Friday, February 1 – Thursday,
February 28, 2013
Friday, February 1Jim: What a way to start a new month!!! After a miserable and sleepless night for both of us, we got up and around a 5:30 am and prepared to go to the Azalea Orthopedic Clinic for my knee surgery. Preparation for me didn’t take much time, since I couldn’t have anything to eat or drink, so I showered, shaved, and put on some loose clothing and then waited while Barbara did her morning ablutions and had a quick bite to eat from the motel’s breakfast offerings.
We were at
the clinic by 7:00 to go through all the check-in procedures and by just a few
minutes after 9:00, they were wheeling me into the surgical suite. That’s the last thing I remember until Dr.
Dennis woke me up to say that everything went just fine and that I could go
home in just a few minutes. I thought
that was great because I was feeling no pain, but that was to come later.
After some last minute instructions from the nurse, I crawled onto a wheelchair and was pushed out to the car. I must have been even more bombed than I looked, because when Barbara started talking later about those last minute instructions, I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about!
After some last minute instructions from the nurse, I crawled onto a wheelchair and was pushed out to the car. I must have been even more bombed than I looked, because when Barbara started talking later about those last minute instructions, I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about!
We got
checked out from the clinic and Barbara drove us back to Mineola where I
settled into the big recliner that we had bought for Mother, strapped on the
new-fangled ice chest/water pump that Dr. Dennis sent home with me, and settled
in for what I hoped was a new world-record recovery time. Surely, with the knee cleaned out and me in
pretty good shape, I would be back on the motorcycle in a week or ten days,
max.
Well, as the
philosopher once said, “A man’s reach should always exceed his grasp.” As the day, and succeeding days moved on, it
was evident that if I was to set a new record for recovery, it wouldn’t be one
of which I was going to be proud. But,
the rest of the day went well, and I made it through the day without having to
take any of the Hydrocodone pills that Dr. Dennis had so nicely
prescribed...just in case.
By bedtime, I was pretty well beat and Barbara was worn out from the excitement of the day and making sure I was comfortable (well, as comfortable as a man could be under the circumstances), so, after making the last of the phone calls to let everyone know we were both just fine, we called it a day and headed for bed and a good night’s sleep.
Sunday, February 3
By bedtime, I was pretty well beat and Barbara was worn out from the excitement of the day and making sure I was comfortable (well, as comfortable as a man could be under the circumstances), so, after making the last of the phone calls to let everyone know we were both just fine, we called it a day and headed for bed and a good night’s sleep.
Obviously, I wasn’t up to going to church today...could probably have handled the church part, but getting into and out of the Caliber is a real challenge, and sitting that long in the car would have locked my knee, so we enjoyed a quiet and peaceful Sunday morning at home.
Our good
friends Heidi and Hannah came over this afternoon to bring some of their
delicious home cooking and to visit a bit.
Heidi and her family are always welcome guests, whether in Mother’s
house or in Big V, and the fact that they almost always bring food makes them
even more special.
Monday, February 4 – Tuesday, February
5
These were pretty much “Normal” days
for us. Barbara went to her regularly
scheduled cardiac rehab session on Monday, but we decided it wasn’t in my best
interests to tag along. I couldn’t drive
or get out to the lake lot to do any work, so I just stayed at the house and
did my recuperation bit (sat in a chair and kept the ice water pump circulating
around my knee. I was, however, moving
around without the walker and the knee was feeling pretty good except at
night. Dr. Dennis had warned me that I
would have the most problem with the knee when staying in bed for long
stretches. I did finally break out the
Hydrocodone before going to bed at night and found that I rested much easier.
I wasn’t able
to go to prayer meeting at the church Tuesday morning, but felt good knowing that
I had some powerful prayer warriors at work on our behalf. I needed prayers for rapid healing and
Barbara needed prayers for having to put up with someone who was forced to take
it easy, rather than getting out and about.
Barbara broke
out the camera for a picture on Tuesday...the legs are definitely in need of
some sunshine, but they are working far better than this time last week!
Wednesday, February 6
Wednesday, February 6
I was able to
drive this morning, so I took Barbara to Quitman for her rehab session. While she was doing whatever it is she does
there, I exercised the knee by walking through the local Brookshire’s grocery
store and the Family Dollar store.
