Thursday, September 29

Yesterday went back to the doctor.  I do have a staph infection.  The physicians assistant spent about 45 minutes digging it out and irrigating it and bandaging it.  Thank goodness they shot a bunch of lidocane in it so I couldn't feel much.  Have to go back every day for a week and have them do the same thing again.  The nurse said this morning that he sure had done a good job.  With some pain meds I am sure this too shall pass in a few days.

My friends and I had a nice day out yesterday.  Went to ta little town lined with cool shops, antique stores, restaurants, etc.  We ate lunch at a tea room.  Delicious.

Today, first we went to the opthomologist, then got our flu shots, then went and picked up a pain med prescription for me and then  had my wound cleaned.    Poor Cowboy, he really got his exercise this morning.  He almost fell when we were at the Dr.  I think he had grown tired.  We are now home and are going to stay here the rest of the day.  Maybe I can finally read the morning paper.  Cowboy is asleep in his easy chair.

I have to go back again in the morning and then have to take the dog to the groomers and then while my help is here am going to go run some errands.  Man, I sure seem to stay busier than I would like.  (it's called Doctors)

Tuesday, September 27

I had to make a trip to the Dr. yesterday morning.  I have an ulcer about the size of a quarter and red and swollen skin around it.  I was sure it was a spider bite.  The Dr. is not sure but thinks I may have what Cowboy had that we thought was a bite and it may be MRSA.  Will find out tomorrow when the culture comes back.  It is in a bad spot, on my belly right under where my bra sits.  More when I know more.

One of the band members and I went to an Alzheimers facility this morning and played for them.  The administrator said he knew they enjoyed it even though it can be hard to tell.  They tend to be very quiet and non-responsive.  It is good to know we are doing something worthwhile.

Tomorrow Marsha will be here and I am going out with a couple of girlfriends.  Have to go to Dr. first though.

Saturday, September 24

Yesterday morning I got up and realized that Cowboy was not in bed.  I guess I completely slept through him getting up.  I found him asleep, curled up in a ball on the sofa in the guest room.   He had no memory of how he got there.  Took a while to find the dog.  She was under the bed.  I have no idea what took place while I snoozed.

I took Cowboy to IHOP for breakfast and then we spent the rest of the day at home.   The satellite provider came in the afternoon and fixed a problem with the TV in the guest room.  I cooked a pork loin and corn on the cob and Cowboy ate pretty well last night.  His eye is doing great.  We have to put drops in every 4 hours for a few days but it is quick and easy.

I need to get some things done around here today, laundry, tidying up, doing my checkbook,  maybe working on my pictures.  Got some cute ones this week from some of our kiddos.

It is 11 AM and Cowboy has been snoozing in his easy chair a lot this morning.  It is supposed to turn really hot again today.  Will this never end?

Thursday, September 22

Some days are better than most and then there are those days that you wish you could avoid.  Today was one of those.

We had a 9AM appointment for Cowboy to have his eye checked.  The surgery went just fine yesterday.  I set the alarm for 6:30 and when I get up the first thing that happens is I step into a pile of dog poop.  It seems our little dog had a tummy ache last night and by the time I stepped in it it was all over my foot.  Quick shower and then cleaned up the mess.

Cowboy gets to have breakfast and coffee this mornign before we head out on our appointment.  It takes about 40 minutes to reach the clinic and about 10 minutes into the drive he has a tummy ache and soils his clothes.  What did those two eat yesterday?!

Back home, shower for Cowboy, calls to the clinic letting them know we will be late.  The appointment goes fine.  I had called Marsha and let her know to come at 11 rather than 10 and then I took off for the base for errands and shopping.  I usually go on Wednesdays but it was changed because of Cowboy's surgery.  Well, it seems they let the troops off at 3PM on Thursdays and I was leaving the post after my shopping at exactly the same time as maybe 40,000 soldiers.  Not all from the same gate, of course, but it was a challenge getting home by 4.

