Papa -- a hard loss

Back in the beginning of April, I wrote this article about Richard's dad, who had become bedridden and losing his battle with COPD and dementia. We lost him last week. He struggled for weeks unable to breathe, though his memory had a few days of clarity. He was able to recognize those who visited and say goodbye. It was heart-wrenching, but having the closure and knowing he was ready must make his loss easier for Mrs. Carolyn, his wife, and Richard and Steve, their two sons. 

Mama and Papa

We spent as much time as possible with him because we wanted someone to be with Mrs. Carolyn when the time came. Waiting while a loved one slowly passes away is difficult enough without having to face it all alone. So Rich and I made sure one of us was sitting in their house or within just a couple of minutes drive. Mostly we tried to help her in dealing with hospice, company, family, and her own grief.

He'd been in a semi-coma for a week when, finally, on Wednesday morning he took his last breath. I must say that first time that he stopped breathing for several moments was frightening. Not that I'm afraid of death, but because I had promised to call the family. But that was just a warning of what would come in less than an hour, and we were able to gather everyone to their house. 

Richard's parents, Richard Sr. and Carolyn; my parents, Riley
and Ellen (their 50th anniversary); and Richard and me.

People in our area have held wake services for the dead for centuries. Although it's rarely followed now, the Cajun French people of Louisiana held "the wake" throughout the night and into the morning when the funeral is held. Papa had made several things clear and "an all-night wake" (meaning a traditional service) was an absolute if we were going to follow his wishes. Of course, we would comply: a rosary, a mass, a burial in the plot he had prepared 20+ years ago. He had always made things simple. 

Friday we said our last goodbyes and prayed the funeral rites. Papa had been raised and remained Catholic for his entire life. It's quite calming to know exactly what to expect during a Catholic mass. Somehow it's easier to mourn. Father Sklar, who has been assigned to us for only a few weeks, had visited the family several times in the last month and celebrated with a beautiful eulogy. 

And so the last of the five Marcotte brothers is gone.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: CHECKERBOARD

Remember playing games as a child? One of my favorites was checkers. It seems that we always had a game and with seven sisters, there was always an opponent. My grandfather was the adult who taught me to play and to love the game. I remember setting the game up on the arm of the sofa--he always sat in the same place--for a rousing game.  

He taught me to play by first winning and then showing me either my bad moves or his smart ones. It was difficult to grasp the concept of planning my moves and anticipating his, but eventually I came to understand. He died when I was twelve but by that time he had taught me quite well. I don't think I ever won a game with Papa, but that didn't seem to matter.

Checker board quilts, you ask? Well, you know it!

Here's hoping that your childhood memories of playing games includes a loving grandfather who was willing to teach you to be a better player. (And maybe a win or two.)

Happy Easter Traditions

Our family celebrated Easter a bit early so that we could all be together.  We had such fun.  I put eight dozen eggs on to boil so that they'd be ready for the dye when the kids arrived.  

Will and Stacey came in with about six dozen, so in the end we boiled and dyed about 14 dozen eggs.  That sounds insane, but this is central Louisiana where egg knocking is a sport and real eggs are used for everything from egg hunts to other egg games.

If you haven't had the pleasure of egg knocking, you should give it a try.  Simply boil and dye tons of eggs, then on Easter Sunday pile the kids and eggs in the car and go visiting.  Each person gets an egg and pairs with someone else.  One person holds the egg pointed end up, the second person taps his egg's pointed end on it.  The one to break loses.  The ones that don't break go to round two.   Continue until there's only one unbroken egg left.  That's the winner. 
 


I have no idea where or how egg knocking began, but I can remember knocking eggs with my grandparents when I was very young.  Why the grandparents stand out in my memory so well when there were surely many more family members present?  That's because if Ma-ma's egg broke, she knocked it on the winners' forehead.   It was a huge joke and only she did it, probably because it's not part of the game.  It definitely helped to seal the memory for me, though. 

