Dad is still trying to find reasons not to move to an assisted-living facility (ALF), but I'll talk about that another day.
Today, I want to talk about me (and, by extension, some of you in a similar situation). I have been caring for Dad since last May, and it will be this May when he moves to ALF. There is a chinese curse "May you live in interesting times", because "interesting times" times are not easy. It has been an "interesting" year...
I tried to think a couple of months into the future for my planning for Dad to move to an ALF. But I planned a month too short. Dad is having real problems right now rather suddenly and there is no where for him to go for a month. You don't have to suggest in-home care, I'm looking into that. And anyway, this is for others.
My point is that a month is so short a time normally, but a very long time when you are caring for an elder who needs professional care "now". I'm not comparing myself to others. Some people are more able to care for others than I am. But whenever you really think "next month", think "I really should have found a good place last month". It is so easy to think there is time, and then the day is on you. It happens far more suddenly than you expect.
And this is a thing you seldom get to learn from for better decisions in the future. Elder care is (usually) a one-off event. A parent takes the care of a spouse and then that parent needs care him/her self. That's you doing that part. No matter what you think, how many books or newspaper articles you read, you won't be prepared. You cannot understand dementia, and you cannot understand what it means for a person in your house who can't (please don't jump on me if you are "differently-abled") just walk around.
Your elder parent will go from difficulty getting out of chairs to a complete inability to stand up at all in just a week. He/She will very suddenly discover that the time it takes to get to the bathroom only 30' away is longer than nature allows. It just happens one day.
No one wants to send a parent to an ALF, but trust me, a month too soon is better than a month too late. April will be a very difficult month here. So, for what it's worth, some thoughts on things I wish I had known..
1. Visit local ALFs months before needed. Bring the elder. Take pictures of the place. Pictures provide familiarity.
2. Get the Dr evaluation form early and bring the elder to the Dr before required. The difference in the Dr evaluation from one month to the next can be very informative. A geriatric Dr is best. He/She can tell changes in abilities better than you can.
3. Most ALFs are good, but some are more good than others. Your elder can help you decide which suits him/her better than you can. I didn't allow my Dad to be involved. That was a mistake.
4. Bedrooms matter. Size is important. Your elder will think of the bedroom as a primary living space. Even if that is not the primary living space.
5. It's "I need to talk to you", not "we need to talk" when The Conversation occurs about moving the elder to the ALF. Explain the household situation calmly, and emphasize the elder's care. Your own stress and tiredness are YOUR problem, not his/hers. Stick with the elder's physical needs, not the mental ones. The elder is SURE his/her mind is fine, but does know about physical problems. Stay calm through endless (and repeated) questions. There will be many.
6. Discuss the move daily. Repetition helps. They forget.
7. Get the elder new clothes that fit well. Everyone wants to make a good initial impression. Seriously, have you ever seen an elder with good clothes?
8. Talk to the ALF staff about minor details. Ask them what residents want that no one thinks of. They know. Sometimes its just chocolate chip cookies in the bedroom for late night snacks. With a nice note from the child. Or maybe a reminder of how to make a martini.
9. Schedule visits. Routine is very important to elders.
10. Remember that The Conversation is NOT a debate; it's a decision. Your decision. There will be "you are kicking me out". But it really is your decision. Accept that. You are doing what is best for your elder. Keep it in terms of what care your elder needs, not whether you love them. Of course you love them. But don't allow that to be the discussion.
I am not feeling guilty now. I've done what I could and it is time for professional help. Professionals know how to help an elder better than I can in the last stage of life. When you have been caring for an elder, sometimes the hardest thing is to let go. Be willing to let go...
Heck, when Dad falls down, I don't really know the best way to pull him back up. But trained staff does. I don't really know how to answer his really weird questions. But trained staff does.
About all I can think of for now...
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
And Today
Today, Dad is fighting the move. The bedroom will be too small, he won't like the food, he will be a minority, the staff won't be friendly, etc. I will have him talk tomorrow to my sister who chose the place.
But it won't relieve his fears entirely. He fears the change, and I understand that. He is happy here. Too happy. I attend to his every needs. What he doesn't really understand is that his needs are growing greater each month.
He doesn't realize that he is reducing his routine every week, He used to watch any of 5 channels, now he he wants only 2. His food preferences are diminishing. He is struggling to get to the bathroom "on time". He talks bizarrely, but he doesn't realize it.
Last night, he said that being in an ALF (assisted living facility) in a town 10 miles away from other family was good because he "could bicycle or walk to visit them". It doesn't get much crazier than that. He couldn't "bicycle" away from a starving crippled alligator.
And he thinks the move is "too complicated". OK, it isn't. My brother and sister will drive down here and my brother will transport the bedroom furniture in his truck and sister will transport Dad. He can't understand how simple that is to us.
He thinks none of us understand his investments. I have been filing his investment papers for a year and arranged for his income taxes twice now. I know them by heart better than he does. He insists I can't possibly know "that stuff". Well, of course I do. 10 years ago, he did too. But not now.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
I am reluctant to have him visit the place. Yes, he might think it wonderful. But he is more likely to find trivial faults.
So, drive him 2 hours up to visit the place and 2 hours back, or not? Pros and cons...
But it won't relieve his fears entirely. He fears the change, and I understand that. He is happy here. Too happy. I attend to his every needs. What he doesn't really understand is that his needs are growing greater each month.
He doesn't realize that he is reducing his routine every week, He used to watch any of 5 channels, now he he wants only 2. His food preferences are diminishing. He is struggling to get to the bathroom "on time". He talks bizarrely, but he doesn't realize it.
Last night, he said that being in an ALF (assisted living facility) in a town 10 miles away from other family was good because he "could bicycle or walk to visit them". It doesn't get much crazier than that. He couldn't "bicycle" away from a starving crippled alligator.
And he thinks the move is "too complicated". OK, it isn't. My brother and sister will drive down here and my brother will transport the bedroom furniture in his truck and sister will transport Dad. He can't understand how simple that is to us.
He thinks none of us understand his investments. I have been filing his investment papers for a year and arranged for his income taxes twice now. I know them by heart better than he does. He insists I can't possibly know "that stuff". Well, of course I do. 10 years ago, he did too. But not now.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
I am reluctant to have him visit the place. Yes, he might think it wonderful. But he is more likely to find trivial faults.
So, drive him 2 hours up to visit the place and 2 hours back, or not? Pros and cons...
Friday, March 29, 2013
The Decision
Well, the decision has been made. An assisted living facility (ALF) has been chosen, I have forms to fill out, Dr appointments to make, etc. The family has found a good place near most of them (out of my area). Entry is available May 1st.
I am sad about all of this, of course, but relieved as well. Dad needs more attention and care than I can continue to give without slipping into martyrdom.
There are so many things to plan.
That doesn't mean that the several conversations with Dad were easy; they wern't. But it does mean that HE accepts that he is going to need more physical assistance soon than I can provide. I discussed that the precise costs depended on the level of care he needed and he asked what those were. Oh thanks for smooth tranisitions and killer arguments... When I said that the monthly care costs depended on whether someone could dress, bathe and use the bathroom themselves vs someone who couldn't, he blurted out "but pretty soon I'LL need that help"!
And then he realized he was needing assisted living care soon. I discussed waiting lists and the benefits of being where there was proffessional assistance just BEFORE he needed it. He accepted that he needed to go to an ALF.
There are many more family members where he will be moving to than there are here (just me here and 6 where he is going).
He hasn't given up the struggle. He raises trivial arguments. It will be so complicated to move (no), he has so many billing addresses to change (no). He needs to approve the bedroom (well, no, but only because its better than the one here).
He says he trusts my sister's judgement on the place (except he doesn't really). He is afraid of something that I haven't gotten him to talk about yet. We will discuss this again in the early afternoon when he is most alert.
My main purpose is to keep his focus on the positive aspects of moving to a good ALF. The longer it goes with him accepting that he will be moving, the better it will be.
There will be some more awkward conversations the next few days, but every day without him saying "no" will be a good one.
I am sad about all of this, of course, but relieved as well. Dad needs more attention and care than I can continue to give without slipping into martyrdom.
There are so many things to plan.
That doesn't mean that the several conversations with Dad were easy; they wern't. But it does mean that HE accepts that he is going to need more physical assistance soon than I can provide. I discussed that the precise costs depended on the level of care he needed and he asked what those were. Oh thanks for smooth tranisitions and killer arguments... When I said that the monthly care costs depended on whether someone could dress, bathe and use the bathroom themselves vs someone who couldn't, he blurted out "but pretty soon I'LL need that help"!
And then he realized he was needing assisted living care soon. I discussed waiting lists and the benefits of being where there was proffessional assistance just BEFORE he needed it. He accepted that he needed to go to an ALF.
There are many more family members where he will be moving to than there are here (just me here and 6 where he is going).
He hasn't given up the struggle. He raises trivial arguments. It will be so complicated to move (no), he has so many billing addresses to change (no). He needs to approve the bedroom (well, no, but only because its better than the one here).
He says he trusts my sister's judgement on the place (except he doesn't really). He is afraid of something that I haven't gotten him to talk about yet. We will discuss this again in the early afternoon when he is most alert.
My main purpose is to keep his focus on the positive aspects of moving to a good ALF. The longer it goes with him accepting that he will be moving, the better it will be.
There will be some more awkward conversations the next few days, but every day without him saying "no" will be a good one.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The Last Years
The past couple of months have seen a substantial decrease in Dad’s ability to comprehend the world in general. I am putting it that way to spare having to give all the details of previous posts. He just doesn’t understand much of anything these days. He has brief bursts of comprehension that make thinks awkward.
He asked me today why he was having so much trouble moving around and why it was so hard just to get dressed. He asked why he couldn’t understand documents and bills he gets in the mail. Dad always taught me that honesty was the most important thing in his life. I’m learned that well.
I told him that his muscles are getting weaker and that his mind was not as sharp as it was 50 years ago. Surely those are obvious things. He said “No, that’s not the problem; I must have a disease”.
How do I explain his “disease” is just old age? As in the plant analogy, I see Dad’s leaves falling everyday. There aren’t many left to fall. When I try to explain that he is “just plain old”, he denies it saying he is just fine.
I have started to visit assisted living facilities. The first one, Morningside House was GREAT, but I see after looking over the details that they will soon get him to over $10,000 per month from the initial $5300. The add-ons are outrageous. They will charge him $1379/month for managing his 3 simple pill medications, $25/month for getting his meds (which cost only $2.50), $70 for every transportation to a DR, and they make a fortune for incontinence. Its a wonderful place, but they will drain every dime from his pocket and discharge him when he is broke. And Dad would never accept the basic cost anyway. I had such high hopes for Morningside House until I (and my sister Susie) starting getting into the details.
I have an appointment with a simpler group house later today. Sister Susie says the professionals she has talked to (she is professionally related to that work) say those are often much better at half the price, and Dad might accept that cost.
I know a bit more after the Morningside House visit about what to look for. Activities are good. TV rooms are good. But daily physical care for dressing and hygiene, basic meals, and assumed pill-giving are probably more important.
Its hard just thinking about giving a parent over to assisted living care. Telling your elder that it is time is harder. Making the move is harder still. I’m still just on that first action.
He asked me today why he was having so much trouble moving around and why it was so hard just to get dressed. He asked why he couldn’t understand documents and bills he gets in the mail. Dad always taught me that honesty was the most important thing in his life. I’m learned that well.
I told him that his muscles are getting weaker and that his mind was not as sharp as it was 50 years ago. Surely those are obvious things. He said “No, that’s not the problem; I must have a disease”.
How do I explain his “disease” is just old age? As in the plant analogy, I see Dad’s leaves falling everyday. There aren’t many left to fall. When I try to explain that he is “just plain old”, he denies it saying he is just fine.
