Just need to talk to my friends (202)
Comments
-
Hello Everyone,
I feel so badly that I have not been able to read every day and to post. I have not been traveling. I still don't have my smartphone back from the repair shop, and it's been over two weeks. When I can, I get to the public library to use their free computers to check my emails. I have been reading a few posts, but I have nothing new to report myself since I don't have my smartphone.
As far as the fires go, all have been put out. Clean-up is ongoing, beginning with removal of hazardous waste (chemicals, batteries and such), then regular debris. Authorities are still trying to determine the origins of the two main fires, because they appear to be of different origins. Many evacuees have returned home if their home is still standing, but smoke and water damage is a big problem, also looting has been a problem. A fresh "atmospheric river" which is a new term for a heavy rainstorm, is expected tomorrow which has the possibility of dangerous mudslides. The entire mountain above Pacific Coast Highway is threatened to collapse.
David, I'm glad you survived influenza. It's been virulent this year.
I'll post again when I can.
Iris
1 -
Ron, sorry you don't feel and are having to deal with the dental problems. Hang in there -when it rains, it pours. It will get better.
My propane was delivered and the driver said the road north of me is really bad. Don't remember what I had written before so sufficeth to say
I hope everyone who isn't well gets better soon. Everyone stay safe out there. Looks like most of our Country is having bad weather. I don't drink or have coffee but will bring hot tea.
0 -
Sandy, just saw on the news that Virginia has had another 12" of snow the last 24 hours. Did that happen where you are? Are you both ok?
I just let Stormy in and saw two of the white cows hot footin' it to the barn. Guess everyone is in there out of the cold. I have been out there bottle feeding a baby or two when it was very cold and snowing with all the cows inside and it was pretty warm and.nice hearing the cows talking to their.babies. The WC now is 15.
0 -
It was pretty slick this morning in SW MO but was mostly just slush and grey skies later, with light snow. Cold tonight, with lows in the teens and refreezing of all the slush, and the homeless shelters are open. One man interviewed on TV said he was glad they were open as he had just been discharged from hospital for treatment of pneumonia and didn't want to sleep outdoors.
We toured the adult day care near us yesterday and it seems to be a nice place. A friend used it when her husband had Alzheimer's and it worked well for them. Much better first impression than when I took my son to his first RFC in 1992. We arrived in the evening during a party, and two young women were engaged in a spirited bout of fisticuffs over some young man. 😮
So, I have some paperwork to complete. Took my wife to the clinic today to get blood draw for a TB test, which is required by State law before admission to the day care.
That porch party sounds nice. I don't know whether to bring whiskey or chicken soup, but I'd love to come.
0 -
We toured the adult day care center near our home Tuesday and it seems really nice. They serve adults with physical and with mental impairments including AD and have lots of activities like crafts so DW will like that. Much better first impression than when I drove DS to his first RFC in 1992. It was evening, a party was underway, and two young women were engaged in a spirited bout of fisticuffs over possession of a young man. DS was just turning 18 and a bit of liveliness didn't bother him, but it kind of weirded me out.
I have some paperwork to complete and took DW to the clinic Wednesday to get a blood draw to test for TB. There is no reason to think she has TB, but it is a requirement of the agency that regulates the day care. She doesn't have Medicaid so we at least don't have to get their approval.
We're having cold weather, highs about 32 F and lows in the teens. It was slick early Wednesday but just slush, grey skies, and light snow later. The warming centers and homeless shelters are open since it's so cold. One man interviewed on TV said he was grateful because he had just been discharged from hospital for treatment of pneumonia and didn't want to sleep outdoors.
That porch party sounds good. I'll bring coffee. Or maybe chicken soup, with so many of us ill.
1 -
Well, my first post disappeared so I rewrote it, but now it's back. Cue the Twilight Zone theme. Good night, porchies.
0 -
good morning
Iris glad you are ok. Sorry you are having so much trouble with your phone.
Carl hope daycare works out well for you and gives you some help0 -
Good Morning,
A porch party sounds good to me! I'll bring some fresh banana bread. Two loaves: one with nuts, one without.
Iris, it's good to hear from you! Hopefully you get your phone back soon. Ron, Zetta - as bad as I hate dental work, I cringe when I read your struggles. Prayers for healing. HB, your Mom has been thru it this winter. And you with her. You are also in my prayers. You too David.
Mint, I enjoy your stories about the other residents at your Mom's facility. I haven't been back to visit at the facility my FIL was in and I miss the residents. I should drop in and see them. From the website pictures it seems they have many new folks since I was there.
Well, we had about 3 inches of rain the past 2 days. Flash flood warnings all about. We're fine. The North end of the property is low and tends to have standing water at times, so DH was proactive and dug a trench across the pasture to the back pond. Water is flowing. Supposed to be clear for two days with more severe storms coming Saturday and 1-3 more inches of rain.
