Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Oh Boy...
Dr appointment for Dad's finger today at 2:30 pm today. Dentist at 8 am tomorrow. I go tour one assisted living facility at 2:30 pm tomorrow and another at 2:30 the next day. Its not going to be "happy days".
Friday, March 15, 2013
Problems, Problems, Problems
First, as always, I never mean to compare my problems to those who have really SERIOUS problems. I'm generally fortunate on the REALLY BIG PROBLEMS. But problems are problems and I get to complain...
Dad fell again a week ago. One finger was really sore. He never tells me these things at first. It was obvious a finger joint was out of place. So I called his dr and asked what I should do (treatment obviously but I wasn't sure who to go to first). He said to bring dad to him for a referral to the x-ray lab next door. I never get the building right! It is building 11345, and there is a small building between 11340 and 11350. You would THINK that is 11345. It isn't.
So I dropped Dad at the curb and parked the car 100 yards away. When I got back I discovered my error and we had to walk across the enclosure street. And the buildings on THAT side all have the entrances on the backside of the buildings (Is that dumb or what?).
Walking is not one of Dad's good points these days, so we had to walk slowly. A friendly passerby offerred assitance and helped. When we got to the street-side of the building I thought we wanted, I saw a open door, so I brought Dad in there as a shortcut. Someone in there got a wheelchair for Dad and brought us right to the front desk. It was the xray lab!
An assistant there offerred to go next door to the DR and get the referral. I applaud such kind helpful people! Dad got his fingers xrayed and we were told to go home and the DR would call us.
The DR called and said the finger was broken at the joint. Not really serious, just put a popsicle stick on it as a splint with adhesive bandages for a month. It could be taken off for bathing and reattached.
Good Old Dad decided it wasn't worth the bother and it would heal on its own. I considered my options. I could beat him senseless and apply the splint, but he could still take it off on his own. I could drug him and epoxy a splint to his finger. I could try to scare him into allowing the splint.
I opted for trying to scare him into allowing the splint (less chance of me ending up in jail that way). I mentioned immobility from the joint healing fused. I suggested infection. I suggested gangrene. His response was that it didn't seen that bad and he might not live all that long anyway!
The finger is swollen and there are bruises. He refuses to go visit the DR and I can't actually drag him that far. I'll wait watchfully.
Then he fell out of bed last night and landed on the same hand. First time THAT has happened! I got him back into bed. Then spent the next hour awake in my own bed thinking of how to build a bed rail that would keep him from falling out yet allow him to get up to go to the bathroom at night.
But the next morning, I needed to go grocery shopping. No lunchmeat and few veggies.
Remember I brought Iza and Ayla to the vet Tuesday? Well, I forgot to close the back of the SUV after taking the carriers out. The battery was dead! No grocery shopping today...
I did that last year once and the battery wouldn't fully recharge after being jump-started from a boat battery. I had to get a new one. Minor cost, but an annoying process. I HATE sitting around a repair shop (the dealership) for an hour or two while they do a 5 minute job. So I tried recharging this baterry. It got to 63% charged by dinnertime (after the repair shop was closed) and no further! It's dead. And tomorrow is SATURDAY, so they will be super-busy.
I will call them to see if they can replace the battery fast, but I may just go to an auto store and leave the car running while I buy a replacement there. THEN go grocery shopping.
I thought of a couple bed rails I can set up tonight, and I'll do that. Dad is frightened of rolling out of bed again. I also found some nice ones I can buy online and have delivered in a few days. Dad is contradictory about this. Afraid of falling out of bed again, but not willing to allow the more professional bed rail to be purchased.
This MAY be the tipping point of getting him into assisted-living care. But if he won't spend $80 on a convenient fold down bed rail, I doubt he will agree to $5,000/month for assisted living. He would be happier in many ways in assisted living and he can afford it just on his monthly annuity, but he is SO CHEAP! But seriously, he is getting to the point where I can't take care of him as well as professionals could.
Its time I just TELL him that I am going to visit some local assisted living places and see how good they are. And then DO it. I know what he might accept (to the extent that he would accept anything). A simple bedroom/bathroom unit with a kitchenette for snacks, a common TV room where other residents are there to watch TV with and idle chatter, and meals with others on schedule.
I went and checked the battery charger. It was still on 63% after 5 hours. I turned it off and tried the engine. It started right up, so I drove it around for 30 minutes to give it a shot at recharging the battery fully from the engine. Safely in the garage, I turned it on and off twice and it seemed to work fine. I guess I'll just put the 2 boat batteries in the back for possible jump-starting and hope for the best. I still don't trust that battery.
