Stevie Nicks has been visiting wounded Iraqi war soldiers. Her blog is amazing. So many people are quietly doing what they can to help the soldiers and I think this is awesome. But we as a country need to do more for them. It's painful when soldiers who are severely injured are not taken care of by this country. If anyone deserves it, it is them. Congress has more 'perks' then most Americans. I think this is wrong; soldiers who fight for their country deserve these perks much more than any person in Congress.

www.nicksfix.com

Our beautiful weather continues. It's sunny and 83 today.

Mom didn't answer the phone this afternoon when I called. Of course, I worried. Turns out she was enjoying the beautiful weather from our outdoor patio. I really need to stop jumping to conclusions.

Angie has left for the UK. I hope that she has a wonderful trip and takes lots of pictures. She will be there for nearly 3 weeks. She is going to England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Sounds like fun. When she gets back she moves to MO.

I start my one week vacation today. I hope to take Mom to Lake Minnetonka and a few other places for day trips. I hope that the weather cooperates. I'm looking forward to having a whole 10 days off from work. I haven't had that much time off in a long time.

Took Mom to the dentist today. She needs a deep cleaning, she's not brushing the back teeth well enough, so we have to go back in August.

For some reason she thinks that many of the clothes she wears are men's clothes. Don't quite get that.

Today I took a wonderful walk around the state capitol grounds. It took about 30 minutes. I went with a woman whom I used to work with and we caught up on old news. That's probably why it was easy to walk for that long. I stretched out afterward so I hope I don't wake up tomorrow morning unable to move.

Heard today that Warren Buffet is giving most of his wealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. His actions restore my faith in the ultra wealthy. I've seen so many greedy acts lately, it's refreshing to see someone being unselfish. But then, what's a few billion to Warren Buffet when he has more money than most nations on this planet. I hope that this money is not mismanaged and that it can truly help not only people in this country who are in need, but also people throughout the world.

Finally time for bed. It's been a long day. Found a great album on iTunes of Renaissance music. It's very peaceful and relaxing.

I've included a counter that shows the cost of the war in Iraq in monetary terms. The cost in human suffering is astronomical. I hope this great country of mine can survive this travesty of a war.

Back from getting Mom's blood drawn. Went to the Mall afterward and parked Mom by the piano at the department store while I walked around the Mall. Got some new shirts for both of us and then went to Bath And Body Works to get some body spray. I love that store!

Mom is dozing now. She has been teary a lot lately. I worry about her becoming depressed but she keeps passing the quizzes the doctors give her to test for depression.

It's warmer today; 82 and sunny. This weekend there is a gathering at the pool that I hope to go to. Maybe Mom will want to come too.

Yesterday I noticed that one of the vanpoolers was reading the newsletter from The Wildcat Sanctuary, a wonderful place that takes in big cats (we're talking tigers and servals and such) and gives them a great place to live out the rest of their lives. One pooler exclaimed "those cats should be killed" which set me off. Cats of any kind are near and dear to my heart. I'm so glad that there are places like this sanctuary. Tammy Quist is a saint. Check it out at www.wildcatsanctuary.org. And anyone who disagrees has no heart.

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” -Teddy Roosevelt

My tree rose is blooming and it looks beautiful.

Took Mom for her haircut tonight. It revived the perm and looks good. Made an appointment for her for July. It was a pretty good day today.

It's cooler here and less humid. Am trying to make a date with the Fleischmanns. We hope to meet halfway sometime soon. Mom has been wanting to see them.

Mom is irritable today. I'm trying to handle it patiently but it's hard. Went to Bachmans this AM to get some spray to kill the bugs that are eating the leaves of my tree rose. Also got some more plants for the patio. They make a fuschia that can take full to partial sun! I love them so I got one.

Yesterday I met the woman who lives across the street. We got a letter that should have gone in her mailbox so I dropped it off. She seems very nice. When I got home Mom thought I had gone over there to have her come over to take care of Mom (?). Her mind is really weird. I've got to call the ALZ org just to make contact with them. It would be nice to have someone come in and spend time with her and maybe bathe her. She would have a fit about that though. Sometimes I get so weary from struggling with her to do things that she needs to do.

