Dear Life...

Last Tuesday, I managed to burn my hand by stupidly grabbing hold of the splatter screen on a pan coming directly out of a 500-degree oven.  I had a 3" burn across my palm and burns on my thumb and each finger.  Those burns were pretty much at the joints, as my hand had been curled around the handle.  Yes, stupid, stupid, stupid.  Not exactly the stuff that instills confidence in one's blog when one writes about food a lot... or even for a sporadic blogger like me. 

not an oven mitt...

Wednesday, my husband became ill with severe abdominal cramps, which thankfully, were not related to my cooking!  I spent 2 1/2 hours at UrgiCare with him (after having spent an hour at the doctor for my hand), and then an additional 3 1/2 hours at the Emerency Room.  He was admitted to the hospital for immediate surgery.  During the surgery, they determined he had a twisted bowel, a very dangerous, and potentially deadly situation.  Thankfully, the doctors, nurses, techs, and other hospital staff were all very knowledgeable and good at their jobs.  They were all very nice, as well.  My husband spent 6 days in the hospital and I was there most of the time, only coming home three times to get clean clothes, check the mail, pick up supplies, etc.  Fortunately, our neighbor was kind enough to take care of our dog while we were gone. 

The times I went home, I left in the late evening at returned after midnight.  That was for two reasons:  1.  My husband mostly slept through the time I was gone; and, 2.  I could actually get a decent parking space when I came back to the hospital.  Their parking lots are always packed during the day and evening!  They have a lot of construction going on right now, too, so parking is really limited. 

St. Francis Hospital, AKA "The Pink Palace", Tulsa, Oklahoma

Six days of near-constant togetherness in the hospital can also take its toll.  I drove my husband crazy a time or two with all my questions, but he was a captive audience and I had to take advantage of that, you know?  (LOL)  When he started driving me crazy, I went to the snack bar, cafeteria, or gift shop.  The hospital has great merchandise in the gift shop, but it isn't over-priced.  The snack bar and cafeteria have a wide variety of really good food.  There is even a Starbucks!  (That is the one place I didn't get to visit, though, as the line was always long and I was not willing to wait.)    Of course, he slept a lot, which forced me to watch television with the mute button on.  I was really happy when I figured out how to turn on the Closed Captioning and could stop trying to read lips.  That only took three days!  (haha)  We were also very glad when we had visitors, as it gave us an additional break from having to entertain each other. {Special shout out of thanks to my cousin Ronda and her family, who brought me lunch and dinner on three separate occasions! The food was all delicious and much appreciated!  We love you guys!!}

My husband was released from the hospital Monday morning and we got home around noon.  It's hard to get any rest while at the hospital, as the patient is constantly being awakened to have their vitals checked, draw blood, walk around the floor for exercise, change the IV bags, etc.  That inadvertently awakens the family member (AKA "unpaid caregiver") staying with the patient.  But it is possibly even harder to rest at home - at least for said unpaid caregiver.  Since we returned home I have washed clothes from the bottomless laundry basket, picked up his prescription, made homemade applesauce (recipe to be blogged later), washed dishes, made pudding, put the hospital stuff away, folded the endless laundry, etc., etc.  I wanted to lie down and take a nap, but our dog was hogging my side of the bed.  She was so happy to have her "daddy" home, she wasn't leaving his side for any reason! 

Leiua and her "daddy"

[Now that I think about it, the hospital staff that drew the blood only ever came in at night.  Is it just an odd coincidence that phlebotomists work those hours, or are there really Vampyres in Tulsa?  ...Okay, just a little "House of Night" humor.  If you are not familiar with the book series by P. C. & Kristen Cast, it is young adult fiction about a vampyre finishing school set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the surrounding area.  I am enjoying reading the books, as the stories are well written.  I especially like reading about the local scenery, stores, activities, and the like, though.  It really makes the books come alive for me.  If you are into the whole supernatural literature scene, you should definitely check the books out.] 

Anyway, my husband is slow to get around and on some pretty stiff pain medication.  He will be off work for several days, at the very least.  Thank goodness for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as it will allow me to stay home and care for him, as well.  That way I won't have to worry about him all day while I am at work.  Hopefully, we won't kill each other from all the togetherness, since there is no gift shop or snack bar for escape!  Hmmm... QuikTrip is only a couple of miles down the road...