Yesterday I brought my mother back home with us as she still has no electric service at her house. The official word is maybe no power until the weekend, so she'll stay here until the power is back on.
We're not used to house guests here and Patches even less so. I normally leave the blinds up for Patches to look out the windows at night but with age comes paranoia, so I pulled the blinds down for Mom to sleep. Which she couldn't do because Patches was clawing at the shades all night in an attempt to move them so she could see out. Plus, according to my mother there was some sort of small critter skittering around in the trailer last night with Patches fast on its heels, so I guess we've gained a mouse now the the nights are cooling down. Something else to worry about.
What with Mom being up half the night with the light on reading (this is her normal sleep pattern) and Mouse clawing at the night shades, Denny and I didn't sleep well either. I finally gave up at 5AM, figuring Mom would want to go outside to smoke a cigarette and not be able to manage a coffee cup, the stairs, and being able to keep Patches from shooting out the door. I can see that if we need to incorporate Mom into the family due to her health, we're going to have to do it in a house, hanging up the keys for a while. This rig is just too small for the four of us.
Today I'll keep Mom busy by showing her Denny's dad's house and have her give me some ideas on pricing the remaining furniture and items for the estate sale. That will give her something to do while we continue to get the house ready for sale. The carpet installers will be here Tuesday and Wednesday of next week and the realtor comes out next Friday for another walk-through before putting the house on the market. It's finally coming together.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Hurricane Ike Hits Ohio--Kinda
Hurricane Ike headed up the Midwest and met a cold front which resulted in extremely high winds in Ohio on Sunday. I mean scary-high winds. We only received a tiny bit of rain, but trees were creaking and cracking like gunshots for a couple of hours Sunday afternoon. We lost electrical power at 2:30PM Sunday and it didn't come back on until 5:10PM Tuesday. And it wasn't just the 800,000 households in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky that lost power--it was all the way up I-75 to Dayton, Ohio and even further. I hear that the storm turned eastward at Sidney, Ohio and my sister-in-law heard on the radio (her power was restored Sunday night) that one third of all the traffic lights in the state of Ohio were out. Pretty strong winds, huh? I can't imagine what the people of Galveston went through or why some of them didn't evacuate.
We're heading up to Kettering tomorrow to get a Rhino-liner sprayed on the bed of the truck and I'll bring my mother home with me if she doesn't have her electrical power back on by then since she can't be trusted not to eat bad food from her refrigerator. We haven't gotten much done inside the house since there wasn't any power to run tools and we've had a mess to clean up in the yard. The storm definitely set us back several days in our schedule for getting the house done and on the market. The powers that be say that power may not be restored to most of Cinci until the weekend. The only good thing about the whole situation is that the cold front brought in cooler temperatures so we weren't suffering from heat and humidity while the power was off.
And man, did I miss the Internet! Sigh.
The neighbor's tree fell into "our" driveway and was so big Denny had to use the truck to drag it out of the way.
Just some of the branches that were torn off. Most of the large tops of the trees that broke off were caught up in the trees lining the lawn.
It's difficult to see the large broken-off tree in the middle of this photo, but the top half of the tree landed ten feet from our trailer. Even though we are sitting only ten to fifteen feet from the edge of the woods, none of the fallen trees or big broken limbs fell on the trailer and none of the smaller limbs that did hit us tore the rubber roof of the trailer. I think Denny's dad was watching out for us.
We're heading up to Kettering tomorrow to get a Rhino-liner sprayed on the bed of the truck and I'll bring my mother home with me if she doesn't have her electrical power back on by then since she can't be trusted not to eat bad food from her refrigerator. We haven't gotten much done inside the house since there wasn't any power to run tools and we've had a mess to clean up in the yard. The storm definitely set us back several days in our schedule for getting the house done and on the market. The powers that be say that power may not be restored to most of Cinci until the weekend. The only good thing about the whole situation is that the cold front brought in cooler temperatures so we weren't suffering from heat and humidity while the power was off.
And man, did I miss the Internet! Sigh.
The neighbor's tree fell into "our" driveway and was so big Denny had to use the truck to drag it out of the way.
Just some of the branches that were torn off. Most of the large tops of the trees that broke off were caught up in the trees lining the lawn.
It's difficult to see the large broken-off tree in the middle of this photo, but the top half of the tree landed ten feet from our trailer. Even though we are sitting only ten to fifteen feet from the edge of the woods, none of the fallen trees or big broken limbs fell on the trailer and none of the smaller limbs that did hit us tore the rubber roof of the trailer. I think Denny's dad was watching out for us.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Still Chugging Along
It seems like it's taking us forever just to paint the upstairs rooms at Denny's dad's house and it is. Part of the reason is that Connie had to wash all the walls before we could paint and part of the reason is that every entry door and every closet door and every shelf and built-in in the house is painted and therefore has to be repainted. Sigh.
It didn't help that Denny's step-mother wasn't a good housekeeper, which she herself admitted. How bad a housekeeper didn't come to light until we pulled the refrigerator out so I could clean the floor before Denny laid the Pergo flooring. Here I was halfway done cleaning the floor. Yuck.
We even had to replace the ceiling light panels in the kitchen because they hadn't been cleaned in years, if ever. Note the difference between the new panels on the right and the old on the left.
The good news is that the house is looking bigger, cleaner and brighter so all the hard work put in by the three of us has been worthwhile. I should have done a bunch of "before" pictures but we just started working right off the bat and I didn't think of it.
Today we're getting some of Hurricane Ike's leftover rain so Connie won't be able to weed. She's starting to work on the landscaping outside since that's been sadly neglected too. It's something she's good at and the gardens will look terrific once she's finished, I'm sure. Chugging right along....
