30 Days of Ranch Memories: The Saddle with a Secret

In an blog earlier this month, I mentioned the set up at the Iodence Ranch, describing various out buildings in our yard.  One of those buildings was the tack shed.  At both ranches my dad worked on when I was little, horses were used extensively.   We would move cattle from pasture to pasture on horses, use them for brandings, and doctor from horse back.

Well, I was a horse fanatic!  I couldn’t get enough of them.  My mom had a great horse, Penny, and I loved to ride anything that would let me get on.  I collected Breyer horses and they were my prized possessions.  Well one fall, I’d say I was six, I spent a lot of time in the tack shed “riding” on the saddles that were stored in there.  One of them was just my size, and I “rode” it often.

Fast forward to Christmas morning that same year.  I was always an early riser on Christmas morning, and still am if someone wants to warn Stan. . .I rushed into the living room, which was about 3 steps from my bed.  There, underneath the tree was a saddle!  And it was just my size!  I couldn’t wait to go riding.  But then I figured out I had been riding on it!  If memory serves me right, my parents tried to convince me that Santa sometimes has to “store” Christmas items before Christmas, because that sled gets pretty heavy to pull!

Either way, I knew.  I knew that Santa didn’t exist, except for in our hearts.  He might have visited a few times after that – I can’t really remember and I always found my mom’s hiding place for gifts.  But one tradition our family has kept is hanging stockings and filling them.  This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions, and my parents and I fill each other’s socks with fun small items – stamps, lotions, kitchen utensils, candy, you name it!  So even though I figured out the real Santa many years ago, Santa still is there for those who believe!

 

 

Mother's Day - Thanks Mom for all You Do!

I’ve heard it said that life is cyclic – we come into this world crying, and depending on others, and we go out of this world somewhat the same way.  When the Good Lord is ready for me, I hope I go out of this world quickly, because A) When I get old, I will likely have no one to take care of me; and B) it is hard to see strong, independent people become dependent.  This Mother’s Day and the conclusion of Nurse’s Week, I’m giving a big shout out to my mom, for not only putting up with me when I was a bratty child, difficult teenager, and now absent workaholic, but now for dedicating the last 5 weeks to selflessly giving herself to her own mother.  Thanks Mom, for being a shining example to me! 

April 5, 2012, is a day that will forever standout in my mind. No, it wasn't a holiday or a significant birthday. It just started out as an ordinary Thursday for me and my Grandma. I was on vacation, spending time at my grandparents' house like I do each year before Easter & Christmas and we had a good morning; playing cards, eating lunch, talking like two girlfriends. I had gone out to get the mail and we made ourselves comfy in the living room, read the Chadron paper and were watching the Western channel when Grandma took a nap. When she woke up from her nap, her life and those around her would be changed.

I'll spare you a lot of the details, but Grandma woke with a start, and sometime within less than a 2 hour nap, something lapsed in her mind. She was confused— and I was scared. I thought playing cards, our favorite pastime, would help her so we went to the kitchen and I walked her through a game of Rummy. But she kept talking about how “foggy” things were and how tired she was.  And she acted like she never even heard of a “wild” card before.  Thankfully my parents arrived within the hour, and my mom and uncle drove Grandma to the Emergency Room, and she spent the next few days in the Hospital.  None of the tests showed signs of stroke, and she has no infections. 

Grandma basically has little memory function and she gets confused easily.  She knows people, like my mom, uncle and aunt that are around her often, but when I make my weekly phone calls, she might know me for a while, then start talking about me in the third person.  Sometimes she even has fun tales to tell about me—like the week I had “kidnapped a trunk full of babies and was running from the law.”  But most of the time her conversations are sad, and most of the time, life for Grandma must be very sad and lonely as she shows little emotion.

April 5 – it’s the day I realized that sometimes we have to grow up fast and take care of those older than us.  And moms and kids and aunts all take on the mothering role of the matriarch of the family. 

This Mother’s Day, I want to wish all my “mom” friends the best Mother’s Day yet—if it’s your first one, enjoy those little moments during the first year as a mom, and if it’s your 38^th Mother’s day, remember, I love you more than you know!  Happy Mother’s Day!

Real Life Grey's Anatomy

When I was a little girl, my parents always encouraged me to pursue any career path I wanted; however, my mom always added, "except nursing." Now, maybe this was from her years of experience as a Registered Nurse or perhaps mother's intuition. I mean, I love the Thursday-night TV show, "Grey's Anatomy", and "fixed" all my stuffed animals and dolls' ailments playing doctor. But today, I was reminded once again that Mom really does know best.

Today, Mom had surgery at Salina Surgical Hospital in Kansas. And even as the surgeon was describing the procedure post-op, I was feeling a little queasy. It really is amazing me that I can donate platelets at the drop of dime or watch animals being born or even go through a cattle harvesting facility without passing out.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, my dad and I finally got to go back to her room. I don't do well with those cords, tubes and machines either, but Mom had warned me on the phone the night before (mother's intuition at work again). THEN, Tanya, the prettiest, sweetest nurse who was attending to my mom, and Darcy decided it was time to make my mom walk--I understand this is good for the blood flow and to get her organs working. But my mom got dizzy, and faint, and I thought I was going to get that way myself. So, it was time for me to hit the lobby and return yesterday's voice mails!

Basically, God has given us all a purpose on this earth. It takes special people like Tanya and Darcy to be nurses and take care of those in need--people who are caring and compassionate about others and can stomach anything.

This blog is dedicated to my friends and family in the medical profession: Mom, Terri Svoboda, Jessica Sawyer, Ashley Davis, Barry Pollard, Shirley Pearson, Chris Smith, Mallory Trosper, Iris, Tara, Margaret, Jo and Amy (my friends at Community Blood Center), Dr. Makos (my AWESOME neurologist) and anyone else who practices medicine and takes cares of others! THANK YOU! As for me, I'll stick to event planning and cattle photography. . .two things my stomach can handle. . .