Just need to talk to my friends (194)

Iris L. · March 30

My trip to Texas and Oklahoma will begin on May 1st.

We are expecting rain for Easter. I finally found the invoices for my bills that are due on Monday. I have to get them out tomorrow! I get anxious when things in my life aren't going as they should. To save time, I've been eating fast food these past few days, it's tasty but not healthy.

Iris

planetamy · March 30

new to the porch! Im Amy

how great to see a red beans with rice recipe on here because that was one of my favorite things to make! My husband Geir has EOAD. The last six months has been a whirlwind. But we are currently on the last day of our vacation visiting my daughter and her husband in Hawaii! Returning home to our assisted-living facility and we just moved into in January January. No More stove to make red beans and rice but I bet the kitchen will let me give a whirl, they're pretty great.

we sold what was meant to be our retirement home after his diagnosis because with only a year of full-time Caregiver my disability escalated to the point where I couldn't care for him at home. (I have difficult to treat auto immune arthritis).

I will say if you have mobility problems Hawaii is about the most accessible place I've ever been! I am taking my travel wheelchair everywhere. And when I'm snorkeling its like I'm not disabled at all!

See you soon

ronald71111 · March 30

Welcome to Lorita's front porch Amy! You will find out its a great group from all walks life that truly care for each other. Just grab a rocker and enjoy good conversations.

Still up again at 1:30 this morning, had a coughing spell around midnight and couldn't go back to sleep. I'll be glad when Monday gets here where I can scramble me a laying of eggs. Right side if my mouth is still swollen a lot and bruising is starting to show. I've already lost three pounds from the liquid diet and if I can get another 10 pounds off I could get back into some good trousers.

Easter Sunday and Lou and I will also be celebrating our 57th wedding anniversary. We want be doing anything tommorow but sitting around and being thankful for what we still have together.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Ron

Lorita · March 30

Morning, Looks like it's going to be another windy day but not as strong. Dread Monday when severe storms are expected.

Welcome,Amy. Glad to have you join us on the front porch. We're a talkative group so jump in when you're ready. In which State do you live? We're scattered everywhere including Australia.

Ron, I bet you will be glad for Monday to come. The worst is probably over. Just dream about those eggs. Sorry, no caramels for a while.

We really slept in last night - nine hours. Haven't done that in years. Yesterday wore me out and all I did was drive and sit. There were probably 20 people in the waiting room, coming and going. I noticed that black t shirts must be the "in" thing. There were eight people wearing them. I wore my mask but only saw one or two others wearing them - that's okay. washing my clothes I wore. Remembered what Jo said about washing them when you got home from being around people. Maybe it's overdoing but that's okay. Do wish we could know how she is.

Just fed the birds and Rusty. Guess Gray Lady gave up on me because I saw her going down the drive to graze. Little, silly bulls are still at it. Will be so glad when Mike moves them and so will the girls. Guess he'll move another big bull in. I miss Samson, he was an easy going boy.

Worried about Darwin. Carol's daddy had that, had surgery but didn't! survive. I remember seeing her sitting in the hall outside surgery, waiting. This was at the VA way back in the 60s.

Time for juice and hit tsa. Enjoy the day.

.

j

BethL · March 30

@planetamy Welcome, Amy! Pull up your rocker and sit and enjoy the company. We are a friendly bunch here and always like making new friends. Which island does your daughter live on, Amy? We have been to Hawaii twice. The last time was right before the pandemic. We took a cruise on Pride of America cruise ship, SO FUN! Where is home? And do you have family that live close by?

Here's a bit of my story. I'm Beth, 69 y.o., and have lived in Iowa all my life. I retired 14 years ago as an RN. My hubby worked in the insurance field and retired 10 years ago. We live on a 1/2 acre lot and over 1/2 of the backyard is garden - flowers, mainly, but I do raise a few vegetables and also have blueberries and raspberries. My peach tree got overloaded with peaches last year - so many that it broke and was then removed. We have 2 children, a son and a daughter. Daughter and her husband and 3 boys live in TX. Son and wife and 4 of their 5 kids (one's grown up and moved to the Twin Cities) live close by.

My PWD (person with dementia) was my mom. She passed away at 88 years of age in November 2017. This website was a great place to get information, advice and to vent when I was caregiving.

My husband fell off a ladder in September 2023 and broke his back, right humerus and left ankle. He has been pretty laid up. He was in the hospital for 6 weeks and a skilled nursing/rehab place for 7 weeks after that. Now he is home and goes to PT 3x/week. He is able to walk (but poor balance and gait) with a quad cane and is able to do any things despite his disability. Still hoping and praying for a full (or better) recovery. Happy Easter to all!

