Just Another Day.........

Can I say not a dull moment around here....... ? 

Tom had a 7:45 appointment at the local clinic for some routine blood work......  He didn't sleep well (he doesn't anyway) as he would wake me and ask if he can drink water???  He is use to sipping on pop or coffee (de-caf) during the night.......

I had to chuckle to myself as he has NEVER, in our entire years together...... if he was to fast for blood work... he still had his coffee.  NOW this particular night he brought up the water issue before we went to sleep and during the night but come morning he had his coffee without questioning it.

The morning was flowing smoothly........ I kept reminding him that 7:45 was the apt. but we could arrive anytime and it would be fine.........

We finally all headed out the door to the van... The girls go everywhere with us so they excitedly led the way.  Tom put them in the side door and his (passenger door) was locked.  He waited for me to unlock from my side BUT mine was locked too????  (I never lock it in the yard)

I went in the house to get the spare key as the main set was in the ignition in the van.  Now I am starting to feel panic in my chest...... I sense an explosion ready to happen...... something is not right and it's going to ignite the fuse in Tom's irrational head.  Did I say "short" fuse?.......  Well I meant to say SHORT fuse in Tom's irrational AD  head.

We close the van doors and I turn the key and......NOTHING!  "OH SHIT!"  I said to myself and my head started spinning...... (Not Literally) lol.   "What's wrong... what's the hold up?"  He demands in a strong voice........ "The battery appears to be dead" I replied back with a strong voice an very matter of fact-ly.

Staying calm and in control on the outside but FREAKING OUT on the inside I was...... He has been displaying the  Jeckle & Hyde personality  on a daily bases and he flips back and forth with no warning and not always triggered by the unexpected as in this case.  There has been paranoia rages also.......

Now if you don't know... I will tell you the EFFECT this has been having on me..... I am physically exhausted from doing EVERYTHING for "US" = 6 of us......   "doing everything" = everything that does NOT require a riding lawn mower OR 4-wheeler.

 Than there is the sadness.... that never leaves your heart ......as the days turn into months and years... ever so slowly watching your spouse change......  and watch him (her) losing a little  piece at a time..... of themselves... who they are.... the relationship you once had...... the life you once lived and the future you looked forward to....... together?

AND than there is the financial burden of turning pennies into dollars and seeing to it "HIS NEEDS" are met ... the bills are paid and there is a roof over his head and his belly is full and "where is all the $$$$$"....... I want.... I want.....  ARGH!!!!

So with all the above being my "EXCUSE" .......... I had left the key "on" in the van the night before when I went to shut the windows in case it rained....... OOOPS!  And no I wasn't stupid enough to tell him that... I played stupid?

He yelled for me to get the battery charger but for some reason???? and I KNOW the difference....... I brought him the air compressor...... ?????

That didn't set well with him now in a rage......... I'm laughing now as to look back it was FUNNY.   But at the moment.... his behavior was like a 3 year old in a full blown temper tantrum........ which was just plain pissing me off at this point...... So I ignored him and called my brother in law and he gave us a jump......

Once at the clinic he was loud... complaining of sitting there for hours... after less than 10 minutes.... demanded to go in NOW.... he had work to do... didn't have time for them to be sitting around gabbing..... he came out still mouthing off... loudly....  "I have no patience for this ..... and it's bull shit having to sit and wait for hours to get in when they are just.............." people are now chuckling..... whispering..... and staring......

I smile... hold my head up high and depart  trailing behind him like this is normal........  I did tell one guy in there he has Alzheimer's so hopefully he filled in a few inquisitive minds.......

I had a few short stops to make on the way home and as we drove in our driveway he said... "MOM I'm hungry"........

A Hit At The Bear Bait......?

"Tom".... (the bear guide helper)..... decided to put out bait in "our woods"...... ???? near the house?????

It wasn't long when he thought of  the perfect spot and was off putting up his required sign ..........

and putting out his bucket of sweet treats..... "Bait"

NOW a few blogs back I think I talked about the girls and I mowing paths in the woods.......ummm yep!   He drove (4-wheeler) to the end of one of the paths and put out his bait.......threw some logs over it as that's what they do........

