"It was a rough trip," she said, looking down and shaking her head as if to clear out visions she didn't want to remember.
Was it difficult getting your aunt settled in? i asked, knowing the main reason she had gone was to get her elderly aunt into an assisted living facility nearer the other relatives.
"The medical transport -- oh, how glad I am that we had them and didn't try to move her ourselves, even if they did drive like speed demons!" she told me, the fear in her eyes reminding me of how she has said she hates interstate driving, even when her husband is at the wheel.
"We got her to the facility, and my sister had done a fabulous job bringing enough of her belongings that it would feel like home, but as soon as the nurse examined her she said that it was already time to call hospice. We were blessed with angels for medical staff from both ends, but it does look like my aunt only has a few months left, so I'm glad she decided to let us move her now."
Which also means you will probably be making another trip in the near future, i said, and she couldn't say yes, so she just nodded as i hugged her.
Today is:
Anniversary of the Elf Wars -- Fairy Calendar
Celtic Tree Month Luis (Rowan) begins
Errol Barrow Day -- Barbados
International Bon Jovi Day -- they released their first album this date in 1983
Lady of Altagracia Day -- Dominican Republic
National Hugging Day™ -- includes the announcements of the Most Huggable People of the Year
New England Clam Chowder Day
Quebec Flag Day -- Quebec, Canada
Squirrel Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Christy Hargrove of the Western North Carolina Nature Center
St. Agnes' Day (Patron of betrothed couples, bodily purity/chastity, crops, gardeners, Girl Scouts, girls, rape victims, virgins; the Colegio Capranica of Rome; Manresa, Spain; Rockville Centre, NY)
St. Meinrad of Einsiedeln's Day (Patron of hospitality; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Swabia, Germany)
"Stonewall" Jackson's Birthday Celebration -- Lexington, VA (at the Jackson home)
Sundance Film Festival -- Park City, UT, US (the premier US independent films festival; through the 31st)
Women's Healthy Weight Day -- on the Thursday of Healthy Weight Week, encouraging women to strive for a healthy weight and lifestyle
Anniversary Today:
Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, 1915
Birthdays Today:
Robby Benson, 1956
Geena Davis, 1956
Billy Ocean, 1960
Jill Eikenberry, 1947
Mac Davis, 1942
Placido Domingo, 1941
Jack Nicklaus, 1940
Wolfman Jack, 1939
Benny Hill, 1925
Telly Savalas, 1924
Benny Hill, 1924
Paul Scofield, 1922
Barney Clark, 1921
Karl Wallenda, 1905
Christian Dior, 1905
Roger Nash Baldwin, 1884
John M. Browning, 1855
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, 1824
Ethan Allen, 1738
Debuting/Premiering Today:
The Kid(Film), 1921
The Daily News(first issue, edited by Charles Dickens), 1848
Power of Sympathy(publication date of WH Brown's novel, considered the first American novel), 1789
Today in History:
Philip II, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart initiate the 3rd Crusade, 1189
The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded, 1525
The first American novel, WH Brown's "Power of Sympathy," is published, 1789
After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine, 1793
Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination is introduced, 1799
The envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1853
The first US sewage disposal system that is separate from storm drains opens in Memphis, Tennessee, 1880
The first slalom ski race is run in Murren, Switzerland, 1922
The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec, 1948
A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete, 1968
The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts, 1971
Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes, 1976
Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, 1981
NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Eart, 2004
Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%, 2008