Heh, what was that you said??

Dad was up and finished breakfast and ready to head out to the Senior Center. I had him call my sister....then I saw that he was still awake so I asked him if he wanted to call Louise, his gal friend in Indiana.

I dialed the number, said hello and told Louise Dad was wanting to talk to her....she is having a hard time hearing. I hand the phone to Dad and his hand was shaking with the Parkinson's. He starts his conversation with Louise....

Odus: I am having a hard time holding the phone, my hand keeps shaking and I can't get a good hold of it. If I was there with you I sure could get a hold of you though!

Dad waits to get a response....he pulls the phone away from his head and tells me....Oh she didn't hear me....she can't hear anything anymore with those hearing aids.

LOL...what's an old man to do when he can't even flirt on the phone anymore?

Time for Bed...

Rod and I just got Dad ready for bed. He had been in the living room sleeping of course. So he gets the usual done, pot, teeth out, face washed, then sets on the bed.
I stood there waiting for him to lay down be he just sets there. So I walked away and went to my bedroom to finish up some laundry and I come back to him and he is STILL sitting up.
Wendy: Don't let it bother you that I am standing here on my tired legs waiting for you to get in bed so I can cover you up.
Dad: Dad don't it bother you that I am sitting here freezing to death waiting for you to COME and cover me up!

And so it goes.

Lost in the translation...

Another informative conversation between Wendy and Odie.

According to Dad we have 8 mice in house, mostly in his bedroom...at night...in the dark.
So his solution is for me to come in at night, wait for the mice to appear and catch them at night...in the dark.
Yeah.
Apparently last night he caught a little one, and squashed him. So I asked him where was the mouse now. He didn't know.
That might be cause he was invisible.
So you squashed him and didn't get goo on your hand? nope.
Again, that might be because he was invisible.
So I said I would call the invisible exterminator.

He gave me a dirty look.

AHA! I am back to posting...on FATHER'S DAY 2012

Long break between posts. I am busy, no doubt, but some days I just can't think of what to say.

Just to catch up a little bit....Dad had pneumonia a month ago and spent 5 days in the hospital. We got it tended to very quickly. He started coughing on a Saturday night....started spitting up phlegm on Sunday afternoon at 2pm and was admitted by 6pm that very day. Had we let it go, not knowing what it was, it would have been a lot worse. The home health nurse had JUST been here and listened to his lungs on Wednesday night prior. So it was a fast moving pneumonia. I know with the history of lung problems in our family you don't try to fix it ourselves. Can't be done. I have a history of bronchitis, so did Mom, my sister too and most of Dad's family.
So with some extra care at home after the hospital stay, Dad is better than normal now. In fact, today, he got up on his own, did the bathroom routine with a little help and was motivated to do some things without prompting. That's a first in a very long time.

As some of you know, we just came back from Indiana a week ago. The trip was good for Dad in some ways.....and in other ways, it tired him out. By the end of the week, he had full dementia and was driving us all bonkers. He kept me up two nights at my sister in law's before we headed back to Oklahoma on Sunday. OMG, what a ride home. He had to sit in the back with me because he was grabbing at the steering wheel with Rod driving....he would not stop it so we pulled over and moved him to where I could take care of it. Then he tried to open the door but we had the kids lock on so he couldn't do much. He would NOT go to sleep. So when he got home, he crashed for 2 days.....he needed sleep.....it's a pattern that we often go through. So I let him sleep and would wake him only to use the bathroom and drink fluids. Monday he was so out of it that he didn't even go to Sr Ctr. By Tuesday he was made to go....haha I needed SLEEP! He finally got into the swing of things and by Thursday he was better than usual. He remembers NOTHING of the things that went on during the dementia. He remembers little of from the time we got to Logansport, until we left there. He remembers bits and pieces. He sleeps so much in between that they things he does before he naps fades away. He told me when we got home it was hard to stay awake. He had to force himself to do so.
However, the goal was for him to visit his friends and family who came to see him for one last time....{unless they visit him here} This was our last trip to Logansport. There will be one last trip for Dad and he said that will be when he is laid next to Mom.

He no longer can take those long trips, it was obvious on this last trip. His house is sold.....and he can't function like he used to for enjoying any more trips. I have wanted to take him on a cruise to Alaska for the last several years but he won't go. He says all he will do is sleep anyway. LOL Probably so. I can see it now.....DAD DAD, there's the first sighting of the whales......DAD DAD......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
He says he can watch all that on TV. haha He sleeps through that even!!!!
So I will find stuff locally to keep him entertained. IF ONLY I had some hot little 90 year old to keep his eyes open!  His now girlfriend told him a long time ago to find someone down here to talk to and keep company with.....but he won't do it.....he says he is a one woman man!

So yet another day goes by....Dad is resting after church on this Father's Day. He had one of his favorite meals at Egg It On restaurant.
He has talked to his other daughter and his gal friend already today....so he is down for the afternoon for a nice long nap!

"CEREAL KILLER"

There have been times when shopping with Dad I have laughed....but not like this time.
I separated from Rod and Dad one day at Walmart. I thought that it might not be a good idea but I thought about just how much trouble they could get into and then went ahead and left them anyway. I told Dad to get whatever he wanted and needed.
So I catch up to them in the laundry aisle. I looked down into Dad's cart and counted the boxes of cereal and lost it. {Dad loves cold cereal} The choice of cereal made it even funnier....Cookie Crisp, Lucky Charms, Sugar Frosted Flakes, Golden Grahams, and Mini Wheats...the only healthy one in the bunch....also note the two bags of candy in the corner right of the photo. Oh and pickles...hahaha What a combo! Note that if you have been in any Walmart store...the candy is no where near the food section...so he had Rod make a mad dash to the other side of the store for that candy!

I laughed and laughed until my cheeks hurt. I couldn't even get out the words that described why I was laughing. Dad kept asking me what was so funny. 

