We spent the early hours of my birthday at the ER with Charlotte. She had a raging ear infection. Every feel TOO happy, go visit an ER and watch as a husband weeps for his wife who is having her third heart attack, or the poor people on gurneys in the hall way hooked up to IVs and drinking ginger ale. Charlotte is fine. No antibiotics. A numbing gel for her ear and Tylenol on the 4 hours. Poor little lamb. Weeping and crying and begging for medicine until we got to the hospital and she kept putting on her jacket and boots in the hopes we would go home. Ear pain be damned. Excruciating cold sucking all manners of wang.
I twittered a couple of times about a family member passing away. It was my Uncle Peter. Not really an uncle, but our neighbours for my whole 39 years. Not my godparent’s but the people in my parent’s will who would have taken care of us if they couldn’t. I loved them. Uncle Peter and Auntie Lois. She had my wedding shower. He was the ultimate child leg puller and I was gullible. He has an awesome dry sense of humour that never left him. Not after cancer, not after diabetes, not after Alzheimer’s, initially anyhow. He had a heart attack just before Christmas and was unconscious until his death on the 26th. He was a gentle, quiet, caring man who was always there to shovel our walks in the winter or even start our cars to warm them up in the depths of the cold before going to work. I don’t care if he was 80 and sick and lived a good long life. It sucks and I am sad. The funeral was yesterday. A long Catholic Orthodox affair with lots of inscence and Ukrainian sung by priests. Open casket, -32C internment at the cemetery, which I did not go too, despite my dad being a pall barer. A long lunch and short tribute afterwards that seemed to drain the family and especially my poor lovely Auntie. Luckily I now live about 9 blocks from my parents and can visit my Auntie. She is awesome. Just before Christmas she was shovelling the driveway in her fur coat, boots and a full head of curlers. I am lucky to have grown up with my adopted god parents and their three kids. Still sad.
What a couple of upbeat entries in a row, but this is where I am right now. I have spent the last hour or so looking at seeds, grow lights and raised garden beds set up. I lost my garden patch when we moved. I need it. I miss it. Lots of time before the snow even melts but I can have some tomatoes and cukes started on my windowsill soon enough. So, hope. New year, and the promise of better and progress. Really like every year, but this past year has given me lots, both good and challenging. Now, in my bed, looking at heirloom varieties of tomatoes? Hope.
I know you are in Alberta (I’m in Ontario), but do you have any recommendations for websites about installing raised garden beds? We’ve moved and finally have a yard and want to do some vegetable gardening. However, we also have some drainage problems in the area we want to use, and thought raised beds might solve that issue.
If you could recommend a good gardening website or two, I’d be eternally grateful.
Comment by Garnigal — January 5, 2009 @ 9:38 am
So sorry about your Uncle Peter. And I’m sorry you lost your garden beds when you moved, but thank goodness your close enough to help your Auntie Lois.
Comment by patois — January 5, 2009 @ 11:47 am
Order some Druzba tomato seeds, they are delicious. Seriously, I am not required to say that.
Comment by alisa — January 5, 2009 @ 6:07 pm
i HATE the emergency room. i hate having to see people in waiting rooms waiting to find out the fate of their loved ones.
i’m glad she’s okay!
Comment by ali — January 8, 2009 @ 11:04 am
Hope is good. Good is hope.
Comment by BOSSY — January 10, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
That whole ‘oh they were old’ thing or the ‘they lived a good life’ thing is such BS!
I HATE THAT.
The point is that we love them. We want them here. They are gone. It’s always sad. Who cares if the person is old???? It’s still FREAKING SAD for us when we care about them.
Comment by ozma — January 12, 2009 @ 12:07 am
I wanted to post a comment on your last entry but it didn’t work so I am trying over here. This is my first time to your blog and I wanted to say that I was born on New Year’s Day and for years hated my birthday because it always seemed like such a pain in the ass for other people – they were either holidayed-out, broke, hungover or all of the above. My siblings are older than me and were always fighting on the first and I didn’t realize it was because they were hungover or tired – I always thought it was because they didn’t like me and want to celebrate my birthday. (I do want to add that I had a great childhood though and am not really complaining, these are just the perceptions of youth.) Anyway – I now take full responsibility for my birthday and every year we have an Open House on New Year’s Eve and people can come and go as they please and we don’t have to go anywhere! It works for us. (Although some years I think watching a movie and going to bed early would work even better).
I could write more but I feel like I have said enough. I’m really happy that I found your blog though and I’m sorry about your Uncle.
Comment by melanie — January 12, 2009 @ 9:55 am
it’s been a long time since i comment~~
but i am back on line now
with a new blog
congrats on your birthday
mine was on 1.06 and i am a freaking 51 or 47 years old
the former char in ar
Comment by ccinmotion — January 13, 2009 @ 1:33 am
I’m such a bad friend to miss your birthday
I’m sorry about your uncle, sweetie. Bossy is right; hope is good.
Love you xoxo
Comment by jenijen — January 14, 2009 @ 2:37 pm