Leaves

Granny is completely, totally, 100% obsessed with the yard and the stuff outside.  She spends the majority of her time outside in it.  If she's not out in it, she is thinking or talking about it.  She often calls us to the window (usually at a very inopportune time) to look at a squirrel.

In this picture, she's making sure that the water doesn't get in the carport (where it can't hurt anything).  Yes, that is a broom.  Yes, she is sweeping water.  This is not unusual.  At least it wasn't a hoe this time...  

Granny has issues with leaves.  She likes to look at them on the trees and discuss their colors, but she HATES to see them on the ground.  She will comment on the "buckets full of leaves" on the ground when, in reality, there are like 14 leaves on the whole yard.  It is October 31 and I have had to rake the yard 3 times.  Obviously, it's not hard since there are very few leaves down, but still!  One day, we caught her outside leaning up against a tree because she was so dizzy from bending down to pick up each leaf by hand.  Yup, she has issues with leaves.  

One day I was raking the yard and Granny said that if I rake, she would bag.  DEAL!!  (I hate bagging, but adore raking)  We did our yard and I went over to rake the neighbor's 3 small piles into one so we could pick them up easier.   Granny starts completely freaking out!!  She says that we are trespassing and that the neighbor could sue us for trespassing and stealing!  So, at first, I think this is hilarious.  It got less funny as time went by because she kept going on and on and on about it.  She got really angry at me.  Then, she got over it, but stuff like that is always really stressful.  Things like that do lead to some pretty funny inside jokes between the other people involved, though!

HAPPY 85TH BIRTHDAY GRANNY!!!!!!

So, Friday (October 17, 2008) was Granny's 85th birthday!!  YAY!!  Happy Birthday Granny!!

When I got up, she was remembering that it was her birthday, but she kept asking me how old she was.  After I told her, each time she would yell, "85!  Wow!  That's old!!"  It was hilarious!!

She planned to attend Fantastic Friday with the church group that day.  After going through what time she was leaving, who was picking her up, and where she was going every 2 minutes (literally) for a complete hour, she left and I was free.  That sound horrible, but, seriously, every 2 minutes?!  I know you can't understand unless you are or have been in the situation, but just trust me.

I left to go to Party City to get her a few birthday decorations.  At first, I wanted to get 85 balloons, but figured that might be just a tad bit over the top!  So, I settle on 24.  17 to put in the house (because 17 x 5 is 85) and the rest for outside.  I also got a big banner that I hung at the carport and a few hangy down birthday things with stars that I put a few different places in the house and outside where Granny frequently hangs out.  Places like next to the sink, by her bed, out by the glider, outside on the porch steps, in the living room, and by the back door.  I also got her a "Birthday Princess" pin that lights up, but I am very angry because I forgot to tell her to wear it!  Stink!!  Anyway, I was very excited.  I wanted to make her happy, but I also wanted her to remember that it was her birthday!

While she was gone Aunt Pat, Aunt Debby, and I all went to Good Shepherd to check out their assisted living program.  That is another post, entirely.

She came home and had the cutest, happiest, most overjoyed look on her face.  It was absolutely adorable!  We started talking about where she had been and what kind of a morning she had.  Well, she was WAY off on where she had been!  It was so off, it was hilarious!  She had, in reality, been to the military museum at Camp Robinson and then to The Dixie Pig for lunch, but she told me she had been to the old capitol on the east side of town, the new office building, and the new restaurant in Little Rock that was a new one of the old one.  Wow!  I honestly don't know how she comes up with some of this stuff!!  

I asked her if she knew how old she was today and she said, (drumroll, please...) "98?"  I could not contain my laughter!!  She started counting down, "98? 97? 96?"  I had to stop the insanity!  I told her and she said, "85!  Well, that's not very old!!"  Oh, my!  You just never know from one minute to the next what she is going to say!

She spent the rest of the day thanking me for the directions, asking who's birthday it was, trying to take down the decorations, and just walking around.  

We went to dinner at CAC and on down for the football game.  She was somewhat confused that night, but not too bad.  We only had a small issue over coffee, but the girls prevailed using our cunning and guile!  HA!  The picture above was at the game.  It was a fun day.  I'm glad we got in some precious family time together!  

Purpose for this blog

There are several.  

One is so that I can keep a better record of things that go on in the life of my grandmother.  I need to keep up with things for medical purposes and a few other reasons.  Granny has dementia and it is progressing very rapidly.  I moved back from Nashville to stay at home with her, since she can't stay alone all day every day.  While it is extremely challenging sometimes, I wouldn't trade this time with her for anything and I feel extremely blessed for having this opportunity.  

About the extremely challenging part...that is the other reason for this blog!  I need to vent!!  It is really, really hard to watch her brain deteriorate and not be able to think like she used to.  This creates the SAME conversations OVER and OVER and OVER.....(I'm sure you get it).  Nighttime is the absolute worst.  She gets to where she thinks that she isn't at home (when she always is) and it gets to be very stressful.  Eating is the other major struggle we go through daily.  Last night she ate ONE PIECE OF BACON!!!!  Tonight she ate 1/4 of a pizza tortilla.  Seriously, how is this woman still alive?!  OH, I know!  She lives off of coffee.  Apparently, that works.  

While these may sound a bit (okay, a lot) silly, they are really major things at our house.  It's also hard because she's my Granny!  She is not exactly the woman she used to be, but I have to understand that this is a disease, it isn't really her.  We do have the rare moments where she slips back into "normal mode" and can laugh and joke and play.  Those moments are worth all the stress and annoying moments.  They make it all worthwhile!