How safe are grab bars for the elderly?

Okay, the only reason I’m writing about this subject is because we have these grab bars in the bathroom stalls at work.  It didn’t occur to me that they can be just as much of a hazard as they can be a help.  Let me explain.

Maybe this is only my issue.  But we have only thirty minutes for lunch where I work part-time a few days a week.  Naturally we have to rush through this time so there’s enough time to use the facilities before going back to our stations. 

To make matters worse, because of the short lunch time, I always take my lunch and we have to carry clear purses so I tuck my lunch in there and take my bag with me to the break room for lunch.  I usually take rice cakes and peanut butter and some grapes.  I eat this for lunch every day.  Good thing I like this stuff and it needs no refrigeration and is fairly fast to chomp down.  And not fattening either, which is a good thing.

So I have to allow myself about ten minutes at the end of my break to use the ladies room.  Sometimes there’s a line in there, as all of us girls know, and although I’m not apposed to using the men’s somehow I think they’d frown on that at work. 

I have to carry the clear purse with me along with my clear plastic glass of water and my timer to keep me on schedule because I have to make a beeline from the bathroom back to work as fast as I can go.

Well by the time you get all this stuff in the stall with you there’s little time, believe me.  Because of all this I was in such a rush last week that I whacked my head hard on the grab bar gathering up all my stuff to leave so I could wash my hands and get back to work on time.  I almost knocked myself out and had quite a bump on my head for a few days.  Has this happened to anyone or am I the only klutz around?

Happy Valentines Day

And yes, I suppose I should have made Raven another hat for this occasion.  And I may at some point.

But the main purpose here is to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s day.  Even if you don’t have a special someone to spend it with, I hope you’ll enjoy the company of your friends or your pets who give you that unconditional love all year long.

It’s a day to be extra kind to the strangers you meet because everyone out there is fighting some sort of battle, whether you see battle scars or not.  Being nice may make someone’s day special and you’ll feel better for it too.

May as well give it a shot

Raven in his "spring bonnet"

You’ll never guess what I saw in the newspaper a few days go.  It was an ad asking for pictures of your animals in “spring attire” for the upcoming spring issue. This is a quarterly local magazine.

Naturally, after seeing that, the wheels in my head started turning on what kind of "spring bonnet" I could make for Raven so I could enter him in this contest.  What do I have to lose after all?  I know there will be lots of dogs represented so why not a cat?

My head was all a buzz because he will indulge me and pose in the hats I make for him most of the time.  I went through all my crafts to see if anything would ring a bell.  Then it was off to the dollar store yesterday to find supplies.

On Sunday I had a great time putting this thing together.  The deadline for entry is Tuesday.  I didn’t want to miss that because I’ll be working and won’t have the spare time to mess with much of anything extra.

I think it turned out pretty darn cute!  I hope he gets in, but it isn’t the end of the world if he doesn’t.  Stay tuned and I’ll let you know how all this comes out later.  Maybe he’ll be a published star.  Wouldn’t that be awesome?

A bone yard for old computer parts

Somehow all this stuff has found its way to my office.  Why?  Why?  Why?  I don’t need more stuff in here, trust me. 

 Multiplying computer parts

 

It all started when I finally gave up on my old color printer a couple of weeks ago and broke down and got a new one.  I had just purchased new ink cartridges for the old one and I’m still wondering what to do with those.  I hate to see them going to waste.  And now that was an unneeded expense.  I must have a hundred dollars in new ink cartridges I can’t use now, including three extra large new black ones.  I would cry, but that doesn’t solve anything, does it?  I’m sure someone savvier about these things could fix the printer.  I guess I need to think about donating this somewhere.

Aside from that printer issue, hubby decided I needed a bigger computer monitor for my desktop.  He finally got busy cleaning off his desk and taking apart the old computer that’s been there for years and not working.  So one day here he comes and hooks up his old monitor to my desktop computer, so now my old monitor, which is fine by the way, has joined the color printer on the floor of my office.  Sigh.

Everything else from my husband’s old computer setup ended up on the dining room table.  This would be okay for a while because we eat on TV trays anyway so he can watch Fox news.  Meanwhile, I was thinking about what to do with this stuff because I do like to keep the downstairs cleaned up. 

