Thursday August 4th 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 4, 2022

Good morning!
Joe, hope you have a good day at work despite the fatigue.

Stars, hopefully Nannie can be convinced to do personal hygiene.

Dianah, if the cake tasted okay, who care if it fell in the middle. But sounds something that would happen to me.

Ado, the dinner sounds good...anything with mac and cheese sounds good.

I received an email from Amazon that they got my complaint and I should hear in 24 to 48 hours. It took three phone calls to get this one email and still nothing and it's been almost 48 hours. Whatever.

I talked to my mother last night and she sounds good but complained of pain in her broken arm. She's forgetful but her dementia isn't very pronounced. My sister says her main problem is her generalized weakness. Her being overweight doesn't help. She's already putting up a fuss about the home PT coming in and agreed to one visit. It's something I guess.

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 4, 2022

Ooh, are we time traveling today?

Nah, brought us back to today ?

nursej22, MSN, RN · Aug 4, 2022

Good morning folks. It rained last night, which sounded and felt lovely. Also, it remains cool. Sis saw her PCP yesterday to follow-up on labs. I couldn't go due to a meeting but dd went. The PCP is as frustrated as we are about who is driving the bus! Sis told her she's been falling and likely passed out once. Sodium was 128 (normal 135-145). PCP thinks she's overdiuresed, and is going to check with nephrology, who sis has seen in the past for hyponatremia. Another blood draw today. I'm going to pick up a walker at the Lion's Club warehouse. They lend walkers, wheelchairs, etc for free for up to 2 months. And I'm going to call my doctors in Seattle and get her in there.

Joe, your weather sounds like ours. I'm glad your work load hasn't been too bad.

Dianah, your poor cake! I admit, I haven't baked many cakes lately. I usually do one for dh's birthday, and sometimes one for me. Is is weird that I don't like frosting/icing? I used to make "wacky cake" and a raw apple cake that were both nice and moist.

Tweety, maybe your mom will change her mind when she see's PT. They can be so helpful in the home environment.

I'm not sure I could care for someone 24/7 who wasn't an infant. I just don't think I would have the patience to deal with the dementia and anger. Bless those of you are doing so.

Stars, Nannie should most definitely be paying for her own HHA and that shouldn't fall on you. Maybe this is why your hubby is angry with her.

I have an eye exam this morning. I dread those like many people dread the dentist. It brings back childhood memories of my mean old eye doctor who used to scold me.

No Stars In My Eyes · Aug 4, 2022

AGAIN with the hot and humid, in mid-90's, partly cloudy. What do they think it is, summertime? (that is a variation of seeing a lot of cars going up and down our street, and asking, "Geez, what do they think this is, a road?")

Slept late, took a shower and shampoo'd after I trimmed my bangs. I might go have someone trim the bottom of my hair. I could do it myself, and may end up doing so. I hate it that our hairdresser decided to retire. First person I've trusted with my hair for YEARS, and pfftt, she's gone.

Hubby went to have his hair cut at the barber his dad used to go to. He hasn't shaved in a week, and was contemplating just growing out his beard. I guess I'll find out when he gets out of the shower whether he shaved or not.

Fortunately, if he does decide to grow it out, he keeps it clean, well-trimmed and not scraggly. We've seen 'old guys' with the awfullest looking beards, and hubby will say, "When I grow up, that's how I'm going to wear my beard." A variation of something you don't see as much lately, ice-blonde, really bouffant hairdos----I always say, "When I grow up, that's how I'm going to have my hair done. YUH, right.

It is already three PM. I am still feeling kind of tired. I don't think I have enough energy to do some of those chores I enumerated yesterday. I MAY just go ahead and shred stuff, the bucket is crammed full. The best thing about the shredding is that I sit right under the ceiling fan when I do it. Also, since it is Thursday, I will have to gather all the trash and recycling to put in the bins. Tomorrow is pick-up day.

I haven't even been downstairs (in the den) today, so I'm not sure if Nannie put on clean clothes or not. Frankly, I don't much care.

Gads! If I had to take care of an infant or child 24/7, I would have to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. That's why I never worked pediatrics and never wanted to have babies. Sometimes I will read a newspaper or trash-magazine and I see some guy saying that his biggest desire is to have children: "I have ALWAYS wanted to be a father." HUH!

Long ago when we first got here, Nannie was discharged from the hospital (for whatever it was....maybe having fallen?) she had a guy PT and she just was all aflutter when he was due to arrive; combed her hair, wore an attractive combo of clothes, put on her lipstick, giggled and engaged in her usual "I-me-I" conversation with him. Always referred to him as a DOCTOR who came to her home to see how she was doing. That made her feel VERY important! I doubt any PT could get her up and going, male or female. She thinks she is just fine the way she is, and also has the "I can'ts". Brings out the old story of how she was crippled when she was younger. Sometimes she doesn't remember correctly, because she says she had a broken foot several times in her youth. We don't correct her anymore because RE-finding-out she was born double-club-footed makes her even worse...in spite of her surgeries being successful ...and after she was 18 or 19, being able to wear heels, and she was on a bowling-team for years...She still refers to herself as "a cripple". Well, she's right; she is emotionally and mentally a cripple! Poor Pitiful Pearl.

