What other homes would consider this just an ordinary day.....it becomes something else to a home where the caregiver is "always the responsible one."

This morning started early but soon settled down to a regular routine.  I decided to get in about an hour of income tax work so started on that.

Mom had been up and went back to bed, then got up and wanted to go back to bed but I insisted on getting her bathed and dressed.  We never know when the therapist will call.   It is about 10 am.  No calls, no information about aide, nurse, or jack's nurse.   So I decided to run to Frederick and pick up Jack's prescription.

I went to the garage to get the car out and discovered water all over the the garage floor.  I look in the hot water closet and decided to call the plumber.  Now this is the last frontier and sometimes you can get a plumber today, this week, or even this month!  But I was in luck and the plumber said they would be up in a few minutes.  The plumber lives 10 miles away.

The door bells rings and I rush to the door and say so I am so glad you are here.......whoops not the plumber but the county surveyers who are on a roll, measuring every building in town and in fact the county.  Well, I had mother's nurse arrive right then and I was occupied with her and how mother's bed sores on her bottom would be treatedd.

I saw the men outside later and walked out to see what was happening and a long visit insued about where we all went to school and who we knew.  I was told that a friend of mine ( who cleans for me once a week) and I were the friendliest people in town.  Why? We were the only ones who had talked to the surveyers and had actually made an effort to do so...The men were picking up pecans and eating them so I took them baggies and let them fill them with already shelled pecans. 

After they left I decided to try for the prescription and went to Frederick picked up Mex food and the prescription.  We managed to eat some and I was trying to feed mom and heard Jack say come on in......... it was a man from the church that had stopped by to see about us.  He had never been in our house since we were there.   He was also a talker and while he was talking the plumbers actually came.......before 3 the new hot water heater was installed and paid for! LOL.....As soon as he left Jack's nurse arrived and worked on his leg wound and when she left I sat down!

I had just  come back from across the street to see the new painting they were putting up in the church and decided to feed the felines.

The therapist called at 4 and he is with Mom at his time......if I counted right that was at least 8 people at the house today and the aide never showed or called......wonder if that means that service has been dropped also?   Besides that she was bring 20 dollars worth of cat food.......oh well!

Peace of a sort at Marigold Country Home!

 

can spring be far behind?

Mom had her stitches out yesterday.  She still is not interested in eating, refusing or spitting out what she doesn't like or want.  The surgeon said her primary doctor should have prescribed the age old formula for  getting an appetite back.....a sip of brandy every night, thought that was good, but how much is a sip?LOL

We are moving through each day alone, we only have one hour of help three days a week and we never know when that help will arrive.  I guess the good Lord knows how much I can handle.

Today was a beautiful spring day.  The bulbs are coming up and we need another bit of rain to start the other plants greening up.  I probably will have many marigolds since I put all the plants in the flower beds and the plants were covered with seed pods.  We have used leaves, coffee grounds, egg shells and pecan shells for mulch this year.  I wonder how this will turn out.

The cats, kittens, and plants, make our lives beautiful.

THOSE ROBINS AGAIN..

They shall hide their heads under their wings..........here in the southwest corner of Oklahoma we may all hide our heads under our wings tonight.  It is to be very cold and icy.

Well, my pookies (cats and kittens) shall be as well cared for as I can provide.  Lots of blankets, large rugs, boxes with bedding for those who want to cuddle down with one or two others, and places with rugs and blankets for communal cuddling,  They sometimes look like piles of fur balls the way they try to cuddle up and stay warm.  There are cubby holes, and a wagon, and lots of private spots to sleep.

There are two large containers for fresh water, 9 litter boxes, so they don't have to go out in the cold, and 5 or 6 large containers of dry foods for over night.  Of course they are fed canned food, cooked foods, or left overs during the day. 

Mornings are sometimes like feeding the sharks because they are always hungry and eager.  

Don't ask how many because I quit counting long ago.   They come from down the street, across the alley, from the neighbor to the north, and some are just arriving because someone dropped them here.  I cannot believe how cruel people are who take animals for pets and then abandon them when they grow up or get in the way.

They show no artifice, are loving, and generally kind to each other, they are nature's social wonders, and entertainment beyond measure.  This is the best use of a  garage and workshop that no one needs anymore for those purposes.........and this is the YEAR OF THE RAT........so I  am prepared with the purrfect catchers or preventers.  LOL

This is what keeps me sane when the days are really bad.  PEACE at Marigold Country Home.

time passes

Mom is doing well.   The home care provider informed when we brought mom home that they would no longer service my mother because they had not been paid by the insurance.   Of course they have not sent any claims in yet, either....Rocket Scientist?  NO

We are surviving.........my arm is still very painful and I not have a nasty head cold......... could much else happen?

Tomorrow I have to start hunting a new provider and that is a pain in the neck!  I was fairly happy with the one we had except I had to feed the aide,  she was a picky eater,  and she didn't adhere to a schedule well.  She came late and often left early.  Owed me time when they quit providing care..............but I can live with those things because she was very good with Mom and that was what was all I wanted.

Well, I am off to a nap, I hope, take care!

The wind doeth blow..............

When the wind blows I care about what the Robins do but I am more concerned about ME now!

Last Thursday...The last day of January the wind did blow here......some gusts up to 40 miles an hour.  The big rigs decided to pull over in many places but not Sue! Nope she decided to make a grocery run.  The loaded basket was making its contents right into the trunk of the car......I went up the steps to get another arm full and a gust of wind absolutely slammed me down on the concrete sidewalk. 

A very nice lady offered to help me.....a young man put the rest of the basket contents in the car trunk and I finally got up.  I was unable to use my right arm to a certain degree.

I made another stop and then went home.  By this time I am in lots of pain and turning a nice shade of blue and purple.  I took some pain medication and finally about 4 in the afternoon went to the clinic.   They didn't think I was broken but had a lot of soft tissue damage.  I was told to take Ibp and not use my arm if I could avoid it.  This is 8 days later.   I still have lots of pain.   I can use my arm and move in any direction but I do have some very sore spots.  If there are hairline fractures they seldom show up on an xray until later or not at all.  Even if soft tissue damage there is still lots of recovery time.  So I still take 800 IBP and try to avoid using that arm.

So with  all other things happening, being left-handed isn't too bad.

WHY DO WE NEED TO BE SO STRONG?

I very blatantly told someone that challenges make us stronger............and I am resenting all this weight lifting!

Some weeks ago mother finally let us see the abscess on her right breast.  The nurses took a pic and took it to her primary doctor.  He knew how she hated to see doctors so he came to her and told her it was cancer.   He got her to promise to go to a surgeon he would recommend and do what she said.......so Mom has surgery on Monday.   We have done the pre op this week.  Some parts twice because the tech messed up, but this part is over. 

Jack's daughter will come on Sunday to stay with him while I am with Mother for the surgery.  My daughter decided to come stay with me so I would not be alone while waiting.  So it is really the family rallying around which is a good feeling, not for the cause but 'because'.

I feel that Mom is quite strong and if anyone can beat this she can.  However, she is discouraged and tired.  She told her aide today that she wished she was not here.....and I am not sure what she meant in that she isn't always able to express herself well to others.  I think she meant she wished she was not in this place in time and circumstance.  

And so........a sort of Peace reigns at Marigold Country Home.