Mike, his sister, and his brother are at their parent's apartment, having "The Talk". They are talking to their mother, her ultimate death, and her wishes for after she's gone.
I am at his sister's house, waiting for their return. I'm sure that this talk, while it needed to happen, has had a profound effect on them. I can't even imagine their pain and sorrow. A loss that will take several months to complete.
Aside from holding my husband and listening to him, there is nothing I can do to ease his pain and loss.
Hug your horses. Hug your parents. Hug your children. Call and tell a friend how you feel.
Life is short.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Greetings
Hello from Virginia!
It's still late summer here. Over night low was 60 degrees. There are low fluffy clouds and sunshine.
I have woke up and attempted to read Joe's post on TBFriends. I forget that I'm three hours ahead of him and he's not even up yet when I get out of bed.
Do you suppose he'd get upset if I called and asked for his morning post?
My daughter says the horses are fine and that they don't miss me. I'm sure they're fine, but they HAVE to miss me...right?
It's still late summer here. Over night low was 60 degrees. There are low fluffy clouds and sunshine.
I have woke up and attempted to read Joe's post on TBFriends. I forget that I'm three hours ahead of him and he's not even up yet when I get out of bed.
Do you suppose he'd get upset if I called and asked for his morning post?
My daughter says the horses are fine and that they don't miss me. I'm sure they're fine, but they HAVE to miss me...right?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
And the hits just keep on coming...
Sorry, I have to vent!
I'm leaving on this trip to visit the in-laws this morning. We leave in about two hours. There was a TON of last minute things to do this morning.
Dad's gonna stay here so we washed the sheets and re-made the bed.
There were bills to pay, since they're due while we're gone.
Checks to deposit.
Pack our suitcases, which will probably cost us $20 a piece to put on the plane. (Excess baggage...my butt!)
Checking everything, last minute, packing, checking again.
And then, I started my period. (Sorry guys, but if you're married, you know...)
I'm afraid to ask, but what next?
Like Joe says, "Be sure to hug your horses."
See you in a week! (Unless I can get on in Virginia and post from there...)
I'm leaving on this trip to visit the in-laws this morning. We leave in about two hours. There was a TON of last minute things to do this morning.
Dad's gonna stay here so we washed the sheets and re-made the bed.
There were bills to pay, since they're due while we're gone.
Checks to deposit.
Pack our suitcases, which will probably cost us $20 a piece to put on the plane. (Excess baggage...my butt!)
Checking everything, last minute, packing, checking again.
And then, I started my period. (Sorry guys, but if you're married, you know...)
I'm afraid to ask, but what next?
Like Joe says, "Be sure to hug your horses."
See you in a week! (Unless I can get on in Virginia and post from there...)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Just the cutest thing EVER!!!
My daughter and husband are both conditioned NOT to throw away apple cores. So Kali had a core for me, which I took out and tossed in Beau's tub.
Initially, he snorted at it and snuck up on it, making sure it wasn't going to bite his nose or anything. When he realized what it was, he took the whole thing in his mouth.
He looked over at me, wallering the apple in his mouth, ears perked, watching me. I said, "Well aren't you just the cutest thing ever?" He perked his ears even more, almost bringing the tips together, and stopped chewing. It's like he said, "Well, yes. As a matter of fact, I am!" Then he continued chewing.
You should have seen it! It was SO CUTE!!
Update on the trip - Mike got word this afternoon. His sister's kids are sick. LOVELY! And, according to her, they have swine flu. Now, I believe they are sick, but she said they had congestion and were coughing up crud. If you have the flu, there is a dry hacking cough, but no congestion. So, she's bought into the hype and they "have swine flu!" Umm... no, they probably have a cold.
So, here's some information, just in case you're curious.
Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms
Symptom
Fever
Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
Coughing
A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
Stuffy Nose
Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously
within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
Chills
Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
Tiredness
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
Sneezing
Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the flu.
Sudden Symptoms
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache
A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
Chest Discomfort
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.
The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.
oh yeah - the only CONCLUSIVE way to verify that you actually have H1N1 (Swine flu) is by having a blood test.
Initially, he snorted at it and snuck up on it, making sure it wasn't going to bite his nose or anything. When he realized what it was, he took the whole thing in his mouth.
