Here it is!

No rude comments please!

Anjo and Moi!

Just Checking In!

Me and the Banjo are doing OK - for a couple of old bags! Mr. Indi hasn't felt too well for a few days. He's very weak - although we did manage to get him in the wheelchair last night so that he could come and sit with us for dinner. Nice salmon.

The nurse came and took blood samples on Wednesday - will be interested in results - might hear something today.

In all of the excitement, I have forgotten to take my arthritis meds and am now suffering!

Weather - so-so! Temp about 65 but not much sun - so no bikini sunbathing as yet.

Finally did it! - Had my hair spiked! I love it.

No pictures - don't have time.

Will write more tomorrow.

We Are Both Old Girls Today!

Yesterday was busy - to say the least!

Steve, the therapist was here at 7:15 to give Mr. Indi a good working over. Steve likes the early appointments as he says that most of his clients don't roll out of the sack until 9 in the morning! I told him that we are on a rather odd clock in this house. There is always someone making a cup of tea at 5 a.m.

Anjo and I did a bit of shopping and, along with my son, the infamous Mr. A, went to lunch at the Wings Place where we played the electronic trivia game. Twas good fun for an hour or so. The food was OK and the beer was very good!

Mr. Indi is getting a little stronger each day in his upper body - but losing more of the feeling and movement from the waist down. The tumors in his spine must be reaching more nerve endings. But, he was able to get into the wheelchair twice yesterday and come out into the living room - in fact he was able to join us at the dinner table - A real treat for all of us. The pressure sores on his elbows are not looking very good so we went to the sporting goods store and got some different kinds of elbow pads - unfortunately none of them will work - too tight - too hot - too uncomfortable. So, I shall have to return them today.

Tis Anjo's birthday today and I am going to take her to our favorite clothing store to buy her a birthday gift. For 12 days of each year we are the same age - although I still remind her that I'm the BIG sister!

I promised 2 pictures but could only find one that I liked. I took it last September in Redlands. Will go out today armed with a camera.

TheEagle Has Landed

After a very smooth flight on a half empty jumbo - Anjo the Banjo emerged from LAX looking as fresh as a dandelion!

For those who are wondering who the heck Anjo is - No, she is not a relative named Ann Jones, No, she doesn't play the banjo (she can hardly manage to play the CD player!) She is my SISTER! Her name is Angela and she is here to help me with Mr. Indi and also provide moral support for when I go out on the town! To the supermarket, that is! Although we may have to nip in the local and see if their G&T's are as good as those in her local!

I might not have much time to blog - but will keep you all updated on his Lordship.

He has been in and out of the wheelchair a couple of times over the past few days and is getting a little stronger each day. The therapist is pleased with his progress.

No picture today - will post 2 tomorrow!

She's In The Air!

And I should think her arms will be getting tired in a few more hours! I must say that the flight from London to LA is always so long - and - sooooooooo boring especially if you get that strong headwind which sometimes adds an extra half an hour onto your already sore bum or the pong of your neighbor with the foul BO! Ah! The joys of modern travel.

Yesterday was quite busy but I still didn't get everything done on my list of "Things that MUST be done before Anjo sees what a slob I am" But, at least the bed linens are all clean and the kitchen is reasonable - just don't look in the oven!

Our two beautiful granddaughters came over for a little while to visit their Papa. The little one wanted to take the doll house home - the one that we built for her older sister, many years ago. I was sad to see it go - it has so many memories - but I know that Emi will have hours of fun playing with it.

We promised Steve (the physio) that Mr. Indi would get in the wheelchair and we kept our promise. He got his bottom down the transfer board and, once in the chair, there was no stopping him! He managed to push himself down the hallway and into the living room where he watched the big tele for a little while. This gave me the chance to change his bed and tidy up his room a little. Getting him back in the bed was a bit of a struggle but we managed and after he huffed and puffed and got himself facing the right way, he was knackered!

Son and DIL also came over and bought his Lordship a really neat roll-around cart for the bedroom. It's the perfect size for holding all of his necessaries; loo roll, baby talc, hand lotion, disinfectant hand wipes, books, puzzles, magazines, pens, pencils, pills, bottles of water, cups of tea, snacks, sweeties, etc!

One of Mr. Indi's workmates also came by to visit for a little while and bought a lovely box of shortbread cookies. Yum! I had to take them away from his Lordship - he was spoiling his dinner! Passgetti and garlic toast!

Well, I have just put the rubbish bins out at the curb and the clouds are thickening and threatening - rain on the way! I hope Anjo has packed her mac!

Today's picture is one that I took at the Los Angeles County Fair. Thousands of little children from the LA School district take part in the coloring competition (5-6 year olds) and every kid gets a ribbon. Neat!

Done and Dusted!

I finally feel as though I accomplished something, yesterday! And doesn't that feel fine - when you've been struggling with an issue and finally have it under control?

Some weeks ago, a nurse from the first home care agency had taken blood samples to the wrong place for analysis. I then received a bill for $384. I know that the blood tests should be covered 100% by our insurance but was getting the run around as far as how I could make that claim.

Well, after umming and arrring for a couple of weeks, I decided to pay the bill and then collect all of the paper work - scan it - send it to the insurance co and ask them to reimburse me. I don't know if it will work - it should! But, I was spending too much time and energy worrying about having that bill hanging over my head. So - it's done and, with luck, I will be reimbursed. And, if I don't gets me money back - I shall have to give up drinking Newcastle Brown! Perish the thought!

Steve, the physio came yesterday and had me practicing getting his Lordship in and out of the wheelchair. It's a bit scary as the transfer board that Mr. Indi plonks his bum on is only about 9 inches wide (Mr. Indi's bum is about 5 feet wide!) But, WE DID IT! And, we did it without Steve helping us. Getting back from the chair to the bed is a bit more awkward and Mr. Indi gets very nervous but both Steve and I told him that once he is halfway up the board, all he has to do is sling himself on the bed - even if he ends up sideways - it's OK! We went through the routine twice and Mr. Indi started to feel a bit more confident. We promised Steve that we will practice it again today. If you never hear from me again, I am buried under a wheelchair and a large man in the back bedroom!

Anjo the Banjo arrives tomorrow and I'm sorry to say that I may be meeting her in the rain. She has seen enough rain this winter in cold and wet England/Wales and is hoping for lots of lovely LA sunshine so that she can lie on the chaise in the back garden in her bikini! (Enough to lower the price of houses in the area, I should think!) Anyway, the temperature will be about 70F (21C) so I think she will enjoy that. Am so looking forward to her expertise in ironing, lavatory cleaning, vacuuming and general skivvying! Love you Anj!

I don't think I have posted this picture before - but it is a nice one for a grey and gloomy day in LA. I took the picture of the bougainvillea at the San Gabriel Mission last summer.

I Was Doing It Backwards!

Well, Aurelia, the RN came at about 9:00 a.m to get a urine sample and you know what happened - he couldn't do it! I tried making tinkling noises and pretending to chug-a-lug a Newcastle out of the bottle - but he could only manage a dribble! Aurelia said that she only needed 10cc but one needs quite a few dribbles to make 10ccs. Grrr! Well, we finally got enough and - after Aurelia had left to take the sample down to Dr. N's office - Mr. Indi peed about 2 gallons! Bloody marvelous isn't it?

It wasn't more than an hour later that Daisy, Dr. N's nurse, called and said that they had detected massive infection in the urine and where sending it out to the lab for a culture. In the meantime, they called in a prescription to Larry's pharmacy for Cipro - a horrible, strong anti-biotic that makes you dizzy! (I speak from experience.) The drug should clear up the infection within 10 days - and, I hope, will make poor old Mr. Indi feel a bit better than he has done over the past week or so.

Weird Charles also came in the morning, to do a few exercises with his Lordship. He noted that the hospital bed was way too low and that it needed adjusting so that I don't hurt my back while changing Mr. Indi and/or his bed linens. I told him about how both Lillian and I have tried to raise the thing but it is too hard to crank the handle. Well, guess what? Charles cranked the bed up in no time at all - it seems that both Lillian and I had been turning the crank handle the wrong direction - it's supposed to go anti-clockwise! Duh! I felt like a complete prune - BUT at least the bed is now raised up and will hopefully give my poor old back a bit of rest!

I drove down to the World Market and stocked up on tea bags for the imminent arrival of Anjo the Banjo - I also picked up a few treats - Cadbury's Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Bikkies! Yummy. While down in that neck of the woods, I stopped and had lunch with my friend Di. She will be out of town for the next 2 weeks and will miss Anjo. Boo - Hoo! Still, I'm sure she will meet her in the future. Di is a very nice person and I'm sure Anjo would enjoy meeting her.

I'm getting lazy about cooking dinner each night - too much work - and so last night I got Swedish Meatballs with Noodles in a nice sauce from the frozen food department. I was surprised how good it was - and Mr. Indi scarfed the lot. I also got a loaf of freshly baked cheese and jalapeno bread. Wow! I washed it all down with a Newkie and was set for a good night's sleep!

I took the picture in August 08. I love yellow flowers - especially dahlias.

Old Lamb and a New Scarf!

We only had one visitor yesterday, Miss Lillian, the nurse's aid. She came and gave Mr. Indi a lovely bath and massaged his legs with some good smelly lotion. After she was finished, he took his meds and was able to take a nice nap for a couple of hours while I did a bit of skivvying.

My lovely neighbor, Lourdes (Mrs. Jesus) did a week's worth of ironing and refused to take any money from me - but I went and got another gift certificate from the grocery store and told her to shurrup! I said that we can both help each other - I need the ironing done and she needs the money - a fair deal! Also - she has knitted me a beautiful bright red scarf. Wow! It's a stunner.

Mr. Indi has decided not to take the rest of the chemo pills - I think there are only about 5 left. He wants to build up his strength in order to get from the bed to the wheelchair and back - and the chemo is just dragging him down too much. He doesn't feel that this chemo regimen is doing him any good and will probably not continue when his next infusion is due. (Next week)

The hospital bed is not working out as well as we had hoped. I think it may be because his Lordship is 6'2" and can't seem to get comfortable even though sitting up is easier. I have tried to crank the bed frame up a few inches but can't seem to budge the blasted thing. Even Miss Lillian had a go but she only moved it about one inch!

Made a nice dinner of lamb chops (Australian) roasties, onion sauce, carrots and cabbage last night - the lamb had seen better days but Mr. Indi enjoyed the flavours and the veg are always good for him. I do hope he has a better day today - yesterday was painful and frustrating for him.

The lovely picture is of a beautiful lake in New Hampshire sent to me by my buddy, Lexi xxxx

Bubba's Special - Yummy!

Mr. Indi is not feeling well at all. He gave himself a Procrit injection yesterday but still seems to be getting weaker and is unable to finish his full set of exercises. The RN came for her weekly visit and will be back on Friday morning to take a urine sample - she thinks that there might be something wrong in the plumbing department - grrrrr!

Steve, the physio came in the afternoon and taught his Lordship how to get from the bed to the wheelchair by using the transfer board. Getting from the bed to the chair wasn't too bad but getting back into the bed is a bit more difficult. Steve showed me how to raise and lower the bed so that Mr. Indi wouldn't be fighting gravity as he tries to slide his bum up the transfer board and back into bed - However, I don't think Steve realizes how much my elbows hurt (bloody arthritis) and it's just too hard for me to crank the handle to raise and/or lower the bed. Will have to find a way around it.

A very nice nurse from a hospice agency came to visit and gave us lots of info about hospice care. Unfortunately, one of the services that they DON"T provide, is respite for carers. She did say she could put me in touch with some volunteers but I don't know if I want to do that. I'm a bit wary of leaving a stranger here in the house while Mr. Indi is paralyzed in bed. It's not that I've got anything that's worth more than $20 - but it's just the idea of somebody poking around in our stuff! Am I being silly?

Mr. Indi wanted some of that delicious pizza from the "We don't have glasses for you to drink your beer" joint. I drove down at about 6 p.m. and got their Bubba's Special - everything but the kitchen sink. I took my knitting and did a few rows while drinking Newcastle Brown Ale from the bottle as I waited for the pizza to cook! It didn't take long - I think about 10 rows and 1 bottle - and Mr. Indi was very pleased because it really was delish. And, I was really pleased as there was no washing up! Just chuck the pizza box in the rubbish. We must do that more often.

Since the rain stopped, the weather has been spectacular - the snow on the mountains is gorgeous and the sky has been a beautiful deep blue. I hope it stays this way so that Anjo can see it. She usually comes to visit in the summer when everything is parched and brown - including me!

The picture is one that I took last May under Newport Pier. I like poking about under piers.

Bed and Beach!

A very quick post today - I'm up to my bum in alligators and somebody is draining the lake!

The hospital bed arrived and a very nice chap set it all up and showed me how to work the motorized bits. Called SIL and he came and moved his Lordship from the big bed to the hospital bed. His Lordship has to push all the buttons - up - down - round and round. Tries to pull himself up on the trapeze and BANG - trapeze drops down about 6 inches and nearly beans his Lordship! I looked at the attachment at the back of the headboard but I'm not strong enough to adjust the wingnuts - Ah well - therapist coming this afternoon - will have him look at it. Told Mr. Indi to stop playing around and sit still and watch the tele

Had to go to the oncology office to get prescrip for morphine - dropped it off at Larry's pharmacy but couldn't wait for it because Mr. Indi called to say that he was sitting in a pancake and could I hurry home. Drove home and asked his Lordship if he wanted syrup with that or lemon and sugar!

Mr. Indi's brother is coming on Monday to sit with his Lordship while I drive to LAX to get Anjo the Banjo. Hope the plane is on time - but am so looking forward to seeing her and am getting the ironing board ready for when she arrives - she'll soon get over the jet lag! (Kidding - honest!)

