Good Evening Flowers. The sun was out all day but has now disappeared behind the clouds that are rolling in from the west. I just got a call than my 80+ year old uncle has been in a bad accident -- not sure what kind but he has a punctured lung, broken ribs, broken pelvis, and deep wounds that the doctors are leaving open for the time being. He's in a hospital about 3 hours away so I may take a day and visit later in the week if he is up to it. Our Homecoming week didn't start off the best; the girl in charge of today's assembly thought the student council advisor would set it up and didn't do anything over the weekend to prepare for the assembly so it was cancelled. Needless to say the kids were bummed about that.
"Gma" -- I feel for you having to make a commissary run and then the worry of having Jack come along. Do you live closer to the commissary than a regular grocery store and/or is it that much cheaper. I'm sure we could have gotten in the pot luck line and no one would have known the difference. There were alot of people and we just didn't want to take the time. If Bob wasn't leaving and I needed to do some laundry we would have stayed. Your house cleaning will be there whenever you feel up to doing it. Don't overdo by trying to get everything done asap.
Susan -- I hate trying to figure out insurance, retirement, Medicare, etc. Since Bob sells insurance I leave all of that up to him. I thought once you reached official retirement age and getting social security, your earned income was limited to a certain amount. Maybe social security is the key word there.
I need to get off the computer in case someone tries to call. Hope you all have a terrific Tuesday!
Jean, SS used to have a cap on earnings until you were 70 but no more. The cap is removed the day you reach your official retirement age (65+8 months for me). Until then, it's $33k and then they take back $1 for every $2 you earn over the limit. They reduce the amount you get by 1/2% for every month you are short of your official retirement age as well. If you are not at your official retirement age you have to pay $88 month for Medicare until you are.
Faye, be sure to take time for yourself everyday. You can't be an effective caregiver if you are tired and rundown. Housework is NEVER finished. It won't be the end of the world if you let it go a little.
Stan's theraphy session yesterday was very interesting. Working with machines to build upper body strength. Getting in and out of the wheelchair into bed or the bathroom. Walking with the walker. Going up a step or curb with the walker. I was amazed at how much he can do. He got to have a shower last night - doesn't sound like much but he hasn't been allowed in the shower since March. He was so happy. They have a bath wheelchair they put you on and roll you right into the shower then back to your room. He's coming home with a wheelchair with detachable arm and foot rests and a transfer board so he can actually slide from the chair into the car and visa versa, aides for reaching things, putting on his sock, putting on his shoe (so he doesn't have to bend over and risk falling out of his chair). I'm just so happy he is doing so well.
Good morning gals! Well we have run into our first health glitch. He is having chronic nausea now and we can't seem to get it under control. He is living on Sprite, OJ and chicken soup for the time being. I have a call into the surgeon's nurse to see if she can help me. Other than that he is really coming along well. He is down to a half of Percocet and only takes them once or twice in 24 hours. I told him we have to see if his pain is now caused by the wound healing or from something else so we are experimenting with his medication to see how that goes. Except for being sick at his stomach (he vomited up his dinner last night and that is a BIG NO NO) he is in good spirits.
Jean: Boy, you have had some family things lately, huh? Hope your uncle can get on the mend. He is at such an age where it is so hard on them to get well from stuff like that.
Susan: Boy, sounds like Stan is going gangbusters with everything. That is just great! I know that has to be a load off your mind as well.
I need to go. I never did get the floors mopped yesterday and really want to get that done today.
Faye, Stan's had problems with nausaea and vomiting from time to time. He has too much stomach acid and they now have him on sodium bicarbonate tablets and it has helped a lot. All the carbonation and the acid in the OJ may not be the best. How about apple or grape juice, broth, etc.? Hope Jack feels better quickly.
Good Evening, Flowers! It's been a beautiful day in my corner of the world. It was 80 degrees on my way home from school, but is supposed to be in the low 60s tomorrow. Brrr! We had the shortest pep assembly/class competition in history . . . a total of 7 minutes once the students got settled in the gym. We were out of school almost 15 minutes early which didn't set well with the principal. I could tell by the look on his face he was not a happy camper.
Susan -- I'm glad to learn that Stan is doing so well! I remember how good a shower felt after surgery; I can't imagine not being able to take one for such a long time. I'll be Stan really feel squeaky clean! Thanks for the SS information . . . I won't have to worry about that for awhile yet.
