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Kudos to Headbanger!!!! You are a jewel and thank you for expressing what a number of us feel.....unless I am mistaken, I think the message has been received.
My question now is....when do I throw in the towel, raise the white flag? I'm really tired today and having a hard time dealing with the dead space between the col's ears. I KNOW IT'S NOT HER FAULT......I had a much needed time out today with the woman who will be watching over the col while we are gone next week, suffered Wal-Mart, went by the doctor's office to make sure col didn't run out of meds, and yes even left the restaurant with a HOT meal for the col, she loves oatmeal cookies, brought some of those too, stopped at the end of the driveway and slopped through melting snow mixed with mud to get her newspaper. So I walk downstairs to deliver it all and see if the undies need changed yet and lo and behold there is bologna in the dog dish. Bet you thought I was going to bitch about something else huh? Let me back up.....on Wednesday after taking her dog to the vet I find that I have 28 days of pushing a pill down his throat to look forward to, and getting 7 lbs of fat off him....the vet wants him on nothing but kibbles 'n bits.....no treats, his constant diarrhea is keeping his bottom infected. I talked to her about how important it was to cut out people food and she finally grudgingly agreed to work with me.....she really adores this dog and he is devoted to her....it's a true love match.....so I am not happy to see that she has given him food and then tried to justify why she did it. In the trash it goes and into the bathroom please so we can change your undies and I see you have been using your shirt as a plate again.....but I don't need to change, I'm dry.....yeah right, what's that stench I smell......oh my goodness we are soaked. 5 min later all clean and dry with a clean shirt on.....please come and eat your HOT meal while I clean up the doggie pee I see floating around the trash can and table legs.....oh I almost forgot the blobs of toothpaste spit and food bits all over the top of the sink vanity. She is slipping so quickly each day....it's scary to watch how rapidly she is changing. Sooooo, I am through arguing with her.....I will use some of my precious time to push pills down her "binky baby's" throat to clear up his butt.....hubby says no to surgery to cut out the tumor on his butt....he is 11 yrs old and so overweight that I think anesthesia would put his little fat heart into overload and kill him. I can't stop her from feeding him whatever she wants, so might as well go with the flow. Thanks for letting me vent....I am much better now....my best friends cruzan and coke are helping also. Hugz to all!!
HB....STEP AWAY FROM THE BANANA, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ATIVAN TO GO AROUND. NOW BE A GOOD GIRL AND GO PUT THE KNIVES ON THE TABLE.....AND THEN GO DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE WITH YOUR "PRECIOUS TIME". God , love ya girl, We are going to have so much fun with this....
Headbanger... Not sure which was moving faster, my eyes for reading the great response you just gave or my mouth with alot of hoorrraaayyysss!!! You go girl! You need to write a book, any book, I'll buy it and won't put it down until I'm through, promise...
I Know there are folks who love every aspect of this life, I envy them. But please don't anyone expect me to pretend I'm living in a Hallmark afterschool special. i ain't.
::The bathing thread:: has become quite a hotbed of controversy. I’m nearly keeping my nose out of it. Jam, Christina, Miz, LaDeeda, and J have the wheel.
Ok so I can’t keep quiet. I was always the kid that couldn’t sit quietly and nap on her mat in kindergarten. So let me leak this out to the universe (LOL)…I nominate Sylvester for the best come back b*tch slap of the year. The un-named but fairly recognizable poster on that thread got served.
Perhaps the poster should sit in on caregiving 102, 103, and advanced 104 before passing judgment on another person’s distress and need to vent. Had the author approached that particular post differently, she may have been helpful. In this case I heard her communication as preaching, and Sylvester was in no mood to be in the choir. Sting!
Does this mean I don’t appreciate that the poster is also a caregiver, has feelings, a point of view and a message that I can learn from? I hear her clearly. I admire her. I want to be someone like her and if she stops by and reads this and recognizes herself, please kind author, take this part of the post as a compliment as it is meant to be. BUT I still would drop a drink on you in a bar. You completely lost me when you became sanctimonious.
Each of the people I have met who are caregivers is so different. People also go through phases. I see so much Yin and Yang. I need all of you to get me through my day because my day is “The good, the bad, and yes…THE UGLY” (shout out to Ladeeda and her Uglies). The earth cannot sustain life without the gravity of the moon providing the tidal flows, but even this vital element to life on our planet waxes and wanes as it circles in orbit day and night. Beware the full moon!
