July 26, 2011

Went up to Hart for a couple days to spend some time with Jerry and his family. Was great to see all of the kids and get reacquainted with the older ones and meet the new ones. Didn't get in the sun, because I'd been on medication that reacts to the sun. While they were in the sun at the beach, I napped up in the trees. We celebrated a couple of birthdays and just had a good time visiting and catching up.

Had people coming three times a day to feed and baby Tilly. She seemed to do pretty well. I may even think about getting away a bit more.

This week I am caring for a friend's dogs in the morning and early afternoon. Their son takes care of them after work and in the evening. Got a shock this morning to find a pile of pills on the living room floor when I got there. Picked up all I could find after checking between the couch cushions and down in the cracks around the cushions in the chairs. Out of 200, I found 196 1/2 pills. The dogs didn't act strangely when I went back in the afternoon, so didn't take them to the vet. Call an animal poison control hot line, but they wanted $65 to answer my question, so didn't ask them anything. They have quite a group: 2 German Short-hair pointers and a toy poodle.

Bill is doing about the same. He's very good about understanding when I call and tell him I'm not going to make it that day. Try to make it about 5 times a week, but don't always. His birthday was the 21st. The girls sent him a gorgeous arrangement of flowers. They had already gotten him an Ipod earlier in the year. He sure enjoys that. Hard to know what to get him, there isn't much he needs. Take him snacks a couple of times a week, but have to watch, because we don't want him to gain weight.

Not much else to write about, so will close for now. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.

July 11, 2011

Still waiting to hear from Medicaid. Personnally I think they're dragging their feet because I didn't play nice, but the gal in my lawyer's office says that isn't true. They had told me they have 45 days in which to process an application. The first one took the full 45 days. The second one took less than two weeks (did it before I got all the info in that they asked for) and now, this one has been around 60 days. Linda says that 45-day thing is just an in-house goal, it's nothing they can be held to.

Had a garage sale in June. Three of us had stuff in it. Made $200d dollars all together. Now, I'm unpacking some of the "old" stuff we have. Going to call a few antique dealers and see if they will come check it out. If they all say it's not worth buying as antiques, I'll put it in the next garage sale. Had half-planned to have a second garage sale this summer, but may wait until next year. (If I'm not here then, someone else can worry about it.)

Spent most of July 1 & 2 in the emergency room. The first day the doc told me to take a laxative. Said "You are not dehydrated. You are not cantagious." The second day a different doctor told me "You are dehydrated. You have a form of the flu. (means I'm contagious) You have a urinary infection."

On the 8th, went to my optomitrist and discovered I have an eye infection. Think I'll hibernate for a couple weeks and see if I can start this month over from the beginning. :-)

Other than that, things are pretty much the same around here. Hope all of you are having a great summer.

April 20 2011

If you think you can't afford to pay a lawyer to help you apply for medicaid, think again. They may save you thousands of dollars. Of course you might do all right if you have a case worker who knows what he is doing and cares, but I didn't have that advantage. Anyway, the gal working with me is to turn in the application today. She promised I won't have to pay the nursing home for April. Sure praying her promise is good. Am requesting a hearing to see if I can get the Medicaid retroactive, because of information that was incorrect or not given to me. We'll see.

The girls (and others) had been urging me to get a new furnace. I kept telling them I wanted to see just how long it would keep going. Well, I found out. It was the Fri. when we were having nice warm weather, so didn't worry about it. Then, it turned cold, and I got sick. A friend brought over a couple of space heaters, on the next Fri., so that halped a lot. The following Monday the mew furnace was in and running. The old one had been installed in 1960, so we sure got a lot of wear out of it.

This morning I got up about five and went to a friend's house where the Red Hatters gathered to watch the wedding Everybody seemed to really like Catherine's dress, but it was way too plain for my taste. At least she didn't look like she was being sacrificed the way Diana did. Hope they can keep it together. Thought Elizabeth and Phillip looked pretty darn good for their ages. Didn't see enough of the red head to suit me. Hope they have all that hoopla when he gets married. :-)

Guess that's it for now.

jki

April 2, 2011

Taking a break from my naps. Fighting a cold and decided I probably shouldn't be in the nursing home. Have slept off and on most of the time since yesterday afternoon. May spend another day doing the same. (Yes, Rhea, Trina comes by it naturally.) :-)

Another month gone. Eye surgery went well. Had post-op visit last week and doc took the stiches out. Unless there is a problem, I don't have to go back for a year. No pain, didn't even take a Tylenol. It's a bit runny yet, but that doesn't surprise me.

