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dam my new stone saw blew up . blown head gasket , stuck ring , something. it came from ebay and i believe the seller will make it right. they sure try to avoid derrogatory product reviews . one more day of stonework then i get to take a few days and replace the body panels on the little gmc. its a 91 but soon to be as good as a new truck , maybe better , less electronics.
then i get to cut firewood for my customer till his next stone job is ready. lilly will like that , ill be in the forest in the shade . i should be working on this ranch for years , three stone homes are being built for customers family.
edna is patiently waiting for me to get " jimmy " going . she loves that little truck ..
welp, gotta take her a donut, get her meds out and get to work..
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Failure: Have spent my entire day of the phone with various offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs....got nowhere....no one seems to know what the other one is doing....it is so disappointing and something that used to seem to take a ten minute phone call got routed and re routed and then disconnected, then heaven forbid you think you will get the same person again ...you won't so it all starts over again...finally thought I made it through the maze of hullabaloo and was filling out the information online as instructed by the person who is delegated with the responsibility of helping folks do this only to be disconnected and upon calling back, am informed that all of the info I am filling out is of no use to me as I am not considered a dependent of a war veteran. I could not get it through her head that I was calling as a fiduciary of a surviving spouse of a veteran....didn't matter, made no progress, now the day is shot, I'm exhausted...and getting sleepy, and my entire day is shot....ugh
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Ugggggghhh, Hope, that is so frustrating.

I don't know if this would work with your species of pen-pusher, or if your mother would be up to it, but when I used to have to talk to bank people, government people and the like on my mother's behalf I'd start the conversation by saying "I'm calling on my mother's behalf, and I'll ask her now to give you permission to talk to me - " then put mother on the 'phone so she could tell them she wanted them to deal with her daughter (i.e. me). Convoluted but it usually worked.

And I was going to report that my major accomplishment today (apart from not swearing at siblings) was discovering that, yes, it is possible to make spaghetti sauce, cook pasta and feed the dog while dancing to "As" by Stevie Wonder. Well. I call it dancing and there was nobody there to claim any different, anyway.
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I had a wonderful biz meeting with a graphic artist who needs to have a videographer on hand when she completes websites. She was so nice and lovely. Since this caregiving stuff I really appreciate nice people more than ever! I feel so good when I am respected and listened to, it's easy for me to go and on. It was a nice time and I am hoping good $ comes my way. This winter was the pitiful.

Mom chewed up and spit out several people in just a month: caregivers from an agency, people to take her to her senior center a few towns away. People tend to fade away on her and she is clueless about why! I feel sorry for her but gosh, she sure can be annoying, demanding, and downright mean at times.
I spent a few hours doing research on her furniture that she now wants to sell. After I gave her my findings, she dismissed everything I said and wants to bother her new friend (a busy nurse with a quad. son) and ask for her opinions. That poor lady will be doing the disappearing act too in a few weeks, I am sure. How much can one take?
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I took daughter to dr today and we got good news about her thryoid , Then took Mom to her first apointment for a hearing aid.. Hooray!! They are ordered and should be ready in about a week for her fitting. Maybe now we can turn the TV down to a normal volume so we don't go deaf too!! and it was 1/2 what she decided she was not going to pay!
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countrymouse....any time now when I put Mama on the phone she doesn't say anything. these folks will ask may they get her permission and of course I tell them the circumstances but add by all means I will put her on. I always have to send the POA but this particular bunch of folks already have all the info re that, they just don't know what the heck is going on....I kept picturing the keystone cops while I was hold ...I had so many lofty plans today...the only one I actually "did" was plant my deep purple morning glories that I love so much...and that seemed to almost do me in...so today i am feeling like a complete failure for being unable to do the simplest thing without wanting to take a nap.... :(
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Morning glories are BEAUTIFUL, and so prolific - getting that done makes up for everything else.

Love the keystone cops image. You do, don't you: close your eyes, hold your breath and think "what. in. the. name. of. sweet. bejasus. are. you. DOING???"