I understand that some people find true joy in care-giving. For them it is a vocation a pleasure, and the thing that truly makes them feel alive. To be near them is to hear the melody of a heart in true bliss. This is the career that they would choose for themselves because they are so very passionate about giving that they barely notice the passage of time. These may be people who secretly couldn’t wait for someone to need them, because the kids left the nest, and they are allergic to pets, but MY POINT IS these people have all this incredible love inside and share it with such goodness, selflessness and compassion. I wish I could shine as brightly as that, but I am only me. Please don’t try to make me feel worthless because I’d rather be someplace else.
Remember from your high place un-named poster, when you are looking down your nose at me, I can see up yours. Pick your hanger please, it's blowing in the wind.
I sometimes feel time passing so slowly I feel like a school child watching the clock waiting for the bell to ring. Does anyone remember how it felt staring at the clock face thinking the big hand was going backwards, what sorcery is this? This is when I lament the passage of my “precious time”. I am living up to the responsibility, and the commitment, I have made to both my mother and grandmother to let her pass in her own home. Does this not count for anything? Caregiving is something I do because I have to. I am proud of the caregiving that I provide. I am gentle and patient. I am compassionate and I try to see my caregiving through my grandmother’s eyes. When I do this I know I’m ok. My actions more than make up for my anonymous, sometimes admittedly obnoxious, potty humor.
While I am writing this I have realized that I don’t need someone like the author of the post in question to approve of me, or understand my need to vent when things become overwhelming for me. I don’t need her “star” on my thoughts to make them important. I choose a different path for my threads. Without laughter the world would be a sad and mournful place. I did feel offended by her insinuation that people like me are blanketing cyberspace with derogatory smut which is unfair to the elderly. Even though she was not addressing me directly that statement was so judgmental, uncharacteristic of someone supposidly so loving. Hello?? This is anonymous…how am I embarrassing or stripping my gran of her dignity exactly? Do you know her? I didn’t think so. Folks who take that attitude can talk to the hand.
There IS a whole vocation devoted to the art, science and practice of venting. They are called psychiatry, psychology and therapy, it's pretty expensive. While I have partaken of this particular outlet many times and found it very helpful, my “precious time” (Yah…Grandma is 24/7 isn’t that precious?) and limited resources make venting here so much more practical in between visits. Yeah I think my shrink knows I’m cheating on him with somebody else, but this thread is so magnetic. I've found that my problems are more clearly understood here than in sessions I've paid for. I don't think my shrink has had to address caregiving personally yet. Maybe I’ll get more bang for my buck when that happens.
I’m keeping that money and going to Disney World.
Time for a potty run! I hear the magic shew, shew, shew.
::No elderly were intentionally embarrassed by this post. My gran has a great sense of humor which I hope I came by honestly::
Heh. I can't get a diploma in caregiving. I am an amateur when it comes to this. LaDeeda you are awesome.
I am a professional at what I do, and what I do best is b*tch. My family knows this, it isn’t a big secret. I still can't get a diploma in b*tchin though, it isn't a job category. My grandmother would sit and laugh so long and hard at my b*tchin it made me aspire to b*tch longer, harder, and with more flair. I can b*tch on a wide range of topics which makes me a truly enlightened b*tch. If only I could get paid for doing what I do best. I find joy in b*tching. B*tching in several languages would also be novel, but maybe it is better to climb to the top in one language. You know what they say “jack of all trades, master of none” I’ll stick to English b*tching.
Guess what? My gran is responding to the addition of the smallest amount of Haldol. She has seemed to be a little bit more like herself today. She is still forgetful and helpless, but OMG she is funny today. Some of her OCD behavior also seems to be less. She is more settled and less anxious
I pushed her into the bathroom and said like usual "Use lots of toilet paper grandma, be kind to the TP and don't shred it, it used to be a tree." So she looks at me and says with a twinkle in her eye "Thanks for the information, I suppose it has done enough wiping my bottom, no need to continue to punish it." After my mouth dropped and I regained my composure we laughed and laughed.
