Oscar is 93. Wow. That’s impressive. But wait. That means … that our dear mother is five years older than the Academy Awards.
Hello.
My two siblings and I attribute Francine’s longevity to good genes and a positive attitude. The old gal has a myriad of health issues, yet asking about them is often as effective as scraping wallpaper off with a damp paper straw. She’ll grudgingly admit to “being awake since 3:00” or that her shoulders are a “bit sore today.” And why are they sore? As longtime Just TypiKel readers are aware, she tore the muscles and tendons of both rotator cuffs while scrambling up a rope ladder from a bobbing zodiac onto a Hudson Bay Russian icebreaker. At 86 surgery wasn’t an option so she lives with chronic bone on bone pain.
Francine has always been a firecracker. Reading her diaries has been most educational and, frankly, left me feeling more than a tad slothish. For example, at 65, after hours of customer wrangling on a hectic Saturday at her antique store (pieces rarely sold at their original price), she’d shoot home and prepare dinner for my dad and then skip out to pick berries at their farm in the country (almost 90 miles round trip) before popping over to my sister’s to spend an hour or two entertaining her young twin granddaughters and grandson.
So, she’s now 98 and experiencing a pandemic. How has she been? The mask issue has been interesting.
Francine initially fought off Covid with a drugstore face shield. She extolled its virtues, particularly the “visual” and “breathable” attributes. Others simply wished it came equipped with interior wiper blades …
She finally bowed to our squeamish protestations and opted for the ubiquitous disposable medical version. However, getting her to believe she needn’t lower it while speaking is still a challenge.
Our Francine moved into an assisted living facility when she began to struggle with balance issues at 94. I am very grateful that there have been no Covid issues there. However, she’s not been without her health scares.
Crippling Pain Slams Into Francine
“Mom’s in an ambulance on her way to Emerge,” my sister informed me over the phone a few months back.
What? Francine always talks her way out of the need for an ambulance. The conversation invariably unfolds like this:
“And your name? Ed? Excellent. How kind of you to scoop me off of the floor, Ed. I assure you I’m fine. Look, see? I can walk down this hallway faster than you. No need for any fuss. My daughter will run me in to Urgent Care. Save your ambulance for a worthy soul. But first, do you paint? Oh, you do. How splendid. Would you like to see my artwork?”
But not this time.
Mom was in her writing class when the crippling pain hit at 2:00. It came on so suddenly that she thought it was a heart attack. The paramedics thought the same.
Time stopped.
I finally understood what other folks were going through during these hellish times. My heart ached to think of Francine hunkering alone in Emerge, with no one to distract her from nightmarish thoughts of this being “it.” Her blood pressure would be soaring. Would she remember it always flares in Emerge? Good Lord: Emerge. It would likely be busier than a Boxing Day sale at Harrods. Who would have time to get her some heated blankets? Or some water “without any ice chips”? Or tug those cozy “smiley face” hospital socks up over her chilly ankles?
It was a scary 10 hours before my sister finally managed to get through to her nurse. And another two weeks to confirm a diagnosis. It wasn’t a heart attack. Francine needs to watch her diet and all should be well. She beat the odds, yet again.
Yes My Mother Is Five Years Older Than The Academy Awards
I recently felt like I won the lottery. Not only was I able to actually visit with Francine inside but I got to meet her newest friend Barb. They met over a meal and have been lunching together ever since. The 88 year-old Barb is a gem. Funny, smart, and best of all, blessed with good hearing and patience. The friendship is a reboot for Francine. She’s an extravert who recharges by engaging with people. To make a new worthy friend during this soul-sucking pandemic has been a real godsend.
She’s now hoping for sunnier days ahead and the ability to get outside and mix with “younger people.”
Yes, my mother is five years older than the Academy Awards. Enough about that. I’m curious about you. Please, if you can, share a funny Covid coping story I can relate to Francine. She’ll be tickled pink to hear it.
14 Responses
I’m so happy to see Francine looking so hale and hearty!! Pandemic isolation is such a tough thing for those in senior living places. My 90-year-old mom has coped by making new pals in her building. Too bad Gee Gee and Francine live thousands of miles apart!
Mo. How lovely of you to pop by and comment. Thank you. I just know Gee Gee and Gaga would hit it off. I mean the similarity in their names alone … It’s wonderful to read that your mom is still making friends, too. I suppose we could look at that as an upside to Covid?
Thank you so much for another wonderful tale of your remarkable Mum ! She is truly a wonder, and I had missed hearing about her antics !!
I can only imagine what you went through when she was sent to the hospital during the pandemic, it must be so difficult to not be able to be with our loved ones when they need us most . So glad she is back to her perky self !
Thank you, Jane. I’m seeing her this aft and looking forward to spending time with her inside. It was pretty chilly this weekend, however, we did manage to snare one of the outside heaters. Of course, they were purchased due to Francine’s insistence that “the old dears get some warmth outside.”
I would share a funny coping story except I am too exhausted simply reading the paragraph about Francine’s work, berry picking, cooking and family visiting!
She’s a gem. Please keep sharing her stories!
Aw, thank you, Katy. I will. Hope you’re well and thriving. I’m sorry for being so quiet on the Experienced Bad Mom front. However, I am delighting in your freelancing success. I’m off to see Francine this aft – it’ll be a delight to visit with her inside, now that they’ve eased the Covid restrictions a tad. It’s quite something sitting outside by the front door …
Kelly: this was so entertaining, as I suspected it would be. You are a great conversationalist and why would your writing be any different? I need to go backwards now and read some of your old work.
Thanks for writing this and letting me know it was available.
Thanks so very much, Ken. It’s truly been a delight to meet you. I’m still grinning over your story about traveling with your mom and that time she needed to use the loo. At last count, my mom has been “trapped” in six different loos. She swears she’s got at least two more in her future …
I don’t know how I slipped off your list but I have been receiving alerts when you post new stuff on your blog. But happy to be back with Just Typikel! My aunt was asked to leave Tapestry because she had had too many falls and is now at Amica. She says the food is a big improvement and she loves all the outdoor courtyard garden space.
Carry on, Francine!
Sorry: have NOT been receiving alerts…
Off to figure out why. Wish me luck …
Hmmmm… odd about the lack of alerts. I’ll go “into the back” and see if your email address is still there. I’m glad to learn that your aunt is happier at Amica. That’s very interesting, actually. Both rooms on either side of Mom have been empty for a long time. Her new pal Barb has truly been a godsend though.
Thanks for reading and for leaving a comment. I do appreciate it, Susan.
Glad to hear that your mom is making lemonade out of COVID lemons.
Thank you, Kathy. Let’s hope she continues to.