I have started to visit assisted living facilities. The first one, Morningside House was GREAT, but I see after looking over the details that they will soon get him to over $10,000 per month from the initial $5300. The add-ons are outrageous. They will charge him $1379/month for managing his 3 simple pill medications, $25/month for getting his meds (which cost only $2.50), $70 for every transportation to a DR, and they make a fortune for incontinence. Its a wonderful place, but they will drain every dime from his pocket and discharge him when he is broke. And Dad would never accept the basic cost anyway. I had such high hopes for Morningside House until I (and my sister Susie) starting getting into the details.
I have an appointment with a simpler group house later today. Sister Susie says the professionals she has talked to (she is professionally related to that work) say those are often much better at half the price, and Dad might accept that cost.
I know a bit more after the Morningside House visit about what to look for. Activities are good. TV rooms are good. But daily physical care for dressing and hygiene, basic meals, and assumed pill-giving are probably more important.
Its hard just thinking about giving a parent over to assisted living care. Telling your elder that it is time is harder. Making the move is harder still. I’m still just on that first action.
Monday, March 25, 2013
A Meaning
You may have guessed that yesterday’s post was an analogy. If you did (and I have never quite learned subtlety) good for you. Not everyone will... The seeds and young flowers and saplings are the children we raise. The Fall is the time we change from raising our children to beginning to care for our parents. The Winter is the eldercare time, where we must care for our parents (disclaimer, I had no children, but at 16 to18, I did a lot to raise a new sister).
Helping to raise my young sister was a joyful experience. I changed more diapers than most real Dad’s back in the 60’s, did more baby-sitting than most teenage girls, pulled out bee-stingers, bandaged more scraped knees, and played more 4-8 years games than any teenage guy I ever met. I didn’t mind it a bit, and I was a better guy for it. I saw that flower grow and thrive. She died in her “late Summer” of a genetic problem she was born with. We were always close.
But Summer changed to Fall over the years, and first it was Mom who’s health failed. It was rapid. But now I have Dad, at 90. He lingers like the old mature trees that keep managing to continue as they grow older, failing. I have a tulip poplar that I have loved for 26 years. It was mature when I moved here (like Dad). It is failing (like Dad). This Fall, it actually sent out a few new leaves out of season. It is dying (like Dad). It it trying hard to stay alive (like Dad). But it is failing and there is nothing I or anyone else can do about it (like Dad).
Helping to raise my young sister was a joyful experience. I changed more diapers than most real Dad’s back in the 60’s, did more baby-sitting than most teenage girls, pulled out bee-stingers, bandaged more scraped knees, and played more 4-8 years games than any teenage guy I ever met. I didn’t mind it a bit, and I was a better guy for it. I saw that flower grow and thrive. She died in her “late Summer” of a genetic problem she was born with. We were always close.
But Summer changed to Fall over the years, and first it was Mom who’s health failed. It was rapid. But now I have Dad, at 90. He lingers like the old mature trees that keep managing to continue as they grow older, failing. I have a tulip poplar that I have loved for 26 years. It was mature when I moved here (like Dad). It is failing (like Dad). This Fall, it actually sent out a few new leaves out of season. It is dying (like Dad). It it trying hard to stay alive (like Dad). But it is failing and there is nothing I or anyone else can do about it (like Dad).
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The Garden
The Seasons
In the Spring, flowers and saplings appear. Maybe they were your own seeds, maybe you got them elsewhere; it doesn’t matter. When they are yours, you give them food and love and care. It is joyful seeing them grow. Every day, they seem more promising. You can imagine how much sturdier they will be next month. You can imagine how they will adapt to nature and thrive. As you watch the first leaves opening, you can imagine the glorious beauty they will display one day. And they do thrive. Each month you see the changes and the changes are wonderful.
In the Summer, they burst forth with flowers. You may be a bit tired from all the work involved, but it is worth it. You are proud of what you have accomplished, and you are proud of them. They really did most of the growing themselves, but your work mattered too. You did your best to keep the weeds away, sometimes you supported them while they grew upright and healthy. You made sure they had everything they needed that you could give them. They are mature and beautiful! You still try to keep some weeds away, but they are mostly doing great without your help. Maybe there are a few fallen leaves, but they are in their prime and some new leaves grow.
You are changing from the nurturer of young plants to the protector of older ones. It takes some time to realize this, but you do your best to adapt to the change. As a gardener, you do what you must as best you can.
In the Fall, things are not going quite so well. The bloom is off the flowers, they droop a bit, and they need bit of unexpected help from time to time. But that OK, because they are still doing well overall. In the late Fall, things are not so good. They feel cold at nights, they aren’t flowering or growing new leaves, and the stalks and limbs are hardening. In fact, the leaves are starting to fall
In the Winter, the leaves start to fall and are not replaced. Flowerstalks become dry and bare. The old trees slow down their activity. The end of their season is coming, slowly at first, but relentlessly. The last leaves fall from the trees; the last flowers die and fall. No amount of care and assistance can stop that. Eventually, a day comes when all activity ceases. You face the sad truth that an end is coming in spite of all you do.
More tomorrow...
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Assisted Living Facilities
I researched local assisted living facilities and eliminated most of them as places Dad wouldn't like. Some were for active seniors, lots of visits to the shopping malls and bingo games. Others were holistic medications or foods Dad does not like.
I narrowed it down to 2. The one I visited today was a very professional place. The one I will visit tomorrow is a small group home. The place today seems perfect. A personal bedroom/bathroom and community TV rooms, dining rooms, activity rooms, etc. Seriously good onsite health care, transport to local Dr of choice, individual meals at common eating areas, groups living/TV rooms.
Own rooms ranging from 2 in a space to 2 full bedroom apartments. Friendly caring staff, medical assistants onsite 24/7, etc. They can easily move Dad from assisted living to the dementia living area when the time comes.I think this is the place.
I saw the staff checking on the residents in the commom TV room area about how they were doing and did they want any snacks, etc. The staff seemed pleased to be there. No hulking guys to force anyone around.
Personal attention to meal preferences and not just for medical reasons. If a resident prefers chicken and pork chops most meals, that's what they get. Preffered snacks too. Good medical staff, onsite barber, room-cleaning, laundry, etc included.
Plenty of friendly residents to sit and watch TV with...
Large enough so that there is generally a new place available each month, so no waiting list. and no fee for being on one.
They go by personal Dr intructions (resident's Drs, not staff Drs). individual for each resident.
I think it is perfect for Dad. I will bring Dad to visit there next week. They will even give him a free haircut and he will like THAT!
I still feel guilty just planning this. Like I'm planning to kick him out of the house. The Morningside House Manager said that was a normal feeling (and I do know that). But it still feels like kicking him out. I know, I know. I'm doing the best I can for him. He has reached the point where he needs more personal care than I can give, and that's the deciding point.
One nice thing is that the Morningside House is right next to the Safeway I shop at. That means that I can visit Dad each week and then do my food shopping. Sounds almost trivial, but having a reason to be RIGHT THERE each week sure makes it part of a routine to visit regularly. And I can bring him treats from the Safeway.
I doubt that the smaller group house is going to impress me tomorrow. But I will give them a fair visit. It might have some advantages. But I doubt it.
I narrowed it down to 2. The one I visited today was a very professional place. The one I will visit tomorrow is a small group home. The place today seems perfect. A personal bedroom/bathroom and community TV rooms, dining rooms, activity rooms, etc. Seriously good onsite health care, transport to local Dr of choice, individual meals at common eating areas, groups living/TV rooms.
Own rooms ranging from 2 in a space to 2 full bedroom apartments. Friendly caring staff, medical assistants onsite 24/7, etc. They can easily move Dad from assisted living to the dementia living area when the time comes.I think this is the place.
I saw the staff checking on the residents in the commom TV room area about how they were doing and did they want any snacks, etc. The staff seemed pleased to be there. No hulking guys to force anyone around.
Personal attention to meal preferences and not just for medical reasons. If a resident prefers chicken and pork chops most meals, that's what they get. Preffered snacks too. Good medical staff, onsite barber, room-cleaning, laundry, etc included.
Plenty of friendly residents to sit and watch TV with...
Large enough so that there is generally a new place available each month, so no waiting list. and no fee for being on one.
They go by personal Dr intructions (resident's Drs, not staff Drs). individual for each resident.
I think it is perfect for Dad. I will bring Dad to visit there next week. They will even give him a free haircut and he will like THAT!
I still feel guilty just planning this. Like I'm planning to kick him out of the house. The Morningside House Manager said that was a normal feeling (and I do know that). But it still feels like kicking him out. I know, I know. I'm doing the best I can for him. He has reached the point where he needs more personal care than I can give, and that's the deciding point.
One nice thing is that the Morningside House is right next to the Safeway I shop at. That means that I can visit Dad each week and then do my food shopping. Sounds almost trivial, but having a reason to be RIGHT THERE each week sure makes it part of a routine to visit regularly. And I can bring him treats from the Safeway.
I doubt that the smaller group house is going to impress me tomorrow. But I will give them a fair visit. It might have some advantages. But I doubt it.
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.
Retirement Anniversary
Retirement Day! Well, it was technically Feb 28th, but today is the Monday I really felt it in 2006.
I left work without a party (my choice because I had been transferred to an office I hated that last 2 years). I never cared what they did and they never had the slightest idea what I did. The difference was that I could do what they did so easily and none of them (including the supervisor) could do what I did.
I know because, in spite of being new, I was the routine "acting" Division Director and I saw what they did. Most of the time I was just amazed because what the others did was SO EASY! And I learned, while "acting" that all the others in the Division could do their jobs in 2 hours a day while I was desperately trying to do mine in my allotted 8 hours and the time I spent at home.
I obviously chose the wrong specialty path...
OK, OK, I LOVED what I was doing, and that matters. It was challenging, engaging, took a lot of varied skills, etc, etc, etc. But I'm thinking that I could have accepted the Division Director job when it was offerred and stayed a couple more years, taking life easy at higher pay.
But retired life is SO much better and I have all I need in life...
So here's to retirement when you can do it and if you have something interesting to do during it!
Ya know what I hate? Weekends. The stores are all crowded and the roads are backed up. Its almost like having to do routine food shopping the day before a snowstorm!
We all had different daily work hours in my office, and mine was the latest. On my last day at work, the last person shook my hand and left. I could have left early that day, who would care, but I worked to the last minute. I carried a box and one plant to the car. And I drove off into the sunset, never to return...
When I got home, I walked into the house (It was Skeeter and LC back then) and said "well guys, I'm home forever...".
About a year later, I was advised by a friend that I had been replaced by 3 full time people and they were complaining about "all the work". That was SO Sweet to hear (and my friend is brutally honest).
I'll sleep EXTRA well tonight...
I left work without a party (my choice because I had been transferred to an office I hated that last 2 years). I never cared what they did and they never had the slightest idea what I did. The difference was that I could do what they did so easily and none of them (including the supervisor) could do what I did.
I know because, in spite of being new, I was the routine "acting" Division Director and I saw what they did. Most of the time I was just amazed because what the others did was SO EASY! And I learned, while "acting" that all the others in the Division could do their jobs in 2 hours a day while I was desperately trying to do mine in my allotted 8 hours and the time I spent at home.
I obviously chose the wrong specialty path...
OK, OK, I LOVED what I was doing, and that matters. It was challenging, engaging, took a lot of varied skills, etc, etc, etc. But I'm thinking that I could have accepted the Division Director job when it was offerred and stayed a couple more years, taking life easy at higher pay.
But retired life is SO much better and I have all I need in life...
So here's to retirement when you can do it and if you have something interesting to do during it!
Ya know what I hate? Weekends. The stores are all crowded and the roads are backed up. Its almost like having to do routine food shopping the day before a snowstorm!
We all had different daily work hours in my office, and mine was the latest. On my last day at work, the last person shook my hand and left. I could have left early that day, who would care, but I worked to the last minute. I carried a box and one plant to the car. And I drove off into the sunset, never to return...
When I got home, I walked into the house (It was Skeeter and LC back then) and said "well guys, I'm home forever...".
About a year later, I was advised by a friend that I had been replaced by 3 full time people and they were complaining about "all the work". That was SO Sweet to hear (and my friend is brutally honest).
I'll sleep EXTRA well tonight...
