Between2 - Dealing

Daddy and I are working through our darker times since losing mom. We have created some projects, large and small to keep us busy and focused.

Dad is working on roofing and screening in the back deck. We had planned this before mom’s passing so she would be more comfortable outside. He is putting in a sliding glass door on the east end of the porch so it will block the wind for those chilly evenings in the spring and fall. When it comes winter he will enclose the west and south sides as well to make an area where the deck furniture can be stored so we can leave the greenhouse empty for storing root crops and starting new plants in the spring. Right now it is so packed with lawn furniture that you can’t even get in the door.

This project is keeping him busy and out of the house, which is good for him right now.

Friends, including the hospice folks, have come to visit during the day. Dad is enjoying the unexpected company. Ann stopped by yesterday and he showed off his redecorated bedroom. He said, “She really liked it.” I said, “What’s not to like,” and he beamed. On Sunday mornings I find him sitting in his bedroom reading the paper and watching the Sunday morning news show. I join him, lying down across the bed long enough to read the funnies and the magazine section of the newspaper before we either move to the living room or take off on some errand.

I am busy with my blog and fighting the good fight to keep my job. They are thinking about outsourcing the print shop at school. It is a bad idea. It would be a bad idea even if it didn’t mean the loss of my job.

I am on an improvement kick. I have neglected my health affairs for years while looking after mom. I have a new pair of glasses and next week I get two crowns installed. Next is the dreaded yearly physical and I will be back up to date. I have also started a weight reduction plan. I refuse to call it a diet. I am calling it an OH plan (Optimal Health). I don’t really care (honestly) how much I weigh as long as I feel good. I don’t feel my best right now and I know some poundage needs to be removed before I will be back in fighting shape.

Dad and I have been reconnecting and finding some joy in the freedom of activity we can have now. If we want to go to the movies spur of the moment, we can. No worry if it is raining or cold outside. No dealing with the wheelchair or oxygen bottles. We miss her, but not her paraphernalia.

Friends are staying close. We have been out to dinner and lunch with folks. We are going to Dale’s in Kansas in the fall. He bought us tickets. That will be nice, a vacation with dad. I hope to have many more over the next few years.