Holidaze

So. The plan was to have our little family (Scott, Brooke, Carrie, Marc and no Kevvie, ‘cause of Europe calling his name) over at noon on Christmas Eve. Then, at around five, Doug’s family (Mom, Lynn, Nancy and Craig) would arrive and we’d all have my homemade Christmas dinner.

I cooked and cleaned and cooked and cleaned and….yeah. More cooking and cleaning. The only thing I didn’t do was break out my grandmother’s wedding china (circa 1925) from the attic and set the dining room table. The hours ticked by, and still I felt no urgency to pull out the cloth napkins and gravy boat. I’m not usually that relaxed, folks. In fact, I’m never that relaxed.

At 1:30, Adele called Doug. “I feel awful. I sure hope I’m better by the time Lynn picks me up at 4:30…” Her voice faded into wistfulness.

For weeks, through four hospitalizations and a nursing home stay, Adele had talked of nothing else but how much she looked forward to coming to our house for Christmas. But when it came down to it, another Executive Decision had to be made—by me, the Chief Home Executive.

“We’re taking Christmas to her,” I told Doug when he got off the phone. “Call her Funny Farm and ask if we can use that private dining room off the lobby. I’ll start packing.”

And that’s what we did. Adele got wheeled down to the party, and didn’t have the hassle of trying to drum up the strength to get in and out of a car and up the three steps to our front door. She seemed SO relieved when Doug called her back to say the location of the shindig had been changed. Sometimes, I’ve found, our elders are just BEGGING for one of us to bail them out of an obviously untenable situation, without them actually having to say, “I am not able to make this work.”

It was a fun party, and I think Adele enjoyed herself. Since then, we’ve made more progress on the process that began with her last hospitalization—that of attempting to get her medications sorted out, since they may be the source of many of her health problems.

Just in case you don’t know: Doctors are EXCELLENT at prescribing meds, but not so good at removing them. It often, if not always, takes determined effort and vigilence on the part of the patient and her family to revisit that old medication list and adjust it to reflect changing needs. As an example: When a woman loses 100 pounds and then has repeated episodes of her blood pressure plummeting to something like—I don’t know—zero over zero? Might be a good idea to eval whether or not she still needs meds for high blood pressure, don’t you think?

During her first three runs to the hospital, no doctor picked up on that. Or if they did, they didn’t let on. On the fourth trip, we hit pay dirt. A doctor willing to play the part, and not just on TV.

I’m rambling. I know. This past year or so, it’s what I do. It’s a coping mechanism, I guess. Rambling—touching on the high and low lights of a million tangential subjects while attempting in vain not to obsess about any.

Maybe my New Year’s Resolution will be to “Get Focused.” Sounds strong, but I have a feeling it’s too non-specific. How would I be able to quantify having achieved my goal? Here’s one that sounds a lot more doable, and I’m sure it will give me that sense of accomplishment I seek: “Muddle Through.”

I’ll be 53 tomorrow. If I can Muddle Through an event like that, I guess I’m up for anything.

Posted by Katy on 12/28/06 at 08:29 AM

Fallible Comments...

That's sweet that you took Christmas to her. I had to laugh though, because although I don't make New Year's resolutions, I decided that my mantra would be "Focus". Muddle through does sound much more doable though. You're totally right about the medications too. Good thing your family has you to watch out for them. And happy early birthday
Posted by jackie on 12/28/06 at 10:24 AM
Mine will be, as usual, don't be lazy.

That was sweet, taking dinner to her.
Happy Birthday, I'm right behind you.
Posted by AC on 12/28/06 at 08:34 PM
Have a wonderful birthday!

You seem to already have received the gift.

God Bless,

Michael
Posted by Michael Main on 12/28/06 at 10:46 PM
Have a blessed birthday, Katy!
Posted by Carrie K. on 12/29/06 at 01:39 PM
Happy Birthday! You're awesome.

Love, Jeanne
Posted by Jeanne Damoff on 12/29/06 at 08:38 PM
Happy birthday!
Posted by Lynn on 12/29/06 at 11:44 PM
While I'm at it, let me wish you and Doug and the entire "family" a glorious New Year! Thank you for all your encouragement and support in 2006!

