What are you doing right now? Part 2 Showing 551-600 of 2,414

[Leslie]

It is snowing pretty steadily here in New England this mid-afternoon! Luckily, I got my visit to my mom in before it started - she is still in rehab but is looking and feeling much better now; hopefully she will be allowed to go back home early next week.

[Chrissie]

Leslie, I am happy to hear that your Mom will be allowed to go home next week. I am not, referring to the snow. At this point I think we are all pretty sick of the snow.

Tomorrow my son and his wife and two kids and their dog are going home. We are going too miss them but life has been extremely hectic. My granddaughter who is five and one half has been really sick with some sort of stomach flu. We have been worried about her. Then yesterday the switch for the water broke and we had no water. It was fixed this morning, luckily. And everybody has different views on everything, which is normal, but does lead to some heated discussions. Despite all of this, we have had a really good time together. We are already panning what to do in the summer, for example a tree house is planned and we have ordered some puzzles that have yet to turn up. There is always a lot to do. We have promised them roasted marshmallows, bu that has been put of until tomorrow b/c Leah has been so sick.

[Marina]

Chrissie, I hope your granddaughter recovers soon. Stomach flu is no fun, especially when you're such a young child. I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves anyway. Are you in France at the moment? Sorry, but I have a terrible memory and can't remember at present...

[Angela M]

Chrissie, sorry your granddaughter was sick when I’m sure she’d rather be having fun with her grandparents. Glad you got your water back and that your time together was fun!

[Chrissie]

Marina wrote: "Chrissie, I hope your granddaughter recovers soon. Stomach flu is no fun, especially when you're such a young child. I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves anyway. Are you in France at the moment? Sor..."

Leah is thin to start with and she could not keep any fluid down. When a child that is bubbly and noisy turns into one who says nothing and and just lies still, one gets really worried. She is OK now and bubbly as usual! Phew.

We are back in Sweden.

[Chrissie]

Angela M wrote: "Chrissie, sorry your granddaughter was sick when I’m sure she’d rather be having fun with her grandparents. Glad you got your water back and that your time together was fun!"

Angela, thank you for you concern and understanding.

Today she was her normal self again. She was sick for five days!

[Marina]

Glad to know she's fine now, Chrissie.

[Chrissie]

So many complain about their daughters in law. My daughter in law is kind and understanding and just fantastic. I thought this should be said too.

[Chrissie]

Marina, yep we are all relieved.

[Esther]

Glad you had a good time with your son and his family ,Chrissie. So sorry your granddaughter was ill.

[Joan]

I’ll bet your daughter in law is glad to have you, too.

[Chrissie]

Esther wrote: "Glad you had a good time with your son and his family ,Chrissie. So sorry your granddaughter was ill."

Of course, I miss them now. It was spooky when for several days she just slept and said nothing.

[Chrissie]

Joan wrote: "I’ll bet your daughter in law is glad to have you, too."

I hope so, but isn't it hard to look and judge yourself from the outside, to see myself as others see me?

[LauraT]

Leslie wrote: "It is snowing pretty steadily here in New England this mid-afternoon! Luckily, I got my visit to my mom in before it started - she is still in rehab but is looking and feeling much better now; hope..."

Oh NO!!!
It was real Spring yesterday and Saturday in Italy. Not today, that has started to rain again!!! ANd to think that I've decided for Ireland for my 50th birthday!!! What was in my mind wheb I decided????

[Pink]

Yep rainy and cold here too. We had glimpses of spring over the weekend, but now it's winter again! Laura, when do you go to Ireland?

[Michael]

Finally have my house to myself. Step daughter and boy friend moved into their own place yesterday. Still have their dog, but she is a sweetheart. Officially closing this non-profit b&b. I've had enough family time to last until Christmas!

[Esther]

Temps have been 25-30C for the last week or so but this evening and tomorrow we are supposed to have wind, rain and thunder storms.

[Chrissie]

Damn the lousy weather!

[Leslie]

Michael wrote: "Finally have my house to myself. Step daughter and boy friend moved into their own place yesterday. Still have their dog, but she is a sweetheart. Officially closing this non-profit b&b. I've had e..."

Nonprofit b&b - lol!

[Diane S ☔]

We actually had snow this morning, two inches. Didn't stick for long but one doesn't expect to have to scrape their car in the second week of April. Ridiculous.

