Things Move Fast - Mom's Already Back at Maryville

Just got word from Dad that Mom was discharged and transported to Maryville within the last hour. So she's likely getting settled there and we'll just bring the boxes of clothes and such that were packed out of Maryville back to her tonight or tomorrow. Not sure what room she's in, but I'll post that as soon as I find out.

Going With the Flow

Dad and I stopped by Tuality to see Mom this morning, not knowing what to expect as far as her condition or her prospects for discharge. Fortunately the former was good--she was not injured seriously by either fall and she was in pretty good spirits, all things considered--but unfortunately, they would not let her out today, and in fact are recommending that she return to Maryville for a two week stay.

This came as a shock to Mom and she is understandably upset, but we recognize the need for more rehabilitation. However, two weeks is more than she can stand (especially since "two weeks" in Maryville terms is well over a month), so we have offered the compromise of one week at Maryville, then a transfer home with in-home staff ready and waiting.

So now begins the process of finding and interviewing home care personnel. We got a pretty decent list from Tuality and I'm going to go through and try to whittle the list down to something more manageable. In the meantime, Mom is still at Tuality, room 504 for tonight at the very least, so if you'd like to stop by and visit, please do; I know she would appreciate the company.

A Bump In the Road

Mom fell twice last night, and the second time she was taken to Tuality Hospital. She was taken by paramedics at 3:00 AM and was checked into room 504 at around 6.

We are looking to hire some in-home assistance for coverage evening through the morning. If you have any information, please email or call me ASAP.

The Day Has Finally Come

Mom and Dad, home at last.

It's been a long long day, but as of about 3:00 PM, Mom is officially home.

I got up to the Homestead around 9:30 this morning, unsure of how the day would unfold. Ron, Janet, Kathleen and Beverly stopped by yesterday and did an amazing job of cleaning, organizing and moving things around inside the house, and out of all the activity came the idea to replace the aged king-size bed with something newer and more rational like a queen-size Posturepedic. So a few afternoon phone calls later and the deal was made...but delivery was not going to happen until this morning.

This made for some drama since Mom was set to come home at 11 AM and as of a phone call from Mattress World (where it really ISN'T too late to sleep like a baby) last night at around 9:05 PM, the delivery folk would be at the house in the morning between--you guessed it--10:30 and 12:30.

So I planned to spend the morning finishing the railing, cleaning the path, putting in mini-ramps around thresholds and basically busying myself until the mattress had been delivered and we could go get Mom. Well, time passed, around 11:30 we got a call saying that the delivery would happen close to 1 PM.

This made for a tighter and tougher pick up window, and there was no time to run down and get Mom in between, but long story short, it all worked out in the end (and with some delicious cheeseburgers for lunch to boot!). The mattress guys came and dropped off the fancy new bed, but best of all, they took away the old one, making for a clean swap.

With the house ready we scampered to Maryville, got Mom's stuff together, signed some paperwork and headed for door. Mom seemed so surprised that so many people came up to hug her and say goodbye, but I reminded her that she's a pretty neat lady, the kind of person you miss.


It was kinda rough getting Mom from the car to the ramp (since it's still rocky and we need to level that area a lot), but once on the ramp and the chair, it was smooth sailing. She was amazed at all the changes around the house and kept thanking us for getting her home (as if we were just going to leave her there...come on, Mom! :) ), and after making the bed and vacuuming and picking up a little, I bid them adieu for the afternoon to let them settle in.

If you get a chance, call or stop by and say hi.

And, apropos of nothing, some final pictures of the end of the ramp and the new parking place for the Chevy Celebrity:

We're Through the Looking Glass, People

Ramp: DONE*
Driveway: DONE**

BRING ON THE NEXT CHALLENGE!

Seriously though, we are practically done. The end result is a sturdy, wheelchair-ready platform that is level as can be, and a driveway that will allow full motion up and around the property. Just as Paul and I were finishing up the plywood portions and bracing at the bends, Guy arrived on the scene with his giant tractor, ready to tear into the long-forgotten circular driveway. A quick move to clear the path of wood and he was off, scraping and digging and moving earth far swifter than it seems God should allow.


HUGE thanks to Paul and Guy for powering through the end of what has been a loooooooooooong project.

Stopped by and saw Mom before hitting the Homestead and gave her a squeeze, reminding that she had just two more days at Maryville. She keeps saying "now I just need to make sure I don't screw it up," but I reassured her that there is NO way she is NOT coming home on Wednesday. After she scolded me for the double negative, she seemed to be at ease about the whole thing. There was talk at one time of having her come home for a few hours on Tuesday in advance of the return on Wednesday, but everyone agreed that was sort of an unnecessary tease, so she will just be coming home on Wednesday.

