If you are going to stay at Grandma's house, the rule is to be there around 6:00 PM. Sundowners starts to set in and Grandma starts to get paranoid. She begins calling Daddy every 15 minutes wanting him to come over. She stays confused about where she lives. She says that she has these feelings in her belly. That statement was a new one for me. She can feel that something is wrong in her belly.
Grandma's mind basically shuts down at night. I think it is from being tired, but mostly her mind is not making connections as well as it does during the day.
It was my turn to stay at Grandma's house. I decided to see how long I could stay at my mother's house before she started calling. I went to her house to put her teeth in the cabinet. She was in the bed getting ready to go to sleep. She had already put her teeth away. JUST GREAT! Another teeth hunt was about to happen. I went into the long spill of how my husband and I were going to spend the night with her. I told her that we would be back later because we had not had dinner yet. She said it was ok and told me to go on.
I started the hunt in the kitchen. Hunting for teeth has taken on a new twist. She hides her teeth in any kind of container. She hid her teeth in a huge crystal bowl, and she had just placed a small cup in the bottom of the bowl. So when hunting for her teeth, I had to check every bowl, pot, and cup. I got on top of the cabinet because I am vertically challenged, and started opening cabinet doors one by one. She heard me in the kitchen.
She hollared, "Carole Anne, what in the world are you doing?"
As always, I told her that I was looking for her teeth because she hid them from me.
She yelled back at me and said, "Well, they are in the corner cabinet in a cup."
My grandmother has DEMENTIA!!! She cannot remember my name for more than 10 seconds, but yet she had hid her teeth and remembered where she put them. At first, I didn't believe her. Then, I slowly got down and looked in the corner cabinet. Right there on the side in a coffee cup, were Grandma's teeth. I was shaking my head and laughing at the same time.
We all have those senior moments where we forget something. For instance, I forget where I put my keys all the time. Tonight, instead of forgetting where she put her teeth, Grandma had a junior moment and remembered something important for the first time in several years.
It was, by far, a very funny moment. Yet despite the laughter, it was a sweet moment as well. These are the times I cherish with my grandma.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Rinse and Repeat
I had a chance to observe Grandma's daily activities. If you were to see her, you wouldn't think anything is wrong. She is just an elderly woman living a normal life. According to demntiacarecentral.com, 24% of those age 80-89. The other 76%, I am guessing, suffer from old age. Grandma does typical things around her home and just seems normal.
After reading further on dementia care central, I found that you can slow dementia down with exercise and mental activities, and that is exactly what keeps my grandmother going. She has Moderately Severe Cognitive Dementia which usually lasts around one and a half years. Well, we are going on probably around three years with grandma. Here is her schedule after I did some surveillance.
7:00 AM-She wakes up. Locates her shoes that she hid the night before. Doesn't even give a thought to her teeth.
7:30 AM-Daddy shows up with her breakfast. (Biscuits and Gravy) He fixes her a cup of coffee from which she will drink less than half. He usually gets her teeth for her at this time, if she hasn't hidden them in one of her top secret hiding places such as under the bed, under the sink, in the pots and pans, or in a even crazier place like the dishwasher.
8:00 AM-After Daddy leaves for work. She decides to lay down for a bit.
8:10 AM-She gets up and starts her busy day. She may start packing in her room. She goes where the suitcases are. If the suitcases are in the back bedroom, she moves them to the front bedroom and starts unpacking. She goes through each item as if she has never seen it before. She packs pictures, notes, books, and anything in her dresser that she feels is important. If she finds something that looks as if it my be worth something because it has a little gold painted on it, she hides it. Apparently, gold is worth more than anything else -- and that is what the imaginary people want. Yes! They want the perfume bottle with a gold cap, because no one wants a thief to smell bad. She will literally pack up everything in a bedroom and move it to another bedroom and unpack it. She will spend time rereading everything again and hiding items in that new room.
8:45 AM-She heads outside. She pulls her lawn chair out of the laundry room and sits on her carport for a few minutes watching and observing what needs to be done in the yard.
9:00 AM-She locates the tools she will need to take care of the yard: rake, broom, and pecan picker!
9:05 AM-Time for another little nap.
9:15 AM-She gets up and heads outside. She will rake and sweep and pick up pecans for two or three hours. She bags them up and sits them on the curb. During this time, she will have a bowl to pick up any pecans she may find.
11:45 AM-She heads in for a small nap.
12:00 PM-Daddy shows up with lunch and her medicine. She visits with him and wants to know if he is working.
12:30 PM She lays down for a small nap again.
