Pillow Fort

[wolfrysk]

How is everyone doing here? <3

[Operetta]

Rasa and I made it to Japan, but we found out that while we were flying out, my dad had a heart attack. We don't know very many details, but it seems to have been a minor one. And I think he's already been released to go back home. Still, not the way to start our vacation for sure.

[PookaWitch]

D: OMG! And while you're away from home too, so there isn't much you can do.

[Operetta]

No, there really isn't, though Rasa did manage to text the case worker at the hospital to give her my mom's number since they had Rasa's on file. Luckily, both of my nieces have kept up with the situation and have kept us informed as much as they can as neither of them live near my parents. My dad also has a nurse that helps to take care of him, so he should be in good hands. It seems he is not out yet, though, like we thought. He should be released later today, I believe. It seems like his blood pressure spiked really high, so I imagine they'll put him on some blood pressure medication.

[Minkey55]

Glad it went well pooka <3 we were surgery twins. My op was August 30th too. I'd been on the wait list for 2 years and it was booked in and planned in 2 weeks. Had my gallbladder out.
Hope everything is OK with everyone atm.

[Angel_of_Music]

On one good note, the Celebration of Life/Birthday Bash for my mom back on September 30th went well. Didn't have a huge turn out, but we had a decent amount of people show up. We were able to get there an hour before it started and got everything set up. While dad and Cheryleen worked on getting the tables set for the food and the tv set up for the slide show, I worked on getting the display stuff put out. It worked out great. We got my laptop hooked up for the slideshow and I brought it up and dad managed to get it set so that it would keep scrolling through the slideshow as intended. Everyone that came loved the slideshow and the display I had. Two things that really got me was at one point, I was talking with my Uncle Doug(my mom's brother) and his family, I then heard the sound of chains coming in and I didn't even look, but I said 'no...no they didn't...' and my Uncle looked at me and went 'what?'. I'm trying not to cry and I said 'I don't even have to look, it's the ambulance' and he looked and I knew I was right. I turned to look and...sure enough, Gilbertsville Ambulance was rolling in with the one rig. I walked over and I'm going 'you two are going to make me cry!!'. The took the rig off status to come and honor mom. The one person on was the very woman that helped me set the reservation for the pavilion to have the celebration. It was great. Even the chief came out to pay his respects. He didn't stay long, but it was still nice. About half an hour after they got there, another of my mom's former partners came with an ambulance from a different squad, one she hadn't been with, but he still wanted to pay his respects. When he came over, he smiled and said 'Jenny? On behalf of myself and Upper Perkiomen ambulance, we give our condolences in the loss of your mother and I came here on the squads behalf to pay our respects to her. She was one heck of a medic.' Before they pulled out though, I gathered the three of them beside Gilbertsville ambulance and my Uncle took a picture of the four of us. It was great. At one point I got up and did a 'thank you everyone for coming...' speech and such, did the 'requested by mom' song, which they all loved and then did a little more of a speech. I then hopped down and got the bag of blue birthday candles and lighter, had everyone take a candle, we lit them and I had everyone sing Happy Birthday, then we all blew out the candles. I got it on video too. It...it really was a good day. After everyone left and everything was cleaned up, put back into place and Dad and I did a perimeter sweep, I went down to the creek to just...breath. I wasn't down there long, but it felt good and I saw why mom enjoyed doing stand bys there whenever there was an event there. It was beautiful.

Right now though? I just want to cry right now. I'm so tired of packing and moving and getting the look of 'you really need to thin things out' from my dad. Yea, I've been TRYING to thin things out since all this crud started after my mom's passing in May. My only comment to my dad is 'I know, I know and I've been trying, but my thoughts have been focused on getting things packed, thin out what I can while still here at the house, then when I'm settled at the apartment, I can do a better thinning of things.' and he then lets out a breath and says 'I know'. Well if you know, then why are you giving me this lecture?! He's had stuff packed into the one garage, the attic and the other garage and the living room for years and....yea...he's giving me grief!! He still needs to clear off the bed in the bedroom and there's BARELY a dent in the attic!! The only things that have been shifted about are in the garage that we can get in to and we've been storing most of the bins. We managed to get the futon out of the living room, the loveseat that was mom's final gift to me was moved to the apartment and put there, the headboard that was part of mom's bed went to the apartment and will be put into place tomorrow or Monday. The stove was moved to the apartment and the plumber and his team managed to get it up into the apartment and into the 'new' kitchen. They redid the cabinets, gave me a whole new sink and countertop and made room for the stove. They also gave me a new toilet and vanity.

