Well, between my sister and my brother's best friend, over the past four days they got my brother sobered up enough to make his doctor appointment so that he can hopefully get released to go back to work. At some point today I think he got results but I don't know yet how it turned out.
So there is a chance my brother will go back to work on Monday. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.
I still have some lingering flu symptoms -- can't stop coughing.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Monday, October 16, 2017
Things are relatively quiet the past two days
I didn't get any updates yesterday or today regarding my brother so things appear to be quiet.
But with regard to Mia it's been an interesting/scary time. She goes bananas over rabbits and we have tons of rabbits around here. Yesterday I had her out for a walk and two rabbits ran by. Normally I try to watch and I see the rabbits first and can get prepared for her unbelievable reaction but yesterday I must have been daydreaming. Anyway, these two rabbits ran by and she backed out of her harness and was out of sight in under 5 seconds. And since we are on a VERY busy street, I just knew it was all she wrote for Mia. I called her and called her and even though I could hear her barking, she didn't come when I called and when I tried to locate her she was running around so fast (in Rabbit Utopia) that finding her was impossible.
So I called my neighbor Janine, who has a big dog named Conner who Mia does not get along with, and Janine came over and brought Conner with her. We started walking around and all of a sudden we saw Mia a few blocks away doing cartwheels over those rabbits. She looked our way and saw Conner and she came running wanting to get in her usual battle with Conner (I guess Conner trumps rabbits -- good to know). When she got close enough, Janine was able to pick her up. I wanted to punish her and kiss her at the same time. I was so glad to get her back.
Now I have to try to find an escape proof harness and since I've already bought about 25 allegedly escape proof harnesses, I don't hold out much hope. What I really need is a yard and that is out of the question right now.
But with regard to Mia it's been an interesting/scary time. She goes bananas over rabbits and we have tons of rabbits around here. Yesterday I had her out for a walk and two rabbits ran by. Normally I try to watch and I see the rabbits first and can get prepared for her unbelievable reaction but yesterday I must have been daydreaming. Anyway, these two rabbits ran by and she backed out of her harness and was out of sight in under 5 seconds. And since we are on a VERY busy street, I just knew it was all she wrote for Mia. I called her and called her and even though I could hear her barking, she didn't come when I called and when I tried to locate her she was running around so fast (in Rabbit Utopia) that finding her was impossible.
So I called my neighbor Janine, who has a big dog named Conner who Mia does not get along with, and Janine came over and brought Conner with her. We started walking around and all of a sudden we saw Mia a few blocks away doing cartwheels over those rabbits. She looked our way and saw Conner and she came running wanting to get in her usual battle with Conner (I guess Conner trumps rabbits -- good to know). When she got close enough, Janine was able to pick her up. I wanted to punish her and kiss her at the same time. I was so glad to get her back.
Now I have to try to find an escape proof harness and since I've already bought about 25 allegedly escape proof harnesses, I don't hold out much hope. What I really need is a yard and that is out of the question right now.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Alcoholism
Well, I have had the flu and stayed in bed all this week. First time I've had the flu in quite a few years. But I think I am on the upturn now. Didn't make it to any exercise classes, though. We'll try again next week.
And now I have decided to share what's been going on in my family for the past three months. It's public knowledge so I'm not telling any secrets.
My brother is an alcoholic and in the past three months there has been an escalation of his desire to drink. His wife kicked him out. His job put him on probation and told him not to come back until he's sober. It's been three months and there has been no sign of sobriety so I guess we all know what's bound to happen with the job situation so I guess it won't be too long before he will be without any prospect of income.
When his wife kicked him out, my sister took him in with the promise that there would be no alcohol at her house. It took him less than an hour to break that promise.
He went to rehab in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but released himself after 30 days and was drinking within a day.
He fell and hit his head on a rock and fractured the spine in his neck. He was told to wear a brace and he won't wear it, so who knows what will happen there.
He has fallen three more times and was transported to ICU in an ambulance. Two of those times they kept him long enough for him to detox but as soon as he got out he went to one of his secret places and got some booze. Boy, he can be so very clever in finding hiding places. My sister went out and cut some weeds on the side of her house and found a bottle hidden in the weeds.