Janet, Ron and Kathleen are coming by today to help Dad get the house ready for Mom, and I'll check in with them this evening. Hoping to move the dresser and maybe get the Queen boxspring downstairs, but I'm sure I'll be involved in at least the latter.

* "DONE" in this case means walkable and solid, but lacking "pretty" elements like a railing. Beginning that effort today.

** "DONE" in this case means flat and lacking obstruction, but still just dirt and miscellaneous gravel. Our plan is to get it graveled before the rains come (i.e. within the next week or two).

So Close You Can Taste It...

If Dad can walk on it, you know it's almost done. AND IT IS!

One more afternoon's effort to lay down some plywood here and there and the "ramp" will be done. I can't express what a weight off it will be to finally be done, and Paul's assistance today was absolutely critical. Dad meanwhile was cutting some supports that we later screwed beneath the 2x6 rails, and later with Tasha's assistance he trimmed out the ramp inside the front door to make for smooth wheel transport into the house.

Guy came by and offered to finish out the circular driveway, and half was done earlier this week when he pulled the Polara and Ford flatbed down the hill to the meadow by the shed. Once we move the lumber out of the way (tomorrow evening), he'll be able to smooth out the rest of the circle and the approach will be completely ready for Mom's Wednesday homecoming. There is talk of having her come home for a couple hours on Tuesday for a "test visit", but we talked about it and it seems silly to go to all that trouble just to have her go back to Maryville for another night. Thus, Dad's going to call and ask that she either be able to come home for good on Tuesday or skip the Tuesday visit and just come home for good on Wednesday. At this rate all will be ready for her tomorrow night so either option should work from our end.

Days Away From Freedom

The final two posts went up last night and we took measurements for trimming out the tricky bends in the platform. Laid down the plywood sheets and prepped the final rails. And I tried firing up the Celebrity, which has a dead battery, but with the power of gravity and the gear of neutral, I was able to ease it down to the flat portion of the drive, freeing up space behind the Polara and Ford. Guy will be dragging those to the lower area (by the shed) and flattening the circular drive to make for a clear path for Mom's dropoff.

Mom is still set to come home next Wednesday, and provided we can get the ramp and driveway done (which I think we can on Sunday), she will come home for a few hours on Tuesday as a "test run" with her therapists.

Dad is still looking well and keeping busy around the house. He's as anxious to get Mom home as she is to get out of Maryville.

If you're available on Sunday, I'd appreciate the help to close the ramp up completely.

Thanks!

Getting Ever So Close!

Another two posts are poured and secured as of last night, making the footing of the frame 90% complete. Once the final two posts are set on Thursday, we'll be able to knock together the rest of the skeleton on Sunday in just a few hours, then we can lay down the platform and put up the railing.

Saw Mom last night and she's looking terrific. Told her the ramp is still going well and that she's well on track for coming home, which is a big relief for her. Can't wait until she finally comes through that door! Dad's also doing some great work on mini=ramps between rooms to ease the passage of wheels over the various thresholds. Between that and replacing the now-broken front door lock, he's got plenty to do around the house...probably more than he should, as I reminded him last night.

If you're up for Sunday, please let me know ASAP. Need at least a couple folks to help finish 'er up.

Regulators...Ramp Up!

Work's gonna resume on Tuesday night. I'll be there...WILL YOU?

Dad's got a broken lock so I'm going to try and pick up a Schlage lockset with interior latch and exterior deadbolt. And preparations are still underway to get Mom home, hopefully this week for at least a partial day visit.

Breaking News!

Word has it that Mom will be released on August 29th, though we're going to try and push hard on the driveway to get our out sooner.

This is 95% certain (word from a physical thereapist) and will be confirmed tomorrow. Sound the trumpets!

Connect the Dots

As of last night, thanks to the help of Pat and David (thanks, guys!), the frame for the first two sections and the holes for the rest of the posts are all set and ready. At this point it's just a matter of settings more posts, building more frames as have been built up to this point, tacking down plywood and then throwing up and trimming the railing. It sounds like a lot (and might take a while), but there is actually an end in sight, and I could see the whole project being completed with about two days of concentrated effort.

Who's game? There's a ghost monkey skull in it for you...


