More on Mother

Last evening I called the hospital where my mother is staying. Since there are no phones in the patient's rooms, I spoke to her nurse. It appears that this hospital does put surgery patients in SICU right after surgery and with my mother's condition and age, it was taking her a bit of time to recover. Of course this frightened the family.

I liked Mother's nurse right away and we chatted a little, talked about my mother some, and this nurse was very informative, not leaving anything out as well as being patient will all my questions. She told me that she was hoping that my mother was moved into a general room in the AM, this morning and that she was doing quite well now, was chatty and a pleasure to be around. This nurse also told me that there was a good chance Mom might be going home by Friday. We chatted a bit more and I found out that this nurse was a Florida transplant, originally coming from Pittsburgh. We exchanged pleasantries and holiday wishes before I hung up.

I will be calling my step-father this evening to see how Mother is doing. If she was moved, he is probably the best person to speak with to get information about where she is and her phone numbers. I will probably be posting an update a bit later.

Today's Emergency

Christmas Eve my mother went into the hospital with a very serious case of diverticulitis. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diverticulitis/DS00070 Today she had surgery to remove the infected part of her bowl. She came out of the surgery good, but then became unresponsive. She is now in SICU and they won't let any of the family there in to see her. Once again my blood pressure rises.

This is all I know right now. I hope to know more later this evening.

A story

Though this was not meant to be a Christmas present, it came at Christmas this year.

Almost 7 years ago I decided to retire my 20 year old Kirby vacuum. It was a big heavy upright vacuum that was very powerful and when I used it I actually felt that my house was clean. It had all the attachments as well as a carpet shampooer. Yes, I like this vacuum or I wouldn't have kept it for 20 years. The vacuum before was a Hoover canister that lasted me all of two years before I gladly sent it packing.

My Kirby was old and well beat up. I used it for cleaning things like the outside mat, the attic that was full of debris and just about anything I wanted to clean as well as the carpets and wood floors in two homes that I owned. It was big and heavy and the furniture zip didn't work anymore (that was the second one I had used to death) and the beater brushes were dying (again, the second beater I had used to death). Just about every 5 years I was replacing the hose on it. Actually, I really liked that machine. I liked how it cleaned and with two cats and a Newfoundland dog, I needed that machine. My house always looked and smelled clean.

When we moved into this home, I decided it was time to retire the Kirby. The hose had a hole in it again, the furniture zip wasn't working and hadn't for some time, and I couldn't find another one to fit my machine. The power beater was almost dead. We took a trip to the local vacuum cleaner store and I told the salesperson what I wanted. I wanted a light weight upright vacuum that could just as easily keep up with hardwood floors as well as carpets. I told them I really liked my Kirby but it was getting harder and harder to find replacement parts. I also wanted one of those new bagless models thinking it was less likely that I would lose power as the bag became clogged. They insisted on a Meile canister machine. My first reaction was "NO" because first and foremost I wanted an upright vacuum. They insisted it was the best on the market and I would love it.

Well, with all the pets now gone except for one cat and the carpet being brand new, the Meile worked fine for a couple of years. Then Bratley came to lived with us and I found the canister to be exactly what I thought it would be. It was OK before but now it was proving to be not what I wanted. Still, I didn't want to spend the money on another vacuum. So I lived with it and did extra cleaning to try to keep up with things. Then Tootsie came to live with us. Now the Meile was proving itself to be totally unable to cope with all the pet hair and dander. My house smelled and looked dirty even after spending a day cleaning. I felt cruddy and dirty after spending the day cleaning.

This is when I started seeing the Dyson Animal advertised. It looked interesting, it claimed to be maneuverable and also laid claim to do wonders with animal hair. Still, the price kept me from taking the leap. The Meile just simply had to do. So one fine day, I came home from work to find, sitting in the bedroom a Dyson Animal with it's canister full of animal hair and dander. Husband said he was it on sale and had to get one. Then he told me that the animal hair and dander in the canister was just a light vacuum of the bedroom only. The room actually smelled clean and the carpet looked about 5 years younger. It came with all the attachments including a furniture zip brush that I missed so much; the Meile didn't have one.

