Halloween

There won't be many trick-or-treaters tonight for there's storm brewing. Mary Kate and the kids can eat the candy korn I bought as a treat.

Went over too Karen's and helped feed the animals. Because of the storm, we walked down the hill and fetched the two horses that were staked out. They have food and water but they graze on the green grass. We brought them up and put them in a pen that Ken made for them. The chickens laid about 8 eggs and I got to bring them home. I was down to 4 eggs and needed to buy more. The time we spend on the animals is about an hour and 15 minutes. I usually get home by 11:30 AM.

I'll need to go to the grocery store and buy a few things for Mary Kate and family. I have a frozen, cooked chicken in the freezer and I think I'll make some Taco soup. I have a package of taco's and I'll need to get some tomatoes and lettuce and taco sauce, and maybe use ground beef instead of ground chicken. Frank likes the flossers I use and I'll get him a package.

Exercise and Animals

Janice wore a wig and a dress and sunglasses for a Halloween costume today. She said she dressed like June Cleaver as in Leave it to Beaver, and 1950's sitcom. A couple of people had on Halloween shirts. I didn't remember but I could have worn my black Halloween wig. Maybe next year.

Feeding the animals didn't take long. We had to walk down the hill to feed to two horses that are staked out there. Going down wasn't bad, it was the coming up that got me.

Martin came over with some paint chips to see what color we wanted the shelves he's fixing for us. We were down in the basement trying to see what was wrong with the hot water heater. He looked at it too and pushed a red button and it clicked and the water started getting hot again. It's good too know that nothing's wrong with the hot water heater now. Tomorrow we'll go to Collin's Supply and get some screws and some grease of some kind and some hardware for the new shelves.

Trudy called and said she is in major pain with her back. She wanted me to order her two canes like Frank has. She'll get an MRI soon and see her surgeon and maybe she can get this back pain taken care of. Mary Kate and the children will be coming for the week-end.

What About Monday?

Trudy met be at the lawyer's office. We saw Landy Raley, the lawyer that Shelley recommended. We liked him. He's setting up a power of attorney for us and the other things I can't remember. I filled out a living will and have to get Frank to fill one out also. I'll see if Brenda and Bobby will be the wittiness for us. Then I'll have to get  copies to Dr Walker's office. Don't remember what we did the rest of the day. I went to exercise Monday. Afterwards, Janet showed those of us who wanted to see them some pictures of her vacation out West. We saw the lawyer at 2 PM.

Today, Tuesday, Trudy and I went over to Karen's to help her feed her animals. Really, they are her husband's animals but he is out of the country right now and it falls on her to feed, water and clean up after them. Trudy just looked at the animals and then lay down in the backseat of her car and rested. Her back is really hurting her. I helped her the first time Ken went to Quad but the second time, I was recovering from hip surgery and couldn't help. He was gone 4 or more months that time. Hopefully, he'll only be gone a month this time. I'll go over every day at 10 AM and we will feed and water the chickens, goats, geese, donkeys and horses. They are the very small horses. The ATV stopped working on the way back up from feeding and watering the two horses that are staked out down the road so now we'll have to carry feed and water in a small wagon. Going down hill won't be so bad. Coming up the hill pulling the wagon had me sweating today. It'll be good exercise for me.

Saturday Is A Special Day

I went back to bed and slept until 11 AM. Frank likes to wake me up when he's up for some reason. All that mattress moving yesterday made me tired.

I vacuumed the floors with the electric broom. I've hesitated using it for it does such a good job that cleaning out the filter is a chore. But I got it to use and I've got to use it anyway. It really sucks up the dirt and powdery stuff that gets on the floors. I need to mop the floors too, but that can wait.

I cut Frank's hair and showered and got ready to go to the adult session of Stake Conference tonight. The Decker's and Hansen's and going out to dinner afterwards, so I have to drive. I'll miss the AL-TN football game but that's okay. The meeting is more important. I'll be gone about 3 1/2 hours. I haven't driven to Stake Conference in a long time. Usually get a ride.

