I was taking an early nap yesterday, when I was awakened by the door bell. Having been sound asleep, for some crazy reason I yelled, "Who is it?" just as my roommate yelled, "I'll get it." Then I heard Bea say, "Miz Devine," and that was all. I then suddenly realized that my sister was in my bedroom, looking distressed. I immediately sat up and put on my glasses. Kathy looked like she was going to burst into tears at any second, so I welcomed her, hugged her, and took her by the hand to encourage her to sit on the side of the bed. Jokingly, I asked, "Are you lost?" and was astounded when she nodded her head and said, "Yes."
That response was like having a glass of ice water poured down my back. We continued to sit, and I put my arms around her and rocked her, making soothing noises as she cried. Once she was finished, I started asking questions, and found that she had gone to a Roku session at Blair Chandler's office on 30th Street. She stated she had emerged feeling "blissful." She was waiting for her husband to pick her up, but he didn't appear. She tried to call him, and found that her cell phone was dead. She wandered in the area around Blair's office for a while, and then realized that my apartment was close enough to walk to.
I called her house, and got no answer. Then I called her husband's cell and, when he answered, asked if he had lost my sister. He said, well, yes, he had... and that their son Mike and grandson Finn were waiting at their house. I said that Kathy was at my place, and offered to drive her home, which he accepted. And, the thing that topped it all off, was that, when I got Kathy home, the front door was locked, and she had no key to get inside. She cried again, poor thing. When I took Kathy home, I found out that there was no appointed time for him to pick her up; he was waiting for her phone call. Her phone was dead, of course. So he went looking for her after it seemed well past time for her to be finished. Of course, they missed each other completely.
Poor big sister. I have felt lost and alone many times. I have cried hopeless tears until sleep finally swept me away. But the stark fear I saw in my sister's face yesterday shook me immensely. We have "joked" that she has chemo-brain, and mushy-brain, from her cancer treatments - but yesterday was quite an experience, for both of us.
Showing posts with label sister. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sister. Show all posts
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Monday, November 10, 2014
Football, Sister, and Cats
Well, the Gamecocks didn't play this past weekend, the CU Buffs lost, the Gators beat the Commodores at Vanderbilt, and for most of the first half I was worried that the Oakland Raiders were going to pull an upset and beat the Broncos. But the men in orange and blue finally got on track with about 3 minutes left in the first half. Peyton Manning threw 5 touchdown passes, and Brock Ostweiler played quarterback the entire fourth quarter. The Broncos won the game 41 to 17. It was fun to watch the game with my nephew and brother-in-law - normally, it's just me and the cats at home.
Kathy is doing well, and has not taken any pain medication (other than Tylenol) since she was discharged from the hospital... She had a very good day yesterday, and was greatly cheered by a visit from her granddaughter and Evie's parents. Mike and Jim spent the day making applesauce and slicing apples to place in the two dehydrators. Bernie acted as Kathy's hands and arms yesterday morning, and I did so all afternoon. One of the long-time neighbors brought over a thick vegetable soup that was made with items grown in their yard, along with roasted pears. They also brought a tin of marscapone cheese to slather on top of the pears - it was heavenly!
My kits were very happy to run outside when I arrived home, just after dark. I knew that Lovey and Nedi had been in and out, but didn't really pay their trips that much attention. Just before going to bed, I went to the bathroom - and there was a lone mouse, huddling in on itself, near the rear of the tub. I turned the mouse loose in the front of the apartment building, and the opening and closing of the hall door brought both Lovey and Nedi inside. Nedi immediately went to check on his mouse and I watched him search the entire apartment (in vain) for his new buddy.
It's 54 degrees outside and breezy. The weatherman just said that we'll have 1 inch of snow on the ground by 6 this evening, and that the temperature will fall 30 degrees over a period of 2 hours. Yikes! This is our current forecast (temperatures are in Fahrenheit) :
Kathy is doing well, and has not taken any pain medication (other than Tylenol) since she was discharged from the hospital... She had a very good day yesterday, and was greatly cheered by a visit from her granddaughter and Evie's parents. Mike and Jim spent the day making applesauce and slicing apples to place in the two dehydrators. Bernie acted as Kathy's hands and arms yesterday morning, and I did so all afternoon. One of the long-time neighbors brought over a thick vegetable soup that was made with items grown in their yard, along with roasted pears. They also brought a tin of marscapone cheese to slather on top of the pears - it was heavenly!