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Camera Troubles
A little over a week ago, Iza managed to knock my camera off a shelf and down the stairs (SEE HERE). It just wasn't working right when it worked at all. I did some research and decided on a replacement. The order confirmation came back with a delivery date of Feb 25-March 12, so I was delighted that it arrived yesterday.
Today, I opened the box to charge the battery, read the feature instructions, load the software, etc. Oddly, I couldn't get the battery to fit in the charger. Nor would it fit in the camera. Its a special Li/Ion battery with a rectangular shape. Checking the manual, I noticed that the required battery had a different model number than the battery in the box.
I called the retailer. First, they said Canon only used one model battery (NB-90). Since I was holding an NB-5L and the manual listed an NB-4L, I knew THAT was wrong! I finally convinced them that there was more than one battery type, and they checked. Then they said they would be happy to send me the correct battery at no charge (gee, how kind of them). And said "thank you for calling".
WHOA! They didn't have my name, address, or order number, so I yelled "don't hang up"! They (reluctantly it seemed) let me give them the order number and promised to ship the correct battery tomorrow and send an email confirmation.
Why do I have the feeling they won't... I mean, they tried to get me off the phone without any idea where to send a new battery! I fear I will have to return the whole package and demand a refund. And then order a new camera. And apparently there really aren't any more of this model available because there is a new version out (with all kinds of features I actively do not want (like a touch screen).
I already had crossed off the other cameras on the Consumer Reports list for various reasons, so I don't know what I would choose.
I sure hope they send me that replacement battery!
-------------------------------------
Separate news... A brother/sister littermate pair of cats lost their Bein suddenly and need a home. They are in NJ right now awaiting their fate... We are sure SOME of our readers have room for 2 sweet cats or may want to nicely domesticated ones as their first cats. Please leave us a comment if you can help.
Today, I opened the box to charge the battery, read the feature instructions, load the software, etc. Oddly, I couldn't get the battery to fit in the charger. Nor would it fit in the camera. Its a special Li/Ion battery with a rectangular shape. Checking the manual, I noticed that the required battery had a different model number than the battery in the box.
I called the retailer. First, they said Canon only used one model battery (NB-90). Since I was holding an NB-5L and the manual listed an NB-4L, I knew THAT was wrong! I finally convinced them that there was more than one battery type, and they checked. Then they said they would be happy to send me the correct battery at no charge (gee, how kind of them). And said "thank you for calling".
WHOA! They didn't have my name, address, or order number, so I yelled "don't hang up"! They (reluctantly it seemed) let me give them the order number and promised to ship the correct battery tomorrow and send an email confirmation.
Why do I have the feeling they won't... I mean, they tried to get me off the phone without any idea where to send a new battery! I fear I will have to return the whole package and demand a refund. And then order a new camera. And apparently there really aren't any more of this model available because there is a new version out (with all kinds of features I actively do not want (like a touch screen).
I already had crossed off the other cameras on the Consumer Reports list for various reasons, so I don't know what I would choose.
I sure hope they send me that replacement battery!
-------------------------------------
Separate news... A brother/sister littermate pair of cats lost their Bein suddenly and need a home. They are in NJ right now awaiting their fate... We are sure SOME of our readers have room for 2 sweet cats or may want to nicely domesticated ones as their first cats. Please leave us a comment if you can help.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Neediness
Dad has become for needy of my physical presence lately. It's not a new thing, but it has increased the past month.
He has previously been "lonely" if I do not sit with him in front of the TV, and sometimes he has suddenly walked around the house searching for me if he doesn't know where I am. Its annoying. Like the way a Mother can hardly go to the bathroom without toddlers banging on the door...
At least, with toddlers, you can expect them to grow out of it. With an elder, you know it is only going to get worse. It used to be that, if I got involved with yardwork or cleaning the basement, it would be a couple hours before Dad got worried about where I was. I could always tell when I started hearing banging on the floor above going back and forth along the hall rapidly (for him). So I would stop whatever I was doing and go upstairs to let him know I was around, remind him that I had told him I was working in the basement, and see if I could find him something interesting to watch on TV.
Then, I could return to what I was doing for a while with Dad at least remembering where I was in the house for another hour or two.
That time has shrunk to about 30 minutes. I can't get away from him for very long. Its not like I'm "hiding in the basement". The gardening season is starting, and I am way behind in getting the place organized for the new season. In previous years, I have kept the basement relatively organized; this past year, I have just not had the time. It needed hours of cleanup and organization. I have taken all the shortcuts I could since Dad arrived, and it caught up to me!
I've tried to do things an hour at a time, then spend enough time around Dad so that he knew I was there and go back to what I was doing in the basement. I'm worn out...
The other problem that is getting worse is Dad expecting me to go do bed every night when he does. He used to sometimes go to bed after me (and could turn off the lights and TV) .
And, BTW, I just did my 15 minutes of talking to Dad and "watching" his Fox News show, to comfort him with my presence. I don't say that mockingly. He needs a reminder of my presence to feel like he has not been abandoned. Sometimes when I go out grocery-shopping, he is desperate for attention by the time I get back (about 1.5 hours from driving and shopping time).
I spent the last 30 years living by myself (with the various combinations of cats). I LIKE living alone (with cats). I used to just get up at 5 am, feed the cats, shower, dress, drive to meet my carpool, spend 9.5 hours at work, carpool back, drive home (after doing some brief grocery-shopping) by 6 pm. I had 3, maybe 4 hours before I had to go to bed, and I spent a lot of the weekends sleeping. I had to pack everything I wanted to do otherwise into those few weeknight and precious weekend hours. Many of you do too.
I'm not used to accounting for my free time, in spite of so much more than I have now that I am retired. But I was so happy with retired life and here is Dad dropped in... I hate it. I'm a responsible child, I always was (elder child syndrome). I'm doing this because I "have" to. I'm doing this because I should, I'm doing this because its "right", I'm doing this because because I was the right person to do it when the time came. That doesn't mean I like it...
Well, yeah, few people like caring for an elder parent. Its awkward, it changes the routine of life, it's difficult. But am I right that MOST people who care for an elder parent are doing it with help from family? A spouse, local children who visit, some old friends of the elder, your own friends who visit you and relate to the elder parent sometimes?
I don't.
I wish he really needed an "assisted-living facility". He doesn't yet (by my unprofessional guess). But I need him to need it.
I live a rational, knowledgeable life. I don't understand really what it means not to know how to do simple things like open curtains, flush a toilet, separate metal from compostable stuff in different containers, read a simple 1099 tax document or a monthly bank statement, etc. Answering the same questions about those things every single day is driving me nuts. Sometimes, it is the same question 3 times in 15 minutes...
Nothing in my entire life has prepared me for this.
He has previously been "lonely" if I do not sit with him in front of the TV, and sometimes he has suddenly walked around the house searching for me if he doesn't know where I am. Its annoying. Like the way a Mother can hardly go to the bathroom without toddlers banging on the door...
At least, with toddlers, you can expect them to grow out of it. With an elder, you know it is only going to get worse. It used to be that, if I got involved with yardwork or cleaning the basement, it would be a couple hours before Dad got worried about where I was. I could always tell when I started hearing banging on the floor above going back and forth along the hall rapidly (for him). So I would stop whatever I was doing and go upstairs to let him know I was around, remind him that I had told him I was working in the basement, and see if I could find him something interesting to watch on TV.
Then, I could return to what I was doing for a while with Dad at least remembering where I was in the house for another hour or two.
That time has shrunk to about 30 minutes. I can't get away from him for very long. Its not like I'm "hiding in the basement". The gardening season is starting, and I am way behind in getting the place organized for the new season. In previous years, I have kept the basement relatively organized; this past year, I have just not had the time. It needed hours of cleanup and organization. I have taken all the shortcuts I could since Dad arrived, and it caught up to me!
I've tried to do things an hour at a time, then spend enough time around Dad so that he knew I was there and go back to what I was doing in the basement. I'm worn out...
The other problem that is getting worse is Dad expecting me to go do bed every night when he does. He used to sometimes go to bed after me (and could turn off the lights and TV) .
And, BTW, I just did my 15 minutes of talking to Dad and "watching" his Fox News show, to comfort him with my presence. I don't say that mockingly. He needs a reminder of my presence to feel like he has not been abandoned. Sometimes when I go out grocery-shopping, he is desperate for attention by the time I get back (about 1.5 hours from driving and shopping time).
I spent the last 30 years living by myself (with the various combinations of cats). I LIKE living alone (with cats). I used to just get up at 5 am, feed the cats, shower, dress, drive to meet my carpool, spend 9.5 hours at work, carpool back, drive home (after doing some brief grocery-shopping) by 6 pm. I had 3, maybe 4 hours before I had to go to bed, and I spent a lot of the weekends sleeping. I had to pack everything I wanted to do otherwise into those few weeknight and precious weekend hours. Many of you do too.
I'm not used to accounting for my free time, in spite of so much more than I have now that I am retired. But I was so happy with retired life and here is Dad dropped in... I hate it. I'm a responsible child, I always was (elder child syndrome). I'm doing this because I "have" to. I'm doing this because I should, I'm doing this because its "right", I'm doing this because because I was the right person to do it when the time came. That doesn't mean I like it...
Well, yeah, few people like caring for an elder parent. Its awkward, it changes the routine of life, it's difficult. But am I right that MOST people who care for an elder parent are doing it with help from family? A spouse, local children who visit, some old friends of the elder, your own friends who visit you and relate to the elder parent sometimes?
I don't.
I wish he really needed an "assisted-living facility". He doesn't yet (by my unprofessional guess). But I need him to need it.
I live a rational, knowledgeable life. I don't understand really what it means not to know how to do simple things like open curtains, flush a toilet, separate metal from compostable stuff in different containers, read a simple 1099 tax document or a monthly bank statement, etc. Answering the same questions about those things every single day is driving me nuts. Sometimes, it is the same question 3 times in 15 minutes...
Nothing in my entire life has prepared me for this.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Iza Strikes Again!
Iza is very adept at catching tossed toys. It is nearly impossible to hand-fake her. At the same time, she is amazingly clumsy. If she jumps up onto the table, she lands with the grace of a bag of sand.
So it should have been no surprise to me when she went to go from the tabletop to the half wall along the staircase. And managed to almost go over the edge. She didn't, but she managed to send my camera over the edge instead. Eight feet down onto the hard wood...
When I checked it, the lens made a "geary" sound as it came out or back in. I took a couple pictures and it seemed to work. Then I realized that the case was slightly separated. Pressing it firmly seemed to put it back together. So I used it as usual (trying not to wince every time the lens made noise).
Then the lens refused to come out and there was a message about restarting the camera. A few times of that not working I figured the camera was dead. But there were pictures in the camera and it DID allow me to download them. Whew!
Looking at them in iPhoto, the most recent ones (aka "after the fall") all looked a bit weird. They were all a bit blurry. OK, some didn't surprise me, since they were action shots of the cats (and it never has been very good at those). But most were normal still shots. I assume the image stabilization has been damaged.
THEN I realized that ALL the recent pictures were rotated 90 degrees! The iPhoto software will rotate pictures, but only counter-clockwise, and NATURALLY, the camera had rotated them in that direction. So I had to manually rotate about 50 pictures 3 times each. And they were all a bit blurred anyway.
OK, I have to get a new camera... I looked up subcompacts in Consumer Reports. Quite frankly, even subcompacts are getting too fancy! All I want is a fairly simple point and click, but one that does the point and click very well, has a better than average image stabilizer, takes good flash pictures, and has a rapid "next-shot" time (a real weakness with the current one).
I specifically didn't want top-quality video capability, a touch screen, and 20 different exposure settings, etc. I decided on a Canon Powershot Elph 310 HS and went to amazon.com to read more about it. It uses an Li-Ion battery, and no matter how much I searched around, I could not find anyplace that said it was rechargable! The replacement batteries cost $10 and I sure wasn't going to keep putting a new one in every 200 shots!
