Anyone who grew up in Birmingham would remember The Pizitz as a wonderful department store in the center of down town. We lived in a new part of Birmingham away from town in a home designed and built by my parents with four children Long Sunday afternoons we played kickball or later teather ball. A whole wall allowed one to hit a tennis ball for hours. Games played like Annie Over where a tennis ball was thrown over the roof and if caught the one that caught it would sneak around and then try and hit the opponent with the ball thus making them go to the other side. If you could run around back to your side you didn't have to go to the other side. The game was won when one side had all the team members of the opponent. Daddy made is own grill with cinder blocks and a steel grate that he would light hickory wood under for the most divine Sirloin Steaks. No one lived near by so you could ride your bike up and down the gravel road without seeing a soul. I had a Mimosa tree I climbed to look out. We had horses we rode and because the house was made for children there were large rooms where we could roller skate inside with our boot skates. When the milkman came we would ride with him to the end of the road and walk back to the house.
We went to Highlands United Methodist Church so we did come to town for church.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Sloss Fest and More.
During that time I got my job as a Lab Tech for Southern Living. Very overweight I started swimming at UAB and trimming down. I remember those long sexy men passing me as I huffed and puffed to make the lap but soon I could make it back and forth without that much effort. Southern Living wouldn't give me health insurance until I weighed 180 so I would have to go in every week to weigh. Anne Moore who weighed 103 pounds would be sitting at her desk eating a danish. Finally I got to 180 and got my health insurance provided by the company. I did get to 129.
One thing we were doing was interviewing past employees of Sloss. I got my gentleman to talk to and he said, why do you care about that old place? He died the next day and I quit interviewing. That booklet of all the interviews is in the Sloss visitor center. From the highest to the lowest paid we found them. They became the the leaders of the tours and it all came so real for the visitors. I loved when they would blush when talking about the bustle on the furnace that resembled the bustle ladies of the that day would wear. The pig iron was called that because it looked like baby pigs sucking their mamma's tits.We got enough support and money to hire a director, Randy Lawrence. He let me climb on the top of the furnace to shoot the city with the furnace in front. I can remember how scared I was because I used to be afraid of heights.
Fast fast fast forward to the Sloss Fest I just attended. I went on Sunday and called an Uber to take me over. They would not allow cameras so I shot everything with my cell. I went by myself and was the only person over 50 as Mimi said. She went on Saturday and was somewhat abused by the conditions. The rain held off and I talked to all the children and found out what they were up too. New York, Natchez, Tuscaloosa, they were from all over as well as local. They loved their cell phones and their looks were well hysterical. I was there from 2 o'clock till 10:30 but I paced myself. The mud was very thick but they had Bobcats clearing and the cleaning crew was right there to make sure everything was very nice. While waiting for the last show of the night, Alabama Shakes to preform I was helping the cleaning crew by kicking cans toward them when I slipped and fell into a big mud puddle. Everybody around me gently helped me up making sure I was okay. I looked like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown. I could not stop taking pictures when the phone started squawking, saying you are running out of power. I still couldn't resist. After the second song Alabama Shakes preformed I started going up stream like a salmon and headed to call my Uber. When I got home I pulled off my very muddy Tevas and plugged in my phone with 1% left. I made it back, thank heavens. Wonder what the people of Save Sloss would think? I bet they would be jump up and down happy but nobody could have imagined back then, Sloss Furnace could be the home of such an extraordinary experience.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Travels with Momma
I had just finished my Sophomore year at Brooke Hill when I went to Europe with momma. This is when my fear of needles began. We were getting out vacinations for the trip and of course I saw myself as fat and I had not eaten lunch or breakfast and I stuck my arm out for the shot and fainted flat onto the floor blacking my eye and terrorizing the nurse. The property where UAB was being built was on the land where my great grandfather's home was. The city condemned the property it sold for $3000, with that check she bought two airline tickets Birmingham to Frankfort, Germany for herself and me and we were off. We landed and rented a car. We didn't speak a word of German but smiles got us a lot. Momma on the autobahn well 120 kg read our odometer and we were being passed like we were standing still. I remember translating the exit sign as Aus fart. Momma would scream with laughter. We stayed in the most lovely little inn with the most wonderful down duvets. We slept away the time change. We drove to Bonn. Momma was so excited about the open market. She bought a kilo of Bing Cherries that were put in a paper sack. We were hungry so we went to a very elegant restaurant, we opened the door and the entire bag of Bing Cherries sprang open at the bottom and shot all over the tile floor. The entire wait staff scurried around picking up the wayward cherries. We sat down and Momma struggled over the menu trying to understand what she was getting. I pointed to an item. The next minute the waiter took away my knife and fork and brought me a tiny fork. I had ordered snails. Being adventurous and hungry I ate them and they were yummy.
The trip took us many places.My younger
brother and sister were living in France at the time so we picked them up and headed for Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. Momma loved Ernest Hemmingway. Somehow I had gotten away from the group and ended up with a guy about two years older than me. He held me close and gave me a kiss. I barely remember the bulls rumbling down the street after that. Now when I was Florida State Music Camp I had my very first kiss. Randy Weiss was Jewish and had a proper Jewish nose and we both had braces. He gently turned my chin towards him and I thought oh my God we are going to get our braces entangled and his nose plunged into my cheek and I couldn't help it but I started giggling and then a real laugh started well that ended that. He avoided me from then on. We kept on through Spain and we were eating a meal and a man heard we were from Alabama. He asked why the people from Alabama hated Black people. I looked at him and said we don't hate blacks we hate Yankees. This was taught to me by my Great Aunt Nell. We did run out of money a couple of times and had to wait for checks Daddy was to send on a cable that always took more time that she expected. One time we found a little hotel in London. The lady quoted 9 pounds a night but when were carrying the luggage up the third flight of steps the owner says it will be 12 pounds. When momma objected she raised her hands and said, Me makka a mistake. That became a cliche in our home and many times we would say that and it would trigger that memory of Momma turning us around to the door and leaving in search of a place we could afford. I guess these memoies were triggered by the recent running of the bulls. I still have my scarf from that night when I discovered the joy of kisses.The jug is wearing it. in the photo.
The trip took us many places.My younger
Monday, July 10, 2017
Diabetic Hell
My father was diagnosed with Diabetes in the early 60's.The urine test daddy would give himself only registered a blood sugar of 180 or higher therefore he lived with a high blood sugar almost half his life.Normal, that is people with a working pancreas have a number between 80-120. Because of his high blood sugar it damaged his kidney and other complications. Daddy was a comedian at heart and I remember him injecting the needle and coming out of the bathroom and running after me with me squealing in terror. Daddy ended up losing one kidney and then was on a very restricted salt free diet. My freshman year of college Daddy was given 6 weeks to live. Being Daddy's little girl I was devastated. Dialysis had just begun when he became so sick but he would go to the clinic and it took two days when he was very sick but he revived and then he had to do the process all over again. The improvements are amazing. Momma became totally committed to Daddy's care and during the five years he lived they went to retrace the 35 anniversary of the service he gave in World War II. They found the farmer who gave them Christmas dinner in Luxembourg. Daddy would tell only funny stories of his war experiences. His brother and he enlisted
together and spent the time together throughout. Christmas dinner the farmer put his hands on his head and wagged them. Daddy said Paul they are serving us donkey. We all laughed with delight. The last time I saw my father was Christmas Eve, he had gotten sick and had to be in the hospital. My horrid husband told me he had to return to Virginia to go to work and when I told Daddy, he said Ladybug you go with him he is your husband. Sadly I left. I could have stayed another five days because I was teaching first grade. Later I found out he didn't have a job but was pretending to go to work. In the four years we were married he had 19 jobs and 2 years he had returned to school. He never went to class either. What a joke. Daddy died March 12 on their wedding anniversary.
