Mom Okay, World Confusing

[akirlu]

My mother is not going to die of mushroom poisoning. She's fine now ("fine" for local values, anyway), and they let her out of the hospital yesterday afternoon, before my plane even landed. There's a long story after that (and before that, too, come to think of it), involving an unplanned drive out to Mariposa last night with my brother and sister-in-law just in from Phoenix driving us all in their rental car, and driving back this morning after a night in Merced, but the upshot is that Mom has been delivered safely back to Dad at the house, and I am now back in the Bay Area, feeling a bit shell shocked and dazed. I'll stay out at least some portion of my week here, after all, because the Parents finally managed to sell the house in Willow Glen and I'm not convinced that Dad is really up to managing getting the last stuff cleared before escrow closes (on the 15th). So, for a couple of nights I'm with athenais and then down Tuesday with vgqn and magscanner so that I can get to Booksin bright and early Wednesday to help direct the laborers, and meet up with my Dad. After that, who the hell knows, but for the next two days I'm at somewhat loose ends and likely to fuck off to San Francisco or something similar, so if anyone wants to get together, I guess I'm free after all.

So, um, yeah, hi, not the trip I expected. But at least Mom is as okay as she gets these days.

Comments

[malibrarian.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear that Mom is doing well and you'll be useful for Dad during the move. So enjoy yourself in SF for a few days!

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

My mother is not going to die of mushroom poisoning.

Great news!

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is. Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes.

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

I am very glad your mom is better. Helping them clear out the house is probably the best thing you can do. Welcome to the world of parents. They're even more confusing that when you were a teenager.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Well, I've already been useful in keeping Mom's attention mostly on me for the 3+ hour drive across the San Joaquin valley, so that Pam & Georg could focus on getting us there, but yeah, helping organize the clearing out is likely to be a good match of need with ability, too. There's not much that needs moving, it's mostly organizing the stuff for the dump.

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

Stuff for the dump is the hardest. Keep a few tissues in your pocket.

I'm glad your mom is better

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I've only picked mushrooms alone once, and didn't poison myself, but by the time I got them home, the dratted things turned out to have maggots in 'em, so I've forsworn the practice.

I hope everything goes a lot better for your family and the rest of your visit.

Re: I'm glad your mom is better

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

My mother is a long-time veteran of picking wild mushrooms, and Really Should Have Known Better, which is part of why I was never entirely sure this wasn't some sort of harebrained suicide attempt, but that's not something I'm likely to know for sure.

Re: I'm glad your mom is better

[annafdd.livejournal.com]

I was wondering, yes. She is very lucky to have emerged with her own liver, though - now that she's out of the woods I can post this.

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear she's going to be okay! Ah, Booksin -- that brings back childhood memories.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, you were right in the neighborhood. I mentioned you to my sister-in-law in case she might have known you, but she went to Sacred Heart -- only her brother went to St. Chris.

I'm glad to hear that

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

about your mother.

I'd never be brave enough to pick mushrooms except out of a produce bin at the grocery store or produce market.

Re: I'm glad to hear that

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the good wishes!

Sending lots of love

[quirky-teal.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the update. I've been thinking of you all weekend. Glad the news is good. Try to enjoy a little "down-time" before the move stuff on Wednesday. So nice to have lots of friends to stay with.

Love always, Mombob

Re: Sending lots of love

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yes, the kindness and generosity of friends is a manifold blessing.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

More sighs of relief from this corner. And a couple days to spend in SF sounds like a great bonus!

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Thank you, and yes, I hope to see some sights now that I have a bit of unexpected vacation.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Phew!

Having just lost someone to a sudden, out of nowhere attack of bacterial meningitis, these things are really scary.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Yes, the out-of-the-blue direness is very scary.

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Oh, good news then.

[cluefairy-j.livejournal.com]

I hadn't ready LJ in the past few days due to my own insanity (but fun insanity, not like yours) and I'm very glad to hear your mom isn't going to die!

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

What a rollercoaster ride. Good luck with all the rest of your labors, and may you have some fun in between the difficult parts.

[19-crows.livejournal.com]

Whoah. I just caught up with all this. I'm glad your mom is going to be okay and hope this trip is as good as can be expected.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Well, that's all very good. Enjoy yourself in SF. So now that it's all over, you want to tell us *how* your mother came to eat a death cap?

MKK

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

My mother is an Unreliable Narrator, and my folks' handyman may not be better, so I'm not sure we'll ever have a definitive word on that, but it seems that the handyman they have helping on the property was showing her some pieces of mushroom he had mown down while weed-whacking and she asked to look closer and then popped it in her mouth. She claims it was tasty -- much like ordinary champignon mushrooms. It's possible she thought she knew what she was looking at -- she's been picking mushrooms in the wild for 60-odd years -- and she's hard to divert once her ego is involved, so it may have been a case of trying to prove something (I know not what).

Short answer: it's a mystery.

[annafdd.livejournal.com]

Yes, Amanita Phalloides is supposed to taste good, as reported from what were once the very few survivors... also, despite the fact that every mushroom-picker has a hard look at AP every time they start out, it looks a lot like other, innocuos mushroom. That's partly why it's so dangerous. She might just have gone, "oh, oooooops..."

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

I'm glad your mother will be okay!

[prettymuchpeggy.livejournal.com]

Whew!

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Looking forward to seeing you soon! Happy we're able to help.

[davidgoldfarb.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear things are going to be all right.

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Good news. Enjoy your unexpected holiday.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Excellent news! And it's good you can be there for the final sale of the house and get a bit of vacation.