All this because of Lisa Pooh!

Okay, so I wanted to leave a comment on Pooh's blog, but had to register first. I have to go back to make the comment.

I received an interesting call from one of my Aunts from PA. She had been leaving messages on my old cell phone number (it's been a year since it was turned off, and I thought no one would call me there anymore because they can reach me at home). I pity the poor soul who got my old number because she was calling about my other Aunt dying. Aunt Frances was in her upper 80's and died of leukemia. The Aunt who called me, Aunt Jean, told me the scorecard on leukemia in the family - 3 Aunts (sisters) and one of their nephews. My dad's family had 11 children, so there are a lot of us at the family gatherings, including funerals. Unfortunately I missed this one, not that I like attending funerals or anything.

The last one I attended up there was for my Uncle Rich (married to my dad's sister Virginia). I felt a little self conscious as I placed the plant I bought on the shelf over the coat rack. I felt like a zillion eyes were watching me. I guess it wasn't that many, but maybe like 200 eyes, or more. The people in PA mostly live near each other, and grew up together, while my family left PA to live in Baltimore, where there were more jobs available. In my later years, I found out that my mother moved us away from a situation where my father had cheated on her. *sigh* Sometimes there is family stuff that I'd rather not know.

Still, my mother stayed with dad, all the while making his life as miserable as she could. He's passed on now, and she is not in the greatest of health. She has foot ulcers on her right foot, a problem with a blockage in her heart, and I'm afraid that she might have to have the right leg amputated. The left leg is already gone below the knee, so I just feel a little freaked out about it, but her heart problem maybe a more serious problem than the leg.

My Uncle Ralph, married to my dad's sister Mary, is in critical condition, and there might be another funeral very soon. He has bone cancer, diabetes, and a few other problems, one with internal bleeding, so he isn't expected to live long. My Aunt Mary is resigned to this, and doesn't want to attach a feeding tube to him, but her daughter has other ideas about him recovering and all. It's hard to let go sometimes, but a cancer patient suffers so much pain that it is better that they pass on out of this world, IMHO.