This afternoon, I headed to Mom & Dad’s; Babette already having called to tell me that Monica had already taken Dad over there. I stopped at Albertsons to pick up a few groceries for Mom. It was packed and it took me a while to get back to the car. I also bought some things to make a light supper for the three of us.
When I got to Mom and Dad’s, Monica was still there. She told me right away that she and Mom had been searching the entire house and garage, looking for the box that had come in the mail from Chris and Anne for Dad. When I saw Mom, she was worn from worry. She was distraught that she could not remember where she had put the box. She continued her harried searching.
I joined the search and worked my way to Mom’s sewing room. There I found the box, in the bottom of the closet. Mom expressed immense relief, but then returned to her fretting again, repeating the question, “What am I going to do? I can’t remember anything anymore!” I turned to her and said, “That’s what we have Petra for.”
First her eyes went wide, and then she smiled from ear to ear, her face alight with delight. She took both my cheeks with her hands, brought me down to her face and kissed me.
The crisis over, Monica said her goodbyes and I put away the groceries. We went on to have a very pleasant visit. They both ate well; we had a good time and laughed.
We delighted in going over the contents of Dad’s goodie box, trying to translate ever word and identify every language on the boxes. We opened the mustard (Dad had to smell it, so I had to taste it – good!)
We identified as many photos as we could in the little digital photo displayer that Phil had sent Dad (later in the evening, after I had returned Dad to the foster home, Phil called me while I was picking up some things at Lowe’s to finish the dog house that I’m making for Aaron’s dog, Chuy. He was surprised that Dad had not waited for his birthday to open his present! {Phil, not Chuy} Phil may retire from the military, but the military will never retire from Phil! Actually, that’s probably not true either, because Dad opened his present before his birthday, didn’t he?!)
Well, so went my visit.
Patrick
Sunday, August 31, 2008
...My Trip To....
Hey GUYS & GALS...
Just a 'lil heads up... By the time this reaches you I should either be on my way (on the road) to E.P. ; or, pretty much about to... to visit the "other" part of the
family (especially Mom & Dad, of course...they already know; not to get excited, ...okay?) ... I'll give you full update (day or so after my arrival...& decent net connection...etc...)
Well that's it for now, Gang... Hopefully I'll update my Saga on this blog soon enough for your enjoyment pleasure...(that sounds original, right?...)
Love To All...
Hang In There...!
-BC-
PS (Pray for those that have to prepare for "GUSTAF"...It's really sad
isn't it... Hope it doesn't affect Phill / Family..?)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Claire and Erin
Bernadette wanted to share this photo. Thanks Bernadette! I'm happy to put this up for you.
I can't believe how they've both changed since the last time I saw a picture.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
An Update
Hi, All,
My time is becoming more and more limited since I've returned to school so my updates will probably be mostly on weekends, unless, of course, there are significant changes!
Mom started off this week on a negative note - on Monday, she tried to give Petra a check and told her once again not to come back as she didn't need her. Debbie and I decided to check out Desert Springs, an Alzheimer's facility on the West side of El Paso. Very nice place, and we liked what we saw. However, it's private and cost $3,600. per month - and they do not accept medicare or medicaid. Debbie says she will check out other facilities in Las Cruces as there are many more Alzheimer's facilities there than in El Paso. Ralph and I had dinner (Debbie's crab cakes were wonderful!) at Pat and Debbie's that evening and decided we need to wait and keep trying to get Mom to accept Petra as that is the best option for her at this time. However, we know that "down the road", she will be needing more intensive care as her illness progresses. The GOOD NEWS is the rest of the week went better insofar as Mom seems to be accepting Petra more now than at the beginning. We also think her meds are kicking in as it's been over a month now that we know she is taking them regularly (esp. the Exelon for her Alzheimer's). It's very likely that we will need to increase Petra's hours so that she is with Mom for most of the day. What you all need to know is Mom had not been bathing regularly, had not been changing her Exelon patch (she is now taking capsules as the patches irritated her skin), not eating regularly, making herself sick, and not taking care of herself nor the house. This is why we need someone to care for her. Most of this is due to her diagnosed illness (i.e. dementia and Alzheimer's). She has an appt with Dr. Crouse (her neurologist) on Sept. 12 in the morning. Debbie and Ralph will be taking her.
