Mom’s New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2009)

Last Friday (Christmas Eve) was Mom’s 93rd birthday. We spent a quiet day – well, as quiet as can be when Mom is chattering like a magpie or screaming like a banshee.

Today, started with Mom falling – she does this way too often, but won’t always wake me up to tell me she’s getting up and sometimes I’m just so tired, I don’t know she’s getting up.

Then, while she was napping in her chair, I decided it would be a good idea to take a shower. When I came out of the bathroom, I discovered she had woke up, but instead of banging on the bathroom door as she usually does when she knows I’m in there, she decided to make a fashion statement.

My dear Aunt Iona once crocheted for me a red and white toilet paper cozy – this keeps a roll of toilet paper accessible on the back of the toilet. I guess Mom decided her head was cold and thought that cozy would make a great hat. I couldn’t resist taking a picture:

Actually, red is Mom’s favorite color and the cozy does make quite a fashion statement.

I also got a couple of pictures of Mom with my brother, Jeff during Thanksgiving at his house near Atlanta, GA:

Mom continues to lose weight, but is very strong and wants to be as independent as possible. Every day, though, it’s harder and harder to understand what she says. Pray for her, will you? She is so unhappy.

Going Rogue

Those who know me are no doubt aware that I am an avid reader. Today, I finished Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue.

I don’t read many biographies and wasn’t sure if I could force myself to finish this. I read it in three days, much of that time spent sitting next to my sleeping mother (she doesn’t like to be alone at any time) reading on my Kindle by flashlight.

It is an excellent read. I encourage anyone to read it.

I thought I was fairly savvy about political news and was aware of some of the harassment she has been subjected to, but I didn’t know the half of it. Not that she whines or complains about it but she does discuss it.

I admire Sarah Palin and would happily vote for her for president. She is a Ronald Reagan conservative. Small wonder she scares the Democrats AND Republicans.

She calls herself a Common Sense Conservative and is not bothered by political party labels. After being elected Governor of Alaska, she did not discriminate between political parties when it came to cleaning up corruption. Do we ever need that in Washington!

I’m checking out www.GOOOH.com, which stands for Get Out of Our House and is advocating replacement of ALL 465 Representatives in 2010. Read their checklist for candidates. I don’t know if they will be successful or not, but I hope they can get them ALL replaced.

Sorry for the diversion. Re: Going Rogue, why don’t you give it a try. You’ll get a terrific look at Sarah Palin and her family. Any book that makes me laugh, makes me cry, enlightens me on the beauty of living in Alaska, and stirs me to get involved politically is worth it to me.

If there was any doubt in your mind that the mainstream media is biased, you will be convinced after reading this.

Until next time…

Saturdays

When I was a working schmuck, Saturday was my favorite day, at least when I didn’t have a big project where I had to work on Saturday. It was a day of rest and relaxation after a hectic week of work.

I still have the hectic weeks. Only now, the weeks are hectic because of a variety of reasons, many of which are out of my control.

This week was no exception:

1. My roof is still leaking even after the second visit by the roofer. I have a Lifetime Roof, which is guaranteed to last a lifetime. Unfortunately, the company that put it on didn’t.
2. Mom has had an awful week. She’s developed a pattern of sleeping for 36 hours (with some moments for eating, etc.) and then staying awake for 36 hours (of course, I have to be awake for this too). She’s fallen 3 times this week; one time I thought she was going to take out the TV (she goes up there to talk to the people on the screen, in spite of being told they can’t hear her).
3. For a day and a half, Mom was hardly able to stand up and, in the process of helping her get to the bathroom, I threw something out in my back.
4. Much of the week, it’s been rainy and cold which means that Mom can’t go out and she loves to go out in the car.

There are, however, some counterbalances to all of this:

1. Right at Home Plant City has such great people who come in and care for Mom and give me a break.
2. Joe Langford, the roofer, is a pleasant man (a Glenn Beck fan, so he must be okay) who is determined to make these minor leaks go away.
3. Mom has a number of good days or, at least, good hours and is often sweet and easy to get along with. She must have bones of steel.
4. Sitting with Mom while she’s sleeping gives me a lot of time to read on my new Amazon Kindle, as well as on print books. (I’m currently working on U Is for Undertow, the long-awaited novel by Sue Grafton.
5. My back is better.

I still look forward to Saturdays, but not for the respite in work. On Saturdays, my RV Travel newsletter arrives in my email. It is jam-packed with all kinds of info on camping and safety, as well as lots of links to RV forums and blogs. Yes, there are a lot of advertisements running through it, but so much good info. You can check out this week’s issue at http://rvtraveler.c.topica.com/maanCvuabUQ5vbNYiLJb/

I haven’t done much Camper Prep this week except for some reading.

Till next time…