"Gma" -- I hope that the doctor's nurse had some answers for you! Also that Jack is feeling better tonight. The latest report on my uncle is that somehow he fell into the manure spreader! Gross! The horses were pulling it and kept going until they got tangled up in tree stumps somehow. The hired man found him. The main thing against him is his age at 84. His condition is stable, but he has lots of broken bones, cuts, etc. They have him sedated and on a ventilator which is scary to me. We will probably make a visit later in the week. He won't know that we are there, but I would like to see my cousins.
I need to get off the phone in case Bob might be trying to call. I really do need to get hooked up to cable or wireless or something besides the phone line.
Have a wonderful Wednesday! Another week is flying by.
Good morning everyone! We had a bouncing around night. I was sore (not used to carrying groceries etc) and didn't sleep well and Jack took a Benadryl because he couldn't sleep (recommended by the dr and I take them all the time to sleep) but he had to go to the bathroom a lot last night so he didn't get a good night's sleep. I told him just to sleep this morning. It doesn't matter when he gets rest at this point. He is doing great with getting his strength back. He walked around completely around our building in the morning and then again last night.
We solved the nausea on two points. The nurse didn't get back to me until almost 5 (I had forgotten that Tue is the only day Dr Powell has office hours so she was really busy) but Jack was really nauseous and nothing was helping. I finally went on the good ole internet and found a forum discussion about migraines where one of the ladies recommended Dramamine and said it sometimes helped with nausea and another lady recommended something called Emetrol a syrup that she gave to her kids for tummy aches. I went and got both and gave him 2 TBL of the Emetrol and about 20 minutes later he was fast asleep and woke up with no nausea. His doctor's office called around 5 and called in a medication for nausea and he took one later in the evening to ward off anything overnight and has been fine so far this morning. Our house is really beginning to look like a pharmacy.
Susan: Thanks for the tip. Before yesterday, OJ was the ONLY thing that would calm his stomach and I know that they say NOT to drink it because it is too acidic and could make it worse. Hope Stan is doing great. I know Jack looks forward to the shower everyday and I can't imagine your poor man having to go months without being able to have one.
Jean: Was you quick assembly because the two dodos forgot to do it? Hope your uncle gets on the mend, the poor man. It is a wonder the horses dragging him didn't kill him.
I am off to do morning chores than get Jack some breakfast.
It is sunny and nice here in the NE today. We will have one more good day and then maybe rain on Friday.
Jean: A short day....15 min. Your principal needs to be realistic...what could really be accomplished in only 15 min. Sorry to hear about your recent troubles. That is quite a long drive, 8 hours, in one day. Hope your uncle will be able to make a come back from that awful accident. Yes, his age is against him.
Susan: Your DH must be so happy to have been able to take a shower. I'll bet he now wants one twice a day. His progress to better health is starting albeit slowly. One day at a time and he will be home!
Faye: Your DH's progress is fantastic. I am sure there will be little hiccups every now and then, like the nausea, but you both will persevere! I know what you mean about sore from carrying groceries. We went to the Commissary yesterday and then dragging all those bags into the house and putting everything away just washed me out.
We have been on a month long program of 1 day a week cleaning out the cellar. It has had 45 years worth of accumulation of junk. We have been saying we would get to it but never have. I guess the problem with the oil tank last July prompted us to begin. It is beginning to look much better. We don't tackle too much each week but I think another 2 to 3 weeks and the house will be so light we will float away. Next year.....the garage....UGH! It has junk from when the kids were still here and a lot of their college books etc. It is all going.
Gloria, I'm like you only my husband is a packrat and i have to do it when he isn't around. I've about got the attic emptied out, now for the closet under the stairs (huge) and the guest room. My sewing room will be last because all that is valuable stuff - lol.
Faye, glad Jack is feeling better and getting stronger. I hate grocery day. Too much carrying and I think putting it away is the worst of all.
Jean, the principal must be having an attack of some sort if 15 minutes early is too much. Could even herd them back to the classroom in that time.
Faye, we have 17 prescriptions (if they don't add to it when then send him home), over-the-counter vitamins, iron, and magnesium and a ton of equipment. They are sending him home with a new wheelchair, transfer board, new seat with handles for the commode, new walker that has wheels and a seat, and a bunch of other stuff. We live in a townhouse with 1700 square feet. But I'm sure glad to have him and the stuff. Much better than the alternative.
