Letters to Mom

http://www.zibbet.com/kathyslegacy A couple of items up for sale. More will be added tomorrow

Hey Ma, we'd been thinking about Susie lately and she called tonight. She's missing you a lot and wanted to check up on us.  I ended up talking to her for 30 minutes. That must be a record for me! We got out for a bit today - the sunshine felt good. Now if this stupid cold would leave me alone.... Missing you, Ma

Well, Jackie had a cold and decided to give it to me, Ma.  I spent a couple of miserable days with it.  She seems to be on the mend, I'm still down for the count.  She was great today, she made me chicken broth with matzah on the side, cooked and did dishes without any fussing. It was so cold that there were snow flurries at Stone Mountain - not only on top of the mountain but in the parking lot, in Alpharetta and even in Atlanta.  I spotted some tiny snowflakes that melted before they hit the ground. And it's supposed to be almost 70F by Sunday. Ack

We got Mama Marie's ashes today, Mom.  It's just so damned hard to conceive that she's in that rectangular box. I still don't believe any box could hold you, Ma.  It's hard. I got the bloodwork done today and I think Mom gave me her cold. Joyful beginning of the first night of Pesach

May your matzah be plenty and you have enough creative recipes to enjoy it for 8 days!

Hey, Ma; Darcy is eating the liver, scarfing it up. Hopefully this will help.  We know she's getting really old and we'll lose her but I'd rather it just be that she goes to sleep, not waste away. My own weight loss is at 10 lbs and it wasn't done in a healthy way.  We'll work on it.

I think we'll lose Darcy this season, Mom. She's gotten extremely thin and isn't eating very much of the canned food she and Annie gets. She doesn't seem to be in pain but she's cold all the time. That one will hurt a lot.  We've had her since 1995.  Our little Halloween kitty. the story We had been to a Halloween party until late. I hadn't even got all my Alice Cooper makeup off and just hit the bed.  Mom was just getting to bed when she heard tires screeching outside, brake sounds and then a car rushing away.  She thought was odd and was about to dismiss it when she heard tiny little meows. It was cold and the ground was frost covered.  Mom went outside and told the kitten to keep meowing and if she wanted to come in the house and be adopted to hold still, if the kitten ran, that was it for the night.  The tiny kitten stayed huddled under our tree meowing.  Mom picked up the kitten and took her inside and brought the little thing into my bedroom...

Wow.  Just wow.  To get the overall notes for your two hospitals stays will cost us $100.00.  The entire set was going to cost $800.  That's a downpayment on a used car or 8 months of electric bills.  We opted for the short set.  Hopefully the lawyer can figure it out. We haven't checked with the two doctors to see how much those will cost. Downer day, Ma.

Hey Ma - last week we were in shorts and t-shirts while scrubbing the floors. This week we're under freeze alerts.  The other day they said there was only a slight chance of rain - major thunderstorms, lightning strikes and threats of tornadoes. Some good news and eh eh news.  My psych thinks I'm doing a little better but has ordered some blood work and tests so we have the results when I see my new doctor. Dr. Kelly is worried that my stomach problems and being so pale and other stuff is physical. Which would be worse? That its something physical like an ulcer or mental? I'm not sure on that one.

I don't know what beer the author of the recipe and those reviewing so high were using, probably weak American beer.  I used a decent pale ale. The entire thing was unedible.  The veggies absorbed way too much of the beer taste and the meat had no flavor other than the beer.  Ketchup and mustard didn't help either. Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage www.allrecipes.com  Partial list of ingredients - hit the link for more details. 1 (4 lb) corned beef brisket w spice packet 6 oz beer 1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped

We lost Audrey today, Mom.  Lynn called to let us know. There won't be a service or anything.  We sent an email to Bob and we'll send a card as well. Not easy

Ma, can you believe Wahldera (sp?) office? The hospital and your other doctor's office seems fine with turning your records over to us. W's office says I have to have legal paperwork showing I'm the executor of your estate. What estate?  I explained that you died fairly suddenly and you didn't have an estate. I am the oldest child and I am in your records as being the person to make any life-and-death decisions and I'm the reporter of facts on the death certificate.  That's not good enough.  On top of that they want us to pay for it. I called the County Clerk and explained and the clerk said that it would be $300 to file the papers and, hopefully, W's office will take a notarized statement of facts that you had already settled everything and I'm the one to make decisions and stuff. We're not sure if we have a case against Bondex and definitely can't afford $300 just to become executor of your estate just for that.  Might talk to the lawyer th...

Hey Mom; The stomach is still a big problem. I'm pretty tired of feeling tired and having everything including water hurt my stomach. I'm working on keeping up with the vitamins and trying to eat. I finished the first bluebird panel, the inlay beaded cross and my Aleph-Bet art piece.  I need to attach hanging gizmos to the art piece and cover the back with felt.  I'm rather pleased with it.  Its hard to see the 3-D effect in the picture. Also working on the beaded cat and I'll start more embroidery stuff tomorrow and work on some wood burned signs and wristbands. Wish you were here to see them, Mom.