He kept saying that he'll clean this up, he'll take this stuff out and...yea...he really hasn't made much of a dent. We still have to get the computer desk out of the living room because I have no need for it and it's taking up the space where I can put the coffee table. We also need to get the curio cabinet out of the corner so I can put the one item in that area that I want to. I love my dad to pieces for doing this for me, talking to the landlord to see if I could move into said apartment, helping me through everything that was going on with mom and after her passing, but he...he really needed to do a little more clearing out of the apartment to make it a little more ready for me. The one area of the kitchen needs to be cleaned up as well.

Today was a double load take over. He came over and we loaded up one load, took it over to the apartment and I was able to put that stuff in the garage. We then went up into the apartment and I saw first hand the look of the new cabinets and countertop and the bathroom. I really love it. I then looked into the bedroom and saw the bed still had stuff on it and there was still stuff in there that I didn't need. That's not helping me!! He's had since May to get things cleared out to make room for me to be there. Yes, I know he has a life and other things going on, but...if he could have spent at least an hour each day at the apartment, it could have been a bit more set for me by now. As it stands, we did a double load today. We took the first load over, got it set in the garage...which has very limited space right now...went up into the apartment and got the disassembled futon and mattress out of the living room and hall. We closed up and went to a donation place, but they couldn't take the futon because of the 'mattress'. Okay fine. So we took it back to where my dad has been staying at Cheryleen's for the past almost three years now and set it in an open spot in the garage there. We chatted with Cheryleen for a few minutes, then back on the road to get back here. I gave dad a few more bins and he took them back to the apartment. I went to Walmart to get a few things and then came home and just...gently crashed in my current seating arrangement of my camp/fishing chair and a small folding table.

I just want this to end. I'm ready to cry and I hate it. If it was just my stuff I was moving, that would be so easy, but because it's my stuff AND mom's stuff AND the stuff we've acquired over the 20 years of being in this house...yea...a lot of stuff. Yes, I had managed to sell some things at the yard sale back in June, but not really enough to have made it worth it. The clothes that were left over that didn't sell got donated and the other stuff just got put back and...yea...I'll have to go through that stuff later. The dog toys I had left over I managed to disperse to people in the neighborhood that I knew had dogs. I have some to my cousin Kaitlyn because she got a puppy a couple months ago. I packed up a few more toys that Blake played with and I gave them to the breeders we got him and prior dogs from and who we've known for about 35 years. I had also given them a bunch of dog things that I wasn't going to keep, a lot of them being dog show ribbons that mom had won. Roseann was asking 'are you sure you don't want to keep these?' and I said 'I've got a bin of ribbons at home that are from BeeGee and Princess. The ones for Princess because she wasn't a dog we had gotten from you. BeeGee's ribbons because he was supposed to be MY dog to train, MY dog to show...' and went into the reason behind as to why that didn't happen and Roseann fully understood. I also gave them plenty of things that they could use at dog shows as trophy donations in mom's honor. So that was a whole bunch of stuff right there that 'lightened the load'. I've still got a bunch here, but like I keep telling my dad, I can do a proper thinning out once I'm at the apartment and can just settle in and focus on that because since mom's passing and knowing that I have no choice and can't stay at the house due to circumstances, my mind has been focused on 'get things packed, get things moved, get things packed, get things moved'. Yea, I've tossed some things here and there, I've tried to thin things out, but...I just want to get things moved. I know I'm limited on space, but as I start to unpack, I can thin out things.

*sighs* Where's Doctor Strange when I need him? I'd ask him to open a portal right into the apartment kitchen for at least five hours and I would take that time to just move over the last of the stuff and bins that I have. Anything else that I can't move over myself, I'd leave it and wait for dad to bring the moving truck. As it stands...
-Saturday the 21st we're doing another load...not sure if it'll be a 'we load up, I go with him, we unload, he brings me back, we load another load and just he goes back' day or if it'll be a one load day of 'we load up what we can, he takes it over, I stay here'.
-Sunday the 22nd we're going to the one gun show we like, a sort of break to breath and enjoy something we both like, but once we're done, he brings me back, takes whatever else I can give him and he takes it. As it is he and Cheryleen have a surprise birthday party to get to, so the day will be cut a little short, which is okay.
-Monday the 23rd will be the day of the moving truck. He got a fifteen footer, so that should give us the room we need for the last of the bins, the coffee table, the kayak, my rocking horse, the bikes and anything else that I am taking. Anything that is not going with me and I don't need...is just staying in the house.

