how about drinking?
Comments
-
Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Twofer Tuesday! We're having quite the cold snap right now that has me looking forward to the traditional January thaw which may be coming toward the weekend. I don't mind the cold so much, but this bitter cold is miserable. At least I don't have to go out in it very much now that I'm retired!
Thanks, Carole!
Jazzy--looks like a very nice celebratory drink!
Morning, Wally!
Wren--I remember when your DH moved to the memory care facility. I have a better appreciation for how hard that must have been for you now. Watching the decline of a loved one is so heartbreaking.
Jazzy--that bird looks good enough to eat!!!
Teka--I'll share the skin and dressing with you! I like the dark meat when it's hot out of the oven like that.
Miriandra--the lights are amazing!
Jazzy--one of my favorite parts of leftover turkey was when Mom made turkey rice soup. I really miss that soup. Yours looks really, really yummy, too! Oh my, biscotti, too? Nice!
Carole--Mom had a rough few days over the weekend. She had a couple of falls, got tangled up in a blanket she was folding and tripped and then slid out of her rocking chair, not eating as well, more confused than usual. I was thinking she might have a UTI or be coming down with a respiratory virus but she seems to have cleared up, so I wonder if it was another TIA. We had another "is this where I'm going to live for the rest of my life?" discussions, which just breaks my heart, but she did say she was glad to know where she is going to be and now she wants to start moving things out of storage to have in her room, like her sewing machine, tubs of fabric, boxes of patterns, and a table for sewing. There is NO room for any of that stuff in her room now, which barely fits a bed, dresser, and chair. At least as long as it's cold out I can put off taking her to the storage unit to get her sewing stuff for a while.
Seamstress Cocktail
1¼ oz. rye whiskey
1¼ oz. chai-infused sweet vermouth
½ oz. ginger liqueur (Seamstress uses Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur)Glass: rocks
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice until chilled. Strain into a glass over a large ice cube. Use an orange twist to extract oils, then discard the peel.
From
1 -
Yum on the cranberry orange with a cup of tea.
0 -
Teka, same here.
0 -
Carole- gave some away at work yesterday and to the neighbors today before work. Oh and I consumed a couple and now those are gone. Few of the other left. They all loved them!
That's it folks, no more holiday cooking and back to eating healthy here in the new year.
0 -
NM, it has to be a relief for your mother to have people taking care of her as she has "episodes." Much better than her being alone in an apartment with an antagonistic landlord.
2 -
NM- my mom had a small room with only room for a bed, chair, and wardrobe for clothes. We had to clean out her home and things and used to tell me over and over that "they sold my home, car and got rid of all my things". We told her we had a lot of her things at our homes which was true. They struggle with all the loss of health and all the rest. Keeping them safe and cared for is the thing we do. But it comes with some sadness too. Hugs sister 🙏
1 -
Good Morning, Loungettes! The saga with Mom's care at the local hematology clinic continues. Yesterday I got a robotic call reminding me of her appointment next week, right date, different time. Again. Called the clinic, explained that the appointment time was set based on when I could be sure I could get Mom there (90 minute drive at least) and that I could not guarantee I could get Mom there by the new time and WHY is the appointment time being changed arbitrarily? A couple hours later pre-registration calls. OK, no problem here, except that I discover that Mom's Medicare information has been taken off her account. AGAIN. I called the clinic again, got to talk to an authority figure who is taking the problem to the Director of Billing. Can't promise this appointment will be billed to Medicare at the time of the appointment next week, did promise (verbally) that Mom won't be held accountable for the bill if it isn't. I am absolutely furious.
Carole--it is a relief knowing Mom has people taking care of her 24/7. I know she is much safer now.
Jazzy--Mom has been expressing unhappiness that all her things are in storage where she can't get at them. At least I can tell her nothing has been gotten rid of, even if she can't just walk into another room and get something. She keeps making me promise not to throw anything away because I don't know what's important to her.