Michael
Posted by Michael Main on 12/30/06 at 07:16 AM
Jackie--"Focus" would be THE most ambitious resolution I've EVER attempted! Do you have specific things you hope to focus on?

AC--You are right behind me, age-wise? Or birthday date-wise? If it's your age, my sympathies. If it's your birthday, have a great one!!

Michael--It is such a pleasure to "know" you and Amy. Our prayers for your missions trip, and for the orphans whose lives you'll touch.

Carrie K--You're a doll! Thank you.

Jeanne--Not as awesome as you, but still worth a few points. ;)

Lynn--Thank you so much! It's over, I'm older, but hey. I survived!
Posted by Katy on 12/30/06 at 07:56 AM
Happy Birthday, Katy. We'll muddle through together.
Hugs
Posted by Suzan on 12/30/06 at 08:20 AM
Happy birthday, Katy! You're an amazing person and so special! Hang on to your sense of humour and that muddling through will go just fine ;)
Posted by Sunflower on 12/30/06 at 12:36 PM
"Sometimes, I’ve found, our elders are just BEGGING for one of us to bail them out of an obviously untenable situation, without them actually having to say, “I am not able to make this work.”"

Katy,this is so true. Both my parents are gone now, but oh, how I remember...

So glad you were able to bless Adele with a beautiful curbside Christmas.
Posted by Macromoments on 12/30/06 at 04:53 PM
Katy, that's the point, I want to focus on ONE thing. Now if I could only figure out what that is...
Posted by jackie on 12/31/06 at 10:16 PM
Susan--Ah, a muddling buddy. What could be better than that? Thank you.

Sunflower--I'll tell you what. That sense of humor thing has presented its challenges in the past couple years. Where do I go to renew the darn thing? ;)

MacroBonnie--You sweet girl. I know you miss your Mom and Dad. I hope your Christmas was as blessed as theirs was.

