New Year’s Eve December 31, 2010

Istiqlál (Independence), 1 Sharaf (Honor), 167 BE – Friday, December 31, 2010 about 1:58 PM Pacific Time

It’s Friday, December 31, the last day of 2010. Tomorrow a new Gregorian year begins. Tonight at midnight, fireworks will celebrate the birth of a New Year. A New Year is a new beginning.

A New Year is full of potential. A New Year is full of promise. A New Year is full of hope. A New Year is a time to make changes. A New Year is a time to move things in the house.

"If you want to change your life, move 27 things in your home."

Author Unknown

One of the items I am moving is my dining room table. In 2007, when my mother got out of the hospital I moved my dining room table into the living room and it is still in my living room. In 2011, I am moving my dining room table back into the dining room. After I move the table, then I will decide on 26 more items to move.

I hope to complete moving all the items by March 21, 2011. However, moving items from one room to another or from one wall to another takes thought. It may take longer then three months to move everything. It may not take three months when I decided on the other items.

I put a new mattress on my mother’s bed

Fidál (Grace), 17 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Tuesday, December 28, 2010 about 2:12 PM Pacific Time

I put a new mattress on my mother’s bed today. It’s one of those mattress covered with plastic, so that it can be washed off with a wet rag. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought, even with the osteoarthritis in my right knee.

I put the old mattress in Mom’s vanity room temporarily. Eventually, I’ll have to take it out to the curb, but I think I’ll wait until Saturday. I’ll take it out to the garage either this evening or on Wednesday morning.

Mom wasn’t upset about me changing her mattress. I don’t think she even knew I changed the mattress on her bed. When I showed her the mattress, she was upset because the bed wasn’t made, but she didn’t seem to realize she had a different mattress. I think that has to do with her short-term memory issues.

Today my mother is happy

Kamál (Perfection), 16 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Monday, December 27, 2010 about 2:27 PM Pacific Time

Today my mother is happy. All morning she has sang a song from her youth. I am not sure why she is in a good mood, but I am glad she is happy today. Mom has Alzheimer’s disease so there are good days and bad days. I never know when I get up if Mom is going to be in a good or bad mood. This morning she woke up crying, I am not sure why. I am not sure Mom knows why she wakes up crying.

After she got out of bed, got dressed, and went into the breakfast room her mood slowly changed. She started singing about 9:00 AM and sang all morning. I think she is dozing right now. She does not take her afternoon nap in bed. Instead, she dozes on the love seat or the couch. Today she is dozing on the couch in the breakfast room.

I suppose I should check in her room for laundry. We have to go to the laundromat either Tuesday or Wednesday. I already have a basket of sheets in the car waiting; I just need to get two more so that I can have three loads. I am going to post this and then check for more cloths in Mom’s bedroom that I need to put in her basket.

Joyous Christmas from Las Vegas

Jalál (Glory), 14 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Saturday, December 25, 2010 about 10:27 AM Pacific Time

It is Saturday, December 25; it is the last Saturday in 2010 next Saturday a New Year begins. It is a joyous Christmas because there are music specials on television playing carols and hymns I remember from my childhood. It is a joyous Christmas because my mother is sitting on the love seat watching Channel 10 and listening to Christmas music. It is a joyous Christmas because I heard my mother laugh as she watched the singers and listened to the music.

A joyous Christmas
Echoes from my T.V. set
Mother is happy

Eleven minutes before midnight

Istiqlál (Independence), 13 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Friday, December 24, 2010 about 4:39 PM Pacific Time

I was born on December 24, 1946 about eleven minutes before midnight. At that time today I will turn 64 years old. To celebrate my birthday I bought two books. I bought “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide”, which contains five novels and one story. I also bought “The Dragon Book”. Tonight, instead of looking at the History channel, I’m going to begin reading one of the books.

It Rained all day in Las Vegas

‘Idál (Justice), 11 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Wednesday, December 22, 2010 about 3:32 PM Pacific Time

I remember a song from my childhood. One of the lines went something like this “It rained all night the day I left.” Today it rained all day in Las Vegas and I didn’t go anywhere. I stayed home and watched the rain. Sometimes the rain was gentle. Sometimes it rained hard. Sometimes the rain paused, but the clouds were still there and I knew the rain would soon start again.

This morning, I took a bag of trash to the garage. I decided not to take the trashcan to the curb because of the rain. The only thing I did was wake far enough down the driveway to pick up the morning paper. Even though the delivery guy put the paper in a plastic bag, the paper was wet. It wasn’t completely soaked, it was just wet enough to prevent me from reading it until the paper dried.

