Mystical Journeys

Hunting for Critters...

2012-01-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

Jacob was 16 months on the 20th. Here he is, stylishly dressed to go hunt for critters on a "nature walk" with Dad and Mom... They caught and released a salamander, saw about 100 frogs, including a tree frog....perfect day for a little boy.

Salamander

Dad is so wealthy, he owns Chicago...

2012-01-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Mom went to visit Dad today...the parking lot was jam packed with no available parking, but the front of the nursing home was wide open. Suspicious, Mom checked for signs and painted curbs... She checked with the receptionist to make sure it was OK to park in front and was told the street sweeper had cleaned the streets earlier in the morning so maybe that was why there was parking right in front, curbside...

When Mom found Dad waiting for lunch she told him she was worried about getting a ticket...

"Don't worry, I am very wealthy. I will take care of it so no problem..."

Mom thanked him and smiled...

"I own Chicago you know..."

"Wow!" Mom did her best to sound impressed...

(Dad must have thought she said something else because he got angry...)

"Yes I do! I own Chicago...it is my town!" (Dad was born there).

Mom told him she knew and told him how impressed she was...

After her louder explanation, Dad roared with laughter.

Mom told him how spiffy he looked with his new hair cut...

"Thank you, I look forward to seeing your smiling face."

She told him she was happy to see him so happy... and Dad laughed joyfully in return.

"I want to buy a little Fiat like M_____ (my brother in law) for running around town..."

Mom smiled broadly and nodded her head in agreement...

His delicious Italian lunch was served by Dad's male CNA; lasagna, garlic toast, fresh veggies, green salad, strawberry ice cream and a piece of lemon cake, milk and coffee. Mom said it looked and smelled very yummy.

Dad inhaled his lunch, not only because he has a great appetite, but he LOVES Italian food.

Dad announced to Mom, "I don't really like cake very much..."

But Dad ate most of it, leaving just a few bites...normally there is not too much Dad does not like...and sweets are one of them! Mom told Dad she would give his compliments to the chef on her way out...

Mom said Dad began chatting about all the hot women and how much he loves being around them...kind of going off on a tangent... so Mom changed the subject, asking him if he had seen the football game over the weekend...

Dad was yawning and looking tired, so she called the CNA to tuck Dad in bed for his nap and she complimented the chef and checked with the nurses making sure they are monitoring Dad from being taken off his Lexipro... The charge nurse said there was nothing indicating any problems in Dad's chart, but she would check with the CNAs.

My brother E_____ had a short visit with Dad last Wednesday...some times my brothers visit, but are not big on sharing their visit with everyone...

He noticed Dad's eye and foot did not look good. Dad's eye is an ongoing issue as is the wound on his baby toe. Dad also has gout which swells up every now and then... As long as Dad is not in pain, we have decided not to stress him out with any aggressive treatment other than ointments and local treatments.

He said Dad was in a happy, joyful mood and was glad to see him. My brother took him outside to talk but Dad got too cold and they had to go inside. He helped Dad eat his lunch, helping Dad by feeding him, which Dad enjoyed.

I talked with the charge nurse and she told me Dad had lost 8 lbs in one week so they will be giving him more supplements and ice cream for dessert. This seems to be an up and down thing... Dad loses weight and then gains it back...

Bless Her Heart and Long May She Dance...

2012-01-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

My cousin sent this to me...and as I watched it I had this HUGE SMILE on my face! 90 years old! My Dad loves to dance too...but lately, he does most of his dancing sitting in his wheel chair...

What amazed me is not only her endurance dancing throughout the entire song, with only one time to steady herself with her hand on the wall, but she danced wearing that sweat suit with a turtleneck underneath! I would had combusted into flames!

Her grandson shot the video and put it on U-Tube. Apparently she got more than a million hits. She has done subsequent dances to "Dancing Like Jagger" and "Baby" by Justin Bieber.

Bless her heart and long may she dance!

Running in Circles....

2012-01-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

After making some calls, I discovered the nursing home had discontinued Dad from the Zyprexia (for delusions) last September, and no one notified me...nor did they tell me they changed Dad from taking Namenda to Aricept (both are dementia/Alzheimer's medication), and did not notify on that either.

This morning the charge nurse called me to inform me the Psychiatrist had seen Dad and decided to start weening Dad off the Lexapro (for depression). I can understand them wanting to ween Dad off the Lexapro because he has been in such good spirits since last April when they put him on it.... but Mom had told them at the Care Conference she preferred they leave him on all his current medications.

I know Medicare would have issues, and rightly so, if Dad is not displaying any depression or negative behaviors helped by this medication...but as in the past, after a few months, he will be sad, calling Mom to come get him or getting paranoid someone is trying to kidnap him...it is a vicious cycle.

It is so frustrating to always have to remind them I AM THE FIRST CONTACT, but I guess if it is the only major complaint we have, I guess I can deal with it.

I spoke with Dad this morning...he sounded pretty good, a little tired, but was happy to hear from me and he did recognize my voice. He immediately told me he threw up after breakfast, but feels fine now... I asked if he told the nurse and he told me he did, but reassured me he felt fine now... (I called the charge nurse back and asked if Dad had thrown up, but she and his CNA for the day knew nothing about it.)

I have noticed the last couple of times Dad and I have talked, he usually starts off the conversation telling me he threw up... Maybe he is attempting to get my attention...maybe he notices I have not spoken with him as regularly as I was.... I can't explain to him why it is not just a matter of picking up the phone and getting him on the line... For the past several months, it has gotten increasingly difficult to reach him. It is the usual, he is in the shower, the bathroom, the nurses are passing out meds or meals, he is in activities, he is in rehab, or he is asleep....

Dad always asks about my husband....but today he asked about "the rest of the family"...so I began telling him about my daughters and grand kids and what they are all up to....Dad was unusually quiet, not making comments or asking me to repeat what I had just said... so I stopped talking and called to him...

"Dad?"

Silence...

"Dad?"

More silence...

"HELLO!?"

"Yes, I'm here...I just fell asleep on you..."

"OK Dad...do you want me to let you get some shut eye before your lunch?"

"Yes, dear, that is a good idea."

Short but sweet conversation...I miss our longer talks...but then, I miss so much with Dad...

Care Conference, Memories, a Fedora and Sardines...

2012-01-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

I waited from 10:20am to noon for my Care Conference call on Dad this morning... Mom finally called me at noon to tell me the nursing home ran late and ended up having to use a room with no phone to see Mom. They sent their apologies to me with Mom...

Overall, Dad is happy and content. So happy they asked if we wanted them to discontinue some of his "happy pills"...which I assume are the Zyprexia and the Lexopro. The last Care Conference, Dad was taking an array of 22 medications, ointments, vitamins and minerals...and I was hoping to update my list. I tried calling, but all the nurses are in a meeting and I was asked to call back after 3pm.

They also wanted to know if we still wanted them to perform CPR if his heart would give out...telling Mom often with patients of Dad's age, 91, the breast bone can break.

They always ask us these questions to stay on top of everything, but it is always difficult to think about. We also have an order for a stomach tube to be used for a short time. I do not see the point of stomach tubes... my mother in law unfortunately was taken to the dark depths at the very end of Alzheimer's when the patient forgets how to eat, swallow, open their eyes, speak, and becomes comatose.

My husband and his children decided not to do the stomach tube. At the time, I had not gone through hospice training, so I did not know it is more harmful to use the stomach tube because the body is shutting down and it is more humane to allow it to happen. I thought she would starve to death and it would be torture, so I was against it...but out voted. I was by her side the last two weeks of her life and I never saw her more peaceful. They took her off all medication and she laid there with such a restful expression on her face...

I read her Bible verses and hummed along with the Pastor sang to her. One day while he was praying over her and singing, she moved her head so it touched his forehead and stayed there for a few minutes forehead to forehead...both the Pastor and I wept.

One day I was just sitting and talking to her...telling her how much I loved her and what a good mother and grandmother she was, and she fluttered her eyes and mumbled she loved me too.... She never looked like she was in any pain at all. Her face never flinched or grimaced...she looked very serene and peaceful. I felt so blessed to receive that last gift from her...

Toward the end, the last day, she kept her mouth open to breathe...it was labored, but she still seemed peaceful. The hospice nurse told us she was getting close and suggested we say our good byes...The Pastor suggested my husband tell her it was OK to let go... He went in with her alone and said his good byes and shortly afterward, she let go and died.

I don't want my Dad to go to the end with Alzheimer's. If his heart gives out, I want to let him go home to the Lord. I know he is in a wonderful nursing home...but I will NEVER get used to visiting him there. I HATE that he has to be there at all. We do our best to see the positives, and the biggest blessing has been the personality change for the better in Dad. Because he was demented for years, he refused often to take his medications and was very distrustful of doctors. He was paranoid, suspicious and made life very difficult for himself and for Mom.

I can't help believing if he would have allowed the doctors to prescribe the dementia medications earlier, he could have stayed home longer and been much happier. God knows, it would have made it so much better for Mom since she was his main caregiver. He refused to believe he had dementia. He forbid anyone to use the words dementia or Alzheimer's around him. He preferred to think he had Parkinson's, like his younger sister...(which he did not have.)

Mom wants us all to have a family meeting and get together and discuss all of this. We also need to decide on a mortuary and make final arrangements. Both Mom and Dad plan on cremation, but since Dad is a Veteran, he can be buried in a national cemetery. Each conference, Mom and I know we all have to discuss all of this, and send an email to everyone, but no one responds....it is just too difficult to think about... We don't talk about it much, but I would venture to guess, everyone feels the way I do...

After the meeting, Mom went to visit Dad. She had looked in on him when the conference was delayed, but he was absorbed with the Bible Study...so Mom did not disturb him. The social director said Dad joins in on many more of the activities...seeking out others and being happily social...a blessing in deed, as when he was his "normal demented self" he was reserved, withdrawn and introverted.

The first thing she noticed was the gray fedora sitting, fashionably tilted on Dad's head. Someone had given it to him and the nurses told Mom they have difficulty getting it off his head when they tuck him in at night... Dad thinks he looks pretty snazzy with it and will not part with it...

picture from google images

Mom wheeled him into the lobby so they could visit before lunch. Dad told her how happy he was and how nice it is there. He was thrilled they gave him the fedora.

"Did you see the football game yesterday?" Mom asked...

"Oh yes, I have seen all Holl Doll's movies (Holl Doll is Dad's nick name for my sister Holly)...she is in practically every one I've seen..."

"I am amazed she has the time since she works at her job 40 hours a week...but I am sure she can much more money in movies..."

Mom tried again... "So what about the political debates...have you been following those?" (Dad used to be a staunch Republican...)

"Do I like sardines? You know I love sardines...what's the matter with you?"

"Oh yes," Mom said with a smirk, "how could I forget?"

(Dad has a hearing aid locked in the nurses station, but we cannot let him wear it without us, or it will get lost, like everything else does... Often we forget to get it, but looks like we may have to make more of an effort to get it during visits...)

Happy Birthday to my daughter...

2012-01-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

My youngest daughter Jodee with her son Jacob celebrating her 33rd birthday at a Sushi restaurant! Happy Birthday sweetheart, I love you!

Whooooo-hooooo!!!

2012-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

I tried calling Dad today and was unable to make contact with him. The nurse told me he was doing well. I will try again tomorrow...

Today was my first attempt to do Face Time with my youngest daughter, her boyfriend and with baby Jacob, on her boyfriend's iPhone 4 and my mac book. Success! It was so fun seeing her new hair do and that sweet baby boy playing with Scout, the learning stuffed dog toy we gave him for Christmas! Oh the wonders of technology!

When we talk on our cell phones, Jacob always wants to talk to me and ends up hanging up. This time, when he could see my face, he kept blowing me kisses and each time he did, made a popping sound with his mouth. I could not stop laughing!

Happy New Year...Farewell 2011....

2011-12-31T11:58:00.000-08:00

from google images

Happy New Year everyone

a new year, 2012

new beginnings

a fresh start

opportunities to seize

habits to break

new projects

begin exercising

keep that diet...

definitely

a night of good intentions.

I wish all of you

health, happiness,

safe travels

and good times

with family and friends.

~dkb~

Christmas Eve Laughter with Dad...

2011-12-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve day, my husband and I left Nevada and drove to CA. We went directly to Mom's house, picked her up and went to Marie Callendars for lunch. Afterwards Jerry drove us to visit Dad. We found him in the dining hall watching TV and waiting for dinner. We wheeled him to the sitting room with the piano in the front of the nursing home.

They had a beautiful Christmas tree decorated in green and blue bulbs....of course Dad told us it was decorated just for him since those were his favorite colors.

Dad was very excited to see my husband Jerry. When he first saw me, he called me, Holl Doll, which is his pet name for my sister, then he realized it was me.

I noticed the alarms did not sound when we wheeled him through the security doors and Dad's eye looked HORRIBLE. I sat and visited for a little bit then excused myself to go talk to the charge nurse about the batteries and his eye.

When I returned, Dad was telling Mom how ticked off he was and he could have given the guy a clip to his chin... Mom was telling Dad he knew better than to lose his temper...

To change the mood, I presented Dad with a 1st Marine Battalion pin from one of my husband's friends. He had asked me to give it to Dad the next time I saw him. Dad was very emotional and thanked us for delivering it to him. He wanted us to tell Paul, my husband's friend, how much it meant to him.

I gave Dad his Christmas card, which I had to read to him. He loved it and thought the votive candles on the front of the card were shot glasses...

"I would like to take a trip to Las Vegas..." Dad announced, as he turned to look at Jerry.

"That sounds GREAT to me," Jerry smiled

"I know what you like to do with the ladies Jerry..." Dad leered...

Jerry burst into infectious laughter, which ignited Dad's funny bone and they both sat there laughing their heads off, with Mom and I joining in....

Jerry told Dad, "Yeah, we will party!"

Dad perked up, sitting tall in his wheelchair and bellowed, "PARRRR-TAAYYYYY!" .... which made us all howl with more laughter!

There was a woman sitting beside us who was trying to write in a Christmas card and was totally distracted, laughing with us...

Dad offered to take us all out to dinner... Mom gently shared that we had to drive to Riverside to meet my step-daughter and her husband for dinner. Dad understood, telling us we could do it another time....

The CNA came to change the batteries in Dad's wander guard and informed us dinner was being served. We all walked with Dad back to the dining room, while I wheeled Dad into his place at the table. He pointed out a smiling woman with long, flowing white hair and told us he would sit with her.... Jerry leaned in toward Dad's good ear and whispered, "We know how you like the ladies..." which gave Dad a big laugh and a gleam in his eye....

After we all kissed and hugged, I borrowed some scotch tape and hung Dad's Christmas card to his wall of love in his room. My sister and Mom had visited the day before and Holly had arranged all Dad's cards in a tree shaped form on the wall. It looked awesome, so I carefully placed our card to the side to expand the width of the tree...(Mom took the 1st Battalion pin off Dad's shirt and we told the charge nurse we were putting it in his drawer for save keeping.)

Mom had to run a quick errand on the way home so we stopped by the Post Office so she could drop off her mail.

It was short, but a great visit with Dad.

We enjoyed a nice Italian dinner at Romano's, one of our most favorite restaurants with our daughter and son in law that night. We checked into our hotel and waited for our youngest son to get off work at Disneyland. Dressed in his uniform, still wearing his apron, we exchanged gifts, sitting and chatting for awhile. He is the one who will be leaving for the Marines in April when he turns 21. He left around midnight and we collapsed into our bed and fell immediately asleep.

Christmas morning we drove to my oldest daughter's home, joined by my youngest daughter and her family. We exchanged gifts and enjoyed all three grand sons playing with their new toys. My daughter made us a delicious ham luncheon with all the fixings. Jerry and I left mid afternoon to see the movie WAR HORSE directed by Steven Spielberg. It was excellent. Everyone clapped at the end.

After the show, we drove to my youngest daughter's home for a yummy prime rib dinner and private play time with baby Jacob, who is now 15 months old. It was a wonderful evening which ended at 10pm. We drove back to our hotel after fighting the holiday traffic on the freeways...again, free falling into our beds for much needed sleep....

The day after Christmas, we checked out of our hotel and drove to Irvine to visit my husband's grand daughters who loved the skates we bought them. We all went out to lunch at Islands and then visited and until they had to leave to exchange a broken scooter....

We drove back to my older daughter's home to spend the night as we were watching the boys the next day while my daughter goes to Orange County for Jury Duty.

While watching the boys the next morning, I noticed Delilah's cone was no longer around her head. (Delilah and Dutch are their brown labs and Delilah has the cone so she will not get to her spayed stitches.) I called the neighbor to take Dutch to his house and called my son in law. My daughter called telling me she was excused from Jury Duty and when I told her about the cone, she had to get to the vet to get another one.

By 2pm, the cone had been replaced and we were on the road back to Nevada...the traffic was stop and go, but we made it home in four and a half hours with my husband cussing in Italian most of the way...

Hope everyone had a wonderful, Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

There's a Rumor They're Shipping Me To Mexico...

2011-12-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

Dad called Mom the other night. He wanted her to call his doctor, not his attorney (he does not have an attorney) because "they" were going to "ship him to Mexico"...

Mom asked who told him and Dad told her, "I heard it was a rumor".

Mom assured Dad he was too well loved there and no one would want him to leave...

"OK, good" and with that said, Dad hung up the phone...

The nurse called me two days ago and informed me Dad had GAINED six months this month... Dad had lost 8 pounds in October and 7 pounds in November so we suggested more ice cream. The staff agreed plus they are giving him a liquid supplement drink with his meals as well. Guess it is working.

I hope I can talk with Dad tomorrow. We plan on seeing him the day before Christmas.

Nice To Be In Chicago...

2011-12-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

My sister Holly and Mom went to visit Dad yesterday. They found him in the activity room listening to music by his favorite guitar playing Chaplain. He looked all spiffy with a shave, hair cut and nails neatly trimmed. Dressed in holiday red he was all smiles to see both of them!

Dad 12-10-11

They took him outside to chat. He seemed disoriented a bit as he told them both it was so nice to be in Chicago... He told them he was happy and was so blessed to be in such a wonderful place where everyone took such great care of him.

Both Mom and Holly told him how handsome he looked and he told Mom how beautiful she was. She shared some forwarded messages to him from some of their friends at church. Mom and Holly could tell by the expression on his face and the fact he kept calling them different names from the ones they were discussing, that Dad had no clue who they were.

Dad's eye looks horrible and the lesions on his upper lip and left temple area seem to be growing, but Dad is oblivious to them. He appears to have no worries at all, which is such a relief and we are so grateful to hear. Happily, Dad is wearing both an ankle wander guard and one on his wrist! Double protection from him wandering off...

Dad yawned quite a bit during their visit and said he wanted to take a nap...so when lunch was being served in the lunchroom, Mom and Holly wheeled him in to eat. Dad was served a delicious looking lunch of baked fish, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello, coffee, milk and ice cream. Holly seated Dad next to an older gentlemen named Walter who never seems to have many visitors. My sister said the next time they come, she is going to invite him out on the patio with them. I think Walter was in the Navy if I remember correctly...

Mom said Dad polished off his lunch as fast as "Grant went through Richmond"... I had to laugh, as I know how fast Dad can empty his plate, but this expression is one of Mom's favorites...as she came from the south...

Mom kissed Dad good bye and Holly blew her traditional kiss from the window and Dad reached up to grab it as he always does... It was a very nice visit.

Mom and my sister went to lunch at Millie's and had a nice lunch and conversation. When Holly brought her home, my brother and niece's fiancé were both at the house fixing Mom's fence. It had blown down during the last wind storm. My niece has a dog and a cat, who both get out due to the condition of the fence, so it was a big relief for them to fix it for them.

My sister in law was there as well, so Holly, Mom and she visited in between supervising the fence repairs.

My brother in law is doing amazingly well after his surgery, although his stitches irritate under his jeans and he is looking forward to having them removed this week.

Fourteen Months Old...

2011-12-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

Jacob, all dressed up, ready to roll and celebrate being 14 months old on 11-20-11. Check out those kissy lips!

Jacob smiling with his many teeth awaiting his first Thanksgiving Turkey...

Wanted to share a couple more pictures of Jacob, but for some reason, I am getting error messages when I attempt to upload the photos... Maybe there is yet another problem with Blogger...

I Get All My Love From Turkey...

2011-11-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

I called Dad today and asked how he enjoyed his turkey dinner. He raved and gushed about eating everything on his plate, wanting more and getting another plate full. Dad loves turkey as much as he loves spaghetti. " I get all my love from turkey!" he laughed and I could not help but laugh with him...

He made sure I knew he was kidding, and once again thanked me for finding the nursing home for him. He always tells me how wonderful everyone is to him and how much he loves all of them. It is music to my ears, no matter how often he tells me, because I remember how it was two and a half years ago when he first was diagnosed and had to move into a home...

Doctor-Doctor was in the room with him. She had just given him a shower and was getting him dressed and all ready for visitors and lunch. I told Dad to tell her hello from me, which he did and I could hear her telling me hi as well...

I had spoken with Mom earlier this morning and she told me she and my sister Holly were going to visit Dad today. I told Dad they were coming and he was excited. He sounded so good and so upbeat, this news just added to his happiness.

Dad today during his visit with Mom and Holly

Mom and my sister arrived just before Dad was served lunch. They took him outside on the patio of the nursing home and enjoyed the sunshine. Dad complimented Mom on how great she looked and was so happy to see my sister.

Mom called Dad's sister on her cell and let Dad speak to her. They had a wonderful conversation and both were so happy to talk with one another.

Mom was enjoying a good day and feeling really positive and walking without her walker. Dad was so happy to see Mom feeling so much better.

Dad's eye still looks very red and irritated but Dad insisted it did not bother him at all. When it was time for Dad's lunch, they hugged and kissed and said their good byes... Dad was anxious to get to the lunch table with his friends, not to mention the food...we all know how much Dad looks forward to eating!

Mom and Holly went for a nice lunch after their visit celebrating Mom feeling so much better and the great visit with Dad.

I am so very grateful Dad is happy where he is and so happy to hear how well Mom is doing. Thank you everyone so very much for all your prayers and well wishes.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone....

2011-11-23T23:09:00.001-08:00

UPDATES:

Mom's MRI went well...she took it like a champ. She meets with the doctor for his recommendations next week...

My brother in law came through his surgery well...they even had him up and walking two hours after the surgery!

My colonoscopy went well, the prep was not even bad...everything is A-OK!

Thank you so much my dear friends for all the positive thoughts and prayers!

Blessings to everyone...

Please Pray....

2011-11-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

My Mom has claustrophobia and has to have a two hour MRI on November 21st. The X-ray showed a fractured spine, arthritis and osteoporosis. The MRI will show all the soft tissues to help determine if she has a pinched nerve. The doctor is exploring why Mom keeps having the electric shock sensation in her legs. We would really appreciate your prayers as the MRI is going to be a real emotional challenge for her.

