Dad's Cellulitis,

The week of July 1 to July 5th of 2010 was an extremely chaotic one. If you compare this year to last year it is just a blimp on the radar but it affected me more than other members of the family- come on what is up with this date. Three years ago was the first time the family had been together since Mom’s death- we had all come together for the usual pilgrimage to Eagles Mere. It was determined that the chore of dividing Mom’s jewelry would be taken on that day however it turned into a huge dispute that has lead to ongoing discords within the family.
First, this year my Jenni and her dog Georgia arrived home from Milwaukee on July 1. The dog after having been locked in the car for over 12 hours did not want to sleep, all night long bark- bark- bark until the dawn came. We then move onto July 2 and a family picnic that truly was a nice reunion of our entire family. I told Dad that he wasn’t allowed to get sick over the 4th of July because last year we ended up in the E.R. (infected testicule) followed by 6 months of complications which included a Nursing Home stay, Visiting Nurse's and a great deal of energy from our family.
Dad did comment that his leg and shoulder were hurting but he always complains so I ignored it but that bit me in the ass. The weekend led up to July 3 when we celebrated Dad’s 90th year. We had gathered 48 family and friends at the Williamsport Country Club to pay homage to Dad living 90 years- Dad spent a longer than usual time on his feet talking with everyone. That day and the next we continued gathering at Mary Ann’s for swimming, eating, and getting ready for everyone to return to his or her perspective homes on July 5th.
I went swimming for the first time in 14 years the water was perfect unfortunately, I mistakenly thought a WASP for a lighting bug and got a hell of a sting WOW!!!!!!!!!! It is feeling better now but it is still tender. Earlier I went to lunch with family, it was delightful @Ruby Tuesday, and to top off one great day I spend the afternoon and had lunch with family what could be better -maybe if everyone could have been at lunch together.After everyone went home this is when everything started. Dad called at 10am telling me his leg was sore and swollen. I could tell that as soon as I looked at his leg- Dad had Cellulitis, which is a severe infection. The days that follow, July 5th will be covered in one of my next post, just believe me when I say, “Dad really wore Mom out, - he is one stubborn old man.”