March and April and The Best Cat Ever

I started this post in March and never finished it . .. 

Always miss Dad on St. Patrick's Day! He'd put on his best green t-shirt and drink beers at Ebbey's with his chums, come home and "nap" on the floor  until it was time for corned beef and cabbage. Then he'd "nap" on the floor again until it was time to hit the hay. LOL  Good old Bernie! 

I was late for work one day. Joe called out "Kay . . . Mom can't find her teeth!" Oh man, that is never good! So we are both in there looking and looking and looking. Finally I found them! They were in her mouth! LOLOL  Mom says "I was wondering what you kids were looking for . . . " What a hoot. It is good to have a sense of humor around the Morris Mallaney Household. 

Mom is holding steady, some up days some down days. Her appetite is good. Like mother like daughter. Her hearing is going now ugh. What next. 

Finn hadn't been himself and I had him to the vet again. For a period of time he had been off, he was losing weight and wasn't very peppy and I'd have him the vet and he'd have a vitamin shot, or an antibiotic if he had a little wound and for a time he'd perk up but then go downhill again. On his 13th birthday, after x-rays and an ultrasound, I found out he had some sort of cancer, most likely lymphoma. He had a steroid shot and a vitamin shot and some fluids and he perked up a little but clearly he was not feeling well. He only went outside when I took him out and he spent most of days on the floor in front of the heat vent. I opted for no treatment beyond that initial steroid shot and fluids and had him home a few days. I am tending to a friend's cat and to contrast a peppy, healthy older cat with Finn, it became clear to me he wasn't enjoying life, he just was not catting, and we had our last trip to the vet on Friday. I will sure miss that boy. He was much loved.

He was a sweet kitten.

He did engage in some petty thievery, but he turned out ok, it was just like misdemeanor stuff.

He liked to garden.

He was really good at being a cat.

Did I say he was a cute kitten? This is my first photo of him.

He liked to read the paper too.

He disappeared once for a few days and came back smelling like he had been moonlighting as a mechanic. He caught scary things in the house, bats and bugs. Of course he may also have brought them in! LOL He was excellent company for me during my recuperation from surgeries. A couple of times he came in my room in the night and talked to me and batted at me until I got up, and I followed him into mom's room and she was laying there all cold, her blankets had fallen off. He is the only Mallaney cat to face evacuation (due to the lithium fire) and he did not enjoy his trip to Streator one bit, but he behaved admirably. There was the horrible incident on the patio where his tail snuck under my rocking chair and he lost the tip, but he did not hold a grudge. He was not a good fighter, I don't even want to know how much money he cost me at the vet with his various ailments and abscesses, but it was all worth it. He was a keeper. I will miss that green-eyed boy very much. I told him to look for Bernie and he would get some pats. He purred all the way to the end and was a brave boy. 

Kay 

No News is Good News

Gosh I haven't posted for a long time. Yet I really have nothing to post, this could be the most boring thing you will read this year! LOL

Mom is holding steady. The Medicare bath aide still comes twice a week and the nurse once a week. The nurse recommended we call hospice for palliative care. She actually recommended this like 4 times. I finally called and mom was evaluated. With the palliative care a nurse practitioner will come out once a month and keep an eye on things and we will keep the Medicare nurse and bath aide. Well, the hospice nurse practitioner called after she evaluated mom and thought hospice being called was premature . . . which is why I dilly dallied on calling in the first place. She is going to come every 8 weeks for now, and we can call her if something comes up or if we have concerns. Once the time comes for more in depth hospice care the nurse practitioner will come weekly and hospice aids will take over the visits that are now covered by Medicare. 

Mom is still pretty much with it most of the time, though slightly out of it at other times. Sometimes she thinks she is at Park Pointe and she talks to me like I am an employee at Park Pointe. Like the other night she said, rather disapprovingly,  "I was supposed to see the doctor today." I said "Oh really, what for?" Apparently she was due for a medication review and she had some other issues she wanted to discuss with him. OK. 

Sometimes I'll go in her room and her legs are on the side of the bed. I ask her what she is up to and she'll say she was going to get up and do this chore or that chore, but she is feeling lazy. It is actually a real relief she doesn't try to get up at all, the sound of an old person falling is terrifying. 