On the way
back to Mineola, we decided purchase a few things at the Brookshire’s there and
look for a new calendar for Mother’s room at Wood Memorial. Barbara and Mother like to talk about new
recipes, so for the past couple of years, we’ve managed to find calendars that
have pretty pictures and recipes that we might like to try.
When Barbara
went to the manager’s desk at Brookshire’s and asked for one of the new
calendars, the lady told her that they were all out and wouldn’t be getting any
more of their signature calendars.
Barbara thanked her and then explained that she was looking for a
calendar with recipes so she and her mother-in-law could talk about them at the
nursing home. We then went on with our
little bit of shopping. As we were
finishing gathering the last of our items, the manager came to us with a
calendar in her hand and said that it was hanging in the office, but that she
really didn’t need that particular one, so she gave it to us. What a nice gesture that was...just one more
indication that maybe we should do more of our shopping at Brookshire’s instead
of Walmart.
Thursday, February 7
This would
not normally be a rehab day for Barbara, but since we had a meeting planned at
the nursing home tomorrow, she switched days.
When Barbara was finished with rehab,
we drove back to Mineola and went straight to the nursing home, arriving in
time to find Leslie doing Mother’s hair.
Leslie has been so very good with Mother, and Mother loves to get her
hair done each week, so Thursdays are very special.The upper left photo is of Leslie and Mother. The lower left shot shows Leslie, Mother, and Vanessa, one of the nursing aides who has “adopted” Mother. The upper right photo is of Elmer Bunn, one of Mother’s oldest friends. They were good friends when they were 10 years old, and have renewed their friendship now that Elmer and Jenny, his wife, are both residents of Wood Memorial Nursing Home. The lower right photo shows Mother with her new hairdo and holding her new recipe calendar from Brookshire’s.
Friday, February 8
Today we participated in a quarterly Comprehensive Care Plan session with staff from the nursing home. Much like IEP’s and ARD’s that teachers and parents go through, these meetings allow us to hear professional opinions about the state of Mother’s health and how the Parkinsonism is affecting her.
Observations
by the professional nursing and care staff and the hospice workers indicate
that the Parkinsonism continues a course of ravaging Mother’s body. She is now totally incontinent and, for all
practical purposes, paralyzed except for a little movement with her hands. On her good days, she can handle a spoon well
enough to take a couple of bites, but for most of the time, someone has to feed
her. On the good side, her appetite is
okay and she eats most of what is offered to her. Hospice will continue to take her to the
shower room and bathe her there, but in order to move her from the bed to her
geri-chair; they have to use a mechanical lift.
Still, Mother
enjoys having company and will give cursory looks to the magazines that we
bring from the house, but she no longer reads the way she did.
We told the
team about our plans for next week...several events to celebrate Mother’s
upcoming 90th birthday, and they all agreed that it would be good
for Mother to get out and about, since the time will be coming when she will no
longer be able to do that.
We left the
meeting feeling good that we still had Mother with us, but also knowing that
the Parkinsonism would continue its course, but we won’t know how it will
affect her until we see the effects.
Saturday, February 9
While Barbara
stayed at home this morning to work on things for Mother’s parties next week, I
went to Yantis for the monthly men’s breakfast.
When I returned to the house, we worked together to get candy wrappers
made for the miniature Hershey candies and to build a memory book.
Sunday, February 10
Today was definitely a red-letter day for Mother. It took a lot of arranging (and luck) but we were able to get Mother to church for the morning service. For that to be possible, we had to work with Ronnie, the van driver for the nursing home, to find a weekend that he was free to do transports. Then, Ronnie had to get permission from his supervisor. One of the key elements was that Mother needed to be aware enough to travel and appreciate the experience. Pastor David Burcham at Harvest Acres Baptist Church, which Mother joined the first Sunday she was back in Mineola in July, 2008, was also in on the plans and we’re sure that his prayers carried the day for all of us.
We went to
the nursing home around 9:30 to find that Cindy, Tasha, and Christy had Mother
all spruced up and ready in her best Sunday-go-to-meeting outfit. Ronnie arrived a little later and got the van
ready before moving Mother in her geri-chair to the front of the building and
getting her loaded in the van for the short ride to the church.