It didn't help that Denny's step-mother wasn't a good housekeeper, which she herself admitted. How bad a housekeeper didn't come to light until we pulled the refrigerator out so I could clean the floor before Denny laid the Pergo flooring. Here I was halfway done cleaning the floor. Yuck.
We even had to replace the ceiling light panels in the kitchen because they hadn't been cleaned in years, if ever. Note the difference between the new panels on the right and the old on the left.
The good news is that the house is looking bigger, cleaner and brighter so all the hard work put in by the three of us has been worthwhile. I should have done a bunch of "before" pictures but we just started working right off the bat and I didn't think of it.
Today we're getting some of Hurricane Ike's leftover rain so Connie won't be able to weed. She's starting to work on the landscaping outside since that's been sadly neglected too. It's something she's good at and the gardens will look terrific once she's finished, I'm sure. Chugging right along....
Monday, September 08, 2008
Not Such a Hot Idea
Look closely at the picture above. You will see three screens, one with the screen pulled out of the spline and two with holes clawed in them. That's right, clawed.Bringing in a new litter box worked like a charm on the "inappropriate urination" problem; Patches has used her litter box consistently since I switched them out. Our next problem is that Patches wants to go outside so badly that she claws her way out the open window and/or opens a closed but not locked sliding window by brute strength. Yep, she can do that.
Spraying her with a squirt gun brings a look of disdain, tossing a bottle filled with pennies only works to scare her when we are around. I purchased a Feliway diffuser and that seems to have no effect, other than Patches is still using her litter box well. So the vet said we could try a tranquilizer (which she was going to give me once it was discovered that there was no medical reason for Patches to be urinating outside of her litter box). Off I went to the pharmacy, where I had the prescription filled to the tune of $18. Once home, I shoved 1/4 of a pill down her throat as prescribed and went off to paint at the house.
Coming back to the rig that afternoon I watched as Patches "tracked" a bug flying through the house, only there was no bug. So I pulled out the brochure on the prescription and this is what I found: Patches was prescribed 10mg tablets of buspirone, which is also used by humans. Side effects in humans can be blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness, excitement, headache, lightheadedness, nervousness or nausea. There can be uncontrolled muscle movements, chest pain, fever, fainting, irregular heartbeat, loss of coordination, memory problems, personality changes such as anger, hostility, confusion, depression, seizures, suicidal thoughts, restlessness and vision changes. What the heck did I just do to my cat?
Needless to say, that was her first and last dose of medication. We'll find another way to deal with the screen scratching. I'm thinking perhaps a Halloween themed remote controlled noise-maker of some sort might do the trick but whatever we do, it won't involve drugs other than the Feliway. *Shudder*.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Lazy Sunday RV Dreaming
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost." --H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Denny and I tout our lifestyle to those who ask. Yesterday at a 50th wedding anniversary party we ran into a husband and wife duo who exemplified many couples we talk to; the husband was enthralled with the idea of traveling by RV and the wife would never leave her children and grandchildren. She was proud of the fact that they had moved within walking distance of every adult child and said she had to see at least one of her kids or grandkids every day. That made me shudder internally. Thus the quote above, which appeared today at the bottom of this blog (have you discovered that?)
Our lifestyle certainly is not for everyone. And don't get me wrong; we love our sons and our grandkids. But they have their lives and we have ours. I know they wouldn't mind seeing us more often but I also know they wouldn't want us hovering all the time (this would especially go for our daughters-in-law since I have a rather strong personality).
That being said, there's still much too much out there for us to see so the kids will continue to have to tell folks they are RV orphans whose parents are lost to the road...
Okay, admit it. When you saw this picture you immediately saw Julie Andrews standing there singing "The Hills are Alive", right? If you didn't before you do now, right?
I have titled my pictures in various ways over the years, finally settling on a format of year/month/day/descriptive name. This picture was titled "bubbling rocks, Red Cliff Recreational Area". Can you see why?
There are many areas of the country where red rock formations rise from the earth in majestic beauty; Sedona, AZ, Grant, NM, between Pahrump and Las Vegas, NV and here near Harrisburg, UT at the Red Cliffs Recreational Area.
How can you not want to travel when you know there are waterfalls out there like this one at the Newberry Volcanic National Monument near Bend, Oregon? The sky is truly this blue and the air is crystal clear. You find yourself inhaling huge deep breaths just to taste it.
The wharf at Victoria, British Columbia is a great place to people watch. You can explore much of the town on foot if you choose to leave your vehicle back at the States.
The optical illusion of Mt. Rainier floating over the city of Seattle probably has a scientific explanation but I still enjoy the magical effect.
The once verdant slopes of Mt. St. Helen are slowly replenishing themselves with grasses and wildflowers. Nature works hard to recreate what once was before the horrific volcanic eruption of May 18, 1980.
A blue heron waits patiently for an unwary salmon to swim by near the Hiram Chittenden Locks in Washington.
Denny and I tout our lifestyle to those who ask. Yesterday at a 50th wedding anniversary party we ran into a husband and wife duo who exemplified many couples we talk to; the husband was enthralled with the idea of traveling by RV and the wife would never leave her children and grandchildren. She was proud of the fact that they had moved within walking distance of every adult child and said she had to see at least one of her kids or grandkids every day. That made me shudder internally. Thus the quote above, which appeared today at the bottom of this blog (have you discovered that?)
Our lifestyle certainly is not for everyone. And don't get me wrong; we love our sons and our grandkids. But they have their lives and we have ours. I know they wouldn't mind seeing us more often but I also know they wouldn't want us hovering all the time (this would especially go for our daughters-in-law since I have a rather strong personality).