Jehovah's Witnesses claim to respect people's wishes when told not to bother them any longer and do not knock on the door soliciting converts. Some don't get the message very easily My mother was a bartender/bar manager in a mountain town 10 years ago. She worked until 4 a.m. cleaning the bar after it closed. She slept late (go figure). Invariably, EVERY Wed. a carload of JW's would come up her POSTED small gravel driveway to "share". She told them repeatedly for over three months not to bother her, especially early in the mornings. They promised they would cross her address off their list and a different bunch from the same church would show up the following Wed. One Wed. morning she couldn't sleep and was fed up with the JWs and their rude behavior (which included waking her up and then attempting to get inside despite her exhaustion and rudely keeping her talking at the door when she refused to let them in). She saw the next bunch coming up t...

Working on my Aleph=Bet project, have to hem the bluebird and it's finished (except for mounting). Then I'll work on designing some simple signs to wood burn.

Jackie and I got more embroidery thread today and are working away on projects.  Hopefully we'll have stuff online soon. Jackie is starting to work on the large tablecloth you started, Mom. We miss you something fierce.

Another Shabbat, Mom.  I had a bad night last night between being unable to sleep and your cat, Nikki wanting attention all night, it was a long night.  Today we went and checked with the tax office and found that the homestead we filed last year under Jackie's lack of money/disability carries over. Instead of $2,500 in taxes for the year it'll be $240.00.  Much more manageable. We were pretty sure that it carried over but wanted to be sure.  We certainly couldn't afford $300 a month on a tax payment plan. I'm making good progress on the first bluebird panel that you had started.  I'm going to do all six but not put them together in a baby blanket or sell them as a set. We'll try selling them individually first. That will get some things out there sooner rather than later. I've been having a rough couple of days. I guess I wasn't doing as well as I had hoped. The lack of sleep and eating was apparent to my psych and others have worried a bit as well....

Well, my psych thinks that losing you, Mom, and losing 3 cats and Marie in a 3 month period is a little much for someone to take.  I really  have to agree with her. She noted that I'm pale, hollow eyed and had lost weight.  She asked if I am sleeping, eating, getting enough sun and is my stomach upset. No, no, no, yes. She thinks that after having a very stressful two years I might be developing or already have an ulcer.  I've never had the burning pain with only certain foods that I've heard about so I didn't consider that. I see my physician the 2nd week of April and have a colon exam the first week of April. Good things, my psych believes. She also upped my anti-depressant meds a little. Instead of the usual 3 months between visits she wants to see me in 2 weeks.  I'm not surprised. We hit the Kroger above the VA, the one that has the huge Jewish section. They had their Kosher for Passover section set up and I was able to get my matzot and grape jui...

Vickie called yesterday, Mom, she wants to send all of Marie's ashes to us because we know what her wishes were.  She knew Marie had it set up that they would be sent to you.  Feels strange but okay. I see my psych Wed.  I'm still having stomach problems.

How cold? It's snowing. It'll probably be gone by morning but it's snowing now. Soft, gentle flakes, not hail. Just very glad we got all the "kids" inside before dark except Grady. He finally showed up around 7pm wanting in. 

We were right, Ma - Marie was telling us she didn't have much time.  We didn't get the quilt done in time.  I think Marie was here when we were figuring out the panels and what you had planned for Marie's quilt. She passed while we were figuring it out. Vicki is going to send us some of Mama Marie's ashes and we're going to mingle them with some of yours. You two were so close, only your friendship with Lynn compares. It hurts, Mama. FB posting Mama Marie - Mom had two best friends, Marie and Lynn.  Mama Marie passed away yesterday.  We are heartbroken, she's been in our lives since the early 80s. Mom and Marie shared a diamond ring back and forth to symbolize their friendship. Mom got the ring when Marie moved to Oregon. When Mom went into the hospital she gave Jackie and me the rings. I put that ring on my Magen David necklace which I never take off. When Mom got out of the hospital for a short period she didn't want it back.  We thought we had m...

We found the solid color panels you quilted for Marie's quilt, Mom. And the diamond pattern ones.  We can put together a full size quilt with what you've done. I began handsewing the back-side of the first panels that you put together.  It feels strange continuing what you had been working on. Knowing that the last thread cut from this spool of thread was by you, Mom.  It feels good, though.  Jackie figured out the quilt and will put the front part together and I'll hand-sew the back and we'll figure out the binding. We have a feeling that we need to move quickly. We think Marie is more than hinting that she may not have long herself and she really wants this because it's something you put together for her, we'll finish it and Grandma helped you both pick out the material.  Three generations, Mom. Gd, I miss you. We've decided to tell Stewart.  We didn't want to stress him out but we don't want him to hear from someone in the community. This ...

Peace of Shabbat to everyone!