After getting home, I had to put away about a million grocery items and then fix dinner.

It is only 8 but I am pooped and am going to bed to read.  Cowboy just went to bed so everyone is tucked in.

Tuesday, September 20

In preparation for the surgery tomorrow there are eye drops to put in Cowboy's eyes.  The instructions are simple and straightforward but when he reads them he gets it mixed up.  He kept insisting this morning that I was doing it wrong.  I read it to him and he still was sure I was the one mixed up.  Finally got it done.  Two hours later he says it is time for more drops.  Since the time frame between is four hours he was mistaken about that and acted like he wasn't sure I knew what I was talking about when I explained it to him.

He doesn't seem nervous or anxious about the surgery.  the other eye was done a couple of years ago with no problem.  Here's hoping for the same result again.

I am feeling better.  It is a bit cooler and the humidity is down today.  I took the dog out this morning and we had a nice walk.

Good news.  This morning I finally got to the right level of person at the VA and got things resolved.  Will have 3 hours two days a week starting next week.  She was going through this explanations of the way some of the programs work and such and finally I said, "Let me see if I am hearing this right.  You have no budget right now but expect to have starting in October but you don't know how much.  You have a waiting list but we are the only ones on it.  You should be able to start service sometime soon but you don't know for sure and you don't know for how long?  So, this is really all about money?"  She kind of chuckles and said "You explained better than I did but yes, that is right".

She called me back in a few minutes and said they could start next week under the "Respite program" which is not funded but they have some money in the "Home Care program" to cover it.  They will know soon what the longer term is going to look like.  They got to the end of the year and had little money left, it was in the wrong pot and they have been juggling for a few weeks now.  At least she was really honest and I understand a lot of it better now.  I like this person, I have her number so maybe communications will be better going forward.  Why can't people just tell it like it is instead of hem hawing around?

Sunday, September 18

It actually rained a little bit yesterday.  Just enough to remind us what it looks and smells like and then it quit.  I think we are about 13 inches behind for the year.  Very humid and sticky today.

Yesterday morning I was going to fix cold cereal for breakfast.  Was not feeling too energetic.  When I went to get it down it fell over backwards.  It is on a shelf that I can just reach the edge of. ( Sometimes being 5 ft 1 inch is a problem.)  I have been encouraged to let Cowboy do as much as he can so I ask him to do little things every day (empty the trash, open the blinds, pour our drinks for a meal) so I asked him to get the cereal box down.  He reached up to get it, leaned sidewards and then just kind of slid to the floor.  He ended up on his knees and seemed dazed, like he didn't know what just happened.    He was OK but it was kind of strange.

Last night I baked a chicken, a sweet potato and steamed some spinach.  This is a meal that Cowboy likes.  He used to like some stuffing with it but the last two times I fixed that he didn't touch it.  Well, last night he ate three bites of the sweet potato, chewed a small amount of chicken off a leg and got up from the table and left.  He had eaten a good lunch and some watermelon in the afternoon.  Sometimes I just feel like it is useless to try to get him to eat.  I know in my heart all I can do is prepare it and present it and hope he will eat.  It is hard when you try so hard and get so little result.  and I hate wasting food but even the regular Cowboy wasn't big on leftover veggies so what do you do.  I felt really bummed out.

I took our dog for a nice walk this morning.  It was a bit cooler and cloudy.  I have been feeling less than good the last couple of days.  My head is clogged up and I have a headache.  I think it is my allergies and the weather.  Kind of ache all over too.  I think I will limit myself today.   I have a nice big Sunday paper to keep me occupied.

Friday, September 16

I got to go to  Bunco Monday night.  A friend from the band sat with Cowboy.  I even won for high score !

Marsha came Tuesday this week so I could attend a training session on Emergency Response given by the committee I used to serve on.  It was great to see some of those folks.  We met for band practice after that so was a busy day. 

