It’s been awhile…

Happy Monday morning! It has definitely been a while. But first, before getting into all of the things that have been happening, I want to wish you all a very happy Easter even though it’s a day late. He is Risen just as He said! The hope for every Christian around this big wide world. I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday, celebrating the Risen Christ. 

Thank you to each and everyone of you who has reached out with cards and notes and comments asking if I was OK. You don’t know how much I appreciate them. Life has just been crazy.

I think the last time I posted was when I first realized I had Covid. Oh my goodness! I don’t think I have ever been that sick. For five days I had a fever of close to 103F and sometimes even a bit over that. My oxygen level was below 90, although I didn’t tell anybody that until it was better. I ended up being in bed for an entire week and then staying away from everyone for another week until my temperature had returned to normal. So it lasted around two weeks and I still have a lingering cough that will probably hang around for a while. It was much worse than the first time I had Covid and I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone! 

I did get some crocheting done while I was laying in bed, although don’t ask me how I followed a pattern for this first one while my temperature was so high! Ha! This is the Grace pattern and it is a paid for pattern that a friend told me about. I purchased it from Ravelry. The yarn is Mandela baby in the Daiagon Alley colorway. I absolutely love this blanket pattern and I can see myself making a lot of them in the future. The blanket is about 40 inches square.

In fact, here is another that I made using some unnamed baby yarn that I had purchased off of Facebook marketplace.

And a plain granny square using the remainder of the Diagon Alley yarn.

Yesterday we were up bright and early and at church by 7:00. We got breakfast started for everyone and then went to the 8:00 service. After that, we served the breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen and attended the 10:00 main service. What a wonderful morning, celebrating our Risen Lord! 

A lady in our church used to be a florist and she always provides these little vases of flowers  when we have potlucks or any kind of a celebration. She then tells people to take them home if they want them. These are the two I brought home and they make our living room smell so good. 

This is where I spent over a week with my faithful companion, Zoey by my side, most of the time. I was so thankful that just the week before I got sick, Dennis had installed a TV in our room. It sure helped to pass the time watching YouTube videos.

In addition to all of this, Mom has been going downhill steadily. They are preparing a room for her in the memory care section, but there was a flood from the last resident and they’ve had to remove all the bathroom fixtures, baseboards and flooring. We have no idea when the room will be ready, but meanwhile, she’s in what they call daycare from eight in the morning until eight in the evening. They help her get dressed and take her over to the memory care, where she spends the day and then they take her back to her apartment and help her into bed. On Friday, we officially signed her up for hospice at the recommendation of her doctor and nursing director. It was a much more emotional decision than I thought it would be. It just sounds so final. The hospice staff we’ve met with and talked to on the phone so far have been absolutely wonderful. Dennis is at her apartment now with his cousin, dismantling her bed because a hospital bed is being delivered today. She has fallen out of bed every night for the last several nights. Hopefully, with the bed rails and a bolster it will keep her in bed. I worry about her having broken bones or hitting her head when she falls. She does still know who Dennis, Mandy and I are, but most other people are confusing for her. Of course, this has meant a lot more time there in the last week, many phone calls and texts to relatives and I just have not had the emotional wherewithal to sit down and write a post. I’m still exhausted from the Covid and then adding all of the other on just seems to be a lot right now. 

Last fall, we planned a camping trip with our minister Jeff and his wife and Dennis’s cousin and wife for next weekend to Pella, Iowa for the tulip festival. We thought about canceling, but everyone, including the staff at the assisted-living is encouraging us to go. They say we need some time for ourselves and to get away from it all. It’s only two days and I know they’re right but it still seems strange to be leaving Mom right now.

On top of that, we had tornado warnings Thursday evening. I was driving to the assisted living while the sirens were going off to take mom some ibuprofen because she had hit her head when she fell and they couldn’t give her anything strong stronger than Tylenol at the time. You know your life is stressful when you’re driving around with the tornado sirens going off and they barely merit a second thought! As it happens, a tornado did touchdown just to the north of us and destroyed some homes. The town where our son-in-law‘s parents, live just west of Omaha had baseball size hail that completely destroyed a hotel and dozens of cars along with several homes. Meanwhile, I’m just in denial and driving around Omaha like nothing’s happening! Pure craziness. 

OK, enough of that, but I just wanted to let you know where I’ve been for the past two weeks. Still sick and then dealing with family things. I hope all is well with all of you. I have not even had time to read blogs, so I’m going to try to catch up with that soon. Take care my friends and thank you for being there for me. 

And to end on a happy note, some beautiful, beautiful daffodils to end this post. We finally have some flowers blooming around here!

Take care, my friends, I’ll try to be back soon and I’ll try to comment on your blogs soon too.

Blessings and much love

Betsy