It is so nice having a house that feels clean again! We used this Animal 3 times in the past week and I think we're finally getting ahead of the dander and hair. The house smells fresh and I can see that the carpets really don't need shampooed. I haven't seen them look this clean in years. I may even decide to keep carpet in the bedroom and office.

http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC17-ANIMAL

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas everyone!

It's a quiet day here today. Just me and my husband busy doing absolutely nothing. The day is beautiful. He's outside washing the cars and I spent a good bit of the afternoon lingering in the garden mostly just inspecting my plants, making sure everything has survived the ice storms this month and that all are looking strong and healthy. All but one, anyway. I see a mess come March when it's time to prepare for the spring but that will come when it comes. Right now, it's a pleasant day and a holiday and we plan on enjoying it just doing things we love to do. I even got a nap! How about that!

I did make phone calls to the family. My mother's Christmas could be better. She's in the hospital 1400 miles away. Right now she's not feeling the best, but there is family near her and they were on their way to visit as I talked to her. So she hasn't been alone. My other sisters have been calling her as well. Everyone else has their special plans for the day.

Husband got me two gardening journals and both are an absolute treasure. One is a 1-year Pennsylvania garden journal with plenty of places to scotch tape pictures of my garden; a vendor area for plants that I am planting new in 2009 and a weekly journal to keep account of all the plants and how they perform. I've been keeping this journal every year since 2002 when I started this garden. The other is a 5-year journal with a place for vendors, new plants and a brief update on the week and how plants performed. There is also a lot of room for pictures of the garden as the weeks and months change it. He got a couple of flannel shirts to keep him warm over the winter.

So far the day has been quite lovely and restful. Isn't that what holidays are for? Husband does work tonight. This will be a regular shift for him. He doesn't mind though. The paper pays well for those who work holidays. We just posponed our holiday celebrations until the weekend. All is well and fine. I hope everyone has a joyous holiday.

Winter in this area can be a wonderland. I love winters here just as much as spring summer and fall. The only difference is driving the other three seasons is much better. Not having to drive in the weather conditions we have here would be a plus.

Still, the scenery is breathtaking.

I do have two 4x4, having finally (after 12 years) sold the Sebring. Husband finds it nice not to have to clean off the truck or car before leaving for work in inclement weather. That was just another plus to doing what I did with the cars. This way we keep both cars in the garage which is nice for both of us.

If you recall I often mention the toad pond behind my house. In this earlier photo, my property lies about 1000 yards off the right of the picture. This is a manmade drainage ditch for the homes on the mountain that aren't built yet. This pond is one of about 4 on this side of the mountain. Something happened here and it is no longer a drainage ditch, but an actual pond. It is a watering hole for the many deer and other wildlife as well as a stop over for the geese, herons and ducks. Toads and frogs live here year round now and the eagles and hawks watch this spot closely. Swampy and unusable for crops or development, this area which is about 2 to 3 acres is left wild for the creatures of this area. There is another within 1000 yards of my house but that one isn't as nice as this one. It hasn't filled with water but is still a bit swampy and supports all the swamp vegetation that provides so much food for the small song birds here. There is a third one in the woods about a half mile from my house and this one is just beginning to fill up with water. That one so far seems to be clear of overgrowth and will probably remain a water pond. Thr 4th is just over a 1/4 mile and is a pond where you can often see geese and ducks. That one is filled with mostly bull frogs and supports bull rushes as well. All four ponds do seem to have all the proper natural cleaning and filtration. Underground water seems to flow freely into them and they drain into one of the many rills all over this mountain. There were also manmade filtration systems installed. They are all beautiful spots to visit.

I get all kinds of insects and wildlife in my garden and now you see why. Deer bed down right behind my herb fence at the back of the property. I get fox, opossum, skunk, badger, mice, groundhogs, snappers and a whole variety of beings wandering through the garden. Some of them stop for a bite (rabbits!), but most of them don't.

The earth has taken over something that man has created and challenges man to take it back, but the residence of this neighborhood enjoy the wildlife on this mountain and are willing to give these 3 acres back to the earth.