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January 02 Songs For MomSilver Wings
Amazing Grace
Something I wish she could have seen done in this manner.
The Rose
January 01 1938-2008Thiis is one of the hardest posts for me to ever write, because on December 28,2008, my mother passed away.
We had the mass on New Year's Eve, mostly because we wanted to have it quick, due to family missing work. my brother and father came and brought me to Mitchell Sunday night after I had informed work on what happened.
My mom (we never called her mother, just mom; although I'll explain in a bit on when you call her 'mother' to her face, it means you KNOW you're in the doghouse..:)) was a tiny little woman no more than 5' and some change. It was interesting looking at her yearbook, because the description of her says just that, which I found appropriate. As one of my aunts who couldn't make the service stated in a very touching poem, my mom may have been in a small package, but she was not only feisty, but loving, and full of humor.
Two of my favorite stories about her (one involving me in said doghouse; another that is just classic mom.
One October night during my senior year of highschool, my parents went out to eat and go to the bar (as they always did on Saturdays back then). I had gotten off work just after they left, so I didn't go. My best friend in highschool got off work alittle later and procured some beer (hrm..me and beer? NAAAH!!), which during highschool, I didn't go out and party or drink (shocking to those who know me), and we decided to do the no-no. We got busted by a highway patrolman, but were let off with a warning. Of course, our stash of beer was confiscated.
It was after midnight and mom, as always, was up reading. Considering that I thought the patrolman called my parents, I had no reason to lie. I was pretty drunk after all, so I couldn't hide it. So, I simply answered her questions with me saying, "Yes, Mother." Needless to say, I thought I was going to never have the ability to father children. I remember her telling my dad about it the next morning. I knew I was dead, because I knew how my dad went off on my sister the year before, except she lost her license (come to think of it, had I actually gotten arrested, I KNOW I would never father children...:))
The second story involves mom going to the Junior High for some reason. She was trying to locate the office, and as I said, she's tiny. It was between periods, and appearantly, she got sucked up into the crowd of eighth and ninth graders. Some kid made the mistake of 1). pushing my mom, and 2). saying something to the effect of, "Get the *f-bomb* out of my way, *female dog in heat*!" Mom's reaction was (as she told me and my sister later that day), "I *BEG* your pardon?" I guess the kid was speechless, and one of his friends stammered, "Oh my GOD! It's a MOM!"
I would have paid to have seen that.
There are countless stories like that about her.
I will miss her, but considering her health issues, she's in a much better place. September 02 Hummers+Weddings+Horses=FunWell, Sunday I returned home from the furthest edges of North Dakota. One of my nephews got married.
It took me abit to get myself to Fargo. I stayed with my sister-in-law, and the next morning, my sister and her fiancee came to Fargo to pick me up.
They own a Hummer. Yes, it's a gas hog. They don't care. But what I cared about (or at least I was amused by) was the fact that a Hummer going 85mph in the passing lane earned instant respect, even from truckers..
 The wedding itself was gorgeous. The reception dinner was divine. I probably had the best beef in my entire life at that meal. I think my knees hate me for all of the dancing, heheh.
Considering that the bride came from a ranch, I managed to do some horeback riding. It's something I hadn't done since I was a kid, so just roaming around the corral was enough, really. I'd like to do some more of it.
:) June 30 Family Fun Part II just returned back from Mitchell from a family reunion back in Mitchell. Talk about total fun..:)
Friday evening was a pork loin cookout at one of my cousin's house in town, and the food was excellent. That night is when most people were beginning to show up, so it was fun to see people come in. Most of the ones I haven't seen in years were already present. It was mostly waiting for my nephews to arrive.
Saturday is where everyone gathered at Hitchcock Park, the park that is essentially Mitchell's swimming pool, and a general park. Good news is, my mom was out and about. Bad news is, Mother Nature decided to give us British weather. We were using a building/patio, but we had little kids about, so running around and playing was kind of limited.
Now, my aunts being my aunts, they decided to have "the cousins" play a game. A scavenger hunt.
