Monday October 21st 2024

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2024

Good morning!

CrunchRN, we've been having nice weather here as well. I love this time of year here. The same La Niña that is bringing extra rain to the pacific NW is also supposedly bringing a warmer than average Winter which is fine by me. As a Floridian of over 30 years I do not like Winter, but not sure I like the high insurance rates, hurricanes and politics. So me retiring here is up in the air.

J22, it's too early for it to be "almost warm". LOL. Hopefully with extra rain there's no flood around in the coming months.

Dianah, glad you had a good time at the service. Sounds lovely.

Stars, I often wonder what goes on in the elderly's head sometimes. So many patients I have don't read, don't watch TV, or interact, but just sit there with their thoughts and visions. Some having conversations with who knows who. Wonder what kind of world is created there. Of course we never liked it when they said they talked to dead relatives or if a dead relative was in the room with them.

G is out running errands. He's keeping himself busy and seems okay. I can't imagine how hard it is to not have a home but relying on someone else's lodging. He's always been the upbeat person and I am just not the pollyanna friend.

The roofer was working on a Sunday near me and asked if he could stop by and I was home. He went up to the attic and found the leak, and some loose spots on the roof. It's an old roof, but a metal one that was supposed to last, and he thinks I should get a new one. The adjuster said that's what roofers always say and it's doubtful the adjuster would authorize a new roof. There's been a lot of roofing fraud causing our insurance rates to go up. So adjusters are now aware of that and not getting people new roofs that aren't needed. I don't want a new roof if I don't really need it. The adjuster comes out on the 30th.

I'm trying to stay grateful that things weren't worse, that my house wasn't destroyed like countless others. I moved $6,000 from my savings account at another bank into my checking out to pay the deductible (yes, it's that high on top of a $4,000 premium and this is not unusual here, a coworker has $7,000 to pay) and am thankful to have the money. Took me a long time to save that money and there's not much left. If I have any more out of pocket expenses, which I am expecting, I'll have to take out a loan or see if I can take it out of my retirement funds (last resort).

Anyway, one step, one day at a time. Today is clean the bathroom day (I'll let G take care of his own) and bowling night. Will go to the gym as well.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2024

When I woke yesterday I knew it was late but still dragged my feet about getting up, expecting that Hubs would come in to get dressed for church and that would be my cue to do the same. He didn't. When I did get up, it was time for church to start and Hubs told me he wasn't feeling well, had had a long night with GERD. Bleh. I would have gone, guess I should just set an alarm and not rely on him. I feel bad that neither of us was there to sing with the choir. And I really liked that anthem, too.

I'm sure G is appreciative that he has a private space. My sister and her family had a house fire in 2001 (?). I think their older son was already on his own but their younger son was about 19 and lived with them. They lived in a rental fairly close to their house while it was being repaired/rebuilt. It's still not like being home in your own space. But better than the motel room they had at first.

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 21, 2024

Hello all!

I slept pretty good last night, in spite of taking a nap in the afternoon. I have no plans for today. Well, I may go get some Mexican food. We got some on Saturday, and though I ALWAYS order mine without meat, lo and behold, there was meat in mine. I don't know what kind of meat, and don't care. I just don't want it in. So I may get replacement food and toss the ones I have (I ordered a burrito without the tortilla, like in a bowl).

Oooo, that's a lot of money, Tweety! It seems it's always something, with a home. Good you have options. Wonder what the adjuster will say??

Ado, hopefully you will be able to sing with the choir next time. How big is your choir?

Joe, sounds like a nice outing, taking the train and all (in spite of the craziness on the return home).

Have a good day!

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 21, 2024

Oh, and I changed my cursor size and color this morning! Was tired of searching for it! It is now LIME GREEN and BIG! LOL!

No Stars In My Eyes · Oct 21, 2024

Flipped and flopped last night until the early morning hours; finally took 1/2 Xanax so I could SLEEP! Of course when I woke up at 11:45 I was kinda groggy, but oh well, hindsight is 20/20; I did think 4 AM was a little bit late to be adding that half Xanax, but it was what it was.

Got Nannie up and dressed and fed. Prolly will have to take her out with me to get the usual yogurts and cran-apple juice. SiL isn't coming over to get Nannie until Wednesday.

It is supposed to be 80 degrees today! I thought Summer was over, but Mom Nature has her own ideas. I put 'matching pants, socks, and shoes' on Nannie so I won't have to change things for her part way through the day, like I did yesterday. She doesn't know, but her top is actually a deep navy-blue and doesn't exactly 'match' her pants, which are black. But the colorful leaf pattern on the jersey kind of distracts her from the other colors not being an exact blend with the pants, etc. *sigh* I am not a fashionista, and at least Nannie isn't quite as vain as she was earlier in her life....unless she notices something isn't right for her tender tastes in clothing. But for now things are okay. Whew.

