by Judy Handley | Aug 7, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 220: Slowly Adding a Little Work to Free and Easy
Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Weather: Cloudy, Rainy, Cool; High Temp 68, Low 60 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
I had to put jeans and a light sweater on today. The high temperature was 68 degrees, but it was cloudy and rainy and felt downright cold. The change from summer to fall clothing warmed me a bit and allowed me to enjoy the day. I enjoyed another stress-free day slowly adding a little work to yesterday’s free and easy day. Shadow and I walked early and then I had a 2-hour Encore-related meeting. Then it was home for lunch, a check-in with the Olympics, and some outside time with Shadow. We played ball and then while he just enjoyed being outside, I tackled a little weeding. The edges of the yard are staring to look like a jungle. There are poke weed plants that are almost as tall as I am and boundless briars that are out of control. Interspersed with this, I spent time on the phone dealing with issues my sister is having. At this point it is nothing serious. It is just things I need to stay on top of with the help of my nephew Tommy and Patsy’s Home Helpers.
As I sit here writing this log, I am looking at the stack of mail that I haven’t even touched since I got home. Maybe tomorrow will be “taking care of business day.” But for tonight, I will continue watching the Olympics with my Shadow and enjoy life in the slow lane. No Olympic Gold Medals here.
by Judy Handley | Aug 6, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 219: Free and Easy Day
Date: Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Weather: Cloudy, Light Rain Off and On; High Temp 76, Low 64 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Mark and I sailed through Indonesia with a rally. We were a group of boats that were rarely at the same place at the same time, but the rally organizers would talk to us on the radio each day and announce any organized activities on any of the islands. When it was a day with no activities, it was announced as a free and easy day. And I had one of those free and easy days today and loved every minute of it. While in North Carolina, once my sister fell and had to go to ER and then surgery, I felt like I was running a marathon all the time. I was up at 7 am, at the hospital or later rehab no later than 8:30, running back and forth from her apartment to get things she needed, checking out rehab facilities, not going to wherever I was calling home that night until nearly 11 pm. It was truly exhausting, so this being my first full day home, I did very little and didn’t rush to do anything. When walking with Shadow, I was even walking slowly. It was wonderful.
Jane Woodin stopped by to say hello as she was in the neighborhood, and I did go to Heather and Jed’s to feed the fish and the cats. I picked cucumbers and tomatoes in the garden and played ball with Shadow. There was a mid-day issue with my sister, and I still don’t know if that is resolved. She was not able to eat lunch and was sick at her stomach. I talked with her just before dinner and she seemed to be a bit better. I will just have to wait and see how she is tomorrow.
I watched Kamala Harris and her choice for VP, Tim Walz, at their 5:30 pm rally in Philadelphia. Since hearing he was her choice earlier in the day, I wondered if she had made the best choice. I really didn’t know much about him and had never even seen him. But after hearing them speak at the rally, there is no doubt that she made the right choice. They both seem so wonderfully normal and so upbeat. It made me happy to watch them speak, and I haven’t felt that way about hearing a politician speak for quite some time. I love the chant, “We won’t go back.” I love to hear Kamala say “When we fight, we win.” And I love that Kamala, and now Walz. bring joy to this race. Now we all need to begin the fight. Go Harris-Walz!
by Judy Handley | Aug 5, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 218: Home Sweet Home
Date: Monday, August 5, 2024
Weather: Sunny; High Temp 83, Low 71 degrees F
Location: Back Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
I don’t remember ever being so happy to be home. It was a tough ten days in North Carolina. Three nights sleeping in my sister’s living room on her recliner so I could observe her nighttime sleeping patterns, the next night in her bed while she was in ER with a fractured femur, 3 nights in an Airbnb close to the hospital so I could be with her from early morning to late at night, then 3 nights at my nephew Tommy’s home. The whole time, my back was telling me I needed to be home in my own bed. And I am getting ready to do just that.
Yesterday’s experience at the Charlotte airport was a true horror story with the worst part for me being the distance I had to walk with a small backpack on my back while pulling my carry-on bag. Once I knew my flight was cancelled, I scrambled to find another flight online while walking from one airline to another. All of my efforts were for naught as there no flights to Boston to be had. Hundreds of people were in lines half the length of the ticketing part of the airport which this morning my phone told me is 8/10ths of a mile. With Heather and Jed’s help, we were able to book one of the last seats available today, so this morning I started the trek all over again. I checked in all the way at one end of the ticketing area and then had to walk all the way to the other end because all of the other security check points were closed because there were so many people already in their lines. Then I had to walk for 20 minutes to get to my gate. I already knew my 10:59 flight was delayed until 11:42, but luckily there were no further delays. When I got to Boston, it took me only 7 minutes to get from my gate down to ground transportation and out to the scheduled bus pick-up location. The Charlotte airport has become my most unfavorite place in the world. It is just a ridiculously long walk from check in to gate. But unfortunately, when my sister is released from rehab and goes back to assisted living, I will have to fly in and out of Charlotte again. I am not looking forward to that.
I arrived in Boston at about 1:50. There was a 2 o’clock bus to Falmouth, but by the time we de-planed and I got out to the bus stop, it was about 5 after. I was too late and the next bus to Falmouth was at 4 pm. So, I texted friends to see if someone could pick me up in Sagamore. Karen Baranowski and Bruce Woodin offered, but Bruce couldn’t be there by the time I arrived. So, Karen won the lottery, battled the bridge traffic, and came to get me. Thank you, friends, for being there for me.
