Mom and the "NO...NO...NO"s"

April (one of my Mom's most marvelous caregivers) and I tackled the ...(No..No...No's today) ... that is the  standard reply from my Mom whenever we finally decide that IT IS TIME....to bathe and shampoo my dear, beloved Mother)

So...today April and I did the deed.  And even though Mom was very vocal in opposition...once we managed to get her transferred from the wheel chair to the shower bench...the response from Mom changed....from..No...No...No...to...OH...THAT FEELS GOOD!


A caregiver has to respect the negative response from their patient when it comes to bathing, eating,..or even an evening wheelchair stroll around the wonderful landscaped complex where the patient lives. 

I, as her daughter and her primary caregiver for the last decade have more options.

I know and I decide, that Mom will benefit and enjoy getting outside, seeing her neighbors....eating an ice cream cone...even though she says NO.    It's extremely difficult for an obedient and loving daughter to over rule her mother's wishes.  And this is just another aspect of the dilemma of caring for a loved one with dementia. 

However, I've been there with Mom.  Done the endless health care visits, wept at the loss of cognizance,...got the 2 am paranoid phone calls...struggled to get her off the floor when she has fallen...held her when she cried for her Mother to come to take her home and now the end game...not eating...not swallowing...Dementia...God Save Me from this.

But I will end on a good note.  Mom has been bathed, moisturized, powered, combed and dressed.  She is exhausted but comfortable.  I am happy that I was able to do what was needed to be done without any harm to my Mom.

Today was a good day.

Watching the Geese Gather

Every morning I travel the highways north across the state line. I am fortunate to live in a beautiful area of rural Maryland. Corn fields and ponds are around every bend in the road.

In the early mornings and the late afternoons, our resident geese migrate or more to the point, commute from their daytime gatherings to the safety of their overnight lodgings.

It's a special treat to hear their calls and to watch them teach their offspring to navigate. When I am outside at sunset and watch the local flock returning for the evening, I am reminded of the wonderful film..."Fly Away Home". I must admit that every time I watch this movie....I cry.

Wylie - The Afghan Mutt

Wylie, the Afghan mutt, was rescued in February by a convoy of British soldiers on patrol in a Kandahar bazaar, where a dog-fighting crowd was beating the smaller dog with lumps of wood to force the last fight out of him.

Back at Kandahar base, it was Australian Federal Police officer Narelle Jensz to whom the soldiers turned.

Follow the link above to read the story. Donate if you can. Send the link to your friends.

Missed the Perseids...AGAIN!

I'm usually up by 5:00 every morning. Even if I wanted to sleep in an extra half hour or so, Mya, will make every effort to wake me up to be sure that her breakfast will be served on time!




Staying awake and lucid past 9:30 at night isn't possible, so I tried to get a glimpse of the meteors before dawn. Didn't happen, but I was gifted with some gorgeous colors!





Now, if only I could get a talented fiber artist to dye me a few skeins in colorways to match these sunrises!

Ground Hogs - Zero \ Me and my Garden - Eleven

Anyone out there with a deep and abiding love of Groundhogs better close this blog right here and now.

For anyone else that has done battle with the beasties over control of their garden and the produce it yields,....I have a tale of VICTORY to share!

If you live in Maryland and are lucky enough to have the land and the time to work a vegetable garden you may have had the experience of watching and waiting for that first lovely, juicy heirloom tomato to ripen.



Here in Maryland, if you are very careful and listen to the weather reports for frost,..you can plant your tomatoes in April. Most of us, wait until May. If you plant early and are lucky , you might actually have a tomato to savor by the 4th of July.

For the past three years, I've watched my tomatoes ripen, decided to harvest a few..."tomorrow", only to discover on my morning walkabout that some dastardly, dirty, sneaky groundhog has decided to taste test my tomatoes and left it hanging on the vine. ARGHHH!!

This year I decided to fight back. We hired a "hunter". He brought his rusty, clanking traps and assured me that I would be planting my fall garden in two weeks.

ELEVEN groundhogs (who knew?!?) later....I have just finished planting my broccoli and I am even trying for cucumbers and green beans. (Have you priced cucumbers lately?.....84 CENTS each! Green Beans at $1.99 cents a pound!)

Thank You, Mike!

I can taste those Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches......RIGHT NOW!

Playing with Blocks

Simply addicting. Found this pattern for a Mitered Square Scarf on Yarnarians Blog and now it's the "go to" project when I just want to do some comfort knitting. Nobody's name is on this yet. I'm still adding blocks but it just screams "Baby Blanket".

I'm thinking that if I add some yarnovers to the blocks and some interesting color combinations, the pattern could become a very lovely shawl.

Harvest Moon - FO !

Promise made, Promise kept!



What a very good feeling. My lovely 93 year old friend needed a gift to celebrate the arrival of her 8th great grandchild. I was very pleased to be able to contribute to the occasion. It was a challenge to get it finished before the birth of Ellie Kate, but we did it!

Mya wants to know when her blankie will be finished!