Please make efforts to contact and talk to Dad as his morale has been low since Mom's mental faculties continue to spiral downward. At times, she has hung up on him, saying she was too sick to talk to him. She is now on Nexium and this seems to be helping alleviate her "upset stomach" episodes considerably. In fact, her overall demeanor was much improved during this week (after the Monday episode).
Gotta get ready for church - may edit this later in the day after I see Mom and Dad today.
Postscript: Dad is not doing well. He in once again having trouble finishing a sentence and is becoming incoherent once again. He is now up to 5 liters of oxygen. His balance is also diminishing. We did pick him up and it took both of us to get him to the car and into the house. We'll be going a bit later to help him to the table so they can have lunch together. His next appt. with his primary care doctor is September 12 in the afternoon. Not sure yet who will be taking him there. Sorry the news regarding Dad is not so good...
My time is becoming more and more limited since I've returned to school so my updates will probably be mostly on weekends, unless, of course, there are significant changes!
Mom started off this week on a negative note - on Monday, she tried to give Petra a check and told her once again not to come back as she didn't need her. Debbie and I decided to check out Desert Springs, an Alzheimer's facility on the West side of El Paso. Very nice place, and we liked what we saw. However, it's private and cost $3,600. per month - and they do not accept medicare or medicaid. Debbie says she will check out other facilities in Las Cruces as there are many more Alzheimer's facilities there than in El Paso. Ralph and I had dinner (Debbie's crab cakes were wonderful!) at Pat and Debbie's that evening and decided we need to wait and keep trying to get Mom to accept Petra as that is the best option for her at this time. However, we know that "down the road", she will be needing more intensive care as her illness progresses. The GOOD NEWS is the rest of the week went better insofar as Mom seems to be accepting Petra more now than at the beginning. We also think her meds are kicking in as it's been over a month now that we know she is taking them regularly (esp. the Exelon for her Alzheimer's). It's very likely that we will need to increase Petra's hours so that she is with Mom for most of the day. What you all need to know is Mom had not been bathing regularly, had not been changing her Exelon patch (she is now taking capsules as the patches irritated her skin), not eating regularly, making herself sick, and not taking care of herself nor the house. This is why we need someone to care for her. Most of this is due to her diagnosed illness (i.e. dementia and Alzheimer's). She has an appt with Dr. Crouse (her neurologist) on Sept. 12 in the morning. Debbie and Ralph will be taking her.
Please make efforts to contact and talk to Dad as his morale has been low since Mom's mental faculties continue to spiral downward. At times, she has hung up on him, saying she was too sick to talk to him. She is now on Nexium and this seems to be helping alleviate her "upset stomach" episodes considerably. In fact, her overall demeanor was much improved during this week (after the Monday episode).
Gotta get ready for church - may edit this later in the day after I see Mom and Dad today.
Postscript: Dad is not doing well. He in once again having trouble finishing a sentence and is becoming incoherent once again. He is now up to 5 liters of oxygen. His balance is also diminishing. We did pick him up and it took both of us to get him to the car and into the house. We'll be going a bit later to help him to the table so they can have lunch together. His next appt. with his primary care doctor is September 12 in the afternoon. Not sure yet who will be taking him there. Sorry the news regarding Dad is not so good...
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Hudson Household
We have had a very interesting Saturday so far as Richard & Miki went skeet shooting this morning while I had to work and then we all went to a luncheon I planned for an old coworker.
Betty Dodd is 86 years old and just the end of last month finally fully retired. After her 80th birthday she retired from full time but only after she had arranged for a five year part time contract to continue running our amputee clinic. Something she had set up over 30 yrs ago when EAMC was still in wooden barracks like the old Beaumont when we were kids. The luncheon was a combination of retired therapist, PT,OT,Nurses and current PT staff both civilian and military. We all met in a back room at Carrabba's Italian Grill and she was brought there by her son and one of her two daughters thinking they were having a family lunch out. She was thrilled and we all had a good time. Richard & I had picked up a small book called "Better to age with attitude than die with dignity" lots of funny pictures and we encouraged everyone to pick a page and write a note. It was great! She will remember it well with the book and all the cute and sweet notes from everyone.
We are planning our (somewhat late) 25th Anniversary celebration spending a week at DisneyWorld and are looking forward to at least a short visit with Phil, Lis & the boys either on our way down or on the way back home whichever fits their schedule. Miki will take care of Baba while we are away (her grandmother here) as well as all the pooches.
Betty Dodd is 86 years old and just the end of last month finally fully retired. After her 80th birthday she retired from full time but only after she had arranged for a five year part time contract to continue running our amputee clinic. Something she had set up over 30 yrs ago when EAMC was still in wooden barracks like the old Beaumont when we were kids. The luncheon was a combination of retired therapist, PT,OT,Nurses and current PT staff both civilian and military. We all met in a back room at Carrabba's Italian Grill and she was brought there by her son and one of her two daughters thinking they were having a family lunch out. She was thrilled and we all had a good time. Richard & I had picked up a small book called "Better to age with attitude than die with dignity" lots of funny pictures and we encouraged everyone to pick a page and write a note. It was great! She will remember it well with the book and all the cute and sweet notes from everyone.
We are planning our (somewhat late) 25th Anniversary celebration spending a week at DisneyWorld and are looking forward to at least a short visit with Phil, Lis & the boys either on our way down or on the way back home whichever fits their schedule. Miki will take care of Baba while we are away (her grandmother here) as well as all the pooches.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
This weekend turned out really well on more than one account. Friday was "organizational day" for the Landstuhl Dentac (which includes Baumholder), and as I mentioned earlier, it was at an amusement park. Steve had to work, but I took Emily with me. We enjoyed the company of some other contractors for the day - a couple of dentists and a hygienist (all of the same generation) and also a 16 year old boy who didn't feel like spending the day with his parents. It took some convincing, but Emily went with the boy, Dylan, and for the first time in her life rode a rollercoaster!! She was grinning ear to ear when she got off. It was a corkscrew type, and though not the biggest one they had, there is no way I'd ever get on it! I believe there is a Stafford gene that keeps us off those things, am I right? Which of you goes on these rides? This is a picture of it, "Superwirbel" - super whirl.
At the end of the day we drove the 30 min. or so over to Anne & Alfons', to celebrate Alfons' birthday. We spent the night, and did a little shopping for goodies in France the next day. I got help from Alfons in looking up the tickets for the new bullet train line that goes from Kaiserslautern to Paris in just 2 hours (by car almost 5 hours), and followed his tip on making the purchase over in France for a better price than what I'd pay in Germany. Anne of course did all the talking at the ticket window. So, thanks to the two of them Emily is getting her weekend in Paris! I also got help from our cousin Pierre, who I'd emailed with a request for recommendations for a hotel. http://www.hotel-palais-bourbon.com/ Isn't it great to be so well connected :) We'll arrive early afternoon Saturday and leave Monday afternoon on Labor Day weekend.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The Wedding / and an Update
Wow! What a wedding Ralph and I went to this week! Fascinating...and beautiful! The setting was the NM Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum which has the backdrop of the gorgeous Organ Mountains at sunset. The color theme was "hot pink" and black. Each table was adorned with a very long elegant vase with an arrangement of "hot pink" roses. The chairs and table linen had the same color theme. The wedding ceremony was a combination of Lakota Native American, Hispanic, and Christian traditions. The Lakota part of it was the most fascinating to me - it included flute music, a peace pipe, symbolic gifts, and water. The celebration also included a dinner and dance. Both Ralph and I enjoyed the uniqueness of the wedding ceremony. I also felt honored to be invited to such an occasion. However, I should add that not only did Dr. V and I work together to create and develop a successful program at the university, but we also became good friends. He has also offered to come to the high school to speak to my students (his own story is one they can relate to since he grew up in a very large and very poor Puerto Rican family in southside Chicago).
