Monday Mumblings: The Last Monday in April

Kamál (Perfection), 3 Jamál (Beauty), 169 BE – Monday, April 30, 2012 about 6:55 PM Pacific Time

It is the last Monday in April. It is not a holiday; it is someone birthday, but everyday is someone’s birthday. Tomorrow is May 1, which is May Day. May 2 is the Twelfth Day of Ridvan. Mother’s Day is one week from Sunday.

For me the day was tiring. I took the car into the shop and found out why it was acting strangely and sounding odd. The mechanic took care of most of the problem today; however, since I had to be back to the house by 3:00 PM and that was when the car would be finished, I have to take it back in tomorrow morning.

Since Mom begin going to the daycare center Monday through Friday, I am accustom to time limitations. I am accustom to spreading my shopping, doctors appointments, and business dealings over an entire month rather then attempting to get everything done in a few days. I am accustomed to staying home on Saturday and Sunday rather then participating in the weekend routines I used to do and enjoy. I am accustomed to staying home with Mom in the evenings rather then attending poetry readings and nineteen day Feast. I miss attending feast and I miss participating in open mic poetry readings. Oh well, such is the life of a caregiver.

Social Networking Sunday: Checking my Facebook page

Jamál (Beauty), 2 Jamál (Beauty), 169 BE – Sunday, April 29, 2012 about 10:00 AM Pacific Time

I haven’t checked my Facebook page in at least a month. Despite everything I have to do today, I’m going to check Facebook and see who’s written on the wall. I’m glad I checked Facebook because I encounter a couple of laughs, which I needed today. I also posted the following thought of the day: “A sense of humor prevents us from going crazy.” ~ Author Unknown

I have to check Facebook more often. I think I will start checking it once a week rather then once a month. I will check it either on Saturday or Sunday, depending on which day I need a good laugh. I can always count on finding something funny posted.

Tying up loose ends Saturday in Las Vegas

After being out of the house all day on Thursday and half a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I have several loose ends to tie up. They will not all be tied up today. I will be lucky if I get half of them completed. That is all right, I will accomplish the important things today and the rest will have to wait.

It is a good thing I plan staying home on Saturday because if I was out and running all over town I would accomplish little or nothing. Mom is home all day on Saturday and does not have a P.C.A. coming in to help her or mop her floor. I am sure I will not get the floor in any room mopped today. I have a brand new, unopened bottle of Pine Sol read to use and no time to use it today. At least not until after Mom goes to bed this evening.

This morning I am tired and Mom is in a yoyo mood. So far today, she has been crying and singing, not at the same time. At the moment, she is dozing, I would love to take a nap myself, but that is out of the question. I still have one more load of laundry to wash, clothes to put away, and Mom’s bed to change. After that, I have to figure out my schedule for next week

Now I am sitting in front of the computer and my head wants to fall forward so that I can go to sleep. Therefore, I am posting this and then I will fix Mom and me some lunch. A nice meal should wake me up and if that does not work then I will make another carafe of coffee.

Midweek Reflections on the week of April 22, 2012

‘Idál (Justice), 17 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Wednesday, April 25, 2012 about Sunset Pacific Time

It’s Wednesday again and time to reflect on the last three days. I’m beginning this entry about sunset, but I’m not sure when I will get posted; hopefully sometime before midnight. I have to pause for a few minutes and to turn on the washing machine and I need to check the driver’s side window to make sure it’s rolled up. The meteorologist predicted rain for tonight and I don’t want my front seat getting wet.

Now back to my reflections on the past three hectic days. Sunday Mom was home all day and since she no longer has a Personal Care Assistant on that day, I did everything for her. That was all right, I enjoyed taking complete care of Mom. However, I have to have the dishwasher reconnected because it makes washing dishes easier.

On Monday, I went to the Vein Clinic for an ultrasound of my right leg. The procedure on those veins worked and I have no blood clots in that leg. On Tuesday, I made spaghetti. I made enough spaghetti to last us three or four days. Today, I went to the wound hospital and the doctor removed the bandage on my left leg. I still have to wear the compression stockings, but at least the bandage is off.

Mobile Monday: A visit to the vein clinic in Las Vegas

Kamál (Perfection), 15 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Monday, April 23, 2012 about 1:45 PM Pacific Time

When I went to the vein clinic this morning for the ultrasound of my right leg, traffic was medium. On the way to the clinic the traffic flowed easily, as I went west on Charleston. The city was not working on Charleston, at least that section.

