Having a REALLY bad day....

[padalyn]

Hello all - Since you all have been here for me through all the rough times of my mothers motor vehicle accident, I thought you would like the last chapter in that story.

After mom came home from rehab she has been doing very well. Until this morning.

I got a phone call on my cell while at work. I typically don't answer the phone while working as a nurse, since we yell at families and patients all the time about using them. The area code struck me, and since there were only 4 drunks in the ED I answered it. A small childlike voice asked is she was speaking to Cayla. I replied yes, fully expecting that someone was pulling my leg. She explained (as her voice became more confident) that she was a nurse at my Gramma's nursing home in Missouri. She told me Vi (Gramma) wasn't doing very well, and since my number was a call anytime at night number she called me. She explained that she is a new grad RN (about a month I think) and she "isn't very good at this". I asked her to tell me exactly what was happening, told her to do it like giving report to oncoming staff. She told me an earfull.

I asked if there was any way a phone could be gotten into the room for my mother to speak to Vi. She said yes, they have a new cordless phone. I called my mom (imagine - waking one's parent's at 345am...payback for all those 2pm calls!)

Once awake my mom wanted to call Vi, and did so. I hung up with the nursing home and tried to work. Around 5:15 or so I was really feeling funky (no good word, just a gut feeling of gotta call) - so I called the home. I spent almost 8 minutes on hold (I usually hang up after a minute - but something told me to hang on). Finally the nurse came to the phone and told me that Gramma had passed away - WHILE I WAS ON HOLD. It was like I knew what was happening. Freaky.

Well, I called mom, told her. cried for a while at work. (no patient's luckily) called Tiggr33 - we both cried for a while more. Then I got a patient. An elderly lady who looked like she was dieing. I couldn't do it. I told my charge nurse who re-assigned the patient and sent me home.

I am most likely not going to be around for a couple of days. I have to make an emergency trip to Potosi Missouri. I have to fly out there and then I return on Friday. I may not be posting while I am out there.

Cayla

[rosiep]

I'm really sorry. My prayers are for you and your family.

[OrlandoMike]

Cayla,

Hugs and prayers to you and your entire family..

:grouphug:

[ChrizJen]

:grouphug: I'm so sorry.
It sounds as if your grandma was reaching out to you when she knew it was time. I completely believe in that stuff, and I think it was probably her way of "pulling you in" when you couldn't be there in person. I hope you can get some rest before you have to deal with all of this.
Know that my thoughts will be with you and your family. :grouphug:

[rpmdfw]

Sending happy thoughts and pixie dust to you and your family!

Take care of yourself, and your loved ones!

Hugs!

:hug: :grouphug:

[starrzone]

:hug: I'm so sorry to hear about your Gramma's death. My sympathies are with you and your family. Be sure to take care of yourself and get some rest.:hug:

[PennyW]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Prayers and hugs to you and your family :grouphug:

[Tony-NJ]

I'm so sorry Cayla! Grandma's are special people! I lost mine a couple of months ago and that was harder than anything! :hug:

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I am so sorry for your loss! :hug:

[DVC~OKW~96]

Be in peace.

You were there with her. That is a precious gift you have given yourself.

Safe journey.

Be in peace.

[starann]

HUGS:grouphug: :grouphug:

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

:hug: I am sorry to hear this. I will keep your family in my prayers.

[DVCajun]

so sorry (((((hugs))))) :sad1:

[TuckandStuiesMom]

You'll be in my prayers. :grouphug: :grouphug:

[dustyraye]

I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts will be with you and your family. :grouphug:

[JoeyAnyc]

Sorry Cayla.

:grouphug:

[npmommie]

I am so sorry, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family :hug:

[wallyb]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c69/Porciachampayne/sympathy/indeepestsympathy2.jpg

Sorry for your loss.




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[tiggr33]

Hi everyone,
Cayla is on her way to Mo. now for the services. She is sitting in the airport in Charlotte awaiting her connection to St. Louis. I saw her off to the airport at 4:30 this morning. Due to my work schedule and finances I was unable to accompany her ( and I feel like crap over it). I was fortunant(sp) to have met Vi two years ago. And I know the pain of lossing a grandmother, as I lost my own almost 3 years ago. Tony, condolences on your recent loss.

Hun, heres a big hug from me, and everyone else here. We are right there with you in spirit.

I also wanted to add Vi was 102 years young (would have been 103 in early 2009). She lived life on her own terms.

[jamieandben]

Hi from charlotte just down the road from her.
Sorry for your loss. :hug:

[jenn&nelsonrego]

:hug: So sorry for your loss. :flower3:

[padalyn]

Thank you everyone!

I really appreciate all the kind words and thoughts.

The wake was tonight, it was rough. I figure the burial will be the hardest part tomorrow morning. I have no idea how long this will take, but I should be done by 2pm. Then I have the rest of the afternoon free. I am not sure what I am going to do other than shipping home a couple of quilts that I found at her house (my mother has been using it for the last 12 years to visit here) It has been sold and everything will be tossed out, so I searched it today for momentos.

I wonder how much it will cost to ship 4 iron fry pans...they are all over 75 years old as best I can find out - talk about well seasoned!

Again, thanks for all the good words, thoughts and prayers. Tony - I am so sorry and my thoughts and wishes for you and yours.

thanks folks - you are really the best!

S: I know you are here in spirit - life tosses junk at us, and we will just deal with it.

Cayla

[DVC~OKW~96]

This is so inconsequential right now, but if you do ship the cast iron pans, wrap them well and carefully. They can crack or split if handled too roughly (dropped from a height, or thrown, etc.).

Do try to bring them home with you. I have a couple of old Griswolds and they are wonderful. The memories will be worth the effort to get them home. :hug:

[tiggr33]

This is so inconsequential right now, but if you do ship the cast iron pans, wrap them well and carefully. They can crack or split if handled too roughly (dropped from a height, or thrown, etc.).

Do try to bring them home with you. I have a couple of old Griswolds and they are wonderful. The memories will be worth the effort to get them home. :hug:

I don't know if Cayla will be reading this morning. With the time difference I haven't spoken to her yet today. I will make sure I mention this too her. She located a UPS store and was going to have them pack them. I am having her use my home address as the ship too, as UPS is a pain to be delivered to her address. Ironically, it is not inconsequential, those pans me so much to Cayla. I would hate to see anything happen to them. Thanks for the heads up.

[DVC~OKW~96]

Thanks. :hug: I knew that they had much meaning to her, given the desire to bring them back. It will matter greatly in the time to come; that she has those pans.

[OrlandoMike]

I have a lamp from my great grandmother. Everytime I turn it on I think of her! Imagine some of the great meals you will have using those pans! :thumbsup2

[hematite153]

:grouphug: I'm sorry for your loss.

[padalyn]

I have a lamp from my great grandmother. Everytime I turn it on I think of her! Imagine some of the great meals you will have using those pans! :thumbsup2

They will take a bit of work - they haven't been used in almost a decade so they are rather nasty right now - but I will do it as a labor of love! You are right, the meals made with them will always make me think of her - especially if I make pan corn bread one of her favorites.

This is so inconsequential right now, but if you do ship the cast iron pans, wrap them well and carefully. They can crack or split if handled too roughly (dropped from a height, or thrown, etc.).

Do try to bring them home with you. I have a couple of old Griswolds and they are wonderful. The memories will be worth the effort to get them home. :hug:

Thank you so much! Stacey did tell me this when she woke me this morning. I did end up shipping them - but the woman who is packing them said she would bubble wrap each pan then put them between the 2 quilts that are going with them. They should be alright. But your concern is VERY appreciated - they are important to me. She was the first person to ever show me how to cook correctly in iron, and how to maintain it. As I said above, the pans are in need of a lot of work, but I will gladly do it!

[padalyn]

Thanks again for all the support, just a note that the pans survived shipping! I have them just waiting to be cleaned up and re-seasoned a bit.

[Uncle Remus]

Thanks again for all the support, just a note that the pans survived shipping! I have them just waiting to be cleaned up and re-seasoned a bit.

Hey Darlin', I just read your thread here. :hug:

Cook somethin' good in those pans. ;)

[padalyn]

Hey Darlin', I just read your thread here. :hug:

Cook somethin' good in those pans. ;)

Don't you know it! Once I get off Nutrisystem I plan to make her favorite - pan cornbread (you know with bacon fat in it??)

[DVC~OKW~96]

Aw! I'm glad they made it ok.

Clean them well, then wipe them with a good quality oil (inside only of course) and put them in a hot, hot oven for at least thirty minutes.

Hopefully the insides are not pitted. If they are, extra oil over those bits...

Once they are seasoned, no steel wool!

Nutri-system? We're doing Medi-Fast! Having great success with it too.

When you make that cornbread, eat a wedge for us!

[padalyn]

Aw! I'm glad they made it ok.

Clean them well, then wipe them with a good quality oil (inside only of course) and put them in a hot, hot oven for at least thirty minutes.

Hopefully the insides are not pitted. If they are, extra oil over those bits...

Once they are seasoned, no steel wool!

Nutri-system? We're doing Medi-Fast! Having great success with it too.

When you make that cornbread, eat a wedge for us!

Oh don't I know it. I already have so many iron pans that I am going to have trouble storing them. I have a large griddle, large dutch oven and at least 5 fry pans of various sizes.

I usually heat them up on the stove until almost break point, pour in some veggie oil (Made the mistake of olive oil just ONCE!!). Then let them cool down, and do it again.

I will have to scrub these, mostly they have mold growing, not so bad to clean up - just will stink and smell up the house.

I love nutrisystem - I have just about made my first goal of 25 pounds. Now I only have 50 to go!!!

Once I start to re-integrate "regular" food will be the challenge.

Thanks for the advice, it has been a big help.

And good luck to you on optifast.

[Tigger&Belle]

I'm just seeing this now. So sorry about your loss. :hug:

[padalyn]

I'm just seeing this now. So sorry about your loss. :hug:

Thanks. She was a great lady! She had it all planned out...we just had to show up. I will always remember how she influenced my life in so many ways.

A funny story - I am very out to the world, however in respect for my gramma's age I just never talked about it. One has to understand, gramma lived in the Bible Belt. Was not overly religious, but very faithful. The way of life is the straight and narrow one in her state.She asked my mom about 10 years ago a question:

"Cayla isn't going to get married, is she. She doesn't like men much either, does she?"

My mom was floored, had no idea how to reply, so she told her the truth. Gramma's reply?

"as long as she is happy - that is all that matters."

Amazing - at 92+ (her age at th etime give or take a little) to be so open and accepting.

[Tigger&Belle]

Thanks. She was a great lady! She had it all planned out...we just had to show up. I will always remember how she influenced my life in so many ways.

A funny story - I am very out to the world, however in respect for my gramma's age I just never talked about it. One has to understand, gramma lived in the Bible Belt. Was not overly religious, but very faithful. The way of life is the straight and narrow one in her state.She asked my mom about 10 years ago a question:

"Cayla isn't going to get married, is she. She doesn't like men much either, does she?"

My mom was floored, had no idea how to reply, so she told her the truth. Gramma's reply?

"as long as she is happy - that is all that matters."

Amazing - at 92+ (her age at th etime give or take a little) to be so open and accepting.

Awww, what a heartwarming story. :hug: Your Gramma was quite an amazing woman.

[rosiep]

Padlyn I've been meaning to ask you..why not olive oil? Is it because it's smoking point is too low?

[padalyn]

Padlyn I've been meaning to ask you..why not olive oil? Is it because it's smoking point is too low?

Rosie - not only that the smoke point is too low, olive oil has a really powerful flavor that will stay with the metal for ever (or so it seems). I really don't like that taste...so not for me. I also have found that the oil has a lot of natural impurieties that will cause mold to grow really quickly if the pan isn't used at least once a week. There is no way i would ever use as many pans as I have every week :)

by using vegitable oil I don't give the pan a "flavor" and I can take it to the break point without worring about the fire department having to come to my building.

I do use bacon fat on rare occosion - when a pan is in desparate need of a re-work - I may resort to that for some of the pans I got from gramma's house - they are moldy and in one case rusty. I will have to scrub all the seasoning off and do a full re-work on the pan. This often means baking it with oil inside it and rubbed on the outside - vegitable oil just doesn't work well for that.

Now that you have had your iron pan lesson - go buy some!!! Once seasoned right - one doesn't need oil or ever to worry about sticking. Better than TFE !

Cayla

[padalyn]

Awww, what a heartwarming story. :hug: Your Gramma was quite an amazing woman.

Indeed she was. She never attended high school, but somehow always managed to know the answer to any question posed to her!

[rosiep]

Carla : I own three cast iron skillets AND a cast iron dutch oven....I recommend the dutch oven if you don't have one. All pans were relatively inexpensive and are just fantastic. I wipe them with a little solid Crisco after each wash.....we use them that often. (the Crisco never has a chance to go rancid between uses) :goodvibes

[padalyn]

Carla : I own three cast iron skillets AND a cast iron dutch oven....I recommend the dutch oven if you don't have one. All pans were relatively inexpensive and are just fantastic. I wipe them with a little solid Crisco after each wash.....we use them that often. (the Crisco never has a chance to go rancid between uses) :goodvibes

that works!

I have a large dutch oven, a griddle, 10 fry pans, 2 baking pans (corn bread & muffin) and I am not really sure what all else.

Crisco is just like vegitable oil, no flavor - good choice!