Sick Bastards !!!!!!

Here's some bad news for us..Someone broke into the storage unit where Dots things were stored. I guess 30 units were broken into. It was supposed to be a safe secure high security place! Well I guess they lied. Robin and Rick are quite upset. Irreplaceable things were taken. Some antique jewelry, banking things, and a few other things. Robin isn't sure yet about anything else. I guess they tore up the place pretty bad too. Ricks golf clubs were taken but then left behind ..Who knows why. It is such a shame. What cruel people would do that! The place told Robin to claim it on her homeowners. That really sucks. Hope they can catch the crooks and retrieve their belongings. But it was in Eden and I don't think they have a Police Force do they?

Moving Day..

Well it was finally time to move Dottie out of Gowanda to Autumview. It was a lovely day in March actually warm out, sweater weather. Thank goodness. So I get to the home and fortunately Dot was not in her room. That gave me time to pack up the last of her things and load my car. Then I found Dottie in the activity room and she went around and said her goodbyes. Seems she couldn't get out of there fast enough. We left there and stopped at Uncle Joe's Diner for lunch before we had to meet Robin. We had a nice table out in the atrium. It was even a little too warm out there! Anyway we had chicken salad croissants. They were sooo yummy. All of the sudden Dot started to gag and choke! Now she has gaged on me before but never like this. I gave her a few seconds and then jumped up to see what I had to do. Fortunately another lady came over to help. She said we are going to have to Heimlich her. Hey I can do that I thought I did it to my brother Terry once and squeezed pizza cheese out of his throat and saved his life! that's a whole other story. Back to Dottie. As we went to get behind her she finally gaged it up we thought but it seems her teeth were pushing out. So the other lady said your going to have to take her teeth out. YIKES! If there is one thing I literally hate its false teeth..someone else's false teeth!!! All I could think of was OH MY God What do I do...So I grabbed some napkins and all of the sudden she got it out and was coughing. Someone else brought her some water and the nice lady went back to her table. When everything calmed down Dottie looked at me and said "Well that got the attention I've always wanted! and she started to laugh till tears rolled out her eyes. During the rest of lunch she kept laughing and joking about all the attention! That was funny!! Needless to say she didn't finish the rest of her food. She didn't want to do that again! Nor did I!!!!! We finally got to her new home. Beautiful place. We got Dottie all settled in her new room and then Robin and I got a tour of the place. Very nice..very clean...seems like a great place to be if you have to be in a place. Some of her family was afraid it would affect Dottie to move again but we knew it was for the better and much nicer and closer for Robin and I so it was good for us! The next day I went back. Dottie and I roamed around . I showed her where the beauty shop was and she said oh yes that's where I got my perm a few weeks ago! Hum... Then we saw the beautiful court yard of course it was still to cold and wet to go out there and Dottie said they took her out there a a couple of times and they sat in the sun and it was very nice. Mind you she had been there a total of 24 hours by this time..So I guess moving was not a concern for Dottie..she already thought she had been living there for a while! Ah Alzheimer's its a wonderful thing!!!!
So back to the room we went to play cards and devourer out goodies. For Dottie it seemed like well you know..same old same old. Gotta love it!

I am..the Granny!

