Uncle brought the golf cart back today. Seems the reason it wasn't working is that Dad has been putting kerosene in it. At the beginning of winter, I got a kerosene heater and a can of kerosene to have on hand in case the electricity went out. Dad has forgotten the difference between the gas can (red) and kerosene (blue). Sigh. Now I'll have to find a place to hide the kerosene away. $300 for a few new belts and filters and cleaning out the tank. Who knew half the expenses of caring for the parents was going to be in paying for what they screw up! Frankly, I admit to not checking the blue kerosene can to make sure it hadn't been used for other purposes.
The cat scratched Dad today. It's always, "The cat bit me." Fact is, Dad's skin is so fragile that all the cat has to do is bump him with a claw, and Dad bleeds like crazy. Anyone that has ever had a cat use you as a launching pad knows the peril. I put a drop of Mercuroclear on it, and we're all fine and dandy. Whatever happened to Mercurichrome or Merthiolate? Mercuroclear says it's an anethestic. Does the same as the earlier stuff and might lessen pain.
I haven't been big on patience tonight. I've sent my mother into shaking fits in the last hour. The first time was when I asked her to take her dentures out and soak them overnight. She never takes the uppers out, and the lack of hygiene is driving me nuts. The next was over hand washing and lotion. She had been handling her dentures, and I told her to wash her hands - I brought her an adult wipe to do it - washing her hands in the sink is beyond her. Then I offered her the Jergens hand lotion sitting on the table beside her. It stunk. So did the next two in the house I offered her. I gave up because every lotion in the house I offered her was going to stink. She has never in the last two years I've been here told me she doesn't like the smell of Jergen's handlotion.
The last shaking fit was because she looked at me and said she had no clue how "they got that piano in this room." I admit, it's my fault because my patience is gone. She's said everyday for about 3 days now. I just looked at her and said, "Through the front door." She said, "Bullshit." At that point I was stymied. "The sofa is bigger than the piano. There are only two doors into here. How do you think?" Apparently, I'm nuts.
Finally at 11:00 p.m. I asked her to go to bed. She slowly made her way into the bedroom, stood by the bed and stalled. I asked her what was the matter. She said she didn't know what to next. I told her to lay down. When she was in bed, she started obsessing about her teeth. I realized there was no way the teeth were going to be able to soak overnight for hygiene and got them, put the dental fixative on them and let her put them in.
Once the teeth were in, she told me about how she would kneel at her mother's side and say the prayer of "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mama and Papa and Lizbeth and ..." I asked her if she blessed a slew of friends, and she told me no, just the family.
May I please have more patience tomorrow.
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