Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

No, Gil stupidly set up the utilities in his name only. I tried to switch it over myself, a few years ago, and they wouldn't let me.
I lost all the paperwork for the surge protector (foolish of me) so can't get compensation that way.
I'm something of a Luddite, and have never learned how to back up data. Yesterday, I had one of the techs show me what I needed to do it. If I get my data back (I'll hear early next week) I'll do it asap.

The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.

Gekko my friends.
MizT, I was also trying to warn you about reactions that you may not think would come from the 'weed' with you other medications/conditions. Like Heidi, the tooth appeared to increase the pains levels in other areas until it was fixed.
My BIL is coming over today and staying the night, we go and see JD's daughter and the grandkids tomorrow. Two hour drive both ways. I miss them so much. Brea, JD's daughter and I are good friends but no so her mother thus I do not see them often and it hurts.
On a brighter note, looks like I may be reimbursed for the funeral expenses for my cous Maz from Nov last year. Will keep you informed.
Heidi while you have got him on the back foot bully him into setting up the auto payment.
Luv and Jugs.

Hi all. Had a nice 2 hour drive to Florida Gulf Coast University. Mitchell was really impressed and it has moved to his number 1 choice. He has the grades/test scores to get in so that won't be a problem. We are still going to University of North Florida in October to check it out. That is about a 5-6 hour drive. Mitchell and I will do it in one day. It is also the time that Jane and Marg will be by me. I will have to see them the next day.

Happy Anniversary Brenda! Congratulations to you both!

Greeting, Everyone! Well, best laid plans . . . had hoped to get to the computer earlier and spend some time reading & commenting. Maybe tomorrow?

Great TOPP-plus-one, Broni!

Welcome back, Heidi! I hope the files from your old computer can be recovered!

Tami, good news that Mitchell is at least finding something he likes on his college visits - and the one he seems to like best is relatively close!

{{{{{HUGS & JUGS}}}}}, prayers, positive thoughts, m and healing vibes for all.

A lazy day. Cleaned up the kichen after all the cooking, washed some towels, watered some garden. Saw it was Cathy from Southern Ontario's birthday a couple of days ago so checked to see if she had published another book. I have not read a book since the end of March. Found Cathy had a new book I could download onto my Kindle so I am now about 1/4 of the way through. Murder mystery and the dangers of the internet.

Can you download books onto Windows 8? Never got into the Kindle so am a computer novice on this side.

Broni, I have no idea about downloading to Windows 8. People download onto iPods and other devices. I have sent you an Email telling you more about Cathy and her books.

Good Day to all ...Hope you are enjoying this Saturday/Sunday wherever you may be. Tiz a quiet day for me and I'm going to take full advantage of it.Glad to see the college tour has given Mitchell a viable choice that he can look forward to and one that he's sure to be able to get into.Julie, don't make plans b/c they are always changing...its just good that you have been able to have time to do those things that bring so much joy such as the cello practice and just saying hello at least to us. When time becomes more plentiful, comment...Broni, sending Bella a special woof from Jazz, and a hi from me. Hope you enjoy your visit with JD'S DAUGHTER AND GRAND...IT'S SO SAD THAT YOU DON'T GET MORE TIME WITH THEM, SO MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT YOU HAVE. Sorry...just noticed fat fingers put the caps lock on...not shouting ...just careless...lol. June, aren't these slow days enjoyable? Glad to hear things are a tad better in the pain department. How's your bowls go after such a long layoff?...I know the food went well...bet you don't have any of those chewy brownies left either...I didn't know Cathy of Ontario had books written and published...would love to know more...guess I missed those convos...You must have liked them well enough to go looking for more...that's a good thing.

Broni, I have Windows XP on my puter, I think it is, and I put a Kindle app on here. I can read sitting at my computer and also on my notebook/tablet whatever it is hehe. When all the planets are in correct alignment, I can even change from one to the other and the app will open to the correct page in the second device. I have been reading paperbacks lately, I still had some good mysteries my sis had brought me fore I got the kindle. I am trying to clean out the book case of the paperbacks, but cannot toss them unread. Well, not but a few that are too dark for me hehe I think I went to kindle.com and the site walked me through installing it myself, it was easy, and it was FREE.

