Usually if she really acts crazy, no lawyer or judge will listen to her so at this point you may not have to worry about her "accusations". But do get the POA and etc. so you have the power to help her out.
I don't know about talking to dogs...
The sink incident is actually kind of dementia related. The person with dementia may not wash or clean herself. She may not know what is clean and dirt. In fact, most patients are afraid of water and don't like to take showers like my FIL. At least they would not know they need to wash their hands when they are sick. (My FIL used to tell everyone to wash hands when he was normal.)
So it is possible that she lost the understanding about what is clean or dirty. It is like animal grooming now.... Hope she still takes a shower everyday by herself.
About the talking, this is kind of strange but it is not that far off with dementia. I don't know what is the cause here, but when my FIL got sicker with his speech, he could say "wawawawa" to me once or twice - he learned it from animal planet and the dog show. He didn't know how to express himself as he disliked my talking to the caregiver, so he said "wawawawawa".
Indeed the person with dementia would go down that path and seems to behave like an animal... Later it is worse than animal in the cogntion level.
I would not say they are like animals, but they are like a child in the body of an adult with a whole life experience. It is like double personality and it is weird.
All I can say is get her diagnosed ASAP. Also if you can, get rid of these dogs. One or two dogs are enough at this point given her sickness.
She is sick for sure.
Sorry but I did laugh One things you have to keep is your sense of humor and sometimes you have to see the Laurel and Hardy slap stick of it all. I will keep you sane. But that will come....
It is all typical dementia behavior. Getting lose is typical. Irrational obsessions (6 dogs) is classic. That would also explain having two sided conversations with the dogs. Having no clue how to function acceptably is also common. Yes there was a yard and a utility sink, but the one you were at drew her attention so that is what she used. The inability to know how to fix a problem is a problem. The more you type the more I see Cognitive Impairment of some type.
Driving privileges... I have to say it! If she is getting lost she doesn't need to be driving. It's not the physical ability to drive that is the problem but the cognitive inabilities if something happens that will cause problems. Just like she didn't know which sink to use for the blanket contents, she will have no idea what to do if somebody runs or pulls out in font of her. Then she might well leave the scene of the accident not comprehending what is happening. We had to deal with Mom's "hit and run" but thankfully it was only a parked car. Which leads me to another point. Yes it is frustrating to deal with this behavior consistently but her being alone may become a bigger problem. You can clean up the blanket mess... but other things can be more problematic. It was my parents that refused to leave the house even through the smoke detector was blaring and the house was filled with smoke. The chard remains are still present from the computer battery back up that caught fire when one of them plugged the vacuum into it The inability to understand danger and react accordingly is a huge issue. Just a forewarning from somebody that has been there done that!! Don't want you to end up with an even dozen rescues
Hang in there and call the lawyer and the doctor tomorrow!!!
I have been wrestling with this issue since Dog 4 came around. Around then, her two grown sons began to note that all their Mom wanted to talk about were her dogs. All conversations led back to her dogs, and she was beginning to interrupt conversations with non-sequitor comments about dogs.
These days, she would be talking about her dogs, and then she would start crying. Then I would find out that she was crying over a dog that some organization rescued that was severely mistreated. Then I would find out that the dog in question was a thousand miles away across the continent. Once, and I kid you not, she was crying over another dog ... get this... in Korea. Recently I was able to re-assume all control of our family finances. Just before that, I was trying to figure out why we were broke continually. Like, an entire month's budget would evaporate by the 15th of the month. Then I found hundreds of dollars of donations to rescue dogs from Pennsylvania and Korea, and California ...
On the other hand, her dogs have been a way she isolates herself, not only from society, but from me as well. She can"t even watch TV without having a pile of dogs on top and around her. And if I were to be sitting there, she would want to put a dog or two on top of me too. She doesn't seem to understand why I might not want to be on the bottom of a dog pile all the time. Moreover, her dogs are imposing a serious financial drain,not only in food but in vet care. Of course, they get the best of foods and vets.
