Tales from the Microbial Laboratory

An Airstream Anniversary

~the Airstream, with her party clothes on~

~~~~~

On Thursday, I was talking to someone in the office near mine - and mentioned that this weekend was the one year anniversary of my moving - no jumping - into the Airstream.

('ve been living in a 1973 Airstream for the past year.)

The person that I mentioned it to said 'Well then, there must be a party, I"ll bring wine."

So there you have it.  There must be a party.

So this evening I started putting the Airstream's party clothes on - her blue LED lights, and brought out the tiki torches and I filled them with citronella lamp oil.  I even got the weed whacker out and trimmed the area - mainly because a friend of mine who plans to attend always thinks she's going to get bitten by a viper while drinking a glass of wine in my yard.

Now - I'm happy, no - I'm relieved to be marking this anniversary, which is also one week shy of my one year anniversary of losing my job of 15 years.

It hasn't been an easy year.  But then, the year is in the past - and it's time to move forward.  And I think it's important to acknowledge that it was a difficult year and that I made it through - and I think it's also important to acknowledge that good things also happened, that there were accomplishments - and that there is a future - and the truth is, it's time for me to shed the dysfunction and difficulties of the past few years.  Long past time in fact.

So - tomorrow evening, there's a party.  Come if you can - hop on a plane, or in your car or bike, hell - walk if you want to.   I'd love to share a toast with you under the glow of the blue Airstream lights, and perhaps we can talk about future plans, future dreams - things we want to accomplish and experience in the days and months ahead.  Perhaps I'll share with you what it has been like living in 216 sq ft of space with three dogs and most of a cat - and how I've learned that we don't need much to be okay.  Or perhaps we'll just gulp down our gin and tonics with the enthusiasm of people happy to be looking at a bad year in their rear view mirrors, skip the analysis crap, and just enjoy ourselves.  Yes, lets do that - okay?

Let me know if you need directions.

 

Airstream Note to Self No. 8

~Airstream awning~

~~~~~

Airstream Note to Self No. 8:

Months ago I was reading posts in an online  Airstream forum on the best ways to clean awnings - and I remember one post saying to get a mold and mildew cleaner (one that comes in a spray bottle).  You can see an image of the awning when it was first unfurled here - this was after several years of being rolled up.  So today, on the way home from the lab, I purchased a bottle of Tilex Mold & Mildew.  The post said to test a small section of the awning first (to be sure it doesn't bleach out the color) - and so I started spraying a small area and all I can say is wow!  It works like a dream.  Tomorrow I'll try to finish it up (I might end up needing another bottle of Tilex, and I'll need to be careful to not get tons of the stuff on me).  I'm happy to see some blue break through the mold and mildew!  It's as if the clouds are finally parting...

Mom's First Morning of Summer Vacation Apple Turnovers

 

So while I was in Virginia, the guy (aka Fred) who designed and built the Earlysville Raceway added to his price negotiations that I would also have to make him apple turnovers like my Mom used to make them.  Of course, he had me in the negotiation, since I was desperate for a pen to secure the Pointer Sisters during my visits - so on the Saturday before I returned to South Carolina I made the turnovers for Fred.

A deal is a deal, right?

I wasn't exactly sure what turnovers he was thinking about - but I defaulted to the only ones that I knew.  When my brother and I were young - each summer our parents took us on a family vacation.  Usually we'd drive somewhere - the Florida coast, Niagara Falls, the Great Smokey Mountains, or Rehoboth Beach, Delaware - and we'd always leave insanely early (my parents didn't want to miss a minute of vacation time).  But regardless of how early we would leave, Mom would get up before all of us, and make apple turnovers.  It was an easy recipe - and they were as good warm as they were cold.  So of course you'd get one before you left the house - and then she'd wrap up the remainder for the drive.

~~~~~

To make them, you first cook the apples.  I usually cook golden delicious apples (about 4 or 5 large ones) on the stove top over medium heat (add a little bit of water to a pan, slices of apple minus the peel, and some cinnamon).  When they are soft, take them off the stove and drain the liquid.  While they're cooking, crack open one of those 'cannisters' containing eight biscuits (the larger biscuits) - and with a rolling pin flatten the biscuits into a thin circle.  When the apples are done, place some apple on half of the biscuit circle, then fold over the other half and use a fork to secure the end of the turnover.  Then heat some canola oil (just a thin layer of oil - it doesn't take much) in a fry pan and when it's hot, put the turnovers in the oil.  Once one side browns, flip them over and brown the other side.  When they're done, dust with cinnamon sugar...and eat.

Then - run get in your car, roll the windows down - and get on the road.  Your're on vacation!

limits

~Dad in 1933~

