Our deck remodel is FINALLY done!!!

We started this much needed remodel project back in May, thinking (very wrongly) that we would be done by the end of the June - at the latest.  Joe dismantled all the railings and balusters, and that took a while.  Then it was my turn to power wash the deck.  Man, was that a job!  Sanding it all wasn't a piece of cake, either. Next up was picking out the stain.  After several trips to Pioneer and bringing home different samples, the decision was made, and I stained all the posts and around the edges of the deck.  We then spent quite a bit of time exploring the options for railings and balusters.  After looking at lots of possibilities, we finally settled on bronze aluminum. Everything had to be ordered, so we went into another holding pattern. Finally, all that came in, and we got it installed.  We were pretty proud of ourselves. But, that was as far as we got.

Rainy weather became an issue, and worse than that - MUCH worse, was Joe's heart attack.  Mandy's fam came for a much-longed-for visit, the Ellsworths joined us, and the rest of my bunch who live closer came and went.  

After everyone left, we had to wait for a weather pattern that wasn't so wet and humid.  It finally came and I tackled the big job of staining the whole floor of the deck.  I had spent some time earlier looking for some solar light post caps.  Finding some that matched and that weren't waaaaay expensive was a challenge.  I finally found some on eBay that I thought would work, and Joe ordered one package to make sure.  We liked them, so he ordered the rest.  We finished that part of the project up just a few days ago.  So happy it's done and so pleased with the results!

It wasn't goodbye, after all . . .

On a Sunday afternoon (September 6), we were at Mom's, per usual.  Everything seemed to be about the same with her, so no clue as to what was about to happen.  She has skin cancer on the top of her head that Dr. Webb has been treating for years.  The only way to get rid of it completely is to have surgery, which she has refused to do.  So, once a month, I take her to his office and he "burns" it, which is quite painful for her.  The rest of the time, we keep an antibacterial ointment on it to hopefully minimize the possibility of infection.  

She was making her way from the bedroom to a chair in her old sewing room so that I could apply the ointment.  I was holding it steady for her, and she leaned over to grasp the arm of it to help her keep her balance - so she was on one side and I was on the other.  All of a sudden, in what seemed like slow motion, the top half of her began to be "pulled" backward.  I told her to hold to the chair thinking I could pull on it and keep her from falling.  Didn't work.  She couldn't hold on to the chair, and she tumbled backward into the bathroom hitting her left shoulder and then head on the side of the door frame and then hit the floor with her right hip and lastly the back of her head. I immediately started making a mental list of the possible bones she had broken and wondered if she had received a concussion, as well.  

Joe came in instantly when he heard all the thud, thud, thud's and got on the other side of her opposite from me.  She was still conscious, but banged up and hurt, for sure.  I put a pillow under her head and tried to cushion her tailbone area with some chair pads since it was making contact with the wooden threshold.  Next, I started talking to her and asking questions to see if she was thinking straight.  She was.  Next, she tried moving her left arm, which she could, so we decided it must not be broken.  Lastly, she wanted to see if she could get up.  It was a delicate process - all the time with us wondering what would happen when she put her weight on her left hip.  Short answer:  nothing.  I could hardly believe that it appeared that she had not have broken anything, and overall, seemed about the same as she did before she fell, other than being shaken.

Fast forward to the following Monday (September 13).  In the middle of the afternoon, Carolyn called and said she had checked on Mom and that she seemed really confused.  Sometimes that is the case if we wake her up when we call, so I told her I would check on her in about an hour.  I did, and for sure, she was not thinking straight.  I really felt like she needed to be checked on, so I drove out there prepared to spend the night if needed.  

When I got there, I was shocked to find both doors unlocked since she didn't know I was coming.  I had just planned to let myself in using my key.  She was in the kitchen and from the time I arrived until several hours later, she was quite active physically - almost as if she was running on adrenalin - but she definitely was not processing information very well at all.  And she knew it.  Finally, I convinced her that she needed to lie down and see if she could sleep.  She agreed, and then quite unexpectedly, she said she was having feelings like she had never had before and was just sure she was dying.  She became quite frantic that she wouldn't be able to make it to her bed before she did.  When she got to the bed, it was like she couldn't remember how to get in it, so I had to help her.  The whole time she was talking like she was about to die.  She wanted me to tell everyone how much she loved them -- things like that.  

