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Moving along...


SandyCaregiver

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So much going on here. My house had many showings, but no one made an offer. I had a bad feeling that the $500 paint job I paid to paint the garage door and window frames, that had went really bad, flaking up in 3 months, was the problem. I think as soon as people saw it they decided the home was not taken care of. So, I had went and scraped it all off and repainted (in my free time). First people who looked at it after I re-painted it, put in an offer. After some dickering, we accepted an offer and hope it all goes thru and this part of our lives will be history.

No more of me going there after Bob goes to bed and working from 12:30-4:30 am (makes getting up really hard!). It will be great to have one home to worry with.

 

One night as I tucked Bob in, I was trying to tell him something about how he should do something. He groggily replied that he was just lucky to be alive. The next morning when I got him up on the side of the bed, he slowly said... 'I think you should know that I'm barely holding on'. Me, 'what!?' and he repeats the same thing. I say, 'what's wrong, are you sick, are you in pain' feeling red alert hit me. He screams at me, "I'm barely holding on". Realizing his aphasia was not going to allow more, I quickly stood up in front of him to see if I could get some kind of reading from his body language... BINGO.... he was barely holding on.... about to slide off the side of the bed!

 

I have been looking at language apps on youtube that use the Ipad or Ipod touch, there are so many, from free to $10, $40, or $150. I want them all! Ha, ha, still can't decide on Ipad or pod touch.

 

Along with everything else, it is grass mowing season, and I've been very busy. The Friday before Mother's day, I mowed the grass on high and low gear because it was so high, and had to mow again on a med setting, but had to stay on low gear because there was so much clumps of grass it was picking up. Then Sunday I got a Blk & Decker weed eater, electric, I think 6.2amp. I'm glad I didn't get the 7amp it was heavier. I like never having to worry about gas nor batteries. I looked at the batteries and asked how long they lasted and the guy said a good 20 minutes of continuace use... uh.... I used it 3.5 hours on that Sunday and 2.5 Monday, to get it all done. I would have went thru a whole bucket of expensive batteries! I really like it. I trimmed the dreaded Barbery thorn bushes with it yesterday.

 

Bob's improving just a little bit in his ability to read, I hope to God that keeps up, it would give him a whole new world of satisfaction. We have a million books, something there was never time to do, but we'd take them off the shelf and leaf thru them and think, I GOTTA read this one day. Also, the living room is the one with the fireplace, and we used to read in there. Now there's nothing to do in there, since he can't read! So no sitting by the fire this winter :(

 

Oh my mom had another cardiac event. It was about 1:30am one night and I was just about to go to bed, when the phone rang. It's never good when that happens. She said she'd called 911 and I ran out to the emergency room to where it would go. The nurse in the ER had a meltdown on us and flipped out, totally unbelievable. Anyway, I left there at 6am, once she was in a room and settled, and went back to get a couple hours sleep and then get Bob up. Went back that around 1pm till evening when sister came. She is home again and doing ok, so disaster averted for now. :)

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Wow Sandy, you are having a busy patch in your journey. I am glad you have an offer on the house, I hope it all goes through smoothly. I'm glad you won't be doing midnight to dawn as a painter and decorator. You need good sleep to be a caregiver.

 

I laughed at Bob's comment, I used to do that with Ray, try to interpret what he said and it all turned out to be something simple in the end.

 

Sorry your Mum has been sick again. That is an extra worry you do not need.

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Here is hoping all goes well for your mom and getting the house sold. You know at times we have so much to think about and take care of I just don't know how we do it but we do!

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Sandy: my goodness, made me tired just reading your blog - LOL. I am sorry for all the work on the other home, but just hopefully, it will all work out. I am praying that the sale goes through and closes quickly. A huge burden off you and Bob.

 

I too like the electric clippers. Bruce brought me a string trimmer - gas. He made sure I was strong enough to pull start it. But Sandy, I just can't understand the gas/oil mix and the choke thing. And I have the instruction manual right in front of me. It is brand new, used twice by Bruce's Godson. So I resort to my little battery hand clippers and the electric clippers.

