Gordon, I'm so sorry to hear that. Please take comfort in knowing you brought joy to her final years. Again I'm so sorry for your loss.

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[/quote]

Old James

To my GF.
The Fairytale Land
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY4a2m2VP1c#t=1m05s
There is somewhere a country beyond the wide sea
Where waves wash on shores of happiness
Where beautiful flowers always blossom
Over worries of tomorrow, that can be forgotten

An unusual take on Satumaa (and perhaps one more likely to be known outside of Finland) appears on a Frank Zappa live album from a Helsinki concert in 1974. Requested at short notice, the band plays the song from sheet music with the (non-Finnish-speaking) vocalist Napoleon Murphy Brock trying his best to read the Finnish lyrics.[2][3] Dweezil Zappa and his ensemble Zappa plays Zappa played a part of the song on their 6 June 2009 and 29 November 2013 concerts at the same venue.

Gordon, wishing you peace as you mourn the loss of your mother.

Angela & Eric

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I think things here are about to get a lot more difficult.

I was woken around 3 am to a noise, couldn't tell what it was or where from, after a couple of minutes I heard a voice.

Not being at my best at 3 am it took a couple of minutes for me to get my head in order. I got up to investigate and as I opened my bedroom door I could hear the voice was my dad's but not coming from his bedroom, but the living room.

The living room was in total darkness, when I switched on the light it took me a second or two to locate him, he had fallen behind the TV stand and was wedged between it and a desk.

Whilst he may look frail, he is still quite heavy, and was totally unable to help as I lifted him off the floor and got him to his chair.

He was fully dressed, but had no idea why he was in the living room at 3 am. He does carry a torch, but had left it by his chair, so had no light!!

I realised a lot of things then. I wondered why he used a torch, it's simply because he cannot remember where the light switches are, he has a large clock he carries from the bedroom to living room each day, but can no longer see it clearly. He also doesn't tell me any of this!

As my sister said if I hadn't been here he would have been there for many hours, maybe too many!

He had one of those emergency alarms that has a pendant or wrist band, but wouldn't wear either, in case he set it off by accident. As he was paying £25 a month for it I told him not to worry about that. The main unit had two way communication via a loudspeaker, but I could never get him to carry the button. To be fair now he would not remember anyway.

So as an interim measure I have ordered 3 PIR movement sensor lights that I can position to try and cover the hallway and living room areas, so that it will be lit when necessary.

Dad seems OK now though was obviously shaken up a bit. I have to admit it was one of those situations where you react first and think afterwards, I feel a bit drained now.

Glad to see that your Dad didn't come to any harm during his nocturnal perambulations.

The PIRs look to be a great idea, I wish I'd though of them when my Dad was doing his nocturnal perambulations as they would have saved Mum a good few nights of worry,

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

It has been a difficult week, not for my dad, but for my sister and I having to come to terms with the fact that my dad has dementia.

I have looked up the signs of dementia and my dad has 4 of the main 5, the only one he seems to be missing is the mood swings.

When I was first here I just put it down to old age and failing memory, but it is definitely more than that, and the knowledge that he will get worse is hard for us to get used to.

I believe I have mentioned before that my sister lives in Hanover PA so is not able to be here, but we are in constant contact.

I have now got the form so I can be added to his Post Office account so I will be able to "legally" withdraw his pension if he cannot.

The PIR lights work well, the one plugged into the mains is brilliant (pun intended) it lights up the living room as soon as he steps in. So no more nocturnal perambulations in total darkness.

I have also brought as personal alarm, he has a pendant with a button, I have the small receiver unit so he can alert me, hopefully I can convince him to have it with him, trouble is he forgets new things straight away.

I have also fitted a Wi-Fi webcam in the living room so I can keep an eye on him from my computer, iPad or iPhone. If I am out I just need to find Wi-Fi and I can check, if there was a problem I can then phone the neighbours, or even an ambulance (he has a front door key in a combination safe near the door).

I don't think I can do much more, just be here.

