Home at Last

This will be the last post, at least for a while. Jack went home today. He was very appreciative of his ability to recuperate at Wildacres but was quite anxious to get back to his home in Mt. Arlington, NJ. Mike and Katy drove him down and brother Greg met us there to help Jack get unpacked, drive to the A&P for shopping and getting settled in. Greg's report later today was that Jack did just fine driving into Denville, got a little tired while shopping but got through it without problem. So all the brothers will keep in touch with Jack and we'll all just keep praying!

83 Years and Counting!

Mike was in Philadelphia yesterday at a conference so I took Jack out to dinner to celebrate his 83rd. My friend Barbara joined us at Matteo's, a favorite haunt of ours. Last week was Barbara's 79th birthday, mine was last month, so it was birthdays all around!

Unfortunately, the camera was forgotten so you'll have to take my word for this: we had a really fun time! Jack asked if he could please have Crown Royal -"since it's my birthday" - I sprung for the top-shelf figuring it would help ensure he would enjoy himself.

Barbara is a wonderful, smart, funny and active woman who still works 4 days a week as the Tax Assessor in Washington CT, walks a few miles daily and enjoys Rob Roy's. She and Jack had met last Christmas so it was comfortable for him and fun for me to sit back and listen to their discussion of replacement parts.

Jack was touched by all of the calls, cards and thoughtfulness that came his way from his family - particularly the cookies - and enjoyed the meal and fellowship of the evening.

It started snowing here today at about Noon and we have about 3/4 inch so far. Not sticking too much, but as you can see, the flowers and green leaves look a bit out of place with the white coating.

Tomorrow I'm taking Jack to Kohl's to shop for his birthday sweatsuit. I might let him drive.

Keep your radios on ...

Clarification

Jack has started telling people that the reason he's going home is because he's disrupting our lives too much. The truth is that he insisted that he wanted to go home, that he was completely capable of being on this own. We tried to encourage him to stay longer, to get stronger and more stable. But he insisted he wanted to go home.

"... the party's over ..."

Yes, it's true. The 4-week recuperation period is coming to an end. On Saturday Jack will be going home to the Garden State.

Our visit to Dr. Barth on Monday was a positive experience for all and reinforced our feeling that Jack is ready to leave the nest. The good doctor said that Jack's cognitive skills were great, his vital signs good and, although he's not as steady on his feet as he really should be, all in all he's doing fine.

Dr. B told Jack very bluntly: daily exercise is needed and he has to 'use it or lose it' in all aspects in order to maintain his mobility and live independently. The doctor wouldn't go so far as to make a judgement on how Jack will fare with driving, but he advised caution and moderation in returning to the road.

And so kids, as the campfire turns to embers, the tale of Jack-in-the-Woods begins to wind down. A happy ending is just around the corner from the Tappan Zee. Jack is upbeat and looking forward to the peace and quiet of the Carriage Club where he can get back to his daily laps in the pool and mingling with his friends in the hallway.

Mike and Katy will miss having Jackeroo as a house-guest ... yes, really. Josie will now have to go back to eating lunch all by herself.

All's well that ends well!

Quite a Saturday

On Chris' recommendation that Jack enter the NJ Senior Olympics, we started training today. After a breakfast of waffles and bacon, Jack and Mike took to the road, grocery shopping at Big Y. Jack did very well! They were in the store a good 30 minutes. He pushed the cart, found his own 5-lb. tub of chocolate chip cookies, prevailed upon Mike to get some liverwurst, loaded all the groceries into the car and even hauled some up to the house.

But that was just the start. Jack watched more of the President's Cup, took a power nap, then spiffed up for a night out. We headed to St. Francis Xavier for Mass said by Fr. Mike ("I don't want to sit in the front row; too conspicuous"). Afterward, he said that it was a very nice parish.

From there it was off to Carl's River Bistro for a night of hanging out at the bar ("This is just my style"). Jack can only sit at the kitchen table with us for about a half hour because the chair's not that comfortable. But the comfy bar stools at Carl's allowed him to sit there for 2 1/2 hours. We

watched the Dodgers and kibitzed with the regulars. This grainy photo from Mike's blackberry attests to the bar's suitability for Jack's recovery. He finished off the day's training with an excellent swordfish steak and a couple of VOs.

Three weeks and counting

How times flies! It's been only three weeks since Jack arrived at Wildacres to recuperate. He arrived in an ornery mood, weak from his infections and wanted only to sit in his recliner, watch bad afternoon TV and nod off.

How things have changed! He is now stronger, takes walks on the treadmill - albeit for short spurts and at very slow speed, but nonetheless a walk, and his mood has become downright sunny! (just checking to see if you are paying attention)

He no longer uses his cane, takes showers by himself (can you see Mike smiling here?) makes his own breakfast and lunch, cleans up the dishes and folds laundry. We're thinking that next week he'll be up to weeding the garden ... Household chores aside, he is much more mobile though still not very stable when walking and not yet standing fully upright. His mood is more pleasant and the naps are less frequent. Judge Judy still reins supreme each afternoon, though.

