typing thru the tears

As many know my mom-in-law has been having some problems and fell and broke her leg. Last Wednesday she was transported to the doctor from the nursing home to get an update on her leg. The plan was for Jerry, Jerry's dad and me to all ride with her in the wheelchair transport to the doctor's office because we knew that the doctor was going to tell her that her leg needs to be amputated from the knee down

We got there a little bit around 10am and knew that the transport would be showing up at 10:30-ish. Jerry's dad, Jerry Sr. wasn't there...Jerry decided that he would go with his mom as she would be upset about the news and I would go find Jerry Sr. (he is known to have car problems at the most inopportune times) I was a little worried but I drove over to the house and noticed the van wasn't really pulled into the drive well. It seemed crooked to me. I knew right at that point that something was not right. I went to the door and started knocking very loud as Jerry Sr is deaf. Buddy the dog was barking his little heart out but no answer. I started knocking harder and decided to try hitting a pole on all the windows around the house so that Jerry Sr. could hear me trying to get a hold of him. 15 minutes pass and no luck...Jerry still on the phone with me and I'm asking him if I should break in when the neighbors notice that I'm having problems. James and Patty, Jerry's parents neighbors who have helped them out the past month helped me break into the house and unlock the door. James and I notice that the bathroom door is closed and can hear the shower running. He opened the door and screamed "Oh my God, Call 911!". Tears and adrenaline flooded into me and I told Jerry that I needed to call 911 and I would call him back. It seemed to take Rescue forever to get there but in all actuality it was about 2-3 minutes. Jerry Sr. was unconscious in the tub, with the water flowing but his head was resting on the side. Patty held him and talked to him as I stayed on the line with both 911 and Jerry. After Rescue arrived I quickly gathered Jerry Sr's wallet and followed him to the nearest hospital. More tearful calls from both Jerry and his sister Melissa as I waited in the ER.

Meanwhile at the doctor's office Jerry's mom, Joyce had learned that her leg indeed did have to be amputated but because of what was going on they would wait on us to schedule it. Jerry rode back with her to the nursing home and took a cab to the hospital.

Waiting rooms.....I've decided I don't really like them. Too much time in them recently. I do want to thank the compassionate strangers in the waiting room that reassured me and passed me tissues. We all got to know each other and I hope their families are well.

Jerry arrives and we go back to see his dad to discover that he has had a massive stroke that effected his entire left half of his brain and that his right side was completely paralyzed. This meant that he would never be able to be breathe, eat on his own. After sitting with him for hours we headed to tell Jerry's mom the update. Ugh...no one should ever have to tell someone that their spouse of 46 years has suffered such a terrible stroke. She was heartbroken.

After a day of family visiting and many decisions back and forth, Jerry's family decided that Jerry Sr wouldn't want to be sitting on life support and not being able to engage in the things he loved: Sports, eatting M&M's, Taking care of the pets, the list goes on. A tough decision. On Friday, late morning they took him off the ventilator. After about 30 minutes to see how he would respond, they moved him over to the Hospice Center into a very comfy room. Jerry and I were impressed by how wonderful the people at Hospice were/are. Truly angels!

Saturday, Jerry Sr is holding on. It was Joyce's birthday and we all prayed that he would hold on until after her birthday so she wouldn't have that memory on her birthday. Jerry and I went up to sit with him during the Jaguar Pre-Season football game. I don't know if it was coincidence or that he knew what was going on but just about kick off time he started to vocalize. It seemed every time the Jags did well he would get excited. Very upsetting for me....we left at halftime, emotionally and physically exhausted. We just wanted to go to bed.

...But we didn't. Neither of us were able to calm down. We both were feeling anxious and never got around to actually going to bed. It's like we knew that something was going to happen. About 1am, Hospice called and told us that Jerry Sr. had taken a turn for the worse. Jerry called his sister Melissa and we scrambled to get out the door to drive through Tropical Storm Fay so that we could be with Jerry Sr. When we arrived, a nurse was holding his hand and said he was still with us.

It was peaceful. I'm so glad that Jerry got to be with him. I thought that I would be hysterical but I wasn't. I'm feel privileged to have stood by Jerry's side as he said goodbye to his father.

Seconds after he passed, Melissa arrived, terribly upset. I understand, I don't know if I could stand seeing my dad pass either.

I think we ended up staying in the room with him for nearly 45 minutes, chatting and crying and even laughing at times. Melissa and her friend, Mary went home and Jerry talked to the nurses about what happened next. I think we got home around 3am and to sleep about 3:30...

It's been a blur of activity since then. Funeral arrangements to make, trying to get Jerry Power of Attorney so he can take care of his mom's finances while she is in the nursing home. Tip on that: Make sure that if you are married that all property is jointly owned or that you have a will stating who gets what. Also if you have a grown child, you might want to put them on your bank accounts. This is especially true if one of the parents has poor health. Between Jerry, Melissa, Mary and myself I think we have it all set.

