Monday Musings No. 62, a weekend update + 5 Things: what I read, watched, and discovered this weekend and more.
Musings
Good Monday morning friends! How was your weekend? We had a quiet weekend at home. Bill has been traveling the last 2 weeks and wanted to stay home, and relax. There were bags to0 unpack, laundry to catch up on and little projects around the house to finish.
I spent a lot of time outside cleaning pine straw out of the beds, picking up pinecones and branches from the last wind storm and soaking up the sun. Sadly, the pollen is terrible at this time of the year. You cannot walk outside without kicking up the stuff. As I mentioned last week, my ears and eyes are taking a beating from it.
The weather was beautiful Sunday, sunny, a light breeze, perfect for sitting with a book, listening the the birds chirp and the first bees buzz. A taste of spring before the cold returns this week. Overnight we may see the 30s! I will have to cover my plants so I do not loose any like I did last year.
Aging
Lately I have been thinking a lot about aging. My mother-in-law is 95, 6 months ago we moved her into a 2 room assisted living facility and it has been hard. I speak to her daily and some days are good and some days not so good. She misses her friends, her husband, her life and laments the fact that she has nothing to get up for every day and nothing do do. Many times she tells me she can’t understand why God is keeping her here.
Honestly, I feel sorry for her. It breaks my heart when I speak to her. My mother-in-law was the hardest working, most social woman I have ever known. Their phone rang off the hook with people calling to chat, to invite them to dinners and outings. Every other week she and 4 widows would go to dinner with my father-in-law, they did this for over 15 years. Everyone is gone now, except my mother-in-law. You could not walk into a restaurant, a store or anywhere in town without someone stopping her to talk, they knew everyone. Now she is in a home where she knows no-one and doesn’t want to.
I cannot imagine that this is how her life is going to end, and it is. She has lost the will to live because there is nothing to live for except her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. But as she told me recently, we don’t need her to care for us, we have each other. I do not want her to go but I do not want her to live like this.
Aging my friends is not for the faint of heart.
Ok, sorry to be so maudlen grab your coffee, tea or chocolate and on to 5 Things.
+5 THINGS
1.Read
The Midnight House
1940: In south-west Ireland, the young and beautiful Lady Charlotte Rathmore is pronounced dead after she mysteriously disappears by the lake of Blackwater Hall.
In London, on the brink of the Blitz, Nancy Rathmore is grieving Charlotte’s death when a letter arrives containing a secret that she is sworn to keep – one that will change her life for ever.
2019: Disgraced young journalist Ellie Fitzgerald flees Dublin for the safety of rural Kerry. When she discovers a faded letter, tucked inside the pages of an old book from Blackwater Hall, she finds herself drawn in by the mystery of Lady Charlotte’s disappearance, and uncovers a long-buried secret…
If you have read this book and are looking for another recommendation, check out My Book Shop on amazon.
2.Watched
Love Sarah
A Young woman wants to fulfill her mother’s wishes of opening a bakery in Notting Hill, London. To do it she enlists the help of her grandmother and an old friend.
3.Weekend Links
10 Ways to Save Money Gardening
This Live Cam of Bald Eagles in Their Snow-Covered Nest Is the Winter Storm Calm We All Need
Meet the Men Paying To Have Their Jaws Broken in the Name of ‘Manliness’
Why Can’t Americans Agree On, Well, Nearly Anything? Philosophy Has Some Answers.
Barnes & Noble is stealing the indie shop playbook, and it’s working
4.Finds
Mug //daisy glass//napkins//faux stem blossom//embroidered bee towel//candle//napkin ring//pillow
5. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT~WEEKEND MEANDERINGS
Saturday I joined Juliet and Kim for weekend meanderings I shared Steve Cordony, Jake Arnold, St. Patrick’s Day treats and more on Weekend Meanderings
You can find all of the weekend meanderings posts here if you missed any or are looking for something that was previously featured.
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
I hope that you enjoyed Monday Musings and that you found something to enjoy. Have a great day!
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Monday Musings No. 65
Monday Musings No. 64
Monday Musings No. 63
Friday Favorites No.486 from Half Baked Harvest, Kitchen Confidante, and More
First & Foremost, thank you for your wonderful blog. I always enjoy it! On your mother-in-law, it is a hard situation. A few months ago, I had to get my “ex”, at 81, into a nursing home, having Alzheimer’s and loosing the home where he lived alone. His Alzheimer’s isn’t so advanced, still having “in the moment” cognitive abilities, which does make it hard, for him & I. God blessed us with getting him into a facility just 3 miles from my home, so I can get there to visit about 3x a week. In so doing, I have become friendly with other residents that have great mental facilities. I found that they are bored to death! Even though there are some activities, residents aren’t reminded or encouraged to partake. I began taking snacks for 4 (approved first by nursing), which has now grown to 8-10 people. For a few, I bring in food they enjoyed from their old life (pulled pork sandwiches, pizza, etc.) Most importantly, I now supply them with wordsearch puzzle books, hidden picture books and find-the-difference puzzle books. I also brought in some Go Fish & Old Maid playing cards which are simple games most can play. (I told them I feel like Mary Poppins with a bag of tricks.) They enjoy everything so much, and even do some puzzle books together. My next mission is to talk to the powers-in-charge about throwing birthday parties and occasional dinner parties with music for 6 or so in an available dining room. I’m getting ready to search for any “wheelchair dancing” ideas. I just feel it they can enjoy some of the pleasures they had “before”, their lives now would surely be better. You may not be that near to your MIL but perhaps sending care packages (like to kids off to college) it not only gives them more to do, but something to look forward to, especially if there were additional family members that could do the same on occasion. It may even give her something to share and help form friendships with others that feel as she does.
Wishing for your MIL (and you & your family) for her new adventure in life to be as wonderful as possible!
XO, S
Shelia, I have been meaning to send you an email but I keep forgetting. First, THANK You for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. I volunteered for 2 years in an assisted living and memory care facility and I did the same things. I brought treats for the residents, played games and talked for hours about their old life.
It is heartbreaking for me to talk to my mother-in-law, she hates living in the home and as she says has no reason to wake up every day. Today she decided to stop taking her medication, she said it is keeping her alive.
Sadly, we love 1/2 way across the country from her so visiting is not an option and she will not come here because her daughter in 1 hour from her.
I hope and pray that my mother-in-law does not suffer and that God has a plan.
Thank you again! xo Elizabeth
I’m sorry about your mother in law.
Thank you William!