I’m back from Texas, arrived home last night. After spending 4 days in Texas, I’m happy to
be home to be able to sleep in my own bed.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved being in Texas to take care of my Dad
(cancer patient) while my sister had to go out of town for work. Yes, Mom was there to help Dad, but Mom doesn’t
have the strength to lift and move my Dad around; that’s where my sister and I
come in to help. The visit was nice, and
at times stressful. See Dad is eating well, drinking the doctor prescribed Boost
(it has more protein in it than the one you buy at the store) but he hates
drinking water. Water is what is going
to hydrate him and help with his blood pressure and heart rate. It helps with the constant drowsiness, the
brain fog, energy and overall health.
But to tell that to a man who hates water is like talking to a
wall. When Dad’s Physical Therapist came
in and took his blood pressure (which was high) and his heart rate (which was
low), it was obvious he was not drinking the required water. The Physical Therapist did exactly what I did
to get him to drink and what do you know……..Dad listened to the Therapist and
drank his water. Talk about being bull
headed………now you know where I get my um………bullheadedness from…………..my Dad!!!!!! I guess you could say like father, like
daughter…………….LOL!!!!!!!!
When Dad took a nap, I stayed close by, but was able
to take pictures of the sky for several of my blogger friends (Kymber,
Jambaloney, and Helga). I also took
several pictures of the wild flowers and flowers around my parent’s home.
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| Clouds over my parents development. |
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Clouds and sunset from parents backyard looking
out into the farmers field. |
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| Clouds over a neighbors home by parents house. |
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Sunset from my parents back patio one night. You
can see the moon shining (on left top of picture). |
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Sunset another night from my parents back
patio. Clouds reflecting in their pool. |
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| Another sunset from my parents back patio. |
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| Layered clouds. |
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| Moon picture from patio. |
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| Wildflowers growing across from my parents home. |
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| More Wildflowers across from my parents home. |
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| I love these wildflowers, not sure what they are. |
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| More Wildflowers |
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| Wildflowers across my parents driveway. |
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| Beautiful sunflowers from yard. |
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| Bougainvillea on back patio. |
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| Another back patio potted flower. |
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| These are planted in the far corner of the pool area. |
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So what type of bird do we have here???
Anyone know? |
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Corn looking good in field on the way home to
my place. |
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I crossed the Texas - Oklahoma state line, returning home......
All I can think about is sleeping in my own bed and getting
rid of this rental car!!! |
Now back at home, I have so many things to do this
weekend. Back up my blog, laundry,
cleaning, some home cooking, work on the property weeding, and planting more
herbs and beans. And most of all get some good quality
sleep.
What are your plans this weekend?
Are you saying 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree' ?? ;) Beautiful view from your parent's patio! I've got a brunch tomorrow for new DAR members (which I just got my paperwork verified), church on Sunday .. and if we get a break and the real summer arrives (no more wood stove! and cold rainy days) .. I'll have a TON of mowing to do.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Mac
DeleteYes Ma'am, I sure am, lol........
Enjoy your brunch with the new DAR members. Hopefully, the temperatures will warm up for you.
Please don't mention the word mow. It's time to do that again here too.
Your dad may drink flavored water. Its what we have to do to my dad he has Alzheimers
ReplyDeleteCorey,
DeleteI will try this, thanks Corey. It's hard when my Dad is so stubborn :=)
Love the photos. I understand about the not drinking enough we have that problem with my Mom too. We do the best we can just like you. You are a good daughter.
ReplyDeleteI think we are going to an auction still to wet to hay and that makes me so sad:) it will be very busy here soon enough. Have a nice rest.B
B,
DeleteThank you! I think your photo's are so much better than mine. These I had to take with my telephone, I forgot to bring my camera with me.
Can I go with you to the auction???
Sweet Sandy - you are a really good daughter. and a really good friend. thank you for all of the beautiful sky pics and flower pics - i love them.
