remembering Trish

Today, chicken-wingers, we are remembering our beloved Trish (the Texan's mom and my mother-in-law extraordinaire). She passed over last week and we honored her on Saturday. The Texan and I are happy and sad...happy because Trish had been in hospice care since the first of the year, and we didn't want her to linger and suffer. Sad, because she was doing GREAT in hospice and feeling pretty well (as well as one can possibly feel while in hospice care, I guess) and we thought maybe we had some more time with her.

Her last days at the nursing home were filled with visits from children, family and friends. Her room was flooded with light and happiness, and she had many sunshiny chats. She made friends with the nurses and she called them at home (when they weren't working) from her cell phone. Just wanted to be sure everything was OK. She worked on her crocheting and she liked to blare the Old-Time Gospel Hour on her TV....said the music made her happy.

She blessedly died in her sleep, after a full day of family visits and fun-just the way she wanted to exit this life.

She was a meticulous person and she valiantly tried to show me the value of living an organized life. She loved me anyway; even when she realized she'd failed miserably at changing this right-brainer. I spent most of the day Sunday polishing her silver and counting and labeling her flatware. This mundane chore somehow made me feel close to her, and I wanted to let her know I will still try.....try to take some of her best qualities and make them my own.

I'm guessing this is around 1949

Trish grew up as a child of privilege. She was grateful for the opportunities, but her privilege never defined her. I love the above photo of her...isn't she gorgeous?

For all the photo's beauty, it doesn't reflect Trish.

Ah.....now this is more like it.

Christmas 1987

This is the Trish we all cherished. The fiercely loving mom and grandmother. I honestly don't think I could have raised my Sprouts without her calm reassurance...she WAS the mother of 5, you know!  A veritable well-spring of child rearing wisdom.....I saw no need to reinvent the wheel.

See you on the other side, Trish.  For now....I think I have a few more silver pieces to polish.

Shiny love to all this week.

mid-week quiz

Time for a visual acuity test!


Are you ready for a challenge?


Try this one without your glasses.


Focus.


What 'thing' doesn't belong?



It's difficult, so take your time.



You may have to study the image carefully.


Ready.....what thing doesn't belong?


Go.......






Here's the answer to the problem:


Speedy Gonzales, Tweety Bird (doesn't belong...only non-mammal), Garfield the Cat, Roxy-Doxy, Snoopy, Odie, and Eeyore.

How did you do?

Thanks for taking the mid-week quiz.  Now, carry on.

Remember...love always belongs in the picture...sending love to you for the rest of your week.

we're baa-ack





Our tricked-out ride carryin' us from south Texas. Wish this was OUR trailer, but it's not...so we pooped in it.

Are we there yet...are we there yet? Corky lets us see out. Yep, the wind and dust are blowin'...it smells like cows...looks like home!

Backin' out very careful.

Helen gives me a chance to get my land legs.





'Back on out, Big Guy!'



Where ARE my legs?



A fine meal after a loooong (500+) drive and a trip to the vet.

We'll visit after I eat.....K?

Hay....I remember this barn cat!



Whydoya keep lookin' at me and repeatin' 'best old-lady horse in the world?'



the horses is coming!!

No matter how hard she tries, she can never fill their horseshoes.

I've been pining for my horses. You see, back in late November my horse-trainer decided to move down state. It was a difficult problem for me:  I wanted to keep the horses close but I didn't have the resources or the time to deal with them. Mom was getting sicker and I had zero spare time to manage or clean up after horses. I made the decision to let them move with the trainer, until I could make some rational decision in the future.

Death and dying are outstanding refiners of attitude. Through Mom's illness I missed being with my horses....missed being outside, missed touching their muzzles, missed the stress relief riding a great horse can be for me.

The wiener dog instinctively knew I had a horse-shaped hole in my heart. She gamely tried to humor me. She patiently endured my enthusiastic demonstration of how to make a cool cowboy string halter.

Isn't she having fun?

See, Roxy-Doxy....with just a little bit of soft rope, a creative cowboy can make an effective horse-leading device!

Don't ask her about the day I hand-galloped her around the circle driveway.

Lucky for the wiener...the horses is coming! the horses is coming!! I've been planning. Death has made me realize how much I truly and deeply enjoy my equines. I don't want them out of my life.....yet. (sorry, Texan...he thinks horses are expensive!) They will be returning around the middle of this month.

happy times at a horse show in Albuquerque, NM

I'm giddy. Can't wait to brush and lead and ride and get horse kisses and be outside with friends.

Roxy-Doxy is glad, too. She wasn't looking forward to feeling these in her sides.

I hope you are spurred to achieve great things this week!

Rope halter love to all.

proud 'person of walmarts'

It was our familiar ritual for six years.

Mom and I trekked to walmarts weekly to fetch supplies. It would have been easier for me to do her shopping for her, but how much fun is that? Picking her up at the home, assisting her to the car, driving to walmarts, and situating her old bod in the zippy electric cart was the stuff of Joy legend.

It irritated Joy that the elderly advanced-aged greeter liked me. She thought his crush was unbecoming and she expressed her displeasure.

What am I supposed to do, Mom? Run from the old guy? My hugs make his day! You're just jealous!

She would've LOST it had she known he stalked me while I was shopping and plied me with free candy. Texan, are you reading this?? 

I offered to help her shop. She replied she didn't require my assistance. After she laid a tire track up the back of my skinny ankle, I was ecstatic for her independent spirit! More time for me to hang out on the ammo aisle. I was always ready to hear the announcement.....

Attention walmart choppers, because of an unfortunate motorized cart incident, we will no longer have fresh eggs available for sale today. Would the daughter of Joy please report to the security office?
****slinking out of the store****

As her world grew smaller, the forays to walmarts became more important.  It was one place she could have independence. She'd gleefully drive where she damn-well pleased in her motorized cadillac.

Sometimes I'd catch a glimpse of her in the aisles....I swear the woman touched each blessed item in the store! She'd buy everything from nicotine gum to brassieres, sugar-free yogurt to micro-fiber panties. She desired the best deal and she'd study the advertised discounts. Stopped counting the number of times she carefully checked her receipt and we had to go back to customer service for the $.50 or $1.00 they'd stiffed her.

The last time this occurred, I bribed her with $2.00 cash if we could just let it go and go home and put our groceries away. She was unamused and muttered I hadn't learned the real value of a dollar. 

It usually required Joy about 1 1/2 hours to complete her basic shopping. The time she wanted to purchase a digital camera and a photo printer required a little longer.

What are you wanting a digital camera for, Mom?

I want to take pictures of my friends (at the home). I want to print pictures of them so I can remember what they looked like. (This was after a couple of her bestest girlfriend bridge buddies passed on)

The 83 year-old woman was a picture-snapping demon for weeks on end. She took pictures of all the residents, the office help, the girls in the cafeteria, and the maintenance workers. All photos were taken 'down-low'...wheelchair perspective only. The photos were odd...always looking up at the subject, but she was proud of them.  On special occasions, she would frame them and give them to the person as a gift.

I went to walmarts by myself this week. Didn't see my greeter boyfriend...must've been his day off. I got my shopping done....quickly....efficiently. Home in a snap. Sigh.

Check out this website and chuckle
http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

Can you spot Joy and me?

Discount shopping love to all.