Mother's Day 2011

 
A bittersweet day. It started sweet enough, with me visiting my second Mother, a lovely lady of the Forsythe clan. I got my usual hugs and dropped off some chocolates. I had the good fortune to see the grandkids and their mom who was looking most lovely, although claiming to be harried and with those two fiery-headed toe-rags, I doubt it not a whit.

Then it was some shopping and out to the country to see my own Mother. A delivery of chocolate gingers went over well.

I was then tasked to look at Dad's new TV, which I had bought him for Christmas, to see why some of the Bell channels were not showing up. Apparently a call to Bell is required.

And the it was a recovery operation - a number of sheets of steel, stray bits of light box frame steel and a bunch of lumber and sundry bits and pieces had been picked up by the win and lobbed down a 60 degree inclined behind the garage. One piece of steel covered 16 m (I paced it out) from the woodpile to its resting pile amid the furrows of the neighbours field.

Recovery included restacking and rebuilding our lumber pile. covering it all with the steel, ballasting that against the wind, getting out the riding mower and storing the snowblower, and then heading inside to cook dinner.

Two hours of cooking later, I had a dinner of lemon herb pacific salmon, acorn squash steam-baked and then broiled with orange marmalade and butter, a stir fry (of tomatos, red onion, orange and yellow peppers, shallots, mushrooms, white wine, cider vinegar, a lot of garlic and some pepper), some mixed basmati and long grain rice, some wine, some cooked shrimp as an appetizer, and a lemon creme/pudding tart for desert. It all turned out quite tasty, although I forgot the broccoli and the two types of zucchini I got for the stir fry (oh well).

Then it was kitchen police duty and packing to return home. All in all, fairly sweet.

The bittersweet comes from knowing my Cousin's wife Linda is just getting over gall bladder surgery while her son is in the ICU in Minnesota or Wisconsin awaiting a heart and liver double transplant while knowing the insurance will only cover one transplant and the bill will likely be $1.2 million dollars. That itself might be a death sentence for her son, who at 28 is far to young to have to face this, especially with an 8-month pregnant wife. The financial situation is unbelievable enough that even a pocket book emptying won't be enough. They've done funraisers etc. and have raised $36K, but that's a drop in a $1.2M bucket. Not exactly a good situation for mother's day and hence the bittersweet aspect.

I'm luck to have my mom and I guess she's lucky to have me. I feel for my cousin's wife and her son... no parent should have to face outliving their child.

 

Mother's Day at the Homestead

A late arrival caused by some shopping challenges encouraged a late start to dinner. After 2 solid hours of preparation an early cooking stages, the meal went into the 'simmer for two hours' phase.

The final meal was:

• Garlic and Butter Mashed Potatos
• Steamed Asparagus
• Tomb's 3B Guiness Brazed Beef (3B = Beer, Beef, Bacon!) : Included bacon, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, thyme, Guiness (in my case had to add a little gooseberry ale since I was about half a can short on the Guiness), a splash of port, a wee bit of salt, pepper, montreal steak spice, flour and canola oil (for searing the beef), fresh minced garlic, beef stock, and (in this case) a cubed round roast of beef - with a four stage cooking process.
• Desert was a Panna Cotta with a Blueberry and Peach Compote : Didn't make this one - President's Choice, comes in individual portions you have to unthaw and attempt to decant without disaster - and it is the first cousin of a Creme Brulee since Panna Cotta is cooked cream.

All in all, an excellent meal.

While the meal was simmering, I walked Mom through a bit more of the 'Computers 101' course - she has some awful trouble keeping the cursor from moving away from her text insertion point - I think it may be touch pad related. I may have to disable the touch pad and go for an external mouse or at least disable the tap-to-click aspect of the trackpad. Getting a more visible cursor set may also be necessary.

She tried to send out her first email and did so, albeit with some pretty painful stages. Think yourself privileged, Douglas! I know she plans to try to respond to Alan, Toni, Kevin, James, etc. as she is able (that may yet be a while). A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, but it sure takes a while to come to an end. :0)

Anyway, a good time visiting the parents. A good day. Mom didn't have to cook and Dad could eat with his dodgy teeth. So a general win, although I made no progress on my table construction project this day (much like many other visits recently).