Yes...I am the Granny...I take care of three little "Monsters", three cats and a big Dog! Scott had offered my services at Olive Garden to some of the employees. Laurie took him up on the offer and called me. Laurie and her boyfriend Brad share her three lovely kids. Yes actually they are lovely kids...I enjoy them..they are pretty good for me and they listen to me..well for now anyway!
Josh who will be 9, Tyler who will be 8 and Haley who will be 5 . Cutest little kids but like most kids that age, and I can attest to that, are terrors! I mostly have been sitting after school till after bed time so it isn't too bad.. Get off the bus, have a snack, do homework....then it is "OPEN SEASON" on each other. WOW and I thought we were bad as kids! But I just sit back..play solitaire or do a puzzle or read one of my million scrapbook magazines and let all "Hell" break loose! I make sure they can't get hurt or damage anything in the house..I crank up the TV.. and off they go. Every once in a while I have to yell.. "hey don't come crying to me..you started it" or "Haley! go easy on your older brothers now you got them crying!" Or Don't get the dog all wound up! Or I'll use the big threat...I'll tell your mother you did not behave for me!! DUN DA DUN DUN!! Poor Raven..they get him running and barking and comes and hides by me..Of course he thinks hes a lap dog! flops on my lap and if I try to push him off he hops on the couch behind me and when I cover my head to hide he flops on my head!! I don't know I think he thinks I'll protect him from the wild bunch!! Ya good luck with that trick! That's when good old Raven gets hooked up out side till he can calm down..sometimes I'd like to hook the kids up out side too..till they calm down! On Thursdays good old Tyler takes drum lessons. Yes you guessed it Scott comes over and has a great time with that! Actually Tyler's isn't too bad and I make the other kids stay upstairs as not to aggravate the Teacher! Fortunately for me, the kid never practices while I'm there! Then comes the fun part. They like to make their own dinner. Works for me. One prefers buttered noodles...one always wants frozen waffles..and one just whines and get what ever I give her.
Then Raven the big dog tries to get on the table to eat with us. But I sure put the stop to that in one hell of a hurry! Then he goes and eats the cat food and barfs it up every time..you'd think he'd learn! A little TV some video games aggravate the cat, a little more wrestling and off to bed.. Now that the weather is nice we have been hanging out side. I can work on my tan and they play. This past week they cleaned the inside of my car and scrubbed my mats..They thought that was great fun! After we all got to play in the hose!
Did I mention I need combat pay for this Job? Next time they will wash the out side of my car then I promised them a trip to the playground! ....OOOOO I love my job!

Champion Rummy Player..

Well Dottie and I have settled into a routine. Three days a week I visit up to the Gowanda nursing home. Other than the snow durring the winter the ride is beautiful Its like taking myself for a ride out in the country everytime I go. It was like that when I worked in Springville too. A leisurly ride, no traffic, beautiful scenery and I can listen to 45 minutes of non stop Joey!!!! Each trip I would stop and get us some goodies. This is our favorite part of the day!! I actually got to like Tim Hortons coffee but I think only Gowanda Tim Hortons! Don't know why, just theirs! Of course I'd get Dotties favorite an apple fritter. mostly fritter with what may have been a piece of apple..we wern't sure. regardless they were good! We spend the afternoon kicking each other's ass in Rummy. We are a pretty good match. For a while I thought I'd have to start letting her win..but now I think she feels sorry for me and lets me win too! We should play for money!!! like Texas Holdem but we'd have to drink too..not that we couldn't Dot likes her Cani wine!
We would play and chat for hours and she would remember the past like it was yesterday, but forgets my name..oh well that's not important! She would talk about her kids and where they lived but according to her mind I think they moved around alot! That went on for a few months finally thanks to some pull from Brother Mike...Dottie got a room in Autumview manor in Hamburg. What a releif for all involved. Dottie was now close enough so Robin can visit all she wants ..it is on her way to and from work. And it is much closer for me with the price of gas and all it works out much better all around!

Take my Mom...PLEASE!!

