February 18, 2019

We worked on Wednesday of last week on the utility room project.  I finished the painting and touch up.  Well, until I had cleaned up all the paint stuff and went back for a final look.  Sure enough, a bit of the last wall will need some more touch up.  That will not be done until the big shelf is finally installed.  Hubby had worked in the garage finishing the assembly of the large shelf to cover the top of the washer and dryer.  We stopped a bit early to go home and clean our selves up for a meal with our son's family.

It takes four autos to get all of us to a place to eat.  Not because there is not enough room but because of people coming from different places.  Oldest Grandson was at lacrosse practice.  He drives so he came from there.  Bonus Grandson and DIL came from home.  Son, #3 & 4 Grandsons came from their mom's home.  Bonus Granddaughter was at home working on homework.  We arrived first and ordered appetizers and told the waitperson we wanted a separate bill.  At the end as the check came we did not get the bill.  Son said it was payment to his day labor for all the work.  He can be really pushy like he is the boss of us sometime.  We just said thanks after a bit of 'please, let us pay'.

Lucy the Lap Heater

Thursday was help my nephew day.  He is receiving treatments where he is not allowed to drive following the treatment.  We drive to the clinic where the treatment is given.  Hubby drives Nephew's car to his house.  I drive Nephew in our car.  We usually stop for a take out meal for him then on to his home.  This week we brought Leaping Lucy, his dog, home with us.  We are great-dog-niece sitting for about 10 days.  Lucy is barely a lap full so she can stay with us at our apartment.  Unlike DJ, the grand-dog-daughter who takes up an entire seat in a car.  Or my side of the bed when she visits.

DJ attempting to be a lap dog

Before leaving to pickup the Nephew I had completed the alterations for his costume.  The simple act of using my right leg muscles to run the foot feed for the machine was all it took.  The ladder climbing had the adductor and flexor tendons unhappy.  The foot feed motion made it down right fighting angry.

I spent from Thursday afternoon till late Saturday morning in bed cause pain meds put me to sleep.  Saturday was to have been a party with my BF for her 50th wedding anniversary.  I was her Matron of Honor and she was my Maid of Honor.  Instead it was spent with a blinding migraine headache complete with nausea not up to a 200 mile drive.   Needless to say I have done nothing further on the utility room project.  Hubby did go over on Friday, we are about 9.4 miles (15 km) from our son's home, and work on the big shelf.  He filled joints and sanded the entire thing.  All that is needed is one more fitting and the cutout for access to the area to add detergents, etc. can be completed.  Hinges, stain and polyurethane finishing will need warmer days than tomorrow.  Tomorrow may not work for those actions as Bonus Grandson has a stomach virus today.

Hubby measuring and cogitating. 

The shelf is about 104 inches x 35 inches at its widest.  I had taken painting in progress pictures using Hubby's cell phone but evidently he deleted them.  Found them! 

new cabinet with small shelf installed

Starbucks fueling the painting personnel

More to follow, hopefully the the flu bugs will fly away from here!!!  And soon!!!!

Dang! There's Gotta Be More Than Dementia and Bitching...

Speaking as Yoda, "Great joy I receive when associating with young moms and younger women.  It matters not a real world or blog world connection be."  It is fun and inspiring to see the connectivity as I noted before in OB-GYN.  Most of this summer has been spent dealing with issues of aging mothers chronicled in hip surgery, dismantling Momma Rogers' apartment , the descent into deep dementia with Gene's Mom then and now.

There is such a contrast between the joys of the young women and the intense, full lives and our two mothers' lives.  The brightness of the light of building lives against a backdrop of the darkness of fading lights of life is blinding at times.  The light of Edna's life rarely shines.  Mom's light is covered in the darkness of depression and deep sense of loss.

God, there's gotta be more than this at the end of life!  While I thoroughly enjoy the younger voices, lately I am searching for older voices from Light.  I begin the search in the blogoshpere.  These are a few of the ones I  find showing life after retirement and hip replacements.  Lights shining from the 60', 70's and into the 80's and 90's.  Several are political from differing viewpoints.  May these blogs give pleasure and hope to all who visit, especially those of the 'senior' age frame.

• Margaret and Helen (I am not responsible for the content but I sure get a kick reading this)
• My Mom's Blog with Thoroughly Modern Millie ( I've visited for several months, love it! )
• The Elder Storytelling Place (site for story submissions from all ages)
• Grandparents.com ( Not a true blog, more of a resource, kinda grandparenting for dummies)
• Grandma's Musings ( Grandma has three of four blogs to visit from her main page )
• A Little Red Hen
• Dogwalk Musings
• Freaque Waves
• Golden Lucy's Spiral Journal ( no new posts since '08 )
• SandwichINK ( for those caring for parents and grandkids )

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  THERE IS MORE THAN FORGETTING AND COMPLAINING!!!!!!!!!

Like this one last for your list:

On the Lighter Side ( this is a fun video post and not the main page )

The Stone Angel

Been watching a British mystery TV series today named "Rosemary and Thyme".  Two lady sleuths that run a garden landscaping business.  Right up my alley!

Then Netflix recommended a movie, "The Stone Angel".  An interesting movie about a woman, Hagar, at the end of her life reflecting on her life's passions and problems.

 With a 93 year old mother and a 97 year old mother in law there is a lot of that reflecting on old times.  Some days that seems all there is to talk about with either of them.  Recently Gene's mom has lost a good many of her memories at least during her waking hours.  It is difficult to watch this process and even more difficult to see the effect on her sons.  Nothing more nor less than every human on earth goes through at some point.

The determination of the character Hagar in the movie displayed characteristics of pride of family name and heritage that reminded me of my mother.  The woman who was the first female bus driver in Collin County, Texas.  That same woman that cannot walk to a car without assistance.  But still full of pride of name, family and heritage.

Toward the end of the movie a portion of the Dylan Thomas poem, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, is quoted.

Do not go gentle into that good night, 

Old age should burn and rage at close of day; 

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

http://www.bigeye.com/donotgo.htm

The night Gene went into coronary and pulmonary arrest, I screamed from a place in my soul that I never even knew existed.  It was akin to rage but filled with fear.  "No, no, not now.  It's too soon."  Over and over because I could not even imagine life without Gene.  It is a surreal experience to remember.  Gene successfully fought so hard to stay, to not go into that good night.

So this entry will end with neither quip nor smartly turned phrase.  Rather a simple nod of appreciation to all the stone angels that do not go gentle into the good night.  I love you, Gene.