Reading the Past

So today I've been busy reading old blog entries with the intention of putting tags (labels) on them. It's been an interesting experience. It's also a bit depressing how many posts are tagged with Parkinson's.

One of the posts that jumped out at me had to do with Ken's 66th birthday, and how I was going to make this year's better. I think I accomplished my goal. We went to Debonne Vineyards (about an hour's drive east of Cleveland) to enjoy some good food, music and a hot air balloon ride.

I think he was pleasantly surprised.

The rest of this post is dedicated to the memory of my dad. He died June 30, 2010. I think it only fair that the 4-year-old blog should come to an end. The current blog will keep going (I hope!), but there won't be any more reminiscences. Till next time...

Ah, Summer, 7/26/10

What a summer it’s been. The garden is growing (and GROWING!), we’ve had Ken’s daughter here to visit, my brother Steve and I took a road trip to New Jersey to see my dad, and my dad passed away June 30.

The garden is going great guns, or at least part of it is. The peas and the onions? I’ve given up hope for them. The sweet peppers are really struggling along, but the hot peppers are doing OK. The cherry tomatoes are the biggest surprise. The 2 plants are enormous! They have completely taken over their corner. The zucchini and the squash are trying to make a break for it, expanding past the confines of the garden and stretching into the back yard.

Ken’s daughter Stephanie and her boyfriend (fiancé?) Nick were here to visit 10 days ago. Sat was a relaxing evening getting caught up on family news. On Sun, we took advantage of free admission and went to the Museum of Natural History. It was good to spend time with them, though they left too soon.

Steve and I drove to NJ at the end of June. Actually, Steve drove and I tagged along. Daddy had emergency surgery June 13, and was really having trouble recovering from it. Steve and I felt the need to see him, and he was doing better when we were there. As we got ready to drive home Mon, he took a turn for the worse. My sister Nancy made it down from NH on Tues, but he died Wed morning.

I miss him so much. I keep thinking the phone will ring and I’ll hear his “Good evening” on the other end. Memorial services will be held next weekend. It’s gonna be rough.

Philadelphia (Philly)

Last week Ken and I took a vacation of sorts and went to Philadelphia to volunteer at the 34th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. All in all, it was a good trip, and I learned a few things along the way.

1. It's Philly, not Philadelphia.
2. Whoever decided that the trip would take 7 hours, plus stops, was crazy. It took us nearly 10 hours, and I know we didn't stop 3 hours. Plenty of construction zones and a fairly steady rain helped to slow us down.
3. Walkers aren't made to go on escalators. Ken figured he could carry my walker up the escalator at the train station, rather than walking to the elevator. He fell, my walker kept on going, and then he was on his back, sliding down all the steps that were still going up. Fortunately, the fall didn't hurt much more than his pride.
4. When volunteering, don't expect to do the job you signed up for. I really didn't get to do much, mainly because they already had enough people to cover the events. On Ken's first day, he was to pass out water and towels to the athletes who requested them. Trouble was, there were so many others doing the same thing, that if three athletes approached, ten volunteers jumped up.

So after three days of doing little or nothing, we decided to call it quits and head back to Ohio, even though we hadn't seen any of the tourist things like the Art Museum (a la "Rocky") or the Liberty Bell. I did have a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at the Philly Diner next door to our hotel. I've had better ones in Ohio.

We had been promising my former in-laws a visit for the past two years, but never made it. This time we did. We got off the PA turnpike at the PA/WV state line and drove down OH-7 to Belpre. It was so good to see Ron and Donna. She's had Parkinson's for 28 years and, in my opinion, is not doing well. That's why I was so anxious to see her. Ron is doing an amazing job of taking care of Donna, and he has some help for a couple of hours every day. They are still so in love with each other; next July, they will celebrate 60 years of marriage.

The main purpose of the trip, volunteering for the Games, was disappointing. Leaving Philly without seeing any of its famous landmarks was disappointing. Going to Belpre and seeing Donna in her current condition was heart-wrenching. Spending hours in the car with each other without wanting to kill the other person was a blessing. And the final thing I learned from this trip:

5. No matter how hard the VA begs and pleads with us, we're NOT going to the 35th Games next year in Dallas!

To catch up on my old blog, till next time...

And so on … 6/13/10

I wondered how long it would take till I forgot about this blog. Only two months this time. That’s an improvement.
So what’s been happening in my life since mid-April? The biggest thing would have to be The House. I signed the closing documents on April 30; the house is mine! Now, of course, all the headaches start. I think I traded one set of nightmares for another.
The worst is our homeowner’s insurance being canceled, purportedly due to some structural issues on the house. Personally, I think it’s because the insurance company is scared of the boarded-up houses on either side of us and across the street. Nothing I can do about that.
The gutters have been fixed, we bought mortar to fix the foundation, and Ken smashed our crumbling side steps. Nightmare #2: trying to get the contractor to return phone calls with a price to finish the steps. Time to call another contractor.
The garden has been planted, and some of the plants are really taking off! I’m looking forward to that first ripe tomato off our plants.
My dad is in the hospital in NJ following emergency surgery to repair a hole in his stomach. He’s got peritonitis, is anemic, and has a ventilator tube. I wish I could be there, but as Nancy pointed out, it’s hard to travel that far to sit for only 20 minutes at a time in ICU, especially if he’s not awake or able to talk. So I sit at home and pray a lot.
And that, in a nutshell, summarizes the past two months. And so on and so on … Till next time…

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.

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.