I thought Wednesday would be spent at home but I couldn't get my pain meds refilled without a doctor visit so spent the afternoon doing that.  I took Cowboy with me.  This doctor is a pain specialist and probably doesn't have a clue why I always show up with my hubby in tow.  or why he never says anything.  He kept looking at him like he expected him to weigh in or ask a question.  Cowboy just sits there and doesn't engage at all.

Yesterday I went to book club in the morning just a few doors down from the house.  In the afternoon Cowboy had two doctor appointments, one at 2 PM to get approval from our primary doctor for eye surgery.  They did a heart check and electrocardiagram.  Then we had to go to a neighboring city to see the opthamologist at 4PM.

Next Wednesday he will have cataract surgery on his left eye.

Today we went to get prescriptions filled, to Home Depot and then to the grocery.  I am sick of doctors and pharmacies after this week.  Cowboy is napping now.

I happen to pick up a magazine yesterday at the doctor's office and read an article about Glen Campbell having Alzheimers and still going to tour.  Cowboy can still remember some songs and sing them but he can no longer play his guitar.  It will be interesting to see how Mr. Campbell does.  The most interesting thing about the article was that he said he was happier than he had ever been and felt like God had taken away all his troubles. 

That spoke to me because I believe Cowboy is more at peace than I have ever seen him.  He smiles and laughs easily, he is affectionate and he doesn't seem to worry about anything at all.  I am so thankful for that and hope it continues to be true.  We went through a time when he was easily agitated, would obsessively worry about nothing at all and seem troubled about things that didn't really matter.  I have not seen that in a while. 

Sunday, September 11

It is much cooler in the AM now and I have been taking our dog for a walk when I first get up.  It is wonderful to feel the sun on my skin and feel the breeze.  Yesterday I suggested to Cowboy we put the top down on the car and go for a drive and he liked that idea.  We stopped at Sonic and had a good old hamburger and tator tots which he ate all of.  Not on his list of things he should eat but I didn't care a lick.  It was nice to get out.

The last few days have been quiet and I have been tidying up bathroom cabinets and trying to feel in control.  .  I found a tube of toothpaste behind the bandaids in an area where we keep first aid supplies.  I wonder how it got there?

Cowboy has been very quiet and napping a lot but seems OK. 

Today is September 11 and we put out our little flags around the yard as have some of our neighbors.  I asked Cowboy if he remembered that day and he said yes but couldn't tell me where he was or what he was doing.  I remember it so well.  I was doing chores around the house and Cowboy was in the garage puttering around when I happened to walk past the TV and saw the coverage.  I had planned on making a run to WalMart that morning so after watching the coverage for a while I decided to go ahead and go.  When I got about a half mile from WalMart I ran into a traffic jam of cars lined up for gas at their pumps.  I finally found a place to park and went into the store.  It was total chaos.  People were rushing about, filling their carts with all kinds of things and the lines to check out were long.  The cashier that checked me out was in tears and said they wouldn't tell them anything or let them see the TV coverage.  She had heard that all the power was being cut off soon.  I have no idea where that came from and I tried to soothe her but was not very successful.  We lived in Broken Arrow Oklahom which seems a million miles from NYC.  I was astounded at the reaction of my neighbors.   It seems like for the next several days we did nothing but watch the TV.

I am in the final stages of planning a getaway in November.    I am going with a friend to my sister's in New Mexico while she is here looking after Cowboy.  Haven't seen Santa Fe in a good long while and we are also going up to Taos. 

My daughter that lives in New York is coming for a visit on October 4.  I haven't seen her in almost 2 years so am really looking forward to her visit.  I flew up there in the fall two years ago and we took a road trip through New England.  It was great.  I told her then that I could not leave again unless Cowboy had someone with him.  That time his daugher came and stayed with him.  It doesn't seem like it has been that long since I felt like he needed watching after.  Two years.  I knew we had a problem even then but it was much later that it was finally diagnosed.

