It's really fall!

I got them originally because the people at the county said they were native bushes (not), and they were good food for the wild ones, I didn't expect for them to be so pretty. They shine in December when the fruit is ripe.
Can't wait to see yours Calif_Sue.
WIB,
SW

This thread is getting full and we're on to winter!

WE're onto here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1059397/

wc gypsy, I made the persimmon pudding and it's excellent! We can't stop eating it and it's so low in fat. That was a very pleasant surprise.

Me, too!! I made it last night, and DH can't stop raving about it. A friend stopped by today, so I gave her a piece and she insisted on taking another one home with her. She's a GOOD friend, so I let her....

I'm stuck in Central Ca with a kitchen full of ripening persimmons at home.....DH came up to take care of some things here for me and brought me half of the one loaf I made before leaving....
I realized after I posted the recipe that I should have made clear that you only need to use waxed paper on the bottom of the loaf pan....I cut it to size and stick it in after buttering the pan quite well and then butter the paper itself quite well also. I may have to make a run home for a few days just to make more and not lose my ripe persimmons. I don't think Jer would do a good job of freezing them for me..... :(

How's your dad doing? Can I help?

Ditto what KC said, I'll be keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers.
WIB!
SW

I....LUUUURVE ...PERSIMMON! IT'S MY VERY FAVORITE FRUIT OF ALL TIMES....I'VE BEEN BUYING AS MUCH AS I CAN GET AT THE FARMERS MARKET!

HI GUYS! : )

Hey Rob! I missed you! How are ya doing? Come over to the winter page since it's acting like it, that's where we went.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1059397/
See ya there, and I owe you a dmail.
WIB,
SW

Since I had to leave my kitchen full of persimmons, Jer is drying them for me. I was up here for 3 days and went home for 4 and then I've been back up here for 10 days now. I DESPERATELY want to go home, home is my touchstone and where I'm 'grounded'......it feeds me spiritually and emotionally and being at my Dad's house is awful. The current situation leaves me here with my Dad in convalescent care and it's looking as though he may never be able to return home.... :(( At least it's been raining down there too and all of the nursery stock is getting watered naturally, but I can't get bogged down with that thinking right now. If I go home for a week, I know I won't be able to make myself come back here. Best case scenario is that if we're looking at long term care, I'll see about moving him down to a facility by us where I can check on him daily, which BTW, if you have anyone in convalescent care, is a good idea if you can swing it.

Thoughts and prayers are with you.....

Thank you...we all have to deal with it at one time or another.

Hugs, Sherry. You're a good daughter. I hope things get more manageable soon. Thank goodness for Jer and the rain.

I'm so sorry about your dad. These transitional times can be really hard and I know what you mean about wanting to be home. I feel the same way about mine.

I've been right where you are Sherry. Hang in there dear. Thoughts and prayers your way.

Randy, you're probably much better and more experienced at it then....gas money in it for anyone who'll come up here and take my place. I'm better prepared for it now emotionally than I was when my Mom went, but her passing was peaceful and quick and it was like every direction I turned there was someone to take care of things for me, it all flowed smoothly and was as she would have wished. This is not like that. Still...this too shall pass.

We went through this with my mom. Here's one thing you HAVE to do when checking out convalesent places: Drop by UNANNOUNCED to see the place(s). If you make an appt. (which most of them say you "must do"...) you don't get the REAL story of how the place is run.
Regardless of what they tell you on the phone, don't let them know you're coming. Then, go by at various times of the day...don't just go ONCE.

I could tell you stories that would make your hair curl about these places. We went through 4 of them and finally found a really good place for my mom. It's a headache, but you'll rest easier if you do it.

Ask for referrals, too. Talk to the "visitor's" when you're there...and get their "take" on the quality of care, etc.

I hate to sound like a downer, but it's really important that you do your own "investigating" of these places.

I totally agree----I have a dear friend who's in an assisted living facility, and we visited several before deciding on this one. It was the right choice. It's screamingly obvious from the second you walk in the door that the staff LIKES the residents, and they are treated with respect and even affection. That makes all the difference in the world.

My Dad had been well familiar with all of the homes in this area having gone through this with his father in law, mother in law, sister in law and then for many years with my stepmother..said none of them are good. I think the hopspital that Daddy was in was terrible and the convalescent that he's in now is terrible. My SIL in Sonora is an RN and she confirmed what I thought. I go in at varying times to check on him. I want him moved down by us, but I also just plain want him out of the one he's in now. For the first days I could count on what info he told me, but he's deteriorated rapidly and is suddenly in the last 3 days quite delusional. The first day he was there I got there just after the ambulance took him there and I threw a small fit and told them that I would not leave him there and would be taking him home with me....I'm not their favorite person. He's there only because there are only 3 care facilities in the area that are allied with Hospice and this is the only one that had an availability. When my Mom was dying I was so fortunate in that there was a Hospice House two miles from her home in La Mirada. I was told at that time (about 6 years ago) that there were only two in California. This was a beautiful home with French doors from her room leading to a patio and swimming pool that made sparkling prisms of light on her room's ceiling in the afternoons...there were only 5-6 people there at any one time, it was joyously peaceful and quiet and I could take Willie Nelson's Stardust in and play for her in the afternoon/ evenings. She was so well cared for and she loved the nurses there. She was lucky, she was gone in twelve days....the passing of time really sucks, doesn't it?