I think the paper is sufficiently dry for me to read the comics. The front page didn’t get wet, but the section with the comics got wet. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Every time it rains long or hard enough for the paper to get wet, always the comic section gets wet.

It is still raining in Las Vegas

Fidál (Grace), 10 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Tuesday, December 21, 2010 about 9:50 AM Pacific Time

It rained all day yesterday and it is still raining today. It is a gentle rain, but in Las Vegas, a gentle rain can still cause problems. If it rains long enough it will soak the ground and this being a desert will probably cause flooding. According to this morning’s weather e-mail, a record was set on December 20th with 4” of rain recorded at McCarran airport.

In Mesquite, they expect the Virgin River to flood sometime today, while the meteorologist forecast 2 to 4 feet of snow for the mountains above 7,000 feet. Winter has arrived in the desert. Winter has arrived in Las Vegas and more rain is on the way.

I’m not looking forward to driving in the rain, but I have a prescription to pick up at Smith’s Food and Drug store. When I took the prescriptions in last Friday, the pharmacist had to order one of the meds. It was supposed to be in yesterday, but the only prescription I was able to pick up was for my mother. I’ll call to make sure the prescription is in and then go to the pharmacy this afternoon.

Christmas Week, a Total Lunar Eclipse and clouds in Las Vegas

Kamál (Perfection), 9 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Sunday, December 19, 2010 about 5:10 PM Pacific Time

It looks like I won’t be about to watch Monday night’s total lunar eclipse from my front yard. I’ll have to turn on CNN or some other news station and hope they show the eclipse. I’m disappointed, but the weather forecast calls for cloud cover and rain for the rest of the week. I know we need the rain here in Las Vegas; however, I would rather stand in my front yard watching a total eclipse of the moon then seeing it on television.

During this eclipse, the moon is supposed to glow brown or red, rather then its normal orange-yellow eclipse color. This is because of the dust in the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions. I remember seeing a total lunar eclipse in the last century. I stood in a mall parking lot and watched in amazement as the moon moved into the earth’s shadow. It was beautiful it was spectacular.

I’m going to miss seeing this eclipse from my front yard, but there isn’t anything I can do about it because mother nature has her own priorities. Oh well, maybe I’ll write a poem about missing the lunar eclipse of 2010.

Two weeks left in 2010

Jamál (Beauty), 8 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Saturday, December 18, 2010 about 6:28 PM Pacific Time

Two weeks left in 2010. I know they will be two busy weeks because I have laundry and a dozen other things to do before December 31. Tomorrow we’re going to do three baskets of laundry. I have to go to the laundromat, so three baskets are all I can handle and take Mom with me. Mom enjoys folding the dry cloths.

In addition to laundry, I have to clean off my hard drive. Once I’ve cleaned it off then I think I’ll have to uninstall some programs. I uninstalled one today, so my computer may be running a little better; it’s been extremely slow lately.

The End is near

‘Idál (Justice), 4 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Wednesday, December 15, 2010 about 11:20 AM Pacific Time

The end is near, at least the end of the year. As 2010 draws to a close, I am looking at what I need to get out of debt, which is a depressing subject in these economic conditions. I want to set a realistic goal, but at this point, I’m not sure what that would be. I would like to have all my debts paid by the end of 2011; however, I’m not sure that is realistic.

The first step is to get all my mother’s debts and all mine together. The second step is to put the debts into a spreadsheet and compare them with our income (a frightening thought). The third step is figure out a payment schedule (another frightening thought). I have to do this and I can’t let fear’s little demons stop me.

I’ve just thought of a fourth step and fifth step. The fourth step is to list ways we can save money. While the fifth step concerns finding was to make more money. I’ve listed all the steps necessary to achieve this goal. Now I need to set up a spreadsheet and, since I already have 2011 budget books set up I can add another spreadsheet those books.

It’s been a good day

Jamál (Beauty), 1 Masá’il (Questions), 167 BE – Sunday, December 12, 2010 about 4:14 PM Pacific Time

It’s been a good day, I managed to scrape together enough money to get Mom’s Alzheimer’s medication, but I still have six other bottles of meds to get. She is now taking two different tablets for Alzheimer’s disease. Mom takes one Galantamine ER 24 MG Capsule a day and two Namenda 10 MG Tablets a day (one tablet in the morning and one in the evening).

