Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

You are here: Home / life / A Trip and a Wee Break

A Trip and a Wee Break

at by

8-19 flower

Well, it’s been a week of all things ‘eye.’ Last week, I had my eyes examined for a new prescription and I’m picking up the glasses this morning. The day after my exam, I experienced another big floater event that was very unnerving, so I went to the Ophthalmologist on Monday and a Retinal Specialist yesterday. No tear in the retina and no detachment. Whew. I had been rather a worried mess since Friday.

We waited about 2 hours in the specialist’s waiting room yesterday. I hadn’t eaten enough and was dehydrated and nervous, besides, so it made for a very stressful afternoon. I feel like my eyes have been through the wringer!

I am taking a sort of break for the next week or so. When I say ‘sort of’ I mean that I probably won’t be posting every day, so don’t start worrying when you don’t see a post. I’m flying down to Florida today to visit my dad and my sister and her family. I’ll be there about five days, which isn’t all that long, so I know you’ll understand that I want to spend as much time with everyone as I can.

My dad, who will be 92 next month, is giving up driving. This is a very hard transition for him, as you can imagine. He is giving us his car. It’s an unbelievably generous gesture on his part. Let’s be honest here, we can really use an additional car (and one that isn’t almost 15 years old.) We’ve been a one car family for a while and most of the time that’s fine. But sometimes, it’s a real hassle.

So I’m driving the car back here at the end of my visit.

Lots going on. Don is very disappointed that he can’t come with me, but this is the way of our world these days. Scout can’t be left alone or in someone else’s care. He’s also filming an episode of The Good Wife  tomorrow, so even if he’d been able to go, he would have had to scrap his plans.

There you have it.

You’ll hear from me, but maybe not tomorrow. I have to make the acquaintance of the youngest member of my sister’s family, my nephew, Little Z.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Comments

  3. Enjoy your time. My daughter and SIL will be visiting her sister and family in Florida for a week on Friday; I’m looking forward to camping with them in Florida mid-October!

  4. Wow, brave woman! I can’t imagine a car trip that long on my own, Claudia.

    Have a good time with your wonderful sister and family.

    S
    xo

  6. Oh Claudia – have fun! So glad you are going to get to meet/hold/play with Little Buddy. Give him a hug for me, please (and Meredith as well). I’m sorry Don can’t join you, but you are right — sometimes that’s the way of the world. Safe travels to you. Will look forward to your posts whenever they occur. Enjoy!!

  7. Claudia, I’ve had those floaters and they can be scary. I got mine checked and I was fine, told it was part of the aging process…oh goody! Enjoy your visit with your family. I know you will get to enjoy Little Z, he is a doll. It will be such a blessing to have another car. It’s a long drive home and if your near Athens, GA stop by! Take care and I’ll be watching for the fun posts about your visit to Florida!
    hugs,
    Linda

  9. Have a wonderful visit with Meredith! I’m so excited for you. Safe travels on your trip. I envy you, as I love road trips, even driving by myself. And Don is going to be on an episode of The Good Wife. . . can’t wait for it to start up again this fall, and I’ll look for him. ‘See you’ when you get back, Claudia.

  10. What fun – I love road trips! So happy about the family visit. Enjoy every minute. Prayers for your safety and for the Home Crew as well. Tell us more info on Good Wife when you can. Lots of us enjoy Don’s work!

  11. Safe and fun travel south Claudia. I hope your dad continues to do well despite giving up driving himself – chauffeured trips are well-earned at that amazing age!
    Enjoy being with Meredith and the family – you will have lots to share with Don and Scout later.
    Take care of those precious eyes – floaters are so annoying but take it from me they often disappear after a while, thankfully.

    Hugs – Mary

  12. So wish I could be there with all of you! I’m sure it was a hard decision for your dad to give up driving but aren’t you glad he made it himself. I know he is pleased he could give the car to you. Give everyone a hug (a big one) from me.
    Love all of you,
    Eileen

    • Tremendously glad. Trying to talk him into it would have been next to impossible! I’ll give everyone a hug from you Eileen. I wish you could be there too!

  14. I hope you have safe travels and enjoy a wonderful visit with your Dad, sister, & sweet little nephew!

  16. I hope you have a wonderful trip Claudia. I’m looking forward to seeing lots of pictures of you with Meredith and little Z. He is one of the cutest little guys I’ve seen in a long time. Also good news on the car, but sad for your Dad. It’s hard to lose that independence. We’ve had to go through that with a parent and it’s never an easy transition.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

    • It won’t be easy for him – add to that the fact that he thinks this will be the last time he will see me and we’re talking about an emotional time ahead. I just keep telling him not to think that –

  18. Oh wow…have a wonderful trip! How long has it been since you’ve been down to see everyone? Take care…and have a glorious visit! Safe travels on the way back too! ;)

    • I think it’s been at least four years. Usually, either Don is out of town, or I’m out of town, and Scout has to be watched by one of us. So the timing has been off.