Best Friend

My best friend from high school, Diane, emailed me a couple of days ago. It was so nice hearing from her. She had read my blogs and knew about Frank's condition and told me about her brother taking care of her mother who had similar problems that Frank has. It was so good hearing from her. It's been over 50 years since we were in high school. That makes me officially OLD!

Thursday-Friday

Went to the temple with the Decker's and Brenda C. It's always a spiritual uplift going and this time was no difference. We had some strange things going on with the car coming back. The head lights blinked on and off several times and Ken didn't know why, but we made it home okay.

Friday, I didn't go to exercise for it was 12:30-45 AM when I got to bed. I should have gotten up to go but I didn't. Today at 2 PM I went over to Karen's and she helped me take up three pair of Frank's pants. I don't think I took them up enough but maybe it helped some. She made me a piano pillow out of some industrial foam that Ken gets from work. She even made me one for the car and delivered it to me tonight. The foam is hard and supportive and doesn't get crushed down.

Frank did not like his new mattress! It's foam and it hurt his back. We couldn't get the old mattress up the stairs from the basement so we wrestled the new mattress off the box springs and put it in the hall, then we moved the mattress that's on the computer bed over onto the new box springs and then put the new mattress on the computer bed box springs. Whew! That was a lot of work. I noticed a light out in my room and Frank couldn't get the shade back on without a taller ladder so I got one from the basement and hauled it upstairs and into my room. He got the light fixed and then I hauled it back into the basement. I plan to sleep late tomorrow...

Good Day

Had a good exercise today. After lunch, we went to Mattress King to get a bed for Frank. He told me last night he wanted to get one today. After laying on a couple, he decided that he liked his old one and we left. His dementia is getting the best of him. I can't reason with him. He doesn't realize that he told me he wanted to get a bed today. I guess I need to go to the store alone and buy the one that's the firmest and have it delivered and not bother him with having to make a decision. The young man who waited on us probably wonders what he did wrong for us to come and go without buying a bed. We have 45 days to sleep on it and if not satisfied they will give us our money back.
This dementia thing is getting harder and harder as time goes on.

AM Dr Visit

We had a visit to the pain clinic this morning at 9 AM.  I didn't allow enough time for Frank to get dressed and we were 15 minutes late but we didn't have to wait long. We told the nurse, Joann, that Frank needed the pain meds every 6 hours. We had cut down to two every 12 hours, but the hurt came back. According to State law, we have to go to the pain clinic every month to get the Rx. We used to be able to skip a month and still have a prescription, but not now. Frank seems to travel better now so maybe it won't be much of a problem.

I went grocery shopping after lunch. We were out of milk and fruit. We like to eat a supper of cottage cheese and fruit and that's what we had tonight. It's really good for Frank's blood sugar. It's always low after eating a cottage cheese meal.

The pants that Frank wore today would fall off of him without the suspenders. I have to get with Karen to see how to take them up. Ken is going out of town again and I will help her feed their animals. I couldn't do it last time for my leg, hip, was still healing. I'm sure it's still healing now but I can walk on uneven ground and think I'll be able to help.

Mary Kate will be coming up Nov 1st for the week-end. She wants a bed that Trudy has stored in her garage. It used to be my bed when I lived at home with my parents. We gave it to Trudy after we got the queen sized mattress for the bed in the basement. For some reason, Trudy didn't use it. It's good, heavy furniture and will last forever if anyone wanted to keep it that long.

Honda Dealership

I  took the car in to get the cruise control fixed today. Trudy was going to meet me there but she came down with a cold. I was prepared to stay all day, but they were through in 45 minutes. I had a nice trip back going the speed limit.

Frank's arm didn't bleed today when I changed dressings so I think it is starting to heal. We need some more 1st aid supplies. Non-stick gauze pads and gauze to wrap around the wound. We have plenty of band-aids but not much for big wounds.

