Once in a Blue Moon

The blue moon at 6 this morning...I decided thwt today I have done several things that I only do "once in a blue moon!" This afternoon Nathan stopped by with a lawnmower and attempted to mow our lawn...he got part way through when the mower decided not to cooperate...so he changed to the push mower and that one didn't cooperate much longer than the riding mower! While he took breaks hoping one or the other would start after a rest, I got him to do a sonny-do job...this is the "once-in-a-blue moon job...pull out the refrigerator and let me clean under it and vacuum the back and wipe off the sides and back of the refrigerator. That hadn't been done since we remodeled the kitchen...four years ago. These days I rarely read a real book...but I had been reading a book that got taken back into cyberspace in the wee hours of the morning. This happened to be the book that I checked out for Woody the other day...so since he didn't take it to dialysis this morning, I decided that I would attempt to finish it today...then he can have it when he is reqdy to read it. I did get it finished just an hour or so ago...good book...Patti Callahan's "Surviving Savannah." Thanks, Connie, for recommending it! Another job that I don't do often is make croutons...did that this morning. Last time I made them was just before Cheryl and Rachel came...I had stored those in the freezer after they left...just finished them. So made more. Woody has been enjoying salads lately. Woody seems to have had a pretty good day. Made it through dialysis, finished his crossword puzzles after he got home, watched some TV, and rested and relaxed. He enjoyed visiting with Nathan. This morning while he was at dialysis, I did do some weeding...needed it since it has rained so much and then my back has been bothering me enough that I haven't felt like bending over to weed...so the gardens are a little happier. Weather was delightful for the last day of August...lots lower temps and lots lower humidity...another day that gives us a promise that Fall is around the corner. Tomorrow is wound care. I think that Woody is looking forward to seeing how this knee brace will work. Hoping that it will give him the support that he needs. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Playing the Waiting Game

We had to wait all day wondering when the home health nurse would arrive. I did know that she was coming as I called the office this morning since I had missed two calls yesterday. I was told that Woody was on the schedule of the nurse who had called us yesterday. So we waited and waited...she finally came around 5pm...she did call and give us a 45 minute "warning." When she got here she told us that it was his discharge visit. Something I don't understand...why would a nurse who has never seen us before come to sign him off...he had to go through all the questions and answers from the beginning since she didn't act like she knew any of his history. I will just say...it seemed like a waste of both her and our time. She didn't check wounds...just asked general questions that our usual nurses already knew. Oh, well...so unless the wound care doctor thinks that Woody should continue on, I guess we are out of the home health loop...at least for the moment. I'm wondering if there is a time frame placed by Medicare/insurance on how long home health nursing care can last without a break...like happens in a nursing care facility? For the time being...one less appointment with a medical person! A day freed up...wonder if it will last till next week. I know that wound care seemed surprised when I said that Woody was being processed out of home health care...that was our wound care nurse...we'll see what the wound care doctor has to say and whether she will start it up again...even before it really ends. We managed to stay at home today...no coming and going. I did finally manage to get all the things back into the laundry room...cleaning supplies that go on a little shelf in there. The fireplace is cleared once again. I worked on the Sunday School lesson for a while and have done some reading and also a little cross stitching...while we waited...Woody has been doing crossword puzzles and watching some TV and maybe read a little. Tomorrow is another early day...those roll around all too often! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious

Busy Tuesday

A short and sweet blog tonight...I'm just really tired and ready to do nothing for the rest of the night. Woody had his dialysis treatment today as usual for a Tuesday. All went well. I made chili while he was gone. He thought chili sounded good...my thoughts...still too hot for chili! But it did taste good for a change. I worked a little toward finishing the little piece that I finished cross stitchig last night...it's ready for the next step, but I'm not ready to take the next step...it will still be here when I am ready! I just loaded the dishwasher...ready to start it after I check to make sure there aren't any more dishes lurking around. I came upstairs to check and deciede that I would blog while I am up here. Donna and I worked in the library today. We chose books for our next book order. I came home and completed the order...so now we wait till they arrive. While I am downstairs after finishing up in the kitchen, I plan to change Woody's leg dressing. Our days have changed on doing that. We are using smaller bandages and changing them more often. I still haven't gotten into that routine, yet. I think that home health will come tomorrow to evaluate whether Woody will continue with them or be finished. I know that wound care wants him to continue...so we will see whether they communicated that fact to home health, or not. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday Arrived on Schedule!

