What day is it?

Life has been a blur! Dad is doing as good as can be expected. This is the second day "back to Normal" having my grandgirls. Evenings I now spend with Dad. And then home to bed to start a new day in the morning. Scrapbooking....what is that? I don't even get to see the news or the weather. I have some how managed to keep up with my picture a day.(It keeps me sane)

Pictures are worth 1000 words

Talking on remote controlThree clownsSecond walk

Just after surgery

Hi Dad

No, I really mean it, HIGH dad! I took a stealth picture of him but something is going on with my computer and I can't load it. (maybe later when I have more patience to see what's wrong). He is so funny on pain medication.
He came out of surgery fast and fine. We waited about an hour for them to bring him back to his room. When we saw him, he said a big hello.Then complained for 5 minutes that he needed water (told him we needed to wait for the nurse). Then as usual after any surgery,he was hungry. ALL GREAT SIGNS!

He still thinks he can get to the bathroom using his cane, Ha! Ha!. We warned the night nurse about him.
We also asked her to make sure he accepted pain medication all night, He tries to be stoic and manly.

I am off to the hospital soon, they will be sitting him up and possibly walking him today.  He has a good attitude and seems anxious to start rehab.

My Dad

To make this long story short , my Dad who turned 88 on March 12th Broke his finger and his hip sometime Monday night before 11pm. He awoke around 4am Tuesday, in his bed,in severe pain. It took him three hours to get to the kitchen where his cane was. He then played a dice game to see if the pain was going to go away. Around 9am he called his doctor, who then called the rescue squad to take him to Somerset Medical center, where he arrived at the emergency room around 9:30am. WE did not get a phone call until 7:30 pm on Tuesday night.(because Daddy said , "what could we do?") Caroline was the only one home.She immediately called my sister Chris because Doug and I were in Tinton Falls, NJ attending a MDA Clinic Meeting.Chris has trouble driving at night so she spoke with Dad on the phone.  Carrie went immediately to the emergency room, followed by Emilie and Matthew. Doug and I arrived around 9:30pm. Dad had just spent 12 hours in the emergency room. He finally got a room and a bed around 10pm.

This morning I arrived at Dad's room around 9:30am.He was just about to eat breakfast. He said He had a pretty bad night (at this point we did not know that his hip was broken). We were waiting for him to have an MRI.
And we wait, and we wait, and we wait.........lunch (which he doesn't eat)came and went. We have only seen a nurse once and no Doctors at all. Finally we are told that Daddy is not considered ADMITTED to the hospital (according to Medicare). He is only being OBSERVED. Chris and I ask what exactly this means.
Left undiagnosed, Daddy would have to leave the hospital within 48 hours. Still no MRI. It is not his fault that he has not been diagnosed!  I asked the person informing us of Dad's status to please inform the patient advocate that we would like to be seen.

At one point during the day, Daddy had pressed his buzzer and we got no response for 45 minutes. I had to go out to the desk before someone came in. The advocate pressed the buzzer and waited 20 minutes for a response before going out to the desk to see if the board was lighting up. As soon as the staff was aware of an advocate on the floor, you should have seen how many people swarmed around Daddy. He needed to be pulled up in bed and they were not very compassionate or gentle about moving him, and it was witnessed by the advocate. Our advocat then returned to his office to file a report on our behalf.

 Robyn and Tim came and Robyn was getting madder and madder about the way Pop was being treated. At 6pm on the dot, two minutes after his dinner arrived he was taken down for his MRI. Chris, Caroline and I went for a snack, then went back to Pop's Room. He still wasn't back. He did not come back until after 7pm.

Not five minutes later, before they could even move Daddy off the gurney back into bed, the othopaedic surgeon was in, drawing a diagram of Pop' broken hip. It was a femoral Neck Fracture - a clean one.

So, tomorrow after breakfast Daddy can't eat or drink anything and he will be operated on sometime around 7pm. I can't resist, He's going to get screwed! Literally!  It is going to be a long day and night.

There was no alternative. Never walk again or the risk of surgery! Daddy is a fighter and I think if anyone can do this, he can!

Remember Me

Remember Me is the name of the movie that Caroline and I went to see tonight. It is labeled a chick flick, BUT I thought that it had a little more substance than that. Had I been in college, and saw this movie back in the 70's it would have provoked discussions.And guess what, besides paying for the movie, Caroline bought me ......buttered popcorn! I cannot tell you when I last had buttered popcorn! Heaven. We saw a couple of promising previews for more chick flicks, so the summer is looking up for me! (Of course I will have to pay for her next time, but she always brings a bottle of water and barely snacks, so she may be a cheap date!)
So, I am saying a big thank you to Caroline for taking her almost destitute and pitiful mother to the movies!
I love you!

Bound Brook Update

Four Pictures Worth Four Thousand Words!!!!

I think there still is a store for rent on Main Street, any takers?

Never a dull moment!

Last night the family bravely gathered a t Houlihans to celebrate my Father's 88th Birthday! The nor'easter with hurricane force gusts was in full force. Parts of Route 22 and Route 287 were blocked off and police cars could be seen racing down 22 with flashing lights. Houlihans lost power three times. It was the thought of leaving Houlihans that was frightening.

So, we got up this morning and of course with cameras in hand, Caroline and I went on a walking tour of our immediate neighborhood.

Here are three views of the island by our house, summer ,winter and TODAY! We are venturing out to see if we can get to Coscto later. Bound Brook is under a state of emergency and they are evacuating to the Bound Brook High School. The Raritan River is due to crest around 2pm. Stay tuned for any postings of our venturing out, later.

Good Friends

Yesterday, I got a card in the mail from the asylum, oh , I mean my good friend Angela. I opened it at a moment when I was feeling very angry. It made me laugh! I read it again, and laughed harder. That night I decided that it was just to good a card to just throw away, so.....it became my picture for today

I am so glad that I have such good friends! Want to join?

It's my Special Day

We opened Kamryn's door and I called out "we're here!" and Kamryn came running and yelling, "It's my special Day." She was so excited! When have you ever seen a two year old get tears in her eyes when the family sang Happy Birthday to her? What a precious little girl!

Happy Birthday Two Year Old!

A good day

Kamryn and Samantha did not come today. That did not make it a good day. I got up at 7am and started icing Kamryn's birthday cake for her two year old party tomorrow.I made number 2 cookies and iced them and I frosted 24 cupcakes. I finished working (not cleaning up) around 1pm, had lunch, talked to Angela who had been on a retail therapy binge, and then went to Scraptasia, Tuesday Morning and Michaels. That made it a good day! I believe that I matched or surpassed Angela's total. It was a very good day!
And now a glimpse at my slightly crossed eyed Dora cake.

Signs of Change

Be open to the possibilities. CHANGE is in the air! New month and my first sighting of a robin. (Caroline informs me that seeing a robin cannot be an indicator of spring because robins are not migratory) Do you see how she is not being OPEN to the possibilities?

I have been looking for my pair of cardinals. I saw them briefly during the snow storm but have not seen them since. This robin had such a big round, red chest and it was such a beautiful (but windy) day.

I am ready to embrace the new possibilities!