h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My thoughts are with you love.

Just contact me whenever you are free to do so, I'll be here for you.

J

His lab results are getting better, but he's still out of it mentally. Of course they're keeping him pretty sedated, so it's hard to know if it's him or the medication. The doctor who treated him 2 years ago for his blood condition thinks he's going to reagain some of his mental capacity when his blood levels are restored to normal. But his neuroloogist thinks he has irreversible vascular dementia and that there isn't any hope of improvement. One of them will be right.

I get home in the evenings, tired and emotionally wiped out and the damn relatives and neighbors start calling immediately. Last night I had planned to finish moving the furniture around so if he comes home there won't be any obstacles to him getting around - but I spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone. I'm afraid not to answer it in case it's the hospital. I just wish everyone would leave me alone. The only one I want to talk to is my sister. All of F's family is in Connecticut (nearly 1000 miles away) so phone calls are the only way they can feel involved. I understand that, but I'm just sick of repeating the same story over and over to them.

I was suppposed to stop on the way home last night and get Mother's groceries bought for the week. It was raining buckets - could barely see to drive - so I left it until this morning. Guess I'd better get going and do it before I go over to the hospital. And I have board meeting next Tuesday, so I'm going to have to find time to get the reports done for that. F's timing was always lousy.

Talk to you later. Take care. Have fun with the new classes.

Hyp

Hi love,

sorry to hear things are so critical with F - it's a very difficult time for you.

I know exactly how you feel over the phone calls - you feel as if you are spending your life just repeating youself. But they mean well.

See that you get plenty sleep if possible, we don't want you to be poorly too.

Look after yourself

J

More bad news, I'm afraid. He has had another heart attack, has a blood clot and is generally unresponsive. So we're sort of marking time. I don't know how long he can survive in his current condition.

Sometimes a resolution to a situation is a blessed relief - even if the outsome isn't what you hoped for or needed, at least it's finished and you can go forward. It's being stuck in a holding pattern that drives you crazy.

I have to run. Talk to you later, Dear Jim.

I know how you feel my love - my father slowly died over a period of 6 months with lung cancer - even he was looking forward to the end.

My thoughts are with you - I look twice a day to see how things are going over there - there's nothing more I can do. I hope the situation is soon resolved, one way or the other, for your sake.

Jim

He's better again. He's awake and is talking. Not making a lot of sense, but talking. His neurologist thinks he's turning around. His cardiologist doesn't.

Yesterday afternoon he was very bad. We thought his body was shutting down. I asked the hospital chaplain to call a priest for him. The Catholic Church doesn't do Extreme Unction any more. They have an annointing of the sick instead. Anyway, the priest came and performed the ceremony and F immediately woke up and started improving. So.........coincidence or not? I'd like to think the ritual actually meant something, but my brain is too skeptical for my own good. It certainly has me wondering though.

He's better again. He's awake and is talking. Not making a lot of sense, but talking. His neurologist thinks he's turning around. His cardiologist doesn't.

Yesterday afternoon he was very bad. We thought his body was shutting down. I asked the hospital chaplain to call a priest for him. The Catholic Church doesn't do Extreme Unction any more. They have an annointing of the sick instead. Anyway, the priest came and performed the ceremony and F immediately woke up and started improving. So.........coincidence or not? I'd like to think the ritual actually meant something, but my brain is too skeptical for my own good. It certainly has me wondering though.

Having a terrible time posting. Hope this doesn't appear more than once.

I join in your skepticism but pleased at least there is some change in his condition.

I got your posting twice - but better than not getting it!

Keep in touch just when you can love

Jim

His condition is unchanged. Nothing to report.

I'm at work trying to get the accounts done and the bills paid. Life goes on.

Hi Hyp,

It's a cold damp morning here, I think winter is upon us and we hardly seemed to have any summer this year.

A is off to visit an old friend for coffee (They alternate at each other's house on Monday mornings) and is walking about 3/4 mile, braving the cold winds. If she doesn't feel like walking back she'll ring me and I become taxi driver.

I've already scrambled up into the loft to bring down some padding for her patchwork - she's making a christmas tree apron, about 6 feet across, to wrap around and hide the pail containing the tree, It's for our daughter who always gets a great big tree about 8 feet high.
My grandchildren get really spoilt at christmas (and don't do so badly for the rest of the year). We'll be along to see them on Wednesday.

Meantime I'm getting things together for my class tonight. A is coming with me again. I will drop her off at my cousin's house and pick her up after my class. My cousin is huge and not keeping very well at all - she has difficulty getting out because walking is a problem for her. Pity, she was such a lovely, shapely girl when we were young and I used to take her dancing. Her mum went the same way though - it must be genetic - but not from my side of the family.

Our story seems to have dried up a little - I must try to inject a bit of life into it.

Bye for now love - look after yourself, we don't want you getting too exhausted.

Jim

Hope the class went well.

Our weather is unsettled - nice one day and cold and gray the next. Typical for November.

