Nature Songs ~~~~
OCTOBER, 2000
“The autumn always gets me badly,
as it breaks into colours.
I want to go south,
where there is no autumn
where the cold doesn't crouch over one
like a snow-leopard waiting to pounce.”
~~D.H. Lawrence, English author (1885-1930)
October 1, 2000 - The cooler air surrounds us as the trees take on their flaming garments of autumn. It would possibly be delightful to take wing and head toward temperate weather of the South for the winter. It is not something I have at any time done so there is a probability that I would yearn for the cold wintry days that are soon to ensue here at home. Instead of aiming toward the South, we are planning to head North next weekend.
Last fall the family was not able to work out a weekend that all would be able to spend time together at the Cherokee campground as we did the year before. We have two log cabins, both with two rooms, and a RV site for Allan’s camper reserved for next week. We were lucky enough to get the same site we had before with the little area surrounded by a log fence for our campfire that will also corral the children more safely as they play. Our other log cabin has been built since we were there, but directly across the road. The trees are peaking with color now, so it should be a great weekend together - weather permitting. A whole bunch of tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes are twirling around the ocean and gulf. It will be a week or so until any of it would reach us. Just the time that we are planning to be gone. We have plenty of tarps and plastic and we’ve camped in rain before. This might turn out to be one of those times.
Fall is the time for festivals in this area. There is one in Catawba County this weekend I would love to attend and rummage around some of the activities taking place. Murray’s Mill Harvest Folk Festival, a celebration of the agrarian lifestyles of rural Catawba County is taking place for the sixteenth year. The old grist mill will be turning its massive French stones as corn is ground into cornmeal. Other featured activities are: bluegrass and gospel music, molasses making, bee keeping, apple-cider pressing, corn shucking and shelling, butter churning, along with pottery exhibit, woodcarvers, gold panning, gourd carving, blacksmithing, wagon and horse rides, quilting and lace making, spinning and dying, basket weaving and farm machinery and steam engine displays.
Re-enactors of the Civil War area, including cavalry and artillery troops are scheduled to perform during the festival. The grandsons would enjoy that part of the programming ,especially. It would make for an outing to remember for years to come.
Meanwhile, back home, reality sets in. I go to church as usual this morning after a bagel breakfast at McD’s. I was almost late after dozing off to dream a while after taking my meds. It seemed strange as I took part in Worldwide Communion Service this morning. First thoughts were to stay seated and not make the walk up the center aisle to receive communion. Second thought, was well maybe I could do it and stand over at the side to take part. Actual reaction was different. Others were kneeling why could I not do so now. have not tried to do so, but then, maybe I could do it. My luck, someone ahead of me had pulled part of the kneeling pad off and without a thought of who may be watching, I bent over to place it back on its appointed place along the altar. I was able to kneel on my left knee, but the right side didn’t feel quite right, so I stayed on the left with my right knee not quite bent. In order to get up, I was able to push up from the altar using my elbows and forearms and in no time at all had walked back to my special Sunday morning seat on my special pew. For the first time in many, many, many years, I was able to take communion appropriately - on bended knee.
Guess the doctor made a correct diagnosis about sinus problems for me. Since I’ve been taking the antibiotic, I am feeling better already. I even worked in the kitchen a little yesterday. Now to go over and spend a little time with Mother. I skipped going yesterday since Wes took her a video player over to her so she could listen to her gospel music. She was still in bed when he arrived. I think she did get up later in the afternoon, but was complaining about not seeing anything.. It’s getting more difficult for me to find the right words of encouragement to use when talking with her. She counters with negative comments regardless of what I try to do to cheer her up.
Tonight are the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. Sounds like a lot to take in for one evening of television.
October 2, 2000 - Morning arrives lazily for me. I stretch and turn and stretch again only to nod off to dream some more of those crazy like dreams I often drift into before finally dragging out of bed. The water group is already in action when I present myself pool side to join in the fun and action. For a full week the water temperature has been a constant 87 degrees which has felt good on all those inner joints of ours. This week, once again the warmer water feels good as I step gingerly down each step to unite with the others. Before the hour is over, we are having races across the pool on our trusty noodles peddling as hard as we can. with backs straight and heads held high.