We have just gotten home from prayer meeting...well, it took us a little longer to get back inside than usual due to it starting to rain while we were there. I drove the car around and picked Woody up under the portico at church. Then we waited a bit for rain to slow down, after we got home. I headed inside and turned on lights, checked the radar, and decided that the rain was here to stay for a while so grabbed an umbrella. Woody said that all went well in my strategy for getting him inside as dry as possible, as he said he didn't get wet! i won't say the same, but even with my goings in and out several times...first at church and then at home, I'm not all that wet...and it's time for jammies anyway! We have had a fairly uneventful day. I did head out this morning to make a stop at the public library...returned the book that I picked up for him Saturday and got him another one. I do hope that he gets back to reading...that will help pass some hours of his day...and books are such good escapes! After the library, I headed to Kroger and did some shopping...our cupboards were getting a bit bare! I was ready for a rest after putting groceries away and getting lunch. I did do some stitching this afternoon. I'm within just two short rows of Xs of being finished with this little cross stitch piece...plan to finish it tonight before i sleep. Woody's new knee brace arrived in the mail today...in plenty of time to take to his wound care appointment on Friday. We're ready to settle in for the night. Tomorrow is another early start to a Tuesday. To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

A Triple-H Summer Day

In TN those 3 Hs referred to in tonight's blog title are Hot, Humid, and Hazy. I captured some of that haze on my way home from taking Woody to dialysis this morning. Another characteristic of a TN summer day is thunder storm...and, at the moment we arein the midst of a thunderstorm. It's raining! It's pouring! And, the old man is snoring (thundering). I'm glad to hear rzinon the roof...no watering tomorrow attherayeit is coming down! Woody and I are both teaching Sunday School tomorrow. While Woody was at dialysis this morning, I cleaned up his room. On the way back to pick him up, I made two stops...the library to pick up a book i had put onhold for Woody and then wentto the Credit Union. Woody was eaiting for me when I got to the center. Woody has really been feeling better the last couple of days...a very good thing! His appetite has picked up, too...another good thing! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Hot, Hot, and Hotter!

Another good day to stay inside as much as possible! We ony had to get out a little before noon...pretty hot then! Woody had his wound care appointment at noon. We were in and out quickly, but did get a suggestion that Woody had been wanting for a long time. The wound care doctor suggested a knee brace...a hinged, adjustable knee brace. She showed me what to order from Amazon. And, as soon as we got home, I placed the order. We are to bring it next week and she will adjust it to his leg. This will allow him to bend his knee, but will limit side to side movement to protect his leg where it is so weak due to hardware failure. So...obviously...he did not get dismissed from wound care this week. Also the nurse at wound care said that she would include wording in her orders to home health that show that he needs to continue with home health. I'm just glad that professionals will continue to check his wounds twice a week. But wounds were status quo today. Nathan stopped by this afternoon. He had a little sewing project he needed to do. Then he did a couple of "sonny-do" jobs. Thank you, Nathan! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! Keep cool!

Another Thursday!

Thursday rolled around again and is about to turn into Friday! We went through our usual routine for a dialysis day. Up thirty minutes before Woody eats so he can take his thyroid med. I make his breakfast (lately an omelet). I bring down his crossword puzzles when I come downstairs and he gets dressed and starts working them while he waits for breakfast. He eats breakfast and then finishes getting ready. I pack a tote bag with his crossword puzzles, a ziplock bag containing pencils, a little pencil sharpener, and a magnifying glass, a book, and most importantly a fleece throw. I take that bag out to the car and open the trunk and then come back in to get him into his wheelchair...and...we're off! When we get to the center, I take him into the waiting room and then knock on the door to the treatment room, wish Woody a good morning, and I'm off. This morning, I watered after I got home...while it was still slightly cool. It was another really HOT day and we are supposed to have several more before this hot spell breaks. After I watered, I came inside and got ready to go out for breakfast with Carolyn and Jo. We met downtown at a little mom and pop restaurant and enjoyed a good breakfast and caught up with each other. The time passed fairly quickly and the next thing I knew, it was time to head to pick up Woody. His treatment went well as far as I could determine. We came home and spent as much of the rest of the day as possible inside with air conditioning! He continued to work on the puzzles in his daily calendar. I worked some more on the Sunday School lesson. I guess it was a visiting with friends day as, I visited with Connie on the phone for a while this afternoon. Sounds like home health is about to be over (again!), as a message was left on our answering machine that next week they would be discharging him. I have a feeling that the may discharge him from wound care tomorrow also...we'll see if my feeling is right! So we may have less comings and goings around here! To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!