 

I am like you and Sue, overthink any issue, with the aphasia it is usually something very simple. Took me the longest time, during wash ups, to understand that "hurt" meant he needed the urinal - LOL.

 

I do hope you will finally have some down time, enjoy your now beautiful yard. Some time to get outside with Bob for some down time and a nice iced tea!

 

Glad Mom is on the mend. Please do take care. Debbie

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Hope all goes well with the sell of the house. I have got to tell you that the about Bob "barely holding on" really gave me a good laugh after i realised it was not anything serious!!! I told Mike that after talking to you on the phone and knowing your voice I could just hear your voice getting shrill!!! Anyway glad your Mom is home and doing ok! Thanks for the laugh!

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I don't have electric clippers yet, but may one day! This is actually a weed eater that is electric. When we moved here, hubby bought every expensive tool in the world to work on this yard. He never really liked yard work, but loved THIS yard. Well, they were MAN toys. Yes, the dreaded gas/oil mix and much to my surprise that moter and gas thingy was to be held up near my head, not my feet. I just told him there was no way in the world I could hold it like that for more than a few minutes and went out and got another. We also have an electric chain saw...hmmmmm.... I feel a bad movie scene coming on... but I'm going to learn to work that thing - lots of old trees always dropping branches here.

 

I did fail to get enough to walk away without owing anything on the house. Time all the fees work out, I have to take $5000 in with me. But, now that it's been showing, it's just a matter of time till someone breaks in and steals my copper, so glad to get it off my hands. But guess what....

 

Now it is nightmare city, we've been here 2.5 years and all the spaces THAT furniture would be coming to are full of other furniture or unpacked boxes! Now I'm working myself into the ground, trying to go thru it so the stuff there can be moved here - they want access on closing day, which appears to be July 15 - thank God for that much, anyway! Promising some furniture to nephew, so he's supposed to help :)

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First, I'm glad your mom is recovering. It's enough to have one family member to worry about.

 

I'm glad your house has been sold. You have worked hard getting it ready.

 

The "I'm barely holding on" story was a good one. Maybe now you can relax.

 

Julie

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I can't relax yet, too much to prepare to finish the move. I am only sleeping 2 hours and then wake up, so get up and work 2-4 hours, then back to bed for another 2hrs sleep, which is not always solid sleep, more like twilight, half in half out sleep. I have so much to sort/move/pitch/give away to get ready to have all my stuff out of there, there's no time to spare. I can't wait till August... I know it will be done then... and I'll probably be living with it up to my neck here, but THAT part will be done. Oh, we do have 2 lockers already, 2 LARGE lockers...FULL! oh my.....

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Sandy: just a word of caution, please bear with me. Bruce has a small Stihl chainsaw that is just perfect for me. He spent hours teaching me to work it safely, always with ear plugs, safety glasses and work gloves, work boots. And you have read my blogs about our trees down over the past one and a half years. But I will tell you after using one for so many years, you realize just how dangerous they are.

 

I have used it since Bruce's stroke, but never alone. (not including Bruce and really it would take hours before he realized something might be wrong and call 911)

 

If I may, after all the hooplah calms down and you are in one spot, consider looking at a Sawsall. Look it up on line. Much safer, very easy to handle, lightweight and very versatile. I am looking into one to take a wire fence down in back that no one has been able to budge. Neighbor put it in and I think it goes all the way to China. The little blade goes through ice, like in the gutters, great and for bushes with more than one trunk, take them out great. Can't use a chain saw for that.

 

I do hope your nephew steps up. Debbie

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you have been in the zone--- i remember it well... get the other home sold.... done ( hopefully ) great job sandy !!! hopefully all that hard work pays off and you can relax a little -- LOL us caregivers, relax??? huh... but congrats you did it !!

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