Where have the days gone...

Where have the days gone??? It's been a while since I last blogged, but Dad comes over here to watch the White Sox on the computer most evenings and if I'm busy during the day I don't get online. I stayed up until 3:00 AM this morning trying to catch up on old E-mails and board posts.

The doll show last weekend was very nice. We had a long drive, but it was fun. I was exhausted on Sunday and Monday, but have since bounced back. I did get quite a bit of exercise in this past week. Between my exercise tape and walking three miles at the mall I thought I did pretty well. I hope to walk this evening in the park...if the rain holds off. Anyway, I didn't spend too much at the doll show. I got a AA teenage doll and a little no name doll wearing a Vogue repro Ginny dress. I passed on quite a few things. I saw some vintage Ginny Doll clothes, but I have a whole pile of clothes waiting to be washed and mended. Until I catch up I'm not spending any more. Here are my two doll show dolls (in the middle) surrounded by some of my past purchases.



I enjoy my dolls. They're a wonderful escape and bring me much joy. Of course, I have to put up with a lot of teasing by family members, but that's OK.

This past week Dad fell twice and has seemed so much more confused at times. I'm really concerned about what the future holds. We went out to lunch today to his favorite place, Red Lobster. He loves steamed lobsters and one of the waiters came over and made a big fuss over him. This waiter has waited on him in the past and my father enjoyed the special attention that he gave him. It's funny how something so simple can make a big difference in someone's day. I was grateful to that waiter for the kindness he showed to an old man.

Thursday...

I've made a lot of progress on the Car Hop outfit since last Saturday. I should be done shortly. Thank goodness. It ended up not being as bad as I thought.

On Saturday I'm going to a doll show in Austin with some friends. It's around a 3+ hour drive each way. I'm going to have to get up very, very early...GROAN. I am not a morning person. I also don't need to be spending money on dolls right now. I just got back from the Fire Flies Convention earlier this month and in July I go to Ohio for the Ginny Doll thing.

Tommorow I have to take Dad back to the hearing aid place. We were just there last Friday to have his aids checked, but he has since lost one of them. We've searched his apartment, laundry, etc., and this time it's gone for good. I'm afraid he might have thrown it away with the old battery. He's also lost two room keys in the last week. I feel very sorry for him. He realizes how confused and forgetful he is at times and it weighs heavily on him mind. I try and tell him that he's still doing pretty well for someone his age. I was recently reading that there's a very promising drug for Alzheimer's in drug trials right now. If things continue to go along well they think the FDA might fast track this drug and it will be available in about a year. I think that will be too late for Dad. His memory has been declining rapidly the last nine months. For a number of years it seemed to progress very slowly, but not anymore. Most of the time he's pretty happy. He has a girlfriend at the assisted living facility and enjoys his time with her. So, in spite of the difficulties I think he still has a good quality of life at 88 and I'm thankful for that and hope and pray he'll be around for a good long while.

Saturday...

Saturday...and I'm trying to tie up some loose ends. I go to a Ginny Doll get together in Ohio in July. Each year we have a theme. One year it was a mall at Christmas, another year a county fair, etc. This year it's a park in the 1950's. Each of us will contribute to the park and we also make little gifts for one another. It's a lot of fun, but it takes time to get ready. This year we're supposed to dress up like one of our Ginny Dolls in the 1950's. Well, I got this brain storm and decided to dress up as the Car Hop Ginny. I bought a pattern and the fabric months ago, but I'm just now starting to sew. Of course, I'm having trouble figuring the pattern out. If I ever get the collar on the shirt it will be a miracle. The directions might as well have been written in Greek. Perhaps it's because I haven't sewn anything like this since 8th grade Home Ec. back in the year of the flood. I decided to take a break and mess on the computer for a few minutes. I'm hoping the directions will make more sense after my break.

A friend sent me some links to other Blogs. This caught my eye. If you're feeling a little blah this is a great pick me up! I hope this works. It didn't appear correctly in the preview but I'm hoping everything will be OK when it's published.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=92c_1181837281

OK...I give up. Use the link above instead. For some reason the embed code for Blogs won't work.

Chatty Cathy Dolls...

I thought I'd post a picture of a couple of my Chatty Cathy Dolls. This picture was taken in the Springtime when the Bluebonnets were all in bloom. This is Texas at it's best. It almost makes up for no beautiful foliage in the Fall (which I miss terribly). I made the outfits that my Chattys are wearing.

Busy Day...

It was a busy day. Dad had a 12:30 appointment for an ultra-sound. That meant he'd miss lunch at assisted living, so I picked him up at 11:00 and we went to one of his favorite places for lunch. There are only two places he likes...Red Lobster and Ellie's. Ellie's is a Greek place in town and they serve lamb shanks which he enjoys. So, we went to Ellie's first, then the doctor's office for the ultra-sound, the bank for cash, the mall, and finally to the gas station for gas. Most of these places involved getting Dad in and out of the car. That's become quite a production. I usually end up dropping Dad at the door and parking the car. Then I have to reverse that procedure when we're leaving. Unfortunately, the automatic door lock on the passenger side of my car doesn't work, so I have to climb into the car on the driver's side and manually unlock the passenger door. Then I have to help Dad in (or out) and fold up the walker (or do the reverse) and put it in the car (or take it out). Of course, this part of Texas is hot and humid 99.9% of the time (or so it seems) and I was dripping wet with sweat. No kidding, it was running down my face. Don't get my wrong. I am so grateful that my Dad is still here and I'm able to spend time with him. It's just that I'm getting older myself and wearing out. By the time I got home I was exhausted.

The trip to the mall was to Godiva to get a box of milk chocolates for Amy. He called a little while ago and told me that he and Amy each had a piece this afternoon. They meet each day at 3:00 for the ice cream social and I guess that's when he gave her the candy. He really enjoys having a girl friend at 88. He's so happy. It even makes him forget that his beloved Chicago White Sox aren't doing very well this year. :)

Dad...

My Dad has lived near me in assisted living for just about a year now. He didn't want to move from NJ and assumed he'd hate assisted living, but was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, his memory has gotten a lot worse and he recently had to have carotid artery surgery which ended up leading to a 2 1/2 week hospitalization. He's on the mend now and is going for physical therapy to help build up his strength. He now walks with a walker which may or may not be permanent. Here's a picture of my husband and Dad shortly before he was released from the hospital. In spite of everything he still looks pretty good for 88.

He's also fallen in love. Right before his hospitalization he asked Amy to marry him. She's 91. Her daughter objected and did not want her mother to marry, so there won't be a wedding. However, they're still a couple around the assisted living facility and spend time together. He enjoys sending her flowers. He does it the only way he knows how. He calls the florist in NJ where he still has an account and orders flowers for Amy here in Texas. Of course, there are florists right in town, but Dad always used the same florist in NJ and that's the only way he knows how to do it. That means it costs more, but I think it's important for him to be able to handle these things himself and it's gotten very difficult to teach him new things, so I don't say anything. His memory loss has already given his self esteem a blow and sending Amy flowers makes him feel so good. He told me last night that Amy likes milk chocolate, so I'm sure we'll be making a trip to Godiva shortly.

A Couple Of My Favorite Vintage Ginny Dolls...

And here's a photo of a couple of my favorite vintage Ginny Dolls.

Pictures...

I've had a request for photos. (Thank you, Loretta.) I find my doll hobby very relaxing...a real stress reliever. I enjoy setting my dolls up in scenes. Recently I saw somone refer to their scenes as vignettes. A fancy word for scenes, but sounds so much better. Here is one of my "vingnettes" from last Thanksgiving.

Sharing...

I've been following this website every spring for the last four or five years. A pair of Peregrine Falcons has been nesting on the top of an office building in Jersey City, NJ. There's a live webcam so you can follow all the action. This year there were four eggs, but only three hatched. Within the next two or three weeks they'll be learning to fly. They recently figured out how to leave the nest box, so they're not always in camera view. Be sure and read the Newbox News. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/peregrinecam/

Time To Update...

I can see where I need to update my profile. I'm a year older now and I don't want anyone accusing me of trying to make myself appear younger. I've also lost some elderly pets this past year and adopted a couple of new ones. OK...I'm on my way over to the profile area to make the necessary changes.

I see there's been some changes...

I see there's been some changes since my last visit many, many months ago. I guess Google now owns Blogger? Anyway, I'm all set up with my Google account and password. I'm posting this now to see if it works. :)

Where have I been...

I've been negligent about posting to my blog. I've had little computer time lately. Dad is settling in nicely at the assisted living place, but I've been busy making trips to NJ. The house sold and I've been busy making arrangements for an estate sale. My son's girlfriend went back with me last week and we worked like dogs getting everything organized. Took two days off and went into NYC. She had never seen the city before. We went up to the top of the Empire State Building, rode around NYC in a double decker bus, visited Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, and the Statue Of Liberty. We got back on Tuesday and on Wednesday I hurt my hand. It's been swollen ever since and I'm having trouble typing. I'm starting to think I might have broken a bone in my hand. At least it's the left one and I'm right handed. I'd better give it a rest now...

I'm back...

Actually, I've been back since last Sunday evening. Just too busy. My Dad is now somewhat settled in assisted living here. His furniture should arrive next week, so with the holiday and getting him unpacked I might not be around much. One of these days things will settle down again.

