Fallen leaves

It's the day after the super storm. I spent a good deal of energy preparing for the worst, which never happened, thank goodness. I got all the leaves cleared out of my backyard and the deck furniture put away. Things I had to do eventually anyway. We had a lot of rain and wind and ferocious wind gusts. I went out a few times in my head-to-toe rain gear to walk Emily's dog. Otherwise I ate and watched TV. It was a lazy day. We never lost power, for which I remain thankful. I was very surprised that my salon stayed closed today. I know a lot of people lost power; that must be the reason. It rained all day and was cold and gray. I can't wait to see the sun again! What I'll remember most of the aftermath was how bright and beautiful the fallen leaves were. Bright green ones that weren't ready to come off mixed with the colorful ones that were.

My mom was moved to a rehab center last Tuesday. Poor, poor Mom. She's in so much pain. She's SO sorry that she let this happen by doing something, in her words, stupid. I don't like the rehab center at all. There are some wonderful caring people that work there, but for the most part it's far below par. I'm not sure how long she'll have to stay there. I'm counting the days till she can get out and back to her home. Yesterday was her 80th birthday. I decorated her room a little. She's received a lot of cards. We'll have a real celebration when she's better. She deserves it!

Till the next time....

It's not about ME

I powered up my laptop to write this. It really is the only time I turn it on. My iPad is my go-to Internet tool. I take it everywhere. Lately and for the foreseeable future, that means wherever my mother is. If you follow me on Facebook you know what's happened. If not, here it is.

My mom had a fall on Wednesday. She's not supposed to stand at all. She just had physical therapy the day before (for the first time in ages) and the therapist told her to never stand alone. My brother called that night and told my mom that the therapy wasn't to teach her to walk again. He stressed how important it was to be safe and not do anything that could cause a fall. He told her that if she fell and had to be hospitalized that we wouldn't be able to sit by her side at a hospital. Lisa is recovering from her surgery and he and I work. The next day she stood to break some dead branches off of a plant in a raised bed, lost her balance, and fell. She had a traumatic break in her left femur near her pelvis, with a few small fractures in her hip. She was transferred from her usual hospital to MD Shock Trauma, where they're equipped to handle the kind of surgery she needed. My brother was with me for most of that 14 hour day. I didn't give her a hard time about the consequence of her action. I did say that she wasn't a very good patient for her physical therapist. Her response was that she was being herself. The surgery lasted 5 hours. I've spent most of the last four days at the hospital with my mom. She's only in pain when they move her leg. She's lethargic, not eating, and not really talking. She moves her lips to talk but no sound comes out. Occasionally she does talk. She'll call my name. She's told me to shut up! To not put words in her mouth. She told one nurse she was fat and another she was pretty. She knows who she is, where she's at, and all that other important stuff. It's heartbreaking to see her like this. I feel compelled to be with her. I called her nurse this morning to see how she's doing. The nurse said she's fine! Of course she's not. I know how she is because I left her late last night. So, it's time to go back to the hospital. I know it well by now.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'll remain the optimist. We've been through this before. Rehab will be next. It will be a long road.

Ramble-y

I didn't have anyplace I had to go today. There was nothing I had to do. I thought about going through the clothes in my closet and cleaning out half of them. I thought about cleaning out my pantry. I'm not one to stay home on a day off. I find idle time depressing. But I did it. It was a very weird weather day. It was balmy in the morning and I took Sparky for a walk. I thought about riding my bike when I came back, but it started pouring. I made a batch of
Carrot Curry Soup.
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, cut in chunks
1-2 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 Tablespoon curry powder
4-5 cups carrots, cut in chunks
1 (15-ounce) can light coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, cook the onion until it begins to soften and turn translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the ginger and curry powder. Cook for another minute.
Add the carrots and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften a bit.
Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer the carrots in the broth for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are soft.
Put the carrot mixture into a blender or use an immersion blender. Puree until very smooth. Pour into a bowl. Top with fresh chopped cilantro.
*I don't always use the coconut milk. Sometimes I just increase the stock.

I watched a few programs I'd DVR'd. Revenge. Once Upon a Time. The Good Wife. I never watch TV during the day, except for The Today Show when I'm getting ready for work.

I did a little laundry. Walked the dog again. Sparky. He sure is cute. I worked on teaching him "stay" with pieces of hot dog (Kosher, no less) for bait. I worked on "come" too.

I'm still not a dog person. I'm taking care of him because he lives here and he needs me. Maybe one day I'll feel I need him too?

It poured on and off all day long. I decided to ride my bike during one break. I didn't get far before I saw the sky looking like this. I got home before the skies opened up. I set my beach chair in the open garage and sat there with Sparky watching the rain.

I spent Saturday night with my cousin Jill. We went a yoga studio that was hosting an art exhibit of Jill's former classmate. The art was about yoga, and how it influenced the artist's life. It made me want to do yoga. I'm thinking about it. We went to Clyde's afterward for a drink, and they had a 70's cover band. I loved it! They played the songs of my youth.

I hung out at my parent's place yesterday. I cut my mom's hair. Short. It's a good thing she has those snazzy glasses. They make her look very modern. I really like hanging out there. Most of the residents know me and there's a lot of greetings all around. I usually walk around the dining room during meals and pour coffee for the residents. It really is a home. I'm so thankful my parents are there. If you've known me for a while you know how bad it was when they were still in their home. This place is perfect. Not fancy. Not without many flaws. Just right.

I think I've written enough ramble-y things for one night. I'm so glad I'm still writing!

Debate time, but first a word or two

I can't believe it's been over a week since I've written and I don't want to let any more time pass. I have the debate on pause and I'll watch it after a little writing.

My sister from GA has been my house guest for over a week and she's been great company. We've run around on my days off, and spent the nights in front of the television eating ice cream. How many people get the opportunity to hang out with their siblings and have sleep-overs once they've become 'grown-ups'? My sister came to town to be with my parents and also to go away for the weekend with a group of her high school friends. It was fortuitous that she was here when my sister Lisa had a medical emergency. Lisa woke up one morning in horrible pain and was diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction. She had to have major surgery to repair it. Poor Lisa. It's been good that Ilene has been around to visit. Me too. Lisa will be out of work for many weeks. She missed the big dinner we had at The Annapolitan tonight with my parents, my brother and sister, my daughter and her friend, two nieces, nephew and grand-nephew. We feasted on lots and lots of Chinese food we brought in and ate in the private dining room. It was a lot of fun.

I had some excitement around here last night. I try to keep my garage door closed, but sometimes I forget. When I went out to walk the dog last night I noticed a bicycle laying at the end of my neighbor's driveway, and I called to tell her about it. When I got back, the neighbor wheeled the bike over to my garage. It was then I noticed my bike was missing! The bike I love! I called the police, and a K-9 officer that was nearby came over, listened to my story and told me a regular officer would be by, but that he'd ride around and look. The next officer came and I told him my story. He got a call and told me they might have found my bike, that they suspect, and I'd have to come with him to identify the bike. The K-9 officer saw a kid riding a bike in my neighborhood that matched my description. Long story short, we drove to a nearby bad neighborhood and they had a young kid in handcuffs along with my bike. I was very, very lucky. If I had called an hour or two later it would never have been found.
The cops said kids look for open garages and take bikes all the time. Very scary.

So that's a little something from my world. Hope things are good in yours. And now it's back to the debate.