Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
Monday, August 1st, 2005
— Month of July workout totals: Swim-7; Bike-5; Run-7; Lift-0; Yoga-0.
— The yew shrubs (taxus) in front of our porch had gotten totally out of control the past couple years. I figured I needed to either yank them out or do something radical with their appearance. On Saturday I sat and stared at one of them for half an hour, and then I attacked it with my old lopping shears. We’d seen pictures of how landscapers sculpt these bushes in the oriental style, then began to notice examples (Chicago, Cincinnati) in proximity to “Arts and Crafts” residential architecture. It was worth a try. I was pleased with the result, especially after I used shoe polish to camouflage the pruning scars. I have no idea how old these plants are, but they’ve reached nearly six feet in height and have to be dealt with.
— Bruce is doing better, now that he’s back in the hospital. It’s hard for me to see how they could discharge him last week without ensuring the continuity of treatment essential for his improvement. Much of the routine care he needed fell into disarray or was changed. If it hadn’t been for family…
— While Dana was having her Indianapolis adventure, I was trying my hand at topiary arts, making more stabs at getting back into triathlon condition, and spending some time at David’s range with my two carbines. The 1894s clobbered my shoulder until I learned to hold it correctly. David helped me take off the scope that Dadbo put on it, and that restored it to the desired simplicity. I’ve decided to learn to use this nice rifle with the naked eye. I don’t think I’d ever be comfortable with scope hunting, so I don’t intend to start that. If I can’t get a kill shot with open sights I intend to let the moment pass. The .30-caliber M1 was fun to sight in and proved to be far more accurate than I was expecting, probably due to the influence of some negative Rick Jason remarks published in a book about the “Combat!” series. Or maybe I just happened to get a particularly good example of the WWII-era design. I checked my notes and can’t believe I purchased that gun in 1993. That I just let it gather dust must have something to do with Dadbo dying less than a month later. (Interestingly, my father and Rick Jason were almost exactly the same age. I only just learned that he died in 2000 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but I don’t know any details.)
— Josh should be back in the States on leave by this weekend. There’s a tribute planned for the following Friday evening at Eagle Nest. That should be a memorable gathering and celebration. To top it off, it’s the World Premiere of “Pirate Revenge,” the family short we shot at Lake Cumberland a dozen years ago, but it was never completed as the last installment of the Clan Pirate Trilogy. Marty and Coleman were babies, Brendan was a squirt, and Dadbo made his final contribution to family creativity as “Frank, the old fisherman.” My, how time does fly…
V & S
Posted in Art, Brendan, Dadbo, Dana, Death, Exercise, Family, Firearms, Friends, Home, Marty, Personalities, Pirates, Television, Time | Comments Closed
Sunday, July 31st, 2005
Received word from Dana that Bruce has been admitted back into the hospital. Obviously, the situation with the rehab center was not working out. He just wasn’t getting the level of care to preserve his stability, and so the notion that perhaps he wasn’t ready to leave the hospital is affirmed. Dana drove him back to Methodist herself and ran interference, answering numerous questions that the institution could have made unnecessary, but the ER people didn’t have access to his extensive chart.
Posted in Dana, Family | Comments Closed
Tuesday, July 26th, 2005
This is the day that Bruce
ends a 130-day hospitalization and goes to ManorCare, his rehab center (inspected and endorsed by both Pam and Dana).
He fought hard for this milestone. I hope and pray that his steady improvement begins immediately.
Posted in Dana, Family, Prayer, Time | Comments Closed
Monday, July 25th, 2005
I got an email from the optometrist today, He wasn’t able to provide any answers, but recommended that I see an ophthalmologist for my “interesting” eye deviation (which doesn’t surprise me at all).
Do I want to buy a ticket for this ride? I’d better have a chat with Jerome first.
Posted in Family, Priorities | Comments Closed
Sunday, July 24th, 2005
The Clan Council made its historic decision to expedite the Living Trust on behalf of Mombo. After the meeting I finished most of the trimming in the cemetery and then picked a gallon of blackberries with Marty. Before leaving the valley, I took possession of Dadbo’s Marlin 1894s lever-action rifle—the one chambered in 44 Rem. Magnum. It’s the only firearm of my father’s that I ever had any interest in taking home with me. I’ll find a case for it and then test it out with David at his range.
Meanwhile, Lance Armstrong had a pretty good day, too.
Posted in Dadbo, Family, Firearms, Friends, Marty, Mombo, Personalities, Sport | Comments Closed
Saturday, July 23rd, 2005
It’s my month to care for our family cemetery, so I spent most of the day doing my duty on the quiet hillside. I’ve come to notice that when I’m working there, I actually take the time to absorb the natural beauty of our secluded valley, especially on days like today, with the cerulean hue of an N.C. Wyeth sky, and the wooded knobs in their full summer contours. It was hot and humid, but I didn’t mind. I’d gotten any discomfort out of my system early in the day during a 10k run on Bluegrass Pike (after Buck showed off his new MINI Cooper topless—super-swank!).
