Covid Christmas - a Sequel and Another Sequel

 Shortly after writing that post, our electricity went out.  Yep, foot of snow on the ground, in the twenty degree range outside, and no power.  Merry effing Christmas.

Kevin leapt into action, getting our generator running then going over to get the parents settled.

Remember, he had them all set up so it would be easy-peasy.  He went over and he said it was like herding cats trying to get them to understand and help.  "It's not a big deal"  "We're fine" were the popular refrains.  He got them set up then returned home in exhaustion and frustration.

This whole time, his brother didn't come out to help or phone.  Kevin finally phoned him and he acted surprised that Kevin would suggest that he might start his own generator or help the parents.  So, that went well.

We were just discussing sleeping arrangements when the power clicked back on. Whew.  Dodged a bullet.(Parents would sleep in their recliners, where there is a heater or go to the brothers if it gets too cold. Kevin would sleep in his recliner to keep an ear out on the generators, etc.)

We settled back in and was watching television when I got an instant message from an old friend, asking me if I could facetime.  It's almost 9:00 pm at this point and I was a little gah about it but went into my office and we facetimed.  OMG, so worth it.  

Her present from her mother - one of the mothers in the community who stepped up for me as a child - had given her a video compilation of her childhood. It included her grandma and great grandma, whom I loved because they were like fairy tale grandmas.  Imagine a fairy tale grandma in two cottages on an old remote farm.  Yes, that's exactly what they were like.  So it was a rip in the time space continuum to see them again.  But then.  THEN

Her mother had videoed her twelfth birthday slumber party.  Before my eyes were all the girls from the community from ten to twelve years old. It was stunning.  Stunning.  And there I was, one of the smallest with pretty blonde hair and actually looking happy.  (I was eleven)  There were lots of "Omg, that's Eva.  That's JODI, that's Jenny."    Neither of us have any recollection of any videotaping happening at all.  Oh, and it was a theme party: Sock Hop.  I mean, c'mon.

So that was really the best present of the holiday.  Ah.Mazing.  

Finally we went to bed but I think Kevin slept with one eye open the whole night, waiting for the power to go out again.  It didn't...until the next day.

Kevin spent the next morning clearing pathways for us and the parents.  He checked the generators again. We made it all the way to 12:30 in the afternoon when the power went out again.  Back into action he went, this time a little smoother because everything was set up and the parents were more cooperative.

But was his brother ready for any of this?  No, of course not.  So Kevin spent time over there helping, just in time to go to our other neighbors house to help.  The other neighbor...my brother's father-in-law.  Wait, you just thought: why would Kevin...?  And herein lies Kevin's frustration.  It all falls on him.

Finally, we get settled in for the night.  We had warmed up Christmas Eve dinner, which was nice because we certainly weren't going anywhere with all the snow falling.  We watched television and relaxed for a little bit when we started to think about bed.  The conversation bubble hadn't faded out of the air when the power blinked back on.  We sat, breath held for the next two minutes until we knew for real that it was on to stay.

Kevin bundled back up and went back next door to make sure everything was good over there.  It took Kevin raising his voice to prompt his brother to help with the parents this time.  

We made it one whole day with electricity and everyone home and relaxed. One whole day.  I spent a good portion of the day on the telephone with an insurance agent, medicare, and an insurance company, trying to help the parents get their medicare supplemental plan in place by January.  Was I successful? No.  My f-i-l has managed to lose his insurance card.  He also was insistent that he wasn't on the same plan as my m-i-l.  Based on what, we don't know but he was wrong.  

This started a Big Conversation about power of attorney, wills, DNR's and the such.  Just how one wants to spend the holidays.  Luckily, we are all in agreement about the way of things.  Was the b-i-l there for that conversation?  Don't Be Silly.

So, eventually the day wound down.  We had dinner and just settled in to watch television.  And the power went out again.  Kevin had just gotten his boots and coat on when it blinked back on again. "EFF it, I'm going to bed" he said.  So we did and the power stayed on the rest of the night.

Oh, and now we have a foot and a half of snow.  And record cold temperatures. It got down to single digits and neither of us ever remember it being that cold here before. 

Kevin had called out of work for the week between the holidays because his work can't operate in cold temperatures and snow.  I was also on winter break and this is where I will whine: THIS WAS NOT THE BREAK I WANTED.

But Kevin is still in the middle of a big project so he was mostly going to be in his shop.  He got up in the morning and took Lucy to the treat stand to get coffee.  He phoned about fifteen minutes after he left and he had tone in his voice.  All I could think was the last time he drove in the snow, we wrecked.  Thankfully, no, it wasn't that. 

