Rambles . . .



At the hospital yesterday, Dad was insisting that he was going to go outside. Every once in a while he seemed to realize that he was in the hospital, but mostly he thought he was home. Sometimes even his boyhood home. I asked him why he wanted to go outside and he said he was going outside by the barn to play ball with Jim and the boys. Jim is his brother (91) and I assume the other boys are his brothers, Pat and Eddie (taken too soon). Nice memories.  You know the kind of patient voice that you use with people who are really really old or infirm or just plain crazy? Dammit, he used that on me a couple of times! It is also no wonder that I have also been pegged as a smart ass! Genetics, go figure.  I’ve never been a big fan of talking to (or listening to people talk to) old people like they are 5 years old, it annoys the hell out of me, so I just don’t do that. I am what I am. Like it or lump it.

It is freakish how strong he is at 92. I was trying to keep him from getting too far away from his IV pole so he wouldn’t pull his IV out (again!), and yowza! I’m pretty strong, but hell, so is he. I decided that it is time to start regaining some of the strength I lost whilst laying around on my arse after those surgeries. Not so I can manhandle dad, but so I can be of help when I can. Or just defend myself. He was bound and determined to leave the hospital yesterday, and we couldn’t do anything with him, so after a while we went home.  About 9:00 we got a call from the hospital (OH SHIT!), and it was one of Dad’s nurse’s (whom he had kind of flirted with earlier! I doubt she thinks he is so cute anymore given his antics), who told me that he had not really fallen out of it, but had somehow climbed out of this chair with a tray on it (I guess it is some sort of restraint/safety device? I’m not sure. They didn’t use it on me during my hospitalizations, that’s all I know for sure!), and they had parked him down by the nurse’s station, and she had no idea how he had accomplished it (did dad come up with an original move, in this Olympic year!? I’m thinking bonus points!), but then CRASH he went down and pulled his IV pole down on him. I suppose my first thought should have been “Oh my God is he OK?”, but what came out of my mouth was “Damn! Can’t you sedate him?!”  In my own defense I was very tired and somewhat stressed, and had  had a slug of Malibu Rum in my Crystal Light. Plus I thought he was just plain exhausted when I saw him earlier in day. She said he wasn’t hurt but he might get a bump on his head from his IV pole. I commented that he deserved a bump if he didn’t already have one, and asked if someone needed to come over there (please say no!), and she said she didn’t think so, because Dad was going to have someone with him one-on-one for the rest of the night!  LOL Poor aide(s).  
All I know today is that he did get some sedation last night, and I really hope he got some rest. He really needed it. He is going to have an echocardiogram today, he couldn’t have an MRI because of his pacemaker. And we are laying bets on how early and quickly he’ll get discharged! LOL

Hoping for the best but gearing up for some not so fun times.

By the way, I do not mean to condone alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with stressful life events (Malibu Rum, yummers). We all know that is what FOOD is for!

Kay ☺

P.S. I saw Dad at noon. He is not as cantankerous today, but he is still out of it. I asked him if he knew where he was, and he named some farm he used to work over by Kinsman when he was young. Nurse said he did sleep last night, though only after they gave him medicine to calm him down. He was eating his lunch, and I thought he was doing pretty good on it, until I learned Mom was helping him out. LOL I saw my cousin Jeff, who works security at the hospital, and he told me he saw dad in the “Bad Boy Chair” (yikes) at the nurse’s station last night, and that in his 5 years at the hospital he has never heard of anyone getting out of that chair the way my 92 year old Dad did last night. ARGHHHHHHHH He is still having some tests done and his doctor wants him to spend another night in the hospital. The doc said to Mom that he didn’t realize Dad’s dementia had gotten that bad. Mom said that’s because it wasn’t, this downslide is very recent. All jokes aside, worrisome stuff going on.

P.P.S. I just saw Dad, helped him with his supper (spaghetti and meatballs). He ate a good meal. Is still confused, but not cantankerous, whew. He is tentatively scheduled for discharge tomorrow.

Independence Day

Hi Folk,

Catching up . . .

Glamping was fun, it went fast. We had a speciable time. I think Runt stared defiantly at the Amish (shhh I won't tell Nancee!---old, old stuff blog readers, you'll probably never get it!). It's amazing how fast a pontoon boat can get away from a 50 year-old out of shape glamper in rough water. And gosh, said glamper can sure put away the beer! And make yummy homemade Bailey's (Irish? probably not) Cream. And how funny that the nice clerk at the Casey's store on the way down to glamping, who kindly took our picture last year, was lucky enough to be on shift again this year! What a nice lady.

My Finn is doing well in the tail area, but I think his head is a little wacky. He wouldn't come near me, was afraid to come home, was acting very oddly. John suggested post traumatic stress disorder from the amputation. Ha ha. I finally caught him one day, and he was skittish as hell, and I noticed he had like a bald spot on his head by his ear, some sort of abrasion. I don't know what happened, but I think whatever it was caused some discombobulation. He is seemingly back to normal now, he is no longer terrified of me, which is good, because I have to haul him to the vet Saturday for shots, more trauma. Midge is her weird old self, staying outside for hours in the unbearable heat. She gets riled when I bring her in, but I do it anyway. She stays a minute and boom, is gone.

My Dad went to hospital last night. He was confused and wobbly and his speech was garbled. He scared me. He is still in hospital today. Doesn't look like they can find anything they can fix, he is just old. I pray for patience and grace in dealing with him and that I will not be a big crybaby wuss. Sad and scared. I know what happens, it has happened to too many of my friends already.

Heading to hospital now. Happy 4th of July.

Kay

Finn Gets High

Finn is doing well. So well that he decided in one of his cat fence escape jaunts, to hop right on to the neighbor's shed. Midge was on the ground crying piteously, seemingly jealous as hell. Thankfully the nice neighbors behind me were highly amused by Finn's antics. He has seemed a bit dejected lately. I'm pretty sure it's because he doesn't like his new nickname . . . "Possum Tail". Grrrrr thanks Mom. He is also out and about at night again, and he has a nasty sore on his head by his ear I'm watching. His first major ding. Well from another cat at least.

I think Midge is cursing the cat fence here. She can't get over it, whereas Finn goes over whenever he damn well pleases.

John made a wonderful meal for Father's Day last weekend, grilled steak, foil packets of multi-colored peppers, onions, a zucchini from his garden, mushrooms, grilled portabellas, a garden salad and homemade bread. It was delicious. And high time he assembled the grill the folks got him for his birthday last year. He saved a bit of the bread dough and tried a  grilled pizza topped with some of the grilled veggies. Wow! It was spectacular. Looking forward to having that again. I made Death by Chocolate, a layered trifle recipe a Word Racer friend shared with me a while back (thanks Sweetie Pie), and she was right. You do not want to make that and keep it in your fridge, you need to take it someplace and leave it off! At least you should if you are a chocolate fan of my caliber.

It's glamping weekend. Can't wait to spend some time with my old friends. I was thinking about how long I have known them, and gosh, we met in the early to mid 70s. LOL  They are pretty old. The glamping meeting the other night was a cover for a birthday party for me, and it was lovely. Lots of laughs, some delicious pulled pork, one of Mar's delicious strawberry whipped cream cakes (yummers!), and I was gifted with a beautifully hand decorated bottle of Malibu Rum for when I am in the mood for a frou frou drink instead of my usual beer. LOL  A good time was had by all, especially the birthday girl (old bat). Of course we did discuss glamping, mostly food lol. We are going to rent a pontoon boat and the weather looks very promising. We are going to have one night where a bonfire might really feel good, it's supposed to get down in the 50s.

Have a good weekend all.

The Glamper

TGIF

LOL Thanks for the pic Sue! It's much more amusing to me now that Finn is collar-free and stitchless. I wonder if he feels as good as I did when I became bagless!? LOL  I bet he does, probably even better. Losing tail is no fun man! He was a good boy at the vet, though he did turn around and glare at Dr. Dave when, after he worked that last stitch loose, he gave Finn a snug and said "Now Finn . . .  you stay away from that rocking chair!" Oh my, if looks could kill! I fear if Finn could talk he would have cursed. It was very funny.

Something or someone (I think the meter reader maybe), scared the heck out of Midgie yesterday. She scurried in, looking nervously behind her, when I was leaving for work, and was all fearful and skittish and ended up under my bed. And she was still there when I got back from the vet late yesterday afternoon! Holy cow. For a cat that likes to eat about every 20 minutes, that was kind of freaky. I enticed her out with some sample treats from the vet, and she seems OK today. Weird animal.

Pre-glamping meeting tonight. I gotta get some beer. Leaving a week from Sunday.

Off to John's for Father's Day dinner tomorrow. Can't do it Sunday because Dad has to go to church!

Have a good weekend all.

Kay :)

Quinquagenerian

I'm a quinquagenerian today. Thanks, Poet, for expanding my vocabulary. You can learn a lot in Yahoo Word Racer. Some of it I will not repeat here (censored).

There are lots of downy goslings about. I like that.

Finn is doing well. He can chillax with the best of them, even with his collar on. Just 3 days, almost to the hour, til the appointment to get his stitches out.

If your dad breaks into the Trail Mix dog treat sample that came in the mail, don't worry, he'll be fine. At least mine was. He said they were very tasty actually. No, he didn't notice they were shaped like little dog bones and smelled sort of meaty. No I don't have a dog, but I have some doggy friends who like my free samples. Canine friends I mean.

Had a lovely birthday lunch at Maggiano's, and partook of my favorite 4 cheese pasta purses with pesto cream sauce with a touch of marinara, a beautiful salad with my favorite dressing and sauteed prosciutto, blue cheese and red onion, warm bread and olive oil, and tiramisu for dessert. Ahhhh . . . I'm going to have to take a moment . . . excuse me . . .

I used my vacation whiskey (If you only know Jack you don't know Dickel!) to make some homemade Bailey's for glamping (glamorous camping) with my chums, which is coming up in a couple of weeks. I can't call it Bailey's Irish Cream because I don't know if Mr. Dickel is Irish. Anyway, holy moley batman, danger Will Robinson! It's delicious but very strong. AFTER I mixed it up I read the comments under the recipe, and lots of peeps recommended cutting the amount of whiskey in half. LOL  Oh well. I'm sure the coffee will help. And the whipped cream. Glamping coffee, camping coffee, whatever you call it it is tasty stuff. I'm making homemade Kahlua too. After glamping maybe I'll have to go for The Cure, which is what my 92  year-old dad calls rehab.

That's all for now.

Oh, and big shocker here, I did NOT lose 100# by my 50th birthday. Oh shut up.

Kay :)

The Patient, The Garden, and the Potato

Finn is doing very well. He has learned to relax, play . . .

and even help with the laundry! He has shown me he can make it to the top of the fence pretty easily, and I'm pretty sure the little chit will get out whenever he damn well feels like it, despite my Finn-ifying of the cat fence. He is so good-natured, love him to death. He doesn't even squawk when I have to put his collar back on after giving him a break from it, though he did look somewhat alarmed last night when I put it back on him . . . BACKWARD!  LOL  LOL. It was really hard to get off! He was sweet about it though. He knows what a ditz I am by now.

Gotta love square foot gardening, there are 16 tomato plants in this 4 x 4 bed, plus I must have missed some taters last year, there are some coming up in this bed, and John gave me a Jerusalem artichoke and a horseradish bulb(?) thing that I stuck in here (and forgot about) and both of those are coming too, along with tons of morning glories. I think of this bed, with its hodgepodge of tomato cages and things, as a feline obstacle course for Midge. She loves it! LOL

The perennials John planted just last month have bloomed already.

Midge's zinnia bed is a sunflower bed this year. I put a bazillion zinnia seeds in there and I think only 2 of them are coming along. She let me put some onions in there too.

Midge was industriously digging in garden bed, and when I went to water, look what I found!  At first I thought it was a wayward radish, but no . . . a tater!

I fried it up for breakfast, and had it with eggs scrambled with red pepper (yummers), and sprinkled it with Vulcan Fire Salt from the Spice House in Chicago. With toast and ketchup, wow it was tasty. Thanks Midget Widget Bidget Fidget!

Over and out!

Kay :)

Recuperation in Action (but not Kay this time!)

Gosh I have a strange feeling of deja vu doing this post . . . where is the red robe? Doesn't everybody wear a red robe when recuperating?

Anyway, Finn was very nervous about going outside with his collar on. I tried to carry him for walks around yard but he'd get nervous at the least little sound and bust loose and run back in. I should say that I fortified (Finn-ified?) the cat fence-in system, at least I have my fingers crossed. I want him in the yard. Preferably forever, but at least til his stitches are out! Today he settled down enough to sit on the patio in a rocking chair (not THE rocking chair!). He seemed to enjoy it. Then when it was time to come in, I decided to take him out in yard for one more walk round. Well, he got down and laid in grass for a while, and was chilling, until he saw Murphy, the neighbor's dog. then the hair that was left on his poor shortened tail stood straight up, and he attacked Murphy through the fence, just like he always does. Murphy seems highly amused when this happens, Finn is deadly serious. I was afraid he was overdoing it, and went to shoo him in, and I should know better than that by now, and lordy did I get a nice scratch.  They must have trimmed his nails when he was under, because I remember his claws being a lot longer. LOL  He's doing very well, a sweet boy. I took collar off him for a bit tonight because he had an area that needed some attention and he didn't want me messing with it, though he enjoyed me washing his face and eyes lol. He got tidied up and ate and drank and purred a lot. He didn't fuss at all when I put the collar back on, which surprised me. A week from tomorrow he gets his stitches out.

My Achilles is feeling better from the support the foot doctor made me to put in my shoe. Wanted to start walking again this week, but I've been busy fussing over the patient.

Bedtime!

Kay :)