how about drinking?
Comments
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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.
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Yum on the cranberry orange with a cup of tea.
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Teka, same here.
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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.
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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.
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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 🙏
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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
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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….
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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.
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Winter is back and we're drinking Old-Fashioneds with orange slices and plump cherries. And enjoying the little fireplace with its gas logs.
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Monday Monkey Day! Mom's appointment with the hematologist yesterday was a both good and bad. Mom has Essential Thrombocytosis (high number of platelets in the blood) cued by a mutation that occurs spontaneously, associated with aging. It's probably been present since mid 2022. Treatment protocol is aspirin to prevent blood clots and hydroxyurea to depress bone marrow activity to decrease the platelet count and would involve blood draws at least twice weekly. The side effects are the same as all chemotherapy drugs: nausea, mouth sores, low White blood cells and increased risk of infection, diarrhea, rash and itching. That's the good news. The bad? After the appointment time being moved up half an hour we ended up waiting over an hour in the waiting room past the original appointment time, watching a couple dozen people walk in and get taken back within minutes. Mom was getting tired and uncomfortable and started asking to leave. She was saying she doesn't want to have to go back to the clinic ever again. She got called back just as I was letting the desk know we were leaving and I wanted to speak with the Associate VP of the Department (she's the one who investigated my complaints. She came to the waiting area earlier just to introduce herself face-to-face). "We're very busy today" was what I was hearing from the front desk and the tech taking Mom back, which just hit me very negatively and pissed me off. I kind of feel sorry for the doctor. It was a different one, new to the clinic, and I'm afraid he caught some of my frustration and anger. After he went over the lab work and explained ET and the treatment protocol for "High Risk" (meaning Mom is older than 60) which will not extend Mom's life at all, is designed to prevent heart attacks and strokes (the anticoagulant Mom is on for A-fib takes care of the blood clot in the veins risk) he asked Mom if she wanted to take the hydroxyurea. First she said yes, then when he reviewed all the blood testing needed, side effects, and inability to know if any heart attack or stroke Mom might have would be caused by this, the A-Fib, or just her age, Mom started saying again she never wants to have to go back there. That's when I threw in my concerns and total lack of trust that the clinic system could manage the treatment correctly and without the problems we've been having. Then the doc throws in that the treatment would actually be managed by the Oral Chemo Pharmacy team, who will monitor blood work and make dosing changes, and refer back to the clinic doc to manage side effects, at which point all I could think of was one more department to screw things up that I would have to manage. In the end I told him we were going to have to take some time to think about the situation. I've got to try to find out what Mom really wants to do and not let her just defer to me because I'm not sure I can make a decision that's not going to be based primarily on my emotional reaction to having to keep riding herd on the clinic systems plus the pharmacy team piece. Mom's had this for years, has never had a symptom, it was only found on blood tests taken for other reasons. The hydroxyurea doesn't seem to offer a lot of benefit, and I've seen first-hand how much work it takes to manage oral chemo and the toll it takes on the patient. So, here I am, totally wiped out after being up until after 3 ayem going around and around with all this. My plan is to try to let it go for today, then do some research of my own, and then sit down and talk it over with Mom. I'm hoping she'll be clearer mentally after the antibiotic for the UTI kicks in.
Morning, Jazzy--beautiful glass of wine!
Vicious Circle
Ingredients
• 1 oz Mezcal
• 1 oz Tequila
• ¾ oz Pamplemousse Rose Liqueur
• ½ oz Lemon Juice
• ½ oz Simple Syrup
• 5 drops Bittercube Jamaican #2 Bitters
• ½ oz Champagne• Stir all ingredients (except the champagne) with ice in a mixing glass. Strain over the champagne into a Coupe Glass.
