Holidays and Foreclosures

A little background info is needed to understand today's post. In October 2009, Ken and I had a visit from Colleen, a realtor from a local agency. She was there as a representative of the bank which had just bought the house we were renting. Our landlord lost our home to foreclosure. If anyone has been through that nightmare, you can understand my fears as the holidays drew closer.

December Eve, 11/30/09

Happy December Eve! You ask, “What the …?” Well, I figure that Oct 31 is Halloween (All Hallows Eve) and Dec 31 is New Year’s Eve, so Nov 30 ought to be Something, right? Personally, I can’t believe tomorrow is Dec 1 and that Christmas is less than 4 weeks away. I’m sure there are those for whom the days can’t go fast enough, but I hope the days go slowly.

Do the holidays stress you out? How do your symptoms react to this often hectic time of year? I think it’s the whole uncertainty about my housing situation that has me feeling more Scrooge-like than normal. Not knowing where I’ll be on Christmas, whether to haul the tree and decorations up from the basement, only to have to pack them again the next day, is enough to add stress to an already stressful time.

I think I should be packing, since I can only do a little at a time, but Ken is reluctant to start. He’s sure he can figure out a way for us to stay here, so he won’t attack the basement or the garage. I just fear that the proverbial other shoe will drop somewhere around Dec 20, and we’ll have 3 days to pack, move, and more importantly, find a place to move to.

Maybe it’s time for me to listen to my own PD anthem, “Stand Back Up” by Sugarland. I really like the message: you can knock me down again and again, but I will always “stand back up.”

Meeting Others

Hmmm, meeting others. Do I mean new friends, or family you didn't know you had? Friends you haven't seen for a year, or 20 years.

I remember how nice it was to see Sarah at my 30th college reunion. Sarah and I were roommates in college, we were bridesmaids in each other's weddings, and the last time I saw her, she was pregnant with her second child (who was about to graduate himself). We had so much fun talking about our lives, work, kids, old classmates, and choir tours. We stay in touch at Christmas and through Face Book.

Ken wants to go to Seattle to see an old friend from his days in the service. TJ calls regularly, so often that I feel like I know him, though I've never met him. Ken is starting to feel a sense of urgency about meeting TJ. Neither one is in great health, and time marches on, faster and faster.

The Postle family reunion is in a couple of weeks. I've been invited though I'm related only by marriage. Should I go? Probably. Will I? Probably not.

Meeting others.

Meeting Others, 11/9/09

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to meet four other people who have YOPD (and two of their spouses). I hope it’s the first of many such gatherings. It’s been billed as the “Columbus Lunch,” and was the brainstorm of Cookie and DKblues. Their idea was to gather as many Buckeyes as possible at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus in German Village. DK (from the Akron/Canton area), David and his wife (from Pomeroy), John and his wife (from Cincinnati), Kim (from Ontario, Canada), and me (from Cleveland) – we stuffed ourselves with excellent German food, and talked for 2 1/2 hours about our lives, kids, the healthcare system, and living and coping with PD. No one remembered to bring a camera, but everyone had a camera phone! Though there weren’t that many of us, I think the small number worked better since the restaurant was noisy. I really enjoyed myself, and it was so nice to meet other PWP who know and can relate to my frustrations and successes. Here’s to many more “Buckeye Bashes!”

Random Thoughts

Today is a day for random thoughts. You know, the kind of ideas that pop into your head without any warning. We'll start with a survey I took today. I found this question to be rather broad and really had to think about my answer. What would your answer be?
What is your biggest concern over the next six months?
The economy Global warming Political stability Children's education and/or welfare Terrorism Tolerance towards different religions Increasing fuel prices Job security Health Work/life balance War Debt Increasing utility bills (electricity, gas, heating, etc.) Lack of understanding of other cultures Tolerance towards other countries' values Parents' welfare and happiness Increasing food prices Immigration Crime Other concern No concerns
I have to wonder about the last two: What other concern could you have that isn't on the list? On the other hand, do you live under a rock to have no concerns?

 Other random thoughts:
Kamikaze flies that dive bomb your food
Thieves who clean out empty houses
Camping trips
Read on...

