I AM BACK!

May 9, 2013

Be excited - I'm back (yup truly it's me).  Back from the world of am and pm pills, constant blood pressure checks, nurses checking on you during the night to make sure you're asleep!  And if you were - well too bad - you're awake now!  Oh and let's not forget the hideous overhead light that bothers nobody except those poor souls who are asleep or want to be asleep!  Such is the business of running a hospital. Kind of reminds me of that old saying "damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead"!  So you can substitute torpedoes with the word patients and you get the idea.

Hospital food - gruesome is the kindest word I can come up with.  We had chicken 3 times a week and it was awful every time it was dished up.  The other two days we ate fish.  Correction - some folks ate fish and chicken.  As for me I stuck with mashed potatoes and ice cream. Not healthy but with enough butter on potatoes could get them down.  Ice cream needs no additional endorsement - it's kind of like jello - and tastes better!

Good news is that by my own restricted diet which went against all medical guidelines I managed to lose around 30 pounds.  Can you say new wardrobe?  If I keep this up I will be bikini (NOT) ready by summer.

In addition to morning meds, eggs that aren't real and taste like it, patients are subjected to something called mini mentals each day.  You are given 3 words to remember and while trying to grasp those three words the doctor has moved on probably in an attempt to see how much I can actually remember, which generally wasn't much.

Then to finish up making you feel completely incompetent you get to recite the date, where you are, what city and what floor we're on.  Piece of cake you say?  Not so easy when there isn't a calendar around which makes cheating impossible.  I would always get the year right but seldom anything else consistently. In a pill induced mental fog, at least in the beginning, I couldn't even remember what month it was so you can forget all about knowing the date.

I was on the geriatric floor so in the big scheme of things I was a "young-en"and in true Bassett fashion took care of the elderly ladies.  I helped them with their trays and ended up adopting several grandmas which was very rewarding.

Jeff "sprung" me on Monday afternoon and the transition initially was difficult for me. I was agitated and nervous.  I would sit in my favorite reading chair for a few minutes and then would bounce up and go do something else.  Yesterday was better.  I went to my neighbor's house and sat with her and her mother-in-law.  We ladies had a chat and I enjoyed myself so will probably go to the coffee klatch again next week.

Every day gets a bit better.  I have had my hair cut (thank goodness) and as soon as I get my chinny chin hairs waxed I'll be back good as new.  I am now less agitated but still very restless and am having trouble completing a task.  Mind you the tasks (all paperwork) are boring and who wouldn't want to get up and wander around!

Today Jeff is taking me to the battery warehouse to meet with Stacey who is taking one of our vans home to help with the move that will occur this weekend.  Jeff and I will for sure be going to the new house on Sunday and I'm bringing dinner. I think I'm going to make spaghetti.  Stacey doesn't eat beef so I will set some spaghetti aside before I add the meat.  For dessert I'm going to make a gelatin poke cake which is light and super duper easy.  Oh and cole slaw because it goes so well with spaghetti.

I have a orange dreamsicle cookie mix that will make awesome cookies for Benjamin. The scheduled tea party that Benjamin wants to have has been postponed until I can get around to making party cakes!

I'm loving the ease of showing in my bathroom with the large shower and having my favorite scents at the ready.  Let's hear it for Chloe dusting powder which I have used religiously for more years than I can remember.  My routine is such that after I "do my toilet", I dress including socks and shoes.  I now am sporting all of my jewelry except for my initial necklace which is the next (and as it turns out last) piece of my jewelry.  Correction - last piece of real jewelry that I own.

Because it's nearly August (I know you're laughing), I am typing today's missive while enjoying Christmas songs.  Jeff and I own about 50 Christmas CD's and they never get boring.  I have my favorites (Elvis anyone?)  By the way Rocking Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee is playing now.  Great song. 

Today's necessary chore is put away the laundry.  And then just in case I am really bored, there is PLENTY of battery business paperwork to process and file. Since the business is shut down the accuracy of the filing is not hyper critical.  I have a big box where I can stuff all this random and ultimately not going to be necessary paperwork.

Well, this is enough for now, please check back regularly for the next installment.

It's good to be back

Thanks to Jeff for being such a faithful guest blogger.  He still has a lot on his plate but blogging is one thing I can take off of his plate!

Enjoy.

-P-