Well, hubby decided to shave because it is too hot to have a beard, he says.

He asked if I minded if he ran over to the gun shop for a short while. ( He's made friends with the owner and son.) I said no, I don't mind. He said, "It's a good thing because I'm going anyway." I always think he is coming up with an excuse to go out and get his little bottles of Al-Kee-Haul. Who knows.Who cares. Que-sera-sera.

j22, I hope you can get a good doc to help straighten out your sister's health woes. It's discouraging for you, I know. // I may have to rent an RV and go on a tour of shoulder-shaking, and slapping doctor's faces all over this country to get them to PAY ATTENTION and behave like a good doctor should. Make 'em shake in their lab-coats!

I keep thinking I will get up and start sorting out what needs shredding....but so far, I've not been very convincing to myself. Better gather trash and recycling, at least. Thursdays, hubby always gets antsy about getting the trash-bins out on the side of the road. Don't know why, though, as I am the janitor, not him. Maybe it makes him feel he is 'helping out'....something he's been doing less and less of lately. I know he can't help it, especially after his most recent fall (his ribs still hurt, he says, but has yet to contact any doctor, of course) and his emphysema and COPD. I think he is going to take off his hand bandages today, if he hasn't already. Maybe then he can at least wash dishes, but that is the least of it around here. We're going to have to hire someone to tackle the kitchen floor; it is horrendous!

That's enough griping for now. Maybe one of these days I will have HAPPY tales to tell!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Aug 4, 2022

Good news: I got sis an appointment to establish care with my pacer doc and my heart failure doc. Bad news: appointments are in November. I'm sure glad healthcare isn't rationed in the USA (this should be in sarcasm font. )

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 4, 2022

Hello all!

Well, nursej22, the info about your sis's appts just made me shake my head and roll my eyes. November??? Hope something earlier will turn up. Possibly one-hour, initial establishing care appointments, are few and far between, and filled first. Perhaps f/u appts (15-30 min) are more easily obtained. Fingers crossed. Also hope the labs can get straightened out.

Cake? Well, the saga continues. While making the frosting (which I have done very few times, on the whole), I substituted 1 Tbsp warm water and 1 Tbsp coffee-flavored liqueur, for 2 Tbsp strong coffee. I think, though, when I added it to the (melted) butter, it and the butter were just too hot, for the frosting did NOT turn into a "spreadable" consistency. So I added more powdered sugar, and that still didn't help. It WAS spreadable, but kinda runny. Well, I used it anyway. It did "set" up after a bit (after it cooled down). The Ugly Cake was actually delicious! Dh doesn't usually care for chocolate things, but he loved this one! It satisfied my sweet/chocolate tooth!

I watched another Time Team episode. I find the show very interesting!

Dh is taking a short nap (he woke at 5), then we will do some practicing for our playing tomorrow, at the Old West Days. We won't necessarily do old west music, but just be part of several scheduled live music presentations.

Have a good afternoon and evening!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Aug 5, 2022

Stars, my stepdaughter was born with clubbed feet. They were put in casts shortly after birth and later she had shoes that were connected by a bar. Of course I didn't meet her until she was 7 and an active and athletic little girl but Hubs says they were pretty bad. She did complain of pain when wearing ballet slippers (of all things) but her feet never stopped her from doing anything. She ran track, was on the swim team, did well with gymnastics, and was in the National Guard.

My book club read a really good YA book about a girl with clubbed feet. The story was set in WWII when children were evacuated from London. But I digress. Your cake sounds delicious and who cares if it's pretty?

Sitting outside while the dog takes care of business and it's pleasantly warm. The train is passing through down by the river. The crickets and cicadas are having a symphony. Good minutes, these.

No Stars In My Eyes · Aug 5, 2022

Loved The "Dubious Frosting" Episode of The Ugly Cake! ?

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Aug 5, 2022

10 hours ago, No Stars In My Eyes said:

Loved The "Dubious Frosting" Episode of The Ugly Cake! ?

Coffee liqueur with chocolate sounds yummo, does it not? Hubs is one of those who doesn't like frosting so much, so I usually leave part of the cake unfrosted for him. For me, the thicker the frosting the better! ? And I am quite fond of almond/amaretto flavoring.

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Aug 5, 2022

18 hours ago, No Stars In My Eyes said:

AGAIN with the hot and humid, in mid-90's, partly cloudy. What do they think it is, summertime? (that is a variation of seeing a lot of cars going up and down our street, and asking, "Geez, what do they think this is, a road?")

Also a variation of "Geez, all these sick people. What do they think this is, a hospital?" ?

No Stars In My Eyes · Aug 5, 2022

When I was a kid, I hated frosting! I would scrape it off and give it to my younger brother. Maybe that's why we got along okay!

When it was time for MY birthday, I always requested my Mom's Apple Pie.