While organizing my Dad's house I found my mother's wedding gown. It's 63 years old and in amazingly good condition. I also found old checkbooks from 1947-52. Amazing what things cost...fuel oil was eleven cents a gallon! The house is on the market now and we'll go back and clean out things when it sells. Another big job ahead!

I'm worried about my 18 year old cat. I'm afraid she's starting to go down hill. I need to take her back to the vet for more blood work. She's down to five pounds. I've known for the last 18 months that her renal numbers were up a little. I suspect they've gone up more. I don't want to lose another pet. We lost our other 18 year old cat in April and our 15 year old dog in May. All this while I was dealing with my Dad's move. I now know that I can live with an amazing amount of stress. Good to know...I guess.

Gotta run...

No time to blog...

No time to blog. We leave for the airport in a little while. My Dad, husband, and I are flying back to NJ to try and make arrangements with a mover, hopefully have his things packed and picked up, and list the house. We'll be back on the 25th. I might be too tired to post...I'll need a day or two to recover. :) Until then...

I'm kinda tired...

Ran around today. Went to Wal-Mart and bought some things for Dad's assisted living apartment. Took him over and we got the kitchen area set up. They put in the loaner furniture and he said he'd sleep there on Tuesday. Now he says he doesn't want to...he'd rather be here so he can watch the White Sox on MLB.com. I told him I could pick him up tomorrow after dinner, bring him here for the game, and then take him back. Dinner is from 6-7, so that might not work. I think the game comes on at 6:00. Oh dear. He loves those White Sox...this could be a problem. :) I need to go check the White Sox schedule. Wish me luck!

Sunday...day of rest?

Dad and I went to church this morning. On the way home we stopped at the car wash and had my filthy car washed, and then we had a second breakfast at Panera Bread. I love Panera Bread! I even E-mailed them and asked when they'd open a place here. It took a while, but they finally opened up a place near the mall.

I downloaded yesterday's Chicago White Sox game for my Dad. He watches most of their games at MLB.com, but yesterday's game was blacked out. It was a close game, so we downloaded it and he watched today. He's been a White Sox fan since he was around 12 years old. He and his friends each picked a team to root for and he picked the White Sox. They've never had a more loyal fan. My father has never lived in Chicago...he's only been there two or three times in his life. He's always lived in a suburb of NYC and it would have been easy to be a Yankee fan, but he hates them. Although he's getting more forgetful he studies the sports section of the newspaper daily and remembers everything about the Chicago White Sox. When he sits in front of the computer screen and watches his beloved White Sox he's that 12 year old boy again. I am so grateful to the Chicago White Sox for bringing so much joy into my Dad's life...and that's coming from this Houston Astros fan!

I'm blogging

I'm blogging. Another new word for my vocabulary. I guess the rest of the world started doing this five years ago. On an average I'm five to ten years behind the times.

I tried to add a picture last night...it didn't work. I think my picture was too big.

My Dad is sleeping in this morning and I'm enjoying a few quiet moments. The assisted living place is going to loan us some bedroom furniture so Dad can move into his apartment before his furniture arrives. That's good. We're going back to NJ next Friday to get a mover. One mover said they'd pick his stuff up, store it, and move it in July. That's probably the best we'll be able to do. So, Dad will probably move into the assisted living place on Monday. We need to go out and buy him a small kitchen table and chairs this weekend. We'll loan him a few things for the living room. I'll be glad when his things finally arrive. It will be more like home then. He's going with us to NJ on Friday so he can see what he wants to bring. He's looking forward to going back. We also have to get the house listed. Everything will get cleaned out when it sells. That will be a BIG job.

I feel bad about the house. It's the place I grew up in. We moved in when I was three years old. It was where my mother lived and a piece of her still remains as long as the house and all my parents things remain.

I think Dad just got up. I'd better run...

Stressfully yours...

I've led a sheltered life. This blog stuff is new to me...old to everyone else. My E-mail friend, Karen, suggested I start a blog. I decided it would be a good way to vent...and lately I need to vent.

I'm in the process of moving my 87 year old father to assisted living nearby. He's not happy, but I've been worried about him for a couple of years. He's been living independently, but showing more and more signs of forgetfulness. When he came for a visit he wandered...one time outside early in the morning. I knew then that it was time. I feel terrible about disrupting his life, but there's really no choice.

We found a place for him to live. It checked out well with the state and I feel real good about it. Unfortunately, it's going to take a while to move his furniture. This is a terrible time to move. All the movers are booked through June. Nothing is ever easy!

He's been telling my friends that I'm a "pain in the ass" which breaks my heart. I'm trying so hard to make him happy, but deep down inside I know that's an impossible task.

Stressfully yours, DayDream