My brother in law is having knee surgery November 22nd. Please pray for the surgeon, his doctors and for his speedy recovery and healing.

One of my friends has a mysterious paralysis and has been bed ridden for several months. Her doctors just discovered a lesion on her spine through an MRI. Please pray for her surgeons, doctors and her quick recover and ability to walk again.

I am having a colonoscopy on November 22nd. I would appreciate your prayers too. In 2007 I was one of 40,000 people who were exposed to Hepatitis B, C and HIV from two Las Vegas colonoscopy clinics re-using syringes and anesthesia vials. Our records were seized by the police. I underwent blood tests every 6 months for two years and tested negative for everything. Recently I had some tests and both my GYN and Primary Care doctor feel another colonoscopy should be done again for my best interests. Please pray for good results.

Thank you!

Dad Turns 91....

2011-11-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Dad turns 91 today...although he thinks he is 102! I called him this morning and had a good conversation considering he didn't hear much of what I said or asked, but he commented on what he thought I said and we worked with that...

Mom and my sister went to visit Dad and he was THRILLED to see them...

My sister took this really nice picture of Mom and Dad. She felt she should retouch the picture since Mom plans to use the picture for this year's Christmas cards...

Didn't my sister Holly do a nice job? Still such a cute couple...

They found in the lunch room scarfing up his lunch. After he cleaned his plate, he ate half of the carrot cake my sister brought him. He told them how wonderful and great he felt. He was very animated and excited about his birthday celebrations, telling them how popular he is...

Dad told them how he had no worries and was so happy. (What a blessing to all of us to hear this...)

He talked of owning the Breeder's Cup and then remembered being in prison. Being protective, my sister told Dad it must have been a nightmare and changed the subject...

Mom asked if Dad knew how old he was today...Dad told them he was 102. Maybe he is competing with his lunch mate, who is 105! According to the nurse, he does not take any medications! Good for him!

My sister noticed Dad's wander guard was on his ankle instead of his wrist...she wondered if that is why Dad may have thought he was in prison?

Dad told them both he enjoyed a nice long conversation with me this morning...

My sister read him all his birthday cards. He smiled sweetly, listening intently and thanked her for reading all the cards, as his glasses were lost. (They were in his drawer...)

The chatted for about an hour before Dad began to yawn and announced he was ready for a siesta. My sister hung all his cards on his wall of love while "Pickles" (Dad's nickname for her) tucked him in all cozy in his bed.

They hugged and loved him up and as my sister stood at the door to blow him a kiss as she usually does, she could see Dad was already fast asleep....

Updates on Dad...

2011-11-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

10-20-11 Received a call from the nursing home: Dad had lost 8 pounds the month of October. They will be giving him a supplemental drink twice a day. I tried to talk with Dad. I could hear him perfectly, but he kept telling me he could not hear me. Doctor-Doctor said she could not hear me either, so I know it was not Dad.

He told me, "I know you are calling to tell me how much you love me. I love you too dear...I am sick and throwing up, but I am doing just fine..."

After I hung up, I called back to speak with the charge nurse. I told her what Dad said and asked if he had been throwing up. She assured me he was fine and they had no record of him throwing up. I told her about the phone and she promised she would call the maintenance to check the phones.

10-25-11 was Dad's Care Conference: Mom's friend drove her to the conference and helped Mom with her walker. They both went in to visit Dad, but he was asleep. The nurse said she knew Dad would want to be awakened, but Mom's knees were starting to really bother her, so they left. Mom said the report was all good and despite losing the 8 pounds, he is still in his normal range for his height and age.

10-28-11 Received a phone call from the nursing home regarding Dad's roommate having a contagious rash. Both Dad and the third roommate would have to be treated with some special antibiotic cream.

10-29-11 Called the nursing home and spoke with charge nurse. I wanted to know if it was safe visiting since I was staying with my daughter and did not want to take any chances of exposing my young grand sons to the rash. Two of the three boys have very sensitive skin. She advised me to wait until the following Tuesday, giving them 4 full days of the treatment. I explained I was going home on Tuesday.

Instead, I called my sister and we decided to take Mom to lunch. I gave Dad's card to my sister as she plans on seeing him on his actual birthday when he turns 91. We met at Mom's and took two separate cars to Islands restaurant. Mom has been using the walker my sister bought for her. She tried to walk three feet from the chair to the couch and almost tripped. Her knees keep feeling like she is having electric shocks. She will be going to pain management classes and to have an MRI.

When Mom and I returned back to her house, I asked if she was using her Life Line bracelet or necklace. She informed me she had not been able to activate it yet because she was still looking for a good place to hide the front door key. The police and fire department need to know where there is a key hidden to get in should there be an emergency.

She also was having problems with her computer and some other small things she needed help with. We resolved all her issues and I left her house about 6pm and headed back to my oldest daughter's home. She had made spaghetti and garlic toast, so I was anxious to get there...

11-3-11 My youngest brother E went to visit Dad for an early birthday visit. When my brother walked into the dining room, Dad greeted him by calling him the oldest brother's name. E____ corrected him and Dad told him he loved him. Here is a picture of Dad opening the card he gave to Dad:

My brother E____ has a golden lab and three Havanese dogs. Dad was very close to them all, but knows the yellow lab is getting older and having some health problems. One of the Havanese is particularly protective toward the lab and they sleep together and the smaller dog grooms the lab. The picture is the two of them together. Dad loved the card...

My brother offered to take the card to Dad's room and hang it on his "wall of love". After my brother hung it, Dad appeared in his room telling my brother he would like to eat his lunch in his room and visit with my brother there...

Shortly thereafter, Doctor-Doctor arrived with Dad's lunch tray. When Dad saw it was liver and onions he decided he was not hungry. He began to warn my brother he might throw up. E____ took it in stride and went and got him a basin bucket, just in case. E____ suggested Dad drink his milk and mashed potatoes to settle his stomach, and told him he would be OK.

Dad ate everything except the liver and onions...I had to laugh at the expression on his face. No doubt he is making an "icky face" for the disdain he holds for liver and onions... LOL.

Dad said he had to throw up, because if he didn't something might happen... my brother used positive thinking and just told Dad he would be fine and he did not HAVE to throw up. Dad agreed it was a great idea and a positive perspective, announcing he felt much better. Doctor-Doctor brought Dad a nice assorted fruit plate with cottage cheese, and Dad quickly scarfed it up.

To use my brother's description, they "rip-rapped" for an hour or so until Dad let him know he was tired and wanted to take a nap. They exchanged love and hugs and my brother left Dad's room. As he walked up the hall, he noticed an older man sitting in the doorway of his room with his white bathroom open down to his waist. As my brother approached, he noticed the man was "bursting with golden showers" all over his bathrobe and the hall way floors....

The nurse was right behind my brother so when he turned to check if she was still there, she was already attending to the gentleman. We all have had similar experiences visiting the nursing home. It is not pleasant and if one allows the surroundings to get inside one's head, it would undoubtedly affect one's frequency of visits. We simply have learned these past two years, to take it in stride...

Good News, Bad News...

2011-10-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Dad's Chaplain friend and former co-worker, who still is a volunteer Chaplain at the hospital, prison and nursing homes, came by yesterday to visit with Dad. He sent Mom an email telling her how well Dad looked and how happy he is! He said it is the best he has seen Dad look all year and asked if Dad has gained weight...which he has.

They sat on the patio for over an hour and discussed John Wayne, Nelson Eddy, Jeanette McDonald, Seattle, an Alaskan Cruise, sports, lots of mutual friends and many more things. He told Mom he really enjoyed himself.

He had needed to take three months off from the Chaplain service to keep his sanity. He and his wife were remodeling their kitchen, their daughter had gotten married and they also had family from England staying with them.

We were all so pleased to hear of their wonderful visit. Dad has wonderful friends and it is so good they continue to come and visit him. I know it means the world to Dad.

I want to call him tomorrow as he is due to have his conference call on Wednesday. We have been very busy beavers around our home. We are shredding, cleaning, making Goodwill donations, selling some old furniture with a consignment shop, buying some new pieces, having the carpets and tile cleaned, the grout cleaned and resealed.... and the decluttering continues.

My husband and I have been enjoying going out and about together instead of me on the computer and him in front of the TV... we have been searching for a few new things to give our home a fresh new look since we just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary!

We celebrated at a wonderful Italian restaurant at Green Valley Ranch called Terra Verde. Some of you may remember it from Gordon Ramsey's Hell's Kitchen. Two different winners of the show got head Chef jobs in Vegas, one being Terra Verde.

They serve a delicious complimentary relish plate of tossed peppers, artichoke hearts, black and green olives, cheese and lightly battered zuccini slice chips. Their bread is an assorted basket of various breads and bread sticks. We had soup, ceasar salad (next time we will split one) and split Chicken Picata.

We could barely waddle away from the table! My husband had two Lemon Drop martinis and I tried a Raspberry martini made with Belvedere Vodka which was suggested by our food server. WOW was it yummy! I am not a big drinker..but this did not even taste like booze. They use fresh raspberries and I guess the vodka has a citrus in it which tones down the raspberries.

It was such a nice dinner and a wonderful evening. We sat over candle light with white linen table cloths and just really enjoyed one another. We exchanged beautiful cards and called it a night.

Now for the bad news. Mom is not doing well...in fact my sister and I do not think she is getting better. She has canceled all her many activities, including church, which she so used to enjoy. We are very concerned for her.

She was only going out twice a week, to have her hair done and pick up her Jenny Craig food...but going grocery shopping is too much and she needs someone to go for her. Last week she did not even go to Jenny Craig.

She feels like her legs are going to go out from under her. She keeps feeling like there are electric shocks going through her legs. Sounds like a pinched nerve to me... She really is miserable. The physical therapy does not seem to be helping...

Today, my sister brought Mom two walkers she had purchased at the thrift store. One for upstairs, one for down. We all think Mom should switch rooms with my niece, who lives with Mom, as Mom sleeps upstairs. Mom is not happy about it because she loves her cross breeze she gets sleeping in the fresh night air. If she slept downstairs, she would not leave her windows open. She would not feel safe.

Mom has mentioned to both my sister and I how difficult it is for her to keep up that big house. She has to hand water because Dad never wanted automatic sprinklers. He always enjoyed watering and talking with the plants. The house is just too much. I hate to think of not having the ol' homestead to go to and visit...but the times, they are a changing...

Mom would probably be extremely relieved and happy in Assisted Living. She would not have the burden of all the upkeep attached to owning a home, plus she would have scheduled activities she could pick or choose to enjoy and she would have her meals prepared for her and a nice private little room to sleep in...preferably on the 2nd floor...

Dad is in a nursing home and needs 24 hour care. Mom does not need that... so they would probably be in two different areas... We may have to start searching around as my niece is getting married next summer and will move out of the house. I would imagine, depending on what we can find for Mom, we may have to sell the house to pay for the assisted living... Medicare or Medi-Cal does not pay for Assisted Living, unless we can find something through HUD.

We found the nicest place in Riverside, CA for my husband's Mom. It was wonderful! The food was really tasty. I used to go and have lunch with her as often as they would allow me to do so. Lots of fun activities and exercise. Really a beautiful campus. I want something like that for our Mom...

Please keep both Mom and Dad in your prayers, as I know so many of you do. I am hoping for a miracle for Mom...she is so full of life and I hate she is having so much pain. She does her best to be strong, but pain has been an unwelcome visitor and it has overstayed its welcome with Mom!

Tender Moments...

2011-10-09T23:56:00.000-07:00

My sister Holly went to see Dad Saturday. She found him snoozin' in his wheel chair. She stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders to wake him. He came alive with excitement and his face lit up with huge smiles and joyful laughter. He was so happy to see her!

She took him out on the patio and gave him a manicure. Dad hates to have his nails too long...besides, he loves the attention and hand massage my sister always gives him...

Poor Daddy...his fingers are so crooked with arthritis...Bless his big heart....

I have been having my usual difficulties in reaching Dad (in between all the stuff we are doing to the house preparing for more company the next two weekends....) so my sweet sister called me so I could chat with Dad. She also called Mom so she could chat with Dad. She also tried our brother in Ohio, but his voice mail came on. My sister had Dad leave a message for him. She noticed Dad was getting a bit emotional, so she quickly changed the subject and got him thinking about other things...

She drew Dad's attention to the beautiful fall leaves on the trees in the patio area... Dad loves nature as much as he loves his family, so admiring the colors and the magnificent blue skies set him off on a long rambling discussion on trees, flowers and pleasant out door memories....

My sister could hear the guitar music wafting in from the lunchroom... one of Dad's favorite visitors is a Chaplain who comes and entertains with his singing and guitar playing... Holly wheeled Dad back inside, knowing he would enjoy the music....

Holly stood behind Dad, again massaging his shoulders as the Chaplain strummed his guitar... she looked around the room and felt sad for the other residents who rarely have visitors. Some looked at her and looked sad...

Being a tender heart, she found herself feeling sad for the lonely ones....Dad seemed to pick up on it somehow, squeezing her hand and he told her lunch would be served shortly, so if she wanted to go, it would be fine with him. He told her how much he enjoyed the music and all his friends...

Holly hugged him good bye and blew him their traditional kiss from the hallway. Dad caught it and smiled, waving good bye and throwing her a kiss back...

It's Good to be Home...

2011-10-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

Dad called Mom a couple days ago...

"Hello? K_____?" (Dad called, thinking he had called my brother at Mom's house, but she was out....)

"You need to call my attorney and get him down here. I am sick and I need him."

Dad hung up.

I called the nursing home and spoke with the charge nurse. Apparently, Dad had thrown up his morning meds after taking the bigger pills with applesauce. He only threw up once and was fine at lunch.

I wanted to speak with him, but he was sound asleep...

We arrived home on Monday, along with a big rainstorm, complete with thunder and lightning... Tuesday we re cooperated some more. Both of us are nursing backaches from riding around in the car so much.

The memorial service was wonderful...

It is good to be home...

A Pleasant Surprise Upon Waking...

2011-09-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

Talked to Mom today...she said my youngest brother E_____ went to visit Dad yesterday. When he arrived, Dad was asleep. Doctor-Doctor told my brother Dad had left specific instructions to wake him if any family came by. She also inquired as to how Mom was doing. All the staff miss her...

E______ woke Dad... "What a pleasant surprise!' Dad recognized E____ immediately, hugging him and telling him how good it was to see him. They went out on the patio and had a nice visit.

Dad wanted to make sure my brother told all of us how well he was doing and how great he felt... love you Papa-doots....

Dad is Re-Enlisting in the Marines...

2011-09-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Dad called Mom tonight... He wanted to know if his Marine Corps uniform was still in the plastic zipper bag in the hall closet. He has decided to re-enlist. He asked Mom if she knew where his hat was. Mom told him the Corps would have to issue him a new one.

He told Mom he was planning on setting up a tent in the back yard...

Dad wanted to know if Mom realized their daughter Holly now works at the nursing home... Mom reminded Dad my sister works for a hardware company... Dad chuckled and agreed he was probably mixed up.

He asked if their grand sons still lived down the street... (they live in the next town). Mom told him they were divided their time between their Dad's home and their Mom's home with her new husband. Dad wanted to talk to my brother S_____ and Mom quipped, "wouldn't we all!" Mom told Dad my brother was busy going to school, working on his Masters and working a job at night...

Dad thought Mom said Pastor's Degree....

Both my parents are life long Republicans. Dad told Mom he liked President Obama and thought his job plan and taxing the rich were GREAT ideas. Mom grumbled under her breath, as Dad asked her how she felt about it. Mom told him she would NOT be voting for him...

Mom was watching the Angel baseball game and asked Dad if he was watching too...He told her he was and thought they were doing so great shooting all those baskets... Mom snickered and agreed with him...

Dad told her about a "beady eyed" woman he really liked and wanted her to be his counselor...

Talking non stop, Mom could not get many words in, but Dad said he felt fine but needed a toothbrush. Mom suggested he talk to one of the nurses and they would give him one. He told her that was a great idea...

He didn't ask how Mom was, only that his phone had not been working, so one of his lady friends help fix it so he could call her.

Mom is still not going many places as it hurts too much to walk. She is also taking Fosomax. I could not take it. It made me sore all over and made my ankles and knees feel like I had been hit with a bat... I wonder if that medication is adding to her problems...her doctor says she is "on the road to recovery", but from what my sister said, Mom still looks to be very much in pain...

We have been having a lot of work done on the house and the days have been flying by... we leave for Tucson, Arizona tomorrow to visit friends and then attend a family funeral on Sunday the 2nd. I plan on calling both Mom and Dad while we are driving tomorrow...

When we get back, we have birthdays and our ten year anniversary, company from New York coming to stay a week, celebrating two years since we adopted Izzy, our dog and then I have a trip to California for my grand son's 7th birthday, trick or treat with them and then visit my Dad for his 91st birthday....

One of our anniversary gifts is to see the Eagles in concert in November. We will make a night of it and all the friends and family members in attendance will be all staying over night at the MGM Grand Hotel. Should be a fun night!

I hope to pop in once in awhile to blog and visit other blogs...but I also have a new exercise plan I have decided to get started on...so wish me luck on that!

Hope all of you are well... I miss you all and look forward to talking with you soon!

One Year Old Today!!!

2011-09-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

First birthday picture of Jacob. One year old today.

Arrival at Toys R Us for a shopping spree...

Birthday shopping at Toys R Us

Happy Birthday Jakers!

We had a wonderful celebration two earlier at the Santa Ana Zoo, under a canopy of jungle plants. Sadly, my oldest daughter was really ill with the flu, which developed into bronchitis, so she and her family could not make it. We took lots of pictures to share with them however...

The Mystery is Solved!

2011-09-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call from the nursing home. The nurse who promised to investigate to find out who was helping Dad make phone calls to Mom...discovered who it was....

IT IS DAD HIMSELF! Just when we think he cannot do something, he shows everyone how capable he really is! She watched him go to his room, when all his roommates were gone. He picked up the phone and dialed. She could hear him talking with someone, so she ventured into the room and asked who he was speaking with...

He ignored her and kept talking. That is when she left and called me. Sure enough, I called Mom and she said Dad had called her. He wanted to know how she was. He was very concerned about her. He asked if they could go to church together. She told him she had not been to church because she still is having trouble walking... He was very understanding and apologized for not remembering... Mom said the conversation was very short and pleasant.

We are all blown away as Dad could not dial the phone without Mom helping him prior to going into the nursing home. I guess the meds he is on for the Alzheimer's is helping in some way. We know it is a "hit or miss" situation, but apparently, at night, he can dial the phone...

Tomorrow we leave for CA for little Jacob's first birthday party! I promise to take plenty of pictures to share...

I spoke with my oldest daughter today, Jacob and his mommy stayed over night at Auntie's house because both my daughters wanted to watch the Finale of Big Brother. I could hear Jacob jabbering and squealing in the background. Apparently, he was walking up a storm and having a blast playing with his 9 year and 6.5 year old cousins.

We plan on visiting Mom and Dad after we drop my step-son in Riverside...

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone...

The Marine Has Landed...

2011-09-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

I will taking a break for a couple of weeks. My step-son joined the Marines and flew in today for a five day visit. He was told to "be ready" any time between October and January to leave for boot camp. The first two weeks, he is not allowed any contact with the outside world. After the two weeks, he can receive letters.

We don't know if he will be here for Christmas so we want to enjoy our time with him before he leaves. He will celebrate his 21st birthday this April. If he has leave, he said he would want to come back to celebrate with us.

What a difference already. He no longer eats "junk food" or carbs, soda, or chips. The Marines require him to do PT twice a week and test once a month. He works out six times per week "for his own preservation". His spiky, stylish hair is all shaved to a "1". He still looks so handsome...

The end of the week, we will all travel together to California to celebrate Jacob's first birthday. Jacob has four teeth on the top and four on the bottom now, cutting some other ones. Still has peach fuzz on his head, but he walking! Where the heck did this past year go???

Mom's X-Ray Results...

2011-09-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

Mom received the results of her x-rays. The doctor believes her pain is from compression fractures to her spine and arthritis. The doctor gave her a pain shot, pain medication and is sending her to a pain management clinic. She will have another x-ray and an MRI to verify the diagnosis. They are not sure if the compression fractures were a result of her fall last April...but it is a definite possibility.

I spoke with her the last couple days, she was having a rough time with the pain medication making her feel nauseated.

Dad called Mom again.... (unbelievable!)

"Hello?"

" I wanted to tell you some important things..."

"Big things are happening around here..."

"I really am happy here and I feel GREAT!"

Mom started to tell Dad she has been nauseated from the pain medication....and Dad cut her off and continued to go on about all the things he is in charge of...

Mom asked who helped him dial the phone.

"I don't dial, I just punch in the numbers on the buttons..." Mom was shocked to hear this, not sure to believe him, as he could not push the buttons on their home phone prior to going into the nursing home.

Mom could hear someone talking in the back ground...

"Don't interrupt me, I am on the phone..."

The phone was disconnected.

Will have to call again and have the staff find out if Dad is calling Mom on his own...

A Father is...

2011-09-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Words taken from lyrics written by Sonny Bell

image from Pinterest

“He’s a son’s first hero. He’s a daughter’s first love.” Their eyes filled with tears as they listened to the song lyrics their father had written just days before. At 47, Sonny Bell seemed too young to die. His battle with cancer began in 1998 when he was diagnosed with melanoma. It was detected early, and for eight and a half years, Sonny thought he had beaten it. In the fall of 2006, he learned he hadn’t. The melanoma had moved from his skin to his brain. For five months he fought the disease, and it seemed he was making progress. But on March 26, 2007, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Hours later, the blood clot took his life." -- The Lookout magazine

Dirigibles and Other Concerns...

2011-09-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Dad called Mom last night... she recognized the number and did not pick up. She asked me to call the nursing home to check who is allowing Dad to call her. When he calls, it is always at night and he has "Sun downers syndrome" in the late afternoon. His calls are very upsetting to her because he sounds so mixed up.

She listened to his message:

"Hello?"

"I just wanted to make sure you had seen the third Dirigible crash...."

"Lots of people died... it is so terrible..."

" I saw them ascend to heaven..."

"NO!"

"Why do you almost interrupt me when I am trying to make a phone call?"

The phone disconnected...

Mom told me Dad was 17 when he saw the Hindenburg fly over Connecticut before it crashed in New Jersey. It really traumatized him. Every time the Hindenburg's crash is discussed or shown on TV or appears as a question on Jeopardy, Dad re-tells the same story...

