Well, I'm just a mess!

Took Dad for a brain scan this morning. By noon, my brother had been contacted by the doctor with the news that there has not been a stroke, but his cancer is back in the form of a half dollar sized tumor in his brain. I certainly had feared that, but had not voiced it. My brother had done the same thing. Dad was a bit relieved because it gave him a reason for not being able to form his words and say things right. Dad is worried about Mom, my brother and myself, but he is not worried for himself. He is ready to go to his heavenly home. Monday, we go to the oncologist. He will radiate the tumor as treatment this time. I know that because my cousin, who is a doctor, has already called the oncologist and talked to him. It's nice to have a doctor in the family!!! Our cousin also gave Dad some steroids to help him through the weekend with some reduced swelling. I wish he had given me some!!!

I knew it!

After describing Dad's symptoms to the office nurse at the doc's office, the doc wanted to see him this morning. He agrees with us that Dad has probably had a mild stroke. Tomorrow morning he will get a CT scan of his brain to see if they can confirm this, but in the meantime, we will fill a script for a blood thinner.  I should have gone to medical school!!!:)

So, so Tired!!!

I am physically, emotionally and mentally drained! We did all the mowing at Mom and Dad's this morning while Mom took Dad to see about his hearing aid. The audiologist says there is nothing wrong with his hearing aid. His hearing is not going to be any better and he cannot hear anything. Mom thinks that he has had a small stroke that affected his hearing (the little he had left). We know something has affected his mind and his speech. His words are slurred and he has trouble getting them out. It's just so, so sad to me that I cry every time I leave there. Mom says he tells her he is just not good for anything anymore...and it's true. She thinks he would commit suicide if he could. I told her that he can't because he doesn't own a pistol and he doesn't have enough strength to rig up a shotgun. I told her that I wish he could just drop dead and be with his Maker and that's what she wishes as well. It's what he wishes as well.

Mom is pretty well all banged up and pretty sore. Her expensive new glasses are all bent up, but I have them with me to take and see if someone can fix them. She's wearing her old ones now. The home health nurse is seeing about getting her a new walker and checking with the physical therapist to see if there is anything she could do to help prevent these falls.

Everything is pretty much a wreck in my world right now!!

Just another manic Sunday...

I think the song is Manic Monday, but for me it's Sunday. Before I even got home from my brother's after having lunch there with the family, he called me to tell me he had to go pick Mom up again. That's twice this week she has fallen and had to use the button around her neck to call for help. The people who monitor the button call my brother and he goes to get her up. Earlier this week she fell on her walker and broke it. We are getting it replaced. She must have really good bones, but she has never been a milk drinker. She won't touch it!!! She gets bruised up, but so far has not broken anything.

My dad is just so pitiful. He is going to go back tomorrow and see if something can be done about his hearing aid. He didn't eat any lunch and just wants to die. I wish he could because I just hate seeing him so miserable. It's just too sad for me to see.

Wracked with pain!

Someone sent me a power point presentation today entitled " Our Parents" and I cannot get it off my mind. It made me cry because it was all about how we must not lose patience with the elderly. It reminded us of how they took our hands as children and took such good care of us and cleaned up after us when we made messes and wiped our mouths when food was stuck on our faces. It reminded us that they took our hands teaching us to walk so that we would not fall. We owe all the same deep, abiding love to them now that they gave us. It reminded me that they are no longer living, but just existing. This is so, so true. I feel so sorry for my dad because he is legally blind and nearly deaf. That is not living! He is so ready to be gone from this Earth and I do not blame him. The presentation said that we should not tell our parents that they already told that story......remember how they would read the same book over and over to us when we were children...just because we asked!!! My mom may tell me the same thing that she just told me five minutes before. Thankfully, I never tell her that she just told me that. I just listen and go on. It is sad and although I try to do the right thing, sometimes, I am afraid that I fail. Now I am feeling guilty for things that I might have done in the past. I cherish my parents and the life they gave me. I owe them everything.

Redneck Ingenuity!

Soup for lunch!

Went to get my teeth cleaned and to check to see why one tooth is hot/cold sensitive. Was there 1 hour and 45 minutes. Doc filled a cavity and due to my complaining about my new crown getting food always stuck around it, he removed it and is making a new one. CRAP! I wasn't expecting all that. Haven't had a cavity in years, but I have had root canal and crowns. I'm thankful he wants to make it right for me even though I hate going through this again. He could not get the crown off the regular way, so he cut it off. He was going to just add some porcelain to it and make it better, but he ended up breaking it all apart....soooo..now a new one will be made...all, of course, at no cost to me. It's always something!!!!

Just pure laziness!

No words needed!

Krewe work day!

