The Last 9 Months... Part 1

The last 9 months have been totally different than the previous 2 years.  I rode over 1300 miles in 2012 and over 1600 miles in 2013.  This year, I think I have less than 100. But that is soon going to change.



Mom and Dad at their 65th Anniversary 3 years ago

            My mom had been sick with Scleraderma, an arthritic like problem that causes a thickening of the skin and poor circulation, for over 50 years.  Her symptoms worsened over the last 10 years, including other internal problems.  And about that same time, she started having memory loss.  The last 5-10 years, her dementia declined, even though she always knew people.

            My mom passed away last Oct 10^th.  At the time, we were on our way home to Pennsylvania for a visit.  We were 3 hours of arriving at my parents when we got the phone call that she had peacefully passed away at home.  The 5 days that we had planned on visiting were spent with funeral details and helping my dad.  He wanted me and my younger sister to start going through mom’s things.  I think that he had lived with her being sick for so long that he had already processed this. He seemed like he wanted us to do this, and to make sure mom’s clothing and jewelry were taken care of.

            October 10th was also the same date that Finny had passed away 4 years before.   I think I was in shock, as I organized more of my mom’s items than I ever thought I would have been able to.  I believe it helped that my dad was ready to do this.  I’ll always be sad that we weren’t able to get home earlier in the year, as we have always done in the past.

            Dad also wanted to plan a garage sale before the weather got colder, as he had the home for sale, hoping to move closer to town.  After the funeral and flying back to home, I just couldn’t be motivated to ride, plan on going on any CTR’s or endurance rides, or even get excited about starting to ride and condition for the following year.  We were planning on returning for PA for the 3 day garage sale early Nov. 

            On top of all of this, we would return home on a Monday or Tuesday, and our youngest grandchild turned 1 and had her birthday party the following weekend.  Even though we hated missing her party, we just couldn’t see traveling over 7 hours back and forth to be there.  We decided to have a few weeks of rest and we went to visit our Colorado family for Thanksgiving.

            The holidays came and went, with memories of mom and dad popping up all the time.  Bittersweet memories.  I knew my mom is now pain-free, happily visiting with her older sister and younger brother who had both passed away within the year also.

 
           The New Year came.  The previous 2 years, I started riding early January.  This year, we were taking all the family on a beach vacation, and left early January.  When we returned home from the holiday, the weather didn’t cooperate for winter riding.  Even though we didn’t get much snow, we had the cold. 

           

 What happened to spring?  Late arriving after what seemed like a cold and wet March.  I don’t know what happened to April.  I did host 2 Centered Riding clinics, one in April and one in May.  We actually got a garden in, then it promptly started raining, and raining, and raining.  Living in Nebraska, you never complain about the rain, because drought is always possible and could start at any moment.  We had our horse lots muddy for most of the spring though. And most of the garden washed away.

            I was planning on the May CTR’s, but dad decided to have another garage sale, and then he would pack up whatever wouldn’t sell.  I needed to go home to help, and to continue to go through Mom’s crafts, dishes, and quilting items.  I ended up bringing back items that I couldn’t believe I left in the fall garage sales…. Mom’s 1950’s Phaff sewing machine, Mom and Dad’s Radio/Record player console, Moms manual typewriter, and a few smaller items.  I went through all her old glassware and dishes, as well as anything in the garage sale that didn’t sell, to have keepsakes for all family members.

Hubby’s mother lives 3 hours away.  When we go home, I stay with my parents and he visits his parents.  We have the choice to do that and spend 5-6 days with our own parents but alone, or visit each parent for 3 days and be together.  As our parents aged, we decided length of stay was more important.  That meant either I or hubby only spent a day or 2 with the other’s parents.  Yet, whatever we were able to do, our parents were pleased.  At least that was one area that didn’t stress us out.

            After we got home, we headed to Colorado a few days later for Makenzie’s, our 5 year old granddaughter, dance recital the following Sunday.  We arrived on Thursday and watched her and 1 ½ year old Kaytlyn on Friday.  That gave us a long weekend with family.  Once we were home to Nebraska the following Monday, we would be home for the summer.

            Time to get ready for foals.

            Part 2 tomorrow.


(I tried to upload photos, but Blogger was not  be cooperative.  I'll try to upload more photos tomorrow).