Just need to talk to my friends (204)
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Last night my s.o. and I were having a conversation about the band Depeche Mode, of all things, since neither of us likes that band. But we've both heard from many people that Depeche Mode changed their lives. We wondered to ourselves if any band (or song) had changed either of our lives. I really couldn't come up with one (neither could my s.o.). I remember the first time I heard Duran Duran and thought they were the most amazing thing ever, but they didn't change my life. Same thing with Pink Floyd and Prince - they're two of my all time favorites, but they haven't changed my life.
Anyone here have a song or a band that's changed your life?
HB - I'm totally going to give the permission slips to my old school! Looking forward to being treated to a hot lunch in the cafeteria! 😄
There wasn't anything cringy in my baby book. My mom was always kind of "just the facts, ma'am" about stuff like that. Really kind of relieved by the lack of cringe.
Ron - I am so very sorry about the loss of Lou. I'm glad your sons will be with you.
I wish I had something really helpful to say about dealing with grief. Dates are just hard. When they approach, I acknowledge them, and just try to get through them, however I can. I also know - for myself anyway - the first year is the hardest, with all of those "firsts". After a few years, the sharp pain of loss becomes more of an ache. It never goes away, but becomes manageable.
Lorita - your neck of the woods often sounds like heaven. I also saw the moon last night peeking through the trees. It was quite pretty. I didn't realize that this one will be a blue moon.
Carl - I'm so glad you have hospice on board. They worked out so well for me and Peggy. Really, I wish I'd called them sooner. I hope your hospice folk are as good to your wife as mine were for Peggy.
Mint - those 'unwitnessed falls' were always so stressful. One time Peggy had to go to ER because of one of those falls. I'm so glad your mom was okay.
Windows. Replacing our windows is moving up in my list of things to do. I don't want to do it, but it's time.
jfkoc - that's exciting about the Ansel Adams exhibit. It's going to be wonderful!
Okay - I'm off to do my weekend cleaning. Maybe I'll listen to some Prince in the background. 🙂
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Songs/artists? Many! When Sunny Gets Blue,Jellyman Kelly, Steppin' Out With My Baby, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1 are so memorable they are almost too hard to listen to.
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Happy Saturday to all of you.
Lorita. Your right those little cat soup bowls are cute. Sometimes I let Sammy, eat right out of them. I also don't like hearing about all the airplanes that crash, it makes a person, not want to fly. I'm afraid to fly, because I would take Molly, with me and she would be scared to death, in a carrier under the seat.
Ron. I'm sorry, you have a few sad days, coming up in May. Each year will be easier. It's a blessing your sons, will be there with you. Remember all your Porch Friends, are also here. 🙏
Carl. I'm so glad you have hospice, with you and your DW, please take advantage of all they offer, your are in need of a lot of things. Especially the respite, get away for a few days. I'm glad she was able to tell you, her feelings about the chaplain.
Mint. Your mom, sounds like she's is happier, and her attitude is changing. This is good for both you and your sister. Sorry to hear that she fell. It's going to be nice getting new windows. You have a few months to get things ready, for the windows.
Were having pretty hot weather here in Arizona, it's been in the 100s, and will be for a few more weeks. I'm not looking forward to summer. Hugs to all, Zetta
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Just had my grocery delivery. Years ago my friend, Karen and I were talking and I told her I didn't know what Charles and I would about betting groceries when we got old. She told me she would bring then to us. We lost Karen about five or six years ago so that was not to be. I always think about that when they deliver them.
Zetta, Max is crazy about the soup. I put the little plastic bowl inside another bowl so it won't scoot all over the floor but may put the soup in that bowl so he can get the bits of meat himself. Thanks so much for telling me about them. You know I haven't noticed him up chucking since he has been eating this. Shampooed my hair after the delivery so it will take a while to dry.
Guess I better stop and feed the GPs and give them their probiotics, vitamins and glucosamine. I have to cut them up for Sheena or she won't eat them. Have to hide them in her food..
