You don't even have to respond. I just need to vent.
Since Rick's father passed away, we've been having some problems with his mother. Evidently, she seems to think that she can just pretty much do whatever she wants and we're supposed to go around picking up the pieces from everything. And I have had it. She's either 95 or she's going to be 95 in October, I always forget. Anyway, she knows she can drive to her bridge club, but that's pretty much it. She's been driving here and there; Rick and his sister know it, but they've let it go. She does have women coming in at times during the week, but she always says there's really nothing for them to do. So she's paying them to not do all that much. Well, that's because we do it. We run her errands, I work on the house, I work on laundry, etc. I cook and we take it up to her. Once the weather cools down and we're not outside so much on weekends, we will have her down for dinner or have dinner with her at the house. It's not enough. It's never enough.
Yesterday Rick's sister was to take her to the bank. She called his sister and said that she'd just drive herself. And they let it go at that. She managed to get down the steps of the back porch and made it into the garage, where she fell. She didn't have her walker, she didn't have her cane, she wasn't wearing her alert button. (She said she didn't think she needed anything! Really???? Of all the bonehead moves!) So there she laid on the concrete. For about two hours. She would yell, but nobody heard her. Finally, when the UPS guy made a delivery next door, he heard her yelling for help and he ran over. Called the ambulance and she ended up in the ER. After tests and such, the doctor said she was lucky she didn't break her arm, but it was badly bruised and they'd bandage it up for her and she could go home. Meanwhile she tells Rick's sister, "Well, as long as I'm already in trouble, I might as well tell you that my legs are tingling." And Rick's sister flipped out. She immediately went to the doctor and told her what was going on. Tingling is not good. So then they ran more tests.
She was admitted late last night (That's how long it took. She was in the ER all day) for overnight monitoring. They think she might need a pacemaker. We don't know what's going to happen at this point.
Rick spent the night at his mom's house to stay with Jackie (the beagle) because Jackie completely flips out when she's alone. As it is, she's going to be alone today for quite a while. Rick has a dentist appt so he's leaving work early and will stop off at the house to take Jackie outside before his appt. I assume he'll be spending the night at the house again tonight. At this point, we have no idea what to do with the dog. Earlier on, we had decided that, when it became necessary, we'd just take her. But that was before Rick realized that she is truly a wild woman when she's alone. And when somebody does come back home then, she just goes crazy. The howling and screaming is terrible.....you'd think the dog was being abused. (I was talking to Rick on his cell when he walked into the house. OMG, it was awful.) We can't deal with it; our cats can't deal with it. I don't know what we're going to do. She is 10, The thought of making her live with somebody else at her age makes us cringe. They took her out of the house over to the neighbor when Rick's dad passed, so she never got to realize what happened. She came back into the house and he was just gone. She still looks for him and it's been a few months now. Rick's mother doesn't really care for her all that much; she tolerates her more than anything. We go up to bathe her and we take her for vet appts and such. There are times when I'll visit and I'll just end up on the floor with her head in my lap. I think she's lonely.
But let me be honest; I do not want to deal with a dog. I just don't. We took Mom's cat (Muffin) in when Mom went to the nursing home and it has been trouble. Even though, I was very, very careful with introductions (Muffin lived in the computer room for at least six weeks) Muffin and Molli do not get along; they absolutely despise each other and, after three years, it has not gotten any better at all. We don't want to add a hysterical dog to the mix yet. We can't deal with it. Rick and I both work full time and the thought of coming home every single day to such hysteria is beyond me. I don't know what would happen with the cats; our cats, as a rule, are good with dogs. And Jackie has visited us before and everything has been fine. But she was visiting. And she went home. (And one time when she was at our house, Rick's dad didn't take her out when she wanted to go and she peed in the hallway. I can't have that.)
Rick is leaving for Vegas next week and he'll be gone a little over a week. Which, if we took Jackie, means that she's with me. I can do it if I have to. But I have to work. We don't know what to do with her when I'm at work....we don't know how it would affect our cats. I'll have to go home every day to try to walk her and hope she doesn't pee in the house. I just don't know what to do at this point. Rick tried to contact one of his mother's neighbors as the neighbor has taken Jackie in the past for a few hours here and there. But she has cats and one of her cats hates dogs with a passion. The cat never even comes in the house when Jackie is there.
