Friday, December 31, 2021

Year-end Lists 2021: Personal

As a lot of people have said, the only good thing about 2021 was that it was better than 2020. I'll be forever grateful for the vaccines that protected me, and even more so my mother. But she's not doing well. One day in May, she could no longer stand or walk. We were able to have someone with her all the time up until then, but it takes more than one to lift her adequately, and we just don't have that many family members. She went to a nursing home. Lately, my brother and I have been concerned about the many medical interventions she was subjected to, mainly to correct problems for which the underlying cause will not improve. So she is now under palliative care, meaning we are just trying to make her life as normal and comfortable as possible. It was a wrenching decision, but we were guided by her advance directive, which everyone should have.

Princess moved to St. Louis for grad school, and she likes it. She was looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving, but came down with COVID. She was vaccinated, but was about eight months out from the second dose, and wasn't yet eligible for a booster. They lowered the age of eligibility while she was recovering. She was pretty sick, but not dangerously so. The end of her quarantine came too late for a trip home, and her plane ticket was non-refundable. But she's here now for the New Year.

Gothgrrl had an exciting summer, traveling to Florida, Costa Rica, and a couple other places I can't recall. She also adopted a couple of rats, which she brings home with her on visits because her roommates won't feed them. We have a cage for them here, otherwise the cats would have a field day with them. Gothgrrl is in her second year of veterinary school. She comes home from Alabama about once a month. But the day before she was to come home for Christmas, another car rammed into her. No one was hurt, but her car was totaled. She rented a car to come home. While here, she got a settlement from the other driver's insurance that was more than she paid for the car. Then she found a good deal on a slightly newer one and still has money left over.  

I didn't even plan to have a garden this summer, because I was spending a lot of time with Mom. But Princess wanted to grow her favorite vegetables, so that's what we did. Then she moved away in July, leaving me to harvest vegetables I didn't even like. But I expanded the flower gardens. Next year, the vegetable garden will go fallow, because it wasn't producing well in recent years, and the tiller doesn't work anyway. I can concentrate more on flowers!

My stepdaughter had her third child in May. That makes six grandchildren so far!

In the fall, I tackled my neglected home. I wrote about that in a previous post. Got a lot done so far, but there's still a long way to go. I am also trying to do something about the bats. An exterminator found some entry points, which just highlights how much my house is falling apart. I have a carpenter who comes on days he's not driving a truck and the weather is good, which means I see him two or three days a month. We'll be lucky to get the job done before bat mating season in the spring.

I have four cats again, as Princess adopted a "problem cat" when she was living in Lexington, and cannot have one at her place in St. Louis. Gatita does not get along well with others. Apollo hates her, and Tommy avoids her. Tommy spends a lot of time outside or at another house down the street, but comes home to sleep with me. Marshmallow is the only one that gets along with Gatita because Marsh is deaf and can't hear her whining. Marsh had some serious dental problems this year and had six teeth removed, but she's getting along fine without them.

I don't know what 2022 will bring, but we're going into it hoping for the best. I wish all of you a good year to come, and may God bless us all.


7 comments:

  1. Sounds like everyone had an eventful year, including the cats. Sorry to hear that your Mom is now in palliative care. I hope the time you have left to spend with her will be loving and positive for all. Best wishes for 2022.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing your year. You must be so proud of your girls. Both of my girls decided to move out this summer-changes. I am left with the "covid" kittens-now cats-that they adopted during the pandemic. These two furry brothers bought us al a lot of joy during the enforced isolation. I also get my exercise walking the dog they had to have. Both girls still live close by and check on me often. I still teach-so glad to be in person-and wonder what the new year will bring. Teaching online was hard for this over 70yo Luddite.Funny-I have a small yard and decided flowers over vegetables for next year. I plant for the bugs and birds and bees now.

    May your remaining time with your mother bring you comfort. May your mother's transition be peaceful.

    Thank you for the thoughtful and funny collection you offer to all of us every day. I look forward to your posts. You give me ideas and pathways to follow that I sometimes share with my students. Amy in Albuquerque (formally Zuni)

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a year you've had! Thank you for sharing your life with us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We can't know for sure what's coming, but I'm sure you'll handle it capably, as always.
    My best to Mom and the entire tribe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have had an eventful year behind the scenes.

    I can empathise about your mother. Mine always said to me, "Don't put me in a home", but she is in a wheelchair and cannot stand up or do anything for herself, so, sadly, she is in a home. That has been difficult during covid, when for long periods I have not even been able to visit her.

    Best wishes for the year ahead. I sincerely hope it will be better than 2021, for all of us.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Miss C, Thank you for sharing. I wish there were more I could do to help. Losing a parent is hard-you don't want to see them go, but life goes on. And as you are seeing, you have raised some resilient young women who are able to work with what life throws at them.

    May 2022 bring you peace, reflection, and time with loved ones.

    Take care,
    MarkOfIowa

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a decent year and experienced what so many in our generation have/will. Your kids are doing very well, you sound healthy and you are doing what you can to make your Moms last years good. Wishing you a satisfying 2022

    ReplyDelete