• Garnish with a Grapefruit Twist.From
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Morning all, have not been here for awhile. Happy new year to all 🎉❤️
Native - what a nightmare dealing with that clinic. I find we have to be saints of patience navigating these systems, and breathing practice for calm even if not meditation really helpful to calm the frustrations. Went through similar things with my mom and her care team, doctors and home health aid companies as she aged into her 90s. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision. Sometimes extra medication and treatments and tests isn’t the answer for QOL , even though that might be counterintuitive. Sometimes it is. I found that geriatric care difficult when my sister and I were caring for mom .. well nothing was run well, she was also Medicare and partially Medicaid, and communications and billing needed hours of attention. 🥰 At least she loves her PCP, that adds up to good emotional care in my experience.
Carole - love the old fashioned with oranges and cherries, sounds festive and the image of you and DH sitting in front of the fire.
Wally - bourbon and rice pudding sounds perfect ! Oh.. I’ll have to make rice pudding soon sounds too good. And I love your testimonial on the BCO homepage ❤️I’ve been treating myself to a glass of Salignac cognac after dinner, lovely.
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Hump Day! I am looking forward to this month's Wednesday, Women, and Wine get together this evening. We're meeting at Smoke and Steel, an "Amazing BBQ and Southern Cooking, Bangor's Best Happy Hour & Axe Throwing." yup, a place that serves alcohol to people throwing axes. It's relatively new here, I haven't been before and am looking forward to seeing the fun. I just cannot imagine the potential for injury, though. . .
Rischaller--it is a nightmare dealing with the clinic. It's a nightmare dealing with the entire Northern Lights Healthcare system. It's a nightmare dealing with healthcare, period. Like your Mom, mine loves her PCP, so I'm not entertaining changing that no matter how much easier it would be to use the folks that come into the facility. It IS good emotional care and that is important.
Neon Nightmare
Ingredients
• 1 Cherry
• 1 ounce Sour Apple Pucker
• 1 Pineapple Juice
• 1 ounce Coconut Rum
• 1 ounce Curacao (Blue)
• 1 ounce Melon Liqueur2 -
Husband enjoyed local fresh perch at favorite seafood diner.
He also got takeout for our dinner.
Ice Fishing in the Adirondacks.
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Teka - looks yummy. Sometimes I dream of fried fish lol… but with a Guinness!
Native - love the neon nightmare. Will save that for the summer. I associate rum with sunshine and warm breezes.
Hope your Wednesday Women and wine group was fun. Happy hour and Axe throwing… really?
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Waiting for a report on the axe throwing!
Yum on the crispy fried fish.
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Photos from the bird refuge trip yesterday
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Good Morning, Loungettes! Happy Sunday Funday! Another cold and snowy day today is in store. It's been snowing pretty much every day for a while, which means I can't go visit Mom because she will get totally freaked out if she thinks I'm driving in the snow. Her sense of time is totally shot, too, now, so even though I call her every day I don't visit she starts the conversation out with "I hadn't heard from you for days and I thought you were hurt or sick or something had happened to you." She has an appointment on Tuesday, so I will see her then unless it's snowing really hard. We will talk about the hydroxyurea and find out what she wants to do. I hope she decides not to take it, I don't see that the possible but unmeasurable benefit comes close to matching, let alone outweighing, the side effects, treatment burden, and everything else involved.
I didn't go to the WWW get-together. I got a message that my cousin Laura, the one in Las Vegas that I vacation with, was in the hospital, in the ICU, with a breathing tube in after a complication of a procedure. She was awake and responsive. They took the breathing tube out a couple hours later and she was doing well. She was moved out of ICU a few hours after that with discharge planned later on Thursday. Laura herself messaged a while later and I about fell of my chair when I read that she was having chest pain from the CPR they did! Apparently she had an allergic reaction to a medication. Anyway, she bounced back, went home Thursday afternoon, and besides being sore and bruised is doing fine. It just seems to be one thing after another.
Teka--fresh local fish always makes for a good meal!
Rischaller--yeah, my thoughts, too, combining drinking and axe throwing.
Carole--
Hopefully I'll get another chance to check the place out. I don't mind going to restaurants by myself, but that one sounds like its way more fun going with someone.Jazzy--Have a bird or two!