"What about the girls?".... I asked.  "You will just have to watch them".... was his answer.  "No problem!"...  I replied.  Thought a stupid answer back at him was called for...... he didn't get it anyway???

The next morning the girls were out doing their morning duties and ran off into the woods to investigate the happenings that took place in the night..... There are lot's of new smells and I noticed the noses in the air and than they headed down the path Tom put his bait on......

OH BROTHER..... I slipped into some shoes and was in hot pursuit..... as I neared the end of the path where the bait was I could see Sarah and Emily at the bait station........

They wagged their tails and ran to me.... "Mom.... look what we found!"........ lol  How do you tell them that they no longer are allowed to play where they have been all summer.....

Later that morning when Tom woke up to greet the day...... I sat on the edge of the bed as he sipped his coffee........

"Something has been at your bear bait."  I started the conversation.  "Oh yah"...... was his response as I sparked his interest to listen........ "BUT I don't think it was a bear..... the logs weren't moved."  He was quiet for awhile while processing what I said.   "I think I know what it was"..... I added after I gave him time to think about it.  He looked at me with questioning eyes........ so I smirked and nodded toward Sarah and Emily........ He got it and laughed.

"What are we going to do about it..... ????"......... "I'll just have to tell Bob I can't keep the dogs away from there"......  "WHEW!"... I was relieved he said that, being his own idea.

NEXT DAY:   Yes there is more...... Alz changes his mind a lot or doesn't remember prior conversations or decisions we have agreed upon......

I came in from outside...... " I talked to Bob this morning"...... "OH?... and did you tell him about the dogs getting into the bear bait?"....... "NO but he said he was bringing out some scent to attract bears"........ "Does it also repel dogs?"...... "I DON"T KNOW CINDY...... OKAY?" ......... he just used the "C" word... the end of discussion!........ YIKES!

Bear Baiting Begins...

My Mother is recuperating nicely at my sisters..... She is an amazing women with lot's of determination.......  She has shocked our locals in the medical field... LOL

Yes there were repercussions from the disturbance in our safe secure little world in the woods...... I've tended to my Mother when needed...... and any one dealing with the disease as a caregiver knows how that went......

BUT..... SHE"S MY MOM ♥

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Now moving forward..... Bear Baiting has now started.... AND "Tom" is a licensed guide/helper......  Bear Hunting starts September 4th.......

Now as some of you know from older posts.... Tom has messed up BOB the Bear Guide' s hunts in the past....  Tom is just kind of everywhere in the fall..... and doesn't  "mean too"  be in the wrong place at the wrong time ..... He can't help it.....  he has to go see if bear has been at baits and if a hunter got one by looking for blood at bait stations and how was he to know a hunter was sitting at these spots hunting....... when he's checking it out...... I mean you can't see them because they are sitting in blinds after all........

That being said... Bob decided to have Tom be a licensed helper..... hoping to keep him in check I think  ...lol.   Good Luck to Bob........  In the mean time it occupies some of Tom's time so I don't mind at all.......

SO  day #1 they headed out to put up signs to mark their stations and to put out bait........

Bull Moose Visits?

Now who would of thought .......... ?

I took our digital camera to the hospital with me Wednesday when I went to do my shift with Gram. My daughter wanted me to send her a pic of the flowers she sent Granny.  They were so beautiful......

I was so excited when I got there because Gram decided she wanted out of there NOW and mustard up all she had in her and then some.......

They got her on her feet and once she had a grip on the surgical walker she took off down the hall...... She dropped a lot of jaws........ We were pulling a wheel chair behind her in case she ran out of steam but she managed to make it back to her room before she gave way....

I was excited to share this with Tom but I didn't get a chance to speak.... I was in trouble again!!!!!!!  lol

There was a  BIG Bull Moose walking around in our yard and close to the house and I had the camera..... "oh shit"  I said knowing what was coming next....... Than I remembered an old camera with film in it ...... so when he called back I guided him to it and thank goodness the battery was good in it.....

He was "irate" when I got home at noon....... ?????  Than I seen his anti-mad pill still sitting in it's pill dish..... he took it still cussing but I knew in a matter of time and all would be fine...........

