Not a lot else happening here but, after the last couple of weeks, quiet is good! Take care.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

I arrived back home last night (Thursday) and went to work today...not being able to face more than one day!!  I'll work Monday thru Wednesday and then drive back to NC on Thanksgiving Day for a long weekend with my mother, before heading back for a longer stint at home/work.  This whole experience has confirmed that my decision to retire is the right thing to do - I definitely couldn't maintain another year of juggling work and the needs of my mother, to say nothing of trying to have a life of my own!!  Having said that, I've gotten nothing but concern and support from friends here, friends afar and family.  Most of you know how much that support means at a time like this, especially those of you who have lived away from family and childhood friends for many years....it really is touching and appreciated more than you know.

In the meantime, my mother is doing well.  She is determined to come back from this and I hope that attitude continues. Before I left NC, she had been on the bicycle and had walked 50 feet with a walker.....I was amazed!  She called me this morning to let me know she was up and well, that I should go to work and not worry about her. But, I have to tell you that when we arrived at the place she is staying, I was totally appalled!  The building is old and my first impressions were not good; however, over the days that I was there, my impressions changed. The staff is very caring and kind, and the therapy is top notch....so, after a few days, I was reassured. If my mother's attitude remains high and she continues to make progress, as she is now, I'll know they are as they seem.

This is a typically Southern story of one of the nurses on  my mother's wing....she's a lovely girl/woman who looks much to young to have an 18 year old son and two other children.  She and her husband recently went to the Bahama's for a big vacation....and she went to have a good time.  Well, she obviously did because she's pregnant!  So, we immediately nicknamed her "Bahama Mama".  When I talked to my mother today, she was with her - she said "hey" to me and I say "hey" to her.....and I know she will look after my mother. 

No sooner had I gotten home than I received a call that my cousin Tommy had died.  It is so difficult to believe in that it has been less than 6 months that he was diagnosed with liver cancer. A week ago I got an email from his sister-in-law saying they would be surprised if he was with us at Thanksgiving - and he won't be.  It is another severed tie with my fondest childhood memories.  He and I spoke about a month ago and I hope he knew how much I cared for him...and how much those times together meant. Before all of this happened with my mother, I'd planned to go over to see him at Thanksgiving, to at least see him one final time.  That wasn't meant to be....

It's late and I'm rambling, but I wanted to thank local family and friends who have given moral support - Larry & Mona, Peggy, Bill & Betty, Dennis & Carol, Laney, Betty, Mary Helen, Joyce, and others.  It has also meant a lot to hear from my longtime friends, far and wide - Ann, Carolyn, Eileen, Jan, Jean & Doug, Paula, Sandra, and others.  I know I'm leaving someone out, but it's my feeble brain, not lack of appreciation.  Thank you so much for your care and concern.

Monday, November 16:  Things seem to be looking up and it appears that my mother will be moved to a "skilled nursing facility" in her home town.  She just wants to be close to home and I want her to have good care and therapy that will move her forward.  It is easier to be assured of the former than the later! She has made great progress.  Shortly after I came in the morning, they got her up into a chair and, with the use of a walker, she moved to the sink and brushed her teeth, then to the toilet. I was amazed,especially since her posture was much more upright and she was more able to move  moreunder her own steam.

Even so, I think she must have had another one of those agitated, animated nights because at 11AM she becamse so sleepy she could hardly hold her eyes open.  She had to be moved back to the bed and is now fast asleep.  I will feel better if they can get that sorted out so she rests well through the night and can be alert and energetic through the day.

As for me, I'm still hanging in there.  I've been staying here in the hospital for a day, a night and the next day and then going to my mother's house (an hour's drive away) to feed her cats, shower, sleep (and in the case of last night, do laundry and clean out her fridge) before coming back again. I've been pretty wrecked at the end of those stints but have been surprised at how I bounced back after a real night's sleep.  I'm hoping that continues - or that I won't have to do it much longer.

The other difficulty has been communication.  My cell phone would not work at all in the ICU and only sporatically in this wing.  I've felt totally out of touch with the world.  To make matters worse, my mother's house phone has been acting up over the last 2 weeks and was a total pain.  I called last night to have her line chacked.  I resolved much of that problem by getting a netbook once I found the hosptial had wifi.  I could then email cousins and let them know what had happened, and I can keep up with my email, blog, etc.  Even so, that is only temporary. We have just found out that my mother will be moved today at 4:30, which means that I will then be in the dead zone again.  I would doubt that they will have wifi.

I've also gone through flash periods of becoming weepy, probably from both exhaustion and fear.  My mther has had lots of company from relatives - my two sets of cousins (Bill & Betty and Dennis & Carol) have visited every day, which has been a boast to my mother and a huge help to me and my spirits. It really means so much to have people care at times like this. I hope she will continue to get visitors when she moves closer to home.

I'd better close now and get ready for the move.  I don't know when I'll be online again but at least things are improving.  Thanks so much for your emails and good thoughts.  It means more than you know.

The Master Plan (from Ann)

Auldbrass Revisited: Without totally boring you with Auldbrass, I would like to include THIS ARTICLE as the definitive piece on Auldbrass and Joel Silver's restoration of it.  It's from a 2003 NY Times article and I wish I'd found it before the tour but, even so, I've gotten a better understanding of the history.  So, if you enjoyed the photos from the last entry (especially those from the link, moreso than my personal photos), I think you will really enjoy this article.  Thus ends the mention of Auldbrass.

