Easter Egg Hunting

I have been finding more things out of place. Generally, I have been doing most of the meal prep, with a good bit of help from Aunty Florence. After we clear the table, Mom washes the dishes and puts them away. I think since she has not taken the dishes out of the cabinets she can't remember where they belong so she puts them where she thinks is a good place; it reminds me of when Kai and I did indoor egg hunts when it was raining on Easter Sunday, some things hiding in plain sight but becoming invisible since they are out of context. I am finding the measuring cups with the pots and pans, plastic storage containers with the ceramic bowls, and her pills that she was supposed to have taken after breakfast with the cups and saucers! A couple days ago she put an advertisement for our cousin Erica's in-laws' business that had a photo of her away in a safe place. Problem is, it was so safe we could not find it; it mysteriously appeared on the floor of the family room this evening, it must have fallen out of something when some papers were moved. (I scanned it so it can't be "lost" again.) To deal with this, if something is really important, I handle it immediately or put it in my bedroom with a "Please leave this here" note attached.

Photo taken in front yard under mango tree by unknown photographer

As for making use of the services provided by Safe Harbor, I asked her about it last week. She was adamant that she did not need their help. I don't think she likes the idea of having someone in her house for a few hours a day helping with meals, housework, and medication reminders. We'll have to work on her about this.

My friend Jackie went to an AARP conference for caregivers on Saturday. This evening she sent me a copy of one of  the conference handouts, "Understanding Dementia and Steps for a Healthy Brain." She said it helped her and I also found it helpful. Since this is an annual conference I will have to look for it next year and make sure I attend.

Aunty Florence's friend Nancy put us in touch with her niece who has been taking care of a relative with dementia. Lori had a lot of great information about services that are available and where to find them. I checked out the meals-on-wheels options. There are 2 on O'ahu: Hawai'i Meals-on-Wheels and Lanakila Meals-on-Wheels. The Hawai'i one has a website that leaves much to be desired; not much info to be found there, I need to send a message through their "Contact Us" page to get useful information. Lanakila, on the other hand, was a joy to use; unfortunately, they have a waiting list. (Mom is more open to meals-on-wheels because the food is dropped off and no one is in the house.) I will check out ride options tomorrow.

For the most part the cats get along fairly well. Shiro is the dominant cat but is not pushy about it. Momo is the most aggressive cat because he is the next most dominant but seems to have to prove he is a badass; he will chase Chibi when she goes running by when something else has scared her and he will growl, hiss, and swat at Xander every so often. But it can still be peaceful even with a house full of cats. (Momo is sleeping in the family room.)

L to r: Shiro, Xander, & Chibi in the TV room

Mom loves butterflies. Years ago someone had given me 2 very large (~1 foot long) butterflies; 1 blue, 1 green. I found them while purging and packing so I brought them with me on this trip. I was going to hang them under the eaves in front of the living room window so she would see them every time she walked by, but she did not want them to get wet. So the blue one is hanging in the kitchen and the green one is hanging in the living room.

Last Friday, Aunty Florence and I found a vacuum sealer at Goodwill so I bought it ($3.99). Although the vacuum part worked, the sealer part did not work (would not heat up). So we returned it for a store credit and bought a spring-form baking pan instead. I mentioned it to Lori when we were over for dinner; telling her that I had been hoping to use it to more easily package frozen meals for Mom and Dad. It turns out she had a FoodSaver vacuum sealer that she was not using so she gave it to us. Here's my first experiment: enough kalua pork for one meal for Mom and Dad. I need to get smaller bags; this looks like a kalua pork sausage! (The materials to make your own bags comes in 11" and 8" wide rolls. This was from the 11" roll.)


Happy Birthday to Laura, Brian, and Israel!