At the vein clinic, I had a bit of difficulty parking, but I found a place close to the door. I did have to wait a few minutes, but not too long. My appointment was at 10:30 and I got in about 10:45 AM. The good news is that the veins are healing properly and I do not have any blood clots.

The traffic driving east on Charleston about medium and it flowed easily. I made it to the vein clinic and back safely. I did not stop to get anything, which was good. Because my phone ring while I was in traffic and I had to pull off on a side street and park the car along the curb to answer it. I returned the call while I remained parked along the curb and then came home.

I did not want to wait until I got home because I thought it might be about Mom. I did not want to come home and then have to leave again. Once I get home, I prefer to remain at home the rest of the day. I guess that is why I try to do more then one thing when I go out of the house.

Earth Day at home in Las Vegas

Jamál (Beauty), 14 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Sunday, April 22, 2012 about 10:30 AM Pacific Time

It is Earth Day and I am at home. I am sitting down for a few minutes before taking recyclables to the garage. I did not get the recyclable bins carried to the curb yesterday, so I will have to wait until the first Saturday in May to lug them to the curb. I really need a little red wagon or something to put the bins in to roll them to the curb, but since I do not have anything like that, I may start taking them out on Friday evening before the sun goes down.

Earth Day is a good day for a picnic, but that is not possible for me today. Especially since, I did not clean the car out last week. In order to take Mom out I need to put her wheel chair in the backseat and my backseat if full. I have some blankets in the back seat that I need to take to the laundromat because they are too bulky for my top loader. Staying home on Earth Day does have its advantages. I have did three small loads of clothes and I have one more to wash.

Earth Day is beautiful in Las Vegas, at least the part of it I can see from my living room window or when I go to the garage. There are no clouds in the sky and no wind or just a slight breeze. It is warm outside, I am not sure, but I think the temperature forecast for today was somewhere in the 90s. Have a Happy Earth Day and recycle as much as possible.

Stay at home Saturday: Rearranging my Saturday duties

Jalál (Glory), 13 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Saturday, April 21, 2012 about 8:20 AM Pacific Time

Beginning today, Mom will no longer have a Personal Care Assistant (P.C.A.) coming to the house. This means I have to make Mom’s bed myself and mop the floor in her room if it is necessary. I may not mop her floor today. I have to check to see what type of floor care products I have, if all I have is bleach then I will have to wait until I get something else on Monday.

Mom really does not need a P.C.A. on Saturday or Sunday. I fix all her mails when I fix mine; I think I should rephrase that to, I fix my meals when I prepare Mom’s. Mom forgets that she eats so I have to fix her something to eat every thirty minutes or so. Normally, I do not get hungry that often.

It is after 8:00 AM so I have to begin getting Mom up. I let Mom sleep late on Saturday and Sunday, but I do like to get her up before 9:00. Just because she sleeps late on the weekend does not mean she can remain in bed. Mom uses a walker so she can get up instead of lying in bed. I am posting going to post this and then attempt to get Mom up before 9:00.

Beware the bugs in Las Vegas

Istiqlál (Independence), 12 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Friday, April 20, 2012 about 6:15 PM Pacific Time

Spring has sprung and the bugs are trying to get into our houses. I think I’ll have to call in an extermination service this year. I’m not sure which one to contact though. I could spray for creepy crawlies myself, but I’m not looking forward to that. The last time I used a do-it-yourself bug spray, it worked; however, the nozzle leaked and I had to wear disposable gloves.

I also have to check outside for beehives. Earlier this week three men were stung when the cut a tree down that had bees in it. They cut the tree down and the bees swarmed stinging them. One man went to the hospital because of the incident. If I find any bees then I know I’m calling an exterminator because I’m not deal with bees.

As for the other bugs, I’m going to try the coffee ground in a glass jar solution. I have two empty glass jars in the refrigerator, I was going to carry them to the garage for recycling, but I think I’ll wash them out and try the coffee grounds solution. It can’t hurt and it may help keep the bugs and other small critters out of the house.

I opened the front door

Istijlál (Majesty), 11 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Thursday, April 19, 2012 about Sunset Pacific Time

Over the past couple of years several people have been in my house, who wanted to leave the doors open in the afternoon. The idea was to let fresh air in, which would all be well and good if I did not live in the city with pollution cars driving past the house all the time.

After listening to their reasons for this from fresh air to housetosis (I am not sure how to spell the word since I could not find it in the dictionary). I decided to leave the door open this afternoon and see if there is a good reason. As far as I can see, the only thing leaving the door open accomplished was increasing my allergy discomfort.

