A Sweet Time

Late this afternoon, I had to meet Rebekah with her medicine. I went out on the deck and told Moma that I needed to run to the drug store and get Rebekah's medicine and meet her in Glencoe with it. I told her that I wanted her to ride with me.
As we passed her former home (where she lived from age 7 until 2007), she said, "I don't like to ride by here. It makes me so sad." I had to choke back the lump in my throat. I feel exactly the same way. I want to stop, and take her HOME! Sit on her porch and play "Doodlebug", and dig in her flower bed. I could feel the hot tears forming. I turned onto Wall St. where the drug store is.
She sat in the car while I ran into the drug store. I parked right out front of Jerry's so I could watch her. She rambled through my purse while I waited on the medicine. After returning to the car, and turning onto Sansom Ave. I felt that lump in my throat forming again. "I sure do miss my little town" she said. OMG! I am dying here......Memories of her taking me to Elmore's and the library and Phillip's Drug Store came rushing in on me. I could feel the Keds tennis shoes on my feet; the ones she bought me. They were plaid T-strap tennis shoes, very unique (because my fat little fingers had a hard time tying shoes). I could smell the library, the dime store......I had to just ride in silence, thankful to be heading out of Alabama City; her little town.
On down the road a bit, I gathered my wits and talked with her just like nothing in our lives had changed. We talked about how different parts of town have grown up, and how some places that used to look nice were now shabby. She asked me what "Glencoe" was called, and soon we arrived at the First Baptist Church where I meet Rebekah. When we parked, I rolled down the windows and opened the sun roof. There was a nice breeze, and the mountains were in our view. I silently thanked God for all the precious times I have had with this now difficult little woman. She asked about my sister, and I jokingly said, "Who needs her?" We laughed, and she said, "She don't love me like you do. You always loved me best" Of course, I know my sister loves her, but what a precious compliment. As we sat waiting on Rebekah, God put this thought in my mind. What if tonight were her last night? What if she never gets in my truck again? What if we never have a lucid conversation again? She may be a pill most days, but she is still the best friend this chubby little girl could have ever had. How blessed I am!

Thinking out loud

In yesterday's post (and it was a doozy), I mentioned that Moma thinks out loud. Sometimes we hear the complete thought and sometimes only a portion. For instance, today at lunch, Rebekah and I were talking while Moma finished her lunch. All of a sudden, I heard, "....piled up over there!" When I asked her what she said, she claimed that she had not said anything.
Rebekah and I went to Wal-Mart for groceries, pet stuff, etc. When we came in, Moma was in the living room waiting on us. Kerry said, "You won't believe what she said while you were gone!" He told us that she had walked the floors and asked a million questions while we were gone. He was watching TV in the den, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her peek around the door. Then OUT LOUD she said, "I don't know why I'd want to sit with his ass.....(and she turned to walk away) I'd rather sit with a N***** (socially unacceptable term)"
And I thought I might take her to the singing at church tonight. Uh.....no.

