September wrap-up

It feels as if September went by fairly quickly.  I guess that means I was busy.  Or time just snuck up on me.

This weekend I finally got to Decatur to visit my parents.  On Saturday we went to the Apple Orchard in Sullivan and bought 5 1/2 dozen doughnuts and 4 gallons of minimally processed, barely filtered apple cider.  My dad and I also had apple cider slushies -- so good.  My mom wanted a pastry (not sure what that is exactly since I hadn't been to the Orchard before) but they had sold out of them earlier in the day.  Needless to say, she was disappointed, but we opened up one of the packages of doughnuts and she seemed satisfied.  I know I was.

On our way home from Sullivan we dropped a dozen doughnuts off at my cousin's house.  Her dog, Hank, barked and growled at me and my mom.  I had hoped to see JM, the new Marine, home for a brief break after completing boot camp, but he was out for the day with his girlfriend.

Saturday evening my mom grilled bacon-wrapped filets for dinner.  Mine needed a little more time on the grill to be done enough for my taste, but it was still good.  Mmmm, meat.  : )    As I was washing the dinner dishes, the phone rang.  One of GAD's nieces was calling from Hillsboro to ask my mom to come down and handle a "situation."  GAD had imagined that a group of people were breaking into her house.  She panicked and ran out of the house and then ran down her street, yelling.  While she doesn't live in town, she does have neighbors in her rural subdivision, and a couple that had just moved to the neighborhood called the police. 

Fortunately the police were able to get some information from GAD and they contacted the niece, who in turn contacted my mom and all but demanded that she come to Hillsboro -- an hour and a half away from Decatur -- and spend the night with GAD.  My mom tried to explain that she had company, that would be ME!, and that it wasn't convenient for her to drop everything and jump in the car at seven o'clock in the evening.  But this woman, L, was persistent.  She said that neither she, nor her sister or brother -- all of whom live less than 15 minutes away -- would be able to help out.  So my mom added a few things to the bag she keeps packed for emergencies and headed to Hillsboro.

I know my mom didn't really have a choice, but I was so disappointed when she left.  One of the reasons I had gone to Decatur this particular weekend was to hear my mom sing in the choir.  Now she wouldn't even be here to go to church.  And I wasn't sure if she would be home before I had to leave to drive back to Carol Stream.  I definitely wasn't thinking kind thoughts towards GAD's relatives on the other side of the family.  All of these people who weren't willing to be inconvenienced are much younger than my 73-year old mother.  Yet they didn't think anything of forcing her to drive on two-lane country roads at night.  These inconsiderate relatives are only waiting around for GAD to die so they can grab their inheritance.  Grrrr.

This morning my dad and I went to church and then he took me out for breakfast to Bob Evan's.  We both had coffee and the biscuit and gravy special.  It was nice to have some time alone with him, but I was still missing my mom.  Fortunately she was able to take GAD to her brother's house after they had gone to church and the niece that called my mom the night before agreed that she would keep an eye on GAD tonight.  I was able to put off starting my three hour drive home long enough so I could briefly see my mom when she came back from Hillsboro.

The weekend didn't go totally according to plan, but in the end, it was okay.  I was able to visit with my parents; I had a nice Sunday morning with my dad, and we all enjoyed our outing to the Orchard on Saturday.  I'd say it was a good way to close out the month of September.   : )