At least there's some life left.

So tonight I'm in visiting my mum, all hooked up to saline solution, a nutrient drip, and a new thing, blood. She's not getting enough iron, I guess.

Anyway, the doctors have decided to cut down on her sherry intake. From what I was told by one of the nurses, they've been feeding her sherry so that she'll doze off, and not bother them. Kind of sad in a way.

Anyway, a student nurse was in the room, and my mum happened to mention the sherry. She was hinting that the student nurse should pour her a glass, but they're not allowed to.

I piped up with the fact that my mum was only allowed 3 ounces of sherry twice a day, and she got really mad. "You're not to tell them that!" she said. I replied that it was doctors orders, and why shouldn't I tell them. Heh.

Anyway, she forgot all about it in the next couple of minutes.

Friday I'm off to Prescott to clean out her fridge, but before that I have to visit her banks and get her accounts transferred here so that I can look after them better.

Just a meme.

You Are a Pegasus

You are a perfectionist, with an eye for beauty. You know how to live a good life - and you rarely deviate from your good taste. While you aren't outgoing, you have excellent social skills. People both admire you - and feel very comfortable around you.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Things to think about

Things are moving forward, but slowly.
I have so many things to think about in the next couple of weeks.
Once the power of attorney papers have been signed, I am going to have to transfer my mum's bank accounts to my city, get an estimate for packing and moving all her furniture etc, and finding out how much it will cost to put it into storage for a while.

And cutting off her cable and internet. That'll be easy.

Then, there's the fact I have to find a retirement/nursing home for her. That may not prove to be as easy.

Lastly, the cat. My mum has a cat that's about 17, and right now he's at the kennels. I doubt that they'd want to keep looking after him, and it's expensive to keep him there. My wife or I could take him, but I don't have that much room, and I also have two cats who may not take to a new one.

My wife also has two cats, but a bit more room. We'll have to wait and see.

And I think that's enough whining.

More mother updates.

My mother has decided to give up her apartment, and allow me to gain power of attorney over her wellbeing and finances.

It's my plan to go ahead with the apartment project, but there is the possibility that my mother may change her mind, which she has done before, and that'll put me back at square one.

I've been sitting here thinking of the myriad things that I will have to do when I gain power of attorney, and it's somewhat overwhelming. This is brand new territory that I will be entering into, so I am going to have to get help from my family.

It'll be a few days before the power of attorney is done, so I guess I'll update then.

Just another day.

Directly after work this morning I drove to Prescott. It's only about a one hour drive from Kingston, but I found out just how tired I was after working eight hours by almost falling asleep twice while driving at 120 kmh.

But that's beside the point, as I'm writing this blog, so I must still be around.

Anyway, I put in a change of address for my mother so that all her mail comes to me so that I don't have to drive to Prescott once a week to pick it up.

My mother is steadily going down hill healthwise, and it's the opinion of the doctors that she will be unable to live by herself. I will have to make a decision regarding her apartment. She does not want to give it up, as she has convinced herself that she will be able to go home.

I have all the forms at home for power of attorney, but that may prove difficult. I cannot (except in extreme circumstances) take power of attorney without her consent, and she is still able to make decisions about finances etc. But, if, as I want her to do, she goes into a nursing home, then it would be better for me to look after the money.

As it stands right now, she is paying rent on the apartment, and will be liable for part of the cost of the semi-private room she is staying in at the hospital.

I will just have to make some hard decisions.

Final cat picture

And here she is, Buffy, my geriatric cat, 16 in human years.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to court we go.

I have to go to court this morning to testify for the prosecution in a criminal case that happened just over a year ago.
I was assured that I would be contacted just before the court date as to when to appear, but that has not happened. I will have to be at the Brockville courthouse at 10:00 am this morning, in order to find out what's happening.
I bet I wont be required. And that sucks.
I'll report on more this evening.

Hail Technorati

Technorati Profile

I am the Wheel of Fortune.

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

What's in your pants?

heh.
So, on Saturday I am at a loss as to what to do. I go out, buy some treats for my mum in hospital, and decide to drop in to my place of work to see what's up. The Christmas Tree is what is up. Well, it's been put together - a fake one - but the lights are not on it. I volunteer, along with one of the owners of the hotel to put up the lights.

We check the lights, they all work, and start putting them on the tree.

We're almost done, and the tree decides to fall over. I am up the ladder, holding the ladder with one hand, the tree with the other as help is summoned, and all of a suddenly, the theme from Mario Brothers starts ringin in my pants. Cell phone. It's a bit comic, and you had to be there to appreciate it.

So, everything is put right, the Mario Brothers are responded to, and the tree stays up.

cats!!!!!

Finally I have managed to get pictures of my cats. I will try to get a picture of Buffy very soon. It didn't go through. Oh well.