[B the BookAddict]

Over here in Victoria, AU we are hanging out for rain. Have not had a decent rainfall since October and the garden is feeling it. As is our water tank as we are on tank water only up here in the hills. Wild and stormy-looking outside today but it's also very warm. Fingers crossed. Might have to get out and do a rain dance. lol.

[Laurel]

I love rain dances! LOL!

[[deleted user]]

B the BookAddict wrote: "Over here in Victoria, AU we are hanging out for rain. Have not had a decent rainfall since October and the garden is feeling it. As is our water tank as we are on tank water only up here in the hi..."

You can have some of ours!

[Leslie]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "We actually had snow this morning, two inches. Didn't stick for long but one doesn't expect to have to scrape their car in the second week of April. Ridiculous."

The forecast here in Massachusetts is for some snow flurries today -- they haven't materialized yet so fingers crossed that it will just be rain instead!

Bette, I hope you get some rain soon. But if you do perform a rain dance, I would love to see pictures!

[B the BookAddict]

Leslie, noted:)

[Chrissie]

Bette, we had precipitation, rain or snow and strong winds, every day when we were in France. I would gladly have shared it with you. Have you now gotten some rain?

[B the BookAddict]

Just a little, Chrissie. Lots of dark clouds and wind but not much rain at all.

[Chrissie]

Sorry to hear that, Bette.

The weather is SO messed up and strange for many of us. Are people who can do something taking note? I was told that the strange weather we are experiencing currently is because there was no polar vortex this year.

[Leslie]

Some snow flurries here again today! Hopefully, the weather will warm up some for tomorrow's Boston Marathon...

I am catching up on my reviews and personal threads here this evening (~9 pm Sunday) while I watch some classic Dr. Who.

[Chrissie]

Leslie, how is your Mom doing?

We have been back in Sweden for a while now and things are getting back to normal after my son's family has departed. Clearly the population of wild boars has increased in the wood behind our house; if we didn't have a wire fence between us and the forest they would be destroying the lawn.....well, what we have of a lawn! My grandson spotted one in the woods beyond the fence. Wolves have been spotted in the area, but not by us. Their numbers are growing too. Their presence has been noted before; sheep owners are complaining.

Yesterday I could work out in the yard with just warm fleeces on. The snow on the ground when we came has melted.

And it i s light at five in the morning. Summer must be approaching, but we have no flowers or leaves yet.

[Joan]

Chrissie- does your dog take any notice of the boars or wolves?

[Chrissie]

Joan wrote: "Chrissie- does your dog take any notice of the boars or wolves?"

He barks sometimes, at what we do not know.

[Ruth]

I am at work right now and enjoying a lull in the craziness that has been going on. I walked in and one of the dementia residents was yelling at the top of her lungs. I made her a pb+j sandwich and gave her a glass of milk and she seems to have settled down. Fingers crossed.

[Chrissie]

Ruth, you job must be draining psychologically--but worthwhile.

[Esther]

Ruth wrote: "I am at work right now and enjoying a lull in the craziness that has been going on. I walked in and one of the dementia residents was yelling at the top of her lungs. I made her a pb+j sandwich and..."

Well, at least her lungs and appetite are OK!?

[Ruth]

Oh trust me Chrissie, her appetite is fine. Nobody wants to sleep tonight. Have one guy walking around saying he's going home. I lie all the time in this job. I told him he couldn't go home because the bus drivers are on strike. He said to me "Again"? lol.
It helps to have a sense of humor with this job because it can be stressful some days.

[Chrissie]

Ruth wrote: "Oh trust me Chrissie, her appetite is fine. Nobody wants to sleep tonight. Have one guy walking around saying he's going home. I lie all the time in this job. I told him he couldn't go home because..."

I am bad at lying so I do not know if I could deal with what you are going through on a daily basis. I am not criticizing--I think what you are saying is probably best for them! I worked for a while in the aging ward at a hospital. I found it heart-wrenching.

It was Esther that spoke about their appetite. I say this just to keep everything straight.

[Alannah]

Ruth wrote: "Oh trust me Chrissie, her appetite is fine. Nobody wants to sleep tonight. Have one guy walking around saying he's going home. I lie all the time in this job. I told him he couldn't go home because..."

This sounds very similar to what my sister goes through as well; she works on a cardiology and medical ward. She's had a lot of experience with dementia as a lot of patients she's had through her training have had it. She also had a woman not so long ago who had dementia and spent all day screaming, mainly because she was so confused and didn't know where she was. My sister says the worst thing about it about it was the other's patients' relatives coming up to her and telling my sister keep her quiet.

