Marty, Mark, Mountains, Momma, Daddy

Mark closed his business on July 26.  He came home that night.  He and I did laundry and packed on Saturday, then that night we enjoyed my sister Kathie's 60th birthday party at Clark's Fish Camp.  Lots of people, lots of fun!

Sunday morning, we were off for the mountains!  A ten hour trip, we got about six hours in, taking I-285, a road that takes you around the busy traffic in Columbia, SC, and the car stopped going.  Our car limped to the curb of this very busy highway, big trucks and cars whizzing past only feet away.  We were thirty miles from Columbia and had a broken fuel pump.  AAA towed us to nearby Newberry, SC, dropped our car at a repair shop and we grabbed a few belongings, said a prayer that the rest of our very full car would be safe, and we were dropped off 1/2 mile away at an Econo-Lodge.  The town was small, a Dollar General, Walmart, Hardees, and CVS were nearby.  Just past the repair shop was a nice little restaurant that had a good following.  We had dinner there the second night of our stay.  After they fixed the in-tank fuel pump, a bunch of wires were noticed to be burned from heat of our clogged catalytic converter.  They wrapped each wire, removed the CC and put in a "test pipe", basically a bypass.  The car, an automatic transmission, wouldn't go into 2nd gear.  We got frustrated, learned there was a GMC dealership three miles away, and Mark drove slowly, shifting into 2nd gear, and we were at the nicest dealership we ever encountered!  They followed each wire, finding nothing wrong, so they replaced the whole set of wires with a new.  Newberry was an expensive stop!  Mark sure didn't expect to spend all day Monday and Tuesday in a car repair shop after closing his Snap-On Tool business just days before!

We finally arrived at our house on Beech Mountain on Tuesday night for what remained of our two week vacation.  The weather in the mountains was shockingly cool.  I think that summer had peaked and we were beginning to feel the beginnings of fall.  Although there was a lot of rain, the most in years, we enjoyed our time, riding on the parkway, doing things around the house. We picked blueberries at a U-pick farm, canned a couple of dozen half-pints of jams, baked a big pie. We bought a large basket of peaches, which I made into 7 pints of pickled spiced peaches. We even saw a play at Lees MacRae college, Singing in the Rain. Our time there seemed cut short when it was time to go home.  We need to get that house painted.

We arrived home on Sunday, August 11th.  Monday was spent getting unpacked and washing, then to my parent's house, where I was surprised at how well my mother was doing, but daddy's back is agonizing for him, which breaks my heart.  Tuesday morning Mark left for Orlando, where he fixed, then sold his big Snap-On Truck for much less than it was worth (Hard finding a buyer.) and had the catalytic converter tube worked on so it would be quiet once again (it sounded like a motor boat!).  That same morning, momma had surgery at Baptist Hospital Beaches (LOVED that hospital and all the staff!).  The silicone breast implants that were placed after mastectomy 26 years ago had to be removed.  They were possibly ruptured, encapsulated in scar tissue and there were hematomas beneath both.  Her doctor was pleased at how well the surgery went.

All last week was spent taking care of both parents, getting momma back to health and helping daddy cope with his back. He finally consented to use a walker, which made me feel better, as I feared he would fall, so he took mom's.  That night I layed in bed and worried that momma would need her walker in the middle of the night and fall.  Mom has an appointment Monday afternoon at the surgeon's to remove drain tubes.  Daddy has an appointment at the spine clinic on Thursday, the 22nd for shots that are supposed to give some relief.  I'd like to go with him and make an appointment for myself, as I have bulging disks in my neck causing pretty intense shoulder (and neck) pain.  It's worst when I lay down and I have found that using a cervical collar in bed is the trick, but not a cure.  I've begun having pain in my left leg as well; It's the nerve that makes pain that begins my fanny muscle and goes all the way down my leg and into the arch and bottom of my foot.  I would compare it to having my skin taken off like a sock and put back on inside out.  I am thankful it isn't a constant pain, but when it hits, it is always a surprise at how intense it is.  I guess I have some other complications in my lower back as well, as this couldn't be from the neck problem.  I wonder if it is from rheumatoid arthritis, or normal wear and tear? It really doesn't matter what the source is as I have no time to deal with this and am frustrated at my own failing health.

Mark got home Friday night and we spent Saturday at my parents' house, taking care of things as Patty did her weekend chores.  It was nice to be with Patty and Jon and the four of us went for a late lunch at Rose and George Sarkee's sports bar/restaurant in Miramar.  Patty and I are so much alike - we both had grilled tuna steak and roasted vegetables.  Yummy.  Back to the parents' house to wrap up things, then we all went to my house to watch a rented video, Parental Guidance with Bette Midler, Billy Crystal and Marisa Tormei. It was a really enjoyable movie and I'd like to buy it to watch again and again (rare for me).  I made Pineapple Banana Smoothies for everyone from our Ninja Blender recipe book.  Next time we should use a much riper banana, but other than that, it was pretty tasty.

