That went off pretty well.

My sister asked me to read the following tribute yesterday. It was well received:

In memory of Lyman

For many years, I was a stressed out single working mother, pinching pennies, and dealing with seemingly endless days of misbehaving children. When I could scrape up enough gas money, one of my favorite things to do was visit Lyman and Janis. I always relished these trips. For me, it was sort of like checking into a 4 star hotel with somebody else being responsible and in-charge of life, if only for a few days. Life always seems much simpler here – slower, kinder and more honest. Worries are about the weather, the latest crop of tomatoes, and the breakfast talk is about what’s for dinner.

While everybody was asleep, one of my favorite treats was getting up early and taking a walk on the Mississippi and watching the sun come up. There really isn’t anything to compare to that beauty. Then it was back to the house for a shower and hot coffee. Lyman’s dad, Travis aka Big Daddy, would start popping in and he too was always wondering what was for dinner. I began to think that dinner here was the only thing that really mattered.

And then I began to understand…It was all about Lyman’s cooking. Lyman had that easy breezy confident cooking style that only many years of passion, knowledge, and experience can bring. I think the key word here would be passion because that is the difference between a good cook and a great cook. Lyman was a great cook. He would entertain with a story or an observation about life while going about tending to the big simmering pots on the stove. Travis and Girl or various friends would join us and we would feast on that wonderful food until you just absolutely had no where else to put it.

When it was time to return home, it was with a bag of tomatoes, and a Styrofoam cooler filled with frozen zip lock bags of gumbo and other wonderful food prepared by Lyman. I knew that I would be eating well for the next week.

Life is better now. The kids are grown and I found new love. I’ll still make my trips to Louisiana and it will still make me happy. I’ll still have that wonderful food as Janis has become a wonderful cook under Lyman’s tutelage, but I will miss Lyman very much. He was always such a part of my trips to Louisiana.

Lyman loved his children, his wife, his family, his tomatoes and cooking. I’m not necessarily sure of that order because he really really loved his tomatoes. He was smart, kind, witty, and full of good humor. Lyman was a gentleman and a gentle man. Thank you for so many wonderful memories and adding just a bit more to my life. I will miss you.

Patricia

Lyman and tomatoes

Lyman hated funerals. He declined to be a pallbearer at his best friend's.

 So here we are: Lyman's obituary.

 If you so desire, donate to your local food pantry. He was all about food, among other things.

Lyman died this morning at 4:17.

Lyman is lying up in bed, with a pretty blonde nurse and good drugs. Healthy men pay good money for that stuff. I told him so.

When did Chrissie Hynde need a full orchestra?

 Albatross always makes me smile.

Don't take this grimly. I just like Roxy Music.

Rockin' steady, baby.

Lyman's brother was waiting at the door to ICU when I arrived at 5 pm. He hasn't seen him since he's been sick. He was shocked and frightened and nearly frantic to do anything to help him. Lyman does look like the last survivor of a famine.

He calmed down after he spoke to Lyman's sister's husband. The husband is a veterinarian and understands medicine.

Lyman has a low potassium level that they're trying to correct, which undermines his muscle functions in his heart and lungs. A cardiologist/nephrologist has been called in to consult.

His gut and the colostomy are working. If they can get his nutrition level up, I think it will help. He's receiving nutrition through a thin nasogastric tube.

Lyman's been trying to tell me something for two days. With the ventilator, I can't make it out. He's gonna give me an earful when he can speak.

He's been in the hospital nearly two weeks.

Lyman looks like death warmed over.

But, the surgeon says the pathology report came back. The tumor was malignant, but there is no evidence of metastasis. The prognosis there is good. There are some other fixable issues, and he should be turning the corner soon.

He told me to be patient.

Lyman is stable today. Awaiting test results from yesterday.

He is being sedated for occasional agitation and combativeness. Which I understand, as I've learned that the gastro is visiting. I need to see if I can do something about that. I'd be combative, too, if that asshole were within 100 feet of me.

Lyman's back on the ventilator. My sweet boy. His breathing has been dodgy the past couple of days.

I have to say that the surgeon is a top-notch guy -- great bedside manner, highly respected locally, very acute. And handsome.

He removed a tumor that he thinks is cancerous from Lyman's lower colon. He didn't see any other traces of cancer and removed all of that one.

Lyman will have a colostomy for several months, but otherwise he is doing well, they say.

Surgery was Thursday, and he's still in ICU. He wasn't able to take in much nutrition during the past few weeks. We'll have a haul ahead of us.

 Thanks for the good wishes. Don't put off your colonoscopies.

I'll tell you what. The local gastroenterologist has spent entirely too much time around assholes. But the surgeon is a champ.

The Miralax-Gatorade preparation for the scopes landed Lyman in the hospital. Rather than it working as desired, he began vomiting the solution a couple of hours after he finished the half-gallon mixture.

He's currently being pumped with a nasogastric tube, and the scopes will be done in the hospital. This hospital is in Natchez, about 8 minutes away.