Nothing much going on

Not much going on that's interesting right now. We voted in the primary and we're pretty sick of seeing all the political ads, stories, squabbles, etc.. I don't know if I would look into the future to see what happens in November because I might not want to know and for now ignorance could be bliss.
I've done a little better on the exercise front, not as good as I should be doing but at least I'm doing something.
President Obama is in town today for SXSW so we're staying home. In the area where suspected traffic gridlock is suspected to be they are letting school out early and asking people to work from home if at all possible. Not only do we have the influx of people for this but the rodeo is in town and soon some basketball. It's crazy full of tourists.
Still struggling with missing my folks, especially my mom but I guess time is the only thing that will ease that pain. Read that Glen Campbell has reached the stage of Alzheimer's where he doesn't recognize people or things and has trouble talking. Such a painful disease for the family. Wish they could eradicate it.

Starting Again

Plugged my Jawbone (that had previously stopped working) into my tablet and viola, it worked! So I took that as a sign that I should get moving again. I've been sidelined for so long that I'm woefully out of shape. I have been going out more and walking around stores, etc., just to get moving. Today I walked from our house down to the recreation center which is about 1/2 a mile there and back again. So I did 1, 888 steps. More to go. I have to beat back this pre-diabetic condition I've let myself get into. I've set a goal today of 4,000 cause you have to start somewhere! Onward and upward.

Things I've been doing.

Been a while since I've posted anything. My excuses are many but I'll not bore you by listing them here. I'm posting some pictures to let you know what's been going on in my life. The first one is about the things we put in my moms coffin (aaaah I hate writing that word). I figured ancient Egyptians did it to accompany the deceased to the new world so I could do it for my mom. She was buried in a green pant suit that she made and green was her favorite color. An elephant pin and elephant earrings because she had a love for them. She said she admired them for taking care of each other and working hard. A Pearl S. Buck book because she was her favorite author. Her black dancing shoes with rhinestones, and her little black and white hounds tooth checked bag she took to the dances with 2 dollars and some change in it (she always worried about having a little money on her), also a couple of tissues. A pair of clean under pants because she always told me you should have them just in case you had to go to the hospital. Her everyday shoes that I couldn't bear to throw out or give to anyone else. The photo was shown on a pedestal to let people see how beautiful she was plus she did not want an open casket so this seemed like the right thing to do.

The second picture is of the Mississippi River crossing at Vicksburg, MS. We stopped here to eat our lunch on the way back home from attending my brother-in-laws funeral in Alabama. It was a beautiful day and a lovely place to stop and relax.

 

 

 

Went to see the English comic Eddie Izzard. He was very funny and we enjoyed his show and the Q&A session after the show.

Out one sunny morning walking with Evie.

Doing the Walk to End Alzheimer's with Pam in San Angelo.

At the Molly Awards with Krystal. She interns with the Texas Observer and got a ticket and took me as her plus one. She did all the graphic design work for the event. The dinner was really good and the speaker was as well. She's the wife of a politician from Illinois but I can't remember her name at the moment. She was funny and informative.

 



