Miley is alive and well.....

Well....she went to the store's basement Sunday. Monday she wanted to know "how are we going to fix it?" (no clue) Yesterday, she was having a serious conversation at breakfast with her oatmeal ("You're crazy!" and "I ain't gonna do it!") Not to mention my new name, Betty....
But today...Wednesday, usually the day she can pull it all together to make us look bad; to perform at the beauty shop; to get to go out to eat.....Hoo Boy!
I come in from school. My son is home from work. We chat. I hear the cane (the clicker, as we call it). She is coming from her bedroom. She is practically running (which I have learned is not a good thing). She speeds past us, without even noticing us. She heads for the back door, opens it, and steps out (4 concrete steps onto a concrete patio, no rail). I catch her as she steps out. "Where are you going?" I ask. She says, "Out in the yard to look around". "For what, I ask?" She says, "Well, they told me to look out in the yard for some of my things". Oh boy. Now as much as I like to play along, I just didn't have it in me. "Your things are NOT in the yard". Long story short: we argue, but I stop the looking around episode. My sister came in about 15 mintutes later to bring her oatmeal she had run to get. While we are talking, she does the EXACT same thing. Now, I have learned the hard way, if she goes out once, she is going out again. And funny thing, I may have previously mentioned this, but when she is Miley...she walks really good and fast. She can hear so much better than normally, and she is BUSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has rearranged everything in my house today. She has tried to throw stuff away, eat supper several times, just busy busy busy....and my biggest pet peeve...rambling in my refrigerator!!!! I hate that. I miss Millicent. Miley is a big fat pain, and she wears me out!

Moma has outlived yet another relative. Her neice, Alene Butler, died today from cancer.

Easter Sunday

This is a typical day in her life. Note the nice family picture....what is she doing? She is worried about the dog and what he is doing.

This morning when I announced to her that we were going to my mother-in-law's for lunch, she said, "I'm not", and I said, "Yes you are". That scenario went on about 10 minutes. Finally, Rebekah said, "Moma, today is EASTER Sunday!" She looked up at her and said,"Well, la-ti-dah". Anyway, she went with us. This is a typical picture of her behavior. Bizarre.

Note to Miley fans....she's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! After we got home today, she wanted to change her clothes and lie down because she was so tired. I knew she'd never stay down. Anyway, I was at the computer finishing up a project, when I heard the front door open. I ran to her and said, "Where are you going?" It was obvious she was in deep thought. She said to herself, ignoring me, "Let's see...there were 3 of them and I think they were in the basement at the church...or the store." Finally I got her attention. She said, "I've got to go out here and get something." Okay, I am a good sport, so I play along. I offered to go with her to help her down the stairs. But I forget that when in Miley mode, she is super woman and needs no help, walks great, and hears well. She bounded down those front steps and started to the end of the walk. I heard her say, "Let's see.....where do I go from here? Ohhh I know, I am supposed to go to the basement from inside the store." and back up the steps she went. Now you know anytime Miley appears I become about 12 years old, and everything is funny, so I asked her between giggles. "Now what was it you were going to get?" She stuttered and stammered, and said, "Well Shit! You made me forget". There were a variety of Miley sitings the rest of the day, and today my name has been Betty.

So long from Bedrock, got to get Barney to bed.

My punishment

Today is my 49th birthday! Yikes! I am almost a senior citizen. Oh well, it's been a good run. My children gave me a gift that was worth a milliion dollars. They gave me the gift of the day. I got up this morning, got dressed and hit the road, and have been gone all day! ($$$$$ Cha-ching)
Then, hubby took me out to eat and to play Putt-Putt (for him I think) and shopping some more. But when I got home.......
There she stood, in 2 night gowns, 1 house dress, and 1 tattered housecoat waiting for me to (cringe) scratch her. So I got out the itching cream, and rubbed her down. It takes 3 times washing with Dial soap to get that thick nasty stuff off my hands. So, I guess that was my punishment for being gone all day.
And, the newest, almost senior citizen on the block has taken 2 (count them) falls today. One at Little Lots in Boaz, and the other at Putt-Putt of all places (in front of God, Kerry and everyone else). I have a skinned knee for Easter!
Go to church tomorrow, if you never go any other time. The message might be for you.

The 3 Personalities

The 3 most common personalities my grandmother has are Mildred, Millicent, and Miley. Thank goodness Miley hasn't been around much lately (although that might have been her who relieved herself on my deck the other day). Mildred (the grouchy, stubborn, irritating busy body) has been a permanent fixture lately. But today I saw a glimpse of Millicent. I had gone to swap cars back with Kerry (long dull story), and I stopped to get us some lunch. When I came in, Rebekah said, "Go look at your grandmother; she looks like a hobo." There lay precious in bed with her WINTER coat on, under her electric blanket. It was 70 degrees today!

She's had 4 pieces of my birthday cake just today! and swears she hasn't had a bite.

I just got home from having dinner with some of my favorite people. I ate with some of my LMS family (Kelli, Kendra, Brian, and Robert) for my birthday (tomorrow). You guys will NEVER know how much I love you!!!

Hoppy Easter!

Too Precious Not to Share....

