Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Beautiful day, but my roses are far from ready to bloom. We are weeks behind because of the cold weather. Walked and fed the pups. Then went for a walk in the mall with Barb. First time walking the mall. There really are mall-walkers! And they all know the distances. We saw Dick, our neighbor, there too. He was sitting with a bunch of other men. Chewing the fat and having coffee. Nice for him to have companionship. He just lost his wife a few months ago. Quite a shocker, that one! You just never know. 

Managed to get my banking done. Mom is still asleep. Have already called the plumber. Far too many napkins and paper towels going down the toilet. This is no house to fool with when it comes to plumbing. In fact, I need to buy copper sulfate to kill the tree roots. My basement might be neat and clean, but the drains down there are problematic. The township had to come and saw tree roots away two summers ago, while Rob worked the ShopVac and suctioned sewage water out of the basement. (Wasn’t too bad. Mostly a neighbor’s laundry water.) Nonetheless, don’t want that scenario again! Rob has actually fished mom’s paper towels and napkins from the toilet. (We use surgical gloves!) Oh, there go the drains again. Bubbling away. This isn’t good. Going to have to watch mom like a hawk today! 

Speaking of surgical gloves, taking care of mom requires all kinds of supplies in the way of sanitation, vitamins, desserts, drinks, supportive devices, bathroom articles, you name it. And I thought having dogs was demanding. 

Uh oh. Just showered mom. (Bad night for her.) Tub is backing up. Sewage pipe is clogged. The plumbers can’t get here soon enough, and they are slated for late tonight. I tried telling mom not to go to the bathroom alone today. She will need constant supervision. We might wind up using the potty chair. It’s still outside, where it’s been since I brought it here from Bayonne. Will have to clean it and use it as backup. (Backup! Watch that word!) Going to be a long day. Our old sewage pipes are a bit too sensitive for the likes of mom and her collection of paper products! Like an alcoholic, she hides napkins, paper towels, and tissues in the most unusual places, including around the room and in her diapers. As one person pointed out, they are her only valued possessions. Apparently, paper products become very important to the elderly.