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Family Ledgers

Captain’s Log: Notes to Self

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Today is a holiday so… I’m actually enjoying a little peace and quiet! I’ve just finished cleaning off my desk and I found a few notes that I’d jotted down over the last few months. (They gather under my stapler… when my stapler topples off my desk, that’s my signal that it’s time to spiff up!) So this one note — which to the best of my detective abilities is from the week of January 1, 2017 — is full of silly things my mom was uttering in her incredibly brain-addled state. (She’s now only slightly addled. And next week… Read More »

Captain’s Log at 6 months: How to Prepare for “Minor” Brain Surgery

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June 30, 2017 I know it’s been all quiet on the Western Front for a while… I thought I just needed a week or so to get back on track and, well… that’s a different story. But here we are. Two months later. To catch up as efficiently as possible: Mom was here in Buffalo with me for all of April, then she returned to Stafford, VA where she has continued recovery and gaining strength. Her progress has been remarkable by any available metric! She’s walking every day (and often up to two miles!) with company, but without assistance. At… Read More »

THE I-95.

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Having lived on the I-95 corridor, learning to drive inside the Corridor of Hell otherwise known as the Capital Beltway… when I first moved to Buffalo, all of the road names sounded really bizarre to me.  And it wasn’t because they were long and had too many consonants (you try pronouncing Scajaquada your first day in town!)  It was because they all came with THE in front of them.  And there were so many different TYPES of “highways” — THE thruway, THE expressway, THE highway, THE skyway, THE, THE, THE. But there was also none of THE traffic that I had… Read More »

These are a few of my favorite things…

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A few of my favorite things live on this shelf. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I have a toddler.  And toddlers… Never. Stop. Eating. (You could just as easily exchange “eating” for “snacking,” “wrecking,” “smearing,” … I know you know what I mean…) Add a dash of Irish and a pinch of Polish to our kitchen culture, and sometimes it feels like we never LEAVE the kitchen! So I took this blank wall, and put up a wee shelf o’er the sink where I could insert a little zen into the insanity.  Like the kitchen sink,… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 60

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Wednesday 2/14/2016 8:45AM Happy Valentine’s Day to any Hallmark Lovebirds out there. Progress continues. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the best Valentine’s Day gift a mother and daughter could ever ask for. What did you get from your Valentine? Maybe a big ROCK? (Cliche?) I love rocks. Last week was a biggie. I think we’re still adjusting to the new mindset a little. Physical therapy is now full speed ahead. The young whippersnapper helping mom to stand like grasshopper thinks she’ll have the feisty bird up on her feet without a walker by the end of March! How’s that… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 54 (The Rest Stop)

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Wednesday 2/7/2017 11:14PM My Mom collapsed 54 days ago. 54 days. 54 days ago she stood for hours upon hours at a work bench making beautiful things and teaching other how to make beautiful things. Sharing her passion with kids and adults. Eating full meals, planning holiday mayhem. Today she stood for almost a minute before she started shaking like a leaf. By the end of minute two she needed a break. I wanted to cry for her. I want to rip off my legs and give them to her. Then I think about how far she’s come and I’m… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 25

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1/9/2017 9:30 PM Oh screw it. Burning a candle at both ends? Nay. I am a pro. And pros use sticks of dynamite when they detonate energy/fuel sources at multiple points. It took me about 16 hours to get home with one very miserable E’Clair. Teething. Exhaustion. A cold. She’s just had it with me. She was up at 4a.m. — Then Liam was up at 7a.m. And the day got rockin’ n’ rollin’ — Gotta get the car unpacked, check the oil, have it ready to turn around; I wonder if I’ve paid any bills due in the last… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 22

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1/6/2017 9:30 PM This has been quite a ride. Today was another big one. A long week of what I’ll call physical abilities and strength tests has definitely yielded results. Mom is out of the ICU and has very nearly achieved commode-independence! (TMI? I just mean that if you help her to the bathroom, she can practically brush her teeth all by herself…) So tonight, the lady rests comfortably in a room with no active monitors. No beeping or booping or screeching. No hourly responsiveness checks. Tomorrow and Sunday, Mom will just be resting and preparing for rehabilitation. You know… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Mom’s got Jokes…

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January 5, 2017 Mom just asked for a Sriracha Turban. “I need a Sriracha Turban.” I’m like… “… you mean, the hot sauce?” She’s still all groggy from the morning and she moans “yes…” And then, still confused, I’m like… “And, like, turban… like, the head covering?” “…yes…” Long pause. “To hold my head together…” she says. And I’m like: “Yeah, but why the hot sauce??!?” “Because that’s how Chris and TK fix everything.” I laughed. Really hard. But quietly. Because, you know, her head hurts. But SERIOUSLY?!?!? This lady’s got jokes. Now. This probably has a plausible explanation. A… Read More »

Life's too short for decaf coffee or annoying emails.

What I can't promise is regular, weekly emails. What I can promise is sporadic, humorous updates with a serious amount of gorgeous glassy adventures inside. Occasionally, there might even be a chance to join me for a cup o' coffee. (The really caffeinated kind!)

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