ReplyDeletewould your dad drink cucumber water? it is amazingly refreshing and i know it sounds crazy but it doesn't taste like cucumber except that it does. and it is so tasty! just slice a whole cucumber, put the slices in a jug, fill the jug with water and add a whole pile of chopped mint. leave that in the fridge for a few hours (overnight is best) and then strain it all out in the morning. then you have a delicious jug of water and i swear it is to die for. try making some for yourself and then see if you think your dad will like it.
you can also do the same with fresh or frozen fruit but the cucumber water is the best in my opinion.
your friend,
kymber
Sweet Kymber,
DeleteI love cucumber water, make it all the time. I vary the what I put with my cucumber. Sometimes I use mint, ginger, berries, lemon, limes and flowers.
Oh Dad doesn't like cucumbers at all, I've tried sneaking cucumber in the water and taking the evidence out of the water before serving and he still knows. He's a stinker that way, lol.......
We will keep trying to get him to drink no matter if it kills us, lol....
Thanks for being a wonderful friend, sending hugs and love your way.
Your friend,
Sandy
P.S. hugs and love to Jambaloney too!!!
I know what you mean about sleeping in your own bed.....we are always so happy to get back home wen we visit. There is just something about your own things and your own routine.
ReplyDeleteDon't you hope we all remember to be good when we get old....whoops! Some of us (me) are already old!!!! Don't need the kids help yet.
Glenda,
DeleteYes Ma'am, there is nothing better than your own house, bed, food, and routines. I slept so well in my bed when I returned, I even snuck back into bed for a long nap :=)
I'm old myself. I need to lose some weight, have arthiritis issues and some of those problems will leave once the weight is off. I'm hoping I won't have to need my kids help for a long.....long time.
Pretty pictures Sandy! Mom drinks lots of water and does not have health issues. She has never....never...had a headache. She passed them all to me! bahahaha. I don't like water either. I force myself to drink it when I think of it.
ReplyDeleteThey sure do have strange birds in Texas! ;)
Mamma Bear,
DeleteThank you Mamma Bear!!! Water is water and it's something I don't like myself but force myself to drink it.
Now I would drink all kinds of water if I lived in my grandmothers home. She had a well where the water tasted out of this world and it was ice cold in the Upper Penisula of Michigan.
Yes, there are strange birds in Texas :-)
Sandy
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it meant a lot to your Dad that you can be with him at this time.
I love the wildflower pics and the sky photos. I've only been to Texas once, so I really enjoy seeing what grows there!
Kimberly,
DeleteMy Dad loves when I come back home to visit. He misses having kids near by. My sister lives about 5 minutes from my parents home. I'm almost 3 1/2 - 4 hours away.
Thank you, I love wildflowers and sky pictures myself. Did you know everything is bigger in Texas?
Texas has some really beautiful things to see, I'm not talking about the big cities like Dallas or Austin. I'm talking about the country side, rolling hills, wildlife, cattle, wildflowers, and great people.
Love the pictures...My parents are also both very stubborn have been their whole life...that is why they are divorced today...LOL...I suppose, like you, I get my stubborness from them...Guess there are worse thing though *smile*
ReplyDeleteHL,
DeleteThank you, I love those wildflowers and sky pictures.
Yes, I think that stubbornness gets passed down, lol......
Have a wonderful day :-)
Isn't it amazing at how our parents will listen to another - even when we have said the same words as them.
ReplyDeleteMy father was the most stubbornest person I have ever met. Oddly enough, I seem to have inherited that gene.
Your pictures are lovely. I especially like the landscape with the cornfield and not to forget the silly bird. Lol ! I've seen that guy somewhere, but can't place where right now.
Wishing all the best for your father's recovery.
Take care Sandy !
Helga,
DeleteI believe parents will listen to nursing staff and strangers before family because it's personal.
Going past the cornfield made me want corn so bad. I haven't had the opportunity to plant it this year.
