Hiatal Hiatus

Cirleville's twirling Bucket of Chicken
Chillicothe skyline - quite lovely
Mom post-op

I still got up before 6am even though I wasn’t going into work. Instead, I would be spending the day with my mother, who was having surgery in Chillicothe. However, before heading that way, I still had lots to accomplish. First, I had to exercise and walk Ykraps. But instead of running immediately after, I had to return the slit seeder to Sunbelt Tool Rental on Mound St.. So, after walking Ykraps I loaded the machine onto the trailer in the dark. I needed to be back before Mindy and Bella departed for school at 7:15am. I waited until 6:45am to leave since they didn’t open until 7am. When I arrived, they were courteous and helpful getting the machine off the trailer and the paperwork processed. I was back on the road towards home by 7:05am. Mindy departed minutes after I returned. Because it‘s my job to see Jacob onto the school bus, I didn’t bother heading out for a run. I wouldn’t run until he was gone.

I spent the next twenty minutes watering flowers. I checked the hot tub, too. The water level hadn’t dropped even a smidge. I am totally perplexed! How could the thing lose roughly two hundred gallons of water in a few short hours but now not even a drop. But honestly, I was just happy that the hot tub wasn’t junk. As I pondered the situation, I wondered if there isn’t some siphoning effect taking place when a certain jet is used causing the water to run out one of the small air hoses underneath. That’s one of the few scenarios that makes any sense at all.

At 8am I walked Jacob to the bus stop. Like usual, we were there with Pat and Alena. After the kids boarded the bus Pat & I headed back to our respective homes. I promptly dressed for a run and hit the street. It was a wonderful run under warm and sunny skies. When I finished it was still before 9am. I spent the next hour showering and then washing the BM’er. I wanted to drive but, but also wanted to do so with it sparkling clean! I left for the Adena hospital in Chillicothe at 10:05am. What a beautiful drive it was down Rt. 23. Once you clear the clutter of the city it’s vast and green. And once you’re south of Circleville there are lots of lovely rolling hills in easy view. Add to that the clear blue skies and it had all the makings of the perfect drive. 48 miles later I spotted the hospital off to my immediate left. To my surprise, the Kenworth plant where Randy S. works sits just to its east nestled against some foothills. Quite lovely!

I parked on the west side of the hospital. I entered and eventually found my way to the same-day surgery wing. They told me that mom had already checked in and was likely under the knife. But this I already knew. She also advised that I could wait out in the waiting area until they called for me. I brought a book figuring that I’d be doing a lot of waiting. I brought A Fearless Heart – Convicted Not Condemned, by David L. Waters. I found the book gripping. I couldn’t put it down. Time flew by. At 3pm my mom’s friend, Denise rang my cell to let me know that she was out of surgery and in her room. She even gave me directions from where I was. Denise, however, was heading out to get a bite of food.

I found mom’s room easily. She was almost completely out of it still, but did recognize me. She uttered only a few things: that she felt sick, was in pain, and thirsty for water. I let the nurse know. Unfortunately, given the procedure, she wasn’t allowed to have any water, at least to drink. I think they had her on some pain medication via the drip bag. I sat there and read more of my book. I was already 150 pages into it. My Uncle Chuck arrived about 30 minutes later. I was friendly, but kept my nose largely buried in my book. I stopped to chat only briefly. Soon, her friend Denise returned. Those two left around 5pm leaving me there alone with mom. However, it wasn’t long before brother Charles arrived. He helped mom by swabbing her mouth with water. He stepped out to get a bite to eat shortly after he arrived. I did even more reading. I had only about twenty pages left when I finally put it down and readied to depart. I left the hospital soon after Charles returned. It was 6pm. I found my car after a few minutes of near panic. The drive home was just as colorful and fun as the drive down. I absolutely loved it. The weather was ideal for such a thing.

I arrived home around 7:00pm. No one was home but Ykraps. Mindy had both kids at Bella’s dance class in Hilliard. That’s right! Bella’s begun formal dance classes. It wasn’t too much longer before they were home. I checked the hot tub. It was still full. I added a little more water to bring it to its preferred level. The kids played outside for a few minutes before their bath and bed time. Mindy was eager to get to bed early. She reported being overly tired. I agreed to go to bed early, too. It was just after 8:30pm. Geesh!