My sinuous are draining, my throat is becoming sore, and I am starting to cough.  Obviously, those wanting to leave the door open do not have allergy problems or they have not lived in Las Vegas very long. The only time it is a good idea to leave the door open in the afternoon is a few days in spring before the temperatures get above 80 degrees. And even on those few days you have to have a security screen door so that you can lock it safely.

Midweek Reflections: On Spring In Las Vegas

‘Idál (Justice), 10 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Wednesday, April 18, 2012 about 5:50 PM Pacific Time

It is spring in Las Vegas and I have to start looking for someone to weed my lawn. I noticed this morning, when I rolled the trashcan to the curb that the weeds are growing. They are not yet out of hand, but they are growing. I suppose that this year I should consider a lawn service. The only problem is the cost.

I have a front and a backyard, so both need weeding. I do mean weeding because I have weeds rather then a lawn. I have not looked at the entire backyard yet. Yesterday afternoon I looked out my kitchen window and saw that green stuff (I presume weeds) growing through the stone of the unenclosed patio.

I still have to check the area between the house and the fence on the west side. There are oleanders growing along the fence. There are oleanders growing along all the fences in my backyard. I also have a couple of oleanders in the front yard. I would like to have all the oleanders removed, but the cost is prohibitive, especially when they will simply grow again from any roots left. Oh well, oleanders are pretty weeds, at least they have flowers.

Spring in Las Vegas

Birds singing and weeds growing

Temperatures increase

Funny Friday in Las Vegas

Istiqlál (Independence), 5 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Friday, April 13, 2012 about 1:30 PM Pacific Time

Friday at last or should I say, “Thank God It’s Friday”. I know most people do not think Friday is funny especially Friday the Thirteenth. However, after considering all the horrid events that could happen today and the fact that there are two words designating “Fear of Friday the Thirteenth” (friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia); I have decided that the best way to overcome fear is to laugh.

Therefore, for me, today is funny Friday and I am going to see if I can find something amusing about the day. If I cannot find anything else to laugh at, I can laugh at myself. Sometimes I can be a very amusing person. True, I do manage to mess up most jokes I know when it comes to retelling them, which is why I normally do not retell a joke. I am not going to retell any jokes here either, at least not this Friday.

How am I an amusing person? I find the fact that I washed three sheets this morning and have them lying over chairs to dry quite amusing. That may not seem funny to some, but if you stop and think about it, it is amusing. There are a great many things in life that range from laugh out loud funny to amusing, we simply have to stop and think.

Personally, I do not think most people laugh enough. I know I do not laugh enough. If laughter is the best medicine then we should laugh at least once a day for five or six minutes, at least; so stop, look around, find something funny, and then laugh. Do not worry about what other think because laughter is contagious and if you laugh long enough other people will join you.

Thursday morning at the supermarket

Istijlál (Majesty), 4 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Thursday, April 12, 2012 about 6:15 PM Pacific Time

I went to Smith’s Food and Drug store this morning to pick up the prescription I called in last night. While I was there, I bought an 11.5 oz. can of coffee and some coffee filters. I also bought a new hairbrush and comb.

I bought the hairbrush and comb because I have spent the last two months looking for the ones I used to have. I am not sure where they are, I could have lost them while I was away from the house, they could be under the seat in my car, or somewhere in the house. I got tired of looking for them and using the little dinky black comb I have in my purse.

Since I did not take a list with me, I did not get everything I wanted to buy. This means either, I go back tomorrow morning or I wait until Monday This evening, I am not looking forward to going back to the grocery store tomorrow, so if I can possibly get by without it I will wait until Monday. Of course, I may change my mind in the morning, especially if I find a coupon for the item.

Tuesday Thoughts: I have decided to wear red and purple

Fidál (Grace), 2 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Tuesday, April 10, 2012 about 2:55 PM Pacific Time

Normally, when I leave the house, I wear black; a long black dress that goes down to my ankles. However, black is a depressing color and unsuited for the summer heat in Las Vegas. Therefore, I have decided to wear red and purple when I leave the house because they are “happy” and out going colors. At least, I feel happy and out going when I wear them.

I am tired of dressing as if I am in mourning, so I am going to wear brighter colors. Since I have only two red dresses, I have to go shopping for some new clothes. I will probably go to the second hands stores and buy some pre-owned clothes. The may not be new, but they will be new to me. In addition, I need to buy some sunscreen.

When I returned home today, I noticed that my arms were a bit sunburned. It was not a bad burn; my arms were slight pink. Tomorrow when I go to the wound doctor, I will stop at a store and buy some sunscreen. I am not sure whether I want the spray on type or the cream. I will have to read the labels to find out. Just because I want to wear, red does not mean I want my arms or my face sunburned.