Judith, that will be a wonderful exhibit. Bet you have lots of visitors to see it.
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Mint, you're right - it is the pink moon, so named because it's farther from the earth than usual. I wondered about the blue moon, as Alexa said, those are only when there are two full moons in the month.
Diane, that was very kind of you to share your feelings with Ron. It's good to share our feelings, often helps someone else who is hurting. Welcome to the front porch. Always an empty chair for someone.
I just saw the last new baby, about a week or more old now. He has a friend. Mom was babysitting both of them. Got my hair shampooed and dry. My.hair used to be really thick .but.not so much now.
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I'm totally adapting to my new job as cancer/dementia caretaker. After doing it three or four times, I can now draw 0.25 ML of morphine into a syringe on the first try.
Gorgeous day today, sunny and 70 degrees, phlox blooming in many front yards. I always thought the pink moon was named for the phlox, but who knows? The moon will rise in a little while, I'll make a point of watching it.
Tried a new oil change place today because they mailed me a coupon and because they do it in 5 minutes while we sit in the car. They were big on upselling, but aren't they all? Max has started using oil, because he was a quart low, and it had been 5,000 miles so it was time for an oil change anyway. I'll have to start checking the oil every month when I check the tires. Max (so named because he is a Nissan Maxima) has gone 187,000 miles so it's time I paid a little attention.
I keep thinking I should buy a new car, probably due to lifelong exposure to car ads, but I don't really need to. The street rod guys were at the diner yesterday, and the parking lot was full of '57 Chevys and '36 Fords. I can do it if they can.
I hear you about the hair, Lorita. I used to have my barber thin my hair when he cut it. Now I wear a cap to prevent sunburned scalp.
I'm going to go look at the moon. Sleep tight.
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Thanks, Carl, I forgot about looking at the moon. I'll go now. We have a 24 year old 3/4 ton, diesel Ram with around 70,000 miles. Wouldn't get rid of it for anything.
Good night, everyone. Five.minutes later. The moon is beautiful. Wish you all could see it reflecting in the pond. It's almost like daylight out there. Sleep tight..
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I always said I would cut my hair short when I turned 79, but I'm not ready to yet. I usually wear a turban because my hair is so thin on top. I thought about getting hair transplants, but I am spending my money on travel now. Perhaps later.
HB, Adrienne looks to be too flexible for me. But I see she does have some beginner videos.
I shampooed my hair today. That's all.
Iris
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Good morning
HB her last 2 ER visits were for UTIs. Both times she sort of collapsed for lack of a better word. The first time she was sitting getting ready for breakfast so she didn’t fall. This time she was in the bathroom alone when it happened and fell. She has no other symptoms or complaints that would point to a UTI so it’s kinda odd to me. The things you say to me are helpful to me because you have had the same experiences. Seems my mom and some of your family sort of followed a familiar path. I know I have heard about D-mannose on here being used prophylactically for UTI. I did mention it to the nurse and she was familiar with it but she sounded like maybe they tended to use some other things there. So she sounded like she would mention it to the nurse practitioner. So we will see what happens.
Another issue is, I don’t think my mom is drinking near as much water there as she did at home. I’ve tried to encourage my mom to do this and she says she does. I don’t think that is reality though. And I’ve noticed when she asked for water they bring her like a little bitty cup of water like you would give pills with. When she first went in there, I brought her a glass so she could drink water and the glass disappeared. I’m assuming it found its way to the kitchen. So maybe I’ll get my mom some type of glass such as a Tervis glass. She will not drink water from a bottle. She doesn’t like messing with the cap or drinking out of a bottle. She could just fill the Tervis up from the sink.Lorita Im thankful you have people to help you, they are such a blessing.
Judith I am familiar with Ansel Adam. I am not near as artistic minded as you so often have no clue laugh out loud.
Nice to see you on the porch SDaniel. Thank you for stopping by with your thoughts for Ron.
