The Cavalry Has Arrived!

When you think you have reached the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

an American proverb,
with variations attributed to Thomas Jefferson (although Monticello.org says no),
Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I have heard that saying (above)...or some variation...all of my life it, seems.  I even recall a cute cat poster on the same theme.  Truly, it has sprung to mind quite often recently, especially the "end of your rope" part.

Only...

I was getting desperate.  I needed to know not only exactly how long my allotted rope is, and therefore how much more rope I had to go...but also exactly what kind of knot I am supposed to be tying, for goodness' sakes.  A square knot?  A constrictor knot?? A half-hitch???  Details, dammit gosh darn it, I needed details.

Doesn't take a genius to figure out I was out of rope, for sure.  Hanging by a thread.  No knot, no nothing.

That was last Tuesday.  I had just returned from a lovely, much-needed...albeit brief...few days away with Missy M.  The moment I stepped back into my house, I could feel the oppressive helplessness.  You see, I had made a promise to Mom that I would do everything I could to make sure she didn't have to make the final steps in her journey in pain...and, I was failing miserably in keeping that promise.  And, anyone who knows me at all knows I hate to fail.  Hate. It.

What to do?

After putting in two calls to two different doctors on Wednesday...and speaking to their two nurses, we made an appointment with our family doctor for the next day.  I wasn't sure what else he could do to help us that he wasn't already doing, but...again...I was at the end of the rope.

He was kind and caring, as usual, and when the discussion got around to Hospice (as it has in the past), he reiterated "since Edith's choosing not to do any diagnostic tests (CT-scan, etc.), it might be difficult to get Hospice involved."  What he was saying was: we don't have a definitive DATE.  Without diagnostics, doctors are best-guessing on the number of a patient's days.  But, this time, the discussion ended with, "I'll do the best I can with the information we have."

We left the office with a glimmer of hope.  A tiny flicker.  We didn't want to yet believe, but we both felt we'd done what we could.  The ball was in someone else's court, as Mom said.

On Friday, we received a call from the Hospice of the Piedmont to schedule an initial in-home visit.  Apparently, Dr. K had said exactly what needed to be said to unlock that door for us.  And with that one conversation, I was able to tie that first knot in my rope.  A strong, secure double constrictor...just in case you are wondering...:)

On Saturday, Mr. T began the process of preparing our house in anticipation of daily visitors.  If you've been to our house, you know our Basset beasts are not user-friendly.  Oh, Gus and Duchess love to have visitors; they just aren't very well-behaved.  They bark incessantly and rarely respond to commands not to jump up on folks.  And, Elmo...well, he was never overly fond of strangers before he lost his eyesight; being blind hasn't improved his disposition in the least.  Sigh.

On Monday (a holiday, mind you), the Cavalry arrived around 10:00 a.m., in the persons of the Hospice Nurse and the Social Worker .  By the time they left in the early afternoon, we were all shedding tears of joy and relief.  I actually felt like exhaling for the first time in a very, very long while.  And, I had tied several more knots in my rope...which now felt more like a hammock than a rope-ladder.

First of all, the nurse added a pain medication to the mix to deal with the nerve pain.  And, something different to help with the nausea.  Then, she recommended that Mom have oxygen (which seems like a natural, but I've had great difficulty in getting a doctor to write that order). Would Mom like someone to come help her with bathing and washing her hair?  How about a chaplain to visit...and bring communion?  What about a Hospice volunteer to come visit for an hour or two each week...just to chat?  Did we need to schedule Respite Care?  No problem...Mom can have up to 5 days if we need it.

OMG.  PTL.  PMTSIIA (Pinch me to see if I'm awake).

After the team left, the pharmacy called: the new prescriptions were ready for me to pick-up.  The medical equipment supplier called to say when he'd deliver a new wheelchair and the oxygen apparati.  It's still a holiday, remember?

This morning, just one week after our darkest hours, we discovered yesterday hadn't all been a dream...it was, in fact, real.  The aide called to schedule today's visit for bath, etc., and the volunteer called to set up a "play date" on Friday.  I still feel a bit dazzled by the speed and extent of all their services...but I can adjust.



