Christmas on the receiving end.

It is so enjoyable to be on the giving end during the holidays. We enjoyed making the food baskets and delivering them. Giving gifts to the unsuspecting. Just the kind of little things that surprise and warm the heart.

Today we were on the receiving end of blessings. We had to call the paramedics at 1 this morning. Jack fell and because of his size and knowing if he is injured helping him up might be harmful. I called 911. The first responder was a neighbor. The second was the son of a neighbor that I had had difficulties with because of his dogs which love to kill other creatures.
The paramedics and the others helped Jack up and checked him out and he is fine except a little frightened, very sore, and not sure just how it happened. But he has had a fairly good day.

The other blessings were three families brought food to us so we would have a good Christmas dinner. Well we will be eating for a week but the food was prepared with loving hands and good hearts delivered it. We feel very blessed.

The day was not cold and windy. The sun was out all day and it was pleasant and again we felt very blessed since so much of the nation was not so pleasant.

We didn't have family but we had friends and our girls called and made our day blessed in that way,too.

I hope all of you have something to be thankful for today and feel as blessed as we do...Happy Holidays and Joy for the coming new year.

Whether to recommend or not...that is the question.

Have you ever recommended something to find out later that it didn't turn out well for the person you recommended the idea or thing to? Well, I am always reluctant to recommend anything but recently I recommended the facility where Mom was to a friend. I also recommended that she and her family go visit un announced several times at different times of the day.

I am happy to say that they followed my advice and finally decided to place thier mother in the same facility. They are happy to know that she is receiving better care than they could provide and that is is extremely happy. The lady just had her 106 birthday at the facility with a big party of family and friends, a large beautiful picture and write up in the local paper, and the family not only praised the facility but thanked me for the recommendation. Whee...sure am glad things worked out well.

What they liked was.....the facility didn't have lingering odors, the patients were encouraged and assisted in going to the dining room to eat and be with other patients, the rooms were cleaned and beds made as quickly as the patients left for the dining room. Patients were bathed regularily and dressed daily and encouraged to wear perfume and jewelry and always look their best. Mom's hair was done regularily and neatly brushed and cared for daily. They had volunteers and employees who did nails and aroma therapy with lotions and creams. Laundry in facilities is always a problems but there are fewer than most here and I was allowed to go to the laundry and look for items or ask if they were in the cleaning process. The lady in charge was caring and quick to label clothing and see that it was returned quickly to the patients rooms. The food was actually good. And prepared and served per patients needs. I could not have asked for more attention paid to Mom's food intake and nutrition.

I have to say that these all are good qualities of a facility and often cause families to leave the patients and not return very often or at all. Mom had a lovely roommate that passed and the aides said they had never seen a visitor since the lady had been brought in. Some said the families just brought them and left them because they were state cared for....but in Mom's case she was a full paying patient. But the care for each was the same. The aides talked to the patients and joked with them, sang with them, and became the patients family. I liked this because Mom felt loved and part of the people there, and she enjoyed the people around her. These are the things I looked for and hope if you are looking for a facility.. that you can find the same.

Of course you have to do your part of checking often, visiting often, talking to the administration, nurses, aidies, and letting them know how much you appreciate the care they are giving your family member. Actual signs of that appreciation in the form of candy, cookies, and other goodies was always appreciated.

It is the season for remembering..........

This will be a quiet Christmas for us. We will be alone but that isn't new to us. Our girls are in California and they were here in October.

It will be lonely because Mom isn't with us anymore and I do miss her the way she used to be during the holidays. We always did so many things for others and I want to continue that tradition but not so much this year.

I haven't started cards yet......... I hate to write over and over that we lost Mom this year, and Jack isn't doing as well, we miss our girls, and I don't have enough hours in the day still. But perhaps I can say all of that in a more positive way. It is the season for remembering all the good times and memories that we have made. And hoping to not only make new memories but to dream of good things to come.

May your holiday be joyful, full of fun, and overflowing with friends and family memories. Hug each other...share a memory...and remember the reason for the season.

The sunshine is thin and not too warm but it is there. The breeze brings the wind chill to an uncomfortable level. Thankfully we are not scheduled for snow, and those of you who have snow.... you may keep it!

Food baskets occupied all of last week. I am so tired of boxing canned goods and other nonperishble foods that I could scream. The people who need this food though are so appreciative. We have found only one sour note and much could have caused that situation. We have been called a number of things.........'enablers' so people can spend their food money on less desirable things. Our reply was they probably would have anyway and we are mainly trying to provide food for the children.

The turkey eating day approaches and it has lost so much appeal this year knowing there are so many hungry families. Our dinner is always simple anyway but still there is hot food on the table. And to many it might look like a feast. We have come to know so many more of our neighbors in this project and that is such a blessing.

The local fire department is totally voluntary and there have been many attempts, some very successful to support these men with water, funds, and our appreciation. They recently had a chili lunch on Saturday and raised $2500 for their needs. They have made 76 runs this year and most because of a 'fire bug' that might have already been apprehended.

Because we are an aggricultural region, we have had a number of state agencies working on the investigation and hope this will soon be concluded. It is scary when the trucks go out knowing they might be going to a pasture where many cows are in danger or where precious pasture is being burned off taking the food for those cattle. These farmers are not big farmers and they need all the pasture land they can obtain and maintain for their herds of animals.

May your holiday be filled with joy, may beautiful memories be made, and precious time with friends and relatives be enjoyed. We will be thinking about all of you as we sit in this small prairie town in the southwest corner of Oklahoma. Not even the barbed wire can slow down the wind as it builds and then sweeps down across the land. Showers are forcast and that would be a wonderful thing also. Herkie the youngest of the tom cats that has invaded our household sends his meow along with Lonesome and Goldie. Fuzzy, granny's cat so misses his lady that held him most of the day, but all will have some turkey and a lot of loving on Thursday...Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Leaves...............

The breeze carries them across the lawn and dumps them in all the wrong places. I try to gather as many as possible to mulch and cover the plants that are threatened by the coming cold weather.

However, the leaves are much more interesting to the cats--to chase--roll in--and help me rake. I can't help but laugh at the antics and feel the thrill of the coming fall season........the crispness in the air and the scuttling clouds are harbringers of the season.

We have been looking for people who need or would appreciate food baskets for the coming holidays. We thought we had a town that was pretty well taken care of until we began to ask questions. It was easy to find people then. They are so proud that some won't admit that they need help. Our real problem was we didn't know our town's people very well. A neighbor and I drove around talking about different houses and who lived where and who might need a basket.

I finally took the matter in hand and went to visit a couple and when they opened the door I laughed and said I had come for lunch.....she looked startled and said......a cookie? Yep, that was lunch--coffee and a cookie. I chatted a while and then said I didn't want to embarass them but could they use a food basket? "Oooooh yes!" was the reply. I was so saddened that we had waited until the holidays to determine if our neighbors needed help. It occured to me that it is 2 weeks till Thanksgiving....guess they can eat those stale cookies till then.....I have way too much to eat... and my neighbor has way too little. How ashamed I am.

How well do you know your neighbor?

There was bright sunshine..........

The sunshine wasn't just the weather kind........the day was as good as it gets usually.

We voted and I did so rather rapidly and was glad that I failed to remember how I voted on a rather tight angry contest locally. Glad I don't know how I voted, can't kick myself or brag either! lol

We rushed off to the hospital for lab tests and then were finished for the day. The rest was play time. The neighbor went along and insisted on driving so I let her! We went to lunch at the Atlantic Bread Company. It was a good time, not crowded, and plenty of room for us to move about and Jack to not have his space invaded.

Then we did the Sam's Club deposit of our money! Filled the car with our goodies and started home. Picked up two prescriptions and got home in time to relax awhile. I made a trip to the county seat to buy a few items we could not get this morning and did a little business.

A neighbor brought over some freshly cooked turnips. I don't usually eat turnips but these were delicious. I have such good neighbors. Another neighbor gave me garden fresh summer squash that were just beautiful. Too pretty to eat maybe....maybe put in a still life setting and paint a picture?

Finished Double Cross by Patterson and now have to find another book to read. For my birthday, my daughter sent me exactly what I asked for: all the books she had been reading. In fact she sent 3 boxes of books.

Good night all of you....I am off to read and relax!

HAVE THEY NEVER HEARD OF HANDICAPPED?

We did survive another day of torture!

I hired a neighbor to ride along yesterday when we went back to the clinic and for further tests. She would have gone without pay, but I do not believe in taking advantage of a neighbor's good nature. She works hard for her $ and she is worth every cent she is paid.

The appointment was exactally on time, in fact a couple of minutes early. However, the appointment to clean the wounds, take vitals, ask dozens of questions, then the doctor's viewing and pronouncements, and the treatment tech doing his job actually took an hour and a half. When I saw they were running way over time, I spoke to the tech working on Jack and then the receptionist who called the hospital and informed them we would be late but were on our way! Then the tech said it would take 20 minutes to finish, the receptionist called the hospital and asked if they would be removing the bandages, yes they would, so she stopped the treatment, and then there was the wrapping the open wounds, etc, preparing the medications so I COULD DO THE TREATMENT, and we were finally on our way.

I asked the neighbor to drive and she took us right to the door of outpatient care and Jack and I rushed to reception to get out all the cards, answer all the questions, get a wrist band ( which really shook Jack thinking he was being admitted) then shuttled off to a waiting area. We had time for a restroom break, with neighbor to stand guard at men's restroom, then into another waiting area. We were called in a group, of course Jack is frustrated and could not get chair to work propertly, he went too fast and then too slow, and finally I had to run ahead and tell the "tour leader" that we were having trouble keeping up...... again she is totally into the walking patients...........and totally ignoring Jack's problem of keeping up. Because of Jack's chair's size we had to take two elevators, think neighbor had a chance to remind the tour guide that not all of were walking patients! Another waiting room but a tech came immediately and got us.

The test was absolutely torture for Jack to lay on a hard table with the steel hip, which was already giving him lots of pain, but the techs here were helpful, patient, and into helping the patient be comfortable as possible. I gave Jack medications half-way into tests and he began to relax.

Neighbor picked up the car and I stayed with Jack, then we were off to a quick stop for hamburger and buns for the neighbor's hungry boys, and she drove home. Of course the evening chores were yet to be done, feed the cats, chase off pit bull dog who was chasing cats, owner came with rope finally, do the treatment on Jack's leg (which involved boiling water and cooling it) and prepare something for us to eat. Our last meal had been at 9 in the morning and it was 7 in the evening.

Yes, I did make a statement to one of the techs in the doctor's office about the lack of time permitted for a handicapped to respond to different situations. That even an able bodied person with a good power walk would have difficulty,etc. He said that discussions about the care of handicapped people, facilities available, and other considerations had often been the topic of discussion but not much was changed! At the hospital the complaint was the wound care center was always sending them patients that had wounds just dressed and had to be undressed for the tests and they had no way to cover the wounds.....etc....that the wound center had been asked to send patients first for tests and then to have wounds treated but nothing had changed.

Communicaton seems to barely exist between the wound center and hospital even if they are under the same guidelines and administration.

TODAY WE GO AGAIN.........first to VOTE.........then lab to do blood work..........then to shop if there is any energy left! The neighbor asked to go along because she wanted to shop also without her family along...lol.........are we that good of company?

I haven't slept much but have an extra driver and person if I need help.... so wish us luck!