It has been
two years since Mother has been able to attend church, but as soon as we got
her inside, the people came from all over the building to love on her. Pastor Burcham really made it a very special
time, not only for Mother and her family, but for all who attended.
As part of
the service, I played a trumpet solo.
Mother’s favorite hymn is, “The King is Coming.” I’ve played it at Harvest Acres before (they
probably think that’s the only song I know,” but they got it again this
morning.
Words cannot begin to express what a
wonderful experience it was for Mother, TJ, Barbara, and me to participate in
this beautiful experience (but the pictures will certainly help).
Following the church service, Ronnie took Mother back to the nursing home, TJ followed them, and Barbara and I went to a local restaurant for take-out meals for the four of us to enjoy in Mother’s room. Understandably, Mother was exhausted by the morning’s activities, but made a game effort at eating her meal before becoming too sleepy to continue.
When we finished our meals, we all said our goodbyes to Mother, thanked the staff members for their invaluable assistance, and then headed back to our houses to participate in another time-honored tradition...a Sunday nap. We were weary with well-doing and the only cure was sleep.
After our nap time, Barbara and I returned to the many tasks associated with getting ready for Mother’s birthday celebration on Wednesday...so much to do and so little time in which to get it done!
Monday, February 11
Happy 90th
Birthday to Edith Marie Faulk Little Borsberry!!!!!
After all the
activities yesterday, we decided that a low-key family celebration in Mother’s
room was in order, so after Barbara’s rehab session in Quitman this morning, we
went to the nursing home to have some quiet family time.
We didn’t
know it until we got there, but the nursing home staff had already made their own
preparations and had a sign on the door to Mother’s room and later came in to
present her with some balloons and sing Happy Birthday to her. What a great bunch of folks we have for an
extended family!
Tuesday, February 12
Happy 2nd
Birthday to Granddaughter Ava Little!!!
Tuesday, February 12
We celebrated Abe Lincoln’s birthday by working on final preparations for Mother’s birthday tea tomorrow. that, and making yet another trip to Quitman so I could be checked out by Dr. Smith, a cardiologist with East Texas Medical Center. It seems that Dr. Bankhead was concerned with some of the readings when I had an EKG prior to my knee surgery and wanted me checked out by a specialist. After doing some more readings, Dr. Smith pronounced my heart to be in good shape and told me to behave myself...now that’s news I can live with!
We did
receive a photo of granddaughter Ava today and felt we owed it to our world to
share it. We don’t get to see Mike,
Kelly, and Ava very often so we make the most of their pictures when we get them.
The evening was spent with moving furniture, setting up tables, and making as many last-minute arrangements as possible for Mother’s birthday tea tomorrow. Lots of invitations went out, but we have no idea of what (and who) to expect...just know it should be a grand time.
Preparations...
The evening was spent with moving furniture, setting up tables, and making as many last-minute arrangements as possible for Mother’s birthday tea tomorrow. Lots of invitations went out, but we have no idea of what (and who) to expect...just know it should be a grand time.
More preparations...
And even more preparations...
Wednesday, February 13
We were up early and spent all morning in the kitchen preparing the food for Mother’s birthday tea. We had decided to have just finger foods, different flavored teas, coffee, and the birthday cake, but since we didn’t know how many to expect, we worked to make sure we had plenty of everything.
Thirty five
guests showed up during the course of the tea to honor Mother and spend time
with her. Church members, friends, our
pastor, Brother David Bagwell, nursing home staff, hospice staff, and neighbors
all came together to celebrate this special milestone in Mother’s life. The special surprise for Mother occurred when
Heather and Abby walked through the door.
Heather had taken the afternoon off from her school in Dallas and
brought Abby with her. Andy couldn’t get
away from his school and Alexander was participating in a history event, but
Abby represented the family well by reading each and every birthday card that
Mother received. Again, words are so insufficient, but the pictures say it all.
Cousin Ladd is always good for a laugh at any event. Here he is showing off his special card for Mother.
It took Ronnie a while after the tea to come and get Mother, but she gave everything her best shot before finally falling asleep after everyone had left. We were all exhausted and, after cleaning up the mess and putting everything away, decided that there was nothing else we needed to do today!