When I got back, I set up the temporary bed rail I thought about for Dad. He griped and fussed that it wasn't perfect (while still fearing falling out AND STILL not wanting a commercial version). He is impossible to please. But that's not new; he's always been that way.
Dad fell again a week ago. One finger was really sore. He never tells me these things at first. It was obvious a finger joint was out of place. So I called his dr and asked what I should do (treatment obviously but I wasn't sure who to go to first). He said to bring dad to him for a referral to the x-ray lab next door. I never get the building right! It is building 11345, and there is a small building between 11340 and 11350. You would THINK that is 11345. It isn't.
So I dropped Dad at the curb and parked the car 100 yards away. When I got back I discovered my error and we had to walk across the enclosure street. And the buildings on THAT side all have the entrances on the backside of the buildings (Is that dumb or what?).
Walking is not one of Dad's good points these days, so we had to walk slowly. A friendly passerby offerred assitance and helped. When we got to the street-side of the building I thought we wanted, I saw a open door, so I brought Dad in there as a shortcut. Someone in there got a wheelchair for Dad and brought us right to the front desk. It was the xray lab!
An assistant there offerred to go next door to the DR and get the referral. I applaud such kind helpful people! Dad got his fingers xrayed and we were told to go home and the DR would call us.
The DR called and said the finger was broken at the joint. Not really serious, just put a popsicle stick on it as a splint with adhesive bandages for a month. It could be taken off for bathing and reattached.
Good Old Dad decided it wasn't worth the bother and it would heal on its own. I considered my options. I could beat him senseless and apply the splint, but he could still take it off on his own. I could drug him and epoxy a splint to his finger. I could try to scare him into allowing the splint.
I opted for trying to scare him into allowing the splint (less chance of me ending up in jail that way). I mentioned immobility from the joint healing fused. I suggested infection. I suggested gangrene. His response was that it didn't seen that bad and he might not live all that long anyway!
The finger is swollen and there are bruises. He refuses to go visit the DR and I can't actually drag him that far. I'll wait watchfully.
Then he fell out of bed last night and landed on the same hand. First time THAT has happened! I got him back into bed. Then spent the next hour awake in my own bed thinking of how to build a bed rail that would keep him from falling out yet allow him to get up to go to the bathroom at night.
But the next morning, I needed to go grocery shopping. No lunchmeat and few veggies.
Remember I brought Iza and Ayla to the vet Tuesday? Well, I forgot to close the back of the SUV after taking the carriers out. The battery was dead! No grocery shopping today...
I did that last year once and the battery wouldn't fully recharge after being jump-started from a boat battery. I had to get a new one. Minor cost, but an annoying process. I HATE sitting around a repair shop (the dealership) for an hour or two while they do a 5 minute job. So I tried recharging this baterry. It got to 63% charged by dinnertime (after the repair shop was closed) and no further! It's dead. And tomorrow is SATURDAY, so they will be super-busy.
I will call them to see if they can replace the battery fast, but I may just go to an auto store and leave the car running while I buy a replacement there. THEN go grocery shopping.
I thought of a couple bed rails I can set up tonight, and I'll do that. Dad is frightened of rolling out of bed again. I also found some nice ones I can buy online and have delivered in a few days. Dad is contradictory about this. Afraid of falling out of bed again, but not willing to allow the more professional bed rail to be purchased.
This MAY be the tipping point of getting him into assisted-living care. But if he won't spend $80 on a convenient fold down bed rail, I doubt he will agree to $5,000/month for assisted living. He would be happier in many ways in assisted living and he can afford it just on his monthly annuity, but he is SO CHEAP! But seriously, he is getting to the point where I can't take care of him as well as professionals could.
Its time I just TELL him that I am going to visit some local assisted living places and see how good they are. And then DO it. I know what he might accept (to the extent that he would accept anything). A simple bedroom/bathroom unit with a kitchenette for snacks, a common TV room where other residents are there to watch TV with and idle chatter, and meals with others on schedule.
I went and checked the battery charger. It was still on 63% after 5 hours. I turned it off and tried the engine. It started right up, so I drove it around for 30 minutes to give it a shot at recharging the battery fully from the engine. Safely in the garage, I turned it on and off twice and it seemed to work fine. I guess I'll just put the 2 boat batteries in the back for possible jump-starting and hope for the best. I still don't trust that battery.
When I got back, I set up the temporary bed rail I thought about for Dad. He griped and fussed that it wasn't perfect (while still fearing falling out AND STILL not wanting a commercial version). He is impossible to please. But that's not new; he's always been that way.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Farewell Google Reader...
I use Google Reader, and Google is gong to shut it down July 1st.
