FINALLY!

After cooking that beautiful pot of vegetable soup on Monday, I have been unable to enjoy it because of yet another episode of throat tightening and not allowing any food to go down. It always last a couple of days and that's exactly what it did. Lost a few pounds, so it does have an "up" side. Today, I finally ate a bowl of that soup, but I had lost the urge for it already! I took some to my mom and she will enjoy it.

My dad loves the aide that comes to shave and shower him. He hugged all over her and just told me "bye"! He fell again last night and lost control of his bowels. My brother is thinking we need to try to find a sitter for him at night and I agree. It won't be easy, but that's what we need to do mostly for Mom and my brother. Mom always has to call my brother to come get him up. They need their rest as well! Every day he is weaker. My brother goes to walk with him every day and yesterday he said Dad almost couldn't get back to the house after just walking down the driveway. It's a fairly long driveway, but he has been able to do it ok until yesterday.

My neighbor called me when I got home today and told me a lady had parked in my driveway and walked all around my house...even opened the back gate and went in the backyard. Even looked in a window. My neighbor finally asked her if she could help her and the lady just wanted to ask me about my yard and my flowers. She did NOT even know me. My neighbor said it was kind of creepy because the lady's car did not match the neighborhood she said she lived in. I don't like strangers going in my back yard, especially when I am not there.

Productive day...

Cooler weather had me in a working outside mode today, so I have been busy all day in the yard. I dug up another plant in my front landscaping that just requires too much maintenance such as trimming every other month and growing too big anyway. It made me mad when it wouldn't let my caladiums come up straight. The thing had roots to China, but I got it up and went to get Dad's truck to haul it off. While I had the truck, I got a few other chores done as well. Now, I have to figure out what I want to plant in that hole in the landscaping.

The lady had been there and given Dad a bath and shaved him today. He told me that lady did him more good than anything. I am so grateful that a service like that exists. She will come 3 times a week. The home health nurse that sees Mom will also see Dad now. She said he is borderline dehydrated.

When I got home, a friend dropped by and we sat in the yard and discussed our dying parents. Her father is dying as well, but he is 93. When I finally came inside, I made vegetable soup and cornbread and now I can't keep any of it down. It's making me mad because it tastes so good. I haven't had an episode of not being able to keep anything down since August 24th, but I could tell when I was cooking that my throat was starting to feel tight like it does when I have one of those episodes. It's OK though. I need to lose some pounds!!!:)

A milestone...

But not a good milestone....I believe today was the last time that my dad will have Sunday lunch at my brother's with the rest of us. I actually didn't think he would come today, but he did. I went and helped him get in the car and went and helped him get out after lunch, but it was hard on him. Mom told him he didn't have to go if he didn't want to, but he did. Yet another sad day and another prayer through tears that God would just come get him now!

Feeling good!

I was selfish today and took a day just for myself...never went to see Dad and didn't call until tonight. When I finally talked to Mom, she was elated that they had such a good day. An aide came to shave and bathe dad and he didn't give her any grief. He was very nice and did exactly as she asked. Mom said the lady was very good and it turns out that she is the same lady who took care of my dad's sister until a change in insurance made her not be allowed to do it anymore. She shaved him, got him all clean, and Mom even got to take a much needed nap today. If I had been there, I would have given her a cash tip. I'm sure Mom didn't because it's a generation thing...she just doesn't know to do it. I think I can rest well tonight.

YES!

It's fall!

As of right now the fall of 2009 begins and I am so ready for it. Last night we had a cool front come through, so there was a little tinge of cool in the air this morning. To me, that is my signal to make chili, so that's exactly what I did when I got home from Dad's today. I am trying again to do the Shake Those Pounds so I won't be having any of this until I get back from two more functions that I must go to today. I had my shake a little while ago, so I am good until I can get back home to stay. Our hospital has added a new floor and has an open house today, which I plan to attend and a friend's mother died, so I must drop by the funeral home as well. After that, I am HOME!

I went today and stayed with Dad so Mom could go to lunch with some ladies from her church. She needs to get out away from him sometimes. I took him a hamburger and some vanilla wafers that he asked for yesterday and he ate half the burger and the cookies before going back to his bed. My brother did get him to go out and walk a little bit today, so that made me happy. I just don't want him to get to the point that he cannot get out of bed and go to the bathroom without help. He uses a walker and does OK with that. Home Health is working on getting someone to visit him and help him shave and get a shower.

Another day!

After working all day in the yard, I cleaned up and went to see Dad. When I got there, Mom was asleep in her room and he had his eyes closed in his room...don't know if he was asleep. I finally went in again to see him after Mom got up and he just lay there and held my hand. My brother tried to get him to walk some this morning and he wouldn't. Dad told me that he would try to walk some tomorrow. We are afraid that if he doesn't walk, then he will get where he can't. My brother and I don't know what we would do then. We would have to try to find a sitter....which is no easy task. Every day gets a little worse. I'm still praying for the angels to come and get him before he gets to that stage.

You need to laugh?????

No whining today!

Each year I enjoy watching the hummingbirds. In fact, it's the only bird feeder that I will have in my yard because all other birds make a mess. During the summer, I only had two hummers using my feeder, but now that it is time to tank up for their journey to South America there are birds everywhere. If it is possible to count them, I had six at one time today. They drained my feeder in one day. It was completely empty this morning. Thinking that it must have leaked out, I checked for a drip, but there was none.

