Happy Birthday Mom - 62 Dart

Today would have been my mother's 76th birthday. Fortunately she was able to celebrate her birthday 3 months before she passed. Every year I have celebrated her birthday in some what the same way. Year one I purchased a 1962 Dodge Dart. However it was not planned that way. Somehow I had found and fallen in love with the Dart early on in June of 2013. By the time I had made a decision and gotten the money together to buy it, I realized that I was signing the documents for the car on my mother's birthday. It seemed so fitting that I could now remember my mother through this vehicle it was because of the money that she had left me that I was able to buy it. It almost felt like her giving me a gift on her birthday.

Whenever I drive it I think of her and oddly enough about my father too who had also passed. Had it not been for him I would not have been able to drive the three on the tree column stick shift Dart. I had learned to drive by my father teaching me on an old '67 Chevy, the green bomber. We  were in Fair Oaks, CA driving up and down hills with the 3 gear, column stick shift. He had said if I could learn to drive this car I could drive anything. Fast forward 36 years later and I was able to still recall how to drive this kind of car.

My second year I was going to take a ride in the country but ended up spending time with a girlfriend, however I rode the car over to her home. Every year, it has become a tradition to make sure that I drive the car on her birthday. So today I think I'll take a spin in my '62 Dodge Dart and remember how we use to take long country drives on the weekend in Upstate New York.

I Love and Miss You Mom.

Special Edition - New Addition!

My nest may be empty but my daughter has now started her own new nest with the birth of my grand-daughter, Aliese Ajayne. God has granted us a gift indeed!

1/23/14

Special Edition - R.I.P. Mom

On Friday, September 14, 2012 my mother Patsy Bradford-Bearkley passed from this life. She fought a long hard battle with cancer, but now she fights no more and has real rest. I love you Momma! Till we meet again.

http://jaynesemptynest.blogspot.com/2011/12/2010-it-begins.html

#18 Food Poisoning!

I'll never forget it was a Hardee's burger that did me in. I once remember someone telling me that you can't mistake real food poisoning. There is no doubt about it. The other thing they had told me was that there was nothing for it. That all you really do is wait for it to run it's course through your system. The very thing that I had feared had happened, I had gotten sick and was alone.  As fluids continued to leave my body by any means necessary, I was getting weaker and weaker. The pain was horrible. It didn't take long before I came to the conclusion that I really did need to go to the hospital. But I also knew I was unable to drive as I was doubled up in pain. My closest family member was 3 to 4 hours away and it was after 10pm. Suddenly I thought of Eleanor a close friend of the family who was also a legit Christian woman.

Not only did Eleanor come by to take me to the hospital but she came with Ginger-ale, crackers, & Pepto-Bismol. She was indeed an angel in human disguise. After getting to a point of thinking that there was nothing else left to leave my body, I was ready to attempt a trip to the hospital. I don't ever remember feeling this bad in life before. I was so happy to not have to be alone as I attempted the feat of standing and walking. There was a problem though. I found out that what I thought was insurance that I was paying monthly for, was really a discount program that no one seemed to accept. I was going to be stuck with the bill. But when you think you're close to a near death experience you don't care about such financial arrangements. 

As I waited for the doctor, just knowing that I was getting ready to get fluids, I saw the room spinning. I think they took blood. And if they did, I think it was to verify whether or not I had had an infection. As it turned out I did not. I instead had had food poisoning. I tried not to recall all of the past stories I had read about people dying from under-cooked salmonella hamburgers as I hung on for dear life. The doctor comforted me with stories of employees not washing their hands instead. Relief, I think not! As I waited for fluids, I think I saw the Doctor for a mere 15 minutes, if even that. But of course I had been waiting around the emergency room and in the back for over 5 hours plus for those 15 golden minutes to arrive. Well, the fluids never did come. I was given a prescription to help with the pain of the stomach cramps but of course nothing to help with the food poisoning. When Eleanor took me home, the sun had begun rising. She had stayed with me the whole night. 

Days passed before I was any good again. And I had faced a major fear of living by myself and getting sick. Soon the bill arrived in the mail, the combination of the hospital and the doctor came to over $500.00 for the 15 minutes of info and prescription writing. When I had left the emergency room that night, they had advised me to follow-up with my own doctor, with whom I normally paid $130.00 per office visit. Needless to say I toughed it out and didn't go to see my doctor whom I knew wouldn't be doing a thing for food poisoning. I think it also goes without saying that I have not eaten at Hardee's again since. Sometimes a $5.00 meal really costs $500.00 instead.  