My kits were very happy to run outside when I arrived home, just after dark. I knew that Lovey and Nedi had been in and out, but didn't really pay their trips that much attention. Just before going to bed, I went to the bathroom - and there was a lone mouse, huddling in on itself, near the rear of the tub. I turned the mouse loose in the front of the apartment building, and the opening and closing of the hall door brought both Lovey and Nedi inside. Nedi immediately went to check on his mouse and I watched him search the entire apartment (in vain) for his new buddy.
It's 54 degrees outside and breezy. The weatherman just said that we'll have 1 inch of snow on the ground by 6 this evening, and that the temperature will fall 30 degrees over a period of 2 hours. Yikes! This is our current forecast (temperatures are in Fahrenheit) :
Today
57° | 14°
Rain/Snow Likely
Veterans Day
20° | 3°
Slight Chc Snow
Wednesday
12° | 8°
Snow Likely
Thursday
22° | 17°
Chance Snow
Friday
37° | 19°
Slight Chc Snow
Saturday
29° | 14°
Chance Snow
Friday, November 7, 2014
Family Surgery - And, Jury Duty, Here I Come
Well, I called the Jury Summons telephone number, and heard a recording telling me that if my assigned juror number was between this and that, then I needed to be at the Courthouse at 8:15 in the morning. The beginning number was only 25 before my assigned number, and the end number is 110 after my number. Looks like I'll be there!
But my thoughts today are with my sister, Kathy. Being sisters, and having six and a half years of age between us, we haven't always seen eye to eye; and I am frequently upset by her (in my perception) regal and arbitrary decisions. I am sure that I make decisions that she doesn't like, either. But she is my flesh and blood, my closest living relative; and I do love her very much. Kathy checks into Foothills Community Hospital this morning before 7 and will be on an operating table at 8:30. She is having a double mastectomy; they are also removing the sentinel lymph nodes from each arm pit. Hopefully, both of them will show no signs of the cancer that is eating her body, and that will mark an end of the removals. If so, the surgery will last only 3 to 5 hours.
Kathy has been diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer. The good news is that it's been found early; that it's the most commonly found cancer in women over the age of 50, who have had children; and there is a very high recovery rate without a recurrence of the cancer, if found and treated early. The worst thing is waiting for the results from the surgery, which will take a few days - waiting to find out if Kathy will need to under go chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy. As she and Jim lead a very active lifestyle, Kathy has selected not to have reconstructive surgery - to hasten her recovery, to save money, and to be able to run her half-marathons without being stuffed into a Sports Bra. If all goes well, she should be returning to work soon after the New Year.
In the meantime, one of Kathy's former co-workers will stay with her in the mornings while Jim runs and takes care of business, and while I'm walking dogs. After noon, I'll be Kathy's hands and arms, cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking, reading to her, and writing for her, while Jim takes care of house-hold items (like shopping). Connie, Kathy's neighbor, will fill in when neither Bernie nor I are available. I am scheduled to house-sit the week of Thanksgiving, but I'm only two blocks away from the houses... so things will be easy to handle.
Boulder has really dodged winter so far. However, after some rain tonight, we're supposed to be sunny and in the 60s Saturday and Sunday. Monday, however, the temperatures are forecast to fall all day with about 3 inches of snow in the evening, with a low of 17 degrees. Tuesday (thankfully, it's Veteran's Day, and a Holiday) they say we'll reach a high of 32 and have snow falling all day; Tuesday night's low is forecast at 19. Looks like Winter is actually on it's way!
But my thoughts today are with my sister, Kathy. Being sisters, and having six and a half years of age between us, we haven't always seen eye to eye; and I am frequently upset by her (in my perception) regal and arbitrary decisions. I am sure that I make decisions that she doesn't like, either. But she is my flesh and blood, my closest living relative; and I do love her very much. Kathy checks into Foothills Community Hospital this morning before 7 and will be on an operating table at 8:30. She is having a double mastectomy; they are also removing the sentinel lymph nodes from each arm pit. Hopefully, both of them will show no signs of the cancer that is eating her body, and that will mark an end of the removals. If so, the surgery will last only 3 to 5 hours.
