Sunday, July 31, 2011

Real Life

We are back to real life here in the Valley, you can escape for only so long. Mom fell in her yard and broke her wrist and shoulder 2 weeks ago and has required 24/7 care since. My sister and sisters-in-law have been wonderful, jumping in to help with her care. We rotate through the week 24 hours at a time. so blessed to have such a loving family.
Stephen King and I just finished the corn; we have quite an operation, him outside shucking, blanching in a big canner on the gas grill, me inside dumping it in icy water and cutting it off with the electric knife and bagging it up. It is finished for another year, and if it doesnt rain soon, our garden with it. Our tomatoes are desparate for water. Overall, Stephen King has had a banner year with his garden this year, love to have some tomatoes to can though! We never seem to be satisfied with what blessing we have, always asking for just a little more. Must have come from Eve and that danged apple!.
Bless her heart, Mom held out till I was almost home from vacation to get hurt. We had a terrific time in Cape San Blas, relaxing, swimming, playing on the beach, and lots of reading and eating. Caleb was amazed at the amount of food we  bought, cooked and ate. He kept asking, " What are we going to do with all this food." I think it was because lots of it had to be put on the counter at the bar. Our house was new, modern, and beautiful but lacked a pantry and good storage. This drove me crazy, as I like everything put away out of sight.  Apparently it bothered Cabe too! 
Yesterday was a fun day for my girls and I. We headed to Clarksville for our annual school shopping and lunch. Mackenzie is a senior so this will be our last for high school , but I'm sure IUS will require a trip or two next year. Madeleine is a 6th grader this year and she is ready to go. Her last year at Throop Elementary. Only our boys remain. I promised them a trip for boys only this week. In the first and second grades, they have lots of school years to prepare for. Caleb is not quite as enthused about the whole deal as we would wish. He seems to like freedom and play much better than learning. Or at least better than sitting and listening. He and Gavin are bright boys, quick to catch on the new concepts and they get along well with other kids. And can charm most adults into whatever they desire!  To add to the fun day, Shawn and I took all the littles to see "The Smurfs" last night. It was a cute movie, so much less annoying than SpongeBob or even than the old TV show. After the movie Stephen King and I joined the kids at Trent and Nina's pool. An after dark swim was just the ticket after a hot busy day. So quiet down on the farm at night, just the stars and some heat lightening for company, we floated around quietly chatting. Gavin went to sleep in a floatie on Shay's lap. So peaceful.
This week brings another Riley visit for Mack, this one to the pulmonologist. Her lungs have responded well to the new antibiotic, but still  inhibit her activity. A new kidney will help her breathe better by sending clean blood to those damaged lungs. The disease is dormant, just scar tissue remains in the lungs, so keeping the undamaged areas healthy is critical. We are waiting for the initial meeting of the transplant team, so we can start the family testing. So many have offered to donate if they match. Wonderful, caring people, family and friends plus a few strangers who have heard of Mack's need for a kidney.
Mom is healing well, better than expecting at her age. We will just keep doing what we are doing till they can start physical therapy in a couple of weeks. She has been a pleasant patient so far, but the PT may bring on more pain than she can graciously deal with. And that's OK, she deserves to complain a bit. She has always been a quiet, gracious lady and with this injury her biggest complaint is feeling guilty that she has to "bother" us girls. As if she hasn't devoted her whole life to taking care of her family... we are just paying our dues! It truly has been a pleasure to do for her. I hate to see her hurting and helpless, but I have loved being with her for all the hours, even sleeping in the big king bed beside her. Watching over her and making her comfortable makes me happy. I am so glad I have retired and can do this. 
Talk tome ,Ladies. Love you all.

1 comment:

Milk House door said...

I sent my boys to school yesterday. I'm not going to lie, it's a little bittersweet. I love my job, but the start of the school year is always so exciting to me.

Jordan is so proud to be in the same building as his dad this year. Trenton is in the intermediate building. For the first time ever I don't have anyone in the primary grades. Rex has a section of 6th graders for Math intervention and commented that it's refreshing to see that innocence still there. I loved teaching middle school, but heaven help me survive having a middle schooler! Wow!

We survived Vegas and feel like we're back on Indiana time. Jordan's team went undefeated into the semi-finals and got beat by the team that won it all. The coach is already making plans for next summer! Next year is Virgia Beach which will be nice. We can drive to that one. :) J had a great time, as did Rex and I. He's all geared up for the fall league he's playing in Fishers with this same group of boys.

Hope all is well with the Gaggle. Miss you all and hope we can get together soon. I've lost my hotel connection- my sister just got a job back here in Indiana in Fishers at a country club, so no more Hilton discounts. That's ok though, cuz now I can see her more than once a year! It's a good trade off in my opinion :)

Love to all.