His dad had phoned and his mom had to go to the hospital and he wanted us to take them.  Of course.  He was still fifteen minutes away.  (and I'm not mentioning the MULTIPLE conversations of we don't take her in the car, we call the AMBULANCE)

I had just gotten out of the shower so I was still wet haired, half dressed.  I pulled on my boots without socks and put on a hoodie with no shirt and the hoodie up and trekked next door.  She was having severe stomach pains all night and had been vomiting.   So I stepped back outside and phoned the ambulance.  

I finished that call and Kevin arrived back home and was a little spun out.  His limit had been not only reached but exceeded.  He was problem-solving getting my truck out of the snow and I had to stop him to get him to listen that the ambulance was already on it's way.  He went into the parents house and talked with them, while I stood in the driveway to wait for the ambulance.

They arrived and made it right up the driveway, which was a concern.  One of the paramedics was here a month ago when my f-i-l had a reaction to his booster shot.  We did the whole "Nice to see you again, hardy har har" thing that you do when you have family members who require the ambulance more than a few times.

They began monitoring her and getting all the info from her when I started listing all the health issues she has to the other paramedic...forgetting until last the G.I. tube, sigh...and then had to quietly state "We aren't going to need it but the DNR is right there on the counter."  I hate having to say that.  There's always a flicker of surprise then sympathy.

Once that was done, I got out of the house because there was just too much happening inside.  Kevin is outside, chatting with one of the fireman and I felt a tiny bit of irritation but you know what, he's had enough.  There's nothing for him to do really. 

Except make a path through the snow for the gurney.  Luckily the snow was dry so I could just sweep it to the side and actually found the task a little soothing.  Once I swept, I stomped it down with my boots. Maybe a little aggressively, until I wore myself out.  I returned to the house as the firemen were coming out so I explained the pathway was cleared but still sketchy.

Kevin said he was going to go start my truck and clear it off.  I asked him to wait with his parents and that "I need to go put on socks, finish getting dressed, dry my hair, and get warm before I ride in the ambulance with your mother."   The firemen stalled, somewhere between "Oh snap" and "OMG, she is serious."

So, fast forward to they pack off my m-i-l in the ambulance.  I will say if I never watch my 85-year-old father-in-law watch the ambulance leave with his wife, I will be okay.  It is a very specific kind of heartbreaking.  And we know that one time it is going to be the last time.

I'm dressed, truck is warmed and cleared out and we are finally on the road to the hospital.  We get there and Kevin is all "Whelp, we'll drop you off because we have errands to do then we'll check in."  *RECORD SCRATCH. WUT*

His dad was 100% okay with that and Kevin did just that.  I think maybe they had talked about it when I wasn't there but maybe not.  Then I did realize that because Covid, we probably weren't allowed anyway.  But this was unlike Kevin so warning shot over the bow.

It turns out he had phoned his brother who was all concerned but not concerned enough to leave work... Penny in the air...Kevin unloaded on him and said "I have a week off and you know what I've done? taken care of the parents. ALONE.  I was actually going to town by myself to do something FOR MYSELF and you know what happened?  I had to turn around and go home because the parents needed me AGAIN.  And you know what?  There wasn't anyone else but ME to take care of them."  Penny dropped.

If you know Kevin in real, you know he's not an explosive guy.  Loud, funny, sarcastic, but not self-pitying or mad, like, ever.  All I responded with was a quiet "Well done."  We did our errands and got lunch via the drive-through because holidays/snow/Covid, then he phoned his dad to get an update.

Because Covid, the hospital is full and the E.R. is full.  She had a room in the E.R, only because she was brought in by ambulance.   It was going to take a while to get any answers and we weren't allowed to come into the hospital, in any fashion.  Kevin said okay and told his dad that his brother or sister-in-law would be by later on to get him.  

My f-i-l balked.  What if she wasn't ready for him to leave?  What if they didn't have answers yet?  This is fair but because of the snow, they were his ride and because of Covid, we couldn't just hang out.  He didn't like the answer but he accepted it.

We got home and Kevin complained for like one second.  Finally, I just replied "This is my winter break too and this isn't AT ALL how I was going to spend it either."  

So, sigh. Fast forward one week.  She spent a week in the hospital with a bowel obstruction and a "heart attack-like event"  (also called Broken Heart Syndrome)  My guess is there was a little exhaustion sprinkled in there as well, because we just finished the holidays.

It also turned out to be a break for everyone that everyone needed.  My father-in-law got almost a week's worth of respite, which he actually seemed to enjoy. (zero judgement)  Kevin got a little bit of a break, finally too.  She's back home, weaker than before as expected, and we wait until we do this all over again.

I have Spring Break in twelve weeks. (I counted)  I'm not telling ANYONE.

P.S.   And this is why I changed the profile pic of this bloggity to the roller coaster.