2008 Is Outta Here!

So my Grandmother has been living with the Caregiver at her in town home in Pine Mountain now for a week. She had several visitors drop by to see her last Saturday. The Caregiver actually took her to Church on Sunday… can you imagine? My Grandmother has not been to a Church for service in over two years! Her only complaint was that the service took too long… Ha-Ha! On Monday, they went shopping at one of the local dollar stores. And yesterday they drove all the way to Columbus and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then went to the movies for a matinee!! Can you believe it? My Grandmother has not been to a movie in YEARS. Of course, she pretty much slept through the entire movie… I mean it IS dark in the there and all….
So all in all, I would have to say that she couldn’t possibly be bored at her new home. I mean where would she be able to find the time to be bored when she is so busy flitting around like a socialite? Her new bed arrived today and her nurse will start showing up this Friday to assess her current physical condition being in a new home and all.
And today my Mother drove me to the wholesale store and I purchased 3 more cases of adult pull-ups for her- Super-Absorbent mind you. My tiny Grandmother packs a powerful punch when it comes to her business and only the Super-Absorbent will take care of it… Ha-Ha!
I am still very sore today on my third day of Recovery. We put up all of the Christmas knick-knacks except for the actual Christmas tree or its ornaments… I am saving that chore for Hubby whenever he decides to stay home with me and not at work long enough to do that job- hopefully this weekend at the latest.
Today was the last day of 2008 and tomorrow brings a new year. And what a year 2008 has been for me. I just hope and pray that 2009 turns out better.

Recovery Day 2

We finally made it back to our home here in Marietta on Saturday evening after all the Christmas festivites. How tired were we! We decided to catch a movie that night- "Seven Pounds"... and what a tear jerker it was! 4 out of 5 stars from me. We spent Sunday doing laundry, running errands and getting ready for my surgery the next morning. Well, the 7am gall bladder removal surgery went well and we were home around 1pm. I have four nice incisions visible in my tummy area to show the world. And I am VERY sore indeed! I spent most of yesterday either sleeping, hiccup-ing, drinking fluids and feeling very, very nauseated... it was awful! But, today I feel much better- the nausea is gone but, the soreness has really set in. I pretty much hung around the house all day relaxing... I did manage to get some of my Grandmother's business taken care of by phone too. My Mom is here too and she brought her little lap dog with her. So watching little Cooper goes nose to nose with big ol' Sampson is pretty entertaining. All in all, the day passed by pretty fast. Other than figuring out that daytime TV is awful, today was a good day.

Happy Christmas

Merry Christmas to one and all! Just like my Grandmother agreed with me earlier this afternoon, this has been one fabulous day for our family. We were up early and successfully picked up my Grandmother at her now former apartment. And she was SO ready to go! The lady who runs the kitchen told us when we first got there that my Grandmother had been walking around for a week just glowing… that she was the happiest she had EVER seen her in the past two years at the assisted living center. The lady said that she knew how happy my Grandmother was about going home and how much better should would be there. I packed her up a suitcase and we were headed back to our hometown to celebrate Christmas with friends and family. We had a great day seeing old friends and family, eating wonderful food and treats, watching my nephew rack up on Santa goodies and being lazy.
And then we took her to her home… and praise the Lord it happened without a single problem! She took the Caregiver wonderfully… we stayed around for a couple of hours with her and she just blended right in to the lady’s home. I could not have asked for a better transition… what a wonderful Christmas Day. Let me spread my happiness… Happy Christmas!

God Is Good.

God is good.
Those are the words that have kept vibrating in my ears over and over and over for the past week. And how true it is…
I carried out my plan as outlined prior to my trip last week to El Paso. I returned to Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon and then made the trip back home to meet the new Caregiver in person. Both of my parents met me there to meet this lady and the meeting went pretty well. She lives in an old Victorian house right smack in the middle of town- the house has been completely renovated. When we walked into the door, the smell of pie just knocked you over. She had baked eight pecan pies that day for Christmas gifts!
She is a collector of many things… mostly trinkets… angels mostly. I just hope my Grandmother doesn’t break any of them! And she does have two little lap dogs and a bird… maybe my Grandmother will grow to love and enjoy them… She will be my Grandmother’s companion 24/7… she will take her to Callaway to see the flowers, she will take her to the cemetery to visit my Grandfather, she will do her hair, she will take her to Church, she will do any thing she wants or needs…she cooks only homemade country meals… she loves to work in the yard… all the thing my Grandmother used to enjoy so much… it all just sounds too good to be true…
We left there and took off for my Grandmother to break the news to her. I picked her up at her apartment and took her to the restaurant to meet my parents for supper. We settled into our meals when I finally started telling her… at first she cried. Then, she asked each of them what they thought about it (of course, not me since I am the instigator of all evil!). Then she cried a little more… after 30 minutes of explaining to her that she would be fine and love this lady and enjoy being in her home town again where all of her friends are, she was fine… we told her she had one week until we brought her home for Christmas… for good. She seemed okay with all of this when I left her that evening. I left the 30-day notice letter under the Director’s door that night. The next morning when I called her to make sure she remembered the upcoming move…not only did she pick up the phone on the second ring (which has not happened in a long time) she told me very clearly that she was ready to go home. I questioned her eagerness to go… she said she talked to God about it the night before and he told her that she should go to this lady. I could not have been happier at that moment! She was actually excited about it! And every day since that moment, on every phone call I make to her, she still brings it up and asks questions about her new home, the lady, and how much longer before she leaves…
I know that at first she will not like it. I know this transition will be a tough one for her and the rest of us. She will hate it for the first few weeks but hopefully the Caregiver will win her over with pie or homemade sweet potato soufflé. Heck, maybe we can move in with her too if she is going to just keep cooking like that!
So the move is on… I did talk to the Director that next day… she was so shocked over the letter under her door. I did not give her any negative feedback on their end at all- it is after all water under the bridge at this point. Besides, why cause ripples when the other is such a great thing for my Grandmother? I have worked out most of the other things like medical prescription transfers, etc. So now I am just waiting for Christmas Day… More like Moving Day for some of us… Fingers crossed!
Oh, and God is good.

My Christmas Wish

I have my plan in place today. Now we just have to wait until my flight arrives in Atlanta from El Paso tomorrow afternoon... barring no flight delays. I will be driving down to my home town to meet the Sitter in person. If she is everything I think she is now, this mission is a Go! Again, I just keep praying that my Grandmother's reaction tomorrow evening is as happy and elated as mine is right now over this. And then every thing else will just fall into place...

Over the weekend Hubby asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year... I told him this is my Christmas wish.

The Crossroads Along Dementia Lane

I am at a crossroads this week. And I think I know which way to turn, but I keep questioning myself. Besides being terribly busy between work, travel, boot camp, karate, Christmas, my Grandmother and my upcoming surgery (oh, did I mention that I am going into surgery the Monday after Christmas?), I am facing a huge, huge decision regarding my Grandmother. And this decision will turn the tables completely around in our dance with dementia. I am looking at an opportunity that is so big for her that it will change her world in epic proportions- but in a really great way. Here is how it all started:
Last Sunday night I received a phone call from one of her dearest friends from back home. She told me about how another lady in the Church had approached her regarding a caregiver in our hometown that cared for elderly folks with dementia. She gave me a brief description and a phone number. I did not really think too much about it right then. A couple of days later (after more reports from the sitter about my Grandmother’s bizarre behavior) I started pondering the thought of calling the other lady from the Church. After talking with my Mom, she called her first and got the information. Then, I called the lady from the Church myself and asked my own questions. It felt right to call the Caregiver lady myself by then. I made the call last Wednesday after I arrived home from my work trip to El Paso. We talked for over an hour! She had an answer to every question or scenario I threw at her! She has spent the last 8 years caring a for a doctor and his wife there in my hometown- the husband past after the first 5 years and then the wife 3 years later. The wife was bed-ridden the entire last year of her life and never had a bed sore the entire time! This Caregiver has experience in caring for even the worse conditions… immobility, dementia, incontinence; you name it- she knows how to take care of it. She has all of the medical equipment in her home to help care for my Grandmother, as she needs them: hospital bed with rails, walkers, wheelchairs, etc. She was a hairdresser in her previous life- so that takes care of her hair! She will cook her favorite foods, dress her, bathe her, deal with her incontinence, take her out for walks, read to her, play her favorite music, help her answer the phone when we call, let us come visit any time, the whole 900 yards!
Today I called the son of the couple she cared for mentioned above, he told me that if was lucky enough to find this lady and get to use her care giving services, I would be the second luckiest person in the world next to him being the first. I think that statement says it ALL.
There are so many things to do in order for this transition to happen and I am frantically trying to work them over the course of the next few days. I am out of town for work again Monday to Wednesday- El Paso again. A trip to my hometown after my trip to meet this Caregiver in person seems to be the next step. And then on to tell my Grandmother will be the next step. I have a rough draft mapped out of the way it will have to have happen considering my travel schedule, Christmas and my surgery. But, we have to move quickly because it looks like the sitter I am paying to stay with her night where she lives now is going to be a permanent fixture after my Grandmother’s episode by herself one night last night. I will not expose the details but believe me- it was a filthy scene. One that could be avoided if she had that 1 on 1 care that a Caregiver can provide- like the lady I am pondering.
I will have to give notice to the place where she lives now too. I just hope that does not turn into a big ordeal based on the big deal they made over the whole sitter-hiring episode. That was all their little cup of tea anyway.
I think I have a plan. I am pretty sure I have a plan that will work. And that will work for the best… the best for my Grandmother and the best for her family. I cannot think of a better Christmas gift to give her- the gift of moving home. She will be at home in her home town, just a block from her Church, just down the road from her friends, just a few miles from her family… I just pray she grasps this opportunity with open arms. This is my prayer for this Christmas holiday season. Won’t you join me?

Around The World In 15 Minutes

We decided to use all four days off work over the Thanksgiving holiday to go to my hometown and celebrate the holiday w/ my family, do some serious deer hunting, and spend some time one of the four days spring cleaning my Grandmother’s house. That was the plan. Or should I say at least that WAS the plan. It sounded so good when we talked about it before we left for the holiday.
I picked up my Grandmother at her apartment on my way down there since Hubby and I took separate vehicles. Just like the last time, she was far from ready to go. As a matter of fact, I found her standing in an inch or so of water in her bathroom with the top of her pants down around her thighs. She was trying to rinse out a very dirty washcloth and had some how over flowed the sink resulting in the mini-flood. After some investigation, I found wads of toilet paper stuck all around the drain in the sink and that seem to be clogging the water from going downward. After 5 or so minutes of mopping I had most of the water gone and then wound up wiping down the toilet, sink and cabinet in the meantime… the mysterious brown splotches all over the bathroom were back even after I wiped them up just a couple of weeks ago.
I then discovered another huge wet spot in the middle of her bedroom floor in front of the dresser… only a couple of inches from the last one I found… and it was wet and again smelling like urine. I was baffled over this one… she has no idea about it when asked… I manage to inspect her person… she once again needs her garments changed and clean clothes. I clean her up and start looking for her “missing” underwear. (The staff informed me on my way in that she needed more underwear since hers were all missing). I start looking through all her drawers in the cabinet… none to be found. And then I opened her cedar chest… she must have crammed every stitch of clothing in that chest that was not hanging in the closet! I am sniffing every piece of clothing I pull out of there and putting anything that looked or smelled remotely dirty into a pile and hanging up the rest in the closet. I must have found 10 pair of soiled underwear just crammed into the bottom up under everything else! It was awful. She must have been hiding them every time she messed on herself. I wound up with a big bag of laundry to wash today, get her dressed, and take off for turkey dinner at my Mom’s.
This day with my Grandmother proved to be a multitude of “trips around the world in 15 minutes” as I call them. Why do you ask? Because her mind was ALL over the place! She asked me several times before we even got to my Mom’s if I had any children. Huh?
The thing is that she tends to nod off to sleep almost every time she is sitting down and has not conversed with someone or is not moving around… and then she dozes off…and when she wake up… Bam! Her brain starts all over again… one time she jumped up and exclaimed, “This is not my house! Who are you?” to me and my Mom… Another time she was sitting in the recliner dozing and then all of a sudden she just starts crying out loud as if on cue…when I ask her what is wrong she starts rambling on about how I won’t buy her any thing or how she never gets to go any where. A few minutes later and she is back dozing and we start all over again. She asked several times about “where is that little girl?”… and we have NO clue as to who she is talking about! You ask who she is looking for and she gets angry so fast…it was such a long, burdening day for me that guiltily I just had to get her out of there towards mid-afternoon. I felt so guilty to take her back to her apartment but the many trips around her brain (the world) just about killed us that day. On top of dealing with her mind, I also hand scrubbed ten pair of soiled underwear, one pair of pants and several socks… all before we even ate Thanksgiving dinner! She ate the entire meal with her fingers again… the fork is just not comprehendible to her anymore… she seems to mumble a lot more these days… so quietly though I find myself constantly saying to her, “Huh? What did you say?”… After twenty times of asking that throughout the day, I had had enough. I left her at her apartment with all clean laundry shortly before her suppertime.
Of course, the hot topic of the night once I returned to my Mom’s was her behavior. I bounced theories and ideas off my Mom… it is always the never-ending question, “What am I going to do?” And the answer is always out of my reach…
Hubby and I got up really early the next morning to go deer hunting. I was climbing a very high stand in the pitch dark around 6:30am… I, for one, am not a fan of walking through the woods in the dark at that time in the morning… especially in unfamiliar territory. Hubby made sure I got all the way up into the very tiny, very rickety, swivel one-seater stand. I had been in the stand about 30 minutes when the phone call came in… just as dark was turning to light… that moment at dawn when the woods are really quiet… and then the buzzing of the cell phone broke the silence… the caller ID showed the assisted living center’s main number…I am thinking, “are you kidding me?”… I answer very, very quiet, “hello” and a voice on the other end tells me that my Grandmother has fallen and they think she has broken her arm… “Seriously?”… Yes, we think she needs to go to the ER…. Needless to say, I was stranded on someone’s land with no vehicle and there was no way I could get there quick enough to escort her to the ER… so I calledd my Mom, woke her up and asked her to go check it out….
Well to make a long story short, I met them at the ER just after the X-rays were taken and the Doctor tells us that she has broken her shoulder. She, of course, has no clue and does not remember that she is in pain until she moves the arm a certain way. They send us away with a sling and pain meds… and orders to call and set up an appointment with the Orthopedic Doctor the following week. We get back to the apartment and I realize that she cannot be by herself since she now has one arm only. I wound up hiring one of the ladies that works there to sit with her at night to help her dress, undress, bathe, go to the bathroom, eat, etc. In the meantime, we have managed to successfully move her into adult “pull-ups” to help with her “potty issues”… so far this has been the only thing that has worked out since that day. The sitter has discovered that the wet spots on the floor in the bedroom are from her urinating in front of the dresser in the middle of the night instead of the bathroom. She wakes up, gets out of bed, walks over to the dresser, squats and pees… isn’t that something? How do you teach an old dog a new trick? Like how to use the pull-ups instead for crying out loud! I am baffled more and more with every passing day.
On Monday, the new director of the assisted living center confronts me about hiring a sitter without using their in-house program (which would cost us double the hourly rate by the way)… I tell her it was a 4-day holiday and they would not be back for 3 days and I needed a sitter THEN. She tells me that the Owner is upset and that the sitter will have to be reprimanded… I politely reiterate my case again. After several rounds of this, she finally agrees to turn their head this time… but, no more after this one time. I am again baffled… I already have enough on me with the shoulder and incontinence issues- please just throw another burden onto me!
Then, I found out that my Grandmother’s sister has called my Mother and informed her that she will no longer be able to take her to get her weekly hair appointments since the beautician will not work on her with a broken shoulder… Huh? Turns out that her sister was just using this as an excuse to get out of her commitment to my Grandmother… Great, another issue to deal with! Another ball of fire! I call on my Father to see if he will help with getting her to the hair appointments… he steps up to the plate. The balls of fire and torture keep flying at me and keep dodging them…
I take a half day off the following Thursday to take her to the Ortho Doctor… he tells us that her shoulder is not broken after all! Relief all around…just bruised and lots of arthritis…
I pay the sitter that afternoon… whew, not a light fee… but, worth her safety…. To this day the sitter is still there… have not decided when to stop having her there as a safety net… the fear of her falling again or peeing a river in her bedroom frightens me daily into keeping the sitter… again, what AM I going to do?

