Birthday month, saying goodbye, life is fragile

Bridgette, Cathryn, Cori, me, Becky, Nate, Mama and Chase all have birthdays this month. Bridgette’s is past and Cathryn’s is today. Happy birthday Cathryn! Cori’s is tomorrow. Mine is Monday. Becky’s is on Tuesday. Nate’s is on Wednesday. Mama and Chase’s birthdays round out the month on the 29^th. Our typical September.

Yesterday evening, I started working on the leaking hydrant at the corral as soon as I fed the animals. The leak was in the ground, so I had to dig up the hydrant to expose the leak. With the ground softened by the water from the leak, it was easy enough to do. Once exposed, I saw that the fitting to the waterline had loosened and needed to be reinserted into the waterline and a new band clamp put on the line to tighten up to the fitting. Everything in the ground looked good, so I filled the hole I had dug to expose the line. I have a hose attached to the hydrant and there did not appear to be any leaks in the hydrant and the hose. However, this morning the area was thoroughly soaked. The current leak is at the top of the hydrant and the fitting that should be available to slow or stop that leak in tightened as far as it is able. To stop that leak, the hydrant will need to be replaced. Oh, well. All but one of the hydrants were secondhand when they were installed on the farm. So, I am not alarmed that this one has failed. Maybe a little disappointed, but not alarmed.

As I was working on repairing the leak on the hydrant, I was required to shut off the water to the line feeding the hydrant. When I went into the small wellhouse to shut off the water, I found a leak on that line in the wellhouse. That required me to go to Lowe’s to buy a replacement valve that had been damaged in the deep freeze we suffered through last winter. Once I had the valve in hand, it was an easy replacement to make. That line was leak-free this morning. At least, I was able to correct that leak. The other will take a bit more time, more effort and more money.

Since I had to go to town to get a replacement valve, I got cleaned up and went to the visitation for our church member. Her surviving husband is a good friend, and we know several of the children and grandchildren. I am glad I went. I got a chance to visit with the children and the grandchildren and catch up on what has been happening in their lives. I got to spend only a few minutes with Bro. Stallard, but I asked him if he had gotten to say goodbye to his wife. He teared up and told me he did not. He had tested positive for the virus while her test had showed that she was negative. Those results were with the quick test method. Because of that he had isolated himself from her. It was only after she had died – which happened very quickly – that the test that takes several days came back and revealed that she was positive for the virus. By that time, it was too late. She had gone home to Heaven the morning he received the results. Life is fragile and fleeting and with the rush I am making toward that expected end to my life, the more fragile it seems.

Mama and Victoria made it to Florida without incident. Norman met them at the airport to take them on to Grandma and Grandpa; however, since he was in town, Norman made multiple stops along the route home to get supplies for himself as well as Grandma and Grandpa. Though Mama and Victoria got to Tampa about 10:30 local time, it took until almost 3 pm to get to the RV park. Mama and Victoria will be staying in an RV next to Grandma and Grandpa so is will not cost us to house them during their visit. That is a blessing. I am praying that they have a good visit. It will have to suffice for quite some time. I do not anticipate sending Mama back anytime soon, but I did not anticipate her returning to Florida so quickly this time. Life seems to happen in spite of our best laid plans.

Grandma and Grandpa tell us that they do not play favorites, but that is clearly not the case. Victoria is special to them and having her there is a great encouragement to them both. There will be a lot of pressure put on Victoria to stay or to find a way to move near them. From Victoria’s point of view, they made their choice when they moved away. She feels no obligation to follow them, but Grandma is unrelenting in her attempts to guilt-trip Victoria into some obligation for their wellbeing. Mama is there to intervene if needed, but the burden will fall on Victoria. We will have to wait to see how that situation resolves itself.

It is entirely understandable from Grandma’s perspective. When a person is in need of constant care even to do such things as relieve themselves or to turn about in the bed, it is far preferable to receive that care from someone who is fond of you instead of that care coming from a kind stranger who is paid to provide that care.

From our perspective, it is a blessing that such care from a stranger is available when we are too worn out to continue providing that care. Again, we will have to wait to see how this resolves itself, because at some point in the very near future, that decision will be dictated by circumstances beyond the control of those required to make that decision.

Our health, like our life, is fragile and fleeting.