Posts Tagged ‘clearing out’

The Week Barely Started

September 10, 2014

An interesting 3 days so far – not sure I can take the excitement.   Sorry, that wasn’t what I planned to write.    I was cleaning out on Monday , this time my Mom’s hooking stuff.   I had put on Craig’s List rug hooking magazines and another one with patterns and supplies.  Imagine how amazed I was when I had an email from a lady in Nova Scotia.  She is very interested in everything – though she seems to be thinking in terms of two large boxes to go through the mail.  Hmmm, this may be more than I bargained for.

 I have been figuring out what hooking stuff my Mom has – it is a lot more work than I realized.  I went through two under bed drawers and found some dyed samples of wool ready to hook.  Mom usually dyed them in 6, sometimes 8 values – she always enjoyed the dyeing part.  I’ve been online to see what is there and how I can price things – what Mom paid is a lot less than today, though her money went farther.  I also checked the Post Office, they ship by weight to Canada.  Hmmm, this is going to be an interesting  project.
I pulled out the things I found from when Dad was working before and during the war at aircraft companies, mostly in Southern California.  Eddie checked with the Boeing historian today to see if they are interested.  They were delighted with the items.   It’s lovely to know there is some of my Dad in the Boeing archives.  They are a welcome addition and I know they are in a good home.
 I also went through a box of my Mom’s things – a lot of gift cards for her graduation and I think it was a wedding shower.  There were letters from two hospitals saying she was set to work for them, letters from a couple of young men who had been at a dance when she was in Pratt.  One guy was from Yale.  A little bit different view of my Mom.  Still more places to clear out, no telling what I will find.  I am sending them to Candy so she can decide what to do with them.
Last week  more cleaning out, amazing what my Dad and Mom accumulated over the past 60 some years in this house.  I found 2 more photos in the original North American envelope for the Boeing archives.  Eddie made sure my Dad’s name shows as the donor.  I found books on cars that might go to the library the Car Museum is  creating.   I called the Center For Wooden Boats to see if they  take ship models and if they don’t, who would they recommend.  I think the guy is on holiday this week, I haven’t heard from him.  And paper of all kinds, my Dad kept calendar pictures and so did my Mom – Dad for Scottish history and Mom for flower ideas for her rugs.  It doesn’t look all that different, I just know I made a small difference.

Friday I went to see Mom, she is usually dozy because of meds.  Judy tells me she forgets what’s she’s doing, so she needs to be reminded to continue.  I have noticed that lately.  I give her a piece of chocolate and she is enthusiastic, but doesn’t always finish it unless I ask if she is ready for more.  She doesn’t like anyone to touch, especially when it comes to taking care of her.  I now ask her if I can give her a hug, I mostly get an enthusiastic yes, but not always.  You’re not kidding this is the hardest part.
I had a call from Didi last night – Mom had fallen and hit her head.  She called Providence to let them know, she was going in for her regular day.  I went to visit her this morning, she had a couple of large scabs on her right temple and her upper eyelid was bruised.   Mom was fighting them as they were trying to get her washed and dressed.   I asked Judy if she remembered falling, but Judy doesn’t think so.  Mom was a bit sleepy today, probably not too surprising after her fall.  She ate the cookies while I read to her, but wasn’t interested in the chocolate.  She would have it later.
Eddie and I went out for a bit to have coffee and look around the bookstore.  We came home and I found an email message from the station manager, they wanted my phone number because they needed to talk with me.  so I emailed back and shortly after, they called.  Seems he was a little mixed up on days – 9:30 isn’t open on Tuesday after all.  He does have Monday at the same time and he wanted to know if that would be all right.  Plus, he would air my show twice a week for the month of October as an “I’m sorry”.  It will be a repeat of the Monday show.  I will admit I am disappointed, but I just decided there is a reason why it is working out the way it is – no idea why but I am starting this Monday on the 15th.  Anyway, we’ll see how it goes and maybe when I am ready for an hour show, there will be a different time slot.
My life certainly isn’t dull.