 I developed the film the next day and requested they crop the picture with the best moose and make the moose as big as they could.......  When we got the pictures home and I look at the moose in the photos I said......"Tom, did you say this was a Big Bull WITH  Horns?"  ........  "Yah MOM..... but I was just teasing you..... it's a cow moose."

NO TRESSPASSING?

On Monday... August 2nd..... My Mom had intestinal surgery..... She is  78 and a ball of spit fire.  She went through heart and lung tests to be sure odds were in her favor of making it through a "long" surgery, yet her condition was life threatening if left as is.

We all call her lovingly "GRANNY"...... She is the unwavering foundation of our family and her strengths comes without a doubt...from God....

My sister is a surgical nurse at this hospital and even though she wasn't in on the surgery .... she was right there.  Myself and two of my daughters were able to work out shifts to stay with her......

I took morning shift to be with her as that is the BEST time ..... IF there is a best time to leave Tom home alone for a few hours...... 

Monday went fine.... Tom just whined a little about how I was gone FOREVER and he didn't like it......  The Tom before Alz.. would have been sitting there with me...... next to her bed fussing over her..... He loved Granny so much!!!!

So I pampered him the rest of the day and evening and told him I was sorry but had no choice and what a great job he did for Granny blah..blah.. blah..... He'd agree and whined some more..... lol

NOW to the rest of the world he tells them he is just fine... don't know what the fuss is all about... yes she (meaning me) will be going back up later ...... TOM knows what is politically correct to say BUT it's not how he feels....... and he knows I'll be saying "I'm not going anywhere...... YOU come first."

So before we went to sleep I broke it to him that I had to go up for a few hours in the morning till Kelly got there...... I told him Sandy felt it was a "privilege" to sit with Granny all night even though she just got off a 12 hour shift and would leave in the AM from the hospital back for another. 

He agreed it was only right that I go BUT he didn't want me too so Kelly better hurry up and get there... blah... blah.. blah....

I kept calling him from the hospital and he was doing fine..... He didn't like it but he was okay.....

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get fixings for tacos... he LOVES tacos...... half hour from town to our place... as I drive in he comes STORMING  out the door waving his middle finger at me in a very threatening mad way......

My thoughts were "oh shittt!"........ I open my door and the words coming out of his mouth matched the shacking of his middle finger at me.......

I couldn't make any sense of what was coming out of his mouth..... I finally pieced together........

There were three ladies here and one was from the bank and one was an appraiser and one wanted to buy our house...... he was scared to death.. didn't know what to say or do or what was going on......  some one wanted to buy our home.... they used the word foreclosure..... and went on and on and he didn't know what they were talking about and they wouldn't leave and  I wasn't home to deal with them and take care of it and HIM.....

"MOM...Your suppose to be here all the time to take care of me NOT running all over the place... I was scared MOM and YOU weren't here.... " 

He repeated that till I got a hold of some people and let them all have my two cents ...... it may have been four....... I was pretty mad right then and I don't think I was very  nice and Tom than said...."Ya because you got mad at them hah Mom.....that wasn't nice what they did.....they really scared me... but you yelled at them hah....."

I have beware of DOGS signs..... no trespassing signs and private property signs at the end of my drive way??????  A gate is now going up and will be locked when I have to leave......

The people I talked to said it was a mistake... they had the wrong address... ?????
I don't buy it!       "SHE" still wants to buy our place......????    N O T!!!!!! FOR SALE.

Lending a Helping Hand......

Tom came home the other evening from the neighbors..... (Norm's).  He's an elderly gentleman, just him and his wife..... and he is finding it hard to do things like cutting up fire wood which they depend on for heat in the winter........

So Tom and I went over to give him a hand.... 

Winter comes too fast around here and you need to be ready sooner than later.  They have nobody to look to for help.

Tom and I use to do stuff like this all the time... We enjoyed it.  But Alzheimer's has taken that all away from Tom. Seeing the old man cry bothered Tom........ not like before AD but enough to where he decided he'd cut it up if I'd help........

Before AD... we would have cut up that whole pile of wood in one day and it would all be in the wood shed neatly stacked the next........ and anything that need splitting would have been spit.... by hand..... for fun.....

I didn't think we'd be so young when we'd (I) looked back at the years past and say.... "those were the good old days."