🎄🎄🎄🎄2016 December 10, Saturday Christmas Adventures🎄🎅🏻

I grabbed my purse, camera bag, a blanket, a box of Kleenex, and gloves before I walked outside into the brisk cold. 
Our windshield was covered with star-shaped ice and the leather seats were freezing cold. 
I spread a fuzzy warm blank over my seat while I waited for it to warm up which did not take too long because of the heated seats. 
I had dressed in layers with thermals, jeans, two thermal shirts, a coat, and boots. I was one big bundle of warmth.
I coughed and hacked all the way to Walgreens in Lawrenceburg, where we purchased a bottle of Mucinex Fast-Max Clear and Cool for cold, flu, and sore throat. 
I felt like that Mucinex man had been following me for the last two days. 
I took my first dose which burned my raw throat. We also bought two bags of Ricola Cough suppressants a bag of Swiss Cherry and a bag of Cherry Honey from Switzerland.
We stopped in Spring Hill to fill up at Murphy Gas and Burger King for three French sticks, a piece of sausage, and a cinnamon roll. 

We saw a group of young fiddlers playing Christmas Carols, they were dressed in full-length, white, blue, brown, pink, & red dresses.
Bonnets, caps, or hats covered their heads, and scarves were wrapped around their necks. 
We walked back in time to a Victorian Christmas and as we strolled the streets we met many different characters. We meet Santa Claus, A Victorian Father and Mother Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge, The Grim Reaper, the Nut Cracker, Bob Emily & Tiny Tim Cratchit, and Jacob Marley.

Victorian Father and Mother Christmas

Santa Clause

Old Hum Bum himself "Ebenezer Scrooge"
He said I don't like people and I don't like pictures as he posed for his picture. 

Dickens of Christmas Characters

The Nut Cracker and the Frisky Little Mouse 

Group of Dickens Characters

Bob Emily & Tiny Tim Cratchit

Father Christmas

About seventy-five vendors in white tents filled Main Street.

Their booths were filled with heritage crafts, holiday items, and specialty gifts. 

Vendors were encouraged to dress in period dresses to bring out the ambiance.

We saw a horse-drawn carriage, carolers, Charles Dickens characters strolling the streets, and the smell of Victorian food.

One booth was giving free cups of hot apple cider which felt good to my sore throat. 

We saw Booties, Whimsy Wonderland, Country Wood, Boudrcaux Bro Kitchen & Catering, Heritage Foundation Booth, bell ringers for Salvation Army, a sign that said "Franklin Rotary Breakfast will match your donation", Mix 97, Ace's Kettle Corn, Cinnamon Roasted Nuts, Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, locally owned and made Walker Creek Confections, Tennessee Glass Stains, Mix 92.9, Gracy's Farm Fresh Honey, Kaleidoscope Frames, Chocolate Moonshine of Tennessee, Franklin Fudge Factory, Unique Funnel Cake House, Artist drawing a reindeer, Stoney Creek Farm, a blacksmith, a bookbinder, a sock netter, Imagine-box Emporium  Peach-skin Sheets, Colorado Wassail Company, a man playing glasses full of water, Puckett's Trolley, White Mercantile,  The statue guy, & large black furry poodle.

The Thirty-second Annual Dickens of a Christmas Heritage Foundation was a bandstand where groups performed.

The last character we saw was the tormented ghost, damned to wander the earth forevermore as a punishment for his greed, Jacob Marley.

Jacob Marley

As we exited downtown Franklin we felt like we were leaving behind a Victorian Christmas.
Even the Old Hum Bum himself "Ebenezer Scrooge" could not ruin our Christmas. 

2009 March 9-12 Meadow Sick

Monday, March 9, 2009

Meadow has been sick since Monday morning (5:30AM). She has been vomiting & had a fever. Since she is "Cortisol deficient,” this can be a real issue. She had an emergency shot of Solu-Cortef on Monday. We had to alternate Tylenol suppositories & Motrin to get the temp down. She was prescribed Phenergan suppositories for the vomiting. The Phenergan made her very sleepy. She slept most of Monday.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 

Tuesday morning (2:30AM), Meadow woke up continuing to vomit. She heaved so much that she broke blood vessels in her face and had tiny red dots all over her face, neck, and even her ear lobes. We paged the nurse at her doctor’s office and her endocrine doctor. They suggested we take her to the Children's Hospital. We also had to give her another shot of Solu-Cortef before we left.