Mussings about Dementa/Alzheimer's

If you don't know anyone with Dementia/Alzheimer's disease or have  parents or another loved one with Alzheimer’s disease you will soon do so. Statistics say that  5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and another 14 million or so act as unpaid caregivers. It is a horrid disease that takes away independence, steals memories, and rips away most all  dignity. 70% of people with Dementia have Alzheimer's. It effects a lot of elderly people but is not  a normal part of being elderly.
My mother, my family and I have become part of this growing number, especially in the three years or so when our mom began exhibiting some of the typical traits of the disease.  She was no longer able to balance the checkbook or pay her own bills and started talking to herself even when people were in the room with her. The most obvious symptom, repeatedly saying the same phrases and asking the same questions came early on.
These days I've gone from being a daughter to being a caregiver, helping her change clothes, shower, brush her teeth, and get in and out of bed. Thankfully she can use the bathroom by herself as well as feed herself. There are many times when I think she won't make it another day and then there are times when I think she's getting better. This roller coaster of emotions is something I was not prepared for because I go from anger to joy to hopelessness in the wink of an eye. I have to shake myself mentally and remember that this is about her, not me, and try and understand how it affects her, a once sharp and creative woman who could do anything she set her mind to. Now I sometimes weep at the loss of my mother but am careful not to let her see the tears. Today is one of those days. She had a hard night last night, waking up three times trying to remember something that needed doing, then wanting to be in her own bed (she was), then waking up wanting to know if everything was off. Now she is sleeping and I can't get her up to go outside, which she loves to do. This worries me. To be honest I worry if she sleeps too much and worry if she sleeps too little. I fret over the fact that her appetite has become non-existent despite her medications to give her more appetite and a calmer mind. At least the horrible delusions and auditory hallucinations have gone away thanks to her meds. She is also on Aracept but I couldn't tell you if it is doing the job it's meant to do because like I stated above some days are good and some are bad. And yes I've talked to more than one doctor and nurses and health care workers and read hundreds of articles on the subject. And what I know is still not much but every little bit of information helps and you never know what tips will work to make your loved one more comfortable or easier for you to do your job. It's a pick and choose what works world.
 We no longer plan “spur of the moment” things or get away for even one night but this is the road I've chosen and most times I'm not sorry for it. She took care of me when I was a babe and now it's time for me to care for her. I will state here that my husband and granddaughter are a tremendous help to me and so is the support of the rest of our family. I couldn't do it without their help and love.
Care giving is a demanding job, a 24/7 job. Our goal is to keep Mom safe and comfortable at home for as long as we can. How long will that be? No one knows.  For now we will take it all one minute at a time. Incidentally Medicare/Tricare do not pay for in home elder care, only care that involves a medical problem like cancer or diabetes, etc. Incontinence, hygiene, feeding, etc. is all on your own dime.
I do still walk in the morning, most mornings anyway and spend some time on the computer when I can. Some days I just get to read email and once in a while I get to write on my blog. I know that it is recommended that care givers take care of themselves too but sometimes it's hard to do. Still I have a great support system and hopefully in the future we can work something out and get some professional home health care people in to help us out. 
That's about it. Remember to give your loved ones a call or drop them a postcard or a video (my brother and his wife and our daughter in Seattle make videos for my mom and she loves them).  Communication helps and it makes everyone feel like they are doing something for their loved ones.

Cedar pollen on the way out!

Cedar pollen is on the way out! Yea! Took my early morning walks outside all week long. Had a couple of cool mornings but it felt good. This morning it's cool but the sun is out so I imagine it'll heat up some.
Since our we've had a non-winter this year everything seems to be blooming early and it all looks pretty. This would make me happy if I didn't know that a long hot summer was coming our way. Hopefully with La Nina ending soon we'll get back to a normal weather pattern and get some more rain.
My Mom has been having some memory problems and I've been talking to people about it like her doctor and nurse and our daughter Pam who is a nurse that has extensive experience with elderly patients. Their advice is most welcome and helpful in allowing me and our family to give her the best care possible. I've found some good sites online too. One of them is shown here.
http://www.helpguide.org/elder/alzheimers_disease_dementia_support_caregiver.htm
Took some more photos while I was out and about, hope you enjoy them.

2012 Frankie with his new van and his dad

daffodils blooming in our front yard Feb. 2012

roses blooming in Feb. 2012

the park was full of runners getting ready for marathon

Still Feeling the Cedar Fever



I think I need a gas mask, this does not work.

Well here it is late January already and deep into the 'cedar fever' season. Ick! I don't like it, don't like it at all! But the nasty pollen will let up, I hope, sometimes in February or horrors early March. We'll see. Right now it is high, high, high and I don't venture out much and yep, I'm still medicated. Sigh. I did try to walk outside but my eyes paid the price for it. And as you can see my get up was a bit crazy-scary lady so I'm back to the indoor routine.
We loved the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers game and the even though the Houston Texans lost I thought they also played a good game. We were shocked by the Packers poor play an the Denver game was a yawner. Two more play off games and then the Super Bowl and football will be gone until late August. Really hate that the season is so short but it's too brutal a sport for the season to be any longer.
Happy to see a new episode of Once Upon a Time and having said that is anyone else bummed that the hot Huntsman/Sheriff was killed? Note to writers of the show; It's a fairytale folks so don't kill off anymore of the fave characters, okay?

White spot are feathers all messed up-was he in a fight?

Ragged start to 2012 Walking Routine



Leaves lined with frost

Had a bumpy start to 2012 regarding my walking routine. It started off well and I got my miles in what with the lovely frost and all but then cedar pollen reared its ugly head and all was lost...at least for a while. Got an infection in my left eye and was tearing and itching and sneezing so much that it wore me down physically and I gave up and went to the doctor. She said it was an especially brutal season for 'cedar fever' and my visit resulted in my getting 4 prescription medications and one over the counter and orders to remain indoors until the situation improved.

Last night it started to rain and I thought 'hooray I'll go out and walk tomorrow' but in the morning it was more like thunder storms and while I love walking in the rain, lightning is another matter. So my indoor walking routine will have to do for at least another day. The doc did recommend that I use a painters mask when I go out for any length of time so I'll try that even though it looks strange but then again this is Austin so I shouldn't worry because people don't judge so much.  I'm not sure if I've posted the pics of the woodpecker. If I have just ignore them or enjoy them again.

Woodpecker giving us his profile

 Better look at his awesome red head

Winter hass arrived...sort of

Fall leaves I saw on one of my walks

It still looks like fall around here even though winter officially arrived yesterday. Also so did the rain! Got an inch around here! It was nice falling asleep to the sound of falling rain.
Hope everyone who plans to be on the road this Christmas holiday to visit family and friends stays safe and has good weather.
Many thanks for the kind words I've gotten on my annual Christmas poem.
Well, I'm having a problem with Google this morning so I'm going to cut this short and post it before the browser has a fit again. Stay safe out there and have a Merry Christmas!

No More Rain :-(

Our lovely rain has moved out. It wasn't the drought busting rain we needed but it was nice and it greened things up a bit. Alas it did not come early enough or in the needed amounts to save some of the trees and other vegetation in the area. The trees shown in the picture should all be like the one to the left but as you can see they did not make it and are marked to be removed. Still the park is looking pretty and I know that the park employees and several volunteers works hard to make it look as nice as it does. As you can see in the picture not many people were out and about. I love it the most when it is cold and rainy and almost deserted. The sun brings out way too many people and their dogs which wouldn't be a problem if most of them would obey the pooper scooper laws but alas too many of them do not.

We went to see the new Twilight film and while I like the vampire genre and Robert Pattinson I find this take on it too young for me. While the CGI sequences were done well I felt they had way too many musical interludes for my tastes. It was best (for me) when the actors were interacting and the story was moved along. The new Sherlock Holmes film was more to my tastes and I did enjoy it. Robert Downey, Jr seldom disappoints.

Our daughter has been having a bit of trouble with her heel healing up. She had to return to the doctor because the incision site became infected and they had to open it up and clean it out and she's back in a short boot. Hopefully it will be taken care of soon.

a week after surgery

two and half weeks after surgery-ouch!

Blustery Day

Wonderful walk this morning. Around 35 and windy, almost feels like winter. Not many people out on the Hike and Bike Trail though, just a few runners and a couple of people walking their dogs.We had three days of light rain and even an early morning thunderstorm and it was all great. Wish we had more.
Did walk over to the Occupy Austin site but there are few hardy souls out there right now. One young man I talked to said they are planning in Occupy Foreclosure type protest which is to occupy empty homes that were foreclosed on. I don't know how that will go over with those who own these properties but I guess we will see if this protest takes place.
Here are a few more photos taken over Thanksgiving week.

Frankie, Pam, Lauren

Waiting on news of sisters foot surgery

Cyndi's foot a week after surgery

Evie and Frankie

Awwww

Cool Morning Walk



Some will have a job...painting over this.

Had a nice walk this morning thanks to the cool front that blew through here late last night. I must admit that yesterday I was skeptical about it getting cooler when I sat watching the evening news while sweating and eating a Popsicle. But the front came through and made things much nicer. Could have used some rain but alas no rain fell in our area.

The photos I'm posting were taken on Tuesday and one of them has a word in it that has been edited, by me, for obvious reasons. I don't like graffiti but it is around so I captured a few bits of it.

Not a Perry fan I'm guessing. (edited by me)

The GOP campaign seems to have gone down a road that is not a good one. I prefer to judge candidates on their policies not their private lives but I guess you can't get away from it these days. Hopefully things will not get any uglier and everyone can get back to talking about the important issues that affect us all and the solutions to them so everyone can make an informed decision in the voting booth come Nov. 2012.
And will the media please not devote so much time to the Lohan and Kardashian woes. I'm tired of hearing about them and just want them to go away.

Upside down Ron Paul sticker

Spring comes to Austin

Winter has gone and spring, well almost summertime temps, have come to Austin. SXSW, the Travis Co. Rodeo, the Texas boys high school basketball championship and a few demonstrations at the capitol have made for super crazy traffic which includes not only the four wheeled kind but the two wheel and foot kind. It's nuts. The parks are a dizzy crazy quilt of fences and cars parked in every little niche they can find. Celebrities have descended en masse to sell their latest projects so if you thought you saw a famous face on the Hike and Bike Trail you probably did. Thankfully SXSW will be over after this weekend and we'll only have the rodeo until the 26th and the Cap Metro 10K on the 27th.
I've kept up my walking routine but I think I gained some weight recently. I would increase my mileage but when I go over 5K a day or an extra day a week my left hip starts hurting. But my weight tends to go up and down 5 to ten pounds and while it was cold we made a lot of heavy comfort food type meals in the crock pot so hopefully I'll lose it now that salad and lighter meal days are here with the warmer weather.
Photos: 1. Mountain Laurel, 2. Wisteria 3. Wisteria  and red leaf hedge outside our bedroom window 4. White Iris in front yard 5. Bright pink geraniums and St. Francis statue off the front porch
Between the Mountain Laurel and Wisteria the yard is full of heady scents!

Photos

Photos taken recently. Flower baskets are a story all thier own. Let's just say they had a hard journey getting here but they were worth it in the end. The purple daisies arrived 4 days late and a bit wilted, the carnation, daisy basket arrived fresh and are now on my dresser looking pretty. Thanks Pam! We were at our sons house over the weekend for a delicous dinner and he and Sandy made us feel very welcome. The photos of our son and my mom were taken at his house. Cyndi and Derick arrived later on Mother's Day after we got home dressed in outfits Derick had made for the kids he looks after at the Boys and Girls Club. They gave us quite a giggle. My walking is harder this week because not only has it turned quite warm but the humidity is high too. 73 temp and 87 humidity! Blech.

Monday of Christmas week

Did my walk this morning, 3 and half miles. It was coolish and sunny. Today it should get to 67 for a high. Then we did a bit of Christmas and grocery shopping. Just finished helping my mom get out a few Christmas cards and now we're going to do a little more grocery shopping. Oy.
We saw The Road yesterday with Viggo Mortensen and it is an excellent film. It puts people in an apocalyptic situation seemingly without hope and leaves you with the feeling that not only can the earth renew itself after a cataclysmic event but that human beings can retain their humanity and desire to go on living in such a situation. Go see it if you get a chance.

Stuff

Walked 3 days this past week and did okay. Krys and I saw New Moon and it was better than the first film in the series. Today we plan to see The Road at the Alamo Draft House. This morning I watched part of the Shawshank Redemption (based on a Stephen King short story). It's a very good film, full of hope, and one of my favorite film adaptions of King's stories. This week I got a phone call from a dear, dear, friend and it made my heart smile to hear from her.

We watched most of the Cowboy game on the nfl.com, had to get on and off the site to keep the play going because if you just let it run they switched to the studio. Guess that's what you get for the 'free' showing no matter that it has lots and lots of ads just like the regular TV showings. Glad the Cowboys won but wish they would do better in every game and not just the ones they 'have' to win.

Took the photo on the Hike and Bike Trail. Thought it was sweet that someone decided to decorate the tree for Christmas.

Happy Halloween everybody. Hope you get lots of treats and no tricks. Here it's sunny and cool which is what a lot of people call a beautiful day. Frankly at my age I call any day I'm alive to see beautiful. :-) I kept up with my walking since my last post (time off when I was ill) and after a short while of doing 2 miles, I'm back up to my 3 + miles again. Sometimes I wonder why I keep this blog when there is posting I can do on Facebook and Twitter. And sometimes I wonder why I post on any of kind of page. Guess I like the blog because you can write as much as you want and have your pictures too. I still haven't figured out how to keep things aligned but it'll come with time. Here in Austin they have passed a resolution or a law or something banning texting while driving in a school zone. Exactly how they are going to enforce it I haven't a clue. We were behind someone texting on their phone on our way to the grocery store this morning. Their car was weaving from side to side and going 30 in a 50 mile an hour zone. Morons. I'm now home and watching football with Frank. When I get bored with the games I'll watch a movie on my laptop or write or paint some. Always something to do. Anyway ta ta for now.

Spotty week

Ah here it is the weekend and I've only had 4 days of walking in. The long weekend we took cut into my walking schedule or at least that's what I'm blaming it on. I did try to walk a lot while we were away to make up for it.
While we were away I was amazed by the fact that even though I had taken my laptop with me I did not even unzip the bag and get it out. Didn't miss it. I did use my cell phone and text and called the family a few times (and once our friend Karla got an errant message from me) but I didn't feel the need to check email or read the news, etc. As it turned out I didn't miss much email wise because when we got home I checked it and out of 57 emails only two were from people I knew. One friend and one family member, the rest was newsletters, sales ads, and garbage...of course the spam folder was full. Gotta love that delete button.
This week we've been enjoying cooler temperatures for a couple of days. We were at 95 on Thursday, 81 on Friday before the front moved in along with some much welcome rain, and today it's nice and cool without rain.
It's fantastic that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize although it caught me by surprise. My thoughts on it are that the world was sick of us throwing our weight around and kicking sand in their faces and just were plain pleased and happy that diplomacy is back on our agenda for getting along with the rest of the earths inhabitants. I think it was a we're happy with the new path of your country award rather than an individual award. Anyway an award for peaceful endeavors is a nice thing.

The photos below were all taken in Butler Park which is located between Barton Springs Rd and Riverside. Since the recent rains the flowers have been spectacular. Click on the small pics to see the large ones. They make wonderful background photos for your desktops. :-)

Middle of the week

Day of the Dead Art Show
Host: Dandelion Botanical
Artist: Evie
Date:Saturday, October 10, 2009
Time:6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:Dandelion Botanical Company
Street:5424 Ballard Ave NW
City/Town:Seattle, WA

Walking has been pretty good this week. I did 5K on Monday and today. On Tuesday I only did 2 miles because my walk was cut short by a rain storm. I don't mind getting wet but the air to ground lighting is a downer. ;-)

Walked by this house on Lamar and it's all decked out for Halloween. A bit early for it but it still makes you smile.

Obesity Growing as Cancer Risk for Women - Science & Health News Briefs | Newser

Obesity Growing as Cancer Risk for Women - Science & Health News Briefs Newser
AP Summary) – Being fat could become the leading cause of cancer in women in Western countries in the coming years, say European researchers. Being overweight or obese accounts for up to 8% of cancers in Europe. That figure is poised to increase substantially as the obesity epidemic continues, and as major causes of cancer, such as smoking, drop. Colorectal cancer, breast cancer in menopausal women, and endometrial cancer accounted for 65% of all cancers linked to being fat.
"Obesity is catching up at a rate that makes it possible it could become the biggest attributable cause of cancer in women within the next decade," a researcher says. Between 2002 and 2008, he says, the number of such cases almost doubled to 124,000. Scientists aren't sure why being fat boosts your cancer risk but suspect hormones play a role. As people become fatter, they produce more hormones such as estrogen that help tumors grow.

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Walking has been nice so far the past few days. Sprinkled during my walk again this morning and it was a cool 65 degrees. I'm lovin' this!

Monday, Monday

Felt really tired last night and found myself making excuses not to walk this morning. When I woke up I still felt the same but I got up and got dressed and left for my walk around 7:45 or so. It was very humid and in the 70's with almost no wind making the air feel close and well just plain icky. I only did 2 and half miles but I guess that's better than nothing. Cool front on the way tomorrow so maybe it'll be better. Cowboys lost last night. :0( Chalk it up to bad execution and some bad luck. Lots of odd bounces of the ball went the Giants way. People are already calling for Romo's head. Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes.