Category: Family & Friends

My trip down to the State of Connecticut was highly successful! I went down to celebrate my sister’s birthday, and with the help of #2 son and his sweet girlfriend, I was able to pull off a surprise party for her on her big day!

I come up with great ideas, but in this case, it would have been impossible to pull off without Tim and Erica.

My job was simple. Supply the things I could hide, and get Melodie out of her house for the day!

Me with my sister, Melodie.

Between the two of them, they decorated my sister’s house, helped me come up with a menu and Tim ordered and picked up all the food. Erica handled the decorations and she also ordered the cake!

I cannot begin to tell you what a fabulous party and meal that it was. My sister’s oldest son and his wife and their three children came, as well as Tim’s eldest son. His younger son was working.

Now here is where things got dicey. I knew that I wanted to have Eggplant Parmesan for one of the two main courses. We decided on Sausage and Peppers for the other.

I was pretty convinced that there would be a ton of the Eggplant Parm leftover (hoping!), but that entree on the buffet went quickly and there was just a small bit left at the end.

It was simply the best Eggplant Parmesan I have ever had. In fact, the next time I go down I want to order one and bring it home to freeze into sections, to enjoy over a couple of months.

Here is a picture of the Buffet Table. Isn’t it just beautiful?

The Eggplant is the first item at the bottom of the picture! My mouth is drooling like a St Bernard just looking at this!

The Sausage and Peppers were also great as was the salad and the Italian bread!

We sat out on their deck and enjoyed our meals and watched Melodie open her gifts.

Mel’s daughter-inlaw, Karan, me, her husband, Ron, and Melodie.

Everyone signed a seashell and the cake was in the center. It was the most amazing cake and decorations for a “Beach themed Birthday Bash!”

My sister is really good at doing this for everyone else, in fact, she even threw a surprise birthday party for me! So it was time for us to treat her.

Erica, Melodie, and Karan.

Mel and her two sons. Mike, left and Tim, right.

I wish I’d gotten pictures of her grandchildren, but it was a crazy happy time and I was not thinking. I will tell you that everyone had a great time and the kids were all super happy to be at a party!

Melodie and her husband of nearly 48 years, Ron.

So once again, a Happy Birthday to my beloved sister, Melodie. I wish you many, many more, and I also hope we can continue to share them together!

So by the time you read this, I will be on my way to Connecticut to my sister’s house. I haven’t seen my sister in almost a year and so I am really looking forward to this visit.

Melodie and Me.

It usually takes me 4 hours and 15 minutes to get to her place. I am hoping that the traffic won’t be bad and I will breeze on down. I’m taking the back way across New Hampshire first to Vermont and then to Massachusetts and then to Connecticut.

I’m taking my Ipod so I can listen to and sing along with my favorite songs, and I have a new cell phone holder, so I can have my phone available to use as my GPS with an App called Waze.

Spending time with my sister! It doesn’t get much better than this!

Mel and Me.

The excitement builds!

I started looking at family pictures recently and when I saw this picture of my Grandfather Prussman’s sister, Katchen, I was blown away at the family resemblance with both my mother and me.

This is Katchen at about 4-5 years old. She had chestnut brown hair and big brown eyes. She was Papa’s baby sister and he adored her. She was born in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, came to Boston as a child, married and tragically died in the Influenza Epidemic of 1918.

This is my Mom. Light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a simple and sweet expression. Much like her Aunt Katchen. Mom was a shy woman, although many people would disagree with this. She volunteered for everything and she tried very hard to make people happy with her cooking and her way of welcoming people into her home.

And this is me. Lighter brown hair, and dark brown eyes. Papa often mentioned his sister Katchen to me, telling me that I had chocolate brown eyes just like his sister, and Grandma Honey remarked that I looked very much like her. I never thought about this until I held the three pictures together and I saw the familial link.

Since I never met Katchen I can only wonder about what she was like. She was best friends with my grandmother and very close until Katchen’s rather untimely death. I imagine that Katchen must have been a lot of fun since Grandma was.

1. She was born February 4, 1898. Her parents George and Sarah named her Mary Francis Daniell.

2. She had two sisters, Sarah Mathilda, the oldest, whom we all called Tilly, and Marionette, who chose to move away and never have much to do with any of the family.

Marionette, Tilly, seated and my very blond grandmother.

3. She met my Grandfather when she was 8 or 9 years old. His family moved into her neighborhood and Gram became best friends with his sister, Katchen. Gram taught them to speak English, as they were from Germany and didn’t speak a bit of English when they arrived.

