the inconvenience of poor customer service (and why it has to be that way sometimes)

Annoying as it is ... sometimes a physician has to arrive in the hospital room of an 87 yr old patient at 6:30am to discuss his status with him. LOGIC dictates that the Dr has a lot of patients to see & probably more than one place to be on any given day. AND, given the poor re-imbersement rates .... as many patients as possible to see. The ILL of this logic is - the elderly patient is NOT likely to remember much, if anything, of what the physician tells him. Questions will come later .... during visiting hours, when the primary family member wants to know what the medical plan is for today or tomorrow. At some point, the Dr will have to come back by or return a call to answer those questions. It's like picking up the same piece of paper over & over instead of getting it filed away the first time. But in most cases .... it's just the way it is. And so it has been these past 2 days with Pa in the hospital. If we don't ask the questions ourselves, no one offers information. (and that's after asking over & over to talk with someone ... who usually takes 3-4 hours to get to us) And don't even get me started on where my thoughts go when a nurse, then a case worker, then an aide- come in to speak with Pa's room mate (just minutes apart) LOUDLY, because he's asleep & they are inquiring how he feels or how alert he is. GEE, ya think the fact that he has to be yelled at to respond, or that he only gets 2-3 words out before falling asleep again- could mean something ??!!! (and in the meantime- Pa is wide awake & coughing again!!!) The bottom line- we deal with it as best we can & move on. And Pa? Well, he will get the care he needs to allow him to come home ... and he will look forward to being back on his own schedule, in his own surroundings and we'll hope it's a long time before we have to address it again!

early isn't quite as so these days ....

I've been up for about an hour I would guess. Poki came by my side of the bed, making it clear that he had things to do & asking if I could get his breakfast a little earlier than usual. After a few taps on my head with his newly trimmed nails .... I agreed. Rinsing my hands at the kitchen sink, I could see the breezes that were forecasted for yesterday afternoon, arrived today. Perhaps they had a layover in the valley or played a sunset round of golf- causing their delay. At any rate ... with the pillowy soft hum of the heater blowing gently at my hair .... I was imagining a summer wind passing through the field. The grasses, now waist to shoulder high with last month's sunshine and last week's rains .... dances in the direction of the ocean, shifts to pay tribute to the green hills, then back again- bowing to the silvery glimmers. I tapped the 'on' button of my coffee machine, not set to brew for nearly another hour, and I gratefully take in the portrait before me- delightfully enhanced by the chimes it's enticed to play along. The house is silent at the moment. Void of evidence of the cold that may have begun with Pa, passed to me ... still residing with him, departed from me & settling into the Captain. For me- an annoyance, for Pops- potentially dangerous, for the Captain- frustrating, as it keeps him from doing all that he wants & causing him to feel guilty in his lathargy. The aroma of coffee twists my arm to warm some white chocolate cremor to join it's dark brew, and I'm already anticipating it's warm sweetness .... as I wrestle with what I shall do with these solitary minutes. Words start to gather into phrases in my head and I bring my computer to life, to allow them to spread across the screen. If I don't release them .... it takes a long time for them to melt away. And here I am .... Minnie Mouse mug in front of me, tapping away. Perhaps I will use this as the cornerstone of my project 365 today and try to capture the movements of life as I see it from my window. ahhhhhhhh ..... a nice way to start my day. coffee computer camera

he's .... argh ... gulp ... how old?

A lot of noise is made about the "image" that best sells a product.
Products that could be anything from butter, to underwear, to movies. I'd bet that we all add to that "noise" at times .... disgusted by the use of sex to sell, or outraged that our kid isn't cute enough. But the bottom line .... in all fairness to advertising .... is that, with few exceptions- we prefer to look at "pretty" people whilst we are being entertained. If we were constantly faced with what is truly reality, we could just look at real life ... and therefore, it wouldn't be so entertaining to us!
All of this comes to mind because another of the beautiful people has recently died, and I am reminded of the mortality of .... well, .... me. Many of the celebrities that have past are near the age of my parents & in-laws (1/2 of which are gone as well) ... and I wonder, how will I feel when well known people of my age begin to die? What thoughts will I have if I hear that Oprah, or Kim Basinger, Walter Payton, Ron Howard, or Suze Orman has died of natural causes?? I am mentally, soooo not old and yet .... I am certainly no longer chronologically young.
I want to be young until it's too late.
I don't want to look like I'm trying to be young too long, and I don't want to make a fool of myself by doing things I am (obviously) too old to do. BUT- I do NOT want to get old before my time. I don't want to waste away when I have yet so much to do & see & accomplish.
WITH ALL THIS heavy thinking ... I best get to bed for some more beauty sleep!!!

the pest is gone, but the bug arrived

Yesterday, we began settling back into our not-so-normal routine, just as a cold was doing so inside my head & sinuses. . . . . . .

We returned the princess of pestiness to her lair yesterday, just in time to wrestle her brother to the ground in order to hug him- before he headed out to school. At 3 years old (almost 4 she reminds me), 5 days away from mom & dad seems to be her limit .... and by then, my energy tank was in the yellow zone, since the majority of our time was spent indoors due to rain. BUT, as much as I enjoy the peace & quiet we're used to, I must admit, I enjoy her curiosity over the littlest of everyday things. She most certainly keeps my brain engaged with her questions & slippery grasp of linguistics.

