New Year's Eve
Saturday, December 31st, 2022 08:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudioIt's 34F today, and was partly sunny. I slept in until 11:30Am, and then went downstairs to hang out with Dad.
He is still extremely clear headed, speaking perfectly, and drinking a lot of fluids. I had him take his pills, then emptied his foley bag, and brought in a bunch of packages from the front stoop.
They were all medical supplies, such as rubber gloves, creames, a wedge pillow, etc.
I took Yvette for a walk, and afterward, heated up a breakfast bowl in the microwave for Dad. And he did eat a small portion of it.
We had Alexa bring us the headlines, and were both surprised to hear that former Pope, Benedict XIV, and Barbara Walters had died today, at the respective ages of 95, and 93.
Dad said he was just a young kid of 88, compared to them!
We had a smoke together, and chatted for about an hour, before I went back up to hang with the cats, and work on the cards.
--<>--
Around sunset, I hung with Dad again... me drinking a beer, and, he, a Guinness, chatting some more.
I got yesterday's laundry out of the dryer and put it away, then took all his clean shirts from his dresser drawer and put them in the wash... because they were all wrinkled and had been crammed in the drawer for months and years.
After another short walk with Yvette, I returned back upstairs again.
I've completed my re-vamped Ace of Spades today, and begun work on a re-vamped Ace of Hearts.
Not sure if I love this new Ace of Spades, but it IS way better than the original draft.
The number 93 refers to 1993, the year I first had the idea to create my own deck, and produced both a first draft, and then a second draft, of which three copies were made.
That deck was not a perpetual calendar, and was very different from this new concept.
This is my current progress on the Ace of Hearts, which is almost finished!
This card, and the aces of Clubs, and Diamonds should get done relatively quickly. The Spade took longer because I was hung up on the detailing of the spade itself.
9:40PM
Was just downstairs again. Put dad's shirts in the dryer and heated up some ravioli for him. He ate a little bit of it and I ate the rest.
He took his evening pills and then asked for a second can of Guinness to sip between now and Midnight.
I'm visiting him again just before midnight to turn off his fan so we can hear all the gunshots and fireworks, as per his request.
If he makes it into January 1st, 2023, then he's won a victory over the Double Digit Curse. There will not be a 22 on his headstone.
12:22AM
Just got off the phone with my brother Tim. We were down there with Dad, in his room at 11:55PM, and rang in the new year with him.
I turned off his fan and we could hear very clearly, the shots, pops, whistles, and booms of 2023 coming into existence... as Tim told him the latest news!..
Tim bought a plane ticket today, and will arrive at Midway Airport next Saturday, at 9PM!
His plan is to stay for four to six weeks, here at the house, helping to take care of Dad. And together we're gonna try to get him up and around a little!
If nothing else, the two of us can get him into and out of the wheelchair. But Tim wants to work with Dad on exercising his leg and feet muscles, to, if possible, get him using the walker.
I don't have a lot of money, but I do have an Amazon credit card, so i ordered him a double-high, twin-width inflatable matress, and a queen-width comforter on Amazon that will be coming Tuesday.
I'll spend the week clearing out the back room for him to sleep in when he gets here.
And from there it's just an adventure!
01:20AM
Went back down to hang with Dad one last time for the night, and we smoked cigs together and had Alexa play Auld Lang Syne for us... which brought a few tears to my eyes, because he was kinda singing along.
Then... he had a BM!
It wasn't a lot, but it was something!
We'd had three dry runs on changing him so far, so this time we had it together a bit better, and we got it taken care of. I got him properly cleaned up, and got the new briefs on.
And he was able roll onto one side and the other and stay there as I worked... without any difficulty.
There was a lot of adjusting his body in the bed after the new briefs were on as well.
And with all the turning and jostling, he said he experienced no pain in his hip or anywhere else!
--<>--
So... As the last day of December 2022 became the first day of January 2023, Dad was more lucid than ever... his GI tract is still functional... he's got more strength than he's had in a week... and his hip pain has gone down to nothing!
All very encouraging signs for the new year!
