Home Again

Sadie and I left LaGrange about 11:00 AM EDST and got home at 2:15 PM CDST. We lost an hour coming home. It wasn't a hard trip. We thought we were lost going through Birmingham, but after stopping and asking, we were just not further along as we needed to be.

It was so good seeing Mary Kate, Richard, Sophia and Nate. We went shopping and to Callaway Gardens. We saw the bird show, raptors, and went to the beach so the kids could swim and play. I didn't bring a bathing suit so just sat in the sun and got tanned.

I got a new purse at the Khol's in Tiger Town in Opelika, AL. Seems like I get all of my purses at Khol's. It's a big, black purse with three compartments and an outside zipper and a place I can slide my cards into. I really like it. We got the brakes fixed on the Honda van and visited a friend in LaGrange who's son is on a mission in Brazil. Friday evening we went back to Opelika and ate at C.C.'s Pizza and then Richard drove to Auburn and showed me the campus. It's doesn't seem to be as large as the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, but I was glad I could visit the campus of our rival school.

Nate was going to Scout camp today and Mary Kate and Sophia were going to Atlanta on a temple trip, so Sadie and I left when Mary Kate did. It's a 4 hour drive but it's almost all interstate and fast driving. There is a section of two lane roads that leads from the interstate to LaGrange but it goes by pretty quickly. Trudy said we could go every 6 weeks if we wanted to. May take her up on it. I think I need new tires on the Accord. On the front, at least before my next trip.

Just Waiting

Spent the morning in the recliner snoozing while Frank did the same on his bed. The seroquil is working fine and he doesn't have any of the edginess he had before. I've got to call the Dr and tell
him it is working.

Waiting for Trudy and Sadie to get here tonight. Sadie and I will leave sometime in the morning.We are both excited. Mary Kate will have to send directions on how to get there for it's been 11 years since I've been there. Sadie might know how to get there but we'll be going from Interstate 65 only Hy 20 and then off on another road after that. It'll take 4 hours. We'll gain an hour going down. Frank doesn't know we're going for I didn't want him to want to come along too. He can't travel 4 hours plus he can't go and do like we will be doing. Trudy and Jennifer will take care of him.

Memorial Day

We haven't done anything except go to the pharmacy to get another glucose meter for Frank. He "misplaced" his other meter in all of his rearranging his room. We haven't taken a blood sugar reading since he got unruly with his Alzheimer's. That's been about 3 weeks. He's been eating the same so I don't think his number has been too high. Last night, he ate Graham crackers and then wanted a peanut butter sandwich. He was really hungry. I feed him lots at lunch today so it would tide him over until supper. So far, so good.

Tomorrow night, Trudy and Sadie will come over to spend the night inn preparation for Sadie and me to go to Mary Kate's house. I'm excited and have already been writing lists down. I have no luggage so will have to pack in soft bags. I hope I have enough.

Saturday

George came over to pick Trudy up and brought a small upright freezer to us. He got it in the house and plugged up but it wasn't cooling. He unplugged it and said to let it sit for a day and maybe it would work. II was going to unplug the big freezer and George could have helped us clean it out when it thawed during the power outage due to the tornadoes. But I had too much stuff in it that wouldn't fit in the refrigerator freezer, plus Rosko was in there and I didn't want him to thaw. He will stay in there until we can find a place to bury him.

There are 21 trees down in our back yard due to the tornadoes. It would cost too much money to have them removed. It would take almost all of our savings. George said something about having the tree man set up his chipper and shred the trees limbs into the woods and have a big pile of chipped wood in there. George said it was too big a job for family to do.

It was fun having Trudy here for 4 days and 3 nights. She and Sadie will be back next Tuesday night. Sadie and I will travel to LaGrange, GA the next day to go visit Mary Kate. Trudy will stay with Dad. We will be gone4 days. It will be so much fun.

Crazy Day

Trudy, Frank and I left the  house at 10:15 AM for an 11:15 appointment at the Pain Clinic in H'ville.
We didn't have to wait very long to see the Dr and come back to the car and waited until Trudy got through seeing the Dr. too. Her appointment was at 1:15 PM. We ate lunch at Chick-fil-a. Trudy and I got the chicken salad sandwich which was pretty good. Dad got a two strip Kid's meal. Afterwards, we drove to Meridianville to pick up Trudy's meds. At 3 PM we stopped at-can't think of the place now, they serve Mexican food- and got some tacos. I wanted something sweet so we drove across the highway and we got 3 peach milkshakes. Taco Bell, that's the place.