[Leslie]

Chrissie wrote: "Leslie, how is your Mom doing?

We have been back in Sweden for a while now and things are getting back to normal after my son's family has departed. Clearly the population of wild boars has increa..."

Thanks for asking Chrissie. She is doing well, still in the rehab center but they are saying that she can go back to her apartment next week barring any unforeseen problems. She will have to be on oxygen all the time now but all the equipment is set up in her apt. so it won't be a big adjustment. She still has one more follow up doctor visit in a few days (this one with the stroke neurologist); fingers crossed that goes as well as her cardiologist appointment did!

[Chrissie]

Leslie, thank you for explaining in more detail how your Mom is doing. Good news but still scary for you, I am sure.

[Diane S ☔]

Sounds encouraging at least. Leslie. Hard for you both though, I know.

When I was last in hospital, a few months back, there were several patients in my row of rooms, with Alzheimers or dementia. One elderly man, called out Stella, Stella all night long. Felt bad for him but also felt like I was in the making of the movie, Streetcar named desire. Probably all the medications I was taking.

[B the BookAddict]

That is sad for him but your reaction is funny, Diane.

[Leslie]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "Sounds encouraging at least. Leslie. Hard for you both though, I know.

When I was last in hospital, a few months back, there were several patients in my row of rooms, with Alzheimers or dementia. ..."

lol - I am sure that isn't what he meant but I too had the immediate association with A Streetcar Named Desire, so I don't think it was your meds Diane!

[LauraT]

Finally spring has arrivfed in Italy; yestarday, with my husband, we went to the seaside. And we've had a great day!

[Chrissie]

LauraT wrote: "Finally spring has arrivfed in Italy; yestarday, with my husband, we went to the seaside. And we've had a great day!"

Here in Sweden too. Fflowers are coming but still no leaves.

[Leslie]

Spring has arrived here in New England (finally!) too. Right now is one of my favorite times of year - each day when I go out, I see new flowers or flowering trees, the beginning of buds on some of the trees! Plus the increased birdsong in the morning and the longer days, all of it makes me feel more alive. This year in particular as I have been dealing with my ageing parents, death and disease.

Today I am feeling specially good as my mother has been exhibiting a lot more interest in doing things this week (she has been up to playing bridge Sat., Mon., Tues. and Wed. this week!) so the nursing rehab center has scheduled a discharge meeting for next Monday. This is the first step to getting her home to her condo & is mostly to review and arrange what support she will need at home. Tomorrow she sees her primary care doctor and hopefully after that most of her medical monitoring can be taken care of in-house (things such as weekly blood pressure & blood tests to monitor her kidney function, etc.) with the results emailed to her PCP. As I understand it, a nurse will even come to her condo to do all that!

[Chrissie]

Wow, what a great housing facility you have found for your Mom. I am happy for the progress she has made and hope all proceeds as planned. I thoroughly understand how you are feeling and how the spring feel like a new lease on life.

The change in seasons is something I too appreciate. Actually each one is great in its own way. Right now it is spring that I appreciate. The leaf buds are thickening. I have a maple tree right outside my window and I can see how they develop day by day. Soon we will have summer. I am sure of it. It is simply beautiful out, fresh and clean and new and sparkling. I am soon off for my morning walk.

Yesterday I pulled out old heaps of branches that bordered our driveway through a piece of land not owned by us. The people who own the land chopped down trees and left it all messy. Every day I walk down this road and I get annoyed by its sloppiness, so yesterday I determined to do something about it myself. I pulled away dead branches into a nearby forest. Today on my walk I get to appreciate what I did yesterday. I get this way in spring in the yard and surrounding area.......this must be some sort of primal instinct in me.

Now good luck with your Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Marina]

Good news, Leslie! I hope everything goes smoothly and that your mom will be able to leave for home soon.

I'm glad spring has finally arrived for you, Leslie and Chrissie. A couple of days ago we went for a long walk and saw that there were a lot of people on the beach already! But I guess it's not that strange, since there must have been at least 25 °C or so.

[Chrissie]

Marina, you are certainly ahead of us. Enjoy it.

The road I cleaned up yesterday looks much prettier, so now I will be cleaning up more. It is hard work but gives me huge satisfaction.

[Alannah]

Leslie wrote: "Spring has arrived here in New England (finally!) too. Right now is one of my favorite times of year - each day when I go out, I see new flowers or flowering trees, the beginning of buds on some of..."

That's great news Leslie, hope you get everything sorted.