I Walked Through the Rose Garden Today

Life is getting back to somewhat normal around here after the tragedy for this family. It was a terrible and horrific loss to us all. If anyone is interested we placed a video on Youtube to watch. It's about 5 minutes long and shows Bill through his life. This is a man who never ever complained about his circumstances in life. In the first picture he is the second from the left and also he is the saxophone player on the audio. I suggest you put youtube into full screen mode and turn up the sound to hear what a talented saxophonist he was.

Bill Cormier
November 1962 - May 2009

I thought I'd share some of his garden with you today. He absolutely loved tending his garden and had so many rose bushes we couldn't keep count, well over a hundred.

Let me tell you what this valiant young man went through.

In his early 30s he started losing his kidney function through a disease he had with his blood and too much protein in it. He was started on steroids knowing full well the eventual outcome of steroids eating away joints. He endured numerous operations including one where his father donated a kidney. It worked for about 3 days and then they had to go back in and remove it as it was being destroyed by his disease. He had knee surgeries, a hip replacement, a shoulder replacement, diverticulitis and eventually a part of his colon removed and so as to not get graphic he was on immodium every single day his whole life after that operation, the fistula on his left arm to bring the vein to the surface so he could receive dialysis easier with the full knowledge that his arm could burst at any time and he would bleed out. He was to have that replaced with a cow or pig vein and then faced a shoulder replacement a few months after that would have been done. He died before that took place with his arm bursting open and bled out within 2 minutes just as they had warned him. Last year his face seemed "frozen" on one side and he and Nan thought it might be Bell's palsy but it turned out to be a tumor on his ear so they operated on that ear, cut out the tumor (benign) and he was deaf in that ear. Only then did he ask his mom "what did I ever do to deserve this?" He never ever complained up until that time. He and Nan traveled, camped and never let it get them down. We had to fight with him to get a handicapped sticker for his cars because he hated them and rarely used them although he was so sick. He wouldn't even park in the handicapped place at work or at dialysis center since he thought other dialysis patients would need it worse than him. He would only use it when we visited with them and since we're "older" he'd use it then—for us and not himself. (We truly didn't need it.) His co-workers were stunned when he died because only his immediate boss had any idea of his circumstances and he didn't know how bad it was. They wanted to bring in grief counselors because of that. He was Director of Product Development at his Silicon Valley company and absolutely loved going to work each day. They loved him. The chapel was full at his memorial service.

I've included roses from his garden. I went out friday evening and photographed them and then cut one from each bush to put into a boxwood wreath we ordered online.

The bushes are in bad need of trimming but he didn't have the time to do that since he was still recuperating from the operation. The gardener will prune them soon.

The roses almost seem as though they know Bill is gone and won't be tending them again. Some are wilted and some are budding out but a few are in full abundant glorious bloom.

He had all colors in the yard. This one is especially beautiful I think.

This is his favorite rose outside their kitchen window on the deck.

Another photo of his favorite rose.

This one is truly exquisite looking in its colors.

From the front of the house looking across the street.

Hubby got in this picture!

I gathered up a basket and clipped these to put into the wreath for his memorial. He wanted donations to the kidney foundation in lieu of flowers but his company and co-workers sent some bouquets.

All the roses in the wreath are from his beloved garden.

This phrase is said so often and truly meant by those who say it but he truly was a brave and dear young man who will be greatly missed by all.

New Camper Birdhouse for Pink Saturday 5/30/09

This is the little camper birdhouse I made in January and sold. I didn't want to sell it because I wasn't sure I could find another one since this was the only one they had at the time. But I did find a couple more and am making another one for OUR camper. It will NOT be for sale. But I thought I'd show you how it came together in case you might want to make one for yourself.

I finished this one the other day and it will definitely go into the camper that I've named the Rose Cottage Camper.

Garland and rose on top along with the name of the camper.

I started with a good sanding first and then painted some parts pink since they won't be covered with fabric.

Wheels will be covered with fabric though.

Some of the fabric might be lighter than others so the pink paint will help the wood to not show through.

Wordless Wednesday 5/27/09

Making Paper Roses for Pink Saturday 5/23/09

I found these darling offices and thought I'd share them with you. Aren't they gorgeous?!?! Squeeeeeeeeeeal!!!!!!!!!!!

For the froufrou-y cowgirl.

For the high fashion chick.

For lovers of pinkKKKK!!! I love the backs of the bookcases.

For the lovers of "small" offices.

For the "gotta have sun" office lovers.

~*~

I've been purchasing paper roses on line for years and today decided to try my hand at making some myself. (Okay, so they aren't pinkkkKK.......adjust, chicks! So far I've made 3 and each one gets progressively better but looking at these photos you would not know it. The numerals over each one show the order in which I've made them. The first one looks best on the photos but in actuality the number 3 one looks best. It takes a lot of lemons to produce lemonade, chicks! I'm up to the task. However, I'll always buy some from my usual source because I just love the service I get from her. Service in this case matters a great deal to me, not the price.

~*~

Random Thought:

Why in the world do they call a seedless watermelon seedless?? It still has seeds in it.