Random Thoughts, 10/11/09

I’ve been thinking that it’s been a long time since I wrote, but there’s nothing particular to write about. So I guess it’s Random Thoughts.

1. Since my visit to New Jersey to see my dad, he’s moved to another facility. The previous one was assisted living, but he’s requiring more care than they can provide. So he’s now in a skilled nursing home only a few miles away from the other one. Having worked in nursing homes for many years before PD forced me to retire, I totally hate the idea of Daddy deteriorating to the extent that such a move is necessary. I hope it’s a good move for him.
2. Have you seen the billboard for values.com that features M J Fox? There’s one on I-77 south of Cleveland; I just have to smile every time I go past it. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out how to copy it on here. It’s a PDF file. So I’ll try to post the link and you can view it if you wish. http://www.values.com/billboard_pdfs/MICHAEL_J_FOX.pdf
3. Kristen continues to enjoy teaching – YAY! I talked to my dad’s cousin today; the granddaughter of a good friend is in one of Kristen’s classes. She likes having her as a teacher – more YAY!
4. I recently started taking Apokyn injections to help the freezing episodes and the times when the meds take forever to kick in. I’m reserving judgment till I’ve been on it a while; right now, reviews are mixed. Yes, it kicks in quickly, which is a huge plus. But as soon as it does, I become very dyskinetic, almost painfully so. Granted that’s better than sitting like a lump … (see earlier entry on that subject).
5. I got my invitation to Kathy’s (shakykmz) Party for Parkinson’s. Kathy used to be a regular in chat, but has too many irons in the fire now. One is her party. It’s a silent auction for many, many items, and also a raffle for some big prizes. The money she raised last year was matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor, but I can’t remember now how much was raised. All the money goes to Team Fox, part of M J Fox’s research foundation. We went last year and had fun winning some door prizes and even an auction item!

Time to eat, so this version of Random Thoughts must come to a conclusion.

Some Good Things and Some Not

Good things:                                               Not so good:
Talking to my daughter on her birthday         Not getting to see her on her birthday
Spending the day with my best friend            Knowing she lives 3 hours away
Picking up my new car                                 Having repairs done to it - already
A meeting in Columbus in Cleveland instead   Pre-planning my funeral
Sharing my weekend with you                      Taking days to do it
Cooler temperatures :-)                                 Is there a bad thing about that?
KitKat candy bars                                        Read on...

Don’t You Just Hate it When … 9/26/09

I’ve been struggling with off time all evening. My 7:00 meds just never kicked in, and my 10:00 meds only kicked in about 45 min ago (it’s now 11:30). So I’ve been looking at Facebook, trying to find an anniversary e-card for a friend, and setting up my meds for next week. That part only took me an hour!

But what I really want to know is this … Don’t you hate it when that KitKat bar (substitute your favorite candy bar here) is within reach – you can see it, smell it, touch it, even taste it, but, by golly, you can’t get it out of the package because your fingers don’t work??? Ken says that is the ultimate torture test for a Parkie who loves chocolate.

And the Heat Goes On

... and on ... and on. The bill from the power company should be a doozy this month. Heat indexes were over 100 this week. Even in New Hampshire where my sister lives, highs were in the mid-90's. Unlike the beautiful fall colors and cool temperatures in my post for today.

                                                           I love this picture.

A Trip to See My Dad, 9/10/09

 I’m slowly trying to get my act together so I can leave on Sat for a few days in New Jersey. Ken & I will swing up to New Hampshire first to visit my sister’s family, and retrieve a chair she’s been saving for my daughter (since 2007!). Then we’re driving down to northern Jersey to visit my dad. He’s in an assisted-living facility there – has been for about a year. It will be good to see him; we last made the trip in Nov ’08. He has PD also – was diagnosed with it in 2005 I think. But he is also showing early signs of dementia, which makes me very sad. “That tired and confused old man is not my dad!” Think happy thoughts next week.

On a brighter note, Kristen is halfway through her third week of teaching, and seems enthusiastic about it. When she overhears her students say, “Spanish is my favorite class!” it gives her a good feeling.

Time to get moving. We’re taking a train ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It’s sunny out; should be lots of fun.