My Trip to Texas - Day 4

It’s bedtime here now and it was a seemingly quiet day around here. +++++++++++++ I got up around 8:30 am this morning and folded some laundry. Mary Ann woke up soon after I had finished and we changed Dad. This was an exceptionally difficult change as we had to change all the sheets. We attempted to do this with him in bed, but we then decided that it would be easier to move him to a chair. In the process of changing him, I didn’t maintain my attention on Dad and he swiped at Mary Ann’s face and gave her a good scratch. Even though Dad is not all there, he felt bad about hurting her, saying “pobrecita” and crying for a bit. ++++++++++++++ I spent the rest of the morning up until 12:45 picking up the rest of the tree limbs that I had cut the day before. In the process of carrying a rather cumbersome and exceptionally scratchy limb, I got some battle “wounds.” This particular limb, which I was carrying on my right shoulder, began to fall and instead of letting it fall, I tried to keep it balanced. In the process, I not only dropped the limb off my shoulder, but it took some flesh from my neck. It didn’t look too bad, but the salty sweat running into it provided a nice burn for a few minutes. ++++++++++++++ During and just after lunch, Mary Ann and I had an emotional visit. We revisited our last days and hours with my brother Jimmy -- laughing and crying, but mostly crying. We were both feeling melancholic, but it was a healthy 1 hour visit. ++++++++++++++ After our long “lonche,” Mary Ann and I changed Dad. And after changing Dad, I retrieved the tractor with the front-end loader and brought it around the side of the house. Tomorrow, I am going to move a pile of broken bricks that had been dumped under some trees and to create some “burms” in a water way that cuts through one of the cotton fields. When it rains, it makes the small ditch deeper and steeper, so I’m going to drop them in to flatten out the water’s pathway. ++++++++++++++ Moving the tractor only took about 5 minutes. Mary Ann mowed the lawn and I went around taking cuttings from some of the roses around the house to take to the cemetery. I then took one of David’s work trucks to the cemetery to leave the flowers there. It was hot and windy, which is the norm around here. I didn’t get to visit much at Jimmy’s and Mom’s gravesides as I spent the majority of the time watering a few newly planted trees (Mike planted them last week) and some of the other ones that I could reach. I had to return home so that Mary Ann could go to a church council meeting at 6:00. ++++++++++++++ By the time I got home at 5:00, Mary Ann was making squash with corn. I was put in charge of making refried beans, which I did. Mary Ann left around 5:45 and I was home alone with Dad for about 40 minutes, during which time I sat and visited with him as we watched “El Capo,” which is a pretty intense/dramatic show (on one of the Spanish channels). David arrived around 6:30 and we change Dad again. He was cooperative; perhaps he was feeling bad about hurting Mary Ann earlier. We made short work, and David hurried off for a school board meeting; apparently, they were hiring a new superintendent. I stayed home alone with Dad for another 45 minutes and Pat and her family (Madeline, Felicia, and Brandon) arrived for a quick visit. I fed Dad during this time and visited with Pat briefly. They left at 7:30 for Alco’s; their new kitten needed some flea medication and the store closed at 8:00. I went inside and washed dishes. ++++++++++++++ I ended my evening with Mary Ann falling asleep in the bed in Dad’s room while Charlie and I watched the Phoenix Suns defeat the Los Angeles Lakers. By the end of the game, it was 10:35 and it was time for Dad to have his last change of the day. Charlie and I changed him, and just as were finishing, Mary Ann woke up and went to bed. ++++++++++++++ So, now it’s just before midnight and Dad is dozing off. So am I. ++++++++++++++ Breakfast: Oatmeal Lunch: Baked Potatoes, chips Dinner: Refried beans and squash w/corn & cheese

My Trip to Texas - Day 2

It’s just before midnight on Sunday, May 23, and it’s been a good two days since I arrived on the farm. Please excuse my brevity as I skim the past day and a half. My brother Mike picked me up at the airport, and on the way home, we stopped at Dairy Queen in Weatherford, Texas, where he treated me to a Hunger Buster meal -- basic hamburger, fries, and a coke. After having this nostalgic meal, we continued our drive home, sharing sunflower seeds and good conversation about life, death, and a bit of politics (but just a bit and it was quite civil). After arriving home around 4:00, we visited with my brother Charlie (another brother). After saying hi to Dad and visiting for about an hour, we left for church in Colorado City, Texas. Mass lasted just over an hour after which we enjoyed a nice meal at Hidalgo’s Mexican restaurant with a perfect stranger. A man who had shown up in town/church stayed afterward and was asking for some money for food; apparently, he was making his way from somewhere in Colorado to San Angelo, Texas. My brother picked up the bill (again) for us; he is so kind-hearted and I never knew how much until this weekend. in addition to sharing this tasty meal (I had chile relleno), I ran into my 4th grade teacher Janet Moore and her husband Stan. She looked wonderful and it was nice to -- while only briefly -- to say hello and snap a picture of them together. My sister Mary Ann, who had spent the previous day in San Angelo for a Relay for Life event, picked me up at the restaurant on her way back to Loraine. After arriving home and unpacking the truck (Mary Ann had made trip to the Home Depot), I went inside and helped her change Dad. It’s hard work and I don’t know how she and my brothers do it each day. I spent the night in the room with him but didn’t get much sleep. He was restless, muttering quite a bit throughout the night, and I was easily awakened by that. I got up at 9:30 or so this morning and my brother Mike, Mary Ann, and I changed Dad again. From what I’ve learned, they change him about 3 to 4 times daily and each time it takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to do so. It’s a labor of love, and as difficult as it is -- on so many levels -- I’m glad that I am able to do my small part this week. We ate a late lunch -- tacos, tamales, rice, and beans. My brothers Anastacio, David, and Ricky joined us. After eating, we customarily sat around the table and visited and debated and visited and laughed. Our conversation moved from less serious issues to a discussion about what to do with the estate in the following years. It’s hard to figure out with so many invested parties. We made good progress and I was able to put down some of the language that will be the framework for how we will proceed in the next several years. After this conversation, which lasted about three hours, I took Charlie back to his house in town. I came home and Mary Ann and I walked around the house to see what work she wanted me to do around the house. Tomorrow, I will be cutting down large branches. For the past two hours or so, I sat with Dad and watched the Suns and Lakers play. After that game was over, I helped Mary Ann change Dad before bed, and I’ve been watching Dallas Cowboys highlights while Dad fades into and out of sleep. I’m tired now; my eyes ache. I’m going to bed.