Victory is Oh So Sweet!!

THIS ONE SAYS IT ALL!
I actually met this guy at the UGA vs. Alabama tailgate earlier this season... he doesn't look so happy now!











Go Jackets Go!!!

Congrats to Dr. Andrews

Congratulations to Dr. Andrews on her new journey in Columbus! Check out the article "Andrews Selected As Muscogee County Superintendent" from the LE. We are really going to miss her...

My Friend Nick

A little over a week ago I received one of those phone calls that just turns your world upside-down. We had lost another member on my Mother’s side of the family. He was not actually related to us by blood but, he was my cousin, Heather’s fiancé… he was her best friend, her lover, her soul mate, her night and her day. He was only 33 years old and was not ready to go. Nor were we ready for him to leave. I had the pleasure of being around Nick on 4 or 5 occasions throughout the course of their relationship. I remember the first time I met him… I had flown out to Denver, Colorado… Heather picked me up and drove me to their home on the side of one of the peaks in Breckenridge… he came shuffling out of the garage in ratty jeans, house shoes, a Harley Davidson hooded sweatshirt and multiple colors of paint all over him. He was shorter than me, shorter than Heather and the funniest accent for someone living in a Colorado ski town. He welcomed me into his home, shared with me his food, his drink and showed me all of his many, many paintings. Yep, he was an artist and a great artist at that… I saw so much of what he sees on canvas that day. I especially fell in love with one of his paintings of the deepest bluest sea colors and random eyeballs floating in it… sounds strange but so profound in the coloring. Nick was so full of life… just like his paintings…. He lived life to the fullest each and every day…. He was so blessed that he had the means and the drive to do all the crazy things and ideas that he created. He showed me so much handiwork he had completed on their house from the paint on the walls to the hardscapes in the yard. I swear he had hand painted every inch of space in that house whether sponged, rolled or brushed…. And it was absolutely beautiful. During that trip he made sure that I got to see all that Breckenridge had to offer… we went 4x4-ing all over the mountains where the old mining towns and mines are… he took me to shoot his rifles and skeet with his shotguns… he was blown away at how good I was! We toured all of Breck and all of the surrounding towns too… what a great time in Colorado in September…
They came home to GA that Christmas in the same year… Nick was officially introduced to the family…
And then I visited them again a year later only this time with Mike… and again, we were welcomed with open arms. And they took us all over the mountains touring… to Vail… to Keystone… such a great time! Mike and I had a blast…
Before we got to see them again, Mike and I engaged and married and they moved from Breck to Jupiter, Florida… always so far away! But, we did see them last September when they came up to GA for a weeklong visit… we had a blast riding around on the ATV all over the countryside.
And that was the last time I saw him…
And I can absolutely kick myself in the butt for not making an attempt to go see them at their new home in Florida all this time…. There is always an open invite to come down there and we are always just “too busy” to do it… and now it is too late.
We lost Nick Friday, November 14… doing one of the things he loved to do… scuba diving…. Always the extreme sportsman… Always into something… Always living life to the fullest! I grieve for my cousin every time I think of what she felt at that moment when the police came to the door that evening and told her that he was gone… I cannot fathom what that must feel like… it makes me hug my Husband tighter every time he leaves me now to go to work, to the store, to any where. I pray after him on his way to any where his path leads him… because who knows if he makes it back or not. Even the strongest woman who has lived on her own for 33 years can become dependent on their spouse of only 2 years on so many levels. I cannot imagine my life without my Husband even after only 2 years…and to have that all snatched away from someone in a heartbeat is just unimaginable. I understand why my cousin has not talked to me yet… it is just too soon. And I am only a reminder of their past… I really do not know what I am going to say to her when the time comes… I tear up every time I think of what words to tell her… it is going to be hard when I do… but, the most important thing is that she know that we love her and she will never be alone…it will just take time… lots and lots of time…
We miss you Nick! May you Rest In Peace sweet friend.
Nick Felipe
July 25, 1975 - November 14, 2008

Lions, Tigers and Cougars? No more!

A friend of mine posted this link for an article from one of the local newspapers back home- Hunter Bags Cougar at West Point Lake... and I just had to share. Considering the fact that Hubby and I will be spending a LOT of time in the woods next week hunting for deer over the Thanksgiving holidays, I thought that having this animal gone was a great thing... makes me feel better knowing it is not around any more. You see the same friend has been talking about her "mountain lion" sightings for quite a while now within just a few miles of the cat's location... and no one believed her!

Alls Well That Ends Well...

I spent my work day today heading out to Villa Rica in the western part of the state to turn in a bid for an upcoming project there. I had mixed feelings about this project before we bid it and going back out there today just solidified my feelings. You see I worked on a project just across the street from this upcoming project site back in 2002 and have no desire to go back there for work. Well the good news is that we were not low bidder today. The bad news is that we were the highest bidder at the bid opening… last place and our price was more than 30% higher than the lowest bidder! It was so embarrassing to hear our huge bid called out so much higher than the others. But, I was internally breathing a sigh of relief. Alls well the ends well…

A Piece Of History GONE

So after I dropped my Grandmother off back at her apartment on Saturday, I cruised to my hometown to check on the roofer that I hired to install a new roof on her house. As I was driving through the main drag in town I immediately spotted the guy in the trackhoe with a grappling hook on the railroad tracks.... and how surprised was I when I saw that he was using that equipment to pull up all the railroad ties that once held the rail road tracks through town!

The story is that someone bought that skinny strip of land and is now removing all of the railroad tracks along their newly aquired land... more like removing history if you ask me! Pine Mountain formerly known as Chipley, would not even be on the map if it wasn't for those tracks!! Mr. W. P. Chipley who founded Chipley, FL (near the Panama City area) financed the railroad extension from Columbus, GA to Chipley, GA (also named after him too) and that extension along with FDR and Cason Callaway's Gardens helped boost the Town of Pine Mountain to the booming metropolis we all know and love. (Note that the town's name Chipley was changed to Pine Mountain in 1957.) Anyhoo, back on my original gripe, WHO in their right mind would tear out this HUGE piece of our history? I have many, many great childhood memories surrounding those tracks in town and by the time I get home next week for Thanksgiving, the tracks will be completely GONE. What a crock!

What AM I Going To Do?

I made the long trip down to the assisted living center this past Saturday morning to spend the day with my Grandmother. When I got there the staff was setting up for the annual Thanksgiving dinner and I briefly met and spoke with the new Director- seems like a nice enough lady. When I met my Grandmother in the hallway she was carrying a few items in her hands and smelling slightly like poop… I knew instantly that this was going to be a long day. I asked her why she was carrying around in her hands the toothpaste tube, the sink drain plug, a bottle of lotion and her wallet…. She said that she had “found them” and she wanted to “show somebody”. I lead her back to the apartment… only to be greeted by more of the stench… I proceeded to put those few things back in their place and then started to look for the source of the “stench”… I really could not find anything in the bathroom or the bedroom- so it had to be her. I did find a huge wet spot on the carpet in front of her dresser- that turned out to be urine. I do not want to go into the gory details of my ugly day spent cleaning up my Grandmother and her apartment… and a frantic cleaning at that for 2 long hours before the noon Thanksgiving dinner! But, basically what it boils down to is that my Grandmother cannot seem to remember what to do after she uses the bathroom… hence, the stench. I am not sure how to explain the 24” diameter wet spot in the carpet unless she crouched there to pee thinking it was the toilet? Who knows… what I do know is that when I confronted her about the spot she tried to blame on those “other” people who come in here and use the bathroom… or “that man who runs down the hall” and takes her money and a whiz at the same time…? I just smiled and told her how much I loved her. And then I proceeded to ask her the touchy subject of her consistent “mishaps” with peeing or pooping… she just bawled. I explained to her that it was okay to do it… just call for help right when it happens so she won’t forget about it and leave it. Lord only knows if she will remember any thing I told her that day. As much as I scrubbed the carpet, the furniture, the bathroom, and her you would hope she would remember… but, again, probably not! And I even washed a load of dirty clothes too…
The turkey dinner was really good… and she proceeded to eat the entire meal with her fingers… I tried countless times to give her the fork and she would just stare at it as if she had no idea what it was for. But, she did eat the entire plate of food and dessert- with her fingers though…
After dinner, we did a little shopping at wal-mart as quickly as possible… she had a ball being out of the apartment but, she kept asking me about where we were… she could not remember the store or the town we were in…
I got her back to the apartment, put up her purchases, checked her wallet (which did not have all the money stolen as she informed several times earlier in the week), and said my goodbyes…Needless to say, I have a LOT to think about…

