On June 11, I had started a new post entitled "Managing the Inevitable." In it, I updated Janet's recent and abrupt change and decline in Alzheimer's symptoms. She had become combative, would refuse food and medicine (but could usually be cajoled into them). She was packing her stuff in a very haphazard disorganized fashion because her nephew (she believed) was coming to take her to her sister's.
We got emergency nursing home placement. She got sick. She went to the ER, then ICU. She recovered some. We placed her in our first choice nursing home. The first night she fell trying to get out of bed. That afternoon she was gone. June 29, 2015. I hadn't yet adjusted to her being across town, but at least then I could check in and see her. Now I can't even do that.
And that's nothing compared to my husband and his sister's pain.
I mentioned before, Alzheimer's is more than just memory loss. It attacks all parts of the brain; even those parts that are responsible for things like being hungry and breathing and the like.
But...if I am at least grateful for two things.
1.She had a good visit with her son and daughter and granddaughter the day before. She knew who they were.
2. She did not decline further. She will not be in that line of people at the nursing home, staring off into space, not knowing where they are, who they are. Alzheimer's didn't beat her after all.
The last few weeks...months, really... have been a blur. But life requires we move on, as it keeps happening regardless. I see events happening that I may have once been invited to, but care-giving-related invitation declines have seen me fall off many 'must invite' lists. I need to get back to social life.
AND, back to my garden, which actually has been happening in the midst of all the other. I could read back to see what I've already talked about, but instead I'll just state where we are. Today Jim and I staked the tomatoes and peppers. The tomatoes had outgrown the little thingies I had, so we got proper stakes for them. The rain has left them loaded with green fruit, so hopefully the dry and heat of this coming week will start the ripening process. there are blossoms on the peppers, too. I normally don't stake them, but rain keeps beating them down.
The zucchini and squash are doing .... so-so. I've gotten two zucchinis and one squash off two plants of each. It looks the rain just smashed the plants completely, so we'll see what the dry spell does.
I think I am going to have to give up on broccoli. I never get the big bunches I see in stores, and it bolts really quickly. The Brussel sprouts are starting to form though. They seem to take forever, though, so I may want to rethink them both in favor of something that produces well and doesn't take so long.
I did finally plant beans and they have sprouted up nicely. Allegedly there is no trellising required for these (but we shall keep an eye on that).
Strawberries and raspberries are sort of mediocre this year, but the apple tree is LOADED. We don't spray so they aren't "pretty" but they are definitely bigger this year than last, and more plentiful. One of these years we will look at the 'organic apple growing' sites and figure out what we're doing. Jim also finally planted our grape vine, so hopefully it's not too late for the plant to survive, even if we don't get grapes this year.
Right now the bumper crop is cucumbers, which are following the 'three years to success' model that almost everything else has. Of course, I was growing them for Janet, who LOVED them. I see relish in my future.
Also in addition to the tomato stakes on our trip to Lowe's, we got birdseed. I need to fill the birdfeeder (edit: done) and refill the hummingbird feeders. Janet was insistent about those.
Herbs are drying in the window, but I need to get those taken down and stored so I can hang more.
The cicadas are singing, signifying for me the beginning of Lughnasadh, and now the hope for having things to can and preserve. While my hope is only for hobby's sake, it's a small snippet of how people must have felt this time of year. I know my garden this year isn't going to do much (survival on apples, tomatoes, and cucumbers would not be pleasant!) so already we are planning for next year. The last remaining pallets will be replaced with actual raised beds, and maybe one more. I'm also not using straw as a mulch again. It may keep weeds down, but those that do land get hopelessly tangled with the straw. But, those are all things for future posts.
