Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Bad Day at Black Rock




Usually I try to keep my crying to myself, but today was a bit much.

A series of things, ranging from minor, like the plates with the lunch on them falling out of the refrigerator and smashing hopelessly, to major like an email telling me of the death of a friend from long ago, a talented and wonderful woman I last saw some time ago at a knitting event.

Followed within minutes with a call from our home health agency to say our wonderful aide has quit on us, won't even complete the week. After telling me yesterday she was sick that day but was planning to be back as usual on Thursday and Friday.

To say the latter two were a big blow is putting it mildly. The loss of a friend from your circle, and I've had quite a few of these by this point in life, is so hard to deal with. I keep on thinking of the last time I saw her, how good it was to be in her company again. Way too young to be gone.

And the loss of the aide is a crippling blow to my energy which has been kept up with the, sporadic, admittedly, help from that agency -- it's very hard to recruit and keep good people, and the best ones quickly get overworked --but, oh, gosh, I could hardly talk from disappointment and fear.

I instantly called another agency to get them onto a search. But this is tough. No way to say it in a good humored way. And these are people we're paying out of pocket, and still not able to get and keep them. Endless arrangements that don't stay made.

So I may have to be creative in a different way, and see if I should look for a cleaning service to do the whole house and the laundry, so that my main physical work will be with Andy when we don't have help coming in. It's a better use of funds, maybe. At any rate, I have to keep on juggling.

Meanwhile I thought the facial expression on the battered old turtle I snapped, pun intended (he was a snapper, so I didn't get too close) at the end of the street yesterday, sums up my current feelings about The World and The Hand I've Been Dealt.



And the yarn I've spun up from my dyed fluff, is part of my cure!







not to mention the front yard, which cheers me every time I come back from the mailbox with more bills in my hand...

7 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear of your woes Liz. No time is ever a good time to lose a friend.

    Very frustrating being badly let down by people you pay. I know it's hard work but why be in the industry if you're not prepared to do the hard yards? Maybe your hard earned cash will go a little further having someone do your housework for you. I hope you find a solution.

    Good vibes and hugs from the other side of the world.

    Minimiss

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  2. Am so sorry about your friend.

    The aide quitting is just too frustrating indeed, and they know how much you depend on them, too, which makes it even worse. Your idea of a cleaning service is a good one. However if you can swing it, I think you should still try to get a caregiver in at least once a week to let you get out to refresh yourself.

    Positive thinking going your way, and as much morale boosting as is possible on line.

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  3. Oh dear...what a rotten time for you...nothing I can do except send cyber good thoughts and keeping my fingers crossed that you will soon find a new aide. The cleaning service idea is good.....can you manage it as well as an aide? Do you have any govt. funded community care? They usually have volunteers to assist in many ways. This is the norm here, but some consider us "socialists"...which is quite true, of course. Wish I was closer to give you a hand.

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  4. I don't even know WHAT to say! But I'm thinking of you -- wish I lived close enough to help.

    The yarn colors are lovely, by the way -- Kool-Aid and nothing else? Whoda thunk it?

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  5. Hope you are having a better day today. I know how frustrating losing help you depend on is, too.

    What happened to that turtle's shell? It looks like it has a hole in the top! And, that's no snapper; looks like a nice box turtle from the photo!

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  6. On second examination, I suppose you were right, that turtle you photographed has the shallow slope of a snapper. I didn't see the jagged edges in the back, that's why I was confused. Still wondering what happened to its shell, though.

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  7. I'm late getting here - and taking your days in order. Hoping that things have sorted themselves out a little by now - and knowing with my whole heart that you will have done the wise things already - because you're such the snapper - and scrapper yourself. ((hugs))

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