Saturday, November 5, 2011

November is here.....

It's been busy since Eileen and Tom were here.  My mother has not faired well with her second round of antibiotics and is very weak and disheartened.  Yesterday was her last day with it and I'm hoping she will begin to regain her strength and optimism. The last two days have been cool and windy but, if it's less windy tomorrow, I'm going to try to get her out, even if it's only to drive around a little and enjoy the sunshine and scenery.

I've tried to find perks wherever I can and a special one was a brief get-together with Cheryl, Phil, Kathy and Joe......Aramco friends.  They were on the island for a few days and we got together for lunch.  It was non-stop chatter and all too short.  It was so much fun that I only got one photo, which is almost indistinguishable.


I met them at Pinckney Preserve and took this as they approached.  They were so far away that I can't even crop it adequately to bring it closer!!  And, the conversation over lunch was so much fun that I totally forgot to get one of us in the restaurant........all the fault of not having enough time together!  It was great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them......and I hope we can do it again soon.

The remainder of my time has been spent with the usual things.  My walking is now taking shape again, and I feel like it is a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuralively.  The weather is perfect and it's nice to be able to do it anytime throughout the day. And lest you think we have no change of season, I took these photos on the last half of my walk today. While it isn't New England and I do prefer the green to the gray of winter, it is nice to see the beautiful change of color signifying the arrival of fall.



PAL has also been a nice diversion......and the quieter the day, the more time I can spend with the animals.  I was behind the front desk on Wednesday when the Director came out of her office with a tiny kitten wrapped in a soft blanket.  It was Hemingway, a five week old kitten found in a wood pile......and he is a Hemingway (polydactyl) cat with the extra toes on his front paws.  He was not eating or pooping and Amy said he "needed some loving."  I said, "I can do that" and Hemingway spent the afternoon with me.  He was so young that he nuzzled around for his mama.  Whenever he did that, I popped a little baby food to his mouth and he ate a little here and there.  By the time I left, he had eaten and pooped......so I felt like I'd been helpful.  I'll check on him this coming week and hope he's well on his way to getting stronger.


The remainder of my time I've spent trying to be helpful to my mother.  One of her hearing aids went on the fritz and we sent it back to NC to be repaired.  We've also spent the entire week (unsuccessfully) trying to get a script for lancets for her blood testing machine.  She has refills left for the test strips but for some reason we are finding it impossible to get the prescription for the lancets.  My question is: why would they require separate prescriptions in the first place?  As I help my mother through these mazes, I wonder what it will be like for me.  Those of you in my age range should give serious consideration to our health system as it relates to the elderly.  If I live to be my mother's age, how will I be able to do what is required to maintain my health and well being??  Our system should be comprehensive but much simpler......and we'd better start working for that right now!!  The experience of signing up for Medicare signals how overwhelming it can become.  The medical insurance I have through Aramco can become a "secondary" insurance once I turn 65 and go on Medicare.......not a "supplemental", but a "secondary" insurance.  Try getting someone to explain what that means.......and I'm 24 years younger than my mother and consider myself compos-mentus!!  How will I be able to navigate all of this stuff when I'm 90??  I think I have a new mission......any takers??

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