How I spent Valentine's Day ...

 

Long story short, I spent this Valentine's Day taking one of my last few FMLA days (unpaid) in order to be available for numerous phone calls from Reading Hospital where my mom was admitted into last Friday (AND, twice two in weeks before this momentous emergency stay - don't ask it is far too stressful to deal with anymore). My husband is on call after hours all this week until Sunday and he stopped by the house in between assignments in order to gift me with these lovely roses ...

Also, while waiting around for calls, I decided to finally clean up the catio where "Messy Merlin" spends most of his time ...

Some pics of yesterday's snow storm ...

Still praying ...

 

Is that you, Dad?

 

My sincere apologies to everyone for not posting for a few weeks. I have been so unbelievably busy that I barely have time to breathe as of these last few months since being thrown into a nightmare. I will try to visit your blogs when I can I promise. Until then, I felt the need to share a recent personal "ghost story" if you will ...

This past Saturday, my husband's cousin's daughter, Carissa (my realtor) and her husband were helping me to clean out my mom's house - which is a sort of horror story of its' own I might add. My dad built the house and no one has ever lived there except my family. The attic is just a crawl space that you can not even stand in. 

Carissa shared a story with me about something "creepy" that happened while they were checking out the attic to see how much of a mess we have to deal with. She said that every time her husband spoke or said anything, the attic light would flicker. After he stopped talking, the light would stop flickering. They did this several times and the same thing would occur. Carissa spoke aloud to the "presence" that was apparently making themselves known to them and told them not to worry, they were not there to hurt anyone. She immediately asked me if anybody had died in my mom's house. I explained to her that my dad had passed away in the living room surrounded by my mom and I. 

So, I have no doubt in my mind that my dad was in the house with them and most likely always is at all times. I can feel him every time I walk into the house and most especially in the four-car garage which he also helped to build and was his pride and joy - which now is almost empty as I have been trying sell off items to help raise more money for my mom to live on. 

As I stated previously, this entire experience has been a complete and total nightmare. By far, the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life since dealing with the loss of my dad.

Dream Interpretations

After my previous post ("The Dream"), I decided to delve into the meanings behind dreams. I have always been interested in the subject and I have several books regarding it. 

However, I came across an informative site called, "Dream Moods" and I thought that I would share some info from it as it pertains to my dream.. I have added the link to this site at the end of this post.

I focused on the two main subjects of my particular dream:

Dead

To see or talk to the dead in your dream forewarns that you are being influenced by negative people and are hanging around the wrong crowd. This dream may also be a way for you to resolve your feelings with those who have passed on. Alternatively, the dream symbolizes material loss.

If you dream of a person who has died a long time ago, then it suggests that a current situation or relationship in your life resembles the quality of that deceased person. The dream may depict how you need to let this situation or relationship die and end it. If you dream of someone who has recently passed away, then it means that their death is still freshly in your mind. Dreams can also be a way for you to keep loved ones who have past away alive and still be in some aspect of your life. You are still trying to grasp the notion that he or she is really gone. If the dead is trying to get you to go somewhere with him or her, then it signifies that you are trying to understand their death. You also don't want to be alone.

                                            Father

To see your father in your dream symbolizes authority and protection. It suggests that you need to be more self-reliant. Consider also your waking relationship with your father and how aspects of his character may be incorporated within yourself. 

To dream that your father is dead forewarns that you need to proceed with caution in conducting some business matter.

(Source: Dream Moods: What's in your dream?http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/s.htm)

The Dream

This morning I had a very lucid, albeit unsettling dream. As anyone who still follows my blog knows, I have been trying to find a way to sell my mom's house for her so that she may have money to live on since it no longer possible for her to live alone anymore.

Before I woke up, I dreamt that I was in my mom's house with the realtor and we were discussing what needs to be done when all of the sudden I saw my mom's last dog she lost about a year ago. Surprised, I said to the dog, "What are you doing here?" Then, two of my mom's other dogs and her only cat that passed away years back walked past us. I bent down to pet one of the dogs and I could actually "feel" the dog's fur on my hand. I turned to the realtor and said, "Do you see that?" 

As I turned my head toward my mom's kitchen, I saw my beloved Dad standing there wearing a long gray coat. I ran up to him and hugged him and told him I loved him. I remember he just stood there and said nothing. Then I woke up. And that was the end of my dream.

What did it mean? What made me dream something like this? Guilt because I need to try to sell the house my father built with his own hands- not to mention the childhood memories of a house I grew up in. Or, was it merely the result of an overwhelmed mind? 

What's new

Greetings, friends! Well, last evening after we returned home from our family shrimp bake, I noticed that I could not get my laptop to charge. Apparently our cat Teddy found it necessary to chew up my ASUS charger cord! My husband has ordered another one for me which is supposed to arrive in the mail this coming Friday. After a lot of frustration, I was finally able to sign into my other laptop, BUT I am not able to sign onto my Yahoo email for some reason. And, I can not change my password because you need to be able to retrieve a "code" in order to do that. (sigh). In the meantime. I still can not access anyone's blog to read and leave comments. 

Moving on, there was a last minute change of plans and we did not have to move my mom into Rittenhouse after all. After hearing the news that my mom was set to leave Mifflin Court last Friday, the Marketing & Admissions Director called me on the phone and said that she hated to see my mom leave and asked me if I would agree to let her stay if she could get authorization to match what my mom would be paying for rent at Rittenhouse? I emailed the financial info to her and she in turn immediately forwarded it to her superior. The next morning she contacted me again and said she had gotten the permission to match Rittenhouse and my mom would be paying 2k less a month. In addition, my mom would still be getting the same "perks" she had been at the higher rent price. And her transports for doctor appointments are free.

After, going over the rest of the services she would have been paying for PLUS fees at Rittenhouse, my husband and I felt that we made the right decision. First of all, my mom's house is nowhere near ready to hit the market yet (still working on details) and we would have had to set up a telephone line with Verizon at Rittenhouse in addition to the active line at her house as my mom can not use a cell  phone because she only has use of her one hand and arm. Therefore, she would be paying about $100 per month for two lines as apposed to the land line that is already included in her room and she only pays $1 per day ($30.00/month) to have it. And, on top of her rent at Rittenhouse she would also be paying extra for what they call Level of Care of which there are 7! Mifflin Court's rent includes the level of care (aides, nurses). Level 1 would have been $275.00 more and there was a big jump for Level 2 at $490.00 and so on.

Weekend happenings

It's Labor Day weekend and I am off until Tuesday for the holiday. On Saturday, I spent the day with Aurora Skye. We had lunch at The West Reading Tavern and did some shopping ...

We both really love "Gem on Penn" ...

A beautiful Amethyst suncatcher.

More gemstone treasures ...

A Smoky Quartz pendant and two pairs of earrings.

We stopped off at our local Old Navy store for some great deals!

And, of course Barnes & Nobel bookstore where I picked up a couple of magazines ...

From Celtic Myth & Moonlight ...

And later on, a nice relaxing dinner with my husband at Sinking Spring VFW ...

Today, we attended a shrimp bake at my husband's cousin's house with chicken, shrimp. diced potatoes, carrots and onions AND corn on the cobb! SOOOOO GOOD!

I will post yet another update on my mom sometime this week. A sincere "Thank You" to my Blogger friends who cared enough to send her good wishes! 💜💛💚