Princess mode

This morning the princess got up at 7 am for a stroll through my house. Clomp, clomp, clomp! I think she pounds that cane into the floor when she thinks I am asleep, hoping to wake me (and it does). This morning, I just laid there refusing to move. Kerry was in the shower (Golf day starts early), and she finally gave up and went back to bed. But, as luck would have it, I was awake so I got up. Thinking that she would get up in a few minutes, I went ahead and made coffee. At 10:00, I woke her up! "Are you going to sleep all day?" I asked, thinking to myself, why can't you do this when I am getting ready for work? That was when she sat up and declared, "I ain't got no diapers! You got any?" Now, this throws me into panic mode. I began searching her usual hiding places. She kept saying, "You needn't waste your time, I done looked there". Aughhhhhh!!! I found a bag of pull-ups that we bought for her awhile back thinking they might fit better than adult diapers (and they would if she didn't have child bearing hips). I told her to pull it up as far as she could get it to eat breakfast, and I'd get her some diapers. I got her started eating breakfast and called my high school BFF. She went to Dollar General and got 2 bags of diapers (Thank you Mytesa!!)
After breakfast and a clean diaper, the princess went back to bed. At 11:15, I heard her call on the baby monitor. "Julie" "Julie" "Julie" "JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLIEEEEEEEEEEE!!" I was on the phone, but I got off and charged down to her room expecting her to be quoting her last will and testament. "Hey! Brang me something to eat" Grrrrr....urge to kill. "No, we don't eat in the bed. You can come to the kitchen". She was so mad! "I can't!" she barked. "Moma, there is NOTHING wrong with you. You are physically able to get up and WALK to the kitchen! And if you want something to eat, you will" "JUST FORGET IT!!! There IS something wrong with me, but just forget it if you don't want me to eat". Silently counting to ten, and wanting to rip her out of that bed by the hair of her head, I quietly responded, "Are you hungry for lunch already? or do you just want a snack?" "It don't matter", she said, "whatever you want me to have". I spun around, went to the kitchen to prepare her royal lunch. When it was ready, I called to her from the door. "Come eat!" and turned and walked away. She walked better than me to the table.
As is always the case, after she eats, she returns to bed. Not 10 minutes after closing her door did I hear, "Julie" "Juuulie" "Julie" Juuuuuliiiieeee" quite pitifully. So tempted to play deaf, I let her call again, several times, but guilt always wins out. "What Moma?" I asked upon entering her room. She had the back scratcher down her back digging like she was looking for water. "I need something for my back, it's eeeeetching". UGH!!!! I went to the kitchen to retrieve her cream the doctor gave her (which is really working well, Thank you Dr. Jacobson!) I made her strip off naked, and went ahead and did the whole treatment (no more wet pajamas!) She finally laid back down and I got a little peace.
The rest of the day, she has been up and down. Very busy, very needy, very confused. Asking one question after another. She talked all through my afternoon movie treat (The Thrill of It All with Doris Day and James Garner), in other words she has been obnoxious. She worried about supper from 3:25 until I finally gave in and fed her at 5:30. Then Kerry went and got us Popeye's chicken since she had already eaten (the crust is too hard for her), but her radar was sharp today. She woke up and came in the kitchen while we were eating, looking for hers. After explaining that she had already eaten, and could not eat that crust, she said, "I know, I ain't a fussin', I know". She went to look out the kitchen window. Her thoughts slipped out and she said, "didn't get me nothing!" Kerry and I fell out laughing!!!!
Some days, I don't know how I can make another day. But I asked the Lord in 2007 to give me what I needed to do this, and He has. I think I am due a refill!

Hot Water

At 5:30 this morning, I awoke and went into the bathroom to the silky sound of pouring water. The faucet in my sink was spilling hot water at a pretty fast rate. I never heard her in the bathroom in the night, so I must have slept really good. The water had been running long enough that the bottom of the sink and the faucet were both very warm to the touch. Wonder what that will run my water and gas bill up to? I feel like I have a small child in my home again. Nothing is left unturned, everything has run through her fingers, and nothing is sacred. She takes things, plunders through everything, and will, in a minute, throw things away.
She has been lost and confused all day today. She cannot remember that she has just taken medicine, just been told what the day is, and just eaten. She can't stay in the bed; restless for some reason. This may sound cruel, but I wish God would take her home to be whole, and happy, and to be reunited with her Mother, children, husband and her sisters. I hate seeing her this way.

Get on the Bus

For the last few days, Moma has gotten up at a bright and shining 5:00 am when I get up. As you can guess, this is the LAST thing I want to happen. This morning, I planned to let her start getting ready for her doctor's appointment upon her early rising. Then I would deliver the princess to my sister on my way to work (killing 2 birds with one stone, no elaboration!) But of course, on this morning when I needed her to rise and shine....she didn't. I woke her up to get her started, but she was not moving. I called and called her. Finally, I opened her closet door and shut it hard to startle her awake (yes, I admit that is kinda cruel). Getting her ready, feeding her, and getting out the door was like pulling teeth! She couldn't understand why she could not cram just ONE more diaper in her purse, so she carried one in her hand.
My sister told me that after they got out of the doctor's office, she was looking for the bus....you know...the one they rode to Birmingham.
Tonight, she hated my supper, so I let her fry her own egg. I was just too tired to fight her. lol

Long live the princess!

