I'm a Caregiver

Here it is half past November and I'm falling down on the job again but I've been busy, with an excuse. Mama and Mary are sick and I have to fetch and carry for them. 

Last night Mama called me and told me she couldn't get Mary to bed. I went up there to help.

I had to call in reinforcements to help get Mary to bed. She was dead weight. She had a fever and wasn't able to walk. It scared the crap out of me so I stayed all night and I could hear Mary muttering to herself in her sleep. Today she woke up and didn't remember a thing. I don't know if we'd dosed her too much for the flu or her fever made her delirious. I only know I don't want that to happen again.

I am the 'caregiver'. I took a stupid Facebook quiz and that's what it said. I thought, "How the hell did a test know that?" I'm not a big huggy, feely kind of gal and I'm not suited for the job. In fact, I'm clueless.

For example, I took the oxygen hose in the sunroom for Mama and forgot to turn it on. She said she'd been checking her oxygen for a while and it never got out of the 80's until she figured out it wasn't turned on. Way to go, dummy! I told you I was clueless.

I hope everybody recuperates before Thanksgiving. 

I was making my dinner list when Mama called. I've decided to make a ham and turkey. We're having dinner here this year. I don't know who all will show up but I plan on making my favorite things.

Mama taught me how to make potato salad and deviled eggs years ago and everybody seems to love them. I also make some pretty good dressing. Mama usually makes giblet gravy with turkey drippings, if I ask her to.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I think I love it because of the endless supply of food and family camaraderie. 

Unlike years past, Thanksgiving is just a reminder that there is one less seat at the table again this year. Now when I see Black Friday advertisements it makes me sad. Daddy died on Black Friday but he did spend one last bittersweet Thanksgiving with us all that year.

November is a sad month but it's also a happy month. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I can hardly wait.

BIG SURPRISE COMING SOON

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Samantha, Dawn, and Larry

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
~Mama and Daddy~

RIP
Albert Silver, Charlie McAllister, Edwadene McAllister, 
Delbert Callahan, Crick Marshall, Frances Causby, 
and Roy Burchfield

REMEMBER

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

AS ALWAYS

PIO

PBS 11-15-15 Sunday  8:10 PM EST

Adversity

They say that adversity makes you stronger. I don't know about that. Adversity strikes all of us sooner or later but so many people are having so many difficult problems here lately that it sometimes seems like we are under a curse.

We had a double dose of adversity recently when my father passed away suddenly. We were reeling from that blow when Daddy's sister, Vivian, passed away. 

I couldn't fathom a world without Daddy or Vivian. Vivian died 26 years to the day after her father passed away. The irony wasn't lost on me. I never dreamed we would lose two important members of our family at the same time like that.

Two funerals so close together would be hard enough but within that two month span another death touched our lives. Scout's sweet and lovely brown eyed girlfriend, Katie, lost her father when he suffered a rapid decline. He didn't live long enough to even have hospice assistance. 

We all traveled to Tennessee to his funeral to pay respects to Katie and her father's family and friends. He must have been a wonderful guy, and I wish I had known him. He had lots of friends.

Not long ago I found out about an old friend who had an incurable debilitating disease. Another old friend had a daughter who died of an inoperable brain tumor. It seems like everybody is having hard times. I can't imagine their pain.

Several friends are unemployed, or homeless, or have mental or physical health issues. There are too many poor people struggling to pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads. There aren't enough jobs for them to help them pay their bills. I worry about everybody.

I've always had a weak spot for poor people even though I never had to depend on government assistance myself, except for the time I had the wonderful opportunity to go to junior college on a CETA grant when I was young. 

Now that Donny is suffering from his own health issues I am more adamant than ever about shoring up government programs to help the needy and relieve the burden that too many people face during a crisis. Crushing medical debt can decimate a family.

If you thought I was a bitch before, wait until you see me now. I wasn't afraid of voicing my opinion about programs for helping the needy before, and I sure won't be quiet now. 

It is frightening to have to decide between paying your bills or getting food or medicine. I used to argue about it in a theoretical sense since we have always been fortunate enough to have an income and be able to pay our living expenses without it being very much of a problem. Now I am walking in their shoes and I don't like it. I don't know how people do it. 

Donny is going on temporary disability but we will still have to pay insurance out of his disability check. Our income has been cut into and we won't have enough money to pay basic bills without getting behind.

Let me assure you that nobody is immune to disaster. Nobody can predict a medical crisis, or losing their job, or having an accident. Most people don't have any money saved up to carry them through months of unemployment without suffering the consequences and getting behind. Neither do we.

Basic needs will have to be reevaluated and prioritized. Some things will suffer. Doctor and dental appointments will have to be delayed and the pets will probably starve. Everything will be affected because Donny is on disability. 

Our most important goal will be taking care of Donny and getting him medication for his heart condition. That will take precedence over everything.

I will certainly have a new understanding about the difficulties that people suffer when their income is cut and they are hanging on by their fingernails. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO