Losing my mother

 I’ve not posted in many years, so much has happened in all that time. It just feels right to put out here what I’m feeling right now. As you know we’ve been in a pandemic for a couple of years now. So many changes, feelings and unsure of anything anymore. I feel the worlds gone plum crazy.

Well the big C had hit my family in October 2021. My older brother that lived in a elderly center got the C and the staff immediately placed him in hospice. No warning the family, no POA and he was left to starve on his bed. He died 11 days after diagnosed.

The family has grieved and without money to fight there was nothing we could do. I’m sure it happened to others in that home. Then here come December and my younger sister was hit with it. It has affected her where she can’t walk, could barely talk and we believe she got the palsy from it. So this has been an ongoing struggle for her. Recently my mother and my brother who lives with her have gotten the C. My mother is 99 years old and has been one tough woman. She ended up with pneumonia and it’s been a real struggle for her the last couple of weeks.

I found out today, she is healed from the C and no longer with pneumonia. The only thing is she no longer wants to live. This has been so hard to accept, but that we must. She has chosen to stop nourishment and wants to die. So today hospice has been called in to help her through the last of her days. I guess I should be grateful she is home with loved ones all around, but part of me is selfish and would like her to stick around. So today I’ve cried, I’ve prayed and I’ve asked forgiveness for my selfish thoughts. I only want her to not suffer and pray it isn’t prolonged. God forgive me and help me understand.

Mother, you are loved and always will be. We will miss you but know in our hearts you will be where you want to be. Once again with your spouse, your children and grandchildren that have gone before you.

May the angels watch over you and keep you forever in our hearts.

Sew Much Stuff

I started three days ago to clean up my sewing/craft room. I bagged all the crafty gadgets, paints, brushes, etc. Sold them right away. Then I bagged oodles of scrap booking materials and have posted them on craigslist for sale. With that done it began to feel lighter and roomier in there.

Next I started going through all my material, and let me tell you, I have tons. Most of what got bagged I got rid of only because none of the scraps were big enough for anything I might make in the near future. Six bags later, I'm really seeing some change.

I sure wish I had taken pics of my before disaster room, but it really was an embarrassing mess. I then had my hubby remove a long shelf I had used for sitting at and making the paper crafts and stuff and had him put it above my other window for my basket storage. Then I had him move all my heavy tables and things around until he got them where I wanted them. Once that was done I set out to sort through all my lace and trim. Man, how does one collect so much stuff. In between sorting loads of that I also folded and arranged all my material I planned to keep.

I must say I am very pleased with how it all turned out.

Even with all the work of cleaning and sweeping and garbage emptying, I couldn't slow down once it really started shaping up.

Once I felt it was perfect enough to use comfortably, I breathed a sigh of relief. Pooped, but finished.

The only thing I'm gonna be working on in the near future, besides a few sewing projects, is making some curtains for my windows and putting up ceiling panels to complete the room. Next Summer I may even throw on a little bit of fresh paint on the walls.

For now, I can get in the groove with my rearranged and relaxing space I call my 'Sanity' room. I love the peace and quite time where my creative juices can flow and I can amaze myself at what I can accomplish.

 

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A Lost Soul

Today I write about the issue of a homeless old man and his mental health. Why? Because I can only sit by and watch him and his dog freeze to death on the side of the highway because he refuses help from anyone. Because I need to vent and because I don't know what else to do.

I'm told that the Sherriff's Department and others  in our town have tried to reach out and help him by offering assistance to a shelter, by mentally evaluating him and then releasing him, and by checking his physical health. (When this was done, I don't know. If it was really done, I have my doubts. He's literally been in the same spot for FIVE DAYS). And when I say same spot, I mean just that. I have yet to see him out of the same sitting position. Our temperatures are in the fifties and low sixties daytime and 20 degrees and lower at night. I would think that he must have hypothermia by now. He only has on a flimsy coat. He is shivering like crazy. My question is "At what point do we step up and say enough?" "When do we say, NO! you no longer have a chose?" How can we just sit by and wait until he is frozen to death and only then do we step in to take him to the morgue? This all makes me sick!

Whoever just dumped him off on this road knew he wouldn't be going anywhere. Why? Because he has about fifteen plastic bags of his clothes and stuff. Two large five gallon containers of what I'm guessing is water and a couple of ice chests with open milk containers, dog food and no ice. He also has a dog. With all this spread about no one wants to offer him a ride. He doesn't even stand up, nor has he in FIVE days, to try to hitchhike.