We had rain last evening which was good for the grass and plants. It seemed to cool off and get rid of some of the heat and humidity too. Today is a lovely day, breezy and cooler.

Just in from running errands. We had breakfast Panera again. Mom gets so confused and asks questions over and over. It can be so tiresome but I have to be patient, she can't help it.

We had heavy rain last night with thunder and lightening. It's really humid today and I think we are due for more showers. Our grass looks green after just one day of rain. My tree rose is finally blooming and it looks beautiful and smells so good.

Mom has so much trouble moving around. It's sad. She uses a cane and it hurts to get in the car for her. Her pro-time has been high so we have had to had it checked every week. Luckily I have Fridays off so I can take her to the clinic. But they are also opened on Saturdays and evenings so that is helpful too.

My family will be happy to know that I have enrolled in the Long Term Care Insurance plan through my work. If I enroll now, I can keep my monthly payments down, 32.00 per month. Plus I can take it with me if I leave my job.

Tomorrow is Mom's birthday and my nephew's graduation day. It seems hard to believe that he is old enough to graduate from high school. It was 25 years ago this year that I graduated from high school.

Anne Coulter and George Carlin are supposed to be on the Tonight Show tonight. I hope I can stay up long enough to see the fireworks. Should be interesting.

Got the pictures of Uncle's house. I can't remember details about the house because it has probably been 20 some years since I was in that house. It look like they are doing a great remodeling job on it though.

Views of our Home

This is the front of our house

Our kitchen

Living Room


This is the view from our front door.

It has been cloudy and dreary here in Minnesota. And cool. It was 57 this morning. Yikes.

We found a chair for the shower for Mom. She seems to like it. Now to replace the shower head with a handheld one.

I need to take Olivia (Stinky) to get her claws trimmed. They are wickedly sharp right now. She has really grown into a good kitty. She is very good with Mom and she doesn't bite and claw either of us nearly as much as she used to. She seems to be working things out with Lily too.

I ordered a Sander's birthday cake (Colonial buttercream) for Mom's birthday. It came overnight delivery on Friday. Mom was thrilled. It's nice to be able to provide some happiness to her.

Tomorrow it's back to work. :-( But I like my job so that's OK.

When dealing with someone who has dementia, it's important to remember that trying to make the person remember things through repetition is basically a waste of time and it is also humiliating for the person with dementia. Mom will repeat things several times and I try to patiently answer her each time. It's also pointless to argue with her so even if she has a mistaken belief I may try to correct her once, but I usually agree with her just to make things easier.

Today I was invited to have lunch with the newborn screening team whom I support because, in their words, I am their favorite IT person. It feels good to know that they appreciate all that I do for them. They are a good group to work with.

It's cool here and we have the windows open. It's a lovely evening and I'm looking forward to having the day off tomorrow.

Both my niece and nephew attended their respective proms this year. They have one up on the previous generation; none of us attended our proms (losers, right?).

Found an interesting article on Eva B. Seeley, a relative of ours who bred Alaskan Malamutes. Here is the link. It's quite a fascinating article.
The Seeleys & The Kotzebue Strain
How weird that on our side of the family, every likes cats. That comes from my Dad whom I believe got it from his mother. I always wondered why Dad had an autographed picture of an Alaskan Malamute named Rowdy. Click on the link to find out about the famous dog Rowdy.

Most everyone remembered my birthday and those of you who didn't, well you know who you are!!

Bought a new Bose Sound Dock for my iPod and am listening to it right now. It has awesome sound and I love it. I bought it for my birthday present.

Finally watched the season finale of Lost. Very interesting show. I like how ABC has put some of their shows on the internet with limited interruptions.

Mom's doctor called. The mail order prescription company needs them to perform a mini mental exam before they will refill her prescription for Aricept. I think this sucks a.) because it's humiliating for Mom if she can't answer the questions, why put her through it? and b.) now we have to pay for a doctor's visit. Insurance companies really have us by the throat, don't they?