Mom isn’t happy about taking these or any of her other medications, but it’s necessary. Mom seems to have the most difficulty on cloudy days and in winter. If I take her out every day she is in a better mood, most of the time; unfortunately, getting her ready to go is a project in itself. We’re supposed to be getting a new walk-in or roll-in shower in one of the bathrooms, but the funding hasn’t came through yet.

This afternoon Mom is in an in-between mood; that is she is in a good mood for a little while and then her mood changes. One of the issues is a windup alarm clock. The clock that Mom had broke and I had to throw it away. I think getting her a new alarm clock will help. At least, she won’t be upset about the alarm clock any more.

The Feast of Masá’il (Questions) is Tonight

Jalál (Glory), 19 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Saturday, December 11, 2010 about 10:38 AM Pacific Time

The Feast of Masá’il (Questions) is tonight at 7:00 PM. Mom and I are planning to attend. I don’t know what time this afternoon I’m going to have to encourage Mom to start getting ready. If I remind her about the Feast too early, she will get ready and spend the rest of the day impatient to leave or forget that we’re planning to attend Feast and want to go to bed early.

I still have next week’s schedule to set up. If I don’t set the schedule I’ll spend another week spinning my wheels without accomplishing anything. I my last post I discussed working a graveyard shift, I’m having second thoughts about that, but I don’t see any other option. I need to make money online and I need to take care of Mom. I probably need sleep as well. I haven’t been sleeping more then three or four hours at night anyway.

At least, the house is warm now, so I don’t have to shiver while I’m working at night. Being cold is distracting and I get less accomplished when it cold in the house then when it’s warm. I can stand the hot weather much better then the cold weather. It hasn’t gotten very cold in Las Vegas, but the temperature was low enough to cause distractions.

Changing my work schedule

Jalál (Glory), 19 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Friday, December 10, 2010 about 6:37 PM Pacific Time

Despite the fact I don’t like working graveyard, I’m going to have to start that shift. No I’m not taking a job outside the house, I’ll still work online, but I’ll be working nights rather then during the day. I’m attempting to work when Mom’s asleep

Lately, I’ve had difficulty getting online before late afternoon. Mom requires more attention then she used to. She is still capable of doing many things for herself, but she wants more attention. She also doesn’t want to eat anything except peanut butter and cereal. Mom will fix peanut butter and cereal for herself, but nothing else.

Mom will eat what I fix, but she won’t fix anything for herself except peanut butter and cereal. Unfortunately, peanut butter and cereal isn’t a balanced meal. In addition, Mom will not take her meds unless I give them to her. Anyway, I’m going to have to work online when Mom’s asleep and that means graveyard.

A memory from my childhood: Countdown to Christmas

Istijlál (Majesty), 17 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Thursday, December 9, 2010 about 10:40 AM Pacific Time

When I was a child Christmas preparation began on Black Friday. Grandpa would pile my three siblings and me into the car and we would go Christmas tree shopping. Then on December 1, the Countdown to Christmas would begin. We always knew how many days until Santa Claus came through the window. We did not have a fireplace, so the Jolly Old Elf could not come down our chimney.

Each day in December, we would wake up, look at the calendar and count the days until Christmas. Today there are sixteen days left until Christmas. As a child, the number of days until Christmas was very important because we knew Santa Claus was watching and knew “who was naughty and who was nice”. I never did figure out what scale he used to determine “naughty” or “nice”, I simply knew that getting presents meant being nice.

On December 24, the day before Christmas Mom or Grandma would bake Christmas cookies. We always saved Santa Claus, Snowman, and Reindeer cookies for Santa. We would place the cookies, with a tall glass of milk, on the coffee table close to the tree. The next morning we would have presents under the tree and the cookies and milk were gone.

The Heat Pump is fixed

The heat pump works, so the house is warm. Right now, the thermostat is set at 78 degrees, but I think I’ll turn it down to 75 degrees before I go to bed; that is if I go to bed. I’m not sleepy and I have several things to catch up.

Having heat in the house has energized me. All the time the heat was off I could think of nothing else but keeping warm. Now that the heat pump is working, I can think of all sorts of stuff I need to do and I want to do. At least now, I won’t have to wear three sweaters while I work.

