I must stay focused. Busy week with lots going on and I'm looking forward to every day. Monday Bud. Tuesday Margie. Wednesday Glenna. Thursday haircut. Friday Salish Lodge (complete with candlelight dinners, country breakfast and massages). Somewhere in there I have to take more walks and work on Shannon's condo.
And to think this time last year I was suffering daily panic attacks as the auction drew near and my plate overflowed with tasks and worry. Ahhhh, to be where I am today is a glorious gift.
As an interesting aside...the old boss called the other day. Apparently his auction chairperson just quit. Today is her last day. It is a repeat performance of last year. Had I stayed I would be living through that hellish world of overwhelming panic once again.
I repeat...ahhhh, to be where I am today is a glorious gift!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Kathleen, where have you been?
It has been 21 days since my last posting. Let me rephrase that. It has been 21 days since my last posting on Blogger.
I have been experimenting with a blog at Word Press. I like some things better at Word Press; such as posting photos and the links bar. I like some things better at Blogger; such as the clean presentation and a picture of Fragaria as my background. I have not decided where to land for good but I am far behind on chronicling the past two weeks so I decided to come to a place that I can get caught up quickly without a learning curve slowing me down.
This post will be poorly supported with "real" pictures because this absent-minded shutterbug kept forgetting to grab the camera at the apropos moment. That completely annoys me.
Since my last posting...
____________________
I had my blood drawn.
It had been 3 months since my last blood draw that was...ahem, less than wonderful. My doctor was pleased with the direction my triglycerides are heading (that direction would be down, down, down). She says I need to focus on a lot more walking and a bit less fat and white (white flour, white sugar, white bread, etc.). Vitamin D and B12 were about the same so she ordered another round of mega-dosing. I get to go back and get the blood sucked out of me again in 3 months. I can live with that. That is after all the point of this, to live :)
____________________
I might move to Vermont.
Not very likely-but hey, you never know! I entered a contest to win a snow chalet in Vermont. Why you ask? Because John saw it on TV and thought it would be perfect for us. Really? The prize package does come with a 2011 Denali and $500K - now those 2 prizes I can get excited about. The winner will be announced March 19 so if you don't hear from me after that date, look me up in Vermont!
____________________
Glenna and I went to the beach.
Brrrrrrrrr Thu, Feb 10 was a cold but beautiful day. We took the 4-Runner just in case the road was too mushy but it was in very good shape all the way to the turn-around. Don had obviously done some grading and raking on our lower road. On the upper and lower road trees have come down and there were signs of a couple of slides. No big surprise with the windy and wet winter we have had. Everything has been neatly cleared off to the side making the road easy to traverse. Thank you GTRA-nice job!
Rodent infestation was a bit of a problem in and around the little cabin. Mole hills surround the place in massive numbers. Pat ex-laxed and gummed them (you'll have to ask him). I suspect the moles were heartily chuckling as they popped their little heads up out of their holes to wave goodbye to him as he drove up the hill and out of sight.
I was first into the cabin. As I stepped into the living room something heavier than a mouse (or maybe it was a very fat mouse?) scurried into the corner by the phone. Throughout our stay we heard intermittent rustling under the futon and behind the fireplace but a few stomps of the feet immediately silenced the 4-legged creature. The crooks of all cushions in the living room were neatly chewed and in the place of the missing stuffing we found rodent droppings. Lots of little piles of rodent droppings.
There was a hole in the ceiling directly above the step into the bedroom. It took us a few moments to realize a rat had gnawed the hole-a rat or two ewwwww! We covered it with screening material and duct tape. The screening is a bit too fine but it was all we could find. At best we slowed the suckers down a bit. The running back and forth across the kitchen and living room ceiling started to get a bit unnerving; especially as we sat at the table eating lunch. Was it outside on the roof or inside the rafters? When the running, scurrying and scratching moved into the interior walls we figured it was safe to assume the rodent making all the noise was not outside. Did I mention ewwwwww? All our poison trays were empty so we refilled them using what poison we could find. Die rodents, die. Mwaahaahaa (that was a cruel and heartless laugh). As soon as we've tackled the rodent problem I'll be a bit less evil. Promise.
Water, water, water. The bane of our beach existence. Let's take a moment to explore what Google Answer has to say about that phrase. "To say that something or someone is 'the bane of my existence' means that the person or thing is a constant irritant or source of misery."
Boy does Google know what they are talking about! No water to drink, wash or cook with is a constant source of misery. The inability to drill a new well is salt in the wound. But looking on the bright side, the current well supplies enough poopy water to flush toilets and put out campfires. We all cherish those two most excellent and convenient activities so you can imagine our concern when the toilet wouldn't flush. A bit of detective work fixed the problem and once again the sleuthing super sisters shunned disaster.
About the time we were feeling rather proud of ourselves we discovered a pipe under Aunt Dorothy's sink was leaking and water had covered the floor all the way to the bedroom. Most of it had evaporated or leaked through the floorboards. There wasn't anything we could do but shut off the valve leading from the pump to Aunt Dorothy's. It will be an urgent plumbing project for the spring and there is no way this job will be pretty when it gets tackled. Plumbing ugg. Plumbing at the beach double ugg.