Not much happening. Still working to get approved for Medicaid. 'Fraid I'm going to end up having to 'spend down' by paying a month at the facility. Can think of things I'd rather use it for, but I'm just too slow making decisions and figuring out how to follow through on them. Sure wish I hadn't made the local elder-care lawyer mad at me. I'm sure it would have gone much better if she had been handling it. I keep trying to remember, "God is in control." and "He will provide.", but can't help wondering how sometimes. Bill has been in rehab for five weeks this time and is not showing a lot of improvement. Doesn't seem to remember instructions from minute to minute, let alone day-to-day. Still good natured, so can['t ask for a whole lot more. :-)

Glad it's starting to warm up a bit. Actually got out and weeded a bit in the Iris bed. Has been two or three years since I did anything with it. Thought they'd all be dead, but have found a few popping their heads up through the matted grass. Pulled some of it out to give them room to breathe. Just hope I haven't exposed them too much to the frost.

Couple more weeks of rocking babies, then I'll have to go back to getting my kicks from the neighborhood animals. At least that way, I'll be doing more walking. :-)

March 12, 2011

Wow! Bill has a real taskmaster in rehab this time! She keeps 'yelling' (not loud), "Come on, move faster, you'll never make it at this rate, you can do it, etc., etc., etc.) He takes it pretty well and (I think) even tries a little harder. The other day she sat on a stool with wheels, and they had a couple of races. :-) I'm sure it would all go better if he had ever exercised in his life, but we can't worry about that now. Of course she didn't know him before, so she doesn't know what she is working against. Almost have to laugh when she tries to get him to stand or sit 'tall'. He has slouched ever since I've known him. Wonder of wonders, though, he actually doesn stand a little straighter while she is working with him.

She's showing me a lot of things I never knew, and is afteer me not to let him fool me into thinking he can't do it. Our hall walks are going a lot faster than they used to--and farther. She tries to come between noon and one, so I don't have to sit there for hours wondering when he'l be going to rehab. He's so tired when he gets done, that he's ready for a nap, so I usually leave and often go back in the evening to make sure he does his 'walking' in the evening. She is also ordering the restorative program again, because she knows actually walking once a day is not enough. Thank God for the staff that encourage him to walk to the bathroom instead of just pushing the wheel chair up in front of him because it is easier and quicker. There are some very special people there.

Have started the re-application process. Sure hope it goes through this time. Took it directly to DHS and the fellow went through it line by line and made a list of the info I still have to get copies of for him. Still a few things we don't know where Bill put--and I don't know what I did with my birth certificate. So, guess he's not the only one that doesn't put things where they can be found. :-)

Haven't walked much this winter, time to get back at it. Sidewalks are showing, so it should be easier than it has been.

Tilly is still waking me up in the wee hours to give her a treat. Then she goes back to bed with me for a few hours. She doesn't think I should sleep past nine anymore, though. Now we're working toward being up by 8:30. Wonder if daylight savings time will change her schedule.

Repeat eyelid surgery on the right eye in ten days. Sure hope it works this time!

Feb. 27, 2011

Got a little snow last night, but most of it melted today. Week of Feb. 13-19 was pretty busy. I stayed nights with a friend and her grandson while her daughter and son-in-law went on vacation. Tried to hit the facility each day for a while, and the house two or three times a day to spend some time with the kitties. Marianne and I found a little time to talk and run around. She even fed me several times. Had to take Brandon into practice of for a game a couple times, but no problem except for one night when Kathy had left word that the bus would probably be at the school about 8:30. By 9, Marianne was getting worried because we hadn't heard from him, so I went up to the school to wait. Found out while up there (about 10), that it was usually around 10 or later when they got back. Except for the fact that I could have been home holding Tilly, I didn't mind. I was sitting under a light post and got several chapters of my book read. I am always looking for a chance to read, anyway.

Finally got a baby fix. Reese has canceled several of their sessions and Caro canceled on the 4th. Finally everything clicked on the 18th. I had the little girl knows as "The Screamer", but she never made a sound the whole time. She was tired when I got there (9:15), rubbing her eyes and sucking her thumb, but it was 11 before she finally conked out. Loved holding her and rocking--and not hearing any crying, even when another one cried. another week and I get to do it again.

Have started Seniorcize again. Very easy, mostly stretching exercises. Wish I'd make time to do them between sessions. I really do feel better when I get out of there.

Bill is getting started up in rehab again, to see if they can get him a little bit stronger. Going to try and get there when they are doing it and see what's happening. That may mean spending a lot more time over there than I have been, because they can't (or won't) give me a time when he will be going.

We were rejected for Medicaid, so I have to make final decisions and get our funerals paid for. That should dimiinish our assets enough to make us eligible.

Other than that, it's pretty much the samo, samo. Time flies.

Feb. 2, 2011

Got to give those folks who work at the Home credit. Now, they get Bill all settled in his lift chair--laying back with his feet up--and uplug the chair control so he has to push the button if he wants to get up. As good as they are, a nursing home is NOT a place to be preferred. It would be better, I think, if the government dropped some of their (to me) stupid rules, but in this world that would open the home to a lot of lawsuits. Of course, people like me might consider sueing them for 'taking away his rights', even if they do tell me there are things they can't do because it's his right to say, 'No'. Guess it's just one more of those cases where you can't win no matter what you do. The world looked nice and bright this afternoon after the sun came out, but I didn't bother to go out and see it up close. :-)