TGIF

Hi Folks,

Dad's appointment Wednesday at Hines Veteran Hospital with the neurologist was pretty funny. Mom and I did some silent belly laughing while Dad was getting quizzed by the neurologist, a tiny tiny woman who put the accents on the wrong syllables and confused the hell out of my poor demented father. She did think "papa was very cute and he has hardly no wrinkles" and he is lucky to have us to take care of him. She told Dad that the reason most dementia patients have to go to the nursing home is because their caregivers can't get any rest AT NIGHT and told him he MUST stay IN BED. Hell. Dad doesn't even know he has dementia, and the nursing home is my biggest fear, so I kind of thought she should just shut the F*** up. She really stressed to Dad how bad alcohol is for him, and told him NO ALCOHOL (with much emphasis), which caused Dad to ask coherently and hopefully . . . "maybe just a couple?". LOLOL  Mom and I both found ourselves trying to help him with the tests, I mean the doctor was great, but she talked really really fast and had an accent and she was hard to understand, and yes we were cheating, by trying to help him remember the five things the neurologist listed multiple times, with reminders that she would want him to list the five items back:

1. Sky
2. Table
3. Watch
4. House
5. Dementia is contagious . . .

Mom was pointing at her wrist, which prompted Dad to say "time", I rolled my eyes up at the sky, and Dad gave me his "Wow do I have a really really weird daughter look.". Anyway the trip was kind of a waste of time, and Dad's dementia is advanced, and that is how it is now. We got him some sliders and coffee and some french silk pie, so he was pretty happy. I really think he enjoyed the ride, though he said at least 20 times that he hoped he would never have to drive himself up there, because he might get lost.

We are in Madison tonight, and gosh it is a zoo! Turns out there is an Ironman Triathlon this weekend.Check-in place is right by our hotel. Lots of toned, buff bodies about, so we fit right in!

We had a fun trip up, hit some thrifts, found some fun jigsaw puzzles, so to do, some to sell. We had a nice lunch at the Old Fashion (no, I didn't forget the "ed"!)Bakery/Deli, grabbed a sammy and a treat (or 2), and took them to a riverside park in Beloit. Mine was provolone, american, mortadella, turkey, ham, salami, lettuce, tomato, special sauce, on a  yummy roll. Wow, it was good! Called home and Mom had had a good night with Dad, and he was having a good day today, so it was easier to relax and have fun.

Had picnic lunch here.

Came and checked into our hotel and took a walk, and had dinner at The Old Fashioned. I know. Almost same name as the lunch place! It was good. I let John order. But I would have corrected the order if it was stuff I didn't like. Kay like beer. Beer good.

John surprised me by having a beer. He wasn't sure if he wanted a whole one, so I took a few slugs off the top. I'm very helpful to have around in those situations.

Kay like beer. Beer good.

Onion straws with some paprika dipping sauce anyone?

Friday fish fry.

Cheeseburger and the best cheese curds ever!

No thanks, we don't need a container for leftovers . . . ever! LOL

Took a walk after dinner.

 

Off to farmer's market in the a.m, it's just a couple of blocks away. I'm glad we got a spot in hotel garage because parking is going to be crazy around here!

Have a nice weekend all.

Kay :)

Labor Day

Hi Folks,

Happy Labor Day!

Thanks, John, for sending me that link to the post about 6 true stories that will restore my faith in human nature. I think it worked. Maybe.

Plus my luck has turned. That pesky broken tooth/filling didn't need to be crowned! At least I have my fingers crossed that the filling will hold. And look at this!

I won a prize. Thank you Kettle Chips! Can you ever have too many potato chips? Six bags delivered right to my door. Big fun. Keep in mind I get tickled when I get a shampoo sample (or anything really!) in the mail. I gave 1 bag of chips to Donna and 2 bags to John. Let me get my calculator . . . that saved me 2250 calories. Not that I would have eaten all those chips! Haha. That reminds me that I haven't had any yet. Be right back . . .