Periodically, Lucy wants to have a dinner party, like the way we used to. She can't understand why I am unenthused to the idea. Lucy thinks my son is weird because he never has his friends over. Last Christmas, both her grown sons only spend 1 night at our place. Lucy was hurt by that, especially when she found out that both had plenty of time and chose to spend the remainder of the week at their father's house. She can't seem to understand that it is the dogs that we are unwilling to subject our guest to and her sons are unwilling to put up with.
Her dogs are a very serious issue for us. She is so attached to them, I fear that taking them away abruptly will lead to armageddon. I think at this point, it is hard to take something away without having something else to offer in its place. Am I right in this? I really need some input here. Of course there is the ultimate by calling SPCA, but this move is as drastic as it can get. I love dogs, and I certainly want to see these dogs find good homes. What to do? What to do?
You are right. Taking all the dogs away is going to be traumatic to her. They have become her comfortable obsession that allows her to deal with the chaos that is in her mind. She relates to the dogs. The rest of you humans are weird while she and her dogs are ok. CLASSIC! The fact that money was disappearing to dog charities is not a surprise. She has no idea that she has done anything wrong by sending money to these dog charities. They need her help and she feels control and satisfaction in her ability to help. Yet you can not let this situation continue so the question is... what to do!? The problem is there is no good answer.
Your best solution is to deal with each dog and not try to get rid of them all at once. You are probably going to have to be a little deceptive as well. The idea of full disclosure and total honest is out the door as of now. If you can find a reason that one of the dogs needs to go to the vet then use it to your advantage. Take the dog yourself. Find a reason the dog needs to stay gone and then turn it over to somebody that will find it a good home. Let that settle down while controlling the intake of any other dog. Try to keep her away from information regarding neglected dogs. Block sights from the internet if she is on the computer. Control the money flow so she can not buy another rescue. Then you can do it again if necessary to get rid of another dog. But leave her with a few dogs because they are her comfort blanket.
My Mom's obsession was pine straw. 103 degrees at home and Mom is in the flower beds picking sticks and leaves out of the pine straw. She would fluff it up and put down hand fulls of new straw where needed. She did this for weeks!! It mattered not the weather. She sat out there in the blistering heat and the rain. I made sure she ate (sitting in the flower beds many days), had plenty of hydration, and would actually stand over her with an umbrella to shade her. This went on for frequently for 8 months!! Her other obsession was washing windows. Sometimes the 24 outside windows were washed twice a week. This involved ladders. I tried to to show her the leaves in the straw when window obsession struck!
When you get your diagnosis please talk to the neurologist about your wife's dog obsession. There is medication that will help! Medication that does not sedate but will take the edge off the anxiety that she is feeling which feeds the obsession. Yep, we are back to diagnosis
Love, deb
The following user gives a hug of support to Gabriel: Luau (04-30-2012)
Deb is right. One dog at a time. It is like remove the car. With tricks.
No kidding. It is not about being moral. It is about keeping her safe and caregiving.
One dog at a time. Come up with some trick and send the dog to the new owner or the vet. Hopefully she will forget how many dogs she has?!
It sounds good you got 3 children involved - her kids and your kid.
These boys need to be told about Mom's condition. So they understand she is sick with dementia. Understand that they may need to help her.
It is good you got hold of the finances. One day, you will take away her debit card, credit card and checks... Well it is not easy and she will hate it.
Did she do these dogs stuff some years ago? Or it just started after she got weird?
I hope she will cut down to 2 dogs or so.
Regards,
Nina
The following user gives a hug of support to ninamarc: Luau (04-30-2012)
Deb is right. One dog at a time. It is like remove the car. With tricks.
No kidding. It is not about being moral. It is about keeping her safe and caregiving.
One dog at a time. Come up with some trick and send the dog to the new owner or the vet. Hopefully she will forget how many dogs she has?!
It sounds good you got 3 children involved - her kids and your kid.
These boys need to be told about Mom's condition. So they understand she is sick with dementia. Understand that they may need to help her.
