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Today has been a trial of all sorts... the final straw being the loss of my internet connection here at the house. I am not sure what was wrong... but I drove all over town trying to get a connection in known spots where I've gotten one before... and it still didn't work. So I powered everything down when I got back to my parent's house... and for some reason it is working now. Go figure. It has been like that with everything I tried to do today... just one of "those" days I guess.

I have also been trying to wrangle up a small-ish TV with a dvd/ vcr player for my dad's hospital room. There are no sets available at the facility... and every lead I have had today has gone dry. Watching movies seems to be one of the few things he is enjoying these days... and I am trying to make it so he can continue to watch them as he feels able. Tonight... we watched "Father Goose" on my laptop... but this is not an ideal solution long term.

And in other news... I am down to the wire on getting paperwork in for the grant I am trying to get. I am at a complete loss as to what to write... and I am very limited in the photos I have available with me to submit (only the past year's worth of photos are on my laptop). It is extremely frustrating to say the least, and everything needs submitted by tomorrow night. Wish me luck.

The photo for today's post is of a farm on the way to the nursing care facility where my dad is. It is a quiet... very picturesque setting... and usually the cows are all over the field right in front of the barn. Today, however, they were lazing about in the sunshine a little ways away... so I had a scenic view of the barn and the creek sans cows.


On a completely separate subject... I filled up my dad's car with gas today. He has always preferred this little station just on the outskirts of town to get his gas... so I went there today. Would you believe it?! The attendants still come out to each and every car, and pump the gas for you... plus.. they offer to check your fluids and air and such if you need it. I thought that these kind of places were a thing of the past... but no... not here! I was in shock ... and just thought I would mention it....it was pretty darn cool.

* all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Today on one of the trips my mom and I took to the hospital... we were going through town and saw this fabulous car sitting at the Courthouse. We stopped, hoping to get a couple photos to show my dad... who is a HUGE lover of cars.

While we were taking a few photos... the owner came out of a nearby building and came to talk with us. John Walk is from Westchester, PA... but has a cabin close by. He bought the car already restored, and believed it to be a 1944 Ford. It has been customized, and now sports cruise control, a CD player, and a gorgeous chrome dashboard with interesting looking tachometers. The body is all steel, except for the fiberglass running boards on the sides. Oh... and yes, it really was that bright a shade of yellow :)

My dad loved the photos... and actually was alert enough to look at them (*BTW... my dad thinks it is really a 1941 deluxe Ford.. but who knows...)

We also drove this afternoon to the Genesee Natural Foods Store (in Genesee, PA... about 1/2 an hour away). The store has been in business since 1979... and it is a wonderful source for all kinds of natural bulk items, foods, drinks, herbs, vitamins, and educational materials. It was a scenic drive over... in spite of the rain... and it was great to see such a fabulous store still doing well after all these years.

To see more on the Genesee Natural Food Store: look HERE

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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...the phone started ringing at 9am. I am not a morning person... thank goodness my mom is.

We ran lots of errands today... and actually got quite a bit accomplished. Then we spent the afternoon visiting with my dad... who; according to my mom.... was the most alert he has been since I left 2 1/2 weeks ago. Not that he wasn't confused... or easily distracted... and fading in and out of conversations... BUT... he wasn't sleeping, and he even drank some fluids while we were there.

We left and had supper, and then we brought my brother and his son back with us to visit this evening. My nephew and his fiance also came... so it was sort of a small reunion of sorts.

My father was very affectionate with my mom today... lingering with his hugs... kissing. It was so good to see. I am so glad that he and my mother had such a good day when they celebrated their wedding anniversary a few weeks back ( it was their 58th anniversary).

Tomorrow, the son of a friend of mine is getting married. I am not sure if I will be able to go... but I was thinking of them today... and how it is a glorious time of year to get married. I wish them all the best.

And in a few weeks, I will be celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary with the best guy on the planet... and I love you honey

♥ ♥ ♥

photos by Elaine A. Russell

(from top to bottom: a mock cherry tree in afternoon light, wild white trillium flowers, and flowering pink dogwood)

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(waiting areas near the laboratory and the radiology department)


It's been raining all day..... and I spent most all of today at the hospital.... in addition to my dad being sick.... now my mom is as well. The doctor's don't think she has pneumonia... but something pretty darn close to it. So, she had appointments, lab work done, x-rays done, etc.
Once we finally got her taken care of, then we visited with my dad. He seems to be having greater amounts of pain, and quite a bit of swelling in his legs... but he moves fairly well in spite of having the hip surgery. His appetite is poor... but then... he hasn't been horribly active.

(the aquarium on Long Term Care )

And so... I got to wander around the hospital quite a bit. I worked here from 1986-1990; when I got married and moved away. There are complete sections that are new to me... and it can be somewhat confusing.. . but the core of the hospital is the same. I can still find my way to the cafeteria and such. I ran into an a friend who works on housekeeping there. She is awesome. After working at so many different hospitals all over the US; I can honestly say that Charles Cole is one of the cleanest hospitals I have ever seen. Some of the decor and such still look circa 1950-60's.... but I think that this just lends itself to the charm of the place. It is a larger place, but definitely has a home-town feel... which if I were a patient... I would really appreciate.