Tomorrow I'm going to a meeting about Long Term Care insurance. Employees can enroll before the end of June without answering any medical questions so I think I'm going to do it. It will cost me less than $20.00 per month and it's portable meaning, if I leave my job, I can take this insurance with me.

Got my hair cut and colored today. It feels better. It's stormy tonight, we need the rain. Wonder if anyone will remember my birthday tomorrow??? 06-06-06. What a momentous day.

Have been seeing this huge, black Escalade parked in front of one of the houses in our neighborhood. Turns out it belongs to one of the Minnesota Vikings players. I figured the guy had to be a Viking since he looks pretty big. Korey Stringer lived in my old neighborhood for a while.

Today is a glorious day; sunny and breezy. It's perfect weather. We checked out the pool today. It wasn't very crowded but I'm not sure Mom could navigate the ladder down into the pool. I'd still like to get her to try the one at the senior rental place but she's not sure she's interested. She gets so lonely when I'm at work, I wish she would try something like that.

Met some of our neighbors yesterday. When I was walking to the mailbox I met Jerry who lives across the street. He and his wife have an 8 month old girl who is so cute. Later that evening Mom and I were sitting on the patio and the woman that lives in the house we looked at with the 4 steps into the house from the garage stopped by to tell us that she loves our flowers on our patio and that her daughter loves to watch our kitty in the window. She seems really nice and Mom enjoyed talking to her.

We went to the mall this morning and breakfast at Panera. We got new shoes for me and for Mom. I of course had to check out the scrapbook store and then we ran into my Creative Memories consultant who told me that she has my latest order. Mom dumped her pills into her water this AM. I'm not sure this is a good thing but I can't figure out how to stop her. I hand her the pills first and then the glass of water and she takes the pills and dumps them in. Maybe I should have her put them in her mouth, then give her the glass of water. I never am quite sure what to expect next....

I've been looking for some desk/office/storage furniture on the IKEA website. I'd like to go to the store at the Mall O' America, but it's so huge and I get so overwhelmed there. I'm going to have to work up to it though cuz I found some stuff I really thing would work out well. The hard part will be getting it home and then assembling it. One of my friends suggested having an "Assemble my IKEA stuff" party....

We've added a new rider to our vanpool. She is from India and works with us. She is really nice and very smart. She knows Java well it sounds like. She lives in Shakopee and was planning to drive herself every day til she realized how convenient the vanpool is. I'm glad she decided to join us.

The media is making a big deal about my birthday this year -- 6-6-06. What a bunch of garbage. Mothers who have due dates are planning ways to not have their babies born on that day. Get real!

Last night the gorgeous animal to the left, my beautiful Lily, was doing her annoying thing of scratching at the glass on my grandmother's wedding picture which hangs over my bed. I decided to take it off the wall so I could get some sleep and somehow I knocked the picture above it off the wall and it feel down and hit me right square in the bridge of my nose. No, it doesn't look too bad this morning but it sure does hurt when I touch it. Don't know what her fascination is with the picture but she has been doing this for years! Maybe she can see her reflection in the glass, I dunno.

Finally heard from my brother. He is taking one of the jobs he was offered and starts late June. This will mean that he is moving, but it will be closer to Minnesota so that is good. I know he doesn't like where he is at now so a fresh start is good. I think that my niece will adjust better too, since they are moving to her birthplace. I'm happy for him.

Mom did a weird thing today; when I gave her her pills to take this morning, she dumped them into her orange juice. Yikes! I kind of overreacted with "what are you doing?" and she wanted to dump out half of the juice but I made her drink it all because her meds were in it. It's like having a kid. I'm definitely learning to have patience and understanding because I realize that it's not her doing these things, it's the dementia.

We are looking for a seat for the shower stall and a wall gripper so that she can hang on to something when she is taking a shower. She says she feels very unsteady in the shower. I need to replace the shower head with the new one that has a handheld head as well as a regular showerhead. I just can't get the old one off. Need to call a handyman.

Isn't my life fun?? It could be worse....