It is good you got hold of the finances. One day, you will take away her debit card, credit card and checks... Well it is not easy and she will hate it.
Did she do these dogs stuff some years ago? Or it just started after she got weird?
I hope she will cut down to 2 dogs or so.
I can't thank you two enough, Deb and Nina. In the past couple of weeks, I have searched the internet forums and support groups. There is much about care of dementia, but there is absolutely nothing about the first uncertain steps leading up to identification of dementia. No doubt you have all gone through these initial steps. This is the stage I am finding myself. I strongly suspect something is wrong, but I cannot get her to see someone. What does it take to get diagnosed, how do I stem the damage until there is a diagnosis and I can take charge? Then there is the matter of her diabetes. She is a Type I, and I am having increasing concern about how she is handling this condition. That's another very long story.
Right now, Lucy's cognition in this regard is very good. She remembers all her dogs and this is not yet the time for trickery. Just last night, she went through a panic convinced that I left one of the dogs outside. If you are to meet her, you will come away with the impression that she is a charming, talkative, friendly, albeit a little whacky dog lady. And you will be regaled with stories of her dogs and her kids when they were young.
The 2 grown boys, 29 and 25, are hers. Both live very far away. My boy is 17; he lives with us. All are very fine young men, and they do us proud! Eldest is a film producer, middle is IT consultant. The youngest is eyeing MIT and Stanford as his university choices. The Eldest has a lot of caretaker in him, and he is most on top of the game in understanding what might be happening. The 17 y.o. has gone through a lot, experienced the trials and tribulations of an alcoholic mother, but he is surprisingly resilient. He and I are very close, and he trusts my judgement. The middle son is the one I worry about. He needed that extra push to leave the nest, and right now he is plain angry that his mother won't listen to logic. We will need to be gentle on him.
I have placed calls to her primary physician and to my attorney. I am awaiting their call back. I will start assembling a list of Lucy's contacts with the dog rescues so that I have a way to disperse the dogs to good homes when the time is right.
Is it possible that you can talk to Lucy about her dogs since she is still pretty good at that? Her motive is that these dogs need a home. Maybe you can sort of tell her your trouble with these dogs at home and suggest that there are good people who can take the dogs. Give her the choice of what dogs she like to keep.
You sure she still knows how many she has? It is surely a hard issue!
I know that there are some social workers who can come to take away the dogs if someone hoards too many and etc., but this would only upset her.
If she is really still good at it, maybe you can get an interested potential pet owner to come to the house and beg for a pet?
If the second son is impatient, then you can just explain to him that given dementia, she won't give in so he does not need to be angry at her logic.
Be patient with her and etc.
You may want to ask the family physician first about getting someone to test her memory. Don't talk to him in front of her. Explain to him the issues on the phone. Sometimes a doctor or a friend can persuade her to do the test.
They don't have to say it is because of her problem, but just mention that it is good for her. Once she starts with the MRI and etc., it is a start.
My FIL was different - he managed to ask for the memory test himself and didn't renew his driver's license after he got lost that April in 2006. (He was a physician in his home country and he studied brain as a professor.)
