Nature Songs ~~~~
SEPTEMBER, 2002 ~

September 2, 2002 ~ And So It Was ... ~~ Yes, all the newspapers and television news reports sounded as if all of North Carolina got water with water to spare. True, on the other side of Charlotte there was lots of rain. Even along the coast up to ten inches or so which caused flooding. What they failed to mention was the fact that West of Charlotte there was not a significant amount of rain. At least, no enough to measure. We are still most dry. We are looking, praying and waiting for our turn. The lakes are dropping drastically and critically. Water supplies are being jeopardized as the level of water drains away from the intake valves for major water plants which supply many people. Duke Power Company, who owns the waterway and manages power plants along the way has made a prediction that if the water woes continue as they are now that our area will be declared a National Disaster Area by this time next year. It’s time for my well to be checked out and see how I may manage things if they worsen to that point.. The last time it was checked, there was 80 feet of water in it. I’m almost scared to have it checked now...

The same day that the new 2002 Corvette was delivered to the dealership for the man that lost his new one in the great sinkhole, he got another present. As the workers were checking around the perimeter of the damaged area, they found where the sinkhole had belched out the car tag and part of a bumper of the former car. They were found near the drainpipe of the drain line that apparently ruptured and caused all the ensuing problems. According to local news, as the new car was being presented, the worker drove into the sales lot with the muddy tag. It was proudly placed, with muddy residue still showing, on the back of the new Corvette, before a drive around town getting used to the new car.

A week and a half and still counting! My dear friendly computer is no closer to being repaired. There were no viruses found in the depths of its bowels which was the greatest of news. A call came late Friday which brought me up-to-date on the chain of events. In a nut shell, they have identified the same problems that I had found way back when and not been able to solve. They are not able to figure out things yet as well. There is still a mystery to be solved about why some of the programs are behaving as they do. I’m ready to call and tell them to take away everything and lets start anew. The mystery deepens instead of revealing itself. Only two of the programs need to be backed up since I’ve been doing it most too often lately.

This newfangled laptop has its own quirks to learn about. I’m doing better, but still there are things to explore and practice. I’ve had to forget about one of my online classes. The one I need the most, at that! I can’t learn about how to service my own computer problems when the computer will not allow me to ingest the information I need. I can’t even access the classroom with all its activities because it causes the laptop to shutdown. I’m having to keep away from the message boards of several classes for the same reason. That has been the biggest downside of not having the regular modem sitting there on its special perch atop the dog crate beside the computer center .

I got to visit Wes and his family in their new home Saturday night. BusyKid spent the afternoon with me while Mom and Dad moved some more things from the old home. He and I stopped by to visit with Mother for a while before we headed down to Granite Falls and the new home. He enjoyed being out in the hallway of the nursing home and visiting with some of the other residents. One lady in particular seemed to take most of his attention and he was bothered when she would try to move her wheelchair from one place to another. He got some water for the lady next door while she was sitting outside Mother’s door talking to us. He really enjoyed pushing the button for the ice to spill down into the water cup when we walked up the hall to the ice machine. He found it necessary to take another trip to the ice machine to get himself some ice.

Leaving the nursing center we drove through Hudson on our way to Busy Kid's house. We stopped by and bought supper at KFC for all of us. I figured since they had been moving and working all day that his parents would like to have a meal ready to sit down to. Along with some odds and ends to be moved from the other place, they have wallpaper to finish hanging in Busy Kid's room. Since the computer has been connected and is working, I spent some time seated before the screen and taking care of some online work of my own before heading back up the highway and home.


September 4, 2002 ~ A Moment’s Notice ~~ Nothing like having to make a quick change on the spur of a moment without an inkling of the idea beforehand. Sure, I knew that my name had been added to the “notify if there is a cancellation” list, but how many times do you actually expect to hear anything before your appointment date? Yesterday morning when the phone rang, the last thing I expected was to hear the receptionist tell me that there had been a cancellation and could I be in the office by ten o’clock. Without much forethought, my immediate answer, “Sure! But I have my granddaughter and I’ll have to bring her with me.” That was fine with them, so I had less than an hour to get the two of us ready to leave and get boogying down the highway to Hickory.

