72 hour vignette - The Follow-Up Report

I left you hanging last week with the announcement of fifteen new animals on the farm. Bruce, aka Mr. Craigslist, found nine hens and two roosters listed for free in a town near here. So that's 11.

The next day on Craigslist (Bruce is seriously addicted to it), he found two cows with calves (a bull and a heifer) in the same town as the chickens. So in his mind, since we were going to drive all the way out there, we should get all these animals at once. Which he did. Ha

No, the real reason we got the cows is because we have a friend that runs cows, and we are going to help him with the ranching duties in exchange for running our cows with his. Joseph had enough money saved up from his 4-H lamb projects and soccer refereeing, that he bought one of the cows and her bull calf. He will raise and sell calves from his cow over the next four years in hopes of turning his investment into significant profit before his mission. And we bought the other cow and calf. It is a high risk investment, because it involves animals which can get sick and die, but we feel good about the opportunity. And the experience.

Last Friday night, Joseph and Bruce went over to help with some of these ranching duties. They rounded up the cattle on horses and ran them into a squeeze, where they tagged them, branded them, and put them in the right herd. They only did ten that night, and have thirty to forty more to go. I can't believe that they are doing real cowboy stuff like this! I'll have to go and take pictures next time they do this. Bruce is relishing this experience, and really appreciating the opportunity to learn new skills. Plus the opportunity to make some money at it is a plus.

Today Libby went out and brought in a dozen brown eggs in the little tin bucket, so the chickens are starting to produce well! We haven't had a good group of layers in a while, so it'll be good to get back to that.

In my last post, I talked about my Dad having some health problems on their mission in Panama. They diagnosed him with having two small TIA's or transient ischemic attacks, where there is a temporary loss of blood to the brain. He is recovering well, however, and improving a little every day. But you can't believe what happened last Tuesday (only four days after my Dad's last TIA). My Mother tripped on a tile and shattered the bones in her right shoulder! I couldn't believe it when I heard it. The doctor examined her and said that she needed surgery to put in a rod and a plate.

It was no small miracle that my brother Curtis was already down there helping her with Dad. My other brother Cedric also flew down on Tuesday, and together they decided that they would leave Panama the next day, Wednesday, and that Mom would have the surgery in Atlanta, where Curtis lives. They succeeded in doing this, and my angel and able sister-in-law Michelle pulled some strings and got her into an appointment on Wed afternoon and surgery on Thursday. She is at their home in Atlanta now, and both she and Dad are recuperating and doing well. WHEW! I was able to speak to Dad Thursday night, and he sounded good! How sweet to hear his voice, and be able to communicate with him. I feel so blessed, like I've been given another chance. And thank you to mi familia in Atlanta who are helping Mom and Dad!

My brother Conal (I have a lot of brothers) sent a tribute, by way of a YouTube video, to honor my Mom and Dad for the four missions that they have served for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thank you Mom & Dad - we are SO very proud of you and your example to us.

In the midst of all of this, I have forgotten to mention that my other brother Chris (I told you I had a lot!) and his wife Elena had a baby a week ago Wednesday. They named him J.D. Congratulations Chris and Elena!! There were some copmlications with his birth and he was born by emergency C-section. We are so grateful, Elena, that you and J.D. are all right!

Peter is doing so well! On Monday morning Bruce took him in to the Surgery Center and they put him under while they reset the bone. It was a little frustrating that they didn't do it right in the first place in the ER, but, that happens sometimes, doesn't it? They did a good job this time, and he was able to move his fingers and their color looked a lot better after this procedure. Tomorrow he goes to get a cast on.

Can I just say that Peter has been The Bomb this week, in modern parlance. He has hardly complained, and been so much more self-sufficient under difficult circumstances than almost any other child would have been. He has just taken it all in stride, and has not spent time on self-pity or whining. I have been so proud of him and his character this week.

I have to report a happy thing, and that is that we have been playing a lot of games. Yea! We've really turned a corner, as far as that goes. I posted earlier that our family had a hard time playing games together. But we are getting past that, and I'm so glad! Last night we played Whoonu and then Great Dalmuti for awhile. I need to record that after Josh, Libby gets to be the Great Dalmuti more than anyone else in the family! Not only is she extremely lucky, she is just plain smart and knows how to play the game! It gives all the rest of us humble pie to eat.