Every time I started to talk I burst into laughter again. People around us were laughing and they didn't even know why.
Finally after a few isles I told Dad, to end his curiosity, as to why I was laughing.....it was the number of boxes of cereal that he had. Did we really need that much cereal? The choices of cereal were the choices of a 3 year old.....the candy in the corner was priceless when he had bags of uneaten candy at home.
To make it all even funnier in my mind....He always tells me he is not longed for this world BUT at the rate he thinks he is leaving, is he going to have the TIME to finish all these boxes of cereal. I had 2 boxes of cereal also in my cart!! It was a riot I tell you.
On top of that he had TWO bags of chips. One was sour cream and chive....and the other plain potato chips. Sour Cream and chive? That's odd....he always complained about that flavor when Mom bought it. He wanted Barbecue flavor. Odd what you miss when a loved one is gone. 

Will I miss cereal boxes when Dad is gone? Probably.....but I will always have this story and this photo of the day Dad became a cereal killer!

The Peanut Butter didn't have a chance.

Dad can barely shave...most days he misses half of it...he can't shower alone...He can't even dress himself and get all the clothes on correctly. Forget about writing a letter or spreading his own sandwich with mayo....HOWEVER, any given day Dad sure can dig out the peanut butter from the bottom of the jar!! I saw him working so hard on this for 30 minutes and I just had to go get the camera....I couldn't stop jiggling the camera from laughing. It's hard to be quiet and not laugh at this.

Catching up...

Ooops, too long in between posts. I told my Sister part of a couple stories I needed to get in here to post. She says she checks often if I have written anything so I suppose I best get with it and get something going. It's not that I don't have anything to say. haha Oh that would probably never happen unless my tongue was missing.

First of all, I have been preoccupied with some changes going on within the family and by the time I get around to posting, I am too pooped to pop. Or in this case, to write and think.
I am getting much done around the house though. I am still putting up Dad's shelving and cabinets....I have one cabinet of Dad's to sand down and stain before it goes up on the wall. I have let it set long enough. When Dad built this cabinet he made it to not show on the left side...but where it's going in his room, it will show so I have to finish the left side to match the right side. It's been on my to-do list.

Most of the time he deals okay with dementia but it's at night it is the worse.
That's when I need to sleep but he has many things happening at the very time my brain says to sleep. On the weekends when Rod doesn't work he gets up with Dad so I can sleep. The rest of the time is my turn. Last night was not especially pleasant. Dad argues with me as I have pointed out before...he won't take my word or anyone else's that what he sees is not really happening. During the day one can reason with him but in the middle of the night when he is half asleep....well, let's just say, if you are in the conversation with Dad, you might as well give it up and uh huh everything. haha. There is no winning the argument at 4 am.

He got on the phone the other day to talk to my Sister. You would think he is the doom and gloom bearer of news. "I can't go outside by myself", I heard him say. OUTSIDE by himSELF?? Where did that come from? If I told him to go outside you would think he was being tortured. haha. He has no desire to go outside...in fact, when I open his door to the outside in his room....first thing out of his mouth, "Where's that draft coming from?" He comes up with some good ones when he is on the phone. He tells his galfriend that he doesn't get to go anywhere and he stays here and sleeps all day!!! The truth is, he gripes that he has to go to so many places. I should make a little video of his daily routine and most people half his age would complain that they are doing too much. He stays as busy as one can stay at almost 92.

He has to stay busy and yes, I make him walk....he wants to park his butt in the wheel chair and I won't let him. I tell him over and over, the day you sit in that wheel chair is the day you give up walking. There are times when he is having a very hard time walking and I have him use the wheel chair but it is only temporarily. We start physical therapy again when that happens. Oh he hates that too! ha

So as far as his health and condition right now....he really is in good shape. He does have that back trouble that causes him not too walk fast. He walks all stooped over and can't stand straight up....but he takes pain medication for it. Enough to keep the major pain down but not too much to cause him to be konked out. There's a fine line in getting the right medication for someone Dad's age.
His Dr and I work to make sure he is never overmedicated. Dad has to be able to help me as much as he can physically do in order for me to take care of him.
His mind is clear most of the time. One thing Dad is very clear about is when it's time to eat! It's a big joke around here about Dad. IF we want him to wake up all we have to do is get some dessert and go in the living room with it and MAGICALLY Dad wakes up, WIDE awake wanting to know where HIS piece is!

So this is an update and stay tuned for some dementia stories....funny stuff to follow this post...

Typical Conversations...

Typical conversations between Dad and me.

Wendy… Dad it's time for your bath.

Dad…What day is it?

Wendy: It’s the day you take your bath, who cares what day it is?

Dad…I DO!

Wendy… It’s time to eat, Dad.

Dad…What time is it?

TIME TO EAT DAD!

Wendy…Come to the bathroom and take your teeth out and get ready for bed.

Dad…I have my teeth out!

Wendy…You do NOT!

Dad…Yes I DO!

Wendy...Use your tongue and feel your teeth.

Dad….hesitates…OH, guess I do have my teeth in.

Just come to the bathroom and do as I ask…

Dad…You ask TOO much!

DUMB and DUMBER...You figure out who is who!

