Day #1,333 - Life Happens

It’s the first day of a new week and I was going to get a running start on several projects. I got up early, made a few calls, and did a few chores.

I was still in pajamas at 8:00 when Doc announced there was a truck in our driveway with someone approaching the door.  Yikes.  It turned out to be Handyman George and his wife Anna who needed some assistance with a project.  So I worked with them for a while.

I called Mom shortly after 9 a.m. to get her moving.  She made some calls and arranged to see an orthopedic doctor at 2 p.m.  I told her to   a) take a shower (since she would not get one for a while after getting a leg cast applied, b) eat breakfast, c) water her plants, and d) pack an overnight bag for 2-3 days because I would not be taking her back to her house tonight.  Of course she protested and argued for quite a while.  I told her she would be wearing the same underwear and clothes for the next few days unless she did some packing.

The new plans totally changed my day.  I had planned to leave my house at 9 a.m., but finally managed it at 11.  Doc has been pushing me to get window coverings, so I spent 45 minutes at a fabric and window covering store.  That was only enough to say hello and set a future appointment with a designer.

Pippy was running on fumes so I stopped to fill her belly and give her a quick rinse off.  Found one penny there.  Thank You Angels.

I picked Mom up 10 minutes later than I had planned.  She brought along items to be refrigerated!  Keep in mind that air temperatures were over 100 degrees today and my truck was likely to be parked for several hours.  Grrr…  So we detoured to the Pomona house to leave the food there.

Wrap it Up

Of course the whole drive Mom was saying she was not, absolutely not going to allow a cast to be put on her leg, take any type of medication, or allow any treatments which would prohibit her from applying her own lotions to the injured knee.

The time with the doctor was about 5 minutes.  The other 1.5 hours were filling out paperwork and waiting.  Good news.  The doctor ordered a removable brace!  Mom may take it off to shower, sleep, and stretch her leg.  Whew!

By 4 p.m. Mom and I were both hungry for lunch, so we stopped for a quick bite.  Then I picked up the new filing cabinets for the Family Room.  (I called earlier in the day to have the store pull the items for quick payment and loading when I arrived).  I am laughing as I am typing this.  I just realized that we have filing cabinets in all four “bedrooms” (the Master Bedroom, my office, Doc’s office, the Aussie Guest room), the hallway and now in the Family Room!  That is probably not typical in most households.

Mom, Brother Mikey, and kids

At 5:15 p.m. we met my brother Mikey along with his two kids at the Pomona house.  They helped transport our convertible sofa bed from the Pomona Aussie bedroom to the new Aussie bedroom.  We would need a place for Mom to sleep tonight.

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As many of you know (because you have been with me virtually every day these past 18 months), the drive from the old house to the new house normally takes about 25 minutes.  Tonight was the longest commute ever between those two points. 

At 6 p.m. Temperatures were still approximately 100 degrees.   We were stuck in stop-and-go rush hour traffic on the freeway.  Mom was not excited that she was being shanghaied and letting me know it.   My brother and his kids were in the truck behind us with the sofa … and then Mom began coughing and sputtering.  She had taken a vitamin before getting in the car and it had opened up in her esophagus.   She said it felt like acid in her throat.  She was desperately seeking water, napkins and other items to deal with the situation.  She kept sputtering, then wrenching, then repeatedly vomiting.  It was a very long 16 miles.

When we arrived at the house, the dogs ran out (I thought Doc had corralled them) to jump on Grandma (with her bad knee), Doc was confused as to why I was in panic mode, brother had no clue as to what was happening and asking me where the heck I wanted the sofa to go, and I just wanted to go pee!

The remainder of the night was a blur.  Mom took over Doc’s recliner and his TV in the family room, Doc retreated to his office, and the dogs were underfoot. I was scrambling to find bedsheets, reply to emails, make calls and merely FIND my “To Do” list for the day to see what still needed to be done.

Doc says I am inflexible and don’t like it when things don’t go according to my schedule.  Today was one of those kinds of days.  Life Happens.

Total:  1 Penny