Happy March!

Hard to believe it's March already!  It seems like POOF February disappeared!

Although we had snow about 10 days ago, it was gone within a day and Spring is now springing on us big time here in the PNW.  Tulips are coming up and the weather is definitely more mild each day.

Time for doggie haircuts as their winter coats are super thick and will be too hot within the next few weeks.  One of the dogs, Bonnie, looks like she weighs a ton but it's mostly fur.  Her hair almost looks like dreadlocks, so I call her Rasta Dog.

Bonnie, one of the dogs I inherited from my mom

(Now, I hope you will indulge me as I complain about my mother ONE MORE TIME, after this it will be only occasionally and I promise she will not be the main focus of future posts.)

Mom still drives me nutty but I’m learning more and more (with the help of my dear Hub) not to let her get to me.  But boy, she sure does know how to get into my head.  Her latest thing is that I moved her, without her consent, into the assisted living facility.  She wants to still be in her home with her two little dogs.  (Personally, I would like that too, but that's water under the bridge.)  

Fine, but "if you recall, Mom," the move was discussed ad nauseum before it happened. 

At the time (a little over a year ago), it was gradually becoming more obvious that it would be necessary to move her, because she wasn’t taking care of herself or her dogs.  The final straw was she had a car accident  (at night and in the pouring rain) that she didn’t report and to this day, we do not know where she was or what she hit (thankfully, it was apparently an inanimate object and not a person).  The only reason I found out is I discovered the front end of the car was wrecked when I went to visit her.  When we went to get the car fixed, the insurance company cancelled her insurance because of the circumstances.  So, she couldn’t drive without insurance. 

Anyway, did I move her without her consent?  Not really, we discussed the situation and she understood we had no other choice except to move.  Because how was she going to live if she couldn’t drive her car?  And the bottom line is...she was unsafe in her house.  All this she either forgets because of the dementia or she "conveniently" forgets it.  Sometimes it is hard to tell which is which.

The fact that we had no choice really is not too relevant, because she bugs me constantly about it anyway.  She insists everything at her house was "just fine."  So she’s resentful and angry about everything.  Well, so am I, Mom, so am I.  This wasn't exactly what I wanted to do with my life either (taking over managing the day to day life of a cranky, abusive, unappreciative, mean old lady). 

Anyway, I’m actually doing quite well emotionally.  I think I’m getting more and more immune to the day to day complaints and recriminations.  Because Hub lets me vent, and then with patience and without fail tells me “YOU HAD NO OTHER CHOICE!”  Yes, he's my personal therapist and even though he's free, he's worth every penny.  (ha ha)

(Okay, done and DONE.)

Exercise has been stellar, if I do say so myself.  It helps that I have a trainer that kicks my butt 4 times a week; then I do cardio on my own one other day.  On the other two days, I mostly keep busy with chores at home, walking 3 dogs, etc. 

Food…well, meh. That’s up and down.  But at least there have been no compulsive sugar binges.  Yay!  Weight seems to be stable (I'm guessing it's around 165-170), but it goes without saying, I’d like to lose a couple of pounds before we go to Hawaii later this month (just for a week...on business...but we'll be on the beach a bit of course).  If I could just clean up my diet a bit, I think the pounds would drop and I’d be happy.  But then again, not going to get crazy about it.  "Crazy" when it comes to my diet is a behavior that is mostly in the past and which never proved to productive long term anyway (in fact it was counter productive).

I turned 64 at the end of February, so looking at perhaps retiring next year after I turn 65 (if hub ever decides to quit working). So I have that to look forward to.

Hope everyone is doing welll!  Thanks for reading.     
 

I Will Not Eat Crap

My mom and I still have our ups and downs.  With the dementia, her filters are almost non-existent. 

For example, I visited her Saturday and had lunch with her and some of her buddies.  One of her friends said “You look nice today.”  I guess washing my hair and wearing a scarf that matches my sweater is the height of fashion at the Home.  Anyway, I’ll take any compliment that comes my way (even if it is made by an elderly woman who is almost blind…seriously, this friend of my mother’s is very near sighted).  So I said Thank You!   