That being said, there's still much too much out there for us to see so the kids will continue to have to tell folks they are RV orphans whose parents are lost to the road...
Okay, admit it. When you saw this picture you immediately saw Julie Andrews standing there singing "The Hills are Alive", right? If you didn't before you do now, right?
I have titled my pictures in various ways over the years, finally settling on a format of year/month/day/descriptive name. This picture was titled "bubbling rocks, Red Cliff Recreational Area". Can you see why?
There are many areas of the country where red rock formations rise from the earth in majestic beauty; Sedona, AZ, Grant, NM, between Pahrump and Las Vegas, NV and here near Harrisburg, UT at the Red Cliffs Recreational Area.
How can you not want to travel when you know there are waterfalls out there like this one at the Newberry Volcanic National Monument near Bend, Oregon? The sky is truly this blue and the air is crystal clear. You find yourself inhaling huge deep breaths just to taste it.
The wharf at Victoria, British Columbia is a great place to people watch. You can explore much of the town on foot if you choose to leave your vehicle back at the States.
The optical illusion of Mt. Rainier floating over the city of Seattle probably has a scientific explanation but I still enjoy the magical effect. 
The once verdant slopes of Mt. St. Helen are slowly replenishing themselves with grasses and wildflowers. Nature works hard to recreate what once was before the horrific volcanic eruption of May 18, 1980. 
A blue heron waits patiently for an unwary salmon to swim by near the Hiram Chittenden Locks in Washington.
This Calls for RVers
There's an article online today that tells of a desert tortoise that was somehow moved to Idaho but left at a rest stop along I-95. The tortoise, now named Sadie, was taken to an animal preserve in Washington but that climate will soon be too cold for a desert creature. The preserve is looking for someone to adopt Sadie since she now has to be considered a domesticated pet from being in captivity for this long, but the owner has to live in a desert climate.
A willing volunteer has been found in Blythe, CA but that's on the border of California and Arizona way, way south so a way down there is needed for Sadie. Here's where a cadre of RVers would come in handy; Sadie could be moved south in stages by those who will be heading for warmer climes themselves.
Hey Bill and Diane, want to take the first leg?
A willing volunteer has been found in Blythe, CA but that's on the border of California and Arizona way, way south so a way down there is needed for Sadie. Here's where a cadre of RVers would come in handy; Sadie could be moved south in stages by those who will be heading for warmer climes themselves.
Hey Bill and Diane, want to take the first leg?
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
A Hitch in Our Giddy-up
There be gremlins in our life right now--arrrr. The car left behind by Denny's step-mother will not start, a tire blew out on our trailer as we're sitting here parked in the driveway, and nothing is where we left it/put it in the house when we return in the morning. Sigh.
Today we dropped all pretense of work on the house to go pick up a new tire for the trailer so that Denny could change the flat. That scares the heck out of me; him raising a 17,000 pound trailer with a little bottle jack. Fortunately there was an old cast iron house jack in his dad's garage to use as an additional support, but since that side of the trailer was already riding on seven inches of leveling boards I was not comfortable with Denny changing the tire himself. However, the manly man got her done. Then it was onward and upward to installing the new marble top for the bathroom vanity where we discovered that a 37 year-old vanity base just might not work with a new top. The cabinet has two small drawers at the top and the basin of new top is much larger than the old one so the drawers are in the way. Hmm. Only one drawer was a problem actually, so I had Denny remove the drawer, took the front off the drawer and then we screwed the front of the drawer back onto the vanity. Voila'. False front that matched the drawer that still can open. New faucet and drain installed, a little leak in the old plumbing to be worked on tomorrow. New faucet handles in the shower, but no luck in pulling the old drain out--it's stuck in there good with years-old mastic. Denny will probably have to take a hacksaw to that to get it out with a lot of muscle after cutting through the male threads.
Some phone call hassles occupied the afternoon and then we ran out to get a new battery for the car to see if that was the problem. Fortunately, it was so we don't have to worry about an expensive car repair for a vehicle that is going to be sold as part of the estate. We treated ourselves to dinner at Red Lobster and had a great evening chatting with one of the managers who we had teased upon our arrival. All the employees there were friendly and smiling and it was a nice dining experience after a very frustrating day. Other restaurants in the area could take a lesson from the folks at this particular franchise.
The painting is going well, but it's the "two steps forward, one step back" routine on all the jobs that we find frustrating, like installing the vanity top but having to create a workaround fix to make it fit. Nothing has been easy in this rehab of Denny's father's house. Which makes us ask again, "Why do people own houses????"
Today we dropped all pretense of work on the house to go pick up a new tire for the trailer so that Denny could change the flat. That scares the heck out of me; him raising a 17,000 pound trailer with a little bottle jack. Fortunately there was an old cast iron house jack in his dad's garage to use as an additional support, but since that side of the trailer was already riding on seven inches of leveling boards I was not comfortable with Denny changing the tire himself. However, the manly man got her done. Then it was onward and upward to installing the new marble top for the bathroom vanity where we discovered that a 37 year-old vanity base just might not work with a new top. The cabinet has two small drawers at the top and the basin of new top is much larger than the old one so the drawers are in the way. Hmm. Only one drawer was a problem actually, so I had Denny remove the drawer, took the front off the drawer and then we screwed the front of the drawer back onto the vanity. Voila'. False front that matched the drawer that still can open. New faucet and drain installed, a little leak in the old plumbing to be worked on tomorrow. New faucet handles in the shower, but no luck in pulling the old drain out--it's stuck in there good with years-old mastic. Denny will probably have to take a hacksaw to that to get it out with a lot of muscle after cutting through the male threads.