I gave up for the night and looked again today. I finally found that there is a battery charger included with the camera, so I went back to amazon to order it. Would you believe the price went up $40 overnight? Apparently, there is a newer version coming out next week (with things I do not want) and the few places that had any of the 310 version left all jacked up the price.
I looked at the other models on the Consumer Reports list, but one had a poor optical zoom, another had a touch screen, another had good video but average flash stills, etc.
I grumbled a while and ordered the 310...
So it should have been no surprise to me when she went to go from the tabletop to the half wall along the staircase. And managed to almost go over the edge. She didn't, but she managed to send my camera over the edge instead. Eight feet down onto the hard wood...
When I checked it, the lens made a "geary" sound as it came out or back in. I took a couple pictures and it seemed to work. Then I realized that the case was slightly separated. Pressing it firmly seemed to put it back together. So I used it as usual (trying not to wince every time the lens made noise).
Then the lens refused to come out and there was a message about restarting the camera. A few times of that not working I figured the camera was dead. But there were pictures in the camera and it DID allow me to download them. Whew!
Looking at them in iPhoto, the most recent ones (aka "after the fall") all looked a bit weird. They were all a bit blurry. OK, some didn't surprise me, since they were action shots of the cats (and it never has been very good at those). But most were normal still shots. I assume the image stabilization has been damaged.
THEN I realized that ALL the recent pictures were rotated 90 degrees! The iPhoto software will rotate pictures, but only counter-clockwise, and NATURALLY, the camera had rotated them in that direction. So I had to manually rotate about 50 pictures 3 times each. And they were all a bit blurred anyway.
OK, I have to get a new camera... I looked up subcompacts in Consumer Reports. Quite frankly, even subcompacts are getting too fancy! All I want is a fairly simple point and click, but one that does the point and click very well, has a better than average image stabilizer, takes good flash pictures, and has a rapid "next-shot" time (a real weakness with the current one).
I specifically didn't want top-quality video capability, a touch screen, and 20 different exposure settings, etc. I decided on a Canon Powershot Elph 310 HS and went to amazon.com to read more about it. It uses an Li-Ion battery, and no matter how much I searched around, I could not find anyplace that said it was rechargable! The replacement batteries cost $10 and I sure wasn't going to keep putting a new one in every 200 shots!
I gave up for the night and looked again today. I finally found that there is a battery charger included with the camera, so I went back to amazon to order it. Would you believe the price went up $40 overnight? Apparently, there is a newer version coming out next week (with things I do not want) and the few places that had any of the 310 version left all jacked up the price.
I looked at the other models on the Consumer Reports list, but one had a poor optical zoom, another had a touch screen, another had good video but average flash stills, etc.
I grumbled a while and ordered the 310...
Friday, February 15, 2013
Dad, Crazy
Last night, I was watching TV with Dad, only to be companionable. He suddenly looked over at me and went "What the hell is that ANIMAL on your lap. It was one of the cats of course. I said it was Iza. He said but what is an animal doing in the house?
???
He thought it was a wild animal. Never mind that Ayla, Iza, and Marley have been in the house all the 9 months Dad has been here. Tonight, he didn't recall them. Worse, he lost the concept of domesticated animal.
It is terrible watching a person lose their mind...
???
He thought it was a wild animal. Never mind that Ayla, Iza, and Marley have been in the house all the 9 months Dad has been here. Tonight, he didn't recall them. Worse, he lost the concept of domesticated animal.
It is terrible watching a person lose their mind...
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Playing Risk
Risk is a brutal board game. 4 or 5 players all determined to obliterate you country by country, continent by continent.
I often join games in progress in weak positions because, quite frankly, improving a position is more fun to me than winning outright, and on rare occasions I do win.
Tonight I won a terrible brutal nerve-racking game right on the last battle, and I recalled a Gahan Wilson cartoon from many years ago. I love the clean unlethal internet/boardgames, but I always keep in mind that there is a reality of what the game is about.
I always think of this...
"I THINK I WON"!
Gahan Wilson was a genious...
I often join games in progress in weak positions because, quite frankly, improving a position is more fun to me than winning outright, and on rare occasions I do win.
Tonight I won a terrible brutal nerve-racking game right on the last battle, and I recalled a Gahan Wilson cartoon from many years ago. I love the clean unlethal internet/boardgames, but I always keep in mind that there is a reality of what the game is about.
I always think of this...
"I THINK I WON"!
Gahan Wilson was a genious...
Monday, February 11, 2013
Its Going To Be A Long Unhappy Night
Iza and Ayla have to get their annual vet visits this time of year. They were both scheduled for them last Friday but things went wrong. I put out the PTUs (Prisoner Transport Units) or "Cat-Carriers" for those of you who don't read "cat" early in the morning.
Marley wasn't a catch, but he had just been to the vet in one, so he panicked. Iza seemed pretty relaxed. Ayla was nowhere in sight as soon as the PTUs came out. But there were hours to go...
The appointment was for 3 pm, and the vet is only 10 minutes away, so at 2:30 I picked up Iza to put her in the larger PTU. She fought harder than usual, so it took almost 10 minutes of hard grabbing and brute strength to get her inside and locked in. She complained a lot afterwards.
Ayla was nowhere to be found. If she wasn't in DEEP-HIDING just seeing the PTU, she sure was after Iza yelled a lot! I searched the house top to bottom with a flashlight under every bed, every closet, and all the hidey-holes I knew about. Apparently, she has some I don't know about. After 20 minutes, I had to give up and just take Iza to the vet.
That was bad enough, but they both needed FIV shots started because after a year of them being indoors, I relented last Fall and let them outside again. The shots have to be established 3 times (one shot every 2 weeks). Marley had just finished him series, and I was royally tired of bringing any one to the vet every 2 weeks.
Not bringing Ayla in at the same time as Iza means that they are both now on separate every-other-week schedules. The vet says they CAN allow some overlap so I can get them both on the same schedule for the future shots, but getting them BOTH into PTUs the next time may be as impossible as this time was.
I MAY have to just get used to taking them all to the vet one at a time!
Even worse is getting the stool samples for the annual exam. I was lucky with Marley. He obligingly pooped while I was in the basement in sight of the litter pans the day before his exam. No such luck with Iza or Ayla.
So when I brought Iza to the vet last Friday, no stool sample.
Tonight is different. I have enclosed Ayla in the basement with a clean litter box, food, and water, and a bed. Iza is enclosed in my bedroom with the same. Iza is in the bedroom because she demands to be near me more at night than Ayla does. Marley sleeps out on the cat trees at night until dawn. Of course, because Ayla is enclosed in the basement where the litter boxes usually are, I have a litter box at the bottom of the stairs for him.
EVERYONE is going to be upset and unhappy all night. Ayla in the basement, Iza in the bedroom, Marley not in the bedroom (and none of them able to sleep together or with me except Iza). Its all a mess but the only way I can get the stool samples identified by cat.
I can best hope that both Ayla and Iza decide to poop in their respective enclosed rooms before I go to bed. Oh happy thought. But unlikely! In the past (and I've gone through this before but not in such a complicated way) it has taken both about 12 hours before they would deign to poop after being so upset and restricted.
My elderly Dad (who lives here now) says he can't imagine why I put myself through this for just a couple of "damn cats"and all the expense). When asked him why he used to have a boat that could only be described as "a hole in the water you through money into", he said he enjoyed the boat. Well, I like my cats. And a good bit more than he liked the boat. Reminding him of all those nice weekend Summer days we spent scraping barnacles off the bottom of the boat and repainting/patching it endlessly didn't get through to him at all.
But Dad complains about my aquarium, my garden, and flowerbeds, so there isn't much that makes him think effort is worthwhile except HIS favorite thing (watching golf).
BTW, when he lived on his own, he watched golf when he could on his smallish old TV. When he moved here with me, he commented that the HDTV was great. Now that he is used to it, he thingks it is a waste of money. If I dragged in an old 25" CRT TV like he used to have, he would gripe all day.
But this is about the cats, and I will not sleep well tonight knowing they are all separated from each other and 2 of them from me. I hate this...
Marley wasn't a catch, but he had just been to the vet in one, so he panicked. Iza seemed pretty relaxed. Ayla was nowhere in sight as soon as the PTUs came out. But there were hours to go...
The appointment was for 3 pm, and the vet is only 10 minutes away, so at 2:30 I picked up Iza to put her in the larger PTU. She fought harder than usual, so it took almost 10 minutes of hard grabbing and brute strength to get her inside and locked in. She complained a lot afterwards.
Ayla was nowhere to be found. If she wasn't in DEEP-HIDING just seeing the PTU, she sure was after Iza yelled a lot! I searched the house top to bottom with a flashlight under every bed, every closet, and all the hidey-holes I knew about. Apparently, she has some I don't know about. After 20 minutes, I had to give up and just take Iza to the vet.
That was bad enough, but they both needed FIV shots started because after a year of them being indoors, I relented last Fall and let them outside again. The shots have to be established 3 times (one shot every 2 weeks). Marley had just finished him series, and I was royally tired of bringing any one to the vet every 2 weeks.
Not bringing Ayla in at the same time as Iza means that they are both now on separate every-other-week schedules. The vet says they CAN allow some overlap so I can get them both on the same schedule for the future shots, but getting them BOTH into PTUs the next time may be as impossible as this time was.
I MAY have to just get used to taking them all to the vet one at a time!
Even worse is getting the stool samples for the annual exam. I was lucky with Marley. He obligingly pooped while I was in the basement in sight of the litter pans the day before his exam. No such luck with Iza or Ayla.
So when I brought Iza to the vet last Friday, no stool sample.
Tonight is different. I have enclosed Ayla in the basement with a clean litter box, food, and water, and a bed. Iza is enclosed in my bedroom with the same. Iza is in the bedroom because she demands to be near me more at night than Ayla does. Marley sleeps out on the cat trees at night until dawn. Of course, because Ayla is enclosed in the basement where the litter boxes usually are, I have a litter box at the bottom of the stairs for him.
EVERYONE is going to be upset and unhappy all night. Ayla in the basement, Iza in the bedroom, Marley not in the bedroom (and none of them able to sleep together or with me except Iza). Its all a mess but the only way I can get the stool samples identified by cat.
I can best hope that both Ayla and Iza decide to poop in their respective enclosed rooms before I go to bed. Oh happy thought. But unlikely! In the past (and I've gone through this before but not in such a complicated way) it has taken both about 12 hours before they would deign to poop after being so upset and restricted.
My elderly Dad (who lives here now) says he can't imagine why I put myself through this for just a couple of "damn cats"and all the expense). When asked him why he used to have a boat that could only be described as "a hole in the water you through money into", he said he enjoyed the boat. Well, I like my cats. And a good bit more than he liked the boat. Reminding him of all those nice weekend Summer days we spent scraping barnacles off the bottom of the boat and repainting/patching it endlessly didn't get through to him at all.
But Dad complains about my aquarium, my garden, and flowerbeds, so there isn't much that makes him think effort is worthwhile except HIS favorite thing (watching golf).
BTW, when he lived on his own, he watched golf when he could on his smallish old TV. When he moved here with me, he commented that the HDTV was great. Now that he is used to it, he thingks it is a waste of money. If I dragged in an old 25" CRT TV like he used to have, he would gripe all day.
But this is about the cats, and I will not sleep well tonight knowing they are all separated from each other and 2 of them from me. I hate this...
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
February Made Me Shiver...
With Every Paper I Delivered....
Yes, there was a time when I delivered newspapers. A friend had built up a serious newspaper delivery route, and on Sundays, he needed extra help. I signed on when I was 16.
The first part of the job was stuffing the special Sunday Section (comics, ads, etc) into the regular parts (news, etc). This was back in the olden days when Sunday Comics where delivered on Sunday. So 3 of us would be brought to a warehouse and stuff the 2 together for an hour for delivery to doorsteps. And I mean "doorsteps". None of that "out by the mailbox stuff" then.