Good Evening, Flowers! I'm on my way to bed. I didn't sleep very well last night and woke up tired . . . don't know what my problem was. I've had a sinus headache all day on top of being tired. I didn't get an update on my uncle's condition tonight so I am assuming that no news is "ok" at this point. Bob got home late this afternoon and spent the evening snoozing on the couch. "Mom" kept bugging him to find a spot next to him and ended up on top of him. I think she missed him.
"Gma" -- Glad to hear that the meds worked for Jack! The assembly was supposed to be competition games between the classes and for some reason it didn't take very long. They allow 20 minutes for an afternoon assembly and 15 for the morning. This week we alternate every other day and skip Friday because we get out early for the parade. I'll be glad when Homecoming is history!
Gloria -- It's nice to see your post tonight! The school day was the regular length of time; it was the assembly that was shortened so we got out early. When you get your basement finished, you could make a road trip and start on mine! I really do need to get started down there and can't decide where to start is the problem.
Susan -- Bob keeps offering to back the pickup up in the driveway, open the windows, and pitch. He is a much better "pitcher" than I am!
I am off to bed! Hope you all have a terrific Thursday tomorrow!
Good morning ladies! Hope this finds you well. We had a rough night with Jack last night and we know that will happen sometimes. He is now having a backache and I think it is from having to sleep in the recliner on his back all the time. He took some Advil instead of the Percocet as he doesn't want to go back to that, but then he didn't have a very good night sleeping so he is feeling kind of off this morning. I told him just to sleep as it doesn't matter when he sleeps anyway.
Well, today is my 53rd birthday! My older sister sent me an I Love Lucy throw and an I Love Lucy wallet, my son and dil and my other sister gave me money as did my sil. Jack had bought me my sapphire and diamond ring earlier this year. We are using the money for expensives right now, but I am eventually going to get something out of the Coldwater Creek catalogue. If he feels up to it, Jack and I are going to go out either lunch or dinner for my birthday. It all depends on how things go today with him. We were told he would have really good days and really bad ones.
Susan: Is Stan going to have to adapt to a second floor? Jack is doing well using the stairs now. He went up them about 4 times yesterday to do things for himself. Jack has lost about 12 lbs since the surgery, but he looks good. He has another 20 he wants to lose eventually to be at his goal weight so maybe with all this and working hard too, we can get him where he wants to be. He put on blue jeans last night and he said they fit much more comfortably across his belly then they had before. I don't have near the stuff you are going to have at your house and I still feel like the house is a mess. I mostly have tray tables loaded with all his junk and then one with his laptop.
Jean: Hope you sinus headache is all cured and you are feeling better this morning. Lack of sleep is just the pits!
Gloria: Since we moved every three years, I had a garage sale whenever Jack was transferred so we kept long term stuff from piling up. I absolutely hate clutter so when I bag or box stuff that we are getting rid of, I put it in the garage and then when I have a load it goes to Goodwill. Good luck on your progress!
I need to go and fix Jack some breakfast. He is a little nauseous this morning and food might help.
Faye, sorry about Jack's bad night. When Stan gets his prosthesis they will teach him to go up and down stairs. Until then, he's confined to the first floor.
Jean, hope your school wins the homecoming came!
Gloria, after you finish at Jean's, maybe you could come to my house!
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's a nice sunny day in my corner of the world. I am taking tomorrow off as an "emergency" day to go and visit with my cousin. If my uncle is awake will spend a few minutes with him. Since we will be a half hour away from my "mom" I'd like to stop and say hello as well as visit the cemetery where my parents are buried. We'll see how the time goes.
"Gma" -- I hope Jack felt better as the day went on and after a nap or two. I wish you a very, very and may you enjoy many, many more! I didn't sleep the best last night again . . . don't know what my problem is. I thought my headache was gone, but it reappeared this morning. Onery students didn't help much either.
Susan -- Our Homecoming game is against an undefeated team. We were 3 - 0 for the season until last week and we got beat 55 - 0. Needless to say that took some wind out of their sails! I don't like football and haven't been to a game since our daughter was a freshman in 1992! However, we never missed a basketball game so guess it evens out in the end. Besides that, the gym is warm!