We had the best Birthday Party of the year. August always is the best. St Josephs Episcopal Church has been doing the August Party for about 20 years! they come on a weekend cause many of the women work, and they serve lunch. It is always some casserole that different members make (from same recipe), a meal in a dish, with some type salad and some type bread. This was a chicken and broccoli in a very tasty sauce with cheesy bread crumbs on top. Really good. they used the Cloth table cloths, not sure if ours and just took them to wash and return, or if they brought from their church dining hall. They had Paper cut work place mats, and matching globe shaped bases with fresh flowers from someone's garden. Some had daisies, some had rudbeckia, aka black eyed Susan, school bus yellow with a dark center.

Their music director played piano and one of the ladies sang Broadway songs. when she did 'I could have danced all night' I have never heard the piano sound out like that and she had a strong enough voice she was not drowned out. Everyone was singing along, lots of fun! Of course we had ice cream and cake, and of course I ate a small bite. Very good!!

About the meds, the blue pills, there is NOTHING my insurance covers for urinary tract pain, cause some study found that people who took that in addition to an antibiotic did not get well faster than those who took antibiotic alone. Well DUH!! That is not it's function, it is to keep down the pain while you do get better! So insurance has a reason to not cover it, saves them money.

The pharmacist cannot find anything cheaper than the uribel, unless it is a version of the red pill if I want to pay for a drug. I have one more blue pill, will be back to the red ones that make me sick till I can get to pharmacy Monday. I am NOT going to buy 60 pills, just part of the script, cause knowing me, I would take about 20 of them and then could not take the rest, and at $3 each, that is a LOT to waste.

OOOPS. gotta run, phone call, I will post so not to loose this, and get back later. Hugs!!

Haven't read, kids are over. We are babysitting a rooster and a hen found in the bush. The rooster is the stereotypical one that you see in cartoons. The hen is a bully attacking the other chickens. The rooster was nearly killed on his first night. We think he's a French marron or something. We've separated them from the others and named them king louie and Marie. Then had to explain it to Dana. I don't know if Alie got it.

Perfect names, Suzy!

I've been having a rough time with my back the last few days. At least it's only 9 days until the epidural.

Greetings and Salutations! It doesn't seem very late (relatively speaking), but I'm falling asleep, so will head to bed.

Sending healing vibes, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, prayers, and ! Good Night, Everyone!

Gil's brother Jon is causing more troubles. He was in a great facility where they treat people with dementia, but as he got more nutrients in him, and started getting stronger, he started getting belligerent. He has no grasp of reality any more, but doesn't realize it. A couple of days ago, he started getting physical with the staff, and they had to call the police and have him taken away in handcuffs. They placed him in a State facility temporarily, and on Monday a judge is going to review his case and decide what's going to happen to him. We suspect that he's gonna become a ward of the State, and be committed. I don't believe that he'll ever be able to be a useful member of society again. If anything, his stories about what he thinks is happening get weirder and weirder. It's awful to see what long term alcohol abuse can do to the brain. IH got so upset about it today that he had a big drink! ''Whadda maroon!'', as Bugs Bunny used to say.

Had a lovely day, Jorgie the youngest(spelt with a J in honour of JD) didn't remember us at first but by the end of the day Carter (7yo) said to his mum, why don't you and Dad go out for dinner and Uncle Steve and Broni can look after us, just way too sweet.

LOL! Heidi, had to google that one to get it, been a big day 2hrs drive either way and 2 kids. Sure addles the brain.

Having my middle of the night stretch. I went to bed early as I was so tired. Bowls was not a success. The messages from my brain to my hand got lost in the trapped nerve. Bowls wobbled and it looked like I had never bowled before. Otherwise it was lovely to be out in the sunshine among nice friendly people. We won the morning game and lost in the afternoon.

