SPRING FEVER.....

During the winter months I arrange the furniture to make the house feel snuggle-ly, cozy and warm...Tom responds well to it......In the summer I move things around to make the house feel open and airy... Tom responds well to this too.

So time to move the furniture....as we all four have spring fever......Cozy now feels cluttered to Tom........I know this because he's trying to throw everything we have away to un-clutter. (clutter is a feeling)

So when he laid down for his afternoon nap I totally changed the house around. Maggie naps with Tom but I could see her watching as I was sliding the couches and other furniture past the door quietly... Bet she was thinking..."Oh I sure hope Dad don't wake up and see what MOM is doing..." : 0

Lilly was quietly peaking around the corners unsure of "WHAT'S GOING ON!" When Tom awoke he did his usual..."MOM!!"...."WHAAT?".... WHAT YA DOIN' ?" "NOTHING!"....... He was just making sure I was here......

When he got up and seen the house transformed.... his eyes lit up like a child at xmas... WOW this looks great.... How did you move the furniture? I smiled and said.. "You know I can do anything!"

So he is now less anxious in the house and I have less fear of him throwing things away....."inside"......Now he's outside looking for things to throw away or burn up!......

He's like the toddler that throws EVERYTHING in the trash.......Last spring he tried to throw my baking pans away.... But now I know what's going on with him and so far have been able to stay a half a step ahead of him.... : )

Keeping A Sense Of Humor : )

Sunday Tom decided to change the oil in the car. It's the one thing he has not had a problem doing yet. This time it wasn't that way.. I've seen such an obvious decline that I wasn't surprised but still saddened. WE did get the job done so we won't worry about it again till fall.

It seems the beaver prices fell so drastically that Tom has decided NOT to do any "more" ; ) trapping this year. We'll just gear up for next fall. Thank You God!

Sunday afternoon being so nice out we took a drive over to the Hauners. We visited outside as Tom didn't want to be inside on such a nice day.... It was wet but the dogs played with the girls and everybody was soaked by the time we left.

On the way home Tom decided we needed to drive down this logging road to see if there are any beaver dams back there. He took the wheel and I have to say before Alz. stripped Tom of his judgment...he would not have drove a car down this road.

It was quite a ways back and pretty greasy. I did what I always do when put in a situation out of my control...Prayed and gave it to God, than sat back and enjoyed the crazy ride.

On the way back out, because I wasn't showing any emotion, as in fear, he said "are you scared?" I said "No" He said "it's hard underneath...it's just greasy on top." I smiled and said.."I know"

We made it out just fine...And I was back in the drivers seat.... Coming down our long drive way the top was greasy...

Now he doesn't always catch an obvious joke ....And he's really funny about his driveway....I can't count the hours he spends grooming his drive way...It's his pride and joy and always tells me how to drive on it.... That all being said...

I said, " don't worry... it's hard underneath....it's just greasy on top" Ha ha ha I'm too funny.... He started to say.........."I know" but than it clicked and he laughed.....I said gotch-ya! He thought that was funny!

Another funny story......Tom uses wrong words all the time but I know what he is talking about so I don't correct him or bring it to his attention.

Well the other day I had a pair of his smaller (okay older) carhart pants on as they shed the water a bit better than jeans. But now I was soaking wet....He had his NEW ones on.....He said "we'll have to get you a new pair of carhart jeans" I said "why?" He said "because they'll soak up the water better than those do.....

I said "Looks like these soak up the water just fine!".....Took him a second but than he laughed and said "you know what I mean...I don't know the right word"... I said "repel?" He said "yah.. that's it" and we both laughed some more......

Just Another Day.......

Wah-Hoo!! 40 below to 40 above........ I'll take the above after the later and 18 - 20 inches of snow.....

The 4-wheeler said NO WAY when it came to the drifts going to the sheds so I started up my snow shovel and we shoveled some paths yesterday.... At least the shovel will start in any weather or temp. and maintenance cost is low. Cheap to run too as it burns calories instead of gas... but I have to admit it only runs as long as this "old bag" does. : )

I always have my girls prodding me along.. "Come on mom, you can do it!! " They try out the paths to see if they are wide enough and if they think I'm slacking they will knock a bunch of snow back where I've shoveled.. I told them if they keep it up I'll get them some doggie shovels and they can clear the paths... '
They know when they have pushed their luck as I start hollering at them. So they knock me in the snow and pounce on me... It's amazing I don't come in looking like a snowman pretzel?

But they don't let me take things too serious and we find fun in most things we do... They keep me going and are amazing in helping me with Tom.

Tom comes out every few minutes to see if I'm okay.... Than he says "that's good enough get in the house"... I say, "In a minute. I just have this little bit left." A few minutes later he's back.... But that's okay because than I know he's not getting into trouble in the house by himself because he's too busy worrying about what I'm doing outside. : )
He is becoming a little more challenging these days as he drifts off into his own little world... Because he is young and physically fit and he is losing sight of his mental deficits, as in not aware........ and his reasoner is broke so we don't want to try to reason as that brings on anger that can instantly turn to rage..... and with his control button broke too ..... OH BOY! Ya just don't want to go there.
Someone recently said to me...."But it's just a memory thing, isn't it? 

It doesn't help when all these well meaning people who seem to all have "Medical Degrees" of some kind? They talk to him and see nothing wrong with him so they encourage him to do things that are not possible for him / US to do. WHICH in turn creates the scenario above.....

I would like to CHALLENGE any of the above well meaning people to take Tom for a week end...... : ) I could use the break!

PS......For the most part....When people are working WITH me... He's just a cute, fun loving giant 7 year old and I'm Mom to him and the girls (dog)... That's okay with me because every one is happy.

It's Only Snow!

Did I say I like snow? Well, I still do but......... I decided I don't like Tom when it snows....Can I say obsessive, o-r-n-e-r-y, grizzly and bear....All in the same sentence.

He plowed 4 times yesterday with 9 p m being the last time....He called everybody he could think of with a plow on there truck.... Finally the guy that is logging down here said he'd run in after they get the logging road opened up....

We got 18-20 inches of snow and than drifting.....Yes it was a good thing he did all that plowing as our 4-wheeler couldn't push that much snow at one time...

BUT on the other hand as I HAVE pointed out....We have to go no where...I find it FUN to be snowed in for a day... We could always get some one to plow us out.... It's not life or death as Tom seems to think and he use to love the ADVENTURE! Now he FREAKS OUT!

On the other hand....He also has been calling everyone he remembers from the past to see if beaver ponds exist behind their places or their hunting shacks and if he can trap them...... The snow has halted this for now..........WHEW!

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Actually Tom before Alzheimer's...loved adventure... Being snowed in would have been a fun adventure.... Like when we went up into Canada on the moose hunting trips... All by ourselves... no way out....6-8 weeks and would cry when we had to leave. We'd laugh at the thought of getting stranded up there. Now Tom get's freaked out over not getting out of our driveway for a day even though we are not going any where.....Breaks My Heart!

Tom Needs A Hobby

Funny faces....in the mirror.... at the dogs.... at the tv... when on the phone and than there are those behind my back? I asked him why he makes funny faces and he said sheepishly..... "I dah- know... I asked "do you think it's funny?" and he said smirking "ah-hah"

Beaver trapping has been heavy on his mind.... He hasn't set a trap all winter.... but when I listen to him talking on the phone... they been adding up (the beaver ) and when someone calls... he just came in from checking his traps and I guess I'm quite the old skinning lady.... "I LOVE IT" so he says.....

We went riding around Saturday looking for beaver dams.... He got a little turned around, lost, confused? He admitted to it later in the evening. I think it scared him.....only a little.

He called around asking different guys if they seen any beaver dams..... he called this guy who has a plane... asked if he could go up with him sometime.... looking for beaver dams...

He needs more traps... bigger ones I guess..... Most of what we bought a few years ago, and dyed and tagged and weathered......haven't ever been set....But they are only good for certain situations I guess......and he would have bought bigger ones at the time we bought these others but the cost held him back... aaa-huh?

He called and asked Travis if he could put a hitch on the car. Than I can drop him off with the 4-wheeler and pick him up later.....

I was talking to Travis and he said his boss had a chip put in his dog so the dog can be tracked.... Maybe?

Meet Marlin : )

Well now...Hows the diet?.....We took a few days off and today we are back on the wagon. MAYBE???? Okay.........Maybe Not.........

I will be glad when the bucket thing-y comes down though as I have come close to hanging myself on it, stubbed my toes on it and tripped over it. Can we say...health hazard?

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I would like to introduce you to "Marlin"......The newest member of our family. Sanj and the boys brought him out for Grampa..... Tom loves to watch the fish when he's sitting at the table.

We had one before and he was sad when he went belly up.... so than we had some minnows till they jumped out of the bowl..... So we are very excited about Marlin.... the girls aren't impressed... They think he's rather boring.. Kids! : ) So I gave them a ball and said "go play with that."

Yesterday Tom was having a rather good day and it was beautiful out...... So we all ventured to town in the morning as he had a gift certificate for Border Bargains from Ruby June and Ronnie (Tom's sister and husband) for his birthday. He bought a sweat shirt and he was still doing really good so I took him to Hardees before heading home.

In line there was a Mom and a little boy about 3-4 years old. He was a bit of a stinker. So when he turned away from Tom, Tom put his face right in front of the kid.. When the boy turned around again Tom said boo.....I mean they were touching noses.

It scared the little boy and he hauled off and hit Tom.. The Mom told the boy to behave...the man was just teasing.... She didn't look impressed with Tom.. and the little boy was pissed.

I thought it was kinda funny. Maybe not appropriate behavior, on Toms part that is, but I live in his reality.. Remember... but I did wait to laugh till after we were out of their sight : ) hee hee

When we got home, the four of us went for a 4-wheeler ride down a logging road. The girls ran and played... Maggie likes to slide on her back upside down... down the slope of a snow bank. She is such a pup at heart.......They both have really enjoyed winter and will be sad to see it go. They are both hot blooded and don't do well with summer heat.