Gifts

I'm a huge stargate fan. The movie, SG1, Atlantis, the new DVDs...
There has been a new episode of Atlantis waiting for a few weeks on my DVR. The one where Rodney McKay, a genius (especially in his own mind) contracts a terminal illness that first robs him of intellect. As if you could catch Down Syndrome like a cold.
I am glad I waited a while to watch this. If I had seen it when it aired, it would have been too raw, too close to what we almost lost with Dad.
We are so freaking lucky. Dad is a genius. His IQ is around 165. He has always been the smartest person I know.
Although his response time is slowed by the misfires in his brain after the stroke, the spark is still there. His sense of humor, his love, his appreciation of being alive still shines from his eyes. Every week he gains a bit. He finds words more easily, he gets closer to standing by himself, he even shaved himself last week.
We visit once a week. We are going tomorrow, and again Friday, and every Friday thereafter.
I am so glad to have this time to truly appreciate him, and what he adds to our lives.
Life was not always easy being raised in our family, but now that we are all older (including Dad) we are more forgiving of one another. We have been given this gift of time. However many years it will or won't be, to treasure each other as individuals.

Updates

Dad will be moving to rehab tomorrow!
This is good news, as originally they were talking standard nursing home.
He has some vision loss, but they've been preoccupied with keeping him alive and he hasn't seen an eye specialist yet.
I picked up a bug from my visit to him, but have mega antibiotics and hopefully the bug will be exterminated in time for me to visit him in rehab on the 25th.

Oscar has an exciting time coming up. He has worked so hard taking care of me and the house as my arthritis got worse that I wanted us to budget a special treat for him. Several months ago, I found a discounted single ticket near the start/finish line at Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tennesee) for the Nascar Sprint Cup race on the 23rd. It's one of his favorite Nascar events, and he is VERY happy about being there in person.

This has been a difficult summer. I lost a dear friend after a long fight with cancer, and of course Dad's stroke has really been scary to deal with. The loss of Kitsune still hits hard some days, and the final gasp of the garden (I had Oscar mow over all but the peonies and the fence plantings this week) was difficult, but over all things are pretty good. Our three remaining fur kids (the cats) keep me in good company, always ready with a purr or five, and it is easier to look at the neatly mowed lawn than to see the weeds choking out my flowers in beds I can no longer care for.

The ramp was installed, and although I can't haul myself up it, I am in process of getting (fingers crossed) a motorized wheelchair, which should widen my horizons considerably.

It has been a fair summer, and fall promises better in many ways.

Random Photo Tuesday

This is a photo homage to Basil. Although I brought her along when Oscar and I joined households, she quickly became his cat, or rather, he became her human. She will allow me to feed her, and occasionally shows up for petting from me if Oscar isn't handy, but as soon as he comes through the door, she ready and waiting for her daily dose of Oscar-lovin'.

More photos of Dad

A few more images of Dad. He seems to be slowly recovering, but his blood pressure and blood sugar remain uncontrolled. Worrisome.

Dad still here

Although he seems to have had at least one more 'event' (stroke) he is still with us. He's a tough old curmudgeon.
I made a small album of photos taken when we were young, along with some pics of family and friends and left it for Mom to share with him.

I was able to see him for a short time before and after a necessary procedure. He seemed to recognize us, and I'm told he is sleeping peacefully tonight. We will go back for another visit in about a week, sooner if things take another down turn.

It's a difficult time for all of us. I am so grateful we had that time together up north this spring.

Random Photo Tuesday

Ups and downs

As is usual in the early days of recovering from a stroke, Dad's health is up and down. He can no longer swallow safely, so is on a feeding tube. His kidneys seem to be at least partially functional, but the root cause of the stroke appears to be a blood pressure spike. As he has always had low blood pressure this was a surprise, and indicates he may have another stroke at any time.

Thank you to all of you, for your kind words in support of Dad, and your enjoyment of my photography.
Here are a few more images from up north. Thinking of and working with the images captured there helps me feel close to Dad.

Re: the two photos of the planks. I like the more natural one best, I think, but it was fun playing with the image to get the altered one.

More nature stuff

Still marginal news about Dad, just a wait and see kinda thing..
In the meantime, here are some photos.

My Dad

My Dad is having a tough week.
He was taken to the local hospital in Coldwater Michigan, then airlifted to Borgess in Kalamazoo.
It looks like he had a stroke, but we are waiting for the results of the CT scan and MRI to find out his true status.
He has woken up, and he has regained partial use of his left hand, and can now open both eyes, so things are better than they might be. He can swallow food, and can speak, so all those things are huge blessings.
Here are a few pictures of him when we visited our land up north. In the first, he is leading the expedition to find one of the huge pines that somehow survived, and in the second, he's out shooting targets with his little buddy Jordan (a neighbor kid)