12: 50 PM We start all over..... and repeat this entire cycle. Only, she may go in the back yard and rake leaves.
If there are no leaves to rake, then she sweeps every corner of the garage, the driveway, and the sidewalks.
She has the best looking yard in the neighborhood!
I have found that she hides particular things. For instance, the gold bowl with pitcher. She says these things are high valued items. Evidently, the lady or man that sneaks in every night wants the gold pitcher. It has to be hidden in the best hiding places in the house. For example, the gold pitcher has been found behind the toilet many times and has been hidden in the closet under the towels.
She hides the pecans. The woman probably has every last pecan from those crazy trees hidden in every corner of her house. She doesn't have a single bowl in her kitchen because those are being used to best conceal the pecans in the closets, drawers, dishwasher, or under the sink or couch. We still can't get the bag of pecans out of her grandfather clock in the dining room. She reminds me of a pirate; she finds her treasure in the front yard and then hides it. She hides it in her top secret places so no one will steal her prize.
She hides her shoes. Why? we can't figure out. But she makes my middle daughter hide them all over the house, and she can't hide them together, either. She must hide one shoe in the living room and one shoe in the dining room. If the thief is going to steal her shoes, he is going to have to work for each and every pair.
Around 5:30, the sun starts going down and Grandma starts getting agitated and starts calling Daddy. She wants to know when he is going to come home and stay with her. She is over there by herself and needs someone to stay with her. He usually heads out the door between 5:45 and 7:00.
Lights are out around 7:30, unless she really gets upset and frustrated, as she did with me last week. "OMG!" was all I could say. I got a new purse and decided to clean it out. She came in around 8:00 PM and said "it's time to go to bed, and you're charging the electricity up and I don't have the money to pay for you to come over and just sit in the bed with your pajamas on and not even look like your sick and all." How dare I wear pants to bed?! I have no pride in myself, and I'm not even a decent girl! I laughed. She said it wasn't funny. I tried to pull myself together, but when your grandmother is yelling at you to go to bed and telling you aren't decent because you have on pajama pants, then you have to laugh. I was also laughing about how I would never forget this night because I was secretly filming her with my phone. Then, she got fired up about telling Gary (my dad) how I come over there and use her stuff and all the electricity. I told her to go call Gary. She told me to call him. I said I didn't have her phone. She said it was a good thing because I would probably run that bill up, too!!!
I called my parents. My mother told me to get tough and put her to bed, so I took that approach. I told grandma she was tired and needed to go to bed. She said she would go to bed when I go to bed. She went and called Daddy. She told him that I was over there using up the electricity. He told her that I was his granddaughter and that I loved her. She said I didn't know what love is. She wanted me to go on and get out. During the phone conversation, she asked me if my mother knew that I acted this way. I said "yes." (MOM WAS THE REASON FOR ALL OF THIS! She told me to get tough.) Daddy told her to go to bed. She hung up the phone, but you could tell she was still upset. I told her to go to bed. She said she will go when I leave. I asked her who was going to take care of her if I leave. She wanted to know who was going to take care of me. I told her that I had muscles and plenty of sticks in the back room to defend myself. She held up her arms and flapped her muscles and said, "Sure, you got muscles." in the most sarcastic tone she could manage.
I told her once more to go to bed. That is when she turned and said, "I'm going to slap you to bed." I literally laughed out loud, but I had to stop myself. She said a few more things and slammed the door.
So, here's a summary of what I learned from observing Grandma:
1. If you have a loved one with dementia, they have to follow a routine. They will continue with something that they have done all their life. My grandmother has worked hard in the past. She has always worked in the yard. Now she spends her days raking leaves and picking up pecans. When I get in my 80's and have dementia -- my chances are higher because of genetics -- I will probably spend my days scrolling through Pinterest and stalking Facebook.
2. Do NOT tell them what to do. They will get pretty upset and call your Daddy.
3. Don't laugh because if you laugh then they will tell you that you need to grow up. They will ask you how old you are. When you say that you are in your 30's, they will reply with "Oh, Lord." or "Lord, have mercy!" Then they will accuse you of lying.
4. The best way to steal her pecans is to put them in a sack and tell her you need to take them to sell or have someone get them ready to eat for her. She will let you walk right out the front door with them. Hmmm.. I guess I should give her money for the electricity and tell her it is from the pecans.
5. Finally, remember: no matter how hard it is to deal with all of this, she will forget it by 7:00 AM and start all over.
Rinse and repeat!
