The Flu marches on

 Now I have the freaking Influenza A.  A message to my Doctor and I am now on Tamiflu.  I am resting mostly sleeping, Little Elvis keeps me company.  I saw a Dr on Monday afternoon for a UTI...he had to run a culture...48 hours later yes it is a UTI.  ( I told him it was...but you have to jump through the hoops. )

When it rains it pours. 

Far Guy is a bit better today, I text him as his voice gives out when talking.  Jen visits him.  He won't bust out of there until Friday or Saturday most likely.  They keep trying to give him that nebulizer that made him so ill....I sent in the script label and his regular med to be verified by the pharmacists there. 

Apparently the flu is on a rampage in this area, Granddaughter Maddie came down with it this morning. 

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Influenza A

 Far Guy got sick on Monday evening, he started to cough, he had a miserable night.  In the early morning after his breathing treatments, I sent a text to Jen and Andy that we needed to go to the ER.  They were both home because school was cancelled on account of the blizzard.  Andy had to move some snow so we could get the car as close to the house as possible.  It was snowing and the wind was blowing.  We made it to the hospital just fine, there were huge snow drifts outside the emergency entrance...I got out and waded through the drifts dodging a bobcat removing snow to get a wheel chair, one of the ambulance bays was open and a Paramedic hollered "what do you need" I hollered back " a wheelchair" and made a pushing motion...he said drive in the bay....so we did and got Far Guy inside. 

Far Guy has Influenza A and possible pneumonia...his blood work is all off.  The are doing blood cultures.  Anyway he got steroids, tamiflu and doxicycline and some IV antibiotics, and some nebulizer treatments.  They gave him a different neb than he is used to that made his lungs spasm.  It was touch and go there for a bit until we got a respiratory therapist to get him back on the right track again. Far Guy said" They are trying to kill me, just dump me out in the snowbank." 

He finally got a hospital room 7 plus hours after we arrived.  I visited him until 9PM last night and he was doing much better. 

One day at a time, he will be in the hospital a few days.

He had his Flu shot back in October, the Doctor said with lungs as bad as his any virus can tip him over the edge and require a hospital stay.

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The weekend

 We are back up North safe and sound before the big storm that is supposed to blanket us with a good amount of snow.

Saturday was the Celebration of Life for my Mother.  The Pastor was a Sunday School student of my Mothers a very long time ago.  There were 306 people at the church service.  The luncheon went off without a hitch. There were plenty of leftovers. The inurnment took place later in the afternoon. 

Sunday my siblings and I read cards out loud and wrote thank you notes. 

It was a busy weekend, now we need to rest up a bit. 

Jen took two awesome photos. 

The florist was working overtime delivering all the flowers, my Mom would have loved it.  Bouquets were sent home with relatives that were close to Mom.  The big sprays were taken to the Nursing Home, there they divide up flowers putting them in bud vases for all the residents...Mom would have liked that too. 

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Yarn Project

 I bought some yarn...imagine that. 

Might be a baby blanket someday.  I have just a few someday projects. 

Jen asked me one day if I had projects in mind for all of my yarn, like did I have a list?  

Not so much.

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Life goes on...

 One of my nieces was very pregnant when my Mom took a turn for the worse.  I thought perhaps we would have a birth and a death in the same day.  The baby waited to be born five days after her Great Grandmother died.  The baby is happy and healthy and beautiful according to her grandmother (my sister). 

Do you remember anything before you were born?  Me neither.  Somehow I believe there is a connection someplace between those who are to be born and those who have died.  Do their souls speak to each other?  I wonder. 

As we were sitting at my Mom's bedside, my other baby brother brought up the idea that souls speak to each other...and perhaps our Mom's soul had a lot to say to our souls and those people who would visit her. 

I found it very interesting that Baxter stood on the chair next to Mom's bed and whined/talked to her.  Lolli my sisters puppy spent a number of hours just laying next to Mom quietly. 