Today, Sue, Rebekah and I were in the den watching the kitties play, when Rebekah said, "Do I hear her hollering?" We listened. Sure enough...."HEY!!!" we heard. "HEEEEEEEEEYYYY!!" We all three charge down the hall toward her room. Rebekah beat us to her. "Commeeere" she motioned for Rebekah to come toward her. "What Moma?" There she lay in all her royalty, covered up to her neck with her arms out, hands clasped across her chest, with her sleep cap on. "I'd like something to eat" she declared. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was livid! I turned away from her before I threw my shoe at the Princess of Helplessness. Rebekah told her that we did not deliver meals to her in bed, that she'd have to get up. I was back in the kitchen NOT listening to her nonsense. Rebekah came back to the kitchen an

Publish Post

d said, "you missed her order!" "What?" "Oh yeah," she said, "she wants a fried egg and a biscuit" She thought it was morning.
AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Treatment for the "EEEEEtch"

My sister took my grandmother to the dermatologist last Wednesday for her psoriasis. She prescribed the most GOD AWFUL treatment you have ever heard. We have to take this cream, put it on (rubbing in the direction the hair grows-what's up with that?), and then cover it with wet cloths. Okay, she is COVERED in this stuff, so I wet pajamas, and she has to wear wet pajamas for ONE HOUR! Oh me, you can imagine! She hollers, she whines, she fusses, she threatens to take them off and declares "I ain't NEVER doing this again!" And we are to do this twice a day! Okay, day one, we did it once for 20 minutes. Day 2, I showed the sitter when I got home how to do it, so once on day 2. Day 3 she got it twice because my sitter is really an angel sent from Heaven who did this for me!!!! (Lord, bless Sue real good!) Day 4 (Saturday, today) I only managed to get it done once. She tries to die! I know it must be very uncomfortable to wear wet pajamas, but I didn't order it!
It takes a good 20 minutes to cover the places with the stupid cream, which is thick and gross feeling. The whole time you are applying it, she is pointing to other places hollering "Hee-uh" You cannot have any rhyme or reason to your application for her trying to help you. Today, I finally said, "Look! I'm doing this MY way!" She said, "forgive me". Sigh....
This ungodly treatment is a result of our precious insurance industry saying "Oh no, don't use what you KNOW will work! We won't pay for that until you do some really old and stupid stuff" Ugh...She goes back next week. Her skin actually looks better, but I ain't doing that for the rest of her life.
Old age sucks!

OMG!

Oh my gosh!! I submitted an article to the Denver Christian Family magazine (or is it Denver Family Christian?) about my journey with Momaw....and it is being published!! Wow! I'm in print! LOL

Ugh

It is 3:54 am on Sunday, August 16th. I am at my kitchen table writing this post because I can't go back to sleep. My crazy grandmother woke me up an hour and a half ago. I hate being 50 because there is no "going back to sleep" which has NEVER been a problem for me. Once someone wakes me into a full awake status....ugh. Sleep never returns.
Kerry and I had gone to bed around 10:30. My crazy nocturnal kids were not even home yet. We always leave a lamp on in the den for Rebekah because she parks out back. About midnight, the phone rang and woke me. I am blind without my glasses/contacts and I was fumbling around trying to answer it when I heard Rebekah say, "Who is pushing buttons on the phone?" I apologized and tried to hang it up. Startled but not fully awake, I went back to sleep. The next thing I heard was a loud knock on our door, the door opening, and my crazy grandmother entering the room hollering, "I hate to wake y'all up but there is a leak in my kitchen floor". I checked the clock, 2:30, ugh...........I got out of bed to attend to her, and noticed that every light is on from one end of the house to the other, not sure if she turned them on or the kids left them on. I started walking to her room saying to her that she doesn't have a kitchen, to no avail. Of course, there was NO WATER on the floor in her room. I told her that, but she argued. She wanted me to pull her bed out from the wall and look behind it. NO WATER!!! Then she told me to put my hand down there and feel it. NO WATER!!! I am not a nice person when I first wake up, so I wanted to ring her neck and dress her for our Sunday dinner! She was still arguing with me as I slammed her door screeching, "GET IN THE BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I got back into the bed knowing full well that sleep would not come. So here I am, sitting in my kitchen, trying to be quiet, while everyone else in my house sleeps. And tomorrow is MY church day. I'll never wake up. Ugh...........

The Beauty Shop Just Wears Her Out!

