Just need to talk to my friends (196)

Here…sunny and hot. We may get rain tomorrow. We had 6" in May. None last week so hoping we get more this week.

Plenty of gardening work to do. Man going to give me a quote on mulching. In the past, hubby and I did it ourselves but with his spinal injury he cannot and it's really more than I can handle. We have a large garden!

Ron, your photo remembrance was lovely. Praying for you.

That was a nice memorial to Lou, Ron.

Iris

I'm in my rocking chair every day, just don't feel like posting. Received a call yesterday that Lou's ashes were ready to pick up. Broke down like a baby! I'm fine until I think about Lou or someone mentions her! I'll be back with my front porch friends eventually!

Ron

Good morning Porch People.

Ron— Thanks for checking in. Be gentle with yourself and join us when you are up to it. Until then, know we collectively hold you and Lou in our hearts.

Lorita— LOL, about going through the colors. It's a surprise every morning.

Mint— I hear you on the fried green tomatoes. They are amazing when done well and DH often orders them if he sees them on a menu. Alas, they seldom live up to the promise and land somewhere between disappointing and outright awful.

Eagle— Good luck with your knee procedure. I hope it's a success and that recovery goes smoothly. And I hope the pup is feeling better. The last thing you need is clean up during your recovery.

Iris— I can't wait to hear about your trip.

Beth— Plus one on the mulching. I just don't have it in me and will hire it out. DS could probably do it, but the beds need serious edging and that would take him days. Last year we just did the front and sides which was 4 yards. The back foundation beds would be another 2. To do the trees in the back yard is higher than I can count. Maybe 12-15 yards?

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Boy did my dad go sideways yesterday.

My first stop was the optician who never called me back. His lovely assistant met me at the door and said "I'm so glad you're out of the hospital". Hmmm. I said I hadn't been to the hospital but did call and email about my scraped lens and didn't get the promised call-back. She said she thought the boss had explained to my husband that they were beyond repair and assumed I was there to pick a new pair.

Turns out, 2 of their clients fell Friday morning and damaged their glasses. They assumed it was once person and when I called before closing on Friday, she assumed I'd been knocked silly and forgotten my husband could get the glasses fixed. She was horrified. Turns out the frames are OK to get a new lens and that the warranty will pick up all but the $20 co-pay. I get them back in week.

I picked mom up for her appointment with PCP. She was not feeling well— weak, shaky, unsteady on her feet. She told me she thought she had food poisoning on Saturday afternoon and had trouble keeping water down. Sunday, she claimed she was feeling a bit better and was able to sip water and eat a little apple sauce. The doc said MRI "was normal" (specifically said to me— no stroke or tumor) and felt the treatment for Lyme Disease should be sufficient. But he was as concerned about how sick she was, so we got turfed to the ER. This time, rather than the local community hospital, which is just OK, he specifically wanted me to take her to Penn @ Princeton which is a 40-minute drive under ideal circumstances— I drove past at least 2 other hospitals on the way.

The hospital is ginormous. I was unable to snag a parking spot within a 1/2 mile walk to the ER, so I dropped her there and zipped around to the valet. From there, I was able to cut through 2 buildings to collect her and check in. The place was mobbed at 1 pm on a Monday afternoon. Never a good sign. She was triaged and we were sent back to the waiting room for 2 1/2 hours. It was chaotic and noisy. Some of the people with an obvious ailment had testing and treatment begun in that space— I saw a couple urine samples come out of the restroom as well as some analgesics (pediatric residents took started 3 children in the seats around us) and nausea medicine. People were taken back at what seemed to be a glacial pace and when they were, only one support person was allowed even for the less ill children and elderly. Once it was our turn to go back, that became clearer. The unit was full. At some point during COVID they retrofitted the space to add additional space in the halls. How sick you were played into the space assigned. The very ill, got a room with a door. The seriously sick/elderly got a bed in a screened area, and the sprains and sutures crowd got chairs parked sideways. The image that came to mind was engravings of the Andersonville Hospital during the Civil War.

Mom's space was right up against the nurses' station and was just wide enough for a gurney and an armless office chair. The man to my left was in a bed but he didn't have a chair. His space was so small anytime a nurse came to perform some task, I had to step out of our space to make room for them to move the screen. The beeps and buzzing were loud and nonstop. There was also a very sick toddler who just howled and howled for about 3 hours until she passed out lying on dad's chest. She got transferred to CHOP in Philly— she was till sleeping on dad's chest when they moved them out.