I attempted to call, but Dad was waiting to be served lunch in the dining room. The nurse asked me to call in a half hour... she told me they all know to call me, so it has to be a part time, new employee on the evening shift, who helps Dad call. She promised she would investigate...

I will try again in a half hour...

I just hate thinking of Dad remembering something so traumatic and not being able to talk with one of his family to calm him down. Course, most likely he has forgotten all about it...

During Mom and my sister's last visit, Doctor-Doctor assured them not to worry. She told them both how much Dad is loved there and how they take good care of him. She told them not to worry... Doctor-Doctor was very concerned with Mom's fall and how long it is taking for her to recuperate. Assuring Mom, she just needed to do what she had to do to feel better....

Mom used to have a very busy schedule, but now she only goes out twice a week. Once to Jenny Craig to pic up her food and to get her hair done. All her volunteering and attending to church has come to a temporary hold. Her groups will be starting back up this month, and she still does not feel she is up to it.

I am very concerned about her. I urged her to consider Life Line, where she wears an electronic locket around her neck in case she should fall. All she would have to do is "click it" and it would signal she needed help and the company would call an ambulance.

Mom has a false sense of security with her grand daughter, my niece, living there. My niece just graduated from LVN school. This weekend she is gone to the mountains. During the day she is at work or school, in which case, Mom is alone. If she should fall during the day, she would lie there until my niece came home. She told me she would think about it...

My niece plans to marry July of 2012, so I hope Mom does it before then... If I call and she did not answer the phone, I would call a family member to go check on her...

I was relieved to hear Mom plans on asking her doctor to schedule an x-ray or MRI to get to the bottom of why she is still having pain in her legs and back... She will not consider a cane or walker as she does not trust it to be stable. She feels more secure leaning on walls, the refrigerator and furniture...

Some Days...

2011-08-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

I called Dad yesterday... he was sitting in bed, watching "a good movie" and eating his lunch. He knew who I was, but our conversation was bizarre. The only positive was him telling me, "I got love." Nothing else he said made any sense.

He probably was attempting to tell me about the movie... some days, it is just very frightening and disturbing. It makes me miss the Dad I used to have... some days, I have to work at not allowing, the fact he has to live in a nursing home, to take me to a dark place...

I love you Dad, so much... and I miss you....

Bless His Heart...

2011-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

I just got a phone call from my sister, Holly. She picked up Mom and they had gone to visit Dad. They were suppose to call me so I could talk with Dad. My sister warned me it had not been a good visit...

When they arrived, Mom was surrounded by the nurses and staff as she has not been to visit Dad in over a month. Her fall last April has taken its toll on her back and consequently her legs. While Mom was soaking in all the love, my sister went to the church services and found Dad sitting in his wheelchair with his eyes closed.

She wheeled him out to the patio and noticed immediately how horrible his eye is looking. The entire lower lid is red, swollen and weeping. Without a diagnosis, I am certain it is some type of cancer. I am also sure the lesion on his temple is skin cancer as well. His entire 90 years, living and loving the out of doors, much of it without sun screen until it was too late, has riddled him with skin cancer. He had to have a large portion of his nose, by his nostrils removed several years before going into the nursing home...

My sister also noticed Dad was wearing socks and sandals. Apparently the staff had attempted to put on his usual foam booties (due to the basal cell carcinoma on his left pinkie toe) but to quote Dad, "he won the battle" and got shoes and socks.

My sister asked Dad to smile for Donna, so she could take a picture of his eye, and Dad's face brightened with a huge, happy smile."I feel kind of weak," Dad told her... then immediately threw up all of his breakfast.

Doctor-Doctor came running with towels and cleaned him up the best she could. She told my sister Dad was fine when she gave him his shower this morning before his breakfast, but again, he had a big breakfast. Holly followed Doctor-Doctor as she took Dad in the back way, so he would not be paraded through the community area in front of everyone.

Mom arrived to Dad's room shortly after he was cleaned up. Dad had told everyone he was tired and wanted to sleep. They removed his sandals and socks and elevated his feet with the his foam booties. Dad did not resist the foam booties but complained he doesn't sleep well with his feet elevated...

My sister stood beside Dad and stroked his hair. Dad saw Mom and smiled. "I've been worried about you Lynnie. How are you?"

Mom told him she was doing a lot better. "I'm glad," he cooed as he closed his eyes, enjoying my sister's gentle touch. Within minutes, he was snoring and sound asleep.

Mom is quite humped over and is walking very slowly. She is very cautious of walking too far. She told Holly she is not sore, so no doubt, she has compensated the pain she used to have and is now in the habit of walking this way. Her grand daughter graduated last night from LVN school and Mom did not attend, mainly because of all the walking. Tonight my brother and his wife and having a big BBQ to celebrate her accomplishment. Mom and my sister will go to it.

Unfortunately, we won't make it, so we sent her a card. Her plan is to work as an LVN while she goes back to school to get her RN. We are all very proud of her.

I called and spoke with the charge nurse. She assured me Dad had only thrown up once. I asked if he was getting enough water and she again, assured me he was. She told me they had contacted the doctor and would keep me informed... I know they will give in to Dad if occasionally he fights them with the foam booties. We have all agreed it is not worth the fight, so to appease him, we let him think he is having his way.

Bless his heart, at his age, he is doing pretty darn well with all he has to deal with... We are so blessed to still have him. We all are constantly amazed how he can still remember us with his dementia... but then, we have always been his top priority and focus...

May I just say, my prayers and thoughts go out to everyone up the coast with these hurricanes. I have dear blogging friends in Georgia, New York, Virginia, Nova Scotia, Connecticut....all along there...so be safe dear friends, be safe. God Bless you all.

Sometimes It Is Enough To Just Watch Him Sleep...

2011-08-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother E____ went to visit Dad today. Dad was fast asleep, sleeping like a baby. Dad looked so relaxed and peaceful, my brother decided not to wake him. Instead he sat with Dad and just watched him sleep...

Eleven Months Old Today...

2011-08-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Jacob, 11 months old today

My grandson Jacob will be one year old next month. Does anyone feel like time is speeding past us like we are in some kind of a life race? I sure do!

Tomorrow, my youngest daughter, her boyfriend, co-worker and baby Jacob will arrive in town. She is working a trade show as she is a spa resort retail buyer. My husband and I will be driving over to meet them at their hotel, depending if they can check in early or not. If not, they may drop my son in law and grandson off and we will drive them over later to meet the girls.

We'll get together a couple of days before they return to California early Thursday morning...

I just CAN'T WAIT to get my hands on this precious little boy....my dear grandson.

Happy Sunday everyone.

God Bless You Dad...I Really Needed To Hear That...

2011-08-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

Finally got to talk with Dad this morning. The past four days, I think the nursing home has given me every excuse in the book as to why I could NOT speak to Dad... Today, I was fed up and determined. I talked to five people before they finally put Dad in an office and gave him the phone...

I told Dad how glad I was to speak with him and told him the trouble I have been having and the excuses I was given...after telling him about the shower excuse..."Oh yes! I love our group showers. I enjoy taking showers with all my friends..." Going to have to check up on that statement...

"I am doing very well. I feel WONDERFUL and that is how I like it to be." That is what a positive attitude will do for 'ya!

"When are you coming to see me Donna Dee?" He asked me every time I call and I always tell him a few weeks...even though it will not be until September...

I shared with Dad about our recent trip to Mammoth Lakes. He loves the mountains and out of doors, so he enjoyed hearing all about it. He has always been incredibly supportive of my painting. He tells me I am brilliant, because he always finds hidden objects within my art work, unintended by me. I always marveled at what he could see... He told me I have " a subconscious eye of creativity".

I told him about a picture I took of a branch in a tree off the balcony of the Mammoth house. When I uploaded it to my computer, it was rotated up and down in portrait position rather than the landscape position I took it in. To me, it looked like an Owl man warrior, charging through the forest...he has horns, eyes, nose and mouth in his face, and is wearing a chest shield on his chest. One arm is raised as if to brush aside the tree branches as he rushes through the woods with his powerful legs.... Can you see him?

Owl man

This is the original picture of the branch...

Once again, Dad was not in the mood for a long conversation. Typically, once he finds outs I am not coming today, he excuses himself and tells me he has to go...

I told him my husband sends his love and Izzy says, "woof!". Dad laughed, as he always does. I asked if he remembered when I had to take my German Shepherd, Major, to the shelter because he was so big, keep jumping our six foot fence, and destroyed everything when Dad was attempting to design and plant our backyard. Mom told both of us, it was not a good time to have pets...

At the shelter, I sobbed and cried when the shelter men tried to put him in a big cage. We were outside and it took four men...just as they got him inside, I screamed I wanted Major's collar. Reluctantly, they opened the cage and struggled to get his collar off.

Another man joined them. He looked at me and walked over to Dad and I where I clung to Dad is hysterics. True or not, the man told me he owned a ranch and Major was just the kind of dog he was looking for, and asked if it would be OK if he took him home. God Bless that man. He made me feel so much better.

Dad felt so bad, he took me back inside the shelter and told me to pick out another, smaller dog this time. I selected Miley, a calico type terrier mix with a happy smile on her face....

When Dad and I drove up, and I got out with Miley, my Mom's face dropped, but all she did was shake her head...she knew it was hopeless to disapprove...

Dad laughed and told me he remembered... "I get so excited and happy when I see a dog. I just love animals." I agreed and told Dad we all got our love of animals from him...

I told Dad maybe I could bring Izzy to meet him... "Oh I would LOVE that!" I will have to check into that too. If not, I must remember to bring my laptop next time, so he can see the pictures better...

"I better sign off dear... someone is going to need this room....I am in some one's office..."

I told him I loved him and missed him. I told him how much I was looking forward to seeing him soon...

"I love you too Firstborn...thank you so much...the best came through you, because you found this place for me. I am so happy here and they take such good care of me..."

God Bless you Dad...I really needed to hear that today...

Missing Dad...

2011-08-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

The past several days, I have not been able to reach Dad...same old thing...the nurses are passing out medications...he is in the shower...passing out trays for lunch....he is asleep...FRUSTRATING...

Dad had one of the nurses call Mom last night. He wanted to know how she is feeling. So typical of Dad. Still in love with Mom after 66 years of marriage. He has always been maternal as a mother hen...checking on his chicks...

Letters from Dad were always rare. The few I have received, I have saved. Mom usually wrote on behalf of both of them. Dad would make phone calls. I can still remember, after I moved down to the beach in my first apartment. Dad dressed up in suit and drove down to take me to dinner. Precious memories for sure...

I will try again this morning...lately, when I do reach him, our conversations have been a lot shorter. He always asks when I am coming to visit. I tell him two weeks, regardless of how much longer it will be, and as soon as he hears that, he tells me how he will look forward to it and thanks me for calling.

I think he is more visually stimulated by the nurses bustling around, other residents nearby, sounds, activities and wants to be part of it... still, I miss our longer conversations...

Dad Taken To The Hospital...

2011-08-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call from the nursing home this morning. Dad had been throwing up since after breakfast. His doctor prescribed some medication to help with the nausea, but it did not seem to work. He had no temperature, but was very pale and weak.

The nurse told me they called the ambulance to transport him to the hospital for lab work and tests. I had attempted to talk with Dad, but he was too sick. The nurse relayed my message, telling him we loved him and I would call him at the hospital.

I called at 3:30pm and his nurse could not tell me if he would be admitted. She said he had not thrown up since his arrival. They had him on some nausea medication and it seemed to be working.

I asked if I could speak with Dad. She returned to the phone, telling me Dad said to tell me he loves me, he is doing fine and he is up to his old tricks... The nurse laughed and said he was a huge flirt. I laughed too, telling her to be prepared!

I just checked with his nurse at 5pm. She told me his potassium was a little high, so he was given medication to lower it. His glucose was slightly elevated, but everything else looked good. She suggested the nursing home encourages fluids and water. They will be returning Dad to the nursing home. She told me not to worry...

Thank you Lord!

Maybe We Need To Dig Up the Backyard...

2011-08-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

My sister Holly went to visit Dad today. Other than needing a shave, he looked great. Dad told her how wonderful he felt and was so happy to see her.

She brought him an oatmeal raisin cookie with some apple juice. He scarfed it all down, telling her how fabulous the apple juice was.

She had just finished her Apple Mac One on One lesson, so she had her laptop with her. She took Dad out on the patio and showed him pictures on the laptop. It was much easier for him to view as opposed to a camera or cell. He even told Holly he would like to have a laptop, as he could really use one...

Dad began talking about the buried gold and oil in the backyard of their old house. This makes the third time he has brought it up...maybe we need to go digging in the backyard... Holly asked him how he knew about this, and Dad told her he had seen it. The treasure belonged to his father and grand father...

The nursing home is finishing up its renovations. The entry is now more opened up and larger.

They visited and enjoyed the pictures of the family for quite awhile. Dad finally said he wanted to lie down, so my sister wheeled him back inside and left him with the charge nurse.

Holly called Mom after her visit, as Mom said she was not feeling up to going to see Dad. Her back and left leg are still bothering her. She canceled the plane reservations for both her and Holly. They had planned on attending a family friend's wedding on the 13th, but Mom knew she would not be up to any walking....

Holly got a list of groceries for Mom and brought them back to Mom's house. Mom was having trouble standing and moving. She will be continuing her chiropractor visits this week.

Notes From Church: How to Build Your Dream...

2011-07-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday, February 13, 2000 at Faith Bible Church. Sermon by Rev. Arthur Valadez

1. Pray for wisdom. James 1:5

The dream starts with God...not you. Ask God and pray for Him to show His will to you for the rest of your life.

2. Stretch your imagination. Eph.3:20

Faith is stretching your imagination. God can do more for you than you can imagine. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.

3. Establish a goal. Phil. 3:13-14

Write it down, it needs to be clear and specific. Write down a date.

4. Visualize the results. Heb. 11:1

Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Make it as real as possible. See with the eyes of your heart and faith. Being "born again" gives you spiritual ears and eyes. We see things differently through the Holy Spirit.

5. Commit your dream to God's care. Psalm 36:4-5

Give your dream to God. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the dream of your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11 " I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future."

What do you want?

What would you want, if you knew you couldn't fail?

What could God do in your life if you yield to Him?

We have to think big and get started.

Too often we spend money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't even like.

We can turn off the TV sets, but not the influence it has on you.

Plant seeds of greatness.

When you capture God's dream for you and you know THIS IS THE DREAM, then go after the problem solving to overcome.

Soul equals inner life of our passions and dreams. Philippians 2:9-11

Pick Me Up For the Parade....

2011-07-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Mom got another call from Dad... He demanded someone come pick him up for the parade... Mom asked which parade?...

"THE PARADE!" Dad insisted...

"If no one will pick me up, I will find a bicycle and ride there myself!"

Mom agreed... telling him not to worry...

"I have to go now and get ready..." Dad huffed...

After Mom hung up, she called me. First off, the nursing home is suppose to call me...NOT MOM... (we go through this every couple of months it seems...) Very concerned, worried Dad will find some way to break out again for this "parade"... She asked me to call the nursing home...

My girlfriend Jan and I were just pulling into the parking lot of Lucille's BBQ for our last dinner together...she flies back to Missouri tomorrow ( :{ ). I dropped her off to get a table and I called the nursing home...

I spoke with the charge nurse. She assured me Dad was sitting right in front of her at the nursing station and all was fine. She told me she knew I was to be the first person called and did not know who was allowing Dad to call Mom, but she would look into it. She promised to keep an eye on Dad, but assured me he would be fine.

I double checked they checked his alarm bracelet. She told me she would. So far, all is quiet on the nursing home front...

Say, What?

2011-07-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

At 8am this morning, when Mom came down stairs for breakfast. The phone rang.... Mom answered to hear an odd sounding man's voice say,

" Happy Mother's Day!"

Mom asked, "Who is this?"

"Your son, Donald, " he said... IT WAS DAD!

Mom thanked him and told Dad she was having her breakfast, then she had an appointment with her Chiropractor.

Dad told Mom he had been sleeping very well and was going here and there (Mom could not understand where he said he was going...) It was obvious Dad did not register about Mom going to an appointment, or probably not even know what a Chiropractor was!

After Dad finished telling her how busy he was, he told her he would let her go, because his friends were coming for him...

Mom thanked Dad again for calling and hung up.

Thank the Lord Mom has such a wonderful sense of humor!

Updates:

We had another creative weekend last weekend...Mom did not come as her back was still bothering her. I will write about the weekend this weekend on my other blog...

My girlfriend Jan, from Missouri, is still here. She is spending the week. She came for our creative weekend and will fly home this Friday. We have been busy little beavers...

Thank you so much for the awards I have received. I promise to acknowledge them properly after Jan leaves.

There's Gold in them there Horseshoe Pits...

2011-07-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother E____ went to visit "Pops", as he calls Dad, on the 20th of this month. I am late in writing this post due to my cell phone deciding to go on the fritz just before I was to pick up my girlfriend Jan from the airport. It's a long story...I will save that story for another post...

E____ found Dad relaxing in the hallway. The nursing home is still redecorating, new wooden floors, new windows, new paint...all kinds of goings on... So E____ stood about ten feet away from Dad and waited and watched. Dad lifted his head and saw him... Dad's face lit up like the 4th of July! He recognized my brother and called him by name....

E____ walked over to Dad with a huge smile across his face. They shook hands and hugged. E____ suggested going out on the patio and Dad was in full agreement. They found a nice shaded table and settled in.... Dad asked my brother how his dogs were, calling them by name, which really shocked my brother, but made him very happy....

My brother pulled out his Droid cell phone and showed Dad how to flip through the pictures of his dogs and Dad marveled at the technology. E____ showed Dad the navigation on his cell explaining how it works. Dad was very impressed.

E____ took a picture of Dad's eye, as it is looking really bad again...

A bird landed right near Dad's shoulder on the back of his wheel chair. My brother commented on it. Dad acted like Dr. Doolittle, telling my brother, very matter of fact, how friendly the birds were... looking for food scraps. "I love the rabbits and squirrels too...but I have not seen too many squirrels lately..." E___ had to smile...such a "Dad moment"...

My brother asked Dad's advice on one of his fruit trees having a white powdery substance. Dad instructed him how to rid of it, reminding him he can always take samples to a nursery for help...

Dad shared he had been cleaning out his side drawers, reading some of his cards and letters... Dad mentioned one of his grand sons who lives in Ohio, wanting to be a Fireman, but is working at Home Depot. "Maybe he thinks being a fireman is too passe..." Dad wondered...

My brother noted, the word passe, was the word of the day for Dad...he used it quite often during their visit...

"I've been sleeping so great lately... it is just wonderful..." I was glad to hear this, because he has been telling Mom and I the same thing...

Dad and my brother discussed sleeping positions. Seems the entire family goes to sleep on our side, with one arm folded under our head on our pillow, ending up on our back. None of us are stomach sleepers...

"I like your shoes..." Dad complimented E____ so my brother slipped them on and off his foot to Dad's approval... Dad is a shoe lover. When he went shopping, he generally bought hats and shoes...

"You know I am over six feet now... I've been working out..." My brother only smiled and nodded when Dad boasted about his fantasy to be as tall as his sons.... Dad used to stand 5'11" and is now probably 5' 5"... all of his sons are over six feet.

My brother changed the subject and told Dad about his bowling score the night before. He averaged 193 one game and 214 in another... "M____ is a bowler...." Dad thought aloud...(M is one of Dad's friends...)

They discussed going bowling , before Dad went into the nursing home, he went out to lunch and bowling with three of his sons and two of his grand sons. "I don't like the hamburgers here, I eat them without the bun. My favorite burger is In and Out and my favorite fries are from McDonald's..." E____ shared having In and Out for dinner last night...

"I enjoy my afternoon naps...unless my room mates are there...then I cannot sleep because they snore so loud."

Dad looked to the mountains, remarking how beautiful they were... Years ago, Dad and his friend, E___ climbed Mt. Whitney. My brother asked him about it. "We started at 10,000 feet and climbed to 13,000 feet and had to stop due to a snow storm..." (Neither my brother or I could remember the actual details, so I will have to double check with Mom...

"We also hiked the White Mountains in the Sierra Nevada's...we really worked up an appetite. When we finished, the guides had prepared pork and beans. We almost ate it all, eating everyones portions. As they came down, the other hikers were hungry and yelled at us for eating it all...but we had a good laugh..."

E____ had heard a trivia question earlier in the day on the radio. The question was, WHERE ARE THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAINS? So E____ decided to ask Dad. "Sure, the Olympic mountains are in the western part of Washington state, " Dad quipped. E____ was shocked Dad knew, because when he heard the question, he had no idea... (When we were little -- before E___ was born), I think I was 8 years old, we went camping in the Olympic mountains. It was so cold, Mom put extra pairs of underpants on our heads for hats and socks for our gloves. Dad told ghost stories around the campfire, but had to stop we started crying.)

"I remember when Mt. St Helen's exploded in Washington and the ash spread all the way to California. I saved some ash in a jar..." My brother was not surprised...Dad saved everything!

" I buried some gold in the backyard..." Dad shared.

"Where?" asked E___.

E_____ nodded intently, knowing Dad always talked of an Urban Legend of gold being buried near a huge oak tree near a nursing home... Dad was obviously remembering the tale and telling a different version...

"Yeah, I buried a nugget the size of a golf ball."

"Wow!".... E_____ exclaimed, "That ought to be worth a fortune!"

" Yeah, the government used to send planes to fly over the backyard to spy on me..."

" I remember Dad, I remember..."

"I sure appreciate you coming to visit me...next time I will treat you to lunch..."

"Thanks Dad...that would be great..."

"I think I am ready for a nice siesta..."

"OK Dad, I will take you back inside..."

When they reached the nursing station, "Pickles" stopped my brother, telling him they were finishing the new wood floors in Dad's room. E_____ had noticed the residents playing Bingo in the activities room walking back to Dad's room...

"Hey Dad, they are just starting a Bingo game...you wanna' play?"

"Sure!"

"Pickles" flirted with Dad, asking if she could escort him to the Bingo game...

"Why yes! I would just LOVE that!"

E_____ leaned over to hug Dad, telling him how much he loved him...

"Love you too son...see you next time."

E____ stood for a moment and watched as "Pickles" pushed Dad in his wheel chair down the hallway...Dad must have tickled her fancy, because she threw her head back and was giggling joyfully...

Another great visit with Dad....

Update: Results from Dad's biopsy last Thursday are in. The wound on his left pinkie toe is a basal cell carcinoma, as expected.

10 Months Old Today...

2011-07-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

Ten months old today. Jacob is preparing to walk...doing laps around his Mommy and Daddy's bed...

A Morning Phone Call with Dad...

2011-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

I called Dad this morning.

I am in bed resting, not sleeping...
I slept well last night.
I guaranteed I would do what I said I would do...
I feel it is more personal to sit in bed... it feels good.
I am a people lover,
I am doing the best I can do...

