As the world burns

February 28, 2022

I’ve been around awhile now, long enough to dimly remember the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. I should compare notes with Elizabeth on this, as she has a much better memory for some things than I do, but as I remember now she and I used to spend our Saturday afternoons at the Saturday matinee at the movie theater back in Charleston, watching a string of cartoons. Cartoons were preceded by a black and white newsreel, and I think it was on these newsreels that I saw footage of the Russian tanks rolling into Budapest. It’s unfathomable that we’re here again, but this time watching the horror of it all unfold in real time from the comfort of our home on our electronic devices. In so many ways we continue to be leading privileged lives. In another part of the world Rachael and I could be learning how to make Molotov cocktails or fire an automatic weapon.

Against that background it feels frivolous to share anything at all about the small drama of our own lives. Still, there are a few things I want to remember from these remaining weeks while we wait for our flight to Barcelona to roll around on the calendar. First, let’s celebrate the fact that Rachael is well on the mend. She’s still squirting saline spray up her nose several times a day to facilitate the healing process, but otherwise she seems pretty much fully back to normal. This atmospheric river that’s been washing over us is keeping her indoors but she’s whipping herself back into shape with progressively more intense workouts on the exercise bike.

And, not to be left behind, I’ve been putting in a few miles myself. Pathetically few, unfortunately. There are multiple reasons for this - the horrifying whiteout we experienced last week put cycling out of the question for an hour or two until it melted off; days have been chopped up by errands and social engagements; we’ve put in considerable time finalizing travel plans and making bookings far into the future (we’re booked through summer and the UK and are just heading south into France again), and probably most days in the past week have been just cold and damp enough to make it easy for me to fritter away the day obsessing over the news feeds. Still, I made it up into Washington Park one day and to Mount Tabor another for a total for the week of around 30 miles. Pretty impressive, right?

The big snowstorm of the month, at its worst.

At the Holocaust Memorial in Washington Park. It felt like a fitting place to stop and contemplate for a few moments on the day the Ukrainian invasion began.

I liked the shaded look of what remains of Centennial Mills.

On Mount Tabor, basking in a brief break from the clouds and rain.

Mount Hood from Mount Tabor, on an incredibly clear day.

The view east to Larch Mountain, on the left. I can’t tell what those peaks to its right in the distance are. I don’t remember a day clear enough to even notice them. Maybe a Indian Mountain?

The other thing we won’t forget from this week though is our trip to Seattle to celebrate dad’s 93rd birthday. This day has been set aside on the family’s calendar ever since last fall, but it wasn’t certain until the last moment whether the gathering would happen after all or if dad would even be in attendance. The uncertainty came from the fact that mom’s condition has deteriorated significantly since Thanksgiving, to the point that it’s clearly time for her to move into assisted living. The past few months have been traumatic and stressful, but the move took

place just two days before the birthday dinner.

In the end everything went as well or better than we hoped. The dinner was a big success - dad chose to come, and clearly had a good time and enjoyed the attention and a break from the stress. Mom didn’t come of course, but Rachael and I visited her for about two hours in her new suite in the Memory Care unit. We were prepared, but it was still a shock to see how much has been lost in the last three months. We spent our visit largely by distracting her from her surroundings, flipping through an album of photos on my iPad and seeing what memories and emotions they evoked.

Birthday haircut. It was time. The last one was for mom and dad also, right before Thanksgiving.

Mom and dad, from a smaller birthday celebration last week. My brother and his wife showed up with a pizza and they had a fine visit, catching mom on one of her better days.

Dad’s birthday, with Stewart playing the family prank on his son Russell to add some excitement to the shot. Unfortunately I see that he’s also blocking out dad, who’s behind him on his left. I’ll have to see if Lauren got a good shot of him from directly across the table.

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Patrick O'HaraDid you say you are flying into Budapest? I thought you were flying into Barcelona?
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Patrick O'HaraOh, funny. I’ve had Budapest on my mind. Thanks for catching that. I’d love to visit Budapest again some year, but not this time.
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2 years ago

marilyn swettSo sorry to hear about your mom's move. I hope that she does well there. We moved my mom into assisted living where she lived for only a month or so before having a setback in her health and had to go into a skilled nursing center (before passing from Covid a short time later).
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2 years ago

Kathleen JonesWatching your parents decline is hard. Enjoy all the moments you can. Glad the trip planning is proceeding.
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2 years ago