Skirret Saturday

[Kittykatt]

Hello, Bama! Your purchases yesterday sound lovely! I think there comes a point in life ( mid 90s?) when quality of life becomes a lot more important than actual life span. And also anything you do or dont do is unlikely to greatly affect how *long* you continue to live for, but may have a *huge* impact on how much you enjoy your life.

Nursing home care here is a minefield . All I know for sure is that if one half of a married couple needs to go into a home, then they *cannot* take the house if the spouse and /or dependant children are living there.

I e finally taken Fred out and had a good chat with Dnextdoorneighbour C. Having lunch now, then I'll wash the skirting boards and door frame in the bathroom, and wash down the tiles and scrub the shower head. Then that will leave the cabinet to sort through and the curtains to wash on there. Then maybe I can turn my attention to something else!

[helia]

I've never heard of skirret! But dh has heard of "suikerwortel" in his first language. I'd actually like to try it sometime.

I see you've started painting the bathroom ceiling, Kitty! I'll join you today in finishing laundry.
Hi Vergers! Always nice to see you!
Sleep well Doggedly. Hope to see you soon!
((Bama)) That is rough, and it doesn't seem fair to withhold Medicaid until someone is destitute. We have a will but it is about 15 years old and really needs to be updated -- but life is busy with other things and we never get to it. Dbro doesn't even want to think about that kind of stuff. I don't know what will happen to dniece when he passes; he has said that guardianship would be given to our kids, which is OK if $$ for her care accompanies that as she'll need some sort of care 24/7. But I highly doubt he will leave any money for her care.

Dh and I got home after 9 pm last night. M's guests were gone, and she'd done a pretty good job cleaning up, though there were a couple spots of chili on the kitchen counters and the rice cooker was not put away.

I'm up but didn't get enough sleep. My head is feeling more congested this morning. I'll just keep on with the antibiotics.

We have CG1 this evening. The Ks are hosting. I'd like to make a certain salad to bring - if I can find the recipe. It was a marinated vegetables sort of thing - zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, scallions. I also need to finish laundry, work on the fridge, pay Mom's PT bill, and start work on exam prep: one exam needs to be created, OK-ed, and ready by Thursday bc one student is taking her exams early that day. (The exam is actually given a week from Thursday.) I'd like to jog and work more on my knitting today!

It is cloudy, gray, and about 68*.

Main Goals for Today and Tomorrow
1. Jog - short; see how I feel
2. Find recipe - or figure one out
3. Make salad for CG1 potluck
4. Laundry: lights f and pa and towels w d f pa
5. Mom's PT bill
6. Payroll: AIR Exam draft progress
7. Progress cleaning the fridge
8. 5:30 - 9-ish (or later but we will not stay later) CG1

Next:
- take antibiotic
- back exercises
- dress to jog

Tadas!
- up; weighed self -- trending up now (restaurant food?)
- coffee
- dw 1/2 emptied

[L.Ann]

Morning everyone! Night Dogged! Little Bit is spending the night so I need to get a few things done before she comes around lunch time. My mom’s nursing home bill was over 16,000 a month for self pay here in Maryland, Bama. It is definitely expensive care but it was an excellent place. She and dad had moved into a place with 3 levels years ago. They started in an apartment and then she moved to assisted living and then eventually to nursing care.

1-dress and pick up bedroom
2-meds and temp for DD32
3-delete email

4-trash
5-swish and swipe
6-walk or go pick up Target order

Menus
Saturday-pizza
Sunday-leftovers
Monday-loaded Greek fries
Tuesday-hoisin shrimp lettuce cups
Wednesday-DD2/leftovers
Thursday-chorizo enchiladas
Friday-za’atar falafel and barley bowls


Events
Saturday-Little Bit and her dog overnight, movie Bad Guys2
Sunday-Little Bit home around noon
Monday-Little Bit 7:40-5, groceries
Tuesday-Little Bit 7:40-5, DD32 dentist@11:10??
Wednesday-Little Bit 7:40-5, DD32 PS from 3-8
Thursday-Little Bit 7:40-5, library story time
Friday-Little Bit 7:40-5

Weekly House Blessing-mop dining room, kitchen, bathroom, vacuum, swish and swipe, windex, dust
Extra Stuff- work on last Shutterfly book
Little Errands-drop off DM’s driver’s license, send email and documentation to delete DM’s Facebook accounts
Phone calls-waiting for call back from doctor’s office

Accomplishments
-stretching and knee exercises
-breakfast for all
-start bread machine
-put in Target order
-diet site

[helia]

That's expensive, L Ann -- but sounds worth it. I think Mom's is around $10K/ month but I'm not positive as she might have been bumped up to 2 assist, a little more. I don't see the bills, and the trustee seems fine with the costs.

The nursing home in Illinois was about $7500/ month, but I felt the care wasn't as good. It certainly wasn't as home-y, and it didn't have the friendly family feel among the staff that this one has. Mom has been in nursing home care for almost 5 years now.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Sat 5:30 - ? CG1
Sun Church/ 3:30 - 6-ish CG2 @ B and L/ Host Sunday Dinner?

Mon Visit Mom/ Groceries
Tue early - KS2J get together?/ 11-1 payroll: teach IR D6/ 6:30 - Host Tuesday Dinner crew
Wed
Thu 11-1 payroll: teach IR D7/ 2 - work out with AS
Fri Visit Mom/ dinner date with dh?
Sat 8 - 5K? (I'm not doing well getting to this)
Sun Church/ Visit Mom/ 6 - Host Sunday Dinner

July Brain Dumps
This Week - House
- clean fridge - wip
- get 2 guest beds remade with clean sheets
- polish kitchen appliances - wip
- possibly, polish stone counter tops
- repot my little orchid

This Week - Deskwork
- pay Mom's PT bill
- ask for reimbursement for Mom's PT bill from the trust

This Week - Errands
- bank

General Brain Dump
- progress decluttering clothes - wip
- new phone eventually
- buy queen bed frame + mattress + box springs for dd27's room - wip

MOM
- shelves for her room?
- keep on sprucing up her wardrobe - pants
- sign Mom up for the patient portal - PA at the NH
- cancel appointments as they come up: Sept. - geriatrics

Payroll
- grade midterm test
- gradelink week 3

Brain Dump - Mom and Trust
- get fire safe box for Mom's documents

[Bama]

Good morning, helia and LAnn!
Surely there is a middle ground for us common folk who don’t mind paying but can’t afford to go in whole hog, so to speak. We didn’t get any other options presented at any of the homes we interviewed. And care was lacking at all of them. It seems the same workers flit around from one to the other as they please. I’ve seen a lot of neglect.

Helia, hope you feel better and get rid of this bug asap. What is dh’s first language?

LAnn, we are doing pizza today too! We found a locally owned restaurant that is really good.

Kittykatt, local online auctions seem to be my life these days lol. And for now there doesn’t seem to be much competition in bidding so I can get items for $1-$2 which is right up my alley. These are small, women only allowed, only people living in this community, so they seem pretty well vetted. I do take dh with me and usually meet in public areas. Today we are meeting at a dollar store parking lot near the pizza place we plan on eating lunch at. Might thrift some in between as there are a lot of older shops on this one long road.

Dhs mom was diabetic and we tried to keep her on a low sugar diet until we realized why??? She had dementia and didn’t understand but she loved a treat. We’d get her those orange slices, does anyone remember those? Gummy with sugar coating. She liked the variety box that had other flavors in it. I hadn’t known of those before I met her. My mom always got the orange only flavored box.

I have tada’d all pet chores… fed, watered, scooped litter, cleaned floors, swept, added some freshener stuff to litter boxes, gotten dh up (not a pet chore…or is it…lol), freshened up, going to trim my nails while I wait on him. Then just need to get dressed to go out. I’m “making” him take me to breakfast as my reward for cleaning so far. Hope to do more cleaning when we get back. It’s cloudy here so may come home sooner rather than later.

Enjoy your day!

[Lauralind]

Morning all. I have never heard of skirret. Different.

I don't even know where to begin today. I guess first off see where dh wants to begin and when. It is supposed to warm up quite a lot today and that is actually good to dry out the work in progress outside. His plan today is to use the tractor and get a bit more loose soil from the back patch. I should mow so he doesn't have to.

Plus the inside needs attention too. I should start some Declutter. In the spare rooms. One is done. But I am thinking moving ds 26 boxes to the done room so I can actually work in the craft room. Make i useful. I'll probably end up listing too much for the day again.

Oh the other thing I have to do is rescue my freezer. Something shifted in there and you had to actually make it close. Ds used a big pack of ribs yesterday that I think was the problem. But there's some stuff in the door shelves that melted a bit cause it didn't close right. I need to clean it. Organize it better and get rid of a few things. And see if ds wants to make more syrup with the rest of the berries today.

Atm I feel lazy and non motivated. Probably change once dh actually wants to get moving. Probably would feel better if I start with a shower and routines and then actually make breakfast and finish the kitchen properly.

