Reflections on the Second Week of Winter

 

Mom said goodbye when I called December 1^st. Several times she started to say she couldn't talk any longer because she felt like vomiting, but she kept talking. How she got to the hospital and why she was there confused her, but she remembered her home care worker had come with her husband that day and brought Mom a book to read.  

      In a calm, rational voice she said, “You'll always be my little girl . . . I'm ready for whatever happens . . . I know what you are going through. I went through this when my mother was dying.” After we'd talked about a half hour, she said, “Hey, I'm feeling better.” But she didn't want to say “goodbye.”

      I suggested we say, “I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

      Every day through December we did talk. Sometimes her energy was high, and she chatted forty minutes to an hour. Other days she wasn't feeling well, and the conversation barely lasted five minutes. Especially on the short call days, she'd say, “Thanks for calling. I appreciate you checking on me.”

      New Year's Eve Day, we had one of the short calls. I'd waited for my brother to cue me that he was visiting her at the nursing home so he could hold the phone for her. The lap quilt I'd hustled to make for her had arrived that day. She thanked me. “It's so cute.”

      I explained the quilting with Xs and Os were for hugs and kisses since I couldn't be there to hug her myself. The quilted labs were for her dog Lucy.

      She ah-ed and sniffed back tears.

      New Year's Day, my brother called to say, “Mom died last night at 11:30 . . . Your lap quilt was the last thing that made her smile.”

 

Reflection on the First Week of Winter

      Winter arrived on the calendar, but winter weather didn't. The average temperature for the first week of winter at Wells Wood is 35°. This year we averaged 55°. In the past sixty-seven years, I remember an occasional warm day in December–like the Christmas evening in Pittsburgh when I walked out onto the grass with only a sweater over my indoor clothes. But a whole week of warm days? Is climate change making a wacky swing from last year's bitter cold?

      The first day of winter was 63°. Spence, in a short sleeved T-shirt, and I, in a light jacket, walked through the woods. Our feet smooshed wet leaves and cracked twigs. Dark green ferns, bright red partridge berries, and light green skunk cabbages decorated the leaf covered ground. Blue jays squawked. Deer Creek rushed mud brown just below the top of its banks. Wet weather ponds and streams dotted the flood plain. When we got back to the log house, Spence reached for a cold can of carbonated water rather than a hot cup of coffee to warm his hands.

      Christmas Eve Day was clear and balmy. At the YMCA, the water glowed with sunshine. Life guard Bailey opened the windows and pulled a chair to the edge of the pool. In short shorts and sunglasses, she plopped into the chair then threw her arms and legs wide as if she were sun bathing.

      Back at Wells Wood Spence harvested bok choy. Though earlier frosts had softened the stems,fresh leaves grew and flowers bloomed. Honeybees gathered pollen from the bok choy and bolting chickweed.

     This morning rain pelted Wells Wood. After thunder and lightning stopped, Spence and I sloshed under umbrellas to explore the submerged flood plain. What if all that rain had been snow?

    Though the weather has been entertaining, it's also been unsettling. When will the temperatures turn cold enough to hang bird feeders without luring bears onto the deck? Will birds wait for us or find another food source? I'm not alone in wondering. Spencer's friend Roldo Bartimole sent this holiday greeting: “Hope you enjoy the holidays and the weather even though it means disaster in the long run.”

 

Reflections on the Thirteenth Week of Fall

Guest Blog by Emma and Her Human Ghost Writer

      Managing Janet is a chore. She's been in a tizzy over writing a story about “her other cat,” meaning me, and she whines to Spence, “Emma behaves like a cat. She isn't quirky like George. George thinks he's a dog.”

      What's she expect? At least she got “quirky” right.

      Whatever. I try to sooth her. When she bangs up the spiral stairs, I follow. She crinkles paper and dangles ribbons. I give an assuring merrow, let her pet me, and knead the afghan on the loft bed.

      George whacks the dangling ribbon, and Janet sets a white box on its side. “Doesn't that look like fun, Emma?”

      As if.

      George dives in head first and twitches his butt. No way that fat ass will fit. Maybe he does want to be a dog. I take a nap.

      Janet calms down a little, but I stay alert. I cue her to fill the food bowl and squeal when I'm resting on the floor cause she forgets to watch where she's walking. I give her extra attention like singing a chorus of merrows to help her talk on the phone. I even rush to the bathroom so she can pet me every time she sits on the toilet. That should be enough.

      It isn't.