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Good morning,
6 am here and a picture of the moon from my office window for you.
And, DH’s 17 year old Great Granddaughter yesterday as we did prom pictures at Falls Mill, near Huntland, Tennessee.
Holding good thoughts for each of you today.1 -
Good morning. It's cloudy, chilly and damp here still, but at least it's not supposed to rain for the next 2 days. I'll take it.
Lorita— I fear a lot of the folks doing the painting, handyman, food processing, housecleaning, child care and construction jobs have or will be disappearing. I need to get a hold of the man who does my spring lawn clean-up and mulching and haven't seen him— he normally does lawn cutting and work for several of my neighbors.
Iris— That's the nice thing about yoga— it's not competitive. You work within the parameters of what your body can do. If you can't fully get into a specific asana, there are props and modifications available. That said, the bedtime practices are mostly stretches and visualization sitting on lying down.
SDaniel— Acts of service are a great way to honor a loved one. I have found, with time, that death-anniversary dates have slipped on me. This was the first year I blanked on dad's. It fell on a Saturday I mentally checked out after a week driving my mom to 4 different appointments. I also have found that my nieces and mom feel the loss of my sister (their mom and daughter) at different times than I do. It's been 30 years— mom find the time around sister's birthday rough; my nieces feel the loss around holidays/her death anniversary and she is on my mind over the Christmas season. It can sneak up on you.
Gothic G— I'm trying to imagine the segue to a non-preferred performer from the past. I kind of eye-roll the notion of a sing/artist being life-changing under most circumstances. I did once date a man who abandoned his pre-med studies to focus on his viola professionally after hearing Le Sacre du Printemps played by the Philadelphia Orchestra. That said, certain pieces of music do have the power to transport me to a time, place and emotion from the past.
Lady Z— I wonder if there has been an uptick in aviation incidents or if it's just that there's more focus on them. It's like how some years the news is full of shark attacks and other years it isn't and yet the data shows that, in fact, the Year of the Shark Attack had an average number.
Carl— DH and I tend to keep our cars until they're beyond repair and good only for a tax deduction from donating. At least it saves the theater of negotiating a trade-in value with at the dealership. I hate-hate-hate that part.
I haven't named a car since my first— a '67 Ford Galaxy 500. It was 8 when it came to me. It was in pristine condition with >30K on the odometer and owned by the wife of a Ford exec. The car ended up being christened "Roach Coach" because I once picked up some soft pretzels (and roaches) for dad's Italian Ice truck. I had to have it fumigated. Unfortunately, about 3 months into owing it, some hit the driver side door while it was parked and took off. The car was bronze, and a friend replaced the door with a turquoise one which I never got around to painting. I owned the car for 9 years— through college and my first marriage. The week I left my no-good first husband, the car flunked its safety inspection because of frame rust. LOL, I cried over the car but not the divorce. LOL. I sold the car for a song to a friend of my sister's whose mechanic-brother repaired it for her and she drove it for another 5 years. Around that time, I happened to drive by a used car lot in my old stomping grounds and saw it parked. I stopped by to see it and the salesman came over and told me that no fewer than 5 people had driven by the lot, turned around and stopped to look at the car. She was an icon.
Mint— UTIs are the devil. The older ladies don't have the usual burning or frequency, instead they just go off the rails. With mom's first, I took her to her PT appointment and the PT agreed that something was off. She took her vitals and mom's BP was 210/100 on medication. She was also a bit combative and angry the PT turfed her to her PCP upstairs where they turfed us to the ED. The second time was more like you describe— her BP dropped, and I had to physically support her to keep her from sort of collapsing to the ground. It's crazy.
She had pretty significant stress incontinence and I suspect that played into the infections as she hasn't had any since she had a mini-sling procedure that made that go away. She did take D-mannose for a time— the capsule she had were huge, btw. That said, I can't say for sure that her "cure" isn't down to the fact she's been on antibiotics of several kinds since mid-October for her pneumonia and sepsis/bacteremia. She's Team Keflex-for-Life now.