Filling up the new pool

So, how am I going to spend all my new-found leisure time, you ask? If you need me, I'll either be at the Guilford County Extension Center (Master Gardener volunteer workday in the Legacy Garden scheduled for tomorrow; MG Third Annual Community Garden Tour scheduled for Thursday night...I'll be a host at one of the 22 community gardens on tour) or in my own (neglected) garden...which is in sore need of weeding work.  I may have to break the cardinal rule of not working when the soil is wet, or when the temps rise above 90, but I'm afraid to put that chore off much longer.

If I'm not in one garden or the other, you'll probably find me chillin' in our new wading pool (photo, right).  Mr. T and I came home from Sam's Club with the neatest inflatable pool-in-a-box...8'x8'x22"; it even has a seat and two cup holders! He blew it up using the air compressor and filled it with water last night...all 277 gallons. The water was like ice, so we didn't linger any longer than it took to finish a glass of Riesling.  There should be a different story tonight after a 97-degree day...:) 

Yes, the cavalry has arrived...and I feel like a kid again!  Marco!  Polo!

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P.S.  See you in the funny papers...
Remember that I said I gave a Master Gardener Volunteer talk on Culinary Herbs at the High Point Library earlier this month?  Well, who should be in the audience but a reporter from the Jamestown News!  She wrote an article, which hopefully you can find here:  http://jamestownnews.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2011/05/26/news/lifestyles/lifestyles56.txt

Something Old, Something New

That was then -
1976

It was a warm and humid May night in central Mississippi. The predicted rains were cooperative and came in the early afternoon, long before the 7:00 hour on the invitation, when I would walk down the aisle with my Daddy to join hands with my soon-to-be husband. We made our way the short distance from the Holiday Inn-North, where we had entertained out-of-town visitors...and Momma had hosted the Bride's Maids' luncheon...down the Frontage Road to Christ Lutheran Church.  This particular church and its pastor were unfamiliar to me, although Mr. T had grown up in its embrace, as well as in the Lutheran faith. 

Never fear, I was represented in the person of the minister who had served our tiny West Tennessee town's United Methodist church when I was a teenager.  Concerned that Mr. T's family and friends would feel excluded unless we wed in his hometown, and hoping that my family and friends would make the drive down I-55 if asked, we recited the vows we had written in the presence of those in attendance...and not one, but two men-of-the-cloth. 

Following the ceremony and the photos (left), we toasted our future and our good fortune in having found one another, at our reception held at LeFleur's, a normally lovely fine-dining establishment, but in the throes of refurbishment on that particular Saturday.  No matter, the food was excellent and beautifully presented, and the wine flowed.  Well, I can't exactly vouch for the food since I didn't eat anything at my own wedding reception.  Nerves?  Excitement?  More than likely the latter rather than the former.


This is now -
2011

That was 35 years ago today. Our love has grown stronger with the passage of time, and we are as happy to be together now as we were then (photo, right). Interestingly enough, our marriage has out-lasted that church congregation and that restaurant.

Since we have some limitations on traveling together for any great distance at the moment, we celebrated our anniversary close to home at the Childress Vineyards near Lexington, NC.  Brother J and SIL J came into town and stayed with Mom so we could have a relaxed brunch with no worries.

Fantastic!  We had the Tasting Flight, which is a three-course meal, served with a Childress wine to match each course.  We were especially bowled over by the White Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake (left, below).


Third course at the Bistro...
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
served with Childress Classic White Wine


To run the numbers...

In 35 years, we have lived at 18 addresses in 7 states (one of them...NC...3 different times...:), some as short as a couple of months while we were in temporary quarters or in transition after selling one house and waiting to close on the next one.  The longest we have lived at any one address?  Six years and 5 months:  Cordova, Tennessee.  Second longest?  Six years and 1 month:  O'Fallon, MO. 

In truth, our home is wherever we are together.

We have a beautiful daughter who is the light of our lives...always has been and always will be.  We have done the impossible by combining three generations under one roof...and living to tell tales about it.  And, we have given our hearts and homes over to many hounds, including our current brace: Duchess, Gus, and Elmo.

As the card Mr. T gave me says:  Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking in the same direction.  Oh, so true.

So, today we celebrate the old and the new.  The couple we were...and the couple we've become.  And, once again, we toasted our future and our good fortune.

And, because it is expected that I will ask this...I wonder where we'll be this time next year?  Or, in the next 35 years.  Hmmmm.....

MDBT - 2011

ASTD 2011
in Orlando

Long-time readers know that MDBT = Mother-Daughter Bonding Trip. And that I haven't had the luxury of going on one with my sweet daughter for a couple of years now.  So, this past week was just ab-fab perfect in my book.

