We reached a milestone in Cathy’s treatment for breast cancer with her final infusion on the 12th of March. However, the celebrating would have to wait. Within minutes of her ringing the bell, the call came that her mother had died back in NC. It was a reminder that you can’t always see what’s around the next bend in the road.
It can't possibly be this complicated. From Iowa to Florida to Alaska
Since Spring was fast approaching, the numbers of snowbirds volunteering at Faith was gradually dwindling. We were down to just a few, and we wanted to make the most of the few weeks available. Peeler Hall already had one new guest room in the Iowa Suite. Work had shifted to the rear of the building with the effort to transform the open space into 2 guest rooms and 2 bathrooms, now informally dubbed the “Florida” and “Alaska” suites. Ron was working to install or reconfigure the lights, switches and outlets. Fred and Dave continued to work on the bathroom fixtures, finishing walls, installing rough plumbing, etc. During a weekend visit from Jim, tile floors were installed in the bathroom.
Dave was still making many supply runs, with Fred’s help on occasion. They were especially proud of a find at Lowe’s, where they bought a “cull” pile which Lowe’s assembled with various returned material and sold at a dramatic discount. Dave managed to get this discounted price (about 10% of retail value) cut in half to just under $50. After opening it up, they set aside the items we had no use for in this project. Putting them on Craigslist, Dave managed to sell them for $50. So he actually made about 50 cents on the purchase. Pretty good.
Pat and Cathy returned to the crawlspace below the building to finish running the necessary plumbing. We would need to extend the hot and cold water feeds, as well as connect the new drains into the existing one. And a new vent pipe would be needed that each fixture would need to connect to.
Since Spring was fast approaching, the numbers of snowbirds volunteering at Faith was gradually dwindling. We were down to just a few, and we wanted to make the most of the few weeks available. Peeler Hall already had one new guest room in the Iowa Suite. Work had shifted to the rear of the building with the effort to transform the open space into 2 guest rooms and 2 bathrooms, now informally dubbed the “Florida” and “Alaska” suites. Ron was working to install or reconfigure the lights, switches and outlets. Fred and Dave continued to work on the bathroom fixtures, finishing walls, installing rough plumbing, etc. During a weekend visit from Jim, tile floors were installed in the bathroom.
Dave was still making many supply runs, with Fred’s help on occasion. They were especially proud of a find at Lowe’s, where they bought a “cull” pile which Lowe’s assembled with various returned material and sold at a dramatic discount. Dave managed to get this discounted price (about 10% of retail value) cut in half to just under $50. After opening it up, they set aside the items we had no use for in this project. Putting them on Craigslist, Dave managed to sell them for $50. So he actually made about 50 cents on the purchase. Pretty good.
Pat and Cathy returned to the crawlspace below the building to finish running the necessary plumbing. We would need to extend the hot and cold water feeds, as well as connect the new drains into the existing one. And a new vent pipe would be needed that each fixture would need to connect to.
Plumbing extremes - drain pipes in the foreground / hot&cold water in the background We were working with pipe sizes that ranged from tiny 1/2” CPVC to gigantic 4” drains. Given all that needed to fit in the same space, Pat and Cathy mapped out a plan to ensure it would all fit, keep the slope on the drain, the vent higher than the drain, and avoid drilling into any more joists than necessary. The first project was to run the 1/2” hot and cold water lines. These were going to sit above the drains and would be difficult to work on once the 4” and 3” drain pipes were in place. After finishing the plumbing work below, Fred installed fittings above the floor, and we were able to test the system. After fixing a couple of leaks, the pipes held, and Pat and Cathy moved on to the drains.
Dave tweaks the design After developing a design for the drains, it was transferred to a white board so that Fred and Dave could review it and help create a supply list. Dave made a shopping run, and once we had the supplies, Pat and Cathy started work. The heavy 4” couplings and sections of pipe were exhausting to manipulate and ensure accurately placed. The work slowed dramatically. There were many “y” couplings that had to be precisely placed. And each new stretch of pipe made it harder to get around within the already cramped space. But progress was made and by the 11th, all the drains were plumbed. We just had to hook them up to a common vent line. Pat and Cathy spent that afternoon developing a careful plan to make it all work. There was little room for error, but it looked like we had a workable solution.
Cathy in the "hole" Since the next day was Cathy’s infusion, we all took a break, with a plan to come back and (hopefully) finish on Friday. It didn’t exactly happen that way. We had to leave immediately after Cathy’s infusion and head north to NC. Pat continued to work mostly on her own and finished all but the final coupling, which required 2 sets of hands to put in place. It would have to wait until Cathy returned.
Check out the Growler uniform behind Fang -- doesn't it look the same? The Icemen Cometh – Or Do They?
We were offered some complementary tickets to a Jacksonville Icemen hockey game on the first Sunday in March. It was fun and we were cheering the home team along with the others in our section. They were doing well against the Newfoundland Growlers. We were confused by a few things, though. Why were the opposing team wearing uniforms advertising Publix? And why were hockey players from Canada playing so badly? Hmm. . . However, Fang, the Icemen’s mascot was wearing the same black uniform as the home team.
