back. aaaack.
I’m back home again from another grueling stint of Parent Sitting. It actually wasn’t nearly as bad this time. I’m sure that’s because I was only there two nights instead of three. It was a little easier to remain pleasant and not snap at my poor mother when, for example, I was trying to vacuum and mop in the five-hundred-degree house and she was shutting and locking all the windows as fast as I could open them. I’d keep telling myself, only one more day!!! Only one more day!!!
And she didn’t appear beside my bed at four in the morning this time, upset about my missing brother. So that was good. We did, however, have an alarming incident Saturday morning. (Alarming!! Hahahaha!!!) I was trying to get us out the door for her weekly hair appointment, and I kept hearing sirens. Then the sirens quit. Very close by. I looked out the window, and there was a fire truck parked in the road below the house. It looked like it was in front of the house that used to belong to the neighbors who died six or seven years ago, which has been sold a couple of times since and now seems to be occupied by five or six "adults" and 110 screaming kids (it’s worse than OUR neighbors!) and a sea of toys and junk. I thought, "Oh, wonderful! That trashy bunch has set the Sprinkle’s house on fire! And now we can’t get out of the driveway!"
Then our doorbell rang. And there stood two firemen. Who informed me with great concern that they’d gotten a 911 call from our number. A hang-up. And when 911 tried to call back, the phone kept cutting off. I’d HEARD it do that weird half-ring thing – they had problems with that a couple of months ago, and we thought it was fixed, but obviously not.
My reaction was pretty much, "WHAT???!!!!????"
Apparently my mother called 911 and hung up. I guess while I was drying my hair – with the bathroom door wide open. Because I DID hear the weird half-ring thing, and thought with great annoyance that the damned phone is screwed up again, and we’d better put THAT on the endless list of Things To Do Something About. She’s been calling me and leaving me messages that Daddy is in the hospital, and calling her brother about ten times a day and leaving him messages that Daddy is in the hospital, so my niece hid the Rolodex with the phone numbers and hid the telephone books to keep her from doing that. So all I can think is, she couldn’t find Uncle Charlie’s number and maybe she thought she was calling Information – 411. And hung up when it was not Information. Of course she denied making any phone calls – and I’m sure she had no idea she’d called anyone, let alone 911. I explained to the nice concerned firemen what must have happened, but that sure can’t happen again because 911 gets kind of annoyed when people call them for non-emergencies. Especially when they can’t get an answer when they call back and have to send a FIRE TRUCK out.
So. That was more excitement than I really wanted to experience. SIL is calling the Memory Clinic tomorrow to see if they have any suggestions. We of course don’t want to unhook the phone – but she sure can’t do that again.
My father is doing well, and HOPEFULLY will be back home tomorrow. Maybe Tuesday. His stitches got infected and they have got that pretty much cleared up, but now they want a home health nurse to come by and change the bandages daily so they have to set that up. He is up walking around the halls – using a wheelchair as a walking aid, oddly – like you’d use a walker but it rolls- and is eating. He of course isn’t feeling great but that will take time. We’ll just have to see what happens when he gets home, I guess. The SIL – who works for a rehabilitation company,, so has contacts for this sort of thing – knows someone who may be able to come by a few times a week and help them out. Meals on Wheels may be a consideration, too, since Daddy believes the microwave is beyond him. He can build a house from scratch, but can’t figure out the instructions on a microwave dinner. Another option is adult day care. Before I left today, my SIL was telling Mama about this really great place she knows where she and Daddy could go and do stuff during the day. Where they have art classes and lectures and stuff. Of course by "her and Daddy" she really means Mama, and Mama looked less than thrilled at the idea. I said, "Oh, that would be GREAT!! You guys need to get out more – you complain about doing nothing but sitting around, and that would be something different and fun!" She didn’t look impressed. I guess we’ll see about that TOO.
OH, and that whole "come by the hospital before you go to the house!!" thing? Ummmmm… who KNOWS what that was about. I really have no idea. He still doesn’t have the pathology report back, and when I came by the hospital first he chatted for a few minutes and then said, "Well, you better go see how Mama is!" I guess he just wanted company. It is right on the way, so it was no big deal, but I do wish he hadn’t scared me like that. But whatever! At least it wasn’t something awful.
So that’s the Report. I hoped I could get by without going down again for awhile – I can’t take any more days off for the next few weeks, barring serious emergencies – but looks like I’ll be going down Saturday. The SIL is going to Pigeon Forge for the weekend with a bunch of friends, on a trip they planned ages ago. Daddy will – SURELY – be home by then, but he’ll need help and if we go down Saturday it hopefully will keep my brother from going completely insane. Since Daddy will be home and Baker B will be with me, AND it will be one night, it shouldn’t be too awful. Maybe the worst of the awful is over. I’d just like to get back to "somewhat normal" at this point.
How about some photos! I snuck out during "bath time" on Friday evening, when the light was really nice:
This wheelbarrow has been sitting like this in the front yard for I do not know how long. Quite some time. Oh, but the trashy bunch at the Sprinkles old house are the hillbillies! Our junk is ART, thanks VERY much.
It looks like it says something, but I’m not sure what.
The basement window:
The light was great. Unusual lately – generally it’s just hazy and icky.
Simon in the window. Complete with claw marks on the screen.
Simon in the window from the other side.
Maddy in a box.
