Dad has surgery, Trav turns 42, and a friend dies

First, my favorite quote of the week:

"I may be a bitch. But at least I'm good at what I do."
-Tabatha from "Tabatha's Salon Takeover"

This week was full of events. Last Monday, Mom and I decided to take Dad to the ER after he had been throwing up for 24 hours straight. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, which was our biggest worry, and a urinary infection. He has been in the hospital all week, getting pumped full of antibiotics. While there, his doctor discovered a few other problems and may have just figured out what has been causing him to be so nauseous. He was also able to get the surgery that he was too sick to get last week. This was to create a fistula in his upper left arm. Let me scroll down to see if I described what a fistula is in my last post.........nope. Okay. A fistula is when an artery is surgically connected to a vein, making a sort of u-turn in the arm. After a few weeks the vein then becomes as large as the artery. At that point, Dad can receive his dialysis there, and it is safe enough to do in a home environment, which is the ultimate goal.

My older brother, Travis, turned 42 on Friday. It's hard to believe we are getting that old. When I'm home on the ranch and in the house I grew up in, I feel like that dorky teenager all over again. But, I will be 37 in January. Trav celebrated by running his horse right into a badger hole, which threw them both down nearly breaking the horse's leg and severely bruising Trav's collarbone. Then we all went to dinner. Tough being a cowboy...

On a sad note, a friend of mine died over the weekend. He and I went to school together starting in preschool and going all the way to high school. He also helped out several summers on the ranch. He was a funny, smart, irreverent guy. He had been battling alcohol for many years now and when he was in jail 2 years ago, my dad introduced him to Alcoholics Anonymous and became his sponsor. But unfortunately, he lost his battle. He hung himself.

On a lighter note, Michael repainted Vanna's room. She has been wanting to paint it over in her favorite colors...namely...pink, pink, PINK!!! But, Chris kept vetoing the idea. I think he liked the cool jungle mural Michael had previously painted in her room. I guess with Michael there for a full week...Vanna won out! It is now painted in pink and white stripes with black trim. Sounds very French princess, to me! Perhaps Chris will post some pictures online (hint, hint).

That's all for now!

Cheers,
Ernest

Cowboy up! The calves are off to market.

It's business as usual this week on the Palmer Ranch. Travis and Rick loaded up the calves to send them off to the market. There are around 250 calves to sell this year (we always keep few). The whole process of selling cattle has become very technologically advanced. At the beginning of summer, a videographer comes out to film the calves on the range. The calves are gathered up and then slowly driven in front of the camera. Then that video is uploaded to a satellite where later in the summer it is broadcast across North America for an online auction. It's great because you get a lot more bidders, and this year we got a great price - $1.08/pound. If you figure 600 pounds per calf then that's around $162,000 minus a whole lot of expenses.

Here's video:












Dad Update:
We had the biggest scare yet a couple nights ago. Dad's sugar dropped to 29. That's low enough to put him in a coma or kill him. We mounted a vigil and by 6am his sugar was back up to 96. Still low but acceptable. Very scary. Today he is fine. Each day is up and down, but we are surviving and staying positive.

Cheers,
Ernest

"Happy Halloween" -OR- "What's that buzzing sound?"

It was a very quiet afternoon.  I was diligently working my way through dad's numerous medicines.  And then my brother and his family arrived.  It was like getting hit by a class 4 tornado. 

In the pictures are Jaicee (9-years-old) and Marquel (2-years-old).  They were dressed as the "BUMBLE BEE SISTERS!!"  Da-da-da-DAH  da-DAAAAHHH!!   Also pictured is my dad, Tom, and Shay in the background. 

DAD UPDATE:
Dad is back home.  The scare we had last Sunday turned out only to be a minor infection, so he was home by Wednesday.  He does require a lot of work though.  He isn't strong enough to stand up on his own.  He is still on a feeding tube.  He has a rigorous medicine schedule that starts at 6am and goes until 10pm.  His diabetes requires regular insulin shots.  And he has dialysis 3 days a week in a town 60 miles away.  So, it's pretty busy here.  He really needs a live-in nurse, but insurance won't pay for it. 

I'm definitely making a difference being here.  Thanks for all your support.

Cheers,
E

Change in plans

Sunday night I got a frantic phone call from my sister-in-law, Shay.  I barely heard her ask me to come home in between the sobbing.  My dad has taken another turn for the worse. 

After I left this summer and came back to Nantucket, Dad was moved to a rehabilitation home where they could monitor him.  But 2 weeks ago his insurance ran out.  So he went home to the ranch in Malad.  He was extremely happy to begin with, as you can imagine, but unfortunately was rushed to the hospital again Sunday. 

So, I am now headed directly to Idaho tomorrow.  I'm going to feel things out and give my family a break.  I think it's just been too much for them to handle.  If things are serious we may bring Michael to Idaho sooner.  But hopefully that won't be the case and hopefully I'll be able to fly up to Seattle/Leavenworth at some point.  We shall see!

Thank you for all your support!  I will keep you posted. 

Cheers,
Ernest

We clicked the button and purchased our tickets

This week we finally solidified our travel plans for the holidays and purchased our airplane tickets home. We will be leaving Nantucket and flying straight to Seattle on November 3rd. We will be spending most of our time in Leavenworth helping out our favorite business, The Gingerbread Factory, during their busiest time of the year. We'll also be bouncing back and forth to Seattle several times. Hopefully we can spend Thanksgiving with Michael's brother Chris and family. We both have doctors appointments to make. AND we have tickets to SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE at Comcast Arena in Everett on November 21st. Woohoo! (Guilty Pleasure)

We'll be flying to Idaho on December 18th to spend Christmas with my family. On January 5th, we will be flying to Alabama to spend a month with Anne, Scott, & Tyler. Then in February, it is back to Nantucket.