I am still groggy and slurping my 2nd cup of coffee. I STILL HAVEN'T put away my two stacks of clean folded clothes! I'm sure they are all wrinkled again. I COULD get out the iron and ironing board. I could but prolly won't. Wonder when I will get around to at least hanging up the blouses and jerseys?

Of course, I am still longing to be by myself so I can putter at will and get some of the pending mess taken care of. Yes, there's more dishes to wash, and I have already started Nannie's wash.

Still 'dreaming' of getting a whomping large check from lottery or sweepstakes and then having someone from the HGTV people come in and first decimate, reconfigure the rooms, and see what they can come up with so that the den doesn't feel like a cave. They could knock out the wall between the kitchen and the unused formal dining-room, to expand the kitchen; knock out the wall between the den and Nannie's "bedroom", where the washer and dryer also reside. There is so much that could be done to make this house have a better feel to it, and every evening when we watch HGTV, I dream of having that happen.

I may go down to the shed and see if I can locate some of my books, and goodness only knows what else I will re-discover, but I'd really like to do that. But it is nearly 2 PM, and I should probably get ready to get ready to go out on the few errands. Of course, you know I will run into the after school traffic and shift-change traffic, and Nannie will have to stay in the car. SiL takes her out into the stores, but I ain't a-gonna do that!

So, "on with the day," she said with not much enthusiasm. But I encouraged myself by thinking: "it's only 8 hours until Nannie's 😴 bedtime!"

What a life.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Oct 22, 2024

Overcast and cool. I took the dogs for a walk while it was dry. I did a little yard work, but the ground is squishy. And I finally pulled up some carrots and cooked them for the dogs. I tried a new pumpkin cookie recipe. I couldn't find my cinnamon and allspice, went to the store and then they magically appeared. Grr. I was going to try another recipe, and couldn't find ginger. dh said he would go get some, but that hasn't happened. I did pick up some flat bread pizza to cook for dinner. One is a caprese style, with tomato, basil, mozzarella and balsamic vinegar. The other is pepperoni, for dh.

dh did get the new blinds hung yesterday, and I helped ds put his new desk together. I thought I was getting the same bug dh had last week, because my throat was sore last night, but thats all gone, hurray.

I've been doing a new workbook about mindfulness, to prevent the panic attacks I get when I go to the Dr. Im already worried about my eye appointment in Nov. Sigh. I have some xanax, but I hate the way it makes me feel and how long it lasts.

When we needed roof repair last Winter the 2 roofers we got estimates from both said replace roof. Insurance said just patch the shingles. 1/3 of the shingles got replaced and insurance paid most of it. I don't remember what the deductible was.

No Stars In My Eyes · Oct 22, 2024

I didn't go down to the shed to look for more of my stuff. Instead I took Nannie out in the car while I went to the KIA dealership, the Health Food Store, a Pet Store, and the Food Lion to get a few things. We were out for three hours, and when I drove around the back of the house and brought Nannie into the den to her recliner. I brought in a couple of grocery bags, and when I did, Nannie asked me if I was going to be taking her out in that car. I said we had just returned and I was bringing groceries inside. When I came back down to the den to go out and get the final load of groceries, she asked me again if we were going to go out. No. I just have to drive around to park under the car-port. And when I came back in after that, she asked me again, "Where are we going?" NOOOOOwhere! She is NOT happy with my answers and is sulking.

One minute after we're home from the 3 hour trip, and she doesn't remember ANY of it at all. I told her I was sorry she couldn't recall anything we had done or anyplace we had driven. She kept pouting and giving me the hairy eyeball, like she thought I was telling her a lie.

She tried to get rid of the supper meds, but I caught her in time, saying, "Put that pill back in your mouth and swallow it!" She then only ate her dessert (at least it was from the HFS, organic, non-GMO, no dairy!) and a roll and her cran-juice for supper. It was a good supper, too, brought over by SiL, but she just left it alone. I wonder if I feed her 3 dessert-entrees a day (each with its own dessert) she will be happier to eat? 🙄 My theory is that she is aging backwards, is acting more and more like a child now. She's not at the infant phase yet (ie, bedridden/needing baby-food,and pulverized pills), but I hope she "goes home" as they say here in the South, before she becomes bedridden and all that goes with that.

GADS it is after 10 PM. Time to put her into her bed and go upstairs to my room for MY few hours alone.