After reading further on dementia care central, I found that you can slow dementia down with exercise and mental activities, and that is exactly what keeps my grandmother going. She has Moderately Severe Cognitive Dementia which usually lasts around one and a half years. Well, we are going on probably around three years with grandma. Here is her schedule after I did some surveillance.
7:00 AM-She wakes up. Locates her shoes that she hid the night before. Doesn't even give a thought to her teeth.
7:30 AM-Daddy shows up with her breakfast. (Biscuits and Gravy) He fixes her a cup of coffee from which she will drink less than half. He usually gets her teeth for her at this time, if she hasn't hidden them in one of her top secret hiding places such as under the bed, under the sink, in the pots and pans, or in a even crazier place like the dishwasher.
8:00 AM-After Daddy leaves for work. She decides to lay down for a bit.
8:10 AM-She gets up and starts her busy day. She may start packing in her room. She goes where the suitcases are. If the suitcases are in the back bedroom, she moves them to the front bedroom and starts unpacking. She goes through each item as if she has never seen it before. She packs pictures, notes, books, and anything in her dresser that she feels is important. If she finds something that looks as if it my be worth something because it has a little gold painted on it, she hides it. Apparently, gold is worth more than anything else -- and that is what the imaginary people want. Yes! They want the perfume bottle with a gold cap, because no one wants a thief to smell bad. She will literally pack up everything in a bedroom and move it to another bedroom and unpack it. She will spend time rereading everything again and hiding items in that new room.
8:45 AM-She heads outside. She pulls her lawn chair out of the laundry room and sits on her carport for a few minutes watching and observing what needs to be done in the yard.
9:00 AM-She locates the tools she will need to take care of the yard: rake, broom, and pecan picker!
9:05 AM-Time for another little nap.
9:15 AM-She gets up and heads outside. She will rake and sweep and pick up pecans for two or three hours. She bags them up and sits them on the curb. During this time, she will have a bowl to pick up any pecans she may find.
11:45 AM-She heads in for a small nap.
12:00 PM-Daddy shows up with lunch and her medicine. She visits with him and wants to know if he is working.
12:30 PM She lays down for a small nap again.
12: 50 PM We start all over..... and repeat this entire cycle. Only, she may go in the back yard and rake leaves.
If there are no leaves to rake, then she sweeps every corner of the garage, the driveway, and the sidewalks.
She has the best looking yard in the neighborhood!
I have found that she hides particular things. For instance, the gold bowl with pitcher. She says these things are high valued items. Evidently, the lady or man that sneaks in every night wants the gold pitcher. It has to be hidden in the best hiding places in the house. For example, the gold pitcher has been found behind the toilet many times and has been hidden in the closet under the towels.
She hides the pecans. The woman probably has every last pecan from those crazy trees hidden in every corner of her house. She doesn't have a single bowl in her kitchen because those are being used to best conceal the pecans in the closets, drawers, dishwasher, or under the sink or couch. We still can't get the bag of pecans out of her grandfather clock in the dining room. She reminds me of a pirate; she finds her treasure in the front yard and then hides it. She hides it in her top secret places so no one will steal her prize.
She hides her shoes. Why? we can't figure out. But she makes my middle daughter hide them all over the house, and she can't hide them together, either. She must hide one shoe in the living room and one shoe in the dining room. If the thief is going to steal her shoes, he is going to have to work for each and every pair.
Around 5:30, the sun starts going down and Grandma starts getting agitated and starts calling Daddy. She wants to know when he is going to come home and stay with her. She is over there by herself and needs someone to stay with her. He usually heads out the door between 5:45 and 7:00.
Lights are out around 7:30, unless she really gets upset and frustrated, as she did with me last week. "OMG!" was all I could say. I got a new purse and decided to clean it out. She came in around 8:00 PM and said "it's time to go to bed, and you're charging the electricity up and I don't have the money to pay for you to come over and just sit in the bed with your pajamas on and not even look like your sick and all." How dare I wear pants to bed?! I have no pride in myself, and I'm not even a decent girl! I laughed. She said it wasn't funny. I tried to pull myself together, but when your grandmother is yelling at you to go to bed and telling you aren't decent because you have on pajama pants, then you have to laugh. I was also laughing about how I would never forget this night because I was secretly filming her with my phone. Then, she got fired up about telling Gary (my dad) how I come over there and use her stuff and all the electricity. I told her to go call Gary. She told me to call him. I said I didn't have her phone. She said it was a good thing because I would probably run that bill up, too!!!