You're probably correct about hydration playing into this. It might make sense to skip the genuine Tervis and see about something less expensive. Marshalls/TJMaxx or the dollar store might have cheaper options, so you can have replacements for when they inevitably "walk".
Jerilynn- The prom couple are adorable. I love her dress— sparkly but not too hoochie as some I've seen. I hope they had a wonderful time.
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Hair-washing? I must be the porch weirdo— I wash daily and do a blow-out as well. Otherwise I have crazy bed-head and wouldn't be able to leave the house without scaring children to say nothing of my family.
It's a busy week ahead. Mom has her blood draw for a culture on Monday. Fingers crossed she's in the clear this time. If she is, she gets to jettison the home health nurses who seem to justify their existence by looking over my shoulder. When I stopped by to fix mom's phone situation (it wasn't charging), the nurse grilled me on mom's next appointments are, why her blood draw is at 10-days, not 7 (ID doctor specified 10) and when her follow up chest film is (her pulmo wants to see her end of April instead). They annoy her because it means she needs to be home and they're not great about sticking to their schedules which leaves her feeling trapped. I hope to see them in the rearview mirror soon but for now, I'll make nice with them. DH sees the big-gun cardiac surgeon Tuesday and mom has her rescheduled dental appointment on Thursday. I have a friend who'll be in NOVA in late May; I'm hoping to travel down and spend an overnight with her. Fingers crossed I don't have a conflict then.
Thinking of you all as you go about the day.
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I had another good night, six hours without getting up, and I feel rested! HB, I will try the exercises today.
JeriLynn, the prom kids look very nice.
Mint, hydration is very important. UTIs can present without the usual signs, so she should be checked. Untreated UTI can develop into sepsis.
HB, you are very busy. How far so you live from your mom?
Iris
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Iris— Mom lives about 7.5 miles south of me. With light-normal traffic I can make it in about 18 minutes. My ride north can be a half hour in the afternoon from school dismissal and evening rush. We moved her where she is because of the walkability of her neighborhood. It's worth the tradeoff.
Most of her doctors, excepting retinal specialist, uro-gyn, and infectious disease are within a 3-mile radius of her house which helps a lot.
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The moon is beautiful and Carl and the Farmers Almanac agree….the name comes from Pink Phlox. Porch attendance always leads to looking something up.
Mint…Tervis makes a large tumbler with a top that takes a straw. I always have little tubes of individual servings of Pedialite. You might try something like that. Sometimes something sweet goes down faster. We use those large water containers you get with a hospital stay.
Ah, Prom. What memories. The young people are adorable.
Zetta…guess the 100 degree weather has moved on to Oklahoma…just in the 90's today here
The museum always tries to get a money maker every 12-15 to 18 months. I, for one, will be glad to get a break from the children's tours. Lots of studying to do.
My car is a 2013 Volvo. She is a good old girl.
Judith
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Afternoon, Iris, your insomnia has made its way to Oklahoma. Last night about 3 the cats got into an argument and awakened me. Got that settled, then couldn't go back to sleep. Finally gave up about 6'and got up. I plan, hopefully, to take a nap. Unusual for me to not sleep well.
JeriLynn, the picture is really sweet and they are a cute couple. The picture of the moon is gorgeous. It was really pretty last night.
Bryon came about 9:30 and just left. He was by himself this time. Grass is mowed and downed limbs are gone. I told him to wait until he comes again to do something with the altheas and crepe myrtles. I noticed two of them are beginning to leaf out. He's s good friend and has done so many things for me. It is great to have people I can call on if I need help. Darwin is a Godsend, only a mile away and so helpful. He cares for his second wife who has alz and always wants to help. He will be 85 this next week and sometimes gets confused so I try to help him whoen that happens.