____________________
Glenna and I were taking Margie to lunch just 'cuz.
Unfortunately, Glenna had to cancel at the last minute; Randy ended up at Highline hospital again so she had her hands full for the day.
Margie still needed a get-away and I still needed to eat lunch so I picked her up at Pacific Regent (Bud's rehab facility) Fri, Feb 11. In the spirit of full disclosure if eating and a restaurant are involved you can always count me in :)
Margie decided to turn the tables and treat me using a gift card she had to Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in Bellevue. Oh my goodness the food was deliciously fresh and decadently rich. I most certainly used up my allotted calories for the next few days in that one scrumptious meal; totally worth it.
After lunch we visited Bud. It was easy to see that Margie enjoyed the day. Simple successes are so satisfying.
____________________
Bud finally gets to call Aiges of Bellevue home!
Thursday, February 17 at 1:00 p.m. Margie calls and asks if I'm available to help move Bud...he's being discharged from Pacific Regent at 2:00 p.m. She was so ecstatic about Bud moving to his Aiges apartment that she didn't care she only had an hours notice. The move went smoothly; absolutely no bumps. For Bud and Margie that was such a pleasant change from the last couple of weeks.
Margie brought along Bud's new cell phone. He went through his phone book to locate people he wanted to add to his contact list and I loaded them in. After a couple hours of getting the apartment ship-shape the three of us went to the dining room for another delicious Aiges meal.
As Margie and I prepared to leave I know Bud felt some anxiousness at being alone in an unfamiliar place with unknown aides. What if he hits his call button and no one comes? What if no one wheels him to breakfast in the morning? What if...I suspect the list of 'what if's' went on. Being confined to a wheelchair without the strength to get in and out on your own must be humbling, aggravating and a bit scary. He had achieved a comfort level at Pacific Regent; he knew his routines, what to expect out of each day and the names and faces of his caregivers. Even less than desirable routines or less than helpful aides probably seemed better than the unknown of Aiges. I had total confidence his anxiousness would quickly disappear!
____________________
I went assisted-living shopping with Glenna in Redmond.
Randy will be discharged from Cascade Vista soon and she needs to have a place lined up as his forever home. She needs to find a place that he can learn to love, fits his needs today, tomorrow and at the end. That is a tall order made even more difficult by Randy's unique needs. I was thrilled she asked me to accompany her on this challenging mission on Fri, Feb 18 and honored that my opinion and vision might help her. Plus we got to spend the whole day together and nothing is better than that!
Both places we went to were great but I must admit to leaning toward Aiges of Redmond as being the best fit...at least from what I remember of Randy and what I hear about him today. I wonder what she and David will decide? Whatever they choose it will have been done carefully, with extreme forethought and blanketed in love. Randy is one lucky man to have my sister in his life!
____________________
It is an established fact that a house of cards will always come crashing down.
Case in point, Margie. She has spent months care-taking Bud while he has been shuffled back and forth between Overlake Hospital and Pacific Regent rehab facility. I think the last time he was in his home was early November 2010. Accompanying this stressful time is the inevitable mountain of paperwork, phone calls and bills. Adding to the stress is the fact that Margie has her own health issues and is without any family in the area to assist her. Margie might have been able to balance all the cards dealt to her these last few months if she had taken the time to eat right, drink plenty of fluids, take her medicine and get plenty of rest. But as is the way of most care-takers she did none of that. Consequently, the day after she knew Bud was settled and well cared for everything came crashing down and she collapsed. A friend came to be with her but after a few hours it was apparent to both of them that Margie was dangerously ill and they called 911.
The diagnosis was severe gastroenteritis with life-threatening dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. She spent 2 nights in the hospital getting hydrated and her system back in balance. I took her home Monday the 21st and stayed the night. She did need the extra hands; I'm glad I stayed. She was genuinely grateful for the company and I was truly pleased to provide the helping hands.
Fast forward to today...I've been to visit a couple of times and I've also checked in on Bud because without Margie he doesn't have any visitors. Each day someone needs to check on Margie and help her with everyday tasks. She has a physical therapist and a nurse coming in to help her as well as an extra housekeeper (her regular housekeeper has been sick and/or unavailable-don't get me started on that situation).
Bud is doing well, Margie not so much so. John and I went to see her Saturday on our way to the Home Show. Even as captivating a conversationalist as I am, I figured a new face would be a welcome treat :) As it turned out John and Margie had such a good time chatting while I did laundry and a few other tasks that we never made it to the Home Show (which worked out okay for me since I didn't really want to go and he took me to the Whistle Stop Ale and Grill-our favorite burger joint-on the way home).
I take Margie to her regular doctor Tuesday morning. I'm hoping he has a plan to bring about a more speedy recovery. She is still unable to eat more than two bites of soft food without tremendous intestinal pain and she has little to no strength; of course who would when you haven't eaten diddly squat in over a week?
