Well I’m glad I enjoyed all those warm and fuzzy moments at Council Point Park yesterday, because there were zero doses of cuteness today.
And, speaking of warm moments, the weather was not as stellar as Saturday. When I left the house this morning, it was overcast, dismal looking, and even chilly with a breeze.
Thankfully, my car behaved and did not trigger the alarm on its own, thus disturbing the peace in the neighborhood. I still don’t know what caused that Twilight Zone moment yesterday.
I passed many lilac trees and bushes en route to Council Point Park, and, this morning’s breeze helped to carry the scent of those beautiful flowers straight to my nostrils. Ahhh – breathing in was like inhaling the finest potpourri.
Even though I left later, once I arrived at the Park, I discovered I was the only one there. Perhaps the walkers and runners were taking Mom out to breakfast, or they were at church. Even the ducks, geese and squirrels were tucked away in some hidey hole, spending quality time with their respective kin. I never stopped to chat with a single soul, nor interact with any critters, or even take any pictures. My mouth, pockets and camera case all stayed zipped shut. That’s okay, the camera got a big workout yesterday.
I kept an eye to the sky and it looked kind of ominous, so I walked kind of fast. I got my steps done in record time and was soon back in the house sipping coffee.
Today is devoted to honoring our moms and even their moms if you so desire. Though my mom and maternal grandmother are no longer here, I think of them every day.
Photographs and memories, and … even writing about them in this blog, all help to keep them alive in my mind. I am grateful for the family photo albums that are crammed full of pictures of each of them through the years, and, though I treasure our three-generation picture taken in a photo studio, I similarly cherish those pictures of Mom and Nanny together, or the occasional candid shot from back in the day. After my mom passed away, I went through all the photo albums and digitized my favorite photos. Next, I bought frames for some of those same photos and set them out around the house. It was a Pollyanna effort on my part to remember the smiles and the happy times, and to help erase the mental picture of both Mom and Nanny’s declining health in the years before they died.
If you’re a mom, I hope your day was special, and, if your mom is living, I hope you told her you loved her today … and always.
I’ll leave you with Sophocles’ wise quote:
Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Linda,
Loved your Mother’s Day tribute and the photos! Not a day goes by that I don’t think of my Mother, so it’s nice to honor her memory on Mother’s Day.
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Thanks Cherie – I wanted to do something special today for Mother’s Day – I am glad you liked it. I, likewise, think of my Mother daily. Your mom’s picture with her red hair reminded me of our recent “conversation” about your Grandmother being a redhead. May we always keep these special memories … they will keep us going.
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Miss Linda……………………..thanks for sharing your photos of your mom, you, and your grandmother……………………….I enjoyed it
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Thank you Ann Marie – I think it is always nice to see the faces behind the descriptions and words that are written about people. Glad you enjoyed it.
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Your Mother knew she was loved as you were. If we could turn back time. You did a good job with pictures. I miss my Mom every day.
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That is so true Marge – it is important to let people feel loved while they are still here to revel in that love, not after they are gone. I knew you would enjoy the pictures as well as the post, and, you saw that the frame with the multiple photos in it featured that photo that you posted last week on Facebook – it was the last photo taken of the two of us.
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Thanks for sharing that Linda. It’s nice to see what people look like. You are so tall compared to your mom!
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You’re welcome Joan – yes it is nice to look at the pictures and I don’t have a current photo of me – the last photo taken of me was in 1999 by a girl who was leaving work and going to another job. She took pictures of all the staff and they used to have the deals where for a penny more you got an extra set of photos – she sent the extra ones to me and asked me to distribute them to the girls. I am 5′ 9″ (last time I had my height recorded) and my mom was 5′ 2″, my father 5′ 3″ tall. I was kind of an oddity of the bunch. Most pictures of me taken by my father, some part of me is cut off in the photo. My grandparents were really short too. My father’s parents were tall is what I was told – I never met them.
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I’m shortish like the leprechauns. Must get to bed early tonight. I have an echocardiogram booked for tomorrow (I have a leaky heart valve they are monitoring so have to have them every 9 months). It’s not bad enough to fix yet according to the heart surgeon (I saw one 2 years ago who does it robotically) and I have no symptoms, other than lack of energy some days, which might not even be related. Last visit the doctor said if this one was okay he might let me go to once a year. I hate having any kind of medical tests done. Don’t stay up too late! You must really miss your walking. I had to get the driveway shoveled yesterday, and we still have a pile of snow on the ground, but at least it’s off the roads. But more for the weekend. I’m drawing a blank on the Jim Crocee sound, so will have to google it before I go to bed. Good Night!