Diabetes terrified me. The worst part was my fear of needles. Even a prick of my finger would leave me trembling. I remember having to have blood drawn for my marriage to the ex thinking do I really want to do this. Jane said oh yes you can and I held out my arm with eyes closed tight. I had gestational diabetes with Jennie and the Brookwood doctors and nurses were manic about my care. I had to weigh roast beef before eating it and every week I had to go to the doctor to be monitored. With David I told the doctor in Auburn I had gestational diabetes with my first child but it didn't seem to register. I had a doctor's appointment in June and they didn't do the test to see if I was prone to diabetes and then July they were busy. September I told Arthur I had lost another 4 pounds in one day and he became concerned and I went to the doctor to find at 7 months pregnant I had lost 50 pounds. Ketoacitosis had been eating all my fat cells and boy was I sick. I peed every hour and exhausted well no body can imagine.I was still shooting for the magazine through all this. I remember driving back from Auburn to turn in my equiptment and I told Tommy Black I probably wouldn't be able to come back and he said there at the bottom of that divine staircase, Sure you will come back but I was right never returned as a travel photographer, a job I absolutely adored with my whole being. I just thought I was pregnant. No pills for me I went straight to injections with insulin. I started trembling and told the nurse there was no way I could do that shot. She looked at me and said it's for your baby. I shoved that needle right in and sighed a moment of relief. And so my life as a diabetic began.
Shots twice a day with checking my blood four times. The monitors back then took 2 minutes to give the reading. You would be amazed what David Appel could get into in two minutes. One time I turned around in the lady's room and he had put three rolls of tissue into the toilet. I had swam, always trying to lose weight, and given my shot and then Arthur got home and he had said we would go out to eat. I started feeling very weak and the lady beside me in line said are you okay. I told her I was diabetic. She was a nurse and they called the paramedics. They tested my blood and it was 12. I got to eat ice cream. Arthur wondered where I was but didn't realize it was me being treated.
Highs and lows became a part of my life. One time I told David to put on his ballet outfit and Jennie her karate. In 2001 I was returning from Birmingham and looked at the speedometer and it was 70. I thought it was broken but I was really going that fast. I had a small fender bender in Harpersville and the lady looked at her car and said it's not a problem. It was raining and I barreled down 280 into Alexander City when I saw a red light ahead. I slammed on brakes and crashed into a lady trying to turn left. I could not figure out how to get out of the van so I waited for the police to help me. I was fine but they took the lady to the hospital but she was fine too. I checked my blood and it was 39. When we got to the police station I saw a candy machine and bought a Butterfingers and ate it while I waited for them to get Arthur. I went back to get the stuff out of my van and found the she crab soup and roulage Mae Gathers had made for me while I photographed her was all over everything. My camera and all the supplies for the next year as an art teacher were in total disarray. Turned out the pump I had, a model they discontinued, had given me an injection without my knowledge. The van had four flat tires and was demolished. I was blessed to walk away from that one.
Prior to getting the pump I had an A1C of 14 for about 2 years. No matter what I did it would not go down. Normal is 6.5 so I was very sick and just plain exhausted. I became a part of a trial for Kirklin Clinic and I was given one of the first pumps so you can they were still getting the bugs out.They've come a long way. I went down to a 7 A1C after the pump so it really works. Kinda like a pancreas in that it gives small amounts of insulin but then when you eat you give an amount to compensate for the food you have consumed. It is brilliant. My only problem is when I try and exercise. Without being able to determine how much insulin I should give makes me go into a low blood sugar.