And that's not everything. It's just been one thing after another the last few months. About the time we think we have one problem cleared-up, two more crop up. Don't get me wrong. I dearly love Rick's mom. But since his father passed, she has gotten very demanding. The words "Please" and "Thank You" seem to have left her vocabulary. She wants things done. Now. And when we simply cannot do her chores when she wants them done, we know she's upset in no uncertain terms. Rick's sister finally had a long talk with her; she told her what I have often said about older people....That being old does not give anybody the right to be rude. It went in one ear and out the other. Her mantra has become, "Oh pooh! I'm an old woman." We hear that constantly. With a very dismissive hand wave. We also hear that she now has to watch her pennies. I get it. I do. But enough is enough and I can't deal with it anymore. She got upset because Rick was going to Vegas (he's going for union work; it's not vacation). He doesn't know what to do about the trip now. She's upset bc we're going to Canada...if we go now. Because nobody will be around if she needs something done. Rick's sister and BIL will still be here when we're gone. (But in October, we are going to the concert in Pittsburgh, just for overnight, and it's the same time that his sister and BIL were going to their cabin. Once we get closer to the time, we'll see how things go and who needs to cancel what.) We're trying to work with her. But she makes it difficult sometimes. And she fixates on things; maybe older people do that. But she'll keep calling us to tell us that we haven't done this yet or we shouldn't forget that something needs done. And when are we doing to do it?? She needs something from the grocery store and she needs me to go during my lunch break and then run it down to the house. Now. I don't anymore. If it can wait til Friday night or Saturday morning when we're running errands, then it can wait. She's not happy about it. But I do what I can.
She wants to stay in the house. Well, we understand that. But it's a two-story house with a basement. We don't know how she's going to manage this winter. I told Rick that we could try to figure something out that she could stay with us for a while. But we have a bi-level, so we have steps from the living room to the front door. And Rick's afraid she'd let the cats out; things happen. He doesn't want to take a chance. And frankly, he does not want her living with us. When I bring it up, the look I get from him is enough to keep me quiet. But we have to figure something out.
At this point, we're waiting to see what the doctor says about the pacemaker.
Thanks for reading. I needed to get it out.
Since Rick's father passed away, we've been having some problems with his mother. Evidently, she seems to think that she can just pretty much do whatever she wants and we're supposed to go around picking up the pieces from everything. And I have had it. She's either 95 or she's going to be 95 in October, I always forget. Anyway, she knows she can drive to her bridge club, but that's pretty much it. She's been driving here and there; Rick and his sister know it, but they've let it go. She does have women coming in at times during the week, but she always says there's really nothing for them to do. So she's paying them to not do all that much. Well, that's because we do it. We run her errands, I work on the house, I work on laundry, etc. I cook and we take it up to her. Once the weather cools down and we're not outside so much on weekends, we will have her down for dinner or have dinner with her at the house. It's not enough. It's never enough.
Yesterday Rick's sister was to take her to the bank. She called his sister and said that she'd just drive herself. And they let it go at that. She managed to get down the steps of the back porch and made it into the garage, where she fell. She didn't have her walker, she didn't have her cane, she wasn't wearing her alert button. (She said she didn't think she needed anything! Really???? Of all the bonehead moves!) So there she laid on the concrete. For about two hours. She would yell, but nobody heard her. Finally, when the UPS guy made a delivery next door, he heard her yelling for help and he ran over. Called the ambulance and she ended up in the ER. After tests and such, the doctor said she was lucky she didn't break her arm, but it was badly bruised and they'd bandage it up for her and she could go home. Meanwhile she tells Rick's sister, "Well, as long as I'm already in trouble, I might as well tell you that my legs are tingling." And Rick's sister flipped out. She immediately went to the doctor and told her what was going on. Tingling is not good. So then they ran more tests.
She was admitted late last night (That's how long it took. She was in the ER all day) for overnight monitoring. They think she might need a pacemaker. We don't know what's going to happen at this point.