I called my parents. My mother told me to get tough and put her to bed, so I took that approach. I told grandma she was tired and needed to go to bed. She said she would go to bed when I go to bed. She went and called Daddy. She told him that I was over there using up the electricity. He told her that I was his granddaughter and that I loved her. She said I didn't know what love is. She wanted me to go on and get out. During the phone conversation, she asked me if my mother knew that I acted this way. I said "yes." (MOM WAS THE REASON FOR ALL OF THIS! She told me to get tough.) Daddy told her to go to bed. She hung up the phone, but you could tell she was still upset. I told her to go to bed. She said she will go when I leave. I asked her who was going to take care of her if I leave. She wanted to know who was going to take care of me. I told her that I had muscles and plenty of sticks in the back room to defend myself. She held up her arms and flapped her muscles and said, "Sure, you got muscles." in the most sarcastic tone she could manage.
I told her once more to go to bed. That is when she turned and said, "I'm going to slap you to bed." I literally laughed out loud, but I had to stop myself. She said a few more things and slammed the door.
So, here's a summary of what I learned from observing Grandma:
1. If you have a loved one with dementia, they have to follow a routine. They will continue with something that they have done all their life. My grandmother has worked hard in the past. She has always worked in the yard. Now she spends her days raking leaves and picking up pecans. When I get in my 80's and have dementia -- my chances are higher because of genetics -- I will probably spend my days scrolling through Pinterest and stalking Facebook.
2. Do NOT tell them what to do. They will get pretty upset and call your Daddy.
3. Don't laugh because if you laugh then they will tell you that you need to grow up. They will ask you how old you are. When you say that you are in your 30's, they will reply with "Oh, Lord." or "Lord, have mercy!" Then they will accuse you of lying.
4. The best way to steal her pecans is to put them in a sack and tell her you need to take them to sell or have someone get them ready to eat for her. She will let you walk right out the front door with them. Hmmm.. I guess I should give her money for the electricity and tell her it is from the pecans.
5. Finally, remember: no matter how hard it is to deal with all of this, she will forget it by 7:00 AM and start all over.
Rinse and repeat!
Friday, November 30, 2012
I'm Gonna Slap You In To Bed
I stayed with Grandma last week. There are simply no words to describe the mood she was in that night. I filmed the experience because I didn't want to forget one word she said to me either. I have tried and tried to write about it but just couldn't write about it without laughing. So, I took the audio from the video and made a rap from her remarks.
She was more agitated that night because #1 she was expecting my nephew Samuel to stay the night and #2 she didn't want me to have the light on after 8:00 pm. It was time to go to bed after 8:00 pm. And let's just say, she got really upset with me because I wouldn't do what she said. She even called daddy and told on me. LOL So, here is the audio of that night. ENJOY!
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Which One Are You?
So, I spent the night before Thanksgiving with Grandma. She had found her teeth earlier in one of her housecoats. She woke me up about 3:00 AM wanting me to go see who was knocking at the front door. I went and checked. I told her no one was out there. She made me go out on the porch. Really? I was thinking "Thanks a lot grandma...if I get shot, it is all on you!"
I came back in, and she turned and went to bed. She woke me up a few minutes later and wanted to know if I heard a dog barking. I said no and told her to go to bed.
We woke up around 8:00. Daddy brought her breakfast. He sat and talked with her for awhile. He tried to prepare her for the day. We wanted her to come and eat dinner with us at my mother's house. She wasn't sure about leaving the house. So, I fixed her hair and told her that she needed to get ready for us to pick her up around noon. She insisted that she needed a nap.
Daddy went and picked her up around 11:30 AM. She spent time asking who was who. So, many people for her to figure out.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Everyone came to my mom's house. Many, many, many memories were made. When all of us are together there is 19! We had so much fun getting each family together and taking pictures. Sara, my sister, and I got a crazy idea to take the couch in mom's living room and put it in the yard to take the entire family's picture. So, we moved everything around and had the boys pick up the couch. We went right out the front door and put it where we wanted it in the yard. It was really amusing directing everyone to help get the couch out the door. |
| The family |
Grandma enjoyed her meal and loved the banana pudding. She curled up in a chair in a snuggie and tried to stay warm. After about an hour, you could tell she was getting tired. I told her I would take her home.
We took a few pictures with her in the yard on the couch then loaded up and went home. We got in the van and she looked over at me. I could tell she was tired and ready to go.
 |
| Grandma, Pidgeon, my sisters, Mom and me |
I smiled because for just a moment, I had my grandma back.
We pulled in her driveway. I said, "Well, here we are!"
She looked at me and said, "Now, which one are you?"
I'm Carole Anne, and you are my "10 second Grandma".
