Getting Ready

I'm not sure if it is the morphine that is causing Mr. Indi to go off the deep end - OR - has the cancer reached his brain? Either way, he has become almost incoherent and is starting to hallucinate. It is very scary.

I feel that he is beginning to walk through that last door.

Please don't call today. I have turned the phone off and will be sitting with John. I don't want to talk.

The picture was taken last August at the Mission at San Gabriel. Mr. Indi is holding the flower for me as I snap.

In The Pink!

This picture is one that I took yesterday of a beautiful pink flowering tree that is growing just down the road from my house. It is a huge tree and really stands out in the neighborhood. I posted a pic of the same tree last year - on a forum - I think. And, some kind lady in Oz or NZ gave me the name but I didn't write it down so am now back in the dark! But, it is still as lovely as ever.

The sprinkler man and his sprinkler helper came and got everything working up to snuff. They changed 4 of the anti-syphon valves and adjusted everything else. The sprinkler man assures me that, within two weeks, my lawn will be lush and green and void of any brown areas. Hahaha! Silly man! Mr. Indi and I have been here for 21 years trying to make the lawn lush and green - my flabber will be gasted if the sprinkler man can perform this miracle!

Well, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets and now move on to the final of the NBA Championship - I send my heartfelt condolences to my Denver buddy (psssst - the BEST team won!) I personally don't give a rat's bum about basketball and the sooner it is over the better. Then we can get down to the serious business of watching baseball - while drinking beer! Plus we have some serious tennis coming up and I bet it will look super on my big screen telly.

Both me and him had a terrible night and I shall probably be a grumpy old woman all day today. I lay awake most of the night - listening - listening - listening. I was expecting to hear the oxygen machine go on at any moment - but it didn't - just the cranking noise as he raised and lowered his bed. Trying to get comfy - I s'pose. The grey weather will not improve my mood either. It has been very gloomy for a couple of days and yesterday, we even had a few claps of thunder. Most strange.

Oh well - I'll soldier on. Here comes another day at the coal face!

Thump-Thump...Thump-Thump

The oxygen machine is helping Mr. Indi feel better - but it sure gets on my nerves! When I first had it running, I could hear this thump-thump and I was certain that it was the teenagers next door playing basketball in the back yard - (Basketball fever is in abundance in LA - it's the Lakers versus the Denver Nuggets in the semis - AND ask me if I care!)

So, it's a good thing that I didn't hop around the fence and tell the kids to knock it off with the thump-thump because when I bent over to give Mr. Indi a big sloppy kiss from another member of his fan club, I realized it was the oxygen machine - beating like a heart - or a basketball!

The pill man eventually showed up - at 4:30 in the afternoon and - guess what! He brought the same WRONG pills as he brought before! Arggg! I called the pharmacy and the silly moo on the other end of the phone told me that they sent the wrong ones (again) because they don't have any of the right ones! Oh - OK! Makes sense - NOT! I have now been to our local drug store and purchased the correct pills. How difficult can it be?

As I said, his Lordship is feeling better since he has been having oxygen but his confusion is not any better. This morning, for instance, he asked me to take his temperature so that they can release him from the hospital! Errrrr!

I got the garage door fixed yesterday. The poor old thing is about 18 years old and has been limping along for a couple of years - the motor finally seized up a few weeks ago and the rollers came off one of the rails last week. We couldn't get the door to close all the way - and while I'm not worried about burglars (there's nothing here worth having!) I didn't want a skunk or possum getting in the garage and setting up house. Anyhow, this nice garage door man fiddled about - tweaked this and that - sprayed everything with WD-40 - and VIOLA! It works. He did say that it is nearing the end of its life - Boo-Hoo - but he will help me keep it going for as long as he can. A new garage door and motor will cost about $1,200 - Horrors!

Today, the sprinkler man is coming - more money down the drain! or onto the lawn - as the case may be! But, I must get these jobs done because, as I discovered last week, I don't know diddly-squat about sprinkler systems (or garage doors!) Cor! I do miss Mr. Indi's handyman talents.

Today's pic is of a daisy. I took the pic on macro and then played around with the effects in PSP. I like it.

Shoveling it Against the Tide!

First, a big hug and thank you to my buddy who drove up from San Diego to see us on Monday. It was a nice visit xxxxxx

Yesterday, Mr. Indi had a bit of a nasty spell of breathlessness and gave me quite a scare. I think it may have been an anxiety attack so I gave him a Valium and that did seem to help. I called the nurse and she said she would order oxygen ASAP. The oxygen man showed up at about 4 p.m. which I suppose is as S as P - considering.

The oxygen machine is a new fangled device that actually takes in the air from the room and filters it and pumps out the oxygen into the tubing and up the nose - the man couldn't tell me what happened to the other gases - nitrogen, etc. I imagine they are being pumped into my bedroom! I am to hook his Lordship up to the oxygen whenever he starts to feel short of breath.

So, I was up and at it early this morning because I had an appointment to go and get my spiky hair re-spiked. Mr. Indi seemed OK but a bit sleepy so I gave him breakfast and before I left, I put a note on the door for "The Woman What Does" for her to start skivvying and have a look in on his Regal Highness - I would be back in less than an hour. As it happened, Nursie stopped by at about the same time as "Her What Does" and Mr. Indi had another attack of labored breathing! Argggggggghhhh! Nursie didn't give him a Valium - she gave him a big dose of morphine and put him on the oxygen machine. So, by the time I got back from having the lawnmower run over my head, Mr. Indi was out of it! And, I mean gone - whacked out - deep in the Land of Nod. It is now noon and he still can't keep his eyes open for more than 2 minutes at a time. ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz!

