VSG Maintenance Group
Recent Posts
Liz, I like your dermatologists plan. Instead of insisting you can't have sun exposure, monitor more frequently. If you can avoid pre cancerous cells from turning into cancers, that's beyond awesome. DH had the less lethal skin cancer, but even so, it took a big hunk out of his face to get all of it removed and he will always have a scar.
Yes, if you haven't seen Man on the Inside, I would definitely give a try. Stars Ted Danson as a widower who gets a job with a private dective agency to investigate a theft in an independent/assisted living complex. It's funny, charming and also poignant. I'm glad they're doing a 2nd season.
DD's plane left at 6:54am this morning, and she is already safely back in Boston. I sent her home with some banana bread, which she said caused her bag to have a secondary search. I say: stop criminalizing banana bread, midwest snacks have as much right to travel as any other food!!
It is 15 degrees today, although the sun is out, and that makes everything cheery when you are safely tucked into a warm house. I'm putzing around the house catching up on a few things, but I will make it to Planet Fitness shortly. DH is going out to lunch with BFF's ex husband when he gets home. The ex is here from Mexico City to help with the grandkids while BFF is out of state. She is fine with DH maintaining a relationship with her ex, and told our kids they should too if they wanted. I don't wish him ill, but have no interest in seeing him. DD and DS say they miss him sometimes (they were teenagers when BFF left him) but do not care to see him either.
Once I finish up a few things, and go work out, I'm looking forward to starting a new book. My to read pile grows every week as I usually find something interesting at St. Vinny's thrift shop.
118.8 - down another smidge.
The sisters arrive around noon or so. They are lucky that their flight out of Boston is early (7:10) so they avoid the bad weather. But I think it is now supposed to be all rain in Boston so hopefully DD's DD will fly safely too.
The house is clean. Those cleaning ladies were so efficient! Very impressed at how thorough and fast they are. Seems like both the pool services and house cleaning services here in Florida are much more accessible and less expensive than where I have lived up north maybe because there are a lot of customers? Other things like contractors to paint or redo floors, rooms etc. are not always so efficient. There is this thing called Florida time where when contractors tell you it will take 2 weeks you should assume 4 or so. They don't seem concerned about time slippage on stuff like that. Speaking of which they are painting our building and starting it today to take 3-4 weeks (or so). Our next door neighbors have their family coming for Christmas so are not thrilled. I don't understand why it would be started now rather than during the slow season in late spring/summer.
Saw the dermatologist for my annual skin cancer check. He wants me to come every 6 months since I am in the sun so much. He also wants me to have a treatment called photodynamic therapy to kill the precancerous actinic keratosis on my face. A lot more involved than that laser treatment I have had (which is cosmetic only). Your skin actually peels off afterwards. Apparently the skin will look better but mainly it will help avoid skin cancer down the road so is covered by medical insurance. I sure have spent a lot of time at the dermatologist over the last couple of months.
Time for our Justice walk. Have a talkative Tuesday!
Liz 5'3" HW: 219 SW: 185 GW: 125 LW: 113 Desired maintenance range: 120-125 CW: 119ish
The kids have been taking about Stranger Things so I was going to try it again but maybe not. I really don't like that kind of stuff. Maybe I will check out DD's suggestion of Man in the Inside.
Liz 5'3" HW: 219 SW: 185 GW: 125 LW: 113 Desired maintenance range: 120-125 CW: 119ish
We hope for them to have calm and peace at that point.
Liz 5'3" HW: 219 SW: 185 GW: 125 LW: 113 Desired maintenance range: 120-125 CW: 119ish
Season 2 of Man on the Inside is released on Netflix. Highly recommend season 1 if you didn'****ch it yet.
Maybe that will be part of the intake. She has at least taken steps towards some help. But here is my fear: my parents seem to choose chaos so often, and I worry that my mother's eventual passing will be full of drama, pain, turmoil and even more chaos. I hope I'm wrong.
When my daughter left the hospital for the last time they sent her home with hospice information and urged her to contact them. We met with them a couple of days after she was home. Though she knew she was terminally ill at that point she just wasn't ready to sign yet. The hospice people set up a plan and gave her all the materials to kick it off at any point. She possibly even signed in advance (I don't remember). When she hit a crisis a week later we just had to call and ask for help and they immediately stepped in. Maybe you mother will be offered that?
Liz 5'3" HW: 219 SW: 185 GW: 125 LW: 113 Desired maintenance range: 120-125 CW: 119ish
Cold today, the high was 19. No days warmer than 30 in the long range forecast.
I hadn't weighed myself for a few days but I did this morning, and all is good. Auto pilot eating! I'm enjoying it.
This morning my Mom called at 9:45 am and said she had mixed up the appointment time with the social worker, and she was coming at 11 am. It takes an hour and 15 minutes to drive to their house, if all conditions are perfect. We blasted out of the house and arrived at 11:20. The discussion was about Hospice and what they had to offer. So much of what my parents need. My Mom is still hesitant, she said she's not sure she is ready to start this journey yet. It's so puzzling. I said you are on this journey whether you want to be or not. The question is do you want some company to help you on the journey. I also emphasized that if she didn't like the help that Hospice offers, she can quit. I am not at the end of my life yet, so maybe I don't understand how hard it is to accept that one is terminally ill. But if I had congestive heart failure and damaged lungs I would be so afraid of getting into a situation where I was gasping for breath and basically suffocating without any help to ease me through that passage. DD said in her talks with social workers who work with dying patients that is what most people are afraid of. I think my Mom is willing to risk this so long as she doesn't have to accept that she is going to die someday. It's an unusual response. I also spoke frankly with her and told her that she wasn't the only one involved here, and worrying about them was all consuming for me and DB so think about helping us too. Anyhow, she is going to meet with the actual intake people on Wednesday. My brother will attend. Maybe she will sign the paperwork. But I could still see her saying no. If she does, my response to all complaints in the future will be a reminder that Hospice could help with that.
No firm plans until Friday, when we have tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra, and Saturday, the annual Christmas concert we attend hosted by a trio famous in Minnesota. It's a variety show, where they pull in lots of luminaries of the Minnesota music scene, and is one of my favorite live performances we see each year.
DD returns to Boston (hopefully, there is a storm heading towards the east coast) tomorrow. It has been lovely to have her home.