Greetings friends, I have spent 2 hours this morning in the garden, being mosquito bait! OH, they are so bad in the shrubs and bushes in the garden! I could look down and see about 5 or 6 on each ankle at any given time. I forgot my Bounce dryer sheet that I use to scare them away. I set the soaker hoses going while I watered the containers with watering cans of water. We still have had no rain, and no sure thing in our future. Just 'a chance of scattered t storms' in the forecast and they have not scattered my way. Small pop up summer t storms were headed toward us an hour ago, missed us again by 1/2 mile. Bummer!

Daughter Tanya is on the plane, back to Birmingham. All her household goods are on a truck somewhere between here and there. She will be in a Motel tonight and as many days after as necessary, but her belongings are due here Monday. So is her new to her car. due here 'first thing in the morning'. I do hope the truck is on time and the car gets here first so she can get there to supervise the unloading. I know she must go shopping on Tuesday for groceries and for things she could not bring with her. She said it would be a few days before she could come visit me. She has her cell phone, even if home phone is not on soon, and can phone me as usual.

JUNE, hope you got back to sleep after your 'intermission'. I am glad you enjoyed the day at bowls even if the bowling did not go well for you. Have you thought about keeping a detailed list of the things you have difficulty doing, like bowls, and dressing yourself, and any others, so when you do see a doctor about the hands and neck again, you do not forget anything? I do hope this gets better with time, I know how much you enjoy bowls.

HEIDI, I am so sorry to hear your BIL is loosing touch with reality. His stories he is making up is his way of coping with memory loss, I have seen it in dementia patients before. Al's Mom would pretend she knew whomever visited her, asking polite questions, such as 'where are you living now?' and 'have you seen the boys lately?' this to one of her sons, in reference to her sons. She made up stories about why she was 'in the hospital' when she was in nursing home. I know it would be even more terrifying than it is to a dementia patient, if they did not make up some kind of story to explain to themselves a situation they have no grasp of at all. The further away from reality, the worse the dementia is getting. At least Al's Mom was close, thinking the nursing home was a hospital instead of thinking she was in a space ship abducted by aliens Hugs to you having to see this and think of it as a possible future for Gil.

Tricia.... Gil is wondering if any of this memory loss and dementia that Jon is having is reversible? He really wants some hope for the future. I'm under the impression that brain cells, once destroyed, are gone, but the brain can do some rewiring. But I don't think he'll ever be his old self. Gil hopes otherwise. Any thoughts?

Heidi, I agree with you, the brain is remarkable and can do wonderful things. It can find new ways to move a finger or do other physical things. I saw it first hand in Al as the cancer advanced. He found a new way to talk that docs did not understand and never believed he could, when the cancer paralyzed his vocal chords. But I have never seen anyone with any kind of brain damage and resulting personality change return to same personality they were before the damage. They can regain A Personality maybe a bit similar to their old self, but with as many holes as there seem to be in Jon's brain I think he is not now nor ever will be the same as he was.

How much Jon can recover will depend on two things: Where damage is and how severe, and how much he wants to regain, how much he wants to work at it.

Can he get back in touch with reality? Perhaps with drugs and therapy he can begin, how far he can advance again depends on so much. There are new drugs now that can slow the old age dementia, and for some, can even reverse the memory loss to some extent. I saw that with one of our residents here, he has improved so very much with his memory, not as forgetful, able to function and enjoy life again. But this alcoholic psychosis that seems to be a possibly with Jon adds to the mix, I am not sure about how he would respond to psychotic drugs.

The chances go down the more damage there is. But his trying to make up stories to explain where he is and what is happening, lets me think there is a tiny kernel of him still functioning. Something that makes it important for there to be a reason he is where he is physically, his surroundings, and also where he is mentally. How totally off the wall those stories are does not bode well. for recovery, though.

I think any recovery would be less likely to happen if he is committed to a state mental institution, unless wherever he resides is better prepared to handle the mentally ill than Alabama. Here they would not have the facilities, the staff nor the money to evaluate and get him the therapy he would need, on the hope it MIGHT help. It is even doubtful they could get him a bed in any facility in Alabama.

In a nutshell, it is possible, it could happen, but I seriously doubt it.

That said, I would not share all of this with Gil. I think he needs there to be more than a slight chance recovery can happen, he needs to be able to hope. Gil needs to hope for his brother Jon, but he is also hoping for himself I think. I would be honest with Gil, tell him how difficult it would be, how much work it would be, how much Jon or he himself would have to want to work at recovery (Gil if he does not change his ways)and even how expensive it would be (always a consideration with someone as tight with money as Gil is) , but always leave a bit of hope.

OK, there are my thoughts, pick and choose what you can use. If you need me, you know you can phone, private message or e mail me, but remember I do not a

OK, there are my thoughts, pick and choose what you can use. If you need me, you know you can post, phone, private message or e mail me, but remember I do not always see PM. I will be thinking of you and Gil and Jon as you deal with this. Hugs to you and Gil. Watching someone you know and care for on the downhill slide is the pits.

Just dropping by to day Hello! I hope all are well!

June, I'm glad you enjoyed being at bowls and the social aspect, if not completely enjoying the physical aspect. I sincerely hope the numbness will go away and you'll be able to return to the activities you enjoy!

Broni, it sounds like your visit was so enjoyable. How nice that Carter wanted you and Steve to spend more time with him and Jordy and let his Mom and Dad go out to dinner!

Heidi, it's so sad to hear of Jon's condition. I would be grasping at straws if I were Gil in the hopes that things will return to the way they were. Thinking of you and Gil and hoping for the best.

MizT, so sorry about the mosquitos! Definitely not fun, and discouraging that the rain keeps missing you! I know you're taking good care of all the plants and flowers, so they're unlikely to be suffering. Your explanation of the likelihood of Heidi's BIL Jon improving was very informative. I think your suggestion to share some, but not all, of the information with Gil is very astute! He needs to maintain some hope, as does Heidi. I think her awareness of the situation is more realistic.

Time to head to bed. Thinking of everyone and sending healing vibes, positive thoughts, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}} and !

Just dropping in with an anecdote. I took Dana and the kids to the doc today. Tahli has a really nasty rash that turned out to be a bacterial infection. Daniel has a mild throat infection. After the doc we stopped outside the chemist so Dana could run in to fill the script. I kept saying mum won't be long she'll be back in a minute, back soon, but Tahli sobbed and whined and sobbed and whined until I broke down and gave her my phone to play with. She sent hubby a bunch of texts and played flappy bird. After that we stopped at the butcher so Dana could get something for dinner. Tahli do you want to come with mummy. NO, see you in a minute! I had to pull the phone from her hands when we got back to their place.

Thank you, Tricia. Very helpful. One thing that scares me is that he started getting violent with the nursing staff when he didn't want to cooperate, like take his meds.
The judge is reviewing his case right now. There's not much we can do to help him. He has to want to help himself occasionally. I really don't think that he knows that his brain is damaged.

Warning, very sad anecdotes follow.

Heidi, you are correct in being scared of his violence. he has no control, you cannot talk him out of this, or reason with him, and for some reason, patients with brain damage caused violence can be very strong, stronger than they were before the damage. violence sometimes goes with brain damage, and seldom is it reversible, and not easily treatable.

Two cases that tore at my heart come to mind. When I was married to first husband, so many many years ago, a nice young couple with children lived across street from his mother. The young man, in his late 20's was in a motorcycle accident, suffered brain damage. His wife was with him every minuet while he was in a coma, and after he came out, going with to therapy to regain motor skills, learning to continue them at home, very dedicated. How happy they and the entire neighborhood were when he could come home again. the happiness did not last long, because he soon became violent, first just toward objects, wrecking their home. It escalated to violence toward her, shoving, grabbing and holding against her will, then hitting. Police were often called to take him outside the home a while, till he regained control. She would not press charges because she still hoped he would get better. he did not, but still she stuck with him, trying to keep family together. when he became violent toward their children, a toddler and first grade child, she divorced him. he still needed a care giver, and at last he went back to his parents. She moved away, relocated with her children to keep away from him and his violence, which escalated toward her when he was forced from their home. and we all lost touch. How very sad this happened.

