Holiday madness is ramping up

Yep, its officially started. This friday we have a xmas celebration at Taylor's school. This will be our 3rd year attending. We visit t's classroom, eat dinner under a big party tent on the school grounds, and then bid on gift baskets that parents have donated. Its called the Basket Extravaganza. Let's just say that T enjoys it much more than Dot and I.

I was also informed that T's class is putting on The Twelve Days of Christmas at the school xmas play. The kids in her class will sing the song, and apparently act out the parts. T has chosen to be a French Hen. I have been informed that she must dress as a french hen. Basically a chicken costume wearing a can can dress. Why they couldn't inform us of the need for a costume a month ago when all the halloween costumes were on sale, I'm not quite sure. However, all I have to say is thank god for Amazon.

As I type this, quickly speeding to me courtesy of 3 - 5 day shipping is: a black long sleeved leotard, pink tights, a pink pettiskirt (google it and you'll see one), a headband with feathers that stick straight up, and a feathered mask/beak. Cant wait to see what she will look like in this get up.

My slightly older than one year water heater is not working properly. I think one of the heating elements has blown. We've been taking showers at dot's house, my mom's house, and finally at home here tonight. Plumber comes friday to fix it.

I dropped by 2 mo old iphone in a glass of diet coke, as I was sitting in my car. It was destroyed. Luckily, I had the foresight to buy the insurance on the thing. I only had to pay 50 bucks for a new one, vs. 400 (since I won't be eligible for an upgrade discount for another 22 months).

My mom is back in 24 hour crisis care. She's not eating or drinking as she should. she's been on it for 5 days now. Its the not drinking enough that's the problem, so we're pushing liquids on her. Each day I've been over there this week, she's been asleep, which I don't think can be good. However, her vital signs are stable and there is no fluid in her lungs. We're hoping its just a phase that she will snap out of, like last time.

We're planning on liberating my dad from the nursing home next week. I may have to take off most of the week if that happens. Say a prayer that that will go OK, and once home things don't get worse. While I can't let my mom die with my dad not around, I worry very much how he will deal with the fact that she has decompensated so much lately, and the fact that there are more people in the house taking care of her. Ico and the 24 hour hospice aide all day and all night. Hopefully we can keep him medicated and he won't interfere with her treatment. I've started researching whether he will qualify for some medical equipment when he gets out....like a hospital bed and perhaps even an electric wheel chair as he doesn't have the shoulder strength to wheel himself around in one nor the shoulder strength for a walker. We shall see.

So, that's it for now.

Thanksgiving and black friday

Hi all....hope you all had a great thanksgiving. We did. We were a veritable thanksgiving meals on wheels. Do cooked up a storm, then we delivered to my mom, my aunt connie, and then to marie and john. Poor marie defrosted her turkey, opened it up first thing in the morning on thanksgiving, and discovered the thing was rotten...oy.

She sent her hubby out to buy a new one, and all he could scrounge up on thanksgiving morning was a nice, plump thanksgiving chicken. Luckily, dot had cooked an 18 pound turkey for us, so we had more than enough to bring over there in the evening.

I'd post some cute pics, but I'm having a devil of a time uploading pics to the blog. You may have noticed tha the pics from the last post have inexplicably disappeared.

On Friday, we slept in nice and late, then ventured out to the mall. Yes, we braved the mall. I scored some cute xmas clothes at gymboree. We also picked up the cutest mulan baby doll. I think dot and i were more thrilled with the little baby mulan more than T, as it reminded us both of T when she was a baby. Can't wait for T to open it.

Tomorrow, we have a bowling alley bday party to attend.

Hope you all are enjoying your leftovers!

Here and Now

Well, I've been a bit busy lately. T insisted on putting out xmas tree up last weekend, and pulled the thing out from under the bed and commenced to assembling the thing.

Dot came over on saturday, and we finished decorating it.

My mom continues to do OK. My dad as well in the nursing home. We're thinking we're going to be springing him from the joint in the first weeks in december, when dot is home to help.
First, though, we'll spend a day there during his rehab session, to observe how well he can walk. I've gotten a report that he's fallen there 2 times, with no injuries. Clearly his balance is still off.


Today, Thursday, will be quite the busy day for me. After dropping T off, I have to drive to north broward for a training. Then leave it early after lunch to drive back down and pick up T, to drive north to leave her with friends. I then have to go to a funeral. Mr. Dimler, the dad of friends who lived down the street growing up whom I've known since I was 3, passed away somewhat unexpectedly. He was in the hospital , released to intensive rehab due to issues of mobility and his knees, then was readmitted and died of complications from an infection. He was about 10 years younger than my parents.

Life is funny sometime. My sissy and I have basically been on death watch for the last 2 years, and its poor Mr. Dimler who the grim reaper catches up with. Never saw that one coming. Guess that's life.

Meanwhile, much excitement at T's school. Her carnival starts on Friday. We've got a wad of discount tickets, money in our pockets, and we're ready to go.

I get the joy of manning the turkey booth. That's a kind way of describing the gambling booth. Quarters are placed on numbers, and a bit wheel is spun. If it lands on your number, you win. Not sure what, though, as I don't think they will be giving out a turkey per spin. Now if my aunt connie were there, she'd pick up the rules with just one glance. have the odds all figured. As for me, it will take me a little while to figure it all out.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

This and That

Is anybody else out there thankful for the fall-back time change? It was so easy getting up this morning. I wonder how long it will last. I suspect not long at all.

