Granny

Yesterday the world suffered the loss of a truly amazing woman, our beloved granny, Katinka Coleman. Born Katalin Elma Alexandra Von Podmanicsky in 1917. She was born into European high society; a life of luxury at a time where young ladies looked beautiful said little and married well. Granny had different plans. She went to Vassar where she was a reporter and editor of the school paper. She was a gifted student and a force of terror on the field hockey field. Her teammates nick named her Pod and the apposing team members feared her, even many years later. Granny laughed about the times that she would bump into former rivals at a social function who would still be terrified of her.  She was not born to be a delicate society wife. Her mother was the Society page “It” girl, but Granny loathed the arrogance and superficiality of the social scene and actually had her name and address removed from the social registry.

Granny lived an amazing life. She lived a life on fire; a life of passion, for traveling, hiking Austrian mountains, the arts, cocktails, learning, animals, silent philanthropy, and mostly a passion for life itself. She gave her all for her family, always the center point & the heart of our family; she lived for her children, grandchildren and great grand children. She especially lived for the love of her life Loring Coleman with whom she courted from the back of his Indian motorcycle. She was my hero and my friend. Granny blessed this earth for 94 years I was honored to know her for 14-years and I will always treasure her sharp wit, her fanatical love of all sports, her huge heart, her fantastic use of accessories, her annoying habit of being right, and her refusal to never ever act like a little old lady. I love you Granny. We will all take care of Grampa and make sure that your legacy lives on forever.

These are the days of my life...REALLY

It's Monday afternoon and mom is much better! My 79-year-old mom with stage 4 cancer in her liver, bones, & lungs (part of one which has been partly removed due to an early case of lung Cancer in the late 1990's). She was in Cape Cod Hospital with a serious case of pneumonia, so serious that doctor had inquired about her wishes involving the use of respirators and being manually resuscitated. We began planning her funeral and a miracle....she started feeling much better. The 6th or 7th cocktail of antibiotics started working, and my mother stared down impending death and won. Well she won for now. She is still technically dying, but hopefully beating this pneumonia gives us at least 4 or 6 months more. She has two wishes. 1. To out live her beloved husband who is suffering with Alzheimer's disease  and 2. have one last summer with her grand kids on Cape Cod.

I am beyond thrilled that my mom is going to be with us longer. I don't think that anyone is every ready to lose their mother. I know I wasn't. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't concentrate on anything. I wanted to put everything in my life on hold, like that would freeze time and keep her from passing.  I am still processing all of the events of the last few weeks: her cancer spreading, the word "terminal" cancer, her pneumonia scare, the concept that some day before the year 2013 I won't be able to pick up a phone and call her. I won't be able to press my cheek into her soft wrinkled face.
No one will call me "Fern" or "Dear Heart" Or love me the way only a mother can.

My mom is going home tomorrow. Finally the hospital won't have to keep security guards in front of her room anymore. Security guards? Yes that's what I said. They guard her room around the clock. No my mother isn't a criminal, a sleep walker, celebrity, a Spanish Countessa, or in the Witness Protection Program.  Any guesses?