A holiday weekend seems like a good time for another look at the lighter side of getting old.
Paddy and Mick, two retired gentlemen, chartered a small plane to fly them into the Canadian Rockies for a week of moose hunting. They had a great week and bagged 6 of the large animals. When the pilot came back to pick them up, he objected. Read the rest of this entry »
We laid Mom to rest yesterday. We celebrated her life with a simple but heartfelt memorial service attended by a few relatives and close friends. It was the feminine version of the service we held for Dad 53 weeks ago. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been an emotional week that started Sunday night with the long awaited phone call telling me that Mom had died peacefully in her sleep. Since then I have helped make plans, contacted friends and relatives, and responded to an overwhelming outpouring of love and support. I’ve posted a couple of tributes, and I’m sure there will be more as I work through my feelings about her life and her death, but this morning I thought I’d share something a little lighter. Read the rest of this entry »
Helen Hagan Robinson, 90, went home to be with the Lord Sunday, May 20, 2012. She died peacefully in her sleep in her home at Southridge Village in Conway, Arkansas.
She was born September 3, 1921 in Burkburnett, Texas. On December 21, 1940, she married Elmer Robinson, her childhood sweetheart, in a double wedding ceremony with her sister, Fay, and Elmer’s brother, Dean.
Helen Hagan Robinson 1921 – 2012
My sweet mother died last night in her sleep. I will love her and miss her every day for the rest of my life, but now she remembers. Save me a place at the table, Mom.
Read an old post called “Remembering.”
I love you, Mom.
The Piatts – Easter, 2011
I forgot my daughter-in-law’s birthday. Bad mother-in-law! And what makes it doubly unforgiveable is that she was an answer to prayer. Read the rest of this entry »
Christian and his family left Colorado a couple of weeks ago on their way to their new home. They’re due in Portland on June 1, so they’re taking their time. Their first stop was at Amy’s mom and stepdad’s home in New Mexico. After a short visit, Christian and Amy left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and hit the road. First they met friends in Las Vegas for a few days, and then they met more in San Francisco. I’ve kept up with their progress through Christian’s blog along with the rest of his readers, but even that has been sporadic as he and Amy use the time to kick back, relax, and get ready for the busy new life that’s waiting for them. Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier this week, I wrote about a time when my greatest fear was losing the use of my eyes or my hands. I recounted how I came to terms with that fear, but lately I’ve become aware of a new fear that is lurking around the edges of my consciousness. Read the rest of this entry »
No, this isn’t my garden.
I planted a garden today. It’s not the garden I envisioned earlier in the year. Now that we’ve removed several trees, we have some perfect garden spots that get full sun, and David’s mom has a tiller she has offered to give us. In February I imagined a large area, tilled and mulched and fertilized, ready for several rows of squash and okra and beans, all those things that are so good for you but are so expensive in the grocery store. Then we began to make tentative plans to visit Florida for a month or so this summer, so I watched with envy as neighbors laid out their garden plots and tended the tiny green plants that stretched toward the warm Texas sun. But plans don’t always work out, and this week we realized that the trip to Florida isn’t going to happen, so when we went to Hooten’s yesterday to get some oil for the chain saw, I asked David a question.
“Is it too late to plant tomatoes?” Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve written about hands a couple of times recently. First I wrote about Mom’s hands, and then I wrote about volunteers’ hands. Today I’m writing about my own hands. I’m developing arthritis, and my hands are hurting this morning. My hands don’t look like Mom’s yet, but I can see some changes. The tips of two fingers lean slightly to the left, and the end joint on another finger is noticeably enlarged. I can no get my wedding ring past an enlarged knuckle, and my thumbs don’t work right. The joints where the thumb joins the hand is often painful enough that I can’t open lids, and this morning when David and I took a stroll around the property with our coffee, I had trouble finding a way to hold my cup that didn’t hurt. It’s nothing I can’t handle with over-the-counter pain relievers, though, and it’s not the first time I’ve had trouble with my hands. Read the rest of this entry »