Hello to @eaglemom @ladyzetta @loveskitties @Jo C. @Lorita @ronald71111 @Iris L. @telinde @Mint @harshedbuzz @jfkoc @Caro_Lynne @dayn2nite2 @David1946 @JeriLynn66 and any others I missed.

harshedbuzz · March 30

Good morning all.

Welcome @planetamy. Nice to meet you. Hawaii is a fabulous place to visit. It's a long flight from the east, but so worth it. @BethL we did that same cruise once, too. We had an amazing time.

I was reading your Easter menu, @JeriLynn66, and had a chuckle about your relish tray. DH and I were just talking about these as a thing in nicer restaurants and holiday dinners when we were kids. I recall the little cut glass compartmented tray with celery sticks, gherkins and radish roses on ice. They aren't something you see much anymore. On one site I frequent that's mostly 40-somethings, they talk about being assigned the relish tray for a family dinner and having no idea what that even is. Some even joke that being asked to bring the relish tray indicates no one trusts you as a cook.

I hope the folks in your world @Lorita, are doing better today. It was great that you were able to drive Darwin in a pinch. It's funny you mention the seats in your new car. I thought the Terrain's seats were very supportive, but the ride was not something I would wish for on a long trip. DH made some noise about renting one for a trip to see his brother— a 14-hour drive. No way.

That's wonderful news about your son-in-law's vision, @loveskitties. My mom had some optic nerve issues and her vision never improved. When she gets her pre-injection vision test she can only make out the largest "E" on the test— and because of her AMD she says it looks like its in cursive.

The weather is lovely today— a bright blue sky and about 60F. DH and I will be meeting friends for dinner at a place a bit fancier than we typically do.

HB

JeriLynn66 · March 30

Good Moring everyone and welcome Amy! I'm busy as a bee this morning. SIL and her husband decided to come for a visit today, so I'm making extra potato salad, DH is grilling pork chops and I'll flash some fresh green beans with red onion and bacon in a skillet for lunch. Got the Great Grand's cookies made, and her Easter tea table is set and her new garden basket is stuffed with treats. The egg hunt should be fun. We also have some seeds and fresh dirt for her to plant in tomorrow. Should be a fun day.

Lorita, it sounds like you should just rest today. All your folks are in my prayers. Ron, hopefully you and Lou will have a restful Easter Anniversary. Many blessings to you. Hope you feel better soon. Iris, you come on over to my house tomorrow and I'll feed you a good home-cooked meal!

I'm struggling a bit with organization while I set up my home office. It will all come together in good time, I suppose. Or not. It is what it is. Counting our many blessings as we head into Easter Sunday and all that means.

I've got to run put a turkey breast in the crockpot and my ham in the oven. Then check on DH who is doing Lord knows what outside, lol. See you all later. But if not, Happy Easter to each of you and may you feel the love of Jesus each day.

jfkoc · March 30

3/30 and 11a…Lorita where are you?'

Lorita · March 30

Hi again. Sounds like everyone is busy this morning. .

JetiLynn, the menu sounds delicious. Bet you all will have fun. As they say ," no rest for the wicked,". I have some bread making and just finished a load of lsundry. The dryer is making an odd noise so may be the next thing to contend with. I couldn't feel much air coming out of the vent outside. Maybe the man who fixed my closet door and the barn will know if it continues. How are the baby goats and lambs. I bet they are fun to watch playing.

HB, I'll check to see if I have the seat at an weird angle or maybe I'm too long from my seat to knee. I wouldn't want to take it on a long trip either.

I called to see how Darwin i s and he said he hasn't slept for 24 hours. Told him to lay down and do nothing today and to not go out and cut wood. He said the doctor told him the aneurysm is along the spine and if it ruptured, he would be gone. His daughter had just left to go home. He goes out and cuts wood everyday, even yesterday. I need to tell Toad and Mike tomorrow when they feed so Toad can check on him when he feeds over there.

Ron, I hope you and Lou have a wonderful anniversary. Fifty seven years is a long time - you all have had a good marriage. Back later oh, saw three big, gorgeous, dar k rose tulips blooming in the south yard this morning. Made me bappy!

.

David1946 · March 30

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/203875#Comment_203875

The rain stopped on Friday afternoon thank God . Going to be a sunny Saturday and Easter Sunday. But more rain expected to start on Tuesday and continue until Friday possibly another 2 inches. Once the sun comes out the grass will grow like weeds due to all the rain With all this rain come July we will probably have a drought

Mint · March 30

HB it is always nice to have downtime.

This morning up until about 11 AM was very dark and rainy. Looks like we’re in for quite a few days of this type of weather. I did get quite a bit accomplished in my yard yesterday. It was a beautiful day. Anyways, it’s a start. I don’t have near as much as Beth. I have all I can do though. I would like to do a little bit at mom’s but we’ll just have to see how that goes.