After playing outside with Shadow and making a trip to the supermarket, I have spent the whole evening sitting on the couch watching the Olympics with Shadow. I have missed Shadow so much and it is wonderful to be home with him.
by Judy Handley | Aug 4, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 217: Flight Cancelled, Still in North Carolina
Date: Sunday, August 4, 2024
Weather: Partly Cloudy; High Temp 89, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home with Nephew Tommy & Marilou in Huntersville, NC
Delayed flight, cancelled flight, so I am here still in North Carolina. I am just too tired to write. I keep falling asleep. No internet at my nephew’s so can’t send my log anyway. Will update tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Aug 3, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 216: A Good First Full Day at Autumn Care
Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Heavy Rain Late; High Temp 89, Low 69 degrees F
Location: At Home with Nephew Tommy & Marilou in Huntersville, NC
Today was a good first day for Patsy at Autumn Care. I came early to make sure she ate breakfast and at 9:30 Tommy arrived for second shift. We knew she was going to have a PT evaluation today, and we wanted to make sure one of us was here for that. Since I had an appointment with the cable television representative at Terra Bella at 10 and I also needed to shop for some night gowns and long sleeved shirts for Patsy, I left Tommy in charge. Terra Bella is no longer providing cable tv and Patsy’s service was supposed to be switched over to the new one on Thursday. But when I was there yesterday, I tried to turn on the television and there was nada. Evidently someone came on the 1st but found no one home and left. I had called and told them no one would be there, but evidently the message did not get to the technician. It is now slated to be installed this Thursday and one of Patsy’s Home Helpers will have to oversee that.
I went to Target, TJ Max, and Belk’s (I had already been to Kohl’s) and I found nothing that Patsy could use as a night gown. The only place left was Walmart and there I found success. Then it was back to Autumn Care to be greeted by Tommy who said I was going to be very happy when I walked into Patsy’s room. And, indeed, I was. I had left her in bed, still in her hospital gown. She was sitting up in a walker, dressed in her pants and one of her signature Columbia shirts. Tommy was right. I was ecstatic. Between PT and OT, they got her up and into the bathroom so she could brush her teeth at the sink and be given a wash down on the shower seat. I have been saying all week that I believe in miracles. She sat in the wheelchair all day, visited with Brian and Judy Thompson this afternoon when we stopped in the dining area where Brian made coffee for her and then we took her for a wheelchair ride all around the building. It is a building with very nice facilities. The gym is great and there is an Activity Rooms, rooms for private dining with your family, a Family Room, a lovely Living Room, and outside fountains at the end of each wing. It is clean and the staff is friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. At least it looks that way at this point. I think Patsy has the strength to do the job. We just have to make sure she has the support to keep her spirits up. Full recovery isn’t going to be easy. But I feel I have done everything I can to get the ball rolling, so late this afternoon I made a reservation to fly to Boston tomorrow afternoon. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed with my Shadow beside me. I will return here when Patsy is transferred back to Terra Bella to oversee that transition. But for now, I really feel the need to get home and let the village here take over from here.
I am writing this at Autumn Care. It is 10 pm and there is a torrential down pour outside. It has been raining like this for 30 minutes. I keep thinking there will be a break. If not, I guess I’ll have to brave the rain to get to the car, but I am not sure I could see to drive. It is raining that hard.
by Judy Handley | Aug 2, 2024 | 2024 Life Logs |
2024 Life Logs, Day 215: Successful Transfer from Hospital to Rehab
Date: Friday, August 2, 2024
Weather: Sunny and Hot, Thunderstorm Early Evening; High Temp 94, Low 71 degrees F
Location: At Home with Nephew Tommy & Marilou in Huntersville, NC
When I arrived at the hospital this morning, Patsy was so much better than yesterday. The oxygen had been removed, which was a really good sign, but she was just sitting there looking at her breakfast tray but not attempting to eat. I helped feed her at first, and then turned that job over to her. Maybe it is just sitting in a hospital bed that makes her believe she can’t feed herself. At least, I hope that is all it is. Then the hospital doctor came in and announced that she was being released today. He explained that when she spiked a fever during the early hours of yesterday, they cultured a sample and found she had a raging urinary tract infection. That helps explain her behavior yesterday. Knowing she would be leaving the hospital today, I rushed to Terra Bella to pick up her clothes and other things she will need in rehab. While there, I got the call that she would be picked up between 12 and 1 to be taken to rehab, so I high tailed it back. They came around 12:15 and by 1:30 she was settled nicely in Autumn Care. Tommy came and sat in on a 3:30 meeting I had with the Business Manager, Facilities Director, and the Social Worker. The administrative staff here seems really good, but the more hours I sit here, the more I see that the floor personal are not as responsive. They are supposed to check on clients every two hours, but that just hasn’t happened. If Patsy would push the red button for help, I think they would come, but she will not do that. So, I am glad I have people lined up to be with her for a part of the day and overnight when I leave, hopefully on Sunday. The companions can advocate for her.
I have decided to go to my nephew Tommy’s for the night. It is much closer than Mooresville where I was going to stay. I am going to check on flights home when I get to Tommy’s tonight. My friend, Lynne, who has been with Shadow for the past week, had to leave this morning. I only got to visit with her for one day before I left to come here, fully planning to return on Tuesday. But here I am and Lynne is now in New York visiting with family there before returning to Michigan. Somehow, I hope to be able to visit with her before she returns to New Zealand. Lynne, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of my Shadow while I had to remain here in North Carolina. You are the best!