Beauty shop days are usually restful, because it wears her out! This is her after her adventure this past Wednesday! Hopefully, I'll be that limber at 96! lol

Psoriasis is terrible

You all know how I hate to scratch her when she "eeeeeeetches", but tonight she pulled down her pants in the kitchen (precious) to reveal a case of psoriasis like I have never seen! There is maybe a couple of inches on her lower back that is not covered. Her skin is red and flaky all over her back. Her arms and legs don't look much better. She now has it on her face and in her scalp. She picks at it constantly. We cannot make her understand that the heavy robes she wears is suffocating her skin. She thinks she is cold but her skin in suffocating. AND she wants to coat it in Vaseline!!! We are taking her to a dermatologist the 19th. We think she is the very best dermatologist in Alabama, maybe the US! Dr. Elizabeth Jacobson in Inverness has done wonders for me, my family and my friends. We love her!!!

Sunday Quickie

This afternoon while I was at the grocery store, Sherry came by to pick up something for the grand kids on her way to church. Moma was trying to talk to her (about money and the bank) while Sherry was talking to Rebekah. Moma wants her some MONEY. Sherry told her she didn't have any because she had so many bills to pay. She began listing all her expenses. Moma just left the room and sat on the living room couch. When Sherry left, Rebekah heard her say under her breath, "You never come to see me and you're taking all my money. You can kiss my ass!" What a hoot! So, when I got home from the store, she came practically running into the kitchen. "Julie!" she began, "Will you take care of me?" I was puzzled not knowing yet about the above situation. I said, "Moma, I have been taking care of you for nearly 2 years now." She told me how much she appreciated me and that if she had anything I needed or wanted, I could have it. Then she said, "When I die, everything I have is yours". Smiling, I said, "mine and Sherry's". She said, "Well, the one that does all the work should have it all!" (I have Rebekah as a witness! lol) The rest of the night has been spent to thanking me and paying me for all I do. She just brought me $2 for the Vaseline I bought her at the grocery store. I should ride this for all it's worth!!

Men know how to take care of women

I came in the other day and my sitter could not tell me this without laughing her head off! Apparently, according to my grandmother, men know how to take care of women, and she wants her one. She went on and on about how a man knows how to take care of a woman, and she wishes she had a man to take care of her. I am not going to ask any questions nor do I want to discuss this further.
Ugh....

TKO (updated version)

Good Lord, she punched the sitter today.....shhhhh! getting more details! Update to come...

Okay, my sitter (who is GOD SENT) was sitting at the kitchen table today when Moma opened the refrigerator. She asked her what she was doing. Moma told her she was getting her one of "them little chocolate drinks" that is the source of her GREED. Sue said, "No, there is only one left and you'll want that tonight before you go to bed. Put that up". Lefty drew back her fist and slugged Sue in the shoulder, hard enough to lunge her forward. Of course, she got on to Moma, but the deed was done at that point! I called home to check to see if I needed to bring anything home, and Sue told me what happened. I was furious!
When I got home, the princess was asleep. When she awoke, long after Sue left, she came into the kitchen and asked me, "You got anything to drink?" which is her code for I want a chocolate drink. I said, "Oh you mean your little chocolate drinks? There won't be any more of them! You acted ugly today and hit Sue over one of them, so I won't be buying you any more." She acted confused and said, "Whaaat?" I reminded her again that she had hit the sitter and that I won't be able to keep a sitter with her acting like that, so she'll have to go to the nursing home because I have to work. She said, "I didn't hit her". I said, "Oh yes you did!" She said defiantly, "She hit me first!" OH MY GOD!!! IS SHE 5 YEARS OLD?????????? I said, "Moma, she did NOT hit you at all, but YOU were ugly to her!" She said, "That's her tale" and staggered out of the kitchen. What in the world am I going to do with my little/old woman???

Flipside Cafe

We got sandwiches from the Flipside tonight. And of course, Moma's was not right. I got her chicken salad (which she LOVES) on a croissant (hmm....have I learned to spell that?) with pasta salad on the side. We got fries with our sandwiches. She hates fries.
"Hon, the next time you get me a sandwich, just get me a ham sandwich like you got" UGH! "This ain't good". Kerry went berserk! He told her she'd gripe no matter what. "Forgive me" is all she offers. Seriously, it is so disheartening to buy her food and think you are doing something great and get it home to find out it is ALL WRONG! Nothing is ever right. She is never happy with whatever you choose for her. Then she got all sappy, and begged our forgiveness. Then you feel bad for being irritated with her! Sigh....it's a never ending cycle.