After the younger kids went to bed, Josh, Joseph and I got out Puerto Rico and started playing it. (We tried to wake Bruce up, but to no avail). All of a sudden the lights flickered, and then everything went totally black. And I mean black. We were in the middle of an inversion, so there was no moon or stars, and with no lights anywhere, it was pitch black. So weird! We immediately turned on cell phones (which are good little flashlights!) and found another real flashlight. After going to put extra covers on everyone that was asleep, we climbed up on the roof to see what it was like with no lights anywhere. That was the first time I have ever been up on our roof! It was fun to be up there with the boys. We came back down and were determined to finish our game, so we lit up some candles and played into the night. Josh whooped us with 73 points, I had 67 and Joseph had 60. Puerto Rico is a fun game - it has become a favorite! I told Bruce this morning that we'll always remember playing Puerto Rico in the candlelight!

We had a neat family over to dinner tonight - our friends Tom and Mindy and their family, and also Tom's parents. Tom's Dad served in the Mexico Puebla mission in 1963. He served in 6 branches. He researched those six branches on the lds.org website, and found that they have become 18 stakes, over the last 40 years. Holy Toledo.

Has anyone seen, Emma Smith My Story? We watched it Friday night. It was emotionally wrenching, a well-done movie, and one that I recommend. It will be a great joy to me to see Joseph and Emma together, and to see their joy in having fought the good fight and seeing what their good works accomplished. I honor and love them!

Jesse has composed a song on the piano, and added lyrics. When she performs it, you have to think twice and ask yourself if you are listening to a song on the radio. We are going to be looking into finding someone with a recording studio, so she can get it recorded. Tom, our friend who was here tonight, is a real musician, and he praised the song highly and gave her so much confidence. Thanks, Tom and Mindy for listening and being so nice!

WE SAW THE SUN TODAY. It has to be in capital letters. We haven't seen it for weeks, and I have felt like clawing my way out of this cardboard box of an existence with this inversion. A strong (and frigid) wind was blowing today, and I hope it keeps the cloud s away! I need sunlight so badly, it's amazing. I FEEL so differently when I see sunshine. I feel good, happy, the world is bright and I'm hittin' the sky with my hat. When I don't see the sun, I feel like the cardboard box thing. Yuck. Like Anne of Green Gables, I am in the depths of despair.

So please sun, stay for awhile!

Man, I've been long-winded in this blog, with only one picture. Thank you for reading, if you are still with me. You are a true friend! :)

72 hour vignette

The last 72 hours have been wild. A vignette of life with all it's realities.

On Thursday morning we got up early and sang Las Mañanitas (a Mexican birthday song) to Joseph, who turned 15 years old! This is our family tradition, which we carry on from my family. We laughed and talked, as we always do after we sing, about when he was born, and memories that we have of him. Two words for raising Joseph - pure joy and pride, and exasperation! OK, four words.

But that doesn't count in the 72 hours. I just had to record that we sang Las Mañanitas.

This is where the 72 hours starts - on Thursday evening. We had a group of Joseph's friends over for a party. As everyone was arriving, they were up in the ER (Entertainment Room) playing around. Peter jumped over the couch and landed on his forearm. When he got up he got a huge look of shock on his face and then started yelling. Owing to the fact that we had a house full of teenagers, Bruce took Peter into the ER by himself. More on that later...

Despite a lot of queasy and pale faces after seeing what happened to Peter, the party went on. There was an impromptu spate of arm wrestling,

(look at Libby's curled toes - very cute!)

followed by a game of Murder in the Dark (the hand holding kind). Then they started on a game of Great Dalmuti, but that was interrupted by a banging on the window, which made all the girls scream and run around. (This is what 15 years old girls do, I guess). We later found out it was Mary and her friend Bailey that were scaring everyone.Maddy - you made the blog!!

Instead of a cake, Joseph wanted these special mint brownies.

Joseph, Happy Birthday son! We love you so much.

Now to Peter in the ER. They took X-rays and found out that Peter broke his ulna and radius. They put him under and straightened out the break. Bruce said that while he was going out, he was saying, "Where's my book? I need my book!" This is funny, because Peter is not the biggest reader in the family. Maybe he is subconsciously feeling guilty!

When they took X-rays again at the end, they found that they hadn't straightened it enough. So tomorrow morning I am taking him in to a Surgery Center to get it straightened out all the way. They will sedate him to do it, thank goodness.After the birthday party Thursday night, Peter and Bruce finally got home from the ER at about midnight, so we tucked him in bed and finally got to sleep.



Five hours later, at 5 am, the phone rang, and my brother Curtis was calling from Atlanta. He said that he had just received a phone call from my mother saying that my Dad was incoherent and talking jibberish, and that they were taking him in to the Doctor. In the few days before that, he had broken out in shingles and then had a convulsion, of sorts, in the Temple. He had been resting at home for a few days when this happened.