We managed to have just a bit of time at the barn between showers yesterday. I gave the itty bitty Twinkle girl a bottle. She's very lively but doesn't appear to be gaining weight as quickly as we would like. She managed about 2 ounces between running to her Mama to nurse, lol. Two of the older babies have a touch of diarrhea because they managed to squeeze into the feed room and helped themselves to the sweet feed. So they got doses of Pepto yesterday. And Speck the chicken has a sore foot. It's called Bumblefoot. Any kind of injury to the foot that results in a hard core in the foot pad and underneath is infection. So she's in a cage on the patio after I cleaned her foot, applied some salve and a dressing and a wrap between her toes and up her leg. Today I will try to extract the core and drain the infection. She's actually walking better with the dressing on her foot. People wounds are much easier to manage from a Nursing perspective. Chicken feet are challenging.
Today is the Scottsboro run. But, I'll be back in time for the porch party!
0 -
Thank you for your prayers I'm getting better everyday. The doctor told my wife is might not make it but it will take time.
1 -
We ended up with 6" of snow! Some places in IA had 9 or 10." It snowed pretty much all day long. I went out early yesterday morning and did "acoustic" snow removal (shoveling). After lunch I went again and there was a significant amount; I used the snow blower. The snow blower did a good job but the snow kept falling. I had hired a helper (hadn't paid him yet) to do snow removal for the winter but he never showed up. So I got out this morning and worked on it again. And fired him. Does an almost 70 yr old woman really need to be out there doing major snow removal??? Well, someone had to. DH is disabled so that leaves me. It was -4 this morning, much colder than yesterday. Tomorrow will be warmer.
Good to hear from you, Iris. David, I am glad you are getting better. HB, hope your mom is better. Ron, I hope things go more smoothly for you. Carl, I enjoy your newsy posts.
Have a good day, everyone!
2 -
off to the bank and meat market
0 -
Morning, cold but bright and sunny this morning. Fed the birds and they were eating the feed before I finished. Looked out later and saw Rusty!! Had not seen him in a long time. He was hanging upside down from a feeder. Looked so funny. I have no idea how he even got on the feeder- no shrub close by and it is hanging away from everything. He would hang down straight from the feeder, feet hanging onto the top of the feeder, then fold up to get a bite, then straighten out again.
Girl s stayed in barn last night, saw two standing in front of the barn waiting for feed. They fed so girls are away from the house now. JeriLynn, I hope Twinkie starts to gain weight soon. So you're bottle feeding him along with him nursing mom. Sounds like that is a good idea since mom may not have enough milk. We have had that happen with an older cow - Gray Lady, in fact. I still miss her.
Judith, be careful out on the streets, might be icy in places.
Carl, good luck with everything. I know how hard it is for you. I read your first post this morning, then started to read the second one and began to feel like I was in the twilight zone. Seems like something is amiss with the posting.
David, glad you're improving.
Back latet.
0 -
😒😮💨 seems like everytime I turn around it's something else. My prostate cancer is active again! They are starting me back on harmone therapy and will be doing a pet scan to make sure it hasn't spread. 😭
2 -
Hello Porch Friends.
Lorita. I'm surprised you were able to stay in bed till 10:30. Molly and Sammy, would be jumping all over me, as soon as I made any movement. I like Top Raman, and yes, you can add a lot of different things to it. We had left over mashed potatoes from last night, I poached 2 eggs and mixed them together, it was really good. Next time I will add some cheese.
Beth. No, you should not be outside shoveling snow. I'm glad you fired that guy, now please find another one. You could get hurt so easily.
Ron. Iam so sorry about the cancer. Please take care of yourself, hopefully you have someone who comes in to help you. I think I remember reading that you did. Your in my prayers 🙏
Iris. So nice hearing from you, you had us worried. I sure hope the government is doing something to help the people that lost so much.
David. Hopefully your starting to feel better. Lots of rest and staying warm, will help.
Carl. I sure don't know what the answer is, but the hospital turning a homeless man out in the cold, is not the right thing to do. I glad you found a day care for your wife, especially with a place she can enjoy the crafts. Your very thoughtful. I bet she enjoys that.
JeriLynn. I wish I could hold Twinkle, he sounds so precious. I love that you bottle feed him. I had to laugh (sorry) when told us about your poor chickens foot. You love all you animals, you need to have a place set aside for your animal hospital.
Hugs to all, Zetta
1 -
Quick post:
@GothicGremlin You're officially a "Goat Grandma"! GiGi had her baby. Pictures tomorrow, but she is up and nursing and is bigger than Twinkle (who's now getting a bottle booster each day). Mama had her in the barn stable, warm and dry. Happy Goat Grandma Day!