My Heart is Heavy Today

I am sorry to post this for Pink Saturday but things happened quickly here in the last 2 days. But read it and enjoy the rose garden.

My heart is extremely heavy today. Thursday my daughter called me frantically so let me tell you the story. It's quite long.

Her hubby, Bill, is a dialysis patient. He lost the use of his kidneys about 14 years ago now. His father donated a kidney and it worked for 3 days and then it shut down. So he then went on dialysis 3 days a week—monday, wednesday and friday for 4 hours each evening. He was a brave young man and didn't let it keep him from doing anything. He was very valiant, never ever complained and tried to never let anyone know his circumstances.

He had a hip replacement a few years ago because at the beginning the steroids ate his bone joints. March 9th of this year he had his right shoulder replaced and was looking at 2 more surgeries this year—a fistula on his left arm, which provided access to his veins for the dialysis and then after that healed they were going to replace his left shoulder.

The fistula grew so big on his arm it looked like the hulk only worse. It stretched the skin to its limit. The picture will give you some idea but his was on the upper part of his arm and was so big it hung down to his elbow. It looked like a snake wrapped around his upper arm twice. My daughter had to buy XXL white long sleeve shirts for him to wear to work just for that arm.

On wednesday when he went to dialysis his arm was black from the sores it had from rubbing against his chest. They think it was blisters from the rubbing and had gotten infected. They gave him antibiotics intravenously. They called his doctor and he was to go in thursday to see his doctor to get a schedule for the operation on friday to be performed by a team of doctors. He had a 4:00 appointment. This was a huge undertaking as they were going to replace it with a pig or cow vein. They were in fear of it splitting open.

He worked at home on thursday and at about 2:30 he went out to water his favorite roses in the back yard. My daughter was napping on the sofa in the family room. His arm exploded open, he ran in and asked her to help him. She tried to get the tourniquet on him but he was bleeding out fast and the blood made it so slippery she couldn't get it tied off. (He had been warned that if it broke he had MAX of 2 minutes to tie it off or he'd bleed out.) She ran out of the bathroom to the office phone and called 911. Then she heard a thud in the bathroom and knew he had fainted. She stood there watching her hubby die. I can't even imagine seeing that happen. Blood was all over the home as the heart was pumping the blood furiously out. He bleed out before the EMTs got here. Nan heard him take his last breath when the EMTs walked through the door. Blood was just pooling rapidly under his body. They couldn't get a heartbeat but rushed him to the hospital. A vast team of doctors worked on him for about an hour and then came out to tell her they couldn't get a heartbeat but would keep working on him if she wanted but that he would almost assuredly be a vegetable. She said no, stop working on him. They did. She and my grandson just broke down and they had to put them both on gurneys, administer her some valium and give him some albuterol as he had an asthma attack.

If Bill could have held out for one more day he would have had the operation to repair that valve. Bill's doctor called Nan friday morning and just cried and apologized for not getting it done sooner. He was devastated as he'd taken care of Bill for many years. It has been devastating to this family, especially with the other tragedy of our son being attacked recently. We're a strong religious family and know we will see Bill again. My heart is broken and I can't tell you how many tears we've all shed. Hubby and I are here now in California with our daughter. I truly cannot imagine how his mother is feeling as I almost knew what it was like, but my son was saved. My heart grieves for my daughter being a widow at 47. Bill was 46. But his mother loves him with a mother's love and that is also very strong.

The above photos are of Bill's garden that he was tending the day he died. He loved that garden. The first seven photos are of his favorite rose outside their kitchen. He just loved the fragrance of that particular rose. He will be greatly missed. The rose bush looks like it is weeping for him. I know we all are.

Bill
Nov. 1962 - May 2009
~*~

Okay, for an update on Keith.

He was called by the juvenile D.A. (never knew there was such a thing) on thursday. He was told they have 4 guys in custody now. One is a juvenile and the D.A. asked if he wanted to be in the court for the arraignment on friday. He said YOU BETCHA! They wouldn't let my daughter-in-law or my grandson, who is 20, in the court room. Since it is juvenile court there were privacy issues. Keith was assigned a police guard and was taken into a small room to wait. Then he was taken into the court room and put on one side in the back of the room. The guard stayed with in the whole time. The parents of the defendant were then shown in and put on the other side of the room. The 15 year old defendant was then brought into the room. He pled not guilty, of course. The police "found" him in the jail. He has been in jail for the last 30 days in solitary confinement lockdown level 10. He sits in that cell for 23 hours a day and is let out into a private yard for 1 hour each day. That's for the worst bad guys. He asked the judge if he could have a chat with his parents, who Keith said looked like the average hard-working parents. He felt so sad for them. He then asked the judge to lessen his confinement level down from 10. The judge looked at him and said "I see no reason to change that" [score!!] and will leave it as stands. He said he'd leave it up to the probation department to do something if they wanted to. The young man is one bad dude and was in a gang. Then it was over for that day. I cannot be happy for a 15 year old boy who will probably spend the better part of his life in a prison. I'd hope he would straighten out his life. It doesn't look good for his child. He's looking at a long time in prison. Sad............