Anniversaries

While we all remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I would like to recognize a very happy event that happened on September 11, 1954. The day my parents were married.
They planned a small wedding and when the day arrived it was to be even smaller than planned. September 11, 1954 was the day hurricane Edna made landfall in Massachusetts. My parents were in Dover, NH which is near the coast in southern New Hampshire. Some of the guests weren't not going to be able to travel to the wedding. Hurricane Carol had struck the area just 11 days before Edna. It was an active hurricane season in 1954! Despite the weather, my parents were married on schedule and left for their honeymoon in Niagara Falls.

Forty seven years later they decided to take an anniversary road trip to Burlington, VT. They left on the morning of September 11, popped some CD's into the cars player, and off they went. When they arrived in Burlington they wanted to walk around town and visit the shops and galleries. They were surprised to find most of them closed and very few people out and about. They were perplexed to read a sign on one of the shop doors, "Due to the tragic events of the day, we have closed early." Having not listened to the radio during the trip, they were clueless as to what had happened. They decided to check into their hotel. It was then, that the hotel clerk apprised them of the chaos that was happening in the United States.

Since 2001, I have never forgotten my parents anniversary.

Fast forward to 2016. If Mom were still with us, my parents would be celebrating 62 years today. Yesterday my Dad was not feeling well and my sister Anita took him to the emergency room. His heart rate was very low and they had a hard time regulating it. At the end of the day they decided to admit him. He may need a pacemaker. Before Anita left for the night they needed to clarify his advance directives with the hospital. Dad then said, "Maybe I'll die on my anniversary." It was heartbreaking to hear that he said that. After all he went through in the last two years, I hope that he won't have to have another surgery. We will know more today.
It's times like these that living 800 miles away sucks.

It's always something

What a week it has been. We are trying to keep up with studio work and complete our kitchen rehab so that we can move by the end of next week. Wednesday, I got a call from my sister. Dad fell and broke a hip. He had partial hip replacement surgery late in the day Thursday. Friday morning he had a stroke. His right side is week and his speech is slurred. It's a wait and see thing now. This is when I really hate being so far away. I just want to pack my suitcase and buy a plane ticket to New Hampshire. 

Enough of the depressing side of things, how about some cheery celadon?

 Two different Highwater porcelains with the same glaze. Notice how much darker the cup is? I think that must be the P-10. The plate is Helios.

Enjoy your holiday weekend, I hope the weather where you are, is as nice as it is here Seagrove, NC.

Back in the 'Grove...

...and now to get back in the groove of work!

It feels so good to be home. My one week trip was extended to two. My siblings and I decided it would be a good idea for my parents to have some extra help for one more week. I am still a little nervous about them being alone but they have a nurse coming everyday to change the dressing on my mother's leg, and my sister is going to visit them mid-week to cook dinner and see how things are going.

The view from the balcony of my parents apartment

Living among the senior population for two weeks was quite an experience. It was interesting to get to know the cast of characters that live in their building. I have two aunts and an uncle that also live there, thus giving me ample opportunity to hear all the gossip. They refer to other residents with nicknames like "The Reader", "The Black Man", "The Egyptian" and, "The Chinamen". They evidently don't care about being politically correct! There also was Marie who thinks she is boss of her floor, and the group that hangs out in the lobby for half of the day, waiting for the mail. If you choose to have lunch in the dining room, beware that it's very territorial. Sitting in someone else's seat could get you the evil eye. I told my brother that the next TV reality show should be "The Real Seniors of Dover".

It wasn't always easy to be there. My parents can be difficult and extremely particular. There were times when I had to step out on the balcony and take a deep breath. Despite the stress, I am happy to have spent this extended amount of time with them. The highlight of the day was pouring my Dad and me a glass of wine each evening. He was never a drinker aside from a whiskey and ginger ale on holidays, or an occasional beer in the summer, so it surprised me when he said he would like to have a glass of wine each night. I am sure he needed it as much or more than I did.

The BEST part of being in New Hampshire was seeing Danielle. She came up one weekend and we celebrated her birthday. My sister came with her grand daughter and we had a great time together. Birthdays are much more fun when you have little ones around!

Now it's time to shift gears and get back to work. Jeff is teaching pottery at a private school in Greensboro this week, so I will have the studio to myself and there are lots of pots that need glazing.

I am slowly getting caught up with my blogging buddies. I haven't had much time to comment, but do know that I will get around to reading your posts.

the unexpected phone call

What a week it has been. I was feeling lazy on Monday, since it was a holiday, and wasn't very productive. Tuesday I kicked my butt into gear and became productive, which continued into Wednesday. Then it all came to a screeching halt with a phone call on Wednesday evening.

My 87 year old parents had an accident with the car. Mom and Dad had returned home from a morning errand. Dad pulled up to the entrance to their building to let Mom off on the sidewalk so she wouldn't have to step over a snow bank to get out of the car. They live in New Hampshire where it has been one snow storm after another. From what I understand, when my Dad started to pull away, the car was stuck in a snow rut. He gave it some gas, the car lurched free, jumped the sidewalk and hit my mother. She has hospitalized with a severely torn up leg, but thankfully no broken bones. She had surgery to clean up the wound and will need skin grafts over the next few weeks. They sent her home last night with a wound-vac to aid in healing. A nurse will come a few times a week to change that and a physical therapist will start coming today. Thankfully, my sister, who teaches middle school, is on February break will be able to stay with them until we feel comfortable leaving them overnight. 

Right now I can't even wrap my head around how my father is dealing with this accident. I am surprised he didn't go into cardiac arrest when it happened. He was really shook up when he called my sister. They don't have a cell phone and he had trouble finding the address book with all of our numbers... my mother does the phone talking for the two of them. I haven't slept well for the past three nights. My brain won't shut down and it keeps running this event over and over.

My siblings and I are glad that the parents are no longer in their house and are in a senior living apartment. They made that decision on their own, two years ago. I am not looking forward to the next conversation with them... perhaps it's time to stop driving. My Dad had a minor accident last winter too.  We are hoping that this decision will come from them as well.

Dealing with aging parents can be so difficult and complex. Being 800+ miles away doesn't make it any easier.


P.S. The lidded oval was from the last firing, it doesn't have anything to with this post aside from taking the edge off of the "omg that's terrible" factor!