I need to pick up the house and start on the laundry pile. Hope you all have a relaxing evening and a fantastic Friday tomorrow!
Good morning gals! After I posted yesterday I got a happy birthday phone call with a nice birthday surprise. My son and dil called to wish me a happy birthday and to tell me they are EXPECTING! WOOHOO another grandbaby! I am so excited for us as well as them. I was the first one they told and it was so sweet of them to wait and tell me on my birthday because we think they have known for a week or so. She hasn't been able to get ahold of her mom and sisters to tell them yet and I don't think Jay has called his sister yet either. Their relationship is kind of scratchy so to speak.
We had a nice time at lunch, Mexican, then Jack walked around the mall and when I thought he should stop, I wheeled him around in a wheel chair or he wheeled himself. I went looking at baby stuff naturally and that was loads of fun. What beautiful stuff they have nowadays. I am going to have to go and get yarn to start another one of those blasted fuzzy blankets I swore I would only knit one of and this will be the third....
Jean: When my sister and bil lived in Indiana the four of us would go to my dd's high school's football games every Friday night, following the team all over the place. Like Iowa, Indiana is darn cold in the winter and sometimes we would freeze our noses off. I remember one game, where we were the visiting side and facing into the wind. It was only about 20 degrees, sleeting and windy. My sister and I were bundled up like indians with the blankets over our heads and swaddled. The guys were happily chatting about the team and drinking coffee. She and I finally gave up and went to the car and sat with the heat on! On top of that we had to "go" and they had no facilities and the school was out in the middle of no where. I was about ready to drop trou and pee next to the van except I figured the stream would freeze!
Susan: I am really glad Stan is progressing so well. The more he moves around the better he will get at balancing etc until he gets his permanent prothesis.
Well gals, I am going to sit and read a bit then maybe take a little snooze on the couch. We were both tired last night and went to bed super early so I am up early this morning. He slept part of the night in bed and now has a backache so I brought him downstairs and put the heating pad on and a couple Ibuprophen and he is sound asleep in the chair.
Happy Saturday, Flowers! We got up earlier than usual for a Saturday because Bob is hauling beans to the elevator for his farmer friend. They can't combine until later in the morning when the dew is gone and the trucks/wagons are all full. I'm thinking I may make a road trip to a neighboring town and check out their dress shop for a wedding/church outfit. Our road trip yesterday was a nice one. The weather was beautiful and the trees are starting to change colors. I surprised my "mom" when I called enroute; she had made reservations to eat at the senior center so she drove over to the hospital in the afternoon. We got there around noon so made a stop at Penneys for Bob to look for a sweater. Once I get him in the shopping mood, he goes to town! He's been looking for a lightweight winter jacket, needed new undies and socks, found a sweater he liked, as well as a couple of other shirts and a tie! I think he is set for the season! I didn't even get to shop in the hospital gift shop. We did get to spend the afternoon with my cousin, another cousin and her daughter, and my step-aunt; for supper we went out to eat with Mike and his wife. My uncle had more surgery on his shoulder yesterday and they are hoping for at least limited movement. To put it bluntly he is quite a sight with 100+ staples in his head. The wound nurse was quizzing my cousin about exactly what was in/on the manure spreader. Bob thought of rust. I guess they were looking for things like herbicides or fertilizer. I can't imagine what he must have looked like when they found him . . . he had lost 5 units of blood and a body only has 8 to begin with. They feel he will have a long recovery process, but he is lucky to be alive and that is due to being so physically active. They are keeping him sedated at least through the weekend so that the healing process will have a good start. My cousin, Mike, said that his dad's first concern when he wakes up will be his horses. I learned something yesterday -- when horses work as a team, the same horse has to be on the same side each time they are hitched up. Also, when something like this happens they have to be hitched and pulling again asap. Several years ago my uncle won an award at the state fair for his horse training ability. He reminds me of the "Horse Whisperer." He does love horses.
"Gma" -- CONGRATULATIONS on being a grandma again! I know how much you have been looking forward to another grandchild. I was surprised, but our team won the football game last night. We tried to find it on the radio coming home and it wasn't on. Our local station had a neighboring town's game on. Bob advertises for the school sports activities and he wanted to hear the ad. We never missed going to a game when Jason played from 5th grade through high school. I used to take Jason's insulated sleeping bag and crawl into it! My favorite part was always the band at half-time.