Good Ol' Hell Paso... I Mean El Paso

I arrived home last night from my 3-day trip to El Paso for work. I left on Monday morning bound for the armpit of America and what a trip it was! First of all, I was pulled out of line at airport security in the Atlanta airport so they could inspect my bags for a suspicious item. When the guy proceeded to inform that I had a “vibrat__….” I could not contain my shock at what in the world he could be referring to… and since my shock filled my ears instead of listening to the entire phrase, I would have known he was talking about my vibrating neck pillow that Hubby gave me for my birthday! I was so embarrassed… supposedly the mechanism that makes the vibrations looks something like a terrorist bomb?
I make it onto the plane only to find out that I have a middle seat… Crap! I hate middle seats! And wouldn’t you know I had a lady 1.5 times bigger than me on the left and a man with a major case of OCD on the right (both elbow rest hoggers mind you) so I had absolutely NO arm rests for the entire 3 hour trip! I was so restless and uncomfortable the whole trip. I could not get off that plane fast enough…
I stayed a much nicer than normal hotel with a great fitness center… too bad my key card did not want to cooperate with my entering the fitness room…
El Paso weather was gorgeous… lows in the high 30’s and low 40’s and highs in the 60’s… and VERY windy! I browsed through some really nice sporting stores after work each night. And the groceries there are so much cheaper than here in Georgia- a ½ gallon of milk was only $1.00!! Yet, gas was much higher than here… the QT on the way to the Atlanta airport before I left on Monday was $1.99/gallon and in El Paso it was $2.44/gallon… glad I didn’t drive too much…
My Superintendent took me to lunch for some authentic Mexican food after our meeting on Tuesday… very tasty and VERY spicy! I almost cracked up when I used the ladies room at the signs posted on the back of the stall door.

Yikes! Do they really do that here? My last night I enjoyed some really good barbeque and then attempted a short shopping trip through wal-mart… bad idea… I must have been the only English-speaking person in that store! It feels very odd to be standing in the men’s section and hear all Spanish around you.
I really like the El Paso airport… the rental cars are at the airport so no shuttle buses to ride on. The Delta employee at the ticket counter informed me that Atlanta is their only destination from El Paso… how convenient? My gate is the first one just past security…, which worked out really great since I got held up AGAIN at security for that darn pillow! I think I will have to dissect the mechanism out of the pillow before my next trip…
The plane was only half full on the way back to Atlanta… I took note that we had several military troops on the flight. I was honored to strike up a conversation with one of them who was sitting in front of me. We talked off and on the entire way back. He told me how much he loves being in the army and how he was on his way to see his fiancé. They are marrying on January 1st… and then he will be deployed overseas. He answered all of my crazy questions about their guns, their exercise routines, their tanks, vehicles, etc. What a great guy! I wished him much luck on his way to Mayberry, NC… and then onto the unknown… How fitting since Veterans Day was Tuesday…

Why?

I am kind of between a rock and hard place tonight. I had a conversation with my Grandmother’s sister this evening in which she informed me that the new Director at the assisted living center (where my Grandmother resides) has approached her wanting to discuss my Grandmother’s current condition. So I made a phone call to one of the assistant managers (I know her from my childhood) to find out what was going on before I call the new Director tomorrow. (Of course, I think that if the new Director has an issue to discuss about my Grandmother, she should call ME.) I talked to my “friend” for over 30 minutes about my Grandmother and to sum it up, she seems to think she has really gone downhill a LOT the past few weeks. I felt like I was defending my Grandmother’s mental and physical capacity the ENTIRE conversation! I agree that her ability to put together words into a sentence has been a real challenge recently. And I agree that she can be confused pretty often. But, she is still HERE mentally. She still knows who she is and who I am. She cannot call out names but she recognizes family and friends that are in her life often. She droned on and on about how my Grandmother keeps forgetting how to go the bathroom, how she can hardly feed herself anymore, how she misses the chair every time she goes to sit down, etc. I was practically fighting tears by the end of our conversation especially after she said, “Kelly, you are in a tough, tough position and I cannot tell you what to do about her”. Really? Because I do not know what to do about her either! How does any body know what to do with their 80 year old Grandmother with Stage 2-3 dementia and glaucoma so severe that she is almost legally blind? She does not bother the other residents, she just tears up her own stuff in her own apartment and then forgets that she did it… and then tries to blame “those people” that came in there and did it! This is nothing new for me… she started this over 2 years ago! And now they want to move her to the “other side” of the place where the severe Alzheimer’s folks are and that would just KILL her… I cannot even imagine the consequences I would endure from her if they make us move her over there. She hates that side because she feels like a prisoner behind locked doors. The really severe residents on that side sleep all day in the TV room and drool on themselves. They have no clue who they are and where they are. I spent several days with her on that side when we first moved her in almost two years and it scared the crap out of me! I talked with one of the floor ladies tonight and she was telling me the same stuff as the first one! She thinks that my Grandmother would get more care and more of the attention she needs over there… I am at a loss at this point. I now have the black cloud of more burdens on me and I do not know what in the world to do. I keep asking Why? And the answers never come… Will there ever be peace in the world dementia? Probably not.

Gun Rush

So Hubby has been wanting a new gun for a while now… and with Christmas around the corner we decided to go shopping this evening for one. Well, how surprised were we when the gun shop employee informed us that they only had one left in stock and would not get anymore until probably February because of the gun rush caused by the election results. One termed it as “an Oboma Sale”… and that they probably had the only one of these guns left in Cobb County since the mad rush Wednesday morning after the election. No purchase for us though- they had it marked up over 50% the usual price!

We did stock up on our ammo though… no one can ever have enough ammo… and we had a great time browsing through the camo section in the sporting goods store. We are planning on doing some serious deer hunting over the next few weeks back home with the holidays and all. We cannot wait!

It Is That Simple

If you want to voice your personal opinions and beliefs regarding the subject of my posts, go write your own blog with your own views. My blog contains my personal thoughts and if you do not agree with my opinion or do not like my written thoughts, then do not leave a comment. It is that simple. Period.

Key Largo- Been There, Done That

We got back from our little trip to the Keys yesterday morning... earlier than scheduled! We got up really, really early on Monday morning and managed to get on the first flight out and in 1st class! Hubby and I had a wonderful 2 hour flight home in nice big seats! We were very ready to come home after 4 nights in balmy south Florida... As usual, the islands and water were gorgeous and the weather was great. It was hard to leave the cold in Atlanta, go to very warm Florida and arrive back in the cold... just hope I stay well since I am flying again next week to west Texas!
Enjoy the pics...

Today Is The Day That The Lord Hath Made...

Well election day is finally here… and what a long, tumultuous ride it has been! I managed to keep my opinion to myself up until this past weekend… that is what happens after you have absorbed so much one-sided information from the ongoing media crap Hubby keeps on the boob-tube. They report the same stories over and over (mostly about the liberal senator) and I can only take so much of it!
The most amusing part of it all to me was the responses that I get toward my blog and its content. Most of the responses remind me of people who I can only imagine live under a rock and live some fantasy tale where they just float through life only hearing a few facts and not actually looking at the entire picture. They are dreamers, wishers, hopefuls, idealists, romantics… always optimistic and never realist… I am sorry but I live in the real world and the real world sucks. It involves a job, responsibilities, purpose, loyalty, integrity, goals, a plan for the future, and a back up plan for obstacles… I could go on and on… but, thinking about it and everything else in the world makes my head ache.
I will say that I thought for a long time today about what exactly upsets me the most about this election. It is not the fact that the Democrats might get elected to office… I really do not mind the Democratic party- to a certain extent. It is really just that I do not like their candidate. Their candidate is what angers me the most… there are just way too many questions revolving around him and his history and his beliefs and it makes me uncomfortable- I just do not know how to explain it to be honest. And it just amazes me how many folks are infatuated with him because he is so “cool” and because he is the Hollywood stars’ choice… blah, blah, blah…
I got the polls around 3:50 this afternoon, walked right in and voted, and was back in my car by 4:00pm… I said a short prayer when I pushed the touch screen for the X next to McC’s name… today I prayed for us… and our country… may God bless us…and our country…

Angrier By The Minute

I am seriously worried about the future of this country depending on what happens on Tuesday. I believe that the liberal media has influenced this election to their point of view so much that every “news” channel on television is reporting the same line of crap. Why is the liberal media airing 80-90% pro-Oboma and only 10-20% McCain? Every “news” channel I flipped to for the past two months is pro-liberal Oboma and his false idol views. They have seriously put him up on a high pedestal and turned him into a Hollywood star. He truly is the next American idol… or should I say anti-American idol? Who knows at this point? In my opinion, he is the most UN-American presidential candidate in history. He claims to be one thing and yet his history says different. He is all about “changing’ this country… yet, I have not heard one changing tactic that will make any difference to my life. He is nothing but a smiling star in an expensive suit with a huge following of folks who keep proclaiming that he is for their special “rights”… would someone please explain to me what “rights” they are fighting for beyond the rights that we the general population already have? Are they special in that they get different or more rights than the rest of us?
And what about his ability to spend millions of dollars on television air time? Why would a liberal who wants everyone to donate all of their “extra” earnings to the poor people go and spend $3million dollars on a television infomercial on him? Why not donate those freaking $3million dollars to the poor? Why not donate all that campaign money to the poor so the rest of us can keep our hard-earned money for our retirement? This whole entitlement mentality just needs to stop now. It should be my choice to donate my money to the poor or charitable- not the government’s decision! It should be a gift from me to the charity of my choice… not taken from me by law and given to whoever the governments deems needy of it.
I am so angry this week and the closer we get to Tuesday and the more I keep hearing the same crap on television, radio or internet, the angrier I get! All I do know is that whatever happens Tuesday is in the hands of the higher power in the heavens and I cannot do anything to change it or control it. I do know that I do not have to support or honor the false idol if the liberals manage to vote him into office… isn’t that what freedom of speech is all about, right?

Chillin' In the Keys

We are in Key Largo, Florida tonight. We arrived yesterday in Miami via the big bird, rental a really ugly car and took our time cruising southbound towards the Keys... stopped at some dive seafood place on Highway 1 and ate awesome raw oysters, peel-n-eat shrimp, lobster bisque soup and some of the best sweet tea ever! Made it to Tavanier, checked into our island paradise hotel on the sea in the early afternoon and then spent the rest of the day and evening chilling with old and new friends by the pool and the bay. Watched the most beautiful sky at sunset EVER... took lots of pics of the sunset- will post them when we get back. Rehearsal dinner was tonight on Islamorada island complete with yummy key lime pie and tomorrow is the beach casual wedding between the palms here behind the hotel on the bay... gotta go get another drink... until the next post...

Huh??!!?

I am deeply saddened today after receiving the news last night that a couple of my dearest friends are divorcing…. I arrived home to find a letter in the mailbox written by the wife informing me that they were parting ways… So sad! You see this is not just another failed marriage of a couple of “young folks” in their 20’s or 30’s. This special couple was an “older couple” who both have lifelong successful careers, had previous successful marriages, have grown children, grand children, etc., etc. The list of accomplishments goes on and on… they married just 7 years ago… they were so in love… or so it seemed… I got to know them at our Church in Atlanta… I formed a special bond with them… and so reading that letter last night just crushed me. Hubby was out of town last night so I had no one to vent to… besides, he never really got to know them in these past few short years. I have a million thoughts passing through my mind today and I have not yet out how to simply “process” this turn of events.
I suppose I can ponder the situation while we are on our last short vacation of this year… we leave tomorrow for Key Largo… hopefully, this wedding and reunion with old friends will take my mind of it. This too shall pass…

Early Bird Gets The Vote?

I could not believe my eyes this morning at 5:15am when the little old white haired lady showed up at the park where we were getting ready to start boot camp… she was there to get in line TO VOTE. Huh???!!! At 5:15am? Come on! Seriously! Who in their right mind would show up just short of two hours before they open the early polls (and in 35 degree temps no less) to wait to vote? Call me crazy but that is just a tad on the kooky side of thinking… By the time we finished our workout the parking lot was PACKED with vehicles… folks practically running to get into line! I am really start to worry that Election Day will be one huge headache for those of us who did not have the opportunity to early vote… All I can do is just hope that the masses get all voted up before November 4th so the remaining few of us won’t be waiting for hours on the big day… Fingers crossed!

Meet Joe the Plumber

Even the most liberal leftie has to laugh at this political cartoon! Come on, people! It IS funny!!! Smile, the political season is almost over...;-D

Made It Thru!

I am happy to report that I made it through my medical procedure this morning without dying of starvation up to it... Hubby took me for a scrumptious cajun seafood lunch since I went to bed last night talking about my craving for seafood. I must have fell asleep today under the spell of anesthesia while telling the doctor that I was leading the Sprints workout tomorrow morning at Boot Camp... because when I woke up he made I sure I knew that he understood how important it was for me to be at Boot Camp tomorrow to lead!
And also how I made sure he know how much those 5:30am campers were depending on me! TOO Funny!
So Hubby and I spent today together... taking it easy... and I will definitely be at Boot Camp tomorrow...

Life In The Fasting Lane...

I finally made it back from my work trip to Albuquerque late Friday night…only after my flight was delayed twice for a total of three hours getting me home well after 10pm vs. the 6pm I should have been home. And that was hardly enough time to get home and de-stress from my nine hour ordeal between both airports! That flight back was a bit hairy too… Atlanta had so much fog and was so overcast that the visibility factor was troubling. I was sweating the entire time the pilot had the landing gear down and the plane seemed so close to the ground… yet, I could not anything but clouds from my window! And then all of a sudden we were below the cloud cover and practically hitting the runway almost instantly… very scary experience!
On Saturday we made our way to my old alma mater Georgia Tech to meet up with some old college friends at a tailgate and then on to the Homecoming game.

We enjoyed catching up with some folks I have not seen in a long time, ate some really good food and then watched the Jackets unfortunately get beat by the Cavaliers. It was so great to see campus again and the weather was perfect! And then to end a great day, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a nice restaurant on the way home.
Well, today has been a totally different experience for me all the way around… today is the first day EVER in my life that I have not eaten a single bite of solid food. I am scheduled for a medical procedure tomorrow that requires me not to eat at all today… and I swear I am dying of starvation! Hubby busted me watching shows on the Food Network today and after he promised to fast WITH ME all day today, I busted him eating peanut butter crackers in the early afternoon! We had coffee for breakfast, Starbucks drinks at the grocery store, broth for lunch, soda and Gatorade all day long and the prescription drinks for supper tonight. The broth seriously tasted like liquid sodium… and I think I hit the starvation wall of terror around 5pm… the headache, the dizziness and gnawing insides have driven me mad all evening… and then the sick feeling in my gut from drinking all that nasty medical solution has not helped matters… And I am just now 25 hours into the no-food zone… and the saddest part is that I will not eat for another 14 hours!! I have moved around slowly all day trying not to generate much energy for fear of getting hungry too soon. I did help Hubby in the yard some to get my mind off the food factor. I just hope I can fall asleep tonight… I am sure I will feel even worse in the morning when I get up… the dizzy headaches has to be the worse part of all! Hubby is promising a wonderful lunch out after this is all over… that has to be my only inspiration at this point… This too shall pass…

The Sign Of The Times

Someone sent me this photo on email yesterday and I think it sums up how most of us "righties" feel these days... Could it possibly be the sign of the times?

The Dry South West

I flew into Albuquerque for work yesterday and will leave tomorrow to go home. I really love coming out here to visit. I was here in July and now I am here in October and will be back in December the weekend before Christmas. The best part about this part of the country is the colder yet drier climate. My hair has never been straighter! The downer about it is the affects of the dry air on me... my hands and lips are so dry and chapped. I already broke three finger nails and do not get me started about the inside of my nostrils! Let's just say that lotion must be packed as well as chapstick. I forgot a nail file... so shaping up those jagged nails is out of the question. And the static electricity is unbelievalbe... especially if you are wearing a fleece jacket! All in all, I really do love it... but, with any love comes suffering I suppose.

Coyote Hunting Anyone?

I blogged a while back about doing some coyote hunting here in our neighborhood... all the while the same type animal is torturing the good folks back home... well one bully met his match. My brother shot this guy night before last around the midnight hour in their yard after running him off twice already before that in the same night!
Yikes!

Now That Is Funny!

Are The Lefties Now Promoting Bear Hunting?

Now here an interesting headline I came across this morning on Yahoo! "Dead Bear Covered With Obama Signs Found at School"... Is this possibly an interesting take on a possible scary Halloween twist? Maybe?
My question is: are they Obama supporters or not? I mean first of all, most left wing folks on the Obama side don't have it in them to a) operate a gun or b) shoot a bear... but, I would agree that they DO have the audacity to drag a bear carcass onto a school campus and display it to the world with their false idol's campaign signs draped on it as a promotion of their party!!! Crazy things do tend to happen less than two weeks before the election... I am just waiting to see what else the lefties have up their sleeve between now and November 4th...

Austin's First Deer

My 9-year old nephew, Austin, bagged his first deer this past weekend which was Opening Weekend for gun season. What a great achievement for our young hunter in the family! Congrats, Austin!

Our Camping Trip

Every one of our weekends for the past several weekends and every weekend for the next few weekends are reserved and scheduled for some activity or trip… again, busy little bees we are (see Blog from October 14)… so Hubby and I decided to take a little camping trip up to north Georgia this weekend- just the two of us. We got up early Saturday morning, packed up the SUV with camping gear, the hotdogs, the s’mores fixings and the dog and took off for a scenic trip through the beautiful autumn landscape. The traffic up was pretty heavy but the views were wonderful. When we finally found our campground near Hiawassee, the gate was locked with a big Closed sign on it! We couldn’t believe it! The guidebook said they were open until late October… Grudgingly, we referenced our tent camping guidebook and took off east bound toward the town of Clayton. We finally found the campground (which was way down about 5 miles of eerie one-lane dirt roads… I kept whistling the Deliverance tune the entire way)… and lucked up and snagged a nice lot for our camp… and just in the nick of time because a bunch of folks came through after us looking for a place and all were full!





We set up camp as the temperature steadily dropped… we cooked hotdogs on my “telescoping weenie roasters” as Hubby kept calling them and enjoyed the dogs with chili that Hubby found at the store up the road.


When we finally retired to the tent we realized that we had packed two mummy sleeping bags so resorted to sleeping in our own bags each on top of the air mattress… Sampson slept on a makeshift doggie bed on the floor next to us… Well, around midnight we woke up to Sampson pacing the floor at the foot of the air mattress by the front door… now keep in mind that it is freezing in the tent (even though I am warm and snug as a bug in my Mtn Hardware mummy bag)…so Hubby gets up and gets dressed to take him out to do his business… Hubby opens the door (mind you it feels frigid with the door zipped open) and calls for the dog. And do you know what the dog does? He runs up onto our bed and jumps on top of Hubby’s sleeping bag! I think we were both in shock! He just lay down and has the look that says I am staying right here and you cannot make me go outside! So we would up spending the next 10 minutes trying to get Sampson off the bag and maneuvered onto his sheet in between us in our bags and him in the middle… Hubby even covers him with his hooded sweatshirt and his fleece jacket. Well, needless to say, the next 8 hours is spent with me waking up every hour or so with Sampson’s butt in my face or Sampson staring at me or Sampson’s head laying on me or Sampson’s paw on my face! And in between the dogs antics and his shivering and Hubby’s going outside to pee, I could not sleep to save my life! My nose froze all night long too… and being constricted into a cocoon position in that mummy bag did not help matters either… By the time we got up around 8am it was so darn cold in that tent! Yet, we get up and dressed (in layers) and proceed to cook some of the best camp bacon and omelets I have ever eaten… Waffle House has nothing on a Coleman stove and me!

When we start packing up, I notice a strange brown nut on the ground just under the tent footprint… and it is what I thought it was- a buckeye! So I start looking in the leaves and such around our campsite and find a bunch more! We slept under a buckeye tree- how cool!

When we finally got into the truck after packing it all up, the temperature said that it was 37 degrees outside! Yikes, no wonder Sampson shivered all night… poor doggy…

More Challenges With Dementia

For some reason my Grandmother has not been having a very good week this week and I for the life of me do not know how to help her. Her level of confusion seems to be at a really high level, therefore, she keeps doing crazy things that she would not normally do... For instance, my Mom spent the day with her yesterday. She took her to the dentist and when asked about her pains she would answer regarding her feet. The whole disassociation issue is another troublesome part of her life too- the disassociation coupled with her severe case of glaucoma is a recipe for diaster! Her limited vocabulary does not help matters either. Basically, she cannot see, she cannot talk well and she mixes up everything! In one conversation she will stammer through an explanation trying to tell you that her stomach hurts and later on you find out (only by seeing it with your own eyes) that she actually has a form of diaper rash! Her losing her shoes might actually mean that she cannot find the cordless phone... and so on... and her limited vocabulary makes conversation with her so darn challenging! I like to refer to it as "Memaw ebonics"... I have actually gotten pretty good about deciphering what she is trying to say over these past few months but, she gets so frustrated and lashes out about her inability to put a sentence together and I just keep playing the neverending guessing game until I finally figure out what she is talking about. Last night was a really bad night for her... I was on the phone with the assisted living staff several times before I went to bed being enlightened as to how she has destroyed her apartment and how everything is all over the floor and furniture. She supposedly keeps looking for something, but when asked what she is looking for, she does not know. I guess all I can do is pray that she gets through this current "cycle"... and moves on to the next one...

Dropping Fuel Prices

One thing I forgot to write about in my post yesterday was the dropping costs of gas this week... on my trip to Villa Rica yesterday I passed a QT with gas for $2.97 per gallon! I would have stopped and taken a photo of the sign, but I was very, very late for my meeting. In the meantime, Hubby said he saw a gas station off I-20 Eastbound today on his way back from Alabama with gas for $2.85 per gallon! How wild is it that just two weeks ago I filled up my ride with $4.39 per gallon gas????

Busy Little Bees...

Let me apologize for not posting since last Friday… we are just so darn busy! Busy, busy little bees we are…
We made the trip home this past weekend to celebrate my Mom’s 60th birthday. The cookout we had for her was fun and we had a great time seeing family and friends. We drove back Sunday morning and enjoyed a lazy day hanging around the house. When I finally finished preparations for the work week, I jumped into the shower only to discover that we had no hot water! Hubby finally went to the water heater and discovered a leak… along with several inches of water in the crawlspace… So off to work we go on Monday with no showers. Hubby managed to line up the same guy that installed our HVAC system, but their schedule had them only committed to replace the water heater by Wednesday morning… and with Hubby going out of town this morning, leaving me here alone with NO hot water was NOT going to work! I was really bummed out about the whole situation when I came home last night, but Hubby turned those sad thoughts around when I got home and discovered him replacing the unit himself! God Bless my having such a Handy-man Hubby! He said that we were saving loads of money by replacing the unit ourselves but, he has no idea how much I appreciate having the hot water so soon! The most frustrating part of this whole deal is that we just had to pay several hundred dollars a couple of weeks ago to have one of the sink drain pipes unclogged. It just seems that one thing after another keeps having to be replaced or repaired week after week… very frustrating!
Anyhoo, today I attended a pre-bid conference for an upcoming project that our company is going to bid next month. It was almost a day of déjà-vu for me because the project is in Villa Rica and just so happens to be across the railroad tracks from the manufacturing plant that I built with my previous employer back in 2002. The trip out to Villa Rica from our home was the same drive I drove everyday for an entire year…. Very odd to drive it over 6 years later and see all the changes along the way. After going to the conference and seeing all those other 18 contractors there… (Yes, 18!) It just reminded me again how times are tough right now and any project less than $40 million brings out every contractor under the sun! I really do not think our price will be competitive at all but, we are still going to bid it… at least we trying I suppose.
My little project in Texas is about to get off the ground running the last week of this month so I will be traveling again next week back to Albuquerque. I am actually a little excited about the trip since Albuquerque is such a nice city and the weather there is wonderful this time of the year. We shall see…

My First Gig

This morning I led the 5:30am boot camp class as the lead instructor for the first time EVER. I had it all mapped out in my head... and it was perfect...in my head... Once the workout started- (which was my favorite- Sprints!!) time just FLEW by... It is a very cardio intensive workout to say the least... but, what a great way to start off the weekend!! We took a group photo before everyone left... notice the sweat...

Yes, I am a slave driver... and I love it!

More Than A Dollar Less??

I passed a gas station on the way home tonight from my CPR training class that had Regular for $3.39/gallon! That is more than a dollar less per gallon than I paid to fill up my tank LAST WEEK!!! Unbelievable. The economy and the stock market are going down the tubes and the price of oil drops... wouldn't you know?

The Old Warrior Still Has It!

This is what greeted us at the back door this past Sunday morning... Sampson and his catch of the day... Yummy squirrel... The old Warrior still has it! Even though he is almost 10 years old, he is still the mighty hunter of Barbara Lane. Go Sampson Go.

You Just Gotta Love Old Folks

My Grandmother had an early eye appointment this morning, so I cut my weekend with Hubby short to make the drive down to her place yesterday afternoon. As I predicted she was ecstatic that I came down to spend the night with her… she was so was excited that I think she worked herself into almost a slight state of confusion. At least more confused than her normal level of daily confusion. Taking her to supper at the cracker barrel was not too bad but, the simple act of walking to, through and from the restaurant proved to be a task. You see she has this mental block about walking in unfamiliar territory. She just automatically assumes that the surface is uneven; therefore, she keeps tripping over invisible obstacles and walking in little baby steps in a really, really slow pace. I feel like I am practically dragging her around the parking lot! Of course, assuring her all along that I will not let her fall… After the ordeal of getting her in the place and seated, she ate everything on her plate and did not even make too big of a mess! She would have licked the remaining honey mustard off her plate if I had let her! I just kept thinking back to when I was a child and she was the adult and how she used to fuss at me for my manners… boy, have times changed! Although, I do not fuss at her… as a matter of fact, I welcome her using her fingers to pick up her food to eat it… since her use of utensils is practically gone… anything to help her eat more food.
When, we made it back to her apartment, I opened up my nail salon and went to work on her finger and toe nails… I will not even go there on trying to describe what that awful experience was like…
And then I discovered the bathroom… after a wild goose chase for cleaning products, I spent the next hour mopping her bathroom floor three times and cleaning the toilet, sink and all other horizontal surfaces in there.
Next, I spent over an hour trying to get her to change into her pajamas… she just could not pull it together mentally to complete the task. I finally wound up helping her…
All night was spent either burning up or freezing to death in her apartment… it was awful. I do not think I ever fell into a deep sleep the entire night. I kept getting up to turn the AC on… and then she would wake up and start asking me what was wrong… I finally tried to just sleep on the couch next to the AC unit… and then froze! Needless to say, I was very ready to rise when the waking hour happened upon us.
After a trip to the eye doctor that included a 2-hour wait in the waiting room, I was very ready to head back to the metropolis late this morning… but, not until after I overheard a conversation between two elderly ladies in the waiting room watching one of those cable news networks on the waiting room television. One lady said to the other (after watching a report titled “Palin is the newest TV star”, “She isn’t no TV star, she is a god-fearing normal person with good values and good judgment who just wants to represent the rest of good folks”. Amen, sister. You just gotta love old folks…

My Favorite Season...

I just love this time of year...it is that simple. The season is finally changing... there is a crisp feeling in the air... The leaves are about to start changing colors...October means Halloween is around the corner... football season is in full swing... boot camp is much cooler and less sweaty...I am pulling out my large collection of fleeces one by one... the days are getting shorter...bonfires... camping... smores... fall festivals...haunted houses... fall decorations... burning leaves...wool socks and hiking boots...tailgating...school homecomings...life just cannot be better than this, right??!! I absolutely adore autumn and all it has to offer. We have so much stuff planned between now and Christmas- it is unbelievable how busy we are!
This week has been a good week so far too... I managed to get gas yesterday just down the street from my office and with NO wait! This was the last week of my first month as a boot camp instructor and I had a blast! We found out this month that our mother company is merging with a much larger construction company out west and they finally announced who our Division Manager will be here in the SE division. I thankfully found someone to repair my Grandmother's house that was damaged when Hurricane Faye came through in August- they start this upcoming Monday! Looks like I will be taking another trip to Albuquerque later this month to kick off my little project in Texas... we are finally mobilizing on site and getting started with construction. Now if the mavericks would just win the election next month...life would not just be good, it would be awesome!

7 Layers of Food Fun

I prepared a few dishes this past weekend in honor of our trip to Athens for the tailgate. On Friday night I made Paula Deen's Shore is Good Seafood Dip (Hubby's fave from our meal at her restaurant in Savannah)... needless to say, the recipe made enough for an army of 50 so Hubby has been warming up seafood dip all week (not that he is complaining!)... Unfortunately, because it has to be served warm out of the oven, we could not take it to the tailgate- which just means Hubby got to hoard it all to himself...
I did make two batches of brownies and I prepared my first ever 7-Layer Taco Dip for the tailgate. At first, I was a little worried that I would not get all of my layers into the dish... but, I managed to in the end and I have to say that the dip was a hit! At one point during the tailgate I turned around and the dip was GONE! Definitely a repeat recipe... and so easy to make too! Email me if you want the recipe.

Hold On, This Roller Coaster Is Out of Control!

I think I am riding on a roller coaster right now and the train of cars is raging out of control downhill with no end in sight. I am not sure what how more I can take between Wachovia being bought out and the gas shortage... There are so many things happening here lately that I just seem to be constantly trailing behind the latest story as they happen. Yet, Congress cannot make a decision to save the rest of us! Someone had a really brilliant idea last week that I totally agree with- we should pass a law to limit Congressmen/women's term to 2 terms just like the President... some of those folks have been in office WAY too long! I think they are way too comfortable and just truly do not appreciate nor understand us regular folks.
I really panicked yesterday when I heard about Wachovia...I finally got in contact with the lady at the Wach-Securities office back home to discuss my Grandmother's accounts... I just made a large transaction between her accounts a little over a week ago and am seriously stroking over the possibility that the money might not get moved as planned... Her scenario would get really ugly if the money does not switch accounts too. I am sure my blood pressure level skyrocketed all day yesterday... yet, Lisa at WS assures me that the money will move... of course, that is what she says today not knowing if she will still be employed there tomorrow!
Hubby wound up funneling all of our lawn mower and tractor gas into his work truck on Sunday evening to get to work yesterday... he scoured the Conyers area and luckily found gas to fill up yesterday afternoon! A few stations have gotten gas deliveries all around work and home but, the lines are unbelievably LONG and there always seems to be cops and TV cameras around too! I did manage to get gas yesterday morning around 4:40am again on my way to boot camp... God bless the BP on JF Rd for opening the pumps at that crazy hour!
Hubby and I did manage to get to Athens on Saturday for the tailgate and the Georgia-Alabama game... we enjoyed seeing old friends, trying some south GA smoked pig and then getting jammed into that stadium with THOUSANDS of other folks only to be disappointed that the home team did not play well or win for that matter.
The one lone fan that just would not give up hope in the 4th quarter.

Oh well, maybe our next football outing at Georgia Tech's Homecoming game in late October will have positive results with the tailgate and the game! Go Jackets!

Butch Cassidy- The Legend Will Never Die

I could not believe the news when I heard it yesterday... Butch Cassidy is dead. One half of the "dynamic duo" of some of the greatest movies of all time is gone. The Sundance Kid is on his own now... Yes, Paul Newman died Friday night after a long battle with cancer. Unbelievable. Granted he did live a wonderful life of 83 years.... may he rest in peace.

The Panic Has Set In

The panic seriously set in last night... we went to find gas for Hubby's work truck after supper. No such luck! We drove to at least TWELVE gas stations within 5 or so miles of our home and no one, I repeat NO ONE had gas! At this point, price is not even the problem... the problem is the fact that there is NO gas. It is so weird to drive up and down the road and every single gas station has no dollar amounts on the gas signs and the pumps are totally empty of traffic. The QT down the road from my office was/is like a ghost town this week. And that particular station usually has so many folks in the parking lot that you can not even turn into it just to go in and buy a coke. Yesterday, I was the only customer in the parking lot and in the store! The staff on duty were dusting the shelves and mopping the floors to stay busy! I could not believe it...After the pointless drive in circles last night gas-hunting with Hubby, I could not get the gas situation off my mind. I got up really, really early and left the house even earlier than the usual 4:30am to go find gas for my car since I was down to 1/4 tank... I said a prayer when I left our subdivision that I would find gas on the way to boot camp... Again, every station was out of gas or closed... and then, halleluyah I spotted some cars getting precious petro at the last station along the main drag out of Cobb county. My hands were shaking as I retrieved the nozzle and started the pump. The wonderful sound of gas guzzling into my car never sounded so good! I had the biggest grin on my face the entire time... all the people getting gas were just staring at each other in relief. I never dreamed I would see the day when a simple task of filling up my car was such a blissful, fulfilling moment... Boy, times have changed...

Running Scared

Or should I say, “Running Scared On Empty” instead? What does that phrase mean you ask? Well, that is the continuous nagging feeling of dread that seems to have encompassed most Atlantans this week… or so it seems to me and in my world. It is the feeling that one might not make it from Point A to Point B if the gas tank is not fed enough gas. Now granted I am used to driving a gas-guzzling hog of a truck in lieu of a cost-efficient soccer-mom-type sedan… and the fear of not getting enough gas to do the daily tasks of going to work, driving back home from work, going to the grocery store, etc. is not really as bad as it once was… however, the feeling is still there! I mean seriously… my Taurus has well over half a tank of gas right now, but the lingering want to stop at any gas station that a) actually HAS gas and b) doesn’t have a mile of cars waiting to fill up is BIG TIME on my mind! That nagging feeling just seems to eat at me all throughout the day… and believe me, I check every single gas station I pass now just to see if they have bags on the nozzles or caution tape up… all the while mentally mapping out where the available gas places are… so when I do need gas, I know exactly where to go. Based on my observations all this week, it seems that the best time to get gas is around 4:30am on my way to boot camp… less traffic at the pumps and easy to see the pumps from the road without putting my car and life at risk of having an accident while looking… the only downside is that half of the gas stations in Atlanta are not open at that early hour. Hubby called me yesterday afternoon to inform me that he only had enough gas to get home last night… he rode to work today with a co-worker. And then around lunchtime today I realized that I am supposed to take my Grandmother to the doctor tomorrow down in LaGrange… I panicked! How in the world am I going to get there and back without gas? There’s that panicky feeling of dread again! Fortunately, I managed to get around that whole scary scenario and begged someone else down there to take her… thank the good Lord for quick blessings. In the meantime, what happens if the tankers of gas don’t show up between now and next week? Will folks have to stay home and miss work? Especially those who don’t work anywhere near the office? Or is it our unspoken duty to ride all around Atlanta over the weekend trying to find gas so we can drive to work as usual? Is this par for course for the future? Fuel seems to be the most precious commodity we rely on day-to-day to live our lives… and it seems to be waning at an extremely fast pace…and then what happens next? Is it just me or is this whole week of financial scares and gas shortages really taking a toll on everybody??!

Is My World Just Full of Idiots?

The absurdity of some people's idiocy just never ceases to amaze me... especially when they are family members. On our long trip back from Savannah on Sunday afternoon (around 1pm-ish) I received a voicemail from one of my Grandmother’s sisters (she only has 3 siblings left- 1 brother, 2 sisters). Her message informed me that her other sister had died…. On Friday! Oh, and the funeral is today. Yes, you read it right! My Grandmother’s sister died two days earlier and her funeral was in two hours after the phone call was made to us to let us know???!!!! Are you kidding me? I could feel the anger creeping up the back of my neck and my ears. I tried to contain myself as I called her back…. I calmingly asked why they did not notify us on Friday so we might an opportunity to attend the service. Her response was that she figured I would not drive “all the way down here from Atlanta” for her funeral… Wrong answer! Maybe my Father would have liked to go… or maybe he would have taken my Grandmother… maybe, maybe, maybe… Lady, you might be her sister, but you are an idiot in my book! Maybe you should not make assumptions! And now we have to consider the biggest task of all… WHO is going to tell my Grandmother about her death? And how she missed the service?? Of course, I asked her sister about it and miraculously enough- she agreed to tell her… only she would tell her some time later this week. Well, guess what? The cat is outta the bag as of last night! Someone from back in our hometown must have read the obituary and called my Grandmother to tell her that her sister died! How awful is that? To find out that your sibling died FROM SOMEONE WHO READ IT IN THE NEWSPAPER???? I could have died! She just kept asking me over and over why her other sister did not tell her… and why she didn’t know how badly off she was… it was awful! I called her sister and let her know what had transpired… and do you know what her response was? “Why would someone call her and tell her knowing what her mental condition is?” I just about fell out of my chair! I asked her what that was supposed to mean… she explained that she did not think my Grandmother would even remember who her sister was…Now I am really getting ticked… I tell her that of course she knows WHO she is! She might not call her name out but she ABSOLUTELY knows that she is her sister! Again, the idiocy of people just KILLS me! Why do people just automatically assume that a person with dementia is so mentally incapacitated that they do not “know” any body any more?? Don’t discount her already! She has not gone over “to the other side” yet! I struggle with this every day. If some family members would spend a little more time with her, you will see that she is still herself… you just have to be patient and LISTEN to her words and actions… granted it is a limited vocabulary… but, it is decipherable… am I the only person that understands her? Am I the only person that understands her disease? Please dear Lord, help me.

Gas Woes... Again!

What is the deal with the gas pumps AGAIN???!! Yesterday, I was cruising home to a sick husband who stayed home all day... and every darn gas station between my office and home had umpteen cars parked around the pumps and stretching out into the road waiting to get gas! They were causing traffic jams all along the road! And the ones that did not have a traffic jam, were empty with caution tape wrapped around the pump island! Now I know I heard some tidbit on the radio yesterday about a gas shortage in the Southeast... but, come on people! If you really do not have an empty tank, why put yourself and the rest of us through this torture?? And then this morning at 4:35am... I repeat AT 4:35AM THIS MORNING the only one gas station open at that ungodly hour, a BP had people at EVERY pump getting gas!! Are you kidding me?? I had thought for one brief moment that I would fill up on the way to boot camp because the pumps would be EMPTY.... Wrong! Once again, the general population has not ceased to amaze me... I wonder if these folks actually got up that early to assure a tank of gas before the surge of others later???!! Unbelievable! Do you know that this type of hype at the pumps has been going on now off and on since 2005... I distinctly remember the first time it happened in late 2005... during hurricane season no less... When will the madness end?