Services will be held at George H. Hewell and Son Funeral Home at 4747 N. Main Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206. The viewing will be Wednesday August 27th from 6pm until 8pm. The memorial service will be Thursday August 29th at 10am. The family will then travel to Oakey Grove Cemetary in Georgia for the interment ceremony at 2pm. A small reception will follow at Open Door Baptist Church at 3pm.

Thank you to all of you that sent us well wishes and prayers. We appreciate them!

_\,,/

All Hail the King!

Throne_for_the_Flood_King
Originally uploaded by gknee.

Nor'easters struck the first coast again last night. Our neighbors, or the people who are ransacking the house next door, put this on the curb earlier in the day. Driving at this point wasn't too bad as it only went up to the bumper on the Aztek. I'm glad I didn't get out of class any later. An hour after I got home the "Throne" was toppled and the water was over the sidewalk and creeping up our little retaining wall. It's not raining and I'm actually not sure what the forecast is. Strange for anyone that knows me because I have secretly always wanted to be a meterologist and drool at the "Severe Weather" warnings. (although Hurricane Floyd a couple years ago did kinda freak me out). Ok..RAMBLING......

Venice?

College Street
Originally uploaded by gknee.

No...College Street right in Jacksonville. I know the picture is a little blurry I was dodging raindrops between pictures. It's stopped raining and the water should go down quickly. Hopefully Jerry will be able to get home.

Fall Semester

I have been spoiled on what fall semester should be like. Sure I've lived here in Jacksonville for 12 years now but as I trudge to classes I keep thinking that the air should be crisp, the trees should be changing colors and sweatshirts are a must.

I will admit that I have been a little homesick lately. I have been thinking about Boyne City and how nice and quiet it was there. Going to the lake regularly just to stare at the water. AND my family was close. Don't get me wrong..my parents can drive me bonkers just like everyone does I guess I would just like them to bug me in person for a bit.

Maybe I should take a trip out to the beach and fly my kite...I wonder where my kite is...

Dont know why theres no sun up in the sky ...

Stormy weather!

I love this kind of weather, but it makes me just want to veg out and watch TV. I did manage to do some laundry though. The only thing bad about this weather is that we live in the Historical part of the city. This means that our power goes out a lot. Even when it's sunny and beautiful...so I'll just hope that part of this stormy weather doesn't come true.

School news: Going to be a good semester. I'm taking Transiliteration, Voicing, Special Issues in Educational Interpreting and Interpreting Practicum. The best news is that most of my classes are "in class room work" so not many outside projects.

Life news: Not much really going on. Work, school...that's about it. Oh..well.. Jaguar Football. But we didnt' go to the game last night. We gave our tickets to Jerry's sister who is in town for the Labor Day weekend.

couple of things

First of all for the little meterologist in my I am all excited about Tropical Depression #4 in the Atlantic. No I don't want hurricanes to hurt anyone but weather news it my favorite! I wish I was a tornado chaser... ah well...

In rememberance of Merv Griffin I give you this:

I'm melting....

...Or I would be if I was outside. The heat index is a scorcher here in Jacksonville. Currently feeling like 105° I'm definitely loving my fans and AC.

Nothing else really new going on. Jerry and I have been doing our regular routines. Last night Jerry did take me to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. It was nice, and their Corn Chowder was very good.

This Sunday we are heading up to Nashville, Georgia for Jerry's grandmother's 93rd (I think) birthday. I hope there is homemade twice baked macaroni and cheese...that makes the 5 hours of travel there and back a little more pleasant. I think I'll load up my Ipod with some movies from TiVo to make the drive too.

Rainy times

Seems like we are getting lots of rain lately. I really can't remember if it's normal or not. I guess that comes with age.

Jerry and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. No spoilers here. It was very good and we both really enjoyed it.

Not much else going on. I'm winding down from Exam week. Not that it was grueling but it wasn't a walk in the park either. I'm just happy for the break.

Nothing else to report....I'm kinda dull this weekend but that's fine by me.

Sizzilin'

As I drove to home from work the big lighted Walgreen's sign glared 102°s. Oof...that's too hot for this little Michigander. Thankfully it's only 94.8°s on our porch. I'm not much for the heat. I'd prefer a cool 65-70 degrees with the opportunity to wear a sweatshirt now and again. It will be a looooong time before I see those kinds of temps again around here. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Green!

Slowly I'm trying to make our little family a little more Earth friendly by adding greener products into our home. One of the latest additions is our new lawn mower. An electric mower called the Homelite Cordless Electric Mower. Our old gas power mower was put on the curb earlier this morning and by the time I got home from church. (Where I watched an interpreter..she was good) It was gone. I had really wanted us to get an electric mower because I would feel safer mowing then dealing with gas, oil, etc. and also it would be better for the neighborhood. Carbon footprints and noise pollution both. I had called Home Depot and the woman was very quick to tell me that they didn't have that. GAH! Oh well...so I left the choice up to Jerry.