We have a pain clinic visit tomorrow morning and Frank wants to stop by Mattress King and get a mattress. Trudy wants the old mattress so I'll get the Mattress King men to slide the mattress downstairs when they bring the new set.

Bubba and Ruth were to come tomorrow at 10:00 AM to get the cabinet but Trudy reminded me of the pain clinic visit so I called and they will come Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM.

Busy

Today I went to Collins supply  and then to Railroad Bazaar to get a 6' guitar and amp cord. There was a midget waiting on me. I thought he was cute but didn't think I should say anything to him. I'm glad he  has a job there. Then I went to the cemetery office and tried to buy two lots in the Rose Lawn cemetery but I had to go and pick them out. I met one of the workers there and picked out two lots in the newer section near the road. There were lots of flag poles flying the US flag and I liked that. I went back to the cemetery office and bought the lots and paid for the opening and closing of the graves too.

I got home and found out that Collins had given me the wrong sized brackets. I had an appointment at Spry's funeral home at 3 PM to pre-pay for one funeral. After that, I returned the brackets to Collins and asked them to order me some 6" brackets. Bro Hansen is making shelving for a book shelf that Frank wants put back on the wall in his room. We will probably have to change out the hardware to get brackets to fit the shelves.

We read 3 Sections in the Doctrine and Covenants tonight and it was nice.

Trudy and Sadie had spent the night last night but had to leave early this morning. Trudy had a PT appointment and Sadie had to go in to work.

What a Blast

I left the house at 8 AM to take the car by the Honda dealership to get the cruise control fixed. Trudy met me and we drove all over H'ville. We went to Sear's to take back my Land's End purchase, and to Walmart for some Velcro tie wraps for Frank, and to Dick's sporting goods store for some tubing for Frank, and to two thrift stores where Trudy got some clothes and the 2nd one I got two blouses. We ate lunch at Chic-fil-e and saw Sadie working. We went back at 2 PM when she got off work and visited while she ate lunch. We had a great time roaming around.

The Honda place had to order the part and had the car all day. The guy who checked us out said they had about 200 cars a day and that they had about 25 mechanics working there. Trudy's Honda CR-V drives good. She took it by one of George's friend who looked at it and told what things were wrong with it. I hope it will live up to the Honda name and will be a good car for them.

Usual Monday Stuff

Janet is gone on vacation and Cynthia was subbing for exercise. She doesn't give us much time to rest like Janet does. We really get a real work-out.

I went to the pharmacy and then to Spry's funeral home for some information. The man I saw told me to go to Rose Lawn cemetery to purchase a lot. They are $600.00 for two and that's what we paid for the two in Thatch-Mann. I hope they will trade the two lots in Thatch-Mann for two in Rose Lawn. For a paid-in-full funeral at Spry's, it will cost $5,173.00 for  one. Opening and closing the grave is $400.00 so for $1,000.00 we could have the two plots and the opening and closing of the grave paid for. I think we'll just pay for the graves now and worry about the grave digging later.

After lunch, we did Frank's exercises. I put on the 2 1/2 lb weights too and did what Frank was doing. I got a double dose of exercise today. I did eat a few M&M's after lunch. Maybe I worked them off.

I'll meet Trudy tomorrow when I take the car to the Honda place in H'ville. The cruse control doesn't work and the intermediate on the windshield wipers doesn't work. They sound like small problems but I bet it will cost an arm and a leg, plus while they have the car back there, they will find other problems that need fixing. Trudy and I plan to go shopping. I need to go to Dick's and get some red tubing with handles and we need to stop by Sear's and take back a Land's End tote I ordered that was too big. I need to go to Walmart and get some acid brushes for Frank. He's found some dirt at the bottom of the toothbrush holder and he wants to get it out. I just ignore dirt that's hard to get at. What I don't see doesn't hurt me. 

Saturday

Trudy left early this morning. Sadie was having a party at her house tonight and she wanted her Mom there with her. She was having a few friends over and they were going to watch a movie.