I might start tearing my garden down today. It's a mess. My tomato plants are brown and wilting. I have an ulterior motive. If I rip them up I can dig up some more tasty taters! I have finally been seeing some hummingbirds though. They like the morning glories. Very entertaining. Midge is very entertained as well. I put the feeder up high on a shepherd's hook wedged into the fence to keep them safe from her. She's quite the stalker.

John and I are taking a ride up to Madison on Friday. Going to putz our way up there, and then head to Farmer's Market on Saturday. Looking forward to that. Some tasty apples sound good. It will be a short week for me, as I have Wednesday off too, for a trip to the VA for a neuro consult with Dad. Turns out he was supposed to discontinue two of his meds, and start on two new ones, but one Rx didn't come through. Hopefully the pharmacy will get that squared away and we will get the new one to try soon. It's for anxiety, and he does admit to feeling "nervous" sometimes. That will get better, though, he thinks, once he gets used to living in California. The new med to help him sleep is definitely working better than the Ambien was.

I was telling John about Dad trying to hit me up for a "five" for church. He was pestering me and pestering  me and it was not a church day anyways, and finally I said "Sure, hold out your hand." and I gave him five as in a clap on his hand, not the five dollar bill he was looking for lol, and he did not appreciate my wit and walked away, muttering something about hell. LOLOL Oh lordy I was cracking up. I was telling John that story and he said "Save your cash! Give the Lord five!" LOL Yeah, I'm going to know a lot of people down there.

Dad cracked up the other day when I asked him for a rubber band. He has this awful junk basket full of stuff (crap) and I figured there had to be a rubber band in there somewhere. When I asked him what was so funny, he was laughing so hard he could barely talk. He answered, "You! Asking me for a rubber band! I haven't touched one of those or seen one in years!" I'm not sure what he thought I was asking him for (though I have my suspicions!) and I did NOT ask! LOL  Gosh it was funny. I think. He just laughed and laughed and laughed, and it is very contagious.

I was getting pretty sick of our nightly rides to Dad's favorite cemetery (he took rides out there all the time, pre-dementia even!), and down to the river, so the other night we zipped over to Seneca, then scooted across the river and came home on Dupont Road. He loved it! He remembers the names of the owners of the farms and all sorts of stuff. He used to pack up our bikes when we were kids, and take us along when he mowed his aunt's lawn there in Seneca. We used to fight over who got to lay in the big back window of the light blue Pontiac. We used to like riding our bikes over there and he remembers it too. We have some nice talks on our rides. Or is it the same talk over and over? LOL No matter, it is often quite pleasant. And if it's not I do the same thing I advocated for my friends with noisy and/or crying kids . . . roll the windows down, turn the radio up and drive faster! Just kidding. Nice change for me too, changing our route. He did voice concerns over the gas expense though. I told him I could swing it. 

Miserably hot and humid here the last couple of days. I'll be glad when the heat breaks.

Cooked for the family tonight. Honey Lime Tilapia. It was delicious and so easy. Highly recommend this one. Served it with a clearance microwave pouch of  long grain and wild brown rice and some green beans almondine. Yum. The recipe didn't include the lime zest butter on top. That was my idea.

Honey Lime Tilapia. Next time I'll make more, no leftovers darn it!
http://www.onelovelylife.com/?p=3118

Have a good week all.

Kay :)

August 26, 2012

I took Dad for a ride tonight. He had no clue who I was. Having had run away to John's for the weekend, I hadn't seen him for a couple of days, and I thought he was having a pretty good day, and we were talking, and during the course of the conversation I realized that he thinks I am his sister today. I asked him where is daughter, Kay, was, and he said he doesn't know her. His biggest concern today is milking. He doesn't like milking. I told him he was in luck because we sold those damn cows, and he was very relieved. He said he does like cows, but he does not like milking cows. LOL 

The other day he asked if there was roll call in the morning. An Army day.

