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Here, gathered in our beloved South Dakota, are a few members of our Williamson / Mattson Clan. Charles and Luella are to be blamed (be kind, they didn't know what they were doing). We're generally a happy bunch and somewhat intelligent (notwithstanding our tenuous grasp on reality). I'm also proud to say that most of us still have our teeth.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Our Early Life in Rapid City

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Just returned from visiting mother (Luella) at the American Fork Hospital. She was admitted for surgery on Friday (multiple hernias - "Comes from lifting and caring for eight children," she reminds me when I visit). She is doing well I'm happy to report and will return home on Tuesday. She has a nice room with a view of a field with horses, surrounded by tall trees dressed in their finest Autumn colors.

She's been upgraded to oatmeal. The liquid diet was not to her liking. To celebrate this milestone in her recovery, I stopped at Walkers Gas Station and bought her favorite - a 32 ounce gut buster diet Mountain Dew with one squirt of cherry flavoring. Once she discovered I was out and about she called and mentioned how much she enjoyed her Sunday crossword puzzle found in her favorite magazine "Woman's World" purchasable only at our local WalMart. What's a good son to do? I agreed to make an additional stop.

She called me in the WalMart check out line to ask me to purchase an erasable pen with the magazine. I stopped her as she was explaining where in the football field sized Walmart the erasable pens were located. "I'm already in the parking lot heading your way," I lied.
"Never mind then," she replied.
"You could use a pencil," I suggested.
"Yes, you're right. I just like my erasable pens."

When I got to the hospital I found her sitting in the room's recliner. She told me the gruesome story of getting out of the bed and into the chair. The hero of the tale was the large 'burly' orderly that 'hoisted' her up with the help of a 'trapeze' - a hoisting device over her bed.

"I'm slightly embarrassed," she mentioned while she nursed her Diet Mountain Dew. "He saw my back side in all its glory." The twinkle in her eye was noticeable.
"They tell me I'll be up and walking later this morning," she added.

"Well, he won't be the only one that sees your 'backside' then will he?" I said while conjuring up a vision of my 70 something year old mother parading up and down the hospital hall, clutching a walking frame and IV with full moon in sight. I started laughing. She knew what I was thinking and joined in. The pain from the stitches brought the laughter to a quick end but it was entertaining for a moment or two.

She asked if there was anything new with me. I tried to think if anything extraordinary happened to me since I visited the previous day.
"Nope" I replied - my mind was drawing a blank. A nurse came in to swap her pain meds. A moment after that the physical therapist popped his head in.
"Are we ready to take that walk?" he asked.
"Can we give the pain meds a chance to kick in," she answered.
"I'll come back in 30 minutes then, shall I?" He disappeared.
Mother seemed concerned.
"Do you have something to cover up by backside for that walk?" she asked. I chucked again with the vision's return. The nurse told her they had a gown that would do the job. Mother went back to her Diet Mountain Dew content in the knowledge her backside would remain a private affair.

I tracked down a pencil at the nurses station for her crossword puzzle and bid adieu. I left her happy in her chair with magazine, crossword puzzle, pencil and drink. What more could a person want?

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Today I have a short slideshow with pictures from our family's early years in Rapid City. It's set to a piece of music I enjoy - the Lord's Prayer sung in Aramaic. Have a great Sunday.

Simply,
Victor

P.S. Mother was afraid I might post something about her hospital stay in this blog and made me promise not to do so. I promised with fingers and eyes crossed then quickly changed the subject to her automatic foot inflaters. They inflate every fifteen seconds or so and assist in circulation. She loves them and loves to describe how they work.

So, let's keep this post a secret between us - shall we :)


The Fine Print.
Automatic Curse. And if you rat me out, may you be infested with the fleas from a thousand camels.