Visiting nurse, quinoa and clarified butter

I really shouldn't post so impetuously. I was feeling all Negative Nancy and just had to get it out. But that's what this blog is for - sharing the good, the bad and the ugly. People did hate me, but I did not eat worms.

Yesterday, a visiting nurse came. I like the idea of professionally-trained medical personnel visiting the Senior Sauna. I'm immersed in this world and I kinda wanna know if I'm doing something, anything right. Here's what I found out:

• My parents' toilet is too low. (Explains the poor aim.)
• We don't have a disaster plan, fire extinguisher or a first-aid kit. If something happens, we're screwed.
• I should be pre-sorting daily drugs to make my life easier.
• Dad thinks his stay here is temporary.
• A visiting nurse can order all kinds of things for us - huzzah!

Basically, I need to start testing Dad's blood sugar. The nurse is going to order a Glucometer, a person to help bathe Dad, the name of a visiting podiatrist and probably some other things that I can't remember. In short, I just needed to say what we were having problems with and she could write an order. FINALLY, somebody to help us. (Wonder if she can get alcohol delivered...hmmm....)

Dad's dementia is a sneaky thing. He seems remarkably lucid lately. So when the nurse asked him how long he'd be staying here, he said "temporarily." That threw me for a bit of a loop. And then later, he told me to call my sister and ask about her moving into their house. I told him that we've already been discussing that and he was PISSED. He almost yelled at me for keeping him "out of the loop." I felt terrible. Then I talked to my hubby who reminded me that he had talked to my Dad in-depth about this a couple weeks ago. Again, the dementia. Very sneaky.

And then I asked Dad to move into the library because he was blasting the TV and it was taking over the house. I asked if his hearing was OK and he gave me a death stare. I stopped his walker and asked why he was mad. "Stop finding things wrong with me," he said. OK, then. 

I decided to go to the grocery store and just buy food. I had an idea and acted upon it. The result? Quinoa with Corn and Black Beans and marinated chicken. The Quinoa was wildly popular! Dad LOVED it. Who knew? If you're keeping score, that's TWO "off-the-wall" things I've cooked in three days. Miracles are happening, people. I can't cook and yet I am cooking. It's like I visited Lourdes. (No, not Madonna's daughter....)

I'll leave you with Mom's random quote/question of the day. She was driving me a little batty yesterday. I was trying to cook, which is such a struggle. I really just wanted NOT to talk, but I had no idea how to say that. So I was quietly prepping food. She plopped down in a chair, looked at me and said:

"OK, burning question. Clarified butter. What IS it?"