Friday, December 15, 2000
Not the Sweetest Girl: 1 - To MFS
All they did at Mom's appointment was to take her blood for a "send out" blood test. She wasn't allowed to eat before hand so we went out for breakfast at I-HOP afterward. She ordered eggs, bacon, sausage and German crepes and then complained that the German crepes were too sweet! Victory at last! Of course, that didn't keep her from eating them, but she requested that I'm supposed to "remind" her next time not to order them. I'm sure you can figure out how that usually goes.
Mom's doing really good with her blood sugar. I only got 3 pills in her, yesterday, but she "helped" me clean house (I'm sure you can figure out how that went, too) before the construction company came over and this morning her blood sugar was only 164. I am so pleased with her progress!
Mom slept all day long, today. I guess this was her "jet-lag" day.
Mom's doing really good with her blood sugar. I only got 3 pills in her, yesterday, but she "helped" me clean house (I'm sure you can figure out how that went, too) before the construction company came over and this morning her blood sugar was only 164. I am so pleased with her progress!
Mom slept all day long, today. I guess this was her "jet-lag" day.
If Not There, Here - To MFS
I just read a review of "The Emperor's New Groove". It sounds pretty good. Mom and I may go see it but she is so uncomfortable in theaters now that we may not. However, I am instituting an agressive video rental program in this household.
Mom does seem to be happier and more relaxed here but I can't help remembering how anxious she was to get up to Prescott this summer when we couldn't go. She, of course, never remembers this.
Mom does seem to be happier and more relaxed here but I can't help remembering how anxious she was to get up to Prescott this summer when we couldn't go. She, of course, never remembers this.
Thursday, December 14, 2000
Third Disaster - To LTF
Thought you'd enjoy this update. I certainly am...:
We've been in our Mesa house since Monday. When we initially entered I noticed that it was unusually damp and smelled dank. After hunting for two days I found the problem. We have major water damage here. Much of the north side wall of this home is bulging at the bottom. We've had a very slow but very persistent leak on that side of the house for some time. It's been slow enough so that we hadn't noticed it but persistent enough so that after three months of being away with the water turned off (which we always do here when we're gone) it became obvious simply by smell. I'm not sure but my guess, from the signs, is that it's been going on for so long that it probably isn't covered by insurance. I have no idea what the extent of the damage is but I am expecting the worst.
Today I'm meeting OCC from our last water loss (and home-parking lot fiasco) to gather the last ammunition needed to get the insurance company to finish paying them and get the final bill for the extras we asked for up in Prescott. I guess I'll have them take a look at this.
I am numb. I guess I should call a plumbing company, probably the company that replumbed our house back in 1995 after The First Water Disaster During My Stay With My Mother. I thought I'd talk to OCC first. I'm losing my ability to perform the simplest tasks, like walk and talk.
The room it is affecting the most, the one that smells and feels the worst, the back master bedroom (where I sleep), has become The Girls' [our cats] favorite room. I don't know why they like it back there. It smells like a guaranteed case of pneumonia to me. Makes me wish I was a cat.
I told my mother last night that I'm not going to engineer Christmas this year. I can't face it. She seems to be taking it in stride although a couple hours later she asked me when we could go out and get a Christmas tree.
Last May, when we were knee deep in water loss problems in Prescott, I joked with OCC that I have a history of trailing water losses behind me. It's a short history but it's true. Twice when I took care of my sister's and brother-in-law's house in Chandler various pipes in their house burst. The winter I lived in Pinetop I woke up one morning to a frozen lake in my bathroom where the pipes had burst and the water had frozen over the floor. Then Mesa. Then Prescott. Now this. I'm beginning to suspect that I shouldn't have said anything. I may have set in motion a retroactive self-fulfilling prophecy. I wonder how many other water losses I'll "remember" from my past.
I've set a goal. I want to make it until May. I believe that my manuscript has a good chance of being chosen for [a reputed poetry award] and I would like to know how that turns out. I am not looking beyond. I can barely see that far but at least I have one very large, relatively distant sign post. Otherwise I don't think I'd believe there is anything to look toward.
