I have a few spiders in my sash windows between the outside and secondary glazing, webs and dead flies that I cant get at to clean! Also had the annual fly bloom in the kitchen, not worked out why or where they come from but managed to let them all out the window. Only way in is through the extractor vent but what do they hatch on?? 

I don't mind spiders too much, as long as they stay outside! Baby spiders are really difficult to see, and they certainly can make a mess when they get between a screen and a window. I have no idea how you would clean them out if they get between the panes of glass. We've been using some 'Zevo' sticky traps for flies and gnats, they work really well.

The A/C repair company plans to visit again today, hopefully that means they have the new blower we need.
(Update: Our bonus room A/C is now fixed. The blower was covered under warranty, but we had to pay for labor.)

My dad is still doing OK, but seems to be slowly going downhill. He doesn't take his medications on schedule, and his voice is getting a little weaker ever time we visit. His hearing is nearly gone. Even with the ringer volume at maximum, he can't hear the phone ring. His birthday is later this week, and we plan to celebrate it next weekend. He said he just wants some vanilla ice cream, but we'll have some cake too.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Susan and I visited my dad again over the weekend. We drove through a few showers on the way down, but it was sunny when we arrived. A few minutes after we arrived, a nephew (David) dropped by to visit. After Susan and I finished unloading our car, David and I went to McAllister's to pick up lunch. David lives near Atlanta, GA, so we don't see him often. He looks like a younger version of his father, who passed away several years ago. During the drive to McAllister's, he made an odd comment, but I know it was meant as a compliment. He said that I was 'becoming a better woman'. He was raised in a very religious environment. Initially our relationship was a bit strained, but he seems to have accepted me.

After lunch, my dad wanted to visit a cemetery to place some fresh flowers. We drove through some heavy rain, but it was dry for a few minutes as my dad placed the flowers on the graves of my mom and my brother. It was still dry at my dad's house when we returned, so I quickly changed and started mowing his yard. I was able to finish the front yard before the rain forced me to stop for a while. After a few hours, the grass had dried enough that I was able to finish mowing. Since it had been dry for several weeks, I skipped mowing several areas. Around 6:00pm, David left to visit another relative. Susan, me, and my dad had the rest of our McAllister's sandwiches for supper, then my dad went to bed. I still had to clean up, so Susan and I went to my brother's house.

Sunday morning, I drove into town to pick up breakfast -- a McDonald's 'Big Breakfast' for my dad, and sausage and egg biscuits for Susan and I. David came by for another visit around 10:30am. We had planned to meet my brother and his wife for lunch, but my dad wasn't feeling well. We decided to order lunch 'to go' from Outback Steakhouse, my dad loves their coconut shrimp. I called my brother and his wife once we were done with lunch, because we had a surprise for dad.

Around 1:30pm, everyone had arrived - my brother and his wife, David, a neighbor, Susan, and me. As everyone was sitting around the table, I put a few candles on the cake and lit them up. We all sang 'Happy Birthday', and my dad blew out the candles for the 93rd time. It can be hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure he was smiling. I cut the cake, and added a few scoops of vanilla ice cream for everyone. Although my dad didn't finish his cake, the ice cream didn't stand a chance.

My dad has occasionally mentioned that his favorite drink is a 'whiskey sour', and I know he hadn't had one for decades. I gave him a bottle of whiskey, and several bottles of 'whiskey sour' mix for his birthday. He was concerned how the whiskey could affect him, so I asked if he would like to just try the mix, which was non-alcoholic. Even without alcohol, he said the mix tasted just right.

Susan and I normally leave around 3:00pm on Sunday, and it was already 2:30pm.  We packed quickly and got on the road around 3:30pm. We hit a few heavy rain showers on the way home, and passed the aftermath of a few multi-vehicle accidents, but we made it home safely.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on September 02, 2024, 12:31:48 PMHe said that I was 'becoming a better woman'.

There is a reason we refer to our spouses/partners as our "better half". I interpret that as "as a woman, you are becoming a better person." And that makes you "the better half" even though Susan is yours.

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
I much enjoyed your recap of your visit with your dad ... and the comment from your
nephew David about you "becoming a better woman" Priceless!