Tomorrow I'm visiting Bud and taking him a tray table Margie ordered for him and some other odds and ends she asked me to deliver.
Note to self: be good to your body; it sucks when it fails you so young. Note to self addendum: align your legal, medical and structural world before it needs to be aligned.
____________________
Last but not least...
James is on home PT for about a month. We see his surgeon in a couple of weeks at which time we will find out if there is more surgery in his immediate future or if PT is all he needs to get as far as possible - and maybe we'll get a guesstimate of how far possible is. That would be nice. Very nice indeed.
We have been trying to get Shannon's condo ready to rent. Big job. I'll save the details for another post.
I have been experimenting with a blog at Word Press. I like some things better at Word Press; such as posting photos and the links bar. I like some things better at Blogger; such as the clean presentation and a picture of Fragaria as my background. I have not decided where to land for good but I am far behind on chronicling the past two weeks so I decided to come to a place that I can get caught up quickly without a learning curve slowing me down.
This post will be poorly supported with "real" pictures because this absent-minded shutterbug kept forgetting to grab the camera at the apropos moment. That completely annoys me.
 |
| Me annoyed at me. |
Since my last posting...
____________________
I had my blood drawn.
It had been 3 months since my last blood draw that was...ahem, less than wonderful. My doctor was pleased with the direction my triglycerides are heading (that direction would be down, down, down). She says I need to focus on a lot more walking and a bit less fat and white (white flour, white sugar, white bread, etc.). Vitamin D and B12 were about the same so she ordered another round of mega-dosing. I get to go back and get the blood sucked out of me again in 3 months. I can live with that. That is after all the point of this, to live :)
____________________
I might move to Vermont.
Not very likely-but hey, you never know! I entered a contest to win a snow chalet in Vermont. Why you ask? Because John saw it on TV and thought it would be perfect for us. Really? The prize package does come with a 2011 Denali and $500K - now those 2 prizes I can get excited about. The winner will be announced March 19 so if you don't hear from me after that date, look me up in Vermont!
 |
| Could this be my new home? Tune in after March 19 to find out. |
____________________
Glenna and I went to the beach.
Brrrrrrrrr Thu, Feb 10 was a cold but beautiful day. We took the 4-Runner just in case the road was too mushy but it was in very good shape all the way to the turn-around. Don had obviously done some grading and raking on our lower road. On the upper and lower road trees have come down and there were signs of a couple of slides. No big surprise with the windy and wet winter we have had. Everything has been neatly cleared off to the side making the road easy to traverse. Thank you GTRA-nice job!
 |
| I may have forgotten to get pictures of our beach trip but Google Earth is looking out for us...or checking in on us :) |
Rodent infestation was a bit of a problem in and around the little cabin. Mole hills surround the place in massive numbers. Pat ex-laxed and gummed them (you'll have to ask him). I suspect the moles were heartily chuckling as they popped their little heads up out of their holes to wave goodbye to him as he drove up the hill and out of sight.
I was first into the cabin. As I stepped into the living room something heavier than a mouse (or maybe it was a very fat mouse?) scurried into the corner by the phone. Throughout our stay we heard intermittent rustling under the futon and behind the fireplace but a few stomps of the feet immediately silenced the 4-legged creature. The crooks of all cushions in the living room were neatly chewed and in the place of the missing stuffing we found rodent droppings. Lots of little piles of rodent droppings.
There was a hole in the ceiling directly above the step into the bedroom. It took us a few moments to realize a rat had gnawed the hole-a rat or two ewwwww! We covered it with screening material and duct tape. The screening is a bit too fine but it was all we could find. At best we slowed the suckers down a bit. The running back and forth across the kitchen and living room ceiling started to get a bit unnerving; especially as we sat at the table eating lunch. Was it outside on the roof or inside the rafters? When the running, scurrying and scratching moved into the interior walls we figured it was safe to assume the rodent making all the noise was not outside. Did I mention ewwwwww? All our poison trays were empty so we refilled them using what poison we could find. Die rodents, die. Mwaahaahaa (that was a cruel and heartless laugh). As soon as we've tackled the rodent problem I'll be a bit less evil. Promise.
 |
| Yes this big old roof rat resembles Digger and Dozer and I have a small twinge of guilt over wanting evil things to happen to him...and if he wants to live peacefully in a cage we can forge a truce. Until then, it's war. |
Water, water, water. The bane of our beach existence. Let's take a moment to explore what Google Answer has to say about that phrase. "To say that something or someone is 'the bane of my existence' means that the person or thing is a constant irritant or source of misery."
Boy does Google know what they are talking about! No water to drink, wash or cook with is a constant source of misery. The inability to drill a new well is salt in the wound. But looking on the bright side, the current well supplies enough poopy water to flush toilets and put out campfires. We all cherish those two most excellent and convenient activities so you can imagine our concern when the toilet wouldn't flush. A bit of detective work fixed the problem and once again the sleuthing super sisters shunned disaster.