This is Harper

He is a very large cat.

And now, this is Harper and Buffy. Buffy is, I think, about 15 or 16 years old.

Last little bit of history

So here we are, the last of the pictures from my lurid past. In this picture is the first ever girlfriend I had when I came to Canada from Scotland. And she was British. I guess we can't ever escape the old country, can we? Anyway, many many years later I joined Classmates.com, and lo and behold, she was (and is) a member there too. We emailed a couple of times, and I met her and her husband, and had dinner with them. And so, that is my history lesson.

In other news, my mother has again changed her mind about the apartment - she wants to keep it. This is unfortunate, as now I am going to have to think very seriously about taking over with power of attorney. As I've said before, the doctors, the social worker and the psychiatrist that has talked to her have all agreed that she cannot go home and be on her own. They've told her this, but she is, I am afraid, in denial.

It won't be much fun when I have to confront her with what I have to do. I am going to get legal advice first, however.

Dexter rules

I am currently watching the Showtime series "Dexter". So far, only 6 episodes have been broadcast.
I was looking online for information about this series, and found that there's a synopsis of all 12 episodes.
I was sorely tempted to look ahead, but I did not. Yay for me! I'm content to wait.
And, "Dexter" has been renewed for another season. Yay for that too!

Beta beta

Now I'm a beta blogger - I see no difference so far - my shoes still fit, and I don't have to change my underwear from all the excitement.

I'll give it a couple of days to find out if I need more drugs.

Again, posts on nothing.

I seem to talk about my mother a lot, don't I? That's probably because I have nothing else.
My life is very quiet - weekdays I work from 11pm to 7am Sunday through Thursday, Friday and Saturday off, and that's drinking time, unless I have to drive somewhere, and then no alcohol.
I eat, I sleep, I look at my cats, lots of TV, and that's it.

Now, though, with my mother in hospital, I have other things to worry about - her apartment, a nursing home, and her finances, because in a short while I may have to look after those.

It's going to be very different.

Monday, I have to go to court to give evidence in a trial involving a stolen credit card - this happened a year ago, and I had forgotten all about it until I got the summons a few weeks ago. This too will be interesting, and I will update when that happens.

And now, another historical picture:

A picture from a happier time, though some people would deny it. I hung around a bunch of really square people. By the way, I am not in this picture. That is not me with the tongue.

No title comes to mind

So more on my mother.
She has decided to vacate her apartment and look for a nursing home here in Kingston. This means I shall have to go and talk to the super in Prescott and see what can be done about breaking the lease. Then, getting the furniture packed, transported to Kingston and put into storage until I can figure out what to do with it.

I'm keeping my aunt (my mum's sister) apprised on a daily basis of my mum's condition. Unfortunately, some wires got crossed in translation, and my aunt thinks that my mum is much worse than she really is. Anyway, she's going to call her tomorrow, and that'll make her happy.

And now, my daily picture of things long ago and far away:


So here we are, practicing male bonding. Where's the beer?

On a lighter note - this is what happens when you smoke

There are things that are difficult to do.

My mother is 84, and has started failing in mind and body over the past few months. She is now unable to look after herself, and is in hospital attached to a g-tube, which gives her nourishment through her stomach.

Her mind, once very sharp, now tends to wander. She is under the impression that she will be able to go home to her apartment very soon, but the doctors have said that she will be unable to do this.

I am now in the position of having to take over her affairs, and find a good nursing home that will look after her.

I've had to write to her sister in Scotland and explain all of this to her, so that she'll know what I am planning to do.

I hate like anything doing it, because I know that she dearly would love to be back in her apartment with her cat.

Trouble is, she lives in an apartment building that is inhabited by senior citizens, some of whom are handicapped in various ways - some cannot drive, one is legally blind, others have heart conditions. If my mum ever got into trouble it would be difficult for others to come to her help.

It is not going to be fun explaining what I have to do - I don't want to have to do it, but I must.

Now why would she do that?

My youngest daughter got married today - after living with her boyfriend for over 6 years.

Her (now) husband recently became involved in a church here in town, and I believe that the pastor there was instrumental in persuading him to make the marriage legal and binding.

Whether it will change him is something we'll have to wait and see. Not that he's unfaithful or anything like that, just that he's selfish in lots of ways.

We'll see.


Another picture from way way back when. Remember those hairdo's? I think there must have been about a ton of hairspray there.

Time Travelling

Way way back in 1962 I was a geek with artistic pretensions. I cannot for the life of me remember who the young lady is that I was cuddling.
I think that I will publish some more pictures down the line of the other geekish persons that I was acquainted with in my younger days.

We all went to Lisgar Collegiate in Ottawa.

I've tried many many times to start a blog - lord knows how many unfinished blogs belonging to me there are in the system right now. Maybe this one will stick. We'll see