The Ranting Game

[Bubba Bob]

Tired of hearing about Cheney's hunting accident on the news. Hunters get shot accidentally every year and most barely make the local news.

I would just say this, politics aside.

I would rather go hunting with Cheney than driving over a bridge with Ted Kennedy.

I envy Cheney.

I mean, who doesn't want to shoot a lawyer and get away with it?

[bozodog]

AhhhhHaHaHa...

bridge with Teddy! and shooting a lawyer, oohh boy!

[blim]

"Dick Cheney accidently shot a fellow hunter, a 78 year old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent" Jay Leno

Liz

[hitest]

"Dick Cheney accidently shot a fellow hunter, a 78 year old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent" Jay Leno

Liz

LOL Good one, Liz. Jay never misses a beat.

[Bubba Bob]

"Dick Cheney accidently shot a fellow hunter, a 78 year old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent" Jay Leno

Liz

LOL!

Good ol' Leno.

No way O'Brien can come close.

[JDoors]

Tired of hearing about Cheney's hunting accident on the news. ...

I am especially dumbfounded at WHY this is considered news. Not that Cheney was using a nasty ol' firearm, not that he shot somebody with it, but that the news media wasn't informed about it quickly enough. They're blowing that up to actually BE news for some unGodly reason. Waahh, we had to wait 'til the next day! (Should I mention a certain someone who actually killed someone? And how long it took the media to find out exactly what happened? Or at least "a" version of what happened? No?)

[blim]

Pace around, clench the fists and pump them in the air, slam the cupboard doors, kick the wall (check for dents, phew, I love plaster, OK, kick again, a door this time), stomp the feet, throw my hands up and holler, "arrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!! Why ME?? There better be a major payback in my future!!"

Wipe the brow, take a deep breath, get a kiss from and cuddle the freaked out dog, type this out, ok, I feel a little better now

Liz

[thesidekickcat]

So Liz, now that you have gotten some of the overloaded steam boiler to simmer down abit, how about letting us know what caused all of this tantrum? Inquiring minds....mine....want to know!!!

Hugs to you my friend just to let you know you are loved.

Pat

God bless everyone.

[blim]

Thanks for the love and hugs, Pat, I really need it!

I'm just pissy about my "nut with a walker". She was in the hospital for 10 days with pneumonia, copd, emphysema and congestive heart failure. She was released to her home on Friday. Apparently on Saturday, her niece came over, she was soaking wet (incontinent), hadn't eaten, hadn't taken her pills....Sunday, her 79 year old sister in law came over, same thing.....today, she called me to come over....yup, same thing. She has a "in home lady" who was supposed to be notified when she came home from the hospital, I called her, and nope, she wasn't notified! WTH??

I fed her, made her take her pills, changed her and her sheets (first time with anyone other than my babies, ewwww factor made me lose my appetite for the rest of the day, even another shower didn't help get the smell out of my nose, yeah, I know, psychological....tell that to my brain, I've tried, didn't work!), called her "Gal Friday" (was she ever pissed that she wasn't notified!) Waited till her visiting nurse came by, she took her oxygen levels and told her if she didn't go back to the hospital, she'd be dead in 24 hours. Well, not wanting her to die alone, I convinced her to go back to the hospital.

It's so darned frustrating because I'm not family....and she doesn't trust her family (she's convinced that "all they want is for her to die so they can take her stuff") so she doesn't tell her family anything. I'm the "go-between", which has resulted in some sneaky actions on my part to get info to her family (for instance, I knew where her "important papers" are and helped plan a "mission" for her family to be able to read them while she was in the hospital, that makes me feel so guilty! I'm lousy with deception, even if it's for someone's own good) AND after reading the "important papers", come to find out, a long time ago, the "nut" made one of my sisters (who moved to KY and hasn't seen her for 15 years) her power of attorney....Well, I called her and sent her an email and she won't return my calls or email!! The "nut's" SIL agrees that Power of Attorney needs to be changed to a local person, but if sis won't return my calls, how can she know that it needs to be changed?? (but that's the least of the problems, if she won't call me back, oh well, she's in charge if the "nut" loses her mind, huh?)

I told everyone I could think of that when I mentioned to the "nut" that perhaps a stint in the local Nursing home "temporarily until she's feeling better" went over quite well with her (I think the key word was "temporary"), but who knows, they may send her right back home after her hospital stint. AND I have jury Duty April 17 and my folks are supposed to be coming back to MI April 23, I need at least two weeks to get their house and yard ready for them.....How can I do all of that and take care of the "nut"? Not to mention I have a family of my own that must come first. Arrrrgggghhhhh! I think I am going to call or write the to the judge to see if I can get excused from jury duty (when I sent in the form two weeks ago, all hell wasn't breaking loose!)

Hoping that when it's my time to go, I go QUICK!! Train wreck sounds delightful right now!

I need a Calgon Bath Did this rant even make any sense?? If not, thanks for listening anyways.

Liz

Edited April 4, 2006 by blim

[JDoors]

From a newsletter I subscribe to:

AND IT CAME TO PASS

As I stared out the rear window of the bus, I thought, 'What if I

die? This may be my last night ever!'

My son suggested we take an all-night bus through the Peruvian Andes

down to the coast. I was prepared to be driven over high mountain

passes and on winding roads. We live in the Rocky Mountains of

western United States. But I was not prepared for roads so narrow

that the bus had to stop and let on-coming traffic around; or the

high speed at which the bus rounded hairpin curves; or roads that

were unpaved for long stretches, no guardrails and almost vertical

slopes just inches from our speeding wheels. Nor was I prepared to

ride in something that passed anything slower than the speed of

sound -- even around blind mountain curves.

I thought that perhaps I could sleep during the trip, but the

excitement and anxiety of what reminded me of an amusement park ride

kept my heart skipping beats and my eyes wide open. I thought, 'What

if I die?' and began to count all the possible ways this bus could

slide off the mountainside, not the least of which was the fact that

the driver was working a 12-hour shift. What if he became sleepy? My

mind was just too filled with "what ifs..." to find rest. I needed an

antidote to worry.

Then I remembered five comforting words: "And it came to pass..." Not

coincidentally, the phrase is found throughout the Bible. It's an

intriguing phrase..."and it came to pass." I've never read, "And it

came to stay." It's always, "And it came to pass..."

Whenever I have encountered problems over the years, they came to

pass. My anxieties and worries always proved to be temporary. In

fact, I have forgotten most of the fears that once kept me awake at

night. I've learned that most tough times and impossible situations

eventually come to pass. And sufficient strength can be found for

those few that may linger a while.

Besides, what could I do? The bus would either make it or not.

Like New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Rivers once said, "Ain't no

sense in worrying about things you got control over, 'cause if you

got control over them, ain't no sense worrying. And there ain't no

sense worrying about things you got no control over, 'cause if you

got no control over them, ain't no sense worrying about them."

So I rested in the peace that, like most of what I worry about, this

will come to pass. I began to enjoy the rollicking ride, much like

one would enjoy a roller coaster. And before long, the sun rose on a

beautiful Peruvian landscape. It was true, I had nothing to worry

about. This, too, came to pass.

I suspect the same can be said about that problem that worries you.

__________

From Steve's Quips, Quotes and One-Liners newsletter. For automated,

free subscription, write [email protected]

[thesidekickcat]

Thanks for the love and hugs, Pat, I really need it!

I'm just pissy about my "nut with a walker". She was in the hospital for 10 days with pneumonia, copd, emphysema and congestive heart failure. She was released to her home on Friday. Apparently on Saturday, her niece came over, she was soaking wet (incontinent), hadn't eaten, hadn't taken her pills....Sunday, her 79 year old sister in law came over, same thing.....today, she called me to come over....yup, same thing. She has a "in home lady" who was supposed to be notified when she came home from the hospital, I called her, and nope, she wasn't notified! WTH??

I fed her, made her take her pills, changed her and her sheets (first time with anyone other than my babies, ewwww factor made me lose my appetite for the rest of the day, even another shower didn't help get the smell out of my nose, yeah, I know, psychological....tell that to my brain, I've tried, didn't work!), called her "Gal Friday" (was she ever pissed that she wasn't notified!) Waited till her visiting nurse came by, she took her oxygen levels and told her if she didn't go back to the hospital, she'd be dead in 24 hours. Well, not wanting her to die alone, I convinced her to go back to the hospital.