About the time we were feeling rather proud of ourselves we discovered a pipe under Aunt Dorothy's sink was leaking and water had covered the floor all the way to the bedroom. Most of it had evaporated or leaked through the floorboards. There wasn't anything we could do but shut off the valve leading from the pump to Aunt Dorothy's. It will be an urgent plumbing project for the spring and there is no way this job will be pretty when it gets tackled. Plumbing ugg. Plumbing at the beach double ugg.
____________________
Glenna and I were taking Margie to lunch just 'cuz.
Unfortunately, Glenna had to cancel at the last minute; Randy ended up at Highline hospital again so she had her hands full for the day.
Margie still needed a get-away and I still needed to eat lunch so I picked her up at Pacific Regent (Bud's rehab facility) Fri, Feb 11. In the spirit of full disclosure if eating and a restaurant are involved you can always count me in :)
Margie decided to turn the tables and treat me using a gift card she had to Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in Bellevue. Oh my goodness the food was deliciously fresh and decadently rich. I most certainly used up my allotted calories for the next few days in that one scrumptious meal; totally worth it.
After lunch we visited Bud. It was easy to see that Margie enjoyed the day. Simple successes are so satisfying.
 |
| Seastar restaurant in Bellevue |
Bud finally gets to call Aiges of Bellevue home!
Thursday, February 17 at 1:00 p.m. Margie calls and asks if I'm available to help move Bud...he's being discharged from Pacific Regent at 2:00 p.m. She was so ecstatic about Bud moving to his Aiges apartment that she didn't care she only had an hours notice. The move went smoothly; absolutely no bumps. For Bud and Margie that was such a pleasant change from the last couple of weeks.
Margie brought along Bud's new cell phone. He went through his phone book to locate people he wanted to add to his contact list and I loaded them in. After a couple hours of getting the apartment ship-shape the three of us went to the dining room for another delicious Aiges meal.
As Margie and I prepared to leave I know Bud felt some anxiousness at being alone in an unfamiliar place with unknown aides. What if he hits his call button and no one comes? What if no one wheels him to breakfast in the morning? What if...I suspect the list of 'what if's' went on. Being confined to a wheelchair without the strength to get in and out on your own must be humbling, aggravating and a bit scary. He had achieved a comfort level at Pacific Regent; he knew his routines, what to expect out of each day and the names and faces of his caregivers. Even less than desirable routines or less than helpful aides probably seemed better than the unknown of Aiges. I had total confidence his anxiousness would quickly disappear!
 |
| Bud in his new apartment at Aiges. I am putting contacts into his new cell phone. |
 |
| Bud and Margie at the end of moving day. Bud wears the call necklace at all times and his aid responds within minutes. Sweet. |
I went assisted-living shopping with Glenna in Redmond.
Randy will be discharged from Cascade Vista soon and she needs to have a place lined up as his forever home. She needs to find a place that he can learn to love, fits his needs today, tomorrow and at the end. That is a tall order made even more difficult by Randy's unique needs. I was thrilled she asked me to accompany her on this challenging mission on Fri, Feb 18 and honored that my opinion and vision might help her. Plus we got to spend the whole day together and nothing is better than that!
Both places we went to were great but I must admit to leaning toward Aiges of Redmond as being the best fit...at least from what I remember of Randy and what I hear about him today. I wonder what she and David will decide? Whatever they choose it will have been done carefully, with extreme forethought and blanketed in love. Randy is one lucky man to have my sister in his life!
 |
| Model bedroom in a one bedroom unit. |
 |
| Of course I didn't remember to take a picture of my sister in the model unit. But here is a sample of the living area in the one bedroom. The whole unit was clean, comfortable and should be roomy enough. |
____________________
It is an established fact that a house of cards will always come crashing down.
Case in point, Margie. She has spent months care-taking Bud while he has been shuffled back and forth between Overlake Hospital and Pacific Regent rehab facility. I think the last time he was in his home was early November 2010. Accompanying this stressful time is the inevitable mountain of paperwork, phone calls and bills. Adding to the stress is the fact that Margie has her own health issues and is without any family in the area to assist her. Margie might have been able to balance all the cards dealt to her these last few months if she had taken the time to eat right, drink plenty of fluids, take her medicine and get plenty of rest. But as is the way of most care-takers she did none of that. Consequently, the day after she knew Bud was settled and well cared for everything came crashing down and she collapsed. A friend came to be with her but after a few hours it was apparent to both of them that Margie was dangerously ill and they called 911.
The diagnosis was severe gastroenteritis with life-threatening dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. She spent 2 nights in the hospital getting hydrated and her system back in balance. I took her home Monday the 21st and stayed the night. She did need the extra hands; I'm glad I stayed. She was genuinely grateful for the company and I was truly pleased to provide the helping hands.
Fast forward to today...I've been to visit a couple of times and I've also checked in on Bud because without Margie he doesn't have any visitors. Each day someone needs to check on Margie and help her with everyday tasks. She has a physical therapist and a nurse coming in to help her as well as an extra housekeeper (her regular housekeeper has been sick and/or unavailable-don't get me started on that situation).
Bud is doing well, Margie not so much so. John and I went to see her Saturday on our way to the Home Show. Even as captivating a conversationalist as I am, I figured a new face would be a welcome treat :) As it turned out John and Margie had such a good time chatting while I did laundry and a few other tasks that we never made it to the Home Show (which worked out okay for me since I didn't really want to go and he took me to the Whistle Stop Ale and Grill-our favorite burger joint-on the way home).
I take Margie to her regular doctor Tuesday morning. I'm hoping he has a plan to bring about a more speedy recovery. She is still unable to eat more than two bites of soft food without tremendous intestinal pain and she has little to no strength; of course who would when you haven't eaten diddly squat in over a week?
Tomorrow I'm visiting Bud and taking him a tray table Margie ordered for him and some other odds and ends she asked me to deliver.
Note to self: be good to your body; it sucks when it fails you so young. Note to self addendum: align your legal, medical and structural world before it needs to be aligned.
 |
| Bud and Margie's less than user friendly house tucked in the woods on top of a steep driveway. But the view is breathtaking and it's been home for 30+ years. Hard decisions. PS-thank you Google Earth for providing pics for this post. |
____________________
Last but not least...
James is on home PT for about a month. We see his surgeon in a couple of weeks at which time we will find out if there is more surgery in his immediate future or if PT is all he needs to get as far as possible - and maybe we'll get a guesstimate of how far possible is. That would be nice. Very nice indeed.
We have been trying to get Shannon's condo ready to rent. Big job. I'll save the details for another post.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Property Manager Daniel
Daniel is acting as the Property Manager for Shannon's condo. It's a big job. He has to respond to any legitimate need the renter has as well as sift through the requests to determine what is legitimate and what is simply whining. He has to collect the rent on time, pay the mortgage and home owner dues on time. He has to keep the place rented and do all the work that needs to be done between renters. All of this is being done for very little moola (I plan to talk to his boss about a just and fair raise).
He is currently between renters and is learning the challenges this entails. He saw the place just before the outgoing renters left and said it looked to be in very good shape. He made an appointment to show it to a prospective renter after the place was empty but before he got a chance to see it empty...he'll never do that again. He lost what could have been a great fit for a renter because the place looked horrid in the light of day with all the furniture and decorations gone. The walls were beat up, the rug had multiple stains, the blinds were broken, the kitchen looked dirty and old and the bathroom was disgustingly gross.
So far he has scraped clean the old bathroom caulking and scrubbed off the built up mold, hung new blinds and made a to-do list before he shows it to another prospective renter. He is learning the balancing act of making it inviting while spending the bare minimum to do so. He knows he needs to do a complete paint job, hang a curtain in front of the water heater closet, repair the front door, replace stove parts and clean the carpet (or possibly replace if the stains are permanent).
Maybe he'll make his millions as the family's next real estate mogul :)
 |
| Not Shannon's actual unit. Her layout is reversed with a fence around the entry; but otherwise looks the same. |
He is currently between renters and is learning the challenges this entails. He saw the place just before the outgoing renters left and said it looked to be in very good shape. He made an appointment to show it to a prospective renter after the place was empty but before he got a chance to see it empty...he'll never do that again. He lost what could have been a great fit for a renter because the place looked horrid in the light of day with all the furniture and decorations gone. The walls were beat up, the rug had multiple stains, the blinds were broken, the kitchen looked dirty and old and the bathroom was disgustingly gross.
So far he has scraped clean the old bathroom caulking and scrubbed off the built up mold, hung new blinds and made a to-do list before he shows it to another prospective renter. He is learning the balancing act of making it inviting while spending the bare minimum to do so. He knows he needs to do a complete paint job, hang a curtain in front of the water heater closet, repair the front door, replace stove parts and clean the carpet (or possibly replace if the stains are permanent).
Maybe he'll make his millions as the family's next real estate mogul :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Moving Bud to Aegis...sort of
Bud is moving into Apt. 202 at Aegis Assisted Living facility in Bellevue. Margie asked if I could pick up a few things Bud might need in his new studio apartment and help her get the place setup so it would be a welcoming home when he moved in on Friday. It was fun putting together an 'office basket' a 'kitchen basket' and a 'bathroom basket' for her and Bud. I was pretty clueless as to what they would need or what they had so I made sure to include a little of this, a little of than and a little of everything :)
When Margie and I began moving all of our loot into the apartment Nurse Ernie came to visit (Ernie will be Bud's nurse, cheerleader and life coach from what I can see - he is magnificent - Bud needs him). Ernie told Margie Bud has C. diff. and it is highly contagious so he can't move into his new apartment until it is cleared up.
What the heck is C. diff? I did a ton of reading on this disease as soon as I got home because Margie was receiving conflicting information from Bud's current rehab facility Pacific Regent and his soon-to-be new home Aiges. Aiges View: the personnel said this disease was highly contagious and would last 5-14 days and require quarantine of the patient with full glove, gown and mask precautions when anyone enters his room. Pacific Regent View: on the other hand, the personnel here were non-pulsed about it, no additional health precautions were being implemented and Bud was even being wheeled around to take pictures with staff before he left.