In other news, I'm trying to nail down Mr. Halvorson at Maryville to find out when Mom is going to be relased, whether temporarily (on furlough) or permanently. Rumors have her out for a half day on Monday and for good on Friday of next week, but I have yet to have those things confirmed, and Maryville rumors have had a way of being exactly that. Still, Mom is in good spirits and aside from wanting to come home, she's chippr and cooperative, participating fully in her therapy and having a good time doing it.

It's Getting Better All the Time

As the saying goes: another day, another section of ramp done. A later day at work and a long commute conspired against me such that the light disappeared before I could get too terribly far, but progress is progress. And with a slightly earlier start tomorrow, we should have the next section primed and ready for completion over the weekend.

Mom looks great but is extremely eager to get home. Hoping to hear more about a release date tomorrow.

How are YOU?

I Need Some Help

Dad and I managed to get a board patched on the main deck and some other sundry cutting, lining and marking done, but between the weather and small crew size, not as much got done as needs to. Mom may be cut loose for a furlough as early as next Monday, so it's important the ramp get done this week (or on the weekend, but I'm going to be out of town at that time), so Tony, David, anyone who's available evenings this week (starting tomorrow night - Tuesday), please give me a call if you can lend a hand, even if only for an hour or two.

Going to see Mom shortly and will say hi for you all!

Back From the Wilderness

Here's a snapshot (post-packup) of where our tent was located for nearly a week in the wilderness east of Sweet Home. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but they would be useless in conveying the beauty of the surroundings anyway, so suffice to say that the time spent away was a much-needed restful respite.

Upon our return, my first day back was spent in an all-day offsite meeting, so the first chance I had to check in with Mom and Dad was yesterday evening. Happily, I found both in fine spirits; Mom was watching TV with Gary when I showed up, coffee in hand, and she was happy and talkative about her renewed physical therapy sessions. Apparently they were having her do an exercise with picking up clothespins and putting them in a jar (with her weaker hand), which was frustrating but successful nonetheless.

We visited for a while and I told them about camping, then I checked in with Dad, who was recovering from his amped-up level of physical activity throughout the week. As he describes it, his stay at Maryville used to be composed of about 45-90 minutes of physical activity, and now that's about how much rest he's getting throughout the day, as he's busying himself with arranging things throughout the house and trimming ramp material to smooth the thresholds between rooms so that wheelchairs can more easily move throughout the house.

His legs had been aching for a few days and were just getting better yesterday, but his new walker had arrived the day before and it was really helping him get around. He has been out and about to visit Mom pretty much every day (thanks to Bill and Grace), and he has partaken of coffee directly from New Seasons, so before we know it he'll be running errands and back to his routine. He's also been receiving delicious homecooked food (thanks Kathy and Chris!) so he has not been for want of nourishment.

This weekend (Sunday) I'm planning to continue work on the ramp, and I could sure use a hand. If you're free, give me a call or drop me an email and let me know.

A Homecoming Story Told in Pictures

Dad's home and happy, but a little disoriented with all the changes. If you get a chance to say hi, try to call and check first as I'm sure he needs some time to get his bearings. We're leaving town through Wednesday, so until then, thanks for all your love and support...and keep next weekend free if you're up for some back-breaking labor on the ramp.

In the Clear

The story remains the same, and Dad will be home as of around 10 AM tomorrow. Mom's release is still to be confirmed, but the nurses sound like they might want to keep her for up to four weeks. This is probably not going to work, as her morale will certainly decline even if Dad visits her at Maryville daily, so we're going to ask for two weeks and then two weeks or more of supplementary in-home care. Hopefully this will be agreeable to the staff as well as Mom.

I also connected with Bronson today, who will indeed be taking possession of the Dodge truck tomorrow at around the same time Dad is brought home.

Feel free to stop by and visit Dad on Sunday...but keep in mind that he might have found his way back to Maryville to visit Mom, as is his plan at this time.

Not Quite Rolling

Bronson stopped by last night and inflated the Dodge tires. They held the air just fine and for giggles he tried popping it in neutral and rolling it downhill, but it wouldn't budge. Seems the axles might be frozen, which isn't surprising, but it definitely makes towing it a challenge.

We also talked to Guy and he volunteered to drag it up to his place so that Bronson could get to it easier with his trailer. What a Guy.

Still aiming for a Saturday pickup, but that might be kinda dicey depending on when Dad is getting home, etc. Going to take some very careful planning to make sure the timing is right.

Got a text from Dad a short while ago, and it seems he's out of his migraine haze. I'll stop by tonight and brief them on what's happening before heading up to the house and doing some more construction on the ramp.