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!!

Dad's improving.

As of yesterday afternoon Dad just snapped out of his funk. He was at the Senior Center and the nurse said he was outside and all of a sudden got up and started walking with his walker. He had been using the wheel chair for several days and just slept and ate.

I knew he would come out of it. It's an unpredictable disease. I know with a little patience he will return to more independence. I refuse to look at it any other way until it gets to a point of no return. I think he is far from that.

Anyone that can sit with Rod and have a conversation about how a riverter works in detail has a long way to go before we call it quits and stop working with him. The mind still wants to work but the disease makes it slow down.

On another note...
Dad's cards have dwindled down to practically nothing in the last 6 months. That's sad to me for all the love and concern and material things and money, etc that he has given to his family.

There are a select few that are not included in that statement and you know who you are. You are greatly appreciated. Dad loves to get cards. He gets lonely. He needs to know people give a damn. Cards and notes don't have to come at a holiday time....he may not make it to the next holiday/birthday. No one knows when our time is up.

A Beautiful Saturday in Oklahoma...

Yes, I know I am so behind in posting and keeping updated with Dad. I am sorry for that. I didn't really know that there were daily readers or at least checking to read until my husband told me this last night. So to Louise, I am sorry that I don't keep at this like I should. I have the time....I am not always in the frame of mind to write. I am a bit of a mood writer and if I don't "feel it", I don't do it. lol

I am like my nephew, Gordie, he has to be in the mood to paint/draw/create! So you get that honestly Gordon!!

Dad has been doing okay. Not so much funny stories to tell lately as we have been so busy, he hasn't had time to BE funny!

We are in a bit of a transition right now with some changes being made that I can't disclose right now because I don't have all the information yet. I don't mean to be mysterious but it's just an explanation as to why I can't get in here to post like I should.
There is an option to this website that they can make a book for anyone who blogs. Of course, I can do the exact same thing on MY computer and then take it to Kinkos and have them bound the sheets. I am going to check in to which way is the cheapest and then make this into a book one day for other generations to read. How great that would have been for me to be reading about my Great Grandfather now. One day Kiara's children can read about their Great Great Grandpa. Say what you will about the Internet.....say all the negative you want. BUT if you look for the wonders of the Internet as I do then you can find the world at your fingertips. I am just sorry I didn't have this when I was young.

Now onto Dad...He has had a couple rough days lately. It started last week slowly with not being able to stand long. He fell 4 times last week...once with Rod standing right next to him. He just DROPS. He didn't get hurt much but for the time he fell in bathroom and hit his head on the wall. He had a goose egg lump. Rod put ice on it for about 45 minutes and it looked better. He hit on the hardest part of his head. Like I said before, Mom always said he had a hard head and she just wasn't whistling Dixie!! I have no idea why he hasn't broken something. Must be all those calcium pills he says I force upon him!! lol

He has been on the uhhhhhhhhhhhh shall I say stubborn side lately. That's putting it nicely. Of course Dad is an angel at the Sr Center. Not at home.....oh my god, you would just drop your mouth if you heard him talk to me sometimes. hahaha I guess he does it cause I will forgive him. Actually I just crank it right back to him...oh how that man loves to argue and be right!!
I should video tape one of those sessions for your entertainment! haha

He had a terrible day yesterday at the center. The nurse put him in a wheelchair and he didn't know where he was most of the afternoon and night. Rod got up twice with him last night and he was starting to communicate better he said. We have the alarm on the bed so he doesn't get up alone to use the restroom.

This comes and goes....so I don't worry about it being the way it's going to stay. He got a LOT of sleep yesterday and last night so that always seems to help. Rod woke him long enough to get his pills this morning and he went back to sleep. It's a beautiful day and I am hoping he wakes up pretty soon so he can go outside and sit while we do some yard work. I have SUNSCREEN this time!! The spray on kind.

Dad has some issues with depression and rightly so. He takes an anti-depressant but it is still an issue. He really is ready to go meet his maker at anytime. He says he wants to fall and break his neck. I know he is sincere in that but I only tell him I understand BUT falling and breaking his neck will not kill him...it will only put him in a cast. I can imagine this way of living sucks. It's not really living....it's putting off the inevitable....which is death. It's a fact that we do talk about...I am open to his discussions on it. I don't think people talk about it enough. However, as I have told him before, he cannot choose the time to go. He knows that sooooooooooo the only thing left to do is to make the BEST of the time he has left. Get the emotions out but then start to think about what you CAN do in the meantime. I know it's hard for him because the things that he wants to do he just simply can't.

He is scheduled for cataract surgery this month. We may have to postpone that. Not sure yet. We had planned on coming back to Indiana the first two weeks of June. Now we are not sure if that schedule can be kept yet. Again, we are in the middle of some adjustments here and by the end of this week I will know more of the vacation schedule.

My son, Chris, will be getting married May 21....not too far off now. That's going to be in Joplin, MO. He is marrying a very sweet girl. They are the same age, 25. She is good for Chris. I think, from what I have seen, that he is good for her also. I have had the opportunity to speak to her Mom a couple times and they love Christopher. Her name is Jennifer and she recently lost her Father to cancer. I had gone to the funeral at the church in Joplin where he was the Pastor. It is so sad that she lost her Dad. She so much wanted him to walk her down the isle. Chris is filling a void for her and I can see how much they do love each other. I just found out last weekend that twins run in her family. Now she tells us! lol
TWINS???!!!! Oh good Lord. I can barely handle ONE! Right now I can't handle any!! lol My advice to them was to wait as long as they could to start a family. Concentrate on getting a HOME first!! Dad says the same thing to them. Will they listen? Do they ever? haha

I will try to keep you posted on Dad....but not to worry. This too shall pass.
I will be posting some photos soon.

The Complicated Mind of a Ninety Year Old.

Dad has trouble with some of these new names for kids. He is always getting his Great Granddaughter's name {Kiara} twisted around and can't remember it. It has nothing to do with his love for these Grandchildren. He just can't remember the names if they are not Mary, Jane, Sue, etc.
So many times he wouldn't recall the name and say to me, "Your Granddaughter......and so on.
Keeping that in mind here is how this story starts.
We were sitting in an auditorium waiting for a seminar to begin last night. We have been listening to the series on Revelation. {which has absolutely nothing to do with this story.}
Dad and I were talking together on a number of subjects from false teeth to pearls. A little girl of about 10 was walking down the isle past us. She had long dark hair and tanned skin. She caught Dad's eye as she walked by and he looked over at her. He then turned to me and said, "Why that little girl looks like Cory's Mother's daughter."
Long Pause................
I thought for a moment trying to put this puzzle together and then it HIT me....Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh KIARA!! YOU mean KIARA. I started laughing and Dad got that pre-laugh smirk and then he started to laugh at his description.
I told Rod who was on the other side of me and didn't initially hear what we were laughing at.
Rod paused and thought for a moment and then HE started laughing.
I told Dad that for someone who couldn't think, put sentences together and has trouble communicating, that what he just said was MORE complicated than just saying Kiara!!
Rod who really didn't hear what I had just said to Dad, then commented to Dad how much thought he had to put into that and why does he think he can't think straight?? LOL

So Rod says to Dad, "Yeah, well, how about this one....my son-in-law's wife's son." Who is that? Dad thought, started laughing and said I was making him laugh and he couldn't think....so in about 30 seconds....it came out....it was CHRIS! LOL

I told Dad he could make up some quizzes like that for the OLD folks at the home to use to keep their mind sharp.
He told me that they do JUST that at the Life Senior Center for games using current events to keep them thinking.

I thought to myself this is a story for them to publish in their magazine they put out each month. Dad is proving to them that what they are doing IS working to help keep their minds sharp.

How NOT To Put On Your Jacket....

This is common at our house. Dad swears he starts out right putting it on.
He gets his arms in it and then all goes wrong. It's still funny. I ran and got the camera and his remark was, "So you think this is funny?" {while laughing} I said, "No, it's Hysterically FUNNY!"

You're In The Army Now......

Dad was having a dementia attack tonight, as I call them.

I was just out in the living room and showed him this photo of an old man with a walker with a handmade plow in front….{see photo} and he couldn't quite tell what it was so I explained it and then he saw it.
I told him he could take it and show John, his friend at the center and they could go in business. He laughed.
I come back in the office and here he comes following me a minute later.

He stands in the doorway with his blanket around him.
He says, "Where's my shoes?"
I said, "Shoes?"
He sounds impatient and says, "YES, my shoes."
I asked him what in the world did he need his shoes for.
He said cause there are people out there....
I said, "Show me."
So I got up from the desk chair followed him to the living room.
Rod was in there and had the TV on.

He looks around and says, Well, the Air Force……errrrr I mean the Army people
ARMY?.....so then I lose it and start laughing
I said laughing all the way through, "Dad, don't tell me the Army is so desperate that they are now taking 90 year old men?"

He says, "Okay, let them put me in the brig, and then see."
He sets on the sofa, looks around, looks at me and then starts laughing.

So I said, “You were dreaming.”
He tries to get out of it by telling me that he didn't know what I was talking about.
Then Rod started laughing.
I can’t win.

