Tag: South Florida

About My Mom

It was not a happy move. They were leaving a place of comfort (and warmth) and moving to a strange land with winter!

Sometimes there are no good choices.

IMG_1372_8926

I spoke to my folks this afternoon. Speaking to them (and my sister) is a nearly daily occurrence. My mom sounded great.

For the past few years my mom’s health has deteriorated. Not only was she physically infirm, she began to check out mentally.

At her lowest point she was down to single word answers. She had retreated into her own shell.

“I love you mommy,” I’d say to end conversations. No response.

That was tough.

We are an emotional family. She’d lost all emotion. It was as if my mom had been hollowed out.

Last fall, just as the cold was settling into Milwaukee and South Florida’s humidity began to retreat, my parents moved north. My sister and her family live there. She found them an assisted living facility nearby.

It was not a happy move. They were leaving a place of comfort (and warmth) and moving to a strange land with winter!

Sometimes there are no good choices.

Moving to Milwaukee and assisted living meant they’d have to go downstairs a few times a day for meals. In Florida they seldom left their condo. That might have been the catalyst.

My mom began to communicate more. Not much, but you take what you can get.

IMG_1404_8961At this weekend’s wedding my mom was as sharp and happy as I’d seen her in a very long time–maybe a few years. She smiled and laughed. She had extended conversations. I got her a glass of wine with a straw.

Today my niece Jessie stopped by to visit. She brought Judah and Gabby, their great-grandchildren.

When I called that was all my folks could talk about. The visit was short. The impact is great. Jessie understands that. She made a mitzvah&#185.

On the phone my mom was stronger and happier than even this weekend! It usually doesn’t move in that direction in your mid-80s.

Don’t get me wrong, my mom is in a wheelchair. She is taking physical therapy and using her walker within the apartment–sometimes. I think she sees positive results from the PT and wants more, but she’s a long way from being mobile.

My mom is not as sharp as she once was. Sometimes she forgets things. But year-to-year the improvement is nothing less than miraculous.

None of us expected this turn. Our family is very happy. We never gave up.

This is our reward.

&#185 in Hebrew, “mitzvah” means a commandment of the Jewish law or meritorious or charitable act. It’s commonly used when someone selflessly does a good deed.

Frances As A Spectator Sport

The names used for hurricanes are on a rotation. Every seven years the names repeat. There is, however, one exception. When a storm becomes ‘notorious,’ it is retired. That’s where Frances is headed.

As of this evening it was about twice the size and significantly stronger than Hurricane Andrew was at this stage of the game. That’s not to say Frances will be another Andrew – but there is that potential.

AT 11 PM EDT…0300Z…A HURRICANE WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE

FLORIDA EAST COAST FROM FLORIDA CITY NORTHWARD TO FLAGLER BEACH…

INCLUDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE. SOME OR ALL OF THE HURRICANE WATCH AREA

WILL LIKELY BE UPGRADED TO A HURRICANE WARNING THURSDAY MORNING. A

HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN

THE WATCH AREA…GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

A few weeks ago while watching Hurricane Charley, I remarked about the steady stream of data available. There is less from Frances because of its track. As far as I know there are no weather radars available on the Internet from Haiti, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos or The Bahamas. There are also few, or no, surface observations nearby.

The information is a little more abstract. It needs to be analyzed more carefully and digested. It is not self evident, like looking at Charley on the Key West radar.

There are weather buoys, drifting in Frances’ vicinity. There are also sporadic readings from hurricane hunter planes. And, of course, there is satellite imagery (though the highest resolution images are only available during daylight hours). These are good, but more would be better.

Hour by hour, computer run by computer run, Frances’ destination seems to be locking in on the Florida East Coast. If I had to venture a guess today, I’d say what I said yesterday – somewhere around Jupiter or Hobe Sound.

That’s no guarantee. No place from Homestead to Savannah would surprise me.

If I were anywhere in Florida tonight, I’d be making sure I was prepared. Even with Frances’ strength, most people inland will be forced to weather the storm in their homes. On the coast it will be a totally different story.

Wherever Frances lands, communication will stop. TV and telephone will be limited. Power will be spotty. In some communities, power will be shut off before the storm as a safety precaution.

Most people who live in South Florida have never felt the impact of any direct hurricane hit – much less a category 4 storm. It will be a sobering experience.

My parents live down there, in Palm Beach County. Of course, I worry for them. Their condo has storm shutters and is reasonably well built. The thing it has most going for it is its inland location. I won’t give them specific advice until we get closer.

My friend Wendie lives in the Miami area. Her office and home are close to the Intracoastal Waterway. That is more worrisome.

In a few of the later computer models, Hurricane Frances slows down while approaching the Florida coast. That could mean an extended period of torrential rain and very strong, damaging wind (possibly not hurricane strength if the storm is far enough off shore).

The are really no good scenarios left.