Letters from Hannah

Yesterday, a card came from Hannah, and enclosed in the card was a letter from one of Hannah's students.  Mommy LOVED it!  David could understand that.  He said that when he was in Iraq, the soldiers all loved getting mail from students.  This letter was from Joseph, and he wishes for Mommy to have "joy from the angels,"  What a sweet wish!

Yesterday also, Mommy's sister, Bonnie, called, and Mommy was able to use my cellphone by holding it up to her ear without accidentally turning it off, and she could hear pretty well, I think.  So, anytime anyone wants to call, call my number.  It's easier for her to talk with the handset, but it is possible for her to talk without it.  She spoke a few minutes with Aunt Bonnie this morning, too, and her face just lit up like a Christmas tree when she heard Aunt Bonnie's voice.  (I'd called to get her recipe for applesauce.)  I almost didn't think to give the phone to Mommy this morning because she was in a bad mood and was mad at me for changing out bed linens, but after just that short bit of phone call, her mood lifted, and she is so happy now :-).

Frugal living sidetrack . . .

I'm working on being frugal here, and I'm trying to use an entire chicken.  I need help with ideas for what to do with aspic.  Anybody ever done anything with it?  According to Google, it has over 19 grams of protein per 200 grams. That is an AMAZING protein content.

Here's what I've done with the chicken so far.  Of course we ate the meat. Then, I boiled the bones and skin all day yesterday.  Then, I strained out the liquid from that first boiling and let it sit in cold overnight.  This morning, I scraped the fat off the aspic that had set from the liquid (I'll use the fat for baking powder biscuits in a few minutes here).  Now, I'm boiling the bones and bits again today and I'll use what I get from them for a base for homemade dog and cat food.  After that, I'll bake the bones until they are dry and smash them with a hammer for bone meal for my garden.

But, I've got around 2000 grams of aspic so far - and there is more to come as I cook more chickens . . .  Any ideas?

Perfect Peace

This morning Jeanie called, and during the conversation she mentioned that Aunt Bonnie had shared a Bible verse with her that was a real blessing.  She told me to look it up and repeated the reference a few times.

Then, later when Mommy was pondering over a page in her poetry-prayer book, I asked if I could read it, (sometimes I read the poems and verses out loud to her), and she handed me the book.  This is the page she was looking at.

Coincidence?  I think not!

What a wonderful comfort on a cool, December morning!

Here's Mommy looking at the book.  You can see why her expression would make me curious to know what she was contemplating.  :-)

"Back Brace" magic!

She's absolutely exhausted, but she walked nine steps to the commode and then TWENTY steps to the chair.  She was really pushing herself.  I think that she was just as excited as I was that she was walking.  Of course, I stood behind her with her leaning on me to steady her, and all but for about three seconds I was supporting her full weight, but I did not have to push her feet with my feet to get her to move her feet as I usually do.  And, when she first stood up, and I told her to "feel the floor under your feet," I felt her steady herself and stand by herself.  It only lasted a few seconds, but it was amazing.  

However, I let her (maybe even encouraged her) to overexert herself, and she threw-up a little of her breakfast just after this photo was taken.  You can see, just looking at her, how tired she is.  (Sorry the pic is blurry.  I took this one with my cell phone.)

The twenty steps she walked were probably about four feet of actual floor space, and I had the recliner positioned so I could reach and grab it as soon as she was tired, but I shouldn't have let her walk so far.  She got too tired.  I could have easily grabbed the recliner when she'd done ten steps, and that would have still been an amazing accomplishment!  And, I think she wouldn't have worn herself out so much.

It's hard for me to keep in mind that twenty steps for her is probably the equivalent of me trying to run a half mile.

In both the above picture, (before she was sick) and the below one (just after we got all cleaned up), you can see how the corset is just aiding her own body in sitting straight.  (I call it back brace with her because it's job is to brace her back not reduce her waist).  

Yesterday, I repeatedly asked her - every few hours - if the brace was bothering her at all and if she was ready to take it off, and she kept saying that it was fine, and "maybe we better just leave it."  Last night, we did take it off.  Amanda and I checked her front, back, and sides to make sure the brace wasn't rubbing her wrong anywhere.  It seems to be a perfect fit.  I think that is a miracle from God.  However could my old underbust corset fit her for an overbust back brace?  It's too impossible to not be a miracle. 