What else happened this week? I threw my back out on Saturday and spent much of the week in a haze of muscle relaxers and pain killers. Michael transformed the large bedroom into a gym. He moved the treadmill in there and set up the Wii Fit, so it's all ready to go. And...get this...he actually worked out! Isn't that awesome? He almost inspired me to work out. Almost.

Also, my dear friend Kathryn announced that she is traveling to Johannesburg, South Africa this winter with a nonprofit group called, "Artists Striving To End Poverty." This group serves a severely disadvantaged community heavily affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, limited education, unemployment, lack of skills and poor housing. Along with several other artists, she will be providing basic dance, drama, music, poetry and playwriting workshops for the children during their holiday break. Basically, she will be bringing joy to kids who need it. What could be a better Christmas present?!? I've known Kathryn for several years. She is giving and supremely talented. We have acted together in many, many shows. I've shared some of my most memorable and fun moments with her and also some of my most personal and devastating moments. If you feel you can donate to her cause, please consider it. I can't think of a better person or cause. Here is a link to her website: http://www.firstgiving.com/kathrynvanmeter

That's all for now!

Cheers,
Ernest

Holy Red Cranberries, Batman!!

For some reason Michael and I were talking about cranberries this morning.  I believe I had mentioned that I wanted to go see one of the cranberry bogs here on the island -- something I had never seen before -- and then he mentioned that Nantucket has an annual cranberry festival.  So, I jumped online and...lo and behold...today was Cranberry Fest 2009!

We jumped in the car and headed out to Milestone Cranberry Bog, 193 acres of currently cultivated cranberry bog.  Prior to 1959, this bog was 234 acres, making it the largest contiguous natural cranberry bog in the world.  Since that time the bog has been divided up to make it more water-efficient.  Together, the Milestone Cranberry Bog and the other commercial bogs on Nantucket produce 2 million pounds of cranberries each year.

Cranberry Fest 2009 featured a cranberry harvest, bog tours, hay rides, sheep shearing demonstrations, live music, kid's events, food, fresh berries and other cranberry products, although we missed much of that since we were so late in arriving.

We saw a woman spinning freshly sheared wool into yarn:

A woman weaving beautiful rugs:

And an old-fashioned cranberry separator:

Fun facts about cranberries:

1. John Webb, one of the first growers, was the first person to notice that good cranberries bounce.   Because he had a wooden leg, John couldn't carry his cranberries down the stairs, so he dropped them instead.  He soon noticed that the firmest berries bounced to the bottom but the rotten ones stayed on the steps.  This discovery eventually led to the cranberry separator pictured above.
2. Small pockets of air inside the berry cause the cranberry to bounce.  Air also causes the berries to float in water. 
3. The cranberry is one of only three fruits native to North America.  The other two are the Concord grape and the blueberry.
4. The cranberry was so named because its pink blossoms resemble the head of a crane ("Craneberry" as it was originally called).

I did get to taste a few things.  Walking by one booth, I spied a yummy looking cracker slathered with cranberry jam.  I quickly grabbed one, shoved the whole thing in my mouth....and it nearly burned my tongue off!  Turns out it was curry cranberry jam.  Who would have thought?  I guess it tasted good...just eat it in small portions.

Show closes and Fall TV Season begins!

Sooooo, we closed the show Saturday night to a house so full we had to add extra seats.  What a thrill!  It's been really nice to do a "straight" show as we call it -- a play that is not a musical.  And, best of all, I have made several cool new friends.  I love actors.  They are so full of energy and come prepackaged with lots of crazy stories.

 

Now that the show is over, I can finally make room to watch all the new fall TV shows that have just started.  Whew!  Here's a list of the best we are watching:

   mondays... 
Castle

   tuesdays...

Hells Kitchen
NCIS
Biggest Loser

   wednesdays...

So You Think You Can Dance
Glee

   thursdays...

Flashforward
Police Women of Broward County
Greys Anatomy
Project Runway

   fridays...

Ghost Whisperer
Dollhouse
Stargate Universe

   saturdays...

Divine Design
Color Splash

   sundays...

Drop Dead Diva
The Amazing Race

My favorite of the season so far is GLEE!  It is freaking awesome.

Cheers,

E

Brrrrr...It's Cold In Here!

I was on the front page of the Arts & Living Section of this week's Nantucket Newspaper.

Here's the picture:


In this scene Gabrielle and I strip off layer after layer after layer of clothing, as my character tries to show what "comes next" after a first kiss. The play is set way up in the northernmost part of Maine during the bitter winter in a town so small it can't even be classified a town.

We opened Wednesday night to a meager audience (but they seemed to love it!) and the audience has been growing each night. I really adore this play. The characters are so sincere and likable. Plus the playwright has incorporated a thoughtful surprise at the end of each scene. Rachel, you would be perfect for one of the scenes I'm doing...I wish you were here! If any of you have lived or spent time in a small town....you would soooo identify with this show.

Cheers,
Ernest

I've been cast in a play!

I've been cast in the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket's production of Almonst, Maine. It's a play composed of 15 minute vignettes and I play 3 different characters in 3 of the vignettes. We rehearse for 2 weeks and then go up on the 16th of this month for a 3 week run. Here's the synopsis:

On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost's residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend -almost- in this delightful midwinter night's dream.

Directed by Jane Karakula

Almost, Maine Website

Our extremely affordable apartment makeover...the reveal

We have finished furnishing our apartment, so I thought I would post some pics. All the furniture, furnishings, and decorations we either found for free at the Take It Or Leave It or bought at a bargain at garage sales...all for around $500.

For the "before" pics click here and here.

The living room:

The spare bedroom:


The office:


And our master suite: