Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Mother's Day update and Mom's hands and mouth update

I've been crazy busy and not keeping up with life at all.  This is because I've indulged in an ancestry.com obsession for the past few days.  (confession).

However, we did have a lovely, and cool, Mother's Day.  We decided to put the air conditioner in the dining room window - just across from Mom's bedroom door.  This way we didn't have to modify the air conditioner installation to put it into a wall, and we didn't have to rip apart a wall.  We are going to install an old wooden screen door on the dining room side of Mom's interior door.  That way, we can close the screen door part and allow the cool air to enter while keeping cats and dogs out OR we can close the door itself to give Mom privacy.

Stephan loves the air conditioner so much that we are toying with the idea of getting one for an upstairs window as well.

Mom had a lovely Mother's Day.  She enjoyed to coolness.  The heat really bothers her.  Jeanie told me this, but I didn't realize how much the heat bothers her.  She is vocal about it even when I am very comfortable with the temperature.  Stephan reminded me about how Mom used to put her head under cold water in the summer to try to keep cool.  And, I understand the elderly people are much more sensitive to the heat.  So, it makes sense that she has become even more troubled by heat than I had remembered or imagined.

For Mother's Day, we had lots of flowers and ice cream and chocolate.  I got Five Guys (I LOVE them) and Mom had French fries, which she loved so much I wish we had gotten the large.  We were planning to watch one of the movies that David bought me later in the day, Annie Get Your Gun, but time got away from us.



Here she is looking at one of the pots of flowers.  Sorry the pic is so blurry.  It was my cell phone which isn't smart and doesn't take good pictures.

In other news, Mom's hands haven't been hurting at all since she's been having magnesium every day.  (Thanks to Bonni Lyne for that tip.).  I haven't even been doing clay baths or soaking or giving her a hot water bottle for the last two weeks.  So, that's the good news.  In the not so good news, she seems to have a little case of thrush in her mouth.  I thought that was an infant problem, but I started to notice it last week, and today I Googled.  I guess the elderly also have trouble with thrush.  I've ordered gentian violet, and I think that will take care of the problem.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Mother's Day Plotting



So, I've got two dreams for Mother's Day presents for Mommy.

Dream one:  An air conditioner.  This dream has a pretty good chance of getting itself installed by Sunday.  David is going to Lowes to pick up the unit sometime today, and, since the temperature is supposed to get up to ninety degrees today and be close to ninety over the weekend, Stephan is putting installation on a high priority.  The window in Mommy's room won't accommodate something like this, so Stephan is going to cut the wall above her door and install a window opening - with the window missing - and put the unit there.  It has a remote control :-).  I won't need to get a ladder to adjust the temperature or other settings.

Dream two: Build or buy Mommy a walker that she can actually use.  What she needs is a walker with a seat that can be used without the user having to stand independently and then turn around to sit.  This would be impossible for mom at this point.  Most walkers with seats on them are for people to take a rest for a few minutes and then get up and walk some more.  We need a walker with a seat like a baby uses where mom can be completely supported and yet be able to use her legs for mobility.  Click here to see what we are thinking about.  These can be purchased with or without the seat apparatus.  We can't really afford to buy one of these, but Stephan and I are pondering ways to make one. Stephan thinks we might be able to modify one of the walkers we already have by attaching a wide base with castors and installing a seat apparatus (the fabric part I can make using heavy cotton duck fabric - which is almost as strong as canvas, but my sewing machine can handle the thickness of it).  We are still processing how to attach the seat safely and securely. I have also found youtube videos of people building walkers out of PVC for handicapped people.  So, we might do PVC also.  I originally thought wood since I'm getting pretty comfortable with the jigsaw, but Stephan said it would be too heavy for her to move around.

Today, I'm in plan and plot mode.  Wish me luck and let me know if you've got good ideas!

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Mom and Grandma


Here's Mommy only about five years ago.  It's kind of disconcerting to see her beside the hospital bed.  And, the expression on Grandma's face is so like the expression that Mommy almost always has now.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

An Old Letter

Mommy and I have been looking through the boxes of things from her attic, and this letter was in with things that came from Elizabeth Bramhall's house.  I thought you all might find it as interesting as I did, and I thought it might be nice if we could find the descendants of the girl who was fainting, and redeliver this letter a hundred plus years after its first delivery.





My attempted transcription:

Washington
June 19th 93

Dear Mrs. Bramhall,
I suppose
you will be quite surprised
to receive a letter from
me I often intended
 writing you but put it off
from day to day I heard
from Mr. Donohue that
you had met with a sad
accident having broken you
arm it certainly must
have been painful to
you and I sincerely hope
that by this time you
are able to around
Your letter to me after

Page 2
your return home was
not answered because
I was (not?) interested in
hearing from you for your
letter was very welcome
but I would think of
answering your letter every
day and so time went by
until now and perhaps
you will be surprised to
hear I am going to let
my oldest daughter go up
your way with Mr. Donohue
he leaves here about
the 9th July and she
will go with him she
studied to (sic) hard at school
that she got nervous and
feinted (sic) several times
so I had to take her
to Baltimore for a week
but it done her no good

Page 3
so Mr. Donohue was
so kind as to invite her
to spend a while with
his wife I would like
her to go and see you
and all the folks who
was so kind to me
while here in Washington
and if you will let
her stay a week or two
in your nice country
home (??) your debt
and shall certainly not
forget you but I should
not talk of this as I know
you know what a trip
to the country means to
one who lives in the hot
city and has every little
thing to buy - I hope you
will not inconvenience

Page 4
yourself in any way
as all I want her to have
is your nice milk & butter
and go out in the fields
and get pleny of fresh
air we are the same as
you saw us (???) (???)
to live and take every
ones sass as you (???)
the Washington Cranks
are famous - and its
move (???)  (???) all the
time Sometime at your
leisure drop me a line
and I will be glad to
know your arm is quite
well Sincerely Your Friend
Rose A McDonald
No 223 - 1st ct N.E.



A dog named Ralph?

I wonder when Mommy had a dog named Ralph?  Maybe Pete or another one of you knows.  She ordered Scooby from the room a couple days ago with a strong command, "Ralph, you get out of here!"

Wouldn't it be interesting to know "when" she was when she said that.

Just curious.

Monday, May 4, 2015

TARDIS in progress



The TARDIS is not finished yet, but I've uploaded a few pics.  

I have a tiny piece of Mommy news too :-)  Today, I decided to leave the raisins out of her oatmeal to save her the trouble of picking them out - lol.  I think she appreciated it.

And, I'm with Jeanie, if we get it operational, I want to visit all the people we're learning about in our genealogy.  But, I don't think the TARDIS will take us there - although it would be heavenly.* 





*in the true, and perfect sense, of what heaven will actually be!

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Out in the Sunshine!


It's such a beautiful day today, and Mommy and I are enjoying the sunshine together on the porch.  In a few minutes, Stephan will be joining us, and he is going to put together the TARDIS!  I am so excited for us all to be enjoying this beautiful day.  (And, I'm very excited to get the TARDIS up.  Stephan will be using it for his tools and parts storage for his job.  So, it will clean up the porch - where those things are now located - and it will add a certain "Laura Peters lives here feel to our front porch.")

Mommy is really enjoying her time outside.  She's so interested in all the bees and the flowers and the cars and people going by.  I ask her every once in a while if she wants to go back in the house, and she says she'd rather stay out here.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Another Wonderful Visit


Mom has been having a wonderful visit with her grandson.  It was really nice for all of us to get a chance to see him.  (This is just a quick post to get the pic up since I know that Jeanie is going to be so happy to see it :-)  )