Some phone call hassles occupied the afternoon and then we ran out to get a new battery for the car to see if that was the problem. Fortunately, it was so we don't have to worry about an expensive car repair for a vehicle that is going to be sold as part of the estate. We treated ourselves to dinner at Red Lobster and had a great evening chatting with one of the managers who we had teased upon our arrival. All the employees there were friendly and smiling and it was a nice dining experience after a very frustrating day. Other restaurants in the area could take a lesson from the folks at this particular franchise.
The painting is going well, but it's the "two steps forward, one step back" routine on all the jobs that we find frustrating, like installing the vanity top but having to create a workaround fix to make it fit. Nothing has been easy in this rehab of Denny's father's house. Which makes us ask again, "Why do people own houses????"
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Holiday Weekend Lazy Sunday
I was thinking to do a holiday-themed Lazy Sunday, but then random pictures would catch my eye begging to be included. So there are some holiday leaning pictures and some others that are just there.
This morning we're meeting Denny's sister and cousin for breakfast and then we'll do some work on the house (surprise, surprise!). I did manage to get a urine sample from Patches to have tested and that's not the problem. Since she climbed so easily into the empty litter box that we had used with her when she was a kitten, I switched to that one and for the moment she's using it quite well. It's actually too small for her though, so I'm going to get a bigger one. We're thinking the older box (which we had used with our previous cat years ago) just had soaked in too many smells and had become obnoxious to the cat. *Crossing my fingers here.*
For those working stiffs out there; enjoy the three day weekend. For those of us who are retired, it's just another series of days. But that's okay with us!
The Wenatchee River near Leavenworth, Washington is one of the prettiest rivers we've seen. Doesn't it look like it would be fun to white-water raft on this one?
This particular Lego-like statue of a "naked lady" is located at the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada which is a neat little place not too far from Death Valley, California.
The Lettuce Festival in Yuma, Arizona is a great place to get a bowl of salad instead of the usual deep-fried junk.
I've been talking about all the work Denny and I are doing at the house, but Denny's sister Connie is the real worker, because she's doing all the wall and floor scrubbing first. Here's Denny and Connie at one of the family reunions in a much more relaxed moment.
We're going back a few years here. This is our old neighborhood in Beavercreek, Ohio. I don't remember if this was a 4th of July celebration or a Labor Day celebration but the kids were having a ball. Steve is in the middle in the maroon outfit and Darby is on the end of the rope on the right side of the picture in the bathing suit. Obviously, this was well over twenty years ago since the "boys" are 36 and 31 respectively.
These panthers reside in one of my favorites places, Brookgreen Gardens south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Acres and acres of sculptures and artwork set in gardens beautifully created and maintained. This is one of the places we return to again and again.
Another favorite spot is Gatlinburg, Tennessee; not the shopping/touristy part, but the streams and trees and mountain vistas. Here I caught Darb just as he was ready to chase the geese, although I'm sure he'll tell you he was just trying to watch them. Again, remember the child is now 31 years old.
Is this child not adorable? This is Adam, our little neighbor Wookie (I've probably got that wrong, not having memorized the Star Wars movies unlike some younger member of the family). "Little Adam" is probably in his mid-twenties by now, but he was our favorite of all the neighbors' kids.
This morning we're meeting Denny's sister and cousin for breakfast and then we'll do some work on the house (surprise, surprise!). I did manage to get a urine sample from Patches to have tested and that's not the problem. Since she climbed so easily into the empty litter box that we had used with her when she was a kitten, I switched to that one and for the moment she's using it quite well. It's actually too small for her though, so I'm going to get a bigger one. We're thinking the older box (which we had used with our previous cat years ago) just had soaked in too many smells and had become obnoxious to the cat. *Crossing my fingers here.*
For those working stiffs out there; enjoy the three day weekend. For those of us who are retired, it's just another series of days. But that's okay with us!
The Wenatchee River near Leavenworth, Washington is one of the prettiest rivers we've seen. Doesn't it look like it would be fun to white-water raft on this one?
This particular Lego-like statue of a "naked lady" is located at the ghost town of Rhyolite, Nevada which is a neat little place not too far from Death Valley, California.
The Lettuce Festival in Yuma, Arizona is a great place to get a bowl of salad instead of the usual deep-fried junk. 
I've been talking about all the work Denny and I are doing at the house, but Denny's sister Connie is the real worker, because she's doing all the wall and floor scrubbing first. Here's Denny and Connie at one of the family reunions in a much more relaxed moment.
We're going back a few years here. This is our old neighborhood in Beavercreek, Ohio. I don't remember if this was a 4th of July celebration or a Labor Day celebration but the kids were having a ball. Steve is in the middle in the maroon outfit and Darby is on the end of the rope on the right side of the picture in the bathing suit. Obviously, this was well over twenty years ago since the "boys" are 36 and 31 respectively.
These panthers reside in one of my favorites places, Brookgreen Gardens south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Acres and acres of sculptures and artwork set in gardens beautifully created and maintained. This is one of the places we return to again and again.
Another favorite spot is Gatlinburg, Tennessee; not the shopping/touristy part, but the streams and trees and mountain vistas. Here I caught Darb just as he was ready to chase the geese, although I'm sure he'll tell you he was just trying to watch them. Again, remember the child is now 31 years old.