I think I can get her to part with 1 or 2 of her dogs if I can find a really interested owner to come beg. However, this will give her an opportunity to replace them. In fact, the reason we only have 6 is because I got her to give away a few. Somehow I have to get the names of her "pusher"s" and cut the supply, so to speak.... Lucy may be fuzzy on a lot of things, but she is sharp as a tack when it comes to her dogs. As I mentioned, she acquired her first dog shortly loosing her job during the IT .com downturn. We all thought it was great idea to keep her company. Then she got Dog 2. Then Dog 3. These were not fosters. She went out and bought them, at a couple of thou each. (yeah.. ouch). That was when I starting saying, hold on there!. She swore that would be the end. But before you know it, I would come home to have another dog in the house. And then another, and another. She never went back to work after that, and has not been remotely interesting in getting out and getting a job for the past 5 years. I am sure there was an element of depression in there, at least in the beginning. Now, with the memory lapses and weird behavior, it is much more than that. The last string of dogs had been fosters, since I absolutely refused to pay for another dog. But she ended up adopting them behind my back. As I said, I managed to convince her to give a few away, but they were soon replaced by others. Nowadays, she sits at home in front of her laptop all day interacting with various dog rescue people and other doggie-whackos who see nothing unusual in having 6, 10 or more dogs in a house. Lucy was diagnosed with colon cancer a year and a half ago. Thankfully we caught it early, and the colon surgery and chemotherapy was a complete success. Lucy's cognition took a huge step downward subsequent to this event, and I had attributed to the infamous "chemo brain". She has been off chemo for a year now. Her coordination and other neuropathy issues have subsided, but the cognition part remained. Last year she went through a 6 month phase where she was terminating friendships right and left, burning bridges. There was a lot of anger in her. Then around the last Christmas time, thankfully she became less angry and judgmental. Now, Year 2012, she is much more subdued but the reasoning and memory department took another big step downward. I took over handling all money recently, and she seemed genuinely relieved at that. We give her a discretionary sum each money, in a separate debit account. Still she has trouble keeping track of that sum, over drafting that account repeatedly. She retained a few credit cards from before we married. I am pretty sure she has those babies charged up close to maxed. Since she is refusing to acknowledge that she has those debts (I know better), I told her that I am refusing to pay them and let them stay maxed out. I am paying the interest but can sleep easier knowing that she can't run up thousands more behind my back.
Which brings us up to today, and this is where we are.
I guess the chemo probably hurt her brain a little bit but this needs to be checked with the oncologist to see what they feel about it. Not all chemo causes dementia. I had chemo in 2000 and I feel OK now. Maybe she had dementia already. Indeed any trauma like the chemo may make the dementia worse. Probably she was afraid of death with cancer. I was touched with it and certainly that changed my certain thoughts and ideas.
Definitely I changed my diet!
Do discuss these things with the doctor. She needs some med to deal with this. Maybe there is some imbalance or some cognition level issue... There are many types of dementia, so do get the diagnosis.
I don't need to tell you that Lucy's health issues need to be addressed first--with her medical history, so many things need to be ruled out. Call her primary care physician before the appointment and tell him/her everything you've told us. Say you are concerned about how well she's managing her diabetes and he/she can do a hemoglobin A1C test or refer her to an endocrinologist. Other than that, I'd start with a referral to a neurologist and go from there.
Getting a diagnosis is not always straightforward--sometimes it's a matter of ruling everything else out first. Hang in there and keep at it. You may have to come up with some creative ways to get her to the appointments: Your life insurance company requires a physical, new health care laws demand it, whatever. If she's one of those people who takes forever to get ready, tell her the appointment is at 10:30 when it's really scheduled for 11:30.
Since Lucy is sharp as a tack when it comes to the dogs, you can't fudge the facts there. I do know our county has a law that you cannot have more than 3 dogs unless you apply for a kennel license. Also, if they receive any complaints from the neighbors they can come and take your dogs away. Check with the local animal shelter and find out what the laws are in your area. Maybe you can use that information to convince her not to replace the removed dogs with new ones.
Do discuss these things with the doctor. She needs some med to deal with this. Maybe there is some imbalance or some cognition level issue... There are many types of dementia, so do get the diagnosis.
Actually, I see her oncologist and his team almost daily, as well as her surgeon. We had a lot of discussions about her, and all came to the conclusion that the cognitive issues is highly unlikely to be the result of the chemotherapy. Hence she was referred back to the care of her primary, whom I know less well but nevertheless on friendly terms. He, too, is concerned but have been unable to convince her to come in for MRI. I do not know her endocrinologist, and she and I have been at odds as the endocrinologist is sure that the cognitive issues were from the cancer therapies. I tried unsuccessfully to convey that her cognitive issues were already a concern before the cancer, and her sons and I were already discussing strategies in approaching her and suggesting some sort of counseling. With that said, it was clear that subsequent to the bout with cancer (and the treatment), there was a significant cognitive decline. Whatever happened, it is clear to me that a year and a half after her cancer treatment, her cognition continues to diminish rather than improve. If only I was prescient enough to insist on an MRI while she was still under the care of the cancer clinic team. But who would have thunk???