My Mom really liked dogs especially Boston Terriers like Lolli.  Lolli was a regular visitor on the night shift when we were taking turns at Mom's bedside.  Lolli got used to the nurses coming and going.  I would take over bedside watch after the Hospice nurses were by to check Mom's vitals, then my sister, her husband and Lolli would go home to sleep. My brothers came by off and on through out the day and evening sometimes into the night. We were a good team and made it work so Mom was never alone.  We had to advocate for our Mom as her pain increased more and more everyday.  Sometimes she would cry real tears in her sleep.  I am thankful that I was there to wipe them away.

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Celebration of Life

 Today is my Mother's celebration of life/funeral.

I hope everything goes as planned.  Mom wanted a good meal after the service.  We chose ham and turkey buns, pickles, cheesy potatoes, fresh fruit and an assortment of cakes and bars, there will be a special section for the gluten free foods.  The Ladies Aid is making and serving the food so it really makes it nice for the family...and we get to take home the left overs.  At my Dads funeral last year they served 180 people and ran out of some food...so I believe they are planning to feed 250 people. ( Those ladies keep great records)

I will let you all know how it went when I get back.  I have scheduled a few blogs to automatically post since I will be real busy. 

We had 160 plus people at the visitation last night. There were people in all areas of the church. One of mothers surviving brothers was able to attend, he has bone marrow cancer, so he didn’t stay real long, but enough time to give him closure.  Mom’s other brother lives in Nebraska and his wife is very ill with the flu. He called my siblings and I a few days ago to relay his condolences. 

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Visitation

 Today we have visitation at the church back home.  We are displaying quilts that my Mother made on the back of the pews.  I have just a few to pack up and take.  We have lots of helpers, so the project should move right along. 

Here in Minnesota visitation can either be the evening before the funeral/celebration of life or an hour before the service.  We decided to have both for my Mother as she was very active in many Volunteer organizations, she has many relatives, my Father has many relatives, my Mom was a very social person and knew a lot of people.  My Dad was a stay at home read a book and putter in the garden kind of guy, and Mom was just the opposite...think social butterfly.  So we are expecting lots of people at the visitation today.  People who work on the weekend can come in the evening.

A visitation is where you pay your respects to the family, look at the video and the picture boards. No food is served.  You can come and go quickly sign the guest book say hello and leave or you can spend some time sharing memories. 

I am certain that the Florist will be busy delivering flowers to the church today, my Mother loved flowers. 

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Today

 Later today after Far Guy's infusion we leave to go back to our home in the woods to prepare for my Mother's celebration of life.  

This is a very small photo that was folded and damaged.  I was lucky to find it in the bottom of a photo box.  There are very few photos of my Grandparents with their children in the 1930's.  Grandma is holding Vivian or "Skippy" as she would be known, and Grandpa, down in front is my Mom, Marion and Alfred.  I can date the photo as it is summer time. My Aunt Skippy was born in November of 1933 so this photo must be taken in 1934. My Mom would have been 4 years old soon to be 5, Aunt Marion 3 years old and Uncle Alfred 6 years old. My Grandmother would have been 23 and my grandfather 31 years old. My Mother was the remnant in this photo with the first four children born to my grandparents.  

My Mother is survived by two much younger brothers...Aldon and Kenny. 

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Art

 Some great art is being created here.  Jen and Andy have a outlet for whatever they make at a local shop. 

I help with painting, it is something I enjoy. 

These are two projects that went out the door earlier this week. 

I sell crochet scrubbies there and small crochet purses.  Keeping busy keeps me out of trouble. 

Someday maybe I will go over to the shop and take some photos...I will have to ask permission first. 

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A book

 This book was a quick read and very entertaining.  I give it an eight out of a ten.  It is not the usual type of book I read, but it is this months book club read at the local library in East Grand Forks. 

Jen goes to book club there and I may tag along with her. 

Onto the next read for the regular book club that I attend via video. It is a short read also and one I am looking forward to. 

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Stuff

 I am working on the Video for my Mother's funeral at the end of the week.  I am waiting on a few photos and then maybe I can call it done.  I have a limit of about 100 photos. 

Had lunch yesterday with Far Guy and my other baby brother and she who sees robins first...they were on their way back from Western North Dakota. 

Today I will work on the photo boards for the funeral, I picked up possibly the last batch of photos at Walmart yesterday. 