Marie, I’m so very happy and thankful that your son-in-law is doing well.

Lorita glad you were able to help Darwin and Donna out. I know he was very appreciative of it. You are right it is very good that they found his aneurysms now before it ruptured. What used to be a major surgery for that has now become a very much more minor procedure. Lorita have you had time yet to read up on how to adjust your seat. I don’t have a fancy car at all. It’s a pretty plain little old car and you can do quite a few things to adjust the seat to make it more comfortable just a thought.

Amy nice to see you in a rocking chair. I’m from North Central Ohio, and a retired respiratory therapist. I help take care of my mom who is undiagnosed due to medical noncompliance. That’s great that your assisted living lets you help in your food decisions. Assisted-living or independent living which ever applies is something that I will probably look into for myself when I get a little older. I see a new one is supposed to be coming to our town and that’s one thing they mentioned that they have a chef and he will try and fix things that people suggest and like and I thought that sounded good.

Judith I believe Lorita has a post at 9:46 AM today. It is a little harder to keep up with everything since we have so many new people on the porch but I’m glad each and everyone of you are here. It’s nice. What I do is I just go back to my last post and I start from there and I just comment on each one at a time, that’s how I keep up. You may still miss something once in a while because sometimes I will notice there’s posts back behind mine that I didn’t notice before, so I’m thinking we were posting at the same time. . that’s OK. Usually somebody’s comment catches me up. I think God I didn’t see that and I go back and look.

thinking of each, and everyone, especially you JoC, and Joan. I am very concerned about you and JoC.

ButterflyWings · March 30

Dear front porch friends,

I look forward to reading and catching up (again) here bit by bit. Things have been hectic at home and I will be posting on the other forums to update. We are nearing the end of the road for my DH to struggle with this hateful disease. Likely days. The recipes and sunset photos, stories, joys and worries, warmth and just plain loving thoughts among this group will be a blessing to help keep me connected to life when I can grab a moment. Feeling a little untethered right now, though I know you all know. Have a beautiful day, wherever you are.

Lorita · March 30

Judith, I'm here, safe and somewhat sound and sane. Sometimes I wonder about the latter. Easy to miss a post and we've had several this morning. I'm trying to post soon after I get up.

Mint, you are right - we need to appreciate the rain because everything is dependent on it but sometimes it's hard when you're knee deep in mud. I'm happy to know that fixing an aneurysm isn't so involved anymore. Hate for Darwin to go through it but it has to be done. I can tell he has really gone down in the past three years. He misses caring for his cows just as I do but after the awful winter we realized it was time. He'll be 85 soon.

They were very appreciative but I assured them I would do any and everything I could, anytime. When I had my first bout with shingles I called to see if Donna would ride over to urgent care with me. Both of them were here within ten minutes to take me. Both are great neighbors.

Mint, my car isn't fancy either, sort of at the bottom of the line which is fine with me. I just want to be able to get in, start it and go. I'm going to check on seat adjustments. I may have it too high.

Butterfly, glad to see you back. So many of us have gone through what you're dealing with. It is not easy at all. It's been over nine years since I lost Charles and I can remember every detail, somedays. When you need to talk or just read come here. Someone is always on the porch to listen and be company.

Talked to Sarah. Says she's getting IVs but still vomiting. Sleeping some. I wish there was something that could help and I know your prayers and good thoughts are. Thank you all.

jfkoc · March 30

OK. I think I have finally got it. Yesterday's posts always have the date. Today's are time stamped.

My 2013 Volvo does not have soft seats but they do go up/down, back and forth and they tilt. One could buy a foam cushion for squish on line. Amazon has a lot of them.

I am worried about our friends and neighbors who are caretakers. I hope they have a check in system and a plan B.

More new tax info yesterday. So extension and estimate for me again.

Lorita · March 30

Something funny (to me) and a question. I just gave the Pyrenees their breakfast. Stormy ate his and Sheena hasn't. Stormy walked over to hers, she turned and looked at him and he turned around and got on the divan for a nap. Guess that mother's look was enough. She is not his mother but raised him from seven weeks.

Judith, I ordered a kind of seat that would turn or rotate to he!p you get in and out. Didn't work because it seems the middle of. the seat is lower and it wouldn't turn. The suggestion of a soft cushion is good. I'll try that.

The question. I ordered 5 lb. of bread flour from WM. Finally it came in a red and white priority box, USPS, but when I opened it, the top of the sack was open and some flour had spilled out. Do you all think it would be safe to use the flour in the sack? I called WM and it was from a third parter vendor so the vendor would either refund the cost or replace it. They have three days to decide. I've never had success with that. I don't think I would feel safe using it but...

