Oh, those poor Ingalls girls...

[The Mom]

Lunch conversation today:
Mom: what day is today?
Me: It's Friday Mom.
Mom: Oh I thought it was Saturday.
Me: No, but tomorrow is Saturday.
Mom: So what day is today?


I really need a life....

If you stop laughing, you'll start crying.

Mom (on phone): I can't find the cat!
Me: Did she get out into the hall?
Mom: No, I walked both ways, and she's not there.
Me: Could she have gotten on the elevator?
Mom: No, I checked them both, and checked downstairs at the desk. No one saw her.
Me: OK, I'll be right over.

I walked into the apartment, and started looking around, calling the cat. I heard meowing in the bedroom, so I went in, listened, and opened the bottom dresser drawer. My mother had shut her in, but couldn't hear her.

Repeat similar incidents on a daily basis for about 5 years. "The TV isn't working" was the most common one - she never did quite figure out how to coordinate the TV remote with the cable box remote. So she would just push buttons, and when it didn't fix things, would finally call me.

 

[Nemo14]

If you stop laughing, you'll start crying.

Mom (on phone): I can't find the cat!
Me: Did she get out into the hall?
Mom: No, I walked both ways, and she's not there.
Me: Could she have gotten on the elevator?
Mom: No, I checked them both, and checked downstairs at the desk. No one saw her.
Me: OK, I'll be right over.

I walked into the apartment, and started looking around, calling the cat. I heard meowing in the bedroom, so I went in, listened, and opened the bottom dresser drawer. My mother had shut her in, but couldn't hear her.

Repeat similar incidents on a daily basis for about 5 years. "The TV isn't working" was the most common one - she never did quite figure out how to coordinate the TV remote with the cable box remote. So she would just push buttons, and when it didn't fix things, would finally call me.

You're right about the laughing. Without my sense of humor, I really couldn't do this, although I'm constantly fighting that guilt thing about laughing. My husband and I could write a book!

 

[rsoxguy]

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

 

[The Mom]

You're right about the laughing. Without my sense of humor, I really couldn't do this, although I'm constantly fighting that guilt thing about laughing. My husband and I could write a book!

Guilt is a permanent fixture when dealing with an aging parent. It all boils down to the fact that no matter how much you do, you can't make them young and healthy again - which is the only thing that would make them 100% independent again.

Someone gave me some good advice when I was in your situation. "Do as much as you feel comfortable doing, because no matter how much you do, it will never be enough. There is an infinite amount of stuff that you could do for your parents - but even if you devote every minute of your day to taking care of them, in the end there will still be more you could have done. So just do what you can without making yourself crazy or exhausted. And remember you have other obligations, too. Don't sacrifice your marriage or children for your parents."

 

[Nemo14]

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

So touching.... *sigh*

Guilt is a permanent fixture when dealing with an aging parent. It all boils down to the fact that no matter how much you do, you can't make them young and healthy again - which is the only thing that would make them 100% independent again.

Someone gave me some good advice when I was in your situation. "Do as much as you feel comfortable doing, because no matter how much you do, it will never be enough. There is an infinite amount of stuff that you could do for your parents - but even if you devote every minute of your day to taking care of them, in the end there will still be more you could have done. So just do what you can without making yourself crazy or exhausted. And remember you have other obligations, too. Don't sacrifice your marriage or children for your parents."

Yeah a wise friend gave me similar advice recently - somthing to the effect of "you still have to live life". My husband and I are a team through all of this, and we're doing pretty well at balancing the responsibilities.

 

[The Mom]

Have I mentioned my zombie/Frangelica connection? A trip to the liquor store in search of banana liqueur and triple sec triggered a memory as I scanned the rows of bottles, and spotted the distinctive Frangelica one.

About 30 years ago, I had two episodes of zombie filled dreams, both after drinking Frangelica liqueur. So I never drink it, and it's a running joke between my husband & I - poor guy had to deal with my screams.

So, I advise you to be careful about drinking it.

 

[Nemo14]

I'll stick with Windex.....

 

[Nemo14]

Woo hoo - I just got another trophy!

 

[Nemo14]

Top of the 2nd and it's 5-5 ??? Could be interesting.....

 

[Nemo14]

 

[NYwdwfan]

We also learned that you don't leave crayons or Magna Doodles in the car.....