Oklahoma Blizzard 2/1/2001

Apparently if I am asleep and Dad gets up before me he is helpless. Not true but Dad acts it. You know the story of the man who can't take care of himself unless there is a woman around to "guide" him? Well, on some days, Dad lives that well. I call it the Poor Me syndrome.
So since we got a snowstorm I stayed in bed. I loaded up on cereal and milk yesterday and Dad knows how to do all that without help. What I should have said was that as long as there is no one in HIS VISION. haha
Rod was up...I saw no reason to GET up. I worked out in the yard yesterday to the point I couldn't move anyway. I had to take pain meds to do that even. At least it was done. I stocked up on what we needed from the store and I was sleeping in.
Dad's morning pills were laid out in a white cup, as usual, on the kitchen table. IN PLAIN SIGHT.
I had got up at 6:30 because I hear someone in the addition. It was Rod. Long story so skipping that.
I didn't wake up again until noon.
I go past Dad's room and there he is with the TV on asleep, as usual. So I get to the living room, there's Rod watching TV, awake....which is UNusual.
So I get to the kitchen, see Dad's undisturbed pills and start asking questions.
Wendy-Rod, did Dad come out to the kitchen this morning and eat breakfast?
Rod- No
Wendy- So what did he come to the kitchen for?
Rod- I dunno.

So I check the sink, no bowl, no milk gone and no cereal touched.

I head to the Dad.....Moving Dad's arm....Dad??? Didn't you eat breakfast? ---No----Why not? ----Cause I couldn't find the cereal.....Why didn't you take your pills?----I didn't see any pills.

Okay, Dad, get up, come to the kitchen pronto....

Follow the sounds of me mumbling obscenities all the way to the kitchen.
It went something like this..."If I wasn't here to direct these men the whole world would friggin fall apart. I don't know how grown men can't find the cereal, take their own damn pills and manage to make it through the day without a woman."

So Dad is laughing as he gets to the kitchen. I am still babbling about I don't care of they starve. If they don't have sense enough to find some food let them starve.

Dad NOW sees his pills telling me they weren't there earlier. Yeah, I put them there NOW just to make you think you are nuts. haha
Then I said, If you choose to be helpless you will get mighty hungry before the day is out. Don't wait for me to appear. You KNOW where everything is and there is not a darn thing wrong with you. hahaha

He thinks it's funny.
So I get the dang cereal out and the milk and I have Rod makes his coffee. That story I won't tell because this is not an about Rod BLOG. I don't have time to write that one. MEN!!

You know my theory on Adam and Eve, don't ya? I will save that one for another day...LOL

So Dad gets done eating 2 huge bowls of cereal....for a man that can't chew as he says, he sure chomps down that STRAW shredded wheat like there's no tomorrow!

So I said...."Dad. It sure snowed." He says, "Here in Oklahoma or Indiana?" I said, "Here, last night, we got about 10-12 so far." Dad tells me we did NOT. hahaha Always has to tell me the opposite of what I say. Always!
I said, "It did too!" He tells me we don't get that much snow. I said we did this time.
He gets up eating and off to the front door he goes but I said, "You can't get the door open." Dad..."Why?" {he loves that word...and now I know where I got it.}"Why?" I asked. "Cause the snow is blocking the door....why else? Come to my office and look out the window."
He sees all the snow and says I guess you are telling the truth. JUST a few moments later after he lays down in bed to watch his TV he announces his fingers are cold as ice. Hmmmm, coincidence to that and the snow? haha So the "Mommy" got the "little boy" his heating pad and all is well with the world...Dad's world, that is. haha

Since Dad has been here MAYBE a couple times his fingers have been white and cold....and then today seeing the snow caused about the third time.

Darn and I wanted to go out with Dad and have a snowball fight!!

One Liner....

I completely forgot to write down what else happened in church yesterday.
Dad was just getting seated and people were gathering around introducing themselves to us. Dad got seated and he was way too close to me and I had no room between he and Rod so I asked him to move down some more. Dad doesn't get UP and move. He twists around in his seat and gets no where.
So I told him he would have to do better than that and he got up with some straining and effort and then moved down....he turns his head to me and in a voice that anyone nearby could hear he says, "Oh good, you made me pee my pants."
Yeah, Dad....it's all MY fault....LOL

Dad without his teeth.

Dad in his normal state....fork in one hand and food in mouth. LOL
He didn't have his teeth in so I asked him if he wanted to grin with no teeth and he started to laugh, as in the second picture. Nothing kept him from continuing to eat though. He was eating meatloaf and he said it was good and soft, just like he liked it. YEAH, WITH NO TEETH! haha

Always take your night time pills at Night!