I was awake all night long, but rested well.
I had a nice breakfast.
I enjoy relaxing in bed.

His voice sound slurred.

He was hard of hearing.

I called "Lynnie" (my mom) to check on her to see how her back was..

I told him how sweet and considerate it was of him...

What is the name of your town where you live?

I told him it was Henderson, Nevada.

What is the weather like?

I told him it was in the triple digits...

I'm glad I live where I live... there is always a nice breeze... I live in the best place...

I told him every time I call and ask to speak to Dad, everyone tells me how much they love him and tells me how happy he is, how they enjoy his singing and their conversations...

Yes, everyone is so nice and treats me so well here...

I asked about some of his favorites, Doctor-Doctor, Pickles and Laura...

They are always so welcoming and make me feel so good...

Thank you Dear for finding this place for me...

When are you coming to visit me?

I told him I would come to visit soon...

OK, Dear, thank you for calling me...I won't keep you....

I told him my husband and I send our love and Izzy sends a "woof woof and a lick"....

Dad laughed a long belly laugh....

God Bless you Dad...

God Bless you all my Dear....

Notes from Church...What to do when you need a miracle.

2011-07-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

Notes taken 4-20-2000 at Faith Bible Church in San Bernardino, CA
Sermon by Rev. Arthur Valadez.

2 Chronicles 20:1-30
1. Get in tune with god (vs 3-4): Fast and pray.
Ask yourself, "What is it Lord? Let me see and understand your will."
Blood will flow to your brain - not your stomach.

2. Pray about the problem (vs 5-12). Prayer should not be the last thing you do,
when all else fails, it needs to be the first thing.

Remind yourself of who God is (vs 6) He is God in Heaven, He rules over the world,
He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega.

Remind yourself of what God has done (vs 7) He is the one who answers prayers and leads us
out of great trouble.

Ask God to do it again (vs 12) Ask for a repeat performance and an instant replay.

3. Admit your need for help. (vs 12b) " We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you." We   have no power. Power and might are in Your Hand God.

4. Focus on God, not your problems. (vs 12c) when you have problems, you don't need to look   down....look up!!   God responses (vs 15) Problems are like a mattress--on top of it, you rest easy, but underneath, you suffocate. Focus on God.

The battle is not ours, it is God's but we fight it. Quit playing God. Let go and let God handle it. We don't help God... He helps us. When we say, "Lord, I let you down, " we are kidding ourselves because we were NEVER holding Him up! Maybe if God resigns as General Manager of the Universe, then we can take over...

5. Rest in faith (vs 17) God is a winner and does not lose. He has a perfect batting average.
What am I to stand firm on? (vs 20b) Quiet mental attitude with confidence.
If you want to do it alone... He will let you. He gave you free will, free choice.
If you run away from it, He will bring you back.
The character of God (vs 20)
The word of God
What He brings you to, He will see you through.
Do what is right and the right feelings will catch up with you.

6. Thank God in advance. (vs 21)

The results? He outdoes our expectations. (vs 29-30)

(vs 29-30) It becomes a testimony to others.

Keep it up Dad....

2011-07-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week I called and spoke with the charge nurse at the nursing home, telling her Dad's wrist guard did not sound when taken through the security doors with my sister... She assured me she would check Dad's batteries in his alarm.

I received several phone calls this week about Dad.

He has gained 5 pounds this month, they remain amazed with his appetite... Despite his weight gain, he is doing well without any swelling in his lower extremities.

The wound care nurse said no biopsy was done last week as the specialist had a sick child. The biopsy was done today on his left baby toe and I should received the results next week...

Today, the nurse called to inform me Dad would be started on protein drink two times a day and Zinc Sulfate to hopefully help his toe wound to heal.

I was unable to talk with Dad today...he was asleep or busy, and then I fell asleep and took a nap...

The nurse told me Dad has been very alert and less confused lately. He is happy and very chatty. I smiled a huge smile when she told me...

Keep it up Dad....

Magic Mirrors...

2011-07-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

"Family faces are magic mirrors.

Looking at the people

who belong to us

we see the past,

the present,

and the future"

Author: Gail Lumet Buckley

Notes from Church...The 8 Benefits of Faith.

2011-07-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today I was cleaning out some files and came upon a notebook of my notes from church...This sermon and hand out was by Rev. Arthur Valadez at Faith Bible Church in San Bernardino, CA...given January 30, 2000.

The 8 Benefits of Faith. What Faith Can Do For You. (printed hand out by Rev. Valadez)

1. Faith determines what God can do in your life. Matthew 9:29

2. Faith can solve impossible problems. Matthew 17:20

3. Faith is the key to answered prayer. Matthew 21:22

4. Faith is the secret to achievement. Mark 9:23

5. Faith is the basis for miracles. John 14:12

6. The Bible teaches that lack of faith is a sin. Romans 14.23

"Having faith, keeps us from sin."

7. Faith is the way to please God. Hebrews 11:6

8. Faith produces success in life. 1 John 5:4

"Faith gives you confidence and eliminates fear."

"When the devil reminds you of your past, you remind him of your future...which is in Heaven!"

"Faith is to a Christian as a mainspring is to a watch."

"There are over 7000 promises in the Bible."

"Achieving is through believing."

"Believe and you shall receive."

"When you wake up in the morning, make it, Good morning Lord....instead of, good lord it's morning."

Hoping Not To Get Fired For His Temper...

2011-07-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

My sister Holly went to visit Dad today. She found him in the Rec room listening to the guitar playing preacher. He comes every Saturday and Sunday and he and Dad are good friends. She said Dad looked very content.

Holly took him out front of the nursing home and noted his wrist guard DID NOT SOUND THE ALARM. (I will call them tomorrow and remind them to change his batteries.) They sat in the shade and chatted for a bit, then she walked him down the street and back. Sitting again, in the shade, Dad confided in her how hard he was trying not to get fired.

Holly assured him they would NEVER fire him. "Some times I do have a temper, " he said...

Again, she assured him we all lose our tempers once in awhile...

Dad, looking happy and content...

The preacher was leaving and stopped to chat with them for awhile... My sister was not sure what prompted the preacher, but he shared with Holly and Dad that when he was 6 years old, he walked in on his father committing suicide. He told them he grew up angry and got into a lot of trouble. He finally found his church and devoted his life to God. (I am hoping Dad did not understand what he was saying, only that he cared enough about Dad to stop and talk with him...)

After the preacher left, Holly took him to the lunch room to eat his lunch. Dad wolfed down chicken, celery and rice with scalloped potatoes, wheat bread and a banana. Doctor-Doctor stopped by to say hello, bringing him a nice fruit plate with cottage cheese, peaches, pineapple and strawberries. He cleaned that plate too. Dad dipped his bread into his milk, ate it and then drank his coffee. Holly could tell he was ready for a nap after that feast!

Holly said Dad's eye looks terrible. The lower lid is very red and his eye watered constantly. She said he kept his hand up by his face (like in the upper picture) to wipe away the tears. (His eye must be extremely sensitive to the light.) Holly talked to "Pickles", his care giver for the day, and was told she was treating it. (I added this to my notes to discuss when I call tomorrow...and Monday...)

My sister bought Dad an Angels shirt. The Angels are Mom and Dad's favorite baseball team, so he wanted to put it on then and there! "Pickles" said she would dress him in it tomorrow. Holly reminded him to wear his red hat, as it will go with the shirt nicely..."Good idea!" he smiled...

She told Dad Mom was still having a difficult time with her back, which is why she had not been in to see him. Dad told Holly to send her his love. He was certain Dr. B, her doctor, would be able to help her. Dad used to see Dr. B before he went into the nursing home. He gave poor Dr. B and his staff HELL while he was a patient those last couple of years... Dr. B and his staff were so very patient...

Holly kissed him good bye, and then blew him their traditional kiss from the hallway as "Pickles" was unlocking his wheel chair, getting ready to take Dad back to his room for a nap.

Holly called Mom and asked if she could bring her anything. Mom had her pick up some peach yogurt, but Holly also got her some blueberry flavor, cereal and cottage cheese. She fixed Mom a light snack and stayed to visit awhile...

We are thankful for another good visit...

God is Always With Me...

2011-07-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

As you may recall, Mom had a fall coming home from her Retreat last April. She hurt her shoulder and consequently, her lower back. I too have been down with a whopper of a backache...so she and I have been commiserating together over the phone lines... I am happy to report, I am doing much better. Still tender, but better... Mom, on the other hand is having a rough time of it. The pain is going down her legs now... so she is seeing her doctor next Tuesday...

I called Dad today. Mom was not feeling up to her weekly visit with Dad, due to her back. I am waiting to hear if the biopsy was done yesterday, as planned. Probably won't know the results for another week. I won't be surprised if it is skin cancer of some kind...Dad was always outdoors and for many years, without skin protection.

Dad sounded in great spirits and I could hear him smile with a chuckle when I greeted him with his pet name, Papa-doots... He gushed sweet comments about the nurses around him, telling me how well they cared for him and how happy he is. He told one of the nurses, he called Laura, how much he loved her... he often forgets their names and calls them by names of his choosing...

I asked how his lunch was...he told me it was delicious...I asked what he had... he laughed and said, "whatever it was, it was darn good! " We laughed together...

I asked if he had his fruit plate and he obviously didn't hear me, because he told me, "I will be busy until tomorrow night, so be sure you call me first so I will know when to expect you...."

I told him Mom was still resting with her back but would hopefully come this weekend with my sister to visit... He was happy to hear about their visit and asked when he would see me... He didn't remember about Mom's back or mine, and was concerned for us, reminding me to take care of myself...

I gave him love from my husband and he told me to send the love back to him...

Dad thanked me for calling, giving me the hint he was done talking... I told him to have a nice nap and he assured me he was looking forward to it... I blessed him and told him I loved him and he thanked me and said he loved me too... "You know, God is always with me", he said...

I know Dad, I know... sweet dreams...I love you so much...

It is storming outside...thunder, lightning, roaring wind and pouring rain... a perfect day to be indoors....then again...maybe we may venture out and take in a movie....

A Biopsy For Dad...

2011-06-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

Dad's wound care nurse called me this morning. Every Thursday, the wound care consultant checks Dad's left baby toe. Two weeks ago, she thought Dad had some kind of a fungus infection. She ordered an ointment which did nothing for the wound. Today, she wants to do a biopsy on it. She is concerned it might be cancer. The wound never really heals, is getting a little bigger and Dad has had it for over two years.

I told the wound care nurse I would check with the family and call her back. I called Mom, as she usually visits Dad on Thursdays, but her lower back is bothering her too. She was too sore to visit Dad today.

The majority of the family all voted to go ahead with the biopsy. We want to make sure Dad is not in any pain. Luckily, the biopsy can be done in the nursing home. I spoke with the wound care nurse and asked her to make sure no one mentions the words, biopsy or cancer in front of Dad. There would be a good chance he would react negatively, if they did. She assured me she would tell the doctor.

I called Dad and caught him in between lunch and his nap. It was a short conversation. Apparently, they allowed him to answer the phone in one of the offices and he was surprised to be in a room he had never been in before, I think it threw him off...

He recognized my voice immediately, which always makes my day. I told him Mom would not be visiting him today because she hurt her back. She will aim for visiting tomorrow... he was sweet and of course glad she decided to stay home because he wants her to take good care of herself.

Today is my first half way decent day where I have not felt sore and stiff in pain while sitting. I threw out my lower back last Thursday while stooping over to pick up a grocery bag. I've been doing a lot of sleeping and staying off my feet... B-O-R-I-N-G!

Dad asked about my husband and sent his love to him. He told me to take care of my back too. He thanked me for calling and said he was looking forward to his nap... Sweet dreams Papa-doots!

Tiger Brown...

2011-06-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mom went to visit Dad today. She found him in the dining room waiting for his lunch, sitting in his "thinking man pose".

Dad was in good spirits so they sat and chatted until his lunch arrived. His lunch partners were the man in the train engineer's cap and the gray haired lady who always gets grilled cheese sandwiches and then complains because it is burned. She flipped the sandwich over to show Mom and Dad how burned it was....

Both Mom and Dad said in unison, "Tiger brown", and then laughed... They told her that is how Dad likes his toast. We have always called it that in our family... With their explanation, the woman offered the sandwich to Dad. He politely refused, suggesting she eat something...

Dad had already polished off his Salisbury steak with gravy, baked potato with sour cream, broccoli, bread sandwich (which he dunks in his glass of milk and then sucks the milk from the bread), coffee, red jello and a sucker the engineer game him. Apparently, the Engineer's daughter keeps him supplied with a regular load of lollipops.

The lady who bangs her silverware, who normally sits at another table, swung her wheel chair around to the vacant spot near Dad. The gray haired lady with the burnt grilled cheese, threw a paper napkin at her and told her to get back to where she belonged... So she reversed her wheel chair, and went into the hallway.

Dad shared with Mom how well he has been sleeping lately and she told him she was very glad. He began talking about something Mom could not understand, but he sounded happy, so she smiled and nodded her head as if she understood...

As per his routine, once he eats lunch, Dad is ready for a nap. When he began to yawn, Mom knew it was time... She told him she had to get home as she remembered she had not unlocked the back gate for the Gardner. They kissed and hugged good bye and Mom waved to several of the staff on her way out.

Mom saw a woman who is there EVERY DAY with her Mother. We all see her and comment how often she comes. She looks haggard and very sad. Mom stopped to tell her hello. Mom sensed the woman was ready to unravel. Mom took her hand and reminded her to take care of herself. She looked so guilt ridden and sad, but managed to smile back to Mom.

So many families visit more than they can emotionally handle. They insist on going daily, out of duty, or guilt, or devotion...only to burn out and stop visiting abruptly. It is really important to find a good place for our loved ones, so we can give ourselves a break. This woman is a classic case of burn out. I saw it when visiting with my mother in law, when she had Alzheimer's, and I have seen it with other family's while visiting Dad.

It is a huge emotional challenge for the Caregivers and family. We have learned getting into a good support group is key in adjusting and dealing with such a tragic situation. We share and learn together. Those before us, pass down their experiences, wisdom and reading material, helping and improving the way we treat and deal with dementia and Alzheimer's.

I so appreciate those of you who have shared your stories with me with your loved ones. It helps more than you know, realizing we are not alone, and how other's coped in this situation.

We are thankful for another good visit... Love you Dad.

Father's Day...and 9 Months Old Today...

2011-06-20T16:35:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, for Father's Day, we had made arrangements with my youngest brother E____ and my sister Holly, to meet Mom and I at Mom's house at 11am. I would drive us to the nursing home to visit Dad and have lunch after wards...

Mom and I planned on going to church early, but due to us staying up so late Saturday night, Mom apparently turned off the alarm, and went back to sleep. She came rushing down stairs in her pj's which was my first clue something was wrong. Mom always dresses before coming down stairs... We fired up her new coffee maker and had our own Bible study while enjoying our coffee...

When everyone arrived, we headed over to the nursing home. We found Dad eating his lunch in the new dining room. Very nicely re-painted with a lot more room. We stood in the door way, noticing Dad was struggling in cutting his chicken. My brother went over and asked if he could help cut up his food and when Dad looked up, he grabbed him for a big hug! Then he saw the rest of us. We did not want him to stop eating, so he put his head down and snorked his entire lunch of chicken in gravy, potatoes, peaches, jello, a roll and a glass of milk...

We wheeled him out to the patio and gave him our gifts. Mom brought Dad some mint toothpaste, my brother printed out a picture of he and Dad from last Father's Day, my sister made Dad a card and an apple pie inside a glass jar with screw on top. HE ATE EVERY MOUTH FULL!

We called our brother Brian in Ohio, so he could talk with Dad and wish him happy Father's day... When my brother heard Dad had just finished a piece of home made apple pie, he asked Dad if he was going to wash it down with a cup of Joe (coffee). Dad howled with laughter and told him, "OF COURSE!"...

I scurried off and got Dad his cup of Joe.... I asked him to sample it and see if it needed more cream or sugar... E_____ narrated for Brian on the phone, telling him how Dad took the cup and drained it like a shot of Tequila! We all laughed, including my brother Brian on the phone.

I re-worked the original poem I wrote here and framed it for Dad as my gift. Here is a picture below and how I changed the poem:

In Dedication to Our Father

Dad loves the outdoors, so it is natural for me to think of him
as a tall, strong, oak tree, with a thick trunk of integrity.
Standing tall in his beliefs, branching out in quiet confidence...
Leaves of grandeur, protecting us, as much as leaves can, until winter...
He knew we had to learn to live our lives on our own.

He always said to listen to our inner voice...he believes in us.
Solid advice to each of us, as we circled within our lives,
growing, expanding, like the rings of a tree,
showing its age...as our lessons were learned...

Still, as an adult, hearing his voice, reminds me
of what he taught us in gentle whispers,
like a breeze fluttering the leaves...

Always leading by example, with his quiet wisdom,
and calm inner peace... His willingness to listen
instilled our individual sense of importance...

The best of his lessons is his belief in God.

Living a full life loving nature, he cherishes beautiful sunrises and horizons.

He calls himself a farmer, enjoying the feel of the earth in his strong hands…
Vivid images in our minds for all time…

Now, at 90 years old, we see him in the winter season of his life.

His face shows his joy, his faith, his hope, his laughter.

His eyes reflect the love he shows everyone.

We love you Dad, Happy Father’s Day!

June 19, 2011

~dkb~

We visited and chatted. We listened to Dad tell us some stories of a chicken he had raised and then given to the school where he worked. Dad would come to the fence and whistle his special whistle for this chicken, and it would remember it and come out of the flock of chickens to the fence where Dad was... He talked of our family pet, Brutus and how much Dad loved him...

Dad told us of being in the movies with John Wayne and how Maureen O'Hara was his dear friend... He told us when he has lived as long as he has, he has met so many wonderful people over the years...

We gave him the updates for the rest of the family and where they were so he would not wonder why they did not come... He was thrilled to hear about all the activities and events going on in the family...

We had the nurse take our picture...

From left to right, Mom in purple, youngest brother E____, bottom in sunglasses, my sister Holly, Dad and myself...

Dad kept us all entertained with his memories and stories and then became quiet and sleepy. My sister took all the cards into his room and hung them on his "wall of love". I asked the charge nurse if we could hang Dad's framed poem next to his bulletin board. She told me she would call maintenance and ask them to hang it.

We all kissed Dad good-bye and as we walked out the front door, I took this picture of the flower area as you walk into the nursing home...

You can see the corner of a sitting bench in the left hand corner...it is so cheery and peaceful...

We had all agreed to have lunch at one of our family's favorite places, Taco Ready. A family owned place with THE BEST food! Unfortunately, when we arrived at 2pm, they had just closed early for Father's Day.... My brother E____ tried to talk them into allowing us to get orders to go...but no luck....

E___ suggested another great place, The Capri Deli, so we went there and he treated us all to a wonderful lunch. I had what my brother had, which was a salami/ham grinder and cold spaghetti salad, Mom had a hearty bowl of soup and Holly had a grilled chicken salad...DELICIOUS!

After. I drove us back to Mom's and we sat around joking and laughing...enjoying every ones company. It was a FANTASTIC Day!

********************************************

Monday, the 20th, Jacob turned 9 months old. My daughter Jodee wanted to take me to lunch at Olive Garden for my recent birthday on the 8th. Mom really wanted to see Jodee and Jacob, so she came along with me and we met Jodee and Jacob in Riverside...

Despite cutting his top four teeth, Jacob was all smiles and enjoying all the attention from each of us.

9 months old today...

Mom (Great Granny) playing "Owl Eyes" with Jacob...right after this, he grabbed her face and laid a big ol' wet lip lock on her! He had everyone around us oooooing and awwwwwing....

Proud Mama Jodee and happy baby Jacob...

Proud Grandma with wiggly Jacob...

After our wonderful soup and salad lunch...we went over to the Galleria Mall on Tyler in Riverside and walked around. Jodee had some errands to run, so we went with her. I took Mom into the Brighton store, but she forgot to pack her gift card, so we looked around for ideas for how she can spend the gift card next time she has it...

We all hugged good bye and Mom and I hopped on the freeway back to her house to avoid the afternoon traffic...

Thank you Jodee for my wonderful birthday lunch and for the beautiful card you and Jacob made me... I LOVED IT!!!

Got Mom Tipsy...

2011-06-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

Last night, my sister, Mom and I went to Applebee's to celebrate Mom's 84th birthday. Since I was still on my medication, I refrained from drinking alcohol, but both Mom and Holly had Strawberry Mojitoes. Holly's Mojito had a TON of ice, the glass was chocked full, so consequently, she had very little booze. Mom, on the other hand, had very little ice and MORE BOOZE.

Holly finished her drink in three short sips and I suggested we complain. Holly did not want to make a fuss, so she said it was OK... Mom did not care, because she was three sheets to the wind before our appetizer arrived...

I continued to debate with Holly about telling the waiter about her weak drink...she said she would wait until she found out how much it was. Our dinner arrived and we all enjoyed the dinner, sharing with one another... Mom was merry and jovial company throughout the dinner...

When the waiter arrived with the bill, my sister saw the drinks were almost $7 each. I took matters into my own hands and called the waiter back over.... The waiter suggested next time we say something sooner, right after the drink was served, (which is what I said...) He asked if he should take the bill to the manager and I told him YES, PLEASE! He came back and the manager had taken off half the drinks cost...

When we got back to Mom's... we remembered we needed to pick up some creamer for coffee. My sister and brother had given Mom one of those Keurig Coffee Makers with the different pods of coffee to make individual cups of coffee, tea, or cocoa. Mom has been wanting one for years now... I gave Mom a Brighton Gift Card to get some jewelry or perfume.

Mom mentioned her printer was not working, so Holly suggested we go to the store for the creamer (and cookies) and she would stay behind and set up the coffee maker and fix the printer...

When we returned, Holly had fixed the printer, set up the coffee maker and was working on Mom's cell phone. Both Mom and Holly have the Samsung Fascinate. It is slightly advanced for Mom...but Mom likes to be "cool" and be included in the latest techie stuff. She is quite proud of herself since learning to use the inscribed iPod Holly and I gave her for her 80th birthday...

After sampling several cups of coffee, we were raring to do something....we decided to play some Facebook gambling games (TIKI HUTT and UNDER THE SEA SLOTS) with game tokens I had won while at my daughter's playing it with my grand son...

We were whooping and hollering and having a great time. Holly spent the night, but had to get up early as she, her husband and their son's in laws were going to the Irish Festival. We did not hit the sheets until 3am. Holly staggered out of the house at 5:45am...

