"Oh Didn't It Rain"

Untitled Part 1

Our family celebrations are muchsmaller these days with most of our family no longer in our community But we did have a pleasant Easter with the Taylor family. Trent andBrianna were both home from college and died beautiful eggs for us. After worship, we six gathered for dinner at the farm, and later Itook plates into Katherine and her aide and visited there. GrandsonSam had surprised us oldsters by flying home for his birthdayweekend, so he showed up at the farm coming and going while spreadinghimself thin to see both sides of his family. Getting to see her sonunexpectedly definitely made Katherine's holiday. Sam did notsurprise his cousins because they all keep in close touch thanks tocell phones.

Last Wednesday was Katherine's bithday,so I made her a cake I sometimes made her years ago—an angel foodwith a bouquet of real flowers with the vase hidden in the centerhole of the cake. We took chicken and dumpling dinners from a localrestaurant and had birthday dinner in her bedroom with the help ofher excellent aide. As I had not been organized enough to know thetime to send to Mary Ellen with Brian in the field, they dropped inlater to sing "Happy Birthday" with us when we cut the cake. Withgifts to open, a call from Sam and others, and all the cards in themail and Facebook greetings, that was the best we could do, andKatherine was smiling and appreciative.

The Taylors are without a kitchen rightnow as they are replacing floor and cabinets and doing other rehabwork. When Gerry came through here on his way to a softball weekendat Lexington, Mary Ellen came over to see him and brought Fifi toenjoy a bit of country life running in the fields since her life hasbeen torn up too by all the workmen in the house with her. BeforeGerry and Gerald took off in his rented pickup carrying the team'shitting machines, there was a demonstration of bird dogs brought upto the farm from Knoxville. Mary Ellen and I had to laugh to noticethat Fifi was not intimidated by those big dogs. She marked herterritory to let them know this was her farm. Gerry brought in fourquail eggs for Mary Ellen to fry for Brian, which she laughingly andgraciously accepted although she had never served such before. Thenshe remembered she had no kitchen—so I am saving them for her.

I listened to Friday night gameon the computer and was pleased with the A&M's victory overKentucky, and someone put a photo of Gerald at the game on Facebook.But the weekend began going downhill when I learned that our Jeannieand husband Rick were driving home from Rochester and they would begoing back Sunday afternoon to have same-day surgery yesterdaymorning to repair a problem caused by the port left in after herchemo. Jeannie kept emphasizing it was "not a big deal," but Idid not believe her for a minute. So when it stormed all night, Ifelt as I often do that nature was upset as I was. I do not know howmuch it rained because our rain gauge was run over at five incheswhen I emptied it the next morning.

We are on a hill side, so we do notworry about flooding. I was grateful that my diligent husband hadnoticerd and made a point on Thursday to repair the very tiny "wannabe a gully I grow up" on the side of the slope on our lane. Healso cleared the debris off the filter on the emergency overflow pipeon the far end of our lake. The first thing he asked when I told himabout the rain storm was whether the water went over the dam. And Iwas able to tell him the overflow had worked perfectly thanks to hiswork.

But many people in our area as well asother areas of the nation did not fare so well. Lakes formed besidesome roads here, and some roads became lakes. Our homeless shelterand many other homes were flooded. The Catholic church opened forthose needing shelter, and the Red Cross came in with emergencyshelter. And people are still hurting and coping.

Katherine had one aide out sick andanother who had a car wreck, so I took the highway into her house toavoid the closed roads. We listened to the A&M-Kentucky gametogether on her TV screen, and we felt together the pain of defeat. Of course, we assumed we'd win again on Sunday, but we didn't.

I went back to town through light rainthat evening to give Katherine night pills, but then drove homethrough torrential rain. I knew then I would stay home the next dayand not venture out unless necessary. I slept very late and pouredout another over five inches of rain from the gauge. FortunatelyKatherine's aide was back, and I had the restful Sunday I needed. Iprayed for Jeannie's surgery coming up, ate up left-overs in thefridge, found a play-by-play game account on Kentucky's website thatlet me follow the game, and looked forward to seeing Gerald and Gerrywhen they arrived that evening from Lexington.

Despite a fall the night before fromcatching his foot on a stob in an unofficial walkway between theoutdoor pizza place and their motel, Gerald was in a good mood. Withhis hand he had bandaged up very professionally after he picked thegravel out, he and Gerry had me laughing during snacks at the kitchentable as they told of their misadventures. (Gerald had a regulardoctor appointment today, and the doctor said his hand looked good.) I am sure Gerry was exhausted because he went straight to bed afterhis shower instead of running over to visit a friend as he wanted todo, and I think he and Gerald slept as good as I did the nightbefore.

Yesterday after we saw Gerry off forTexas, I was focused on waiting for Rick's call that Jeannie'ssurgery had gone well. The good call came, and I relaxed. They stayedat their motel in Rochester last night, and today they were on theirway home. I thank God for that. Gerry and the pitching machines areback on campus today, and he is cheerful on Facebook. Gerald haspicked the asparagus in his garden and cleaned out the overflowfilter again. He is ready for the next deluge.