More Hospital Time

This time it isn't me though. My son called me Wednesday and said his chest was hurting him. I told him to come get me and we'd go to the hospital. He didn't like the idea because he's been in the hospital far too often as a kid.
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Three years ago, his left lung spontaneously collapsed. I was holding him when the surgeon put the chest tube in. Let me tell you, it was not a fun experience. He was in the hospital about a week and I stayed on a tiny cot beside his bed. When it came out, we were told it wouldn't happen again. Well, a week later it happened again. The hospital where he was the first time wouldn't touch him again and he was sent to another hospital 45 minutes away. They refused to allow me to be in his room and I could only be in there for 20 minutes every few hours. That can't happen anymore.
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So we get to the hospital on Wednesday and after a CT and Chest X~Ray, he had another lung collapse, so I was standing there holding his hand while the tube was inserted. It kills me that, as a mother, I wasn't able to protect my baby. He's 20 years old, but he'll always be my baby. Mothers understand that.

It's now Sunday and I have been out of here for less than an hour. Yesterday, I had to go home and shower. I could smell myself and it wasn't pretty. :(
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The chest tube was crimped yesterday and his chest e~xray today looks good. When the surgeon looks at him, he'll pull out the tube and if it looks good enough, he'll he able to go home. We're hoping that happens. It's been a very long week.
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I've been here too long and I'm starting to lose my mind. I think I'll be going home today, whether or not he is released today or tomorrow. I need a break, it's time for Daddy to sleep on this lumpy couch.
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I missed the Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous for the second year in  a row. Last year, I had just had knee surgery and couldn't walk around. I'm having the knee fixed again next month because the first surgeon really did a lot of damage to me. I can't forgive that. He knew he wasn't qualified to fix my knee but did it anyhow. I would never allow him to work on my pet rock.
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The snow is really coming down hard. I'm not looking forward to driving home in this. I rarely drive anymore. The pain and other health problems have takeaway my ability to live a normal life. What did I do in that previous life to deserve this punishment? I hope I at least lot of fun doing it!
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Will update this after I talk to his surgeon. Have a good day, all!

Just a cousin??

The past week and a half has been a total nightmare for my family and myself. I keep trying to wake up from it, but nothing works. I have to accept it's my new reality. A reality where my 37-year old cousin Bobby is no longer with us. Writing that sentence is impossible to do, but I managed it somehow. I loved him with all my heart and soul. We were 9 years apart, but that never mattered.

I received a condolence call a couple days after his mother was strong enough to turn the machines off and let his broken body release his soul. Keeping him on it would be cruel. He'd never laugh, smile, talk, walk or even acknowledge we were there. A single car accident took that away. I hope, if the day comes where I'm in that bed, my husband will be so kind to me.

Growing up, I didn't know that everyone's best friends were their cousins. I didn't care that I didn't have anyone in the neighborhood to play with because I had my cousins. We were always together. Our entire family was always together. Except for my dad's one week of vacation where it was my parents, brother and I going somewhere, that truck was filled with three generations of our family going to Niagara Falls, a county fair, amusement parks or wherever we happened to go. To us, that was normal, we honestly didn't know everyone didn't live the same way. We always received the same gifts for Christmas, went the same places, did the same things. It was how we were raised.

When we were almost 3, my brother joined the gang and he was just another person to be with. My aunt had a second family, two more girls and a boy (our Bobby) when we were 9. I babysat the three of them for a few years, then they pulled away because of outside problems. That is my biggest regret to this day ~~ I didn't get to have the years with them like I did my other two cousins.

As adults, the world runs different and after my grandma and grandpa left the world, the family wasn't as close. When my great aunt and uncle left us, it fractured the family. Weeks, months would go by and I wouldn't see them or even know where they were. It broke my heart, but I knew deep down if I needed them, a phone call would get them here.

March 3, 2006, our world was destroyed when the first born into the next generation was killed in a car wreck on his way to school. Michael was only 17. That horror brought us back together where we knew where we needed to be and it stayed that way for many more years. Then slowly life pulled us apart again, until this Thanksgiving when another one~car accident took another of us. We piled in three cars and drove to Ohio to be there for a final good bye and to let him know we were never really apart and never would be. I had my hand on his chest for the final heartbeat, holding his sister. I'll never get over it. None of us will.