Then there were the papers for the newstands (definition: "newstands" Places that sold multiple newspapers and people went and bought them there every morning and afternoon). Sort of like 7-11s without food. I would get dropped in a hallway next to the newstand with bundles of comics and separate bundles of "Section As", so to speak, and a wire clipper (they came wired in bundles).
I spent 3 hours each Sunday night stuffing the 2 together for newstand sale. I was lucky. I had a transistor radio that could get WBZ talk AM from Boston On REALLY good nights, I could get a Chicago AM station that played Beach Boys music.
Just about the time I could stuff the sections together as fast as possible, the friend would come by from part on his delivery route and we would take half my stuffed newspapers for further delivery. I had been doing the Baltimore Sun. The 3rd guy had been doing the other Baltimore newspaper (the News American?). But I was faster to deliver stuffed papers so I got more work hours.
So I would be in the back of the van putting rubber bands around the papers of both types as we went to the final delivery routes. My friend had the deliveries memorized. He would say on one street "double, Sun, Sun, skip, Sun, American" (or whatever the street requiered) and I would have to scoop up the right combinations and run along the street putting them on the doorsteps as he drove along..
Except where people had specific requests like in their milkbox or between their door and storm door.
The worst time was when there was 2 feet of snow on the ground AND I had a horrible cold. You'ld think that would have killed me. But at 16, nothing kills you, you think. I broke a bad fever running in and out of a van tramping through heavy snow, in the cold temps. I felt just fine the next morning when everyone at home was sick as dogs!
So I know about delivering newspapers.
I never read them (except for the sunday comics). So I didn't know (or care) "when the music died". I was delivering the newspapers uncaring about the contents. I didn't care then.
I do now.
Buddy Holly died February 3rd, 1959. I'm sorry I was 2 days late remembering it.
Yes, there was a time when I delivered newspapers. A friend had built up a serious newspaper delivery route, and on Sundays, he needed extra help. I signed on when I was 16.
The first part of the job was stuffing the special Sunday Section (comics, ads, etc) into the regular parts (news, etc). This was back in the olden days when Sunday Comics where delivered on Sunday. So 3 of us would be brought to a warehouse and stuff the 2 together for an hour for delivery to doorsteps. And I mean "doorsteps". None of that "out by the mailbox stuff" then.
Then there were the papers for the newstands (definition: "newstands" Places that sold multiple newspapers and people went and bought them there every morning and afternoon). Sort of like 7-11s without food. I would get dropped in a hallway next to the newstand with bundles of comics and separate bundles of "Section As", so to speak, and a wire clipper (they came wired in bundles).
I spent 3 hours each Sunday night stuffing the 2 together for newstand sale. I was lucky. I had a transistor radio that could get WBZ talk AM from Boston On REALLY good nights, I could get a Chicago AM station that played Beach Boys music.
Just about the time I could stuff the sections together as fast as possible, the friend would come by from part on his delivery route and we would take half my stuffed newspapers for further delivery. I had been doing the Baltimore Sun. The 3rd guy had been doing the other Baltimore newspaper (the News American?). But I was faster to deliver stuffed papers so I got more work hours.
So I would be in the back of the van putting rubber bands around the papers of both types as we went to the final delivery routes. My friend had the deliveries memorized. He would say on one street "double, Sun, Sun, skip, Sun, American" (or whatever the street requiered) and I would have to scoop up the right combinations and run along the street putting them on the doorsteps as he drove along..
Except where people had specific requests like in their milkbox or between their door and storm door.
The worst time was when there was 2 feet of snow on the ground AND I had a horrible cold. You'ld think that would have killed me. But at 16, nothing kills you, you think. I broke a bad fever running in and out of a van tramping through heavy snow, in the cold temps. I felt just fine the next morning when everyone at home was sick as dogs!
So I know about delivering newspapers.
I never read them (except for the sunday comics). So I didn't know (or care) "when the music died". I was delivering the newspapers uncaring about the contents. I didn't care then.
I do now.
Buddy Holly died February 3rd, 1959. I'm sorry I was 2 days late remembering it.
Going Nuts
Tap, tap tap... I shouldn't have let it in. Tap, tap, tap. Tap tap tap...
It's like the story of The Telltale Heart. That relentless tapping coming down the hallway.
I can't stand it. It's from the elder. Coming tapping, tapping, tapping down the hall.
To me. There is no escaping it when the tapping comes down the hall...
The tapping of the cane lasts 10 minutes. 10 relentless minutes... Its like Chinese Water Torture...
Its the dreaded elderly Dad coming tap, tap, tapping toward my computer room at the far end of the house. The long endless tapping of the cane through the seemingly endless hallway. Dreadful, like a heart beating too slowly, like a too-loud clock, like a moonbeam crepping slowly across a window. Relentless in the approach...
And FINALLY, a forehead shows up in the doorway. "Are you there", he asks knowing full well that I am. "Are you going to be in there all night" and he knows I will be. Because I prefer to be on the computer rather than sit my butt in front of the TV all day and night like he does. He doesn't understand anything better do do than sit his butt in the chair in front of the TV.
I spend my whole cleaning house, taking care of the cats, talking to him, repairing things, talking to him, doing yardwork, talking to him, making meals, talking to him, grocery-shopping, running errands for his medications, etc, etc, etc etc, etc, etc, etc. And he just wants me to sit and watch TV with him all day every day and can't imagine why I wouldn't. Well, there aren't 30 hours in a day, and I have a life of my own. Not that Dad thinks so. What I do seems of no value to him.
Well, he's nuts!
When we disagree on facts, he is always wrong. He can't help but be at 90. His mind isn't working well. And I mean the simplest of facts. Day, date, time, game scores. He can't see anything straight these days.
My sister says to let everything go, pretend he is right, just toss it off. That's not me; I can't. I don't have the "family experience" to do that.
The problem is that he isn't yet nuts enough to require an assisted-living facility. And that's why I am going nuts...
It's like the story of The Telltale Heart. That relentless tapping coming down the hallway.
I can't stand it. It's from the elder. Coming tapping, tapping, tapping down the hall.
To me. There is no escaping it when the tapping comes down the hall...
The tapping of the cane lasts 10 minutes. 10 relentless minutes... Its like Chinese Water Torture...
Its the dreaded elderly Dad coming tap, tap, tapping toward my computer room at the far end of the house. The long endless tapping of the cane through the seemingly endless hallway. Dreadful, like a heart beating too slowly, like a too-loud clock, like a moonbeam crepping slowly across a window. Relentless in the approach...
And FINALLY, a forehead shows up in the doorway. "Are you there", he asks knowing full well that I am. "Are you going to be in there all night" and he knows I will be. Because I prefer to be on the computer rather than sit my butt in front of the TV all day and night like he does. He doesn't understand anything better do do than sit his butt in the chair in front of the TV.
I spend my whole cleaning house, taking care of the cats, talking to him, repairing things, talking to him, doing yardwork, talking to him, making meals, talking to him, grocery-shopping, running errands for his medications, etc, etc, etc etc, etc, etc, etc. And he just wants me to sit and watch TV with him all day every day and can't imagine why I wouldn't. Well, there aren't 30 hours in a day, and I have a life of my own. Not that Dad thinks so. What I do seems of no value to him.
Well, he's nuts!
When we disagree on facts, he is always wrong. He can't help but be at 90. His mind isn't working well. And I mean the simplest of facts. Day, date, time, game scores. He can't see anything straight these days.
My sister says to let everything go, pretend he is right, just toss it off. That's not me; I can't. I don't have the "family experience" to do that.
The problem is that he isn't yet nuts enough to require an assisted-living facility. And that's why I am going nuts...
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Dad Here
Well, it looks like I am stuck with Dad until he is utterly unable to be cared for by me. Sister has been avoiding finding a place for him near her and I understand now that she REALLY does plan to leave the area when she retires in a year. So it IS best that he be HERE or in a place nearby.
I was hoping to get out of this relationship, but I'm the only one he has left.
That realization is hard. I don't hate him, but I don't like him much either. And I don't say that because he is batty (though he is); its the day to day living that makes it hard. I lived on my own for 30 years and the change is so hard.
When he watches Fox News, he thinks it is like the word of god. He says "damn right" sometimes and I look at him with dropped jaw. He really does think that most of the people in the US are "MOOCHERS"! I pointed out to him that Romney meant me and him because we get a Federal Govt retirement, and it just went right over his head...
Its going to be a really hard year or so before Father Time catches up with him... But he is here and for his "long haul".
I'll try not to mention it often...
I was hoping to get out of this relationship, but I'm the only one he has left.
That realization is hard. I don't hate him, but I don't like him much either. And I don't say that because he is batty (though he is); its the day to day living that makes it hard. I lived on my own for 30 years and the change is so hard.
When he watches Fox News, he thinks it is like the word of god. He says "damn right" sometimes and I look at him with dropped jaw. He really does think that most of the people in the US are "MOOCHERS"! I pointed out to him that Romney meant me and him because we get a Federal Govt retirement, and it just went right over his head...
Its going to be a really hard year or so before Father Time catches up with him... But he is here and for his "long haul".
I'll try not to mention it often...
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Almost Entirely Back!
It is funny now, after all the problems are solved. But it wasn't before that.
I was frustrated when I first hooked up the new Mac Mini. No monitor picture... And that was the same problem I had a week ago. Not knowing the cable lingo made it hard. The old Mac Mini had two ports labeled with a "monitor" symbol. The new one didn't. Just one labeled HDMI (which I understand, having an HDMI TV) and one I didn't labeled "Thunderbolt". Thunderbolt did match the plug I had on the VGA-to-monitor cable, so I tried it. Nothing.
Why does this sort of thing only happen after business hours when I can't call anyone? And please don't say just go online; the monitor wasn't working, LOL! So I struggled with things all night. And I mean "all night" I went to bed at 9 am.
Who knew that the FOURTH time I re-plugged the monitor cable in it would work just fine? I try things over and over again because I really don't know what else to do. And sometimes it works.
So there I was at 4 am with a working computer. I tried to play a game of cribbage at pogo.com. No luck, just endless "loading". After that, I did what any annoyed and frustrated person would do who smokes and drinks. I went out ant bought a pack of cigs from the all-night 7-11 and poured myself a glass of wine when I got back. Surely the problems would resolve themselves after my punishing myself with drugs...
No.
This morning, I called the computer repair shop and asked for help. The guy who answered the phone seemed knowledgeable. He directed me to the "About The Mac" click and asked me to read what it said. When I got to memory (not RAM) it said 512 MB. Yes, "512 MB". He said, "well there's your problem, you didn't get enough storage". I said the Mac Mini ONLY comes in 512 GB or 1 TB. He said I should have gotten the 512 GB drive and I could come in for an upgrade.
I was annoyed by that, but thought for a minute and decided that was preposterous. NOBODY offers a 512 MB drive any more! So I told him so and asked if there was someone more knowledgeable I could speak to. He got all huffy about THAT and said he would have someone call me back.
Two hours later, I got a call back. The guy said the 512 MB was just the graphics memory and I had a full 512 GB hard drive. So we proceeded to go through the system to prove it. I really DO have 512GBs. Which is fine because I had only used 100GB on the old computer.
It turned out that I didn't have the new Java script needed. I HAD downloaded that at the computer's request the night before, but nothing had happened. OK, usually, you have to download those files and then install them. But since there was no file to open in the downloads folder, I assumed it self-opened (which seemed a process improvement).
No.
It saved to my documents folder for some reason. With the computer guys help, I found it and installed it. Problem solved. I asked who the previous guy (the idiot) was and the person I was talking to wouldn't say. But, as the problems were solved I let it go. I assume the first guy is a relative of the owner of the shop, LOL!
I had 200 emails to read... I think I'll go watch TV for an hour (Rachel Maddow on MSNBC) and come back later to start visiting the cats' friends...
Computers are maddening. I know enough to use them and figure out some problems, but not enough to solve the weird problems.
I was frustrated when I first hooked up the new Mac Mini. No monitor picture... And that was the same problem I had a week ago. Not knowing the cable lingo made it hard. The old Mac Mini had two ports labeled with a "monitor" symbol. The new one didn't. Just one labeled HDMI (which I understand, having an HDMI TV) and one I didn't labeled "Thunderbolt". Thunderbolt did match the plug I had on the VGA-to-monitor cable, so I tried it. Nothing.