Well, you probably guessed. We were rooting for the Growlers, not the Icemen. And we happened to be sitting in a section surrounded by Growlers fans. Who knew so many Canadians would be in Jacksonville? As the game wore on, the Icemen kept losing ground until a final score of Growlers 9, Icemen 1. Maybe hockey isn’t a game for Florida.
We were offered some complementary tickets to a Jacksonville Icemen hockey game on the first Sunday in March. It was fun and we were cheering the home team along with the others in our section. They were doing well against the Newfoundland Growlers. We were confused by a few things, though. Why were the opposing team wearing uniforms advertising Publix? And why were hockey players from Canada playing so badly? Hmm. . . However, Fang, the Icemen’s mascot was wearing the same black uniform as the home team.
Well, you probably guessed. We were rooting for the Growlers, not the Icemen. And we happened to be sitting in a section surrounded by Growlers fans. Who knew so many Canadians would be in Jacksonville? As the game wore on, the Icemen kept losing ground until a final score of Growlers 9, Icemen 1. Maybe hockey isn’t a game for Florida.
Together through it all Ringing the Final Bell
We had been anticipating this milestone for over a year. Cathy’s last Herceptin infusion would mark the end of her treatments for breast cancer diagnosed last January. We had talked about how to celebrate, but had not settled on anything. It was just as well. Late afternoon the day before, Cathy’s sister Chris was calling. Mom had been taken to the hospital. There were signals that this was worse than her previous stays. And then the call came from the ICU doctor. Come as soon as you can. Knowing that her mother would not want her to miss this last treatment, we prepared to leave as soon as the treatment was over.
As we went through the now familiar routine, it was hard to hold onto the joy with a feeling of sorrow so close at hand. Explaining the circumstances, the infusion was moved up an hour. Shortly after 10, it was done, and Cathy rang the final bell to celebrate the end of this journey, with Dave at her side as he has been through it all. But we didn’t even get out of the building before the phone rang. Mom was gone. She had passed within minutes of Cathy finishing her last treatment. Maybe she wanted to be with her when she rang the bell.
We made our way to NC, and spent the next few days with Cathy’s sisters and Mom’s caregivers as we grieved her loss and celebrated her life. She was active until the very end. Just a couple of days before her death, she was going out to eat with friends, and then coming home by way of the nursery, so she could buy some daffodils. Spring was coming, and Mom was happiest when working in or planning for her garden.
The week following her death, national and world events were changing rapidly. Worship services were canceled at her church and throughout NC. Cathy’s brother-in-law, who was also Mom’s executor, had traveled to Greece and was immediately caught in the chaos generated by the president’s travel restrictions from Europe as he tried to return. Then there was the matter of quarantine. Scheduling a Memorial service in this chaotic environment would be difficult. We decided on the last Saturday in April, not knowing if this was just wishful thinking.
By the following Tuesday, we decided to make our way back to Florida, since the memorial service would be delayed. We made few stops en route, and were relieved to be back at the RV and Faith, where we expect to “shelter in place” for a while.
Parting Shot
We had been anticipating this milestone for over a year. Cathy’s last Herceptin infusion would mark the end of her treatments for breast cancer diagnosed last January. We had talked about how to celebrate, but had not settled on anything. It was just as well. Late afternoon the day before, Cathy’s sister Chris was calling. Mom had been taken to the hospital. There were signals that this was worse than her previous stays. And then the call came from the ICU doctor. Come as soon as you can. Knowing that her mother would not want her to miss this last treatment, we prepared to leave as soon as the treatment was over.
As we went through the now familiar routine, it was hard to hold onto the joy with a feeling of sorrow so close at hand. Explaining the circumstances, the infusion was moved up an hour. Shortly after 10, it was done, and Cathy rang the final bell to celebrate the end of this journey, with Dave at her side as he has been through it all. But we didn’t even get out of the building before the phone rang. Mom was gone. She had passed within minutes of Cathy finishing her last treatment. Maybe she wanted to be with her when she rang the bell.
We made our way to NC, and spent the next few days with Cathy’s sisters and Mom’s caregivers as we grieved her loss and celebrated her life. She was active until the very end. Just a couple of days before her death, she was going out to eat with friends, and then coming home by way of the nursery, so she could buy some daffodils. Spring was coming, and Mom was happiest when working in or planning for her garden.
The week following her death, national and world events were changing rapidly. Worship services were canceled at her church and throughout NC. Cathy’s brother-in-law, who was also Mom’s executor, had traveled to Greece and was immediately caught in the chaos generated by the president’s travel restrictions from Europe as he tried to return. Then there was the matter of quarantine. Scheduling a Memorial service in this chaotic environment would be difficult. We decided on the last Saturday in April, not knowing if this was just wishful thinking.
By the following Tuesday, we decided to make our way back to Florida, since the memorial service would be delayed. We made few stops en route, and were relieved to be back at the RV and Faith, where we expect to “shelter in place” for a while.
Parting Shot
