Carol's random babble

It's not just an ice storm, it's not just a snow storm, it's two storms in one! (remember the old Certs commercials?) It started with an ice storm. That began around midnight Friday with rain, freezing rain and sleet. Around 4 p.m. Saturday, it started to snow. I had gone to work Saturday (after chipping 1/4 inch of ice off my windows). I slept at Mom's apartment last night. I didn't want to risk trying to drive home in the dark. I've driven home in snow storms before, but not after an ice storm. Church was canceled - we knew that yesterday. A TV station in Des Moines had 664 closings and delays reported just before I began this blog entry. We haven't received our Sunday paper yet - it's after 11 a.m. I'm not mad about that, because I know how bad it is. I work at the paper, and the editor on desk last night had to leave early last night. Her neighbor works for the county and told her that the county road crews were ordered to be off the roads by 7

Warning: a bit gross We got an unpleasant surprise Thursday morning. After thinking Mom would come home this weekend, we found out that she would have surgery instead. I called my dad's house Thursday morning after Mom told me about the surgery. Michele answered, and I told her about Mom's condition and asked her to put Mom's name on the prayer rolls at the Nauvoo Temple. Michele has a health issue in her own family - a great niece who is gravely ill. So she's already called the temple once this week for someone. Michele was very reassuring and comforting. I stopped by in the morning before I picked up my check. Mom wrote checks to pay her rent and cable bill, and her tithing (which I will pay for her on Sunday). We talked about the surgery and possible outcomes. Mom said she's sure that when she dies, Donna and I will be able to sort through her stuff without causing problems for each other. I hope so. I did tell her that I'm not ready to let her go yet and she

Mom's still in the hospital. Her infection isn't cleared up yet, and because of the IV her leg is swollen to twice its normal size. We're not sure when she will get out. I took the girls to see her Sunday after church. Later in the afternoon, Cayla complained that she didn't feel good. She got a slight fever, and around 1:30 a.m. she threw up a little. So, I planned for her to not go to school and set my alarm for 10 a.m., thinking, it's good to sleep in once in awhile. Cayla came to me at 7:30 and said she was developing spots. Yep, she's got chicken pox. I called: her school to say she won't be there this week, the nurses' station on Mom's floor to explain that I brought a contagious child to the hospital on Sunday, the three people who visited Mom when we did (one is a superintendent at a school district, one works in a lab and one is a school teacher), a couple - the wife is pregnant and might have been exposed, the mom of the three young childre

Mom fell yesterday outside her apartment - in the snow that wasn't cleared from the sidewalk. She had fallen on Jan. 28, also outside, and scraped her knee that time. The scrape is infected, and I took her to the doctor's office yesterday to be seen. The doctor told her to take antibiotics, and if the infection didn't clear up, she would end up in the hospital. Well, I took her home, let her out of the car and parked the car. I got out to help her get to her apartment, but I didn't see her. She had fallen. So, I called 911. After the last time, I knew I wouldn't be able to help her up on my own. She went to the ER, and after discussion with the doctor, they decided to admit her. Nothing is broken, but she's in a lot of pain and the infection needs to be taken care of. So, she could be in overnight or for a couple of days. I went to work last night for about 5 hours, so I'll try to get in 3 hours today to make up the difference. I'm not sure if I will go