Kathy has been diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer. The good news is that it's been found early; that it's the most commonly found cancer in women over the age of 50, who have had children; and there is a very high recovery rate without a recurrence of the cancer, if found and treated early. The worst thing is waiting for the results from the surgery, which will take a few days - waiting to find out if Kathy will need to under go chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy. As she and Jim lead a very active lifestyle, Kathy has selected not to have reconstructive surgery - to hasten her recovery, to save money, and to be able to run her half-marathons without being stuffed into a Sports Bra. If all goes well, she should be returning to work soon after the New Year.
In the meantime, one of Kathy's former co-workers will stay with her in the mornings while Jim runs and takes care of business, and while I'm walking dogs. After noon, I'll be Kathy's hands and arms, cleaning, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking, reading to her, and writing for her, while Jim takes care of house-hold items (like shopping). Connie, Kathy's neighbor, will fill in when neither Bernie nor I are available. I am scheduled to house-sit the week of Thanksgiving, but I'm only two blocks away from the houses... so things will be easy to handle.
Boulder has really dodged winter so far. However, after some rain tonight, we're supposed to be sunny and in the 60s Saturday and Sunday. Monday, however, the temperatures are forecast to fall all day with about 3 inches of snow in the evening, with a low of 17 degrees. Tuesday (thankfully, it's Veteran's Day, and a Holiday) they say we'll reach a high of 32 and have snow falling all day; Tuesday night's low is forecast at 19. Looks like Winter is actually on it's way!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Feeling Squashed
Perhaps this is my mental illness speaking - or, at least, coming to the fore - but I'm feeling squashed, a bit. I know that I'm the "odd woman out." I'm a widow, with only a single sister (and her two children) and cousins as blood relatives; I work with animals because I prefer them to people, and I consider my two cats my children; my sister's husband's family, the Snows, have taken me under their wings, invited me to most family gatherings, and assured me that they are now "my family." So why, has absolutely no one, including my sister, niece and nephew, contacted me since the death of Kent Snow? Kent was the youngest of the six Snow siblings, and I have very fond memories of him - he passed away last week, at the age of 49. The family has been crushed, as Kent was the youngest, and their Mother died before he was a year old, so the older siblings stood in as surrogate mothers. I understand how they feel. I went through that myself when my husband died.
On Sunday night, the 7th, I spoke with my sister on the telephone. It was the beginning of my one week of vacation - and I was looking forward to staying at home with my cats and sleeping in my own bed. That Sunday night, Kathy told me that she, her husband Jim, and Jim's step-mother, Grandma Anne, were leaving at 8 a.m. on Monday (the 8th), to drive up and see Kent in South Dakota. They would spend Monday evening, all day and night Tuesday, and Wednesday morning with Kent and his family before returning to Boulder. Ken was in the hospital, still dealing with the after-effects of a second brain tumor removal surgery. Kathy and Jim had arranged for the nest-door neighbor to pick up the mail and the newspaper each day.
Monday evening, I saw a Facebook post from Kent's daughter, Karissa. It implied that Kent had died and was looking down from heaven at the family. I was shocked and surprised. I checked my phone and e-mail messages, but there was nothing. After about an hour, I called Connie, Kathy and Jim's neighbor, and let her know that, apparently, Kent had died. I then called Enterprise Car Rentals, and arranged to have a car on hold for traveling to South Dakota, and transporting, possibly, Mike and Erin, as they have no car, either. I then started making lists of all the things that Vanessa would have to deal with, remembering what happened when Jeffrey had died. Still no phone call or e-mail message. I had thought my sister would call, or word would be passed on via my niece or nephew.
On Friday, when I had still not been contacted by anyone, I tore up the lists and cancelled the car rental. On Sunday, I finally "Googled" Kent's name, and found his obituary - his Memorial Service had been held Friday evening, and his burial service, with full military honors, had taken place on Saturday. I still had not been contacted by anyone, in any form, about Kent's death.