And, well..I sometimes wish we had some video cameras with both teams, because, well...it would make true REALITY TV..and it isn't the type of stupid crap we have on tv.
The idea is, we had to use an old Polaroid (the old fashioned ones where the pic develops after you shoot the picture) to take 20 photos. Some were family related, some were random stuff, and some involved South Dakota. Consider this to be the family's version of National Treasure meets Candid Camera, I guess. We had 60 minutes to complete the tasks, and the biggest thing was creativity would be considered the deciding factor.
Well, my brother (like always, takes charge) and I were on the same team. My sister (who, as always takes charge) was on the other team.
Well, here are some of the more memorable moments:
1). Take a picture of someone doing yardwork.
This one was insane. We found some lady walking her lawn mower back to her house, and tried to take a pic. She kinda freaked when one of my cousins ran out and asked her (although she did politely tell the woman that she hoped she wasn't wierd (lady replied that she was, LOL!), but was a good sport...:)
2). Take a picture of an animal.
Well, on my team, the running down a person for a picture again was priceless. Another cousin jumped out of the car when she saw a woman pushing a baby carriage and walking her puppy. She told the woman on what we were doing, and as if on cue, the puppy literally sat down and posed! LOL! Couldn't get any better than that.
3). Take a picture of a live flower. That was easy.
4). Take a picture of a fake flower. A little tougher. see Grande Finale.
5). Take a picture of a map of South Dakota
6). Take a picture of a pigeon
7). Take a picture of a clock
8). Take a picture of an ear of corn (the Corn Palace does NOT count)
Let me explain THIS one. Both teams went to the Corn Palace (hence my National Treasure reference to a degree). On one wall as you walk into the lobby, there's a giant map of South Dakota. Next to it is a clock. Both teams used the map, but my opponents used the regular clock right next to it. Good idea, but lack of creativity.
My team used the clock outside of the Dollhouse Museum for our clock.
The pigeon one was perhaps the most real challenge for both teams, as we found some pigeons on the Corn Palace. The inspiration for my team came from one of the photos in the Corn Palace. The glass blurred the photo, and my brother managed to get two pigeons feeding on the birdfeeder. However, my sister's team only had ONE pigeon. That one ended up as a tie on the judging. Trust me, we used the numbers card, LOL!
The ear of corn one was simple, but then my team got creative, but made controversy, because even though it was taken in the Corn Palace, it was NOT taken from the murals. I think we lost this one, despite the creativeness and cuteness. There was a photo of someone who had put their baby in a ear of corn suit at the entrance pictures of the Corn Palace. Totally priceless.
9). Take a picture of something that reminds you of Grandpa.
That was easy. The old shop. Both teams got that one.
10). Take a picture of a business card.
This one was hard for both teams, due to the flash. Mulligan, since wer had to show the actual cards. However, one of my cousins on my team had one of her mother's cards (somehow) from a business she had twenty years ago. Slight edge there.
11). Take a picture of something waving in the wind
12). Take a picture of your team hugging a tree
This was kind of difficult. Unlike the other team, we had to use one of our team members to take a pic of the rest of us hugging a tree, and taking a pic of our team (seperate mind you).We decided to stand in front of a tree in someone's yard that had a flag waving in the wind (as we ourselves waved), and then took a pic of the team hugging a tree.
13). Take a picture of something that reminds you of your teenage or childhood years. This one was uber, uber hard.
The reason being is, all of us initially thought of our grandparents' last home before grandpa died. The older ones remembered another house, but my brother couldn't remember where it was located exacly. However, one of the smokers remembered a place where they bought their cigarettes (with 'adult supervision', hehe) as teens. The neat thing is, it's the last known locally owned convenience store that isn't Casey's, Kum & Go, etc...you get the idea.
Ok, the Grande Finale here. And yes, thank GOD for bars.
14). Take a picture of the Jackson 5
15). Take a picture of a half used roll of toilet paper
16). Take a picture of running water
17). Take a picture of a brown paper bag
18). Take a picture of a book of matches
19). Take a picture of something that reminds you of Grandma
20). Take a picture of something with someone of importance signature on it
My brother, always the wise one, decided it was time for a cocktail. We literally had 30 minutes left on our time. So, we stopped off at the VFW (which, btw, will be involved in the evening fun later).
