Riding 29 year old Sandy in 1997

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Rough Month

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.

Tax season ended April 17, just over a month ago.  Since then I spent a couple weeks doing some much-needed work at the Ranch, primarily installing cabinets in the garage and finally getting some semblance of order in there.  Things tend to pile up during tax season and I was desperate to put order to my scattered tools.

Then I went to California to do some accounting work.  I've sub taught four times in the past month.  I made several trips to the valley (100 miles away) to visit my sister's 95 year old mother-in-law, who was in a rehab center recovering from a broken hip and the surgery to fix it.

And then last Saturday my parents were in a car accident that has left my mother still in the hospital a week later, suffering from 10 broken ribs -- not a good thing in an 88 year old woman.  My father suffered a few cuts from glass but is otherwise unhurt.

Two days later my sister's mother-in-law had a stroke.

I spent three days in the valley last weekend, Saturday through Monday, returned on Wednesday, then again yesterday.

Last night the mother-in-law passed away.  A very sweet woman who lived a very long and full life has gone on to a better place.

My own mother seems to be improving and is being moved from ICU to a regular room tonight, and hopefully to her own rehab center by Tuesday or Wednesday.

I canceled a planned vacation that was to start this week.

Anyway . . . it's been a very hectic and stressful month since my last post.  At least all the animals have been fine.  I wish I had time to ride one of them!

This evening I will experience the total eclipse of the sun.  I might do one of those things where you watch the shadow cast by the light going through a hole in a piece of paper or cardboard.  But somehow that just doesn't seem to be all that exciting, and actually watching the eclipse could leave me blind so I may give it one quick glance when I think it's complete and I can say I "saw" the eclipse, which sounds like it's pretty much a once in a lifetime thing to see.

Hopefully smoke from the several fires won't obscure it.  Although that might make for a unique experience too.  Last week the smoke from the Sunflower fire drifted across and the sun was a bright red spot behind the haze, appearing about the size of a dime.  Guess maybe we had a different kind of eclipse that day.

Anyway . . . there's been no time or energy for blogging this past month, and things will continue to be chaotic until my mother gets home again.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.

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