Priority list

Basic routines
Finish kitchen
Fix freezer
Deal with berries (ds make syrup?? )
Mow everything
Dh landscaping with tractor
Some decluttering in craft room ???
Ds curtains up???

Today's tada list

Shower
S&s both baths and reboot laundry
Leave laundry room in case ds 26 brings some
Tidy Master bedroom some

Empty and reload dw
Finish tidying kitchen all the way
Breakfast for all

[L.Ann]

1-windex
2-set up kennel
3-read

Menus
Saturday-pizza
Sunday-leftovers
Monday-loaded Greek fries
Tuesday-hoisin shrimp lettuce cups
Wednesday-DD2/leftovers
Thursday-chorizo enchiladas
Friday-za’atar falafel and barley bowls


Events
Saturday-Little Bit and her dog overnight, movie Bad Guys2
Sunday-Little Bit home around noon
Monday-Little Bit 7:40-5, groceries
Tuesday-Little Bit 7:40-5, DD32 dentist@11:10??
Wednesday-Little Bit 7:40-5, DD32 PS from 3-8
Thursday-Little Bit 7:40-5, library story time
Friday-Little Bit 7:40-5

Weekly House Blessing-mop dining room, kitchen, bathroom, windex
Extra Stuff- work on last Shutterfly book
Little Errands-drop off DM’s driver’s license, send email and documentation to delete DM’s Facebook accounts
Phone calls-waiting for call back from doctor’s office

Accomplishments
-stretching and knee exercises
-breakfast for all
-start bread machine
-put in Target order
-diet site
-dress and pick up bedroom
-meds and temp for DD32
-delete email
-trash
-swish and swipe
-walk or
-go pick up Target order
-vacuum
-dust

[blessedw2]

so interesting kitty! I am going to do some reading on it now - thank you

[Lauralind]

Well I forced myself to finish the kitchen. Dw is running with some big stuff. Namely the ice cube trays that have been sitting on the island all summer. Apparently ds stopped using ice? Oh well I will put them somewhere clean and he can find them again. I have breakfast dishes waiting for next load but the rest is clean. I am such a messy cook. Ds learns from me...

Next up deal with the freezer and laundry and floors. Dh wants to go out soon but I think I have to wait till afternoon to mow. Still wet from dew and such.

Priority list

Basic routines
Finish kitchen
Fix freezer
Deal with berries (ds make syrup?? )
Mow everything
Dh landscaping with tractor
Some decluttering in craft room ???
Ds curtains up???

Today's tada list

Switch laundry
Sweep everywhere
Take berry pans out maybe ds will organize
Throw out some stuff in door

Shower
S&s both baths and reboot laundry
Leave laundry room in case ds 26 brings some
Tidy Master bedroom some

Empty and reload dw
Finish tidying kitchen all the way
Breakfast for all
[/quote]

[Doggedly]

Leaving them to overwinter might well improve the skirret, as it is related to parsnip, Kittykatt. I have never liked parsnip very much because they are bitter to me. By the time I was born, commercialization of farming had prioritized early harvesting, but one of my mothers told me that she had loved them growing up because they were harvested in spring. I think that it's the same idea as ice wine; they get a sweeter grape by leaving the grapes on the vines over the winter.
This is coming from someone who grows nothing successfully, so take it with a grain of salt, LOL.

Those options sound brutal, Bama. Canada has public health care, but too many of our nursing homes are in the hands of for-profit companies, leading to really poor care. During COVID, our main losses were people in the for-profit nursing homes.
I remember string art! How fun that you found some.
I have to ask what a bush hog is. I'm picturing a standard pig standing next to a potted rose bush, but I'm sure that there is more to it than that.

That salad sounds good, helia. I hope that you find the recipe, or another suitable one.

Hi, L.Ann. Is Little Bit excited to spend the night at your house?

Oh, I am sorry that I missed Bama. Now I will never know what a bush hog is, and will just go around with the picture of a domestic pig standing next to Kittykatt's rose bushes in my head.

You have already gotten so much done today, Lauralind. No point in forcing the mower over wet grass.

I am not going to post goals and then miss them, except to say that today is laundry day. However, I would like to run a couple of errands first. I want to check if the local health food store is still open. They are closing for good, and have amazing offers. I'm sad to see them go, as that is where I was buying my local eggs.
And I want to deposit my OAS cheque. My bank gets homeless people sleeping in the lobby after hours, and I don't like to disturb them by using the ATM. And you know, since it's right on my way, I coooould pop into the library. We'll see.