When I walked into the house, that red light was blinking on the phone - again. This time it was a message from the middle school and I had to replay the message to get the phone number to return the call. BingoKid was not feeling well, but he was no longer in the office, so I told them if he came back still feeling bad I would pick him up. At noon the return call came for me from BingoKid himself to come sign him out of school. It seemed strange to walk the long walkway to the office of his school. This used to be the high school where his grandfather graduated and where his great aunt taught for many years. His uncle and aunts attended here as well. I’ve been to many a ball game here on the field beside the school History repeats itself.
It was later in the evening that his parents converged on the house to retrieve their not so ailing son. He kept wanting me to buy him pizza or some fast food. I kept reminding him that if he was sick enough to be out of school he didn’t need anything like that on his stomach. His great grandfather died this morning. He had been quite ill in the hospital since his son found him fallen on the floor about two weeks ago. Wes had to stop by after work to buy a new suit for the funeral, and Wendy has been with her Dad helping him with some of the arrangements that always ensue following a death. It’s never an easy experience even when you expect it.
Dark has descended by the time I arrive to spend a little time with Mother. Seems that one of the CNA’s brought her lunch to her and either, she didn’t know it was there, or it was out of her reach. She was late eating lunch to day, but when they fixed her tray, she was impressed by they told her where everything was on his plate and identified the foods for her. I’ve been asking them to do this for some time. This blindness is not a sudden occurrence and she has needed assistance for a long time now..
I lay out an outfit for her to wear to the doctor tomorrow. We talk about the appointment and she has decided that she does not want any more surgery on her eyes. That sounds like a good decision for her to have made considering her age and with her shaking from Parkinson’s Disease. It is something we needed to be in agreement on before seeing the doctor. Things are not going well for her at all.
Allan had to leave work today and see a doctor himself. With all that is happening and bad weather on the way, I wonder if we will be able to make our trip to Cherokee this weekend. My boys are both ready to take their families and have a break from reality of every day occurrences. Sickness for Wes’ family has been tough for them. Buddy Boy’s mother had another baby and this week social services in another county where she now lives, stepped in and took the two week old little baby girl in protective custody. Her visit with Buddy Boy was canceled by SS because of fear that she may try to retaliate by taking it out on him. The plot thickens for them.
October 3, 2000 - Four a.m. and sleep has escaped for the night. Why not get up and type on the laptop for a while. Maybe drowsiness will slip back for a while even yet. It will be a busy day. I’ll go workout in the water this morning. I meet Mother at the doctor’s office in Hickory after lunch. Later this evening I plan to meet Allan and his wife at the funeral home for the receiving for Wendy’s grandfather. I had flowers sent to the house for her family instead of sending some to the funeral, itself. I’m one of those that would rather send a potted plant to the home so the family will have a memory for years to come. I still have a plant in my front yard that I rooted from a wreath sent for my father’s funeral many years ago..
After working out this morning I had only a little time until I had to meet Mother and her CNA at the doctor’s office in Hickory. I took that time to go to Kmart to shop for some things on special before coming home for lunch and heading down the busy highway. WE arrived in the parking lot at the same time and I waited while she was unloaded from the special van she rode in.
I had decided that I would not encourage her to have surgery at her age. After listening to the doctor, she changed my mind. The only chance she has for any sight at all is to have a cornea transplant. It would with best results restore her vision back to what it was several months ago. That isn’t very much, but it would allow her to feel a little less dependent on others and she would have some sight. I talk with her and we decide to discuss it with my brother and get his opinion.
Evening finds myself and my sons and their families at the funeral home for the receiving by Wes’ father-in-law’s father. Strange how a time to mourn this day and age is also a time to get re-aquatinted with people from the past. Friends and family don’t have the time for each other as much as they used to what with all the newfangled things taking up our time and energies. Daycare offered to keep BusyKid after it closed and his parents didn’t have to worry about him during this time. How thoughtful of the owners of the place to keep him for supper and into the evening.
