by Diane: Mini-art respite from caregiving update #9: A new meaningful direction

This painting might be close to finished.  It could be an illustration in Fisherman's Hubby's revised book about fishing that we did in the late 1970's or early 1980's when we lived in Bellingham, Washington. Since then he has expanded into fishing from a glass drift boat and aluminum Almar motor boat.
As his ALS prevents him from many physical activities, I hope he will join me in making a book that we can pay to be bound in a display book. Even if he doesn't feel like composing it, I am going ahead with this project with the assistance of the  Home Instead Senior Care caregiver.

This week has been very upsetting to me seeing Don suffer sometimes not being able to eat without choking or taking longer and longer to eat mostly staring at the food and not really wanting to eat more but still trying.  Don't know if he will engage in the book. Don't know if he will change his mind and accept tube feeding.  Wish us luck, yesterday we scheduled an appointment with his neurologist.

Excuse my short post I need to make sure that Hospice comes to asses us this week.

by Diane: Update #17 of Art Escape: Painting BreakThrough

Having a painting project in progress makes me feel good and optomistic. Now painting brings me closer to one of my favorite fellow painters. Via Zoom, last Friday, at home I paint out on the far end of our property.  My sister-in-laws in Portland generated the exciting energy I miss painting with others in groups like Vistas and Vineyards in the Mid-valley here in Oregon or the Painting Out There. The later group is in Kona Kailua, Hawaii.
      My art escape helps me relax when my caregiving worries unneccessarily demand an immediate solution.   Worrying about my paintings is more relaxing than being helpless in the face of my husband's health. .After a while painting, when I think about it, I notice the pain in my joints caused by tension is mostly gone.  When I paint, I am engaged in the beauty of the day.



Detail.

A very old, one inch wide sable flat brush seperates at even intervals. With almost dry paint the brush makes parallel lines that reminds me of cubist painting "Nude Descending a Staircase".  



                                                                    Second detail
             Second break through is making the fast movement
                       a little transparent.

 

Tuesday, May 19, I had a few minutes to work and it might be closer to resolved.

by Diane: Art Escape update #13, Near disaster, but saved beef gravy to make a tasty meal

Monday, May 4

Up early! Watched a fledging swallow being fed and Red Tail Hawk also watching with interest. Had a leisurely breakfast. My good breakfast was a good start following an anxious night of feeling inadequate to mounting challenges. I had many ideas of what I could do as the primary care giver of my husband.
 Ignored the urgency I felt during the night. Reduced theplan for the day to one enquiry on Don's ALS medication. Continued painting,  reading Facebook, exercising and walking relaxed me after an anxious night not sleeping after 4:00 AM. Being relaxed was more important for my caregiving than acting on all my night time plans.

 

Today marked a landmark life changing event in my and my husband fishing life. We sold the fiberglass Slidrite drift boat. It makes us a little sad. I started to tear up as the new owner and his boy drove it away.  At the same time we were feeling good. It was sweet to think that the boat will play an important roll in a boy's awareness and caring about the future of fisheries .


Fisherman hubby on the Deschutes late 80's

One daughter on same Deschutes trip.

We have many memories of the 34 years of drifting down some of Oregon's rivers. White water on the Deschutes, Grande Ronde, and Salmon. The oh so many drifts from Sweethome to McDowel Creek on the South Santiam where even I could catch Steelhead but mostly I painted. Also the longer run from Sweethome to Waterloo. Fishing trips included the North Santiam, the Siletz, the Alsea, the Nestucca and the Trask.

We still have the jet sled that will now have a year round parking place in our garage.