Captain Heron
6 oz Captain Morgan® Parrot Bay coconut rum
6 oz Blue Heron® wine
1 twist lime juiceFrom
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NM, glad your cousin is doing better. I remember your posting a picture of the two of you on vacation.
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Good morning, friends. And MLK day too. No day off here, but know if some of you are still working, you might have it as a holiday.
2026 is moving fast and as part of my 2026 commitments to myself in this year, I am trying to get outside more for walks, hikes, and time in nature. On Saturday, I went with some friends to one of the bird refuges in central NM called the Bosque Del Apache. If you are a "birder", you may know about this place, it's on 1-25 south of ABQ by about 90 min. In the late fall through mid-winter, a plethora of wintering birds migrate down (some as far as very northern Canada near the Artic). Snow geese and sandhill cranes come in abundance and the photo with the white birds are snow geese (my fav) and the leggy creatures are the sandhill cranes. We also saw lots of Canada geese, a red tail hawk and a harrier too. We met two nice birding fellows who were doing some photography and they told us some other areas nearby that have birds to check out. We will go there another time (maybe later this year for the next season) as we didn't have time to stop and with the drive back and a quick stop for food. It was a chilly and windy day, but we had our layers on and the warmth of a car to drive around the 12-mile loop to see the birds.
NM- I am sorry to hear about your cousin's problems post procedure but also good to hear you found out she is doing okay now. Too bad you missed the Women and Wine event but hopefully can go next time. Do they meet monthly, quarterly, etc? I have been part of wine tasting groups here and/or events and it's always fun to try new wines and have some good convo. Hugs on the healthcare stuff, it's so bad here with the hospitals right now and the flu, it's almost like the pandemic was with the ED, census, etc. My latest challenges are more with Pharmacy stuff and choking on the new co-pays I am learning about. I fear things will only getting harder….
Teka- I love fried fish on occaison (fish and chips mostly) but perch sounds interesting! I used to fish with my dad back in the day and he was a perch lover, probably the last time I had it. I like how you get out for some good eats up in north country.
Carole- we have a food court here called the SawMill Market that has a bar that does just old fashions!
RL- welcome back and happy New Year to you. Cognac sounds good, I have some port from time to time myself in the winter months.
Into my new work year (and hopefully my last) and busy getting house things done prior to the final jump into retirement. Today the electrician is coming to do some things and have more repairs, maintenance and other things to do these next few months. The new project I am on is one I said I could be successful with but now am hearing about some key people I need in place who may be retiring this year. We knew there would be a lot of retirements after the new hospital opened, many were waiting to do so but can't get some of this done without certain people to help lead some of the technology work. Anyways, I told my boss if there were conditions changed that made it impossible for me to do what they want me to do, I may opt out earlier in the year. How about that for a gal with a foot out the door, lol. It is nice to know I have what I need in place if I need to go sooner….
Have a good week ladies and back again when I can! Stay well!
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It's been a long time since I have been here. Just been busy with my grandchildren and my mom. Two of the kids are in sports and one in dance, I try to go to all of the games and have to drive the one to dance sometimes. These are the last ones still in school, so I know soon they will be grown and busy with their lives. I got myself into 2 bible studies, when they are done, I think I need a break from that. One of them afterwards we go out and have lunch and a drink. I try to order a different drink each time just to try them. I don't always know drinks, so I order what I seen someone do on the television. 🙄
NM we are going through a lot with my mom right now, I have 2 sisters that share the load, I know it must be hard doing it all on your own. We split up the work, one does all the doctor appointments, another does her banking and pays her bills. We are trying to get her to stop driving, she couldn't find her way home one evening and we were just lucky we found her. At first she said it was because it was dark, but later she told me she gets lost in the daytime too. We all told her to make a list of what she needs and we will either take her or get it when we are at the store. She won't use a cell phone, she gets confused with it, but we did get a GPS put on her car just in case she does go out with it. So far she is still ok living alone. She keeps herself and her home clean and she eats fairly healthy. I live next door to her and check on her a couple of times a day, she likes it when we come and play cards with her.
I hope you all are keeping warm, today we are cold here in Florida.
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