Police Rush to Bank

I called the police on my Dad yesterday:(

He is 77. He has dementia. We put him in a care facility about a month ago.

But my sister in charge of his banking did not think it was necessary to secure his funds from himself.

So yesterday Dad called a friend and asked her to pick him up from the care facility and take him to the bank. He cleared out his first account and went to the second bank. The first bank called my sister to tell her the account was empty. My sister called me.

I called Dad. He told me he was at the third bank and he was fine. When I inquired who he was with he refused to tell me, and hung up.

Thankfully the police intercepted him before he cleared out the funds from the third bank, and were able to recover the other funds.

And who was the woman? A lady from a local place Dad likes to dance. She said she had no idea what he was doing. I don’t know if I buy that. She knew how much money he withdrew, and it was enough to disappear for a long time.

(sigh)

Hello WordPress, My Old Friend…

My son has moved so far away it would take me two days to drive there… Even with my lead foot.

The area is growing so rapidly that mapquest and ups do not recognize his address.

When I enter the GPS coordinates in google earth I see a dirt field with the beginning of a foundation.

He is scheduled to fly in this weekend. I can’t wait to see him, embrace him, smell him:)

Playground Bark, Insanity & Swinging

A beautiful sunny afternoon… on the outside.

I walked to the local elementary school, where my children attended when they were little. I walked through the playground, kicking up the wood chips.

The playground at my elementary school was concrete under the swings. Some of us… who were daredevils… got in trouble for jumping out of those swings.

I was thinking it was a miracle I survived unharmed. But, perhaps I didn’t. Maybe my melancholy is from one jolt to many to the head.

Or could insanity be the mind knowing what must be done, and the heart lagging behind… The body going through the motions… The soul torn…

The swings on the playground are empty, like my heart.

Not-The-Nurse

I remember this show…brief…but hilarious.

As I race home each day on my lunch break to care for my recovering husband I can hear the baby dinosaur whining ‘Not The Momma!!!’

I have never been a good nurse. When they have the flu, I pay my kids one quarter every time they vomit in the toilet:)

After work I try to get my husband up and moving around. My sister asked if I wanted her to call him every morning and give him a list of simple things to help around the house…

I am thankful some people are so good at caring for the sick! Next time I’ll tell the hospital to keep him a little longer…

Sleep, Drugs, Walmart

This is the look of a woman on the edge.

Between my husbands ER Visit last night, and early morning surgery today, I got four hours of sleep.

After they decided to release him at 7:00 p.m., I rolled my eyes, took him home, and went to fill his prescriptions.

I am standing in line at the pharmacy, wearing sweats, T-shirt, and a glazed look, when I realize… this could be it! This could be the day my greatest fear becomes a reality. I know I looked like I had been run over by a bus.

Was someone taking my picture with a smart phone? Will I wake up tomorrow morning and find my photo on peopleofwalmart.com ?

I hope not!

Healthy Choices

Here is the vending machine in the hospital lobby. How fabulous they encourage healthy choices… But mostly provide the usual:)

40’s Makeover, FLMA, & Family $ Crises

Things to consider before you go back to school in your 40’s to makeover your career:

1. As you blissfully skip down that road to success, with your new diploma & new job, remember that YOU are NOT new. Your new benefits package may not include enough paid time off for any number of extended medical needs an older body may have.

2. Small employers, the personal employers, who know you and care about your family… are often NOT large enough to be obligated by FLMA. Even if you are financially stable enough to survive a few weeks off without pay, your new small employer does not have to hold your job.

3. Losing your new job is not the end of the world. At least you have medical insurance for your new medical expenses… until you realize most small employers are also not required to extend COBRA benefits. If you are lucky, your new medical needs are from a one-time event with speedy recovery. It is definitely NOT cool to be diagnosed with an inhibiting lifelong health problem that needs maintenance, then lose your job, then your medical insurance…

Of course, if your career path doesn’t provide these benefits anyway the improvement is worthwhile.

Children

5EA

Prius + WordPress = Grand Theft Auto?

I pulled in a parking lot where I had an appointment after work. Since I was early I began reading freshly pressed.

Some minutes later I grabbed me keys and jumped out of my Prius… but when I pressed the button on the fob… it wouldn’t lock.

I almost walked inside. THEN I REMEMBERED! My car was still running. I never turned it off. It was just quiet because my baby had switched to battery power. That is why it wouldn’t lock!

Thank goodness I didn’t go inside and leave my car running.