Is this child not adorable? This is Adam, our little neighbor Wookie (I've probably got that wrong, not having memorized the Star Wars movies unlike some younger member of the family). "Little Adam" is probably in his mid-twenties by now, but he was our favorite of all the neighbors' kids.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Pathetic
How sad is it when the highlight of your day is the fact that the cat peed into a totally empty litter box so you could gather a urine sample for testing? Sigh. Still having issues with inappropriate litter habits; perhaps I should just leave the empty box there without any litter in it at all since she climbed in to use it that way.
Yesterday we took a break from the house painting chores to run up to Kettering for a dental appointment for me and a chiropractic adjustment for Denny. We spent the remainder of the afternoon with my mother so I could see how she's doing. She's gone back to having her afternoon "cocktail" so I'm assuming she'll be starting that slow downward spiral again, preferring cigarettes and booze to eating properly. As my sister-in-law says: "it will be what it will be". And we will deal with it.
Today we should be able to get all the finishing touches in the dining room done so that we can start to work on painting the main hallway. We've decided on the wood tone for the Pergo flooring (walnut), another carpet installer is coming Monday (on Labor Day no less) for a cost estimate on carpet since it seems the berber we chose is now outdated and California berber (a short shag, shudder!) is in. Plush it is!
I think Denny and I have pretty much decided that we need and deserve a month at Myrtle Beach when this is all over and one of our favorite campgrounds now has a discounted monthly price in November so that's what we're aiming for. Friends Don and Vicki will be down there for a couple of weeks and I can't think of a better way to relax than being at the beach with old friends. And at the beach, it's ALWAYS 5 o'clock!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Ups and Downs
This month we've lost two friends/former co-workers and my mother has been in and out of the hospital. Her mental processes remain fuzzy although her physical wellbeing is much better.
On the plus side, we've met with a pair of realtors who seem anxious to work with us on getting Denny's dad's house sold and we're reaching the halfway mark on getting the rooms painted upstairs. The decision to install Pergo on the kitchen floor means more work for Denny but in a way it would be a change of pace from all the painting he has been doing so he doesn't mind it too much.
Patches is being a bit of a problem: three times this month she's opened a window and jumped out, once staying out all night. She has also developed litter box issues and Denny's patience with that is running short. Hopefully I can get that worked out before I have to give up the cat, but it's just not something I have a lot of time to deal with while we're working on the house (which may be part of the problem).
I think we'll be glad to be done with the month of August.
On the plus side, we've met with a pair of realtors who seem anxious to work with us on getting Denny's dad's house sold and we're reaching the halfway mark on getting the rooms painted upstairs. The decision to install Pergo on the kitchen floor means more work for Denny but in a way it would be a change of pace from all the painting he has been doing so he doesn't mind it too much.
Patches is being a bit of a problem: three times this month she's opened a window and jumped out, once staying out all night. She has also developed litter box issues and Denny's patience with that is running short. Hopefully I can get that worked out before I have to give up the cat, but it's just not something I have a lot of time to deal with while we're working on the house (which may be part of the problem).
I think we'll be glad to be done with the month of August.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Day Is Done*
Day is done,
gone the sun,
from the hills,
from the lake,
from the sky.
All is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.*From the song "Taps"
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Welcome Home
Yesterday morning I was treated to a blush of a sunrise as a welcome home gift. It felt great to be back in front of my own computer watching the first eager hummingbird of the morning drinking deeply from the feeder on the back window against a backdrop of deep peachy-pink sky.Work continues apace on the house; Connie worked on washing the dining room walls to prep them for painting, I re-grouted the joints of the shower stall in the main bathroom, painted the medicine cabinet and worked on putting the living room back together since Denny finished painting it while I was gone. He really worked hard all week while I was up in Kettering and it shows. We are taking most of the day off today to do some work at my mom's house and then join friends for a cookout so Denny will finally get a bit of a break from the house, although not from doing maintenance. Plus, since I volunteered to make a coconut cream pie for the cookout, he has to make the crust for me. That's what happens when you become renowned for your pie crusts!
This afternoon a friend of my mother is taking her out to lunch so I'll be able to get an independent opinion on the level of improvement she's made since she's been in the hospital. Mom made some weirdly disconnected statements right before I was due to return to Cinci on Wednesday which concerned me so things still aren't right but that may be a new separate issue. Sigh.
And the beat goes on....
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Bad News/Good News
The bad news is that the pilot light of the water heater at my mother's house has gone out three times in as many weeks. I had a plumber come out yesterday to change the thermocoupler and to see if the water heater needed a new thermostat. The bad news; Mom needs a new water heater as it is leaking carbon monoxide as well as not working properly. The good news? I was here to notice and to call to get it fixed before I left today to go back to Cinci (finally!).
Thus the wait for the plumber begins as we were given the standard "we'll be here between 10 and 2" routine. We have to be at the doctor's office at 2PM, plus the physical therapist is coming to work with my mom on some strengthening exercises for her hip and leg muscles. Mom is still a little confused and shaky (and no wonder with the low sodium and leaking carbon monoxide on top of that) but she has been eating a lot better and she's taken control of her medication and managed to wash the dishes a couple of times. So I'm fairly comfortable with the idea of going home today. Denny and I will stop back on Friday to install a grab bar next to the bathtub but after that Mom will be on her own until next Friday. She'll have a visiting nurse twice a week next week as well as the physical therapist and they have my number if they feel she shouldn't be on her own yet. At that point, I'll have to work something out because I really need to help Denny get his father's house painted so we can get it on the market before the sales season quits for the holidays and cold weather.
The ducks are starting to align in neat little rows for the moment. Yay!