I did some laundry and finished a book. 

1963 photo, me in some of those fashionable stretch pants, my other baby brother, Mom and my baby brother.  The dog was a Spitz named Chipper...or maybe it is Wally.  Chipper went out on the highway and was killed, Wally lived a good life and died about 1974

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Little Valentines

 We had belated Valentines here one evening as the Great Grandchildren needed a babysitter or two when their parents went out to a company party. 

I had Valentines gifts for them that I bought a few weeks ago. Gotta love the dollar store that is now a dollar twenty five. 

Ree was having a bit of stranger danger.  Her Mom calls her Peach. 

Cee Cee

 Big smiles from Cee Cee and Hey Mikey.

They had a fun night, Cee Cee  ate all her brothers valentine candy and put hers in the fridge for the next time she visits.  They played video games and had snacks. 

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A balloon

 Sadie had an interesting reaction to Far Guy's birthday balloon. She ripped the ball out of her mouth with her paw and started to growl. Then she decided it might be fun to play with. 

She ran around with it for a bit...we should have taken the weight off of it.

Eventually she popped it and the fun was done...Jen quickly gathered the remnants.

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Sauerkraut

 One of my Mothers last food requests was for sauerkraut.  She always used them as a topping for mashed potatoes when we were growing up.  

The kitchen staff rounded some up for her and my baby brother went and bought some.  I am not sure who took the cans of kraut home, SOMEHOW an opened jar of kraut ended up in a bag at my house when we did the final clean out of Mom's room.   (She told me that it would take us kids a month just to clean out her room.)  In a few hours it was completed...clothing and some stuff went to Goodwill. My sister took one of Mom's flannel shirts and Mom's sewing machine, I took Mom's jewelry case and my sister and I will go through it someday.  My brothers took the puzzle table and a lamp.  Baby brother ended up with a porch full of fabric totes...good thing I do not sew.  My sister asked me if I wanted Mom's sewing machine...I said " Nope I do not want to dust it!"

Some strange smell was coming from upstairs back at home...drawn like a moth to a flame...I had to find the source.  I am certain my brothers had something to do with the kraut coming to my house. 

I ended up with three huge totes of photographs, greeting cards and scrapbooking supplies from Mom's garage.  I opened one of the totes after I hunted down the sauerkraut to find Mom's Confirmation  Certificate...an item that was requested by the Pastor.  How lucky was that!!

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Mom sometime before 1950.

Happy Birthday!

 Today is Far Guy's birthday!  He made it another year!  Happy Birthday my love!  

 Far Guy, Jen and Sadie! 

Nothing like a few sloppy kisses from his favorite dog!

We are safely Up North again until next week when we go back for my Mother's funeral.  Thank you for all the kind comments during my absence, Thank you Jen for filling in for me! 

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The Messenger

Yesterday, I traveled "home" and helped out where I could. Everyone is exhausted, so I tried to stay out of the way. The Four met at the Church, had lunch, cleaned out the room, and started to clean out the garage. One more garage trip should do it, but they have the unit for a little longer. Grandma still had lots of stuff, and as an avid material hoarder collector there are more than "just a few totes" of fabric to go through. However, they did manage to locate the blue bird quilt which has a special purpose for the funeral, and Grandpa's "missing" quilt of valor -- bottom of a tote of "finished" products way in the back corner of the garage. No wonder no one could find it when they looked the last time. 

No one really wants to claim Grandma's things. Fractured conversations..."This should go to your mom" and "how did I end up with this!" I am just the messenger. 

Then the Four split up, some to the funeral home to pick out an urn, flowers, groceries, and finally home. Now to arrange travel for some, meals, picture boards, and what I hope for everyone is a bit of self care. Take a nap, read a book, watch a ball game, and pet your horse. 

Gone

 

Gone From My Sight

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

 

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."

 

Gone where?

 

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

 

And that is dying...

Grandma passed away in late evening Feb. 11th 2024

No News is Good New Unless...

 ... we are still waiting. The waiting is harder on us than it is for Grandma. Dying and birth happens on their own time. There might be all kinds of theories: someone hasn't said goodbye and so she's waiting, she wants to be alone, or perhaps she is simply not ready. 