Why does this sort of thing only happen after business hours when I can't call anyone? And please don't say just go online; the monitor wasn't working, LOL! So I struggled with things all night. And I mean "all night" I went to bed at 9 am.
Who knew that the FOURTH time I re-plugged the monitor cable in it would work just fine? I try things over and over again because I really don't know what else to do. And sometimes it works.
So there I was at 4 am with a working computer. I tried to play a game of cribbage at pogo.com. No luck, just endless "loading". After that, I did what any annoyed and frustrated person would do who smokes and drinks. I went out ant bought a pack of cigs from the all-night 7-11 and poured myself a glass of wine when I got back. Surely the problems would resolve themselves after my punishing myself with drugs...
No.
This morning, I called the computer repair shop and asked for help. The guy who answered the phone seemed knowledgeable. He directed me to the "About The Mac" click and asked me to read what it said. When I got to memory (not RAM) it said 512 MB. Yes, "512 MB". He said, "well there's your problem, you didn't get enough storage". I said the Mac Mini ONLY comes in 512 GB or 1 TB. He said I should have gotten the 512 GB drive and I could come in for an upgrade.
I was annoyed by that, but thought for a minute and decided that was preposterous. NOBODY offers a 512 MB drive any more! So I told him so and asked if there was someone more knowledgeable I could speak to. He got all huffy about THAT and said he would have someone call me back.
Two hours later, I got a call back. The guy said the 512 MB was just the graphics memory and I had a full 512 GB hard drive. So we proceeded to go through the system to prove it. I really DO have 512GBs. Which is fine because I had only used 100GB on the old computer.
It turned out that I didn't have the new Java script needed. I HAD downloaded that at the computer's request the night before, but nothing had happened. OK, usually, you have to download those files and then install them. But since there was no file to open in the downloads folder, I assumed it self-opened (which seemed a process improvement).
No.
It saved to my documents folder for some reason. With the computer guys help, I found it and installed it. Problem solved. I asked who the previous guy (the idiot) was and the person I was talking to wouldn't say. But, as the problems were solved I let it go. I assume the first guy is a relative of the owner of the shop, LOL!
I had 200 emails to read... I think I'll go watch TV for an hour (Rachel Maddow on MSNBC) and come back later to start visiting the cats' friends...
Computers are maddening. I know enough to use them and figure out some problems, but not enough to solve the weird problems.
Back Online!
I'm back, but don't tell the cats. I want the Golden Oldies Week to use up the preset posts.
But the computer problem was serious. In spite of my taking the cover off the old Mac Mini and looking for any sign of wine spill damage (none visible), there was some on the hard drive and some port according to the repair guys. Enough so that the Mac Repair Shop said it needed more work than a new one would cost. I have some doubts, but I don't have the expertise to argue with them or repair it myself.
Well, 3 years for computer isn't TOO bad ...
I talked to the repair guys and am not much more knowledgeable than when I started. They were able to transfer my old hard drive to the new computer (so why wasn't it able to work in my Mini Mac)? But there are times to surrender. I now have a replacement (essentially identical to the old one). That's OK. The old one had 500GB and I only used 100, so the same is just fine.
The interesting thing is that I was using the old Mac DeskPro and found iPhoto pictures on it that I had deleted on the Mac Mini in 2010. I copied them over to the new computer with a flash drive in a new-named file.
I copied them to the new computer to a new file named "iPhoto2", but I can't seem to merge the files. I'm afraid to just copy the old file into the new one in case it just overwrites the new file and overwrites all the new photos. Any advice would be great. For what is worth, I have the entire new iPhoto pictures saved on an external backup drive, so I probably can't lose them.
I checked my Google Reader. 226 posts to read! And 150 emails! That will take a few days! LOL!
But the computer problem was serious. In spite of my taking the cover off the old Mac Mini and looking for any sign of wine spill damage (none visible), there was some on the hard drive and some port according to the repair guys. Enough so that the Mac Repair Shop said it needed more work than a new one would cost. I have some doubts, but I don't have the expertise to argue with them or repair it myself.
Well, 3 years for computer isn't TOO bad ...
I talked to the repair guys and am not much more knowledgeable than when I started. They were able to transfer my old hard drive to the new computer (so why wasn't it able to work in my Mini Mac)? But there are times to surrender. I now have a replacement (essentially identical to the old one). That's OK. The old one had 500GB and I only used 100, so the same is just fine.
The interesting thing is that I was using the old Mac DeskPro and found iPhoto pictures on it that I had deleted on the Mac Mini in 2010. I copied them over to the new computer with a flash drive in a new-named file.
I copied them to the new computer to a new file named "iPhoto2", but I can't seem to merge the files. I'm afraid to just copy the old file into the new one in case it just overwrites the new file and overwrites all the new photos. Any advice would be great. For what is worth, I have the entire new iPhoto pictures saved on an external backup drive, so I probably can't lose them.
I checked my Google Reader. 226 posts to read! And 150 emails! That will take a few days! LOL!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Offline (Sort Of)
My Mac Mini died a few days ago. A minor matter of a toppled glass of wine... It didn't seem to hit the computer, but when I picked it up to clean under it, it stopped sending to the monitor. I hoped it was the exposed adaptor cable (insulation loose at one end and split at the other - its old). I spent Friday trying to get a replacement adaptor cable, and by the time I did, and tried it out, it was too late to get the Mac Mini to a repair shop (they are few and far between around here).
Since the only "near" repair shop for Apples is closed weekends, it probably doesn't matter. I'll be delivering it Monday morning. It will probably take 2 days to clean and/or repair, so I am mostly off-line until then.
How am I online now, you ask? I still have my old Mac Deskpro. It can do a little bit of work still (like access my blog account). It's mostly an expensive doorstop these days, but I'm glad I kept it around.
It was great at it's time... TWO 2GB hard drives and whatever passed for serious RAM and processors in 2006.
I can't get email on it because both it is set up for an ISP I no longer use AND the memory is too little for my current system. When it failed in 2010, I COULD have seriously upgraded it after thorough cleaning and parts replacement. EXCEPT that the failure was due to cigarette smoke accumulation (causing overheating) and Apple repair shops will not clean a computer with that problem. "TOXIC ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD", according to Apple policy. It would have been nice if they had advised me of that when I bought it. Yeah, I know, "serves me right for smoking"...
PC repair stores don't care about that. They used to just clean my old PCs and replace the overworked fan. If you smoke and are considering buying Apple products, be aware of that.
The Mac Minis don't work the same way as large desktop units. I don't know why. Maybe they use flash drives and no fan. All I know is that after 3 years, when I took the Mac Mini cover off (an adventure in itself) it looked sparkly-clean.
I'm not defending smoking, I'm ready to quit. But it IS interesting that PC repair shops are all independent and THEY will clean any smoker's PC while Apple stores (with a virtual monopoly on repairs) will not. Its their right to do so...
Forgive the minor rant. I'm conflicted between my desire to have a computer cleaned and repaired, and my understanding that smoke debris is probably not the best thing to have to clean out. I'm just annoyed all over again about the $3,500 Mac Deskpro doorstop that's been sitting around for years. But I AM glad I kept it around. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to even post this.
PS - If you are very anti-smoking and want to tell me how bad it is, please don't. I already agree with you. Seriously, I feel stupid enough about smoking as it is. And I am at the point where I really WILL stop.
Since the only "near" repair shop for Apples is closed weekends, it probably doesn't matter. I'll be delivering it Monday morning. It will probably take 2 days to clean and/or repair, so I am mostly off-line until then.
How am I online now, you ask? I still have my old Mac Deskpro. It can do a little bit of work still (like access my blog account). It's mostly an expensive doorstop these days, but I'm glad I kept it around.
It was great at it's time... TWO 2GB hard drives and whatever passed for serious RAM and processors in 2006.
I can't get email on it because both it is set up for an ISP I no longer use AND the memory is too little for my current system. When it failed in 2010, I COULD have seriously upgraded it after thorough cleaning and parts replacement. EXCEPT that the failure was due to cigarette smoke accumulation (causing overheating) and Apple repair shops will not clean a computer with that problem. "TOXIC ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD", according to Apple policy. It would have been nice if they had advised me of that when I bought it. Yeah, I know, "serves me right for smoking"...
PC repair stores don't care about that. They used to just clean my old PCs and replace the overworked fan. If you smoke and are considering buying Apple products, be aware of that.
The Mac Minis don't work the same way as large desktop units. I don't know why. Maybe they use flash drives and no fan. All I know is that after 3 years, when I took the Mac Mini cover off (an adventure in itself) it looked sparkly-clean.
I'm not defending smoking, I'm ready to quit. But it IS interesting that PC repair shops are all independent and THEY will clean any smoker's PC while Apple stores (with a virtual monopoly on repairs) will not. Its their right to do so...
Forgive the minor rant. I'm conflicted between my desire to have a computer cleaned and repaired, and my understanding that smoke debris is probably not the best thing to have to clean out. I'm just annoyed all over again about the $3,500 Mac Deskpro doorstop that's been sitting around for years. But I AM glad I kept it around. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to even post this.
PS - If you are very anti-smoking and want to tell me how bad it is, please don't. I already agree with you. Seriously, I feel stupid enough about smoking as it is. And I am at the point where I really WILL stop.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
I've Had Better Days
I don't mean anything serious went bad. No family problems, no accidents, no injuries. But you know how some days just go "off"...
Yesterday started well. I slept well after getting up at dawn for the tree removal crew the day before, and got up early enough to make Dad and myself an actual breakfast omelet (with sauted red and green bell peppers, onion, mushroom, and cheese), toasted english muffins, bacon, and cottage-fried potatoes. He usually eats cereal because I tend to sleep late. So when I'm up early, I try to give him a change of pace.
I knew I had a vet appointment for Marley to get a 2nd of 3 shots for "something". All the cats shots seem to have similiar initials. But I had other shopping to do and enough time, so off I went.
A foot-pedal compost can for Dad (to make it easier) and a wooden toast tong so Dad can get those small english muffins out - after I saw him get at one with a fork), kitty litter at Petsmart, an ATM visit, and then a trip through WalMart!
I was looking for camo jeans (no luck), rechargeable batteries (got them), calendars (got them), candy/tea/V8 (got them), locktite screw-holder (no luck), and aquarium fish (thereby hangs the tale)...
I'm not sure how to say this. I know some people are not as capable as others and have some difficulties in life. I understand that, and I am patient. I have had friends and relatives in my younger years like that. I was the kid who told the other kids to calm down (or back off) around other kids who had problems.
The local Walmart has this one guy who works in the pet department. He tries well, but he is slow to do things. Walmart does not make it easier for him. They put several kinds of fish in the same aquarium, they don't put pictures of the fish on the labels and its seems they don't provide any training at catching fish in aquariums.
I have dealt with the guy before. I stay polite and patient. I know he is doing the best he can. I had an appointment to bring Marley to the Vet at 3 pm, but it was only 2 pm, and I had some other things to buy. I got him to write down the 3 fish I wanted. 6 tiger barbs, 6 serpa tetra, and one small plecostomus. I made sure he saw which fish they were.
He got the tiger barbs just fine, so I went to finish my shopping.
10 minutes later, he was struggling to get the serpa tetra. They are coralish-orangy-colored and were in a tank of several kinds of black fish. He kept taking black fish out of the tank. I suggested several easier ways of getting them, but he didn't understand what I suggested. My brain was screaming "just take the net and get them", but I waited. And waited. And waited. It took 35 minutes!!! I felt sorry for him, but I didn't know what to do. I could have netted all the fish in 3 minutes.
Exactly when he was done, another guy in the pet dept called out to him "you need some help?" and "hope you didn't kill any this time". I felt very bad. So after I got my fish, I went over to the guy and asked him why he didn't volunteer to help the other guy when he first saw he was having trouble. He said it was funny watching him. I said it wasn't funny to ME!