0 -
Ron, sorry this has happened but you beat it once and you can do it again. Have faith and I know you do. You are in my.nightly prayers.
Zetta, the cats began jumping all over the bed before we got up, then they and the GPs were hyperactive and couldn't settle down for a couple of hours. Guess I won't do that again. My bed is kind of high so I have a small stool by it to make it easier to get in. The cat s have learned they can jump on it to get on the bed easier but most of the time they land on my stomach so I have to be careful. Barclee learned to get on the bed that way and it was so cute.
It has been sunny and cold air day but supposed to be warmer tomorrow. I am ready for Spring!!
0 -
0
-
I too am ready for Spring, but I'm not holding my breath. We expect warmer weather Friday, but with 40 mph wind gusts, and are going back in the deep freeze with more snow and sub-zero temps next week. I was used to weather like that when I lived in north Missouri and in Nebraska, but it is unusual this far south.
Saw DW's doctor today (his nurse practitioner, actually) for a routine followup. She thinks the day care is a great idea and will be good for DW and for me. I get second thoughts in the middle of the night, and it is good to have the support of her doctor and of my friends here on the porch.
Ron, I was afraid of a recurrence when you said your PSA was up. I hope the doctors don't have to do anything too aggressive to control it. The doctors check my PSA for recurrence every year, and I always worry a little when they do, but so far so good.
Beth, I hope you take plenty of breaks if you shovel snow. That is really strenuous work, and the cold air contracts the blood vessels. If you are ever going to have a heart attack, shoveling snow is when it is most likely to happen. I haven't shoveled at all this year so far, and I haven't missed it a bit. ☃️
All those pets sound great. The local TV news features a dog and a cat available for adoption at the shelter every day or so. They introduce the animal and suggest what sort of household would best suit it (kids, no kids, no other dogs, etc.). They showed a border collie the other day that looked just like one my grandfather had, and I wanted to go take her home, but I can't right now.
I read about a solar farm that pastures sheep among the solar panels to keep it mowed. They thought of goats, but goats might eat the insulation from the wires, and sheep will eat around it.
0 -
Good morning
0 -
good morning Ron and everyone else.
That banana bread was good. Yes JeriLynn it's funny how quick we adopt them. I’ve been thinking about when something happens to my mom if I’m still able and feel like it asking if they’ve ever used volunteers there because I don’t really want to lose connection with the others. I feel like I’m starting to understand some of them and I care about them. I’m a little worried about S. She’s 93 and I can tell she’s been very short of breath here lately something‘s going on for sure. JeriLynn, you sure try to take good care of those animals, once a nurse always a nurse lol. Speaking of nurses yesterday when I was looking at the obituaries I seen this beautiful smile that I recognized. It was a nurse that I worked with in ICU that I always really liked working with. Looks like she was a couple years older than me. It made me sad.David, good to hear that you are feeling a little better.
Beth no us nearly 70-year-old women don’t really need to be doing snow removal. I’m in the boat with you though. I find my snowblower, It’s a 2 stage, I don’t know what yours is but with it it’s really pretty easy for me to do snow removal as of right now. Then I have big long lightweight blade with U-shaped handle that I can push smaller snows off with. I do well with that too. But definitely I can’t do shoveling because that will get my back in an unhappy state. So I found ways to work with it I guess is what I’m saying. I hope you’re able to find someone to reliably remove snow for you. I was blessed to find someone for the house mom lived in the last couple of years. It is not cheap, but they were very dependable and I was thankful for them. It was worth the money, eased my stress level a lot.
Carl, we are going back into the deep freezer also. Looks like it’s be another rain snow mixed weekend. Glad you are finding support for your decision for DW. Hoping it works out real nice for both of you. It will definitely be helpful if it does.
Lorita I’m thinking maybe you said something the other day about seeing some daffodil blades up. I know a YouTube channel I watch out of North Carolina mentioned that were coming up recently. That gives me hope. It’ll be a while though in Ohio before that happens.
Take care
0 -
Happy Valentine's Day. It's still winter here, but the longer hours of daylight make it a little more bearable.
Iris— It's nice to hear from you. I am sorry about your phone. Over 2 weeks is a loooong time. I probably would have replaced it by day 2 if only to access the master schedule for my people. I've developed herding instincts in my old age.
Ron— I am so sorry about the recurrence of your prostate cancer. I hope your imaging comes back clean and that hormone therapy can keep it localized and avoid symptoms. This is exactly what happened with my father. His bone scan was clear and the twice-yearly hormone injections kept symptoms at bay. I hope you do as well.
Carl— I'm glad you have the day program lined up. It sounds like it will be a nice fit for your DW providing socialization and activities she would enjoy. That's great.
Jerilynn— The mental image of you doing avian wound care is weirdly amusing. Does Speck require a cone to facilitate healing?