This afternoon I took a short leisurely trip to Bossier City, home of Barksdale Air Force Base. All of a sudden right in front of me was the piggybacked shuttle coming in for a landing at Barksdale. I was so shocked that I could not get a picture due to my fumbling with the phone and trying to not run over someone. I missed it, but as I got to my destination in Bossier, Albertson's
Grocery store, and parked in their lot, I saw it again. Apparently, it didn't land the first time and came around again. This time I did get a picture, but not a very good one, so the one here is not mine. I was thrilled to see it so close. I have seen it before much higher in the air and, of course, I have seen it at NASA, but never like this. Awesome sight!

I'm feeling better!

I put off going to see Dad until late in the day. When I got there, he got up and came and sat in the kitchen with me. He looked better and did much better last night without taking that darvocet. He was able to sleep and get up by himself to go to the bathroom without falling. Mom slept as well. While I was there, a family friend of ours came and he shaved dad for him. Dad has been having trouble shaving and Mom has been trying to help him, but this guy did a great job getting Dad shaved. Dad said it was the best shave he ever had. After that, Dad went back to lie down and said he felt better with a clean shave. We have some great friends and I drove home without bursting into tears as soon as I drove away from them.

I brought one of Dad's ambiens home with me to try tonight and see if it helps me sleep. I hope so. It's been raining for days, I have a good book to read and Dad is better today....plus, I have a sleeping pill! It's all good!

One more day!

Every day I dread going to see my dad and every day when I leave, I remember why. I start to cry as soon as I leave because he is just so pitiful. Last night he fell twice trying to go to the bathroom. Both times my mom had to call my brother to come get him up. We decided that tonight he will not take any darvocet. It makes him crazy and not be able to walk. Mom sat in a recliner the rest of the night in Dad's room because she did not want to have to wake my brother up yet again to go get him up. I took him some apple dumplings that I made and he ate one and told me it was good. Nothing is ever good to him anymore. He is wearing my mother out as well. She went to bed at 8 this morning and slept till 11:30. When I got there at 3, she was asleep again. This is killing her. It's killing all of us. I pray every day that God will take him.

Now that's funny!

Oh, NOOOOO!

Dad's rest meds are messing with him. He got up at midnight and tried to get dressed. He could not get his pants on and fell while trying to get dressed. He thought he heard Mom tell him to come to breakfast. Brother came and got him up, but Mom thinks he may have cracked a rib. Even if he did, not much can be done about it. She is just giving him darvocet to ease the pain. He came in the kitchen while I was there and ate some watermelon that I brought to him, so his pain wasn't too bad to do that. I think his ribs may just be bruised. I hope so. I need a margarita!

Yeah...jus' sayin'!

More pictures here

Yep! My kind of day....

After a morning of church, then lunch at my brother's, I came home, put down the garage door and slept. The weather was perfect for doing this. I tried to watch some football, but just couldn't stay awake. I wanted to read a book, but just couldn't stay awake. Maybe tomorrow will be more productive, but if it isn't , that's OK, too! I don't even care about being productive right now.

In the last two days, I saw a republican congressman behave badly, a tennis player (Serena Williams) behave badly, and an entertainer (?) (Kanye West) behave worse than the other two combined. What is happening to our people? It's embarrassing!

Much needed busy day!

A friend of mine is on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana March of Dimes and today there was a brunch fundraiser at El Dorado casino. He had already bought a table at the event, but he could not go because he had a ribbon cutting of his new business tonight, so 7 of us filled up his table for him and enjoyed the brunch. He wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway because it was mostly a women's event with a style show and girlie stuff.

Tonight I went to the ribbon cutting of his new business, which is an event center called Orleans on Main in Minden. He has renovated an old building on Main Street and it is absolutely beautiful and already booked through the end of the year. He had the opening catered and had live music for entertainment. Very classy...just like him.

The only time I had today to go see Dad was between these two events and usually at that time Mom is trying to rest, so I didn't go. First time in a month that I didn't see my dad, but when I called tonight, my brother was there and Dad had several visitors today. I'll go tomorrow.

Never FORGET the morons who did this to us 8 years ago today!

Never EVER forget!

Good news/bad news!

The good news is that my brother just called me after they saw the radiation doctor. Doc said he could barely see any evidence of the tumor on the tomotherapy CT scan, so he thinks the radiation has helped. On the other hand, Dad is worn completely out because he had to wait 45 minutes before he got his treatment today, then another 45 minutes before seeing the doctor. He is just too weak to do that. They are on their way home. Mom went with them today, so I'm sure my brother is worn out as well.

This morning my friend from high school that loves my dad came over and filled the two raised beds that she brought last spring with compost, and then planted all sorts of fall vegetables including potatoes, carrots, Swiss chard, kale, collards, and all kinds of stuff that I don't even know what it is. Dad cannot see well enough to watch it grow, but I can and I will take care of it.

I found it!

This is the song Dad was talking about. Of course, the waterworks started all over again.

People are nice!

I stopped by the barber shop on my way to get Dad and told the barber that I would be bringing Dad back to get all his hair cut off. When I got Dad back to the shop, there were two men ahead of him. They both told the barber to go ahead and get Dad first. I was so thankful that they did that. Dad is too weak to sit and wait. Everyone knows my dad, but Dad can't see them enough to know who they are.

He also told me who he wanted to sing at his funeral and what he wanted them to sing...a song that I am not familiar with called, "I Have Returned".