Posted in Exercise, Family, Friends, Nature, Personalities, Technology | Comments Closed
Thursday, July 21st, 2005
Dana’s been putting in too much overtime trying to sidetrack any effort to discharge Bruce to an inappropriate facility while his medical situation remains tenuous. Thankfully, Jerome has taken time to advise Pam, plus valuable counsel is coming in from friends who know their way around the health care system.
Two examples—
“I know that you don’t need any more pressure at this time but that is the reality. Don’t hesitate to call the case manager and tell her/him that they need to make something happen. Also, call the chief of nephrology and any other medical team caring for Bruce, as well as the hospital administrator. If you’re not getting the satisfaction that you need then you keep going up the ladder. You’ll eventually rattle the right person.”
“…there is absolutely no excuse for the quality of care to be sacrificed. Problem is, physicians are pressured by administrators to rapidly get costly patients out of the hospital. You will never get an admission by anyone that this actually happens. If you aren’t getting the response you need I suggest making an appointment with the hospital administrator and in as nice as manner as possible serve notice that you are unwilling to tolerate poor quality in the name of a dollar. I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen patients drop through the cracks after an acute battle. Doctors loose interest or perhaps they just move on to the next big challenge. Feeding the ego can be such a dangerous thing….especially in medicine.”
Posted in Dana, Family, Friends | Comments Closed
Monday, July 18th, 2005
We decided to spend the night, staying over long enough to monitor the situation with Bruce, to be sure he’s stable before we head in the direction of home. The surgical resident seems relatively free of tunnel vision and has agreed to attempt setting up a family conference with the various practitioners involved. We’ll see if that might happen any time soon. Since Bruce’s pancreas is still leaking, I’m mystified as to why that impressive pancreatic specialist who helped save his life in April is no longer a part of the team. Perhaps I shouldn’t be. The miserable economics of “safety-net medicine” or petty turfism would explain it.
Posted in Family | Comments Closed
Sunday, July 17th, 2005
Something hasn’t felt right about the situation with Bruce, especially after having to avert his precipitous transfer to an inferior convalescent facility. When the harsh economics of modern health care kick in, sanity seems to drain away rapidly. After an enlightening (and fortuitous) conversation with Audrey, it’s my firm opinion that he needs hospital-based rehabilitation with aggressive physical therapy, while preserving high-level continuity of care. My viewpoint hardened last night when his potassium level spiked dangerously and the nephrologist ordered emergency dialysis, personally wheeling his bed out of the room. Dana has been persistent in her role as protector, but I see signs of a deep weariness. I must say that Bruce’s wife Pam has come through admirably as a forceful advocate of common sense over the past few days. Way to go! Let’s get some mileage out of that personality, Toots…
Posted in Angst, Dana, Family, Priorities | Comments Closed
Saturday, July 16th, 2005
Headed north to hit the Seitz Family Reunion, and then west to Indy for a visit with Bruce.
I switched to a digital camera this year to take the portrait. It was tricky, but the group was surprisingly cooperative and full of good cheer. At least I had a real-time verification, which reduced the stress of whether I got a decent shot. Seth gave me a VHS tape of his editing work. I didn’t have time to talk to Brendan; wanted to discuss Urban Dead. James and I got a kick out of Mark’s hundred-foot row of zucchini. What was the poor devil thinking!?
(ps — Did anyone else get chiggers?)
Posted in Brendan, Family, James | Comments Closed
Friday, July 15th, 2005
Thought a lot about Uncle Clarence today, so I sent him one of my cards. Knowing how much I’ll miss Aunt Alma, I can’t begin to appreciate his sorrow. They were married for almost 73 years!
Also spent some time on the Web trying to find out more about my eye condition. Nothing compares to medical science when it comes to creating barriers to basic understanding. Diplopia— Why not just say “double vision?” Asthenopia— Why not call it “eyestrain?” Nothing doing.
So I have to get used to decrypting phrases like “cyclovertical heterophoria” and “dissociated strabismus complex.”
HELP! I need Maria’s brain!
Posted in Family, Vision | Comments Closed
Wednesday, July 13th, 2005
Mack was buried in a family cemetery on his farm, as some day I will be at our farm (near the grave of my namesake). Mack was a generous man… no, more than that—magnanimous. The same can be said about my father. They also had in common a low-key personality that was somehow magnetic. They were both complex, multi-talented individuals with deep connections to the natural world. Whatever they chose to do, they did well—and they attempted many wide-ranging things. They also had a profound spiritual side to their character that was instructive by example, never overbearing. Until today, I hadn’t thought about how Mack and Dadbo were so much alike. Indispensable to their families, the void they leave can never be filled. It can only be honored. Mack was not a father figure to me, but perhaps a mentor, although I thought of him only as a friend, which, I believe, is all he would’ve wanted. And even though he defied the foe until the end—with his expansive optimism, quiet competitiveness, and good cheer—I think he knew that everyone in his world was watching how he countered death’s grasp, as we all must when our time comes, and continued to share his graceful spirit until called to run the unknown trail ahead of us.