Angry Angel
Ingredients
• 1 ½ ounces Silver Tequila
• ½ ounce St (germain elderflower liqueur)
• ½ ounce Lime Juice
• ½ ounce Agave Syrup
• add dashes Hot Sauce
• 1 sprig Small RosemaryDirections
- Combine ingredients with ice and shake
- Pour into your favorite cocktail glass and enjoy
0 -
NM- healthcare in America is really in the tank right now. I say that as someone who works for a university hospital and as a patient too. I have apts changed all the time, but my healthcare is in the same city I live; you have a pretty big drive.
Is there a geriatric provider at her location that can get involved? My mom had one at her place and she was able to do some things there because my mom had a hard time getting around after her broken hip. Are there other options for your mom's care that may be closer and more competent? Given this is a specialist group, there may be less choice as there often is these days in any location.
They keep deleting her Medicare too which makes me feel like they are purposefully trying to make her a self-pay. I know there have been some reimbursement changes this past year to providers on Medicare and know where I live, there are practice groups that will not take Medicare patients.
Hugs sister. Just another awful hurdle to deal with….
2 -
Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy TGIF day! Today should be interesting, I'm supposed to get a call with an update on the complaints I filed with the hematology clinic. Also, Mom will be started on antibiotics today, if she wasn't started last evening (depending on if the pharmacy got the script in time to be on the regular evening delivery) for a "raging" UTI. The potential delay is my fault, I didn't think to update her doctor's office with a change of pharmacy when Mom moved into Assisted Living, didn't even think of it until I got the message from the former pharmacy that the prescription was ready. She was a little less loopy when I visited yesterday, but she wasn't eating much until I fixed her some of her parmesan cheese rice cakes and cream cheese snacks. The facility staff have been really good at keeping me updated, which I find reassuring.
Jazzy--there is a provider that goes to the facility regularly that Mom can enroll with, but that would mean changing her primary care doctor. Mom is not at all interested in changing PCPs because she has a really good relationship with her current doc and a series of bad experiences before finding the current one. So yes, there is an option that would be easier for her (and me) bet I'm not going to push the issue right now. She's had a lot of changes recently, and I don't want to take away anything that she is comfortable with. There is no closer hematology clinic, which is the outfit I am having a problem with. The next closest clinic is a 2 hour drive at least, the next closest is another hour beyond that. The hematology clinic is part of the hospital system where Mom had her gall bladder issue treated, and we had similar problems then. Where she is now is only 10 miles from a local hospital that Mom likes and that her PCP is part of the system. It's the only hospital in Maine that isn't part of one of the big 2 hospital systems in the state, still has a strong community connection, and is able to put patient care ahead of administrative issues. The biggest downside is that the community isn't big enough to warrant independent specialty clinics so we're stuck with the Northern Lights Hospital system (closest) or going to Boston for specialty care. I have filed complaint with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, got a letter back stating none of the issues violate any of the Conditions of Participation hospitals/clinics/etc must follow to be allowed to bill Medicare, so no investigation will be done. I filed a complaint with the Joint Commission, and got a response that the complaint is being filed for reference when the clinic is surveyed again, but they don't do complaint investigations. The CMS folks suggested filing a complaint with the state Insurance board, which I wasn't sure about, but since Mom's Medicare got taken off her account again I think I will do, at least for that part. Not sure what the Insurance board can do about a clinical setting's scheduling and communication issues, but it's worth a try. I had heard that some practices and systems are starting to pull out of Medicare because of the high and increasing workload and decreasing reimbursement, and I don't blame them. The Healthcare and Healthcare Reimbursement industries are headed for a major crisis, and probably in our lifetime. It's getting really scary.
Bloody Scary
• 4 ounces Prosecco
• 1 ounce Blood Orange Juice (freshly squeezed)
• ½ ounce Campari
• ½ ounce Simple Syrup
• 1 ounce Blavod Black Vodka1 -
Reading some of these issues, plus dealing with my DH's situation makes me fear getting older without kids. Seems even if an elderly parent has kids who are involved, the healthcare system is horrible to navigate. I weep for humanity.
I had wine with dinner plus a tiny pour of bourbon last night with my rice pudding.
0 -
0