I was pretty calm when I heard the news, but I feared the worst. Bruce's paternal grandmother had a stroke and spoke jibberish the rest of her life. I can't remember how long she lived, but I'm thinking about five years. This is what I thought had happened to my Dad. I kept repeating the following words in my mind and heart, "This life is a sliver of eternity. A sliver," and spent some time on my knees praying very sincerely.

Thankfully, about an hour later, we heard that he was speaking all right and could remember his birthday. I was vastly relieved! My brother Curtis flew down to Panama Saturday evening, and he reports that the Doctor said that Dad had two Transient Ischemic Attacks or TIA's. They are mini-strokes, where the brain has a temporary lack of oxygen, but not enough to cause the damage that a major stroke causes. Dad has really low blood pressure, and has been known to faint easily, so apparently he has had a condition for a long time where he is not getting enough blood into his brain. He also reports that Dad is not completing sentences, but they are hoping that is because of the sedation medication that he's been on. He's in the hospital there right now.

As a consequence of all this, my Mom has made the decision to come home from their mission in the Temple in Panama. I think this is the right choice, but I am sad that their health won't allow them to stay down there and enjoy that mission. My mom's ankle was also very painful for her every day also, so that will be a relief to her as well. Considering the circumstances, it is a real blessing that they served as long as they have, about six months, and got to have those experiences and meet the wonderful people in the Temple there.

This is a picture of my Mom hugging my Dad after he performed the sealing of my niece Clarissa and her new husband Josh in the Atlanta Temple in June 2007. I love this picture. I love my Dad. He is a dear, dear person to me, and I love him so much.

Friday evening, Bruce's brother Gary and his new wife Heidi came for to visit for a few days with Zach, Sarah and Kaleb. Gary and Heidi got married Friday morning. We are happy for them. And, it is still somewhat of a struggle because I'm still dealing emotionally with the loss of my dear sister-in-law (ex sister-in-law now), Lorna Kay in our family. Thankfully she is doing very well, considering the circumstances, because she is an awesome person, so I'm grateful for that. But I know there's lots of room in a heart for love, so I'm glad that Gary and Heidi are happy, and we do and will love Heidi also.

Josh spoke in church today, after finally getting a trim on his hair this morning (this was after quite a battle, but Mom won this time.) He gave a good talk on the Priesthood.

After Josh's talk we all went over to my nephew Devyn's missionary farewell talk in their Sacrament Meeting. He gave a WONDERFUL talk. My favorite parts were when he quoted from memory Doctrine & Covenants Section 4, and when he gave this quote from memory:

"The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).

I also loved it when he described how profoundly he felt when he read the words, "You are hereby called to serve...", a call from the prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Devyn literally radiated excitement and testimony. I am so proud of him, and the people of the Washington D.C. South mission are in for a treat!

So, there you have it. In 72 hours, a birthday, a broken arm, emotionally draining news of my Father, house guests and some emotional wrangling with it, and a wonderful missionary farewell.

Oh yeah, and we also added 15 animals to our hobby-farm during this 72 hours. But more on that in a later post...

Who says soccer is not a contact sport?

Well, while we were still eating watermelon at Peter's baptism last Saturday, Josh raced off to play in his Varsity soccer game. I went and watched for awhile, and then got worried about doing some things for his Eagle Court of Honor that night, so I left the game halfway through.

About five minutes after I got home, I got a call from my friend DaraDee, who I had been sitting by at the game. She said, "Josh is down on the field and it looks pretty serious. They have stopped the game." I hung up from that call and got another call from Braden, a captain on the team and Josh's good friend. He said, "They think Josh has broken his leg, and I thought it might be nice to have his Mom here on the field." That was a thoughtful phone call Braden!

I announced to Grandma and Aunt Angie what I had heard. They held down the fort for the rest of the evening - thank you so much! I found Joseph in the garage, so I took him along with me. Bruce called me next as I was on my way over there. When I got to the field, they were on the far side with ambulances all around. I was pretty calm, but still telling myself to breathe deeply. I waved Joseph off, telling him to go talk to his friends, and he gladly complied!

Josh was laying on the ground with Bruce and the paramedics around him. I knelt down and talked to him about pain management. (Birthing at home taught me a lot about that.) He had what looked like a baseball under his skin off to the side of his shin. But he was handling it really well. He only started to slightly cry once. I wouldn't have cared if he had been bawling his eyes out, but he wasn't.

