My Mother Making Donuts in 1987

 

My mother, Margaret Joan Walts, in 1987 making donuts at her home in Calcium, NY

I took this photo of my mother, Margaret J Walts, making donuts in 1987. While looking for negatives of other photos I came upon hers. I hadn't seen them in ages and ages. Most likely not since I processed and filed them away in 1987. I certainly never printed any of them. There are other pix in the shoot, of course, but this one captured it all. Her pose, the light, the kitchen. My mother made donuts as far back as I can remember. As a toddler she made donuts. They were famous in the family and among our friends and aquaintences. The donuts were a staple in our household for many years. She made large batches at a time.  Older country folks called them fried cakes. Everyone agreed they were excellent. 

Hillary Clinton, boys cross country, and my mother

At 1:00 today I took my mother to her cardiology doctor. She got an overall  good report on her health. She was given a

From there I drove to 2 hours to  DeRuyter to take pictures of their cross country team. After that I drove to Colgate University in Hamilton and photographed Hillary Clinton.

I just got home at 11:30PM. I drove over 300 miles. I am beat.

Tomorrow I am photographing a job for the NY teachers union.

Oh, I also drove through the heaviest, hardest hail storm I have ever experienced. I won't be surprised if I find my Dodge Caravan full of little dents tomorrow morning.
Good night.

Mom: Day 15 In The Hospital

It is a gray and windy day here in Chaumont, New York. The temperature is 55 degrees.

It was two weeks ago today that Mom was admitted to the hospital. Yesterday and the day before she seemed very talkative and peaceful. She doesn't appear to have any significant pain, just some general discomfort. She seem to have accepted her fate. She is anxious to get home. My sister C arrived yesterday from Arizona. Sister S will be here tomorrow.

Yesterday the water pump on my 2002 Dodge Caravan went bad. The serpentine belt came off as a result while I was driving down the road about five miles from my house. I managed to drive it another 5 miles to a garage in Brownville, All Good Auto, where I have had good luck with car repairs. I often do my own, and am confident I could repair this one, but I don't want to. It would eat up too much time. They will probably have the job done sometime tomorrow. The price is $325.00 What can I do? I have to pay the man. That same damn van cost me $2,000.00 about 3 months ago for a new transmission. I hate it.



I snapped the above photo yesterday afternoon. It was Mom's 14th day in the hospital. This is not a flattering picture of her, but she was very talkative, very much at peace with her situation.

That's The Way It Is

Late this after noon my Mother says, "I am sick of all this garbage." she is referring to the hospital routine. "I am just waiting for Suzie & Carol to get here and then I am going home. If they don't like it, they can shove it."

So that's the way it is, MARCH 4, 2012.

Mom In The Hospital Day 11

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I awoke to some heavy, wet snow here in Chaumont, NY. The two photos here are views from each of my kitchen windows.



My celebrity brother A & his son & I had a chat with my Mother yesterday afternoon. Based upon talks with her doctors I informed her that there is no recovery from her condition. There is also no knowing how much time she has left. Days, weeks, months? No one can predict. I suspect it a matter of weeks. She has stage four congestive heart failure. Ther is fluid build up in her body. The heart cannot move enough blood through her system. Therefor her organs are not functioning properly. The doctors want to get the excessive fluid out of her lungs & system. Her cardiologist could better detrmine her condition if she can get rid of the fluids. This past Thursday he examined her and said there is just as much fluid build up that day as there was the day she was admitted to the hospital. So a week went by with no improvement. He also said that even if they do get rid of the fluid it may be to no avail. That's because when the fluid is gone it may cause her blood pressure to go too low to properly operate her organs. He said if that's the case then, "We are toast."
I began to weep I explained all of that to her. And then we talked as best we could about her final wishes. She would like to be cremated and her remains buried between her mother and father at St. Mary's Cemetary in Evans Mills, N.Y. "I think there's room enough for me there," she said. It was a sad but worthwhile chat.

My Mother In The Hospital

My Mother is 79 years old and quite ill. She was admitted to the hospital a week ago today. She has congestive heart failure. Yesterday she was very chipper, talkative, appeared to be in much better condition than the previous days. However, last night she had more fluid build up in her lungs. Her heart is weak and her heart rate fell off. She was given more oxygen, more drugs, got stabalized and her heart rate was brought back up. I suspect that it's only a matter of time before her heart simply gives out all together. Is it days, weeks or months? I don't know. Three years ago she had a heart valve replacement. At this point, based upon my Google research, I think her only hope would be a heart transplant, and at her age and level of frailty, that simply isn't going to happen.

Observations, Thoughts, Question Marks

It got cold here in Chaumont, NY last night. 14 degrees F.
Thursday evening my mother went to the hospital. Fluid build up in her lungs. Spitting up blood. IT's congestive heart failure. She has no pain, just concern. The Doctors want to drain fluid out of her body. She's admitted to intensive care.

I gave up all alcohol for lent. Today is Sunday. My Mother is still in the hospital. I play a 3 hour guitar gig at Carl's Furniture in Watertown. Paid a hundred bucks. At 3:00 I visit my Mother. I am told she has pneumonia. I don't like the sound of that. She seems weaker and frail. It is the first Sunday in Lent and I have given up all alcohol for lent. But, it is SUNDAY. So I stop at Gold Star Liquors and buy a bottle of Merlot. It is Rex-Goliath to be exact. A reasonabubbley priced and flavored California wine.

It is the first Sunday of Lent and I am at Carl's Furniture playing guitar. Paul Ferguson comes in and sets up 3 video cameras to tape an hour or so of my playing. I mention to him that my mother is having some issues and is in the Hospital. He tells me that his mother passed away a year ago this last September. She had a stroke. But the stroke did not kill her. She was recovering just fine when, still in hospital, she got pneumonia. That was the beginning of the end of her. So I finish up my gig at the furniture store, collect my pay and go to the Hospital to visit me Madre. She looks weaker than the day before. She is breathing harder. My Celebrity Brother is there. The doctors had earlier informed him that she has developed pneumonia. Today I took no photos of her.

I am drinking the Merlot, hic-cupping in between sips as I write this. The Academy Awards are on TV in the background. Who cares? Not me. I could give a shit. Pardon the vulgarity. Hic-up.

I need to get out and play Thousand Dollar Gigs. ten or twenty of those a year would be a help.