July 10, 2012

Garden is doing well even though rain is very scarce.

Midge loves to hide in the tomato bed. Sixteen tomato plants, a horseradish root, a Jerusalem artichoke, and some taters in a 4 x 4 raised bed, she is really hard to spot in there.

Dad: Are you Noreen?
Kay: No, I am your daughter, Kay
Dad: Is Joan here too?
Kay: No, she is probably at home in Coal City with Uncle George.
Dad: I’m going to see my mother tomorrow.
Kay: In heaven?
Dad: No, on the farm in Kinsman!
Kay: I can take you if you want.


Noreen and Joan are two of Dad’s sisters. Noreen (Red) passed away, she was a little fiery redheaded firecracker. It’s nice Dad is thinking about his sisters. I wonder if people who have passed before him are talking to him? I hope they know his hearing is shot! It would be hard to resist Aunt Noreen. He says there is a little boy around sometimes too. He calls him “That Boy”. That Boy apparently put some pieces in Dad’s jigsaw puzzle and will fix the flowers in the yard the way Dad likes them.


So far I have harvested a nice zucchini and 4 cherry tomatoes. This weird weather had my sunflowers looking pretty scruffy already. Then the goldfinch picked off  almost all the petals, so I cleaned most of them out, and I have my fingers crossed that my seeds will come so Midge can have her zinnia bed back again. I miss those zinnias. They looked nice all last summer.

Yum, grilled zucchini.

The former sunflower bed, hopefully soon to be a zinnia bed for Midge. She's pretty pissed I took out her sunflowers, she used to hide in there and leap at the gold finch.

Dad kind of alternates between sleepy-time, hyper-time, worry/confusion-time and sassy/contrary-time. Mom likened him to Dennis the Menace. He still goes in to work his jigsaw puzzle, and reads the newspaper in the morning, though I notice he has turned into a speed reader. He is eating well, though I don’t think he likes his prunes lol. I say screw the cardiac diet when you are 92! But I say yes to prunes. For him. Not for me. I don’t think he cut the Jumble out today, but he got a couple of words since he got home. He still checks the TV listings for a baseball game. He has not mentioned church today . . . yet.  He does not use his walker (though he sometimes will carry it when you tell him to use it lol). He tasted his second cup of coffee this a.m. and told me that he usually uses a couple of spoonfuls of sugar, but I’ve never known him to drink anything but black coffee. He does not like Mom to be out of his sight. I pushed him in the wheelchair last night, it was lovely out, a passing storm had cooled things off nicely (well OK, he got a little wet lol, I didn’t think we’d get even a sprinkle out of that cloud), but he wanted to get home to Mother. He wanted to see her and talk to her. I think he needs to feel safe, and it is easier to feel safe at home with mom instead of out in the bumpy world with me, because he “is not sure about me” lol. I am the only one he calls different names. So far. Or maybe I am the only one who talks about it. Though I guess writing and talking are very different. Sometimes I can barely talk now. I’m learning a lot. Mar knows a lot from her folks. He gets 6 weeks of home health care after his hospitalization, all for free, and he had a CNA come in today and he had a bath, he has physical therapy on Thursday, and a nurse came to check his vitals and do the test for his coumadin. They all marvel at his medical history, or I guess I should say the lack thereof. My mom was giving his history for a health assessment and they were talking about any broken bones and the nurse asked about falling. We looked at each other, and I wasn’t sure if the story about Dad falling off the picnic table bench whilst spying on the girls next door was supposed to stay just in the family, but then I remembered I blogged about it, so what the heck, we told her and she cracked up. Gosh that was only a couple of months ago. How things have changed in that short time.


Took Midge and Finn to the vet for their shots Saturday. Finn weighs over 15#, and little Midge over 11#. The vet said they are “sturdy” animals, which is funny because that is the word I use to describe myself. I think Finn was maybe acting a little weird because of The Triffids.

Triffids.

Finn keeps his distance. He doesn't want to be in the sequel.

He is back to himself now. Dr. Dave said it might take til Christmas time for his tail hair to grow back. I don’t care if you think Possum Tail, but please, don’t say it to his face!


Uncle Jim called Sunday and spoke to Mom first. We hadn’t heard from him for a while, turns out health problems for the next oldest sibling too (he is 91). Mom filled him in on Dad, then handed the phone to Dad, who told his brother that he is “getting over a big operation” lol. When Mom told Uncle Jim of Dad’s uncooperative antics in the hospital Uncle Jim said that “Bernard has always been stubborn.” Amen to that! LOL


Dad keeps saying that he is new around here, but he’ll get the hang of it. LOL He got an envelope in the mail from from church asking for a suggested donation of $75, and he said that that is a lot to ask of a new member! I hope I get the hang of this business soon too. Worried about Mom getting over-tired and gosh she is 25 years older than me and I’m exhausted already and feeling guiltily thankful that I have a job and don’t have to be there all the time. 




Kay :)