We both have the stubborn gene in our blood, lol
Beautiful pictures. I'm afraid I don't know the names of the wild flowers but Marcy would.
ReplyDeleteGail,
DeleteThank you, my pictures are not as good as yours.
I have couldn't tell you the name of these wildflowers either. All I can say, they're pretty and smell wonderful.
Sandy, Thanks for loading all these great pictures. It is a beautiful place. It takes a certain amount of stubbornness to make it all the way through this life, and so some of it is entirely necessary. Glad your home and that your Dad is doing ok. Best wishes,
ReplyDeleteJane,
DeleteYou're welcome, I love all the wildflowers. Texas can thank Lady Bird Johnson for planting all these wildflowers that bloom each and every year.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Men can be so stubborn! My hubby was just diagnosed with high BP last month, although, I've (he's) known for years that he had it! It took a scare to get him to pay attention! Geesh! Glad your dad finally listened to the PT.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing all of the photos. Nice that you were able to find some "me" time and take them.
Just the usual around here this weekend. Cleaning, laundry, etc. Hubby and I did go to town today for lunch and then spent some time at the range. I have a new handgun that needed to be broke in. =)
DesertHen,
DeleteYes, men are stubborn and can be big babies when they get sick. I'm sorry to hear your husband has high BP, mine does too. There are plenty of natural foods, herbs and vitamins to help reduce BP.
Shhhhhh.......don't mention the "cleaning" word!!!! Plenty of that to do around here too.
I love spending time at the range, what type of gun did you get?
My son bought me a 9mm FMK for Mother's Day. It's been fun to shoot, but has a few issues that need to be worked out.
DeleteDesertHen,
DeleteI've not heard of the 9mm FMK before, maybe my husband has. If your issues involve ammo not firing properly or miss firing it could just be the ammo. We had this problem with our Ruger SR9C.
I HATE WATER!! While on the fire department, I got dehydrated and Joe (this was before we even dated) told me I had two choices: drink it or wear it. I still have the photo of me standing there, DRENCHED in my uniform.
ReplyDeleteHow about using MIO?? It's the only way I can gag water down. OR, have you tried room temp water?
Lotta Joy,
DeleteYou hate water too! It's a fight to get dad to drink, I'm afraid this may cause problems and put him in the hospital if he doesn't drink.
I've never tried the MIO. I've seen it in the stores, maybe I will suggest it to my sister since I'm back home. Thanks for the information my friend :-) I really appreciate it!
Looks as though your folks live in a very lovely area.
ReplyDeleteI know many people say they don't like water . . . but I've never understood that. Does that mean they have foul tasting water? There's not one single drink that quenches my thirst except for water. Have you tried putting a little fresh lemon juice or a lemon slice in water for your dad? That's scary that he doesn't get enough water. So important for so many reasons from keeping the bowels cleansed to flushing the unused residuals from medications out of the body. Didn't mean to go on a rant about it, but we all NEED that hydration from pure water to have healthy bodies. (Okay, I guess I did rant. Sorry.)
Mama Pea,
ReplyDeleteYes my parents have a beautiful place. Dad has retired from 20 years in the military, along with retiring 2 additional times from the civilian world.
I don't understand the water thing myself. Yes, I've tried the lemon. He can't have citrus while going through chemo, he reacts to it. Please don't apologize. My dad has never been sick his entire life, he's 71 now. He's never taken any medications either. He's always been the strong healthy one until now.
Glad you made it home safe, and getting a well deserved rest. You're father is truly blessed having daughters that are so willing to drop everything and care for him. I'm sure it doesn't come as a second thought to you both, but from what I see in this world, it is no longer the norm.
ReplyDeleteIzzy,
DeleteI thought I was getting rest when we had to run our little pup to the emergency vet.
My sister and I both try to help when ever possible and you're right it's not the norm for kids to help their parents.