This time I have a good excuse for not writing for a while. Sometimes when human affairs displace horsey affairs one has to stop and take care of those events first. This has been one of those times. My parents are elderly, duh, I’m 60 after all. They live in Tucson, AZ, and we live in NM. In February my father had a heart attack (first in 30+ years), and it became quite evident that my mother couldn’t be left alone anymore. She has numerous health issues, not the least of which stem from several concussions, and brain surgeries. She ended up in the hospital twice, and in rehab for nearly a month from a fall she sustained while Father was in the hospital. Since we are at about 7,000’ she cannot come live with us, so the next best thing was to have them move to Roswell or Alamogordo, preferable Roswell. They found a facility in Roswell, and last week the move began.
Everything would have been fine except Father ended up in the hospital again, this time because of his gall bladder. He had surgery, and everything went well except for these two huge blisters on his legs. It seems that the compress packs used to keep him from getting clots in his legs rubbed, and left this wonderful little present of huge blisters, which of course got infected. Back to the hospital he went. Mother not wanting to be left out, fell trying to show a cabbie how to fold her walker. This time she landed on her tushi, and hit her back against a metal pole. Thank you, now she has a broken rib on top of everything else. My brother (who is doing quite well these days) can’t get time off to help deal with his parents so my husband took a week off so he could rent an RV to bring both parents to Roswell.
Even that turned into a disaster for Father in his wisdom decided to forget to take his medication, throwing his heart into conniption fits, and back to the hospital he goes. I think subconsciously they really didn’t want to leave. Ok they didn’t want to leave, but you do what you have to do, and they needed to be closer than 500 miles from me. Of course they wouldn’t release Father from the hospital in time to come down with mother, so poor Rudy had to make two trips. I felt so bad for him, and so grateful all at the same time. His parents are deceased so he would do anything for mine. I won’t deny that he was quite miffed at my brother, but that’s another story.
Finally both of my parents are here. I’m still working with Ser-Haat during all this, and suddenly we start having water problems. Perfect, I have company, and no water. Ah the story of my quiet life in the country. Evidently some of my fixes during the winter months didn’t quite last. Yes I have to dig everything up again to find where the leaks are. I’m going to scream if it turns out to be the pasture water ( the pipe I finally cemented in), but I don’t think so only because I turn the valve off when I’m not actually using that line. Well I can turn off the main at the barn, and turn it back on when I’m feeding. That way the waterier’s will fill so the horses won’t go thirsty, and my well will get the rest it needs to deliver water the rest of the time. Fixing the line is low on the priority list after running my parents around, and getting hay, prescriptions, oh and food too for us humans.
Sunday I discover that Father has to see a doctor on Monday, nothing like a lot of notice. I call the cardiologist I was referred to, and he can see him at 3:30, great, and not so great. It’s and hour and a half to Roswell. Father says he’s feeling fine, and wants to go by himself. I finally relent, give him directions, and we leave by two to take him to the gas station. That should give him plenty of time right? Wrong. I also give him a map with directions, and phone numbers. The biggest mistake is I give him my cell so he can call 911 if he has a problem on the way. He’s 87 after all. Yes I said 87. I get a call when I’m feeding only to find out he has just arrived at the facility where he will eventually live. That’s at 5:00. Wonderful. Freda (a most gracious woman) is taking him to the hospital where his new doctor is on staff so he can get him some medication, which got left at the house. How did that happen you ask. Well you see Father put everything in his bag, which I picked up, and loaded, into his car. I didn’t know that the small bag next to the trash I had to take to the dumpster, had all his meds in it. Yes things do keep getting better.
Ok he’s at the hospital, so he’s safe. I ask Freda to be sure that he calls me, and she told him to be sure to call her once he got to a hotel as well. Time goes by and no word from Father. I do get a call from Freda asking if he has called to which I reply no. Now we are both frantic. She calls the hospital, and they tell her he has gone. I keep calling my cell (he did answer it once after all) to no avail. Finally around 10:00 I find the hotel he’s in. He doesn’t answer the phone, but the desk clerk says he’s there. Ok now I can go to sleep, provided I can sleep that is.
The next day I spend sleeping, and visiting with Mother. We are both tuckered out. Freda keeps me up to date on Father who still has not called me, and I don’t worry so much. I also call the moving company to find out what has happened with their furniture. I’m generally a very nice person, however when I get riled watch out. It seems the person handling the move is no longer there to which I reply good, and even though I spoke to him at length about the move that has now become a medical nightmare, he neglected to put any of that information into their system, and she informs me that it could be the 8th before their furniture gets there. I was livid. Poor child, all she could say was I didn’t know that, and I’m sorry. The long, and short of it turned out to be that I have no clue when their furniture will arrive, I have an elderly mother who cannot be at 7,000’ at my house, and a Father who is I don’t know where. She says she will note everything into their system and let dispatch know that the delay is causing a medical hardship. Wonderful, we’ll see how much good that does.
Wednesday I decide that I have to bite the bullet, and take Father’s meds to him in Roswell, no he still hasn’t called me, and yes even though I have called him he hasn’t answered his phone. Mother insists on going with me, which will be hard on her, but she is sick of staying at home. If you knew my mother you would understand. Off we go in the jeep, no I’m not supposed to take the jeep on long trips, but it’s the only way I can take Mother with her oxygen. We get to Peachtree only to find out we have lost Father again. It seems that he checked out of the hotel Why am I not surprised? We finally locate him at the doctor’s office getting ready to take a stress test. Mother is a little confused, but I keep her laughing while we wait in the lobby for Father. Finally the nurse tells us to go to the other lobby where Father is now waiting to see the doctor. Good Mother gets to see Father. Since she has been so ill, and he has become her caregiver, she has become very dependent on his presence. Who says marriages can’t last forever?
I go outside to get something, and when I come back they take me to his room so I can hear what the doctor has to say. Gee I wonder if it has anything to do with their ages? Well the stress test showed that a portion of his heart isn’t getting the circulation it should. The doctor doesn’t even have to explain, after seven stints with Rudy, I know exactly what he is going to say, and he does. Actually I interrupt him and tell him that he’s going to want Father to go to Albuquerque for a cath, and when they find the blockages they will put in however many stints they need to. I told him I knew the drill. So now I get to pick up Father in Roswell (an hour and a half drive), and take him to Albuquerque (a three and a half hour drive), and drive back to Capitan when I have difficulty driving half an hour to town. I wonder if I can get some super pain pills from Doc Seidel? On top of that I just got a schedule for next week when I’m supposed to be working. Isn’t life wonderful? Now you know why I want to get back to work, and take a vacation from my soap opera life.
I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but somehow I’ll figure it out. During all this I do tend to the horses. Ser-Haat is solid on getting the little white English blanket on, and off his back. Sadie is not, I repeat not going into her heat cycle, so I’m pretty sure she’s pregnant, and best of all, I have someone interested in Star, maybe Storm, but probably Star. She’s an elderly (if you can call 72 elderly) endurance rider looking for a small Arab to start. I think Star will be just the ticket for her. She wants a horse she can bond with, and Star is if nothing else a very affectionate little girl, always has been. I have to get her to the barn so I can start getting her, and Cupid back to normal weight. If she had some meat on her she wouldn’t look so tiny. The Lady is from Silver City, and wants to come out this month to see her. We’ll all keep our fingers, and toes crossed, and say a bazillion prayers. I really need to sell all three youngsters. I haven’t put Ser-Haat up for sale yet, and I won’t until I can get him over his fears. He’s getting better, but still has a long way to go. He may be good with one blanket, but whatcha wanna bet he freaks with another different blanket. After that he will get the plastic bag, and whatever else I can dream up. Then, and only then will I put a price tag on him. I don’t want someone else screwing him up because of his fears. A heavy hand will ruin him at this point in his life.
It’s very late, and this child has had a very busy day. I’ll take my pain pills, and make nicey nice with that wonderful invention called a bed. I have another full day coming tomorrow, and I want to make time to spend with Little Big Man. Every morning, and every night when I feed he looks at me with his sweet eyes wondering if I’m going to play with him. I give him skirtches, tell him how much I love him, feed him, and leave him. He’s so sweet, and soft I feel guilty not spending more time with him, but not only have I not figured out how to put more hours in the day, but I can’t find the energy to fill the hours I do have. This “O” thing is a bear’s patut, and I am not pleased about it at all. Stay tuned for the next chapter of this soap opera, and I’ll try not to wait so long until I write it.
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