I also managed to sell my mom's car. As much as I love the Envoy and wish I could keep it...the car is too much for me to handle. If I did have my license and I could handle it like mom could, then heck yes I would have kept it because I could have loaded up some stuff in the back of it and taken it over myself and just gotten stuff moved over that way and it would have made this move a little more easier. I had handled the Envoy on the road once when I had my permit. I was doing fine til I had to make a turn. I was making the turn, the car jerked a little and I overcorrected and missed hitting a pole by three feet. After that we switched, went back to where I had been practicing at 10mph and we did the down and back a few more times, then we switched back and she drove us home. After that...she didn't help me one note in building my confidence in driving, so that sucked out my confidence right there. She only let me 'behind the wheel' if I was starting her car to warm it up before she went to work during the winter. Yea, thanks. And if I did ask her if she'd help me, she'd give me some excuse. IF she would have had a little more faith in me, helped me a little more, I could have had the confidence with it, I could have handled it and I would have kept it. At least the Envoy went to a good family, they'll get some use for it for as long as it runs.

*rubs forehead* I just...can't wait for this nightmare to end. I've had so many days where I've been on the verge of tears and...I'm ready to scream. A few days ago I heard a new song by Reba called Seven Minutes in Heaven and it had me flat out crying my eyes out and my nose was so stuffed up for ten minutes. It's a beautiful song, I love it, but it just flat out walloped me in the heart. The song is dedicated to her own mother, who she last a couple years ago and it hits on so many feels. I keep being told that 'I'm doing great' and 'things will get better soon', but I just feel like this road is going in circles and I can't find the off ramp to get on to a clearer path. I know it'll happen, but...I just wish it would hit that area soon. I really wish I didn't have to move, wish I didn't have to leave the house. I could have just stayed here and sorted through mom's things and figured out what I could donate and what I'd keep. I would have done the same thing with my stuff as well. Gone through, thinned things out and neatened things up a bit, but...nope...due to one big storm cloud of a circumstance...it's best to move and start a new book in my life.

I'll end the long ramble here. Apologies for it being so long. I just...had to get it off my chest and vent a little...and let you all know where I'm at in my own daily plot of life. To any that read this thing...thanks for taking the time *hugs*

[wolfrysk]

First AoM, I'm glad your mom's celebration of life went so well, it sounds like it was a wonderful send off for her.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with all that moving stress, I know it is so very hard. -hugs- I hope everything gets sorted very soon for you so that you can stop having it in your thoughts all of the time.

[Operetta]

I hope things get better, AoM, and calm down soon for you.

[Angel_of_Music]

Move update:

October 23rd, 3:25pm: Good-bye Pottstown...

SPOILER: Click to show

October 24th, 8:36M: Good morning Perkasie

SPOILER: Click to show

So yesterday morning my brain and body wouldn't let me sleep in past 7:30. So I got up and started to just move bins from the living room to be outside on the front lawn to make those easier to access. I then moved the coffee table sort of back to where it usually was and then I just...sat and partially watched Lets Make a Deal. Then my Dad and his friend Cheryleen came over a little after 10:30 and after making a little game plan, we got to work and started packing the U-Haul. Certain things went into Cheryleen's car...like the tv, vcr/dvd player, my dulcimer, Dad's banjo(that I had been holding for about 25 or so years), mom's urn and a couple other things. We took a small 'we need a drink' break and looking in the truck, I was...a little skeptical that we'd be getting the rest in, but Cheryleen reassured me that we'd get everything in. Ooookay. After said drink break, we got back to work. Dad came in and we went to get the trunk upstairs that had been mom's tack trunk when she rode. As much as I wanted to bring it with me, dad posed the question of 'do you really need to bring it?' and added on 'I know it was your mom's tack trunk and would be nice to keep, but...' and I finished for him 'do I need to keep it?'. I thought about it and...as much as I wanted to bring it, I left it. Yes it's a nice trunk, yes I could have probably used it, but the facts of it are it's big, there's not really any place for me to put it up in the apartment and there was no way I was going to ask dad to help me carry this trunk up the front stairs into the apartment, then up another 15 stairs fully into the apartment. No. Yea, the apartment is a small upstairs apartment with four rooms: Kitchen, bedroom, living room, bathroom. Five if you count the attic.

