Mr. AOW Has Gone Home

On March 4, Mr. AOW (1949-2021) passed peacefully at the hospice facility: end stage renal failure with complications.  His passing was expected the past ten days or so.  He was at the hospice for eight and one-half days.

I was on my way to the hospice for my morning visit with him when I got the phone call.  

The hospice didn't see the usual signs in advance in order to summon me.  Just as well.  Mr. AOW and I decided years ago that I shouldn't sit bedside for the end.  

One moment, he was cracking a joke.  The next moment, he was gone.

While Mr. AOW was at the hospice for that brief time, he had more visitors and phone calls than he'd had in eleven and one-half here at home under post-stroke care.  What an irony!

I am grateful for the excellent care my husband received at the hospice.  This is what end-of-life care should be!  I'm also grateful that Mr. AOW was lucid right up to the very end.

Goodbye, Mom

Mom (1920-2015) and Dad (1918-1979)

Mom died yesterday at the age of 95. Alzheimer's Disease, which stole her from us many, many years ago.

Mom had been in a care facility for over 5 years - about the same time that I got out of the nursing home, which I needed for weeks after my stroke.

I'm unable to make the trip for the funeral.

I hope to get a family member to put flowers on her grave. Mom loved flowers so much, and there should be flowers on her grave.

Classic comedy

In honor of football season:


Andy Griffith was distantly related to Mrs. AOW.  They never got along, though. Something about an ancient family feud generations ago.

There's a first time for everything

Mrs. AOW has gotten sick and tired of giving me manicures and pedicures. She's no good at it, anyway.  Hell, she won't even fool around with her own nails - much less mine!

Today, we're off to the nail spa for the first time for either of us. I hope that I can get into that pedicure chair!  I need a pedicure more than I need a manicure.

Mrs. AOW is going to let them experiment on me before she lets them do her nails.   At least the place she has picked has a great reputation.

9/11

I have not forgotten.

Have most Americans forgotten?

I hope that we don't get hit again today.   Or any day.

Man-cave access at last!

The local American Legion, veterans helping veterans, built me a wheelchair ramp so that I can get back into The Little House, which I used as my man cave.

I had my stroke there on September 15, 2009.

At last I can get back inside my man cave!

Mrs. AOW took these photos:

The reality

I hope that it doesn't come to that last one.

Actually, I've already been there but graduated to a mobility scooter.

I love my scooter.

But it has its drawbacks.

Yesterday I went out on my own on a little adventure down the bike trail. I decided to cross the bridge into the park. Damn. There was a dropoff, and I got stuck there. Mrs. AOW had to come to help me out of that rut. She couldn't lift the scooter, but she flagged down some people on the main part of the trail, and they got me up and running again. On my next trip out on the trail, I'll have to me more careful and watch where I'm going!

I got home long before Mrs. AOW did.  She had to hoof it, but I was zooming along back on the bike trail.

Smart cat!

One of Mrs. AOW's Facebook finds:


We once had a white cat a lot like the one in the video. She was the smartest cat ever!

Ferguson...

What would ISIS do?

THIS!

Our scooterway and grill area

Decorate A Vet built this for us last year:

Mrs. AOW took the above photo just as the workers finished the surface area.

I'm enjoying being able to access the grill again!  We're planning to grill again this week, and I do all the grill food on my own.

I like being able to help Mrs. AOW with preparing meals.

Time for humor

With a hat tip to Woodsterman:

I haven't been blogging much lately. Just one of those things. Lots of coin shows to go to, plus Mrs. AOW has plans. We've been visiting the Smithsonian and getting out more for together-time quite a bit this summer.

New version of "Flying Purple People Eaters"

A little something that Mrs. AOW found on her blog rounds today:

Big mistake. For them, not us.

Barack Hussein Obama's refusal to go to the border shows him up for the hypocrite that he has been all along:


Maybe it's too far away from the November election for his mistake to matter.

On the other hand, it just might matter!

This border mess has put Obama and the Democratic Party at a disadvantage.

This is another result.

Power crazy politicians overreach every time.

I know this creek!

I've been up this creek more times that I can count!

Happy 4th of July!

BE SURE TO GO OUT ON THE 3RD TO BUY A FIFTH FOR THE 4TH!

Shy kitty

Cameo did something like this when we took her to Mrs. AOW's cousin's house for a catsitting. We stayed at the beach for a week, and Cameo lived on the treats dropped behind the headboard. Mrs. AOW's cousin didn't see Cameo even once!

When we came home and went to pick Cameo up, she came right out - for us.

Guinea Pig time

Mrs. AOW tried Pycnogenol yesterday after two friends told he about the benefits.

This morning, Mrs. AOW woke up without any brain fog and full of energy!

Really!

Usually, she is terrible for a long time after she first gets up in the morning.

I took a capsule this morning.  Let's see what happens.

Sometimes folk medicine really does work.

Yup

Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em, though.

Time for humor

From the best joke book I've ever had:

You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.

Teach your children to be polite and courteous at home, and when they grow up, they will never be able to merge into highway traffic.

Deja moo - the feeling that you've heard this bull before.

Save the Earth! It's the only plant with chocolate!

Karaoke is Japanese for "tone deaf."

Going to McDonald's is like going to a whore for a hug.

Improvement

Mrs. AOW is getting much better after 10 days of misery. I am so relieved!

Mrs. AOW is back to blogging and is going back to work today.

She's not up to cooking complete meals yet and has no appetite, but some of the homeschool moms are bringing in food.