Opa's place -Where an old rooster visits with friends

[Opa]

I removed myself from the Castle thread because trying to maintain the theme was becoming increasingly difficult. All of those th's being added to the words was resulting in my receiving a spit bath every time some spoke. All who participated in that thread have become very dear to me and I hope we can continue to visit on a less structured basis.

Every thread should have some ground rules and this one will as well. Since I encourage young people to join in our discussions remember to keep the topics appropriate for younger ears. Also since I am very shy and tend to embarrass easily let's not get into graphic descriptions of things that might be best considered too much information. Details of removing a body part or a lament about a body function not performing properly would best be discussed in a medical forum.

I want to talk about chickens but also about how your day went. Lets make this a social place where all can gather to share a smile. I hope all that have participated in my previous posts will join me here.

 

[Highlander]

Had a wonderful weekend with friends. It was a school friend's birthday (27 of course!) on Saturday so a whole bunch of us got together for a mini school reunion and had a lovely evening of too much food, too much drink and not enough sleep! Lots of pictures of us at school were flying around, haven't laughed so much in ages! It's great to still be in touch with so many old friends.
Hope everyone else had a good weekend and all the coughs and colds have gone.

 

[Opa]

Aging is tough. All of the various maladies that start to assail our bodies can be very discouraging. However, I think the two hardest things to face are losing ones drivers license and the ability to live independent.

Not longer driving suddenly makes you dependent on others. After many years of coming and going as you please you now have to make lists of the things you need to do, how items you need to purchase so that when someone takes you you will be able to obtain them. If the urge to go visit a friend strikes you you now have no way to act upon that desire. Talk abo.ut a major change to one's life.

Yet as hard as no longer driving would be, no longer being able to live alone in your own home must be the hardest. You can no longer have your stuff placed around you in the way you want it. You have to rid yourself of most of the things that you have spent a lifetime collecting. Imagine how difficult it must be trying to decide what things are the most important and disposing of the rest.

Even having someone come to live with you must be terribly disruptive and unsettling. They are there to help you. To insure you have your medications dispensed properly. That you eat properly. Suddenly you are no longer making the decisions of your life. Things as basic as what you have for supper or what time you go to bed.

While all of this is done for their benefit, to insure they live long and healthy. It's still has to be a bitter pill to swallow. Accepting these changes that time has forced upon them is difficult. Some are able to gracefully transition to these final days while other bitterly resist it.

Helping your parent during this is something that isn't easy to do. Our own lives are changed in way we never thought possible. We find ourselves performing tasks that in our wildest dreams we never could have imagined. As I try to help my own mother I constantly must remind myself to be patient and think how would I react in her situation.

So for those of you dealing with one of life's most difficult challenges I can only offer the advice that you occasionally stop and remind yourself that you too will one day be in the same position. How will you handle it? God bless all of you in this situation.

 

[1muttsfan]

Opa, it sounds like he is becoming a danger both to himself and others. A tractor is no joke on the road. It is not unusual for alzheimers victims to become combative, but it is difficult to watch. Has Hope considered placing him in a 24 hour care facility? As sad as it is, he is unlikely to be any less happy than he is now, and can be monitored by people trained to handle the kind of problems related to mental deterioration. I am so sorry to hear that you and Hope have to deal with such a difficult situation.

 

[Opa]

Raising my sons I often found reading Mark Twain to be quite helpful. Many of his quotes I was able to use as a guide. Some of the more memorable were "If you always tell the truth you don't have to remember anything". "A man who carries a cat by the tail learns things he could learn by no other way". "Always do right. This will gratify some and astonish the rest". "Laws control the lesser man. Right conduct controls the greater one". "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them".

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Happy Birthday Highlander!

 

[NotAFarm]

Happy Birthday Highlander!

Some blue for your Scottish spirit!

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

My thoughts and prayers with everyone on here who is dealing with aging parents. Our everyday struggles as caregivers in all these different situations are emotionally as well as physically exhausting. For myself personally, I know that each morning when I see the shade go up at mom's place a large sigh is released that, yes, we have another day. And yet as the quality of those days dwindle more and more, sometimes I wonder why. A life lived of 93 years is an achievement in itself; but, know as her memory, sight and hearing are abandoning her and fearfulness is her new companion, I have to continue to wonder why. Most all of her life friends are done gone or are in mental decline to a point that they don't know anyone so her world is a much smaller place. She still has a sister and 2 brothers, but trips to see each other have ended for some and are dwindling with others. Some relatives and friends she doesn't remember at all; sometime's even my father who has been gone 22 years.

But, the memories and time we have now are so precious because I know not when it will end and that emptiness of her absence will engulf my life, that each day is special, very special. Reminding myself of that seems to be the hard part on the days I really want to be grumpy or doing something else.

Love and hugs to everyone! And thanks to all of you who have listened to my concerns and prayed for us and kept us in your thoughts.

Blessings,
Shirley

 

[Opa]

Sometimes life presents us with questions to which there are never any answers. Why does someone get sick? Why does aging so often rob us of our dignity? Why is someone taken from us? Like everyone else I have thought long and hard on trying to come up with the answers and there are none.

The only thing we can do is take solace in the fact that our lives are richer because of them and the time we were able to share. May God open his arms to embrace them.

 

[Highlander]

I'll bet you don't rob her eggs now... lol

No kidding! I was actually looking for volunteers to collect eggs. No danger money and you'd have to pay for your own flights but free accomodation and all the whisky you can drink provided!