It's like a part of my body has been cut out. There's a piece missing and I can't get it back. I walk around in a daze, not really getting anything done and not caring. Who cares that the dishes aren't done? Bobby is gone. I thought letting my thoughts flow would help let some of the pain go away. I'm not sure typing and crying is what I need, but it's what I have to do. Writing has always been my way of coping.

Back to the call. I'm sure she meant well, but it was like a punch in the gut when she said that offensive sentence, "Well, you're lucky, he was ONLY your cousin." I pity her and those like her who don't have a family they can call on and have on your doorstep in minutes. Ones that would drop everything and come to your side. Even when we don't see each other daily or even weekly, I still know one call will bring an army to my door that nothing can break. Yes, they are my cousins, but there is no "JUST" about them. Family is family.

Tomorrow is our final chance to see that beloved face and say our "Until we meet against." My yellow rose, a locket and two quarters to pay the Ferryman are with him from my son and myself. We follow the old ways. He also has his Bible and so many photos, friends, awards. The funeral home is filled with photos of him. He was so full of life! He loved fishing, softball, pool, darts, collecting autographs, working with wood (he was a master carver) and his Ford Mustang. I also have a Ford Mustang and he was always laughing that we'd race and his would beat my Betty Lou. We never had a chance to have that race. My body is breaking and I can't do the things I use to. I'm sure he'll be waiting for me and we'll race when I get to the Summerlands.

Until we meet again, Bobby, I'll love you forever and a day.

Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous

The annual Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous has started and will be in full swing as the week goes on. Since I can't walk yet, I sent my hubby and daughter to get a cheesesteaks from one of the food booths and take a few photos, so I can see the incredible work. My surgeon doesn't want me putting any weight on the left leg until tomorrow and even then it will be baby steps only.

I do hope to at least get down there one day. Probably Friday because everyone will be working, but the massive crowds that will attend the annual carving auction won't be here until Saturday. There are literally thousands of people who attend, hoping to pick up a piece of original extreme art. Chainsaw carving has increased in popularity since the Boni brothers started this event over a decade ago. The first year it was open to the public, less than a handful of carvers attended. Now there are hundreds that attend and create such beauty out of a log. If you have never seen this unique artistry, you are truly missing out on a treat of a lifetime. It kills me not to be there every day. I've asked hundreds of the carvers how they create the image out of a log. They explain that they look at the log and see the finished piece just waiting to come out. We have several small pieces. My daughter bought the cutest mouse a few years ago and I bought an incredible walking stick that was hand carved by a master artist from down near Gettysburg. I take it on all our walking trips. I tend to stumble when walking, so the staff works wonders.

I've met and interviewed carvers from around the USA and the world. My favorite are the Germans because I speak broken German, so interviews with them are half German and half English. It somehow works! They are always surprised to be greeted in their own language in this tiny town. They should have learned by now, if you want to learn from the masters in painting, go to Paris, if you want to learn from the masters in the extreme art of chainsaw carving, you go to Ridgway. A champion carver from England told me that several years ago and I can never forget it. Everyone in that world has heard of our town thanks to the Boni family. With less than 5,000 people living here in the middle of the Allegheny Forest, that is staying something. We've had international journalists cover the event. It was one of my favorite events to cover every year.

The carvers are all friendly. Even if they can't speak more than a few words of broken English, a smile is universal and there isn't a carver out there that doesn't smile while working for when they catch the eye of a visitor watching them. Their time has come. They finally have respect and their art is finally commanding the respect (and price tag) they so richly deserve.



The art and chance to talk to people from so many States and countries isn't the only draw. There are food booths! My family's personal favorite is the cheesesteak/hot sausage stand. I think I need to stop there tomorrow after my doctor's appointment. There are also the most sinfully delicious dessert ever created ~~ deep fried Oreo cookies! I just give up on my diet this week. It's impossible to go there, smell that delicious food cooking and not stop and buy it.

Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous Day Four

Today is the fourth day of the 14th annual Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous. The morning started out horrible with sleet and snow turning the town into a cold, slippery, miserable mess. Of course, the extreme artists couldn't be out working in those conditions. Schools in town were operating on a two-hour delay, hoping the roads would be clear and it would be safe to bring the students in. I had a County government meeting to cover at 10 a.m., so Arielle dropped me off there while she ran around town taking care of a few errands.