Squirrel Mentality
Have you ever caught yourself sitting in your driveway and watching squirrels play in your yard? Maybe running across your roof? Maybe you have seen them sitting in your yard eating an acorn or nut they have found. Squirrels are intriguing animals. They hunt for nuts in the summer and fall and bury them in places that their tiny brains will remember. Then they live off their buried treasure during the winter months. Spring is hard on squirrels. According to Wikipedia, the nuts that they have buried begin to sprout and they can no longer eat them.
I stayed with Grandma last night. She has lost her teeth, not one set but both sets of teeth. I was to spend my night with her looking for her teeth. I geared up with a flashlight. I searched from one room to the next. Grandma knew what I was doing. She has gotten so use to me looking that she just goes to bed and doesn't care anymore when I am looking for her teeth. I opened every drawer in the bedrooms. I hunted under every piece of furniture. I pulled everything out of cabinets in the bathrooms. I did not find any teeth. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I was hoping to find her teeth. I was hoping she would have them for Thanksgiving. She really needs them in order to enjoy the meal on Thursday.
What I did find was pecans, pecans, pecans, and more pecans. For you see, dementia has turned my dear grandmother into a squirrel. She gets up in the morning and stays all day in the yard looking and picking up pecans. Then she finds bowls, trash cans, buckets, or bags to keep them. After she works for hours on end picking up pecans, she then spends time in hiding them and burying her treasure in her home. She hides them in closets, under beds, in the towels in the bathroom, and in the old record player in her room. I found a pan of them in the microwave, dishwasher, and stove.
I have yet to figure out why Grandma has to hide everything especially the pecans. I asked her what she was going to do with them. I was expecting her to say that she was going to eat them but she said give them away or sell them. hmmm...So, that is exactly what I did. I gave them away.
 |
| Security System in place. |
I stayed with Grandma last night. She has lost her teeth, not one set but both sets of teeth. I was to spend my night with her looking for her teeth. I geared up with a flashlight. I searched from one room to the next. Grandma knew what I was doing. She has gotten so use to me looking that she just goes to bed and doesn't care anymore when I am looking for her teeth. I opened every drawer in the bedrooms. I hunted under every piece of furniture. I pulled everything out of cabinets in the bathrooms. I did not find any teeth. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I was hoping to find her teeth. I was hoping she would have them for Thanksgiving. She really needs them in order to enjoy the meal on Thursday.
What I did find was pecans, pecans, pecans, and more pecans. For you see, dementia has turned my dear grandmother into a squirrel. She gets up in the morning and stays all day in the yard looking and picking up pecans. Then she finds bowls, trash cans, buckets, or bags to keep them. After she works for hours on end picking up pecans, she then spends time in hiding them and burying her treasure in her home. She hides them in closets, under beds, in the towels in the bathroom, and in the old record player in her room. I found a pan of them in the microwave, dishwasher, and stove.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Grandma's Make Over
Took Grandma to get her hair fixed today at the beauty salon. Well, let's just say, she wasn't at all happy about it, but the results were beautiful. She was happy in the end.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Cherished Moments
This blog is more about what moments like this is all about. We are born and raised and our parents take care of us day after day. Then one day, we leave home and our parents have to take care of their parents. I know you know all this. But here is my point....I know how lucky I am to have both of my grandmothers even if one is crazy and the other one...well, I will just say..you are lucky to get a word in with her. And she may be small in stature but her faith is huge!
Back to my point, cherish the moments you have with your grandparents, parents, or any family member. Cherish those memories when you have to go and find their teeth, because they have no idea what cup they have put them in or what cabinet. Love the minutes that you sit with them and answer the same question over and over.
I got upset with myself this past week. I didn't cherish moments with my grandfather. I spent time with him. I would go and talk to him and listen to him go on about World War II, but I took him for granted. I guess I thought he would live forever. He was 92 when he passed and what a blessing to have him for so many years in my life. I never spent the nights with him like I am now with Grandma. I didn't take him dinners or get on to him for wearing Grandma's teeth to make her mad. And now, I wish I had spent those moments with him. So, treasure these moments and memories.
I lost a friend this past week. She was young at 48. She should have had many, many years to spend with her family, but cancer took her life. She cherished every last moment with her family. She made every one of them count. She didn't let cancer defeat her in any way. She was in so much pain, but went to a football game to watch her daughter march. When the doctor's told her that she didn't have much longer, the family loaded up and went to Branson. Her family cherished every moment.
