Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Reason for Missing LIsts!


      When it comes to writing our blog I have been seriously slacking.  I started the year with a plan to write a list blog each month.  Well I made a list in January, February and March.  I swear I don’t know what happened in April.  Ronnie was the sale chairman for the Florida Angus Association sale and that kept us really busy.  The sale was April 28th so I am going to blame the lack of an April blog on that.
      May is the month our lives really changed to help you understand why I will need to provide some history.  We moved my Mother out to the farm eight years ago, her vision was failing due to macular degeneration, and the doctor said it was only a matter of time before she would not be able to see well enough to drive.  The move to the farm was a difficult one for her giving up the home she and my dad had built together over 40 years ago.  Our first idea was to build on to our house, but Mom would not hear of it, she said she I am 83 years old and won’t be here much longer and I don’t want you to have all that house to take care of when I am gone.  Our next idea was a mobile home, when I mentioned that to her she said she was going to be in a box soon enough and she didn’t want to start now.  I asked her when was the last time you looked at mobile homes she said oh maybe 50 years or so.  I was finally able to convince her to look at mobile homes; she was amazed at how much they had changed in just 50 years!  She found a home she just loved and she agreed to the move to the country.  We carved a spot out of one of the cow pastures and she got such a kick out of telling her friends that we had put her out to pasture.  When folks would say oh no not really she would chuckle and say I mean literally I am in the middle of a cow pasture I have cows on three sides of me!  I have to tell you moving Mom out to the farm were one of the most stressful times of my life, I was so afraid that she wasn’t going to be happy and she would regret the move.  One of my fondness memories was the day that she told me she only had one regret about moving to the farm, and that was that she had not done it sooner.  Well back to May, the doctor had been correct mother’s eyesight did get much worse she lost the ability to drive within six months of moving to the farm.  The family managed to get her to doctor’s appointments and her social activities for the next four and a half years.  Unfortunately not only her eyesight but her overall health was failing and she was no longer able to be by herself that was when our sweet angel Tammy came into the family.  Tammy was her companion and caregiver for the last four years.  The 4th day of May Tammy had a stroke, we thank God that she is recovering but complete recovery will take time.  Three weeks after Tammy’s stroke Mother was admitted to the hospital and passed away on June 18th.  Needless to say May and June were not good months for us here at Gizmo , I have almost made it through the month of July and really don’t know how.  Mother was such a hoot, she always had a smile.  She raised us to have a deep faith her favorite saying was “God won’t bring you to it without getting you through it” so I know that God will get us through this very sad time in our lives.  As I have said mother lost her ability to read some years ago but she always had me read my latest blog to her, I think that is one of the main reasons I haven’t been able to get this chore done.  I guess I don’t have to read it to her anymore where she is her vision is 20/20!