What happened was that he went sliding for a ball with his right foot, and the keeper went down too, after he did. Somehow the ball got kicked away, and the two of them ended up going heel to heel. The impact did this to Josh's tibia:
OK now, just take a deep breath! Ha ha I've already talked about this so much that it doesn't affect me that much, but writing it like this, well I can see that a few of you are going to have to "get some counseling after this", as my friend Shari put it! :)

Josh said that as soon as it happened he felt the pain of course, but his first thought was to stand up, because Middleton guys stand up; they don't lay on the field like pansies when they're not hurt that badly. So he tried to stand up, tried being the operative word. He crumpled instead. As soon as he did that, Bruce ran out on the field. (He was on the coaches bench, so he could do that). At first he felt all around his knee, and was vastly relieved to see it was not a knee injury. He took off his shoe, sock and shin guard, took one look at the baseball-sized hematoma and turned to the Athletic Director and said, "We'd better call 911", which they did. By the way, the keeper on the other team had a swollen knee, but he was up walking within a few minutes.

They got Josh into the ambulance and gave him morphine in an IV on the way to the hospital. I'm pretty impressed the paramedic could put an IV while driving in an ambulance. We met them at the hospital. It took two more doses of morphine before Josh could relly relax.

Wayne Ellis, one of the guys that helps with the Middleton Soccer team, was the first to come and check on Josh. He came all the way to the Emergency Room, and comforted Josh by telling him that it was a really brave thing to do, playing that way on the field. I think at this point Josh was thinking it was pretty dumb!

They x-rayed the leg, and after a time, the orthopod, as the nurse called him, (orthopedic surgeon) came and looked at the x-rays and decided to take Josh into surgery that night. They made an incision right below his knee, drilled a hole down the length of his tibia, and inserted a titanium rod with two screws at the top and two at the bottom. They will leave the rod in there, unless there is some outstanding reason to take it out, because they want to prevent another surgery. Just before the surgery, while we were talking with the surgeon, we figured out that he knew our next door neighbors, and that his daughter had come out to our street dance the weekend before! That was a pretty cool connection. Josh and I figured she was Blonde 1 or Blond 2 or Blonde3 that we listed in the guest list! Also while we were talking, I glanced up at the clock, which read 7:15 pm, and asked the doctor if there was any way Josh would be ready to attend his Eagle Court of Honor that started at 7:30 pm. He said, "Ah...no." :)

Bruce and I both stayed at the hospital that night with Josh. I wasn't any help at all, because the night before I had stayed up feeding out of town guests (and my own family - it wasn't just them), and sewing on merit badges until four in the morning. (Dumb - I know!) Bruce was up and down all night long with Josh while slept. Thank you Bruce.

The next morning before Church, Uncle Gary & Kaleb, Uncle Rodney, Aunt Angie and their chidlren, and all our family came to see Josh in the hospital before they went to Church.
It was so neat to see everyone in the room crowded around to see Josh.

Little Alyssa reached out and touched Joshua's cast, and then touched his toes. He commented on it afterward.

During Church, Bruce brought the Young Men over to the hospital. There were three investigators visiting that day, and the Elders came with them also. The YM gave Joshua the Sacrament, and then the Elders and Bruce and Hno. Iglesias gave him a blessing. It was wonderful to feel the Spirit in the room, and to see the Priesthood in action that way.

After Church, Hna. Iglesias came with her son, and the de la Rosa children to the hospital. I was so glad Hna. Iglesias had gone to pick them up. The three of them haven't come together in a long time, and we usually pick them up every Sunday, but we couldn't that day.

Josh stayed another night in the hospital because he was still feeling a lot of pain on the pills they were trying to wean him on to, so they gave him some more morphine periodically.
Bruce brought him home Monday around noon. I was substitute teaching (my first time! - a story for another day) so Bruce took the day off and took care of Josh.

This morning (Tuesday) he is feeling less pain, but it is still a struggle to even go to the bathroom. He is in good spirits, though.

After school yesterday, Coach Weber and Coach Wells came to see him, as well as seven of his teammates, including all the captains. His friends have been so generous and nice to him. And half of it has happened on his phone, via texting. It seemed like his phone was going of constantly! I think it's cool how they can communicate that way (although I see the need for balance, etc. - another post for another day). Raigen did call him when he was in the ER - it was so nice to hear from her.

"All these things shall give thee experience" keeps running through my head! The hardest thing is that he will miss the rest of his junior year of soccer season. At least it's not his senior year. And Show Choir will be hard to keep up on, but I think he can do it. Loosing his means of income from refereeing will also be tough, but I'm sure he will be blessed in other ways.

My dear friend DaraDee brought us dinner last night. Thank you DaraDee - it was delicious!! And so many friends have called and emailed - thank you to all.