Last Evening...
Dad had just finished eating and was still in the kitchen. Rod had finished and was now in his chair in the living room. I was urging Dad to get up and go to his chair in the living room so I could go and sit down myself.
Dad got up and walked to his chair and I glanced down at his feet and there seemed to be something sticking out of the pants he had on. I didn't think too much of it at the time. I finished walking him to the chair. I got my drink and sat down in my chair. I look over at Dad and asked, "Where did you get those sweat pants that you have on?" He looks at me and says, "Out of the dirty clothes." So here goes twenty questions just to get to the simple truth of the matter....I repeated what all he had said and basically it was like this. He had come home from the Senior Center and he walked back to the bathroom first. He thought his sweat pants he wore from that morning were WET so he took them off. Then he grabbed a pair of DIRTY ones from the hamper in his bathroom. {I have repeatedly asked him NOT to do that. Call me!!} Then somehow those sweatpants had not been cleaned out and he NOW had a pair of his underwear sticking out from the elastic band at the bottom.
I get up from my chair laughing and pull the underwear out. I asked him how they go there and of course, he didn't know. He didn't put them there! Dad, using NO logic whatsoever said they could be the ones he is wearing now. How COULD that be? haha

They also still had the old pad in it that he had taken off with the sweatpants and put in the hamper. {Oh I could tell you horror stories with Dad's dirty clothes hamper}
So he still couldn't figure how those underwear got in there trying to convince me that he didn't put them there. As Rod is laughing along with all this, he pipes up and tells me he can't hear his Celtic Thunder DVD. I looked at him and said calmly, "Does this face look as though it cares that you can't hear the same DVD that you have listened to at least 20 times?" I am still laughing at Dad who is still trying to figure out what happened.

All at the same time, I happened to mention to Rod that if he liked that music so well why didn't he listen to Gordon Lightfoot because that was the ballad type music that he was listening to.
Rod looks at me and says, "Didn't he sing Ella Fitzgerald?"

OMG, I really laughed and peed my pants that time. Ella Fitzgerald!!!! He threw me off so much with that one that I really couldn't even remember the name of the song Gordon sang until 2 days later....The Wreck of The Edmond Fitzgerald!!

So you figure out who is Dumb and who is Dumber!

Working on Dad's Blog

I have been really busy lately and again late on blogging. I was attempting to change the design but the computer doesn't want to cooperate so will do that later.
Dad is doing well. He has a little dementia here and there but nothing that really effects his day to day living.
It seems that when Dad sleeps is when he dreams of being somewhere else and then when he awakes he imagines he is still there.

He comes home from the Senior Center with all kinds of stories about what goes on there... Sometimes he gets irritated that we don't believe him. It's hard to believe that there is a basement where there are "goings on" and such. LOL

I think there was a murder there....and dealing drugs and dope, as he calls it.
He says they are all related there and they show favoritism to some of them. Oh yeah, like when someone else besides Dad gets the biggest piece of cake.  He always has his eyes on everyone else's food. He does that at home and has done that all his life I would bet. He always looked at other people's plates. I think that has a "thing" about food.
I would suppose being the oldest of eight that grew up in the 20's, food was a big deal.
Even after all these years when food was plenty it's always amazing to see those things that stay with us from the time we were little.

Pinocchio Odie

Dad was in the bathroom using the toilet....he seemed to be in a hurry to get there after we just got home from a restaurant. (if ya get my drift)
So next thing I know he is walking into the living room. I asked him why he didn't ring the bell so I could come and help. He said he didn't need to. I asked him if he had a BM and he said yes.
Hmmmm, I always have to assist him with the cleaning so I asked him he had any trouble cleaning himself. He says no....
Next thing I asked was if he washed his hands. I usually clean him because he can't do it very well and then he won't use the soap and water.
Oh yeah, he says....he washed his hands.
Right.
So I grab his hand like I did my little kids and there was no soap smell on them....no dampness from the water either. Did he think I just got off the boat yesterday? haha So he says quickly....Oh I didn't use soap and he grinned.....
So now I am on a quest.....I go to his sink and guess what.....the sink is as dry as it was when it was first put in.
So out to the living room I go...........I said you didn't wash your hands even with water, let alone soap. Now how many things are you going to touch with those germ filled hands before you go to bed.
He starts grinning. I caught him in a big lie and told him he was grounded. LOL He laughed and told me he couldn't pull anything over on me.
Sheesh.....who would have thought and old man would lie to his daughter like that?

Pinocchio lives here.

Have I Got a Girlfriend for My Dad!!

A friend of mine sent me this and he told me that Dad should get a kick out of it. I can't wait to show him when he gets home today from the Senior Center.
See slide show and video...left side, scroll down in article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/automobiles/packard-81-is-a-youngster-to-its-driver.html?_r=1

Dad's Quick Wit...

Dad shaves himself with his electric razor most of the time but he misses spots...so Sunday morning I am helping him get the stubborn hairs under his nose....I 'gently' grab his nose and point it up and use the hand razor to get the hairs....so you have a picture now, right...?

Wendy...I have to get those hairs under your nose....the best way would be the tweezers but you won't hold still for that....*laughing*

Dad...Arrrgggh, do you have to 'bout pull my nose off."

Wendy...I am not pulling your nose off, you exaggerate.

Dad...It feels like you ripped my nose off.

Wendy...There, all shaved...now don't you feel better?

Dad..Yes, now that you quit!

You've Heard of a Traffic Jam but.....

Have you heard of a WALKER JAM?

That's what Dad called it.

Dad and I were relaxing in the living room and he suddenly remembered how the walker isn't working right. What is there to WORK on a walker you might ask? Dad says there are plenty of things to go wrong with a walker....the riveted section, the screws, the brakes need adjustment, (he says they aren't calibrated correctly), & the wheels are too small for the size of the walker. You name it, and there is some need to fix it. IT'S A WALKER, not a CHEVY!

Here's what happens...Dad says the brakes lock up on him causes a Walker Jam at the Senior Center. Yeah....imagine that. I have seen him dozens of times, take off pushing the walker only to move his hands down which locks the walker....he says that's not true...I have witnesses!

So the conversation continues....A walker jam I asked? What has that got to do with a loose screw or brakes slipping and locking up or whatever?

Dad says that when the brakes lock up it causes the walkers to jam into each other. LOL

Ohhhhhh...he says that when he first came there to the center, there was maybe 3 people that used walkers....now there are at least 10 and they are always getting tangled up.

(Not to mention that none of these very Senior people can drive a car or a walker.)

