Back again

[Guest guest]

Hello all my great friends,

If you haven't heard yet, our beloved Donna just called me, and I was

thrilled out of my gourd.

I had just changed back to individual mail when she had called. I was

reading some of yesterdays mail.

Mercy! What some of you have been through! Prayers are always in the making

for each of you.

I'm going to send you a letter I wrote to my kids about some of my

experiences the last three weeks.

But first, Donna, thank you so much dear for calling me. It really made my

day.

+

Here is my very long letter writing.

Hi Nessy and Jeff, and your dear families. I sent these letters to others

but I want you to have a copy too.

Love both of you and families more than you can know.

Mama

Hi Darling Sam,To tell you the story of our lives of getting this floor

laid will take a book. But, I will tell you up front that at least we have beds

now, as of last night. It was wonderful.

We do thank you very much for the use of your air bed. It was badly needed.

It is now rolled up and back in the containers you keep it in. I really do

thank you for it.

There was a rather comical experience with it which you will read about in a

letter I will send you that I wrote to other kids.

Hi Kids, I want to bring you up to date. I tell it like it is.

The first week before the tile laying, Jeff picked up the tile, and unloaded

4,400 pounds of tile by himself, plus many bags of grout. He had to walk a

ways with each 55 pound box of tile. He still has to work, and must be awfully

sore.

Us? I am so exhausted that I don't know if I can write. We camped in our

house for about a week. Nessy's family had moved out our furniture, then we

went to a motel for another week while the rug and vinyl tile under it was

removed by Jeff, Rose, and friends. It all had mold, so the kids bleached the

thunder out of the concrete.

After that ceramic tile was laid throughout the house. Now, we are waiting

for the grout to dry and then be sealed. Then get our furniture back, so it's

at least another week of camping. Allergist's orders if at all possible. What

an expense! The Bank loves us.

Now we are back to camping in the house again, and today started out with a

bang! I have been sleeping on Sam's air mattresses. It is a king bed, but can

be unzipped and stacked to make a high single. Well, along in the early

morning hours I noticed one was getting lower, but thought little about it. At

6A.M. I was unceremoniously rolled out of bed. Literally. Bruised on top of

bruises, and hurt my shoulder, and forehead, but mostly my arm.

My worst experience was tripping over Papa Don's dark bedspread in the

motel. The room was dark, (a dungeon) and so was the spread. It was wadded up

on

the floor hanging off the end of his bed.

After that fall I didn't get out of bed all day. I was afraid the knees were

broken, because they hurt so badly. They're not, thank goodness, but a lot

of skin was removed and both knees are a bruised mess, and sore.

Rose, brought a hamburger for lunch, and later Jeff, brought us some chili

from 's to eat. That chili finished me off by tearing up my stomach no

end. Sorry son, we love chili and you know it, but this time, it just didn't

work for me.

I found it extremely hard at 75, can't catch my breath, and injured, to go

out and get food for us all the time. I so wished I could ask Papa Don to run

up to such and such restaurant and get us some carry out. Around here there

are no deliveries, except pizza. We didn't even have a refrigerator to keep

left overs.

Through all of this Papa Don has been as nutty as a fruitcake. He couldn't

follow the least request to get me a hair brush laying on the dresser. I asked

for something else, and he brought me a wadded up extension cord. It has

been like that constantly. If I ask him to pull on something, he tries to push.

Bless his heart, he is so loving and kind, and tries so hard, but with all

his trying, he is just in the way. I don't say anything, because he tries so

hard and can't help the situation he is in. I really feel bad for him.

I got rid of my king bed because Papa Don wouldn't sleep in it. Today we had

an extra long twin delivered, and he really likes it. He has never had a bed

that was long enough for him. I took his double. We are in the same room

again, because he wants to be near me all the time now. We'll put all dressers

in his " use to be " bedroom.

Once at the motel, he picked up a suitcase, and I thought he was taking it

to the car. No, he walked down several halls, and finally out the front door.

He was gone a long time, but he is so slow, that I figured he was still

trying to get the suitcase in the car. I was just about to go looking for him,

and

he found our room. He was shook up.

He stays by me no matter where I am in the house.

Before the bed came today, I pulled out a big heavy duty frame with wheels

to put under my bed. After fighting with the things the biggest part of an

hour and a half, with Papa Don in the way and useless as tits on a bull, They

wouldn't fit. They were for king only. So I pulled the bed off, and got the

other frame, and put my bed on that.

I was so tired I could hardly move, but had to get lunch. About then The

delivery men came with Don's bed, and they did set it up, but I had to find

bedding and make the beds. Tired is my middle name. I bet I sleep twelve hours

tonight and tomorrow. (Later,---- forget about sleep)

If Papa Don wonders off, he has an Alzheimer's ID bracelet. He doesn't

wonder from the house though. He was just trying to take a suitcase to the car

at

the motel and got lost.

We may still be camping, but we have proper beds tonight. Hooray for us!

They can be rolled around when the boys put in the grout sealer. They have to

work this in between all their regular jobs. The tile man would have charged

more to seal it.

The tile is pretty. It is 16x16, and is almost white with a hint of gold and

pinkish peach running through it. We sure do need to paint now to compliment

the new tile. I sure would like for it to be done while the furniture is out

of the house, but one thing at a time.

I'm glad I can readily use the walker in here now especially with little

furniture. WEEeeee! See my little red car?

We love you all and am glad to be " kind a, sort a " back in the grove.

Mama

Hi Sam I'm Back again. Yes, we old folks have been through an ordeal, not to

mention what all of you went through, but I hope my lungs don't get any

worse. The slightest thing will make me very short of breath. I don't expect

them

to get any better, but hope to keep them from getting worse.

Papa Don is much better after a good nights rest, and being in the house a

few days. I am so glad for that. I knew it was going to be hard on him with

all this upheaval, but he was a sweetheart through the whole thing. Very

helpful as he could be (but not at all) and willing to do anything he could. I

guess you know why I love him so much.

Thank you for thinking of us.You are dearly loved young man.

Gra'ma

So friends there you have a story of how things are around here. Don is

doing some better but still can't do anything. I asked him to bring me a throw

from the bedroom and he brought me a blouse. I told him, " a throw for my legs

darling " he brought another blouse, finally the third time was a charm. That

is how hard he tries.

Love a bunch to all of you,

Imogene

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