Tuesday, September 6

Our company got off late morning.  Had to do laundry of sheets and towels and tidy up things.

The band was over this afternoon.  We had a good jam.

Checked Cowboy's bite and it looks much better.  We have switched from a full bandage to bandaids to protect it.  I suspect a few more days and it will be completely healed.

Cowboy went to bed tonight at 7PM.  He seems really tired.  Didn't want dinner so I fixed him a banana shake and he drank all of it.  I think he just needs to do as little as possible for a few days.

There are these terrible fires all around our area right now.  Nothing close to us but the drought is now taking a terrible toll.  Hundreds of homes have burned.  I have had a headache all day.  Maybe it is the air quality.

Tomorrow Marsha will be here.  I have a whole list of things I need to purchase so I suspect all of my time will go to chasing down things like water softener salt, cards for several birthdays this month, some drug store items, groceries, etc.

Monday, September 5

Cowboy's daughter and son-in-law have been here since Saturday.   They are going home tomorrow. 

Yesterday we went out and drove around and showed them the town and some of the sights and had lunch at a favorite Mexican place.  We drove out to the lake, etc.  Cowboy had some trouble walking sometimes, very unsteady.  Maybe this is the parkinson symptoms.  He had some trouble Friday and I took his blood pressure and blood sugar and both were fine.

Today we had a big breakfast and then drove to a neighboring town famous for little shops and historical buildings.  Browsed around a bit, had a nice lunch and drove back.  Cowboy had trouble today too.  He is now asleep, all tuckered out.  It is getting pretty hard to get him out for any length of time but he needs to be moving around and walking, etc.

Company leaves tomorrow.  They are taking the last of the pile of stuff in the garage that came out of the attic and from changes in the house.  Finally I can consider all of that work done.  We have had a good visit.  They have 30 acres and livestock so it is hard for them to leave home for long.  Always have to arrange for care of the animals in their absense.  Our puppy dog sure loves having them.

Friday, September 2

When we went to the Doctor the other day he brought in a student and introduced him to us.  He then asked Cowboy if he could tell the young man what he had.  Cowboy tried to think through and answer him but could not.  After prompting he remember he had dementia but couldn't tell them what type.  As the doctor was leaving he told the young man that Cowboy is actually pretty sharp.

Cowboy has alwasy preferred to watch old westerns, old country and western music shows and such for the most part.  Of late though he has fixated on two shows - Law and Order and NCIS.  They play almost continuously on this one channel and he sits there and watches them.  He used to go to bed or to the other room to avoid watching that type of show.  Then last night he asked me if I was recording "Suits", a show I have become interested in and usually record and then replay when I sit down for a bit.  He has never asked me to record a show or to play one for him before.   Guess I shouldn't wonder, he is sitting there right now watching a show about the development of farming equipment of RFDTV.

Thursday, September 1

I can only hope now that the calendar has turned that the temperature will start to fall.  102 predicted today.

Marsha came yesterday and I drove down to an outlet mall and piddled around.  Found a 75% off sale at Bath and Body Works.  It is an open air mall and it was very hot so didn't really do too much.  Back to the grocery store after a slice of pizza and home.  Marsha said that Cowboy refused lunch altogether and after she reminded him a couple of times told her to leave him alone.  mmmmmmm......

Last night at 2AM I hear what sounds like a crash.  Not sure why it sounded like it did but I got up and found Cowboy on the floor with his jeans half on.  He had fallen into the rocking chair that sits in our bedroom while trying to pull up his pants.  I asked him what he was doing and he said he could not sleep.  I persuaded him to come back to bed and he fell asleep pretty quickly.

This morning we took our pup to the groomer and then took Cowboy to the barber.  Then on to the car wash and to fill up the car.  The groomer had not yet called so we hit a couple of stores there in the strip mall while we waited.  By the time we got home it was noon and Cowboy sat down and almost immediately fell asleep.

We are expecting Cowboy's daughter and hubby tomorrow until Tuesday.