We visited a local Urologist yesterday: Dr. Yu. We're going back next week so that Dr. Yu can take an x-ray of Jack's kidney stones and stint to be sure all is status quo. He indicated that overall Jack's plumbing is working well. Although Jack walked into the office with a bit of a 'tude, he left thinking Dr. Yu was an okay guy - for an "Oriental". Yes, it was one of the more memorable doctor visits for me.

On Monday we have an appointment with Dr. Barth, a local GP. He's Caucasian. Stay tuned.

In Training

Of his own volition Jack did two sessions on the treadmill today. Here's the morning's five-minute session. He was able to be a little more upright in the afternoon session. He can barely make five minutes at a very slow pace but at least he's making the effort. Of course, he insists he can do anything he needs to do, like grocery shopping, to live on his own. He just can't walk for more than five minutes with support without needing a two hour nap.

Next comes doing laundry. When Jack can make a trip around the grocery store, pay the bill and get the purchase back to the car then he might be ready to trying driving (my new car?!).

Jack is also making his own breakfast and lunch, putting his dishes in the dishwasher and taking his own showers. He's also able to streak to the pantry if Mike doesn't shut down the mailroom by 6:30 to start cocktail hour. He realizes he gets a better portion if he serves up his own VO, Wis Pride and 'Flipsides' crackers.

And finally, Jack's also quoting the paper as in, "The Times said this morning...." after all those years of heaping abuse on any NY Times reader as effete he's now one of us.

Giants Win, Jets Lose, Jack Wants To Go Home

It was a beautiful day here at Wildacres. Click here if you'd like to see some pictures Mike took on a walk in the woods this morning.

Jack, Katy and Mike spent much of the afternoon at the River Bistro for Carl's Customer Appreciation Party. You can see some pictures if you click here.

While watching football this evening Jack brought up the fact that he felt he was ready to go home. Mike pointed out that he needed to show us that he can do all the things he does at home: make his meals, do his laundry, clean up after himself and drive to the store to shop. He claims he can do all those things now so we'll see how things evolve this week. It doesn't appear that he has a realistic assessment of his current capacity so keep him in your prayers. Follow the blog for updates.

Cheering Up

Katy and I had dinner out with our friend Don last night so there wasn't a blog entry. The past two days have been about the same. Jack has breakfast with us in the kitchen, spends the rest of the day in his chair in the living room reading, watching TV, napping and making the 10 foot trek to visit Mrs. Murphy. In the evening he joins us back in the kitchen for cocktail hour and dinner.

Since we stopped bugging him about drinking water and moving around he makes a show of getting a glass of water after breakfast and then drinks about 6 ounces for the whole day. Each day he made one "exercise" trip from the living room to the kitchen and back.

This weekend we will need to have a heart-to-heart with Jack. On the one hand, he wants to move back to Mt. Arlington but on the other he refuses to do any of those things that will improve his ability to take care of himself.

Fortunately, Greg called and knew just the thing to cheer Jack up - a picture of his poison ivy.

Not Such a Good Day

Jack seems to think that he can just sit in the chair all day and that one of these days he's just going to throw away his cane and he'll be as good as new. It's becoming clear (a) he wants to go back to Mt. Arlington; (b) he's a long way from being ready to safely live on his own.

Today could best be summed up in one picture.

A Good Day

A beautiful Fall morning broke with Jack having a nice breakfast and by noon time feeling really 'up!' How much better can life be when your bowel and bladder functioning is improving!

Here are a couple of pictures. One of Jack doing laps on the deck then settling into a good book he's been devouring. He took a shower and completely dressed himself; that's definitely progress. Before it gets too cold we're going to try a one night camping trip in the woods.

Katy escaped for dinner with her friends. Mike and Jack had a fine evening together; good food, good drink, Jeopardy and the Mets!

Rainy Sunday

Not much funny to say today. Rained all day and all three of us spent the day indoors. The main event was watching golf and checking on the Jets and Giants. Jack won't drink water, won't get out of his chair, complains about his bowels and generally has a sour disposition.

He is willing to go down to the River Bistro for dinner so we'll be leaving in a little while.

Jack did tell Steve on the phone about yesterday's "haircut and pedophile."

Saturday Outing

We had our usual Wildacres Saturday morning; sleep in, nice breakfast and spend the whole time reading the newspapers and listening to the radio.

As a treat, Katy made pancakes and eggs.

After a shave and shower we put Jack in the car for our clean-up excursion. First to visit Esther and Sue for a hair wash and cut. He's been there a couple of times before so he's a "regular." We all chatted about the Barry Manilow concert Sue attended, her husband's refusal to take her to see Stevie Wonder, whether Tom Cruise is gay (the consensus is 'yes'), why Nancy Kissinger called to cancel her appointment (we hope Henry's feeling OK) and other non-sports topics.

Then off to Tiffany's Nail Salon for a pedicure since Jack's toe nails were starting to curl under. A new experience for him but one he enjoyed, though he was dubious when Katy asked what color he wanted his toe nails painted.