Fall Clouds in Las Vegas

‘Idál (Justice), 16 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Wednesday, December 8, 2010 about 12:52 PM Pacific Time

Bright patches of white
Blankets the desert blue sky
Cold humidity

It didn’t rain last night, but it did get cold. Today the air feels chilly and damp. The sun is shining; however, the clouds prevent it from casting shadows. Patched of blue sky are visible between small rips in the clouds. I’m waiting for a tech to come and fix the heat pump so that the house can be warm.

I’m looking forward to a warm house

Fidál (Grace), 15 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Tuesday, December 7, 2010 about 4:49 PM Pacific Time

I remember having fun in snow. When I was a child, I didn’t notice the cold. I went out and enjoyed the snow. Now, I enjoy sitting inside a warm house and watching the snow accumulate on the ground outside. We haven’t had any snow in Las Vegas, but it has snow on Mount Charleston.

One of the things I enjoy about winter in Las Vegas is looking up to the mountain and seeing snow. I have no desire to drive up there a play in the snow. I enjoy looking up and seeing Mount Charleston’s white crest. I also enjoy being in a warm house, rather I will enjoy this as soon as the heat pump is fixed.

The techs are coming on Wednesday, between 8:00 and 10:00 AM to fix the unit. I am going to enjoy a warm house and taking a bath in a warm house. I may even wash my hair if it gets warm enough. I’ve missed the warmth and it hasn’t been cold in Las Vegas. After the heat pump is fixed I’ll worry about paying the electricity bill this winter, but right now I just want to be warm.

Thoughts on a long day

Jamál (Beauty), 13 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Saturday, December 4, 2010 about 6:53 PM Pacific Time

Despite the fact that the days are growing shorter, it’s been a long day. I spent the morning attempting to get Mom up and into the living room or breakfast room. This morning I wanted to fix eggs and hot dogs, but I couldn’t fix them until Mom got up because they would get cold or be over cooked.

It took two hours to get Mom up and into the breakfast room. Once breakfast was ready and Mom ate, then it took about a hour to convince her to get dressed so we could go to the bank. I had to get twenty dollars in quarters to do laundry. When we got to the bank, Mom waited in the car; she didn’t want to go into the bank. I’m glad it’s winter, but I don’t know what I’m going to do next summer when it gets hot.

Getting Mom out of the car and into a store or bank is difficult. Most of the time I just tell her I’m using her debit card and she has to be with me when I use it; that usually does the trick, but not always. If Mom doesn’t want to do something she can be extremely stubborn and with the Alzheimer’s disease she gets angry.

Tomorrow we have to go to the laundromat and on Monday she has an appointment with her doctor. I’m not looking forward to the process of getting Mom up and ready to go. Mom doesn’t understand why she can’t stay home when I go to the laundromat and she doesn’t think she needs to see a doctor. I have two more long days ahead of me.

I now have heat

Istijlál (Majesty), 10 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Thursday, December 2, 2010 about 3:52 PM Pacific Time

The techs came today and fixed the central air unit. I now have heat in my house and it is wonderful. I cannot express just how great it feels to be warm. The heat went out on Thanksgiving, the day the weather in Las Vegas turned cold.

I completed NaNoWriMo in the cold. I washed dishes in the cold. I took a hot bath in the cold and I found out that if you fill a bathtub with hot water and close the bathroom door, the room gets warm. The room gets warm enough to be slightly pleasant when you are in it for a little while.

I did learn something from this experience. I learned that I am much happier in a warm house then a cold house. I learned that I do not like to drink cold juice when the house is cold. I learned that I could write and do dishes even in the cold.

The Christmas Season brings back Memories

Istijlál (Majesty), 10 Qawl (Speech), 167 BE – Wednesday, December 1, 2010 about 8:35 PM Pacific Time

I no longer celebrate Christmas. The gift giving time for me is February 26 to March 1, but the Christmas Season brings back memories. I have both good memories and bad memories of Christmas. I was born on December 24, so I have mixed memories of Christmas because of the accident of my birthday.

Today a couple of things reminded that this is the Christmas Season. I stopped at Smith’s Food and Drug to see if one of my prescriptions was ready and in front of the store, I saw a Salvation Army Bell Ringer. Tonight when I returned to the living room after checking on Mom, I glanced out the window. The neighbors across the street have their house decorated for Christmas.

Mom always enjoyed driving around Las Vegas and looking at the Christmas lights. It’s been a while since we did that, but this year I think I’ll take her out to look at the Christmas lights. I have a full tank of gas and the fluids in my car are all right. The only issues are the cold weather and one of the front tires on my car it looses air. I’m a member of AAA and I have a cell phone, so Mom and I should be all right.