~~~~~

Tomorrow I head back to Charleston and my snake-infested garden and 27 foot Airstream.

I'll leave my Father to a caregiver, a former neighbor who seems to be doing a good job, and who seems to be very patient with my Dad.

As for me, I'm climbing the walls.  I don't like feeling this way.  They say it's harder for a family member, and now I know that this is indeed true.  Tonight I walked into the room, and my Dad was finishing a chocolate popsicle, and was giggling because he had been caught.  Giggling like a child.  One thing I will say is that he seems happy - he is no longer agitated or manic (like he was on Aricept).  And now he seems to have grown attached to the (relatively new - since early May) caretaker, and that is nice to see.  I think he looks forward to having him back tomorrow.

I look forward to being back in Charleston - although it is bittersweet.  I'll be back in August - not for ten days, but for about five - I've learned my limits, which I think is a good thing.

It was over 100 degrees here today, warmer than Charleston.

I long for salt air.  I long for my own craziness.
 

The Earlysville Raceway

 
~Entrance into the Earlysville Raceway~

So, what probably won't come as a big surprise to most of you, I'm not a fan of dog racing.

Until now.

You see, a longtime family friend who has a lawn service built a dog pen for me at my Dad's home in Virginia.  This guy, we'll call him Fred (because that is his real name), has a lawn service and since the grass isn't growing anywhere this summer, we asked if he might have time to do this.  He said yes.

I have to make him apple turnovers (guess I'd better do that tomorrow) for his efforts.  (We also paid him).

We gave Fred quite a bit of artistic freedom.

We did not just get a dog pen.

We got what can only be referred to as 'The Earlysville Raceway'.

My Dad now has a dog racetrack in his side yard.

~~~~~

~the viviacious Annabelle Lee, snorting around for truffles in between races~

The Raceway comes off the back door of my Dad's first floor - and veers sharply to the right and crosses an area of lawn (you can see this in the first image).

Once through the narrow straight stretch (which looks ironically like your typical dog run), the 'pen' opens up into a 300 ft oval.  There are oaks in the center of the oval which is nice because there is plenty of shade and plenty of places for the dogs to hunt for truffles in between races.  However, Fred cleared an area about 2-3 ft inside the 6 ft fencing - hence creating the raceway.

~~~~~

~THE DAN, pondering whether she could clear the 6 ft to find better truffle hunting areas~

~~~~~

Now, I will just say that it has been nice have the Pointer Sisters, Handsome Stan, and Queen Haiku here with me.  I will also say it has been nice knowing that I'm not shelling out $30 per dog per night to board them.

However, I had no idea that dog racing could be so fun...and hopefully in the future, lucrative.

~~~~~

~The Pointer Sisters, both contemplating whether they could clear the 6 ft fence and head to the Sip 'N Dip for an ice cream cone~

~~~~~

As for lucrative, no - I'm not pimping out my crazy-fast dogs.

But I did tell some relatives that the next time I'm in town, that they should come over and bring their lawn chairs and a tin can of quarters and even a cooler filled with beer and that we could sit outside of the Raceway and place random dog bets.

Like, I bet THE DAN gets to the top of the oval Raceway before Stan does.

Or, I bet Stan barks before the Pointer Sisters.

Or, within a sixty minute period, I bet Annabelle Lee goes around the Raceway more times than THE DAN or Handsome Stan.

We're talking high stakes betting.  Big bucks.  And who knows, perhaps by next summer, we'll start charging admission.  Maybe I'll even start making apple turnovers for visitors.

