The Road to Hagerstown

As painful as it was to have to climb BACK in the car today, it was an absolute thrill to be able to take the 270 spur westward, rather than to have to go all the way around the Beltway on the way to bloody Baltimore.

I left at 8:30 this morning in order to make it to Homewood by 10 - I had an easy trip (listening to Jane Austen's "Emma" on my iPod - yes, I'm weird) and arrived a bit early - 9:45. Fortunately, I had my GPS because Homewood was hard to locate, surrounded as it is by quite a bit of construction. Here's a photo of the front - don't mind the sun glare.

As per Mom's instructions, I entered the building and attempted to sign in with the woman at the front desk - except apparently the woman does not work on Sundays. They apparently rely on the "Honor System." I signed the book and took the painfully slow elevator to the third floor. There, I was required to enter a "code" to go into Hugh's unit. This hallway was very much an elderly care facility. Memories of visiting Nan came flooding back. It was a little scary, but Hugh has a little oasis in Room 305.

He looks absolutely fantastic. It was a treat to see him in street clothes, sitting in a "real" chair, and able to get up under his own power and walk into the hallway. Hooray! Here's a photo of him relaxing in his chair with feet up (nurses' orders!).

He LOVES Homewood and said that while the place may not look like much, the people and the food are great and those are the top two things on his list of importance, so there you have it. On Saturday night, he thought they were serving grilled cheese sandwiches (which were actually on the "alternative" menu) and when he got something else instead and expresed mild disappointment, one of the staff went back to the kitchen and got the man a grilled cheese sandwich. It doesn't take much to make him happy, but how nice is that? One of his other favorite nurses spent $2 of her own money to buy him a paper on the way in to work today. Since I had brought his wallet, he took some cash out and we made sure to repay the nurse. Now he has a few bucks to buy his own paper, too.

He's very much his old self and had me laughing out loud. Imagine his delight when one of the nurses asked for a stool sample and he was able to hand her this: (you may have to click on the picture to see it in full size).

Anyway, he's doing great and despite some shortness of breath, is making great strides. He'll probably stay at Homewood for the full 20 days approved by Medicare. He wants to be in as good health as possible so he won't "burden" Mom upon his return home. He DOES have a TV in his room (no Pay-per-View nonsense at Homewood) and he was excited about this afternoon's showdown between the Steelers and Colts.


I stayed until 11, at which point I think he was a little tuckered out - though he did say that Saturday night was his first full night of sleep since the surgery. It was a little tricky getting OUT of the unit - you have to enter the "code" several times, including at the elevator. Mom told me afterward that I was also supposed to hit a "*" at the elevator, which I didn't know and which probably explains why I only got an elevator when a random man arrived at the third floor. They REALLY don't want people wandering in OR out.


After having to debate the merits of subs from Sheetz with both Mom AND Hugh, I overruled them both and went to Freddie's. Hugh argued that the Sheetz' subs are "Made to Order," to which I had to reply, "yes, made to order by someone who has just finished pumping gas!" I brought subs for both Mom and me to her house for an early lunch. No trip to Hagerstown would be complete without a trip to Good Old Freddies. Had to include a photo for posterity.

Steven and his crew were supposed to meet us at Mom's at 11:30. I, of course, arrived at the stroke of 11:30. He rolled in at some point after noon with Terry, Dane, and Deven. We had a great time and laughed a lot. It was probably a lot for Mom today, since she's still recovering from the yanked back. But she seemed to tolerate it fairly well. Dane and Deven performed their usual cut up routine, which really had me rolling. At 1:00, we all went our separate ways. Steven and his group to visit Hugh and me - home. Here's a photo of Steven and the boys, with Mom, while Mom talks to Hugh on the phone.