As Bette Davis said, it's "no place for sissies". Hang in there, sweetie....

wcgypsy,
My heart goes out to you. I would ask about drug interactions. Went through that recently with my Mom. I do hope that you are able to move your Dad to a nice place near you.
Please keep us posted.
You are always in my thoughts and prayers, Sherry.
WIB!
SW

Thank you...yes, there's a problem with the meds... they finally concluded. There was no problem with all of the meds he was taking before this, but they wouldn't use the meds he was taking before. They had to use "their own"......
Edited to add: They told me this yesterday afternoon. I had a long talk with one of the convalesent nurses and she said the problem is with one of the meds the hospice team is using. The only different meds being given by hospice are morphine and oxycodone. I just checked oxycodone...bingo! Hallucinations...I think they should have changed this days ago, I told them 5 days ago that he is quite delusional. Now I need to wait and see what his 'true' condition is..

This message was edited Dec 18, 2009 8:26 AM

Grrrr...warning to everyone with loved ones in the hospital or under care of a new medical practitioner - question EVERYTHING!

All I want for Christmas is a year's supply of Bailey's......I could put a really large dent in the supply right now...lol...

I'd have to build a barn to hold a year's supply of Bailey's for Lisa. Maybe your appetite for it is a little more reserved.

I'll have to be sure to have some Bailey's for the RU.
Sherry, I can't tell you how relieved I am that it may just be the meds causing his problems. I used to work in those places. It's a spirit killing job. I always gave my patients good care, but not all the staff is as kind. Get him moved closer to you so we can take him out for lunch or something. He doesn't need to be wharehoused, but does need something to look forward to.
Things are getting a little better since Mom's med's were changed. She is still having cognition problems due to the stroke though.
Hang in there sweetie, as frustrating as it is, it is an act of love.
Good advice KC. I also carry around in a medicine bottle in my purse. It contains all the things I'm allergic to, my current meds and dosages, along with my Dr.'s phone #'s. I also told them not to use the MRI on my head. I got a bunch of metal in there and don't want them removed. Not LOL!
Checking out the new Medic Alert thing too. It's all online.
My thoughts and prayers, are with you Sherry.
I was going to save this one for later, but here's a wild hummer for you, to cheer you up! I found it quietly sitting out by the big farm pond. Was surprised how well it turned out. Still really shaky and didn't have the tripod, but hey, it was a treat! : - )
WIB!
SW

Hey, I was thinking that, too, Jules. We can set up a roster for visits to Sherry's dad - fatten him up if need be, and just generally pester him!

No, he won't be going out to lunch, he's beyond that unfortunately. There is a definite dirth of good nursing homes...I'm not feeling hopeful. Gave in and picked up some Bailey's...I deserve it. Do not want to start that habit again though...lol...I like Bailey's waaaay too much. No, Randy, my appetite is not reserved, but I did learn that I couldn't drink a bottle of it at once.....that was the night I crawled to bed.

Awww...Sherry, I'm sorry. Sending hugs.

Sherry,
I am kind of confused about what kind of care your father is currently in need of. I do know that there is help for you. If not in SD Co., I know of a couple of places in Riverside Co. I do live right next door to a retirement community.
We can always bring in a picnic lunch to share with him, if he can't go out and is up to a visit.
It's okay about the Bailey's. I'd have a drink some days too, except for the drug interactions. Sigh.
I used to enjoy a good glass of wine, or a rum and coke. I used to like Amareto de Saronno a lot.
Until the night DH and I polished off a whole bottle in one night. I don't recall how I got to bed.
Enjoy your Bailey's in moderation, take a couple of deep breaths, and repeat 3 times: As sure as the sun will shine, this too shall pass. : - )
It helps me a lot. Let me know if I can do anything to help you through this.
Still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf

Thanks, there is one place in Hemet that I'm checking....wish there were one closer, but....

Hemet isn't far from me or quiltygirl. Come to think of it DillansNana lives right there in Hemet and would know what facilities are best for you. Try dmailing her. She is a sweetie. Yes, it's a little bit down the road for you, but still and all, it's a lot closer than where he is now.
LMK, I do worry about you, Sherry.
Always in my heart and prayers.
~BIG HUGS~
WIB!
SW

SW, there's one in Hemet, but also one in Murrieta and will go take a look tomorrow. Would prefer the one in Murrieta. For anyone needing to deal with this at any time, these are two good sites:
CANHR, which is California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform...
and
USNews.com/ Best Nursing Homes (extensive lists for all states)

Sherry,
Murrieta is very close to me, right across the street almost. I do hope that one of the places will be a congenial and kind place, but you have to go in person to check them out. So, take a list of questions with you. Take notes on who you talked to and what was discussed.
Thank goodness that my Mom is still okay on her own, and that we have her own place next door. At some point we may have to have someone come in and stay with her, but I promised her a long time ago that she would be allowed to die at home if possible.
She and I both worked in Convalescent Hospitals where we learned what the staffing issues really are. We also learned a lot of the staff is less than honest, kind, or even qualified to do what they are asked to do by the facility. Not all of them, but it only takes a few bad apples.
Granted this was some time ago, but Mom still fears the possibility.
Mom is up and walking around with her cane now. She even made it all the way out to the mailbox the other day. It's probably half a city block, so she was really tired when she got back. I am grateful that she is walking more. EB#1 is still taking her around to her appointments and all. The boys help out as needed.
It is hard to be a part of the sandwich generation, taking care of parents and children at home at the same time. Most of us hold down full time jobs as well. Sigh!
A couple of generations ago, when families all lived near each other it was easier on the primary caregiver, because other family was near enough to help, and did.
Remember my advice and especially to breath from your belly. Breathing from your upper chest won't calm you down, but it will make you hyperventilate. Breathing from your belly, like I do when I sing, gives you a lot more oxygen in your system and does help you calm down. Although, you don't have to sing unless you want to. LOL!
Sherry, you are not alone, and even though this is a very stressful time for you, things will be okay, and work out the way they should.
Sending you more "HUGS", because you all really need them right now.
WIB,
SW