Hello friends. I haven’t written about my mom since July. My focus was usurped by my search for a migraine cure, my reports on medical marijuana and CBD oil. There are other things going on here, in the family, that divert me: my life goes in cycles. First it’s her, then it’s him, then it’s me, then it’s the other him. It can be very distracting and perhaps distracting is good. So, let’s go back to her. My mother has been relatively quiet for a while. She recently said that there was a new cook in the building and that … Continue reading →

  It’s been time for a new post for a while; to continue with the story about my mother I am happy to say that I have had a break for a few weeks and it was wonderful. The illusion was that all was well. The reality was that all was well. The undercurrent was disbelief. Was she stable? Would it stay like this. Underneath it all I had my doubts. What does one expect from a one hundred plus year old person? Yet, I have heard of other elderly people who had it even more together than my mother. … Continue reading →

Friends, yes I know it has been a while. I began a blog earlier and then deleted it, it didn’t feel appropriate; I felt guilty. But guilt is part of the problem. I enjoyed a quiet hiatus. I enjoyed it too much, perhaps. But peace has its price in my case. At this stage of the game, having such an elderly parent, the phone could ring at any time of the day or night. The ringing phone makes me cringe. The caller Id can be even worse: if I see my mother’s name appear I hold my breath. This kind … Continue reading →

Here we are on the “back-to-normal” paper-chase … I called eligibility and sent an email. I called the service provider: nothing came down the pike to show the coverage had ended. I called HRA in Brooklyn. Couldn’t get through … busy for hours. Finally got through. The phone system said the case number was incorrect. Ten minutes later I was connected to a live agent. The case number went through. Go figure. He started to give me lip: if it didn’t go through, why are you giving it to me. (To show you the system sucks) And what was the … Continue reading →

  I spent many hours last week mopping up the usual spills. It was not an easy week, and in the process of dealing with the diversions, distractions and angst, I had not spoken to my mother. Strangely, I did not hear from her. Not one call. And, this is true for the last few weeks, a kind of silence prevailed as though, as if, it were practice for when my mother would no longer be here. I called earlier: she wanted to know how everyone was feeling, what was going on. There was interest. Not that she doesn’t ask … Continue reading →

  Rain, snow, wind, the basement sump pumps going off. Good to be home, right? A nice, fresh treat of bagel and lox and cup of foamy coffee … I open my email and stop chewing. So, you know what’s going on with this re-certification stuff, the on-going nonsense one must put up with, that I am convinced never goes right because the “system” is overworked and couldn’t care if you end up in a loony bin trying to navigate it. More fodder for a blog post; I am documenting it all. The email that made me stop masticating in … Continue reading →

  The problem with paperwork is … it gets lost. Usually because the person who asks for it is drowning under so much of it that they suffocate within it, hence, they never see it, until later, when an archaeological dig is requested. A phone call began my Monday morning: “I am sorry to tell you that we never received your mother’s re-certification papers.” I had a foot out of the door. I had an appointment. This is not something I wanted to hear, especially since all the necessary papers were faxed to the appropriate person at the beginning of November. … Continue reading →