Not a TEACHER'S house!; Mary Frances - fell and got stuck.

          December 28, 2011.

I phoned my friend 'way up north this morning to find out Pat and Gene's street address. She said I could just put P.O. Box, blank space. They would get it, and I agreed, because Croghan is such a small rural  town. She said that Gene walks to the Post Office every day to get the mail. Pat and Gene still live in my heart, and I want to send my Christmas Letter to them belatedly. 

I remember when we first moved to Belfort, and I was VERY pregnant with Gerald. Father Canice had told the ladies at church to go to visit "the new teacher and his wife" to say hello, and welcome, and to introduce themselves. 

So Mary Frances was chosen to be the first. She didn't dare come to our house alone (NOT a TEACHER'S house!) and she said to herself, "I am NOT going to any TEACHER'S HOUSE to SAY HELLO!" so eventually she asked Pat to come with her.

I had just taken out of the oven a couple of loaves of homemade bread from the oven, it smelled SO delicious!  And there was a bowl of spaghetti sauce on our table ready for dinner. The aromas were abundant. 

They knocked at the kitchen door, I opened the door to greet these strangers, and they were quite happily surprised to see all the little kids running around, and the round looks of my maternity outfit, and they smelled the incredible beautiful aromas of freshly baked bread and spaghetti!  They immediately relaxed, because I was JUST LIKE THEM, always pregnant with lots of kids running around and always making homemade bread!!  They became the best of friends.

I haven't told you all that a few weeks ago, Mary Frances turned her ankle near the back door of their house; she was coming back from covering the Burn Barrel, and her ankle wasn't just 'turned', there was a small bone that broke. Her ankle now has one of those heavy BOOTS on it, and she is using a walker, crutches didn't work. She is staying at Darlene and Dennis's house. 

Well, when I called her this morning, she's got a bad cold, and is coughing a lot, and BESIDES having this awful cold, she fell in the bathroom two mornings ago at 4 am as she rose from the commode, got stuck between the toilet and the bathtub, and hurt her ribs and back and arm. They wanted to take her to the ER but she refused. She said they'd be there for HOURS, and she didn't want to go. The poor lady! It doesn't rain, but it pours! She is eagerly waiting in pain for the New Year to come, and hopes it will be better than 2011.

As she was describing her little/big accident, my mind was racing backward a month, to one little episode I had in MY bathroom. I got up to go to the bathroom in the wee hours (forgive me for the pun) and nearly lost my balance as I sat on the commode. I quickly said a prayer, Oh, please, don't let me get stuck here between the toilet and the bathtub! 

So it CAN happen - I know. 

          Get well fast, Mary Frances!




          I'll see you at the Corner Post...