A Secret Revealed...

Today, I'll share a secret with you. Some of you know, but perhaps most of you do not, that I write my daily blog posts late at night the day before they appear on my blog. Sometimes, but rarely, I'll write them and schedule them to appear on a certain day, but usually it's just the night before.

I write them as though I'm writing them the day of the post, but now you know. I cheat...except for today.

Today - Sunday - I've spent on the road in my Explorer. I've left Handsome, Tag, hearth and home to go to Wisconsin to be with Mom Grace. She's been quite ill, and those of us who love her are concerned. Out of respect for her privacy, I will not go into detail, but I felt compelled to travel back into cold weather and possibly snow, rather than wait until summer, when we'd planned to go back again.

I left home at 7:30 this morning and drove over 800 miles to Nashville, TN. As I write this (7:42 pm central time - an hour earlier than home), I'm in my pj's with my laptop on my...er...lap...exhausted. It seemed that there was heavy traffic all bloody day for every. single. mile. I drove! The photo above was mostly stopped traffic in Atlanta. (There was an accident about 2 miles ahead.) Grrr!

I got to do the stop and go traffic two more times, but mostly there was just lots of humanity on the road...on a Sunday! What the...? I had expected an easy day of driving and found something quite different.

I'll drive the rest of the way to Wisconsin today, and hope to arrive early enough to get to the hospital for visiting hours. Mom said she wants me to stay at her home, so I'll accept her gracious offer. About 600 miles to go and I'll be with her.

For now, I'm tired, cold and a bit weepy (I know. Just like a little kid.) I already ate a little something hot and will close this note to you with a few notes of thanks...

Thank you, my Quilt shop Coffee friends - Kathy, Nora, Betty, Brenda and Flo (Faye wasn't there yesterday, or I know she would have helped, too!). I saw you on Saturday, a bit completely frazzled because I had things that I needed to finish for the quilt show next week. You took my quilt submissions for the show. You added a sleeve to the one quilt that needed one (because I did it wrong), delivered them to Joan today because I wouldn't be home to do it, and took a huge load off my shoulders. I love all of you and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for caring for me.

Thank you, Farmer's Wife QAL girlfriends for taking care of each other by answering questions and helping solve problems while I am unable to do so.

Thank you, Handsome, for understanding that I had to go - and for supporting my decision to drive. Oh, yes...and for caring for Tag while I'm away. I won't say more. You already know.

Thank you to my own mum and my beautiful sister, Diana for calling me on and off throughout the day to break up the tedium with stories and news.

Thank you to all my friends, near and far, for adding your prayers to mine that Grace will be alright.

I'll close for tonight before I get further "soppy".  I will tell you that I brought those scrappy plates with me so I can continue to stitch centers on the blocks once I settled in in Wisconsin. That way, I'll have some crafty posts while I'm away from home. More tomorrow. I have to turn off my brain and my lights now.