We had a nice Father’s Day this year with our Daddy. We picked up BBQ from a local place and took it over to mom and dad’s to celebrate the day and let him know how much we love him. We all enjoy BBQ and it was a good meal to share together. He’s such a good Daddy and we always want to take the time to celebrate him. He will be turning 90 next month and we have to figure out a time for all of us (including Lauren) to celebrate his birthday, since July is shaping up to be a really busy month for the whole family.
He’s doing pretty well for an almost-90 year old and we went out to the garden for a little stroll too. I’ll share that in a minute.
On Tuesday, we had a very scary situation with Dad. He was in the kitchen getting his coffee when he started getting dizzy. Mom saw it happen and asked him if he was dizzy and the next thing she knew he was falling to the floor in the kitchen and he hit the back of his head very hard on the tile floor. She had tried to hold him up but she wasn’t strong enough, thank goodness she wasn’t hurt too. She called 911 and he was taken to the hospital immediately. We all 3 headed to the ER to be with him and find out what was going on. They did a scan and found that he did have some bleeding on the brain, so he was admitted for an overnight stay where he was monitored for over 24 hours and then released to go home the next day. He does not do well in a hospital environment, to say the least and was more than ready to go home. We all had to keep telling him that he could not go home with the brain bleed situation and it was very much a relief to all of us when they released him to go home. Mom stayed at the hospital with him overnight and neither of them got much sleep, so it was a relief for all of us to send them home to rest.
All of this started with antibiotics that dad was prescribed for cough/cold symptoms a couple of weeks ago. I know that antibiotics are necessary in many situations, but they can also be very harmful to the body too. In this case, one of the main the side effects was diarrhea (which mom read after the fact) and several days after he was finished with his dosage, that kicked in, leaving him weak and dehydrated. We think this is the cause of the dizziness which then caused the fall. He was about to visit his primary care doctor that day to address that situation. It’s such a shame that meds that are supposed to help someone can also do more harm than good. A lesson in looking out for loved ones when it comes to prescription medications. As I said, antibiotics are a necessary treatment sometimes, but from what I hear it’s best to stay away from them if you possibly can avoid them.
We are so thankful it wasn’t a worse fall for him and he should recover completely. He had a couple of stitches and now is home resting and getting better. He’s a tough guy and it takes a lot to get him down. I know you all think the world of our Daddy, so I wanted to share this with y’all too.
EDITED: Several of you asked in the comments about sending him birthday cards for his 90th birthday next month. I would love to have y’all do that, so please email me ([email protected]) and I’ll give you my address to send the cards and I will pass them on. I think it will make his YEAR! Thanks so much for caring about my parents!
Now, back to Father’s Day…..
After lunch we had this delicious Pistachio Coconut cake that mom made, which I shared before. It’s a winner and really light and yummy!
Dad and I went out to the garden to see how things are progressing this year. He’s always excited to talk about his garden, so it’s fun for me to see how much it’s grown.
Muscadine vines are all looking great and I’m sure will be loaded again this year.
Here’s a glimpse of the whole garden from an angle. It’s a pretty big back yard garden for one man to take care of.
The back row has peas and beans growing.
Two long rows of Silver King corn.
He’s disappointed in how his tomatoes have done this year, but we hope they will make it and grow lots more tomatoes. He planted Parks Whoppers and they have always done well for him, but this year he had some that wilted and died. That wilt is a strange thing that happens sometimes from year to year and it’s really a mystery, but seems to grow in the soil and mess up new plantings.
He’s about to start picking some soon though, so we are hoping for the best. They don’t look like they will be as big as they normally are though.
Squash in this back corner has been doing well, as well as zucchini. He usually has a bumper crop of those.
Looking back towards the house, you can see this isn’t a tiny little garden, it’s pretty big and spread out here in their back yard. Since he only planted the garden here this year and not in the mountains, he’s got plenty to keep him busy enough. We’re glad he is slowing down and only doing one garden!
I got out my camera and did a little video with him, so enjoy hearing him talk about his garden! It truly is his passion and we are happy he has it to keep him going every day.
Oh my, your video has me bawling like a baby. Those gorgeous Southern accents make me so homesick. I could listen to him say “corn” all day. Honestly, your little Mama is very blessed she was not hurt trying to prevent his fall, that’s so dangerous. I’m a nurse and they have drilled it into our heads we are not to stop a fall, even threatening us with it being our fault if we do so and are injured. But honestly, it’s against all human instincts to not try to help. I do believe probiotics capsules are the best way to go, nobody can eat enough yogurt. I am sure they checked him for C diff. Ok, I am going to quit talking now. Thank you, again, for sharing your family.
Hi, Nancy, all good suggestions. They are testing for C diff today, it hasn’t stopped. And he’s on probiotic capsules too. I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
Oh Rhoda, I just now saw this post. I had been saving it so I could savor the garden news. How scary for all of you!!! I’m so thankful all ended as well as it did. It was probably harder on your mom than your dad! So so sorry it had to happen at all. But there will be fresh mashed potatoes, fried okra and tomato sandwiches soon!! Please send your parents’ address in messenger. I can’t wait to send him a birthday card!!!
One more thing – if you could sit down and get you dad’s best garden tips on video, you could sell it far and wide! I’d be first customer in line. As a beginner vegetable gardener I pour over the pictures of his plantings. He is a fountain of information that would be so helpful to all the novice gardeners out there. His garden is so pretty and he gets so much food out of it!! Amazing.
Hey, Barb, I’ve asked him questions before and tried to get his answers on gardening, but it’s hard to pin down exactly what he does that is so successful. I know he amends his soil really well, fertilizes along the way and then just lets it grow and do it’s thing.
Rhoda, I’m just now reading this about your dad. I’m glad he’s home from the hospital, but what a scare for the two of them! Glad he is doing better! We aren’t having a good year with our tomatoes, either. Our reliable variety that we plant every year is doing terrible! I’m assuming it’s one of those soil borne diseases. The only ones doing great are the Purple Cherokees. Your dad will know about those!
Hi, Jane, thank you, he is home but all of this really took his strength, so we are trying to get him back to normal. He has dealt with those soil borne things too with tomatoes and this year has been issues too.
I love when you post videos with your mom & dad. They are such sweet souls.
Hi Rhoda,
Just checking in a few days after this post to see how your Dad is doing? Hope his stomach troubles have calmed down by now?!
HI, Sofia, thanks for checking in. He’s actually worse than he was 2 or 3 days after the fall. The stomach has calmed down but he is as weak as a baby kitten and is bed ridden right now. We are going to take him back to the hospital if he isn’t better tomorrow. He’s eating very little and has no strength to walk right now, but we are trusting God that he will recover fully. We’ve got to get nutrition in him and get him back to normal, it’s going to take awhile. He’s on mostly liquids right now, but we are giving him things that should strengthen his system.
Oh Rhoda! I will pray for a swift and complete recovery!
Every time I watch this video I bawl. It’s so precious. My dad went to heaven 26 months ago. He loved to raise a garden too. Beautiful memories.
OH, Tammy, cherish those memories! I’m glad I have a few videos of dad to keep.