HB, I'm sure you're tight about loss of people to do work, especially farm work. The farmers are worried about how things are going as if they didn't have enough worry.
Need to eat a bite and get that nap before I get the trash down to the road for early.in the morning. Eighthy five here and uber windy.
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Hello Friends.
Lorita. I had to laugh when you said, you put the cat soup bowl, in their other bowl, I do the same thing and for the same reason.
SDianel. You have a wonderful way of remembering and honoring those that have passed. I pray that my thoughts, at times just go to a happier place.
Iris. My hair also has thined, so when it won't lay down, I have a bennie I ware. Traveling is a better place to put your money. So many good memories. My daughter and her DH, are getting ready to go to London, for three weeks. I guess I can handle being alone with the 2 dogs and 3 cats, while their gone. Shs works in the travel industry, so they are able to travel a lot.
JeriLynn. Those pictures are beautiful. The kids look so sweet, and I love her dress. Wouldn't it be nice to be that young again. 😄
HB. Your so right about the yoga positions. They put props under me to help me the first time. I did not like that much fuss over me, so 2 days later I was able to get in that position with out props, I'm still sore, but that's what it's all about. I really hope, you will be able to see your friend in late May. You really need some time for yourself.
Hugs to all, Zetta
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Here are a couple of pics I took of last night's moon from my patio. I didn't get the pink effect but maybe that was later on in the night. I'm an early bird.
Judith, the quote you posted resonated with me; I cry at happy memories, cry when I realize I'll never see him again in this lifetime and cry when I feel guilty thinking I could have done better. Glad you will be having adult art soon and lucky for it to be Ansel Adams. Will it be his original work?
Carl, you are dealing with so much and am glad you have hospice to assist you. When my LO passed last October I was not ready! I mean I knew his passing was inevitable but he only lived about two and a half years after suffering his catastrophic stroke (that's what the surgeon called it) and suffering the equivalent of a TBI. Thankfully I did not have the double whammy of cancer that you are dealing with. Praying for you xo
Ron we never stop missing our LO's or grieving their loss. Lou was so fortunate to have you and hope that can find a degree of comfort knowing that you were there for her until the end xo
Sweet pics JeriLynn. How are the baby goats? Not sure that's what they are called. I often wish I had been lucky enough to grow up and live on a farm! I would have a dog rescue and menagerie!
Iris, have you tried CBD gummies? When I was caregiving for my LO, sometimes I could not get to sleep. At the time I was giving LO CBD sleep gummies (after clearing with his doctor) and I tried them. I was afraid I would freak out and get paranoid as that has been my reaction to weed in the past LOL. I was pleasantly surprised that they actually helped me sleep! Of course the fact that I was so tired by the end of the day may have helped.
Sorry for the long post, and I'm not even done yet! Back later xo
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A lot of you seem to have hot weather already. We're still very much in the cool zone - the temp right now is 58, but it's supposed to get up to 61. And we have sun! I can't complain.
The pink moon was out for us as well last night - it was gorgeous. At least in my neck of the woods it had one of those halos around it. I guess it's from light clouds and ice crystals?
Zetta — I'm so encouraged to hear about your yoga classes. Sorry about the 100 degree weather though. Also, I don't think I'd like to be a teen again — way too much drama. Some of it created by me. 😄 If I had to pick an ideal age, I'd probably go with something like 28.
Mint - this was an issue with my sister too. She always had a container of water with her, whether it was in a travel mug or just a water bottle. When she got to memory care, her water consumption went down by probably at least half. We always had to keep an eye on that.
JeriLynn - What a great photo of the moon! I love the photo of your DH's great granddaughter too. She and her date are so color-coordinated (and I love her dress).
HB — I did once date a man who abandoned his pre-med studies to focus on his viola professionally after hearing Le Sacre du Printemps — that's exactly what I meant. I also have songs and bands that mean a lot to me, but nothing as life-changing as your ex-boyfriend.
