Facing the end of one's life
lucillle
5 years ago
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Bleah tasting avocados - signal end of life?
Comments (12)Thank you so much garden web community for all the great info! @ yukkuri name - I never thought about grafting so I will definitely look into that. @ lgteacher - got it about the ripening, they were unfortunately still tasting bad even after ripening off the tree @ tropical thought - thanks for the link. I am definitely sure it was planted as a tree, and not from seed. The previous owners gave us a scrap book that showed their grandparents planting the tree in the yard back int the 40s @hoovb - this info is great! Based on what you said, in september we definitely picked them to early. A few we had picked recently had the black fibers. I will check next time for the seed cover. What a bummer. I hope we did not miss the peak @ wcgypsy - I I have no idea what variety this avocado is, but I will take one to the local gardening store and see if they can id the type. I included a picture below in case anyone in the forum can ID Here is a link that might be useful: Pic of my avocados...See MoreMy Fig is coming to life - only end of Feb
Comments (7)Green leafy growth under the skylight is a good sign that the tree is alive. It would extend the growing season and allow more time for any figs to ripen in NYC. You probably won't get figs on a one year old tree the first year, at least I don't but I am in zone 5. You are supposed to give the tree some chill hours during the winter so it can go dormant in order for it to produce figs. But it appears your tree was dormant. I have some Hardy Chicago air-layered branches that I just cut from the mother tree while dormant. I'm hoping to see some green buds soon, I potted them and have them in front of a window. I will put them outside when it is warmer. A little water to keep the roots from drying out too much is good, If it is still dormant, it needs very little water because it is not actively metabolizing it....See MoreEnd of life/advanced directives
Comments (5)That story really struck me, especially the part about the mother pulling out her feeding tube. Last November my 94 year old mother fell again and was sent to the ER. Of course, we immediatly went to see her and she seemed OK. However later that afternoon she was admitted with a pneumonia diagnosis. Later that evening her heart started racing uncontrollably and they had to give her additional mediction for that. When we went to see her the next morning, we discovered that she had puffy white "boxing glove" things on her hands. The nurse explained that she had torn out the IV with her medications, so they had to put the special gloves on her. Before I even went into her room, I saw her with the gloves up to her mouth and she was gnawing at them trying to remove them. When she saw me, she started crying out my name, begging me to get those things off her. Then she started calling for my husband to do the same. I tried to calm her and comfort her but she was still horribly agitated. My mother suffered from Alzheimer's, so reasoning with her and explaining the need for the IVs was out of the question. I looked at her, so scared, so agitted, and realized that I could NOT do this to her. We had all the legalities and directives in place. We'd already had all the conversations. So I asked to talk to the doctor in charge. He explained that in my mother's wekened state, it could take weeks for her pneumonia to clear up. In the meantime, she'd have the IVs. Then, even if she got better, she'd spend quite a while in a convelescent facility recuperating. All I could think of was that she would end up so weak that she'd permanently be in a wheelchair. And with little ability to interact with others (Every medical crisis had a negative effect on her Alzheimer's). By the time the doctor was done talking to me and my husband, our daughter had arrived. She immediatly went into my mom's room, took the gloves off, and just held her hands so she wouldn't tear out her IVs. I told the doctor that I knew what my mom wanted, I knew she wasn't afraid of death. I said I couldn't sentence her to weeks or months of misery. I told him to remove the IVs and put her on palliative care. He understood and accepted my wishes. Both my husband and daughter agreed with my decision too. So we all went back into her room and spent the entire afternoon with her. We sang songs, I read the 23rd Psalm to her (she was still able to recite much of it with me, especially the part about dwelling in the house of the Lord forever), we talked about Greek cooking, and my daughter's upcoming wedding. Eventually her fiance arrived and my mom was able to talk with him too. It was a wonderful time together with my mom. When we left her, we all prayed together. And my mother said a strong, "Amen!" My biggest worry was that the anitbiotics she'd had for one day would somehow work just enough to prolong her suffering. The next morning we saw her again, but she was so weak and pretty much out of it. However, she was clutching the little teddy bear I got her the day before. Later that afternoon, I got the call that she had died. As strange as it may seem, the first words out of my mouth were, "Thank the Lord!" She wasn't suffering anymore, she hadn't died scared, agitated, or upset. I've never second guessed my decision. I remember her crying my name. She was trusting me to deliver her from that frightening situation. I was her only child, so the resposibility was mine. She died a good death, spending her last hours of consciousness with her family....See MoreA very sad update to my 'End of Life, Regrets' thread.
Comments (26)Thank you golddust. My dad loved facebook. He loved posting old pics on there and reminiscing and being nostalgic. His services were yesterday. It was standing room only. He was loved by many people. It was really touching to see just how many, although it was a long exhausting day and it's now pretty much just a blur. My Dad has always been there when I needed him for pretty much anything. It is going to be tough not to be able to just pick up the phone and call him. Or even worse, the sad reality of him not being here for our next big family party in August. There will definitely be a huge void. In my heart of hearts, I know he is ok. I'm not extremely religious but I firmly believe in God and what he holds for us after we pass from this life. I have received many signs since his passing, and I have not even looked for any. I just have so many unanswered questions regarding his estate and he did not have a will. So unfortunately, I have a long road ahead with the estate. He was part owner of a business in which the partner stopped paying him profits and he had started litigation against the partner. He was also involved in suing my grandfather's partner for his estate because the partner had forged a check and wiped my grandfather's accounts clean while he was ill. I'm sure the stress of it all contributed to his sudden death. He was devastated to have been betrayed by both of them. Not looking forward to any of it, but I will right the wrongs that were brought against him. The moral: If you don't have a will, get one now. Life is fragile and it could end any second, it's a great mystery and we just never know when our time is up....See Morelucillle
5 years agolucillle
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