Monday morning, bright and early, I moved back into Tessa's house - five doors away from Kathy and Jim's. It was also Jim's 71st birthday - so I attached his birthday card to his front door, checking that their car was in the driveway, on my way to walk doggies. We normally get together for supper to celebrate Jim's birthday. Receiving no information, I just went on with my normal house-sitting routine. At 5:30, Rosie's owner called and said that Jim had left a message at her house, asking me to call him. I called and left a message on the home phone, stating where I was staying, and leaving contact numbers at 5:35. I called again at 8:30, and actually spoke to Jim; he said they were eating and he'd call me back immediately. I went to bed at 11, still waiting for a call.
Yesterday evening, I called at 7:45 and spoke with Kathy. I told her that I felt hurt because no one had called or even e-mailed me to inform me of Kent's demise. She said they were tired and busy when Kent died, and she was sorry. Period. Ten minutes later, she called me to say that a Bones episode was happening on Assateague Island - I asked if it was about buried treasure, and when she said yes, I told her the episode was at least 5 years old, and that Hollywood's version of Assateague was Santa Catalina, and that Assateague had mountains on it... She said that she just wanted me to be aware of the episode. I thanked her and she went to watch the show.
Is it just me? Do I have a real basis for feeling hurt? I know that I feel hurt, and that I'm angry with myself for letting myself feel hurt... It's stupid. It's paradoxical. It's how I feel.
On Sunday night, the 7th, I spoke with my sister on the telephone. It was the beginning of my one week of vacation - and I was looking forward to staying at home with my cats and sleeping in my own bed. That Sunday night, Kathy told me that she, her husband Jim, and Jim's step-mother, Grandma Anne, were leaving at 8 a.m. on Monday (the 8th), to drive up and see Kent in South Dakota. They would spend Monday evening, all day and night Tuesday, and Wednesday morning with Kent and his family before returning to Boulder. Ken was in the hospital, still dealing with the after-effects of a second brain tumor removal surgery. Kathy and Jim had arranged for the nest-door neighbor to pick up the mail and the newspaper each day.
Monday evening, I saw a Facebook post from Kent's daughter, Karissa. It implied that Kent had died and was looking down from heaven at the family. I was shocked and surprised. I checked my phone and e-mail messages, but there was nothing. After about an hour, I called Connie, Kathy and Jim's neighbor, and let her know that, apparently, Kent had died. I then called Enterprise Car Rentals, and arranged to have a car on hold for traveling to South Dakota, and transporting, possibly, Mike and Erin, as they have no car, either. I then started making lists of all the things that Vanessa would have to deal with, remembering what happened when Jeffrey had died. Still no phone call or e-mail message. I had thought my sister would call, or word would be passed on via my niece or nephew.
On Friday, when I had still not been contacted by anyone, I tore up the lists and cancelled the car rental. On Sunday, I finally "Googled" Kent's name, and found his obituary - his Memorial Service had been held Friday evening, and his burial service, with full military honors, had taken place on Saturday. I still had not been contacted by anyone, in any form, about Kent's death.
Monday morning, bright and early, I moved back into Tessa's house - five doors away from Kathy and Jim's. It was also Jim's 71st birthday - so I attached his birthday card to his front door, checking that their car was in the driveway, on my way to walk doggies. We normally get together for supper to celebrate Jim's birthday. Receiving no information, I just went on with my normal house-sitting routine. At 5:30, Rosie's owner called and said that Jim had left a message at her house, asking me to call him. I called and left a message on the home phone, stating where I was staying, and leaving contact numbers at 5:35. I called again at 8:30, and actually spoke to Jim; he said they were eating and he'd call me back immediately. I went to bed at 11, still waiting for a call.
Yesterday evening, I called at 7:45 and spoke with Kathy. I told her that I felt hurt because no one had called or even e-mailed me to inform me of Kent's demise. She said they were tired and busy when Kent died, and she was sorry. Period. Ten minutes later, she called me to say that a Bones episode was happening on Assateague Island - I asked if it was about buried treasure, and when she said yes, I told her the episode was at least 5 years old, and that Hollywood's version of Assateague was Santa Catalina, and that Assateague had mountains on it... She said that she just wanted me to be aware of the episode. I thanked her and she went to watch the show.