One the way home we stopped at Sally's Beauty

Supply and Trudy went in and got a Peanut hair groomer. We had been using a Whal big clippers for years and this small trimmer will be nice. Trudy will trim Frank's beard and hair tomorrow.

The sitter will come over tomorrow and Trudy and I will go out and play. We have to get groceries and I can take her to a consignment store I've found. We shopped at Value Village in H'ville and I got 2 shirts for Frank and 3 blouses for me. Trudy got her summer clothes there. We stopped at Goody's in Athens and she found her favorite jeans on sale for $6 or $9 dollars a pair and I got her 4 pair. I got a nice silver necklace that is full of bling. When I'll wear it, I don't know. I have plenty of jewelery. Not the real stuff but I really don't want that. I like the costume jewelery more. Don't worry about having it lost or damaged.

RIP Rosko

After we got back home around 1:15 PM, Trudy noticed Rosko down on the floor of his cage. He was laying down. I scooped him up and held him against my body for warmth. He had his eyes closed but he was still alive. I held him like that for about 45 minutes. He nipped me gently and fluttered his wings and then he was gone. We had Rosko since 1990 so he was 24 years and 4 months old. He had been acting strange the last 3 or 4 days. He wouldn't settle down when he was covered up for the night and he stayed all fluffed up and always wanted to be near a heat source. He was an old bird and loved the heat. He was our watch bird. When anyone drive up to the house, Rosko would sound the alarm. I could hear him when I came home and walked up the ramp.

 Rosko was originally Frank's bird. We picked out an egg and when it hatched and got old enough to go home with us, he was ours, but as time went on and Frank wanted a larger Amazon bird, Rosko had to take a back seat to the blue fronted Amazon that we got. She is our talker.

He was a nanday conure. A dark to medium color green with a black beak and cap on his head - not a literal cap- but the front part of his head was black. He had beautiful olive green eyes. His stockings on his legs were red and the feathers around his vent were red. He was a handsome bird of small to medium size. He wasn't a talker even though he learned to say the name of my daughter, Mary Kate. She  would be studying and he would say, "Mary Kate, Mary Kate" and she would say, "What?" back to him, then he learned to say, "Mary Kate", "What!" He liked the same toys in his cage and didn't take to new ones very well.

I picked up Trudy at her house at 7 AM and we drove into Huntsville and got to the VA office at 7:45. The office didn't open until 8 AM but it is a first come, first served place. We were 3rd in line. The man, Harley, helped us in that I think we will get some funds to help out with the sitter that comes M-W-F so I can go to exercise and shopping or whatever else I want to do. Plus, we found out that Frank, even though he didn't fight in Viet Nam, he served during time of war and would be able to stay in a VA nursing home. We had heard that the VA nursing home in H'ville was open only to combat vets. Trudy came back home with us and will stay until Saturday. Tomorrow, we both have visit to the pain clinic. Frank at 11:15 AM and Trudy at 1:15 PM. I don't know what we will do with the "in between time".

Trees Revisited

When I told Trudy of the price to remove the trees, she talked me out of it. She was right. That would deplete our savings and with Dad's health like it is, I may need that money. I guess the trees can stay where they are for now. Richard has a chain saw and maybe George. Mary Kate said to just cut off the branches and let the naked trees just lie there. I really want them removed but I guess it's not worth our saving to do it. Trudy said she would call the man tomorrow.

I will leave the house at 6 AM and get to Trudy's a little before 7 AM. We will then go into H'ville to the VA office to get there by 8 AM. It's a first come, first served office and maybe we can be one of the first to get there. I believe I have all of Frank's papers I need. I hope to get some funds to help out with the sitter we have coming 3 days a week. Mary Kate was even talking about having the sitter 24 hours one time so we girls could go to Birmingham for a girls night out. Don't know if we can afford that. It's $17.00 an hour. It would be fun. We've gone twice. Once just us girls and once with Sadie and Sophia.

I just called the young man who was going to take care of the trees and told him I wouldn't be needing his services for the trees. I can call him back if we decide he can help us in any way.