We've shared a few other moments today that were pretty funny. I was pretty surprised that she was bantering with me. Because my family embraces my “humor” as part of my person, they don’t expect me to suddenly become someone else just because I’m caring for the elderly. I love it when gran gets all snappy with me because we do it in good humor. I hope she continues to improve, or at least not regress. Today was really not a bad day at all.
Can someone please tell me why I am snickering everytime I walk past the fruit bowl? I have the wild urge to shove a banana down my drawers to save for later.
A Monkey walks into a tavern and sits belly to the bar. 3 butterknives and a banana are already sitting there partying in pink prom dresses. The banana looked particulary captivating and was wearing a tiara. Clearly this banana was ripe and ready for love.
The Monkey orders his drink and starts winking at the butterknives. The bartender watches this for a while and then leans in close to the monkey and says..."I'm confused...there is a beautiful ripe banana sitting there and you are coming on to the butterknives...what is your angle?" The monkey smiled and said, "I can have my way with that banana anytime I want, if I charm the butterknives, maybe I can get them all in my pants before the bar closes".
I salute you LaDeeda I love your new title...The Banana Hunter...I'm waiting for your show to be picked up on cable.
I don;t know about the "paper" . I know me well enough to know I could not deal with the all the silly rules, regulations and lack of funding. I'll just end up where I am needed I guess.And no, my salary is less than $100 a week. But that's ok. I was relocated to this area after Hurricane Rita. I lost everything, so I have learned how to simplify my needs and wants. And besides, so many of you get no money for what you do, who am I to complain. I am making new friends and that is worth more than money can ever buy
Miz mentioned a joke earlier, and I have a cute one. It is a heartwarming story about the bond formed between a 5 year old girl and some construction workers, that will make you believe we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time. ********************** A young family moved into a house next to a vacant lot. One day, a construction crew began to build a house on the empty lot.
The family's five year old daughter took an interest in the goings on and spent much of the time each day observing the workers.
Eventually, the construction crew--all of them "diamonds in the rough", more or less--adopted her as a kind of project mascot.
They chatted with her during coffee and lunch breaks and gave her little jobs to do to make her feel important.
At the end of the first week, they presented her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to her mother who suggested that she take the ten dollars to the bank and open a savings account.
The little girl and her mother went to the bank. The teller was impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own paycheck at such a young age.
The little girl proudly replied, "I worked last week with a real construction crew, building the new house next door to us."
"Oh, my goodness gracious", said the teller, "and will you be working on the house again this week, too?"
The little girl replied, "I will, if those a$$holes at the Home Store ever deliver the f--kin' sheet rock."
Awwww Ted, you have made an old banana hunter so happy. I guess I just don't think of myself as doing anything special, just do what my gut tells me to do. And someone has to be her voice. But I do, from the bottom of my heart thank you for your words of encouragement and support. And Rip has had my heart and back since I first logged in to this sight. I do not feel so alone today..
Ladee, If I had an award, an honor, to present you with, I would do it proudly. You, my friend are a shining example of Love, Compassion, and and plain ol' Humanity (and one tough piece of work!) that seems to be an impossible thing to find lately. I think Rip is onto something, with some peice of paper in your pocket you could easily find success as an elder advocate that steps in when the family loses their way. Kudos!
Hey guys, just drove back from a client and saw a sign that reads: "Someday is not a DAY of the week!" Soooo, let's take an hour from today for ourselves, if we can :) Still got plenty of room for everyone to take the garden walk with me today!
I hope they pay you plenty ~ You certainly deserve it! Your next venture might be that of a mediator between family & care givers. I know my brothers don't really listen to me, however an outside "professional" source they would. They respect those fancy framed papers hanging on an office wall. Highly educated boys where I took a different path.
Bobbie mentioned recently about 'educated' professionals not knowing crap. We are the pros ~ where's the $? Hey Ted, start designing diplomas. Sell em on Ebay
Hugs and love to all who responded to my out cry last night.Talked with the daughter this morning, one call to the Dr. and we will soon have Ativan on board. I put it to the daughter that her mother was in a mental hell when she was acting out like yesterday.That some of the methods they choose to use with her robs her of her dignity whether her mother knows it or not. But I know and I will not continue to be a part of her suffering. I will do anything to make Ruth's last days more pleasant, but the bottom line is, I needed the family to cooperate, stop micro-managing, listen to me when i am trying to explain solutions for her mothers care. Ya'll will be so proud, I never raised my voice, never got ugly, just said what I needed to say, got to the point and as she was resenting every word coming out of my mouth, she still made the call. All I care about is that she did as I asked, not whether or not it made the daughter mad.So thanks again to everyone, I appreciate you taking time out of your crazy lives and helping me last night. I did give her a peeled banana today for a snack. I was almost hysterical, but I went outside and smoked until I regained some composure.. Thanks again.