A few weeks ago I thought I'd make it through December uneventfully. I was looking forward to it. Now I'm expecting anything. And dreading it.
I'll alert you about further disasters.
We've been in our Mesa house since Monday. When we initially entered I noticed that it was unusually damp and smelled dank. After hunting for two days I found the problem. We have major water damage here. Much of the north side wall of this home is bulging at the bottom. We've had a very slow but very persistent leak on that side of the house for some time. It's been slow enough so that we hadn't noticed it but persistent enough so that after three months of being away with the water turned off (which we always do here when we're gone) it became obvious simply by smell. I'm not sure but my guess, from the signs, is that it's been going on for so long that it probably isn't covered by insurance. I have no idea what the extent of the damage is but I am expecting the worst.
Today I'm meeting OCC from our last water loss (and home-parking lot fiasco) to gather the last ammunition needed to get the insurance company to finish paying them and get the final bill for the extras we asked for up in Prescott. I guess I'll have them take a look at this.
I am numb. I guess I should call a plumbing company, probably the company that replumbed our house back in 1995 after The First Water Disaster During My Stay With My Mother. I thought I'd talk to OCC first. I'm losing my ability to perform the simplest tasks, like walk and talk.
The room it is affecting the most, the one that smells and feels the worst, the back master bedroom (where I sleep), has become The Girls' [our cats] favorite room. I don't know why they like it back there. It smells like a guaranteed case of pneumonia to me. Makes me wish I was a cat.
I told my mother last night that I'm not going to engineer Christmas this year. I can't face it. She seems to be taking it in stride although a couple hours later she asked me when we could go out and get a Christmas tree.
Last May, when we were knee deep in water loss problems in Prescott, I joked with OCC that I have a history of trailing water losses behind me. It's a short history but it's true. Twice when I took care of my sister's and brother-in-law's house in Chandler various pipes in their house burst. The winter I lived in Pinetop I woke up one morning to a frozen lake in my bathroom where the pipes had burst and the water had frozen over the floor. Then Mesa. Then Prescott. Now this. I'm beginning to suspect that I shouldn't have said anything. I may have set in motion a retroactive self-fulfilling prophecy. I wonder how many other water losses I'll "remember" from my past.
I've set a goal. I want to make it until May. I believe that my manuscript has a good chance of being chosen for [a reputed poetry award] and I would like to know how that turns out. I am not looking beyond. I can barely see that far but at least I have one very large, relatively distant sign post. Otherwise I don't think I'd believe there is anything to look toward.
A few weeks ago I thought I'd make it through December uneventfully. I was looking forward to it. Now I'm expecting anything. And dreading it.
I'll alert you about further disasters.
Monday, December 11, 2000
Touch. Keep. - To MFS
Let's see, today I take Mom and the kitties down. Tomorrow I pick up the truck and some other stuff. I think I'm going to wait packing out until this weekend and take Mom up with me without the kitties. Not that Mom will help much but I can keep an eye on her and feed her pills and make sure she eats. I'm concerned about this tomorrow, which is the other reason why I'm not spending much time up here. We probably won't spend the night. I don't think we'll need to.
I still can't seem to get my energy back. I don't know where it went. Even the folic acid pills don't seem to help anymore. Maybe their powers are limited.
What a wonderful compliment you gave me in that email! Thank you! Actually, I never thought about me being non-judgmental. I just figured I kept up with everyone because from the point of view of the family "time line", I was in a position, eventually, to get to know everyone. It looks like I still am, seeing as how I'm the closest one to Mom now. I'm sort of the reservoir of family relationships.
I still can't seem to get my energy back. I don't know where it went. Even the folic acid pills don't seem to help anymore. Maybe their powers are limited.
What a wonderful compliment you gave me in that email! Thank you! Actually, I never thought about me being non-judgmental. I just figured I kept up with everyone because from the point of view of the family "time line", I was in a position, eventually, to get to know everyone. It looks like I still am, seeing as how I'm the closest one to Mom now. I'm sort of the reservoir of family relationships.