She's so proud of herself in the above picture!  She sits like a queen, and I really feel a difference in her demeanor.  Maybe it's like when you do power posing before job interviews?  It gets some hormone or something working.  Maybe sitting up straight gives a person confidence?  I don't know.

I can't believe that this corset fits her perfectly.  I don't even think it's at all necessary to make her a new one.

She dozed off in the recliner soon after I took this picture.  She's leaned back and Jeanie's neck pillow is supporting her head. I tried to wake her up for some lunch about fifteen minutes ago.  She won't wake up.  I think that her sleep schedule is pretty settled in for a long afternoon nap - sleeping very soundly - after breakfast and before lunch.

A Letter from Chelle!

If my camera would have snapped a half-second before this, you could have seen a lovely, lovely smile.  But, the tail end of a lovely smile is still beautiful!

I swear, I thought her eyes were twinkling!

"This work seemed to overtax my abilities. I was also afraid that I was sitting in judgement on the work of someone else. As doubt and anxiety disturbed my spirit, it occurred to me that love could substitute for my abilities, which are limited by ignorance, and that it might be better to be a laughing stock in front of people than to succumb to the danger of being disobedient." - Monk Theoderic (on his task of completing the story of Hildegard of Bingen begun by Monk Gottfried, who had left it unfinished). How much I need this today! And, how much I must take this to heart!

This morning as I was getting Mommy out of bed, I was so encouraged by her neck being straight and not twisted all out of shape because I'd done the right thing. So, I decided to do something really bold. I put one of my old corsets on her before I tried to stand her up. It is not even really tight, just snug to help her hold her own core muscles in, and praise God, she stood for a count of ten, and then walked using the walker a few steps. Granted I was holding her up and I moved her feet forward, and granted she said, "I CAN'T DO THIS! AND practically fell over onto the commode once we got to it, but we did it together, and that is something that has not been possible for the last few days - even with Amanda's help, that is Amanda on one side and me behind Mommy, Mommy's mobility has just been melting away - frighteningly! But, today, just the two of us, Mommy and me (with a little help from our corsets), stood and walked together.

I guess as I put on my own corset this morning, knowing that without it, I could throw out my back lifting Mommy, it occurred to me that she needed support too, and maybe if she just has a little help - like I need- that she'd be able to support herself better. It worked.

As I was contemplating it, I asked the picture of Francelia Hall if it was a good idea, and I swear it seemed like her eyes were twinkling. (You all may think I'm crazy, but I will admit that I do talk to photographs, And, I'm not even into old-timers yet.)

(A few minutes later) I just went in and helped Mommy into her recliner. SHE WALKED! She moved her own feet without me pushing either the backs of her knees or her feet behind her! (Of course, I was supporting her from behind - she was still too tippy to support herself, BUT SHE MOVED HER OWN FEET!)

After I got her into the recliner, I said: "Mommy do you want to take the back brace off or do you want to leave it on?" And she said, "Might's well leave it on." I checked to make sure that it was pretty loose and not too tight and then I took her picture and asked Stephan to go in there and see if it was my imagination that she seemed so much more comfortable, and he went in and talked to her for a few minutes and says that it isn't my imagination. He and Marjie both suggest that I can measure her to make one that is actually fitted to her body and put handles on it. If this isn't a fluke - that is if it works for a day or so, I'm buying a yard of duck cloth and getting to it!

As you can see, my old corset fits her like a Renaissance over-bust :) Look how straight and proud she's sitting. I feel that I was actually really given a little bit of direction, and I am so happy. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Good Morning!

I've decided to celebrate Mom's life with her today.

I'm amazed at all the happy memories that have been flooding my mind the last few days.  I know that Mommy was the best mother that God could have ever chosen for me.  Just the things I've been thinking of!  She is amazing.

I just went in and asked her if she was ready for her fruit yet, or if she wanted to wait until after I got out of the shower, and she wants to wait.  She is really enjoying her poetry prayer book.  I need to find some more of those.  I think that since they're illustrated, she may actually like them better than the Daily Bread, which hasn't come yet, anyway.