Plates Spinning

August 17, 2014

At times I feel as if I have several plates spinning on sticks – similar to the  people Ed Sullivan used to have on his program.  Some days I feel like this:

Plate-Spinner

Everything is nicely balanced and I am in as much control as I can be.  Then there are days like today and the past week, I haven’t felt much control and there doesn’t seem to be enough time to keep them all spinning properly:

plates

I could give a name to each plate – cleaning out Mom & Dad’s stuff, my new website for my business, a new website for my radio show, understanding how the sponsoring works and finding sponsors, doing Eddie’s new report (he isn’t doing the Round Up but calling it The Kaplanian Report, not associated with the Future of Flight), things for Mom, personal business stuff, Apple Group Training and also One to One,my blog, my book, Kaplanian International stuff, etc.

This week I have been  doing a lot of clearing out bureau drawers – the stuff my parents kept!  All kinds of cards they received and Mom had so many cards ready to send for almost any occasion, I am going to give them to the Goodwill so other people can use them.  I have bags of papers to put in recycle – our wheelie bin is full to the top and I have 2 other bags ready – plus things I have put away in boxes to see if my sister Candy wants them.  I found 2 photographs from North American Aircraft in an original envelope that is going to the Boeing Archives, lovely to know they will be pleased to have them.

My parents kept things even though they were worn out, some things had never been used and there is a beautiful  grey wool yard length – very fragrant with moth balls.   And letters from people, from Mom & Dad to his parents, letters from both his sisters and letters from his Uncle James to Dad’s father.  I had a hard time reading the hand writing, I am putting them away to read later since I need to work on the clearing out.

Along with that, I was having a lot of discomfort – the toilet and I became close companions on thursday, Friday and even into Saturday, though not as much.  The tummy was unhappy and I was really tired.  Yesterday after we did all our stuff, I came home and crawled into bed with Bunny to sleep some of it off – and I was better when I woke up.  Not sure what happened because I didn’t eat anything  different.  I have been very careful how much I eat, the tummy gets uncomfortable.  I have been using water and baking soda which seems to help.  maybe the side effects of veggies.

We finally had rain this week, blessed soaking rain.  I have been feeling very dry and parched and it was so lovely to hear the raining really coming down as I was lying in bed.  Rain is so refreshing and makes things feel washed clean.  Now it will be 81 today and 83 tomorrow, then back to the 70’s – that’s quite okay with me.

I have been playing phone tag to arrange a haircut for Mom, finally made it for Tuesday.  Her hair is getting long and needs cutting – not sure how she will be when the time comes.  She is very feisty when anyone wants to do anything for her – I make sure I am there for the hair cut and sit beside her.  There is no way to tell how she will be from one minute to the next, one day to the next.  I saw her on Friday and she was rather sleepy, though chocolate sounded very good to her.  She was cuddling a stuffed dog or cat and Judy had put a chair on each side of her, she could easy fall to the side.  She seems to mumble more than before.   I don’t know how much she knows that Fern died last week.  Fern was 102 and having a lot of pain in her body, as well as feeling alone since she was used to family all around.

I’ve been wondering if  visiting Mom and clearing out things has had an emotional and mental effect as well as physical.  It maybe stirring up a lot of old programs, messages and memories that I had not been conscious of for quite awhile.  The bottom drawer of the desk is definitely a proud parent’s drawer; all the drawings and things the three of us girls have done since we were very young are there.

I saw Mom on Monday and then went to my Caregiver’s Support Group.  I’m so glad I did, it helps so much.  I told them what was going on with Mom and that I feel as if I am walking in thigh deep water.  It feels more than just fatigue, but there is more to it – I can’t really name it at the moment.  I also realize each time I go that I have it relatively easy compared to the others.  They have to deal with so much more, how they cope I can only imagine.  I will admit, I have periods of feeling I have such a difficult time – usually when I am tired and worn down.  I haven’t figured out how to actually become rested while still doing what I need to do.  Is that what’s called the horns of a dilemma?


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