Rick spent the night at his mom's house to stay with Jackie (the beagle) because Jackie completely flips out when she's alone. As it is, she's going to be alone today for quite a while. Rick has a dentist appt so he's leaving work early and will stop off at the house to take Jackie outside before his appt. I assume he'll be spending the night at the house again tonight. At this point, we have no idea what to do with the dog. Earlier on, we had decided that, when it became necessary, we'd just take her. But that was before Rick realized that she is truly a wild woman when she's alone. And when somebody does come back home then, she just goes crazy. The howling and screaming is terrible.....you'd think the dog was being abused. (I was talking to Rick on his cell when he walked into the house. OMG, it was awful.) We can't deal with it; our cats can't deal with it. I don't know what we're going to do. She is 10, The thought of making her live with somebody else at her age makes us cringe. They took her out of the house over to the neighbor when Rick's dad passed, so she never got to realize what happened. She came back into the house and he was just gone. She still looks for him and it's been a few months now. Rick's mother doesn't really care for her all that much; she tolerates her more than anything. We go up to bathe her and we take her for vet appts and such. There are times when I'll visit and I'll just end up on the floor with her head in my lap. I think she's lonely.
But let me be honest; I do not want to deal with a dog. I just don't. We took Mom's cat (Muffin) in when Mom went to the nursing home and it has been trouble. Even though, I was very, very careful with introductions (Muffin lived in the computer room for at least six weeks) Muffin and Molli do not get along; they absolutely despise each other and, after three years, it has not gotten any better at all. We don't want to add a hysterical dog to the mix yet. We can't deal with it. Rick and I both work full time and the thought of coming home every single day to such hysteria is beyond me. I don't know what would happen with the cats; our cats, as a rule, are good with dogs. And Jackie has visited us before and everything has been fine. But she was visiting. And she went home. (And one time when she was at our house, Rick's dad didn't take her out when she wanted to go and she peed in the hallway. I can't have that.)
Rick is leaving for Vegas next week and he'll be gone a little over a week. Which, if we took Jackie, means that she's with me. I can do it if I have to. But I have to work. We don't know what to do with her when I'm at work....we don't know how it would affect our cats. I'll have to go home every day to try to walk her and hope she doesn't pee in the house. I just don't know what to do at this point. Rick tried to contact one of his mother's neighbors as the neighbor has taken Jackie in the past for a few hours here and there. But she has cats and one of her cats hates dogs with a passion. The cat never even comes in the house when Jackie is there.
And that's not everything. It's just been one thing after another the last few months. About the time we think we have one problem cleared-up, two more crop up. Don't get me wrong. I dearly love Rick's mom. But since his father passed, she has gotten very demanding. The words "Please" and "Thank You" seem to have left her vocabulary. She wants things done. Now. And when we simply cannot do her chores when she wants them done, we know she's upset in no uncertain terms. Rick's sister finally had a long talk with her; she told her what I have often said about older people....That being old does not give anybody the right to be rude. It went in one ear and out the other. Her mantra has become, "Oh pooh! I'm an old woman." We hear that constantly. With a very dismissive hand wave. We also hear that she now has to watch her pennies. I get it. I do. But enough is enough and I can't deal with it anymore. She got upset because Rick was going to Vegas (he's going for union work; it's not vacation). He doesn't know what to do about the trip now. She's upset bc we're going to Canada...if we go now. Because nobody will be around if she needs something done. Rick's sister and BIL will still be here when we're gone. (But in October, we are going to the concert in Pittsburgh, just for overnight, and it's the same time that his sister and BIL were going to their cabin. Once we get closer to the time, we'll see how things go and who needs to cancel what.) We're trying to work with her. But she makes it difficult sometimes. And she fixates on things; maybe older people do that. But she'll keep calling us to tell us that we haven't done this yet or we shouldn't forget that something needs done. And when are we doing to do it?? She needs something from the grocery store and she needs me to go during my lunch break and then run it down to the house. Now. I don't anymore. If it can wait til Friday night or Saturday morning when we're running errands, then it can wait. She's not happy about it. But I do what I can.
She wants to stay in the house. Well, we understand that. But it's a two-story house with a basement. We don't know how she's going to manage this winter. I told Rick that we could try to figure something out that she could stay with us for a while. But we have a bi-level, so we have steps from the living room to the front door. And Rick's afraid she'd let the cats out; things happen. He doesn't want to take a chance. And frankly, he does not want her living with us. When I bring it up, the look I get from him is enough to keep me quiet. But we have to figure something out.
At this point, we're waiting to see what the doctor says about the pacemaker.
Thanks for reading. I needed to get it out.