Miz, Sounds like a good plan, i hear it's a good time to buy if you can. I hate having to live in a rental, but the place mom owns is deep in the woods, two story, lots of stiars and too far out of town to take her on strolls and stuff, just not a good situation for her. The last time she stroked out the ambulance couldn't get down the dirt road. so now it sits empty.
Yep, throat still hurts. Trying to pretend it doesn't. Going to work again today. One good thing is it's casual day so I can wear jeans, my skechers and my new Universal Studios sweatshirt.
All this talk about care giving and how we should not bitch about it has got me thinking I wish I had taken more time with Mom. I wish I had been more patient. I wish we had a dress rehearsal in life. But we don't. But I do know this. I was more patient than many would have been. Guess I gotta hang on to that. :)
I still think I hear her sometimes. Just every so often.
Okay, gotta move forward. Hubby's printing off brochure of a bunch of houses we want to look at. When we know we have a house I think that will help me. It's stressful not knowing what is going to happen. We plan to buy a house for cheap and fix it up some and hopefully when the housing market gets better we can sell it and move to another town. Hopefully someplace warmer. I am so sick of the winters. I'm totally a Spring/Summer girl.
Ladies wet your pantyhose sing the chorus and it goes I'm Slim Shady yes I'm the Real Shady all them other Slim Shadies are just imitatin u Rock Ladeeda! lovbob
Ye ha, an almost Mae West quote first thing this morning, love ya Ted, And if you insist I am a hero, then picture me in a banana suit juggling knives to the beat of something be Slim Shady... have a good day
Ted! That's exactly what I thought when I just read the thread. arrrarrrharhar
Laleeda has a tough one but I think she has heard some good advice. Nothing like idiots to really get you going. Everybody wrote some great stuff last night! Love you guys, you are all incredible!
having coffee and watching the sun come up. the Cat got off the boat yesterday and onto the dock JUST when the paint guy fired up the air brush. the Cat got back on the boat immediately with a big fattie. She is now sitting like the lady she is on the settee in the cockpit and gazing at the seagulls and matbe imagining one tits up in the oven... We are docked at the end on a pier, so right on the river and I've been cleaning and cleaning the construction mess so the boat is very pleasant today.... until I start working again.
Jen, you are so on the money with the situation and when Laleeda left for 5 hours and came back to a crappy decorating job, I think that summed up the family that are the relatives to this lady. Yup, I don't like too many drugs either but jeeze! Great drugs are made specifically for that behavior!!! My entire life would have been so much less of a struggle if my mom and dad could have had anti depressants and perhaps even anti anxiety meds. when (and I have mentioned this a few times on this thread, but for the newer folks...) I gave mom Namenda for the first time it took about 2o minutes and she was so pleasant and engaging and funny and NOT MEAN!!! wow. my entire childhood flashed before my eyes in a nanosecond and I realized how mentally ill she was the whole time and what are you going to do? it's done. All we can do is try to keep others from experiencing what we have fought so hard to survive. Which is why I say: VENT!!!! Keep Venting! When the jerks want to act like we're in the wrong because we are REAL and we KEEP IT REAL, just know that they are weak and afraid and we should pity them. If only we had the time. God save me from your followers. Vent on!
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III. When We Tour.