So when I question Dad about how a screw loose can effect his driving capabilities I get answers like......."I ought to know something about how to fix things, I have been doing it for 90 years"....NINETY? He started when he was ONE? LOL

So silly me, I go get the WD-40 which in my opinion, fixes just about everthing....and a screwdriver and a wrench. NONE, I mean not ONE of those screws and nuts were loose. I pointed that out to Dad...."Oh yes they are, you just can't find them." The ones that I tighten aren't even connected to the brakes because there are NONE connected to the brakes. I tried to tell him that but......well, let's just say that Dad thinks I am full of hot air. (mumbling--not anymore than I think HE is full of hot air. lol)

So he throws up his hands and says he knows the brakes are locking up. Actually there are not much to the mechanics of a walker....but Dad thinks there is.

He says he would appreciate a new one with bigger wheels....AHA! Now we are getting down to the nitty gritty.

I found something pretty interesting about Dad living with me that I didn't know about him. He likes to changed stuff. Cars....tools.....buildings. LOL He likes to chop down trees for no apparent reason too. That's a whole other set of stories. So he apparently feels that trading in the old walker for a new one makes a lot of sense. I don't! hahaha I could recover the seat and snazzy it up a bit and tell him it's a new one...not sure if that would work though.

So I oiled the joints on the walker.....and let Dad test drive it....

Yep, works fine....until this morning....we are going out to the car. He is pushing it just fine....and then suddenly stops and goes backward causing the front wheels to turn rapidly and get caught.....THEN he says, "See how they lock up on me." YEAH! But why did you just suddenly stop and go backwards?????

He don't know. haha

Dad's a Winner at the Tulsa State Fair

Dad cleaned up this year~He had his stained glass and some woodworking at the Tulsa State Fair. First time he ever took anything to the fair, he said. He has plenty to enter next year as well. We will never run out of stuff to take to the fair, believe me. He got First Place with a wooden bowl he made. He got First place with two stained glasses pieces, 2nd place on another stained glass and one 3rd place with stained glass.
In a few weeks he will be getting some nice checks in the mail.

Mistaken Identity?

I suggested that Dad call his girlfriend last night. We have been so busy that we have not had time to return a call she made to Dad last week.

Here's how the first part of the call went...

Louise: "Hello?"

Dad: "Well, hello there Baby."

Louise: 'a slight pause on the other end...and then "Who is this? Is that you Odus?"

Okay, I laughed....and laughed, and had to leave the room. Just how many phone calls does she get that start off Hello there Baby? hahaha

Art Linkletter was right....People ARE Funny....but OLD people are hysterical!!

Great Music at the Car Show

Photos of Dad taking a nap, sitting in the chair chilling because of the "draft" on him....only one there with a blankie on. LOL

They played a mix of music....from rockin' gospel to car related tunes....Route 66, Beach Boys, etc.
Watch a video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSnqsi6dJV0

It's CAR SHOW Time...

We are just at the point where we get the cars out to take to shows. It's just been too hot this summer and I knew Dad wouldn't be able to take the heat. Yesterday was a good day although windy to go take the Packard.

We went to church in the Packard...then off to get my car at home and off to a nearby church in Tulsa that was having a show. Naturally Rod got the time wrong....*rolling my eyes*. He must have got it confused with the time a RACE starts. LOL So we had time to kill. We left the Packard there with all the organizers. We were second in line. That's how early we were.

So we left in my car to go see what we could do. We dropped off some books at my girlfriends house...then off to Freckles for some frozen custard. We had concretes. Dad had a smores in a cup and OMG, that was so good. They roasted the marshmallows right there and I told them how much. Then in another part of the store they sell candy....mistake to walk in that area. I had to get a HUGE caramel/pecan apple. I will go back to that store.

Then we finally killed enough time to get back to the parking lot for the car show. It was filling up....he filled the ENTIRE parking lot eventually and spilled over into the lawn and front parking lot. Dad had the only Packard though. This was a fun show, no awards....but lots of good free food...hot dogs, hamburgers, desserts, pop and chips. We had the dessert first earlier but like Dad always says....."I like to eat my dessert first in case I don't have room for it later."

Dad stayed out there with us for almost 7 hours. I told him I could take him home before it ended but nope, he wanted to see the cars and so we took turns pushing him around in the walker. Next year we bring the motor cart.

Lots of great cars. Dad was in his element....he knows the years and the makes of these classics....some things he is never going to forget.

We had a good time....Oh and Dad got the autograph of Miss Oklahoma.

Next up....the STATE FAIR!

A Visit with Johnny

I think I told part of this story before but let me recap.
Dad had a friend at the Senior Center that he connected with the first day he went. They both were a few months apart in age. They sat together, ate together, and made sure they had daily time together. Johnny had been declining in health, even Dad noticed it. His daughter decided that he be served best in a home. I hate the word nursing home because it conjure up images that are not pleasant. The daughter, Donna inspires me....she had her parents in her home for 11 years. Her Mother passed away 5 years ago....and if that wasn't hard enough she lost her husband just a year and a half ago. She works full time and takes care of her Father. I told her that when I have a bad day I think of how she kept on going without ANY help daily and then I can move on. However, it has taken a toll and her Dad was a fall risk. He is mostly blind and it became necessary to move him to this new center.

Dad was very upset the last day Johnny was there. He didn't really know before hand this day was coming because Johnny wasn't really told either. It was something that might upset him and his daughter thought it was better to wait. I agreed with her.

Dad came home that day saying that you might not believe this story but Johnny is going to a nursing home. I did believe it because I had been told about it earlier in the day.
I knew Dad would be upset when he found out. He was. He started crying and I put my arms around him and told him not to worry....we would go see Johnny for sure. Dad said the hardest thing for him was the fact that Johnny didn't even get to see his Durant. Johnny so much wanted to see that car.

Again, I told Dad not to worry we would make sure that Johnny gets to see that car soon. His daughter and I have already made plans for Johnny to come to the house to see the car this month....and of course to get a ride in it.