The other time he fell was two days ago and he was taken by ambulance to ICU again. They did a CT scan and x-rays and found no changes in the fracture. He demanded to be released so he could get to his bottle. And the sad thing is, he does not appear to feel any gratitude whatsoever for my sister staying by his side throughout all of this.
When she brought him home from the hospital yesterday he went straight to where the weeds used to be and got a bit upset that she had cut the weeds.
My sister has an old trailer out in the middle of the woods. It hasn't been used in ages. But my brother has now been banished to that trailer to drink himself silly. Someone will go out and check on him periodically to be sure he hasn't fallen again and my sister will take food out there. She's going to take the most nutritious things that she thinks he might eat. We were told that alcohol depletes the good stuff and that in addition it might be helpful if he would drink some Boost every day to help replenish some nutrients. Supposedly, at the very least, that will help the alcohol absorb slower. Other than that, he is now on his own and he won't do well on his own and that is sad. And he appears to have no idea how lucky he is to have a place to go.
In the meantime, his wife is moving out of their house and as soon as she is gone, he will go back to his house. But since it won't be long before he won't be able to pay the mortgage, he'll probably lose the house and the trailer will be his only option.
The doctor said that he is a danger to himself and others but that no one is to blame but him. We tried to get my brother to go back into rehab and stay the full 90 days but he refuses.
The doctor wanted to keep my brother in ICU for 3 days to detox but was again met with refusal.
There's lots more to this story, but you get the gist. My sister has been a saint. And the irony is that she is the only member of our family who has never touched alcohol in her entire life, not even a sip.
This is incredibly emotional. He is 15 years younger than me so I spent a lot of time taking him to Cardinals games, Bob Seger concerts, just stuff that my dad didn't want to do. So I have all these memories of an adorable little blond-haired, blue-eyed boy and wondering where it all went wrong.
I will update regularly for anyone who may read this who is interested in how "end stage alcoholism" progresses.
And now I have decided to share what's been going on in my family for the past three months. It's public knowledge so I'm not telling any secrets.
My brother is an alcoholic and in the past three months there has been an escalation of his desire to drink. His wife kicked him out. His job put him on probation and told him not to come back until he's sober. It's been three months and there has been no sign of sobriety so I guess we all know what's bound to happen with the job situation so I guess it won't be too long before he will be without any prospect of income.
When his wife kicked him out, my sister took him in with the promise that there would be no alcohol at her house. It took him less than an hour to break that promise.
He went to rehab in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but released himself after 30 days and was drinking within a day.
He fell and hit his head on a rock and fractured the spine in his neck. He was told to wear a brace and he won't wear it, so who knows what will happen there.
He has fallen three more times and was transported to ICU in an ambulance. Two of those times they kept him long enough for him to detox but as soon as he got out he went to one of his secret places and got some booze. Boy, he can be so very clever in finding hiding places. My sister went out and cut some weeds on the side of her house and found a bottle hidden in the weeds.
The other time he fell was two days ago and he was taken by ambulance to ICU again. They did a CT scan and x-rays and found no changes in the fracture. He demanded to be released so he could get to his bottle. And the sad thing is, he does not appear to feel any gratitude whatsoever for my sister staying by his side throughout all of this.
When she brought him home from the hospital yesterday he went straight to where the weeds used to be and got a bit upset that she had cut the weeds.
My sister has an old trailer out in the middle of the woods. It hasn't been used in ages. But my brother has now been banished to that trailer to drink himself silly. Someone will go out and check on him periodically to be sure he hasn't fallen again and my sister will take food out there. She's going to take the most nutritious things that she thinks he might eat. We were told that alcohol depletes the good stuff and that in addition it might be helpful if he would drink some Boost every day to help replenish some nutrients. Supposedly, at the very least, that will help the alcohol absorb slower. Other than that, he is now on his own and he won't do well on his own and that is sad. And he appears to have no idea how lucky he is to have a place to go.
In the meantime, his wife is moving out of their house and as soon as she is gone, he will go back to his house. But since it won't be long before he won't be able to pay the mortgage, he'll probably lose the house and the trailer will be his only option.
