Well, last week was been a full one with both good news and not-so-good news.
On the good news side, John and Carley got possession of their house after a few stressful moments when the mortgage company wanted more money – twice. They bought an air mattress so they could sleep in the house rather than staying at Carley’s cousin’s house. So far, they have cut down a lilac tree and they are deciding which of the other landscaping features they will work on next. They have their phone and their furniture should be arriving in the next day or so.
Mel sees the doctor on Tuesday and with luck, they might remove the cast on her broken elbow and leave it off. She will need to go for physiotherapy once the cast is off but she will be pleased to have some use of her arm, if it does come off.
I got my laptop back from Futureshop and it has a new hard drive. We managed to get a backup done when John was here so now all I need to do is copy all my files over. At least I have legal copies of my software so that has all been reinstalled.
The weather this weekend was great so it was wonderful to enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures.
Steve saw the cardiologist on Monday and he seems pleased with his progress. He also met with the cardiac wellness program so he starts his exercise program, probably next week, or the week after. I think that getting out and about will be good for him – he is a very social person and not feeling great and staying home has been trying for him.
We went out on Sunday and purchased a new washer and dryer and ended up getting a new fridge as well! Our current fridge is 27½ years old – we got it new when we built our house – so it has been living on borrowed time for a while. About once a month for the last few years, we talk about getting a new one but we kept putting it off. Home Depot had one on sale and it will fit in just right. The washer and dryer were also on sale and there is a $300 rebate from the manufacturer as well as a $100 provincial rebate so all in all, I think we did well.
On the not-so-good front, I was talking to my mother’s case manager at Homecare and she said she was talking to Mom last week and when she asked Mom what she is eating for supper, Mom said that I come over every night to make supper – this is quite a feat from Calgary to Toronto – but it might explain why I am so tired lately!!!
One of Mom’s friends phoned me to say I need to do something about my mother. I explained to her, as I have to many other people, that as long as Mom is deemed to be competent, I cannot make her decisions for her. The friend also said that Mom was outside for almost an hour waiting for her driver to take her to the doctor’s appointment. The driver arrived on time but apparently Mom is losing her time orientation because she was outside at 7:30 am for an 8:30 pickup. I gather she also tried to cook something in the microwave for 45 minutes. Needless to say, it burned! She has had no sense of smell for years so she didn’t know she had burned anything. She is getting less and less safe in her own home.
If and when the doctor says that her Powers of Attorney need to be put into effect, I can do something but until then, my hands are tied. I can suggest but I cannot insist. Mom also thinks that maybe she hasn’t lost her license because she hasn’t received a letter from Motor Vehicles yet. I need to call her doctor tomorrow and make sure the paperwork has been sent in.
I am still planning to go east, probably the 3rd week of July, and I will stay for about 10 days. During that time, I am hoping to take her to see several residences so she can pick her first choice and I will get her name on a few waiting lists. What would be best, from my point of view, would be to find her a home and get her moved in while I am there but I seriously doubt that will happen. I think this will take at least one, if not two or more trips. Her doctor last week apparently said that he thinks she needs long term care, not just a seniors’ residence.
Once I am finished visiting, I plan to bring Mom’s car back to my home. It has no real monetary value – it about 15 years old although it has been very well cared for and only has about 65,000 kms (about 40,000 miles). I know it has a new muffler – the previous one was stolen! Anyway, Ellie and I are planning to drive it across the country (we know we can enjoy each others’ company, based on the fun we had in Cuba), so it should work out. Ellie’s husband will fly west and meet her then they will go off on vacation – at least that is the tentative plan at this point in time.
Poor Steve is having a bad time with his medications. He keeps getting tingling sensations, rather like pins and needles. Because the drugs are helping to keep him healthier (and quite frankly, probably alive!), this is something he may have to learn to live with. He’s going to talk to the family doctor this week and see if there are any other drugs he can take that might not have these side effects. It is very trying for him because the pain comes on with no warning and may last for several minutes. It hits everywhere, not just his hands and feet, which is very disconcerting.
This week is Canada Day so a day off, then my new appliances arrive on Friday, so without anything else planned, the week should be a good one.
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