To Be Continued...

The pink stuff!

Two meals in one. 

#17 A Little Birdie & Her Dog

Half a year had gone by before I had gotten a visit from one of my children, the female birdie. By this time I had missed her birthday and my son's for the first time in 26 & 22 years. Celebrating their birthdays had always been a major deal for me. For one birthday we had gone to Las Vegas and for another we had gone to Disneyland. So, to not be able to celebrate with them almost tore me up. However for me, I had almost totally stopped celebrating my birthday because it represented a painful event in my life. No, not growing older but an emotional situation with a loved one. A couple of years ago the children had managed to bring back the celebration of birthdays for me.

My daughter is my oldest child. She had managed to finesse her schedule to be able to visit with her little dog, Ayasha (which means little one in Native American). Yes, Ayasha was small enough to fit in a purse size carrier. My daughter was the black version of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, but without the wealth. However, my daughter wore red instead of Elle's pink. But I digress. They had flown in and I'm sure Ayasha was ready to be free once and for all from her purse carrier. I was so excited to see my little birdie and my grand-dog. While they were on this side, I had planned a whirlwind tour that included traveling to 3 states to see relatives.  But we weren't the only ones traveling, plans had been made for my 90 year old grandmother and my aunt to come to see us. It's not that we wouldn't have gone to see them, it's just that they wanted to travel with us to go see my mother as a 71st birthday surprise. I have to say that I was a little worried about traveling with my grandmother and Ayasha in the same car. But all of those worries vanished as my grandmother totally fell in love with the little dog. For a moment I was thinking we needed to get my grandmother a little lap dog companion. The dog even got great great-grandparent money like little children get. Ayasha was in like Flynn.

When we arrived in Virginia to see my mother it was known that we were only going to be there for 3 days. After those three days I would also have to say good bye to my daughter and grand-dog. Their visit would be over and I would have to adjust to being by myself again after such a wonderful treat. It was nice to be able to share a house with my daughter after being apartment dwellers for most of her life. Only briefly in Detroit did I ever live in a house with my children and that was when they were young. It wasn't just being in a house that was different, but I was a very different person as well. Over the last six to seven months, I had settled down and become more domestic. I was cooking full meals from scratch. This was something that had been kicked to the curb in California as I was running from work to church and back again. I was now able to spoil my child like I really wanted to do as a stay at home mom.

My mother did not expect us to celebrate her birthday when we all visited her since we were a week before it. So she was genuinely surprised when she came into her kitchen to a cake lit up with candles as 4 generations sang happy birthday to her. I was happy and sad all at once. In the back of my mind I kept wondering, would this be my mother's last birthday? At the last minute plans changed and I had decided to let my daughter go back two days earlier with my grandmother and aunt since they stayed only an hour away from the airport and I was 3 hours away. I can't explain the hurt and emptiness that filled my heart as their car drove away from my Tennessee home. My only comfort was knowing that I would get to do the same type of visit with my son when he made it out next.

To Bee Continued...

Ayasha modeling her bee outfit
(Doesn't she just look thrilled?)

      

#16 Jamaica IS the House!

In 2010 I had agreed to go to a track meet with my ex-husband - an out of town track meet. In fact in the past, track had played an important role in our relationship. I was introduced to him by my father when I had visited for a summer vacation back in the 70's. He was my track work-out partner. And then 20 something years later, when my daughter was in high school on the track team, I ran into him at a track meet. He was coaching track and I was a volunteer coach for the boy's shot put. He asked me that day what I was doing for my birthday which was several months away and asked if he could take me out for my birthday and if I would join him for his, the month after mine. We had know each other as friends, double digits ago and I had no problem with the arrangements. A year later we would marry against my father's wishes. It was my second marriage and his first at the age of 48.

Track was our mutual love. So even though we were divorced by 2010 we had managed to return to our friendship, that should have stayed a friendship. I had not a tempted bone in my body and didn't think for a moment that it would have been a problem to go to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia in 2011. So I got on a plane and met my ex in Pennsylvania. Keep in mind I was still in "love" with Mr. Dreams (see #13 Dreaming of Love) . We were still talking everyday 2 to 3 times a day since March and the Relays were in April that year. I was not surprised when my ex showed up to the airport with roses and a box of Godiva chocolates. He was almost predictable that way and I was not moved by the gesture. First, I still remembered the mental abuse I had encountered with this person. And second, he always had a robotic, non-romantic way of doing things like following textbook instructions with no emotions available. Yes, once I was blinded by the gestures of flowers and chocolates but that was over 10 years ago when I didn't know any better, not anymore.