It's so darned frustrating because I'm not family....and she doesn't trust her family (she's convinced that "all they want is for her to die so they can take her stuff") so she doesn't tell her family anything. I'm the "go-between", which has resulted in some sneaky actions on my part to get info to her family (for instance, I knew where her "important papers" are and helped plan a "mission" for her family to be able to read them while she was in the hospital, that makes me feel so guilty! I'm lousy with deception, even if it's for someone's own good) AND after reading the "important papers", come to find out, a long time ago, the "nut" made one of my sisters (who moved to KY and hasn't seen her for 15 years) her power of attorney....Well, I called her and sent her an email and she won't return my calls or email!! The "nut's" SIL agrees that Power of Attorney needs to be changed to a local person, but if sis won't return my calls, how can she know that it needs to be changed?? (but that's the least of the problems, if she won't call me back, oh well, she's in charge if the "nut" loses her mind, huh?)

I told everyone I could think of that when I mentioned to the "nut" that perhaps a stint in the local Nursing home "temporarily until she's feeling better" went over quite well with her (I think the key word was "temporary"), but who knows, they may send her right back home after her hospital stint. AND I have jury Duty April 17 and my folks are supposed to be coming back to MI April 23, I need at least two weeks to get their house and yard ready for them.....How can I do all of that and take care of the "nut"? Not to mention I have a family of my own that must come first. Arrrrgggghhhhh! I think I am going to call or write the to the judge to see if I can get excused from jury duty (when I sent in the form two weeks ago, all hell wasn't breaking loose!)

Hoping that when it's my time to go, I go QUICK!! Train wreck sounds delightful right now!

I need a Calgon Bath Did this rant even make any sense?? If not, thanks for listening anyways.

Liz

Oh my Liz, that sounds so awful for her, and for you!!! Hugs to both of you!!!

You did a good job taking care of her needs and then to get her other help back on track. Why didn't her family people solve it on the previous two days? She is so lucky to have you for a friend (actually it sounds like she has adopted you as one of her family) she can count on. I hope all of us are so lucky when thing go wrong in our lives that someone will be there to care about us like you do for her. Yes even when she drives you nuts over things!!!

Yes if you aren't used to cleaning up and changing bed sheets after an elderly person, it can be both embarrassing for you and the patient, and hard to stomach. Plus under the circumstances you mentioned, I bet you were steaming mad at how she fell through the cracks of notification plans. Might have her/family consult a lawyer to see if at least a legal letter to hospital would shake up them into doing a better job next time for her and others. I took care of my Mom after the radiation treatments paralyzed her from waist down, first at home then in various nursing homes, even in hospitals where the care was insufficient to keep her clean and they let her get bedsores because of their lack of care. So yes it takes a strong stomach (and a stuffed up nose helps too) to take good care of a bed patient. I've done nursing home volunteer work years ago, plus was a live in caregiver for an elderly lady for four years after high school. So lots of experience taking care of bedridden, often unhappy, and very lonely people. I usually just was able to go about the necessities while talking to the patient to take my mind off how bad the bed stunk, or how hard it was to turn the patient by slip-sheeting/rolled up clean sheet under them as I removed the dirty ones after cleaning up patient. After awhile you get the hang of it and it's not so bad. Mom used to kid me and say it was payback time for her taking care of me as a baby....Ha!!

Yes I know all about doing info transfers to family members, been there done that and not the best way for it to be dealt with but sometimes it has to be done to protect the person who you care about.

As for how to handle the PofA thing and your sister out of state, you might just talk to your friend as if you didn't know she had already done this, by asking her if she had thought of doing that and if it had been done long ago to do an updated one, and remind her it has to be someone in state. And offer to call her lawyer to make a house/hospital call to set new one all up legally before something happens. Also she should think of making a will (that way she can decide who gets her stuff or leave it to charity or whatever), plus perhaps do a "living will" too.

I'm wondering if you are the one she originally meant to set up as Power Of Attorney since she trusts you so much, rather than your sister???