Mom was up at 6:30am, doing her laundry, cleaning the kitchen, watering the lawns, reading her Bible, writing down quotes from her Ben Franklin Almanac, and eating some breakfast. I joined her about 10:00am. I am happy to report, my back is a lot better! Mom has insisted I drink some of her Joint Juice...not sure if it is the reason, but after three days, I have gotten progressively better... (No doubt all the laughter didn't hurt either...)

Mom and I spent the day running some errands and buying a drawer for all the extra coffee pods we purchased... We had lunch at In and Out, enjoying the day as only two unemployed, retired, Geminis can do...

We hit the Facebook slots again....to relax from shopping.... (Mom IS NOT A SHOPPER, so it was very traumatic for her...) While answering an email to my sister Holly, Mom's black cat Nikita, joined us on the couch and casually stood upon my laptop keys, typing her own message to her. Mom laughed so hard she wet her pants... It has been a FUN day....

Mom just reminded me to announce we will be selling autographs (remember we are unemployed) as the current Facebook Family Feud Champions....

Mom is in the kitchen working her magic and I am selecting the wine for us to enjoy while finding something to watch on TV... Driving to a show will be impossible this evening and we cannot afford a chauffeur...

Dad Is Riding a Horse in the Horse Races this Sunday...

2011-06-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

Mom went to visit Dad yesterday. She found him waiting for lunch in the long awaited, newly redecorated dining/activity room. Painted with gold paint, wainscoting around the mid wall. Recessed lighting in the ceiling, with a new coat of white paint. Soon to be fitted with new flat screened TVs at either end to make viewing more accessible.

Dad was excited to see Mom as he thought she had been kidnapped. He had called her answering machine last night, talking to my brother S____'s voice on the recorder, "I need to speak to your Mother...she was supposed to come visit me tonight... I am worried about her..."

Mom joked with Dad and asked why anyone would want to kidnap her, telling him they had no money to pay any ransom. Dad laughed, "I have millions, didn't you know that?" (I am sure Dad feels like a millionaire, free of all the worries and stress of the upkeep of their big home... living with the majority of his needs being met....)

Mom laughed, kidding him again, telling Dad she forgot he owned the nursing home.... "Who told you that?, Dad asked....

Mom changed the subject, letting Dad know my sister, youngest brother, mom and I would all be coming to visit him on Father's Day. "Good! I will be riding a horse in the races that day..."

Just then, the Activities Director came in to say hello to Mom... She told Mom about her plans to have the two flat screen TVs on either end of the dining room so she can have the Sports night or play offs and have special parties for the residents. Mom is always complimenting her on how she decorates for St. Patrick's Day, Valentines, Christmas, and all the holidays...

Mom told her to not forget the hay and oats for Sunday... She turned and looked at Mom with a puzzled expression.... Mom shared what Dad had told her about riding a horse in the races on Sunday... She broke into a chuckle, agreeing with Mom and patting Dad on the shoulder... complimenting Dad on what an excellent horseman he was...

Dad's smile turned to a frown, "Someone stole my $1,000 dollar shoes I bought in Seattle... they replaced them some dark slip on shoes...." (which were some my brother had bought Dad, after Dad told him he wanted some...)

During lunch, one particular woman resident, stood up from her wheel chair, yelling for her caregiver. When she stood, she would set off her alarm. Dad's back was to the woman, so he would only hear the alarm going off and being shut off. Dad looked at Mom with a grimace, "That noise really bothers me..." as he rubbed his thigh..."Watch this, I can make it stop, " as he continued to rub his thigh... The care giver came over and sat her down, re-setting the alarm. Dad thought by rubbing his thigh, he had stopped the noise...

Another woman, who apparently hasn't any teeth, always getting a tray with mashed food, frequently bangs her spoon so someone will come and feed her.... She began banging her spoon and in the process hitting the bowl, sending several sprays of applesauce flying into the air. Mom dodged a flying glob before the caregiver arrived to sit her down to feed her....

Another nice Hispanic lady, who often dines next to Dad, was sitting alone when her lunch was served. Generally, either her son or husband is there to feed her. Both Dad and the woman had a large meat burrito for their lunch. Mom had cut Dad's burrito, so she asked the lady if she would like Mom to cut her burrito too. The lady smiled and nodded. Shortly, her husband arrived and went to her. As soon as he approached her, she fired a rapid blast of Spanish at him. He turned and thanked Mom for helping his wife...

Mom turned around to Dad and before she could stop him, he had poured his green beans, tossed salad, Spanish rice, and green jello with marshmallows upside down onto his plate and mixed it all together. He scooped it up into big mouthfuls and polished it all off in short order. He also finished his coffee and milk, turning the cups upside down when he finished drinking them.

Everyone was dropping in to admire the newly opened lunch room. Mom received and gave hugs to several of the staff...

Suddenly Dad spoke up, "One of fellas (male care givers) took me home last night. He tucked me in and opened the window in my room. I slept like a log all night but woke up this morning in my own bed..." then let out a hearty laugh...

"I'm ready for my nap now..." so Mom wheeled him to his room, while his care giver nodded to Mom and followed behind...

" I need some toothpaste and some money... I want every ones' phone numbers too. If no one will call me, I will call them." Mom reminded Dad I call him... "Yes she does...and now that Jerry has retired, I am going to stay with them for a week...."

After Mom kissed Dad and wished him sweet dreams for his nap, she took a baby gift she had brought for the Administrator, who had just celebrated the birth of his third daughter and two remembrance gifts for the other two daughters. He was very appreciative of Mom's thoughtfulness.

Two Year Blog Anniversary...

2011-06-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

I just realized today, June 1st was the anniversary in starting this blog. It totally escaped me!

My daughter, her husband, the 9 year old and the 6 year old left this morning for their vacation...I am sitting on the couch watching So You Think You Can Dance... The house is quiet and I am winding down from a nice day...

I had lunch with my girlfriend Connie at Chili's.

We dined and talked and hogged the table a good chunk of the afternoon, then went to Kohl's to spend our 30% off coupons. I got an ochre colored tablecloth and new dish towels... (I have a thing for linens...)

I chatted with my youngest brother E____ on my way home (via my cell phone ear piece)....

And finished up the day with a nice dinner at Bob's Big Boy with my dear friend Pat....we laughed and caught up enjoying each other's company and conversation...

What a nice day....

Tomorrow, I head over to Mom's house....

Teething, Legos, Monopoly and the Bachelorette....

2011-06-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

I arrived yesterday to my oldest daughter Holly's house. Jodee and baby Jacob had arrived just before me. Jacob has been cutting his upper teeth. Jodee was very concerned with the huge spacing between the teeth. Turns out, he is cutting all four of his top teeth. He was not fussy, per se, but made a lot of grimacing looks as he chomped down to help pop those teeth through..

Jacob is crawling on all fours very well. The 9 year old and the 6 year old encouraged him to chase them and climb all over them. The boys called Jacob the Wrestling Drooler and were hysterical when he drooled on their faces...

We had a rousing game of Monopoly, with rules quite unfamiliar to me... apparently they have traffic cones players can put on their property now... The boys delighted in collecting those fees when we landed on their property.

Jacob discovered he could crawl much faster by pushing the top of the Monopoly box around the living room with his hands and pushing with his knees. The look on Jacob's face was priceless, wish I would have captured it on film... he was so proud of himself. I am not sure who was more entertainment for whom, the boys for Jacob or Jacob for the boys...but there sure was a lot of laughing going on!

The 6 year old entertained us with a repertoire of his favorite dances, complete with facial expressions and a lot of booty shaking. He completed his finale with a perfect succession of "arm pit farts".

The 9 year old did some excellent drawings of castles.... he is quite intrigued with all things Medieval...

Being a lover of castles myself, I enjoyed them immensely...

After Jodee and Jacob left, the boys were showing us their latest Lego creations...a Scorpio bike...Part scorpion and part hover bike, capable of shooting poison, Blaze, a robot capable of shooting flames out of his head and arms (because the arms are candles). The last creation was an upgraded version of Blaze called Android 19 which was bigger , more powerful and waaaaaaayyyyyy deadlier. Android 19 can only be powered down by putting ice on his candle arms. (That's a quote from the 9 year old)

While the boys took showers, Holly and I watched The Bachelorette together. I swear, Ashley is going to KICK herself when she watches the show back and see how pathetic she appears, always talking about how much she misses Bentley, and discovers what a COLOSSAL JERK he is!

Today I am watching the boys so Holly can get every one's suitcases packed and get everything ready for them to leave on their two week vacation tomorrow morning.

I have fed them both two pieces each of my famous french toast for breakfast. Now we are watching videos, playing video games, played a game of UNO (also with new rules I am not familiar with) with the 6 year old while the 9 year old and Holly went out to buy him new water shoes.

Upon their return, the 9 year old and I are having a discussion on Lego design and possibly working for Pixar in his future....

Gotta' go... they are hungry again....

If I Don't Clean My Plate, They'll Freeze The Food And I'll Have To Eat It Tomorrow...

2011-06-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Mom was on her way to visit Dad when she received an emergency prayer request. Normally, she is the back up, but she could not reach anyone and ended up making five phone calls before she could deliver the message.

She found Dad wearing shorts, waiting for lunch in the temporary lunch room. Sitting with his eyes closed and tapping his toes to the soft music playing... He was very happy to see her, telling her, "You are so very cute Lynnie". His lunch tray was placed in front of him by a gal Dad calls, "Goldie". Mom was kind of surprised to see a hot dog for Dad's lunch. Goldie asked Dad if he wanted mustard or mayo and Dad said "Yes, please." She asked Dad if he wanted mustard too... "Sure, why not, " he replied...

While he waited for her to dress the hot dog, Dad turned the name/menu card around and noticed it was not his name. "This is not me," he informed her... Embarrassed, she apologized to both Mom and Dad. She scurried away and returned with Lasagna for Dad..."This is much better!" he announced...

Mom said she noticed one lady had a grilled cheese sandwich, another had mashed potatoes, mashed squash, a drink supplement and jello and another had the same plate as Dad...Lasagna, salad, Spanish rice, vanilla pudding with a large strawberry, coffee and milk.

I always thought all the residents had the same thing. I guess I never noticed what the others were eating. I was too focused on Dad... Mom said Dad did not leave even a grain of rice on his plate...

Dad wanted to go on the patio, but it was cool and over cast outside. Mom was concerned Dad would be too cold with his shorts on... so she asked if he would like to go talk in the nook, or back to his room.

Suddenly, Dad said his grand father's name aloud, "He used to take frozen baths...is he still alive?"

Mom agreed, telling Dad his grand father used to take cold baths to get used to swimming in the North Sea in Ireland, as he was a champion swimmer...and no, he died before they had any of their children...

"Yes, that is right," Dad smiled, looking at Mom with adoration...

"I think I am ready for a nap..."

Mom wheeled Dad to his room and asked the charge nurse who would be helping Dad get into bed...shortly a young woman appeared and got Dad all settled in bed. She told Mom when she wakes Dad in the morning and asks him how he feels, he always smiles a big smile and tells her, "I'm feeling happy today!" She said he always starts her day off with a smile and positive attitude...

How wonderful this caregiver can get such positive enforcement from an Alzheimer's patient...and how Blessed we are Dad is still sharing his positive attitude and energy with others...

Mom was sitting on Dad's left side, which is his bad ear. Her questions and comments were sailing past his ears as he spoke what he was thinking...

"I like to watch the basketball game until my eyes close."

"I had liver and onions last night and ate every bite! If I don't clean my plate, they'll freeze the food and I'll have to eat it tomorrow..."

"E____ (my youngest brother who visited him yesterday) hired some tall guy to help him with his business when I told him I would be available to spend a week with him..." (I am sure this is news to my brother.... :} )

With that, Dad shut his eyes and let out a long, relaxed, "aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh", so Mom took the hint and gave him his hug and kiss good bye. "Be careful driving dear..." he mumbled, still with his eyes closed...

Mom assured him she was very careful driver...

On her way out, she saw the Administrator. He greeted Mom, giving her our customary family hug. He told her Dad was one of the most pleasant people they have at the nursing home...

What a Blessing indeed!

A Very Special Happy Birthday To Me...

2011-06-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

My youngest brother E___ went to visit Dad today... The main lunch room is still under construction. It is being painted and the floors are being changed. He had to hunt around for Dad and finally asked one of the nurses where he was. The nurse directed him to an activity room, where they have made it into a lunch room... Dad had just been wheeled out into the hallway, after finishing his lunch, when my brother approached...

Dad was very excited to see him, and reached to him to give him a big hug. My brother decided to wheel Dad outside, to the front of the building. Fresh flowers had been planted and we all know how Dad loves bright, cheery flowers... My brother settled on the bench and faced Dad toward the flowers so he could enjoy them...

Dad was full of joy and complimenting about the weather...how beautiful it was outside. It was close to lunch time, so there was heavy foot traffic, visitors, doctors, nurses, staff, coming and going...each time someone would pass, Dad would smile, say "Hello", or strike up a conversation....E____ would join in too...

My brother's birthday was two days ago, and mine is today. E____ told Dad about his birthday and asked if he remembered whose birthday it was today...first he guessed it was Mom's...then he guessed mine. E____ asked if Dad would like to talk with me.... so my brother called me on the phone and told me there was someone who wanted to talk with me...

I had talked with my brother that morning and we had a long conversation about our dogs...my brother has four. For a minute, I thought he was going to have one of his dogs talk on the phone to me...because one of them is very vocal and talks often when we are having a conversation...

I am standing in line at Walmart, returning something...and as I wait, I suddenly hear my Father's voice, singing at the top of his lungs, in full singing voice, singing me Happy Birthday! I tell you, it MADE MY DAY!!!! That was one of the sweetest things my brother has done for me... We chatted a bit and then I told him I would see him in a few days and to enjoy his visit with E____.

As they sat out front talking, a woman parked by the fire hydrant and ran into the nursing home. Shortly after, a police car pulled up and was ready to write a ticket. A nurse parked and went to the officer and asked if she could go get the woman so she would not get a ticket. He allowed her to get her. Moments later, she came rushing back out and moved her car. My brother and Dad discussed how nice it was of the nurse and the Police officer to not give her a ticket...

My brother was curious about some of Dad's memories in the Marine Corps. E___ began by asking Dad what rank he had been. Dad told him he was a Corporal and in charge of the anti-tank guns. I know Dad was also a sharp shooter... but we will have to confirm the rest of what Dad said with Mom... He said he was on the island for the battle of Tarawa for five months. They had to stay to guard the island and wait for the exchange with the Army....

Dad said the Marines came over to the island on the USS Wharton...He talked of all the coconuts up in the palm trees and how the rats would knock them out of the trees at night... He spoke of how the Japanese dug in deep and hid in concrete shelters.... When they were captured, they used to walk in surrender position, with their hands behind their heads....but were hiding grenades. They would wait until they were in the midst of several Marines, then pull the pin and kill the soldiers and themselves...

He could not remember the name of the ship he sailed to Hawaii...he stayed below deck most of the time... They went to Honolulu to inspect the damage at Pearl Harbor...

E___ asked what his best memory was from the War... Dad said when they were on the aircraft carrier, coming into San Francisco harbor... and he could see the Golden Gate Bridge...and all the people were lined up along side the shore, saluting, cheering, clapping and hollering. Many of the Marines tossed their hats into the air... He said he felt so good and it was his best memory of the War...

When he came home, he did prison duty and guarded the prisoners in San Pedro, CA.... he dressed in his greens...

Dad asked E____ how his business was coming along...so they discussed my brother's business for a while...

Dad was looking tired...probably relaxed from sitting out in the sun. My brother wheeled him back to his room, gave him some love and hugged him good bye...

See you soon Dad...

A Flurry of Family Events and Some Sad News...

2011-06-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to touch base with everyone....my blogging has slowed down this month...at least due to last week and this week preparing a week stay in California... We have ten family birthdays this month, plus have family in town this weekend, leaving tomorrow... I have a ton of preparations to do, car stuff, errands, etc....I leave the 14th and return home on the 21st...

I will be popping in and out when time allows...

Just found out this morning, my friend Barbs, one of the gal pals in our creative group, lost one of their two dogs, Sadie, last night. She had difficulty breathing and had to be put down. Sadie was her husband's dog...big love affair between them. She would knock everything off the table with her tail when he came home. They would be up in his "man cave" watching sports together. She was his shadow... Their other dog, Shaq is having a very difficult time. I am so sad I cannot even write another word....

The Black Powder In The Water Is Crushed Poppy Seeds....

2011-06-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of these Blogger problems...I could not post with Internet Explorer 9 or Chrome...so I had to use Mozilla Firefox. If Blogger does not get things fixed, I may take a sabbatical from blogging...

Dad called Mom tonight sounding agitated. He wanted my phone number. He wanted to come stay with me for a week and he wanted Mom to give him the money... Mom said she would call me and have me call him. She told him to sit on his bed and wait for me to call...

She called to warn me. I called Dad, making sure I sounded very positive and happy when he answered the phone. He immediately was happy to hear my voice. He asked when I was coming to see him, and I told him in a couple of weeks. I told him I had some things to do, then I would get my car checked out for the trip and would come to see him.

Our short conversation seemed to satisfy him and he was ready to hang up. I attempted to engage him in further conversation, but he told me he had just eaten a big dinner and may be soon having problems... I knew what he meant... I reminded him when food goes in....it has to come back out... and my comment made him belly laugh... I told him I loved him and would see him soon.

Mom went to visit Dad earlier today. She found him in one of the party rooms....Mom asked if he wanted to go sit on the patio and he was ready to go. The nursing home is still under construction painting and redecorating both the dining rooms. There was a nice breeze, but not too cold. His lunch of barbecued beef sandwich, peas, corn, jello salad, lemon cake, milk and coffee was served on the patio. Naturally, he ate every bite, smacking his lips when he finished.

Dad told her he slept like a log last night...he thinks it is the black powder they put in the water...
Dad leaned over and whispered in Mom's ear..."I think the black powder is crushed poppy seeds..."

Dad was pretty chatty...so I will just write down what Mom wrote Dad said...

.....He is a consultant to the tree people, communicating with him if they have any problems and need his help....

.....He enjoyed two slices of toast with melted butter...it was the most delicious toast he ever had...

.....He had such a good nights sleep, when he woke up, he thought he was in heaven.... The nights he cannot sleep, he does guard duty...

.....His father left him a huge fortune. There was a huge bag full of winning tickets, cash and $1,000 dollar bills. He covered it all up with plastic and put it under his bed. When he moved it, the sides broke and money flew everywhere. It was a massive fortune and he did not know how his father accumulated so much wealth.... maybe through the box office arena... His dad was too busy in business... All the money disappeared...somebody obviously needed it...

.....He wants to go stay with E_______ (my youngest brother) for a week and see how he does his business.... Mom told him I had spoken with him recently and he was up in the High Sierras fishing. Dad laughed and told Mom he would see him later... Mom suggested maybe E______ will bring pictures to share with Dad the next time he visits...

Dad asked Mom if she remembered the stone house in Connecticut... Mom reminded him he lived there before she met him... He felt a lot of responsibility when he took any of his sisters out sailing in his boat... His sisters used to rope him into drying the dishes....Mom said he laughed at the memory...

..... He had a girlfriend from South Carolina. Her name was Demi. Some of his service buddies knew her too. She hung around with his sister and her boyfriend Bruce... Bruce was a tanker and was dragged in the water... he retired as an officer....

..... He and Demi had some pretty heavy dates... his dad and uncle took her out to dinner... she was 'well developed'... His father was a good business man, but his inventions are what made him so wealthy...

...... They had a scare last night; lightening would strike the building and it would shake. That same night he had three showers.... They need to get some redwood to build a new building because it would not burn...

Mom told Dad she had the trees trimmed at their house. He wanted to know who was doing the yard now, and she told him about her gardener and he smiled. She told him the pomegranate starts they gave the secretary at the school she used to work, had 3 blossoms on it. It made Dad laugh out loud!

Dad asked Mom where she slept...she told him she still slept upstairs...."With your books and jewelry?" he asked...She told him yes... He wanted to know what was done to his room...she told him their grand daughter moved in because she lost her room mate. She painted it and fixed it up very nice. Dad smiled happily... "That is wonderful....

He told her he was tired and ready for a snooze... Mom wheeled him back to his room, where Doctor-Doctor met them in the hallway. She told Mom she would take over and get Dad tucked into bed.

Precious Angel Baby....

2011-05-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here is 8 month old Jacob shopping with his Mom...check out those "bear paws" gripping his bottle!

Here he is...wishing me Happy Memorial Day.... He is either waving "Hi" or doing his "Happy Wiggle Dance"...

And this picture...captures his Guardian Angel's light from behind and God's Blessings showering Jacob from above! I just LOVED this photograph! (See those cute bottom 'teefers' and his hands clasped in prayer?)

Happy Memorial Day Dad!

2011-05-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

My sister went to visit Dad this morning. She found him in the rec room playing Bingo. He happily told her he had just won Bingo with all four corners. She patiently waited while he played one more game, then she wheeled him for a walk in front of the nursing home. He loved the warmth from the sun on his back. It was a gorgeous blue skied day and he enjoyed all the spring flowers...

Dad out front of the nursing home

She brought him some oatmeal from Starbucks, so they found a spot of shade and chowed down! He loved it and ate every morsel... Dad remembered when he used to make oatmeal at home in the double broiler. He would put pomegranate seeds, walnuts and craisins in it...DELICIOUS!

After a bit, Dad became warm, so Holly wheeled him back inside and gave him a tour of all the decorating being done inside and in the dining room. They work very diligently at keeping up the facility and making it very homey.

She wheeled him into his room, to make sure it was clean...and it always is.... She said they have a big bulletin board beside his bed with all his pictures and even the birthday cards from his 90th birthday last November.

Doctor-Doctor popped in to say and get a hug... Holly wheeled Dad out for another stroll around the building, saying Hi to several of his friends...then back to the rec room for his lunch. While they waiting for his lunch to be served, my sister massaged his shoulders. He loved it, as usual, but he started to get sleepy... He told her he was ready for a nap. She reminded him his lunch was on its way and he could nap better if he had a full tummy. Dad agreed with a big smile...

When his lunch arrived, they blew their kisses to one another as they always do and left him to enjoy his tasty looking meal. She said she left with a happy heart, knowing Dad looked so good and gets such wonderful care...

I tried to call a couple of times this afternoon. Apparently, he is really tired, because he has been sleeping since 1pm... We are going to a birthday BBQ at 5pm for my husband's grand son, who turns 13 today. There will be music and lots of people, so it would be difficult for Dad to hear me or me to hear him...I will try again later if it is not too late, or tomorrow...

Happy Memorial Day Dad! Thank you for serving in the 2nd battalion of the US Marines at the Battle of Tarawa... love you so much...

An Excellent Explanation About The Difference Between The Left and Right Sides of The Brain...

