What’s top of my mind: How lucky I am.
This photo is from yesterday, when I asked Georgia if she wanted to come to the beach with the Little Woofs and me. It was a crisp and clear winter day, just perfect for a beach walk.
In years gone by, I would have been in a classroom, looking out of the window at the blue sky, wishing I was at home doing anything other than grammar. Now – I’m doing whatever I feel like doing on any given day.
I have the time to spend with the people I love the most. Tom32 dropped in on Monday morning to do some washing. His girlfriend has a washer/dryer combo that she’s moving into his place n the weekend, and he sold his own washing machine. He stayed chatting with me for nearly an hour and a half.
If I was still working, he’d have come and gone without seeing me. As it was, we had one of those wide-ranging conversations that cover everything that’s going on with his life. I had another of those conversations with Evan27 last week, just before he and Jenna flew off to perform in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.
I feel very fortunate that I know so much of what goes on in my adut children’s lives. Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure that I don’t know EVERYTHING! But they share enough to show that I’m trusted with a lot of things that not every parent would be.
Where I’m going: To the vet.
Jeffrey has had sensitive skin all his life, to the point where he’d be almost tearing himself to bits with his scratching. A couple of years ago, our new vet suggested a prednisolone tablet each morning.
Instant change! Finally, Jeff has quality of life. It’s so lucky – his heart tabs cost a fortune but these ones are cheap as chips. We used the last one this morning, so I’ll be jumping in the car soon to get a refill.
Where I’ve been: to my parents’ place.
Ugh.
As part of the My Aged Care package Mum is on, she and Dad get a medical alert watch/pendant each. It detects if the wearer falls, and they can also push the button if they need help. The medical people contact them through a machine in their living room, or by their phones. So far so good.
Dad keeps bumping his alert button when he drives. (How the hell he does it is a mystery to me.) If Mum’s not with him when the Medi-Alert people call, she can tell them that he’s ok through the living room machine or the home phone. The problem comes when they’re both in the car, blissfully unaware that people are trying to get hold of them to check that they’re ok.
I’m the next person they ring. If I can’t get hold of them by phone, I have to jump in the car and drive 40 minutes to their house.
On Saturday morning I got a call from the Medi- Alert woman. I was still on the couch in my pjs with only a cup of coffee inside me. I jumped in the shower, buttered a bread roll so I could eat in the car and raced over there. Even though I knew that they’d be ok, Mum’s had many falls and it’s always in the back of my mind that one day… it’s not going to be a false alarm.
Dad answered the door, and when he asked, “How are you?” I replied, “A little bit annoyed, to tell you the truth.”
“Why???” he asked, trying to be all innocent.
“Because I’ve had to come all this way simply because you two never take Mum’s mobile with you when you go out. You know… the one I gave you. One phone call could have saved me driving all the way out here.”
All of a sudden he’s yelling. “I WANT TO THROW THAT FUCKING PHONE IN THE BIN.”
Oof.
“If you swear at me and raise your voice, I’m leaving.”
“OK THEN, SEE YOU LATER!”
I’m not one to ignore a charming response like that, so I picked up my bag and water bottle without another word and left. I didn’t even see Mum, though I’m sure she heard what went on.
You have to teach people the behaviour you’re not willing to accept.
I found out after talking with my sister Kate that Mum had already told him off for not being more careful with his alarm, so when I wasn’t happy with him it was like a match to tinder. Still, there’s no excuse for acting like that. I didn’t leave my awful marriage just to let anyone else yell at me!
Anyway, I went back on Monday to do more of the Storywell stories. The only reference any of us made to the outburst was when Mum said to me, “I’m going to get a routine going for when we leave the house, so I’ll put my phone in my bag…”
What I’m reading: The School Run by Ali Lowe
I finished this one yesterday and I really enjoyed it. Right at the start we find out that someone gets deliberately run over, then of course for the rest of the novel we try and work out whodunnit.
It’s set in WA… which is Western Australia for all of you overseas people out there.
It Takes a Town to Solve a Murder – Aoife Clifford
I started this one while I was eating breakfast this morning, and I’m itching to get back to it. Another Aussie one!
What I’m watching: The Godfather movies.
I saw that Stan has all three, so three nights ago I started watching. I was only going to watch the first one, but you know how it is when you follow a story! One movie a night – perfect!
I saw this meme on Facebook and had to add it here.
What I’m listening to: Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer.
One of my absolute favourite songs. The lyrics are simply beautiful.
What I’m eating: Homemade Blood Orange and Poppyseed cake.
I was on Facebook in the Dull Women’s Club group and someone posted a link to an orange and poppyseed cake. I had 2 small blood oranges from my tree that had been sitting in my fruit bowl for a while.
So now they’re a cake! I have a friend over at the moment, and he’s getting a remedial massage treatment from Georgia. When all that’s finished, we’ll have a snack as we catch up.
What I’m planning: Getting back into quilting.
I’m almost ready to start working on a new creation. The only thing stopping me is that I’m conscious of how much still needs to be done in the veggie garden before I head off on my next adventure.
Who deserves a “thumbs-up”: MUM!
As I was typing out the first answer here, my phone rang. It was Mum on her mobile.
“The Medi-Alert people have tried to call. I’m calling you so you can ring them to say that we’re ok, we’re just at the doctors.”
I hung up and began a search in my contacts for their number, when my phone lit up. They were calling me. I was SO pleased that I was able to say, “I was just going to call you. Mum rang to say that you’d called. They’re fine.”
The girl laughed. “Why didn’t she just answer the call?”
I answered in an exhausted tone: “I don’t know…”
We both laughed.
‘Anyway,” I continued. “They’re both alive and kicking.”
“That’s great news!” she said.
The REALLY great news is that I’m still sitting here at home, instead of leaping in the car and heading off down Nepean Highway again. A big ‘thumbs-up’ to Mum for her new routine.
What has made me smile: An Explorer Pack is coming!
I received an email from the people running The Ghan tour that I’m doing in September. My Explorer Pack has been sent to me.
I don’t know what this is.
I don’t know what’s in it.
But hey – I’m looking forward to finding out!
Dad joke of the day:
Gotta love dealing with aging parents lol! And hope I am as adaptable as your mom when I get to her age!
Yes, she’s not bad. She’s also willing to engage with technology in her mid-eighties. I hope I’m like that when I’m her age, too.
With my parents Dad is better with the phone than Mum. He has my old smart phone so I can give guidance even when I’m away. Dad would have an alert bracelet but Mum won’t hear a bar of it.
Parents!!!
Aging parents are just a bittersweet tale. It’s easy to lose patients with them as they tend towards stubbornness. I’m sure they are glad to have you to rely on. That cake looks and sounds delicious.
I’m learning patience, that’s for sure. Slipped up a bit then, though!
My mum had that pendant but the speaker thing was in the main bedroom. Mum moved to the smaller bedroom so I slept in the main bedroom when I stayed over. She always took the pendant off at night in case she rolled over onto it…..except one night she forgot and I was awoken at 3am(ish) by some woman in the corner of the room asking if I was ok?!?!? It took me a little while to work out what the heck was going on and it wasn’t just in my dream!
We switched her to another type of pendant soon after (she lived on acreage so would be out of range if she ventured out into the paddock….which she did frequently) and I was so happy to unplug that flipping speaker so I wouldn’t have to worry about some strange woman talking to me in the middle of the night. But yes, we had many, many, many false alarms but she knew to call my brother when it happened to tell him she was ok.
Some can be bracelets rather than pendants – would that mean less accidental alarms for your Dad?
That’s a funny story!
My Dad already has the watch type. He wears it on his right wrist because he always has a watch on his left.