As for hair washing - I'm in-between. I wash my hair every other day, and I use conditioner about twice a week. If I have a hard workout at the gym, I'll wash it more often. And like many, I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. It used to be really long (long enough that I'd sit on it), and really straight. If I ever bothered to curl it, I'd have curls for about two hours and then it was back to being straight. Now it's shoulder-length, silvery white (and purple!), but still annoying, just in a different way.
Funny, I've never named my cars, but I take pretty good care of them. And I'll drive them until they won't drive anymore. I'm a Honda girl, and I had two CR-Xs over the years. My dream car may be a Porsche Targa, but in real life I can't beat a CR-X. Now I drive a 2013 Honda CR-Z, which is a hybrid, and looks sort of like a CR-X. Only after I drive it into the ground will I buy something else.
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When we lived in the MH we built a round flower bed out of bricks and planted phlox. They were beautiful in early spring. But our phlox were light purple, have never seen pink ones. There used to.be lots of Wild Sweet Williams along the road we took to work. I haven't seen those in years. They looked sort of like phlox. There used to be all kinds of wild flowers in the pastures and meadows but not now, guess spraying with herbicides to get rid of weeds took care of that.
I laid down but couldn't go to sleep - maybe tonight.
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I had to go look up phlox because I wasn't sure if I knew what they looked like. I'm almost positive my grandmother used to have them in her yard. Is that possible? This was in southern California. She had a variety of snap dragons too - and I kind of associate them together.
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Caro-lynne…
Discovering Ansel Adams
features over 100 photographs that share Adams’s most celebrated works while revealing aspects of his development that are frequently overlooked. Together with original archival materials from the Center of Creative Photography’s Ansel Adams Archive, these photographs demonstrate how Adams transformed from a fourteen-year-old tourist with a camera into a renowned photographer between 1916 and the 1940s.
Lorita…you may have planted creeping phlox. It is very hardy and popular in OK. There are many varities.
Sleep…so in the past I have taken Melatonin 5 with littlee to no results. I now take the same for macular (sp) from a different vendor and fall right to sleep for a good 8 nhours. Reading used to put me to sleep.
New food tonight. Farro.
BTW…what is an English pea?
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Thank you for your prayers, Caro. I'll add you to mine.
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Judith, English peas are round and green. Also called Sweet Peas. So, are creeping phlox different then just phlox? The ones we had and I see around here are short and drape or fall over the side of the container.
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Naming cars is kind of a tradition in my family. Dad's '77 Mercury Cougar was "The Cat" and Mom's '85 Chevy was "Zack" because the license plate was ZAC . . .
One of my brothers called his AMC Spirit "The Spirit" because he went wherever the spirit moved him. (Dad a boom)
DW's '95 Eclipse was The Silver Bullet because it was silver and streamlined. And so it goes.
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The moon is still beautiful. . Got to see it as it was rising. Take a look. Good night, sleep tight.
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Oh no, Lorita, I don't want you to have insomnia, it's awful! I hope you can sleep tonight.
HB, you seem to be on the road to visit and care for your mom every day. Stay strong!
Zetta, will you be able to get around by yourself to stores in AZ while your daughter is in London?
CaroLynne, no I have not tried CBD gummies.
Did you take that beautiful moonshot with your phone? It is amazing!
GG and Carl, my 1973 VW SuperBeetle was named Pumpkin. I had it for about 20 years.
Judith, how wonderful to exhibit Ansel Adams' work! He promoted Yosemite and helped make it a National Park.
Iris
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Good morning
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Good morning
HB you are probably correct, I should probably go to dollar store and look for cheaper version. You’re probably right it might walk. I was just thinking that if it took a walk to the kitchen, it would be easy to but so will one😊. Hope your mom’s culture is negative.
My hair is thinning too. I see many people with this issue so guess Im no better than anyone else. Nature is going to happen.
Caro and JeriLynn thank you for the moon pictures. Skies a little cloudy this morning so they were over the moon, but I could still see the moon shining through. It was pretty.