~~~~~

~Handsome Stan, pondering why that, just because The Pointer Sisters are crazy-wild and would run to the next county in search of truffles if loose, why he has to suffer and hang out in the Earlysville Raceway at all...~

~~~~~

And yep, I'm going stir crazy.

Tomorrow is my last day.

God bless folks who care for the elderly and for those with cognitive impairment.  I've been told that it is worse when it is your own parent, and I  hope that is true.  With your own parent, you know what the changes are, and you fight them, and want them to remember what you know they have known in the past.  It's hard.  I'm pretty much done for.

Earlysville Farmers Market

~Earlysville Farmers Market~

~~~~~

Late this afternoon, my Dad and I drove into the happenin' town of Earlysville to go to the Farmers Market.  Two glasses of watermelon lemonade, two chocolate cupcakes (to go), and three big tomatoes later we headed home.

~~~~~

~Episcopal Church, Earlysville, Virginia~

~~~~~

The Farmers Market was in the parking lot of the old Episcopal Church - rather, what is now the meeting hall for the church.  The tents were under tall oak trees so there was shade - which was a good thing, since the temperature supposedly hit 98F today.

~~~~~

The Market is along the main road that runs through Earlysville, and there is just a simple sign on the fence - and one along the road announcing that it's a local market.  There were only about six or so booths - one with produce (tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes, and peaches mostly), another with fresh cut flowers (gorgeous sunflowers!), one with fresh baked zucchini, cinnamon and chocolate breads, and others with jewelry, scented soaps, etc.  It was a sweet little market - it was my first visit to this market, I don't think it's been in existence for very long.
  
~~~~~

 

After we left, Dad and I came back to water his garden - today was hot, and tomorrow is supposed to be hotter, and the area is terribly dry.  We've been hoping for storms each day, but they seem to skip over the mountains and miss us - or go around us.  I watered some flowers too - they've been ignored since my Mom's been gone.

Two more days, and then I head back to salt air, my own wild garden, and the Airstream.  I've never considered myself a patient person, and I must admit that today I've hit my own personal wall with respect to my Dad.  It takes a special kind of person to care day-in and day-out for someone with cognitive/memory issues, and there's a reason that I long to get back to my own dysfunctional, crazy world.  I'll probably be back in three weeks, to give his current healthcare provider a break - but I think I'll plan for two days on the road, and five days here - instead of eight days like this time.  I know where my 'wall' is now, and I think I need to respect that.

Earlysville, Virginia

 
Downtown Earlysville, Virginia, on 5 July 2010

~~~~~

During my last visit to Virginia, only two weeks ago - it was the 4th of July weekend and the little town of Earlysville (my Father's mailing address) was festive in that simple way that small towns know how to do so well - like this red, white, and blue ribbon draped across a front porch, a bow in the center. This town has it's own 4th of July parade too, and although we missed it - we drove through town about an hour before it was to start, and folks were already lining the street, sitting in lawn chairs on what was one of the nicest (and coolest) days of the summer.  The Episcopal Church that resides on the parade route had covered areas, under which there were tables filled with food.  It was quite festive.

~~~~~ 

~Earlysville Union Church Historical Marker~

~~~~~

Yes, I'm one of those that reads historical markers.  I confess.

One of the churches along the parade route - which is more of a town meeting place now, and has a once-a-week prayer service in the evening and is where the town easter egg hunt is held - is an early 19th century interdenominational meeting house on land deeded by John Early, the town's namesake, that was built in 1833.

~~~~~

~Earlysville Union Church~

~~~~

The church is a much loved part of this little town - and seems to be providing a central 'meeting' place for many small town events.  What I saw for the first time this year was a wonderful 'Veggie Share' stand in the church yard - a place where folks could drop off excess zucchini squash (you know, those ones that could substitute for a wooden club) and tomatoes and okra and green beans, and perhaps find a few bell peppers or acorn squash.  Isn't that a great idea?