As for the "bug" that has arrived in her place - I'm thankful it didn't hit a week ago, & sleep seems to be my best friend at the moment. The Captain, on the other hand, figures the shot of rum he just gargled with will avoid any germs from heading his way.

AT ANY RATE .... each of us are handling the lack of chatter, snack requests on the hour, non-animated TV, and excited pace of daylight in our own way, and we will somehow manage it.

the creatures come out at night

It's raining hard & steady right now.
Cloaking the house in an echoing shroud of noise.
There is so much water at this point, that it makes as much noise hitting the puddles as the skylites.
Normally .... the cats would be huddled near the patio slider, or in the front window, but tonight- they skulk about the living room.
sniffing
crouched low to the floor
cautious
sniffing some more
Something moves, and they freeze, almost in mid air.
a moan escapes.
Then the silence closes in as the rain quiets .... and the cats move stealthily (?) about the room.
circling
closing in.
and there .... in a pile of billowing pillows and fluffy covers lies the beast they seek.
ever closer they creep, til they are upon the blanket.
so near they can feel her breath upon their fur.
upright, & tip toeing past her now .... they have decided she is no threat to them.
She yawns in her sleep and they scatter in a panic.
brave cats.
NOT

sometimes we ALL have to put our ducks in a row!

We are never too young (or old) to learn to get our ducks in a row!! It's not always easy (particularly when you ARE old) but it can give you strenghth and a sense of accomplishment!

Or, In Addyson's case here ... entertainment. (and for me- a picture opportunity) You might ALSO notice that amongst the ducks is a solitary fish (Nemo) and as life goes ... I find that quite appropriate. Sometimes, we feel a bit out of place, out of sorts, or out of our safety zone. It can be in small ways as a daily thing, and other times .... as a momentous occurance that we have difficulty dealing with. In these instances, I fall back to my old Dr Phil mode of thinking .... that if I can't do anything about a circumstance, or a decision that's been made- I CAN do something about the way I react to it! I can choose to worry, or fuss, or complain .... or I can
accept the fact that it's one thing I cannot change- and deal with it in the most gracious, professional, or optimistic way possible.

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These are things I have learned with age. I don't always apply them immediately- but at some point I DO realize that my energy can be put to better use.

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AND THIS WEEK, I have been using some of it's psychological benefits with my adorable grand daughter! (at times, she is smarter than a 5th grader!!)

and I am once again reminded ....

yesterday .... was the anniversary (for lack of a better word) of Mom Betty's passing. I thought about it the day before, I thought about it a few times yesterday .... and a couple of things came up today that reminded me of it once again.

Little Miss Addy, would have had mom wrapped around her little finger- just as she has managed with "papa Bill". And Mom, would have loved her being here. Instead of finding her sitting on pop's lap, I might have ventured downstairs to find the two little ladies applying lotion or a temporary tattoo (yes, mom thought those were cool). She would have found some trinket of jewelry that was safe for Addy to wear and, I'm pretty sure, the 2 of them would have taken a walk together. She was a GREAT mom-in-law, a wonderful grandmother, and would have been treasured (I've no doubt), by my own grandchildren!! I can only imagine these moments ... since mom has been gone longer than Addy has been alive- but I know, I REALLY know ... that she would have been a VERY special person in this little munchkin's life.

Inspiration from those who know best

and I wonder ... would I be strong enough to allow the same choice?

to explain ......

A week before this picture was taken- Many, if not all of these women, were in peril. Miles from home without transportation to return, and perhaps NOTHING to return to.

THIS is the Tokyo Sweet Adeline Chorus that arrived at our regional competition, only 7 women short of "the plan". After many hours, they found all members accounted for, but with the devastation caused by the earthquake, then doubly compounded by the resulting tsunami- the airport was seriously damaged and these ladies .... had FAR more to concern themselves with than singing! But - they saw this trip as something that would build their strength for what they have to face over the next few months (or years), and they were welcomed warmly. A lot of tears were exchanged, & I never expected so much joy to emanate in their presence. It was an amazing weekend with them!

rest, rejuvenation & the wind in my hair!

I think the Easter Bunny came early!(?) A little blue scooter was waiting for me when I got home yesterday!

What a cool surprise!!

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(and thank you sunshine for coming out for a few minutes so I could play a little!!)

WOO- HOO

WHIRLWIND weekend ... comes to a close

there is something about a competition weekend WITH people you barely know .... that will begin to form friendships that could last a lifetime.

I am far too exhausted to sort it all our at the moment but I just have to say that I am already finding myself coaching personal responsibility & accountability ... while coveting, encouraging, spiking morale .... and bonding with a group of women that could only enrich one's lives- simply by spending 3 hours a week with them. (ha)

LUCKY me (and I like it)

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it's St Patrick's Day so OF COURSE ya gotta wear GREEN

(and hopefully make some as well !!)

Do ya feel lucky?

Well, do ya?

sweet (moody) furball O mine

he can be stand-offish at times.

he chases little kitty relentlessly

if he isn't eating, he's usually napping

the doorbell sends him into a panic

he begs for back massages

he begs for "real" chicken

he doesn't like laps

he loves butter

he's MY Popoki

NOT.