Thursday, February 14
We put the
house back in order this morning and then went to Mother’s room to hang up all
the birthday cards she had received. We
had hoped for 90, but were more than pleased with the 67 or so that came to
her.
We think Mother was more than pleased with the activities of her special day, but she was also happy to have a time and place to get away from it all and rest her weary body.
While we were in Mother’s room, Vanessa came in to check on her and visit with all of us for a bit. Vanessa has been and continues to be a beacon of light in Mother’s and our lives.
The only
other thing we accomplished today was to visit Leslie and get haircuts. And, since band rehearsal was cancelled this
evening, we enjoyed a rare Thursday evening at home together.
Friday, February 15
It was just
another day in paradise...trips to Quitman for Barbara’s heart rehab, and we
both spent time at the local gym.
Saturday, February 16
Some time
back, I was contacted by one of our East Texas Patriot Guard Riders ride
captains who asked me if I could set aside this date to sound Taps at an event
honoring Vietnam and Vietnam Era veterans in Longview. When I got there, I discovered that a retired
Marine Gunnery Sgt. had brought his bugle along, “just in case.” The two of us went outside for a few minutes
to practice a version of Echo Taps, and at the conclusion of the program, we
sounded Taps for the several hundred veterans present. Present at the event were a large number of
grizzled veterans of some of the bloodiest campaigns of a war that, for the
first time in America’s history, saw a large segment of Americans dishonor
those who had fought. It was an honor
for me to sound Taps for my brothers and sisters in uniform who had made such
great personal sacrifices.
Sunday, February 17
Happy Birthday to
brother Ernie Little!!!
We attended our regular Sunday morning
service at Yantis First Baptist Church.
This evening was the annual Valentine’s dinner, a time for all of us to
just enjoy each other’s company and some great food...a wonderful Baptist
tradition!
The highlight
of the dinner (other than the food, of course) was the crowning of the king and
queen. Chosen as this year’s royalty
were Gary and Holly Long. Holly is a
very reluctant photography subject, so it was doubly fun to watch her sit there
with Gary and have everyone take photos of them.
Some days are
just days, and this one counted as such...a morning of rehab for Barbara,
working at Our Little Lot for me, and
an afternoon of just taking care of business around Mother’s house...boring,
but necessary.
Tuesday, February 19I got up early and went to the weekly prayer meeting at Yantis FBC. Instead of going to the lake lot to work as I normally do, I returned to the house to wait on a plumber to come help us with a nasty sink disposal problem. Luckily, the problem was easily fixed, I learned how to take care of it myself the next time it happens, and the plumber didn’t even charge for the call. Living in a small town does have its perks!
Once the
plumber was gone, we finished cleaning the kitchen, threw some clothes in the
car, went over to the nursing home for a visit with Mother, and then headed
east to Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana for a reunion visit with our
good friends Gary and Joyce Whitaker from Houston.
We had a fun
afternoon and evening together and then called it a day fairly early so we
could get up tomorrow and enjoy the ambience of the Louisiana Boardwalk area.
Wednesday, February 20
We got up
early this morning to join Gary and Joyce for a shopping spree at the Boardwalk
Mall, one of the few places where I actually enjoy shopping and wandering
around.
When our
shopping was completed, we said our goodbyes and all of us headed out...Gary
and Joyce to Houston and us to Tyler for the night. I needed to drop off a pair of boots that needed
to be re-soled and we both wanted to hit a couple of stores in the mall. We ordered up some Chinese food for dinner
and then went to our motel to settle in for an evening of fine dining and
vegging out.
Thursday, February 21
The real
reason for staying in Tyler last night was so I would be fresh this morning
when I reported to the Cardiovascular Clinic for a nuclear stress test. While Dr. Smith told me at my last visit that
he thought everything was okay with my ticker, he didn’t want to take any
chances, so he had me schedule a test.
Everything
went well with the test and I got high marks.
Then, we decided to celebrate by going to Red Lobster for lunch and a
few dozen of their wonderful biscuits to take home.
Back in Mineola,
we checked in with Mother at the nursing home and then went to the house to
unpack the car, put away our purchases, start a load of laundry, and settle in
for a quiet and uneventful evening.