Good point about a kennel license for more than 3 dogs. I have reminded her many, many times. Apparently it was to no avail. She either doesn't remember, or she chose not to remember. Probably a little of both.
Funny about the poop in the kitchen sink incident. Even tonight, I still have trouble preparing food there. Sigh. It must have been funny if someone were to have caught my reaction in video. It might even be a utube viral.
The list goes on and on and pieces keep exposing themselves. There is a book titled "The Alzheimer's Action Plan" by P. Murali Doraiswamy, MD and Lisa P. Gwyther, MSW that is probably the best book concerning how to get a good diagnosis and treatment plan. But you are right, there is lots of information on care giving but not much on how to get started.
Managing her Type I Diabetes is going to become a challenge. Many with Dementia develop a voracious sweet tooth. Sweet and salty are the last taste sensations to go so they crave that salty and sweet... and both leads to carbs and sugar. I know, as if you didn't have enough to worry about!!
Each child will react differently to what is happening with Mom. Some will become the care givers as your eldest. Some will hang in there like the youngest. Some will run away like the middle child. What I can tell you is that when there is a definitive diagnosis that they can wrap their minds around it does get easier. Mom's not just being that way but has a medical reason. I have said it before but knowledge is power. It also gives us something to wrap our emotions around.
If there was mild cognitive decline (precursor to most dementia and a state when symptoms are not noticed) was present when she had cancer then the medical treatments and the cancer experience itself could have caused an acceleration in the decline. Anything out of the routine can do this. A move to a new house, a hospitalization, the loss of a loved one... and so many more events can trigger a decline. Stress is a dementia accelerate. The loss of a job is in that list as well. So your observations seem to be spot on.
The loss of her job probably did bring on a depression. At some point in there the mild cognitive decline started. The symptoms of the two are very similar. Mom was misdiagnosed with depression until we were about where you are now. She too withdrew. She used Dad (and his Vascular Dementia) as an excuse. She did the same thing your wife did... shed friends like old sweaters in the spring time. Instead of purchasing dogs she spruced up the house. She had the outside of the house painted TWICE in a year. There is beautiful pondorosa pine paneling under a layer of paint Kitchen and bathroom remodeling was done. She spent more than a few thousand! She gave up her bookkeeping. She was angry.... especially towards Dad. Then she took up washing windows and sitting in the pine straw. So I get that. But at other times she was as sweet and together as she could be. She could give you a logical explanation for everything she did. Unless you knew her before and the truth of the situation you would never suspect. She stopped going out. Not going to that function because I don't want to go. In reality she was supposed to make a cake and had no clue how despite the fact she was one of the best cooks in town. Just hope Lucy stays in that pleasant stage and if a few dogs helps then so be it... just try to pare it back by a couple or so Don't give her the opportunity to replace them. That might take some monitoring but you don't need a pack of dogs to take care of along with her.
I have said this many times here... right now it is about what Lucy NEEDS not what Lucy WANTS. There is a big difference. Lucy needs a diagnosis to be sure what you are dealing with. Lucy may not want to go to the doctor. She may know somewhere in the recesses of her mind that there is something wrong and is very fearful. Use whatever excuse you can dream up to get her there. Lucy may not want to stop driving but after getting lost as she did Lucy needs to stop driving. Lucy may want a few more dogs but you do not need more dogs to take care of. Lucy may want candy for breakfast but she needs to watch her diet. It is up to you to be sure that she gets what she needs because she doesn't know how to do that.
Hope you got call backs from the doctor and lawyer. Once the ball is rolling it is so much easier Keep typing!!
Managing her Type I Diabetes is going to become a challenge. Many with Dementia develop a voracious sweet tooth. Sweet and salty are the last taste sensations to go so they crave that salty and sweet... and both leads to carbs and sugar. I know, as if you didn't have enough to worry about!!
