My Dad (88, will be 89 soon) called me yesterday. Missed his call, sounded urgent, called him back as soon as I came in from tending the chickens.
Good news? While we were down there I finally got him over the obsession he had developed (that my sister was complaining about) that elderly folks sometimes get about certain daily habits.
Bad news, I caused new ones.
Dad has a new microwave. So fancy you need a degree in computer programming just to set the time on it, let alone operate it (wonder whose bright idea that one was???). So, Dad+new microwave. He loves hot dogs. Now I wouldn't touch a hot dog on dare, but Dad is 88 years old, who am I to say? He must be living right
I explained to him how to cook a hot dog in the microwave again. And again....
Then we get to the new phone/answering machine we bought him....again. It's working fine, he likes it, except....
He can't get the "slow" button to work. The slow button is a pretty neat feature. The phones designers had people like me - people that talk way too fast to rightfully call themselves a southerner - in mind when they created it. If you are listening to your messages and can't quite make out the message, you can hit the slow button and slooooow the message down.
Dad wanted to know why that button wouldn't work. Conversation:
Me: It only works for messages Dad, not while you are talking to someone on the phone.
Dad: Why doesn't it work while you are talking to someone on the phone? I need to slow your speech down.
Me: Because Dad. Messages are recorded, phone calls are "live" (real time).
Dad: So why don't they make one that will slow down the live?
Me: I guess the technology doesn't exist yet Dad.
Dad: Kath (Dad is only one that can call me that & live to tell about it), that doesn't make sense! If they can do it for one, why not for the other?
Me: They just can't Dad. They just can't. *heavy sigh* So, about those hot dogs......
Why do I feel like our roles in life are slowly but surely being reversed?
Good news? While we were down there I finally got him over the obsession he had developed (that my sister was complaining about) that elderly folks sometimes get about certain daily habits.
Bad news, I caused new ones.
Dad has a new microwave. So fancy you need a degree in computer programming just to set the time on it, let alone operate it (wonder whose bright idea that one was???). So, Dad+new microwave. He loves hot dogs. Now I wouldn't touch a hot dog on dare, but Dad is 88 years old, who am I to say? He must be living right
Then we get to the new phone/answering machine we bought him....again. It's working fine, he likes it, except....
He can't get the "slow" button to work. The slow button is a pretty neat feature. The phones designers had people like me - people that talk way too fast to rightfully call themselves a southerner - in mind when they created it. If you are listening to your messages and can't quite make out the message, you can hit the slow button and slooooow the message down.
Dad wanted to know why that button wouldn't work. Conversation:
Me: It only works for messages Dad, not while you are talking to someone on the phone.
Dad: Why doesn't it work while you are talking to someone on the phone? I need to slow your speech down.
Me: Because Dad. Messages are recorded, phone calls are "live" (real time).
Dad: So why don't they make one that will slow down the live?
Me: I guess the technology doesn't exist yet Dad.
Dad: Kath (Dad is only one that can call me that & live to tell about it), that doesn't make sense! If they can do it for one, why not for the other?
Me: They just can't Dad. They just can't. *heavy sigh* So, about those hot dogs......
Why do I feel like our roles in life are slowly but surely being reversed?