Thus the wait for the plumber begins as we were given the standard "we'll be here between 10 and 2" routine. We have to be at the doctor's office at 2PM, plus the physical therapist is coming to work with my mom on some strengthening exercises for her hip and leg muscles. Mom is still a little confused and shaky (and no wonder with the low sodium and leaking carbon monoxide on top of that) but she has been eating a lot better and she's taken control of her medication and managed to wash the dishes a couple of times. So I'm fairly comfortable with the idea of going home today. Denny and I will stop back on Friday to install a grab bar next to the bathtub but after that Mom will be on her own until next Friday. She'll have a visiting nurse twice a week next week as well as the physical therapist and they have my number if they feel she shouldn't be on her own yet. At that point, I'll have to work something out because I really need to help Denny get his father's house painted so we can get it on the market before the sales season quits for the holidays and cold weather.
The ducks are starting to align in neat little rows for the moment. Yay!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
No Lazy Sunday Pix Today
I'm at my mother's house still and I neglected to bring the laptop when I rushed up here so I have no computer full of scenic wonders to share. The only photographs my mother has in HER computer are those things she has sold on eBay--I need to clean a lot of those out since they have sold.
Today was spent allowing my mother to heat her own lunch and dinner to see how see manages, and taking her to the store to buy a pair of shoes to watch how she negotiated the self-checkout line. She's better, less shaky and a little more clear mentally, but she's not my mother yet; that active, vibrant, fast-walking, able-to-Indian-squat woman who could go from 6AM to 10PM without pause. I'm afraid that woman is long gone because she neglected her self-care far too long and the lack of oxygen to her brain from the emphysema and the abuse of alcohol have caused changes that can't be repaired. So now I wander the house thinking "she needs a handrail for the front and back steps, we need to move the extra twin bed from the bedroom because she hasn't the strength to reach around the bed to change the sheets, the bath tub is dangerous without a grab bar at the edge of the tub, a smaller laundry basket would make it easier to go downstairs to the washer," etc. Our parent/child relationship is changing and I'm not comfortable with that yet. I'm not ready to be the parent to the woman who stood by me when I locked horns with my father over my choices of who to befriend and how to behave and what to think, the mother who accepted my craziness and understood that it was acting out, feeling my oats, finding my way. I think that woman is gone and I hate it.
I hate it.
Today was spent allowing my mother to heat her own lunch and dinner to see how see manages, and taking her to the store to buy a pair of shoes to watch how she negotiated the self-checkout line. She's better, less shaky and a little more clear mentally, but she's not my mother yet; that active, vibrant, fast-walking, able-to-Indian-squat woman who could go from 6AM to 10PM without pause. I'm afraid that woman is long gone because she neglected her self-care far too long and the lack of oxygen to her brain from the emphysema and the abuse of alcohol have caused changes that can't be repaired. So now I wander the house thinking "she needs a handrail for the front and back steps, we need to move the extra twin bed from the bedroom because she hasn't the strength to reach around the bed to change the sheets, the bath tub is dangerous without a grab bar at the edge of the tub, a smaller laundry basket would make it easier to go downstairs to the washer," etc. Our parent/child relationship is changing and I'm not comfortable with that yet. I'm not ready to be the parent to the woman who stood by me when I locked horns with my father over my choices of who to befriend and how to behave and what to think, the mother who accepted my craziness and understood that it was acting out, feeling my oats, finding my way. I think that woman is gone and I hate it.
I hate it.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Home From The Hospital
I was able to bring my mother home from the hospital, to the relief of both of us. Of course, the first thing she did was grab a cigarette, contrary to doctor's orders, but she did do without the evening cocktail which is now also verboten. Mom was hungry enough to eat a good-sized (for her) portion of spaghetti with meat sauce and then she went to bed for a few hours and actually slept.
This morning we went over her new pill routine, writing it all down because I've noticed there's still a slight fog over her brain. After breakfast the drill sergeant (me) made the poor little old lady (Mom) do her balance exercises as recommended by the physical therapist and now she's resting on the couch. I'm such a meanie. I think Mom will be glad when I return to my own home. However, with upcoming doctors' appointments that won't be until Wednesday and by then we'll both be glad to be shut of each other. (It's a colloquialism, Coll). In the meantime, Denny is stuck with doing all the painting at his father's house and I'm feeling guilty about that.
For right now, the goal is to get Mom back in shape to live independently for her own benefit and because Myrtle Beach is calling my name. Working on it.....
This morning we went over her new pill routine, writing it all down because I've noticed there's still a slight fog over her brain. After breakfast the drill sergeant (me) made the poor little old lady (Mom) do her balance exercises as recommended by the physical therapist and now she's resting on the couch. I'm such a meanie. I think Mom will be glad when I return to my own home. However, with upcoming doctors' appointments that won't be until Wednesday and by then we'll both be glad to be shut of each other. (It's a colloquialism, Coll). In the meantime, Denny is stuck with doing all the painting at his father's house and I'm feeling guilty about that.
For right now, the goal is to get Mom back in shape to live independently for her own benefit and because Myrtle Beach is calling my name. Working on it.....
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Once More into the Fray
I received a phone calls from the neurologist's office yesterday: "Mrs. Braun, your mother's blood work shows she is dangerously low in sodium and you need to take her to the emergency room right away." Or as right away as you can get if you happen to be living 50 miles away, I guess. So that's what I did.
Right now, she's in there for at least three days (and she hates it) and she's having a lot of tests run. One doctor saw nodules on her chest x-ray that no one else has mentioned, another told me that Mom's emphysema is a lot more advanced than her personal physician implied. Apparently alcohol depletes the body of sodium and yes, she's a drinker. And no, she doesn't drink much water and no she doesn't salt her food. Sigh.