He looked over at me, wallering the apple in his mouth, ears perked, watching me. I said, "Well aren't you just the cutest thing ever?" He perked his ears even more, almost bringing the tips together, and stopped chewing. It's like he said, "Well, yes. As a matter of fact, I am!" Then he continued chewing.
You should have seen it! It was SO CUTE!!
Update on the trip - Mike got word this afternoon. His sister's kids are sick. LOVELY! And, according to her, they have swine flu. Now, I believe they are sick, but she said they had congestion and were coughing up crud. If you have the flu, there is a dry hacking cough, but no congestion. So, she's bought into the hype and they "have swine flu!" Umm... no, they probably have a cold.
So, here's some information, just in case you're curious.
Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms
Symptom
Fever
Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
Coughing
A hacking, productive (mucus-producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
Stuffy Nose
Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously
within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
Chills
Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
Tiredness
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
Sneezing
Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the flu.
Sudden Symptoms
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache
A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
Chest Discomfort
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.
The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.
oh yeah - the only CONCLUSIVE way to verify that you actually have H1N1 (Swine flu) is by having a blood test.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Ever sit on a cactus?
Well, not REALLY a cactus, but might as well be.
Mike and I are going out of town (more on that below) and I didn't want my horse sitter (my dad, who's 70 yrs old) to have to pull bales off the stack. The bales are big, heavy three-strand bales, and I didn't want him to have to deal with that. So I climbed the stack and pulled down some bales.
I had hooked one bale and was pulling it forward, when the hook gave way. So I ended up plopping down on my butt on a bale. Now normally, it would have been fine. Sitting down on a bale of hay in jeans, no big whoopie, right? Well this morning, for whatever reason, I decided to just wear sweat pants.
You know those little pokey splinter things that all hay has? They have a tendency to go right through the fabric of sweat pants. Felt like I sat on a cactus. I'm STILL picking them out of my hindend!
As for the trip... We found out a few weeks ago that Mike's mother has terminal lung cancer. Stage 4. She has refused chemotherapy and any treatment other than pain management. She wanted us to come visit while she is still in good health (relatively speaking, of course). I told Mike he should go. We couldn't afford for both of us to go, so I'd stay home. His mother had a problem with that so SHE bought both us tickets. How could I say "No" to that? For whatever reason, she wants to see me too. So we are going to stay with Mike's sister in Chesapeake, VA and visit with his folks, who live in Norfolk. We leave on Wednesday, Oct 28.
I absolutely HATE leaving my babies! I know we all need a break at times, but I worry about them. I honestly don't mind taking care of them and the work involved. It's a huge part of who I am. It's gotten to the point where if the conversation isn't about horses or something horse related, I can't participate. Horses are my life.
I'd really rather stay home, but since Mike wants me to go, I'm going.
Mike and I are going out of town (more on that below) and I didn't want my horse sitter (my dad, who's 70 yrs old) to have to pull bales off the stack. The bales are big, heavy three-strand bales, and I didn't want him to have to deal with that. So I climbed the stack and pulled down some bales.
I had hooked one bale and was pulling it forward, when the hook gave way. So I ended up plopping down on my butt on a bale. Now normally, it would have been fine. Sitting down on a bale of hay in jeans, no big whoopie, right? Well this morning, for whatever reason, I decided to just wear sweat pants.
You know those little pokey splinter things that all hay has? They have a tendency to go right through the fabric of sweat pants. Felt like I sat on a cactus. I'm STILL picking them out of my hindend!
As for the trip... We found out a few weeks ago that Mike's mother has terminal lung cancer. Stage 4. She has refused chemotherapy and any treatment other than pain management. She wanted us to come visit while she is still in good health (relatively speaking, of course). I told Mike he should go. We couldn't afford for both of us to go, so I'd stay home. His mother had a problem with that so SHE bought both us tickets. How could I say "No" to that? For whatever reason, she wants to see me too. So we are going to stay with Mike's sister in Chesapeake, VA and visit with his folks, who live in Norfolk. We leave on Wednesday, Oct 28.
I absolutely HATE leaving my babies! I know we all need a break at times, but I worry about them. I honestly don't mind taking care of them and the work involved. It's a huge part of who I am. It's gotten to the point where if the conversation isn't about horses or something horse related, I can't participate. Horses are my life.
I'd really rather stay home, but since Mike wants me to go, I'm going.
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