I called his daughter to get directions for the home and she told me about the place. Rolling hills, flowers, patios to sit in the sun, wonderful staff and food.

So we went last Saturday. Donna was right....beautiful place. Staff was so nice even to us and we were just visiting. The gal that works in Johnny's section has been there since 1995. She told me how it all was set up and it's a not like any nursing home I had been in. It was sectioned off and they ate more like a family setting...they had their own kitchen in their area. Beautiful area with the newest of everything, and clean.....very clean. No bad smells as in other nursing homes I have been in.

They have these areas outside of their rooms called memory boxes. It shows their hobbies, or items they made, collected with photos. It's very nice as it helps visitors, staff, and others get to know the resident better.
When we see an elderly person, maybe one who doesn't communicate, or may not even know you are there....we don't see WHO they used to be. They were just like us, with dreams, hopes, hobbies, talents and they had a LIFE!

I have noticed with Dad that many just see an old man who has Rod and I to take care of him.

Then there are those in certain groups that know better....they are informed, they are open minded and treat Dad no different.

I have had people come up to me when Dad and I are together and ask if Dad likes a certain thing....of course, my favorite line is......"I dunno, ask him, he is right here." LOL Gee whiz people, he's old, not dead!

There they were....Johnny and Dad, visiting, laughing, sharing stories again.

I got a few shots of them together. Johnny sure seemed happy to see Dad again. Johnny told me this..."Odie and I went everywhere together. What I did, he did, what he did, I did. We are good friends. We hit it off right away."

I left them alone for awhile and joined Rod in the common are where he was WATCHING A FOOTBALL GAME! LOL Where else?

Lesson for the day------------You are never too old to make new friends, Dad and Johnny are the example of that. They both are 91.

Durant Day at the Senior Center

Dad had HIS day today...but he had no idea what all it took to get the Durant ready to take to the Senior Center. We have had rain for several days. We did need it but it had been getting in the way of our plans to get the cars out of storage. The rain finally ended and then yesterday I got a terrible migraine and Rod had to help me out and it delayed getting the Durant out of storage for today. So later last night Rod went to the storage to get the Durant and it wouldn't start. He had started it on Saturday but that's the trouble with these antique cars. They are tempermental. So Rod calls me to tell me the problem. I told him that I didn't care how he got the car out and got it started but we promised Dad he would have that car tomorrow so just do it. Call AAA and have them tow it here and then work on it tonight....but figure something out. It just so happened it was a dead battery and by the skin of his teeth, Rod got the car back to the house with a new battery before the storage closed at 9pm. Dad had already gone to bed although he was concerned for Rod having to get the Durant all prepared for him. I told Dad not to worry, Rod WILL figure it out.

I was grateful. I told Rod that I appreciated his efforts and he had gone without dinner and wasn't wanting anything to eat but was just going to take a shower and go to bed. I think he was relieved that he did get it started because he knew how much this next day was going to mean to Dad. After all, who knows how many good days Dad will have like this and to be able to show off his Durant is at the top of Dad's list of favorites. So in the morning, Dad got dressed....shaved, and ready to get his shoes on....THEN he asks, "Hey, how did it turn out with the Durant? I suppose Rod couldn't get it started, huh?" I said "Now Dad, you know Rod wouldn't give up....it's in the driveway!"

You should have seen the look on Dad's face. Pure joy as I would describe it.

Off to the Center at 8:30am and I told Dad that we would have the car over there by one o'clock. They weren't going to start taking photos by the Durant until then. I came home and polished the car because it was really dusty from sitting for the last two years. It's really hard for me to do this sort of labor but I kept thinking just how important this is for Dad. May not seem like a big deal to others, but for Dad, it was big.

I had plans to drive it myself.....but, as it turned out, I had trouble starting it. I know how to start it, I know how to drive it....but I got a little panicked. I called Rod and told him the problem and he said he had plans to leave work anyway. He would be there by noon and drive the Durant to the Center. I would take him back to work. Sounded good to me....I was relieved that I wasn't having to stress out about it not starting.

I came back to the center in about an hour....Dad was outside walking around talking to a sweet little old lady about his car. I was taking photos already and I walked in on a conversation between the two of them. She was wanting to know if he was still driving....and IF he got to ride in it and IF he tooks others for a drive. Okay, I laughed.....I thought, this gal is hinting for ride....WITH Dad. haha Women love men with fancy cars!!

Jennifer, who organized the day, was bringing out the people from the center in small groups. Dad was just as happy as could be talking about his car. He opened the trunk and showed some the Mother-in-law seat. lol Oh they thought that was funny! Have the old lady ride in the trunk!

Dad and I ended up standing by the trunk alone. I told him that I spent 90 minutes this morning cleaning and polishing the car. (Trying to get some credit here as Dad likes to do.) He looks at me and says, "Good for you." I said, "Is that all you are going to say?" Dad's response you might ask? A handshake! LOL

Then one guy wanted to see the motor. Dad said men like to see the motor....so he opens it with a little help from me and other gentleman. I am careful to at least let Dad try first before jumping in. He did get one side but the other was a little tight. So for half an hour these two men talk about the engine. LOL

At the end of the tour of residents...Dad was winding down himself. I took him back inside and told him that Rod would be back after work and he would ride home with him in the Durant. So I told Dad to go inside and take a little nap now...he had earned it.

Dad comes home and he said to me, "Well kid, I say it was a success!"

Yes, Dad....it WAS a success!

Took Me Long Enough

Shut my mouth and call me stupid....took me long enough to figure out how to log into my google name and post in here instead of constantly going back in forth from Dad's email to mine....sheesh. My brain cells are dying as I type it seems.
HOWEVER...I have found a quicker way to blog which should end my procrastination!
Hallelujah!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTx8IGPwrIk

Adoptive Step-Father?

Rod had plans to get the Packard out on Saturday night and too polish it to take to a car show on Sunday. We had rain all day Saturday and it was messing up his plans. Eventually the rain stopped and Rod went to get the car from storage. Dad had been sleeping in his chair while Rod had left but he woke up to find him gone.