I'm not pure on this. I just wanted to get my cheap fish from Walmart and get the heck out of the store as fast as possible and put them in the quarantine tank to see if they are healthy after a week.
But the delay meant I was seriously behind schedule getting Marley to the vet. When I got home, I had to toss the bag of new fish into the main aquarium to stay warm. get out the cat carrier, and get Marley into it.
Naturally, he had to see me take out the cat carrier and he hid. I HATE sitting around the vet office. If you are late, you have to sit around through 2 more appointments. So I got after Marley aggressively. By the time I got ahold of him and him into the carrier, we were BOTH seriously aggravated. Marley clawed me good on the neck...
I gave Marley extra attention last night. But I wonder if that guy at Walmart will be getting any attention. He needs it.
*Sigh*
My new fish seem OK in the quarantine tank. Marley has calmed down and is back looking for scritchies and chin rubs. Dad is happily watching a replay of the golf tournament he watched this past weekend. I am managing my odd household...
Yesterday started well. I slept well after getting up at dawn for the tree removal crew the day before, and got up early enough to make Dad and myself an actual breakfast omelet (with sauted red and green bell peppers, onion, mushroom, and cheese), toasted english muffins, bacon, and cottage-fried potatoes. He usually eats cereal because I tend to sleep late. So when I'm up early, I try to give him a change of pace.
I knew I had a vet appointment for Marley to get a 2nd of 3 shots for "something". All the cats shots seem to have similiar initials. But I had other shopping to do and enough time, so off I went.
A foot-pedal compost can for Dad (to make it easier) and a wooden toast tong so Dad can get those small english muffins out - after I saw him get at one with a fork), kitty litter at Petsmart, an ATM visit, and then a trip through WalMart!
I was looking for camo jeans (no luck), rechargeable batteries (got them), calendars (got them), candy/tea/V8 (got them), locktite screw-holder (no luck), and aquarium fish (thereby hangs the tale)...
I'm not sure how to say this. I know some people are not as capable as others and have some difficulties in life. I understand that, and I am patient. I have had friends and relatives in my younger years like that. I was the kid who told the other kids to calm down (or back off) around other kids who had problems.
The local Walmart has this one guy who works in the pet department. He tries well, but he is slow to do things. Walmart does not make it easier for him. They put several kinds of fish in the same aquarium, they don't put pictures of the fish on the labels and its seems they don't provide any training at catching fish in aquariums.
I have dealt with the guy before. I stay polite and patient. I know he is doing the best he can. I had an appointment to bring Marley to the Vet at 3 pm, but it was only 2 pm, and I had some other things to buy. I got him to write down the 3 fish I wanted. 6 tiger barbs, 6 serpa tetra, and one small plecostomus. I made sure he saw which fish they were.
He got the tiger barbs just fine, so I went to finish my shopping.
10 minutes later, he was struggling to get the serpa tetra. They are coralish-orangy-colored and were in a tank of several kinds of black fish. He kept taking black fish out of the tank. I suggested several easier ways of getting them, but he didn't understand what I suggested. My brain was screaming "just take the net and get them", but I waited. And waited. And waited. It took 35 minutes!!! I felt sorry for him, but I didn't know what to do. I could have netted all the fish in 3 minutes.
Exactly when he was done, another guy in the pet dept called out to him "you need some help?" and "hope you didn't kill any this time". I felt very bad. So after I got my fish, I went over to the guy and asked him why he didn't volunteer to help the other guy when he first saw he was having trouble. He said it was funny watching him. I said it wasn't funny to ME!
I'm not pure on this. I just wanted to get my cheap fish from Walmart and get the heck out of the store as fast as possible and put them in the quarantine tank to see if they are healthy after a week.
But the delay meant I was seriously behind schedule getting Marley to the vet. When I got home, I had to toss the bag of new fish into the main aquarium to stay warm. get out the cat carrier, and get Marley into it.
Naturally, he had to see me take out the cat carrier and he hid. I HATE sitting around the vet office. If you are late, you have to sit around through 2 more appointments. So I got after Marley aggressively. By the time I got ahold of him and him into the carrier, we were BOTH seriously aggravated. Marley clawed me good on the neck...
I gave Marley extra attention last night. But I wonder if that guy at Walmart will be getting any attention. He needs it.
*Sigh*
My new fish seem OK in the quarantine tank. Marley has calmed down and is back looking for scritchies and chin rubs. Dad is happily watching a replay of the golf tournament he watched this past weekend. I am managing my odd household...
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Tree Removal
Well, the tree removal crew finally arrived this morning. Considering that the first scheduled day was about 50 degrees and the second scheduled day was 45, I think they regretted their delays. When they arrived, it was only 18 degrees and never got above 24! And some wind whipped up after a couple of hours.
It got off to a bad start! The plan was for them to drive the grinder machine into the back yard (which I have done with my car several times) to leave me the chips/sawdust in large piles in the corner of the yard and the the center near the pond. The first would decompose to compost after a couple of years and the second I would spread around about 4" deep to suppress grass. But the estimator failed to consider that their truck was 2 feet wider than my SUV!
So they went to back it onto the front lawn as far as possible. Damn that grinder machine is heavy! The wheels sank up to the rim and they had to pull it back to the street. The lawn is easily repairable, but the crew was sad. Instead of having to haul the pieces of 8 trees about 30 yards, they had to haul them 60 yards! It also meant I wouldn't have the chips, but the price was the same either way.
But they got going with the job and everything went fine after that.
I didn't take pictures of the trees falling (they don't come out well). But I did take some of the stump grinder they brought in for the fallen tree's stump. It doesn't LOOK all that impressive.
The stump DID look impressive, front
And back.
After they smoothed the pile it left, it looked like this. Like it was never there...
I had them leave the other stumps because the surrounding areas were covered with emerging daffodils and they would have been decimated. The stumps will rot (and they don't bother me).
I sure hope the additional sunlight will be worth it!
It got off to a bad start! The plan was for them to drive the grinder machine into the back yard (which I have done with my car several times) to leave me the chips/sawdust in large piles in the corner of the yard and the the center near the pond. The first would decompose to compost after a couple of years and the second I would spread around about 4" deep to suppress grass. But the estimator failed to consider that their truck was 2 feet wider than my SUV!
So they went to back it onto the front lawn as far as possible. Damn that grinder machine is heavy! The wheels sank up to the rim and they had to pull it back to the street. The lawn is easily repairable, but the crew was sad. Instead of having to haul the pieces of 8 trees about 30 yards, they had to haul them 60 yards! It also meant I wouldn't have the chips, but the price was the same either way.
But they got going with the job and everything went fine after that.
I didn't take pictures of the trees falling (they don't come out well). But I did take some of the stump grinder they brought in for the fallen tree's stump. It doesn't LOOK all that impressive.
And back.
But the grinder did the job. That wheel has teeth around it and edges on both sides. It swings back and forth and just pulverizes the wood and dirt a few inches at a time.
I had them leave the other stumps because the surrounding areas were covered with emerging daffodils and they would have been decimated. The stumps will rot (and they don't bother me).
Friday, January 18, 2013
Getting Stuff Done
I try to do something useful around the house or yard every day. I don't mean routine house duties like daily/weekly cooking, cleaning, laundry. More like some specific project, and it doesn't have to be major; like cleaning out a whole closet, washing all the windows, organizing the basement workbench, inventorying my garden seeds to order replacements, weeding a section of the flowerbeds, etc.
Being retired tempts one into an "I'll do it tomorrow" attitude, and I found myself slipping into that 2 years ago. And I will admit then when I get a really major thing done, I may take the rest of the week off (like when I had a new roof put on one week and new siding the next week).
A good example is when I collected stem cuttings of my butterfly bush, my Catnip plant, and a Wave Petunia last month. Most of them are growing and I will have some great replacement plants this Spring.
So I was pleased to get projects done yesterday and today.
Yesterday, I managed my new seed order. I have a system for storing seeds. Years ago, I obtained plastic vials to store seeds in. I drilled holes in a piece of plywood to hold them, and wrote numbers on the vials with a marker. A sheet of paper identifies all the vials by number, seed, and year. I keep the tray of vials in a basement refrigerator (along with bulk foods and beer). So, yesterday, I took out the tray, added the new seeds to empty vials, and updated my list. I nearly lost my list one year, so now I print three copies. One goes in the seed tray, one in a looseleaf garden journal, and one in the index card box that has my planting/transplanting schedule by weeks from last frost date.
Today, I heard a weather report that suggested we would be getting 3-6" of snow tomorrow. Three Winters ago, we had 3 major snowstorms adding up to almost 4'. That Spring, I bought a good snowblower (on sale cheaper then). I assembled it, added gas/oil and tested it. It ran well. Then it sat. Never got any snow worth even removing since. But I left the little bit of gas in there...
So I was doubtful it would run today. I had to re-read the manual, added new gas, checked the oil, etc. It took a few tries, but it started. I ran it 5 minutes to make sure it was working well, turned it off, let it cool down, and set it in the garage ready for use.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... I'm ready (so I bet it doesn't snow, LOL!). But it was a good satisfying project for the day.
Tomorrow, the project is all errands. New fish for the aquarium, a few hardware supplies, pick up shortened pants from a tailor, bring unliked catfood to a donation center, etc. Friday will be a recycling day. I have 300 pounds of used kitty litter, boxes and newspapers, uncompostable trash, and bags of plastic.
I figure that getting one useful thing done each day adds up, and I intend to make this a productive year!
Being retired tempts one into an "I'll do it tomorrow" attitude, and I found myself slipping into that 2 years ago. And I will admit then when I get a really major thing done, I may take the rest of the week off (like when I had a new roof put on one week and new siding the next week).
A good example is when I collected stem cuttings of my butterfly bush, my Catnip plant, and a Wave Petunia last month. Most of them are growing and I will have some great replacement plants this Spring.
So I was pleased to get projects done yesterday and today.
Yesterday, I managed my new seed order. I have a system for storing seeds. Years ago, I obtained plastic vials to store seeds in. I drilled holes in a piece of plywood to hold them, and wrote numbers on the vials with a marker. A sheet of paper identifies all the vials by number, seed, and year. I keep the tray of vials in a basement refrigerator (along with bulk foods and beer). So, yesterday, I took out the tray, added the new seeds to empty vials, and updated my list. I nearly lost my list one year, so now I print three copies. One goes in the seed tray, one in a looseleaf garden journal, and one in the index card box that has my planting/transplanting schedule by weeks from last frost date.
Today, I heard a weather report that suggested we would be getting 3-6" of snow tomorrow. Three Winters ago, we had 3 major snowstorms adding up to almost 4'. That Spring, I bought a good snowblower (on sale cheaper then). I assembled it, added gas/oil and tested it. It ran well. Then it sat. Never got any snow worth even removing since. But I left the little bit of gas in there...
So I was doubtful it would run today. I had to re-read the manual, added new gas, checked the oil, etc. It took a few tries, but it started. I ran it 5 minutes to make sure it was working well, turned it off, let it cool down, and set it in the garage ready for use.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... I'm ready (so I bet it doesn't snow, LOL!). But it was a good satisfying project for the day.
Tomorrow, the project is all errands. New fish for the aquarium, a few hardware supplies, pick up shortened pants from a tailor, bring unliked catfood to a donation center, etc. Friday will be a recycling day. I have 300 pounds of used kitty litter, boxes and newspapers, uncompostable trash, and bags of plastic.
I figure that getting one useful thing done each day adds up, and I intend to make this a productive year!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Washed Out
Good Grief! The tree company called and cancelled the scheduled work for today. It's drizzling, and they don't climb up wet trees... We rescheduled for next Monday.
Yeah I know, it's a safety issue...
Yeah I know, it's a safety issue...
Monday, January 14, 2013
Yard Work
This will be a busy week (by my standards). I'm completely taking apart my existing aquarium and cleaning it to start new after giving away my 10" plecostomus catfish (see yesterday's post).
