Home Improvement

One of the worst parts of mom being sick isn't actually all the time and energy it's taken to get her well...even though that's what I've been whining about...it's the hit her memory has taken.  I'm pretty worried about her ability to live independently for much longer.  She can't remember the day of the week, how to read her clock, she doesn't remember Meadowlakes (the place she has lived for the past 3 years) or even Bob, her late husband.  She remembers me and the kids and Daddy.  She remembers Patrick, but has trouble placing him with his name and that seems to make her madder than anything else these days.  Sooooo....we've talked about the idea of selling our home and buying a place with a downstairs master suite or guest suite where mom can live.  EEEEK!  Right?  but the other option is a skilled nursing facility - the Medicaid route - and I am not quite ready to give up on her.  Having her at Bishop Davies, in the Medicare section, has been bad enough.  It's almost like a human storage facility if you don't stay on them all the time.  If I'm not there at least once a day...she is not getting the level of care that she needs.  Meadowlakes isn't skilled nursing, but they geniunely seem to care about her, they communicate with me, they watch out for mom and the residents watch out for each other.  The only other alternative is a big lottery win so we could pay for private memory care or moving her in with us....and that means we have quite a bit of work to do.  Patrick and JMC did the tile in the upstairs bathroom, the thresholds downstairs, Patrick is about half way through the baseboards...so now, we need to think a bit about the outside.  Let's face it, our backyard will make our home more attractive than most of the homes in this area...we have about a fifth of an acre, but we don't have sprinklers and this dreadfully hell-hot summer has taken it's toll.  That and my detest of weeding and this wild spreading grass-like weed that has taken over most of the flower beds.  Bring on the Mulch Guys!...

How fabulous is this?  Patrick pulled out the big dying bush and they worked their mulch magic!

Look at my side flower bed!  Beautiful.  I should have taken pictures in back...before and after...it's breathtaking!  I keep catching myself standing outside on the back patio just smiling!!!