My son’s car broke down last Sunday – in a very inconvenient spot. Those of you familiar with Orlando will understand when I tell you where be broke down. Matthew was on his way to pick up my father – so they could go to the Orlando Science Center and the Taylor Guitar exhibit that […]
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From the Kitchen of Fern Hicks and Charlene Hicks Sparks
December 12, 2010 
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My mom was a great cook. She loved to cook for the entire family and we had some really great food traditions. One of my favorite dishes mom made was her holiday Buckeyes, a great snack to pop in your mouth to curb the hunger beast. Most of my mom’s recipes came from her mother. I remember, […]
Continue reading We Buried My Mom Today
December 6, 2010 4 Comments
We buried my mom today. I write as a cathartic release, a way to deal with the emotions that threaten to consume me. I am not sure what I am trying to say in this blog, it is very stream-of-conscience, but I need to talk about my mom. I can’t NOT do this, so here […]
Continue reading Rest in Peace, Mom
November 29, 2010 6 Comments
At 12:21pm today my mom, Charlene Delores Sparks, passed away peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her children and loved ones at Florida Hospital, Celebration Health near Orlando, Florida. She was 62 years, 9 months, and 8 days old. I am not going to type an emotional blog here – not yet, maybe never. Many of […]
Continue readingMom Needs Kidney Dialysis
November 25, 2010 2 Comments
As you know, mom has been battling a septic fungal infection for a few weeks now. That infection has prevented her from recovering completely and has stopped the surgeons from finishing her skin grafts so she can go home. The infection is extremely difficult to control. Fungal infections are notoriously hard to fight because, […]
Continue readingMom’s Fungal Infection
November 14, 2010 0 Comments
I blogged the day before yesterday about how well Mom was doing. Her fever was under control and her bacterial infection was under control. Mom was awake, in pain, but communicating with me and she was looking better than she had for weeks. Her vital signs were stable and she was almost ready to get […]
Continue readingMom’s Latest Status
November 12, 2010 3 Comments
This post won’t be terribly long. It’s been a while since I updated everyone on mom’s status. There really hasn’t ben a lot to tell until now. Mom has been in ICU for over two months now. If you remember from my last post, Mom suffered a setback when the vac on her belly, meant to help close the wound, caused […]
Continue readingPassing the Technology Torch
November 3, 2010 2 Comments
My son, Christopher, is extremely tech savvy. At 13-years-of-age: He’s very proficient with DOS batch programming. he’s already written multiple programs in VB.NET and in Visual Studio. He’s made a small side business of modifying XBox controllers, soldering on special chips and buttons to allow for rapid fire and different modes in different games. He […]
Continue readingDitching the Soda
October 6, 2010 0 Comments
Yes, you read the headline correctly; the Sparks household is officially soda-free. It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally made the transition from sugary, caffeine-laced, unhealthy drinks to more healthy teas, juices, and lots and lots of water. I grew up on soda. Every week, my mother would buy a slew of 2-liter […]
Continue readingUpdate on My Mother
October 1, 2010 3 Comments
It’s been a month since Mom went into the hospital. I wrote a blog many of you enjoyed – describing her plight and why this dangerous surgery was necessary. Since then, the ubiquitous Facebook updates I was posting have slowed down, but Mom’s care has been a constant roller coaster of good days and bad […]
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The Binary Biker 