She wanted me to sit beside her and hold her hand.  I told her to not worry about anything and that I would be right there beside her.  That lasted almost two hours, and that whole time she was on her back staring straight ahead and very quiet.  I took this picture:

She had to go to the bathroom around midnight, and after that she seemed like she was back to her old self.  I went to sleep on the couch about 12:30.  I heard her up around 2:00, and again around 4:00 making her coffee and getting something to eat.  I woke up for good about 6:00, and she was back up at 6:30.  She cried a little bit regretting the fact that she had lived to face another day.

She had an appointment with Margie to get her hair cut at 9:00 and wanted desperately to keep it.  I helped her get into the shower, dry off, and get dressed.  It amazed me that she had the strength to do all that.  As usual, Deltrice arrived at 8:00 and a little before 9:00 I helped her get Mom in her car and she took her to Margie's while I did some laundry and some cleaning.  

Deltrice left after she brought Mom back home since I was there.  I helped Mom get undressed and back into one of her gowns.  Then I made lunch for her, and she ate quite well.  I needed to leave and told her that Agnes was prepared to come if needed.  She said she wanted to try it on her own and see if she would be okay.  So, Agnes just did her usual Tuesday calls to check on her.

The next day was her appointment with Dr. Webb.  When I got to Mom's house, she was already dressed except for her shoes.  She was very weak and her hearing was pretty bad.  I dreaded the ordeal for her and me both, but this tough nut didn't fall too far from the tree, so we made it.

I couldn't resist snapping this pic of her wearing her new lavender polka dot dress and her new shoes:

For the first time ever, when I got to the office, the secretary came out to help me get Mom in the building, and the nurse (Penney) was waiting to take Mom on back to an exam room so she wouldn't have to get up and down so much.  She weighed in at a whopping 18.8 lbs, which means she had lost another three pounds since her last visit.  Her BP was terrific, though.

Dr. Webb treated her head again and we told him about her fall and the muddled thinking from two days before.  He just nodded and smiled and said he was sorry.  What else do you do?  I've started letting Mom hold my hand while he does the treatment and I try to keep her talking hoping it will distract her from the pain.  It doesn't take care of it entirely, but it does help.  While all this was going on, she told Dr. Webb that she thought she was dying that Monday night.  I told him and her both about sitting beside her, holding her hand, and taking the picture.  She was surprised that I had done that and quipped, "Collecting souvenirs, aren't you?"

When it was time to go, she profusely thanked Dr. Webb and all his staff for all that they had done to try to help her.  I got a lump in my throat because it was like she thought she would never be back.  Penney helped me get her to the car.

But, who knows?  It has looked like Mom's time on earth was up several times over the last several years.  At some point, we may wish we had had the 60 year metal roof put on her house instead of the 20 year shingles!

Happy Labor Day!

First, to celebrate, we labored.  We had guests leaving Little House and more coming, so that was the first order of business.  From there, we made our way to Monteagle where we ate a late lunch at the Smoke House.  

South Cumberland State Park was the main event - more specifically, the Fiery Gizzard Trail to Foster Falls and beyond.  The picture of the sign is the distance to the overlook.  We hiked to the bottom and then the opposite direction to see some rock climbers.  

Quite a bit of the trail was pretty rugged - for us, anyway.  Well, me.  It was a good workout, though, and the view at the bottom of the falls was worth it.  Watching the rock climbers was fun, too.  

Now, here's something you don't see every day - Joe taking a picture!

Several folks had their dogs with them.  This was one one of the ones playing fetch.

I don't know what the appeal is to this, but hey, we liked watching!

Our ticket out.  Not an easy climb, but better than the descent.