The picture is of the beach at New Quay in West Wales - it is so lovely. A big "Thank You" and lots of slobbery kisses to my friend Jan who sent me the picture.

Moving Day!

Well, by the time I went to bed last night, I felt like I had been put through the mangle! Actually everybody who joined in with the "patient transfer and bed pushing " palaver worked so hard and I am so grateful to everyone who lent a hand - especially as it poured with rain for most of the day.

Lillian showed up at 7:30 to give his Lordship a good scrub down and wash his hair - I had forgotten to put her on the calendar! Duh - I felt like a real nincompoop - still in my pjs and watching the news with my 4th cup of tea in my hand! "What are you doing here?" "Oh nothing" she said. "Just stopping by to say Hi!" Lil is a real card! She got busy and his Lordship was sparkly clean in no time.

My son and his wife came at about 10ish and helped move some of the furniture in my bedroom in order to make room for the wheelchair to go up the side of the bed. And, of course, the more we pushed and shoved, the more dust and dead bodies we found under the bed! I really do need a maid - any volunteers?

At about 11:30 my son in law and his cousin came to move Mr. Indi from one bed to the other. I was very nervous as Mr. Indi is dead weight and unable to help move himself so I was afraid that he would end up "Kersplat" on the bedroom floor. But J and O are big strong chaps and had him out of the bed; into the wheelchair; into the other bed, all in about 5 minutes! Well done!

We soon got him all settled in with his bed pans, urinals, television and clicker, antacid pills and a box of nose blowers! All the necessities of life! He was happy as a lark. It didn't take long to strip down the other bed and stack it in the garage and while he was out there, J chopped up some fire wood for me for kindling and the washing machine was started on a marathon session.

While the bed moving was in progress, M and D drove to the medical supply store and picked up a transfer board ( a device used to move a patient to and from the wheelchair - bed - potty - etc.) and a bathtub bench which we hope Mr. Indi will be able to use one day. So, we are now a fully equipped private hospital that offers experienced bedpan emptiers, high def cable TV and a Newcastle Brown Ale with dinner. Rooms from $800 per day!

Now, some very good news - Anjo the Banjo will be arriving in Los Angeles next Monday to spend a couple of weeks helping me with a bit of skivvying! Yea! We shall also be celebrating both of our birthdays - in one place - together - for the first time in about 50 years! We were born 12 days apart - NO - not in the same year!

Today, the hospital bed will arrive. I hope they don't muck about and make me wait around all day grrrr! I have a hundred things to do - including going to get a new prescrip for more morphine. Then, once the bed is in place, I have to get his Lordship transfered again so I can have my bed back - last night was the couch! Will cross that bridge... - (I seem to be crossing a lot of bridges lately!)

I want to go to the beach but will have to put up with photos for now - today's picture was taken at Balboa in Dec 2007. Can you see the humming bird?

p.s Thanks to S for correcting my postings! Do I get a star?

I Want a Hog!

Yesterday was quite productive. Son and his wife came over in the afternoon and he was soon able to get the two bedroom doors off their hinges. We put Mr. Indi's door out in the garage (one day this garage will burst at the seams!) but we left my door up against the wall in my bedroom as it will be put back up once we have finished with all this shuffling around.

Before our company came, I went down to a new pizza joint in the old part of town. I have been dying for some decent pizza and this new place looked promising. Well, let me tell you - the pizza was super. Lovely crust - not too much tomato sauce - yummy pepperoni. But the ambiance is less than stellar! The two big screen televisions were showing NASCAR auto racing - which I can't stand! But you have to be a NASCAR fan to qualify as a real man in this town. Also, they do not give you a glass when you order a beer. Drinking from the bottle is a city ordinance, I think! Arghh - I hate drinking beer from a bottle - but - a Newkie is a Newkie so I put up with it! Are you getting the picture that I live in Hicksville, USA!

After we got the doors down, Mr. Indi insisted that we nail up a sheet or something to cover the door hole! I think he's afraid of the boogie man! I told him that the boogie man will take one peek at the bed pans, urinals, antiseptic hand wipes, etc and run for his life. The boogie man will be more afraid of you than you are of him! His Lordship wanted to know if I was going to nail a sheet over my door hole! NO, when I have my eyes closed, I don't care who comes in my room - and besides the boogie man is under the bed - with the dust! Leave him alone!

The steaks that I got for 1/2 price were delish and, luckily, the rain held off while I did the BBQ. With some baked potoatoes and a lovely salad with avacado, it was a very good Sunday dinner washed down with a Baileys! Life was good - well, for at least a couple of hours it was good!

This morning, the rain is pouring down and it's a bit parky (40F) The rain is forecast to get worse through the day so I don't think I shall be venturing very far on my Harley-Davidson hog - pictured above! (I lie - I just dream of riding a Harley!) The picture was taken in Temecula last summer.

Just for Me! Ahhhhh!

Today's picture is one that was sent to me by my friend, Sybil. The beautiful rose is called "Just For You" and I think it's gorgeous. Thank you my friend xx

Steve came at 7 a.m. yesterday and was amazed to learn that both the chair AND the hospital bed had been approved. He scratched his head and tried to figure out how this could be. I mean, he hadn't written his recommendations yet! I tried hard not to gloat.

Anyway, to give him his due, Steve got stuck in with the exercises and the first thing that he worked on was to show Mr. Indi how to get in and out of the wheelchair. Getting in wasn't so bad - he used a pillow as a sliding board (the arms of the chair are removable) but getting back in the bed was a bit of a struggle - but they did it and I could tell that Mr. Indi felt very pleased. Steve is going to find a proper sliding board at a reasonable price and should be calling me today.

Mr. Indi also got to work on the rowing and stretching exercises with the resistance band. Steve has me holding the middle of the band while Mr. Indi rows. Cor struth - I'm not sure if my elbows will hold up for long - but my buzooms may be getting bigger! Mr. Indi also did some exercises with weights to build up his triceps and to strengthen the abs. Whoooo! Mr. Indi will be looking like Charles Atlas soon!

I told Steve about Charles the Weird and his nasty little book of hate that he had given to Mr. Indi. Steve is taking the book to the office to report Charles to the Director of the Home Health Agency. I hope Charles gets the axe and takes his hate elsewhere.

I have rounded up a posse for all of the furniture removals, rearrangements, etc. My son will come today and take the bedroom doors off (otherwise the wheelchair won't fit through.) And, tomorrow, my son in law and his cousin, both nice big chaps, will come and move his Lordship from one bed to the other then take the queen bed down and move it to the garage. I will then have the chance to go over the floor in the front bedroom before the hospital bed arrives on Tuesday. Once the hospital bed is in place, I think that me and Jesus (or is it Jesus and I?) should be able to get his Lordship back into the front room. I expect that some of this pushing and shoving will be accompanied by beer drinking and blue language! Cover yer earoles!

I bought some beautiful steaks yesterday in a half-price sale and hoped that I could BBQ them today but a big rainstorm is on the way - may have to move the BBQ onto the side porch and smoke the house up! Still, it will be worth it - haven't had steak for weeks. I love a slab of dead cow!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

At the end of this blog entry, I will tell you all why I hate St. Valentines's Day - but first I'll talk about yesterday and some of the good - and not so good things that happened.

Steve, the therapist came at 8o'clock but didn't get much therapy done as the three of us, Me and Him and Steve, got into a long and complicated discussion about who exactly authorizes equipment i.e. hospital beds and such. The discussion got quite heated at times, as Steve insists that he is the only one who knows how the system works and that our Dr. N isn't applying for equipment in the correct manner. I swear, some people think that they are overseeing an empire! Steve even went as far as telling us that he probably makes more money that Dr. N. Woooo! I'm impressed! NOT.

Anyway, because Mr. Indi didn't get any exercises done, Steve will be back to do a make-up session at 7 o'clock this morning. That's if he can find his way through the pea soup fog that has developed.

After doing a bit of housework, I ran down to the shops to get a few things - amongst them, a new roll of duct tape. Our local hardware store (does anyone remember when we called it the ironmongers?) is a huge jumble of stuff in a big cold drafty building and I have never been able to find anything in there without assistance. Yesterday was no exception. When I asked for duct tape, the chap explained that he had 5 or 6 different grades of tape and it would depend on what I was using it for as to what grade I needed. "Are you tarping your roof before the rain?" "Eh, not exactly," I replied. " I'm sticking a waterproof baby changing pad to the bed so that my husband doesn't wee on the sheets." "Okie dokie, then this is the one you need" he said! This chap obviously knows the 1001 uses for duct tape!

John turned on his cell phone and discovered that there were two messages from Apria (Medical Equip Co.) asking for a convenient time to deliver his wheelchair - Wooo! At least something got approved. I wonder if it was because Emperor Steve did his magic - or was it because the Lord High Doctor filled out the paper work correctly? But whatever it was - something was working because we got another call, later in the day, to say that Apria had the orders to deliver a hospital bed at the same time as the wheelchair! Woa! Hang on a minute! I was thrilled that the bed had been approved - but, as Apria will not move furniture - or patients - I now have to work out the logistics to move Mr. Indi into the other bedroom and have a couple of chaps come and take down the big queen sized bed and chuck it in the garage before the hospital bed is delivered. I have postponed the delivery date until Tuesday, which should give me enough time to round up a posse.

While I was out having lunch with my friend, Anna, Charles - the weird therapist came to give his Lordship a workout. When he left (yesterday was his last authorized visit) he gave Mr. Indi a little book to read. You'd think it would be a book about physical therapy but NO - it was some wacko nut case book about how the Jesuits are out to destroy America and they caused 9/11 and killed Abraham Lincoln and all kinds of other weirdo stuff! I was furious and will report him to his supervisor for inappropriate, unprofessional and unethical behaviour. There are some real nut jobs around! Goodbye, Charles the Weird!

When my lovely daughter died in 1997, all of her funeral arrangements were made by her husband. I was not allowed to have any input into the process. I was even asked NOT to send any flowers to the funeral home. He arranged to have her funeral on Valentines Day, 1997 and she was cremated at Reading Crematorium in Reading, Berkshire, England. Her ashes were strewn in the Garden of Remembrance and there is no marker. The Day was cold and rainy and horrible. The tears were coming down from the sky. I am 6000 miles from Julie - but if I was there, I would take her a red rose. xxxxxxx

Now, here is a coincidence - Last night I posted Julie's favorite song (We Are The Champions by Queen) on another board, in her memory. Another of my bestest friends, Annie, replied by posting Somewhere Over the Rainbow sung by Sarah Vaughn. And, what Annie doesn't know, is that I took the rainbow picture yesterday morning. Does Annie read my mind? Loves ya girl xxxx

Facing the Future!

My consultation with Dr. N went very well - although he was quite blunt and to the point. He does not see the point of Mr. Indi carrying on with chemo when it seems as though it has reached the point where it is doing more harm than good. He also sees no point in having an MRI, only to discover that things are getting worse. In other words, he believes that Mr. Indi is now in end stage cancer and the goal should be to make him as comfortable as possible with home hospice care. I don't want to agree - but I know that what he is saying is true.

Dr. N swears that he has not denied Mr. Indi a hospital bed or wheelchair or anything else for that matter. In fact, he says that none of those requests have come through his office and, while I was standing there, he had his assistant, Daisy, get on the horn and start trying to trace down the requests. He is also making arrangements for a person from a home hospice care company to come and visit his Lordship and me so that we can make a decision regarding home care. Evidently, home hospice provides a lot more frequent help and gives respite to the primary caregiver -moi!

But, of course, once Mr. Indi goes into a hospice program, there is no more treatment for his cancer. But, as his treatment does not seem to be working any more - it seems like a logical move - although one that only Mr. Indi can make.

Regarding transportation to and from chemo and MRI etc. It seems that our insurance does not cover transportation other than in emergency situations - i.e. ambulance to the emergency room. So, I am stuck with the bill from last week's chemo and doubt that I shall get a refund - such is life!

The hospital bed has been denied by the insurance company, but Dr. N says that it is because the wording that was used, does not justify a hospital bed. He is going to make sure that the request is resubmitted using the right buzz words. That old bullcorn - you have to know how to play the system! Grrr.

I came away believing that Dr. N is trying to do what is right regarding Mr. Indi's care. But still shed a few tears.

Anyway - putting all that aside - I have not had the time to tell you all about Wednesday, Feb 11. The Day of the Toilets! (Do you remember The Day of the Triffids?) The toilet in the hallway overflowed and I had to take 10-12 clean bath towels out of the linen closet and throw them on the floor - THEN, like the bozo, brain-dead, elderly person that I am, I went and flushed the toilet in the master bedroom - ARGGGGGGG - it overflowed too! My son was here and we decided that we could find and fix the blockage - while Mr. Indi shouted obscenities at us from the bedroom. I was ready to call a plumber - at $60- per hour - when I thought I would try one last option. I went next door and got Jesus! He is an amazing chap. He would not give up, and after working with my son for over an hour with the snake and the high pressure hose - VIOLA! It was fixed. It seems that some idiot - can't imagine who! - had put some baby bum wipes down the toilet. I blamed it on our neighbor Freddie!

Today should be a fairly quiet day - HAHAHA! Steve, the therapist will be here at 8 ish but other than that nobody else is on the calendar. Maybe I will find a few minutes to tidy up my office. Don't hold your breath!

I took the picture of the orchids at the Arboretum in San Diego in 2006

Hold On To Your Hats!

Blog will be late - am off at 8 to see the Big Kahoona re: John's medical care.
Will report back later.
IPA

Beeeep! Are you there?

Well, I've put in a good 2 weeks of work over the last two days and must say that I think I'm getting a bit too old for this lark! And, not only that - I think that buying those darn walkie-talkies has increased my work threefold!

On Monday, my son and DIL were off work and came by to visit and help out with some chores. They also stopped at a take-out deli place and bought us lunch. Everything was really yummy and I dived into a spicy meatball sandwich:

Beep "Can you come here? I have to go on the bedpan"

"I'll be right there" - runs up the hallway.

Places bedpan under bum - washes hands - goes back to lunch table - takes one more bite of sandwich.

Beep "I think it's a false alarm. Can you come and get me off bedpan?"

"I'll be right there." Runs up hallway rolls his Lordship off bedpan - washes hands - goes back to lunch table and manages 2 more bites of meatball sarnie.

Beep. "Can you come here? I was right - I really do have to go now."

"I'll be right there." Runs up hallway and gets bedpan under bum - washes hands - sits back down to finish meatball sandwich. Sandwich cold. Opens bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale and substitutes that for the sandwich.

Beep. "I think I've finished - can you come and look?"

Run up hallway - "Where do you want me to look?"

I felt like I was looking in the oven to see if the cake was done yet!

Anyway - clean up time - rubber gloves - baby bum wipes - zinc ointment - new diaper. (I thought I gave that up 40 years ago!) Last but not least - spray most of the house with a lovely new scent - Springtime Lilac and start singing, We'll gather lilacs in the spring again and walk together down an English Lane. Son tells me to put a sock in it and opens me another Newkie.

Lunchtime is over! But my son is a funny old thing - yes, I can call him that because he will be 50 this year! Later in the afternoon, he called me from home. "Mom, can you come over? I have to take a poop" I won't repeat my response! Ha Ha!

Mr. Indi has developed a very nasty bedsores on his elbows - he has to use his elbows to move up and down in the bed. Before he left, my son, who is quite good at first aid, slathered his Lordships elbows with zinc ointment and dressed them with soft bandages. I then went down to the sporting goods place and bought a set of skateboarding elbow pads. They seem to be helping quite a bit.

Steve, one of the therapists came yesterday morning and was very surprised to find how weak Mr. Indi had become over the past few days. It may be the chemo drug that he takes each night and I'm sure that both his red and white cells are way down - but I think I will call Dr. J today and ask that he request a blood draw at home just to check out the numbers.

I got a call from a manager at the transport company who had messed us up so badly last Wednesday with our chemo transport. He grovelled a lot and promised to look into the matter and see if there was some way to make up for the inconvenience that Mr. Indi had to endure. I think a full refund would be a good place to start!

The latest on the non-existent hospital bed is - "Just because he's a paraplegic, doesn't mean he needs a hospital bed!" That is the last straw. I went completely bozo yesterday afternoon and called Dr. N's office assistant and demanded to see him to discuss this whole mess. I have an appointment at 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning and will go armed with much documentation - including the blood test bill.

It has been a very busy couple of days and the weather has been wild, too! We've had buckets of rain - the snow on the mountains is gorgeous - and it can bloody well stay there! But, it has turned very cold and today's picture is one that I took yesterday morning of the ice on the windshield of my car at 7:00 a.m.

Blog Update - We are OK

Sorry that I missed doing the blog yesterday - am pedaling as fast as I can - promise I will write in the morning.
Me and him are still alive - just about!
Indi
xxxxx

I'm Fit as a Fiddle - Honest!

This was my day yesterday:

Got up at 4:30 - watched news and wrote blog.

Emptied drier and ironed 2 sets of queen sized linens - fitted bottom sheets, tops sheets, pillowcases.

Put the last of the soiled bed linens in the washing machine.

Made Mr. Indi some toast with pomegranate jelly and a bowl of shredded wheat.

Made myself a bowl of Weetabix which I ate while putting Mr. Indi's meds together.

Had a quick wash and got dressed.

Made my bed and ran a dust -b -gone thing over the wood floors.

Gave the main bathroom a bit of a cat lick and washed the floor.

Set up Mr. Indi's wash bowl and assorted condiments for him to get cleaned up.

Changed him into a clean pair of shorts and clean tee shirt.

Tidied up his Lordships bed and set up his room in readiness for a visit from Charles, the physio.

Ironed the rest of the bed linens and a couple of tee shirts.

Washed up dishes and ran mop over kitchen floor.

Charles arrived at 10:00 a.m. and needed me to help him - I had to stand and make sure Mr. Indi didn't fall off the edge of the bed - of course if his Lordship had fallen towards me, I would have been a squashed bug!

Charles left at 11:00 and I got ready to go out to several shops.

Made up Mr. Indi a plate of crackers and cheese - bowl of mandarin oranges and some Cheerios snacks for him to munch while I was away.

Set up his room prior to my departure - urinal - bed pan - loo roll - TV clicker - Sunday papers - books.

Set off to do errands - First stop was Radio Shack were I purchased a set of walkie talkies and I managed to remember to get the batteries.

Next stop - grocery store where I managed to get a lovely piece of roast beef and some good fresh veg for dinner.

Next stop - 7 miles in opposite direction to the bed linens store for a waterproof mattress pad and a baby changing waterproof sheet - about 3 feet square to go under Mr. Indi's bum. I also got a couple of single bed sheets to put on the bed sideways - if there is a woopsie it will save me changing the whole bed! Clever, eh? One of my sister's tricks of the trade.

Next stop - Drove a little further down the road and had lunch at La Hoya. Lunch was delish but I sat opposite a booth where a woman - who was the size of a behemoth - was doing a very good impression of a pelican swallowing a whole fish - gulp, gulp, gulp. It was gross - especially as half her food had landed on her tee shirt - sized 58" bust!

But, as this was the first time I had sat down all day - I tried to enjoy myself and not look! But it was like a car accident - I couldn't help myself!

Got home at 2:30 and opened a can of beer! And lit the fire in the living room - twas freezing outside.

Made up the batter for the Yorkshire pudding.

Put the new single sheets in the washing machine.

Peeled veg - Spuds, Brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips for dinner

Got all the garbage together - trash - recycle - garden rubbish and got the cans ready to take out to the curb but the rain came down in sheets so I sat on the porch and watched it! The rain - not the garbage!

Put beef in oven

Played on the internet for half an hour and exchanged lots of hugs and kisses with my lovely friend Deb xx

Spent next hour making dinner and it was delicious - very tender beef and Yorkies to die for!

Cleaned up kitchen

Started to get Mr. Indi ready for the night by putting the new waterproof pad under him but - guess what - ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG - more sheets to wash. He didn't even know he had done it so I am thinking that the paralysis is beginning to affect his feeling of bowel and bladder function.

I cleaned my baby with his baby wipes - put on his diaper and made up a fresh new bed.

It's bloody hard work when he is unable to move from the waist down - I have to pick up these legs that weigh about 12 tons each! But I got him situated and instead of me getting ready for bed - I was back at the washing machine!

Rain had stopped so took garbage out.

I made it to bed at 8:30 and read ONE page of my book and zonked out.

SO - if you come across a poor old woman - dead - wrapped up in a kitchen towel on the dining room table - throw me in the rubbish will ya?

The picture was taken in 2006 of that lovely miniature rose in a pot on the back patio - it was so pretty - it is now dead.

When All Else Fails - Prune Juice

I know that this is not a pleasant topic for a Sunday morning but most of yesterday was taken up with Mr. Indi's bodily functions - and sometimes lack thereof!

Anyone who has every been through chemo AND is on morphine AND is also on Vicodin knows that the combination causes a massive back up in the intestinal plumbing area. Mr. Indi starts to get a bit paranoid about his lack of regularity and I try my best to remedy the situation using medications suggested by the doctor and home nurse. Senokot and Milk of Magnesia seem to work well but since Mr. Indi had chemo last Wednesday nothing was happening. Lillian, the nurses aid who came by yesterday morning, suggested prune juice - she swore that it works every time - AND boy, she was right! I ran to the shops and got a bottle of the delicious prune elixir and gave him a glass at about 10:00 a.m.

I was just leaving the house at noonish to go out on a lunch date when my cell phone rang - I hadn't pulled out of the driveway yet! The next 2 hours were taken up with stripping the bed - not once but twice! The washing machine was working overtime and my poor old back was aching. Luckily my lunch date was here to give me a hand and also the moral support that I needed! At about 2:30 we managed to dive out of the house and down to the local eatery for some munchies and delish cold beer - it never tasted so good.

By the time I got back home at about 3:30 - the intestinal crisis seemed to have passed and a good thing too - because Steve, the physical therapist showed up. He started Mr. Indi on some exercises that will strengthen his mid-section. They are not really isometric in nature - where you push against a stationary object - a wall, for example - but rather they are exercises where Mr. Indi pushes against another person who pushes back. After a few rounds with Steve, Steve showed me how to do it - using my hands to push against his Lorships shoulders. Struth, it don't 'arf make yer arms ache! I don't think it's going to do my arthritis much good! But, Steve said I did really well and would soon be looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger - to which I called Steve some less than flattering names.

The washing machine was still going at 6:00 p.m last night as I was making a delish dinner of sausage, chips, peas, baked beans and fried tomatoes. I took our dinner into Mr. Indi's room and we both started on our lovely fry up - AND then - the bloody prune juice reared it's ugly head once more! Arggggg! So, today, the washing machine will be going again and if the prune juice doesn't stop it's magic soon, I shall have to buy 6 more sets of bed linens! You just wait till I see that Lillian again - I shall tell her what I think of her and her bloody prune juice!

Today's picture is of a lovely fountain in the courtyard of the Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura, California. I took the pic in 2005

Auntie Mary Had a Canary!

A lovely friend of mine has been reading the blog and the story of the canary made her think of the "skipping verses" that she sang as a kid in England while skipping rope. Most of them start with the line: Auntie Mary had a canary - but, as I don't want to lower the intellectual tone of this blog - erm, I won't repeat the rest. I just want to say that I laughed so hard it caused me to have an unfortunate accident.

Yesterday didn't start out too well - but at least it didn't get much worse! Poor Mr. Indi managed to get on the bedside potty but his legs are so paralyzed (they seem to be worse since chemo) that he got stuck and couldn't get off the pot! So, at 7:00 a.m. I was knocking on Jesus door and asking him for help. He came over immediately and between us we managed to get his Lordship back into bed. Poor thing - he was so so embarrassed - but what can one do?

At about 8:00 a.m. Jesus and his lovely wife, Lourdes, came knocking on the door with all of the ironing done and placed on hangers. What a good job Lourdes did. Not only that, she gave me a beautiful hand knitted scarf that she had made. I must take a photo of it - it's gorgeous. I asked her (through her translator husband) if she had the pattern. She replied that all of the patterns were in her head and she had learned to knit in Mexico as a little girl. Aren't people so kind and sweet?

Do you remember the dippy nurse who came to the house to draw Mr. Indi's blood last month and then lost it? Well, the blood was found and the results eventually ended up at Dr. J's office. However, this dippy nurse did not fill out the paperwork correctly and yesterday I received a bill for $345 for the blood tests from the lab! Grrrrr! This is all supposed to be covered 100% by our insurance. (Where do they find these incompetent people?) So, I spent half the afternoon on the phone with our insurance company (they were very helpful) trying to figure out the procedure that I need to follow in order to get this bill paid. It's no wonder I drink!

I talked to S. our advocate and Mr. Indi's hospital bed is in the works - somewhere! But, it may be up to another week before it arrives. Where in the heck is it coming from? Don't they have any hospital beds in Southern California? I do despair!

Today, I am going to buy a set of walkie talkies. My computer is in the very back of the house and Mr. Indi is in the bedroom at the very front of the house. I keep thinking that I hear him calling me - Oy you - or something like that - and I'm up and down that hallway 500 times a day - Me legs are 3 inches shorter than they were a month ago. So - if I have a walkie talkie, he can dispatch his orders to me and I can say ten-four over and out! Or something like that!

To those of you who are following the canary saga - the deceased is still on the dining room table but is now in a shoe box! Funeral arrangements are pending!

The picture is one that I took in Sept 2005 when Mr. Indi was doing much better than he is now. He loves the beach and was looking for shells and stuff.

Dashing Away With a Smoothing Iron!

A few months ago - on another web site that I belong to - a friend had mentioned something about ironing and another friend, mentioned the old song "Dashing Away with a Smoothing Iron" It was a song that we sang in school when I was quite little and bought back so many memories. Now, why do I mention this? Well, the pile of ironing on the spare bed was reaching up to the ceiling and Mr. Indi was running out of ironed pjs and tee shirts and I was running out of time - but it struck me that my dear Jesus wife, Lourdes, might like to earn a few bob doing the ironing - since her husband has been laid off from work and I know they need the money.

So - it's all arranged, I now have an ironing lady and if I knew the words in Spanish, I would teach her the ironing song! There is a verse for every day - and this is Friday!

'Twas on the Friday morning,

When I beheld my darling,

She looked so neat and charming,

In every high degree.

She looked so neat and mini-Oh

Ironing her linen-Oh

Dashing away with a smoothing iron,

She stole my heart away

Yesterday was not a bad day - as days go! We had visits from two nurses. First, the nurses aid who gave Mr. Indi a nice bed bath and a good rub down with moisturizer. She was a very nice, happy, jolly woman who was fascinated with Mr. Indi's doll house and baskets of dollies in his room! Next came the R.N. She will be coming once a week to check Mr. Indi's overall medical condition.

She said he was in fairly good nick considering that he had just had chemo. He had no elevated temperature but his blood pressure was a little high 147/87 - so she will keep an eye on that. She remarked on how good his skin looked and commended him on looking after himself by using lotions etc. to avoid bed sores. (Terrible things.) She also suggested that he take a multi vitamin daily - Cor struth, he already takes handfuls of pills! Well, I suppose one more won't hurt. Maybe, her family owns a vitamin factory! Me - cynical? - Nah!

Today his Lordship has to do a "poke myself in the belly with a very sharp needle" routine. His red cell count has been slipping downward so it's time to crank up the Procrit again. Arggg. Poor chap. He usually gets it all prepared himself - but now that he can no longer get out of bed, I am going to have to find out where he keeps his stash of needles and other drug paraphernalia! Yikes!

S, our lovely patient advocate, had sent me an article about a drug that is used to calm down neuropathic pain in patients with back and leg pain. It is also used for amputees that experience "phantom" pain in the amputated limb. The physio who came the other day, Steve, also suggested that Mr. Indi might benefit from the drug. It's called Gabapentin - the generic name for Neurontin. Studies show that it doesn't work for everyone who experiences shooting pains and other discomfort in the legs but both S and Steve thought it was worth a try. Of course, when I asked Dr. J for a prescription the answer was "It won't work!" Arggg. I got a bit pushy and said I wanted his Lordship to try it anyway. They hate to hear my bitching so I got the prescription! And, I am happy to report that, after just one day, Mr. Indi's legs are feeling much more comfortable! I win!

Today, I must run around and do mucho errands. I do hope I don't miss a phone call to let me know whether the canary is still on the dining room table! The pic was one that I took in May 2006 of the lovely double hibiscus in my back garden - roll on May!

Canary Update!

I am not making this up!

I got a phone call from Mrs Anjo Banjo earlier today and as we were chit chatting about the snow in her part of the world and the rain in mine - I asked her if she had looked at the blog and read about the poor unfortunate demise of the canary. She started to laugh again! How disrespectful can one get? - BUT - after she told me today's instalment of "The Dead Canary" I was in hysterics too!

Apparently, after the poor dead creature was retrieved from the vacuum cleaner bag, it was wrapped in a paper kitchen towel and placed on the dining room table by the cleaning woman - who had killed it! The owner of the canary told the cleaning woman to leave it there until it could be buried in the back garden.

Mrs. Anjo arrived at work this morning to find the same dead canary (pity it wasn't a parrot!) still lying, dead as a doornail on the dining room table. She assumed that her client - a woman in her 70s and the client's partner - a chap in his 60s - had eaten dinner in the presence of the bird! Mrs. Anjo asked why the bird was still on the dining room table. Well, it seems that it is not in the cleaning woman's duties to bury dead animals, just to suck them up the vac! - Mrs. Banjo said that she sure in heck was not going to be out in the snowy garden in her wellies with a shovel burying the bloody bird - AND - the client's partner was too busy at a poetry gathering to deal with dead birds.

So, there it sits! Mr. Indi suggested that it was "Lying in State" and that this could go on for 5-6 days! I told Mrs. Banjo she should go to the pub and have a wake for the bird. Mrs. Banjo said that sooner or later, the dog would sniff it out and eat it and then the bird would be in the dog - not the vacuum cleaner - or the back garden!

You couldn't make this stuff up!

The photo is one I found on the web on a page owned by Anthony Olszewski - all about canaries.

Let's Not Talk About It.

I had the feeling that it was going to be a bad day when the man from the medical transport company called me at 7:00 a.m. to say that our address did not appear on his GPS and was it a new home in an unnamed area or maybe an isolated house in a field? Er! Well, NO - actually, it is a 50 year old house that is on a 50 year old street in a town that was established in the 1870's! "Well," he said "I have an idea where you might be so will call you when I get closer!" Oh dear!

He called me back at about 7:45 and I was able to talk him through the route to my house. It seems that they had the street name spelled in a most unique manner on his orders. Mind you, fair dues - it is a bit of a peculiar name. So, that is how our day started and it was all downhill from there!

We got Mr. Indi to the chemo center at 9 o'clock on the dot but he was not feeling well and was unable to get from the wheelchair to the recliner - the strength in his arms had vaporized. This meant that he had to spend almost 3 hours hooked up to IVs while in a very uncomfortable chair. I got an office chair and sat across from him and massaged his legs for part of the time but he began to get very snippy so I took a little break and went to get a few hugs from Sharon and Cindy. I needed them.

Prior to the start of chemo we had seen Dina and got the results of the latest blood tests. The hematocrit was 28.0 - down a little from last month. The hemoglobin was 9.6 - also down. His PSA count has gone up to 100.5 and his alkaline phosphatase is up from 232 to 347. So, all of his numbers are going in the WRONG direction. Grrrr!

He was finished with chemo at noon and the nurse called for our transport - which I had pre-booked AND paid for. I won't bore you with the details but it seems that they had over-booked and after several phone calls, an ambulance finally showed up at 2:00 p.m. We got home at 2:30. To say that we were tired, fed up, cheesed off and ready for the gun, would be an understatement - but of course Mr. Indi had the worst of the deal - and all he wanted was his bed. I lay down beside him and gave him a love before I went into the garage and opened a Newcastle Brown - sat on the porch and cried!

The phone rang and it was Mrs Anjo the Banjo to tell me about the sadness in her day! It seems that when she arrived at work - she's a professional carer - her client was very upset because the house cleaner had been and, while cleaning the canary cage, had accidentally sucked the ancient canary up the vacuum cleaner. So, even though Mr. Indi had a terrible day - the bird's day was even worse! - And the client was even more upset that it was a new vacuum cleaner bag that had to be cut open - and therefore ruined - to get the deceased out! You have to feel sorry for some folks, don't ya?

Today's picture is of a stained glass window - yes it's glass, not plastic - in a pub called Sly McFly in Monterey, California. Wish we were there!

Books, Knitting, Chemo and Flowers

Thanks to everyone who wrote the kind (mostly) comments about Mr. Indi and his pink potty hat. Yes, he is a good sport - his philosophy being that whatever time he has left, he is going to spend as much as possible enjoying himself and having a laugh.

Another therapist came yesterday afternoon - this time to evaluate the state of his Lordship's legs. His conclusion is that he has less than 10%use of either leg. He made lots of notes and is going to recommend a hospital bed among other equipment. This is the 3rd person who has recommended a hospital bed - but still no bed. I hope they are coordinating all these recommendations but I fear that I may end up with 3 hospital beds - but then I suppose I can open a private hospital for potty people!

Both S, our patient advocate, and I are still working on the MRI approval which seems to be hung up in the great fax machine in the sky! It must have gone the same route as my pension check which showed up late this month.

Mr. A loaned his Lordship a really neat contraption made by Sony. It's a portable book reader thingy. It looks like a small book - about the size of a small paper back and you can download text from say the Gutenberg site (free books) and take the reader to bed with you - or, as is the case today, to chemo. It will hold hundreds of books and Mr. Indi has had great fun playing with it. I think he has about 6 books on it so far and right now is reading Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana.

Here is the link for the Gutenberg Project:

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page?sess=25607a1aa5

Today is chemo day and our first experience with the transportation service who will be picking Mr. Indi up. I could drive along in the Medi-van but will follow along in my own car as I can run a few errands while he is doing chemo. I can also go just up the road - about 1/4 mile and see Sharon - the best hugger in the whole world! I shall take my knitting with me - and, with any luck - get to sit with his Lordship for a little while (chemo will be about 3 hours today) and get a few rows done. I am making a cute sweater for new baby, Lincoln.