F is much the same. I suppose he will have to either get better or worse soon. He was cranky today - snapped at everyone. But made no sense at all. His mind is getting worse and worse. And I think he's hallucinating again. Kept wanting me to tell him what kind of dog was in the hall outside his room. Of course there was no dog.

The class went fine last night thanks - I have to repeat it tonight with the other class but no more preparation to do.

I was at my learning class this morning and we were playing about making coloured letters on a flat wash colour background- very relaxing.

I've respomded tp your F thread - you sure have a lot of support there! I remember the day after I had my chest operation I just couldn't be bothered with my visitors and was snappy with them - had to apologise when they came the next week!!

Chin up love

Jim

Good morning/afternoon.

I have a bear of a day. On my way in to do payroll followed by the weekly dreaded meeting with the architects and contractors followed by the hospital followed by a board meeting.

Better get at it all.

Isn't it great when you can repeat a program? I love it when that happens. My library skills workshops are like that. One planning period for several programs.

Hope your day is going well love.

A has a friend in for afternoon tea at the moment then she will be preparing something for me to eat (a ready-made meal I suspect) so I can get off early to tonight's class.

She goes to her keep fit tonight, has to take a taxi there because I'm not available, but I get back in time to collect her. Tuesday is a busy day!

It's cold, wet and miserable outside - my mum used to call these 'The dark days before Christmas'.

Bye for now

Jim

You're awfully lucky with the ladies, there Jazz. A, Hyp, Lola, Rosa, Alice. A regular harem. Were you a sultan perhaps in a former life?

F is stable. Still not making any sense. He thinks he's back in the war and has been shot - that's why he's in the hospital. Cute and sad at the same time.

Glad to see that Hyp is included in the harem.

Ah make the most of what we yet may spend
Before we too into the dust descend.

When I go to the monthly meeting of the Scribes I have three of my pupils on my table, all mature ladies - they're known as Jim's harem to one of our friends.

It's a beautiful sunny morning here, not a cloud in the sky but it's freezing cold as a result. There was some snow overnight in Scotland and down the Pennine hills just about 25 miles away.

I got the water system of our caravan (trailer) drained off just in time I think. It's laid up for the winter now.

Yesterday I went out and bought a digital camera.(The free one I got, from which I sent you the portrait had just whet the appetite)
A is to subscribe part of the cost as a Christmas present, but I bought it now so that I will know how to use it for the Christmas festivities. It's quite complicated and the user manual is about 1/4 inch thick. Could be more photos on the way to you when I master it.

A is away for the day visiting our son's first mother-in-law (Our grandchildren's other grandmother) so I will probably be back before the day is out.

Bye for now.

Jim

I have a free one as well - an HP that came in the box with my printer. I've never figured it out. I'm technologically challenged, pure and simple. I keep thinking I'll get it out and practice with it so I can send pictures with the next round of Cranky Gardeners. There must be a book for it here someplace.

I finally got Steamatic ordered to clean all of the 'accidents' out of the carpets and recliners. They're coming this afternoon. And both stepsons will be here some time next week. I may seee if the younger one will stay for a while. I'm enjoying being by myself, but if F is able to come home I'll need someone to help me with him. I may just put him directly into a nursing home. It depends on whether or not his mind recovers any more. And whether they can get him back on his feet and walking around of course.

It's trash day in beautiful WC. Better get the bins to the curb. I'll pop in later as well.

Hi love,

We are having guests to dinner on Sunday - A's sister and a long standing friend (Norma)from when A had just left school and started work.

Norma is a 'maiden aunt', never married, lives on her own and when she gets the chance to talk to someone you cannot stop her. She goes on and on about people you don't know and things that interest her, but not you.

Well, good hearted Norma bought the beef for our Sunday dinner(without any suggestion from us) and decided to deliver it this morning - I've had her company for over an hour.

So if I'm sat here trouserless please forgive me - she's bored the pants off me !!!!

Now I have to buy all the vegetables for the meal, because I'm out all day tomorrow at the scribes.

I'll be back before I have to play taxi-driver for A again.

Jim

Some people are just naturally boring. My next door neighbor is the sweetest person. She would do anything for you. But she is really boring. I find myself nodding of just thinking about her.

I now have clean carpets. I'm trying to figure put how to rearrange the furniture. I still have more stuff than I do house. F never wanted to get rid of anything. He is the king of packrats. And it sems like every time we've moved it's been into a smaller house.

I need to eliminate clutter in order to eliminate stress. If I assume that he's never coming home, I can toss out a ton of stuff. But it seems sort of cold and uncaring.

Snap! We have a house full, loft full and garage full. A has promised that we will do something about it but every time I say 'Let's get rid of this' she finds some reason why we have to keep it. Only if it's mine can we let it go, and then after discussion as to why I should keep it.

We have our son's stuff and our daughter's stuff and our stuff. Clothes that don't fit but are 'too good to throw out'.

I've come to the conclusion that you have to be ruthless.

I've just succesfully installed the hardware for the digital camera and printed my first picture - now I have to find out how and where I file it.

Till tomorrow Jim