Jackie--Ain't THAT the truth!!!
Posted by Katy on 01/01/07 at 05:05 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Holidaze So. The plan was to have our little family (Scott, Brooke, Carrie, Marc and no Kevvie, ‘cause of Europe calling his name) over at noon on Christmas Eve. Then, at around five, Doug’s family (Mom, Lynn, Nancy and Craig) would arrive and we’d all have my homemade Christmas dinner. I cooked and cleaned and cooked and cleaned and….yeah. More cooking and cleaning. The only thing I didn’t do was break out my grandmother’s wedding china (circa 1925) from the attic and set the dining room table. The hours ticked by, and still I felt no urgency to pull out the cloth napkins and gravy boat. I’m not usually that relaxed, folks. In fact, I’m never that relaxed. At 1:30, Adele called Doug. “I feel awful. I sure hope I’m better by the time Lynn picks me up at 4:30…” Her voice faded into wistfulness. For weeks, through four hospitalizations and a nursing home stay, Adele had talked of nothing else but how much she looked forward to coming to our house for Christmas. But when it came down to it, another Executive Decision had to be made—by me, the Chief Home Executive. “We’re taking Christmas to her,” I told Doug when he got off the phone. “Call her Funny Farm and ask if we can use that private dining room off the lobby. I’ll start packing.” And that’s what we did. Adele got wheeled down to the party, and didn’t have the hassle of trying to drum up the strength to get in and out of a car and up the three steps to our front door. She seemed SO relieved when Doug called her back to say the location of the shindig had been changed. Sometimes, I’ve found, our elders are just BEGGING for one of us to bail them out of an obviously untenable situation, without them actually having to say, “I am not able to make this work.” It was a fun party, and I think Adele enjoyed herself. Since then, we’ve made more progress on the process that began with her last hospitalization—that of attempting to get her medications sorted out, since they may be the source of many of her health problems. Just in case you don’t know: Doctors are EXCELLENT at prescribing meds, but not so good at removing them. It often, if not always, takes determined effort and vigilence on the part of the patient and her family to revisit that old medication list and adjust it to reflect changing needs. As an example: When a woman loses 100 pounds and then has repeated episodes of her blood pressure plummeting to something like—I don’t know—zero over zero? Might be a good idea to eval whether or not she still needs meds for high blood pressure, don’t you think? During her first three runs to the hospital, no doctor picked up on that. Or if they did, they didn’t let on. On the fourth trip, we hit pay dirt. A doctor willing to play the part, and not just on TV. I’m rambling. I know. This past year or so, it’s what I do. It’s a coping mechanism, I guess. Rambling—touching on the high and low lights of a million tangential subjects while attempting in vain not to obsess about any. Maybe my New Year’s Resolution will be to “Get Focused.” Sounds strong, but I have a feeling it’s too non-specific. How would I be able to quantify having achieved my goal? Here’s one that sounds a lot more doable, and I’m sure it will give me that sense of accomplishment I seek: “Muddle Through.” I’ll be 53 tomorrow. If I can Muddle Through an event like that, I guess I’m up for anything. Posted by Katy on 12/28/06 at 08:29 AM Fallible Comments... That's sweet that you took Christmas to her. I had to laugh though, because although I don't make New Year's resolutions, I decided that my mantra would be "Focus". Muddle through does sound much more doable though. You're totally right about the medications too. Good thing your family has you to watch out for them. And happy early birthday Posted by jackie on 12/28/06 at 10:24 AM Mine will be, as usual, don't be lazy. That was sweet, taking dinner to her. Happy Birthday, I'm right behind you. Posted by AC on 12/28/06 at 08:34 PM Have a wonderful birthday! You seem to already have received the gift. God Bless, Michael Posted by Michael Main on 12/28/06 at 10:46 PM Have a blessed birthday, Katy! Posted by Carrie K. on 12/29/06 at 01:39 PM Happy Birthday! You're awesome. Love, Jeanne Posted by Jeanne Damoff on 12/29/06 at 08:38 PM Happy birthday! Posted by Lynn on 12/29/06 at 11:44 PM While I'm at it, let me wish you and Doug and the entire "family" a glorious New Year! Thank you for all your encouragement and support in 2006! Michael Posted by Michael Main on 12/30/06 at 07:16 AM Jackie--"Focus" would be THE most ambitious resolution I've EVER attempted! Do you have specific things you hope to focus on? AC--You are right behind me, age-wise? Or birthday date-wise? If it's your age, my sympathies. If it's your birthday, have a great one!! Michael--It is such a pleasure to "know" you and Amy. Our prayers for your missions trip, and for the orphans whose lives you'll touch. Carrie K--You're a doll! Thank you. Jeanne--Not as awesome as you, but still worth a few points. ;) Lynn--Thank you so much! It's over, I'm older, but hey. I survived! Posted by Katy on 12/30/06 at 07:56 AM Happy Birthday, Katy. We'll muddle through together. Hugs Posted by Suzan on 12/30/06 at 08:20 AM Happy birthday, Katy! You're an amazing person and so special! Hang on to your sense of humour and that muddling through will go just fine ;) Posted by Sunflower on 12/30/06 at 12:36 PM "Sometimes, I’ve found, our elders are just BEGGING for one of us to bail them out of an obviously untenable situation, without them actually having to say, “I am not able to make this work.”" Katy,this is so true. Both my parents are gone now, but oh, how I remember... So glad you were able to bless Adele with a beautiful curbside Christmas. Posted by Macromoments on 12/30/06 at 04:53 PM Katy, that's the point, I want to focus on ONE thing. Now if I could only figure out what that is... Posted by jackie on 12/31/06 at 10:16 PM Susan--Ah, a muddling buddy. What could be better than that? Thank you. Sunflower--I'll tell you what. That sense of humor thing has presented its challenges in the past couple years. Where do I go to renew the darn thing? ;) MacroBonnie--You sweet girl. I know you miss your Mom and Dad. I hope your Christmas was as blessed as theirs was. Jackie--Ain't THAT the truth!!! Posted by Katy on 01/01/07 at 05:05 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Thumbnail Sketch Previous entry: Mail At Year's End << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Holidaze

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri