Nana's Thanksgiving 2012

This year Lori wanted to make a new tradition for Thanksgiving by going to Fry Brothers Turkey Ranch for Thanksgiving Day, hoping that Nana would enjoy going out and being with the boys.  Where better for a Thanksgiving dinner than a turkey ranch?  I was excited about the idea because Jan and I decided to make a trip to PA so we could be part of the new tradition.
 
I admit to being a little apprehensive about Nana in that situation.  It was a new restaurant to her and it was a longer drive than hopping up to May's Diner each morning.  But May's is not open on Thanksgiving Day and I know Nana wanted to please Lori.  Since Lori had been planning this since the summer, Nana had lots of time to prepare.  She had a great idea - she would get  Christmas gifts for the boys and give to them at the restaurant to help keep them occupied.  In Sepember, we shopped for just the right gift.  She wanted them to have small cars as she knows Ollie and Sidney love anything with wheels.  Plus, she insisted they be almost alike because her thought was that they might fight if they were different.  This insight came from raising four of her own kids, who fought, and helping to raise Lori and Jeff, who also fought.  I knew she was right.  She chose 2 packs of miniature cars. I wrapped them for her and now she was ready.

On Thanksgiving Day, Jan and I drove Nana to the restaurant.  After we crossed the mountain and headed up Rt. 15 north of Williamsport, she was in new territory.  That stretch of highway is wooded with the road sliced into the mountains. A month earlier, the scenery would have been awash with reds and yellows and oranges from the fall leaves.  On this trip, the trees were bare, but Nana was still in awe of the drive.

When we reached the restaurant, the parking lot was packed.  Thankfully, Jan found a parking spot close to the door.   Because we had reservations we were seated immediately - good for Nana who can't stand for very long, plus she was still hurting some from her fall.  Next challenge was what would Nana order to eat?  She settled on a hamburg, coffee and banana cream pie for dessert.  After we ordered, Nana gave the boys their cars.  What a hit!  They loved them and ran them on the table and also entertained the diners behind us, running them across the ledge while wearing the turkey hats Lori had made them. So cute.
 
There were ten of us - Sharon and Ron, Jeff, Lori and Nate, Ollie and Sid, Nana and Jan and I.  The food was good and lots of it.  Nana's hamburg was too hard for her to eat so she had a half a roll, coffee and the banana cream pie, which was her favorite. The boys loved the rainbow sherbert but were more interested in playing with their cars from Nana.  Nana was so happy watching them enjoy her gift.

When we left the restaurant, Nana again remarked on the drive through the mountains.  Who knew that would be one of the top attractions of this day for her?  It's a good new tradition and I hope we can all go again next year. 

The next day all of us, except Ron, met again at Nana's favorite hangout - May's Diner.  More fun with Ollie and Sid and their cars and trucks.  Thanks Lori for making all this happen.  Looking forward to next Thanksgiving!

Nana and Lori at Fry's Turkey Ranch Nov 2012

 

 

Ollie and Sid wearing turkey hats and

playing with Nana's gift of cars at

Fry's Turkey Ranch Nov 2012

 

 

Nana and Lori with Ollie and Sid at May's Diner

November 2012

 

 

The Fall

On Friday night, October 26, 2012, Nana took a nasty fall.  According to what she can remember, it was after she watched the 10 o'clock news - a must on Nana's to-do list.  When she got up from her chair, she felt dizzy and started to fall.  She remembers grabbing for her walker that sits to the right of her TV.  The wheels on her walker - which only serves as a hanger for her sweaters - must have rolled and the rest of her fall is a mystery.  What we do know is that her TV, one of the old "weighs a ton" kind, crashed to the floor with her.
 
She told me that she thinks she blacked out briefly and then called for help.  No one could hear her as her closest neighbor, 98 year-old Hazel, lives below her and she was in the hospital.  Fortunately, Nana was able to get herself to her footstool and use her portable phone.  She called Sharon and she and Jeff drove to Nana's house immediately. When she told Sharon she fell, Sharon asked her, "Nana, what's broken?"  In true Nana fashion, she said, "My TV."  Never mind that she had a bleeding abrasion on her arm, a big lump on her forehead with two more lumps on the back of her head.  Her chest had a painful bruise and her hip hurt so badly she could barely move.  But she was worried about her TV!

Sharon and Jeff called the ambulance and told her not to move.  When they called me, I started packing.  Sharon and Jeff were with Nana in the Emergency Room till the wee hours of the morning. I'm so grateful they were there.  The doctors did lots of tests and scans on Nana and to every one's amazement, there were no fractures.  Everyone taking care of her was totally amazed at her good blood results, strong heart and lungs and small amount of regular prescriptions medications.  However, because she's 89 years old and had head injuries, the doctor felt it was best to keep her in the hospital for observation. 