Posted in Dadbo, Death, Family, Friends, Nature | Comments Closed
Tuesday, July 12th, 2005
Dana and I made a Lexington run to do routine errands and get our eyes examined. The eye condition that I’ve had for some time was diagnosed as hyperphoria.
Posted in Dana, Priorities, Vision | Comments Closed
Saturday, July 9th, 2005
Seth and I put in a rigorous session with Lady Casablanca and learned a few hard lessons in our first team effort to produce a final cut of “Pirate Revenge.” When we were no longer laughing at our funniest scenes, we knew it was time to call it a night.
Posted in Creativity, Family, Movies, Pirates, Technology | Comments Closed
Friday, July 8th, 2005
Just for the heck of it, I googled for the word “Bruce.” Although he didn’t come up on the search, Bruce will get a kick out of the fact that Bruce Campbell topped Willis with the first listing, and that Bruce Lee was next, beating out Springsteen. Bruce Cockburn made page two. Lenny Bruce didn’t show up until page ten, and no Robert the Bruce until page 14. I didn’t see Jenner until 52 or Boxleitner until 61.
When I google for “Bruce” and “Uncle John,” we come up as the fourth item. When I add “Indianapolis,” we’re number one.
Even Uncle Bob, who has forgotten more about computer science than many programmers will ever learn, is amazed at Google’s penetration. When he googled for his home base, “Broadwing Farm,” it came up first, with the Dixon Design page that exhibits our work for the farm’s “Red Crow Hot Sauce” a few listings down.
I wonder how long it will take for this particular page to be catalogued within their system?
(ps — Bon Voyage to Uncle Bob, Aunt Carol, and Joan. Be sealed in angel armor…)
Posted in Family, Food, Personalities, Studio, Technology | Comments Closed
Thursday, July 7th, 2005
— If we need another grim reminder that the world is at war, this story makes it clear that we’re all potentially in harm’s way—especially when we leave the homeland—as Joan, Aunt Carol, and Uncle Bob are planning to do this weekend. Manolo, get out your Blessing Engine. Meanwhile, the rest of us will pray—hard.
— Speaking of Bobs, I’ve known a few in my life. A Bob is never wishy-washy, but invariably an exceptional guy (occasionally you’ll encounter one who is distinctly uncool), and always makes an impression. This Bob is one of my favorites, and so I’ll do my part to extend his 15 minutes of fame.
— At Aunt Alma’s funeral I talked to cousin Don (accomplished musician and former CEO of Rolodex), and, without any prompting from me, he declared Centre professor Vince DiMartino as the greatest living Jazz trumpet virtuoso. Hmm… At the Brass Band Festival, Vince gave the honor to his friend Allen Vizzutti. Anyway, here’s a montage I made from shots I took during the Festival, so you can see the world’s finest trumpet player in action, whichever one he is!
V & S
Posted in Brendan, Current Events, Family, Food, Friends, Music, Personalities, Prayer | Comments Closed
Wednesday, July 6th, 2005
The latest news is that my nephew has lost another fellow Guardsman. There is no doubt that the mission of the 623rd in Iraq is extremely dangerous. Nothing yet about whether Josh was assigned to the convoy that day.
Posted in Current Events, Family | Comments Closed
Tuesday, July 5th, 2005
After a visit with Bruce, we headed northeast to Celina, Ohio, watching fireworks erupt 360 degrees into the night sky on our way out of greater Indianapolis. This morning we gathered with family in St. Henry for the funeral of Aunt Alma. Mombo gave a reading and was determined to get through it—for her sister—and she did. We viewed the extraordinary Munich-style stained glass windows at St. Bernard’s in Burkettsville and then made the short trip to Maria Stein to pray at the Shrine of the Holy Relics. There’s only one or two other chapels like it in this part of the world, and it’s so unusual that I have no idea how to describe it. In fact, it will take me some time to assimilate the experience, and the way it sent tremors through my spiritual, philosophical, and historical sensibilities…
Posted in Family, History, Mombo, Prayer | Comments Closed
Monday, July 4th, 2005
The nephrologist told Bruce that his kidney has a shrinking cortex with diminished blood flow, so the call was made to discontinue the anti-rejection medication. This is heartbreaking news, and it means that Bruce faces an indefinite period of life on dialysis. This will undoubtedly slow his physical therapy, but he’s a determined fighter, as we’ve learned, and has faced down every setback so far. Dana and I are leaving now for Indianapolis to go see him with my brother Jerome, and then the three of us will head to St. Henry, Ohio to pay our respect to Mombo’s sister, our dear Aunt Alma, who passed away before her 99th birthday. I’ve been fortunate to have many outstanding role models in my life. Aunt Alma and her husband Clarence have been two of them. Gentle strength was her shining attribute, and Uncle Clarence is the finest example of sustained poise that I’ve ever witnessed.
(ps — Happy Birthday, Uncle Sam!)
Posted in Dana, Family, Mombo, Priorities | Comments Closed