Trudy and George went looking for cars today and found a 2001 Honda CR-V with about 135,000 miles on it. They got it for $4200.00 and have some money left over to fix the cracked windshield and a few other minor repairs. She drove over here this afternoon to show it to us. It's extremely clean on the inside. It has a rough ride compared to our Accord but that's to be expected. They are very happy to have enough cars for everyone. They have 4 cars. Sadie needs one to drive to Seminary and to work. Forrest is paying for his and needs it for work. George drives his truck and now Trudy has the Honda.

Friday, we went to the Limestone Memorial Gardens to look at cemetery lots. For two, it was about $4,000.00. The VA would pay for Frank's bronze marker. I liked the idea about being buried in the veterans area but today Frank wants to look else where. Monday, I'll go by Spry's Funeral Home and check on prearrangement and get a list of cemeteries. We had two plots in the Thatch-Mann cemetery for $600.00 but decided not to be buried there. We could give the lots to the cemetery to go for poor people who wouldn't have a place to be buried otherwise. Or we could advertize in the paper. 

Nothing

I've done nothing all day. I guess I've done a few things but nothing to write about. I washed my sheets and some towels and the washing machine didn't get all of the water out of the things on spin cycle so I had to dry them over. I practiced the piano. The Christmas song is giving me troubles. I think I'm just trying to go too fast too soon. Trudy called and said Sadie was going out with the Sister missionaries tonight so she wouldn't be coming over today but would come over tomorrow and spend the night.

Tomorrow morning we are going to the cemetery to look at lots. I'll go to exercise and then come home and get Frank and we'll go. We have an appointment for 10 AM. Trudy will come in the afternoon. I don't like days when I don't have anything to do.

My Land's End tote came in today but it is way too large so I'll take it back to Sear's. I have some material to cover a new pillow that Karen is going to help me with. Ken can get some foam from work and we can make a pillow with that. I use the pillow while seated at the piano and the one I have is too long.

Sister Everet is going to be gone Sunday and has asked me to fill in for her in Primary. I hate to miss Sunday School and Relief Society but I need to help out in Primary too.

New Equiptment

After exercise, I went by the bank and then to Walmart to wait for Hibbit's Sports to open at 10 AM. They didn't have what I wanted and suggested I try Academy Sports and I drove to Madison. They had an 8 lb exercise ball and I got two 4 lb hand weights. Frank was using 3 lb weights and I thought he could do with 4 lb. We have two 5 lb weights but that might be too much for right now. We did the exercises after lunch. I do some with him and it will help me get stronger. On the way home, I stopped by the car wash and got the car cleaned. I love how they clean the inside windows. It cost $12.00 which is not a bad price. The other, newer car wash is $5.00 for the basic wash and you get to use the vacuum cleaners free, but for an extra $7.00, I get the insides cleaned too. I like that.

Janet gave me a pink light bulb for breast cancer awareness. I don't know what I'll do with it but I appreciated it.

The pork roast I re-cooked got done but is a bit tough for me. Frank didn't complain, but he usually doesn't. I might try to grind the rest up in my mini food processor. Then I could at least chew it. I think I'm going to give up on pork, period.

I bought another 5 drawer plastic container for my jewelry. My entire dresser top is mostly filled with these plastic drawer containers. I can't stop buying earrings and necklaces and I need a place to put them. I'm giving my elegant jewelry box to Trudy. She'll be over after her PT tomorrow.

I'm getting a hair cut tomorrow afternoon.

Dad doesn't want to be buried in Hazel Green so  I called Limestone Memorial Gardens and asked the price of two burial plots. They were $2,295.00 with the vaults already in the ground. The vaults cost $290.00 a piece. We can pay 10% down and take up to 60 months to pay. It will be in the Veterans section. I like that better than Hazel Green. It's a nice cemetery and close to Athens. Trudy didn't want us buried in the black cemetery we had bought plots in. The two plots cost $600.00 so it was a bargain but with civil unrest, being buried there might present problems. The cemetery in Hazel Green is close to Trudy and is pretty but the Athens Ward will be burying us and it will be good to be close to home.