But, instead of agreeing with her, what does my mother do?  She says, “Yeah, well, I don’t like that sweater on you, it makes you look fat.”  And as usual, even after all these years, I'm always caught off guard by her meanness.  You'd think I'd learn!  

It’s always tricky how to respond to something like that.  I can feel hurt or just laugh it off.  So I (try to) laugh it off.  What good does it do to respond to her anyway?  She doesn’t remember anything past 5 minutes. And I’ve come to expect it from her…she’s always been very competitive with me but it took me years to recognize that was what was going on. 

Last night Hub and I were going grocery shopping and as I rode along in the car, I started to realize I felt a bit depressed.  As I analyzed what I was feeling, I realized that it’s possible my mother could live another 20 years…she’s in really good health except for her mind.  So I have that to look forward to for the foreseeable future…The constant offhand insults and negativity and complaints.  I start to realize that even now I overreact and dwell on things she says and does (not outwardly but inside it hurts).  And it never fails...She gives me a stomach ache and makes me want to eat crap.  

Anyway, I know logically that in the scheme of things, this is such a very, very small problem.  So, instead of letting it bother me, I’m going to decide to be grateful for what it is, because I know it could be so much worse. 

Thanks for listening…I feel much better having written about it.  And I will not use her actions as an excuse to eat crap.  

HELLO!

...Or, as we say in the style of my office when anyone walks in…Hel-LOOOO! 

(think Seinfeld  “Hello”episode)

I’ve been away so long from blogging.  I did go private for the last 18 months, mostly so I could figure out what to do with my blog without actually worrying about it or deleting it.

But life goes on and is good, so I'm back.  I can’t believe how blessed I am.  This post will be brief, mostly just to get back into it.

I’m still working for the Fire Department at a job I love.  I’m turning 64 in February so starting to anticipate retirement in 2018, when I turn 65. Hubs is still working at age 70, but he is thinking about selling his business in the next year so we can go have fun before we get too old to enjoy retirement. 

About a year ago, I moved my mother into an assisted living place nearby.  This was not an easy decision but she has dementia and couldn’t live on her own any more.  This first year was difficult with her laying a major guilt trip on me about moving her.  She definitely still knows how to push my buttons!  But, she finally seems to have adjusted and likes the place she lives.  Her being close by in a structured environment makes my life so much easier too.  Now it's much more convenient to keep an eye on her, take her to doctor appointments, even just visit her, etc.  She's always been a social butterfly, so now she has lots of friends (even if she can't ever remember their names).    

My boy Buster is still around, he’s 13 now, but still generally healthy.  He is getting a bit creaky in the joints, is pretty deaf, and I don’t think he sees very well either.  But he still looks forward to a stroll in the park, his dinner at night, and treats.  Oh, and we have taken on my mother’s two little dogs, who were basically wild animals from lack of discipline, but they have calmed down a lot with a routine they can count on.  Buster likes them fine so everyone is happy.   

Weight wise, I’m about the same, maybe a little smaller (I don’t weigh, but clothes I was wearing a year ago are a little loose now).  I'm still doing (a non-rigid version of) Intermittent Fasting...that style of eating just works for me. I’ve been working out 3-4 times a week with a trainer, which is expensive but really is my one financial self-indulgence.  To be honest, I kinda hate it!  He pushes me to the point that I often jokingly tell him I'm glad I'm sweating because it hides my tears.  But having a scheduled time with him keeps me accountable, injury free (because he is a real stickler for form), and when each session is over, I feel good and accomplished.  I'm really strong for my age and pretty toned too, if I do say so myself.  I did have the facelift I discussed in my last post, and it was worth every penny.    

I stopped going to my therapist Dr. D about a 9 months ago, as I think we had covered just about everything there was to talk about, plus I had stopped crying every time I saw her.  To me that meant a lot of the childhood trauma had finally been resolved.  I learned a lot from her and I think I’m doing pretty well emotionally on my own. 

That’s about it!  I haven’t read many blogs lately but I’m looking forward to touching base with anyone who is still around!