I arrived at the hospital on Saturday about 2pm to find that the doctor felt another day was best for observation.  Sharon and I used that time to shop for a modern, lighter TV.  I spent Saturday night repairing her TV stand and hooking up the new TV.  Nana without cable TV is not a good thing.

I brought Nana home on Sunday.  She was in a lot of pain, especially her chest. Her major complaint was "I just don't feel well."  I kept my keys close in case we needed to make another trip to the Emergency Room.

Monday morning Nana felt  better but the weather was very sick.  Hurricane Sandy was blowing in and Nana had a doctor's appointment.  Sharon is braver than me and offered to drive all of us to Dr. Wiegand's office in her mini-van.  We left early because Nana wanted us to buy her donuts at Dunkin Donuts.  That was a clue she was feeling better.  The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and told her that her chest bruising would take a long time to heal so she would need to  be patient - not really a Nana trait. 

Sharon delivered us home safely and we hunkered down to brave the storm.  Nana slept well, but as the wind howled at 60mph,  I fretted about what I would do if the electricity failed.  The power blinked on and off a few times, but thankfully we still had heat and lights the next morning, although no cable TV until about noon.  No Price is Right for Nana that day but it was back on for the noon news.  She was happy. 

After the storm, I contacted Lifeline and now Nana  has a lovely string necklace with a button to push for help if she falls again.  That gives all of us who love her some peace of mind. It gives Nana the independence she treasures so she can stay in her own home.

I went home on Thursday and by Friday morning, only a week after her fall, Nana drove to May's Diner for her daily pancake breakfast. No fall was going to keep her down!

 

                                       Nana ready to leave the hospital on Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Tilburg Kids

With the passing of Uncle John this summer, Nana and Uncle Ben are the only two left out of the five Tilburg children of Benjamin and Pearl Tilburg.  I came across a picture that was taken in May 1983 at my house when I lived in Montgomery RD.  I remember doing a Tilburg family dinner once a year and this was one of those times.  It's hard to realize that Nana was only 60 - 2 years younger than I am now! She looked quite happy standing next to her big brother John.

By 1983, Auntie and Aunt Grace were both widows as Uncle Lukie and Uncle Tom had both passed away.  Aunt Grace was smiling and looked the way I like to remember her before she succumbed to Alzheimer's and went to Valley View Nursing Home.  Auntie looked so sweet in her prim and proper way.   Her real name was Elizabeth, but I always called her Auntie and Nana called her Lib.  Uncle Ben was the baby of the family and I remember he always enjoyed these dinners and the leftovers I sent home with him.

When I took that picture in 1983, I didn't realize the importance of having all the Tilburg kids together in a picture.  Today, I know it's priceless.

 

The Tilburg Kids

Ben, Elizabeth (Auntie), Grace, John and Deanie

May 1983

Celebrating 89 years young!

I was honored to spend time with Nana during her birthday celebrations.  Nana is not a fan of big parties.  I threw her a big party on her 75th birthday and she was not thrilled. I learned from my mistake and try now to make her birthdays about things that she loves, not what I think she should want. 

Speaking of that, several years ago I got her a beautiful decorated white cake.  After I took her picture with that cake, she totally ignored it.  Now I've learned that she likes the cupcakes I buy here in Virginia at our Martin's grocery store.  They are white cake with creamy white frosting.  Sounds similar to the white cake, right?  But, she likes the cupcakes and didn't like the cake.  So for celebrating her birthday, cupcakes it is. 

 

 

Nana's menu is very limited but she enjoys the fish sandwich at The Fence so that is where I chose to take her for her birthday dinner.  Although they have rows of picnic tables lining the view of the Susquehanna River, Nana is not an outside kind of gal.  We went on Friday September 14th, the day before her birthday.  It was so much fun to watch Nana enjoy her fish sandwich - tartar sauce on the side - with her coffee with lots of cream.  The Fence closes in October so that was our last time there this season.  I don't know if it was the birthday or the fact that it was our last fish there till spring, but Nana and I both agreed that the fish tasted better than it had all summer.  The sweet girl who waited on us was kind enough to take our picture.

 

 

 

I told Nana that she gets to celebrate longer as she gets older, so on Saturday, September 15th, when she turned 89 years old, we went to her favorite place - Mays Restaurant.  Sharon was able to join us so that make the breakfast extra special for Nana and I.  It was a crowded morning at Mays and there were lots of people in line waiting for tables.  I got Nana a chair to sit while we waited, but one of the kind waitresses cleared a recently vacated table and moved Nana to the table - no more waiting!  That was a nice birthday gift.  Then she enjoyed her small pancake - specially made by Steve, the cook - her piping hot pot of coffe with lots of creams, and multiple packets of Smuckers Strawberry Jelly, her favorite.  She was greeted with birthday wishes by all the staff and other diners, even a lady behind us who had never met Nana before.