Missy M was scheduled to attend the annual American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) International Conference in Orlando. When she offered to buy my plane ticket (!) and let me share her room at the Peabody/Orlando (!!), I couldn't say YES fast enough.  Of course, between the time she made this offer and the time I actually stepped onto my Southwest flight out of Raleigh, an awful lot happened here at home.  Mom's health took a steep nose-dive (as you know by now), so we weren't sure this year's MDBT would even happen.

Way to go Mr. T!  He stepped up to the plate and hit a huge home-run when he said "you need to go...and I can stay with your Mom."  And, then Mom had a fairly good week after several really bad days.  So, it appeared the sun, the moon, and the stars were actually in alignment for me to go.

And go to Orlando I did!

I loved staying at the Peabody, especially because I'm from the city of the original.  When the bellman said "our ducks are better," I begged to differ.  Still, I couldn't get enough photos of the five of them and their fountain (photos, below).  Heck, I even killed the batteries in my camera by videoing the little waddlers, headed down to the lobby from their third floor palace.  I had to make a swift switch just to capture a video of them making their dash from the elevator, down the red carpet, to the fountain (above, left), all to the tune of Sousa's King Cotton March.  Loved it!  [Travel Tip:  Best place to view the ducks' march?  Head up to the third floor, called the Recreational Level.  You'll get to see the ducks before anyone else, since their "home" is on this floor, and they begin/end their daily journeys here.  And, you can get a great view from the balcony of the proceedings in Mallard Lobby below.]




Ducks in the fountain -

Lobby of the Peabody/Orlando



Don (real name!) the Duck Master -

Peabody/Orlando




Trisha's Toes in the
Peabody Pool

Then, I spent several sunny hours out by the pool (photo, left).  I had downloaded The Red Queen (all 19 or so hours...:), so the time flew by as I listened to one of my fav authors (Phillippa Gregory) being read to me.  I dearly love how she writes in a narrative voice...it makes you feel as if you are reading a present-day account or diary of 15th century England!

After M. finished her conference activities on Day One, we had an evening to enjoy margaritas at Don Pablos followed by a movie:  Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides...or, Pirates 4, as it has been dubbed.  Arrrghhh, Pirates!   I just love these movies!!  Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush are as wonderful in their roles as ever. 

M. had connnected me with a vendor who provided a free pass to the ASTD expo (where the bazillion vendors were), and when I checked in on Monday, I was given a "Full Conference" badge...so I got to attend the morning general sessions and several break-out workshops.  I took advantage of my good fortune and learned a lot.  It was wonderful!  Just like "old times" when I was a trainer.  And, I noticed something special while I was there, too.  I sensed a more welcoming acceptance of consultants (as a whole) and coaches (in the specific).  So, when I introduced myself as a leadership development coach, I felt included in the group...and it felt goooood.

"Please Respect the Spell Limits" -
Hogsmeade Village
Universal Studios, Orlando

Of course, if one is in Orlando...and one is a BIG FAN of the Harry Potter books and movies, one needs to go to Universal Studios "Islands of Adventure" park to see how they have transformed a palm-studded backlot off International Drive into Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts School.  OMG!  The snow on the roof-tops even looks real...no matter that it was 95 degrees that Sunday.

The "ride" that is inside the Hogwarts Castle is just fantastic.  As you walk through the Castle and approach the actual ride, you are treated to videos of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore...and others from the movies...giving you a little hint of things to come.  Then, you are IN an IMAX theatre-like production, while being secured to your padded seat, and it really feels like you are flying.  We played in a game of Quidditch, for goodness' sakes! 



Dr. Seuss Land -
A favorite at Universal Studios





To be truthful, it was challenging for me because the gondola that your seats are attached to turns way over, making it feel like you are standing on your head...and that is never good for someone with positional vertigo.  No matter, I settled soon enough, and we were off to ride the Jurassic Park Jungle River ride (you will get wet...:).

It was a perfect professional development opportunity...a perfect bonding trip...and a perfect break in my routine that came at just the right time. Thank you, my sweet husband and our thoughtful daughter.  {Hugs!}

P.S. Guess what today is?  It's the second anniversary of our signing the papers to buy this house in HPNC!  Yep, we've been back in NC for two years now.  Amazing!  Of course, we have another anniversary coming up this weekend, but I'll write more about that in my next post.

