Stuff

It has been a long, emotionally draining day.  I didn't manage to get up to see Roger before surgery- today was really busy at work.  But I did get to spend a little time with Sharon, his wife, not long after she had met with the surgeons to learn the outcome.   Sadly,  none of Roger's foot was salvageable.  He ended up with an amputation about mid calf.  Sharon was looking shell shocked.  They had known that this was a possibility but had hoped for the best. She is feeling totally overwhelmed.  Unfortunately, there is little I can do to make things better.  They had relied mostly on Roger's income and with him not working, even before she got laid off her job, it was a struggle to make ends meet.  She is panicking that they may need to move (they live in a split foyer home) but I urged her to wait to see how he progresses in rehab before she makes any rash decisions.  And even after the amputation, they still have the cancer diagnosis to deal with- which hasn't really even been addressed.
It looks like the weekend is shaping up for better weather than I had hoped.  So, I think, we plan to go to their house, as a family, on Monday morning to weed the garden.  Anyone in the IC area interested in a charity weed, let me know- we would be glad of the help.
It about broke my heart when Sharon was going on about needing the food from the garden, especially if she can't find a decent job.   She was asking about drying tomatoes and if they would store that way, or if she could freeze them.  Roger is the gardener and canner in the family and she is feeling a bit out of her element-- but realizing just how important that stored food has been in their lives in the past. I did volunteer to come help with canning tomatoes if they need it.  I'm not sure how I'll be able to do that- can my produce as well as theirs- but I'll give it my best shot if necessary.
But on a brighter note- I picked the first handful of black raspberries this evening.  They didn't last long enough to make it into the house to be photographed.  V and I shared them outside in the heat.
Yes- it finally feels like summer!!  It made it over 90 today!! and mid 90's tomorrow... with high humidity, of course- it wouldn't be summer without it.  Not much work got done outside this evening with the weather.  However, I14 has decided he wants to earn some money.  So, tomorrow morning, he is going to weed the iris bed for me.  He's figured out that he needs to work for 3 hours to have enough money to buy a game that he wants. Definitely doable in his  eyes.
I feel like I've been a bit of a downer these past few days.  I'll try to be more upbeat in the future- I'm just beat.