Tuesday, a tree removal company (that I have good past experience with) is coming to remove the huge fallen tree in the backyard and 7 others that are starting to shade my garden. I spent hours Sunday preparing a corner of the backyard and 2 other area to receive all the ground-up tree chips. It will take several years for them to decompose, but I will have year's worth of great compost after that.
Yes, the tree company would haul the tree-chips away for free to the landfill (or maybe for sale somewhere, but I hate to waste organic material. Eight trees will make several impressive piles and I expect that they will start to steam in the winter as they begin to break down. And, for sure, I won't have to buy any mulch for the flowerbeds for many years!
I sure got plenty of winter exercise! The corner of the backyard where most of the chips will go used to be where I stored firewood. It was so long ago that I had to push over old rotten wood and pry out cinder blocks buried in the ground from where I had upright P-T 2x4s to hold the firewood in place. Carrying 10 cinder blocks 50' each is serious exercise when you are 62. And then there were all the 12' 2x4s that supported the firewood across the cinder blocks
Plus, I moved stored hoses, removed hose supports, moved various planting buckets that have been sitting around for years, put boards over the pond runway so they wont puncture holes in it by walking on it or dropping tree parts on it (that liner is expensive), marked out areas where the tree removal crew shouldn't drag logs through (where plants were still underground but labels were above). LOL, I even found my old compost sifter box and pried it out of the vines.
You never realize how much clutter you have around the yard until someone else is coming over to do something in it...
Three hours of heavy work! I need them to move one bench that is too heavy for me to move alone, but other than that, I'm ready for them to arrive Tuesday at 7:30 am! I can hardly wait.
It will be worth it for the greater sunlight when it is done!
Tuesday, a tree removal company (that I have good past experience with) is coming to remove the huge fallen tree in the backyard and 7 others that are starting to shade my garden. I spent hours Sunday preparing a corner of the backyard and 2 other area to receive all the ground-up tree chips. It will take several years for them to decompose, but I will have year's worth of great compost after that.
Yes, the tree company would haul the tree-chips away for free to the landfill (or maybe for sale somewhere, but I hate to waste organic material. Eight trees will make several impressive piles and I expect that they will start to steam in the winter as they begin to break down. And, for sure, I won't have to buy any mulch for the flowerbeds for many years!
I sure got plenty of winter exercise! The corner of the backyard where most of the chips will go used to be where I stored firewood. It was so long ago that I had to push over old rotten wood and pry out cinder blocks buried in the ground from where I had upright P-T 2x4s to hold the firewood in place. Carrying 10 cinder blocks 50' each is serious exercise when you are 62. And then there were all the 12' 2x4s that supported the firewood across the cinder blocks
Plus, I moved stored hoses, removed hose supports, moved various planting buckets that have been sitting around for years, put boards over the pond runway so they wont puncture holes in it by walking on it or dropping tree parts on it (that liner is expensive), marked out areas where the tree removal crew shouldn't drag logs through (where plants were still underground but labels were above). LOL, I even found my old compost sifter box and pried it out of the vines.
You never realize how much clutter you have around the yard until someone else is coming over to do something in it...
Three hours of heavy work! I need them to move one bench that is too heavy for me to move alone, but other than that, I'm ready for them to arrive Tuesday at 7:30 am! I can hardly wait.
It will be worth it for the greater sunlight when it is done!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Pleco Has A New Home
The Plecostomus catfish has a new home now.
After the first round of emails on the Craiglist offer, I was pretty discouraged. The first person to respond said he would be over that night after work, then the 2nd night because he needed his big net and a plastic container for transport, then... nothing. The 2nd person also failed to reply a 2nd time after expressing great interest. The 3rd and 4th never replied when I asked if they were still interested.
So I posted a new offer on craigslist and received two emails. The first wrote like pet owners do, describing the large 210 gallon heated aquarium, the few large fish, the outside ponds and that there were only goldfish in the aquarium because they hate to leave them outside for the winter, the 2 dogs and 6 cats. She asked if she could steal enough water that the pleco was used to so that she could slowly add her aquarium water to a cooler to adjust it to any pH differences, etc. Hallmarks of a knowledgeable aquariast...
The 2nd person sent a picture of what was obviously an "for sale" empty pet store aquarium (in Dallas, based on the displays around it). I didn't even reply to THAT one, LOL! And there were more of the spammer hoax offers.
So the 1st person came by Saturday afternoon. I was comfortable with her the moment I saw her. She was wearing boots, twill workpants and an old parka, and asked if she was going to scare the kitties before she came in the house. She apologized to the pleco for scaring it before she went in with her large net, moved the net slowly, joked when I sucked a bit of water in my mouth starting the siphon, and talked to it as she put it in the cooler of my aquarium water. All good signs.
I think my pleco will have a much better time in her larger aquarium...
Today, I filled a smaller aquarium with some of the existing water and moved all the plants to a bucket and the small fish to the smaller aquarium so that I can clean the large one thoroughly. I'll add an extra 1" of aquarium gravel to set the plants in better, add new (aged) water, and set the smaller fish bak in after a couple days.
And then I'll go buy a young 1.5" pleco!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
My Big 10" Fish
Well, OK, the warm-water Plecostomus catfish/algae-eater is really 9.5", but I love it just the same. Sadly, it has gotten too big for my 30 gallon aquarium, so I offerred it free to "a good home" on Craigslist, asking for aquarium size and pictures of the new aquarium home.
What an adventure! I received 6 inquiries the first day. Only one sent a picture and said the aquarium was 150 gallons, but I saw goldfish in there. Still, it was in the house, so it couldn't be THAT cold. That person promised to come by Monday night, then Tuesday with a big net and transport box. Haven't heard from him since.
The 2nd person had a 125 gallon aquarium and "really been looking for" a large Pleco. 2 emails, no further response.
3rd admitted to having a large oscar that killed smaller plecos. Forget that!
2 others that haven't replied to requests for pictures of their aquarium.
Oh drat! The most promising person just replied "no longer interested". Sad...
And then there were the spam responses. They were hilarious AND pathetically easy to identify. They said they wanted a cuddly pet for their kids, and asked if it had gotten its shots. All said almost the exact same thing. Some sort of flash mob game, I suppose. Very strange.
But here I am now with my plecostomus, too big for the aquarium, and only one person left who might want it (I'm waiting for a reply).
I really care about the Pleco. Its somewhere between 12-15 years old and I got it as a baby at 1". And I KNOW that some person or business with a large display tank would love having this fish.
JUST got a reply from the best home. She wanted it for a friend's aquarium. Friend was too far to drive here and she won't drive into MD. I won't drive into VA.
I will put up a new ad on Craigslist tonight... I just want a better home for my Pleco.
What an adventure! I received 6 inquiries the first day. Only one sent a picture and said the aquarium was 150 gallons, but I saw goldfish in there. Still, it was in the house, so it couldn't be THAT cold. That person promised to come by Monday night, then Tuesday with a big net and transport box. Haven't heard from him since.
The 2nd person had a 125 gallon aquarium and "really been looking for" a large Pleco. 2 emails, no further response.
3rd admitted to having a large oscar that killed smaller plecos. Forget that!
2 others that haven't replied to requests for pictures of their aquarium.
Oh drat! The most promising person just replied "no longer interested". Sad...
And then there were the spam responses. They were hilarious AND pathetically easy to identify. They said they wanted a cuddly pet for their kids, and asked if it had gotten its shots. All said almost the exact same thing. Some sort of flash mob game, I suppose. Very strange.
But here I am now with my plecostomus, too big for the aquarium, and only one person left who might want it (I'm waiting for a reply).
JUST got a reply from the best home. She wanted it for a friend's aquarium. Friend was too far to drive here and she won't drive into MD. I won't drive into VA.
I will put up a new ad on Craigslist tonight... I just want a better home for my Pleco.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Football Playoff Game
Sometimes there are great players and great coaches. sometimes there are average players and average players. Sometimes both are awful.
Its been some years since I liked both the coaches and players of the Washington Redskins (PLEASE CHANGE THE TEAM NAME, IT'S EMBARRASSING). This year, there were both good coaches and players. The coaches and TWO rookies brought the team from 3-6 to 10-6, and got us into the playoffs.
I'm not a die-hard "homie". I can easily imagine a successful team I did not respect. Cheating coaches, hockey-style "injure-the-opponents" players, etc.
But this year looked good. TWO good rookie quarterbacks, a good rookie running backs, A good balance of defense/offense, a good balance of passes and runs, a great kicker... Clean imaginative play, hard-running, honest stuff, new ideas from coaches... I watched today's playoff game against the very talented Seattle Seahawks. Washington scored touchdowns on the first 2 possessions. I thought it would be a wonderful game.
I had my doubts about the wisdom of playing the #1 quarterback with a knee injury because a big part of his style was running the ball himself. The #2 quarterback had proven himself in 2 late season games. And then the further injury I was expecting...
I am disgusted! My concern about the quarterback was justified. You could see he could hardly run at all from the start.
I'm not disgusted because my team lost. It's the playoffs and there are no bad teams playing; someone has to lose each one. And when you get to one-game eliminations, its not even the "best" team that survives to the end.
What disgusts me is that the Washington coaches risked the future of one of the possible hall-of-fame quarterbacks as a rookie for one game. And I'll offer an analogy. The Washington Nationals baseball team have a potential hall-of-famer pitcher. They could have just used him up going for the World Series this past season. Instead, they used him carefully and stopped when they thought he had pitched enough. It cost them in the playoffs this year, but they knew they will have greater years ahead. And they will.
The Washington Redskins (PLEASE CHANGE THE NAME, IT'S EMBARRASSING) coaches rolled the dice and played their star injured quarterback almost the whole game, risking his future when they had a proven backup ready to go.
If they were afraid of putting in the #2 quarterback, well I never complain about protecting an injured player...
And THAT'S why I'm disgusted by the game...
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Pre-Gardening Season
I tried a few things last Fall. I waited until now to make sure they were working.
The first idea was to replace my aging butterfly bushes. I'd decided to try cloning the best one with stem-cuttings. I pruned it in the early fall, and it sent out new shoots as I expected. I cut them all off and set them into 6 cell-packs after pulling the lower leaves off and dipping the cut stems in rooting hormone. 10 of the 12 cuttings are growing well under my plant stand lights!
The second idea was to take a dozen catmint stems and root THEM. 10 out of 12 growing nicely there too!
The third idea was the best. I LOVE spreading petunias (aka "wave petunias"). I had 6 last year at a few $$ apiece. Sometimes they are wonderful. Last year was a hard year and they didn't grow well. So last Fall, I dug up the only survivor and put it in a pot under the grow lamps. Then I snipped off 12 stems and rooted them with rooting hormone powder (the stuff is AMAZING). Not only is the original plant blooming nicely, ten of the stems are growing as well. If they stay healthy, I will have 13 spreading petunia to plant in May!!!
I'm thrilled that these attempts are all working out!
The first idea was to replace my aging butterfly bushes. I'd decided to try cloning the best one with stem-cuttings. I pruned it in the early fall, and it sent out new shoots as I expected. I cut them all off and set them into 6 cell-packs after pulling the lower leaves off and dipping the cut stems in rooting hormone. 10 of the 12 cuttings are growing well under my plant stand lights!
The second idea was to take a dozen catmint stems and root THEM. 10 out of 12 growing nicely there too!
The third idea was the best. I LOVE spreading petunias (aka "wave petunias"). I had 6 last year at a few $$ apiece. Sometimes they are wonderful. Last year was a hard year and they didn't grow well. So last Fall, I dug up the only survivor and put it in a pot under the grow lamps. Then I snipped off 12 stems and rooted them with rooting hormone powder (the stuff is AMAZING). Not only is the original plant blooming nicely, ten of the stems are growing as well. If they stay healthy, I will have 13 spreading petunia to plant in May!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
I think I have it figured out now. I needed basic frame strength (cubes) plus top support (arches with a ridgepole) for shedding rain and s... -
I like to plant Pansies in the Fall. I replace the dead Tomatos and deck pot flowers with them most years. Best deal I found was 12-packs ...