So, if you are lucky to have a grandparent still living as I am, then go spend time with them and treasure every last minute you have with them. Believe me, she has been a handful. And over the years, has said a few things that she probably shouldn't have said to family. But she is still family.....My family.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Funeral Interruptions
Dementia can remind you of things we take for granted. For instance, when you go to a funeral, you show respect. You know that the family is grieving, and you honor them by being silent and show your support by being there. Grandma attended a funeral and her dementia took over.
Daddy arrived with her. I didn't realize he was bringing her to the funeral. The funeral was for one of our family members, but I just didn't think he would bring Grandma.
It was a nice warm day with a slight breeze. The cemetery was quite and very peaceful. The funeral was a simple graveside service. Grandma wore her best Sunday clothes. She knew exactly where she was when she arrived. Not far from the cemetery was the house that she first lived in with my grandpa. She made comments about going home and pointing to her old home when she arrived. She even told Daddy that he took the wrong street. She was directing him to her old house and didn't realize that she was attending a funeral. I guess she thought we had finally giving in and taken her home.
She arrived and immediately recognized Molly and I. She got out and wanted to know why we were at the cemetery. I told her who had died and that she could sit under the tent. The immediate family had not arrived at this point. She sat on the front row. She started asking again..."Who's funeral?" "Was she married?" "Did she have kids?" I patiently answered her questions and tried to get her to talk softly.
The family started arriving. Daddy was getting ready to perform the ceremony. I made Grandma move to the second row under the tent. At first, she refused because the second row was in the sun, but she finally gave in and moved to the back row. When the row didn't fill up the funeral director motioned for me to fill in the seat beside Grandma. He must have known that she was going to be a handful.
Daddy started reading the obituary. He basically spoke two sentences when Grandma started.
"Speak up, Honey! No one can hear you."
Daddy kept on talking. He was less than 10 feet away from us under the same tent at the graveside.
I hushed Grandma.
She got it out one more time....."Honey, you need to speak up. No one can hear you."
Daddy giggled and said ok.
He started back and she interrupted for a third time.
"Speak up! Honey we can't hear you."
At this point, Daddy chuckled and let everyone know that was his momma. Leave it to my grandma to speak up and interrupt daddy while he is preaching a funeral.
She continued to moan and mumble. I told her to hush, and patted her on the back to distract her. I think I told her to shut up at one point. I was embarrassed but I knew the family realized that I was handling her. She finally settled down towards the last 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the funeral was about 30 minutes long.
My Uncle R.H. was there. Uncle R.H. looks very similar to my Grandpa. She had made many comments to Ellis being at the funeral and standing over by the casket. I reminded her several times he wasn't Ellis. He came over to hug her neck and I said "This is Uncle RH." She looked at me and had a frown "I know RH. You don't have to tell me." Uncle RH and I giggled.
After he left, I directed her towards the truck. She looked at me and wanted to know when they were going to serve the food at this reunion. I just shook my head and told her soon.
She went and got in the truck. Daddy took her to eat with the family. He said she ate like a horse at the family's house. She ate everything on her plate and asked for dessert. They had a good visit for about an hour. They got in the truck to head home. She looked over at him and wanted to know "How much did you have to pay for all that food?"
Daddy arrived with her. I didn't realize he was bringing her to the funeral. The funeral was for one of our family members, but I just didn't think he would bring Grandma.
It was a nice warm day with a slight breeze. The cemetery was quite and very peaceful. The funeral was a simple graveside service. Grandma wore her best Sunday clothes. She knew exactly where she was when she arrived. Not far from the cemetery was the house that she first lived in with my grandpa. She made comments about going home and pointing to her old home when she arrived. She even told Daddy that he took the wrong street. She was directing him to her old house and didn't realize that she was attending a funeral. I guess she thought we had finally giving in and taken her home.
She arrived and immediately recognized Molly and I. She got out and wanted to know why we were at the cemetery. I told her who had died and that she could sit under the tent. The immediate family had not arrived at this point. She sat on the front row. She started asking again..."Who's funeral?" "Was she married?" "Did she have kids?" I patiently answered her questions and tried to get her to talk softly.
The family started arriving. Daddy was getting ready to perform the ceremony. I made Grandma move to the second row under the tent. At first, she refused because the second row was in the sun, but she finally gave in and moved to the back row. When the row didn't fill up the funeral director motioned for me to fill in the seat beside Grandma. He must have known that she was going to be a handful.
Daddy started reading the obituary. He basically spoke two sentences when Grandma started.
"Speak up, Honey! No one can hear you."
Daddy kept on talking. He was less than 10 feet away from us under the same tent at the graveside.
I hushed Grandma.
She got it out one more time....."Honey, you need to speak up. No one can hear you."
Daddy giggled and said ok.
He started back and she interrupted for a third time.
"Speak up! Honey we can't hear you."
At this point, Daddy chuckled and let everyone know that was his momma. Leave it to my grandma to speak up and interrupt daddy while he is preaching a funeral.
She continued to moan and mumble. I told her to hush, and patted her on the back to distract her. I think I told her to shut up at one point. I was embarrassed but I knew the family realized that I was handling her. She finally settled down towards the last 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the funeral was about 30 minutes long.
My Uncle R.H. was there. Uncle R.H. looks very similar to my Grandpa. She had made many comments to Ellis being at the funeral and standing over by the casket. I reminded her several times he wasn't Ellis. He came over to hug her neck and I said "This is Uncle RH." She looked at me and had a frown "I know RH. You don't have to tell me." Uncle RH and I giggled.
After he left, I directed her towards the truck. She looked at me and wanted to know when they were going to serve the food at this reunion. I just shook my head and told her soon.
She went and got in the truck. Daddy took her to eat with the family. He said she ate like a horse at the family's house. She ate everything on her plate and asked for dessert. They had a good visit for about an hour. They got in the truck to head home. She looked over at him and wanted to know "How much did you have to pay for all that food?"
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
False Teeth Hunting Season Open
After my conference, I had planned on staying with Grandma, but I was wiped out. So, I called Daddy to tell him that I wasn't going to make it.
Dad asked, "C, where are you? I mean which way are you going home? Oh well, never mind."
Don't you love it when someone starts to ask you a question, then they expect the worse, and answer their own question?
I replied "I'm still close by if you need me to do something."
"Well, she has lost her teeth again. I stayed last night and put them up when she went to bed. I left out early, and she got back up and came in and got them."
"Ok. I will go teeth hunting."
I showed up at Grandma's house 30 minutes later to find her sitting in the kitchen reading the phonebook again. I don't really understand the phonebook reading scenario. Probably, something I need investigate. :)
I told her I was there to find her teeth. She said she didn't realize they were lost. Then she touched her mouth and realized she didn't have them in her mouth.
So, I started hunting. When Grandma hides her teeth, you have no time to spare. You have to get over their within the next day to find them. It is like knowing that big buck is close and you have to get to your deer stand as quick as possible because he is close by and you are going to miss him. Well, hunting Grandma's teeth is similar. You know she has hid them somewhere close because she came in the middle of the night and got them. She didn't leave the house, so, they have to be in the bedrooms or bathroom. Those teeth are hid close by and you have to get to your hunting station quick or you are going to miss them. Because if you wait two or three days, Grandma will come in and find her teeth and hide them somewhere else and you will have to hunt harder for that big set of teeth that you are needing to find!
I hunted all over the bedroom. I found sacks of books and magazines stuffed under the bed along with several kitchen items. She had also hid the cassette tapes in various spots in the bedroom. Heaven forbid, someone steal Conway Twitty singing I'll Fly Away. I searched both bedrooms and then the bathroom. She came in several times to tell me to leave her stuff alone.
I finally found them in a cup in the bathroom cabinet. I had to reach in the back of the cabinet to get them out. I scraped my arm on a wire or something. So, I had went into the thicket and got the prize and came out with just a small scratch.
She came in and wanted to know if I knew where Gary was. I told her that he was at work. She said she needed to call him. I gave her teeth to her. She was glad I found them.
We went in the kitchen to call Daddy. She picked up the phone and wanted to know where he was. He assured her that he was coming in as soon as he got off work. She was a little lost when she talked to him. She thought she was in Dermott. Dermott is where she grew up. Daddy reassured her that she was at home. I told her to tell him that we found her teeth. She looked at me confused. She said "Carole Anne has something to tell you."
Here is how that conversation went:
"I found her teeth."
Daddy: "Great"
Grandma (not on the phone..listening to me talk): "You found my teeth. Well, where are they?"
Daddy laughing.
"In your mouth, Grandma."
"Oh my goodness. They sure are."
Daddy was still laughing.
I was shaking my head.
Dad asked, "C, where are you? I mean which way are you going home? Oh well, never mind."
Don't you love it when someone starts to ask you a question, then they expect the worse, and answer their own question?
I replied "I'm still close by if you need me to do something."
"Well, she has lost her teeth again. I stayed last night and put them up when she went to bed. I left out early, and she got back up and came in and got them."
"Ok. I will go teeth hunting."