I agree, judith, it is scary to be alone caregiving,knowing our loved one wouldn't know what to do in an emergency. I know I feel better posting each morning to let you all know I'm up and okay. Maybe all if us could do that just saying, "I'm okay".. but we wouldn't know how to contact them.or someone for help. A problem.

ronald71111 · March 30

Wondering if I should dye my hair to match my face? I knew it would be some bruising, but this is ridiculous. Maybe purple for my hair!

jfkoc · March 30

Good point. I have your number. Also Mikes. You have mine. I will do a check in starting tomorrow.

Maybe others would share their number with someone.

Iris….when is your trip?

harshedbuzz · March 30

@ronald71111

Yikes! Mom had similar bruising. It faded more quickly than from any of her falls.

Lorita · March 30

Sounds great, Judith. Someone should have someone else's number, vice. Versa.

Ron, is that sore? I remember years ago (seems like I'm always saying that) I had some extractions in the office of an oral surgeon. There was a man there having extractions. The next morning I was scheduled to go to a local dentist. That same man was there and he was bruised from his nose down, both sides. Luckily I didn't bruise. It'll go away but probably through several colors. Don't dye your hair- looks good as is. I love white or silver hair.

Stormy and I drove down in the pasture to empty a couple.of litter boxes and saw all the girls. Enjoyed the ride but was really hot when we got back, probably didn't need a jacket. It's 76.

jfkoc · March 30

Purple would be great…like an Easter egg…lol

Iris L. · March 31

Ron, are you on a blood thinner?

My next trip will be in May.

Iris

Mint · March 31

Butterfly glad you were able to come sit a spell.

i check in with two people each morning my sister and my Aunt.

Hope each one has a nice Easter

Happy Anniversary Ron and Lou

Lorita · March 31

Happy 57th Anniversary, Ron and Lou. Hope you have a really happy day.

.Happy Easter to everyone. It's barely daylight in eastern Oklahoma, a bit windy but wsrm. Just fed GL. Today is feed day so had to open and close gates. I'm okay but sleepy. For some reason at 4 a.m. the GPs decided they wanted to go out. Let them out and listened to them bark at coyotes for a while. Got them back in and we slept two.more hours. They're asleep now. Had to get up and watch Denim & Co. And do the gates.

Enjoy the pretty weather today - storms are coming tomorrow evening.

Judith?

JeriLynn66 · March 31

Happy Easter Everyone and

Happy Anniversary Ron & Lou!

ronald71111 · March 31

Happy Easter to everyone!

My Easter and anniversary is not going well. Still woke up early choking and I continue to cough up blood clots this morning. Already called Lou's sitter and will go to VA ER when she gets here.

Ron

harshedbuzz · March 31

Wishing those who observe a Blessed Easter.

And a Happy Anniversary to @ronald71111 and his lovely bride Lou.

Lorita · March 31

Ronald, take care. Hope the VA can take care of things quickly.

Talked with Darwin and he,'s okay this morning.

Judith, it's 9:30_where are you?

telinde · March 31

Good morning. My bold won’t work, so I can’t use it. Things are busy here. My daughter and SIL helped me go through the house and get rid of all the junk. I close on my new house on Friday. The kids brought me to their house for a few weeks so I don’t have to climb up the stairs. I’m going to stay here until a few things are completed at my house and I can manage to get in garage and house easily. I’m still doing PT twice a week. We think I may need a new hip and that is why I’m not walking without assistance yet. I’ll get that checked as soon as I get a break.

I had movers lined up to pack and move my belongings to the new place but they called Friday and canceled. They just didn’t want to do it. I found another company to move me, but not until the 22nd, so I’ll stay with the kids until then. On top of all that, I broke my glasses and had to deal with that. I’ve been kind of overwhelmed with all of this. So thankful I have kids willing to help me. Ok. That’s entirely TOO MUCH INFORMATION. lol

Welcome to all the new posters. I’ll get caught up with all of you soon.

Prayers for all of you needing them, and for your neighbors Lorita. Thanks for your concern Mint. It’s always nice hearing that you care. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and concern. Happy Easter. Joan

ronald71111 · March 31

Back home and dentist that did the surgery wants to see me as a walk in tommorow. Found out besides the bone graph, I also had a sinus lift which is probably the reason for blood pooling. Guess I'll try and sleep in my recliner tonight and see if that helps.

Ron

Lorita · March 31

Hi Joan, sorry about the movers backing out. Glad you found another company to move you. Best laid plans seem hard to come through. Glad you're staying with the kids for a while. Hope you don't have to have a hip replacement but if if will help you walk, it's worth it. Seems like when it rains it pours. How far from your home will you be?

Just took down some more trash, mostly boxes. Hope they don't blow away. Tried adjusting the seat but the length of if back to front is about 5" shorter than my legs and the edge of the seat presses on my legs. I'll try Judith's idea of a cushion and keep trying.