On the side of concern, Dad is going in for Dental Surgery Tuesday. I'd be lying if I didn't say my anxiety level is uncomfortably high. I just don't seem to be able to batten down the uptight feeling I have about this and it is rather unpleasant. It needs done and the GP has given her go ahead, but he's the only Dad I've got and I want him around for a long time more. Of course, I want him not to be suffering and he needs to get some teeth fixed.

So if you are the sort to pray, say a few for my Dad. If you aren't the sort to pray, at least think about it being a positive outcome. I'm not sure we can impact the universe in such ways, but it is always wise to hedge your bets....

Mother's Day Meal

As the weather is pretty unpleasant and the cold and damp is upsetting Mother's poor bones, I'm going to cook dinner tomorrow for Mother and Dad. The task is made slightly more challenging as Dad is waiting for some dental surgery Tuesday.

So I'm going to make something tasty, but easily consumed without chewing - I'm going to make a Guinness brazed beef, make sure it cooks for long enough to be very tender, and then shred the beef. That ought to be easy to eat, flavourful, and require no chewing. With that, I'll probably serve some cooked-soft asparagus, perhaps some well mashed potato with garlic and butter, and a desert which is some sort of pudding.

Mom can enjoy the next best thing to steak (a nice beef dish) and she can avoid preparing a meal, giving her a bit more of a rest (not that she understands the word....) which is probably the best thing I can do for her. I also got her a copy of Shakedown by Ezra Levant detailing the dubious and troubling aspects of the Canadian Human Right's Councils operation, power and process, particularly as it pertains to Section 13 governing freedom of speech and hate speech.

I can't ease her pain and I can't give her back the ability to walk and be as independent as she was before her accident, but if I can even make life a little easier and give her some time to do something she enjoys (she has become a big Nascar afficionado lately), then that's probably the best that can be managed. She's one of a very special kind.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is upon us. This is a very special day to most of us as most of us have a mother (some end up with more than one - I have been so blessed). Most of us wouldn't have got to where we are in life without the help and support of our mother.

My own mother is a small, frail old lady - big in spirit, but physically limited due to age and the deteriorations resulting from an accident a few years back with a dump truck. She has a fair portion of hard days and she copes with them and my father's health problems with an amazing patience and aplomb I could only aspire to. Both of my parents have coped with the challenges life has thrown at them over the past few years in a most amazing fashion. I often feel sadly incapable whenever I look at the footsteps I'm walking in.

I've been very fortunate to have both of my parents. My father taught me to be practical and realistic and as importantly, he taught me about ethics and honour. My mother taught me about compassion, kindness, charity and integrity. I'm still learning from them every day and I'm thankful that I have been given that chance.

Toni and Alan have been like a second family to me and have extended to me the warmth and friendship that make me feel like I truly do have two homes. As a single person sometimes prone to periods of relative solitude (and not overfond of those), that's a godsend in its own way.

I have many friends who are now mothers in their own right: Rhonda, Shelly, Susan, Stephanie, Annette, Wendy, Linda, Natalie, Julie, Lisa, Laurie, Lisa the second, Erica, and probably a few others I can't recall. Each in their own way has grown more complete and more amazing as time has gone by and as they raise their children.

My heart is filled with best wishes for my Mother, for my other Mother, and for all of the Mothers I know and who've made me feel at home and welcome in their worlds. My life wouldn't have been the same without them and is far the better for having them in it.

I'd like to also extend a special thought for Mother's Day: A few of my friends have lost theirs to the fates and the passage of time. I want them to know I'm thinking of them and their mother's as well this mother's day. I hope they can feel welcome in the homes and families of others and find a small part of what they once had. My family has always made my friends welcome, another fine mark in their favour as my friends are uniformly quality people, and I hope that all of my friends know that attitude of welcome from my family (and me) continues to this day.

To all of the Mothers: My warmest regards, my blessings, and a wish that the coming years bring you nothing but the happiness and contentment you deserve. Well done.