 

In addition, Nana received lots of gifts and visits and phone calls from family and friends with birthday wishes.  She had a wonderful birthday.  I'm already thinking about a plan for her 90th birthday next year.....









50 Years Ago Today

Nana just called to tell me that 50 years ago today, her mother died.  Grandma Tilburg died on August 28, 1962.  She died of pernicious anemia and she was 71 years old.  I was only 12 years old when she died and I thought Grandma Tilburg was very old - now I don't think 71 is old at all.  For many years before her death, she was bedridden.  With her gray hair wrapped into a bun and her frail body draped in folds of her cotton nightgowns, she looked tiny and pale, propped up by pillows in the big double bed.

Nana has already lived almost eighteen years longer than her mother.  Today when she was talking about the pain in her toes from neuropathy, she said, "It's not easy getting old.  These are not golden years."  I'm not dismissing her pain as I'm sure that's hard to endure.  But I reminded her how most seniors who are almost 89 years old would be happy to have her life of relative independence.  She admitted that was true. 

Nana was only 39 years old when she lost her mom. I feel very fortunate to be 62 years old and still have the luxury of talking to my mom everyday and seeing her often.


 

It Takes a Family

Nana is fortunate to have lots of family who care so much for her.  Last week, all four of her kids helped her in some way. 

Wayne stopped in several times to check on her and open any jars or bottles she can't open.  Her hands have become so arthritic that many tasks we take for granted - like buttoning a shirt or writing a check - have become very difficult.

Although Sharon was in Black Lake, she kept in touch with daily phone calls.  Sharon also was with her Sunday evening to fix her pill cases and crush the ones she can't swallow.  Sharon and I devised this system after Nana was ill in 2010.  It works well and Nana is very faithful at taking everything on schedule. 

Bill and Marcia stopped by on Sunday to give Nana the church bulletin and bring some yummy leftovers and dessert from their lunch.  Nana is apprehensive about church because her back has been so painful lately. 

In addition to our daily phone calls, last Friday I talked her through a tornado warning.  She was very frightened and I gave her instructions to get her teeth in, put on her shoes and take her jacket and purse to the bottom of the steps.  We stayed on the phone while I watched WNEP 16 weather live on my computer.  To be safe, we switched to the cell phone when the lightening was so severe.  I breathed a sigh of relief when I knew the danger had passed.  Wayne was in touch with us that night also just in case he needed to go get her.

In addition to her four kids, she is very close to Lori and Jeff, who are more like her kids than her grandchildren.

The night of the tornado, Jeff stopped in and fixed Nana's weather radio and he's always available for a weather update.
 
Lori calls from Delaware often and keeps her supplied with stories and pictures of Ollie and Sidney.  Lori and Nate's visit with the boys in June was such a joy to Nana.

I think Nana is very lucky to have so many people who care about her.  And we are so lucky to still have Nana in our lives! 

Summer of '57

The summer of 1957 was our first summer living in the Staggert place.  We called it the Staggert place because we bought it from the Staggert family.  Us kids were so excited to have a big yard with green grass!  At first, we didn't have an inside toilet, but Daddy installed one soon after we moved in.  That was life changing for us.  No more running outside to the "out house" or using the "pee bucket" in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom. 

This picture of Wayne, Sharon, Bill and I is the only one we have of all of us as children.  I think Wayne's hat may have come from Uncle Harold - Tud as we called him - who was in the Navy.  Sharon's hair was as short as I have ever seen her wear it and Bill to this day still likes to put his hands in his pockets.  I squinted into the sun with the innocent smile of a seven year old.  

Behind us is the door that opened to the stairs into the cellar.  In those days, houses had cellars, not basements.  In the corner of the cellar sat the sump pump, ready to suck out water when spring rains flooded the dirt floor.  Also in the cellar was the gigantic coal furnace and the dusty bins for coal storage.  For many years the cellar was also home to Nana's ancient wringer washer.  I remember catching the smashed clothes that she fed into the wringer that looked like two constantly spinning roller pins.  Nana never had a dryer so after the clothes made several trips through the wringer, she hauled the heavy basket of wet clothes up the rickety wooden steps and out to the backyard clothes lines.

  

Although we were poor, we seemed quite happy in this picture.  I think we were oblivious to all the work Nana did for us.  She washed and ironed our clothes and cooked lots of delicious meals. Later she went to work in a factory to pay the bills.  She sacrificed to make our lives better.  Thank You Nana!

Sharon, Wayne, Diane and Bill in the Summer of 1957