Jackson 5 kept bothering me, because we kept on wondering if they ever played in Mitchell. Our trek ended up at the VFW due to the fact we could kill several of the above in one shot. Then I fished around in my pocket, looking for a $20..I found a $5, and my brother knew what I was going after. 5 $20 bills= Jackson 5..:P
Toilet paper and running water was easy. Take a picture of a roll of toilet paper, then flush the toilet..:P (running water)
We took our cocktails, put them together, and had a book of matches displayed prominently in the photo.
After showing the bartender the cute picture of the Kid In a Cornstalk, she told us to go over to the convenience store. There, we got a pic of fake grapes (in the wine section. thus we got our photo for our fake flower for #4), a brown bag, and a picture of a crossword puzzle book. The latter was because grandma loved them.
The picture of signatures, we got permission to take down a plaque of VFW members. Note, that there is a place in town that has signatures from famous people, like George and Gracie, Dean and Lewis, etc. but we couldn't remember what it was (the name of the place has since changed. However, our oppnents did go there).
Both groups on the signature one had very (GOOD) debatable entries.
My team ended up winning on the runoff. My prize: a beer coozie (via a drawring out of a bag) that says:
"Your village called...their IDIOT is MISSING!!!"
It was so much fun to me, because I think it was for fun. There were no losers, because the last time we all were together as cousins, it was at grandma's funeral.
I have more fun times coming up..:) October 05 How Hit and Miss Miscommunication Leads to Sad News and RattlenessI've had one hell of a week.
Work has been excessively busy this week for me...well, the last two have been actually. Today, work actually went rather well.
But due to me not having my phone not up (again, due to a miscommunication with my provider), due to some emails between my dad and sister about a family thing (including what I will talk about in this post), and me simply getting busy enough to not have the time to make a phone call this morning, or not checking my email like I normally do in the morning before work...
Well, after putting in some more OT for some projects today than expected (I didn't want my partner to do all the work, so I decided to stay and help), I get home, and I check my email.
Appearantly, both my father and brother were trying to call me, and just minutes after I logged off, I had received an email from my father to tell me to get a hold of my brother ASAP, because he was going to swing up here to get me to take me home, so I could hear how the events unfolded in person. Today.
I get home from work, and check my email. I was expecting some more information from my sister concerning the surprise birthday party, and to discuss options for getting me home. I had a feeling with the way the words were in her emails (and one from dad), we were going to discuss this topic during some time on that weekend.
Today, my brother was going to come get me to take me home, because our mother is going to be permanently placed in a nursing home. There's more to it, but I will not discuss it. That's only for my family.
After I read what I read, I was rattled. I didn't have a way to call anyone. I thought of asking a neighbor to borrow their phone to call, but considering on how rattled I was, I decided to walk to a gas station, and use their phone to call the bus that I use to go to work. The lady dialed the number, and considering unscheduled pickups with the bus company is frowned upon. You get charged extra for those.
I went outside, and I was pacing like crazy. I must have spent ten minutes doing that. First off, I didn't bring my wallet with me. I did have a couple of tokens, and I also had it figured that if I had to, I would find a way home. I ended up going inside, and talked to the girl at the counter. After telling my story, she bought me a pop. The bus came, and I jumped on. I explained to the guy that I would pay for the two rides on Friday, if I had to. Basically, he took me to work.
I told him that I would call him when I was ready to come home. First thing I did was, I called dad. I knew I would get the answering machine, so I rattled off the number for him to call me back. Then I called my boss's cell to let him know the situation. Ironically, I had discussed this topic with him this morning about how I planned to do it in a couple of weeks. I told him that while I waited for dad to call, I would try to work on some projects to help pass the time. He said he would just put the extra time to the projects I was working on this week.
Hell, honestly, it helped alot. Plus, it helped me get a few inches ahead in my work. I was still pacing like a scared animal, but at least I was productive. I didn't just sit and dwell. I worked and dwelled.