Beth— I don't mind a little acoustic shoveling so long as it isn't a massive amount or heavy & wet. We do have a 2-Stage blower and a "blower monkey" at home. He's also my "mower monkey".
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The hospitalization continues although I do expect some discussion of discharge today. Because this comes on the heels of so recent a discharge, the only testing they've done beyond ruling out a heart attack in the ER has been a chest film yesterday. It looks considerably clearer than the one done on January 27. The purpose of this visit is to push IV steroids and nebulizer treatments.
With these treatments on board, she's doing well in terms of breathing but very frustrated to be there. I visit for a couple hours daily but I am it. Since she's not high needs, the level of attention she's getting is not what's she's used to. Her roommate's family this time is fairly obnoxious— they have commandeered all the seating in the room and pushed their mom's bed into the curtain which limits the space mom has. Their side has the bathroom and they keep blocking mom's access. The nurse mixed it up with them twice yesterday while I was there. The first time was when they closed the door for some reason and she dramatically swept it open and then gave me one of "their" chairs. The second time they took it upon themselves to unbandage and "clean" the massive bedsore she's being treated for. SMH. I thought the nurse threatened to call security on them.
On my way out, I stopped by the Spiritual Center and spoke with a pastoral counselor who is going to drop in for a visit. I think it would do her some good to have someone she can really talk to. He said he'd not throw me under the bus for reaching out but make it more about "Gee, 4 times in the hospital since October? How are you doing?" I hope I don't get any complaints about it later.
HB0 -
1
-
Good morning all. The sun is shining, which is wonderful. We are to have a nice day today & tomorrow. Then buckle up because we have to artic blasts coming through for "the coldest air of the year." They've even predicted ice & snow for Wed. double ugh. We'll be staying home.
I've got to hop to a Zoom. Back later to check on everyone. Please be safe, and no snow shoveling.
0 -
Gigi’s baby girl! She’s got beautiful colors and markings. She and Twinkle were snuggled together in the stall while their Mama’s grazed. Now I need a name!
Cool today, 68 and stormy tomorrow then lows in the teens. The daffodils will probably not survive this go round. The goats are staying warm and getting extra sweet feed and hay- the hay helps with body heat and sweet feed for extra calories. The new Mamas also get a little alfalfa for additional nutrients while nursing.
Speck will get her dressing changed tomorrow. She doesn’t require a cone. She’s not bothered by the dressing because I used flat cotton makeup removal pads and skinny dressing tape.Zetta, once we get power to the barn I’ll have a “treatment/medication room. I already have a cabinet and treatment table. Just will add a fridge and maybe a small microwave for baby bottles.
We’re off to town for errands, picking up the great granddaughter from early school release and I am FINALLY getting my hair cut and color done. I’m thinking about cutting it really short, like a spiky do. I can’t be bothered with all this hair business in the barnyard!I’ll be back later. What does that baby “look” like her name oughta be?
1 -
here….
0 -
With the gray color and floppy ears, I would call her Bunny.
🐰
Happy Valentine's Day to all you porch people and your porch poodles, porch panthers, porch poultry, and porch goats and cows (sorry, ran out of P's). 😍
2 -
Morning, cloudy, cold and windy here. Eagle, I really dread next week when the weather will be so cold, especially for the girls. Where they feed them is a quarter mile from the barn and slightly higher elevation so it is very cold when windy. About out of power so will be back later.
0 -
Hello everyone little by little I'm feeding stronger. I can walk but I need help to stand up getting up from a chair i guess it will get better.
2 -
Hello 😀
0 -
JeriLynn. The first thing I thought when I saw the new baby, was the cute little floppy ears. So Floppy Ears, would be a cute name. 😁
1
Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more
Categories
- All Categories
- 496 Living With Alzheimer's or Dementia
- 248 I Am Living With Alzheimer's or Other Dementia
- 248 I Am Living With Younger Onset Alzheimer's
- 14.8K Supporting Someone Living with Dementia
- 5.3K I Am a Caregiver (General Topics)
- 7.1K Caring For a Spouse or Partner
- 2.1K Caring for a Parent
- 184 Caring Long Distance
- 114 Supporting Those Who Have Lost Someone
- 14 Discusiones en Español
- 5 Vivir con Alzheimer u Otra Demencia
- 4 Vivo con Alzheimer u Otra Demencia
- 1 Vivo con Alzheimer de Inicio Más Joven
- 9 Prestación de Cuidado
- 2 Soy Cuidador (Temas Generales)
- 6 Cuidar de un Padre
- 22 ALZConnected Resources
- View Discussions For People Living with Dementia
- View Discussions for Caregivers
- Discusiones en Español
- Browse All Discussions
- Dementia Resources
- 6 Account Assistance
- 16 Help