  19. As hard as it is for your Dad to give up his car, what a blessing that he is passing it on to you and Don. Two cars makes life soooooo much easier. So glad for you both. And very glad to hear your eyes are fine. I went through that once a few years ago and it is very scarey.

    • It is very scary, Ann. I thought I might have to cancel my trip, so it’s good news all around.

  20. Good news all around! Enjoy your family time and your road trip back up the East Coast. You know that all our good wishes go with you and that we’ll all wait eagerly for your report.
    Bon voyage!

  22. Oh, Claudia! So happy you get to trip down to FL and spend time w/ your family. And you get to meet Little Z!!
    It is truly a gift to you and Meredith that your Dad made the decision to not drive any longer. Losing that independence can be crushing.
    A 2012 Honda!! You can probably drive that for many many years to come!!
    It sounds like Don’s new agent is doing a good job for him! That is wonderful news, also.
    So glad your eye problem isn’t a big problem at all. I understand your sigh of relief!!
    Enjoy every moment of your trip to visit your family and know we will all be wishing you safe travels and looking forward to your pictures and stories you will share! Have fun!!!! ??

    • Thank you, Chris. I know it’s a hard decision for my dad and I’ve always told him that he was NOT to give us the car until he was absolutely sure he wanted to stop driving. I know it will be hard for him, but it’s a good decision. He doesn’t want to ever cause an accident.

  23. Happy early Birthday to your dad! Have a wonderful time seeing your family. Be safe on your trip back home. I am sure Don and Scout will be fine holding down the homestead and will miss you bunches.

    take care and hugs

  25. Safe travels, Claudia. What a generous gift from your dad! When my dad gave up driving, I got his 12-year old Saturn wagon. It had less than 25,000 miles on it, mostly driven to visit my brothers and me. My parents used and use the public transit system all the time, so the car had mostly freeway miles on it.

    Hope your eyes remain healthy from now on…..

    • I think there’s about 7000 miles on this, because all he’s used it for are little trips in the neighborhood. We’re very lucky.

      • It’s practically a new car, Claudia! And you know the provenance too. All in all, very lucky indeed. Happy for you. Hope your dad adjusts to the non-driving. My dad adjusted really quickly.

  26. Oh, Claudia, have a wonderful visit with your family. We actually just had my aunt (my mom’s sister) stay with us for 5 days (from Florida). She just flew back yesterday.
    I’m sorry to hear about your dad having to give up driving. That was the hardest thing for my dad to give up as well. I’m sure he loves that you and Don will have his car though.
    Have a safe journey. I’m sure all your friends/followers will be anxious to see photos and hear about your trip when you get back.
    And have fun filming, Don!
    Donna

  28. Hi Claudia,
    Very happy to hear that you have your eyesight back, Whew!
    Have fun in Florida and God’s Blessings when you drive back home again. :)

  30. Have a wonderful vacation and an uneventful trip back home. Drive safely. You will be missed but at least you will be having fun.

  32. I hope that you have a fabulous time! Give Meredith a hug for me!!! Tell her it is from Amy and that I hope to get one to her in person soon – she will understand! I hope that your drive home will be good too. xx

  33. What a joy to read that you are going to visit your family! I am reading your blogs regularly from France and I like them so much. It´s a good news to know that you will be with Meredith and his nice family, and your father too.
    We do not know each other, but I would like to give you all hugs! Have a nice trip.
    (And I like the Good Wife so much! So, good filming to Don too.)

  35. It is so important you see your family, especially with your dad’s advancing age. I hope you have a wonderful trip but I get you…my husband recently was gone on business for two weeks and, as usual, I wind up staying home to care for the animals. We boarded four dogs once at our vet in another time, another place and it was a disaster; my cocker had a stroke while there and I believe it’s because he was just traumatized from the location/people change. He eventually recovered but it was awful when he was drooling uncontrollably and had a lopsided face, poor guy. We vowed then never to board our animals again if we could possibly help it. Some people have success with a pet sitter but when you have a special-needs animal, it’s really hard to give that care over to someone else usually because it’s complicated and very hands-on at all times. I have had to sit at home many, many times while my husband is traveling on business, when I could have easily shared the hotel room and enjoyed the locale and it IS disappointing; I feel for Don! But we do what we do for our pets. I’m down to one dog and, when she goes, I want my own break for awhile so that we can do some things, if money and health allow, in early retirement; freedom from animal care, for a little while anyway.