I think that things are not going to get any better. When Blanca came at 10 a.m. to give him his bath (It's been like Grand Central Station here this morning!) she noticed that his feet are getting very swollen and a couple of his toes are purple - not a good sign. Oh dear! What to do - what to do? I can see where the morphine provides great comfort for the patient - but it makes me a nervous wreck. I need to go to the drug store - and the gas station, but am afraid to leave the house while Mr. Indi is out of it.

There is another reason why I can't leave the house - Grrrrrr! I'm waiting for the "pill man" (The hospice pharmacy delivery person) He came the other day and brought the wrong type of laxative - he assured me that it was a good sub for the usual laxative that Mr. Indi uses. WELL, I beg to bloody well differ! It was sooooooooooooooooo good that we went through 10 diapers in one day! ARGGGGG. So - he is supposed to be bringing the right poopy pills out today. But when? I called the pharmacy and asked for an ETA but they couldn't tell me because the poopy pill man could not be reached by radio! Grrrrr. Probably sitting in a bar somewhere drinking his lunch - or maybe he had to use the bathroom! Haha - serve him right!

The pic is of a beautiful hollyhock growing in my next door neighbors weed patch that she calls a garden.

Flowers and Thoughts

I know that you must leave me

And I dread that coming day

But I want you to be peaceful

And rest without pain and fear

To lie in that bed for endless hours

And be a prisoner of that dreadful disease

That has crawled up your back

And into the very life giving marrow of your spine

Is a cruelty that is not deserved

I want to scoop you up in my arms

And take you for a ride

To see the waves breaking on the beach

Or the flowers blooming in the park

But it won't happen

You will take your drugs and sleep tonight

I will lie and listen to you breath

And hope that tonight is not the night

When you must leave

And A Good Time Was........

We had a little get together for Mr. Indi's birthday and he really enjoyed himself. I managed to get him out of bed using the Hoya lift - even though I had the sling all wonky and he had one leg dangling in mid-air and the other leg stuck up under his chin - and safely into the wheelchair. It was a special treat for him to be able to sit in the living room for a couple of hours because he usually gets chronic back pain after about 15 minutes of sitting upright - but this time he stayed pain free for most of the time and was able to enjoy his visitors.

His friend from work bought him six bottles of Russian beer! Real Russian beer. The beer is numbered from 0 to 5 - 0 being non-alcohol to 5 being a bit like vodka! I tried a few sips myself and found it to be a bit like swamp water - but, I suppose if we ever run out of brewskis, the Russian brew will do! He also received the most fabulous chocolate covered strawberries that I have ever seen - 6 of them dipped in dark chocolate and 6 dipped in white chocolate. I feel like this is cruel and unusual punishment as people ought to know that I can't eat the rotten things!

After a couple of hours of too much merriment, I was able to get him back in the bed - even though the sling was still wonky and stuck halfway up his bum! He sure was glad to be able to lie down and enjoy a nice cup of tea with apple pie and ice cream - Yummy.

I think he had a nice day and today will be wearing one of the super comic book tee shirts that he got as a pressie. I think Batman would be good for a holiday Monday!

My next post will be a poem that I wrote the other night.

For Judy xxxx

My pal, Judy, is a Brummie - and, therefore she gets her own page on my blog!

I took the picture this afternoon at our little park just down the road from my house - you can see my van in the parking lot. This particular jacaranda tree is a young one and the blooms are a bit small - I will try and take some better pics in the near future. Down in the next town, they have some very mature jacarandas and the whole streets are lined with purple trees - an amazing sight! Of course, there are those people who complain about the fact that the trees shed their blossoms and make a mess on the sidewalk. Those people need to get a life!

Now, to answer your questions re: San Fran in September. Well, I worked in San Fran for 6 years and I have to say that September and October are the best times of the year. The morning fog burns off very early and the days are beautiful. The temps are usually between 65F and 75F (18C to 23 C) although I have known it be much warmer. Bring a jacket because it can get chilly in the evening. San Fran is a very free and easy city - so there is no dress code! Wear what you like - jeans, shorts, skirts - whatever.

Now, where to go and what to visit - EVERYTHING. Fisherman's Wharf is great - very tourista but wonderful seafood and a great atmosphere. Take a cruise on the bay - cheap and fun. Go across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito - so pretty and with a fantastic view of the city (San Fran is one of the most beautiful cities in the world) Go to the top of the Bank of America building - 52 floors up! Ride a cable car down California St. Fabulous. Go to John Muir Woods and walk among the redwood trees - heaven.

What to wear for the wedding - whatever you want. Not too many people wear hats to weddings in California - although I have seen it done. If you have a nice titfer - wear it! For a day time wedding wear a pretty dress or nice 2 piece suit - for an evening affair wear a cocktail dress - even full length is OK. We don't have all the silly rules that they have in the UK - before 5 this and after 5 that - blah blah! LOL!

If you have some time left over - hop on a plane and come to Los Angeles and see us. Air fares are dead cheap right now. We have a spare couch or two - and lots of Baileys and a few bottles of beer. I would love the company!

I hope you like the picture.

Love and hugs xxxxxxx

p.s. Mr. Indi is very loopy today - I want some of what he is taking! Hahaha!