Good Lord, Deb!!! The eldest son and I have just been discussing my concern regarding Lucy's sudden sweet tooth and how that was making havoc on her diabetes management!! She has managed to make a whole pound of fancy chocolate disappear in an afternoon before the rest of us even have a taste! Last november, on her birthday, i had brought a BD cake home in the morning and put it in the refridferator for after dinner. In the afternoon when she was alone in the house, she ate the entire cake by herself. Found the empty container in the garbage bin. We didn't even get a chance to stick candles in it and sing happy birthday.
First of all get the new puppy to a shelter, tell her you found a wonderful home for it and they have a small family and were looking for a puppy and so on, anything that will pasifiy her, , do this with how many other of the dogs you need to until you think you can handle them. next it is time to get lucy some help how about an adult day care, someplace she can go and "help" others when in truth they are watch her for you, in this stage you have to be very cagy as she still has lots of clarity times. get ahold of your local alz. group. take your son out and have a serious talk with him... tell him your concerns, you may be really surprised how well he can handle it, it may even releive him to know that something is off, he probably knows and this can validate his feelings.. and last of all keep posting, we on this board have gone through some terrible times and the support, sugestions and help found here can help..
Luau... been there with Mom. She's glucose intolerant and when she stays away from carbs and sugar her blood sugar is normal. She successfully managed it for years. Then Alzheimer's!! She is now on Glucophage. Yep, watched her sit and eat an entire box of chocolates. I just learned to only leave a 5 piece Whtiman's Sampler laying around instead of the big box! Guess it is time to hide the sweets
take your son out and have a serious talk with him... tell him your concerns, you may be really surprised how well he can handle it, it may even releive him to know that something is off, he probably knows and this can validate his feelings.. and last of all keep posting, we on this board have gone through some terrible times and the support, sugestions and help found here can help..
hug to you judy..
Thanks, Judy. Son and I are close, and I have made sure he is in the loop with my thoughts. It is a heavy load for a 17 y.o., who should be more concerned with who to ask for his prom date and which university to apply. A few years ago, when the inexplicable behaviors began, especially the sudden rants that seemed to come out of nowhere, he was getting increasingly resentful, and understandably so. Including him in my thinking process has help him to reconcile his stepmom's outbursts, even if they are directed at him, and just to walk away. That, and a couple more years of maturity. - luau joe
Luau... been there with Mom. She's glucose intolerant and when she stays away from carbs and sugar her blood sugar is normal. She successfully managed it for years. Then Alzheimer's!! She is now on Glucophage. Yep, watched her sit and eat an entire box of chocolates. I just learned to only leave a 5 piece Whtiman's Sampler laying around instead of the big box! Guess it is time to hide the sweets
Love, deb
Thanks, Deb, very much for the reference to the book. I immediately downloaded it last evening and read through a few pages. Very insightful.
I was totally unaware of the association of dementia with sugar cravings. As I mentioned earlier, we have growing concerns about Lucy's ability to properly manage her T1. Of particular concern is the increasing incidents of glycopenic loss of consciousness (LoC), which we were suspecting due to carb/sugar binges and her reliance on adjusting insulin dosaging to compensate. It is very easy to over-dosage, as many of you familiar with T1 management will know, leading to hypoglycemic episodes. Moreover, these LoC cannot be good for the brain, and I suspect some good brain cells are lost with each LoC. Lucy experienced an unprecedented double LoC last week, once in the morning after I already left for work and the second over her dinner in the evening. The morning incident left a couple of nasty contusions on her head, and I worried about concussion. Aside from the physical ramifications of this LoC, what just occurred to me this morning as I commuted to work, and what probably should be the most worrisome part: she has been most cavalier about this recent episode. In the past, she would be most concerned and quizzed me endlessly about what happened, and we would analyze the time line and steps for prevention. Not this time. All she said, when I tried to talk about it a couple of days later, was, "That was not good". Then nothing. No questions, no discussion, no interest. Yes.... the Dog#6 incident took place about 5 days after that. Life in the luau house is overwhelming right now, and my head is simply spinning because I cannot react fast enough.
