Sunday, August 21

I noticed when I signed in this morning that I have done 98 posts.  Wow...

I feel like my posts are probably a bit boring right now.  Not much is happening but believe me that is a good thing.  I put our prescriptions  in these plastic "day minders" every Saturday for the coming week.  It seems like I just get them filled and it is time to fill them again.  In my mind it is a way to mark time and it just goes by in a flash.  Is that good or bad?

Cowboy continues to be in a pretty good humor and he tries to do some things for himself.  He is very inconsistent about it.  One meal he will carry his plate back to the kitchen and the next time he won't.  Sometimes he will shave but mostly he doesn't.  Some days he puts out the flag and some days he doesn't.  These are all things that used to happen consistently.

I had my day out yesterday and went to the neighborhood coffee the ladies have every month.  I had another friend offer to come over and sit with Cowboy.  I am going to take them up on it when it is time to prepare for our January concert.  That will mean getting to practice very Saturday morning.  I have had 4 very lovely friends offer to help.

Ran into a friend while I was getting some lunch and she went with me to browse a bit in Pier One and Kohls.  Marsha is still sick and the service sent a lady named Kay.  She seems nice but didn't do much except change the bed.  I am still bathing Cowboy every other night before bed and slathering lotion on him.  I think hs is more comfortable and is not scratching quite as much.

Heard from the dermatologist and our appointment is not until October.  Haven't heard a word from VA.  Time to follow up on that.

I am enjoying the updates we just finished on the house and  Cowboy even commented on the new carpet.  He said he liked it.

Thursday, August 18

Tuesday afternoon about 4PM Cowboy wanted to know when we were going for watermelon.  I explained it would not be until 7PM.  He seemed disappointed.  When we did get there about 7 he immediately got a slice of watermelon, ate and went back for another and then another.  They were small slices.  He sat with some of the men and they were talking and he just sat there but he didn't talk and didn't seem to be listening.    I cannot tell if he is actually listening or his mind was off somewhere else.

Marsha was sick Wednesday so I ended up taking Cowboy with me to the base.  We got our medicine and bought a few groceries.  He was really tired by the time we got home.

Cowboy has been very passive the last few days but is eating and sleeping good.

I talked to my friend and to my sister today and we are working out something for November.  May swap houses and my sister can stay with Cowboy and my friend and I can stay at her house and putter around Santa Fe and Taos.  Looks like it is going to work out.   We will see.

Tuesday, August 16

I heard from an old friend yesterday and she is suggesting we take a trip.  I had been thinking about trying to get away for a few days and my sister had already offered to stay with Cowboy for a few days.  I think we are going to start trying to figure something out.

We got up yesterday AM and went to the bank and to pick up a prescription and then drove around and then decided to go get the oil changed in the car.  That pretty much took care of  Monday.  It is still over 100 degrees every day so not much can do outside but inside an air conditioned car we can go anywhere, right?

I have long been interested in photography and have litterally thousands of pictures so drug out some of them from our trips in the past and decided to print some off and change up some of the pictures I have hanging in the house.  Ended up spending the rest of yesterday and this morning muckin' around with that.  Cowboy is watching TV and he and I just don't have the same interests as it concerns TV so I have to do other things.  He doesn't really understand why I don't just sit there and stay beside him and I try to do that quite a bit.  I read more that I am staying home a lot.  and I have started playing around with crossword puzzles.  Not sure they are going to do much for me.

The band comes over this afternoon and am going to need to stop playing with the computer and pics and start setting up pretty soon.

Our neighborhood is having a watermelon feast this evening and we are going to go to that, at least for a few minutes.  The doctors tell me that social interaction is a good thing to do so I take every opportunity and as long as Cowboy does OK it is really good to get to visit and socialize.

Tomorrow Marsha will be here and I am off to the base to pick up prescriptions and do some shopping.

I have not heard from the VA yet.  Also waiting on a call for a referral to a dermatologist for Cowboy.  His feet are covered with a rash again.

Saturday, August 13

Wednesday Marsha was here and I had lunch with my "Red Hat" friends.  It was great.  I had not been able to attend for several months but they changed the day to Wednesday this month so I could come.  We went to lunch and had Italian food.  Then I ran to Kohl's so I could take advantage of a 20% coupon I had.

I spent Thursday cleaning and organizing, cooking, etc.  Cowboy is wandering around the house a lot.  He also has been going out and sitting on the patio.  That would be fine except it is soooo hot.  I am keeping an eye on him and making sure he doesn't stay out there very long.

I took Cowboy out to breakfast on Friday and took him for a haircut.    I also got a call from the VA on Friday and they ask a lot of questions.  Our "case" is being reviewed.  Here's hoping.......

A couple of times this week he has gotten up really early.  Kind of like he was for so many years, up with the chickens.  He doesn't attempt to do anything, just sits in his chair and watches TV.  He has a time with the remote.  We have a fairly complex setup and he doesn't retain any of the information about how to operate it so he often ends up unable to navigate and get where he wants to go.....then he will just sit there looking at an error message or punching buttons hoping something will work.  He manages to record a lot of stuff that there was no intent to do as well.