I rode with Lora to take her to Children's Hospital in Birmingham we arrived at the ER at 7AM. Meadow had a series of lab work a CT scan, chest & stomach x-rays. She got an IV and they started fluids immediately. She also had to have IV seizure medicine because of the continual seizures she was having. 

She had a seizure on the way to the hospital & in the lobby. They took her straight back. Then she had two more on the stretcher. Then they rushed her to a room with more equipment to monitor her. She had not held down any seizure medicine since Sunday night. Also, her blood pressure kept dropping to 80/30, so she had to have another dose of Solu-Cortef IV. She had to have her blood sugar  & blood pressure checked frequently.

She was admitted to the Special Care Unit once she was released from ER. 

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

We walked over to the RMH to see if we could get a room for the night.

The first night we spent sleeping in chairs in the fourth-floor lobby.

At the RMH house, we had our own room where we could shower and rest. There was always a hot meal at dinnertime. There was usually snack, cereal in the pantry. So we would eat what we could find. 

You could also bring your own food and were given a bend with a number to use for your food that was put in the refrigerator.

Once the IV fluids kicked in Meadow started having a wet diaper.

She actually felt like sitting up in bed.

Meadow in Special Care

Meadow in Special Care

She sat up & played with a musical toy. I hoped that once she starts holding some fluids &/or food on her tummy she will start feeling better. 

Her little eyes look dark around them and glossy.

Meadow in Special Care

Meadow in Special Care

Meadow in Special Care

 Childrens Hospital 

Childrens Hospital

Demolition

Demolition

Thursday, March 12,2009

We ate a salad, barbecue sandwich, and brownie at the RMH for lunch. We walked back to Children's Hospital and Meadow was doing so much better that she was released at 2:30PM.

Ronald McDonald House

Children's Hospital 

We were home by 5:30PM.

Letter from Harriet

Plymouth  May 3rd, 1874,
Dear Doc,

Your letter to Mr. Heddin was handed me to read.

I can say I sincerely feel sorry for you, but admire your courage.

Your two little boys must be a great comfort to you.

I am wondering if you can give them any schooling, also how you can get their clothes made, and how you get your work done and close washed?

Have you kind neighbors who look to your comforts when you are sick, I do hope you have?

Although your children must be great care and expense to you, I think you must be far happier with them than you would be without them.

It is such a pleasure to toil for those we love.

I hope their affection for you repays you for all your care.

I am so glad you have a home of your own and treat you well.

Be successful in getting a team this summer.

We live just as we did when you were here only my children are all gone except Louise, she is just as jolly as ever when she is able to hold up her head which is not all the time.

She has not been able to any work in 3 years.

Exhausted my skill in treating her to no lengths.

Then I tried the first thing I could find.

Last summer I sent her to a Water cures the 10th for a week and she came home no better.

I am trying to have her try another treatment but she says it would be only money thrown away.

I must try something.
Six years ago Pat Pussitt came here on a visit and stayed three weeks.

She was married to a man by the name of Crandal.

She was just the same old fun-loving Pat.

We did enjoy her company so much.

When she went away she agreed to write to us immediately on her arrival home but did not.

We wrote to her but got nothing.

Then we wrote to her husband, then to the postmaster but have not heard from her since.

We think she is dead.

Her health was very poor.

Rosa Passage was married last Thursday, to Will Olderdge.

They made a large wedding had over fifty guests.

John Beaduse has sold his farm and lives here in the village.

Roult his wife is an invalid.

Their daughter is dead.

Jack is married and lives near Waterfront and David lives in the regions.        

Harriet

Smith has sold his place to one of the Willets.

Taylor is trying to sell his place it is heavily mortgaged.