Dad got up out of his chair, headed for the bathroom....(yes, he is walking on his own now) and turns to me and says, "Where is my adoptive step-father?"

I looked at him oddly with my brow down and asked, "WHO?"

Dad said, "Rod".

I laughed a little, thinking over again what he called him.

Funny how Dad's mind works.

The Mystery of the Egg

Last Thursday I was slow in getting up to get Dad ready for his day at the Senior Center.
Just a few more moments of sleep is all I wanted....but eventually I gave in and got up only to find Dad asleep. I didn't really want to wake him so I tried to call the Sr Ctr to let them know we would be late and I would get breakfast for Dad, but the phones were out in the BA center.

I passed Dad's room and he was just trying to get out of bed. So we got dressed and off to Braums we went for breakfast. As we drove up he wanted to know what we were doing there. I told him the story and he fell right into the surprise change in routine.

Dad wanted to try something different so he had eggs put on top of his gravy and biscuits.

I was watching Dad eat the eggs and something just occurred to me....maybe it had occurred to others but it was my first moment of wonder.

I said to Dad...."I wonder who was the first person in the world that decided to eat an egg?
I mean was it a cave man wandering the fields....looking down in the grass and maybe seeing a bird squeezing out an egg....then walking away.....then thinking to himself.....HEY, how about if I eat that white oval thing that just popped out of that bird's BUTT?"

So we both laughed and I got the giggles for a little bit....Dad was still eating his eggs laughing.
By now others around us were sorta smiling because laughing is contagious even if you don't know what others were laughing about. Had they known they might have got the uncontrollable giggles themselves.

So after we calmed down a bit from laughing DAD, out of the blue, naturally....says,
"What really puzzles me is these little black specks in the gravy......why would they put dog's heads and animals heads in my gravy?"

I started laughing again.....eventually laughing till I had tears in my eyes.
Dad again had taken my story of the egg and turned into an Odie, The One Man Show Stopper.
He just sat there looking at me laughing and looking down at his plate of gravy, biscuits, eggs, and oh yeah, THOSE BLACK SPECKS of PEPPER!

Wednesday Night Church Dinner

Here's some photos from Wednesday night Church Dinner.

Our church started up the Wednesday night dinners and choice of classes afterwards. I say it's great cause I don't have to cook. Dad loves a good meal for cheap prices. lol So for the 3 of us we can eat for $7.50 but Rod always rounds it off to $10. Can't beat that.


There are classes after dinner....lots of great choices but we chose to go to Intimacy in Marriage group. Dad went along of course. He was awake the whole time too! I asked, "Are you making notes just in case you decide to get married again?" LOL He laughed and said "NO!"

I could see if there is a class for him but it's hard to separate from him because if he needs to go to the bathroom he can't go alone. If there is a class for the Seniors in the future I think I will make the arrangement that someone in the class can just call me if Dad needs me. Maybe he can meet a lady to talk to. He always says no, he don't want to meet another lady....he has Louise to talk to but she is so far away.

He just hasn't found anyone yet. He says those old ladies at the Sr Center aren't "all there". LOL Now that's funny!

Horse in the Pasture...

Setting the scene~Monday afternoon...Dad just spent 1.5 hours eating dinner. Tried to pour his water on his garlic bread, telling me that it was honey. Yes, I said HONEY....I think the water would have been an improvement. He was really aiming for the honey on the turntable and kept grabbing his water, trying to pour it. He got miffed at me because I kept trying to stop him from soaking his food and garlic bread with water.

If Dad had all his senses of smell back he would actually gag himself for some of the things he comes up with. (Strawberry jam on biscuits and gravy is an example.) He says it sweetens the gravy.
However, that has nothing to do with my story. So he gets done eating, goes to his chair in the living room. I am moving a table around while he is sitting in his chair.
The following back and forth conversation goes as written.

Dad...That horse is trying to get ahold of the sheet.
Wendy...What horse?
Dad...The horse behind you in the pasture.
Wendy...Oh lordie, pasture....what pasture?
Dad...The one the horse is in...didn't you hear me?
Wendy...Open your eyes, Dad....
Dad...They are open. (his eyes are completely shut)
Wendy...Open your EYES, Dad!
Dad...(opening his eyes)
Wendy...Now where is the horse?
Dad...He is gone now.
Wendy...Funny how those things disappear when you open your eyes....ever think about that?
Dad...Nope.
Wendy...Put two and two together and what do you get?
Dad...(laughing) FIVE!
Wendy...That explains a lot of your problem right there.
Dad...(falls asleep)

Feeding Tube? I don't think soooooooooo!

Just think, two and a half years ago when Dad had his gallbladder out in Indy, the Drs wanted him to be tube fed because he was aspirating food....he wouldn't hear of it. They had him on a thick liquid diet.....nasty texture and he sure didn't like it. They strongly advised it because it would lead to pnemonia and death if he continued to eat regular food.
What did they know???
If only they could see him now eating popcorn. LOL

Go Go Girls??

Sometimes we just never know what's going to pop out of Dad's mouth. Makes me wonder just what DOES he think about?

Since Monday afternoon Dad has had his share of dementia episodes. It all started when we picked him up at the Sr Center. One of the girls came out to tell us just what Dad was saying today....it wasn't very nice. He apparently told her that he had a lot of money and that they weren't getting any of it. We never hear Dad say he had a lot of money. It's usually I don't have any. Later he told me they were trying to sue him and that it was all over the TV in there. I was calling the center, he said, and he could hear me talking on the phone to them. So he was in high gear with delusions. One of his Granddaughters was suing him with her husband also. That's been an ongoing theme for several years. When I try to tell him that is just not so, he tells me I don't know anything about it and he is having to deal with it himself.

