Well, my flight to Wisconsin is booked for February 5. Now all I have to do is wait that long. I wish I could go TODAY. There are practical reasons why Mom thinks it's better to wait. I can help her move into her new condo in February. Won't it be strange to see the same old furniture plopped down in a new setting? I'm interested to see what the house will look like, all taken apart. I should take pictures; maybe go on a couple of my favorite walks while I'm there, as I probably won't be back. There's a neighbor lady who was always nice to me when I was little: baking cookies and keeping plenty of toys for when I came to play. She didn't have children of her own. I'll need to go and see her. It's silly, but I might take some small thing to hide in the house, that will stay there. I'll put it somewhere that the new owners won't look.
I know what I plan to take with me when I go:
The maple bedstead
Dad's desk from when he was a boy
A bookcase from the basement
A mattress and box spring
An old trunk with pressed tin decorating the sides
A cedar chest full of old photos
There are some books, too...and my great-great grandmother's family Bible.
I'm trying to be careful about what I ask for; thinking whether we really need it, whether it will fit in. My SIL has agreed to take the pool table! Amazing! Paul will take Dad's animal skull collection. My niece was going to take the piano, but she's changed her mind. My older brother was on the phone today, asking if I wanted the piano. Ugh. I don't think so.
And the organ! What to do with it. It's a 19th Century reed organ. You know the kind where you pump the air with your feet... We used to pump it as hard as we could, so see how loud we could make it play. I can attest to its sturdiness. No one has a place for it. I just can't picture it in my house. But it belonged to my great-grandmother... Every item in the house represents a decision.
Weird that Dad went to church two Sundays ago, little knowing that he would never go home again. He'll go from the hospital right to the nursing home that is part of the same assisted living complex where they had purchased the condo.
He was supposed to be transferred today, but he has contracted pneumonia, they are having trouble with his feeding tube, etc... Mom sounded really discouraged on the pone. She wanted to get him out of the hospital and get the hell out of Madison. Maybe Monday or Tuesday. If it looks like he's going to die, she promised to send for me right away. Otherwise, I'll be here in Utah, twiddling my thumbs for a couple more weeks.
2 comments:
Wow on the organ! We had one of those, too! My mom bought it when she was about 20-years-old and it was part of our family cabin for my entire life until a few years ago when it started having problems and my mom brought it home to have it repaired. It was in our garage and identified as ground zero for our house fire - though there was no reason for it to have started on fire. Ironically, the little seat that went with it was in my mom's office and survived to become a plant holder in her new living room.
Just had to tell that story. Where else could I possibly to tell organ stories? (Oh right. I have a blog... Nah, it's better told here.)
This is a hard time for you Kate. So many difficult decisions to make and things to worry about.
Here's hoping for the best for you and your parents.
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