Thank you for your prayers. I have been so touched by your comments and sincerely appreciate each and every one of them. I have been blogging for a year now and in this time it never ceases to amaze me what a caring community we belong to.
Since my last post, my sister had surgery. Her brain had begun to swell as a result of the stroke and it was necessary to remove a portion of her skull to allow more room for the swelling to occur. Once the swelling goes down, the doctors will re-attach it. Unfortunately she is still unable to speak or move the right side of her body. One day I called the hospital and my brother-in-law held the phone to her ear so that I could tell her we were praying for her and loved her. It was kind of strange not to hear her voice, but at the same time nice to be able to make some kind of contact. On a more positive note, she was able to begin her physical and speech therapy yesterday. She has received many, many flowers and cards and visitors. Her sister-in-law told me that even though she can't speak she feels like they can still have a 2 sided conversation.
When I called one of my cousins in Michigan to tell her about my sister she said she had just finished reading a book about a 37 year old lady who was a brain scientist and had a massive stroke. She recovered and wrote a book telling about her experiences.
Yesterday I checked it out of the library. I am hoping it will give me some insight into what my sister will be going through.
Before my sister got sick my husband and I had reservations at a Bed & Breakfast in Virginia. We were planning a little getaway to celebrate our 28th anniversary. I came real close to cancelling as my heart just wasn't in it. Somehow it didn't feel right to be vacationing while a family member was suffering. My husband reminded me that right now there wasn't a whole lot we could do and what we could do (pray, send cards, call the hospital, etc.) could be done from Virginia. We are planning to go to Michigan to be with my sister as soon as her family thinks the time is right. Her therapy is expected to take several weeks.
My husband's logic won out and we did go away for a short bit of R & R.
We spent four nights here. It is in Waynesboro, Virginia.
A 100 year old home that was originally owned by a doctor. We slept in his wife's former bedroom.
A very cozy room which was beautifully decorated
The perfect spot to rest and relax.
There was also a very welcoming front porch.
In the evenings we often sat here and read. It was in a charming neighborhood with a church right across the street and lots of friendly people walking by with their dogs stopping to chat for a few minutes.
During this time that my sister has been sick and unable to talk and my mom is able to talk, but not understand I often feel an empty spot. I guess because throughout my life if I had hard times to face I could always talk to my mom about them. Since mom has been sick and slowly slipping away I have been able to talk to my sister about the never ending things that are happening to my mom. Alzheimer's isn't easy to understand. I never know what to expect when I visit my mom. Yesterday she didn't seem to know who I was. Every time I asked her she said my sister's name. But the strangest thing that she was doing was saying many words that didn't make any sense and most of them began with the letter E. I am learning that the brain is an amazing part of our bodies and when it doesn't function properly very strange things can occur.
I think one of my favorite parts of our getaway was coming out of the bedroom in the morning and smelling coffee and delicious breakfast foods. As a kid I always loved waking up on a morning that my mom had made pancakes or coffee cake. It was wonderful to lay in bed and look forward to a yummy breakfast prepared with love. The breakfasts at this Bed & Breakfast were fabulous and presented so beautifully. The owner had lived in England and collected many beautiful dishes and antique pieces.
While it can seem almost impossible to carry on with day to day life when those closest to you are suffering, it is necessary for we really don't know what tomorrow will hold.
When I saw this recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Raspberries & Blueberries in an old Bon Appetit magazine I tore it out and put it in the binder I fill with recipes I intend to try someday. I thought it would be a lovely cake for a summer celebration. Since my summer entertaining usually is more casual bbq fare, I haven't found an occasion to make it. However, when I decided to have a family dinner to celebrate my in-law's 60th wedding anniversary it seemed like the perfect cake to end the meal.
I began to think of what else I would need to set the tone for the occasion and knew there would have to be flowers. How nice of my Limelight Hydrangeas to be in bloom at this time. Last summer I read about these beautiful flowers on 2 different blogs and made a mental note to add them to my garden. I am so glad I did. They make nice bouquets and have a subtle, but sweet fragrance. I am now planning to add a few more of them to my yard.
A few more flowers can't hurt either.
I don't always get around to trying those recipes I save for someday, but I'm glad I did try this one as it was the perfect cake for this occasion and was also delicious.