So they are working on her and she's grumpy and more than a little confused by all this fuss. That's a new problem too, the mental confusion, although I understand that the low sodium can cause that also. I guess it can cause a lot of problems actually.
For the time being, I'm up in Kettering and Denny is stuck working on his father's house on his own, not that he's complaining. There will be decisions to be made over Mom's immediate and future care, although a lot of it depends on whether or not she is willing to take better care of herself and give up the drinking and smoking. Which is probably not an option in her opinion. Heh. We'll deal with it, because that's what you do, right?
The good news? Frustration makes me feel like doing housework, so I'll get some of the things Mom has been neglecting done. Then it will be time to go back and watch her get poked and prodded some more--they are taking her blood every four hours, poor thing. Boy is she going to be grumpy when I get there.....
Right now, she's in there for at least three days (and she hates it) and she's having a lot of tests run. One doctor saw nodules on her chest x-ray that no one else has mentioned, another told me that Mom's emphysema is a lot more advanced than her personal physician implied. Apparently alcohol depletes the body of sodium and yes, she's a drinker. And no, she doesn't drink much water and no she doesn't salt her food. Sigh.
So they are working on her and she's grumpy and more than a little confused by all this fuss. That's a new problem too, the mental confusion, although I understand that the low sodium can cause that also. I guess it can cause a lot of problems actually.
For the time being, I'm up in Kettering and Denny is stuck working on his father's house on his own, not that he's complaining. There will be decisions to be made over Mom's immediate and future care, although a lot of it depends on whether or not she is willing to take better care of herself and give up the drinking and smoking. Which is probably not an option in her opinion. Heh. We'll deal with it, because that's what you do, right?
The good news? Frustration makes me feel like doing housework, so I'll get some of the things Mom has been neglecting done. Then it will be time to go back and watch her get poked and prodded some more--they are taking her blood every four hours, poor thing. Boy is she going to be grumpy when I get there.....
Sunday, August 10, 2008
A Late in the Day Lazy Sunday
Our day started early with breakfast at the Red Squirrel with Denny's sister Connie. After we dropped her off at her house, Denny and I got to work on his dad's house, Denny power-washing the sidewalks and porches while I tackled scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets. I was pretty impressed by the job done by the power washer and by my own muscle power after rubbing in a coat of furniture oil on the cabinetry. For a break away from harsh cleansers I sprayed painted the decorative molding around the main bathroom vanity as years of use by Dad and his wife had worn off all the paint in one area. I was pleased with the results of that and decided to quit while I was ahead. One of these days Denny and I really are going to take a break and either play golf or catch a funny movie just to get away from this place and worrying about my mother.
Another great way to get away is to go back and look through the pictures from our travels. So in no particular order and with no particular theme we have simply pictures that make me smile and bring back many a fond memory.
The Spotted Dog Restaurant sits next to the World's Largest Kaleidoscope in Mt. Tremper, New York. We didn't eat at the restaurant but appreciated the humor of the building's architect.
This is the stained glass ceiling of one of the main bathhouses at the Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Touring the town was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon and visiting the museum lodged in the Fordyce Bathhouse transported us back to the days of the early 1900s when "taking the waters" was the rage.
This picture stumped me. Many of our early photographs were left in Darby's care and he has been scanning the prints onto CDs for me, but unfortunately he doesn't label the pictures with whatever I wrote and dated on the back of the photographs. I believe this is a natural arch located in the area of Fairfield Bay Resort in Arkansas, where we spent a week for our vacation when the boys were much younger. If it was, I'm surprised that the shot doesn't include the two boys standing on TOP of the natural arch. Not that I would have allowed that.
This is the second set of falls at Pattison State Park in Wisconsin. These are the little Manitou Falls and if you are lucky enough to discover this little park with its two sets of falls and sandy beach on the lake you'll enjoy a wonderful afternoon of sunlight, water and clean air.
Ah, the 16 day old Clydesdale foal at Grant's Farm in St. Louis, MO. If there was a way I could have smuggled him out I would have. I love these massive, gentle creatures and have several pictures of Denny and the Clydesdales both at Grant's Farm and at the Anheuser Busch brewery where they maintain a stable of these lovely animals.
Lacey Point at the Painted Desert in Arizona. Arid, windy, beautiful.
Words cannot describe the deep rust red of the rock surrounding the area of Sedona, Arizona. One doesn't need to Photoshop any pictures you take out there--the color and grandeur of the rock formations are awesome on their own.
It's shots like this one that make me miss camping the most. This shot was taken at one of our membership campgrounds near Gunnison, Colorado. We were there at the end of the season in September and it was a lovely time to be in the area. We WILL go back someday.
Another great way to get away is to go back and look through the pictures from our travels. So in no particular order and with no particular theme we have simply pictures that make me smile and bring back many a fond memory.
The Spotted Dog Restaurant sits next to the World's Largest Kaleidoscope in Mt. Tremper, New York. We didn't eat at the restaurant but appreciated the humor of the building's architect.
This is the stained glass ceiling of one of the main bathhouses at the Hot Springs National Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Touring the town was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon and visiting the museum lodged in the Fordyce Bathhouse transported us back to the days of the early 1900s when "taking the waters" was the rage.
This picture stumped me. Many of our early photographs were left in Darby's care and he has been scanning the prints onto CDs for me, but unfortunately he doesn't label the pictures with whatever I wrote and dated on the back of the photographs. I believe this is a natural arch located in the area of Fairfield Bay Resort in Arkansas, where we spent a week for our vacation when the boys were much younger. If it was, I'm surprised that the shot doesn't include the two boys standing on TOP of the natural arch. Not that I would have allowed that. 