With the help of Tim, Kevin, Colleen, and maybe even Brian, over the course of January... Dad might actually recover!
--<>--
That's how December & 2022 end.
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
He is still extremely clear headed, speaking perfectly, and drinking a lot of fluids. I had him take his pills, then emptied his foley bag, and brought in a bunch of packages from the front stoop.
They were all medical supplies, such as rubber gloves, creames, a wedge pillow, etc.
I took Yvette for a walk, and afterward, heated up a breakfast bowl in the microwave for Dad. And he did eat a small portion of it.
We had Alexa bring us the headlines, and were both surprised to hear that former Pope, Benedict XIV, and Barbara Walters had died today, at the respective ages of 95, and 93.
Dad said he was just a young kid of 88, compared to them!
We had a smoke together, and chatted for about an hour, before I went back up to hang with the cats, and work on the cards.
Around sunset, I hung with Dad again... me drinking a beer, and, he, a Guinness, chatting some more.
I got yesterday's laundry out of the dryer and put it away, then took all his clean shirts from his dresser drawer and put them in the wash... because they were all wrinkled and had been crammed in the drawer for months and years.
After another short walk with Yvette, I returned back upstairs again.
I've completed my re-vamped Ace of Spades today, and begun work on a re-vamped Ace of Hearts.
Not sure if I love this new Ace of Spades, but it IS way better than the original draft.
The number 93 refers to 1993, the year I first had the idea to create my own deck, and produced both a first draft, and then a second draft, of which three copies were made.
That deck was not a perpetual calendar, and was very different from this new concept.
This is my current progress on the Ace of Hearts, which is almost finished!
This card, and the aces of Clubs, and Diamonds should get done relatively quickly. The Spade took longer because I was hung up on the detailing of the spade itself.
Was just downstairs again. Put dad's shirts in the dryer and heated up some ravioli for him. He ate a little bit of it and I ate the rest.
He took his evening pills and then asked for a second can of Guinness to sip between now and Midnight.
I'm visiting him again just before midnight to turn off his fan so we can hear all the gunshots and fireworks, as per his request.
If he makes it into January 1st, 2023, then he's won a victory over the Double Digit Curse. There will not be a 22 on his headstone.
Just got off the phone with my brother Tim. We were down there with Dad, in his room at 11:55PM, and rang in the new year with him.
I turned off his fan and we could hear very clearly, the shots, pops, whistles, and booms of 2023 coming into existence... as Tim told him the latest news!..
Tim bought a plane ticket today, and will arrive at Midway Airport next Saturday, at 9PM!
His plan is to stay for four to six weeks, here at the house, helping to take care of Dad. And together we're gonna try to get him up and around a little!
If nothing else, the two of us can get him into and out of the wheelchair. But Tim wants to work with Dad on exercising his leg and feet muscles, to, if possible, get him using the walker.
I don't have a lot of money, but I do have an Amazon credit card, so i ordered him a double-high, twin-width inflatable matress, and a queen-width comforter on Amazon that will be coming Tuesday.
I'll spend the week clearing out the back room for him to sleep in when he gets here.
And from there it's just an adventure!
Went back down to hang with Dad one last time for the night, and we smoked cigs together and had Alexa play Auld Lang Syne for us... which brought a few tears to my eyes, because he was kinda singing along.
Then... he had a BM!
It wasn't a lot, but it was something!
We'd had three dry runs on changing him so far, so this time we had it together a bit better, and we got it taken care of. I got him properly cleaned up, and got the new briefs on.
And he was able roll onto one side and the other and stay there as I worked... without any difficulty.
There was a lot of adjusting his body in the bed after the new briefs were on as well.
And with all the turning and jostling, he said he experienced no pain in his hip or anywhere else!
So... As the last day of December 2022 became the first day of January 2023, Dad was more lucid than ever... his GI tract is still functional... he's got more strength than he's had in a week... and his hip pain has gone down to nothing!
All very encouraging signs for the new year!
With the help of Tim, Kevin, Colleen, and maybe even Brian, over the course of January... Dad might actually recover!
That's how December & 2022 end.
°¦}
