1/23/07 ~
Today we gave permission
for Mom to have surgery tomorrow, to clean up the bone fragments in her left
ankle & to clean out her right leg (which is a standard procedure for her
type of injuries). Seems to me it wasn't all that long ago that Mom was
the one giving permission for the two of us to do things.
A friend suggested we record our voices, reading, in daily activity, etc,
to send to Mom so she can have it whenever she needs a friendly voice.
Here we go with another memory!
Dad went to Africa 8 months before we left
Texas. It was hard, as you might imagine (or perhaps have
experienced). Early on, Dad bought an Akai Reel-To-Reel Recorder, which he
sent state-side for Mom, while he had a cheaper model there in Tripoli.
They recorded their voices, & shipped the tapes back & forth. I
remember Dad telling me how he learned the words to songs by recording a song on
the reel-to-reel, listening to it over & over, shutting it off to write
down the words.
Mom, Tom & I lived in Africa for 5 months,
before Dad was shipped to Germany in 1970. I remember the Akai in
Germany. We would record family evenings at home & send them to our
Grandparents back home. I especially remember bath nights! Not
my baths, but Tom's! Tom HATED water. He'd often expressed
that opinion in Africa when we took frequent family bicycle rides to the
Mediterranean Sea. Tom was really too small for his own bike, so Dad had
fixed a pillow to the luggage rack on the back of his old blue bike (new back
then). When we got in sight of the water, Tom would begin pounding on
Dad's back with his fists, screaming "Dayyy, I'm reayyy to
go-o!" He couldn't say too many 'd's back then
either. This was back in the days before he was known as
Tommy; he was Tom-Tom.
I think Mom would trick Tom into the bath back in
those days! Tom screamed! He would be so angry! We still have
it recorded somewhere. I'll need to go hide that tape for my own
protection (blackmail material) after Tom hears I'm telling on him!
This would probably be where I should be real glad
Tom isn't into telling stories, cause I know he could seriously be telling some
stories on me!
Later, here in Wyoming, the Akai was pressed back
into service when Dad became the Manager of the Roller Rink on Base. The
Akai became the music system most used there. I don't really know when Mom
moved the Akai off the shelf in the dining room at home, but I'm sure that we
could find it there at the house in less than 5 minutes if we wanted
to.
1/24/07 ~
That's right folks, as fast
as I can write them, my computer is eating my emails to you before I can send
them. I lost the above email, & got frustrated, so I quit.
Today, after starting the following email, I found the above, so they're now
combined.
Tom is on his way to
Tulsa. Mom's surgery has been delayed until tomorrow. Dr Stafford
called to say the long cut on her right shin is not healing, the skin has
broken open, & is now prone to infection. He will clean it up, put
another sponge on it, & check in a few days to see if she has enough
skin to try to close it back up. She will have to stay until her
skin can provide a protective barrier to infection. She may need
a skin graft. While Dr Stafford has her in surgery, he will spin her leg
to a more correct position on her femur rod, & relocate the external fixator
on her left ankle, which has started to rub on her skin.
I am currently trying to
locate a place to bring Mom to. When Mom's skin heals, her insurance
will want Mom moved, as St Francis is out of area. However, it
appears we will have to pay for Mom's transportation. She is not yet
ready for rehab (she must be able to spend at least 3 hours a day in physical
therapy), so she will be going into a Skilled Nursing Facility. There are
4 Wyoming locations that are in-network for her insurance: Mountain Towers in
Cheyenne, along with one each in Rock Springs, Rawlins, & Riverton (the last
3 do not work for us). There are numerous locations in
Colorado.
It was nice to learn that the
insurance on the motorhome will pay the expense of the broken ignition
key. It falls under the Roadside Assistance category.
I told Mom
about LT on the phone tonight. It just seemed right to be able to tell
her. She understands what happened.
I read this on
the wall at the bank. I believe we can live by it ... Mom is ready to get
on with the process of life. ~ Val & Tom
"We can no longer
wait
for the storm
to pass
...
We must
learn
to
dance in the rain."