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Well I wish I’d stayed up a little later and would have wished you good luck on the echocardiogram today Joan. Interestingly, we keep saying we have all the similarities – heart disease runs in my mom’s family. I have not been for any kind of heart test since I turned 40 – my mom suggested I go and be tested to ensure I had no problems, even though I had no symptoms and have no symptoms now. My grandmother and her 8 siblings all had heart issues. My grandmother had a massive heart attack while sleeping and died enroute to the St. Joe’s hospital in the ambulance. My mom had an irregular heartbeat for years and she had heart palpitations and had to take a Nitroglycerin tablet when she had them. She had a bottle on the kitchen table and one in her nightstand. I would hear her opening the drawer in the middle of the night, she’d put on the flashlight and sit in the dark ’til it passed – it always scared me. I should have tests I guess, but have no issues and don’t eat red meat – stopped in February 2015, eat oatmeal every morning and have for decades. I don’t eat anything fried and have not done so in about a decade. I should do more exercises though as I am too sedentary during the day – I’ve ridden the exercise bike a few times this Winter. I should at least do exercises when I am not walking. I hate having medical tests too and that is part of why I’m striving to get my arm better … the range of motion in my left arm is not good and I know it is from my posture from sitting so many hours in a day – I did not injure myself. I am not in favor of visits and physical therapy – my mom did it for her rotator cuff injury and it did not help. I figure if that is all that is wrong with me at almost age 63 I am happy. I see info about high school friends from high school and their medical problems on the school website. The heart tests they have today are improved and it is good that the doctor said you might be able to just do it once a year – hope that happens. I liked Jim Croce – he died in a car crash right after I started college – I can picture sitting in the newspaper staff room hearing the story and talking about it with fellow staffers and we did a story on him … he was at the height of his popularity with his beautiful music, though I got tired of “Big Bad Leroy Brown” … a neighbor got married and they had a guitar player play “Time in a Bottle” at their wedding. https://lindaschaubblog.net/2016/02/01/be-still-my-beating-heart/
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Test over – it’s not an angina/heart disease as I had a cath lab visit a few years ago and all my arteries were clear. I follow a pretty healthy diet except for the odd dessert. I had a heart murmur when I was a kid, and as I’ve gotten older the valve is more leaky (the blood regurgitates backwards) and will eventually have to be repaired or replaced, but I don’t have any symptoms yet so they will wait. I never had a lot of energy when I was a kid, which is why I read so much. I can’t exercise aerobically, other than walking. I wouldn’t call you sedentary! with all the walking you do! Is your arm any better or about the same? I do remember Jim Croce – I loved his Time in A Bottle, and got to play it once in English class when we had to pick a piece of music for an assignment. Song lyrics are like poetry. I blogged about this last Feb. I’ll see if I can find the link. https://thehomeplaceweb.com/2018/02/23/music-and-poetry-for-a-snowy-day/
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I liked that post Joan – I mentioned that we are so alike. Life is to short to have to read or listen to things that we do not find enjoyable. Nowadays taking care of your heart and staving off heart disease is much easier and more effective – my grandmother was on heart meds for years and she really slowed down the last few years. When we went to visit her I used to sleep in her bed … she would have problems with heart fluttering – it would wake her up, so that is why she had a glass of sherry before bed every night. My mom couldn’t do that as she was on too many meds but she’d wake up with them too. My arm is about the same Joan – thanks for asking. I realize now I should hve done something about it in the Fall when I had the first difficulties pulling the door shut, fastening the fanny pack in back of me but in just four months’ time my left arm has hardly any range of motion – it is a little scary and I have returned to websites about ergnomics and I think it has to be how I am sitting here and sitting so many hours in a day, not just for work but for blogging. I am powerless to think what can be done – I took the old laptop with several missing keys that I use for my photos and hoisted it onto a metal rack that I use for winter hats/scarves/mitts and put that on top of the table it sits on – can’t hurt the table – it is just a formica table I have the scanner on – the height of a card table. I thought standing would be helpful and do that at night – it was worse, as it strained my arm. I am at a loss what to do. We did not have a lot of snow and I did hire someone. He doesn’t show up under 2 inches, so I shoveled all those times just by pushing the snow. Kind of sorry I paid him, but last year we had 62 inches of snow – wasn’t going to take chances.
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I think your arm problem must be from typing too much, work and blogging. When you didn’t post for almost a week, was it any better? Do you have a doctor you could see? I don’t know much about the US system, other than you have to pay. My mom’s family doctor disregarded her complaints of hip pain for years, when she finally insisted on seeing an orthopedic surgeon, he did some range of motion tests on her in the office, and next thing she was booked for hip replacement surgery, which we still had to wait 4 months for. She’s had both hips done and very little pain now, just a bit of osetoarthritis. My grasscutter had his shoulder repaired last year, and he’s only 59. Do you have pain all the time, or just when moving it? We have something called Voltaren Gel here, OTC, which is an anti-inflammatory topical gel, which works quite well, if you don’t want to take pills like Motrin or Advil. If you tried to not blog, and rest it more, then we would all miss your posting! So that isn’t a solution, plus you have to type for work. I don’t know, it’s a dilemma….but it sounds like it’s not going away….
