Let's see. A bit of a blur this week.
Thursday: felt moved to draw runes to observe spring.
A new version of Outlook exposed "shared calendars" that i had linked to eight or more years ago, which hadn't been (prominently) visible in the versions of the software i'd used since. All but one of the calendars was for retired, laid off, or deceased people or for conference rooms that no longer exist. I decided i would remove these calendars, and by doing so, cancelled every meeting i had initiated (past and future) AND deleted all my calendar entries. It is an odd sensation to look at a completely blank work calendar.
Thursday night: Had dinner out with Dad, who related that Mom didn't want visitors because she would be indisposed. I should have thought to call before we left Apex. Read the remainder of the evening.
Friday: Dad called mid day to say Mom is coming home on Monday*. The therapists have not built a rapport with Mom and she doesn't trust them. They say she doesn't take direction. She has always shut down around loud urgent instruction (except when she'd start fighting with Dad over his tone of voice). Her sensitivity to what is loud is a little on the dysfunctional side: enthusiastic and energetic conversation would get labeled as argument.
I wrapped up work as well as i could, and then walked Carrie while Christine was running other errands. We didn't get far back into our woods before i found the skull of a six point (western three point) buck. Carrie was QUITE interested. We've put it on a tall stump in the back of the orchard (in a little area we've left wild). I don't think it's completely cleaned out: i suppose a soak in bleach water would be sufficient at this point, but leaving it where insects can complete the last bit of work seems reasonable.
Saturday: i left very early to join my sister at Dad's to plan and strategize. We went over four hours, and i think we came to some common understandings. The best part was role playing getting Mom to cooperate with some toileting issues: we worked on some language we hope will frame things so that she feels she has some agency but also doesn't provide triggers for arguments and tantrums. We moved some furniture around so there'd be some easier access which involved a little overriding Dad's resistance. He did admit it was better after.
In the afternoon i apparently gave in to retail therapy as we bought a high wheeled string trimmer and a new lawn mower (electric, push). Christine mowed the back yard with the reel mower, and i used the now nonadjustable-height and no longer "self propelled" gas mower to get a bit of the west side yard. The electric mower only runs for an hour at a time, so i figure pushing that long will be good exercise. The string trimmer is for any rough areas and so i don't need to worry about the electric mower's "strength".
I also got loppable branches off likely the last tree to be cleared from the meadow nee septic field. It's off the field, but close enough, and was bent over by vines and not attractive. There's a red-bud and a black walnut that could be cleared away from the boundaries but i feel confident that they won't cause issues. We do have autumn olive to still clear from the border of the field. I worked a little on some trees that had come down in the woods in the winter or the fall tropical storms: they seemed to have been dead as the branches were quite brittle. I didn't want to chip them, so i started yet another brush pile to be critter habitat.
Today i need to assemble a helmet to use with the chipper and the electric mower, begin mowing, chipping and attend to some plant issues. Maybe also plant beet seeds. And and and.
* Proposed date was Tuesday, but Mom has a Monday medical appointment. By having her depart on Monday, she has two ambulance trips instead of four.
Thursday: felt moved to draw runes to observe spring.
A new version of Outlook exposed "shared calendars" that i had linked to eight or more years ago, which hadn't been (prominently) visible in the versions of the software i'd used since. All but one of the calendars was for retired, laid off, or deceased people or for conference rooms that no longer exist. I decided i would remove these calendars, and by doing so, cancelled every meeting i had initiated (past and future) AND deleted all my calendar entries. It is an odd sensation to look at a completely blank work calendar.
Thursday night: Had dinner out with Dad, who related that Mom didn't want visitors because she would be indisposed. I should have thought to call before we left Apex. Read the remainder of the evening.
Friday: Dad called mid day to say Mom is coming home on Monday*. The therapists have not built a rapport with Mom and she doesn't trust them. They say she doesn't take direction. She has always shut down around loud urgent instruction (except when she'd start fighting with Dad over his tone of voice). Her sensitivity to what is loud is a little on the dysfunctional side: enthusiastic and energetic conversation would get labeled as argument.
I wrapped up work as well as i could, and then walked Carrie while Christine was running other errands. We didn't get far back into our woods before i found the skull of a six point (western three point) buck. Carrie was QUITE interested. We've put it on a tall stump in the back of the orchard (in a little area we've left wild). I don't think it's completely cleaned out: i suppose a soak in bleach water would be sufficient at this point, but leaving it where insects can complete the last bit of work seems reasonable.
Saturday: i left very early to join my sister at Dad's to plan and strategize. We went over four hours, and i think we came to some common understandings. The best part was role playing getting Mom to cooperate with some toileting issues: we worked on some language we hope will frame things so that she feels she has some agency but also doesn't provide triggers for arguments and tantrums. We moved some furniture around so there'd be some easier access which involved a little overriding Dad's resistance. He did admit it was better after.
In the afternoon i apparently gave in to retail therapy as we bought a high wheeled string trimmer and a new lawn mower (electric, push). Christine mowed the back yard with the reel mower, and i used the now nonadjustable-height and no longer "self propelled" gas mower to get a bit of the west side yard. The electric mower only runs for an hour at a time, so i figure pushing that long will be good exercise. The string trimmer is for any rough areas and so i don't need to worry about the electric mower's "strength".
I also got loppable branches off likely the last tree to be cleared from the meadow nee septic field. It's off the field, but close enough, and was bent over by vines and not attractive. There's a red-bud and a black walnut that could be cleared away from the boundaries but i feel confident that they won't cause issues. We do have autumn olive to still clear from the border of the field. I worked a little on some trees that had come down in the woods in the winter or the fall tropical storms: they seemed to have been dead as the branches were quite brittle. I didn't want to chip them, so i started yet another brush pile to be critter habitat.
Today i need to assemble a helmet to use with the chipper and the electric mower, begin mowing, chipping and attend to some plant issues. Maybe also plant beet seeds. And and and.
* Proposed date was Tuesday, but Mom has a Monday medical appointment. By having her depart on Monday, she has two ambulance trips instead of four.
Tags:
- 354,
- garden,
- mom and caa,
- work
no subject
no subject
M
Calendars