He tested positive for strep throat, was put on antibiotics and could not go to daycare Friday. I had my afternoon filled and could only help out for the morning.
BusyKid stayed with me from 8 am to 1:45 pm and I loaded him in the booster seat on the back seat of the car and took him several blocks to meet his great-grandmother who would take care of him until Wes finished work. Thank goodness Allan was at the house when we left. I had problems with the booster seat and had to call on Allan to come to my aid.
Off to make the three-county race and stay on schedule! I started out later than planned and wondered how I would do making my pickups. First came Morganton and the daycare on my list of stops. I had to get Giggles first because of NascarKid’s guitar lesson in Hickory. There was not enough time otherwise to make the trip to Morganton before 5:30 when the daycare closed. She was asleep and it took a little time for her to awaken and get oriented enough to walk out on her own power. I can no longer carry her around anywhere. We loaded up and headed out of town toward the school out in the country to pick up DynoKid.
It was about 3:40 when I pulled into the drive at school. Luckily, more cars were still in line ahead of me and I got DynoKid without making a trip inside. Once the teacher had him in the back seat and he buckled up we headed off in the direction of middle school to get NascarKid. We always have to wait for him since they get out after the buses from high school come to pick up those riding the buses. Since I am earlier than most, I get in the drive in one of the three lines of cars waiting and don’t have to be backed up on the roadway as many cars do. Once we left, the boys wanted to stop at Burger King, but the cars waiting to make a left turn into the middle school had the drive blocked. We drove on down I-40 to another exit and stopped at a Subway for NascarKid.
Proceeding on to Hickory, there was a stop at Wendy’s for DynoKid and Giggles. We had a little time - one of those hurry up to wait times - since the guitar lesson had been moved back a half hour. I took that time to buy a few more flowers, and cucumber plants and watermelon plants from Home Depot who had a huge sale on plants this weekend. Giggles rode in the shopping cart and the boys stayed in the car. She picked out some purple petunias she liked and I bought them since they were only $.99. They had some beautiful double begonias and I bought one for Mother to enjoy this summer.
While the guitar lesson was taking place the rest of us spent time in Pet Smart where it was much more comfortable with the air conditioner pumping out all that cooling air. The animal shelter was having their dogs there for adoption and Giggles wanted to spend all her time going from dog to dog petting heads and allowing one of them to lick her fingers. A puppy with some Jack Russell Terrier mixed in his genes was barking and jumping. He would jump straight up with all four feet off the floor and went as high as the top of the wire cage he was in.
Tbird had driven up to Asheville with hubby to see a new doctor. He has been having lots of pain with his legs and having trouble getting around. They called about six or so to say that they had tickets to see a movie and would have to wait until the nine o’clock show. The Grandkids were all with me until around 11:30 pm.
Today arrives. About 10 am Wes and Allan arrive with the three boys. BingoKid mows the yard so he can have time to ride the four-wheeler. Cucumber seeds and the plants I got are planted in the garden. The watermelons are planted over to the side. Up closer to the tree line when the ground stays damp more than anywhere else, Allan has prepared the earth for the pumpkins. Planting of the pumpkins called for all the boys to come together and help with the project. Allan does so much want to have a good crop of pumpkins for Halloween. Come to think of it, I haven’t even asked what kind of seeds he bought! He worked in the garden yesterday and has it looking good. (He worked on the drive yesterday, too. The ditches are once more cut smoothly with the blade of the tractor and the roadway evened.
Surely, tomorrow will not be as busy ... or will it ... ?????
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Lenoir,NC 28645
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©2002 by Stormy Jeanne