Dot and her daughter Robin had been sharing a home for sometime now. For a long time things were going smoothly. Well for the most part. Dot had a nice home and companionship...Robin had her mom living with her and all the advantages that brings and Brad was a lucky little boy having his grandma there all the time! But with Age comes problems as we all have heard! Not that we know...we've only heard! So as a temporary solution each of Dots kids were going to TAKE their mom for a while until a perment solution could be found. Well how did that go you ask? I am sure each of her four kids have there own stories to tell..In the mean time the family went "Home Shopping". Lots of places and lots of long waiting lists! What a delema..Dot even got to go check one out. Needless to say that didn't go well..You can read about that ordeal in the "Police Blotter" in the Hamburg Sun! Seems Mom didn't care for the place or the tour guide...seems there was a brawl and the police were called and someone got into big trouble!!!!!!!we won't mention any names..will we MOM!!!! So that place was out! Well time was running out..
so Mom ended up in the Gowanda Nursing home. Just temporaraly till a nicer and one closer to civilazation could be found. How did that go you ask? Well if Gowanda has a home town news paper..check out that "Police Blotter"...So poor mom got sent to the perverbial "TIME OUT CHAIR"! When she returned she was given a lovely room with round the clock care. It was a double room but more often than not Dot didn't have a roommate. That was really nice.. a private room with a view! Her is where I come in. a few ,days a week I would go visit Dottie. We get along famously..Dottie and "my friend who comes to play cards" AKA Sharon. Hell what is a name anyways...She knows my face, and she knows I bring the GOODIES! Some times I get there and have to go find her in the activity room. As soon as she spots me she jumps out of her chair to get the hell out of that room!!!! All she wants to do is play cards! I asked her one time if they played cards in the activity room and she replyed.."Hell no they are all too old!" Hum..good thing she is still eightysomething young!! So off we go to her room for an afternoon of gabbing, tv watching, card playing, snacking and mostly laughing! Oh ya Dot is too funny! Mind you she is sharp as a tack when it comes to playing cards. She has been know to kick my Ass numerous times..but I do reciprocate! No mercy here! Well that is the kick off to my newest career! Hey does anyone have the number for Weight Watchers?

Fast Forward...2005....

After 13 years working in "THE REAL WORLD" I crashed and burned! Sort of. You see I was working for Univera Medical center now know as Life Time Health, in their Specialty Department. Three Medical Secretaries for 27 Doctors and the Colonoscopy Center. Well in about 3 months time they pulled one gal for the Call Center...and the other gal got divorced and skipped town leaving just me! Now some corporate smart Ass thought it would be a good cost saving idea to begin layoffs. They were famous for that! So the henchmen went around site to site giving out pink slips. No one was safe. Even one person office personel were let go! Everyone feared for their job especially me! I really loved that job. Great coworkers..great pay and benifits. I didn't want to loose it.
With just opening up a colonoscopy center in our office I was hoping I was safe but I couldn't be sure so I worked my Ass off only to cause physical damage to my upper extremities. More than your typical carpal tunnel.....nerve damage up and down both arms and my neck. At my supervisors request I saw my Dr. He pulled me out of work hopefully for only a few weeks which turned into many many more!!! I actually loved the time off even tho I could not do Shit!!!!!! after 7 months the company terminated me for all my galliant efforts. Them bastards! There went my "Real World" job and pay and benifits! I was able to collect workers comp and unemployment but it wasen't the same. finally after almost 2 years and still suffering, I was released for light duty. I took a temporary job in a physical therapy department but when that ended I was again unemployed. Here is where it happened. I was offered a "Career Change" Granny Sitting! Sounded good to me..nice pay..nice hours...Nice Granny!
Grandma Dottie. Grandma Dot is Robins mom . We all know her as Ricks Robin! The deal was go over and play cards with Dot. Make sure she took her meds and ate her meals. She was too cute..She referred to me as her "friend who comes to play cards"! She could never remember my name. The funny thing was Brad's babysitter (Robins Son) would come over and make her self at home and Dot would make comments about her answering the phone..or helping herself to food or drink The old.. who does she think she is? routine. So here I am now supposedly a friend coming to play cards and telling Dot to take her medicine and then I rummage the frige and cupboards to make us lunch or dinner. And I get the phone! The old..who do I think I am..routine!! Bet she bitched about that..but fortunatly she couldn't remember my name!! Well it was fun while it lasted...a week later I was offered a job at the Physical Therapy place I was going to, and I had to leave Dot and go back into "THE REAL WORLD"! Fortunatly I was able to pass my job off to my sister in law Sharon who was Dots companion for quite a while!