Dad finally called me, and he asked me if I had time to talk about it. I told him I could talk all I wanted, and we talked about the situation. After the call, I called the bus guy up to take me home. I explained further about why I needed the ride. He told me that I didn't have to pay a thing.
Right now, had things been perfect, I would be at home with my family.
But I have to wait a few weeks to hug my mother, and tell her I love her, and to tell her how strong she is. Fuck, I really don't know what we'll say, except I know it will be in tears....on both our parts.
Dearest Mother,
I love you so VERY VERY much.
Your Youngest Son,
Scott April 04 Gift of a LifetimeI probably received one of the most beautiful gifts in my life.
One of my aunts is the official family heraldric guru. She's also very computer literate, tenacious, and REALLY resourceful.
When I woke up this afternoon, my father handed me a book. I can smell the cigarette smoke on it, still (Aunt is a heavy smoker).
She has always been great at layout, presentations, etc.
But what she made with this is truly priceless. She explains how over the years, she began to interview people as a child.
I think her journey went full circle for her when she, one of my other aunts (with her son), and my father) went to Sweden a few years back. They literally visited homes where our ancestors came from. I think she understands how I feel when I talk about Scotland (for my mum's side). I didn't get too personal like they did, butI walked the stomping grounds.
Her research and narrative is beyond words. And to see pictures that date back to 1888 of great-great-great..you get the idea.
Having a list of genealolgy like she made is incredible.
All I can say is:
Thank you. December 22 Mom's Home For ChristmasWell, my mom is home. She came home today, but the prognosis is not exactly promising.
Basically, she has a node (cyst, whatever) that is on her thyroid. What it's doing is it's making more calcium than what she needs. What's so strange obout it is, her calcium from her supplements and created by her bones aren't the same. Don't ask, my dad's as confused as I am about it.
Well, if it's left alone, she'll just keep on being tired, until one day, she'll go into a coma, and die. Definately not an option.
The second is a medication that is experimental. It's something that actually treats cancer of the thyroid, but also can work on what my mom has. I suspect that since it's experimental (and awaiting FDA approval..have no clue of the name, but I do know it's in the process of approval) and very costly. Dad's not even sure if Uncle Sam will eat the cost (he retired from the Navy with full pension).
If option two doesn't work, then surgery is the answer. The dilemna is mom is on blood thinners, among other drugs. Surgeons from here and in Sioux Falls (and rightly so) are very wary of working on someone on such things. However, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester has a means that might work.
I guess next week more about the second two options will be brought into more detail.
In any rate, pray for my mother this Christmas time. Marge will tell you that my mother is such a sweetheart.
Love 'yall, and Merry Christmas! October 09 Steve and MargeGosh, how to explain my day...
Steve and Marge are so sweet. I put this log into my family category, because I've adopted them (and trust me I'm blessed and so are they), they seem to have adopted me.
They are are very perceptive people. It's like...we've all connected before in a past life. They let me ramble on and on...heck, I was supposed to give then grand tour of Mitchell. I did manage to get them into the Corn Palace tho...heheh..Pics soon, through their camera will be posted..:)
I brought them to my house, and Janis, my cat, warmed up to them. She is VERY picky and skittish, but, if she likes someone, she'll go to a person. What struck me funny is, Steve managed to get a picture of her on my guitar amp. This is rare for this cat. She was such a good little girl..
 I played some music for them too, but fate seemed to have itervened...intteruption. My D-string on my guitar broke. But as both Steve and Marge said, they'll be back up here,so they'll get Stairway. They did get Picture. and alittle bit of Knockin' on Heaven's Door, as I goofed it up.
There's a sculpture shop on 5th and Main. Ok, I've lived in Mitchell for much of my life..and I've never gone to this shop. But wow....it's absolutely AMAZING.
We spent like three hours or so at Dr. Lucky's (I didn't even finish my burger) talking. I showed them my Oz pics. Heck, before we went to eat, we must have spent an hour (at LEAST) at my place showing them my pics from Europe. Good students my Padawans were. They asked questions (on both sets of pics)
I introduced them to my parents, too. Mum an' pop seemed to have approved. Interesting conversations.
