Just need to talk to my friends (202)

Hey everyone - it's late, but I'm a night owl, because of course I am. 🙂

We actually had some sun the other day! I almost didn't know what to do! In the PNW it's not uncommon for it to rain every day for weeks. And where I am the sky gets to be an almost charcoal color. In the southern part of the state the sky is only likely to be a middle shade of gray, never charcoal. Now we're back to rain.

I'm so jealous of all of you and your gardening successes. My grandmother had a green thumb like you wouldn't believe. It seemed like anything she threw in the ground would come up and be amazing. Me? I have a black thumb. A couple of weeks ago my husband brought home a tiny cactus (it's so cute!) in the tiniest pot you can imagine. He got because "I know you can't kill that." Now I'm all insecure. 😄

Jerilynn - how far away are you from Charleston, SC? We go there a few times a year to see my mom-in-law. Anything I know about the south, I know from visiting her. When we used to have to change planes, we'd either go through Atlanta or Charlotte. We've driven to her house from those airports - just to see the lay of the land. Now, because of Boeing, we fly direct from Seattle to Charleston. So much faster, but we don't have the option to drive around. We keep meaning to get to Savannah, but we haven't managed it yet.

The latest on the food front: we've discovered Calabrian peppers. They're amazing. Great flavor (kind of fruity), hotter than a Serrano but not as hot as a Habanero. I'm not sure why I'm only discovering them now - my family is southern Italian, but there ya go.

good morning

I bought a carton of 18 eggs at the Amish yesterday and I believe I paid $3.75. Of course they have their own chickens.

Good morning to the folks on the porch.

Carl— They're reporting here that the plane was carrying a young patient who was treated at Shiners' Hospital (Philly has 3 specialty pediatric hospitals) back to Mexico via MO. The scenes were horrific on the local news— especially the passive Ring cameras which caught the descent as it happened— sent in by the public. So very sad.

Circling back to something you mentioned about new clothing. You might want to reconsider washing washable garments before wearing if you can. That new-shirt look and feel is from fabrics treated with "sizing". This is a mix of fire retardants, insecticides and mildewcides you don't want on your skin. I admit I am not always great about this when I have a new shirt I can't wait to wear and I never pre-wash sweaters or wool.

Mint— That is a very good price on eggs. We have an Amish market in my town, but their prices tend to be higher than the local stores even on the same exact products. And the local Farmers' Market is even crazier. This time of year, that is more crafts and prepared foods like pickles, breads and ciders.

Gothic G— My BIL used to live near Charleston. I only ever visited there when BIL was having heart surgery and his wife needed childcare. Since I was mostly carpooling their kid about the suburbs, I have never seen anything of the city itself although DH assures me it's lovely.

I have never grown food. The deer are a real problem here. A friend in the neighborhood has a 6' fenced garden and has had deer jump the fence. She had to add motion detection water cannons to bolster her defenses.

I see Ron shared his Red Beans & Rice recipe. It's an amazing dish. I might need to fix myself a batch when I get home. So good. Speaking of Ron, have you gotten your POC yet?

Lorita— I hope the landline stays fixed for you.

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We're down to 5 more Ancef pushes with the final dose being at 11pm Sunday. I'll stay overnight and take mom for some fasting bloodwork and then to have her PICC line removed at noon. I just want to sleep in my own bed. And to sleep past 6am if I want.

HB

Good morning.

Oh Ron I'm sorry your having to deal with all of these health issues. But I'm thrilled your getting things in place and the 24/7 oxygen has to make you feel better. You do what you can each day and that's enough.

We absolutely love Charleston. We've flown in a couple of times, take an Uber to the motel and use the free city bus to get around. If we want to do something else we Uber. The hotel we stay at has a stop so it couldn't be any easier. Their aquarium is very nice - that's always saved for a rainy day activity. We like almost everything along the eastern coast.

I'm not sure what we'll do today, maybe just a nice care ride. It's nice to not have anything scheduled.

Let's be safe everyone.

I too love Charleston.

Yes, Beth, Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in Mansfield for the last decades of her life and wrote the "Little House" books there. Mansfield is proud of her. Her home is a museum open for tours, and the school I mentioned is named for her. My son is a big fan of Wilder and we took him on the house tour many years ago. The Wilders were about 5' tall, typical for people born before the 20th century, and I remember her house as "The Little House with the Huge Fireplace."

Ron, I'm glad you feel a little better. You are really having a tough winter! Welcome to the "old man" club. A doctor recommended a teaspoon of honey when I had a bad cough a couple of years ago, and it helped. (The doc prescribed some meds also, of course.) I know what you mean about being glad you didn't have this health trouble when you were caring for your wife. It's one of the things I worry about since my wife is still at home.

Good morning

David I hope that you are not feeling too bad. I know being confined to your room is going to be hard on you. You like to always be doing something. I hope you can find something to entertain yourself.

Zetta you are showing us another world. I see why you miss Oregon.

Ron…it is not uncommon for the caregiver to suffer health problems after their loved one dies. I ended up in the hospital.

Now is the time for you to accept all help offered, rest and build up your strength. We will never be young again but you will begin to feel better.

Carl…interesting about height. I wonder how tall Henry ll was?

David…take care so that you can get back to all those activities.

Good morning

Good morning Friends!

We had a nice weekend. Took my granddaughter to a college basketball game (women's) I'll attach a pic - can you see the bulldog? He's their team mascot. He has his own chair with his name on it at the game. There is a lot of pageantry with a college game. It' not just a game; it's an event. Cheerleaders throwing t shirts into the crowd, dancers and gymnastics by the cheerleaders, house lights down for introductions, someone winning a free pizza and it being delivered to his seat, music, enthusiastic announcer. Just fun!

I have one of my senior citizens' exercise classes today. It's free and it's at the library, and while it isn't exclusive for seniors - anyone can go - that's who goes. I would be one of the younger ones (69 yrs). I want to incorporate into my new community - we moved here in September - and meet people. The exercise is beneficial to. There is a video - actually several of them that we follow. One is stretching, another is core work, another is weighted lunges, resistance training and I forget what else. It's not aerobic/cardio - I have to do that on my own.

HB, hope you're able to sleep in your own bed now. I am hopeful that the drs. can discover whether or not your mother has aspiration, and if so, take steps to mitigate it so she can not be getting pneumonia so frequently.

Mint, you have a busy day ahead! Will you and your sister split the beef and each have a half? We ordered 1/4 beef and should get it in a couple of weeks. It is really the ecomical way to go for meat. I pay over $6/lb for ground beef at the store but with the butcher beef I pay quite a bit less than that and I get steaks and roasts, etc. plus ground beef.

David and Ron and Iris, feel better.

Beth

Morning all.

I hope everyone survived their respective weekends. I can not believe the weather that we are having. It's in the 80's, unheard of in Feb. Cold weather predicted next week, but I'm loving this for now. I even heard the neighbors kiddo's jumping and playing in the pool yesterday!

It was funny last evening watching all of the smoke from different backyards where people were starting their grills. I imagine that will happen again tonight. I know I plan to grill tonight. Its so easy and the bonus is no cookware to wash!! I am so hungry for fresh spinach on the grill, so I'm doing that for sure. Maybe shrimp to go along with the spinach.

Iris I saw where you lost your phone. I'm so sorry. Had you backed everything up to the cloud? I sure hope so.

Time to get busy here. Let's be safe everyone.

Greetings from Chez Buzz—

I've not been upstairs yet but am enjoying doing my own laundry in my own machine.

Ron— I hope the 24/7 O2 helps you feel more like your old self. I'm glad you'll have a nurse visit weekly just to check in on you. Light housekeeping is awesome— you deserve it. I hope the delivered meals are appealing. You're such a good cook, it'll be hard for them to compete.

David— I am so sorry to hear about your flu quarantine. I do hope the time passes quickly and that you have a milder presentation without any complications. However much they miss your company, I imagine your fellow vets are not unhappy to have a chance at winning BINGO this week.

Zetta— It sure looks as if Mollie is enjoying her spa day. The cactus picture are amazing. Is the sky really that intensely blue in AZ?

Judith— Mom had a hospitalization and eye hospital ER visit in the months just after dad died. I feel like the stress finally caught up with her.

Mint— It's interesting you mention personality intensifying in your mom. I saw that with my dad several years before his memory lapses were evident to me. He was a bit of a sociopath; I was not his favorite and much more aware of how dark he could get. This was new territory for my mom, niece and dad's brother. As dementia started, he became less able to control how he presented to others which isolated both he and my mom. She moved him twice to give them a "fresh start" socially after he burned through friends and family.

One benefit to placement is that it can allow you to be a daughter instead of a caregiver and trigger for difficult emotions. Dad and I got along much better as he progressed and towards the end he enjoyed my company.

Beth— Good on you for doing the workouts. Strength, mobility/range of motion and core work are great. I add some balance work as well. Once I find time to get my knee replaced and rehabbed, I plan to go back to walking for some cardio. I miss that.

Mom's PCP and pulmo both think the Fosamax could be contributing to aspiration. They weren't sure how long it would take to eliminate the added risk once the meds were stopped (3 doses missed as of today). She's also got safe feeding protocols to follow. Small bites, much mastication and sips between bites. This will be hard for her— with her ADHD she doesn't do anything slow or deliberately.

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Mom had her bloodwork drawn this morning at 9am and then we were able to go right to the infusion center to have her PICC line pulled. My BFF gets in-home infusions done by a woman at this site some 30 miles away. When friend found out we were there, she texted me ASK FOR TERRI. All caps. Because she's had a lot of nurses and she likes Terri. As luck would have it, mom got Terri and it was great. She even got mom snacks since she'd been fasting and tucked a handful of mini-Snickers in her coat pocket on the way out. Mom does like a nice candy bowl.

I'm happy to be home, but a little worried. As the steroids are tapering, her breathing is a little worse and I had to really police the O2 use which further agitates her. She doesn't seem to notice when her O2 falls, but I do. I worry about the cardiac and cognitive impacts of chronic hypoxia. She thinks I'm harping but there's no reasoning with someone whose O2 is in the 70s.

Another concern is that she falls asleep easily in her chairs. When this happens, she slumps— head down and shoulders down in forward— and it further compromises the breathing. Since she's been ill, it's happening more. She has narcolepsy, so this isn't really new, but more frequent. She dozed off while having her vitals done at the pulmo's office. Twice. I've encouraged her to lie in bed and take a proper nap with her bi-pap but she's ignoring me.

We snapped at each other this morning. She'd gone to get dressed without her portable O2 and I found he out-of-breath and wearing a long-sleeved shirt. We were headed for a blood draw and upper arm PICC removal so short sleeves made more sense and I said so. FTR, the lab has stations with large windows but without doors or curtains, so taking a shirt off could be a hassle. She countered that she had no short sleeved shirts. She does. At least one-toteful. They're in the totes she insists on storing her off-season clothes in despite ample closet space in drawers and closets upstairs. Regular followers will recall my complaining about this nonsense after her October hospitalization. I got her a shirt from the garage, and she wore it, but I suspect she would have preferred it ironed. It had a minor crease from packing.

I got her home, cleaned up after the cat (again) and made her a light breakfast. She likely fell asleep after I left because the visiting nurse called me when she didn't answer her phone. I was able to get a hold of her by alternately calling her cell and landline so I didn't have to drive over. DH and I will before heading to dinner to check on her and take out the trash barrels. Between the cat's puppy pads and the medical waste, there was a lot of trash.

HB