I traveled with my father, and son, Noah, and naughter, Maddie to sit with Grandma and hold her hand. I'd like to think the voices in the room bring her comfort, and if nothing else the company of visitors bring  help carry the burden of grief. 

Naughter? Yes, that is a new word --born when Paige decided I was a Maunt. I am a Mom/Aunt; therefore they are my Niece/Daughters. It takes a village. 

No one grieves in the same way. What is right for some may not be what is right for others. What I do know is we are all waiting the time to be marked; for there to be a "before" and "after," but until then we sit in the company of others, we encourage Grandma to "go" we tell her "it's okay" and "we will be okay, that we all love her. We encourage her to go with the messenger who comes for her, and we all know it will be Grandpa. 

"When Dad comes, you go with him" -- The Four. 

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Two days without a blog was too much for me too! Your words of encouragement are kind, and the community my mom has built with this blog is a blessing to all of us. 

Guest Blogger

Hi Mom! I hacked into your computer to blog for you because I know your readers will miss you. I miss you too because now I have to take care of Dad... I mean Farguy. Relax... I throw M&M's at him every so often... I waited in the car while his infusion took forever, and I didn't even make him eat cereal for supper. Okay, okay, that isn't want I really wanted to say...

You are doing important work that of a daughter and being by your moms side as she take the last breaths of her earthly journey. I don't like to dwell on how that must feel; the unbearable weight of sadness. Yet on the other hand, how glad Grandpa must be to see her again! In our faith we know we will see each other again, and we know in heaven there is no more pain, and no more tears. 

So let's pray:

"Keep watch dear Lord with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake." Amen.

Time away

 I will be spending time away from the blog. Hospice is managing my Mom’s pain, my siblings take turns staying with Mom.

Blooming trees in my parents yard in town before they moved to assisted living. My parents were always so happy to see this pair of trees blooming in their yard

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Hospice

 Hospice Nurses and Aides are marvelous people.  They are taking good care of my Mom as she transitions from this life to the next. 

My Mom loved Purple Coneflowers.  This is a photo of some of her flowers a few years ago. 

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Frosty

 We had frosty foggy roads on our trip back to see my Mom. We were there for two visits with her.  She is still in pain but the pain is better than it was last week.  Mom sleeps much of the time and is very unsteady.  Mom was 94 on her last birthday, she has had a long life.  

One day at a time. 

We stayed overnight at our own home, enjoyed the whirlpool and visits with my brothers and their wives. 

There is little to no snow in our yard.  We dropped off our taxes at the accountant.  Yeah for crossing something off our winter list!

Sadie and Little Elvis were very happy to see us return. 

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Busy Weekend

 Saturday was a catch all day, I had a Hobby Lobby list, taxes to get together so they are ready to go to the accountant and being the chief cook and a painters assistant rounded out the day.   I made a Gluten Free Apple Pancake that you put in the oven. 

Sunday we plan to go visit my Mom in the Nursing Home.  She is struggling with back pain. 

The only school photo of my Mom. She was most likely 7 or 8 in the photo. Taken about 1936 or 1937.

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Colorful

 Last week I showed you this photo.

Now the little colorful squares are pushed together and glued into place. 

It still needs a frame. 

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Bass Sticks

 When you are almost four years old you get to go to Jim Naah Sticks....or bass sticks... or Jim bass sticks one and the same to the almost four year old. 

I got to go along to bass sticks.  

When you are sited (excited) you can run really fast! 

Trying to walk along a beam.

Many children hollering "teacher" all at once!  Cee Cee had fun! 

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Book Club: February 2024

 We had book club yesterday.  Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.

I was not thrilled with the book, I gave it two stars out of ten.  There are three more books in the series and no one in book club was excited to read them. 

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Coloring on wood

 I colored this small project one day.  Interesting to use colored pencils on wood. 

Well congratulations to us and to you too for making it to February! 

The weather is nice and warm, I believe it was a record breaking 48 F or  9 C eh! yesterday, more snow and ice melted. 

Far Guy is feeling a bit better. One day at a time. 

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