Problem: Giggles begged to spend the night with me when Tbird and the rest of the family stopped at my house on their way back from the yearly Labor Day Weekend Family Camp Event in Virginia. Allan and his family went this year as well, but since Wendy had to be on call at the hospital and Wes had things to do at home being they were still sort of moving in, BingoKid went along with Allen for the weekend. Why, do you think, would that be a problem? Simply put; she stayed with me, but her clothes were buried in the back of the Suburban with all the other stuff. Mom was too tired to dig through and find Giggles an outfit that was clean. Not to bother ... I would put a tee-shirt on Giggles and wash what she was wearing. Therein was the problem. Giggles clothes were in the washer when the phone rang. She was wearing one of her brother’s tee-shirts. No way could she leave the house until her clothes were ready for her. With a little rushing, and a skip of one rinse cycle, she still had to wear her clothes damp as we headed on out to the car. I even warmed up the dryer before the clothes were ready to take out of the washer and put only what she needed into the hot dryer to speed up the process.

All that rushing, panting and scurrying through the traffic to make it to the office on time and for what? You know the routine all too well. “Please fill out and sign these forms and the doctor will be with you shortly.” This was an office set up for adults. There was absolutely nothing to interest a three year old, so I went out to the car and brought in a Clifford the Big Red Dog book and one of the Sponge Bob Square Pants toys from a Kid’s meal bag. She spent all the time we waited hiding the toy under and behind the chairs and tables in the waiting room. I wondered how she would do once we were called back behind that closed door.

In reality, I was relieved that the office had called me early. I knew what was ahead for me, but on the other hand I was more than ready to get it over and done with. When my name was called, Giggles followed the nurse and I followed Giggles back to our little cubicle which would contain us for the next three hours. Three hours of Giggles sitting in the corner with pencil, paper, book and toy, doing remarkably well for anyone - much less a three year old! She did have to go out in the hallway each time x-rays were taken, and when the doctor was out of the room, she would come and stand beside my head to inspect things and give me a kiss on the forehead with a “Momma Jeanne, I love you.” As the doctor would return, she moved back to the corner out of the way.

The doctor asked her, “Do you know your ABC’s” Her answer, simply, “Yes, I do.”

Doctor: “Can you count to ten?” Giggles: “Yes, I can count.”

She was not about to do either one for him. He added that he had children like her at home and they could count and say their ABC’s, too.

All during that three hours I was stretched out on one of those recliner chairs that can be tilted in innumerable positions. This time, my head was tilted downward so the doctor could see into my mouth and work on one of the three teeth I had been sent to him to evaluate and do a root canal on number 14. Number 14 happened to be the tooth close to the gum area inflamed and not responding to the antibiotics so far. The doctor called the place on the gum a fissure and said once he got the root canal finished he would lance the fissure and insert a drain. What is it with me this year that I have to have another drain inserted??? Well ... The tooth happened to have four nerve roots to trace down and remove. That took a while to get them finished. The lancing and drain insert were not my most favorite of the whole process!

As I checked out at the desk, Giggles let loose all those pent-up muscles by moving around the waiting room, but since she was fairly quiet, I let her go. She needed that exercise. I left the office $1200 poorer (thank goodness for credit cards at times like this), gauze folded on the gum against the lanced fissure, a blue cup filled with more gauze to use as needed to keep the incision protected and take care of the drainage from it, and a temporary filling in the crown of the tooth in case my own dentist wanted to do more to the tooth. That means another trip to have the area completed and the temporary filling replaced with the real “crown” McCoy. A prescription for a stronger antibiotic was being called in to the drugstore and I have to return Thursday to have the drain removed.

Most people, I suppose would automatically head home and to bed after a bout with a dental procedure, or procedures, I had other agenda to take care of, so I made a turn on the roadway in the opposite direction from home. I was on a mission. It was a mission I planned over the long weekend and one I intended to see through. First stop was at Wendy’s in Hickory to get Giggles some chicken nuggets and a large tea for me. Giggles wanted some regular chips which I wasn’t too sure I would be able to buy for her. However as I drove up the road toward Morganton, I remember the reopening of the convenience store at Rutherford College. I parked right at the door and locked Giggles in the car instructing her not to try to open a door because the alarm was on. In minutes I was in and out of the store with a bag of potato chips for Giggles which was on sale for 79 cents.

