You CAN Go Home Again (But You Won’t Like It)

June 18, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Writing 101: Day 13
Part II of “Loss Squared”
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It doesn’t matter how old you are – your mom is your mom and she will treat you like a little kid who knows nothing. Especially when you are living under her roof again.

I was 54-years young when I moved in with mom to help sis take care of her. Mom could not get over how I forgot where the glasses were kept. Or the cooking utensils, pots, linens – whatever. She and dad had moved away in 1989, so her current house was not the house(s) I grew up in.

I was suddenly only 12-years old. I didn’t know how to cook, clean, do laundry . Luckily, I could drive. Sis had lost her driver’s license, and mom could not miss getting her weekly Lotto tickets at the liquor store. If not for that, we would live off of what Safeway delivered.

I also got crap from sis because when I did the dishes I didn’t always put them away in the right place. What the heck had happened to her? Sis was wound tighter than a slinky. She seemed angry and depressed all the time, which wasn’t new, but she didn’t even try to hide it anymore. Was living with mom for 2 years the reason?

After the first few months, I began to feel the strain of a care-giver. After my arrival, sis could let her hair down and relax. She ‘relaxed’ way too much, and now I was taking care of both of them.

I missed my house and my hubby! I missed sleeping in a real bed. Both bedrooms were occupied, so it was the couch for me. My clothing and items I brought with me were stored behind said couch. I did not have the guts to rearrange mom’s bedroom to accommodate my things. Or start packing up things in the house. How rude would that be?

We were all perfectly aware that her condition was terminal. Her ‘arrangements’ were all taken care of. Mom went over the instructions on how she wanted us to handle everything. Like which of her grandchildren got what. I was surprised to learn she owned a Krugerrand. It belongs to her youngest great-grandchild now.

I think my fondest memories are the times sis and I climbed into mom’s fancy Sleep Number bed and got a massage while watching our (taped daily) soaps. Mom and sis even had ‘rules’ about soap watching time, like get your soda, pillow, knitting & whatever, and go potty before we start, because we fast-forward through ads and we don’t like to pause and wait for anybody.

All-righty then. I had stopped watching our soaps years ago. Then they sucked me back in! I couldn’t tell you what was going on in the soaps, but thinking about all of us crammed into mom’s bed talking, bitching, and laughing at the stupidity going on, remains imprinted in my heart.

Mom now watched (and somehow sis got recruited into watching) Japanese soap operas, of all things. I kept my mouth shut about it – I have my own eccentricities. Like blogging. I have to admit that although the constant yelling in Japanese gave me a headache, they were entertaining to watch. Even the subtitles were funny.

I have never regretted spending my mom’s last months, living as a kid under her roof. I don’t think it was easy on any one of us, but I am so glad we could all be a family again – at least for a little while.

Living On Pine Street

June 17, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 2 Comments

Writing 101: Day 11
Tell us about the home where you lived when you were twelve. The Twist? Pay attention to the size of your sentences.

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I was almost 4 years old when we came to Livermore, CA. My dad was hired by the large research lab there, so we moved from Southern up to Central California, and we moved into a cute little house on Pine Street.

I had my 12th birthday party in the house on Pine Street. My BFF since third grade was there. I didn’t really have a lot of friends, I was goofy looking, and that made me shy.

I did most of my growing up on that street. We knew the neighbors. My little sister and the little girl next door were the same age, and next door on the other side lived our babysitter. She was cool because she played with us, and didn’t spend all night on the phone.

If you count the years I lived on Pine Street, you would only have to count to ten. We moved across town, “to the right side of the tracks” my mom said, when I was 15. The new house had a pool AND it was a short walk to school now, so I was happy. My bedroom even had a purple (my favorite color) carpet. I didn’t think much about the old house.

Now, I was the girl next door who babysits. Funny how things turn around like that. I still dream, on occasion, that I live in that Pine Street house – but I’m an adult, not a kid. When I am there, it is always at night, and something scary is going on. I’m hiding crouched on the floor because I don’t want to be seen by aliens, or an enemy’s army, through the picture window in the living-room. Or meteors are smacking into our area, if it’s not a terrible earthquake. Something big and nasty.

I honestly think these nightmares have nothing to do with Pine Street. They are manifested by spending a lot of grade school under my desk, my head tucked under my arms, and my eyes closed tight. They called them “Duck and Cover” drills. Practicing, for when nuclear bombs were going to strike.

I had no clue what a nuclear bomb was. I do remember the classrooms had huge windows on one side though.

Friday Excuses

June 13, 2014 ~ JodiLea ~ 5 Comments

Apologies all around for not spreading Thursdays Tid-Bits & Giggles.

It was like Friday the 13th came a day early here. Bad news all around. I’ll spare you the sad details, and I can only hope that today is like most of my Friday the 13th’s – a great day. I’m sort of backasswards* that way.

I sure could have used some giggles myself. This makes me feel guilty about not giving any out. Someone may have looked for a good giggle yesterday and I failed them. 😦

I did get a giggle last night – right before midnight. I was reading my email and scrolling through Facebook posts from family and friends. And there it was!

ThelmaAndLouise-Maybe

Thank you, thank you, Luke and Jo! I went to bed with a much lighter heart. I miss you guys!

* back ass wards: adjective, a way of being backwards or opposite from the norm. [From the Dictionary of Words that Should Exist]