October 4, 2000 - So, I was dragging this morning! What else is new! I was a little on the late side of getting to Q4L, but the important thing is that I made it. There was more walking in the water than we usually like to do, so some of us improvised with a little tango, minuet and songs from the forties and fifties. I got in a little swimming while the others walked doing the breaststroke.
Back home, the first thing I did was to call the doctor’s office to have them put Mother on the schedule for surgery. It was after four in the afternoon before the call was returned and plans made. Mother will have the cornea transplant on November 8th. When I told her it’s a month off, she was a little disappointed. She wanted the work done like - yesterday. Big brother came over to the center and I left them still talking as I headed back home to get some clothes washed and dried to wear tomorrow, and also ready to take on the weekend camping trip that is fast arriving.
Tomorrow will be one of those super-dooper busy kind of days. I have to be in Hickory by 8:30 a.m. to have another ultra sound treatment. That will make me a little late, but I’ll rush a little to get back to Quest, because after our session, we are all going out for lunch together. I’m not sure how many of us it will include, but it sounds like a good time is planned. I will need to make some arrangements and plans for our trip to Cherokee as well.
October 5, 2000 - Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to me - and many more.
This has been a very special day for me. It started so very early with my having to be at the doctor’s office in Hickory by 8:30. I had to drive down the highway in a lot of traffic with quite a bit of ground fog. Coming back to Quest, the fog was cleared away until I began the descent into the valley of Lenoir and found myself having to turn the headlights back on. Being a half hour late for my water class made it a little hard to slip into the pool unnoticed. Everyone (all eighteen) stopped the class and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. I was speechless to say the least, what does one say when they are the center of attention and standing up above them all! That was just the beginning of a very special day for me.
The reason we ate lunch together today was in honor of my birthday. We went to a golf course which has a very nice restaurant which takes on the appearance of Camelot and the Knights of the round table. I got my picture taken with the other girls standing in front of our knight in shining armor. A dozen of the girls shared the day with me and bestowed some very nice gifts which I opened while we waited for our food to be prepared. Our table had been set for ten and we squeezed in three more chairs around the same table, rather than spread out more. One of the ladies had her great granddaughter with her, also.
A short rest at home and I was over to visit with Mother for a short time before heading on over to Valdese to watch DynoKid in a soccer game. After the game we had supper together at a new place in Valdese in honor of my special day. I had Virginia Ham and saved a piece for Mother since she loves ham. After dropping off the ham biscuit for her, my fun for the day really began.
I was sort of in a hurry to get home and see Lady before she left. That was not to be on my agenda as it turned out. My Explorer would not start! Not a single signal of any sort would it make towards turning the engine. Some ladies at the nursing home tried cleaning the connectors to the battery to no avail. I pranced back to Mother’s room to call Wes. What would I do without him living close enough to help me out in a pinch? He came to the rescue, jumper cables in hand, but turns out that that would not start my car either. It would not build up enough juice to jump it off. Strangely enough, about a half hour later, we were getting ready for him to push my car over out of the way at the nursing home and leave it for tomorrow.. It was in park and would not roll. I turned on the switch to see if we could get it out of gear. The car started as pretty as you please! We headed home with him following close behind while it was still running. Good thing we did, because as soon as I turned the switch off, it was dead again. Wes thinks I may have a dead cell in the battery that would make it do that way. Tomorrow he gets to check it out and possibly put in a new battery since that is the car we plan to drive up the mountain to Cherokee.
I missed Lady, but the second I walked in the door I knew she had been here. The house had the nice clean scent of pine cleaner that always lingers after she leaves. She also left a gift for me. A black cat windsock to hang at the back door. The cat is holding a bird’s nest with a bluebird in it. Now to hang it up, water my new African violet, put my new butterfly pin in a safe place, find a special place for my new candle and teapot and use my new cookbook with quick and healthy recipes. I also got an angel that one lady made for me. I took it over to Mother to enjoy. She has made them in the past and I knew she could tell by feeling what it was like. She did enjoy it and reminisced about ones she had made.
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©2000 by Stormy Jeanne