I am glad that you and Susan made it through the heavy rain shower and avoided the
obvious multi-vehicle accidents....  and ended up having a safe trip home.

Thank you for sharing and posting.

HUGS, Danielle

Jess,

This was a nice visit with your Dad.  Thank you for sharing.

Christine

There is a lot going on with my dad right now.

He is functionally deaf at this point. Several years ago while mowing the lawn, a tree limb hit the side of his head. The impact damaged the bones in his left ear. He didn't want to get it fixed, so he's deaf in that ear. He has cancer, and the surgery to remove it last March was only partially successful -- they were unable to remove all of the tumor near his right ear. The tumor is growing again, and the swelling has now caused him to lose hearing in his right ear. He can't hear the phone ring, and he can't understand anyone who calls. If you speak loudly and he can see your face, he can usually figure out what you're saying. He doesn't have internet, which is a requirement for a 'close captioned' phone.

My dad is also no longer 'connecting the dots'. If you place a brownie on his plate, he'll ask 'what is it?' If you show him a box of cereal, he can't tell you what's in the box. It's possible he's is suffering from some form of aphasia.

He did provide both a 'property' and a 'health care' power of attorney in my name. He also set up a trust. The trust contains his primary checking account and his personal residence. His monthly income from social security, military retirement, and an annuity are all deposited in his primary checking account. The power of attorney he provided did not include language covering the trust, so I do not have access to the primary checking account. If he eventually needs to go into a long-term care facility, I will probably need to get a court order so I can access his trust account and pay for his care.

My dad still thinks he can drive, even though his doctor told him that he shouldn't. He would be a danger to himself and others. We have all of his car keys. My dad surrendered his drivers license several weeks ago. Although he signed the paperwork, we aren't sure he understands what he did. I contacted the auto insurance company to change his policy so the vehicles are in 'storage'. Since my dad is the only licensed driver on the policy and he no longer has a license, technically he can't have auto insurance. I explained the situation to them, and they marked his license as 'suspended' instead of 'revoked'. We occasionally start the vehicles to keep the batteries charged, but they cannot be driven legally without calling the insurance company and reactivating the coverage.

The financial exploitation issue is still under investigation. Last week, I spoke to a police detective and an FBI agent on the same day. The detective was still looking through the spreadsheet of checks I gave him in early May, over 500 checks totaling over $500,000. The detective says they should have a warrant for the suspect next week, but he also said that last week. The FBI agent is working with a District Attorney to figure out what charges they could file, but they aren't sure this can be classified as a federal case.

My dad's health is slowly deteriorating. He says opening his mouth to eat and swallowing are both painful. That's probably why he is going through a lot of dark chocolate Ensure. He is losing weight. Although we organize his medications in a pill minder, we know he isn't always taking them properly.

If a home health care visit is scheduled, someone else must be there (either my brother or his wife). The home health care workers have all said that he shouldn't be alone, but my dad doesn't want anyone staying with him. My brother and his wife visit at least every other day, and a neighbor visits several times each week. Susan and I visit every other week.

Stress and anxiety are my daily companions, which is why I haven't been posting much. Eventually everything will work out, or come to an end. Once that happens and we can close out my dad's estate, maybe my life will get back to normal.

Love always -- Jess

Wow, Jess. That is a lot to be taking on. I am so proud of all that you are doing. If there was a way I could help, I would. You and Susan look after each other. I hope things work out well.

My thoughts and prayer are with you and your family.

Hugs!

Jess,

I keep you all in my prayers and thoughts.  You are a very good daughter.  This is a reflection of being raised right, at least in part, plus your mindfulness and dedication to your father and family.

You also are an inspiration to me, as always. 

Hugs,

Christine

Hard work dear, takes it out of you seeing a parent getting fragile. Best wishes for you XX

Thanks, Lori, Christine, and Davina!

In addition to dealing with my dad, I have three projects at work which are causing stress as well. I'm also on-call this weekend. Some days it feels like life is just piling on. One of the ways I relax is through photography.  For a few moments, all I'm thinking about is framing my subject, using an aperture which will provide the depth of field I want, and getting the right exposure. While concentrating on taking an image, all of my worries get pushed aside. I took this photo of a Black-Eyed Susan this morning.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on September 08, 2024, 03:43:40 PMI took this photo of a Black-Eyed Susan this morning.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Awww, she's a shy one.