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Hi Joan – I am very late here and was going to answer some comments and thought I’d better just finish the post. Often when I go to multiple parks I split them up into different posts, but didn’t think it would take as long as it did – and I went on longer-than-usual road trip (“road trip” for me is 35 miles …). It kept flurrying off and on and I was home about an hour and the snow started to stick. I am hearing there are lots of spin outs going on – glad I don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow. As to my arm, I did my photos at my old computer and came here to write the post and coordinate the pictures around 7:15. Before I sat down, I decided to take the chair cushion off because I am looking down at the screen – thought it would help – nope, and now my wrists are starting to hurt so I Googled around to see if carpal tunnel syndrom can affect your shoulders and neck and it can. Now my mom had carpal tunnel syndrome and had surgeries for it in both hands. It was a real hardship after surgery as my mom used her hands for everything – getting up out of a chair/off the toilet/out of the car … she had to boost herself to get up. So they wrapped her hand area like a prize fighter both times, so she would not forget and use it until it healed. She did not have a problem until she was using a cane all the time – she had one of those canes that look like an oil derrick and it was quite wide at the bottom – most of the four-legged canes have a claw-like bottom on them. So she really gripped hard with her hand and before she went to the cane in the house (she had used one for outside – she never went out alone, always with me, or my father back in the day), she liked to knit and had done so for decades. She decided to make my grandmother two afghans for each of the chairs in the living room – she had never made an afghan before but my grandmother mentioned how she liked one in a magazine so my mom made them. They turned out nice so she made one for her chair and one for mine in the den. That might have been what caused the carpal tunnel. I am starting to worry because I cannot figure how I should be sitting and it HAS to be an ergonomic issue. About two months ago I looked into getting one of those risers that go on a table and you can stand and type. The girl in the allergist’s office has one, liked it and said it eliminated back/shoulder pain. I did not have my arm issue at that time. My friend got one after she was in grad school and spent alot of hours typing and a fellow blogger mentions hers. I tried to measure for on the table – I sit at the kitchen table – it was too heavy. I think I should have gotten it and a table but I have nowhere to put all this stuff and still be near a plug for the computer and not use an extension cord. Today, while driving I was having trouble reaching and turning the turn signal on and turning the wheel to the right. No problem with my dominant hand/arm (my right arm) and I was doing exercises and icing it and it didn’t help – so I stopped. I need to do it again … it really feels more like my neck and tops of my shoulders sometimes and now my wrists … it has been a range of pain and then I hoped it was frozen shoulder which eventually goes away (pain-wise) but there is less range of motion. I have not seen a doctor – it started in the Fall, but I never really had any pain until around mid-November. Thank you for saying that about the blog and my boss tried to encourage me to go to the doctor citing that it could affect my work as it would be painful – when he said that I said it was not painful (at that time), just getting dressed (putting something over my head or slipping into a sleeve), but mostly at night – can’t find a comfortable way to sleep without feeling pain and it wakes me up. Me, who has always been healthy as a horse, is having a difficult time dealing with it. I was on Aspercreme with Lidocaine 4% at night – it really didn’t help and they suggested not using it longer than one week. Heating pad didn’t help either. I really think if I could correct my posture at the table I might be better. I have always used a traditional mouse as well – I have to edit a lot for Robb (my boss) and I have never used a touchpad mouse. I would hate to give up the blog – it would break my heart to do that as it is such a big part of my life. Today I had pain while sitting here, but I changed the chair cushion … first I removed it – it is a hard chair … I have suede bench in my mom’s room – it may have a different height which may be better. I had thought about ordering a rolling work station but I have to be able to use it at/near the table and near a plug. I have so few plugs, it is not funny.
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It snowed here yesterday out of nowhere too….we were watching a movie, Agatha Christie remake And Then There Were None…(I am still analyzing murder mysteries) and when it was over and I looked outside it was snowing hard and I thought I’d better get home. 35 miles is a longish drive, esp when your shoulder is not cooperating. I think your boss is right, best to check it out, as you don’t want it affecting your work. Is there an ergonomic place (maybe associated with a physio office) who could do a home evaluation. We used to have those people at the hospital to assess work stations if a nurse had a back injury – I think they were part of the occupational health & safety dept….and they would come and watch the person working to see if the set up was correct. I have very few plugs too – part of the hassle of an older house.
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Hope it wasn’t slippery driving for you – we had tons of accidents here and when I went out this morning, I realized they were slipping and sliding so much because there was ice beneath the snow. We must have had a quick frozen precip event first. It is really cold today – below zero windchill, so no doubt that will take a long time to melt. I never thought about the ergonomic review/consultation – I am going to Google around a bit if it is not too late tonight. I didn’t leave work until after 6:00 so late getting here and I was here til about 1:15 this morning. We had an ergonomics consultant come to our office in a law firm I worked at. The firm moved to a new office and we had wooden “pods” which were enclosed except one side. We had our typewriter on one side, and our computer on the other side (like bookends) and they stopped at our desk to ensure we had everything within a proper reach and how we were sitting and even where we put our feet. I have been looking online and that is what makes me think it is my position here at the table – I have not injured myself in any way that I am aware of. Yes, it was a little scary trying to make a turn and I could not really manipulate the turn signal. I have long legs so have to push the seat back far and in the Summer I could get closer as no heavy and bulky coat, but still …. Some of the few plugs that I have are recessed and the plug falls out. It is a challenge sometimes.
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