And It's December...

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone...and I was thankful for a lot of things...

I don't get out much now but Barbara brought in a basket of fall leaves...I forgot how autumn leaves feel, look and smell so it was a treat to run my hands through them ...and then watch the cat enjoy them!

I knew it was Thanksgiving, but didn't know who all was coming for dinner.  Dede surprised me by flying in and arriving at 3:00 a.m. Thanksgiving morning.  She helped Barbara (and Carl) with the fresh apple pie and was gone on Friday morning...even before I woke up.  But it was good to see her again.

We had dinner in the Dining Room...my old "stomping grounds".  Looks a bit different now...

Carl had Ray stop on the mountain road to "save" some newts from becoming road kill.  Doesn't everybody carry a reptile tank in their car..."just in case..."?  The cats were very interested in the newt so the newt became part of the centerpiece on the table so that the cats wouldn't have him/her for a "snack"!

I had the whole "Thanksgiving Dinner" number---turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry relish, rolls, baked squash...and for dessert, a bit of Red Velvet Cake (baked by Monica) and some home-made Apple Crumb pie with vanilla ice cream.

Carl and Ray had the traditional "Turkey Pizza" - something they are SURE the Pilgrims would have eaten had they only known about it!

Following dinner, everyone went to the Family Room for after dinner drinks and, of course, the traditional Chocolate Turkeys!

After dinner, it was time to return to my "sanctuary" on the second floor.  Thanks to Ray, the lift was working and it sure made it easier on me!

 Here I am with Brandon...enjoying a pre-dinner drink while being protected by Biggie and Six.

Brandon came down for another visit...between Ray, Tom and Brandon, I see all of them almost every week!  Brandon brought food...(of course!) as well as some white wine, red wine, port wine, and, of course, Bailey's!

Here I am, enjoying my Bailey's in bed!

Kathy and Dave are also "regulars" and it's always good to see them...they drove down just for a quick visit and promised to come back again when Lauren is home.

Well, it's almost Christmas...and of course, I have a tree in my room.  I do enjoy seeing the lights and listening to the Chrisrmas music with earphones.


The next photo is not for the faint of heart...it's just a reality when you can't move around much and your skin gets very, very thin.

  My back has been a bit sore lately...those darn pressure sores are back with a vengeance, despite a Tempurpedic mattress and an adjustable bed.

Barbara got a egg crate mattress pad to go on top of the Tempurpedic mattress and I have an egg crate cushion on the back of my recliner.  Hopefully, between the egg crate and Barbara helping me change positions every two hours during the night, healing will happen because it's not very "pretty" now...I don't really like waking up every two hours all night long (and I don't think Barbara does, either!) but that's where we are now.  I have to look at it this way...there's no way Santa can "sneak in" without Barbara or me knowing about it!

November Update

November 2011

Well, I guess it's time for an update.  I asked Barbara not to do anything to my Blog until I was feeling better but I think this is as good as  it's gonna get!

 Here I am, showing Pat, the Chaplain from Hospice, how to play Angry Birds.

 I get my breakfast brought up to my room almost every day...I'm beginning to get used to Room Service!

 It's been really great...having old and new friends stop by...Dave and Kathy came by and had dinner with me one evening and then, just a week later, Dave, Kathy, Lauren and Kevin came by and brought Pumpkin Beer, ice cream, wine, Bailey's and even some Ensure!

 Barbara made ice cream sodas for everyone...it's been a LONG TIME since I had an Ice Cream Soda!

 Herb came to visit for a week...Brandon came down from Valley Ford and cooked dinner one night and a great breakfast the next morning.

Sometimes, when there are extra hands around, I make the trek downstairs to join the crowd for breakfast, dinner or drinks.  Barbara makes sure I have interesting dishes and silverware - just like Carl!

 Some days, I don't feel much like eating...so here's a treat...an Ensure Flight (similar to a Wine Flight but not as much fun!)

I still get called on to help with holiday treats...here are the pumpkin cookies with glowing eyes!  All set for a Halloween dinner party!

 Of course, Carl and Jelly went trick-or-treating...as a wolf pack!  Ray made both costumes...can you tell which one is which?

Wish I had thought to dress up like "grandma" in Little Red Riding Hood.  Imagine what I could have done when the "wolf" came to my bedside!

Here's Joanne...she's the nurse from Hospice.  She comes once a week to see me and calls more often.  Good thing all of the caregivers like animals...they never leave my side.

Here's Fatima...she comes every day, morning and night...and when Barbara is working, Fatima stays with me all day so I'm well cared for although I spend almost all of the time in bed.  Legs hurt too much to move much and my back is also hurting now.  Old age "ain't for sissies, that's for sure!  I take pain pills every 4-6 hours to keep the pain down to a dull ache.

So...as Thanksgiving approaches, I have turkey planter on my side table along with my "call bell".  Sometimes I ring it just to see how fast Barbara can make it up the stairs!

Barbara starts me off each day with a photograph of someone in the family in a frame on my breakfast tray.  I have to reflect on who it is and where the photo was taken.  So far, I'm doing quite well!  She also finds me quotes to put on my breakfast tray..."Have a Nice Day" was one of the short ones but here's a longer one I liked...

