Busy, busy, busy

So much for weekly blog updates! Our lives have been pretty busy lately. Figuring out the slide show on this blog is taking some doing – a reminder that being a techie does not come naturally for my age group!

Patrick is home from school and is jumping into the family routine. He’s in North Carolina this week for a high adventure trek training prior to his scout camp job this summer. But he has met the main players in the hospice team and is getting acclimated to the drill.

Susan is still pretty-much pain-free; balance continues to be an issue – more some days than others. Our house got evaluated by an occupational therapist today and grab bars in the shower are in the works. Her meds have been adjusted slightly. Her main issue for the last couple of days has been overwhelming sleepiness. We’re not sure what that’s about, but we’ll take it up with the hospice nurse, Jennifer, when we next meet with her. She is otherwise doing pretty well, and simplifying her life is on the top of the agenda. She’s given up beading, and several good friends have helped her clean up the room she’d been using as a jewelry workshop. She’s looking forward to her trip to Chicagoland to visit her family in early June.

Meanwhile, Jon, Patrick, and I have been hard at work with a landscaping project in the backyard – actually two projects. Since simplification is the theme, this started out as a way to automatically water the flower pots that are usually arranged around the patio, by tapping into the sprinkler system. That developed into an expansion of the patio into a terraced rock garden with perimeter stone, which involved sod removal, and lots of sore muscles (at least mine were – J & P don’t seem to be affected). Then we decided it would be nice to have a permanent seating area in the backyard – free of grass to be mowed, and leveled for comfort. That idea became a small patio-like area under a tree, terraced into a hill, and filled with the same rock we used in the other project – two tons of it altogether. It was a lot of work, but it’s really nice. All the improvements provide an even more serene place to be for Susan and the rest of us. A Mother’s Day chaise lounge and new, larger fountain contribute to the scene. Susan also got a tabletop fountain from Jon and a digital picture frame from Patrick, as well as upgraded digital TV service that includes different music channels. We’re ready for summer!