Tuesday

Slow morning. Cooked a prepared meatloaf for lunch and it was pretty good. Cooked a port roast for supper and I cooked it 25 minutes per pound and it was 2 pounds but it still was half raw so I cooked it another 45 minutes. Watch it be over cooked now. I don't have good luck with pork.

I got the sewing machine out and sewed the tops of Dad's socks where he had cut them to make them not so tight on his ankles. I hope it helps because my zigzag stitch was a bit loose.

Tomorrow I have exercise and have to go to the bank. Frank's walking some without the rollator. The exercises are helping him. We'll try to do them 3 times this week.

Monday

Silver Sneakers was fun. Janet had given everyone a paper last Friday when I was gone. I got a copy of it today. She thanked me by name for introducing her to the class and "allowing me to continue teaching it". I was so glad to find out that she would take over for me when I had my surgery and I wanted her to continue after I came back. She has done a wonderful job of making the senior exercise program as good as it is now.

I stopped by the pharmacy but the Rx couldn't be filled until next Monday. I had to go by the bank and change an account and get some printed copies of the bank statements, for the lawyer we'll see next week. I had to also stop by the court houses to get a tax assessment and a deed to the house, but I think they gave me a deed to the land instead. I'll find out when Trudy and I see the lawyer. I went to Staples to get some large and long rubber bands and then to Walmart for grocery shopping.

I arranged the legal papers when I got home and added to what I had. I think I'm ready to see the lawyer now.

I bought another 3 drawer plastic container to use as a jewelry case and emptied the jewelry box-on-legs (it's a French name that I can't spell) and now it is ready to give to Trudy. We're thinking of bringing the desk that is in her room up and put it in my room. It would just collect "stuff" but it might be a good idea.

General Conference

I was so tired after all my activity Friday that I slept through some of the talks and wasn't very attentive to the others. My mind hasn't been receptive so I guess it was tired too. I took a shower this morning and have worn my Muumuu all day. Didn't even put on make-up but did wear a new pair of hoop earrings! Love the earrings.

Got a letter from the lawyer Trudy and I are going to see next week. It will cost $250.00 an hour. Connie Glass is her name and she is an Elder Care lawyer. It's mainly about estate planning but we don't have much of an estate to plan. Trudy will be the executor of the will and I will need to get a durable power of attorney but I don't know what else there needs to be done. I have to find copies of bank statements and the banks don't send out statements anymore so I guess I'll have to go by the banks and get a statement on paper. I'll need the deed to our car and I got a deed to our house Friday. Frank and I will have to get into the fining cabinet and try to find things.

We have an account at Compass bank that the Social Security goes into that the bank says is a savings account and I have been writing checks on it. I'll have to go to the bank Monday and have them change it to a regular checking account. I pay the tithing out of it and anything that I think should come out of it. So much comes out of the main account at Regions automatically that I don't always know how much money is in the account and I use the Compass account to fall back on.

Golorous Day

Trudy was here when Ruth called and said she was almost to Athens and I left to meet her. We met at the Walmart parking lot and got into her van and went to the court house. I needed to get a copy of the deed to our house but it wasn't at the old court house on the square but was at the building on Clinton St. We just walked there. The Probate Court office was on the 2nd floor and I told the secretary what I wanted and for $5.00 I got it. We walked back to the square and ate at the Casa Blanca. It was nice food but it was too much food. After eating, we went to the Center for Lifetime Learning on the square and met John who is an author and brought Ruth the book he had written. We had a nice visit with him and his wife and then we went back to the van and went looking for a parking space for the Fiddler's Convention. We walked around and around and bought some things and got some Kettle Corn and a drink and found a seat for the musical show. The band was better than last year and the show was 45 minutes long. We both bought a 4 CD package of the band for $20.00 and then left. I was a bit worried about leaving Frank for that long a time but Trudy was still here when I got home. The man who put the TV on the wall mount came at 12:30 PM. I thought maybe Trudy had gone home but her family had gone on a Ward temple trip and nobody would be home for her. She decided to spend the night again tonight and go home early in the morning. She has people coming over for breakfast tomorrow morning so she will be up by 6 AM.