<img alt=”” src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2773120662_9c0482b124.jpg?v=0″ />
And I took the back way home today, through Burnsville and Spruce Pine, just for something different. And had to stop and take pictures of even more junk:
George called 911 at my parent’s place when he was a toddler. It was on speed dial and he pushed the button and hung up. I answered the call back and couldn’t understand why the lady wanted to know if we were alright. They took it off the speed dial after that! I would be mortified if the fire truck showed up. I hope something is figured out for your mum. Your poor dad, I hope he can recoverwith some peace.
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welcome back! i have been thinking of you all weekend! there must be a solution. there just has to be.
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I’ll take that old junk switcher engine.
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My son managed to call 911 when he was one year old (I was drying my hair and didn’t notice him on the phone). I was surprised to see the fire trucks and ambulance AND the cops when the doorbell rang and omg did they give me shit. I was mortified!
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I’m glad your mother’s 911 system works so well!! LOL. I love these pics, as usual. Glad your dad didn’t have anything earth shattering. It’s hard not got get a little amped up.
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The kitties look like one we used to have.
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Thanks for the update–glad you’re back. Try to do something really special for yourself this week. You need a little pampering.
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my mother called 911 after she returned home from her first stint in Wesley Woods. she was still delusional and thought people were entering and exiting the house from the attic door in the closet. my dad had gone somewhere and moms cousin was visiting from Canada. she didn’t know mom made the call and the doorbell rings and there are two cops at the door. they were responding to a robbery. she had to explain the situation to one officer while the other listened to moms disjointed story. i don’t mean to sound negative, but honestly, life will not ever be like it was for you. it’s taken a turn and it’s just how life is especially when parents become ill. buckle up!
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National Public Radio has a train??? Who knew! Oh my word, how awful to have a fire truck show up at your mom’s house! And then have to explain how it’s not really an emergency!
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We know all about claw marks on the screen at my place. funny to think of work being the place you go to chill out between stints at your parent’s house. I am so glad your dad is healing and will be home soon and how frustrating for all about your mom
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It’s natural for you to read more into your dad’s request to come see him, with the situation the way it is. It is the week before school starts here and the campus has many lost souls wandering around looking for buildings.
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RYN: Yes yes, he’s always been Mommy’s little helper. *chews her sandwich methodically with no expression on her face*
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Howdy. It looks to me like the wheel barrow is festooned with “imo”. The only thing I can think of is “emo”, a semi-derogatory term BD uses for normal kids who go off to college and come back Thanksgiving break with a huge chip on their shoulders. They develop a negative attitude and feel sorry for themselves. Perhaps a wheel barrow would be helpful for those kids as they seem to have a lot ofmanure to haul around in their lives….
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And you certainly have beautiful floors. I think your house is awesome from roof to basement, but somehow I missed the deep color of the flooring. Pardon me. The two photos of Simon are excellent – same cat, totally different views – love both. Nana never called 911 (these new fangled phones have too many buttons) but she tried to run away twice when we left her home alone because she refused to go out with us. She opened the front door fully intending to go away and never come back but alas, the home security system was on. Apparently she was so frightened by the awful loud alarm that she immediately shut the door and insisted to the responding police officers that the only time she opened the door that day was when they knocked. Dennis believes those two incidents made the three year contract totally worth the expense. The thought of her succeeding in running away and then forgetting where she was is one reason we got the home security system in the first place.
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Can I make a suggestion? Since you have no way to say NO NO right away, here I go – if you get in-home help for your mother, be very specific in communicating what you want that person to spend the alloted number of hours doing. When we had Cynthia The Angel two nights a week last fall to help with Nana, we had to specify to Cynthia that we wanted her to spend the entire 4 hour time slot simplybeing a friend to Nana and if time allowed change the bed, do a load of laundry, or sometimes fix supper. The first couple of visits Cynthia cleaned the bathroom and was scrubbing the kitchen cabinets when we came home. While I LOVED the idea of a housekeeper, it was much better to return home hearing Cynthia and Nana sitting on the sofa laughing together and discussing a TV show they were watching or playing cards. Then there was the other side – we had a substitute for Cynthia one night who didn’t want to clean our entire house, but she also didn’t interact with Nana at all. She never came back thankfully.
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I know what you’re going through…been there.
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ryn – love the notes. Mildred was accepted into a Masonic home in Wilmington. The monthly fee is much more reasonable and I think she preferred Del since there’s more family there. Don’t blame her. She wanted to move Labor Day, imagine those logistics. J told her to shoot for end of Sept. D and I refuse to give up our vacation to help her pack.
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Am so glad you enjoyed talking with Mom. She sometimes gets confused with details and thinks she needs to rely on us for decision making but she is definitely still very sensible. I hadn’t realized that not being very good on the phone is a family thing. (d and bd have zero skills) Mom is always ending conversations with an abrupt “gotta go”. Usually meaning to the john.
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ryn – who is being the note hog now????
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Cool that Maddy found something so lovely and flattering to slip into! The wheel barrow does appear to have a hidden message. Hmmmm. Wishing you some restorative rest before your next adventure in Parentland.
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I’m sure the fire company have had to deal with that before annoying though it must be – they’ll have understood. You must have been mortified though! I hope the DayCare idea comes to fruition – that would make a difference I’m sure. That first pic of Simon looks a bit like a painting – it’s very atmospheric.
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When I dialed 911 by mistake they sent the police.
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The Mustang in front of the train engine is certainly artsy. I’m SO SO SORRY that your mom had a bad day. There are bad days and good days for all folks suffering dementia, and the situation is certainly stressful. You are handling it well. I would already have been placed on anxiety meds.
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