I deliberately use different services from various providers because I don't want ANY of them to learn TOOO much about me. I will suffer poorer quality service at the start to avoid control. In the same way I left Microsoft to go to Apple, and Google Search for Bing, I will leave Google for some other reader service.
Google thinks it is too grand to leave. They don't know me. I will accept 2 star service in return for being CHERISHED by some new startup service provider. And they are out there just waiting for those like me to give them a try. I'll try them...
I always will.
What companies like Google DON'T realize is that there will always be competitor services, small start-ups that will someday become the IBMs/Microsofts/Googles of the future.
Google has decided that I am not worth their continued support. If I owned stock in Google, I would sell it tomorrow. (Disclaimer, I own index stocks and some may involve Google, but I don't know that).
I sometimes wonder how much some internet service providers understand about their users. Do they really think they have a monopoly on any service? Do they really think that their users can't move to other providers?
There IS such a thing as thinking you are "too big to fail". That's exactly the point where a company SHOULD be broken up into constituent parts that compete.
Let's see how much better the parts of Google serve us, the users, when they get broken up into smaller competing units...
And back up your Google blog immediately. I just did. See instructions HERE. Its tricky, but I did it and I'm no genius. It did take some effort though.
I deliberately use different services from various providers because I don't want ANY of them to learn TOOO much about me. I will suffer poorer quality service at the start to avoid control. In the same way I left Microsoft to go to Apple, and Google Search for Bing, I will leave Google for some other reader service.
Google thinks it is too grand to leave. They don't know me. I will accept 2 star service in return for being CHERISHED by some new startup service provider. And they are out there just waiting for those like me to give them a try. I'll try them...
I always will.
What companies like Google DON'T realize is that there will always be competitor services, small start-ups that will someday become the IBMs/Microsofts/Googles of the future.
Google has decided that I am not worth their continued support. If I owned stock in Google, I would sell it tomorrow. (Disclaimer, I own index stocks and some may involve Google, but I don't know that).
I sometimes wonder how much some internet service providers understand about their users. Do they really think they have a monopoly on any service? Do they really think that their users can't move to other providers?
There IS such a thing as thinking you are "too big to fail". That's exactly the point where a company SHOULD be broken up into constituent parts that compete.
Let's see how much better the parts of Google serve us, the users, when they get broken up into smaller competing units...
And back up your Google blog immediately. I just did. See instructions HERE. Its tricky, but I did it and I'm no genius. It did take some effort though.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Happy Gardening News!
The tomato seeds are up, the broccoli and cabbage seeds are up.
And I've been OUT in the flowerbeds doing some work!
Those black-eyed susans that I planted near the lower deck have been stubbornly migrating toward more sunlight for years. So I decided to help them! Today I dug up a patch of ground in the brightest area and dug out the roots of the maple tree the neighbors wont kill. I turned the soil nicely and moved 18 of them there. (The Black eyed Susans) I knoew the are suited for the spot because they have been TRYING to get there for years.
It was good hard work. Up, down, up, down, dig, walk, plant, up down etc etc, etc, I'll sure feel it tomorrow! But it was great to DO that. The gardening season has begun outside!
The cats loved being outside with me too. Marley and Iza ran all over the place and caught 2 mice. Well, Ayla stayed inside. Marley and Iza chase her when she is out. I'm glad for the 2 outside, but I miss all 3 outside.
This is going to be a major redesign of the flowerbeds this year. I've had too many spots of "6 of this, 6 of that". I am dividing existing plants to make areas 10x10' of the same ones to get a larger view of the plants in flowers. AND to leave large areas for annuals that I am growing under lights in the basement.
I used to grow 12 ech salvias, forgetmenots, carnations etc, but this year I have 36 each of many annuals. And 60 marigolds. Its hard to go wrong having a LOT of marigolds around here. They bloom fast and dont stop.
But this is going to be a year of dividing and moving around the successful perennials. My favorite online nursery changed from cheap 6 packs to large individual pots last year tripling the price per plant and I told them I would use what I had instead of paying 3X the price. So I am.
I will be dividing the appropriate perennials I have in halves in the next few days and making larger areas of the same kinds. They may not all bloom THIS year, but they sure will NEXT year! And I was going in that direction anyway. I'm liking the idea of larger areas of plants blooming rather than a cottage-garden style of small groups.
The plant-cuttings I rooted last Fall of butterfly bushes are growing well. They will partly replace the aging existing ones, but I have may more than the replacements, so I think there will be a whole row of new ones in the sunnier front yard area. Its hard to imagine anything better than plants that bloom from June to frost and attract butterflied and hummers.
I have 2 plants that are invasive, Monarda and Lysimachia Firecracker. They are going to be moved to the ridge in the middle of the back yard. I can mow all around it, so they will never escape. And they can fight it out to see which ones survive in the limited area (about 60' by 20"). I like the foliage and flowers of both, just not their invasive ways.
