hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

[Chayote]

Smokey and I met up while she was in Australia and I'm looking forward to hearing how the rest of her trip was...

[Chayote]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

bump bump bump

[Carol]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Hi Chayote,

How are things over on your side of Australia??

Carol

[Chayote]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Hi, Carol... haven't seen you here for a while.

It's cold and blowing a gale over here! Perfect night to be tucked into bed early...

[Carol]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Glad to hear that you are doing well (besides the weather that is!!! lol)

Things have been really busy over here. Only have a this week and next week, then i am on school holidays.

Yeah for school holidays!!!

[Chayote]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Not having kids of school age now, I lose track of when the holidays are.

My Mum is still in hospital... 6 weeks now... and I'm spending most days sitting with her. We have a meeting with a social worker on Friday to talk about placing her in a nursing home... I had hoped that we wouldn't have to make this decision.

Any exciting plans for your break from work?

[luvs2eat]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Don't mean to hijack... but...

I remember having to make the decision to place my dad in a nursing home, Chay. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I cried the whole way home ... but just a few months in... he was being taken care of (as opposed to NOT taking care of himself when we was on his own) and getting the help he needed (physical therapy, socialization) that was beyond me to manage on a daily basis.

I sat my kids down and told them I understood the need and necessity and when my time came... going into a nursing home wouldn't upset me.

You've been caring for your mom for a long time. This could be a very good thing... for her and for you.

luv, luvs

[Carol]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Sorry to hear about your Mum Chayote. It is indeed a very hard decision to make.

If you ever need to chat, just let me know.

Take care

C.

[smokey]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Chayote, I am back and not happy about it. Loved AUstralia. Spent a rainy day and a half in Sydney. My daughter got us a hotel in the Rocks. Went to the market, ate at the German restaurant - Lowenbrau. Fun. Took a ride to Manley and the ride got a bit rough when we went past the breaks. Well, as the water lapped over the side a bit, I decided I would go to the inside area. As I got up, the ferry did something 'cause I ended up on the floor! A very surprised woman broke my fall as I tumbled on her. I crawled into the cabin and sat out the ride holding on. Still have several bruises to show for it.

Stayed in Los Angeles a night to sleep. Drove to Arizona, saw DH's sister and mom, then drove to Denver to see a friend whosw cancer has returned. Happy to get home later Saturday. Dogs are well. Depos the last two days, so not much fun here.

Sorry to hear about your mom still being in the hospital. My aunt went into a nursing home years ago and did very well. She loved the bingo and social life. She was isolated at home.

I have my bear right here by my computer so I think of you all of the time. So glad we got to meet up.

p.s. My daughter e-mailed us an ad for an apartment in Melbourne. Someday....

[Chayote]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

my friend... you were supposed to get souvenirs of Sydney but not the black and blue variety... I'm glad you enjoyed Sydney and it really sucks about the weather. If it hadn't rained so much, you could have climbed to the top of the Harbour Bridge!

If you decide to move to Australia, I can recommend the town where I live. It's only 1½ inches west of Melbourne on the map and very reasonable house prices... in fact there's a nice one for sale just around the corner from me!

About Mum, yes... she's going into an aged care facility. We'll still see her every day and I hope she'll be happy. She's at the stage where she doesn't really know where she is and can't remember what "home" looks like. We're going to be very particular about the facility we choose... we want to be sure that they will give her the best of care and attention.

Back to your holiday... I hope you'll keep a lot of happy memories. I also hope that we can keep regular contact. You owe me a lunch next time I'm in Montana!!

[Chayote]

Re: hey, Smokey... are you back yet?

Carol... enjoy your end of term break. As I've said before, you have my total admiration for being a teacher... when I see what some kids are like these days, I don't envy you.

Thank you for your offer to talk... I admit there are some days when I just need to hear from someone that we're doing the right thing. I know Mum will be ok in the care facility but it's hard to handover Mum's care to total strangers. I feel that I want to be there 24/7 to make sure they're treating her nicely. Hopefully those feelings will eventually pass...