Just got a call from my GF who has been hospitalized for more than 2 weeks.
Third surgery is underway!

Janne, I hope your GF is better.

I haven't felt much like saying anything about my situation because I've been very sad, and feel like I've said it all already, but the good thing is I may be getting a volunteer job soon at the local art museum. I passed their background check, and they are interested in me, so I think it would be good to get out of the house and help at a place I've always loved.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

What is it about our elders and those darn pendant alarms? My mother had one too and she never wore it. One day she fell in her backyard and got stuck in a very large climbing rose. Her gardener, who was only scheduled to come over every two weeks, happened to be there that day and he got her out of the rose. Clearly mom had picked a "lucky" day to fall. She was scratched, but not badly injured. The tangled old climbing rose had broken her fall quite effectively.

My aunt in her early 90's also has a pendant alarm. She never wears her pendant either. Last week my aunt fell in her kitchen and split her elbow open. She is healing well. It could have been much worse.

I truly hope that in my "golden years" I still have enough jellybeans left in my jar to listen to my nieces and nephews and to realize that they have my best interests in mind. I probably won't have the jellybeans, but here's hoping...

Janne, wishing your GF a speedy recovery.

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There are some days I wonder how many jellybeans I have left in my jar.

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Death is something private. I'm glad I don't have any relatives coming out of the woodwork to tell me how sorry they are, but it's nice to have this website to express my feelings.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Mothers Day here today.
My mum is now 88 years old:)
I just spoke to hear.
She had a stroke I think for almost four years ago.
She has problem to speak though.
And problem to remember our names...

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I think I should clarify something I said about relatives. Now that my mother is not on this earthly plane anymore, I don't have any close relatives. There may be some far-flung cousin out there who I haven't seen since I was a toddler, but I don't want to hear from them just because Iva has died. Re-telling my mother's story of the past three years to people I've lost touch with is too exhausting a task. My friends, who are part of this website, give me sincere help, and that's what I need.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

My friends, who are part of this website, give me sincere help, and that's what I need.

Maybe getting a dog would help.
You will meet many people when walking it.
I did and have never met so many people in the neighborhood.
I now even know their name:)

Tosca says Arf, Arf.

Maybe getting a dog would help.
You will meet many people when walking it.
I did and have never met so many people in the neighborhood.
I now even know their name:)

Dogs are fine for some people, but I don't like their barking in the neighborhood. I have two house rabbits that are quiet loners, kind of like me. ;~)

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Maybe getting a dog would help.
You will meet many people when walking it.
I did and have never met so many people in the neighborhood.
I now even know their name:)

Dogs are fine for some people, but I don't like their barking in the neighborhood. I have two house rabbits that are quiet loners, kind of like me. ;~)

I see.
But our dog Tosca, a midget poodle, doesn't even bark chasing the two hares outside our house.

She get's very exited when she sees them yes, but never bark.

But our dog Tosca doesn't even bark chasing the two hares outside our house.

Good dog, then. :~)

Unfortunately, there are dogs on this street who are left outside in people's carports and backyards more often than not, and they bark incessantly. That does not endear me to them.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

But our dog Tosca doesn't even bark chasing the two hares outside our house.

Good dog, then. :~)
Unfortunately, there are dogs on this street who are left outside in people's carports and backyards more often than not, and they bark incessantly. That does not endear me to them.

There was a dog in our neighborhood that once barked a lot.
After two hours the barking became quite annoying.
After four hours the dog had a soar throat.
The dog stopped barking after six hours!
Poor dog that probably had been left alone...

But our dog Tosca doesn't even bark chasing the two hares outside our house.

Good dog, then. :~)

Unfortunately, there are dogs on this street who are left outside in people's carports and backyards more often than not, and they bark incessantly. That does not endear me to them.

You would've loved the parrot I had, he picked up barking from the previous owners neighbours dog, which I found absolutely hilarious. That said he never learned to meow off the owners pet cat. Wierd.

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Member of the People Encouraging Niceness In Society club.