emergency trip

i think gwen was the only one i told, well other than heidi that i was taking an emergency trip up to ohio to see my paw paw perry. he is either 84 or 86 years old and has prostate cance and bladder cancer. so he had surgery monday, and we weren't sure he was going to make it so we came up to ohio. he is doing very well and today was moved out of ICU and into a little less coverage room. either today or tomorrow he will be getting to sit up finally. to quote him and his experience, "you never know what you have until you can't even reach around and scratch your own behind." (pronounced BE-hind) yes folks, that is paw paw. i got in there and said "paw paw you are lookin' good!" ( i always slip back into the west virginia vernacular when i get around mom's side of the family...its in the blood...) he said, "hill-ry (pronounced hill-ree no "a") you know you're gettin' old when folks say you're lookin' good instead of good lookin'." paw paw has told me that ever since i was little, so i knew if he was pulling out the jokes he was going to be ok. he had a few other choice things to say, but if you want to know them, come and ask me. =) we go to see him again tonight. paw paw is a wonderful man. he and maw maw were married when she was 15 and he was 18. there is a picture of them (they had been married for two years i think when it was taken) at paw paw's graduation. high school graduation. rather frightening. he went to WWII with the rest of the boys in that day and was a welder on the burma/china/india pipe lines. he was gone for four years. maw maw waited for him and i think sent him a fruit cake that was smashed, and took a year to get to him, but he came back and they settled on the farm. paw paw bought the farm for $10,000 cash (which was a lot back then) and 600 acres surrounding it and got down to farming. one of my favorite stories from maw maw and paw paw is the day he came back from the war. maw maw heard the taxi pull into the driveway and ran out of the house. she had half her hair up in curlers, and the other half was down. paw paw said she looked so beautiful. i love that. now, five kids, twenty two grandkids (one that died), four great grandkids, and 65 years after they were married paw paw is in the hospital for the first time.

it is hard to think that paw paw is getting old, but he is still feisty as ever and i love him to peices. i have so many stories, i should do a family series. stories from paw paw. i think i might. i love you paw paw. you are amazing. =)