The Cookbook Junkies

I have lots of difficulty trying to remember things lately.

I was sitting with a friend a few weeks back and I told her I think I have Lou Gehrig’s disease…I have a lot of choking episodes and trouble swallowing, I have pain and numbness in my arms, joint and bone pain, etc. She said her uncle had ALS and those are the final stages of the disease and I screamed, “Oh, dear God, I’m in the final stages.” She laughed and I laughed…but I told her I’m a lot tougher than most folks – before I find out I have something I will probably be in the final stages. The only thing that frightens me about death is leaving Andrew. For lack of a better phrase, it would kill me not to be around to see him. I hope there is a heaven and that we can watch over our loved ones. He has been such a mama’s boy lately…”mommy, mommy, mommy.” I leave the room, “Mommy, you gone”. I go to the store and Jim is home, I come back – “Mommy you gone”. He really can lay on the guilt. Besides all my prayers for the sick, hungry, poor, etc. I pray that I will at least be around until he is somewhat grown.

My husband worked today for a special project (it’s Sunday). He told me when he got home – after I spent nine hours feeling bad (I have a cold) with a cranky toddler that he wanted “s-e-x” and then he said, “don’t worry I’ll be very workman about it.”

I said, “great…that means — I’ll wait around for you, you’ll do a shabby job, leave a mess and then won’t return my calls. Great.”

Andrew has been doing this thing lately that is funny. He’ll ask me to look for something he has misplaced…I’ll search for the item for sometimes 15 to 60 minutes. I’ll find it. Then he’ll grab it, run through the house and yell, “I found it. I found it.” I ask him, “Who found that book, Andrew?” “I did, mommy.” 100 percent man – always losing something, takes credit for a woman’s hard work and then brags about it!

Okay, I just read about this great guy who rescued his dog from a frozen lake and gave her mouth to snout CPR – that is amazing as I don’t think I would give my 22 year old smelly son mouth to snout (I mean) mouth CPR…(probably I would…probably).

Last December I spotted a woman lying on her front lawn…a woman sitting in a car in front of the house, and other cars slowing and not stopping. I had Jim stop the car and grabbed the cell phone – I asked the woman in the car – “has anyone called for help” – she put up her hands and shook her head no. I called 911. Jim parked the car and came over. I saw a CVS pharmacy bag – asked Jim to find out her name and see what was in there…her purse and gloves lay there. Her eyes were fixed and she was foaming at the mouth. I started chest compressions and we held her hand and called her name – and told her to hang in there – she never showed any signs of response. The fire department finally got there -and took over – after lots of work – they got a rhythm – but she ended up dying at the hospital. I cried and cried…how can you let someone just lay in their front yard and not do anything?