We went out to dinner Thursday nite and my kids took the crayons from the restaurant to continue coloring in the car. When they were done I took the crayons and put them in my cup holder and explained why you can't leave crayons in the car. Guess who forgot to take them out of the cup holder?

 

[NYwdwfan]

Interesting stat: Elias sports bureau confirms w/ tonight's win by #Yankees, alltime series at Fenway Park vs #RedSox tied 459-459-4.”

 

[Nemo14]

Stupid Yankees.....

 

[Nemo14]

We went out to dinner Thursday nite and my kids took the crayons from the restaurant to continue coloring in the car. When they were done I took the crayons and put them in my cup holder and explained why you can't leave crayons in the car. Guess who forgot to take them out of the cup holder?

Well obviously your husband!

 

[The Mom]

My daughter went to a 4th of July zombie party! Now I know why she wants my cast iron skillets - she's trying to disarm me.

 

[Nemo14]

My daughter went to a 4th of July zombie party! Now I know why she wants my cast iron skillets - she's trying to disarm me.

Time to stock up on Prosciutto

 

[unkadug]

We also learned that you don't leave crayons or Magna Doodles in the car.....

What happens to a magna doodle when left in the car?

 

[Nemo14]

What happens to a magna doodle when left in the car?

The screen literally melted into the frame, rendering it pretty much useless. The bar thingie that you erase with warped so bad that it was immovable too - not a pretty sight.

 

[rsoxguy]

Oh, the burden that I am forced to carry as the only person here that cares about warning others of the impending doom that has beset us all! Once you take the oncoming Rabid Zombie Pioneer Girl emergency lightly, you leave yourself vulnerable to the horrible fate of chaotic dinners, if you know what I mean. What's wrong with you people, what with your crayon obsessions? Let's get this straight; once you make a theme park out of this pandemic, it becomes a gateway to accepting zombies as harmless beings! What's next, zombies working at the local Dairy Queen? "I'll have a large vanilla cone, chocolate dipped, and hold the maggots." I vow to shoot Little Laura Ingalls the moment that she is put to work on the Blizzard machine at my local DQ. It's the kind of determination that will benefit us all.


Solution for Detroit's urban decay: Zombie-themed amusement park

A map of the envisioned Z-World Detroit, whose purpose would be to turn a blighted segment of the city into an amusement park. (Mark Siwak / July 6, 2012)
By Tiffany Hsu
July 6, 2012, 12:29 p.m.
To bring Detroit back to life, entrepreneur Mark Siwak is looking to the undead. Specifically, to a 200-acre theme park starring zombies.
Siwak is attempting to raise $145,000 to fuel his concept for Z World, which seems a bit like the post-apocalyptic amusement land in the film “Zombieland” or the Halloween haunt events set up each year around Southern California.
Detroit has been in steady, sprawling decline for years. As the city’s population flees and blight spreads, large swaths of Detroit have begun to crumble.
Siwak wants to raise funds for engineering studies of such empty structures, where he plans to site his park.
Think of it as an immersive camping trip or a video game sprung to life, set in an abandoned, walled-off sector of Detroit. Participants would be chased by a zombie horde through derelict factories, stores and homes.
Humans and undead alike would wear tear-away patches, in the spirit of flag football. Once all their patches are gone, humans turn into zombies and zombies are eliminated from the game. The objective of the experience is to collect as many patches as possible.
For now, the grass-roots project is far from a definitive development, though Siwak is aiming for a tentative opening next summer.
“It turns perceived liabilities into assets that will bring a renewed vitality to a struggling neighborhood,” he wrote in a description of his brainchild on crowd-sourced funding platform Indiegogo. “When done right, Z World Detroit would be transformative for part of the city, it would create jobs for Detroiters and become a legitimate destination.”
So far, though, zombies aren’t proving as effective as other Detroit champions such as Eminem and Clint Eastwood. With about a month remaining for donations, Siwak has only garnered $5,400.

 

[Nemo14]

Well, it is Detroit....

my favorite part:
Think of it as an immersive camping trip or a video game sprung to life, set in an abandoned, walled-off sector of Detroit. Participants would be chased by a zombie horde through derelict factories, stores and homes.
Humans and undead alike would wear tear-away patches, in the spirit of flag football. Once all their patches are gone, humans turn into zombies and zombies are eliminated from the game. The objective of the experience is to collect as many patches as possible.
Just sounds so wholesome.... (or is it holesome)