I showed up at Grandma's house 30 minutes later to find her sitting in the kitchen reading the phonebook again. I don't really understand the phonebook reading scenario. Probably, something I need investigate. :)
So, I started hunting. When Grandma hides her teeth, you have no time to spare. You have to get over their within the next day to find them. It is like knowing that big buck is close and you have to get to your deer stand as quick as possible because he is close by and you are going to miss him. Well, hunting Grandma's teeth is similar. You know she has hid them somewhere close because she came in the middle of the night and got them. She didn't leave the house, so, they have to be in the bedrooms or bathroom. Those teeth are hid close by and you have to get to your hunting station quick or you are going to miss them. Because if you wait two or three days, Grandma will come in and find her teeth and hide them somewhere else and you will have to hunt harder for that big set of teeth that you are needing to find!
I finally found them in a cup in the bathroom cabinet. I had to reach in the back of the cabinet to get them out. I scraped my arm on a wire or something. So, I had went into the thicket and got the prize and came out with just a small scratch.She came in and wanted to know if I knew where Gary was. I told her that he was at work. She said she needed to call him. I gave her teeth to her. She was glad I found them.
We went in the kitchen to call Daddy. She picked up the phone and wanted to know where he was. He assured her that he was coming in as soon as he got off work. She was a little lost when she talked to him. She thought she was in Dermott. Dermott is where she grew up. Daddy reassured her that she was at home. I told her to tell him that we found her teeth. She looked at me confused. She said "Carole Anne has something to tell you."
Here is how that conversation went:
"I found her teeth."Daddy: "Great"
Grandma (not on the phone..listening to me talk): "You found my teeth. Well, where are they?"
Daddy laughing.
"In your mouth, Grandma."
"Oh my goodness. They sure are."
Daddy was still laughing.
I was shaking my head.
Using Up Electricity
I had to be at a conference on Monday. So, I stayed with Grandma Sunday night. I had it in my mind that I would get a good night of sleep if I was to go on over and go to bed. Of course, what I want to happen and what happens with Grandma are never the same.
Grandma was sitting in the living room reading the phone book when I arrived. She was glad to see me. She started in on how hard she worked all day. I asked her what did she do. She couldn't remember. Then she looked at me and wanted to know where her sisters, Bessie Dee and Rosie Lee, were. I told her they were at home. She called me Audrey, her late sister. I corrected her two or three times on who I was. She told me to quit playing silly games with her. I finally gave in and started calling her Lucille.
I took her teeth and hid them in the bathroom for her. She wanted me to quit playing games and go to bed. I said ok. I went to the back bedroom and started getting ready for bed. She came in there and wanted me to come and listen to the birds. They were driving her crazy and she couldn't get them to shut up.
I went in the kitchen and didn't hear any birds. She told me to be quiet. Then I heard a beep. She said there is one. I told her again I didn't hear any birds. I heard the beep again. She perked up and said crazy bird is beeping. I realized it was the house alarm that was beeping. The battery was slowly going dead and it starts beeping like a fire alarm when that happens. I told her there was no birds. She said I had to do something to get rid of them. So, I went over to the door and acted like I was swatting at them and told her to go to bed. You can wear yourself out swatting at imaginary birds.
I finally made it to the bedroom to lay down. She came in several times. She came in once to tell me that Gary did not tell her that I was coming. It is rude for someone to come and stay at her house and not let her know in advance. She wanted to know who gave me permission. I told her Gary gave me permission. She asked if he had any manners. I just chuckled to myself.
She came in again and wanted me to turn everything off. She could hear everything in her room. So, I turned the muted iPad off and the lights. She said that was much better. Not only can my grandma see the electricity being used, but now she can hear it!
I finally dozed off around 11:30 or so. I heard her around 12:30 yelling in the hallway.
"Ellis, turn everything off and go to bed." (Ellis was my grandfather.)
"Ok" was my reply.
Grandma's AC went out last week. Probably from the fact, she turns if off and on all day long. So, I had to sleep all night with out it. I had the ceiling fan going and the two extra fans in the room running. I had all three on for noise to drown out Grandma and to keep me cool. Some time in the night, Grandma managed to come in the room and turn everything off. I am guessing she didn't see me in the bed. I woke up around 3:00 sweating to death. Ninja Grandma has returned.
I headed out the next morning around 7:30. Grandma's door was open and she was sleeping away. I told my dad later all the stuff she did all night. He commented that all she had done that morning was sleep. Well, of course, she is sleeping. If you stayed up all night worrying about all the electricity your granddaughter is using in the back room and turning off every little thing, wouldn't you sleep your days away too!
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