I worked at Gateway Physical therapy for 8 months when unfortunatly I was diagnosed with colon cancer. Unable to work again until I beat that dreaded disease..which I did ..but was left with Permenant nerve damage from the chemo affecting my already damaged nerves! What rotten luck! But I can't complain...I am still here Thank God! and I do every day. this all left me on disability or what I call a permenant Vacation!!! Got to love it!

How it all began...

It began back in the eighties....I was a stay at home Mom...My career of choice. I was raising my 2 kids at the time, Sarah and Stevie. for a few years I was a babysitter for friends kids. But then they all reached school age...Oh damn almost had to get a real job...but Oops something happened... got pregnant. Nice that gave me at least 5 to 6 year reprieve.... So in the meantime I was asked to check in on a friends older dad. He was in his late seventies and lived home alone. So a few days a week I would go over as his cleaning lady. But I was really there to babysit Grandpa Charlie.


He was a very nice old man even tho he was Gary Wetsells dad, but I didn't hold that against him!!! HaHa I would go a few days a week and get him breakfast and his morning medication and then do some cleaning as we visited. Then I would get his lunch and be on my way. The other days he had nurses aids.
It wasn't long before he called me and asked me to sneak over and not tell anyone..he had an accident in his bed!!! Oh great I thought was this in my contract? But I went... It wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be... most of it was contained in his Jammie's and the rest had rolled all over his bedroom floor! Everywhere! Under the bed...the dresser...out into the hall. A trail to the bathroom.. I striped the bed..shook out the PJ's and scooped the poop up...Ok that wasn't so bad.then he swore me to secrecy!!! Now after all these years I am revealing his secret...sorry Charlie!
It wasn't long before I realized he was not getting out of his chair..at all... he was using a urinal on my days and then the other days his aids would help him to the bath room...Don't know who was putting him to bed! One Morning I arrived and there he was in his chair as usual. I asked him what he would like for breakfast and he looked at me really weird. His eyes were all glazed over. It was a little scary! I asked him a few questions and he slurred his words and spoke in a very confusing manor! I noticed he hadn't used his urinal and his aides had not come in 3 days. He was in his chair the whole time. Finally among his confusion and slurred speech I asked him if he was alright and would he like me to call Gary...and as clear as a bell he yelled " why would I want you to do that" I guess he wasn't a big fan of Gary's either! But I had to call someone..so I called Marge Gary's wife she called Gary and we called an ambulance. Seems the poor old man spent 3 days in his chair never going to the bathroom. They found out he had a twisted bowel that had turned to gangrene! He had emergency surgery..and did very well. Seems I saved his life! Sweet reward for a job well done! His family wasn't so sure tho..old Charlie spent many more years in a nursing home sucking up his families inheritance!!! Sorry gang..
So ended that job. I went on to have my third child and retire from Eldercare!

And I get paid for doing this....

Well with the encouragement of my son-in-law Al and my daughter Sarah, I am creating a Granny Blog. If you know any or own any "Old People" of your own, you"ll appreciate where I am coming from! You see I Granny sit now. I love my job..if you want to call it that! I Figured since I don't have any grandchildren yet (HINT HINT) I might as well get me some grandmas to love! Grandmas with dementia...they are just too much fun!!!! And I love em' to death....ooops not literally..I need my job....Now this is what it is like working in the "Real World"!! Ya the real world..a threat that was thrown at us every time we complained about a job somewhere..."You don't like it here?..try working in the "Real World"!!! With all my jobs and life experiences, I have come to the conclusion..there is no "REAL WORLD" We live in a "fantasy world"..one we create for ourselves. It can be good or bad...happy or sad...filled with love and laughter or doom and gloom...We all choose our own fantsay life!...well until we reach the dreaded "Golden Years" then our brain confuses the real with the fantasy, the now with the then...and the wanna with the don't wanna! The only advice I can offer for this type of work is to "Play along, always be happy and wear a smile..talk nice.. bring nice treats and be safe! Oh did I mention...."I love my Job"