The second one was a friend of mine from Master Gardeners, almost 20 years ago. Her husband developed early onset dementia, he was in mid to late 50's. she was forced to put him into care, in a locked ward, where he continued to lash out violently with staff and anyone who visited. He spent a lot of his time in restraints, and this at a highly rated private facility that she and his extended family had to pay for, not a state run mental institution. he never recovered from the violence, and died from an injury he inflicted upon himself during a violent episode.

So remember, it is the brain damage that is either causing the violence or escalating a part of his personality towards violence, if he acted out physically to stress in the past. It is hard to see, and harder to deal with. You can only try to still love the person while you totally dislike the actions. Heavy sedation might keep him from acting out, but how do you sedate someone who attacks anyone giving his medication? I assume in the setting he was in, he could refuse medication. If he goes to a mental institution under a court order, I do not think he can refuse. I really do not know what the outcome of this will be.

I understand you cannot do anything for him once he

I understand you cannot do anything for him once he is in the legal system as he is now. It is totally up to the judge. Please let us know what is decided for him.

Hugs to you and to Gil during this trying time.

(((HUGS))) to you and Gil, Heidi.

Hi, Everyone!

I saw this on Facebook and decided to share here, especially so Heidi could see it. (As you can see, this happened in Kentucky.)

Kentucky State University's interim president Raymond Burse has donated over $90,000 of his own salary to boost the pay of minimum wage workers at KSU. This means a jump from $7.25 to up to $10.25 an hour.

'This is not a publicity stunt,' he said. 'You don't give up $90,000 for publicity. I did this for the people. This is something I've been thinking about from the very beginning.'
The raise in pay for those employees will stay in place even after a new president is selected, he said. It will be the rate for all new hires as well. The change is immediate.

His salary, originally $349,869, is now $259,745.
Burse was president at KSU from 1982-1989 and recently took over as interim president for just a 12-month period. During the meantime, he worked as an executive for GE.

A pretty amazing gesture that will make a difference in many people's lives.

Raymond Burse sounds like a great man.

We haven't heard anything about the judge's ruling yet. He may be taking his time to be sure he's doing the right thing.

My Scarlet Chested Parakeets have babies!!!!! I don't know how many yet, but I can hear them in the nest box. THIS is a thrill for me. They aren't the easiest birds to raise. If you notice, I no longer announce baby finches, lovebirds and budgies because they occur with regularity. These are my first of these gentle, quiet parakeets.

Back again tonight. Wow, twice in one night.

Suzy, you are an exceptional mother and grandmother! There is so much you do for Dana and her little ones - and for Alie. You are always there for them when they need you. A cell phone can really capture the attention of the little ones. Not surprising that Tahli was happy to stay in the car when she had access to the phone.

MizT, we learn so much from you! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Unfortunately for Gil & Heidi, it seems that once a patient begins to resort to violence, there is less that can be done for them. Thinking of you, Heidi, and hoping that won't be the case with your BIL Jon. Please let us know when you hear the judge's ruling.

Heidi, congrats on the Scarlet Crested Parakeet babies! How soon will they share their parents beautiful colors?

Time to head to bed. Take care, beautiful people! Sending {{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, prayers, healing vibes, and !

HI all. Just a quick morning stop in. I have to be in a workshop in an hour. Later I get to go to my SIL's house for my niece's graduation party. In-laws are picking up boys as party starts at 12:30. I will go after workshop. My niece earned her bachelors degree in exercise science (or something similar) and wants to get into corporate fitness.

Heidi, good thoughts going out to you and Gil. It is not easy to deal with relatives with dementia. Stay strong. Enjoy the new baby birds :)

Good morning all, from soggy-town. We have had a fair bit of rain and are expecting more, including T-storms, over the next few days.