The doctor said that he is a danger to himself and others but that no one is to blame but him. We tried to get my brother to go back into rehab and stay the full 90 days but he refuses.
The doctor wanted to keep my brother in ICU for 3 days to detox but was again met with refusal.
There's lots more to this story, but you get the gist. My sister has been a saint. And the irony is that she is the only member of our family who has never touched alcohol in her entire life, not even a sip.
This is incredibly emotional. He is 15 years younger than me so I spent a lot of time taking him to Cardinals games, Bob Seger concerts, just stuff that my dad didn't want to do. So I have all these memories of an adorable little blond-haired, blue-eyed boy and wondering where it all went wrong.
I will update regularly for anyone who may read this who is interested in how "end stage alcoholism" progresses.
Friday, October 6, 2017
Rec Center
Today I took the Friday Silver Sneakers class and it was different from Monday's, but still wonderful.
Monday was more aerobic and active (but still within my abilities). And today was much less aerobic, but more balance, stretching, resistance bands and relaxation. I left feeling very good.
The weather has been colder and colder and I hear snow is around the corner.
Monday was more aerobic and active (but still within my abilities). And today was much less aerobic, but more balance, stretching, resistance bands and relaxation. I left feeling very good.
The weather has been colder and colder and I hear snow is around the corner.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Silver Sneakers
First of all, this massacre in Vegas is unbelievable. I have been praying all day for the dead and injured, as well as their families and friends. This world has gotten so scary.
******************************
This morning I went to the Rec Center and did one of their Silver Sneakers classes. It was a perfect hour of exercise for me. Just strenuous enough. And the instructor was a ton of fun. And surprisingly, there were quite a few men in the class. Anyway, I plan to go to these classes regularly.
I may have mentioned in the past that my cats are scratching the heck out of my furniture. I got rid of the leather couch and recliner before they had a chance to totally destroy them. And I got a new couch and recliner that has a microsuede upholstery that supposely cats don't like. NOT. So I've been experimenting and finally came up with a goofy setup that seems to be cat proof.
First, I put a cheap protective cover on the couch (which did not deter them). Then I laid throw rugs over the protective cover and that worked to a degree but the rugs kept moving. So I found some "Smurf Blue" faux sheepskin rugs over the couch. I put these rugs out about a week ago and the cats like to snuggle in the rug but so far there have been NO attempts at scratching. I think I've got it...
So here is my Smurf City:
As you can see, my cats pretty much now own the house.
******************************
This morning I went to the Rec Center and did one of their Silver Sneakers classes. It was a perfect hour of exercise for me. Just strenuous enough. And the instructor was a ton of fun. And surprisingly, there were quite a few men in the class. Anyway, I plan to go to these classes regularly.
I may have mentioned in the past that my cats are scratching the heck out of my furniture. I got rid of the leather couch and recliner before they had a chance to totally destroy them. And I got a new couch and recliner that has a microsuede upholstery that supposely cats don't like. NOT. So I've been experimenting and finally came up with a goofy setup that seems to be cat proof.
First, I put a cheap protective cover on the couch (which did not deter them). Then I laid throw rugs over the protective cover and that worked to a degree but the rugs kept moving. So I found some "Smurf Blue" faux sheepskin rugs over the couch. I put these rugs out about a week ago and the cats like to snuggle in the rug but so far there have been NO attempts at scratching. I think I've got it...
So here is my Smurf City:
Friday, September 29, 2017
Winter is almost here
I heard from my friends in Westcliffe that the mountains down there are covered with snow already. I sure do miss that.
Still have family issues that aren't resolving but we continue to work on it.
Camp BowWow tells me that Mia has shown some aggressive behavior. They say they will watch her carefully and if happens regularly, she will not be able to come back. Hopefully it was an isolated instance. They were putting down a bowl of water and she wanted a drink but another dog got there first and she snapped. No big deal yet, but something to watch.
I almost bought a house in a gated senior community -- only people age 55 and up can live there. It had a golf course, indoor pool, outdoor pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, etc. etc. I stopped and talked to some of the residents and they all say they love it there. And I loved the house. I gave them a check and filled out the application -- and got approved -- but at the last minute I realized that it was way out of my price range and I backed out.
