Itās been quite a few years since Iāve signed into this account. The year we started canning was one of the best of my life. We had a luxurious work schedule which allowed us to go to the farmers market every week. We got married. We honeymooned. We canned everything in sight. We entered our jars into as many local fairs as we could, and cleaned up! I took over making Thanksgiving dinner for my family who were all about set to go out to eat. I remember feeling so good having everyone over. It was just such a glorious year.
That next June we went on vacation deep in the mountains of SW Virginia. We fell asleep listening to a local AM bluegrass radio station. I woke up on a Sunday morning to an old fashioned mountain top style sermon. The pastor was going on about family, and tradition, and taking care of our elders. A sudden realization hit me like a bolt of lightning! I knew what I needed to do. My grandma had been struggling with living alone. There had been heavy hearted talk of selling her house and having her put in an assisted living home. Grandma didnāt want to leave her home, the home my grandpa built for her. At that point in time she really didnāt need to be in a home, she just needed some help cooking and cleaning. Most of all she needed some company. So, I wake to this sermon, sounding like it was put there for me, and just start bawling. I talked it over with my husband who was 100% on board and fully supportive. Next, I called my mom and pitched the idea of us uprooting and moving in with grandma to help take care of her. My mom called my aunts and uncles. They all discussed, and decided it would be ok. So, we packed up our house, moved over the river and through the woods (literally) to grandmaās house. There are so many stories I could tell you about the past few years and my experiences with taking care of an elderly lady, but I think those are for another time. The short version is that moving in with her was wonderful for her health, and her happiness. For a while. My grandma has struggled with depression for over 20 years, since my grandpa passed on. She would have good days and bad days. Some days she would be in bed for 20/24 hours. Others she would be at the kitchen table laughing and joking with me about the kittens āraising hellā. I knew being there and helping take care of her was the right thing to do. It felt good in my soul. The other side of that was how very draining it is to take care of someone in general, especially an elderly lady. Mikey and I did our best and we had a few good years. Sadly, with everything that was going on everyday with grandma we had very little time to put anything up. As most of you know, canning is quite time (and kitchen space) consuming. I couldnāt focus on anything really. It was ok though, because we were doing a good thing. I knew it wouldnāt always stay that way.
At the beginning of this year we started to notice things about grandma that were off. She would forget things. Small stuff at first. Such small stuff that it didnāt even seem too wrong. Like, making coffee but forgetting to put the filter in. Or forgetting to take her meds. Then, it started to get worse. She forgot how to use her cell phone. She forgot peopleās names. Then she started to take double her meds, too much insulin, or none at all. Her mind started to become a major issue. She was also on a big stretch of sleeping way too many hours a day. One morning at 2am, she got up to go to the bathroom and fell in the floor. She had taken tumbles before and Mikey had got her up. This time she couldnāt stand up. I called 911 and they came and took her away. She hadnāt been back since. She was admitted into a rehab home to get her back on her feet. They learned about her mental fogginess, assessed and decided it would be best if she didnāt come home. It breaks my heart everyday. I know she is better off around people who are better qualified to take care of her but I still wish I could be the one. Even though it was the hardest, darkest time of my life, I still wish I could do more. {Iām bringing this back back around to happiness and canning soon, I promise}
During the years we took care of grandma we lost ourselves in plenty of ways. The one that I missed the most was canning Summer in a jar! So, fast forward to now. Mikey and I are here in what is now our house. That is something I am eternally thankful for. This home, where my mom grew up, where I ate all of my Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, that my grandpa built, is now ours. I inherited over 50 years of family history. My mom put the wall paper in the kitchen up when she was in 6th grade, and many years later my dad stained the cabinets. There is so much history here. I have all of my grandparents canning stuff! Kettles for Apple butter, choppers, peelers, crocks, recipes. To say I feel blessed is an understatement. It is bitter sweet because I miss my grandma being here but Iām still endlessly thankful. We are back on our game now! I have found a peace of mind that comes with canning like nothing Iāve ever experienced. This year has yielded a ton of jars so far! Iām happy to be back.
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