RVing With a Purpose

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Max: I drove to Red Bay again today to check on the status of our new motorhome being built there. But it wasn’t there. The nice security officers tracked it down to the paint facility in Belmont, Mississippi which is just across the state line from Red Bay. The nice security officer in Belmont pointed me in the direction he thought it would be. But it wasn’t there. After I walked through the areas it was scheduled to be today and returned to the security office we found out it was in one of large paint booths on the “paint repair line”. After all that I was able to stay with it the rest of the day and watch the workers touch up paint defects (some of which I couldn’t even see), apply the brand decals and seal the windshield. Another interesting day.

According to the schedule, tomorrow it should have the final sealing and rain test then return to Red Bay for final inspection and the installation of the items that go in after painting.

On returning home, I found there had been a storm here, the driveway had washed again and the power was off. It still is as I write this.

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Anne: No pictures for me, just an update for those of you that don’t know what’s been happening. Currently I am in Atlanta with my Mom. Last Saturday Max and I returned from South Carolina as far as Atlanta. We stayed with Marguerite while Jim drove to meet my other brother who was bringing my Mom from Tuscaloosa with plans for Mom to sit with Marguerite this week so Jim could take care of some business. Max and I left Jim’s about 5:45 Sunday morning with intentions of being in Oneonta in time for church and Sunday School. However….. Semper Gumby. We were between Ashville and Oneonta when I received a call from my brother Jim. Mom had fallen when she got out of bed, so instead of continuing to Oneonta, we went home and I gathered a few clothes and immediately returned to Atlanta. Long story short, Mom had a light stroke, and fell, breaking both bones in the lower leg just as they join the ankle. Her speech, once slurred,  has returned to normal, but she still has some balance problems and slight weakness in left hand, arm and leg. Hopefully tomorrow she will have surgery to repair the breaks with screws and plates. She had to wait at least 48 hours after the stroke to get clearance from neurology for the surgery. We won’t know until about 6:00 am tomorrow if she has made the surgery schedule. If not, we will try for Thursday. So, for now we just ask for prayers for successful surgery and quick healing and strength to walk through these difficult times for our entire family.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

We are both blessed with still having our mother’s with us for another Mother’s Day. And we both got to see our mothers today, although Anne in Georgia and Max in Alabama.

Anne:  I am still in Atlanta with my brother Jim and his wife Marguerite who has ovarian cancer.  My Mom has been here for the past week and it’s time for her to go back to Tuscaloosa.  I will stay a few days to help Jim out with some cooking, cleaning, and care of Marguerite.  It’s a blessing to get to spend some time with them and visit even though it’s under the lousy circumstances of cancer.  Since I hadn’t seen Mom since we went to the Sumatanga project six weeks ago it was great to get to see her, too.  Very grateful that I was able to be with my Mom on Mother’s Day.  Really hate that I was unable to see Max’s mom today but at least he was able to see her.  Marguerite had a really rough morning, but pain improved during the afternoon and we had a little time to visit when she was fairly comfortable.  Taking it one day at a time.

Max: As I was headed out the door to go to church I looked out through the garage door window and saw a doe standing just outside. I grabbed a camera and slipped out the back door. Using the corner of the house as a blind, I held the camera around the corner and snapped a few pictures. The deer heard the shutter and slowly walked away. By the time it was out of sight, three other does joined her and trotted over the hill. That is one of the joys of living in the country.

Yesterday, while working on the back deck, I heard a familiar hum overhead and then some tiny chirps. Someone was telling me it was time to put the hummingbird feeder back out. As soon as I did, a camera shy male came and checked it out and left. This afternoon there were several around the feeder so I was able to get a few pictures.

Later this evening I took Mother her card and gift, an autographed copy of Murder in Blount County by Judi McGuire. It is a fictional mystery based in our home county using names of people and places that we know. Of course, unknown to us, she had bought herself a copy on Wednesday when the author was at the Oneonta Public Library for a book signing. Anyway, it was good to see her (and my sister who was also visiting) and Mother appreciated the thought.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Last night Anne received a call from her brother asking her to come to Senoia (Atlanta), Ga to help with Marguerite.  Marguerite had taken another turn for the worse, was in a great deal of pain and Jim was having problems getting it under control. Anne left early this morning to drive over.  She arrived safely and found things had improved a little over night.  Marguerite is, as expected, continuing to decline.  She is not yet in Hospice, but that may change the first of the week.  Pain control is becoming more difficult.  Please continue to pray for the entire family.

When we returned from North Carolina, our driveway had washed out some from the heavy rains while we were gone, then again yesterday while we were in Red Bay. So, today Max’s priority was to get started making the driveway passable for a motorhome. First he had to do some regular maintenance on the tractor and get it out of the basement without tearing up the back yard too much. Once that was done it only took a few hours to repair the washouts and mow back some of the privet hedge from the sides. There are still some limbs to cut before the new motorhome arrives, but at least now cars can get in and out without dragging and having limbs drag across them.

Max also rode a few miles on his bicycle for the first time since his surgery. No problems and he enjoyed the ride to visit his mother.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.