4. Papa fell instantly in love with her and pursued her all through their teens. (Today we would call this stalking! LOL)

5. Her father insisted she finish college before she even considered marriage. He wanted Papa to go to college too. And he did!

6. They married right after graduation on June 1, 1921, and were married for over 65 years before she passed away.

7. They had one son, Robert and my mother, Rosamond. They always thought of Tilly’s son George as their own too. They adored him.

8. Gram taught school in the Boston Public Schools. She taught 5th grade and she also taught Special Education.

9. She was a member of the DAR, The Eastern Star and worked for the Christian Science Monitor in Boston.

10. She was always busy working for charities and I can’t recall a time until she was very old that she actually rested.

11. She adored her grandchildren, there were five of us, Carl, Erica, my brother Richard, sister Melodie and yours truly!

12. She made the best cookies and also warm milk with honey and a pat of butter in it. To this day it calms me.

13. Sadly, she passed December 2, 1984. I feel lucky to have had such a great and wonderful grandmother.

14. So, Happy Birthday to my dearest Grandma Honey in Heaven. I miss you each and every day, but carry your love with me everywhere!

I lived in Punta Gorda, FL for six years back in the 1990s. My first friend here was Candy. I met her at Church as we both sang in the choir. It’s funny how quickly we knew each other. It was like two souls that had been together at some other place and time, were once again reunited.

Our first couple of years Candy sat next to me and we sang together. We even sang a couple of duets. She was so good, with pitch-perfect tone and it was easy for me to follow her.

Then the last choir director left and Candy became our organist Choir Master. She was amazing. She picked wonderful hymns and knew how to work them over with the choir.

Candy and Me. Back in the day.

So, yesterday, as I drove down US 41 to US 17 and out to Arcadia, where she is now in hospice, I was recalling so much of our time together.

Most of good old Punta Gorda was washed away during Hurricane Charley, but there were many areas I still recalled. Things that had not changed.

Yet, now, as I drove out to Arcadia, I knew that everything is about to change for me, in regard to this special place.

Getting the Governmental System to allow Candy back into Hospice was not easy. It angers and frustrates me to see that a person needs to be suffering and because an i wasn’t dotted or a t crossed, things will not be done! I think the part that makes me even wilder is that while people suffer, our esteemed Government does nothing to hold the insurance companies accountable!

In any case, after several hours of talking to Nurses, Doctors and Social Workers, Candy’s sister got her back into Inpatient Hospice Care.

I’m relieved. I leave tomorrow to return to New Hampshire, and I was so worried about who would be with her during the days. Now I know she will be well cared for.

Of course, today, when I go out to Arcadia again, it will be one of my hardest days. When I leave Candy today, it will be the last time I see her in this world. I am planning for tears, and I am expecting a downtime until I can compose myself and then drive the 40 minutes back to Punta Gorda.

Life is never guaranteed. None of us know when our last day will be. This is why I believe that we must make every day count and make sure those that we love know how we feel.

My day started with me groggily getting up and going in to check on my friend, Candy. It was only when I started talking that I realized that I still had my bite guard in! I guess I am used to it.

The day was overcast and cold once again, which is fine as I have some warm clothes with me.

Candy’s husband and step daughter arrived for a short visit. It was nice to see them.

And right around noon the minister from Candy’s church came with communion.  I felt very emotional and I admit to crying just a bit. I am, however,  so glad he came.

The home health nurse will come today. I am not sure how much she can do as Candy cannot move much.

I leave on Thursday for home and I wish I wasn’t going back right now.

This is so very hard.

Life has slowed down right now. There is no rushing around, and much of the time the only sound I hear is the whooshing noise that the oxygen machine makes.

My friend’s sister and I make meals, drink coffee, and keep my darling friend, Candy as comfortable as we can.

Yesterday she asked for few things to eat and we sprung into action.

She remembered my Seafood Lasagna,  so we grabbed all the ingredients for that and made it for dinner. She only ate a few bites, but she smiled the entire time.

I bought some fresh German Klosterbrot and a very fine Leberwurst, and she had small bites of that too!

Since this fabulous German Butcher Shop is so close, I also bought some Leberkase.  Today I will cook a small piece for her with an egg.

We’ve told her anything she wants she can have. Seeing her smile makes it all worth it.

At first we talked quite a bit,  but it’s hard for her to talk now. Mostly she sleeps.

I am just happy to be here, with her, caring for her.

I return to New Hampshire on Thursday. It will be my hardest goodbye ever.

But I am so grateful for this this time. In the years to come I will know the great love we have shared this week.