Visitation Day

Today was the first time that Dad has seen the house for over a month, and it was a surprising visit in many ways; on the one hand, Venka gave us a few suggestions that were pretty much expected, but on the other, she brought up some issues we hadn't considered (emergency exit access) and confronted the tough issue of how to address Mom's round the clock needs once she's released.


We went from room to room and Venka wasn't nearly as shocked at the conditions as I had figured (she used to serve rural Idaho), but Dad was definitely taken aback at first by the changes we made to the living room. I know it must be hard to see such a difference when you've been gone so long, and to consider that everyone had to go through your stuff in order to get in that state. But it seemed by the end that he was glad to have the work done, and he loved the railings and path (nice work, guys).

Venka is compiling an extensive list of recommended changes that I'll get on Monday, and that with my notes and my measurements will make for quite a load of work in the weeks to come. But I know one thing; Gizmo was beside herself to see Dad again and spent as much time as possible on his lap.

WORK PARTY CANCELED

My body is giving up and I'm not going to be able to physically handle Sunday after all. We'll figure out a another way with the ramp (I may take days off work mid-week after next to get it sorted and built), but no work this weekend.

Thanks everyone for your willingness to help and your patient flexibility.

More news about yesterday's home visit will go up later today.

Good News is Good News

Dad's feeling infinitely better and we are on track for a home visit at 9 AM on Friday. I'll be picking up and using their car for transport (at Venka's direction so we can get a good indicator of their everyday conditions), so I'll be at Maryville before 9 to get Dad up there with Venka, walk around the place, make a list of infractions and things to remedy, then get him back to Maryville, hopefully in time for lunch.

Stay tuned on the results!

Anyone up for a work party on Sunday? I realized that since we'll be out of town next weekend and one or both parents will likely be home the week after that, it leaves us pretty much this weekend to get the ramp done. If you're game, please let me know by email or phone. Looking to get started in the 9 or 10 AM timeframe. Otherwise, I may need to enlist a deputy foreman to lead the charge in my absence next weekend (July 6-8).

Cars and Spirits: UP

The cars are on Craigslist as of last night.

1949 Dodge
1946 Ford
1969 Dodge

Pass 'em on as you see fit.

So far the Dodge Pickup is getting the most attention (4 offers so far, one for full price and moving before the weekend), but hopefully they'll all move within the prescribed Craigslist 7-day window.

Checked in with both Mom and Dad yesterday. Mom is doing well and though she's not thrilled to hear her ablation will be over two weeks away, I reminded her that at least we have a firm date now, which gives us some sense of a light at the end of the tunnel. Dad was horizontal when I saw him but was talkative, and most of the nausea had gone away. When I called him today he was in the midst of therapy so it sounds like he is back from whatever illness laid him up...but it's still unclear whether we'll be visiting the house with Venka tomorrow or whether that will be moved to next week.

Small Breakthrough

Connected with Dr. Jones' office and we have Mom's ablation tentatively scheduled for Thursday, July 12th. They want her there at 8:30 AM for monitoring and prep, though the procedure will likely not be done until 1 PM or so. They will be watching her coumadin levels closely between now and then with luck she'll still be on track for the procedure. They're not planning to deviate from her intake, but depending on the protime measurements, that could change.

Also, I have some excellent hi-res photos (thanks to Kathryn and Sam) of the cars to be sold/moved up on my Flickr account. If you know anyone interested in restoring old cars, have them get in touch with me ASAP; otherwise, I'll be putting these babies on craigslist this week. I'd like to get them moved by the weekend or before July 4th at the VERY latest, but I tend to get kinda hopeful about things.

Bump in the Road

Dad's feeling quite ill so Venka called to put off tomorrow's home visit. He was coming down with a cold of some sort when we saw him on Saturday, and it sounds like it took a turn yesterday and he's not yet out of the woods, so we're tentatively planning for a Thursday visit instead. I'll let everyone know if that doesn't end up happening.

Also called Dr. Jones' office and the scheduler should be calling me soon to set up Mom's ablation procedure. I'm stopping by Maryville this evening to visit Mom, check on her ankle and bring her coffee, and I'll let her know then about the potential ablation.

Mission Accomplished, Vol. 1

Well the gang came through and when the day was done we had two solid railings, an organized living room, lots of brush cleared, a wider smoother path to the deck, materials gathered and a good plan for the ramp (provided my folks are okay with losing either the rhododendron or the lower deck railing).

Many thanks to Kathryn, Sam, Pat, John, Ed, Rose, Ginger and Tasha for all their help and patience with all manner of dust, cat excrement and debris. It's a daunting task tackling the Homestead, but we may one helluva dent, as seen below.







Also, found a message from Dr. Jones' office on the Homestead voicemail saying they are ready to schedule the ablation pending a conversation with me about the details. Wish they'd called my cell or home numbers (as provided), but what can you do? So, I'll have that scheduled on Monday and by the time Dad and Venka come up on Tuesday things should be looking good...or we'll have a lot more work to do before either of them come home.

Stopped by Maryville yesterday and apparently Mom fell on her way to the loo. Her ankle may be sprained from the fall, and they are going to get her an x-ray today to see what damage was done, but she needs to keep her right leg elevated to keep the swelling down. Definitely complicates the physical therapy progression to say the least.