Saturday, May 06, 2006

My pew



"If I were called in to construct a religion, I should make use of water"

-- Phillip Larkin (1922 - 1985)

As my regular visitors know, I am currently in Tennessee. My mother suffered a serious break of her left femur this past Monday. Tuesday night she underwent surgery and had a rod inserted to stabilize the bone and begin her long journey to recovery. Wednesday morning she received a transfusion due to the amount of blood she lost during the operation. On Friday, however, she was improving enough to be moved into the rehabilitation wing of the hospital.

While not at the hospital, I'm also taking care of my elderly father who is not doing very well himself. In fact, I'd prefer to bring mother home and drop my obstinate daddy off at rehab. The nurses, however, did not offer that option.

I would like to thank each of you who have left encouraging comments on my blog. They mean a lot to me. It was quite a surprise when I finally had a chance to log on and read them all.

JoeB, thank you for the compliment, but I was never a teacher, just an only child who hid out in my room and read a lot. You don't even want to know about the summer I fell in love with Sherlock Holmes and really used the ol' flashlight-under-the-covers trick to get through the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Terror at the post-midnight shrieking of a neighbor's peacocks during Hounds of the Baskervilles, eventually ended that routine .

Mimi, I am SO disappointed that I missed your visit to Pensacola Beach. I was hoping to meet you and the whole Froot Loop team! Next year, for sure, okay?

As it appears now, I will spend the majority of the next three months in Tennessee. Mother will be restricted from weight-bearing on her left leg for three months. Hopefully, after the first month, I will be able to come home for at least one week and return to Tennessee for one or two -- at least until she is able to be totally independent again. Until that time, there are miles to go before I sleep.

Although I have no new photos, I went back and found my favorite shot and am re-posting it. It is the one which gives me the most peace and sense of well-being -- no insult to little Chipper, of course! My mother has dial-up Internet service, so I rarely have time to log on and even check my e-mail. This photo will get me through the rough times.

Thank you again to all my friends and blog visitors.

DJ - Barrier Island Girl


9 comments:

campbell said...

What a great idea! Here's all this natural beauty, a space to contemplate all the variations of the Universe.

Too bad most people don't allow the silence needed for quiet thoughts. When it can be found, we bow in reverence.

Anonymous said...

This one is my newest favorite of yours! Love your work.......

Anonymous said...

I hope your mom has a speedier recovery than expected and your dad enjoys you being there. I bet Tennessee is beautiful right now, as always. I'll look forward to your return and more pictures even if we have to wait a bit.

Anonymous said...

so happy to hear your mother's surgery went well and she has progressed to rehab. Those may seem like little steps but they all lead to the BIG step and home again. Take care.
P.S. Dad's are like that you know! :)
Coastlover

Anonymous said...

DJ - I had not visited your blog in quite a while. I'm sorry to hear about your mother's accident. I hope that her recovery is rapid and smooth. Hang in there with Dad. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. cshells

Lightnin said...

Just stopped in to see if you are back yet and to let you know I still pray for your Mother's fast recovery. Your beautiful pictures are missed every day!

Anonymous said...

DJ - just wanted to let you know that we miss you. Pray that your Mom will be better soon. Shells

TJ said...

Hi...just clicked over from ~vitamin sea~ I loved your blog...I love anything to do with the Gulf Coast and the ocean and white sugar sand...I am from Ky now living in Ohio...my one and only trip to Destin Fl was in the fall of 2004 and I LOVED it...I am coming back even though you are in Tn. I want to read through your archives. Here is to a speedy recovery for your parents.
:-D

Anonymous said...

WOW sweet pic. life's hard sometimes even hardER.. hang in there no better pew than that ! Sounds like you got it right... you'll see , give it time.