you might be a country girl

Yesterday I was on the way down the lane toward work when I spotted something, well TWO somethings running down the middle of the road in front of me. They were too big and their paths too straight to be squirrels or possums, so I slowed down and sure enough there were two wild turkeys hoofing it toward their haven in the riverbed. They stayed in front of the trusty old Camry until I hit bottom, then they took flight across the road toward their destination. That reminds me of the night a friend and I scooped up a wounded screech owl from about the same spot and put him in a box 'til morning. Silly me didn't know that it's against the freakin' law to have one in captivity so I had to hustle and call the wildlife management folks to rescue him and keep me from doing time in the federal pen. He was impressed with mr screech and promised him a long and happy life at Reelfoot lake. One more day until mom gets to lay her bones down on her antique bed with the sawed off legs and get a good nights' sleep at home. I've kind of lost track of time, but she's been gone for six weeks and it's been a busy time! We learned some lessons the hard way, and were blessed in many other ways with caring people who see their professions as healing ministries rather than just a way to make a buck. There were exceptions to that rule, but not many. My friends at work both have husbands who are seriously ill and they have been treated quite kindly as well. The entire ordeal has given me new faith in the goodness of people. Mama is one of those who is so sweet she says "thank you" if they come and give her a shot, ya know? A super sweet genteel Southern lady if I ever saw one. Unfortunately I took a lot of traits from the paternal side, including the occasional bout of smartass and tendency to have a running Stafford fit when the occasion warrants it. The entire journey, thus far, has been going for five years since Daddy got his keys taken away and they became housebound. During those years his dementia has slowly progressed into a daily ritualistic litany of things to do and her eyesight has gone from poor to non-existent. There have been falls and accidents due to a stubborn determination to keep on keeping on, which I must say that I totally get. And I will probably be the same way. There is one child charged with my care as an elder and it can be a real burden to carry alone. Thankfully, I don't have to. We laid around watching TV last night with all the girl dogs and cat, including our new girl Rider and I felt a part of some big huge female circle of family. It's a warm fuzzy. My friend Yaya and I can go for literally weeks at a time without discussing anything more than who owes who what for AVON. I dropped by to pick up some things, one of which was a surprise picked just for me. We always say "Love you more..." and try to hang up quick to be the one with the last word. My girl presented me with a dog tag that reads "I Love You More", hung from a black cord. I had a card for her that had been riding in my purse for a month, and remembered to take it in. Right about the time I clutched that dog tag and read the words, she read my inscription on the card out loud: "Love you more." Indeed ^j^