~~~~~

~Earlysville Veggie Share~

~~~~~

So this week, while I'm in Earlysville staying with my Father, I hope to drop off something to share.  Perhaps some green beans, or yellow squash.  Maybe a few jalapenos.

It's a wonderful little town.  It's only grocery recently closed - but there is a pizza place, a mechanic (someone who lived in our neighborhood when I was growing up), a law office, a dental office, a post office - a small two pump gas station.  And about 15-20 minutes drive is everything else, but thankfully no closer.

My stay with my Dad is going well.  He's calmer, more relaxed after the anxiety-producing events of the early summer.  I've been doing what I do when I'm here and I don't know what to do:  I've cooked.  Squash casserole, green beans with almonds, stewed chicken with anchos in whole wheat tortillas (with a dollop of unsweet whipped cream), blueberry-lemon squares, fruits salads, shrimp creole, roasted zucchini.  You get the idea.  While I was at the dentist with my Dad, in the waiting room, I read this hilarious piece by Joel Stein - what I found so funny was the part about the unemployed lawyer sister who made a spreadsheet to organize their activities for a spa vacation, and how he hoped the economy would recover so that she could find a job and wasn't available to drive them all crazy.  I couldn't help but think that was me, cooking my way through the day.  How many ways can one prepare yellow squash?  Well, I'm on track to find out. 

~~~~~

 The Pointer Sisters, Handsome Stan, and the almost-all of a cat, Haiku, are here too.  The newly installed dog pen - since renamed the 'Earlysville Raceway' - is a story for another time (soon).  For now I'll just say they are doing well, and are enjoying their visit to Earlysville.  As for me - on Monday I had the first bit of good news that I've had in awhile:  a small grant to work on the Gulf Oil spill received funding, a one year project to be supported by NSF.  If you sit quietly for a minute, you might be able to hear my sigh of relief from wherever you are - perhaps even in Nebraska, Texas - or up there in Rhode Island or Nova Scotia - or maybe even in Macon, Georgia.  Research scientists hang on from grant-to-grant and times are tough, so I'm happy to have a bit of funding to hold on to...for now.

back on I-95

 
~~~~~

I'm closing up the Airstream for a week or so - and heading back up to Virginia to stay with my Dad for a little over a week.  Things have calmed down from two weeks ago, as they often do, and so I honestly don't know what is to happen.  A deeply troubling aspect of the disease is that during the calm times, people sometimes seem to forget that it is a disease even still - and everyone goes:  "His blood pressure is great!  He's doing so well."  And then I'm the heavy, and I ask:  "Did the Dr do a cognitive test since he is now off of Aricept?" and the caretaker goes "Oh, I don't know.  He's doing so well!"  I don't like being the heavy.  But doesn't someone need to be?

The irony is all of this is that suddenly I-95 has become my "peaceful place" - the road that bridges my two dysfunctional world:  life as an unemployed busy scientist living in an Airstream with three dogs and a three-legged cat...and life in Virginia, with my father and his vascular dementia diagnosis.  The car has become a coccoon.  How terrible is that statement?  This trip should be interesting (understatement) - all three dogs and the cat are joining me.  I finally smartened up and built a dog pen at my Dad's house, off an apartment (basement) door.  I'd have paid for it in six months worth of visits (instead of boarding the Pointer Sisters) if I'd been thinking.

The Pointers are packed and ready.  They pack light.  It's Stan and the Cat that can't ever decide what to bring.  As for me, I haven't unpacked in years.

contemplation

The Pointer Sisters do have their quiet, reflective moments.  Yes - they're few and far between, but on a humid afternoon, with off-an-on rain showers, The Dan spent a few moments contemplating her life's purpose:  squirrels.  it's all about the squirrels. 

summer rain

For the last two nights we've received rain, and last night - it was the kind of rain that made you want to just lie in bed and listen - a steady warm summer rain that gave the soil enough time to take it all in.  This morning the garden expressed a sigh of relief - knowing that it was awfully close to being the kind of dry that only August knows.  It certainly needed that long, cool drink of water.

Annabelle, on the other hand, curls up into the tiniest ball she can whenever it rains - and when there is thunder along with the rain, she hides her head.  She's a hunting dog scared of loud, sharp noises - which probably didn't bode well in her past life.  But now - now she can curl up, hide her head, with no threat of criticism.