Journal

Grampa-in-law -- living in a Board and Care, has trouble walking without falling, won't use a wheelchair, can't drive, can't do his own finances, can't remember what day it is or what his phone number is, calls us several times a day for reassurance or to ask what day it is or something

OBSESSES endlessly about the few things he can remember.

Today's obsession - get the moving company to move the furniture from his old house to his 50 yr old girlfriend's house.  Now.  RIGHT NOW.  NOW!!!!

Doesn't know where the keys to his house are.  Called the mover and scheduled for 9 am Friday.  Now, he has not made any arrangements to BE at his house, or asked US to be at his house (we will be out of town and he knows it, that's why he planned it for Friday, to be sneaky).

But he has scheduled the movers and is adament that we bring him his keys RIGHT NOW.  NOW!!  Doesn't matter what we are doing it has to happen right now.

Sigh...

Called 4 times in 10 minutes (I didn't pick up), started talking before the beep, "DALE, pickup the phone dale, i have to have my keys dale"  OH WAIT, make that FIVE TIMES.  I want to kill him now.  NOW.  RIGHT NOW!!!!!

I just picked up and wasn't very nice.  I asked him if he realized he'd called and left 5 messages in 10 minutes.  I told him his caretaker has the keys and he can do what he wants.

ARGGGGGG!  He ruins every possibility of a good time for us.  Tonight is date night... that means MAYBE I might just get to have sex with my husband, if we don't get too angry and upset.  Tomorrow should be a nice relaxed holiday dinner.  But now we'll be on edge for the next 2 days worrying about whether the caretakers are being put in a bad situation, having to take him to his house, etc., etc.

SERIOUSLY, DUDES, WHY CAN'T THE GOAL PROGRESS METER HAVE NOTCHES BELOW ZERO, BECAUSE I'M GOING BACKWARDS HERE!

Life falling apart list (these things make me laugh so don't feel sorry for us):

dishwasher wiring has been chewed by our pet rat for a second time, so we have NO clean dishes and have to call the handyman to repair (I mean WEEKS worth of dishes have piled up now)

out of toilet paper

grandpa's truck battery needs charging, couldn't find jumper cables last night, window is down and it's raining (grandpa would SHIT if hew knew this)

out of coffee

hubby stepped in the shower this morning and the water was cold

fairly new computer seems to have died and we haven't a clue why or what to do

broke after spending $3000 on a stray cat that died anyway

out of cat food for all the stray/ferals that live in our backyard and have suddenly decided we need grand-kitties (which brings up the whole NEW stressor of trapping/fixing them)

******

Hubby and I both have anxiety and it's a well-choreographed dance... I get anxious just THINKING about him being anxious, my anxiety then raises him to a new level...

So he wakes me up at 7 this morning (much later than I need to be getting up but it's OK), tells me to bring my blankie and get on the couch, and hands me a Venti Chai from Starbucks that he already went out for while I was still asleep.  :-)

And when I go back through this list I can take each item and turn it into a positive.

dishwasher - we get to eat out

toilet paper - was able to get some from grandpa's house

grandpa's truck - he had a tarp in the backseat that we were able to cover the window with

out of coffee - I got STARBUCKS

cold shower - hubby and I can take a bath together tonight

computer - we sit together on the couch with my laptop while he checks his fantasy football

broke - we tried, and the cat who wouldn't let us touch her for 4 yrs or so sat in my lap and cuddled

out of cat food - well, no real positives except it gives me an excuse to go to PetsMart and buy treats for puppy

:-)