Souls touch.Souls bind. Souls who've known each other in the past find each other, whether in the past, you were lovors or friends, or family..or even enemies. Somehow, some way, to me, there's conection. With Steve and Marge, this was evident.
Whatever role they played in my past lives (Yes, Virginia, a believe in reincarnation and past lives), I think we have reconnected. Maybe at one of our past lives, we were a family.
Marge wrote something for me, and I wish to share it, because it's sweet.
My Friend
A stranger once
Far, far away
Living your life
Walking your own path
Writing your own truth
Sharing your life
Words connecting
Drawing me closer
In time we friend
A time to trust
Once a stranger
Is now a new friend.
Marge and Steve (Hmm, Yoda!) are not friends anymore.
They're family.
September 10 Happy BirthdayHappy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday Dear Mom
Happy Birthday to You.
My mom is 66 today.
Back in 1998, in Edinburgh (since she is of Scottish stock), I called her up in a paybooth just to wish her a Happy Birthday.
Love ya, Mum. July 17 RickEveryone has someone in their lives that they admire and look up to. Mine happens to be my older brother Rick.
His wife Mary is a total sweetie. All three children---Michael, Christopher, and Samantha---are three of the most perfect kids parents would love to have. All of them are incredibly, no, EXTREMELY smart kids. No egoes among them, either. All of them were active in sports in high school. Heck, Chris went nationals all four years for wrestling in high school. I haven't seen it, but his picture is in the local Applebee's in Hastings, Minnesota.
None of them got into drugs (trust me; my family is pretty close knit: I'd know if something like that was going on). All of them have been 4.0 students. Sammy and Chris both studied abroad (England and Australia, respectively).
Heck, in a few months, Michael (the oldest) is going to make me a great-uncle. He and Andrea (his wonderful and gorgeous wife) are expecting. They're the type that are just going to wait until the child is born before naming. I don't know if I'm going to have a great-niece or a great-nephew. I'd prefer a girl (I'm like my dad, LOL), but I'll take what they give me, as long as it's a healthy child.
Anyway, Rick is just a funny guy, and very care-free. Last night, he told me and my brother-in-law Mike a story about how he found out about his heart condition. I knew about it, because about eighteen months ago, we got a phone call that he was placed in the hospital. This story took about two hours to be told, but it was worth hearing.
Rick said that at the time, he felt chest pains for months. He was supposed to work that day (he works a swing shift), and he was just driving around. He decided to go to the clinic, because he just felt tired. He knew the receptionist, and said hi. He described his problem. RIck said that she had one of those headset things on her head, and she said something into it. Suddenly he looked to the left. Five nurses and a wheelchair was coming his way. He said that the receptionist ordered him him to just stand where he was. He questioned, and was ordered to just stay where he was.
He was taken to a room, and he said he kept telling them he felt fine. The doctor on duty happened to be a guy who used to take care of the kids, and Rick said this guy is one of those guys who is a really funny guy and is not serious, but when he's serious, then you know there's a problem. That day, this guy was damned serious. They admitted him into the hospital, because the tests were really anomalous.
Now Rick (unlike me), has only been in the hospital a few times in his life. He's been lucky healthwise. He said in the 24 hours that he was in the hospital, he was poked more times than he can remember.
He called Mary, and she got to the hospital. They did an angioplasty, and were really concerned. Rick had his job fax them medical records and it ended up that they sent all the data to a specialist.
The result and diagnosis: congestive heart failure.
He said at that time, his heart was working at 50%. One day, he got a call from the specialist he's been checking in with. Mary walked in after he got off the phone, and he was crying. He told her he got a call from the clinic. She asked him what was wrong. He said "Nothing."
He continued to say that they could not believe that he went from 50% to around 90% as far as his heart's work production goes. He says, for his condition, improvement like that is extremely rare, which is why he was crying. I don't blame him for one damned bit.
Rick has the exact same outlook on life like I do, but from a different perspective: I shouldn't be here, because I had less than 30% chance of living at birth. I am fortunate that all that was wrong with me is a vision problem.