The kittens are now six weeks old and we have homes for three of them, possibility four. I have made arrangements to take the remainder to a shelter, but there is a three month waiting list and the cost is $200. Another cat that had been hanging around our yard had babies, but we are not taking them in. I just can't. The mother of the kittens we have in the house took sick with an inner and outer ear infection and so far it has cost us over $700 to get her healthy again. So the kittens were weaned by four weeks because they could not drink the mother's milk because of the drugs she is on. it has been a very hectic feeding. Imagine at my age getting up for a two o'clock feeding!!!

Heidi, sorry to hear about Gil's brother. It will be a very difficult time for you all. {{HUGS}}

Julie, how is your kitty doing?

I am also kitty-sitting my daughter's cats as they are on holidays for the week. They have all gone to Toronto and Niagara Falls.

My mom had vascular dementia in her final few years, and at times she could get a bit violent. She had never been like that in her life. One time she was in the hospital and she was telling me about the pig that was living under her bed. She asked me to check under her bed, so I did. I told her I didn't see a pig, but she said it had gone into the bathroom. I checked the bathroom, no pig. I sat down beside my mom and told her I couldn't find the pig, and the next thing I know her purse is flying through the air aimed at my head. She was so angry at me because she thought I hadn't looked hard enough for the pig. Later when I explained that to my sisters, we did have a small chuckle, even though it was really sad.

Still no word about my eye surgery. I have to tell you I am getting mighty tired of blurred vision to sometimes almost no vision in the right eye. Oh well, this too shall pass.

Hugs to everyone and here's hoping those people with medical issues are soon on the road to recovery.

Thanks for the story about your mom, Theresa. That behavior sounds exactly like Jon's, but without the purse. Gil and I have had a few chuckles over some of Jon's stories. Sometimes, if you don't laugh at things, you cry.

Hello All on this hot, humid Tuesday. Hope all is well or at least heading in the right direction for all.
Heidi...so sorry to hear about Jon, but as you said, sometimes humor will ease the pain that dementia causes. I watched three of my loved ones suffer from this horrid disease and at times I witnessed violent behavior to some degree. This was said to be part of the disease and would most likely change...happily it did. I hope that the violence Jon is experiencing is only a temporary phase and becomes less of an issue over time. Sending you and Gil lots of hugs and a load of patience b/c yours will be sorely tried. Mental issues are so difficult to understand..the only option is to continue to show love even in the face of rejection. May you hold tight to your inner strength and deep compassion as you walk this road with your in-laws and hubby. Tricia...good information as always. So good to see the gifts we all have helping each other...but your knowledge,wisdom and humor make it easy for us to see deeper into things with greater understanding. Julie....Wow, so good that you were able to post twice today and thanks for the link from fb. I did see the article but didn't really read it. That was a wonderful thing to do and great that the folks will all continue being paid at the higher rate. Broni, glad your trip was all that you had hoped for and more. Hope another happens sooner rather than later. Susie...I agree with Julie about your being so very helpful to the girls and a stand up grandma...keeping little ones occupied and content is hard anytime, but more so when they are ill or out of sorts...good onya for giving your best at all times...even when you don't really feel up to it. Theresa...I understand your frustration with the long wait to have your vision taken care of...No fun not being able to see well. I do hope time will more more quickly and the surgery will be successful and your vision once again restored.Good that you were able to get homes for most of the kittens...hope something comes through for the rest of them.
Jazz is begging me to fix his dinner very loudly, so I will...I'm not yet ready to fix mine since my mouth is still tender from the dental work done earlier today...and I was trying to wait before going into the kitchen..but I guess he's gotta eat or I may have to move with all of his noise..lol... Okay all..take care...hugs and good vibes being shared for any who wish to have them.

Hi all. Just a quick pop in to say hi. My grandmother suffered from dementia. She did not turn violent but did come out with some funny stuff. She once asked my dad if he was ever going to get married and make his kids legitimate. My parents had been married about 30 years at that time.