Dad started on a new muscle relaxant pill a week ago. We are seeing if it helps with his leg cramping pain at night. If it works for him, then maybe it will help with me....but after this morning I learned a valuable lesson.
Rod helped Dad with his bath last night but I got his bedtime pills ready in a cup and his morning pill ready and put aside in the bathroom. I was rather busy last night cleaning my office. I forgot to take that last look at the container of pills in the bathroom as I walked by to my bedroom.
Dad has not forgotten to take them before but then again I do remind him 80% of the time. I did remind him but before he took his bath.

This morning we got up early to go to church. Dad got ready mostly by himself but for putting his pants on backwards.
He makes the annoucement that he took his 4 pills this morning. I told him that he didn't take his morning pills yet....we would go to breakfast after church and then he could take them. He insisted he took them. He said they were on the bathroom sink. So with a few questions I found that he had NOT taken them last night but took them THIS morning. I didn't think too much of it at the time because we were ready to go out the door. It still didn't hit me just what he had taken until we were in the middle of the sermon. Dad started leaning on me little by little...slipping down in the seat over to his left.
I poked Rod to look at what Dad was doing. His lower lip was prodruding out with his teeth dropping down and I almost bursted out laughing when I got my first look. I had to stifle that urge. Then I nudged Dad in the left arm and he looks at me like, What do you want, I am trying to sleep.....so I thought oh yeah, he took the anti-depresant, which had a side effect of making one sleepy. It didn't hit me until the church had to get me a wheelchair they kept on hand that Dad had taken that MUSCLE RELAXANT and he was totally out of it. I had to laugh then....Dad couldn't walk at all....so he was wheeled out and got in the car and I had to push his butt in even at that. It was pretty funny for sure the more I thought about it.

He went home, no breakfast out.....Dad didn't even go to the bathroom. He went STRAIGHT to bed and didn't wake until 2:30pm. When he did get up he came to my office to announce--------GOOD MORNING!.

So the moral of this story is to always take your night time pills at night...but always check to see if DAD took his nighttime pills at NIGHT!

Dad's New Room and Church Decision.

This project has been given a lot of thought....it's taken a few months to decide exactly what we wanted to do. We thought of moving into a new house with an area just made for Dad with a handicapped bathroom. We thought of moving to find a house with a 3-4 car garage or room to add more garage on to accomodate these cars that Dad and Rod have. Lots of decisions had to be made and quickly.
What we decided to do was to stay where we are and add on a bedroom and accessible bathroom for Dad. We will be selling 2 cars and keeping two.

The room he is in now is okay but he has no room for his stuff. He has a twin bed and that's enough room for him since he practically sleeps on the edge and hangs his legs over the side. He says he will be glad to get the full bed here....so I say, Why? You won't sleep in the middle because you say that it's too hard to move over when you need to get up in the middle of the night. He laughs and says, "That's true." Dad's a riot. We are getting a new mattress too. Not a bargained priced one like he always buys. Then again, it won't make any difference. LOL I told Dad if I got a cloud for a mattress he would find fault with it....then he pipes up with, "Yeah, it would be too soft." LOL

We may just put both of the mattresses at his house together for a bed and switch them all the time when he doesn't like them anymore. Oh it WILL happen. One day it will be wrong and the next day the very same mattress will be perfect. And so it goes with Dad.

He has chosen what he wants in his room because he was always the choser. He wanted non slip tile and hardwood floors. I liked that too. However I did have something to say about the color of the walls. He actually thought the color was okay believe it or not. I am still not sure about the one brick interior wall but Dad likes the idea. That's still up for discussion.

So today they are framing. The roof is being raised as well as the chimney. The bathroom is a little bigger than initially designed. We were going to change the bathroom in the hallway of the house. We were going to widen the doors and put in a double shower and take out the tub. After some discussion we decided for convenience it will be better to just add the double shower to the new bathroom. It takes a little space out of the room but it will work out better in the long run I think. Since they were running pipes to the area anyway it didn't cost much more to add the shower.
In the meantime I am cutting down on stuff in the rest of the house...the old upright piano is going since I will be bringing Mom's piano here. I found a very good home for that old upright. I loved the sound of it but I don't have room for all of the things I want. I have been dissolving the closets contents...just too much stuff. BOOKS!!! Too many books but I love books. I do read them too. I always have a book on my stool in the living room. It will be hard to decide which books have to go. I may have to find room under the beds. lol

In Dad's bathroom will be his oak cabinets he made for his own bathoom. He was going to let them go with the house but oh no, that's not happening. He was worried what the new owners would do for towel space. LOL Like I cared. That's their problem Dad. The stained glass cabinet will be in his bathroom too. I wanted him surrounded by the things he made. The gallery rails that he made for Mom are down and ready to move. The shelves he made are coming too. If I could take the baseboards I would. lol Yes, he made them too. He doesn't seem to be so disappointed about selling the house as much as he is disappointed he is no longer able to live alone and take care of himself. He calls this house home now.

We visited a new church yesterday....a smaller church like Riverview used to be a long time ago. This church has a lot of older people. A couple people use walkers too. Dad noticed that right away. We were greeted by a lot of people after we sat down and Dad seemed comfortable. They sang a couple old hymns that he likes. He even sang along. He can't read the song book but he knows the words anyway.

He said he would like to go there but I told him we needed to visit a couple more that I had in mind that were about the same size
.
He doesn't like a big church or one that is so far away and one that you have to walk so far to get to the pew. He wanted older people in the church and songs he knew. I did some research online to find 3 that will be possibilites and then let him choose from them. They are less than 2 miles away too. One man came up to us to say hi and he works at the same place Rod does. I figured we would run into people we knew. I have met him before and dinner functions and he ALWAYS comes and greets us. People like that stand out and one always remembers them being friendly.
So we shall see which one Dad chooses and then I will take photos of him in his new church.

I am posting new photos of the construction and they should be approved and up in a few hours.

Dad's Longevity Outlook....

Here's a quickie...
I was in my bedroom taking photos of the workers outside and Dad comes down the hall and tells me he needs help putting on his shirt....and boy did he....so I get the shirt on and he says, "I sure don't know what I am going to do when you are gone." I nearly choked laughing...and then he realized what he had said. He got red in the face and said, well, I mean....LOL
I said, "Too late Dad....it's obvious you think you are going to outlive me and boy that's positive thinking!"

He sure has come a long way from a year ago when he just wanted to die. LOL Leave it to Dad to change his mind.

So how is he doing you ask?

I have to say that Dad is better now than he has been in a very long time. If I can just keep him from landing on his nose again, it will continue to go well. He really has listened better than he did before he fell I must say. I think he learned a lesson that day. ASK FOR HELP! As most of us near him know, he doesn't do that well. He does now. He even comes to me tangled up in his shirt, laughing, with his arms up in the air, calling my name. It is funny. Sometimes I wonder just now he managed to get in that position when he says he can't raise his arms up in the air. UH HUH!
He can do more now for himself than he did a year ago for sure. I do not waite on him unless he asks. I want him to be independent and do it himself. He shaves, toilets and dresses himself. The only time I help is if he asks me or I see he is struggling. He usually goes to the kitchen in the morning by himself and gets his cereal. He likes cold cereal although I do make oatmeal if he asks. I will make it unasked if it is really cold outside before we go to the Senior Center. I lay his morning pills out on the table each day. He can do the rest all by himself. One day last week he even finished the cereal and went to the fridge and got a piece of Carrot cake that I had made. I laughed when I saw that later because he didn't spill a CRUMB. If he wants to do something he will do it. I am not worried about him falling right now. His balance is better in the last 6 months than it has been in 3 years. He does use the walker at the Senior Center only because there are a lot of people there and he could easily fall if they pushed him accidentally. He also walks the halls and it helps to give support to his back.
He does have that back pain and is due for another shot soon. They really help but when they wear off he has pain when he walks very far.
When we go shopping he has no hesitation to use a motor cart. I don't even have to mention it anymore...he just looks for them.

Just a little story from today...we were watching TV this afternoon. Football of course and Dad and I are going to drug Rod so we can run that TV one of these days, LOL However, Dad falls asleep almost as fast as he sits down on the sofa anyway so it's not really a big deal. I asked Dad if he wanted to go anywhere today....like shopping or out to eat or whatever....he thought for a bit and then said he wanted to go to Indiana....hahaha Funny one Dad....I said, "Okay, so let's pretend.....you are in Indiana right now. You are in your house....now what are you going to do?"
Dad says, "Sit in my chair and watch TV." hahahaha I said YOU are doing that NOW, duh! He laughed and said Yeah, I know. I told him I understand....believe me I do....I was terribly homesick the time I spent 4 months there. I was just a mess and wanted to go home so bad. However, I told Dad that when we were there he had visitors daily for a week...then that wore off fast....and the last month we were there no one came over. NO ONE but a couple people. So I told Dad it was almost better to stay here and visit Indiana....it was more fun and exciting....he thought for a second and said, "You know, you ARE right."
So we waited for Amy to come over and then we all went out to Logan's Roadhouse and Dad had his favorite.....Baby back ribs that falls off the bone with a spoon.