(vending machines on the 2nd floor)


(a familiar view)


And so... almost all the photos I took today are from the hospital. It is very challenging sometimes to continue with the 365 project... especially on days like today... but I think it is helping me to grow as a photographer... to see things in what most view as the mundane.

And now.... off to take some Tylenol for my continued headache *going on 48hrs now*.... and maybe do some laundry before I head off to bed.


(rainy night parking lot blues )

*all photos by Elaine A. Russell

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-----------------------------------a collage of photos taken at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital today



Today was one of those weirdly busy days... I ended up driving alot of people different places... to the store... to get groceries... to get movies.... out for dinner.....to the hospital and back... just different things. Kind of a "hurry up and wait" kind of thing at times.....
The hospital that dad is getting his rehab at is Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. It is the closest... and basically.. only ... hospital in the area. The next closest is about an hour away. And the one that dad had his surgery at is about 3hrs away.
CCMH is a good hospital. It has undergone sooooooooo many changes since I last worked there in 1990. But then, that is to be expected.
Dad had a bad day today. Alot of pain... still alot of swelling.... poor appetite... and generally not feeling well. He promised to take some pain meds tonight and try to rest......

........................................................................... a couple photos from one of the few alleyways in Coudersport. The mural was painted on the back of this building when I was in high school, by some fellow high school students. I think it still looks pretty cool.

I also love the brickwork on the buildings here. Alot of the downtown area features buildings built around 1880... so they are all brick... with Gothic and Victorian touches here and there. This is the backside of one of the buildings... and I just love the old iron staircase....

For dinner.... Kristin and I went down to Fox's Pizza... (formerly the Tastee Freeze when I was a kid). It still looks exactly the same as it did in the 1970's.... only the food has changed ever so slightly. You can still get pizza, burgers, fries, and soft serve ice cream and sundaes... but now they also offer Gyros and sub sandwiches, mozzarella sticks and other "fast food" items.

When I was a kid... they actually had a brown bear in a pen out back for "tourists" to gawk at... fortunately... they do not do that anymore. It's one of the few places for people to hang out at.... and the ice cream is still pretty good.....PLUS... ya gotta love that they still have gumball machines with cheesy toys in them.....

And then there was this guy... just taunting me from his perch on a porch in town. Nothing screams EASTER... like a plastic light-up bunny . My mother-in-law would've loved it... so in her honor, it became my photo for the day.....

---------------------------------------------------> all photos by Elaine A. Russell

Links:

Charles Cole Memorial Hospital: here

Fox's Pizza: here

Info on Coudersport, PA: here

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(House of Care, Danville PA)
--all photos by Elaine A. Russell--

(Geisinger Medical Center, Danville PA)


It was an interesting night at the House of Care. The place is very, very nice... but I was sharing a room with my mom... and it just felt strange. Coupled with some alarming news from home... I just couldn't sleep. We got up early, and got to the hospital just in time to see my dad getting loaded and transferred via ambulance to go back to PA.

(Treats at Mom's Dutch Kitchen)

We then went to Mom's Dutch Kitchen for breakfast. This is a local (in Danville) restaurant with an attached gift shop that features alot of Amish related gifts. The food was a typical small town diner type experience... I had steak and eggs, hash browns and coffee. It was awesome. We then went back to the House of Care to do some of mom's laundry, and to wait for my aunt and uncle to arrive. They got there around 2pm, and then they all left for Philadelphia to attend my Uncle Ed's funeral.

I stayed around Danville briefly and took some photos... Danville seems very Colonial in style. They have some beautiful stone houses and churches.... and the flowers were starting to bloom a bit.


(Hellebore plants around the Presbyterian Church in Danville, PA)


(Historic "Montgomery House" in Danville, built in 1792 ... it was the home of William Montogomery [the founder of Danville PA]... now the Historical Museum)



I then headed out with all the stuff to drive back to Coudersport. The drive back was very scenic. The weather was nice... and I was able to get a few photos along the way. Just outside of Wellsboro, I stopped at an alpaca farm. The alpacas were very adorable ... and very friendly.


(the cutest little alpaca in the world)


I stopped at various area "landmarks".... Nine Mile Inn ( fabulous pond, creek, and cabins), the marshlands at Wolf Run (Canadian Geese hangout), Galeton (scenic downtown), Wellsboro Diner (converted train car/ now diner), Denton Hill Ski Resort, the old red schoolhouse (now an antique place), etc.


(Nine Mile Inn near Galeton, PA)



Once I got back to Coudersport, I went up to Charles Cole Memorial Hospital and visited with my dad in his new room. He is not horribly happy, as he is having to stay on the extended care ward... but he will be OK.