Monday Mumblings: Mom and the temperature in Las Vegas

Kamál (Perfection), 1 Jalál (Glory), 169 BE – Monday, April 9, 2012 about 6:00 PM Pacific Time

Mom enjoyed herself today. I know this because I ask her when she came home around 3:30 PM. I don’t know what they did at the daycare center today because I couldn’t get Mom to say much more then that. In addition, Mom didn’t mention being cold.

It isn’t cold today in Las Vegas, but sometimes Mom gets cold even when it’s hot. I have the thermostat set at 79 degrees in the house. The cool air came on a few minutes ago. I would prefer to leave the thermostat at 79, at least when I’m home, but that depends on how Mom feels. If it turns out that she get cold then I’ll have to turn the thermostat up to 80 or 81 degrees. I don’t like to do that.

I know the power bill is higher when the thermostat is set at 79 instead of 81 degrees, but the lower temperature is more comfortable. Mom has gained weight since she started going to the daycare center, so she weighs more this spring then she did last spring. I suspect her weight had something to do with her being so cold last spring and summer. Perhaps now that she is heavier she won’t get so cold. I’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll also have to watch how much she east this year because I don’t want her getting too fat, which would not be good for her health either.

Easter Traditions and Alzheimer’s disease

Jamál (Beauty), 19 Bahá (Splendor), 169 BE – Sunday, April 8, 2012 about 1:35 PM Pacific Time

Every Easter Mom and I each eat a chocolate Easter bunny. This is a tradition we’ve practiced for at least the last twenty or twenty-five years. Sometime between April 1 and Good Friday, I buy two chocolate Easter bunnies. This year I bought us solid chocolate bunnies instead of hollow bunnies.

After I bought the bunnies, I placed them in the refrigerator. When I buy the hollow bunnies, I place them in the freezer until Easter morning. On Easter Sunday, I make a carafe of fresh coffee and then Mom and I eat the bunnies for either breakfast or lunch. This year we ate them for brunch, with fresh hot coffee.

I opened Mom’s bunny and gave it to her. She looked at the chocolate and asked me “How do I use it?” At that moment, I realized Mom had forgotten our Easter tradition. It was upsetting and I wanted to cry, but instead of crying (Mom wouldn’t have understood why I was crying) I explained to her that she could eat the chocolate bunny.

Mom ate her bunny. During the process, she got chocolate all over herself. She had chocolate on her face, hands, and dress. This is the first year Mom got chocolate all over herself when she ate the bunny. I’m not sure whether Mom got the chocolate all over herself because it was a solid bunny or because of the progression of the Alzheimer’s disease. Perhaps next year I will go back to buying hollow bunnies.

Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas

Jalál (Glory), 17 Bahá (Splendor), 169 BE – Saturday, April 7, 2012 about Sunset Pacific Time

It’s Saturday and I’ve been home all day. I washed one load of clothes and hung them on the drying rack. I washed bed linen last night and hung the sheets over furniture to dry. The sheets should be dry by now so I have to fold them and put them in the linen closet.

This morning, Mom got up about 7:00 AM. She went to bed this afternoon about 5:00 PM. I have to wake her up at 8:00 to give her another pill. I filled both all of our pillboxes early this morning, before Mom got up. It’s much easier to focus on fill those little containers while I’m by my self.

A cold morning breeze

Sent chills across Las Vegas

Quiet afternoon

It was a bit chilly this morning when I lugged the recyclables to the curb. The birds didn’t seem to mind the cold (the temperature felt cold to me) temperatures because they were flying all over the neighborhood building nest and doing all the other things that birds do in the spring. Even though I felt cold, I stood outside a few minutes and listened to the birds.

Thankful Thursday: It is finally Spring in Las Vegas

Istijlál (Majesty), 15 Bahá (Splendor), 169 BE – Thursday, April 5, 2012 about 6:40 PM Pacific Time

The weather is nice. It is not too cold or too hot. Today the wind blew, with gust somewhere between twenty to thirty miles per hour. I look out my living room window and I watched the limbs of the trees waving. The traffic was not too bad; it was nice to drive once my car stopped acting up.