"Time is a traveler. Where did it go? It left, but it didn't leave you empty handed. No! It left you with the gift of beautiful memories, that you can keep in your heart for safe keeping, to cherish forever, and ever."— Jane Adams

I'm thankful for a lot of things.  Special thanks to all of you who have come to see me, sent cards, made phone calls, sent e-mails...it means a lot to me to hear from my family and my friends even though I do have a hard time hearing on the phone.  (But I'm REALLY good in person...just ask Herb or Brandon or Kathy, Dave, Lauren or Kevin!)  I try to keep up with Leah and Kyle and Rachel and Mike by checking on their blogs, too.  I check on Dave and Kathy's blog and also saw Lauren's!  I also appreciate the photos that Kerry and Rachel send to my e-printer! Ray, Siobhan and Carl come by frequently and Kerry and Rachel often send pictures of Caleb and Gunney.    Brittany has come up from Monterey several times and will be here again for Thanksgiving along with most of Barbara's family.

I'm spending more and more time in bed now...it's just too hard to try to get up and move.  TV is a great companion these days...if I sleep through a show, I just watch it at a later time.  Hopefully, I'll be up for a trip downstairs to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with everyone.  Barbara promised me a chocolate turkey if I do...and I still like my chocolate!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

What Happened?

Here it is...just about the end of August.  I'm not sure where the time goes, but it sure GOES!

Carl likes to come over and spend the night and when he does, I get to do a LOT of NEW THINGS!

Here we are playing soccer...

We do art...

And Carl helped me do a recordable book for Gunney's first birthday!

 Ray has been working on a design for a lift so that I can get upstairs to the walk-in tub more easily.

 He's been here many, many nights, welding and rewelding, changing angles, adjusting the pneumatic seat...

And arranging for the power to drive the lift...Tom's the electrical wizard and Ray's the designer. Between the two of them, I'm going PLACES!



We even did a "test drive"

All of this so that I can take a bath (or as Carl says, "We can make Grandpa soup!"  And sometimes, Carl soup!)  When the air jets are on in the tub, Carl thinks I'm being boiled!  He also insists on adding rubber ducks to the tub along with the bubbles.  Last time I had a bath, Carl whispered to Barbara, "Yay!  We're going to make Grandpa Soup!"  (Recipe follows...courtesy of Carl.  He wrote out the recipe and texted it to Barbara last week.)

Carl’s Text:      “Hi grama I just wanted to tell you that you can come over and                                                 help set up my mommys party”

Barbara’s Text:  That would be my FAVORITE thing to do…but I’m busy making                                                Grandpa Soup!  Can you help me remember the recipe?

Carl’s Text:   I wonted to till you how to make grandpa soop so we ned 1                                          grandpa 1 in a half tub of water and bubls

Barbara’s Text:  Thanks!  That’s what I needed to know. I can’t remember                                           when to add the rubber duckies and how long to cook the soup. Does the soup need to boil?

Carl’s Text:    Add the duckies after the soup boils

Things were going along o.k. until Monday, August 15.  I finished breakfast and was on my way to my favorite chair to watch Judge Judy.  I dropped a paper towel and bent over to get it.  Bad mistake.  I lost my balance and ended up on the floor.  I didn't break anything but the fall has taken quite a toll on me.

Now I have a bed in the family room because there's more room for my wheelchair.

 Can't use the walker now because of a bad groin pull and lots of bruising.

The animals are sticking a lot closer to me...hurts when they jump up, though.  Barbara has put additional padding and another heating pad on my thighs to see if that will help with the pain.

I think the cat is after my Bailey's!

Barbara has people from Hospice coming in three days a week to help me and she's hired another person, Fatima, to come every morning and every night to help her get me get out of bed and back into bed.  I'm not happy about this but what can you do?

Here's my new bed...Once Ray puts the finishing touches on my lift - slight adjustments, more wheels, bigger seat, powder coating, etc., I'm going to move upstairs in order to be closer to the walk-in tub, bigger bathroom, etc.


Here are my controls...TV, DVD, and adjustable bed controls!  Hope I can remember which is which!


Barbara's been painting the room and arranging for an adjustable bed with a foam mattress to be placed upstairs so that I can change positions more easily.  Tom is installing a big screen TV. upstairs and my recliner will also be there.  I'll always be able to move to downstairs if I want, using the lift.

 All the floors have been refinished upstairs so that everything is smooth and even...no more tripping or bending over to pick things up for me!  (Just lots of dust right now!)

****LATEST DEVELOPING STORY AT 6607 NORTHRIDGE.****
Significant gas leak in the line to/from the fireplace so the gas fireplace is out of use for now. What caused it?  Who knows?  Time?  Weather?  Earthquakes? (Who cares?  I don't need it now!) Only problem is, gas is shut off to the house so all cooking is now done outside on the grill...(I always check my eggs for leaves and dirt now!) Ray and Tom to the rescue...and we'll see who else we need...maybe Joe, the plumber followed by Jerry from PG and E?

Hopefully, September will bring better things...