It was very late when I got to sleep... but I had a warm cup of fresh brewed coffee with my daughter, and a snuggle with Sabrina... so all is well ♥

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Woke up initially at 6am... just in time to see the sun rising over the woods near CARP park on the north end of Coudersport, PA. (see photo above)
Took Sabrina for a short walk, and went back to bed. It is amazing how much rest a person can need... and yet, still feel tired.

Did some household chores, and called my mom. My dad is tentatively being transferred from Geisinger Hospital back to the hospital in Coudersport tomorrow.. so he can have a few weeks of rehab before coming home. He still needs surgery to completely repair his should socket, and to remove the large tumor on his clavicle... as well as biopsy his lymph nodes... but that will happen down the road a bit. He has done well with his hip surgery... just had a bugger with complications afterwards. Being almost 77 yrs old... I think he is doing really well.

So... here is the plan. I am going to drive to Geisinger this afternoon; stay overnight.... and come back to Coudersport the next day with all the stuff that my parents have had at the hospital (clothing, etc). Dad is going to be transferred via ambulance. My aunt and uncle are going to be driving from Bradford, PA to Geisinger on Wednesday morning, and will pick up my mom and take her with them to Philadelphia.... where they will be going to my uncle's funeral on Thursday.... and then they will bring her back to Coudersport on Friday.

The Wellsboro Diner.............

UPDATE:
I got to Geisinger just fine. I only made one slightly wrong turn; but figured it out right away and was able to turn around. The highways in PA are actually quite nice... some of the best I have seen in the US.

It took me about 3 hours to get to Geisinger. I stopped in Wellsboro PA to have a cup of coffee and some cream of potato soup (and to take some Tylenol for a pounding headache and fever) at the Wellsboro Diner. It is an old train car, that was converted into a diner, and has been in business since 1939. It is right on Route6... and has a distinctly 1950's feel. There is an attached gift shop as well.

On highway 15 ............

From there... I traveled through several small towns. PA is like that. You get little town after little town... with lots of farm land in between. Rarely... will be a town/city of substantial size..... at least, not in the areas I am traveling in. I saw ice and snow on some rock cliffs, several rivers, a swamp area with tons of Canadian geese....and a few Amish carriages driven by horse.

I was able to visit with my dad, and then my mother and I stayed at the "House of Care" .... a guest house for patients and their families... right next to the hospital. The House of Care is a fabulous place. Really affordable rooms ($15 a night).. kitchens... bathrooms.. laundry area... living areas with a library, fireplace and big TV... all snuggled in a little part of the Geisinger campus surrounded by some nice woods. We had a room in the back... and had an excellent view of trees and grass.

Amish carriage near Muncy PA......

Sunset near Danville, PA

(**all photos by Elaine A. Russell)

Links to Wellsboro, PA: here and here
Link to Geisinger House of Care: here
Link to Geisinger Medical Center: here

under pressure

photos by Elaine A. Russell ( a vintage 50's firetruck )

I keep thinking of the Queen song today.... "Under Pressure." Besides it being a really good song... it has a great groove. So good, Vanilla Ice tried to steal it. But I digress.
It's been a weird day.

My parents left early this am for her appointment in Erie to see the surgeon. It is a very long drive, and one my dad doesn't like to take. He hates driving in cities. I woke up late, after 1pm. I just didn't feel well today. And I didn't get much sleep this am because the phone kept ringing. Turns out, it was my brother trying ot figure out if I was there so that he could mow the lawn. And.. my neice asking me to watch her kids. She had taken her oldest to a doctor's appt (also several hours away ) and wasn't going to be back in time to get her other 2 kids from daycare.
I took a shower, ran a couple errands, and picked up her 2 youngest kids. I took them to McDonald's for happy meals, and we went to my neice's house. Unfortunately, my neice didn't get home til after 7pm... but by then, the kids had had their supper, and we had picked up the house a bit.

I got back to my parent's house, and they weren't back yet.. so I did some chores around the house... took another shower, fed my puppy, and ate a late supper. My parent's got home around 8pm.

My mother needs surgery, but needs to get things cleared with her pulmonologist, cardiologist, and general physician first. Surgery is tentatively scheduled for September. Unfortunately, I can't stay that long.. so we'll see how things go.

I'm torn. On one hand, I feel an obligation to help take care of my parents, on the other hand, I have obligations back home too.
I did learn one thing today....and that is that I am definately too old, tired, cranky... whatever.. to be taking care of a 2yr old and a 4yr old on a regular basis. The powers that be definately knew better when they passed out kids to only younger people. I read somewhere that the oldest woman to give birth was a 66yr old lady in Italy, who had twins ! yikes. I just wouldn't be able to do it. She actually took hormone therapy to reverse 20yrs of menopause just to get pregnant.
http://community2.myfoxaustin.com/_Oldest-woman-has-baby-dies/BLOG/440081/82263.html
I just can't fathom it.