My Ma and Pa were visiting at my house this weekend. It turned out to be a fairly good time. My dad behaved. That's the way I think of it now. Pretty sad, if I may say so. He has times when he's really hateful and in the early stages of getting mean. My mom, of course, bears the brunt of it on a daily basis. I figure she has had some moments with him she hasn't shared with the rest of us. She is beginning to get worn down from the stress. She isn't bitter or mad now but I get mad when she says he does stuff just to be spiteful or that she just doesn't understand why he did this or that. AARRRRGGGH. He doesn't know what the hell he's doing. She wants to be in control of this and she isn't so she resorts to that kind of thought process.

She doesn't have enough help with him or time away from him to reset her attitude. She needs some more breaks. I live too far away to be there on a daily or even every weekend basis. My sister and brother are there close but it wears on them as well. They do a great job of helping. I feel guilty for this. I do know it is a good break for them to come to my house so I invite them as often as I can and go as often as I can. I call and commiserate with her and let her vent, encourage her to vent, try to give hope for the future, encourage her with her projects and events she can be excited about. It seems like so little.
My dad, on the other hand, loves to be babied and he interjects in other's conversation to make everyone notice him. He can't converse anymore. That was a strong suite of his...his gift of conversation. He starts a sentence and can't finish it. He can't say what he wants anymore. He just sits and closes his eyes usually. He can't finish a job. I helped him with his shaving and teeth brushing and it was comical and horrible. I hope to hell he can't tell he can't remember. Because the frustration would be his hell. I used to think he knew everything. I came to a time when I knew that wasn't true. But now he knows nothing. "Flowers for Algernon" .

My family is so strange. We don't talk to him directly about his disease and never have. Only Mother has talked with him when it all became clear what he had. I came the closest I ever have to asking him how he really was and what he felt during this weekend. He responds to me well and I believe I am a comforting presence for him. He feels Mother's irritation. I am helpful and laugh at his nonsensical antics and jokes. I hug him and pat him on the back a lot. He hugs back and doesn't want to let go. God, I hope he isn't scared. And I can't go there.

A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Money!

We started out with a blowout on the way to the airport. We both said "That means we'll have good luck now"
100 degrees changing a tire, bless his heart.
The flight was 4 hours late and the canteen food and drinks were absolutely horrid. We both said " Now our luck is really gonna happen!"
We get to the hotel/casino and find our appetites were enournous but the 24 hour cafe in the hotel was closed for renovation. Yup, we said it again. We ate at the food court McDonalds. Hmmmm.


This was the glass work done by a famous artist whose name escapes me now. It was in the 100x50 foot skylight of the atrium in the entrance to the Bellagio. Magnificant! My pics don't do any justice.

Our quick trip to Fremont street....and no luck at the slots or roulette.

After our meal at Emeril's Fish House in the MGM. The food and wine was superb and I drank mine as well as Jim's tailings, which led me to forget the entire Howie Mandel set we went to right after dinner. Naughty me.
The view from our hotel, the Monte Carlo below. I recommend this hotel for the swimming pool with it's humongous football container drinks and lovely casino, Blackstone Steakhouse and the Pub microbrewery, but NOT, I repeat, NOT for the thick walls. From 1 to 4 at night the raccous Mexican American ladies next door were hootin and hollerin in Spanish. I know, I know, what were we doing trying to sleep. At the crack of light each morning the jack hammers started in the lot down below. We needed to sleep sometime!
The flight home was uneventful and dozey, except for the 30 pics from Nevada to Missouri. I love to fly and never get tired of the view.

I think it will be a while before we go back to Vegas. I have to do some $ planning. I have to re-open my kid's college fund first. So, maybe we'll turn our sights on the eastern side of the country next. Anyone care for some charasmatic house guests?!

Yum-MY

Now this is important info.


***You Are A Blueberry Martini***
You are a eclectic drink - liking to change drinks and venues often.You are usually the first of your friends to find a cool new dive bar or cocktail.
You should never: Drink mystery drinks strangers hand you. Unless you want to wind up in foreign country.
Your ideal party: Is mobile, hopping from party to party.
Your drinking soulmates: Those with an Orange Martini personality.
Your drinking rivals: Those with a Chocolate Martini personality.
What Flavor Martini Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatflavormartiniareyouquiz/

Ha-cha-cha!

In a day, I'm off to Sin City with a wild man. Gonna try all the pomegranate drinks plus one I hadn't thought of- a pineapple Cosmo. Gonna sit a spell at the roulette wheel (my fav), slots (I won $490 last time but not on the machine that had a pubic hair in the window of the dial) and make myself try blackjack (I'm sorta slow on counting my cards).
We are seeing Howie Mandel and we have reservations at Emeril's place plus hitting one of our favs from last time...Onda in the Mirage. The rest is left up in the air. We didn't have trouble finding things to do the last time we were there.
I just heard it's 112 in Vegas at the moment. I hope the pool is nice and cold.

I'll let you know if I win big, just as soon as I'm back, unless we stay....

R and R in the L.P. of MI

A fabulous time. My kids, myself and I would wager to say my relatives all enjoyed the time spent. Lots of talk, drinks, fireworks, lake time, fish, spilling of guts, sharing of stories old and recent, connections never made before, interesting forays into antiques and artisan work in nearby towns, a bit of history thanks to Henry Ford.













I enjoyed the drive up.. .. The first time I had been there since I was 19. Wish I had spent more time watching the way we went. My kids did very well for their longest road trip ever. It was an adventure. My daughter found the name "Effingham", a town in Illinois quite interesting. Also, they found out there really are Big Boy restaurants, that my uncle dosen't really "own" the whole lake, you can eat the tails of crappie and bluegill(after they are fried) cause they are tasty, and a shopping trip to Meijer can take 2 hours because they have great stuff.




It sure is good to be home but while I was tooling around up there, I daydreamed about living in Michigan. I love their winters and I love the summers there as well. But jeez, prices are prohibitive no matter how many yards I landscape.
I will just plan on another trip next July unless I can make it back there this fall or winter. I may work on my resume in the mean time.