2011-05-29T04:17:00.000-07:00

It's late...or should I say, early in the morning...and we have big plans today...so I must get at least a few hours of sleep... but I wanted to share the following video...

It is Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain scientist, who, while alone in her apartment, at the age of 37, had a stroke on the left side of her brain. Being the scientist she is, she found the experience fascinating and tells us all about it. Her full story is in her book, MY STOKE OF INSIGHT.

I thought this was so interesting, because after watching it, I feel my Dad operated more from his left brain than he did from his right. Now I feel he is experiencing the wonder of the right side... what do you think?

Getting A Refund On A Thousand Dollar Pair Of Shoes And More Irish Memories....

2011-05-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

Mom arrived at the nursing home a little after lunch. She found Dad parked in his wheel chair, talking with Doctor-Doctor and another care giver. Mom could tell, as she approached, Dad was very talkative and animated. He was on entertainment mode and had a captivated audience...

After Mom pulled away from her hug, Dad asked her if she remembered when he, the Captain and her, went to the three big department stores (Bon Marche, Rhodes and Frederick & Nelson) in Seattle, trying to collect a refund on a $1,000 pair of shoes he had purchased...

Mom said she did not remember it and asked who the Captain was...

Dad told Mom it was not her fault she could not remember, because the Captain was the one who let Dad steer the boat in Puget Sound when they returned from Bremerton.... The reason the Captain allowed Dad to steer, was due to the fact, Dad had told the Captain he knew John Wayne, which gave Dad the potential to be a Captain himself.

Totally going with Dad's fantasy, Mom asked if he had to stop the ferry for the submarine nets to open (that was part of a ferry ride during World War II). Not missing a beat, Dad said he went under the bridge in Chicago too.... He laughed and said he did a good job!!

Dad lived in Connecticut as a boy and did a lot of sailing. He told me on several occasions how he would go sailing alone or take his four sisters. One time in particular there was a big storm. He was scared but knew he had to get his sisters back safely... which he did. I would not be surprised if Dad is getting those memories mixed up with unfulfilled dreams.

The dining room was being painted, so Mom suggested they sit in the nook at the end of the hallway and talk. There were a bunch of students on the patio. Dad wanted to discuss his maternal Grandfather, comparing his health to the healthiest state of his grand father...

Mom reminded Dad, his maternal grandfather was not his direct blood line. His paternal grandfather died shortly after Dad and Mom were married. Dad laughed and told her she was right..

Dad told Mom he was fired from working for the shoe department of Frederick & Nelson, after only working there two weeks. Dad had never explained to Mom why he was fired. Today he told her he was fired for ordering too many shoes because he did not realize someone else had ordered the same shoes. Mom wondered if this was more fantasy, or finally, the truth coming out...

The wound care skin angel stopped by to tell her a visiting vascular surgeon continues to check on Dad's pinkie toe wound once a week. She wanted Mom to be sure and let me know... Mom promised she would, but I already knew this.

Dad skipped back into remembering his maternal grandfather, who was a Chemist in Belfast, Ireland. He used to take ice cold baths to get his body used to the cold waters of the North Sea. He was a champion swimmer and swam daily. Dad remembered he also smoked a pipe. Dad told Mom he is going to make a scrapbook about him. His grandfather used to take Dad, his cousins and sisters up to Mt. Lowe in Southern California. They would all take trips into town on the "red car" which was what they called the trolley...

Dad asked Mom to contact their nephew, who lives near the Hollywood sign and specializes in selling the older Craftsman style homes. He has a lot of the family history in photo albums and scrapbooks... Dad told Mom he is very close with him, his wife and their cat, so he would give him pictures. Realistically, this particular nephew has been estranged from the family and Mom and Dad have not spoken with him in years...Dad is remembering the earlier days, when they did...

Dad was bouncing from subject to subject, not making much sense to Mom. She said her head was spinning from trying to keep up with him. Dad talked of his friend who lived in the same building as Dad but he died 15 years ago... Mom had no clue who he was referring to...

He told Mom about some guy passing out "girlie" magazines and had tried to give Dad one. Dad said he refused it, saying, "The bad lady makes no bones about not being nice."

Dad complained about having to stay awake all night because all the TVs were on and it was too noisy.

"They came over in the same boat and one guy shouted and his wife put on his t-shirt. "

"My third pick is number 5. I made a mistake trying to choose". We have no idea what Dad means, unless he is remembering bits and pieces when he used to go to Santa Anita Race Track and bet the ponies...

As if Dad was tired of talking, or changing the subject once again, he announced to Mom he was really for a nap. Mom wheeled him back to his room, where his male care giver was there to take over.

Mom said he looked neat and tidy and in good spirits. He told her he had a wonderful lunch and fruit plate, but could not remember what he ate.

She has a huge purple bruise on her thigh, but told me it did not hurt. My niece, who is a nursing student, treated it and put an ice pack on her... She has a legion of angels protecting her...and thank you God for that...

Big Changes...

2011-05-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

No, you did not land on the wrong blog...after almost two years of the original, old blogger layout design.. .long before Template Designer, I have decided to make some changes and do away with my all green background...so please bear with me as I tweak and adjust...

I am open to any and all feedback from my loyal, supportive and incredible blogging friends. I notice I have some new friends following me...so thank you so much for doing so. I will be visiting your blogs as soon as I get this redesign finished...

One question for everyone...Do you think I need a new button to go with the header picture, or will my former button with my Laguna Beach sunset still work? Thought I could keep some of the old, with some of the new....Please let me know, I would really appreciate your opinion...

P.S. I have been attempting to adjust the margins to fit my new header photo so it has even borders, but the right side is not cooperating... Will I have to re-size the header photo?

Feelin' Irish And Remembering The Vikings...

2011-05-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

The nursing called me back yesterday so I could talk with Dad. He had just gotten out of a shower and was feeling pretty chipper...he was speaking in an Irish accent and telling me he felt very Irish and then broke into a rolling laugh!

His voice sounded slurred and garbled to me...I had a difficult time understanding a lot of what he said... I stopped asking him to repeat himself because I did not want to frustrate him....

I'd pick up bits and pieces and we managed to have a pretty good conversation. He was very set on seeing his grand children. He suggested we put on a "wing-ding" and have a good time. I told him I would be coming out in a few weeks in June, and I would see what I could arrange... He was delighted. His tone of voice sounded hopeful...

I could hear women laughing in the background...so he may have been out in the hallway by the nurses station. Dad was distracted and talking and flirting with them, while talking with me...

Dad started talking about our ancestry...( not sure if it was part of another conversation with someone else, or him abrupty changing the subject of conversation...which he has been known to do on several occasions...)He began talking about being Scottish, German, and Irish. I added, we were also Pennsylvania Dutch, Welsh, and Norwegian. Suddenly Dad was excited and astounded! Oh yes! I am so glad you reminded me of that! I had forgotten all about it until you brought it up... Away he went, telling me all about the Vikings... I agreed we do come from sturdy stock...at least that is the part of the conversation I understood....

(Clearly he was distracted, he would say a few words, laugh, or say something, sounding like he turned away from the phone...)

I asked if he enjoyed his lunch and he told me he did... I asked what the workers were doing in the dining room and he told me they were just mopping the floors... (Not sure if that is true or not, because they were working in there when Mom visited earlier in the week...)

I had to eat in my room...but I prefer to drive my car over by the window so I can see out... I asked if he meant his wheel chair instead of a car...and Dad began to chuckle, I did too and pretty soon we were both laughing hilariously...

He told me how much he loved me and appreciated me calling. I reminded him I would be coming to see him in a few weeks...and of course, how much I love and miss him...

Missing Dad...

2011-05-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

I tried to call Dad this morning... he was in Bible study. It finishes at 11:30am, then he will eat lunch in his room because they are still working in the dining room. I told the nurse Dad would need help eating, as he cannot bend his left hand. I can't call during lunch, because Dad will be focused on eating...and being in his bed, when he finishes, no doubt he will sack out for a nap.

She told me she would call me after he finishes his lunch so I can talk with him...I hope she remembers... I really have a strong urge to hear Dad's voice and talk with him...

8 Months Old Today...And Another Fall In The Family...( pic posted)

2011-05-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

My youngest grandson Jacob turns 8 months old today...

Looks like they caught him mid sentence...he is getting to be quite the chatter box...

Unfortunately, his mommy, my youngest daughter, fell in front of Target today while doing some errands on her lunch hour. She ended up going to Urgent Care. The x-ray revealed she sprained her arm.

They all just returned from a wonderful, relaxing beach vacation, so with this mishap, it may be awhile before she can get the rest of pictures to us... I will post them as soon as I get some.

Heal quickly sweetheart...love you...

Mom Had A Fall...

2011-05-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

The nursing home had sent me paperwork to sign. Apparently my note to call me first, made some one think I should also get the paperwork. I had to call and let the new guy in the business office know, he should be sending it to Mom, but the previous woman who had his job, would simply call Mom. Mom would go in and sign, then visit Dad afterward.

I called Mom and told her I was forwarding the paperwork to her. She is still very sore from her fall. While I was visiting Mom in California, she told me she had fallen after returning from her Retreat. She had gotten some thongs as part of a gift bag from the retreat. They decorated the thongs, but Mom was not into decorating and much more interested in chatting and visiting than crafts.

She does not wear thongs, but it was hot when they traveled back home, so everyone was wearing their thongs. Mom was very careful when she walked when they went to lunch and very careful when she brought her luggage into the house. She put her purse down and started for the kitchen to get a drink.... the cat ran out in front of her and she moved to miss stepping on her, but unsteady in the thongs, down she went!

Nothing broken, but sore as all heck. I put some of that menthol stuff on her lower back and behind, where she took the brunt of the fall. She braced herself with her hands, so her arms and shoulders were also sore.
She finally went to the doctor earlier in the week, and he told gave her anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers. She sounded like she had two glasses of Sherry, so I know those muscle relaxers are doing their job. She had been resting and napping a lot, which is the best thing for her.

Today she went to visit Dad since she had signed the paperwork, and was returning it to the business office.
Doctor-Doctor had just given Dad a shower. His hair was cut, combed and all his facial hair trimmed. Mom said he looked real spiffy. He was wearing his foam booties and in good spirits.

There were workers in the dining/TV room and the hallway was real crowded, so Dad asked Doctor-Doctor to wheel him into his room. Dad wanted to lay on his bed and watch the TV. The volume was really loud, but Doctor-Doctor had left before Mom could ask where the remote was...

Her shoulder was really bothering her, so she told Dad she was not feeling well and would not be staying very long. He offered his bed to her, so she could rest. She thanked him, but told him she needed to go home so she could take her medication. Out of the blue, Dad asked her what car she was driving. Mom used to drive her old Camry, the one she had when Dad lived with her. She now has a new Toyota Camry, but rather than confuse Dad, she told him she was still driving the Camry...

Dad laughed and told her what a great bargain that car was...

Mom had brought him some pictures of my grand sons, which my oldest daughter had sent for Dad. My daughter wrote every one's names on the back so Dad could remember. He was thrilled and asked Mom to put them up on his wall of love...

Dad was rambling on about something, but it was difficult to understand with the TV blaring...she was getting a headache, in addition to her sore back and shoulder. She saw the staff wheeling the food carts to deliver every one's lunch, so she took the opportunity to kiss Dad good bye and hobbled down the hallway...

Several of the "regulars" stopped her to say hi and ask why she was limping...everyone wished her well and told her they would take care of Dad...

I just talked to Mom a few minutes ago and she is doing a little better. She was visiting with her future grand son in law.... my newly engaged niece's fiance. They are waiting for my niece to come home. Both of them are so good about including Mom quite often when they go out for food or bring her something back...

I am so glad she was not more seriously hurt!

In Dedication To My Father...

2011-05-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Photo by Mari at 365 days

Dad always loved the outdoors,
so it is natural for me to think of him
as a tall, strong, oak tree,

with a thick trunk of integrity
standing tall in his beliefs

branching out in quiet confidence,
leaves of grandeur, protecting us,
as much as leaves can, until winter...
for we had to learn on our own.

he always said to listen to our inner voice...
solid advice to each of us,
as we circled within our lives,
growing, expanding,
like the rings of a tree,
showing its age...of our lessons learned...

still, as an adult,
hearing his voice reminding me
of what he taught,
gentle whispers
like a breeze fluttering the leaves...

always an example,
with his quiet wisdom,
calm inner peace...

his willingness to listen,
instilled an individual sense of importance...

now is the dormant season for my father...
his dementia and Alzheimer's
have taken the best of his life,
leaving him with his belief in God
as his beautiful horizon;
of which he slowly moves closer to each day...
thankfully, still remembering us,
knowing the day will come,
when we will be friendly strangers...
life goes on, the winter winds blow,
sometimes too cold,
freezing out the strong life,
once bringing forth new, fertile growth,
making it brittle,
laden under the burden of lifeless branches,
to break and fall,
becoming part of the earth...
memories are
all we have;
making most
of the moments...
for as long as
we have...
closing my
eyes, thinking
of my father
my vision
will always
see a majestic,
tall, strong oak
tree...

I love you Dad.

~dkb~

Dad's Care Conference and An Interesting Visit With Dad...

2011-05-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Mom and I attended Dad's Care Conference this morning. Dad has lost 6 pounds this month, which is an improvement since he gained 9 last month! He weighs 160 pounds. We complimented the head chef and told him how much Dad LOVES his food!

They raved on about how sweet and nice he is, enthused by how much he enjoys the activities.

May 4th, Dad had several lab tests, specifically the HBA1C to check for Diabetes. His fasting blood was 116 and he got a 7.4 on the HBA1C. So far, Dad's doctor has not given any orders pertaining to Dad being diabetic or needing any medication.

We discussed at length why I am not being called with new treatments, medication or tests. It was determined certain staff members were not as conscientious as other staff members in making the calls. We were assured these staff members would be spoken to and reminded. I asked them again to put a large note in big bold print on Dad's chart, to call me first with anything new about Dad.

I also had them make a copy of Dad's current medication and medical issues.

Both Mom and I commended them on the care Dad receives. All things considered, their quality of care is very much appreciated and valued by our family.

***************************
Mom and I went into to visit Dad and met Doctor-Doctor in the hallway. She is recovered from her two surgeries (gall stones and hernia) and had died her hair dark from her bleached blond. She looked crisp and well rested in her pink breast cancer ribbon top with white pants. She told us Dad had been grouchy early that morning and without knowing we were coming, she had told Dad he would have some visitors coming to see him....

After hugging her, we went into the dining room where everyone was playing Italian Bingo... The caller would hold up a picture of something Italian and then the letter in bold print of which letter to look for on the Bingo board.

I snuck up behind Dad so he could not see me. Mom popped her head in front of Dad and asked him if he wanted to go out on the patio with her or finish his Bingo. Dad laughed out loud with excitement in seeing her. "Of course I'd rather go out to the patio with you!"

Mom stood behind me as I pushed Dad to the patio. When I put on the brakes to his wheel chair, he saw me. He reached out to me, calling me by name, pulling me in for a big hug and kiss.

I asked Dad where he got the tennis shoes he was wearing..."Oh they gave them to me, " he chimed... "I can run very fast and take my walks..." Both Mom and I both spoke at the same time, reminding him what happened the last time he went for a run... "Oh, I know...but these shoes are so comfortable and fit so well...and I can walk all over...." Mom cautioned him and I decided I would have to say something to the staff...

Dad used to walk every day prior to be admitted to the nursing home. He had the habit of walking very fast, (I could barely keep up with him), swinging his arms in exaggerated arcs along side his long walking strides... He also did floor exercises and isometric exercises he learned in the Marines. He was impressively limber for a man 88 years of age. Now he is 90 and a half.

We chatted about family. He imagined or remembered past visits with my brothers, as recent. Dad related his visits with my brothers, telling Mom and I about lengthy discussions...I asked if he wanted to see some of my pictures, and then showed Dad the pictures I had taken from my visits with my daughters and grand sons. I also shared photos from yesterday, when our family celebrated Mother's Day, and my niece's announcement of her engagement. They plan to marry next June. Dad laughed with joy, commenting on how good everyone looked.

Dad surprised us by pointing out birds and animals he saw in, I guess, patterns within the photographs. I did a double take on several of the photos, but could not see what Dad saw...

I excused myself after awhile, and went in to talk to the charge nurse, as I was very concerned Dad was wearing the black tennis shoes. He is NOT suppose to be wearing shoes, only his foam or non-stick booties due to his ulcer on his left pinkie toe. I was able to put faces to two people (a male and a female), whose voices I am familiar with. I reminded them both about Dad NOT wearing shoes. The male went outside immediately and checked out the shoes Dad was wearing

I also made sure Dad was on daily showers (which is was not) and asked them to give him a shave and trim his facial hairs...I asked for them to put a big note on Dad's chart to make sure I am called with any changes to his medication or treatment.

His male aide brought Dad's lunch to him out on the patio. Here is a picture. It smelled absolutely delicious!

Coffee, milk, green beans, mashed potatoes, boneless chicken breast (which I cut up), green jello with pears and marshmallows, bread and butter with spice cake for dessert.

Mom and I took turns feeding him. He can not bend the fingers of his left hand and his right hand is still tender from his arthritis flare up...

He was a happy camper and enjoyed his food with great gusto!

It was a nice long visit. He was happy to see the pictures. I had to wipe tears from his right eye...not sure if he was emotional from seeing the grand kids and great grand kids, or the ulcer on his right eye lid...

After his lunch, he excused himself after a large belch and announced he would like to take a nap. We wheeled him back to the nursing station. The nurses prefer we leave Dad with them, than leaving him to wait in his room, because Dad has been getting up and taking himself to the restroom. We all want to be cautious to avoid any falls.

We kissed and hugged good bye. He thanked us for coming and told us to have a good lunch. Mom and I were salivating from his sumptuous lunch! Due to the blustery weather, we decided we would have soup and salad at the North Woods Inn... it was GREAT!

Dancing With The Stars and Loving The Children...

2011-05-05T23:13:00.000-07:00

Mom went to visit Dad today. She found him in the dining room with his eyes closed. He was glad to see her, but Mom said he seemed more subdued and quiet.

Dad still has his cough, but it does not sound as prolonged. Dad's doctor saw Dad last Friday. He has ordered a slew of lab tests. I know he is re-doing the blood tests to determine if Dad is diabetic. I plan on getting a lot of information on Monday during his Care Conference.

Lunch arrived and Dad perked up. I have been checking on Dad and his appetite has been excellent, eating 100% of all his meals...

Mom cut Dad's BBQ beef sandwich in half so he could feed himself. She fed him his lemon jello with fruit in it, fresh Mexicali corn and green peas. For dessert, Dad enjoyed one of his favorites, Lemon Meringue pie with coffee and milk. It was such a lovely day, Mom suggested they sit and talk out on the patio...

There were some young children visiting. They were running and tumbling on the grass in the court yard. Dad loved watching them. He told Mom he missed his grand children and great grand children.

They talked and Dad was in and out of making sense... He told her again how happy he was living there. He was relieved not to be driving any more because he constantly worried about having car accidents.

Dad told Mom he really enjoyed watching the dancers...Mom kind of wondered what he was talking about and then realized he may been watching, Dancing With The Stars. Dad told her he owned the company and has final say on who wins. He loves walking in the hall ways with the ladies upstairs... Again, puzzled, Mom knew there is no second floor of the nursing home...

Mom shared with Dad I will be coming to visit him on Monday. Dad said her news made him very happy.

Doctor-Doctor must have had the day off. Mom chatted with several of the staff, but did not see her...

All in all, Mom was grateful and felt it was a good visit...

Sharing Our Creative Weekend...

2011-05-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

Been a very busy week...Dad is doing a lot better. I leave tomorrow for California for a week. I will attend Dad's Care Conference on Monday with Mom.

My sister, girlfriends and I had a GREAT creative weekend (except for one accident...) please read and view photos about our creative weekend on my other blog here. I have to get back to my packing... Talk to you all when I get back...

On The Other Side, Taking The Train Back...

2011-04-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mom went to visit Dad today. She found him in the TV room, basketball game blaring, asleep in his wheelchair... Mom woke him with a kiss, and he happily greeted her, but seemed more interested in the game. He asked her how my brother K____ was, and she told him he and his daughter had just returned from Vegas, playing in a Texas Hold Em tournament. Mom told Dad my brother's daughter held out longer than my brother did. Dad laughed...

"I've been worried K____ was on the other side and had to take the train back..." Dad told her, looking very pensive. Then he broke into a fit of coughing with that lousy cough he has.

Mom knew better than to question what he meant... She asked his caretaker for the day about Dad's cough and he assured Mom Dad was getting breathing treatments and medication three times a day.

I will be curious to see, if Dad gets transferred back to the hospital for some reason... January 24th he was discharged from the hospital back to the nursing home. He generally stays a week, then the nursing home starts a new chart. This April 24th, he will have been back to the nursing home 3 months...we will see...

Dad's lunch of diced beets, cucumbers, some fish, and scalloped potatoes arrived with two glasses of milk, his coffee and gingerbread dessert. While Mom was feeding him, she dropped a couple of beets in his lap (covered in a towel bib), and put the spoon down to pick it up with her fingers. In the process, she brushed Dad's left hand and she noticed he flinched. She asked him if his hand hurt and he told her it was sore and did hurt. Dad has arthritic hands and fingers and some times his hand and/or fingers swell and cause him pain.

Again, Mom double checked with his caretaker and he told Mom they knew about it. After Dad finished his lunch, Mom could tell he was ready for a nap. "Pickles", one of Dad's favorites, offered to take Dad to his room and tuck him in. Mom told him to have sweet dreams and blew him a kiss good-bye...

Mom leaves tomorrow for a weekend retreat in Carlsbad with her friends from church. She is looking forward to it and I know she will have a great time...

After reading Mom's email, I called the charge nurse to inquire about Dad's cough. I wanted to know if they have checked to rule out pneumonia. She told me they had done a chest x-ray. OH REALLY? I let her know no one had called to let me know. I have keeping notes and I plan on letting them know all about this at his Care Conference.

I asked if I could talk with Dad and luckily, he was sitting right in front of the nursing station. Right away I could hear Dad's voice in pain, complaining about his sore hand, making it difficult to hold the phone. We only spoke for a few minutes, because when I explained to Dad AFTER we talked I would ask the nurse to put an ice pack or something on his hand... Dad immediately gave the phone to the nurse...

She told me she could not do anything until she got doctor's orders. She said they were awaiting a phone call from the doctor. Again, I asked why I was not called about Dad...and she told me Mom had been in earlier... I had to remind her I keep notes. I am the first contact and should be called, regardless if Mom is there or not.

The nurse just called me. It is 10:45pm. She let me know the doctor finally returned their call and he will come to see Dad tomorrow. He did not want the nurses doing anything until he sees Dad...