Today's picture is one I took several years ago at Tamworth Castle. Tamworth is where most of my father's ancestors came from and I had hoped to find some gravestones in the churchyard - but, no luck. Most of the large headstones had been removed for safety reasons. I suppose they didn't want them to fall over and injure the dead people!

* I just looked back at my old blog entries and see that I have already posted this picture. But, that's OK - It's a nice picture - innit?

Multi-Tasking!

Yesterday, Mr. Indi decided that the bedpan that I had so kindly purchased for him, wasn't worth a darn and would be of more use as a cowboy hat than a potty! I think he quite likes it on his head, as I caught him wearing his bedpan, scrubbing his teeth and working on his computer - all at the same time!

I know that many of you will have questions about his bedroom - it may be better not to ask! Why is his room painted lilac? Why does he have a basket of hand made dollies on his night stand? Why does he use a "Round Table Pizza" cup for his toothbrush? And, what is that torture implement hanging on the headboard? Well, like any good mystery novel - the answers will become clear one day - maybe!

Yesterday was another busy day but I think we between Mr. Indi, S and me, we have got this bureaucratic elephant moving a little. I decided to book the transportation to the chemo center on Wednesday regardless of whether the insurance pays or not. It isn't that expensive ($158 for a round trip) as long as we don't have to have it every day. And, should the insurance decide to give authorization, I can fill out forms to get reimbursement. They will be here at 8:30 Wednesday morning and that is a load off my mind.

Mr. Indi received a large package in the mail that contained all the information re: his benefits program from his work - it's about 250 pages long and will require someone with a PHd in benefitology to figure out what the heck they are talking about but we will put on our cowboy hats and work on it! My first assignment was to go down to the stationary store and buy a pretty binder to put it in. Mr. Indi spent the afternoon punching holes and filing all the papers - and the bedroom is now showered with hole punchings and we still don't have a clue what it is about - but it sure looks nice!

At 11:00 a.m. a sweet lady named, Doll, showed up. She is my helper from the Home Health Care Agency. She got to work and showed me how to wash Mr. Indi's hair while he lay in the bed (without getting water everywhere.) She had obviously done it once or twice before. She also gave him a nice wash and massaged his poor legs with some moisturizing lotion. She then helped me with the bed and ran the dry mop round the floor. She will be here again today for an hour. I get her 3 times a week for one hour each time.

Our advocate, S, is working on chasing down the authorization for his Lordship's next MRI and also prodding the insurance company to pay for the transportation. She works hard on our case.

I got a call at 8:00 p.m. last night and another physical therapist will be coming at 3: 30 this afternoon to torture Mr. Indi. He'd better take the potty off his head - people will start to think we are quite mad!

Lotus Blossoms

I am not going to discuss the fact that Arizona lost the Super Bowl - Who cares anyway - It's only a game and the guacamole was delicious! That's what counts!

Today's picture is one that was sent to me by dear Jan (she of the bedside potty expertise!) I think it is an absolutely beautiful picture and thank her for sharing it with me. Jan, drop me a line and let me know where it was taken, will you? xx

Yesterday was a very busy day - apart from football watching. The social worker came in the morning - a very nice lady she was, too. However, because of Mr. Indi's income and age (he's not old enough!) we won't be able to qualify for most of the State sponsored programs that help handicapped and/or disabled people. So, we shall have to rely on whatever our insurance company will approve. She did leave me several brochures of private care agencies and I will be looking into their services and cost. I noticed that one of them will provide respite care for a few hours a week - that might work out well if it's not too expensive. It would give me a break to go off and sit and knit in the park or visit my little granddaughter or drink beer - or all three at once!

Just as the social worker was getting ready to leave, the occupational therapist showed up. He was here to assess Mr. Indi's upper body strength and to teach him an exercise routine to buff up those biceps, triceps, pecs and other manly muscles! Good Luck! (I'm just kidding ) - Mr. Indi's upper body is in fairly good shape but the therapist warned that he MUST exercise 3 times a day or will begin to lose body mass and atrophy will set in.

Part of the exercise routine included warm-ups with a broom stick! NO - Not like that! But our old broom handles were too long - so once again, I was round at Jesus' house asking him to do a bit of broom handle modification. He's a good chap! The therapist was here for over an hour and gave his Lordship a good going-over. He will be sore today but onward and upward! It's not doing any good unless it hurts - so they say!

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for today - I hope to get the chance to sit at my computer and clear out my in-basket which now has 938 emails in it - and, with any luck, I will reply to some of my pals! But - I am learning that it's not much good in planning one's day - something always comes up. One can only hope that whatever comes up will be good!

Football Frenzy! Go Arizona!

Mr. Indi was feeling quite good yesterday morning - I think because he had a fairly decent night's sleep. So, I decided to take a risk and leave him on his own for a couple of hours while I went on a pie run. I had used up all my English style meat pies from the British Import store and needed to stock up before I had a pie fit! And, as long as I was going for me - I thought I would pick some up for the kids too. So I did the "Grand Tour" (45 miles) to pick up several beef and mushroom - some beef and onion and a couple of steak and kidney. Although, I must say that the last time we had steak and kidney pies, I think they must have waved one kidney over the pair of them just to give the illusion! Ah well, with plenty of chips and smothered in gravy, they all taste good.

I also got some of those lovely Irish sausages and a couple of cans of Heinz curried beans - Heaven - who says we don't eat healthy!! The freezer is now bulging with carbos and processed meat!

I got a sweet email from my lovely friend Jan, whose darling husband, Tony, has been struck down with a stroke. Jan is his primary care-giver and gave me a little advice re: emptying the dreaded bedside potty. She assured me that after a couple of weeks you "don't even notice!" Huh? I suppose it must be like sticking needles into your eyeballs every day - after a couple of weeks you "don't even notice!" Love you Jan.

After making his Lordship some lunch, I foolishly went to the grocery store for a few things. I must have lost all presence of mind because today is Super Bowl Sunday and yesterday the hoards of manic football fans were in the grocery store buying up cases of beer, 12-15 New York steaks at a time, a half a dozen jumbo bags of chips (crisps)with 8 jars of salsa and cheese dip along with pretzels, 2lbs slabs of cheddar and 6 boxes of crackers - And that was just for the pre-game show! Who says there's a recession? It took me 45 mins just to get a bunch of grapes and a 1/2 gallon of milk!

At 8:00 p.m. last night, I got a phone call from a lady who introduced herself as a social worker and said she would be over to visit us between 10 and 11 this morning. A bit odd, coming out on a Sunday! But, I'm not going to complain - the sooner, the better.

Today's pic is one that I took in 2006 - once again on the Northern California coast. Can't remember the name of the beach but the local youngsters build structures from the driftwood. Interesting, yes?