P.P.S.  Most of you know how I feel about Basset Hounds ["heck, Gibbs, equatorial pygmies know how you feel about..."; love that quote from Abby on NCIS...:)].  Anyway, my friend Lucille sent me this link to a story of a recent rescue of Bonnie and Clyde Basset and their babies.  You'll love it as much as I: 
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/may/23/basset-hounds-flooding-knoxville-rescue/

Multitasking

I am a fan of doing more than one thing at a time.  There are so many things to do...and only 24 hours in a day to do them all.  In fact, I seem to be unable to just do one thing at a time...if I only have one thing to accomplish, I'll procrastinate until there is something else in relatively the same category.  Of course, there are times when I am doing several things at once, and I don't know whether I'm coming or going.  But I guess in the end it doesn't really matter if I eventually do what I needed to do and/or arrive in the place I wanted to be.


Legacy Garden at the
Guilford County Extension Center


Hunh?

Anyway...

I've got a few minutes here before I head to the Extension Center...where that photo (right) of the Legacy Garden was taken.  I'm prepping for my first Master Gardener Volunteer presentation tomorrow night and need to make some copies of handouts, retrieve the Speakers' Bureau laptop, etc.  Soooo, figuring that I had to make that l-o-n-g trek to the other side of the county anyway, I signed up for the afternoon shift on the Infoline for today.  Trying to make all those miles count twice, you see.  [You have seen the current price of gasoline, right?]



Culinary Herbs Display:
Herb Jar on right; Herb Fountain on left

 I'm scheduled to give the Culinary Herbs presentation at the High Point Library...and I'm really excited about the opportunity.  I think I told you that I made a display (photo, left) for the Passalong Plant Sale we had last week on that very same subject.  Killing two basils with one stone, you might say.  Multitasking, by any other name.  And, while I'm not an expert on herbs by any stretch of the imagination, one of the other MG volunteers who will be there is.  Many of the photos used in the PowerPoint are from his garden, so if any questions arise that I can't cover, I can hand those off to Maliq, I'm sure. 

To gain as much experience as I can on the subject of culinary herbs, I've planted several varieties along the center-path border in our Way Back garden (sage, parsley, stevia, dill) and in pots and containers all over the place (rosemary, lavender, dill, mints, lemon balm, chives, thyme, oregano).  I've done an Herb Jar (using a strawberry jar; on right, in the photo above/left, ) and an Herb Fountain (on left, in the photo above/left), using an idea from P.Allen Smith (love. him. ...:).  [It's not really a "fountain," with water flowing; it's made by using a large pot as the base, then adding one or more smaller pots in a stack...and filling them with herbs).]  I've got pots of mint and basil on the deck...and sprigs of mint and basil rooting on the kitchen windowsill.  Herbs, herbs, everywhere!

I'm stretching my own recipe file to include dishes made with herbs, which are a healthy alternative to other seasonings that are high in sodium or sugar.  Mint goes in nearly every cup of hot tea...and about half of the glasses of iced tea that come out of the kitchen.  I add fresh herbs to almost all my egg dishes (omelets...quiches...frittatas) as well as roasted chicken and vegetables (that's what's on the menu for tonight...:).  In order to have some recipe cards available for the Culinary Herbs presentation, I tried several new recipes (multitasking...again), including one for a great Italian Herb Bread* recipe (see below)...it's definitely a keeper! 

I'm also exploring the many ways to use herbs as companion plants...making them into multitaskers, as it were.  Basil and dill with tomatoes; parsley with carrots; and nasturtiums (didn't know they were herbs?  Think again!) with squash, cukes, and melons.  Insects are often repelled by the intense fragrances that are characteristic of herbs, so interplanting them with vegetables can be an organic, as well as edible, approach to controlling pests.  The hardest part of this idea?  Keeping Mr. T from weed-whacking the herbs...!  We are both learning new things here.

Before I close this post, I thought I'd add a bit about Mom.  I know that many of you come here to hear how she is doing, and I wish I could always have a positive comment for you to read.  That's becoming quite a challenge, and I struggle to find the words.  We are finding it increasingly difficult to adequately manage her pain with meds-by-mouth, so we know that we will soon be entering new territory with the alternative (IV-medication).  I'll keep you posted.

Time to close for today.  Hope you have a great week...wherever you are!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Italian Herb Bread

Makes 2 loaves


Ingredients:

1 rounded Tablespoon dry yeast (1 1/2 packages)
2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (can be mixed with grated Romano cheese)

Directions:


Mix yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and sugar together in a large mixing cup. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy and doubles in volume.

Mix the olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese, 1 1/2 cups water, and 3 cups flour in a large mixing bowl; add in the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in two to three additional cups of flour. Dough will be stiff. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes (I use the dough-hook on my mixer), or until it is smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, turning to cover top and sides with oil.

Cover with a damp linen towel, or plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled.

Punch down to release all the air. Shape into two loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet, or into two 9x5 inch, greased pans. Allow to rise for 1/2 hour again, until doubled, in a warm place.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes, before slicing. Great dipped in olive oil with cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Sexto de Mayo

Another month is off to a speedy start.  Almost a whole week into May...and I haven't found the time to post.  Tut, tut.

My time has been almost entirely given over to Master Gardening activities for the past couple of weeks.  I finished my Master Gardening classes the last Wednesday in April...turned in my final exam...and then the real work began in earnest.  First, I wrote another article for GoGreenTriad.com, this one on What to do in your Piedmont Garden in May.  It's up on their site right now, if you care to read it.  Just follow that link.

Meet Herb!

Next, I put in a half-day working in the Demonstration (AKA The Legacy...) Garden, plus a half-day on the InfoLine (telephone Master Gardener answer service) on Wednesday (well, I was already in the habit of driving to the other side of the county on Wednesdays, don't you know...:). 

Then, I helped set up for the Passalong Plant Sale and Festival on Thursday, when Mr. T joined me in "creating" a clay pot person for the raffle.  I've named him Herb (photo, right)...and I will hate to see him go to a new home on Saturday when someone wins him.  Sigh. 



Display done for the
Passalong Plant Sale

 Anyway, I also set up my display table on Culinary Herbs (photo, left)...a project I'd been working on at home for several days.  This subject was a natural, since I'll be doing my first MG Speaker's Bureau session on the 17th on Culinary Herbs...6:00 p.m. at the High Point Library, if anyone wants to come...:) 

We also got the coffee and snack concession table all ready to serve, come 7:30 a.m.  Even though the plant sale opens at 9:00,  people start arriving early to get a good place in line. Like a rock concert.  Tee hee.





Mist over Oak Hollow -
A cold morn in May

The first day of the plant sale started out sunny but cold for the sixth of May.  As I headed to the Extension Center early this morning, I snapped this shot (right) of the mist rising off Oak Hollow Reservoir.  Thank goodness I'd remembered to dress in layers!  Then, even though I had the first shift in the Festival area, the time seemed to fly by.  Before you could say "heirloom tomato," it was time for me to head back home.  BTW, one of the perks for working so early:  I was able to purchase 3 varieties of heirlooms before they were all sold out:  Cherokee Purple, Brandywine, and Mortgage Lifter.  Yippee!



Big blooms of the
Mardi Gras rose

Putting in all this time on Master Gardening has left my own garden looking rather neglected.  The rainfall, followed by warm, sunny days, is tonic for the lettuce and the weeds alike...and the weeds seem to be winning over the spinach by a wide margin.  No matter.  Who can be bothered with a few weeds when the roses in the Way Back have been putting on a such a show for us, as you can see in the photo of some I snipped for Mom's room (left)?

I've got to devote some time...and soon...to getting the rest of my tomatoes, my peppers, squash, and melons in the ground.  They are tired of being restricted to their tiny pots on the screened porch.  The good news:  the strawberries are ripening rapidly, and the corn's coming up, despite the lack of loving care.  Woo hoo!



Salad for supper again?
The lettuce is coming in faster than we can eat it!

Even though Mom is on a higher level of pain medication that makes walking a challenge, she tries to spend a little time each day on the deck, which is about as far into the back yard as she will venture.  She can see some of the garden from that vantage point, and I think she gets as much thrill from the daily Garden Report as I do.  [...although I believe she is getting a bit weary of having a salad (photo, right) with nearly every supper...:)]

Must run for now.  Spending so much time on gardening leaves very little time left over for household chores...which ain't all bad, as they say.  But I have a list of To Do's to finish before a certain young lady and my grand-dogs her two mutt-mutts arrive later on this evening. 

I don't care if I do have to work the early-shift at the Plant Sale again tomorrow.  It's gonna be a great weekend, indeed!