Today I had my annual visit to the dermatologist. I have a lot -- A LOT -- of those age spots. If they would all just grow together I would have a beautiful tan! The dermatologist says they are Seborrheic Keratoses. (My dermatologist back in Illinois called them "Senile Keratoses.") What a comedian.
But I also had about 7 or 8 "pre-cancers" on my face and he froze them off. Ah, the things we do in the name of getting older.
Our weather has been in the 50s and I kind of like it.
And I am attaching a RARE photo of my three animals napping together. That never happens. They even stayed there while I went and got the camera. So darn cute.
Still have family issues that aren't resolving but we continue to work on it.
Camp BowWow tells me that Mia has shown some aggressive behavior. They say they will watch her carefully and if happens regularly, she will not be able to come back. Hopefully it was an isolated instance. They were putting down a bowl of water and she wanted a drink but another dog got there first and she snapped. No big deal yet, but something to watch.
I almost bought a house in a gated senior community -- only people age 55 and up can live there. It had a golf course, indoor pool, outdoor pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, etc. etc. I stopped and talked to some of the residents and they all say they love it there. And I loved the house. I gave them a check and filled out the application -- and got approved -- but at the last minute I realized that it was way out of my price range and I backed out.
Today I had my annual visit to the dermatologist. I have a lot -- A LOT -- of those age spots. If they would all just grow together I would have a beautiful tan! The dermatologist says they are Seborrheic Keratoses. (My dermatologist back in Illinois called them "Senile Keratoses.") What a comedian.
But I also had about 7 or 8 "pre-cancers" on my face and he froze them off. Ah, the things we do in the name of getting older.
Our weather has been in the 50s and I kind of like it.
And I am attaching a RARE photo of my three animals napping together. That never happens. They even stayed there while I went and got the camera. So darn cute.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
I'm back
For the past several months, our family has been dealing with a few issues that I'm not at liberty to broadcast in this blog. So I haven't been in the mood to write.
But life has kept on going. Mia goes to a trainer twice a week and she has been really improving. But her outdoor behavior is still a little crazy, especially where rabbits are concerned. We will keep at it.
I've been dealing with my HOA and that's always challenging. I'm just trying to do simple things like spiff up the front of the townhouse, but they have told me I can't do it, so I give up. Today I got a letter from them telling me I was in violation of the covenants by having a shingle that is coming loose. They included two photos, one of the front door showing my address, and the other of the shingle that was coming loose. They said if I didn't fix it in 7 days I would be fined.
Interestingly, however, the photo they sent of the loose shingle was green and my shingles are yellow. Good grief. So I called them and after a stupid conversation, the guy finally said to disregard the letter. I hate HOAs.
I haven't been to the rec center in quite a while. I'll try to get back in the groove soon.
I've been doing a lot of retail therapy (shopping).
The motorcycle sits in the garage gathering dust. I need to do something with it but can't bring myself to part with it. It has too much Marshall in it.
I still get together with a few women from the grief group and that is very comforting.
But life has kept on going. Mia goes to a trainer twice a week and she has been really improving. But her outdoor behavior is still a little crazy, especially where rabbits are concerned. We will keep at it.
I've been dealing with my HOA and that's always challenging. I'm just trying to do simple things like spiff up the front of the townhouse, but they have told me I can't do it, so I give up. Today I got a letter from them telling me I was in violation of the covenants by having a shingle that is coming loose. They included two photos, one of the front door showing my address, and the other of the shingle that was coming loose. They said if I didn't fix it in 7 days I would be fined.
Interestingly, however, the photo they sent of the loose shingle was green and my shingles are yellow. Good grief. So I called them and after a stupid conversation, the guy finally said to disregard the letter. I hate HOAs.
I haven't been to the rec center in quite a while. I'll try to get back in the groove soon.
I've been doing a lot of retail therapy (shopping).
The motorcycle sits in the garage gathering dust. I need to do something with it but can't bring myself to part with it. It has too much Marshall in it.
I still get together with a few women from the grief group and that is very comforting.
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