I guess the worst part of being diabetic is they consider it a pre-existing condition in the health insurance industry. When it was time to sign the divorce papers I held out until 5 minutes before going to court giving up the request to have the ex pay for health insurance. He flat out refused leaving me with sincere Hell. The first three years I was on the Cobra Plan which I'm sure someone thought hey she can get married or a real job and have Health Insurance, oh no not me because when Arthur wanted the divorce my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I choose to be with my mother and try and keep my small business. The horror of what was happening drove me to attend UAB to get my certification renewed so I could teach early childhood and K-12 art. This was 2006 when every teaching job was taken I saw a teaching job for a second grade teacher to finish the year and the principal told me there were 250 people applying for that position. The insurance wrote me letters saying I was not eligible for their health insurance because of the pre-existing diabetic condition. I ended up with the state insurance plan costing $4000 deductible and $700 a month. It killed me to dip in my retirement account but that was all I had. My business made some money but after alimony and child support ran out I was biting bullets to get by. Insulin went from $35.00 a vial to $147.00 so getting insulin was difficult since the deductible was so high. In two weeks I would go through a vial of insulin. The biggest catch was when my Primary Care doctor was going to refuse to write my prescription because I couldn't afford to pay $300.00 for the tests he wanted me to have. My pump died and I couldn't afford to replace it. The doctor gave me insulin I would give shots but the problem was about 4:00 I would go into a low blood sugar. Wrecked a couple of cars. My car insurance was canceled. I held my head up. Jennie could tell if I was having a low blood sugar and would call a neighbor who would feed me jelly and orange juice. One time Jennie called and I had been asleep and when I awoke I sounded groggy. I screamed don't you dare call Lue Ann, I was asleep. Then Obama Care. The house did not have access to Internet so I would go to the library and I immediately clicked on the sight but I was so frustrated it left me crazy. Jane mentioned her friend who was the director of Aids Alabama had trained their people to guide individuals through the maze. And thus I became devoted to Agee Baldwin. He guided me through and I could get my pump again and I got a real doctor who know everything there is to know about diabetes. I was back and haven't had a significant low blood sugar since I got my pump. I wrote to President Obama and told him my plight and how they should rename Obama Care to Obama Cares. He wrote back and I think actually signed it.
together and spent the time together throughout. Christmas dinner the farmer put his hands on his head and wagged them. Daddy said Paul they are serving us donkey. We all laughed with delight. The last time I saw my father was Christmas Eve, he had gotten sick and had to be in the hospital. My horrid husband told me he had to return to Virginia to go to work and when I told Daddy, he said Ladybug you go with him he is your husband. Sadly I left. I could have stayed another five days because I was teaching first grade. Later I found out he didn't have a job but was pretending to go to work. In the four years we were married he had 19 jobs and 2 years he had returned to school. He never went to class either. What a joke. Daddy died March 12 on their wedding anniversary.
Diabetes terrified me. The worst part was my fear of needles. Even a prick of my finger would leave me trembling. I remember having to have blood drawn for my marriage to the ex thinking do I really want to do this. Jane said oh yes you can and I held out my arm with eyes closed tight. I had gestational diabetes with Jennie and the Brookwood doctors and nurses were manic about my care. I had to weigh roast beef before eating it and every week I had to go to the doctor to be monitored. With David I told the doctor in Auburn I had gestational diabetes with my first child but it didn't seem to register. I had a doctor's appointment in June and they didn't do the test to see if I was prone to diabetes and then July they were busy. September I told Arthur I had lost another 4 pounds in one day and he became concerned and I went to the doctor to find at 7 months pregnant I had lost 50 pounds. Ketoacitosis had been eating all my fat cells and boy was I sick. I peed every hour and exhausted well no body can imagine.I was still shooting for the magazine through all this. I remember driving back from Auburn to turn in my equiptment and I told Tommy Black I probably wouldn't be able to come back and he said there at the bottom of that divine staircase, Sure you will come back but I was right never returned as a travel photographer, a job I absolutely adored with my whole being. I just thought I was pregnant. No pills for me I went straight to injections with insulin. I started trembling and told the nurse there was no way I could do that shot. She looked at me and said it's for your baby. I shoved that needle right in and sighed a moment of relief. And so my life as a diabetic began.
Shots twice a day with checking my blood four times. The monitors back then took 2 minutes to give the reading. You would be amazed what David Appel could get into in two minutes. One time I turned around in the lady's room and he had put three rolls of tissue into the toilet. I had swam, always trying to lose weight, and given my shot and then Arthur got home and he had said we would go out to eat. I started feeling very weak and the lady beside me in line said are you okay. I told her I was diabetic. She was a nurse and they called the paramedics. They tested my blood and it was 12. I got to eat ice cream. Arthur wondered where I was but didn't realize it was me being treated.