Now it's cocktail hour and Katy is whipping up home made chicken pot pie. Jack did need to be reminded this morning, "We don't talk that way here" and he's completely non-cooperative when it comes to drinking water. He acts as if we're torturing him when we tell him that drinking 12 ounces over the course of a whole day is not "gallons." He threatened us tonight, "If I drink more water I won't be able to eat any dinner" (though he did force down a VO). Ay yay yay. At least he's putting his on his own socks.

TGIF

Overall an improvement. Jack has moved from the walker to his cane. We're trying to get him to do more for himself (and less from us). He's eating better and able to change his own diaper.

Thursday

"Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way.This happens to us all the time with computers and nobody thinks to complain."

The above quote was very apt for us today. Mike's work laptop finally took its last breath yesterday. Apparently Ingenix knew it was 'on the verge' but didn't think the user had a 'need to know.; All is well now, thankfully. His replacement unit arrived at 3:30 (6 hours late ... another UPS related story for the future)

Morning started cheerfully (yes, I really mean that). We had our breakfast, read the papers, took a shower (no, not communal, but could be a future blog topic ... do I hear YouTube calling?) Physically, Jack is feeling better and his intestinal issues seem to be abating. As he gains strength his attitude also is improving (yes, I really mean that, too. You brothers are such doubting-Thomases).

Katy is working on (read:nagging) Jack to ingest 6 glasses of water each day and to consume less salt to keep his ankles from swelling (which they are) and to keep his plumbing running freely (which it seems to be). We can report success because his latest mantra is: (and I quote) " all this damn water is ruining my appetite."

Jack feels comfortable staying alone so we are going out for dinner to our local fave spot, Bulls Bridge Inn. We've had our cocktails together and Jack will be having his low-salt turkey sandwich and settle into his chair to watch 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Judge Judy' re-runs ...

Through all of this Jack and Josie are really bonding ... she sat next to him today at the breakfast table (he LOVED that). Stay tuned for more animals and minerals updates!

Hump Day

We've had a great fish dinner and now we're headed to the deck for cigars. Our friend Don Gregory joined us for the meal and conversation. Jack was right in the middle of the discussion. He and Don talked quite extensively about his bowel movements - Don's such a good listener.

Overall, it was a good day. Two nights in a row with a great sleeping experience. We got to the lab at the hospital this morning and we were in and out within 20 minutes. The only mishap of the day was the runs as we were arriving home - thank goodness for well-made diapers. Most likely it's the result of the heavy duty antibiotic he's taking (only one more day). Jack's convinced it's from the Ensure. When I pointed out that VO was more likely to cause diarrhea than Ensure I got one of those, "No way!"

Blisters on the lips just about gone; butt sore almost healed and we're grateful for one more day.

Day Two and Counting

Steve made a good suggestion. We usually start about 7:00 p.m. with dinner prep, then dinner, then bed so the best times to call, generally, are 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The first number to try is Katy's land line, 860-354-7137. Please understand that it's also her business line so sometimes we may not be able to answer. You can always call my all-purpose number, 860-946-0689. If I'm not available to answer it'll just go to voice mail. Unfortunately, during the day it's in use for work most of the time.

Jack had a tough day. Bleeding hemorroids, bleeding a lot, causing much mess, embarrassment and consternation. Fortunately, the treatments we prescribed seem to be working but we didn't go for the blood work he needs because of all this. We're going tomorrow morning. Let's hope by the time we're all ready for adult diapers the ease of use has improved considerably.

We've talked to Dr. Collum and Dr. Zimmerman and put a hold on the Star Ledger. They were both very understanding and helpful. We're working on getting a local internist and urologist. They'll consult with his NJ docs. Don't believe him when he tells you that (a) his bleeding hemorrhoids are because his platelet count is low (No way, said Collum); (b) his bowel troubles come from the Ensure; (c) he's drinking lots of water; (d) he's moving around a lot; (e) he's had a religious awakening; (f) we've tied him to a post in the basement (we only mentioned the possibility once, maybe twice). He did, however, sleep great last night.

That is all....

First Day in New Milford

Greetings to my family from the countryside of CT. Michael and I had about a 2 hour drive this morning but I'm here in the beautiful countryside and as you can see, I'm settling in at Wildacres.

Josie the cat is still a bit stand-offish (although I've been very forthcoming in renewing our friendship) and she seems to be warming to me more as dinner-time approaches. I slept on and off during the day in my new (very comfy) recliner, read a bit between naps and watched a rousing game of Jeopardy, which really helped my appetite!

After a tasty sword-fish dinner (and a small VO) I'm getting ready for an early-to-bed night. All in all, not a bad first day of rehab. I'm just glad that I'm out of the hospital.

I'll be going to New Milford Hospital for my blood work tomorrow. Mike and Katy are lining up a local GP and Urologist for me, which will make appointments much easier. On Friday I'll be going to see my friend Esther for a haircut and possibly to Tiffany Nails for a pedicure.

Who would have thunk it. New Jersey guy in a Yankee town. But it's all good!