another lost phone

 Merry Christmas from the bottom of the basement floor. Yep, that is how I am going to end the year, I guess. I was doing very good at playing nice with gravity and then I got in a hurry to make sure that SIL was not heading for the basement steps. The rest is gravity's fault.

We managed to pull off a nice peaceful holiday yesterday and today. SIL has been as constipated as one can be and not require hospitalization. She still might if I cannot get move of it moving along. For the moment I will apologize for breaking my two-week hiatus from devices. There is much to be said but it doesn't need to be said so I won't.

November was ripe with drama and December ended with more of the same, only this time it was dog drama. Christmas eve was fun for me but stressful the dementia dream team teamed up and drove me crazy and now I am on my way back to reality.  SIL will stay tomorrow and leave for the facility at some point on Wednesday. Just as I had expected her only adult interaction is my responsibility. So far, we have just been trying to get her cleared out so she can eat at some point.

This is a really hard part of Parkinson's, but it can be prevented or at least mitigated a lot better. She should not have to suffer like this. 

Good morning it is the next day and after the waterfall of poo... she is exhausted, she doesn't want to return to the care facility. She isn't going back today, but she will need to return tomorrow for a short week. Then she can come back for another visit.

Now comes the take-down of the decorations that did not even go up until 3 days before the holiday. No judgement please. I have lost the holiday spirit, maybe I never had it. I am not sure. Each time I had an appointment I crocheted little scrubby pads and dishcloths for gift giving. I didn't mail any out yet, but I plan to try to do that this week.

SIL has slept most of the day away and I'll admit that I have also napped quite a bit. I justify it because she may or may not sleep in the night so therefore my sleep may or may not be interrupted as well.

Frosty the elf left for the north pole without any antics this year that was sad for the kids, but he did leave a note saying why he did not prank us. It seems that Joy the elf at my daughter's house told him she would tell Santa that he was a naughty elf if he did any pranks, and he would be banned for a time from coming here and labeled a bad influence. Sounds like some friends of mine...

Good morning blog. It is now New Year's Eve. Time to make those resolutions and lists of what to strive for in the next year. For me it is just to be more organized and intentional with my time and my life. I actually had misplaced my brand-new phone when this post was started and then located it and now it is hiding again. I have seriously contemplated going without a phone for at least two weeks, just to see if I could. So far, I have barely made it a day.

With the addition of SIL back into the home, life has been busy. Much rearranging of furniture and belongings. We are still waiting on the attorney in regard to the "Hannah" house. Once that is settled, I know DH wants to jump on the other potential house. I am not totally sold on this particular house. The acreage is nice, and the house is nice, not exactly what I was looking for. This may sound a bit selfish, but I really wanted more square footage so that I do not have to figure out what to do with all of SIL's stuff and also, I was hoping for a bit more storage for DH and his "projects". There is also the added stress of leaving the kids, albeit adults, behind in Colorado.

Yesterday SIL, my granddaughter, the youngest child and I went to the care center and gathered what we could of SIL's belongings. Today we will empty those things into one of the sheds and go gather more during the week or perhaps later today. I wanted to donate most of it to the facility, however, they charge per item for those donations. I will save my response to that for another post. In the meantime, I will be posting things for sale on Marketplace and donating to a local charity. That falls in line with my "resolution" for the next year. 

SIL has adjusted well to coming home. The facility had decided she required hospice care because of her decline. From what I see in her behavior here, she is a good actress. When I sent the email giving notice, I was apprehensive but resolved. I went to gather her meds for another week while there the director of the unit she was on was concerned about how she was getting on, was she eating, was she totally dependent on me for care, things like that. Apparently, she had been having the caregivers spoon feed her if she ate at all. She also had reverted to being pushed in a wheelchair to get around and totally dependent on the staff for personal care. If I knew of an awards program like Academy Awards or the Emmy's for nursing homes, I would submit her performance for review. I am sure she would take home the prize!

I have also given myself permission to let things slide and not feel judged.  What if the dishes sit overnight? If there are dishes to eat on and food is available, and the occupants of this house have their daily needs met... who cares?! The hard-nosed items that are important are what I will deal with.

Mini split for heat on the second floor

freezing with a minion

teenagers in "love"

For real...

still freezing

the last good snow of '23

accepting the loss of furry friends

trying not to be a helicopter parent

yes that is a bucket of sand, it worked

the most baking I did for the holiday

doing what she loves the most

Nope I did not bake those cookies, but I did open the package and put them on a festive napkin! We said goodbye to two furry friends this past year. I took it the hardest. I could not stop crying, I felt like the biggest failure, it was awful. I never want to go through that again. It was my darkest point of 2023, I think. So many things happened, too many to document, most I would prefer to forget. I can't but I would like too. I still have a knee replacement to look forward to...NOT! Also, I have to continue with rehab for my left arm. The dislocation event has left a lingering discomfort and some loss of ROM.

Dementia has crept into my world with a vengeance, as if I am being made fun of for quitting my position in nursing. We will continue to sail the waters of craziness until I can no longer do it. Who knows where it will take us. Hopefully there will be internet wherever we land, otherwise I might go crazy myself.

Goodbye 2023! Hang on the ride continues next year!!!