The quick trip

I was in WI over the weekend, a very quick and unexpected trip. My Mom was in the hospital after there were some complications after surgery that left us all very worried. I could swing a weekend trip so I headed out, Sam and Ben stayed here while I went there to provide some moral support.

It was hard to see Mom in a hospital bed. It's such a minimizing experience; everyone looks small and weak even when they aren't. Add worry to that and a general dislike of knowing someone I care about is feeling awful and it makes for a very stressful situation all the way around.

It was also hard to look at my brother and see that he's looking older too. Hey, I'm pretty good at denying my own aging if there isn't anyone else around for comparison! Only kids are allowed to look older you know, everyone else has to stop aging so they always look the same.

Mom worried about what Dad and I were eating while I was there, she couldn't help herself! Had she been able to plan for this there would have been a meal in the refrigerator for each day she was going to be in the hospital. Dad and I foraged in the refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards and did just fine of course and I have to say it was a bit of a relief to not be trying to figure out what to cook for a few days.

I took the crazy dog for long walks to try to wear her out a bit so she wouldn't be so mopey from missing Mom. I think I made a friend but as soon as Mom walked in the door I was person non grata. It was interesting walking the neighborhood of my youth. There are now lots of brand new McMansions with huge three car garages surrounding the old farmhouses and seventies ranches and split levels of my youth. I also realized that I never really walked the area much as a kid since when we lived there I was a teenager and my primary goal in life was to move as little as possible. A sloth! I really wanted to be a sloth.

Dad and I took the dog into the wooded area behind the house and suddenly the dog scared something we hadn't seen. We thought at first that it was a large rabbit but after it got over it's initial fright, a very little fawn bounded away from us. It was only a couple of feet from us in the grass and we didn't see it until Lizzie scared it away. The doe heard the commotion and came flying, snorting at us. She seemed huge. First she followed the fawn but then she ran the other way, trying to get us to follow her. She kept it up until we decided to make her leave.

Ben had a challenging weekend with Sam but hey, no sympathy here! And while I missed them I think it was also good that I got a bit of a break from my little tyrant.

The good news is that Mom escaped right before I left. No more hospitals! Yay! Things look good for now and I hope it stays that way.