With the more open areas after the trees were cut back in January, there will be a lot more sunlight. Good for the flowers and veggie gardens. I won't miss the tall junk trees and I'll be planting smaller specimen trees in their place (that won't shade the gardens). I'm thinking dogwoods, sourwoods, hollies, and star magnolias. There is NO way they will ever shade the flowerbeds and veggie beds like the sweet gums and tulip poplars did.
And there STILL are majestic mature oaks, sweet gums, and tulip poplars here. Its not like I cleared the yard. I just cleared a Summer sunlight path VERY carefully. I've lived here 27 years; I KNOW which of the trees were shading the garden. They are gone, all the others remain.
And I've been OUT in the flowerbeds doing some work!
Those black-eyed susans that I planted near the lower deck have been stubbornly migrating toward more sunlight for years. So I decided to help them! Today I dug up a patch of ground in the brightest area and dug out the roots of the maple tree the neighbors wont kill. I turned the soil nicely and moved 18 of them there. (The Black eyed Susans) I knoew the are suited for the spot because they have been TRYING to get there for years.
It was good hard work. Up, down, up, down, dig, walk, plant, up down etc etc, etc, I'll sure feel it tomorrow! But it was great to DO that. The gardening season has begun outside!
The cats loved being outside with me too. Marley and Iza ran all over the place and caught 2 mice. Well, Ayla stayed inside. Marley and Iza chase her when she is out. I'm glad for the 2 outside, but I miss all 3 outside.
This is going to be a major redesign of the flowerbeds this year. I've had too many spots of "6 of this, 6 of that". I am dividing existing plants to make areas 10x10' of the same ones to get a larger view of the plants in flowers. AND to leave large areas for annuals that I am growing under lights in the basement.
I used to grow 12 ech salvias, forgetmenots, carnations etc, but this year I have 36 each of many annuals. And 60 marigolds. Its hard to go wrong having a LOT of marigolds around here. They bloom fast and dont stop.
But this is going to be a year of dividing and moving around the successful perennials. My favorite online nursery changed from cheap 6 packs to large individual pots last year tripling the price per plant and I told them I would use what I had instead of paying 3X the price. So I am.
I will be dividing the appropriate perennials I have in halves in the next few days and making larger areas of the same kinds. They may not all bloom THIS year, but they sure will NEXT year! And I was going in that direction anyway. I'm liking the idea of larger areas of plants blooming rather than a cottage-garden style of small groups.
The plant-cuttings I rooted last Fall of butterfly bushes are growing well. They will partly replace the aging existing ones, but I have may more than the replacements, so I think there will be a whole row of new ones in the sunnier front yard area. Its hard to imagine anything better than plants that bloom from June to frost and attract butterflied and hummers.
I have 2 plants that are invasive, Monarda and Lysimachia Firecracker. They are going to be moved to the ridge in the middle of the back yard. I can mow all around it, so they will never escape. And they can fight it out to see which ones survive in the limited area (about 60' by 20"). I like the foliage and flowers of both, just not their invasive ways.
With the more open areas after the trees were cut back in January, there will be a lot more sunlight. Good for the flowers and veggie gardens. I won't miss the tall junk trees and I'll be planting smaller specimen trees in their place (that won't shade the gardens). I'm thinking dogwoods, sourwoods, hollies, and star magnolias. There is NO way they will ever shade the flowerbeds and veggie beds like the sweet gums and tulip poplars did.
And there STILL are majestic mature oaks, sweet gums, and tulip poplars here. Its not like I cleared the yard. I just cleared a Summer sunlight path VERY carefully. I've lived here 27 years; I KNOW which of the trees were shading the garden. They are gone, all the others remain.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Just Doing...
Risk online, Backgammon online, Cribbage online. Blogging... Anything to pretend I am living by myself again... I wonder why all the other people play and stay up real late like this?
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Playing Risk Online
Oh Wow, there were 5. I had 1.8 million points, the higher ones had 9.8 million points and 5.8 million points. The lower had 1.5 and .9 million points. I won! And I didnt even have good dice! I actually did good stategic moves that worked. Thats a rare evening so I will bask in the happiness (and good fortune) of it and not play again tonight...
Bask, Bask, Bask...
Oh drat, I should have taken a screen shot!
UPDATE:
Won 3 games in a row. THAT won't happen again... And from weak starts. The God of Games was too kind to me tonight.
Bask, Bask, Bask...
Oh drat, I should have taken a screen shot!
UPDATE:
Won 3 games in a row. THAT won't happen again... And from weak starts. The God of Games was too kind to me tonight.
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