Wow, is she ever. Her voice is gone. She can manage a squeak, clear her throat and sort of squawk-rattle out something. For the most part though, nothing. We have had this illness in our house for over a month, just working its way through everyone again and again. Nasty stuff. The big problem is that our local clinic is closing down. This may not sound like much, but for my mother, change is never good. She was just getting used to(i.e. trusting) the local nurse practitioner, when she left. Now that she is gone, the other shoe to fall is that the hospital is pulling out sponsorship of the clinic and our small town has to find alternative healthcare. What a mess. If it was up to me, she would be at a doctor, to listen to her lungs. I would want... [Read more]

It has been a crazy house lately. We have been bottle feeding 40 baby goats, round the clock. This involves lots of time, sleepless nights and stress. It is much better now, after 2 weeks, because the babies can go for much longer, and tolerate the cold far better than when they first got here. Working the farm is a struggle for mom to observe. She has lifelong experience with working on a farm, but now it is just too much change all the time. I try to keep her involved with the goings on, by sharing with her where I am going and what we are doing next, but it seems to make things worse. My husband and I decided that instead of having her know about the comings and goings of the farm, we would give her a couple of babies to take care of here... [Read more]

I have recently received a few comments that I chose to delete. As has been stated, this is a blog about the trials and struggles of raising a family, while caring for an elderly parent. It is not an easy task, but a worthwhile one. As I write, I am not thinking of how others will view what I say. Other than trying to tie up loose thoughts, my posts are truly an online diary of my life in the sandwich. Sometimes it is a Boursin cheese wrap, with fresh, organic veggies; other times it is Wonder bread and margarine. Of utmost importance, is the idea that you can comment to me, without feeling judged. I will delete any comments that add no value to the conversation. If you want to write me and tell me what a failure I seem, please feel free to... [Read more]

I feel a bit underhanded today. I made a coffee date for my mom, with another friend’s mom. Neither one is aware that it is a setup, but both of us daughters know that it could work. My friend is the wife of my vet. She and I get a long very well and find out more things that we have in common all the time. We both live with our mothers, and there is some angst on a daily basis. We came to the conclusion that neither mother was going to take the first step, and make a friendly gesture. We decided to just do it for them.I can’t help but think that mom’s personality would smooth out if she had someone to talk with, other than us. I can’t help feeling a little sneaky about doing this. The ruse is that I am supposedly having... [Read more]

Here is a conundrum. Mom and I were talking tonight, about her beloved dog. This miserable dog is 6  years old, spoiled beyond all recognition, and on a daily medicine regime. I dislike this dog with the burning fire of 1000 angry suns. Having shared that innermost secret, this foolish waste of air is the reason for mom to get up in the morning. She(the dog) loves being spoiled and tells mom what to do all the time. I am serious! If mom is sitting in her chair, reading, this dog will bark and jump and cause a commotion so that mom can escort her to the dog door to be let out. No need for an escort, mind you, just the fact that mom’s complete attention is not ON the dog, means that she has to take more serious means to get it back. I have... [Read more]