Project 52

[mrs_sweetpeach]

Over the weekend we were in Elkhart Indiana for the Elkhart Jazz Festival. We, along with mbumby drove over in traveller42's car. He wasn't with us but let us borrow his car because mbumby's car was involved in a crash earlier that week and wasn't usable for the trip. Anyway, we arrived in Elkhart in the early afternoon and reported to the Production Office for duty. In my case, this meant I hung out with Gary's parents at the Elkhart Columbus Club and listened to whatever group took the stage. We returned to the Production Office Friday and Saturday nights, after the stage was shut down for the night, then went to Ann & Gary's house and slept in whatever spaces they could find for us. It's a good thing they have a big house because Ann & Gary, both of their boys (who were also volunteering), Gary's parents, mbumby, jebra and myself all stayed there. It was fun seeing the boys during the festival. In the past that didn't necessarily happen as the festival would sometimes conflict with boy scout summer camp.

Anyway, I heard lots of music and, taking a one hour break from the Columbus Club on Sunday, heard a talk on Cole Porter's List Songs. Turns out the *only* thing I knew about Cole Porter was his name. It was a really interesting lecture punctuated with sound recordings and live performances. I found a preview for that on youtube later, here if you want to know more.

Musically, for me, the highlights included the Fat Babies, the Farmland Jazz Band,, Davina and The Vagabonds, and Joan Collaso & the Larry Hanks Trio. Of these, Joan Callaso shined the brightest as I talked to her after the concert and thanked her for performing Route 66 as that is one of my all-time favorites and asked if she ever performed Cry Me a River as that's a song I love equally well. She replied that used to perform it and thought she might still remember the words -- and then sang it to and for me. So much love to her for that.

On Sunday before leaving town we went to get a closer view at the huge American Gothic sculpture.

We got home late Sunday night and had to get up at the usual time for work the next morning. It was then that jebra either discovered or revealed that he'd received a text from my brother Rob informing us that my mom had suffered a stroke over the weekend and that he'd taken her to Metro Hospital in Grand Rapids. As far as I know, she's still there although she's supposed to be transferred to an inpatient rehab place today. I've tried to call but my mom didn't want to talk the one time I managed to get through. If I don't hear anything by Friday I'll call or text my brother again. The stroke has affected the memory and speech parts of her brain so she isn't necessarily recognizing people (for instance, at first she didn't recognize Rob, later she knew who he was but thought he was called Gabriel. And colors have been off too, she identified her gown as red in color but it was really yellow. And later when we was shown something red and asked what the color was called she said she didn't know. And the years have been off too. When first asked what year it is she said 2014. A later it increased to 2016 but last I heard she hadn't worked her way back to 2017 yet. Rob said one of his best friends is a nurse practitioner and that her father had the exact same rare form of stroke as our mom. He's much better than he was immediately afterwards but he never regained his mathematical genius; he could do calculus in his head before the stroke, now he struggles with simple math.

Scrapbook papers & elements from the kit Bohemian Breeze
For more information about the designers and their work, see
http://mrs-sweetpeach.dreamwidth.org/903338.html.

Comments

[jennlk]

jebra told me about your mom on Monday. I'll be thinking good thoughts for her and the rest of your family. {hug}

[wpadmirer.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry to hear about your mom! I send good vibes that she recovers well.

[vanillalime]

Wishing the best for your mother (and you!). My own mother had a heart attack a few days after Easter, and I know how scary things can be, even when they turn out OK. *hugs*

[polly-b.livejournal.com]

Just sending hugs, hope you're doing ok and hope your mom has improved.