March 2006: Tom's on the Oregon Coast;
Kay's in VA on the East Coast
31 March 2006: Home again, back in my own bed in the family pile with Tom, Harry, and Sadie. I slept for hours and hours! I'll rest some then we'll pull-out on Thursday, April 6, taking the southern route back to VA. We can be together when my folks need us, then hit the road when they don't ... But, I think we'll stay on the East Coast for awhile so we'll be closer when needed for medical emergencies. We do want to visit the NE, Eastern Canada, KY, TN, and FL. Henning will join us for about four weeks this summer. We'll tour Washington DC, Gettysburg, PA; Williamsburg and Jamestown, VA; and other places of historical importance. This will be a more educational vacation for Henning. Last year, we did the Hollywood tourist scene which was fun and rich in modern culture.
24 March 2006: I still have a cold, just coughing some. Mom came home yesterday; Dad continues to improve. Spring, ha! We had snow showers on Tuesday and more are predicted for tomorrow. I'm flying back to Tom, Harry, and Sadie in Oregon next Thursday, 30 March, pending any unforeseen health problems or medical complications.
19 March 2006: I've had a nasty head cold for a week and been busy being Nurse Nightingale. Dad's improving daily. Mom had surgery last Tuesday and is struggling to recover; she's still in ICU. Dad had his garden plot plowed yesterday. Cold weather has returned. This area still needs rain. Spring comes on the calendar this week; hope it brings some spring showers and warmer weather. I'm beyond being homesick for Tom, Harry, and Sadie...
12 March 2006: Dad's home and needing lots of care, so I'm being trained by Home Health Nurse Maribeth to take care of him. Never wanted to be a nurse ... He is an impatient patient and wants everything done yesterday, but he does do everything he can for himself. Mom goes in for surgery tomorrow. Woe is me. Looking into the genetic mirror is just plain frightening. On a brighter note, temperatures have been in the 70's F, so the forsythia bushes are glowing yellow and the redbud trees are popping out. Spring is beautiful, but the trees and flowers make me sneeze, cough, and itch; it's a bittersweet season for me. Given the poor health of my parents, I will need to be here until the end of this month. I do miss Tom, Harry, and Sadie so far away on the West Coast. I have no time for my hobby of photography during this time, nor for those healthy walks down to the beach ...
08 March 2006: Warm spring temperatures are on the way so I posted a photo of a robin today.
06 March 2006: Surprises! Snow is falling this morning ... And, Crash won best picture at the Oscars. While this story shared an important message about prejudices, the film was a bit fragmented for me. I only watched the first hour of the Oscars award show. Jon Stewart's performance was quite disappointing probably because of restrictions on his commentaries. George Clooney was gracious, witty, and insightful in his acceptance speech. Ben Stiller's "green screen" parody was just silly; Steven Spielberg was not amused either. Seems that the Brokeback Mountain folks were disappointed with their loss after winning so many other awards for best film. Perhaps the overall theme of many prejudices seen in Crash trumped the specific theme of gay cowboys in forbidden love in Brokeback Mountain. I don't think that we're ready to give up our stereotype of the macho western cowboy, yet. I haven't seen the "loser" films, yet, but I will. After all, no film is a loser if it is nominated for an Oscar.
05 March 2006: Dad's surgery went well. The cancerous tumor in his esophagus was removed successfully and he will not need any radiation or chemotherapy. The day after his surgery, he was sitting-up in a chair, and the third day after his surgery, he was walking. He's a champ! His successful surgery has also lifted my Mom's spirits. I'm looking forward to watching the Oscars tonight mostly because Jon Stewart from the Daily Show is hosting it. Look-out President Bush! I have only seen one of the movies nominated for the big awards, Crash, so I'm not much interested in who wins. I was disappointed that Cinderella Man was not nominated. Will Keith accompany Nicole? Will Angelina and Brad attend? I'm such a celebrity junkie. And, I'm getting hooked on American Idol. I already have a favorite, the rocker. I don't like hard rock, but Chris rocks! I just bought Carrie Underwood's CD and it's very good. She won American Idol last season. The other "reality" TV shows I watch are Wife Swap and Super Nanny. Mom and I watch Wife Swap together and just shake our heads at the mismatches and how families can be so very different, and we can't believe how out of control some kids are because their parents attend too much to misbehaviors and not enough to good behavior, such a simple principle of discipline!
01 March 2006: It's the day before Dad's major surgery at UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville, and we're all a bit anxious. He mostly wants to "git 'er done." He's too busy living to be so inconvenienced. We're hoping for a cancer-free long life for him. I watched a bluebird on Mom's clothes line this morning. A sign of hope that spring is just around the corner and good health will return here soon so I can get back to my wonderful life on the road with Tom, Harry, and Sadie.