We spent the weekend basically dealing w/ my parents. On saturday, I had additional hurricane shutters installed. The house is now a veritable fortress. Finally. I also had the whole house rewired for cable and the cable company hooked it all up. Finally, each bedroom has cable for the first time ever. So long dish network.

I couldn't wait until I could end their dish network. some SOB salesman convinced by dad to switch and sign a 2 yr contract. They then proceeded to install the most complicated dvr/satellite system known to man. Even I had a hard time with the complicated remote. Never mind my over 80 demented parents who never quite got the hang of a VCR. Adios, is all I have to say. The new cable system is really really simple. They basically now have the "jitterbug" of cable remotes.

Of course, all this may be for naught b/c I got a call on sunday that my mom wasn't really responsive to the aide. Ico call in the hospice nurse, as my mom hadn't really eaten much of anything, and seemed less responsive. I noted that she was very unresponsive as well. For the first time ever, I was getting just a blank stare from her, with no recognition.

So, they put her on 24 hour crisis care, which means they put a CNA in the house 24/7. Her regular nurse saw her today, and continued the crisis care another 24 hours, as the sunday nurses reported that she failed to eat much at all. Clearly, something has happened. Whether it was a TIA or something more is unknown.

Good news is that when I dropped in today, she did recognize me. However the failing to eat remains problematic. We're hoping she snaps out of it soon. On an upnote, her vital signs are good and stable.

As has been explained, she could die in 2 minutes, 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years. just know knowing. So, I'm on telephone standby in case she takes a turn for the worse. There is no way in hell I can let her die with my dad still in the nursing home. If she takes a turn for the worse, I'll have to go and liberate him. If this goes on much longer, I'll have to go liberate him. Of course once that happens, there will be no getting him back in there. This decision is what is stressing me out the most.

On an upnote....when I returned to my office today, I found on my desk a lovely flowering potted plant and a balloon saying happy birthday, along with a card. It was from my secretary. Problem is, my birthday is not until February. That OK though, it made me smile and laugh, and I really needed one right about then.

T is in the tub with a plastic glass of diet coke. We're learning all about diffusion and she's busy dumping into her bath to watch it dissipate. Our conversation:

T: can I dump it in the tub?

Me: sure, you can do what you want with it, its your soda and bathwater.

T: can I dump it into the shampoo?

Me: ummm, no. not that. anything but that.

T: can I dump it in the bubble bath?

Me: ummm, no, not that either.

This kid keeps me on my toes!

Halloween Night

Here's everybody all dressed up waiting to start their night. T was both thrilled with her costume...which she described not as a flamenco dancer, but as a Spanish Princess... but also thrilled to be hanging out with the older girls. I thought she looked damned cute.

Everyone had a pizza party and the adults imbibed in some home made sangria. Yum. Yum.

Due to my back and neck pain, I was a Halloweenie, and stayed in the house as they went out.
The kids were out about 60 minutes in all, when they returned with an injury report. T, in all her melodramatic wonder, was literally crying b/c her foot hurt. She shoes had rubbed a blister on the side of her foot below the big toe. She was distraught. Kept saying this was the "worst halloween EVER!" Oy. She was also making noises like she could never return to school until it healed.


Unfortunately for T, her mom is wise to all the tricks and she went off to school the very next day. She was wearing tennis shoes which are wider, instead of her regulation uniform shoes, but that's the only concession we've had to make.

This last picture is of her class project. we just need to add some glitter to the thing. Its been a tissue-ball-rolling night around here. All the kids in her class are decorating turkeys, that will be used to decorate the carnival booth that auctions off a turkey. that would be the same one that the parents of first graders man during the event. I think it turned out pretty good, and T had a good time rolling and gluing.

that's it for now

Sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate

I'm thinking I need to rename this blog "Carol's Tale of Woe", as its seems all I have to report are calamities and bad luck. The newest calamity to befall me?

I was at popeye's today and didn't have enough cash on me since I forgot to go to the machine. So i decided to charge the 5.74 lunch. IT WAS DECLINED!

I came home and called them to find out why. Turns out my identity has been stolen. Someone called the bank today and changed the mailing address on all of the accounts I'm on there. They had my name, dob, and ssn all correct. Luckily they were unsuccessful in getting new cards issued on the accounts and it does not appear that any loss has been incurred. thank god they caught it. But, its quite troubling. I'll now have to be contacting the credit card reporting companies to determine if they do anything in the future. Oy. I also need to make a police report of the ID theft.

Ironic, since I was taking statements on an investigation today, that involves a boatload of ID thefts.

Only thing left for a girl to do, is break out the choco ice cream, which I did. Now in my choco-induced high, the good news is that I finally got in to see the othro dr. Based upon an xray, he thinks disc C5 and C 6 in my neck are herniated, and has ordered me to go to an MRI. He suspects b/c the spaces between the discs were markedly smaller than the other spaces. I scored some miracle drugs as well....anti inflamatories and cortizone steroids. After just one does, I'm almost pain free. Its a miracle!

ooops, i'm just now realizing I missed posting halloween. I'll do that later tonight. Again, a night of highs and lows, so stay tuned.