The little ones had an Easter egg hunt and although the older grandchildren are too cool to hunt the eggs, they are not so cool that they can't help the 2-3 year olds.  Since we spent much of Friday getting ready for the bombardment, the yard looks pretty good.  However, there are no grass clumps to hide eggs in, so the big kids had to get rather ingenious about it. 

One of the best ways to spend the holidays is to just sit around and visit, and the gorgeous weather was exactly perfect for that.  Fix a glass of soda or tea, or grab a piece of chocolate from an Easter basket, then wander out to the patio and pull up a seat.  You are guaranteed to be laughing or defending yourself in two minutes.  It helps if almost everyone went fishing in the last day or two, or if someone got a speeding ticket, or there's some big news that
needs to be told, but none of those are necessary in this family.

If things get dull--how could they?--have an egg toss or convince the big kids to roll eggs on the ground, or grab some spoons and the adults will laugh while trying to relay race (guys vs girls adds to the laughter, but competing by married couples can get interesting, too).  A playhouse, a houla-hoop, a new tea set are just part of the family fun factor.

My biggest hope is that our grandchildren will remember Easter gatherings at Grandmay and Poppa's house with fond memories and will want to continue the traditions that Richard and I fondly remember from our childhood with grandparents who are now gone. 

 

Happy Easter, everyone.  I hope to see you in Easter Sunday services this morning to give glory and praise for the many blessings we get to share with family and friends today.

Mary

Puppy Update

New photos of our little puppy darlings.  Aren't they just adorable?    

They've begun moving around a bit but really are too fat to stand on all four legs, so the moving is rather just squirming from point A to point B. 

Will, our oldest son, said they move and look like walruses.

Regardless, we think they are just too cute.  What do you think?  Could William possibly be wrong?


On a different note, thanks to all of you who sent notes and email with condolences about my dad.  Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.  He was a wonderful father to eight daughters, a husband to a special woman, and grandpa to over 40 grand children and great-grand children.  We will miss him so very much, but we also believe that he and mom are reunited and his legacy of love and faith will see us through.  Again, thank you all.

Christmas, puppies, and Grandpa

Here's hoping that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.  At the Marcotte home, this Christmas was one of the best.  Although two of the grandchildren had a virus the week before, they were recovered enough to visit and spend the night.  All others are well and accounted for, and we counted our many, many blessings as we attended mass then sat down for Christmas dinner with our children and grandchildren beside us.  

Candy and her two pups

In case there wasn't enough chaos and merriment in our household on Christmas Eve, our Maltese, Candy, decided it would be a good time to birth her puppies.  She did very well for a first timer with a house full of guests and has proven herself an excellent little momma!

Five days old

Today the puppies are five days old and already we can see how much they've grown.  They whimper loudly for such tiny babies, move around and on top of each other and, apparently, are getting lots of milk because they sure are some round little babies.  Pink noses, ears, feet and tummies, they do resemble lab rats but with much cuter faces. Cotton and Candy are awfully proud, but then they did  manage to produce a cute little pair of pups! 


In the meantime, I managed to work up a terrific migraine and spent three days doing my own whimpering.  A Frova tablet combined with lots of sleep (well, sort of sleep) and it finally broke last night, so today I was able to visit my dad for his 82nd birthday!  Now there's a proud poppa!  

All of my sisters and many of our children and grandchildren were there to celebrate, so we had a grand time.  It was wonderful to visit with my sisters, and though they begin leaving tomorrow, there are a few more days of visiting before we all return to work, family and commitments.  


In fact, we're have a "gumbo cook-off" here on Friday.  I likely won't be blogging on Friday night as a result, but I'll give the results of the gumbo tasting and try to get a few pictures as well.  Keep in mind, however, that there will easily be 25 people in and around my house on Friday, so who knows what I may be able to pull off!


In the meantime, feel free to vote for my blog on Picket Fence--just click the button on the upper right.  


Have a Happy New Year!
Happy Quilting,
Mary