The above was written before the weekend was over, while everything was rosy.  Boy, can things turn on a dime (as we all know).  On Monday morning if left early for work to run by the post office and stop at the drug store.  I stopped in the parking lot to call my mother before going to work to find that she had fall about 10PM on Monday night.  She crawled back to bed, not using the Lifeline that hung around her neck.  I could tell that she was in a great deal of pain but she still didn't want me to call anyone.  I tried to call two people whom I thought would be home, but no luck.  Finally, I called 911 here to find out how to call 911 in her area.  Once the emergency people arrived at her home, she was so locked in they had difficulty geting to her - I'm still not sure how they did it.  In the meantime, I was at work and tied up a few loose ends, but otherwise I was pretty useless until I could get out.  I threw some things in the car, arranged for someone to look after my kitties, pick up the mail, etc. and headed to NC.

In the meantime, the whole area was being hit by the residual affect of Ida.  Monday through Wednesday were dark, cold, windy days - bitter.  I got to NC around 5PM as they were taking my mother in for a CT scan.  Her oxygen level had dropped and the doctor was concerned that fat may have gotten in the lungs, which would behave the same as a blood clot.  Therefore, he felt it would be best to send her to Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte.  So, at 10PM they took her in the ambluance and I made my way in the rainy, cold night.  I hate driving at night and this was the worst, with glaring lights bouncing off the wet road.  To add to the excitement, I stopped at a drive-thru for food, parked in front to eat it in the car and was approached by two (harmless) homeless men!!  I reached the hospital around midnight.  My mother was in ICU for two days.  I stayed with her until Wednesday night when I drove to her house to shower, feed her kitties and get a good night's sleep.  The ICU was like a meat locker and they wouldn't even give me a pillow - I slept on three chairs pushed together, going to the waiting room occasionally to warm up.  I was/am wrecked. 

She is now in a regular room and today has been her best day so far.  The first night she was here, they gave her morphine and she talked and moved all night long.  The next day she could hardly stay awake - she had worn herself completely out. She has been up twice and likes sitting in a chair as it gets her out of bed and feels better - it's just so painful getting into and out of the chair.  It is likely to be a long, painful recovery as all they can do is give it time to heal

I went home (to her house) again last night to crash.  I had "planned" to go back to work on Tuesday but have emailed to say I will stay here until she is relocated to a nursing/rehab facility, which I think might be early this week.  I think she will handle it better if I'm here and I would be anxious about it if I were there.  At least today was a very nice day and I could enjoy the changing leaves on my way back up this morning, 

Throughout all of this, I owe special thanks to my cousins Larry and Peggy, who stayed with my mother until I could get there.  Other cousins who live in the area of the hospital, Bill & Betty and Dennis & Carol, came over to visit yesterday and today, as soon as they knew what had happened.  It was an immediate boost to both my mother and me, and I'm very appreciative.. 

Anyway, that's my week - hope yours has been much better.

Auldbrass11.08.09

Click on photo for slide show

Sunday was a totally relaxing, enjoyable day.  The weather was perfect and the company was nice.  Janeen is low-key, pleasant and unpretentious, with a good sense of humor.....thus good company.  We met up and got to the site (literally in the middle of nowhere) by opening time (10AM).  It was so nice that we shed our coats before heading into the grounds, which were expansive and beautiful.  Upon seeing the modern, sprawling building, it's hard to believe that it was begun in 1939.  We headed straight for the main house as we had learned that the wait was longer later in the day since only a certain number of people were allowed in at one time.  The wait wasn't too long but, once inside, we weren't allowed to take pictures.  Surprisingly, the rooms seemed small by modern standards, but the attention to detail, angles, functionality, etc. was unbelieveable.  Hexagonal shapes and inward-sloping walls were the main design features of the house and the entire complex. The interior was too dark for my taste (and too much "stuff" making up the decor), but I loved the full windows throughout the house. CLICK HERE to see photos of the buildings that show the design features much better than mine - so please don't miss them.

According to the brochure, Wright had an intense interest in Auldbrass and worked on it for over 20 years, from 1939 to 1959.  It fell into disrepair in the 1960s after its owner's death and very little was known about it for a long time.  In 1986, film director Joel Silver ("Die Hard", "Lethal Weapon", "Matrix", etc), who must have more money that God has dirt, purchased it and has restored it to this point, with the help of Wright's grandson.  He also plans to build Wright's design for a guest house and floating dining barge (someone had better tell him about the bugs!).  It is shown only every other year for 2 days by the Beaufort County Open Land Trust.  More detailed information can be found HERE.  It was very interesting to see both the buildings and the grounds, with the exotic animals, though I was concerned that the hippos didn't have a water pool (unless there was water in their house/barn).

After our leisurely stroll through Auldbrass, we moved on to Twickenham Plantation for lunch.  We could only tour the grounds, but they did have fantasctic live oaks, which my photos really don't represent well.  They also had some noisy turkeys (and peacocks that we never found).  From there we stopped for dessert on our way home, full and content after an enjoyable day.

Once home, I watched "Food Inc.", which I would highly recommend as a "must see".  It is mind-boggling and scary on so many levels that it's hard to explain. Just this morning there is another E-coli story in the news.  Want to know how that happens?  Think we have an open capitalistic system?  Watch "Food Inc".  I'm not sure what the food production is like in other parts of the world, but this is an eye opener for how our process works.  I really recommend this and it's available through Netfix.  One of the statements that stuck with me is "that we have become profficent at hitting the bullseye of the wrong target".  That appears to be true as it pertains to our food industries and I wonder how other industries shape up.  If you've seen it, let me know your thoughts.