At what point does one say enough? And why does it have to be from this MAN who must truly not be in his right mind? Any one with a mental illness will tell you they are fine. They don't need help. And people believe this. THEY ARE NOT OKAY! THEY ARE MENTALLY ILL! They don't know they are going to freeze to death because there mind isn't telling them they may have hypothermia and their body is slowly shutting down. They don't no they are in any real danger of being run over by a car so close to the road, they don't know that they may be dehydrated from lack of proper nutrition or water, they don't know that staying out in freezing weather day and night with a cold could lead to pneumonia or worse, they don't know that they are vulnerable to be eaten alive by mountain lion that roam the area.

They will tell you they KNOW. But if one really knew, why would they do this? Why would they choose to exist this way? I wish I understood.

As you now can see, I am truly upset over this. My heart is aching. I wake up in the middle of the night and cry for his lost soul. I dont have the answer. I can only pray God will keep him safe and guide him. I pray I don't drive by and find him frozen to this spot. I, can only pray.

Dinner for Breakfast?

Do you ever crave something so bad that you fix it and eat it for breakfast? Well, that's exactly what I just did. I'd been wanting to make Beef Enchiladas for a few days now, so decided this morning was going to be as good a time as ever.

Normally I would wait to fix this for dinner, but being hungry and all, I chose to fix it for breakfast.

You also probably know how much I love Ree Drummond's cooking (Pioneer Women Cooks). So I pull out her recipe for the Beef Enchiladas and get busy cooking. I filled my casserole dish and had enough left over for another small dish. Just enough to make for a great hot breakfast.

courtesy of Ree Drummond

Once out of the oven, I didn't hesitate to sit down and devour my craving. Nothing like a good hearty breakfast to get your morning off to a perfect start.

And you already know what I'll be serving for dinner tonight and it won't be pancakes. Along with a nice side salad and some toppings. Yum!

Winterizing Your Rv

It's that time of year where we once again must Winterized our Rv. In our neck of the woods, we have lots of mice so we our extra careful to do what we can to keep them out of our motor home and any vehicles we have stored for the Winter months.

One of the things we do is to make sure that our camper is completely cleaned out of any food. You'll want to wash down every surface and vacuum. The cleaner it is, the less inviting it will be to critters. Also remember to turn off all propane and empty any water storage, especially if you live where the temperature can get down to zero.
What I often do is get out my Peppermint Essential Oil, I prefer the natural deterrents, and place cotton balls in a Baggie with several drops of oil on them. I let this soak in for a bit and then I place a cotton ball anywhere in my camper that I feel a mouse might have interest in exploring. They seem to dislike the smell of Peppemint which makes this an easy fix for me. I will also place mint leaves in outside storage or near the motor and wiring. I'm even known to make a nice Peppermint Oil Spray that I sometimes use inside, but is great for spraying the undercarriage of the RV.

In the past I have even used Bounce dryer sheets but I haven't used those in years. Some may even prefer the old method of using traps, but I don't know about you, but I don't want to smell a dead rodent after months of decay in my motor home, let alone having to clean out the traps. No, I prefer to stop them at the gate, so to speak. But which ever method you choose will work at keeping the mice at bay.
After all the interior has been cleaned its time to turn to the exterior. We find it best to put everything up cleaned. Besides, it makes for our next outing that much less we have to do. Some people choose to cover their RV, like we do. We don't have a carport tall enough so we keep ours covered with a tarp. In snow country our tarp or cloth covers last two or three Winters. You just want to make sure that the weather doesn't get into you RV.
I know I've probably only covered a few of the things to do to get your RV ready for storage, but hopefully this will get you thinking about where to get started to keep your campers safe from mice destruction.

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Fort Klamath Event

What a weekend of fun I just had up at Fort Klamath doing one of our Civil War events. My friend Margie and I set up a station to resemble one of a washer woman and her family during the actual Civil War. We then had a photographer who took the old time pics of us. Many of the public came and joined in on the fun.

Not only did we have a great event but several people joined our club after seeing what fun we have. I can't wait to see what persona each of the newbies will portray at next years' events. I love learning and teaching the history of the war to those who choose to stop by and spend a bit of their time with each of us.

There was cannon fire and ladies in distress. We had the Sanitary Commision speaking to the public, the Blacksmith was forging out new wares. The Refugee woman was cooking over an open fire. We had our Victorian tea party, which is always so much a treat. Sunday morning we have church services and then after things begin to pick up all about the camp.
The weather was perfect and by the end of the day a large banquet of food was spread out to the soldiers and to the civilians where everyone ate and enjoyed and laughed well into the night.
With Winter not far away, I have lots of projects to begin, repairs to be made and time to get all my Civil War gear into one place. My mind keeps spinning with ideas of many things I hope to accomplish. I don't think I will have time to brood when snow finally hits the ground.

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