Author: iagardener55

You may be interested to know that our remodeling adventure is coming to an end.

We have ordered what we believe to be the last pieces of furniture to be made, which will, in theory, be delivered sometime before the holidays. If not, then, after the holidays. All the same to us. Done is done.

Meanwhile, we have some neighbors, upstairs, two floors above us, that have just begun their remodeling. The construction noise, from eight thirty in the morning until six in the evening, is incredible. I hope our remodeling did not sound this loud.

That said, Ivan has been shuffling the contents of totes back and forth, from this tote, to that tote, only to be put into another tote altogether. He has, magically, made a much more livable space for us to ….. wait for it….. live in.

Our biggest problem with that is trying to remember where everything is, or was, or might be. Jesús has taken at least a dozen totes, large, and small, up to our storage space on the roof. We have only, more or less, a dozen more to empty, or, rearrange, and we will be tote-free. Everyone should be tote-free. They are useful things, but take up so much livable space, and look terrible. It should tell you something that we have gotten used to the “look”; I am calling it “hardware chic”. 😉

Conversely, it is so quiet here, after construction stops, without Lizbeth, and Gabi; you could hear a pin drop. (If I was lackadaisical about such things; but I am not). I will be right back. Do not go anywhere.

Sorry for the interruption; I heard knocking, which I thought was the front door. But NO! It was the construction workers upstairs. The funnier thing was that two other apartment dwellers, on this floor, opened their doors as well. Now that was funny. (It has been a difficult two weeks. One laughs at whatever one can find about which to laugh.)

I will end with a simple note: I would like you to understand that Juan’s health is continuing to decline. He will not be leaving us physically, but will do so spiritually, sooner than I expected. I am not going to keep updating you, as I had hoped to do, but will let you know when he leaves us. These were his wishes, and we swore to him that we would respect them. We have.

You, however, need to stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

If you want to be inspired to eat, or, better yet, cook Mexican food, watch MasterChef México, any year.

Actually, the first episode started in 2015, which I, of course, only started watching a few weeks ago. LOVE IT!!!

I cannot tell you how much it has inspired me to educate myself in cooking foods, mostly regional dishes; ingredients of which I have never heard, much less seen.

There are so many different types of food here that I have never seen in the US; huauzontle, for example. It is a brassica, I believe, similar to broccoli, but grown on a long stalk, or stem. I have no idea what it tastes like, and, as I cannot find it, yet, in any grocery store, it will remain a mystery until I do.

In the series, however, several episodes show contestants cooking with it, and it seems to be enjoyed by the three judges, as a treat. As I said, I cannot find it anywhere. How is a person supposed to learn how to cook with something if it is not available?

Until I find it, and cook with it, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We had the opportunity to get out of the apartment for twenty four hours, so,

we took it.

Ana, sister of Jesús, came over, and spent the night, the other night, so we could take Lizbeth, and Gabi, to Los Altos. We were gone, as I said, only twenty four hours, but had a chance to rest, breathe fresh air, walk outside, and do absolutely nothing but enjoy the sun.

We will be back by mid afternoon, and will start in again, caring for Juan; that is perfectly fine with me. I was able to do the things I needed to do to recharge my self, and I am ready to persevere.

I have to say, though, that it is very cold in LA, this time of year, and, it has been promised to get even colder in the next few weeks. Remember, there is no central heat, no space heaters, no electric blankets, nothing. The walls, ceilings, and floors are all concrete, and, they all hold onto the cold just like they do in CDMX. Taking a shower, here, is out of the question right now. (We shower before coming here.)

Another person, close to us, has contracted CoVid, but is recovering nicely. This person has not had to go to the hospital, to be given respiratory assistance. This person has used their natural immunity to overcome this, and, should, now, be completely immune to other variants. Natural immunity; God’s way of healing you.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.m

We are all still here; still trying to adjust.

It takes time to add another person to one’s life; especially one that is in need of continuous care. Not that it is inconvenient, or uncomfortable; it is an obligation, and a privilege.

Unfortunately, for me, it is also a lot of physical work. An obligation is just that, however; an obligation we took on several years ago.

Another unfortunate thing, for us, is that we are watching my father in law, Juan, going into a continual decline. I try to keep his mind occupied, with shows on the computer, or, try to get him to sit up on the side of his bed, or, perhaps, to walk down the six feet long hallway, but, alas, he wants to do none of the above.

He does not even want to eat anymore. When I ask him if he is hungry, he always answers that he is not. So, I have to cajole him into eating anything. I truly thought we could bring him out of this tailspin as easily as we had before, but, not so. This time, I am afraid, he is winning.

He can, occasionally, get up to the bathroom, but cannot sit, or stand, for any length of time. He will not walk more than to the bathroom, and back, so flexing those painful back muscles is almost impossible.

I encourage him to drink a smoothie that I make him daily, that has a fresh banana, protein powder, chia seeds, psyllium husk, milk, and water; just to keep some fiber in him so he can more easily move his bowels. There are days when he will not even take more than a swallow or two. He will eat a bit of papaya, but only if I badger him.

Mostly, though, he sleeps. He sleeps most of the day, and, I assume, quite a bit of the night.

Good days, bad days. There have been more of the latter lately; I want more of the former. We cannot all have our way.

Please, keep Juan in your prayers. We continue to do what we can, and will do so until there is no more to be done.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Today is another day, full of promise, without expectations.

I, however, am spent. Not even coffee helps. I need to feel the sun for a bit. I need to breathe fresh air. I need to walk outside, just for a few minutes. I, I, I.

How sad it is to read the above paragraph. I am not normally so morose, but today seems to be my day of being so. Poor me.

I took on the obligation of caring for another person, and I will see it fulfilled. Most days, however, I just wish I was ten years younger, so I would have more energy. Taking care of someone else requires full time participation. I certainly did not realize this five years ago. I do now. I will endeavor. I will persevere. I will continue to do my best.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones. Omicron is just getting started. Do not let it finish you.

Every day, for the three of us, seems to bring a bit more

Everything, really. Juan has too much pain first thing in the morning to do much; but then again, so do I. However, I am not ninety three. But, then again, neither is he.

I say that because this afternoon, I asked him how old he thought he was; his first answer was fifty two. I chuckled, then told him that he was older than that; try again. Next, was sixty one. I told him I was sixty six, and he could not believe it. (Neither can I.) When I told him he was ninety three, he had such a surprised look on his face, I wish I could have taken a photo of it. When I told him it was 2021, he had the same expression. Priceless.

Back to day three. He, for most of the day, still has to lie on the bed, on his back. Today, we got the heating pad, so I put that on him, on the warm setting. Not helping tons at the moment, however. As I confessed to my S-I-L, this is going to take longer than I expected. We also say that we have much more time than money. Not much happening here.

He has gotten up a couple of times today, to walk across the hall; sometimes to try to use the bathroom, sometimes just to walk to the bathroom, then back. He walked the hallway with me, then back to bed, but it is a lot farther, and more often, than he has done for several days.

Slowly, we are getting a bit of movement returning to a very stiff back. Massage, heat, protein shakes, Ibuprofen; that is the routine for the next little while. Day by day; that is all we can do for now.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe my friends. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Taking care of someone that is ninety three, and, for the most part bedridden, has turned out to be a bit more work than I imagined.

Personally, I feel it is my age that has things more difficult to do than they used to. What is up with that?

Ivan has gotten Juan up, in the afternoons, both yesterday, and today, with excellent results. Juan has walked, both times, without physical support; verbal support only. He walks the ten feet, or so, across the hall to the bathroom, sits himself down, relieves himself, uses proper hygiene, then, back across the hall, to his oasis; the bed.

Each time, however, just when he thinks he can go right back to his beloved supine, nope. Ivan is right there, to talk him into a short, less than ten feet, walk down, then back up, the hallway. Then he can lie back down. Today, he talked with Ivan the entire time; bathroom, walking, lying down. No crying out in pain, no grunts or groans of any kind. Progress. Sweet progress.

When he gets back to bed, he actually has a smile on his face. He says he knows he is making progress; he feels himself having less excruciating pain, and more relaxation.

Now, however, I have to get his blood pressure back under control. Ivan found our automatic B/P monitor the other day, while unpacking one of the myriad totes, so, not having any idea where we were with that, I took it.

Then I quickly got his 10 mg. Lisinopril, and gave him a dose. Yikes. That is all I am going to say about that. He does not need to go to the Departamento de Emergencia; it is not that high; just higher than I would like to see. Now I know, and can keep better control of that.

First, though, we had to get control of the incapacitating pain; that was primary. Now that we are getting some control of that, we can start getting the rest of him sorted out, and, back in order. Enteric coated Aspirin 81 mg. is coming Saturday, via Amazon.com.mx, as is a heating pad. We believe the heating pad will help us with his muscle spasms, and, the Enteric coated Aspirin, his blood thinner, is almost nonexistent here. We cannot find it at the local pharmacies, or even at Costco. No worries. Sign into Amazon.com.mx, and get it from the US. Job done.

This morning, after having had his bed bath, his bedding all changed, and, getting him redressed in nice, warm woolen leggings, and long sleeved top, I shaved him, gave him some of my oat and plum cookies, which are quite high in fiber, and a glass of coffee with a straw. He nibbled on the cookies, as he only nibbles anymore; no big bites of anything. However, he fed himself, and was able to drink his coffee, through the straw, holding onto the glass.

Every day there is a bit more of him coming back. I realize this is only the second day he has been here, but I am telling you, honestly, he is already so much stronger, happier, and, smiling more. He is still very gaunt, and, all of his muscles quite atrophied from this damned CoVid virus.

He had been able to get outside, pushing his nephew, Juan, in his wheelchair, three, or, four miles everyday. Now, nothing. Not since this damn-demic started. They went out, a few times a month, on business visits, or medical visits, for both the Juanes, but nothing like walking around the park.

He sat in Juan’s Shiatsu message chair, everyday, all day. If you have ever seen one of these beauties, you would have seen two, long areas of rollers, that roll up and down, on either side of the spine. While they are quite lovely on the sore muscles of ones back, when sat against said rollers, day after day, for over a year, one can see how muscle spasms may have occurred.

Here he is, though, after his bath, and a shave. I kidded him that he needed to be very wary of a woman with an electric razor. He laughed. Then I took his photo, and showed him. He laughed even more. He said he had a goatee for awhile, but not since he was young. Now, he has one again. I think he looks more distinguished.

All of you, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Still handsome at ninety three.

This time he is here to stay.

My father in law, Juan, has been bedridden for the past five days with muscle spasms in his back. When we went to pick him up today, he could not sit, or stand, and has lost weight. We are going to fix that as quickly as possible.

At ninety three years of age, he has always looked years younger, closer to eighty than ninety. Today, however, he looks every bit his years. We hope to change that as well.

Being the diagnostician that I am, I have dosed him, twice since we brought him home, with Ibuprofen, which, so far, seems to be helping. He is resting, as comfortably as we can make him, for now. I wish we had instant access to a heating pad. It has been ordered, and will be here in two more days.

As you know, I, too, suffer from chronic back pain, and have since I was sixteen years old. That having been said, I have been teaching him how to ease into a sitting position, and, how to reverse that in order to lie back down, with a bit less grabbing pain.

For him, today, however, sitting has been, literally, beyond his abilities. He just cannot do it; not today. We are not going to push him too hard into doing much of anything; not until I can get those muscles to release themselves.

I will keep you informed how his physical recuperation progresses. For now, however, he happens to be snoring. 😉

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We are going to start the process of making out our will. This should prove interesting.

We are going to the attorney’s office today, to drop off our information papers so we can get an appointment. If something happens to Ivan, God forbid, and we do not have a will, everything we have will go to the government, and I will be left homeless.

That prospect does not interest me in the slightest. If I go first, no big deal; everything, here, is in Ivan’s name, so he will be set. Right now, I am not even on the bank account, therefore, I have no access to our millions. (Hahaha. I needed a bit of levity. Sorry if you did not.)

The next thing we have to figure out is how to renew my membership, and the permanency of my residency here, in Mexico. After talking with our friends, it seems that I may just need to pay the fee for five more years, and receive my updated residency card. That would be lovely, not to mention a miracle!!!

Until then, I am taking the very best care of my husband.

Enjoy all of your Black Friday sales, even though they are just items that did not sell during the previous years. They are still “on sale”.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Ivan has been working like a man possessed.

Most of the “things” we have collected over the years belong to him, therefore, he has been working, quite faithfully, to sort out all of the things we need to keep, things we can give to others, and things to discard. He has made a huge dent in the number of totes we have left to go through. Thank you honey.

The discard pile is quite a bit smaller than the other piles, I must say. That is ok. Much of what we have, and needed up North, we no longer need down here; that does not mean that others can not find uses for them.

Wool coats, mittens, hats, scarves, etc., we no longer need here. Two, or three, dozen pairs of underwear, socks, t-shirts, and, in my case, sports bras. Let us not forget to mention sets of bedding. Wow. I did not realize we had so many sets of sheets, duvets, and comforters.

We do; we did. We have gone through all of these things, and have several totes that, in time, will go to Los Altos, for storage, and then for use. We have all of those “things” because I was not interested in going up and down two flights of stairs, every week, to do laundry. I did not care for our laundry room, so I went there as infrequently as possible. Hence all of the aforementioned “things”.

Here, however, the laundry area is one of the nicest places in the apartment; full of indirect light, and fresh air, plants, and is twenty steps from the bedrooms. Lovely.

Things are going to change around here. I will keep you updated as they do, but they have yet to start unfolding.

While we all wait for that, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving to those reading this in the US. Enjoy your families, and a day from work.