Highs and lows became a part of my life. One time I told David to put on his ballet outfit and Jennie her karate. In 2001 I was returning from Birmingham and looked at the speedometer and it was 70. I thought it was broken but I was really going that fast. I had a small fender bender in Harpersville and the lady looked at her car and said it's not a problem. It was raining and I barreled down 280 into Alexander City when I saw a red light ahead. I slammed on brakes and crashed into a lady trying to turn left. I could not figure out how to get out of the van so I waited for the police to help me. I was fine but they took the lady to the hospital but she was fine too. I checked my blood and it was 39. When we got to the police station I saw a candy machine and bought a Butterfingers and ate it while I waited for them to get Arthur. I went back to get the stuff out of my van and found the she crab soup and roulage Mae Gathers had made for me while I photographed her was all over everything. My camera and all the supplies for the next year as an art teacher were in total disarray. Turned out the pump I had, a model they discontinued, had given me an injection without my knowledge. The van had four flat tires and was demolished. I was blessed to walk away from that one.
Prior to getting the pump I had an A1C of 14 for about 2 years. No matter what I did it would not go down. Normal is 6.5 so I was very sick and just plain exhausted. I became a part of a trial for Kirklin Clinic and I was given one of the first pumps so you can they were still getting the bugs out.They've come a long way. I went down to a 7 A1C after the pump so it really works. Kinda like a pancreas in that it gives small amounts of insulin but then when you eat you give an amount to compensate for the food you have consumed. It is brilliant. My only problem is when I try and exercise. Without being able to determine how much insulin I should give makes me go into a low blood sugar.
I guess the worst part of being diabetic is they consider it a pre-existing condition in the health insurance industry. When it was time to sign the divorce papers I held out until 5 minutes before going to court giving up the request to have the ex pay for health insurance. He flat out refused leaving me with sincere Hell. The first three years I was on the Cobra Plan which I'm sure someone thought hey she can get married or a real job and have Health Insurance, oh no not me because when Arthur wanted the divorce my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I choose to be with my mother and try and keep my small business. The horror of what was happening drove me to attend UAB to get my certification renewed so I could teach early childhood and K-12 art. This was 2006 when every teaching job was taken I saw a teaching job for a second grade teacher to finish the year and the principal told me there were 250 people applying for that position. The insurance wrote me letters saying I was not eligible for their health insurance because of the pre-existing diabetic condition. I ended up with the state insurance plan costing $4000 deductible and $700 a month. It killed me to dip in my retirement account but that was all I had. My business made some money but after alimony and child support ran out I was biting bullets to get by. Insulin went from $35.00 a vial to $147.00 so getting insulin was difficult since the deductible was so high. In two weeks I would go through a vial of insulin. The biggest catch was when my Primary Care doctor was going to refuse to write my prescription because I couldn't afford to pay $300.00 for the tests he wanted me to have. My pump died and I couldn't afford to replace it. The doctor gave me insulin I would give shots but the problem was about 4:00 I would go into a low blood sugar. Wrecked a couple of cars. My car insurance was canceled. I held my head up. Jennie could tell if I was having a low blood sugar and would call a neighbor who would feed me jelly and orange juice. One time Jennie called and I had been asleep and when I awoke I sounded groggy. I screamed don't you dare call Lue Ann, I was asleep. Then Obama Care. The house did not have access to Internet so I would go to the library and I immediately clicked on the sight but I was so frustrated it left me crazy. Jane mentioned her friend who was the director of Aids Alabama had trained their people to guide individuals through the maze. And thus I became devoted to Agee Baldwin. He guided me through and I could get my pump again and I got a real doctor who know everything there is to know about diabetes. I was back and haven't had a significant low blood sugar since I got my pump. I wrote to President Obama and told him my plight and how they should rename Obama Care to Obama Cares. He wrote back and I think actually signed it.
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