Update on Tom

Tom is getting better every day. He still has trouble sleeping and is more comfortable in a chair, before surgery he used to go down to the basement to sleep in his chair. We live in a townhome with three levels and twenty stairs, since the surgery the stairs have been a problem so Thomas brought over this chair and it has worked out so well he doesn't even need to leave the bedroom but he does. He and Sammi have been spending a lot of time together.
He's not suppose to lift her so I bring her to him and
she eats and they talk for an hour or so a couple of times a day.
She's great medicine.

If you noticed the bike, it hasn't been used in a looong time but it does work nicely as an end table

He really is doing much better. He's still on the oxycoton but is cutting back. We're hoping he can wean off his dependancy to pain relievers since he's been taking them for 5 years but it's still too soon to tell. The muscle relaxers are helping his pain more right now but they put him to sleep. We both have appointments to see our Primary doctor next Wednesday (I haven't been since my dad's incompitent doctors shortened his life but that is a story for another day). He'll be getting his normal bloodwork done then too and we'll find out if his kidney's have stablized. He's had diminishing kidney function for almost a year now, I think because of the meds he's been on. He has his follow up with the nuerologist on November 11th-Veteran's Day. He'll have x-rays to show if the graph took. Just a side note, here are the dogs and they have been driving Tom crazy! They follow me around like . . . puppies. Anyway, he's always yelling at them to lay down. I don't even notice them any more. Brutus knows he can't lay on the baby's blanket but he pushes it.

Memory Monday-1978 1st Washing Machine

My original plan was to throw in a story on Mondays

to show the grandkids how it was 'way back when' .

So, here's a quick one.

Here I am 19 years old, 5 months pregnant and excited because we bought our own washer. We would roll it up to the kitchen sink and put the hose on the faucet to fill the washer tub. When it was done agitating I would move the clothes to the spinner and then have to move them back to the tub and refill it to rinse. then back to the spinner. It washed two whole pair of Levi's(I say Levi's meaning jeans because those were the ONLY jeans). We were happy, Tom was making $3.75 an hour and all was right with the world. By the way the doors were off of the cupboards because we were painting them even though we were renting, I'm not sure why, we just wanted to and they said ok. The one thing I remember most about this kitchen was that it had no drawers, something you don't think to look for. Not that it would have mattered, I could walk to my parents house from here and it was only $250 a month. We used Tom's High School graduation money for the security deposit. I guess all that should be a story for another day but I didn't name my blog the RAMBLINGS of a Grandmother for nothing.

To Do or Not To Do-Facebook

I started this blog as a journal to my grandchildren. I really never intended for anyone to read it now. Somehow it morphed or I morphed or I don't know what. How did I let that happen? Me. the one who didn't want to use My Space when everyone I worked with did. Then it was Facebook. I didn't need to keep in contact with people like that. I knew my kids were members and kept in touch with each other but I didn't want to interfere in there sharing. I don't know. it made sense in my head. I joined to check up on my niece and her new son, my godson. I promised my children I wouldn't become their "friends" but then I started getting friend invites and it seemed harmless, I rarely got on. Then another niece invited me to be her Farmville "neighbor". Now I fear I'm hooked. Not so much on Farmville but in the ability to communicate with people across the country, heck across the world so easily. I wonder when my grandchildren look back on this how lame it will seem

Not Me Monday on Tuesday

I did NOT take Tom & Sammi to the store, proud of myself for being organized and bringing her stroller for Tom to push instead of his walker and walk out of the store after shopping to see the van with the back hatch STILL OPEN. Not Me.

I did NOT show Jack how to use the toilet brush (after catching him cleaning it with my toothbrush) against Pops' and his mother's protests. To spend the next 15 minutes trying to get him to agree with me that he was"all done". Not Me. Why didn't they think it was funny too?

I did NOT take a nighttime pain medicine thinking it was a fast acting pain medicine for a headache in the middle of the day and then wonder why I couldn't stay awake. Not Me.

I did NOT let Ella sit around in "comfy clothes" eating cheesy popcorn and playing online games because I was too tired to play. Not Me.

I did NOT put the potato chips away on the wrong shelf. Not Me. You may wonder why this is not a good idea, wellll I put them on the grand kids healthy snack shelf that they are allowed to help themselves to, oops.

I did NOT spend a week looking for the remote control that I let Wyatt play with when he was visiting and then find it on the diaper changing station ( I change diapers several times a day too). Not Me.

I did NOT tell Tom that we should take this opportunity to start eating healthy again, serving him balanced meals and begrudging him his Honey Buns & chips and then go have my meal of tea/coffee, cheese, grapes and Little Debbie's. Not Me. I think I'll stop and get myself my favorite (healthy) breakfast after I drop Ella off at school.

My Wish

This song is the one that Charlie & I danced to at their wedding




I've been thinking about Charlie, Michele and Wyatt a lot lately. They are going through so much now with his company going out of business, their house doesn't look like it will sell and being kicked out of the house they've been living in (which is owned by my siblings and I, talk about guilt!). I miss them all and feel helpless to relieve their stresses. Not that they are complaining at all (to me anyway), they are just rolling with the flow. I'm so proud of all my kids that they can enjoy life no matter what it throws at them.

Add One Bone Stimulator Minus 73 Staples

He looks pretty good doesn't he?

We need to work on that beard though.

He says he wants to look like ZZ Top.

We're having a hard time keeping him down.

He thinks he can do more than he can.

The doctor said NOTHING for 6 weeks.

Minus the 73 staples but it's still oozing some so we keep a loose bandage on it.

Here are the leads for the bone stimulator. They are stuck on and changed every other day. Here he is ready to get dressed. You can see the brace and stimulator. The brace is on during his awake hours (he has a very light weight one for sleeping). You can also see the leads going into the battery pack for the bone stimulator. The doctor opted for the external 24/7 one. He didn't want to put any more "hardware" inside. They could have used a larger stimulator that is worn only a few hours a day.
It does make it hard to find clothes to wear over it all though.

On a side note I got this idea in the hospital to take the hospital slippers and attach a shoe lace to look like a shoe for the kindergartners in Thomas' class. All they have to do is slip it over their shoe and practice their shoe tying.

Now I'm working on a vest with zipping buttoning and snapping.

Bandage Change; Look Staples

I took off the bandages this morning and this is what we found!

I was a little shocked since the nurses said it was probably

glued shut and not stapled.

Ella was agast! "Oh PaPa' that HAS to hurt!"

and then she was so sweet taking care of him.

Getting him anything he needs

He can't pick up Sam but he can surely hold her

and that he does.

She's starting to giggle now and is so cute!

Wyatt & Michele came to visit
Who was happier Pops or Wyatt?

Jack came to visit too but he doesn't sit still for long

Then PaPa had to have a nap

It has been an eventful day today. Just as I was patting myself on the back for taking such good care of a baby, a pre-schooler and a sick man (after all I had them all fed bathed and dressed by 9:30!) I did a stupid thing and killed the battery on the van when I had both the girls. GEEZ.

In the end a wonderful woman came to our rescue.

A story for another day.