Grandma and Grandpa, work issues, catching up

I got to talk with Grandma yesterday evening. She called because she could not think of a song she always associates with me and a Christmas cantata we sang years ago while we were attending the Church of the Nazarene in Ripley, WVa. Once we got that cleared up she told me about Grandpa and his disappointment with the doctor that was treating him.

The doctor’s heavy accent and clipped diction make it very difficult for Grandpa to understand him – so he just gives up at some point in the checkup. I made a couple suggestions that may help Grandpa with the fluid retention he is experiencing but I am not a doctor. I can only hope that the practical suggestions I made line up with what the doctor was trying to tell him.

They really are anxious to get back to Texas and in preparation I had Mama call the cardiologist in Amarillo to set an appointment for Grandpa. I think they were both excited that this particular doctor was still practicing and that he would still see them. They need some help. Maybe he is the right person to give it to them. The appointment is set for the 29^th of August.

The morale at work is at a very low level right now. It is difficult for the majority of the people I work with to stay focused – much less productive. Now is the time that the rumor mill spins out one iteration after another of the, as yet unannounced, reduction plans at a rather remarkable pace. By the law of averages, some of the predictions will actually come to pass. Others are so farfetched that they are not worth considering. None the less, we have to deal with each one in turn to quell the anxious spirit of the not so patiently waiting employee group. It can get disheartening at times.

Mama is packing for her flight along with the things she will have Victoria and I bring down when we come about ten days later. I have to have her at the airport by 4:15 a.m. on Thursday morning. We will not be following until August 1^st. There is still some debate about which vehicle we will be taking but I think we have settled on Victoria’s car. Savanah is still waiting on Grammy’s arrival to make her appearance.

I am putting on hold all the little projects I have in the queue in order to keep money on hand for the coming trip. There are a wealth of other chores needing my attention that do not require any cash outlay (Most of them are just plain boring.) and I will be focusing on those until we leave for Florida. Not the least of which is catching up to the overgrowth on our property.

The good news/bad news story is that the temperatures are predicted to be in the triple digits over the next two weeks with little prospect for rain during that time. That requires me to water the plants I want to ensure make it through the blistering heat but it also means that there will be very little growth in the weeds or the grass. So as we mow and weed eat the likelihood of them re-growing into the ugly mass they are right now is fairly limited – at least for the near future. We won’t get ahead but we may catch up.

My sister Cathy posted something cute the other day: Did you hear about the chameleon that could no change colors? He was diagnosed with a “reptile dysfunction”.