Next stop? Of course, Morganton and the computer shop. I had my files for cleaning out the whole computer and reinstalling the system so it should work better. Talking shop with the shop owner and adding in some dog agility thoughts, it was time to leave the box of computer goodies and head home. I had only one more stop and then it would be home and rest time. First I had to get the new antibiotic prescription and begin taking the pills. Luckily, Mom came early to pick up Giggles and I drifted off in a thoughtless slumber.

Just for the record: Giggles and I sang the ABC song a good twenty or thirty times once we were safely inside the comfort of my car ... She never did take a nap for the day ...



September 5, 2002 ~ Grand Homecoming ~~ Yes, you can imagine how wonderful it was to bring home the computer today. Soon all will be back to normal.



September 7, 2002 ~ I can do it ... I know I can ...
Soon the computer will be better than ever...



September 10, 2002 ~ Dream Turned Albatross ~~ Wishes and hopes come true are quite often a wee tad different from what was desired in the beginning. Such has been the case for me. Originally, all I desired was to be able to motivate more. I missed going, doing and seeing things as in the past. Time was when I could go and go for hours on end without dragging behind the crowd. It has been difficult to accept the fact that being a part of the crowd only slowed down everyone around me. It's lonesome when trailing along the tail end of the group. It feels so detrimental having to turndown offers to be a part of the crowd when you realize you would be unable to keep pace with all the others.

Life suddenly seemed to be spruced up for me when I learned that I qualified for an electric chair for better mobility. Visions of grandeur sprung to mind as realization brought renewed interest in getting out in society again. I could see myself boogying through the malls to shop once more. No matter if I didn't have money to spend. Window shopping would bring happiness and contact with others of the human race. Those mammoth stores could be navigated up and down the aisles. Outdoor activities were a possibility. Life outside myself seemed once again attainable.

The big day arrived when the green electric chariot was delivered. With trepidation I sat in the chair and made that first attempt to steer it through the house. Those first attempts were less than perfect. In fact, some scratches, dents and a chunk or two of the wooden door frames are even yet evident of my first feeble attempts to control the single little knob which controlled all the movements of the chair. When backing up, the movements to make the chair turn is the exact opposite of going front ward. It doesn't seem all that many years ago when I would back the boat trailer down the ramp at the lake. My aunt would motion which way I should go as we launched the boat for an excursion around the lake.

I quickly learned that all the others were not anywhere near as excited about my new aid. Wes was the only adult to look it over and give it a quick spin through the front of the house. He liked it. Others only looked in the general direction of the electric chair or completely ignored its presence as it sat in the corner of the room. The new apparatus was not the big hit I envisioned it to be. On top of that, the ramp outside the backdoor was beginning to give way when it rested against the ground. When pouring the concrete, it was not aligned straight with the backdoor, so part of it rested on dirt instead of concrete. Only a few times outdoors and around the yard and the bottom edge of the ramp fell apart from the attempts to climb up the ramp. No one offered to make the necessary repairs.

Soon it was evident that I was not being included in short trips to Hickory or other spots around the vicinity. I tried convincing myself that it was because everyone was too busy to take time to include me in plans. But, on the other hand, they had time to invite others to join them ... Then why not me? I knew that answer, only I wasn't ready to speak it aloud. This weekend, I knew for sure exactly how life had changed for me, my family and my friends.

This was the Morganton Fall Festival Weekend. I've gone to the Festival for years and always enjoyed it tremendously. Of course, this is the second year that I've been out of the Quilter's Guild and was not required to attend, but I would have gone anyway just to see all the displays and search for new items. Guess the tight funds of city, state and country may have closed the Jailhouse Museum. Ms. Jay reported that it was closed and she saw no quilts on display anywhere. Yes, she went by herself - or with her daughter- to view the sights of the Festival Events. But, the real clincher for me was when I learned that Tbird and her crew went to take part in the events and not one word was uttered to me about going along.

She and I always at least discussed the festival, but not this year. As with how things are going here for me, it's very noteworthy that the chain of events have changed for me. They have changed because of the liability each one feels toward the chair. The chair that has to be loaded up in the back of the Explorer by using the metal ramp is too much for others to handle. BingoKid is the only one being able to load up my electric chair so I could use it at the swimming pool Others don't want to be bothered. It's cumbersome, heavy and time consuming for many.

What once seemed such a wonderful blessing which would renew life with others, has instead become an albatross, hanging heavy around my neck.



September 11, 2002 ~ GROUND ZERO ~~ I wrote a poem in remembrance of this day one year ago and all that has transpired since.





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