You should do this professionally dear.

Photo has such incredible detail, Jessica. Such a hidden talent you have!

Nice flower picture Jess!

Chrissy

Thanks Davina, Gina, and Christine! I do have some photos for sale on a micro stock website. They sold reasonable well at first, but over the last few years sales have really dried up. The only photo that sells with much frequency anymore is one of the 'Garden of the Gods' in Colorado Springs.

I have a suspicious spot on my scalp, so I made an appointment with a dermatologist. As a result, I have to fill out all of those wonderful 'new patient' forms. Living in a deep red state, I try to be cautious about the information I provide. So far I have not had any issues with the medical professionals I have visited, but I prefer not to provide information which could 'out' myself.

'Marital Status', I'm leaving that as 'unspecified'.

'Birth Sex' was already filled in with 'Female'. Since that is on my current birth certificate, I'm not going to change it.

'Sexual Orientation', I'm going to leave that as 'unspecified'.

'Gender Identity' provides several options: Identifies as Male, Identifies as Female, Transgender Male, Transgender Female, Genderqueer, Other, Choose not to disclose. I decided to leave it as 'unspecified'. Although having multiple options may be a good sign, I'm not going to take a chance.

'Patient Preferred Pronoun', I don't think there's any harm in selecting 'She, her, hers'.

'Emergency Contact', I filled that in with my wife's name. Since I left 'Marital Status' blank, they may conclude that my emergency contact is my sister.

It's really quite sad that we have to worry about the information we disclose on medical forms. Instead of making sure we thoroughly answer every question, we have to balance that with the potential to get substandard care or even be rejected as a patient simply because of who we are.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on September 09, 2024, 12:04:20 PMThanks Davina, Gina, and Christine! I do have some photos for sale on a micro stock website. They sold reasonable well at first, but over the last few years sales have really dried up. The only photo that sells with much frequency anymore is one of the 'Garden of the Gods' in Colorado Springs.

I have a suspicious spot on my scalp, so I made an appointment with a dermatologist. As a result, I have to fill out all of those wonderful 'new patient' forms. Living in a deep red state, I try to be cautious about the information I provide. So far I have not had any issues with the medical professionals I have visited, but I prefer not to provide information which could 'out' myself.

'Marital Status', I'm leaving that as 'unspecified'.

'Birth Sex' was already filled in with 'Female'. Since that is on my current birth certificate, I'm not going to change it.

'Sexual Orientation', I'm going to leave that as 'unspecified'.

'Gender Identity' provides several options: Identifies as Male, Identifies as Female, Transgender Male, Transgender Female, Genderqueer, Other, Choose not to disclose. I decided to leave it as 'unspecified'. Although having multiple options may be a good sign, I'm not going to take a chance.

'Patient Preferred Pronoun', I don't think there's any harm in selecting 'She, her, hers'.

'Emergency Contact', I filled that in with my wife's name. Since I left 'Marital Status' blank, they may conclude that my emergency contact is my sister.

It's really quite sad that we have to worry about the information we disclose on medical forms. Instead of making sure we thoroughly answer every question, we have to balance that with the potential to get substandard care or even be rejected as a patient simply because of who we are.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Plus hackers steal medical information.

Thats the thing with the good old NHS as my medical records are available to any NHS professional so no form filling, it also says Davina, female so of course I get the auto breast screening as well as smear tests (didnt take that one up!!) 

Quote from: Jessica_Rose on September 09, 2024, 12:04:20 PMIt's really quite sad that we have to worry about the information we disclose on medical forms. Instead of making sure we thoroughly answer every question, we have to balance that with the potential to get substandard care or even be rejected as a patient simply because of who we are.

I understand that some of it is so the address you properly, but the answer that is glaringly missing is:  Nunya Dambizness

We finally got a little good news about my dad's case. There is now a signed warrant for the 'yard man' - Felony Exploitation. The warrant should get loaded into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) tonight. In addition to stopping this person from exploiting others, we're hopeful that we may be able to recover some of the funds he scammed from my dad.

Love always -- Jessica Rose