      As I amble toward the food bowl, she grabs me, wraps me in a red blanket, and whisks me outside. “Look at the pretty Christmas tree, Emma.”

      Berrrrrrow. I could have seen the white lights from beside the warm wood stove. Where's her imagination? But I look. Best to satisfy her craziness and get back inside.

      She carries me to the deck. “Look at the snow, Emma.”

      She looks. I check what's happening inside the glass doors. Spence is hitting his computer without me curled next to him. George eats out of my side of the bowl. “Merrow. Merrow.” Doesn't she understand I want to go in?

      Apparently not. She hugs me tight, hauls me across the porch, and heads down the steps.

      “Merrow. Merrow.” I squirm and try to jump out of her arms.

      She squeezes me and keeps moving away from the house.

      I glance around to get my bearings. Snow flakes melt on my head.

      “Look at the snow on the tree, Emma.”

      Doesn't she feel the snow? But I look. I even sniff a branch.

      Still not satisfied, she sticks my paw in the snow.

      Sheesh. I withdraw into the blanket and wait for her episode to pass. She stops at tree after tree. No birds. No squirrels. No food. What's so fascinating? Finally, she heads for the porch. I let her carry me to the top step then make my move. I wiggle my front paws out of the blanket.

      She squeezes harder and opens the gate.

      I wiggle my back legs out of the blanket and twist so I'm paw-down.

      She squashes my middle and opens the door. Finally, she sets me down.  

      As I race for the blue bedroom, I hear Spence ask, “How did Emma do outside?”

     Yawn. I need a nap.

Reflections on the Twelfth Week of Fall

         Camera dangling from my neck, I followed Spence outside to take photos of him harvesting wood. He had another idea. When we reached the garage to fetch his tools, he said, “You drive the tractor.” He handed me the ear protectors and wandered down into his garden.

      Having driven the Mahindra just last week, I figured I could remember how to start the tractor. I fit the protectors over my ears, turned the key one notch, and waited for the light to indicate the cylinders were warm. It glowed. I turned the key one more notch.

      Spence rushed back to the driveway. “You have to count to ten and wait for the engine to warm up.”

      “I did. It's warm.” I put my heel on the reverse pedal.

      “You have to give it gas.”

      Oops. I pushed the lever from the turtle symbol halfway up to the rabbit. The engine roared. I hit the reverse pedal again. Screech. Crunch. Double oops.

      Hands waving over his head, Spence yelled “Stop! You have to lift the bucket.” He walked around the tractor, pulled the hydraulic lever, and, when the bucket lifted, gave me the thumbs up to drive.

      Frequently checking over his shoulder, he led me back to the house, down that driveway, through the tree nursery, and down the path to Deer Creek. Like an airport ground handler, Spence guided me around curves and stumps. The tractor rocked back and forth, but I stayed in the seat. Following his hand motions I backed the tractor up to the bank of the creek.

      Wearing his knee high yellow boots, Spence grabbed the chain saw from the bucket and waded across shallow ripples.

      Since I wasn't wearing boots, I stayed on the tractor side.

      He stepped over downed trees on his circuitous route to the ready-to-cut cherry. Sawdust flew as the chainsaw ripped through the trunk. Spence held a log under each arm, stepped over tree debris, and waded through the creek to load the wood in the bucket.

      Because the logs came from a freshly fallen tree which had roots in the water, the firewood was wet and heavy. Spence needed to split the other sections before carrying them across the creek. He drove the tractor back up with the chain saw and four logs to exchange them for his maul, wedge, and sledge hammer. Ready, he stepped to the side of the tractor and said, “You drive.”

      This time I started the tractor, gave it gas, and lifted the bucket with no prompts. On the way down the hill, I watched the tires to manage the curves.

      Spence waded back across the creek.

      I clicked the camera trying to time his swings and the wood splitting.

      After cutting and hauling three loads, he said, “It's going to be a Ben Gay night." 

 

Reflections on the Eleventh Week of Fall

     The rumble of pickup trucks on West Creek Road woke me Monday–the first day of deer season. Mid morning, Spence walked me to the garage for my drive to the Meadville YMCA. A hunter's truck was parked in the old driveway. I looked down at my black coat, decided Spence's red baseball cap would protect us, and planned to start wearing red or orange outside.