After that he looked and asked 'okay, what else is coming from up here?' and I showed him, which was NOT a lot. So he was good with that. We went downstairs...him taking my rocking horse downstairs with him and me grabbing a box...and we then continued from there. Another point he came back in to see how much was left to pack. We got to the kitchen and he looked and went 'is all of this going? because some of this can easily be gotten again'. Okay, I left some of the cookie containers and some certain things behind, but the cleaning supplies, the two packs of paper towels and certain bags I did take. I had some stuff in a crate that was spices and food and...I do believe that did come with me...I hope. Ah the 'joys' of moving. Once again I was asking Cheryleen 'how are we on space?' and she said 'don't worry, we're still good'. I managed to get the hanging plant hook from out front as well as the little garden butterfly and the one autumn stained glass and the butterfly spinner from out back. I was not leaving them behind. I've got some flower bulbs to plant some time this week and those little decorations are going to the flower garden out front.

I should have worn my day hiker shoes instead of my regular sneakers. My feet were SCREAMING to the point where it was getting hard for me to walk. Yea, my mistake. I pushed through though because I wanted to get things packed. My one neighbor came home around quarter of 3 and before she went inside, I went over to say goodbye to her. She started crying on my shoulder saying ho much she was going to miss me. She even let me take one of her 'last roses of summer' with me(pictured above). She then came over and asked if she'd be okay to gather my mail til I can get my forwarding address set up. I said that would be fine. I tried 5 times to set it up for forwarding through the post office's site and it was not letting me do it. So I have to go in person one day to see what gives. She then asked about the keys, this way squatters can't get in. I handed her the paper that had the keys taped to them and labeled. She's going to hold on to them and turn them over to whoever gets the house. Dad said he'd contact the attorney working with us and let him know that 'house is vacated and neighbor to the left has the keys'. Around 3:10, we packed the coolers into the back and while they closed up the truck, I went back inside and grabbed the box I had set to use for mom's urn. I grabbed that, made one last sweep of the downstairs with the 'okay, is there anything else I need to absolutely take with me?' thought. I was good with everything. Yea, I left certain things there that I was okay to leave, but that is part of the process. Around 3:15, I locked the back door, went into the living room and picked up mom's urn and after turning to look at the inside from the door way one last time and with a lip quivering grin, I locked the door for the final time, turned and walked out, pulling the door closed behind me. Dad came up the walkway and I handed him my phone all set on the camera setting and...he got the pictures above for me. 20 years ago, mom was the first one into the house the day we moved in on May 25th, 2003, I figure 20 years later, she would be the last one out, the closing of the Pottstown book.

When dad was getting the truck backed up and shifted around so we could pull out, I pulled up my youtube and hit play on Frank Sinatra's song My Way. Dad heard it start and laughed saying 'perfect'. Yea this song seems to be turning into a 'family tradition' now. I made it through the song without balling my eyes out. Then after that song, I brought up Eastbound and Down. Yea, that had both Dad and I singing. We made a quick snack stop at Wawa, then continued on the way. Dad took it careful, which I fully understand. We got to the apartment a little after 5. The only things that got unpacked was the stuff from Cheryleen's car. We figured we're all going to be whooped from the 5 hours we spent packing the truck, so at the one point in the afternoon dad extended the truck rental to today. Good idea. While I carefully with screaming feet made my way up the stairs, the game plan was simple. I move the bins in the living room up to the attic and Dad sets up the tv and makes sure it's working. Coolers were also brought in and unpacked. I got all save three bins up to the attic and only because my feet couldn't take much more. So I took a break. Meanwhile, Dad's on the phone with Xfinity to figure out why nothing is working even though he reactivated the cable and such. Turns out that his cable box was going out of date. We had, thankfully, brought the cable box from the house. After dad got off the phone with the representative for Xfinity, who said that the box was going out of date and we could return it to a store at no charge and get a new one, I asked 'did we bring the cable box from the house?' and said we had. Okay. I then asked 'what if we plugged in my cable box?'. Ding. So that's what we did and it went through and I soon enough had tv. yay! We tried certain channels that I do watch and we were getting an error message. Okay, we'll have to go to Xfinity and find out what's going on. So after all that, we went down and across the street to the one restaurant and had dinner. After that, Cheryleen headed back to her house and dad said he'd be there shortly. Dad gave me a bear hug and said I did good, then said on some things we were going to work on. Yea, not looking forward to this, but...crud happens.