I didn’t have to think about this long because a couple days later, the odds and ends of the old computer parts joined the group on my office floor.  This was a shocker because hubby rarely picks anything up.  I guess it’s my job to find homes for all this stuff now - in my spare time.  I wonder when that will be.  I don’t have enough time now for everything I need to do.

Kitty Alzheimer’s?

Apparently cats can get anything humans can get, including Alzheimer’s.  Who would have ever thought that?  I’ve had many, many cats in my life but none with Alzheimer’s yet. 

Tootie

Tootie, who will be sixteen next month, has been getting lost in the house and meowing loudly a lot.  When I say a lot, I mean a lot.  Sleeping at night is almost impossible at my house, especially with the added fact that hubby has some viral infection that started out as a cold. 

Today I was off work so took Tootie to the vet for an examination.  She seems to be in good shape according to the vet, who gave us the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s (although he says they don’t call it that for pets, but it’s the same thing.)  Hmmm…

Aside from this issue, Tootie eats well and drinks lots of water.  Of course all this water drinking is normal for an older cat, or dog, the vet said, and that she doesn’t have diabetes, which is what I was thinking at first. 

 Raven checking out the new cat box

The new cat box in place with splash guard installed and paper underneath for easy cleanup

 

Well all this water drinking either makes her throw up water all over the house, or pee a lot, which includes missing the box at times.  He suggested we get a lower cat box for her so she can get in and out easier with her arthritis.  We’re giving her herbs for that, which seem to help some.  She can jump on the couch by herself again, which is a good thing (unless she throws up there.)  I find myself cleaning up after this cat a few times each day.  The vet told us as long as she’s eating, drinking, and not sleeping all the time, it wasn’t time to put her down.

I suspect she has a lot of time left because, although she ambles about the house, she can run when she wants too and has her moments of “get up and go.”

 Tootie

I keep thinking, as all of our cats get older, I’ll know what to do by looking at the warning signs of the cats that were here before them.  This practice would probably work except all the cats have all died of something different from each other, at least so far.

That goes for everyone except my boys, Wizard and Ceasar, who were brothers.  They both died of kidney disease.

Tootie

I wonder if Tootie has moments when she knows she’s losing her mind, like my mother.  Or times when she reverts back to childhood thoughts.  I really wish I could understand meows.

Something for dog lovers

I found the following video on a page a friend posted.  I believe the video was made and originally posted to Facebook by Valton the entertainer.  You won’t believe this dog and it left me asking, “Is this for real?”  Watch and you’ll see.  This dog is trained well.

Click here to view.

What would we do if life wasn’t full of issues and decisions?

As we all know it’s always something in life and I guess we should be glad we’re all around to experience all this stuff, good or bad, because the alternative isn’t a happy thought.

I’ve had a lot of car issues lately, as you know if you follow this blog.  Well I think that’s finally resolved (knock on wood) except for routine maintenance, like brakes, which is the next big job for my car.

Aside from that, I’m an artist at heart and I like to create things whether it’s a work of art for me or something for friends and family.  Besides writing stories and drawing, or painting pictures, I’m a calendar maker at years’ end.  I relax by resizing pics in my Photoshop program and putting together colorful calendars for the coming year.  This year I’m way behind because my photo printer has been on the blink.  I had a problem with the black ink cartridge and tried for two weeks to rectify the situation the best I could using Google for any info I could obtain that I didn’t know about.  I finally decided I was through with that, and believe me I don’t give up easily.

So I broke down and a week ago I bought a new color photo printer.  It was painful to spend the money, but it’s a bad situation when I haven’t even printed the calendars yet and it’s the third week of January.  I simply couldn’t let this go on any longer.

My new photo printer

I have a binding machine that only gets used about once a year but its well worth it.  I love doing everything myself and having the tools I need to do so.  I was finally able to print the calendars that I’ve had in a file for a month.

This is especially important because my mother has dementia and is losing her mind.  Every year I think this may be the last calendar I can make for her.  I put all the kids, grandkids, and great grand kids in there so she can focus and remember who we all are.  I know a time will come when this won’t work anymore.  I want to thank all my sisters and nieces for getting current pics to me for this calendar.  It means a lot.

 This is the cover of my mother's calendar for 2016

All any of us can do is take one day at a time.

Do you have a loved one suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s?