Christmas Decorations 2009

Caring for Mom

To borrow from my friend A.J., I have been a bad blogger lately. Just day to day life is keeping me so busy that I do not have time like I once had. And it seems so much easier to just post a sentence on Facebook and be done. That is the lazy way, anyway.

I also tend to draw into myself when I am upset or grieving about something. My life right now involves grief as I watch my Mom progress in her Alzheimer's disease. Caring for her is a full time job. My biggest adjustment so far is not having any alone time or spontaneous time to go see friends and family or just grocery shop. For 12 years now I have basically been alone and had gotten quite content with it. Now Mom gets up before I do or as soon as she hears me get up. Then at night she will not settle until all the lights are out and she thinks I am asleep. Caring for her consumes almost all of the time that I am not at work.

I have hesitated to blog about life with an Alzheimer patient for fear I will appear to be whining or complaining. As tiring as it is, it is still a great joy for me to care for my Mom and to know that I am doing everything I possibly can to make her last years as happy as they can be under the circumstances. Hopefully my blogging about this will help and encourage someone else. There have been times in my life when it helped me to know that I was not crazy, others have felt the same things.

There are times of frustration but also times of humor. Mom is getting hard of hearing or maybe just can not understand what I am talking about. I, on the other hand, have only one vocal cord and sometimes I am raspy. It makes for some laughs to hear what she thinks I said. And then there are the days that I feel like the movie Groundhog...Mom asks the same questions and I give the same answers. Sometimes I try to come up with a different way to say the same thing. Quite a challenge!

25% Off

Hey everybody! I am having a booth wide 25% off at Grannie's Attic. Ready to move out the old and get ready to refurnish with some different stuff. I'm getting tired of seeing the same old things in there. So if you have been eyeballing anything and wishing, now is the time to come on in and buy. Most cassettes will be 75 cents. An antique table and chairs will be $150.00. Just the chairs are worth more than that!

There are persimmon wood golf clubs, lots of knick knacks, pictures, iron crosses, wire baskets, etc. The wire baskets are new, not used, and would make really cute Christmas presents. So that is my sales pitch. Let's see if it works!

The Market Place

Here are some pictures from the new flea market which has opened in Monticello. It is located beside Queen City Furniture at the intersection of Hwy 425 and Hwy 278. There are still booths open for rent so if you have ever thought of getting into this business, now is the time.

I am excited about the direction our town is taking with all the flea market type businesses and resale shops. I will try and name the ones I can think of and if I miss one, I do apologize. There is Grannie's Attic, The Market Place, Discount Furniture houses one, Pam's store on the square (can't remember the name right now), Kay's Nest, Thrifty Chic, and Twice As Nice. And there is also the one in the old bus depot on Gaines. I hope all these shops will draw business for us from all around. More sales mean more sales tax for our city!

Changes

Things in life sometimes change more quickly than we would like. Mom moved in with me on August 31st. So far we are making it fine together. We have help during the day while I am at work and then we spend time together at night. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend this last bit of time with her before she progresses to the later stages of her Alzheimer's. She has been a good mother and I hope I can repay her just a bit in the next few weeks or months.

Looking at the following pictures you can see how difficult it is for her at my house (LOL):

Keith Michael & the Girls

These pictures warm my heart. This is a very different Keith than when I left there in June. So thankful that he is healthy and growing. Wishing I was there to spoil him.

Moving Past the Land of the Midnight Sun

One of my four blog readers asked me this week when I was going to get out of the land of the midnight sun. And in the last week I have also been accosted by three others who said they missed my updates on here. Why, I don't know, cause I live a very ordinary life, even boring life. So, I will try to catch you up without boring you with the details.

During my trip to Alaska to see my new grandson, he took a cold and spent nine days in the hospital in Anchorage. It shook me to my very core to think that we might lose him. But thank goodness God saw fit to bring him thru and we now have a healthy, strapping boy. I was so glad that I was out there to take care of the girls so Kristy and Mike could both be with Keith.

Then, I got home to my Mom who has Alzheimer's. Around the first of July she seemed to take a plunge. We tried a nursing home but she did not adjust well, so we now have her at home with daytime help. Helping with her care and dealing with my emotions about this situation has taken up a good deal of my time. I keep reminding myself of the quote on an email I get regularly: "Life is not the way its supposed to be...its the way it is... the way we cope with it is what makes the difference." I am trying my darnedest to cope!

Add to this mixture the fact that my best friend is dealing with the illness of both her parents; Andy was in a wreck and has a messed up shoulder; and I have made several trips to the doctor with various stuff such as colds, blood pressure and now a boil on my back (no picture to post LOL).

There, now, you are all caught up. Aren't you sorry you asked? Please be assured this is no pity party because my life is truly blessed on the other hand. My Alaska family is very happy. Abby has started first grade and Lilly starts pre-school this week. Keith is growing and thriving. I am starting to try and figure out when I can go see them again.

Andy and Donna are also very happy together. They have all joined my church. Lane' was saved at summer camp this summer and baptized a couple of weeks ago. Donna is in college and working full time too. I'll be glad when she is thru and things slow down so that I can see them more. Circumstances have kept me from seeing them as much as I would like to lately.

Now I have to go to a birthday party for my adopted granddaughter, Jordan. She is now 11 years old! I remember holding her close and rocking her when she was a baby. She still gives me big hugs and smiles every time I see her.

I will try and post some pictures on here later.

Land of the Midnight Sun

Bubby

Fun with my Girls