Tuesday, August 9

Last night was a new adventure.  About 1:30 Cowboy sat straight up in bed, yelled "NO!" and bounded out of bed.  I was trying to get my glasses on and find my shoes and I heard the front door.  He was in his undershorts and outside.  I go after him and get him back in the house.  When I asked him what he was doing he said he had to "check it out".  He came back into the bedroom and started taking off his shorts.  I then discovered he had soiled them.  I cleaned him up and got him back to bed.

He got up again around 3 and wandered around the house and finally went into the front room and lay down on the sofa and was soon asleep.  I went back to bed but couldn't rest.  Kept trying to be sure I heard him if he got up again.  This morning when I got up he was in the living room in his easy chair watching TV.

This morning he got a good bath and I slathered him in lotion and put medicine on his sores.  The rash is about gone but he has a lot of sores from scratching. 

I got some bad news from the VA last week.  They called the house this past Wednesday and Cowboy answered the telephone, which he rarely does.  It was a sixty day check on how things were going.  When asked if Marsha was helping him bathe, he responded "all she does is dry my back".  When asked what else she did he told them "not much of anything".  Marsha was hearing this conversation and reported it to me when I got home.  Marsha works constantly when she is here and does all kinds of things.  She was the one that found the pressure sore and believe me she did not find it by just drying his back.  I think all of his answers are a reflection of his need to feel competent and independent.

I called the VA and explained the situation and tried to tell her that the information given by Cowboy was not correct.  She said she would talk to her supervisor.  I learned on Friday that they were discontinuing the service.  I am in the process of escalating the issue but for the time being the service has been informed the VA will no longer pay them.  I am going to have here come in Wednesdays for 5 hours and pay for it myself while we try to straighten this out.  I just don't feel I can pay for her 3 times a week.  It is $17.50 an hour.  For now I will need to plan all my errands for Wednesdays.

Speaking on money, the stock market is in a dive and here I just spent some money doing things on the house.  I guess I should have waited but who knew ??  I am now feeling a bit uneasy.  I know it will turn around at some point but I am really trying to be smart and conservative with our money.  I kind of figured it is money we were normally spent for a trip or two and that isn't happening.  I just need to put it out of my mind and focus on other things.

One bit of good news.  When I got up this morning my ankle felt almost normal.  Maybe I am on the mend.  Now if I could just get down and get back up from the floor without something to hold onto.  I discovered this morning that when they moved the china cabinet, the stuff in the bottom behind closed doors had shifted around so needed to get down there and tidy it up.  Can only use my left knee to get down and back up.  I hate this !  I hate this !  I hate this !  I just wanted to be injury free and able to do whatever I need to do.

Sunday, August 7

I managed to get everything somewhat put away and straightened up on Friday.  On Saturday we needed to go to WalMart to pick up my grandsons contacts and return some t-shirts.  He had managed to buy boys sizes and needed to exchange them for mens.  We took Cowboy and he immediately wanted to come home.  Did not looking or shopping.  Just there, quick pickups and exchanges and back home.

I think Cowboy knows who our grandson is but he interacted very little.  He did try to get him to do something a couple of times and approached like he was telling some young soldier to "get with it".  It didn't work very well. 

We enjoyed his visit and he was a big help but mercy, I had forgotten how much a young man needs to eat.  Ran out of everything and ended up going back to the store on Friday.

Today we took him to the train station which is about 45 minutes from home.  Turns out his train was running an hour late.  I have a feeling these Amtrak guys rarely run on time.  I left him there and came on home.  The station was closed, it was very warm and I couldn't see exposing Cowboy to all of it and him getting over tired.

It feels good to be done with the work on the house, to have sent my grandson home and to just relax.  It is 6 PM and I still haven't finished the paper but I will do so before the day is out.

Thursday, August 4

My grandson arrived as planned and is raring to start painting.  We went to the store Monday while Marsha was here and came home with the required pizza, hamburgers, etc.  

Tuesday morning my grandson consumed a ton of bacon and eggs but he worked hard all day with frequent breaks to answer texts, mostly from someone named Ashley.  We had our practice at another band members house this week because mine is a bit turned upside down.  I was able to do it and leave Cowboy with my grandson.

Wednesday my handman friend came over and helped move some large furniture for us and he is also putting up crown molding in that part of the house that did not previously have it.  Cowboy was restless.  He kept getting up and walking around and checking on things.  At one point he tried to help with the furniture re-assembly.  Our handyman friend is very patient with him.  The painting was finished yesterday late.  YEAH !

Today I am washing the dishes that go back into the china cabinet and trying to put things back in order.  Couldn't get the lights working in the entertainment center so can't put it the books and other things back in it just yet.

I have made a major dent in my "to do list" with this work and can feel whatever comes all of it is out of the way and I won't have to deal with it.   

Cowboy must have worn himself out yesterday because he has been napping since after breakfast.  I am letting the grandson sleep in.    It is quiet in the house and I am enjoying it.