I have to share this even though it is totally inappropriate (Forgive me Mother). Today my grandmother went out onto the deck, pulled up her housecoat and relieved herself right on my deck! Right out there with the dogs and cats. Kerry was watching her from the kitchen. I mean, what the ??? She would die if she was in her right mind. Of course, she was probably too stressed out because her grandchildren have stolen all her money. That is what she keeps telling us. I MEAN, I AM HER GRANDCHILD!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have her money! I really don't even want it. She won't let that go. I reminded her that tomorrow she will go to the beauty shop and Sherry will get her some cash. She said, "How do you know?" (augh)

To add to the complete and total madness at my house, Kerry had a scare Saturday night. We rushed to the ER thnking he was having a heart attack. After much nitro (and headaches), and a heart cath on Monday, I am happy to report that his heart is in good shape. The stents from 2006 are still in place and look like brand new according to the doctor (McGuire). He is an awesome doctor, not unlike our precious Dr. Bonner from Anniston. Okay all you Gadsden nurses, I hope I don't offend you, but in NO WAY do you get the same quality of care at GRMC as you do at RMC in Anniston. Kerry went from 2 or 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon until 7:00 pm with NO hospital employee coming in the room. WOW! And then we only saw 1 RN, the rest were LPNs and CNAs. IN 2 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!! The hospital administration should be ashamed! The floors are understaffed, and over worked! The waiting room for the cath lab was filthy and stunk. The bathroom outside the waiting room was FILTHY and smelled awful. And obviously, chest pains are NOT priority in triage at the ER. Oh, they let him into the hallway, but left us there while the triage nurse dealt with a child with a snotty nose and a cough. Hmmmm.....something about that stinks. And just to put some salt into the wound, before they would take us upstairs to his room, they came for their $100 copay. First things first.

I apologize for that rant having nothing to do with Moma, but I do NOT apologize for my feeings about that hospital stay. And to think I listed it as the hospital of choice on my children's school records. What was I thinking?

Can I have a cookie? Please??

Tonight while I was cooking supper, Moma came into the kitchen and announced that she didn't want to eat, that she was going to bed. She said, "If I go to sleep, don't wake me up to eat". I just agreed because that is easier. We ate in shifts anyway due to everyone having a different schedule. So, I went down to her room and she was semi-awake, so I said, "Come eat some supper. You need to take your medicine anyway." So she came to the kitchen. I fixed her plate while she rambled around with everything on the table. I didn't fix her much because she always hollers, "That's too much! I can't eat all that!" She immediately begin taking one bite, feeding the dogs, taking turn about. I told her to stop that I didn't put much on her plate, but I expected her to eat it all. She said, "ok". When I turned my back, I saw her out of my side vision, toss the dogs a bite. I turned back around and just stood there. I said, "I am going to watch you eat it". She balked, so I got her medicine and sat down beside her with her medicine in my hand. She said in a gruff voice, "WHY CAN'T I FEED THEM?" I reminded her that they get fed, and that she only had a small portion, that she needed to eat it all, that she needed the nurishment. I reminded her that Dr. Robinson wanted her to gain some weight. She said, "ok", but I knew she was going to feed them if I got up. Earlier, I had baked some cookies, that were on a plate on the table. She asked me several times what they were. She knew, she just wanted me to tell her. Finally, she said, "Gimme a cookie". I said, "Okay, when you eat all that chicken". She was so insulted, she said, "I am going to eat all my chicken", and poo-pooed me away. I got up to check on the last batch in the oven, and she reached across the table and snatched the plate. I pulled it back, and said "EAT!" She was so mad. I sat back down. She looked at me like a child, and said "Please can I have a cookie?" I told her that she only had 2 bites of chicken left to eat those and she could have a cookie. She ate one, and pretended to accidentally knock the other one in the floor. If she was my child, I'd have smacked her hand. But she isn't. She is my 94 year old grandmother who has become the child, and me the mother in this cruel twist of fate. I gave her a cookie.
And when I turned my back, she took 2 more.

DEFINE NORMAL

This has been a fairly normal week. Don't confuse normal with good. In other words, she has done only the usual crazy things. Nothing spectacular or adventurous. Confused, busy, and determined...that defines normal in her world. Still asks a million times what day it is or the time. Still feeds the dogs everything she can get by with. Still rearranges things all over my house. Still rambles in my things, her things, all God's children's things. Still rambles in the refrigerator and eats random items; spills stuff; and puts dirty dishes in the dish drainer or worse in the cabinets and drawers. As Rebekah says, "She is nasty".

Her psoriasis is awful. Pray for comfort, peace and healing. She claws and scratches herself to sleep each night. Her skin is so thin, I can't believe that she hasn't torn it open scratching. If there is an old family remedy out there, please email it to me! We are desperate.

When I was little girl, I remember laying on my grandmother's porch in the summer with my Madam Alexander doll and all her clothes. I had (still do) Marme from Little Women. Some lady Moma knew made me a bunch of clothes for her. I literally watched Meighan Blvd. come to life living out my summers on that porch. She would sit out there with me and play "Doodle Bug". I think the kids now call it "Punch Bug". We counted a least 4 million VW Beetles. What precious sweet memories I have with my little grandmother who has been reduced to this existence.

Don't take anything for granted. Enjoy the people that you love. They can disappear right in front of you.

I cannot believe it is March!

I love March! It's my birthday month, and the beginning of spring. I get so excited about Jonquils blooming! They are one of my very favorite flowers, not just because they are my birthday flower....they are the FIRST flowers of spring in ne Alabama!

I don't have much to report on Moma except that she is more unstable walking, much more confused, and seems very weak. She is hard to wake up in the morning. She was back in November Monday afternoon, thinking she had just arrived at my house. She couldn't understand what had happened to her.

Her psoriasis is tormenting her. If you know anything short of a major drug that the doctor won't give her anymore, share! We need peace, especially at night. She is walking the floor, digging and scratching. Last night, she prayed and begged God to take her if she couldn't be healed of it. It was pitiful. I know how itching can be miserable! Pray that this gets better soon, or I am buying her some tanning bed minutes! lol

Keep us in your prayers this week. I have a busy week ahead of me.