The thought is occurring to me that my story/stories might be so fantastic that you folks may be thinking I am making all this up for yucks. Please believe me that I am not making this up or even exaggerating. I am being as truthful as possible. All this is really happening, all at the same time. Thanks for listening....... joe luau (but friends really do call me luau. another story)
Laua... those of us that have been on this adventure know you are not making all this up. We get the possibilities. Not sure even the imagination can come up with all that has been or is to come. Talk about a multi level tragedy! This disease affects every corner of your life in every way.
I am not surprised that Lucy didn't follow the normal question and concern pattern after her LoC. Short term memory loss may have lost that memory and her comments were not because she even knew it happened but because of your comments. Then you have the parts of the brain that cause the strange behavior involved to create a situation where she does not see the importance of the episode. It is amazing how many parts of the brain it takes to get through one situation and when a few are misfiring it makes a mess.
Mom broke her right arm just below the shoulder. How we will never know. She managed to get to the hospital and treatment but assured us she was fine. Wait, how did she get to the hospital? Dad drove. HUH? Dad had not driven in years!! Broken right arm and she is going to be ok? She can just take off the immobilizer and do what needs to be done So I moved in a while and it was like keeping an apparatus on a 2 year old. Then there was the day she took Dad to the doctor... during a hurricane and then got angry because the doctor's office was closed!! Yep you are in for a bumpy ride!
And with the LoC episodes coupled with the cognitive issues you are seeing... driving?
Hang in there... it will only get more interesting
Laua...
Hang in there... it will only get more interesting
Love, deb
Okay, Deb. Name is "Luau", as in the hawaiian feast.
It feels great to be able to tell this stuff to someone, and not worry about them thinking I was pulling their leg. Thanks!!!!
Somehow I have the feeling I will have even more fantastical (spelling intentional) stories to tell in the near future.
Trying to arrange big virtual pow wow with the two older sons for later on today. Still waiting for the primary doc; we have been playing telephone tag. Lawyer on vacation till next week... sigh... Just called home to check on L. She is okay. Now to continue with my morning where others also depend on my decisions.... life goes on.
Guys, if this is going to be a new twist from now on, I am going to have a hard time adapting.
She did it again. You recall my story about the dog poo the other night.
As I was cleaning up after dinner tonight, I pointed out to Lucy that Dog #6 just pee'd on the kitchen floor. She said not to worry, she will take care of it. Whereupon she takes the kitchen counter cloth and used it to wipe up the dog pee on the floor. I was totally flabbergasted and said, "did I just see you use the counter cloth to wipe up dog pee from the floor?". To which she said, "I already soaked up the pee with a paper towel. I was just using the cloth to clean up the area." Upon which she tossed the counter cloth back into the sink without even rinsing it out.
aaaaack. I think I will pour myself a very stiff scotch.
One things you have to keep is your sense of humor and sometimes you have to see the Laurel and Hardy slap stick of it all. I will keep you sane. But that will come....
Kitchen and bathroom remodeling was done. She spent more than a few thousand! She gave up her bookkeeping. She was angry.... especially towards Dad. Then she took up washing windows and sitting in the pine straw. So I get that. But at other times she was as sweet and together as she could be. She could give you a logical explanation for everything she did. Unless you knew her before and the truth of the situation you would never suspect. She stopped going out. Not going to that function because I don't want to go. In reality she was supposed to make a cake and had no clue how despite the fact she was one of the best cooks in town. Just hope Lucy stays in that pleasant stage and if a few dogs helps then so be it... just try to pare it back by a couple or so 
Forever in my heart 
So I moved in a while and it was like keeping an apparatus on a 2 year old. Then there was the day she took Dad to the doctor... during a hurricane and then got angry because the doctor's office was closed!! Yep you are in for a bumpy ride!
aaaaack!!! She did it again 