So I knew I was in for trouble this night....and I was right. No sleep at all for either him or me. He ended up in the living room laying on the floor with all kinds of stories. I was so tired and getting a headache but Dad didn't give a hoot. I couldn't lift him up off the floor and I didn't want to wake Rod so I told him he would have to get himself up. He said he couldn't do it.....but I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back, there he was, sitting on the couch!!! Magic! He will do that sort of thing from time to time.

He didn't fall....he was just being contrary and wouldn't get into bed. I had no choice but to stay up with him.

I had discovered that Tylenol PM helped him to sleep for the last few months....but NOT TONIGHT!

Dementia is a powerful disease. Seems it gives Dad strength he normally doesn't have. He was walking around the room and would NOT wait for me to get there when the alarm went off. He was just stubborn and would not listen to anything I had to say. Apparently I was the ring leader of all this chaos and all I wanted to do was to go to SLEEP!

Rod gets up at 4am to go to work....he comes through the living room and there is Dad on the floor (again) and Rod just looks at me and then Dad and then keeps walking to the kitchen. He figured Dad was throwing another one of his fits and he was right. It was funny to see Rod just walk through with no comment. We just get used to Dad's tricks.

Dad finally got back in bed at 5am with Rod's help before he left for work.... but he didn't sleep. I tried to lay down but just as soon as I started to doze off...........there goes the bed alarm. I think Dad learned some new cuss words that morning from me.

By George, Dad was going to the Sr Ctr that day and he couldn't get there fast enough for me. I was told later he was awake the entire DAY! On a roll telling the gals just what was what. I had his appropriate T-shirt on that day. "I'm not trying to be difficult, it comes naturally."

I can't help but remember what Mom would say about Dad when he would be difficult to get along with....and her words come flooding in my mind on occasion and I can't help but laugh thinking how right she was!

Dad will argue about how to sit on the toilet...and that my way don't work! He will argue about the time of the day, telling me that I moved the hands to throw him off. Oh it never ends with Dad.

So now that I have set up just what has been going on, let's move to the actual funny part.

Tuesday night we head to Pizza hut. It's Amy, Rod, Dad and Me all at the table. Amy had been at the house earlier helping me clean closets. Her payment was pizza! Amy is listening to Dad as he spins his tales of the day's happening at the Senior Center. Half of it she couldn't make sense out of. Amy would try and trip him up with questions oh but Dad is GOOD! He wheedles his way out of explanations like a politician!
While he is eating his pizza and getting it ALL OVER his face and making us laugh....he says, out of the blue....."Then the Go Go Girls came to the Sr Ctr."
Go Go Girls???? Oh gee whiz.....that's a phrase I didn't even know my Dad knew AND I hadn't heard that term since 1965!! He started smiling that ornery smile he has and then grinning ear to ear.

So Mom WAS RIGHT! Dad did get a kick out of watching the dancing girls and hula girls on TV. I remember his denying it and telling Mom she was imagining things. haha NOT! Sure wish I could tell her now!

We didn't get much more than that out of Dad but with that line who needed anymore than that?
Dad's coming out of his dementia today. Glad that's happening but sorry to see the funny stories go for now. LOL

Vacation over....

It was more of a vacation for Dad than it was for the rest of us....I am so glad it's over and we are home again. I was limited in the work that I could do around the house but I was able to pack, repack and sort stuff for moving.
Dad is glad to have his cars here with us so he can be sure nothing is happening to them as he has dreamed of happening.
Now we just get the space ready for the rest of his stuff coming and we are all set. I think he will like having the items he made around him at last. He has his own stuff here but not the main things he owns.
He seemed to have a great visit with his friends, especially his gal friend. That seemed to be the most important concern. Imagine that? LOL Like the times he asked me when was she coming again and how can he get ahold of her to find out when she is coming.She was there every day but for one or two so that made him happy. He missed out on seeing his cousin because he doesn't drive much anymore and there was not much of a chance of his taking Dad to see him. We were busy most hours of the day until dark except for visiting Rod's family in Michigan City. Rod rarely gets to spend more than a day or two when we go back to Indiana. We are usually cleaning, organizing and setting up or fixing something at Dad's. That finally has come to an end. At least for us.....NOLA has some work to do but she can handle that, she says. I am glad of it because I cannot.
The next time I pack a suitcase, as I said on Facebook, will be when I am taking a REAL vacation. We haven't been on one of those together since 2000, or right around there. We both need one too. Rod and I haven't been on a vacation just by ourselves since, uhhhhhhhhhh, gosh, I think that was in 1979!!! OMG, it's worse than I thought!! lol
We take Dad with us everywhere we go....even our last vacation to Wisconsin. That's okay but Dad doesn't much like to travel and see things. He has always been an armchair traveler. I have tried to talk him into a cruise but he has no interest in it. I think if he got on one and saw the world from top deck he MIGHT change his mind.

Dad wishes he could stay in his home and town he knows best....of course, who wouldn't? It's just not possible unless he was in a nursing home and then we all know what happens then. Few visit and he becomes lonely and wastes away. That will NOT ever happen as long as Rod and I can take care of him.
I think it's mostly being able to see his girlfriend....that's really it. So much of the time Dad is not sure where he is anyway....but it's the kissin' he misses. LOL
He couldn't wait to pucker up when she first walked into the living room to see him. I only wish I had my camera going then.

Dad is back at the Senior Center, or the torture chamber as he calls it. He thinks they have cliques there and that they are all related....etc. Which is not true. I have asked just to see if he was correct.

Most of Dad's problems during the day are related to not sleeping well at night. So during the day he drags and dreams and imagines all sorts of things. So while Debbie was here helping me with Dad the idea of giving him Tylenol PM came up. I had not tried it before although it works for me....and then we tried it on Dad....several nights in a row and SURPRISINGLY to ME....it works. It's been about 3 weeks now and it's still working and he is only getting up once, if that, a night. Amazing difference in his daytime napping habits. He rarely has been napping at all but for when he comes home from the center and takes a cat nap.