Please Lord, keep me strong in faith and hold Dad close....Amen...

Always A Silver Lining...

2011-04-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

I finally was able to reach Dad. I checked with the nurse first, and he still does have his cough, but when I spoke with him, his voice sounded real good. Only problem, he didn't make much sense when he talked with me. I felt like he could not hear me well either.

He knew right away who I was, and of course, remembered to ask about my husband, but he kept using the word Ensure, which is a drink he drinks with each meal... He spoke of it as if it were his medicine, curing all his problems...

He was non-stop chatting about the ladies...one of them was combing his hair...but he had limited space for the women because he only had a twin bed...

I asked if he enjoyed his lunch and he very enthusiastically told me how much he looks forward to his fruit plates. When I told him my brother E____ had sent me a picture and how good it looked, he did not understand what I was talking about, so I changed the subject...

He wanted to take a nap, so I told him to enjoy his sleep and to have sweet dreams...he told me there is always a silver lining when he is up in age and is thankful to the Lord...

Dad sounded better, which is a relief. His attitude was upbeat and happy and he knew who I was. I am grateful and feel more comfortable now.

What A Wonderful Weekend To Remember...

2011-04-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

I called yesterday and today, checking on Dad. So far, no more temperature. Yesterday afternoon, it was 99.2 but back down to 98 this morning. Sunday morning he was at 97. He just finished antibiotics for his UTI, now, they have him on some antibiotics for the cough, temp and wheezing. They are also giving him expectorant medication and breathing treatments.

He has his great appetite, so he must not feel too badly. Personally, I need to hear his voice so I can judge for myself how he is doing...but I seem to have a knack for calling when the nursing station is dispensing medication, despite what time I call.

I called several times today to speak with him, but my last call, the nurse told me Dad was eating his dinner and enjoying a movie. So far, he seems to be doing well.

Early Saturday morning I received the following photo/text via my cell, from my daughter Jodee, which read...

"Grandma and Grandpa, I'm coming to see you....Yippeeeeee!"

When they pulled up in front of the house, I immediately went outside to greet them and (let's be honest) grab my precious baby grand son... We were all surprised when Jacob waved to me! Both Jodee and Jeff told me this is the first time they have ever seen him wave!

We put Jacob in his activity spinner and introduced him to Izzy. He was quite mesmerized with her and Izzy was very gentle and respectful with him...

Jacob's tee shirt says, "This is what HANDSOME looks like..." So true, so true...

Jeff, Jacob's Daddy is a major animal lover and outdoors man, so we decided to go to the Springs Preserve (I wrote about it Saturday here on my other blog). The weather was warm, so after several hours of walking all over this huge preserve, we were all ready for a nap.

After our naps, we went to the two for one buffet at Green Valley Ranch. We had a nice, leisurely, enjoyable dinner and stretched it out to over two hours. The men left to gamble, Jacob slept, and my daughter savored some precious alone time. Jacob woke when we got back home; Jodee fed him and he went back to sleep. I listened for him on his monitor while Jodee and Jeff enjoyed the spa in the back patio.

Easter morning I awoke early to the delicious sound of Jacob's high squeal and jibber jabber. My daughter had Jacob in my rose chair in the living room, attempting to take an Easter morning picture. Together, with a little help from Izzy, we were able to get these shots...

This was his reaction to Izzy "sitting pretty' standing on her hind legs...

Here, she had just licked his cute little toes...

Unfortunately, she barked and startled him, making him sob big crocodile tears...Grandma went to his rescue and held him until he calmed down. Izzy did not bark around him the rest of the weekend. I was so impressed with Izzy's sensitivity. This is the first time she has ever been around a baby.

We called my oldest daughter Holly in California to wish the 8 year old and the six year old Happy Easter. Holly had them grading cheese and cutting string beans for their holiday dinner. The 8 year old is a DVR hog, (it being 95% full) recording so many of his shows, his Mom can't record hers... So as a special Easter gift to his Mother, he told his Mom he had cleared several of his shows. "I wanted to clear it to 75% Mom, but I went a little crazy and stopped at 68%." We got a kick out of his big sacrifice...

I fixed a big breakfast of sausage patties, bacon, scrambled eggs and my famous french toast...AFTER I cleaned up all the broken glass from dropping my big glass Pyrex lid...shattering into a million pieces, shooting out into the dining room, the front hall way, and all over the tile floor of my kitchen! What a mess!! I caught the side of my finger on the hot lid and when I set it down upon the counter, it was not all the way on it and fell...

We spent several hours being immensely entertained with baby Jacob...

He loves his Grandpa...

Oh my gosh...do you see those cute dimples on each side of his sweet little face?? Just like Daddy...

It just doesn't get much better than this...

While Jacob napped snuggled next to Jodee, we enjoyed the weather on the back patio and played a fun game called Table Topics. Basically, it is a box of questions which prompt some pretty fascinating conversations. My husband worked his magic on the BBQ grilling his legendary steaks, while Jodee and I made a salad and some fresh, white corn on the cob.

After dinner, Jeff, Jacob, Jodee, Izzy and I decided to take a "nature hike" above the canyon where we live, out on the hiking trails which lead out to the open desert. Jeff used to own a pet store and owned many snakes he kept as pets. He carried one of those crooked metal snake stick tools to lift rocks so he could look for critters. We had an agreement I had absolutely ZERO interest in seeing or getting near any snakes...

My daughter bundled up Jacob and strapped him to her chest in a papoose carrier. Once we reached the bluff above the canyon, the view was spectacular and I wished I had not forgotten my camera...It was pretty windy up there so we had a crystal clear view of the valley below....

Jacob had passed out and fell into a deep sleep, all snuggled and covered with blankets. Out on the trails, the hills are quite steep going up and going down. We saw a couple other families pushing strollers up and down the hills. I marveled at my daughter carrying the baby the entire walk. Jeff offered to carry Jacob, but she said she loved holding him.

Once we reached the open desert, we stood on the path and talked, while Jeff went down into a riverbed and snooped...He shrank into the distance as he happily explored. When we saw up curving back around to the trail up ahead, we walked down to meet him. Always wary of coyotes, we made sure we were well on our way back before sunset.

Jeff could not stop talking about how much he enjoyed the walk. He supported Jodee's back and pushed her up the hills, helping her climb the hills with the baby. Thankfully, I had Izzy pulling me up the hill...but I could not talk, I was too busy huffing and puffing...

Ironically, we saw a couple bunnies and some Quail once we reached my neighborhood, and never saw anything on the trails or when Jeff was in the desert.

My husband was still sitting on the patio when we returned, enjoying a cocktail. He had been visiting with various neighbors who normally walk their dogs past our house so their dogs can visit with Izzy... I was exhausted, so before I could announce I was tired, I had fallen asleep on the couch. My husband did too.

Jeff had to be at an important meeting at 10:00 AM this morning, so they planned on driving back at 10:00 PM or 11:00 PM Sunday night. They woke us up before they left. Jacob was sound asleep in his carrier, so we all hugged and kissed good-bye. I will see them next month over Mother's Day...so it is not too far away. They promised to call us when they got home, which they did. I stayed awake watching TV until their text at 3:30 AM. They had to make a couple stops so Jodee could feed the baby, then he went right back to sleep.

What a good, happy baby he is...what a wonderful weekend to remember...the only way it would have been better, is if the rest of the family had been there with us....

Dad Has A Temperature...

2011-04-23T23:57:00.001-07:00

Got a call from the nursing home a little before midnight. Dad has a temperature of 103 with his cough. The nurse said he had eaten well today and she gave him some Tylenol. She also called Dad's doctor. I asked her to call me if it spikes more during the night. I will call in the morning to check on him...

God, please don't let it be pneumonia...he did have the pneumonia shot...so maybe since it is night time, his body is trying to fight off the cough...

Dad Said He Was Chased By The Police...

2011-04-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Mom went to visit Dad today and found him snoozing in his wheelchair, waiting in the dining room for his lunch. Doctor-Doctor came in to catch Mom. She told her Dad had gotten himself out of bed and went through the bathroom into the adjoining room. She had asked Dad why he got out of bed himself and Dad told her,

"Because the Police were after me!. I yelled yesterday because they challenged my authority..."

Doctor-Doctor had told Dad she would not allow anyone to get him. She would protect him. Mom was relieved Dad did not fall and hit his head or anything... She also noticed his left foot was freshly bandaged. When Mom mentioned it, Dad told her it was healing nicely and it did not hurt...

Dad still has his cough, but no temperature or sore throat. When I checked on him yesterday, I was surprised to learn Dad has been on Mucinex expectorant since his hospital stay in January...yet another thing I did not know.... When I mentioned his cough the other day after my conversation with Dad, the nurse told me she would give Dad "breathing treatments" and see if it helped. In any case, she would notify Dad's doctor...

As Mom sat with Dad as his lunch was served, she suddenly felt some one's hands on her shoulders, giving her a neck and shoulder massage....she turned to see it was my youngest brother, E_____. Dad gave Mom a huge grin, asking her, "Can you guess who this is?" My brother joined them and visited with Mom and Dad as Dad ate his lunch...

Dad is concentrating on his lunch...Both Mom and Dad thought Dad seemed "subdued and more mellow than usual" this afternoon...

Before Dad has cleaned his plate, he asked his server for a fruit plate. Shortly he returned with this...my brother was so impressed he took a pic...

Dad's lunch fruit plate...

After Dad polished off his fruit plate, they all went out onto the patio to enjoy some sunshine, chatting for awhile. My brother asked Dad if he knew what Sunday was...

Dad gave my brother a blank stare...

Giving Dad a hint, E____ suggested to Dad, "It involves the cross..."

"Oh, I like those cars...."

Laughing, my brother tried again..."When Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again..."

"Oh yeah...yeah...a very important time..."

Both Mom and my brother realized Dad was tired, so when Mom asked if he would like to take a nap, Dad was very agreeable and looked relieved. We all think he does not feel very well... I will be calling tomorrow to make sure the doctor is checking on him...

Walking down the hallway, on their way out to have lunch together, they met the Administrator and the new Director of Nursing (who called me about Dad being diabetic). They both told Mom they had both spoken with me...and hoped I was satisfied with their explanations about Dad's diabetes... Mom told them,

"Oh don't worry, if she isn't happy, you will know about it!"

The Administrator remembers only to well when Dad has his fall, I had all my siblings and my Mother in his office for a family conference...with a walk through of where Dad was found and us all viewing the security tape together...

7 Months Old Today...and A BIG Shout Out/Thank You To Diane of Blue Ridge Gal...

2011-04-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Kind of blurry...but this little guy is always on the move and wants to explore. 7 months old today!

Jacob, all stylin' with his cute self in jeans...

This was taken a few days ago. I call him 'Mr. Bright Eyes"... Jacob, his Mom and Dad are coming this weekend for his first Easter! Can't wait to get my hands on him... Just look at that cute little face!

One of my blogging friends, Sandie at Chatty Crone had some blogging buttons made by Diane at The Blue Ridge Gal. I complimented her on it and she suggested I contact Diane. I did, and she made me a button for each of my blogs! She is so kind and generous to do this for free! Visit her blog and check out her work... She also designs headers for blogs! Very creative and nice lady, you will love her!

Check out my blog buttons...and feel free to take one of each: (See my side bar for ones with html to install )

Thank you so much Diane! I really appreciate these!

SURVEY: I Would Appreciate Your Opinion...(2nd post today)

2011-04-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

What do you prefer when commenting on blogs... Would you rather have a reply back by email or would you rather go back to the post where you left your comment for an answer?

Generally, when one of you leave me a comment after my post, I email back to you, rather than answering in the comment section...unless we are having a discussion...but I noticed lately, I have almost exclusively been emailing back directly. I also have noticed my comments have slacked off...maybe not seeing my comments after every one's comment, gives the impression I don't respond.? Or is everyone just busy?

I am interested in your opinions and input... thanks!

A Walk On The Weird Side...

2011-04-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

After two weeks, I finally reached Dad. I have been getting all the excuses, which happens some times... but I have been so irritated not being able to spend some time with him. I prefer to talk with him in the morning, and tonight was a perfect example why...

Often, later in the day, Dad gets sun downers, which makes him contrary or more "out there" than he is during the day...then again, I did wake him....In the evenings, we never know what reaction we will get...

The nurse told me to hold on while she transfers the call to the nurse assisting Dad on the phone...

"I want to talk to him, I want him to come visit me right now, this minute!"

"Hi Papa-doots, it's me, Donna Dee your firstborn..."

He began coughing and held the phone away from his mouth, but I could still hear him coughing...His voice was very deep...

"Ahhhhhhh.... ooooooooo Oh Donna dear, what a wonderful dream to wake up to... thank you for washing my face..."

"Did I wake you up?"

"Yes, I was having the most beautiful dream, but I can't remember what it was..."

"I love you and miss you. I am going to come and see you in a couple of weeks..."

"When are you coming?"

"In May, just a couple of weeks from now...I want to see your handsome face and give you kisses..."

More coughing...then his voice sounded more "normal"...

"De Da, de da, toosh, toosh, de ta, de ta....(laughs)"

Uncertain what he is doing or trying to say...I repeated myself, " I love you Dad... How are you feeling?"

"I love you too my dear.."

More coughing...

"Dad? Are you sick? Do you have a cold?"

"Yes, but they are giving me some medicine..."

"How do you feel?"

"I feel GREAT! I'm just fine.... I'm watching the traffic control and I know I am on my way to the last paradise...You tell your dear husband how much I love him. It is so good he takes such good care of himself and of you..."

"We both love you so much Dad."

" Yes, I love you too ..."

"I bet you are looking forward to a good dinner, huh?"

"I am going to say good bye now...I have to get control of these people here..."

"OK...I'll let you get ready for dinner...I will see you in a couple of weeks..."

"Thank you for calling dear...good bye." (Click)

I feel frustrated...talk about a walk on the weird side!

Our Prayers Were Answered and Laughter IS The Best Medicine...

2011-04-15T20:31:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much everyone for your prayers. THEY WORKED!

My brother passed the treadmill test with dye. The radiologist said he did not have any blockage in his arteries! He was discharged from the hospital today and no doubt is home in his bed getting some good sleep because he DID NOT get any at the hospital...

It looks like it was stress.

I spoke with him this morning and he sounded WONDERFUL! He said they put a Nitroglycerin patch on him and it gave him a horrible headache and made him nauseated. The doctor removed it today. Last night, they told him if he had a clogged artery, they would have to put in a stint. Thank God he is OK.

When we talked this morning, we laughed and made jokes. It is typical for our family when we are are on the other side of something terrible. We definitely believe, laughter IS the best medicine...

I asked how the food was and he told me it was horrible because he didn't have anything to eat since 7am yesterday...that patch made him too sick to eat...and he is never too sick to eat... I asked how the coffee was...because my brother LOVES HIS JOE (aka coffee).

"I'm holding a cup in my hand right now...".

I laughed. A cup of coffee in his hand is as much him as are his dimples. He had just finished his stress test and it was his first request! His wife made sure he got his wish...

I told him I had chest pains when I worked for the federal courts... I asked he was under any stress...

"Well, yeah...I have to work..."

After my brother graduated high school, I let him live with me in my little beach bungalow in Belmont Shores. He slept on the couch and I slept in the Murphy bed. We had a great time, philosophizing and listening to Rod McKuen poetry on an album called, THE SEA...

I got him his first job at Big Johns Pizza in nearby Long Beach...and his second job at Charley Browns restaurant, where I worked as a cocktail server. We would stay up late after we got off work, walk down to 2nd street and have dinner at Hamburger Henry's. We have lots of fun and memorable memories, but this particular one is my favorite...

One late night not too long after he first moved in, he awoke from the couch and stumbled in a drowsy haze to use the bathroom. I had an old wooden Coca Cola crate on the wall, as a shelf to hold my lotion and bath powder. It was a tiny bathroom. We had to shut the door, not only for privacy but to get to the toilet.

Living at the beach, there were cockroaches. BIG ONES... So huge you could throw a saddle on one!

As he finished what he went in to do, still in the dark, (can someone please explain to me why men pee in the dark?) he felt something on his foot and naturally jumped.... only to feel a disgusting "crunch" under his bare feet.

He immediately made a growling yell of repulsion and began to flail his arm in search of the light switch. Instead, his arm banged into the crate on the wall. The shelf fell and spilled my bath powder all over him and the bathroom in a cloud of sweet smelling chalkiness. He began to sneeze uncontrollably...crashing and banging, attempting to open the bathroom door...

The loud ruckus woke me from my peaceful slumber. Heart pounding, I turned on the light to see my 6'2" brother, covered in my favorite perfumed White Shoulders bath powder... Sneezing one giant, boisterous sneeze after another, attempting to tell me what had happened...

I had to laugh. You would have too. So did he. I wet a dish towel and shoved it at his nose. He finally stopped sneezing and cleaned himself up. He showed me the smashed cockroach as we laughed hysterically. In our giddiness, we decided to put the "deceased" into a shoe box and deliver it to our landlord. My brother wrote the note..."I thought you said the policy was, NO PETS?"

In those days, he was like the North Wind...he would blow in awhile, feel restless, and then off again, toward his next adventure. He didn't stay at one job very long, but with his personality and Tom Selleck good looks, he never had any difficulty in finding one.

He and a friend decided to go on a road trip. We had seen the movie, Blume In Love, where Kris Kristofferson takes off on an adventure and then sends Susan Anspach a postcard which read, "Nothin' to it". That's what my brother did. Sent me a post card saying, "Nothin' To It".

He eventually came home, got another job, then quit suddenly one night and decided to go to Hawaii. Came back and on his way home on the bus, which was too slow; got off, walked into some ho-dunk car dealership and bought a car.

Of course the car was a lemon, so he worked on it with his friend, who was mechanically inclined...unlike my brother. One day, while following the manual to rebuild the engine, the wind blew the page and he ended up with a cardboard box full of extra parts....His friend saved him and fixed it up fine...

He drove it until he was tired of feeding it oil and it breaking down. One night he stopped at a gas station and when he got back in the car, it wouldn't start. So he left it and hitch hiked home. The gas station called the next day to tell him how much it would cost to fix it. Without regret, he told them to just keep it...

He liked to golf, much better than he liked keeping a job, so he decided to be a professional golf caddy. We gave him a big family send off, complete with a singing telegram, at some fancy restaurant in Orange County...I don't remember which one right now...but his dimples were deep and happy. He smiled a lot that night...

So off he went to figure out how to be a caddy... First he worked on the men's tour, which didn't last long...and then for the Ladie's Tour, where he eventually met his wife. He was her caddy. She ended up giving up golf, he became a born again Christian, they married, settling in Ohio and had three sons and a daughter. All the boys are grown up now, their daughter will graduate next year..

He has slowed down to a light, napping breeze these days...he is happy and content living in a 100 year old house with his wife, daughter, three dogs and a couple cats.

I love you my brother...we are all so glad you are well....

PRAYERS NEEDED...PLEASE!

2011-04-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

My husband and I just returned home from Sam's Town Casino. We had gone to the Stephen's Press Reception for the Las Vegas Writer's Conference, to listen to my blogging friend, Linda Lou, author of Bastard Husband, A Love Story.... She spoke about the writer's life, mixed in with her wonderful humor... We also saw my other blogging friend, Lisa Gioia-Acres. We sat at a table with Judy McFadden, author of Life With Mc Duff.

Mom had sent me two emails... one about her visit with Dad today, and one about my oldest brother (he is the next sibling after me, as I am the eldest), who lives in Ohio. He was admitted to the hospital today with chest pains. Apparently, he is not having a heart attack, but he may have a clogged artery. Would everyone please pray for him and for the doctors treating him. Thank you so much...

Mom walked into Dad's room this morning, just as he was waking up. He immediately became animated, telling Mom about Rock Marciano, Joe Lewis, and other fighters, he had apparently dreamed about. Mom told her how much he enjoys boxing. (When I was little, living with my parents with our cousins in my grand parents huge Craftsman style home in Pasadena, my grandma and I used to tuck ourselves in the library and watch boxing together. Here was this shy, quiet, prim and proper lady, punching and swinging air punches as we rooted for whoever we wanted to win....)

Dad flirted with Mom, telling her how thrilled he was she was there. She brought some pictures of my grand sons, (the eight year old and the six year old) which my oldest daughter had sent her. She let him take his pick and then she put them in frames by his bed on the wall. He was DELIGHTED!

Mom had noticed my second oldest brother had signed in as a visitor with Dad, so Mom asked how their visit had been. Dad smiled a huge, bright smile and told her what a huge, wonderful hug he had given Dad. He told her it meant the world to him...

He told her my oldest brother (the one in Ohio) had come to see him too... (She wrote this email before finding out my brother went into the hospital. She jokingly asked if he had flown out to visit without telling us... It makes me wonder if my brother was in pain and thinking of Dad and Dad caught his thought process while sleeping?....)

Mom shared with Dad she had been to a funeral with her friend at Riverside Veteran's Cemetery... Dad interrupted her and told her he wanted to be cremated if it was OK with her. Mom told him it was fine, and she wanted to be cremated too. She told him she might go first, so she would make sure to write it down as last wishes in their Family Trust.

Mom explained there was a section there for ashes if he wanted to be buried there. Dad either did not hear her or was still contemplating. He never answered her...

He told her he talks to the Lord allowing him to be absolutely pain free. Taking a deep breath and with full voice, he told her, "I feel GREAT!" Mom of course, told him how happy it made her to hear that..

"I have no worries anymore and I never have to worry when I am lying in my own bed, " he smiled. (Thank God the night sedative is helping him sleep without the kidnapping nightmares anymore!)

More conversation from Dad....

"I like to do the 'shimmy shake' and sing for the gals. I am very popular with them..."

"The girls know me and put people I want to talk to on the TV so I can talk to them personally. I own the TV company, you know..."

"I can yell like a Banshee and asked if she wanted to hear...." (Mom thanked him, but told her to please not yell right now...)

"There is a bag of poppy seeds in the cupboard above his bed. They give me some at night to help me sleep..."

Dad told her of someone, he refers to as the "hummer", who has a lovely voice. Apparently, Dad told this person he could sing for the opera and make lots of money...

"I love to play the game TEN with dice." (Mom asked us all in the email if any of us knew this game. No doubt Dad is talking about throwing the dice and trying to make a total of TEN with the dice...or maybe he is remembering when we used to play Bunco or Yahtzee...)

"Holl Doll keeps my nails trimmed." (my sister)

"I scratch my legs, but not too hard...they told me to do it to help my blood circulation..."

"I spent the day in the truck with my friend and he is going to introduce me to a special woman named, Jill..." (who knows what he meant here...maybe a dream?)

The charge nurse came in to tell Mom, the wound care nurse will be treating Dad's pinkie toe wound as usual, but they had a visiting wound care physician come look at Dad's wound to collaborate on her treatment. She will let us know when he has some results.

Mom wheeled Dad to the lunchroom, talking with several staff members on her way. Doctor-Doctor appeared, gave Mom a big hug, and walked with them to dining room. Mom said Dad sits like a baby bird with his mouth open so Mom will feed him. He enjoys it. He nods his head when he has finished chewing and is ready for her to shovel another bite into his mouth...

He enjoyed a delicious lunch of Mexican casserole (which looked and smelled divine) with meat, cheese, black beans, tortillas etc in it, some tasty looking Spanish rice with a big green salad. Dad loved every bite. When Mom showed him the butterscotch pudding for dessert, he smacked his lips with gusto! He polished it off and drained a glass of milk and two cups of "the best coffee in the world" (per Dad)...

Another great visit. Mom wheeled him back to his room and allowed the care takers to get him changed and ready for his afternoon nap. She kissed him good-bye and he thanked her with a kiss for coming to visit.

*** Update on Dad's Diabetes: The doctor has decided to wait until May to do another HBA1C. Until then, there will be no further finger pricks or changes to his diet. I will be attending Dad's Care Conference in person, while visiting in May. We also have the option of waiving a diabetic diet if Dad appears to be unhappy with it. ****

Thank you so much everyone for your support and concern for Dad. A special thank you to the nurses and diabetics who shared valuable information with me so I would not panic....

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you all....you are all the very best!

Updates On Dad, Celebrating and Company...

2011-04-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

I called this morning to talk with Dad...again, but he was in Rehab doing his exercises. I spoke with the nurse and she told me Dad's doctor does not want to diagnose Dad as diabetic. He plans on doing another Hemoglobin A1C in May. He does not want them to monitor his blood with the finger pricks, nor does he want them to change his diet...

I have been trying to contact the Director of Nursing, but she has been "unavailable"...so I have left messages. She and I had discussed I would be in town in May (for Mother's Day and my sister's birthday) so I would like to attend Dad's next Care Conference IN PERSON instead of over the phone. So we have scheduled it for May 9th at 9:30am. I will email Dad's doctor and let him know, so hopefully, we can co-ordinate appropriately...

The nurse suggested I call back just before 1pm when they put him down for a nap...so I will try again later on...

Yesterday, my hubby and I celebrated the day we met eleven years ago. I had placed a singles ad and he answered my ad. After talking several times, we met in person at an Italian restaurant after work. We sat and talked for three hours on April 12, 2000. By August we wanted to be exclusive and the following April, at the same restaurant, we celebrated our engagement. We married, October 14, 2001.

We went to Carrabas Italian restaurant last night and enjoyed a romantic dinner...Since we had some "free play" at one of the local casinos, we went to play our $7 each. I put in $20, my limit to play, in addition to the $7 free play, and cashed out an hour later with $50. I could not believe I was ready to go home at 9:30pm, but my honey was very understanding...

We had planned to take Izzy with us for a road trip to Tucson, Arizona to visit friends...but with all the projects and chaos lately, knowing we have company every weekend until mid May when my husband's cousin and his wife may come for a visit...we decided to stay home and pace ourselves...

My youngest daughter Jodee, baby Jacob and her boyfriend Jeff are coming Easter weekend, then my sister and girlfriend arrive the next weekend for our annual Scrappin' and Creative weekend...then the first week in May, I go to California for a week. I come home on the 10th and his cousin should arrive somewhere around the 13th or 15th... then we have his 6 year old grand daughter's birthday on the 21st and 13 year old grand son's birthday the end of May...

WT?...Is He, Or Isn't He?

2011-04-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

After all the back and forth with Dad's doctor telling me Dad is NOT DIABETIC....I get a call from the Director of Nursing yesterday (just I had laid down for a nice nap).... She told me Dad had a HBA1C (which is a 90 day look back on his blood sugar) on February 1, 2011. He tested 7.2, which is considered diabetic. He had two fasting blood tests, one February 3rd and one March 1st. February was 119 and March was 127.

Being a nurse, she cannot diagnose, so told me she would contact Dad's doctor and discuss these tests with him... She told me she had extensive experience with Diabetes, so she felt confident, Dad was a diabetic and his diet would have to be changed accordingly. California has strict regulations for diabetic diets in nursing homes.

I warned her to be prepared, because if anyone messes with Dad's food, he will NOT be a happy camper! I told her how fond he is of his ice cream, shakes and fruit plates. I think if they give him fake sugar ice cream, he might taste the difference. Regardless, as usual, we must go with it and see what happens...

So now I wait to hear back from her about what the doctor said...My head feels like a ping pong ball in a world tournament, with all this indecision...Hoping to find out...is Dad diabetic or not....

Searching For Gold...

2011-04-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Mom went to visit Dad yesterday. He was asleep in bed when she arrived. She gently woke him from his slumber. He seemed pretty groggy. Dad told her he had been searching for gold, that is why he was so tired.... but he was happy to wake up in his own bed...

Mom asked him how he slept last night, and he replied, "GREAT!", then promptly closed his eyes and began to snore...

Mom busied herself talking to the nurses at the nurses station while she let Dad sleep more before lunch. She asked why they make new charts each time Dad returns from a hospital stay. She was told it is a government regulation if the stay is over 3 days. Every nursing home does it. (May I ask the nurses out there to please respond to verify this statement?)

Mom also noticed, the note asking staff to call me first, was still hung above his bed...

One of the Aides went into Dad's room and got him ready for lunch, wheeling him into the dining room. It was still a bit early for lunch, so she sat with Dad and talked...

Mom asked if Dad enjoyed his visit with my sister and second to the youngest brother. Dad looked back at her with a blank stare. Mom reminded him about playing Dominoes and my sister clipping his fingernails. Dad told her he remembered. He told her my sister wanted to put something fancy on his nails and he told her to do that for the women, rather than for him. (My sister had buffed his nails...)

Mom asked if he was watching any of the basketball. Dad confirmed he was. He told her he goes early because the players play better when they know he is there...

He kept closing his eyes... Mom would ask a question and Dad would ignore her or mumble and answer. Clearly, he was still very tired.

Doctor-Doctor stopped in to see Mom. She asked Dad to sing for them. Dad began to sing Ava Maria in a higher range than he normally does, and his voice cracked. They all began to chuckle, Dad loudest of all.

The Activities Director came in to say hello to Mom. Mom complimented her on how wonderful the decorations were for St. Patrick's Day, and now for Easter. The Director thanked Mom profusely. She complimented Mom on how nice it is to always hear the positive comments from her. After she left, Dad gave Mom a smile and told her how much he admired her remembering every one's names. He told her everyone liked her because she always calls them by name.

Lunch arrived and Mom said she was so jealous... They served Dad, barbecued pork bun sandwich, fresh peas, corn, green Jello with pears, cake with sprinkled icing, mile, a can of Ensure and two cups of coffee, with cream and sugar, just the way Dad likes it.

Mom could tell Dad was getting those heavy, sleepy, lids, so she wheeled him back to his room, so his Caregiver could get him comfortable in bed. She kissed him good-bye and left grateful for another good visit...

What I Have Been Up To....With Some Cute Grand Son Stuff Too...

2011-04-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I posted the update on Dad... today, I want to share what has been keeping me from visiting all of my wonderful blogging friends and regular posting...

I had started on my annual SPRING CLEANING some months ago, but it was temporarily postponed with my husband's sudden retirement in late October. Since then, we have been on a non-stop mission to get our financial ducks in a row, and adjust to being home during the day, together...

Amidst all of this chaos, we also have an ongoing, annual challenge of securing some privacy in our back patio, which borders the side street and sidewalk. For the past five years, after each winter, due to frost or heavy winds, we have lost all three of the plants we have had to plant each year. Part of the problem, was the over pour of cement on the footing wall of our six foot wrought iron fence. The roots get root bound from not being able to spread out due to the cement.

I have this dream, of enjoying our spa, and lying around enjoying the sunshine, or just sitting and reading. We may even want to dine outside, without every passer by stopping to comment or visit because they see us outside. I like our neighbors and all, but heck, a little privacy would be nice, on occasion...

Since summer will soon be here, I had to finish my garage cleaning before it gets too hot. Also, if we are to do any planting, spring time is the optimum time to do so...

First, I suggested to my husband we get a privacy/wind barrier made from Alumawood for the south end of our patio. This solution would prevent us from planting for our privacy, because the Alumawood would give us 80% more privacy and block the gap in our fence. In doing so, we would have to walk around the pillar of our back patio, to get to our side gate or the hose. Since I do all the gardening and watering, it would only be an inconvenience for me. We have a meandering sidewalk on that side of the house leading to our back patio, also connecting to our front patio. I figured we could just do stepping stones from the sidewalk around the pillar, leading to the patio. I thought it was a good work around solution...

My husband was not enthused. He wanted a door. So when one of the construction guys came to give us the estimate for the Alumawood privacy slats, my husband wanted a separate estimate for his idea of what we should do... Of course, his was more expensive, so that idea was scrapped.

I got another guy to give me an estimate and his price was half as expensive as the first guy's. We were all excited and told him to proceed. He calls us back and tells us he is unable to get the 3" slats in beige as we had requested. He announced it would have to be a dark brown color and only 1.5" slats for the lower price, otherwise, for the beige color and size slats we wanted, it would be twice as much. So that plan was tossed...

I came up with an idea to transplant the two remaining Xylosma bushes, to another part of the backyard, and plant White Bank Roses in three pots, instead of planting them in the ground. These roses will take over the fence, IF they survive the heavy winds so prevalent in the foothills where we live...and give us the privacy we are striving for.

Here is the before and after pictures:

This is how it looked one year ago after the three Xylosma bushes were planted. See that big open space? That is the privacy we are hoping to gain... See where the sidewalk joins the back patio? This is where the Alumawood would be, from the pillar to the side of our house, blocking access to the patio from the sidewalk. After removing the bushes, we would have room to put down stepping stones to walk around the pillar to get to the back patio.

This is the two bushes remaining one year later...the third one died. See how wispy the bushes are? Way smaller than they were a year prior.

These are 24" pots... each with three 5 gallon White Bank Roses. This particular type is a climbing, miniature rose with a soft, sweet scent and tiny thorns. I am doing extra watering each day since it is so windy this past week, to prevent them from getting dried out. I have prayed and blessed them, so hopefully, they will survive....It will be so beautiful and private if my plan works...and weather permits...

The area to the right of the pillar would be where the Alumawood slats would have been, blocking people from seeing into our house, but still leaving the area to the left of the pillar open, which would need to be dealt with by planting the climbing roses....

I have neighbors who have the same roses covering the length of their fence. The roses grow thick and are green all year around.

Won't it look nice on our fence? It will definitely give us the privacy we want.

The nice gardener man suggested we use large redwood bark chips to keep the plants moist and help with better drainage. The bark would also help keep the plants warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. I had my reservations as I was concerned Izzy would be attracted to the bark. We compromised and did not put the bark around the base of the plant, instead, we buried it in layers under the planting soil....

Last night I discovered Izzy had dug up several bark chips from two of the pots... So now, I must either get chicken wire to put around the pots to protect them...or implement the "LEAVE IT" command is short order!

I let her know I did not like what she did and she got a major time out. After an hour, I opened her crate and she showed me she felt so badly, she stayed in her crate all night long... Today, I have been watching her like a hawk. If I hear her go out the doggy door, I am right behind her. When she shows an interest in the pot, I firmly say, "LEAVE IT!"....and she leaves the area immediately. I still think chicken wire might give me more peace of mind...but she needs to learn to leave it alone.... ANY SUGGESTIONS???

The gardener relocated the remaining Xylosma bushes to two separate locations in the back patio..

hopefully, they will acclimate and be happy where they were planted...The winds have been fierce the past couple of days...He told me to give it an extra watering by hand and to spray it with Miracle Grow a week apart. (Try spraying anything during strong winds!) He filled our fertilizer unit with liquid fertilizer to give everything a jump start... Really nice guy with reasonable prices. I think I have found myself a new Gardener.

I am still in pursuit of lowering our monthly utility bills. We reached a solution with our DISH network, to return one our DVRs which is capable of programing with two separate televisions. We have three TV sets. The one we are returning is the old one, which was replaced with a new HD DVR. They gave us a free sports channel and some free pay channels to stay with them and not go with DIRECT TV. They were to send us the replacement (one-TV DVR) and we would call when we received it, they would schedule a tech to hook up the new one and box up the two-TV DVR receiver and return it to DISH.

We received the replacement one TV DVR, called, the tech came out, only to discover they had sent the wrong receiver. It was not a DVR. So we had to send it back and wait for DISH to receive it and then they would send out the correct one-TV DVR receiver. Hopefully we get it soon so we won't be charged the higher price.

Our Internet/land line provider offers a price lock to new customers for five years for both Internet and land line. It would save us over $30 a month, but because we are current customers, we don't qualify for the deal. I find that ludicrous! They should also reward and take care of their current customers, so they keep their customers! I have been calling talking to various managers, trying to convince them to give us this deal...wish me luck...

All this phone calling, besides giving me cauliflower ear lobes, takes up a big chunk of my day and is extremely frustrating!

On a happier, cuter note, allow me to share some recent photos of my grand son Jacob...

Jacob's first trip to the beach with Mommy and Daddy...I just LOVE that smile on his little face!

In case you can't read the writing on his shirt, it says, "What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's" They are preparing to come visit us Easter weekend...I can't wait!!!

Since sprouting his two bottom teeth, he may be preparing for the top ones...he loves to chew on the hard side of his Binky...

He is a travelin' little man running errands with his Mom and Dad...so he grabs some "shut eye" whenever possible... By the way, check that big 'ol "bear paw" of his in the lower left hand corner!

Cute story about my six year old grand son...the other morning, while folding laundry in her bedroom, he comes in and announces to his Mom, "We have a problem!". She asked what it is and he tells her he wrote her a note about it, but she was not allowed to read it until he left the room. She thought to herself, he must be mad at her or with his brother as she took the note from him. "Don't look 'til I leave Mom", he warned her... As she opened the note, it read, "We are out of hot dogs."

As she told me, we both laughed because turkey hot dogs are a main staple of his preferred foods. She called to him, announcing she had read the note. She informed me they did have hot dogs.... "No we don't Mom, I checked". She asked if he looked under the cheese...when he did, there were the hot dogs. With a huge smile, "Thanks Mom! Our problem is solved!" What a character he is!

Today I spoke with my 8 year old grand son. He was creating "bad guys" with his Lego blocks. He invented a really bad guy, he called, Project DB (for death bomber). He described how his head was a gun and and his arm was " very extensional" . For Christmas, we gave each of the boys a $25 gift card, so together they could purchase LEGO STAR WARS for Wii, so they both could play the game. It just came out last month, so they were able to go buy it the day it went on sale. My daughter says they have been playing it every single day...after homework of course....

I asked the 8 year old, "Now you realize it is OK to want to be the "bad guy" for pretend, but not in real life, right?"

"Yes Grandma, I know all about that... Mom and Dad already told me."

Just checkin'...

Why Being Hyper-Vigilant Can Be A Good Thing...

2011-04-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

After sending a second email and a phone call each day, I finally heard from Dad's primary physician. I was surprised to discover, he does not have a chart on Dad at his office. He uses the one the nursing home provides. He too is frustrated by their policy to start a new chart if the patient stays longer than 3 days in a hospital. I still intend to get hold of the Administrator and find out why they have this policy...I have left him a phone message and an email.

Dad's doctor determined Dad had been given some medication (which one was not mentioned) at the hospital this past January. Apparently, this medication made his blood sugar go up. He was given insulin at least twice to lower it. The hospital labeled Dad a diabetic and that history was forwarded with him to the nursing home with his current orders for care. So based on the hospital's orders, Dad's primary physician ordered Dad's blood sugar to be routinely checked.

As of today, those orders have been canceled and it was clarified Dad is not a diabetic.

I am in a whirlwind of activity these days, keeping me from my blogging friends and writing... All creative pursuits have come to a temporary halt. It has taken much longer than I originally anticipated...

Tomorrow I hope to post some cute pics of baby Jacob and some of the projects around the house, which have been taking up so much of my time...

It's late, I gotta' hit the sack....

I Am At A Total Loss For Words...

2011-04-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

My second to the youngest brother and my sister went to visit Dad yesterday. They found him in his room, asleep in his wheel chair. Apparently, the nurses had placed him in his room for privacy because they were going to check his blood sugar. My sister reported it was 157.

I went to sleep early last night and did not read her email until today. When I first read the email, I thought it read, "checked his blood pressure". Reading it again today, I realized what it said and became concerned. Why would they be checking Dad's blood sugar? He is not a diabetic....

I called the nursing home and spoke with the charge nurse. She confirmed it was me, then she verified Dad was listed as a diabetic on his chart! How did this happen and neither Mom nor I knew about this? Mom was as shocked as I was. Nothing was said about this in February, at his last Care Conference. Mom told me the last time Dad was in hospital, in January, one of the doctors in the ER had asked her if Dad was diabetic, and she told him NO.

This is a prime example why I don't like the "new chart" each time he comes back from the hospital. I sent an email to Dad's primary care physician. If I don't hear from him by tomorrow, I will call his office. When I spoke with the nurse, she said the doctor wanted him monitored regularly before and after meals and had him on sliding scale..."0-200 no insulin, 201-250 insulin". I am blown away to know he has been given a couple shots of insulin!

I mean, I AM THE ONE THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO CALL WITH ANY CHANGES!!! And....(get this), my sister said the note (to call me first) was back above his bed! Remember just a couple days ago, the nurse told me they had to take it down???

Anyway....back to their visit...

After his blood test, they put his red cap on his head to protect him from the sun and wheeled Dad out to the patio for some dominoes. Dad did remarkably well, having no problems matching the dots. In fact, he won most of the games. My sister trimmed his nails in between games...

I had been having trouble reaching Dad. There is some new nurse who, for all intent and purposes, lies to me...always with an excuse as to why I can't talk with Dad. She told me Dad was eating, when in fact he was being bathed. (As you can tell, I am not too happy with the nursing home right now...). My sister knew I had been trying to reach Dad, so she called me so I could talk with Dad. It was a brief conversation, but I could hear how happy he was being with my brother and sister. I could tell he was anxious to visit with them...

Dad talking with me on my sister's cell...

Dad did tell me he wanted me to come visit or he would come see me...He also told my sister and brother he did not want them to leave when lunch was served... It is always tough, when he doesn't want us to leave...

Dad and my sister Holly

They wheeled him back into the lunch room and set him with a table full of ladies. Dad told them he would play "footsies" with them under the table... They had a good chuckle and kissed him good bye.

Basically, they had a good visit. Dad told them how happy he was and what good care they give him...

I am at a total loss for words. I just cannot believe this shocking news of Dad being diabetic and me not knowing! I will get to the bottom of this. I want a date when this diabetic diagnosis was placed on his chart. I want some answers, and I WILL GET THEM!!

Round and Round We Go...

2011-03-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Mom got another phone call from Dad last night. She was over at my brother's house for dinner. Her recorder logged in Dad's call at 5:10pm. That's a lot earlier than he usually calls. We think it is due to new part time staff. Apparently they had to take down the note above his bed and placed it back on the front of Dad's chart. Guess whoever called for Dad, did not look at his chart.

Mom said Dad sounded "normal" and thought he was calling my brother. He left a message saying he could not get reach Mom and needed to come home and pick up a few things... These kind of messages upset all of us, but especially Mom.

I called Mom this morning before she went for her weekly visit with Dad. I called earlier this morning and spoke with the charge nurse at the nursing home, about making sure the night staff know to call me first. ( How many times do we have to go through this???) She assured me she would. (Yeah, we have heard that before...)

I wanted to talk with Dad, but the staff was still getting him up and he would be getting his shower, so I was asked to call back. I intended to, but with everything going on, I feel like I have been spun dizzy on a merry-go-round all day...Here it is almost 8pm....so I will try again tomorrow.

I assured Mom I did not think Dad would remember, and for the most part, I was right. She found Dad waiting for lunch in the dining room. The residents had just finished a rousing game of Bingo. Dad was in a jovial, peaceful mood. Mom was relieved...

Dad looked up at her, after giving her a hug, and said,

"I think we should take a trip up north, to where we used to live..." (Dad meant, Bremerton, WA...back in the 1940's.)

"Most of our friends are gone or moved," Mom managed, starting to get a bit nervous...

"Don't you still work there?"

" It was a long time ago."..(not to mention it would be a long commute!)

"Where did you work again?"

"Rhodes Department store as a fashion illustrator for the two Seattle newspapers. It was torn down long ago and something else is there now..."

" Oh yes....well, there's a big lawsuit going on in Kitsap County (where Bremerton is) and you will be receiving a big check for a lot of money.... I don't need any money, because I am 'well to do', so put the check in the safety deposit box and DON'T CASH THE CHECK!"

Mom cringed as Dad yelled loud enough for everyone to hear....she gave everyone in ear shot, a double shoulder shrug and an apologetic smile...

"DON'T WRITE ANY CHECKS EITHER!" Dad commanded..."I am happy here. I help with the research and testing."

Mom just nodded and smiled, acting impressed.

Happily, his lunch was served, so Dad sat back in his chair, folded his hands in his lap, and opened his mouth, waiting for Mom to shove the food in his mouth...

Another tasty lunch, as Dad began to salivate admiring the .fish fillet, cheesy scalloped potatoes, beets just the way Dad loves them, cucumbers in balsamic dressing, apple walnut cake, ice tea, wheat bread, butter, coffee, milk and Ensure. Dad piled it all together, dunked his bread in his milk and began to suck it into his mouth. He inhaled every single crumb, and announced he was ready for a nap.

Doctor-Doctor was his nurse today, so when she came to wheel Dad back to his room, Dad was laughing, flirting and enjoying her company. Mom kissed Dad good bye and waved to him wishing him sweet dreams...

One of the other nurses stopped Mom in the hallway, asking if she would like them to remove the phone from Dad's room. Dad cannot make calls himself, he has to have someone dial the number for him. Mom told her we would all discuss it. Mom knows I would not be a happy camper if I could not talk with him... so she told her we would get back to her...

When Mom got home, my youngest brother called. He told Mom he was near Dad on business, so he planned on stopping in to visit with him. Mom told him she had just left and he may be taking a nap...
Knowing my younger brother, he will not allow Dad napping to deter him, nor would Dad want him to....

Lord, Please Help Us...

2011-03-30T23:40:00.000-07:00

Please bear with me dear blogging friends.

The challenges of last week are still upon us; in addition to some new ones...

I need to breathe

I need to keep the faith.

I need to pace myself.

I need to remember,

"this too will pass"....