Following the meeting, we stopped at home to grab a backpack to carry my gear in and keep it out of the rain and dry as well as an umbrella to keep my camera safe, then walked down to the closest area set aside for the carvers. It's only about a two-minute walk from our front door. Sadly, only one artist was working, but there were plenty examples of the stunning creations at each tent.



After we photographed our favorite pieces, we came home to have lunch and catch up on one of the TV shows we enjoy watching on SyFy called Face Off. It's a contest for make-up artists that allows you to see behind the curtain and learn how the make-up and other special effects are created. There is a new episode on tonight, so we want to watch last week's show to see who was eliminated. We'll go uptown later this afternoon (hopefully, it will stop raining by then) and check out all the work there. We hope to find a little piece to bring home to help remind us of the incredible amount of talent in this world. We pick something up each year. My absolute favorite piece is a stunning walking stick created by a carver from Gettysburg. It goes with every year we visit.



The Rendezvous continues through Saturday, so I'll be posting many more photos by then. That day, I also have to photograph a business expo in a near-by town as well as my cousin's daughter's wedding. That will be a very busy day.

Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous

Here's my article and a photo that will be posted in the morning's Bradford ERA.





RIDGWAY – The 14th annual Ridgway Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous begins today and runs through next Saturday, Feb. 23 with the most popular event in the region, the chainsaw carving auction. Carvers can be found throughout the town, including: South Broad, Center and Court Streets, Country Squirrel Outfitters, Keystone True Value and Ridgway Record Parking Lot. One of the new events will be a fireworks display being held Friday evening.

The event began with a small group of six carvers in 2000 and has grown each year to become the world's largest non-competitive event of its kind. Ridgway has been dubbed, “The Chainsaw Carving Capital of the World." Each year they challenge themselves to do better than the last. In previous years, an estimated 30,000 people visited the event. A similar number is expected for this year. “When old painters want to learn, they went to the masters in Europe. If you really want to learn chainsaw carving, you have to go to the masters here in Ridgway. This is where the Mecca is,” Dennis Heath of England said at a previous event. “It’s an emerging fine art form that really has its roots in the United States,” Liz Boni, co-creator of the rendezvous said.

Hundreds of chainsaw carvers from literally all over the world are given a chance to show off their art form, sell a sculpture, either large or small and help raise money for charity through the auction. Throughout the week-long event, visitors can watch the carvers create, attend various seminars and enjoy festival food and crafts for sale. Presentations and demonstrations on the art form, techniques, practices, practical issues, occupational health and business aspects of chainsaw art will be held. Beginning Monday morning through Thursday, a selection of professionals will present educational information and demonstrations to share with other artists and the public.

Some of the carvers who will attend this year's Rendezvous are coming from cities and towns throughout Pennsylvania, Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin; as well as Canada, Chile, Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The week of events will close with the auction. Each carver is asked to donate a piece to the auction, some will donate more. The auction is a rare chance for the public to own a piece of history. Each carving is individual and no two can ever be alike. With thousands of individuals registering to bid, arriving early is the only way to ensure a seat.

Schedule of Events:

Saturday – 16th 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Carver arrival and setup. Many will have carvings for sale.
Sponsor booths can be visited in the Masonic Temple.
Craft Vendors will set up at 253 Main Street store front.
8 p.m. – Bubba Bradley – NBC’S Last Comic Standing
Will be performing at Aiello’s Café. Tickets available at the door.

Sunday – 17th Noon – 5 p.m.
Carvers will entertain audiences and have carvings for sale at all locations.
Sponsor Booths – Masonic Temple.
Craft Vendors will set up at 253 Main Street store front.

Monday – Thursday (18th – 21st)
Carving Seminars 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the American Legion (Main Street).
Carving at all locations until 5 p.m.

Friday – 22nd
Carving from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sponsor Booths – Masonic Temple.
1-3 p.m. Horse Drawn Carriage rides at the Ridgway Welcome Center (weather permitting – donation).
8:00 pm Pyro Technique Display – NEW THIS YEAR!!
In the field behind Lazy River Canoe – along the Clarion River.

Saturday – 23rd
Carving throughout the day.
AUCTION Starts at 12 p.m. until it’s done – located on Court Street.
10 a.m. -? Horse Drawn Carriage Rides at the Ridgway Welcome Center (weather permitting- donation).