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My question now is....when do I throw in the towel, raise the white flag? I'm really tired today and having a hard time dealing with the dead space between the col's ears. I KNOW IT'S NOT HER FAULT......I had a much needed time out today with the woman who will be watching over the col while we are gone next week, suffered Wal-Mart, went by the doctor's office to make sure col didn't run out of meds, and yes even left the restaurant with a HOT meal for the col, she loves oatmeal cookies, brought some of those too, stopped at the end of the driveway and slopped through melting snow mixed with mud to get her newspaper. So I walk downstairs to deliver it all and see if the undies need changed yet and lo and behold there is bologna in the dog dish. Bet you thought I was going to bitch about something else huh? Let me back up.....on Wednesday after taking her dog to the vet I find that I have 28 days of pushing a pill down his throat to look forward to, and getting 7 lbs of fat off him....the vet wants him on nothing but kibbles 'n bits.....no treats, his constant diarrhea is keeping his bottom infected. I talked to her about how important it was to cut out people food and she finally grudgingly agreed to work with me.....she really adores this dog and he is devoted to her....it's a true love match.....so I am not happy to see that she has given him food and then tried to justify why she did it. In the trash it goes and into the bathroom please so we can change your undies and I see you have been using your shirt as a plate again.....but I don't need to change, I'm dry.....yeah right, what's that stench I smell......oh my goodness we are soaked. 5 min later all clean and dry with a clean shirt on.....please come and eat your HOT meal while I clean up the doggie pee I see floating around the trash can and table legs.....oh I almost forgot the blobs of toothpaste spit and food bits all over the top of the sink vanity. She is slipping so quickly each day....it's scary to watch how rapidly she is changing. Sooooo, I am through arguing with her.....I will use some of my precious time to push pills down her "binky baby's" throat to clear up his butt.....hubby says no to surgery to cut out the tumor on his butt....he is 11 yrs old and so overweight that I think anesthesia would put his little fat heart into overload and kill him. I can't stop her from feeding him whatever she wants, so might as well go with the flow. Thanks for letting me vent....I am much better now....my best friends cruzan and coke are helping also. Hugz to all!!
I Know there are folks who love every aspect of this life, I envy them. But please don't anyone expect me to pretend I'm living in a Hallmark afterschool special. i ain't.
Ok so I can’t keep quiet. I was always the kid that couldn’t sit quietly and nap on her mat in kindergarten. So let me leak this out to the universe (LOL)…I nominate Sylvester for the best come back b*tch slap of the year. The un-named but fairly recognizable poster on that thread got served.
Perhaps the poster should sit in on caregiving 102, 103, and advanced 104 before passing judgment on another person’s distress and need to vent. Had the author approached that particular post differently, she may have been helpful. In this case I heard her communication as preaching, and Sylvester was in no mood to be in the choir. Sting!
Does this mean I don’t appreciate that the poster is also a caregiver, has feelings, a point of view and a message that I can learn from? I hear her clearly. I admire her. I want to be someone like her and if she stops by and reads this and recognizes herself, please kind author, take this part of the post as a compliment as it is meant to be. BUT I still would drop a drink on you in a bar. You completely lost me when you became sanctimonious.
Each of the people I have met who are caregivers is so different. People also go through phases. I see so much Yin and Yang. I need all of you to get me through my day because my day is “The good, the bad, and yes…THE UGLY” (shout out to Ladeeda and her Uglies). The earth cannot sustain life without the gravity of the moon providing the tidal flows, but even this vital element to life on our planet waxes and wanes as it circles in orbit day and night. Beware the full moon!
I understand that some people find true joy in care-giving. For them it is a vocation a pleasure, and the thing that truly makes them feel alive. To be near them is to hear the melody of a heart in true bliss. This is the career that they would choose for themselves because they are so very passionate about giving that they barely notice the passage of time. These may be people who secretly couldn’t wait for someone to need them, because the kids left the nest, and they are allergic to pets, but MY POINT IS these people have all this incredible love inside and share it with such goodness, selflessness and compassion. I wish I could shine as brightly as that, but I am only me. Please don’t try to make me feel worthless because I’d rather be someplace else.
Remember from your high place un-named poster, when you are looking down your nose at me, I can see up yours. Pick your hanger please, it's blowing in the wind.
I sometimes feel time passing so slowly I feel like a school child watching the clock waiting for the bell to ring. Does anyone remember how it felt staring at the clock face thinking the big hand was going backwards, what sorcery is this? This is when I lament the passage of my “precious time”. I am living up to the responsibility, and the commitment, I have made to both my mother and grandmother to let her pass in her own home. Does this not count for anything? Caregiving is something I do because I have to. I am proud of the caregiving that I provide. I am gentle and patient. I am compassionate and I try to see my caregiving through my grandmother’s eyes. When I do this I know I’m ok. My actions more than make up for my anonymous, sometimes admittedly obnoxious, potty humor.
While I am writing this I have realized that I don’t need someone like the author of the post in question to approve of me, or understand my need to vent when things become overwhelming for me. I don’t need her “star” on my thoughts to make them important. I choose a different path for my threads. Without laughter the world would be a sad and mournful place. I did feel offended by her insinuation that people like me are blanketing cyberspace with derogatory smut which is unfair to the elderly. Even though she was not addressing me directly that statement was so judgmental, uncharacteristic of someone supposidly so loving. Hello?? This is anonymous…how am I embarrassing or stripping my gran of her dignity exactly? Do you know her? I didn’t think so. Folks who take that attitude can talk to the hand.
There IS a whole vocation devoted to the art, science and practice of venting. They are called psychiatry, psychology and therapy, it's pretty expensive. While I have partaken of this particular outlet many times and found it very helpful, my “precious time” (Yah…Grandma is 24/7 isn’t that precious?) and limited resources make venting here so much more practical in between visits. Yeah I think my shrink knows I’m cheating on him with somebody else, but this thread is so magnetic. I've found that my problems are more clearly understood here than in sessions I've paid for. I don't think my shrink has had to address caregiving personally yet. Maybe I’ll get more bang for my buck when that happens.
I’m keeping that money and going to Disney World.
Time for a potty run! I hear the magic shew, shew, shew.
::No elderly were intentionally embarrassed by this post. My gran has a great sense of humor which I hope I came by honestly::
Love, HB
I am a professional at what I do, and what I do best is b*tch. My family knows this, it isn’t a big secret. I still can't get a diploma in b*tchin though, it isn't a job category. My grandmother would sit and laugh so long and hard at my b*tchin it made me aspire to b*tch longer, harder, and with more flair. I can b*tch on a wide range of topics which makes me a truly enlightened b*tch. If only I could get paid for doing what I do best. I find joy in b*tching. B*tching in several languages would also be novel, but maybe it is better to climb to the top in one language. You know what they say “jack of all trades, master of none” I’ll stick to English b*tching.
Guess what? My gran is responding to the addition of the smallest amount of Haldol. She has seemed to be a little bit more like herself today. She is still forgetful and helpless, but OMG she is funny today. Some of her OCD behavior also seems to be less. She is more settled and less anxious
I pushed her into the bathroom and said like usual "Use lots of toilet paper grandma, be kind to the TP and don't shred it, it used to be a tree." So she looks at me and says with a twinkle in her eye "Thanks for the information, I suppose it has done enough wiping my bottom, no need to continue to punish it." After my mouth dropped and I regained my composure we laughed and laughed.
We've shared a few other moments today that were pretty funny. I was pretty surprised that she was bantering with me. Because my family embraces my “humor” as part of my person, they don’t expect me to suddenly become someone else just because I’m caring for the elderly. I love it when gran gets all snappy with me because we do it in good humor. I hope she continues to improve, or at least not regress. Today was really not a bad day at all.
Can someone please tell me why I am snickering everytime I walk past the fruit bowl? I have the wild urge to shove a banana down my drawers to save for later.
A Monkey walks into a tavern and sits belly to the bar. 3 butterknives and a banana are already sitting there partying in pink prom dresses. The banana looked particulary captivating and was wearing a tiara. Clearly this banana was ripe and ready for love.
The Monkey orders his drink and starts winking at the butterknives. The bartender watches this for a while and then leans in close to the monkey and says..."I'm confused...there is a beautiful ripe banana sitting there and you are coming on to the butterknives...what is your angle?" The monkey smiled and said, "I can have my way with that banana anytime I want, if I charm the butterknives, maybe I can get them all in my pants before the bar closes".
I salute you LaDeeda I love your new title...The Banana Hunter...I'm waiting for your show to be picked up on cable.
Love you guys!
HB
I am making new friends and that is worth more than money can ever buy
It is a heartwarming story about the bond formed between a 5 year old girl and some construction workers, that will make you believe we all can make a difference when we give a child the gift of our time.
**********************
A young family moved into a house next to a vacant lot. One day, a construction crew began to build a house on the empty lot.