Our krewe is building a new building to house our floats and today is a work day at the new building. Since I don't know a thing about bolting boards to steel and concrete or putting up plywood, I took them some Krispy Kremes and came home. After that "manwork" is done, there will be plenty of things I can do to get everything all moved from the old building and get the new building ready for the ribbon cutting in October. Time is short and, of course, the same few people keep showing up to work. Some don't show up til party time. Lots of stuff has to be done before the Mardi Gras season, but there are always those who just come to party...forget the work involved!!! Fortunately, we have a rule that you have to put in some hours of work or you will not be allowed to ride in the parades..

Holy Moly!

My brother, sister-in-law, and I spent the morning working in Mom and Dad's yard. Something is always needing to be done there. We got everything mowed and my brother got a water leak fixed in the yard. Dad's health is really bad. I am afraid (as is Mom) that he has had a little stroke. So often, his words are slurred and he is so weak that he can't do anything. I stayed and ate lunch with them and he couldn't say the blessing that he has been saying for 60 years...always the same one. I would not be surprised if he dropped dead any time. Actually, I hope that is how he goes because then he wouldn't have to endure a miserable illness. Mom sees him more than any of us and she said something is bad wrong with him.

Today has been the first day that I could mow my own yard because it has been raining so much. I finally got the front yard done, but  it was a major task. In fact, I had to stop and raise the deck on the mower because I could not push it through the thick grass. I'm just a wimp, I guess, but I am the only 66 year old in my neighborhood that mows my own yard with a push mower!! So there!!

Note to self!

WooHoo.....3 1/2 inches of rain!

Went down to the garden this morning to try to see what needed to be done in between the rains. Brother had already cut the okra this morning and most of it was too big to use because we had hadn't cut it since Saturday. With the rains, more will be ready tomorrow, but it is supposed to rain again tomorrow, so we may miss that cutting as well. I tried to pick peas, but kept bogging down and losing my balance, so I gave up. There are blooms all over the peas since the rains yesterday, so we still may get a lot of peas. Got very few tomatoes. They aren't putting on any new ones. I am loving all the rain, but I sure do get lazy and sleep a lot. And.....I spend way too much time playing Bejeweled Blitz on the computer. It drives me crazy! I don't even know why I put this frog graphic on here. I hate frogs!!!! And.....I must be ADD judging by the way this post is all over the place!!!!:)

Yet another rant!

Due to inclement weather today, I have spent a lot of time reading blogs and on Facebook. It amazes me how many people misuse "your" and "you're" and "their", "there", "they're" and "its" and "it's". I know the previous sentence is poor sentence structure, but I am just frustrated with people today. My last few years of teaching English, I made it a point to just harp on these words over and over. Obviously, I failed because a lot of the people I follow on Facebook are my former students. It just drives me crazy and a few of them are teachers now and making these elementary grammar mistakes. Actually, at least one is an English teacher and it takes every ounce of restraint I can muster to not correct the errors....especially on those who are now teaching!

No explanation needed!

Be afraid...be very afraid!

CRAP!

More aphids....not on any of the things they sprayed last week, but I just discovered them on my althea and some of my flowers in pots. The man sprayed everything but the althea. Don't know why he didn't spray it. I wondered why the leaves were not looking healthy and there are very few blooms. Now I know after inspecting it closely. It's always something!!!!

I need counseling!

I didn't know it, but Obama's health reform bill (which he hasn't read) will insist that since I am 66 and about to die, I need counseling to prepare me for the medical care that I am NOT going to get to save my life! What a CROCK! Our nation will not survive this MORON!

It's over!

The gardening is winding down. This morning I picked the last of the corn and tomatoes. Okra will keep making for a long time, but there will not be tomatoes to go with it. I may have to go back to the Farmers' Market Tuesday afternoon and score me some fresh tomatoes. I cut off enough corn to cook today and gave the rest to my sister-in-law. I hate to see it end because I enjoy it so much even though it is hard work. I will have a few more peas to pick and my brother has some sweet potatoes growing, but for the most part, it's over for this season. I will look forward to planting a fall garden which will include broccoli, cabbage, turnip greens, and carrots.

My view...

I was completely oblivious to the fact that my town was hosting a little tykes baseball world series this weekend. Imagine my surprise when a friend called and asked if I would drive her in a convertible in the parade. Well, yeah...I can do that. She is the krewe captain and our queen for last year came and rode and threw some beads. Many states were represented and the weather was 10 degrees cooler than yesterday. Still 90's, but bearable. Short 20 minute parade down the main streets and we were done. Cute kids!

WooHoo!

Finally, got some very beneficial rains tonight just after I finished mowing. Lost power...which is highly unusual in my neighborhood. It wasn't off for long, but long enough for me to figure out that I cannot find the cute little flashlight that my brother brought to me from one of his trips. I just used it a few weeks ago while down under my desk hooking up the computer. I cannot find it anywhere! Of course, it is going to bother me until I find the damn thing!