Ready for next week!

Jacksonville Living

Since moving to Jacksonville in April, my mother has been hospitalized four times - heart, heart, pneumonia/heart, and C-Dif (a horrible and potentially deadly hospital borne intestinal infection).  Her 5'6" frame has gone from a slender 127 to 113.  Hugging my mother is like hugging a chicken bone.  She needs meat, but doesn't care for the taste or texture.  Her appetite is minimal at best, and her energy comes in tiny spurts followed by exhaustion.

My two sisters and I met at Village Inn, calendars and opinions and ideas ready to share, to work out a care plan.  I don't work and Kathie and Patty do.  While Patty is on school vacation (she is a teacher), she will go daily to momma and daddy's house to do four or five hours of cooking, laundry, and doctor appointments.  Kathie is the Sunday girl, and once school starts, Patty will take over on Saturdays.  Momma loves the new calendar, knowing who will do what when and the comfort of knowing there will always be someone there to help keep their daily routine constant.

Mark and I have a two-week vacation planned for later this month, a celebration of leaving the job he has done since he was 28 years old, Snap-On Tools, which he closes out his inventory later this week.  It has been a year since we last visited our mountain home together and he feels this break is needed before he begins the daunting task of finding another job.  At almost 57, he is concerned about finding anything.  Once home, I go back to my Monday through Friday daily visits to my parents' home.  It's very pleasant to see Momma and Daddy regularly and I am so very thankful to share the same city now after being away for 26 years.

Momma's Heart, or Listen to the Coffee Pot Percolate!

Momma's health has been tricky in the past year, and a lot of it stems from a very irregular heartbeat. This past week has been pretty bad, so today the doctor changed her meds, which we hope will bring things back to good.  Kat and Larry live with mom and dad to provide care, and since Kat's grandson got so ill Friday, I came up Saturday.  My parents wake up before 7 and eat breakfast at 7:30.  Lunch is at noon and dinner has to be on the table at 4:30PM.  Their schedule takes getting used to, but I love visiting.
photo: Aunt Louise and Momma on a very good day in August - momma's birthday!

Momma's Birthday

Yep, I'm in Jacksonville again, this time for momma's 78th birthday. She's so funny...I asked what she wants, and she says she doesn't want any gifts. Later when we talked about how many people will be coming, organizing the schedule, momma says she'll open her gifts from this time to that time, then next the cake. I'm going to get her something special today. Her birthday is August 1st.

My sister Kat's birthday was July 26th and I missed her day. The neighbor we grew up across the street from, Margaret Rose, wanted to do something special for Kat's birthday and so yesterday, right after I arrived, we all met at Olive Garden for a birthday lunch. Kat and I both had the most wonderful creamy chicken soup with little dumplings, and of course the salad. Who doesn't love Olive Garden? Her neighbor Jimmy drove Margaret over, and he was such a comedian! It was nice to see Marg for an enjoyable lunch. Happy 56th birthday, Kat. I'm right behind you!!

My other sister Patty popped both yesterday and today, and I know we'll see her tomorrow for birthday party. Of course I got to see daddy every day. I brought some Moose Poop that I made (recipe below), and he took the little tupperware container to his recliner and nibbled on it for quite a while. It's' nice to see all the fam.

Moose Poop:
1) Prepare a big paper grocery bag with a small bag of powdered sugar and 3 Tblsp cinamon. Shake it up to prime the sides with a little dust. Set aside.
2)Put a quarter stick of butter, a cup of peanut butter (doesn't matter if it's crunchy or not) and with a bag of milk chocolate chips in a huge bowl and microwave to melt. Add a Tablespoon of vanilla extract and stir up.
3)Pour in a box of Crispix cereal, a couple of handfuls of peanut M&M's, a couple of handfuls of pecans or raw almonds, or do like me and add both, and whatever else you think would be good. I tossed in a big handful of tiny marshmallows.
4) Dump sticky mixture into paper sack and fold down the top well. I use a stapler, because I've had escapees before. Shake shake shake to coat each chocolate covered Crispix..
5)Lay a wide sheet of tinfoil down, lay two long sheets of waxed paper on that, overlapping. Then pour the Moose Poop out to dry out a bit.
6) After a couple of hours, move the sweet treat into a large tupperware with tight fitting lid. Expect it to be opened often.