The family's five year old daughter took an interest in the goings on and spent much of the time each day observing the workers.
Eventually, the construction crew--all of them "diamonds in the rough", more or less--adopted her as a kind of project mascot.
They chatted with her during coffee and lunch breaks and gave her little jobs to do to make her feel important.
At the end of the first week, they presented her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to her mother who suggested that she take the ten dollars to the bank and open a savings account.
The little girl and her mother went to the bank. The teller was impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own paycheck at such a young age.
The little girl proudly replied, "I worked last week with a real construction crew, building the new house next door to us."
"Oh, my goodness gracious", said the teller, "and will you be working on the house again this week, too?"
The little girl replied, "I will, if those a$$holes at the Home Store ever deliver the f--kin' sheet rock."
I think Rip is onto something, with some peice of paper in your pocket you could easily find success as an elder advocate that steps in when the family loses their way.
Kudos!
I hope they pay you plenty ~ You certainly deserve it!
Your next venture might be that of a mediator between family & care givers. I know my brothers don't really listen to me, however an outside "professional" source they would. They respect those fancy framed papers hanging on an office wall. Highly educated boys where I took a different path.
Bobbie mentioned recently about 'educated' professionals not knowing crap.
We are the pros ~ where's the $?
Hey Ted, start designing diplomas. Sell em on Ebay
I did give her a peeled banana today for a snack. I was almost hysterical, but I went outside and smoked until I regained some composure.. Thanks again.
Yep, throat still hurts. Trying to pretend it doesn't. Going to work again today. One good thing is it's casual day so I can wear jeans, my skechers and my new Universal Studios sweatshirt.
All this talk about care giving and how we should not bitch about it has got me thinking I wish I had taken more time with Mom. I wish I had been more patient. I wish we had a dress rehearsal in life. But we don't. But I do know this. I was more patient than many would have been. Guess I gotta hang on to that. :)
I still think I hear her sometimes. Just every so often.
Okay, gotta move forward. Hubby's printing off brochure of a bunch of houses we want to look at. When we know we have a house I think that will help me. It's stressful not knowing what is going to happen. We plan to buy a house for cheap and fix it up some and hopefully when the housing market gets better we can sell it and move to another town. Hopefully someplace warmer. I am so sick of the winters. I'm totally a Spring/Summer girl.
K, gonna sign off for now. Love yous!!
love,
miz
sing the chorus and it goes
I'm Slim Shady yes I'm the Real Shady
all them other Slim Shadies are just imitatin
u Rock Ladeeda!
lovbob
arrrarrrharhar
Laleeda has a tough one but I think she has heard some good advice.
Nothing like idiots to really get you going.
Everybody wrote some great stuff last night!
Love you guys, you are all incredible!
having coffee and watching the sun come up.
the Cat got off the boat yesterday and onto the dock JUST when the paint guy fired up the air brush.
the Cat got back on the boat immediately with a big fattie.
She is now sitting like the lady she is on the settee in the cockpit and gazing at the seagulls and matbe imagining one tits up in the oven...
We are docked at the end on a pier, so right on the river and I've been cleaning and cleaning the construction mess so the boat is very pleasant today.... until I start working again.
Jen, you are so on the money with the situation and when Laleeda left for 5 hours and came back to a crappy decorating job, I think that summed up the family that are the relatives to this lady. Yup, I don't like too many drugs either but jeeze! Great drugs are made specifically for that behavior!!!
My entire life would have been so much less of a struggle if my mom and dad could have had anti depressants and perhaps even anti anxiety meds.
when (and I have mentioned this a few times on this thread, but for the newer folks...) I gave mom Namenda for the first time it took about 2o minutes and she was so pleasant and engaging and funny and NOT MEAN!!! wow. my entire childhood flashed before my eyes in a nanosecond and I realized how mentally ill she was the whole time and what are you going to do? it's done.
All we can do is try to keep others from experiencing what we have fought so hard to survive.
Which is why I say:
VENT!!!!
Keep Venting!
When the jerks want to act like we're in the wrong because we are REAL and we KEEP IT REAL, just know that they are weak and afraid and we should pity them. If only we had the time.
God save me from your followers.
Vent on!
BOAT!!
lovbob