Be Safe at Home

For the past 10 days or so I have loved visiting with my pal Deb and her husband Lloyd. I am so grateful for the afternoons we have spent. They are leaving Monday and I am happy/sad. THRILLED for them but sad for me. Solution: ROAD TRIP!!!

And so, yesterday, I was at the ready with my phone, waiting for Deb to call and see when we could meet up for our afternoon coffee. I talked to both my kiddos, too. The afternoon was good. Then, I got a call...

"Penelope Rudder? This is Be Safe at Home. Your mother has fallen and paramedics are on their way to her."

In the ring of a phone, everything changed. Within a few moments, I was able to call my mom, shout out to her that help was coming, call our neighbors, verify the police/medics were on their way and feel like, although I am half a country away, things were calm, being handled with love and efficiency and she would have help within minutes. By the time I talked to my brother in Canada a few minutes later, all was pretty well under control and I could assure him as well that things were good. This all went down in about 4-5 minutes from the time my mom hit the alarm button on her "necklace".

Everything turned out fine and she is skinned up but OK. To lighten the mood, I even accused her of doing some Dancing with The Stars moves...we are addicts. Seriously.

I thought it was appropriate to share one of Mom's favorite recipes while I make a call to my hairdresser...more than a few new gray hairs today! And tons of hugs to Be Safe at Home and to neighbors extraordinaire, Tim and Robin!  You guys are amazing. What a great job you did!

For those of you in a similar long-distance caregiver situation, check to see if this company is available to you. Also, like we did, do a couple of dry runs to be sure it does work as promised and have some other folks on board who know where your family emergency information is and can get to both that and your loved one. I found this company as a recommendation from my mom's local police and fire departments and we did a full "rehearsal" with them. Also, now that we have gone through the real thing, I am aware of several "tweaks" I need to make to have this go even better! xoxoxo

Mom's Broccoli Salad

6 cups fresh broccoli florets
6 green onions, sliced
1 cup diced celery
1 cup green grapes
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar. honey or agave nectar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, onions, celery and grapes. In another bowl, mix mayo, sugar and vinegar. Pour over veggies and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Stir in almonds just before serving. Serves 8.