How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I was hoping to knock off another section of the GDMBR this summer, but all spring I had a feeling in my gut that it would not be possible. My wife had a Total Hip Replacement on April 1st, so I knew my time would be limited.


On May 17th when I finished up the Santa Fe Century I turned my phone back on and found I had a voice mail from my brother. I do not ever remember my brother calling so I knew it would be serious. Our 83 year old dad had had a stroke that morning. Fortunately my brother walked into the house as it happened and called 911 immediately. The EMTs responded very quickly and our dad survived.


I had one more week of teaching, including Final Exams to administer before I could easily depart. Within 3 days dad was transferred to a Rehab Hospital. It took almost another week to get the house in a condition so that my wife could function safely. Our gardens were coming along, and she was making good progress with her new hip. With mixed emotions I left New Mexico for New England. It is a long drive to do solo (about 2200 miles). Nevertheless I made it in a little over three days.

Even before I arrived I received a call from the Rehab Hospital and told that I needed to transfer him to a nursing home. I was also told that he would need 24/7 care for the rest of his life. However, when I arrived at the Rehab Hospital I really did not see the need for the nursing home. The unspoken reason he could not return home I discovered was that his house of sixty years was uninhabitable. It took five weeks and 45 cubic yards of dumpsters to clean it up enough to avoid serious health and safety issues. Then I started remodeling the house so that he could come home.

In this picture the yellow bowl that I am mixing the brownie mix in is the same bowl I had my first bath in in this house almost 57 years ago!




Although this may seem like a lot of junk, it represents less than 1% of the stuff that was removed from the premises.




This door had been unusable for the last 60 years. With the ramp and gentle stairs it is the main entrance now.







I did not take any before pictures, because I do not want to remember it that way. I literally entered the house with a sledge hammer in one hand and a Sawzall in the other. It was the result of several people with severe Hoarding Disorder living together. It is not worth remembering.



Dad is so much happier at home. They were good to him at the nursing home, but he lost a lot of freedom. Everyone is relieved to have a clean house with a functional kitchen comfortable bed to sleep in.

Home Sweet Home!

After two full non-stop months, and just moments before I departed in tears of joy and sadness.

Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Will it last? I think so. I hope so...