And the effort it takes not to be sarcastic when the penny finally drops!

Phew. Hope you have better luck with them next time. Not possible to put it all down in an email, then ring and tell them to Read It?
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About putting Mom on phone.. HA, I recently called Mom's bank which they have my POA on file BUT the women insisted on getting Mom's permission to speak with me! I said "good luck with that" to the women "she has Alzheimer's".

Well it was hysterical from my end. Mom was holding phone to her hear screaming " ha, I can't hear you" over and over.. I could hear the women yelling back "is this Mary"? Finally, I heard the the woman ask for me, so I took the phone back and said " I told you so".. She gave in and gave me the information I needed!
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my gosh . i tried to work today and one hour in my legs wouldnt hold me up . not an illness , just fatigue. ive humped big stones 7 days a week then worked on jim in the evenings. eventually you will fall on your face .. gosh , i need a girl in my life. my dreams and goals are rewarding beyond comprehension , just gotta find a girl who wants the same things.. country living , the freedom of self employment , trikes to play with when the weather is nice , and hopefully more kinks than yobamas pubes.. ( surmising here , no real evidence .) lol
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Is this the "accountability" thread?

I cleaned out the fridge. I mean the ENTIRE thing and used bleach. It is sparkly and smells fab. Something had died way in the back and by the time I found it, well, it was empty.

Now.... I need to put the stuff back in that's taking up the entire counter.

I've got the boots, gloves, helmet and jacket. Why is it all the fun people are on the other side of the d*mn world?
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Thank you SO much for that mental image, Captain.
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I am having fun making a tv show and working making a piece about 2 amazing women who become top world champs in the auctioneer world. Then I took a break an went to see my friend, a doctor and Naturopath. He needed video of one of his work places that he needs to rent. In exchange for some work I got some thyroid pills to balance T3 & T4. I tried one bottle a few months ago and felt like my whole body was balanced and was resetting itself. Than I ran out and noticed a decline again.
My doctor friend says, "wait til I get some wrinkle cream in here. You'll be looking so good, you can have boyfriend problems!"
That was a good laugh.
"no thanks. But I'd love to feel young and pretty again anyways."
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jeanette,
i had a visit from a girl one time that was pretty comical . she thought she was going out with a stereotypical " biker " . she brought all kinds of boots and her biker " costume only to find herself riding on my globwelded yamanissanfordchevhonda, with a significant amount of welded in fuel oil drum.
i ride junk . its the funnest junk in the world and roughly brush painted. i havent the need to impress anyone. i think thats whats referred to as a superiority complex. i dont need anyones approval .. i have a hard time keeping a straight face when i pass columns of shiny harleys each with a payment booklet 1-1/2 inches thick and of course the faux menacing scowl the " bikers " wear . ive been riding ike for 29 years , were pretty set in our ways ..
dam , i got some rest today. been feeling good and really pushing it..
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globwelded yamanissanfordchevhonda

ROFLMAO!!!!!!

There is just NO way anyone would EVER figure you're a fluffy shiny bike kinda guy. LOL! sorry :) You forget I've got 3 older brothers. That's all we did was build things...like I said, all the fun ones live far away!

Glad your feeling better!!!
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well , gotta take my hor aunt a donut. cant get her on ike this year but it isnt 90 degrees yet. she loves ike but those memories have been lost to her . if i keep " jim " down another week she'll ride a f - in cuisineart if its the only thing moving .
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on a positive note i DID get her outta those boots , lol ..
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An early accomplishment....I got brutal with the fridge. I love a tidy fridge and this morning saw ours had gotten somewhat askew....so got rid of most of it, including all those little packets of sauce, ketchup, etc. that you just know you will use one day but you never do.....so out they went...ahhhh....love opening the door and seeing nothing but clean shelves, with lots of little bottles of ensure and jevity.....a good start to a productive day...
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Hey Hope! Next time your "friendly helpful" visitor is over, I've just thought of something useful you could give her to do - got any drains that need unblocking? Ovens that need cleaning? Your clearing out the fridge gave me the idea - all those jobs we love to hate piling up..?!
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The main thing I think for all who are visiting a caregiver and their loved one to remember is....please be considerate and don't outstay your welcome...and then, unless you can help and contribute in a useful way, leave at a reasonable time....

I found out last night my cousin may have some serious health issues on the horizon so I will give her a pass. :)
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I'm sorry to hear that. It's nice of you, but do take care of you too, won't you?
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Hi, My name is Brenna. This is my first time here. I take care of my elderly Mother who is 84. My dad is 90 but he still gets around good and is amazing. My Mom can't walk and it's hard lifting her from the bed to the wheelchair but God helps me each day. She is a blessing. I'm so thankful I still have both parents. They have been married for 68 years.

Hope all of you are having a good day.
Thanks for listening.
Brenna
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Hi Brenna~Welcome! It's wonderful that your father is getting around so well at his age. I'm sure that your parents appreciate the care that you give to your mother. Best Wishes:) ~Summer
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Hi Brenna - welcome!

Failure for today: dishes still not done. I did, however, get water and soap in the sink and get them soaking. Just no time!

Accomplishments for today:

MAJOR SUCCESS! After 4 days of no shower, Mom FINALLY showered, which brightened my mood considerably. I *hate* it when she won't shower. I keep thinking of the all the germs, fungi and bacteria growing in her skin folds and other unmentionable areas. Ick. She is prone to yeast growth on her skin if not cared for properly, and 4 days without a shower is NOT cool.

Also, I asked Sis #2 if she would be around this weekend to take Mom to the Mem Day parade in the next town over for their big festival. Nope. But apparently she said something to Brother, who messaged me this morning and said he could pick her up Sat a.m. and take her to the parade. YESSSSS! Oh my gosh, I will have 2-3 hours of uninterrupted blissful peace and quiet! I won't know what to do with myself! Oh, wait...I have to work. LOL Oh well - at least it will be quiet and I'll have some alone time. Incredible! Maybe it's not *my* accomplishment, but it makes me happy, anyway.

Those two things alone are enough to brighten my previously-dark mood!
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Hi Brenna! Welcome!!! We're glad you are here!
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Hi Brenna welcome to AC..

P.S. We take complaints too! LOL
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Yahoo, I finally made it to the town exercise class at the senior center. I'm tired but happy. Been on my to do list for...well for....um, never mind!
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After a pretty unproductive "middle of the day"...I got moving again this afternoon and hit the yards again...got a LOT of overgrown shrubbery and such cleared out shaped, and/or pruned....now we can see all of Mama's pretty roses....yay me!!! love how it feels to get a good hot shower after all that hot dirty work and enjoy my handiwork with my evening cups of coffee...
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dad had a perky day.. found him down by the road when I came back from errands, Drove him back to the house and asked Mom if she lost someone..LOL He was wanting to clean up the hedgerow on our neighbors property. Then we transplanted the seedlings into bigger pots. Then he wanted to dig in the dirt.. so I left him dig a 3x4 area for the seedlings when we move them. This man would not even go for a walk last week.. he may not be able to move tomorrow but today he felt useful! And I caught him in time! Go me and Dad!!!
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this thread is labeled well and for everyone who wants to count their blessings or complain . i got the current facet of my stonework done today , got home and had the gmc body parts . im gonna spend about 4 days making a new truck out of a 91 , very exited ..
my next job is cutting firewood in the forest , i need jim to do that ..
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I love this thread. Nobody (Mom) seems to notice how much I do accomplish every day,and it feels good to share. Really big one today.....I did NOTHING! It was one of "sisters" rare generous days and I had from 1 till 8 to MYSELF! Normally if she's gone, I throw myself into projects I can't do when she's hovering around. So today I RESTED!
Failure......eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's for dinner.
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