So I ask again, what the heck is C. diff?
According to the Mayo Clinic website: "C. diff (Clostridium difficile) is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Illness from C. difficile most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long term care facilities and typically occurs after use of antibiotic medications." Bud had been in and out of hospitals and rehab clinics for over 2 months and on numerous antibiotics due to various infections. It sounds like he was an accident just waiting to be found by C. diff. :(
Poor Margie. This was really over the top news. She put on her happy face and did all she could to take it in stride but I could see it was definitely a low blow. The move was an anticipated high spot in her overburdened world and the thought of paying for two places out-of-pocket crushed her spirits. World, it's not nice to kick a lady when she's down-didn't your mother teach you anything?
With the belief that Bud will be there as soon as possible we continued setting up the apartment. I must say, the whole place is easy to fall in love with. The personnel everywhere had a smile for us, a kind word and helpful hands if we needed them. The exterior of the building is beautiful, the grounds are well kept and I suspect will blossom into their real glory come spring. The interior is clean, inviting and quite lovely; colors are soothing yet attractive and aroma therapy brings a variety of inviting scents throughout the building. This isn't the cover-up spray you can find in a lot of facilities it is actually aroma therapy. Each area has a sign posted telling the reader about the aroma and the benefits.
I told Margie she should move in until Bud is ready to be transferred. It would be like going away to a hotel; a mini-vacation if you will. She would be located very close to where Bud is now. There would be no cooking because 3 absolutely delicious menus are prepared each day in the restaurant. She wouldn't have cleaning or laundry to do. And there are plenty of friendly residents to keep you company. In our short time there we met Dorothy who sports a gentle smile, soft voice and was an interesting conversationalist. She is a widow of Irish heritage with 3 daughters (Kathleen, Colleen and Dianne) and a son (James Scott). Her baby, Dianne, didn't get a good Irish name because Dorothy's dad teased her terribly throughout the whole pregnancy about her naming propensity; according to Dorothy it turned out just right because her youngest child Dianne beats to her own drummer :) See what I mean about friendly residents?
Bud's studio apartment is perfect. The kitchenette is surprisingly generous and even includes a table that will easily accommodate Bud and his wheel chair. There isn't an oven or stove as they want the residents to take their meals in the restaurant. There is a microwave for snacks or those times you just don't feel like more than a bowl of soup.
On his floor is a comfortable, well stocked library complete with a roaring fire (gas insert of course), a computer lounge, laundry facilities, hair salon and private dining room for when they have us all over for dinner. Speaking of dinner...Margie and I were treated to a complimentary lunch in the restaurant (aka general dining room for residents and their visitors). The meal was spectacular. Seriously. It was top-notch restaurant worthy. They offer a daily special at each meal as well as a regular menu to order from. My spinach and blue cheese salad was so delicious I did not leave a crumb of anything uneaten; Ernie wanted to know if I would like to lick the plate :) Margie declared her chicken salad sandwich perfect and said she is a chicken salad connoisseur so that was high praise.
Note: As of today (Saturday) Margie is doing much better. She says, "It is what it is and no amount of worry or fretting will change things." She calls herself Pollyanna; I think that is a good mindset when life is at its most challenging. The plan at the moment is for the doctor to re-test Bud towards the end of the week. He is on the proper antibiotic for C. diff so once he receives a clear test he has to wait 72 hours before moving into Aiges. Everyone anticipates the test will come up clear as his case is so mild. The hope is he'll be able to move to Aiges toward the beginning of the following week. Prayers, karma, magical spells or positive potions are wanted for a swift recovery and a happy move.
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| Room 202 - Bud's new home at Aiges |
What the heck is C. diff? I did a ton of reading on this disease as soon as I got home because Margie was receiving conflicting information from Bud's current rehab facility Pacific Regent and his soon-to-be new home Aiges. Aiges View: the personnel said this disease was highly contagious and would last 5-14 days and require quarantine of the patient with full glove, gown and mask precautions when anyone enters his room. Pacific Regent View: on the other hand, the personnel here were non-pulsed about it, no additional health precautions were being implemented and Bud was even being wheeled around to take pictures with staff before he left.
So I ask again, what the heck is C. diff?
According to the Mayo Clinic website: "C. diff (Clostridium difficile) is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Illness from C. difficile most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long term care facilities and typically occurs after use of antibiotic medications." Bud had been in and out of hospitals and rehab clinics for over 2 months and on numerous antibiotics due to various infections. It sounds like he was an accident just waiting to be found by C. diff. :(
Poor Margie. This was really over the top news. She put on her happy face and did all she could to take it in stride but I could see it was definitely a low blow. The move was an anticipated high spot in her overburdened world and the thought of paying for two places out-of-pocket crushed her spirits. World, it's not nice to kick a lady when she's down-didn't your mother teach you anything?