Is it just me? Do I have a real basis for feeling hurt? I know that I feel hurt, and that I'm angry with myself for letting myself feel hurt... It's stupid. It's paradoxical. It's how I feel.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Running and Touching
My sister, Kathy, decided to start running to lose weight and get into better shape about 15 years ago. Jim, her husband, had always been a bike rider, so he switched over to running with Kathy with no problem - and still kept riding his bicycle. Kathy has run in a few marathons, but usually competes in half-marathons, or shorter races. Jim runs in everything he can fit into his calendar. Saturday morning, Kathy and Jim drove up to Georgetown for the Georgetown to Idaho Springs half-marathon. Kathy didn't compete, but Jim did. He finished second in his age division (65 to 69), and received a medal and a pin for his effort. We're all very proud of him. (Me? I have back, hip, knee, ankle and feet problems and can't run... that's why I walk dogs.) Jim will have his 70th birthday next month. And guess what he's going to do this coming weekend? He's running in the Pikes Peak Double. On Saturday, the 17th, my brother-in-law will run the Pikes Peak Ascent race, which is a half-marathon, covering 13.32 miles, but with a vertical ascent of 7,815 feet. On Sunday, he'll run the full Pikes Peak Marathon - all 26.21 miles, up to the peak and back down. By the way, Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 14ers - the peak height is at 14,115 feet above sea level. I'll be taking care of Boo, their dog, while they're gone. For more information regarding the Pikes Peak races, please visit: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/ and for specific course information, see: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/course.htm
In thoroughbred racing news, St. Nicholas Abbey is continuing to recover following surgeries for a broken pastern and colic. .... Itsmyluckyday, who ran in the Triple Crown races, is out of action for several months with a cracked pelvis. .... The Breeders Cup Races will take place on November 1 and 2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
As I was growing up, there were two constant rules I was expected to follow. The first was that I should always be polite and courteous to adults and strangers; the second rule was that it was fine to look at something that wasn't mine, but never to touch whatever had my interest. So I'm still amazed that the 55-year-old male tourist from Missouri had the nerve to touch a 600 year old statue in Italy. I was appalled to read and see that the statue's pinky finger had broken off - and then I did a double-take in my thoughts. The space where the finger should have been sitting had a piece of rebar (or a small metal spike) where the finger should be - that meant it had been broken off before, and then repaired, in the past. Museum pieces are in a museum to be seen and not touched - unless it's an inter-active exhibit that invites you to touch items. I am still surprised that this man had the audacity to touch the old marble statue - and, unless he really struck the statue's hand with energy and force, I'm also surprised that the finger gave way. Sounds to me like the replacement and repair of the first break wasn't done well. But, still... he should have just looked, and not touched.....
In thoroughbred racing news, St. Nicholas Abbey is continuing to recover following surgeries for a broken pastern and colic. .... Itsmyluckyday, who ran in the Triple Crown races, is out of action for several months with a cracked pelvis. .... The Breeders Cup Races will take place on November 1 and 2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
As I was growing up, there were two constant rules I was expected to follow. The first was that I should always be polite and courteous to adults and strangers; the second rule was that it was fine to look at something that wasn't mine, but never to touch whatever had my interest. So I'm still amazed that the 55-year-old male tourist from Missouri had the nerve to touch a 600 year old statue in Italy. I was appalled to read and see that the statue's pinky finger had broken off - and then I did a double-take in my thoughts. The space where the finger should have been sitting had a piece of rebar (or a small metal spike) where the finger should be - that meant it had been broken off before, and then repaired, in the past. Museum pieces are in a museum to be seen and not touched - unless it's an inter-active exhibit that invites you to touch items. I am still surprised that this man had the audacity to touch the old marble statue - and, unless he really struck the statue's hand with energy and force, I'm also surprised that the finger gave way. Sounds to me like the replacement and repair of the first break wasn't done well. But, still... he should have just looked, and not touched.....
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Critters and Me
A cat tree?
An integrated, loving family - canine, feline, vulpine
Sister Kathy Snow and me, off horses, on Beaver Mountain
Me on Pal, after our break on Beaver Mountain (in Rocky Mountain National Park)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)