If I had only known that a year or so ago, that would have helped a lot. I was just told that medicine like Benydryl and night time sleeping meds on the elderly had the opposite effect. Well, on Dad, that's not true for the Tylenol PM. There is peace once again at night here. Dad is so much more rested....it's easy to see.

He was awake almost the whole time we were at his house during the day. Little dementia too. I think the dementia is worse when he doesn't get good rest too. So all in all, it's a win win situation so far.

Changes, Changes....

Lots of different changes going on and have been going on here. A few days before my scheduled surgery for Uterine Cancer, Dad starts to fail fast....he got sick with congestion and had to use an antibiotic. He couldn't walk. Amy moved in for the month to take care of him while I recovered. She was exhausted the first week and I thought I was going to lose her out of just being worn out. I heard her in a conversation with her friend about how in the world did Mom do this all the time. LOL It ain't easy! After thinking about it for awhile I wondered what was the difference in me taking care of Dad and someone else. I figured out it had to do with commitment. If one is not committed, nothing can happen. You just do it because your mind has been set TO DO IT! Period. That's how I do it. The other alternative is a nursing home and I just can't do that. Since the surgery I have wondered how in the world I would do this IF I got worse and couldn't take care of Dad. I suppose at that point I would have to reconsider my choices. However, I am NOT at that point so no considering is necessary. I have been told by my Oncologist that the cancer is gone with the surgery. They took it all....and it was inside the uterus. All tests on the 20 lymph nodes that they removed were cancer FREE.
So let's move on to the rest of my life, shall we?

That doesn't mean I am strong again....I would have to travel back in time for that.
It does mean that I will NOT be having chemo or radiation taking up my time.

All I have to do now is to get strong, heal up the wounds and go back to running the house as I have been used to doing.

I think Dad was having his troubles at the same time as mine because he was worried about his own fate. What's going to happen to me if Wendy dies, or can't take care of me? I KNOW that's what was going through his mind because he said it to me privately in one of his dementia states.

Only when he actually saw me home and walking did he start to move and realize HE might be okay. It was noticeable....the Senior center nurse had suggested that he was concerned for himself in the situation. A few others figured it out as well.

Now he is over that slump, I am back to pushing him to move his butt and not pretend to be helpless. LOL Like Amy says, Uh oh, here comes Mom so you better get moving."

Dad would lay in bed all day and do nothing if not for me prompting him to get up and get moving. He would just sleep the entire rest of his life away. He would sit in that wheel chair and NOT get out if I didn't make him do it. He would say I can't a zillion times just to try and convince me he can't unless I told him I didn't want to hear those words. I use an old saying Mom used to bring up when the words I can't was said in her presence. They wouldn't make sense to people who never heard her but Dad KNOWS what I mean. That's usually all it takes to get him to have the will to move just one more day! That's all I ask.

So from not being able to move a few days before the surgery to the point I had to call home health in to take care of him...........to the point he is now walking with his walker short distances once again AND he actually stayed awake during the whole hour of church last week.......well, that's a huge step.

I have bigger steps in mind for him but one doesn't dare tell him ahead of time....no no no, that will give him time to find an excuse NOT TO DO IT! I must be one step ahead of him and sometimes two.

A Trip to the Eye Doctor...

Dad had cataract surgery about 10 days ago. Everything went perfect....well, at least from my point of view. Dad was behaving badly after the surgery. I never saw him act like he did that day. Right after the surgery he came out of the operating room in full force of I am not going to do anything anyone says. I would suppose the drug Versed had something to do with the attitude. He has had the drug before, each time he get a steroid shot in his lower back....but for some reason it affected him differently.
The nurse asked him some questions and he basically told her what she could do with those questions. LOL I mean to tell you it was a riot. She asked me what he said and I told her she was better off not knowing. He wouldn't let me give him something to drink and then he grabbed it from me and squeezed it like a little kid. Naturally it was one of those collaspable juice boxes and it spilled all down his sweat pants. He had enough nerve to say to me, "NOW look what you've done!" My mouth dropped because I was speechless to that. The lady across the room couldn't help but laugh as she had heard everything. He didn't care. LOL So we get ready to go out the door and a couple employees helped us. Dad was in the wheel chair and we were parked just outside but we had to go through a couple doors. He wasn't about to move. He kept asking me where were we going. I told him home. He wasn't having anything to do with it. Furthermore those nurses and doctors were a bunch of hoodlums and some sort of gang. I mean to tell you I was about to pee my pants as we all laughed at what was running loose out of his mouth. So finally with some tugging we got to our car door...now he is in the wheelchair still and the nurses are trying to get him to stand up.....hahaha I had to laugh at their effort because he wasn't budging. RARELY do I get to see Dad act like this in front of strangers. He doesn't want anyone outside of a few people to know that he can carry on like this if he so chooses.
Finally I told them to go back inside....I will take care of this but they said they had to stay with him until he is seated in the car for insurance purposes. I said, Okay, but you are going to be here awhile and last I looked, you had a room full of patients. LOL Well that did it, they went back inside while I handled this situation.

I told him that he had better get his butt in that seat or I was going to have to carry him out of the wheelchair and if I do that I was going to strain my back and probably never be able to walk again. {lol} Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

He got his butt up asking questions the entire time of why this and why that, but I just said get in the car and I will answer all that later when you come to your senses.

The gals came running outside to get the wheelchair asking me what I said to get him to move. I just said when he asks like a little kid, he gets talked to like a little kid. They laughed and said they had never had anyone to act like that before.
Leave it to Dad to be first!!

All the way home he threateded to jump out of the car...he was going to the cops cause now he was blind and those Doctors were crooks and they were planning some takeover. LORDIE! I was about to pull my hair out....but at least my car has the child locks!!! He wasn't going anywhere today.

I took him home and put him to bed and told him to sleep it off. LOL
What a day and thank goodness we were only getting one eye done!!