And she is hallucinating a small, black kitten. When she first started talking about a black, furry object that visits her at night I admit I was sort of weirded out. But good old Finnegan would take care of any unwanted small, furry objects --- or even wanted small furry objects in case anyone is wondering why Kay doesn't go get a black kitten! Finnegan 25# tom cat vs. small kitten . . . the thought strikes terror into my soul.  My friend's father-in-law hallucinated a dead cow in his yard and would plead with any visitors to please go bury that dead cow. So all things considered I think a cute, black kitten is a nice fantasy. Apparently the kitten sleeps with her all night most nights. OK.

John came for a visit this past weekend, she liked that. 

Joe will be 61 this March. How did we get so old?

Feels weird today not wearing my mask on a lanyard around my neck today. 

My boss has an opponent in the primary in June. I would appreciate everyone pulling a Republican ballot and voting for him, Chris Mehochko for Regional Superintendent of Schools. He is a good guy and does a great job. Plus I want to keep my job. I always felt bad for my friends at the  courthouse at election time, change can be rough. My former boss was appointed, not elected, so this is my first time in an election situation. I gotta say, don't like it. 

So no news is good news, at least for the Morris Mallaneys. Things are pretty boring and that is fine with me!

Best to all. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had our usual bountiful meal. My turkey was almost too pretty to eat . . . almost . . .

John offered to make dessert . . . carrot cake was my idea. Yum.

If you are wondering if that is a really big piece of carrot cake or a really small pink plate, the answer is yes to both. John warned me the frosting on the carrot cake might be too thick. Haha he is such a jokester! LOL Is that even possible? It is delicious. 

Mom is in a good mood. She doesn't get up anymore. Her appetite is pretty good. She enjoys her meals. Sometimes she doesn't seem to know where she is. And sometimes she talks nonsense, but she comes out of it. Usually if she has a bad night's sleep we can expect some interesting old people stuff the next day. She asked Joe who his boss is. Sometimes she seems surprised to see me and comments that she didn't know I was staying here too. When she says stuff like that I suspect she thinks we are both in the nursing home! LOL  Sometimes I just say, Mom --- you aren't making sense, have a rest and I'll be back later. Whew, so far it has worked. It is sad to see Mom so weak and frail, but I gotta say, after chasing peppy Bernie around after the dementia and having to try to keep him from escaping and returning to his family in the United States, mom is pretty easy. Bernie was sneaky and quick, even in his 90s!

Best to all. 

Tryptophan Kay 

84

Jo Ann is 84 today. John has work stuff today, a fundraiser, so he came home yesterday for Mom's birthday celebration. Since John is off the animal products I decided to make a big pot of chili, which mom loves anyway, she loves all things soup and bean, and left some of it vegan and the carnivorous Mallaneys had some spicy sausage and a touch of beef broth stirred into theirs. I gotta say, with some toppers of corn chips, sharp cheddar, sour cream, green onions and cilantro, along with some corn muffins, it really hit the spot on a cool fall day. I made this no-bake cheesecake stuff Mom has made as long as I can remember, with pineapple and cream cheese and cool whip and a graham cracker crust. It was a good day. Mom will definitely want her favorite Aurelio's pizza for her birthday meal, but with John off the cheese we will have it another day. 

Mom doesn't get up anymore, she is in bed all the time. She is holding steady. Her appetite is pretty good and she is in a good mood (usually). Sometimes though we all get tired and short.  Sometimes she can't hear. Or chooses not to . . . lol. Once in a while she is totally out of it, but I've noticed those periods usually follow a bad sleeping night. Like the other day she said "Well, I suppose I'll get out of here one of these days!?"  And then one night she said "I don't suppose a person can get a cup of coffee and a cookie around this place!?" I mean come on Jo Ann . . . we always have coffee and cookies! LOL  I asked her where she thinks she is, and told her she was at her house on Benton Street where she has lived for 50 years. She told me she doesn't remember Benton Street, she remembers Douglas Street (pre-children) and the farm. I said OK, and got her coffee and cookie.  The next day I asked her where she lived and she looked at me like I had two heads, and she knew the Benton Street address and informed me that she moved here in 1972. Then I think she mentioned to Joe that Kay is slipping. Sigh. It was pretty hilarious. She is still getting visits from the nurse and the bath aide, which is incredibly helpful and makes me feel better about things.  

October seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. I think I say that every month. 

It doesn't seem fair to me that as he ages John's hair is getting black and mine is getting a white as can be. Though I admittedly would look quite strange with black hair. 

Aren't the prices of things crazy! Good lord. Groceries and gas and life! And the time change . . . I can't believe I forgot to change my clock at work on Friday. Kills me going in there on a Monday morning and turning it back an hour! Ok . . . done whining. 

Pretty quiet around these parts. Quiet is GOOD! Hoping to finish up the fall yard work today, John helped with some stuff yesterday, so almost done. 

Best to all. 

Kay ☘

Out Date

Well, Mom will be home on Thursday. She doesn't look too peppy to be honest, but there is no place like home. She is definitely ready to come home. It is nice that a new round of home health care will be available, that is sure a big help and a relief too. I actually saw her bad arm today, it is looking a lot better, a lot less swelling, whew. I happened to be there today when the aide brought her lunch and I asked her how Mom had been eating, and she said not very well. She also unwrapped mom's dessert for her (some sort of ice cream bar), and said that she always finishes that lol. Hopefully her appetite will pick up when she gets home. She looks very thin . . . at least for a Morris Mallaney. She is not one to eat a whole lot at once, just eats little bits often throughout the day, so 3 squares a day isn't really her style, she is missing all the in-between stuff she likes.  We will wait on her at home and I will make sure to have her favorites on hand. 

Just like Mom's last trip to rehab, she is just out of quarantine in time to be discharged. Not that visiting through the 4 inch gap in the window isn't fun! I'm so classy, I just grab my cooler, it is the perfect height, I sit down and I'm right at window level. Unfortunately the cooler is empty when I go visit Mom.

Joe went to doc this week and had to go on cholesterol medicine. Interestingly enough, when he went to pick up his Rx he also picked up a pack of breakfast sausage too. I asked if the doctor had talked to him about any dietary changes and he said no, but today he came home from the store with oatmeal? LOL  I'll be going for blood work soon, won't be surprised if it happens to me too. Oh boy.

Finn went to the vet yesterday for an abscess, gosh it is nasty looking. $133.50. Yep. 

I'd pull up the garden, but the pollinators and birds are really enjoying it. The hummingbirds are very interesting characters. I could have done without this latest hot spell too. I'm ready for fall.

I'm off the Braidwood Rec Club courtesy of my friends Mar and Geo for beers and a cookout. Have a good weekend all!

Kay 

Back to Rehab

Well I got up to the hospital after work on Tuesday to visit Mom and she wasn't in her room. She was having a procedure. I assumed it was the elbow. I went to cafeteria and had some supper and went back up afterwards and she still wasn't back. I got to the car and my phone rang, and it was a doctor telling me the procedure went well they didn't see anything to be concerned about. What? Apparently after a blood test some numbers had dropped, and she had passed a little blood so they did an upper GI. What next! Mom tolerated the procedure well. 

So yesterday I got a call she was medically discharged and should go to rehab or released to home with home health care. I really feel rehab was the best choice. I was relieved because I am a little freaked on that elbow wound, so hopefully by the time she gets out of rehab it will be well on its way to being healed up. And she is very weak. So she is back at Park Pointe, 14 day isolation, and we can visit through the window again. Sad, but it is what she needs.  I popped up on my lunch break yesterday to see her before she got transported and she was a trifle hangry again. I called downstairs to see if she could have lunch, but they had orders she was on a liquid diet only. Mom did not wish to partake in any liquids at that time . . . oh dear. I certainly hope she got something to eat last night . . . a hungry Morris Mallaney is not a pretty thing.  I got some clothes together for her and Joe dropped them off last night but couldn't find her window to visit. I'll head over tonight after work.

So Jo Ann is out of the hospital and one step closer to home.

Kay 

Mom Update

Mom is still in the hospital. They opened up her elbow again today to drain some infection. They might have been going a bit deeper today, because she wasn't able to have anything to eat or drink before this procedure so maybe it was going to be more than a local. I gotta say she was a little hangry at noon today when I saw her.  She was also sitting up in a recliner. Poor Jo Ann. Hopefully the antibiotics will be able to get working with that gross stuff out of there. She is back on the regular floor. Her blood pressure is still acting up so they are working on that. No word yet on when she might be released. Her appetite is good and her color is better. She is ready to come home! Joe ran up after supper and said the procedure went well, Mom was waiting on her supper. They better feed her . . . lol. 

Hopefully my next update will be her discharge date!

Kay