The Associate Dean of the College of Ed. was also there and when I introduced him to Ralph, he told him that my leaving was a great loss to the program. I had had my exit interview with him and let him know of my concerns regarding the changes in leadership and direction of the program. He had expressed regret about my leaving and had also asked if there was anything that would help me reconsider my decision. I had already interviewed at Gadsden and had made up my mind that I wanted to return to teaching. On that subject, I've now completed my first two weeks in the classroom and I do feel I've made the right decision. Of course, there are always some students who will attempt to challenge any new teacher - but what they don't seem to realize is that though I may be new to Gadsden, I'm actually a very seasoned educator! LOL
Mom is doing OK - and seems to be getting used to Petra being with her daily. She still has her moodiness, however, and when that happens, she "shuts down" - simply doesn't want to talk. We're hoping that once she feels more comfortable with Petra, that she will start confiding in her about her true feelings of the situation she is in. The main thing is she is no longer spending days of being isolated and alone. Though she fought the idea of this change in her life, we're hoping that she will become more and more accepting of the caregiver being with her.
Selim called this week and asked if we could all meet in San Antonio to be with Deniz during Labor Day Weekend. He even offered to pay for Ralph and my plane ticket!! So we will be taking a short trip to S.A. at the end of this month - it will be a nice break for us. I worked it out with Pat - they will be here that weekend and will be going with the Blettes to Gila Nat'l Park on the weekend of Sept. 20. Our next trip will be the week of October 12 since I have a week off from school (Fall Holiday). We may take the RV to Fort Davis State Park. If we go, it will be the sixth anniversary of our first trip there - in fact, it was the first trip we ever took together and was very much the event that cemented our relationship!
Sure would like to hear from all of you - this family BLOG has been way too quiet lately! : )
The Associate Dean of the College of Ed. was also there and when I introduced him to Ralph, he told him that my leaving was a great loss to the program. I had had my exit interview with him and let him know of my concerns regarding the changes in leadership and direction of the program. He had expressed regret about my leaving and had also asked if there was anything that would help me reconsider my decision. I had already interviewed at Gadsden and had made up my mind that I wanted to return to teaching. On that subject, I've now completed my first two weeks in the classroom and I do feel I've made the right decision. Of course, there are always some students who will attempt to challenge any new teacher - but what they don't seem to realize is that though I may be new to Gadsden, I'm actually a very seasoned educator! LOL
Mom is doing OK - and seems to be getting used to Petra being with her daily. She still has her moodiness, however, and when that happens, she "shuts down" - simply doesn't want to talk. We're hoping that once she feels more comfortable with Petra, that she will start confiding in her about her true feelings of the situation she is in. The main thing is she is no longer spending days of being isolated and alone. Though she fought the idea of this change in her life, we're hoping that she will become more and more accepting of the caregiver being with her.
Selim called this week and asked if we could all meet in San Antonio to be with Deniz during Labor Day Weekend. He even offered to pay for Ralph and my plane ticket!! So we will be taking a short trip to S.A. at the end of this month - it will be a nice break for us. I worked it out with Pat - they will be here that weekend and will be going with the Blettes to Gila Nat'l Park on the weekend of Sept. 20. Our next trip will be the week of October 12 since I have a week off from school (Fall Holiday). We may take the RV to Fort Davis State Park. If we go, it will be the sixth anniversary of our first trip there - in fact, it was the first trip we ever took together and was very much the event that cemented our relationship!
Sure would like to hear from all of you - this family BLOG has been way too quiet lately! : )
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