MimiRock at Castle Yonder
The Rockwell Family
Jessica, Geoff, Chris, Mimi, Rocky
We had a chaotic Christmas at Castle Yonder! It started on Dec. 11 when we had our first snow of the winter season, about 2 inches which made the woods look really pretty.
Then Dec. 14, Rocky started having abdominal pain. We know he has gall stones and our Family Practitioner was very pessimistic about his being able to tolerate anesthesia in order to remove them surgically. Well, he toughed through it until the next afternoon and then insisted on going to the ER. I tried very hard to get him there, but due to my increased breathing difficulties I knew I could not drop him off, park the car, and walk back into the hospital in the bitter cold weather.
We got ourselves as far as my car in the carport, and then I called 911 and the emergency crew took him there. We were pretty sure they would admit him, so I did not go along. They did admit him and for awhile talked about doing surgery. Then they saw how bad his lungs are, told him his odds of survival, and that it was his decision.
By that time, Thursday, the pain had stopped so he decided not to have surgery, but to give it another try at controlling it with diet (hah!). I visited him for four hours on Thurs. Friday there was a huge snowstorm and the hospital found reasons to keep him, so he was warm and safe in the hospital.
But here at home, I was snowbound! Our neighbor, Rudy, managed to get up our hill Fri. afternoon to bring me the mail, but I understand he slipped and slid all the way back home. But I felt very secure knowing we have a generator that will kick in if we lose our power, and a gas log for additional heat. Just in case, I took the flashlight to bed with me.
Geoff came 4-wheeling in late Sat. afternoon, but didn't quite make it. He got to the top of the hill right before our parking lot and must have taken his foot off the gas because his big diesel truck slid out of his control and ended up sideways across the road so no one else could get in or out.
So then the two of us were showbound until Mon. morning when two of our friends with a 4-wheel drive truck and chains got in and pulled him out. By that time the sun was in and out and the snow began to melt off. Then Geoff could go to the grocery store and the grandkids could get in. It's stayed cold but no more precip.
Christmas time is not the time to try to diet, so Rocky has enjoyed all the food that got cooked up by Geoff and Jessica. They left over the weekend, and sure enough, the abdominal pain started again Sunday evening and has been intermittent since then.
I don't know what to expect. 2009 was a year of great changes for us and thinking about what 2010 might bring produces a lot of anxiety. But, hey, the wishes can't hurt, so I'm wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