As for your jury duty, try calling the courthouse ahead of time but if it's anything like here you can only get out of it with a Dr note. Might be able to get them to let you do it at a later date though??? Don't know their system. Our jury duty is only one day unless you are called to serve on a jury trial that lasts longer. So I lucked out last fall...got excused from one trial due to it being about sex abuse and since I had been abused I asked to be excused, but most likely the lawyers would have wanted me off jury too since I wouldn't have been objective. There were people asking the judge to be excused for other reasons too, and only one with recent death in family got off duty plus two others who had been abused like me.

As for your folks place, well I think they would understand that you can't do it all, just get inside done with promise to come back to do yard later might work better for you, especially if you are stuck with jury thing? Or go over and tear into it to take out your frustrations on yard work?

Perhaps you could use some nice perfume to take the memory of the smells away? I don't normally wear it, but did use it while taking care of people like you did. It does help, dulls the nose maybe to other smells and the sneezing I did over the perfume blew the objectional smells out clear of my head...Ha Ha!!!

Take care my friend. Love and Hugs!!!

And do read, perhaps print out, the story that JDoors gave you. I already copied it to notepad and saved it to my documents, for later use. Thanks so much for it JD!!!

Pat

God bless everyone.

[blim]

Well, maybe this should be called the "rant and rave game" .

An update!

The "nut" is in the local Nursing Home. I went to the hospital to visit her and found out she was discharged Monday after a short stint at the ER. I lost a little old lady?? I have her housekeys and have been checking her mail, I KNOW she wasn't home! After a call to her sister in law, she told me where the "nut" was. (still a little peeved that I wasn't told, though, the hospital is 30 miles away and gas is expensive!)

Anyways.....After I don't know how many weeks of talking to her Visiting Nurses, her family, the Senior Services Coordinator and her Social Worker trying to get her better care, who was the Instrument? The Paramedic who took her to the hospital on Monday! I don't know what strings he pulled that I couldn't, but she is where she is supposed to be, thanks to him! Someone finally listened to little old me! And a thank you note is written and waiting to go to the mailbox!

Of course, when I visited her at the home, she gave me a list of things she needed from her house, like clothing, a clock, her walker, her shoes.... (would you believe that today being Wednesday, since Monday no one has visited her??) but she is finally where she should be.

What a relief--now Jury Duty and parent's House Opening are do-able things! I'm almost free!

Thanks all for listening to my rant, thank you, Pat for such great advice and support (outstanding idea of talking to her about Power of Attorney, yes, she DID make Sis POA on purpose, because I am the "Black Sheep" of the family and she is "rich, smart, worldly and has access to lawyers", I know the "nut" chose her on purpose! But I don't care, I realized THAT'S Sissy's problem for now until I talk to the "nut", not mine After all, SHE'S the one not returning my calls, huh?? ), and thank you, JDoors, you are right, this HAS passed!

Love,

Liz

Edited April 6, 2006 by blim

[thesidekickcat]

I am so glad to hear the update on your friend. What a relief she wasn't sent back home. Thanks to you and the paramedic!!! Bless you both!!! I bet your friend is feeling safer now she is in a place where she will be cared for properly and not on her own unable to do for herself with no one around when she first needed help until you showed up! That must have been so scary for her!!! My heart just broke over thinking of her laying there needing help all by herself. Poor dear lady!!! No one should go through such a thing due to some hospital error on not telling the proper people she was coming home. And she may be right about her family, if they didn't even call you (or visit her at the home) to tell you where she was and left you to drive all the way to hospital for nothing...and I suppose the hospital couldn't tell you due to the new privacy rules... grrr! Oh don't forget to find and safeguard her hidden "spending" money stash so it doesn't disappear to relatives until she decides to give it to them if ever. I remember your talking about it once.

As for the black sheep title in your family...they are always the sheep in the crowd that everyone notices and thinks are so nice, cute too!!! So from one black sheep to another...good job you did on this one sis!!! see I am adopting you as little sis if I haven't already... you know I am so absent minded at times!

Love and hugs to you.

Pat

God bless everyone.

Edited April 6, 2006 by thesidekickcat