     Spence waved me down the road. Later, while I ate lunch, he related his morning adventures. He had briefly chatted with the two men from the parked truck. They stood in orange vests, wore rifles in slings on their shoulders, and rubbed their cold hands. Spence pointed to where he'd be doing his version of hunting–gathering firewood with his bright red tractor and noisy blue chain saw. Spence chuckled as he finished the report. “A half hour after they gave up and left, two deer galloped down the hill.”

     I also chuckled-imagining the pair splashing across Deer Creek.

     But earlier at the YMCA, I had my own first day of deer season adventures. School age children, who weren't out hunting, wandered the halls while their parents exercised. Jim, the hefty guy from my Deep Water Fitness class, was the only man in the pool. “Are you going hunting?” I asked.

      “No, no. I only went twice to appease my father.” He grimaced then added, “But my mother hunted. At ninety-two she bagged a deer.” Though I was wet from a pre-swim shower and wanted to slip into the water quickly, I shivered on the deck and listened to Jim's story. His mother had hunted from what their family called “the winter palace,” a tree stand in the woods with windows in all four walls and a kerosene heater to keep her warm. She'd drive her mini jeep under the palace, climb the ladder to the enclosed platform, and snack on sandwiches.

     On my way home from lap swim, I passed six pickup trucks and a dozen orange clad men regrouping in Charlie Flickenger's yard. They wouldn't have time to start hunting before I walked back to the house. I pulled into the garage and guessed Spence had already considered that walk. On a board sticking out of the back of his truck, he had hung my red vest.

Reflections on the Tenth Week of Fall

 

 

   I was horrified by a story on the radio Tuesday. Millennials gleefully described Friendsgiving, a Thanksgiving shared with good friends rather than relatives. ( https://hereandnow.wbur.org/2015/11/24/friendsgiving-sam-whitehead ) This year my celebration brought relatives in a slow crescendo.

   We started with three on Thanksgiving morning. Spencer Charles cut onions and celery for the stuffing. I rubbed olive oil on the skin of the fresh, fourteen pound turkey. Spencer Thomas split firewood. In the evening we relaxed with a quiet meal incorporating homegrown Wells Wood ingredients–highbush cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, onions for the stuffing, and strawberries and an apple in the pie.

   Friday Spence and I scouted where to dig the hole for planting the tiny, blue spruce with its burlap wrapped root ball–after it has served as our Christmas tree. Then Ellen and her husband Chris arrived increasing us to five. Because UPS and New Jersey in-laws will claim our offspring for Christmas, we opened Christmas presents, chuckled on the number of Sherlock Holmes related gifts, and reminisced about the Handfasting Celebration last October.

   The Pittsburgh Wellses drove through rain to make Saturday a celebration of twelve. Addy, ten months old, captured everyone's attention by squealing as she crawled after cats, running after step-step-stepping as she held Ellen's hands, and reaching open arms to each relative in turn. Laughter bounced through the house. The twelve of us ate a Wells-brother chili/tortilla meal. Patrick organized Mad Libs while I washed dishes and contributed the words “water,” “soapy,” and “wet.” The gang moved on to Karma, a crazy card game, then charades. Addy shrieked trying to stay awake. 

    I wrapped her in a blanket and carried her outside to the porch where the live Christmas tree stood in a wash tub on a table and glowed through the window. Addy reverently inspected the white lights and sand dollar ornaments. I rubbed her back and was thankful that as I age, the family grows giving me more relatives to enjoy. To me, Thanksgiving will always mean family.

Reflections on the Ninth Week of Fall

 

      There she was again. The woman I silently call “Chair Lady” fastened the strap on her black bathing cap as I arrived to change for lap swim on Monday. Standing, her long thin legs brushed against a white plastic chair with arms. In the shower room a similar chair stood sentry by the third shower stall–the stall she always uses.

      I could call her “T-shirt Lady” because she wears a white short-sleeved T-shirt under her black bathing suit, “Break Lady” because she makes frequent bathroom trips, or “Waltz Lady” because she wraps herself in a bath towel and practices waltz steps in the shower room. But I couldn't call her by name.

      That was silly. It was the middle of November, and I'd been seeing her at lap swim since March. I suppressed my shy side and turned to ask her.

She was chatting with two other women.

      I didn't interrupt. Instead I took a pre-swim shower and followed her down the wet tile steps to the pool.

      In the first lane, Jim, a hefty guy from the Deep Water Fitness class, swished Styrofoam barbells and pedaled his legs as if he were riding a bicycle. He turned toward us. “It's the Lisa and Janet show staring Lisa and Janet.”

      Lisa laughed.

      I smirked. Thanks to Jim, I didn't have to ask.