I need to get laundry started and on with the day! Hope you all have a nice weekend!
Good Sunday morning gals. I just woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so decided to come downstairs. Jack is still sleeping and I don't want to disturb him so the lights are all off except for the bathroom. It's a good thing I can type by touch or I would be in trouble!
I shampooed the dining room AGAIN yesterday because Fortune kept going on it while Jack was in the hospital. We aren't sure if it was because he was missing or that we had strangers in the house too but I haven't been able to get to it until yesterday.
My son and dil called and said it was definitely official. I guess she went in and took a regular pregnancy test on Friday. They think she is due sometime in June but will have to wait for a couple more weeks to get a better date. I think she is going for her first actual prenatal in a couple weeks right before they come down here. I am having the best time looking at baby clothes. My dd either didn't use what I would buy or would tell my what I could and couldn't buy so I quit buying much for Thomas and haven't really bought him clothes to speak of in years.
Jack has an appt with his surgeon on Tuesday and is going to discuss going back to work on Oct 23. He is doing so well, he is walking 1/4 mile twice a day and comes back not winded or anything so his strength is pretty good, lungs are clear, etc. I think now it is a matter of getting his sternum healed then he should be able to go back to work. I imagine the dr is going to be surprised at how well Jack is doing. Jack is now getting bored and it is hard to keep him occupied. He watched college football all day yesterday and today is NASCAR, but if Tony does what he did last week, he will probably turn it off. Tony crashed at the beginning of the race and since he is not in the "chase" as they call it, it doesn't matter if he wins or not now.
I have to go out to the post office and mail a thank you card and go to the store and get some carrots I forgot to buy and some salad fixings then home again. I thought the kids were coming over some time this weekend to bring my birthday stuff, but I haven't heard anything from my dd so I don't know. I know Thomas had a Cub Scout trip to a museum here yesterday so I knew they wouldn't be here yesterday.
Jean: Oh my gosh, I sure hope your uncle starts doing well. The poor poor man. I imagine the are truly anxious about what could have gotten into the wounds. They probably have loaded him with antibiotics and given him a tetanus shot to boot. I know infection was the BIG thing with Jack's surgery. I hope you had a nice visit with the family even under these circumstances. Jack isn't much of a clothes shopper, but we did decided we deserve a little trip of some kind this year as we haven't taken any at all so the middle of December we are going to Nashville from Friday night until Sunday morning and going Christmas shopping at Opry Mills. I am really looking forward to it. I have already looked at their directory and there are lots of children's stores to choose from so I can be buying the new baby some Christmas presents too! I have to get Thomas to decide exactly what he wants for Christmas. I only have a few books bought for him so far.
Not much else going on. Everyone have a great rest of the weekend.
Steel Magnolias
He's in a hospital about 3 hours away so I may take a day and visit later in the week if he is up to it. Our Homecoming week didn't start off the best; the girl in charge of today's assembly thought the student council advisor would set it up and didn't do anything over the weekend to prepare for the assembly so it was cancelled. Needless to say the kids were bummed about that. 
There were alot of people and we just didn't want to take the time. If Bob wasn't leaving and I needed to do some laundry we would have stayed. Your house cleaning will be there whenever you feel up to doing it. Don't overdo by trying to get everything done asap. 
from Iowa!
It was 80 degrees on my way home from school, but is supposed to be in the low 60s tomorrow. Brrr! We had the shortest pep assembly/class competition in history . . . a total of 7 minutes once the students got settled in the gym. We were out of school almost 15 minutes early which didn't set well with the principal. I could tell by the look on his face he was not a happy camper. 
Thanks for the SS information . . . I won't have to worry about that for awhile yet.
The latest report on my uncle is that somehow he fell into the manure spreader! Gross! The horses were pulling it and kept going until they got tangled up in tree stumps somehow. The hired man found him. The main thing against him is his age at 84. His condition is stable, but he has lots of broken bones, cuts, etc. They have him sedated and on a ventilator which is scary to me. We will probably make a visit later in the week. He won't know that we are there, but I would like to see my cousins.
His progress to better health is starting albeit slowly. One day at a time and he will be home!
and may you enjoy many, many more! I didn't sleep the best last night again . . . don't know what my problem is. I thought my headache was gone, but it reappeared this morning. Onery students didn't help much either. 
I know how much you have been looking forward to another grandchild. 