This is the second set of falls at Pattison State Park in Wisconsin. These are the little Manitou Falls and if you are lucky enough to discover this little park with its two sets of falls and sandy beach on the lake you'll enjoy a wonderful afternoon of sunlight, water and clean air.
Ah, the 16 day old Clydesdale foal at Grant's Farm in St. Louis, MO. If there was a way I could have smuggled him out I would have. I love these massive, gentle creatures and have several pictures of Denny and the Clydesdales both at Grant's Farm and at the Anheuser Busch brewery where they maintain a stable of these lovely animals.
Lacey Point at the Painted Desert in Arizona. Arid, windy, beautiful.
Words cannot describe the deep rust red of the rock surrounding the area of Sedona, Arizona. One doesn't need to Photoshop any pictures you take out there--the color and grandeur of the rock formations are awesome on their own.
It's shots like this one that make me miss camping the most. This shot was taken at one of our membership campgrounds near Gunnison, Colorado. We were there at the end of the season in September and it was a lovely time to be in the area. We WILL go back someday.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Playing Catch Up Yet Again
Wow! A week has come and gone since my last post, not counting this morning's post. Denny, his sister Connie and I have jumped into working on their father's house with a vengeance. Denny has been painting while Connie and I have been washing everything left by their step-mother who was admittedly a lousy housekeeper. This woman didn't have dust bunnies under the beds, she had Abominable Snowmen under there. I was going to wash, tag and price everything and have the estate sale, but the Realtor wants furniture and "stuff" in the house while it is up for sale so I'm having to hold off on that. Which means I'll start helping Denny paint the upstairs and then we'll tackle the storage room and garage after that, since we promised the Realtor that we'd have the house ready to list and show in a month, optimists that we are. We're finding more and more things in need of repair or replacement as we move from room to room, but the only thing that will have to be handled by professionals is replacing the carpeting. Everything else Denny and I can do, fortunately, since the two of us are kinda handy.
Again, all this fixing-up work just reinforces our commitment to a foot-loose and fancy-free existence in our wonderful tin can on wheels. I don't know just when we'll be back on the road, but we will be back on the road.
Again, all this fixing-up work just reinforces our commitment to a foot-loose and fancy-free existence in our wonderful tin can on wheels. I don't know just when we'll be back on the road, but we will be back on the road.
A Rolling Trailer Stone....
...gathers no bird's nest moss.
This is what happens when you stay in one place too long. A pair of wrens decided our storage bin where all our cables connect to our rig would be the perfect, snug little place to build a nest...in AUGUST! Sigh. Unfortunately for the wrens, we had to remove the nest but it's not like there's not FOUR ACRES OF WOODS TWELVE FEET AWAY FROM THE TRAILER. Hello, birds??? Trees instead of trailers???????
This is what happens when you stay in one place too long. A pair of wrens decided our storage bin where all our cables connect to our rig would be the perfect, snug little place to build a nest...in AUGUST! Sigh. Unfortunately for the wrens, we had to remove the nest but it's not like there's not FOUR ACRES OF WOODS TWELVE FEET AWAY FROM THE TRAILER. Hello, birds??? Trees instead of trailers???????
Friday, August 01, 2008
Men vs. Women
Black Beauty has been in the shop this week--last week while up at my mother's house she started clunking when put into reverse and her forward gears had no "oomph" when she was cold. The second morning we received a phone call from the service tech explaining that a TSB (technical service bulletin, he oh-so-carefully explained to the ignorant female who has been researching TSBs on all her vehicles for years) said some 2008 Ford F450s had a tendency to clunk changing gears, yada, yada, yada and so the way the truck was behaving was normal.
Watch my blood pressure rise when dealing with smug, supercilious males who think they are talking with an idiot female. Suppressing my first instinct to go haughty/angry (read p*ssed) on the young man-who-doesn't-know-who-he's-dealing-with, I carefully explained that my lovely truck had run exceedingly well for 6500 miles (that's right, we've put on 6,500 miles in 4 months) and there was never a clunk to be heard UNTIL LAST WEEK AND THEREFORE SOMETHING WAS WRONG!!!!!! (Deep breath, Linda)
The resultant long pause in the conversation was rather pleasing to my ears and then the service tech said he'd do more checking and get back to us. Two more days and the next phone calls explains that oh my, we believe there's a transmission leak but we can't find it so we've put dye in the transmission and either you (the RV Vagabonds) can drive the truck for two weeks and return to the shop so they can look for the source of the leak or they (the shop) can keep the truck and drive it around for a few days to find the source. Snort. We picked up the truck.
Maybe the service tech learned something this week about assumptions and taking the easy way out. Probably not.
Watch my blood pressure rise when dealing with smug, supercilious males who think they are talking with an idiot female. Suppressing my first instinct to go haughty/angry (read p*ssed) on the young man-who-doesn't-know-who-he's-dealing-with, I carefully explained that my lovely truck had run exceedingly well for 6500 miles (that's right, we've put on 6,500 miles in 4 months) and there was never a clunk to be heard UNTIL LAST WEEK AND THEREFORE SOMETHING WAS WRONG!!!!!! (Deep breath, Linda)
The resultant long pause in the conversation was rather pleasing to my ears and then the service tech said he'd do more checking and get back to us. Two more days and the next phone calls explains that oh my, we believe there's a transmission leak but we can't find it so we've put dye in the transmission and either you (the RV Vagabonds) can drive the truck for two weeks and return to the shop so they can look for the source of the leak or they (the shop) can keep the truck and drive it around for a few days to find the source. Snort. We picked up the truck.
Maybe the service tech learned something this week about assumptions and taking the easy way out. Probably not.
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