    I dreaded having to take the car keys away from my father but, intelligent person that he was, especially after his health started to decline, he of course knew that driving would not be safe and all he said to me, which is when I knew he knew, “I’m sure gonna miss driving that pretty little car.” Can you imagine if it had been the other way around, stubbornly insisting he could still operate a vehicle? I know of people who have encountered this with their elderly parent. It’s so understandable; it’s the loss of independence; clipped wings. (Dad had only recently bought one of few brand-new cars he’d ever had and he loved the car; I hated to get rid of it, but I had to sell it after my folks were gone due to expenses during probate. I was sole heir and could have really used that car, as our two cars are ancient. I know Dad wanted me to have the car. But sometimes things just don’t work out.) You are going to have a lot of stress relief with two cars, despite car insurance and motor vehicle dues; it’s well worth having the convenience and, importantly, a back-up vehicle if something goes wrong with your current vehicle. Your dad sounds as nice as my pa.

    I’m looking forward to seeing Don in The Good Wife. It’s one of the best shows on network TV!! You’ll have to give us a heads-up when the episode is scheduled to play.

    Have a safe and great trip; just post when you can, no pressure. Wanted to add, I have mega floaters. They can indeed be unnerving. Migraine aura is what really freaks me out, though. Like watery lightning that persists for 30 minutes, then leaves me thankfully with only a mild headache…nothing like the full-blown migraines I endured in my 40s (connected to disk deterioration in my neck; sort of atypical). The first time I got that aura effect, I thought I was having a stroke. What you’ve gotta watch out for is when you have debris-filled vision which is like all-encompassing…Mom said it was like looking at black ash or black spiders filling up her entire field of vision in one eye. It was called retinal occlusion, like a stroke of the eye. She was just brushing her teeth and had her head bent over the bathroom sink. I don’t recall pain being present. The opthamologists worked with it for more than a year, but unfortunately her vision didn’t return…I guess in some people, it can, even partially…so I live somewhat in fear of that scenario…but, what can you do, except deal with these things as they happen, as we age, etc. Amazingly, even with a cataract in the OTHER eye, for a long time, she could still enjoy reading; she figured out a way, and she did love her newspaper!

  36. Hope you have a great flight and a wonderful time in Florida with your family, Claudia. It will be beyond awesome for you to see everyone, I’m sure. At least you’ll be somewhat acclimated to the weather, after what we’ve had up here lately. And a safe trip home with your new vehicle too. Do you have some audiobooks or iBooks that can keep you company during the long hours of driving? Great opportunity to drive and “read” at the same time. Happy travels! :>)

  37. So glad you were able to get your eyes taken care of before this trip. You will have such a good time seeing your family and what a blessing to be able to drive back home. Please be careful. Also, be sure to let us know when Don’s episode of The Good Wife will air so we can be certain to watch and look for him.

  38. I am so happy for you Claudia..you have a safe trip and we..your fan club..lol..will be here waiting when you return…and if Little Buddy can stand one more hug..please give him one for me…and one for Mere too..she is such a kind sweet lady…see you later…

  40. Have a good visit. What a blessing for you and Meredith that your father made the decision to give up driving on his own! My mother was in the throes of Alzheimer’s Disease and was just sure she could still drive — oh, I don’t even want to think of those days. I read and enjoy Meredith’s blog so please give her my best wishes and Little Buddy is just adorable. Enjoy your time in Florida and have a safe trip back.

  43. It must have been extremely unnerving for you to weather the wait in regards your eye appointment. Our sight is such a vital and treasured sense.Even just dealing with prescriptions for glasses and weakened eyesight is a challenge for me,and i am well familiar with the anxieties around floaters and other eye related symptoms. Leaving Don and/ or Scout also flies in the face of our ideal scenario. That’s life i suppose and i know (like you) i am ever adjusting my thinking to find my place in the serenity in it all! Your visit sounds like it will be full !I hope you allow yourself to appreciate the immersion and change of pace and not let your other worries too much space.
    Safe and happy travelling Claudia! Looking forward to visiting again!

  45. Love that you will be with family, treasured times! The car will be helpful for your different schedules. Enjoy. I listen to audible books in the car….fun!

Please check back to follow the conversation!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives