Saturday, August 13, 2011
JoJo sleeping in Dad's chair
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Dad Dilemma
Well, it is time for Dad to get some help. He lives by himself (his wife died about 7 years ago - it's hard for me to think of her as a stepmom only because my parents were divorced after Dad retired - She was a lovely woman and a great companion for my Dad).
We made another trip to the ER yesterday; he hurts, doesn't feel good and was quite distressed as well as being confused. They really can't do anything because of his other health issues and pain medication is not an option while he's living on his own. I really think his body is just slowly shutting down.
He's a veteran (oh my gosh - the paperwork is a form designed in the dark ages and certainly not Mac-friendly - it may not be MS friendly but I don't have any easy way to try that one out). He was in the Army WWII and the Air Force - I was actually born at Carswell AFB. And then because Mom didn't want to go to Germany, he resigned and went on to other work. But I will say, he must have been born with military in his blood. Too bad he couldn't stay there.
The ER dr (Dr Elder) and all the nurses are so nice to him. We met the liasons last night and they are wonderful people. Pleasant and helpful.
So today we were approved for 7 days in a rehab place. He was so excited to go and that actually made me feel bad. He's worried about his cat but I'll go over and make sure JoJo is ok and has plenty of food and water AND a place inside during the day. He is an indoor outdoor cat that that hates rain and cold. He's a sweet cat too but at 15, he's going to be hard to find a home. I wish I could have another one but that won't work - he is a long-hair - well only when it grows out from being shaved. Since Dad can't comb/brush him properly, he tends to get mats and sheds too!
But he is safe, happy (well, we'll see how it goes tomorrow), will be around other people and won't have to cook for a few days. And that is what is important.
He's a veteran (oh my gosh - the paperwork is a form designed in the dark ages and certainly not Mac-friendly - it may not be MS friendly but I don't have any easy way to try that one out). He was in the Army WWII and the Air Force - I was actually born at Carswell AFB. And then because Mom didn't want to go to Germany, he resigned and went on to other work. But I will say, he must have been born with military in his blood. Too bad he couldn't stay there.
The ER dr (Dr Elder) and all the nurses are so nice to him. We met the liasons last night and they are wonderful people. Pleasant and helpful.
So today we were approved for 7 days in a rehab place. He was so excited to go and that actually made me feel bad. He's worried about his cat but I'll go over and make sure JoJo is ok and has plenty of food and water AND a place inside during the day. He is an indoor outdoor cat that that hates rain and cold. He's a sweet cat too but at 15, he's going to be hard to find a home. I wish I could have another one but that won't work - he is a long-hair - well only when it grows out from being shaved. Since Dad can't comb/brush him properly, he tends to get mats and sheds too!
But he is safe, happy (well, we'll see how it goes tomorrow), will be around other people and won't have to cook for a few days. And that is what is important.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Cooking on the Patio has a new meaning....
Oh yes, cooking on patio can mean exactly that! Use the patio instead of the grill. Grill marks may be off a little but.....
We are breaking all kinds of heat records (I say we stop doing that NOW!) and even night time temperatures are high (seldom below 80). The shades in the master bathroom are pulled down as they face the west and while that makes the room stay a little cooler than usual, it makes for unhappy cats. Sam guards the backyard late at night from his perch on the window sill and Millie likes to take a belly tan in the afternoon from the same spot. See, they can share as long as it isn't at the same time.
Temporary curtains have been put in the living room windows (they face west too) and while they are red, it makes it hard for me to know what time of the day it is. So tomorrow, I will keep them open in the morning and close them in the afternoon until the sun goes down or the temperatures gets below 100.
Both the master bathroom and living room face west and that's the back yard. It's still pretty although I've moved all pots to the shade and all the baskets are on the ground. The volunteer sunflower helps shade a few things that are still on the patio but they seem to be handling the heat very well. I will take pictures so I remember to get the same things next year even though I really really hope that we don't have this kind of heat for a long long time.
Water and electricity are getting scarce. And it's hard on everyone. We must limit our yard water of course, but I still water the grass once a week so it doesn't die completely as I like the oxygen it generates. And I don't want the big tree to die of thirst - I don't like the stupid thing but I'm not going to hasten it's death either. And trying to limit electricity use between 3 and 7pm isn't too hard.
But I do worry about my dad. He's a stubborn old coot and won't listen and realize he can't be out in this heat. It makes him crankier and it isn't good for his health. And now that his legs are bothering him, the heat just seems to make it worse. I hope other people are looking after the elderly in their neighborhoods.
We are breaking all kinds of heat records (I say we stop doing that NOW!) and even night time temperatures are high (seldom below 80). The shades in the master bathroom are pulled down as they face the west and while that makes the room stay a little cooler than usual, it makes for unhappy cats. Sam guards the backyard late at night from his perch on the window sill and Millie likes to take a belly tan in the afternoon from the same spot. See, they can share as long as it isn't at the same time.
Temporary curtains have been put in the living room windows (they face west too) and while they are red, it makes it hard for me to know what time of the day it is. So tomorrow, I will keep them open in the morning and close them in the afternoon until the sun goes down or the temperatures gets below 100.
Both the master bathroom and living room face west and that's the back yard. It's still pretty although I've moved all pots to the shade and all the baskets are on the ground. The volunteer sunflower helps shade a few things that are still on the patio but they seem to be handling the heat very well. I will take pictures so I remember to get the same things next year even though I really really hope that we don't have this kind of heat for a long long time.
Water and electricity are getting scarce. And it's hard on everyone. We must limit our yard water of course, but I still water the grass once a week so it doesn't die completely as I like the oxygen it generates. And I don't want the big tree to die of thirst - I don't like the stupid thing but I'm not going to hasten it's death either. And trying to limit electricity use between 3 and 7pm isn't too hard.
But I do worry about my dad. He's a stubborn old coot and won't listen and realize he can't be out in this heat. It makes him crankier and it isn't good for his health. And now that his legs are bothering him, the heat just seems to make it worse. I hope other people are looking after the elderly in their neighborhoods.
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