Friday, February 22
We spent the
day cleaning house and getting ready for some special company for the
weekend. John, Carol, Randi, and James,
Randi’s boyfriend, were coming up from San Antonio to bring us a washer and
dryer set and visit for a couple of days.
We thought
the kids might be here in time for supper, but they were so late getting away
from San Antonio that we finally gave up all plans and just hoped that they
would have safe travel since they were pulling a heavily loaded trailer along
with them.
After they
checked in the last time, we went on to bed for a little shut-eye and then woke
up when they finally arrived at 12:30 am.
After a quick round of hellos and hugs, we got everyone situated, turned
out all the lights, and settled in for some serious sleeping.
Saturday, February 23
Today was a
fun-filled day of working and visiting with the kids. The first thing on the agenda was to unload
the washer and dryer from the trailer (I had already disconnected the set in
the house and moved them to the garage).
Then, we worked through the complicated task of reassembling the
pedestals for both the washer and dryer, reattaching them, and moving the two
appliances into the laundry closet in the hall bathroom.
James was the
most mechanically inclined and agile of the men present, so he led the way in
that department. It took James, John,
and me working together to get everything moved and set up in the laundry
closet. Unfortunately, there wasn’t room
for the three of us to do that, but we finally made it work, somehow, and a
couple of hours later than we had planned, the washer and dryer were installed
and functional. Hallelujah and thanks
for all the great help from everyone!
Randi and Grams made a couple of visits to the nursing home to see Granny.
Leah and Ryan drove over from Cleburne
to join the bunch, so it was much like a family reunion...lots of fun and food!
Tonight we
sat around in the living room to watch movies, talk, and eat, and eat, and have an early celebration of John's upcoming 44th birthday (not that we are counting or anything).
John shared a photo of great-grandson Rhett showing off his new boots.
All in all, it was a great day...so good to have a houseful of people having fun!
Sunday, February 24
We passed on
going to church this morning in order to spend some special time with all the
kids...it isn’t often we get to cook them a big breakfast and share this much
time together, so we did what we could to make the most of it.
And, of
course, the ever present camera made one more appearance so we could have a
group photo in the front yard of Mother’s house.
It’s always a little sad to see the kids go and return to their own lives, but there’s also a good feeling about returning to the peace and quiet of the house.
Monday, February 25
Today the
world welcomes the latest addition to the Little clan with the birth of our
newest grandson, Jack David Little, born to Mike and Kelly Little in
Midlothian, Virginia. Jack joins sister
Ava to round out this beautiful family.
In addition
to the news about Jack, we also received a photo of granddaughter Jaycie Colwell.
Tuesday, February 26
Happy 44th
Birthday to Son John Colwell in San Antonio!!!!
Wednesday, February 27
We made our
usual trip to Quitman for Barbara’s heart rehab session and then returned to
Mineola to stop off and check on Mother.
As luck would have it, Leslie was still there working on Mother’s hair. We think Thursday is Mother’s favorite day of
the week, because she absolutely loves having Leslie there to “make her
gorgeous.”
Thursday, February 28
This was
probably one of the least exciting days of the month, but we did manage to put
some miles on the car. This morning we
drove up to Quitman to renew the registration for the Caliber and get a new
windshield sticker.
This
afternoon we drove to Tyler to pick up my refurbished boots and do a little
shop-looking in the “big city.”
Visits with
Mother rounded out the day as we finished up February and began preparations
for another month...boy; the new year is 1/6th gone and moving in a
hurry!
To close out
the month, we offer this collage showing four of our grandchildren: in the
upper left is Little Jimmy Farnham, son of Whitney and Jim Farnham. Upper right is Randi Colwell (and dad John)
daughter of John and Carol Colwell. The bottom pictures are of Abby and
Alexander Dondis, daughter and son of Andy and Heather Dondis...we are truly
blessed!!!
Our quote of
the month comes from comedian George Burns, and is in honor of Mother’s 90th
birthday:
“I was always taught to
respect my elders and now I’ve reached the age when I don’t have anybody to
respect.”
From Mineola,
Wood County, Texas,
Jim/Dad/Gramps
and Barbara/Mom/Grams
