NY CHILDHOOD

My sister, Esther, told me I didn’t write anything about my own early years.

To write about the real early years is not easy. I am going to try, gentle reader so be patient with me.

I was born & raised in Columbia City Indiana so There was 8 children (four boys & four girls. I was the 4^th one born. . I know now we were poor but I never knew this when I was a child. No one ever told me I was poor so I figured we were like everyone else. OH!! The innocence of kids. I remember how we all liked raw potatoes and we were always barefooted. To this day I don’t like shoes. When my brother, Jerry, was in second grade the teacher asked him where his shoes were and he told her it wasn’t his turn to wear them!! If we got a hole in the bottom of the shoes we put a piece of cardboard in and it worked for a while.

I never had new clothes because I could wear my sisters so it worked out w

My father was a Plummer and he was never home. He was always working but he was always home

for supper. I guess it was hard back than to care for a large family.

I was happy and had a lot of kids in the neighborhood.

My brother Paul was killed in an accident when he was 7. It was a terrible accident. WE had been playing in the house when we got company. Pau Ted & I ran out the back door in a race for the roof. WE could climb on top of the oil barrel and than get on the garage roof. Than when someone came out the door we could jump on then. We had done this before and it was fun. This time Paul was the first one on the top of the barrel when it fell. It threw Paul backwards and he hit his head on a brick. He died about ten minutes later. They never found a reason for the barrel falling and it was ruled an accident.

Death takes it toll on the family. The neighbors were all great and took is under their wings. They kept us busy with games and so much food. They even took us to church with them!!!

When I was about 9 I would go to my grandfathers house after school. I would walk to the Farmers Grain & Feed store and hitch hike!!! I never gave it a second thought, gentle reader. Try something like that today!!!! Everyone one knew my grandfather and they gave me a ride to the end of the lane.

I just loved going there.

More on this next time, gentle reader.

Until than call someone you haven’t called in a long time and say hello!!!!

Love Red

ONE MORE DAY

HI GENTLE READER , I am trying to stay on the happy side. I have two new jobs and things are sure looking better.t I must say a big Thank You to Kim,my niece, in NYC.Kim writes a blog also (the yummymummy.com) It is a fabulous blog and she also writes books. Kim's husband,David, does Broadway Shows and they have two great children!!! I don't know how she finds time to help ,e but when you talk to her you feel better no matter what is wrong. I got a call today for a job. I had applied for the job about two months ago but was turned down. The reason was a younger person got the job. When she called & told me the other person got the job I was devasted . I just thanked her for calling and told her if she ever needed someone to call me. Well it worked out. Today when she called me for the job she explained the other lady had three children and really needed the money. Now the other lady got a job with more hours so the job was open!! I understood how she felt and was just happy she called me. This job is only three hours a day but my other job is all weekend so it works out fine. I look back on the last few months and wonder how I let myself get so depressed!!! I know better and I sure know the symptoms but I just ignored them all. I will keep posting dear reader and hope you don't get to bored. Until the next time------SMILE LOVE RED		draft		7/12/11	by caretakerforelderly	Delete
	Edit	View	The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End

Hello again gentle reader. I hope a few people are still around to read this blog. I was talking to my astrologer & friend, Tiny Shuster, and she said to start writing on my blog again. I am taking her advice and trying.

I have become extremely depressed over my life. I have not worked for two months and am lost. I have devoted my life to the elderly and really enjoyed what I done. I like to think I made a few people happy in my home. I always put the people first no matter what the situation was. I never refused anyone a place weather they had the money or not.
In order to understand this I must tell you the whole story. When my only daughter was 18 she was in an accident with her car. She was hit head on late at night. I received a call from the hospital about 12:30 am to come to the hospital as soon as possible. I had one elderly lady living in our home at the time. She had only been with us for about two months. I called a friend who came to stay while we were gone. It seemed like everything was in slow motion. I swear it was hours before we arrived at the hospital. We went through the door of the Emergency Room a friend was standing there. It was Joe Hickey from Corinth and he said , "ask for Dr. LaPointe, Ruth, he is the best!!!" We were shown into my daughter's room. The first thing she said was "Dad, I was not drinking. All I had was a coke!!" I asked her what happened and she said she didn't know. The aide came in and she took Beth to the x-ray room. My hisband & I went out in the hallway to wait. Deputy Sheriff Larry Cleveland was waiting for us. He explained he was the investigating officer on the accident. I asked if anyone was in the car with my daughter and he said no. There was no one in either car, just the driver. I asked how bad the other person was and he replied very softly," He just died!!!!" All I could think of was Thank God my daughter didn't die!!! It just seemed to echo in the room. As soon as she came back they wanted to take a blood test for alcohol. Beth was worried and kept telling he Dad " it was one coke!!!" He told her not to worry she was fine. I just stood there in shock but telling her I loved her.

The Dr. said she should be ok because it just a broken wrist & finger and she had hurt her knee. I was so relieved and we headed home because I had to do breakfast for my lady. About 9:00am the hospital called and said we needed to come as soon as possible; it was urgent. We arrived at the Intensive Care Unit to find Beth (my daughter) drugged. Dr. LaPointe took us in a small room and explained what happened. He said the steering wheel had glanced over her chest and the aorta vessel was going to rupture. He explained there was not any time to lose. She could not be flown to Albany Medical because the jolt of the elevator could kill her. The Glens Falls hospital had never done this type of operating and had anyone live. We really did not have a choice so I asked when they were going to start. He said "When your ready". I went down the hallway to her room and took her hand. I told her I loved her and she had to go upstairs for a while but she better remember I was waiting for her. Her Dad talked a little and we went to the waiting room. I went to the Ladies Room and went inside. I started crying and got on my knees. I promised God if he would give me back my daughter I would devote my life to the elderly.

The operation took almost 6 hours but I got my daughter back. When the Doctor was operating the aorta vessel ruptured and they had to shut the blood off the lower part of her body for about 45 minutes. . She would be in a wheelchair but that was ok. I had only asked for her back.. I truly meant what I said and I spent mu years taking in the elderly. I never refused anyone because God didn't ask me for money. It always worked out one way or another. I never worried about getting by because everything just seemed to work out.
I will stop now and do tomorrow dear reader.
Love Red