Our dinner was a celebration dinner. I made broth from a WinCo 4 pound bag of soup bones. Carrots, celery and parseley addition was tasty without using onions or garlic or pepper which bother my husband.  The intention of making the broth was to make gravy to pour over steak that had to be tender, tasty and easy to swallow. Timing the gravy to be done the same time as a Fred Meyer meat and baked potato was slightly problematic. Usually I cook beef from Rain and farm boss's ranch and know how long it takes to cook it until tender.  The Fred Meyer meat turned out to cook faster than the rest of the meal. The gravy of broth, whole wheat flour browned in butter had too much fat so I tried to pour it into a fat seperator. Unfortunately I tried to pour it over a cooling but still hot stove glass top burner. Happily I scraped it off the burner before smoking the kitchen and setting off the smoke detecter. The detecter's alarm spoils the relaxing atmoshere we need. I get frazzeled trying to turn on the fans and opening windows.

Tuesday, May 5

Five is a good number for us. Last night fisherman hubby put on his mask and started his VPap all on his own. He only woke twice during the night and I slept well too. My VPap concerns evaporated.

A supplier of a speech generating devise contacted us with the news that the co-pay for this very expensive machine can be completely covered by Team Gleason. Filling out a form that only takes five minutes to fill out. Of course not so easy for us. There wasn't a courtesy e-mail saying they received the form. Precious time lost for painting or drawing.  Maybe now between 2 and 3 PM before starting dinner I can paint and post my week's painting here. I am still working on the one I started last Wednesday.

Last week it had the nice directness of having been done all at once.
This freshness was lost this week but I am learning and seeing  which is more meaningful to me.



Just might paint over 80%.  But first will do some more watching the swallows.
This is an early morning and they fly differently in the still morning air.

.

by Diane: Thanksgiving lasts three weeks for husband's recovery

One shelf is devoted to prepared food for Don to help himself.
 some foods are made fresh daily.
 After  4 day old mock gravy was suspect for causing gas,
I am learning to use post it notes with dates
and then toss out quanities of three day old food. 

My husband was released from the hospital November 11. Up until  last Saturday, November 22, he has been eating liquids and purees in small quantities. Rejecting protein shakes, and can you blame him because he had a willing cook? Early on fixing liquid and pureed food was done with heart and love.
I felt my expression of love was creatively satisfying to me and was healing to my husband.
       
         I was happy to make mini meals.  Like a quarter cup of mashed yams with mini marshmallows, mashed potatoes with mock gravy from homemade broth further flavored with chopped turkey. Even jellied cranberry sauce on the side! Custard or lemon meringue without crust of course.  And ice-cream banana shakes! Shakes with blueberry juice separated from the seeds. Couldn't beat the convenience of classic Campbell's chicken noodle soup! Also made homemade soups like potato or chicken soup. Then he wanted more texture in his food. Maybe too soon!

Some of my appliances include a Magic Bullet best for soups and shakes, a Black and Decker Handy Chopper
and Instant Pot to make broth and cook meat until tender

        Just as my Husband was eating a little more, I made a mistake that caused us both a bout of gas and could be a possible cause of his poor sleep Monday night. (Yes, I eat his left overs because my appliances to work properly make more food than he can eat.) From now on I will not serve left over sauce, just freshly made. I will make sure that canned soups and vegetables are cooked not just warmed in the microwave.  Yesterday working with the turkey, I cleaned up with a little bleach.

Lesson learned: I don't belong in the kitchen when I have too many pots on the stove. Then I take short cuts like using food that should have been tossed. Cleaning up the counter tops of everything except what I am using will make food preparation less frantic and  safer and more fun.

Update:
11-27-19
This morning I made scrambled eggs whipping and adding enough milk to make the eggs pastel, baby yellow. Then in  fry pan mixing them continuously until they are almost completely thickened. Then I add milk and cover for a minute. I served half of them. The rest went into the magic bullet with vanilla ice cream, a third of a banana, blueberry passion fruit sorbee and vanilla ice cream. I pushed pulsating. Poured into a small cup and my husband said I didn't serve him enough. He wants more later.

My best wishes to you for a Happy Thanksgiving no matter what you think you can eat.