Magical_Suitcase
aka: kid-at-heart
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2018
Many, many years ago, my dear friend Ellen wrote a trip report entitled “DisMoms” or something of the sort. Reading her report hooked me on disboards and trip reports. A decade or so later I am attempting to write my first report. Wish me luck Ellen! My gift of gab is not but I will try…
Escape!
We did it. We actually managed to steal away for an extended weekend jaunt; just the two of us, Kate and Rob. It was AWESOME! This trip was rescheduled so many times that we were surprised it actually happened. It is difficult for us to travel, to find sitters for puppies and Grandma. We planned to travel spring break 2018 (I am a professor), life got in the way. We planned to travel early summer, life got in the way. Do you see a pattern… My mom, age 92, lives with us and needs 24 hour care. We made arrangements for her to fly to my sister’s farm out west, late spring for six, count them, six wonderful weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother but she came to stay for just a few months when our daughter was a baby and that was twenty years ago… One week before she was to fly away, up pops a heart blockage and a pacemaker installation and no trip out west. Oh my, woe is me. After my pity party that went on for days, I pulled up my big girl panties and started rearranging schedules, with the help of my sisters. Since Mom could not fly per doctors’ orders until August, one sister flew out to help with her care for a couple of weeks and the other rearranged her life to have Mom come visit her for a few weeks once she could fly. We rescheduled our cruise and crossed our fingers. Finally the stars were in alignment and holding our breath we left our humble adobe. We just moved here a year ago and are ecstatic at finally owning a farm, small farm, only five acres but hey, it came with a red barn.
Josie is 92.
She grew up in rural Florida (NOT Disney World). At age 15 she left home to work in a “peanut” factory. She worked full time from age 15 to age 62. She married young and after nineteen years decided life would be better for her and her children if she were not married. She was correct and we became a family of only females. One good parent is better than one good and one not so good. Once divorced she supported herself and her daughters until they left home and then continued working until age 62 when she had a heart attack and applied for SS. Thirty years after her heart attack she is still with us, a bit more wobbly but her mind fairly intact.
Four legged children left behind:
Pippin and Paisley (and Dad, who we did not leave behind...) Paisley and Pippin are brats, they bark at anything that moves, people, snow, leaves... They are rescues; they were “uh-ohs”. They are supposed to be mixed but both look and act like purebred dachshunds. Brats!
And Piper. Piper was also a rescue. (We seem to be a family of rescues...) Piper was noise-shy and was bred to be a hunting dog but .... We are not hunters so she fit perfectly with our family.
We lost Piper this summer. She also was part of the reason we kept rescheduling our trip. We found out last October that she had a mass growing in her chest and we would not have her much longer. She stayed with us until July. Miss my little walking buddy more than I can say.
We also left behind Squirrel, our daughter Sarah.
Normally we travel as a family but Squirrel is now in college and is more interested in spending a couple of weeks during the summer in Colorado participating in an archeological dig, sleeping on the ground, eating camp food, bathing under a sun shower, using a Porta Potty and basically doing anything other than traveling with the “old folks”, well, one of us is old. The other not… So we left her behind. Obviously this is an old, old photo.
The rescheduled sail date was approaching. Mom was flying south to stay with sister #2 (she is only #2 because that is her birth order, I am #3) and a friend of Squirrel’s was staying with the puppies. We were set… or were we?
Escape!
We did it. We actually managed to steal away for an extended weekend jaunt; just the two of us, Kate and Rob. It was AWESOME! This trip was rescheduled so many times that we were surprised it actually happened. It is difficult for us to travel, to find sitters for puppies and Grandma. We planned to travel spring break 2018 (I am a professor), life got in the way. We planned to travel early summer, life got in the way. Do you see a pattern… My mom, age 92, lives with us and needs 24 hour care. We made arrangements for her to fly to my sister’s farm out west, late spring for six, count them, six wonderful weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mother but she came to stay for just a few months when our daughter was a baby and that was twenty years ago… One week before she was to fly away, up pops a heart blockage and a pacemaker installation and no trip out west. Oh my, woe is me. After my pity party that went on for days, I pulled up my big girl panties and started rearranging schedules, with the help of my sisters. Since Mom could not fly per doctors’ orders until August, one sister flew out to help with her care for a couple of weeks and the other rearranged her life to have Mom come visit her for a few weeks once she could fly. We rescheduled our cruise and crossed our fingers. Finally the stars were in alignment and holding our breath we left our humble adobe. We just moved here a year ago and are ecstatic at finally owning a farm, small farm, only five acres but hey, it came with a red barn.
Josie is 92.
She grew up in rural Florida (NOT Disney World). At age 15 she left home to work in a “peanut” factory. She worked full time from age 15 to age 62. She married young and after nineteen years decided life would be better for her and her children if she were not married. She was correct and we became a family of only females. One good parent is better than one good and one not so good. Once divorced she supported herself and her daughters until they left home and then continued working until age 62 when she had a heart attack and applied for SS. Thirty years after her heart attack she is still with us, a bit more wobbly but her mind fairly intact.
Four legged children left behind:
Pippin and Paisley (and Dad, who we did not leave behind...) Paisley and Pippin are brats, they bark at anything that moves, people, snow, leaves... They are rescues; they were “uh-ohs”. They are supposed to be mixed but both look and act like purebred dachshunds. Brats!
And Piper. Piper was also a rescue. (We seem to be a family of rescues...) Piper was noise-shy and was bred to be a hunting dog but .... We are not hunters so she fit perfectly with our family.
We lost Piper this summer. She also was part of the reason we kept rescheduling our trip. We found out last October that she had a mass growing in her chest and we would not have her much longer. She stayed with us until July. Miss my little walking buddy more than I can say.
We also left behind Squirrel, our daughter Sarah.
Normally we travel as a family but Squirrel is now in college and is more interested in spending a couple of weeks during the summer in Colorado participating in an archeological dig, sleeping on the ground, eating camp food, bathing under a sun shower, using a Porta Potty and basically doing anything other than traveling with the “old folks”, well, one of us is old. The other not… So we left her behind. Obviously this is an old, old photo.
The rescheduled sail date was approaching. Mom was flying south to stay with sister #2 (she is only #2 because that is her birth order, I am #3) and a friend of Squirrel’s was staying with the puppies. We were set… or were we?
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