Wind moving tree limbs

Birds flying from tree to tree

Pleasant afternoon

Midweek Reflections: A Poem

Midweek Reflections

Standing on Wednesday’s Mountain

Look back ... Look ahead

Weariness sits in

Set aside time for prayer

What can I do now

Tuesday Thoughts: Tooting My own Horn (April 3, 2012)

Fidál (Grace), 13 Bahá (Splendor), 169 BE – Tuesday, April 3, 2012 about Sunset Pacific Time

I checked my yahoo.com e-mail today; this is something I do once or twice a week. As I was looking through the indescribable and unending collection of unread e-mails, I noticed the April 2, edition of “The Creative Notebook”. Since I had a few minutes before the laundry was ready to hang on the drying rack I read the new article “Toot Your Own Horn Tuesday”.

This article gave me something to think about; Dorene, the article’s author suggested that once a week instead of griping about the problems that confront us we should toot our own horns in you journals. I like this idea, because sometimes I become too wound up in the tests and difficulties of daily life that I forget to list my accomplishments in my journals.

She suggested listing ten small accomplishments or victories in our lives. Since I like the idea of “Toot Your Own Horn Tuesday”, I will periodically use that at the title of Tuesday Thought entry perhaps once or twice a month.

Ten victories

1. Straightened up the canned vegetables in my pantry
2. Filled all the ice cube trays and put them in the freezer
3. Picked out my mother’s clothes for tomorrow
4. Placed my green prayer beads in my leather medicine pouch so that I can find them
5. Check the syllable counts of the words I use when writing form poetry
6. Check my landline voice mail by logging into my phone provider’s website
7. Filled my hard plastic bottle with ice and water and then sit it on the floor next to my desk
8. Put water and fresh coffee ground in my coffee maker so that I can turn it on the first thing in the morning
9. Locked the security screen door after Mom’s PA left for the day
10. Carried a plastic trash bag filled with aluminum cans to my car

Three Times and counting in Las Vegas

Kamál (Perfection), 12 Bahá (Splendor), 169 BE – Monday, April 2, 2012 about 11:40 AM Pacific Time

I am on my way to being an “unhappy camper”. I had to restart my computer three times today and it is still morning. I am not sure how much I will accomplish, but I intend to accomplish something today. I would like to write 2,000 words before 9:00 PM. I will write 2,000 words if my computer cooperates. If the computer continues freezing up and the CPU running at 100%, I have no idea how many words I will write.

My daily word count goal is 2,000 and I know I can accomplish that. I am just not sure I can accomplish it when the computer needs turning off and on about every two or three hours. It takes the computer about five or six minutes perhaps more to load everything, it needs after restarting or turning it off and back on.

Once I turned everything off; the computer, monitor, and the cable modem. I thought that might solve my problem, but it did not. I had to turn the computer off an hour after that because the CPU was running at 100%. I need to upgrade the technology. I need a faster computer to go with the cable modem. Once I get a faster computer then I will probably need a new printer. I will just have to shop around and see what type of deal I can get, in the mean time I will work with what I have and back up my files.

Recipe of the Week: Potato Microwave Casserole

Jamál (Beauty), 11 Bahá (Splendor), 169 BE – Sunday, April 1, 2012 about 7:10 AM Pacific Time

Potato Microwave Casserole

Ingredients:

4 small to medium potatoes quartered.

1 12.5 oz. can fully cooked chunked chicken packed in water drained or undrained

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes drained or undrained

Preparation:

Step 1: Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into quarters.

Step 2: Place potatoes into medium to large microwave safe casserole dish with a lid.

Step 3: Cook potatoes 5 minutes and then test to determine if cooked through. You do not want to overcook the potatoes, but you do want them almost completely done before adding the rest of the ingredients. If necessary, cook the potatoes another 5 minutes and test again. You should be able to stick a fork into them without any difficulty.

Step 4: Open the 14.5 oz. can of tomatoes and pour them over the top of the potatoes. If you want to drain the tomatoes, you can. Sometimes I drain them and sometimes I pour the undrained tomatoes into the casserole.

Step 5: Open the 12.5 oz. can of chicken and pour it on top of the other ingredients. Again, if you want to drain the chicken before adding it to the other ingredients you can. As before, sometimes I drain the chicken and sometimes I do not. It depends on whether or not I am planning to add the liquid to leftovers in the coming week.

Step 6: Place the lid back on the casserole and then place the casserole in the microwave for another 5 minutes.

Serving Suggestions:

This is a main dish; therefore, you may serve it with whatever you like. I suggest a couple of dashes of hot sauce if you want it spicy. You can either add the hot sauce before or after you cook the casserole.

Number of people served:

I suspect this will serve about four people. Since I cook for only my mother and myself, I am never sure precisely how many people a recipe will serve because this usually depends on what you serve with the dish and how hungry the people are who eat. Sometime I serve other things with this dish and sometimes it is the only thing I serve, except desert or some type of fruit.