With the belief that Bud will be there as soon as possible we continued setting up the apartment. I must say, the whole place is easy to fall in love with. The personnel everywhere had a smile for us, a kind word and helpful hands if we needed them. The exterior of the building is beautiful, the grounds are well kept and I suspect will blossom into their real glory come spring. The interior is clean, inviting and quite lovely; colors are soothing yet attractive and aroma therapy brings a variety of inviting scents throughout the building. This isn't the cover-up spray you can find in a lot of facilities it is actually aroma therapy. Each area has a sign posted telling the reader about the aroma and the benefits.
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| Bud's hallway; computer lab is located at the end of the hall |
Bud's studio apartment is perfect. The kitchenette is surprisingly generous and even includes a table that will easily accommodate Bud and his wheel chair. There isn't an oven or stove as they want the residents to take their meals in the restaurant. There is a microwave for snacks or those times you just don't feel like more than a bowl of soup.
 |
| Margie finding a home for a little bit of this, that and everything. |
The living space is ample enough for lots of company; something Margie is hoping Bud will have plenty of. John and the boys will bring his chair here (haha, they don't know that yet) and that will help Bud stay out of bed for more of the day. That is a good thing and absolutely necessary if he is to attain his goal of partial mobility. The furnished unit usually comes complete with a double or queen bed but because Margie rented a single sized hospital bed there is enough floor space left to engage in some wheel chair dancing :) Better watch out Margie, I saw a lot more ladies around than men!
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| I'm standing just inside the front entry with the kitchen on my right and the bathroom on my left. |
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| I'm standing by the window (in the pic above). |
On his floor is a comfortable, well stocked library complete with a roaring fire (gas insert of course), a computer lounge, laundry facilities, hair salon and private dining room for when they have us all over for dinner. Speaking of dinner...Margie and I were treated to a complimentary lunch in the restaurant (aka general dining room for residents and their visitors). The meal was spectacular. Seriously. It was top-notch restaurant worthy. They offer a daily special at each meal as well as a regular menu to order from. My spinach and blue cheese salad was so delicious I did not leave a crumb of anything uneaten; Ernie wanted to know if I would like to lick the plate :) Margie declared her chicken salad sandwich perfect and said she is a chicken salad connoisseur so that was high praise.
 |
| Library. A guest speaker is just around the corner out of sight. They regularly have guest speakers on a variety of topics. |
 |
| Everything is in its place and Margie is taking a last look around before we leave. |
Note: As of today (Saturday) Margie is doing much better. She says, "It is what it is and no amount of worry or fretting will change things." She calls herself Pollyanna; I think that is a good mindset when life is at its most challenging. The plan at the moment is for the doctor to re-test Bud towards the end of the week. He is on the proper antibiotic for C. diff so once he receives a clear test he has to wait 72 hours before moving into Aiges. Everyone anticipates the test will come up clear as his case is so mild. The hope is he'll be able to move to Aiges toward the beginning of the following week. Prayers, karma, magical spells or positive potions are wanted for a swift recovery and a happy move.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Lunch mmmmmmm good
Lunch with my big sis today. Mmmmmmm good refers to the delicious chicken cranberry salad I had and the great company. After 4 hours of non-stop talking we put a dent in our list of topics to cover.
My bad. My very bad. No pictures of the day :(
My bad. My very bad. No pictures of the day :(
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Da Beach and food. Not related just relevant.
To da beach, to da beach, to da beach we go...oh wait, that's James and Tess. Boo hoo. Not me. Glenna and I are trying to schedule a day to check on the beach and do some fireplace shopping but life continues to get in the way. James, Tess and Tess' dog Dylan took off about 10 this morning to visit the beach and make sure all is OK.
Tess and Dylan came to pick up James. James took Lenny and I took Dakota out on leashes to meet Dylan. After a bit of growling and posturing Lenny and Dylan looked like they would love to get off-leash and romp together. Dakota did excellent for him but as expected, not as friendly as Lenny. If I was holding Dakota he stayed in the vicinity but barked. When James tried taking Dakota next to Dylan he simply wanted to get to me as fast as his short little stocky legs could carry him. No surprise.
Dakota barked and barked and barked and barked, "That's my Lenny, leave him alone, he's my friend not yours, you can't have him. Lenny stop being nice. Lenny pay attention to me. Lenny I'm getting sort of scared and nervous. Lenny come inside with me. See Dylan, Lenny is mine not yours; we're inside and you're not. Ha"
At least that's what it sounded like he was saying to me :)
_________________________
John wanted to know if I was practicing to be the next Iron Chef with all my cooking and reading cooking blogs. Hmmmmm not seeing that as my goal but it sounds better than just trying to have a purpose in this family - a purpose that I'm not very good at so I'm trying hard to improve my skills. Ya, think I'll go with the Iron Chef theory. Much more interesting.