After he pulled off with the U-Haul, I carefully climbed the stairs and managed to watch the Vikings/49er's game on tv. At least I got that. I watched the news and fiddled around on my computer once I got connected to the wifi here...which I thankfully had dad write down the password for me. I then crashed. I remember climbing into bed, but don't remember anything after that til my body woke me up this morning.

Game plan for today is we're renting a storage unit, taking U-Haul there, unpack certain things there, Cheryleen will have dad's truck and we'll pack in things that I am going to need at the apartment. So my clothes are a must, the cleaning supplies and anything else I can get into the back of the truck and partially the back seat. So I'm going to have to work on doing the thinning out of some things in the garage so that we can work on shuttling more bins to the apartment for me to go through before winter sets in. Okay...this is going to be 'fun'. So yea...that's where I'm at. I'm moved over and...starting a new book.

[tierasa]

I'm so ready for November to be over. It has been something quite literally everday this month. On Halloween, my mom called me to say she was going to go to the hospital because her back was hurting. They called me later that day to tell me they were admitting her. By this point in time, my dad had been alone since 1am. This was around noon. I had to take Retta home before I could go to their house. I got to him much later managed to get him fed and medicated. They kept my mom four days.

While she was in the hospital, my dad was sick. I didn't think too much of it. I just tried to take care of him as best I could. Mom got out of the hospital and he was still sick. She immediately calls EMTs. They admit him to the hospital. It's discovered he has a silver dollar-sized bleeding ulcer. He was in the hospital for two weeks. Picking him up from the hospital was an ordeal in and of itself.

They day after they took Dad to the hospital, Mom went BACK to the hospital herself. They only keep her a day this time. They arrange for home health. She's falling EVERY single day. Someitmes multiple times a day. She has to call the EMTs multipe times to help her off the floor.

That brings us to yesterday. EMTs call me. They're taking my mom to the hospital. Just to make sure she didn't hurt herself this time. They release her and Dad's nurse goes and picks her up.

My mom was supposed to have a doctor's appointment today that I couldn't go with her to. I tried to call her a couple of times to make sure she didn't miss it. She didn't answer. I called the doctor before her appointment to tell them my concerns regarding her meds. They called me a couple of hours later to tell me she never showed up and they can't reach her. I try to call her a couple of times. Can't reach her. They call me a back and suggest a wellness check. Call the sheriff's department explain she's been falling a lot etc. They said normally the sergeant would call me back, but they were just going to send him. I get a call back from dispatch. They tell me my mom was found outside and that she said she'd been out there since 7. I think she's been wandering around outside since 7am and I'm possibly looking at a pyschotic episode. The sergeant calls me. They found her in the GARAGE where she'd fallen waiting for her ride. She was laid out across her walker since 7am. The transport had come at 8 and LEFT HER THERE! I know from the messages he left on the answring machine! He must not have gotten out to look for her. She was outside in the cold unable to stand from 7 to close to noon. They treated her for hypothermia and decided to keep her since this is her second ER visit in as many days. I'm spending Thanksgiving down at their house and not because I'm cooking. Also, we found out today that Tai has degenerative neurological condition. The vet told us he's just going to get worse. Eventually he may not even be able to stand. Happy Thanksgiving to me!

[Phoenix Stardancer]

*hugs* I am sorry to hear how rough things have been Rasa. I hope things improve for the better soon for you

[Sanguine_Dragon]

I hope things get better for you soon, Rasa. I'm sorry for all the things you've had to go through lately.

[Operetta]

Mom was released to skilled care and will be there for a couple of weeks. Our older siblings cannot help, and my dad was just taken to the hospital again. *sigh* I'm so over 2023.

[springacres]

Oh no, Retta! My sympathies to you and Rasa over all this.

[Phoenix Stardancer]

Sympathies to both of you!