up here in lalaland ~ Tennessee here we come!

[Henrietta23]

Whoa, stay warm!!
Reminds me I have the bone from our last ham. I should make pea soup too. Perfect on this snowy day!

 

[Dace]

Split pea is on my menu as well

Great minds think alike right?

You are really having some brutal temps, as much as I love all the snow pics I am not sure I could really make it in that environment. I shiver when the house hits 66*

 

[lalaland]

well, I didn't get to the pea soup, to involved in researching out my problem with dripping windows and mold.

I DID sort thru the annual "important" paper pile, the one with bills, medical records, tax statements, etc....and got it all put away or into the recycling bin.

And I got the xmas stuff put away, except I still have some greens to clear off the bookcase.

Found out I can spend hours on SS! between washing windows I was practically a couch potatoe reading everyone's posts and journals and on my gosh! its a full time job to keep up

gonna have to find a way to keep living more versus reading/posting about living :/

 

[lalaland]

its a beautiful day here in lala land
- its friday
- working from home this am for a couple ofhours, then free!!!
- just celebrated a 4 month anniversary with my dgf - came home after a brutal commute, more spinouts than I could count (not mine) to a hot bath with sage and lavender, a roaring fire, a yummy meal, and a back massage
- I get to do chores this am, which means, I get to see the chickens after 4 days of never being home in daylight
- no plans to have to go ANYWHERE sat or sun
- stocked with coffee, cream, chocolate

life is good!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Welcome to SS! I was away from the 'puter when you showed up, so I'm late. Better late than never, eh?

 

[lalaland]

the owls should start mating calls soon. I got a window unfrozen with this thaw (water outside didn't even freeze last night) and can hear outdoor sounds again, plus smell the fresh air. Was a whopping 29 degrees, that is about 50 degrees warmer than it has been for a few weeks.

Chickens are loving the warmer weather. me too.

I'm restless and want to go exploring today. Last week I made baklava, maybe cookies today? maybe I'll sit on the couch with the laptop and coffee and cruise ss instead.

 

[lalaland]

ok, what is really bugging me is my mother. And no, I'm not some sullen teenager, just a very sullen 55 yr old!

give me patience, as I am sorely lacking it. My dad is 88 and easily confused (can't always identify a phone as a phone, for example) and forgets things (what is this thing? in reference to the microwave). He also, as is common with senility, much less inhibited than he was before - so if he is cranky or angry, he might swear.

My mom, who truly is the queen of denial (steadfastly denied she had diabetes for more than two years even though she tested her blood sugars daily) is unable to accept that my dad is slipping - and thinks that if she explains things to him, he'll understand, or worse yet, that he will remember! He hasn't been able to remember what he did that day for years now.

His behavior worsens, she refuses to engage in any one of the hundred ways of easing life with him (oh, say, think of him as a young child prone to tantrums and pick your battle? or, perhaps, when he wants to disassemble the dishwasher to "see how it works", a bit of distraction? She raised 5 kids for heavens sake, it isn't like she doens't have the skills), refuses help - luckily they have good long term health care coverage and it would pay to have someone come help her through the day, but no. What would the neighbors think?

They live in a senior citizen co-op, and four of the five of us "kids" live in the area, and visit them regularly. I'm the 5th and live an hour and a half away, but still see them almost weekly.

This isn't something new. It has been 3 years since my dad could be left by himself. Yes, his daily living skills are deteriorating, and no, he isn't ready for a nursing home. He knows who everyone is, and does self care - just needs to be reminded to wear a jacket, and needs help chosing foods as he would happily eat two dozen cookies all day and nothing else.

For my mom, each moment is torture because she still hasn't accepted this as the new normal, so each time he demonstrates that he isn't who he was (ask him to go get some milk and he'll look in the laundry room) she berates him, gets angry, and then he reacts badly. The only good thing is that he promptly forgets that she was angry, although sometimes he will say, when asked how his day was, "I don't know but I must have done something wrong because she is mad at me".

I am sympathetic to my mom. I just can't fix this. And I can't get her to move pass the denial stage. And so it continues.

 

[TTs Chicks]

I'm sorry I have no experience, but I do sympathize with you, it is hard to watch your parents change

When my Dad was first diagnosed with cancer, my Mom was in denial - wouldn't go to the doctor with him, etc so I was the one to do all that (wouldn't trade that or take it back either cause it was time I got to spend with my Dad) cause Dad couldn't/wouldn't remember and share the info - it was like it wasn't real if she could ignore it - she finally came around.

 

[lalaland]

I am going to be so happy to be done with January - it has been an awful month.

work stress is just about overwhelming

on the good side, I'm not going ANYWHERE this weekend and can just stay home. DGF slid off the road this week but is fine, car windshield smashed, tires wrecked. Cat into the vet with a bill of $145, but uti is under control, now I just want to wash the floor in the entire house (but at 780 feet, that won't take long).

was cleaning a poopy butt from one of the chickens (I don't usually worry about this, but she had basically a snowball of frozen droppings hanging and it was pulling feathers) and afterwards I felt a little creepy crawlie - found something on me which apparently turns out to be something called chicken lice transmitted by birds. The chicken yard is overwhelmed with wild birds - happy about the chicken feed, the big pines that provide shelter, and the dry dirt under the coop, and the water - so I've dusted the chickens but now have to clean the coop. good thing is I caught it early so haven't seen any egg production drop.

my mom wants to go to Mayo, which means a couple of days...as she is in disbelief that what she needs is cataract surgery

I can't believe we aren't going to provide basic medical care for everyone in this country - it is so awful and we were so close and I find it so hard to believe that it is somehow ok for someone to make millions in bonuses and for someone else not even to be able to be treated for disease and illness....

and I could whine on, but honestly, that isn't the way I usually see life.

just need a little stern talking to!

ok, good neighbors helped pull DGF out of the ditch, and helped put new/used tires on, and are helping replace the windshield.
The cat is old, and it could have been serious problems instead of easily resolved issue.
the danged floor needed cleaning anyway
its is almost daylight and I am home home home
going to have a second cup of coffee, and count my blessing, of which I have many
I am sending good thoughts and prayers to those who would trade their problems for mine in a heartbeat

 

[2dream]

I won't trade with you today because I am not accepting any problems today. I swept mine out the front door and barred them from the property for the weekend.

Sure they will be back Monday but for now. I don't have any.