Staff was great and no doubt she got good care, but it was a long night with monitors inches from my ears— mom's the neighbor to the left and Elizabeth (behind me)— but it was a difficult place to be for almost 8 hours. Mom normally sleeps at the ER but even she couldn't. I couldn't imagine someone with sensory issues in such a space.

The young woman in the actual room across from me had both parents with her which was different. She was also quite ambulatory— walking to the restroom and to have some imaging done. Three hours into her residency there, they explained to her and her parents that she'd need a spinal tap to rule out meningitis. The space was so small, you could pretty much hear everything said. Minutes later the team went in and performed it while her parents waited around the corner. Since the room has glass walls and they didn't fully close the curtains in their haste, I had a clear view of the proceedings. This was awkward, but given the limited space, I couldn't really turn my chair.

My new friend is Elizabeth. This poor dear has fairly significant dementia. She was absolutely gorgeous in a stunning elegant sort of way even in her hospital gown. Her husband (or son- not sure) left for several hours during which time she was very unsettled but still unfailingly polite. She was on the other side of a 4' high partition and kept introducing herself and asking if I knew where we were. She even asked me to "please bring her some ice cream, too", from time to time. Fortunately, the man did come back to stay with her and went with her when she was admitted.

Long story short, it's another UTI. I know they can be stealthy, but I was struck. Last fall when we spent the day in the ER for a UTI, she'd been paranoid, confused and combative with dangerously high BP. This time she seemed more ill but was very lucid and her BP in the PCP's office was 86/56. Yikes. They did all manner of bloodwork and cultures but none of the test results are on the portal yet.

They gave us the option of her going home or staying overnight for more antibiotics and fluids. I picked the latter. I left as she was going to a room and will likely get her later today. I didn't get home until after midnight.

I have to share one grace note. I got a message from valet parking that they closed at 5pm and that after that time, I'd need to contact security to get my keys. This is not my first rodeo, finding one's car in an abandoned lot is kind of scary— especially in the city. I went to security in the ER and he went and got the keys for me. I explained that I had no idea where my car was and was concerned about the long walk. He sent one of the younger men, to help me cut through the building avoiding the long walk and when we came out at the valet stand, my car was in the very closest spot about 50' from where I was standing. That was so thoughtful.

HB

Thank you I always do.I also have one on Thursday.

Hi about 3 weeks ago the TV in the bedroom"stopped working" so we took the one from the spare room and that stopped working last night. While I was at exercise my wife plugged the first TV that wasn't "working " guess what now it works so now we will hook it back up and see it will work in the bedroom again will let you know what happens

We rode on jet boats up the Rogue River to a beautiful venue for brunch. On the way we saw an osprey, three bald eagles, one sitting on a nest, a deer, a blue heron, also many ducks and some turtles. We saw a beaver dam but not the beaver.

This is the view from my oceanfront room.

We had lunch overlooking the docks where the fishing boats return. Fish are cleaned and filleted right on the dock.

Seals and sea lions.

We visited the redwoods, the tallest trees in the world.

Oregon has no state income tax and no sales tax. The weather was great, not rainy but somewhat cold for this time of year. Oregon is a great place to visit. I can recommend a vacation in Southern Oregon and the coast to everyone, all ages!

Iris

HB, sounds like a Chardonnay evening to me. What a few weeks you have had! Bless your heart, and your Mama's too. (I mean that in a sweet Southern way, not the snarky kind)

Iris!!!! Glorious trip! Makes me want to go back so badly… maybe next year. We are packing the motor home today for our trip Friday to the Mississippi Coast. I hope DH likes the campground I found in the boonies on an Estuary.

I'm really ready for a break. I still don't have a death certificate, no DD214 and cannot proceed with anything further without those documents. It's been so very stressful. I've had to call every single agency multiple times in spite of filing reports online, etc. I'm a ONE and DONE kinda girl. Not this time.

Well now the TV "works" but it now takes two remotes to make it work one to turn it on and off and the other one to change the channels Hopefully we will be able to figure out what we did wrong. Now we have two remotes to argue over. She is not a real TV lover like I am she refers the realty shows I also like them and that is all that we watch in bed at night. But I like shows like action shows like Chicago Fire, Tracker and Lsbeth etc. she thinks the violence might increase my Dementia.

Well guess what my wife who computer savvy has finally figured out what the hell we did wrong. She is one hell of a person and is helping me deal with my Dementia and I do not know if I could survive with out her.

Hi all, Just wondering who likes to read I am currently reading Ellery Queen's Wrightsville Murders and I can not put the book down. I also like any James Patterson book. I just finished Murder She Wrote The Murder of Twelve