Rick looks at his situation, and says that if this kills him, so be it. He''s gonna live his life the way he wants to.
He's my brother.
Gravitas July 16 Nice recovery Tim!Welp, Tim has been in Sioux Falls for a number of days, and my brother Rick was in town.
Rick visited Tim, and says that (he's not sure if it's the meds, or if brain damage), that Tim knows certain people straight away. He is focused at times, but then he isn't.
Rick called him, and even though I didn't talk to him, my brother-in-law Mike did. We were at his house drinking some beer. Mike said he was amazed on how good he sounded. Rick thinks that when there's a group of people in his room (his ex-wife, her kids, and my brother), he has a problem focusing on a group, but he seems to be able to focus well one on one. He's slow at times gathering his thoughts. Rick said that it's better to see him to understand.
He can walk, and I guess they've let him outside. He was taken to some jazz festival this weekend in Sioux Falls. So it means he can travel and interact. This is good.
One thing my brother said, sticks with me, because I feel the exact same way: He's alive, and if he's a little slower on expessing himself, so be it. An alive Timothy Roth is a better thing than a dead Timothy Roth.
Thank you God, for allowing such a good man to come back from the dead, and have such a speedy recovery. Amen.
There's a Miller Lite with your name on it, Tim. Sleep well, buddy.
July 12 Minor update on TimWell, for those who've been following the story concerning my brother-in-law, I found out that he should be arriving in Sioux Falls in a few days.
He's been using the phone, and as far as I know, he's doing really good.
Buddy, just glad you're doing so well, and I can't wait to buy you a Miller Lite.
Gravitas. June 25 Update on TimWell, Tim is doing pretty good considering what he's been through. From what my mother said to me the other night, he actually did die, but was revived by his co-workers and the rescue team. Bravo, you men and women who've saved my friend. He's been rather restless, but doing pretty good. He's got the nose hose going, and appearantly they plan on serving him Jello. I am quite frankly glad the man is alive. I just hope he comes back as a whole person, with mind and body recovered. If he doesn't, well, I still love the man, and I always will. I will give him the support I can. Right now, it's through prayers, hopes, meditation, and even sending some of my chi energy towards him. Can't wait to buy you a Miller Lite, Tim. God bless you, and get well. Nuff said. June 18 Sigh of ReliefThis has been a bad week for me. As I stated in an earlier blog, two of my friends were sent to Iraq on Tuesday. On that morning, I received some additional bad news. A close family friend was critically injured in an accident while at work. My sister-in-law's ex-husband, Tim, works in road construction. He runs a surface grinder. At approximately 10:30am on Monday, he stepped off of his machine to do a routine maintainace check, when a U-Haul truck struck the surface grinder, then Tim. Tim suffered severe head and chest injuries, and even stopped breathing. Due to the heroics of his co-workers, he was revived, and airlifted to Memphis. He was working in Arkansas at the time, near Blytheville. When my mom told me, she said that they didn't think he would live. I called my dad that night (Tuesday) from work on my lunch break for any information. None came in. The next few nights, I spoke to many co-workers about it, and some of my friends. Those who either used to work road construction, or knew people who did, said that unless he died on the scene, he'll live. This morning, I asked my dad for an update, and he said he would email me the update, once he got it. He seems to be recovering quite well, considering his injuries, and the time elapsed since his accident. He suffered some head trauma that seems to be healing really well, plus some broken ribs, some torn from his sternum. He didn't break his back, and they're cautious about his neck. They want him to remain still; however, he is awake, and waving to people. The big fear is pnuemonia setting in. The nurse said that if he doesn't develop it, then he's in the clear. I cannot express how I would view the world without Tim in it, except that he's one of the sweetest people I've ever met in my life. He's got a wicked sense of humor, and I've never heard an unkind word from him. I can't wait to buy you a Miller Lite, buddy. May God be with you, my friend. As a plea to you all, please, PLEASE be aware of the speed limits in road construction sites, and assume that the workers don't see you. Nuff said.
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