He was eating a hot dog and he stopped, and told me he wanted it wrapped up. When I asked his intentions, he said he wanted it wrapped up for the church. I told him the Catholics weren't interested in his weenie, only his monetary donations. I wrapped it up all right, in a bun, and polished it off.  He is still worried about me going to hell. Possibly a very valid concern.

We are trying a new prescription tonight to help Dad sleep. The nights are still very rough. I read about it on line. Sundowning it is called. It sucks. I said to John "We are giving the Trazadone a whirl tonight." John said "Great idea! Give some to Dad too!"

In other news, I dropped a c-note at the vet for Mr. Finn. He had an abcess on his ear, and while we were there the vet noticed that his third eyelid is lacerated. Actually it was $105.00. Ouch. He got a very expensive antibiotic and a shot. I can't help but wonder if Midge is responsible, she goes after him all the time!

And I lost a filling or broke a tooth, or some such thing. Ironically, the day after I had my teeth cleaned! It doesn't hurt. That is a good thing.

And another week is over.

Kay :)

Spuds and Random Stuff

Gosh, little did I know when I typed the other night that I liked it when Dad was in the army because he followed orders (sort of lol), that the night would be hellish. Goodness. A good day does not equal a good night in Dementiaville apparently, and you can manipulate that equation as much as you like just so it = unpredictable(!). Fortunately that bad night was followed by some very good nights, so Mom is looking better and seems pretty well rested. Whew! Church tomorrow. Last week he had a bad night on Saturday night, and Mom was up and dressed for church, but flustered because she couldn't find her keys (shut up John!), and Joe was ready to go (it still stuns me that Joe goes with Dad to church!), and Dad was sleeping in his chair. Mom woke him up intentionally at the last minute, as he had not had enough sleep, and there was some confusion and stubbornness, and Mom said "Goddammit! You you have been talking about church constantly, LET'S GO!" It probably was not a good time to giggle my ass off and suggest that the Lord would not appreciate that language. I swear  we are good people (for sure my mom is at least and Joe, and Finn and Midge lol).  Sometimes you just get tired.

John thinks all people in Morris do is hunt for cats, keys, and glasses.

Before

Not sure what I am going to do with these yet. John is coming today for a visit and cookout. Not that I am trying to compete with the grilled meal he made for us for Father's Day or anything! That was spectacular. Hopefully flattery will get me a repeat.


Hooray for cortisone shots in your heel! It's doing better.

Taters got tossed with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, olive oil and a touch of butter and went in a foil packet on grill with baby bellas, red onion, sweet yellow onion, red, yellow and orange bell pepper, and then topped with a bit of my beloved Chihauhau cheese, and then used the veggies to smother some ribeye. It doesn't look nearly as pretty in the picture as it tasted. It was delicious.

Broccoli salad topped with honey roasted sunflower seeds, and a new salad, blanched cauliflower, capers, parsley and red onion in a vinaigrette. Tasty stuff. Very cruciferous.

 Have a good weekend folks.

Kay :)

First Zinnia

First zinnia. More are coming. 

This sunflower is 10 feet tall. The morning glories are climbing it like crazy.

Do not disturb Miss Midge.

Dad is in the army today. I like it when he is in the army. He follows orders, sort of. And today he was NOT obsessed with church or milking, he was obsessed with pooping! As John always says, you gotta have some way to pass the time. 

Kay :)



 

Search for "Mallaney" and colostomy . . . how many can there be?

At the reunion today I told my cousins I'd post a few pics on my blog. I told them to do a search for "Mallaney" and "colostomy", how many blogs will come up? LOL  I guess I can check it out myself.

Cousins Sally and Tracy brought this pretty (and delicious!) cake.

Dad with his brother, Uncle Jim, and Aunt Joan. Cousin Peggy in background.

Uncle George and Dad's Cousin Robert Ragan,my Godfather.

Dad with cousins Robert Ragan and Mary Prindiville.

Mom and Dad.

Uncle Jim, Dad, Aunt Jean, Aunt Kay (my Godmother), and Aunt Joan

Aunt Joan and Aunt Jean, Cousin Sherri in background.

Time to head home!

We had fantastic weather today for the Mallaney Family Reunion today, the 50th, over at the Coal City Area Club. A nice turnout though we certainly missed the absentees, especially Aunt Shirley, and lots of busy cousins. Wonderful food, good talk and laughs.

Dad started on Ambien this week. Not sure about that stuff. Dad has had a couple of good nights in a row, where he actually spent time in bed and got some sleep. Mom got caught up on her rest a little. We had him up to the Veteran's Clinic this week, they are changing up some of his meds and he will be seeing a neurologist up at Hines VA Hospital on September 5th.

When we were leaving the VA clinic, and it was a long appointment, Dad was there for a couple of hours, Dad asked the nurse "Do I have to clock out?". I bet that long appointment did seem like work to him. The other night he had ants in his pants and was talking about church. I assured him there was no mass on that day at that time, and told him that Dr. Cumba wanted him to exercise, and he should go do a couple of laps around the yard. He said that he wasn't going to do that, and started this fakey BS about having a sore leg, and I said no malarkey, GET MOVING! He looked at me and said "Gosh Kay, I thought we were buddies!", and off he went. I took him with me to pick up the chicken for the reunion, and he asked me, "Is Mother taking her bathing suit to the reunion?" LOL You gotta laugh. We have been enjoying evening rides and Dad likes to go down to the river to look at the boats. And Mom gets a break from him! He still doesn't like to be too far from her for too long.

I'm getting more used to the new normal. I'm not liking it that much, but I'm getting used to it!

Kay :)

Is Dementia Contagious?

I cooked today. Chicken fried rice. Mom always says that I use an incredible number of ingredients when I cook.

1. Olive Oil
2. Butter
3. Onion
4. Garlic
5. Basmati Rice
6. Bacon
7. Eggs
8. Baby Bellas
9. Red, Yellow, Orange and Green Bell Pepper
10. Onion
11. Cashews
12. Trader Joe's General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce (yummers)
13. Chicken

Hmm. She may be right. The rice was delicious.

The Mallaney Family Reunion is next Saturday. I'm wondering if I should send out a warning e-mail to the cousins, in case Dad hits on one of them? I'm mulling that over. And I'm taking extra beer.

I guess in my prior post I shouldn't have said that church is annoying, I guess it is the dementia that is annoying. I guess. If going to mass would shut Dad up and satisfy him I'd take him to every mass I could (or find someone to do that! lol), but most of the time he can't even remember being at mass 10 minutes after he gets home. I guess he tried to walk to mass today. Now there is an alarm on the door. The back gates are chained so he can't get out back there unless he goes over. Problem is when you lock someone with dementia in, you lock yourself in too.

I kind of think of my father now as two different people. Is he "Dad" or "Bernie"? Bernie is kind of a stranger, he is Dad before I knew him. Honestly, sometimes I can't believe Mom married him! Dad is still in there sometimes. He kind of comes and goes. Or maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part. I'm too tired to think about that right now.

I did a blog search for "Dementia Dad" and came across a caregiver's blog about caring for her dad. Her dad was doing the same things as mine, wanting to go home, alternately cute/ornery, etc. She doesn't know how much longer she can do it. I feel for her.

I thought to myself that poor Mom looks so old and tired today, and shit, I kind of glanced up while I was bent over the sink, brushing my teeth (not a good look for Kay Kay!), so do I! And I forgot about the fat part! Eating doesn't really help with dementia I guess. And I have a big old swollen gland, sore as heck. Grrrrr. When it rains it pours I guess. Life's a pisser sometimes for sure.

At least we are getting a break from the heat, might get down into the 50's tonight! Nice sleeping weather, I hope!

Kay