As we reverted back to our friendship, it was stress free. There we were enjoying Philly Cheese Steaks at a legit Philly Diner! It really was fun. But nothing prepared us for the greatest treat of all. Little did we know but the whole island of Jamaica along with every Jamaican that now lived in the U.S. had turned out for the Penn Relays. Everywhere we went we heard the unmistakable Jamaican accent. It was soooo cool. It was like being in Jamaica not Pennsylvania. Suddenly, we had traveled out of the country instead of within the country!! And when we were at the track meet - Jamaica was everywhere!!! I loved it! There I was in my locks looking the part as long as I kept my mouth shut. Unfortunately I was also missing my green and yellow attire that everyone seemed to have been wearing. Had I known, I would have worn something to represent and not have stuck out like a sore thumb. And when Jamaica won 1st place in the USA  vs. The World Men 4x100 (3rd time in 4 years) the stadium erupted into a frenzy!!! When I looked around I could not have been convinced that anyone was still on the island, they all had to have been at the meet!

I had made the right decision. We had come together to enjoy something that we once had bonded over. No incidents, just pure friendship. I even agreed to future track meets as long as it worked out with my future social life. That was always our deal. If we weren't in a relationship, we agreed to meet for another special occasion as friends without benefits. He did however asked me to marry him again, but I declined. I knew that a good friendship was always better than a bad marriage. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

To Be Continued...

The Penn Relays 2011

   

#15 Oh Hail! No!

It was April of 2011 and I was not prepared for the strange weather that was about to hit the southern and eastern regions. Everyday that I woke up I immediately turned on the TV to find out what time the storms were predicted to hit. Many times I planned my showers and meals around the storms. There's nothing like wanting to eat and suddenly the power is off, or wanting to take a shower and there's an electrical storm. It was during this season that I learned that I wasn't afraid to be in the house alone. But I have to admit there were some close calls.

One of the unusual things about my dreams are that I can have a dream within a dream. One where you think you've awaken from a dream only to realize later that you are still dreaming. Well, that's what had happen one night. The unfortunately part about my dreams within a dream is that they usually seemed like normal everyday moments until something happens to awaken you to the next dream. I was in the bed as a storm was happening when suddenly the roof caved in above me. I awaken to see the sky through the roof and pieces of ceiling on the floor next to the bed. Frightened I rolled out of bed and hit the floor on the other side and started gathering things that I thought I needed to get out of the room before the rest of the roof collapsed. That's when I really woke up to the sound of pine cones hitting the roof of the house (for real). Needless to say I was a little shaken especially since I could hear things hitting the roof after having such a dream.

Then there was the time that hail the size of golf balls hit the house. I must say I was a little shaken over this one too. I was on the phone with Mr. Dreams (see #13 & #14) when it hit! He prayed with me while the storm hit. There I was in the bathroom with all of my emergency supplies as I listened to huge chunks of ice pounding on the roof. Once the storm had passed, I went outside to collect the largest hail I had ever seen. Sure, some have seen softball size hail, but this was big enough for me. I later learned that tornadoes had touched down in my area as well. And then there was the falling tree. One of the huge trees that stood in the front yard was hollow. Of course I didn't find that out until it fell on the power lines in the front yard during one of the storms. Previously, branches had chunked off and I could hear them crackle and fall, hoping for them to not hit the house. But eventually, that did finally happen. Fortunately it did not damage the house, except for the gutter!

I remember thinking that this was not what the weather was suppose to be like down south. But then again, the weather was not suppose to be like that in many parts of the country. Earthquakes were reported in Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina.  In addition, 289 tornadoes were reported in 15 states over the course of 3 days. It was ranked as one of the largest tornado outbreaks in history. Truly it was to become a year of strange events, even personally, since I had agreed to go to a track meet in Philadelphia with my ex-husband. As stated in #1 2010 It Begins, I was once again friends with my ex and had decided that he understood that we could be friends (without benefits) and meet in Pennsylvania for the Penn Relays. Hopefully it would be a good trip with no incidents. Right?

To Be Continued...

Hail next to a quarter

The tree branch that hit the house