Last night's dinner of Broccoli Beef was a total disappointment. I opened the bag of broccoli and it was bad. I was genuinely surprised...but when I remembered I bought it at Fred Meyer my surprise disappeared. I bought it unwillingly as I no longer buy anything from the produce or butcher sections of FM. I was there to pick up my medicine (have to move those to another store) and only needed broccoli; nothing else. I thought, "how bad could it be?" I should of known better when I went to the produce section and there was no fresh broccoli to be found. They had a sign saying sorry for the poorly stocked produce shelves but inclement weather was effecting their deliveries. I bought a bag of pre-cut and pre-cleaned broccoli knowing I shouldn't but being too lazy to make another choice.
Luckily I had fresh crisp snow peas (from Safeway) that would be a good substitute for the bad broccoli. As a matter of fact, they were the only good thing about the meal because they weren't marinated with the beef mixture. I'm not sure which flavor or combo of flavors was unpleasant but they certainly ruined a perfectly good flank steak.
Although in fairness to the recipe the meat marinated about 3 extra hours due to phone calls I had to take. Also, the cornstarch in the recipe made the marinade too thick to even stir - not wanting any more sodium in the marinade I added a splash of red wine and then some additional water when the wine wasn't enough.Because the reviews were so good I might try this recipe one more time following the steps exactly but I find it hard to believe my minimal changes could have made that much of a difference so I might not.
The one thing I am enjoying about all this cooking and experimenting is the confidence I am gaining in my cooking - no, make that in my decision making. I have never been a recipe follower preferring to create from scratch or from what's on hand or from what I'm in the mood for. That can be an expensive way to cook as you end up at the store daily. These days I need to start with a menu plan and recipes so that I can control costs and save on the grocery bill as well as the dining out bill. I find I still can't leave a recipe alone. I have to tweak it to my tastes. I use what's on hand and for the most part the end result is the better for it. That's fun and satisfying. I pencil notes on my recipes when I make changes and I also give them a rating after the family has weighed in on the tastiness - or lack thereof. This makes it easy to recreate the good ones and never again cook the blechy ones :)
Tess and Dylan came to pick up James. James took Lenny and I took Dakota out on leashes to meet Dylan. After a bit of growling and posturing Lenny and Dylan looked like they would love to get off-leash and romp together. Dakota did excellent for him but as expected, not as friendly as Lenny. If I was holding Dakota he stayed in the vicinity but barked. When James tried taking Dakota next to Dylan he simply wanted to get to me as fast as his short little stocky legs could carry him. No surprise.
Dakota barked and barked and barked and barked, "That's my Lenny, leave him alone, he's my friend not yours, you can't have him. Lenny stop being nice. Lenny pay attention to me. Lenny I'm getting sort of scared and nervous. Lenny come inside with me. See Dylan, Lenny is mine not yours; we're inside and you're not. Ha"
At least that's what it sounded like he was saying to me :)
_________________________
John wanted to know if I was practicing to be the next Iron Chef with all my cooking and reading cooking blogs. Hmmmmm not seeing that as my goal but it sounds better than just trying to have a purpose in this family - a purpose that I'm not very good at so I'm trying hard to improve my skills. Ya, think I'll go with the Iron Chef theory. Much more interesting.
 |
| It looks good....but that's about it. |
Last night's dinner of Broccoli Beef was a total disappointment. I opened the bag of broccoli and it was bad. I was genuinely surprised...but when I remembered I bought it at Fred Meyer my surprise disappeared. I bought it unwillingly as I no longer buy anything from the produce or butcher sections of FM. I was there to pick up my medicine (have to move those to another store) and only needed broccoli; nothing else. I thought, "how bad could it be?" I should of known better when I went to the produce section and there was no fresh broccoli to be found. They had a sign saying sorry for the poorly stocked produce shelves but inclement weather was effecting their deliveries. I bought a bag of pre-cut and pre-cleaned broccoli knowing I shouldn't but being too lazy to make another choice.
Luckily I had fresh crisp snow peas (from Safeway) that would be a good substitute for the bad broccoli. As a matter of fact, they were the only good thing about the meal because they weren't marinated with the beef mixture. I'm not sure which flavor or combo of flavors was unpleasant but they certainly ruined a perfectly good flank steak.
Although in fairness to the recipe the meat marinated about 3 extra hours due to phone calls I had to take. Also, the cornstarch in the recipe made the marinade too thick to even stir - not wanting any more sodium in the marinade I added a splash of red wine and then some additional water when the wine wasn't enough.Because the reviews were so good I might try this recipe one more time following the steps exactly but I find it hard to believe my minimal changes could have made that much of a difference so I might not.
The one thing I am enjoying about all this cooking and experimenting is the confidence I am gaining in my cooking - no, make that in my decision making. I have never been a recipe follower preferring to create from scratch or from what's on hand or from what I'm in the mood for. That can be an expensive way to cook as you end up at the store daily. These days I need to start with a menu plan and recipes so that I can control costs and save on the grocery bill as well as the dining out bill. I find I still can't leave a recipe alone. I have to tweak it to my tastes. I use what's on hand and for the most part the end result is the better for it. That's fun and satisfying. I pencil notes on my recipes when I make changes and I also give them a rating after the family has weighed in on the tastiness - or lack thereof. This makes it easy to recreate the good ones and never again cook the blechy ones :)
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