We had fun tonight swapping clothes.  She found a gray-black jacket she liked in the closet downstairs and she wanted to borrow it, but I told her she could have it. Then she was looking the the jewelry I bought at the Fiddler's Convention and I opened the big jewelry case and found lots of pieces of jewelry to give her. I would like to empty the big case out and give it to her but I'll have to buy some more containers to put what in the case that I want to keep. It'll take time to do it. We had fun swapping clothes and jewlery.

Thursday

I washed some of the new clothes I got and hung them up. Frank had a follow up eye appointment this afternoon at 2 PM. All went well there. He used his two canes to walk instead of the rollator which was nice for me. I didn't have to put the rollator in and out of the trunk.

Ruth will be up tomorrow around 11 AM. Trudy is here to spend the night and will go with me to meet Ruth and have lunch with us. After lunch, she will come back here and wait with Frank for the men from Sam's to put his TV on the wall mount. Ruth and I will go to the Fiddler's Convention. It's a tradition that we go together each year and it's fun. We always get a big bag of Kettle Corn but this year I think I'll just get a small bag to eat while I'm there. If I bring any home, Frank will want to eat it and it has sugar in it. His blood sugar has been pretty good lately even when I forgot to put the metformin in his meds. The bottle was out of it's place and I didn't notice it until most of the week was gone.

Bubba has a geology reunion in Tuscaloosa this week-end so he won't be with us at the Fiddler's Convention. He doesn't really enjoy walking around looking at the crafts like Ruth and I do so he'll have more fun where he'll be.

Paperwhite

My new Kindle came in today. It's somewhat smaller than my 2nd Kindle. The 1st Kindle went bad on me and that's why I have a 2nd one. Now, I'm on my 3rd Kindle. It's the paperwhite and it's a touch screen. I've got to study the instructions in order to learn how to operate it. I wish it came with written-on-paper instructions, but it's all in the Kindle. I have a challenge in learning how to operate it. To connect to the WY-fy, it needed a password for the Layton Family and I didn't know it. I called Trudy and she saved the day for she knew it. I then got into the Kindle. Now for the studying.

Trip

After exercise, I went by Jody's Optical and bought Ruth a bracelet and then I stopped by Hardee's and got a Coke and headed for H'ville. I took back two items to Sears and stopped by Kohl's in Madison to take back a skirt. I shopped around and found a blouse that matches my green skirt and a few other pull-overs. I got a necklace and earrings. It not the one I've envisioned in my mind and maybe I'll be able to find it at the Fiddler's Convention Friday. I did hear that we might have rain for the week-end and I hope it won't ruin the festivities.

Mon-Tuesday

I woke up late Monday morning and didn't go to exercise. I went to H'ville to Sear's for some reason, oh, to take back some orders from Land's End. I then had to shop in the Ladies dept. and got two skirts, a green one and a Navy one. Tomorrow, Wednesday, after exercise, I'll go back to Sear's to take back a pair of pants I got for Frank and a shirt that I didn't try on and it wasn't big enough. I have a skirt to take back to Kohl's since I got a Navy one from Sear's. I think I have enough clothes now and hope the urge to buy goes away for a while.

Today, Tuesday, I practiced the piano and Janet came for Frank's exercise. He's not going to do the bike anymore and will do step-ups on the stairs instead. Tomorrow, I'll go to exercise and then to H'ville to take the things back to Sear's and Khol's.

Friday, I think Bubba and Ruth will come up for lunch and then we'll go to the Fiddler's Convention. We love to walk around and see all the vendors and what they have for sale. I especially like the jewelry. I have an idea for a necklace that I want and maybe I'll find it there.

Friday, Sam's is coming over to put up Frank's TV on the wall mount. They probably think they have to install the wall mount but all they have to do is put it on the mount that's already on the wall and plug it in. I'll be gone during this time.