Friday, June 22, 2012

Why Does Getting Older Have To Be Such A Challenge?!


        Let me start this post by saying: "YAY!!!" I've been getting some sleep. Well, a lot of sleep! :-) Therefore my talking about the challenge of getting older doesn't have anything to do with my sleeplessness.
      Those of you who regularly read my blog already know that I have some challenges with this body of mine!....challenges that make me C-R-A-Z-Y sometimes!! And unfortunately the challenges aren't getting any easier...but the one I'm talking about right now is not me. It's my father and my mother-in-law. Hubby's mom.
     With my dad, he's been in a lot of pain lately. So much so that he's actually considering joining a club close to his house, so he can go and swim laps when he feels like it! He says his doctor suggested he do that. He's been putting it off because he can't swim, he says. I told him that he doesn't have to go into the part of the pool that's over his head! ^_^ So he's reconsidering. See what getting older does to you?!...It changes your mind on things. It has you reconsidering your reconsiderings! LOL
      In other news, we've been having some really hot weather the last couple of days and I've been really worried about my mother-in-law shut up in her house, with no air conditioning....well, not hooked up air conditioning anyway. (She doesn't want to pay the high electric bill, I think.) She has fans going, and windows closed, but with 97-100 degrees, sitting in a house with that kind of heat is like sitting in a slow cooker! O_O
    We called her and asked if she wanted to come over and be in the air conditioning for the day, but she hemmed and hawed and said something about needing to make some phone calls and get some other things together to have the junk man come and pick them up.
     We urged her, tried to convince her....We said: "Are you sure?" 15 times. "No thank you" was her reply. O_O Oh well...So we just went ahead with our daily routine...Then, about an hour later, she called back! O_O ...."I changed my mind", she said.
     I could hear in her voice that making that call was a challenge to her. She so wanted to look strong, and not be a problem to anybody....I know the feeling. But she had to call and say, in effect, I'm weak. I need help.....TOUGH! Tough for a woman who has been the one everybody else called for help all these years. :-(
      As it turned out, she never got here anyway. Hubby's car had some issues that he had to take care of. Issues that weren't completely resolved until almost 4 in the afternoon!....*sigh*... By that time my mother-in-law was determined not to "bother us". :-( She knew we had the convention today, and that she'd have to be brought back home last night anyway....So she decided to tough it out at home. Besides, it wasn't like she couldn't be alone!....*sigh* Why does getting older have to be such a challenge?!!!!!
   Anyway....While Ma was over in her house 'toughing it out' I was sitting comfortably....*sigh*....in my house, crocheting my brains out!...Sympathy crocheting. Doing something with my mind and hands, instead of worrying about her and complaining about me! :-] What was I working on?!...


      Tiny crochet lace-like flowers!




       I made a LOT of them!!


       So while the sun and heat outside in the backyard were making pretty flowers grow...


      I was inside, in the air conditioning, making pretty flowers to do things with. Things like this!....


        Hubby had some tie pins that he hadn't been wearing, and I asked him for them so that I could see if they would work for my tiny lapel flowers.



     WOW! The tie pin looks like it'll work even better than the cuff link!!...Why didn't I think of this before?!
     Hubby had already laid out what he was wearing to the convention today, so he grabbed one of the tie pins, and one of my crochet flowers, and did this!....





      How cool!!


      So now I'm thinking....Hey! Now you can sell your tiny flowers as tie pin accessories! :-)



      Hmmmmmmm....Think of the possibilities!!







       What do you think?!...I mean, you don't NEED a lapel pin. You can just have a great jacket, with a good looking man in it....


      ...but, I say, a lapel pin can't hurt anyway! ^_^



     But what do I know?!...I'm just an old, health challenged lady, with a 'backyard Holly'! LOL


         Have a good day, Everybody!! :-)

Dad Is Getting Older

I'm  48 years old,
and my dad is 71;
And reality just hit me:
"Growing old is not much fun!"

Dad is dependable and kind,
a step above most other men;
But I feel the tide is turning.
Things are not as they have been.

His health is slowly fading.
(Not to mention-so has mine!)
When we talk, he's  still himself,
but now his 'Sharp' has lost some shine.

More frequent Doctor's  visits,
high blood pressure, hemorrhoids too;
needs more fiber in his diet,
and less noise to shuffle through.

He used to take long trips,
driving hours, all alone.
Now he watches television-
All his hours, spent at home.

With a witty sense of humor,
and a colorful point of view,
he's  still as proud as he can be-
But like a peacock-in the zoo!

He enjoys all our attention,
and the grand-kids love his jokes;
All the neighbors love his gossip.
He's  a 'Special' kind of folks.

If things continue going
as they have the last few years,
dad's  non-stop aging process
will evoke a lot of tears.

Next year I will be older.
Until then what will I do?
Keep spending time with dad
who will, by then, be 72.

6 comments:

  1. Those are a wonderful idea! I was thinking and wondering if they would fit over a button already on an item, but I like your idea better! I think you may be on to something!!
    I hope you get a break in the heat today. We had a cold front come through a day ago, so maybe you'll be getting it too. Hope your Ma stays cool enough to survive. It's hard on older people (I know!!).
    Take care and enjoy the convention! Sure wish we didn't have to wait till the end of July, but it is what it is!

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Bead! :-) I can't believe I didn't think of tie pins before now!...I like the idea about having the flowers go over existing buttons too though. They would have to have elastic centers or something though. Hmmmm....The heat is in the 90s today too, but no worries. We're all handling it. We'll wait for the cold front coming from your way just the same though! ^_^

      Delete
  2. Love those tie pins great idea for putting a flower on it, I have some tack pins that I don't like too much now you have given me an idea to add a flower. :) ~~Debb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Yeah...tack pins will work too!...I'm glad you like the idea. I just listed a few flowers in my Wuglyees shop to see if anybody else likes the idea. :-))

      Delete
  3. I hope the heat wave has lessened for you guys..ours has finally said bye-bye and I'm loving having windows open again. I love your little lapel pins. They are really cute! I guess a man doesn't want to hear "cute" when referring to his clothes...but they are cute! Keep checking on your MIL...heat is very hard on the elderly and they are very hard headed sometimes! But don't we all want to be independent for as long as possible? I remember when women I used to work with would discuss being 50 and finding they could not do what they did in their 40's..I just kept thinking.."That won't be me"..Hahahaha! It's ME!!! My brain doesn't feel 59..but this bod is saying something different! I do agree with you, that watching our parents age is the pits. My Mom is 86 and thankfully pretty healthy, but I've noticed some changes in this past year that make me think she isn't as spry as she may appear. Have a good weekend Deb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Yaya! :-] ... Yes, I think that officially we're out of the heatwave. Our temps only went into the 80s today...and we're having a bit of rain too...And, no worries, I'm keeping an eye on my MIL! I know she has a tendency to say she's fine when she's not!...Uhhh...sorta like me sometimes! LOL I keep thinking that I'm as spry as I used to be...and my body keeps screaming: "NO YOU'RE NOT!!!!" ^_^ I'm trying to get used to listening to it.

      Delete

Wait!! Click the "Join This Site" button, and leave me a comment! I'd love to get your thoughts! ^_^