GG we are still in the cool zone too. My daffodils are becoming full of though, and they will last a lot better if we remain in the cool zone so I’m not gonna complain too much.
Yes Lorita creeping phlox are short and they hang or drop over things have given the chance. Regular phlox are taller.
Mom was doing well yesterday. For the first time they have sort of an aggressive loud resident. He has been there several weeks now. I told my sister as long as they keep him I know they’ll not get rid of my mom. Mom is doing very well there and I think the workers like my mom, they’re very nice to her. But this poor man he’s needs a little medication. Yesterday he was yelling very loud because he was pressing his button and no one was responding. My observation is they are very good about responding to the buttons when they’re pushed because the lady sitting out there with my mom just plays with hers and she had pushed it three times while I was there each time they came. Anyways two other residents came by when this was going on. M has dementia bad and Y has dementia, but anxiety and worry seem to be her biggest issues. So apparently he had started cussing because I did not hear that. M was getting onto him for cussing and mentioning God. I didn’t hear exactly what she said. And then the next thing I know Y is being very upset and saying he is in nothing but his underwear. Mom heard her and said there was a man out in the lobby in his underwear the other day. She said I just don’t pay any attention to him. If it wasn’t so sad, it would be comical. It upsets the residents, if another resident is sick or if someone is disrupting the peace. This is really the first resident that has caused disruption since I’ve been there. Some of the residents have mentioned to me in the past how thankful they are that everyone seems to get along there. Y was so relieved when I brought my mom back and She was assured that my mom could come and sit back out there with them. She hugged me. Several people have died there since my mom‘s been there. And the residents are aware that this happens because they’re out there and they see what goes on.
Yesterday, mom and I took a walk around the halls and we always admire the decorations on all the doors. Almost everyone has their door decorated. I know a lot of the people do it themselves, but I think if they don’t the place decorates the door. My mother‘s door was decorated when we first came. I’ll need to pick up a new one because Easter will soon be over. My mom really enjoys, looking at all of them. So she really likes the one on Y’s door. So we told her we liked her door and then Y asked if we had ever seen her room and I said no. So she took us in and showed us her room. It is really pretty. It makes me feel a little bad, we haven’t done much to my mother‘s room, but she spends no time in there, except to sleep. She had lots of pictures of her family and she told my mom that her husband died of cancer. My mom said my husband did too. That’s not how my dad died. I just said nothing. My mom‘s mind is definitely getting worse, but she still functions pretty well and I’m thankful for that.1 -
Good morning,
Thanks for the compliments on the GreatGrand's dress. I picked it out for exactly the reasons you mentioned HB. We saw so many "hoochie mama" dresses! Thankfully she was not even tempted by those. We saw one that I commented "Your Granddaddy would flat fall out after he threw a fit if he saw you in something like that!" We had a good time shopping.
This is the child DH has custody of, although she lives with his older Granddaughter. DH and his late wife took custody when she was 6, then DH's late wife got very sick/passed away. She has lost both parents to drug overdose. She is surprisingly well adjusted for such tragedy in her young life. She and her cousins are involved in a strong youth program at church, she is an honors student, just took 2nd place in State competition with Future Business Leaders of America, works a part time job and has college plans to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. We keep a tight circle around these grandkids. And they ALL adore their Granddaddy, or "Pa" as they often refer to him. DH has no biological children, but he has practically raised his late wife's grandchildren and now helps with the greatgrands. Tight circle.
Caro, baby goats are referred to as "Kids" but we just call them "the babies" as we use the term
"Kids" to refer to all the Grands/Greats. It gets a little confusing around here sometimes, lol.Ron, I'm glad your family will be with you as you come to the first anniversary. My heart is with you, and Carl and Caro. It's just hard. I too have a first anniversary of losing my father in law in May. Certainly not the same, but a loss just as well.
