Here's a view of downtown L.A. from up on the hill where my dad's nursing home is located. Last time I was in town, the whole area was covered with clouds, so I decided to take advantage of the photo op. Dear ol' dad isn't doing quite as well as last time I saw him. A couple of months ago, hospice came onboard to help with his care. I was surprised when one of the nurses suggested it to me; I always thought hospice was just for the end of the journey. But I learned this isn't always the case. If a person meets certain criteria, hospice can intervene earlier to provide comfort to the patient and support for the family members. They've been able to manage pain he somehow couldn't tell me he had. Apparently, it's not unusual for someone to find it difficult to admit to pain--especially an elderly man who has always been extremely independent and self-sufficient. Yesterday he seemed agitated and uncomfortable during my visit, and when I asked him if I could do anything he told me he didn't know what he wanted. So I'm thinking some med-tweaking may be in order.
So while some would turn to elderberry wine to soothe their souls, I've been knitting on this....the Green Mountain Spinnery's basic pullover sweater in Mountain Mohair - color: elderberry.
It's so easy to knit and it's on circular needles, so no seaming required! My kind of project. By the time I get home to Connecticut, I should be all calmed down and ready to tackle the Noro shawl-collared sweater finishing project.
So while I'm not in much of a humorous mood this week, I should let Mr. Gadget write a blog post. Every other day he goes to the condo gym to work out, then he reports back to me about the interesting cast of characters he encounters. While he's on the treadmill, I'm sure he's thinking up good names for them all, so he can tell a good story. There's Billy two-shoes who must get up before dawn because his shoes rarely match. Then there's the spitter....no explanation needed, the puffer--a lady who exhales loudly and often, and the slapper who slaps her legs while she works out. Maybe it's just a circulation-enhancing maneuver. I wonder what they say about Mr. Gadget? Maybe I should embroider his name on his t-shirt so they'll know who they're dealing with.......
1 comment:
Nice picture of downtown. Not as clear as some days.
Visited my mom today and she's going "downhill" herself. We spent the morning on an "outting" and after I left her house, I called her when I got back to our house (to assure her that I made it home without traffic accident) and she told me that after I left for home, she and her neighbor went next door to visit a woman whose husband had been taken to the hospital in the middle of last night. My mother said that she fell twice on that little trip across her lawn and got herself up with difficulty. She'll use a cane now to cross grass, she reassured me. I said where was the neighbor and how come she didn't help her up and she said she was talking with the woman whose husband was in the hospital. I said "Did you break anything?" "No but I wretched my hip so I took some Aleve". Let's just hope she didn't do some serious damage. Egads!!! Our elderly parents are something else again. I'm getting some whiskey and water and ice, skip the elderberry wine and the knitting. I need something stronger. HA.
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