Today we decided to phead to Home Depot to look at a Toro that he had been doing some reading on. We got there and it was sold out. They had a floor model but some other people were kind of eye balling that one. So I was about to go find someone to help us buy that one before it was gone and low and behold my Homelites were at the end of the aisle. They weren't sold out. In fact they had at three in stock. So, lesson learned, just go to the store and look because more than likely the person answering the phone doesn't have a clue. A sad state of our customer service models throughout retail. But that's a different post. So there happened to be a flatbed cart left behind so we snatched that up and loaded up our new mower. We got home and added the re-mulcher inserted the key just to see how it worked and VOILA! it had a charge. So Jerry did the front yard and the drive way. It's 91° with 61% humidity, so the back yard can wait a little bit.

Creepy

It's getting hot here in Jacksonville. Pretty much above 90 all week long. That's not what is creepin' me out. It's the ice cream trucks that are playing "Whose afraid of the big bad wolf..." in the casio-esque way. Does it indicate that the driver is someone the children should be weary of? Am I just putting my prejudgements of knowledge of the song towards the driver? Is that really what they used to play when I was a little girl? I don't remember it sounding that creepy. Of course it wasn't all casio-click track-chord-drum-thang either. It's probably a good thing I don't have any children, I would be one of those mom's that I roll my eyes at. Yes, I'd be out there saying "Aquanita (A name I heard in the 90's when I was Brother Bear, of the Bernstein Bears) get away from that truck, you don't know that man!"

Rain, rain, rain.

We need the rain! So the dark clouds were a welcome site today.

Jerry and I went to see Spider-Man 3 today. Pretty good stuff. I won't give away anything but I do have to say that "Emo Peter Parker" was funny. Looks like half the kids at college. The other half try to look like thugs...

Saw some great previews. Should be a fun summer of movies. Here are some of my thoughts on the upcoming movie season.

• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Arrr, hey thar, How can you not lo'e Captain Jack Sparrow? Gar.
• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - It's classic comic book fun!
• Rush Hour 3 - I secretly think these movies are fun. Don't know if it's worth the $ to see it in the theater. We'll see.
• Underdog - One Nation Under Dog....eh..might be fun
• Across the Universe - At first I thought it was a Baz Luhrmann film..but its not..but it still looks like a "yes" to me.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Duh!! It's Harry Potter. I have to go see it.

If I were a betting girl, I'd say that we'll probably really only go see three of those films in the theater and wait for the rest to be on cable or Amazon Unboxed/TiV0.

Smokey

The pictures is from NASA's Earth Observatory Website.

The past two days have been really hazy here. There are fires north of Jacksonville and the smoke plume is filtering down. Eyes watering, ash taste in your mouth, and the smell are really annoying. Many homes have been lost. It's terrible. I know Jacksonville has been under a "Red Flag" warning on and off for what seems like half a year. The saddest thing is that I still see people throwing their cigarettes out their windows. Idiots!

Looks like it might be like this for the next few days. Time to stock up on sinus medicine. heh...

Ugh...

I am trying to have a happy Thursday but it is getting tough. The weather isn't happy it all. Very gloomy here in Jacksonville, FL.

Work was not fun today. First of all they closed the woman's bathrooms so I couldn't go all morning. That wasn't fun. I think it's illegal but whatever. Then when it was time for me to leave I was stuck on a call. I kept thinking it was going to end so I didn't call for relief. 20 minutes after I was supposed to leave I finally asked for relief so I could leave.

At home, things are okay. I had some homework to do. The homework was to listen to a speaker, immediately repeat what is being said and while I'm doing that I was supposed to write the Pledge of Alligence. OMG! I suck, I couldn't even get the first paragraph out. Talk about frustrating. My brain is mush right now. I'm suprised I could even type this out. So now I get to drive to school and sit for two hours and forty five minutes of lecture/signing. I hope I don't fall into a stupid coma because of my mushy brain.

Quickie Update

Nothing new here on the Jacksonville front. It's a nice 77 °F here today. Granted I wouldn't mind a few more weeks of 60's. But it's Florida..so it goes.

Jerry and I are heavily involved with our online video game. We have gotten in touch with many of our friends from MMO's past. Fun to all be together again. We now represent 5 states and two countries.

School is good, I guess..I dunno..having some doubts on my capability of being able to interpret. It just isn't natural yet. I know I'm trying to rush the process. *sigh* I'm not giving up! I know that it might actually take longer than what it is supposed to. My brain just isn't getting the process down quickly. Practice, practice, practice...I know.