Cars! We have "the Turtle", which is a 2007 Kia that somebody didn't want to spend the money to fix and left at DH's shop. 5 speed stick shift that I used as my running around town car when we still had the Shop. Now, we pull it behind the motorhome when we travel. None of the other vehicles have names. DH drives something until he feels it's on its last mile. Which is good because I hate having a car payment. Since he's a mechanic, he maintains all our vehicles unless the job requires the use of a rack. Then he uses a good friend to do the work. I tried to get him to bring a rack home when we closed the Shop but he said that would inspire people to try to get him to still work on vehicles and he was not so inclined.
Remember the backhoe DH got for free? It had been sitting for years and this guy gave it to DH to get it off his property (the guy's wife was REALLY happy). Well, he fixed it. It runs and works like new. He sold it! It's leaving here today to go to an elderly gentleman and his family property. They need to clear some trees on their land. YIPPEE! One more piece of equipment GONE!
I guess I've rattled on this morning. Mint, I hope your Mama is better. Iris, hope your sleep patterns get straightened out. HB, glad your Mama is doing better. Zetta, enjoy your time while your DD is away. I know I've forgotten to mention someone and I apologize. But have a good day and know that as I read, I lift you in prayer. 💞
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Good morning, all. The weather here looks to be lovely. It's about d@mned time.
Caro— Those are great pictures. That's exactly the view I had on my middle-of-the-night bathroom run. Pinkish through the top branches of my crazy ornamental cherry.
Judith— The exhibit sounds amazing. Retrospectives are always interesting as they can highlight an artist's grow or remind the viewer of the depth of talent— like the early more conventional work of Picasso or Pollack. I once saw an exhibit in which professional photographers were given a simple point-and-shoot camera and sent on assignment— it drove home the case that it's the Indian, not the arrow.Jerilynn— One of DS's friends from high school pursued a degree in PT. The program was long, but she loved it and enjoys the flexibility now as the mother of a toddler.
Mint— I love when they decorate the doors. The lady in the room across from dad had been an elementary school teacher (married to my high school geometry teacher as it turned out); her door was always over-the-top festive. I tease my mom that when she goes "into the home", as she calls it, I'm painting her door fire engine red, so she'll think it's Talbots and feel right at home.
Gothic G.— I'd be 28 again in a hot minute. It was a good year aside from the hideous perm I had. DH and I were newly married and in our first house. My knees worked. Most of my family was still alive and healthy. Good times.
DH and I tend to favor Hondas. He had a Prelude that had 189K on it when he finally traded it in on a Jeep Wrangler. He was jealous of my mom-car which was a Jeep Cherokee we bought when DS was about 10 months old and passed down to him when he was 21— that beast had 275K miles when I donated it. DS has never forgiven me— evidently, they're quite collectible.
Carl- I kind of suck at naming things. Even my childhood cats got referred to as "the mother" and "gray". I was once chastised by the vet's receptionist when she asked Gray's name and I said Gray. She snapped and said "not the color, the name" and I shrugged "Miss Gray then".
My niece names her cars. The first was my mom's former ubiquitous Ford Escort station wagon in teal. She lived in the city and it got pretty beat up— she and her friends referred to it as "Old Blue". After grad school and her first real job, she replaced it with a black Ford Focus hatchback she christened "New Blue". That got replaced with a newer model of the exact same thing which became "New New Blue". After her last promotion, she bought a MINI convertible. It's British racing green but goes by "True Blue".
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Culture Day! Thanks for the positive thoughts. I am hoping for a negative. Mom's pretty anxious about this— she's had 11 days since her last dose of Nafcillin and looks and feels fine— so I suspect she's OK. She seems to be tolerating the Keflex so far, so that's good. After, we'll grab lunch. I didn't do anything with her last week aside from a grocery run, and she's feeling antsy.
She has a large copper wash tub she needs to repolish, so we'll be looking for something to help her do that. She likes to polish metal for some reason.
HB0
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
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